Remember Our Heroes
Marine 1st Lt. Travis L. Manion, 26, of Doylestown, Pa.
1st. Lt. Manion was assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died April 29 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Doylestown Marine killed in combat in Iraq
The Associated Press
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — A Marine officer from Doylestown who was killed in combat in Iraq was a dedicated supporter of the troops’ mission, his family said April 30.
First Lt. Travis L. Manion, 26, died April 29 in combat in Anbar province. He was serving his second tour in Iraq, embedded with an Iraqi army unit that he was leading and training.
“He was so sure what he was doing over there was right,” said his mother, Jannette Manion. “He called the night Bush made his speech about the troop surge and told us, ‘That’s exactly what we need.’ His biggest concern was that the politicians over here were giving life to the insurgents by putting the military and president down.”
His father, Tom Manion, said he was proud of how his son would “give his all” in life and in the military.
“He was a kid with a big heart, never had a bad word for anyone. He was all heart; that is who he was,” Tom Manion said. “We’ve had calls from all over the country, from people who said they loved him like a brother; he really touched people like that.”
Marine 1st Lt. Travis L. Manion was killed in action on 4/29/07.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Army Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr., 24, of College Station, Texas
Sgt. Hicks was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 28, 2007 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. Also killed were Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins and Pvt. Cole E. Spencer.
The Eagle -- Former College Station resident Glenn Dale Hicks Jr. stood bravely in front of an American flag with a stoic expression - the classic photo of a soldier taken after a graduation of some sort.
The image of the one-time Blinn College student was captured in a photograph released Wednesday by Fort Benning, Ga., just days after the soldier's death.
Officials at Fort Benning said Wednesday that they have little information about the explosion that killed Hicks, 24, and two fellow soldiers, 21-year-olds Pfc. Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins of Ione, Calif., and Pvt. Cole Spencer of Gays, Ill.
The three died Saturday in Salman Pak, Iraq, which is about 15 miles south of Baghdad.
Hicks had been at Fort Benning since July 2004, according to records.
Attempts to reach the soldier's family have been unsuccessful. Although he listed a College Station address when he joined the military, he doesn't seem to have lived in the area in recent years.
He attended Blinn College in fall 2002 and spring 2003, said a Blinn spokeswoman, but his permanent address on file at the college was in Tarrant County.
A newspaper in Ione reported that a candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening for Ornsby-Adkins, who emigrated from Australia with his mother when he was 5 years old. Ornsby-Adkins had been married since December, the paper reported.
Spencer was engaged to be married and had been in Iraq for about a month when the bomb hit the Humvee in which he, Hicks and Ornsby-Adkins were riding, an Illinois TV station reported earlier this week.
The three young men were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Chaplain Marvin Luckie, an active duty major who counsels families at Fort Hood's Darnall Army Community Hospital near Killeen, said soldiers never are fully prepared to lose one of their own.
"Soldiers are people just like you and me," he said. "They care for and love their fellow soldiers. They live with that person day in and day out, and when they lose that person, they grieve like any other human being would. This is their brother, their battle buddy. [Glenn Hicks] was part of someone's heart and someone's life."
Officials at Fort Hood have been asked to provide "casualty assistance" to the Hicks family because of Killeen's proximity to the Hicks' home in Tarrant County, a spokeswoman at Fort Benning in Georgia said Wednesday.
The men and women enlisted in the U.S. Army know that death is a real possibility while fighting in a war, Luckie said.
"We all have to prepare for our own death," he said. "The bottom line is, check yourself. Do you have a will? Do you have a funeral planned? Do you have faith? Before I leave on deployment, I make sure my bride of 30 years won't have to worry about those things."
Faith is of great importance as a young person enters combat, Luckie said, explaining that the Bible verse he most often shares with soldiers is Psalm 138:8. The Scripture reads, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me."
"We're going to experience dangers as we defend freedom," he said. "These are the sacrifices that our young warriors are making to ensure our freedom.
"We have to go into this with faith. We have to give each other a hug, offer a prayer and tell these soldiers to do their duty and watch out for each other."
Army Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr. was killed in action on 4/28/07.
Army Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr., 24, of College Station, Texas
Sgt. Hicks was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 28, 2007 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. Also killed were Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins and Pvt. Cole E. Spencer.
The Eagle -- Former College Station resident Glenn Dale Hicks Jr. stood bravely in front of an American flag with a stoic expression - the classic photo of a soldier taken after a graduation of some sort.
The image of the one-time Blinn College student was captured in a photograph released Wednesday by Fort Benning, Ga., just days after the soldier's death.
Officials at Fort Benning said Wednesday that they have little information about the explosion that killed Hicks, 24, and two fellow soldiers, 21-year-olds Pfc. Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins of Ione, Calif., and Pvt. Cole Spencer of Gays, Ill.
The three died Saturday in Salman Pak, Iraq, which is about 15 miles south of Baghdad.
Hicks had been at Fort Benning since July 2004, according to records.
Attempts to reach the soldier's family have been unsuccessful. Although he listed a College Station address when he joined the military, he doesn't seem to have lived in the area in recent years.
He attended Blinn College in fall 2002 and spring 2003, said a Blinn spokeswoman, but his permanent address on file at the college was in Tarrant County.
A newspaper in Ione reported that a candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening for Ornsby-Adkins, who emigrated from Australia with his mother when he was 5 years old. Ornsby-Adkins had been married since December, the paper reported.
Spencer was engaged to be married and had been in Iraq for about a month when the bomb hit the Humvee in which he, Hicks and Ornsby-Adkins were riding, an Illinois TV station reported earlier this week.
The three young men were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Chaplain Marvin Luckie, an active duty major who counsels families at Fort Hood's Darnall Army Community Hospital near Killeen, said soldiers never are fully prepared to lose one of their own.
"Soldiers are people just like you and me," he said. "They care for and love their fellow soldiers. They live with that person day in and day out, and when they lose that person, they grieve like any other human being would. This is their brother, their battle buddy. [Glenn Hicks] was part of someone's heart and someone's life."
Officials at Fort Hood have been asked to provide "casualty assistance" to the Hicks family because of Killeen's proximity to the Hicks' home in Tarrant County, a spokeswoman at Fort Benning in Georgia said Wednesday.
The men and women enlisted in the U.S. Army know that death is a real possibility while fighting in a war, Luckie said.
"We all have to prepare for our own death," he said. "The bottom line is, check yourself. Do you have a will? Do you have a funeral planned? Do you have faith? Before I leave on deployment, I make sure my bride of 30 years won't have to worry about those things."
Faith is of great importance as a young person enters combat, Luckie said, explaining that the Bible verse he most often shares with soldiers is Psalm 138:8. The Scripture reads, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me."
"We're going to experience dangers as we defend freedom," he said. "These are the sacrifices that our young warriors are making to ensure our freedom.
"We have to go into this with faith. We have to give each other a hug, offer a prayer and tell these soldiers to do their duty and watch out for each other."
Army Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr. was killed in action on 4/28/07.
Army Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Lone, Calif.
Pfc. Ornsby-Adkins was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 28 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr. and Pvt. Cole E. Spencer.
News10.net -- 21-year-old infantryman, Pfc. Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins moved to the United States from Australia when he was five years old. His family says he loved his adopted country, volunteered for the Army last year, and volunteered to go to Iraq.
The Army informed his family Saturday that he had been killed by an improvised explosive device on April 28th in Salman Pak, Iraq. He had served in Iraq for just six weeks. In Ione, his mother, Robyn Ornsby said he was proud of his dual heritage, adding, "We're Australian citizens. He served the American Army with pride and respect. He died with pride and respect."
On Tuesday, residents of Ione and surrounding communities came to the Main Street hair salon owned by Ornsby's mother to pay their respects with notes and cards. Family friend Richard Gonzales says he understands how the young soldier felt. "He went because he wanted to. I'm a Vietman veteran. I know what he's talking about. Because of him, people can write their editorials against the war." A friend described Ornsby-Adkins as, "Always moving a million miles an hour, with a devilish grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye."
Ornsby-Adkins married 19-year old Ashley Ornsby in December when he was finished with boot camp. She says she is moved by the community's response, adding, "It's beautiful. Let's him know it's time to come home and it's ok to."
Ornsby-Adkins was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Georgia.
A memorial mass is planned for this Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ione. The funeral is scheduled for Wednesday May 9th at Sunset Cemetary in the nearby town of Martell.
Army Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins was killed in action on 4/28/07.
Army Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Lone, Calif.
Pfc. Ornsby-Adkins was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 28 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr. and Pvt. Cole E. Spencer.
News10.net -- 21-year-old infantryman, Pfc. Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins moved to the United States from Australia when he was five years old. His family says he loved his adopted country, volunteered for the Army last year, and volunteered to go to Iraq.
The Army informed his family Saturday that he had been killed by an improvised explosive device on April 28th in Salman Pak, Iraq. He had served in Iraq for just six weeks. In Ione, his mother, Robyn Ornsby said he was proud of his dual heritage, adding, "We're Australian citizens. He served the American Army with pride and respect. He died with pride and respect."
On Tuesday, residents of Ione and surrounding communities came to the Main Street hair salon owned by Ornsby's mother to pay their respects with notes and cards. Family friend Richard Gonzales says he understands how the young soldier felt. "He went because he wanted to. I'm a Vietman veteran. I know what he's talking about. Because of him, people can write their editorials against the war." A friend described Ornsby-Adkins as, "Always moving a million miles an hour, with a devilish grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye."
Ornsby-Adkins married 19-year old Ashley Ornsby in December when he was finished with boot camp. She says she is moved by the community's response, adding, "It's beautiful. Let's him know it's time to come home and it's ok to."
Ornsby-Adkins was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Georgia.
A memorial mass is planned for this Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ione. The funeral is scheduled for Wednesday May 9th at Sunset Cemetary in the nearby town of Martell.
Army Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins was killed in action on 4/28/07.
Army Pvt. Cole E. Spencer
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Cole E. Spencer, 21, of Gays, Ill.
Pvt. Spencer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 28, 2007 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire during combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr. and Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins.
Herald & Review -- GAYS - The Army said on Tuesday that Pvt. Cole Spencer of Gays was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq on Saturday.
According to the official Web site of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq, Spencer was part of a patrol that was attacked.
"Three Task Force Marne soldiers were killed and one was wounded when their patrol was struck by a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad."
The Department of Defense Web site– said the soldiers died in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations.–;They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Also killed were Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr., 24, of College Station, Texas; and Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Ione, Calif.
Spencer's family also issued a brief statement Tuesday through the office of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.
The statement, e-mailed to media, said: "Army Pvt. Cole Spencer of Gays, Illinois, was killed Saturday, April 28, 2007, in Iraq. He was 21 years old.
"Pvt. Spencer attended Heritage Baptist Academy. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials are made to the school in Pvt. Spencer's name.
"Pvt. Spencer is survived by his parents Mark and Candy Spencer and his brother Brian.
"The family requests that members of the media respect their privacy during this difficult time."
According to a family friend, Spencer had been in Iraq about a month.
Army Pvt. Cole E. Spencer was killed in action on 4/28/07.
Army Pvt. Cole E. Spencer, 21, of Gays, Ill.
Pvt. Spencer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 28, 2007 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire during combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr. and Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins.
Herald & Review -- GAYS - The Army said on Tuesday that Pvt. Cole Spencer of Gays was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq on Saturday.
According to the official Web site of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq, Spencer was part of a patrol that was attacked.
"Three Task Force Marne soldiers were killed and one was wounded when their patrol was struck by a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad."
The Department of Defense Web site– said the soldiers died in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations.–;They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Also killed were Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr., 24, of College Station, Texas; and Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Ione, Calif.
Spencer's family also issued a brief statement Tuesday through the office of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.
The statement, e-mailed to media, said: "Army Pvt. Cole Spencer of Gays, Illinois, was killed Saturday, April 28, 2007, in Iraq. He was 21 years old.
"Pvt. Spencer attended Heritage Baptist Academy. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials are made to the school in Pvt. Spencer's name.
"Pvt. Spencer is survived by his parents Mark and Candy Spencer and his brother Brian.
"The family requests that members of the media respect their privacy during this difficult time."
According to a family friend, Spencer had been in Iraq about a month.
Army Pvt. Cole E. Spencer was killed in action on 4/28/07.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Army Sgt. Randell T. Marshall
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 22, of Fitzgerald, Ga.
Sgt. Marshall was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Stars and Stripes -- Sgt. Randell T. Marshall was a 22-year-old from Fitzgerald, Ga., and a former rodeo bull rider.
Marshall also was called “9/11-er” who enlisted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying he wanted to serve his country. He was described as a “hard-core paratrooper” by one of his friends, Sgt. Josh Meismer, according to The Associated Press. Marshall is survived by his father, mother and sister.
“We are trying to help the Iraqi Army out with helping the communities out,” Marshall said in a military news story released late last year. “So when we leave, the Iraqi army will be able to go out and do these kinds of missions on their own.”
Army Sgt. Randell T. Marshall was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 22, of Fitzgerald, Ga.
Sgt. Marshall was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Stars and Stripes -- Sgt. Randell T. Marshall was a 22-year-old from Fitzgerald, Ga., and a former rodeo bull rider.
Marshall also was called “9/11-er” who enlisted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying he wanted to serve his country. He was described as a “hard-core paratrooper” by one of his friends, Sgt. Josh Meismer, according to The Associated Press. Marshall is survived by his father, mother and sister.
“We are trying to help the Iraqi Army out with helping the communities out,” Marshall said in a military news story released late last year. “So when we leave, the Iraqi army will be able to go out and do these kinds of missions on their own.”
Army Sgt. Randell T. Marshall was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., 28, of Wakefield, Neb.
SSgt. Locker was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Nebraska.tv -- Ten years in service, a lifetime commitment.
28-year-old Ken Locker, Jr., was killed Monday in a suicide attack in Iraq.
"Kenneth likes to tell people, life is but a dream, make it whatever you wish," reads a 1997 edition of the Burwell Tribune.
Those words were spoken by Ken Locker Jr., nearly 10 years ago. Ken, better known as Kenny, wanted his classmates at Burwell High, to know he was living his dream. A dream to serve our country. He enlisted in the military in 1997 while he was still in high school.
"At that point in his life, he was a pretty unfocused individual. He went into the military. I visited with him several year later, and there was a 180 degree change in demeanor, posture, outlook on life and focus," remembers Bob Lee, his math teacher.
It was that focus and determination that residents teachers and friends will remember most.
"It was an extreme honor for him to serve our country. I am thankful for people like Kenny, who serve our country. That have fought and died for our daily lives, so we can go on with our daily lives and do what it is we do," says English teacher Candace Cain.
"My last phone call with him, was moving, inspiring, uplifting. When the phone call ended, I said wow. And my wife remembered that I had said that. His focus and his dedication to his country and his pride were just inspiring," says Lee.
World War II was the last time Burwell residents have had a soldier die in combat. It's a reality that for some is hard to swallow.
"These generations of students who haven't grown up in an environment where there is war, this is a lesson. And it's a hard lesson. But it's the price for what we have in our lives with democracy," says Cain. "It makes the war in Iraq even more real. In Burwell, we've seen the price for freedom, one of our hometown boys who've payed the ultimate price."
The ultimate price for our freedom. It's a price that won't soon be forgotten.
"I think people should be very proud. Our community should be very proud of Kenny," says teacher Tim Hulburt.
"I was saddened by his death, by at the same time, proud of him, knowing that he gave his life for something he truly believed in," says Lee.
"His final last words are you live and you die. Make the best of it."
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr. was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., 28, of Wakefield, Neb.
SSgt. Locker was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Nebraska.tv -- Ten years in service, a lifetime commitment.
28-year-old Ken Locker, Jr., was killed Monday in a suicide attack in Iraq.
"Kenneth likes to tell people, life is but a dream, make it whatever you wish," reads a 1997 edition of the Burwell Tribune.
Those words were spoken by Ken Locker Jr., nearly 10 years ago. Ken, better known as Kenny, wanted his classmates at Burwell High, to know he was living his dream. A dream to serve our country. He enlisted in the military in 1997 while he was still in high school.
"At that point in his life, he was a pretty unfocused individual. He went into the military. I visited with him several year later, and there was a 180 degree change in demeanor, posture, outlook on life and focus," remembers Bob Lee, his math teacher.
It was that focus and determination that residents teachers and friends will remember most.
"It was an extreme honor for him to serve our country. I am thankful for people like Kenny, who serve our country. That have fought and died for our daily lives, so we can go on with our daily lives and do what it is we do," says English teacher Candace Cain.
"My last phone call with him, was moving, inspiring, uplifting. When the phone call ended, I said wow. And my wife remembered that I had said that. His focus and his dedication to his country and his pride were just inspiring," says Lee.
World War II was the last time Burwell residents have had a soldier die in combat. It's a reality that for some is hard to swallow.
"These generations of students who haven't grown up in an environment where there is war, this is a lesson. And it's a hard lesson. But it's the price for what we have in our lives with democracy," says Cain. "It makes the war in Iraq even more real. In Burwell, we've seen the price for freedom, one of our hometown boys who've payed the ultimate price."
The ultimate price for our freedom. It's a price that won't soon be forgotten.
"I think people should be very proud. Our community should be very proud of Kenny," says teacher Tim Hulburt.
