Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Blair W. Emery, 24, of Lee, Maine
Sgt. Emery was assigned to the 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 30, 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Maine soldier’s body is being returned to home town
The Associated Press
LEE, Maine — A soldier who was killed last week in Iraq was remembered Dec. 7 as a simple man who asked for little and gave more than he received.
Hundreds of people filled the Lee Academy gymnasium to pay their respects to Sgt. Blair Emery, who was killed Nov. 30 after a roadside bomb exploded next to his Humvee in Baqubah.
Gov. John Baldacci and state military officials presented medals to Emery’s widow, Chu Emery, who told the crowd that her husband was an “angel.”
Emery, 24, was the second soldier from this small town to die this year in Iraq. In June, Sgt. Joel House, who was 22, was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Taji, 12 miles north of Baghdad.
Both attended Lee Academy, graduating one year apart.
“This is very devastating for this small community to have two fine individuals taken like this before their time,” Baldacci said.
Veterans groups lined the motorcade route and members snapped to attention as a hearse brought Emery’s body home Dec. 6. The motorcade, led by the local police chief, included state, local and county police, along with fire departments and ambulances.
Carl Thompson of Ketchikan, Alaska, one of Emery’s uncles, was moved to tears.
“This community can be proud of its people as well as the people that serve,” Thompson said. “I just know that everywhere we looked there were people waving flags, people standing with their hands over their hearts, or pulling their cars over to wave. It just shows what this community is made out of real Americans.”
Emery was originally scheduled to return to the U.S. at the end of October, but his deployment was extended by another three months, his family said.
Army Sgt. Blair W. Emery was killed in action on 11/30/07.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Army Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason, 42, of Bloomington, Minn.
SFC Tobiason was assigned to the 847th Adjutant General Battalion, 89th Regional Readiness Command, Wichita, Kan.; died Nov. 28, 2007 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in an incident that is currently under investigation.
Minnesota soldier dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — A soldier from Minnesota has died after being injured in Iraq, his family and the Department of Defense said Nov. 29.
Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason, 42, of Hayfield, died Nov. 28 in Baghdad of injuries he suffered in an incident that is under investigation, the department said.
Tobiason grew up in Bloomington — graduating from Kennedy High School — and had volunteered to stay longer in Iraq after his tour ended in October, his sister, Nancy Mitchell, told the Star Tribune on Nov. 29. He was assigned to the 847th Adjutant General Battalion, 89th Regional Readiness Command, Wichita, Kan.
Mitchell said all the family knows about the circumstances of her brother’s death is that he had stepped outside of a tent and that shots were fired. She said expected a final report on his death to be issued in a day or two.
While the Defense Department said Tobiason was from Bloomington, Mitchell said that he last lived in the small town of Hayfield in southeastern Minnesota. She told the paper that he was in his 14th year in the military and had planned to serve 20 years before retiring to a cabin in Minnesota.
Tobiason was on his second tour overseas and had previously served in Kuwait, and he would have returned home in January, his sister said. He is the 66th person with strong Minnesota ties to die in connection with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Services were planned for next week at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Bloomington.
Army Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason died from non-combat related injuries on 11/28/07 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Army Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason, 42, of Bloomington, Minn.
SFC Tobiason was assigned to the 847th Adjutant General Battalion, 89th Regional Readiness Command, Wichita, Kan.; died Nov. 28, 2007 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in an incident that is currently under investigation.
Minnesota soldier dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — A soldier from Minnesota has died after being injured in Iraq, his family and the Department of Defense said Nov. 29.
Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason, 42, of Hayfield, died Nov. 28 in Baghdad of injuries he suffered in an incident that is under investigation, the department said.
Tobiason grew up in Bloomington — graduating from Kennedy High School — and had volunteered to stay longer in Iraq after his tour ended in October, his sister, Nancy Mitchell, told the Star Tribune on Nov. 29. He was assigned to the 847th Adjutant General Battalion, 89th Regional Readiness Command, Wichita, Kan.
Mitchell said all the family knows about the circumstances of her brother’s death is that he had stepped outside of a tent and that shots were fired. She said expected a final report on his death to be issued in a day or two.
While the Defense Department said Tobiason was from Bloomington, Mitchell said that he last lived in the small town of Hayfield in southeastern Minnesota. She told the paper that he was in his 14th year in the military and had planned to serve 20 years before retiring to a cabin in Minnesota.
Tobiason was on his second tour overseas and had previously served in Kuwait, and he would have returned home in January, his sister said. He is the 66th person with strong Minnesota ties to die in connection with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Services were planned for next week at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Bloomington.
Army Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason died from non-combat related injuries on 11/28/07 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Allen C. Roberts
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Allen C. Roberts, 21, of Arcola, Ill.
Cpl. Roberts was assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 214, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.; died Nov. 28, 2007 from a vehicle accident near Al Asad, Iraq.
Urbana Champaign News-Gazette -- ARCOLA – Flags in Arcola and Douglas County were lowered this morning in remembrance of Marine Allen C. Roberts, who died in Iraq.
The Department of Defense hadn't released the details of Roberts' death this morning, but those who remember Mr. Roberts said he was a caring, helpful man who took his military duties seriously. Mr. Roberts was a 2004 Arcola High School graduate.
Cindy Mills, Arcola's guidance counselor when Mr. Roberts attended school there, remembers him clearly. He was always laughing, always smiling, but took his work in the Marines seriously.
"He was very loyal to his country," Mills said, "and he was very proud of what he was doing."
Mills also remembers that Mr. Roberts, an only child, had a close bond with his mother, Jaye Roberts. She did not immediately return a phone message.
"He was a respectful young man who cared about his mother and cared about her wishes," Mills said. "You don't find a lot of those. They're not average."
Randy Rothrock was Mr. Roberts' principal from the time Mr. Roberts was in seventh grade until he graduated. He remembers that the last time he saw Mr. Roberts, the young man seemed satisfied with his military career.
"He had really found his place," Rothrock said. "I think everybody was really proud of what he accomplished. ... I'm sure he was a great Marine."
Former social studies teacher Richard Fay remembers Mr. Roberts as being interested in current affairs during his high school years. He remembers Mr. Roberts being devastated after terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and paying close attention to the war in Iraq. Fay would bring in veterans of World War II and the Korean War, which Mr. Roberts enjoyed.
"Allen, he just loved that," Fay said. "He ate that stuff up."
Rothrock said it was a pleasure watching Mr. Roberts mature during his years in school.
"He just got more likable and more into things every year," Rothrock said, adding that faculty members could always count on Mr. Roberts to volunteer and that he was heavily involved in Boy Scouts.
He played football for four years at Arcola and was involved in drama there, as well, Mills said.
"He never wanted to be somebody he wasn't; he never tried to belong anyplace that he didn't," Mills said. "He was himself and he was comfortable with himself."
Rothrock said Mr. Roberts is the first Arcola resident lost in a war in recent memory, and Mills said it's tough news because everyone in Arcola knows him.
"This will shake us," she said.
And Fay knows Mr. Roberts will be remembered with gratitude.
"Allen was a true hero," Fay said. "He gave it all."
Douglas County Board Chairman Chuck Knox said he has directed all flags at county facilities be lowered to half-staff until the funeral is over as a token of respect. "May God grant comfort to his family and friends and welcome Allen home," Knox said.
Marine Cpl. Allen C. Roberts died 11/28/07 due to a vehicle accident in Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Allen C. Roberts, 21, of Arcola, Ill.
Cpl. Roberts was assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 214, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.; died Nov. 28, 2007 from a vehicle accident near Al Asad, Iraq.
Urbana Champaign News-Gazette -- ARCOLA – Flags in Arcola and Douglas County were lowered this morning in remembrance of Marine Allen C. Roberts, who died in Iraq.
The Department of Defense hadn't released the details of Roberts' death this morning, but those who remember Mr. Roberts said he was a caring, helpful man who took his military duties seriously. Mr. Roberts was a 2004 Arcola High School graduate.
Cindy Mills, Arcola's guidance counselor when Mr. Roberts attended school there, remembers him clearly. He was always laughing, always smiling, but took his work in the Marines seriously.
"He was very loyal to his country," Mills said, "and he was very proud of what he was doing."
Mills also remembers that Mr. Roberts, an only child, had a close bond with his mother, Jaye Roberts. She did not immediately return a phone message.
"He was a respectful young man who cared about his mother and cared about her wishes," Mills said. "You don't find a lot of those. They're not average."
Randy Rothrock was Mr. Roberts' principal from the time Mr. Roberts was in seventh grade until he graduated. He remembers that the last time he saw Mr. Roberts, the young man seemed satisfied with his military career.
"He had really found his place," Rothrock said. "I think everybody was really proud of what he accomplished. ... I'm sure he was a great Marine."
Former social studies teacher Richard Fay remembers Mr. Roberts as being interested in current affairs during his high school years. He remembers Mr. Roberts being devastated after terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and paying close attention to the war in Iraq. Fay would bring in veterans of World War II and the Korean War, which Mr. Roberts enjoyed.
"Allen, he just loved that," Fay said. "He ate that stuff up."
Rothrock said it was a pleasure watching Mr. Roberts mature during his years in school.
"He just got more likable and more into things every year," Rothrock said, adding that faculty members could always count on Mr. Roberts to volunteer and that he was heavily involved in Boy Scouts.
He played football for four years at Arcola and was involved in drama there, as well, Mills said.
"He never wanted to be somebody he wasn't; he never tried to belong anyplace that he didn't," Mills said. "He was himself and he was comfortable with himself."
Rothrock said Mr. Roberts is the first Arcola resident lost in a war in recent memory, and Mills said it's tough news because everyone in Arcola knows him.
"This will shake us," she said.
And Fay knows Mr. Roberts will be remembered with gratitude.
"Allen was a true hero," Fay said. "He gave it all."
Douglas County Board Chairman Chuck Knox said he has directed all flags at county facilities be lowered to half-staff until the funeral is over as a token of respect. "May God grant comfort to his family and friends and welcome Allen home," Knox said.
Marine Cpl. Allen C. Roberts died 11/28/07 due to a vehicle accident in Iraq.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Army Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison, 25, of Houston
Spc. Garrison was assigned to 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Nov. 27, 2007 in Amerli, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes.
Houston soldier dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
HOUSTON — A Texan was one of two soldiers killed in Amerli, Iraq, after their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense said Nov. 28.
Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison, 25, of Houston and Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes, 26, of Bronx, N.Y., were killed Nov. 27.
They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y. Both were deployed to Iraq in September.
Garrison was an infantryman working as a radio telephone operator. He enlisted in the Army in March 2006 and had been awarded a Purple Heart among his five decorations.
Garrison is survived by his wife and parents, all of Houston.
Houston Chronicle -- A 25-year-old soldier from Houston died on Tuesday from wounds he suffered in Amerli, Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.
Army Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle on Nov. 27, the department said.
A native Houstonian based at Fort Drum in New York, Garrison was an infantryman assigned as a radio telephone operator to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. He enlisted in the Army in March 2006 and completed basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga. He deployed to Iraq in September.
His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Garrison is survived by his wife and parents, all of Houston.
Army Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison was killed in action on 11/27/07.
Army Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison, 25, of Houston
Spc. Garrison was assigned to 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Nov. 27, 2007 in Amerli, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes.
Houston soldier dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
HOUSTON — A Texan was one of two soldiers killed in Amerli, Iraq, after their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense said Nov. 28.
Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison, 25, of Houston and Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes, 26, of Bronx, N.Y., were killed Nov. 27.
They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y. Both were deployed to Iraq in September.
Garrison was an infantryman working as a radio telephone operator. He enlisted in the Army in March 2006 and had been awarded a Purple Heart among his five decorations.
Garrison is survived by his wife and parents, all of Houston.
Houston Chronicle -- A 25-year-old soldier from Houston died on Tuesday from wounds he suffered in Amerli, Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.
Army Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle on Nov. 27, the department said.
A native Houstonian based at Fort Drum in New York, Garrison was an infantryman assigned as a radio telephone operator to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. He enlisted in the Army in March 2006 and completed basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga. He deployed to Iraq in September.
His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Garrison is survived by his wife and parents, all of Houston.
Army Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison was killed in action on 11/27/07.
Army Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes, 26, of Bronx, N.Y.
Pvt. Cortes was assigned to 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Nov. 27, 2007 in Amerli, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison.
Newsday -- A 26-year-old Bronx man who enlisted in the Army earlier this year was identified as one of two soldiers killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the Defense Department said Wednesday night.
Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes died of injuries he suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated as his vehicle rode past in Amerli, Iraq, about 100 miles north of Baghdad.
Cortes was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) in Fort Drum, N.Y.
Cortes, whose family declined to comment last night, died along with Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison, 25, of Houston, Texas, who was assigned to the same unit.
Cortes was an infantryman who enlisted in the Army in January and finished his basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga.
His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.
He is survived by his parents and brother.
Army Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes was killed in action on 11/27/07.
Army Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes, 26, of Bronx, N.Y.
Pvt. Cortes was assigned to 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Nov. 27, 2007 in Amerli, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison.
Newsday -- A 26-year-old Bronx man who enlisted in the Army earlier this year was identified as one of two soldiers killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the Defense Department said Wednesday night.
Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes died of injuries he suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated as his vehicle rode past in Amerli, Iraq, about 100 miles north of Baghdad.
Cortes was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) in Fort Drum, N.Y.
Cortes, whose family declined to comment last night, died along with Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison, 25, of Houston, Texas, who was assigned to the same unit.
Cortes was an infantryman who enlisted in the Army in January and finished his basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga.
His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.
He is survived by his parents and brother.
Army Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes was killed in action on 11/27/07.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin, 33, of Bellevue, Ohio
SSgt. Martin was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 22, 2007 in Regensburg, Germany, of wounds sustained Nov. 9 in Jisr Naft, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fort Campbell soldier from Ohio dies from Iraq injuries
The Associated Press
BELLEVUE, Ohio — A Fort Campbell, Ky., soldier from northwestern Ohio has died nearly two weeks after being injured in Iraq.
The Army said Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin, 33, of Bellevue, died Nov. 22 in Regensburg, Germany, of wounds he suffered Nov. 9 in Jisr Naft when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. He was serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Martin was a cavalry scout assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, the military said. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca, and children, Allura, Trenton and Alaina, of Fort Campbell; and his parents, Laura and Donald Martin of Bellevue, Fort Campbell said.
He entered the Army in 1997 and had been at Fort Campbell for two years, the post said.
Hundreds of people paid $10 apiece Nov. 25 for a lunch in Bellevue to benefit Martin’s family, with many throwing in a few extra dollars.
Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher ordered flags at all state office buildings to remain at half-staff in Martin’s honor.
Toledo Blade -- BELLEVUE, Ohio - Services for Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin, 33, who died Thursday in a hospital in Germany nearly two weeks after he was hurt in Iraq, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Immaculate Conception Church, Bellevue.
Visitation will be in the church from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday.
On Nov. 9, the vehicle in which Sergeant Martin was a passenger in Jisr Naft hit an improvised explosive device. He was unconscious as he was taken from the vehicle.
Sergeant Martin, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., with the 101st Airborne Division, was in his third tour of duty in Iraq. He received a Purple Heart after a roadside bomb last year injured tendons in one of his arms.
He was a 1993 graduate of Bellevue High School. He joined the Marines afterward and, later, the Army.
Surviving are his wife, Becki; daughters, Alaina and Allaura; son, Trenton; parents, Donald and Laura Martin; sister, Heather Bollinger, and grandparents, Vernon and Vi Arnold.
Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin died 11/22/07 after being injured 11/09/07 by a roadside bomb.
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Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin, 33, of Bellevue, Ohio
SSgt. Martin was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 22, 2007 in Regensburg, Germany, of wounds sustained Nov. 9 in Jisr Naft, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fort Campbell soldier from Ohio dies from Iraq injuries
The Associated Press
BELLEVUE, Ohio — A Fort Campbell, Ky., soldier from northwestern Ohio has died nearly two weeks after being injured in Iraq.
The Army said Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin, 33, of Bellevue, died Nov. 22 in Regensburg, Germany, of wounds he suffered Nov. 9 in Jisr Naft when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. He was serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Martin was a cavalry scout assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, the military said. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca, and children, Allura, Trenton and Alaina, of Fort Campbell; and his parents, Laura and Donald Martin of Bellevue, Fort Campbell said.
He entered the Army in 1997 and had been at Fort Campbell for two years, the post said.
Hundreds of people paid $10 apiece Nov. 25 for a lunch in Bellevue to benefit Martin’s family, with many throwing in a few extra dollars.
Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher ordered flags at all state office buildings to remain at half-staff in Martin’s honor.
Toledo Blade -- BELLEVUE, Ohio - Services for Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin, 33, who died Thursday in a hospital in Germany nearly two weeks after he was hurt in Iraq, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Immaculate Conception Church, Bellevue.
Visitation will be in the church from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday.
On Nov. 9, the vehicle in which Sergeant Martin was a passenger in Jisr Naft hit an improvised explosive device. He was unconscious as he was taken from the vehicle.
Sergeant Martin, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., with the 101st Airborne Division, was in his third tour of duty in Iraq. He received a Purple Heart after a roadside bomb last year injured tendons in one of his arms.
He was a 1993 graduate of Bellevue High School. He joined the Marines afterward and, later, the Army.
Surviving are his wife, Becki; daughters, Alaina and Allaura; son, Trenton; parents, Donald and Laura Martin; sister, Heather Bollinger, and grandparents, Vernon and Vi Arnold.
Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin died 11/22/07 after being injured 11/09/07 by a roadside bomb.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Army Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr., 26, of Jackson, Miss.
Spc. Henley was assigned to the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Nov. 21, 2007 at Camp Striker in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Jackson soldier on second tour in Iraq
The Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. — Spc. Melvin Henley was on his second tour of duty in Iraq family members say when he died Nov. 21 at Camp Striker in Iraq from injuries suffered from a non-combat-related incident.
The Department of Defense announced Henley’s death Nov. 23.
The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head, Jim Jeffcoat, a spokesman for Fort Stewart in Georgia, where Henley was assigned, told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper.
“It is under investigation,” Jeffcoat said.
Henley, 26, from Jackson, was a helicopter mechanic. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart in March 2007. He served one tour of duty in Iraq from November 2003 to November 2004.
Amber Henley, 23, told the newspaper that her husband was not happy about a second tour.
The Henleys were married less than two years and were assigned to Fort Stewart only three months when Melvin Henley received his orders in June.
