Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Andrew J. Shields, 19, of Battleground, Wash.
Pvt. Shields died May 31, 2008 in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany. Also killed was Spc. James M. Finley.
Battle Ground man killed in Afghanistan
By MIKE BARBER P-I REPORTER
A 19-year-old soldier from Battle Ground in southwestern Washington was killed Saturday in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said Monday.
Pvt. Andrew Jon Shields, a combat medic and paratrooper, died when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in Jalalabad. He was a 2007 graduate of Battle Ground High School, where he had been a highly regarded cadet firefighter.
Killed in the same vehicle in which Shields was riding was Spc. James M. Finley, 21, of Lebanon, Mo., Army officials said. Both were members of the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Bamberg, Germany.
Battle Ground Mayor Michael Ciraulo on Monday ordered flags in the city lowered to half-staff in Shields' memory while the City Council held a moment of silence.
The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver reported Monday that Shields had been a cadet firefighter and cadet battalion chief in his senior year. An energetic, focused teen, Shields wanted to follow in his father's footsteps by serving in the Army, after which he wanted to a career in emergency services, the newspaper reported.
Only a month ago, Shields had visited his former classmates and cadets at the high school before deploying to Afghanistan, the Columbian said, urging them to keep their eyes on their goals.
Army Pvt. Andrew J. Shields was killed in action on 5/31/08.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Army Spc. James M. Finley
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. James M. Finley, 21, of Lebanon, Mo.
Spc. Finley was assigned to the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany; died May 31, 2008 in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pvt. Andrew J. Shields.
Grateful for James Finley
By Katie Hilton
When terrorists attacked the United States on 9/11/2001, James Matthew Finley was in junior high school.
No doubt the impressions of that unspeakable loss and devastation stayed with him, as they have with everyone who recalls that day. We watched Twin Towers collapse into toxic grey clouds, a fiery hole consume airline passengers and occupants of the Pentagon, and an eerily quiet blemish appear on a field in Pennsylvania — the instant grave for more airline passengers and the terrorists who tried to steer their plane toward Washington.
I did not have the privilege of knowing James Matthew Finley. But now I know that he volunteered to try to stop more al-Qaida terrorists hiding in caves and gullies in Afghanistan from launching more attacks against the nation that he, and I, love.
I am deeply grateful for his service and his sacrifice. America needed him. He answered. He paid all he had.
It is tragic that this brave young man will not grow old, telling stories about his part in Operation Enduring Freedom, bringing up children, and living in our blessed land. My heart weeps for his family and friends. My prayers join those of hundreds and thousands in Laclede County who ask that the Finleys receive comfort and support from the heart of God.
I am proud that my community will salute Specialist Finley and his family tomorrow when he is laid to rest. Not everyone can go to pay their respects in person — flag in hand, hat or hand over heart, lining South Jefferson. But thousands will be thinking about Specialist Finley’s sacrifice on Monday and in the days to come.
It’s been nearly seven years since 9/11. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq goes on. This being an election year, critics of the war get louder. Lots of people proclaim they could have prosecuted it better, shorter, cleaner.
Maybe. Maybe not.
That fact is that terrorism remains the deadliest threat to America, and it must be defeated. Specialist Finley knew that. He volunteered to do his part.
We owe it to Specialist Finley and all those who are defending us, and we owe it to those 3,000 civilians slain on a clear September day, to remove the threat that terrorism poses to our liberty.
It was a different war when Lincoln spoke his few words at Gettysburg 144 years ago. His admonition is ours today:
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. ...”
The American experiment in government is young. Fighting for an ideal, freedom, is a new concept in a dark and broken world. We here take for granted the rights that are God’s blessing, hard won by men and women like James M. Finley, from Lexington and Concord, through D-Day, to June 8, 2008.
So when you worship where and as you please; when you vote for whoever or whatever you want; when you slam or praise your elected officials or the actions they take, have in your heart a special thank-you to Specialist Finley and his loved ones.
I’ll bet he’d say, “You’re welcome.”
A community mourns for 21-year-old James Finley
By Drew Nobles
It’s a phone call no military family ever wants to answer.
It’s their worst nightmare, an unknown sympathetic voice explaining that their loved one has died while serving their country bravely and honorably. On May 31, the phone rang and the War on Terrorism struck home for the family of Spc. James Finley.
“Though this is not the homecoming celebration we’ve been planning, we are so glad you are home,” Wayne Finley — James Finley’s father — managed to say through tears to a mourning crowd of family, friends, classmates, teachers, America’s servicemen and women Monday afternoon at Heritage Baptist Temple. All had gathered to honor and say good-bye to a fallen soldier, a lost son, whose life was cut dreadfully short in the mountains of Afghanistan.
“This is not goodbye, but we will see you later. Rest in peace, my son.”
These words echoed throughout the church as the casket of 21-year-old Finley lay at the altar, draped with the flag he valiantly served during the final two years of his life.
Nothing was said. Nothing could be said. A silence swept across the church as six of the U. S. Army Honor Guard escorts carefully wheeled one of Lebanon’s finest past the weeping audience.
“I was absolutely shocked, and there was a moment of numbness. Then I just cried,” said close friend and high school classmate Trina Mizer. “I couldn’t do anything else but cry when I heard.”
As the service came to a close, the Finley family was met with waves upon waves of American flags fluttering gracefully, making a patriotic sea of Stars and Stripes, as they stepped outside the temple. Hundreds of people flooded onto Lynn Street paying their respects to a family who has paid the ultimate price.
It was truly a beautiful sight as the procession embarked for Finley’s final resting spot in Mount Rose Memorial Park. A convoy of Patriot Guard Riders motorcyclists, fire trucks, cars, pick-up trucks, minivans and SUVs, at least four miles long, slowly crept through the heart of Lebanon as they followed the town’s fallen hero.
Thousands of onlookers lined Jefferson Avenue as the procession passed. No amount of rain could have dampened the American spirit as Lebanon seemed to shut down in honor of a man who defended us abroad.
Few burgers were made, or coffee served, or checks cashed, or phone calls answered. There are no words that can explain unity shown on that somber afternoon. It seemed as though the entire population of Lebanon were standing side-by-side, bearing nothing more than an American flag and a heavy heart.
Spc. Finley is a hero, and he received the finest salute a hero could have.
Many of those who lined the streets of Lebanon knew the Finley family and the fallen soldier, while many did not.
Those who just happened to be passing through Lebanon Monday may been irritated by what they first assumed was a parade that was slowing traffic, but after spotting the flags held high and the procession, some stopped their vehicles and joined the community to mourn.
“I saw the police officers and the flags and I knew what had happened,” Brain Gideon of Sheldon, Mo. said. Gideon stopped his tractor-trailer rig on Jefferson Avenue, turned off the engine, exited the cab of the black Peterbilt and stood nearby the crowd that had gathered to pay tribute to Finley.
“Once I saw what was going on, I said to myself, ‘Yep. It’s time to stop.’ I stopped and got out of my vehicle out of respect for the young man. I set my brakes and I won’t move until it’s done,” he said as the procession passed under an American flag flying from the bucket of a Lebanon Fire Department ladder truck. “They sacrificed their lives, and appointments are just appointments. They can wait for something like this.”
At the cemetery Daniel Garcia, pastor of Heritage Temple, speaking on behalf of the Finley family, said the Rev. Finley, associate pastor at the church, forgave the suicide bombers for their ignorance.
“I know it was really hard for them, but, for the most part, I think they held together really well. That Wayne asked God to forgive the people who did this — it’s just amazing, and it was remarkable that the crowd and the community was here to support them. I believe the family is very heartbroken and hurt, but I think they also saw the support of those around them,” Rev. Garcia said.
Spc. Finley was honored by a written presentation from President George W. Bush with Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals.
Army Spc. James M. Finley ws killed in action on 5/31/08.
Army Spc. James M. Finley, 21, of Lebanon, Mo.
Spc. Finley was assigned to the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany; died May 31, 2008 in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pvt. Andrew J. Shields.
Grateful for James Finley
By Katie Hilton
When terrorists attacked the United States on 9/11/2001, James Matthew Finley was in junior high school.
No doubt the impressions of that unspeakable loss and devastation stayed with him, as they have with everyone who recalls that day. We watched Twin Towers collapse into toxic grey clouds, a fiery hole consume airline passengers and occupants of the Pentagon, and an eerily quiet blemish appear on a field in Pennsylvania — the instant grave for more airline passengers and the terrorists who tried to steer their plane toward Washington.
I did not have the privilege of knowing James Matthew Finley. But now I know that he volunteered to try to stop more al-Qaida terrorists hiding in caves and gullies in Afghanistan from launching more attacks against the nation that he, and I, love.
I am deeply grateful for his service and his sacrifice. America needed him. He answered. He paid all he had.
It is tragic that this brave young man will not grow old, telling stories about his part in Operation Enduring Freedom, bringing up children, and living in our blessed land. My heart weeps for his family and friends. My prayers join those of hundreds and thousands in Laclede County who ask that the Finleys receive comfort and support from the heart of God.
I am proud that my community will salute Specialist Finley and his family tomorrow when he is laid to rest. Not everyone can go to pay their respects in person — flag in hand, hat or hand over heart, lining South Jefferson. But thousands will be thinking about Specialist Finley’s sacrifice on Monday and in the days to come.
It’s been nearly seven years since 9/11. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq goes on. This being an election year, critics of the war get louder. Lots of people proclaim they could have prosecuted it better, shorter, cleaner.
Maybe. Maybe not.
That fact is that terrorism remains the deadliest threat to America, and it must be defeated. Specialist Finley knew that. He volunteered to do his part.
We owe it to Specialist Finley and all those who are defending us, and we owe it to those 3,000 civilians slain on a clear September day, to remove the threat that terrorism poses to our liberty.
It was a different war when Lincoln spoke his few words at Gettysburg 144 years ago. His admonition is ours today:
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. ...”
The American experiment in government is young. Fighting for an ideal, freedom, is a new concept in a dark and broken world. We here take for granted the rights that are God’s blessing, hard won by men and women like James M. Finley, from Lexington and Concord, through D-Day, to June 8, 2008.
So when you worship where and as you please; when you vote for whoever or whatever you want; when you slam or praise your elected officials or the actions they take, have in your heart a special thank-you to Specialist Finley and his loved ones.
I’ll bet he’d say, “You’re welcome.”
A community mourns for 21-year-old James Finley
By Drew Nobles
It’s a phone call no military family ever wants to answer.
It’s their worst nightmare, an unknown sympathetic voice explaining that their loved one has died while serving their country bravely and honorably. On May 31, the phone rang and the War on Terrorism struck home for the family of Spc. James Finley.
“Though this is not the homecoming celebration we’ve been planning, we are so glad you are home,” Wayne Finley — James Finley’s father — managed to say through tears to a mourning crowd of family, friends, classmates, teachers, America’s servicemen and women Monday afternoon at Heritage Baptist Temple. All had gathered to honor and say good-bye to a fallen soldier, a lost son, whose life was cut dreadfully short in the mountains of Afghanistan.
“This is not goodbye, but we will see you later. Rest in peace, my son.”
These words echoed throughout the church as the casket of 21-year-old Finley lay at the altar, draped with the flag he valiantly served during the final two years of his life.
Nothing was said. Nothing could be said. A silence swept across the church as six of the U. S. Army Honor Guard escorts carefully wheeled one of Lebanon’s finest past the weeping audience.
“I was absolutely shocked, and there was a moment of numbness. Then I just cried,” said close friend and high school classmate Trina Mizer. “I couldn’t do anything else but cry when I heard.”
As the service came to a close, the Finley family was met with waves upon waves of American flags fluttering gracefully, making a patriotic sea of Stars and Stripes, as they stepped outside the temple. Hundreds of people flooded onto Lynn Street paying their respects to a family who has paid the ultimate price.
It was truly a beautiful sight as the procession embarked for Finley’s final resting spot in Mount Rose Memorial Park. A convoy of Patriot Guard Riders motorcyclists, fire trucks, cars, pick-up trucks, minivans and SUVs, at least four miles long, slowly crept through the heart of Lebanon as they followed the town’s fallen hero.
Thousands of onlookers lined Jefferson Avenue as the procession passed. No amount of rain could have dampened the American spirit as Lebanon seemed to shut down in honor of a man who defended us abroad.
Few burgers were made, or coffee served, or checks cashed, or phone calls answered. There are no words that can explain unity shown on that somber afternoon. It seemed as though the entire population of Lebanon were standing side-by-side, bearing nothing more than an American flag and a heavy heart.
Spc. Finley is a hero, and he received the finest salute a hero could have.
Many of those who lined the streets of Lebanon knew the Finley family and the fallen soldier, while many did not.
Those who just happened to be passing through Lebanon Monday may been irritated by what they first assumed was a parade that was slowing traffic, but after spotting the flags held high and the procession, some stopped their vehicles and joined the community to mourn.
“I saw the police officers and the flags and I knew what had happened,” Brain Gideon of Sheldon, Mo. said. Gideon stopped his tractor-trailer rig on Jefferson Avenue, turned off the engine, exited the cab of the black Peterbilt and stood nearby the crowd that had gathered to pay tribute to Finley.
“Once I saw what was going on, I said to myself, ‘Yep. It’s time to stop.’ I stopped and got out of my vehicle out of respect for the young man. I set my brakes and I won’t move until it’s done,” he said as the procession passed under an American flag flying from the bucket of a Lebanon Fire Department ladder truck. “They sacrificed their lives, and appointments are just appointments. They can wait for something like this.”
At the cemetery Daniel Garcia, pastor of Heritage Temple, speaking on behalf of the Finley family, said the Rev. Finley, associate pastor at the church, forgave the suicide bombers for their ignorance.
“I know it was really hard for them, but, for the most part, I think they held together really well. That Wayne asked God to forgive the people who did this — it’s just amazing, and it was remarkable that the crowd and the community was here to support them. I believe the family is very heartbroken and hurt, but I think they also saw the support of those around them,” Rev. Garcia said.
Spc. Finley was honored by a written presentation from President George W. Bush with Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals.
Army Spc. James M. Finley ws killed in action on 5/31/08.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Marine Cpl. Christian S. Cotner
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Christian S. Cotner, 20, of Waterbury, Conn.
Cpl Cotner was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died May 30, 2008 from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine from Waterbury dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
WATERBURY, Conn. — A 21-year-old Marine from Waterbury has died during his first tour in Iraq, according to his family’s pastor.
The military notified Cpl. Christian Cotner’s family on Friday about his death. Details about how and when he died had not been released Saturday, and the military had not publicly announced his death.
He is the 40th military member with ties to Connecticut who has died in Iraq and Afghanistan since U.S. operations began in those countries in 2003 and 2002, respectively. Two civilians from the state have also died.
The Cotner family’s pastor, the Rev. Kenneth Frazier Jr. of the First Congregational Church of Waterbury, said Saturday that the family was too grief-stricken to make public statements, but planned to do so soon.
“They would like for the public to respect their grieving process and they will make themselves available at some point when they are ready and able,” Frazier said.
Cotner graduated from Wilby High School.
The school’s principal, Robyn Apicella, said Cotner enjoyed volunteering for community events, including serving in honor guards.
“He was very conscientious and really loved being in ROTC,” Apicella told the Republican-American of Waterbury. “And he couldn’t wait to go into the military.”
Jeremy Rubock, who heads the technical education department at the high school, said Cotner was an easygoing student who was well-liked and enthusiastic about learning.
Marine Cpl. Christian S. Cotner died from non-combat related injuries on 05/30/08.
Marine Cpl. Christian S. Cotner, 20, of Waterbury, Conn.
Cpl Cotner was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died May 30, 2008 from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine from Waterbury dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
WATERBURY, Conn. — A 21-year-old Marine from Waterbury has died during his first tour in Iraq, according to his family’s pastor.
The military notified Cpl. Christian Cotner’s family on Friday about his death. Details about how and when he died had not been released Saturday, and the military had not publicly announced his death.
He is the 40th military member with ties to Connecticut who has died in Iraq and Afghanistan since U.S. operations began in those countries in 2003 and 2002, respectively. Two civilians from the state have also died.
The Cotner family’s pastor, the Rev. Kenneth Frazier Jr. of the First Congregational Church of Waterbury, said Saturday that the family was too grief-stricken to make public statements, but planned to do so soon.
“They would like for the public to respect their grieving process and they will make themselves available at some point when they are ready and able,” Frazier said.
Cotner graduated from Wilby High School.
The school’s principal, Robyn Apicella, said Cotner enjoyed volunteering for community events, including serving in honor guards.
“He was very conscientious and really loved being in ROTC,” Apicella told the Republican-American of Waterbury. “And he couldn’t wait to go into the military.”
Jeremy Rubock, who heads the technical education department at the high school, said Cotner was an easygoing student who was well-liked and enthusiastic about learning.
Marine Cpl. Christian S. Cotner died from non-combat related injuries on 05/30/08.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Army Pfc. Chad M. Trimble
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Chad M. Trimble, 29, of West Covina, Calif.
Pfc. Trimble was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 28, 2008 near Gardez, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fort Campbell soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The military says a Fort Campbell soldier from California has died in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department says 29-year-old Pfc. Chad M. Trimble of West Covina, Calif., died Wednesday near Gardez of injuries he sustained when a roadside bomb exploded.
Trimble was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, which is based at the sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
Army Pfc. Chad M. Trimble remembered
The Associated Press
Chad M. Trimble’s mother said that after the terrorist attacks on New York on Sept. 11, 2001, her son started to take an interest in joining the Army.
After several years of growing interest, he signed up in 2007.
“I think it was something he wanted to do since he was a little boy,” Nancy Trimble said.
Trimble, 29, of West Covina, Calif., was killed by a roadside bomb May 28 near Gardez, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.
He was known as a social guy. “This home was where all the kids would come,” said Tim Trimble, his father. “It was incredible to see the energy of all those young people.”
“He was the smallest boy in the neighborhood,” said Gaye Wingfield, a neighbor. “He had the cutest giggle and would run around the neighborhood with a group of older boys.”
Trimble’s family and friends all said they were proud of the choices he made. “I hope all of America and the world will take a minute to pray for Chad,” said his father. “He paid the ultimate price for us.”
He also is survived by his wife, Rosanna, and two daughters, Steffani and Micaela.
Army Pfc. Chad M. Trimble was killed in action on 05/28/08.
