Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Terry M. Lisk, 26, of Fox Lake, Ill.
Sgt. Lisk died on June 26 of injuries sustained in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when his unit received indirect fire from enemy forces during combat operations. Lisk was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.
FOX LAKE, Ill. -- A 26-year-old soldier from northern Illinois has died of injuries suffered while serving in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday.
Army Sgt. Terry M. Lisk of Fox Lake died Monday of injuries sustained when his unit was hit with mortar or rocket fire during combat operations in Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, the DOD said.
Lisk's father, Army veteran Ralph Lisk, said that his son, who had a 7-year-old daughter, was last home in March to celebrate his birthday.
"Anybody who knows him knows that there's a void in this world now because he's not here," Ralph Lisk said. "He was just a wonderful guy. He'll be missed."
"He was a very kind and loving person. He had a heart the size of Texas," the father added.
Lisk was a member of the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division, based in Friedberg, Germany. He had been in Iraq since January.
Ralph Lisk said that even though he's lost a son, it hasn't affected his view of the war.
"The only thing that's free in freedom is the word, and sometimes you have to sacrifice for it," Ralph Lisk said.
"Last time he spoke to me, he felt he was doing the right thing. The people were very receptive to what the American soldiers were doing over there, and he felt that he was there for our freedom."
Army Sgt. Terry M. Lisk was killed in action on 06/26/06.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Army Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III, 26, of Tampa, Fla.
SSgt Fuerst was assigned to 53rd Infantry Brigade, Florida Army National Guard, Pinellas Park, Fla.; killed June 24, 2006 when his Humvee came in contact with enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire during combat operations in Panjway, Afghanistan.
TAMPA - Staff Sgt. Joseph Frederick Fuerst III called Chuck Paulk with a problem just days before his wedding.
"I don't know how to dance," he told Paulk, 53, of Tampa.
Paulk spent the three days before the ceremony teaching Fuerst and his soon-to-be-bride the two-step.
"I kept telling him to look at my eyes and not my shoes," Paulk said. "It was hard for him to do with his arms around me."
The newlyweds didn't miss a beat during their first dance, he said.
Thursday morning it was the movement of soldiers' marching feet that captured Paulk's attention, as they carried Fuerst's casket at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in South Tampa.
The 26-year-old died June 24 of injuries from rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in an attack on his Humvee in Afghanistan's Panjway District. He would have celebrated a birthday in two weeks.
Fuerst's was the first of three funerals planned for Tampa soldiers who died within a week while fighting in Mideast wars. Army Cpl. Aaron Griner, who grew up in Brandon, died June 28 in the deserts of Afghanistan. He was 24. Army Sgt. Bryan Luckey, 25, of Tampa, died June 29 in Iraq.
"I want the families to know how much this community appreciates the service of their sons and the sacrifices," said Mayor Pam Iorio, who attended the Mass.
Fuerst and his wife Tara, 22, were both deployed to Afghanistan last summer as part of the Florida Guard's 53rd Infantry Brigade. They married in March 2005. She was in Afghanistan when news came of her husband's death.
Hundreds of mourners filled the pews in the sunlit church Thursday, and a hush settled on the crowd as the soldier's family entered the foyer, accompanied by the flag-draped coffin and a uniformed escort.
With military precision, the troops lifted and folded the American flag, and the family draped the coffin with a Catholic ceremonial funeral cloth.
Tears began to fall as Father Desmond Daly sprinkled holy water on the casket. The mourners sang How Great Thou Art as a Boy Scout troop led the processional into the church.
Addressing the gathered family and friends, Daly said Fuerst served as an altar boy at Christ the King when he was younger. He joked that the church had records of all the trouble Fuerst got into as a child.
"This is not any longer a man of faith," Daly said of Fuerst during his homily. "Now he sees with a view that is perfectly clear. He sees it all in perspective. We don't."
Sgt. Jorge Pozo served with Fuerst in Afghanistan. He broke his right leg in the same firefight that ended Fuerst's life, he said.
He was carrying a fallen soldier out of a kill zone when he broke his leg, but kept running to get to safety, making the injury worse. He attended Fuerst's funeral on crutches.
"He loved his wife, and he loved what he was doing," Pozo said.
Fuerst joined the Army in 1998, after graduating from H.B. Plant High School. Paulk, the man who taught Fuerst to dance for his wedding, met him when Fuerst was a junior. Fuerst had gone to Paulk's home to cut his lawn. From that grew their friendship.
They last spoke two months ago during an hourlong telephone conversation. Fuerst talked about the war, how frequently he saw his wife and joked about how Paulk could send him a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey without anyone noticing.
"He was a pretty simple guy," Paulk said. "You could always count on him to show up and buy the next round of drinks. Just showing up is what it's all about. He would do just that."
Fuerst and his wife had bought an acre of land in Brooksville where they planned to settle down and have children after he got out of the military in October, Paulk said. A police academy graduate, Fuerst had started applying for jobs as an officer.
"I don't look at this as a loss," Paulk said. "The 26 years he was here, it was a gift."
Before soldiers ushered the family outside as a soloist sang God Bless America, the priest placed his hands on Fuerst's casket for one final blessing.
"Joseph," Daly said. "May the angels lead you into paradise."
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Carmen Maldonado
Florida National Guard Public Affairs
BUSHNELL, Fla. (July 6) - More than 200 friends, relatives, and fellow Soldiers from the Florida National Guard gathered at the Florida National Cemetery here to pay their respects to Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III, who was laid to rest today.
Fuerst died on June 24 of injuries sustained from enemy fire during combat operations in the Panjwayi, Afghanistan area.
"When he was an infant, he came to this church. As a young man he served at the altar, very faithfully. There was not a bad bone in his body. He thought well of everyone," said Desmond Daly, pastor of the church, during his sermon.
After the service, attendees traveled to Bushnell for the burial ceremony, where Fuerst's wife, Tara, received three medals that were posthumously awarded to her husband: the Bronze Star with V (valor) device for his brave and heroic actions against an armed enemy, the Purple Heart, for wounds received in action, and the Florida Cross for exceptionally meritorious service to the National Guard and the State.
Several motorcycle riders attended both services, and silently stood along the sidewalks leading to the events with large American flags, solemnly showing their support and respect to the fallen Soldier and his family. At the Tampa memorial service, Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, The Adjutant General of the Florida National Guard, thanked them for their service and support, and expressed his appreciation for their presence.
Staff Sgt. Fuerst was fatally wounded by small arms fire while he was on a mission in support of Operation Mountain Thrust. He had been training Afghan National Army soldiers and was leading a small group of soldiers as part of the operation when he was killed.
A Florida native and resident of Tampa, Staff Sgt. Fuerst is survived by his wife, a sergeant in the Florida National Guard who was also deployed with the unit to Afghanistan .
He had completed the Police Academy and was planning to continue his service to others after concluding his military assignment.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time," stated an email from the 53rd Infantry Brigade staff still serving in Afghanistan. "From his brothers in arms, we will always be here when needed. Joe has impacted all of us in a certain way and will never be forgotten."
Army Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III was killed in action on 6/24/06.
Army Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III, 26, of Tampa, Fla.
SSgt Fuerst was assigned to 53rd Infantry Brigade, Florida Army National Guard, Pinellas Park, Fla.; killed June 24, 2006 when his Humvee came in contact with enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire during combat operations in Panjway, Afghanistan.
TAMPA - Staff Sgt. Joseph Frederick Fuerst III called Chuck Paulk with a problem just days before his wedding.
"I don't know how to dance," he told Paulk, 53, of Tampa.
Paulk spent the three days before the ceremony teaching Fuerst and his soon-to-be-bride the two-step.
"I kept telling him to look at my eyes and not my shoes," Paulk said. "It was hard for him to do with his arms around me."
The newlyweds didn't miss a beat during their first dance, he said.
Thursday morning it was the movement of soldiers' marching feet that captured Paulk's attention, as they carried Fuerst's casket at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in South Tampa.
The 26-year-old died June 24 of injuries from rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in an attack on his Humvee in Afghanistan's Panjway District. He would have celebrated a birthday in two weeks.
Fuerst's was the first of three funerals planned for Tampa soldiers who died within a week while fighting in Mideast wars. Army Cpl. Aaron Griner, who grew up in Brandon, died June 28 in the deserts of Afghanistan. He was 24. Army Sgt. Bryan Luckey, 25, of Tampa, died June 29 in Iraq.
"I want the families to know how much this community appreciates the service of their sons and the sacrifices," said Mayor Pam Iorio, who attended the Mass.
Fuerst and his wife Tara, 22, were both deployed to Afghanistan last summer as part of the Florida Guard's 53rd Infantry Brigade. They married in March 2005. She was in Afghanistan when news came of her husband's death.
Hundreds of mourners filled the pews in the sunlit church Thursday, and a hush settled on the crowd as the soldier's family entered the foyer, accompanied by the flag-draped coffin and a uniformed escort.
With military precision, the troops lifted and folded the American flag, and the family draped the coffin with a Catholic ceremonial funeral cloth.
Tears began to fall as Father Desmond Daly sprinkled holy water on the casket. The mourners sang How Great Thou Art as a Boy Scout troop led the processional into the church.
Addressing the gathered family and friends, Daly said Fuerst served as an altar boy at Christ the King when he was younger. He joked that the church had records of all the trouble Fuerst got into as a child.
"This is not any longer a man of faith," Daly said of Fuerst during his homily. "Now he sees with a view that is perfectly clear. He sees it all in perspective. We don't."
Sgt. Jorge Pozo served with Fuerst in Afghanistan. He broke his right leg in the same firefight that ended Fuerst's life, he said.
He was carrying a fallen soldier out of a kill zone when he broke his leg, but kept running to get to safety, making the injury worse. He attended Fuerst's funeral on crutches.
"He loved his wife, and he loved what he was doing," Pozo said.
Fuerst joined the Army in 1998, after graduating from H.B. Plant High School. Paulk, the man who taught Fuerst to dance for his wedding, met him when Fuerst was a junior. Fuerst had gone to Paulk's home to cut his lawn. From that grew their friendship.
They last spoke two months ago during an hourlong telephone conversation. Fuerst talked about the war, how frequently he saw his wife and joked about how Paulk could send him a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey without anyone noticing.
"He was a pretty simple guy," Paulk said. "You could always count on him to show up and buy the next round of drinks. Just showing up is what it's all about. He would do just that."
Fuerst and his wife had bought an acre of land in Brooksville where they planned to settle down and have children after he got out of the military in October, Paulk said. A police academy graduate, Fuerst had started applying for jobs as an officer.
"I don't look at this as a loss," Paulk said. "The 26 years he was here, it was a gift."
Before soldiers ushered the family outside as a soloist sang God Bless America, the priest placed his hands on Fuerst's casket for one final blessing.
"Joseph," Daly said. "May the angels lead you into paradise."
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Carmen Maldonado
Florida National Guard Public Affairs
BUSHNELL, Fla. (July 6) - More than 200 friends, relatives, and fellow Soldiers from the Florida National Guard gathered at the Florida National Cemetery here to pay their respects to Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III, who was laid to rest today.
Fuerst died on June 24 of injuries sustained from enemy fire during combat operations in the Panjwayi, Afghanistan area.
"When he was an infant, he came to this church. As a young man he served at the altar, very faithfully. There was not a bad bone in his body. He thought well of everyone," said Desmond Daly, pastor of the church, during his sermon.
After the service, attendees traveled to Bushnell for the burial ceremony, where Fuerst's wife, Tara, received three medals that were posthumously awarded to her husband: the Bronze Star with V (valor) device for his brave and heroic actions against an armed enemy, the Purple Heart, for wounds received in action, and the Florida Cross for exceptionally meritorious service to the National Guard and the State.
Several motorcycle riders attended both services, and silently stood along the sidewalks leading to the events with large American flags, solemnly showing their support and respect to the fallen Soldier and his family. At the Tampa memorial service, Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, The Adjutant General of the Florida National Guard, thanked them for their service and support, and expressed his appreciation for their presence.
Staff Sgt. Fuerst was fatally wounded by small arms fire while he was on a mission in support of Operation Mountain Thrust. He had been training Afghan National Army soldiers and was leading a small group of soldiers as part of the operation when he was killed.
A Florida native and resident of Tampa, Staff Sgt. Fuerst is survived by his wife, a sergeant in the Florida National Guard who was also deployed with the unit to Afghanistan .
He had completed the Police Academy and was planning to continue his service to others after concluding his military assignment.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time," stated an email from the 53rd Infantry Brigade staff still serving in Afghanistan. "From his brothers in arms, we will always be here when needed. Joe has impacted all of us in a certain way and will never be forgotten."
Army Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Fuerst III was killed in action on 6/24/06.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Army Pfc. Devon J. Gibbons
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Devon J. Gibbons, 19, of Port Orchard, Wash.
Pfc. Gibbons died on June 23, in the Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of injuries sustained on April 11 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations in Taji, Iraq. Gibbons was assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
For Port Orchard Soldier, the Fight is Finally Over
Wracked by injuries suffered in Iraq, Devon Gibbons, 19, peacefully passed away Friday.
By Angela Smith-Dice, asmith@kitsapsun.com
June 25, 2006
Family and friends remembered the way Pfc. Devon Gibbons of Port Orchard could light up a room with his smile as they mourned his death Saturday.
The 19-year-old Gibbons died Friday, two months after being burned and maimed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Over the past 10 weeks, his parents Mel and Bonnie Gibbons and five brothers stayed near Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio where Gibbons fought to heal from burns on 90 percent of his body and the loss of parts of three limbs.
From the beginning, doctors were guarded about Devon’s chances for recovery.
During treatment, Devon’s heart raced at between 125 and 140 beats a minute.
"That’s like if you were to sprint around the track 24 hours a day," Mel Gibbons said during a phone interview Saturday from San Antonio.
It was a race for Devon to see if his skin grafts would take and allow his healing to continue.
"Your body can only take so much," his father said.
E-mails, letters of support and phone calls poured forth from those who knew or had just read about the 6-foot, 3-inch, dark-haired man who loved being around people and helping them.
Devon Gibbons’ smile broke out often, and it was contagious.
"The room would kind of light up," Mel said. "He was a really happy guy."
When a breathing tube temporarily prevented him from talking, Devon winked at the nurses.
He fought to lucidity through his pain medication so he could look at his family, smile and blink his eyes — once for yes, twice for no — to communicate when he couldn’t speak.
But he was able to talk to his family.
"One of the last words he was able to say was ‘I love you’ and ‘Come here’" to his mother, Mel said. Devon wanted to give her a kiss.
While he was in the hospital, many strangers — most in the military or married to a serviceman — from around the world offered prayers and notes of inspiration after looking at a Web site set up by Devon’s brother-in-law to update people about his condition.
Photos and written entries on the Web site allowed them almost to know Devon and his family. It made more personal the story of one of the nearly 20,000 men and women injured since the Iraq war began in March 2003. More than 2,500 U.S. soldiers have died. About 127,000 men and women are serving in Iraq.
"Please know that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people that you have touched in the last few months — your story has made us all grateful, and PROUD to be Americans ...," read an entry from the Warner family posted on the web site.
Devon believed in what he was doing in Iraq, his friends said.
He was excited to join the Army, even though his friends tried to talk him out of it, said Lindsey Costello, a close friend.
He looked up to one of his older brothers, who also had joined the military. And he looked up to his father, who served in Vietnam. On his Web site, Devon listed his father as his hero.
"He is a great man and I have so much respect for him," he wrote.
He talked about the other soldiers in his unit — the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team from Fort Hood Texas — as if they were his second family, Costello said.
"That’s all he talked about when we flew him out," shortly before he left for Iraq.
Devon was in Iraq for about a month when on April 11 a remote-controlled roadside bomb was detonated beneath the armored vehicle he was driving. Three other soldiers in the vehicle died.
Devon was flown for emergency care to Germany and then to San Antonio. For 2 1/2 months, he fought through infections and other complications.
On Friday morning, doctors told Mel and Bonnie that after working so hard to heal for the past 10 weeks, his body was starting to wear out. They thought he would live another four to eight days.
Mel and Bonnie went back to the Fisher House, a place provided for families of hospitalized soldiers. Nurses called at about 3:20 p.m. and the couple was already on their way over.
Devon died by the time they got there.
The nurses told Mel and Bonnie that about 3:30 p.m., he looked at the monitors, then shut his eyes for the last time. His heart rate went down. And then it just stopped.
"Actually, it is for the best, because Devon was in so much pain," his father said.
A contingent of Army friends from Fort Hood arrived in San Antonio, a couple of hours after Mel called them Friday night. They stayed with the family, worked through much of the paperwork and made sure everything went smoothly.
In the span of a short conversation Saturday afternoon, Mel Gibbons kept mentioning the people who had helped their family — the doctors, the nurses, the Army and the community back home in Port Orchard.
"We need to express our love and really heartfelt appreciation and gratitude," Mel said.
He and Bonnie plan to return home Monday. A memorial service is tentatively planned for Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stake center on Mullenix Road.
For some, Devon Gibbons’ death came as a shock.
Dustin Vavra and Devon, friends since the seventh grade, had e-mailed each other while Devon was in Iraq. He regularly asked about how things were going back home.
Like many people in Port Orchard and around the country, Vavra looked on the Web site to see how Devon was doing, and recently the entries had seemed somewhat hopeful.
But then, "I got home last night and got on .. I was kind of blindsided by it," Vavra said.
A group of Devon’s friends gathered Friday night.
"We talked about the memories .... We tried to make it a celebration of his life," Costello said.
