Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Andre D. Mitchell, 25, of Elmont, N.Y.
Spc. Mitchell was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 31, 2008 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
Newsday -- From the time he was a teenager, Andre Darnell Mitchell wanted to be a soldier.
He told his mother, Yasmin Patterson, of Elmont, that he was bored working in audiovisual services at the Marriott Hotel in Uniondale and for a caterer in Queens Village on weekends.
So on Valentine's Day 2006, he joined the Army.
"At 15, 16, that's what he wanted to do," Patterson said Saturday night.
On Thursday, Mitchell, 25, was killed when the Humvee he was riding in overturned in Mosul, Iraq.
Patterson said the Army told her the Humvee overturned on a sharp curve.
Mitchell's body was scheduled to be flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Saturday night.
"I said, 'Please go to college, and after that, you can do what you want to do,'" Patterson said.
Mitchell was a 2003 graduate of Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park and a 2005 graduate of Nassau Community College.
It appears Mitchell couldn't wait to enlist. First, he talked to Air Force recruiters before meeting with an Army representative. When the Army said it could take him sooner, he signed up, his mother said.
Mitchell trained for 14 months at Fort Hood, Texas, and deployed to Iraq in November.
Patterson called her son a leader and said he was dogged in pursuing his dreams. His goal was to secure a job working for the federal government in Washington, D.C.
Besides his mother, he is survived by a brother, Malique Patterson, 12."I'll always remember his love for his mom and his brother," Patterson said. "He was a great human being. Besides his country, he'd die for his family."
Army Spc. Andre D. Mitchell was killed in a vehicle accident on 7/31/08.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Army Sgt. James A. McHale
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. James A. McHale, 31, of Fairfield, Mont.
Sgt. McHale was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died July 30, 2008 at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., from wounds sustained July 22, 2008 in Taji, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fairfield salutes fallen soldier
By Kim Skornogoski
Great Falls Tribune
FAIRFIELD — Two others were in the Humvee, but Sgt. James McHale took the brunt of the roadside bomb — that’s the way he would have wanted it.
Serving his second tour in Iraq, McHale was scheduled to return to the states in February, but chose to stay.
“He told Dad, ‘I’m not coming home. I’m not leaving my soldiers. When they come home, I’ll come home, too,’” his older brother Michael McHale told the crowd gathered in the Fairfield High School gymnasium to honor the fallen soldier.
After eight days in a coma, McHale, 31, died July 30. His family chose to donate his organs, helping eight other people live — again just as Jimmy would have wanted it.
Hundreds attended McHale’s funeral in Fairfield on Friday.
Dozens more lined the streets to show their appreciation as the processional passed. Boys held flags taller than they were; men stood along the highway, hats on hearts; women waited in lawn chairs for the family to drive by.
As many wore red, white and blue as black to the funeral.
According to the Associated Press, McHale was the 24th Montana soldier to die in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
McHale signed up to join the Army before he graduated in 1995, following in his older brother and best friend’s footsteps. He spent a few years in the Montana Army National Guard, attended school in Colorado, then rejoined the Army, this time in the more dangerous field of identifying bombs.
Michael McHale said his brother thrived on the challenge and was well suited to both blow up and build bridges, roads and buildings.
During Friday’s ceremony, Maj. Gen. Randy Mosley awarded McHale with a bronze star awarded for bravery and merit and the Purple Heart for being injured in the line of duty.
“It’s about duty, honor and self sacrifice,” Mosley said. “We are forever in his debt.”
Rev. Dougald McCallum conducted a full Catholic funeral mass, acknowledging that McHale’s service and bravery are an example to everyone.
“Jimmy knew every day that he was in services — especially when in Iraq — that today could be my last day on earth,” McCallum said.
Several MANG officers who worked with McHale drove to Fairfield for the funeral. An honor guard, including officers from each military branch, lined the sidewalk in front of the school, holding flags high above their heads.
Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger and Rep. Denny Rehberg also attended Friday’s funeral.
Staff Sgt. Ronald Becker, who served with McHale for three years in the Guard, described him as happy-go-lucky and a dedicated soldier.
“You never had to worry about him,” Becker said after the service. “He always came to you wanting to do something more.”
His family also remembered him as an animal lover, a skilled golfer and a prankster, whose jokes were never at anyone else’s expense.
“He loved to play games — the bigger the challenge the better,” Michael McHale said.
At the internment, his family released a white dove in his name, followed by a flock of doves in honor of all those who died in the line of duty.
Five Army officers fired three shots into the air, while another played taps on a trumpet. The flag that draped his coffin was carefully folded and handed to his mother, Bonnie McHale, who often leaned on her husband, Joel, and surviving son.
Michael McHale hopes to get a humanitarian reassignment. He is currently serving his second tour in Iraq.
“His actions represented his dedication to the United States of America,” Army Capt. Tim Crow said. “He will be forever remembered for his actions.”
Army Sgt. James A. McHale was killed in action on 07/30/08.
Army Sgt. James A. McHale, 31, of Fairfield, Mont.
Sgt. McHale was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died July 30, 2008 at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., from wounds sustained July 22, 2008 in Taji, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fairfield salutes fallen soldier
By Kim Skornogoski
Great Falls Tribune
FAIRFIELD — Two others were in the Humvee, but Sgt. James McHale took the brunt of the roadside bomb — that’s the way he would have wanted it.
Serving his second tour in Iraq, McHale was scheduled to return to the states in February, but chose to stay.
“He told Dad, ‘I’m not coming home. I’m not leaving my soldiers. When they come home, I’ll come home, too,’” his older brother Michael McHale told the crowd gathered in the Fairfield High School gymnasium to honor the fallen soldier.
After eight days in a coma, McHale, 31, died July 30. His family chose to donate his organs, helping eight other people live — again just as Jimmy would have wanted it.
Hundreds attended McHale’s funeral in Fairfield on Friday.
Dozens more lined the streets to show their appreciation as the processional passed. Boys held flags taller than they were; men stood along the highway, hats on hearts; women waited in lawn chairs for the family to drive by.
As many wore red, white and blue as black to the funeral.
According to the Associated Press, McHale was the 24th Montana soldier to die in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
McHale signed up to join the Army before he graduated in 1995, following in his older brother and best friend’s footsteps. He spent a few years in the Montana Army National Guard, attended school in Colorado, then rejoined the Army, this time in the more dangerous field of identifying bombs.
Michael McHale said his brother thrived on the challenge and was well suited to both blow up and build bridges, roads and buildings.
During Friday’s ceremony, Maj. Gen. Randy Mosley awarded McHale with a bronze star awarded for bravery and merit and the Purple Heart for being injured in the line of duty.
“It’s about duty, honor and self sacrifice,” Mosley said. “We are forever in his debt.”
Rev. Dougald McCallum conducted a full Catholic funeral mass, acknowledging that McHale’s service and bravery are an example to everyone.
“Jimmy knew every day that he was in services — especially when in Iraq — that today could be my last day on earth,” McCallum said.
Several MANG officers who worked with McHale drove to Fairfield for the funeral. An honor guard, including officers from each military branch, lined the sidewalk in front of the school, holding flags high above their heads.
Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger and Rep. Denny Rehberg also attended Friday’s funeral.
Staff Sgt. Ronald Becker, who served with McHale for three years in the Guard, described him as happy-go-lucky and a dedicated soldier.
“You never had to worry about him,” Becker said after the service. “He always came to you wanting to do something more.”
His family also remembered him as an animal lover, a skilled golfer and a prankster, whose jokes were never at anyone else’s expense.
“He loved to play games — the bigger the challenge the better,” Michael McHale said.
At the internment, his family released a white dove in his name, followed by a flock of doves in honor of all those who died in the line of duty.
Five Army officers fired three shots into the air, while another played taps on a trumpet. The flag that draped his coffin was carefully folded and handed to his mother, Bonnie McHale, who often leaned on her husband, Joel, and surviving son.
Michael McHale hopes to get a humanitarian reassignment. He is currently serving his second tour in Iraq.
“His actions represented his dedication to the United States of America,” Army Capt. Tim Crow said. “He will be forever remembered for his actions.”
Army Sgt. James A. McHale was killed in action on 07/30/08.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Army Spc. Seteria L. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Seteria L. Brown, 22, of Orlando, Fla.
Spc. Brown was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 25, 2008 in Sharana, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Killeen Daily Herald -- Defense Department officials announced Tuesday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Seteria L. Brown, 22, of Orlando, Fla., died July 25, 2008 in Sharana, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident. She was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood.
Brown entered the military in July 2004 as a food service specialist and was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, since February 2008.
Brown deployed to Afghanistan in April 2008. Brown's decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
The incident is under investigation
Army Spc. Seteria L. Brown died 7/25/08.
Larger Images
Army Spc. Seteria L. Brown, 22, of Orlando, Fla.
Spc. Brown was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 25, 2008 in Sharana, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Killeen Daily Herald -- Defense Department officials announced Tuesday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Seteria L. Brown, 22, of Orlando, Fla., died July 25, 2008 in Sharana, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident. She was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood.
Brown entered the military in July 2004 as a food service specialist and was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, since February 2008.
Brown deployed to Afghanistan in April 2008. Brown's decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
The incident is under investigation
Army Spc. Seteria L. Brown died 7/25/08.
Larger Images
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Army Lt. Colonel Bonnie Bata-Jones RN FNP
Remember Our Heroes
Army Lt. Colonel Bonnie Bata-Jones RN FNP, age 61, of Excelsior, MN
Lt Col Bata-Jones passed away at home on July 24th, 2008 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Bonnie was born May 19, 1947 in Grafton, ND. Daughter of the late Myron and Blanche (Zahradka) Bata of Adams ND. She attended St. Francis School of Nursing in Minot, ND where she completed her RN program in 1968.
She then went on to earn her Bachelors degree of Medicine at Western Michigan University in 1977. She obtained her FNP certificate from the University of Grand Forks in 1978. Eleven years later, she earned her Masters degree in Education, also from the University of Grand Forks.
She has worked as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University Minnesota School of Nursing, in the Family Nurse Practitioner program since 1993.
Bonnie was a Lt. Colonel in the US Army Reserves, retiring in May 2007 after 24 years of service that took her all around the world. She is a Veteran of the Gulf War, serving overseas in Abu Dhabi in 1991.
In 1988, on a mission in Seoul, Korea, she met MSG Darrel Jones, whom she married in April of 1990. She is survived by him as well as her daughter, Janette (Matt) Engelbrecht, brothers, Joe (Patty) Bata and Marlin Bata, niece, Karla (Marc) Haug, nephews, Chris (Penny) Bata, Joey Bata and Mark Bata, as well as many other loving relatives and friends.
Bonnie's spirit will also live on through all of the people she has befriended, cared for, mentored and loved.
Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 AM Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 680 Mill street, Excelsior. Visitation 5-7 PM Monday in the Gathering Space at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and one hour prior to the Mass at CHURCH. A memorial service will be held at St. Catherine's Catholic Church of Lomice, in rural Lawton, ND on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 3:00 PM. Interment St. Catherine Cemetery, Lomice, ND. Memorials to the Tri-Valley Migrant Head Start/Health program (218) 281-0550
Army Lt. Colonel Bonnie Bata-Jones RN FNP, age 61, of Excelsior, MN
Lt Col Bata-Jones passed away at home on July 24th, 2008 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Bonnie was born May 19, 1947 in Grafton, ND. Daughter of the late Myron and Blanche (Zahradka) Bata of Adams ND. She attended St. Francis School of Nursing in Minot, ND where she completed her RN program in 1968.
She then went on to earn her Bachelors degree of Medicine at Western Michigan University in 1977. She obtained her FNP certificate from the University of Grand Forks in 1978. Eleven years later, she earned her Masters degree in Education, also from the University of Grand Forks.
She has worked as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University Minnesota School of Nursing, in the Family Nurse Practitioner program since 1993.
Bonnie was a Lt. Colonel in the US Army Reserves, retiring in May 2007 after 24 years of service that took her all around the world. She is a Veteran of the Gulf War, serving overseas in Abu Dhabi in 1991.
In 1988, on a mission in Seoul, Korea, she met MSG Darrel Jones, whom she married in April of 1990. She is survived by him as well as her daughter, Janette (Matt) Engelbrecht, brothers, Joe (Patty) Bata and Marlin Bata, niece, Karla (Marc) Haug, nephews, Chris (Penny) Bata, Joey Bata and Mark Bata, as well as many other loving relatives and friends.
Bonnie's spirit will also live on through all of the people she has befriended, cared for, mentored and loved.
Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 AM Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 680 Mill street, Excelsior. Visitation 5-7 PM Monday in the Gathering Space at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and one hour prior to the Mass at CHURCH. A memorial service will be held at St. Catherine's Catholic Church of Lomice, in rural Lawton, ND on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 3:00 PM. Interment St. Catherine Cemetery, Lomice, ND. Memorials to the Tri-Valley Migrant Head Start/Health program (218) 281-0550
Monday, July 21, 2008
Air Force Master Sgt Frank M. Connolly
Remember Our Heroes
M/Sgt Francis (Frank) M Connolly, US Air Force-Chatham, IL-21, JULY 08
Francis (Frank) Marion Connolly, 69, of Chatham, Illinois died on July, 16 2008 at Maple Ridge Care Center in Lincoln of complications after an auto accident. He served in the United States Air Force as a Master Sergeant from December 07, 1959 to December 31, 1980 and served 3 tours in Vietnam. He was a member of the American Legion, VFW, Knights of Columbus and Shrine. Frank was also a member of the Patriot Guard Riders.
Patriot Guard Riders have been invited by the family to show honor and respect for his service to this nation at the interment service at Camp Butler, Springfield, IL.
M/Sgt Francis (Frank) M Connolly, US Air Force-Chatham, IL-21, JULY 08
Francis (Frank) Marion Connolly, 69, of Chatham, Illinois died on July, 16 2008 at Maple Ridge Care Center in Lincoln of complications after an auto accident. He served in the United States Air Force as a Master Sergeant from December 07, 1959 to December 31, 1980 and served 3 tours in Vietnam. He was a member of the American Legion, VFW, Knights of Columbus and Shrine. Frank was also a member of the Patriot Guard Riders.
Patriot Guard Riders have been invited by the family to show honor and respect for his service to this nation at the interment service at Camp Butler, Springfield, IL.
Marine Pfc. Ivan I. Wilson
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Ivan I. Wilson, 22, of Clearlake, Calif.
Pfc. Wilson was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died July 21, 2008 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Press Democrat -- Pfc. Ivan Wilson was a bright, patriotic young man for whom joining the Marines was a dream come true, school officials in Lake County recalled Wednesday.
“He told the librarian he really wanted to be a Marine and how he was not afraid to die,” said Lori White, one of Wilson’s teachers at Lower Lake High School, which he attended for more than three years.
Wilson is Lake County’s first casualty in the wars in the Middle East. The 22-year-old was killed Monday during a combat operation in Afghanistan’s Helmand province when he stepped on an explosive device, according to his father, Christopher Wilson of Clearlake.
Helmand province has been the scene of heavy fighting between U.S. and multinational troops battling the Taliban.
“It’s been explosive here,” Ivan Wilson wrote to his mother, Denise Wilson, shortly before he was killed.
“Will tell you all about it when I get back. Well, tell everyone I’m OK,” he wrote.
Christopher Wilson said he is devastated but proud of his son, who completed a tour of duty in Iraq last year.
“He was a strong Marine,” he said.
Wilson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Twentynine Palms, according to the Department of Defense.
He was born in Sonora and raised in Clearlake. He joined the Marine Corps on Sept. 11, 2005, through the recruiting office in Santa Rosa, his father said.
Wilson was intelligent, had a wry sense of humor, and loved spending time in the library, reading and asking questions, White said.
“He thought outside the box,” she said. “I really liked Ivan.”
His favorite genre of books were science fiction, adventure and philosophy, White said.
His favorite sporting activity was wrestling, she said.
At Lower Lake High, Wilson was enrolled in accelerated courses for college-bound students, but he didn’t always turn in his homework and fell behind in credits, White said. He transferred to Clearlake Community School late in his senior year, where he quickly made up the credits so he could graduate and join the Marines, she said.
