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COURTESY KYLE YONEMURA The memorial service for Staff Sgt. Frank Tiai was held July 20 at LSA Anaconda, near Balad, Iraq. Above, members of Tiai's platoon rendered a traditional final salute.

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Hawaii-based squad
hit hard by war

Staff Sgt. Frank Tiai was a warrior
whose quiet, gentle manner
commanded respect

LSA ANACONDA, Iraq » Staff Sgt. Frank Tiai served as an infantry squad leader with First Platoon, Company C, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. A year ago, he bid his wife, two children and his island home goodbye to answer his country's call to combat duty in Iraq. Born and raised in Pago Pago, American Samoa, he served 22 years as an Army reservist with the famed battalion. According to his friend, Chaplain Capt. Fouvale Asiata, "Frank was a very gentle man, but a disciplined soldier with the 'Go for Broke' spirit."

Tiai was remembered at a memorial service held at 11 a.m. July 20 in Logistical Support Area Anaconda's post theater. He was killed in action at about 10:20 a.m. on July 17 while on a combat patrol North of LSA Anaconda, after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his Humvee.

Tiai was remembered for his love of his family as well as his love of his men.

"He had his family's photos on his wall and would talk to them every day," said Staff Sgt. Amone Moliga. "I sometimes thought someone was in the room with him, but it was only Frank talking to his wife's or his children's pictures."

As Tiai's roommate, Moliga knew how hard Tiai took it when his men were wounded. "He had a soft heart," Moliga said. "He had tears in his eyes while he called for the Medevac (medical evacuation helicopter) for his men. Other guys don't show that kind of thing."

At 45, Tiai was the oldest soldier in his platoon, and he took on a fatherly role for the soldiers in his squad. His even temper and maturity earned him the respect of his men.

"I looked up to Staff Sgt. Tiai," said Spc. Siamu Utu, a member of Tiai's squad. "He was my role model; he was always there for us through good and bad. We miss him. He was like a father and always gave us advice."

"Frank was a humble man, he never argued, but he always stood his ground. His calmness inspired calmness in those around him," said his platoon leader, 1st Lt. Tuliloa Tuliloa.

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COURTESY KYLE YONEMURA Tiai on patrol in Iraq.

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Tiai's first squad had been hit hard in the past. In April, Spc. Nick Tuiolosega, an automatic rifleman with the first squad, was seriously injured by an IED that detonated near his Humvee. Then, in June, a report of a vehicle-borne IED in the area of LSA Anaconda came in to the command post; a patrol from first squad sped out to intercept it. Turret gunner Spc. Satuala Amoa was critically injured when his vehicle accidentally rolled over, pinning him beneath it. Making matters worse, Amoa was wedged under the solid steel gunner's shield mounted on the Humvee's turret, and the weight of the armored vehicle was crushing him. Seven burly Samoan soldiers from the first squad quickly positioned themselves along the edge of the vehicle and managed to lift the three-ton Humvee off of Amoa long enough for their medic and artillery observer to pull him free. Both Amoa and Tuiolosega are recovering from their injuries at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii.

"Company C has been hit hard, but especially that one squad, the first squad of First Platoon," said acting company commander Capt. John Ahrends. In a cruel twist of fate, First Squad leader Tiai was mortally wounded on his last scheduled patrol before returning home to his family on rest and recuperation (R&R) leave. The patrol was returning to base and was only a few kilometers from LSA Anaconda's gate when, according to the platoon sergeant, Sgt First Class Sofa Seumalo, "Staff Sgt. Tiai got on our platoon radio net. He thanked everyone in the platoon over the radio for their hard work. He encouraged them to keep up their good work, and he told them goodbye because he was going home on R&R."

"The explosion was so powerful that it shook the ground," said Seumalo. "You could hear it and feel it. My ears were ringing."

The IED had exploded the same moment Tiai completed his broadcast. Seumalo looked behind his vehicle to see Tiai's vehicle engulfed in smoke and flames. Tiai had been critically wounded, his squad rushed to his aid and removed him from the burning wreckage of the Humvee. They lay him on the ground and began administering first aid. Seumalo called in a report over the radio then ran to his friend's side. Tiai was on his back, conscious, watching the combat lifesavers working on him.

"He held my hand, squeezed it and looked into my eyes," said Seumalo, almost breaking into tears as he recounted his friend's last moments. "Frank had tears in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. He knew."

The quiet and humble warrior who had shed tears when his men had been wounded was now a casualty himself. Combat medics worked heroically to save his life as he was transported to the hospital. Chaplain Asiata was with him.

"When I saw him at the hospital, he had a tear in his right eye as he breathed his last breath," Asiata said. "He had a final tear to shed, and I believe that it was a tear of concern for his family and for his men. That's the kind of man Frank was -- he always thought of the people he loved first."

At Tiai's memorial service, a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace," then Tiai's fellow Samoan soldiers sang a traditional farewell song in their native language called "Mo'omo'oga Sa Molia i Talosaga," which Chaplain Asiata interpreted into English as, "A humble plea to be still together in life, but who can stop death!" The soldiers who attended the service also sang "Peace Like a River" and ended with the rousing regimental song of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry called "Go For Broke."

"We will drive on with our mission, but we will always remember Staff Sgt. Tiai in our hearts," said 1st Lt. Tuliloa. "We will always 'Go For Broke!'"

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