Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Randell Olguin, 24, of Ralls, Texas
Sgt. Olguin was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Sept. 30, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal—A Ralls soldier died Sunday doing exactly what he wanted to do.
Sgt. Randell "Randy" Olguin, 24, died from wounds suffered in an attack on his unit in Baghdad, according to a statement from the Department of Defense. His father, Sid Olguin, said the Army told him his son's unit was patrolling the city when his squad came under fire. Randy was the only soldier killed in the attack, Sid said.
Randy's high school principal, his family and his coach could not remember him ever talking so passionately about anything as he did about joining the U.S. Army. He left for basic training in 2003, weeks after graduating high school. Randy had just re-enlisted, his father said, and was killed on his second tour in Iraq.
"He died doing what he wanted to do," Sid said
Randy was a Ralls Jackrabbit before he was a soldier, wearing maroon and white in just about every sport the tiny high school offered. Baseball, football, a year of basketball, cross country; he loved to run, despite carrying a thick lineman's build. His low, stocky frame could be seen bobbing on two- to three-mile jogs on the dirt roads around his house - runs he took after football practice, Joey, an older brother, said.
"Come home practically passing out," he said, smiling. "Go play a football game Friday and go to a track meet on Saturday."
You couldn't call Randy a natural, said his baseball coach, Billy Villareal, but he compensated by throwing himself at the sport. Randy told Villareal he wanted to play catcher - no one was real sure why - and worked hard for two years before becoming a district honorable mention at the position.
Villareal remembered hurling buckets of baseballs at his crouched young backstop-in-training to teach him how to block an errant throw or pitch. Randy would stand up, beaten and bruised all over his arms. He would come back and ask for more the next day.
"That always said a lot about him, because he wasn't always the best athlete but did what he had to do to contribute," Villareal said. "I'd say, 'well, you know Randy, maybe we need to take a day off,' and he'd say 'I don't want you getting on me during a game!' "
Teachers thought him quiet, not a complainer, not a cut-up, but his family knew better. He was the baby of his brothers and sisters, and he and Joey were the troublemakers - harassing their nieces with energy to spare. When Randy came back to Ralls two years ago in December on leave with his girlfriend, he shocked his family by telling them he came back to get married.
"He was full of surprises," his father said. "He was a joker."
Sid served 12 years in the Army and never understood what it was that his hyper, rambunctious son saw in the rigorous order of the service. But teachers said he never talked of anything else and returned to his school after boot camp proudly wearing his uniform.
"I guess for the reason that the Army was a lot of physical and he was into physical things," Sid said.
"And he wanted to follow you," Randy's sister Anita said.
Villareal had several former students who went on to military service but none that had been killed in combat, he said. Randy's senior class had 44 students, including two teammates also serving in the military.
Villareal watched his football team run through passing drills Tuesday afternoon.
"We get really close to these kids, especially at a small school," he said. "It's almost like they're yours. That's one of those deals; it still hasn't hit me."
Sid Olguin tried to beat the news back to his family. Randy's wife called him from Germany, where Randy was based, to tell Sid the news. Sid, a trucker, could not make it from Illinois to his small house in Ralls before his wife and children learned what had happened.
Sid wanted his son to know that he was proud of him, he said, that they all were, and always would be. He reached down near his boots to find a blade of grass, his words - and his composure. Randy's brothers and sisters were standing in their parents' small front yard, on a short sidewalk patio, slipping in and out of past tense as they described their brother.
More than anything, he wanted the soldiers to stay in Iraq, Sid said, his children nodding. He wanted them to finish what they started, no matter that he thought the war was turning into another Vietnam.
"That's the one thing I would not like," Sid said. "For my son to die in vain."
Army Sgt. Randell Olguin was killed in action on 9/30/07.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Army Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon, 37, of Miami
SSgt. Dixon was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Baloor, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Miami soldier killed in Iraq spent career in the military
The Associated Press
MIAMI — A career soldier killed in his second tour of duty in Iraq had talked about joining the military almost from the time he first began speaking, relatives said.
Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon of Miami had toy soldiers as a boy, reminded his family at his high school graduation in 1988 that he wanted to enlist and left for boot camp on his 18th birthday, relatives said.
“He died doing what he always wanted to do: serve his country,” said his mother, Dessie Dixon of Miami Gardens.
Dixon, 37, died Sept. 29 in Baloor, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire, Pentagon officials said.
He drove a tank and was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He planned to retire in three years, relatives said.
Dixon’s mother last talked to him on his birthday, Sept. 20, when he called home. Other relatives sang him “Happy Birthday” and promised him a care package.
“At least we know he was laughing the last time we spoke to him, as we sang to him,” his sister, Valencia Dixon, said.
Dixon told his family he had been patrolling buildings to make sure they were protected. He expected to be home by December.
Along with his mother, sister and younger brother, Dixon is survived by his wife and their four children, who live in Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon was killed in action on 9/29/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon, 37, of Miami
SSgt. Dixon was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Baloor, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Miami soldier killed in Iraq spent career in the military
The Associated Press
MIAMI — A career soldier killed in his second tour of duty in Iraq had talked about joining the military almost from the time he first began speaking, relatives said.
Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon of Miami had toy soldiers as a boy, reminded his family at his high school graduation in 1988 that he wanted to enlist and left for boot camp on his 18th birthday, relatives said.
“He died doing what he always wanted to do: serve his country,” said his mother, Dessie Dixon of Miami Gardens.
Dixon, 37, died Sept. 29 in Baloor, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire, Pentagon officials said.
He drove a tank and was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He planned to retire in three years, relatives said.
Dixon’s mother last talked to him on his birthday, Sept. 20, when he called home. Other relatives sang him “Happy Birthday” and promised him a care package.
“At least we know he was laughing the last time we spoke to him, as we sang to him,” his sister, Valencia Dixon, said.
Dixon told his family he had been patrolling buildings to make sure they were protected. He expected to be home by December.
Along with his mother, sister and younger brother, Dixon is survived by his wife and their four children, who live in Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Donnie D. Dixon was killed in action on 9/29/07.
Army Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster, 37, of Pine Bluff, Ark.
SFC Doster was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive devise and small-arms fire.
White Hall graduate killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
WHITE HALL, Ark. — An Army sergeant from Pine Bluff died Sept. 29 in a roadside bombing and gunfight in Baghdad, the Defense Department said Oct. 1.
Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster, 37, served as a convoy leader in Iraq, his mother, Billie Doster, said Oct. 1.
Doster, a White Hall High School graduate, is survived by his wife, Amanda, and two young daughters, Kathryn, 6 and Grace, 3, who live at Wamego, Kan.
“Kathryn was counting down the days until he was supposed to be home,” Doster’s mother said. “She doesn’t really understand. All she says is, ‘It’s not fair.’ They had so many plans for when he came home.”
Doster served in the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kan., before the unit was deployed to Iraq.
Doster left for Iraq in February. He had joined the Army 17 years ago during his second year at Hendrix College and served mostly as a recruiter, Billie Doster said. Doster served in the Gulf War and was in one of the first tanks on the battlefield in that conflict, she said.
“It’s so easy to read ‘an American soldier was killed’ in the papers. You don’t really make the connection,” Billie Doster said, quietly weeping. “When it’s your own, you find it a lot harder.
“His wife is devastated, but is clinging to the knowledge that ... he died doing something he believed in.”
Doster is the 53rd Arkansas soldier to be killed in the Iraq war.
Doster’s mother said Pentagon officials told her it will be at least a week before his body is released to his family. A full military funeral is being planned for Lakeside United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff.
Army Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster was killed in action on 9/29/07.
Army Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster, 37, of Pine Bluff, Ark.
SFC Doster was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive devise and small-arms fire.
White Hall graduate killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
WHITE HALL, Ark. — An Army sergeant from Pine Bluff died Sept. 29 in a roadside bombing and gunfight in Baghdad, the Defense Department said Oct. 1.
Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster, 37, served as a convoy leader in Iraq, his mother, Billie Doster, said Oct. 1.
Doster, a White Hall High School graduate, is survived by his wife, Amanda, and two young daughters, Kathryn, 6 and Grace, 3, who live at Wamego, Kan.
“Kathryn was counting down the days until he was supposed to be home,” Doster’s mother said. “She doesn’t really understand. All she says is, ‘It’s not fair.’ They had so many plans for when he came home.”
Doster served in the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kan., before the unit was deployed to Iraq.
Doster left for Iraq in February. He had joined the Army 17 years ago during his second year at Hendrix College and served mostly as a recruiter, Billie Doster said. Doster served in the Gulf War and was in one of the first tanks on the battlefield in that conflict, she said.
“It’s so easy to read ‘an American soldier was killed’ in the papers. You don’t really make the connection,” Billie Doster said, quietly weeping. “When it’s your own, you find it a lot harder.
“His wife is devastated, but is clinging to the knowledge that ... he died doing something he believed in.”
Doster is the 53rd Arkansas soldier to be killed in the Iraq war.
Doster’s mother said Pentagon officials told her it will be at least a week before his body is released to his family. A full military funeral is being planned for Lakeside United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff.
Army Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster was killed in action on 9/29/07.
Army Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, 23, of Los Angeles
Sgt. Ayres was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Soldier who grew up in Los Osos dies in Iraq
Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, 23, was on his second tour of duty since enlisting in the Army, his family says
By Sona Patel
‘He was … just a really sweet boy,’ said Michelle Ayres of son Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III. U.S. Army Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, 23, who grew up in Los Osos, was killed Sept. 29 while serving in Iraq. He died from wounds suffered during an attack on his unit in Baghdad.
His mother, Michelle Ayres, a 19-year resident of Los Osos, said her son enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school in Southern California in 2003.
“He was a happy, funny and just a really sweet boy,” Ayres said. “He was fighting for the country and the people that he loved.”
Ayres was born July 26, 1984, in Santa Monica. He moved with his mother, twin brother and sister to Los Osos in 1988.
He is survived by four siblings ages 17 to 27. His twin brother, Jackson, lives in Atascadero, and his 17-year-old sister, Mimi, lives in Los Osos.
Other family members in San Luis Obispo County include his maternal aunt and uncle, Stevie and Rodger Anderson. Rodger Anderson is a former mayor of Morro Bay.
Robert Ayres attended Bay-wood and Monarch Grove elementary schools in Los Osos, San Benito Elementary School in Atascadero and Los Osos Middle School before moving to Brentwoodwhen he was 15 to live with his father, Robert Ayres II.
“He told me he wanted to join the Army right out of high school,” said Michelle Ayres, 53.
She remembers him at age 5, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was a child who always had his eyes open, was constantly smiling, who would ride a bicycle without touching the handlebars, she said.
“He’d close his eyes just to see what he would run into,” she said. She worried, but he kept saying: “Don’t worry Mom, I’m made out of rubber.”
Although she hadn’t seen her son in more than two years, Ayres remembered phone conversations with him in recent months as well as his last visit to the Central Coast in 2005. During that visit he celebrated his 21st birthday with his brother, Jackson, at the Sweet Springs Saloon in Los Osos.
That was the last time she saw her son before he left for Germany and then Baghdad in June 2007. It was his second deployment to Iraq since he joined the Army, according to family members.
Ayres was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.
During their sporadic phone calls, Michelle Ayres said she remembered sharing stories of her son’s childhood. He’d tell her not to worry about him.
“He would never tell me that he was getting shot at,” she said. “Instead, he would say ‘Mommy, I love you.’ ”
Even from afar, Robert Ayres could still make her laugh. They’d tell each other to hang up after their conversations, but after 20 minutes, Michelle Ayres said, they’d still be on the phone.
As they joked back and forth, she remembered her son saying that he loved her.
“I can feel how badly he wanted to come home and just be a little kid again,” she said. “Now every time I get sad, I can hear him.”
A memorial service for Robert Ayres III will be held Wednesday in Los Angeles. Arrangements are being made for a memorial service at Camp San Luis Obispo later this week. The local service will be open to the public, but details are not yet available.
State Capitol Honors L.A. Soldier Killed In Iraq
(CBS) LOS ANGELES Flags were flown at half-staff in the state Capitol Wednesday in honor of a Los Angeles soldier, 23, who died of wounds he suffered in Iraq.
Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III died Sept. 29 "when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire in Baghdad," according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office.
"Sergeant Robert Ayres will be remembered as an example of valor and commitment to duty," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Ayres was assigned to the Army's 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, out of Vilseck, Germany.
Army Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III was killed in action on 9/29/07.
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Army Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, 23, of Los Angeles
Sgt. Ayres was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Soldier who grew up in Los Osos dies in Iraq
Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, 23, was on his second tour of duty since enlisting in the Army, his family says
By Sona Patel
‘He was … just a really sweet boy,’ said Michelle Ayres of son Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III. U.S. Army Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, 23, who grew up in Los Osos, was killed Sept. 29 while serving in Iraq. He died from wounds suffered during an attack on his unit in Baghdad.
His mother, Michelle Ayres, a 19-year resident of Los Osos, said her son enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school in Southern California in 2003.
“He was a happy, funny and just a really sweet boy,” Ayres said. “He was fighting for the country and the people that he loved.”
Ayres was born July 26, 1984, in Santa Monica. He moved with his mother, twin brother and sister to Los Osos in 1988.
He is survived by four siblings ages 17 to 27. His twin brother, Jackson, lives in Atascadero, and his 17-year-old sister, Mimi, lives in Los Osos.
Other family members in San Luis Obispo County include his maternal aunt and uncle, Stevie and Rodger Anderson. Rodger Anderson is a former mayor of Morro Bay.
Robert Ayres attended Bay-wood and Monarch Grove elementary schools in Los Osos, San Benito Elementary School in Atascadero and Los Osos Middle School before moving to Brentwoodwhen he was 15 to live with his father, Robert Ayres II.
“He told me he wanted to join the Army right out of high school,” said Michelle Ayres, 53.
She remembers him at age 5, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was a child who always had his eyes open, was constantly smiling, who would ride a bicycle without touching the handlebars, she said.
“He’d close his eyes just to see what he would run into,” she said. She worried, but he kept saying: “Don’t worry Mom, I’m made out of rubber.”
Although she hadn’t seen her son in more than two years, Ayres remembered phone conversations with him in recent months as well as his last visit to the Central Coast in 2005. During that visit he celebrated his 21st birthday with his brother, Jackson, at the Sweet Springs Saloon in Los Osos.
That was the last time she saw her son before he left for Germany and then Baghdad in June 2007. It was his second deployment to Iraq since he joined the Army, according to family members.
Ayres was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.
During their sporadic phone calls, Michelle Ayres said she remembered sharing stories of her son’s childhood. He’d tell her not to worry about him.
“He would never tell me that he was getting shot at,” she said. “Instead, he would say ‘Mommy, I love you.’ ”
Even from afar, Robert Ayres could still make her laugh. They’d tell each other to hang up after their conversations, but after 20 minutes, Michelle Ayres said, they’d still be on the phone.
As they joked back and forth, she remembered her son saying that he loved her.
“I can feel how badly he wanted to come home and just be a little kid again,” she said. “Now every time I get sad, I can hear him.”
A memorial service for Robert Ayres III will be held Wednesday in Los Angeles. Arrangements are being made for a memorial service at Camp San Luis Obispo later this week. The local service will be open to the public, but details are not yet available.
State Capitol Honors L.A. Soldier Killed In Iraq
(CBS) LOS ANGELES Flags were flown at half-staff in the state Capitol Wednesday in honor of a Los Angeles soldier, 23, who died of wounds he suffered in Iraq.
Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III died Sept. 29 "when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire in Baghdad," according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office.
"Sergeant Robert Ayres will be remembered as an example of valor and commitment to duty," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Ayres was assigned to the Army's 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, out of Vilseck, Germany.
Army Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III was killed in action on 9/29/07.
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Army Spc. Chirasak Vidhyarkorn
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Chirasak Vidhyarkorn, 32, of Queens, N.Y.
Spc. Vidyarkorn was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 142nd Field Artillery Regiment, Camp Shelby, Miss.; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Diwaniyah, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Army Spc. Chirasak Vidhyarkorn, 32, of Queens, N.Y., was described as an engineering whiz by his family. "He was very talented and a very smart guy," his aunt told the New York Post. He died Sept. 29 in Diwaniyah, Iraq, from an undisclosed non-combat incident, just days after he was offered a six-figure job back home. His parents, who live in Thailand, flew to the United States to claim their son's remains.
Army Spc. Chirasak Vidhyarkorn died in Iraq on 9/29/07.
Army Spc. Chirasak Vidhyarkorn, 32, of Queens, N.Y.