He graduated from Clearlake Community School in 2004.
“A super-nice kid. He had real focus,” said Dale Krueger, a teacher at the school.
School officials saw that Wilson was serious about graduating and placed him on an accelerated schedule, said Krueger, who also recalled Wilson’s goal was to join the military.
White said she believes joining the Marines combined Wilson’s sense of adventure and patriotism.
His death is a loss not only for those who knew him but for those who may have known him in the future, she said.
“I think he was willing to give back to society beyond the Marines. He would have made a really good citizen,” White said.
Christopher Wilson said funeral arrangements are being planned and are pending the return of his son’s body.
Marine Pfc. Ivan I. Wilson was killed in action on 7/21/08.
Marine Pfc. Ivan I. Wilson, 22, of Clearlake, Calif.
Pfc. Wilson was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died July 21, 2008 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Press Democrat -- Pfc. Ivan Wilson was a bright, patriotic young man for whom joining the Marines was a dream come true, school officials in Lake County recalled Wednesday.
“He told the librarian he really wanted to be a Marine and how he was not afraid to die,” said Lori White, one of Wilson’s teachers at Lower Lake High School, which he attended for more than three years.
Wilson is Lake County’s first casualty in the wars in the Middle East. The 22-year-old was killed Monday during a combat operation in Afghanistan’s Helmand province when he stepped on an explosive device, according to his father, Christopher Wilson of Clearlake.
Helmand province has been the scene of heavy fighting between U.S. and multinational troops battling the Taliban.
“It’s been explosive here,” Ivan Wilson wrote to his mother, Denise Wilson, shortly before he was killed.
“Will tell you all about it when I get back. Well, tell everyone I’m OK,” he wrote.
Christopher Wilson said he is devastated but proud of his son, who completed a tour of duty in Iraq last year.
“He was a strong Marine,” he said.
Wilson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Twentynine Palms, according to the Department of Defense.
He was born in Sonora and raised in Clearlake. He joined the Marine Corps on Sept. 11, 2005, through the recruiting office in Santa Rosa, his father said.
Wilson was intelligent, had a wry sense of humor, and loved spending time in the library, reading and asking questions, White said.
“He thought outside the box,” she said. “I really liked Ivan.”
His favorite genre of books were science fiction, adventure and philosophy, White said.
His favorite sporting activity was wrestling, she said.
At Lower Lake High, Wilson was enrolled in accelerated courses for college-bound students, but he didn’t always turn in his homework and fell behind in credits, White said. He transferred to Clearlake Community School late in his senior year, where he quickly made up the credits so he could graduate and join the Marines, she said.
He graduated from Clearlake Community School in 2004.
“A super-nice kid. He had real focus,” said Dale Krueger, a teacher at the school.
School officials saw that Wilson was serious about graduating and placed him on an accelerated schedule, said Krueger, who also recalled Wilson’s goal was to join the military.
White said she believes joining the Marines combined Wilson’s sense of adventure and patriotism.
His death is a loss not only for those who knew him but for those who may have known him in the future, she said.
“I think he was willing to give back to society beyond the Marines. He would have made a really good citizen,” White said.
Christopher Wilson said funeral arrangements are being planned and are pending the return of his son’s body.
Marine Pfc. Ivan I. Wilson was killed in action on 7/21/08.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Army 1st Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst
Remember Our Heroes
Army 1st Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst, 25, of Onalaska, Wis.
1st Lt. Dewhirst was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 20, 2008 in the Qalandar District of the Khost Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his convoy came under attack by individuals using rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire.
Fort Campbell soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — A 25-year-old Wisconsin soldier based at Fort Campbell has been killed in Afghanistan.
The military said in a statement that Army Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst of Onalaska was killed Sunday when his convoy was attacked with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire in the Qalandar District of the Khost Province.
Dewhirst was an infantry officer assigned to the D Co., 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He joined the Army in May 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in June 2007.
Dewhirst is survived by his parents, Randy and Susan Dewhirst of Onalaska.
The soldier’s awards and decorations include the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab and Special Operations Diver.
ONALASKA, Wis. — A 25-year-old soldier from Onalaska has been killed in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army reported Monday.
First Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst died Sunday of injuries received when his convoy came under small arms and grenade fire in the Khost Province, according to an Army announcement.
Dewhirst was deployed to Afghanistan this spring with the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, Ky.
He is the seventh service member from Wisconsin to die in Afghanistan; 89 have died in Iraq.
Dewhirst is survived by parents Randy and Susan Dewhirst of Onalaska. A family friend said Monday they had no comment.
An Eagle Scout, Dewhirst was a 2001 graduate of Onalaska High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society.
“He was an excellent leader,” said Jill Lyche Kulig, who was on the Onalaska student council with Dewhirst. “He cared about everyone.”
Tracy Miller, a childhood friend and neighbor, said Dewhirst liked being outdoors and was good-natured as a boy.
“He was always fun to be around,” she said. “He always had a smile on his face.”
After a year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., Dewhirst received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned in 2006. His military awards included the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
The Army will hold a memorial service in Afghanistan.
Army 1st Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst was killed in action on 7/20/08.
Army 1st Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst, 25, of Onalaska, Wis.
1st Lt. Dewhirst was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 20, 2008 in the Qalandar District of the Khost Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his convoy came under attack by individuals using rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire.
Fort Campbell soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — A 25-year-old Wisconsin soldier based at Fort Campbell has been killed in Afghanistan.
The military said in a statement that Army Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst of Onalaska was killed Sunday when his convoy was attacked with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire in the Qalandar District of the Khost Province.
Dewhirst was an infantry officer assigned to the D Co., 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He joined the Army in May 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in June 2007.
Dewhirst is survived by his parents, Randy and Susan Dewhirst of Onalaska.
The soldier’s awards and decorations include the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab and Special Operations Diver.
ONALASKA, Wis. — A 25-year-old soldier from Onalaska has been killed in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army reported Monday.
First Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst died Sunday of injuries received when his convoy came under small arms and grenade fire in the Khost Province, according to an Army announcement.
Dewhirst was deployed to Afghanistan this spring with the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, Ky.
He is the seventh service member from Wisconsin to die in Afghanistan; 89 have died in Iraq.
Dewhirst is survived by parents Randy and Susan Dewhirst of Onalaska. A family friend said Monday they had no comment.
An Eagle Scout, Dewhirst was a 2001 graduate of Onalaska High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society.
“He was an excellent leader,” said Jill Lyche Kulig, who was on the Onalaska student council with Dewhirst. “He cared about everyone.”
Tracy Miller, a childhood friend and neighbor, said Dewhirst liked being outdoors and was good-natured as a boy.
“He was always fun to be around,” she said. “He always had a smile on his face.”
After a year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., Dewhirst received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned in 2006. His military awards included the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
The Army will hold a memorial service in Afghanistan.
Army 1st Lt. Nick A. Dewhirst was killed in action on 7/20/08.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Marine 2nd Lt Ian Thomas McVey
Remember Our Heroes
Marine 2nd Lt Ian Thomas McVey, 23, of Medway, was killed in a motorcycle accident on July 19, 2008.
He was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. Second Lieutenant McVey was assigned to Mobility Assault Company, Second Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division.
Ian is survived by his parents, John Robert and Anastasia (Halamoutis) McVey of Medway, two brothers, Jeffrey John McVey of Charlton, MA and Evan Kinsey McVey of Medway; grandmother, Marguerite Beland of Derry, NH; uncle, Naoum Halamoutis of Haverhill, MA; aunt, Debra Beland of Salem, NH and uncle, Charles Beland of Hudson, NH.
Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 11 AM at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 57 Brown St., Weston. Burial will follow at Newton Cemetery, Newton. Visiting hours will be held Thursday, July 24th and Friday, July 25th from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on both days at J.S. Waterman & Sons & Waring Funeral Home, 592 Washington St., WELLESLEY.
In lieu of flowers the family is requesting that a donation be made to 2nd Lt McVey's alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Checks can be made out to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with "2nd Lt McVey Memorial Fund" in the memo line and mailed to: RPI, Gifts Processing Center, Attn: Lynn Hopwood, PO Box 3164, Boston, MA 02241-3164. Please visit his online memorial: at www.mem.com.
Marine 2nd Lt Ian Thomas McVey, 23, of Medway, was killed in a motorcycle accident on July 19, 2008.
He was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. Second Lieutenant McVey was assigned to Mobility Assault Company, Second Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division.
Ian is survived by his parents, John Robert and Anastasia (Halamoutis) McVey of Medway, two brothers, Jeffrey John McVey of Charlton, MA and Evan Kinsey McVey of Medway; grandmother, Marguerite Beland of Derry, NH; uncle, Naoum Halamoutis of Haverhill, MA; aunt, Debra Beland of Salem, NH and uncle, Charles Beland of Hudson, NH.
Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 11 AM at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 57 Brown St., Weston. Burial will follow at Newton Cemetery, Newton. Visiting hours will be held Thursday, July 24th and Friday, July 25th from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on both days at J.S. Waterman & Sons & Waring Funeral Home, 592 Washington St., WELLESLEY.
In lieu of flowers the family is requesting that a donation be made to 2nd Lt McVey's alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Checks can be made out to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with "2nd Lt McVey Memorial Fund" in the memo line and mailed to: RPI, Gifts Processing Center, Attn: Lynn Hopwood, PO Box 3164, Boston, MA 02241-3164. Please visit his online memorial: at www.mem.com.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Wash.
TSgt Larsen was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; died of natural causes July 17, 2008 at Balad Air Base, Iraq.
Beale technical sergeant dies in Iraq
Staff report
An airman deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, died Thursday of natural causes, the Defense Department announced Friday.
Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Wash., was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
Larsen died of non-combat-related medical causes, a Beale spokesman said, but the exact cause of death is not being released.
A paralegal by trade, Larsen was serving as the superintendent of the Beale legal office.
She had been assigned to Beale since April 2006, and she joined the Air Force in 1990
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen died of natural causes 7/17/08.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Wash.
TSgt Larsen was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; died of natural causes July 17, 2008 at Balad Air Base, Iraq.
Beale technical sergeant dies in Iraq
Staff report
An airman deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, died Thursday of natural causes, the Defense Department announced Friday.
Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Wash., was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
Larsen died of non-combat-related medical causes, a Beale spokesman said, but the exact cause of death is not being released.
A paralegal by trade, Larsen was serving as the superintendent of the Beale legal office.
She had been assigned to Beale since April 2006, and she joined the Air Force in 1990
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen died of natural causes 7/17/08.
Marine 1st Lt. Jason D. Mann
Remember Our Heroes
Marine 1st Lt. Jason D. Mann, 29, of Woodlynne, N.J.
1st Lt. Mann was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He died July 17, 2008 from a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine dies in Afghanistan: First Lt. Jason Mann, 29, of Camden County, died when a roof collapsed on him.
First Lt. Jason D. Mann, 29, a former Woodlynne resident who served in Iraq last year and was regarded as a consummate Marine and family man, died Thursday when the roof of a building collapsed on him in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Lt. Mann was the brother of the former Camden County Republican freeholder candidate William Mann, an Iraq War veteran, a Haddon Township resident and a member of that municipality's school board.
He was married to another Marine, Shannon Mann, 23, who lives with the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, in Quantico, Va. Services are expected to be in Virginia; arrangements are incomplete.
"He absolutely loved his country, definitely believed in what he was doing, and wanted his family to be strong," said William Mann, 31.
"I think I'm still in shock. It doesn't seem real. I still think I'm going to see my brother."
About two weeks ago, Lt. Mann rushed to a crashed helicopter and pulled a pilot from the wreckage as fuel spilled on the ground, raising fears of explosion.
"He was definitely a hero, and the sad part is that he was a hero before the helicopter crash; he was a hero to all of us," William Mann said. "Pulling the pilot from the helicopter was everyday business to him."
Mann said his brother was "in his accommodations at a forward-operating base while British engineers were working on the facility, and the roof collapsed. It's still under investigation. I don't know whether they realized he was in there."
Marines went Thursday to the home of his mother, Alfina Mann, in Woodlynne to break the news of her son's death.
"I understand accidents," said William Mann, a former Army sergeant who spent 10 months in Iraq during and after the invasion in 2003. "It's an unfortunate mess.
"He was highly trained and such a smart kid. He was quick on his feet and definitely could handle himself. This was the only way they would get him."
Jason Mann was chubby and reserved in high school, but became athletic and more outgoing when he joined the military, William Mann said.
"He broke out in the Marines," said his brother. "People didn't know him. He went from not being involved in anything to doing marathons. He did the most rigorous training and excelled at it."
Jason Mann graduated from the University of South Carolina with a finance degree and from his Marine Corps officer's class with top honors. He was later assigned to the First Battalion, Sixth Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, with headquarters at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"He loved the decisions he was making and continued on his path," said William Mann. "But he was torn between family and country.
"His wife and child were his top priority; at the same time, he was definitely a true Marine. His wife understood and stood behind him."
Shannon Mann and the couple's daughter were spending the Independence Day holiday with William Mann and his family when Jason called July 6 from Afghanistan to his wife's cell phone.
"She gave me the phone, and I asked him how he was doing and told him to 'keep yourself safe and don't let your guard down.' "
Jason Mann hoped to finish 20 years in the Marine Corps and then, using his leadership skills and educational background in finance, become chief executive officer of a company.
"He was a leader in the Marines and wanted to be a leader afterward," said William Mann. "He wanted to buy a house someday for his family."
In addition to his wife, child, mother and brother, Jason Mann is survived by his father, Orville, and a sister, Jennifer Cleaver.
"His life was too short," said William Mann. "I want people here to know of his sacrifice and his loss.
"He had such high goals and expectations, so many plans, so many things to accomplish. He lived 100 percent in the moment."
Marine 1st Lt. Jason D. Mann was killed 7/17/08 in a non-hostile incident.
Marine 1st Lt. Jason D. Mann, 29, of Woodlynne, N.J.
1st Lt. Mann was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He died July 17, 2008 from a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine dies in Afghanistan: First Lt. Jason Mann, 29, of Camden County, died when a roof collapsed on him.
First Lt. Jason D. Mann, 29, a former Woodlynne resident who served in Iraq last year and was regarded as a consummate Marine and family man, died Thursday when the roof of a building collapsed on him in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Lt. Mann was the brother of the former Camden County Republican freeholder candidate William Mann, an Iraq War veteran, a Haddon Township resident and a member of that municipality's school board.
He was married to another Marine, Shannon Mann, 23, who lives with the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, in Quantico, Va. Services are expected to be in Virginia; arrangements are incomplete.
"He absolutely loved his country, definitely believed in what he was doing, and wanted his family to be strong," said William Mann, 31.
"I think I'm still in shock. It doesn't seem real. I still think I'm going to see my brother."
About two weeks ago, Lt. Mann rushed to a crashed helicopter and pulled a pilot from the wreckage as fuel spilled on the ground, raising fears of explosion.
"He was definitely a hero, and the sad part is that he was a hero before the helicopter crash; he was a hero to all of us," William Mann said. "Pulling the pilot from the helicopter was everyday business to him."
Mann said his brother was "in his accommodations at a forward-operating base while British engineers were working on the facility, and the roof collapsed. It's still under investigation. I don't know whether they realized he was in there."
Marines went Thursday to the home of his mother, Alfina Mann, in Woodlynne to break the news of her son's death.
"I understand accidents," said William Mann, a former Army sergeant who spent 10 months in Iraq during and after the invasion in 2003. "It's an unfortunate mess.
"He was highly trained and such a smart kid. He was quick on his feet and definitely could handle himself. This was the only way they would get him."
Jason Mann was chubby and reserved in high school, but became athletic and more outgoing when he joined the military, William Mann said.
"He broke out in the Marines," said his brother. "People didn't know him. He went from not being involved in anything to doing marathons. He did the most rigorous training and excelled at it."
Jason Mann graduated from the University of South Carolina with a finance degree and from his Marine Corps officer's class with top honors. He was later assigned to the First Battalion, Sixth Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, with headquarters at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"He loved the decisions he was making and continued on his path," said William Mann. "But he was torn between family and country.
"His wife and child were his top priority; at the same time, he was definitely a true Marine. His wife understood and stood behind him."