"We acted like he was there with us."
Army Pfc. Devon J. Gibbons died on 06/23/06 as a result of wounds received in action on 04/11/06.
Army Pfc. Devon J. Gibbons, 19, of Port Orchard, Wash.
Pfc. Gibbons died on June 23, in the Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of injuries sustained on April 11 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations in Taji, Iraq. Gibbons was assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
For Port Orchard Soldier, the Fight is Finally Over
Wracked by injuries suffered in Iraq, Devon Gibbons, 19, peacefully passed away Friday.
By Angela Smith-Dice, asmith@kitsapsun.com
June 25, 2006
Family and friends remembered the way Pfc. Devon Gibbons of Port Orchard could light up a room with his smile as they mourned his death Saturday.
The 19-year-old Gibbons died Friday, two months after being burned and maimed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Over the past 10 weeks, his parents Mel and Bonnie Gibbons and five brothers stayed near Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio where Gibbons fought to heal from burns on 90 percent of his body and the loss of parts of three limbs.
From the beginning, doctors were guarded about Devon’s chances for recovery.
During treatment, Devon’s heart raced at between 125 and 140 beats a minute.
"That’s like if you were to sprint around the track 24 hours a day," Mel Gibbons said during a phone interview Saturday from San Antonio.
It was a race for Devon to see if his skin grafts would take and allow his healing to continue.
"Your body can only take so much," his father said.
E-mails, letters of support and phone calls poured forth from those who knew or had just read about the 6-foot, 3-inch, dark-haired man who loved being around people and helping them.
Devon Gibbons’ smile broke out often, and it was contagious.
"The room would kind of light up," Mel said. "He was a really happy guy."
When a breathing tube temporarily prevented him from talking, Devon winked at the nurses.
He fought to lucidity through his pain medication so he could look at his family, smile and blink his eyes — once for yes, twice for no — to communicate when he couldn’t speak.
But he was able to talk to his family.
"One of the last words he was able to say was ‘I love you’ and ‘Come here’" to his mother, Mel said. Devon wanted to give her a kiss.
While he was in the hospital, many strangers — most in the military or married to a serviceman — from around the world offered prayers and notes of inspiration after looking at a Web site set up by Devon’s brother-in-law to update people about his condition.
Photos and written entries on the Web site allowed them almost to know Devon and his family. It made more personal the story of one of the nearly 20,000 men and women injured since the Iraq war began in March 2003. More than 2,500 U.S. soldiers have died. About 127,000 men and women are serving in Iraq.
"Please know that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people that you have touched in the last few months — your story has made us all grateful, and PROUD to be Americans ...," read an entry from the Warner family posted on the web site.
Devon believed in what he was doing in Iraq, his friends said.
He was excited to join the Army, even though his friends tried to talk him out of it, said Lindsey Costello, a close friend.
He looked up to one of his older brothers, who also had joined the military. And he looked up to his father, who served in Vietnam. On his Web site, Devon listed his father as his hero.
"He is a great man and I have so much respect for him," he wrote.
He talked about the other soldiers in his unit — the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team from Fort Hood Texas — as if they were his second family, Costello said.
"That’s all he talked about when we flew him out," shortly before he left for Iraq.
Devon was in Iraq for about a month when on April 11 a remote-controlled roadside bomb was detonated beneath the armored vehicle he was driving. Three other soldiers in the vehicle died.
Devon was flown for emergency care to Germany and then to San Antonio. For 2 1/2 months, he fought through infections and other complications.
On Friday morning, doctors told Mel and Bonnie that after working so hard to heal for the past 10 weeks, his body was starting to wear out. They thought he would live another four to eight days.
Mel and Bonnie went back to the Fisher House, a place provided for families of hospitalized soldiers. Nurses called at about 3:20 p.m. and the couple was already on their way over.
Devon died by the time they got there.
The nurses told Mel and Bonnie that about 3:30 p.m., he looked at the monitors, then shut his eyes for the last time. His heart rate went down. And then it just stopped.
"Actually, it is for the best, because Devon was in so much pain," his father said.
A contingent of Army friends from Fort Hood arrived in San Antonio, a couple of hours after Mel called them Friday night. They stayed with the family, worked through much of the paperwork and made sure everything went smoothly.
In the span of a short conversation Saturday afternoon, Mel Gibbons kept mentioning the people who had helped their family — the doctors, the nurses, the Army and the community back home in Port Orchard.
"We need to express our love and really heartfelt appreciation and gratitude," Mel said.
He and Bonnie plan to return home Monday. A memorial service is tentatively planned for Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stake center on Mullenix Road.
For some, Devon Gibbons’ death came as a shock.
Dustin Vavra and Devon, friends since the seventh grade, had e-mailed each other while Devon was in Iraq. He regularly asked about how things were going back home.
Like many people in Port Orchard and around the country, Vavra looked on the Web site to see how Devon was doing, and recently the entries had seemed somewhat hopeful.
But then, "I got home last night and got on .. I was kind of blindsided by it," Vavra said.
A group of Devon’s friends gathered Friday night.
"We talked about the memories .... We tried to make it a celebration of his life," Costello said.
"We acted like he was there with us."
Army Pfc. Devon J. Gibbons died on 06/23/06 as a result of wounds received in action on 04/11/06.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Army Staff Sgt Heathe Craig
Remember Our Heroes
Staff Sgt. Heathe N. Craig, 28, of Severn, Md., died when his UH-60 helicopter hoist malfunctioned while attempting to evacuate Pfc. Bradbury during combat operations. Craig was assigned to the 159th Air Ambulance Medical Company, Wiesbaden, Germany. Died on June 21 in Naray, Afghanistan.
By Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 24, 2006; Page A17
A high school wrestling teammate remembered Heathe Craig as someone who was constantly ready with a helping hand.
Craig, 28, an Army staff sergeant, was offering that helping hand in Afghanistan on Wednesday when, according to the Pentagon, something went wrong with his evacuation helicopter and he was killed.
Craig grew up in Mechanicsville, Va., near Richmond, and was one of the better wrestlers in his area while a student at Mechanicsville's Lee-Davis High School.
"He was a great wrestler, great guy," said teammate Ryan Miles. "A good friend, and a good teammate" who was "always there to support anybody who needed it."
In his junior year, Craig was 16-6 in the 119-pound class.
He had wanted to fly helicopters since he joined the Army and was close to qualifying as a pilot, his grandfather Daniel Sloan said last night. "He was happy at his work, and he enjoyed it," he said.
The Pentagon said that another soldier, Pfc. Brian J. Bradbury, 22, of St. Joseph, Mo., was in combat near Naray, Afghanistan, and died after encountering enemy small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
Craig, who listed his home town as Severn, according to the Pentagon, died "when his UH-60 helicopter hoist malfunctioned" while attempting to evacuate Bradbury.
Craig was assigned to the 159th Air Ambulance Medical Company, based in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Craig was married and lived in Germany, his grandfather said. He and his wife, Judith, had a son and a daughter.
Survivors include his mother and father and a brother, according to the grandfather.
"He grew up," his grandfather said last night, "to be a man. That's all I can say."
By MELANIE STREETER, The Times Herald
06/24/2006
Army Sgt. Heathe Craig, 28, a native of Knapp Creek, died Wednesday in Naray, Afghanistan, when his UH-60 helicopter hoist malfunctioned while attempting to evacuate a fellow soldier during combat operations.
His family moved from Knapp Creek to Virginia in 1988, and he graduated from Lee Davis High School in Mechanicsville, Va., in 1997.
Sgt. Craig was assigned to the 159th Air Ambulance Medical Company, based in Wiesbaden, Germany. He was the son of Jeffery Craig of Shinglehouse, Pa., and Donna Sloan, of Eldred, Pa. His wife, Judith, lives in Germany with their two children, ages 5 and 1.
“He was a very good kid,” said his stepmother, Sheila Craig. “He was always wanting to help people. Before he joined the service, he wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.”
She recalled an incident that happened at his graduation from Army training in Oklahoma.
“My daughter was 5 years old at the time, and she fell on a cactus,” Mrs. Craig said. “He was right there to take care of her.”
Sgt. Craig was evacuating Pfc. Brian J. Bradbury, 22, of Saint Joseph, Mo., who was injured when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades during combat operations, according to a press release from the Department of Defense.
“He didn’t go into this war to fight,” his stepmother said. “He did it to help people.”
She said he loved his job enough to re-enlist with the Army following his first term.
“He loved to help people and care for the suffering,” she said. “He was very unselfish.”
Mrs. Craig said his immediate family will travel to Germany for funeral services, as Sgt. Craig’s wife is a native German.
Army Staff Sgt Heathe Craig was killed 06/21/06.
Staff Sgt. Heathe N. Craig, 28, of Severn, Md., died when his UH-60 helicopter hoist malfunctioned while attempting to evacuate Pfc. Bradbury during combat operations. Craig was assigned to the 159th Air Ambulance Medical Company, Wiesbaden, Germany. Died on June 21 in Naray, Afghanistan.
By Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 24, 2006; Page A17
A high school wrestling teammate remembered Heathe Craig as someone who was constantly ready with a helping hand.
Craig, 28, an Army staff sergeant, was offering that helping hand in Afghanistan on Wednesday when, according to the Pentagon, something went wrong with his evacuation helicopter and he was killed.
Craig grew up in Mechanicsville, Va., near Richmond, and was one of the better wrestlers in his area while a student at Mechanicsville's Lee-Davis High School.
"He was a great wrestler, great guy," said teammate Ryan Miles. "A good friend, and a good teammate" who was "always there to support anybody who needed it."
In his junior year, Craig was 16-6 in the 119-pound class.
He had wanted to fly helicopters since he joined the Army and was close to qualifying as a pilot, his grandfather Daniel Sloan said last night. "He was happy at his work, and he enjoyed it," he said.
The Pentagon said that another soldier, Pfc. Brian J. Bradbury, 22, of St. Joseph, Mo., was in combat near Naray, Afghanistan, and died after encountering enemy small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
Craig, who listed his home town as Severn, according to the Pentagon, died "when his UH-60 helicopter hoist malfunctioned" while attempting to evacuate Bradbury.
Craig was assigned to the 159th Air Ambulance Medical Company, based in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Craig was married and lived in Germany, his grandfather said. He and his wife, Judith, had a son and a daughter.
Survivors include his mother and father and a brother, according to the grandfather.
"He grew up," his grandfather said last night, "to be a man. That's all I can say."
By MELANIE STREETER, The Times Herald
06/24/2006
Army Sgt. Heathe Craig, 28, a native of Knapp Creek, died Wednesday in Naray, Afghanistan, when his UH-60 helicopter hoist malfunctioned while attempting to evacuate a fellow soldier during combat operations.
His family moved from Knapp Creek to Virginia in 1988, and he graduated from Lee Davis High School in Mechanicsville, Va., in 1997.
Sgt. Craig was assigned to the 159th Air Ambulance Medical Company, based in Wiesbaden, Germany. He was the son of Jeffery Craig of Shinglehouse, Pa., and Donna Sloan, of Eldred, Pa. His wife, Judith, lives in Germany with their two children, ages 5 and 1.
“He was a very good kid,” said his stepmother, Sheila Craig. “He was always wanting to help people. Before he joined the service, he wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.”
She recalled an incident that happened at his graduation from Army training in Oklahoma.
“My daughter was 5 years old at the time, and she fell on a cactus,” Mrs. Craig said. “He was right there to take care of her.”
Sgt. Craig was evacuating Pfc. Brian J. Bradbury, 22, of Saint Joseph, Mo., who was injured when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades during combat operations, according to a press release from the Department of Defense.
“He didn’t go into this war to fight,” his stepmother said. “He did it to help people.”
She said he loved his job enough to re-enlist with the Army following his first term.
“He loved to help people and care for the suffering,” she said. “He was very unselfish.”
Mrs. Craig said his immediate family will travel to Germany for funeral services, as Sgt. Craig’s wife is a native German.
Army Staff Sgt Heathe Craig was killed 06/21/06.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Marine Staff Sgt. Benjamin D. Williams
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Staff Sgt. Benjamin D. Williams, 30, of Orange, Texas
SSgt. Williams was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed June 20 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were: Cpl. Christopher D. Leon, Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Webb and Pfc. Christopher N. White.
Debby Schamber
The Orange Leader
Before Benjamin DeWayne Williams left on his third and last deployment in November, his sister, Jennifer Alderman, asked him what she would do if he didn’t come home again. His reply was to just remember that he was doing it all for her so she could be free.
Williams, 30, of Orange, was one of three Marines who was killed June 20 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Webb, 20, of Swartz, Mich., and Pfc. Christopher N. White, 23, of Southport, N.C.
“He loved his country and believed in it,” Alderman said. “He was a soldier to the bone.”
Williams had made it very clear to his family that being a soldier was what he was born to do.
“He was very good at what he did and loved being a Marine,” Alderman said. “He gave everything he had and more.
“He may have been big, bad, tough Marine, but at home he was a big old teddy bear,” Alderman said.
Joan Williams, who married Benjamin Williams’ father, David Williams, in 1987, said she credits her stepson’s manners to his upbringing by his mother, Linda Breaux.
“He was a strong and genuinely caring man,” Joan Williams said.
Ben William’s paternal grandmother, Carsand Williams, fondly called him “Bubba.”
“We always thought Bubba would survive,” she said. “He called just last week and said he was coming home soon.”
Ben Williams was supposed to be coming home on leave Aug. 15 and had plans to surprise his mother by flying her from her Indiana home to meet him in San Diego, Calif., for the long drive back so they could spend time together.
He kept in contact with his family by phone and emails.
While Ben Williams was on his way home for last leave he called his stepsister, Davina Santerre, and told her how happy he was to be looking at land while on a ship.
“He told me he was looking at the good old U. S. of A.,” Santerre said. “When talking to him I didn’t feel like a stepsister because the step didn’t really matter.”
According to Linda Warner, assistant principal/activties director of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, while Ben Williams was a student he was on the football team and during his sophomore year his relay-team set a record. He was also an above-average student.
“He was an all-American guy and the type of guy you didn’t hear much about. But, he was there when he was needed,” Warner said.
While in the Marine Corps, Ben Williams was promoted to staff sergeant and was an infantry unit leader assigned to the First Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division First Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
He joined the marines right out of high school in 1994.
Ben Williams’ personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global war on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
“He died doing what he loved to do and that was being a soldier,” Carsand Williams said.
Plans for a memorial service at LC-M High School are being made, Alderman said.
Marine Staff Sgt. Benjamin D. Williams was killed in action on 06/20/06.
Marine Staff Sgt. Benjamin D. Williams, 30, of Orange, Texas
SSgt. Williams was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed June 20 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were: Cpl. Christopher D. Leon, Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Webb and Pfc. Christopher N. White.
Debby Schamber
The Orange Leader
Before Benjamin DeWayne Williams left on his third and last deployment in November, his sister, Jennifer Alderman, asked him what she would do if he didn’t come home again. His reply was to just remember that he was doing it all for her so she could be free.
Williams, 30, of Orange, was one of three Marines who was killed June 20 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Webb, 20, of Swartz, Mich., and Pfc. Christopher N. White, 23, of Southport, N.C.
“He loved his country and believed in it,” Alderman said. “He was a soldier to the bone.”
Williams had made it very clear to his family that being a soldier was what he was born to do.
“He was very good at what he did and loved being a Marine,” Alderman said. “He gave everything he had and more.
“He may have been big, bad, tough Marine, but at home he was a big old teddy bear,” Alderman said.
Joan Williams, who married Benjamin Williams’ father, David Williams, in 1987, said she credits her stepson’s manners to his upbringing by his mother, Linda Breaux.
“He was a strong and genuinely caring man,” Joan Williams said.
Ben William’s paternal grandmother, Carsand Williams, fondly called him “Bubba.”
“We always thought Bubba would survive,” she said. “He called just last week and said he was coming home soon.”
Ben Williams was supposed to be coming home on leave Aug. 15 and had plans to surprise his mother by flying her from her Indiana home to meet him in San Diego, Calif., for the long drive back so they could spend time together.
He kept in contact with his family by phone and emails.
While Ben Williams was on his way home for last leave he called his stepsister, Davina Santerre, and told her how happy he was to be looking at land while on a ship.
“He told me he was looking at the good old U. S. of A.,” Santerre said. “When talking to him I didn’t feel like a stepsister because the step didn’t really matter.”
According to Linda Warner, assistant principal/activties director of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, while Ben Williams was a student he was on the football team and during his sophomore year his relay-team set a record. He was also an above-average student.
“He was an all-American guy and the type of guy you didn’t hear much about. But, he was there when he was needed,” Warner said.
While in the Marine Corps, Ben Williams was promoted to staff sergeant and was an infantry unit leader assigned to the First Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division First Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
He joined the marines right out of high school in 1994.
Ben Williams’ personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global war on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
“He died doing what he loved to do and that was being a soldier,” Carsand Williams said.
Plans for a memorial service at LC-M High School are being made, Alderman said.
Marine Staff Sgt. Benjamin D. Williams was killed in action on 06/20/06.
Marine Cpl. Christopher D. Leon
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Christopher D. Leon, 20, of Lancaster, California
Cpl. Leon was assigned to 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died June 20 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were: Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Webb, Pfc. Christopher N. White and Staff Sgt. Benjamin D. Williams.
By DENNIS ANDERSON
Valley Press Editor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LANCASTER - Like so many young people, Cpl. Christopher David Leon communicated online, and the motto on his personal Web site was "Our sacrifice is your comfort."
