Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Father continues quest to find out what led to soldier son's death

Jackie Schlotfeldt News-Bulletin Staff Writer

Veguita Sixteen months after the death of a young soldier serving his first tour of duty in Iraq, a father is still working to restore his son's honors and find answers into how his son died. .

The one-year anniversary of Spec. Henry George Byrd III's death came and went four months ago and although the young soldier's family still grieves, his father, Henry J. Byrd II, is still searching for the truth. And even though Byrd II is making progress, his biggest questions remain unanswered.

"Things are happening little by little," he said. "I think I might get everything but the answer as to what happened."

On June 18, 2007, Byrd's son fell gravely ill while repairing a blown track on the tank he and his fellow soldiers were traveling in on a recovery mission, and six days later Byrd died in an American military hospital in Germany.

Military reports say Byrd's death was a result of multiple organ failure consistent with heatstroke, yet the young soldier's father believes there is more to his son's death than what he's been told. According to the autopsy report, there was no other trauma to the young soldier or anything out of the ordinary that would have contributed to his death.

Medals and rank restored

Although finding out what happened to his son on June 18 is Byrd's main mission, he has also been working on getting the medals and rank his son received from his unit in Iraq reinstated, and he has made some headway in that area.

At the time of Byrd's death, his rank was private first class, but his commander promoted him posthumously to specialist through a waiver that was later denied because the young soldier was three weeks short of a year and a half of service, which is a requirement of promotion.

Byrd III also received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, the National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal, but the orders for the Purple Heart were never issued because Byrd and his unit were not under fire at the time of his death and his death was not combat-related, according to military reports. At Byrd's funeral services, the only honors bestowed upon Byrd were the Bronze Star and Good Conduct medal.

"They (Byrd's commanders) who have served for at least eight to 10 years all gave him his rank and honors, and then said the Pentagon took them away," Byrd said. "You mean to tell me those guys don't know the rules and regulations?"

However, through months of communications between Byrd and military officials, in addition to inquiries made by U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., on Byrd's behalf, Byrd was able to get his son's rank restored to specialist, and in late August Byrd received a letter from Lt. Col. Marion A. Salters, of the military awards branch, that his son was entitled to the National Defense Service Medal as well as the Iraq Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star.

"They gave it to him because he deserved it," Byrd said.

Still not official

The order for the Purple Heart that was awarded to the soldier's father, while at his son's bedside in the hospital in Germany, has still not come through, and Byrd said the stories of whether his son was engaged in combat at the time he fell ill conflict with the stories he's been told.

"They keep saying he wasn't under fire, but in one report, the first medic on site asked for an airlift, but if they weren't under fire, why didn't they airlift him out?" Byrd asked.

"Until the boys (from Byrd's unit) get back and we can talk to people that were actually there - I don't think I can make any headway," the soldier's father said. "I would like to speak to them."

Byrd further questions whether his son was engaged in enemy fire or in a region that was under fire on the day his son fell ill after learning that another soldier, Pfc. Larry Parks Jr., who was also assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, the same as Byrd, died from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near his vehicle. Parks was in the Arab Jabor region, the same region as Byrd III.

"It was in the same place and the same time," Byrd said. "That's why they're not telling us anything."

Although the two young soldiers were based out of Ft. Stewart, Ga., and served in the same battalion and regiment, it has not been confirmed that they were in the same company or together on the day the incidents occurred.

Maj. Nathan M. Banks Sr. of the media relations division of the Department of Army Public Affairs in Washington did say in an e-mail that both soldiers were assigned to Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Continuing the fight

While strides have been made, Byrd said he is waiting to have his son's headstone and memorial bricks changed to reflect his son's rank and the medals he's received until he knows if his son will officially receive the Purple Heart.

Henry's personal effects are another thing Byrd is trying to recover, and although his son's wallet was found nearly eight months later, in the very tank he was in the day he suffered from heatstroke, Byrd still hasn't received his son's ring, the dog tags he was wearing, a wallet, watch, a rosary and an Indian choker he had taken with him on his tour of duty. In one report, it was noted that a rosary was in the possession of personnel at the hospital; however that has never been found.

"It's long from being over," the father said angrily.

The U.S. Department of Defense Web site still lists Pfc. Henry Byrd's death as under investigation. Chief of Public Affairs with the USA Criminal Investigation Command (CID) Christopher Grey said in a telephone interview that his department did not investigate the death of Byrd.

"We don't investigate combat related deaths," Grey said. "The unit commanders do that in combat operations."

Grey said if something criminal is found through initial investigations, it is then reported to the CID, but typically they don't investigate combat-related deaths.

Kevin Larson, media chief out of Ft. Stewart, Ga. said that the Department of Defense Web site's casualty list, once posted, is not updated and although it shows Byrd's death as under investigation, it doesn't mean the investigation is still ongoing - only that it was investigated at the time he died.

Byrd's father continues to be persistent in his quest for answers, saying he will never stop until he finds the truth, and has since sent his concerns to President George W. Bush as well as Secretary of the Army Pete Geren and the Army Long Term Family Case Management (ALTFCM) which is there to assist families of fallen soldiers.

"I think they think if they give me some things I will go away," Byrd said of the strides he's made. "That's not going to happen. I want to know what happened to my son and for him to get everything he was supposed to have gotten."

Byrd said while he continues to call and send letters, he is not getting any response from anyone. "I haven't heard from anyone since they first responded to my questions," he said.

One person who has been a constant support for Byrd as he tries to find answers to his question is his casualty affairs officer, Sgt. David Gonzales.

"Everything I ask of him he tries to do," Byrd said.

Since recent surgery that has left Byrd in a wheelchair, Gonzales, who lives in Los Lunas, has come by Byrd's house every day to feed his horses and check on how he's doing.

"He's so supportive," Byrd said of the man who has since become a good friend of his.

While gains have been made in Byrd's search for answers, there is still much left unsaid that he cannot and will not live with.

Byrd went on to say "for some reason I feel that Henry was in some kind of trouble - otherwise why all the lies? Why was Henry the only person out of hundreds out there to suffer from the heat if they were rotating them, getting them out of the sun and making sure they were drinking water? If they did that this wouldn't have happened."

Larson confirmed that the unit Byrd served with has returned to the States after serving more than a year in Iraq and he has contacted them and Byrd's request for answers to questions into his son's death as well as whether Parks and his son were together on June 18, are with the division's legal office.

"I'll let you know what develops," Larson wrote in an e-mail.

"It will never be over until I know the truth," Byrd said. "There are too many stories, and I'm just not sure when I do hear the truth I will know it. How are you going to know what is the truth when you've been told so many lies?"

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