Shannon Mann and the couple's daughter were spending the Independence Day holiday with William Mann and his family when Jason called July 6 from Afghanistan to his wife's cell phone.
"She gave me the phone, and I asked him how he was doing and told him to 'keep yourself safe and don't let your guard down.' "
Jason Mann hoped to finish 20 years in the Marine Corps and then, using his leadership skills and educational background in finance, become chief executive officer of a company.
"He was a leader in the Marines and wanted to be a leader afterward," said William Mann. "He wanted to buy a house someday for his family."
In addition to his wife, child, mother and brother, Jason Mann is survived by his father, Orville, and a sister, Jennifer Cleaver.
"His life was too short," said William Mann. "I want people here to know of his sacrifice and his loss.
"He had such high goals and expectations, so many plans, so many things to accomplish. He lived 100 percent in the moment."
Marine 1st Lt. Jason D. Mann was killed 7/17/08 in a non-hostile incident.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Army Pfc. Willington M. Rhoads
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Willington M. Rhoads, 23, of Las Vegas
Pfc. Rhoads was assigned to the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne), Vicenza, Italy; died July 16, 2008 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Paris Beacon News -- Family members and friends of Private First Class Willington M. “Billy” Rhoads were joined the morning of July 24 by the military, the Patriot Guard Riders and community members to pay final tribute before laying the soldier to rest in Edgar Cemetery.
Pfc. Rhoads, 23, died July 16, in Afghanistan, while serving his second deployment in Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan as a member of the HHC, 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne).
Receiving a military escorted from Afghanistan to the his hometown of Paris and finally to the cemetery for military graveside services, PFC Rhoads was honored throughout the entire journey.
Master Sergeant Lewis H. Mikulecky escorted the soldier’s remains which were flown to the Coles County Airport earlier this week.
Upon arrival at the airport the family was met by the military honor guard who removed the flag draped casket from the jet for the trip to Paris.
The family and the soldier’s remains received a police escort from the airport to Templeton Funeral Home for funeral services.
Several military officials, including Brigadier General Gregg F. Martin, MSG Mikulecky and Chaplain Jon Prain, participated in the funeral service, as well as PFC Rhoads’ best friend Kurtis Allen.
MSG Mikulecky presented family members with several medals honoring the soldier for his service with the United States Army.
Among those medals presented were the Gold Star Lapel Pins which signify that a family has lost a loved one while serving this country.
His father Mitch Rhoads, wife Sarah Rhoads, and three brothers Jacob Allen Rhoads, Augustus Michael Parrish and Wyatt Mitchell Parrish all received replicate sets of the soldier’s U.S. Army identification tags.
In addition his father and wife also received a medal set which included three medals PFC Rhoads had earned. They included the U.S. Army Commendation medal, U.S. Army Afghanistan Campaign medal and the U.S. Army Global War on Terrorism Service medal.
Led by the Patriot Guard Riders the procession included an ornate horse-drawn hearse escorted by soldiers from Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.
Lt. Governor Pat Quinn made a special trip to Paris Wednesday evening to attend the visitation service for Pfc. Rhoads prior to heading to the Lt. Governor’s National Convention.
"Billy Rhoads dedicated his life to defending our country, and we owe him and his family a permanent debt of gratitude,” said Quinn. “He had a servant's heart, and we ask God to bless his immortal soul."
Pfc. Rhoads enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 31, 2003. He first served in Operation Enduring Freedom Iraq. He was a member of the Otterbein United Methodist Church and as a young teen participated in Boys Scouts and enjoyed basketball and baseball. He attended Paris High School through his junior year.
Army Pfc. Willington M. Rhoads died 7/16/08.
Army Pfc. Willington M. Rhoads, 23, of Las Vegas
Pfc. Rhoads was assigned to the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne), Vicenza, Italy; died July 16, 2008 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Paris Beacon News -- Family members and friends of Private First Class Willington M. “Billy” Rhoads were joined the morning of July 24 by the military, the Patriot Guard Riders and community members to pay final tribute before laying the soldier to rest in Edgar Cemetery.
Pfc. Rhoads, 23, died July 16, in Afghanistan, while serving his second deployment in Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan as a member of the HHC, 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne).
Receiving a military escorted from Afghanistan to the his hometown of Paris and finally to the cemetery for military graveside services, PFC Rhoads was honored throughout the entire journey.
Master Sergeant Lewis H. Mikulecky escorted the soldier’s remains which were flown to the Coles County Airport earlier this week.
Upon arrival at the airport the family was met by the military honor guard who removed the flag draped casket from the jet for the trip to Paris.
The family and the soldier’s remains received a police escort from the airport to Templeton Funeral Home for funeral services.
Several military officials, including Brigadier General Gregg F. Martin, MSG Mikulecky and Chaplain Jon Prain, participated in the funeral service, as well as PFC Rhoads’ best friend Kurtis Allen.
MSG Mikulecky presented family members with several medals honoring the soldier for his service with the United States Army.
Among those medals presented were the Gold Star Lapel Pins which signify that a family has lost a loved one while serving this country.
His father Mitch Rhoads, wife Sarah Rhoads, and three brothers Jacob Allen Rhoads, Augustus Michael Parrish and Wyatt Mitchell Parrish all received replicate sets of the soldier’s U.S. Army identification tags.
In addition his father and wife also received a medal set which included three medals PFC Rhoads had earned. They included the U.S. Army Commendation medal, U.S. Army Afghanistan Campaign medal and the U.S. Army Global War on Terrorism Service medal.
Led by the Patriot Guard Riders the procession included an ornate horse-drawn hearse escorted by soldiers from Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.
Lt. Governor Pat Quinn made a special trip to Paris Wednesday evening to attend the visitation service for Pfc. Rhoads prior to heading to the Lt. Governor’s National Convention.
"Billy Rhoads dedicated his life to defending our country, and we owe him and his family a permanent debt of gratitude,” said Quinn. “He had a servant's heart, and we ask God to bless his immortal soul."
Pfc. Rhoads enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 31, 2003. He first served in Operation Enduring Freedom Iraq. He was a member of the Otterbein United Methodist Church and as a young teen participated in Boys Scouts and enjoyed basketball and baseball. He attended Paris High School through his junior year.
Army Pfc. Willington M. Rhoads died 7/16/08.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Marine Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre, 28, of Lockport, La.
SSgt. Dupre was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 15, 2008 from wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
1/9 Marine killed in Anbar province
Staff report
A staff sergeant has been killed in combat in Iraq, Defense Department officials said Monday.
Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre, 28, of Lockport, La., was killed July 15 in Anbar province, military officials said. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.
Dupre was shot while gathering intelligence for his squad in Ramadi, the Associated Press reported Sunday. He was hit behind the ear by a sniper’s bullet while on a classified mission, said the Daily Comet newspaper of Lafourche Parish, attributing the information to an anonymous Marine official.
Dupre served four overseas deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was scheduled to be buried on Monday.
His wife, Crystal, lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with their 3-year-old son, Daniel Dupre.
Daily Comet -- THIBODAUX -- A Marine Corps sergeant killed in Iraq came home Saturday to Lockport, where the grandparents who raised him along with other family members will lay him to rest.
Staff Sgt. Danny Dupre, 28, was on a classified mission Tuesday in Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, a Marine Corps official said, when he was struck behind the ear by a sniper’s bullet.
"He was the glue that kept his squad together," said Gunnery Sgt. Damien Martin, a Marine deployed in New Orleans who knew Dupre during his 10-year career and who was in charge of escorting the fallen fighter’s remains in Louisiana. "Gaining intel to provide to his Marines was what got him killed."
Dupre grew up in Lockport, raised by his grandmother, Hilda Triche Dupre. While a student at Central Lafourche High School, he knew early on that he was headed for a military career. He was an active member of the school’s Junior ROTC and joined up immediately after graduation.
"He was a perfectionist," said Kenneth Dupre, the Marine’s "parrain," or godfather.
In drill competitions while performing the manual of arms, if there was a potential of a tied score, he would perform the drill routine blindfolded, Kenneth Dupre said.
"He knew right away he was going to be infantry," said Martin, who noted that Dupre’s first assignment was the Marine Corps’ elite silent-drill platoon. "He worked his way up through the ranks."
Dupre served four overseas deployments in Iraq as well as Afghanistan.
His wife, Crystal, lives in Jacksonville, Fla., with their 3-year-old son, Daniel Dupre.
The Marine’s own mother, Joycelyn Dupre, died at the age of 28 when he was very young, which is the reason, his grandmother said, that she raised him.
"He always loved the Marines," said Hilda Dupre, who made no secret over her bitterness when interviewed by telephone Saturday.
Asked if knowledge that he had died serving his country made coping with the loss more difficult or less difficult, she answered bluntly.
"It’s more difficult," she said. "If it wouldn’t have been for this damn president we have, he wouldn’t be there."
Kenneth Dupre said the family is balancing dissatisfaction with the extended war and the Marine’s love of corps and country.
"He died doing what he wanted to do, even though the rest of us or some of us don’t, … well, whatever, our opinions really don’t matter," Kenneth Dupre said. "He did what he wanted to do, and that’s how he lived his life. He wasn’t afraid of anything and he loved serving his country."
Visitation will be from 5 to 10 p.m. today at Falgout Funeral Home in Lockport and from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Holy Savior Catholic Church in Lockport.
Dupre will be laid to rest with full military honors in the church cemetery.
Marine Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre was killed in action on 7/15/08.
Marine Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre, 28, of Lockport, La.
SSgt. Dupre was assigned to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 15, 2008 from wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
1/9 Marine killed in Anbar province
Staff report
A staff sergeant has been killed in combat in Iraq, Defense Department officials said Monday.
Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre, 28, of Lockport, La., was killed July 15 in Anbar province, military officials said. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 1st Battalion, 9th Marines.
Dupre was shot while gathering intelligence for his squad in Ramadi, the Associated Press reported Sunday. He was hit behind the ear by a sniper’s bullet while on a classified mission, said the Daily Comet newspaper of Lafourche Parish, attributing the information to an anonymous Marine official.
Dupre served four overseas deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was scheduled to be buried on Monday.
His wife, Crystal, lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with their 3-year-old son, Daniel Dupre.
Daily Comet -- THIBODAUX -- A Marine Corps sergeant killed in Iraq came home Saturday to Lockport, where the grandparents who raised him along with other family members will lay him to rest.
Staff Sgt. Danny Dupre, 28, was on a classified mission Tuesday in Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, a Marine Corps official said, when he was struck behind the ear by a sniper’s bullet.
"He was the glue that kept his squad together," said Gunnery Sgt. Damien Martin, a Marine deployed in New Orleans who knew Dupre during his 10-year career and who was in charge of escorting the fallen fighter’s remains in Louisiana. "Gaining intel to provide to his Marines was what got him killed."
Dupre grew up in Lockport, raised by his grandmother, Hilda Triche Dupre. While a student at Central Lafourche High School, he knew early on that he was headed for a military career. He was an active member of the school’s Junior ROTC and joined up immediately after graduation.
"He was a perfectionist," said Kenneth Dupre, the Marine’s "parrain," or godfather.
In drill competitions while performing the manual of arms, if there was a potential of a tied score, he would perform the drill routine blindfolded, Kenneth Dupre said.
"He knew right away he was going to be infantry," said Martin, who noted that Dupre’s first assignment was the Marine Corps’ elite silent-drill platoon. "He worked his way up through the ranks."
Dupre served four overseas deployments in Iraq as well as Afghanistan.
His wife, Crystal, lives in Jacksonville, Fla., with their 3-year-old son, Daniel Dupre.
The Marine’s own mother, Joycelyn Dupre, died at the age of 28 when he was very young, which is the reason, his grandmother said, that she raised him.
"He always loved the Marines," said Hilda Dupre, who made no secret over her bitterness when interviewed by telephone Saturday.
Asked if knowledge that he had died serving his country made coping with the loss more difficult or less difficult, she answered bluntly.
"It’s more difficult," she said. "If it wouldn’t have been for this damn president we have, he wouldn’t be there."
Kenneth Dupre said the family is balancing dissatisfaction with the extended war and the Marine’s love of corps and country.
"He died doing what he wanted to do, even though the rest of us or some of us don’t, … well, whatever, our opinions really don’t matter," Kenneth Dupre said. "He did what he wanted to do, and that’s how he lived his life. He wasn’t afraid of anything and he loved serving his country."
Visitation will be from 5 to 10 p.m. today at Falgout Funeral Home in Lockport and from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Holy Savior Catholic Church in Lockport.
Dupre will be laid to rest with full military honors in the church cemetery.
Marine Staff Sgt. Danny P. Dupre was killed in action on 7/15/08.
Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman, 28, of Sioux Falls, S.D.
SSgt. Vrooman was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany; died July 15, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated while his unit was conducting combat operations Kn’an, Iraq.
2nd SCR soldier was striving to make a difference in Iraq
By Matt Millham, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, July 20, 2008
Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman, a member of Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.
After nearly a year of serving in the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment’s rear detachment, Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman was raring to get back to Iraq.
"Like all of my leaders serving back here, Staff Sgt. Vrooman desperately wanted to deploy and lead troops in combat," Lt. Col. Tom Rickard, the unit’s rear detachment commander in Vilseck, Germany, said Friday.
Vrooman didn’t have any illusions about what he’d face in Iraq; he’d already served one full tour in the country.
So before leaving for Iraq June 12, he made a point of telling his peers that if anything happened to him, he wanted to be remembered in true cavalry tradition — that meant displaying his Stetson instead of a Kevlar helmet at his memorial ceremony.
On Tuesday, just about a month after hitting the ground, the 28-year-old soldier from Sioux Falls, S.D., led a team "at the dawn of another intensely hot, dusty day, doing what he loved to do," Rickard said Friday in Vilseck during a memorial ceremony for the soldier. Vrooman’s empty Stetson was there, as he’d asked for.
A nine-year Army veteran, Vrooman was the first man through the door as his team of soldiers from Troop P, 4th Squadron, moved to clear a building in the town of Kn’an. The building was booby-trapped, and Vrooman took the brunt of the explosion from a makeshift bomb.
"His brothers treated him quickly and expertly, but the damage was too great," Rickard said. Two other soldiers were injured in the blast. Vrooman died in a Baghdad hospital that day.
"The fateful day Staff Sgt. Vrooman led his section to clear that house coincided with the beginning of the voter registration period [for] the first democratic provincial elections in Iraq’s history," said Rickard.
Quoting Vrooman’s father, Bruce, Rickard said the soldier loved knowing that he was making a difference. "He loved his country and wanted to serve his country. He was what every man should aspire to be, what every husband should aspire to be and what every father should hope to be," the elder Vrooman had said.
Vrooman is survived by his wife, Latrecia; his 5-year-old son, Xavier; and 1-year-old daughter, Jade.
"He was so proud of Xavier and loved to bring him to the squadron headquarters and show him to everyone," Rickard said.
"There is no greater pain for his wife, family and friends than his sudden loss, and yet for those of us who serve, there is no more honorable way to leave the world."
Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman was killed in action on 7/15/08.
Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman, 28, of Sioux Falls, S.D.
SSgt. Vrooman was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany; died July 15, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated while his unit was conducting combat operations Kn’an, Iraq.
2nd SCR soldier was striving to make a difference in Iraq
By Matt Millham, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, July 20, 2008
Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman, a member of Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.
After nearly a year of serving in the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment’s rear detachment, Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman was raring to get back to Iraq.
"Like all of my leaders serving back here, Staff Sgt. Vrooman desperately wanted to deploy and lead troops in combat," Lt. Col. Tom Rickard, the unit’s rear detachment commander in Vilseck, Germany, said Friday.
Vrooman didn’t have any illusions about what he’d face in Iraq; he’d already served one full tour in the country.
So before leaving for Iraq June 12, he made a point of telling his peers that if anything happened to him, he wanted to be remembered in true cavalry tradition — that meant displaying his Stetson instead of a Kevlar helmet at his memorial ceremony.
On Tuesday, just about a month after hitting the ground, the 28-year-old soldier from Sioux Falls, S.D., led a team "at the dawn of another intensely hot, dusty day, doing what he loved to do," Rickard said Friday in Vilseck during a memorial ceremony for the soldier. Vrooman’s empty Stetson was there, as he’d asked for.