“He had tried to talk to his command because we hadn’t had any time,” Amber Henley said. “We had barely gotten settled in. But they told him they couldn’t do anything about it.
“He hated to be away from us,” Amber Henley said. “We were everything to each other.”
Henley was scheduled to end his tour in October 2008.
Henley’s uncle, George Watkins, said his family in Jackson also knew he was having a hard time.
“We know he was under stress,” Watkins said. “But we don’t know [how he died] at this time, whether it was an accident. We’re trying to be strong. We’re waiting on a report from the military.”
Despite the stress, a soldier is what Henley wanted to be, his uncle said.
“He wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives, and he had other relatives who had done the same. His grandfather fought in World War II. So, he was following in those footsteps.”
Henley joined the Army after graduating in 1999 from Provine High School. He was among the top 10 students in his class. Because he was only 17, his mother signed his enlistment papers.
Army Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr. died 11/21/07 of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident.
Army Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr., 26, of Jackson, Miss.
Spc. Henley was assigned to the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Nov. 21, 2007 at Camp Striker in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Jackson soldier on second tour in Iraq
The Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. — Spc. Melvin Henley was on his second tour of duty in Iraq family members say when he died Nov. 21 at Camp Striker in Iraq from injuries suffered from a non-combat-related incident.
The Department of Defense announced Henley’s death Nov. 23.
The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head, Jim Jeffcoat, a spokesman for Fort Stewart in Georgia, where Henley was assigned, told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper.
“It is under investigation,” Jeffcoat said.
Henley, 26, from Jackson, was a helicopter mechanic. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart in March 2007. He served one tour of duty in Iraq from November 2003 to November 2004.
Amber Henley, 23, told the newspaper that her husband was not happy about a second tour.
The Henleys were married less than two years and were assigned to Fort Stewart only three months when Melvin Henley received his orders in June.
“He had tried to talk to his command because we hadn’t had any time,” Amber Henley said. “We had barely gotten settled in. But they told him they couldn’t do anything about it.
“He hated to be away from us,” Amber Henley said. “We were everything to each other.”
Henley was scheduled to end his tour in October 2008.
Henley’s uncle, George Watkins, said his family in Jackson also knew he was having a hard time.
“We know he was under stress,” Watkins said. “But we don’t know [how he died] at this time, whether it was an accident. We’re trying to be strong. We’re waiting on a report from the military.”
Despite the stress, a soldier is what Henley wanted to be, his uncle said.
“He wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives, and he had other relatives who had done the same. His grandfather fought in World War II. So, he was following in those footsteps.”
Henley joined the Army after graduating in 1999 from Provine High School. He was among the top 10 students in his class. Because he was only 17, his mother signed his enlistment papers.
Army Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr. died 11/21/07 of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Army Cpl. Jason T. Lee
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich.
Cpl. Lee was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 18, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baqubah. Also killed were Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero and Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson.
WWMT -- FRUITPORT (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The U.S Government says Iraq is now at its safest since the 2003 invasion. However, as a West Michigan family found out, patrolling the streets can be deadly.
Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport died on patrol Sunday. An explosive detonated near his unit in Baquabah. Two others also died.
Jason Lee attended high school in Fruitport for two years in the late 1990's. But Tuesday, some teachers say they still have vivid memories of him as a teenager.
Jason Lee was a beginning Spanish student with Kerri Jacobs. “He was a free spirit,” said Jacobs.
A teenager with long hair, always carrying his guitar. That love of music has stayed strong. But when Jason returned to Fruitport High a few years ago, Kerri saw someone else.
“He walked into my room and I didn't even recognize him,” said Jacobs. He had joined the army and outgrown that teenage body. Monday, the corporal was on patrol in Baqubah when a bomb exploded nearby.
“It's shocking, makes me feel sad, upset,”said Jacobs.
Tuesday the news of his death was just beginning to filter through the high school hallways. His family said in a statement - "He was a very good man with a huge heart. If you were lucky enough to meet him, it is unlikely you would or could ever forget him."
“Everybody loved him, he was kind of mischievous, but in a good way,” said Jacobs.
Kerri Jacobs felt lucky enough to meet and teach Jason. Tuesday she's remembering the final time she ever saw him.
“He commented about how he matured and he apologized for his behavior in class, which he didn't need to do,” said Jacobs.
School records show Jason got his GED in 2005. He had only been in Iraq since June.
Army Cpl. Jason T. Lee was killed in action on 11/18/07.
Army Cpl. Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich.
Cpl. Lee was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 18, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baqubah. Also killed were Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero and Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson.
WWMT -- FRUITPORT (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – The U.S Government says Iraq is now at its safest since the 2003 invasion. However, as a West Michigan family found out, patrolling the streets can be deadly.
Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport died on patrol Sunday. An explosive detonated near his unit in Baquabah. Two others also died.
Jason Lee attended high school in Fruitport for two years in the late 1990's. But Tuesday, some teachers say they still have vivid memories of him as a teenager.
Jason Lee was a beginning Spanish student with Kerri Jacobs. “He was a free spirit,” said Jacobs.
A teenager with long hair, always carrying his guitar. That love of music has stayed strong. But when Jason returned to Fruitport High a few years ago, Kerri saw someone else.
“He walked into my room and I didn't even recognize him,” said Jacobs. He had joined the army and outgrown that teenage body. Monday, the corporal was on patrol in Baqubah when a bomb exploded nearby.
“It's shocking, makes me feel sad, upset,”said Jacobs.
Tuesday the news of his death was just beginning to filter through the high school hallways. His family said in a statement - "He was a very good man with a huge heart. If you were lucky enough to meet him, it is unlikely you would or could ever forget him."
“Everybody loved him, he was kind of mischievous, but in a good way,” said Jacobs.
Kerri Jacobs felt lucky enough to meet and teach Jason. Tuesday she's remembering the final time she ever saw him.
“He commented about how he matured and he apologized for his behavior in class, which he didn't need to do,” said Jacobs.
School records show Jason got his GED in 2005. He had only been in Iraq since June.
Army Cpl. Jason T. Lee was killed in action on 11/18/07.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Alejandro Ayala
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Staff Sgt. Alejandro Ayala, 26, of Riverside, Calif.
SSgt. Ayala was assigned to the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; died Nov. 18, 2007 of injuries sustained as a result of a vehicle accident in Kuwait.
Press-Enterprise -- RIVERSIDE - In August, brothers Alejandro Ayala, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Kuwait, and his brother Cesar Ayala, a U.S. Marine corporal returning home from his second deployment in Iraq, spent a day together in Kuwait.
As they took leave of each other, Cesar Ayala said, "We're not saying goodbye, just 'see you later' because we'll see each other back in the States."
As it turned out, it was the final goodbye for the brothers.
On Sunday, Alejandro Ayala, 26, of Riverside, died from injuries he received in a vehicle accident in Kuwait while serving with forces fighting the Iraq war, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The accident is under investigation.
On Monday, Alejandro Ayala's parents, Faustino and Ilda, brother Cesar, sister Angelica and twin sister Liset gathered at the family's home in the Mockingbird Canyon area of Riverside to await word of when their son and brother will come home for the last time.
"He'll be buried in Riverside National Cemetery," Cesar Ayala said.
His widow, Megan, an Air Force veteran, and his children, Alexandra, 4, and Matthew,2, are in Wyoming, where Ayala was assigned to the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
Cesar Ayala said his brother's fascination with the military began at Arlington High School, where he served with the ROTC. He graduated in 1999 and immediately joined the Air Force.
"He loved the Air Force and talked of making it his career," Cesar Ayala said.
Alejandro Ayala had basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and then was assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, where he met his future wife.
The two were married in 2003 in Moreno Valley at the Riverside County clerk's office.
Last Christmas, Faustino and Ilda Ayala, Liset, Cesar and Angelica traveled to Cheyenne to celebrate the holiday with Alejandro and his family.
Cesar Ayala called his brother an inspiration.
"He's the reason I joined the military," he said.
Alejandro Ayala also is survived by an older brother, Francisco, 29.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Alejandro Ayala died in a vehicle accident in Kuwait on 11/18/07.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Alejandro Ayala, 26, of Riverside, Calif.
SSgt. Ayala was assigned to the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; died Nov. 18, 2007 of injuries sustained as a result of a vehicle accident in Kuwait.
Press-Enterprise -- RIVERSIDE - In August, brothers Alejandro Ayala, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Kuwait, and his brother Cesar Ayala, a U.S. Marine corporal returning home from his second deployment in Iraq, spent a day together in Kuwait.
As they took leave of each other, Cesar Ayala said, "We're not saying goodbye, just 'see you later' because we'll see each other back in the States."
As it turned out, it was the final goodbye for the brothers.
On Sunday, Alejandro Ayala, 26, of Riverside, died from injuries he received in a vehicle accident in Kuwait while serving with forces fighting the Iraq war, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The accident is under investigation.
On Monday, Alejandro Ayala's parents, Faustino and Ilda, brother Cesar, sister Angelica and twin sister Liset gathered at the family's home in the Mockingbird Canyon area of Riverside to await word of when their son and brother will come home for the last time.
"He'll be buried in Riverside National Cemetery," Cesar Ayala said.
His widow, Megan, an Air Force veteran, and his children, Alexandra, 4, and Matthew,2, are in Wyoming, where Ayala was assigned to the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
Cesar Ayala said his brother's fascination with the military began at Arlington High School, where he served with the ROTC. He graduated in 1999 and immediately joined the Air Force.
"He loved the Air Force and talked of making it his career," Cesar Ayala said.
Alejandro Ayala had basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and then was assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, where he met his future wife.
The two were married in 2003 in Moreno Valley at the Riverside County clerk's office.
Last Christmas, Faustino and Ilda Ayala, Liset, Cesar and Angelica traveled to Cheyenne to celebrate the holiday with Alejandro and his family.
Cesar Ayala called his brother an inspiration.
"He's the reason I joined the military," he said.
Alejandro Ayala also is survived by an older brother, Francisco, 29.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Alejandro Ayala died in a vehicle accident in Kuwait on 11/18/07.
Army Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, 23, of Miami
Pfc. Ferrero was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash; died Nov. 18, 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol. Also killed were Cpl. Jason T. Lee and Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson.
Miami Herald -- Knowing he was headed for Iraq before the holidays, 23-year-old Army Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving early this year.
So his widowed mother, only brother and grandmother sat around a table at their Miami home and shared a large stuffed turkey, ham and cranberry sauce.
The feast would be Ferrero's last with family.
Days later, the man nicknamed ''Bolo'' as a boy would be dead, the victim of a roadside bomb in Iraq, according to a short statement issued Tuesday by the Defense Department. ''He wanted us to give him a Thanksgiving dinner, and it seemed like it was a farewell,'' Ferrero's mother, Maribel Rita Ferrero, told The Miami Herald. ``Sometimes you get a feeling.''
Details were few, but Ferrero -- who had been in Iraq just four days -- was apparently on patrol with two other soldiers in Baqouba, north of Baghdad, on Sunday when an ''improvised explosive device'' blew up, killing all three men. The other soldiers were also in their 20s and came from small towns in Michigan and Washington state.
Born into a Cuban family in Miami, Ferrero grew up a fan of rap and rock music, and he loved watching movies. Among his favorites was Scarface, a famous 1983 film starring Al Pacino.
His grandparents helped raise Ferrero and his older brother after the boys' father died of brain hemorrhage in 1992. Ferrero was just 8 years old.
Ferrero's grandfather, Manuel Teodorico Ferrero, would prove to be the most influential person in the young boy's life. The elder Ferrero had served in the Cuban military before Fidel Castro took over the island country.
As a teen, Ferrero became interested in the military, joining the Civil Air Patrol as a student in middle school. At Miami Coral Park Senior High School, he joined the Army ROTC.
After graduating in 2002, Ferrero worked a series of retail and restaurant jobs and studied computer systems at the ITT Technical Institute. He dropped out and signed up for the Army late last year.
His mother was proud, she said, because he was following in the footsteps of his grandfather.
''It was in his blood,'' she said.
Ferrero was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Wash.
His older brother, Manny, 26, remembers Ferrero left home for boot camp as a boy and returned to Miami as a man. The two brothers also grew closer to each other.
In October, shortly before Ferrero was supposed to head off to Iraq for his first tour of duty, he got news that his grandfather had died.
Returning to Miami for the funeral, Ferrero immediately suggested to his family that they celebrate Thanksgiving while he was on leave.
That gave Manny an eerie feeling about his younger brother's fate.
He recalled his younger brother had left him his most prized possession: a collection of more than 200 DVDs -- including his favorite one, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas -- and his PlayStation. Ferrero also left his MySpace.com password on his brother's computer.
''There were signs everywhere that he wasn't coming back,'' he said.
Army Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero was killed in action on 11/18/07.
Army Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, 23, of Miami
Pfc. Ferrero was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash; died Nov. 18, 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol. Also killed were Cpl. Jason T. Lee and Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson.
Miami Herald -- Knowing he was headed for Iraq before the holidays, 23-year-old Army Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving early this year.
So his widowed mother, only brother and grandmother sat around a table at their Miami home and shared a large stuffed turkey, ham and cranberry sauce.
The feast would be Ferrero's last with family.
Days later, the man nicknamed ''Bolo'' as a boy would be dead, the victim of a roadside bomb in Iraq, according to a short statement issued Tuesday by the Defense Department. ''He wanted us to give him a Thanksgiving dinner, and it seemed like it was a farewell,'' Ferrero's mother, Maribel Rita Ferrero, told The Miami Herald. ``Sometimes you get a feeling.''
Details were few, but Ferrero -- who had been in Iraq just four days -- was apparently on patrol with two other soldiers in Baqouba, north of Baghdad, on Sunday when an ''improvised explosive device'' blew up, killing all three men. The other soldiers were also in their 20s and came from small towns in Michigan and Washington state.
Born into a Cuban family in Miami, Ferrero grew up a fan of rap and rock music, and he loved watching movies. Among his favorites was Scarface, a famous 1983 film starring Al Pacino.
His grandparents helped raise Ferrero and his older brother after the boys' father died of brain hemorrhage in 1992. Ferrero was just 8 years old.
Ferrero's grandfather, Manuel Teodorico Ferrero, would prove to be the most influential person in the young boy's life. The elder Ferrero had served in the Cuban military before Fidel Castro took over the island country.
As a teen, Ferrero became interested in the military, joining the Civil Air Patrol as a student in middle school. At Miami Coral Park Senior High School, he joined the Army ROTC.
After graduating in 2002, Ferrero worked a series of retail and restaurant jobs and studied computer systems at the ITT Technical Institute. He dropped out and signed up for the Army late last year.
His mother was proud, she said, because he was following in the footsteps of his grandfather.
''It was in his blood,'' she said.
Ferrero was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Wash.
His older brother, Manny, 26, remembers Ferrero left home for boot camp as a boy and returned to Miami as a man. The two brothers also grew closer to each other.
In October, shortly before Ferrero was supposed to head off to Iraq for his first tour of duty, he got news that his grandfather had died.
Returning to Miami for the funeral, Ferrero immediately suggested to his family that they celebrate Thanksgiving while he was on leave.
That gave Manny an eerie feeling about his younger brother's fate.
He recalled his younger brother had left him his most prized possession: a collection of more than 200 DVDs -- including his favorite one, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas -- and his PlayStation. Ferrero also left his MySpace.com password on his brother's computer.
''There were signs everywhere that he wasn't coming back,'' he said.
Army Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero was killed in action on 11/18/07.
Army Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, of Rochester, Wash.
Cpl. Nelson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 18, 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol. Also killed were Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero and Cpl. Jason T. Lee.
The Olympian -- A friend of a Fort Lewis soldier from Rochester who was killed in Iraq said Tuesday that she is having a hard time coming to grips with his death.
"Handing out toys to somebody. I can't see that. That's just horrible," said Rose Havard, 29, of Centralia, who worked for a year with Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, at the Larry's Chevron gasoline station in Rochester.
The Associated Press had reported that three soldiers were handing out toys and other gifts to children Sunday at a playground near Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province, when a suicide bomber detonated explosives.
Nelson, who was posthumously promoted from specialist, enlisted in the Army in January 2004 and arrived at Fort Lewis in June. He was on his second combat deployment.
He worked at the gasoline station before graduating from high school in 2003.
Havard said they worked together on weekends and remembered Nelson for being even-tempered and having a great sense of humor.
Nelson would stop by and chat with his former co-workers after he joined the military. Before he deployed, Nelson complained to Havard that there were no fast-food restaurants in Iraq. She and Nelson joked that they could start a restaurant there and make millions of dollars. At Nelson's request, Havard stocked his favorite frosting-coated sugar cookies at the gasoline station.
"He was just a lot of fun," she said. "He was always happy. I don't ever remember seeing him mad."
Nelson's older brother, Geoff, said he tried to get along with everybody. "He just wanted everybody to like him," he said.
The Department of Defense identified the other two soldiers killed in the bombing as Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, 23, of Miami, and Cpl. Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich.
Ferrero and Nelson died at the scene; Lee died at a U.S. military hospital in Balad.
All three were infantrymen assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Army Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson was killed in action on 11/18/07.
Army Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, of Rochester, Wash.
Cpl. Nelson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 18, 2007 in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol. Also killed were Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero and Cpl. Jason T. Lee.
The Olympian -- A friend of a Fort Lewis soldier from Rochester who was killed in Iraq said Tuesday that she is having a hard time coming to grips with his death.
"Handing out toys to somebody. I can't see that. That's just horrible," said Rose Havard, 29, of Centralia, who worked for a year with Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, at the Larry's Chevron gasoline station in Rochester.
The Associated Press had reported that three soldiers were handing out toys and other gifts to children Sunday at a playground near Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province, when a suicide bomber detonated explosives.
Nelson, who was posthumously promoted from specialist, enlisted in the Army in January 2004 and arrived at Fort Lewis in June. He was on his second combat deployment.
He worked at the gasoline station before graduating from high school in 2003.
Havard said they worked together on weekends and remembered Nelson for being even-tempered and having a great sense of humor.
Nelson would stop by and chat with his former co-workers after he joined the military. Before he deployed, Nelson complained to Havard that there were no fast-food restaurants in Iraq. She and Nelson joked that they could start a restaurant there and make millions of dollars. At Nelson's request, Havard stocked his favorite frosting-coated sugar cookies at the gasoline station.
"He was just a lot of fun," she said. "He was always happy. I don't ever remember seeing him mad."
