R.I.P. SPC Yari Mokri.
Wow, can't believe after all the years and deployments fate has struck, and hard too. In Jan 06', as I was taking over as First Sergeant for my Company in Hawaii, a 25yr young Soldier arrived, looking like a true professional. Yari had just completed training for counter-intelligence and was joining our unit to work as a HUMINT Interrogator. I had the pleasure of assisting his Leaders in training him for the upcoming deployment to Iraq. I would always stress the need to know your ****, and he always listened. Not much else you can do when you have a newb with only a few months to learn it all before he steps into the Sandbox. Yari was one of the few that watched, learned and rehearsed with near perfect execution. About 2 weeks ago I learned about 5 members from Hawaii had passed on, as I was asked on a car forum if it were any of the members of the board. Without even thinking I posted up asking if it were one of the F Body guys, not thinking it could be one of my old Soldiers. I figured if it were from my old unit surely someone would have contacted me to let me know. How wrong I was! I just got an email tonight from one of my old Sergeants I used to pick on....a lot. I was thinking WTF is he emailing me for, I thought he was holding a grudge for all the crap I'd given him in the past few years. I read his email, asking how my family was etc... and then in closing he wrote, "not sure if you heard or not, but SPC Mokri is KIA as of 2weeks ago." My heart dropped and tears began to flow. My wife knowing something was amiss, came to my side and read the email quietly. She began asking which one Yari was, if she had met him, or if we had done anything special upon his arrival etc.. I said no, he arrived about the time my wife had began having pre-labor problems so she never got to meet Yari, what a shame. He was the kind of guy that would touch ppl's hearts with simple, honest and outgoing yet appropriately reserved personality.
Less than a year ago some of my buddies and I were hanging out when one of the younger guys commented, "Charlie, you and Rick should be proud of yourselves. You've trained thousands of Soldiers in your career, deployed with hundreds of them, and neither of you have lost a single Warrior you've trained." Rick and I looked at eachother and didn't know what to say. I had to email my buddy Rick who is now in Korea, its finally happened was all I had to write and he knew.
Sorry if this is offensive to anyone on here, but this place is like my family, and I really had to let this out. Sadly I would have to say, I'd rather it be a member of my family than a Soldier I've presonally trained and served with, especially when its over something so f*cked politically speaking. I just wish no one else would have to endure things like this. Thanks for listening.
Charlie... wrote with tears streaming down my cheeks, remembering the times I got to share with Yari Mokri. God Bless you Brother.
Wow, can't believe after all the years and deployments fate has struck, and hard too. In Jan 06', as I was taking over as First Sergeant for my Company in Hawaii, a 25yr young Soldier arrived, looking like a true professional. Yari had just completed training for counter-intelligence and was joining our unit to work as a HUMINT Interrogator. I had the pleasure of assisting his Leaders in training him for the upcoming deployment to Iraq. I would always stress the need to know your ****, and he always listened. Not much else you can do when you have a newb with only a few months to learn it all before he steps into the Sandbox. Yari was one of the few that watched, learned and rehearsed with near perfect execution. About 2 weeks ago I learned about 5 members from Hawaii had passed on, as I was asked on a car forum if it were any of the members of the board. Without even thinking I posted up asking if it were one of the F Body guys, not thinking it could be one of my old Soldiers. I figured if it were from my old unit surely someone would have contacted me to let me know. How wrong I was! I just got an email tonight from one of my old Sergeants I used to pick on....a lot. I was thinking WTF is he emailing me for, I thought he was holding a grudge for all the crap I'd given him in the past few years. I read his email, asking how my family was etc... and then in closing he wrote, "not sure if you heard or not, but SPC Mokri is KIA as of 2weeks ago." My heart dropped and tears began to flow. My wife knowing something was amiss, came to my side and read the email quietly. She began asking which one Yari was, if she had met him, or if we had done anything special upon his arrival etc.. I said no, he arrived about the time my wife had began having pre-labor problems so she never got to meet Yari, what a shame. He was the kind of guy that would touch ppl's hearts with simple, honest and outgoing yet appropriately reserved personality.
Less than a year ago some of my buddies and I were hanging out when one of the younger guys commented, "Charlie, you and Rick should be proud of yourselves. You've trained thousands of Soldiers in your career, deployed with hundreds of them, and neither of you have lost a single Warrior you've trained." Rick and I looked at eachother and didn't know what to say. I had to email my buddy Rick who is now in Korea, its finally happened was all I had to write and he knew.
Sorry if this is offensive to anyone on here, but this place is like my family, and I really had to let this out. Sadly I would have to say, I'd rather it be a member of my family than a Soldier I've presonally trained and served with, especially when its over something so f*cked politically speaking. I just wish no one else would have to endure things like this. Thanks for listening.
Charlie... wrote with tears streaming down my cheeks, remembering the times I got to share with Yari Mokri. God Bless you Brother.
