1-84 fa hurricane herald

Inside this issue:

SSG Burgess and SSG Lammerts Biographies

2

LTC O’Grady’s Memorial Speech 3-5

CPT Collado’s Memorial Speech 5

CPT Angwin’s Memorial Speech

6

SGT Salazar’s Memorial Speech PFC Weeks’ Memorial Speech

8

Parting Shot 9

Headquarters Battery, “Hurricanes!”, 1-84 Field Artillery

PUBLISHED 30 April 2011 April Edition

Volume 1, Issue 3

The Hurricane Herald

1-84 FA Unit Crest

170th IBCT Unit Crest

On Monday, April 4, 2011, Headquar-

ters and Headquarters Battery, 1-84 FA

lost two outstanding Leaders. SSG Mi-

chael Lammerts and SSG Scott Burgess

were Killed In Action during a patrol in

the city of Maymanah.

Both men were great fathers, hus-

bands, friends and leaders.

Both SSG Burgess and SSG Lam-

merts will be greatly missed. This

issue of the Hurricane Herald is a

tribute to them.

SSG Michael S. Lammerts Biography

SSG Michael Scott Lammerts was born in Tonawanda, NY on January

4, 1985. His military career began on January 6, 2005 with his enlist-

ment into the US Army. After completing Initial Entry Training (IET)

and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), he successfully completed his

first assignment as a Prime Mover Driver in Bravo Battery, 1-320th

Field Artillery Battalion at Fort Campbell, KY; Armorer for 1st Battal-

ion, 353RD Infantry Regiment at Fort Polk, Louisiana; and his current

duty station as the 1st Squad Leader, 4th Platoon, HHB, 1st BN, 84th

Field Artillery. SSG Lammerts was deployed twice in support of Op-

eration Iraqi Freedom and once in support of Operation Enduring Free-

dom.

SSG Lammerts’ awards and decorations include four Army Commen-

dation Medals, one Army Achievement Medal, two Army Good Con-

duct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign

Medal with Combat Star, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Non-

commissioned Officer Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, two Overseas Service Ribbons, the Air Assault

Badge, the Driver Mechanic’s Badge, the Combat Action Badge, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

He is survived by his wife Melissa, daughter Savannah, and son, Michael Scott, Jr.

SSG Scott H. Burgess Biography

SSG Scott Hamilton Burgess was born on October 24, 1978. His mili-

tary career began on October 10, 2002 with his enlistment into the US

Army. After completing Initial Entry Training (IET) and Advanced In-

dividual Training (AIT), he successfully completed his first duty as-

signment as a Chemical Operator Specialist in the 13th Chemical De-

tachment at Fort Hood, Texas; Squad Leader in the 601st Chemical De-

contamination Corps at Ft. Lewis, Washington; NBC NCO, United

States Army Forces CENTCOM, Qatar; and his current duty assign-

ment as 2nd Squad Leader in 4th Platoon, HHB, 1st BN, 84th Field Artil-

lery. SSG Burgess was deployed once in support of Operation Iraqi

Freedom and twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

SSG Burgess’ awards and decorations include two Army Commenda-

tion Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Con-

duct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense

Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Combat Star, the

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Noncommissioned

Officer Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Action Badge, the Purple

Heart and the Bronze Star .

He is survived by his wife Jennifer, and two daughters, Haley and Amy.


Memorial Speech By: LTC John A. O’Grady, 1 -84 FA Battalion Commander


SSG Burgess and SSG

Lammerts loved what they did and

had a zest for life. When I spoke

with them I got a sense that they

were driven by a strong belief in

the profession of arms and the

Army Values. They understood, as

we all do, the inherent dangers as-

sociated with this profession we

have chosen and so, they lived do-

ing what they loved. Moreover

they did not just live; rather, they

experienced life and all that it had

to offer. Never asking what is in it

for me but rather what can I do to

enrich this experience, this thing

called life.

And so, the questions of

why and how could this happen

still linger and will, perhaps for-

ever. I am not sure there can ever

be a good answer for such a tragic

loss of life. I take comfort in the

legacy they leave behind and by

recommitting to live my life as the

gift it truly is and in such a manner

as to honor these two warriors.

They instilled in their Soldiers the

tenets of the Soldiers Creed, spe-

cifically, “I will never leave a

fallen comrade”. This is obvious

by the fact that their men per-

formed just as they had been

trained and ensured that there

fallen comrades were in fact se-

cured and able to be reunited with

their families – they were not left

behind, that was never an option.

And, from their final resting place

Staff Sergeants Burgess and Lam-

merts will continue to watch over

us – never truly leaving us behind.