Nelson's older brother, Geoff, said he tried to get along with everybody. "He just wanted everybody to like him," he said.
The Department of Defense identified the other two soldiers killed in the bombing as Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, 23, of Miami, and Cpl. Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich.
Ferrero and Nelson died at the scene; Lee died at a U.S. military hospital in Balad.
All three were infantrymen assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Army Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson was killed in action on 11/18/07.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Army Sgt. Mason L. Lewis
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Mason L. Lewis, 26, of Gloucester, Va.
Sgt.Lewis was assigned to the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Nov. 16, 2007 in Baghdad in a non-combat-related training accident.
Daily Press -- A Glouscester native has been killed in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Sunday.
Sgt. Mason L. Lewis, 26, died in Baghdad on Friday as a result of a noncombat related training accident. He was assigned to the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
He had always wanted to be in the Army and as a boy he dreamed of one day being promoted to sergeant, his mother, Lisa Lewis, said. "I've always been proud of my son. I'm proud of the man he became," she said
Lewis was in Baghdad training Iraqi troops. "And making friends when he died serving his country," she added. "His battalion commander called me today and said he had touched many lives out there. He had many friends... he even had Iraqi friends.
This was Lewis' second deployment to Iraq.
Army Sgt. Mason L. Lewis died in a training accident in Iraq on 11/16/07.
Army Sgt. Mason L. Lewis, 26, of Gloucester, Va.
Sgt.Lewis was assigned to the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Nov. 16, 2007 in Baghdad in a non-combat-related training accident.
Daily Press -- A Glouscester native has been killed in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Sunday.
Sgt. Mason L. Lewis, 26, died in Baghdad on Friday as a result of a noncombat related training accident. He was assigned to the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
He had always wanted to be in the Army and as a boy he dreamed of one day being promoted to sergeant, his mother, Lisa Lewis, said. "I've always been proud of my son. I'm proud of the man he became," she said
Lewis was in Baghdad training Iraqi troops. "And making friends when he died serving his country," she added. "His battalion commander called me today and said he had touched many lives out there. He had many friends... he even had Iraqi friends.
This was Lewis' second deployment to Iraq.
Army Sgt. Mason L. Lewis died in a training accident in Iraq on 11/16/07.
Army Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski, 22, of Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Sgt. Ganczewski was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Nov. 16, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from a combat-related incident.
The Buffalo News -- Military service was the path Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski chose early in life, and his determination never wavered, even when his grades at Niagara Falls High School would have easily gained him admission to a good college.
“He got a lot of [resistance] from guidance counselors when he said he was joining the Army,” said his father, Mark. “They didn’t understand why someone with his potential would join the Army.”
Ganczewski wanted to be an Army Ranger, and it was in that role that he died. The Pentagon announced Sunday that the 22- year-old husband and father was killed during combat operations
“All we want to know is what happened, and why,” Ganczewski said.
Those answers must wait. Sunday night, as his parents displayed photos of their son in the living room of their Niagara Falls home, the focus was on a good boy who grew into an even better man in the Army.
Mark Ganczewski, a veteran of the Vietnam War era, said the Army gave him additional details of his son’s death but asked that they not be made public until an investigation is completed.
“We’re very proud of what he did, very proud of what he accomplished,” said Mark Ganczewski. Added his wife, Maria, “He was successful at whatever he did. He had a good head.”
Steven Ganczewski’s aspirations took shape when he was a boy, his father said.
The elder Ganczewski spent 16 years in the Air Force, including a stint at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M., where he met and married Maria 23 years ago.
When he left the service and returned to Niagara Falls, Ganczewski passed along his fascination with aircraft to his son, taking him to the air shows at the Niagara Falls air base.
During one of those visits, Steve Ganczewski saw a pamphlet for the Civil Air Patrol and, at age 12, he joined. By the time he left five years later, he was cadet commander.
“We knew pretty much right away that [the military] was what he wanted to do,” said high school friend A.J. Gelose. “He always had that drive. That was his dream.”
When he was 15 or 16, he attended a rescue course sponsored by the Civil Air Patrol. That, his father said, is when the military dream narrowed to the dream of being an Army Ranger. That also was about the time of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mark Ganczewski remembers his son watching the coverage and saying, “Dad, we have to stop these people.”
His parents spoke of their son’s self-sufficiency. He worked at the Como Restaurant in the Falls so he could afford a car, then arranged for he and his buddies to pay for a stretch Hummer limousine to take them to the prom.
At Niagara Falls High, Steve Ganczewski played football and ran track. At home, he shared his father’s love for classic rock, NASCAR, the Bills and the Sabres.
When it came time to leave high school, Maria Ganczewski said she really did not want her older son to join, “but that’s what he wanted to do.”
Mark Ganczewski said his son understood the risk. “He said, ‘Dad, what am I supposed to do, take something safe?’ ”
In the Army, Steven Ganczewski served several tours of duty overseas. While stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., he met Rachel, also in the Army. They married a year ago in October, and Steven adopted Rachel’s 2- year-old daughter, Makayla.
The couple purchased a house in Columbus, Ga., and Maria said her son worked diligently to make it a home for his new family.
“He made a house for his dogs outside,” she said. Inside, he was partial to the family iguana, Leroy.
“They were just here in September,” Mark Ganczewski said, adding that his son told him he was more confident than ever that he had chosen the right path.
“He loved [being a soldier],” his father said. “He said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ He thought he was making a difference there.”
Aside from his parents, his wife and his daughter, Steven Ganczewski also is survived by his brother, Christopher, a senior at Niagara Falls High School who just interviewed for admission to the Air Force Academy.
Army Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski was killed in action on 11/16/07.
Army Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski, 22, of Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Sgt. Ganczewski was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Nov. 16, 2007 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from a combat-related incident.
The Buffalo News -- Military service was the path Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski chose early in life, and his determination never wavered, even when his grades at Niagara Falls High School would have easily gained him admission to a good college.
“He got a lot of [resistance] from guidance counselors when he said he was joining the Army,” said his father, Mark. “They didn’t understand why someone with his potential would join the Army.”
Ganczewski wanted to be an Army Ranger, and it was in that role that he died. The Pentagon announced Sunday that the 22- year-old husband and father was killed during combat operations
“All we want to know is what happened, and why,” Ganczewski said.
Those answers must wait. Sunday night, as his parents displayed photos of their son in the living room of their Niagara Falls home, the focus was on a good boy who grew into an even better man in the Army.
Mark Ganczewski, a veteran of the Vietnam War era, said the Army gave him additional details of his son’s death but asked that they not be made public until an investigation is completed.
“We’re very proud of what he did, very proud of what he accomplished,” said Mark Ganczewski. Added his wife, Maria, “He was successful at whatever he did. He had a good head.”
Steven Ganczewski’s aspirations took shape when he was a boy, his father said.
The elder Ganczewski spent 16 years in the Air Force, including a stint at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M., where he met and married Maria 23 years ago.
When he left the service and returned to Niagara Falls, Ganczewski passed along his fascination with aircraft to his son, taking him to the air shows at the Niagara Falls air base.
During one of those visits, Steve Ganczewski saw a pamphlet for the Civil Air Patrol and, at age 12, he joined. By the time he left five years later, he was cadet commander.
“We knew pretty much right away that [the military] was what he wanted to do,” said high school friend A.J. Gelose. “He always had that drive. That was his dream.”
When he was 15 or 16, he attended a rescue course sponsored by the Civil Air Patrol. That, his father said, is when the military dream narrowed to the dream of being an Army Ranger. That also was about the time of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mark Ganczewski remembers his son watching the coverage and saying, “Dad, we have to stop these people.”
His parents spoke of their son’s self-sufficiency. He worked at the Como Restaurant in the Falls so he could afford a car, then arranged for he and his buddies to pay for a stretch Hummer limousine to take them to the prom.
At Niagara Falls High, Steve Ganczewski played football and ran track. At home, he shared his father’s love for classic rock, NASCAR, the Bills and the Sabres.
When it came time to leave high school, Maria Ganczewski said she really did not want her older son to join, “but that’s what he wanted to do.”
Mark Ganczewski said his son understood the risk. “He said, ‘Dad, what am I supposed to do, take something safe?’ ”
In the Army, Steven Ganczewski served several tours of duty overseas. While stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., he met Rachel, also in the Army. They married a year ago in October, and Steven adopted Rachel’s 2- year-old daughter, Makayla.
The couple purchased a house in Columbus, Ga., and Maria said her son worked diligently to make it a home for his new family.
“He made a house for his dogs outside,” she said. Inside, he was partial to the family iguana, Leroy.
“They were just here in September,” Mark Ganczewski said, adding that his son told him he was more confident than ever that he had chosen the right path.
“He loved [being a soldier],” his father said. “He said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ He thought he was making a difference there.”
Aside from his parents, his wife and his daughter, Steven Ganczewski also is survived by his brother, Christopher, a senior at Niagara Falls High School who just interviewed for admission to the Air Force Academy.
Army Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski was killed in action on 11/16/07.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Army 2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks
Remember Our Heroes
Army 2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks, 26, of Dallas
2nd Lt. Burks was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Nov. 14, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
McKinney Courier Gazette -- For 2nd Lt. Peter Haskell Burks, his decision to serve his country in the Army was a long time in the making.
“Peter and I had had conversations for years going back to his adolescent and young teen years that he an interest and calling to serve his country,” said his father, Alan Burks.
While commanding a unit just outside the Green Zone in Baghdad on Wednesday, his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Peter, 26, received shrapnel wounds to his head and died at the scene. Five of his men were also injured.
While worried about the dangers of Peter serving, Burks said he was happy for his son for pursuing his dreams.
“I was anxious but excited for him at the same time because he was doing what he wanted to do,” Burks said. “He had found his calling and followed it.”
Burks said Peter wasn’t afraid of what was ahead of him, and was prepared for any sacrifices he had to make.
“Because he had a very strong faith in God, he felt like he was protected,” Burks said. “Should the worst come and death come his way, he was prepared for that.”
Peter was born in Atlanta, Ga., and moved to Dallas in 1987. He graduated in 1999 from Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, where he played football and baseball and was a member of the National Honor Society.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 2003. He spent time in France working as a tour guide, and had a community relations internship with the Dallas Cowboys. Before joining the Army, he worked in marketing for the Dallas Desperados and FC Dallas, the Frisco-based soccer team.
Andy Harvey, a family friend, said he remembers Peter’s maturity, even when he was a young boy.
“When Peter was growing up, he was like a little adult,” Harvey said. “He was very grounded, very serious.”
Harvey said Peter was the type of person who wanted to do good things for others.
“Peter was always looking for a way to make a difference in the world, very sincerely was always looking for that,” Harvey said.
Peter is survived by his father; mother Jackie Merck of McKinney; three sisters, Alison Burks of Celina, Sarah Burks of Dallas and Georgia Burks of Celina; brother Zac Burks of Celina; grandmother Irene Merck of Fayetteville, Ga.; grandfather Haskell Burks of Fayetteville, Ga., and fianc/e Melissa Haddad of McKinney.
Visitation will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco.
Burks and Harvey said Peter will be missed by many people.
“Peter’s death — he’s going to leave a big empty space, a big hole in the world,” Harvey said.
Burks said his son was a good brother, son and friend to many.
“He was the complete package and there was nothing artificial about him,” he said. “He was the real deal.”
Army 2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks was killed in action on 11/14/07.
Army 2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks, 26, of Dallas
2nd Lt. Burks was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Nov. 14, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
McKinney Courier Gazette -- For 2nd Lt. Peter Haskell Burks, his decision to serve his country in the Army was a long time in the making.
“Peter and I had had conversations for years going back to his adolescent and young teen years that he an interest and calling to serve his country,” said his father, Alan Burks.
While commanding a unit just outside the Green Zone in Baghdad on Wednesday, his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Peter, 26, received shrapnel wounds to his head and died at the scene. Five of his men were also injured.
While worried about the dangers of Peter serving, Burks said he was happy for his son for pursuing his dreams.
“I was anxious but excited for him at the same time because he was doing what he wanted to do,” Burks said. “He had found his calling and followed it.”
Burks said Peter wasn’t afraid of what was ahead of him, and was prepared for any sacrifices he had to make.
“Because he had a very strong faith in God, he felt like he was protected,” Burks said. “Should the worst come and death come his way, he was prepared for that.”
Peter was born in Atlanta, Ga., and moved to Dallas in 1987. He graduated in 1999 from Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, where he played football and baseball and was a member of the National Honor Society.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 2003. He spent time in France working as a tour guide, and had a community relations internship with the Dallas Cowboys. Before joining the Army, he worked in marketing for the Dallas Desperados and FC Dallas, the Frisco-based soccer team.
Andy Harvey, a family friend, said he remembers Peter’s maturity, even when he was a young boy.
“When Peter was growing up, he was like a little adult,” Harvey said. “He was very grounded, very serious.”
Harvey said Peter was the type of person who wanted to do good things for others.
“Peter was always looking for a way to make a difference in the world, very sincerely was always looking for that,” Harvey said.
Peter is survived by his father; mother Jackie Merck of McKinney; three sisters, Alison Burks of Celina, Sarah Burks of Dallas and Georgia Burks of Celina; brother Zac Burks of Celina; grandmother Irene Merck of Fayetteville, Ga.; grandfather Haskell Burks of Fayetteville, Ga., and fianc/e Melissa Haddad of McKinney.
Visitation will be at 6 p.m. Friday at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco.
Burks and Harvey said Peter will be missed by many people.
“Peter’s death — he’s going to leave a big empty space, a big hole in the world,” Harvey said.
Burks said his son was a good brother, son and friend to many.
“He was the complete package and there was nothing artificial about him,” he said. “He was the real deal.”
Army 2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks was killed in action on 11/14/07.
Army Spc. Derek R. Banks
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Derek R. Banks, 24, of Newport News, Va.
Spc. Banks was assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command, Virginia National Guard, West Point, Va.; died Nov. 14, 2007 in San Antonio of wounds sustained Oct. 25 in Baghdad when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device.
Virginia guardsman dies from wounds suffered in Iraq
The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia National Guard says a guardsman has died from wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
Sgt. Derek Banks of Newport News died Nov. 14 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
The 24-year-old combat engineer was one of four Guard members wounded in an Oct. 25 attack in Baghdad. Another guardsman — 39-year-old Specialist David Lambert of Cedar Bluff — was killed in the blast.
The other three soldiers injured in the blast remain hospitalized.
All of the guardsmen were assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command, of the Virginia National Guard, located in West Point.
Army Spc. Derek R. Banks was killed in action on 11/14/07.
Army Spc. Derek R. Banks, 24, of Newport News, Va.
Spc. Banks was assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command, Virginia National Guard, West Point, Va.; died Nov. 14, 2007 in San Antonio of wounds sustained Oct. 25 in Baghdad when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device.
Virginia guardsman dies from wounds suffered in Iraq
The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia National Guard says a guardsman has died from wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
Sgt. Derek Banks of Newport News died Nov. 14 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
The 24-year-old combat engineer was one of four Guard members wounded in an Oct. 25 attack in Baghdad. Another guardsman — 39-year-old Specialist David Lambert of Cedar Bluff — was killed in the blast.
The other three soldiers injured in the blast remain hospitalized.
All of the guardsmen were assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command, of the Virginia National Guard, located in West Point.
Army Spc. Derek R. Banks was killed in action on 11/14/07.
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker, 25, of Vevay, Ind.
Sgt. Booker was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 14, 2007 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Indianapolis Star -- VEVAY, Ind. — Residents in this small Ohio River town in southeastern Indiana are mourning the death of a hometown soldier who was killed in Iraq last week by a roadside bombing.
A statement released Sunday by the Pentagon said Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker, 25, died Nov. 14 in Mukhisa, Iraq, from wounds he suffered when a bomb exploded near his vehicle. It gave no additional details.
But Booker’s father, Charles Booker, said the family was told that his son’s vehicle, a Stryker eight-wheel-drive truck that he was commanding, was struck by a new form of improvised explosive device while on patrol.
The military began using Stryker vehicles in Iraq in March, believing that their speed and design would make them less vulnerable to roadside bombs than other vehicles.
Booker’s mother, Becky Graham of Milton, Ky., learned of her son’s death Thursday, the same day she had mailed a Christmas package to him. That package includes a note stating that since he couldn’t be home for Christmas, Christmas was coming to him.
Graham had enclosed a little Christmas tree, a movie, Christmas music, a Christmas mug and cocoa for her son.
“I didn’t know he was already gone when I sent it,” she said Friday.
Graham said her son joined the Army in 2000 after graduating from Switzerland County High School in Vevay, about 90 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
She said he had a clever sense of humor, liked to have fun and to go hunting. “He was a funny person,” she said. “He had a really great sense of humor. He liked to joke around, he liked to hunt, was goodhearted, kind. He was quiet. He was just a wonderful person.”
Booker turned 21 in Afghanistan and 22 in Iraq during previous deployments, both when he was with the 82nd Airborne based at Fort Bragg, N.C., said his father, Charles Booker.
“I always had faith he was going to be all right, but you never know,” he said. “Even the best soldiers, it happens to.”
Booker was the 94th member of the military from Indiana to have died since February 2003 after being sent to the Mideast for the war in Iraq.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Army transferred him to Fort Lewis, Wash., and into military intelligence, but he didn’t like it because he spent most of his time at a desk, Graham said.
She said that he asked for a transfer back to infantry, and joined a Stryker Brigade Combat Unit at Fort Lewis knowing it was headed for Iraq, she said.
Booker was sent to Iraq about six months ago and had recently been home for an 18-day leave. He left to return to Iraq on Sept. 12, the day after his brother, Kaleb Daniel Booker, turned 22, she said.
Graham said he son always downplayed the dangers he and other soldiers face in Iraq. “He always told me, ’It’s pretty dull here,”’ she said.
But once when she was talking to him on the telephone, there was a loud explosion on his end. He asked if she had heard it; she said yes and asked what it was. “Just another explosion,” he said.
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker was killed in action on 11/14/07.
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker, 25, of Vevay, Ind.
Sgt. Booker was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 14, 2007 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Indianapolis Star -- VEVAY, Ind. — Residents in this small Ohio River town in southeastern Indiana are mourning the death of a hometown soldier who was killed in Iraq last week by a roadside bombing.
A statement released Sunday by the Pentagon said Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker, 25, died Nov. 14 in Mukhisa, Iraq, from wounds he suffered when a bomb exploded near his vehicle. It gave no additional details.