"I was saddened by his death, by at the same time, proud of him, knowing that he gave his life for something he truly believed in," says Lee.
"His final last words are you live and you die. Make the best of it."
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr. was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Sgt. Brice A. Pearson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona.
Sgt. Pearson was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Arizona Central -- A Phoenix paratrooper was killed Sunday in Iraq when two truck bombs detonated near a building he was in, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, 32, was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Eight other paratroopers from Pearson's unit were also killed in the blast in As Sadah, Iraq. Most of the casualties were caused when one of the bombs ruptured a building wall, collapsing its second floor.
Sgt. William Fleming, a team leader who served with Pearson, said the fallen soldier cared deeply about his comrades.
"Brice didn't talk about work much off-duty, but he always wanted to know how his guys were doing," Fleming was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Fort Bragg officials. "I've lost friends before, but nothing like this. It's very overwhelming."
The group had been in Iraq since August.
Pearson was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star medal and the Purple Heart. He is survived by his parents.
Friends remember fallen AZ soldier
By Rebecca Taylor / 3TV
A Valley soldier was among nine U.S. troops killed by a suicide bomber.
Sgt. Brice Pearson from Phoenix died Monday.
Longtime friends can't believe he's gone. Friends say Sgt. Pearson was home on leave just three weeks ago.
At the time, they had no idea their quick goodbyes meant forever.
“Definitely a good guy to have on your side,” Mark Eshelman said.
Eshelman is talking about his longtime friend Brice Pearson, a guy who at the age of 30 decided to join the army.
“I don't want to say he wasn't military material before he went in, but once the war went on he knew he wanted to go,” he said
Sgt. Pearson, nicknamed "Old Man" by his army buddies was a confident leader who moved up in the ranks quickly.
His first tour of duty took him to Afganistan.
“He said you know as much as it sucks over there, we're doing the right thing,” Eshelman said.
Sadly, just three weeks after returning home for a brief visit Sgt. Pearson was killed.
“Hopefully he didn't see it coming and it just happened,” he said.
He was one of nine paratroopers killed by a suicide bomber Monday in a town north of Baghdad.
“That is such a bad way to go, that's the brutality of these enemies, they don't have any shame,” he said.
Grieving friends and loved ones are now leaving heartfelt message on Brice's MySpace page.
They read, “you will always be in our thoughts! I love you. I will never forget you.”
Sgt. Pearson and his nine comrades who died were awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Army Sgt. Brice A. Pearson was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona.
Sgt. Pearson was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Arizona Central -- A Phoenix paratrooper was killed Sunday in Iraq when two truck bombs detonated near a building he was in, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, 32, was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Eight other paratroopers from Pearson's unit were also killed in the blast in As Sadah, Iraq. Most of the casualties were caused when one of the bombs ruptured a building wall, collapsing its second floor.
Sgt. William Fleming, a team leader who served with Pearson, said the fallen soldier cared deeply about his comrades.
"Brice didn't talk about work much off-duty, but he always wanted to know how his guys were doing," Fleming was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Fort Bragg officials. "I've lost friends before, but nothing like this. It's very overwhelming."
The group had been in Iraq since August.
Pearson was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star medal and the Purple Heart. He is survived by his parents.
Friends remember fallen AZ soldier
By Rebecca Taylor / 3TV
A Valley soldier was among nine U.S. troops killed by a suicide bomber.
Sgt. Brice Pearson from Phoenix died Monday.
Longtime friends can't believe he's gone. Friends say Sgt. Pearson was home on leave just three weeks ago.
At the time, they had no idea their quick goodbyes meant forever.
“Definitely a good guy to have on your side,” Mark Eshelman said.
Eshelman is talking about his longtime friend Brice Pearson, a guy who at the age of 30 decided to join the army.
“I don't want to say he wasn't military material before he went in, but once the war went on he knew he wanted to go,” he said
Sgt. Pearson, nicknamed "Old Man" by his army buddies was a confident leader who moved up in the ranks quickly.
His first tour of duty took him to Afganistan.
“He said you know as much as it sucks over there, we're doing the right thing,” Eshelman said.
Sadly, just three weeks after returning home for a brief visit Sgt. Pearson was killed.
“Hopefully he didn't see it coming and it just happened,” he said.
He was one of nine paratroopers killed by a suicide bomber Monday in a town north of Baghdad.
“That is such a bad way to go, that's the brutality of these enemies, they don't have any shame,” he said.
Grieving friends and loved ones are now leaving heartfelt message on Brice's MySpace page.
They read, “you will always be in our thoughts! I love you. I will never forget you.”
Sgt. Pearson and his nine comrades who died were awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Army Sgt. Brice A. Pearson was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll, 23, of Bad Axe, Mich.
Pfc. Knoll was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez, Spc. Jerry R. King, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr. and Staff Sgt. William C. Moore.
Michigan soldier killed in Iraq was athletic, popular
The Associated Press
VERONA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 23-year-old Army medic from Michigan’s Thumb who was killed in Iraq attended a rural one-room school through eighth grade but jumped right into the social whirl and sports scene at Bad Axe High School, his former principal says.
Garrett Knoll of Huron County’s Verona Township was killed when a truck bomb exploded next to his patrol base near Baghdad, grandmother Ruth Knoll told WLEW-AM in Bad Axe.
Nine members of the 82nd Airborne Division were killed and 20 were wounded April 23. It was the single greatest loss of life for American ground forces in Iraq since Dec. 1, 2005, when a roadside bomb killed 10 Marines and wounded 11 in an abandoned building near Fallujah.
The soldiers were members of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Bragg, N.C. A civilian interpreter also was wounded.
Knoll, a 2001 graduate of Bad Axe High, lived with his grandparents near Verona, about 100 miles north of Detroit. He had been serving as a medic in Iraq for two months.
Ruth Knoll said military officials notified her April 24. The Pentagon had not yet announced his death by midmorning April 25.
Knoll attended the one-room Verona Mills school from kindergarten through eighth grade, said Bad Axe High Principal Wayne Brady.
Knoll “fit right in” when he moved on to the high school, Brady told The Saginaw News. The freshman joined the cross country, track and wrestling teams.
“He was a happy-go-lucky kid,” Brady said. “He was very friendly. One thing I remember is his sense of humor. He was very sharp, very witty. And he had a nice circle of friends.”
Lee Kahler, Knoll’s track and cross country coach and his biology teacher, described him as “happy, joyful, enthusiastic, eager, always adventuresome.”
“He was a guy who was always full of energy,” Kahler told the Huron Daily Tribune of Bad Axe. “He was a really neat kid.”
“Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family, and we will honor his, and their, sacrifice,” said Bad Axe Mayor Herbert Williams. “As a community, we will do whatever we can to help them heal.”
Army Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll, 23, of Bad Axe, Mich.
Pfc. Knoll was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez, Spc. Jerry R. King, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr. and Staff Sgt. William C. Moore.
Michigan soldier killed in Iraq was athletic, popular
The Associated Press
VERONA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 23-year-old Army medic from Michigan’s Thumb who was killed in Iraq attended a rural one-room school through eighth grade but jumped right into the social whirl and sports scene at Bad Axe High School, his former principal says.
Garrett Knoll of Huron County’s Verona Township was killed when a truck bomb exploded next to his patrol base near Baghdad, grandmother Ruth Knoll told WLEW-AM in Bad Axe.
Nine members of the 82nd Airborne Division were killed and 20 were wounded April 23. It was the single greatest loss of life for American ground forces in Iraq since Dec. 1, 2005, when a roadside bomb killed 10 Marines and wounded 11 in an abandoned building near Fallujah.
The soldiers were members of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Bragg, N.C. A civilian interpreter also was wounded.
Knoll, a 2001 graduate of Bad Axe High, lived with his grandparents near Verona, about 100 miles north of Detroit. He had been serving as a medic in Iraq for two months.
Ruth Knoll said military officials notified her April 24. The Pentagon had not yet announced his death by midmorning April 25.
Knoll attended the one-room Verona Mills school from kindergarten through eighth grade, said Bad Axe High Principal Wayne Brady.
Knoll “fit right in” when he moved on to the high school, Brady told The Saginaw News. The freshman joined the cross country, track and wrestling teams.
“He was a happy-go-lucky kid,” Brady said. “He was very friendly. One thing I remember is his sense of humor. He was very sharp, very witty. And he had a nice circle of friends.”
Lee Kahler, Knoll’s track and cross country coach and his biology teacher, described him as “happy, joyful, enthusiastic, eager, always adventuresome.”
“He was a guy who was always full of energy,” Kahler told the Huron Daily Tribune of Bad Axe. “He was a really neat kid.”
“Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family, and we will honor his, and their, sacrifice,” said Bad Axe Mayor Herbert Williams. “As a community, we will do whatever we can to help them heal.”
Army Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers
Remember Our Heroes
Army 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, 26, of Hastings, Neb.
Lt. Gaspers was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Hastings native killed in Iraq
By Josh Funk
The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — A Hastings, Neb., man died in Iraq this week while serving in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, officials at his alma mater confirmed April 24.
Lt. Kevin Gaspers, 26, died April 23, said Marie Butler, principal of St. Cecilia Catholic High School.
Officials at the school learned about Gaspers’ death this morning after his family asked that a priest be sent to their house. One of Gaspers’ sisters said April 23 that family members did not want to be interviewed.
Pam Gaspers told the Hastings Tribune newspaper that she and her husband, John, were notified April 24 of Kevin’s death April 23.
“I’m just numb right now,” she said.
Saint Cecilia’s 203 high school students and 174 middle school students remembered Gaspers on April 24 at their daily Mass.
“We offered our prayers up for the Kevin and the family,” Butler said.
Gaspers played football and wrestled for St. Cecilia, and his football coach, Carl Tesmer, remembers his perseverance and dedication.
Tesmer said Gaspers was a tough, hard-nosed linebacker who probably didn’t weigh 145 pounds when he started playing. Gaspers lifted weights to become stronger, and he improved.
One of the things Tesmer remembers most about Gaspers is what a gentleman he was.
“America’s just lost one of its finest citizens,” said Tesmer, who corresponded regularly with Gaspers while he was in Iraq.
Gaspers was just back in Hastings a few weeks ago for a visit around Easter, Tesmer said.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A 26-year-old Hastings man died in Iraq Monday while serving in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, family members said Tuesday.
Katie Gaspers of Omaha struggled Tuesday evening to talk about her older brother, First Lt. Kevin Gaspers, who she said was "probably the best person ever."
Family members say they were told Tuesday morning that Gaspers died when a suicide bomber attacked his base and the roof of a building collapsed. The military had not confirmed Gaspers' death as of Tuesday evening.
Katie Gaspers said the family couldn't yet confirm whether he was one of nine soldiers killed in a Monday suicide truck bombing in Iraq, the single deadliest attack for the 82nd Airborne Division in nearly 40 years.
At Gaspers' alma mater, St. Cecilia Catholic High School, 203 high school students and 174 middle school students remembered Gaspers Tuesday at their daily Mass.
"We offered our prayers up for the Kevin and the family," said principal Marie Butler.
Officials at the school learned about Gaspers' death Tuesday morning after his family asked that a priest be sent to their house.
Gaspers played football and wrestled for St. Cecelia before he graduated in 2000, and went on to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and participate in the ROTC program.
His football coach, Carl Tesmer, remembers his perseverance, dedication and manners.
Tesmer said Gaspers was a tough, hard-nosed linebacker who probably didn't weigh 145 pounds when he started playing. Gaspers lifted weights to become stronger, and he improved.
"You always remember the kids who give you everything they've got," Tesmer said, and Gaspers was one of those.
One of the things Tesmer remembers most about Gaspers is what a gentleman he was.
"America's just lost one of its finest citizens," said Tesmer, who corresponded regularly with Gaspers while he was in Iraq.
Gaspers was just back in Hastings a few weeks ago for a visit around Easter, Tesmer said.
"The military was what he wanted," Tesmer said. "He was proud to be part of it and what he was doing."
Gaspers had been stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., before he was deployed to Iraq last August.
Gaspers is the 42nd U.S. service member with Nebraska connections killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since the beginning of military operations following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. And Tesmer said Gaspers is the first St. Cecelia graduate to be killed in the Iraq war.
"It's a tough day with lots of tears," Tesmer said Tuesday.
Gaspers is survived by his parents, Pam and John Gaspers, and two sisters, 23-year-old Katie and 15-year-old Audrey.
Army 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, 26, of Hastings, Neb.
Lt. Gaspers was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Hastings native killed in Iraq
By Josh Funk
The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — A Hastings, Neb., man died in Iraq this week while serving in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, officials at his alma mater confirmed April 24.
Lt. Kevin Gaspers, 26, died April 23, said Marie Butler, principal of St. Cecilia Catholic High School.
Officials at the school learned about Gaspers’ death this morning after his family asked that a priest be sent to their house. One of Gaspers’ sisters said April 23 that family members did not want to be interviewed.
Pam Gaspers told the Hastings Tribune newspaper that she and her husband, John, were notified April 24 of Kevin’s death April 23.
“I’m just numb right now,” she said.
Saint Cecilia’s 203 high school students and 174 middle school students remembered Gaspers on April 24 at their daily Mass.
“We offered our prayers up for the Kevin and the family,” Butler said.
Gaspers played football and wrestled for St. Cecilia, and his football coach, Carl Tesmer, remembers his perseverance and dedication.
Tesmer said Gaspers was a tough, hard-nosed linebacker who probably didn’t weigh 145 pounds when he started playing. Gaspers lifted weights to become stronger, and he improved.
One of the things Tesmer remembers most about Gaspers is what a gentleman he was.
“America’s just lost one of its finest citizens,” said Tesmer, who corresponded regularly with Gaspers while he was in Iraq.
Gaspers was just back in Hastings a few weeks ago for a visit around Easter, Tesmer said.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A 26-year-old Hastings man died in Iraq Monday while serving in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, family members said Tuesday.
Katie Gaspers of Omaha struggled Tuesday evening to talk about her older brother, First Lt. Kevin Gaspers, who she said was "probably the best person ever."
Family members say they were told Tuesday morning that Gaspers died when a suicide bomber attacked his base and the roof of a building collapsed. The military had not confirmed Gaspers' death as of Tuesday evening.
Katie Gaspers said the family couldn't yet confirm whether he was one of nine soldiers killed in a Monday suicide truck bombing in Iraq, the single deadliest attack for the 82nd Airborne Division in nearly 40 years.
At Gaspers' alma mater, St. Cecilia Catholic High School, 203 high school students and 174 middle school students remembered Gaspers Tuesday at their daily Mass.
"We offered our prayers up for the Kevin and the family," said principal Marie Butler.
Officials at the school learned about Gaspers' death Tuesday morning after his family asked that a priest be sent to their house.
Gaspers played football and wrestled for St. Cecelia before he graduated in 2000, and went on to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and participate in the ROTC program.
His football coach, Carl Tesmer, remembers his perseverance, dedication and manners.
Tesmer said Gaspers was a tough, hard-nosed linebacker who probably didn't weigh 145 pounds when he started playing. Gaspers lifted weights to become stronger, and he improved.
"You always remember the kids who give you everything they've got," Tesmer said, and Gaspers was one of those.
One of the things Tesmer remembers most about Gaspers is what a gentleman he was.
"America's just lost one of its finest citizens," said Tesmer, who corresponded regularly with Gaspers while he was in Iraq.
Gaspers was just back in Hastings a few weeks ago for a visit around Easter, Tesmer said.
"The military was what he wanted," Tesmer said. "He was proud to be part of it and what he was doing."
Gaspers had been stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., before he was deployed to Iraq last August.
Gaspers is the 42nd U.S. service member with Nebraska connections killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since the beginning of military operations following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. And Tesmer said Gaspers is the first St. Cecelia graduate to be killed in the Iraq war.
"It's a tough day with lots of tears," Tesmer said Tuesday.
Gaspers is survived by his parents, Pam and John Gaspers, and two sisters, 23-year-old Katie and 15-year-old Audrey.
Army 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, 20, of Otis, Ore.
Sgt. Vaughan was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Fayetville Observer -- Sgt. Michael Vaughan’s father, George Vaughan, said his son was home on leave through the first week of April and was nervous about returning to Iraq.
“We all knew how serious it was after talking to him, and what he had been through,” George Vaughan said.
Vaughan said he told his son that he didn’t have to go back, that the family would find a way to keep him out of the conflict, but the soldier declined.
“He said, ‘No, Dad. I will go. My comrades are over there. I made a commitment, and I will finish it,’” George Vaughan said.
George Vaughan, who was disabled in the first Gulf War, said his son came to him while he was still in high school and said he wanted to join the Army. Michael Vaughan was 17 then and needed his parents’ permission to enlist.
George Vaughan said he felt apprehensive about the request, but said he had to support his son.
“I’d do it all over again,” George Vaughan said. “I just wish there was a different outcome.”
Michael Vaughan, who was a cavalry scout, was a top wrestler at his high school and in Oregon. He loved hiking, camping and riding his four-wheeler, George Vaughan said. He made his parents proud.
He was close with several of the soldiers who were killed Monday, his father said.
His family is grieving, his father said, not only for their son but for the families of all the men who died. And, he said, their thoughts are with those who survived.
“We pray for all the soldiers daily,” George Vaughan said. “As Michael would want us to.”
