Army Spc. Tony J. Gonzales

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Tony J. Gonzales, 20, of Newman, Calif.

Spc. Gonzales was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany, died Dec. 28, 2008 in Sadr City, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Spc. slain in Iraq was ‘perfect gentleman’
The Associated Press

The youngest of four children, Tony J. Gonzales went along with almost anything his older sisters wanted him to do. When he was about 8 years old, he would play dress-up with them or would let them tie him to his dad’s desk chair and spin him around.

“Until he got bigger than us, he couldn’t do anything about it,” said Tammy Runzel, one of his three sisters.

Gonzales, 20, of Newman, Calif., died Dec. 28 in Sadr City when a bomb detonated near his vehicle. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Baumholder, Germany.

“He wanted to go there to help out his country,” Runzel said. “He had such a great attitude while he was over there. He was proud of what he was doing.”

He grew up to become a perfect gentleman. His sisters said he always reached to open a door for a lady and always grabbed the dinner check.

He wanted to be just like his dad, who retired after working 26 years for the Los Gatos police. The Gonzales’ plan was to finish his service with the Army and come back to join the Los Gatos Police Department.

He also is survived by his mother, Marylynn.

Army Spc. Tony J. Gonzales was killed in action on 12/28/08.





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Army Spc. Stephen M. Okray

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Stephen M. Okray, 21, of St. Clair Shores, Mich.

Spc. Okray was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 24, 2008 in Southern Iraq of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith and Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik.

2 soldiers from Michigan remembered for devotion
The Associated Press

Two soldiers from Michigan who were among three who died when their vehicle crashed on Christmas Eve in Baghdad are being remembered by relatives for their devotion to their families.

The Department of Defense on Friday identified the soldiers as Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith, 28, of Grand Rapids; Spc. Stephen M. Okray, 21, of St. Clair Shores; and Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik, 19, of Broken Arrow, Okla.

Bobbi Jo Smith told The Detroit News that her husband was an entertainer who loved to hold parties and grill briskets and ribs.

“He really lived for his family. He was that kind of guy,” Bobbi Jo said of her husband, who leaves behind a 15-month-old son.

Smith’s parents are Pastor Virgil Glenn and Donna Smith of the Evangelife Assembly of God Church near Bad Axe, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

Okray’s aunt, Denise Okray, said her nephew loved to hunt and fish.

“When someone was worried or felt like there was a problem, he was like, ‘Shrug it off; it’s OK,”’ Denise Okray told The News. “He was always family-oriented.”

Zapasnik’s mother, Chris Zapasnik, said her son’s company commander told her that he and the two Michigan soldiers were riding in a Humvee when part of a road collapsed, sending the vehicle into a canal. All three were dead when they were pulled from the water several minutes after the crash, Chris Zapasnik told the Tulsa World.

The soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Spc. remembered for big heart, risky stunts
The Associated Press

Jeff Okray remembers his brother, Stephen, as a kid building a 15-foot ramp so he could jump over a bush with his BMX bike in their backyard.

The jump failed, but as usual when Stephen Okray tried one of his risky stunts, he didn’t get hurt.

“He never got hurt, he always just bounced,” Jeff Okray said with a chuckle.

Okray, 21, of St. Clair Shores, Mich., died Dec. 24 in Baghdad of injuries from a vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to Fort Carson.

“He was a good kid. Growing up, he had a big heart,” said Okray’s uncle, Dan Okray. “He walked in the room, and it glowed.”

He joined the Army in 2005 and went on to serve in South Korea before deploying to Iraq in September. He loved hunting, fishing, cars and motorcycles.

“It was just a tragic ending to a good kid. Be it here or there. It was tragic either way,” his uncle said.

Jeff Okray said he didn’t know the root of his brother’s devotion to the military.

“We’re not a big military family, and no one was pushing him to do it,” he said. “He had something in him that he wanted to do it.”

He also is survived by his parents, Harry and Mary Beth.

Army Spc. Stephen M. Okray was killed in action on 12/24/08.

Army Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik, 19, of Broken Arrow, Okla.

Spc. Zapasnik was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 24, 2008 in Southern Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover. Also killed were Spc. Stephen. M. Okray and Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith.