A nine-year Army veteran, Vrooman was the first man through the door as his team of soldiers from Troop P, 4th Squadron, moved to clear a building in the town of Kn’an. The building was booby-trapped, and Vrooman took the brunt of the explosion from a makeshift bomb.
"His brothers treated him quickly and expertly, but the damage was too great," Rickard said. Two other soldiers were injured in the blast. Vrooman died in a Baghdad hospital that day.
"The fateful day Staff Sgt. Vrooman led his section to clear that house coincided with the beginning of the voter registration period [for] the first democratic provincial elections in Iraq’s history," said Rickard.
Quoting Vrooman’s father, Bruce, Rickard said the soldier loved knowing that he was making a difference. "He loved his country and wanted to serve his country. He was what every man should aspire to be, what every husband should aspire to be and what every father should hope to be," the elder Vrooman had said.
Vrooman is survived by his wife, Latrecia; his 5-year-old son, Xavier; and 1-year-old daughter, Jade.
"He was so proud of Xavier and loved to bring him to the squadron headquarters and show him to everyone," Rickard said.
"There is no greater pain for his wife, family and friends than his sudden loss, and yet for those of us who serve, there is no more honorable way to leave the world."
Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman was killed in action on 7/15/08.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Navy Petty Officer Daniel R. Verbeke
Remember Our Heroes
Philadelphia Enquirer -- Daniel R. Verbeke, 25, of Exton, a Navy petty officer, died Monday at Paoli Hospital of complications from injuries suffered in December 2005 during combat operations in Iraq.
Mr. Verbeke was part of the landing crew aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Planes from the ship were supporting combat troops in Iraq.
Mr. Verbeke was left a quadriplegic after being injured when he was hit by a piece of equipment while trying to repair a cable on the flight deck. He suffered traumatic brain injury, a collapsed lung, fractured vertebrae and fractured ribs. He was initially comatose, said his father, Robert, but after months of intensive therapy he was able to go home in early June.
He learned to vocalize basic words and make his feelings known, his father said. He recently said, "I love you," on the phone to his mother and sister.
He enjoyed visits from his former shipmates and listening to hip-hop and classic rock. An avid Phillies fan, he became upset when anyone blocked his view while he was watching a game, his father said. He was looking forward to the Phillies-Atlanta Braves game July 27, the first game he would have attended since his injury, his father said.
Mr. Verbeke was initially treated at military hospitals in Kuwait, Iraq, Germany and Betheseda, Md., and then was a patient at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Va. He made notable progress in his recovery after he was moved to Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital in June 2006, his father said.
Born in Arlington Heights, Ill., Mr. Verbeke grew up in Chester County, where he played baseball for the Lionville Youth Association and participated in junior bowling leagues. He graduated from Owen J. Roberts High School near Pottstown. In 2004 he joined the Navy and had been aboard the Theodore Roosevelt for 15 months when he was injured.
In addition to his father, Mr. Verbeke is survived by a daughter, Savanna Jones; his mother, Melanie North; stepmother, Katherine Verbeke; sister Sarah Verbeke-O'Neill; and grandparents Ann North and Leonard and Barbara Verbeke.
Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today and from 9 to 10:45 a.m. tomorrow followed by a funeral at 11 a.m. at Logan Funeral Home, 698 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton. Burial will be in Philadelphia Memorial Park, Frazer.
Philadelphia Enquirer -- Daniel R. Verbeke, 25, of Exton, a Navy petty officer, died Monday at Paoli Hospital of complications from injuries suffered in December 2005 during combat operations in Iraq.
Mr. Verbeke was part of the landing crew aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Planes from the ship were supporting combat troops in Iraq.
Mr. Verbeke was left a quadriplegic after being injured when he was hit by a piece of equipment while trying to repair a cable on the flight deck. He suffered traumatic brain injury, a collapsed lung, fractured vertebrae and fractured ribs. He was initially comatose, said his father, Robert, but after months of intensive therapy he was able to go home in early June.
He learned to vocalize basic words and make his feelings known, his father said. He recently said, "I love you," on the phone to his mother and sister.
He enjoyed visits from his former shipmates and listening to hip-hop and classic rock. An avid Phillies fan, he became upset when anyone blocked his view while he was watching a game, his father said. He was looking forward to the Phillies-Atlanta Braves game July 27, the first game he would have attended since his injury, his father said.
Mr. Verbeke was initially treated at military hospitals in Kuwait, Iraq, Germany and Betheseda, Md., and then was a patient at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Va. He made notable progress in his recovery after he was moved to Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital in June 2006, his father said.
Born in Arlington Heights, Ill., Mr. Verbeke grew up in Chester County, where he played baseball for the Lionville Youth Association and participated in junior bowling leagues. He graduated from Owen J. Roberts High School near Pottstown. In 2004 he joined the Navy and had been aboard the Theodore Roosevelt for 15 months when he was injured.
In addition to his father, Mr. Verbeke is survived by a daughter, Savanna Jones; his mother, Melanie North; stepmother, Katherine Verbeke; sister Sarah Verbeke-O'Neill; and grandparents Ann North and Leonard and Barbara Verbeke.
Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. today and from 9 to 10:45 a.m. tomorrow followed by a funeral at 11 a.m. at Logan Funeral Home, 698 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton. Burial will be in Philadelphia Memorial Park, Frazer.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Army Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young
Remember Our Heroes
Army Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, of Jonesboro, Ga.
MSgt. Young was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died on July 13, 2008 of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Kajaki Sofla, Afghanistan.
USASOC -- FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, July 14, 2008) — An Army Special Forces Soldier was killed July 13 while conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of Kajaki Sofla, eastern Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, of Jonesboro, Ga., was fatally wounded when his vehicle struck a pressure plated improvised explosive device during the patrol.
He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team sergeant assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) here. Young is survived by his wife, Robyn, of Fayetteville, N.C.; and his mother, Jane Young, of Jonesboro, Ga.
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2008 as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan.
This was his fourth deployment in support of the Global War on Terror and third deployment to Afghanistan.
He was a Special Forces Operational DetachmentAlpha team sergeant. Young, a native of Jonesboro, Ga., volunteered for military service and entered the Army in January 1991 as an infantryman.
After basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to Co. A, 3rd Bn., 27th Infantry Regiment at Fort Ord, Calif.
In 1993 he became a squad leader when he moved to 3rd Bn., 502nd Inf. Regiment. at Fort Campbell, Ky.
In 1995 he moved to Germany and was assigned to Co. B, 1st Bn., 4th Inf. Regiment. Young began the Special Forces Qualification Course and he earned the coveted “Green Beret” in 1999 and was assigned to 2nd Bn., 3rd SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a Special Forces Operational DetachmentAlpha communications sergeant.
He left 3rd SFG(A) in 2004 to become a team sergeant at the United States Army Tactical Review Board, Fort Bragg, N.C. He was assigned to his current position at 1st Bn., 7th SFG(A) in October 2007.
Young’s military education includes; the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Jumpmaster Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course,Warrior Leaders Course, and Special Forces Qualification Course.
His awards and decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medial, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Young is survived by his wife, Robyn, of Fayetteville, N.C.; and his mother, Jane Young, of Jonesboro, Ga.
Army Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, of Jonesboro, Ga.
MSgt. Young was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died on July 13, 2008 of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Kajaki Sofla, Afghanistan.
USASOC -- FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, July 14, 2008) — An Army Special Forces Soldier was killed July 13 while conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of Kajaki Sofla, eastern Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young, 39, of Jonesboro, Ga., was fatally wounded when his vehicle struck a pressure plated improvised explosive device during the patrol.
He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team sergeant assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) here. Young is survived by his wife, Robyn, of Fayetteville, N.C.; and his mother, Jane Young, of Jonesboro, Ga.
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2008 as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan.
This was his fourth deployment in support of the Global War on Terror and third deployment to Afghanistan.
He was a Special Forces Operational DetachmentAlpha team sergeant. Young, a native of Jonesboro, Ga., volunteered for military service and entered the Army in January 1991 as an infantryman.
After basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to Co. A, 3rd Bn., 27th Infantry Regiment at Fort Ord, Calif.
In 1993 he became a squad leader when he moved to 3rd Bn., 502nd Inf. Regiment. at Fort Campbell, Ky.
In 1995 he moved to Germany and was assigned to Co. B, 1st Bn., 4th Inf. Regiment. Young began the Special Forces Qualification Course and he earned the coveted “Green Beret” in 1999 and was assigned to 2nd Bn., 3rd SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a Special Forces Operational DetachmentAlpha communications sergeant.
He left 3rd SFG(A) in 2004 to become a team sergeant at the United States Army Tactical Review Board, Fort Bragg, N.C. He was assigned to his current position at 1st Bn., 7th SFG(A) in October 2007.
Young’s military education includes; the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Jumpmaster Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course,Warrior Leaders Course, and Special Forces Qualification Course.
His awards and decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medial, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Young is survived by his wife, Robyn, of Fayetteville, N.C.; and his mother, Jane Young, of Jonesboro, Ga.
Army Master Sgt. Mitchell W. Young was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson, 20, of Newton, N.J.
LCpl. Stevenson was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif; died July 13, 2008 in Anbar, Iraq, from a non-hostile accident.
The Star-Ledger -- As he prepared to bury his best friend and brother, Senior Airman Robert L. Stevenson said today the investigation was continuing into the non-combat-related death of Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson.
Jeffery Stevenson, 20, a Marine from Stillwater, Sussex County, died Sunday in Iraq.
Robert Stevenson, 23, back home from Fort Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., said military officials had no new information today on the death of the little brother he described as "really mature for his age."
Meanwhile, funeral arrangements were finalized by Smith-McCracken Funeral Home of Newton. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 54 High St., Newton, with interment to follow in Stillwater Cemetery.
Visiting is scheduled for 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, 63 High St., Newton. Memorial donations may be made to Wounded Warriors, 10730 Pacific St., Suite 10, Omaha, Neb. 68114.
Born in Stroudsburg, in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, Jeffery Stevenson spent his early childhood in Marshalls Creek, Pa. He graduated in 2006 from Kittatinny Regional High School and joined the Marines six months later.
He was a machinist with the 7th Engineers Support Battalion, 1st Marine Division, stationed in Camp Pendleton in San Diego.
"He was a loving, respectful son and a happy, smiling kid," his obituary read. "LCpl Stevenson joined the Marines knowing full well what could happen, but he didn't let that stop him. When he wanted something, LCpl Stevenson did not let anything stand in his way."
In addition to his brother, he is survived by his mother and father, Karen and Joe Solarino of Stillwater; his sister-in-law, Brienne Stevenson, and his niece, Taylor Stevenson, also of Cheyenne; his maternal grandparents, Robert and Shirley Newton of Marshalls Creek; and many aunts, uncles and close cousins.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson died July 13, 2008 from a non-hostile accident.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson, 20, of Newton, N.J.
LCpl. Stevenson was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif; died July 13, 2008 in Anbar, Iraq, from a non-hostile accident.
The Star-Ledger -- As he prepared to bury his best friend and brother, Senior Airman Robert L. Stevenson said today the investigation was continuing into the non-combat-related death of Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson.
Jeffery Stevenson, 20, a Marine from Stillwater, Sussex County, died Sunday in Iraq.
Robert Stevenson, 23, back home from Fort Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., said military officials had no new information today on the death of the little brother he described as "really mature for his age."
Meanwhile, funeral arrangements were finalized by Smith-McCracken Funeral Home of Newton. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 54 High St., Newton, with interment to follow in Stillwater Cemetery.
Visiting is scheduled for 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, 63 High St., Newton. Memorial donations may be made to Wounded Warriors, 10730 Pacific St., Suite 10, Omaha, Neb. 68114.
Born in Stroudsburg, in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, Jeffery Stevenson spent his early childhood in Marshalls Creek, Pa. He graduated in 2006 from Kittatinny Regional High School and joined the Marines six months later.
He was a machinist with the 7th Engineers Support Battalion, 1st Marine Division, stationed in Camp Pendleton in San Diego.
"He was a loving, respectful son and a happy, smiling kid," his obituary read. "LCpl Stevenson joined the Marines knowing full well what could happen, but he didn't let that stop him. When he wanted something, LCpl Stevenson did not let anything stand in his way."
In addition to his brother, he is survived by his mother and father, Karen and Joe Solarino of Stillwater; his sister-in-law, Brienne Stevenson, and his niece, Taylor Stevenson, also of Cheyenne; his maternal grandparents, Robert and Shirley Newton of Marshalls Creek; and many aunts, uncles and close cousins.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Stevenson died July 13, 2008 from a non-hostile accident.
Army Pfc. Sergio S. Abad
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Ky.
Pfc. Abad was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey and Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling.
WSVN -- MIAMI (WSVN) -- A South Florida soldier's sacrifice was remembered by loved ones on the day he was scheduled to arrive home.
Sergio Abad was among nine U.S. servicemen killed in a deadly Taliban attack in Afghanistan on Sunday.
More than 100 militants fired machine guns, lobbed grenades and shot mortars into a remote base housing the U.S. Forces.
Abad was set to return home to South Florida Tuesday to be with his pregnant fiance.
His mother is still in shock with the loss of her son. "Horrible, surreal. I keep thinking they're gonna call and say they made a mistake. Don't think they will now, it's been too long," said Lori Pitts.
Army Pfc. Sergio S. Abad was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Ky.
Pfc. Abad was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey and Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling.
WSVN -- MIAMI (WSVN) -- A South Florida soldier's sacrifice was remembered by loved ones on the day he was scheduled to arrive home.
Sergio Abad was among nine U.S. servicemen killed in a deadly Taliban attack in Afghanistan on Sunday.
More than 100 militants fired machine guns, lobbed grenades and shot mortars into a remote base housing the U.S. Forces.
Abad was set to return home to South Florida Tuesday to be with his pregnant fiance.
His mother is still in shock with the loss of her son. "Horrible, surreal. I keep thinking they're gonna call and say they made a mistake. Don't think they will now, it's been too long," said Lori Pitts.
Army Pfc. Sergio S. Abad was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Mo.
Cpl. Zwilling was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch -- O'FALLON, MO. — When Army Spc. Gunnar Zwilling phoned his father from a war zone in Afghanistan last week to describe his next mission, the 20-year-old soldier feared it might be his last.
"He said, 'Dad, I don't want to go because I know it's going to be a bloodbath. But I'll go because that's my job,'" said Kurt Zwilling, 53, of O'Fallon. "He knew there was going to be an ambush."
The soldier serving in the 173rd Airborne Brigade was among nine American soldiers killed and 15 wounded Sunday in an attack on an American outpost in eastern Afghanistan, relatives said Tuesday.
The attack was along the Pakistan border at a remote base in the Kunar Province in northeastern Afghanistan. More than 100 militants showered the base with machine gun fire, rocket propelled grenades and mortar shells.
Kurt Zwilling said his son told him his company had received orders to build a new base for a fresh crop of replacement soldiers heading to the region to replace the airborne unit. Zwilling was scheduled to return home to his base in Italy in about a week, his father said.
Zwilling enlisted in the Army after graduating from Hazelwood West High School in 2005. He grew up in Huntington Beach, Calif., and lived in Nashville, Tenn., for several years before moving to Florissant. He was not married. His mother died in November of
respiratory failure, and his father is in remission from throat cancer.
"He was a dedicated military man," said his aunt, Lisa Zwilling, 47, of O'Fallon. "He loved every minute of it."
She described him as a "wild man" who loved to play the guitar. She said her nephew decided to join the military for the opportunity to serve the nation and travel the world.
"He wanted to be free," she said. "He wanted to serve our country. He thought it was the right thing to do."
Zwilling had planned to make a career in the military, but changed his mind after fatally shooting a 16-year-old boy who ignored orders to stop at a military checkpoint in Afghanistan, his father said.
"He had enough killing," Kurt Zwilling said. "That changed his outlook on re-enlisting."
Zwilling instead decided to apply to a commercial pilot school in Florida, his father said.
Funeral arrangements were pending Tuesday. Zwilling's brother Alex, 22, who serves in the Air Force, is returning from Iraq to escort his brother's body home for burial at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Kurt Zwilling said the grief over the loss of his son is "absolutely unimaginable."
