MONROE — The War on Terror Memorial is one that was very familiar to me living in Monroe and working at Monroe County Community College, as it was on my daily commute to work past Veterans Park that runs along the banks of the River Raisin on North Custer Road. It also brought back memories of my “9/11 moment” — where I was when 9/11 happened (like earlier generations who witnessed President John F. Kennedy’s assassination).
I was a cataloging librarian at the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida (Pinellas County). My boss wanted me to have a basic knowledge of law, as I was not a lawyer, so he asked me to attend an “Introduction to Law” class at the University of Tampa for a semester.
I was in class on 9/11, and we were talking about how hard it is for countries to enforce international law. It was at that moment, we were interrupted by a knock on the door informing us to turn on the TV, as the first World Trade Center tower had been struck.
Many good people from Monroe County who fought what became known as the War on Terror are honored as a result of the efforts of individuals like Kelly Greer, who is a Gold Star mom. Army Pfc. Nicholas J. Greer died on Oct. 7, 2005. According to an article in the Military Times, Greer died of a gunshot wound suffered when insurgents attacked his patrol unit in Haqlaniyah, Iraq. Greer’s unit was part of an operation working to stop the infiltration of insurgents from Syria.
Greer war part of the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He served as a sniper marksman and helicopter search and rescue specialist and was a Monroe High School graduate. Greer had planned to study computers when he returned from active duty.
Army Pfc. Dennis Miller of La Salle was, like Greer, just 21 years old. Miller was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 72nd Armor Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea. He was killed on Nov. 10, 2004, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his M1A1 Abrams tank in Ramadi, Iraq. He graduated from basic training and completed M1 tank training in September 2003 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Miller was a recently married, 2001 graduate of Mason High School who had studied history at MCCC. He was an avid hunter and golfer.
Marine Pfc. Juan Garza was 20 years old when he died in central Iraq on April 8, 2003. The Temperance transplant had lived with his aunt and uncle while finishing high school at Summerfield High School. Garza was based at Camp Pendleton, California, and his young wife, Casey Cole, was 19 years old and in the Army, stationed in Washington, D.C.
Casey Cole told Military Times reporters, “We were married three months, and he was away for all of it. He was the love of my life. He’s a hero.”
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The memorial is inscribed with the words: “War On Terror” — Monroe County’s Fallen Heroes/Lest They Be Forgotten and includes the following names and year of birth/death dates:
Marine Pfc. Juan Garza, 1983-2003; Army Pfc. Dennis J. Miller Jr., 1983-2004; Army Capt. Lowell T. Miller II, 1970-2005; Marine Cpl. Gary Koehler, 1985-2006; Air Force Master Sgt. David A. Scott, 1953-2003; Army Sgt. Michael K. Ingram Jr., 1987-2010; Army Master Sgt. William L. Payne, 1956-2003; Marine Lance Cpl. Allan Klein, 1970-2005; Army Pfc. Nicholas J. Greer, 1983-2005; Army Sgt. Christopher Messer, 1978-2006; Army Pfc. Eric W. Hario, 1989-2009.
— Tom Adamich is president of Visiting Librarian Service, a firm he has operated since 1993. He also is project archivist for the Greening Nursery Co. and Family Archives and the electric vehicle awareness coordinator at Monroe County Community College.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: 11 locals on Monroe County’s War on Terror Memorial
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