Wednesday's Hero

The following is from a web site for LCpl Nicholas J. Manoukian Started by his Mother.

11 January 2007


Mary Manoukian Calhoun
LCpl Nicholas J. Manoukian USMC
Email Address:me10149@aol.com

In Honor and loving memory of my son LCpl Nicholas J. Manoukian, my
"Fallen Warrior." As troops pass in parade he is just a tree in a forest of
men. When he travels from his homeland to the heat of battle, he is just
someone who fills a seat on the air transport. To the enemy he is just
another faceless target to be eliminated on the quest to victory.

But this warrior is more than just a number. He has a personality and a
place in the hearts of those who truly know him. He is the beautiful
baby,an only child that filled a mother's heart with so much love that she
easily dedicated her life to him. She was his harbor of safety when the
storms of boo-boo's and the flood of childhood tears overcame him. He is
the young boy who suffered the loss of a living father the tender age of
12 causing pain more intense than any wound in battle. He is the
teenager who could get into mischievous trouble,charm the girls,and keep his
friends laughing. He is the organizer of fun,the artist that makes sketch
paper and canvas come alive with meaning and the creator of rhythms that
make the primordial drums resonate with brilliance. He is the romantic
that writes poetry with the girl that is special to his heart. The girl
that would compel him to ride a bicycle on a wheel rim with no tire just
to complete the journey to her home. He is the romantic that
places rose petals on his brides bed and proposes to her by
celebrating all of the Holidays that they will miss together while he will be
deployed to Iraq for a second time, ending with sending her on an Easter
egg hunt to find her ring,in July. He is the Step- Daddy to a little boy
who as he grew would depend on him for guidance into manhood. He is the
man who commands respect and love from a stepfather who is proud to
call him his son. He is the son in law and brother in law of a family that
loves him as their own child and brother. He is a Marine who is loyal to
his brother warriors who in turn love him for the man and personality
that he is. He is a man tough enough in body and spirit to face the enemy
for the freedom of his nation and still be able to tenderly say "I
love you mom."

Now this vibrant and talented young warrior has been taken from us by a
heartless enemy. Now we no longer can hear his laughing voice or the
rhythmic beat of his drum solos or the romantic whispers in the ear of the
wife he so loved. No longer can we see his strong stature,his soft dark
eyes or his bright smile. Gone is the firm and steady grip that portrayes
strength;yet a tenderness that made you know that he truly cared. A
writing by Laurel Atherton best captures Nicks spirit:

"For my Son"

I know you probably have a thousand things to do today.Well...now
you have a thousand and one!

Son,I just want you to take a minute to read this.I know your days
are busy,but I hope they are giving back to you as much as you give to
them.

And I know there a moments when things could be better,but I hope
you'll remember that good things come to good people and that...without
a doubt..you are one of the best.

There are so many wonderful things about you.But I think that the
most admirable thing of all,at least to me,is that you do the things
you do with an inner strength and a special kind of love.That's just the
way you are.
You give life a gleam that most people only carry a glimpse of.

Nick is gone from our world but he lives in our memories and our
hearts.More importantly he lives with an eternal spirit in the presence of
God.Until the day we will all see one another again and spend eternity
together..

In Loving Memory of LCpl Nicholas J.Manoukian USMC age 22 killed on
Oct 21, 2006
1st Marines 6th Batallion 2nd Marine Div.
IED attack Ramadi, Iraq
Awarded two Purple Hearts posthumously

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

It Is Foolish And Wrong To Mourn The Men Who Died. Rather We Should Thank God That Such Men Lived

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