Saturday, May 30, 2009

Army Spc. Samuel D. Stone

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Samuel D. Stone, 20, of Port Orchard, Wash.

Spc. Stone was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment, Bremerton, Wash.; died May 30, 2009 in Tallil, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a noncombat related vehicle rollover.

The News Tribune -- On the last night of his two-week leave from Iraq, Spc. Samuel D. Stone canceled his plans and rushed to the hospital when his sister broke her ankle.

It was a simple act of kindness, but one that family members said exemplified the Washington National Guard soldier’s generous and caring personality.

“You gave life and those around you everything you had,” said his brother-in-law, Svend Sorensen, at Stone’s funeral Wednesday in Port Orchard.

Stone, who would have turned 21 Wednesday, was killed May 30 when his armored vehicle rolled during a convoy security mission in Iraq. Stone was only two months from finishing his yearlong deployment with the 81st Brigade Combat Team. He belonged to the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment.

Stone is the first casualty in the brigade since its 3,500 soldiers deployed to Iraq last October and the first Washington Guardsman killed in a combat zone since April 2005.

The emotional service at First Lutheran Church drew a standing-room-only crowd of several hundred. The Patriot Guard Riders, a biker group that attends funerals of fallen service members, flanked the church with American flags. Inside, family members and friends sat beside soldiers, sailors and airmen.

On the altar were a folded American flag, a battle cross and a poster of Stone wearing his cavalry Stetson and a serious look.

But those who eulogized Stone remembered him as a kind man with a sense of humor who enlisted because he wanted to serve his nation.

“Sam would laugh and laugh often,” said the Rev. Angela Ying, one of two ministers at the funeral. “His laugh was contagious.”

Stone, who trained as a helicopter mechanic and had been assigned to the Washington National Guard’s aviation unit, volunteered for the Iraq tour. Like much of the 81st Brigade, his deployment was spent primarily guarding supply convoys of contractor trucks as they drove between American bases.

He was in the gunner’s hatch of an M1117 Armored Security Vehicle on a convoy from Al Taqaddum in central Iraq to Tallil in the southeast when it rolled. The incident wasn’t combat-related; one other soldier was injured.

“His fellow soldiers would comment that no matter what the task was, he was always there,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Jay, the top enlisted soldier in Stone’s squadron.

The funeral included hymns, readings and a video tribute. Brig. Gen. Gordon Toney, the commander of the Washington Army National Guard, awarded Stone five medals posthumously. An honor guard fired a rifle salute, taps was played and an American flag was presented to Stone’s mother.

A teary-eyed Gov. Chris Gregoire, in her role as commander in chief of the Washington National Guard, presented the family with a folded state flag.

Kevin Brooker, Stone’s first sergeant, stood at attention after the service concluded.

He was home in Moses Lake on leave when he heard the news. He spent the past 10 days with the family, including escorting Stone’s body off the plane at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

Brooker is typically quick with a joke. Not Wednesday afternoon.

“He was one of the good ones,” Brooker said.

Stone is survived by his mother and father, a sister and two brothers.

Army Spc. Samuel D. Stone was killed in action on 5/30/09.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Army Pvt. Bradley W. Iorio

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Army Pvt. Bradley W. Iorio

19, of Galloway, N.J.; assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died May 29 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries sustained from a noncombat related incident May 27 in Tallil, Iraq.

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP – Vincent Iorio told about 250 people at his brother’s funeral about going to a Christian music festival last summer with Bradley, who died last week from injuries suffered in the military in Iraq.

“We stood up on stage with all the staff for the candlelight vigil and got to share a view of 75,000 candles lighted over a field,” Iorio said at the funeral Monday, June 8 at Trinity Alliance Church. “We felt like we were on top of the world. Whenever you were with Brad, you felt like you were on top of the world.”

Iorio, speaking after his other brother, teachers and friends, said it was time to say good night.