Spc. Vidyarkorn was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 142nd Field Artillery Regiment, Camp Shelby, Miss.; died Sept. 29, 2007 in Diwaniyah, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Army Spc. Chirasak Vidhyarkorn, 32, of Queens, N.Y., was described as an engineering whiz by his family. "He was very talented and a very smart guy," his aunt told the New York Post. He died Sept. 29 in Diwaniyah, Iraq, from an undisclosed non-combat incident, just days after he was offered a six-figure job back home. His parents, who live in Thailand, flew to the United States to claim their son's remains.
Army Spc. Chirasak Vidhyarkorn died in Iraq on 9/29/07.
Army Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, of Charlotte, N.C.
Sgt. Tellier was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 29, 2007 at Firebase Wilderness, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Two-time recipient of the Bronze Star and paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division was killed in action in Afghanistan on Saturday.
Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, of Charlotte, died of wounds sustained from enemy small-arms fire while on a ground patrol. He was a member of the division's 73rd Cavalry Regiment.
One of Tellier's Bronze Stars was awarded for valor when he pulled two paratroopers out of a burning vehicle in April 2007. His unit was conducting a mounted patrol when one vehicle ran over and detonated a bomb.
His hands were severely burned, but he jumped onto the vehicle's turret to return fire from its mounted gun until his fellow soldiers made him get out.
Spc. Larry Spray said he was was one of the soldiers Tellier pulled out of the burning vehicle.
"He was a good friend and buddy. He was the only who could calm me down," said Spray, who added that Tellier stayed with him in the hospital for a week.
"It didn't matter what happened to him, or how much he got shot at, he'd always keep fighting," Sgt. Michael Layton, a close friend of Tellier's and fellow member of the 73rd's 4th Squadron, said. "He was an elite soldier. He could've done anything."
Tellier's military and leadership skills were noticed quickly when he arrived at the 82nd Airborne in April 2006.
"Sgt. Tellier was one of the most motivated specialists when he came to the unit," Layton said. "He always wanted to improve himself, and he took a lot of pride in what he did. He cared more about his soldiers than he did himself."
Fellow soldiers said Tellier, who joined the Army in September 2005, was both a consummate soldier and able to relate to everyone.
"Tellier was a college E-4, but work with him one day, and you'd see he was the most deserving guy in the unit to be promoted to sergeant," Spc. Jeffrey Mews, a close friend, said.
"Whether the issue was personal or work-related, it didn't matter. ... He always hung out with his guys in the barracks. He was the best friend, best NCO any of us could have. He was the epitome of a super soldier."
Tellier's other awards and decorations include two Purple Hearts, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer’s Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Parachutist’s Badge.
Tellier is survived by his wife, Sara Tellier of Atlanta, Ga.; his father, David W. Tellier of Groton, Mass.; and his mother, Pamela Rodriguez, of Falmouth, Mass.
Army Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier was killed in action on 9/29/07.
Army Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, of Charlotte, N.C.
Sgt. Tellier was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 29, 2007 at Firebase Wilderness, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Two-time recipient of the Bronze Star and paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division was killed in action in Afghanistan on Saturday.
Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, of Charlotte, died of wounds sustained from enemy small-arms fire while on a ground patrol. He was a member of the division's 73rd Cavalry Regiment.
One of Tellier's Bronze Stars was awarded for valor when he pulled two paratroopers out of a burning vehicle in April 2007. His unit was conducting a mounted patrol when one vehicle ran over and detonated a bomb.
His hands were severely burned, but he jumped onto the vehicle's turret to return fire from its mounted gun until his fellow soldiers made him get out.
Spc. Larry Spray said he was was one of the soldiers Tellier pulled out of the burning vehicle.
"He was a good friend and buddy. He was the only who could calm me down," said Spray, who added that Tellier stayed with him in the hospital for a week.
"It didn't matter what happened to him, or how much he got shot at, he'd always keep fighting," Sgt. Michael Layton, a close friend of Tellier's and fellow member of the 73rd's 4th Squadron, said. "He was an elite soldier. He could've done anything."
Tellier's military and leadership skills were noticed quickly when he arrived at the 82nd Airborne in April 2006.
"Sgt. Tellier was one of the most motivated specialists when he came to the unit," Layton said. "He always wanted to improve himself, and he took a lot of pride in what he did. He cared more about his soldiers than he did himself."
Fellow soldiers said Tellier, who joined the Army in September 2005, was both a consummate soldier and able to relate to everyone.
"Tellier was a college E-4, but work with him one day, and you'd see he was the most deserving guy in the unit to be promoted to sergeant," Spc. Jeffrey Mews, a close friend, said.
"Whether the issue was personal or work-related, it didn't matter. ... He always hung out with his guys in the barracks. He was the best friend, best NCO any of us could have. He was the epitome of a super soldier."
Tellier's other awards and decorations include two Purple Hearts, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer’s Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Parachutist’s Badge.
Tellier is survived by his wife, Sara Tellier of Atlanta, Ga.; his father, David W. Tellier of Groton, Mass.; and his mother, Pamela Rodriguez, of Falmouth, Mass.
Army Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier was killed in action on 9/29/07.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Army Spc. Ciara M. Durkin
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Ciara M. Durkin, 30, of Quincy, Mass.
Spc. Durkin was assigned to the 726th Finance Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard, West Newton, Mass.; died Sept. 28, 2007 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Pentagon says Quincy soldier not killed in combat
The Associated Press
QUINCY, Mass. — The military says a 30-year-old soldier from Quincy who died last week in Afghanistan was not killed in combat.
The Department of Defense says Spc. Ciara Durkin died Sept. 29 of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident at Bagram Airfield. The statement had no specifics and said the circumstances are under investigation.
Durkin was assigned to the 726th Finance Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard.
Durkin’s sister, Fiona Canavan, told The Boston Globe that military officials have told the family she was found shot in the head inside a secure area at the base. Canavan said her sister was near a church at about 6:30 p.m., after the fall of darkness.
“The family has been informed that she was in the compound, and she was shot in the head,” Canavan told the newspaper. “She was in a secure area of the compound, which, even though the investigation is not complete, leads the family to believe it was what is called friendly fire,” she said.
The National Guard had said Sept. 30 in a statement that Durkin was killed “in action” and that the incident was under investigation. A Guard spokesman, Maj. Jack McKenna, told the Globe that the term “in action” means “that she was killed in Afghanistan and she wasn’t killed at home.”
Canavan said her family was meeting with U.S. officials and also speaking with Irish officials about the investigation of the death of her sister, who was born in Ireland and moved to Massachusetts when she was 9 years old.
Canavan said the family’s Army liaison said it could take as long as eight weeks for the investigation to be completed.
Durkin was a 1996 graduate of Fontbonne Academy in Milton, and joined the Army National Guard in October 2005 after getting laid off from her information technology job at Fenway Health, her family told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy.
The family said Durkin was credited last April with helping save the life of a contractor who fell 26½ feet after slipping off a ladder in the building where she worked. Her duties included making sure the finances of soldiers were in order and that their families were getting benefits.
“She wanted to be somewhere where she could help,” Fiona Canavan told The Ledger. “She felt it was an important job.”
Soldier who died under suspicious circumstances remembered
The Associated Press
QUINCY, Mass. — A National Guard soldier from Quincy who died under suspicious circumstances in Afghanistan was buried with full military honors.
Specialist Ciara Durkin was remembered by Maj. General Joseph Carter, adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, for the way she cared for fellow soldiers.
Carter also recalled her commitment to her mission. The service was held at St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy.
Durkin was found with a single gunshot wound to her head in a secure area of Bagram Airfield last month.
Her family initially complained that military officials told them she was killed “in action,” but then later said she died in a “non-combat related incident.”
But after meeting with Army investigators this week, they said they were reassured that the investigation was comprehensive. The family discounts the possibility of suicide.
Army Spc. Ciara M. Durkin died in Afghanistan on 9/28/07.
Army Spc. Ciara M. Durkin, 30, of Quincy, Mass.
Spc. Durkin was assigned to the 726th Finance Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard, West Newton, Mass.; died Sept. 28, 2007 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Pentagon says Quincy soldier not killed in combat
The Associated Press
QUINCY, Mass. — The military says a 30-year-old soldier from Quincy who died last week in Afghanistan was not killed in combat.
The Department of Defense says Spc. Ciara Durkin died Sept. 29 of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident at Bagram Airfield. The statement had no specifics and said the circumstances are under investigation.
Durkin was assigned to the 726th Finance Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard.
Durkin’s sister, Fiona Canavan, told The Boston Globe that military officials have told the family she was found shot in the head inside a secure area at the base. Canavan said her sister was near a church at about 6:30 p.m., after the fall of darkness.
“The family has been informed that she was in the compound, and she was shot in the head,” Canavan told the newspaper. “She was in a secure area of the compound, which, even though the investigation is not complete, leads the family to believe it was what is called friendly fire,” she said.
The National Guard had said Sept. 30 in a statement that Durkin was killed “in action” and that the incident was under investigation. A Guard spokesman, Maj. Jack McKenna, told the Globe that the term “in action” means “that she was killed in Afghanistan and she wasn’t killed at home.”
Canavan said her family was meeting with U.S. officials and also speaking with Irish officials about the investigation of the death of her sister, who was born in Ireland and moved to Massachusetts when she was 9 years old.
Canavan said the family’s Army liaison said it could take as long as eight weeks for the investigation to be completed.
Durkin was a 1996 graduate of Fontbonne Academy in Milton, and joined the Army National Guard in October 2005 after getting laid off from her information technology job at Fenway Health, her family told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy.
The family said Durkin was credited last April with helping save the life of a contractor who fell 26½ feet after slipping off a ladder in the building where she worked. Her duties included making sure the finances of soldiers were in order and that their families were getting benefits.
“She wanted to be somewhere where she could help,” Fiona Canavan told The Ledger. “She felt it was an important job.”
Soldier who died under suspicious circumstances remembered
The Associated Press
QUINCY, Mass. — A National Guard soldier from Quincy who died under suspicious circumstances in Afghanistan was buried with full military honors.
Specialist Ciara Durkin was remembered by Maj. General Joseph Carter, adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, for the way she cared for fellow soldiers.
Carter also recalled her commitment to her mission. The service was held at St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy.
Durkin was found with a single gunshot wound to her head in a secure area of Bagram Airfield last month.
Her family initially complained that military officials told them she was killed “in action,” but then later said she died in a “non-combat related incident.”
But after meeting with Army investigators this week, they said they were reassured that the investigation was comprehensive. The family discounts the possibility of suicide.
Army Spc. Ciara M. Durkin died in Afghanistan on 9/28/07.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Army Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor, 21, of Cameron Park, Calif.
Pfc. Taylor was assigned to the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Sept. 26, 2007 in San Antonio of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle July 23, 2007 in Sarobi District, Afghanistan.
A Cameron Park soldier died Wednesday from wounds suffered more than two months ago in Afghanistan, Defense Department officials confirmed Thursday.
Army Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor, 21, suffered severe wounds July 23 when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan's Sarobi District. Taylor died at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Wednesday.
Taylor was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based out of Vicenza, Italy.
He suffered burns to more than 75 percent of his body and had both legs amputated.
Family and friends said he had been alert and appeared to be doing well, but his condition took a turn for the worse a few days ago.
"Everyone is just stunned," said Jean Carey, a neighbor and longtime family friend. "We really thought he was going to make it."
On the phone from San Antonio, Patty Taylor is taking a break from her wounded son's bedside at Brooke Army Medical Center.
"I didn't want him to go," says Taylor, 52, a widow who lives in Cameron Park. "Being my only son, he didn't have to go to the front lines. I didn't want him doing that."
But Mathew Taylor did, because he wanted to honor his late father, Richard, an Army veteran who died in a car accident in 2003, the year before he graduated from Ponderosa High School.
This is how it happens, one soldier at a time, across the country.
Unknown to the rest of us, countless families are left dealing with grief and regret, yet discovering a strength that seems to come from nowhere to take care of the broken soldiers -- these wounded warriors -- who've served a country that can be careless with their lives.
On July 23, a convoy of Humvees on a mission in southeastern Afghanistan was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Four soldiers died that day. Pfc. Mathew Taylor, a 21-year-old gunner with the 173rd Airborne Infantry, was the only survivor in his Humvee.
"His two friends went to Iraq at the same time he deployed," says his mother. "And I thought, 'At least, Mathew's safer in Afghanistan.' And then this happens."
We like to think of Afghanistan as a problem that's been solved, but 14 service members were killed there during July alone.
Mathew was burned over 77 percent of his body. His left leg, which was missing chunks of bone, was amputated below the knee. His right ankle and knee were shattered, and when severe infection set in, that leg was amputated as well, at the knee.
On his left hand, only his index finger remains intact.
But he's suffered no brain damage, which is an enormous relief for his family, as is the fact that his face remains untouched.
"Even when they got him out of the Humvee, he was conscious and talking, and asking what happened," his mother says. "He has a tracheotomy now and can't talk. But he shakes his head and he mouths things.
"Not long ago, he mouthed to the nurse, 'I want out.' "
Patty Taylor hasn't told her son what happened to him. She just tells him that he's home and he's safe, and she hopes it's a long time before he asks about the other soldiers in his Humvee.
"Mathew had a difficult time after his father died," says Taylor, who used to work in a medical business office. "Enlisting was Mathew's way of connecting back with his father and making him proud."
It can be hard for the rest of us to understand why anyone would sign up during a time of war. But the military relies on young people's romantic notions of honor and courage and duty and tradition -- the purity of an idealism that's untouched by the reality of bloodshed.
"He thought about it for almost two years after he got out of high school," Taylor says. "One day, he told me he needed something from me. 'I need your support, because I'm going to join the Army.'
"I supported him. It was his decision, and it wasn't a rash decision. Deep down inside, I didn't want him to go, because it was wartime. But I was proud of him.
"I had family members say, 'How could you let him go?' But how are you going to stop him if that's what he wants to do? But after losing his dad -- man, I didn't want to think anything would happen to him."
She's in San Antonio for the duration of her son's extensive recovery and rehabilitation. Meanwhile, her 27-year-old daughter, Heather, commutes back and forth from the Sacramento area, working and taking care of her mom's house.
In Cameron Park, the neighbors who watched Mathew grow up are rallying around the family, just as you'd expect. Several of his friends have rushed to San Antonio to be with him.
But for Mathew Taylor and his family, the long wait -- for wholeness, for a future beyond the shattered present -- is only beginning.
Army Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor died 9/26/07 from wounds received 7/23/07 in Afghanistan.
Army Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor, 21, of Cameron Park, Calif.
Pfc. Taylor was assigned to the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Sept. 26, 2007 in San Antonio of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle July 23, 2007 in Sarobi District, Afghanistan.
A Cameron Park soldier died Wednesday from wounds suffered more than two months ago in Afghanistan, Defense Department officials confirmed Thursday.
Army Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor, 21, suffered severe wounds July 23 when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan's Sarobi District. Taylor died at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Wednesday.
Taylor was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based out of Vicenza, Italy.
He suffered burns to more than 75 percent of his body and had both legs amputated.
Family and friends said he had been alert and appeared to be doing well, but his condition took a turn for the worse a few days ago.
"Everyone is just stunned," said Jean Carey, a neighbor and longtime family friend. "We really thought he was going to make it."
On the phone from San Antonio, Patty Taylor is taking a break from her wounded son's bedside at Brooke Army Medical Center.
"I didn't want him to go," says Taylor, 52, a widow who lives in Cameron Park. "Being my only son, he didn't have to go to the front lines. I didn't want him doing that."
But Mathew Taylor did, because he wanted to honor his late father, Richard, an Army veteran who died in a car accident in 2003, the year before he graduated from Ponderosa High School.
This is how it happens, one soldier at a time, across the country.
Unknown to the rest of us, countless families are left dealing with grief and regret, yet discovering a strength that seems to come from nowhere to take care of the broken soldiers -- these wounded warriors -- who've served a country that can be careless with their lives.
On July 23, a convoy of Humvees on a mission in southeastern Afghanistan was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Four soldiers died that day. Pfc. Mathew Taylor, a 21-year-old gunner with the 173rd Airborne Infantry, was the only survivor in his Humvee.
"His two friends went to Iraq at the same time he deployed," says his mother. "And I thought, 'At least, Mathew's safer in Afghanistan.' And then this happens."
We like to think of Afghanistan as a problem that's been solved, but 14 service members were killed there during July alone.
Mathew was burned over 77 percent of his body. His left leg, which was missing chunks of bone, was amputated below the knee. His right ankle and knee were shattered, and when severe infection set in, that leg was amputated as well, at the knee.
On his left hand, only his index finger remains intact.
But he's suffered no brain damage, which is an enormous relief for his family, as is the fact that his face remains untouched.
"Even when they got him out of the Humvee, he was conscious and talking, and asking what happened," his mother says. "He has a tracheotomy now and can't talk. But he shakes his head and he mouths things.