Army Pfc. Chad M. Trimble, 29, of West Covina, Calif.
Pfc. Trimble was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 28, 2008 near Gardez, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fort Campbell soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The military says a Fort Campbell soldier from California has died in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department says 29-year-old Pfc. Chad M. Trimble of West Covina, Calif., died Wednesday near Gardez of injuries he sustained when a roadside bomb exploded.
Trimble was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, which is based at the sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
Army Pfc. Chad M. Trimble remembered
The Associated Press
Chad M. Trimble’s mother said that after the terrorist attacks on New York on Sept. 11, 2001, her son started to take an interest in joining the Army.
After several years of growing interest, he signed up in 2007.
“I think it was something he wanted to do since he was a little boy,” Nancy Trimble said.
Trimble, 29, of West Covina, Calif., was killed by a roadside bomb May 28 near Gardez, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.
He was known as a social guy. “This home was where all the kids would come,” said Tim Trimble, his father. “It was incredible to see the energy of all those young people.”
“He was the smallest boy in the neighborhood,” said Gaye Wingfield, a neighbor. “He had the cutest giggle and would run around the neighborhood with a group of older boys.”
Trimble’s family and friends all said they were proud of the choices he made. “I hope all of America and the world will take a minute to pray for Chad,” said his father. “He paid the ultimate price for us.”
He also is survived by his wife, Rosanna, and two daughters, Steffani and Micaela.
Army Pfc. Chad M. Trimble was killed in action on 05/28/08.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Army Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum, 23, of South Portland, Maine
Spc. Buxbaum was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood Texas; died May 26, 2008 in Kushamond, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Maine soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A 22-year-old soldier from Maine who completed two tours in Iraq has been killed by “non-combat” fire while serving in Afghanistan, his grandfather said Tuesday.
There was no official confirmation of the death of Spc. Justin Buxbaum, a 2004 graduate of South Portland High School.
Buxbaum’s grandfather, Donald Buxbaum of Chebeague Island, said Buxbaum’s mother, who moved to Georgia last summer, was told Monday that her son was killed by a gunshot to the abdomen in a “non-combat accident.”
Buxbaum’s death was first reported by South Portland High School Principal Jeanne Crocker, who got the news from a relative of Buxbaum who works for the school district.
Buxbaum joined the Army Reserve while in high school and was sent to Iraq for a nine-month tour soon after graduation, his grandfather said. He later enlisted in the regular Army, served another tour in Iraq and was deployed early last month to Afghanistan with the 62nd Engineer Battalion.
Two other South Portland graduates have died in fighting in Iraq. Marine Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa, 21, and Army Sgt. Jason Swiger, 24 were killed within two weeks of each other in March 2007.
Maine soldier laid to rest
The Associated Press
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A 22-year-old soldier who was killed last month in a non-combat accident in Afghanistan was laid to rest Tuesday with full military honors.
Gov. John Baldacci joined friends and family members at Holy Cross Church for the funeral of Army Spc. Justin Buxbaum, a 2004 graduate of South Portland High School.
Buxbaum, who was sent to Afghanistan in April after completing two tours in Iraq, was remembered as someone who put others first, was fond of children and hoped to go to college and become an elementary school teacher.
Buxbaum’s family learned of his death on Memorial Day.
Buxbaum’s mother, Julie Buxbaum, told WCSH-TV in Portland that the accident occurred when her son’s platoon returned from a three-day mission and his roommate entered the room after Buxbaum set a gun against the wall.
“The gun had been picked up,” she said. “I don’t know if it was Justin’s or his roommate’s. And when they went to put it down it was at an angle and hit the ground hard and discharged and went into my son’s lung. They said he was alive for a little while and talking to them and no more.”
Julie Buxbaum said she forgives the young soldier who caused the death and realizes that he must feel devastated.
She quoted her son as saying weeks before his death that conditions were worse than in Iraq and that food, water and other supplies were running low.
“It broke my heart,” she said, “because everything he’s doing over there, he shouldn’t have to worry about running out of things.”
Flags throughout Maine were lowered to half-staff to coincide with Buxbaum’s funeral.
Army Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum remembered
The Associated Press
Justin L. Buxbaum had talked about eventually becoming an elementary school teacher — and it showed.
“He was the kindest, most genuinely warm and loving young man,” said Laurie Wood, an aunt. “You’d have a family picnic, and he’d be the one playing catch with the little kids, and dragging three of them around on his shoulders.”
Buxbaum, 23, of South Portland, Maine, died May 26 in Kushamond in a non-combat-related incident. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.
In high school, Buxbaum ran track, played football through his junior year and participated on the math team.
“Nothing would get him down. He’d be in here late in the afternoon working on something, and then be back early in the morning,” said Jeanne Crocker, his principal.
Buxbaum deployed to Iraq for the first time in 2005. He was driving a specialized armored vehicle called a Buffalo, searching for hidden bombs.
“It is a very rewarding feeling knowing that the job that we perform may save someone’s life so that they can go back home to their families,” Buxbaum said in an article then.
He is survived by his mother, Julie A. Buxbaum.
Army Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum died due to non-combat related injuries on 05/26/08.
Army Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum, 23, of South Portland, Maine
Spc. Buxbaum was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood Texas; died May 26, 2008 in Kushamond, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Maine soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A 22-year-old soldier from Maine who completed two tours in Iraq has been killed by “non-combat” fire while serving in Afghanistan, his grandfather said Tuesday.
There was no official confirmation of the death of Spc. Justin Buxbaum, a 2004 graduate of South Portland High School.
Buxbaum’s grandfather, Donald Buxbaum of Chebeague Island, said Buxbaum’s mother, who moved to Georgia last summer, was told Monday that her son was killed by a gunshot to the abdomen in a “non-combat accident.”
Buxbaum’s death was first reported by South Portland High School Principal Jeanne Crocker, who got the news from a relative of Buxbaum who works for the school district.
Buxbaum joined the Army Reserve while in high school and was sent to Iraq for a nine-month tour soon after graduation, his grandfather said. He later enlisted in the regular Army, served another tour in Iraq and was deployed early last month to Afghanistan with the 62nd Engineer Battalion.
Two other South Portland graduates have died in fighting in Iraq. Marine Lance Cpl. Angel Rosa, 21, and Army Sgt. Jason Swiger, 24 were killed within two weeks of each other in March 2007.
Maine soldier laid to rest
The Associated Press
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A 22-year-old soldier who was killed last month in a non-combat accident in Afghanistan was laid to rest Tuesday with full military honors.
Gov. John Baldacci joined friends and family members at Holy Cross Church for the funeral of Army Spc. Justin Buxbaum, a 2004 graduate of South Portland High School.
Buxbaum, who was sent to Afghanistan in April after completing two tours in Iraq, was remembered as someone who put others first, was fond of children and hoped to go to college and become an elementary school teacher.
Buxbaum’s family learned of his death on Memorial Day.
Buxbaum’s mother, Julie Buxbaum, told WCSH-TV in Portland that the accident occurred when her son’s platoon returned from a three-day mission and his roommate entered the room after Buxbaum set a gun against the wall.
“The gun had been picked up,” she said. “I don’t know if it was Justin’s or his roommate’s. And when they went to put it down it was at an angle and hit the ground hard and discharged and went into my son’s lung. They said he was alive for a little while and talking to them and no more.”
Julie Buxbaum said she forgives the young soldier who caused the death and realizes that he must feel devastated.
She quoted her son as saying weeks before his death that conditions were worse than in Iraq and that food, water and other supplies were running low.
“It broke my heart,” she said, “because everything he’s doing over there, he shouldn’t have to worry about running out of things.”
Flags throughout Maine were lowered to half-staff to coincide with Buxbaum’s funeral.
Army Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum remembered
The Associated Press
Justin L. Buxbaum had talked about eventually becoming an elementary school teacher — and it showed.
“He was the kindest, most genuinely warm and loving young man,” said Laurie Wood, an aunt. “You’d have a family picnic, and he’d be the one playing catch with the little kids, and dragging three of them around on his shoulders.”
Buxbaum, 23, of South Portland, Maine, died May 26 in Kushamond in a non-combat-related incident. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.
In high school, Buxbaum ran track, played football through his junior year and participated on the math team.
“Nothing would get him down. He’d be in here late in the afternoon working on something, and then be back early in the morning,” said Jeanne Crocker, his principal.
Buxbaum deployed to Iraq for the first time in 2005. He was driving a specialized armored vehicle called a Buffalo, searching for hidden bombs.
“It is a very rewarding feeling knowing that the job that we perform may save someone’s life so that they can go back home to their families,” Buxbaum said in an article then.
He is survived by his mother, Julie A. Buxbaum.
Army Spc. Justin L. Buxbaum died due to non-combat related injuries on 05/26/08.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif.
Spc. Gathercole was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died May 26, 2008 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from small-arms fire during combat operations.
Santa Rosa solider killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The Pentagon announced a 21-year-old soldier from Santa Rosa was killed in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole died Monday after being injured by small arms fire during combat in Ghazni. He had been assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
According to special-operations command, Gathercole was a light machine gunner. He had earned a combat infantryman badge, a parachutist badge and the Ranger Tab, Army officials said.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole remembered
The Associated Press
Christopher Gathercole overcame a rough childhood as a ward of the state to graduate from high school and join the Army to make a better life for himself, said his older brother.
“He wanted to change himself, and he wanted to change the world around him,” said Edward Gathercole. “In his opinion, he was doing the highest civic duty possible.”
Gathercole, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was killed May 26 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, by small arms fire. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Gathercole brothers grew up in Santa Rosa, living primarily in foster homes from the time they were toddlers.
Christopher Gathercole spent his last year and a half in Santa Rosa at a treatment house for at-risk youth, where the staff said he had turned his life around.
“He was a tough kid, and I’m not surprised he went into the military,” said Wes Anderson, who went to school with Gathercole.
He recalled that his friend’s road through childhood was rocky, “not having his parents around,” but said “he made the best of what he had. “He was awesome.”
He also is survived by his father Edward Gathercole, and his mother, Catherine Haines.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole was killed in action on 05/26/08.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif.
Spc. Gathercole was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died May 26, 2008 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from small-arms fire during combat operations.
Santa Rosa solider killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The Pentagon announced a 21-year-old soldier from Santa Rosa was killed in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole died Monday after being injured by small arms fire during combat in Ghazni. He had been assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
According to special-operations command, Gathercole was a light machine gunner. He had earned a combat infantryman badge, a parachutist badge and the Ranger Tab, Army officials said.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole remembered
The Associated Press
Christopher Gathercole overcame a rough childhood as a ward of the state to graduate from high school and join the Army to make a better life for himself, said his older brother.
“He wanted to change himself, and he wanted to change the world around him,” said Edward Gathercole. “In his opinion, he was doing the highest civic duty possible.”
Gathercole, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was killed May 26 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, by small arms fire. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Gathercole brothers grew up in Santa Rosa, living primarily in foster homes from the time they were toddlers.
Christopher Gathercole spent his last year and a half in Santa Rosa at a treatment house for at-risk youth, where the staff said he had turned his life around.
“He was a tough kid, and I’m not surprised he went into the military,” said Wes Anderson, who went to school with Gathercole.
He recalled that his friend’s road through childhood was rocky, “not having his parents around,” but said “he made the best of what he had. “He was awesome.”
He also is survived by his father Edward Gathercole, and his mother, Catherine Haines.
Army Spc. Christopher Gathercole was killed in action on 05/26/08.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Army Spc. David L. Leimbach
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. David L. Leimbach, 38, of Taylors, S.C.
Spc. Leimbach was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry, South Carolina Army National Guard, Fountain Inn, S.C., and attached to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition), New York Army National Guard; died May 25, 2008 near Bala Baluk, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
S.C. Guardsman killed in Afghanistan
By Susanne M. Schafer
The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 38-year-old soldier from South Carolina who volunteered to remain behind in Afghanistan after his unit returned home was killed during hostile fire, officials said Tuesday.
Spc. David Lee Leimbach, of Taylors, was killed Sunday while assisting in the recovery of a stolen vehicle. His unit was hit with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to a statement by the Department of Defense.
Leimbach had served four years with the South Carolina Army National Guard. He spent the past year with the 218th Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan, officials said.
“He was a brave soldier who served his country with honor and valor,” Guard commander Maj. Gen. Stanhope Spears said in a statement. “I am saddened by the news.”
About 1,800 members of the South Carolina National Guard deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 to train members of the Afghan military and police force. It was the state’s largest National Guard deployment since World War II.
Most members of the unit returned home earlier this month after completing their deployment.
However, about 120 soldiers from the unit opted to remain behind. Some remained in Afghanistan, while others were redeployed to units in Iraq, said Guard spokesman Col. Pete Brooks.
Leimbach was serving with the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry of the New York Army National Guard in Afghanistan, a statement said. His South Carolina unit was the 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry, based in Fountain Inn.
Brooks said that before his entering the South Carolina National Guard, Leimbach had served in the military as a member of the Marine Corps and also as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.
The South Carolina unit lost three of its soldiers during its yearlong deployment in Afghanistan, Brooks said.
Army Spc. David L. Leimbach remembered
The Associated Press
Sgt. Scott Sorgee said David L. Leimbach was all business when it mattered most.
“No matter what task he was given, he was always there and always gave it 100 percent,” he said.
Leimbach, 38, of Taylors, S.C., was killed May 25 near Bala Baluk, Afghanistan, by small-arms fire. He was assigned to Fountain Inn, S.C.
“He was a good one,” said Sgt. 1st Class Dain Donze. “We’re all rather shook up. He was a good kid. He would do anything you ask.”
“He would do anything you asked him to do and more,” said Lt. Derek Hawkins. “He did for the Afghan people as well as his fellow soldiers.”
Sorgee said Leimbach — who also served the Marines from 1996 to 2000 — was a soldier’s soldier, teaching guys what he knew.
“There wasn’t a lot of downtime,” he said. But when there was, he was teaching the soldiers “hand-to-hand combat.”
When most of the state’s Guardsmen returned in early May, Leimbach stayed behind in what was to be an extended tour of six months, soldiers he served with said.
“It’s what he loved,” Sorgee said. “Other than his family, it’s what he loved to do most.”
He is survived by his wife, Dawn.
Army Spc. David L. Leimbach was killed in action on 05/25/08.
Army Spc. David L. Leimbach, 38, of Taylors, S.C.
Spc. Leimbach was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry, South Carolina Army National Guard, Fountain Inn, S.C., and attached to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition), New York Army National Guard; died May 25, 2008 near Bala Baluk, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
S.C. Guardsman killed in Afghanistan
By Susanne M. Schafer
The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 38-year-old soldier from South Carolina who volunteered to remain behind in Afghanistan after his unit returned home was killed during hostile fire, officials said Tuesday.
Spc. David Lee Leimbach, of Taylors, was killed Sunday while assisting in the recovery of a stolen vehicle. His unit was hit with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according to a statement by the Department of Defense.
Leimbach had served four years with the South Carolina Army National Guard. He spent the past year with the 218th Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan, officials said.
“He was a brave soldier who served his country with honor and valor,” Guard commander Maj. Gen. Stanhope Spears said in a statement. “I am saddened by the news.”
About 1,800 members of the South Carolina National Guard deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 to train members of the Afghan military and police force. It was the state’s largest National Guard deployment since World War II.
Most members of the unit returned home earlier this month after completing their deployment.
However, about 120 soldiers from the unit opted to remain behind. Some remained in Afghanistan, while others were redeployed to units in Iraq, said Guard spokesman Col. Pete Brooks.
Leimbach was serving with the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry of the New York Army National Guard in Afghanistan, a statement said. His South Carolina unit was the 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry, based in Fountain Inn.
Brooks said that before his entering the South Carolina National Guard, Leimbach had served in the military as a member of the Marine Corps and also as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.
The South Carolina unit lost three of its soldiers during its yearlong deployment in Afghanistan, Brooks said.
Army Spc. David L. Leimbach remembered
The Associated Press
Sgt. Scott Sorgee said David L. Leimbach was all business when it mattered most.
“No matter what task he was given, he was always there and always gave it 100 percent,” he said.
Leimbach, 38, of Taylors, S.C., was killed May 25 near Bala Baluk, Afghanistan, by small-arms fire. He was assigned to Fountain Inn, S.C.
“He was a good one,” said Sgt. 1st Class Dain Donze. “We’re all rather shook up. He was a good kid. He would do anything you ask.”
“He would do anything you asked him to do and more,” said Lt. Derek Hawkins. “He did for the Afghan people as well as his fellow soldiers.”
Sorgee said Leimbach — who also served the Marines from 1996 to 2000 — was a soldier’s soldier, teaching guys what he knew.
“There wasn’t a lot of downtime,” he said. But when there was, he was teaching the soldiers “hand-to-hand combat.”
When most of the state’s Guardsmen returned in early May, Leimbach stayed behind in what was to be an extended tour of six months, soldiers he served with said.
“It’s what he loved,” Sorgee said. “Other than his family, it’s what he loved to do most.”
He is survived by his wife, Dawn.
Army Spc. David L. Leimbach was killed in action on 05/25/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene, 37, of Castleton, Vt.
SFC Dene was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died May 25, 2008 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Vermont soldier dies of non-combat causes in Iraq
By John Curran
The Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. — An Army sergeant originally from Castleton has died in Iraq, but of injuries not related to combat, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene, 37, a nephew of actress Mia Farrow, died Sunday of injuries suffered in an incident in Baghdad on Saturday, according to the Department of Defense, which gave no other details about his death except to say it was under investigation.
The Pentagon referred questions to Fort Stewart, Ga., where Dene — an infantry paratrooper — was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. A spokesman there did not immediately return a phone call Wednesday evening.
Dene’s mother is Tisa Farrow, of Castleton, whose famous sister is a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.
On Mia Farrow’s Web site, a posting under the title “What For?” read, in part: “Jason loved his parents and sister, his wife Judi and their three small children. He also loved his country and he was proud to serve it. But I honestly don’t know why Jason died.”
Dene, who attended Fair Haven High School, joined the Army in 1988.
He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq and was to return to the states after the 15-month tour ended June 23, according to his wife of 16 years, Judith L. Dene.
“He was a hero,” she said in a telephone interview from Fort Stewart. “He was a hero to all of us. It’s tragic that he died so young, and so far away from us.”
