I picked up what was left of him: Honoring my friend this Memorial Day

Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·2 min read
Eric Franklin, with the 123rd Air Control Squadron out of Blue Ash, unfurls one of the 1,000 flags that were installed at the Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township for the “Field of Memories” on May 24.
Eric Franklin, with the 123rd Air Control Squadron out of Blue Ash, unfurls one of the 1,000 flags that were installed at the Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township for the “Field of Memories” on May 24.

"Do it. Go on, Hoff, don't be a p---y. That knife will clear the drain," Robert Posivio told me. "Just angle the blade in there and don't be a p---y. C'mon."

The blade did clear the chicken bone, meat and other stuff while getting destroyed by the Navy garbage disposal. Two inches of the blade remained.

Posivio and I were friends for a bit if only because dudes find commonality and we were both quick with a joke.

Robert C. Posivio III was killed on May 23, 2006, in Anbar Province, Iraq. He died alongside four other Marines and an interpreter. I picked up what was left of Posivio so he could be properly buried in Michigan.

I miss our jokes, giving grief to each other and, more importantly, how funny of a dude he was.

I miss him all the time and can hear him making fun of me whenever I do something stupid. But my friends are only a small portion of the reason for the Memorial Day holiday.

Memorial Day is meant to honor our war dead, while also celebrating what we have as a nation.

The colors should be lowered to half-staff after being raised in the morning, then raised back to full-staff promptly at noon. This signifies the somber memorial in the morning and the celebration of what we've earned later.

I hope we all live a life worthy of the sacrifice of those who went to war and never came home.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, here's a list of our local service members that paid the ultimate price:

  • Eric James Bernholtz, Lance Cpl., Marine Corps, 2005.

  • Jacob Parke Dohrenwend, Spc., Army, 2010.

  • Christopher Jenkins Dyer, Lance Cpl., Marine Corps, 2005.

  • Nicholas Brandon Erdy, Lance Cpl., Marine Corps, 2005.

  • Warren Andrew Frank, Capt., Marine Corps, 2008.

  • Branden Patrick Haunert, Pvt., Army, 2008.

  • David Kenneth John Kreuter, Sgt., Marine Corps, 2005.

  • Keith Matthew Maupin, Staff Sgt., Army, 2008.

  • Ricky Lee Mcginnis, 1st Sgt., Army, 2006.

  • Nicolas Edward Messmer, Spc., Army, 2005.

  • James Hoyt Miller IV, Spc., Army, 2005.

  • Richard Thomas Pummill, Staff Sgt., Marine Corps, 2005.

  • Aaron Howard Reed, Lance Cpl., Marine Corps, 2005.

  • Marlin Tyrone Rockhold, Pfc., Army, 2003.

  • Gregory Scott Rogers, Sgt. 1st Class, Army, 2006.

  • Timothy David Roos, Cpl., Marine Corps, 2006.

  • Adam Roger Shepherd, Pfc., Army, 2006.

  • Tyler Bobbitt Swisher, Capt., Marine Corps, 2005.

  • Bryan Nicholas Taylor, Lance Cpl., Marine Corps, 2006.

  • Anthony Michael Kress Vinnedge, Sgt., Army, 2007.

  • Charles Joseph Webb, Sgt., Army, 2004.

  • Robert Francis Weber, Cpl., Army, 2006.

  • Mark Anthony Wojciechowski, Staff Sgt., Marine Corps, 2009.

Source: Defense Manpower Data Center's Defense Casualty Analysis System

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Memorial Day 2023 Greater Cincinnati list of fallen soldiers