"Not long ago, he mouthed to the nurse, 'I want out.' "
Patty Taylor hasn't told her son what happened to him. She just tells him that he's home and he's safe, and she hopes it's a long time before he asks about the other soldiers in his Humvee.
"Mathew had a difficult time after his father died," says Taylor, who used to work in a medical business office. "Enlisting was Mathew's way of connecting back with his father and making him proud."
It can be hard for the rest of us to understand why anyone would sign up during a time of war. But the military relies on young people's romantic notions of honor and courage and duty and tradition -- the purity of an idealism that's untouched by the reality of bloodshed.
"He thought about it for almost two years after he got out of high school," Taylor says. "One day, he told me he needed something from me. 'I need your support, because I'm going to join the Army.'
"I supported him. It was his decision, and it wasn't a rash decision. Deep down inside, I didn't want him to go, because it was wartime. But I was proud of him.
"I had family members say, 'How could you let him go?' But how are you going to stop him if that's what he wants to do? But after losing his dad -- man, I didn't want to think anything would happen to him."
She's in San Antonio for the duration of her son's extensive recovery and rehabilitation. Meanwhile, her 27-year-old daughter, Heather, commutes back and forth from the Sacramento area, working and taking care of her mom's house.
In Cameron Park, the neighbors who watched Mathew grow up are rallying around the family, just as you'd expect. Several of his friends have rushed to San Antonio to be with him.
But for Mathew Taylor and his family, the long wait -- for wholeness, for a future beyond the shattered present -- is only beginning.
Army Pfc. Mathew D. Taylor died 9/26/07 from wounds received 7/23/07 in Afghanistan.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Army Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer, 21, of Spalding, Neb.
Pfc. Pfeifer was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Sept. 25, 2007 in San Antonio, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire Aug. 17 near Kamu, Afghanistan.
Soldier dies of injuries suffered in Afghanistan in August
The Associated Press
SPALDING, Neb. — There are flags at half-staff in Spalding to honor a 21-year-old soldier who died of wounds he suffered last month in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department said Christopher Pfeifer died Sept. 25 at a hospital in San Antonio. The young private first class was injured Aug. 17 when insurgents attacked his unit near Kamu.
He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
Spalding, population 502 in the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, is in east-central Nebraska’s Greeley County.
Pfeifer’s great-aunt, Darlene Pfeifer, said the soldier’s wife, Karen, delivered a baby daughter Sept. 27.
Jim Kleffner, a close family friend, said Christopher and his father had worked in Kleffner’s shop, People’s Service, for about 18 months. Christopher and Karen met when they were in the Job Corps in Chadron.
“He needed direction, and when he met Karen, he found the love of his life,” Kleffner said.
Pfeifer’s family was in Texas on Sept. 27, making arrangements for the body.
His great-aunt said that besides his wife and newborn daughter, Pfeifer is survived by his parents, Mike and Dar, an older brother and an older sister.
Mike Pfeifer told him that doctors had been optimistic about Christopher’s chances, Kleffner said, then he took a bad turn.
“All the flags are at half-mast in Spalding right now,” Kleffner said. “It’s a really sad day, a sad week.”
Army Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer died 9/25/07 from wounds received in action on 8/17/07.
Army Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer, 21, of Spalding, Neb.
Pfc. Pfeifer was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Sept. 25, 2007 in San Antonio, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire Aug. 17 near Kamu, Afghanistan.
Soldier dies of injuries suffered in Afghanistan in August
The Associated Press
SPALDING, Neb. — There are flags at half-staff in Spalding to honor a 21-year-old soldier who died of wounds he suffered last month in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department said Christopher Pfeifer died Sept. 25 at a hospital in San Antonio. The young private first class was injured Aug. 17 when insurgents attacked his unit near Kamu.
He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
Spalding, population 502 in the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, is in east-central Nebraska’s Greeley County.
Pfeifer’s great-aunt, Darlene Pfeifer, said the soldier’s wife, Karen, delivered a baby daughter Sept. 27.
Jim Kleffner, a close family friend, said Christopher and his father had worked in Kleffner’s shop, People’s Service, for about 18 months. Christopher and Karen met when they were in the Job Corps in Chadron.
“He needed direction, and when he met Karen, he found the love of his life,” Kleffner said.
Pfeifer’s family was in Texas on Sept. 27, making arrangements for the body.
His great-aunt said that besides his wife and newborn daughter, Pfeifer is survived by his parents, Mike and Dar, an older brother and an older sister.
Mike Pfeifer told him that doctors had been optimistic about Christopher’s chances, Kleffner said, then he took a bad turn.
“All the flags are at half-mast in Spalding right now,” Kleffner said. “It’s a really sad day, a sad week.”
Army Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer died 9/25/07 from wounds received in action on 8/17/07.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Charles Luke Milam
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Charles Luke Milam, 26, of Littleton, Colo.
Corpsman Milam was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 25, 2007 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Luke Milam was not only big and strong but saw himself as the man his Marine Corps brothers could turn to in combat if they were hurt.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Navy petty officer from Littleton was a hospital corpsman trained to care for Marines engaged in special-combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Milam, 26, was on patrol with coalition forces in Afghanistan when they apparently were hit by a rocket attack near the town of Musa Qula.
Musa Qula lies in an opium-poppy growing area of Afghanistan where the Taliban has engaged in prolonged and fierce battles with British and U.S. troops this summer.
Milam, highly decorated in three earlier tours in Iraq, was killed in what Keith Milam, his oldest brother, said appeared to be an ambush.
But Keith Milam of Nashville said his brother — a 1999 Columbine High School graduate — was doing what he wanted to do.
"Luke loved his job. He was living a dream," Keith Milam said today. "He felt it was his calling to help the guys around him."
"If there were guys in harm's way, he needed to be there to take care of them," he added.
At the time of his death, Milam was assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion.
Keith Milam said his brother was a "real outdoorsy guy" whose life revolved around backpacking, mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, scuba diving and skydiving.
"He loved anything outdoors. He liked to keep in shape," said his sister, Jaeme Milam of Denver.
Jaeme Milam said her kid brother — the youngest of her three brothers — was following in the military footsteps of brother Keith and grandfather Charles.
He was planning to make the military his career, she said.
"He loved what he did. He loved his guys and would have done anything for them," she said.
Luke was awarded the Purple Heart from a wound suffered in Iraq; the Bronze Star; two Combat Action ribbons; two Good Conduct Medals; two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals; the National Defense Service Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Keith Milam said that the outpouring of sympathy has been overwhelming.
"He was highly regarded by the Navy and was even regarded more by the Marine Corps," Keith Milam said. "We have heard from members of his unit. We understand that his commanding general and officer plan to attend the funeral at Fort Logan."
In addition to his brother and sister, he is survived by his parents, Michael and Rita Milam of Seattle, and his brother Andrew of Denver.
Services for family and friends will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, at Drinkwine Mortuary in Littleton, followed by a 1 p.m. service at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Charles Luke Milam was killed in action on 9/25/07.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Charles Luke Milam, 26, of Littleton, Colo.
Corpsman Milam was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 25, 2007 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Luke Milam was not only big and strong but saw himself as the man his Marine Corps brothers could turn to in combat if they were hurt.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Navy petty officer from Littleton was a hospital corpsman trained to care for Marines engaged in special-combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Milam, 26, was on patrol with coalition forces in Afghanistan when they apparently were hit by a rocket attack near the town of Musa Qula.
Musa Qula lies in an opium-poppy growing area of Afghanistan where the Taliban has engaged in prolonged and fierce battles with British and U.S. troops this summer.
Milam, highly decorated in three earlier tours in Iraq, was killed in what Keith Milam, his oldest brother, said appeared to be an ambush.
But Keith Milam of Nashville said his brother — a 1999 Columbine High School graduate — was doing what he wanted to do.
"Luke loved his job. He was living a dream," Keith Milam said today. "He felt it was his calling to help the guys around him."
"If there were guys in harm's way, he needed to be there to take care of them," he added.
At the time of his death, Milam was assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion.
Keith Milam said his brother was a "real outdoorsy guy" whose life revolved around backpacking, mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, scuba diving and skydiving.
"He loved anything outdoors. He liked to keep in shape," said his sister, Jaeme Milam of Denver.
Jaeme Milam said her kid brother — the youngest of her three brothers — was following in the military footsteps of brother Keith and grandfather Charles.
He was planning to make the military his career, she said.
"He loved what he did. He loved his guys and would have done anything for them," she said.
Luke was awarded the Purple Heart from a wound suffered in Iraq; the Bronze Star; two Combat Action ribbons; two Good Conduct Medals; two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals; the National Defense Service Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Keith Milam said that the outpouring of sympathy has been overwhelming.
"He was highly regarded by the Navy and was even regarded more by the Marine Corps," Keith Milam said. "We have heard from members of his unit. We understand that his commanding general and officer plan to attend the funeral at Fort Logan."
In addition to his brother and sister, he is survived by his parents, Michael and Rita Milam of Seattle, and his brother Andrew of Denver.
Services for family and friends will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, at Drinkwine Mortuary in Littleton, followed by a 1 p.m. service at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Charles Luke Milam was killed in action on 9/25/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Brown, 38, of Harrah, Okla.
SSgt. Brown was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 25, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Harrah soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — A decorated soldier from Harrah who was nearing the end of his career in the military is the latest Oklahoma casualty in Iraq, his family said Sept. 26.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Brown, 38, died Sept. 25 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, the Department of Defense said.
Brown was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas. He was deployed to Iraq in October and had been with the unit since April 2006, Fort Hood officials said.
“He was looking forward to retirement, so he could be with his family forever,” said his mother, Glenda Brown. “My son also wanted to go fishing with his dad again.”
A Cavalry scout, Brown joined the military in 1988, a year after graduating from Harrah High School.
He was inspired to join the military by his father, Richard Haynes Brown, a senior master sergeant who retired at Tinker Air Force Base after 22 years of service, Glenda Brown said.
Kevin Brown’s birthday was coming up on Oct. 12, and the family had just sent him a birthday package the day he was killed, his mother said.
“He was fun to be around. He always made you laugh,” she said. “He had the bluest eyes in the world — bluer than the sky.
“He was never a grownup. He didn’t smoke and he didn’t drink. He was always a little boy at heart. He loved to have fun.”
Brown kept in contact with his family either by phone or e-mails, and they got to see him in February during a two-week leave, his mother said.
He didn’t talk much about Iraq, except to say he was doing his job, Glenda Brown said. It was his second time in Iraq, having also served a tour there in 2005, she said.
Kevin Brown earned the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among others.
Besides his parents, Brown is survived by his wife, Lena, of Killeen, Texas; the couple’s daughters, Maria, 13, and Charlene, 14; a sister, Brandy Ross of Moore; and two stepchildren, Jeremy and Pamela.
A funeral will be held at the Brown family plot in Rineyville, Ky.
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Brown was killed in action on 9/25/07.
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Army Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Brown, 38, of Harrah, Okla.
SSgt. Brown was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 25, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Harrah soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — A decorated soldier from Harrah who was nearing the end of his career in the military is the latest Oklahoma casualty in Iraq, his family said Sept. 26.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Brown, 38, died Sept. 25 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, the Department of Defense said.
Brown was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas. He was deployed to Iraq in October and had been with the unit since April 2006, Fort Hood officials said.
“He was looking forward to retirement, so he could be with his family forever,” said his mother, Glenda Brown. “My son also wanted to go fishing with his dad again.”
A Cavalry scout, Brown joined the military in 1988, a year after graduating from Harrah High School.
He was inspired to join the military by his father, Richard Haynes Brown, a senior master sergeant who retired at Tinker Air Force Base after 22 years of service, Glenda Brown said.
Kevin Brown’s birthday was coming up on Oct. 12, and the family had just sent him a birthday package the day he was killed, his mother said.
“He was fun to be around. He always made you laugh,” she said. “He had the bluest eyes in the world — bluer than the sky.
“He was never a grownup. He didn’t smoke and he didn’t drink. He was always a little boy at heart. He loved to have fun.”
Brown kept in contact with his family either by phone or e-mails, and they got to see him in February during a two-week leave, his mother said.
He didn’t talk much about Iraq, except to say he was doing his job, Glenda Brown said. It was his second time in Iraq, having also served a tour there in 2005, she said.
Kevin Brown earned the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among others.
Besides his parents, Brown is survived by his wife, Lena, of Killeen, Texas; the couple’s daughters, Maria, 13, and Charlene, 14; a sister, Brandy Ross of Moore; and two stepchildren, Jeremy and Pamela.
A funeral will be held at the Brown family plot in Rineyville, Ky.
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Brown was killed in action on 9/25/07.
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Army Staff Sgt. Zachary B. Tomczak
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Zachary B. Tomczak, 24, of Huron, S.D.
SSgt. Tomczak was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 25, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Huron Plainsman— Army Staff Sgt. Zachary Tomczak was killed Tuesday by enemy small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq.
He becomes the second Huron soldier to die in Iraq. The other was Army Spc. Daniel D. Bartels, 22, who died Oct. 19, 2005. Two other service members from the Huron area who died in Iraq and Kuwait were Chief Warrant Officer Scott Saboe, 33, of Willow Lake (2003) and Pfc. Gunnar D. Becker, 19, of Forestburg (2005).
Tomczak, 24, a 2002 graduate of Huron High School, died at 5:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday in Baghdad.
He was a combat infantryman and squad leader with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment (AIR), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
The soldier’s father, Blaise Tomczak, said the Army was flying his son’s body to Dover, Md., Thursday.
He said the Army will conduct an autopsy there before bringing him to Huron for the funeral and burial. Funeral arrangements will be under the direction of Welter Funeral Home.
Tomczak said his son played football and was on the wrestling team when he attended high school. He also “loved to hunt and fish,” his father said.
While in high school, he was a member of the Holy Trinity Life Team with his stepsister, Megan McGillvrey, a graduate student at Moorhead (Minn.) State University.
He also was employed at Coborn’s and Matt Busch Construction Co.
“He was just a phenomenal person,” his father said. His son was on his fourth tour of duty in Iraq.
“As far as the military, he took that very serious,” he said. “He didn’t talk too much about things, but you could tell he was pretty serious about it.”
Coborn’s manager Kevin Scheel said Tomczak worked for him as a carport bagger in 2000.
“He was a quiet kid,” he said. “I certainly didn’t have any problems with him.”
Scheel said he always showed up for work on time.
Gov. Mike Rounds said, “We join family and fellow South Dakotans in mourning the tragic loss of this outstanding soldier and warrior.
“It is with great honor and respect for all our men and women in uniform that we acknowledge the importance of the service and sacrifice they make every day to protect and guard our freedom.”
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., joined in commenting on Tomczak’s untimely death.
At his Wednesday morning press conference, he said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family, and I am very humbled by his sacrifice.”
Tomczak is the 22nd serviceman from South Dakota or serving with a South Dakota National Guard unit to have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since spring 2003.
Tomczak joined the Army in June 2002. He completed Infantry One Station Unit Training in September 2002, the Basic Airborne Course in November 2002, and Ranger School in 2007 at Fort Benning, Ga.
He arrived at the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., in November 2002 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th AIR as a machine gunner.
Tomczak had three previous deployments with 2nd Battalion, 325th AIR in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He had returned to Iraq on June 10.
Tomczak’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two clasps, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with the No. 2, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab.
His mother, Mary Flowers, lives in Sioux Falls.
Tomczak’s wife, Beth, 22, is from West Virginia. She currently resides in Fayetteville, N.C.
According to the soldier’s stepmother, Jackie Tomczak, Beth is working on funeral arrangements from her end and will coordinate with the family in Huron.
Along with his wife, parents and stepmother, he is survived by Megan McGillvrey of Moorhead, Minn., stepsister; Andrea Flowers, half-sister; Tatum Tomczak, half-sister of Huron; Siera Tomczak of Huron, a sister; and Nathan Tomczak of Huron, brother.
His unit will hold a memorial service in Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Zachary B. Tomczak was killed in action on 9/25/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Zachary B. Tomczak, 24, of Huron, S.D.
SSgt. Tomczak was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 25, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Huron Plainsman— Army Staff Sgt. Zachary Tomczak was killed Tuesday by enemy small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq.
He becomes the second Huron soldier to die in Iraq. The other was Army Spc. Daniel D. Bartels, 22, who died Oct. 19, 2005. Two other service members from the Huron area who died in Iraq and Kuwait were Chief Warrant Officer Scott Saboe, 33, of Willow Lake (2003) and Pfc. Gunnar D. Becker, 19, of Forestburg (2005).
Tomczak, 24, a 2002 graduate of Huron High School, died at 5:30 p.m. CDT Tuesday in Baghdad.
He was a combat infantryman and squad leader with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment (AIR), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
The soldier’s father, Blaise Tomczak, said the Army was flying his son’s body to Dover, Md., Thursday.
