Hopefully, the editors are okay with me hijacking this column in honor of Memorial Day. I wanted to share a story that makes this holiday very real to me.

April 3, 2003, is what some would refer to as my “Alive Day” -- the anniversary of the day I nearly lost my life in Iraq. I was a Corporal at the time and was responsible for both the performance and well-being of 11 junior Marines.

We had crossed the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers just days before. The bottleneck of tanks and heavy equipment waiting to navigate those bridges was a sight to see. It was almost as if pre-arranged entertainment was scheduled for us; a call on the radio came in as a heads up that an EOD team had found a weapons cache and was detonating it in the distance. It was not an attack, phew!

As we advanced, my platoon enjoyed reading the special messages to Saddam that other Marines had painted on the barrels of their tanks’ guns. This added a little levity to the situation. It was comforting to have Marine aviators above in their AH-1 Cobras since, at that moment, several units were densely populated traveling through a major avenue of approach. That was the last time I remember feeling somewhat safe -- until I was in a hospital in Kuwait City days later.

In the meantime, my unit experienced a multi-casualty incident with one fatality.

We played a lot of spades in Kuwait before we crossed the border into Iraq, and even after we crossed the line, we would try to find time to play during the “wait” periods of our “hurry up and wait” existence. On April 3, 2003, we started a game while on standby after we broke down camp. Inevitably we got the orders to move to the next destination and had to stop the game. Ten minutes later we lost the driver of our vehicle, PFC Chad Bales; I lost my spades partner.

Memorial Day has, and always will be, a time for me to reflect on my time with Chad and the way that day changed my life. Memorial Day reminds me to be thankful for those that have gone before me and given the ultimate sacrifice, the faceless names on memorials and the rows and rows of headstones at national cemeteries. But most of all, it reminds me that I could have been one of those headstones and that I have the responsibility of sharing Chad’s memory.

Oh yeah – the grain markets

This week was extremely volatile. Corn was limit down Tuesday, then limit up Thursday just to see July finish down 2.75 cents and December down 1.0 cent on the week.

So with all the craziness and stress and emotion of the week, none of it even mattered.

Remember what really matters

I hope you enjoy your weekend. Take some time to honor those who gave their last full measure for our country. And I wish a meaningful Memorial Day for those who are remembering someone lost in service.

As always, feel free to contact me directly at 815-665-0463 or anyone on the AgMarket.Net team at 844-4AGMRKT. We’re here to help.

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