Army Sgt. Sonny J. Moses

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Sonny J. Moses, 22, of Koror, Palau

Sgt Moses was assigned to 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died April 18, 2011 in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds suffered as a result of an April 16, 2011 grenade attack at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.

Sgt Moses, son of retired teachers, Sudo and Anemary Moses, is one of eight children. Two siblings also serve in the U.S. military. A brother, stationed at Fort Lewis, WA, and a sister, serving in the Guam Army National Guard.

Sudo and Anemary encouraged their children to be independent, hard working and kind. Sudo said his son loved being a soldier. "I'm sad he's gone, but I don't regret that decision. He did what made him happy -- I never understood it, to this day I don't understand why he wanted to be a soldier, but it made him happy and that's what mattered," stated Sudo.

"I have this fear in my heart, anxiety on my mind, because I think if it can happen to one of my children, then it can happen to the others as well," Sudo Moses said, adding that being a soldier isn't something he wanted for Sonny or any of his children.

"From elementary all the way up to high school he had really good grades," Sudo Moses said. "When we talked about what he would do after graduation, I suggested he go to college and pursue a career in business."

Sudo Moses said, looking back, he realized that his son wasn't committed to the idea, though Sonny didn't disagree with his father. Almost immediately after graduating, Sonny signed up for the Army. He took all the exams and was shipped out to boot camp in a matter of weeks.

"It happened really quickly," Sudo Moses said, "But I didn't want to force him, or any of them, to do what I wanted and end up resenting me later in life."

The death of Sonny Moses increased to five the number of Palauans who have died fighting terrorism under the American flag. Guam, the Northern Marianas and the Federated States of Micronesia also have lost sons and daughters to the war on terror, raising the fatality count in the Micronesia region to 39.

Sgt Moses will be returned to Palau on May 8.

"His brother, ...Arnold, is escorting his body home," said Sudo Moses. The funeral is expected to be held May 10 in the village state of Ngchesar.

Sudo Moses said his family has found comfort in "knowing that so many people are mourning with us."

Ambassador Helen Patricia Reed-Rowe of the U.S. Embassy in Palau was among those who sent condolences to the Moses family. "The American people praise *Spc. Moses as a hero of freedom for all of the people of the world and express appreciation to him and the people of the Republic of Palau," she said.

Moses was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant. Sgt Moses is survived by his mother, Anemary , father, Sudo, and 7 brothers and sisters

Army Sgt. Sonny J. Moses was killed in action on 4/18/11.