Army Col. James Ellison wasn’t familiar with sweet tea, the kind that kids in South Carolina start drinking as soon as they can suck from a baby bottle. He learned about the drink, made with a cupful of sugar, through a man he had never met, a fun-loving West Point grad named Capt. Joshua Byers.
“His nickname was Sweet T because he came from South Carolina and he loved sweet tea so much,” Ellison said, his eyes welling with tears. “He was really quite an awesome character, and he had an impact on me.”
Ellison, an Army reservist called back to active duty four years ago to help out the chaplain corps at Fort Carson, learned about Byers’ love for the Southern nectar after he attended the 29-year-old’s funeral. Byers was killed in an ambush July 23, 2003, the 300th service member to die in the Iraq war.
After the memorial service and funeral ended, Ellison learned to make sweet tea to honor the memory of Byers.
“You get the sugar in the water to taste first,” he said, “and then just brew it. You can put it out there on the front porch.”
At Fort Carson, Ellison, 58, is a busy man. The base has lost nearly 200 soldiers since the war began four years ago today. He presides over more than half of the memorial services, meets with widows and knocks on doors to tell loved ones of a soldier’s death.
“He has a lot to do,” said Lloyd Byers, Joshua’s father. “But the whole time I was around him, it was just like somebody in the family. He’s real; he means what he says. Sometimes, when you do as much as he’s done, sometimes I think it becomes mechanical. His calmness and understanding made us feel so accepted.”
Sits near memorial
When he’s not tending to grief, or a nervous soldier heading to war, Ellison sometimes sits at a memorial at Fort Carson for those who have died in the war on terrorism. He points to the names engraved in a flagstone wall and remembers.
“I was at a notification a couple of years back, and I notified the wife. The kids were in the room. … I sat there with the son and daughter, and they were in the ‘I can’t believe it’s happened’ mode.
“I spent about an hour with them, and I was chatting with this young boy, about 9 years old, and I said: ‘Tell me about your dad. What are some of the nice things that he did?’ And the boy said: ‘Dad made the best breakfasts.”‘
Ellison never told his wife, Misoo, or his daughters, Jami, 8, and Ami, 4, about notifying the family of Staff Sgt. Andrew Pokorny, who died June 16, 2003. He never told them why he started cooking family breakfasts on weekends.
“We make French toast with a hole in the middle so you can fry an egg and put it in the middle,” Ellison said. “Sometimes, we make scrambled eggs and hash browns, juice, toast. Nothing particularly special, just something fun every weekend.”
When he points to the name of Chief Warrant Officer Stephen Wells, he remembers traveling to Great Barrington, Mass., and walking in a cold rain from the funeral home to the church behind Wells’ hearse in February 2004.
A few days earlier, he had rung the doorbell at the Wells home on Fort Carson. Wells’ wife, Tosha, who has since remarried, was waiting for new furniture, so when the doorbell rang, she expected to see a big truck and men with embroidered name tags stitched to blue shirts.
“He was good to my kids”
She saw Ellison and a notification officer, with their shiny black shoes, creased green trousers and solemn faces.
“I remember asking, ‘What happened?’ and, ‘Is he OK?’ and they told me no, that he wasn’t OK,” Tosha Wells-Rowberry, 31, said from her home in Texas.
Her husband of 11 years died after his aircraft hit a cable. She remembers asking Ellison if he would tell her children, then ages 5, 7 and 9.
“I didn’t want to be the bad guy,” Wells-Rowberry said.
He sat the children down in the living room and told them straight: Their father had died in an accident in Iraq.
“He didn’t sugarcoat it,” Wells- Rowberry said.
After the memorials and funerals were over, Ellison visited their home.
“He came over a couple of times to check on them and play with them,” she said. “He’d call to ask if he could fix their toys. He was good to my kids.”
Ellison, who lives at Fort Carson on weekdays and goes home on weekends, said he will tell his wife, who works at National Jewish Hospital, a little about what he does at work, though he doesn’t delve into all of the details.
No one knows better than Ellison that people handle grief in various ways.
“Everyone’s different. Sometimes they pass out, scream and yell, kick you out of the house, things like that,” Ellison said.
The colonel knows that there have been times when his job has taken a toll on him.
Once, after traveling to funerals outside Colorado and conducting back-to-back memorial services, he was headed to a meeting at Fort Carson but drove to the wrong building.
To unwind, Ellison and some of the other chaplains sometimes go to Jack Quinn’s, an Irish bar in Colorado Springs, or the Golden Bee sing-along pub at the Broadmoor hotel.
They’ll get a song sheet and belt out a few choruses from “Danny Boy” or “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”
There are other times, though, when Ellison will unwind in a different way. He’ll start by mixing sugar with water and brewing up a pitcher of South Carolina sweet tea.
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at eemery@denverpost.com or 719-522-1360.
Colorado fatalities related to military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
Clinton W. Ahlquist, 23
Hometown: Creede
Died Feb. 20
Marine Sgt., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Brian D. Allgood, 46
Hometown: Oklahoma (Colorado Springs native. Family was living in Germany, where he was stationed.)
Died Jan. 20
Army Col., Heidelberg, Germany
Died with 12 others when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Baghdad.
Travis Wayne Anderson, 28
Hometown: Hooper
Died May 13, 2005
Army Pfc., Fort Stewart, Ga.
Killed when a car bomb exploded near his convoy in Beiji, Iraq.
Christopher A. Anderson, 24
Hometown: Longmont
Died Dec. 4, 2006
Navy hospitalman, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Killed as a result of enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Shawn Michael Atkins, 20
Hometown: Parker
Died June 14, 2004
Army Pfc., Hanau, Germany
Died from a noncombat injury in Baghdad.
Daniel Aaron Bader, 28
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Died Nov. 2, 2003
Army Staff Sgt., Fort Carson
On a CH-47 Chinook helicopter shot down over Fallujah, Iraq.
Douglas Edwin Bascom, 25
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Died Oct. 20, 2004
Marine Sgt., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Thomas Francis Broomhead, 34
Hometown: Cañon City
Died May 27, 2003
Army Sgt., Fort Carson
Guarding a checkpoint when a vehicle pulled up and assailants fired on him in Fallujah, Iraq.
Danny P. Dietz, 25
Hometown: Littleton
Navy gunner’s mate 2nd class (SEAL), Virginia Beach, Va.
Died June 28, 2005
One of three commandos killed in a firefight when they were ambushed in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan while searching for a high-ranking terrorist in Kunar province.
Mark Eugene Engel, 21
Hometown: Grand Junction
Died July 21, 2004
Marine Lance Cpl., Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Died at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, of wounds he received July 6, 2004, due to enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Christopher M. Falkel, 22
Hometown: Highlands Ranch
Died Aug. 8, 2005
Army Staff Sgt., Fort Bragg, N.C.
Killed when his unit came under small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan.
George Raymond Geer, 27
Hometown: Cortez
Died Jan. 17, 2005
Army Pfc., Camp Casey, Korea
Killed when a car bomb was detonated near his position in Ramadi, Iraq
Dustin M. Gould, 28
Hometown: Longmont
Died March 2
Marine Staff Sgt., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Died while disarming a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Joshua R. Hager, 29
Hometown: Broomfield
Died Feb. 23
Army Staff Sgt., Fort Carson
Died day after an explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Iraq.
Blake Harris, 22
Hometown: Pueblo
Died March 5
Army Spec., Fort Hood, Texas
Died in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit.
Evenor C. Herrera, 22
Hometown: Gypsum
Died Aug. 10, 2005
Marine Lance Cpl., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed when a bomb exploded near him during combat near Ramadi, Iraq.
Benjamin D. Hoeffner, 21
Hometown: Wheat Ridge
Died Oct. 25, 2005
Army Cpl., Army Reserve, Aurora
Noncombat-related cause in Ali Al Salem, Kuwait.