But Booker’s father, Charles Booker, said the family was told that his son’s vehicle, a Stryker eight-wheel-drive truck that he was commanding, was struck by a new form of improvised explosive device while on patrol.
The military began using Stryker vehicles in Iraq in March, believing that their speed and design would make them less vulnerable to roadside bombs than other vehicles.
Booker’s mother, Becky Graham of Milton, Ky., learned of her son’s death Thursday, the same day she had mailed a Christmas package to him. That package includes a note stating that since he couldn’t be home for Christmas, Christmas was coming to him.
Graham had enclosed a little Christmas tree, a movie, Christmas music, a Christmas mug and cocoa for her son.
“I didn’t know he was already gone when I sent it,” she said Friday.
Graham said her son joined the Army in 2000 after graduating from Switzerland County High School in Vevay, about 90 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
She said he had a clever sense of humor, liked to have fun and to go hunting. “He was a funny person,” she said. “He had a really great sense of humor. He liked to joke around, he liked to hunt, was goodhearted, kind. He was quiet. He was just a wonderful person.”
Booker turned 21 in Afghanistan and 22 in Iraq during previous deployments, both when he was with the 82nd Airborne based at Fort Bragg, N.C., said his father, Charles Booker.
“I always had faith he was going to be all right, but you never know,” he said. “Even the best soldiers, it happens to.”
Booker was the 94th member of the military from Indiana to have died since February 2003 after being sent to the Mideast for the war in Iraq.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Army transferred him to Fort Lewis, Wash., and into military intelligence, but he didn’t like it because he spent most of his time at a desk, Graham said.
She said that he asked for a transfer back to infantry, and joined a Stryker Brigade Combat Unit at Fort Lewis knowing it was headed for Iraq, she said.
Booker was sent to Iraq about six months ago and had recently been home for an 18-day leave. He left to return to Iraq on Sept. 12, the day after his brother, Kaleb Daniel Booker, turned 22, she said.
Graham said he son always downplayed the dangers he and other soldiers face in Iraq. “He always told me, ’It’s pretty dull here,”’ she said.
But once when she was talking to him on the telephone, there was a loud explosion on his end. He asked if she had heard it; she said yes and asked what it was. “Just another explosion,” he said.
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker was killed in action on 11/14/07.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Army Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan.
Sgt. Kruse was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 13, 2007 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. Also killed was Cpl. Peter W. Schmidt.
Two Fort Lewis soldiers killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The Department of Defense said Nov. 14 that two Stryker Brigade soldiers from Fort Lewis were killed in Iraq.
Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan. and Cpl. Peter William Schmidt, 30, of Eureka, Calif. died Nov. 13 when an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations in Mukhisa, Iraq.
Both soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry. They deployed in April.
Kruse joined the Army in 2004 in Kansas City, Kan., and was assigned to Fort Lewis in April 2005. Schmidt entered service in 2004 as well and was assigned to Fort Lewis in May 2005.
Army Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse was killed in action on 11/13/07.
Army Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan.
Sgt. Kruse was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 13, 2007 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. Also killed was Cpl. Peter W. Schmidt.
Two Fort Lewis soldiers killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The Department of Defense said Nov. 14 that two Stryker Brigade soldiers from Fort Lewis were killed in Iraq.
Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan. and Cpl. Peter William Schmidt, 30, of Eureka, Calif. died Nov. 13 when an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations in Mukhisa, Iraq.
Both soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry. They deployed in April.
Kruse joined the Army in 2004 in Kansas City, Kan., and was assigned to Fort Lewis in April 2005. Schmidt entered service in 2004 as well and was assigned to Fort Lewis in May 2005.
Army Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse was killed in action on 11/13/07.
Army 2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles
Remember Our Heroes
Army 2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles, 26, of Hot Springs, Ark.
2nd Lt. Liles was assigned to the 122nd Aviation Support Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Nov. 13, 2007 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation.
Fort Bragg paratrooper dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The military says a paratrooper from Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division has died of a non-combat injury.
The Department of Defense says 26-year-old 2nd Lt. Lieutenant Stuart Liles, of Raeford, died Nov. 13 in Bagram, Afghanistan. Liles was a platoon leader for the 122nd Aviation Support Battalion.
Defense officials say his death is under investigation.
Liles earned a liberal arts degree at the University of Central Arkansas and arrived at the 82nd Airborne in January this year. Liles is survived by his wife, Aubre, and his daughter, Aurora. His mother, Kristin Liles, is from Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Army 2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles died 11/13/07 of a non-combat related injury.
Army 2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles, 26, of Hot Springs, Ark.
2nd Lt. Liles was assigned to the 122nd Aviation Support Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Nov. 13, 2007 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation.
Fort Bragg paratrooper dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The military says a paratrooper from Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division has died of a non-combat injury.
The Department of Defense says 26-year-old 2nd Lt. Lieutenant Stuart Liles, of Raeford, died Nov. 13 in Bagram, Afghanistan. Liles was a platoon leader for the 122nd Aviation Support Battalion.
Defense officials say his death is under investigation.
Liles earned a liberal arts degree at the University of Central Arkansas and arrived at the 82nd Airborne in January this year. Liles is survived by his wife, Aubre, and his daughter, Aurora. His mother, Kristin Liles, is from Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Army 2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles died 11/13/07 of a non-combat related injury.
Army Pfc. Casey P. Mason
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Casey P. Mason, 22, of Lake, Mich.
Pfc. Mason was assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died Nov. 13, 2007 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Hawaii-based soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
HONOLULU — The Pentagon says a Hawaii-based soldier was killed Nov. 13 when his unit was attacked in Iraq.
Pfc. Casey P. Mason, of Lake, Mich., was fatally wounded by small-arms fire in Mosul. The 22-year-old Mason was assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, at Schofield Barracks.
Mason joined the Army in October 2006 and was assigned to Schofield in April. His company deployed to Iraq in September.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports that he is the 159th service member with Hawaii ties to die in Iraq since the U.S. invaded the country in March 2003
A memorial service is to be held in Mason’s honor next week at Schofield.
Funeral home makes arrangements for ex-worker killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Lux Funeral Home will be handling one of its own when the body of Army Pfc. Casey Mason returns from Iraq.
The 22-year-old from the Clare County community of Lake went to work at Lux Funeral Home after graduating from Farwell High School. He joined the Army last year and was assigned to a military police unit based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Mason was killed Nov. 13 when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.
“The last thing I told him was to come home safe,” funeral home owner Charlie Lux told the Morning Sun. “No one ever dreamed this would happen.”
Former classmate Carrie Kendrick recalled debating politics with Mason while riding the school bus.
“He would always say he was going to run for president, and he’d tell me how he planned to change things,” Kendrick told The Saginaw News. “He’d talk about how things were going to be different when he got” to the White House.
“He said government would be person to person, not person to group. He said he’d take everyone’s opinion into account, not just do things because that was the way he thought it should be.”
Army Pfc. Casey P. Mason was killed in action on 11/13/07.
Army Pfc. Casey P. Mason, 22, of Lake, Mich.
Pfc. Mason was assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died Nov. 13, 2007 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Hawaii-based soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
HONOLULU — The Pentagon says a Hawaii-based soldier was killed Nov. 13 when his unit was attacked in Iraq.
Pfc. Casey P. Mason, of Lake, Mich., was fatally wounded by small-arms fire in Mosul. The 22-year-old Mason was assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, at Schofield Barracks.
Mason joined the Army in October 2006 and was assigned to Schofield in April. His company deployed to Iraq in September.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports that he is the 159th service member with Hawaii ties to die in Iraq since the U.S. invaded the country in March 2003
A memorial service is to be held in Mason’s honor next week at Schofield.
Funeral home makes arrangements for ex-worker killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Lux Funeral Home will be handling one of its own when the body of Army Pfc. Casey Mason returns from Iraq.
The 22-year-old from the Clare County community of Lake went to work at Lux Funeral Home after graduating from Farwell High School. He joined the Army last year and was assigned to a military police unit based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Mason was killed Nov. 13 when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.
“The last thing I told him was to come home safe,” funeral home owner Charlie Lux told the Morning Sun. “No one ever dreamed this would happen.”
Former classmate Carrie Kendrick recalled debating politics with Mason while riding the school bus.
“He would always say he was going to run for president, and he’d tell me how he planned to change things,” Kendrick told The Saginaw News. “He’d talk about how things were going to be different when he got” to the White House.
“He said government would be person to person, not person to group. He said he’d take everyone’s opinion into account, not just do things because that was the way he thought it should be.”
Army Pfc. Casey P. Mason was killed in action on 11/13/07.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Army Spc. Adrian E. Hike
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Adrian E. Hike, 26, of Callender, Iowa; assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Nov. 12 in Bermel, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when the vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Capt. David A. Boris.
Ralston soldier dies in Afghanistan, family says
The Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa — Family members say a Ralston soldier has been killed in Afghanistan.
Army Sgt. Adrian Hike, 26, was killed Nov. 12 while on patrol, his mother said. The Department of Defense has not confirmed his death.
Hike’s family says he was serving as a paratrooper for the 173rd Airborne based in Germany.
His family says Hike was injured in 2005 while serving in Iraq and received a Purple Heart.
Repeated attempts by The Associated Press to reach Hike’s family have been unsuccessful.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Hike is survived by his mother, father and four brothers.
Army Spc. Adrian E. Hike was killed in action on 11/12/07.
Army Spc. Adrian E. Hike, 26, of Callender, Iowa; assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Nov. 12 in Bermel, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when the vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Capt. David A. Boris.
Ralston soldier dies in Afghanistan, family says
The Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa — Family members say a Ralston soldier has been killed in Afghanistan.
Army Sgt. Adrian Hike, 26, was killed Nov. 12 while on patrol, his mother said. The Department of Defense has not confirmed his death.
Hike’s family says he was serving as a paratrooper for the 173rd Airborne based in Germany.
His family says Hike was injured in 2005 while serving in Iraq and received a Purple Heart.
Repeated attempts by The Associated Press to reach Hike’s family have been unsuccessful.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Hike is survived by his mother, father and four brothers.
Army Spc. Adrian E. Hike was killed in action on 11/12/07.
Army Capt. David A. Boris
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. David A. Boris, 30, of Pennsylvania
Capt. Boris was assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Nov. 12, 2007 in Bermel, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when the vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Adrian E. Hike.
Soldier from Pottsville dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
POTTSVILLE, Pa. — A soldier from Pennsylvania has died in Afghanistan, the man’s family told a newspaper.
Capt. David Boris, 30, of Pottsville, died sometime over the weekend, his family told the Republican & Herald in Pottsville. He was a member of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) and a 1999 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Boris was sent to Afghanistan in May for 15 months, his family said.
The family learned of his death in a phone call from his wife, Jamie, from a military base in Germany. The couple was married eight years ago.
Details of how Boris died were not released. The Defense Department has not announced Boris’ death.
“He was a great guy. I don’t know how else to describe him,” Linda Pavao, Boris’ mother-in-law, said. “If we could have hand-picked a husband for our daughter, he would have been it.”
Boris graduated from Pottsville Area High School in 1994. He was co-captain of the soccer and swim teams.
Army Capt. David A. Boris was killed in action on 11/12/07.
Army Capt. David A. Boris, 30, of Pennsylvania
Capt. Boris was assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Nov. 12, 2007 in Bermel, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when the vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Adrian E. Hike.
Soldier from Pottsville dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
POTTSVILLE, Pa. — A soldier from Pennsylvania has died in Afghanistan, the man’s family told a newspaper.
Capt. David Boris, 30, of Pottsville, died sometime over the weekend, his family told the Republican & Herald in Pottsville. He was a member of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) and a 1999 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Boris was sent to Afghanistan in May for 15 months, his family said.
The family learned of his death in a phone call from his wife, Jamie, from a military base in Germany. The couple was married eight years ago.
Details of how Boris died were not released. The Defense Department has not announced Boris’ death.
“He was a great guy. I don’t know how else to describe him,” Linda Pavao, Boris’ mother-in-law, said. “If we could have hand-picked a husband for our daughter, he would have been it.”
Boris graduated from Pottsville Area High School in 1994. He was co-captain of the soccer and swim teams.
Army Capt. David A. Boris was killed in action on 11/12/07.
Army Spc. Ashley Sietsema
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Ashley Sietsema, 20, of Melrose Park, Ill.
Spc. Sietsema was assigned to the 708th Medical Company, 108th Medical Battalion, 108th Sustainment Brigade, Illinois National Guard, North Riverside, Ill.; died Nov. 12 2007 in Kuwait City, Kuwait, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
Chicago Tribune -- Ashley Sietsema, 20, of River Grove died Monday while driving an ambulance in Kuwait for the Illinois Army National Guard, a relative said Thursday.
"They were transporting someone, and as far as we know it was just a traffic accident," said Sietsema's mother-in-law, Maureen Deahl of River Grove. "She rolled and hit a light pole and died on the scene. The other soldiers are OK. They just have some minor injuries, so they'll be fine."
Lt. Col. Alicia Tate-Nadeau, director of public affairs, confirmed that there had been a death in the Illinois Army National Guard, but said no announcement would be made until 24 hours after the parents had been notified.
Sietsema, a combat medic assigned to the 708th Medical Company, had been in the Guard for two years. She headed for Kuwait in July and was inspired by the opportunity to help others through medicine after training in Texas with the Illinois Army National Guard, her family said.
"She had a strong drive for her career," Deahl said. "She had it all mapped out for what she was going to do each year when she got back and what hospital she was going to get her training at."
She and her husband, Max, met in an English class at East Leyden High School in Franklin Park. She graduated in 2005.
She is survived by her husband, her mother, Olivia Segura of DeKalb, and a brother, Kyle.
Army Spc. Ashley Sietsema was killed in a vehicle accident in Kuwait on 11/12/07.
Army Spc. Ashley Sietsema, 20, of Melrose Park, Ill.
Spc. Sietsema was assigned to the 708th Medical Company, 108th Medical Battalion, 108th Sustainment Brigade, Illinois National Guard, North Riverside, Ill.; died Nov. 12 2007 in Kuwait City, Kuwait, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
Chicago Tribune -- Ashley Sietsema, 20, of River Grove died Monday while driving an ambulance in Kuwait for the Illinois Army National Guard, a relative said Thursday.
"They were transporting someone, and as far as we know it was just a traffic accident," said Sietsema's mother-in-law, Maureen Deahl of River Grove. "She rolled and hit a light pole and died on the scene. The other soldiers are OK. They just have some minor injuries, so they'll be fine."
Lt. Col. Alicia Tate-Nadeau, director of public affairs, confirmed that there had been a death in the Illinois Army National Guard, but said no announcement would be made until 24 hours after the parents had been notified.
Sietsema, a combat medic assigned to the 708th Medical Company, had been in the Guard for two years. She headed for Kuwait in July and was inspired by the opportunity to help others through medicine after training in Texas with the Illinois Army National Guard, her family said.
"She had a strong drive for her career," Deahl said. "She had it all mapped out for what she was going to do each year when she got back and what hospital she was going to get her training at."
She and her husband, Max, met in an English class at East Leyden High School in Franklin Park. She graduated in 2005.
She is survived by her husband, her mother, Olivia Segura of DeKalb, and a brother, Kyle.
Army Spc. Ashley Sietsema was killed in a vehicle accident in Kuwait on 11/12/07.
Army Sgt. James W. McDonald
Remember Our Heroes
AP) Joan McDonald believes her son was a casualty of the war in Iraq, but the Army says that while he did suffer a severe head wound in a bomb blast, the cause of his death is undetermined, keeping him off the casualty list.
She and her family are demanding more answers in the death of Sgt. James W. McDonald.
"I don't want it to be an undetermined cause of death," said Joan McDonald. "That is ridiculous."
McDonald, 26, was injured in a roadside bomb blast in Iraq last May. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Hood, Texas. After treatment in Germany, McDonald returned to Fort Hood and underwent extensive facial surgery in August.
His body was found in his barracks apartment Nov. 12, a Monday. He was last seen alive the previous Friday.
The Army ruled out suicide and accidental factors, but an autopsy could not determine the exact cause of death, in part because of the decomposition of the body, said Col. Diane Battaglia, a base spokeswoman.
As a result, McDonald's death is considered noncombat-related, with the caveat that medical experts couldn't rule out that "traumatic brain injury" may have been a factor, Battaglia said.
Joan McDonald, of Neenah, has no doubts about her son's death.
"If my son was not at the war, he would not be dead, plain and simple," she said. "He was a strong healthy boy. ... Don't tell me it was unrelated to the war. I will never accept that."
Tom Wilborn, a spokesman for Disabled American Veterans in Washington, said the question of whether McDonald was a war casualty is the first that he was aware of from the Iraq war.
"But it happened a lot during Vietnam," he said. "There's a long history where guys would be wounded in the jungle and they might live long enough to come home. And then they would pass away and were not counted as a combat casualty."
According to an Army study in 2007, 1.4 million people in the U.S. suffer traumatic brain injuries each year. Of those, 50,000 die, 235,000 are hospitalized and 1.1 million are evaluated, treated at a hospital emergency department and released.
A Government Accountability Office study found that of soldiers who required a medical evacuation for battle-related injuries in Iraq or Afghanistan, 30 percent suffered a traumatic brain injury. But it was unknown how many soldiers suffered more mild forms of brain injury.
The family has asked Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., for help. McDonald has a copy of a March 11 letter Feingold sent to Maj. Gen. Galen Jakman at the Pentagon outlining her concerns.
McDonald said her son was a strapping 6-foot-3, 200-pound soldier who served two tours of duty in Iraq and loved the military.
If my son was not at the war, he would not be dead, plain and simple. ... Don't tell me it was unrelated to the war. I will never accept that.
Joan McDonald"He was having a problem sleeping since he came back from the war. I don't think it had anything to do with sleep apnea. I think it had to do with bombs," she said. He also had seen a doctor because of severe nose bleeds but was told the symptoms were not that unusual, given his August surgery, she said.
Before he died, McDonald had worked on the base at a weapons room and the post office, she said. He had planned to leave the Army in January to pursue a career in firefighting.
She said she recently ran across a T-shirt that said he helped build a memorial wall at Fort Hood to honor its soldiers killed in Iraq.
"I want his name on that wall," she said. "We don't know what else to do. I have one brother who is saying 'Does it matter. To you, he is a casualty of war. To everyone that knew him, he is a casualty of war.' I am like, well, it kinda does matter."
AP) Joan McDonald believes her son was a casualty of the war in Iraq, but the Army says that while he did suffer a severe head wound in a bomb blast, the cause of his death is undetermined, keeping him off the casualty list.
She and her family are demanding more answers in the death of Sgt. James W. McDonald.
"I don't want it to be an undetermined cause of death," said Joan McDonald. "That is ridiculous."
McDonald, 26, was injured in a roadside bomb blast in Iraq last May. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Hood, Texas. After treatment in Germany, McDonald returned to Fort Hood and underwent extensive facial surgery in August.
His body was found in his barracks apartment Nov. 12, a Monday. He was last seen alive the previous Friday.
The Army ruled out suicide and accidental factors, but an autopsy could not determine the exact cause of death, in part because of the decomposition of the body, said Col. Diane Battaglia, a base spokeswoman.
As a result, McDonald's death is considered noncombat-related, with the caveat that medical experts couldn't rule out that "traumatic brain injury" may have been a factor, Battaglia said.
Joan McDonald, of Neenah, has no doubts about her son's death.
"If my son was not at the war, he would not be dead, plain and simple," she said. "He was a strong healthy boy. ... Don't tell me it was unrelated to the war. I will never accept that."
Tom Wilborn, a spokesman for Disabled American Veterans in Washington, said the question of whether McDonald was a war casualty is the first that he was aware of from the Iraq war.
"But it happened a lot during Vietnam," he said. "There's a long history where guys would be wounded in the jungle and they might live long enough to come home. And then they would pass away and were not counted as a combat casualty."
According to an Army study in 2007, 1.4 million people in the U.S. suffer traumatic brain injuries each year. Of those, 50,000 die, 235,000 are hospitalized and 1.1 million are evaluated, treated at a hospital emergency department and released.
A Government Accountability Office study found that of soldiers who required a medical evacuation for battle-related injuries in Iraq or Afghanistan, 30 percent suffered a traumatic brain injury. But it was unknown how many soldiers suffered more mild forms of brain injury.
The family has asked Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., for help. McDonald has a copy of a March 11 letter Feingold sent to Maj. Gen. Galen Jakman at the Pentagon outlining her concerns.
McDonald said her son was a strapping 6-foot-3, 200-pound soldier who served two tours of duty in Iraq and loved the military.
If my son was not at the war, he would not be dead, plain and simple. ... Don't tell me it was unrelated to the war. I will never accept that.
Joan McDonald"He was having a problem sleeping since he came back from the war. I don't think it had anything to do with sleep apnea. I think it had to do with bombs," she said. He also had seen a doctor because of severe nose bleeds but was told the symptoms were not that unusual, given his August surgery, she said.
Before he died, McDonald had worked on the base at a weapons room and the post office, she said. He had planned to leave the Army in January to pursue a career in firefighting.
She said she recently ran across a T-shirt that said he helped build a memorial wall at Fort Hood to honor its soldiers killed in Iraq.
"I want his name on that wall," she said. "We don't know what else to do. I have one brother who is saying 'Does it matter. To you, he is a casualty of war. To everyone that knew him, he is a casualty of war.' I am like, well, it kinda does matter."
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Army Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman, 23, of Parker, Kan.
Sgt. Mersman was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 10, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; Spc. Lester G. Roque; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
A Kansas sergeant who had already served three tours of duty in Iraq was killed in Afghanistan last week.
Sgt. Jeff Mersman, 23, of Lane, died Friday during an ambush in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Five other U.S. paratroopers were killed in the attack.
Mersman joined the Army six years ago. His parents said he was always taking care of his family.
"Oh, I'm proud of him. He's the best there ever could be," said Mary Ritch, Jeff's mother. "He took care of his sisters so Mom could work. He was always there when -- he was just there for Mom."
KMBC's Martin Augustine reported that Mersman was so eager to serve his country that he graduated a semester early from Prairie View High School.
Relatives said Mersman didn't tell his family much about his three tours of combat duty in Iraq, other than to say it wasn't good. And then, Mersman would use his easygoing manner to take care of his family by putting them at ease.
"Even at the worst times he was always -- you couldn't really tell what was going on, you know? He just was happy," Ritch said. "He always told me, 'I'd be OK, Mom. I'll be fine.' So, I took him at his word that he'd be fine."
Mersman's father, Robert Mersman, said he wanted to extend his sympathies to the other five families of paratroopers killed in the ambush.
Jeff Mersman leaves behind a wife and four stepchildren, in addition to three brothers and two sisters.
Army Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman was killed in action on 11/10/07.
Army Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman, 23, of Parker, Kan.
Sgt. Mersman was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 10, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; Spc. Lester G. Roque; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
A Kansas sergeant who had already served three tours of duty in Iraq was killed in Afghanistan last week.
Sgt. Jeff Mersman, 23, of Lane, died Friday during an ambush in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Five other U.S. paratroopers were killed in the attack.
Mersman joined the Army six years ago. His parents said he was always taking care of his family.
"Oh, I'm proud of him. He's the best there ever could be," said Mary Ritch, Jeff's mother. "He took care of his sisters so Mom could work. He was always there when -- he was just there for Mom."
KMBC's Martin Augustine reported that Mersman was so eager to serve his country that he graduated a semester early from Prairie View High School.
Relatives said Mersman didn't tell his family much about his three tours of combat duty in Iraq, other than to say it wasn't good. And then, Mersman would use his easygoing manner to take care of his family by putting them at ease.
"Even at the worst times he was always -- you couldn't really tell what was going on, you know? He just was happy," Ritch said. "He always told me, 'I'd be OK, Mom. I'll be fine.' So, I took him at his word that he'd be fine."
Mersman's father, Robert Mersman, said he wanted to extend his sympathies to the other five families of paratroopers killed in the ambush.
Jeff Mersman leaves behind a wife and four stepchildren, in addition to three brothers and two sisters.
Army Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman was killed in action on 11/10/07.
Army Spc. Lester G. Roque
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Lester G. Roque, 23, of Torrance, Calif.
Spc. Roque was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 10, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
Home," Army Spc. Lester Roque wrote, "is where she is."
The South Bay soldier was biding his time, serving the United States in Afghanistan, waiting for "three months to go" before he could return home to his beloved wife, Leikathryn.
The first time I saw you, I felt something different," the 23-year-old man wrote to his wife on his Friendster Web site. "It's like no other. I knew you were heaven sent."
Roque never made it home to the South Bay. He died Saturday from wounds suffered a day earlier. Insurgents attacked his patrol in the eastern Afghan city of Aranus, fatally wounding him and killing four comrades in his unit.
Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, a 1st lieutenant from Torrance, died Friday in the same attack. Roque and Ferrara were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Italy.
According to the NATO International Security Assistance Force, six ISAF service members and three Afghan National Army Soldiers were killed. Insurgents attacked their foot patrol with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
The combined force fought back with small arms, machine guns, mortars, artillery and close-air support.
Eight ISAF service members and 11 Afghan soldiers were wounded.
No one answered the door Monday evening at Roque's condominium in the unincorporated area between Harbor City and Carson.
But on their Web sites, Lester and Leikathryn - who went by Lyka - described their love affair and a longing to be reunited.
"You are part of God's army now," someone posted below a picture of Lester on his wife's site.
A native of the Philippines, Lester listed his hometown as Marikina City, where he attended school.
It was unclear when he arrived in the United States, but he listed himself as a graduate of the Claret School of Quezon City, class of 2001.
"I'm just this regular guy," he wrote. "But with someone special in my life, life is good. I love my Honey! Full time hubby. My home is where she is, where my life is.
In return, his 24-year-old wife proclaimed her love. She listed her occupation as "loving, obeying and serving her husband," and her hobbies and interests as "falling into a debate with Lester about who loves who more!"
"After much self-dissection, I still think I love him more, but I love that he disagrees," she wrote.
On Nov. 7, two days before the attack, Roque posted a message to his wife, again declaring his love and his distaste for being away from her.
"I'm still here, but I wish I could be in your arms instead," he wrote. "I'm starting to hate (it) here now, just seeing you there kinda tears me apart. I don't wish for you to be here with me, I wanna be there with you."
Mourners began offering their condolences on the couple's sites as word spread of the loss.
"You'll forever be remembered," one person named Sheilla wrote. "Such a sweet and gentle soul."
"We will forever love you," a person named Evelyn wrote. "You are a hero. But for now, you are a soldier of God. How I wish this was all a bad dream. We love you. Thank you for giving meaning in our lives. We all miss you."
Wrote DeeJay: "My brother Lester, my (heart) goes out to you. I salute you!!!"
Army Spc. Lester G. Roque was killed in action on 11/10/07.
Army Spc. Lester G. Roque, 23, of Torrance, Calif.
Spc. Roque was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 10, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
Home," Army Spc. Lester Roque wrote, "is where she is."
The South Bay soldier was biding his time, serving the United States in Afghanistan, waiting for "three months to go" before he could return home to his beloved wife, Leikathryn.
The first time I saw you, I felt something different," the 23-year-old man wrote to his wife on his Friendster Web site. "It's like no other. I knew you were heaven sent."
Roque never made it home to the South Bay. He died Saturday from wounds suffered a day earlier. Insurgents attacked his patrol in the eastern Afghan city of Aranus, fatally wounding him and killing four comrades in his unit.
Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, a 1st lieutenant from Torrance, died Friday in the same attack. Roque and Ferrara were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Italy.
According to the NATO International Security Assistance Force, six ISAF service members and three Afghan National Army Soldiers were killed. Insurgents attacked their foot patrol with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
The combined force fought back with small arms, machine guns, mortars, artillery and close-air support.
Eight ISAF service members and 11 Afghan soldiers were wounded.
No one answered the door Monday evening at Roque's condominium in the unincorporated area between Harbor City and Carson.
But on their Web sites, Lester and Leikathryn - who went by Lyka - described their love affair and a longing to be reunited.
"You are part of God's army now," someone posted below a picture of Lester on his wife's site.
A native of the Philippines, Lester listed his hometown as Marikina City, where he attended school.
It was unclear when he arrived in the United States, but he listed himself as a graduate of the Claret School of Quezon City, class of 2001.
"I'm just this regular guy," he wrote. "But with someone special in my life, life is good. I love my Honey! Full time hubby. My home is where she is, where my life is.
In return, his 24-year-old wife proclaimed her love. She listed her occupation as "loving, obeying and serving her husband," and her hobbies and interests as "falling into a debate with Lester about who loves who more!"
"After much self-dissection, I still think I love him more, but I love that he disagrees," she wrote.
On Nov. 7, two days before the attack, Roque posted a message to his wife, again declaring his love and his distaste for being away from her.
"I'm still here, but I wish I could be in your arms instead," he wrote. "I'm starting to hate (it) here now, just seeing you there kinda tears me apart. I don't wish for you to be here with me, I wanna be there with you."
Mourners began offering their condolences on the couple's sites as word spread of the loss.
"You'll forever be remembered," one person named Sheilla wrote. "Such a sweet and gentle soul."
"We will forever love you," a person named Evelyn wrote. "You are a hero. But for now, you are a soldier of God. How I wish this was all a bad dream. We love you. Thank you for giving meaning in our lives. We all miss you."
Wrote DeeJay: "My brother Lester, my (heart) goes out to you. I salute you!!!"
Army Spc. Lester G. Roque was killed in action on 11/10/07.
Army Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour, 21, of Swartz Creek, Mich.
Pfc. Lancour was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 10, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; and Spc. Lester G. Roque.
Ludington native dies in Afghanistan combat
The Associated Press
LUDINGTON, Mich. — A U.S. soldier from Michigan was killed in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, his parents said Nov. 12.
Spc. Joe Lancour, 21, was killed Nov. 10 by small-arms fire during an ambush, his mother, Starla Owen, and his father, Rob Lancour, told the Ludington Daily News.
Joe Lancour was one of five soldiers whose patrol was attacked Nov. 9 in Aranus, Afghanistan, the Defense Department said. Two of the soldiers died that day and Lancour and two others died Nov. 10.
Joe Lancour graduated in 2004 from Ludington High School, which held a moment of silence in his honor Nov. 12. He had recently moved to Swartz Creek, located about 170 miles southeast of Ludington in Genesee County.
After enlisting in the Army in 2006, Lancour trained as a paratrooper at Fort Benning, Ga., and was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, his parents said. He served in Italy before being deployed to Afghanistan.
“He was proud of what he did,” Owen said, adding that her son was upset to learn his unit had been attacked while he was home on leave in August. “He said he had to get back for them.”
His parents described Lancour as a fun-loving youth who enjoyed skateboarding, camping and fishing. He played on Ludington High School’s football and baseball teams.
“He was kind of a skinny football player, but he’d go out there and play hard,” said Steve Brockelbank, the school’s athletic director. “He was a good kid and he got along with others.”
Army Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour was killed in action on 11/10/07.
Army Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour, 21, of Swartz Creek, Mich.
Pfc. Lancour was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 10, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; and Spc. Lester G. Roque.
Ludington native dies in Afghanistan combat
The Associated Press
LUDINGTON, Mich. — A U.S. soldier from Michigan was killed in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, his parents said Nov. 12.
Spc. Joe Lancour, 21, was killed Nov. 10 by small-arms fire during an ambush, his mother, Starla Owen, and his father, Rob Lancour, told the Ludington Daily News.
Joe Lancour was one of five soldiers whose patrol was attacked Nov. 9 in Aranus, Afghanistan, the Defense Department said. Two of the soldiers died that day and Lancour and two others died Nov. 10.
Joe Lancour graduated in 2004 from Ludington High School, which held a moment of silence in his honor Nov. 12. He had recently moved to Swartz Creek, located about 170 miles southeast of Ludington in Genesee County.
After enlisting in the Army in 2006, Lancour trained as a paratrooper at Fort Benning, Ga., and was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, his parents said. He served in Italy before being deployed to Afghanistan.
“He was proud of what he did,” Owen said, adding that her son was upset to learn his unit had been attacked while he was home on leave in August. “He said he had to get back for them.”
His parents described Lancour as a fun-loving youth who enjoyed skateboarding, camping and fishing. He played on Ludington High School’s football and baseball teams.
“He was kind of a skinny football player, but he’d go out there and play hard,” said Steve Brockelbank, the school’s athletic director. “He was a good kid and he got along with others.”
Army Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour was killed in action on 11/10/07.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, 28, of Troy, Mich.
Sgt. Bocks was assigned to Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif.; died Nov. 9, 2007 while conducting combat operations in Aranus, Afghanistan.
Former Truckee student dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
TRUCKEE, Calif. — A former Truckee High School student has been killed in an ambush in Afghanistan, according to his family.
Marine Corps Sgt. Phillip Bocks, 28, who moved with his family from Michigan to Truckee when he was in seventh grade, attended schools in Truckee through the 11th grade. He joined the Marines in 2000.
For three years, Bocks was stationed at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center near Bridgeport, Calif.
The attack that killed Bocks and five others in eastern Afghanistan on Nov. 9 brought the number of deaths of American servicemen to 101 for the year, making it the deadliest year for American troops in that theater.
The Marines were killed while returning from a meeting with village elders in Nuristan province, attacked my militants wielding rocket-propelled grenades.
Eight other Americans were wounded and three Afghan soldiers killed in the ambush.
Family survivors include Bocks’s father, Ken Bocks of Truckee; his stepmother, Monica Bocks of Truckee; and his mother, Peggy Bocks of Troy, Mich., the Sierra Sun reported Nov. 13.
A military service will be held at a later date in Bridgeport.
Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks was killed in action on 11/09/07.
Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, 28, of Troy, Mich.
Sgt. Bocks was assigned to Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif.; died Nov. 9, 2007 while conducting combat operations in Aranus, Afghanistan.
Former Truckee student dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
TRUCKEE, Calif. — A former Truckee High School student has been killed in an ambush in Afghanistan, according to his family.
Marine Corps Sgt. Phillip Bocks, 28, who moved with his family from Michigan to Truckee when he was in seventh grade, attended schools in Truckee through the 11th grade. He joined the Marines in 2000.
For three years, Bocks was stationed at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center near Bridgeport, Calif.
The attack that killed Bocks and five others in eastern Afghanistan on Nov. 9 brought the number of deaths of American servicemen to 101 for the year, making it the deadliest year for American troops in that theater.
The Marines were killed while returning from a meeting with village elders in Nuristan province, attacked my militants wielding rocket-propelled grenades.
Eight other Americans were wounded and three Afghan soldiers killed in the ambush.
Family survivors include Bocks’s father, Ken Bocks of Truckee; his stepmother, Monica Bocks of Truckee; and his mother, Peggy Bocks of Troy, Mich., the Sierra Sun reported Nov. 13.
A military service will be held at a later date in Bridgeport.
Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks was killed in action on 11/09/07.
Army Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin, 23, of Walnut Creek, Calif.
Spc. Langevin was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 9, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Lester G. Roque; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
Walnut Creek soldier killed in ambush in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — A 23-year-old soldier who had planned to return home in time for his daughter’s birth next year was killed in an ambush in the mountains of Afghanistan.
Cpl. Sean K. A. Langevin of Walnut Creek was one of five soldiers who died Nov. 9 when their patrol came under enemy fire in Aranus, according to the Department of Defense.
Langevin was assigned to the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Vicenza, Italy. He was originally scheduled to go to Iraq during the troop surge, but in May he was sent to Afghanistan instead.
Relatives remembered him as an adventurer who snowboarded, skated, bungee-jumped and tried tandem skydiving.
Langevin graduated from Ygnacio Valley High School in 2002 and met his future wife Jessica when they both worked at a pizza parlor in Walnut Creek. They married in January 2006 and their first child is due in February.
“You have your ‘shoulda, coulda, wouldas,’ ” said Jessica Langevin, who talked to her husband almost every day. “I don’t have those with Sean. I have no regrets. That’s where I find a little of my peace.”
Army Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin was killed in action on 11/09/07.
Army Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin, 23, of Walnut Creek, Calif.
Spc. Langevin was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 9, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara; Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Lester G. Roque; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
Walnut Creek soldier killed in ambush in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — A 23-year-old soldier who had planned to return home in time for his daughter’s birth next year was killed in an ambush in the mountains of Afghanistan.
Cpl. Sean K. A. Langevin of Walnut Creek was one of five soldiers who died Nov. 9 when their patrol came under enemy fire in Aranus, according to the Department of Defense.
Langevin was assigned to the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Vicenza, Italy. He was originally scheduled to go to Iraq during the troop surge, but in May he was sent to Afghanistan instead.
