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Fallen soldier leaves legacy of brotherhood
By CORINA MILLER
When Charles Boatright remembers his nephew, he recalls a proud soldier who served his country and honored the personnel that made up his unit.
Just as Frisco High School grad Sgt. Michael Luke Boatright honored his fellow soldiers in life, he'll salute them in death. After all, it's in his name that family members opted to launch the Fallen Soldier Memorial Plaque program, in which Texas families who lost someone in military service will receive a plaque commemorating their loved one's sacrifice.
Boatright said the program recalls the admiration his nephew, a team leader who was killed in action in SadrCity, Iraq in December 2004, had for his company.
"That was the pact that several of them had made," the long-time Little Elm resident said. "That if anything ever happened, they would be laid to rest together."
Sgt. Michael Luke Boatright was born in Lewisville on Feb. 21, 1980 to Michael Sr. and Candace Boatright. A graduate of Frisco High School and member of the school's FFA club, Sgt. Boatright also attended the First Baptist Church of Frisco.
Sgt. Boatright's stint in the military began when e joined the Texas Army National Guard in 1998. After completing training, Sgt. Boatright was assigned to the 111th Engineer Battalion and was deployed to Bosnia as a combat engineer.
While serving in Bosnia, Sgt. Boatright became interested in serving as an active duty soldier. In September 2001, he was reassigned to B Company, 20th engineer battalion, 1st Cavalry division. After two years, he was reassigned and served in the S-3 shop. He then volunteered to return to Bravo Company. He was made a team leader.
Sgt. Boatright was killed on Dec. 4, 2004 in SadrCity, Iraq, leaving behind a wife and two children, his parents, and many other family members and friends. During his service, he garnered many honors, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, along with Army Accommodation, Good Conduct, Army Achievement, NATO, Armed Forces Reserve with "M" devise, Armed Forces Expeditionary and Global War on Terrorism Service Medals.
Sgt. Boatright was buried with honors at Ft. Sam Houston. After his burial, the family decided to erect a memorial in his honor at this gravesite. Charles Boatright oversaw the process on behalf of the family.
"I had one made in black marble and had it placed ... at the cemetery," he said.
In addition, he ordered small plaques bearing his nephew's likeness and a brief description of his sacrifice, which he gave to family members. The family cherished the plaques.
The act of memorializing Luke inspired an idea in Charles Boatright's mind.
"It came to me that we're not the only family that something like this happened to," he said. "It came to me that I wanted to do something for these other families so they know their loss is not only felt by them, but by others."
He took his idea to Little Elm's American Legion Post 182. They embraced it and offered to promote, fund and operate it.
"We've collected money and have been building plaques since then," said Ray Kahler, American Legion Post 182 member said. "As a Desert Storm veteran, I know what it's like out there. I know what it's like to risk your life for the freedoms in our country."
Through Boatright's and the AL Post 182's efforts, every family who loses a loved one to the war in Iraq will receive a plaque bearing the name of the deceased, an engraved image of his/her face, plus an etching of the battle cross, in which soldiers erect a makeshift memorial using the dead soldier's rifle, helmet, combat boots, and dog tags.
"We feel it's something that needs to be done to show that we appreciate what those soldiers did," Charles Boatright said. "They gave the ultimate sacrifice - defending our country and our rights as Americans."
The local American Legion post feels the same commitment to honoring the fallen.
"I can't fight anymore because I'm too old, too slow, and too fat, so what I've done is found something," Kahler reflected. "It's our little contribution to the whole effort. We want families to know our fallen comrades will not be forgotten and their sacrifice will not be made in vain."
According to Boatright, already, five additional plaques have been ordered.
"What we're trying to do is do them in stages where we can participate with as many as we can," he said. "We would like to meet these families who have been through what we have, to let them know they're not alone, that we feel the same sorrow and same grief as they do. It's like all these soldiers have become a part of their family."
The family ties that have grown between the Boatrights and other military families would please Luke. And it would please him even more to know that his family is helping to pay tribute to others' sacrifice.
"In his letter that he wrote us, the soldiers that he was in command of were like brothers and sisters to him," he said. "I think that he would see it as us honoring him and the soldiers that were in his company."
Anyone can help by donating to the Fallen Soldier Memorial Plaque fund by sending checks to American Legion Post 182, PO Box 1388, Little Elm, Texas, 75056 or by calling Ray Kahler at 972-877-4588 or Charles Boatright at 972-294-1174. Donors can also e-mail Kahler at rkahler@sbcglobal.net. One hundred percent of donations will be applied to plaque production, Kahler said.
Anyone can also show their support by participating in the presentation ceremonies. To do so would be meaningful to recipients' families, Boatright said.
"By being there, you say, 'We salute your daughter, we salute your son, we salute your husband, we salute your father. We salute them for what they've done for us."
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