The 2d Cavalry Assn News Center

The following are an e-mail I received from Merritt Powell, Honorary Regimental Bagpiper, and a reply to him from Col. Thomas F. Lynch III, both of whom knew then Cpt. Green from Ft. Polk when the regiment was stationed there. Col. Lynch served in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment with Michael Green, and Merritt Powell was a member of the Regimental Pipers pictures above. These messages shared between friends at a time of grief are shining examples of the bonds formed between 2d Dragoons, and of the support of our citizens so desperately needed to get us through this conflict:

I was present, today, for the funeral of a recent 2d ACR trooper who, with his driver, was killed in Afghanistan on 7 January; he is Major Michael Lee Green who, as a CPT, worked for Sam Palmer in 1/2ACR from about 1999 to about 2001, give or take a year.  This is a funeral you really all should have seen; things are sure changed from Viet Nam days.

There had been a threat in the area that the anti-war protestors intended to make an appearance.  I didn’t see even one; the reason being that there were some 200 to 400 bikers present, each with an American Flag on the bike along with most of the police forces of the local County (Jackson), the cities of Pascagoula and Biloxi and the MS Highway Patrol; probably a hundred cars.  Viewing in Pascagoula was attended by at least a hundred people with about two hundred standing around outside.  The Funeral Service in the 1st Baptist of Gautier, MS, his original home, in a church that could seat 500 not counting the choir, was packed.  Following the service which had a full-time US Army Honor Guard standing by, a first convoy of the Honor Guard people (I was included as an unofficial “Guard”), drove the about 25 miles over to the Biloxi National Cemetery at about 80 mph much of time although we slowed down to 50 mph for red lights, led fore and aft and along sides by a dozen police cars with sirens screaming.  After we got to the cemetery, they went back and brought all the mourners in a second convoy; I don’t know if that went 80 mph or not.

All the route we followed, which was the coastal highway US 90 for a distance of right about 25 miles, there were citizens of all ages and sexes standing along the curbs holding mostly large (3-5′) American Flags; I would guestimate that there were at least 5,000 such flags located at every intersection and built up areas and scattered in the thinly populated areas  along the way.   They were shoulder to shoulder for the first 2 or 3 miles from Gautier; again, I make the point: everyone, men, women and children had their hands on a flag — big or little.

Unfortunately, the weather man didn’t help.  It was a windy dark day in the high 30’s at the cemetery and all the honor guard people had to work in dress blues w/o overcoats (since one dunce forgot to bring his — you know the bloody rule, right?).  Thanks to perhaps two old 2d CAV officers who shall remain nameless, the State of Kentucky announced that all its flags would be flown at half-mast for the next two weeks to honor Major Green.

Moral of the story: if you don’t like these anti-war nuts who try to crash some military funerals, then kiss a biker.  They were loaded for bear and probably hoping that some of the idiots might put in an appearance.  Even the cops loved having them here today.

I have shotgunned this to many old 2d ACR troopers that I still have an e-mail for plus a couple of the 2SCR brass so that they will truly understand what it means to be in the 2d Dragoons.  Some e-mails will bounce, I know, but this is the way I find out who is still active (and interested in regimental affairs).  I realized I knew Major Green myself who was one of the “John Wayne type” horsemen at our C of C parades and elsewhere back before the deployment in 2003.

Needless to say, MAJ Green was on display with his Cav Hat with the 2d CAV Badge and his spurs and his crest on the blouse.  The escort officer was Major McMillan and I talked with COL Thomas Lynch after the interrment was over.  This was not my greatest hour, I’m sorry to say; standing out there next to the ocean in that almost freezing wind for two hours didn’t bother the pipes but my fingers and lips surrendered without hardly a fight.  On verse of Amazing Grace got out but that was bloody all other than squeeks and howls.  Sorry about that, Chief!

M H (Baggy) Powell sends

Merritt:
Thanks for the note and your, as always, steadfast appearance at an event of great importance for the Regiment and its legacy. The mere presence of your bagpipes and Stetson added luster and tradition to the ceremonies.