Mrs. Dene, who would not discuss the circumstances surrounding his death, said he was a great father.
Dene’s uncle, Patrick Farrow, 65, of Castleton, said the family was awaiting the results of an autopsy.
“I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. I’ve been opposed to this war since the beginning. This lying Bush administration has gotten into this thing that has now killed my nephew. It’s up close and personal, and I am deeply angry,” Farrow said.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene remembered
The Associated Press
Jason F. Dene’s wife said he could best be described as “a great guy” with a “dark, sarcastic sense of humor.”
“He loved his kids, and he loved me. We had a great 16 years together,” Judith Dene said. “And he was proud of his military life. He was proud to be part of the elite.”
Dene, 37, of Castleton, Vt., died May 25 in Baghdad from a non-combat-related incident. He was assigned to Fort Stewart and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq.
“He volunteered for every war there was while he was in, whether it was Haiti, Serbia, Bosnia,” said his father, Terry Deane, a film producer who added an “a” to his name to distinguish himself from a performer named Terry Dene. “He was a terrific father and a great son. He loved the Army. He was a warrior.”
Deane said his son suffered from terrible sleep apnea and from tinnitus, a ringing in the ears often associated with hearing damage.
“I guess it was pretty stressful for him, but he never complained,” his father said. “I didn’t even know he had any of that stuff before his death.”
Dene, who was a nephew of actress Mia Farrow, also is survived by two daughters, ages 15 and 14, and an 8-year-old son.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene died of non-combat injuries on 05/25/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene, 37, of Castleton, Vt.
SFC Dene was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died May 25, 2008 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Vermont soldier dies of non-combat causes in Iraq
By John Curran
The Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. — An Army sergeant originally from Castleton has died in Iraq, but of injuries not related to combat, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene, 37, a nephew of actress Mia Farrow, died Sunday of injuries suffered in an incident in Baghdad on Saturday, according to the Department of Defense, which gave no other details about his death except to say it was under investigation.
The Pentagon referred questions to Fort Stewart, Ga., where Dene — an infantry paratrooper — was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. A spokesman there did not immediately return a phone call Wednesday evening.
Dene’s mother is Tisa Farrow, of Castleton, whose famous sister is a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.
On Mia Farrow’s Web site, a posting under the title “What For?” read, in part: “Jason loved his parents and sister, his wife Judi and their three small children. He also loved his country and he was proud to serve it. But I honestly don’t know why Jason died.”
Dene, who attended Fair Haven High School, joined the Army in 1988.
He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq and was to return to the states after the 15-month tour ended June 23, according to his wife of 16 years, Judith L. Dene.
“He was a hero,” she said in a telephone interview from Fort Stewart. “He was a hero to all of us. It’s tragic that he died so young, and so far away from us.”
Mrs. Dene, who would not discuss the circumstances surrounding his death, said he was a great father.
Dene’s uncle, Patrick Farrow, 65, of Castleton, said the family was awaiting the results of an autopsy.
“I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. I’ve been opposed to this war since the beginning. This lying Bush administration has gotten into this thing that has now killed my nephew. It’s up close and personal, and I am deeply angry,” Farrow said.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene remembered
The Associated Press
Jason F. Dene’s wife said he could best be described as “a great guy” with a “dark, sarcastic sense of humor.”
“He loved his kids, and he loved me. We had a great 16 years together,” Judith Dene said. “And he was proud of his military life. He was proud to be part of the elite.”
Dene, 37, of Castleton, Vt., died May 25 in Baghdad from a non-combat-related incident. He was assigned to Fort Stewart and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq.
“He volunteered for every war there was while he was in, whether it was Haiti, Serbia, Bosnia,” said his father, Terry Deane, a film producer who added an “a” to his name to distinguish himself from a performer named Terry Dene. “He was a terrific father and a great son. He loved the Army. He was a warrior.”
Deane said his son suffered from terrible sleep apnea and from tinnitus, a ringing in the ears often associated with hearing damage.
“I guess it was pretty stressful for him, but he never complained,” his father said. “I didn’t even know he had any of that stuff before his death.”
Dene, who was a nephew of actress Mia Farrow, also is survived by two daughters, ages 15 and 14, and an 8-year-old son.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene died of non-combat injuries on 05/25/08.
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper, 25, of Merced, Calif.
Sgt. Gasper was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Fort Carson, Colo.; died May 25, 2008 in Najaf, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper remembered
The Associated Press
After Frank J. Gasper’s wife learned of her husband’s death, she watched a video he had made for family and friends in the event of his death.
The video shows photos of Gasper set to the song “My Infinite Love” by George Strait.
“Basically, the lyrics are whenever you see a shooting star, it’s me,” said his wife, Breanna Gasper. “And if you get a feeling you can’t explain, I want you to know it’s me watching over you.”
Gasper, 25, of Merced, Calif., was killed May 25 in Najaf when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Carson and was on his fourth tour in Iraq.
His wife described her husband as a funny guy who loved telling stories of his time in Iraq, complete with sound effects and gestures. He loved muscle cars, driving big trucks, four-wheeling and going to the shooting range, she said.
Gasper planned to attend Green Berets training, then work for the Drug Enforcement Agency after leaving the Army, his wife said.
In their last conversation, “He told me that he loved me, I told him that I was proud of him,” Breanna Gasper said.
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper was killed in action on 05/25/08.
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper, 25, of Merced, Calif.
Sgt. Gasper was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Fort Carson, Colo.; died May 25, 2008 in Najaf, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper remembered
The Associated Press
After Frank J. Gasper’s wife learned of her husband’s death, she watched a video he had made for family and friends in the event of his death.
The video shows photos of Gasper set to the song “My Infinite Love” by George Strait.
“Basically, the lyrics are whenever you see a shooting star, it’s me,” said his wife, Breanna Gasper. “And if you get a feeling you can’t explain, I want you to know it’s me watching over you.”
Gasper, 25, of Merced, Calif., was killed May 25 in Najaf when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Carson and was on his fourth tour in Iraq.
His wife described her husband as a funny guy who loved telling stories of his time in Iraq, complete with sound effects and gestures. He loved muscle cars, driving big trucks, four-wheeling and going to the shooting range, she said.
Gasper planned to attend Green Berets training, then work for the Drug Enforcement Agency after leaving the Army, his wife said.
In their last conversation, “He told me that he loved me, I told him that I was proud of him,” Breanna Gasper said.
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper was killed in action on 05/25/08.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Army Spc. Kyle P. Norris
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Kyle P. Norris, 22, of Zanesville, Ohio
Spc. Norris was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 23, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Brother: Soldier killed in Iraq loved family, country
The Associated Press
BELLE VALLEY, Ohio — An American flag was flying at half staff May 27 outside the home of a solider from eastern Ohio who died in Iraq.
Kyle Phillip Norris, 22, was struck by a roadside bomb on Thursday in Iskandariyah, a town 30 miles south of Baghdad, and died later in a hospital in Iraq, his brother Michael Norris said. Family members in this village about 90 miles east of Columbus were notified of his death Friday.
“He wanted to protect his country,” his brother, 27, said. “He wanted to protect freedom for his family and his friends.”
Kyle Norris also loved to spend time with friends, whether it was playing video games or playing a game of paint ball.
Michael Norris said his brother attended Muskingum Christian Academy in Zanesville for several years and was also home-schooled. He joined the Army three years ago, arrived in Iraq in October and was recently promoted to specialist, his brother said.
Norris said his brother wanted to do what he could for his fellow soldiers.
“If he was sick and they told him to take it easy for a few days, he wouldn’t sit back,” Norris said. “He wanted to be out there with everyone.”
Norris last spoke to his brother on the morning of May 21 and said their mother spoke to him that evening. He was due to return home on leave at the end of July and was planning to propose to his girlfriend, his brother said.
He had hoped to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol after finishing his Army service, Norris said.
The soldier’s body will be flown into Zanesville Municipal Airport later this week, and the family has requested that his cousin, who is also serving in Iraq, be allowed to escort the body home, Norris said. Funeral arrangements were pending with Snouffer Funeral Home in Zanesville.
“He was doing what he loved to do,” his brother said. “He said he was loving it.”
Army Pfc. Kyle P. Norris remembered
The Associated Press
Kyle P. Norris was the type of guy who wanted to go all out for his fellow soldiers.
“If he was sick and they told him to take it easy for a few days, he wouldn’t sit back,” said his older brother, Michael Norris. “He wanted to be out there with everyone. He wanted to be out there with the other guys.”
Norris, 22, of Zanesville, Ohio, died May 23 in Balad from wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an explosive May 22 in Jurf as Sakhr. He was assigned to Fort Stewart and had hoped to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
“He was an excellent soldier,” said Michael Norris, a brother.
“He was always sticking his neck out to make sure that he and his fellow soldiers were getting the job done.”
Norris attended Muskingum Christian Academy for several years and was then home-schooled. He loved to spend time with friends, whether it was playing video games or playing a game of paint ball.
“He was an awesome brother. He was all about family,” said Michael Norris. “Everybody loved him. No one ever said one bad thing about him.”
He also is survived by his mother, Neva, and his fiancee, Courtney Wilson.
Army Spc. Kyle P. Norris was killed in action on 05/23/08.
Army Spc. Kyle P. Norris, 22, of Zanesville, Ohio
Spc. Norris was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 23, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Brother: Soldier killed in Iraq loved family, country
The Associated Press
BELLE VALLEY, Ohio — An American flag was flying at half staff May 27 outside the home of a solider from eastern Ohio who died in Iraq.
Kyle Phillip Norris, 22, was struck by a roadside bomb on Thursday in Iskandariyah, a town 30 miles south of Baghdad, and died later in a hospital in Iraq, his brother Michael Norris said. Family members in this village about 90 miles east of Columbus were notified of his death Friday.
“He wanted to protect his country,” his brother, 27, said. “He wanted to protect freedom for his family and his friends.”
Kyle Norris also loved to spend time with friends, whether it was playing video games or playing a game of paint ball.
Michael Norris said his brother attended Muskingum Christian Academy in Zanesville for several years and was also home-schooled. He joined the Army three years ago, arrived in Iraq in October and was recently promoted to specialist, his brother said.
Norris said his brother wanted to do what he could for his fellow soldiers.
“If he was sick and they told him to take it easy for a few days, he wouldn’t sit back,” Norris said. “He wanted to be out there with everyone.”
Norris last spoke to his brother on the morning of May 21 and said their mother spoke to him that evening. He was due to return home on leave at the end of July and was planning to propose to his girlfriend, his brother said.
He had hoped to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol after finishing his Army service, Norris said.
The soldier’s body will be flown into Zanesville Municipal Airport later this week, and the family has requested that his cousin, who is also serving in Iraq, be allowed to escort the body home, Norris said. Funeral arrangements were pending with Snouffer Funeral Home in Zanesville.
“He was doing what he loved to do,” his brother said. “He said he was loving it.”
Army Pfc. Kyle P. Norris remembered
The Associated Press
Kyle P. Norris was the type of guy who wanted to go all out for his fellow soldiers.
“If he was sick and they told him to take it easy for a few days, he wouldn’t sit back,” said his older brother, Michael Norris. “He wanted to be out there with everyone. He wanted to be out there with the other guys.”
Norris, 22, of Zanesville, Ohio, died May 23 in Balad from wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an explosive May 22 in Jurf as Sakhr. He was assigned to Fort Stewart and had hoped to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
“He was an excellent soldier,” said Michael Norris, a brother.
“He was always sticking his neck out to make sure that he and his fellow soldiers were getting the job done.”
Norris attended Muskingum Christian Academy for several years and was then home-schooled. He loved to spend time with friends, whether it was playing video games or playing a game of paint ball.
“He was an awesome brother. He was all about family,” said Michael Norris. “Everybody loved him. No one ever said one bad thing about him.”
He also is survived by his mother, Neva, and his fiancee, Courtney Wilson.
Army Spc. Kyle P. Norris was killed in action on 05/23/08.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Marine Cpl. William J. Cooper
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. William J. Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss.
Cpl. Cooper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 19, 2008 near Garmsir, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Corporal killed in combat in Afghanistan
By Dan Lamothe
Staff writer
A corporal deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan was killed in combat Monday, Marine officials said.
Cpl. William J. Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss., died near Garmsir in Helmand province, where the 24th MEU has been fighting insurgents for several weeks.
He was assigned to Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, and based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., II Marine Expeditionary Force officials at Lejeune said Tuesday in a statement.
Cooper joined the Corps on Dec. 27, 2004, and joined 1/6 on March 3, 2006, the statement said. He was promoted to corporal Aug. 1 and had received the Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal, as well as two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Last week, another member of Cooper’s company, Lance Cpl. Sam Hansen, was shot in the head by an insurgent in Garmsir, a town in Helmand where Marines have faced fierce opposition from the Taliban. Hansen’s helmet slowed the bullet, and he escaped with a wound that needed stitches, bullet fragments in his scalp, and bruising and swelling of the brain. He has been sent back to the U.S., Marine officials said.
Marine Cpl. William J.L. Cooper remembered
The Associated Press
It was Christmas Eve when William J.L. Cooper told his father he was going to be a Marine.
“I remember telling him he needed to have a lot of thought before doing this. He felt his country needed him at the time more than he needed school,” Alan Cooper said.
Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss., was killed May 19 during combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“He had more friends than anyone I know. He was daddy’s hero; now he’s everyone’s hero,” said his father.
He attended one year at Holmes Community College before joining the Marines in 2006. He served two tours in Iraq. Alan Cooper said he was told his son was one of the best scout snipers the Marines had seen in decades.
“Coop was that fun-loving, crazy guy everyone liked. He’s the one you always wanted on your side because he is always going to take up for you,” said Heather Burchfield, a friend. “Even in high school, he had a soldier’s heart. He was a very loyal friend.”
He also is survived by his mother, Debra.
Marine Cpl. William J. Cooper was killed in action on 05/19/08.
Marine Cpl. William J. Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss.
Cpl. Cooper was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 19, 2008 near Garmsir, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Corporal killed in combat in Afghanistan
By Dan Lamothe
Staff writer
A corporal deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan was killed in combat Monday, Marine officials said.
Cpl. William J. Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss., died near Garmsir in Helmand province, where the 24th MEU has been fighting insurgents for several weeks.
He was assigned to Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, and based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., II Marine Expeditionary Force officials at Lejeune said Tuesday in a statement.
Cooper joined the Corps on Dec. 27, 2004, and joined 1/6 on March 3, 2006, the statement said. He was promoted to corporal Aug. 1 and had received the Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal, as well as two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Last week, another member of Cooper’s company, Lance Cpl. Sam Hansen, was shot in the head by an insurgent in Garmsir, a town in Helmand where Marines have faced fierce opposition from the Taliban. Hansen’s helmet slowed the bullet, and he escaped with a wound that needed stitches, bullet fragments in his scalp, and bruising and swelling of the brain. He has been sent back to the U.S., Marine officials said.
Marine Cpl. William J.L. Cooper remembered
The Associated Press
It was Christmas Eve when William J.L. Cooper told his father he was going to be a Marine.
“I remember telling him he needed to have a lot of thought before doing this. He felt his country needed him at the time more than he needed school,” Alan Cooper said.
Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss., was killed May 19 during combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“He had more friends than anyone I know. He was daddy’s hero; now he’s everyone’s hero,” said his father.
He attended one year at Holmes Community College before joining the Marines in 2006. He served two tours in Iraq. Alan Cooper said he was told his son was one of the best scout snipers the Marines had seen in decades.
“Coop was that fun-loving, crazy guy everyone liked. He’s the one you always wanted on your side because he is always going to take up for you,” said Heather Burchfield, a friend. “Even in high school, he had a soldier’s heart. He was a very loyal friend.”
He also is survived by his mother, Debra.
Marine Cpl. William J. Cooper was killed in action on 05/19/08.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Army Pfc. Howard A. Jones, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Howard A. Jones, Jr., 35, Chicago
Pfc. Jones was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. He died May 18, 2008 in Chicago from injuries sustained when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while on leave from the Iraq theater of operations.
Jones, a private first class who was stationed in Ft. Riley, Kan., had been in Chicago for about a week after returning to the U.S. from Iraq in mid-April, according to his fiancee, Phyllis Olson, 36. The two were planning to marry and had recently been featured on a cable TV program about planning a wedding in their West Loop loft.
"After all that he went through, when he put himself in danger to serve our country and came out alive . . . for something so stupid and senseless to happen, it's just unbelievable," Olson said. "I'm in shock and I'm hurt and angry and I want him back."
Jones, an Evanston native who played football and ran track at Evanston Township High School, joined the military hoping to get some extra money to go back to school and was proud of the time he spent in Iraq, Olson said. Before he joined the Army, he worked as a security officer at a downtown building where he was remembered fondly, said Larry Rubin, a spokesman for the security agency, AlliedBarton.
After he returned from overseas, Jones told his fiance stories of getting to know Iraqis and recounted how as time progressed they would tell soldiers where explosive devices were buried. "He really was proud—he thought they did a lot of good over there. Toward the end [of his deployment], he thought the locals really grew to trust him," Olson said. She described stories he told of joking with Iraqi children and teaching them American phrases, which they would then repeat back to him.
Army Pfc. Howard A. Jones, Jr., 35, Chicago
Pfc. Jones was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. He died May 18, 2008 in Chicago from injuries sustained when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while on leave from the Iraq theater of operations.
Jones, a private first class who was stationed in Ft. Riley, Kan., had been in Chicago for about a week after returning to the U.S. from Iraq in mid-April, according to his fiancee, Phyllis Olson, 36. The two were planning to marry and had recently been featured on a cable TV program about planning a wedding in their West Loop loft.
"After all that he went through, when he put himself in danger to serve our country and came out alive . . . for something so stupid and senseless to happen, it's just unbelievable," Olson said. "I'm in shock and I'm hurt and angry and I want him back."
Jones, an Evanston native who played football and ran track at Evanston Township High School, joined the military hoping to get some extra money to go back to school and was proud of the time he spent in Iraq, Olson said. Before he joined the Army, he worked as a security officer at a downtown building where he was remembered fondly, said Larry Rubin, a spokesman for the security agency, AlliedBarton.
After he returned from overseas, Jones told his fiance stories of getting to know Iraqis and recounted how as time progressed they would tell soldiers where explosive devices were buried. "He really was proud—he thought they did a lot of good over there. Toward the end [of his deployment], he thought the locals really grew to trust him," Olson said. She described stories he told of joking with Iraqi children and teaching them American phrases, which they would then repeat back to him.
