Charlotte, NC

A few weeks ago, I ran the story of Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, a true American (and, I’m proud to say, Charlotte) hero. His courage under fire — his concern for the safety of those in his unit — his dedication to freedom, honor and America are what makes this country truly great.

However, shortly after I wrote the post, I received a comment from his sister, Kendall, very nicely informing me that some of my facts were wrong. Please, allow me to make the corrections here, in honor of this hero who deserves his story to be told correctly. Thank God he has a sister like Kendall! Would that we all had someone like that!!

In my previous post, I had written that he died of injuries sustained when one of the unit’s vehicles drove over a bomb. It exploded, toppling the vehicle. As the insurgent forces began shooting at them, Zachary then took it upon himself to save two of his comrades from the burning wreckage — then returned to man the turret and return fire. It was only that his lieutenant ordered him out of the vehicle due to his injuries.
I had reported this from stories gleaned from both The Charlotte Observer and a WBTV news reporter, and I wrote it according to the notes I had jotted down — not aware that it would sound as though he died from the burns he received.

THE ACTUAL STORY IS A BIT DIFFERENT

Let me quote parts of the comment that his loving sister wrote — and, again, my sincerest apologies for misconstruing the facts:

“Zack did not die from the burn wounds in April. He was killed when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire in Firebase Wilderness, Afghanistan on September 29, 2007.”

Thank you, Kendall, for “setting the record straight.” Your brother is a wonderfully brave soul who has touched thousands of lives. When we see, in our daily living around Charlotte and elsewhere, the things that confront us on a daily basis — then think what he and thousands of military personnel have to confront in Iraq every minute — our woes are infinitesimal in comparison.
I hope you’ll write back and tell me more about your brother’s background. He’s become a source of strength and inspiration for us all … and we were proud to call him a Charlottean!

Incidentally, I earlier used the words “is a wonderfully brave soul.” His soul is forever present with us …