"I prayed every day while he was gone for God to take me instead of him, but that didn't happen," he said. "I have two sons. One is gone, and now I have to bury him."
Army Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Mo.
Cpl. Zwilling was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch -- O'FALLON, MO. — When Army Spc. Gunnar Zwilling phoned his father from a war zone in Afghanistan last week to describe his next mission, the 20-year-old soldier feared it might be his last.
"He said, 'Dad, I don't want to go because I know it's going to be a bloodbath. But I'll go because that's my job,'" said Kurt Zwilling, 53, of O'Fallon. "He knew there was going to be an ambush."
The soldier serving in the 173rd Airborne Brigade was among nine American soldiers killed and 15 wounded Sunday in an attack on an American outpost in eastern Afghanistan, relatives said Tuesday.
The attack was along the Pakistan border at a remote base in the Kunar Province in northeastern Afghanistan. More than 100 militants showered the base with machine gun fire, rocket propelled grenades and mortar shells.
Kurt Zwilling said his son told him his company had received orders to build a new base for a fresh crop of replacement soldiers heading to the region to replace the airborne unit. Zwilling was scheduled to return home to his base in Italy in about a week, his father said.
Zwilling enlisted in the Army after graduating from Hazelwood West High School in 2005. He grew up in Huntington Beach, Calif., and lived in Nashville, Tenn., for several years before moving to Florissant. He was not married. His mother died in November of
respiratory failure, and his father is in remission from throat cancer.
"He was a dedicated military man," said his aunt, Lisa Zwilling, 47, of O'Fallon. "He loved every minute of it."
She described him as a "wild man" who loved to play the guitar. She said her nephew decided to join the military for the opportunity to serve the nation and travel the world.
"He wanted to be free," she said. "He wanted to serve our country. He thought it was the right thing to do."
Zwilling had planned to make a career in the military, but changed his mind after fatally shooting a 16-year-old boy who ignored orders to stop at a military checkpoint in Afghanistan, his father said.
"He had enough killing," Kurt Zwilling said. "That changed his outlook on re-enlisting."
Zwilling instead decided to apply to a commercial pilot school in Florida, his father said.
Funeral arrangements were pending Tuesday. Zwilling's brother Alex, 22, who serves in the Air Force, is returning from Iraq to escort his brother's body home for burial at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Kurt Zwilling said the grief over the loss of his son is "absolutely unimaginable."
"I prayed every day while he was gone for God to take me instead of him, but that didn't happen," he said. "I have two sons. One is gone, and now I have to bury him."
Army Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Ga.
Cpl. Ayers was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Atlanta Journal Constitution -- His parents had already begun buying decorations for Jon Ayers' homecoming party. The Army corporal was due to return to Snellville in three weeks.
He had but one week remaining on his first tour of Afghanistan.
Ayers, 24, died Sunday in the northeastern province of Kunar, where militants launched one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion,
He was one of at least two Georgia soldiers killed Sunday in Afghanistan. Master Sgt. Mitchell Young, of Jonesboro died when his vehicle struck an explosive in Kajaki Sofla. The U.S. Department of Defense has not yet released all the names of those killed in Kunar province.
Ayers and his comrades were completing work on a new U.S. base in a remote, mountainous region bordering Pakistan, said his father, Bill Ayers.
"The last few weeks we were told that tensions had really escalated," the elder Ayers said.
But that didn't deter his son, an ROTC commander at Shiloh High School.
"He was always very positive about the mission," said Bill Ayers. "He'd say, 'Dad, we're doing really good things over there.' "
Funeral services are pending. Jon Ayers is survived by his parents, Bill and Suzanne Ayers, and his older brother, Josh.
Army Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Ga.
Cpl. Ayers was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Atlanta Journal Constitution -- His parents had already begun buying decorations for Jon Ayers' homecoming party. The Army corporal was due to return to Snellville in three weeks.
He had but one week remaining on his first tour of Afghanistan.
Ayers, 24, died Sunday in the northeastern province of Kunar, where militants launched one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion,
He was one of at least two Georgia soldiers killed Sunday in Afghanistan. Master Sgt. Mitchell Young, of Jonesboro died when his vehicle struck an explosive in Kajaki Sofla. The U.S. Department of Defense has not yet released all the names of those killed in Kunar province.
Ayers and his comrades were completing work on a new U.S. base in a remote, mountainous region bordering Pakistan, said his father, Bill Ayers.
"The last few weeks we were told that tensions had really escalated," the elder Ayers said.
But that didn't deter his son, an ROTC commander at Shiloh High School.
"He was always very positive about the mission," said Bill Ayers. "He'd say, 'Dad, we're doing really good things over there.' "
Funeral services are pending. Jon Ayers is survived by his parents, Bill and Suzanne Ayers, and his older brother, Josh.
Army Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom
Remember Our Heroes
Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Hawaii
1st Lt. Brostrom was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Honolulu Advertiser -- 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of 'Aiea, was one of nine soldiers killed on Sunday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced today.
The soldiers died of wounds suffered when their outpost was attacked by small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan.
Brostrom's father, David Brostrom, a retired Army colonel, praised his son and fellow soldiers for the work they are doing in Afghanistan, but said they are not getting the resources they need.
"My son is very well trained. His leadership at the brigade and below were probably the best you'll ever find, the best in the world," David Brostrom said. "… (But) they were put in a situation where they were under-resourced."
"The conditions changed and we did not change our strategy. The military term is 'economy of force' in Afghanistan. While we fight the war in Iraq, Afghanistan is on hold. Soldiers are doing a great job with very little attention from our leadership in Washington, D.C."
"Unfortunately, we have not put in all of the resources required in order to stop this from happening, so the enemy has slowly gained a foothold and they're probably stronger than they were when we went right after 9/11, as my son found out."
"It took something like this, nine soldiers killed, to be a wake-up call. I just hope my son's death drives some policy to do what we need to do right in Afghanistan in order to protect our soldiers.
David Brostrom said his son was a very independent child. He attended Damien Memorial School, a Catholic school in Kalihi.
"He grew up in the military with me, but he never talked about joining. He was very bright, but he wasn't a student. He liked to experience things his own way. He was at times difficult. He was a natural athlete, excellent golfer on Damien golf team and when we lived in New York he played hockey. He loved to surf."
The soldiers who were killed were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Vicenza, Italy.
Jonathan Brostrom received a four-year ROTC scholarship at the University of Hawai'i, graduating in 2006, said a former instructor, Maj. Christopher Sweeney, who now is a recruiting officer with the program.
"Jon was very professional, but he loved to have fun at the same time," Sweeney said. "He had a serious side, but he also loved to joke around, and that's what made him a joy to have in class."
Sweeney taught Brostrom during his junior year. Each year, a cadet was selected to attend dive school at Pearl Harbor, and Brostrom was selected that year.
"He was the one cadet, and he made it through there with flying colors," Sweeney said.
UH selected Brostrom to attend airborne and air assault school, and he was a "distinguished military graduate" in the top 20 percent in the nation, Sweeney said.
Brostrom is the third UH ROTC cadet to have been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, officials said. 2nd Lt. Jeremy Wolfe was killed in 2003 in a helicopter crash in Iraq, while 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe was hit by sniper fire in Iraq in 2005.
Jonathan Brostrom is quoted in a June 2007 online report by the Stars and Stripes newspaper about a patrol by his platoon in Afghanistan.
He was then leading the 2nd Platoon, Company C, of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. The article said:
"Mission goals include checking to see if a newly built road can handle Humvee traffic, finding a girls school that 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom has heard about, and meeting with village leaders.
"He doesn't mention anything about hunting down enemy forces to engage in combat.
"'It should be OK,' Brostrom says at the start of the patrol. 'We usually don't have problems in this area.'"
The local leader they plan to visit is Haji Arif, from the village of Shalam, and talk about recent rocket attacks.
"'He is a guy who can find out what's going on,' Brostrom says. 'Some say he plays both sides. I don't think so. I think he's a good guy.'
The article then talks about the return trip to base which was more tense because the enemy often attacks units on their way back. "The last two times, we got lit up pretty good up here,' Brostrom says."
The journey turned out to be relatively uneventful and the unit returned safely to base.
Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Hawaii
1st Lt. Brostrom was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Honolulu Advertiser -- 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of 'Aiea, was one of nine soldiers killed on Sunday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced today.
The soldiers died of wounds suffered when their outpost was attacked by small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan.
Brostrom's father, David Brostrom, a retired Army colonel, praised his son and fellow soldiers for the work they are doing in Afghanistan, but said they are not getting the resources they need.
"My son is very well trained. His leadership at the brigade and below were probably the best you'll ever find, the best in the world," David Brostrom said. "… (But) they were put in a situation where they were under-resourced."
"The conditions changed and we did not change our strategy. The military term is 'economy of force' in Afghanistan. While we fight the war in Iraq, Afghanistan is on hold. Soldiers are doing a great job with very little attention from our leadership in Washington, D.C."
"Unfortunately, we have not put in all of the resources required in order to stop this from happening, so the enemy has slowly gained a foothold and they're probably stronger than they were when we went right after 9/11, as my son found out."
"It took something like this, nine soldiers killed, to be a wake-up call. I just hope my son's death drives some policy to do what we need to do right in Afghanistan in order to protect our soldiers.
David Brostrom said his son was a very independent child. He attended Damien Memorial School, a Catholic school in Kalihi.
"He grew up in the military with me, but he never talked about joining. He was very bright, but he wasn't a student. He liked to experience things his own way. He was at times difficult. He was a natural athlete, excellent golfer on Damien golf team and when we lived in New York he played hockey. He loved to surf."
The soldiers who were killed were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Vicenza, Italy.
Jonathan Brostrom received a four-year ROTC scholarship at the University of Hawai'i, graduating in 2006, said a former instructor, Maj. Christopher Sweeney, who now is a recruiting officer with the program.
"Jon was very professional, but he loved to have fun at the same time," Sweeney said. "He had a serious side, but he also loved to joke around, and that's what made him a joy to have in class."
Sweeney taught Brostrom during his junior year. Each year, a cadet was selected to attend dive school at Pearl Harbor, and Brostrom was selected that year.
"He was the one cadet, and he made it through there with flying colors," Sweeney said.
UH selected Brostrom to attend airborne and air assault school, and he was a "distinguished military graduate" in the top 20 percent in the nation, Sweeney said.
Brostrom is the third UH ROTC cadet to have been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, officials said. 2nd Lt. Jeremy Wolfe was killed in 2003 in a helicopter crash in Iraq, while 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe was hit by sniper fire in Iraq in 2005.
Jonathan Brostrom is quoted in a June 2007 online report by the Stars and Stripes newspaper about a patrol by his platoon in Afghanistan.
He was then leading the 2nd Platoon, Company C, of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. The article said:
"Mission goals include checking to see if a newly built road can handle Humvee traffic, finding a girls school that 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom has heard about, and meeting with village leaders.
"He doesn't mention anything about hunting down enemy forces to engage in combat.
"'It should be OK,' Brostrom says at the start of the patrol. 'We usually don't have problems in this area.'"
The local leader they plan to visit is Haji Arif, from the village of Shalam, and talk about recent rocket attacks.
"'He is a guy who can find out what's going on,' Brostrom says. 'Some say he plays both sides. I don't think so. I think he's a good guy.'
The article then talks about the return trip to base which was more tense because the enemy often attacks units on their way back. "The last two times, we got lit up pretty good up here,' Brostrom says."
The journey turned out to be relatively uneventful and the unit returned safely to base.
Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Jason M. Bogar
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle
Cpl. Bogar was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Seattle Post Intelligencer -- Outnumbered by nearly four to one, 25-year-old Cpl. Jason Bogar and the eight other American soldiers he died with Sunday were among the small group of nearly 60 American and Afghan troops who fought a hellish battle, resorting to hand-to-hand fighting to prevent at least 200 Taliban militants from overrunning their small remote outpost in Afghanistan.
Bogar's parents, the Rev. Michael Bogar, pastor of the Spiritual Enrichment Center of West Sound on Bainbridge Island, and his mother, Bogar's ex-wife, Carlene Cross of Seattle, an author, college counselor and former KCTS/9 television producer in Seattle, learned of their son's death and heroism Sunday.
Wednesday, they heard more stunning news.
The base the soldiers had lost their lives to hold was being abandoned as indefensible, already quickly occupied by the Taliban, The Associated Press reported, citing military and government sources.
"It was outrageous to me to put those boys out there; they were just sitting ducks," Cross said Wednesday. "They fought for hours, and then got some air help, and turned them back. It is amazing. Jason died a hero, he fought hand to hand and I was told it was just unbelievable. And when (other troops) finally got to them, they were all dead."
She added: "One of the things I hope there will be is an investigation, and I hope they never do that again to any of our guys.
"We are really proud of him, and it's heartbreaking. We have to remember them the way they were and they way they would have wanted us to remember them. "
It was the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
Bogar and those killed with him served with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Vicenza, Italy.
The post was only two days old and occupied by 45 U.S. soldiers and 25 Afghan soldiers when it was attacked, The Times of London reported. Taliban fighters reportedly breached the outer defenses but were prevented from overrunning the base only after fierce hand-to-hand fighting and warplanes drove them back, it said.
Just over half of the U.S. garrison was killed or injured, with 15 wounded in the battle, in addition to the nine soldiers killed, The Times said.
Those who died with Bogar were: 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Hawaii; Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, Calif.; Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Ga.; Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tenn.; Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Ga.; Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, N.C.; Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Mo.; and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Ky.
In addition to his parents, Bogar is survived by two sisters, Micael Bogar, and Carise Martindale, and a brother-in-law, Jesse Martindale, a former Marine who served in Iraq.
Cross said her son often volunteered for dangerous missions in part because he was single and felt he could spell married troops from potential hazards.
"He said 'I don't have a wife and I have a real camaraderie with those guys,' " she said.
Bogar attended Bothell High School but, having an independent streak in his teens, joined the Job Corps in Mount Vernon and earned a graduate equivalency diploma while becoming an electrician apprentice.
Though he had been a bit of "a wildcat" in school, Cross said, after going to Iraq and experiencing the death of friends or near-death himself, he grew closer to faith.
"His spirituality was profound," she said.
Bogar was the 24th member of the U.S. armed forces with ties to Washington to die in Afghanistan since the war began nearly seven years ago, shortly after 9/11.
Five have been killed this year as violence in Afghanistan has increased, while casualties in Iraq have decreased.
While a date and time have not been set, memorial services and burial with military honors for Bogar will be held at St. Mark's Cathedral and Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
The many who knew her son, who served with him in the National Guard and in the Army, have poured in messages of condolence with a common thread, Cross said.
"They all said he was a man of valor, and they were honored to serve with him," she said.
Army Cpl. Jason M. Bogar was killed in action on 7/13/08.
"Afghanistan" A song of tribute to Cpl. Jason Bogar
Army Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle
Cpl. Bogar was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Seattle Post Intelligencer -- Outnumbered by nearly four to one, 25-year-old Cpl. Jason Bogar and the eight other American soldiers he died with Sunday were among the small group of nearly 60 American and Afghan troops who fought a hellish battle, resorting to hand-to-hand fighting to prevent at least 200 Taliban militants from overrunning their small remote outpost in Afghanistan.
Bogar's parents, the Rev. Michael Bogar, pastor of the Spiritual Enrichment Center of West Sound on Bainbridge Island, and his mother, Bogar's ex-wife, Carlene Cross of Seattle, an author, college counselor and former KCTS/9 television producer in Seattle, learned of their son's death and heroism Sunday.
Wednesday, they heard more stunning news.
The base the soldiers had lost their lives to hold was being abandoned as indefensible, already quickly occupied by the Taliban, The Associated Press reported, citing military and government sources.
"It was outrageous to me to put those boys out there; they were just sitting ducks," Cross said Wednesday. "They fought for hours, and then got some air help, and turned them back. It is amazing. Jason died a hero, he fought hand to hand and I was told it was just unbelievable. And when (other troops) finally got to them, they were all dead."
She added: "One of the things I hope there will be is an investigation, and I hope they never do that again to any of our guys.
"We are really proud of him, and it's heartbreaking. We have to remember them the way they were and they way they would have wanted us to remember them. "
It was the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
Bogar and those killed with him served with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Vicenza, Italy.