Leon, a 2004 Lancaster High School graduate and a Marine detailed to a highly trained special duty unit, was fiercely proud of the hazardous duty he performed in combat.
He couldn't understand why so many people his age seemed only faintly interested in defense of their country at a time in history with terrorists vowing to kill as many Americans as possible.
In that, he was like many Marines and serving military.
"It irritated him, and I just would tell him, 'People have to live their lives,' "said his mother, Kathi Leon.
This week Leon's life was taken while fighting terrorists, often referred to as insurgents, in Anbar Province, the main battleground for coalition troops in Iraq. He was 20.
The young noncommissioned officer made rank quickly, obtaining his corporal's stripes before two years in service. That may well have been because of the unit he volunteered to serve with, ANGLICO, the Air Naval Gun Liaison Company. It's the kind of special duty that Marines call "hard core" and "high speed."
In addition to performing as infantry in the assault, ANGLICO Marines coordinate artillery, naval artillery and air strikes, usually from a far-forward position.
It was during such an operation on June 20, on the afternoon of a typically hot day in western Iraq, that Leon was hit while operating as a radio chief on a rooftop.
The gunman's bullet struck one of the few areas of anatomy not shielded by the 80 pounds of body armor and gear the Marines carry. One of those uncovered areas is part of the head not shielded by Kevlar helmet or armored neck shield.
He died, his mother said, "doing work that he wanted to do," which was the protection of comrades in arms and innocent Iraqis.
On Mother's Day, his mother Kathi got flowers.
This past Sunday was Father's Day. His father, Jim Leon, observed sadly that the beautiful Father's Day card he received in the mail arrived after his son's death.
The corporal communicated steadily with his parents and his fiancée, Aimey Vaccaro. The two were planning to wed in December. The young couple communicated almost daily, and his parents heard from him a couple of times a week.
"He showered great wealth on us," his father said, reminiscing about his son in the living room of the family's west Lancaster home. "He was a warrior. He believed in that."
His father added, "There were qualities embedded in him, qualities of valor and nobility."
The young man also believed in God and told his mother he was on speaking terms with his savior, she related, laughing at the memory.
"I had said, 'I want you to know the Lord.' And he said, 'When I go, I know where I'm going. We're on a first-name basis, Mom. I call him 'Jesus,' and he calls me 'Chris.' "
Marines can be stoic to the point of being tight-lipped, but Leon was not that way in communicating his affection and respect for his parents.
E-mails that he sent from Iraq made plain his feelings to mother and father.
"I want to tell you how much I appreciate the attributes you gave to me, to make me a man able to defend my country," the corporal wrote, adding his gratitude to both for the "faith, morals and belief" they shared with him.
"He was my heart," Kathi Leon said.
To his father, who served as an Army medic during the Cold War, he wrote, "How thankful I am for having such a great man and father in my life. I couldn't ask for a better father."
Leon switched from Paraclete High School and overcame adversity that some young people can create for themselves during the angst and confusion of adolescence. He graduated from Lancaster High School on independent study and found his calling in the Marine Corps' delayed enlistment program.
"He joked, he called it a $38,000 scholarship, but he learned all his discipline in the Marine Corps," his mother said.
In the rigors of boot camp on a war footing, Leon overcame more challenges when he broke his foot. A bone broke, a stress fracture that occurred during the 40 miles and 52 hours of the Marine Corps "make or break" exam called "The Crucible." He finished 10 miles of hiking and more miles of running with a broken foot.
"He had high tolerance for pain and great determination," his mother said.
The injury set him back, and he spent a frustrating five weeks in a medical rehabilitation platoon. Such setbacks hit a raw nerve for recruit Marines because they have to graduate in a different training cycle with recruits who are not the ones with whom they began boot camp.
Entering advanced training and the "fleet" force of deployable Marines, Leon's determination showed in his acceptance to ANGLICO, one of the Corps' storied special task fighting units. He also prided himself on obtaining a coveted Marine Corps Martial Arts Program green belt, signifying additional hand-to-hand combat training acquired after boot camp.
His outfit deployed on Feb. 20, 2006, into Iraq and was due to finish its combat tour in September.
His unit was headquartered in Ramadi at a base run by the Army, and he told his parents recently that along with his Marines they were moving into "the worst" part of a city notorious for being infested with fighters ranging from local anti-coalition forces to the foreign terrorist ranks loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed by U.S. forces on June 7.
In that part of Iraq, Leon told his parents, "You can feel the evil," his mother said.
Because of Cpl. Leon's affection for the children of Iraq, that insight was foreboding.
His father noted his son's mystification at the psychological and moral makeup of guerrillas willing to use explosive devices close enough to blow the windows out of a nearby school for girls.
"He asked, 'How could they do such a thing? With children getting out from school,' " his father said.
The Marine kept a journal and took photographs, intending that someday, with his intended, he would work on a book with a tentative title like "Love and War," his mother said.
His mother carefully arranged an assortment of photos on a coffee table. One was from boot camp, standing, smiling confidently, next to mother and dad. Others showed him in body armor, and yet another snapshot showed him smiling brightly, hugging a niece.
"He was beautiful," his mother said.
Plans for memorial services were incomplete, pending arrangements for selection of burial site and full military honors.
Marine Cpl. Christopher D. Leon was killed in action on 06/20/06.
Marine Cpl. Christopher D. Leon, 20, of Lancaster, California
Cpl. Leon was assigned to 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died June 20 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were: Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Webb, Pfc. Christopher N. White and Staff Sgt. Benjamin D. Williams.
By DENNIS ANDERSON
Valley Press Editor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LANCASTER - Like so many young people, Cpl. Christopher David Leon communicated online, and the motto on his personal Web site was "Our sacrifice is your comfort."
Leon, a 2004 Lancaster High School graduate and a Marine detailed to a highly trained special duty unit, was fiercely proud of the hazardous duty he performed in combat.
He couldn't understand why so many people his age seemed only faintly interested in defense of their country at a time in history with terrorists vowing to kill as many Americans as possible.
In that, he was like many Marines and serving military.
"It irritated him, and I just would tell him, 'People have to live their lives,' "said his mother, Kathi Leon.
This week Leon's life was taken while fighting terrorists, often referred to as insurgents, in Anbar Province, the main battleground for coalition troops in Iraq. He was 20.
The young noncommissioned officer made rank quickly, obtaining his corporal's stripes before two years in service. That may well have been because of the unit he volunteered to serve with, ANGLICO, the Air Naval Gun Liaison Company. It's the kind of special duty that Marines call "hard core" and "high speed."
In addition to performing as infantry in the assault, ANGLICO Marines coordinate artillery, naval artillery and air strikes, usually from a far-forward position.
It was during such an operation on June 20, on the afternoon of a typically hot day in western Iraq, that Leon was hit while operating as a radio chief on a rooftop.
The gunman's bullet struck one of the few areas of anatomy not shielded by the 80 pounds of body armor and gear the Marines carry. One of those uncovered areas is part of the head not shielded by Kevlar helmet or armored neck shield.
He died, his mother said, "doing work that he wanted to do," which was the protection of comrades in arms and innocent Iraqis.
On Mother's Day, his mother Kathi got flowers.
This past Sunday was Father's Day. His father, Jim Leon, observed sadly that the beautiful Father's Day card he received in the mail arrived after his son's death.
The corporal communicated steadily with his parents and his fiancée, Aimey Vaccaro. The two were planning to wed in December. The young couple communicated almost daily, and his parents heard from him a couple of times a week.
"He showered great wealth on us," his father said, reminiscing about his son in the living room of the family's west Lancaster home. "He was a warrior. He believed in that."
His father added, "There were qualities embedded in him, qualities of valor and nobility."
The young man also believed in God and told his mother he was on speaking terms with his savior, she related, laughing at the memory.
"I had said, 'I want you to know the Lord.' And he said, 'When I go, I know where I'm going. We're on a first-name basis, Mom. I call him 'Jesus,' and he calls me 'Chris.' "
Marines can be stoic to the point of being tight-lipped, but Leon was not that way in communicating his affection and respect for his parents.
E-mails that he sent from Iraq made plain his feelings to mother and father.
"I want to tell you how much I appreciate the attributes you gave to me, to make me a man able to defend my country," the corporal wrote, adding his gratitude to both for the "faith, morals and belief" they shared with him.
"He was my heart," Kathi Leon said.
To his father, who served as an Army medic during the Cold War, he wrote, "How thankful I am for having such a great man and father in my life. I couldn't ask for a better father."
Leon switched from Paraclete High School and overcame adversity that some young people can create for themselves during the angst and confusion of adolescence. He graduated from Lancaster High School on independent study and found his calling in the Marine Corps' delayed enlistment program.
"He joked, he called it a $38,000 scholarship, but he learned all his discipline in the Marine Corps," his mother said.
In the rigors of boot camp on a war footing, Leon overcame more challenges when he broke his foot. A bone broke, a stress fracture that occurred during the 40 miles and 52 hours of the Marine Corps "make or break" exam called "The Crucible." He finished 10 miles of hiking and more miles of running with a broken foot.
"He had high tolerance for pain and great determination," his mother said.
The injury set him back, and he spent a frustrating five weeks in a medical rehabilitation platoon. Such setbacks hit a raw nerve for recruit Marines because they have to graduate in a different training cycle with recruits who are not the ones with whom they began boot camp.
Entering advanced training and the "fleet" force of deployable Marines, Leon's determination showed in his acceptance to ANGLICO, one of the Corps' storied special task fighting units. He also prided himself on obtaining a coveted Marine Corps Martial Arts Program green belt, signifying additional hand-to-hand combat training acquired after boot camp.
His outfit deployed on Feb. 20, 2006, into Iraq and was due to finish its combat tour in September.
His unit was headquartered in Ramadi at a base run by the Army, and he told his parents recently that along with his Marines they were moving into "the worst" part of a city notorious for being infested with fighters ranging from local anti-coalition forces to the foreign terrorist ranks loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed by U.S. forces on June 7.
In that part of Iraq, Leon told his parents, "You can feel the evil," his mother said.
Because of Cpl. Leon's affection for the children of Iraq, that insight was foreboding.
His father noted his son's mystification at the psychological and moral makeup of guerrillas willing to use explosive devices close enough to blow the windows out of a nearby school for girls.
"He asked, 'How could they do such a thing? With children getting out from school,' " his father said.
The Marine kept a journal and took photographs, intending that someday, with his intended, he would work on a book with a tentative title like "Love and War," his mother said.
His mother carefully arranged an assortment of photos on a coffee table. One was from boot camp, standing, smiling confidently, next to mother and dad. Others showed him in body armor, and yet another snapshot showed him smiling brightly, hugging a niece.
"He was beautiful," his mother said.
Plans for memorial services were incomplete, pending arrangements for selection of burial site and full military honors.
Marine Cpl. Christopher D. Leon was killed in action on 06/20/06.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Army Sgt. Reyes Ramirez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Reyes Ramirez, 23, of Willis, Texas
Sgt. Ramirez was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, Baumholder, Germany; killed June 17 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed was Spc. Robert L. Jones.
Sergeant Ramirez, 23, called Willis, Texas home. He was killed on June 17th in Ramadi. Relatives say he was just starting his dream, but he didn't get to finish it. Sgt. Ramirez died in Iraq this weekend and now his unborn child will never know his father.
The emotions are still raw and the rough days ahead a reality for the family of Sgt. Ramirez.
His cousin Veronica Castro said, "We were always with him through everything."
Ramirez graduated from Willis High School just a few years ago. Castro says he followed his dream.
"After he graduated from high school, he has always wanted to be in the Army," she said.
Ramirez was a proud soldier stationed in Baumholder, Germany where his 40th engineer battalion had been assigned until Saturday when a bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Iraq. Ramirez just married his wife Cy in February and the two are expecting their first child. Family members got the call from her in Germany.
Castro recalled, "She was crying. She couldn't talk. She was in tears and said something had happened to Reyes."
Castro says the last time she saw her cousin he said he might not see her for two years as he reported back to duty. She didn't expect for him to return so soon -- and like this.
"I really don't know what happened to him," she admitted. "I know it had to do with a bomb and he didn't deserve to die."
Sgt. Ramirez's body will be flown from Kuwait to Detroit and then here to Houston where his family in Willis will hold the funeral.
Houston Chronicle -- For the past two days, Maria Catalina Ramirez's living room in Willis has become more sanctuary than home as family members gather to pray, recite the rosary and comfort the 47-year-old mother who lost her son over the weekend to a bomb blast in Iraq.
Ramirez’s mother, Maria Catalina Ramirez, told The Houston Chronicle that it was her son’s second Iraq rotation. The family was notified Sunday.
“I feel like my heart has been cut open,” Maria Ramirez was quoted as saying. “All I feel is pain.”
The day before the attack, Jones’ family received a brief letter, according to Oregon news reports. In the letter, Jones wrote that he couldn’t find a Father’s Day card in Iraq, but wanted to tell his father, Jerry Dowell, that he loved and missed him.
“I couldn’t ask for a better father than you,” he wrote. “I just want to say thank you.”
Army Sgt. Reyes Ramirez, 23, was killed Saturday when an improvised explosive device blew up near his vehicle in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. It was his second tour of duty in the war-torn country, his mother said.
"It's so hard because I didn't think they would send him back again after he had already been there a year," she said. "I just want to die."
Ramirez was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion in Baumholder, Germany.
A graduate of Willis High School, Ramirez joined the Army when he was 18. He had served a year in Iraq when he posted in Germany.
In her living room, Maria Catalina Ramirez built a small altar for her son. The altar is quite simple, she said. It has a single candle, a crucifix and La Virgin de Guadalupe. Amid the religious items are two photos of Ramirez, one in uniform taken in Iraq and the other in civilian clothes in Germany.
During his last trip home in February, the mother said, Ramirez spent time with his family, which included his father, Marco Julio Ramirez, and his 21-year-old sister, Maricela.
The mother said she noticed changes: He was harder than he had been in previous visits. She said he would not say much about the war because he didn't want her to worry.
Army Sgt. Reyes Ramirez was killed in action on 06/17/06.
Army Sgt. Reyes Ramirez, 23, of Willis, Texas
Sgt. Ramirez was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, Baumholder, Germany; killed June 17 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed was Spc. Robert L. Jones.
Sergeant Ramirez, 23, called Willis, Texas home. He was killed on June 17th in Ramadi. Relatives say he was just starting his dream, but he didn't get to finish it. Sgt. Ramirez died in Iraq this weekend and now his unborn child will never know his father.
The emotions are still raw and the rough days ahead a reality for the family of Sgt. Ramirez.
His cousin Veronica Castro said, "We were always with him through everything."
Ramirez graduated from Willis High School just a few years ago. Castro says he followed his dream.
"After he graduated from high school, he has always wanted to be in the Army," she said.
Ramirez was a proud soldier stationed in Baumholder, Germany where his 40th engineer battalion had been assigned until Saturday when a bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Iraq. Ramirez just married his wife Cy in February and the two are expecting their first child. Family members got the call from her in Germany.
Castro recalled, "She was crying. She couldn't talk. She was in tears and said something had happened to Reyes."
Castro says the last time she saw her cousin he said he might not see her for two years as he reported back to duty. She didn't expect for him to return so soon -- and like this.
"I really don't know what happened to him," she admitted. "I know it had to do with a bomb and he didn't deserve to die."
Sgt. Ramirez's body will be flown from Kuwait to Detroit and then here to Houston where his family in Willis will hold the funeral.
Houston Chronicle -- For the past two days, Maria Catalina Ramirez's living room in Willis has become more sanctuary than home as family members gather to pray, recite the rosary and comfort the 47-year-old mother who lost her son over the weekend to a bomb blast in Iraq.
Ramirez’s mother, Maria Catalina Ramirez, told The Houston Chronicle that it was her son’s second Iraq rotation. The family was notified Sunday.
“I feel like my heart has been cut open,” Maria Ramirez was quoted as saying. “All I feel is pain.”
The day before the attack, Jones’ family received a brief letter, according to Oregon news reports. In the letter, Jones wrote that he couldn’t find a Father’s Day card in Iraq, but wanted to tell his father, Jerry Dowell, that he loved and missed him.
“I couldn’t ask for a better father than you,” he wrote. “I just want to say thank you.”
Army Sgt. Reyes Ramirez, 23, was killed Saturday when an improvised explosive device blew up near his vehicle in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. It was his second tour of duty in the war-torn country, his mother said.
"It's so hard because I didn't think they would send him back again after he had already been there a year," she said. "I just want to die."
Ramirez was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion in Baumholder, Germany.
A graduate of Willis High School, Ramirez joined the Army when he was 18. He had served a year in Iraq when he posted in Germany.
In her living room, Maria Catalina Ramirez built a small altar for her son. The altar is quite simple, she said. It has a single candle, a crucifix and La Virgin de Guadalupe. Amid the religious items are two photos of Ramirez, one in uniform taken in Iraq and the other in civilian clothes in Germany.
During his last trip home in February, the mother said, Ramirez spent time with his family, which included his father, Marco Julio Ramirez, and his 21-year-old sister, Maricela.
The mother said she noticed changes: He was harder than he had been in previous visits. She said he would not say much about the war because he didn't want her to worry.
Army Sgt. Reyes Ramirez was killed in action on 06/17/06.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Army Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, Madras, Oregon.
Pfc. Tucker was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; He was manning a checkpoint when they came under enemy small arms fire. He was taken from the checkpoint and slain on June 16, 2006. Taken with him was Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, Tx.
