by mmokler » Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:33 pm
JIM..
I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR SUCH A GREAT JOB THAT YOU HAVE DONE ON THE MEMORIAL PAGE.. ESPECIALLY TO SGT. GARY W. COKLEY.. AS I HAVE MENTIONED SOMETIME BEFORE, GARY AND I ALONG WITH 2 OTHERS WERE DRAFTER AT THE SAMETIME. WENT THROUGH BASIC AND A.I.T. TOGETHER.. GARY WENT ON TO N.C.O. TRAINING AND I LOST TRACT OF HIM, UNTIL OCT. OF 2002..THAT IS THE MONTH THAT MY FATHER PASSED AWAY, AND IS BURIED AT THE SAME MEMORIAL PARK AS GARY.. UNKNOWN TO ME GARYS EX-WIFE (MARLENE) WAS AT THE BURIAL OF MY DAD, AND SHE CAME OVER TO ME, AND ASKED IF I REMEMBERED HER.. I SADLY SAID "NO" AND SHE TOLD ME WHO SHE WAS.. I TOLD MARLENE THAT I HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR GARY'S BURIAL SITE, EVER SINCE I GOT OUT OF THE SERVICE IN 1971.. I WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE MARLENE BECAUSE SHE HAD REMARRIED.. MARLENE TOLD ME GARY WAS CLOSE TO WHERE MY DAD WAS BEING BURIED.. APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET OR SO FROM MY FATHERS TOMB MARLENE WALKED ME DIRECTLY TO GARYS HEADSTONE.. I KNELT DOWN AT GARYS GRAVE AND CRIED MY EYES OUT.. IT WAS A EMOTIONAL TIME FOR ME TO BE BURYING MY FATHER, BUT BEING RE-UNITED WITH GARY AFTER 32 YEARS.. I KNOW THAT I HAVE RAMBLED ON AND ON.. BUT TO FINALLY READ ABOUT GARY AND HIS LAST COMBAT ACTION, PUTS MY MIND AT REST.. I WILL ALWAYS MISS GARY AND LOVE HIM MORE.. MY BURIAL PLOT WILL BE CLOSE TO GARYS AND ONE DAY WE WILL MEET AGAIN.. JUST A NOTE ON THE PICTURES OF GARY..IN GARYS MEMORIAL PICTURES, I BELIEVE YOU HAVE GARY MISLABELED.. GARY IS THE INDIVIDUAL ON THE LEFT SQUATTING DOWN WITH THE HIS BACK TO THE CAMERA..ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU AND EVERYONE THAT HAS PUT SO MUCH INTO THIS..
SINCERELY,
MIKE C. MOKLER