Theodore Samuel Holder II, 27
Hometown: Littleton
Died Nov. 11, 2004
Marine Staff Sgt., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Mark Anthony Lawton, 41
Hometown: Hayden
Died Aug. 29, 2003
Staff Sgt., Army Reserve
Killed while in a convoy hit by a rocket-propelled grenade north of Suaydat, Iraq.
Derrick Joseph Lutters, 24
Hometown: Burlington
Died May 1, 2005
Army Sgt., Kansas Army National Guard, Pittsburg, Kan.
Killed when a car bomb exploded while his unit was inspecting a bridge south of Baghdad.
Tyler R. MacKenzie, 20
Hometown: Evans
Died Nov. 2, 2005
Army Pfc., Fort Campbell, Ky.
Killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee near Baghdad.
Chad Bryant Maynard, 19
Hometown: Montrose
Died June 15, 2005
Marine Lance Cpl., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed when his vehicle hit an explosive device while he was conducting combat operations near Ramadi, Iraq.
Dimitri Muscat, 21
Hometown: Aurora
Died Feb. 24, 2006
Army Sgt., Fort Carson
Died Feb. 24 in Balad, Iraq, of noncombat-related injuries sustained earlier that day in Samarra, Iraq.
Nicklas J. Palmer, 19
Hometown: Leadville
Died Dec. 16, 2006
Marine Lance Cpl., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed by a sniper while patrolling in a Humvee in Fallujah, Iraq.
Larry Wayne Pankey Jr., 34
Hometown: Morrison
Died Oct. 3, 2005
Army Sgt., Army Reserve, Greenwood, Miss.
Suffered noncombat-related injuries in Balad, Iraq.
Michael C. Parrott, 49
Hometown: Timnath
Died Nov. 10, 2005
Army Staff Sgt., Colorado Army National Guard, Cheyenne.
Died in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in Khalidiyah, Iraq, where his M1A1 Abrams tank was attacked by enemy forces.
Andrew C. Perkins, 27
Hometown: Northglenn
Died March 5
Army Sgt., Fort Bragg, N.C.
One of six soldiers killed when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle in Samarra, Iraq.
Chance Russell Phelps, 19
Hometown: Clifton
Died April 9, 2004
Marine Pfc., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Died from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Kyle W. Powell, 21
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Died Nov. 4, 2006
Marine Cpl., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed in Anbar province, Iraq, on his third tour of duty.
Ryan Eugene Reed, 20
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Died April 29, 2004
Army Pfc., Baumholder, Germany
Killed while on explosive-sweeps patrol when his unit was approached by a vehicle and the driver set off a bomb near Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad.
Randall Scott Rehn, 36
Hometown: Broken Arrow, Okla. (Grew up in Longmont.)
Died April 3, 2003
Army Sgt. 1st Class, Fort Sill, Okla.
Died when his Humvee was fired upon near the Baghdad International Airport.
Gavin B. Reinke, 32
Hometown: Pueblo
Died May 4, 2006
Army Staff Sgt., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad.
Luis R. Reyes, 26
Hometown: Aurora
Died Nov. 18, 2005
Army Sgt., Army National Guard, Durango
His group was en route to Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, to catch a flight into Iraq when their bus rolled over.
Andrew Gerald Riedel, 19
Hometown: Northglenn
Died Oct. 30, 2004
Marine Pfc., Marine Corps Base, Hawaii
Killed in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Russell Brian Rippetoe, 27
Hometown: Arvada
Died April 3, 2003
Army Capt., Fort Benning, Ga.
Among a group of three soldiers killed when a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint 11 miles southwest of the Hadithah Dam on the Euphrates River.
Henry Cecil Risner, 26
Hometown: Golden
Died Aug. 18, 2004
Army Pfc., Fort Drum, N.Y.
Killed when his checkpoint came under small-arms fire in Baghdad.
Daniel Aaron Romero, 30
Hometown: Lafayette
Died April 15, 2002
Army Sgt. 1st Class, Colorado Army National Guard, Pueblo
Killed along with three other U.S. soldiers in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while trying to dispose of Russian rockets.
