Those lost in 1991 Scud attack recalled
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The 316th ESC Rifle Team took part in the 21-gun salute at a memorial to remember those killed in a 1991 SCUD missile attack. -
Retired Sgt. Jennifer Synuria, from New Stanton, holds a flag as she hugs Beverly Clark, the mother of fellow soldier Spc. Beverly S. Clark, who was killed when an Iraqi Scud missile destroyed the barracks of the 14th Quartermaster Detachment during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Sgt. Synuria was injured in the attack. The two were at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the attack at the Army Reserve Center in Greensburg. -
Attendees pause to remember the 13 soldiers from the 14th Quartermaster Detachment killed in the 1991 SCUD missile attack in Iraq.
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Frank Mayes, of Rochester Mills, understood why the eldest of his three daughters, Christine, wanted to join the military.
A former Army soldier himself, Mr. Mayes remembers Christine's excitement to enlist directly from high school -- that same thrill she felt during her three-year tour of Germany, and again just a few months later, when as a student at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, her Army Reserve unit was called to serve in Operation Desert Storm, the first Gulf War.
"When you're in the Army, you go when they call you," Mr. Mayes said. "And she was a soldier. She was just ready to go."
At 22, she was one of 69 soldiers of the Greensburg-based 14th Quartermaster Detachment, an Army Reserve water purification team, called for deployment in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 1991.
Six days after her unit arrived, as she lay napping at 8:40 p.m. local time, Spc. Mayes was one of 13 members killed when an Iraqi Scud missile struck the barracks on Feb. 25, 1991, killing a total of 29 soldiers and wounding 99.
Twenty years later, the Indiana County family -- Mr. Mayes, his wife, Darlene, and their two surviving daughters -- were among the more than 200 people gathered Friday in a tent outside the Army Reserve Center in Greensburg for a memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony to mark the solemn anniversary.
Family, military officials and community members braved the blustery weather to place flowers, photos and stuffed animals on a monument to those killed or wounded in the attack, sharing stories and offering words of support.
"It's times like this that bring forth vivid memories as if this happened moments ago," said U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, who spoke at the ceremony.
For families, the memory of lost loved ones is a daily reminder of their sacrifice.
Paula Boliver Wukovich, of Monongahela, was a mother of two young children when her husband, vehicle mechanic Spc. John A. Boliver Jr., was killed in the Scud attack.
First Published February 26, 2011 12:00 am