Star-Telegram -- HOUSTON - Family and friends of two missing American soldiers whose bodies were believed to have been recovered in Iraq wanted people to remember how their loved ones lived, not how they died.
The bodies of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., were found late Monday near Youssifiyah, where the soldiers disappeared Friday during an attack on a checkpoint. A third soldier, Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., died in the attack.
An Iraqi defense ministry official said the bodies of Menchaca and Tucker showed signs of being tortured and the men were "killed in a barbaric way." Al-Qaida in Iraq suggested in an unauthenticated Web statement the men were beheaded.
Mario Vasquez, Menchaca's uncle, said he didn't want his nephew's death to be meaningless and he wanted justice for him.
"He was fighting for this country. I don't want people to forget it was just two more soldiers that were killed and that was it," he said. "Kids are fighting for this country. They're out there trying to save our lives. A lot of people take that for granted."
Menchaca's mother, Maria Vasquez, answered her door in Brownsville early Tuesday sobbing and unable to speak. She later issued a statement written in Spanish that said, "I am against the war and I feel very hurt by what has happened to my son."
In Oregon, Tucker's family grieved in private, saying in a statement they were devastated by the news, but were heartened by the community support.
"Tom has gained a much larger family through this ordeal than he had when he left home to go help to free the Iraqi people and protect his country from the threat of terrorism," the family said.
Menchaca grew up in a close-knit extended Mexican-American family in Houston. His uncle and cousins remembered a sweet, quiet young man who was proud to be in the military and later wanted to join the U.S. Border Patrol.
"He talked about how happy he was that he was serving his country," said Sylvia Grice, 37, Menchaca's cousin.
Relatives said he married his wife, 18-year-old Christina Menchaca, of Big Spring, a few weeks before being deployed to Iraq. Christina Menchaca has declined to speak to reporters.
"Everyone he met liked him. He had that kind of personality," Grice said. "He liked to help people. He was just the kind of person you enjoyed being with."
Mario Vasquez said his nephew had been interested in the military since he was a young boy.
His Houston family last saw Menchaca in May, when he was on leave. Menchaca enrolled in the Army in middle to late 2005, his uncle said.
"I remember seeing him and giving him a lot of money and telling him go enjoy himself," Grice said. "He didn't want to take it. But I still stuck it in his pocket and told him to go out and have fun."
Mario Vasquez said Menchaca and his cousins were very close and he spent much of his childhood visiting and staying in their home. Menchaca's mother eventually moved from another part of town with her two sons to a duplex a few blocks away. She had moved to Brownsville recently.
Menchaca had hoped to join the U.S. Border Patrol after the military, Mario Vasquez said.
Tucker graduated from high school in 1999 and worked a variety of construction jobs before he decided to join the Army last summer. He seemed to have found something of what he was looking for, said Tim McDonald, who co-owns McDonald Development of Redmond, where Tucker worked as a framer.
"He said he liked it, and it was working out for him," McDonald said.
Josh Tolman, who went to high school with Tucker, said the two of them would fish the Prineville Reservoir, going for catfish, and in fall would head into the Ochoco Mountains to hunt deer and elk with their families.
"We helped each other work on (our trucks), then go play with them in the woods," Tolman said.
In Iraq, Tucker kept in touch with friends via e-mail and telephone. Although he tried to keep them from worrying, Margee Hagedorn, Tucker's friend since middle school, said he did share some troubling stories, such as when the Humvee in front of his was hit by a roadside bomb.
Army Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Note: I mean no disrespect to either Pfc. Menchaca or Pfc. Tucker by joining them together on these pages. They were together in service, together in death, and together forever in our memories. We will never think of the one without thinking of the other.
May God grant special blessings on these two Angels.
Larger Image
Army Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, Madras, Oregon.
Pfc. Tucker was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; He was manning a checkpoint when they came under enemy small arms fire. He was taken from the checkpoint and slain on June 16, 2006. Taken with him was Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, Tx.
Star-Telegram -- HOUSTON - Family and friends of two missing American soldiers whose bodies were believed to have been recovered in Iraq wanted people to remember how their loved ones lived, not how they died.
The bodies of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., were found late Monday near Youssifiyah, where the soldiers disappeared Friday during an attack on a checkpoint. A third soldier, Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., died in the attack.
An Iraqi defense ministry official said the bodies of Menchaca and Tucker showed signs of being tortured and the men were "killed in a barbaric way." Al-Qaida in Iraq suggested in an unauthenticated Web statement the men were beheaded.
Mario Vasquez, Menchaca's uncle, said he didn't want his nephew's death to be meaningless and he wanted justice for him.
"He was fighting for this country. I don't want people to forget it was just two more soldiers that were killed and that was it," he said. "Kids are fighting for this country. They're out there trying to save our lives. A lot of people take that for granted."
Menchaca's mother, Maria Vasquez, answered her door in Brownsville early Tuesday sobbing and unable to speak. She later issued a statement written in Spanish that said, "I am against the war and I feel very hurt by what has happened to my son."
In Oregon, Tucker's family grieved in private, saying in a statement they were devastated by the news, but were heartened by the community support.
"Tom has gained a much larger family through this ordeal than he had when he left home to go help to free the Iraqi people and protect his country from the threat of terrorism," the family said.
Menchaca grew up in a close-knit extended Mexican-American family in Houston. His uncle and cousins remembered a sweet, quiet young man who was proud to be in the military and later wanted to join the U.S. Border Patrol.
"He talked about how happy he was that he was serving his country," said Sylvia Grice, 37, Menchaca's cousin.
Relatives said he married his wife, 18-year-old Christina Menchaca, of Big Spring, a few weeks before being deployed to Iraq. Christina Menchaca has declined to speak to reporters.
"Everyone he met liked him. He had that kind of personality," Grice said. "He liked to help people. He was just the kind of person you enjoyed being with."
Mario Vasquez said his nephew had been interested in the military since he was a young boy.
His Houston family last saw Menchaca in May, when he was on leave. Menchaca enrolled in the Army in middle to late 2005, his uncle said.
"I remember seeing him and giving him a lot of money and telling him go enjoy himself," Grice said. "He didn't want to take it. But I still stuck it in his pocket and told him to go out and have fun."
Mario Vasquez said Menchaca and his cousins were very close and he spent much of his childhood visiting and staying in their home. Menchaca's mother eventually moved from another part of town with her two sons to a duplex a few blocks away. She had moved to Brownsville recently.
Menchaca had hoped to join the U.S. Border Patrol after the military, Mario Vasquez said.
Tucker graduated from high school in 1999 and worked a variety of construction jobs before he decided to join the Army last summer. He seemed to have found something of what he was looking for, said Tim McDonald, who co-owns McDonald Development of Redmond, where Tucker worked as a framer.
"He said he liked it, and it was working out for him," McDonald said.
Josh Tolman, who went to high school with Tucker, said the two of them would fish the Prineville Reservoir, going for catfish, and in fall would head into the Ochoco Mountains to hunt deer and elk with their families.
"We helped each other work on (our trucks), then go play with them in the woods," Tolman said.
In Iraq, Tucker kept in touch with friends via e-mail and telephone. Although he tried to keep them from worrying, Margee Hagedorn, Tucker's friend since middle school, said he did share some troubling stories, such as when the Humvee in front of his was hit by a roadside bomb.
Army Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Note: I mean no disrespect to either Pfc. Menchaca or Pfc. Tucker by joining them together on these pages. They were together in service, together in death, and together forever in our memories. We will never think of the one without thinking of the other.
May God grant special blessings on these two Angels.
Larger Image
Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, Texas
Pfc. Menchaca was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; He was manning a checkpoint when they came under enemy small arms fire. He was taken from the checkpoint and slain on June 16, 2006. Taken with him was Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.
Star-Telegram -- HOUSTON - Family and friends of two missing American soldiers whose bodies were believed to have been recovered in Iraq wanted people to remember how their loved ones lived, not how they died.
The bodies of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., were found late Monday near Youssifiyah, where the soldiers disappeared Friday during an attack on a checkpoint. A third soldier, Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., died in the attack.
An Iraqi defense ministry official said the bodies of Menchaca and Tucker showed signs of being tortured and the men were "killed in a barbaric way." Al-Qaida in Iraq suggested in an unauthenticated Web statement the men were beheaded.
Mario Vasquez, Menchaca's uncle, said he didn't want his nephew's death to be meaningless and he wanted justice for him.
"He was fighting for this country. I don't want people to forget it was just two more soldiers that were killed and that was it," he said. "Kids are fighting for this country. They're out there trying to save our lives. A lot of people take that for granted."
Menchaca's mother, Maria Vasquez, answered her door in Brownsville early Tuesday sobbing and unable to speak. She later issued a statement written in Spanish that said, "I am against the war and I feel very hurt by what has happened to my son."
In Oregon, Tucker's family grieved in private, saying in a statement they were devastated by the news, but were heartened by the community support.
"Tom has gained a much larger family through this ordeal than he had when he left home to go help to free the Iraqi people and protect his country from the threat of terrorism," the family said.
Menchaca grew up in a close-knit extended Mexican-American family in Houston. His uncle and cousins remembered a sweet, quiet young man who was proud to be in the military and later wanted to join the U.S. Border Patrol.
"He talked about how happy he was that he was serving his country," said Sylvia Grice, 37, Menchaca's cousin.
Relatives said he married his wife, 18-year-old Christina Menchaca, of Big Spring, a few weeks before being deployed to Iraq. Christina Menchaca has declined to speak to reporters.
"Everyone he met liked him. He had that kind of personality," Grice said. "He liked to help people. He was just the kind of person you enjoyed being with."
Mario Vasquez said his nephew had been interested in the military since he was a young boy.
His Houston family last saw Menchaca in May, when he was on leave. Menchaca enrolled in the Army in middle to late 2005, his uncle said.
"I remember seeing him and giving him a lot of money and telling him go enjoy himself," Grice said. "He didn't want to take it. But I still stuck it in his pocket and told him to go out and have fun."
Mario Vasquez said Menchaca and his cousins were very close and he spent much of his childhood visiting and staying in their home. Menchaca's mother eventually moved from another part of town with her two sons to a duplex a few blocks away. She had moved to Brownsville recently.
Menchaca had hoped to join the U.S. Border Patrol after the military, Mario Vasquez said.
Tucker graduated from high school in 1999 and worked a variety of construction jobs before he decided to join the Army last summer. He seemed to have found something of what he was looking for, said Tim McDonald, who co-owns McDonald Development of Redmond, where Tucker worked as a framer.
"He said he liked it, and it was working out for him," McDonald said.
Josh Tolman, who went to high school with Tucker, said the two of them would fish the Prineville Reservoir, going for catfish, and in fall would head into the Ochoco Mountains to hunt deer and elk with their families.
"We helped each other work on (our trucks), then go play with them in the woods," Tolman said.
In Iraq, Tucker kept in touch with friends via e-mail and telephone. Although he tried to keep them from worrying, Margee Hagedorn, Tucker's friend since middle school, said he did share some troubling stories, such as when the Humvee in front of his was hit by a roadside bomb.
Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Note: I mean no disrespect to either Pfc. Menchaca or Pfc. Tucker by joining them together on these pages. They were together in service, together in death, and together forever in our memories. We will never think of the one without thinking of the other.
May God grant special blessings on these two Angels.
Larger Image
Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, Texas
Pfc. Menchaca was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; He was manning a checkpoint when they came under enemy small arms fire. He was taken from the checkpoint and slain on June 16, 2006. Taken with him was Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.
Star-Telegram -- HOUSTON - Family and friends of two missing American soldiers whose bodies were believed to have been recovered in Iraq wanted people to remember how their loved ones lived, not how they died.
The bodies of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., were found late Monday near Youssifiyah, where the soldiers disappeared Friday during an attack on a checkpoint. A third soldier, Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., died in the attack.
An Iraqi defense ministry official said the bodies of Menchaca and Tucker showed signs of being tortured and the men were "killed in a barbaric way." Al-Qaida in Iraq suggested in an unauthenticated Web statement the men were beheaded.
Mario Vasquez, Menchaca's uncle, said he didn't want his nephew's death to be meaningless and he wanted justice for him.
"He was fighting for this country. I don't want people to forget it was just two more soldiers that were killed and that was it," he said. "Kids are fighting for this country. They're out there trying to save our lives. A lot of people take that for granted."
Menchaca's mother, Maria Vasquez, answered her door in Brownsville early Tuesday sobbing and unable to speak. She later issued a statement written in Spanish that said, "I am against the war and I feel very hurt by what has happened to my son."
In Oregon, Tucker's family grieved in private, saying in a statement they were devastated by the news, but were heartened by the community support.
"Tom has gained a much larger family through this ordeal than he had when he left home to go help to free the Iraqi people and protect his country from the threat of terrorism," the family said.
Menchaca grew up in a close-knit extended Mexican-American family in Houston. His uncle and cousins remembered a sweet, quiet young man who was proud to be in the military and later wanted to join the U.S. Border Patrol.
"He talked about how happy he was that he was serving his country," said Sylvia Grice, 37, Menchaca's cousin.
Relatives said he married his wife, 18-year-old Christina Menchaca, of Big Spring, a few weeks before being deployed to Iraq. Christina Menchaca has declined to speak to reporters.
"Everyone he met liked him. He had that kind of personality," Grice said. "He liked to help people. He was just the kind of person you enjoyed being with."
Mario Vasquez said his nephew had been interested in the military since he was a young boy.
His Houston family last saw Menchaca in May, when he was on leave. Menchaca enrolled in the Army in middle to late 2005, his uncle said.
"I remember seeing him and giving him a lot of money and telling him go enjoy himself," Grice said. "He didn't want to take it. But I still stuck it in his pocket and told him to go out and have fun."
Mario Vasquez said Menchaca and his cousins were very close and he spent much of his childhood visiting and staying in their home. Menchaca's mother eventually moved from another part of town with her two sons to a duplex a few blocks away. She had moved to Brownsville recently.
Menchaca had hoped to join the U.S. Border Patrol after the military, Mario Vasquez said.
Tucker graduated from high school in 1999 and worked a variety of construction jobs before he decided to join the Army last summer. He seemed to have found something of what he was looking for, said Tim McDonald, who co-owns McDonald Development of Redmond, where Tucker worked as a framer.
"He said he liked it, and it was working out for him," McDonald said.
Josh Tolman, who went to high school with Tucker, said the two of them would fish the Prineville Reservoir, going for catfish, and in fall would head into the Ochoco Mountains to hunt deer and elk with their families.
"We helped each other work on (our trucks), then go play with them in the woods," Tolman said.
In Iraq, Tucker kept in touch with friends via e-mail and telephone. Although he tried to keep them from worrying, Margee Hagedorn, Tucker's friend since middle school, said he did share some troubling stories, such as when the Humvee in front of his was hit by a roadside bomb.
Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Note: I mean no disrespect to either Pfc. Menchaca or Pfc. Tucker by joining them together on these pages. They were together in service, together in death, and together forever in our memories. We will never think of the one without thinking of the other.
May God grant special blessings on these two Angels.
Army Specialist David J. Babineau
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass.
Spc. Babineau was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed June 16 while manning a checkpoint when he came under enemy small arms fire in Baghdad. Two soldiers in the unit were listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN): Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.
by Leslie Boyd, LBOYD@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
published June 20, 2006 12:15 am
MILLS RIVER — Kerri Francis worries her sister’s children won’t remember much about their father, Army Spc. David Babineau, a 25-year-old soldier killed at a traffic checkpoint south of Baghdad.
“He was a good father and a good husband — just a good person,” Francis said Monday. “I just want to be sure his kids know that.”
Francis said her sister, Rondi Babineau, is still in Oak Grove, Ky., waiting for her husband’s body to arrive in the United States.
The sisters attended Erwin High School, then Francis joined the military and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.
When Rondi went to visit in 1999, she met Babineau and the two were married later that year.
Babineau was on his second tour in Iraq, one that had been extended indefinitely, when he and two other soldiers were attacked Friday.
The other two, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, are listed as missing. All three were assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Campbell, Ken.
“He believed in what he was doing,” Francis said.
After the family heard of his death, Francis and her mother and stepfather, Mark and Della Shepard, traveled to Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was stationed with the 101st Airborne and Rondi Babineau lives. They brought back his stepdaughter, Samantha Hensley, 9, and his older son, Donovan, 4.
“He knows his Daddy went to heaven,” Francis said. “I don’t think he really understands, and I don’t think he’ll remember much about his dad.”
Babineau was born and raised in Springfield, Mass.
“His wife and kids were everything to him,” Francis said. “He was a real hands-on dad. He just loved to get down on the floor and roll around with them.”
Francis said a memorial service was held in Iraq and Babineau will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The family plans to travel to Arlington for a service when his body arrives there.
“Duty was important to him,” Francis said. “He re-enlisted. That was something he didn’t have to do. He didn’t have to be there.”
Spc. David “DJ” Babineau, 25, was shot dead Friday during an ambush by masked gunmen who began firing on his checkpoint from all directions. An al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for the attack and the abductions.
Babineau, who leaves behind two sons, ages 4 and 2, and an 8-year-old stepdaughter, was supposed to be home by now, but his tour in Iraq was extended, relatives said.
“He was supposed to be home in May,” his grieving mother, Dawn Babineau, said outside her home yesterday.
“He was a hero before the service, and he’s a hero now,” said one relative who asked for anonymity. “He did what he thought was right.”