Army Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver
Remember Our Heroes
Army Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver, 39, of Barnesville, Ga.
MSgt. Weaver was assigned to the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, Macon Ga.; died May 18, 2008 in Qalat, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Master sergeant remembered at funeral
The Associated Press
BARNESVILLE, Ga. — A soldier killed by a roadside explosive in Afghanistan was remembered by a lieutenant colonel as “an asset to the United States Army” during funeral services Saturday.
“I have known good soldiers over the years, yet none any better,” Lt. Col. Karl Slaughenhaupt said of Master Sgt. Davy Nathaniel Weaver during his eulogy.
Weaver, 39, died May 18 after his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. The 1987 graduate of Lamar County High School in Barnesville had previously done tours in Bosnia and Iraq.
He lived in Hinesville, a town about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta, with his wife, Kathy Tooney Weaver, and a 2-year-old daughter. Two sons from a previous marriage live in Auburn, Ala.
Slaughenhaupt said Weaver spent an extra three months in Afghanistan because he knew there were personnel shortages there. The extra time proved fatal.
“There can be no doubt in anybody’s mind that he gave his life, not just for his country,” Slaughenhaupt said. “It was something more than that. It was a love for his fellow soldiers. It was the guys on his left and right.”
Weaver was a member of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Brigade.
Speakers were set up outside Lilla Memorial Baptist Church for the overflow crowd. About 50 members of Weaver’s National Guard unit left training exercises at Fort Benning to attend the funeral. The unit expects to be deployed to Afghanistan next year.
Army Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver remembered
The Associated Press
Two weeks before he died, Davy N. Weaver’s Humvee was hit and destroyed by an IED similar to the one that killed him. He and two other soldiers sustained minor injuries then.
“They all got out with scratches and bruises,” said Weaver’s mother, Patsy Rabuck.
Weaver, 39, of Barnesville, Ga., was killed May 18 in Qalat, Afghanistan, by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Macon.
Weaver, a saxophone player, loved the outdoors.
“Growing up, he was a Cub, Boy and Eagle Scout,” said his wife, Susan. “Then he just fell in love with the military.”
His mother said being a soldier was her son’s passion. “He just said that he wanted to serve his country and help any way that he could,” she said. “If it meant giving up his life, he would do it.”
Weaver also is survived by a daughter, Ella, 2 and two sons from a previous marriage, Bradley Ashton Weaver and Malachi Jon Weaver.
Weaver spent two weeks in Alabama in January when his eldest son underwent a complicated ear surgery to correct deafness and underdeveloped motor skills.
“Call it a miracle in the making, but that child is walking and smiling now,” Rabuck said.
Army Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver was killed in action on 05/18/08.
Army Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver, 39, of Barnesville, Ga.
MSgt. Weaver was assigned to the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, Macon Ga.; died May 18, 2008 in Qalat, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Master sergeant remembered at funeral
The Associated Press
BARNESVILLE, Ga. — A soldier killed by a roadside explosive in Afghanistan was remembered by a lieutenant colonel as “an asset to the United States Army” during funeral services Saturday.
“I have known good soldiers over the years, yet none any better,” Lt. Col. Karl Slaughenhaupt said of Master Sgt. Davy Nathaniel Weaver during his eulogy.
Weaver, 39, died May 18 after his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. The 1987 graduate of Lamar County High School in Barnesville had previously done tours in Bosnia and Iraq.
He lived in Hinesville, a town about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta, with his wife, Kathy Tooney Weaver, and a 2-year-old daughter. Two sons from a previous marriage live in Auburn, Ala.
Slaughenhaupt said Weaver spent an extra three months in Afghanistan because he knew there were personnel shortages there. The extra time proved fatal.
“There can be no doubt in anybody’s mind that he gave his life, not just for his country,” Slaughenhaupt said. “It was something more than that. It was a love for his fellow soldiers. It was the guys on his left and right.”
Weaver was a member of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Brigade.
Speakers were set up outside Lilla Memorial Baptist Church for the overflow crowd. About 50 members of Weaver’s National Guard unit left training exercises at Fort Benning to attend the funeral. The unit expects to be deployed to Afghanistan next year.
Army Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver remembered
The Associated Press
Two weeks before he died, Davy N. Weaver’s Humvee was hit and destroyed by an IED similar to the one that killed him. He and two other soldiers sustained minor injuries then.
“They all got out with scratches and bruises,” said Weaver’s mother, Patsy Rabuck.
Weaver, 39, of Barnesville, Ga., was killed May 18 in Qalat, Afghanistan, by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Macon.
Weaver, a saxophone player, loved the outdoors.
“Growing up, he was a Cub, Boy and Eagle Scout,” said his wife, Susan. “Then he just fell in love with the military.”
His mother said being a soldier was her son’s passion. “He just said that he wanted to serve his country and help any way that he could,” she said. “If it meant giving up his life, he would do it.”
Weaver also is survived by a daughter, Ella, 2 and two sons from a previous marriage, Bradley Ashton Weaver and Malachi Jon Weaver.
Weaver spent two weeks in Alabama in January when his eldest son underwent a complicated ear surgery to correct deafness and underdeveloped motor skills.
“Call it a miracle in the making, but that child is walking and smiling now,” Rabuck said.
Army Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver was killed in action on 05/18/08.
Army Pvt. Branden P. Haunert
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Branden P. Haunert, 21, of Cincinnati, OH
Pvt. Haunert was 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 18, 2008 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Father says Fort Campbell solider killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI — The father of a 101st Airborne Division soldier says his son was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Bill Haunert of Blue Ash, Ohio, said his 21-year-old son Branden enlisted in the Army last year and his unit was deployed to Iraq about five weeks ago.
The Defense Department has not confirmed the identification. The Army often waits at least 24 hours after a family is notified to announce a service member’s death.
Branden Haunert was a 2005 graduate of Sycamore High School in suburban Cincinnati, where he played baseball. He attended the University of Cincinnati before enlisting. His father said military representatives told the family on Sunday that the Humvee Branden Haunert was in was hit by a roadside bomb and that he died at the scene.
The entire Haunert family is “devastated,” Bill Haunert told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Monday. “His brothers are taking it pretty hard.”
Bill Haunert said he and his wife, Tammy, have five other sons.
Bill Haunert said Branden wanted to serve his country.
“He knew he’d probably be going to Iraq,” his father said. “He was doing what he wanted to do.”
Branden Haunert joined the Army in the summer of 2007 and went through basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., before being assigned to the 327th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, an Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
His father said he was doing well in the Army.
“He was thinking about re-enlisting. He’d been recommended for Ranger School. I think there’s a very good chance Branden could have made a career out of the military.”
Chris Shrimpton, Sycamore’s varsity baseball coach, described Branden Haunert as fiery, stubborn and competitive.
“He wanted to win,” Shrimpton said. “He would do anything for you, and he just loved the game of baseball. He’d try hard, and that’s the thing I liked about him. He always gave 100 percent, no matter what he did.”
Army Pvt. Branden P. Haunert remembered
The Associated Press
Chris Shrimpton, a varsity baseball coach, described Branden P. Haunert as fiery, stubborn and competitive.
“He wanted to win,” Shrimpton said. “He would do anything for you, and he just loved the game of baseball. He’d try hard, and that’s the thing I liked about him. He always gave 100 percent, no matter what he did.”
Haunert, 21, of Cincinnati, died May 18 in Tikrit after his vehicle struck an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell.
“I’m going to try not to cry too much because Branden and I had so many good times together,” said Michael Turner, a classmate. “He was the best friend you could have.”
After high school, Branden attended the University of Cincinnati, where he studied business. He had student loans to deal with, plus he said he wasn’t that self-motivated, so he enlisted in the Army, his father said.
“It came to the point where he said, ‘This is something I want to do,’” Bill Haunert said. “He also wanted to serve his country.
He knew he’d probably be going to Iraq. He was doing what he wanted to do.”
He also is survived by his mother, Tammy.
Army Pvt. Branden P. Haunert was killed in action on 05/18/08.
Army Pvt. Branden P. Haunert, 21, of Cincinnati, OH
Pvt. Haunert was 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 18, 2008 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Father says Fort Campbell solider killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI — The father of a 101st Airborne Division soldier says his son was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Bill Haunert of Blue Ash, Ohio, said his 21-year-old son Branden enlisted in the Army last year and his unit was deployed to Iraq about five weeks ago.
The Defense Department has not confirmed the identification. The Army often waits at least 24 hours after a family is notified to announce a service member’s death.
Branden Haunert was a 2005 graduate of Sycamore High School in suburban Cincinnati, where he played baseball. He attended the University of Cincinnati before enlisting. His father said military representatives told the family on Sunday that the Humvee Branden Haunert was in was hit by a roadside bomb and that he died at the scene.
The entire Haunert family is “devastated,” Bill Haunert told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Monday. “His brothers are taking it pretty hard.”
Bill Haunert said he and his wife, Tammy, have five other sons.
Bill Haunert said Branden wanted to serve his country.
“He knew he’d probably be going to Iraq,” his father said. “He was doing what he wanted to do.”
Branden Haunert joined the Army in the summer of 2007 and went through basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., before being assigned to the 327th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, an Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
His father said he was doing well in the Army.
“He was thinking about re-enlisting. He’d been recommended for Ranger School. I think there’s a very good chance Branden could have made a career out of the military.”
Chris Shrimpton, Sycamore’s varsity baseball coach, described Branden Haunert as fiery, stubborn and competitive.
“He wanted to win,” Shrimpton said. “He would do anything for you, and he just loved the game of baseball. He’d try hard, and that’s the thing I liked about him. He always gave 100 percent, no matter what he did.”
Army Pvt. Branden P. Haunert remembered
The Associated Press
Chris Shrimpton, a varsity baseball coach, described Branden P. Haunert as fiery, stubborn and competitive.
“He wanted to win,” Shrimpton said. “He would do anything for you, and he just loved the game of baseball. He’d try hard, and that’s the thing I liked about him. He always gave 100 percent, no matter what he did.”
Haunert, 21, of Cincinnati, died May 18 in Tikrit after his vehicle struck an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell.
“I’m going to try not to cry too much because Branden and I had so many good times together,” said Michael Turner, a classmate. “He was the best friend you could have.”
After high school, Branden attended the University of Cincinnati, where he studied business. He had student loans to deal with, plus he said he wasn’t that self-motivated, so he enlisted in the Army, his father said.
“It came to the point where he said, ‘This is something I want to do,’” Bill Haunert said. “He also wanted to serve his country.
He knew he’d probably be going to Iraq. He was doing what he wanted to do.”
He also is survived by his mother, Tammy.
Army Pvt. Branden P. Haunert was killed in action on 05/18/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield, 21, Cleveland, Ohio.
Marine, back from Iraq, shot dead in his home town.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- On leave from the violence he had survived in the war in Iraq, a young Marine was so wary of crime on the streets of his own home town that he carried only $8 to avoid becoming a robbery target.
Despite his caution, Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield, 21, was shot point-blank in the neck during a robbery at a bus stop.
Feeding and breathing tubes kept him alive 4½ months, until he died of an infection on May 18.
Two men have been charged in the attack, and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said Friday the case was under review to decide whether to seek the death penalty.
"It is an awful story," said Alberta Holt, the young Marine's aunt and his legal guardian when he was a teenager determined to flee a troubled Cleveland school for safer surroundings in the suburbs.
Crutchfield was attacked on January 5 while he and his girlfriend were waiting for a bus. He had heeded the warnings of commanders that a Marine on leave might be seen as a prime robbery target with a pocketful of money, so he only carried $8, his military ID card and a bank card.
"They took it, turned his pockets inside out, took what he had and told him since he was a Marine and didn't have any money he didn't deserve to live. They put the gun to his neck and shot him," Holt told The Associated Press.
The two men charged in the attack were identified as Ean Farrow, 19, and Thomas Ray III, 20, both of Cleveland. Their attorneys did not respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment.
Crutchfield knew he was returning to Iraq for another tour of duty, but had hesitated to tell his family until he was nearing the end of his 30-day leave.
He apparently had a troubled family. Holt wouldn't discuss it except to say "his mom and dad didn't raise him, just his grandmother and me." He didn't smoke or drink, she said.
He had attended Cleveland's inner-city East High School, but asked that he be allowed to live with his aunt and grandmother and attend suburban Bedford High School for his final two years.
"He saw his school was in turmoil and asked to get out," Holt said.
Bedford High teachers recalled Crutchfield's smile, his pride in his appearance, his determination to join the Marine Corps after graduation in 2005 and his aspiration to become an architect.
"He was friendly and kind and willing to help out in any way that he could," counselor Yvonne Sims said in an e-mail.
Connie LaNasa, who works in the school office, said Crutchfield was a well-behaved student and went about his school work with little notice.
"He lived out what he wanted to do and that is to be a Marine," LaNasa said.
Faculty members remembered Crutchfield as a top student in the computer design program, an office assistant and participant in the prom fashion show.
After his long hospitalization, an infection broke out a week before he died. "He said it felt like he was getting hit by lightning," Holt said.
When Crutchfield's body was laid out Tuesday in the Sacrificial Missionary Baptist Church, his white military dress hat was tugged down close to his eyes to conceal the skull flap that had been kept open to relieve swelling in his brain.
Marines provided an honor guard at his funeral service and carried the casket to his grave at the Western Reserve National Cemetery near Akron.
Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield, 21, Cleveland, Ohio.
Marine, back from Iraq, shot dead in his home town.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- On leave from the violence he had survived in the war in Iraq, a young Marine was so wary of crime on the streets of his own home town that he carried only $8 to avoid becoming a robbery target.
Despite his caution, Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield, 21, was shot point-blank in the neck during a robbery at a bus stop.
Feeding and breathing tubes kept him alive 4½ months, until he died of an infection on May 18.
Two men have been charged in the attack, and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said Friday the case was under review to decide whether to seek the death penalty.
"It is an awful story," said Alberta Holt, the young Marine's aunt and his legal guardian when he was a teenager determined to flee a troubled Cleveland school for safer surroundings in the suburbs.
Crutchfield was attacked on January 5 while he and his girlfriend were waiting for a bus. He had heeded the warnings of commanders that a Marine on leave might be seen as a prime robbery target with a pocketful of money, so he only carried $8, his military ID card and a bank card.
"They took it, turned his pockets inside out, took what he had and told him since he was a Marine and didn't have any money he didn't deserve to live. They put the gun to his neck and shot him," Holt told The Associated Press.
The two men charged in the attack were identified as Ean Farrow, 19, and Thomas Ray III, 20, both of Cleveland. Their attorneys did not respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment.
Crutchfield knew he was returning to Iraq for another tour of duty, but had hesitated to tell his family until he was nearing the end of his 30-day leave.
He apparently had a troubled family. Holt wouldn't discuss it except to say "his mom and dad didn't raise him, just his grandmother and me." He didn't smoke or drink, she said.
He had attended Cleveland's inner-city East High School, but asked that he be allowed to live with his aunt and grandmother and attend suburban Bedford High School for his final two years.
"He saw his school was in turmoil and asked to get out," Holt said.
Bedford High teachers recalled Crutchfield's smile, his pride in his appearance, his determination to join the Marine Corps after graduation in 2005 and his aspiration to become an architect.
"He was friendly and kind and willing to help out in any way that he could," counselor Yvonne Sims said in an e-mail.
Connie LaNasa, who works in the school office, said Crutchfield was a well-behaved student and went about his school work with little notice.
"He lived out what he wanted to do and that is to be a Marine," LaNasa said.
Faculty members remembered Crutchfield as a top student in the computer design program, an office assistant and participant in the prom fashion show.
After his long hospitalization, an infection broke out a week before he died. "He said it felt like he was getting hit by lightning," Holt said.
When Crutchfield's body was laid out Tuesday in the Sacrificial Missionary Baptist Church, his white military dress hat was tugged down close to his eyes to conceal the skull flap that had been kept open to relieve swelling in his brain.
Marines provided an honor guard at his funeral service and carried the casket to his grave at the Western Reserve National Cemetery near Akron.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Army Sgt. John K. Daggett
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. John K. Daggett, 21, of Phoenix
Sgt. Daggett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died May 15, 2008 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, of wounds sustained May 1 in Baghdad when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle.
Phoenix soldier dead after grenade attack in Iraq
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — An Army soldier from Phoenix has died of wounds he suffered in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Baghdad earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced Friday.
Sgt. John K. Daggett died in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Thursday. The 21-year-old was wounded on May 1. He was en route from Iraq to Walter Reed Army Medical Center four days after he was wounded when the plane had to land in Halifax in order to tend to his injuries.
Daggett, known as Kyle, attended Pinnacle High School in Phoenix where he played football for four years.
“He worked hard to put himself in the position of starter and a linebacker on our defense,” said his former coach, Dana Zupke. “Every day, he came to practice with a positive attitude and can-do attitude ... he was just that kind of kid.”
He also cared about academics as much as sports.
“You get that sometimes with athletes — they have an incredible work ethic on the field but don’t apply that in the classroom,” Zupke said. “Kyle definitely was not in that category. He was on top of his grades all the time. Beyond decent grades, I think he genuinely enjoyed learning and being in high school and being involved in different classes.”
Daggett was assigned to a Stryker combat team in the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He was a fire team leader.
Daggett joined the Army in June 2005. He was serving his first tour in Iraq.
Zupke said Daggett often talked about the Army and the strong sense of duty he felt.
“He came to see me and said he planned to enlist in the Army Rangers,” Zupke said. “I believe he referenced Pat Tillman at one point.”
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Army Sgt. John K. Daggett remembered
The Associated Press
An avid outdoorsman, John K. Daggett loved hunting, fishing and adventure. He went camping and rafting with friends. He would hunt in Montana where his father lives.
“He was so intelligent about the outdoors,” best friend Jamie Patasin said. “Anything to do with outdoors, he was pretty much doing it.”
Daggett, 21, of Phoenix, died May 15 in Halifax, Canada, of wounds suffered May 1 in Baghdad when an explosive struck his vehicle. He was assigned to Schofield Barracks.
“He was just a phenomenal, a phenomenal kid,” said Dana Zupke, who coached Daggett on the football team. “He was very outgoing and very bright and articulate. He was definitely a pleasure to be around.”
