Re: Remembering the Fallen

Date: March 22, 2004

"Former Iraq POW to honor fallen comrade

Tomorrow will be a bittersweet anniversary for some soldiers and their families.

One year ago the 507th maintenance company was ambushed in Iraq. The group included Jessica Lynch, James Kiehl of Comfort, and prisoner of war Edgar Hernandez, who is now stationed at Fort Sam Houston.<p>

Thirty-three soldiers with the 507th went into Iraq, and 12 never came home.

For one of the lucky ones, 2003 was a year packed with milestones &#151; a new wife, new city, new job, and a safe return with a hero's welcome. But none of that has clouded the memories.

“I can still remember everything,” SPC Edgar Hernandez said. “When I talked to my friends, the last time I talked to them... the conversation. I can still remember everything.”

Specialist Edgar Hernandez was held as a prisoner of war for 21 days, and his rescue was celebrated across America. Today, he and his wife surround themselves with gifts from strangers and letters from their time apart.

“It's pretty amazing to think back on what a year did, you know? This year has been really happy for us but sad for others,” wife Edleen Hernandez said. Namely, the ones who didn't come home, including Hernandez’s best friend, Private Ruben Estrella-Soto.

“I ask myself a lot of times, why did I survive? Why didn't they, too? How come they didn't survive? All of us, we could have made it,” Edgar said.

So Hernandez has pledged to carry on the legacy of his fallen comrades. He signed on for another 4 years of service, and he's made changes in other ways, too.

“I don't take a lot of things for granted. I think God gave me another chance, so I have to do my best,” he said.

Tomorrow, the Hernandez’s will go to Comfort to attend a memorial service for James Kiehl who died in that firefight a year ago.

© 2004 KENS 5 and the San Antonio Express-News"