Army Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan was killed in action on 04/23/07
Army Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, 20, of Otis, Ore.
Sgt. Vaughan was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Fayetville Observer -- Sgt. Michael Vaughan’s father, George Vaughan, said his son was home on leave through the first week of April and was nervous about returning to Iraq.
“We all knew how serious it was after talking to him, and what he had been through,” George Vaughan said.
Vaughan said he told his son that he didn’t have to go back, that the family would find a way to keep him out of the conflict, but the soldier declined.
“He said, ‘No, Dad. I will go. My comrades are over there. I made a commitment, and I will finish it,’” George Vaughan said.
George Vaughan, who was disabled in the first Gulf War, said his son came to him while he was still in high school and said he wanted to join the Army. Michael Vaughan was 17 then and needed his parents’ permission to enlist.
George Vaughan said he felt apprehensive about the request, but said he had to support his son.
“I’d do it all over again,” George Vaughan said. “I just wish there was a different outcome.”
Michael Vaughan, who was a cavalry scout, was a top wrestler at his high school and in Oregon. He loved hiking, camping and riding his four-wheeler, George Vaughan said. He made his parents proud.
He was close with several of the soldiers who were killed Monday, his father said.
His family is grieving, his father said, not only for their son but for the families of all the men who died. And, he said, their thoughts are with those who survived.
“We pray for all the soldiers daily,” George Vaughan said. “As Michael would want us to.”
Army Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan was killed in action on 04/23/07
Army Specialist Michael J. Rodriguez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Michael J. Rodriguez, 20, of Sanford, N.C.
Spc. Rodriguez was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23, 2007 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Spc. Jerry R. King, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Family says soldier with Knoxville ties among 9 killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A soldier who grew up in Knoxville is one of nine 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers killed in a suicide truck bombing in Iraq, his family says.
The Department of Defense had yet to confirm the identity of the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based soldiers who were killed in the blast April 23 in Iraq’s Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.
But Caitlin Stone of Knoxville told The Knoxville News Sentinel and WATE-TV that one of them was her fiancé, Pfc. Michael Rodriguez, 20, who lived in Knoxville as a boy and attended Central High School in the city.
He was “very purpose-driven, very respectful, very loving,” she told the television station.
Rodriguez had been in Iraq since August. He came back to Knoxville on leave in January and proposed. “He could have had a very full life ... cut short,” Stone said.
The couple had kept their engagement secret until Rodriguez could ask her father for permission, Stone said. She learned of his death April 24 after her mother talked to his mother in North Carolina.
He was a “good student. A real bright kid. Voracious reader. One of our best student leaders,” said retired Marine Warrant Officer David Johnston, his high school ROTC instructor.
Stone said Rodriguez’s family planned a memorial service April 27 in Sanford, N.C.
Paratrooper killed in Iraq to be buried in Tennessee
The Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A paratrooper killed in Iraq lived many places while growing up in a military family, but he will be buried in the place he called home.
Services for Army Spc. Michael Joel Rodriguez, 20, will be May 11 at Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church in Knoxville, which he attended as a teenager.
Rodriguez and eight other paratroopers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division died April 23 in a double suicide bombing northeast of Baghdad. A service for all the soldiers was held at Fort Bragg, N.C., the unit’s headquarters.
But his stepmother, Dona Drake of Greensboro, N.C., who raised him, said Rodriguez always thought of Knoxville as his home.
Born in Syracuse, N.Y., Rodriguez moved around the country with his family. He came to Knoxville as a boy and stayed until his senior year at Central High School. He left to join the 82nd Airborne after turning 18. A fourth-generation soldier, he deployed to Iraq in August.
The military listed his hometown as Sanford, N.C., but Drake said he talked of coming back to East Tennessee after finishing his military career. His last visit to Knoxville was in January, when he proposed to his fiancee, Cailtin Stone.
“That’s why I’m bringing him home. I know that’s what he would have wanted,” Drake said.
Army Specialist Michael J. Rodriguez was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Specialist Michael J. Rodriguez, 20, of Sanford, N.C.
Spc. Rodriguez was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23, 2007 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Spc. Jerry R. King, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Family says soldier with Knoxville ties among 9 killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A soldier who grew up in Knoxville is one of nine 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers killed in a suicide truck bombing in Iraq, his family says.
The Department of Defense had yet to confirm the identity of the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based soldiers who were killed in the blast April 23 in Iraq’s Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.
But Caitlin Stone of Knoxville told The Knoxville News Sentinel and WATE-TV that one of them was her fiancé, Pfc. Michael Rodriguez, 20, who lived in Knoxville as a boy and attended Central High School in the city.
He was “very purpose-driven, very respectful, very loving,” she told the television station.
Rodriguez had been in Iraq since August. He came back to Knoxville on leave in January and proposed. “He could have had a very full life ... cut short,” Stone said.
The couple had kept their engagement secret until Rodriguez could ask her father for permission, Stone said. She learned of his death April 24 after her mother talked to his mother in North Carolina.
He was a “good student. A real bright kid. Voracious reader. One of our best student leaders,” said retired Marine Warrant Officer David Johnston, his high school ROTC instructor.
Stone said Rodriguez’s family planned a memorial service April 27 in Sanford, N.C.
Paratrooper killed in Iraq to be buried in Tennessee
The Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A paratrooper killed in Iraq lived many places while growing up in a military family, but he will be buried in the place he called home.
Services for Army Spc. Michael Joel Rodriguez, 20, will be May 11 at Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church in Knoxville, which he attended as a teenager.
Rodriguez and eight other paratroopers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division died April 23 in a double suicide bombing northeast of Baghdad. A service for all the soldiers was held at Fort Bragg, N.C., the unit’s headquarters.
But his stepmother, Dona Drake of Greensboro, N.C., who raised him, said Rodriguez always thought of Knoxville as his home.
Born in Syracuse, N.Y., Rodriguez moved around the country with his family. He came to Knoxville as a boy and stayed until his senior year at Central High School. He left to join the 82nd Airborne after turning 18. A fourth-generation soldier, he deployed to Iraq in August.
The military listed his hometown as Sanford, N.C., but Drake said he talked of coming back to East Tennessee after finishing his military career. His last visit to Knoxville was in January, when he proposed to his fiancee, Cailtin Stone.
“That’s why I’m bringing him home. I know that’s what he would have wanted,” Drake said.
Army Specialist Michael J. Rodriguez was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Specialist Jerry R. King
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Jerry R. King, 19, of Browersville, Ga.
Spc. King was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23, 2007 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Trent Roling said that when he heard of Jerry R. King's death, he realized he'd lost "the friend of a lifetime."
"We were like brothers," Roling said. "I grew up with him — playing baseball, hunting, fishing and just hanging out. A friend like that only comes around once in a lifetime. I just feel lucky I knew him."
King, 19, of Browersville, Ga., was killed April 23, 2007 in a suicide car bombing in As Sadah.
He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
Evan Beasley, a classmate, said he remembers that King was a strong, protective person who went out of his way to help people.
"He was always singing that song, 'Don't Worry Be Happy,'" Beasley said. "That song embodies how he lived his life."
"He always told you the truth. It didn't matter if it was going to get him in trouble," said baseball coach Derrick Davis.
"He'd say, 'I did it.' Even if 10 other kids had done it and wouldn't say so."
He is survived by his father, Jerry King, and mother, Carmen Jordan.
"He was an extraordinary young man," said Beasley's father, John Beasley, a social studies teacher.
Army Specialist Jerry R. King was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Specialist Jerry R. King, 19, of Browersville, Ga.
Spc. King was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23, 2007 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Trent Roling said that when he heard of Jerry R. King's death, he realized he'd lost "the friend of a lifetime."
"We were like brothers," Roling said. "I grew up with him — playing baseball, hunting, fishing and just hanging out. A friend like that only comes around once in a lifetime. I just feel lucky I knew him."
King, 19, of Browersville, Ga., was killed April 23, 2007 in a suicide car bombing in As Sadah.
He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
Evan Beasley, a classmate, said he remembers that King was a strong, protective person who went out of his way to help people.
"He was always singing that song, 'Don't Worry Be Happy,'" Beasley said. "That song embodies how he lived his life."
"He always told you the truth. It didn't matter if it was going to get him in trouble," said baseball coach Derrick Davis.
"He'd say, 'I did it.' Even if 10 other kids had done it and wouldn't say so."
He is survived by his father, Jerry King, and mother, Carmen Jordan.
"He was an extraordinary young man," said Beasley's father, John Beasley, a social studies teacher.
Army Specialist Jerry R. King was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Staff Sgt. William C. Moore
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, 27, of Benson, N.C.
SSgt. Moore was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Clint Moore Remembered As One Great Guy
By STEVE REED and REECE MURPHY
Record Staff
There is shock and dismay both at the home base of the 82nd Airborne Division and in Benson, as people mourned the deadliest day of combat in the division's history since the Vietnam War.
Nine paratroopers, including Staff Sgt. Clint Moore, 27, of Benson, died and 20 others were injured Monday when two explosives-laden trucks blew up near a patrol base in Iraq's Diyala province.
One of the two suicide-bomber trucks blew up a wall on a building on base, collapsing its second floor and causing most of the soldier casualties, a U.S. military statement said Wednesday.
A civilian house was destroyed and several smaller structures collapsed in a nearby neighborhood, the Associated Press reported. A civilian hospital and a mosque about 200 yards from the patrol base also were damaged.
The deaths marked the division's largest one-day combat loss since June 1969, when 12 paratroopers were ambushed and killed in Vietnam, division spokesman Maj. Tom Earnhardt said Tuesday.
But those lives are more than numbers and Sgt. Moore, but by all accounts, was an all-around great guy.
Sgt. Moore's sister, Leanne Benson of Benson, described him as charismatic and said people were drawn to him.
"He was such a sociable, outgoing guy," Mrs. Benson said. "He loved music, he loved life. He lived his life to the fullest."
Mrs. Benson said all her brother ever talked about was joining the military and believed in its mission in Iraq.
"I want everybody to know he believed in what he was doing," Mrs. Benson said. "He was very dedicated."
Sgt. Moore's aunt, Bobbie Parrish of Benson, said are were no words to describe what it felt like to hear her nephew had been killed.
"When Clint was home he said, 'Aunt Bobbie, I won't come back,'" Mrs. Parrish said. "He knew he was heading into the worst of the fighting and felt like things were so bad over there he wouldn't make it. We're proud of him and have been all the time."
Another relative talked about Sgt. Moore's kindness.
"He was one of the best boys in the world," Sgt. Moore's aunt, Jean Barefoot of Benson, said. "I loved him as much as one of my boys. He was good to everybody and had a good heart."
Sgt. Moore returned to Iraq for his second tour of duty last August. He was scheduled to return home in January, Mrs. Barefoot said.
Cora Godwin, an English teacher at South Johnston High School, remembered Sgt. Moore as a very outgoing, well-rounded student. He graduated from South Johnston in 1998.
"He was a young man who knew even as a high school senior that he wanted a military career," Ms. Godwin said. "During his senior year, the Army band performed at the school and Clint and several other boys who planned to enter the military were recognized in the assembly."
Ms. Godwin, who lives in the Meadow community where Sgt. Moore's family lives, said everyone has been touched by his death.
"There are family members and friends of the family here at South Johnston," Ms. Godwin said. "The entire student body is aware of the importance of what he's done. South Johnston is one of the great rural, wholesome schools left where we're aware of his patriotism and appreciative of the sacrifice he made."
It will be seven to 10 days before Sgt. Moore's body arrives in Benson, Mrs. Barefoot said. Ms. Godwin said the time lapse makes the experience surreal.
"It's hard to put closure on something you've not experienced yet," Ms. Godwin said. "In the Meadow community, where Clint lived, family and friends have been rallying around."
Army Staff Sgt. William C. Moore was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Army Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, 27, of Benson, N.C.
SSgt. Moore was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 23 in Sadah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location. Also killed were1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, Spc. Jerry R. King, Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez and Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll.
Clint Moore Remembered As One Great Guy
By STEVE REED and REECE MURPHY
Record Staff
There is shock and dismay both at the home base of the 82nd Airborne Division and in Benson, as people mourned the deadliest day of combat in the division's history since the Vietnam War.
Nine paratroopers, including Staff Sgt. Clint Moore, 27, of Benson, died and 20 others were injured Monday when two explosives-laden trucks blew up near a patrol base in Iraq's Diyala province.
One of the two suicide-bomber trucks blew up a wall on a building on base, collapsing its second floor and causing most of the soldier casualties, a U.S. military statement said Wednesday.
A civilian house was destroyed and several smaller structures collapsed in a nearby neighborhood, the Associated Press reported. A civilian hospital and a mosque about 200 yards from the patrol base also were damaged.
The deaths marked the division's largest one-day combat loss since June 1969, when 12 paratroopers were ambushed and killed in Vietnam, division spokesman Maj. Tom Earnhardt said Tuesday.
But those lives are more than numbers and Sgt. Moore, but by all accounts, was an all-around great guy.
Sgt. Moore's sister, Leanne Benson of Benson, described him as charismatic and said people were drawn to him.
"He was such a sociable, outgoing guy," Mrs. Benson said. "He loved music, he loved life. He lived his life to the fullest."
Mrs. Benson said all her brother ever talked about was joining the military and believed in its mission in Iraq.
"I want everybody to know he believed in what he was doing," Mrs. Benson said. "He was very dedicated."
Sgt. Moore's aunt, Bobbie Parrish of Benson, said are were no words to describe what it felt like to hear her nephew had been killed.
"When Clint was home he said, 'Aunt Bobbie, I won't come back,'" Mrs. Parrish said. "He knew he was heading into the worst of the fighting and felt like things were so bad over there he wouldn't make it. We're proud of him and have been all the time."
Another relative talked about Sgt. Moore's kindness.
"He was one of the best boys in the world," Sgt. Moore's aunt, Jean Barefoot of Benson, said. "I loved him as much as one of my boys. He was good to everybody and had a good heart."
Sgt. Moore returned to Iraq for his second tour of duty last August. He was scheduled to return home in January, Mrs. Barefoot said.
Cora Godwin, an English teacher at South Johnston High School, remembered Sgt. Moore as a very outgoing, well-rounded student. He graduated from South Johnston in 1998.
"He was a young man who knew even as a high school senior that he wanted a military career," Ms. Godwin said. "During his senior year, the Army band performed at the school and Clint and several other boys who planned to enter the military were recognized in the assembly."
Ms. Godwin, who lives in the Meadow community where Sgt. Moore's family lives, said everyone has been touched by his death.
"There are family members and friends of the family here at South Johnston," Ms. Godwin said. "The entire student body is aware of the importance of what he's done. South Johnston is one of the great rural, wholesome schools left where we're aware of his patriotism and appreciative of the sacrifice he made."
It will be seven to 10 days before Sgt. Moore's body arrives in Benson, Mrs. Barefoot said. Ms. Godwin said the time lapse makes the experience surreal.
"It's hard to put closure on something you've not experienced yet," Ms. Godwin said. "In the Meadow community, where Clint lived, family and friends have been rallying around."
Army Staff Sgt. William C. Moore was killed in action on 4/23/07.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Army Staff Sgt. Steven R. Tudor
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Steven R. Tudor, 36, of Dunmore, Pa.
SSgt. Tudor was assigned to the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died April 21 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using indirect fire during combat operations.
The Times-Tribune -- A Dunmore High School graduate killed in Iraq on Saturday was a quiet, shy professional who let his work speak for him, his mother said.
“He just did his job,” Mary Ann Jones said Monday by telephone from her home in Yucca Valley, Calif.
“He didn’t say whether the war was wrong or right; he just did what he had to do.”
Army Staff Sgt. Steven Tudor, 36, of Watertown, N.Y., was killed Saturday in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Baghdad, Mrs. Jones said.
He leaves behind a wife, Wanda, and two stepchildren, she said.
As of Monday, the Defense Department had not released the details of the career soldier’s death. After 18 years in the military, he was looking forward to retirement in two years, his mother said.
Sgt. Tudor was serving his second tour in Iraq, Mrs. Jones said. He served in Saudi Arabia in 1991, driving fuel trucks to service tanks and other military vehicles on the front lines of Operation Desert Storm.
Sgt. Tudor’s tour was scheduled to end in August, but he recently learned it would be extended through November, Mrs. Jones said.
After graduating from Dunmore in 1989, Sgt. Tudor immediately joined the army, she said.
Although he only spent his senior year at Dunmore, some teachers remembered him Monday.
“The teachers that are still here remember Sgt. Tudor as a respectful student who cared about academics,” high school Principal James Forgione said.
“He was a quiet boy who didn’t get involved in many things here at our school, but he was a good student.”
And a good soldier, Mrs. Jones said.
“He was proud to serve his country,” she said. “And I’m proud of him.”
Army Staff Sgt. Steven R. Tudor was killed in action on 4/21/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Steven R. Tudor, 36, of Dunmore, Pa.
SSgt. Tudor was assigned to the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died April 21 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using indirect fire during combat operations.
The Times-Tribune -- A Dunmore High School graduate killed in Iraq on Saturday was a quiet, shy professional who let his work speak for him, his mother said.
“He just did his job,” Mary Ann Jones said Monday by telephone from her home in Yucca Valley, Calif.
“He didn’t say whether the war was wrong or right; he just did what he had to do.”