He said the Army will conduct an autopsy there before bringing him to Huron for the funeral and burial. Funeral arrangements will be under the direction of Welter Funeral Home.
Tomczak said his son played football and was on the wrestling team when he attended high school. He also “loved to hunt and fish,” his father said.
While in high school, he was a member of the Holy Trinity Life Team with his stepsister, Megan McGillvrey, a graduate student at Moorhead (Minn.) State University.
He also was employed at Coborn’s and Matt Busch Construction Co.
“He was just a phenomenal person,” his father said. His son was on his fourth tour of duty in Iraq.
“As far as the military, he took that very serious,” he said. “He didn’t talk too much about things, but you could tell he was pretty serious about it.”
Coborn’s manager Kevin Scheel said Tomczak worked for him as a carport bagger in 2000.
“He was a quiet kid,” he said. “I certainly didn’t have any problems with him.”
Scheel said he always showed up for work on time.
Gov. Mike Rounds said, “We join family and fellow South Dakotans in mourning the tragic loss of this outstanding soldier and warrior.
“It is with great honor and respect for all our men and women in uniform that we acknowledge the importance of the service and sacrifice they make every day to protect and guard our freedom.”
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., joined in commenting on Tomczak’s untimely death.
At his Wednesday morning press conference, he said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family, and I am very humbled by his sacrifice.”
Tomczak is the 22nd serviceman from South Dakota or serving with a South Dakota National Guard unit to have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since spring 2003.
Tomczak joined the Army in June 2002. He completed Infantry One Station Unit Training in September 2002, the Basic Airborne Course in November 2002, and Ranger School in 2007 at Fort Benning, Ga.
He arrived at the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., in November 2002 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th AIR as a machine gunner.
Tomczak had three previous deployments with 2nd Battalion, 325th AIR in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He had returned to Iraq on June 10.
Tomczak’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two clasps, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with the No. 2, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Ranger Tab.
His mother, Mary Flowers, lives in Sioux Falls.
Tomczak’s wife, Beth, 22, is from West Virginia. She currently resides in Fayetteville, N.C.
According to the soldier’s stepmother, Jackie Tomczak, Beth is working on funeral arrangements from her end and will coordinate with the family in Huron.
Along with his wife, parents and stepmother, he is survived by Megan McGillvrey of Moorhead, Minn., stepsister; Andrea Flowers, half-sister; Tatum Tomczak, half-sister of Huron; Siera Tomczak of Huron, a sister; and Nathan Tomczak of Huron, brother.
His unit will hold a memorial service in Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Zachary B. Tomczak was killed in action on 9/25/07.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Army Cpl. Anthony K. Bento
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Anthony K. Bento, 23, of San Diego
Cpl. Bento was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 24, 2007 in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
UNION-TRIBUNE – Army Cpl. Anthony K. Bento was supposed to arrive home from Iraq in July. Then his combat tour was extended by 90 days.
During that extension, Bento, a father and respected combat veteran at just 23, was killed in a small-arms attack by insurgents. He was due home at the end of October.
Bento, a Clairemont High School graduate in 2002 and an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper, died Monday in the north-central city of Beiji.
“The news of his death was completely devastating because he was due home in 26 days after 13 months of time in Iraq,” said his wife, Colleen.
Survivors also include his 13-month-old son, Anthony, and his parents, Anthony and Penny Bento, all of whom live in San Diego.
Bento's platoon leader, 1st Lt. Timothy Ball, remembered him for his professionalism and care for his family.
“Corporal Bento was a paratrooper who'd accepted more responsibility early in his life than most people accept before they're 30,” Ball said in a statement issued yesterday. “His wife and his son were the primary focus in his life.”
Colleen Bento described her husband as having “the most fun-loving personality and an untamed spirit that not even the Army or war could break.”
Bento joined the Army in early 2005 and that September became part of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
“He dedicated himself to taking care of his brothers in the platoon, and he died doing just that – taking a knee outside the truck, making sure that his gunner's backside was covered,” Ball added. “He will be missed by all of us.” With Bento's death, at least 44 service members from San Diego County have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Friends turned Bento's MySpace page into a makeshift Internet memorial site.
“You died in the most honorable way imaginable and we all admire you for your courage,” wrote one friend. “Your legacy will always live on through your wife and son.”
The most heart-felt message might have come from Anthony himself, who wrote on his MySpace page: “My family is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I thank the Lord every day for blessing me with my awesome wife and a perfect son. Without them, I would be nothing.”
The last message Colleen Bento ever sent her husband was published on the page Sept. 20, four days before his death.
“I got your text messages this morning and you are soooo sweet! I love you so, so, so, so much! Only a few weeks left until I get to see you and give you kisses and move into our house and buy furniture. I'm so excited I can't stand it! Stay Safe.”
Army Cpl. Anthony K. Bento was killed in action on 9/24/07.
Army Cpl. Anthony K. Bento, 23, of San Diego
Cpl. Bento was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 24, 2007 in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
UNION-TRIBUNE – Army Cpl. Anthony K. Bento was supposed to arrive home from Iraq in July. Then his combat tour was extended by 90 days.
During that extension, Bento, a father and respected combat veteran at just 23, was killed in a small-arms attack by insurgents. He was due home at the end of October.
Bento, a Clairemont High School graduate in 2002 and an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper, died Monday in the north-central city of Beiji.
“The news of his death was completely devastating because he was due home in 26 days after 13 months of time in Iraq,” said his wife, Colleen.
Survivors also include his 13-month-old son, Anthony, and his parents, Anthony and Penny Bento, all of whom live in San Diego.
Bento's platoon leader, 1st Lt. Timothy Ball, remembered him for his professionalism and care for his family.
“Corporal Bento was a paratrooper who'd accepted more responsibility early in his life than most people accept before they're 30,” Ball said in a statement issued yesterday. “His wife and his son were the primary focus in his life.”
Colleen Bento described her husband as having “the most fun-loving personality and an untamed spirit that not even the Army or war could break.”
Bento joined the Army in early 2005 and that September became part of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
“He dedicated himself to taking care of his brothers in the platoon, and he died doing just that – taking a knee outside the truck, making sure that his gunner's backside was covered,” Ball added. “He will be missed by all of us.” With Bento's death, at least 44 service members from San Diego County have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Friends turned Bento's MySpace page into a makeshift Internet memorial site.
“You died in the most honorable way imaginable and we all admire you for your courage,” wrote one friend. “Your legacy will always live on through your wife and son.”
The most heart-felt message might have come from Anthony himself, who wrote on his MySpace page: “My family is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I thank the Lord every day for blessing me with my awesome wife and a perfect son. Without them, I would be nothing.”
The last message Colleen Bento ever sent her husband was published on the page Sept. 20, four days before his death.
“I got your text messages this morning and you are soooo sweet! I love you so, so, so, so much! Only a few weeks left until I get to see you and give you kisses and move into our house and buy furniture. I'm so excited I can't stand it! Stay Safe.”
Army Cpl. Anthony K. Bento was killed in action on 9/24/07.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski, 27, of Levering, Mich.
SFC Blaskowski was assigned to the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Sept. 23, 2007 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire during combat operations.
Military: Northern Michigan soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
HEBRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Two years after being wounded and rescuing a fellow soldier during combat, an Army sergeant from northern Michigan has been killed in Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski, 27, died Sept. 23 in Asadabad after insurgents assaulted his unit using small-arms fire, the Defense Department said Sept. 25.
“They told us that Matt died from chest wounds and that his camp was attacked,” his father, Terry Blaskowski, told the Cheboygan Daily Tribune. The American flag was lowered at his home near Levering in Cheboygan County’s Hebron Township.
Matthew Blaskowski had told his family last week he had four days off coming up, “and he was looking forward to that,” Terry Blaskowski said.
Matthew Blaskowski was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart two years ago, during a previous tour in Afghanistan. He was shot in the leg in a firefight, during which he pulled another wounded soldier to safety.
While recuperating at home, he told the Traverse City Record-Eagle that U.S. troops frequently encountered hostile fire while searching for Osama bin Laden.
“It has to get worse before it gets better in any war,” he said. “I think we’ve reached that point in Afghanistan.”
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, in Vicenza, Italy.
A 1998 graduate of Cheboygan Area High School, Blaskowski was married in 2006.
“He worked hard and always had a lot of friends who wanted to be close to him,” said Ed Jeannotte, an accounting and business education teacher. “He treated people well, and he would stick up for other kids. He was the type that would volunteer to help, and you could count on him.”
Blaskowski played on the football, basketball and track teams in high school. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and motorcycles, said Shirley Blaskowski, his grandmother.
“We’re mad and we’re sad and we’re tired,” she told the Record-Eagle. “He was very proud of what he was doing, but we didn’t want to lose him. He was very brave and very strong — maybe too brave.”
Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski was killed in action on 9/23/07.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski, 27, of Levering, Mich.
SFC Blaskowski was assigned to the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Sept. 23, 2007 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire during combat operations.
Military: Northern Michigan soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
HEBRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Two years after being wounded and rescuing a fellow soldier during combat, an Army sergeant from northern Michigan has been killed in Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski, 27, died Sept. 23 in Asadabad after insurgents assaulted his unit using small-arms fire, the Defense Department said Sept. 25.
“They told us that Matt died from chest wounds and that his camp was attacked,” his father, Terry Blaskowski, told the Cheboygan Daily Tribune. The American flag was lowered at his home near Levering in Cheboygan County’s Hebron Township.
Matthew Blaskowski had told his family last week he had four days off coming up, “and he was looking forward to that,” Terry Blaskowski said.
Matthew Blaskowski was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart two years ago, during a previous tour in Afghanistan. He was shot in the leg in a firefight, during which he pulled another wounded soldier to safety.
While recuperating at home, he told the Traverse City Record-Eagle that U.S. troops frequently encountered hostile fire while searching for Osama bin Laden.
“It has to get worse before it gets better in any war,” he said. “I think we’ve reached that point in Afghanistan.”
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, in Vicenza, Italy.
A 1998 graduate of Cheboygan Area High School, Blaskowski was married in 2006.
“He worked hard and always had a lot of friends who wanted to be close to him,” said Ed Jeannotte, an accounting and business education teacher. “He treated people well, and he would stick up for other kids. He was the type that would volunteer to help, and you could count on him.”
Blaskowski played on the football, basketball and track teams in high school. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and motorcycles, said Shirley Blaskowski, his grandmother.
“We’re mad and we’re sad and we’re tired,” she told the Record-Eagle. “He was very proud of what he was doing, but we didn’t want to lose him. He was very brave and very strong — maybe too brave.”
Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew D. Blaskowski was killed in action on 9/23/07.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Army Spc. Joshua H. Reeves
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Joshua H. Reeves, 26, of Watkinsville, Ga.
Spc. Reeves was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Sept. 22, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Watkinsville, Ga., soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. — The Defense Department has confirmed the combat death of a soldier one day after his wife gave birth to their son in Tennessee
Spc. Joshua Reeves, 22, died Sept. 22 when an improvised bomb exploded as the Humvee he was in traveled a street in Baghdad.
His wife, Leslie Reeves, had returned to her native Hendersonville to be with her parents while she had the baby. She gave birth Sept. 21 and named her son Joshua Jackson Reeves.
The soldier’s parents also were told Sept. 22 of the death of the oldest of their five children. James and Jean Reeves live in Watkinsville, Ga., about 60 miles east of Atlanta.
The family said Joshua Reeves was scheduled to come home on two weeks’ leave in November.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, part of the 1st Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade. The brigade has been in Iraq since February, part of the surge of 30,000 soldiers aimed at ending violence in Baghdad.
He entered the Army in February 2005 and arrived at Fort Riley in July of 2005. This was his first deployment to Iraq.
Army Spc. Joshua H. Reeves was killed in action on 9/22/07.
Army Spc. Joshua H. Reeves, 26, of Watkinsville, Ga.
Spc. Reeves was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Sept. 22, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Watkinsville, Ga., soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. — The Defense Department has confirmed the combat death of a soldier one day after his wife gave birth to their son in Tennessee
Spc. Joshua Reeves, 22, died Sept. 22 when an improvised bomb exploded as the Humvee he was in traveled a street in Baghdad.
His wife, Leslie Reeves, had returned to her native Hendersonville to be with her parents while she had the baby. She gave birth Sept. 21 and named her son Joshua Jackson Reeves.
The soldier’s parents also were told Sept. 22 of the death of the oldest of their five children. James and Jean Reeves live in Watkinsville, Ga., about 60 miles east of Atlanta.
The family said Joshua Reeves was scheduled to come home on two weeks’ leave in November.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, part of the 1st Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade. The brigade has been in Iraq since February, part of the surge of 30,000 soldiers aimed at ending violence in Baghdad.
He entered the Army in February 2005 and arrived at Fort Riley in July of 2005. This was his first deployment to Iraq.
Army Spc. Joshua H. Reeves was killed in action on 9/22/07.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Lankford
Remember Our Heroes
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Lankford, 42, of Scottsboro, Ala.
Command Sgt. Lankford was assigned to the 79th Ordnance Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; died Sept. 22, 2007 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Scottsboro native dies of heart attack in Iraq
The Associated Press
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — A Scottsboro native died from an apparent heart attack while working out with his Army unit in Iraq, according to the soldier’s mother.
The military had confirmed earlier that Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan Miles Lankford, 42, died Sept. 22 in Baghdad.
Lankford’s mother, Mary Jo Lankford, told The Huntsville Times in a story Sept. 25 that she believes the stress from leading a company of soldiers in the Iraq war may have led to her son’s death.
Lankford leaves behind his wife, Cheryl, and their 2-year-old son, Jonathan “Jon” Miles Jr. They live at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Lankford’s unit, the 79th Ordnance Battalion, is based.
Lankford served as command sergeant major of the battalion, which is an explosive ordnance disposal support group. He and his unit were deployed about a year ago and were scheduled to return home in January.
“When I saw him off in October 2006, I just told him to be careful and ‘I’ll see you when you come home,’” the soldier’s mother said. “Now, all we have are fond memories of him. But that’s what we’re going to cling to.”
She said her daughter-in-law was trying to make arrangements for burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Lankford died of a heart attack in Iraq on 9/22/07.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Lankford, 42, of Scottsboro, Ala.
Command Sgt. Lankford was assigned to the 79th Ordnance Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; died Sept. 22, 2007 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Scottsboro native dies of heart attack in Iraq
The Associated Press
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — A Scottsboro native died from an apparent heart attack while working out with his Army unit in Iraq, according to the soldier’s mother.
The military had confirmed earlier that Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan Miles Lankford, 42, died Sept. 22 in Baghdad.
Lankford’s mother, Mary Jo Lankford, told The Huntsville Times in a story Sept. 25 that she believes the stress from leading a company of soldiers in the Iraq war may have led to her son’s death.
Lankford leaves behind his wife, Cheryl, and their 2-year-old son, Jonathan “Jon” Miles Jr. They live at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where Lankford’s unit, the 79th Ordnance Battalion, is based.
Lankford served as command sergeant major of the battalion, which is an explosive ordnance disposal support group. He and his unit were deployed about a year ago and were scheduled to return home in January.
“When I saw him off in October 2006, I just told him to be careful and ‘I’ll see you when you come home,’” the soldier’s mother said. “Now, all we have are fond memories of him. But that’s what we’re going to cling to.”
She said her daughter-in-law was trying to make arrangements for burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan M. Lankford died of a heart attack in Iraq on 9/22/07.
Army Spc. David L. Watson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. David L. Watson, 29, of Newport, Ark.
Spc. Watson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 22, 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related accident.
Newport soldier dies in non-combat accident in Iraq
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — A soldier from Arkansas died Sept. 22 in Iraq in what the military described as a non-combat-related accident.
An Army news release Sept. 24 says the death of Army Spc. David L. Watson, 29, of Newport, remains under investigation. Watson was assigned to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team in the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based out of Fort Lewis, Wash. His brigade deployed in April to Iraq.
The Army did not release any other details surrounding Watson’s death in Baqubah, a city northeast of Baghdad on the Diyala River.
Watson’s sister, Christal Hill, said his body arrived in Dover, Del., on Sept. 24. A funeral is planned for Tuckerman High School to accommodate his large extended family and the community, she said.
“He wanted to make sure he did what was best for his family, to make sure they were taken care of,” Hill told The Jonesboro Sun newspaper. “It’s sad to say they’ll be taken care of, but at the expense of his life.”
Watson is survived by his mother, Linda Watson; wife, Lisa Watson of Newport; and his two children, Dayton, 4, and Caelan, 8.
His mother said she missed a telephone call Sept. 21 from Watson.
“He told me he was getting to go to a hospital setting [to work] and not to worry, he was going to be safe,” Linda Watson said.
