I’ve heard the saying, "the good die young." In the case of Dustin Laird, there has never been truer words spoken.
Sergeant Dustin Daniel Laird was only 23 years old when he
was killed in action while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
An IED (improvised explosive device) detonated underneath
the vehicle Laird was driving, in Rawah, Iraq, on August 1, 2006. He was a member of the 913th Engineering Company in
Union City, Tennessee.
An adopt-a-site was placed on the corner of Hawks Road and Dustin Laird Drive in Laird’s hometown of Martin, Tennessee. His family placed a concrete statue of a soldier, adopted, and landscaped the site in the spring of 2008.
Almost 2 years to the date after Laird was killed, his family
received disturbing news. The statue located at the
adopt-a-site, on Dustin Laird Drive, had been stolen over the
weekend. Within hours of the discovery, in a town with less than
10,000 people, the community immediately began to donate their
time and efforts. Groups and entire families scoured desolate
areas, local news outlets broadcasted the details, and the Laird family waited in hopes of the statue being found.
Early the next morning, not even 24 hours after the statue went missing, the Martin Police Department went to deliver yet more
shocking news Laird's family. The statue had been returned,
in the exact spot it was taken from, but it was not in its original
condition. The vandal(s) had returned the statue, and painted
it to resemble a skeleton and skull. The words, "You don't
know what's right," were also painted on the base. The final product
was enough to send the Laird's, as well as the community into a
tailspin of anger and mourning.
Over 2 weeks had passed without any information or possible suspects. The town of Martin, and Laird's family had begun giving up hope that justice would be served, or that any explanation of the horriffic crime would be given. The break everyone had been waiting on finally came almost a month after the statue's defacing. Laird's sister, Heather, received an unforgettable phone call late that August evening. She listened in disbelief as the person on the other end of the line proceeded to to tell Heather that she, and one other person, were responsible for the statue. The suspect agreed to meet Laird's sister, and his father, Billy, at the Martin Police Department to turn herself in.
The two were identified as Sara Gallimore, 22, and Brandon White, 23 who claimed this was a protest against the war, and not Dustin Laird personally. At the couple's court appearance, members of the 913th, as well as members of the community lined rows of seats alongside the Laird family . Gallimore and White both plead guilty to vandalism , and were ordered by Judge Tommy Moore to pay $100 each to Laird in restitution, and to both serve 200 hours of community service at the home of the 913th Engineering Company, where Laird was a member.
The Laird family purchased and placed an identical statue, which is valued at approximately $300 a piece, in the same spot where the previous one sat. They hoped in doing so, it would allow Sgt. Dustin Laird's memory to once again rest peacefully.
I wish I could end this blog by saying, "3 years later the replacement statue still stands proudly on Dustin Laird Drive." Sadly though, there has been 2 more incidents of vandalism and theft of the statue since August 2008, which I will be posting about too. This month marks 5 years that my brother has been gone, and there still isn't a day that passes that I don't think of him. I decided to post this blog today, in honor of the 913th Engineering Company out of Union City, Tennessee which Dustin was a member of. The unit left this morning for another deployment, and a piece of my heart went with them.
A huge thank you to all of the men and women who have served or are currently serving in the military. A big thank you also goes out to my cousin, Sabrina Bates, Chief Staff Writer, for the Weakley County Press. She has done an amazing job covering stories about Dustin, and honoring his name.
I encourage and urge you to leave a comment with the name(s) of fallen soldiers you know. They deserve all the recognition in the world, and this is just another small way of keeping their memory alive.
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