Honor for the Fallen

I posted this recently:

Pfc. Caesar S. Viglienzone, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif. -- died Feb. 1 in Baghdad when a roadside bomb detonated near (his) Humvee.

Gunny submitted this comment about Caesar:

We buried Caesar this fine spring-like day. The funeral home was overflowing so I stood outside in the bright sunshine with the honor guard and a number of Vietnam vets who came to pay their respects. Caesar was destined to die young; of that I am now sure. He was headed down the wrong path with drugs dominating his life. Somewhere along that way to self-destruction, he decided to do something; to make a difference. The Army saved his soul, restored his dignity and honor, taught him to be a man and gave him a family; his band of brothers. He knew he was making a difference in Iraq and he died knowing that fact. Watching the photo memorial to Caesar from his infancy to manhood was tough. Seeing his mom and dad in their pain and anguish was tougher. In a room full of hardassed combat veterans from WWII until now, there wasn't a dry eye in the that overflowing Veteran's Hall. He was proudly a Screaming Eagle, and that outfit was well-represented, including a vet who fought at Bastogne; the pivotal stand that stopped the Nazi attack during the Battle of the Bulge. To a man, the tears were evident as they paid their respects. I won't forget this experience or this boy who grew up to be quite a man.

I got online and read other comments about Caesar. Pfc Viglienzone was an only child. He wanted to do something with his life. He wanted to make a difference and be somebody his family could be proud of. I think he accomplished that.