She said she saved all of her son’s voicemail messages “from the time he got on the plane.”
“I didn’t know why. I’ll probably never erase them,” she said.
Watson entered military service in February 1997. His most recent term of active service began in September 2005. He reported to Fort Lewis in June 2006 after completing advanced individual training as a combat medic.
Army Spc. David L. Watson died in Iraq on 9/22/07.
Army Spc. David L. Watson, 29, of Newport, Ark.
Spc. Watson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 22, 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related accident.
Newport soldier dies in non-combat accident in Iraq
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — A soldier from Arkansas died Sept. 22 in Iraq in what the military described as a non-combat-related accident.
An Army news release Sept. 24 says the death of Army Spc. David L. Watson, 29, of Newport, remains under investigation. Watson was assigned to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team in the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based out of Fort Lewis, Wash. His brigade deployed in April to Iraq.
The Army did not release any other details surrounding Watson’s death in Baqubah, a city northeast of Baghdad on the Diyala River.
Watson’s sister, Christal Hill, said his body arrived in Dover, Del., on Sept. 24. A funeral is planned for Tuckerman High School to accommodate his large extended family and the community, she said.
“He wanted to make sure he did what was best for his family, to make sure they were taken care of,” Hill told The Jonesboro Sun newspaper. “It’s sad to say they’ll be taken care of, but at the expense of his life.”
Watson is survived by his mother, Linda Watson; wife, Lisa Watson of Newport; and his two children, Dayton, 4, and Caelan, 8.
His mother said she missed a telephone call Sept. 21 from Watson.
“He told me he was getting to go to a hospital setting [to work] and not to worry, he was going to be safe,” Linda Watson said.
She said she saved all of her son’s voicemail messages “from the time he got on the plane.”
“I didn’t know why. I’ll probably never erase them,” she said.
Watson entered military service in February 1997. His most recent term of active service began in September 2005. He reported to Fort Lewis in June 2006 after completing advanced individual training as a combat medic.
Army Spc. David L. Watson died in Iraq on 9/22/07.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Army Spc. John J. Young
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. John J. Young, 24, of Savannah, Ga.
Spc. Young was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Sept. 21, 2007 in Camp Stryker, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
FORT DRUM – A 10th Mountain Division Soldier died of a non-combat related cause at Camp Striker, Iraq Sept. 21.
Spc. John J. Young, 24, was an infantryman assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
The Savannah, Ga., native enlisted in the Army in June 2005 and completed basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga. In October 2005, he was assigned to Fort Drum and the 2nd BCT.
Young completed the Combat Life Saver Course in 2005.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and Combat Infantryman Badge.
He is survived by his father, mother and sister, all of Savannah.
Army Spc. John J. Young was killed in action on 9/21/07.
Army Spc. John J. Young, 24, of Savannah, Ga.
Spc. Young was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Sept. 21, 2007 in Camp Stryker, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
FORT DRUM – A 10th Mountain Division Soldier died of a non-combat related cause at Camp Striker, Iraq Sept. 21.
Spc. John J. Young, 24, was an infantryman assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
The Savannah, Ga., native enlisted in the Army in June 2005 and completed basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga. In October 2005, he was assigned to Fort Drum and the 2nd BCT.
Young completed the Combat Life Saver Course in 2005.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and Combat Infantryman Badge.
He is survived by his father, mother and sister, all of Savannah.
Army Spc. John J. Young was killed in action on 9/21/07.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Army Pfc. Luigi Marciante Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Luigi Marciante Jr., 25, of Elizabeth, N.J.
Pfc. Marciante was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 20, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Jackson soldier killed in Iraq
By Shruti L. Mathur
Asbury Park Press
JACKSON — When it came time for Cpl. Luigi Marciante Jr. to return to Iraq in August after spending 18 days with his new family, he struggled between his emotions and sense of duty.
“He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave his family” — including son Lorenzo Anthony Marciante, born during Marciante’s leave — said his sister, Enza Jacobowitz, 31, of Jackson.
But Marciante, who joined in 2004, also recognized the duty that came with his Army uniform, said his brother-in-law, Richard Jacobowitz, 37, a former Marine.
Marciante, 25, was killed Thursday in Muqdadiyah, about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad, when an improvised explosive device blew up near his vehicle, the U.S. Department of Defense said.
Marciante, a 1999 graduate of Elizabeth High School, owed much to the Army, said his wife Stephanie Marciante. Luigi and Stephanie Marciante met in 2005 while both were assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, where Stephanie Marciante was part of the Military Police.
Both of them joined for similar reasons, she said.
“Both of us were lost souls before the military,” said Stephanie Marciante, 23, who said the two both looked to the army to make them better people.
Military duty was not the only thing the couple shared. Stephanie Marciante grew up in Brick, where she graduated from Brick Township High School in 2002, and the two would watch the Sopranos and King of Queens because the shows reminded them of New Jersey. They also shared dreams of becoming police officers after their military duty, with Luigi following in the footsteps of his father, who was a Carabinieri officer in Italy.
“It was going to be great,” Stephanie Marciante said.
The couple married in August 2006. A year later, their son was born. Family was incredibly important to Marciante, who scheduled his leave to coincide with Stephanie Marciante’s due date.
“We were looking forward to when he could finally come back and we could all be together, as a family,” Stephanie Marciante said.
The youngest of four children born and raised in Elizabeth, where Luigi Marciante, Sr., still has an auto supply shop, Marciante was close with his two older brothers and his sister. When it came time to pick a name for his son, he chose Lorenzo because the last part of it sounded like Enza.
“I’m so proud of him, very proud. He’s a hero,” Enza Jacobowitz said. “He loved his family, he loved his wife and he loved his son.”
The family would take a trip every summer to visit Italy, where Marciante would spend most of his time at the beach.
“He went swimming like a fish,” Jacobowitz said. “We could never get him out.”
Marciante was the life of the party and loved dancing and club music, his family said. He eventually parlayed his talents into becoming a disc jockey, working up to spinning tunes at night spots such as Club Abyss in Sayreville.
He made friends easily, striking up conversations with strangers.
“He could get anyone to talk to him,” Jacobowitz said. “He charmed the pants off of them.”
The family moved to Jackson in 2005, with the Jacobowitzes moving first and the Marciante’s following soon after, so the family could still be close.
Stephanie Marciante said joining the large, extended family was overwhelming at first, but helps now, because the family is “filled with love,” she said.
On Sunday, the driveway to the Marciante’s home was lined with cars parked in the grass and yellow ribbons were tied around the trees that border the family’s property on Hope Chapel Road, just half a mile north of Veteran’s Highway.
Many people drove down to the Marciante’s home in Jackson on Sunday, bringing food and gifts for the family. Members of the Jackson and Elizabeth police departments also stopped by, said the family.
Funeral services will be held at St. Anthony’s of Padua, the church in Elizabeth in which Marciante and his siblings were baptized. A date has not been set.
Army Pfc. Luigi Marciante Jr. was killed in action on 9/20/07.
Army Pfc. Luigi Marciante Jr., 25, of Elizabeth, N.J.
Pfc. Marciante was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 20, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Jackson soldier killed in Iraq
By Shruti L. Mathur
Asbury Park Press
JACKSON — When it came time for Cpl. Luigi Marciante Jr. to return to Iraq in August after spending 18 days with his new family, he struggled between his emotions and sense of duty.
“He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave his family” — including son Lorenzo Anthony Marciante, born during Marciante’s leave — said his sister, Enza Jacobowitz, 31, of Jackson.
But Marciante, who joined in 2004, also recognized the duty that came with his Army uniform, said his brother-in-law, Richard Jacobowitz, 37, a former Marine.
Marciante, 25, was killed Thursday in Muqdadiyah, about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad, when an improvised explosive device blew up near his vehicle, the U.S. Department of Defense said.
Marciante, a 1999 graduate of Elizabeth High School, owed much to the Army, said his wife Stephanie Marciante. Luigi and Stephanie Marciante met in 2005 while both were assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, where Stephanie Marciante was part of the Military Police.
Both of them joined for similar reasons, she said.
“Both of us were lost souls before the military,” said Stephanie Marciante, 23, who said the two both looked to the army to make them better people.
Military duty was not the only thing the couple shared. Stephanie Marciante grew up in Brick, where she graduated from Brick Township High School in 2002, and the two would watch the Sopranos and King of Queens because the shows reminded them of New Jersey. They also shared dreams of becoming police officers after their military duty, with Luigi following in the footsteps of his father, who was a Carabinieri officer in Italy.
“It was going to be great,” Stephanie Marciante said.
The couple married in August 2006. A year later, their son was born. Family was incredibly important to Marciante, who scheduled his leave to coincide with Stephanie Marciante’s due date.
“We were looking forward to when he could finally come back and we could all be together, as a family,” Stephanie Marciante said.
The youngest of four children born and raised in Elizabeth, where Luigi Marciante, Sr., still has an auto supply shop, Marciante was close with his two older brothers and his sister. When it came time to pick a name for his son, he chose Lorenzo because the last part of it sounded like Enza.
“I’m so proud of him, very proud. He’s a hero,” Enza Jacobowitz said. “He loved his family, he loved his wife and he loved his son.”
The family would take a trip every summer to visit Italy, where Marciante would spend most of his time at the beach.
“He went swimming like a fish,” Jacobowitz said. “We could never get him out.”
Marciante was the life of the party and loved dancing and club music, his family said. He eventually parlayed his talents into becoming a disc jockey, working up to spinning tunes at night spots such as Club Abyss in Sayreville.
He made friends easily, striking up conversations with strangers.
“He could get anyone to talk to him,” Jacobowitz said. “He charmed the pants off of them.”
The family moved to Jackson in 2005, with the Jacobowitzes moving first and the Marciante’s following soon after, so the family could still be close.
Stephanie Marciante said joining the large, extended family was overwhelming at first, but helps now, because the family is “filled with love,” she said.
On Sunday, the driveway to the Marciante’s home was lined with cars parked in the grass and yellow ribbons were tied around the trees that border the family’s property on Hope Chapel Road, just half a mile north of Veteran’s Highway.
Many people drove down to the Marciante’s home in Jackson on Sunday, bringing food and gifts for the family. Members of the Jackson and Elizabeth police departments also stopped by, said the family.
Funeral services will be held at St. Anthony’s of Padua, the church in Elizabeth in which Marciante and his siblings were baptized. A date has not been set.
Army Pfc. Luigi Marciante Jr. was killed in action on 9/20/07.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Army Pfc. Christian M. Neff
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Christian M. Neff, 19, of Lima, Ohio
Pfc. Neff was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Sept. 19, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.
Improvised explosive device kills Lima-area soldier, 19, in Baghdad
Pfc. Christian M. Neff of Shawnee Township joined the Army in 2006.
By JANE SCHMUCKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A 19-year-old Army soldier from Allen County's Shawnee Township died Wednesday in Baghdad of wounds from an improvised explosive device, the U.S. Department of Defense announced yesterday.
Pfc. Christian M. Neff was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, headquartered at Fort Stewart, Ga.
Private Neff joined the Army months before graduating from Apollo Career Center and Shawnee High School in 2006, said Darin Grimm, who teaches Apollo's computer applications programming, which Private Neff studied.
"That's what he wanted to do. He wanted to serve his country," Mr. Grimm said of Private Neff's decision to join the Army, along with one of his close friends.
When Private Neff came home on leaves, he returned to the school - in full uniform - to visit his teacher, often addressing Mr. Grimm's students about preparing for the future.
"His thing was, 'You need to apply yourself at everything you do - whether you think it's relevant or not,' " Mr. Grimm said.
As a student at Apollo, where Private Neff was known as Chris, he represented the computer applications class on student council, held an office in the local Business Professionals of America chapter, and was on the honor roll.
"He was all about the grades," his friend Allison Pollock said, remembering how much emphasis he put on academics as well as organizing food drives, fund-raisers for local charities, and recycling days at the career center through its student organizations.
His death struck his teacher as a tragedy.
"He didn't have an opportunity to live his life," Mr. Grimm said. "But I know he really loved what he was doing."
Private Neff's parents, Bill and Nancy Neff, and his sister, Shannon, could not be reached yesterday for comment.
Apollo Superintendent Chris Pfister said that if Private Neff's family is agreeable, school leaders want to plant a tree in his memory in Apollo's veterans memorial garden.
Alan Pollock, a teacher at Apollo and the father of Allison Pollock, said a stone monument in the garden also is being considered for Private Neff, who is the career center's first graduate to die in Iraq.
"We just found out, but everyone's thinking right away what we might do," Mr. Pfister said.
Army Pfc. Christian M. Neff was killed in action on 9/19/07.
Army Pfc. Christian M. Neff, 19, of Lima, Ohio
Pfc. Neff was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Sept. 19, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.
Improvised explosive device kills Lima-area soldier, 19, in Baghdad
Pfc. Christian M. Neff of Shawnee Township joined the Army in 2006.
By JANE SCHMUCKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A 19-year-old Army soldier from Allen County's Shawnee Township died Wednesday in Baghdad of wounds from an improvised explosive device, the U.S. Department of Defense announced yesterday.
Pfc. Christian M. Neff was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, headquartered at Fort Stewart, Ga.
Private Neff joined the Army months before graduating from Apollo Career Center and Shawnee High School in 2006, said Darin Grimm, who teaches Apollo's computer applications programming, which Private Neff studied.
"That's what he wanted to do. He wanted to serve his country," Mr. Grimm said of Private Neff's decision to join the Army, along with one of his close friends.
When Private Neff came home on leaves, he returned to the school - in full uniform - to visit his teacher, often addressing Mr. Grimm's students about preparing for the future.
"His thing was, 'You need to apply yourself at everything you do - whether you think it's relevant or not,' " Mr. Grimm said.
As a student at Apollo, where Private Neff was known as Chris, he represented the computer applications class on student council, held an office in the local Business Professionals of America chapter, and was on the honor roll.
"He was all about the grades," his friend Allison Pollock said, remembering how much emphasis he put on academics as well as organizing food drives, fund-raisers for local charities, and recycling days at the career center through its student organizations.
His death struck his teacher as a tragedy.
"He didn't have an opportunity to live his life," Mr. Grimm said. "But I know he really loved what he was doing."
Private Neff's parents, Bill and Nancy Neff, and his sister, Shannon, could not be reached yesterday for comment.
Apollo Superintendent Chris Pfister said that if Private Neff's family is agreeable, school leaders want to plant a tree in his memory in Apollo's veterans memorial garden.
Alan Pollock, a teacher at Apollo and the father of Allison Pollock, said a stone monument in the garden also is being considered for Private Neff, who is the career center's first graduate to die in Iraq.
"We just found out, but everyone's thinking right away what we might do," Mr. Pfister said.
Army Pfc. Christian M. Neff was killed in action on 9/19/07.
Army Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers, 23, of Daleville, Ala.
Sgt. Jeffers was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Sept. 19, 2007 in Taqqadum, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related accident.
Alabama soldier killed in Iraq has Web following after essay
The Associated Press
DOTHAN, Ala. — Sgt. Eddie Jeffers wrote a stark essay about what he experienced and felt serving in Iraq, and his article became instant inspiration for backers of the war on dozens of Internet sites where it was posted.
Jeffers, 23, of Daleville died in an accident in Iraq earlier this week, but his legacy will live on through his words.
He gained a following earlier this year after an essay he wrote, titled “Hope Rides Alone,” showed up on the Internet, where it was posted in at least one place by his father, Dave Jeffers of Navarre, Fla.
The young soldier wrote plainly about life in Iraq.
“I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid ... because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there,” Jeffers wrote.
In the same piece — which was mentioned on the Fox News show of conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly — Jeffers took on those who criticize the war and President Bush, writing:
“Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word ‘quagmire’ around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war.”
As word spread of Jeffers’ death, admirers filled Internet message boards and forums with words of sorrow and admiration.
“Please honor this young man and his undying love of his country. He deserves nothing short of a memorial in his honor, and we are working on one here,” wrote one person.
“Prayers for comfort for the family of this good and great man,” said a message on another forum.
Jeffers’ mother, Tina Kelly, called her son “a very eloquent speaker and writer.”
“He was my friend. I had him very young and grew up with him. He was an amazing child and an amazing young man ...,” she told The Dothan Eagle in a story published Friday.
Jeffers graduated from Daleville High School, located in southeast Alabama, in 2002. He and his wife Stephanie most recently lived in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Pentagon said Jeffers died in Taqqadum, Iraq, from injuries he suffered in an accident that wasn’t related to combat. He was part of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo.
The military didn’t release details on the accident, which it said was under investigation.
Alabama soldier to be buried in Daleville on Sept. 29
The Associated Press
ENTERPRISE, Ala. — Funeral services for an Alabama soldier killed in Iraq will be held Sept. 29 morning in Enterprise.
