reception desk that displays all sorts of information, from meetings scheduled for the day, training sessions underway, videos about our company, and more. One of the things I noticed this morning as I came in was a snippet on why the flags in front of our building were at half staff. I have to admit there are mornings I don't even notice the flags have been lowered as I hurry into work, full of anticipation for what the day will bring. The items on the lobby screen rotate from view, so only those walking past at a certain time would have seen the snippet so I'd hazard a guess that this morning most of our employees missed the information about why Governor Ritter had ordered the flags lowered.
Army Captain Dale Goetz is certainly not the first soldier recognized by flags being lowered. At first I didn't make the connection of the name, and at least this morning I felt guilty enough about that to take the hint from our lobby screen to put some meaning behind the name.
Dale Goetz was 1 of 5 soldiers killed Aug. 30 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He was based at Fort Carson, Colorado, and served as pastor of First Baptist Church in the South Dakota town of White from 2000 through 2003.
What stopped me in my tracks was that he is the first Army chaplain killed in action since 1970, during the Vietnam War.
I know that there are hundreds, if not thousands of priests, ministers, rabbis, and mullahs serving in the armed forces, often in harm's way. Unlike their fellow soldiers who are there to fight, and often to kill, the Dale Goetz's of the world are there for other reasons, most of them centered around a quest for peace, spiritual awareness, and love of one's fellow man. They especially are not there to kill, or to be killed. The IED that killed Captain Goetz and his fellow soldiers didn't know who he was, what he did, or what he stood for. That he was willing to give his life for what he believed in is evidenced by his willingness to serve. But for a fleeting glance at a screen in our lobby as I strolled into work this morning, safe and sound and worried about nothing other than my upcoming day he would have simply been one name among many. In the future I'll perhaps give more pause as I pass flags lowered and remember there are people, not just names, behind the significance of the ceremony.
Funeral services for Captain Goetz, who is survived by his wife and three sons, are scheduled for today in Colorado.
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