Mom works to help Ft. Carson soldiers honor battle bonds

January 10, 2010 7:00 AM
LANCE BENZEL - THE GAZETTE

After surviving the year’s deadliest firefight in Afghanistan, Sgt. Eric J. Harder made a humble request. The Fort Carson soldier phoned his mother, Mary Henry of Minneapolis, and asked her to mail over a Minnesota Twins baseball cap. Not for himself, but as a token of gratitude for a new brother.

In the chaos of the Oct. 3 assault on Combat Outpost Keating, Harder and fellow members of Fort Carson’s 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment welcomed two new comrades into their fold as they fought for their lives:  A pair of Latvian soldiers battled alongside them to defend their remote, mountain outpost from a well-armed enemy force.

Eight from Fort Carson died in the daylong battle. Harder, 29, told his mother that if it hadn’t
been for Jānis Laķis, one of the Latvian soldiers, he might not have survived.

Read the full article at:  http://www.gazette.com/articles/mom-92106-battle-soldiers.html

Please Contribute to the Latvian Soldier Reunion!

Sgt. Eric Harder and his mother Mary are working to raise money for their Latvian Brothers so that they can make the trip from Latvia and be part of their soldier’s reunion and end of deployment ball in Fort Carson this summer. Please consider donating to this great cause!

Details of the reunion – Soldiers’ photos & their stories – Details on how to donate:
Can all be found at the following website:  http://latvianreunion.yolasite.com/
Donations can be made online, or by mailing your check to:

WellsFargo - Latvian Soldier Reunion
8200 Golden Valley Road
Golden Valley, MN 55427

A total of 164 Latvian soldiers have been serving in Afghanistan as part of the multinational force led by the NATO defense alliance