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Transcript

Tribute to MSG Angelo Joseph AJ LaPanna III · Military Broadcast Radio | MBR Talk

• 0:01
  Detail attention. First call.
• 0:08
  The service member's name is called out loud in the context
• 0:12
  of a unit. This is meant to ensure all are
• 0:14
  present and accounted for. Second call.
• 0:18
  The name is called out again louder to confirm that the
• 0:21
  service member is indeed absent. Third call.
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  The name is called out for a final time, followed by a
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  statement indicating that the service member is not present
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  and accounted for, signifying their death.
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  The final roll call serves as a symbolic gesture to respect and
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  remember their service. Sir, I don't, I don't know how
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  to tell the story. Well, you got the joke.
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  You tell the American people what these men did here.
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  You tell them how my troopers died.
• 1:18
  Hey everyone, thank you for tuning in to MBR today as we pay
• 1:21
  tribute to Master Sergeant Angelo Joseph AJ McKenna, the
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  third known across the Special Forces community by a call sign
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  that carried weight, anarchy. Master Sir Lapena was born on
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  May 19th, 1975 in Middleboro, MA to Angelo J Lapena, the second
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  and Patricia Lapena. He grew up in Middleboro, a
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  hometown that shaped his values, his toughness, his unwavering
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  commitment to service. He graduated from Middleboro
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  High School in 1993, already showing the grit and drive that
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  would define his life. At 17, AJ enlisted in the Army
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  in 1992, beginning a journey you have the courage to take.
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  He trained as a 95B Military Police, serving with the 972nd
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  Military Police Company and deploying in support of
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  Operation Enduring Freedom. But AJ was in belt to stop at
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  the baseline. Lawyers like him rarely do.
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  He earned the Green Beret, becoming a Special Forces
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  communications Sergeant, the Special Operations terminal
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  attack controller, and ultimately a Special Forces team
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  Sergeant. Three combat deployments.
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  Countless missions. The reputation forged in the
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  harshest environments on earth. That call sign anarchy.
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  It wasn't chaos. It wasn't disorder.
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  It was the reminder that when the world fell apart, he was the
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  one who stepped forward. He was the calm inside the
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  storm. He was the leader who brought
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  order to the fight. After retiring from Special
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  Forces, AJ continued serving, this time in his hometown,
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  rising through the ranks of the Middleboro Police Department,
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  eventually becoming Lieutenant. Even out of uniform, he remained
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  exactly what he had always been, a protector, a mentor, and a man
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  who never stopped giving back. But even warriors face battles
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  they never expected. April of 2021, Master Sarn
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  Lapena was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic head and neck
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  cancer. He underwent a neck dissection
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  to remove 38 lymph nodes, followed by rounds of
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  chemotherapy and radiation. IN2022A nodule was found on his
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  right lung and a biopsy confirmed that the cancer had
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  spread to his right lower lobe. He fought A courageous battle
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  with cancer in a fight that demanded every ounce of his
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  strength that he had spent a lifetime building.
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  He faced it in the same way he faced every mission, with quiet
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  professionalism, unbreakable resolve, and a refusal to let
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  the people around him lose hope. His two year battle was hard,
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  but he carried the weight with the dignity of a man that had
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  spent his life protecting others.
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  On October 1st, 2023, at the age of 48, Master Sergeant Lapena
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  completed his final March. His fasting was a result of
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  complications from cancer, a battle he fought with the same
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  warrior spirit that defined his entire life.
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  He now rests at the Massachusetts National Cemetery
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  in Bourne. Laid among pros.
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  AJ is survived by his wife Tracy, his children Peyton,
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  Haley and Cassandra, his parents Angelo and Patricia, his sister
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  Jodi, extended family, and his brothers and sisters in arms.
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  The soldiers he trained, the teammates he led, the warriors
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  who trusted him with their lives.
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  Those bonds don't fade. They don't break.
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  They live on. And every mission completed,
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  every lesson passed down. And every soldier who carries
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  his example forward. We here at MBR would like to
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  thank you. Master Sergeant Angelo, AJ
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  Lapena, call sign anarchy. Your legacy is carved into the
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  fabric of the American fighting force.
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  You live the warrior ethos, you embodied quiet professionalism,
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  and you left behind a standard that will outlast all of us.
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  Our prayers are with your family, friends, and those who
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  served alongside you. We honor your service.
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  We speak your name. We remember your sacrifice.