Babineau’s relatives remembered him as a focused young man who joined the Boy Scouts when he was a child and decided to enlist in the Army after graduating from Springfield High School of Science and Technology in 1998. In his yearbook, Babineau predicted he’d be at the 20-year class reunion as a five-star general. His death shocked those who knew him as a friendly student.
“He died doing what he loved, what he wanted to be in life” said Gladys Franco, one of Babineau’s classmates who now teaches history at their alma mater.
“It’s sad that he had to go so young,” she said.
Army Specialist David J. Babineau was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Larger Images
Army Specialist David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass.
Spc. Babineau was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed June 16 while manning a checkpoint when he came under enemy small arms fire in Baghdad. Two soldiers in the unit were listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN): Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.
by Leslie Boyd, LBOYD@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
published June 20, 2006 12:15 am
MILLS RIVER — Kerri Francis worries her sister’s children won’t remember much about their father, Army Spc. David Babineau, a 25-year-old soldier killed at a traffic checkpoint south of Baghdad.
“He was a good father and a good husband — just a good person,” Francis said Monday. “I just want to be sure his kids know that.”
Francis said her sister, Rondi Babineau, is still in Oak Grove, Ky., waiting for her husband’s body to arrive in the United States.
The sisters attended Erwin High School, then Francis joined the military and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.
When Rondi went to visit in 1999, she met Babineau and the two were married later that year.
Babineau was on his second tour in Iraq, one that had been extended indefinitely, when he and two other soldiers were attacked Friday.
The other two, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, are listed as missing. All three were assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Campbell, Ken.
“He believed in what he was doing,” Francis said.
After the family heard of his death, Francis and her mother and stepfather, Mark and Della Shepard, traveled to Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was stationed with the 101st Airborne and Rondi Babineau lives. They brought back his stepdaughter, Samantha Hensley, 9, and his older son, Donovan, 4.
“He knows his Daddy went to heaven,” Francis said. “I don’t think he really understands, and I don’t think he’ll remember much about his dad.”
Babineau was born and raised in Springfield, Mass.
“His wife and kids were everything to him,” Francis said. “He was a real hands-on dad. He just loved to get down on the floor and roll around with them.”
Francis said a memorial service was held in Iraq and Babineau will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The family plans to travel to Arlington for a service when his body arrives there.
“Duty was important to him,” Francis said. “He re-enlisted. That was something he didn’t have to do. He didn’t have to be there.”
Spc. David “DJ” Babineau, 25, was shot dead Friday during an ambush by masked gunmen who began firing on his checkpoint from all directions. An al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for the attack and the abductions.
Babineau, who leaves behind two sons, ages 4 and 2, and an 8-year-old stepdaughter, was supposed to be home by now, but his tour in Iraq was extended, relatives said.
“He was supposed to be home in May,” his grieving mother, Dawn Babineau, said outside her home yesterday.
“He was a hero before the service, and he’s a hero now,” said one relative who asked for anonymity. “He did what he thought was right.”
Babineau’s relatives remembered him as a focused young man who joined the Boy Scouts when he was a child and decided to enlist in the Army after graduating from Springfield High School of Science and Technology in 1998. In his yearbook, Babineau predicted he’d be at the 20-year class reunion as a five-star general. His death shocked those who knew him as a friendly student.
“He died doing what he loved, what he wanted to be in life” said Gladys Franco, one of Babineau’s classmates who now teaches history at their alma mater.
“It’s sad that he had to go so young,” she said.
Army Specialist David J. Babineau was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Army Sgt . Brent W. Koch
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Brent W. Koch, 22, of Morton, Minn.
Sgt Koch died on June 16, in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Koch was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry Combined Arms Battalion, Hutchinson, Minn.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A National Guard member from Morton was killed in Iraq when an explosive device detonated near his military vehicle, the Minnesota National Guard announced Sunday.
Spc. Brent W. Koch, 22, died Friday in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, the Guard said. Two other Minnesota soldiers were injured in the explosion.
"(Koch) was the kind of kid that you would want with you if you were over there fighting a war. He was committed and mature beyond his years," Cedar Mountain School District Superintendent Bob Tews said.
Koch graduated in 2002 from Cedar Mountain High School, where he played football and basketball, Tews said.
In Morton, members of the local American Legion post put up American flags along the streets of the southwestern Minnesota town in Koch's honor.
"He was a very good kid and he wanted to go into the military and serve for our country," said Dave Mude, as he took a break from hanging flags from utility poles.
Koch enlisted in the Guard four years ago and was serving as a combat engineer. His unit's job was providing convoy security.
Maj. Kevin Olson, a spokesman for the Minnesota National Guard, said Koch was unmarried and had no children.
Koch's family members were not taking calls from the media on Sunday but issued a statement through the Guard.
"We are very grateful for the overwhelming amount of support from our family, friends and the community," they said in a statement read by Lt. Col. Kevin Gutknecht. "Thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time."
Olson did not release the names of the injured soldiers. He said one received shrapnel wounds to the upper body, and the other received shrapnel wounds to the lower body. They were being transferred to a U.S. military hospital in Germany.
Koch was assigned to the Minnesota Army National Guard's Company E, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry Combined Arms Battalion in Redwood Falls. Another 79 members of the company are due to remain in Iraq through next Spring.
His unit was part of a deployment in March of 2,600 other Minnesota Guard members for a 12-month tour of duty, the Minnesota Guard's largest deployment since World War II.
"We are focusing our efforts on helping the family members cope through this difficult time," Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, Minnesota's adjutant general, said in a statement. "Additionally, our thoughts and prayers are with those who serve with this honorable soldier."
Jeff Gay, a family support coordinator for the Guard in Redwood Falls, was there the day Koch enlisted and praised him as a dependable soldier.
"Specialist Koch was fired up about coming into the Guard, it seemed like," Gay said. "Very well liked among the other soldiers. Anytime anything needed to be done, extra duty, he was always there to help us."
Koch is the 39th person with Minnesota ties to die in connection with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was the fourth Minnesota National Guard fatality in Iraq, Olson said. Funeral arrangements were pending.
Army Sgt. Brent W. Koch was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Army Sgt. Brent W. Koch, 22, of Morton, Minn.
Sgt Koch died on June 16, in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Koch was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry Combined Arms Battalion, Hutchinson, Minn.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A National Guard member from Morton was killed in Iraq when an explosive device detonated near his military vehicle, the Minnesota National Guard announced Sunday.
Spc. Brent W. Koch, 22, died Friday in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, the Guard said. Two other Minnesota soldiers were injured in the explosion.
"(Koch) was the kind of kid that you would want with you if you were over there fighting a war. He was committed and mature beyond his years," Cedar Mountain School District Superintendent Bob Tews said.
Koch graduated in 2002 from Cedar Mountain High School, where he played football and basketball, Tews said.
In Morton, members of the local American Legion post put up American flags along the streets of the southwestern Minnesota town in Koch's honor.
"He was a very good kid and he wanted to go into the military and serve for our country," said Dave Mude, as he took a break from hanging flags from utility poles.
Koch enlisted in the Guard four years ago and was serving as a combat engineer. His unit's job was providing convoy security.
Maj. Kevin Olson, a spokesman for the Minnesota National Guard, said Koch was unmarried and had no children.
Koch's family members were not taking calls from the media on Sunday but issued a statement through the Guard.
"We are very grateful for the overwhelming amount of support from our family, friends and the community," they said in a statement read by Lt. Col. Kevin Gutknecht. "Thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time."
Olson did not release the names of the injured soldiers. He said one received shrapnel wounds to the upper body, and the other received shrapnel wounds to the lower body. They were being transferred to a U.S. military hospital in Germany.
Koch was assigned to the Minnesota Army National Guard's Company E, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry Combined Arms Battalion in Redwood Falls. Another 79 members of the company are due to remain in Iraq through next Spring.
His unit was part of a deployment in March of 2,600 other Minnesota Guard members for a 12-month tour of duty, the Minnesota Guard's largest deployment since World War II.
"We are focusing our efforts on helping the family members cope through this difficult time," Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, Minnesota's adjutant general, said in a statement. "Additionally, our thoughts and prayers are with those who serve with this honorable soldier."
Jeff Gay, a family support coordinator for the Guard in Redwood Falls, was there the day Koch enlisted and praised him as a dependable soldier.
"Specialist Koch was fired up about coming into the Guard, it seemed like," Gay said. "Very well liked among the other soldiers. Anytime anything needed to be done, extra duty, he was always there to help us."
Koch is the 39th person with Minnesota ties to die in connection with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was the fourth Minnesota National Guard fatality in Iraq, Olson said. Funeral arrangements were pending.
Army Sgt. Brent W. Koch was killed in action on 06/16/06.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Army Sgt. Russell M. Durgin
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Russell M. Durgin, 23, of Henniker, N.H.
Sgt. Durgin was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; killed June 13 when his unit took small arms fire in Korengel, Afghanistan.
By Rona Marech
Sun reporter
HENNIKER, N.H. // Sean Durgin wasn't ready to reminisce about his brother. It was too hard to say, "We used to ... ." And he couldn't look at the body; he found it hard to even say that word.
It wasn't a body. It was Russell, the Army sergeant. Russell, the jokester, the goofball, the 23-year-old guy who loved to drink beer and planned on proposing to his girlfriend when he returned from Afghanistan.
But Russell Durgin died June 13 in an enemy ambush in the mountains. His twin brother Sean - himself a military man, an Air Force staff sergeant, now a member of the Maryland Air National Guard - had been here in his hometown to celebrate his recent graduation from the Community College of Baltimore County when the Army casualty officer brought the news of Russell's death.
The funeral is today. On Thursday, Sean couldn't even bring himself to go to the private family viewing. "I can't do it," he told his mother.
Instead, he took a long drive through the hills in this verdant corner of New Hampshire. It was a muggy day with barely a breeze. As he and his girlfriend rode down familiar roads, they talked about the past and about the future.
Sean had been planning to go to Qatar in July on a two-month assignment and then to attend the University of Maryland in the fall. But after Russell died, another member of his unit offered to take Sean's place overseas. He'll still go back to school, but now the summer is stretching out before him, confusingly empty. "I don't know what I'm going to do this summer. I don't want to say, 'Get over it,' but just grieve. Take time off. Try to think about him," he said.
The twins had sturdy good looks and earnest smiles, but the Durgin boys had always been different. It's apparent, even in photographs from their childhood. Sean, his hair a shade lighter, often looked more serious. He'd be standing at attention, gazing out soberly, while Russell would stick up a thumb and grin impishly.
Sean would always think before acting while Russell was more spontaneous, more emotional. Sean worried about his brother sometimes, yet he seemed invincible - as though the good times would carry him through.
"He knew how to live life," Sean said. "He wasn't cocky or overconfident. ... He knew how to handle his men."
Henniker, a town of about 4,500, boasts a covered bridge near the sole traffic light downtown and a pharmacy with an old-fashioned fountain service and swivel seats. Everyone knows everyone here, and the news of Russell's death rolled through like a quake.
When Russell's body came home, police officers stood and saluted at every intersection. A high school friend organized a candlelight vigil, and an officer directed traffic into the church parking lot at the wake. Signs about the viewing, the funeral and the gathering downtown for a final good-bye salute were posted everywhere.
Some family friends knew out-of-town visitors would be coming and thought the highway overpass looked empty. As the sun began to set Thursday, they went out to the bridge with a stepstool and stuck little American flags along the top of the mesh fence.
Russell's mother, Jean Tully Durgin, had also planted American flags along the edge of her front lawn. Behind them was a picture of Russell as everyone seems to remember him - smiling, carefree. "You left us too soon but you will always be with us," a sign read. Another sign simply said "Welcome Home Russ."
Someone brought an extra refrigerator to the Durgins to hold all the food from friends. And all week, young people moved in and out. They smiled ruefully and talked in hushed tones.
Lester Durgin, the twins' father, is no longer married to their mother, but he was at the house all week too, eyes red-rimmed. The boys' four siblings were dazed. Jean Durgin moved around slowly, as if every part of her body ached. She cried when James O'Leary, Russell's friend from Iraq, arrived.
"I needed to see you," she said, hugging him and burying her face on his big shoulder. Her muffled sobs filled the kitchen with its gingham curtains. "He loved you guys. You know that."
O'Leary lifted his shirt. He had a new tattoo - a flag, an eagle and dog tags marked with Russell's initials.
In the living room, the family had set up two giant posterboards with photographs. Russell and Sean as babies, Russell kissing his girlfriend, Russell and Sean upright in their military uniforms.
Lester Durgin had served in the Marine Corps in the 1960s, and both boys always expected to join the military. When they were 17, despite their mother's apprehension, Sean joined the Air Force and Russell, the Army Reserve.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Russell was released to active duty and served in Korea, and then for a year in Iraq. He returned, retrained as a sniper and left for Afghanistan in March.
Sean, meanwhile, became an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. He briefly served in Qatar while Russell was in Iraq. Last summer, in order to be with his girlfriend, he moved from an Air Force base in Arkansas to White Marsh and joined the Maryland Air National Guard.
The family thought the worst was over for Russell when he returned from Iraq.
"Afghanistan was supposed to be a piece of cake, and he was supposed to be a lot safer," said his girlfriend, Michele Dougherty. The couple had known each other since high school and had picked out names for future children.
By chance, Dougherty was at the Durgin household the day they the news came. Sean was there for a rare visit before his July 6 deployment. In honor of his associate's degree, he and Dougherty had gone out to dinner with his mother and other relatives.
Sean was standing in the driveway when he saw the soldiers drive by, turn around and park in front of the house. He dropped his soda and started screaming.
Russell was shot staving off the enemy while about five of his fellow soldiers found cover, Sean said. His actions earned him a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
Sean never would have asked to get out of his Qatar assignment. He doesn't agree with his mother, who campaigned vigorously for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race and has been against the war in Iraq from the beginning. Sean believes that it's his duty to serve.
But a few days after his brother's death, he found out his deployment was canceled. Peter Ramsey, a fellow member of his unit, had agreed to go in his stead. "We take care of each other," said Ramsey, 26.
Sean's girlfriend, Melissa Sellers, had planted a garden so she could watch something grow while he was gone. She wept in relief when she found out he wouldn't be sent to Qatar. It's not a war zone, she said, but in the Middle East, "everything is volatile."
He could wind up there. Sean says that when his obligation to the Maryland Air National Guard ends in 2009, he may re-enlist.
"I'm probably less scared now," he said. "If something does happen to me, I know he'll be there waiting for me."
In a way, he is ready for the hoopla to end: the funeral, the throngs, the attention that none of them ever wanted.
When it quiets down, he said, he's going to go to his brother's grave by himself. He'll crack open a beer, and they'll have one last drink together.
Army Sgt. Russell M. Durgin was killed in action on 06/13/06.
Army Sgt. Russell M. Durgin, 23, of Henniker, N.H.
Sgt. Durgin was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; killed June 13 when his unit took small arms fire in Korengel, Afghanistan.
By Rona Marech
Sun reporter
HENNIKER, N.H. // Sean Durgin wasn't ready to reminisce about his brother. It was too hard to say, "We used to ... ." And he couldn't look at the body; he found it hard to even say that word.
It wasn't a body. It was Russell, the Army sergeant. Russell, the jokester, the goofball, the 23-year-old guy who loved to drink beer and planned on proposing to his girlfriend when he returned from Afghanistan.
But Russell Durgin died June 13 in an enemy ambush in the mountains. His twin brother Sean - himself a military man, an Air Force staff sergeant, now a member of the Maryland Air National Guard - had been here in his hometown to celebrate his recent graduation from the Community College of Baltimore County when the Army casualty officer brought the news of Russell's death.
The funeral is today. On Thursday, Sean couldn't even bring himself to go to the private family viewing. "I can't do it," he told his mother.
Instead, he took a long drive through the hills in this verdant corner of New Hampshire. It was a muggy day with barely a breeze. As he and his girlfriend rode down familiar roads, they talked about the past and about the future.
Sean had been planning to go to Qatar in July on a two-month assignment and then to attend the University of Maryland in the fall. But after Russell died, another member of his unit offered to take Sean's place overseas. He'll still go back to school, but now the summer is stretching out before him, confusingly empty. "I don't know what I'm going to do this summer. I don't want to say, 'Get over it,' but just grieve. Take time off. Try to think about him," he said.
The twins had sturdy good looks and earnest smiles, but the Durgin boys had always been different. It's apparent, even in photographs from their childhood. Sean, his hair a shade lighter, often looked more serious. He'd be standing at attention, gazing out soberly, while Russell would stick up a thumb and grin impishly.
Sean would always think before acting while Russell was more spontaneous, more emotional. Sean worried about his brother sometimes, yet he seemed invincible - as though the good times would carry him through.
"He knew how to live life," Sean said. "He wasn't cocky or overconfident. ... He knew how to handle his men."
Henniker, a town of about 4,500, boasts a covered bridge near the sole traffic light downtown and a pharmacy with an old-fashioned fountain service and swivel seats. Everyone knows everyone here, and the news of Russell's death rolled through like a quake.
When Russell's body came home, police officers stood and saluted at every intersection. A high school friend organized a candlelight vigil, and an officer directed traffic into the church parking lot at the wake. Signs about the viewing, the funeral and the gathering downtown for a final good-bye salute were posted everywhere.
Some family friends knew out-of-town visitors would be coming and thought the highway overpass looked empty. As the sun began to set Thursday, they went out to the bridge with a stepstool and stuck little American flags along the top of the mesh fence.