Okla. soldier killed in accident in Iraq
The Associated Press

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A soldier from Broken Arrow has died after his military vehicle rolled off a collapsed road in Iraq and into a canal.

Cpl. Stephen Zapasnik was one of three soldiers killed in the accident Wednesday in southern Iraq, according to his mother, Chris Zapasnik. The Defense Department has confirmed the three deaths, but has not released the soldiers’ names.

“He said, ‘Mom, if I ever don’t come back, you know I will always be with you, and I will be with Jesus, and I will be fine,’” Chris Zapasnik told the Tulsa World. “I know that he’s perfectly safe and spending Christmas up there with Jesus.”

Zapasnik said her 19-year-old son was due to return home for his mid-tour leave on Jan. 15. He last spoke with the family on Dec. 17 to check on his ailing father, Gary, who has been hospitalized.

His condition would have allowed Zapasnik to take an early leave.

“I was afraid if I did (have him come home) that I would wreck his rhythm over there and cause him to get hurt,” Chris Zapasnik told the newspaper.

Funeral services are not yet finalized, but Chris Zapasnik said her son will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Zapasnik was assigned to Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment stationed at Fort Carson, Colo. He and two other men were riding in a Humvee when part of a road collapsed, sending the vehicle into a canal, his mother said, relaying the details provided by her son’s company commander. All three men were dead when they were pulled from the water several minutes after the crash.

Army representatives wearing dress greens arrived at the family’s home in Broken Arrow later Wednesday to deliver the news.

Zapasnik said her son enlisted at age 17 and did his basic training at Fort Sill, intending to fight in Iraq.

“He just said, ‘Mom, I need to go over there and take care of things, because if I don’t, who else will?’” she said.

Town mourns soldier killed in Humvee crash
The Associated Press

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Friends and family members remembered a Broken Arrow soldier who died in an accident in Iraq on Christmas Eve as a chubby kid who lost weight to get into the Army.

Stephen Zapasnik, 19, and two fellow soldiers were killed after their Humvee crashed into a canal after a road collapse.

Friends and loved ones gathered Friday at Centennial Middle School in Broken Arrow to say goodbye to Zapasnik. A picture on his casket showed him in uniform, striking a funny pose. It was an image reflected by those who spoke of the teenager who attended Broken Arrow schools.

His brother, Chris Zapasnik, said he regrets he didn’t get the chance to tell his brother just how much he loved and admired him. He said his brother volunteered to man the machine gun on top of his Humvee, a dangerous job because the gunner is an exposed target in a firefight.

“Stephen didn’t have to be a turret gunner,” Chris Zapasnik said. “He is a true American hero.”

Chaplain Greg Bilbruck read e-mails Zapasnik’s family got after his death, including many from soldiers who served with him and their loved ones.

A woman who was married to Zapasnik’s sergeant wrote that she and her husband took him in like a younger brother.

One Thanksgiving, Zapasnik came to their home to eat, and the woman listened as he talked about losing 100 pounds to get into the Army. She then watched him eat several plates of food and pieces of pie, and joked with him that he would be 300 pounds again if he stayed at her house much longer.

“He was an outstanding soldier and a wonderful man,” the woman wrote. “I hope Zap knew how much he was loved.”

Bilbruck told the crowd that Zapasnik was following The Soldier’s Creed, an oath that Army soldiers live by. The creed states that a soldier places the mission first, never accepting defeat and never leaving a fallen comrade.

“That’s what he was doing ,” Bilbruck said. “He gave up his life for our freedom.”

Zapasnik will be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Spc. remembered for honesty, faith, kindness
The Associated Press

Stephen G. Zapasnik’s brother, Christopher, called Zapasnik a true American hero because he lived to serve his country.

“He always made me laugh,” the brother said, but also noted that what made his brother great was his “honesty, his faith and his kindness.”

“He always had my back,” the brother said.

Zapasnik, 19, of Broken Arrow, Okla., died Dec. 24 in Baghdad of injuries from a vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to Fort Carson.

He joined the Army when he was 17 and did his basic training at Fort Sill, Chris Zapasnik said. More than anything, he wanted to fight in Iraq.

“He just said, ‘Mom, I need to go over there and take care of things, because if I don’t, who else will?’” said his mother, Chris.

He also is survived by his father, Gary.

The family always knew there was a good chance that he would lose his life in Iraq.

