Memorial service honors 14th's fallen heroes

Bobbi Clark grins when she talks about her sister, Spc. Beverly Clark.

Born 18 months apart, the two had fun growing up with their siblings in Indiana County.

"She had a very fun-loving personality," said Bobbi Clark, 37, of Greensburg. "My sister was all about family."

Beverly Clark, 23, died on Feb. 25, 1991, with 18 other men and women serving with the 14th Quartermaster Detachment, the Army Reserve unit based in Carbon, Hempfield Township. They were killed when an Iraqi Scud missile slammed into the barracks housing their water purification unit in Saudi Arabia during the waning days of Operation Desert Storm.

In all, 28 soldiers were killed and 99 were injured from the 14th Quartermaster and the 477th Provisional Transportation Unit in the fiery explosion that leveled the quarters.

On Saturday, a memorial service marking the attack's 15th anniversary was attended by hundreds of family members, friends and veterans at the unit's headquarters. Many carried small flags and flowers.

Beverly Clark's family has attended every memorial service. Her mother, Connie Clark, spoke during yesterday's program and asked that the soldiers' sacrifice not be forgotten.

"I feel blessed to be here with you today to honor our loved ones," Clark said. "We forget that there are men and women out there ready to lay their lives on the line for us."

Family members of the 14th Quartermaster have grown close over the years, she said.

"We help each other through the hard times. We miss Beverly terribly ... but we are proud of her," her mother said. After the service, she said, "This means very much to me. .... It's a hard day to get through."

Bobbi Clark agreed.

"My sister lives in my heart," she said. "I'll see her again someday. Faith is very important to us. ... We really appreciate the 14th Quartermaster and the fact that they ... have not forgotten their loss either. It's very comforting. They are feeling our pain and mourning with us."

During the ceremony, Maria Marlene Wolverton, widow of Spc. Richard V. Wolverton, 24, of Derry Township, read a poem from the point of view of a lost loved one, telling those he left behind to see him in the sand, the snow, the beauty of a flower, and to talk to him in the heavens.

Brig. Gen. William D. Waff, Deputy Commander, 99th Regional Readiness Command, said, "You may at times feel left out and forgotten as the focus today is on the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. We stand with you."

Capt. James Beck, commander of the 14th Quartermaster, recalled serving with another unit in Kuwait at the time of the attack.

Several days after the attack, he said, "I stood in the crater formed by the Scud missile, not knowing the significance it held for my future. I am honored that I had the opportunity."

The ceremony included the release of 21 white doves above the crowd.

A 21-gun salute by Veterans of Foreign War Post 33 in Greensburg, and the playing of "Taps," the last bugle call, by World War II veteran Julius Falcon, of Southwest Greensburg, concluded the service.