Army Staff Sgt. Steven Tudor, 36, of Watertown, N.Y., was killed Saturday in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Baghdad, Mrs. Jones said.
He leaves behind a wife, Wanda, and two stepchildren, she said.
As of Monday, the Defense Department had not released the details of the career soldier’s death. After 18 years in the military, he was looking forward to retirement in two years, his mother said.
Sgt. Tudor was serving his second tour in Iraq, Mrs. Jones said. He served in Saudi Arabia in 1991, driving fuel trucks to service tanks and other military vehicles on the front lines of Operation Desert Storm.
Sgt. Tudor’s tour was scheduled to end in August, but he recently learned it would be extended through November, Mrs. Jones said.
After graduating from Dunmore in 1989, Sgt. Tudor immediately joined the army, she said.
Although he only spent his senior year at Dunmore, some teachers remembered him Monday.
“The teachers that are still here remember Sgt. Tudor as a respectful student who cared about academics,” high school Principal James Forgione said.
“He was a quiet boy who didn’t get involved in many things here at our school, but he was a good student.”
And a good soldier, Mrs. Jones said.
“He was proud to serve his country,” she said. “And I’m proud of him.”
Army Staff Sgt. Steven R. Tudor was killed in action on 4/21/07.
Army Pfc. Christopher M. North
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Christopher M. North, 21, of Sarasota, Fla.
Pfc. North was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died April 21 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire during combat operations.
'Everyone's basically devastated' by death of local soldier in Iraq
By DOUG SWORD
Chris North joined the Army in 2005, hoping he would never be sent to Iraq.
However, Baghdad was where the 21-year-old Lakewood Ranch High graduate was when he was killed in action Saturday.
Described by family as a sort of joyful daredevil, North at times lacked focus in his life, but never friends. Searching for discipline, he joined the Army nearly two years ago on a deferred entry program thinking that the war was winding down, family and his best friend say. Instead, he was sent to Baghdad in February as part of a troop surge aimed at improving security in the violent city.
"I'm one of the 20,000," his mother, Cheryl Riedler, remembers him saying when he informed her of his deployment.
North, a member of the 1st Infantry Division, became the ninth member of the military from Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties to die in the war, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,300 American soldiers.
In a release Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense said North died of wounds suffered "when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire."
The homemade bomb apparently disabled North's Humvee. Army officials haven't provided details yet about whether North died from the explosion or from the ambush, his mother said.
Friends share memories
Family and friends found out about North's death Saturday night. They describe him as headstrong, fun, a very fast driver of cars and motorcycles. North could almost instantly connect with people, friends say, and word of his death spread fast through cell calls and text messages.
"Everyone's basically devastated; he was a popular kid at Lakewood Ranch," said Ryan McPherson, North's best friend.
About 20 friends quickly gathered at a Sarasota bar to hoist a beer and tell their favorite stories about North.
There were a lot of them.
McPherson's favorite was of how it was impossible to talk his headstrong friend out of something once he had made up his mind.
After making friends with a vacationing girl from Indiana on Siesta Key beach, North decided to hop on his motorcycle and visit her even though it was still winter.
"I said, 'Dude, that's not such a good idea,' " McPherson said.
Halfway there, a frozen North called him complaining of the weather.
But there was more to the story, said Mark North, Chris' father. After a cold motorcycle ride, Chris North found out the beach romance had faded as had the girl's interest.
"So, what did he do? He met a lot of other people up there and had a great time."
McPherson didn't have any more success at talking North out of joining the Army.
"Once he decided he was going to do something you had no chance of talking him out of it."
A winning personality
The 6-foot 2-inch, 200 pound, blond, blue-eyed North joined the Army looking for focus and discipline in his life, hoping to eventually parlay the experience into a law enforcement career.
"He really kind of had his goal set high, the FBI," said his father, Mark North, whose Lakewood Ranch home was adorned with flowers and flags Monday. In fact, neighbors had planted small American flags along the sidewalks for several hundred feet on either side of North's house.
Whether he made it in law enforcement or not, Chris' personality would have made him successful. "He would have been a great sales guy," said his father, who sells concrete block. "He would have gained everyone's trust and made a million."
Chris' parents divorced when he was two and he always acted as a bridge between his two families, which produced four later children, said his father. The father remarried and has two children, Dalton, 14, and Blair, 10. His mother also remarried and her children are Nevin, 14, and Delaney, 12.
A memorial service is not settled, but will probably be held either Saturday or Sunday at Concordia Lutheran Church in Sarasota, Riedler said. Burial will be at Sarasota Gardens.
When Chris signed up for the Army, he kept it from his father for a couple of weeks. When he finally told him, Mark North was chilled by the news. "Premonitions," he said, shaking his head, unable to describe them. "When I found out he joined, I cried harder than I am now."
Army Pfc. Christopher M. North was killed in action on 4/21/07.
Army Pfc. Christopher M. North, 21, of Sarasota, Fla.
Pfc. North was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died April 21 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire during combat operations.
'Everyone's basically devastated' by death of local soldier in Iraq
By DOUG SWORD
Chris North joined the Army in 2005, hoping he would never be sent to Iraq.
However, Baghdad was where the 21-year-old Lakewood Ranch High graduate was when he was killed in action Saturday.
Described by family as a sort of joyful daredevil, North at times lacked focus in his life, but never friends. Searching for discipline, he joined the Army nearly two years ago on a deferred entry program thinking that the war was winding down, family and his best friend say. Instead, he was sent to Baghdad in February as part of a troop surge aimed at improving security in the violent city.
"I'm one of the 20,000," his mother, Cheryl Riedler, remembers him saying when he informed her of his deployment.
North, a member of the 1st Infantry Division, became the ninth member of the military from Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties to die in the war, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,300 American soldiers.
In a release Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense said North died of wounds suffered "when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire."
The homemade bomb apparently disabled North's Humvee. Army officials haven't provided details yet about whether North died from the explosion or from the ambush, his mother said.
Friends share memories
Family and friends found out about North's death Saturday night. They describe him as headstrong, fun, a very fast driver of cars and motorcycles. North could almost instantly connect with people, friends say, and word of his death spread fast through cell calls and text messages.
"Everyone's basically devastated; he was a popular kid at Lakewood Ranch," said Ryan McPherson, North's best friend.
About 20 friends quickly gathered at a Sarasota bar to hoist a beer and tell their favorite stories about North.
There were a lot of them.
McPherson's favorite was of how it was impossible to talk his headstrong friend out of something once he had made up his mind.
After making friends with a vacationing girl from Indiana on Siesta Key beach, North decided to hop on his motorcycle and visit her even though it was still winter.
"I said, 'Dude, that's not such a good idea,' " McPherson said.
Halfway there, a frozen North called him complaining of the weather.
But there was more to the story, said Mark North, Chris' father. After a cold motorcycle ride, Chris North found out the beach romance had faded as had the girl's interest.
"So, what did he do? He met a lot of other people up there and had a great time."
McPherson didn't have any more success at talking North out of joining the Army.
"Once he decided he was going to do something you had no chance of talking him out of it."
A winning personality
The 6-foot 2-inch, 200 pound, blond, blue-eyed North joined the Army looking for focus and discipline in his life, hoping to eventually parlay the experience into a law enforcement career.
"He really kind of had his goal set high, the FBI," said his father, Mark North, whose Lakewood Ranch home was adorned with flowers and flags Monday. In fact, neighbors had planted small American flags along the sidewalks for several hundred feet on either side of North's house.
Whether he made it in law enforcement or not, Chris' personality would have made him successful. "He would have been a great sales guy," said his father, who sells concrete block. "He would have gained everyone's trust and made a million."
Chris' parents divorced when he was two and he always acted as a bridge between his two families, which produced four later children, said his father. The father remarried and has two children, Dalton, 14, and Blair, 10. His mother also remarried and her children are Nevin, 14, and Delaney, 12.
A memorial service is not settled, but will probably be held either Saturday or Sunday at Concordia Lutheran Church in Sarasota, Riedler said. Burial will be at Sarasota Gardens.
When Chris signed up for the Army, he kept it from his father for a couple of weeks. When he finally told him, Mark North was chilled by the news. "Premonitions," he said, shaking his head, unable to describe them. "When I found out he joined, I cried harder than I am now."
Army Pfc. Christopher M. North was killed in action on 4/21/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper, 34, of Baltimore
SSgt Harper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died April 21, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when he came in contact with enemy forces using a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire during combat operations.
Baltimore soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — A soldier from Baltimore was killed in Iraq over the weekend, the Pentagon said April 23.
Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper, 34, died in Baghdad on April 21 of injuries sustained during combat when enemy forces using a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire attacked.
Harper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Harper joined the military in January 1993 as an armor crew member and was assigned to Fort Hood since January 2006, a division spokesman said.
He was deployed to Iraq in October.
Harper’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Harper was the father of three, his wife, Stacy, told The Washington Post on April 23. Harper was originally scheduled to return home in October, but then his tour was extended until January 2008, she said.
“He was a great, great person,” Stacy Harper said. “He died doing what he loved.” She and the couple’s children — son Dominic, 12, and twin daughters Jessica and Jennifer, 10 — live in Florida near her parents while Harper was in Iraq. He kept in touch with letters, e-mails and, when possible, telephone calls.
Army Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper was killed in action on 04/21/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper, 34, of Baltimore
SSgt Harper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died April 21, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when he came in contact with enemy forces using a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire during combat operations.
Baltimore soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — A soldier from Baltimore was killed in Iraq over the weekend, the Pentagon said April 23.
Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper, 34, died in Baghdad on April 21 of injuries sustained during combat when enemy forces using a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire attacked.
Harper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Harper joined the military in January 1993 as an armor crew member and was assigned to Fort Hood since January 2006, a division spokesman said.
He was deployed to Iraq in October.
Harper’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Harper was the father of three, his wife, Stacy, told The Washington Post on April 23. Harper was originally scheduled to return home in October, but then his tour was extended until January 2008, she said.
“He was a great, great person,” Stacy Harper said. “He died doing what he loved.” She and the couple’s children — son Dominic, 12, and twin daughters Jessica and Jennifer, 10 — live in Florida near her parents while Harper was in Iraq. He kept in touch with letters, e-mails and, when possible, telephone calls.
Army Staff Sgt. Marlon B. Harper was killed in action on 04/21/07.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Army Sgt. Alexander Van Aalten
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Alexander Van Aalten, 21, of Monterey, Tenn.
Sgt. Van Aalten was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 20 in Sangin, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when a land mine detonated near his unit during combat operations.
A former Monterey resident was killed during a second tour in Afghanistan after he stepped on a mine, according to his family.
The family of Sgt. Alex Van Aalten, 21, with the 82nd Airborne Division, was notified Friday of the incident in the Kandahar Region of Afghanistan where he was stationed.
Van Aalten's mother, Susan, said the family was at work when they learned what happened.
She said her son had been in Afghanistan since January and was scheduled to be there for 15 months. He wasn't able to give many details about what he was doing, but she said she believes he was involved in a large ongoing offensive operation.
Van Aalten also served in Iraq in 2005 as a gunner on a Humvee, his mother said.
Van Aalten, who attended Cookeville High School, was born in Orlando, Fla., but spent much of his life in Monterey, about 75 miles west of Knoxville.
His mother and father, Ed Van Aalten, live in Cumberland Cove, and his wife, Shana, lives in Sparta. He and his wife had been married for about two years, his mother said.
Van Aalten's mother said he signed up for the Army after graduating from high school and went to basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. He then was assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
June would have marked his third year in the Army, and two weeks ago, Van Aalten signed up to serve for another six years, his mother said.
"He loved serving his country," she said. "He just was a really good person. He loved being in the Army. He believed in what he was doing."
Army Sgt. Alexander Van Aalten was killed in action on 4/20/07
Army Sgt. Alexander Van Aalten, 21, of Monterey, Tenn.
Sgt. Van Aalten was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 20 in Sangin, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when a land mine detonated near his unit during combat operations.
A former Monterey resident was killed during a second tour in Afghanistan after he stepped on a mine, according to his family.
The family of Sgt. Alex Van Aalten, 21, with the 82nd Airborne Division, was notified Friday of the incident in the Kandahar Region of Afghanistan where he was stationed.
Van Aalten's mother, Susan, said the family was at work when they learned what happened.
She said her son had been in Afghanistan since January and was scheduled to be there for 15 months. He wasn't able to give many details about what he was doing, but she said she believes he was involved in a large ongoing offensive operation.
Van Aalten also served in Iraq in 2005 as a gunner on a Humvee, his mother said.
Van Aalten, who attended Cookeville High School, was born in Orlando, Fla., but spent much of his life in Monterey, about 75 miles west of Knoxville.
His mother and father, Ed Van Aalten, live in Cumberland Cove, and his wife, Shana, lives in Sparta. He and his wife had been married for about two years, his mother said.
Van Aalten's mother said he signed up for the Army after graduating from high school and went to basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. He then was assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
June would have marked his third year in the Army, and two weeks ago, Van Aalten signed up to serve for another six years, his mother said.
"He loved serving his country," she said. "He just was a really good person. He loved being in the Army. He believed in what he was doing."
Army Sgt. Alexander Van Aalten was killed in action on 4/20/07
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Army Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby, 27, of Grand Junction, Colo.
Cpl. Oglesby was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 18 in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Also killed was Cpl. Michael M. Rojas.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel -- Wade Oglesby spent his life putting others before himself. When he was a sophomore at Grand Junction High School, he dropped out to take care of his ill mother full-time.
He didn’t learn to drive until he was 22 years old and delayed his education and career to look after his family, including his younger sister, Samantha.
On Wednesday, Oglesby was killed instantly when the Humvee he was driving rolled over an improvised explosive device north of Baghdad, according to his family.
At 6-foot-3, the 27-year-old U.S. Army corporal was tall and skinny. He was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division’s Fourth “Stryker” Brigade.
His mom, Linda, died in September 2003 of heart failure and, after taking care of her for nearly 10 years, he moved in with his stepparents Gary, whom Oglesby called dad, and Sheila Decocq.
“He was one of the most unbelievably nurturing men I’d ever met,” Sheila said. “I don’t think he ever once thought, ‘Well gee, I don’t get to do this, or I don’t get to do that.’ ”
Oglesby’s Humvee was leading a convoy on a road he had driven often. He told Sheila no one had been hit on that road.
“It’s just like driving back home here,” he told her.
The Associated Press reported Thursday two soldiers were killed in an explosion north of Baghdad on Wednesday, but the Department of Defense has yet to identify those soldiers.
Wade would be the second soldier from Grand Junction killed in Iraq and the 45th from Colorado, according to Associated Press Iraq casualty counts.
‘...I haven’t gotten a scratch’
Oglesby called home a week ago, and he and Sheila were afforded an hour to talk, which is unusual because there are usually other soldiers waiting to use the phone, she said.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t gotten a scratch,” he told her on Saturday. “We just get a slight concussion here and there.”
As she sat outside playing with her cats and enjoying the spring day, Sheila told Oglesby how much they loved him and how proud of him they were.
“His first questions were always, ‘How’s Gary, how’s grandpa, how’s everybody doing?’ ” Sheila said. “Wade’s first thoughts were always, ‘How’s everybody else doing?’ ”
Oglesby told her it was starting to get hot there, and he was ready to be out of Iraq and back on U.S. soil.
Sheila’s father, L.W. St. John, whom Wade called grandpa, was in the Navy serving in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
Her brothers also served in the military. One made a career of the Navy, and the other served in the Army during Vietnam.
Wade’s stepbrother, Chris Walker, is also in the Army and returned in December from a year-long tour of Iraq. When Walker, who is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, heard the news, he burst into tears, Sheila said.
Both Oglesby and Walker enlisted in the Army in 2004. The year between his mother dying and starting basic training was the first time in his life when Oglesby had time for himself, she said.
“We needed something to do,” said Walker, who came home on a two-week, emergency leave. “It seemed like a logical step.”
Spending most of his teenage years caring for his mother left Oglesby somewhat socially awkward. Sheila said he was painfully shy to the point where he wouldn’t look strangers in the eye when talking to them.
Gary said Oglesby finally decided to take a chance and choose a direction in his life after his mom died. They encouraged him to join the Air Force, but, after speaking with a recruiter, Oglesby joined the Army.
“He wanted to make a difference,” Gary said. “He wanted to get an education, and he had nothing going on here.”
Before he left for basic training in August 2004, the family had a going-away party for Walker and Oglesby, who was surprised they would throw a party for him.
“He never expected anybody to make a fuss,” Sheila said.
Walker remembers posing with Oglesby for a photo at the party with a cake in the shape of an American flag.
“Here he is, this tall, beanpole of a guy, and here I am, this short, little troll of a guy,” he said.
Oglesby called home as often as he could during basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., but eventually made friends and gained confidence in the Army, Sheila said.
“He really came into his own,” she said.
‘This is Wade’
The Decocqs said they received the bad news early Thursday morning from Oglesby’s older brother, Richard. Sheila, while grateful for the Army’s support, said the news was less harsh coming from family.
“My biggest fear with both of the boys being over there was watching a couple of military suits come down the walkway to the door,” she said.
Oglesby made many friends in the Army, and a lot of them have called the Decocqs from Iraq to offer condolences and tell them how nice and courageous Oglesby was.