“He said, ‘Mom, if I ever don’t come back, you know I will always be with you, and I will be with Jesus, and I will be fine,’” Chris Zapasnik said. “I know that he’s perfectly safe and spending Christmas up there with Jesus.”

Army Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik was killed in action on 12/24/08.

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith

Remember Our Heroes

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith, 28, of Grand Rapids, Mich.

SSgt Smith was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 24, 2008 in Southern Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover. Also killed were Spc. Stephen. M. Okray and Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik.

2 soldiers from Michigan remembered for devotion
The Associated Press

Two soldiers from Michigan who were among three who died when their vehicle crashed on Christmas Eve in Baghdad are being remembered by relatives for their devotion to their families.

The Department of Defense on Friday identified the soldiers as Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith, 28, of Grand Rapids; Spc. Stephen M. Okray, 21, of St. Clair Shores; and Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik, 19, of Broken Arrow, Okla.

Bobbi Jo Smith told The Detroit News that her husband was an entertainer who loved to hold parties and grill briskets and ribs.

“He really lived for his family. He was that kind of guy,” Bobbi Jo said of her husband, who leaves behind a 15-month-old son.

Smith’s parents are Pastor Virgil Glenn and Donna Smith of the Evangelife Assembly of God Church near Bad Axe, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

Okray’s aunt, Denise Okray, said her nephew loved to hunt and fish.

“When someone was worried or felt like there was a problem, he was like, ‘Shrug it off; it’s OK,”’ Denise Okray told The News. “He was always family-oriented.”

Zapasnik’s mother, Chris Zapasnik, said her son’s company commander told her that he and the two Michigan soldiers were riding in a Humvee when part of a road collapsed, sending the vehicle into a canal. All three were dead when they were pulled from the water several minutes after the crash, Chris Zapasnik told the Tulsa World.

The soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Staff sgt. remembered as outdoorsman, good cook
The Associated Press

Christopher G. Smith took two years of classes at Kellogg Community College, studying for a possible sports medicine career and playing soccer there, before enlisting in the Army in May 2001.

Virgil Smith knew his son was looking for “something big and exciting” to do with his life, but said he never anticipated him joining the Army.

“Chris was such his own man in that way,” Virgil Smith said. “He was very thoughtful in what he would do and once he made a decision, that was it.”

Smith, 28, of Grand Rapids, Mich., died Dec. 24 in Baghdad of injuries from a vehicle roll-over. He was a 1999 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Carson.

Smith, who was on his second tour in Iraq, was an outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish and was an avid University of Michigan fan. He enjoyed socializing and cooking for large groups. He even thought about going to culinary school at one point.

“He cooked literally for 30 to 40 people at a time. He just enjoyed that,” his father said.

He also is survived by his wife, Bobbi Jo, and their 15-month-old son, Adler

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith was killed in action on 12/24/08.





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Army Pvt. Colman J. Meadows III

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pvt. Colman J. Meadows III, 19, of Senoia, Ga.

Pvt Meadows was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Dec. 16, 2008 at Forward Operating Base Ramrod, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.


PV2 Colman J. Meadows III, 19, of Senoia, Georgia, a 2007 graduate of Northgate High School. He was known to everyone as Joseph.

He joined the Army on January 22, 2008, and took his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Currently he was assigned to Military Intelligence as a special electronic devices repairer as part of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas.

Deployed to Afghanistan, he died at Forward Operating Base Ramrod, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

He is survived by his mother, Kelley Hooper and her husband Michael of Sharpsburg; father, Coleman Meadows, Jr. of Jonesboro; half-brother, Montana Meadows of Jonesboro; grandparents, Mary Ann Gobelle and her husband Dave of Scotsdale, AZ; Ken Fore and his wife Cathi of Colorado Springs, CO; Pat Meadows of Jonesboro; George Hooper and his wife Rosemary of Andover, KS; Aunts, Heather Hooper of Edwardsville IL, Theresa Hooper of Andover, KS; Uncles, John Fore and his wife Kim of Sharpsburg, Bud Fore and his wife Nicall of Luthersville, Warren Meadows of Jonesboro, and numerous cousins.


Colman with his "Grammy" (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=32258132)

Army Pvt. Colman J. Meadows III was killed in a non-combat related incident on 12/16/08.