As many of you know from the news announcements, our son, 1LT Scott Love, and another soldier, PFC Nick Crombie, were killed by an IED blast while on combat patrol in a village just west of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on 7 June. The two other soldiers in the vehicle, SGT Welsh and SPC Correa, were wounded and were eventually evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital. Scott and the other soldiers were members of B Co, 2/6 IN, 1st Armored Div, stationed at Baumholder, Germany. Scott had been a platoon leader in the company since May last year.
Scott graduated from Grissom High School in 1992 and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Florida State University in 1996. He enlisted in the Army in 1999 in Military Intelligence and completed Arabic training at the Defense Language Institute. Scott deployed from Ft Hood, TX, to Kuwait in Nov 2001. Upon his return, Scott completed NCO academy at Ft Hood as Distinguished Honor Graduate. After he finished OCS and the various Infantry courses at Ft Benning, Scott was assigned to the Ist Armored Div in Feb 2005.
The memorial service for Scott was held in Huntsville on Friday, 16 June, followed by the funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, on Monday, 19 June. Our other son Daniel, a Marine who had just arrived at his duty station in Okinawa in the 3d Marine Div, was able to return to be with us for the services. Daniel also served as the military escort for Scott from Dover AFB to Arlington. After Lydia and I met Daniel at the funeral home that Sunday, the three of us visited SGT Welsh and SPC Correa at Walter Reed.
Since Scott's death was announced we have had numerous notes, cards, calls, and e-mails from friends, associates, classmates and other graduates from classes old and young. The most touching of these have been letters from Iraq from soldiers in Scott's platoon, who appreciated how he had connected with them as a former junior NCO himself. My wife Lydia and I appreciate all the expressions of support.
At the time of the memorial service, Lydia and I requested that any donations be made to Army Emergency Relief in memory of Scott. A number of people responded very generously. Since then, Jeff Gault, one of my West Point classmates who is associated with the Army Scholarship Foundation, has organized the initiative described below. To me, making a donation to one of these organizations is a tangible, meaningful way of showing support for our servicemembers, and their families, who are making sacrifices for us every day.
Thank you,
Mac Love
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Dear Friends,
As you know, 1 LT Scott Love, the son of Mac and Lydia Love, was killed in Iraq this past month. We all join in extending our very deepest sympathy to Mac and Lydia over their tragic loss. They remain in our thoughts and prayers.
Although the loss of every soldier is a terrible thing, many of us have been friends of Mac and Lydia and their family for years. We all know that Scott accomplished much in his short time with us, and it is appropriate to mark his legacy and honor the fact that Scott has made the ultimate sacrifice while wearing the uniform in defense of freedom and our great nation.
A small group of friends feel that we should commemorate Scott and express our sympathies to Mac and Lydia in some tangible way. Following initial discussions, a group of us family friends has taken the initial steps to endow a Lieutenant Scott Love Memorial Scholarship with the Army Scholarship Foundation. This annual scholarship would be awarded in perpetuity in Scott's name to the son or daughter of a US Army service member or spouse of an enlisted soldier, would include an appropriate commemoration of Scott's service. We have discussed this idea with Mac and Lydia and they are enthusiastic and grateful for our proposal of this idea. They would like the scholarship to be awarded to a student who is pursuing a degree in Fine Arts, which Scott earned.
The Army Scholarship Foundation is a small organization that is dedicated to serving those who serve our nation in the US Army. It has been my privilege to have recently become associated with this organization, and I have been impressed with what it has accomplished in supporting the children of soldiers in pursuit their educational dreams over the past five years. An endowed scholarship in Scott's name will ensure that his sacrifices and service are not forgotten, while investing in our nation's future — our youth.
We invite you to participate in this noble endeavor. We ask you to consider mailing a tax deductible contribution in Scott's name to the Army Scholarship Foundation, 6412 Brandon Avenue, Suite 201, Springfield, VA 22150. An endowed scholarship involves a reasonable but easily achievable investment, so we ask you to be generous in considering your contribution. We already have pledges for several thousand dollars, but need more to reach our goal. Please see what you can do in helping us honor Scott's memory. You can make a donation in Scott's name for this scholarship, or you may chose to make an anonymous donation as well. To learn more about the Foundation, you are invited to visit the web site at www.ArmyScholarshipFoundation.org
Thank you!
Jeff Gault, US Army Retired
The West Point Society of the Tennessee Valley is one of the 75 West Point Societies officially recognized by the Association of Graduates. Our Society is centered in the Redstone Arsenal/Huntsville area and serves the Greater North Alabama region. Our mission is two-fold: