Martin, Tenn. – U.S. Army Col. David Strauss, a 1993 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, spoke May 25 during the university’s annual Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony outside the Hall-Moody Administration Building.
Strauss enlisted in the Army as a military intelligence voice interceptor in 1983 and later attended UT Martin on a Green to Gold Scholarship. He received a commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation in 1993 and was selected to become a civil affairs officer in 2004, a post he still holds today.
In honor of Memorial Day, Strauss shared the story of a friend and former comrade-in-arms, Capt. Timothy Ian McGovern, of Idaville, Indiana.
“I first met Tim in 2006 when I was a brand-new major assigned to the fourth heavy-brigade combat team, first cavalry division, at Ft. Bliss, Texas,” he said. “He was a good solider in garrison. He was a good soldier, but he wasn’t a great soldier. … But then we deployed (to Mosul, Iraq). And when we deployed, there was a whole new Tim that emerged.”
Strauss explained how McGovern served as brigade engineer officer at a time when improvised explosive devices were in heavy use in and around Mosul. In this position, he was responsible for coordinating the protection of areas which blasts from car bombs and other IEDs had rendered vulnerable.
“That’s when I really found Tim in his natural light,” said Strauss. “You see, Tim was responsible for coordinating all that, but he didn’t actually have to go out on the ground. He could do everything that he needed to do from the safety of the forward operating base, or FOB. But instead, he would ride on the vehicles. … He would make sure that the support was on the ground, and he would make sure it was right. And because he routinely went out to the blast areas, he quickly knew exactly what was needed when a blast occurred.”
Strauss said McGovern was promoted to serve as commander of the only engineer company in the brigade, a position with dangerous responsibilities.
As commander, McGovern was responsible for coordinating these teams from the safety of the forward operating base. However, he chose to accompany his soldiers on their routes at his own personal risk.
“On Oct. 31, 2007, about a month before we were scheduled to redeploy back from Mosul to Ft. Bliss, Tim was killed while leading a route reconnaissance patrol and engaging the enemy,” Strauss continued.
“Instead of looking at this tragic event with sadness – and it is sad – I would ask you instead to celebrate all the Tim McGovern’s of our military. You see, Tim did not do what was expected of him. Tim did so much more,” he said. “There is a strength of character that only comes out when a service member, knowing the dangers, willingly steps forward in the service of our country and says, ‘I’ll do that job.’
“On Memorial Day, we all remember all of the fallen soldiers and service members, but I think it’s a special time to reflect on the greatness of a country that inspires the actions and the sacrifices of the Tim McGoverns of this world,” said Strauss. He urged the audience to go forward not simply in observance of Memorial Day, but in celebration of the lives lost in battle and the country so many have died to protect.
UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver thanked Strauss for his remarks and thanked the audience for their attendance. The program ended with a 21-gun salute from the UT Martin Department of Public Safety and City of Martin Police Department and the playing of “Taps” by UT Martin music student Chloe Lollar, a senior from Humboldt.
For more information on UT Martin’s annual Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony, contact the UT Martin Office of University Relations at 731-881-7615.
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