Army Lt. Col. Gerald O’Connor, left, escorts Maria Wayman and Capt. Alexander Bullock escorts Maria Nieves to the dedication ceremony for the Nieves Webb Consolidated Dining Facility Sept. 9 on Warner Barracks. Wayman is the mother and Nieves is the sister of Spc. Isaac Nieves. (Cheryl Boujnida / U.S. Army)
BAMBERG, Germany — The commander of Company A, 82nd Engineer Battalion still thinks about the soldiers from his company who died in Iraq. Now, with the battalion’s renamed Nieves Webb Consolidated Dining Facility, so will every soldier who walks through its doors.
The dining facility was dedicated Sept. 9 to the memories of Spc. Isaac Nieves and Sgt. Charles Webb, who were killed in action in Iraq last year.
Nieves’ mother and sister attended the ceremony, but Webb’s family was unable to attend.
Nieves, who enlisted in the Army a month before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in his hometown of New York City, died April 8 when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the Humvee in which he was the gunner.
Webb died from wounds sustained from a makeshift bomb Nov. 3. He had received a Purple Heart after surviving the blast of an earlier bomb in October.
During remarks at the ceremony, Company A commander Capt. Alexander Bullock said the dining facility was being dedicated to a couple of true heroes.
“It reminds me of what is true heroism,” he said at the ceremony. “These two men dedicated a whole life to service, fought … in Iraq bringing democracy to chaos and then gave their last full measure fighting terrorists who would destroy order and balance.”
The two soldiers still are often in Bullock’s thoughts.
“They were in my company, I spend a lot of nights thinking about them,” Bullock said. “For soldiers that knew them, this dedication was hard because it reopened old wounds. But maybe it’s good to reopen them, because that can lead to a healing process.”
“The dedication plaques will always be there,” said Sgt. Tad McGill, who was a friend of Webb’s. “People in the chow hall will see them and know what [Webb and Nieves] did. I believe it will make them live on in our memories. I think it’s good that this was put in place as something that Chuck could be remembered by.”
The dedication of the Nieves Webb Consolidated Dining Facility ensures future soldiers of the battalion will know the sacrifice these soldiers made, as well, Bullock said.
“To see them permanently honored is both motivating and healing,” Bullock said. “They gave their lives in combat, and now future generations of soldiers will know their stories.”
