'He loved being part of a team'

Image courtesy: South Sound Shockers

You may remember reading about Staff Sgt. David Gutierrez on this blog. The 35-year-old San Francisco resident was killed on Christmas Day when terrorists attacked his unit in Afghanistan. He is the father of three young boys and also leaves behind a loving wife.

Monday, Fort Lewis, where Gutierrez was stationed before his deployment, held a memorial service for the beloved soldier, who enlisted back in 1998. The News-Tribune in Tacoma, Washington, reports on how family, friends, and brothers in arms honored "Gutie."

Gutierrez was eulogized as a committed husband and father whose positive attitude and beaming smile complemented an iron will and never-quit attitude, even in the face of daunting hardship. He was described as an inspiration to his men either while playing fullback for the Lacey-based South Sound Shockers of the Washington Football League or leading them as a weapons squad leader in his platoon.

Resting next to the traditional battlefield memorial of combat boots, rifle, helmet and dog tags at the memorial was a miniature football helmet.

“He loved being part of a team that was capable of doing something bigger than any one individual,” wrote Lt. Col. Jeffrey French, the commander of Gutierrez’s battalion, in remarks read at the memorial. “He was a master of building teams because he didn’t leave them on the field. ”

The article says Gutierrez, who also spent 13 months in Iraq, was set to receive an award from his amateur football team during scheduled leave from Afghanistan. Instead, the plaque was given to his grieving wife, Patty, after the Fort Lewis ceremony.

While his amateur gridiron squad will miss seeing "Gutie" cook them barbequed hot dogs and ribs after games, three young boys will grow up without a father to throw the football around with in the backyard. The pain some military families are forced to go through is unimaginable and unfair. But you almost never hear them complain.