Services are pending at Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
In 2001 Oglesby earned his GED with flying colors. The certificate now sits in a neat pile with his birth certificate, his mother’s death certificate and other documents.
“This is Wade,” Sheila said. “Everything’s right here where I need it.”
His family remembers Oglesby as always being upbeat and having a dry wit about him.
“He had a British sense of humor,” Walker said. “That kid would bend over backwards and go to the ends of the earth if you needed anything.”
Walker said he lost two of his teammates when an IED exploded underneath their Humvee on April 28, 2006. Before that, his team had encountered eight other IEDs while patrolling and escorting command officers in southern Baghdad.
Walker said he knew what to expect when he got the news about Oglesby, but it still was hard to take.
He said he was hoping to sit down with Oglesby when he returned stateside and “talk ... to each other and drink a beer.”
Walker’s sergeant major sent a coin with the 8-10 Cavalry logo to give to Gary and Sheila. Walker said being coined was a great honor in the Army, especially when a cavalry officer is awarding a member of the artillery staff.
Oglesby had been in Iraq since last summer and his tour had recently been extended until October. He was based out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
While he trained for artillery, he was assigned to infantry in Iraq. One of Oglesby’s first assignments was driving officials in Mosul, northern Iraq. He was able to jump curbs and run red lights during those missions.
“He got a kick out of legally disobeying traffic laws,” Sheila said.
She said he recently had been assigned to security details and had been conducting raids around Baghdad.
Gary said Oglesby wanted to become a cop after he was discharged from the Army. During his last leave he looked into some of the local police academies.
He had the patience of Job and was a kind, serene person, which would have made him a good cop, Sheila said.
“We were hoping to meet him at the airport,” she said. “I guess we still will, but in a different way.”
Army Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby was killed in action on 4/18/07.
Army Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby, 27, of Grand Junction, Colo.
Cpl. Oglesby was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 18 in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Also killed was Cpl. Michael M. Rojas.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel -- Wade Oglesby spent his life putting others before himself. When he was a sophomore at Grand Junction High School, he dropped out to take care of his ill mother full-time.
He didn’t learn to drive until he was 22 years old and delayed his education and career to look after his family, including his younger sister, Samantha.
On Wednesday, Oglesby was killed instantly when the Humvee he was driving rolled over an improvised explosive device north of Baghdad, according to his family.
At 6-foot-3, the 27-year-old U.S. Army corporal was tall and skinny. He was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division’s Fourth “Stryker” Brigade.
His mom, Linda, died in September 2003 of heart failure and, after taking care of her for nearly 10 years, he moved in with his stepparents Gary, whom Oglesby called dad, and Sheila Decocq.
“He was one of the most unbelievably nurturing men I’d ever met,” Sheila said. “I don’t think he ever once thought, ‘Well gee, I don’t get to do this, or I don’t get to do that.’ ”
Oglesby’s Humvee was leading a convoy on a road he had driven often. He told Sheila no one had been hit on that road.
“It’s just like driving back home here,” he told her.
The Associated Press reported Thursday two soldiers were killed in an explosion north of Baghdad on Wednesday, but the Department of Defense has yet to identify those soldiers.
Wade would be the second soldier from Grand Junction killed in Iraq and the 45th from Colorado, according to Associated Press Iraq casualty counts.
‘...I haven’t gotten a scratch’
Oglesby called home a week ago, and he and Sheila were afforded an hour to talk, which is unusual because there are usually other soldiers waiting to use the phone, she said.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t gotten a scratch,” he told her on Saturday. “We just get a slight concussion here and there.”
As she sat outside playing with her cats and enjoying the spring day, Sheila told Oglesby how much they loved him and how proud of him they were.
“His first questions were always, ‘How’s Gary, how’s grandpa, how’s everybody doing?’ ” Sheila said. “Wade’s first thoughts were always, ‘How’s everybody else doing?’ ”
Oglesby told her it was starting to get hot there, and he was ready to be out of Iraq and back on U.S. soil.
Sheila’s father, L.W. St. John, whom Wade called grandpa, was in the Navy serving in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
Her brothers also served in the military. One made a career of the Navy, and the other served in the Army during Vietnam.
Wade’s stepbrother, Chris Walker, is also in the Army and returned in December from a year-long tour of Iraq. When Walker, who is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, heard the news, he burst into tears, Sheila said.
Both Oglesby and Walker enlisted in the Army in 2004. The year between his mother dying and starting basic training was the first time in his life when Oglesby had time for himself, she said.
“We needed something to do,” said Walker, who came home on a two-week, emergency leave. “It seemed like a logical step.”
Spending most of his teenage years caring for his mother left Oglesby somewhat socially awkward. Sheila said he was painfully shy to the point where he wouldn’t look strangers in the eye when talking to them.
Gary said Oglesby finally decided to take a chance and choose a direction in his life after his mom died. They encouraged him to join the Air Force, but, after speaking with a recruiter, Oglesby joined the Army.
“He wanted to make a difference,” Gary said. “He wanted to get an education, and he had nothing going on here.”
Before he left for basic training in August 2004, the family had a going-away party for Walker and Oglesby, who was surprised they would throw a party for him.
“He never expected anybody to make a fuss,” Sheila said.
Walker remembers posing with Oglesby for a photo at the party with a cake in the shape of an American flag.
“Here he is, this tall, beanpole of a guy, and here I am, this short, little troll of a guy,” he said.
Oglesby called home as often as he could during basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., but eventually made friends and gained confidence in the Army, Sheila said.
“He really came into his own,” she said.
‘This is Wade’
The Decocqs said they received the bad news early Thursday morning from Oglesby’s older brother, Richard. Sheila, while grateful for the Army’s support, said the news was less harsh coming from family.
“My biggest fear with both of the boys being over there was watching a couple of military suits come down the walkway to the door,” she said.
Oglesby made many friends in the Army, and a lot of them have called the Decocqs from Iraq to offer condolences and tell them how nice and courageous Oglesby was.
Services are pending at Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
In 2001 Oglesby earned his GED with flying colors. The certificate now sits in a neat pile with his birth certificate, his mother’s death certificate and other documents.
“This is Wade,” Sheila said. “Everything’s right here where I need it.”
His family remembers Oglesby as always being upbeat and having a dry wit about him.
“He had a British sense of humor,” Walker said. “That kid would bend over backwards and go to the ends of the earth if you needed anything.”
Walker said he lost two of his teammates when an IED exploded underneath their Humvee on April 28, 2006. Before that, his team had encountered eight other IEDs while patrolling and escorting command officers in southern Baghdad.
Walker said he knew what to expect when he got the news about Oglesby, but it still was hard to take.
He said he was hoping to sit down with Oglesby when he returned stateside and “talk ... to each other and drink a beer.”
Walker’s sergeant major sent a coin with the 8-10 Cavalry logo to give to Gary and Sheila. Walker said being coined was a great honor in the Army, especially when a cavalry officer is awarding a member of the artillery staff.
Oglesby had been in Iraq since last summer and his tour had recently been extended until October. He was based out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
While he trained for artillery, he was assigned to infantry in Iraq. One of Oglesby’s first assignments was driving officials in Mosul, northern Iraq. He was able to jump curbs and run red lights during those missions.
“He got a kick out of legally disobeying traffic laws,” Sheila said.
She said he recently had been assigned to security details and had been conducting raids around Baghdad.
Gary said Oglesby wanted to become a cop after he was discharged from the Army. During his last leave he looked into some of the local police academies.
He had the patience of Job and was a kind, serene person, which would have made him a good cop, Sheila said.
“We were hoping to meet him at the airport,” she said. “I guess we still will, but in a different way.”
Army Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby was killed in action on 4/18/07.
Army Cpl. Michael M. Rojas
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Michael M. Rojas, 21, of Fresno, Calif.
Cpl. Rojas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 18 in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Also killed was Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby.
Clovis soldier dies in Baghdad
The Associated Press
CLOVIS, Calif. — A former high school football player who was scheduled to return from Iraq over the summer was killed in Baghdad, his family said.
Army Spc. Michael Rojas, 21, died April 17, according to his father David Esquivil. The Department of Defense could not immediately confirm Rojas’ death.
Rojas enlisted after graduating in 2004 from Clovis East High School, where he played football for four years. He deployed to Iraq in June 2006, family members said.
“I got a letter from him recently saying he was in Baghdad, and it was dangerous,” Esquivil said. “He was looking forward to being back home, but was proud to be serving.”
Officials at Rojas’ alma mater held a moment of silence for the soldier April 19.
“He was a pretty good kid and a better-than-average athlete,” Clovis East football coach Tim Murphy said. “He went out the most honorable way you could go out.”
Rojas is survived by his parents and four sisters.
KOMOTV.com -- FORT LEWIS - The newlywed widow of a Stryker soldier killed in Iraq says she doesn't want people to forget about the sacrifices being made.
Cpl. Michael Rojas and his fellow Stryker Cpl. Wade Oglesby were both killed by a roadside bomb.
She's only 21, but Katrina Rojas is wise beyond her years.
"I appreciate all of the support and everything. I understand with the last week in the media with Virginia (Tech) it's hard," she said. "But I just want people to remember we still have these boys (and women) over there fighting for us and dying for us and I just want people to know that and remember that about my husband and Cpl. Wade Oglesby and everyone who's lost their life."
Her love for Mike Rojas is boundless. They got married last September when Mike came home from Iraq for a few days of R&R.
"We just wanted to be man and wife. We just wanted to be together," she said. "We wanted to have that bond, that forever."
The two got to spend only 11 days together as a married couple before the Fresno, California native had to return to his Stryker Brigade in Iraq. Then came word that Mike was killed by a roadside bomb.
"Mike deployed in June and we were on the countdown for him to come home," she said. "Unfortunately, then just two weeks ago we find out there's an extension. Okay, that's okay I can deal with this. And now my countdown will continue forever."
Army Cpl. Michael M. Rojas was killed in action on 4/18/07.
Army Cpl. Michael M. Rojas, 21, of Fresno, Calif.
Cpl. Rojas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 18 in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Also killed was Cpl. Wade J. Oglesby.
Clovis soldier dies in Baghdad
The Associated Press
CLOVIS, Calif. — A former high school football player who was scheduled to return from Iraq over the summer was killed in Baghdad, his family said.
Army Spc. Michael Rojas, 21, died April 17, according to his father David Esquivil. The Department of Defense could not immediately confirm Rojas’ death.
Rojas enlisted after graduating in 2004 from Clovis East High School, where he played football for four years. He deployed to Iraq in June 2006, family members said.
“I got a letter from him recently saying he was in Baghdad, and it was dangerous,” Esquivil said. “He was looking forward to being back home, but was proud to be serving.”
Officials at Rojas’ alma mater held a moment of silence for the soldier April 19.
“He was a pretty good kid and a better-than-average athlete,” Clovis East football coach Tim Murphy said. “He went out the most honorable way you could go out.”
Rojas is survived by his parents and four sisters.
KOMOTV.com -- FORT LEWIS - The newlywed widow of a Stryker soldier killed in Iraq says she doesn't want people to forget about the sacrifices being made.
Cpl. Michael Rojas and his fellow Stryker Cpl. Wade Oglesby were both killed by a roadside bomb.
She's only 21, but Katrina Rojas is wise beyond her years.
"I appreciate all of the support and everything. I understand with the last week in the media with Virginia (Tech) it's hard," she said. "But I just want people to remember we still have these boys (and women) over there fighting for us and dying for us and I just want people to know that and remember that about my husband and Cpl. Wade Oglesby and everyone who's lost their life."
Her love for Mike Rojas is boundless. They got married last September when Mike came home from Iraq for a few days of R&R.
"We just wanted to be man and wife. We just wanted to be together," she said. "We wanted to have that bond, that forever."
The two got to spend only 11 days together as a married couple before the Fresno, California native had to return to his Stryker Brigade in Iraq. Then came word that Mike was killed by a roadside bomb.
"Mike deployed in June and we were on the countdown for him to come home," she said. "Unfortunately, then just two weeks ago we find out there's an extension. Okay, that's okay I can deal with this. And now my countdown will continue forever."
Army Cpl. Michael M. Rojas was killed in action on 4/18/07.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Scherry
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Scherry, 20, of Rocky River, Ohio
Lance Cpl. Scherry was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died April 16, 2007 from a nonhostile accident in Anbar province.
Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Joining the Marines was a lifelong dream for Lance Cpl. Daniel Scherry, who was a star football player at Rocky River High School.
But the realization of his dream was short-lived. Scherry, who became a Marine after graduating from high school in 2005, died Monday in Iraq.
Scherry, 20, was killed in a nonhostile incident in Anbar province in western Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Scherry, 20, had been in Iraq for a short period, the Pentagon said, but there were no further details on his death.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Kacie, Scherry's sister, said the news was shocking, and asked that the family be given privacy during a difficult period.
In a written statement the family said "Danny" loved football and the Marines.
He played on the football team for four years at Rocky River High School, including three years as a varsity starter, the family said.
Before joining the Marines, Scherry graduated from the Fire Training Academy at Cuyahoga Community College, the family statement said.
"Service in the Marines was his lifelong dream," the family stated. "In his short tenure with the Marines, he re ceived two promotions and was looked up to by members of his battalion."
Ron Lewis, head football coach for the Rocky River High School Pirates, said Scherry was passionate about the gridiron and could have played at the college level. Scherry's main position was strong safety on defense. He also played running back.
While in high school, he won the school's Heart of a Teammate award, which recognizes excellence on the field and respect from coaches and players.
"He was a standout player . . . tough and straightforward. You always knew where he stood," Lewis said. "But if you scratched the surface a little, you would find he would do anything for you. He would be there for you."
Despite his love for sports, Scherry was destined to become a Marine.
"He was always clear about going into the military," Lewis said. "He looked like a Marine. He acted like a Marine."
Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Scherry was killed in action on 4/16/07.
Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Scherry, 20, of Rocky River, Ohio
Lance Cpl. Scherry was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died April 16, 2007 from a nonhostile accident in Anbar province.
Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Joining the Marines was a lifelong dream for Lance Cpl. Daniel Scherry, who was a star football player at Rocky River High School.
But the realization of his dream was short-lived. Scherry, who became a Marine after graduating from high school in 2005, died Monday in Iraq.
Scherry, 20, was killed in a nonhostile incident in Anbar province in western Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Scherry, 20, had been in Iraq for a short period, the Pentagon said, but there were no further details on his death.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Kacie, Scherry's sister, said the news was shocking, and asked that the family be given privacy during a difficult period.
In a written statement the family said "Danny" loved football and the Marines.
He played on the football team for four years at Rocky River High School, including three years as a varsity starter, the family said.
Before joining the Marines, Scherry graduated from the Fire Training Academy at Cuyahoga Community College, the family statement said.
"Service in the Marines was his lifelong dream," the family stated. "In his short tenure with the Marines, he re ceived two promotions and was looked up to by members of his battalion."
Ron Lewis, head football coach for the Rocky River High School Pirates, said Scherry was passionate about the gridiron and could have played at the college level. Scherry's main position was strong safety on defense. He also played running back.
While in high school, he won the school's Heart of a Teammate award, which recognizes excellence on the field and respect from coaches and players.
"He was a standout player . . . tough and straightforward. You always knew where he stood," Lewis said. "But if you scratched the surface a little, you would find he would do anything for you. He would be there for you."
Despite his love for sports, Scherry was destined to become a Marine.
"He was always clear about going into the military," Lewis said. "He looked like a Marine. He acted like a Marine."
Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Scherry was killed in action on 4/16/07.
Army Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie, 22, of Chambersburg, Pa.
Pfc. Genevie was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; died April 16 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Chambersburg Public Opinion -- Pfc. Aaron Genevie was a young man who loved the Army, and as of his last MySpace posting, did not regret enlisting, even though he was not always particularly crazy about his first post at Fort Riley, Kansas.
On Monday, the 22-year-old Chambersburg soldier died from injuries suffered when his Army vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, Iraq. The Department of Defense confirmed Genevie's death Tuesday.
"I'm one of those crazy people who actually DON'T regret joining the Army," he wrote on his MySpace Web site.
In a later posting, he wrote almost as if he had a premonition, or perhaps those who serve in a war zone are only too aware of how close death follows them around.
"It's the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag," he wrote on his site.
In his MySpace posting, he described himself as someone who liked to read, take classes "to make myself smarter" and enjoyed doing the Army's physical training, known as PT, "because it's healthy."
At presstime Tuesday night, little was known about Genevie aside from his Web posting on MySpace, other than that he was officially listed as being from Chambersburg by the Army and had played junior varsity basketball in 2002 at McConnellsburg.
His family was in seclusion Tuesday night at their Chambersburg home.
One Fort Riley friend, Aurora Selbe, remembers him as a "beautiful person" who was always respectful and continued to call her "Mrs. Selbe" even after she assured him it was OK to call her by her first name.
"He was a very smart guy who loved being a soldier," she said in an e-mail to Public Opinion Tuesday night. "He will be greatly missed."
Aurora Selbe's husband is a staff sergeant with Bravo Company, the company to which Genevie was assigned, and she first met him on Thanksgiving when he and two other of the company's single soldiers were invited to the Selbe home for dinner.
"I liked him immediately," she said.
The Selbes had Genevie and other single soldiers for dinner again a few weeks before the unit was deployed and everyone talked about getting together for a "huge" barbecue when they got home, she said.