Their lives and how they lived

them will inspire us to continue

with the mission and serve with

dignity and honor. They will con-

tinue to pull guard over us – just as

they were that fateful day they were

killed. Never leaving their post until

properly relieved. On guard, on

point, ever watching from the heav-

ens with the critical eye of an NCO

that demands excellence. I take

comfort in knowing this and simply

say to both men thank you for your

honorable service and thank you for

a job well done.

Words simply seem to ring

so hollow in moments like these

and I know will not do justice to the

deeply heartfelt sorrow many of us

feel. I pray that God may in some

small and divine way assuage the

sorrow that you have as well as that

of these men’s families and loved

ones. In the days, months and years

LTC John A. O’Grady speaks at the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Headquarters in Meymanah on 05 April 2011

Coalition Forces, comprising the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish armies, pay their final respects at the Provincial Recon-

struction Team (PRT) Headquarters in Meymaneh.

Major General Kneip (on left), Commanding General,

RC-North, attends the Procession Ceremony at the PRT

Coalition Forces standby for the procession ceremony.

Memorial display set up at the PRT.

is simply unimaginable for the or-

dinary person, even a Soldier. All I

can say is that we are here to help

in any way possible.

SGT Burgess and SGT

Lammerts: Your time with us was

far too short. We will never forget

you and will always carry you in

our hearts.

Both SSG Burgess and

SSG Lammerts arrived to the unit

shortly before we deployed and

immediately demonstrated they

were eager and willing to lead

troops in combat. Both were se-

lected to be squad leaders in our

4th Platoon. Both were proven

combat veterans. Both were hus-

bands, both were fathers. And both

understood the implications of

leading men in combat.

SSG Burgess lived the Sol-

dier’s Creed and the Army values.

All of his decisions were based on

a firm foundation of values and he

always chose the hard right over

the easy wrong. The Army Values

were not simply words but a way

of life, and he consistently instilled

this in his Soldiers, teaching and

drilling his men to be the best pos-

sible Soldiers and mentoring them

to be even better men. SSG Bur-

gess epitomized the values that all

professional Soldiers hold dear to

their hearts and led his life by fol-

lowing the codes they dictated.

SSG Lammerts greatest

strength was his exceptional ability

to lead troops. He intrinsically un-

derstood his Soldiers and how to

motivate and lead them. He led his

men from the front in every action

while always being able to inspire

his troops to strive for and achieve

excellence. He almost always had

a smile on his face when I talked

to him. SSG Lammerts loved be-

ing an NCO and leading troops.

You could literally see it on his

face.

The loss of any Service

Member is tragic. The loss of two

such excellent NCOs in one day is

even harder to fathom. There is a

truth about war that we all inher-

ently understand as professional

Soldiers: that men go off to war

and not all return. The best Sol-

diers acknowledge it and continue

to train and always make them-

selves and others better. Both

SGT Burgess and SGT Lammerts

understood this, and they made the

ultimate sacrifice upon the altar of

freedom.

My thoughts and prayers,

as well as those of our Soldiers –

both within the Battalion and

throughout the Brigade, are with

the families of both SGT Burgess

and SGT Lammerts. Words cannot

adequately express my sympathy

to them. What they are going

through and what they are feeling


Memorial Ceremony Speech By: CPT James V. Collado, HHB/1-84 FA Battery Commander

to come may He leave you only the

cherished memory of the loved and

lost. So, once again SSGs Burgess

and Lammerts I say thank you. You

will never be forgotten, I will carry

with me forever the immeasurable

pride for having had the honor to

serve with each of you. May God

bless you and your Families.


Memorial Speech Written By: CPT Michael Angwin, Platoon Leader for 4th Platoon Spoken By: SSG(P) David Thetford, Platoon Sergeant for 4th Platoon

They say NCOs are the backbone of the United States Army. To me,

that statement is a fact and anyone

seeking proof of this needs to look no further than to these two Ser-

geants. You knew them as SSG

Lammerts and SSG Burgess, we

knew them as Reaper 41 and Reaper 42.

SSG Lammerts’ peers knew him

as “Turbo” for the unusual distinct fast paced walk he had when given a

task. He would walk with an exag-

gerated forward lean, wide steps, and with his right arm swaying to and

fro, even if that task was doing laun-

dry. SSG Burgess was known by his

peers as “Old Man.” He was the oldest

in the platoon and acted as such, pro-viding the quiet wisdom and knowl-

edge that comes with the experience of

age. And contrary to popular belief he

did not need a cane to walk. But most of all, to their Soldiers,

they were known as Sergeants. And

the combination of these two leader-ship styles put together accomplished

what orders alone cannot, a bond be-

tween the lowest ranking individual to myself, the platoon leader.

