Scherkenbach clan gets red-carpet treatment at Braves game, in honor of Memorial Day
ATLANTA -- Sarah Scherkenbach never got the chance to meet her adoptive father.
But she has a full understanding of her dad's supreme legacy with the Scherkenbach name -- and the United States military.
On June 28, 2005, Chris J. Scherkenbach -- a Chief Warrant Officer Four with the U.S. Army -- was one of 16 U.S. military personnel tragically killed in Afghanistan (eight Navy SEALs/eight Army Night Stalkers -- Scherkenbach's role). He was piloting an MH-47E Chinook helicopter, which was shot down by Taliban forces, via a rocket-propelled grenade.
It remains one of the biggest casualty days in U.S. military history. The harrowing story was also the subject of a New York Times best-selling book, Lone Survivor -- and a 2013 movie bearing the same name, starring Mark Wahlberg.
Fast forward to 2015: Michelle Scherkenbach, the mother of Sarah, attempted to line up a standard purchase of Braves tickets (originally as a Mother's Day present). But thanks to the dual assistance of FOX Sports South and the Braves organization, the Scherkenbachs' holiday-weekend outing at Turner Field upgraded into the experience of a lifetime.
As part of its "Warriors Among Us" initiative with FOX Sports -- celebrating the countless men and women in the military who have heroically fought for America's freedom -- FOX Sports South helped roll out the red carpet for the Scherkenbachs on Sunday, providing a ride to Turner Field in the FOX Sports South Express bus and arranging a meeting with Freddie Freeman ... who just happens to be 10-year-old Sarah's favorite Braves player.
"When I told Sarah she'd get to meet (Freeman), she turned pink" (in a good way), said Michelle Scherkenbach, currently a Jacksonville, Fla. resident but also a lifelong Braves fan. "We watch every (Braves) game ... my daughter absolutely loves Freddie Freeman."
Freeman, the redoubtable face of the Braves franchise, was happy to oblige the Scherkenbach clan before Sunday's game against the Brewers, taking photos and doling out customary hugs to the family.
* * *
Memorial Day weekend will always be a bittersweet experience for Michelle.
Around that time 10 years ago, she and Chris were anxiously awaiting the birth and eventual adoption of baby Sarah (born in China).
But on May 27, 2005, three days before Memorial Day, Chris Scherkenbach also received the call for deployment to a military mission overseas. At the time, Sarah remembers Chris accepting the mission, knowing it would free him up to spend time with baby Sarah after her birth (July 3, 2005).
Unfortunately, that dream would never be realized. On the same day that Michelle Scherkenbach received travel approval to officially adopt Sarah in China -- June 28, 2005 -- Chris was killed by enemy fire.
"For us, it's a very poignant weekend," says Michelle, when taking in the collective scope of Memorial Day.
An adaptation of the best-selling story (authored by retired Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell, with Patrick Robinson), the Lone Survivor movie chronicles the amazing story of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to "neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan."
While isolated in the mountainous region, however, the group would confront the challenge of being surrounded by a larger band of Taliban troops, ready for war.
A published description reads like this:
On June 28, 2005, a four-man reconnaissance and surveillance team boarded a helicopter for insertion into a remote mountainous region in Kunar province, near the Pakistan border. Their mission, code name Operation Red Wings, was to identify Ahmad Shah, a key Taliban leader believed to be hiding out in the mountainous terrain and responsible for the deaths of many American service members.
The first sign of trouble: Three goatherders grazing their flock stumbled upon the SEALs' hiding place, putting the mission into jeopardy. The SEALs believed it was time to abort. Protocol dictated they release the civilians ... but they also realized the goatherders would soon communicate with the Taliban down the mountain -- if let go.
The SEALs decided among three plausible options: 1) Kill the three civilians; 2) Leave the goatherders on the mountain (tied up), knowing they would likely perish at night, once the night-time temperatures dropped substantially; 3) Release the goatherders and establish communications for a new pick-up zone.
Over time, the SEALs opted for the third scenario, releasing the goatherding passerbys.
The strategy eventually prompted a relentless assault from the Talibans. While seeking a new territory to climb (and hide), the SEALs would also encounter rugged terrain, further taxing their already exhausted bodies.
Three of the four SEALS -- Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy, Gunner's Mate Second Class (SEAL) Danny P. Dietz, Jr., Sonar Technician (Surface) Second Class Petty Officer Matthew Gene Axelson -- were killed on that mountain, along with the military rescue team on the Chinook helicopter attempting to save the SEALs.
The helicopter, piloted by Scherkenbach, was taken down by rocket-propelled grenade fire, and those aboard perished.
Incredibly, Luttrell survived the ambush, dragging his battered body -- which apparently included numerous bullet wounds, a broken back, torn shoulder, fractured pelvis, facial fractures -- to safety. He would soon be discovered and then aided by a Pashtun villager (named Gulab).
From there, Luttrell returned to the safe haven (thanks to Gulab), occupied by American forces, and ultimately shared his harrowing story of courage, brotherhood, resiliency, sacrifice, honor and the random kindness of strangers.
* * *
This holiday weekend serves as a mixed blessing for the families of those killed in the line of duty.
That especially rings true with Michelle Scherkenbach, who experienced a spectrum of emotions during that 39-day span in 2005 -- signing the paperwork to adopt "Sarah" on May 25, seeing husband Chris for the last time on May 27, Chris's death/travel approval to China on June 28 and Sarah's actual birth on July 3.
As part of that, it's easy to see why young Sarah once believed the (July 4 holiday) "fireworks were specifically for her," jokes Michelle.
In essence, she's a blessed child.
"I'm always very grateful that people remember the sacrifices that were made," says Michelle Scherkenbach, generally talking about the Memorial Day gratitude throughout this country. "Just the fact that they're remembered, and that our families are remembered."
When addressing Freeman, though, Michelle had plans of making a specific request during the pregame meet-and-greet: Asking for a homer.
"(Freddie's) one of Sarah's favorite players, because he always hits the home run."
For the record, Freeman didn't belt a homer on Sunday ... but he helped deliver a victory.