Russell's mother, Jean Tully Durgin, had also planted American flags along the edge of her front lawn. Behind them was a picture of Russell as everyone seems to remember him - smiling, carefree. "You left us too soon but you will always be with us," a sign read. Another sign simply said "Welcome Home Russ."
Someone brought an extra refrigerator to the Durgins to hold all the food from friends. And all week, young people moved in and out. They smiled ruefully and talked in hushed tones.
Lester Durgin, the twins' father, is no longer married to their mother, but he was at the house all week too, eyes red-rimmed. The boys' four siblings were dazed. Jean Durgin moved around slowly, as if every part of her body ached. She cried when James O'Leary, Russell's friend from Iraq, arrived.
"I needed to see you," she said, hugging him and burying her face on his big shoulder. Her muffled sobs filled the kitchen with its gingham curtains. "He loved you guys. You know that."
O'Leary lifted his shirt. He had a new tattoo - a flag, an eagle and dog tags marked with Russell's initials.
In the living room, the family had set up two giant posterboards with photographs. Russell and Sean as babies, Russell kissing his girlfriend, Russell and Sean upright in their military uniforms.
Lester Durgin had served in the Marine Corps in the 1960s, and both boys always expected to join the military. When they were 17, despite their mother's apprehension, Sean joined the Air Force and Russell, the Army Reserve.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Russell was released to active duty and served in Korea, and then for a year in Iraq. He returned, retrained as a sniper and left for Afghanistan in March.
Sean, meanwhile, became an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. He briefly served in Qatar while Russell was in Iraq. Last summer, in order to be with his girlfriend, he moved from an Air Force base in Arkansas to White Marsh and joined the Maryland Air National Guard.
The family thought the worst was over for Russell when he returned from Iraq.
"Afghanistan was supposed to be a piece of cake, and he was supposed to be a lot safer," said his girlfriend, Michele Dougherty. The couple had known each other since high school and had picked out names for future children.
By chance, Dougherty was at the Durgin household the day they the news came. Sean was there for a rare visit before his July 6 deployment. In honor of his associate's degree, he and Dougherty had gone out to dinner with his mother and other relatives.
Sean was standing in the driveway when he saw the soldiers drive by, turn around and park in front of the house. He dropped his soda and started screaming.
Russell was shot staving off the enemy while about five of his fellow soldiers found cover, Sean said. His actions earned him a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
Sean never would have asked to get out of his Qatar assignment. He doesn't agree with his mother, who campaigned vigorously for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race and has been against the war in Iraq from the beginning. Sean believes that it's his duty to serve.
But a few days after his brother's death, he found out his deployment was canceled. Peter Ramsey, a fellow member of his unit, had agreed to go in his stead. "We take care of each other," said Ramsey, 26.
Sean's girlfriend, Melissa Sellers, had planted a garden so she could watch something grow while he was gone. She wept in relief when she found out he wouldn't be sent to Qatar. It's not a war zone, she said, but in the Middle East, "everything is volatile."
He could wind up there. Sean says that when his obligation to the Maryland Air National Guard ends in 2009, he may re-enlist.
"I'm probably less scared now," he said. "If something does happen to me, I know he'll be there waiting for me."
In a way, he is ready for the hoopla to end: the funeral, the throngs, the attention that none of them ever wanted.
When it quiets down, he said, he's going to go to his brother's grave by himself. He'll crack open a beer, and they'll have one last drink together.
Army Sgt. Russell M. Durgin was killed in action on 06/13/06.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero, 21, of Los Angeles
Lance Cpl Guerrero was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died June 9 of wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero, 21, Whittier; Killed by Bomb in Iraq
By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
June 18, 2006
Intent on sparing his mother from worrying, Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero told her during his regular calls home from Iraq that he was training in Japan and would be home soon.
But last week, three Marines in uniform arrived on Rosa Guerrero's doorstep in Whittier to tell her that her son had been killed in combat June 9 west of Baghdad.
He had been in Iraq since March, she learned.
Guerrero, 21, was killed in Al Anbar province when the Humvee he was driving was struck in the explosion of a roadside bomb, said his aunt, Maria Vega.
He was an ammunition specialist assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
That Guerrero had tried to shield his mother from the harsh reality of his assignment was no surprise to friends and relatives, who described the soldier as a quiet aspiring artist who loved adventure and was close to his family.
"He knew his mother would worry too much if she knew he was in Iraq," said girlfriend Laura Almanza, who along with Guerrero's other family members knew his true location.
Vega described her sister's son as "very funny, very likable. He was kind of quiet and very shy, but once he got to know you he was great."
Guerrero, known by the nickname "Junior" to distinguish him from his father, also named Salvador Guerrero, was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Whittier.
He attended Pioneer and Frontier high schools, where his artistic skills blossomed. "He loved to draw animals and people," Vega said.
Guerrero's talent led him to enroll after high school in animation classes at Westwood College in Anaheim, where he earned straight A's, before shifting to classes focusing on graphic design, said Bob Peterson, a program director at the school.
Guerrero told relatives that he was thinking of returning to classes, and a possible career in animation, when his military service was over, Vega said.
When he was not in class, Guerrero earned a paycheck driving a United Parcel Service truck, Almanza said.
Guerrero also liked adventure and excitement - his favorite movie genre was horror. That thrill-seeking side also had him considering the idea of becoming a police officer when he left the military, Almanza said.
The adrenalin rush that made police work attractive to Guerrero also had played a big part in his decision to enlist in the military last year.
"In some of his letters from Iraq, he would get mad because nothing was going on," Almanza said. "He liked the thrill of going there."
Guerrero had been fascinated by the military since he was a young boy and went to extraordinary lengths to join the Marine Corps.
Guerrero was still living at home with his parents in Whittier when he enlisted, and his first application to the Marines was rejected because he was overweight, Vega said.
Undeterred, Guerrero buckled down, hitting the gym, running and dieting until he dropped from 250 pounds to 170, Vega said.
He reapplied to the Marines and was accepted. But, shortly after arriving at boot camp, his superiors raised questions about the tattoo of an angel that Guerrero had on one arm.
Initial concerns that it might be gang-related were dispelled and the military let him stay after military officials confirmed that the angel was religious in nature - a depiction of St. Michael.
A grandmother had given Guerrero a prayer card with St. Michael to take with him into the military for protection and, concerned that he might lose it, he had the image tattooed on his arm, family members said.
The tattoo was a symbol of Guerrero's Catholic faith, and he attended Mass whenever possible, even while he was in Iraq, Vega said.
Guerrero was introduced to Almanza by mutual friends, and the couple were planning to wed, she said.
Almanza said she was attracted to Guerrero from the first time they met.
"He was very sweet. He was a complete gentleman," she said. "He had very, very good morals."
In his last phone call home, the Monday before he was killed, Guerrero told Almanza that his seven-month deployment might be shortened and that she should start making plans for them to attend a Marine Ball in November.
"He was excited that he might come home early," she said.
Although his military career was short, Guerrero won awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment ribbon.
In addition to his parents, Guerrero is survived by a brother, Rodolfo, 16.
Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero was killed in action on 06/09/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero, 21, of Los Angeles
Lance Cpl Guerrero was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died June 9 of wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero, 21, Whittier; Killed by Bomb in Iraq
By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
June 18, 2006
Intent on sparing his mother from worrying, Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero told her during his regular calls home from Iraq that he was training in Japan and would be home soon.
But last week, three Marines in uniform arrived on Rosa Guerrero's doorstep in Whittier to tell her that her son had been killed in combat June 9 west of Baghdad.
He had been in Iraq since March, she learned.
Guerrero, 21, was killed in Al Anbar province when the Humvee he was driving was struck in the explosion of a roadside bomb, said his aunt, Maria Vega.
He was an ammunition specialist assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
That Guerrero had tried to shield his mother from the harsh reality of his assignment was no surprise to friends and relatives, who described the soldier as a quiet aspiring artist who loved adventure and was close to his family.
"He knew his mother would worry too much if she knew he was in Iraq," said girlfriend Laura Almanza, who along with Guerrero's other family members knew his true location.
Vega described her sister's son as "very funny, very likable. He was kind of quiet and very shy, but once he got to know you he was great."
Guerrero, known by the nickname "Junior" to distinguish him from his father, also named Salvador Guerrero, was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Whittier.
He attended Pioneer and Frontier high schools, where his artistic skills blossomed. "He loved to draw animals and people," Vega said.
Guerrero's talent led him to enroll after high school in animation classes at Westwood College in Anaheim, where he earned straight A's, before shifting to classes focusing on graphic design, said Bob Peterson, a program director at the school.
Guerrero told relatives that he was thinking of returning to classes, and a possible career in animation, when his military service was over, Vega said.
When he was not in class, Guerrero earned a paycheck driving a United Parcel Service truck, Almanza said.
Guerrero also liked adventure and excitement - his favorite movie genre was horror. That thrill-seeking side also had him considering the idea of becoming a police officer when he left the military, Almanza said.
The adrenalin rush that made police work attractive to Guerrero also had played a big part in his decision to enlist in the military last year.
"In some of his letters from Iraq, he would get mad because nothing was going on," Almanza said. "He liked the thrill of going there."
Guerrero had been fascinated by the military since he was a young boy and went to extraordinary lengths to join the Marine Corps.
Guerrero was still living at home with his parents in Whittier when he enlisted, and his first application to the Marines was rejected because he was overweight, Vega said.
Undeterred, Guerrero buckled down, hitting the gym, running and dieting until he dropped from 250 pounds to 170, Vega said.
He reapplied to the Marines and was accepted. But, shortly after arriving at boot camp, his superiors raised questions about the tattoo of an angel that Guerrero had on one arm.
Initial concerns that it might be gang-related were dispelled and the military let him stay after military officials confirmed that the angel was religious in nature - a depiction of St. Michael.
A grandmother had given Guerrero a prayer card with St. Michael to take with him into the military for protection and, concerned that he might lose it, he had the image tattooed on his arm, family members said.
The tattoo was a symbol of Guerrero's Catholic faith, and he attended Mass whenever possible, even while he was in Iraq, Vega said.
Guerrero was introduced to Almanza by mutual friends, and the couple were planning to wed, she said.
Almanza said she was attracted to Guerrero from the first time they met.
"He was very sweet. He was a complete gentleman," she said. "He had very, very good morals."
In his last phone call home, the Monday before he was killed, Guerrero told Almanza that his seven-month deployment might be shortened and that she should start making plans for them to attend a Marine Ball in November.
"He was excited that he might come home early," she said.
Although his military career was short, Guerrero won awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment ribbon.
In addition to his parents, Guerrero is survived by a brother, Rodolfo, 16.
Marine Lance Cpl. Salvador Guerrero was killed in action on 06/09/06.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Army Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain, 31, of Meridian, Mississippi.
Sgt. McSwain died in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Died on June 8, 2006.
By Joshua Cogswell
jcogswell@clarionledger.com
Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain, who was killed last week in Iraq, was a devoted family man, his sister said Monday.
A Meridian native and the father of four, McSwain died Thursday in Baghdad of injuries sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy vehicle during combat operations, the Department of Defense said.
McSwain, 31, a 12-year Army veteran, was serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. He was the oldest of five siblings.
His sister, Ashley McSwain, 25, spoke for the family when reached by phone. She said he always was very protective of his family, especially his younger sisters, an impulse that Ashley McSwain says drew him to the Army.
"He was like that wherever he went. He wanted to protect people," McSwain said. "I think the world lost a good person. He was one of the best brothers anyone could have."
Maj. Nathan Banks, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, said McSwain was traveling in a convoy near Al Kut, about 115 miles southeast of Baghdad, when soldiers noticed a possible bomb near the roadside.
McSwain and another soldier got out of their vehicle to identify the bomb, and it exploded as they approached, Banks said. The other soldier was not killed.
McSwain is survived by a wife, Kendra, two daughters, Krista and Jakayla, a stepdaughter, Jasmin, and an infant son, Kenneth.
Ashley McSwain said her brother had only seen his 5-month-old son once, when the sergeant was home on leave for Kenneth's birth in January.
"He talked to us as much as he could while he was over there, and he always talked about how much he wanted to get back to see his son," the sister said.
Ashley McSwain said she saw how much her brother loved the military when word reached him that one of his soldiers died in Iraq while he was home on leave.
"That really hurt him a lot," she said. "I didn't really know how much it affected him until I saw it on his face."
McSwain's father, the Rev. Theodis McSwain, is pastor of Gilfield Missionary Baptist Church in Pushmataha, Ala.
The soldier was a 1993 graduate of Meridian High School, where he played football and was an honors graduate.
He majored in English at the University of Southern Mississippi before enlisting in the Army at 19.
McSwain was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Fort Campbell, Ky.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain was killed in action on 06/08/06.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain, 31, of Meridian, Mississippi.
Sgt. McSwain died in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Died on June 8, 2006.
By Joshua Cogswell
jcogswell@clarionledger.com
Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain, who was killed last week in Iraq, was a devoted family man, his sister said Monday.
A Meridian native and the father of four, McSwain died Thursday in Baghdad of injuries sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy vehicle during combat operations, the Department of Defense said.
McSwain, 31, a 12-year Army veteran, was serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. He was the oldest of five siblings.
His sister, Ashley McSwain, 25, spoke for the family when reached by phone. She said he always was very protective of his family, especially his younger sisters, an impulse that Ashley McSwain says drew him to the Army.
"He was like that wherever he went. He wanted to protect people," McSwain said. "I think the world lost a good person. He was one of the best brothers anyone could have."
Maj. Nathan Banks, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, said McSwain was traveling in a convoy near Al Kut, about 115 miles southeast of Baghdad, when soldiers noticed a possible bomb near the roadside.
McSwain and another soldier got out of their vehicle to identify the bomb, and it exploded as they approached, Banks said. The other soldier was not killed.
McSwain is survived by a wife, Kendra, two daughters, Krista and Jakayla, a stepdaughter, Jasmin, and an infant son, Kenneth.
Ashley McSwain said her brother had only seen his 5-month-old son once, when the sergeant was home on leave for Kenneth's birth in January.
"He talked to us as much as he could while he was over there, and he always talked about how much he wanted to get back to see his son," the sister said.
Ashley McSwain said she saw how much her brother loved the military when word reached him that one of his soldiers died in Iraq while he was home on leave.
"That really hurt him a lot," she said. "I didn't really know how much it affected him until I saw it on his face."
McSwain's father, the Rev. Theodis McSwain, is pastor of Gilfield Missionary Baptist Church in Pushmataha, Ala.
The soldier was a 1993 graduate of Meridian High School, where he played football and was an honors graduate.
He majored in English at the University of Southern Mississippi before enlisting in the Army at 19.
McSwain was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Fort Campbell, Ky.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain was killed in action on 06/08/06.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Army 2nd Lt. John S. Vaughan
Remember Our Heroes
Army 2nd Lt. John S. Vaughan, 23, of Edwards, Colo.
2nd Lt Vaughan was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; killed June 7 when he encountered enemy small-arms fire during dismounted combat operations in Mosul, Iraq.
2nd Lt. John S. Vaughan QUINCY - Army 2nd Lt. John Shaw Vaughan, 23, died Wednesday, June 7, 2006, in action while serving in Mosul, Iraq. A graveside service with full military honors will be at 10 a.m. EDT today at Hillcrest Cemetery. The Rev. Ralph McCaskill will officiate. The Honor Guard from Fort Benning, Ga., will be present.
John was born April 12, 1983, in Vail, Colo., to Sarah Shaw and Robert John Vaughan.
John enjoyed skiing, fly fishing, horseback riding and building Jeeps. After high school he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. He joined the Army ROTC program his freshman year and was assigned a prestigious branch placement of military intelligence with a branch detail of infantry. He graduated in May 2005 and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in aviation, and he was commissioned the same day as a 2nd lieutenant.
After completing the basic training course at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned a post in Fort Wainwright, AK.
John was deployed to Iraq May 6 to join the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Lt. Vaughan earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his courageous sacrifice in the line of duty.
John is survived by his mother, Sarah Shaw Vaughan of Vail; a sister, Rebecca Vaughan of Vail; his maternal grandmother, Rebecca Shaw of Quincy; an aunt, Leewood Shaw of Tallahassee; his uncle and aunt, Charles Richard "Dick" III and Cheryl Shaw, both of Golden, Colo.; two cousins, Walker and Maxwell Shaw, both of Golden; and his father and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Robert John Vaughan of Las Vegas, Nev.
Army 2nd Lt. John S. Vaughan was killed in action on 6/7/06.
Army 2nd Lt. John S. Vaughan, 23, of Edwards, Colo.
2nd Lt Vaughan was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; killed June 7 when he encountered enemy small-arms fire during dismounted combat operations in Mosul, Iraq.
2nd Lt. John S. Vaughan QUINCY - Army 2nd Lt. John Shaw Vaughan, 23, died Wednesday, June 7, 2006, in action while serving in Mosul, Iraq. A graveside service with full military honors will be at 10 a.m. EDT today at Hillcrest Cemetery. The Rev. Ralph McCaskill will officiate. The Honor Guard from Fort Benning, Ga., will be present.
John was born April 12, 1983, in Vail, Colo., to Sarah Shaw and Robert John Vaughan.
John enjoyed skiing, fly fishing, horseback riding and building Jeeps. After high school he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. He joined the Army ROTC program his freshman year and was assigned a prestigious branch placement of military intelligence with a branch detail of infantry. He graduated in May 2005 and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in aviation, and he was commissioned the same day as a 2nd lieutenant.
