“Dedicated to the memory of Sergeant Lee Arthur Belas United States Army1968 - 1991Sergeant Lee Arthur Belas was born on May 7, 1968, in Burbank, California. He studied French in high school and went to Belgium as an exchange student, where he studied German, Latin, and Flemish. Enlisting in the Army in October 1987, he attended beth Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood. Missouri, and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, earning his parachutist wings. Sergeant Belas attended the Russian Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) between February 1988 and February 1989, and then reported to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. After war in the Persian Gulf erupted in August 1990, Sergeant Belas studied Arabic via DLIFLC's video teletraining, and deployed to the Persian Gulf in January 1991 as an Electronic Warfare Voice Interceptor. During Operation Desert Shield, he further honed his Arabic language skills by working closely with his Kuwaiti counterparts, Sergeant Belas was killed in action on February 27, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm when the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in which he was flying was shot down by enemy ground fire at Ash Shamiyah, Iraq. Sergeant Lee Belas was a dedicated soldier and an accomplished linguist, who exemplified the finest attributes of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.“
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“Dedicated to the memory of Sergeant Lee Arthur Belas United States Army1968 - 1991Sergeant Lee Arthur Belas was born on May 7, 1968, in Burbank, California. He studied French in high school and went to Belgium as an exchange student, where he studied German, Latin, and Flemish. Enlisting in the Army in October 1987, he attended beth Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood. Missouri, and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, earning his parachutist wings. Sergeant Belas attended the Russian Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) between February 1988 and February 1989, and then reported to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. After war in the Persian Gulf erupted in August 1990, Sergeant Belas studied Arabic via DLIFLC's video teletraining, and deployed to the Persian Gulf in January 1991 as an Electronic Warfare Voice Interceptor. During Operation Desert Shield, he further honed his Arabic language skills by working closely with his Kuwaiti counterparts, Sergeant Belas was killed in action on February 27, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm when the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in which he was flying was shot down by enemy ground fire at Ash Shamiyah, Iraq. Sergeant Lee Belas was a dedicated soldier and an accomplished linguist, who exemplified the finest attributes of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.“