Relatives remembered him as an adventurer who snowboarded, skated, bungee-jumped and tried tandem skydiving.
Langevin graduated from Ygnacio Valley High School in 2002 and met his future wife Jessica when they both worked at a pizza parlor in Walnut Creek. They married in January 2006 and their first child is due in February.
“You have your ‘shoulda, coulda, wouldas,’ ” said Jessica Langevin, who talked to her husband almost every day. “I don’t have those with Sean. I have no regrets. That’s where I find a little of my peace.”
Army Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin was killed in action on 11/09/07.
Army 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara
Remember Our Heroes
Army 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, of Torrance, Calif.
1st Lt. Ferrara was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 9, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; Spc. Lester G. Roque; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
South High grad's Ferrara to get city tribute on Thursday
By Nick Green, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 12/25/2007 10:53:58 PM PST
The city of Torrance will honor fallen soldier Matthew Ferrara at a ceremony Thursday when his name will be inscribed on Veterans Memorial Wall at City Hall.
The public is invited to the event, which begins at 10 a.m. at the corner of Torrance Boulevard and Maple Avenue.
Torrance Boulevard will close from 9:45 to 11 a.m. from Madrona Avenue to Crenshaw Boulevard for the ceremony.
Road closure signs on Torrance Boulevard indicated the event was Friday, but they will be changed to the correct day, officials said.
The 24-year-old Army captain was killed in Afghanistan in November when the foot patrol he was leading was ambushed. Six Afghan soldiers and five others - including 23-year-old Army Spc. Lester Roque, who lived near Carson - of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force died in the attack.
Ferrara was promoted to captain posthumously and buried with full military honors at Rancho Palos Verdes' Green Hills Memorial Park.
Army 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara was killed in action on 11/09/07.
Army 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, of Torrance, Calif.
1st Lt. Ferrara was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died Nov. 9, 2007 in Aranus, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces. Also killed were Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman; Spc. Sean K. A. Langevin; Spc. Lester G. Roque; and Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour.
South High grad's Ferrara to get city tribute on Thursday
By Nick Green, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 12/25/2007 10:53:58 PM PST
The city of Torrance will honor fallen soldier Matthew Ferrara at a ceremony Thursday when his name will be inscribed on Veterans Memorial Wall at City Hall.
The public is invited to the event, which begins at 10 a.m. at the corner of Torrance Boulevard and Maple Avenue.
Torrance Boulevard will close from 9:45 to 11 a.m. from Madrona Avenue to Crenshaw Boulevard for the ceremony.
Road closure signs on Torrance Boulevard indicated the event was Friday, but they will be changed to the correct day, officials said.
The 24-year-old Army captain was killed in Afghanistan in November when the foot patrol he was leading was ambushed. Six Afghan soldiers and five others - including 23-year-old Army Spc. Lester Roque, who lived near Carson - of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force died in the attack.
Ferrara was promoted to captain posthumously and buried with full military honors at Rancho Palos Verdes' Green Hills Memorial Park.
Army 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara was killed in action on 11/09/07.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert D. Rogers
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert D. Rogers, 27, Sierra Vista, AZ.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Daniel Rogers, 27, went home to be with his Lord on Nov. 8, 2007, near Treviso, Italy, from injuries received as the result of an aircraft accident. He was born on Feb. 21, 1980, to Anna, his German-born mother and Robert Allen Rogers his father who was in the U.S. Army. The family moved to the United States when Robert was 3 months old, living first at Fort Huachuca and then Sierra Vista.
Robert attended Shiloh Christian School from kindergarten until his high school graduation, where he was named salutatorian in May 1998. As a child Robert loved to draw, assemble Lego airplanes and helicopters from memory. He would much rather read than watch movies. He helped his Mom keep house, cook, and do laundry — all skills that followed him to his adult life. Robert excelled at everything and especially loved mathematics.
As a teenager he belonged to the Civil Air Patrol because of his love for planes and flying. He loved adventure and on his 18th birthday he skydived for the first time. He also loved repelling, rock climbing, white water rafting and was training for his scuba diving license. While in Sierra Vista he attended Cochise College and worked for Marriott Food Service and UPS. At the time of his death, he lacked only three credits from receiving the associate’s degree in avionics systems technology.
Staff Sgt. Rogers enlisted in the Air Force in 2001 attending basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and technical training at Sheppard Air Force Base, both in Texas. His assignments included Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea; and Aviano Air Base, Italy. He served in various positions within the Air Force Avionics community-including avionics sensors system team member, journeyman and team leader.
Other awards were Avionics Flight NCO of the Quarter, July-September 2006; nominated for the 2007 Leo Marquez Award for Aircraft Maintenance (award is pending); received the Air Force Commendation Medal for his service at Aviano Air Base. Rob, as his unit, the 31st Fighter Wing in Italy, called him, was the 2005 Maintenance Professional of the Year and Lantirns top technician. From a team member, “He was never content to just tell you how to perform a task, instead he wanted to jump in and show you how it was done. He lived every day to the fullest and his infectious laugh and dry sense of humor lifted spirits daily.” From another, “I worked with Rob every day and he was honestly the best guy in the shop — not only professionally, but as a person.”
Robert Daniel Rogers will be remembered by his family as a devoted, “super daddy” and the “best dad ever” to his 5-year-old son, Isaiah Sky Rogers, the center of his life, who lived with him in Italy. He was a loving and devoted son to Anna (Dan) Showalter and Robert Allen (Carol) Rogers, wonderful elder brother of Karl Rogers. Lanea Rogers, his wife, also survives him, as well as many relatives in Germany and Washington state.
His love for God was carried deep in his heart. Knowing he is at peace with Jesus Christ, his personal Savior since his youth brings great comfort to his family. The family requests no black clothing but bright colors be worn by those who join them in the wonderful celebration of their son’s final destination in heaven, where he is seeing his Savior face to face.
A time of visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007, at Shiloh Christian Ministries, 200 North Ave., in Sierra Vista. His homegoing service and celebration of his life will follow at 11:30 a.m., with Pastor James Hoston officiating. Interment with military honors will be at 1 p.m. at Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1300 Buffalo Soldier Trail, in Sierra Vista.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert D. Rogers was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert D. Rogers, 27, Sierra Vista, AZ.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Daniel Rogers, 27, went home to be with his Lord on Nov. 8, 2007, near Treviso, Italy, from injuries received as the result of an aircraft accident. He was born on Feb. 21, 1980, to Anna, his German-born mother and Robert Allen Rogers his father who was in the U.S. Army. The family moved to the United States when Robert was 3 months old, living first at Fort Huachuca and then Sierra Vista.
Robert attended Shiloh Christian School from kindergarten until his high school graduation, where he was named salutatorian in May 1998. As a child Robert loved to draw, assemble Lego airplanes and helicopters from memory. He would much rather read than watch movies. He helped his Mom keep house, cook, and do laundry — all skills that followed him to his adult life. Robert excelled at everything and especially loved mathematics.
As a teenager he belonged to the Civil Air Patrol because of his love for planes and flying. He loved adventure and on his 18th birthday he skydived for the first time. He also loved repelling, rock climbing, white water rafting and was training for his scuba diving license. While in Sierra Vista he attended Cochise College and worked for Marriott Food Service and UPS. At the time of his death, he lacked only three credits from receiving the associate’s degree in avionics systems technology.
Staff Sgt. Rogers enlisted in the Air Force in 2001 attending basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and technical training at Sheppard Air Force Base, both in Texas. His assignments included Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea; and Aviano Air Base, Italy. He served in various positions within the Air Force Avionics community-including avionics sensors system team member, journeyman and team leader.
Other awards were Avionics Flight NCO of the Quarter, July-September 2006; nominated for the 2007 Leo Marquez Award for Aircraft Maintenance (award is pending); received the Air Force Commendation Medal for his service at Aviano Air Base. Rob, as his unit, the 31st Fighter Wing in Italy, called him, was the 2005 Maintenance Professional of the Year and Lantirns top technician. From a team member, “He was never content to just tell you how to perform a task, instead he wanted to jump in and show you how it was done. He lived every day to the fullest and his infectious laugh and dry sense of humor lifted spirits daily.” From another, “I worked with Rob every day and he was honestly the best guy in the shop — not only professionally, but as a person.”
Robert Daniel Rogers will be remembered by his family as a devoted, “super daddy” and the “best dad ever” to his 5-year-old son, Isaiah Sky Rogers, the center of his life, who lived with him in Italy. He was a loving and devoted son to Anna (Dan) Showalter and Robert Allen (Carol) Rogers, wonderful elder brother of Karl Rogers. Lanea Rogers, his wife, also survives him, as well as many relatives in Germany and Washington state.
His love for God was carried deep in his heart. Knowing he is at peace with Jesus Christ, his personal Savior since his youth brings great comfort to his family. The family requests no black clothing but bright colors be worn by those who join them in the wonderful celebration of their son’s final destination in heaven, where he is seeing his Savior face to face.
A time of visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007, at Shiloh Christian Ministries, 200 North Ave., in Sierra Vista. His homegoing service and celebration of his life will follow at 11:30 a.m., with Pastor James Hoston officiating. Interment with military honors will be at 1 p.m. at Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1300 Buffalo Soldier Trail, in Sierra Vista.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert D. Rogers was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davidangelo F. Alvarez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davidangelo F. Alvarez, 31, Manteca, CA.
Remembering Dave
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davidangelo F. Alvarez was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davidangelo F. Alvarez, 31, Manteca, CA.
Remembering Dave
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Davidangelo F. Alvarez was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Army Capt. Christian P. Skoglund
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. Christian P. Skoglund, 31, Racine, WI.
Racine GI dies in copter crash; Army captain did ROTC at Wheaton
Chicago Sun-Times, Nov 9, 2007
A U.S. Army helicopter crashed in northern Italy on Thursday, killing at least five people on board, the Army said.
Eleven U.S. service members were on board the UH-60 Army Black Hawk helicopter, U.S. Army Europe said in a statement.
The Racine, Wis., Journal Times reported that Christian Skoglund, a Racine native, was killed.
His father, Phil Skoglund, told the Journal Times that his son was a 31-year-old captain.
"We're praying for Christian and all the other soldiers," Phil Skoglund said before he learned of his death.
Television footage showed the charred remains of the chopper, which broke into at least two pieces.
Christian Skoglund completed ROTC training at Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Ill., before training to be a U.S. Army pilot. He served two years in Korea and one year in Kuwait.
The 1994 Park High School graduate loved flying and was a company commander, his father said. They spoke last week about a recent mission he had flown.
"It was an awesome Army day," Phil Skoglund recalled his son saying. "He really liked working with his men."
Army Capt. Christian P. Skoglund was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/8/07.
Army Capt. Christian P. Skoglund, 31, Racine, WI.
Racine GI dies in copter crash; Army captain did ROTC at Wheaton
Chicago Sun-Times, Nov 9, 2007
A U.S. Army helicopter crashed in northern Italy on Thursday, killing at least five people on board, the Army said.
Eleven U.S. service members were on board the UH-60 Army Black Hawk helicopter, U.S. Army Europe said in a statement.
The Racine, Wis., Journal Times reported that Christian Skoglund, a Racine native, was killed.
His father, Phil Skoglund, told the Journal Times that his son was a 31-year-old captain.
"We're praying for Christian and all the other soldiers," Phil Skoglund said before he learned of his death.
Television footage showed the charred remains of the chopper, which broke into at least two pieces.
Christian Skoglund completed ROTC training at Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Ill., before training to be a U.S. Army pilot. He served two years in Korea and one year in Kuwait.
The 1994 Park High School graduate loved flying and was a company commander, his father said. They spoke last week about a recent mission he had flown.
"It was an awesome Army day," Phil Skoglund recalled his son saying. "He really liked working with his men."
Army Capt. Christian P. Skoglund was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/8/07.
Air Force Senior Airman Kenneth P. Hauprich, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Senior Airman Kenneth P. Hauprich, Jr., 22, Jamestown, Ohio.
Air Force Senior Airman Kenny Hauprich of Fairborn, Ohio was a 2004 graduate of Greeneview High School where he wrestled, played football, sang in the choir, earned As and Bs, had perfect attendance for at least three years and loved being in plays.
He was also a counselor at Camp Kern. His smile, bright blue eyes and sparkling personality made it hard not to instantly like him. He had a way to make the room light up when he was around. Even when he got into trouble and was sent to his room he would never stay in it because he hated for someone to be mad or upset at him.
His favorite saying was "Remember that I am the good one".
Kenny always gave 150% of himself in everything that he did, whether it was him wrestling as one of the smallest one on the team to practicing with the heavy weights. This motivation carried over to everything he did from making employee of the month the second month he worked at Wendy's, or making Senior Airman below zone.
He had a zest for life that was impeccable! He had dreams that someday he would play football and that he did: not only did he play on the Junior high football team where he did get to shine. Kenny was small in size and didn't get much playing time but he put his heart into every practice where he gave the star players the practice they needed. It was not unusual to see Kenny run out on the field just to get the kicking tee.
Kenny left to go into the Air Force and not only did he become a man but he did grow to over 6 feet tall. He was stationed at Aviano AB where they saw him as an awesome athlete. His nick name was "Gazelle" because he was so quick. He played for the NFL Italy team where he was the starting receiver.
Kenny was doing what he wanted to do his entire life and that was to follow in his father's and mother's footsteps and serve his country as an Airman in the United States Air Force. His twin sister, also is in the military.
As with all his endeavors Kenny was a steller Airman!
He was preceded in death by his Grandfather Ronald Duncan. He died along with four other military personnel when the helicopter crashed near the city of Treviso. He was 22.
Air Force Senior Airman Kenneth P. Hauprich, Jr. was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Air Force Senior Airman Kenneth P. Hauprich, Jr., 22, Jamestown, Ohio.
Air Force Senior Airman Kenny Hauprich of Fairborn, Ohio was a 2004 graduate of Greeneview High School where he wrestled, played football, sang in the choir, earned As and Bs, had perfect attendance for at least three years and loved being in plays.
He was also a counselor at Camp Kern. His smile, bright blue eyes and sparkling personality made it hard not to instantly like him. He had a way to make the room light up when he was around. Even when he got into trouble and was sent to his room he would never stay in it because he hated for someone to be mad or upset at him.
His favorite saying was "Remember that I am the good one".
Kenny always gave 150% of himself in everything that he did, whether it was him wrestling as one of the smallest one on the team to practicing with the heavy weights. This motivation carried over to everything he did from making employee of the month the second month he worked at Wendy's, or making Senior Airman below zone.
He had a zest for life that was impeccable! He had dreams that someday he would play football and that he did: not only did he play on the Junior high football team where he did get to shine. Kenny was small in size and didn't get much playing time but he put his heart into every practice where he gave the star players the practice they needed. It was not unusual to see Kenny run out on the field just to get the kicking tee.
Kenny left to go into the Air Force and not only did he become a man but he did grow to over 6 feet tall. He was stationed at Aviano AB where they saw him as an awesome athlete. His nick name was "Gazelle" because he was so quick. He played for the NFL Italy team where he was the starting receiver.
Kenny was doing what he wanted to do his entire life and that was to follow in his father's and mother's footsteps and serve his country as an Airman in the United States Air Force. His twin sister, also is in the military.
As with all his endeavors Kenny was a steller Airman!
He was preceded in death by his Grandfather Ronald Duncan. He died along with four other military personnel when the helicopter crashed near the city of Treviso. He was 22.
Air Force Senior Airman Kenneth P. Hauprich, Jr. was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Mark A. Spence
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force SSgt Mark A. Spence, 24, Buffalo, NY.
SSgt Spence was assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy, and attached to the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment.
At services for a young Clarence airman, a lifelong echo of ‘Why?’
In Clarence, loved ones recall sense of wonder
By Janice L. Habuda
Why? Tuesday, the day of the funeral of Staff Sgt. Mark A. Spence, a Clarence family questioned why their 24-year-old son, brother and husband had to die so young.
The Air Force is trying to find out why a military helicopter crashed Nov. 8 in Italy, killing Spence and five others.
At the same time, “why” was fondly remembered as the question that consumed the young airman’s life.
“We got our first family computer when he was 14,” recalled his father, Mark T. Spence.
One day, between the time the elder Spence left for work and came home unexpectedly, the computer had disappeared. Entering his son’s bedroom, he saw that the entire unit had been disassembled and laid out on the floor.
“I said, ‘What are you doing?’ ” his father related. “He said, ‘I just want to see how it worked, Papa.’ ”
The young Spence was given an hour to put the computer back together. It was done in 30 minutes.
“He wanted to know how things worked,” his father said. “His biggest question growing up was ‘Why?’ ”
Friends, family and fellow members of the military paid their respects Tuesday to the inquisitive, ambitious Spence. After a full day of calling hours, funeral services with military honors were held Tuesday night in the Amigone Funeral Home in Clarence.
The young airman had a promising career as an avionics sensors team leader at the air base in Aviano, Italy. While he was geographically out of harm’s way for military actions related to the war on terrorism, the work of Spence and his crew of eight protected the lives of the pilots flying missions in fighter jets.
“It gave him such pride to know that he was keeping these pilots safe,” his father said.
Condolences from fellow airmen also let his loved ones know that he was valued in other ways.
“He made us laugh. He made us enjoy life more,” said his mother, Kim, recounting some of the messages they have received.
Though he had signed up for a six-year stint in the Air Force, Spence already was looking beyond his discharge in 2010. Due home in January to take the State Police exam, he was hoping for a future in law enforcement.
His wife, Elena, is expecting a baby next spring. The couple would have celebrated their second wedding anniversary next week.
Never really one to seek advice as a teenager, Spence had questioned leaving his family in the United States, said his father, who told the son, “Mark, you’ve got to live your own life.”
“And he did,” his father said. “He lived it to the fullest. No challenge was too great. Fearless, but not reckless.”
Air Force SSgt Mark A. Spence was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Air Force SSgt Mark A. Spence, 24, Buffalo, NY.
SSgt Spence was assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy, and attached to the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment.
At services for a young Clarence airman, a lifelong echo of ‘Why?’
In Clarence, loved ones recall sense of wonder
By Janice L. Habuda
Why? Tuesday, the day of the funeral of Staff Sgt. Mark A. Spence, a Clarence family questioned why their 24-year-old son, brother and husband had to die so young.
The Air Force is trying to find out why a military helicopter crashed Nov. 8 in Italy, killing Spence and five others.
