Friday, April 29, 2005

Army Capt. Stephen W. Frank

Remember Our Heroes

Army Capt. Stephen W. Frank, 29, of Detroit, Michigan.

Capt Frank died in Diyarah, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated as he was conducting a traffic control point inspection. He was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, California.

Capt. Stephen Frank, 29, died April 29th, 2005 while inspecting a truck at a checkpoint 30 miles south of Baghdad in Diyarah, Iraq. The driver detonated a bomb, killing Frank, and his West Point classmate Capt. Ralph John Harting III.

CPT Frank is survived by his wife Laurel and their two year old son Alex.

A joint memorial service was held for Frank and Harting at Fort Irwin. Another service was held for them at West Point on 12 May, where they were buried.

These Classmates were both raised in Detroit, graduated from West Point together, died together, and were buried together.

"Grip hands - though it be from the shadows"
The Corps

CPT Frank's awards include: Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2 oak leaf clusters), National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Ranger Tab, Parachutist's Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

Army Capt Stephen W. Frank was killed in action on 04/29/05.

Thursday, April 28, 2005

Army 1st Lt. William A. Edens

Remember Our Heroes

Army 1st Lt. William A. Edens, 29, of Columbia, Mo.

1st Lt. Edens was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed April 28, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker military vehicle in Tal Afar, Iraq. Also killed were Sgt. Eric W. Morris, Spc. Ricky W. Rockholt Jr. and Pfc. Robert W. Murray Jr.


William Edens became a college graduate, an Army lieutenant and a newlywed, all in the space of four months.

When he went to Iraq, his wife, Christina, was finishing medical school.

"I'm sure that leaving her was one of the hardest things he'd ever done," said 1st Lt. Joshua Grenard, a classmate.

Edens, 29, of Columbia, Mo., was among four soldiers killed April 28 by a roadside bomb in Tal Afar. He was based at Fort Lewis.

Edens worked for a while after high school before going to a community college, where he became student body president. At the University of Missouri-Columbia, he studied Russian and military history and led his ROTC team to two back-to-back regional championships in the annual Ranger Challenge.

Edens had a dimpled smile and was known for keeping his college classes in stitches, including with an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression.

"I'm looking through old pictures, and he's always front and center with the biggest smile, hamming it up," said longtime friend Chris Luppen. "He was just well-loved by everybody."

Army 1st Lt. William A. Edens was killed in action on 4/28/05.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Marine Cpl. Kelly "Matt" Cannan

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Cpl. Kelly M. Cannan, 21, of Lowville, New York.

Cpl. Cannan was killed as the result of the detonation of an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom their unit was attached to a 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Cpl. Cannan, was one of two soldiers who died when a bomb exploded near their Humvee in Ramadi. Cannan was a 2001 graduate of Lowville Academy, 60 miles northeast of Syracuse.

Cannan had worked part-time in the maintenance department at the Lewis County Courthouse until enlisting in the Marine Corps in September 2001.

“He was close to a lot of people here,” said Frank J. Archer, a maintenance worker at the courthouse. “Matt wasn’t just a co-worker; Matt was a friend. He always gave 110 percent, no matter what he did. Matt liked everybody, and everybody like Matt.”

Cannan, who last visited the courthouse in the fall, recently volunteered for a third tour in Iraq so fellow Marines with wives and children wouldn’t have to go. “He was always thinking of someone else,” Mr. Archer said.

Marine Cpl. Kelly M. Cannan was killed in action 04/20/05.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Army Chief Warrant Officer Clint J. Prather

Remember Our Heroes

Army Chief Warrant Officer Clint J. Prather, 32, of Cheney, Washington.

CWO2 Prather died in Ghazni, Afghanistan, when the CH-47 helicopter he was on crashed. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 12th Aviation Brigade, Giebelstadt, Germany.

Prather, a chief warrant officer, had served a year in Iraq and went to Afghanistan in February. He joined the Army in 1992 and planned to make the military a career.

Prather had served as a medic before he was trained as a helicopter pilot in 2001.

CWO2 Clint J. Prather, 32, was a native of Cheney, Wash., and enlisted to serve as a combat medic in the Persian Gulf War. He served in South Korea and later in Fort Gordon, Ga., where he met and married his wife, Irene.

He flew 240 hours of combat missions in Iraq, flying mainly out of Balad. In Afghanistan, Prather logged nearly 100 hours of combat flight time in one month.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, two Air Medals, the Army Commendation Medal and a posthumous Bronze Star.

Prather was “a charismatic joker” who “had a way of commanding a room,” Wilhelm said. Chief Warrant Officer 3 John Sims said Prather could have transferred out of the unit after serving a stint in Iraq, but volunteered to stay on, knowing it was headed for Afghanistan.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Clint J. Prather was killed in action on 04/06/05.

Aaron Prather


Cheyanne Prather


Larger Image