Zupke, who also teaches business classes, knew Daggett off the field. “He applied the same ethic in the classroom,” Zupke said.
“He was always very outgoing and contributed a lot to the class — just an all-around joy.”
A 2005 high school graduate, he is survived by his father Jack Daggett, his mother Colleen Czaplicki, and stepfather Paul Czaplicki.
“He was probably the most honest-hearted person I ever met,” Patasin said.
Army Sgt. John K. Daggett died 05/15/08 due to combat injuries sustaned on 05/01/08.
Army Sgt. John K. Daggett, 21, of Phoenix
Sgt. Daggett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died May 15, 2008 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, of wounds sustained May 1 in Baghdad when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle.
Phoenix soldier dead after grenade attack in Iraq
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — An Army soldier from Phoenix has died of wounds he suffered in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Baghdad earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced Friday.
Sgt. John K. Daggett died in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Thursday. The 21-year-old was wounded on May 1. He was en route from Iraq to Walter Reed Army Medical Center four days after he was wounded when the plane had to land in Halifax in order to tend to his injuries.
Daggett, known as Kyle, attended Pinnacle High School in Phoenix where he played football for four years.
“He worked hard to put himself in the position of starter and a linebacker on our defense,” said his former coach, Dana Zupke. “Every day, he came to practice with a positive attitude and can-do attitude ... he was just that kind of kid.”
He also cared about academics as much as sports.
“You get that sometimes with athletes — they have an incredible work ethic on the field but don’t apply that in the classroom,” Zupke said. “Kyle definitely was not in that category. He was on top of his grades all the time. Beyond decent grades, I think he genuinely enjoyed learning and being in high school and being involved in different classes.”
Daggett was assigned to a Stryker combat team in the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He was a fire team leader.
Daggett joined the Army in June 2005. He was serving his first tour in Iraq.
Zupke said Daggett often talked about the Army and the strong sense of duty he felt.
“He came to see me and said he planned to enlist in the Army Rangers,” Zupke said. “I believe he referenced Pat Tillman at one point.”
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Army Sgt. John K. Daggett remembered
The Associated Press
An avid outdoorsman, John K. Daggett loved hunting, fishing and adventure. He went camping and rafting with friends. He would hunt in Montana where his father lives.
“He was so intelligent about the outdoors,” best friend Jamie Patasin said. “Anything to do with outdoors, he was pretty much doing it.”
Daggett, 21, of Phoenix, died May 15 in Halifax, Canada, of wounds suffered May 1 in Baghdad when an explosive struck his vehicle. He was assigned to Schofield Barracks.
“He was just a phenomenal, a phenomenal kid,” said Dana Zupke, who coached Daggett on the football team. “He was very outgoing and very bright and articulate. He was definitely a pleasure to be around.”
Zupke, who also teaches business classes, knew Daggett off the field. “He applied the same ethic in the classroom,” Zupke said.
“He was always very outgoing and contributed a lot to the class — just an all-around joy.”
A 2005 high school graduate, he is survived by his father Jack Daggett, his mother Colleen Czaplicki, and stepfather Paul Czaplicki.
“He was probably the most honest-hearted person I ever met,” Patasin said.
Army Sgt. John K. Daggett died 05/15/08 due to combat injuries sustaned on 05/01/08.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Army Staff Sgt. Victor M. Cota
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Victor M. Cota, 33, of Tucson, Ariz.
SSgt. Cota was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 14, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Kadamiyah, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Victor M. Cota remembered
The Associated Press
Of all the things Gilbert Moreno will miss about Victor M. Cota, what he’ll miss most is the sound of Cota’s laugh.
“He was known for his laugh. That’s how I’ll remember him: always telling jokes,” said Moreno, a longtime friend.
Cota, 33, of Tucson, Ariz., died May 14 in Baghdad, a day after his vehicle struck an explosive in Kadamiyah. He was a 1993 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
Cota was “a man of great warmth and great passion: passion for his job and for his family,” said Maj. Gen. John M. Custer III.
“He wanted to make the world a better place with his life, and he saw being a soldier as a way to do that.”
Cota, known to his friends as Chico, loved to sing and dance and make people laugh, said boyhood friend, Aaron Valencia.
Another friend, David Camacho, said Cota didn’t care about the political aspects of the war. “He loved being a soldier. He was a very proud soldier,” Camacho said. “He tried to fulfill his commitment with honor.”
Cota leaves behind a wife, Liliana, and two children from a previous marriage, Victor Manuel, 8, and Mireya, 7.
Army Staff Sgt. Victor M. Cota was killed in action on 05/14/08.
Army Staff Sgt. Victor M. Cota, 33, of Tucson, Ariz.
SSgt. Cota was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 14, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Kadamiyah, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Victor M. Cota remembered
The Associated Press
Of all the things Gilbert Moreno will miss about Victor M. Cota, what he’ll miss most is the sound of Cota’s laugh.
“He was known for his laugh. That’s how I’ll remember him: always telling jokes,” said Moreno, a longtime friend.
Cota, 33, of Tucson, Ariz., died May 14 in Baghdad, a day after his vehicle struck an explosive in Kadamiyah. He was a 1993 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
Cota was “a man of great warmth and great passion: passion for his job and for his family,” said Maj. Gen. John M. Custer III.
“He wanted to make the world a better place with his life, and he saw being a soldier as a way to do that.”
Cota, known to his friends as Chico, loved to sing and dance and make people laugh, said boyhood friend, Aaron Valencia.
Another friend, David Camacho, said Cota didn’t care about the political aspects of the war. “He loved being a soldier. He was a very proud soldier,” Camacho said. “He tried to fulfill his commitment with honor.”
Cota leaves behind a wife, Liliana, and two children from a previous marriage, Victor Manuel, 8, and Mireya, 7.
Army Staff Sgt. Victor M. Cota was killed in action on 05/14/08.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Army Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis, 24, of Bend, Ore.
Cpl. Ellis was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 11, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when her vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Campbell soldier killed in Iraq was health care worker
The (Clarksville) Leaf-Chronicle
A 101st Airborne Division soldier who was killed Sunday in Iraq was a health care specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis, 24, of Bend, Ore., died from wounds suffered when her vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, according to a news release from Fort Campbell.
Ellis entered the Army in September 2004 and arrived at Fort Campbell in May 2005. She is survived by her parents, Linda and Steven Ellis, of Baker City, Ore.
A memorial service for the fallen soldier will be held in Iraq. Fort Campbell holds a monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony the second Wednesday of each month, and today's ceremony will be 5 p.m. at McAuliffe Hall.
Governor: Lower flags for Oregon soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. — Gov. Ted Kulongoski has ordered flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff on Thursday in memory of Army Cpl. Jessica Ann Ellis of Baker City.
The 24-year-old medic was killed in action on May 11 when her vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.
She was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Kulongoski says Ellis was a decorated soldier who served her state and her country with courage and conviction.
Oregon, he says, “will be less than we could have been without her.”
Army Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis remembered
The Associated Press
Jessica A. Ellis was friends with everybody in high school, said Bob Nash, her former principal.
“The typical barriers that separate certain types of people did not have any impact on her,” Nash said. “Whether they were a good student, a bad student, a top-notch athlete, she got on very well with everybody.”
Ellis, 24, a medic from Bend, Ore., was killed May 11 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. She was assigned to Fort Campbell and was on her second tour of Iraq.
“She was a joy,” said Linda Conroy, who taught Ellis jazz, tap and ballet. “She was always helping, and she was just part of the group, a team player.”
Ellis participated in cross country, swimming and track. She graduated high school in 2002 and attended Central Oregon Community College in Bend — majoring in education — for a few years before entering the Army.
“You could always count on her,” said physical education teacher Bobbie Steninger. “Some people are good in a wide variety of ways, and she was the kind of person who always had a smile on her face.”
She is survived by her parents, Steve and Linda.
Army Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis was killed in action on 05/11/08.
Army Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis, 24, of Bend, Ore.
Cpl. Ellis was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 11, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when her vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Campbell soldier killed in Iraq was health care worker
The (Clarksville) Leaf-Chronicle
A 101st Airborne Division soldier who was killed Sunday in Iraq was a health care specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis, 24, of Bend, Ore., died from wounds suffered when her vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, according to a news release from Fort Campbell.
Ellis entered the Army in September 2004 and arrived at Fort Campbell in May 2005. She is survived by her parents, Linda and Steven Ellis, of Baker City, Ore.
A memorial service for the fallen soldier will be held in Iraq. Fort Campbell holds a monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony the second Wednesday of each month, and today's ceremony will be 5 p.m. at McAuliffe Hall.
Governor: Lower flags for Oregon soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. — Gov. Ted Kulongoski has ordered flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff on Thursday in memory of Army Cpl. Jessica Ann Ellis of Baker City.
The 24-year-old medic was killed in action on May 11 when her vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.
She was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Kulongoski says Ellis was a decorated soldier who served her state and her country with courage and conviction.
Oregon, he says, “will be less than we could have been without her.”
Army Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis remembered
The Associated Press
Jessica A. Ellis was friends with everybody in high school, said Bob Nash, her former principal.
“The typical barriers that separate certain types of people did not have any impact on her,” Nash said. “Whether they were a good student, a bad student, a top-notch athlete, she got on very well with everybody.”
Ellis, 24, a medic from Bend, Ore., was killed May 11 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. She was assigned to Fort Campbell and was on her second tour of Iraq.
“She was a joy,” said Linda Conroy, who taught Ellis jazz, tap and ballet. “She was always helping, and she was just part of the group, a team player.”
Ellis participated in cross country, swimming and track. She graduated high school in 2002 and attended Central Oregon Community College in Bend — majoring in education — for a few years before entering the Army.
“You could always count on her,” said physical education teacher Bobbie Steninger. “Some people are good in a wide variety of ways, and she was the kind of person who always had a smile on her face.”
She is survived by her parents, Steve and Linda.
Army Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis was killed in action on 05/11/08.
Army Pvt. Matthew W. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Matthew W. Brown, 20, of Zelienople, Pa.
Pvt. Brown was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Fires Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died May 11, 2008 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.
Army Pvt. Matthew W. Brown remembered
The Associated Press
Relatives and friends honored Matthew W. Brown’s wish that they dress “festive” for his funeral and wore colorful shirts.
“I couldn’t ask for a better friend. He also had a great sense of humor. That’s why we’re wearing these shirts,” said Erik Wenzelburger, a longtime friend who spoke at the service.
Brown, 20, of Zelienople, Pa., died May 11 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, of injuries from a non-combat-related incident. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.
“My son was probably one of the most decent people I have had the privilege to know,” said his father, James Brown. “He told me he joined the service because he wanted to help people.”
The last time Brown was home, he gathered a group of friends for a touch football game, writing a list of plays on his wrist band and wearing black tape under his eyes, said Allison Chandler, a friend.
“Matt was full of life. He had the best outlook on life,” Wenzelburger said.
“We all have a little edginess in us, but he had no stitch of meanness in him,” said his grandfather, Ron Brown.
He also is survived by his mother, Sandy Evans.
Army Pvt. Matthew W. Brown was killed in a non-combat related incident on 05/11/08.
Army Pvt. Matthew W. Brown, 20, of Zelienople, Pa.
Pvt. Brown was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Fires Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died May 11, 2008 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.
Army Pvt. Matthew W. Brown remembered
The Associated Press
Relatives and friends honored Matthew W. Brown’s wish that they dress “festive” for his funeral and wore colorful shirts.
“I couldn’t ask for a better friend. He also had a great sense of humor. That’s why we’re wearing these shirts,” said Erik Wenzelburger, a longtime friend who spoke at the service.
Brown, 20, of Zelienople, Pa., died May 11 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, of injuries from a non-combat-related incident. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.
“My son was probably one of the most decent people I have had the privilege to know,” said his father, James Brown. “He told me he joined the service because he wanted to help people.”
The last time Brown was home, he gathered a group of friends for a touch football game, writing a list of plays on his wrist band and wearing black tape under his eyes, said Allison Chandler, a friend.
“Matt was full of life. He had the best outlook on life,” Wenzelburger said.
“We all have a little edginess in us, but he had no stitch of meanness in him,” said his grandfather, Ron Brown.
He also is survived by his mother, Sandy Evans.
Army Pvt. Matthew W. Brown was killed in a non-combat related incident on 05/11/08.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Army Sgt. Joseph A. Ford
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Joseph A. Ford, 23, of Knox, Ind.
Sgt. Ford was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana National Guard, New Albany, Ind.; died May 10, 2008 in Al Asad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
Ind. guardsman dies in Iraq vehicle accident
The Associated Press
KNOX, Ind. — An Indiana National Guard member who lived in New Albany died of injuries he suffered in a vehicle accident in Iraq.
Joseph A. Ford, 23, who was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant, was remembered in his hometown of Knox as a determined, intelligent young man.
“He was a very bright, inquisitive student,” Knox High School teacher Terrill Hahn said. “He was a lot of fun.”
Ford, a 2003 graduate of Knox High School, died Saturday during operations near Al Asad. He had been deployed to the country since March with his Guard unit, the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
He was described as a happy teen who loved history and was quick with his hands on the school’s fencing team. He also was quick to share with his fellow students.
“We put on the ‘Three Musketeers’ one year, and he came in to help choreograph the sword-fighting scenes,” said Hahn, who teaches English and drama. “He was generous with his knowledge.”
While serving in the Guard, Ford also was working toward a degree in history at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.
Spc. Joseph A. Ford remembered
The Associated Press
The past intrigued Joseph A. Ford. In high school, he was a member of the fencing club. He choreographed the sword fights in the school’s production of “The Three Musketeers.” He went to Renaissance fairs dressed as a Roman.
“He was always bringing up Roman mythology and seeing links with what’s going on today,” said Terrill Hahn, Ford’s high school English teacher. “He was very bright, he really was.”
Ford, 23, of Knox, Ind., was killed May 10 in Asad in a vehicle accident. He was a 2003 high school graduate, was attending the University of Southern Indiana as a history major, and was assigned to New Albany, Ind.
“He was a very bright, inquisitive student,” Hahn said. “He was a lot of fun.”
He wanted to serve his country so badly that he endured intense runs to drop nearly 70 pounds in a summer.
“He’d been running,” said Peggy Shidaker, Ford’s French teacher, whom he visited last year. “He had a goal, and it was great to see. He looked great. He said, ‘I’m getting ready,’ and I wished him well.”
He is survived by his wife, Karen.
Army Sgt. Joseph A. Ford died due to a vehicle accident on 05/10/08.
Army Sgt. Joseph A. Ford, 23, of Knox, Ind.
Sgt. Ford was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana National Guard, New Albany, Ind.; died May 10, 2008 in Al Asad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
Ind. guardsman dies in Iraq vehicle accident
The Associated Press
KNOX, Ind. — An Indiana National Guard member who lived in New Albany died of injuries he suffered in a vehicle accident in Iraq.
Joseph A. Ford, 23, who was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant, was remembered in his hometown of Knox as a determined, intelligent young man.
“He was a very bright, inquisitive student,” Knox High School teacher Terrill Hahn said. “He was a lot of fun.”
Ford, a 2003 graduate of Knox High School, died Saturday during operations near Al Asad. He had been deployed to the country since March with his Guard unit, the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
He was described as a happy teen who loved history and was quick with his hands on the school’s fencing team. He also was quick to share with his fellow students.
“We put on the ‘Three Musketeers’ one year, and he came in to help choreograph the sword-fighting scenes,” said Hahn, who teaches English and drama. “He was generous with his knowledge.”
While serving in the Guard, Ford also was working toward a degree in history at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.
Spc. Joseph A. Ford remembered
The Associated Press
The past intrigued Joseph A. Ford. In high school, he was a member of the fencing club. He choreographed the sword fights in the school’s production of “The Three Musketeers.” He went to Renaissance fairs dressed as a Roman.
“He was always bringing up Roman mythology and seeing links with what’s going on today,” said Terrill Hahn, Ford’s high school English teacher. “He was very bright, he really was.”
Ford, 23, of Knox, Ind., was killed May 10 in Asad in a vehicle accident. He was a 2003 high school graduate, was attending the University of Southern Indiana as a history major, and was assigned to New Albany, Ind.
“He was a very bright, inquisitive student,” Hahn said. “He was a lot of fun.”
He wanted to serve his country so badly that he endured intense runs to drop nearly 70 pounds in a summer.
“He’d been running,” said Peggy Shidaker, Ford’s French teacher, whom he visited last year. “He had a goal, and it was great to see. He looked great. He said, ‘I’m getting ready,’ and I wished him well.”
He is survived by his wife, Karen.
Army Sgt. Joseph A. Ford died due to a vehicle accident on 05/10/08.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen, 20, of Temecula, Calif.
Spc. Jaenichen was assigned to the Brigade Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died May 9, 2008 in Iskandariyah, Iraq, of a non-combat related injury.
Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen remembered
The Associated Press
Emily Ricci was part of the same ROTC program as Mary J. Jaenichen.
“She was the one who was always cheering everyone up,” Ricci said. “She was really small, but she had the biggest spirit.”
Jaenichen, 20, of Temecula, Calif., died May 9 in Iskandariyah of a non-combat-related injury. She was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Stewart.
Her father — a Marine Corps master sergeant who retired after 23 years in the military — described the fallen soldier as a beautiful person inside and out.
“Mary Jane would go out of her way to help everybody,” Alfred Jaenichen said. “She would do anything for anybody.”
Her stepmother said the soldier surprised her family in March when she arrived home on leave. “She was so grown up,” Mini Jaenichen said. “She said after being in the military herself she finally really understood her father.”
She also is survived by her mother, Julieta Jaenichen.
“She definitely died doing what she loved,” Ricci said. “The last thing she said to a lot of us was that she wasn’t afraid to die for her country.”
Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen died of non-combat related injuries on 05/09/08.
Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen, 20, of Temecula, Calif.
Spc. Jaenichen was assigned to the Brigade Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died May 9, 2008 in Iskandariyah, Iraq, of a non-combat related injury.
Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen remembered
The Associated Press
Emily Ricci was part of the same ROTC program as Mary J. Jaenichen.
“She was the one who was always cheering everyone up,” Ricci said. “She was really small, but she had the biggest spirit.”
Jaenichen, 20, of Temecula, Calif., died May 9 in Iskandariyah of a non-combat-related injury. She was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Stewart.
