Photo By Staff Sgt. Barbara Pendl | Soldiers, friends, and family members of U.S. Army Sgt. Cody Surprise, Charlie Troop,...... read more read more
U.S. Army Sgt. Cody Surprise’s unit, along with family and friends, honored his life and service through a memorial service in the Ethan Allen Firing Range Chapel today.
Surprise served with Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry Regiment (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), based out of his hometown of Lyndonville, Vt. from his enlistment in August 2017. Surprise perished from a swimming accident on May 21, 2022, at the age of 21.
“In the middle of one February or March we were doing a ruck march from Lyndonville Armory to one of our local training areas and it was so cold that morning, 15 or 20 degrees below zero,” U.S. Army Capt. Philip Bourn, former commander, C Troop, 1-172nd CAV (MTN) recounted during the service. “I was moving along the columns checking on Soldiers and I saw Cody. I walked up to him and asked if he was alright, and his face had quite literally frozen in a smile. I asked him what he was smiling about, and he said, ‘Sir, I love this sh*t!”
Surprise had recently returned in the spring of 2022 from deployment with C Troop to the Horn of Africa.
“We were running 12-hour shifts in Djibouti, the hottest country in the world, and I was out to check on Soldiers about an hour before shift change and everyone was exhausted,” Bourn remembered. “I saw Cody off in the distance working his position alongside two local nationals. They were laughing and joking and clearly having a good time and I remembered thinking how even now Cody still found something to laugh about. He had taken the time to learn some of the local language and was clearly loved by the locals there, and that really stuck with me.”
The memorial service included the dedication of the Lyndonville Armory Gym to Surprise, which now bears his name in honor and remembrance of his passion for fitness and adventure.
Surprise’s military education included the Basic and Advanced Military Mountaineer Courses, Pathfinder, Air Assault, and Infantry One Station Unit Training. His awards and decorations included a Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and National Defense Service Medal.
“There are a couple of truths that I really cling to and believe firmly,” concluded Bourn. “First, I believe genuinely that everyone is always trying to do their best. Second, is that we can learn something from everyone in this life. And if there is one thing that I truly learned from Sgt. Cody Surprise, is that even in the darkest of times, if we dig deep, we can all find something to smile about.”
Meet Surprise through an interview recorded on Aug. 6, 2020 during his unit’s Zodiac boat training: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/761987/vermont-army-national-guard-zodiac-training.
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.16.2022 11:27 |
| Story ID: | 431415 |
| Location: | JERICHO, VERMONT, US |
| Web Views: | 493 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Memorial Service held in honor of Sgt. Cody Surprise, by MAJ J. Scott Detweiler, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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