Faces of war
Today we mourn the deaths of four young soldiers, killed in service to their county as Operation Inherent Resolve continues in and around Iran.
The names of the fallen are: Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, who enlisted in the Army last year; 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25; Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28; and Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30.
They are among the 18 killed, the approximately 500 wounded, in the ongoing action, according to Defense Department numbers.
We thank them, and all who serve and have served.
Our condolences to their families and all who love them.
The dead and the injured are not the numbers shared, they are the faces missed.
The face of a just-past-childhood enlistee who couldn’t quite hide a smile in her formal military portrait.
The faces of longer-tenured veterans who knew the risks that come with enlistment and signing up for another tour of duty.
Lee County has a lot of issues that divide us.
The U.S. action in Iran may be one of them.
But gratitude to those who serve is not.
Sanibel is a Purple Heart City.
As is Cape Coral, where the Veterans Monument on Cape Coral Parkway at Del Prado Boulevard was built to honor all branches of the U.S. Military and military personnel.
The Veterans Memorial Area at Eco Park is home to monuments and statues, each commemorating not the respective wars but the warriors, those who fought, those who served, those who sacrificed, those who died.
The 20-foot scale replica of the Iwo Jima statue that sits in Arlington, Virginia, is the best known.
Others include the Southwest Florida Vietnam Veterans Memorial, featuring local names and dog tags; an Iraq War Monument; markers for the World War II Merchant Marines; and a Blue Star Memorial.
Soon, it is hoped, there will be one more.
A Cape Coral-based veterans organization is working to build Southwest Florida’s first-ever Women’s Military Memorial Monument.
Sisters in Arms of Cape Coral has launched a campaign to raise $400,000 to design, construct, and install a tribute to recognize women who have served in the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Space Force.
It’s planned as not only as a memorial but as inspiration.
“This mission is deeply personal to many Cape Coral women veterans and all of Southwest Florida’s women veterans,” President Lisa Arnold recently told Cape Coral Breeze reporter C.J. Haddad. “We have all often imagined a young girl visiting the Eco Preserve years from now. She sees a bronze woman standing proudly with the American Flag and asks, ‘Who is she?’ Her parents tell her she represents the millions of women who have served our country with courage and honor. In that moment, she realizes something she may have never considered before — women have always served. She doesn’t just see history — she sees possibility. She sees courage. She sees leadership. She sees herself.”
Today, we see the face of Pfc. Isabella Gonzales.
Today, we see the face of Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad.
Today, we see the women who came before them.
Today, we see the women who will follow them and all those who stepped up and leaned in — men and women of every race, of every heritage, united in service to country.
Sisters in Arms hopes to unveil its memorial in 2028.
We think it will be a fitting addition at Eco Park.
To make a tax deductible donation, checks can be made out to Sisters in Arms of Cape Coral and mailed to P.O. Box 100054, Cape Coral, FL 33910.
For more information, including corporate donation information, email Arnold at info@siaofcc.org or visit gofundme.com and search for “Sisters in Arms.”
— Island Reporter editorial