Her father — a Marine Corps master sergeant who retired after 23 years in the military — described the fallen soldier as a beautiful person inside and out.
“Mary Jane would go out of her way to help everybody,” Alfred Jaenichen said. “She would do anything for anybody.”
Her stepmother said the soldier surprised her family in March when she arrived home on leave. “She was so grown up,” Mini Jaenichen said. “She said after being in the military herself she finally really understood her father.”
She also is survived by her mother, Julieta Jaenichen.
“She definitely died doing what she loved,” Ricci said. “The last thing she said to a lot of us was that she wasn’t afraid to die for her country.”
Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen died of non-combat related injuries on 05/09/08.
Army Sgt. Isaac Palomarez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Isaac Palomarez, 26, of Loveland, Colo.
Sgt. Palomarez was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 9, 2008 in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Afghanistan ambush kills Loveland soldier
By Robert Moore
Fort Collins Coloradoan
LOVELAND — Given an opportunity to borrow a cell phone recently between combat patrols in Afghanistan, Sgt. Isaac Palomarez called his mother to wish her a happy Mother’s Day.
Days later, he was killed in an ambush in the war-torn country’s Kapisa Province.
“He just had a few minutes, so he called to say hello to us. He said he wanted to wish us all a happy Mother’s Day,” his mother, Elma Palomarez, said at her west Loveland home Saturday night.
Sgt. Palomarez, 26, was killed early Friday in Afghanistan (Thursday Colorado time). The Defense Department said he was killed “when his patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.”
His family was notified Thursday afternoon and the Army made his death public Saturday night. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Palomarez joined the Army in 2004 and previously served a combat tour in Iraq. He deployed to Afghanistan in March.
His mother said she never worried for his safety.
“I was very proud of him,” Elma Palomarez said. “That’s what he wanted to do and I had him in God’s hands.”
Isaac was the youngest of Elma and Candido Palomarez’s four sons.
Nine years after the birth of her third son they decided to have one more child. “I wanted the girl,” Elma said with a smile.
Her youngest son moved with them to Loveland when he was in the third grade, attending Immanuel Lutheran School and then Loveland High School.
Isaac played defense on Loveland High’s 2000 state championship football team and graduated in 2001.
One of Isaac’s passions was Colorado Avalanche hockey. His private e-mail address was “avs2001,” commemorating their last Stanley Cup championship, his father said.
“One of the last e-mails we got from him mentioned his disappointment in the Avs’ season,” Candido Palomarez said. The injury-riddled Avalanche were swept by the rival Detroit Red Wings in the second round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
Isaac also loved skiing and planned to return to Colorado after completing his second three-year enlistment, his parents said.
After graduating high school, Isaac attended Colorado State University for a year. An avid reader of military history, he decided to join the Army, motivated in part by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Candido said.
“In one of his e-mails to us he wrote, ‘On 9/11, America was attacked on our own soil. That couldn’t go unanswered,’” his father said.
He wasn’t married. “That’s the one good thing — he didn’t leave a wife or children,” Elma said.
Isaac is the first Northern Colorado resident killed in the 6½-year-old Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, according to Pentagon records.
Four Northern Colorado residents have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom — Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Parrot of Timnath, Army Pfc. Tyler MacKenzie of Evans, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Walsh of Fort Collins and Army Sgt. 1st Class Scott Brown of Windsor.
Funeral arrangements for Isaac have not yet been set, said his parents, members of St. John’s Catholic Church in Loveland.
His mother said Isaac never complained about drawing combat duty a second time.
“He was actually looking forward to it,” she said. “He was doing his job willingly.”
Friends recall Sgt. Isaac Palomarez as smart, witty
By Douglas Crowl
Fort Collins Coloradoan
LOVELAND — Chris Griess never sensed fear in Isaac Palomarez before his friend was shipped back to Afghanistan as an infantry sergeant in the Army.
The two young men, both 2001 Loveland High School graduates, attended at Colorado Avalanche hockey game the last time they were together, just before Palomarez left for his second trip to the war-torn country.
“He’d been there before,” Griess said. “It wasn’t routine — I don’t think it can be routine. But he wasn’t scared to go back. He was kind of excited. It’s what he loved to do.”
Palomarez, 26, was killed early Friday (Thursday Colorado time) in the Kapisa Province of Afghanistan, when his patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire, according to a Defense Department release.
Palomarez was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Griess and fellow high-school buddies Brett Sandford and Chip Gray learned of their friend’s death Friday and got together Saturday in Loveland to share their memories.
“I really don’t even know where to start,” Sandford said Sunday. “He knew me better than anyone that I know. He really was my best friend.”
People found Palomarez approachable, Sandford said. He was a “straight shooter” usually ready with a witty comment at the right time.
“He was the best smack-talker I ever met. He was just quick on his feet like that,” Sandford said.
Though smaller in stature, Palomarez played offensive tackle for the 2000 Loveland High School football state champion team, which reflected a competitive spirit.
Then offensive line coach Marty Gocken said Palomarez was a hard-working player who never missed an assignment.
“He was a very intelligent kid,” Gocken said. “He was very team oriented.”
After high school, Palomarez and his friends joined recreation hockey leagues in Fort Collins.
“It’s one of those leagues that was just for fun, but if we were down, he would get really fired up about it,” Sandford said.
He figured that having three older brothers probably contributed to Palomarez’s competitive, scrappy attitude.
Palomarez was bright in math and an avid reader who took a few classes at Colorado State University. But he never fully knew what he wanted to study, Sandford recalled.
Despite leaving college, Griess and Sandford considered Palomarez one of smartest people they knew.
“He would pull out his engineering homework when we were watching Monday Night Football and get it done in a quarter — and get it right,” Sandford said.
That’s one reason why when Palomarez joined the military in 2004, Griess and Sandford were surprised.
“But after he told me about it, I realized it was something he wanted to do for a while. He said it was a fit for him,” Griess said.
Palomarez’s parents, Loveland residents Elma and Candido Palomarez, told the Coloradoan in an interview Saturday how proud they were of their son.
Candido Palomarez said Sunday he expects his son’s body to be flown home in a few days and a memorial service would be scheduled for early next week.
“He was just a great guy,” Griess said. “He was one of the best friends I could ever have. He’s going to be missed.”
Army Sgt. Isaac Palomarez remembered
The Associated Press
Brett Sandford considered Isaac Palomarez one of smartest people he knew.
“He would pull out his engineering homework when we were watching ‘Monday Night Football’ and get it done in a quarter — and get it right,” Sandford said.
Palomarez, 26, of Loveland, Colo., was killed May 9 in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, by an explosive and small-arms fire. He was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.
Palomarez was bright in math and an avid reader who took a few classes at Colorado State University. But he never fully knew what he wanted to study.
Though smaller in stature, Palomarez played offensive tackle for the 2000 Loveland High School football state champion team. “He was a very intelligent kid,” said Marty Gocken, a coach. “He was very team oriented.”
One of Palomarez’s passions was Colorado Avalanche hockey. His private e-mail address was “avs2001,” commemorating their last Stanley Cup championship.
He is survived by his father, Candido, and mother, Elma.
During his last call home, Palomarez told his mother “If I don’t get to talk to you again, happy Mother’s Day.”
Army Sgt. Isaac Palomarez was killed in action on 05/09/08.
Army Sgt. Isaac Palomarez, 26, of Loveland, Colo.
Sgt. Palomarez was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 9, 2008 in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Afghanistan ambush kills Loveland soldier
By Robert Moore
Fort Collins Coloradoan
LOVELAND — Given an opportunity to borrow a cell phone recently between combat patrols in Afghanistan, Sgt. Isaac Palomarez called his mother to wish her a happy Mother’s Day.
Days later, he was killed in an ambush in the war-torn country’s Kapisa Province.
“He just had a few minutes, so he called to say hello to us. He said he wanted to wish us all a happy Mother’s Day,” his mother, Elma Palomarez, said at her west Loveland home Saturday night.
Sgt. Palomarez, 26, was killed early Friday in Afghanistan (Thursday Colorado time). The Defense Department said he was killed “when his patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.”
His family was notified Thursday afternoon and the Army made his death public Saturday night. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Palomarez joined the Army in 2004 and previously served a combat tour in Iraq. He deployed to Afghanistan in March.
His mother said she never worried for his safety.
“I was very proud of him,” Elma Palomarez said. “That’s what he wanted to do and I had him in God’s hands.”
Isaac was the youngest of Elma and Candido Palomarez’s four sons.
Nine years after the birth of her third son they decided to have one more child. “I wanted the girl,” Elma said with a smile.
Her youngest son moved with them to Loveland when he was in the third grade, attending Immanuel Lutheran School and then Loveland High School.
Isaac played defense on Loveland High’s 2000 state championship football team and graduated in 2001.
One of Isaac’s passions was Colorado Avalanche hockey. His private e-mail address was “avs2001,” commemorating their last Stanley Cup championship, his father said.
“One of the last e-mails we got from him mentioned his disappointment in the Avs’ season,” Candido Palomarez said. The injury-riddled Avalanche were swept by the rival Detroit Red Wings in the second round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
Isaac also loved skiing and planned to return to Colorado after completing his second three-year enlistment, his parents said.
After graduating high school, Isaac attended Colorado State University for a year. An avid reader of military history, he decided to join the Army, motivated in part by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Candido said.
“In one of his e-mails to us he wrote, ‘On 9/11, America was attacked on our own soil. That couldn’t go unanswered,’” his father said.
He wasn’t married. “That’s the one good thing — he didn’t leave a wife or children,” Elma said.
Isaac is the first Northern Colorado resident killed in the 6½-year-old Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, according to Pentagon records.
Four Northern Colorado residents have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom — Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Parrot of Timnath, Army Pfc. Tyler MacKenzie of Evans, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Walsh of Fort Collins and Army Sgt. 1st Class Scott Brown of Windsor.
Funeral arrangements for Isaac have not yet been set, said his parents, members of St. John’s Catholic Church in Loveland.
His mother said Isaac never complained about drawing combat duty a second time.
“He was actually looking forward to it,” she said. “He was doing his job willingly.”
Friends recall Sgt. Isaac Palomarez as smart, witty
By Douglas Crowl
Fort Collins Coloradoan
LOVELAND — Chris Griess never sensed fear in Isaac Palomarez before his friend was shipped back to Afghanistan as an infantry sergeant in the Army.
The two young men, both 2001 Loveland High School graduates, attended at Colorado Avalanche hockey game the last time they were together, just before Palomarez left for his second trip to the war-torn country.
“He’d been there before,” Griess said. “It wasn’t routine — I don’t think it can be routine. But he wasn’t scared to go back. He was kind of excited. It’s what he loved to do.”
Palomarez, 26, was killed early Friday (Thursday Colorado time) in the Kapisa Province of Afghanistan, when his patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire, according to a Defense Department release.
Palomarez was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Griess and fellow high-school buddies Brett Sandford and Chip Gray learned of their friend’s death Friday and got together Saturday in Loveland to share their memories.
“I really don’t even know where to start,” Sandford said Sunday. “He knew me better than anyone that I know. He really was my best friend.”
People found Palomarez approachable, Sandford said. He was a “straight shooter” usually ready with a witty comment at the right time.
“He was the best smack-talker I ever met. He was just quick on his feet like that,” Sandford said.
Though smaller in stature, Palomarez played offensive tackle for the 2000 Loveland High School football state champion team, which reflected a competitive spirit.
Then offensive line coach Marty Gocken said Palomarez was a hard-working player who never missed an assignment.
“He was a very intelligent kid,” Gocken said. “He was very team oriented.”
After high school, Palomarez and his friends joined recreation hockey leagues in Fort Collins.
“It’s one of those leagues that was just for fun, but if we were down, he would get really fired up about it,” Sandford said.
He figured that having three older brothers probably contributed to Palomarez’s competitive, scrappy attitude.
Palomarez was bright in math and an avid reader who took a few classes at Colorado State University. But he never fully knew what he wanted to study, Sandford recalled.
Despite leaving college, Griess and Sandford considered Palomarez one of smartest people they knew.
“He would pull out his engineering homework when we were watching Monday Night Football and get it done in a quarter — and get it right,” Sandford said.
That’s one reason why when Palomarez joined the military in 2004, Griess and Sandford were surprised.
“But after he told me about it, I realized it was something he wanted to do for a while. He said it was a fit for him,” Griess said.
Palomarez’s parents, Loveland residents Elma and Candido Palomarez, told the Coloradoan in an interview Saturday how proud they were of their son.
Candido Palomarez said Sunday he expects his son’s body to be flown home in a few days and a memorial service would be scheduled for early next week.
“He was just a great guy,” Griess said. “He was one of the best friends I could ever have. He’s going to be missed.”
Army Sgt. Isaac Palomarez remembered
The Associated Press
Brett Sandford considered Isaac Palomarez one of smartest people he knew.
“He would pull out his engineering homework when we were watching ‘Monday Night Football’ and get it done in a quarter — and get it right,” Sandford said.
Palomarez, 26, of Loveland, Colo., was killed May 9 in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, by an explosive and small-arms fire. He was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.
Palomarez was bright in math and an avid reader who took a few classes at Colorado State University. But he never fully knew what he wanted to study.
Though smaller in stature, Palomarez played offensive tackle for the 2000 Loveland High School football state champion team. “He was a very intelligent kid,” said Marty Gocken, a coach. “He was very team oriented.”
One of Palomarez’s passions was Colorado Avalanche hockey. His private e-mail address was “avs2001,” commemorating their last Stanley Cup championship.
He is survived by his father, Candido, and mother, Elma.
During his last call home, Palomarez told his mother “If I don’t get to talk to you again, happy Mother’s Day.”
Army Sgt. Isaac Palomarez was killed in action on 05/09/08.
Army Pfc. Ara T. Deysie
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Ara T. Deysie, 18, of Parker, Ariz.
Pfc. Deysie was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 9, 2008 in Paktia Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit came under rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Ariz. soldier with 101st Airborne killed in Afghanistan
By Amanda Lee Myers
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — Ara Tyler Deysie talked about joining the military when he was just 4 years old, his mother said Sunday.
At 18, Deysie became the fourth soldier from the 101st Airborne to be killed in Afghanistan in a week. The Parker, Ariz. teen and member of the Colorado River Indian Tribe was killed Friday in the Paktia Province when his patrol encountered rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Deysie’s mother, Lori Deysie, 40, said her son was a jokester and a handful.
“Once he decided what he wanted to do, he made sure he got his way and got to do it, and that was to go into the military,” she told The Associated Press on Mother’s Day from her home in Parker, 130 miles west of Phoenix on the Arizona-California line.
Deysie said she signed up Tyler, or T-Man as he was known at home, for the Army in February after he continually pestered her about it.
“Since he signed up for the military, I’ve just been sick,” she said. “But he did get to do what he wanted to do in his life.”
She said she last spoke to Tyler last Sunday, and had to cut him short because she was at work, and last received a message from him on Tuesday.
In that message, she said Tyler said “it wasn’t bothering him anymore” and that he had found peace.
She said she had just put Tyler’s dog to sleep on May 1 and doesn’t know whether he was writing about that or possibly his mission in Afghanistan. “But he had found peace, and that’s all I know,” she said.
Tyler is survived by his mother, four sisters, and six nieces and nephews. Tyler’s father died of accidental causes nearly six years ago.
Arrangements for Tyler’s funeral had not been made Sunday. Deysie said her son’s body was in Dover, Del. and was to be returned to Arizona.
Messages from friends and family were posted on Tyler’s MySpace.com page, where he had posted dozens of pictures of himself in uniform and with guns. Tyler described himself in just one sentence on his profile: “It was like watching a dream but before I knew it the dream was over.”
Deysie was a member of the 101st Airborne Division’s Fourth Brigade Combat Team, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Squadron at Fort Campbell, an Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
Two other soldiers from the Fourth Brigade, Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, of Greenup, Ky., and Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts, 25, of Farmington, N.M., died in a bombing Wednesday in Afghanistan’s Sabari District.
Another soldier, Sgt. Isaac Palomarez, 26, of Loveland, Colo., was killed Friday in the Kapisa Province.
Funeral set for soldier from Parker killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
PARKER, Ariz. — Funeral services for a soldier from the Colorado River Indian Tribe who was killed in Afghanistan are set for May 18 and 19 in Parker.
A religious service for Pfc. Ara Tyler Deysie will be held in the town’s Mormon church in the afternoon on May 18. His casket will then be taken through town on a fire truck to the Cry House next to the tribal cemetery.
After being placed inside the Cry House in an elaborate ceremony, military guards will stand guard through the night, and American Indian and military ceremonies and his burial will be held in the morning on May 19.
The 18-year-old was a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He died May 9 in Afghanistan’s Paktia Province when his patrol was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades.
Army Pfc. Ara T. Deysie remembered
The Associated Press
Ara T. Deysie talked about joining the military when he was just 4 years old, his mother said.
“Once he decided what he wanted to do, he made sure he got his way and got to do it, and that was to go into the military,” said Lori Deysie.
Deysie, 18, of Parker, Ariz., died May 9 in Paktia province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an explosive. He was a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes and was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.
Known as Tyler or T-Man, he was described as a quiet young man who was the diplomat in the household and who tried to keep peace with his four sisters. By age 14, he knew he wanted to volunteer for the military.
“Tyler loved his family with all his heart and would talk about them all the time,” said his former girlfriend, Jasmine Delgado.
Delgado said even though they split up as a couple several years ago, they stayed close friends, and he leaned on her through the death of his father several years ago.
“I just remember his smile and the way he used to laugh at me,” Delgado said. “I just want my love to be shared with everyone else that knew Tyler and loved him as much as I did and still do.”
Army Pfc. Ara T. Deysie was killed in action on 05/09/08.
Army Pfc. Ara T. Deysie, 18, of Parker, Ariz.
Pfc. Deysie was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 9, 2008 in Paktia Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit came under rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Ariz. soldier with 101st Airborne killed in Afghanistan
By Amanda Lee Myers
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — Ara Tyler Deysie talked about joining the military when he was just 4 years old, his mother said Sunday.
At 18, Deysie became the fourth soldier from the 101st Airborne to be killed in Afghanistan in a week. The Parker, Ariz. teen and member of the Colorado River Indian Tribe was killed Friday in the Paktia Province when his patrol encountered rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Deysie’s mother, Lori Deysie, 40, said her son was a jokester and a handful.