After completing the basic training course at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned a post in Fort Wainwright, AK.
John was deployed to Iraq May 6 to join the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Lt. Vaughan earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his courageous sacrifice in the line of duty.
John is survived by his mother, Sarah Shaw Vaughan of Vail; a sister, Rebecca Vaughan of Vail; his maternal grandmother, Rebecca Shaw of Quincy; an aunt, Leewood Shaw of Tallahassee; his uncle and aunt, Charles Richard "Dick" III and Cheryl Shaw, both of Golden, Colo.; two cousins, Walker and Maxwell Shaw, both of Golden; and his father and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Robert John Vaughan of Las Vegas, Nev.
Army 2nd Lt. John S. Vaughan was killed in action on 6/7/06.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Army Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley, 34, of Plainfield, Ind.
SSgt Blakley was assigned to the 38th Main Support Battalion, Indiana Army National Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.; killed June 6 when he was shot by enemy small arms fire during dismounted combat patrol operations in Khalidiyah, Iraq.
INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana National Guardsman was killed this week in Iraq, just weeks after Gov. Mitch Daniels presented him with a Purple Heart award, officials said.
Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley, 34, of Avon, was killed Tuesday by small-arms fire while he was on patrol near Al Khalidiyah, Iraq, the Indiana National Guard said Thursday.
During a trip to Iraq in April, Daniels presented Blakley with a Purple Heart in Baghdad. Blakley was injured by a sniper in January and returned to active duty the same day.
"The loss of any Hoosier soldier always hits us hard, but I can't help but be especially affected by this case," Daniels said in a press release. "I already had been deeply moved by Richard's courage and devotion to duty and had told his story to thousands of people. I don't know words to describe heroism this large."
In a summary of Daniels' Iraq trip e-mailed to constituents who have corresponded with him, the governor wrote about awarding the Purple Heart to Blakley, noting that when Blakley was told to take time off because of his January wound, he had declined, "insisting on rejoining his team that very afternoon."
"I have no idea exactly what I said to his assembled comrades at the Purple Heart ceremony, but hope that anything it lacked in eloquence was offset by the heartfelt admiration and gratitude which one could not help but be overwhelmed by, given the privilege afforded to me," Daniels wrote in the e-mail, according to the Indiana National Guard.
Blakley, an Avon High School graduate, was deployed with the 738th Area Support Medical Company of Monticello, Ind.
He and his wife of 10 years, Patty Blakley, had two children. Patty Blakley said she is having difficulty coming to terms with her husband's death.
"I saw on the news this morning, they had a segment on him, and to see his face on there was so hard, and I just wanted to talk to him," she said.
Some of his relatives told 6News' Linda Allen that at one time in his life, Richard Blakley was unruly and undisciplined, but he turned his life around in the military.
"If I had been in the military, he was the kind of leader, the kind of sergeant, that I would want to have," said his stepfather, Donnie Schauwecker.
Blakley's mother, Janice Schauwecker, said her son liked to ask for care packages with Pop Rocks candy because he enjoyed sharing them with Iraqi children.
Army Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley was killed in action on 06/06/06.
Army Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley, 34, of Plainfield, Ind.
SSgt Blakley was assigned to the 38th Main Support Battalion, Indiana Army National Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.; killed June 6 when he was shot by enemy small arms fire during dismounted combat patrol operations in Khalidiyah, Iraq.
INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana National Guardsman was killed this week in Iraq, just weeks after Gov. Mitch Daniels presented him with a Purple Heart award, officials said.
Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley, 34, of Avon, was killed Tuesday by small-arms fire while he was on patrol near Al Khalidiyah, Iraq, the Indiana National Guard said Thursday.
During a trip to Iraq in April, Daniels presented Blakley with a Purple Heart in Baghdad. Blakley was injured by a sniper in January and returned to active duty the same day.
"The loss of any Hoosier soldier always hits us hard, but I can't help but be especially affected by this case," Daniels said in a press release. "I already had been deeply moved by Richard's courage and devotion to duty and had told his story to thousands of people. I don't know words to describe heroism this large."
In a summary of Daniels' Iraq trip e-mailed to constituents who have corresponded with him, the governor wrote about awarding the Purple Heart to Blakley, noting that when Blakley was told to take time off because of his January wound, he had declined, "insisting on rejoining his team that very afternoon."
"I have no idea exactly what I said to his assembled comrades at the Purple Heart ceremony, but hope that anything it lacked in eloquence was offset by the heartfelt admiration and gratitude which one could not help but be overwhelmed by, given the privilege afforded to me," Daniels wrote in the e-mail, according to the Indiana National Guard.
Blakley, an Avon High School graduate, was deployed with the 738th Area Support Medical Company of Monticello, Ind.
He and his wife of 10 years, Patty Blakley, had two children. Patty Blakley said she is having difficulty coming to terms with her husband's death.
"I saw on the news this morning, they had a segment on him, and to see his face on there was so hard, and I just wanted to talk to him," she said.
Some of his relatives told 6News' Linda Allen that at one time in his life, Richard Blakley was unruly and undisciplined, but he turned his life around in the military.
"If I had been in the military, he was the kind of leader, the kind of sergeant, that I would want to have," said his stepfather, Donnie Schauwecker.
Blakley's mother, Janice Schauwecker, said her son liked to ask for care packages with Pop Rocks candy because he enjoyed sharing them with Iraqi children.
Army Staff Sgt. Richard A. Blakley was killed in action on 06/06/06.
Army Specialist Curtis R. Mehrer
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Curtis R. Mehrer, 21, of Bismarck, N.D.
Spc. Mehrer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery, North Dakota Army National Guard, Grand Forks, N.D.; killed June 6 when his Humvee struck two anti-tank mines during combat operations in Khogyani, Afghanistan. Also killed was Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest.
Cpl. Curtis Robert Mehrer, 21, Bismarck, was killed in action in eastern Afghanistan, June 6, 2006. He was conducting combat security operations when a roadside explosion destroyed his vehicle. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 15, at Zion Lutheran Church, Bismarck, with the Rev. Thomas R. Marcis Jr. officiating. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Bismarck Funeral Home, where a prayer service will be held at 6 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church.
Curtis was born Feb. 6, 1985, in Bismarck, the son of Kevin and Joyce (Palenberg) Mehrer. He was raised and educated in Bismarck. He graduated from Bismarck High School in 2003. On Nov. 20, 2003, he enlisted into the North Dakota Army National Guard as a private into E Battery of the First of the 188th Air Defense Artillery Battalion as a Man-Portable Air Defense System Crew member. From March 24, 2004 to July 16, 2004, he completed training at Fort Bliss, Texas. On June 18, 2005, he finished the Avenger Crew Member Course. He became a specialist (E4) on Oct. 1, 2005.
On Dec. 1, 2005, he was mobilized to deploy with the 1-188th Air Defense Artillery N.D. Army National Guard, Grand Forks, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He went to Fort Lewis, Wash., to prepare for overseas deployment. He arrived in Afghanistan on March 22, 2006. He was promoted to the rank of corporal on June 6, 2006. His goal when returning home was to become a helicopter pilot. He was planning on becoming engaged to Crystal Schmidt in October. Before deployment, he was employed by S&B Landscaping. Curtis loved life. He was fearless and lived for the moment.
He believed in what he was fighting for, "freedom," free from terrorism.
He is survived by his parents; twin brother, Alan, his fiancee, Amber Will and daughter, Hailee McCormick; his grandfather, CW4 Robert Mehrer, Bismarck; his grandmother, Alice (Schaner) Palenberg, Bismarck; his great-grandmothers, Alpha Mehrer and Ella Bickel, both of Bismarck; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Cpl. Donald Palenberg; and grandmother, Alice (Bickel) Mehrer.
He will be greatly missed.
Army Specialist Curtis R. Mehrer was killed in action on 06/06/06.
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Army Specialist Curtis R. Mehrer, 21, of Bismarck, N.D.
Spc. Mehrer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery, North Dakota Army National Guard, Grand Forks, N.D.; killed June 6 when his Humvee struck two anti-tank mines during combat operations in Khogyani, Afghanistan. Also killed was Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest.
Cpl. Curtis Robert Mehrer, 21, Bismarck, was killed in action in eastern Afghanistan, June 6, 2006. He was conducting combat security operations when a roadside explosion destroyed his vehicle. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 15, at Zion Lutheran Church, Bismarck, with the Rev. Thomas R. Marcis Jr. officiating. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Bismarck Funeral Home, where a prayer service will be held at 6 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church.
Curtis was born Feb. 6, 1985, in Bismarck, the son of Kevin and Joyce (Palenberg) Mehrer. He was raised and educated in Bismarck. He graduated from Bismarck High School in 2003. On Nov. 20, 2003, he enlisted into the North Dakota Army National Guard as a private into E Battery of the First of the 188th Air Defense Artillery Battalion as a Man-Portable Air Defense System Crew member. From March 24, 2004 to July 16, 2004, he completed training at Fort Bliss, Texas. On June 18, 2005, he finished the Avenger Crew Member Course. He became a specialist (E4) on Oct. 1, 2005.
On Dec. 1, 2005, he was mobilized to deploy with the 1-188th Air Defense Artillery N.D. Army National Guard, Grand Forks, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He went to Fort Lewis, Wash., to prepare for overseas deployment. He arrived in Afghanistan on March 22, 2006. He was promoted to the rank of corporal on June 6, 2006. His goal when returning home was to become a helicopter pilot. He was planning on becoming engaged to Crystal Schmidt in October. Before deployment, he was employed by S&B Landscaping. Curtis loved life. He was fearless and lived for the moment.
He believed in what he was fighting for, "freedom," free from terrorism.
He is survived by his parents; twin brother, Alan, his fiancee, Amber Will and daughter, Hailee McCormick; his grandfather, CW4 Robert Mehrer, Bismarck; his grandmother, Alice (Schaner) Palenberg, Bismarck; his great-grandmothers, Alpha Mehrer and Ella Bickel, both of Bismarck; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Cpl. Donald Palenberg; and grandmother, Alice (Bickel) Mehrer.
He will be greatly missed.
Army Specialist Curtis R. Mehrer was killed in action on 06/06/06.
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Army Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest, 21, of Larimore, N.D.
Sgt Van Zoest was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery, North Dakota Army National Guard, Grand Forks, N.D.; killed June 6 when his Humvee struck two anti-tank mines during combat operations in Khogyani, Afghanistan. Also killed was Spc. Curtis R. Mehrer.
BISMARCK – Two North Dakota National Guard soldiers killed in Afghanistan felt it was their duty to serve their country and fight terrorism, their families said.
Spc. Curtis Mehrer and Sgt. Travis Van Zoest, both 21 and from Bismarck, were killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday by a roadside bomb blast. They were the first North Dakota Guard soldiers to die in the country.
Families of both soldiers said they spoke to the men last weekend.
Van Zoest’s mother, Sheila Richter, of Bismarck, said her son made the decision to join the military when he was 16, following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“This was something very, very important to him,” his mother said. “He said it was his job as an American.”
Mehrer joined the military, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, his family said.
“He was very patriotic – he felt it was his duty,” said Kevin Mehrer, his father. “In our mind, he’s a hero. He gave up his life for his country.”
The soldiers were members of the Security Forces of the 188th Air Defense Artillery, which is based in Grand Forks and has a battery in Bismarck. The unit has been in Afghanistan for about 2½ months.
The military said the soldiers were in a vehicle that was hit by a bomb or tank mine blast south of Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Wicks, 39, was wounded. Guard spokesman Bill Prokopyk said Thursday that Wicks had been moved to a military hospital in Germany and was listed in stable condition. Prokopyk said no details were available about Wicks’ injuries, and he did not immediately know whether Wicks’ wife, Angela, would be traveling to Germany.
Funeral arrangements for Mehrer and Van Zoest were still pending Thursday.
Richter said her son and Mehrer had known each other since high school, and became friends in the military.
“They were battle buddies,” Richter said.
Mehrer graduated from Bismarck High in 2003, and Van Zoest from Century the same year.
Bismarck High Principal Ken Erickson said it was tough to see the loss of a former student.
“As a community and a school we’re very sad, and we certainly want to extend our heartfelt (sympathy) to the family,” he said.
Century counselor Kim Motis said Van Zoest will be missed by those who knew him.
“He was just always upbeat, respectful, kind,” she said. “He was just a good kid ... and someone you enjoyed being around, and with.”
Erickson and Motis said that since the high schools include only grades 10 through 12 and Mehrer and Van Zoest graduated three years ago, there are no current students who attended classes with the two.
Van Zoest is survived by his mother, and father Bernardus Van Zoest, of Dane, Wis., a stepfather, a brother and two stepbrothers. Van Zoest was engaged to be married to Keisia Austin, of Bismarck.
Army Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest was killed in action on 06/06/06.
Army Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest, 21, of Larimore, N.D.
Sgt Van Zoest was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery, North Dakota Army National Guard, Grand Forks, N.D.; killed June 6 when his Humvee struck two anti-tank mines during combat operations in Khogyani, Afghanistan. Also killed was Spc. Curtis R. Mehrer.
BISMARCK – Two North Dakota National Guard soldiers killed in Afghanistan felt it was their duty to serve their country and fight terrorism, their families said.
Spc. Curtis Mehrer and Sgt. Travis Van Zoest, both 21 and from Bismarck, were killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday by a roadside bomb blast. They were the first North Dakota Guard soldiers to die in the country.
Families of both soldiers said they spoke to the men last weekend.
Van Zoest’s mother, Sheila Richter, of Bismarck, said her son made the decision to join the military when he was 16, following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“This was something very, very important to him,” his mother said. “He said it was his job as an American.”
Mehrer joined the military, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, his family said.
“He was very patriotic – he felt it was his duty,” said Kevin Mehrer, his father. “In our mind, he’s a hero. He gave up his life for his country.”
The soldiers were members of the Security Forces of the 188th Air Defense Artillery, which is based in Grand Forks and has a battery in Bismarck. The unit has been in Afghanistan for about 2½ months.
The military said the soldiers were in a vehicle that was hit by a bomb or tank mine blast south of Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Wicks, 39, was wounded. Guard spokesman Bill Prokopyk said Thursday that Wicks had been moved to a military hospital in Germany and was listed in stable condition. Prokopyk said no details were available about Wicks’ injuries, and he did not immediately know whether Wicks’ wife, Angela, would be traveling to Germany.
Funeral arrangements for Mehrer and Van Zoest were still pending Thursday.
Richter said her son and Mehrer had known each other since high school, and became friends in the military.
“They were battle buddies,” Richter said.
Mehrer graduated from Bismarck High in 2003, and Van Zoest from Century the same year.
Bismarck High Principal Ken Erickson said it was tough to see the loss of a former student.
“As a community and a school we’re very sad, and we certainly want to extend our heartfelt (sympathy) to the family,” he said.
Century counselor Kim Motis said Van Zoest will be missed by those who knew him.
“He was just always upbeat, respectful, kind,” she said. “He was just a good kid ... and someone you enjoyed being around, and with.”
Erickson and Motis said that since the high schools include only grades 10 through 12 and Mehrer and Van Zoest graduated three years ago, there are no current students who attended classes with the two.
Van Zoest is survived by his mother, and father Bernardus Van Zoest, of Dane, Wis., a stepfather, a brother and two stepbrothers. Van Zoest was engaged to be married to Keisia Austin, of Bismarck.
Army Sgt. Travis A. Van Zoest was killed in action on 06/06/06.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Army Sgt. Daniel R. Gionet
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Daniel R. Gionet, 23, of Pelham, N.H.
Sgt. Gionet was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed June 4 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A2 tank during combat operations in Baghdad. Also killed was 1st Lt. Ryan T. Sanders.
www.nashuatelegraph.com -- PELHAM – Daniel Gionet Sr. is grateful for the call he received from his son on his birthday.
Gionet, 50, of Lowell, Mass., hadn’t spoken to his 24-year-old namesake, an Army specialist with the 1-66AR 4th Infantry Division, since December. The younger Gionet managed to call his father’s cell phone from Taji, Iraq, where he had been deployed since that time.
"Something stupid" had caused an icy rift that stopped the father and son from talking.
That day, May 28, Gionet, a former Marine, was on his motorcycle heading to North Conway when his cell phone rang during a stop at the bank.
"He said, ‘Dad, I love you, and I forgive you. Will you forgive me?’ "
Tears were shed between the two men, then the conversation led to the obvious concerns Gionet had of his son’s situation.
"He was trying to hide the truth from me, by not telling me how bad it was," Gionet said.
"I said, ‘Dan, it’s all over the news, it’s real bad over there, don’t tell me it’s not.’ "
Gionet, listened as his son explained that the 36-hour patrols he had been doing every three days had been cut down to 12-hour patrols.
"That was good news," Gionet said of the relief he felt upon hearing that comforting information.
The relief was premature, however. On Sunday night, Gionet got the call he had been dreading since February 2002 when his son first left for action.
Daniel R. Gionet died after the tank he was riding in hit an explosive device at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, his family said.
"I got to make amends with him," the elder Gionet said, his eyes tearing up.
"If I was on the highway, I would never have gotten the call."
On Monday, at Gionet’s mother’s 1 Gumpas Hill Road house, neighbors flew their flags at half- staff in honor of their fallen neighbor.
At about 6:30 p.m. an Army official arrived to the home to provide a bit more information to the family.
"The burning questions are not yet answered," his mother Denise Gionet, 47, said, referring to whether her son suffered or was killed instantly.
