To honour the memory of:

Lance Corporal Tom Keogh. He would have celebrated his 25th birthday today. His 25th birthday on the 25th day of this month. I have no personal connection to this fallen soldier, but I feel compelled to pay my respects to him. Because this may seem odd to those who know me, and in fact to those who don't know me, I will explain how this came about.

Back at the beginning of the year, I had been googling and gobbling up information regarding one Myles Keogh, a young Irishman who had served in the American Civil War, then had moved west to serve with the Seventh Cavalry, where he eventually died fighting in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Yes... the battle made famous by George Armstrong Custer. There is much more to Myles' story, but that is not the reason for this post. I was intrigued by some correspondence between Myles and his brother Thomas in Ireland at the time when Myles was in active service with the Union army, and I had at some point googled Thomas Keogh as well. There was a bit, but the only thing I remember seeing specifically is that in the current news that particular day, a British soldier named Tom Keogh had been killed in Afghanistan. I do not know if there is any direct or distant familial connection between the two men. All I know is that I recall being stricken by comments about his character and person, and I distinctly remember seeing his birthdate of August 25, 1985. I remembered it again today and could not let it pass.

Maybe it is simply my memory for numbers, or maybe it is purely coincidence, but for whatever reason, he is now embedded in my memory.

So, whether you think this odd or not, I raise my glass in his honour, to all those who have ever fallen, to all those still serving there and everywhere, to those who have made it back, many with personal battles yet to fight, and to those at home who care for, love them, and support them.