Group honors fallen Ascension soldier

• By C.J. FUTCH
• Advocate River parishes bureau
• Published: Nov 12, 2009 - Page: 5A

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GONZALES — Betsy Chism said her son, Bryan, was resourceful.

“He was a mechanic, so he could fix just about anything,” she said.

Army Spc. Chism died Jan. 20, 2007, in Karbala, Iraq, when a group of raiders attacked a provincial headquarters posing as a U.S. security team.

Chism was 22.

Chism was one of four soldiers abducted and later shot to death; one soldier died in the initial attack.

The Republican Women of Ascension donated a commemorative brick in Bryan Chism’s honor, club President Beverly Weselak said, and had it placed in Gonzales’ Veterans Memorial Park. Betsy Chism accepted the honor on her son’s behalf Wednesday.

The donation was an idea of Jack Watson, president of the Ascension chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, who has his own personal reason to pay his respects to the fallen soldier.

“Betsy, my grandson’s going over there Jan. 8,” Watson said to her just after the ceremony, then paused to get control of his emotions, patting her arm. He’s proud, he said, but worried.

“Pray,” Chism told Watson. “Prayer keeps you going.”

Chism, who works across the street from the park at East Ascension High School — she teaches biology and environmental science — took an hour off work to attend the ceremony — but only an hour.

Aside from her faith, she said, her students, four of whom just committed to join the armed forces after graduation, get her through tough times, too.

“School keeps me going,” she said, as does her daughter, Julie, who was also serving in Iraq at the time her brother was killed.
Julie’s back home now, Betsy Chism said

“We miss him. She misses her brother,” she said. “She’s 27 now, and he would have been 25. She always said I had (Bryan) for her,” Chism laughed.