The post was only two days old and occupied by 45 U.S. soldiers and 25 Afghan soldiers when it was attacked, The Times of London reported. Taliban fighters reportedly breached the outer defenses but were prevented from overrunning the base only after fierce hand-to-hand fighting and warplanes drove them back, it said.
Just over half of the U.S. garrison was killed or injured, with 15 wounded in the battle, in addition to the nine soldiers killed, The Times said.
Those who died with Bogar were: 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Hawaii; Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, Calif.; Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Ga.; Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tenn.; Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Ga.; Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, N.C.; Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Mo.; and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Ky.
In addition to his parents, Bogar is survived by two sisters, Micael Bogar, and Carise Martindale, and a brother-in-law, Jesse Martindale, a former Marine who served in Iraq.
Cross said her son often volunteered for dangerous missions in part because he was single and felt he could spell married troops from potential hazards.
"He said 'I don't have a wife and I have a real camaraderie with those guys,' " she said.
Bogar attended Bothell High School but, having an independent streak in his teens, joined the Job Corps in Mount Vernon and earned a graduate equivalency diploma while becoming an electrician apprentice.
Though he had been a bit of "a wildcat" in school, Cross said, after going to Iraq and experiencing the death of friends or near-death himself, he grew closer to faith.
"His spirituality was profound," she said.
Bogar was the 24th member of the U.S. armed forces with ties to Washington to die in Afghanistan since the war began nearly seven years ago, shortly after 9/11.
Five have been killed this year as violence in Afghanistan has increased, while casualties in Iraq have decreased.
While a date and time have not been set, memorial services and burial with military honors for Bogar will be held at St. Mark's Cathedral and Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
The many who knew her son, who served with him in the National Guard and in the Army, have poured in messages of condolence with a common thread, Cross said.
"They all said he was a man of valor, and they were honored to serve with him," she said.
Army Cpl. Jason M. Bogar was killed in action on 7/13/08.
"Afghanistan" A song of tribute to Cpl. Jason Bogar
Army Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Ga.
Cpl. Phillips was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Atlanta Journal Constitution -- Army Cpl. Matthew Phillips, of Cumming, also was stationed in Kunar province, with the same 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
The last time he was home, over Christmas, Phillips, 27, planned his own funeral.
"I was just told about that, but it doesn't surprise me," said his father, Michael Phillips of Dawsonville. Apparently, the younger Phillips didn't want his family, including his new bride, Eve, to be troubled with the arrangements. They were married in December 2006.
"I'd always tell him, 'You're going to be fine, you're coming home, the odds are with you,'" his father said.
The two had planned a fishing trip in August, when Matthew was scheduled to come home.
Phillips and Ayers were among nine soldiers killed Sunday after a group of insurgents engaged the 2nd Battalion in a three-hour battle. It was the worst assault against Americans in Afghanistan in three years. During the past two months, more American troops have died in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
Sunday was the bloodiest day yet. Georgians paid dearly, with a third local soldier, Master Sgt. Mitchell Young, a Green Beret, also among the casualties.
Phillips had even more to look forward to. His younger sister, Mary Nix of San Antonio, was pregnant with a boy, to be named Michael Andrew.
"He couldn't wait to be an uncle," said Michael Phillips.
Nix had the baby Sunday. On Monday, she learned of her brother's death.
Michael Andrew Nix was renamed Matthew Andrew Nix.
Army Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Ga.
Cpl. Phillips was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Atlanta Journal Constitution -- Army Cpl. Matthew Phillips, of Cumming, also was stationed in Kunar province, with the same 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
The last time he was home, over Christmas, Phillips, 27, planned his own funeral.
"I was just told about that, but it doesn't surprise me," said his father, Michael Phillips of Dawsonville. Apparently, the younger Phillips didn't want his family, including his new bride, Eve, to be troubled with the arrangements. They were married in December 2006.
"I'd always tell him, 'You're going to be fine, you're coming home, the odds are with you,'" his father said.
The two had planned a fishing trip in August, when Matthew was scheduled to come home.
Phillips and Ayers were among nine soldiers killed Sunday after a group of insurgents engaged the 2nd Battalion in a three-hour battle. It was the worst assault against Americans in Afghanistan in three years. During the past two months, more American troops have died in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
Sunday was the bloodiest day yet. Georgians paid dearly, with a third local soldier, Master Sgt. Mitchell Young, a Green Beret, also among the casualties.
Phillips had even more to look forward to. His younger sister, Mary Nix of San Antonio, was pregnant with a boy, to be named Michael Andrew.
"He couldn't wait to be an uncle," said Michael Phillips.
Nix had the baby Sunday. On Monday, she learned of her brother's death.
Michael Andrew Nix was renamed Matthew Andrew Nix.
Army Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Sgt. Israel Garcia
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, Calif.
Sgt. Garcia was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Long Beach soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. — A local soldier was among nine Army paratroopers killed in a weekend attack on a remote base in Afghanistan, relatives said.
Sgt. Israel “Ira” Garcia, 24, died when about 200 militants attacked the base near the Pakistan border on July 13.
Garcia was with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vincenza, Italy. His unit had been stationed in Afghanistan since May 2007.
“He’s a true fallen hero,” said his sister-in-law, Hilda Rezolorio. “He fought for this country.”
Garcia, who loved horses and soccer, enlisted shortly after graduating from high school in 2002, his family said.
He was sent to Italy in June 2006, three months after marrying his high school sweetheart, Lesly Garcia. She had been staying with family members in Long Beach but was preparing to return to Italy because her husband was expected to return there in two weeks.
“She was scheduled to leave, going back to Italy on Monday night, July 14. They gave us the news of his death Monday morning,” Rezolorio said. “She wanted to go home and get the house ready for him.”
“There are no words to describe him. He was loved by everybody,” Rezolorio said. “We will miss his smile, his great sense of humor. He will be truly missed.”
In addition to his wife, Garcia is survived by his parents, Victor and Maricruz Garcia, and his brother, Ramsses Garcia, all of Long Beach.
Army Sgt. Israel Garcia was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, Calif.
Sgt. Garcia was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
Long Beach soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. — A local soldier was among nine Army paratroopers killed in a weekend attack on a remote base in Afghanistan, relatives said.
Sgt. Israel “Ira” Garcia, 24, died when about 200 militants attacked the base near the Pakistan border on July 13.
Garcia was with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vincenza, Italy. His unit had been stationed in Afghanistan since May 2007.
“He’s a true fallen hero,” said his sister-in-law, Hilda Rezolorio. “He fought for this country.”
Garcia, who loved horses and soccer, enlisted shortly after graduating from high school in 2002, his family said.
He was sent to Italy in June 2006, three months after marrying his high school sweetheart, Lesly Garcia. She had been staying with family members in Long Beach but was preparing to return to Italy because her husband was expected to return there in two weeks.
“She was scheduled to leave, going back to Italy on Monday night, July 14. They gave us the news of his death Monday morning,” Rezolorio said. “She wanted to go home and get the house ready for him.”
“There are no words to describe him. He was loved by everybody,” Rezolorio said. “We will miss his smile, his great sense of humor. He will be truly missed.”
In addition to his wife, Garcia is survived by his parents, Victor and Maricruz Garcia, and his brother, Ramsses Garcia, all of Long Beach.
Army Sgt. Israel Garcia was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Jason D. Hovater
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tenn.
Cpl. Hovater was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
East Tenn. soldier among 9 killed in Afghanistan
LAKE CITY, Tenn. — The Defense Department confirmed an East Tennessean was among nine soldiers killed during the weekend in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
Spc. Jason Dean Hovater of Clinton and his comrades were killed Sunday when about 200 militants armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked a remote outpost in Wanat near the Pakistan border, according to a statement from the Defense Department.
While the attack was repelled, U.S. and Afghan troops later abandoned the outpost.
The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, Italy. Hovater had been in Afghanistan for 16 months.
“He only had a week left before he was leaving (Afghanistan),” his sister, Jessica Davis of Norris, told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “We were all excited to see him and be with him and hold him.”
She said her parents, Gerald and Kathy Hovater of Lake City, learned of her brother’s death when Army officers knocked on their door Monday morning.
Hovater and his wife, Jenna Hovater, were married six weeks before he deployed. He would have turned 25 on Aug. 10.
Army Cpl. Jason D. Hovater was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tenn.
Cpl. Hovater was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
East Tenn. soldier among 9 killed in Afghanistan
LAKE CITY, Tenn. — The Defense Department confirmed an East Tennessean was among nine soldiers killed during the weekend in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
Spc. Jason Dean Hovater of Clinton and his comrades were killed Sunday when about 200 militants armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked a remote outpost in Wanat near the Pakistan border, according to a statement from the Defense Department.
While the attack was repelled, U.S. and Afghan troops later abandoned the outpost.
The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, Italy. Hovater had been in Afghanistan for 16 months.
“He only had a week left before he was leaving (Afghanistan),” his sister, Jessica Davis of Norris, told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “We were all excited to see him and be with him and hold him.”
She said her parents, Gerald and Kathy Hovater of Lake City, learned of her brother’s death when Army officers knocked on their door Monday morning.
Hovater and his wife, Jenna Hovater, were married six weeks before he deployed. He would have turned 25 on Aug. 10.
Army Cpl. Jason D. Hovater was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, N.C.
Cpl. Rainey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
N.C. soldier among 9 killed in attack
The Associated Press
HAW RIVER, N.C. — A North Carolina paratrooper was one of nine soldiers killed when militants used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to attack a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan, the military said.
Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River was killed Sunday when Taliban militants attacked his base in Wanat, Afghanistan, along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
NATO said several hundred fighters used buildings in the village of Wanat for cover as they attacked the base early Sunday morning. An unknown number of militants got inside the outpost before U.S. defenders beat them back using helicopter gunships.
Rainey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, Italy.
Friends said Rainey was a “gentle giant” who excelled as a wrestler at Graham High School and planned to go back to school after serving in the Army. They said he hoped to become a teacher.
“He was a very dynamic person,” Jeff Terrell told the News & Record of Greensboro. “Everybody loved him. Young kids were just drawn to him. All of his friends were just drawn to him. He had a great personality.”
Terrell worked with Rainey as a youth leader at Glen Hope Baptist Church in Burlington.
Rainey enlisted in the U.S. Army after a short stint at Campbell University. He spent a year in Italy before his unit was deployed to Afghanistan. Church friends told The Times-News of Burlington he was eager to come home and that he was due back by the end of July.
“He wanted to be a teacher, probably a physical-education teacher and a wrestling coach,” Terrell told the Burlington Times-News.
Rainey’s family declined to speak with reporters.
Army Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Army Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, N.C.
Cpl. Rainey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2008. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling and Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
N.C. soldier among 9 killed in attack
The Associated Press
HAW RIVER, N.C. — A North Carolina paratrooper was one of nine soldiers killed when militants used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to attack a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan, the military said.
Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River was killed Sunday when Taliban militants attacked his base in Wanat, Afghanistan, along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years.
NATO said several hundred fighters used buildings in the village of Wanat for cover as they attacked the base early Sunday morning. An unknown number of militants got inside the outpost before U.S. defenders beat them back using helicopter gunships.
Rainey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, Italy.
Friends said Rainey was a “gentle giant” who excelled as a wrestler at Graham High School and planned to go back to school after serving in the Army. They said he hoped to become a teacher.
“He was a very dynamic person,” Jeff Terrell told the News & Record of Greensboro. “Everybody loved him. Young kids were just drawn to him. All of his friends were just drawn to him. He had a great personality.”
Terrell worked with Rainey as a youth leader at Glen Hope Baptist Church in Burlington.
Rainey enlisted in the U.S. Army after a short stint at Campbell University. He spent a year in Italy before his unit was deployed to Afghanistan. Church friends told The Times-News of Burlington he was eager to come home and that he was due back by the end of July.
“He wanted to be a teacher, probably a physical-education teacher and a wrestling coach,” Terrell told the Burlington Times-News.
Rainey’s family declined to speak with reporters.
Army Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey was killed in action on 7/13/08.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Army Spc. Samson A. Mora
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Samson A. Mora, 28, of Dededo, Guam
Spc. Mora was assigned to 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National Guard, Barrigada, Guam; died July 10, 2008 in Babo Kheyl, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero.
Fallen soldiers home: Remains of Mora, Leon Guerrero returned
By William B. Martin Jr. • Pacific Sunday News • July 20, 2008
On the eve of the celebration of Guam's liberation, the island mourns the loss of two soldiers.
The remains of fallen Guam Guardsman Samson A. Mora returned to his family yesterday afternoon, received by a gathering of his fellow islanders and local dignitaries.
Mora, 28, a car-show enthusiast from Dededo, died of injuries sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on July 10.
At the ceremony, a sleek black Honda Civic was emblazoned with the words "In loving memory of Samson Mora."
Sgt. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, a father of three from Tamuning, was killed in the same explosion, which also injured Spc. Kalani Echang, 25, from Mangilao. Leon Guerrero's body was returned home late last night to a similar ceremony ceremony.
Echang is recovering at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.
The deaths of the two Guardsmen bring the number of sons of Micronesia killed since the War on Terror began in 2001 to 28. More than 4,100 U.S. servicemen have been killed since the start of the war.
Mora was engaged to be married to Rosanna Castro of Ordot, who was awaiting his return for the wedding.
"Mora gave everything he had for what he believed in," said retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Ricardo Cruz of the Marine Corps. Cruz is junior vice commander of the Asia-Pacific Department of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. "(Our attendance) is the least we can give to an individual that died serving his country," he said.
Salutes
Fellow Guardsmen lined up and saluted as the vehicle containing their fallen brother arrived at the old airport terminal.
As Mora's casket was carried along a red carpet by the soldiers, members of various veterans organizations joined the salute, lining up along the walkway.
Angelina Mora, Samson Mora's mother, cried out as Abraham Mora, the soldier's father, clutched a white cloth to his face, embracing his wife.
Maj. Gen. Donald Goldhorn, Guam National Guard adjutant general, said Mora was known among his peers and officers as a quiet but happy soldier, and well-suited for battle.
"We salute you, Sgt. Mora, for your courage and bravery," he said.
Other family members buried their faces into Mora's casket, crying as they comforted one another.
"The sacrifice he made for our freedom must never be forgotten," Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo said, addressing those gathered.
Acting Gov. Michael Cruz offered his condolences to Mora's family on behalf of Gov. Felix Camacho and the people of Guam, saying Guam will always be grateful for the ultimate sacrifice Mora made.
"Sgt. Mora served our nation and island with dignity and honor," he said. "Welcome home, Sgt. Samson Mora."
According to his cousin, Charlita Harper, Mora was also a member of the Honor Guard, those responsible for seeing to a fallen soldier's proper military burial.
Harper said Mora was very proud of the "prestigious" responsibility.
From the airport, the entourage proceeded to the Guam National Guard Readiness Center in Barrigada to allow Guard service members and their families to salute the soldier.
Mora was then brought to his parents' home in Dededo for a brief stop, before continuing on to Ada's funeral home in Sinajana.
Leon Guerrero's body also will be brought first to the Guam National Guard Readiness Center, and then to Our Lady of Peace in Barrigada.
Mora, Leon Guerrero and Echang are members of the 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry that deployed to Afghanistan in January of this year, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. About 180 Guam soldiers from the Alpha Company are in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Samson A. Mora was killed in action on 7/10/08.
Army Spc. Samson A. Mora, 28, of Dededo, Guam
Spc. Mora was assigned to 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National Guard, Barrigada, Guam; died July 10, 2008 in Babo Kheyl, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero.
Fallen soldiers home: Remains of Mora, Leon Guerrero returned
By William B. Martin Jr. • Pacific Sunday News • July 20, 2008
On the eve of the celebration of Guam's liberation, the island mourns the loss of two soldiers.
The remains of fallen Guam Guardsman Samson A. Mora returned to his family yesterday afternoon, received by a gathering of his fellow islanders and local dignitaries.
Mora, 28, a car-show enthusiast from Dededo, died of injuries sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on July 10.
At the ceremony, a sleek black Honda Civic was emblazoned with the words "In loving memory of Samson Mora."