Army Sgt. Eddie Jeffers, 23, of Daleville was killed when the vehicle he was riding in overturned in Ramadi on Sept. 19. The Department of Defense is investigating what caused it to overturn.
Jeffers, who graduated from Daleville High School in 2002, is survived by his wife, Stephanie Jeffers.
Visitation will be held Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. at Sorrells Funeral Home in Enterprise, with the funeral service at 11 a.m. Burial with full military honors will follow at Memorial Gardens in Daleville.
Tina Kelly, Jeffers’ mother, said the service will be open to the public.
“I want any and everyone who knew my son to come for the celebration,” Kelly said. “That’s what he’d have us do and that’s what we’re doing.”
Jeffers was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. A memorial ceremony will be held later in Colorado.
Alabama soldier killed in vehicle crash in Iraq laid to rest
The Associated Press
ENTERPRISE, Ala. — Services were held in Enterprise for Army Sgt. Eddie Jeffers who died in a vehicle crash in Iraq.
The 23-year-old graduate of Daleville High School died Sept. 19 after a vehicle he was riding in flipped over as a convoy of soldiers was returning to base after a mission. The accident remains under investigation.
At his funeral Sept. 29, Jeffers was described as a supporter of the war.
In an online essay in February, Jeffers wrote: “The Iraqis are capable of free government but we cannot call it quits because we think they aren’t.”
He continued: “Someone has to believe in them, someone has to help them out; someone has to provide the example. We are showing it to them. Some have taken it, many haven’t, but it will spread ... because freedom feels good.”
Terry Sorrells told mourners that while Jeffers’ fight is over, his family’s struggle is just beginning. He urged the mourners to come together to support them through their grief.
Jeffers’ survivors include his wife, Stephanie Reeves Jeffers.
Army Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers was killed in action on 9/19/07.
Army Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers, 23, of Daleville, Ala.
Sgt. Jeffers was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Sept. 19, 2007 in Taqqadum, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related accident.
Alabama soldier killed in Iraq has Web following after essay
The Associated Press
DOTHAN, Ala. — Sgt. Eddie Jeffers wrote a stark essay about what he experienced and felt serving in Iraq, and his article became instant inspiration for backers of the war on dozens of Internet sites where it was posted.
Jeffers, 23, of Daleville died in an accident in Iraq earlier this week, but his legacy will live on through his words.
He gained a following earlier this year after an essay he wrote, titled “Hope Rides Alone,” showed up on the Internet, where it was posted in at least one place by his father, Dave Jeffers of Navarre, Fla.
The young soldier wrote plainly about life in Iraq.
“I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid ... because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there,” Jeffers wrote.
In the same piece — which was mentioned on the Fox News show of conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly — Jeffers took on those who criticize the war and President Bush, writing:
“Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word ‘quagmire’ around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war.”
As word spread of Jeffers’ death, admirers filled Internet message boards and forums with words of sorrow and admiration.
“Please honor this young man and his undying love of his country. He deserves nothing short of a memorial in his honor, and we are working on one here,” wrote one person.
“Prayers for comfort for the family of this good and great man,” said a message on another forum.
Jeffers’ mother, Tina Kelly, called her son “a very eloquent speaker and writer.”
“He was my friend. I had him very young and grew up with him. He was an amazing child and an amazing young man ...,” she told The Dothan Eagle in a story published Friday.
Jeffers graduated from Daleville High School, located in southeast Alabama, in 2002. He and his wife Stephanie most recently lived in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Pentagon said Jeffers died in Taqqadum, Iraq, from injuries he suffered in an accident that wasn’t related to combat. He was part of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo.
The military didn’t release details on the accident, which it said was under investigation.
Alabama soldier to be buried in Daleville on Sept. 29
The Associated Press
ENTERPRISE, Ala. — Funeral services for an Alabama soldier killed in Iraq will be held Sept. 29 morning in Enterprise.
Army Sgt. Eddie Jeffers, 23, of Daleville was killed when the vehicle he was riding in overturned in Ramadi on Sept. 19. The Department of Defense is investigating what caused it to overturn.
Jeffers, who graduated from Daleville High School in 2002, is survived by his wife, Stephanie Jeffers.
Visitation will be held Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. at Sorrells Funeral Home in Enterprise, with the funeral service at 11 a.m. Burial with full military honors will follow at Memorial Gardens in Daleville.
Tina Kelly, Jeffers’ mother, said the service will be open to the public.
“I want any and everyone who knew my son to come for the celebration,” Kelly said. “That’s what he’d have us do and that’s what we’re doing.”
Jeffers was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colo. A memorial ceremony will be held later in Colorado.
Alabama soldier killed in vehicle crash in Iraq laid to rest
The Associated Press
ENTERPRISE, Ala. — Services were held in Enterprise for Army Sgt. Eddie Jeffers who died in a vehicle crash in Iraq.
The 23-year-old graduate of Daleville High School died Sept. 19 after a vehicle he was riding in flipped over as a convoy of soldiers was returning to base after a mission. The accident remains under investigation.
At his funeral Sept. 29, Jeffers was described as a supporter of the war.
In an online essay in February, Jeffers wrote: “The Iraqis are capable of free government but we cannot call it quits because we think they aren’t.”
He continued: “Someone has to believe in them, someone has to help them out; someone has to provide the example. We are showing it to them. Some have taken it, many haven’t, but it will spread ... because freedom feels good.”
Terry Sorrells told mourners that while Jeffers’ fight is over, his family’s struggle is just beginning. He urged the mourners to come together to support them through their grief.
Jeffers’ survivors include his wife, Stephanie Reeves Jeffers.
Army Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers was killed in action on 9/19/07.
Army Cpl. Graham M. McMahon
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Graham M. McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, Ore.
Cpl. McMahon was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 19, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat-related illness.
Fort Lewis medic who died in Iraq honored by hometown
By The Associated Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Friends, family and state leaders gathered Friday to remember Graham McMahon — an Army corporal with the Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade and a medic who died in Iraq.
McMahon was remembered as a son, a brother and a friend by those who knew him well and scores of people he'd made smile over the years.
State officials also honored the soldier. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski said the state had lost a rising star, "a young hero who walked into harm's way."
U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley flew from Washington, D.C., to share condolences.
McMahon, 22, graduated from Corvallis High School in 2003 and attended Oregon State University before enlisting in the Army in 2004.
He deployed to Iraq in April with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, Stryker Brigade out of Fort Lewis. His fellow soldiers called him "Doc."
After returning to base from a patrol Sept. 19, McMahon suddenly became ill and died en route to the hospital. The cause has yet to be determined.
Seattle Post Intelligencer -- Cpl. Graham M. McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, Ore., died Wednesday of a non-combat-related illness, the Pentagon said. McMahon served with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis.
McMahon, who joined the Army in 2004, graduated from the Army's health care specialist course for combat medics at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, before arriving at Fort Lewis.
Army Cpl. Graham M. McMahon died in Iraq on 9/19/07.
Army Cpl. Graham M. McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, Ore.
Cpl. McMahon was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 19, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat-related illness.
Fort Lewis medic who died in Iraq honored by hometown
By The Associated Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Friends, family and state leaders gathered Friday to remember Graham McMahon — an Army corporal with the Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade and a medic who died in Iraq.
McMahon was remembered as a son, a brother and a friend by those who knew him well and scores of people he'd made smile over the years.
State officials also honored the soldier. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski said the state had lost a rising star, "a young hero who walked into harm's way."
U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley flew from Washington, D.C., to share condolences.
McMahon, 22, graduated from Corvallis High School in 2003 and attended Oregon State University before enlisting in the Army in 2004.
He deployed to Iraq in April with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, Stryker Brigade out of Fort Lewis. His fellow soldiers called him "Doc."
After returning to base from a patrol Sept. 19, McMahon suddenly became ill and died en route to the hospital. The cause has yet to be determined.
Seattle Post Intelligencer -- Cpl. Graham M. McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, Ore., died Wednesday of a non-combat-related illness, the Pentagon said. McMahon served with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis.
McMahon, who joined the Army in 2004, graduated from the Army's health care specialist course for combat medics at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, before arriving at Fort Lewis.
Army Cpl. Graham M. McMahon died in Iraq on 9/19/07.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Army Spc. Aaron J. Walker
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Aaron J. Walker, 23, of Harker Heights, Texas
Spc. Walker was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire during combat operations.
Killeen Daily Herald -- Aaron J. Walker had many talents, but singing wasn't necessarily one of them.
His sister, Andee, was playing the piano one day and singing "I Can Only Imagine." Aaron, or A.J., was listening and asked his little sister to teach him the song.
Andee showed him how to play the song, and he began to play and sing. When A.J. got to the chorus of the song, he beat on the piano keys like he was playing the drums and belted out the lyrics.
It didn't sound so good, she said with a smile. While the music was not great, A.J.'s heart was in it.
"I wish I could hear him sing again," Andee said.
Spc. Aaron J. Walker died Tuesday in southern Baghdad, Iraq, when his unit came under small-arms fire, according to the Defense Department. The 23-year-old Harker Heights resident was serving with the 1st Armored Division's 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.
He leaves behind his wife of a little more than a year, Amber; Darryl and Annie, his mother and father; Andee; and a younger brother, Alex.
Family and friends gathered at Grace Christian Center in Killeen – Darryl and Annie are youth pastors – on Saturday afternoon for a memorial service in honor of A.J. His funeral service is set for Thursday in Peoria, Ariz., which is near Phoenix.
Andee sang a portion of "I Can Only Imagine" during a eulogy for her big brother and said she would only imagine what kind of passion A.J. had for the angels he was singing with in heaven.
She said he has the honorable position of being A.J.'s sister.
"I wish you would not pity me, but envy me," she told the people sitting before her.
A.J. was defined by his passion, humility, respect, honor, and most of all, love, Alex said. If there was one thing Alex learned from his brother, it was to love.
"I only pray I can live the way A.J. loved," he said.
A.J. had a huge heart and gave in life and in death, said his uncle, Ron Walker.
"He gave for his family, he gave for his friends, he gave for his country, and he gave for the Lord. He gave for people he didn't know, and he just gave," Ron said. "He just gave."
Another of A.J's uncles, John McLaughlin, said he was grateful for who his nephew was and "who he wanted all of us to be." A.J. was smart, strong and unwavering in his beliefs, John said, and very insightful for a 23-year-old.
"I want to be a better husband, father and Christian knowing he's in heaven looking down on me," John said.
"I want to be better because I know you want that for me."
Darryl talked about A.J.'s wife, Amber, saying there was "no more perfect spouse for our son."
A.J. and Amber were both church youth leaders when the Walkers lived in Arkansas. They continued to keep in contact when the family moved to Harker Heights in 2004, and were married in July 2006.
A.J. deployed to Iraq last month.
The last few days have been the hardest of Darryl's life, he said. When the family first heard the news of A.J.'s death, they huddled together on the couch, unable to sleep.
When the sun came up that next morning, Annie pointed out that the Earth moves, but the sky stays the same. The sun they saw rising in the sky was the same sun A.J. saw in Iraq on his last day.
It's the same sun that connects us, Darryl said.
The Walkers will get through A.J.'s loss one day at a time – sunrise to sunrise, Darryl said.
"Our hearts are broken, but our faith is not shaken," he said.
"I know things will never be normal again, but we will redefine normal."
The family knows that one day they will see him again, Darryl said, "but this day we miss him."
"A.J.," he said, closing his eyes and choking back tears. "I love you, my beautiful boy. We're gonna get through this. We're gonna get through this."
Army Spc. Aaron J. Walker was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Aaron J. Walker, 23, of Harker Heights, Texas
Spc. Walker was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire during combat operations.
Killeen Daily Herald -- Aaron J. Walker had many talents, but singing wasn't necessarily one of them.
His sister, Andee, was playing the piano one day and singing "I Can Only Imagine." Aaron, or A.J., was listening and asked his little sister to teach him the song.
Andee showed him how to play the song, and he began to play and sing. When A.J. got to the chorus of the song, he beat on the piano keys like he was playing the drums and belted out the lyrics.
It didn't sound so good, she said with a smile. While the music was not great, A.J.'s heart was in it.
"I wish I could hear him sing again," Andee said.
Spc. Aaron J. Walker died Tuesday in southern Baghdad, Iraq, when his unit came under small-arms fire, according to the Defense Department. The 23-year-old Harker Heights resident was serving with the 1st Armored Division's 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.
He leaves behind his wife of a little more than a year, Amber; Darryl and Annie, his mother and father; Andee; and a younger brother, Alex.
Family and friends gathered at Grace Christian Center in Killeen – Darryl and Annie are youth pastors – on Saturday afternoon for a memorial service in honor of A.J. His funeral service is set for Thursday in Peoria, Ariz., which is near Phoenix.
Andee sang a portion of "I Can Only Imagine" during a eulogy for her big brother and said she would only imagine what kind of passion A.J. had for the angels he was singing with in heaven.
She said he has the honorable position of being A.J.'s sister.
"I wish you would not pity me, but envy me," she told the people sitting before her.
A.J. was defined by his passion, humility, respect, honor, and most of all, love, Alex said. If there was one thing Alex learned from his brother, it was to love.
"I only pray I can live the way A.J. loved," he said.
A.J. had a huge heart and gave in life and in death, said his uncle, Ron Walker.
"He gave for his family, he gave for his friends, he gave for his country, and he gave for the Lord. He gave for people he didn't know, and he just gave," Ron said. "He just gave."
Another of A.J's uncles, John McLaughlin, said he was grateful for who his nephew was and "who he wanted all of us to be." A.J. was smart, strong and unwavering in his beliefs, John said, and very insightful for a 23-year-old.
"I want to be a better husband, father and Christian knowing he's in heaven looking down on me," John said.
"I want to be better because I know you want that for me."
Darryl talked about A.J.'s wife, Amber, saying there was "no more perfect spouse for our son."
A.J. and Amber were both church youth leaders when the Walkers lived in Arkansas. They continued to keep in contact when the family moved to Harker Heights in 2004, and were married in July 2006.
A.J. deployed to Iraq last month.
The last few days have been the hardest of Darryl's life, he said. When the family first heard the news of A.J.'s death, they huddled together on the couch, unable to sleep.
When the sun came up that next morning, Annie pointed out that the Earth moves, but the sky stays the same. The sun they saw rising in the sky was the same sun A.J. saw in Iraq on his last day.
It's the same sun that connects us, Darryl said.
The Walkers will get through A.J.'s loss one day at a time – sunrise to sunrise, Darryl said.
"Our hearts are broken, but our faith is not shaken," he said.
"I know things will never be normal again, but we will redefine normal."
The family knows that one day they will see him again, Darryl said, "but this day we miss him."
"A.J.," he said, closing his eyes and choking back tears. "I love you, my beautiful boy. We're gonna get through this. We're gonna get through this."
Army Spc. Aaron J. Walker was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Matthew J. Emerson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Matthew J. Emerson, 20, of Grandview, Wash.
Spc. Emerson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Nineveh province, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Tri-City Herald -- A Grandview soldier who loved fishing, football and most of all, his family, died Monday while serving with the Army in Iraq.
Spc. Matthew J. Emerson, 20, graduated from Grandview High School in 2004 and was a defensive back and wide receiver on the school's football team.
"He was real soft spoken. He didn't say much but when he did, people listened. He was my best friend," said his brother, Joe, 22, of Cheney.
His parents L.J. and Ginger Emerson of Grandview were notified about his death Tuesday. He also has a sister, Christine, 24, of Seattle.
He was serving as a gunner on a humvee in the northern city of Mosul. He'd been in Iraq since last fall and was due home this winter.
It's not yet clear exactly how he died, his older brother said.
Emerson was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. He joined the Army in 2005 but started talking about becoming a solider when he was a little boy.
"He loved his country and loved everything about it. He was willing to defend it with his life," said Joe Emerson, who was emotional as he talked about his little brother.
Matt Emerson is the eleventh Mid-Columbia service member to die in Iraq. Two other soldiers from the region have been killed in Afghanistan.
News of his death spread throughout his tight-knit hometown by Tuesday night.
His football coaches at Grandview High remembered him as a tough competitor and thoughtful teammate. He was the kind of player who took younger guys under his wing and watched out for them, they said.
"He was one of those kids who always stayed late after practice to improve. He was probably one of the hardest working kids we've had," said Dustin Lamb, head coach. "He led by example. He didn't talk much but you knew you could count on him."
That attitude extended off the field, said Brad Charvet, a coach and longtime family friend.
"He's just a really good kid. He always wanted to make the right moves, in the classroom, in life," Charvet said.
Matt Emerson was a role model to other Grandview Greyhounds even after he graduated. Snapshots of him and other alumni now serving in the military are on the school's website, www.grandviewgreyhounds.com.