“Goodbye just seems too final. Now I have an angel to watch over me, to help me be on top of the world forever.”

Pvt. Bradley W. Iorio, 19, died May 29 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, from an injury suffered May 27 that was unrelated to combat. It was just six days after he arrived in Tallil, Iraq.

The Army arranged for his parents and brothers to be at his bedside when he passed.

Born in Freehold Township, Iorio moved to the Smithville section of Galloway Township in 1996 with his family and graduated from Absegami High School in 2008. He enlisted in August.

According to an obituary prepared by the family, he loved Legos, Cub Scouts, video and computer games, which he played with his brother Rick; soccer, hockey, Absegami’s drama troupe the Emanon Players, his church youth group, camping with Vincent at Creation – the festival where they stood atop the world, “haunting the Village on Halloween, and one day owning his dream Mustang.”

With the Emanon Players he traveled to England and Scotland, was named National Honor Thespian, and received the MacGyver Award, the Door Knob Award, the Emanon Players Backstage Award twice, and Absegami’s Best Thespian award his senior year.

“Quiet by nature, Bradley never sat silently when a friend was in need,” the obituary reads. “He had the ability to lighten a serious moment with his amazing sense of humor.”

Hundreds passed his casket at viewings Saturday, June 6 and before the services Monday at the Wimberg Funeral Home in Egg Harbor City. Led by a military honor guard and motorcycle-riding veterans followed by about two dozen vehicles and escorted by Galloway Township police, the casket was transported the six miles to the church for an 11 a.m. service.

Assistant pastor and youth group leader Jeffrey Conley said it was not a time for tears.

“Brad would want us to celebrate his life,” Conley said.

He said there were three characteristics he associated with Bradley Iorio.

“First,” Conley said, “Brad had two speeds: 110 percent and sleep.”

The second characteristic was a propensity for suffering minor injuries.

“He wouldn’t get hurt climbing or swinging – doing something dangerous,” the minister said. “But he’d be standing and suddenly his foot hurt.”

The third, Conley said, was that Iorio was searching for something, and he found the object of his search through religion.

Vincent Iorio said Bradley was the best brother anyone could ever ask for.

“I’m so lucky I got to call him mine. Growing up he was quiet, but his heart had a lot to say. It’s funny to hear that one of the only places he should have been quiet he was really loud – offstage in the wings, cheering everyone on.”

His brother touched many in his 19 years, he said.

After speaking of the silly faces Bradley would make and how he brought the family together, Iorio closed with some words to his brother.

“Keep watching over us Brad,” he said. “I love you. I know I’ll see you again someday. You now wait in the wings for us to walk off the stage one last time. But for now, thank you for everything. Rest easy and good night – or as I found out you liked to say, see ya later.”


Most of those at the funeral walked behind the hearse about a quarter-mile from the church to Germania Cemetery for Iorio’s burial with military honors following a gun salute.

Bradley Iorio is survived by his mother, Laura, of Galloway Township, his father, James (Cheryl), of Middletown, and his brothers Richard (Tish) of Orange, Calif., and Vincent of Galloway Township. He was predeceased by his maternal grandfather David Williams and survived by his grandmother Bernice Williams, Uncle Dave, Aunt Judie and cousins Loren, Ashleigh, Frank and D.J. He was also predeceased by his paternal grandfather Anthony Iorio and survived by his grandmother Claire, Uncle Lenny (Roberta), cousins Liam and Isabella, and extended family members too numerous to name.

Donations may be made to Trinity Alliance Church or TAPS, an organization that helps children whose parents have died in this war. Checks can be made payable to TAPS, Note: Bradley Iorio c/o Ellen Lee, Nuance Comm., 23 Christopher Way, Eatontown N.J. 07724.

Army Pvt. Bradley W. Iorio died on 5/29/09 from injuries received 5/27/09 in a noncombat related incident.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Air Force Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II

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Air Force Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II, 39, of Houston; assigned to the Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; died May 26, 2009 near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman.

