A Day of Honor - Memorial Day 2011

Corporal Loren Miles Buffalo, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, US Army, (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY.  Corporal Buffalo, age 20,  was killed in action on March 9, 2011 by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  He was from Mountain Pine, Arkansas and is survived by his parents and 4 siblings.

Corporal Buffalo received the Bronze Star Medal; the Purple Heart; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal and Combat Action Badge.

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by Arkansas Lt. Governor Mark A. Darr: Monday is the day we observe to honor those in our armed services who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country and their compatriots. This day of reverence first began as Decoration Day in 1868, 143 years ago, to pay homage to those lost on both sides in the Civil War. Congress made it an official federal holiday in 1971. As Americans go about their busy lives, many will take the long weekend to make a trip to the lake or barbecue with family members. But this is not what the day is truly about.

I've had the opportunity to visit with a number of military personnel this month. Recently, I visited the airbase at Fort Smith and learned of the work the 188th Fighter Wing, "The Flying Razorbacks", is doing at home and abroad. Last week, I visited with airmen from the 19th Airlift Wing at the Little Rock Air Force Base and learned more about their mission and the vital work they do for our forces here and overseas. I was struck by how young the men and women were who were doing such important things.

Then, I gave welcoming remarks in North Little Rock to the Disabled American Veterans' annual convention. Many of them were not so young, having served their time decades ago and given part of themselves to the fight. They live every day with the consequences of their service, but they live it with pride and dignity.

When visiting with those who have seen combat, oftentimes you can sense an unspoken sadness or void that is left from those of their comrades who did not make it out. We should all have a sense of that because regardless of whether or not we knew them, they are part of us as Americans. They are a part of what has made our nation great. The willingness of an individual to fight for his or her countrymen or even on behalf of others around the world for the cause of freedom was unprecedented in the history of the world before America. The American soldier is still a beacon of that tradition.

One such soldier we honor this Memorial Day is Army Corporal Loren Miles Buffalo from Mountain Pine, Arkansas. Twenty-years-old and just in his second year in the Army, he was killed on March 9, 2011 by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He was a soldier with the 101st Airborne Division and was a recipient of the Bronze Star. Military service ran in his family. He had ordinary interests, like any young man - he played guitar and drums and loved the outdoors - but he gave his life doing something extraordinary.

Those of us who have not lost loved ones in battle cannot truly know the emotions that come with that. However, I hope that we can appreciate it as Americans and express to their families that their sacrifice is not in vain.

American troops have been at war going on ten years in Afghanistan, eight in Iraq. Others are stationed in dozens of countries you and I have never thought of. This Memorial Day, don't think of it as an extra day off work for a cookout at the lake. Think about why it is a day of honor and why we have the liberty to enjoy it. It is because of people like Corporal Buffalo and all those who came before him and still serve. May God continue to bless our troops and may the fallen rest in peace.

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