“Once he decided what he wanted to do, he made sure he got his way and got to do it, and that was to go into the military,” she told The Associated Press on Mother’s Day from her home in Parker, 130 miles west of Phoenix on the Arizona-California line.
Deysie said she signed up Tyler, or T-Man as he was known at home, for the Army in February after he continually pestered her about it.
“Since he signed up for the military, I’ve just been sick,” she said. “But he did get to do what he wanted to do in his life.”
She said she last spoke to Tyler last Sunday, and had to cut him short because she was at work, and last received a message from him on Tuesday.
In that message, she said Tyler said “it wasn’t bothering him anymore” and that he had found peace.
She said she had just put Tyler’s dog to sleep on May 1 and doesn’t know whether he was writing about that or possibly his mission in Afghanistan. “But he had found peace, and that’s all I know,” she said.
Tyler is survived by his mother, four sisters, and six nieces and nephews. Tyler’s father died of accidental causes nearly six years ago.
Arrangements for Tyler’s funeral had not been made Sunday. Deysie said her son’s body was in Dover, Del. and was to be returned to Arizona.
Messages from friends and family were posted on Tyler’s MySpace.com page, where he had posted dozens of pictures of himself in uniform and with guns. Tyler described himself in just one sentence on his profile: “It was like watching a dream but before I knew it the dream was over.”
Deysie was a member of the 101st Airborne Division’s Fourth Brigade Combat Team, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Squadron at Fort Campbell, an Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
Two other soldiers from the Fourth Brigade, Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, of Greenup, Ky., and Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts, 25, of Farmington, N.M., died in a bombing Wednesday in Afghanistan’s Sabari District.
Another soldier, Sgt. Isaac Palomarez, 26, of Loveland, Colo., was killed Friday in the Kapisa Province.
Funeral set for soldier from Parker killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
PARKER, Ariz. — Funeral services for a soldier from the Colorado River Indian Tribe who was killed in Afghanistan are set for May 18 and 19 in Parker.
A religious service for Pfc. Ara Tyler Deysie will be held in the town’s Mormon church in the afternoon on May 18. His casket will then be taken through town on a fire truck to the Cry House next to the tribal cemetery.
After being placed inside the Cry House in an elaborate ceremony, military guards will stand guard through the night, and American Indian and military ceremonies and his burial will be held in the morning on May 19.
The 18-year-old was a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He died May 9 in Afghanistan’s Paktia Province when his patrol was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades.
Army Pfc. Ara T. Deysie remembered
The Associated Press
Ara T. Deysie talked about joining the military when he was just 4 years old, his mother said.
“Once he decided what he wanted to do, he made sure he got his way and got to do it, and that was to go into the military,” said Lori Deysie.
Deysie, 18, of Parker, Ariz., died May 9 in Paktia province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an explosive. He was a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes and was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.
Known as Tyler or T-Man, he was described as a quiet young man who was the diplomat in the household and who tried to keep peace with his four sisters. By age 14, he knew he wanted to volunteer for the military.
“Tyler loved his family with all his heart and would talk about them all the time,” said his former girlfriend, Jasmine Delgado.
Delgado said even though they split up as a couple several years ago, they stayed close friends, and he leaned on her through the death of his father several years ago.
“I just remember his smile and the way he used to laugh at me,” Delgado said. “I just want my love to be shared with everyone else that knew Tyler and loved him as much as I did and still do.”
Army Pfc. Ara T. Deysie was killed in action on 05/09/08.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts, 25, of Farmington, N.M.
SSgt. Roberts was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 7 in Sabari District, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett.
N.M. soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FARMINGTON, N.M. — While on leave from his first tour of duty in the Middle East, Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Casey Roberts told those at home about building a playground at an Iraqi orphanage and receiving a warm welcome from several Iraqi citizens.
“A lot of people were happy,” Roberts said in a 2004 interview with The Daily Times. “They would shake your hand and the kids would give you hugs. These were good signs we were there.”
Roberts, 25, was one of two Fort Campbell soldiers killed by a roadside bomb on Wednesday in Afghanistan’s Sabari District, according to the Department of Defense. The other soldier was identified as Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, of Greenup, Ky.
Both were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Fourth Brigade Combat Team at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line. They were the first from the 101st Airborne Division to die in Afghanistan.
After his first tour, Roberts — who went by his middle name — returned home for a year before being deployed to Iraq for another tour. In March, the former volunteer firefighter was deployed to Afghanistan.
Born in Farmington, Roberts graduated from Farmington High School in 2000 and entered the Army in November 2001. He arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2002.
Roberts left his volunteer post with the San Juan County Fire Department to enlist following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“I was serving my community and I felt I served my community the best I could, so I thought now I’ll serve my country,” Roberts told the Daily Times in 2004.
He is survived by his wife, Donnice; son, Keeghan; and daughter Caehlen all of Fort Campbell; his parents, Clayton and Gerri Roberts; and brothers Curby and Jerry all of Farmington.
“We are proud of his service,” said his father, Clayton Roberts. “As a family, we believe in and support military action.”
The family learned about Roberts’ death in a phone call earlier this week.
“You always have that fear in your heart,” Clayton Roberts said, “but I have to remember that Casey wouldn’t have gone if he didn’t feel it was the necessary thing to do.”
Roberts was honored with the National Defense Service medal, the Iraqi Campaign medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service medal.
Services will be held in Shelbyville, Texas, with interment to follow at Hamilton Cemetery. A memorial service also was being planned in Farmington.
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts was killed in action on 05/07/08.
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts, 25, of Farmington, N.M.
SSgt. Roberts was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 7 in Sabari District, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett.
N.M. soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FARMINGTON, N.M. — While on leave from his first tour of duty in the Middle East, Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Casey Roberts told those at home about building a playground at an Iraqi orphanage and receiving a warm welcome from several Iraqi citizens.
“A lot of people were happy,” Roberts said in a 2004 interview with The Daily Times. “They would shake your hand and the kids would give you hugs. These were good signs we were there.”
Roberts, 25, was one of two Fort Campbell soldiers killed by a roadside bomb on Wednesday in Afghanistan’s Sabari District, according to the Department of Defense. The other soldier was identified as Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, of Greenup, Ky.
Both were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Fourth Brigade Combat Team at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line. They were the first from the 101st Airborne Division to die in Afghanistan.
After his first tour, Roberts — who went by his middle name — returned home for a year before being deployed to Iraq for another tour. In March, the former volunteer firefighter was deployed to Afghanistan.
Born in Farmington, Roberts graduated from Farmington High School in 2000 and entered the Army in November 2001. He arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2002.
Roberts left his volunteer post with the San Juan County Fire Department to enlist following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“I was serving my community and I felt I served my community the best I could, so I thought now I’ll serve my country,” Roberts told the Daily Times in 2004.
He is survived by his wife, Donnice; son, Keeghan; and daughter Caehlen all of Fort Campbell; his parents, Clayton and Gerri Roberts; and brothers Curby and Jerry all of Farmington.
“We are proud of his service,” said his father, Clayton Roberts. “As a family, we believe in and support military action.”
The family learned about Roberts’ death in a phone call earlier this week.
“You always have that fear in your heart,” Clayton Roberts said, “but I have to remember that Casey wouldn’t have gone if he didn’t feel it was the necessary thing to do.”
Roberts was honored with the National Defense Service medal, the Iraqi Campaign medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service medal.
Services will be held in Shelbyville, Texas, with interment to follow at Hamilton Cemetery. A memorial service also was being planned in Farmington.
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts was killed in action on 05/07/08.
Army Cpl. Jeremy R. Gullett
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, of Greenup, Ky.
Cpl. Gullett was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 7, 2008 in Sabari District, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts.
Department of Defence News -- A 23-year-old Fort Campbell soldier from eastern Kentucky was one of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb.
The Department of Defense said in a statement Thursday that those killed were Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett of Greenup, Ky., and Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts of Farmington, N.M.
The department said the men were killed May 7 in Afghanistan's Sabari District.
Both were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's Fourth Brigade Combat Team at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
Gullett's mother, Cheryl Gullet, told The (Ashland) Independent that her son joined the Army in 2003 when he graduated from Greenup County High School.
"He always dreamed he'd go into the service, ever since he was 6 years old," Cheryl Gullett said.
The soldier was a member of the high school's Junior ROTC program.
His unit was deployed to Afghanistan in March, a week before Easter. He previously served 2 1/2 years in Korea.
Jeremy Gullet was married. His mother said Gullett's wife, Janeth, is a native of the Philippines and the couple have a 21-month-old daughter. He was also adopting his wife's 6-year-old daughter.
An uncle, Ron Gullett, told the newspaper that the family had been told the soldier's remains would arrive in a week to 10 days.
The uncle said he will be buried in a family cemetery with military and firefighter rites.
The soldier had been a member of the Little Sandy Volunteer Fire Department.
Army Cpl. Jeremy R. Gullett was killed in action on 05/07/08.
Army Cpl. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, of Greenup, Ky.
Cpl. Gullett was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 7, 2008 in Sabari District, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts.
Department of Defence News -- A 23-year-old Fort Campbell soldier from eastern Kentucky was one of two soldiers killed in Afghanistan when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb.
The Department of Defense said in a statement Thursday that those killed were Spc. Jeremy R. Gullett of Greenup, Ky., and Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts of Farmington, N.M.
The department said the men were killed May 7 in Afghanistan's Sabari District.
Both were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's Fourth Brigade Combat Team at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
Gullett's mother, Cheryl Gullet, told The (Ashland) Independent that her son joined the Army in 2003 when he graduated from Greenup County High School.
"He always dreamed he'd go into the service, ever since he was 6 years old," Cheryl Gullett said.
The soldier was a member of the high school's Junior ROTC program.
His unit was deployed to Afghanistan in March, a week before Easter. He previously served 2 1/2 years in Korea.
Jeremy Gullet was married. His mother said Gullett's wife, Janeth, is a native of the Philippines and the couple have a 21-month-old daughter. He was also adopting his wife's 6-year-old daughter.
An uncle, Ron Gullett, told the newspaper that the family had been told the soldier's remains would arrive in a week to 10 days.
The uncle said he will be buried in a family cemetery with military and firefighter rites.
The soldier had been a member of the Little Sandy Volunteer Fire Department.
Army Cpl. Jeremy R. Gullett was killed in action on 05/07/08.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif.
Pfc. Ward was assigned to the 170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died May 6, 2008 in Asad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit came under small arms fire while conducting cordon and search operations.
Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward remembered
The Associated Press
Aaron J. Ward had just arrived in Iraq in March but had already made an impression on his unit.
“He always made the best of any situation,” said Spc. Nicholas Dechicko, a military policeman.
Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif., was killed May 6 by small-arms fire in Anbar province. He was assigned to Fort Lewis.
“Aaron was a great kid,” said his uncle, Gary Tolle. “He was kind to everybody, and he was a very warm and loving soul.”
Tolle said Ward looked up to several family members who served in the military and wanted to carve a career for himself with the Army. “He wanted to make a difference,” Tolle said. “He respected the military and he felt it an honor to serve.”
Everyone who spoke of Ward mentioned the smile that was always on his face and the joy that he brought to others around him. Ward “was full of energy, full of life and made you smile,” said Army Capt. Chad Johnson.
“He was a great soldier and an excellent friend,” said Army Pfc. Eric Giles, a military policeman who has served with Ward since basic training.
He is survived by his parents, Paul and Debra.
Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward was killed in action on 05/06/08.
Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif.
Pfc. Ward was assigned to the 170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died May 6, 2008 in Asad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit came under small arms fire while conducting cordon and search operations.
Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward remembered
The Associated Press
Aaron J. Ward had just arrived in Iraq in March but had already made an impression on his unit.
“He always made the best of any situation,” said Spc. Nicholas Dechicko, a military policeman.
Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif., was killed May 6 by small-arms fire in Anbar province. He was assigned to Fort Lewis.
“Aaron was a great kid,” said his uncle, Gary Tolle. “He was kind to everybody, and he was a very warm and loving soul.”
Tolle said Ward looked up to several family members who served in the military and wanted to carve a career for himself with the Army. “He wanted to make a difference,” Tolle said. “He respected the military and he felt it an honor to serve.”
Everyone who spoke of Ward mentioned the smile that was always on his face and the joy that he brought to others around him. Ward “was full of energy, full of life and made you smile,” said Army Capt. Chad Johnson.
“He was a great soldier and an excellent friend,” said Army Pfc. Eric Giles, a military policeman who has served with Ward since basic training.
He is survived by his parents, Paul and Debra.
Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward was killed in action on 05/06/08.
Army Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, Texas
Spc. Gonzalez was assigned to the 43rd Combat Engineer Company, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 6, 2008 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade attack.
Mission soldier’s remains returned to Texas
The Associated Press
MISSION, Texas — A hearse carrying the remains of Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez drove past the schools he attended and past Mission residents waving American flags Tuesday in a trip down memory lane.
Vans carrying his parents, sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins followed behind as the 21-year-old soldier’s body was returned from Iraq, where a rocket-propelled grenade killed him May 6.
Outside his family’s home, his 13-year-old dog Lucky barked at the hearse.
“He (Gonzalez) was just making that last stop,” Gonzalez’s uncle and godfather, Jorge Rodriguez, said in a story for Wednesday’s editions of The Monitor. “His last trip home.”
“It’s just hard to believe he’s gone,” Jorge Rodriguez said. “He was tremendous.”
Gonzalez’s body arrived at the McAllen-Miller International Airport on Tuesday on a private charter plane.
Nilda Anes stood at the airport with a sign saying “We love you.”
“I didn’t know him, but I’m part of Mothers of Military Servicemen and he was one of my boys,” Anes said.
Funeral services are set for Saturday.
Army Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez remembered
The Associated Press
Alex D. Gonzalez was last in the Rio Grande Valley while on leave in late January to see his family and celebrate his 21st birthday. It was the last time his family saw him.
“He was a prankster and a jokester,” his uncle Armando Rodriguez said. “But he always cared about everybody. He never wanted to offend anybody.”
Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, Texas, was killed May 6 in Mosul by small-arms fire and an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
He regularly volunteered for dangerous missions, said Brig. Gen. Frederick Rudesheim. “He knew that if he did not, one of his fellows would have to.”
Alfredo Gonzalez was dad to Alex — his biological father has been in prison since he was an infant. Alex wanted to go Army Airborne like Alfredo had.
“He told me he just wanted to be just like me, or even better,” Alfredo said. “He just wanted to wear the uniform, join the Army, ever since he was small. That’s what he was.”
After his four years in the military, Gonzalez wanted to become a Mission police officer. “He was a great young man, and I was really fond of him,” Mission police Chief Leo Longoria said.
Army Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez was killed in action on 05/06/08.
Army Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, Texas
Spc. Gonzalez was assigned to the 43rd Combat Engineer Company, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 6, 2008 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade attack.
Mission soldier’s remains returned to Texas
The Associated Press
MISSION, Texas — A hearse carrying the remains of Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez drove past the schools he attended and past Mission residents waving American flags Tuesday in a trip down memory lane.
Vans carrying his parents, sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins followed behind as the 21-year-old soldier’s body was returned from Iraq, where a rocket-propelled grenade killed him May 6.
Outside his family’s home, his 13-year-old dog Lucky barked at the hearse.
“He (Gonzalez) was just making that last stop,” Gonzalez’s uncle and godfather, Jorge Rodriguez, said in a story for Wednesday’s editions of The Monitor. “His last trip home.”
“It’s just hard to believe he’s gone,” Jorge Rodriguez said. “He was tremendous.”
Gonzalez’s body arrived at the McAllen-Miller International Airport on Tuesday on a private charter plane.
Nilda Anes stood at the airport with a sign saying “We love you.”
“I didn’t know him, but I’m part of Mothers of Military Servicemen and he was one of my boys,” Anes said.
Funeral services are set for Saturday.
Army Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez remembered
The Associated Press
Alex D. Gonzalez was last in the Rio Grande Valley while on leave in late January to see his family and celebrate his 21st birthday. It was the last time his family saw him.
“He was a prankster and a jokester,” his uncle Armando Rodriguez said. “But he always cared about everybody. He never wanted to offend anybody.”
Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, Texas, was killed May 6 in Mosul by small-arms fire and an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
He regularly volunteered for dangerous missions, said Brig. Gen. Frederick Rudesheim. “He knew that if he did not, one of his fellows would have to.”
Alfredo Gonzalez was dad to Alex — his biological father has been in prison since he was an infant. Alex wanted to go Army Airborne like Alfredo had.
“He told me he just wanted to be just like me, or even better,” Alfredo said. “He just wanted to wear the uniform, join the Army, ever since he was small. That’s what he was.”
After his four years in the military, Gonzalez wanted to become a Mission police officer. “He was a great young man, and I was really fond of him,” Mission police Chief Leo Longoria said.
Army Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez was killed in action on 05/06/08.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Marine Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.
Cpl. Guzman was assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 2, 2008 in Karmah, Iraq, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez.
Roadside bomb kills 4 Marines in Anbar
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer
It seemed like a routine patrol along a route outside Fallujah.
The road near the town of Karma, Iraq, had been quiet for months. But shortly before midnight on May 2, a roadside bomb killed four Marines, making it Anbar province’s deadliest attack in nearly nine months.
Lance Cpl. Casey Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss., called her father several hours before she was killed.
“She said ‘Dad, it’s boring over here. There’s nothing going on over here,’” Craig Casanova said.
His daughter was killed in the attack, along with Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo.; Cpl. James Kimple, 21, of Amanda, Ohio; and Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.
They were assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion-1, Combat Logistics Regiment-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Casanova, a field radio operator, was on her first deployment to Iraq. She was expecting a promotion to corporal in June and she was engaged to marry another Marine she knew from Camp Pendleton, her father said.
Kimple, a married father of three, was on his second deployment to Iraq. He grew up in Carroll, Ohio, a town south of Columbus. He attended high school until his senior year and earned a GED before joining the Marine Corps, said Lewis Taylor, owner of the Taylor Funeral Home in Amber, Ohio.
While stationed at Camp Pendleton, Kimple and his wife remained residents of Ohio. The family issued a brief statement following his death, saying: “His wife, children and parents are sad to say that he has given his life serving his country, but are relived to say that he did so doing what he loved to do: serving his family and his country.”