The explosion happened in Taji, where Gionet, a medic, had been doing patrols, she said.
Denise Gionet could not say if anyone else was killed or injured in the explosion, but said her son typically patrolled with a four-man crew.
He was expected to come home on leave in July, she said.
Daniel Gionet attended Pelham High School, where he was a good student and excelled in sports, joining the school wrestling team and baseball team, his father said.
He joined the Army shortly after his 2001 high school graduation and was sent to Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan, where he worked as a cook.
"My work here is important to my country," Gionet told a reporter in March 2004.
"As a cook, I contribute greatly to the morale of the soldiers who eat at the dining facility," he said.
Gionet had joined the military with the idea of getting money to go to school to be a chef, his father said, but when his tour of duty ended in 2004, he surprised the family with the news that he would be re-enlisting in to serve as a medic.
"Some of the experiences he had there made him want to be a medic," his father said.
"He really wanted to help people anyway," he said.
After re-enlisting, Gionet was sent to Fort Hood in Texas, where he received his medical training. He last came home to New Hampshire last Thanksgiving, shortly after marrying his wife Katrina, 19, whom he met while stationed at Fort Drum in New York.
"He was basically the greatest person ever," Katrina Gionet said by telephone Monday night. "He always wanted to do the right thing for everybody, even staying in the military. He never complained."
Denise Gionet was sitting on her couch when a uniformed soldier came to her house at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, she said.
Her fiance, Peter Daniels, answered the door, and she watched as he dropped to his knees.
"I knew," she said.
Daniel was the first of her three children, followed by his brother, Darren, 20, and sister, Alycia, 18.
"He was always happy and always helpful," Gionet said of her oldest son.
His parents’ divorce was difficult for Daniel, who was 10 years old at the time, his mother said, but the two remained close for the kids.
Daniel became protective of his mother at that time, she said, but seemed to adjust well when she and the kids moved from his hometown of Lowell, Mass., to Pelham in 1994.
"He made some good friends here in town," she said.
"The only ones who were not his friends were the people he hadn’t met yet."
Childhood friend Amanda Treadwell, 19, was among several of Gionet’s many friends who stood together on his mother’s lawn trading stories about him Monday afternoon.
"Amanda-bear. That’s what he called me," said Treadwell, who was one of a family of kids who grew up around the corner from his Daniel’s home in Lowell.
Treadwell said she was upset when she found out the older boy who used to toss her around in the pool had decided to join the military during such a dangerous time.
"I thought he was nuts. I didn’t like it, not at all," she said.
Next to Treadwell, Gionet’s brother, Darren, struggled to rationalize the death of his older brother.
Darren Gionet had recently begun to plan a camping trip to Maine with his brother, for when he finished his duty in Iraq.
"I was waiting for him to come home. It was going to be a surprise," Darren Gionet said.
Military officials are investigating the incident and an autopsy has been scheduled, Denise Gionet said.
The family will receive Gionet’s body in about a week, she said.
It is too soon for details about Gionet’s funeral or where he is to be buried, she said.
"My gut instinct is to keep him right here in town so people can visit him," Denise Gionet said.
Shortly after the Army official arrived to the home, Pelham Police Chief Evan Haglund, state Sen. Chuck Morse and Selectman Jean-Guy Bergeron also arrived to the home to offer their condolences.
"We are all very sorry for their loss," Haglund said later by telephone.
"We are offering anything that the family needs at this point," he said.
Denise Gionet said the community response to her son’s death has been overwhelming.
"It’s been intense and it has been strengthening and it makes me realize how much of a hero he really is," she said.
Army Sgt. Daniel R. Gionet was killed in action on 06/04/06.
Army Sgt. Daniel R. Gionet, 23, of Pelham, N.H.
Sgt. Gionet was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed June 4 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A2 tank during combat operations in Baghdad. Also killed was 1st Lt. Ryan T. Sanders.
www.nashuatelegraph.com -- PELHAM – Daniel Gionet Sr. is grateful for the call he received from his son on his birthday.
Gionet, 50, of Lowell, Mass., hadn’t spoken to his 24-year-old namesake, an Army specialist with the 1-66AR 4th Infantry Division, since December. The younger Gionet managed to call his father’s cell phone from Taji, Iraq, where he had been deployed since that time.
"Something stupid" had caused an icy rift that stopped the father and son from talking.
That day, May 28, Gionet, a former Marine, was on his motorcycle heading to North Conway when his cell phone rang during a stop at the bank.
"He said, ‘Dad, I love you, and I forgive you. Will you forgive me?’ "
Tears were shed between the two men, then the conversation led to the obvious concerns Gionet had of his son’s situation.
"He was trying to hide the truth from me, by not telling me how bad it was," Gionet said.
"I said, ‘Dan, it’s all over the news, it’s real bad over there, don’t tell me it’s not.’ "
Gionet, listened as his son explained that the 36-hour patrols he had been doing every three days had been cut down to 12-hour patrols.
"That was good news," Gionet said of the relief he felt upon hearing that comforting information.
The relief was premature, however. On Sunday night, Gionet got the call he had been dreading since February 2002 when his son first left for action.
Daniel R. Gionet died after the tank he was riding in hit an explosive device at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, his family said.
"I got to make amends with him," the elder Gionet said, his eyes tearing up.
"If I was on the highway, I would never have gotten the call."
On Monday, at Gionet’s mother’s 1 Gumpas Hill Road house, neighbors flew their flags at half- staff in honor of their fallen neighbor.
At about 6:30 p.m. an Army official arrived to the home to provide a bit more information to the family.
"The burning questions are not yet answered," his mother Denise Gionet, 47, said, referring to whether her son suffered or was killed instantly.
The explosion happened in Taji, where Gionet, a medic, had been doing patrols, she said.
Denise Gionet could not say if anyone else was killed or injured in the explosion, but said her son typically patrolled with a four-man crew.
He was expected to come home on leave in July, she said.
Daniel Gionet attended Pelham High School, where he was a good student and excelled in sports, joining the school wrestling team and baseball team, his father said.
He joined the Army shortly after his 2001 high school graduation and was sent to Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan, where he worked as a cook.
"My work here is important to my country," Gionet told a reporter in March 2004.
"As a cook, I contribute greatly to the morale of the soldiers who eat at the dining facility," he said.
Gionet had joined the military with the idea of getting money to go to school to be a chef, his father said, but when his tour of duty ended in 2004, he surprised the family with the news that he would be re-enlisting in to serve as a medic.
"Some of the experiences he had there made him want to be a medic," his father said.
"He really wanted to help people anyway," he said.
After re-enlisting, Gionet was sent to Fort Hood in Texas, where he received his medical training. He last came home to New Hampshire last Thanksgiving, shortly after marrying his wife Katrina, 19, whom he met while stationed at Fort Drum in New York.
"He was basically the greatest person ever," Katrina Gionet said by telephone Monday night. "He always wanted to do the right thing for everybody, even staying in the military. He never complained."
Denise Gionet was sitting on her couch when a uniformed soldier came to her house at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, she said.
Her fiance, Peter Daniels, answered the door, and she watched as he dropped to his knees.
"I knew," she said.
Daniel was the first of her three children, followed by his brother, Darren, 20, and sister, Alycia, 18.
"He was always happy and always helpful," Gionet said of her oldest son.
His parents’ divorce was difficult for Daniel, who was 10 years old at the time, his mother said, but the two remained close for the kids.
Daniel became protective of his mother at that time, she said, but seemed to adjust well when she and the kids moved from his hometown of Lowell, Mass., to Pelham in 1994.
"He made some good friends here in town," she said.
"The only ones who were not his friends were the people he hadn’t met yet."
Childhood friend Amanda Treadwell, 19, was among several of Gionet’s many friends who stood together on his mother’s lawn trading stories about him Monday afternoon.
"Amanda-bear. That’s what he called me," said Treadwell, who was one of a family of kids who grew up around the corner from his Daniel’s home in Lowell.
Treadwell said she was upset when she found out the older boy who used to toss her around in the pool had decided to join the military during such a dangerous time.
"I thought he was nuts. I didn’t like it, not at all," she said.
Next to Treadwell, Gionet’s brother, Darren, struggled to rationalize the death of his older brother.
Darren Gionet had recently begun to plan a camping trip to Maine with his brother, for when he finished his duty in Iraq.
"I was waiting for him to come home. It was going to be a surprise," Darren Gionet said.
Military officials are investigating the incident and an autopsy has been scheduled, Denise Gionet said.
The family will receive Gionet’s body in about a week, she said.
It is too soon for details about Gionet’s funeral or where he is to be buried, she said.
"My gut instinct is to keep him right here in town so people can visit him," Denise Gionet said.
Shortly after the Army official arrived to the home, Pelham Police Chief Evan Haglund, state Sen. Chuck Morse and Selectman Jean-Guy Bergeron also arrived to the home to offer their condolences.
"We are all very sorry for their loss," Haglund said later by telephone.
"We are offering anything that the family needs at this point," he said.
Denise Gionet said the community response to her son’s death has been overwhelming.
"It’s been intense and it has been strengthening and it makes me realize how much of a hero he really is," she said.
Army Sgt. Daniel R. Gionet was killed in action on 06/04/06.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Marine Cpl. Ryan J. Cummings
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Ryan J. Cummings, 22, of Streamwood, Ill.
Cpl. Cummings was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died June 3 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
www.chicagotribune.com
Ryan Cummings signed the papers needed to enlist as a Marine on Sept. 10, 2001.
The terrorist attacks the following morning on Sept. 11 only hardened the then 17-year-old Streamwood youth's resolve to serve his country, said his father, John Cummings.
"He was more gung-ho than ever that he did the right thing," his father recalled Tuesday, as grieved his son's death in Iraq.
"He said that [the terrorist attack] was his sign that he did the right thing," added stepmother Melissa Cummings.
Cummings, 22, died Saturday from wounds suffered while on patrol in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, said the Department of Defense and family members in Crystal Lake, where he spent his boyhood. An improvised bomb exploded and his vehicle rolled over, said Marine Master Sgt. Reginald Ingraham.
Cummings lived in Crystal Lake until he was about 8, then moved to Streamwood with his mother, Janis Cummings, after his parents divorced.
He attended Hoffman Estates High School, where he earned straight A's and played the French horn, graduating in 2002, family members said.
When he signed the papers to join the Marines, his father and stepmother said, his recruiting sergeant told Cummings his test scores were good enough for any assignment he wanted.
He chose the infantry-a decision that worried his family.
"He said, 'if you're going to be a Marine, you have to be in the infantry,'" John Cummings recalled. "'Because that's what a Marine stands for.' He wanted to see combat. He wanted to see action."
But family members said Cummings also was involved in relief efforts following the 2004 tsunami and helped build a medical facility in Africa during another tour, as well serving short stints in Iraq.
He volunteered to return to Iraq for a third tour of duty, which began in February.
Due home in August, Cummings was scheduled to leave the Marines in November and begin studying engineering in January at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"I was always afraid for him," said Cummings' brother, Jason, 13. "Because I knew he was going to get killed if he was in the infantry."
Although he was an excellent student, with a sharp wit and quick mind, John Cummings said his son craved the discipline of the military. And it worked.
"He definitely felt like he was making a difference," John Cummings said.
Visitation is scheduled from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday at the Ahlgrim and Sons Funeral Home, 330 W. Golf Road, Schaumburg. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday June 13 at the funeral home.
Also surviving are his mother, as well as a brother, Kevin, 17, and sister, Kristen, 20, both of Streamwood.
Marine Cpl. Ryan J. Cummings was killed in action on 06/03/06.
Marine Cpl. Ryan J. Cummings, 22, of Streamwood, Ill.
Cpl. Cummings was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died June 3 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
www.chicagotribune.com
Ryan Cummings signed the papers needed to enlist as a Marine on Sept. 10, 2001.
The terrorist attacks the following morning on Sept. 11 only hardened the then 17-year-old Streamwood youth's resolve to serve his country, said his father, John Cummings.
"He was more gung-ho than ever that he did the right thing," his father recalled Tuesday, as grieved his son's death in Iraq.
"He said that [the terrorist attack] was his sign that he did the right thing," added stepmother Melissa Cummings.
Cummings, 22, died Saturday from wounds suffered while on patrol in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, said the Department of Defense and family members in Crystal Lake, where he spent his boyhood. An improvised bomb exploded and his vehicle rolled over, said Marine Master Sgt. Reginald Ingraham.
Cummings lived in Crystal Lake until he was about 8, then moved to Streamwood with his mother, Janis Cummings, after his parents divorced.
He attended Hoffman Estates High School, where he earned straight A's and played the French horn, graduating in 2002, family members said.
When he signed the papers to join the Marines, his father and stepmother said, his recruiting sergeant told Cummings his test scores were good enough for any assignment he wanted.
He chose the infantry-a decision that worried his family.
"He said, 'if you're going to be a Marine, you have to be in the infantry,'" John Cummings recalled. "'Because that's what a Marine stands for.' He wanted to see combat. He wanted to see action."
But family members said Cummings also was involved in relief efforts following the 2004 tsunami and helped build a medical facility in Africa during another tour, as well serving short stints in Iraq.
He volunteered to return to Iraq for a third tour of duty, which began in February.
Due home in August, Cummings was scheduled to leave the Marines in November and begin studying engineering in January at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"I was always afraid for him," said Cummings' brother, Jason, 13. "Because I knew he was going to get killed if he was in the infantry."
Although he was an excellent student, with a sharp wit and quick mind, John Cummings said his son craved the discipline of the military. And it worked.
"He definitely felt like he was making a difference," John Cummings said.
Visitation is scheduled from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday at the Ahlgrim and Sons Funeral Home, 330 W. Golf Road, Schaumburg. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday June 13 at the funeral home.
Also surviving are his mother, as well as a brother, Kevin, 17, and sister, Kristen, 20, both of Streamwood.
Marine Cpl. Ryan J. Cummings was killed in action on 06/03/06.
Army Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon, , of Newark, Del.
SSgt Harmon was assigned to the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, Army Reserve, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; died June 3, 2006 from a non-combat related cause in Hadithah, Iraq.
DOVER, Del. // A Delaware soldier who died while serving in Iraq suffered an apparent heart attack, a government official said today.
Army Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon, 44, of Newark, died Saturday in Haditha.
Harmon was a reservist assigned to the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion based at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
George Mercer, chief of public affairs at Aberdeen, said Harmon apparently suffered a heart attack.
"It was not out in the field," Mercer said. "He was not on a specific mission; he was back at base camp."
Mercer said the 203rd, which includes both active duty and reserve troops, employ technical intelligence teams that collect and dispose of enemy weapons and materiel.
Harmon's widow, Crystal Holland Harmon, learned of her husband's death Monday morning, when two military officers visited the couple's home in Newark, according to Harmon's father.
Fisher P. Harmon, 69, said his son was born in New Castle and graduated from William Penn High School, where he played football.
Darren Harmon joined the Army shortly after graduating from high school and was a veteran of Desert Storm, his father said.
After leaving the service, Harmon worked for Comcast as an electrical technician and cable installer, the job he held before being deployed to Iraq last year. Harmon, who was scheduled to return home in August, stayed in contact with his family through e-mails and phone calls.
"He was telling us how he was looking forward to coming home," his father said.
Fisher Harmon said his son enjoyed fishing and collecting tropical fish.
"He loved the water," he said.
After divorcing his first wife, Harmon was a single parent for several years, raising a daughter and three sons.
"His true love was really with his kids," his father said. "Everybody that was in his life, he respected them and he gave them all he could of himself. He was never disrespectful of anybody."
In addition to his widow and children, survivors include his parents, two sisters and a brother.
Army Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon died of an apparent heart attack on 6/3/06.
Army Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon, , of Newark, Del.
SSgt Harmon was assigned to the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, Army Reserve, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; died June 3, 2006 from a non-combat related cause in Hadithah, Iraq.
DOVER, Del. // A Delaware soldier who died while serving in Iraq suffered an apparent heart attack, a government official said today.
Army Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon, 44, of Newark, died Saturday in Haditha.
Harmon was a reservist assigned to the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion based at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
George Mercer, chief of public affairs at Aberdeen, said Harmon apparently suffered a heart attack.
"It was not out in the field," Mercer said. "He was not on a specific mission; he was back at base camp."
Mercer said the 203rd, which includes both active duty and reserve troops, employ technical intelligence teams that collect and dispose of enemy weapons and materiel.
Harmon's widow, Crystal Holland Harmon, learned of her husband's death Monday morning, when two military officers visited the couple's home in Newark, according to Harmon's father.
Fisher P. Harmon, 69, said his son was born in New Castle and graduated from William Penn High School, where he played football.
Darren Harmon joined the Army shortly after graduating from high school and was a veteran of Desert Storm, his father said.
After leaving the service, Harmon worked for Comcast as an electrical technician and cable installer, the job he held before being deployed to Iraq last year. Harmon, who was scheduled to return home in August, stayed in contact with his family through e-mails and phone calls.
"He was telling us how he was looking forward to coming home," his father said.
Fisher Harmon said his son enjoyed fishing and collecting tropical fish.
"He loved the water," he said.
After divorcing his first wife, Harmon was a single parent for several years, raising a daughter and three sons.
"His true love was really with his kids," his father said. "Everybody that was in his life, he respected them and he gave them all he could of himself. He was never disrespectful of anybody."
In addition to his widow and children, survivors include his parents, two sisters and a brother.
Army Staff Sgt. Darren Harmon died of an apparent heart attack on 6/3/06.
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