Just back to DC from Mississippi myself this morning; I wanted to piggy back your remarks to let all those in the Association know that one of its former troop commanders was laid to rest in a truly spectacular manner over the weekend.

MAJ Mike Green, who was Sam Palmer’s ½ ACR adjutant in 1999-2000, and commanded BULL TROOP for me and Colonel Terry Wolff when I had the Squadron from 2000-2002 at Fort Polk, LA was killed by an IED in eastern Afghanistan on January 7th.  Mike had volunteered to be an individual augmentee for US forces in Afghanistan from his posting at V Corps in Germany, and had been in Afghanistan as a leader of a counter-IED task force small group since late November 2007.   Thus, Mike was a double-volunteer in getting forward to the nation’s fight, and prior to any unit orders mandating he be there.

Those of us who knew Mike Green know him as a presence who would light up every room he entered.  He never met a Trooper he didn’t like, and would make a friend of anyone he met within 2 minutes of meeting them. His great work 23 months as BULL TROOP Commander at Fort Polk – which ended in March 2002 – forged a tactically superb and war-focused light cav troop that I volunteered to the 71st Colonel as the right one to be the first from the Regiment to deploy into the CENTCOM region after 9/11.  Barely a month after he changed command, the RCO and I agreed that the BULL TROOP that CPT Green had honed to a super light cavalry fighting unit was the right one to deploy to Kuwait.  Once deployed, it then scattered to pre-OIF route and point security missions across Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar, performing superbly in a six-month mission that ended in October 2002 when LIGHTENING TROOP replaced it.

As Merritt highlights in his note, Mike’s death in Afghanistan brought an awesome outpouring of support for him, his family and our young men and women serving in uniform from the entire community of Southeast Mississippi. From Pascagoula to Biloxi, every public flag was at half staff, every police & fire department was fully engaged, some 200 motorcycle veterans attended every event, and at least 5,000 great citizens, armed with American flags and printed signs of love and thanks for Mike & his family, braved temperatures in the 30s and wind chills in the low 20s to line the 25 mile route of Mike’s funeral procession on Saturday afternoon.  It was breathtaking and sobering at the same time.

In addition, the Mississippi State legislature struck a joint resolution of commendation for Mike, and one of its State Senators was at the church service to read the citation – and he legitimately choked-up when he read it. Quietly, and without fanfare, Mississippi Congressman and member of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Gene Taylor, attended the church service for Mike, driving himself to and from the service as an obvious matter of respect and honor, not with any political agenda or photo op. angle. I suspect that few people who didn’t personally know Representative Taylor even knew he was there. Finally, Brigadier General Robert Crear, Commander of the Mobile District of the Corps of Engineers, did a tremendous job as the Army’s representative, officiating with great dignity and compassion at the church and the cemetery.

Many of us in uniform have been to many – too many – fallen comrade ceremonies out in the CENTCOM theater over the past several years. We rarely have the opportunity to see what happens when our fallen heroes fly out of Afghanistan, Iraq or Kuwait and are returned back home. The case of MAJ Mike Green, BULL SIX Ancient, stands as heartwarming testimony to the fact that – at least in the state of Mississippi – respect for Soldiers and sacrifice remains high. Those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country our not taken for granted, and are honored with solemn respect and an outpouring of affection and admiration when returned home to their final rest.

With thanks to Merritt, CPT Tim Mugavero, MAJ Scott Schumacher and other veterans of the Regiment from 1999-2002 who made it a point to get to Mississippi and that I may have missed thanking in person at the events just concluded, I offer you fellow members of our Association this note in hopes you’ll join me in a prayer of thanks for the selfless service and leadership of American cavalry troopers by Mike Green.  May God bless Mike, and may he rest in peace.

TOUJOURS PRET

Tom
THOMAS F. LYNCH III
Colonel
US Army
Army Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
WAR EAGLE SIX Ancient, 2000-2002
BULL SIX Ancient, 1986-88