"My husband, Staff Sgt. Selbe, and the rest of Bravo troop are very saddened by his death because they are a very close knit group of guys who are good at what they do," she said in her e-mail to Public Opinion.
She said Genevie will be "greatly missed" by his unit and fellow soldiers at Fort Riley.
According to one of his MySpace postings two years ago, Genevie was a 6-foot tall Virgo whose long-term goal was to customize his 1999 Nissan Ultima.
Whether he still had the Nissan when he was deployed is unknown.
Army Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie was killed in action on 4/16/07.
Army Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie, 22, of Chambersburg, Pa.
Pfc. Genevie was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; died April 16 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Chambersburg Public Opinion -- Pfc. Aaron Genevie was a young man who loved the Army, and as of his last MySpace posting, did not regret enlisting, even though he was not always particularly crazy about his first post at Fort Riley, Kansas.
On Monday, the 22-year-old Chambersburg soldier died from injuries suffered when his Army vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, Iraq. The Department of Defense confirmed Genevie's death Tuesday.
"I'm one of those crazy people who actually DON'T regret joining the Army," he wrote on his MySpace Web site.
In a later posting, he wrote almost as if he had a premonition, or perhaps those who serve in a war zone are only too aware of how close death follows them around.
"It's the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag," he wrote on his site.
In his MySpace posting, he described himself as someone who liked to read, take classes "to make myself smarter" and enjoyed doing the Army's physical training, known as PT, "because it's healthy."
At presstime Tuesday night, little was known about Genevie aside from his Web posting on MySpace, other than that he was officially listed as being from Chambersburg by the Army and had played junior varsity basketball in 2002 at McConnellsburg.
His family was in seclusion Tuesday night at their Chambersburg home.
One Fort Riley friend, Aurora Selbe, remembers him as a "beautiful person" who was always respectful and continued to call her "Mrs. Selbe" even after she assured him it was OK to call her by her first name.
"He was a very smart guy who loved being a soldier," she said in an e-mail to Public Opinion Tuesday night. "He will be greatly missed."
Aurora Selbe's husband is a staff sergeant with Bravo Company, the company to which Genevie was assigned, and she first met him on Thanksgiving when he and two other of the company's single soldiers were invited to the Selbe home for dinner.
"I liked him immediately," she said.
The Selbes had Genevie and other single soldiers for dinner again a few weeks before the unit was deployed and everyone talked about getting together for a "huge" barbecue when they got home, she said.
"My husband, Staff Sgt. Selbe, and the rest of Bravo troop are very saddened by his death because they are a very close knit group of guys who are good at what they do," she said in her e-mail to Public Opinion.
She said Genevie will be "greatly missed" by his unit and fellow soldiers at Fort Riley.
According to one of his MySpace postings two years ago, Genevie was a 6-foot tall Virgo whose long-term goal was to customize his 1999 Nissan Ultima.
Whether he still had the Nissan when he was deployed is unknown.
Army Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie was killed in action on 4/16/07.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Army SSgt. Brandon L. Wallace
Remember Our Heroes
Army SSgt. Brandon L. Wallace, 27, of St. Louis, Mo.
SSgt. Wallace was assigned to the 1451st Transportation Company, 13th Support Command, Iraq.; died April 14, 2007 in Fallujah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed was Sgt. Joshua A. Schmit.
Suburban Journals -- Brandon Wallace was almost home.
Just two weeks away from the end of combat duty, the Jefferson County native and U.S. Army staff sergeant was killed last week by a roadside bomb in Fallujah, Iraq.
He was 27.
Monday, his family gathered to remember his life, passing around photos of the smiling soldier.
They also had a chance to hear his words one final time. Following his death, his mother, Robin Wallace, discovered letters Brandon had written to his sisters and parents prior to his deployment.
The family had never read them before.
In the letters, Wallace prays for his sisters, Rachael Tucker and Sarah Beth Wallace, and appeals for the strength to serve his country.
"I can do it because God is with me," he wrote. "God has given me not the spirit of fear but of power."
His family received news of his death Saturday.
After receiving a call on his cell phone, Brandon's father, Rick Wallace, was asked to leave immediately for Robin Wallace's Festus home.
The men identified themselves as police.
While en route Wallace realized the men were military police calling about his son.
"It started hitting me at the Pevely exit that it had something to do with Brandon," he said. "It was the longest drive. We didn't want to get out of the car. We knew by the look on their face before they said anything."
"You feel detached from your body," Robin Wallace said. "You're in disbelief."
His family said they have been told Wallace has been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and has qualified to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Wallace was engaged to a fellow soldier, Army Spc. Dawn Urbina.
The pair served in the same unit.
Urbina is expected to travel back to Crystal City with Wallace's body, when she will meet his family for the first time.
Wallace, who graduated from the St. Charles Police Academy in 2005, put his career on hold after being recalled into the army in August of last year.
Though he had previously served in Kosovo, his family was shaken by his impending departure.
On the day he left, Robin Wallace bade him a tearful goodbye.
"She said come back home to your mama," Tucker said. "But this time he didn't say OK. He went out the door crying."
Rick Wallace said he felt apprehensive about his son's departure.
"When I took him to the airport I knew," he said. "I had taken him when he was (deployed) to Kosovo but it was different this time."
Rick Wallace said his son had a terrifying nightmare about being killed by a roadside bomb shortly before his death.
"He had a dream that he was on a road in Fallujah and felt like he was going to die," Rick Wallace said.
Shaken by the dream, Wallace woke his fiancee.
"She told him it was just a coincidence," Tucker said. "But it was his destiny to be a hero."
Jeff Klos taught Brandon at Crystal City High School.
"We called him and his friends 'The Cowboys,'" Klos said. "They always had cowboy hats, buckles and lassoes. If they couldn't lasso another kid they'd lasso a truck.
"Brandon was exceptional and everybody was very proud of what he turned out to be."
Bryan Smyth, a minister and friend, recalled Wallace's generosity.
"When my father died Brandon stayed with me until I buried my dad," he said. "He pressed my suits, he made me dinner, he prayed with me. He did a lot of neat things like that. That was just Brandon."
A funeral for Wallace is expected to be held sometime next week at Living Faith Church in Festus.
Army SSgt. Brandon L. Wallace was killed in action on 4/14/07.
Army SSgt. Brandon L. Wallace, 27, of St. Louis, Mo.
SSgt. Wallace was assigned to the 1451st Transportation Company, 13th Support Command, Iraq.; died April 14, 2007 in Fallujah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed was Sgt. Joshua A. Schmit.
Suburban Journals -- Brandon Wallace was almost home.
Just two weeks away from the end of combat duty, the Jefferson County native and U.S. Army staff sergeant was killed last week by a roadside bomb in Fallujah, Iraq.
He was 27.
Monday, his family gathered to remember his life, passing around photos of the smiling soldier.
They also had a chance to hear his words one final time. Following his death, his mother, Robin Wallace, discovered letters Brandon had written to his sisters and parents prior to his deployment.
The family had never read them before.
In the letters, Wallace prays for his sisters, Rachael Tucker and Sarah Beth Wallace, and appeals for the strength to serve his country.
"I can do it because God is with me," he wrote. "God has given me not the spirit of fear but of power."
His family received news of his death Saturday.
After receiving a call on his cell phone, Brandon's father, Rick Wallace, was asked to leave immediately for Robin Wallace's Festus home.
The men identified themselves as police.
While en route Wallace realized the men were military police calling about his son.
"It started hitting me at the Pevely exit that it had something to do with Brandon," he said. "It was the longest drive. We didn't want to get out of the car. We knew by the look on their face before they said anything."
"You feel detached from your body," Robin Wallace said. "You're in disbelief."
His family said they have been told Wallace has been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and has qualified to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Wallace was engaged to a fellow soldier, Army Spc. Dawn Urbina.
The pair served in the same unit.
Urbina is expected to travel back to Crystal City with Wallace's body, when she will meet his family for the first time.
Wallace, who graduated from the St. Charles Police Academy in 2005, put his career on hold after being recalled into the army in August of last year.
Though he had previously served in Kosovo, his family was shaken by his impending departure.
On the day he left, Robin Wallace bade him a tearful goodbye.
"She said come back home to your mama," Tucker said. "But this time he didn't say OK. He went out the door crying."
Rick Wallace said he felt apprehensive about his son's departure.
"When I took him to the airport I knew," he said. "I had taken him when he was (deployed) to Kosovo but it was different this time."
Rick Wallace said his son had a terrifying nightmare about being killed by a roadside bomb shortly before his death.
"He had a dream that he was on a road in Fallujah and felt like he was going to die," Rick Wallace said.
Shaken by the dream, Wallace woke his fiancee.
"She told him it was just a coincidence," Tucker said. "But it was his destiny to be a hero."
Jeff Klos taught Brandon at Crystal City High School.
"We called him and his friends 'The Cowboys,'" Klos said. "They always had cowboy hats, buckles and lassoes. If they couldn't lasso another kid they'd lasso a truck.
"Brandon was exceptional and everybody was very proud of what he turned out to be."
Bryan Smyth, a minister and friend, recalled Wallace's generosity.
"When my father died Brandon stayed with me until I buried my dad," he said. "He pressed my suits, he made me dinner, he prayed with me. He did a lot of neat things like that. That was just Brandon."
A funeral for Wallace is expected to be held sometime next week at Living Faith Church in Festus.
Army SSgt. Brandon L. Wallace was killed in action on 4/14/07.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Army Sgt. Larry R. Bowman
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Larry R. Bowman, 29, of Granite Falls, N.C.
Sgt. Bowman was assigned to the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 13 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Family remembers N.C. man killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
GRANITE FALLS, N.C. — The mother of an Army sergeant killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq says her son was “just a joy,” while a lifelong friend was impressed by how much he matured in the military.
“He was just a joy to watch grow up,” Barbara Braswell said. “I’m very proud of him. I loved him so much.”
Larry “Robby” Bowman, 29, of Granite Falls was killed April 13 in Baghdad. He was returning to Kuwait after dropping off supplies when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb, said his sister, Angela Sigmon.
Bowman was assigned to the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group, at Fort Lewis, Wash. He was on his second tour of duty in the Middle East.
His friend, Richard Steer, remembered Bowman as being adventurous from the age of 5.
“He was always exploring in every direction,” Steer said. “He would come up with new and creative ways [for us] to entertain ourselves.”
Steer, 29, and Bowman lost touch as they reached high school, but that changed when Bowman returned from Tikrit and asked Steer to be in his wedding.
Bowman and his wife, Michelle, eloped in April 2005 but had a formal ceremony a year later. Steer was a groomsman at that wedding.
The Bowmans met at the Skylite Skating Rink in Hudson 14 years ago. She fell for him right away. “From the second I saw him from across the room, I knew he was the one,” Michelle Bowman said. “It just took me a while to reel him in.”
Bowman excelled during his four-year Army career, family and friends said.
“I was amazed at the level of maturity he reached,” Steer said. “He was talking about having a family.”
N.C. soldier killed in Iraq buried near home
The Associated Press
GRANITE FALLS, N.C. — Hundreds of mourners paid respects April 22 to Army Sgt. Larry “Robby” Bowman, 29, who was killed April 13 in Baghdad when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb as he returned to a base in Kuwait.
Friends and relatives from Caldwell County said Bowman was the life of the party and a man who drew a crowd.
His widow, Michelle Bowman, said she met him when she was 15 and said “he just took my breath away. He had such a wonderful presence and spirit. Everyone who knew him loved him.”
Bowman was assigned to the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group, at Fort Lewis, Wash. He was on his second tour of duty in the Middle East.
After the funeral service at Dudley Shoals Baptist Church, Bowman was buried less than three miles from his boyhood home. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals posthumously.
Army Sgt. Larry R. Bowman was killed in action on 4/13/07.
Army Sgt. Larry R. Bowman, 29, of Granite Falls, N.C.
Sgt. Bowman was assigned to the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died April 13 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Family remembers N.C. man killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
GRANITE FALLS, N.C. — The mother of an Army sergeant killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq says her son was “just a joy,” while a lifelong friend was impressed by how much he matured in the military.
“He was just a joy to watch grow up,” Barbara Braswell said. “I’m very proud of him. I loved him so much.”
Larry “Robby” Bowman, 29, of Granite Falls was killed April 13 in Baghdad. He was returning to Kuwait after dropping off supplies when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb, said his sister, Angela Sigmon.
Bowman was assigned to the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group, at Fort Lewis, Wash. He was on his second tour of duty in the Middle East.
His friend, Richard Steer, remembered Bowman as being adventurous from the age of 5.
“He was always exploring in every direction,” Steer said. “He would come up with new and creative ways [for us] to entertain ourselves.”
Steer, 29, and Bowman lost touch as they reached high school, but that changed when Bowman returned from Tikrit and asked Steer to be in his wedding.
Bowman and his wife, Michelle, eloped in April 2005 but had a formal ceremony a year later. Steer was a groomsman at that wedding.
The Bowmans met at the Skylite Skating Rink in Hudson 14 years ago. She fell for him right away. “From the second I saw him from across the room, I knew he was the one,” Michelle Bowman said. “It just took me a while to reel him in.”
Bowman excelled during his four-year Army career, family and friends said.
“I was amazed at the level of maturity he reached,” Steer said. “He was talking about having a family.”
N.C. soldier killed in Iraq buried near home
The Associated Press
GRANITE FALLS, N.C. — Hundreds of mourners paid respects April 22 to Army Sgt. Larry “Robby” Bowman, 29, who was killed April 13 in Baghdad when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb as he returned to a base in Kuwait.
Friends and relatives from Caldwell County said Bowman was the life of the party and a man who drew a crowd.
His widow, Michelle Bowman, said she met him when she was 15 and said “he just took my breath away. He had such a wonderful presence and spirit. Everyone who knew him loved him.”
Bowman was assigned to the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group, at Fort Lewis, Wash. He was on his second tour of duty in the Middle East.
After the funeral service at Dudley Shoals Baptist Church, Bowman was buried less than three miles from his boyhood home. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals posthumously.
Army Sgt. Larry R. Bowman was killed in action on 4/13/07.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Army Sgt. David A. Stephens
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. David A. Stephens, 28, of Tullahoma, Tenn.
Sgt. Stephens was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 12 in Miri, Afghanistan, when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device during combat operations. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Casey D. Combs.
Two paratroopers — one a Tullahoman — from the 82nd Airborne Division have died from a roadside bombing in Afghanistan, bringing the number from the division killed in a week to six.
Sgt. David Stephens, 28, of Tullahoma, and Staff Sgt. Casey Combs, 28, of Auburn, Wash., were wounded Thursday in the bombing near Miri, Afghanistan, the division said Saturday.
The 3,700 members of their task force observed a moment of silence to honor them.
Four other paratroopers from the Fort Bragg-based division died Sunday in Iraq following a bombing.
Stephens was a combat medic and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Brigade Combat Team. He joined the Army in March 2005, came to the 82nd in February 2006 and was a 2002 graduate of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in abnormal psychology.
"Sgt. Stephens was an inspiration to all the paratroopers of his unit," said 1st Lt. Dennis Curry, 2-508th Rear Detachment commander. "He always volunteered to help others."
Stephens is survived by his wife, Megan Stephens, and his 3-month-old daughter, Sienna Stephens, both of Spring Lake, N.C.; and his father Charles Stephens of Tullahoma, Tenn.
Megan Stephens said her husband was a Bob Dylan fan and took an iPod filled with Dillon songs on the deployment. He had been selected for officer candidate school but turned it down to train as a medic because his mother had died of a heart attack and he wanted to help people, she said.
Army Sgt. David A. Stephens was killed in action on 4/12/07.
Army Sgt. David A. Stephens, 28, of Tullahoma, Tenn.
Sgt. Stephens was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 12 in Miri, Afghanistan, when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device during combat operations. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Casey D. Combs.
Two paratroopers — one a Tullahoman — from the 82nd Airborne Division have died from a roadside bombing in Afghanistan, bringing the number from the division killed in a week to six.
Sgt. David Stephens, 28, of Tullahoma, and Staff Sgt. Casey Combs, 28, of Auburn, Wash., were wounded Thursday in the bombing near Miri, Afghanistan, the division said Saturday.
The 3,700 members of their task force observed a moment of silence to honor them.
Four other paratroopers from the Fort Bragg-based division died Sunday in Iraq following a bombing.
Stephens was a combat medic and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Brigade Combat Team. He joined the Army in March 2005, came to the 82nd in February 2006 and was a 2002 graduate of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in abnormal psychology.
"Sgt. Stephens was an inspiration to all the paratroopers of his unit," said 1st Lt. Dennis Curry, 2-508th Rear Detachment commander. "He always volunteered to help others."
Stephens is survived by his wife, Megan Stephens, and his 3-month-old daughter, Sienna Stephens, both of Spring Lake, N.C.; and his father Charles Stephens of Tullahoma, Tenn.
Megan Stephens said her husband was a Bob Dylan fan and took an iPod filled with Dillon songs on the deployment. He had been selected for officer candidate school but turned it down to train as a medic because his mother had died of a heart attack and he wanted to help people, she said.
Army Sgt. David A. Stephens was killed in action on 4/12/07.
Army Cpl. Jason J. Beadles
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jason J. Beadles, 22, of LaPorte, Ind.
Cpl. Beadles was assigned to the 887th Engineer Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died April 12 in Baghdad of a non-combat-related injury. The incident is under investigation.
