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CWA Mourns Member's Death in Iraq
Grief, gratitude, compassion. Beyond the pageantry of a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, the faces said it all as a U.S. Marine in full dress uniform, his own eyes shielded by sunglasses, presented three American flags to the wife, father and brother of the first CWA member known to have died in Iraq.
Marine Staff Sgt. Jason Lehto, 31, died Dec. 28 in what the Department of Defense classified as a "non-hostile incident" in Al Anbar Province. So-called non-hostile actions, according to DOD statistics issued Jan. 24, have accounted for more than 21 percent of 1,368 service-related deaths in Operation Iraqi Freedom since it began on March 19, 2003.
"All of our hearts go out to Jason's family during their time of grief," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "Words cannot express our gratitude for Jason's service to his country or our sorrow at the loss of a union brother."
"It's ironic that such a high percentage of U.S. military deaths in Iraq do not come as a result of facing enemy fire," said CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach. "But that in no way diminishes the courage or sacrifice of service members like Jason who pay the ultimate price on behalf of our country."
Officers and members of Local 4018 attended a funeral Mass held for Lehto on Jan. 6 in St. Mark's Parish in Warren, Mich., where Lehto's family lives. Local President Todd Lekity and his wife, Terri, attended the military funeral Jan. 11 in Arlington, Va., directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
Lehto joined the Marine Corps immediately after completing high school in 1992 and served four years of active duty before joining the reserves.
He met his wife, Michele, while detailed for explosive ordnance disposal training in Maryland, the Detroit Free Press reported. They were married almost four years ago.
That was around the time he joined SBC as a service technician. Lehto worked out of the Trenton Garage near Detroit along with Lekity.
Each SBC technician is assigned a service number for identification in the company's computer system. Lekity said SBC retired Lehto's number 511 in his honor.
A member of Marine Wing Support Squadron 471 in Harrison Township, Mich., where he was well liked on base because of his charisma and sense of humor, Lehto volunteered for deployment to Iraq with a different unit several months ago. Trained to disarm explosives, his job there was to help maintain an airfield in hostile territory.
While the family declined to discuss the details of his death, his stepfather, Chuck Walsh, told the Free Press it was a "total accident" during a routine mission. "Unfortunately, something just went off," he said.
In addition to his wife, Lehto is survived by three sons: Nathan, 11, Joseph, 3 and Joshua, 2, and a brother, Anthony.
Lekity said Local 4018 had already collected more than $5,000 to be presented to Lehto's widow for whatever needs she might have. His wife is collecting photos of Lehto for a display at the union hall in his honor.
At Arlington Cemetery, as mourners walked away from the casket, watched over by a single sentry, Lekity expressed awe at the headstones of veterans who have died since the cemetery was established after the Civil War. "Just look at them, rows and rows and rows," he said.
Scholarship Fund
President Bahr has requested contributions to guarantee college assistance for Lehto's three children. Checks marked "Sgt. Lehto Scholarships" should be made payable to the Joseph Anthony Beirne Foundation and mailed to CWA President's Office, 501 Third St., N.W., Washington, DC 20001.
Marine Staff Sgt. Jason Lehto, 31, died Dec. 28 in what the Department of Defense classified as a "non-hostile incident" in Al Anbar Province. So-called non-hostile actions, according to DOD statistics issued Jan. 24, have accounted for more than 21 percent of 1,368 service-related deaths in Operation Iraqi Freedom since it began on March 19, 2003.
"All of our hearts go out to Jason's family during their time of grief," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "Words cannot express our gratitude for Jason's service to his country or our sorrow at the loss of a union brother."
"It's ironic that such a high percentage of U.S. military deaths in Iraq do not come as a result of facing enemy fire," said CWA District 4 Vice President Jeff Rechenbach. "But that in no way diminishes the courage or sacrifice of service members like Jason who pay the ultimate price on behalf of our country."
Officers and members of Local 4018 attended a funeral Mass held for Lehto on Jan. 6 in St. Mark's Parish in Warren, Mich., where Lehto's family lives. Local President Todd Lekity and his wife, Terri, attended the military funeral Jan. 11 in Arlington, Va., directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
Lehto joined the Marine Corps immediately after completing high school in 1992 and served four years of active duty before joining the reserves.
He met his wife, Michele, while detailed for explosive ordnance disposal training in Maryland, the Detroit Free Press reported. They were married almost four years ago.
That was around the time he joined SBC as a service technician. Lehto worked out of the Trenton Garage near Detroit along with Lekity.
Each SBC technician is assigned a service number for identification in the company's computer system. Lekity said SBC retired Lehto's number 511 in his honor.
A member of Marine Wing Support Squadron 471 in Harrison Township, Mich., where he was well liked on base because of his charisma and sense of humor, Lehto volunteered for deployment to Iraq with a different unit several months ago. Trained to disarm explosives, his job there was to help maintain an airfield in hostile territory.
While the family declined to discuss the details of his death, his stepfather, Chuck Walsh, told the Free Press it was a "total accident" during a routine mission. "Unfortunately, something just went off," he said.
In addition to his wife, Lehto is survived by three sons: Nathan, 11, Joseph, 3 and Joshua, 2, and a brother, Anthony.
Lekity said Local 4018 had already collected more than $5,000 to be presented to Lehto's widow for whatever needs she might have. His wife is collecting photos of Lehto for a display at the union hall in his honor.
At Arlington Cemetery, as mourners walked away from the casket, watched over by a single sentry, Lekity expressed awe at the headstones of veterans who have died since the cemetery was established after the Civil War. "Just look at them, rows and rows and rows," he said.
Scholarship Fund
President Bahr has requested contributions to guarantee college assistance for Lehto's three children. Checks marked "Sgt. Lehto Scholarships" should be made payable to the Joseph Anthony Beirne Foundation and mailed to CWA President's Office, 501 Third St., N.W., Washington, DC 20001.