Life Of A Soldier From Guyana, A Man Who Was Loved And Shared Love Latest Caribbean Immigrant to die in Iraq-Afghanistan Wars

By Tony Best

Listening to the tributes at New York’s Calvary Tabernacle, it was clear that Sergeant First Class Joseph McKay was loved and knew how to love.

Indeed, the New York National Guardsman had many loves.

First, there was the love of family, especially the affection and devotion he shared with his wife Rose McKay and their children, a daughter and two sons. Next was his love of two countries, Guyana, his birthplace, and the United States, his home-away- from home, so to speak.

Then, there was his love of the military.

“Joe spent 31 years living a soldier’s life,” asserted Sgt. First Class Troy Haley, who served in the military with the West Indian who not only made New York his adopted country but served for decades in the National Guard. “It’s as though he was pre-destined to be a soldier because of his birthday – the Fourth of July,” America’s anniversary of independence.

In a letter to her husband that was read by her sister, Diana Coleman, McKay’s widow Rose, summed up her feelings and those of more than 600 mourners who were in the church to grieve, shed some tears and celebrate a life that was cut short on the battlefield of Afghanistan, far away from his home in New York and further still from the Caribbean.

“I don’t know how another human being could love so unselfishly,” was the way Rose put it. “You loved me and took good care of me. Now, who’s going to tell me to eat? To take a rest? To drop and give me 10”?

McKay died in Eastern Afghanistan a few days before he was to celebrate his 52nd birthday on July 4th. His convoy was ambushed by the Taliban. The Guyanese and another New Yorker, Mark Palmeteer, were killed when a roadside bomb exploded during the attack. They were members of B Troop, Second Squadron of the 101stCalvary and were in the Asian country helping to train Afghan soldiers.

He is the latest of almost 10 Caribbean men from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico to die in that part of the world. McKay joined the New York National Guard in 1977, first as a part-time soldier and then became full-time after the horrendous attack on the U.S. on 9/11. As a matter of fact, after the terrorist struck he helped to guard Grand Central and Penn Stations in New York. Since the war began several years ago, five soldiers from New York have died in Afghanistan.

However, he was among almost 20 American soldiers who lost their lives in the poor and strife-stricken nation where the U.S. military and units of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are suffering a rising number of casualties as the attention of the world shifts from Iraq onto Afghanistan where the U.S. scored a quick victory at least five years ago but has since gotten bogged down by Afghans and others who want to drive out the Americans and the Europeans, countries they consider to be “infidels.”

A few days ago, nine American soldiers were killed in a firefight in a remote area in Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan. It was the deadliest days in years for the U.S. military. The recent battle took place in the Korenga; Valley. Dozens of British and Canadian military men have been killed there in recent times.

The picture painted by mourners of McKay was that of a jovial man who loved people, especially those in need. Always eager to assist, they said, to extend a helping hand.

“Joe’s the only person I know to get a Christmas card from a homeless man,” Sgt Haley told the congregation.
His sister in law added to the story by explaining that the West Indian would give his Army rations to homeless people and that was the reason why one of them sent him a Yuletide card.

“It was truly heartrending,” said Coleman.

The United States has more than 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, among them 1,700 members of the New York National Guard. On the other hand, the U.S. keeps at least 155,000 soldiers in Iraq and may switch some from there to Afghanistan. NATO has almost 30,000 soldiers scattered across the country.

Some things have become clear in the war in that part of the world. One is that as the casualties in Iraq fall to their lowest level in recent times, the violence in Afghanistan is on the up-and-up. Secondly, deadly suicide bombings are skyrocketing. So far this year 230 civilians were killed and wounding 500. Two suicide bombing took 50 lives in different parts of Afghanistan on Sunday and there is a general feeling that despite the heavy emphasis being placed on training Afghan soldiers to take over more of the fighting they are far from ready to assume that responsibility.

What is making the situation even worst for the Americans is that they have been accused of killing far too many civilians in air and other strikes at the Taliban.

The upshot is anger at the Americans among the Afghans and heightening concern among the relatives and friends of the American soldiers from New York. McKay’s death has only served to increase the worries of New Yorkers.

“I told him, ‘try to get home. Don’t be a hero,” Newton Baptiste, 58, a close friend of McKay.

But in the eyes of his family, army buddies and hundreds of others, the West Indian was already a hero.

“Everybody is saying it can’t be true,” said Coleman his sister-in-law. “Nobody can accept it.”

But that disbelief was swept away at the church as the U.S. flag -draped coffin containing McKay’s body was there for everybody to see.

And as the funeral procession moved along the Southern State Parkway towards McKay’s final resting place on Long Island the reality of it all sank in and the tears continued to flow.

 

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