Photo By Spc. Jayden Woods | Maj. Robert Boyles, chaplain for 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air...... read more read more
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), gathered, April 4, 2023, to conduct a memorial physical training event and host a ceremony unveiling the memorial plaque for Cpl. John Dawson at Fort Campbell, Ky.
Dawson was killed April 8, 2015, during an insider attack that injured eight others in the Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan. He was a platoon medic for Troop B, 1-33 CAV, and was deployed as part of Resolute Support Mission.
The memorial PT is conducted every year around the anniversary of Dawson’s death to honor and remember his sacrifice, and to build Soldiers' resilience, trust and teamwork.
“One of the biggest fears of family and friends is that their loved one is forgotten, that they will be alone to carry on their memory and the burden on that day," said Lt. Col. Jason Schuff, commander of 1-33 CAV. “This is how we attack that fear as a War Rakkasan family - we take the time every year to honor our fallen.”
On Sept. 17, 2015, 1-33 CAV held a ceremony where a medical facility was named the Corporal John M. Dawson Clinic and a plaque dedicated to him. On Aug. 31, 2021, when the United States concluded military operations in Afghanistan, the memorial stone was removed from the clinic to safeguard it from harm.
Capt. Adam Comeaux, commander of Troop B, 1-33 CAV, commented that in the midst of leaving Afghanistan, Soldiers stopped for a moment and ensured the fallen were not forgotten. The plaque was delivered to Fort Campbell late 2021 and mounted at the entrance of the Troop Operating Facility.
This year, in addition to the annual PT event, the unit held a ceremony to unveil the memorial stone dedicated to Dawson. Family and friends of Dawson as well as former War Rakkasans that served with him were in attendance. Maj. Robert Boyles, chaplain for 3BCT and former War Shepherd of the 1-33 CAV, gave a speech about his time serving with Dawson.
“Doc was someone that you loved to hear talk, and he was someone that we all loved to be around,” Boyles said. “I saw how much his Soldiers loved him.”
After the ceremony in the conference room, attendees moved to the entrance of the Troop Operating Facility where the plaque was mounted. Schuff unveiled the plaque and Dawson’s friends, family and former comrades paid their respects and left flowers in front of the memorial.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2023 11:01 |
| Story ID: | 442183 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 33rd CAV Memorial Plaque for Fallen Soldier, by SPC Jayden Woods, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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