Sgt. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, a father of three from Tamuning, was killed in the same explosion, which also injured Spc. Kalani Echang, 25, from Mangilao. Leon Guerrero's body was returned home late last night to a similar ceremony ceremony.
Echang is recovering at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.
The deaths of the two Guardsmen bring the number of sons of Micronesia killed since the War on Terror began in 2001 to 28. More than 4,100 U.S. servicemen have been killed since the start of the war.
Mora was engaged to be married to Rosanna Castro of Ordot, who was awaiting his return for the wedding.
"Mora gave everything he had for what he believed in," said retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Ricardo Cruz of the Marine Corps. Cruz is junior vice commander of the Asia-Pacific Department of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. "(Our attendance) is the least we can give to an individual that died serving his country," he said.
Salutes
Fellow Guardsmen lined up and saluted as the vehicle containing their fallen brother arrived at the old airport terminal.
As Mora's casket was carried along a red carpet by the soldiers, members of various veterans organizations joined the salute, lining up along the walkway.
Angelina Mora, Samson Mora's mother, cried out as Abraham Mora, the soldier's father, clutched a white cloth to his face, embracing his wife.
Maj. Gen. Donald Goldhorn, Guam National Guard adjutant general, said Mora was known among his peers and officers as a quiet but happy soldier, and well-suited for battle.
"We salute you, Sgt. Mora, for your courage and bravery," he said.
Other family members buried their faces into Mora's casket, crying as they comforted one another.
"The sacrifice he made for our freedom must never be forgotten," Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo said, addressing those gathered.
Acting Gov. Michael Cruz offered his condolences to Mora's family on behalf of Gov. Felix Camacho and the people of Guam, saying Guam will always be grateful for the ultimate sacrifice Mora made.
"Sgt. Mora served our nation and island with dignity and honor," he said. "Welcome home, Sgt. Samson Mora."
According to his cousin, Charlita Harper, Mora was also a member of the Honor Guard, those responsible for seeing to a fallen soldier's proper military burial.
Harper said Mora was very proud of the "prestigious" responsibility.
From the airport, the entourage proceeded to the Guam National Guard Readiness Center in Barrigada to allow Guard service members and their families to salute the soldier.
Mora was then brought to his parents' home in Dededo for a brief stop, before continuing on to Ada's funeral home in Sinajana.
Leon Guerrero's body also will be brought first to the Guam National Guard Readiness Center, and then to Our Lady of Peace in Barrigada.
Mora, Leon Guerrero and Echang are members of the 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry that deployed to Afghanistan in January of this year, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. About 180 Guam soldiers from the Alpha Company are in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Samson A. Mora was killed in action on 7/10/08.
Army Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, of Hagatna, Guam
Spc. Guerrero was assigned to 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National Guard, Barrigada, Guam; died July 10, 2008 in Babo Kheyl, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Samson A. Mora.
Fallen soldiers mourned; injured guardsman in stable condition
By William B. Martin Jr.
Pacific Daily News
Friends and family are mourning the loss of two Guam Guardsmen killed serving our country.
Sgt. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, a father of three from Tamuning; and Spc. Samson A. Mora, 28, a car-show enthusiast from Dededo who was engaged to be married, died of injuries sustained when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on Thursday.
The explosion also seriously injured another Guam Guardsman, Spc. Kalani Echang, 25, from Mangilao.
Leon Guerrero’s wife, Emely, said her husband was a fine man.
“He was a great soldier, a great father and a great husband,” she said. “I’m very proud of him and his children are very proud.”
Emely Leon Guerrero also said she sends her love and prayers to the Mora and Echang families.
Brian Leon Guerrero’s mother, Rose Pangelinan, said her son told her after his first deployment that he would never come back the same. “That was his third deployment,” she said. “It’s breaking my heart so much.”
Agnes Mora said Samson Mora, her brother-in-law, would be missed.
“He was a good guy,” she said, unable to hold back her emotions. “We love him very much and we miss him.”
Samson Mora’s father, Abraham Mora, said he hasn’t had the chance to fully process his son’s untimely death.
Sheila Indalecio of Mangilao — who’s son Jaeden is godson to Samson Mora — said that upon Samson Mora’s return, he was set to marry her friend, Rosanna Castro of Ordot, who she said is currently off island with family.
“[Rosanna] was his high-school sweetheart, so you’re talking about a very long relationship,” she said. “She was anticipating his return so they could get married.”
The deaths of the two guardsmen bring the number of sons of Micronesia killed since the War on Terror began in 2001 to 28. More than 4,100 U.S. servicemen have been killed since the start of the war.
Guam Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo said she, like the rest of Guam, is mourning the deaths of two of the island’s sons.
“I join the people of Guam in mourning the deaths of Sgt. Brian Leon Guerrero and Spc. Samson Mora,” Bordallo said. “We also pray for Spc. Kalani Echang, who was seriously injured in the same incident in Afghanistan.”
On Friday, Gov. Felix Camacho and acting Gov. Mike Cruz said the two fallen soldiers “are heroes of our nation whose memory will live on in the hearts and minds of a grateful people.”
Bordallo spoke with the families of both Brian Leon Guerrero and Samson Mora to offer her condolences, according to a news release from her office. She also spoke to Echang’s family. “Our island mourns the loss of life and we honor their service to our nation. Their ultimate sacrifice for our freedom is a debt that we can never fully repay,” Bordallo said. “We will remember them as heroes and we will do whatever we can to help ease the burden on their families.”
Mora was featured in a 2004 Pacific Daily News “Cruising” article, having transformed his 1997 Toyota Tacoma into a car-show winner.
Samson Mora’s cousin, Charlita Harper, wanted the people of Guam to know that Samson Mora was also a member of the Honor Guard, those responsible for giving fallen soldiers a proper military burial.
“That was very prestigious to him,” she said.
Pangelinan said she will pray for all the sons of both Guam and the nation who remain in areas where conflict is taking place.
“I hope and pray that all the soldiers come back safe,” she said. “I know Brian belongs to God. Right now he is safer than we are. I love him so much.”
The three soldiers left for Afghanistan in January as members of the Guam Army National Guard 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1/294th Infantry Battalion. About 180 soldiers from Alpha Company of the Guam Army National Guard are serving in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to a release from the Guam National Guard, Echang was in stable condition and responsive at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, after suffering injuries to his lower body.
The wounded soldier called his wife, Helory Echang, yesterday morning. He awaits transport to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the release stated.
The families of Brian Leon Guerrero and Samson Mora have been assigned casualty assistance officers, said Maj. Gen. Donald Goldhorn, adjutant general for the Guam National Guard. He and other Guard officials yesterday visited the families.
Army Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero was killed in action on 7/10/08.
Army Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, of Hagatna, Guam
Spc. Guerrero was assigned to 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National Guard, Barrigada, Guam; died July 10, 2008 in Babo Kheyl, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Samson A. Mora.
Fallen soldiers mourned; injured guardsman in stable condition
By William B. Martin Jr.
Pacific Daily News
Friends and family are mourning the loss of two Guam Guardsmen killed serving our country.
Sgt. Brian S. Leon Guerrero, 34, a father of three from Tamuning; and Spc. Samson A. Mora, 28, a car-show enthusiast from Dededo who was engaged to be married, died of injuries sustained when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on Thursday.
The explosion also seriously injured another Guam Guardsman, Spc. Kalani Echang, 25, from Mangilao.
Leon Guerrero’s wife, Emely, said her husband was a fine man.
“He was a great soldier, a great father and a great husband,” she said. “I’m very proud of him and his children are very proud.”
Emely Leon Guerrero also said she sends her love and prayers to the Mora and Echang families.
Brian Leon Guerrero’s mother, Rose Pangelinan, said her son told her after his first deployment that he would never come back the same. “That was his third deployment,” she said. “It’s breaking my heart so much.”
Agnes Mora said Samson Mora, her brother-in-law, would be missed.
“He was a good guy,” she said, unable to hold back her emotions. “We love him very much and we miss him.”
Samson Mora’s father, Abraham Mora, said he hasn’t had the chance to fully process his son’s untimely death.
Sheila Indalecio of Mangilao — who’s son Jaeden is godson to Samson Mora — said that upon Samson Mora’s return, he was set to marry her friend, Rosanna Castro of Ordot, who she said is currently off island with family.
“[Rosanna] was his high-school sweetheart, so you’re talking about a very long relationship,” she said. “She was anticipating his return so they could get married.”
The deaths of the two guardsmen bring the number of sons of Micronesia killed since the War on Terror began in 2001 to 28. More than 4,100 U.S. servicemen have been killed since the start of the war.
Guam Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo said she, like the rest of Guam, is mourning the deaths of two of the island’s sons.
“I join the people of Guam in mourning the deaths of Sgt. Brian Leon Guerrero and Spc. Samson Mora,” Bordallo said. “We also pray for Spc. Kalani Echang, who was seriously injured in the same incident in Afghanistan.”
On Friday, Gov. Felix Camacho and acting Gov. Mike Cruz said the two fallen soldiers “are heroes of our nation whose memory will live on in the hearts and minds of a grateful people.”
Bordallo spoke with the families of both Brian Leon Guerrero and Samson Mora to offer her condolences, according to a news release from her office. She also spoke to Echang’s family. “Our island mourns the loss of life and we honor their service to our nation. Their ultimate sacrifice for our freedom is a debt that we can never fully repay,” Bordallo said. “We will remember them as heroes and we will do whatever we can to help ease the burden on their families.”
Mora was featured in a 2004 Pacific Daily News “Cruising” article, having transformed his 1997 Toyota Tacoma into a car-show winner.
Samson Mora’s cousin, Charlita Harper, wanted the people of Guam to know that Samson Mora was also a member of the Honor Guard, those responsible for giving fallen soldiers a proper military burial.
“That was very prestigious to him,” she said.
Pangelinan said she will pray for all the sons of both Guam and the nation who remain in areas where conflict is taking place.
“I hope and pray that all the soldiers come back safe,” she said. “I know Brian belongs to God. Right now he is safer than we are. I love him so much.”
The three soldiers left for Afghanistan in January as members of the Guam Army National Guard 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1/294th Infantry Battalion. About 180 soldiers from Alpha Company of the Guam Army National Guard are serving in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to a release from the Guam National Guard, Echang was in stable condition and responsive at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, after suffering injuries to his lower body.
The wounded soldier called his wife, Helory Echang, yesterday morning. He awaits transport to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the release stated.
The families of Brian Leon Guerrero and Samson Mora have been assigned casualty assistance officers, said Maj. Gen. Donald Goldhorn, adjutant general for the Guam National Guard. He and other Guard officials yesterday visited the families.
Army Spc. Brian S. Leon Guerrero was killed in action on 7/10/08.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas M. Bishop, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
LCPL Thomas Michael Bishop, Jr.
Endwell
LCPL Thomas Michael Bishop, Jr., died July 9th 2008 at a young age of 21 in N.C. He served one tour in Iraq.
He leaves behind a 16 month old daughter, Karley C. Bishop; his wife, Eden Cranford Bishop; his parents, Cindy Riley Bishop and Thomas Bishop; two sisters, one brother, Tanyann M. Bishop, Stacy L. Bishop and Michael Thomas Bishop; his grandfather, William H. Riley; two uncles, one aunt, William H., II and Karen Riley, Robert Riley and Geraldine and Dwayne Swan; many cousins; nieces and nephews, Tanya Knapp Watt, Jessica Bahney, Nichole Riley, Victoria Riley, Roger Riley, William H. Riley III, Christopher Riley, Chelsea Riley, and Cody Riley; along with so many other family members.
Thomas was an athlete. He played baseball and football for Maine-Endwell. He graduated at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
Funeral services will be held at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home, 3421 Harrodsburg Rd., Lexington, Kentucky, July 16th at 1:30 p.m.
Thomas you will be greatly missed. You are our hero.
Larger Images
LCPL Thomas Michael Bishop, Jr.
Endwell
LCPL Thomas Michael Bishop, Jr., died July 9th 2008 at a young age of 21 in N.C. He served one tour in Iraq.
He leaves behind a 16 month old daughter, Karley C. Bishop; his wife, Eden Cranford Bishop; his parents, Cindy Riley Bishop and Thomas Bishop; two sisters, one brother, Tanyann M. Bishop, Stacy L. Bishop and Michael Thomas Bishop; his grandfather, William H. Riley; two uncles, one aunt, William H., II and Karen Riley, Robert Riley and Geraldine and Dwayne Swan; many cousins; nieces and nephews, Tanya Knapp Watt, Jessica Bahney, Nichole Riley, Victoria Riley, Roger Riley, William H. Riley III, Christopher Riley, Chelsea Riley, and Cody Riley; along with so many other family members.
Thomas was an athlete. He played baseball and football for Maine-Endwell. He graduated at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
Funeral services will be held at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home, 3421 Harrodsburg Rd., Lexington, Kentucky, July 16th at 1:30 p.m.
Thomas you will be greatly missed. You are our hero.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier, 35, of Flint, Mich.
SFC Chevalier was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 9, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained in Samarra, Iraq, when his patrol was struck by a grenade.
Aunt: Soldier killed in Iraq was natural leader
The Associated Press
FLINT, Mich. — Family members say a Fort Campbell soldier killed in Iraq was a natural leader.
Sgt. Steven J. Chevalier of Flint, Mich., was killed Wednesday in a grenade attack in Iraq.
The Defense Department said the 35-year-old Chevalier (sha-vel-EE’-ay) was on patrol in Samarra when the grenade hit his vehicle.
His aunt, Carole Miller, said her nephew was “always concerned” about the men under his command. She told the Flint Journal that “He wouldn’t expect his men to do anything he wouldn’t do.”
Miller said Chevalier didn’t talk much about his overseas assignments when he was home because he wanted to protect his two daughters.
Other survivors include Chevalier’s wife, Geneva, and his mother, Dorothy Carol Chevalier.
Steven Chevalier was part of the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He was based at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
The Flint Journal -- FLINT, Michigan -- Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier was a career soldier and a born leader, family members said.
Chevalier, 35, a Flint native, died Wednesday in a grenade attack in Iraq. He was in the midst of his third tour in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky.
"He was always concerned (about his men)," said his aunt, Carole Miller of Flint. "He wouldn't expect his men to do anything he wouldn't do."
The Defense Department said Chevalier was on patrol in Samarra when the grenade hit his vehicle.
Chevalier joined the Army in 1991 shortly after he graduated from Powers Catholic High School.
His brother, Brian Chevalier, said Steven could not find work in Flint, so he signed up to be a soldier. He had been stationed all over the world, including Afghanistan, Korea and Fort Benning, Ga.
Despite his time with the Army, family said he didn't talk much about his assignments, especially those overseas.
"I guess we just didn't think about it as being dangerous, or we didn't realize what he was involved in," Miller said. "He didn't go into a lot of detail about that."
Family said he especially wanted to protect his daughters, Ashley, 12, and Alishia, 8.
When home, Chevalier spent as much time as possible with the girls, doing everything from roller-skating to shows to attending their dance recitals.
"He was concerned for them and wanted to make sure they did well," Miller said. "He wanted them to go on to college."
Family members spent time with Chevalier about three months ago when he was home on leave.
Miller said she'll always remember him as a very kind man. "He was just normally an easygoing, friendly type of fellow," she said.
Besides his brother and daughters, Chevalier leaves behind his wife, Geneva, and his mother, Dorothy Carol Chevalier of Flint.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier was killed in action on 7/09/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier, 35, of Flint, Mich.
SFC Chevalier was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 9, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained in Samarra, Iraq, when his patrol was struck by a grenade.
Aunt: Soldier killed in Iraq was natural leader
The Associated Press
FLINT, Mich. — Family members say a Fort Campbell soldier killed in Iraq was a natural leader.
Sgt. Steven J. Chevalier of Flint, Mich., was killed Wednesday in a grenade attack in Iraq.
The Defense Department said the 35-year-old Chevalier (sha-vel-EE’-ay) was on patrol in Samarra when the grenade hit his vehicle.
His aunt, Carole Miller, said her nephew was “always concerned” about the men under his command. She told the Flint Journal that “He wouldn’t expect his men to do anything he wouldn’t do.”
Miller said Chevalier didn’t talk much about his overseas assignments when he was home because he wanted to protect his two daughters.
