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Show Students plant tree in tribute to Dion were engaged in combat. We immediately im-mediately began chasing down the Iraqi troops as allied fighters provided pro-vided air support. "I don't know what happened next, but a terrific explosion nearby rocked my armored vehicle. I was a gunner within a turret inside the armored vehicle. But I felt the blast 41 We were in pursuit of the enemy and couldn't stop. We just kept going, firing everything we had. Later I learned it was Dion's vehicle and that he was killed in action." ac-tion." Dion and Michael were best buddies. They enjoyed music and just talking to each other. (One presented "German Requiem" and dedicated the program "in remembrance remem-brance of those young men and women who gave their lives in the war called Desert Storm and to specifically pay tribute to Dion Stephenson and his family for their ultimate sacrifice. Flores attended Sunday's pro- "I was less than 90 feet away when Dion's armored vehicle received a direct hit. But the fire and heat were too intense to attempt a rescue. It was awful." With tears in his eyes, Lance Cpl. Michael Flores recounted the horrifying horri-fying moments just before and shortly after his best buddy. Lance Cpl. Dion Stephenson of Bountiful was killed in a ground attack with Iraqi troops during the early stages of the Persian Gulf War. Cpl. Stephenson was one of seven U.S. Marines killed in that vehicle reportedly struck by an air-to-ground Maverick missile fired from a friendly allied aircraft providing pro-viding air cover for the border attack. at-tack. Only one of the eight personnel per-sonnel aboard the tank-like vehicle survived. In tribute to Cpl. Stephenson, a 10-foot tall young European birch tree was planted at the rear of South Davis Junior High School as a "living memory" to the fallen marine. Cpl. Flores tossed in the last shovel of soil. Flores had traveled from his home in San Antonio, Texas to visit the Stephenson family last weekend. week-end. He stayed over Monday afternoon after-noon to participate in the tree-planting tree-planting ceremony which featured Principal Dale Rees, teachers Leslie Foy and Sheila Mavin, Mrs. Stephenson and son Mike, and student stu-dent body and ninth grade officers of the school. "r - v a . : : -t f , v . Lance Cpl. Dion Stephenson had dubbed his Light Armored Vehicle "Blaze of Glory." The LAT was destroyed by "friendly fire" during a fierce ground battle in January. Stephenson and six other Marines were killed. Flores gives the following account ac-count of what happened on Jan. 29 at the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia border: "We were on border patrol with orders to fire upon any foreign troops crossing the border from Kuwait into Saudi. It was dark, and smoke from the burning oil wells made visibility even more difficult. "When we saw vehicle movement move-ment across the border (into Saudi Arabia), we reported the incident to higher command and told them we and popped up to see what had happened. 'The vehicle nearest to us (which carried Stephenson) was on fire. It was a direct hit. I wanted to run to the burning vehicle and try and rescue those inside, but it was no use. The heat and smoke were too intense. video released locally showed Stephenson, Flores and Michael Linderman of Washington playing the guitar and singing.) Flores said he believes that the friendly fire which killed Dion was "an accident" and that the pilot mistook the American tank-like vehicle for an Iraqi tank. At the tree-planting ceremony, Foy said the tree will be a "living tribute to Dion and other allied servicemen ser-vicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice in Desert Storm." Last Saturday and Sunday the South Davis Community Choir gram where he received a hero's welcome. "I can't say enough about the tribute and honors we have received since arriving home. The celebrations celebra-tions have been everything we had hoped forand more," he said. A communitywide tribute to all who served in Desert Storm will be held Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Bountiful City Hall. Service men and women and their families are invited to use the swimming pool, ice rink and other facilities at the Bountiful Recreation Center free during public hours this Friday, according ac-cording to city officials. n V ) I ; - 5 I I 4 Geri and Michael Stephenson watch as Lance Cpl. Michael Flores plants a tree in honor of their son and brother Lance Cpl. Dion Stephenson who was killed in Operation Desert Storm. |