Randal Kent Rosacker, 21
Hometown: San Diego (Born in Alamosa, but grew up in San Diego; buried in the historic Homelake Cemetery near Monte Vista.)
Died March 23, 2003
Marine Cpl., Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His unit cornered Iraqi soldiers who waved a white flag in surrender near the city of Nasiriyah by the lower Euphrates River. When the Marines moved forward, the Iraqis opened fire.
Gregory Paul Rund, 21
Hometown: Littleton
Died Dec. 11, 2004
Marine Lance Cpl., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Killed in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Barry Sanford Sr., 46
Hometown: Aurora
Died July 7, 2003
Army Staff Sgt., Fort Campbell, Ky.
Died from friendly-fire wounds in Balad, Iraq.
Michael Bear Shackelford, 25
Hometown: Grand Junction
Died Nov. 28, 2004
Army Staff Sgt., Camp Howze, South Korea
On dismounted patrol when unit hit by small arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq.
Christopher F. Sitton, 21
Hometown: Montrose
Died Aug. 19, 2006
Army Spec., Fort Drum, N.Y
Killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy vehicle in Kunar, Afghanistan.
Thomas Jonathan Slocum, 22
Hometown: Thornton
Died March 23, 2003
Marine Lance Cpl., Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His unit cornered Iraqi soldiers who waved a white flag in surrender near the city of Nasiriyah by the lower Euphrates River. When the Marines moved forward, the Iraqis opened fire.
David R. Staats, 30
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Died Dec. 16, 2006
Army Staff Sgt., Fort Hood, Texas
Died from injuries suffered from a roadside bomb attack in Taji, north of Baghdad.
Seth M. Stanton, 19
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Died Dec. 17, 2006
Army Pfc., Fort Hood, Texas
Died from injuries suffered in a roadside bomb attack in Taji, north of Baghdad. He suffered multiple broken bones and internal injuries. He died before he was able to be transported to U.S. for treatment.
Jeremy P. Tamburello, 19
Hometown: Westminster
Died Nov. 8, 2005
Marine Lance Cpl., Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Died from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations just west of Rutbah, Iraq.
Lucas V. Tripp, 23
Hometown: Aurora
Died March 11, 2003
Army Sgt., Fort Drum, N.Y.
Died in the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter during training in a remote, wooded area of Fort Drum, N.Y.
Justin Lee Vasquez, 26
Hometown: Manzanola
Died June 5, 2005
Army Staff Sgt., Fort Carson
Among three soldiers killed when an explosive detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad.
John Shaw Vaughan, 23
Hometown: Edwards
Died June 7, 2006
Army 2nd Lt., Fort Wainwright, Alaska
Killed when he encountered enemy small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.
Donald Ralph Walters, 33
Hometown: Salem, Ore./Kansas City, Mo. (Grew up in Colorado, where his father was a trombone player at the Air Force Academy. The family moved to Salem in 1981.)
Died March 23, 2003
Army Sgt., Fort Bliss, Texas
Captured by Iraqi fighters in an ambush near Nasiriyah, Iraq, and later executed. Original statement that Walters was killed in the ambush revised May 27, 2004.
Ian P. Weikel, 31
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Died April 18, 2006
Army Capt., Fort Hood, Texas
Died in Balad, Iraq, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad.
Dana Nathaniel Wilson, 26
Hometown: Fountain
Died July 11, 2004
Army Spec., Baumholder, Germany
Was in a vehicle that collided head-on with another vehicle near Hillah, Iraq.
Jeremy R. Wright, 31
Hometown: Vail (Grew up in Shelbyville, Ind., and later moved to Vail.)
Died Jan. 6, 2005
Army Sgt., Fort Lewis, Wash.
Killed on patrol when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Asadabad, Afghanistan.
Michael Emerson Yashinski, 24
Hometown: Monument
Died Dec. 24, 2003
Army Sgt., Vicenza, Italy
Apparently electrocuted while repairing a communication wire in Kirkuk, Iraq.
