A humble leader

Image courtesy: U.S. Army

As a five-star general and two-term president, Dwight D. Eisenhower knew how to lead. "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it," Eisenhower once said.

Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Santos-Silva embodied that quote. According to The Leaf Chronicle, The 32-year-old Clarksville, Tennessee, native deployed twice to Iraq and once to Kosovo before leaving for Afghanistan in August 2009. Sgt 1st Class Santos-Silva's extensive combat experience, which included two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, made him a respected leader in his unit.

"He cared deeply about his Paratroopers and they cared deeply about him," [1st Lt. Matthew] Jarmon said. "His men routinely looked to him for leadership guidance, which he readily gave."

The people who cared deepest about Santos-Silva, his wife, son, and parents, are grieving an enormous loss at this hour. According to the Pentagon, the team leader was killed in combat on March 22 in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. The military said his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device planted by terrorists.

A memorial service is being held this evening in Tennessee to honor the valiant soldier, who repeatedly put his life on the line wherever his country needed him to deploy. While his death is a tragic loss to our nation, it is fitting that Santos-Silva will be buried alongside some of America's greatest leaders at Arlington National Cemetery. Like the fellow heroes resting in Section 60, Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Santos-Silva deserves to spend eternity on hallowed ground.