Senseless loss

Remembering Marty Cesana

My friend Marty died as a result of a stupid training accident at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, in 1996. Military training itself is not stupid. We train as we fight, which can happen day or night, in the dust and heat of the desert or in the brutal cold at the dead of winter. Sometimes people practice for war so much that they don’t take it seriously enough, though, or straight up goof around on training exercises. That can lead to tragic outcomes as happens in Playing Army. Training accidents happen at Fort Stewart, Georgia and other military training installations too often to be statistical blips. I don’t think the accident that killed Marty was because of carelessness. Someone else was just in the wrong place at the wrong time for him, and he (and everyone who knew what an awesome human and soldier and friend he was) suffered the consequences. We honor this kind of sacrifice, too, because the senselessness of it does not in any way diminish the pain we felt and still feel. The Army, and the world, lost one of our best.

You can read Marty’s obituary if you click on his picture. Or ask me about him and I’ll tell you some more in the comments. Don’t forget to ask about his Kahlua brownie recipe!