Herald Argus -- LA PORTE — It has been two days since U.S. Army Spc. Jason Beadles, 22, of La Porte died in Iraq, and his family is still awaiting details.
It is believed Beadles, a heavy equipment operator, died as a result of eloctrocution, although his family doesn’t know if that occurred in combat or by accident.
The Herald-Argus spoke with Beadles’s mother, Delona Beadles, this morning and the family has no new information about their son’s death, although she was anticipating a call from a U.S. Army representative sometime today.
On Thursday, there were people inside the boyhood home of Beadles who would have otherwise never had a reason to be there.
When the La Porte High School 2003 graduate died in Iraq from an apparent electrocution Thursday, Sgt. First Class Henry Cox of the Hobart Reserve Unit came to the Monroe Street home, along with Rev. Bill Fine, pastor of United Church of Christ in Michigan City.
Only one other time in 2005 has Cox had to visit the family of a dead soldier to help with the funeral arrangements and explain the financial benefits. It’s not something he looked forward to doing Thursday, but it’s a responsibility that comes with the vocation.
“On one hand it’s an honor to be able to talk with the family of a fallen soldier, but it’s tough because you don’t want to see them break down. You try and provide what comfort you can. It’s tough,” he said. “It can be rewarding after everything is done in explaining the benefits, but in spite of all the things they are getting it doesn’t replace the child.”
A family friend called Fine and asked him to come over to the home Thursday. It’s not something he thought twice about, especially considering the fact that Jason, 22, dated his daughter Rachel while in high school. Fine was present for the family through the early grieving process, sharing stories about Jason and revealing the importance of God at such a difficult time.
“God is in charge of all life and we need to be seeking God’s strength at this time. When our lives get out of control it’s the God of life we can turn to,” he said.
While Sue Knop didn’t visit the home of the Beadles, the La Porte High School guidance counselor spoke highly of Jason.
“He was a wonderful student, and what a caring person. He was real affable, enthusiastic. He was the kind of son who would make a mother proud and the kind of student who would make a teacher proud,” she said.
Hervey Parker, welding instructor at A.K. Smith Career Center, became familiar with Jason the student who later earned his entry-level welding certification. For two years, Jason was a student of Parker’s.
“He was always happy. He was always concerned about other people,” Parker said. “He would always say, ‘Good Morning.’”
While the funeral arrangements are not complete, it’s likely late next week or early the following that people will say good-bye to Jason at his funeral in La Porte.
Army Cpl. Jason J. Beadles died in Baghdad, Iraq from non-combat related injuries on 4/12/07.
Army Cpl. Jason J. Beadles, 22, of LaPorte, Ind.
Cpl. Beadles was assigned to the 887th Engineer Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died April 12 in Baghdad of a non-combat-related injury. The incident is under investigation.
Herald Argus -- LA PORTE — It has been two days since U.S. Army Spc. Jason Beadles, 22, of La Porte died in Iraq, and his family is still awaiting details.
It is believed Beadles, a heavy equipment operator, died as a result of eloctrocution, although his family doesn’t know if that occurred in combat or by accident.
The Herald-Argus spoke with Beadles’s mother, Delona Beadles, this morning and the family has no new information about their son’s death, although she was anticipating a call from a U.S. Army representative sometime today.
On Thursday, there were people inside the boyhood home of Beadles who would have otherwise never had a reason to be there.
When the La Porte High School 2003 graduate died in Iraq from an apparent electrocution Thursday, Sgt. First Class Henry Cox of the Hobart Reserve Unit came to the Monroe Street home, along with Rev. Bill Fine, pastor of United Church of Christ in Michigan City.
Only one other time in 2005 has Cox had to visit the family of a dead soldier to help with the funeral arrangements and explain the financial benefits. It’s not something he looked forward to doing Thursday, but it’s a responsibility that comes with the vocation.
“On one hand it’s an honor to be able to talk with the family of a fallen soldier, but it’s tough because you don’t want to see them break down. You try and provide what comfort you can. It’s tough,” he said. “It can be rewarding after everything is done in explaining the benefits, but in spite of all the things they are getting it doesn’t replace the child.”
A family friend called Fine and asked him to come over to the home Thursday. It’s not something he thought twice about, especially considering the fact that Jason, 22, dated his daughter Rachel while in high school. Fine was present for the family through the early grieving process, sharing stories about Jason and revealing the importance of God at such a difficult time.
“God is in charge of all life and we need to be seeking God’s strength at this time. When our lives get out of control it’s the God of life we can turn to,” he said.
While Sue Knop didn’t visit the home of the Beadles, the La Porte High School guidance counselor spoke highly of Jason.
“He was a wonderful student, and what a caring person. He was real affable, enthusiastic. He was the kind of son who would make a mother proud and the kind of student who would make a teacher proud,” she said.
Hervey Parker, welding instructor at A.K. Smith Career Center, became familiar with Jason the student who later earned his entry-level welding certification. For two years, Jason was a student of Parker’s.
“He was always happy. He was always concerned about other people,” Parker said. “He would always say, ‘Good Morning.’”
While the funeral arrangements are not complete, it’s likely late next week or early the following that people will say good-bye to Jason at his funeral in La Porte.
Army Cpl. Jason J. Beadles died in Baghdad, Iraq from non-combat related injuries on 4/12/07.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Army Pfc. Brian L. Holden
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Brian L. Holden, 20, of Claremont, N.C.
Pfc. Holden was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died April 9, 2007 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Spc. Ismael G. Solorio and Pvt. Brett A. Walton.
Outdoorsman, loving husband, new father lost
Gazette, The (Colorado Springs),
by CARY LEIDER VOGRIN
One was a sergeant who had survived a sniper attack and a roadside bomb in two combat tours in Iraq.
Another was a private was counting down the days to May, when he and his wife would go on the honeymoon trip they never had the chance to take.
The third was a Montana ranchhand who had bought a ranch but would never get to settle on it.
The three Fort Carson soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team died this week in combat in Iraq. It was unclear Thursday if they were killed in the same attack.
Sgt. Ismael Solorio, 21, of San Luis, Ariz., died Monday during his third Iraq deployment, said his older sister, Elvira Solorio. She did not know how he died, and the Department of Defense had not released details Thursday.
Pfc. Brian Lee Holden, 20, of Claremont, N.C., a gunner with the brigade's 17th Field Artillery Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb, his family said.
Pfc. Kyle G. Bohrnsen, 22, of Philipsburg, Mont., of the brigade's 12th Infantry Regiment, died Tuesday after being wounded by a roadside bomb, the Pentagon reported.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," Brian Holden's widow, Amanda Holden, 19, said Thursday from their North Carolina home. "It's really hard to be so young and have to go through this."
The couple had been married 13 months and had been saving money to buy a house, she said.
"He told me the other day he was ready to come home, buy a house, settle down and have kids," she said.
Planning honeymoon
Gene Delozier had been looking at hundreds of pictures of his stepson, Brian Lee Holden, who was killed Monday by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
"In every picture, he was smiling. Brian was so cheerful all the time," Delozier said.
"Brian was in our prayers a lot. We would pray for him every time they went out on a mission," he said.
The 20-year-old from Claremont, N.C., had been married for 13 months. Delozier said the couple was planning a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for a honeymoon they never took after they got married in March 2006.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," Holden's widow, Amanda Holden, 19, told The Associated Press Thursday from their North Carolina home. "It's really hard to be so young and have to go through this."
Delozier said the couple spent plenty of time at Fort Carson together, where they both enjoyed the outdoors.
Born in Jacksonville, Fla., and raised in North Carolina, Holden graduated from Newton-Conover High School in 2005. He enlisted in the Army immediately after graduation.
Holden is survived by his parents, Bill Holden, of Cornelius, N.C., and Leasa Delozier, of Claremont, N.C.; stepparents Gene Delozier, of Claremont, and Helen Holden, of Cornelius; a brother, Billy Holden, of Mooresville, N.C.; paternal grandmother, Lilly Holden, of Jacksonville, Fla.; and maternal grandfather, Darrell Shrewsberry, of Conover, N.C.
Army Pfc. Brian L. Holden was killed in action on 4/9/07.
Army Pfc. Brian L. Holden, 20, of Claremont, N.C.
Pfc. Holden was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died April 9, 2007 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Spc. Ismael G. Solorio and Pvt. Brett A. Walton.
Outdoorsman, loving husband, new father lost
Gazette, The (Colorado Springs),
by CARY LEIDER VOGRIN
One was a sergeant who had survived a sniper attack and a roadside bomb in two combat tours in Iraq.
Another was a private was counting down the days to May, when he and his wife would go on the honeymoon trip they never had the chance to take.
The third was a Montana ranchhand who had bought a ranch but would never get to settle on it.
The three Fort Carson soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team died this week in combat in Iraq. It was unclear Thursday if they were killed in the same attack.
Sgt. Ismael Solorio, 21, of San Luis, Ariz., died Monday during his third Iraq deployment, said his older sister, Elvira Solorio. She did not know how he died, and the Department of Defense had not released details Thursday.
Pfc. Brian Lee Holden, 20, of Claremont, N.C., a gunner with the brigade's 17th Field Artillery Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb, his family said.
Pfc. Kyle G. Bohrnsen, 22, of Philipsburg, Mont., of the brigade's 12th Infantry Regiment, died Tuesday after being wounded by a roadside bomb, the Pentagon reported.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," Brian Holden's widow, Amanda Holden, 19, said Thursday from their North Carolina home. "It's really hard to be so young and have to go through this."
The couple had been married 13 months and had been saving money to buy a house, she said.
"He told me the other day he was ready to come home, buy a house, settle down and have kids," she said.
Planning honeymoon
Gene Delozier had been looking at hundreds of pictures of his stepson, Brian Lee Holden, who was killed Monday by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
"In every picture, he was smiling. Brian was so cheerful all the time," Delozier said.
"Brian was in our prayers a lot. We would pray for him every time they went out on a mission," he said.
The 20-year-old from Claremont, N.C., had been married for 13 months. Delozier said the couple was planning a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for a honeymoon they never took after they got married in March 2006.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," Holden's widow, Amanda Holden, 19, told The Associated Press Thursday from their North Carolina home. "It's really hard to be so young and have to go through this."
Delozier said the couple spent plenty of time at Fort Carson together, where they both enjoyed the outdoors.
Born in Jacksonville, Fla., and raised in North Carolina, Holden graduated from Newton-Conover High School in 2005. He enlisted in the Army immediately after graduation.
Holden is survived by his parents, Bill Holden, of Cornelius, N.C., and Leasa Delozier, of Claremont, N.C.; stepparents Gene Delozier, of Claremont, and Helen Holden, of Cornelius; a brother, Billy Holden, of Mooresville, N.C.; paternal grandmother, Lilly Holden, of Jacksonville, Fla.; and maternal grandfather, Darrell Shrewsberry, of Conover, N.C.
Army Pfc. Brian L. Holden was killed in action on 4/9/07.
Army Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III, 21, of Albuquerque, N.M.
Spc. Spohn was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died April 9 in Karmah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when the enemy attacked his location with indirect fire.
Albuquerque Tribune -- A 2004 Cibola High School graduate who joined the Army five months after receiving his diploma was killed at an Iraqi police station in Karmah.
Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III, 21, a paratrooper assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska, was hit with indirect fire Monday while working at the Iraqi station with his unit, according to an Army news release.
Three other paratroopers were injured.
Spohn, who went by Adam, lived in Alaska with his wife, Amanda, and their daughter, a spokesman for the family said.
Spohn was assigned to Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
He joined the Army in October 2004.
Cibola Principal Grace Brown said Spohn was the eldest of four Spohn children to attend the West Side school.
Two sisters currently attend Cibola, and a brother graduated last year.
Brown remembered Spohn was active in music and drama, and characterized his family as "very strong spiritually," said Rigo Chavez, spokesman for Albuquerque Public Schools.
Chavez said Brown spoke with Spohn's parents after learning of his death.
"They are very proud of him, she said. He died doing something he believed in," Chavez said.
Spohn's parents are Clifford and Sandy Spohn, said the family spokesman, Dever Langholf.
Langholf said the family would release a statement after more details were available.
A service of prayer and remembrance is scheduled at Fort Richardson but funeral information was not available, the Army said in its release.
Army Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III was killed in action on 4/9/07.
Army Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III, 21, of Albuquerque, N.M.
Spc. Spohn was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died April 9 in Karmah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when the enemy attacked his location with indirect fire.
Albuquerque Tribune -- A 2004 Cibola High School graduate who joined the Army five months after receiving his diploma was killed at an Iraqi police station in Karmah.
Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III, 21, a paratrooper assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska, was hit with indirect fire Monday while working at the Iraqi station with his unit, according to an Army news release.
Three other paratroopers were injured.
Spohn, who went by Adam, lived in Alaska with his wife, Amanda, and their daughter, a spokesman for the family said.
Spohn was assigned to Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
He joined the Army in October 2004.
Cibola Principal Grace Brown said Spohn was the eldest of four Spohn children to attend the West Side school.
Two sisters currently attend Cibola, and a brother graduated last year.
Brown remembered Spohn was active in music and drama, and characterized his family as "very strong spiritually," said Rigo Chavez, spokesman for Albuquerque Public Schools.
Chavez said Brown spoke with Spohn's parents after learning of his death.
"They are very proud of him, she said. He died doing something he believed in," Chavez said.
Spohn's parents are Clifford and Sandy Spohn, said the family spokesman, Dever Langholf.
Langholf said the family would release a statement after more details were available.
A service of prayer and remembrance is scheduled at Fort Richardson but funeral information was not available, the Army said in its release.
Army Spc. Clifford A. Spohn III was killed in action on 4/9/07.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Army Staff Sgt. Harrison Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Harrison Brown, 31, of Prichard, Ala.
SSgt Brown was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 8, 2007 in Baghdad when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. Also killed was Pfc. David N. Simmons.
Soldier from Prichard, Alabama, killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
MOBILE, Ala. — A soldier from Prichard was killed by a roadside bomb while riding in an Army Humvee in Iraq, family members said.
Family and friends said Army Staff Sgt. Harrison “Duck” Brown, 31, was killed April 8 while on either his third or fourth tour of duty in Iraq.
Brown’s sister, Mary Dozier of Mobile, said the married father of three was a 1994 graduate of Blount High School and had recently visited Mobile for Mardi Gras while on leave before returning to Iraq.
Brown was a wide receiver on a Blount football team that won a Class 5A state championship.
Brown had “a great attitude and was a good student,” Blount coach Ben Harris said. “If you want a son, you want one like him.”
Harris said Brown received a scholarship to play football for Tuskegee University.
Dozier said her brother was married to Delisha Brown, who also graduated from Blount in 1994. She currently lives at Fort Benning, Ga., where her husband was based.
Dozier said her brother played one year of college football at Tuskegee but left to join the Army, where he served for about 13 years.
Brown’s longtime friend Jabari Dotch described him as a hero.
“He’s my hero. Everybody needs to know he was a hero,” Dotch said
Alabama soldier killed in Iraq eulogized as hero, role model
By Garry Mitchell
The Associated Press
PRICHARD, Ala. — A Ft. Benning, Ga.-based solider killed in Iraq was eulogized April 20 at his funeral as a “gentle giant” hero and a role model growing up in his hometown of Prichard.
More than 1,000 mourners filled the Nazaree Full Gospel Church in Mobile to bid farewell to Army Staff Sgt. Harrison “Duck” Brown, 31, who was killed April 8 in a bomb blast that hit his Humvee.
Brown, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning, was on his third tour of duty in Iraq.
“This young man is a hero. He died as a hero and from what we’ve heard today, he lived as a hero,” said the Rev. Dr. Ralph Huling, pastor of St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga., where Brown, his wife, Delisha, and three daughters — 9, 12 and 14 — worshipped.
A small musical ensemble played “When the Saints Go Marching In” as the 1,200-seat church in Mobile filled. A soloist sang “Amazing Grace.” The service swelled into a hand-clapping celebration of Brown’s life.
Among those exchanging upbeat memories of Brown before his flag-draped coffin was his uncle, Hezekiah Brown of Elizabeth City, N.C., who described his nephew as a “gentle giant who never wanted to hurt anybody.”
Others remembered how Brown influenced their lives with his admirable behavior.
Blount High School coach Ben Harris recalled Brown as a wide receiver on his team from 1991 until his graduation in 1994.
“He was a fine person all around,” Harris said.
Alvin Daniels, a former Blount classmate, said it’s a sad time, but Brown liked being in the Army.
“He was a good fellow, real quiet, laid-back,” Daniels said.
Brown also played on the school’s baseball and basketball teams before enrolling at Tuskegee University, where he played football for one year on a scholarship.
Brown left Tuskegee after his freshman year and enlisted in the Army to support his growing family.
Brig. Gen. William Forrester of Fort Rucker, Ala., represented the Army at the service, with an Honor Guard also from Rucker. Brown was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart.
Scores of veterans on motorcycles from the Patriot Guard escorted the funeral procession with police.
Prichard officials announced plans to name a street for Brow. Resolutions honoring Brown from the Alabama Legislature and the city of Mobile also were delivered to Brown’s family.
Burial was in the National Cemetery in Mobile.
Army Staff Sgt. Harrison Brown was killed in action on 4/08/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Harrison Brown, 31, of Prichard, Ala.