Houston Chronicle -- An Air Force officer with Houston ties who led a reconstruction team in Afghanistan was killed this week in an explosion, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II, 39, was assigned to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon in Washington as an executive assistant for the deputy director for politico-military affairs for Asia.

Stratton died Tuesday near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds he sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated, according to Pentagon officials.

Also killed in the incident was Senior Airman Ashton L.M. Goodman, 21, of Indianapolis, Ind. She was assigned to the 43rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.

Stratton, a Texas A&M graduate, had deployed to Afghanistan in November as commander of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, said Air Force Capt. Tom Wenz.

The team worked on civil affairs initiatives with the Afghan population, including a $28 million road construction project. As commander, Stratton would have interacted closely with local leaders and village elders, Wenz said.

Stratton was a superb but humble leader, said his friend, Lt. Col. Clark Risner. “He wouldn’t have wanted any media spotlight on him,” Risner said. “He would want it on his team.”

“It sounds cliché but Mark was the most patriotic person I’ve ever met, just a model airman in every way,” he said. “He put the airmen that he was supervising or leading first, every step of the way.”

Risner met Stratton five years ago when both men were students at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va., and later served with him at the Pentagon. After Stratton deployed to Afghanistan, he emailed Risner about his pride in his team’s efforts to help Afghanis rebuild their country.

“He told me that was the best job he’s ever had. He felt like he was making a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis,” Risner said. “The work that they’re doing there is nothing short of heroic, and it’s truly tragic that his efforts would end this way.

A senior navigator for the RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, Stratton had previously served on the staff at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

He had received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1992, a year after his graduation from Texas A&M University. His commendations include a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

“He’s a wonderful person, just a fine man as could be,” said Stratton’s grandmother, Dolly Little, in a telephone interview from Foley, Ala., where Stratton spent much of his childhood. “He loved his service.”

Stratton was very close to his late father and namesake, Mark Stratton, an Air Force captain and Vietnam veteran, said his stepmother Debby Young, who lives in southwest Houston. Stratton’s brother, Michael, and stepbrother, Steven, also live in the Houston area. His wife, Jennifer, and their three children live near Washington, D.C.

Young said Stratton’s family is devastated. “We’re pretty much basket cases,” she said. “You always know this is a possibility, but you always think it’s going to happen to somebody else, not to you.”

She takes solace in her memory of Stratton’s passion for his work in Afghanistan.

“This is what he wanted to do,” Young said. “He wanted to make a difference. And he did.”

Stratton will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Air Force Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II was killed in action on 5/26/09.

Air Force Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman

Remember Our Heroes

Air Force Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman, 21, of Indianapolis

SAr Goodman was assigned to the 43rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; died May 26, 2009 near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II.

Indianapolis Star -- A young Indianapolis woman who enjoyed serving her country as a member of the Air Force has been killed in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan.

Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman, 21, died Tuesday near Bagram Air Field after being wounded by an improvised explosive device. Killed in the same explosion was Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II, 39, Houston, a member of the Pentagon Joint Staff.

Friends of Goodman, who would have finished her tour of duty in Afghanistan in a couple of months and had served in Iraq, said she took pride in her job as a driver for the Air Force's 43rd Airlift Wing.

"She did like the military," said longtime neighbor Jerry Sweeney, who knew the senior airman since she was a toddler. "When she was in Iraq, she really liked driving supplies around. She said the people were always happy to see her."

Goodman's family could not be reached for comment. Parked in front of Goodman's house on the Far Eastside was a Toyota pickup truck she had purchased on one of her trips back home between stints in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Goodman is the third Indiana woman to die in military action during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the only one to have died from direct combat; 134 servicemen and servicewomen with Indiana ties have died in those conflicts since 2002.