At the same time, “why” was fondly remembered as the question that consumed the young airman’s life.
“We got our first family computer when he was 14,” recalled his father, Mark T. Spence.
One day, between the time the elder Spence left for work and came home unexpectedly, the computer had disappeared. Entering his son’s bedroom, he saw that the entire unit had been disassembled and laid out on the floor.
“I said, ‘What are you doing?’ ” his father related. “He said, ‘I just want to see how it worked, Papa.’ ”
The young Spence was given an hour to put the computer back together. It was done in 30 minutes.
“He wanted to know how things worked,” his father said. “His biggest question growing up was ‘Why?’ ”
Friends, family and fellow members of the military paid their respects Tuesday to the inquisitive, ambitious Spence. After a full day of calling hours, funeral services with military honors were held Tuesday night in the Amigone Funeral Home in Clarence.
The young airman had a promising career as an avionics sensors team leader at the air base in Aviano, Italy. While he was geographically out of harm’s way for military actions related to the war on terrorism, the work of Spence and his crew of eight protected the lives of the pilots flying missions in fighter jets.
“It gave him such pride to know that he was keeping these pilots safe,” his father said.
Condolences from fellow airmen also let his loved ones know that he was valued in other ways.
“He made us laugh. He made us enjoy life more,” said his mother, Kim, recounting some of the messages they have received.
Though he had signed up for a six-year stint in the Air Force, Spence already was looking beyond his discharge in 2010. Due home in January to take the State Police exam, he was hoping for a future in law enforcement.
His wife, Elena, is expecting a baby next spring. The couple would have celebrated their second wedding anniversary next week.
Never really one to seek advice as a teenager, Spence had questioned leaving his family in the United States, said his father, who told the son, “Mark, you’ve got to live your own life.”
“And he did,” his father said. “He lived it to the fullest. No challenge was too great. Fearless, but not reckless.”
Air Force SSgt Mark A. Spence was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/08/07.
Air Force Capt. Cartize B. Durham
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Capt. Cartize B. Durham, 30, Bossier City, LA.
Capt. Durham was assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy and attached to the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment.
Family members tell The Times an Air Force officer from Bossier City is among six military personnel killed in the crash of an Army Blackhawk helicopter in Italy this week.
Capt. Cartize Barnard Durham was killed in the crash of the helicopter Thursday, his aunt, Rosemary Sneed, told The Times today.
She said the officer's mother, Deborah Durham, also of Bossier City, learned of his death that day, when the airman's widow, Shumeka, called with the grim news.
Durham, 30 and a graduate of Airline High School and Louisiana Tech University, was married and the father of two sons, Taylor, 7, and Christian, 1.
Durham had just returned from a two-week visit to her son and daughter-in-law in Italy, Sneed said.
"We've lost the best," Sneed said of her nephew, who joined the Air Force after three years of service in the Army and his college graduation. "He was such an outstanding figure, to be raised by a single mother."
Sneed said her nephew joined the service to help his family as well as for personal service to the country.
"What motivated was how he saw his mother struggling," Sneed said.
The crash's sixth victim died overnight in a northern Italian hospital, officials said Friday.
Eleven Army and Air Force personnel were on board the UH-60 Army Blackhawk helicopter when it went down Thursday near the city of Treviso, U.S. Army Europe said in a statement released by its headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.
The military said that the names of the victims were being withheld pending notification of next of kin and that the cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Italian rescue services said they pulled four bodies from the wreckage, and the U.S. army said a fifth person died later in hospital.
The sixth person died Thursday around 10 p.m. local time, said an official at Treviso's hospital.
"He was in serious hemorrhagic shock when he arrived," said hospital spokesman Fabio Bruno. "He didn't make it."
Three survivors of the crash, one in serious condition, were being treated in Treviso, while two others were hospitalized in nearby towns, Bruno told The Associated Press by telephone.
Television footage showed the charred remains of the chopper, which broke into at least two pieces, smoldering in a swampy field.
The helicopter, attached to 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, crashed around midday about 22 miles southwest of Aviano, the U.S. Army statement said.
A spokesman at the U.S. Air Force base in Aviano, near Venice, Senior Airman Justin Weaver, said the helicopter involved had taken off from the base.
The Army statement said the chopper was on a training flight. The mission also included a re-enlistment ceremony, it said without elaborating.
Aboard were four Army soldiers as crew and seven Air Force airmen as passengers, according to the statement.
The UH-60 Blackhawk is the Army's general utility helicopter, used for transporting troops and equipment, air assault, medical evacuations and to support special operations as well as other missions.
An entire 11-person, fully equipped infantry squad can be lifted in a single Blackhawk, according to the Army Web site, which says the helicopter has a crew of four.
Air Force Capt. Cartize B. Durham was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/8/07.
Air Force Capt. Cartize B. Durham, 30, Bossier City, LA.
Capt. Durham was assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy and attached to the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment.
Family members tell The Times an Air Force officer from Bossier City is among six military personnel killed in the crash of an Army Blackhawk helicopter in Italy this week.
Capt. Cartize Barnard Durham was killed in the crash of the helicopter Thursday, his aunt, Rosemary Sneed, told The Times today.
She said the officer's mother, Deborah Durham, also of Bossier City, learned of his death that day, when the airman's widow, Shumeka, called with the grim news.
Durham, 30 and a graduate of Airline High School and Louisiana Tech University, was married and the father of two sons, Taylor, 7, and Christian, 1.
Durham had just returned from a two-week visit to her son and daughter-in-law in Italy, Sneed said.
"We've lost the best," Sneed said of her nephew, who joined the Air Force after three years of service in the Army and his college graduation. "He was such an outstanding figure, to be raised by a single mother."
Sneed said her nephew joined the service to help his family as well as for personal service to the country.
"What motivated was how he saw his mother struggling," Sneed said.
The crash's sixth victim died overnight in a northern Italian hospital, officials said Friday.
Eleven Army and Air Force personnel were on board the UH-60 Army Blackhawk helicopter when it went down Thursday near the city of Treviso, U.S. Army Europe said in a statement released by its headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.
The military said that the names of the victims were being withheld pending notification of next of kin and that the cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Italian rescue services said they pulled four bodies from the wreckage, and the U.S. army said a fifth person died later in hospital.
The sixth person died Thursday around 10 p.m. local time, said an official at Treviso's hospital.
"He was in serious hemorrhagic shock when he arrived," said hospital spokesman Fabio Bruno. "He didn't make it."
Three survivors of the crash, one in serious condition, were being treated in Treviso, while two others were hospitalized in nearby towns, Bruno told The Associated Press by telephone.
Television footage showed the charred remains of the chopper, which broke into at least two pieces, smoldering in a swampy field.
The helicopter, attached to 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, crashed around midday about 22 miles southwest of Aviano, the U.S. Army statement said.
A spokesman at the U.S. Air Force base in Aviano, near Venice, Senior Airman Justin Weaver, said the helicopter involved had taken off from the base.
The Army statement said the chopper was on a training flight. The mission also included a re-enlistment ceremony, it said without elaborating.
Aboard were four Army soldiers as crew and seven Air Force airmen as passengers, according to the statement.
The UH-60 Blackhawk is the Army's general utility helicopter, used for transporting troops and equipment, air assault, medical evacuations and to support special operations as well as other missions.
An entire 11-person, fully equipped infantry squad can be lifted in a single Blackhawk, according to the Army Web site, which says the helicopter has a crew of four.
Air Force Capt. Cartize B. Durham was killed in a helicopter crash on 11/8/07.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao, 29, of Fagaalu, American Samoa
Sgt. Tumanuvao was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Nov. 7, 2007 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds sustained when he was struck by an improvised explosive device during combat operations.
AMERICAN SAMOAN SOLDIER 16TH TO DIE IN IRAQ
By Fili Sagapolutele
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (Samoa News, Nov. 8) - Another son of American Samoa has died in the Iraq war, the 16th soldier of Samoan descent to die in the Middle East conflict.
Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao, 29, was killed in Iraq on Wednesday and his family was informed yesterday by officials from the local Army Reserve who visited the family home in Ili'ili, said his father Kelekolio Tumanuvao.
Specific details of Lui's death remain unknown and at press time last night the U.S. Defense Department had not yet issued an official statement.
"It's a very sad day for us," Kelekolio said yesterday afternoon in a telephone interview. He said when the family first received the news - which was through a telephone call from a relative off-island, "Lui's mom could not stop crying nor could his grandmother Fa'aea."
"My son was a very quiet and kind person," he said and noted Lui's uncle Father Viane had visited the family after being informed of the sad news.
Tumanuvao was a 1994 graduate of Marist Brothers High School. He then went on to the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) and had worked at the Emergency Medical Service (EMS).
Kelekolio said his son was a local reservist with the Bravo and Charlie companies, who was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and returned in early 2006. Kelekolio said it was afterwards that Lui decided to become an active member of the Army.
He was stationed at Ft. Stewart, Georgia but it was not immediately clear when he was deployed to Iraq for the second time.
Kelekolio said funeral arrangements are pending and the family wants Lui to be returned home for burial.
Lui is survived by his wife Selia and their two young children; his parents Kelekolio and Monica; and siblings
Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao was killed in action on 11/07/07.
Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao, 29, of Fagaalu, American Samoa
Sgt. Tumanuvao was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Nov. 7, 2007 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds sustained when he was struck by an improvised explosive device during combat operations.
AMERICAN SAMOAN SOLDIER 16TH TO DIE IN IRAQ
By Fili Sagapolutele
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (Samoa News, Nov. 8) - Another son of American Samoa has died in the Iraq war, the 16th soldier of Samoan descent to die in the Middle East conflict.
Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao, 29, was killed in Iraq on Wednesday and his family was informed yesterday by officials from the local Army Reserve who visited the family home in Ili'ili, said his father Kelekolio Tumanuvao.
Specific details of Lui's death remain unknown and at press time last night the U.S. Defense Department had not yet issued an official statement.
"It's a very sad day for us," Kelekolio said yesterday afternoon in a telephone interview. He said when the family first received the news - which was through a telephone call from a relative off-island, "Lui's mom could not stop crying nor could his grandmother Fa'aea."
"My son was a very quiet and kind person," he said and noted Lui's uncle Father Viane had visited the family after being informed of the sad news.
Tumanuvao was a 1994 graduate of Marist Brothers High School. He then went on to the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) and had worked at the Emergency Medical Service (EMS).
Kelekolio said his son was a local reservist with the Bravo and Charlie companies, who was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and returned in early 2006. Kelekolio said it was afterwards that Lui decided to become an active member of the Army.
He was stationed at Ft. Stewart, Georgia but it was not immediately clear when he was deployed to Iraq for the second time.
Kelekolio said funeral arrangements are pending and the family wants Lui to be returned home for burial.
Lui is survived by his wife Selia and their two young children; his parents Kelekolio and Monica; and siblings
Army Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao was killed in action on 11/07/07.
Army Capt. Benjamin D. Tiffner
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. Benjamin D. Tiffner, 31, of West Virginia
Capt. Tiffner was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 7, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when he was struck by an improvised explosive device.
Soldier with Soldotna ties killed in Iraq
WILL MORROW
Peninsula Clarion
A soldier with ties to Soldotna was killed Wednesday in Iraq.
Capt. Benjamin Tiffner, 31, of West Virginia, died in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device during the course of conducting a ground convoy, according to a U.S. Army Special Operations Command press release. He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha team leader assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Tiffner is the son of Soldotna Baptist Church senior pastor Timothy Tiffner and his wife, Judith.
Timothy Tiffner said he had an opportunity to talk with his son just before he died.
"One of the last things he told me was, 'Dad, we're making a difference here. The media won't tell you that. ... It's an honor and a privilege to be here,'" he said.
"That's a good memory to leave with."
Tiffner was born in Ohio. He spent much of his childhood in the Philippines where his parents served as missionaries.
Tiffner said his son always wanted to join the military. Benjamin Tiffner's older brother served in Iraq with the Marine Corps, and his grandfather was a career soldier.
Tiffner graduated from West Point in 2000. He served his first tour of duty in Iraq from November 2003 to March 2004. He earned his Green Beret in 2006 before returning to Iraq for his second tour.
Tiffner's parents and sister, Sarah, have lived in Soldotna since 1999. Timothy Tiffner said his son visited Soldotna frequently.
"He would come to visit often. He was just here this summer," he said.
"He spent most of the holidays here when he wasn't deployed. Many, many times he was here."
Tiffner will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Army Capt. Benjamin D. Tiffner was killed in action on 11/07/07.
Army Capt. Benjamin D. Tiffner, 31, of West Virginia
Capt. Tiffner was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 7, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when he was struck by an improvised explosive device.
Soldier with Soldotna ties killed in Iraq
WILL MORROW
Peninsula Clarion
A soldier with ties to Soldotna was killed Wednesday in Iraq.
Capt. Benjamin Tiffner, 31, of West Virginia, died in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device during the course of conducting a ground convoy, according to a U.S. Army Special Operations Command press release. He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha team leader assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Tiffner is the son of Soldotna Baptist Church senior pastor Timothy Tiffner and his wife, Judith.
Timothy Tiffner said he had an opportunity to talk with his son just before he died.
"One of the last things he told me was, 'Dad, we're making a difference here. The media won't tell you that. ... It's an honor and a privilege to be here,'" he said.
"That's a good memory to leave with."
Tiffner was born in Ohio. He spent much of his childhood in the Philippines where his parents served as missionaries.
Tiffner said his son always wanted to join the military. Benjamin Tiffner's older brother served in Iraq with the Marine Corps, and his grandfather was a career soldier.
Tiffner graduated from West Point in 2000. He served his first tour of duty in Iraq from November 2003 to March 2004. He earned his Green Beret in 2006 before returning to Iraq for his second tour.
Tiffner's parents and sister, Sarah, have lived in Soldotna since 1999. Timothy Tiffner said his son visited Soldotna frequently.
"He would come to visit often. He was just here this summer," he said.
"He spent most of the holidays here when he wasn't deployed. Many, many times he was here."
Tiffner will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Army Capt. Benjamin D. Tiffner was killed in action on 11/07/07.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Army Spc. Christine M. Ndururi
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Christine M. Ndururi, 21, of Dracut, Mass.
Spc. Ndururi was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died Nov. 6, 2007 in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from a non-combat-related illness.
DRACUT -- She called her mother from Rhode Island on Monday morning to say she was heading to Iraq.
A day later, Christine Ndururi, a 21-year-old Army specialist from Dracut, was dead. The 2005 Dracut High School graduate died in Arifjan, Kuwait, from what military officials are calling a "noncombat-related illness."
Inside Ndururi's home on Woodbine Path yesterday afternoon, the grief and confusion were palpable. A muted television broadcast the news of the day. Nothing about Christine. Family members sat in silence and nibbled on food. Christine's father, Wilson Wachira, said the lack of information coming out of the Department of Defense is troubling.
"Right now, we have nothing. We will know more when Christine's body is brought home," said the Kenya native, who came to the United States in 2002. "We do not know what happened. She was not sick on Monday."
Wachira said his daughter was a born-again Christian who loved singing in her church choir and always looked forward to attending worship services.
Army Spc. Christine M. Ndururi died from a non-combat related illness in Kuwait on 11/06/07.
Army Spc. Christine M. Ndururi, 21, of Dracut, Mass.
Spc. Ndururi was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died Nov. 6, 2007 in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from a non-combat-related illness.
DRACUT -- She called her mother from Rhode Island on Monday morning to say she was heading to Iraq.
A day later, Christine Ndururi, a 21-year-old Army specialist from Dracut, was dead. The 2005 Dracut High School graduate died in Arifjan, Kuwait, from what military officials are calling a "noncombat-related illness."
Inside Ndururi's home on Woodbine Path yesterday afternoon, the grief and confusion were palpable. A muted television broadcast the news of the day. Nothing about Christine. Family members sat in silence and nibbled on food. Christine's father, Wilson Wachira, said the lack of information coming out of the Department of Defense is troubling.
"Right now, we have nothing. We will know more when Christine's body is brought home," said the Kenya native, who came to the United States in 2002. "We do not know what happened. She was not sick on Monday."
Wachira said his daughter was a born-again Christian who loved singing in her church choir and always looked forward to attending worship services.
Army Spc. Christine M. Ndururi died from a non-combat related illness in Kuwait on 11/06/07.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Army Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw, 23, of West Seneca, N.Y.
Sgt. Shaw was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Nov. 5, 2007 in Taji, Iraq.
Buffalo News -- Students gathered Friday in the gymnasium at West Seneca West High School for the annual rite to honor veterans.
This year, they also gathered to mourn.
Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw, 23, a member of the West Seneca West Class of 2003, was killed Monday by an explosion in Iraq. His parents, Ronald and Brenda, sister, grandmother and other relatives were on hand for the observance along with 1,400 students and faculty members.
Principal Jon T. MacSwan, his voice breaking with emotion, thanked the Shaws for their sacrifice.
“We especially thank Dan for making the ultimate sacrifice,” he said, adding that Shaw was “a young man who walked these hallways, attended this very program, and persevered as he dedicated himself to serving his country.”
For the students who listened to patriotic music performed by classmates and stood in unison when the colors were presented, the occasion transformed Veterans Day from just another school assembly into a moving memorial for a young man who had sat in the same desks just a few years ago.
West Seneca West joined other schools Friday, and veterans and community groups this holiday weekend, in observing Veterans Day.
Shaw was a friendly guy with a big smile and a can-do attitude that served him well in the military, said one of his former teachers, Ray Wassinger.
“I see so many kids in high school that, when they hit the road blocks, they give up, take another road. Dan wasn’t going to do that,” he said.
Whether it was dressing up as Santa Claus when he worked at Delta Sonic, or wearing his hair in a mohawk and joshing with then-principal James K. Brotz, Shaw was known for his good nature. Brotz, now superintendent, said “he was just a really good kid.”
“He was very determined that he wanted to go into the military, and he worked very hard to get there,” Brotz said.
Before the program, Ronald Shaw said his son’s death has hit the family hard, but they are bolstered by the support from the community.
“I just thank everybody for the support. It’s overwhelming,” he said.
Sgt. Shaw’s body is being returned to Buffalo today. A wake is to be held Sunday and Monday at Lombardo Funeral Home, 3060 Abbott Road, Orchard Park. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 3148 Abbott Road, Orchard Park.
Mark Beehler, the district’s director of science, and also a veteran, said some of those sitting in the gym Friday will decide to join the military.
