Soldiers from the 307th Military Police Company wanted a memorial dedication Sunday to go beyond honoring the deaths of two comrades in Iraq.
They also wanted to remember and honor the lives of Sgt. Eric R. Hull of Uniontown and Sgt. Nicholas A. Tomko of McKees Rocks.
"We want to celebrate their noble lives and honor their noble deaths," said Capt. Matthew Maletestinic, commander of the New Kensington-based company.
Current and former members of the company joined the families of Hull and Tomko at the Craigdell Road Army Reserve Center to unveil a monument dedicated to the only two members of the 307th who died while deployed in Iraq.
In addition to naming Hull and Tomko, the monument is etched with the poignant image of a fallen soldier's boots supporting his rifle and helmet.
The gleaming black stone reflected American flags flapping in a welcome breeze as soldiers reminisced about the two men it honored.
Maletestinic said the efforts of Hull and Tomko helped lead the 307th, an Army reserve unit of about 180, to earn a Valorous Unit Citation during their service in and around Baghdad at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Col. David Glaser, now commander of the 42nd Military Police Brigade, remembered Hull's desire to open a restaurant and Tomko's comical battle cry, "Soo-eeet!"
Since Glaser is serving in Iraq, his remarks were read by Staff Sgt. Kevin Forringer, a former member of the 307th.
"They did a small but very important part to change the world for the better," wrote Glaser, who said he is slowly but surely noticing improvements as he serves in southern Iraq.
Col. Christine Stark said she never met Hull but had chuckled with Hull's mother, Deborah, before the ceremony over an anecdote from Hull's youth.
Those memories are the type that friends and families should associate with the memorial, Stark said.
"Let this memorial not stand for the day they died," she said.
Stark said she was more familiar with Tomko, who served as her driver in Bosnia.
"He wasn't afraid to laugh when you needed to laugh," she said. "You can be proud of the man he turned into."
Hull, who served as his unit's cook, was killed in August 2003 when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb while traveling in a convoy from Baghdad International Airport.
Armed insurgents ambushed Tomko's squad in November 2003 while the soldiers were conducting routine surveillance in Baghdad.
Hull and Tomko were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.
Hull, 23, a 1998 Uniontown Area High School graduate, had worked as a chef at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and a manager for Nutrition Inc. In addition to his parents, Deborah and Raymond Hull, he is survived by his wife, Missy Hull, and two children, Mia and Dominic.
Tomko, 24, was a 1997 graduate of Hampton High School and had worked for an armored car company. He is survived by his father, Jack Hull, and a son, Ethan.
Jack Tomko said his son had hoped to attend the Pennsylvania State Police Academy and earn a college degree in criminology. He said he hopes to bring his grandson to the memorial someday and tell him about his father.
Tomko said he was overwhelmed by the support at the service and pleased that people are going out of their way to remember his son and the Hulls.
"They made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can have freedom here," Tomko said. "With men and women like that, we're going to be safe for a long time."
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Liz Hayes can be reached at lhayes@tribweb.com.
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