Other survivors include Chevalier’s wife, Geneva, and his mother, Dorothy Carol Chevalier.
Steven Chevalier was part of the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He was based at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
The Flint Journal -- FLINT, Michigan -- Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier was a career soldier and a born leader, family members said.
Chevalier, 35, a Flint native, died Wednesday in a grenade attack in Iraq. He was in the midst of his third tour in Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky.
"He was always concerned (about his men)," said his aunt, Carole Miller of Flint. "He wouldn't expect his men to do anything he wouldn't do."
The Defense Department said Chevalier was on patrol in Samarra when the grenade hit his vehicle.
Chevalier joined the Army in 1991 shortly after he graduated from Powers Catholic High School.
His brother, Brian Chevalier, said Steven could not find work in Flint, so he signed up to be a soldier. He had been stationed all over the world, including Afghanistan, Korea and Fort Benning, Ga.
Despite his time with the Army, family said he didn't talk much about his assignments, especially those overseas.
"I guess we just didn't think about it as being dangerous, or we didn't realize what he was involved in," Miller said. "He didn't go into a lot of detail about that."
Family said he especially wanted to protect his daughters, Ashley, 12, and Alishia, 8.
When home, Chevalier spent as much time as possible with the girls, doing everything from roller-skating to shows to attending their dance recitals.
"He was concerned for them and wanted to make sure they did well," Miller said. "He wanted them to go on to college."
Family members spent time with Chevalier about three months ago when he was home on leave.
Miller said she'll always remember him as a very kind man. "He was just normally an easygoing, friendly type of fellow," she said.
Besides his brother and daughters, Chevalier leaves behind his wife, Geneva, and his mother, Dorothy Carol Chevalier of Flint.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier was killed in action on 7/09/08.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Army Sgt. Douglas J. Bull
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Douglas J. Bull, 29, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Sgt. Bull was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 8, 2008 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in Chow Kay Valley, Afghanistan, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device during a mounted patrol.
WILKES-BARRE – A Meyers High School graduate died Tuesday from injuries he suffered in a roadside bomb blast while serving in Afghanistan, his mother, Mary Rambus said Thursday.
U.S. Army Sgt. Douglas John Bull, 29, died at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan a few hours after the vehicle he was riding in was struck by improvised explosive device in Chow Kay Valley, Afghanistan, according to Army records.
He’s the seventh soldier from Luzerne County to die in Iraq or Afghanistan since the war on terrorism began in 2001.
Bull, a member of the 1st Infantry Division stationed at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas, was the only soldier to die in the bombing, Army records indicated.
“He was only over there for maybe two weeks. They were on a routine patrol,” his mother said, her voice cracking.
Enlisting after his high school graduation in 1997, he was a career military man with nine years in the Army.
This was his third time to serve overseas. His mother said he previously served in Iraq for one year and three years in Germany.
She said he will be deeply missed.
“Everybody loved him. He was well-known. He had a great personality,” she said of her oldest son, who she said enjoyed playing paintball and football with friends.
Bull has a younger brother, Jacob, and three younger step-siblings, including John, Erica and Amanda.
Bull will be laid to rest in a veterans cemetery near Fort Hood, his mother said. Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery is in Killeen.
His body is expected to be returned stateside today and to Texas by Tuesday, his mom said.
She expects a memorial service will be held locally within a couple of weeks, but the details are still pending.
Even though Bull was not a Pennsylvania National Guard member, those soldiers also felt the loss of a brother in arms, said Sgt.1st Class John Paul Karpovich of 109th Field Artillery of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Many soldiers from the 109th knew Bull’s father, Chris Bull, who served with the battalion’s service battery.
The Pennsylvania National Guard followed Army guidelines when notifying Bull’s family locally, Karpovich said.
A chaplain and casualty notification officer were sent to Rambus’ home and the soldier’s father Chris Bull’s home in Wapwallopen, Karpovich said.
Bull leaves a wife and two children, 6-year-old daughter Arianna and 3-year old son Jaden.
Army Sgt. Douglas J. Bull was killed in action on 7/08/08.
Army Sgt. Douglas J. Bull, 29, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Sgt. Bull was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 8, 2008 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in Chow Kay Valley, Afghanistan, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device during a mounted patrol.
WILKES-BARRE – A Meyers High School graduate died Tuesday from injuries he suffered in a roadside bomb blast while serving in Afghanistan, his mother, Mary Rambus said Thursday.
U.S. Army Sgt. Douglas John Bull, 29, died at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan a few hours after the vehicle he was riding in was struck by improvised explosive device in Chow Kay Valley, Afghanistan, according to Army records.
He’s the seventh soldier from Luzerne County to die in Iraq or Afghanistan since the war on terrorism began in 2001.
Bull, a member of the 1st Infantry Division stationed at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas, was the only soldier to die in the bombing, Army records indicated.
“He was only over there for maybe two weeks. They were on a routine patrol,” his mother said, her voice cracking.
Enlisting after his high school graduation in 1997, he was a career military man with nine years in the Army.
This was his third time to serve overseas. His mother said he previously served in Iraq for one year and three years in Germany.
She said he will be deeply missed.
“Everybody loved him. He was well-known. He had a great personality,” she said of her oldest son, who she said enjoyed playing paintball and football with friends.
Bull has a younger brother, Jacob, and three younger step-siblings, including John, Erica and Amanda.
Bull will be laid to rest in a veterans cemetery near Fort Hood, his mother said. Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery is in Killeen.
His body is expected to be returned stateside today and to Texas by Tuesday, his mom said.
She expects a memorial service will be held locally within a couple of weeks, but the details are still pending.
Even though Bull was not a Pennsylvania National Guard member, those soldiers also felt the loss of a brother in arms, said Sgt.1st Class John Paul Karpovich of 109th Field Artillery of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Many soldiers from the 109th knew Bull’s father, Chris Bull, who served with the battalion’s service battery.
The Pennsylvania National Guard followed Army guidelines when notifying Bull’s family locally, Karpovich said.
A chaplain and casualty notification officer were sent to Rambus’ home and the soldier’s father Chris Bull’s home in Wapwallopen, Karpovich said.
Bull leaves a wife and two children, 6-year-old daughter Arianna and 3-year old son Jaden.
Army Sgt. Douglas J. Bull was killed in action on 7/08/08.
Army Cpl. William L. McMillan III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. William L. McMillan III, 22, of Lexington, Ky.
Cpl. McMillan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died July 8, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device.
Army Cpl. William L. McMillan III was killed in action on 07/08/08.
Army Cpl. William L. McMillan III, 22, of Lexington, Ky.
Cpl. McMillan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died July 8, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device.
Army Cpl. William L. McMillan III was killed in action on 07/08/08.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham, 37, of Rogers, Ark.
SFC Woodham was assigned to the 39th Brigade Support Battalion, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas Army National Guard, Heber Springs, Ark.; died July 5, 2008 of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident at Camp Adder, Tallil, Iraq.
Army: Rogers soldier likely had heart attack
The Associated Press
ROGERS, Ark. — A preliminary military investigation says a 37-year-old National Guardsman from Arkansas suffered cardiac arrest when he died in Iraq over the weekend.
Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Woodham died suddenly in a non-combat incident on Saturday at Camp Adder in Tallil, Iraq. Woodham, a member of the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade, died while doing maintenance work on a Humvee.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Wednesday that military doctors said Woodham’s cause of death was cardiac arrest, but that an autopsy was to be conducted soon.
The Arkansas National Guard initially said in a statement that Woodham died after touching an electrified piece of metal, but investigators say they found no sign of electrocution.
“We followed the medical documentation in our reports,” Capt. Anthony Rushing said. “I couldn’t say how this happened. That electrocution claim was something said by someone in the rush of the moment.”
Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham was killed in a non-combat incident on 7/05/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham, 37, of Rogers, Ark.
SFC Woodham was assigned to the 39th Brigade Support Battalion, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas Army National Guard, Heber Springs, Ark.; died July 5, 2008 of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident at Camp Adder, Tallil, Iraq.
Army: Rogers soldier likely had heart attack
The Associated Press
ROGERS, Ark. — A preliminary military investigation says a 37-year-old National Guardsman from Arkansas suffered cardiac arrest when he died in Iraq over the weekend.
Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Woodham died suddenly in a non-combat incident on Saturday at Camp Adder in Tallil, Iraq. Woodham, a member of the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade, died while doing maintenance work on a Humvee.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Wednesday that military doctors said Woodham’s cause of death was cardiac arrest, but that an autopsy was to be conducted soon.
The Arkansas National Guard initially said in a statement that Woodham died after touching an electrified piece of metal, but investigators say they found no sign of electrocution.
“We followed the medical documentation in our reports,” Capt. Anthony Rushing said. “I couldn’t say how this happened. That electrocution claim was something said by someone in the rush of the moment.”
Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham was killed in a non-combat incident on 7/05/08.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Army 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas
Remember Our Heroes
Army 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
1st Lt. Farkas was assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Syracuse, N.Y.; died July 4, 2008 of injuries sustained from a non-hostile incident in Kabul, Afghanistan (Camp Phoenix).
The NYPD is mourning the loss of a former lieutenant who died in Kabul, Afghanistan Friday, July 4th in what the military is calling a "non-hostile incident."
The United States military reported Monday that First Lieutenant Daniel Farkas was killed at Camp Phoenix in Kabul. His death is under investigation.
The 42-year-old National Guard officer was a member 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and had received many medals for his service.
The flag on top of the 112th Precinct stationhouse in Queens is being flown at half-staff and purple bunting hangs above the entrance in memory of the decorated lieutenant.
Farkas was a 20-year veteran of the NYPD who responded to the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001.
He lived in Brooklyn.
Army 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas was killed in a non-combat incident on 7/04/08.
Army 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
1st Lt. Farkas was assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Syracuse, N.Y.; died July 4, 2008 of injuries sustained from a non-hostile incident in Kabul, Afghanistan (Camp Phoenix).
The NYPD is mourning the loss of a former lieutenant who died in Kabul, Afghanistan Friday, July 4th in what the military is calling a "non-hostile incident."
The United States military reported Monday that First Lieutenant Daniel Farkas was killed at Camp Phoenix in Kabul. His death is under investigation.
The 42-year-old National Guard officer was a member 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and had received many medals for his service.
The flag on top of the 112th Precinct stationhouse in Queens is being flown at half-staff and purple bunting hangs above the entrance in memory of the decorated lieutenant.
Farkas was a 20-year veteran of the NYPD who responded to the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001.
He lived in Brooklyn.
Army 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas was killed in a non-combat incident on 7/04/08.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Army Spc. Estell L. Turner
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Estell L. Turner, 43, of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Spc. Turner was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 2, 2008 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds sustained June 28 in Malikheyl, Afghanistan, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Sioux Falls soldier killed in Afghanistan
By Melanie Brandert
Argus Leader
On a day that America celebrates its independence, a Sioux Falls woman and her family will be thinking of the sacrifice her husband made to ensure that freedom.
Spc. Estell “Lee” Turner, 43, of Sioux Falls died Wednesday at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., after being injured when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device Saturday in Afghanistan.
A crew of three was hauling water and fuel to another site, and Turner was the gunner. When the explosion occurred, he was thrown off and suffered severe head injuries, his wife said. When he flew in from Germany, he was in a coma.
“It’s tough. We’ve lost our best friend,” said Leah Turner, 44. “He was the love of my life.”
Turner was a motor transport operator assigned to Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Support) based in Fort Campbell, Ky., according to the governor’s office.
Turner spent six years with the Army after high school and sought to re-enter at age 42 once the age limit was raised.
“It was something he wanted to do,” Leah Turner said.
Turner is the 29th person with South Dakota ties to die while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He comes from a military family in which his wife is an Army reservist and his younger brother, John, is in the Army stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
President Bush awarded Turner’s Purple Heart to his wife and brother Thursday, said Mary Turner, Lee Turner’s sister-in-law. He has received other awards.
After Turner finished his military service in 1989, he was a mechanic in Fayetteville, N.C., Mary Turner said. He and brother John raced and fixed cars together, and Lee also played guitar.
“That’s how I remember him,” Mary Turner said. “He and his friends would get around and play guitar.”
The dirt track is where he and Leah met. They would have celebrated their fifth anniversary Aug. 5. Her daughter, Lyda, 22, took Turner’s last name, and they were quite close, her mother said.
“He was a hard worker. When it came to family, he was totally different,” Leah Turner said. “His family came first.”
The couple moved to Sioux Falls in 2006 for Leah Turner’s transfer. Lee worked as an installer for DirecTV.
When the Army raised the age limit to 42, Turner knew it was his last chance, his wife said.
He started a four-week refresher course in White Sands, N.M., in March 2007, then did eight weeks of advanced training in Missouri a month later. He was assigned to Fort Campbell in June 2007.
Lee Turner had looked forward to being deployed to Afghanistan — his first tour in the war on terror — in March. But he knew the potential dangers of his convoy missions.
“He never seemed to be worried about it,” Leah Turner said. “This is something he believed in. He thought it was right.”
Survivors include his wife, Leah; his daughter, Lyda, of Broadway, N.C.; his mother, Gloria Turner, and sister, Gloria “Gucci” Turner, both of Jackson, Ky.; and his brother, John, of Fayetteville, N.C.
Services are tentatively set for Friday in Kentucky.
Army Spc. Estell L. Turner died 7/02/08 due to combat wounds sustained 6/28/08.
Army Spc. Estell L. Turner, 43, of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Spc. Turner was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 2, 2008 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds sustained June 28 in Malikheyl, Afghanistan, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Sioux Falls soldier killed in Afghanistan
By Melanie Brandert
Argus Leader
On a day that America celebrates its independence, a Sioux Falls woman and her family will be thinking of the sacrifice her husband made to ensure that freedom.
Spc. Estell “Lee” Turner, 43, of Sioux Falls died Wednesday at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., after being injured when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device Saturday in Afghanistan.
A crew of three was hauling water and fuel to another site, and Turner was the gunner. When the explosion occurred, he was thrown off and suffered severe head injuries, his wife said. When he flew in from Germany, he was in a coma.
“It’s tough. We’ve lost our best friend,” said Leah Turner, 44. “He was the love of my life.”
Turner was a motor transport operator assigned to Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Support) based in Fort Campbell, Ky., according to the governor’s office.
Turner spent six years with the Army after high school and sought to re-enter at age 42 once the age limit was raised.
“It was something he wanted to do,” Leah Turner said.
Turner is the 29th person with South Dakota ties to die while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He comes from a military family in which his wife is an Army reservist and his younger brother, John, is in the Army stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
President Bush awarded Turner’s Purple Heart to his wife and brother Thursday, said Mary Turner, Lee Turner’s sister-in-law. He has received other awards.
After Turner finished his military service in 1989, he was a mechanic in Fayetteville, N.C., Mary Turner said. He and brother John raced and fixed cars together, and Lee also played guitar.
“That’s how I remember him,” Mary Turner said. “He and his friends would get around and play guitar.”
The dirt track is where he and Leah met. They would have celebrated their fifth anniversary Aug. 5. Her daughter, Lyda, 22, took Turner’s last name, and they were quite close, her mother said.
“He was a hard worker. When it came to family, he was totally different,” Leah Turner said. “His family came first.”
The couple moved to Sioux Falls in 2006 for Leah Turner’s transfer. Lee worked as an installer for DirecTV.
When the Army raised the age limit to 42, Turner knew it was his last chance, his wife said.
He started a four-week refresher course in White Sands, N.M., in March 2007, then did eight weeks of advanced training in Missouri a month later. He was assigned to Fort Campbell in June 2007.
Lee Turner had looked forward to being deployed to Afghanistan — his first tour in the war on terror — in March. But he knew the potential dangers of his convoy missions.
“He never seemed to be worried about it,” Leah Turner said. “This is something he believed in. He thought it was right.”
Survivors include his wife, Leah; his daughter, Lyda, of Broadway, N.C.; his mother, Gloria Turner, and sister, Gloria “Gucci” Turner, both of Jackson, Ky.; and his brother, John, of Fayetteville, N.C.
Services are tentatively set for Friday in Kentucky.
Army Spc. Estell L. Turner died 7/02/08 due to combat wounds sustained 6/28/08.
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