SSgt Brown was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died April 8, 2007 in Baghdad when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. Also killed was Pfc. David N. Simmons.
Soldier from Prichard, Alabama, killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
MOBILE, Ala. — A soldier from Prichard was killed by a roadside bomb while riding in an Army Humvee in Iraq, family members said.
Family and friends said Army Staff Sgt. Harrison “Duck” Brown, 31, was killed April 8 while on either his third or fourth tour of duty in Iraq.
Brown’s sister, Mary Dozier of Mobile, said the married father of three was a 1994 graduate of Blount High School and had recently visited Mobile for Mardi Gras while on leave before returning to Iraq.
Brown was a wide receiver on a Blount football team that won a Class 5A state championship.
Brown had “a great attitude and was a good student,” Blount coach Ben Harris said. “If you want a son, you want one like him.”
Harris said Brown received a scholarship to play football for Tuskegee University.
Dozier said her brother was married to Delisha Brown, who also graduated from Blount in 1994. She currently lives at Fort Benning, Ga., where her husband was based.
Dozier said her brother played one year of college football at Tuskegee but left to join the Army, where he served for about 13 years.
Brown’s longtime friend Jabari Dotch described him as a hero.
“He’s my hero. Everybody needs to know he was a hero,” Dotch said
Alabama soldier killed in Iraq eulogized as hero, role model
By Garry Mitchell
The Associated Press
PRICHARD, Ala. — A Ft. Benning, Ga.-based solider killed in Iraq was eulogized April 20 at his funeral as a “gentle giant” hero and a role model growing up in his hometown of Prichard.
More than 1,000 mourners filled the Nazaree Full Gospel Church in Mobile to bid farewell to Army Staff Sgt. Harrison “Duck” Brown, 31, who was killed April 8 in a bomb blast that hit his Humvee.
Brown, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning, was on his third tour of duty in Iraq.
“This young man is a hero. He died as a hero and from what we’ve heard today, he lived as a hero,” said the Rev. Dr. Ralph Huling, pastor of St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga., where Brown, his wife, Delisha, and three daughters — 9, 12 and 14 — worshipped.
A small musical ensemble played “When the Saints Go Marching In” as the 1,200-seat church in Mobile filled. A soloist sang “Amazing Grace.” The service swelled into a hand-clapping celebration of Brown’s life.
Among those exchanging upbeat memories of Brown before his flag-draped coffin was his uncle, Hezekiah Brown of Elizabeth City, N.C., who described his nephew as a “gentle giant who never wanted to hurt anybody.”
Others remembered how Brown influenced their lives with his admirable behavior.
Blount High School coach Ben Harris recalled Brown as a wide receiver on his team from 1991 until his graduation in 1994.
“He was a fine person all around,” Harris said.
Alvin Daniels, a former Blount classmate, said it’s a sad time, but Brown liked being in the Army.
“He was a good fellow, real quiet, laid-back,” Daniels said.
Brown also played on the school’s baseball and basketball teams before enrolling at Tuskegee University, where he played football for one year on a scholarship.
Brown left Tuskegee after his freshman year and enlisted in the Army to support his growing family.
Brig. Gen. William Forrester of Fort Rucker, Ala., represented the Army at the service, with an Honor Guard also from Rucker. Brown was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart.
Scores of veterans on motorcycles from the Patriot Guard escorted the funeral procession with police.
Prichard officials announced plans to name a street for Brow. Resolutions honoring Brown from the Alabama Legislature and the city of Mobile also were delivered to Brown’s family.
Burial was in the National Cemetery in Mobile.
Army Staff Sgt. Harrison Brown was killed in action on 4/08/07.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless
Remember Our Heroes
Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless, 21, of Camden, Ark.
Pfc. McCandless was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, Spc. Ebe F. Emolo and Spc. Levi K. Hoover.
KTRE9 -- American flags and yellow ribbons cover the outside of the McCandless home. All signs of a family proud of the sacrifice made by 22-year-old Rodney McCandless. A soldier killed in combat while serving his country in Iraq on Easter Sunday.
"He was courageous. He was brave. He wasn't scared of anything. He wouldn't back down from a fight. He loved what he did. He did it for his country and he didn't mind," said his uncle, Joe McCandless.
"I just want god to bring him back to me. It's not fair. It's not fair," said his mother, Rhonda McCandless
Inside, family and friends rely on one another for support, and try to remember the good times they shared with Rodney.
"When he was just a year old, we dressed him up as a Cabbage Patch baby and he won first place in a Halloween contest. And I've always told him that all of his life, so that he's always known that he's my little Cabbage Patch baby," Rodney's mother fondly recalled.
"Growing up as we were kids, I'd ask my mother if I could go to a friend's house. She'd always tell me, 'Take Rodney with you!' So everyday, I've always had my little brother with me and from this day on, he'll still be with me," his older brother, James Sumner, told us.
"He had to be a role model for kids younger than him. He didn't do drugs and he didn't drink, he didn't smoke. Because if one of those kids saw him do it, and those kids were looking up to him, then he felt that he would be responsible for them doing that," his aunt, Sharla Parker, said.
Dealing with Rodney's death is hard for them, but his family and friends know he wouldn't want them to grieve for long.
"His message would be, "rock on!" He wanted everybody to just keep going pretty much. He wanted us all to keep going forward," said his Uncle Joe.
A final wish Rodney's family and friends say they're doing their best to fulfill.
Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless was killed in action on 4/7/07.
Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless, 21, of Camden, Ark.
Pfc. McCandless was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, Spc. Ebe F. Emolo and Spc. Levi K. Hoover.
KTRE9 -- American flags and yellow ribbons cover the outside of the McCandless home. All signs of a family proud of the sacrifice made by 22-year-old Rodney McCandless. A soldier killed in combat while serving his country in Iraq on Easter Sunday.
"He was courageous. He was brave. He wasn't scared of anything. He wouldn't back down from a fight. He loved what he did. He did it for his country and he didn't mind," said his uncle, Joe McCandless.
"I just want god to bring him back to me. It's not fair. It's not fair," said his mother, Rhonda McCandless
Inside, family and friends rely on one another for support, and try to remember the good times they shared with Rodney.
"When he was just a year old, we dressed him up as a Cabbage Patch baby and he won first place in a Halloween contest. And I've always told him that all of his life, so that he's always known that he's my little Cabbage Patch baby," Rodney's mother fondly recalled.
"Growing up as we were kids, I'd ask my mother if I could go to a friend's house. She'd always tell me, 'Take Rodney with you!' So everyday, I've always had my little brother with me and from this day on, he'll still be with me," his older brother, James Sumner, told us.
"He had to be a role model for kids younger than him. He didn't do drugs and he didn't drink, he didn't smoke. Because if one of those kids saw him do it, and those kids were looking up to him, then he felt that he would be responsible for them doing that," his aunt, Sharla Parker, said.
Dealing with Rodney's death is hard for them, but his family and friends know he wouldn't want them to grieve for long.
"His message would be, "rock on!" He wanted everybody to just keep going pretty much. He wanted us all to keep going forward," said his Uncle Joe.
A final wish Rodney's family and friends say they're doing their best to fulfill.
Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless was killed in action on 4/7/07.
Army Specialist Levi K. Hoover
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Levi K. Hoover, 23, of Midland, Mich.
Spc. Hoover was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, Spc. Ebe F. Emolo and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless.
Bay City Times -- MIDLAND - Friends and co-workers at the Meijer store in Midland, where Levi K. Hoover worked before joining the U.S. Army, have placed a memorial in the store for the fallen soldier.
''He left a couple of years ago, but he's still considered an employee,'' said Emily Bolander, administrative assistant at the store. ''He was on military leave.''
Bolander was to place Hoover's photo and a sympathy card for customers to sign at the store's main entrance.
A private first class with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, N.C., Hoover, 23, died Saturday.
He was one of four soldiers killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their unit in Zaganiyah, Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Hoover; Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H.; Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, 33, of Greensboro, N.C., and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless, 21, of Camden, Ark., were with the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
Hoover, a 2002 Dow High School graduate, worked in the meat and seafood department at Meijer.
''He was really friendly, good natured and interested in a lot of different things,'' Bolander said.
Hoover was engaged and hoped to become a police officer, relatives said.
'He was a good person,'' said his mother, Belinda Brewster. ''We were proud of him.''
Brewster talked with Hoover two days before his death, when he described a deadly roadside bomb explosion.
''I think he was worried,'' Brewster said. ''It was a dangerous place to be.''
Hoover received a criminal justice degree from Delta College before heading to Alaska to work as a ranger's assistant.
He enlisted in the Army in 2005 and deployed to Iraq the next year. He got engaged Christmas Day to a woman he met in Alaska.
In high school, Hoover wrestled and was a member of the steering committee that set policy for the school, Brewster said.
Adam San Miguel, his wrestling coach all four years, said Hoover was a good youngster who was well liked by his teammates.
While a student, he often talked about traveling to Alaska and having a career in law enforcement, San Miguel said. When he finally made it to Alaska, he gave his old coach a call, he said.
''The kid loved to go fishing and had a passion for the outdoors,'' San Miguel said. ''When he made his way to Alaska, he had reached one of his dreams.''
Army Specialist Levi K. Hoover was killed in action on 4/7/07.
Army Specialist Levi K. Hoover, 23, of Midland, Mich.
Spc. Hoover was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, Spc. Ebe F. Emolo and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless.
Bay City Times -- MIDLAND - Friends and co-workers at the Meijer store in Midland, where Levi K. Hoover worked before joining the U.S. Army, have placed a memorial in the store for the fallen soldier.
''He left a couple of years ago, but he's still considered an employee,'' said Emily Bolander, administrative assistant at the store. ''He was on military leave.''
Bolander was to place Hoover's photo and a sympathy card for customers to sign at the store's main entrance.
A private first class with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, N.C., Hoover, 23, died Saturday.
He was one of four soldiers killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their unit in Zaganiyah, Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Hoover; Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H.; Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, 33, of Greensboro, N.C., and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless, 21, of Camden, Ark., were with the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
Hoover, a 2002 Dow High School graduate, worked in the meat and seafood department at Meijer.
''He was really friendly, good natured and interested in a lot of different things,'' Bolander said.
Hoover was engaged and hoped to become a police officer, relatives said.
'He was a good person,'' said his mother, Belinda Brewster. ''We were proud of him.''
Brewster talked with Hoover two days before his death, when he described a deadly roadside bomb explosion.
''I think he was worried,'' Brewster said. ''It was a dangerous place to be.''
Hoover received a criminal justice degree from Delta College before heading to Alaska to work as a ranger's assistant.
He enlisted in the Army in 2005 and deployed to Iraq the next year. He got engaged Christmas Day to a woman he met in Alaska.
In high school, Hoover wrestled and was a member of the steering committee that set policy for the school, Brewster said.
Adam San Miguel, his wrestling coach all four years, said Hoover was a good youngster who was well liked by his teammates.
While a student, he often talked about traveling to Alaska and having a career in law enforcement, San Miguel said. When he finally made it to Alaska, he gave his old coach a call, he said.
''The kid loved to go fishing and had a passion for the outdoors,'' San Miguel said. ''When he made his way to Alaska, he had reached one of his dreams.''
Army Specialist Levi K. Hoover was killed in action on 4/7/07.
Army Specialist Ebe F. Emolo
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Ebe F. Emolo, 33, of Greensboro, N.C.
Spc. Emolo was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, Spc. Levi K. Hoover and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless.
News-Record -- GREENSBORO -- A paratrooper from Greensboro died over the weekend in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense said Tuesday.
Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, 33, was killed when a bomb exploded near his unit. Emolo was a vehicle driver with the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.
Emolo's commander praised his service and sacrifice, saying his death would strengthen his fellow soldiers' resolve to accomplish their mission.
"Specialist Emolo was an inspiration to all who knew him," Capt. John Carson said in a news release. "The success and achievements our squadron has endured over the past few weeks has not been easy or cheap, and we stand indebted to this great man who gave up his life in the service of his country."
Attempts to reach Emolo's family Tuesday evening were unsuccessful.
Among his survivors are wife Charlotte Brown and sister Sanwoa Wiggins, both of Greensboro, according to the military.
Emolo was a decorated soldier whose awards included the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutist's Badge, according to the military.
Emolo joined the Army in February 2005, the 82nd Airborne said. He completed vehicle driver advanced individual training and the basic airborne course that November and was assigned to his squad the following month.
The bombing also killed Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H.; Spc. Levi K. Hoover, 23, of Midland, Mich.; and Spc. Rodney L. McCandless, 21, of Camden, Ark.
Army Specialist Ebe F. Emolo was killed in action on 4/7/07.
Army Specialist Ebe F. Emolo, 33, of Greensboro, N.C.
Spc. Emolo was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, Spc. Levi K. Hoover and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless.
News-Record -- GREENSBORO -- A paratrooper from Greensboro died over the weekend in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense said Tuesday.
Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, 33, was killed when a bomb exploded near his unit. Emolo was a vehicle driver with the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.
Emolo's commander praised his service and sacrifice, saying his death would strengthen his fellow soldiers' resolve to accomplish their mission.
"Specialist Emolo was an inspiration to all who knew him," Capt. John Carson said in a news release. "The success and achievements our squadron has endured over the past few weeks has not been easy or cheap, and we stand indebted to this great man who gave up his life in the service of his country."
Attempts to reach Emolo's family Tuesday evening were unsuccessful.
Among his survivors are wife Charlotte Brown and sister Sanwoa Wiggins, both of Greensboro, according to the military.
Emolo was a decorated soldier whose awards included the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutist's Badge, according to the military.
Emolo joined the Army in February 2005, the 82nd Airborne said. He completed vehicle driver advanced individual training and the basic airborne course that November and was assigned to his squad the following month.
The bombing also killed Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H.; Spc. Levi K. Hoover, 23, of Midland, Mich.; and Spc. Rodney L. McCandless, 21, of Camden, Ark.
Army Specialist Ebe F. Emolo was killed in action on 4/7/07.
Army Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H.
Capt. Grassbaugh was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, Spc. Levi K. Hoover and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless.
SeaCoastOnline -- EXETER (AP) — A U.S. Army Ranger and former Phillips Exeter Academy student was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq.
Jonathan Grassbaugh, 26, who was the son of Hampstead Middle School's principal, was killed late last week and Patti Grassbaugh learned of his death on Saturday. He was her youngest son. Students at Hampstead Middle School were notified of the death.
"Mrs. Grassbaugh has requested that the family be given the time to mourn and to just keep her family in your thoughts and prayers," a letter from Owen Harrington, assistant principal, said on the school's Web site. The letter also was sent home with students.
Jonathan Grassbaugh was sent to Iraq for the second time earlier this winter after a brief visit with his family. His father, Mark Grassbaugh, who was also a Ranger, was away on business when his mother received the news.
Jonathan Grassbaugh attended Hampstead Central School and graduated from Hampstead Middle School. He went on to Phillips Exeter and then to Johns Hopkins University, where he was a member of the ROTC and graduated as an Army officer, the to The Eagle-Tribune reported.
He was married last summer. His wife is also an ROTC officer.
"Jonathan was a really great kid," said Dillard Collins, Central School principal. "I've dealt with a lot of kids in my years, and Jonathan was in the top 1 percent. Not only was he smart and an extremely nice kid, he was highly motivated and fully understood the concept of duty and honor, as does his entire family."
Hampstead School Board chairman Natalie Gallo said she cried when she heard of the death. "It is such a shame, such a waste of such a very intelligent and lovely young man," she said. "I am heartbroken for Patti and Mark."
Army Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh was killed in action on 4/7/07
Army Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H.
Capt. Grassbaugh was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 7 in Zaganiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed were Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, Spc. Levi K. Hoover and Pfc. Rodney L. McCandless.
SeaCoastOnline -- EXETER (AP) — A U.S. Army Ranger and former Phillips Exeter Academy student was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq.
Jonathan Grassbaugh, 26, who was the son of Hampstead Middle School's principal, was killed late last week and Patti Grassbaugh learned of his death on Saturday. He was her youngest son. Students at Hampstead Middle School were notified of the death.
"Mrs. Grassbaugh has requested that the family be given the time to mourn and to just keep her family in your thoughts and prayers," a letter from Owen Harrington, assistant principal, said on the school's Web site. The letter also was sent home with students.
Jonathan Grassbaugh was sent to Iraq for the second time earlier this winter after a brief visit with his family. His father, Mark Grassbaugh, who was also a Ranger, was away on business when his mother received the news.
Jonathan Grassbaugh attended Hampstead Central School and graduated from Hampstead Middle School. He went on to Phillips Exeter and then to Johns Hopkins University, where he was a member of the ROTC and graduated as an Army officer, the to The Eagle-Tribune reported.
He was married last summer. His wife is also an ROTC officer.
"Jonathan was a really great kid," said Dillard Collins, Central School principal. "I've dealt with a lot of kids in my years, and Jonathan was in the top 1 percent. Not only was he smart and an extremely nice kid, he was highly motivated and fully understood the concept of duty and honor, as does his entire family."
Hampstead School Board chairman Natalie Gallo said she cried when she heard of the death. "It is such a shame, such a waste of such a very intelligent and lovely young man," she said. "I am heartbroken for Patti and Mark."
Army Capt. Jonathan D. Grassbaugh was killed in action on 4/7/07
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