In closing I want to sum up what

Roosevelt once said about being a

Platoon Leader: “it is the privilege of

the Platoon Leader to serve with the

Enlisted man, to live, eat, and suffer

the same hardships along their side”.

And to me that privilege is extended

from the Noncommissioned Officer.

I can only hope that I earned their

respect and admiration as they have

mine. They both will be sorely

missed and I will remember them

always.

SSG(P) Thetford delivers CPT Angwin’s Memorial Speech

LTC O’Grady and CSM Wofford, the 1-84 FA Command

Team, pay their final respects.

The Soldiers of 4th Platoon after the Memorial Ceremony

COL Matlock and CSM Grinston, 170th Brigade Com-

mand Team, pay their final respects at the battalion’s me-

morial service.

The Honor Guard after the Memorial Ceremony

Bayonet 6 leaves a letters for the family members of SSG

Lammerts and SSG Burgess

Close up of the memorial display.

Memorial Speech By: SGT Salazar, Team Leader for 4th Platoon

SSG Lammerts Michael AKA

“Turbo” was a guy who was al-

ways on the move. A simple walk

to the DFAC always ended with

SSG Lammerts leading the pack,

walking like it was a race to get

there. That was SSG.Lammerts,

though: if we needed anything

done he’d do it in a heartbeat. We

always use to joke around by say-

ing he was the typical alpha-male,

always trying to win at every-

thing. If I were to say that I had

10 toes he’d be like “Well, I have

11”. If I had one box getting sent

to me, he had three getting sent to

him. I remember when I was his

team leader and he says to me

“Salazar I’m gonna smoke you

because I wanna” and walked

away and I’m thinking where the

hell is he going in such a hurry?

SSG Lammerts wasn’t afraid to

tell you what needed to be done

and what was on his mind. I will

always remember the times we

shared in this short time that we

worked together. Well SSG Lam-

merts you may be gone, but you

will never be forgotten.

Memorial Speech By: PFC Jared Weeks, M240B Gunner for 4th Platoon

Before I knew SSG Burgess

as a Soldier, I knew him as a

friend. We both arrived in Baum-

holder and started in-processing

the same day. As a brand new

Solider from AIT, SSG Burgess

could see the scared and nervous-

ness in me. He came up to me and

said “Hey hero it seems like you

need some help.” Throughout that

week he met with me to have cof-

fee before starting in-processing.

Without a doubt, if it was not for

SSG Burgess I would still be in

rear “D.” As we became closer

friends we talked about sports,

Army life, cars, but most of all,

our families.

During our discussions about

family he explained to me how

hard it was for your loved ones to

have a father and husband as a

Soldier. He was a family man

through and through, and under-

stood that as a 100% Soldier, you

had to be a 200% father. Those

times at the coffee shop he

showed me what a caring person

he was. Now when we learned we

would be in the same platoon his

attitude adjusted to the situation

and he said “You’re mine Weeks,

you’re mine.” From that moment

he started to not only make me an

American Soldier, but a great fa-

ther to my child. After a long day

at work he always told me to go

home and make sure I gave my

wife and daughter a kiss and tell

them I love them.

No matter what task we had the

next morning, even if it was

cleaning bathrooms he would be

the first to hand me a toilet brush

and say “let’s do this.” I never

understood how he could be so

motivated and loyal, then it hit

me. He was making a name for

himself and his family. You see,

we all represent something, no

matter if it’s your family, yourself

or an American Soldier. SSG

Burgess demonstrated a true hero.

By always working hard in every-

thing he did and by pushing other

Soldiers to be the best. So today I

stand, prepared to carry on the

values he instilled in me through

my attitude and actions. When the

time comes for me to mentor new

Soldiers, I will tell them about the

man who taught me. SSG Bur-

gess, a husband, a father, an

American Soldier.

Coins, awards and letters left at the memorial display.

Parting Shot


The Hurricane Herald an authorized

publication for Department of De-fense members. Contents of the Hurricane Herald are not necessarily

the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Depart-ment of the Army, 1-84 FA or the

170th IBCT. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the HHB/1-84 FA Public Affairs Offi-

cer. Questions or comments should be directed to the HHB/1-84 FA PAO at [email protected]

HHB/1-84 FA Commander

CPT James V. Collado

HHB/1-84 FA First Sergeant

1SG Joe Winstead

HHB/1-84 FA Public Affairs Officers

CPT Mike Angwin (Reaper PLT)

1LT Mike Enright (CSD PLT)

1LT Josh Hargarten (BTRY XO)

HHB/1-84 FA Editor in Chief

2LT Steve Waldrop

* All photos in this issue are courtesy of the 170th Infantry Brigade and Norwegian Maymanah PRT PAOs.

Soldiers of 4th Platoon carry their fallen comrade at the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) HQ in Maymanah.

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