There's also a photo of the young soldier hanging out in the weight room.
"The kids are pretty shocked, as were all of us. To have one of ours fall really brings reality home about what's going on over there," Lamb said. "He was a hero for this small town."
A memorial service hasn't yet been arranged.
Army Spc. Matthew J. Emerson died in Iraq on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Matthew J. Emerson, 20, of Grandview, Wash.
Spc. Emerson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Nineveh province, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Tri-City Herald -- A Grandview soldier who loved fishing, football and most of all, his family, died Monday while serving with the Army in Iraq.
Spc. Matthew J. Emerson, 20, graduated from Grandview High School in 2004 and was a defensive back and wide receiver on the school's football team.
"He was real soft spoken. He didn't say much but when he did, people listened. He was my best friend," said his brother, Joe, 22, of Cheney.
His parents L.J. and Ginger Emerson of Grandview were notified about his death Tuesday. He also has a sister, Christine, 24, of Seattle.
He was serving as a gunner on a humvee in the northern city of Mosul. He'd been in Iraq since last fall and was due home this winter.
It's not yet clear exactly how he died, his older brother said.
Emerson was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. He joined the Army in 2005 but started talking about becoming a solider when he was a little boy.
"He loved his country and loved everything about it. He was willing to defend it with his life," said Joe Emerson, who was emotional as he talked about his little brother.
Matt Emerson is the eleventh Mid-Columbia service member to die in Iraq. Two other soldiers from the region have been killed in Afghanistan.
News of his death spread throughout his tight-knit hometown by Tuesday night.
His football coaches at Grandview High remembered him as a tough competitor and thoughtful teammate. He was the kind of player who took younger guys under his wing and watched out for them, they said.
"He was one of those kids who always stayed late after practice to improve. He was probably one of the hardest working kids we've had," said Dustin Lamb, head coach. "He led by example. He didn't talk much but you knew you could count on him."
That attitude extended off the field, said Brad Charvet, a coach and longtime family friend.
"He's just a really good kid. He always wanted to make the right moves, in the classroom, in life," Charvet said.
Matt Emerson was a role model to other Grandview Greyhounds even after he graduated. Snapshots of him and other alumni now serving in the military are on the school's website, www.grandviewgreyhounds.com.
There's also a photo of the young soldier hanging out in the weight room.
"The kids are pretty shocked, as were all of us. To have one of ours fall really brings reality home about what's going on over there," Lamb said. "He was a hero for this small town."
A memorial service hasn't yet been arranged.
Army Spc. Matthew J. Emerson died in Iraq on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Nicholas P. Olson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, Calif.
Spc. Olson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Joseph N. Landry III and Spc. Donald E. Valentine III.
San Francisco Chronicle -- A 22-year-old Army specialist from Novato was one of three soldiers killed by a bomb in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, the Pentagon said today.
Spc. Nicholas P. Olson died Tuesday after an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations, the Defense Department said. No additional details about the incident were released.
He is survived by his wife and 10-month-old child, said assistant principal Dan Curtaz of Novato High School, which Olson attended when he lived in Marin.
Olson graduated from San Marin High School, a continuation school, after attending Novato High, Curtaz said. Curtaz taught physical education at the time and remembered Olson as a "good kid."
"He had a lot of energy - he was a good kid to be around," Curtaz said. "He was in our junior ROTC program, and he was always wearing his uniform proudly. He was very proud to be part of that program, and that experience must have eventually led him into a military career."
Olson enlisted in the Army in October 2004 and was assigned to the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, known as the Stryker Brigade Combat team, out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
He was decorated with the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Also killed in the explosion were Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., and Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Fla.
Army Spc. Nicholas P. Olson was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, Calif.
Spc. Olson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Joseph N. Landry III and Spc. Donald E. Valentine III.
San Francisco Chronicle -- A 22-year-old Army specialist from Novato was one of three soldiers killed by a bomb in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, the Pentagon said today.
Spc. Nicholas P. Olson died Tuesday after an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations, the Defense Department said. No additional details about the incident were released.
He is survived by his wife and 10-month-old child, said assistant principal Dan Curtaz of Novato High School, which Olson attended when he lived in Marin.
Olson graduated from San Marin High School, a continuation school, after attending Novato High, Curtaz said. Curtaz taught physical education at the time and remembered Olson as a "good kid."
"He had a lot of energy - he was a good kid to be around," Curtaz said. "He was in our junior ROTC program, and he was always wearing his uniform proudly. He was very proud to be part of that program, and that experience must have eventually led him into a military career."
Olson enlisted in the Army in October 2004 and was assigned to the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, known as the Stryker Brigade Combat team, out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
He was decorated with the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Also killed in the explosion were Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., and Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Fla.
Army Spc. Nicholas P. Olson was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Donald E. Valentine III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Fla.
Spc. Valentine was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Joseph N. Landry III and Spc. Nicholas P. Olson.
Florida Times-Union -- ORANGE PARK, Fla. - The father of a Jacksonville-area soldier killed in Iraq said his son was a patriotic man who decided to join the Army because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, was killed Tuesday along with two other soldiers in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised bomb detonated near their unit. Also killed was Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, and Spc. Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, Calif.
Valentine joined the Army in 2004, just months after he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, where he played football and basketball, said Donald Valentine Jr., a Navy veteran.
"He joined because of Sept. 11. He wanted to do his best for the country," the father said.
Valentine had been in Iraq for about a year and was scheduled to come home in November.
"We supported him 100 percent," his father said. The younger Valentine planned a career in law enforcement when his Army duty was completed.
"There is no way you can prepare for this. You want them all to come home," he said.
The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Army Spc. Donald E. Valentine III was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Fla.
Spc. Valentine was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Joseph N. Landry III and Spc. Nicholas P. Olson.
Florida Times-Union -- ORANGE PARK, Fla. - The father of a Jacksonville-area soldier killed in Iraq said his son was a patriotic man who decided to join the Army because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, was killed Tuesday along with two other soldiers in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised bomb detonated near their unit. Also killed was Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, and Spc. Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, Calif.
Valentine joined the Army in 2004, just months after he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, where he played football and basketball, said Donald Valentine Jr., a Navy veteran.
"He joined because of Sept. 11. He wanted to do his best for the country," the father said.
Valentine had been in Iraq for about a year and was scheduled to come home in November.
"We supported him 100 percent," his father said. The younger Valentine planned a career in law enforcement when his Army duty was completed.
"There is no way you can prepare for this. You want them all to come home," he said.
The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Army Spc. Donald E. Valentine III was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Fla.
Spc. Landry was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Nicholas P. Olson and Spc. Donald E. Valentine III.
Hays Daily News -- When the Army told Joseph N. Landry III that he had to lose 40 pounds, he strapped a 50-pound pack on his back and started walking.
He'd walk 2 miles to his job at a Taco Bell. After work, he'd lug the extra weight home. He did that for weeks.
Landry lost the 40 pounds and became a soldier in October 2004.
"When he put on that uniform, it just transformed him. He became a different person -- a person who showed pride and confidence in what he did. And that's how he felt about the Army," said his father, Joseph.
Landry, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., was killed Sept. 18 by an explosion in Muqdadiyah. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis.
He worried that he might not make it to Iraq. "He got tired of the training," his father said. "He would call and say, 'I know we're ready to go.' That's where he wanted to be."
He also is survived by his mother, Karen.
"He said he was willing to take a bullet for a husband or a father just so they could come back and be with their families," said his dad. "He'd take the bullet instead of them -- that's just the kind of person he was."
Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Fla.
Spc. Landry was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 18, 2007 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Nicholas P. Olson and Spc. Donald E. Valentine III.
Hays Daily News -- When the Army told Joseph N. Landry III that he had to lose 40 pounds, he strapped a 50-pound pack on his back and started walking.
He'd walk 2 miles to his job at a Taco Bell. After work, he'd lug the extra weight home. He did that for weeks.
Landry lost the 40 pounds and became a soldier in October 2004.
"When he put on that uniform, it just transformed him. He became a different person -- a person who showed pride and confidence in what he did. And that's how he felt about the Army," said his father, Joseph.
Landry, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., was killed Sept. 18 by an explosion in Muqdadiyah. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis.
He worried that he might not make it to Iraq. "He got tired of the training," his father said. "He would call and say, 'I know we're ready to go.' That's where he wanted to be."
He also is survived by his mother, Karen.
"He said he was willing to take a bullet for a husband or a father just so they could come back and be with their families," said his dad. "He'd take the bullet instead of them -- that's just the kind of person he was."
Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III was killed in action on 9/18/07.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Army Sgt. Patrick Rust
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt Patrick Rust, assigned to Fort Drum's Division Headquarters.
The mother of a Fort Drum soldier who went missing two months ago said she fears the worst for her son.
"I just have this feeling that something's wrong and he's laying out there someplace and somebody's got to find him," said Judy Rust.
Judy spoke to 7 News at her home in the St. Lawrence County town of Fowler.
Her home is filled with photographs of her 24 year old son, Patrick, a graduate of Edwards-Knox Central School.
Sergeant Patrick Rust, assigned to Fort Drum's Division Headquarters, was last seen March 15 walking from a business on Arsenal Street to an apartment he shared with another soldier.
The two soldiers had just left the Salmon Run Mall and Rust elected to walk the short distance to his apartment.
Fort Drum announced March 22 that Rust, who is assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Division Special Troops Battalion, was listed as Absent Without Leave after not reporting for duty on March 16.
Rust had returned from Afghanistan in February. He had also served in Iraq.
His mother said she's convinced something happened to her son because he would have been in touch with her by now.
"It's not like Patrick. He usually calls two or three times a week. Even when he was in Afghanistan, we heard from him more than that. This is two months. He never went two months without calling us when he was in Afghanistan even," said Judy Rust.
On Tuesday, officials with the Watertown Police Department said they're treating Patrick Rust's disappearance as a missing persons case.
Lieutenant Frank Derrigo said there have been numerous reported sightings, but nothing has panned out.
Even with limited evidence, Derrigo said Rust there are indications that Rust could have met with foul play.
He said investigators are "very concerned" because there has been no activity with Sgt. Rust's bank accounts.
"We don't have enough to say what happened," said Derrigo.
Anyone with information about Rust's whereabouts is asked to call the Watertown Police Department at 786-2627.
Update: Body Confirmed as That of Missing Soldier
Friday, September 21, 2007, 12:09am
A body found Sunday in a hay field near Watertown is that of missing soldier Patrick Rust, the Department of Deense has confirmed.
The confirmation Friday morning follows an announcement Wednesday by Jefferson County sheriff John Burns that the body was 'tentativelky identified' as Rust.
Rust disappeared after March 16. He was last seen at a bar on Arsenal Street.
Rust was a member of the 10th Mountain Division's Special Troops Battalion.
An autopsy was performed by the military in Washington.
A statement from the sheriff's office Friday notes that the autopsy was performed by the chief forensic anthropologist of the 'Office of the Armed Services Medical Examiner.'
The cause of death is 'under investigation,' Burns said.
The body was found late Sunday afternoon in a field off Taylor Road in the Town of Hounsfield.
The body had been in the field 'for some time,' Burns told 7 News.
The body was found by a person working in the field.
Burns said the body was simply lying in the field, not buried or otherwise covered.
Army Sgt Patrick Rust, assigned to Fort Drum's Division Headquarters.
The mother of a Fort Drum soldier who went missing two months ago said she fears the worst for her son.
"I just have this feeling that something's wrong and he's laying out there someplace and somebody's got to find him," said Judy Rust.
Judy spoke to 7 News at her home in the St. Lawrence County town of Fowler.
Her home is filled with photographs of her 24 year old son, Patrick, a graduate of Edwards-Knox Central School.
Sergeant Patrick Rust, assigned to Fort Drum's Division Headquarters, was last seen March 15 walking from a business on Arsenal Street to an apartment he shared with another soldier.
The two soldiers had just left the Salmon Run Mall and Rust elected to walk the short distance to his apartment.
Fort Drum announced March 22 that Rust, who is assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Division Special Troops Battalion, was listed as Absent Without Leave after not reporting for duty on March 16.
Rust had returned from Afghanistan in February. He had also served in Iraq.
His mother said she's convinced something happened to her son because he would have been in touch with her by now.
"It's not like Patrick. He usually calls two or three times a week. Even when he was in Afghanistan, we heard from him more than that. This is two months. He never went two months without calling us when he was in Afghanistan even," said Judy Rust.
On Tuesday, officials with the Watertown Police Department said they're treating Patrick Rust's disappearance as a missing persons case.
Lieutenant Frank Derrigo said there have been numerous reported sightings, but nothing has panned out.
Even with limited evidence, Derrigo said Rust there are indications that Rust could have met with foul play.
He said investigators are "very concerned" because there has been no activity with Sgt. Rust's bank accounts.
"We don't have enough to say what happened," said Derrigo.
Anyone with information about Rust's whereabouts is asked to call the Watertown Police Department at 786-2627.
Update: Body Confirmed as That of Missing Soldier
Friday, September 21, 2007, 12:09am
A body found Sunday in a hay field near Watertown is that of missing soldier Patrick Rust, the Department of Deense has confirmed.
The confirmation Friday morning follows an announcement Wednesday by Jefferson County sheriff John Burns that the body was 'tentativelky identified' as Rust.
Rust disappeared after March 16. He was last seen at a bar on Arsenal Street.
Rust was a member of the 10th Mountain Division's Special Troops Battalion.
An autopsy was performed by the military in Washington.
A statement from the sheriff's office Friday notes that the autopsy was performed by the chief forensic anthropologist of the 'Office of the Armed Services Medical Examiner.'
The cause of death is 'under investigation,' Burns said.
The body was found late Sunday afternoon in a field off Taylor Road in the Town of Hounsfield.
The body had been in the field 'for some time,' Burns told 7 News.
The body was found by a person working in the field.
Burns said the body was simply lying in the field, not buried or otherwise covered.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, 29, of Las Vegas
SSgt. Townes was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 16, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat-related illness.
Killeen Daily Herald -- FORT HOOD – The Defense Department announced Tuesday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Michael Lopez Townes, 29 of Las Vegas, Nev., died Sunday in Balad, Iraq, from a noncombat-related illness.
Townes joined the military in October 1999 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and was assigned to 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division since December 2005.
He deployed to Iraq in September 2006.
Townes' awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism (Service) Medal.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes died in Iraq on 9/16/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, 29, of Las Vegas
SSgt. Townes was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 16, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat-related illness.
Killeen Daily Herald -- FORT HOOD – The Defense Department announced Tuesday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Michael Lopez Townes, 29 of Las Vegas, Nev., died Sunday in Balad, Iraq, from a noncombat-related illness.
Townes joined the military in October 1999 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and was assigned to 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division since December 2005.
He deployed to Iraq in September 2006.
Townes' awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism (Service) Medal.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes died in Iraq on 9/16/07.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Marine Cpl. Terrence P. Allen
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Terrence P. Allen, 21, of Pennsauken, N.J.
Cpl. Allen was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 15, 2007 from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Pennsauken Marine slated to return home soon killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. — A Marine from Pennsauken who just hours earlier had been talking with his parents about his impending return home was killed in Iraq on Sept. 14.
Cpl. Terry Allen was shot in the head while he was on the Al Asad Air Base in Anbar province, apparently by a sniper, his parents said Sept. 15.
John and Connie Allen said they’d just talked with their son hours before he was shot, and that the 21-year-old was scheduled to come home from Iraq on Sept. 18.
“We really thought we were in the clear,” John Allen told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill for the Sept. 16 newspapers. “We thought about how lucky we were he was coming home.”
Terry Allen, a former football player at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, enlisted in the Marines before he even graduated from high school in 2004.
“He was a nice kid. It’s just going to affect everybody,” Tori Wishnick, the school’s athletic director told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s just so shocking.”
The South Jersey Marine’s body is scheduled to be flown to Dover Air Force Base early this week.
Marine Cpl. Terrence P. Allen was killed in action on 9/15/07.
Marine Cpl. Terrence P. Allen, 21, of Pennsauken, N.J.
Cpl. Allen was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 15, 2007 from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Pennsauken Marine slated to return home soon killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. — A Marine from Pennsauken who just hours earlier had been talking with his parents about his impending return home was killed in Iraq on Sept. 14.
Cpl. Terry Allen was shot in the head while he was on the Al Asad Air Base in Anbar province, apparently by a sniper, his parents said Sept. 15.
John and Connie Allen said they’d just talked with their son hours before he was shot, and that the 21-year-old was scheduled to come home from Iraq on Sept. 18.
“We really thought we were in the clear,” John Allen told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill for the Sept. 16 newspapers. “We thought about how lucky we were he was coming home.”