“If statistics hold true, at least five of the seniors sitting in this gymnasium right now will take this job and go from being bound to a bell schedule, not being able to drive after dark, and having to be home by 11 o’clock, and generally holding very little responsibility,” he said, “to being handed a rifle, a Humvee, or tasked with securing an entry point, where your decision is critical to the survival of hundreds.”
He said they owe it to women and men like Shaw to do their best every day, no matter what path they choose.
“We can debate war and we can debate politics,” said Mac- Swan, “but there is no debating that the freedoms we exercise in doing so, were obtained by the young men and women who are serving today and have served in the past.”
After taps was played and the colors retired, students filed out of the gym silently, and respectfully, for their first-period classes.
Army Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw died in Iraq on 11/05/07.
Army Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw, 23, of West Seneca, N.Y.
Sgt. Shaw was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Nov. 5, 2007 in Taji, Iraq.
Buffalo News -- Students gathered Friday in the gymnasium at West Seneca West High School for the annual rite to honor veterans.
This year, they also gathered to mourn.
Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw, 23, a member of the West Seneca West Class of 2003, was killed Monday by an explosion in Iraq. His parents, Ronald and Brenda, sister, grandmother and other relatives were on hand for the observance along with 1,400 students and faculty members.
Principal Jon T. MacSwan, his voice breaking with emotion, thanked the Shaws for their sacrifice.
“We especially thank Dan for making the ultimate sacrifice,” he said, adding that Shaw was “a young man who walked these hallways, attended this very program, and persevered as he dedicated himself to serving his country.”
For the students who listened to patriotic music performed by classmates and stood in unison when the colors were presented, the occasion transformed Veterans Day from just another school assembly into a moving memorial for a young man who had sat in the same desks just a few years ago.
West Seneca West joined other schools Friday, and veterans and community groups this holiday weekend, in observing Veterans Day.
Shaw was a friendly guy with a big smile and a can-do attitude that served him well in the military, said one of his former teachers, Ray Wassinger.
“I see so many kids in high school that, when they hit the road blocks, they give up, take another road. Dan wasn’t going to do that,” he said.
Whether it was dressing up as Santa Claus when he worked at Delta Sonic, or wearing his hair in a mohawk and joshing with then-principal James K. Brotz, Shaw was known for his good nature. Brotz, now superintendent, said “he was just a really good kid.”
“He was very determined that he wanted to go into the military, and he worked very hard to get there,” Brotz said.
Before the program, Ronald Shaw said his son’s death has hit the family hard, but they are bolstered by the support from the community.
“I just thank everybody for the support. It’s overwhelming,” he said.
Sgt. Shaw’s body is being returned to Buffalo today. A wake is to be held Sunday and Monday at Lombardo Funeral Home, 3060 Abbott Road, Orchard Park. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 3148 Abbott Road, Orchard Park.
Mark Beehler, the district’s director of science, and also a veteran, said some of those sitting in the gym Friday will decide to join the military.
“If statistics hold true, at least five of the seniors sitting in this gymnasium right now will take this job and go from being bound to a bell schedule, not being able to drive after dark, and having to be home by 11 o’clock, and generally holding very little responsibility,” he said, “to being handed a rifle, a Humvee, or tasked with securing an entry point, where your decision is critical to the survival of hundreds.”
He said they owe it to women and men like Shaw to do their best every day, no matter what path they choose.
“We can debate war and we can debate politics,” said Mac- Swan, “but there is no debating that the freedoms we exercise in doing so, were obtained by the young men and women who are serving today and have served in the past.”
After taps was played and the colors retired, students filed out of the gym silently, and respectfully, for their first-period classes.
Army Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw died in Iraq on 11/05/07.
Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Kevin R. Bewley
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Kevin R. Bewley, 27, of Hector, Ark.
PO2 Bewley was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, Oak Harbor, Wash.; died Nov. 5, 2007 of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was conducting operations in Salahaddin province, Iraq.
Arkansan killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
OAK HARBOR, Wash. — A Whidbey Island Naval Air Station petty officer from Arkansas was the sixth member of a bomb disposal unit to be killed in Iraq.
Kevin Bewley, 27, of Hector, Ark., died Nov. 5 of wounds from a bomb that detonated in Sala ad Din province. He was on his second deployment to Iraq. -
CORRECTION TO ARTICLE PROVIDED BY SUSAN BEWLEY, SISTER IN LAW OF KEVIN:
"My name is Susan Bewley. Kevin's sister in law. I just wanted to clarify that Kevin was not killed by a bomb that went off. Kevin had disarmed 2 bombs successfully, and they were about to leave the scene when a RPG came thru the window and hit Kevin in the back of the neck.
Kevin did his job right and that is important."
“He had a real good personality. He was always sympathetic to people,” his father, Ron Duke Bewley, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “You bet I was proud of him.”
Three sailors from the same unit were killed in April, and two were killed in July.
“It’s a big loss to this small family,” said Naval Air Station spokeswoman Kimberly Martin.
Kevin Bewley loved the outdoors. After his first tour in Iraq, he and his older brother, Patrick, camped in minus-28 degree Arctic weather to fulfill a promise they made to each other to try to see the Northern Lights.
“He didn’t need a lot around him to be happy — just friends and family and getting to be outside,” Patrick Bewley said.
Bewley’s mother, Connie Whitaker, said the death of her son was devastating.
“The needless loss of life of our American servicemen and women is something that we as a nation must stop now,” she told the newspaper. “My son was precious to me, but so are the lives of everyone who has died needlessly, been maimed or who will suffer the trauma and horror of this senseless war.”
Bewley had been with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, based in Oak Harbor, since August 2005. His brother said that other members of Unit 11 often would join them on their camping or road trips.
“It was a great group of guys. They were his family, too,” Patrick Bewley said.
Kevin Bewley was known for his calm demeanor under pressure.
“The world could be burning down around him and he’d be calm and collected,” said Patrick Bewley.
In a statement, Capt. Barry Coceano, commander of bomb disposal units in the Pacific fleet, said: “His death is a tremendous loss to his family, friends and the entire [explosive ordnance disposal] community. He was a warrior who was protecting the lives of his fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, as well as local Iraqi citizens.”
Bewley was divorced and leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter.
Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Kevin R. Bewley was killed in action on 11/05/07.
Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Kevin R. Bewley, 27, of Hector, Ark.
PO2 Bewley was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, Oak Harbor, Wash.; died Nov. 5, 2007 of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was conducting operations in Salahaddin province, Iraq.
Arkansan killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
OAK HARBOR, Wash. — A Whidbey Island Naval Air Station petty officer from Arkansas was the sixth member of a bomb disposal unit to be killed in Iraq.
Kevin Bewley, 27, of Hector, Ark., died Nov. 5 of wounds from a bomb that detonated in Sala ad Din province. He was on his second deployment to Iraq. -
CORRECTION TO ARTICLE PROVIDED BY SUSAN BEWLEY, SISTER IN LAW OF KEVIN:
"My name is Susan Bewley. Kevin's sister in law. I just wanted to clarify that Kevin was not killed by a bomb that went off. Kevin had disarmed 2 bombs successfully, and they were about to leave the scene when a RPG came thru the window and hit Kevin in the back of the neck.
Kevin did his job right and that is important."
“He had a real good personality. He was always sympathetic to people,” his father, Ron Duke Bewley, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “You bet I was proud of him.”
Three sailors from the same unit were killed in April, and two were killed in July.
“It’s a big loss to this small family,” said Naval Air Station spokeswoman Kimberly Martin.
Kevin Bewley loved the outdoors. After his first tour in Iraq, he and his older brother, Patrick, camped in minus-28 degree Arctic weather to fulfill a promise they made to each other to try to see the Northern Lights.
“He didn’t need a lot around him to be happy — just friends and family and getting to be outside,” Patrick Bewley said.
Bewley’s mother, Connie Whitaker, said the death of her son was devastating.
“The needless loss of life of our American servicemen and women is something that we as a nation must stop now,” she told the newspaper. “My son was precious to me, but so are the lives of everyone who has died needlessly, been maimed or who will suffer the trauma and horror of this senseless war.”
Bewley had been with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, based in Oak Harbor, since August 2005. His brother said that other members of Unit 11 often would join them on their camping or road trips.
“It was a great group of guys. They were his family, too,” Patrick Bewley said.
Kevin Bewley was known for his calm demeanor under pressure.
“The world could be burning down around him and he’d be calm and collected,” said Patrick Bewley.
In a statement, Capt. Barry Coceano, commander of bomb disposal units in the Pacific fleet, said: “His death is a tremendous loss to his family, friends and the entire [explosive ordnance disposal] community. He was a warrior who was protecting the lives of his fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, as well as local Iraqi citizens.”
Bewley was divorced and leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter.
Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Kevin R. Bewley was killed in action on 11/05/07.
Army Pfc. Adam J. Muller
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Adam J. Muller, 21, of Underhill, Vt.
Pfc. Muller was assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Nov. 5, 2007 in Tal Al-Dahab, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Carletta S. Davis, Staff Sgt. John D. Linde and Sgt. Derek T. Stenroos.
Burlington Free Press -- RICHMOND -- A 21-year-old soldier from the Jonesville section of Richmond was killed Monday during a roadside bomb attack near Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
The death of Pfc. Adam J. Muller, one of six servicemen who died in Iraq on Monday, pushed the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq for the year to 853, making 2007 the deadliest year for the United States in Iraq. The previous high was 850 in 2004.
"He was always glad to serve his country," Michelle Muller, his wife of 11 months, said as she sobbed during an interview at her parents' Jonesville home Tuesday. "If he could make one little kid say, 'Remember when the Army was here andhow good they were to us?' He wanted to show that we're not all out for money." Army officials said Muller, a gunner, and three other soldiers were killed when the Humvee they were riding in was destroyed by an improvised explosive device on a road near Kirkuk. The Humvee was at the back end of a convoy of military vehicles when the explosion occurred.
Muller, a 2004 graduate of Mount Mansfield Union High School, joined the Army last year and had only been in Iraq for two months. He is the 32nd person with ties to Vermont to die in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since March 2003 and the first since April.
Muller's family was informed of his death late Monday afternoon when they were visited by a Vermont National Guard member and a chaplain. Muller's father, James Muller, was assembling a "care package" for his son when he learned what had happened.
Neither of Muller's parents, who are divorced, made themselves available for an interview Tuesday. Susan Wells, speaking on behalf of Muller's mother, Katherine Muller, said the family was taking the news hard.
"He was trained to do security work and two weeks before he went over, they told him he was going to be deployed as a gunner," Wells said of Adam Muller. "His mother is quite angry about that."
Michelle Muller, however, said her husband was also trained to be a gunner and did not object to his assignment. Being a gunner, which involves riding on patrols through hostile areas, is regarded as one of the riskier assignments for a soldier.
"I'm mad because he's gone, but I'm not mad at anybody," she said. "I know that he doesn't blame anybody. Nobody forced him to join. Nobody lied to him about the risk involved."
Michael Muller, who is married to James Muller, said her stepson accepted his assignment and viewed it as "paying his dues" so he could some day attain the rank of MP, or military policeman, the position his father held when he was in the military.
"It was a tougher position than he had hoped for," Michael Muller said of Adam Muller's gunner assignment. "But he wanted very much to join the military."
As news of Muller's death spread through Richmond on Tuesday, flags were lowered to half mast staff and people recalled a young man who nearly everyone called a "sweet guy."
"Everybody liked him," said Michelle Hall, working the counter at the Richmond Corner Market. "His mom was in here this morning buying coffee. She'd been up all night crying. I couldn't believe it was him. It shouldn't happen to anybody, but especially him."
Hall, 22, of Jericho said she attended Mount Mansfield Union High School with Muller and that he used to sit right in front of her in a history class. "He was very funny," she said. "Nothing you could say about him could be bad."
Conor Leland, 15, lived several doors down Blue Rock Road, a rustic dirt road in Jonesville where Muller grew up. His older brother, Caleb, was a close friend of Muller's. Conor Muller Leland said despite the age difference Muller always stuck up for him during neighborhood snowball fights.
"He was my hero," Conor Leland said. "He was always there, always someone I looked up to."
Jennifer Botzojorns, principal at Mount Mansfield Union, said although most of the students who knew Muller have graduated, his death is still being keenly felt at school because Muller's mother-in-law, Danielle Nelson, works in the kitchen at the high school.
"You wrap your arms around each other, love each other and move forward," Botzojorns said. "Our whole faculty's and staff's hearts go out to the family. It's just so sad to lose such a wonderful, vibrant young man."
Botzojorns said when Muller was a senior, he decided on a whim to join the school's chorale group because he wanted to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody," the signature hit by the rock group Queen. She said in memory of Muller, the chorale group will stage an encore performance of the song at an upcoming the spring concert and dedicate it to Muller.
Michelle Muller, 20, described her husband as someone who always looked out for her and his friends, generously sharing the snacks she sent him, always asking her how she was doing, always willing to tell her he loved her, though she said his Army buddies ribbed him for it.
"He always knew what to say to me to make me feel better," she said.
She said they played on the same soccer team as first-graders and rode the same school bus. Their first date was to the Mount Mansfield Union High cabaret when she was in 10th grade, he in 11th. They were together ever since and weregot married last Nov. 18.
She said the last time they spoke was Sunday. During the conversation about their upcoming anniversary and what to get family members for Christmas, Muller told her he was about to go out on a 10-day road trip.
She said it occurred to her at the time that a road trip was more dangerous than staying on the base.
"I prayed for him more," she said. "I just told him to be careful. He always says 'I promise I will.'"
Army Pfc. Adam J. Muller was killed in action on 11/05/07.
Army Pfc. Adam J. Muller, 21, of Underhill, Vt.
Pfc. Muller was assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Nov. 5, 2007 in Tal Al-Dahab, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Carletta S. Davis, Staff Sgt. John D. Linde and Sgt. Derek T. Stenroos.
Burlington Free Press -- RICHMOND -- A 21-year-old soldier from the Jonesville section of Richmond was killed Monday during a roadside bomb attack near Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
The death of Pfc. Adam J. Muller, one of six servicemen who died in Iraq on Monday, pushed the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq for the year to 853, making 2007 the deadliest year for the United States in Iraq. The previous high was 850 in 2004.
"He was always glad to serve his country," Michelle Muller, his wife of 11 months, said as she sobbed during an interview at her parents' Jonesville home Tuesday. "If he could make one little kid say, 'Remember when the Army was here andhow good they were to us?' He wanted to show that we're not all out for money." Army officials said Muller, a gunner, and three other soldiers were killed when the Humvee they were riding in was destroyed by an improvised explosive device on a road near Kirkuk. The Humvee was at the back end of a convoy of military vehicles when the explosion occurred.
Muller, a 2004 graduate of Mount Mansfield Union High School, joined the Army last year and had only been in Iraq for two months. He is the 32nd person with ties to Vermont to die in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since March 2003 and the first since April.
Muller's family was informed of his death late Monday afternoon when they were visited by a Vermont National Guard member and a chaplain. Muller's father, James Muller, was assembling a "care package" for his son when he learned what had happened.
Neither of Muller's parents, who are divorced, made themselves available for an interview Tuesday. Susan Wells, speaking on behalf of Muller's mother, Katherine Muller, said the family was taking the news hard.
"He was trained to do security work and two weeks before he went over, they told him he was going to be deployed as a gunner," Wells said of Adam Muller. "His mother is quite angry about that."
Michelle Muller, however, said her husband was also trained to be a gunner and did not object to his assignment. Being a gunner, which involves riding on patrols through hostile areas, is regarded as one of the riskier assignments for a soldier.
"I'm mad because he's gone, but I'm not mad at anybody," she said. "I know that he doesn't blame anybody. Nobody forced him to join. Nobody lied to him about the risk involved."
Michael Muller, who is married to James Muller, said her stepson accepted his assignment and viewed it as "paying his dues" so he could some day attain the rank of MP, or military policeman, the position his father held when he was in the military.
"It was a tougher position than he had hoped for," Michael Muller said of Adam Muller's gunner assignment. "But he wanted very much to join the military."
As news of Muller's death spread through Richmond on Tuesday, flags were lowered to half mast staff and people recalled a young man who nearly everyone called a "sweet guy."
"Everybody liked him," said Michelle Hall, working the counter at the Richmond Corner Market. "His mom was in here this morning buying coffee. She'd been up all night crying. I couldn't believe it was him. It shouldn't happen to anybody, but especially him."
Hall, 22, of Jericho said she attended Mount Mansfield Union High School with Muller and that he used to sit right in front of her in a history class. "He was very funny," she said. "Nothing you could say about him could be bad."
Conor Leland, 15, lived several doors down Blue Rock Road, a rustic dirt road in Jonesville where Muller grew up. His older brother, Caleb, was a close friend of Muller's. Conor Muller Leland said despite the age difference Muller always stuck up for him during neighborhood snowball fights.
"He was my hero," Conor Leland said. "He was always there, always someone I looked up to."
Jennifer Botzojorns, principal at Mount Mansfield Union, said although most of the students who knew Muller have graduated, his death is still being keenly felt at school because Muller's mother-in-law, Danielle Nelson, works in the kitchen at the high school.
"You wrap your arms around each other, love each other and move forward," Botzojorns said. "Our whole faculty's and staff's hearts go out to the family. It's just so sad to lose such a wonderful, vibrant young man."
Botzojorns said when Muller was a senior, he decided on a whim to join the school's chorale group because he wanted to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody," the signature hit by the rock group Queen. She said in memory of Muller, the chorale group will stage an encore performance of the song at an upcoming the spring concert and dedicate it to Muller.
Michelle Muller, 20, described her husband as someone who always looked out for her and his friends, generously sharing the snacks she sent him, always asking her how she was doing, always willing to tell her he loved her, though she said his Army buddies ribbed him for it.
"He always knew what to say to me to make me feel better," she said.
She said they played on the same soccer team as first-graders and rode the same school bus. Their first date was to the Mount Mansfield Union High cabaret when she was in 10th grade, he in 11th. They were together ever since and weregot married last Nov. 18.
She said the last time they spoke was Sunday. During the conversation about their upcoming anniversary and what to get family members for Christmas, Muller told her he was about to go out on a 10-day road trip.
She said it occurred to her at the time that a road trip was more dangerous than staying on the base.
"I prayed for him more," she said. "I just told him to be careful. He always says 'I promise I will.'"
Army Pfc. Adam J. Muller was killed in action on 11/05/07.
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