Grills are fired for barbecue. American flags are flying from houses, cars and even boats. Many people are ready to light up their own fireworks purchased from those trailers alongside the interstate. All of the Fourth of July festivities will all culminate with a big fireworks show. But the preparations for the big summer party shouldn’t overshadow the enormous sacrifice so many servicemen and women have made and continue to make for our freedom, like Sgt. Daniel Londono.
Sgt. Daniel Londono’s Sacrifice
The Boston native joined the Army after high school to serve his nation and to protect our freedoms. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.. He served in Kosovo and Afghanistan. He was on his third tour, this time, in Iraq, when a roadside bomb hit is Humvee near Baghdad on March 13, 2004.
The First Assignment
A little over a year later on April 1, 2005, Sgt. Londono came into my life. I was a first year journalism graduate student at Boston University. It was my first day reporting for a local cable station, and I was ready to prove myself. The news director handed me a piece of paper with a soldier’s name and the address of a memorial service. I didn’t realize at the time what that information would unlock about the true weight of a life.
The Man Behind the Uniform
Within minutes of meeting his mother and sister, I understood the magnitude of Sgt. Londono’s selflessness and his love for his family. I cannot tell you much about the service itself. But I can still hear them telling stories about the dedicated son, loving brother and the family’s caretaker. Long before he decided to join the Army, he was already a hero to his mother and sister.
Sgt. Londono was the son of two immigrants. He enlisted right out of high school to help support his family. At the time, no one was aware of another motive- to pay for his sister’s college tuition. He believed in his younger sister and wanted to ensure she received what no one else had- a college education.
The Homecoming
In March 2004, he was just two months from the end of his tour. The 22-year-old was coming home. The welcome home celebration plans were underway when the family learned about the explosions. Suddenly, they had to prepare for a vastly different homecoming.
I couldn’t and still cannot imagine the depths of their sorrow. But they found some comfort in sharing stories about his life. With those stories came an unexpected gift- a true understanding of what it means to be selfless.
Sgt. Londono was killed one year into Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over the next seven years, I covered dozens of military funerals. Not one passed without a prayer for his family and thanks for his sacrifice. Today, I still think of him and all of the other servicemen and women and their families who’ve sacrificed so much for our nation. Thank you certainly isn’t ever enough. But it’s a start… Thank you!