Terry Allen, a former football player at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, enlisted in the Marines before he even graduated from high school in 2004.
“He was a nice kid. It’s just going to affect everybody,” Tori Wishnick, the school’s athletic director told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s just so shocking.”
The South Jersey Marine’s body is scheduled to be flown to Dover Air Force Base early this week.
Marine Cpl. Terrence P. Allen was killed in action on 9/15/07.
Army Pfc. Brandon T. Thorsen
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Brandon T. Thorsen, 22, of Trenton, Fla.
Pfc. Thorsen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Sept. 15, 2007 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Soldier, 22, from Trenton dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
TRENTON, Fla. — A 22-year-old soldier died in Iraq from non-combat related incident, military officials said Tuesday.
Pfc. Brandon T. Thorsen, of Trenton, died Saturday, one day after he sustained the injuries, the Department of Defense said. Military officials did not release details of the incident, but Thorsen’s father told The Gainesville Sun that his son died from a gunshot wound. The incident is under investigation.
Thorsen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. He was posthumously promoted one rank to specialist and awarded the Bronze Star.
A 2005 graduate of Chiefland High School, Thorsen was inspired to join the Army because of Sept. 11, his father told the newspaper.
“He wanted to serve his country,” Donald E. Thorsen, said. “He believed in the mission.”
Army Pfc. Brandon T. Thorsen was killed in action on 9/15/07.
Army Pfc. Brandon T. Thorsen, 22, of Trenton, Fla.
Pfc. Thorsen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Sept. 15, 2007 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Soldier, 22, from Trenton dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
TRENTON, Fla. — A 22-year-old soldier died in Iraq from non-combat related incident, military officials said Tuesday.
Pfc. Brandon T. Thorsen, of Trenton, died Saturday, one day after he sustained the injuries, the Department of Defense said. Military officials did not release details of the incident, but Thorsen’s father told The Gainesville Sun that his son died from a gunshot wound. The incident is under investigation.
Thorsen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. He was posthumously promoted one rank to specialist and awarded the Bronze Star.
A 2005 graduate of Chiefland High School, Thorsen was inspired to join the Army because of Sept. 11, his father told the newspaper.
“He wanted to serve his country,” Donald E. Thorsen, said. “He believed in the mission.”
Army Pfc. Brandon T. Thorsen was killed in action on 9/15/07.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Army Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud, 24, of Malakoff, Texas
Pvt. McCloud was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, Spc. Todd A. Motley and Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira.
Tyler Morning Telegraph -- ATHENS -The widow of a soldier who was killed Friday morning by a roadside bomb said she wants her husband remembered as a role model, who believed in fighting for freedom.
Christopher Michael McCloud, 24, and three other U.S. Army Cavalry Scouts were killed while investigating an al-Qaida camp in the Diyala governorate northeast of Baghdad.
Their M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle struck a roadside bomb.
"He believed that we needed to protect our country, and he wanted to be on the front lines of that," his wife Sheena McCloud said.
McCloud graduated from boot camp in Ft. Knox, Tenn., in March and was deployed in May. His family expected him home in November.
When McCloud announced to his family a year ago that he wanted to join the Army it was not a surprise.
James McCloud said his brother talked of wanting to join the Army at a young age, but it was on 9/11 when he made his final decision.
"He wanted to support his country and it was the best way he knew how," McCloud said of his brother.
"After 9/11 he felt it was his duty to make sure his kids were going to grow up and be free. He believed in everything the military stood for and felt like joining was his payment for his kids to be free," his wife said.
The last time he and his brother spoke was on Tuesday.
McCloud said his brother was aware of the risks involved with joining the military, but viewed it as a calling.
"He knew it could happen any day," he said.
Mrs. McCloud said the last time she and her husband spoke, they talked about the vacations they would someday take, and how family was doing.
The couple met while attending service at the First United Pentecostal Church of Athens - Sheena was 12 and Christopher was 15.
Sheena said she was drawn to him because of his character.
"His life revolved around making sure his kids were going to be taken care of and his family was provided for," she said.
Mrs. McCloud said she will one day tell their children, 2-year-old Landon and 3-year-old Aiden, that their father died for something he believed in, and that he is a hero.
"He died so they could grow up and be free, and to make the decision to do what they want to do with their lives," Mrs. McCloud said.
For now, she will focus on caring for her two boys, and with the support of friends and family the McCloud children will grow up to know what kind of person their father was.
"I want people to remember what he stood for, and that he loved his children," she said.
Mrs. McCloud said she wants everyone to remember the other soldiers who are still in Iraq.
"I want people to continue to support our troops, our president and everything they stand for because it's because of them we are able to stand here today."
Sheena said she made her husband promise before he left for Iraq that he would come home.
"And now he is, he's on his way," she said.
Army Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud was killed in action on 9/14/07.
Army Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud, 24, of Malakoff, Texas
Pvt. McCloud was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, Spc. Todd A. Motley and Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira.
Tyler Morning Telegraph -- ATHENS -The widow of a soldier who was killed Friday morning by a roadside bomb said she wants her husband remembered as a role model, who believed in fighting for freedom.
Christopher Michael McCloud, 24, and three other U.S. Army Cavalry Scouts were killed while investigating an al-Qaida camp in the Diyala governorate northeast of Baghdad.
Their M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle struck a roadside bomb.
"He believed that we needed to protect our country, and he wanted to be on the front lines of that," his wife Sheena McCloud said.
McCloud graduated from boot camp in Ft. Knox, Tenn., in March and was deployed in May. His family expected him home in November.
When McCloud announced to his family a year ago that he wanted to join the Army it was not a surprise.
James McCloud said his brother talked of wanting to join the Army at a young age, but it was on 9/11 when he made his final decision.
"He wanted to support his country and it was the best way he knew how," McCloud said of his brother.
"After 9/11 he felt it was his duty to make sure his kids were going to grow up and be free. He believed in everything the military stood for and felt like joining was his payment for his kids to be free," his wife said.
The last time he and his brother spoke was on Tuesday.
McCloud said his brother was aware of the risks involved with joining the military, but viewed it as a calling.
"He knew it could happen any day," he said.
Mrs. McCloud said the last time she and her husband spoke, they talked about the vacations they would someday take, and how family was doing.
The couple met while attending service at the First United Pentecostal Church of Athens - Sheena was 12 and Christopher was 15.
Sheena said she was drawn to him because of his character.
"His life revolved around making sure his kids were going to be taken care of and his family was provided for," she said.
Mrs. McCloud said she will one day tell their children, 2-year-old Landon and 3-year-old Aiden, that their father died for something he believed in, and that he is a hero.
"He died so they could grow up and be free, and to make the decision to do what they want to do with their lives," Mrs. McCloud said.
For now, she will focus on caring for her two boys, and with the support of friends and family the McCloud children will grow up to know what kind of person their father was.
"I want people to remember what he stood for, and that he loved his children," she said.
Mrs. McCloud said she wants everyone to remember the other soldiers who are still in Iraq.
"I want people to continue to support our troops, our president and everything they stand for because it's because of them we are able to stand here today."
Sheena said she made her husband promise before he left for Iraq that he would come home.
"And now he is, he's on his way," she said.
Army Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud was killed in action on 9/14/07.
Army Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira, 22, of Jackson Heights, N.Y.
Spc. Rivadeneira was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, Spc. Todd A. Motley and Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud.
New York Sun -- An American soldier from Jackson Heights was killed in an explosion in Baghdad on Friday.
Specialist Jonathan Rivadeneira, 22, was finishing his fourth year in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Baghdad in October 2006 with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He and three other soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Rivadeneira was a lifelong Queens resident, where his mother, Martha Clark, who is from Colombia, raised him by herself, a City Council member of Queens, Hiram Monserrate, told The New York Sun. Mr. Monserrate is a close family friend.
Ms. Clark declined to comment, according to Mr. Monserrate, who said she did not want to speak with the press immediately. She did not return phone calls yesterday evening.
After a Corona resident went missing in action in Iraq in May, Mr. Monserrate organized a support group for families of soldiers. Ms. Clark was very involved in the group, which meets monthly, Mr. Monserrate said.
"She was very active in support of other mothers who have suffered," he said. "The last thing she ever imagined was that her son was going to die in Iraq."
Rivadeneira is an only child, and he was married for two years to a woman he met at boot camp in Fort Hood, Mr. Monserrate said. They did not have any children.
The council member's office is leading efforts to bring Rivadeneira's body back to New York and making arrangements to bring Ms. Clark's family to New York from Colombia.
Army Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira was killed in action on 9/14/07.
Army Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira, 22, of Jackson Heights, N.Y.
Spc. Rivadeneira was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, Spc. Todd A. Motley and Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud.
New York Sun -- An American soldier from Jackson Heights was killed in an explosion in Baghdad on Friday.
Specialist Jonathan Rivadeneira, 22, was finishing his fourth year in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Baghdad in October 2006 with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He and three other soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Rivadeneira was a lifelong Queens resident, where his mother, Martha Clark, who is from Colombia, raised him by herself, a City Council member of Queens, Hiram Monserrate, told The New York Sun. Mr. Monserrate is a close family friend.
Ms. Clark declined to comment, according to Mr. Monserrate, who said she did not want to speak with the press immediately. She did not return phone calls yesterday evening.
After a Corona resident went missing in action in Iraq in May, Mr. Monserrate organized a support group for families of soldiers. Ms. Clark was very involved in the group, which meets monthly, Mr. Monserrate said.
"She was very active in support of other mothers who have suffered," he said. "The last thing she ever imagined was that her son was going to die in Iraq."
Rivadeneira is an only child, and he was married for two years to a woman he met at boot camp in Fort Hood, Mr. Monserrate said. They did not have any children.
The council member's office is leading efforts to bring Rivadeneira's body back to New York and making arrangements to bring Ms. Clark's family to New York from Colombia.
Army Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira was killed in action on 9/14/07.
Army Spc. Todd A. Motley
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Todd A. Motley, 23, of Clare, Mich.
Spc. Motley was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira and Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud.
Mlive.com -- Clare, Mich. (AP) – Todd A. Motley returned to his high school last year to tell students not to give up on their goals.
He came back as more than a 2003 graduate of Pioneer High School. He came as an Army Specialist – the sum of his ambition since first walking through the doors of the alternative high school in 2001.
Motley, 23, of Clare, died Friday in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, when a bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat, the U.S. Department of Defence said Monday. Muqdadiyah is about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad.
Motley entered the Army in March 2005 and was assigned in August of that year to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Texas.
"Todd was one of your once-in-a-lifetime kids — everything you put in came back," Pioneer Principal Lori Enos said.
"We're all very empty right now. The impact of his death ... has surprised all of us. It makes the world very, very small."
Enos described Motley as creative, loyal and "outgoing but not obnoxious." She said his character was evident the day she handed him his diploma and Quality Student Award — an honor decided by the staff and given to only a few students at the school in Clare, about 130 miles northwest of Detroit.
"The face that I can see was a quiet sense of satisfaction," she said. "When you looked at his face, you knew he was proud of himself but he was humble about it."
She also was impressed by the way he handled his relationship with his high school girlfriend, Karen, who became his wife. She said they didn't display the drama that many students do at that age.
"Karen and Todd had a very mature relationship — it was like what you'd hope that adults would be more like," Enos said.
Besides his wife, Motley is survived by two daughters, Hannah and Kaylee, also of Clare. He also is survived by his mother, Renee; two brothers, Ian and Nickolas; and maternal grandmother, Marcia Dolin. They all are of Hoxie, Ark.
Army Spc. Todd A. Motley was killed in action on 9/14/07.
Army Spc. Todd A. Motley, 23, of Clare, Mich.
Spc. Motley was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira and Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud.
Mlive.com -- Clare, Mich. (AP) – Todd A. Motley returned to his high school last year to tell students not to give up on their goals.
He came back as more than a 2003 graduate of Pioneer High School. He came as an Army Specialist – the sum of his ambition since first walking through the doors of the alternative high school in 2001.
Motley, 23, of Clare, died Friday in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, when a bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat, the U.S. Department of Defence said Monday. Muqdadiyah is about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad.
Motley entered the Army in March 2005 and was assigned in August of that year to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Texas.
"Todd was one of your once-in-a-lifetime kids — everything you put in came back," Pioneer Principal Lori Enos said.
"We're all very empty right now. The impact of his death ... has surprised all of us. It makes the world very, very small."
Enos described Motley as creative, loyal and "outgoing but not obnoxious." She said his character was evident the day she handed him his diploma and Quality Student Award — an honor decided by the staff and given to only a few students at the school in Clare, about 130 miles northwest of Detroit.
"The face that I can see was a quiet sense of satisfaction," she said. "When you looked at his face, you knew he was proud of himself but he was humble about it."
She also was impressed by the way he handled his relationship with his high school girlfriend, Karen, who became his wife. She said they didn't display the drama that many students do at that age.
"Karen and Todd had a very mature relationship — it was like what you'd hope that adults would be more like," Enos said.
Besides his wife, Motley is survived by two daughters, Hannah and Kaylee, also of Clare. He also is survived by his mother, Renee; two brothers, Ian and Nickolas; and maternal grandmother, Marcia Dolin. They all are of Hoxie, Ark.
Army Spc. Todd A. Motley was killed in action on 9/14/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Terry D. Wagoner
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Terry D. Wagoner, 28, of Piedmont, S.C.
SSgt. Wagoner was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Todd A. Motley, Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira and Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud.
The Greenville News -- U.S. Staff Sgt. Terry Daniel Wagoner of Pelzer was in his second Iraq tour when he was killed on Friday by an IED while on patrol, his father, Scott, said.
Wagoner, 28, had served seven years in the Army, his father said on Saturday.
His dad referred to him as "Daniel," the middle child with a sister on each side.
"All my hopes and dreams I had were in my son," said Wagoner, a minister. " I was looking forward to that."
Wagoner's specialty while attending Woodmont High was running track, his dad said. He ran the 440 and 880 and was ranked statewide.
The Department of Defense has not given the family a full explanation of how he was killed nor when his remains will be returned, the elder Wagoner said.
The younger Wagoner had become a leader in the Army, his dad said. "The main thing about Daniel is that he needed a bit of discipline in his teens," Wagoner said. "He was a follower, and he needed to be a leader."
He said his son follows a tradition of five uncles who also served in the military.
Another relative, Barry Wagoner of North Carolina, also suffered injuries while serving in Iraq, Wagoner said. He said his nephew wasn't severely injured and is recovering. Daniel "called him the other day," Wagoner said. "He said he gave Barry a pep talk."
Wagoner said his son was last home this spring to visit his wife, Kate, and 3-year-old daughter in Fort Hood, Texas.
He is also survived by his mother; two sisters, Angie Epps, and Tiffany Wagoner, his dad said.
He had been due to return stateside in October, but his tour was extended until February, Wagoner said.
"Daniel knew what he was doing," the elder Wagoner said. "He was doing the right thing."
Army Staff Sgt. Terry D. Wagoner was killed in action on 9/14/07.
Army Staff Sgt. Terry D. Wagoner, 28, of Piedmont, S.C.
SSgt. Wagoner was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 14, 2007 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Todd A. Motley, Spc. Jonathan Rivadeneira and Pvt. Christopher M. McCloud.
The Greenville News -- U.S. Staff Sgt. Terry Daniel Wagoner of Pelzer was in his second Iraq tour when he was killed on Friday by an IED while on patrol, his father, Scott, said.
Wagoner, 28, had served seven years in the Army, his father said on Saturday.
His dad referred to him as "Daniel," the middle child with a sister on each side.
"All my hopes and dreams I had were in my son," said Wagoner, a minister. " I was looking forward to that."
Wagoner's specialty while attending Woodmont High was running track, his dad said. He ran the 440 and 880 and was ranked statewide.
The Department of Defense has not given the family a full explanation of how he was killed nor when his remains will be returned, the elder Wagoner said.
The younger Wagoner had become a leader in the Army, his dad said. "The main thing about Daniel is that he needed a bit of discipline in his teens," Wagoner said. "He was a follower, and he needed to be a leader."
He said his son follows a tradition of five uncles who also served in the military.
Another relative, Barry Wagoner of North Carolina, also suffered injuries while serving in Iraq, Wagoner said. He said his nephew wasn't severely injured and is recovering. Daniel "called him the other day," Wagoner said. "He said he gave Barry a pep talk."
Wagoner said his son was last home this spring to visit his wife, Kate, and 3-year-old daughter in Fort Hood, Texas.
He is also survived by his mother; two sisters, Angie Epps, and Tiffany Wagoner, his dad said.
He had been due to return stateside in October, but his tour was extended until February, Wagoner said.
"Daniel knew what he was doing," the elder Wagoner said. "He was doing the right thing."
Army Staff Sgt. Terry D. Wagoner was killed in action on 9/14/07.
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