Martinez was married to Marine Sgt. Melissa Sue Martinez, who was also deployed in Fallujah. She planned to accompany his body back to Colorado, according to The Denver Post.
In high school, Glen Martinez quarterbacked the football team and competed in wrestling tournaments. He later played baseball for Ottowa University in Kansas.
He joined the Corps in 2004 at 27. A college graduate, he could have gone to Officer Candidate School, but he instead opted to enlist, the newspaper said.
Guzman was from the Los Angeles area. An organizational automotive mechanic, he joined the service in August 2004, according to a Marine Corps news release.
“These four brave and dedicated warriors will not be forgotten. Our thoughts are with the families during their time of grief,” Col. Juan G. Ayala, commander of 1st MLG, said in the release.
The four Marines killed May 2 bring the number of Marine fatalities from Iraq to 986. So far this year, 17 died from wounds suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department records.
Marine Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman remembered
The Associated Press
Several Marines struggled to explain the emotional effect of the death of Miguel A. Guzman “It’s like losing a family member,” said Sgt. Dewayne Creary.
“More like losing a best friend,” said Cpl. Matthew Savage.
“It’s like losing a brother,” said Sgt. Joshua Siroky.
Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif., was killed May 2 in Karma. He was on a late-night assignment to recover a vehicle in need of repair when a roadside bomb ripped through his Humvee.
Guzman was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Pendleton. “His main thing was to go into the military,” said Rosa Maria Gonzalez, Guzman’s counselor.
At John H. Glenn High School, where Guzman played varsity soccer and tennis, he was remembered as friendly. “He was open to our suggestions on how to improve things,” said Bill Seals, an assistant principal.
Dozens of Marines attended Guzman’s funeral and burial. “He was a hard worker, always active, always willing to help,” Sgt. Gavino Martinez said.
He is survived by his parents, Jose and Rosalba.
At his funeral, Guzman’s eldest brother, Jose Jr., kissed his casket and whispered “I love you” in Spanish.
Marine Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman was killed in action on 05/02/08.
Marine Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.
Cpl. Guzman was assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 2, 2008 in Karmah, Iraq, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez.
Roadside bomb kills 4 Marines in Anbar
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer
It seemed like a routine patrol along a route outside Fallujah.
The road near the town of Karma, Iraq, had been quiet for months. But shortly before midnight on May 2, a roadside bomb killed four Marines, making it Anbar province’s deadliest attack in nearly nine months.
Lance Cpl. Casey Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss., called her father several hours before she was killed.
“She said ‘Dad, it’s boring over here. There’s nothing going on over here,’” Craig Casanova said.
His daughter was killed in the attack, along with Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo.; Cpl. James Kimple, 21, of Amanda, Ohio; and Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.
They were assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion-1, Combat Logistics Regiment-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Casanova, a field radio operator, was on her first deployment to Iraq. She was expecting a promotion to corporal in June and she was engaged to marry another Marine she knew from Camp Pendleton, her father said.
Kimple, a married father of three, was on his second deployment to Iraq. He grew up in Carroll, Ohio, a town south of Columbus. He attended high school until his senior year and earned a GED before joining the Marine Corps, said Lewis Taylor, owner of the Taylor Funeral Home in Amber, Ohio.
While stationed at Camp Pendleton, Kimple and his wife remained residents of Ohio. The family issued a brief statement following his death, saying: “His wife, children and parents are sad to say that he has given his life serving his country, but are relived to say that he did so doing what he loved to do: serving his family and his country.”
Martinez was married to Marine Sgt. Melissa Sue Martinez, who was also deployed in Fallujah. She planned to accompany his body back to Colorado, according to The Denver Post.
In high school, Glen Martinez quarterbacked the football team and competed in wrestling tournaments. He later played baseball for Ottowa University in Kansas.
He joined the Corps in 2004 at 27. A college graduate, he could have gone to Officer Candidate School, but he instead opted to enlist, the newspaper said.
Guzman was from the Los Angeles area. An organizational automotive mechanic, he joined the service in August 2004, according to a Marine Corps news release.
“These four brave and dedicated warriors will not be forgotten. Our thoughts are with the families during their time of grief,” Col. Juan G. Ayala, commander of 1st MLG, said in the release.
The four Marines killed May 2 bring the number of Marine fatalities from Iraq to 986. So far this year, 17 died from wounds suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department records.
Marine Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman remembered
The Associated Press
Several Marines struggled to explain the emotional effect of the death of Miguel A. Guzman “It’s like losing a family member,” said Sgt. Dewayne Creary.
“More like losing a best friend,” said Cpl. Matthew Savage.
“It’s like losing a brother,” said Sgt. Joshua Siroky.
Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif., was killed May 2 in Karma. He was on a late-night assignment to recover a vehicle in need of repair when a roadside bomb ripped through his Humvee.
Guzman was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Pendleton. “His main thing was to go into the military,” said Rosa Maria Gonzalez, Guzman’s counselor.
At John H. Glenn High School, where Guzman played varsity soccer and tennis, he was remembered as friendly. “He was open to our suggestions on how to improve things,” said Bill Seals, an assistant principal.
Dozens of Marines attended Guzman’s funeral and burial. “He was a hard worker, always active, always willing to help,” Sgt. Gavino Martinez said.
He is survived by his parents, Jose and Rosalba.
At his funeral, Guzman’s eldest brother, Jose Jr., kissed his casket and whispered “I love you” in Spanish.
Marine Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman was killed in action on 05/02/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple, 21, of Carroll, Ohio
LCpl Kimple was assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 2, 2008 in Karmah, Iraq, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez.
Roadside bomb kills 4 Marines in Anbar
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer
It seemed like a routine patrol along a route outside Fallujah.
The road near the town of Karma, Iraq, had been quiet for months. But shortly before midnight on May 2, a roadside bomb killed four Marines, making it Anbar province’s deadliest attack in nearly nine months.
Lance Cpl. Casey Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss., called her father several hours before she was killed.
“She said ‘Dad, it’s boring over here. There’s nothing going on over here,’” Craig Casanova said.
His daughter was killed in the attack, along with Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo.; Cpl. James Kimple, 21, of Amanda, Ohio; and Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.
They were assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion-1, Combat Logistics Regiment-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Casanova, a field radio operator, was on her first deployment to Iraq. She was expecting a promotion to corporal in June and she was engaged to marry another Marine she knew from Camp Pendleton, her father said.
Kimple, a married father of three, was on his second deployment to Iraq. He grew up in Carroll, Ohio, a town south of Columbus. He attended high school until his senior year and earned a GED before joining the Marine Corps, said Lewis Taylor, owner of the Taylor Funeral Home in Amber, Ohio.
While stationed at Camp Pendleton, Kimple and his wife remained residents of Ohio. The family issued a brief statement following his death, saying: “His wife, children and parents are sad to say that he has given his life serving his country, but are relived to say that he did so doing what he loved to do: serving his family and his country.”
Martinez was married to Marine Sgt. Melissa Sue Martinez, who was also deployed in Fallujah. She planned to accompany his body back to Colorado, according to The Denver Post.
In high school, Glen Martinez quarterbacked the football team and competed in wrestling tournaments. He later played baseball for Ottowa University in Kansas.
He joined the Corps in 2004 at 27. A college graduate, he could have gone to Officer Candidate School, but he instead opted to enlist, the newspaper said.
Guzman was from the Los Angeles area. An organizational automotive mechanic, he joined the service in August 2004, according to a Marine Corps news release.
“These four brave and dedicated warriors will not be forgotten. Our thoughts are with the families during their time of grief,” Col. Juan G. Ayala, commander of 1st MLG, said in the release.
The four Marines killed May 2 bring the number of Marine fatalities from Iraq to 986. So far this year, 17 died from wounds suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department records.
More than 500 attend public funeral services for slain Marine
By Tierra Palmer
The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
CARROLL, Ohio — Mick Sutherland felt as though he buried a son Saturday, though he and Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple are not blood-related.
“To a Marine parent, they’re all our sons and daughters,” said Sutherland, who flew from Daphne, Ala., to attend Kimple’s funeral Saturday.
Kimple, 21, served alongside Sutherland’s son Lance Cpl. C.J. Sutherland in Iraq and stood up for C.J. as his best man at his wedding to wife, Bridget, earlier this year.
“My son was James’ best friend and roommate, and James was best man at his wedding,” Sutherland said following the funeral honoring the fallen Marine. “I’m here to represent my son and honor James and their friendship.”
Kimple, who was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart on Saturday, was one of four Marines killed May 2 in Anbar province in Iraq while supporting combat operations.
The Marines were killed when a roadside bomb exploded.
The other Marines to die with Kimple were Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss.; Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.; and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo.
Sutherland said his son C.J. was riding in a Humvee in front of Kimple’s vehicle when the blast occurred.
“They knew the dangers, but they believed in what they doing, and I honor every one of them. I just regret that I couldn’t go to all four funerals, but I feel proud to have gotten to know (them) all, “ Sutherland said in reference to the fallen heroes.
He was accompanied Saturday by his daughter-in-law, Bridget, who came from Chicago to attend the service. His wife chose to represent their family at Casanova’s funeral in Summit, Miss.
She is believed to be the first woman from Mississippi killed in Iraq, according to Hattiesburg American.
Sutherland and his daughter-in-law were among more than 500 people to pay final respects to Kimple in the auditorium of Bloom-Carroll Middle School, where his funeral took place.
Mourners honored all who died with Kimple during his funeral, said Pastor Terry Borah, who presided over the service and delivered a message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
“Pastor Borah did a wonderful job officiating and gave a very moving message, which was that sometimes we do not understand things but that we have a loving and gracious God and we have the hope of seeing him again in heaven,” Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen said.
Phalen’s office was one of several law enforcement agencies represented at Saturday’s service. Others included the Carroll and Pickerington police departments. Also in attendance were members of the Greenfield Township Fire Department.
Borah reiterated that message during his eulogy at Greenfield Township Cemetery, where Kimple was laid to rest.
Residents lined both sides of High Street as the hearse carrying his body was escorted by a brigade of more than 70 motorcycle riders to the cemetery led by a group of U.S. Marine Corps leathernecks. Among them were a family of four standing next to a black pickup — father and son both held their baseball caps to their hearts.
One motorist, a young man dressed in brown fatigues, left his vehicle to salute Kimple as the profession turned onto U.S. 33, which was closed temporarily to accommodate the line of cars that stretched for more than a half mile.
Kimple’s widow, Amber, said her family is touched by the outpouring of support and concern from the community.
“I’m taking it one day at a time,” she said after her husband’s burial concluded. “His platoon is really my support group.”
Family, friends and neighbors said they will continue to rally around Kimple’s family.
“I will continue to keep his family and his comrades in my prayers in the weeks and months to come,” Phalen said.
Bloom-Carroll Superintendent Roger Mace said the sacrifice Kimple made should never be forgotten.
“It is important to remember the sacrifices that are being made every day for our freedom. I think Carroll, Ohio, ought to be very proud of James Kimple,” he said.
Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple remembered
The Associated Press
Mary Dawson remembers the youthful James F. Kimple well. He lived next door to her when he was a child.
“All I remember was a really good kid,” Dawson said. “He helped my husband time and time again with anything like lifting, digging or anything else. James was just right there to help. He was a polite, good-acting kid. He was extra special to us.”
Kimple, 21, of Carroll, Ohio, was killed May 2 during combat in Anbar, Iraq. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.
Kimple was an avid reader. He often read books — hidden within schoolbooks — during class.
Determined to join the military, he left high school during his senior year. He earned a GED and joined the Marines, said Jan Hodge, a vocational teacher.
“He was a smart man. He just didn’t care for school,” she said. “He wanted to learn things that were going to benefit him — things he would use for life, and he would rather be out working or going into the military.”
He is survived by his wife, Amber, and three children, Drake, Maleah and Dominic.
“I was so proud of him because I knew he’d be successful at whatever he chose,” Hodge said.
Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple was killed in action on 05/02/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple, 21, of Carroll, Ohio
LCpl Kimple was assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 2, 2008 in Karmah, Iraq, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez.
Roadside bomb kills 4 Marines in Anbar
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer
It seemed like a routine patrol along a route outside Fallujah.
The road near the town of Karma, Iraq, had been quiet for months. But shortly before midnight on May 2, a roadside bomb killed four Marines, making it Anbar province’s deadliest attack in nearly nine months.
Lance Cpl. Casey Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss., called her father several hours before she was killed.
“She said ‘Dad, it’s boring over here. There’s nothing going on over here,’” Craig Casanova said.
His daughter was killed in the attack, along with Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo.; Cpl. James Kimple, 21, of Amanda, Ohio; and Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.
They were assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion-1, Combat Logistics Regiment-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Casanova, a field radio operator, was on her first deployment to Iraq. She was expecting a promotion to corporal in June and she was engaged to marry another Marine she knew from Camp Pendleton, her father said.
Kimple, a married father of three, was on his second deployment to Iraq. He grew up in Carroll, Ohio, a town south of Columbus. He attended high school until his senior year and earned a GED before joining the Marine Corps, said Lewis Taylor, owner of the Taylor Funeral Home in Amber, Ohio.
While stationed at Camp Pendleton, Kimple and his wife remained residents of Ohio. The family issued a brief statement following his death, saying: “His wife, children and parents are sad to say that he has given his life serving his country, but are relived to say that he did so doing what he loved to do: serving his family and his country.”
Martinez was married to Marine Sgt. Melissa Sue Martinez, who was also deployed in Fallujah. She planned to accompany his body back to Colorado, according to The Denver Post.
In high school, Glen Martinez quarterbacked the football team and competed in wrestling tournaments. He later played baseball for Ottowa University in Kansas.
He joined the Corps in 2004 at 27. A college graduate, he could have gone to Officer Candidate School, but he instead opted to enlist, the newspaper said.
Guzman was from the Los Angeles area. An organizational automotive mechanic, he joined the service in August 2004, according to a Marine Corps news release.
“These four brave and dedicated warriors will not be forgotten. Our thoughts are with the families during their time of grief,” Col. Juan G. Ayala, commander of 1st MLG, said in the release.
The four Marines killed May 2 bring the number of Marine fatalities from Iraq to 986. So far this year, 17 died from wounds suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department records.
More than 500 attend public funeral services for slain Marine
By Tierra Palmer
The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
CARROLL, Ohio — Mick Sutherland felt as though he buried a son Saturday, though he and Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple are not blood-related.
“To a Marine parent, they’re all our sons and daughters,” said Sutherland, who flew from Daphne, Ala., to attend Kimple’s funeral Saturday.
Kimple, 21, served alongside Sutherland’s son Lance Cpl. C.J. Sutherland in Iraq and stood up for C.J. as his best man at his wedding to wife, Bridget, earlier this year.
“My son was James’ best friend and roommate, and James was best man at his wedding,” Sutherland said following the funeral honoring the fallen Marine. “I’m here to represent my son and honor James and their friendship.”
Kimple, who was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart on Saturday, was one of four Marines killed May 2 in Anbar province in Iraq while supporting combat operations.
The Marines were killed when a roadside bomb exploded.
The other Marines to die with Kimple were Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss.; Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.; and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo.
Sutherland said his son C.J. was riding in a Humvee in front of Kimple’s vehicle when the blast occurred.
“They knew the dangers, but they believed in what they doing, and I honor every one of them. I just regret that I couldn’t go to all four funerals, but I feel proud to have gotten to know (them) all, “ Sutherland said in reference to the fallen heroes.
He was accompanied Saturday by his daughter-in-law, Bridget, who came from Chicago to attend the service. His wife chose to represent their family at Casanova’s funeral in Summit, Miss.
She is believed to be the first woman from Mississippi killed in Iraq, according to Hattiesburg American.
Sutherland and his daughter-in-law were among more than 500 people to pay final respects to Kimple in the auditorium of Bloom-Carroll Middle School, where his funeral took place.
Mourners honored all who died with Kimple during his funeral, said Pastor Terry Borah, who presided over the service and delivered a message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
“Pastor Borah did a wonderful job officiating and gave a very moving message, which was that sometimes we do not understand things but that we have a loving and gracious God and we have the hope of seeing him again in heaven,” Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen said.
Phalen’s office was one of several law enforcement agencies represented at Saturday’s service. Others included the Carroll and Pickerington police departments. Also in attendance were members of the Greenfield Township Fire Department.
Borah reiterated that message during his eulogy at Greenfield Township Cemetery, where Kimple was laid to rest.
Residents lined both sides of High Street as the hearse carrying his body was escorted by a brigade of more than 70 motorcycle riders to the cemetery led by a group of U.S. Marine Corps leathernecks. Among them were a family of four standing next to a black pickup — father and son both held their baseball caps to their hearts.
One motorist, a young man dressed in brown fatigues, left his vehicle to salute Kimple as the profession turned onto U.S. 33, which was closed temporarily to accommodate the line of cars that stretched for more than a half mile.
Kimple’s widow, Amber, said her family is touched by the outpouring of support and concern from the community.
“I’m taking it one day at a time,” she said after her husband’s burial concluded. “His platoon is really my support group.”
Family, friends and neighbors said they will continue to rally around Kimple’s family.
“I will continue to keep his family and his comrades in my prayers in the weeks and months to come,” Phalen said.
Bloom-Carroll Superintendent Roger Mace said the sacrifice Kimple made should never be forgotten.
“It is important to remember the sacrifices that are being made every day for our freedom. I think Carroll, Ohio, ought to be very proud of James Kimple,” he said.
Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple remembered
The Associated Press
Mary Dawson remembers the youthful James F. Kimple well. He lived next door to her when he was a child.
“All I remember was a really good kid,” Dawson said. “He helped my husband time and time again with anything like lifting, digging or anything else. James was just right there to help. He was a polite, good-acting kid. He was extra special to us.”
Kimple, 21, of Carroll, Ohio, was killed May 2 during combat in Anbar, Iraq. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.
Kimple was an avid reader. He often read books — hidden within schoolbooks — during class.
Determined to join the military, he left high school during his senior year. He earned a GED and joined the Marines, said Jan Hodge, a vocational teacher.
“He was a smart man. He just didn’t care for school,” she said. “He wanted to learn things that were going to benefit him — things he would use for life, and he would rather be out working or going into the military.”
He is survived by his wife, Amber, and three children, Drake, Maleah and Dominic.
“I was so proud of him because I knew he’d be successful at whatever he chose,” Hodge said.
Marine Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple was killed in action on 05/02/08.
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