Goodman graduated from Warren Central High School in 2006. School district officials said she had been a member of the school's Japan Club and participated in the Zoo Teen Club, in which she volunteered at the Indianapolis Zoo.

After joining the Air Force in July 2006, Goodman was assigned to the 43rd Airlift Wing, which is based at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. She was a driver for that wing, becoming certified to drive tractor-trailers and volunteering to serve in Iraq.

Goodman, who had worked at PetSmart while in high school, was fond of animals, according to a statement on the Pope Air Force Base Web site.

"She knew all kinds of animal facts and was working toward becoming a veterinarian," wrote Master Sgt. Jason Neisen. "She was always lively and friendly."

The Air Force said Stratton and Goodman were working with the Panshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, a unit that rebuilds roads and schools in Afghanistan.

"Ashton made the ultimate sacrifice in her service to our great nation," Col. John McDonald, 43rd Airlift Wing commander, said in a statement released by the wing. "We will all feel sorrow as a result of her death, but should celebrate in how she chose to live her life, her commitment and dedication."

While her assignment in Afghanistan would have ended this summer, Goodman was ready to return to that country or to seek a deployment to Africa, Neisen wrote.

"She was the kind of person you'd like to have as a daughter or a granddaughter, that's for sure," Sweeney recalled. "She was a nice girl."

Air Force Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman was killed in action on 5/26/09.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Naseman

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Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Naseman, 36, of New Bremen, Ohio

SFC Naseman was assigned to the 108th Forward Support Company, attached to 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Sussex, Wis.; died May 22, 2009 in Taji, Iraq of a noncombat-related incident.

Wife remembers fallen husband
The Associated Press

CALEDONIA, Wis. — A Racine soldier who was killed in Iraq last week was always a comic, the life of the party whose two young sons adored and idolized him, his wife said.

Sgt. 1st Class Brian K. Naseman died May 22 of injuries described as noncombat-related, according to the Department of Defense.

Peggy Naseman said their boys, ages 9 and 7, wanted to be just like their father.

“They wanted to be career military just like their dad,” Naseman said Monday. “They knew that what he was doing was a good cause.”

Now they don’t understand why he won’t be coming home, she said.

Brian Naseman, 36, was assigned to the 108th Forward Support Company, attached to 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team out of Sussex.

He died in a rural region 20 miles north of Baghdad, where he was stationed with the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Military officials are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.

He was born to serve, Peggy Naseman said, always ready to give. He would help a friend or neighbor at any time, day or night.

“I can’t even tell you how many lives Brian has changed,” she said. “If you needed something, he was there.”

Friends and neighbors spent Memorial Day with Peggy Naseman, helping around the house and tying yellow ribbons around the trees in their yard.

Brian Naseman grew up in Ohio and met his future wife at a barn dance, where he taught her to line dance. Sparks didn’t immediately fly, but Peggy Naseman soon realized how funny he was.

When he moved from Ohio to Wisconsin, he transferred from the Ohio National Guard to the Wisconsin National Guard, with which he served one tour of duty in Kuwait before his stint in Iraq.

Peggy Naseman said she still doesn’t know when she can plan a funeral for her husband of 10 years. She was told his body might be returned to the U.S. as soon as this week.

The last time the Naseman family was together was in April when Peggy Naseman and the boys traveled to New Mexico to see Brian Naseman before he shipped off to Iraq.

They spent one of their final days together on a hot-air balloon.

“We got as close to heaven as we wanted to be at the time,” Peggy Naseman said.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Naseman died in a non-combat related incident on 5/22/09.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Army Sgt. Paul F. Brooks

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Army Sgt. Paul F. Brooks 34, of Joplin, Mo.

Sgt. Brooks was assigned to the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, Springfield, Mo.; died May 21, 2009 near Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Maj. Jason E. George and 1st Lt. Leevi K. Barnard.

Jonesboro soldier dies in Baghdad bombing
The Associated Press

JONESBORO, Ark. — An Army medic from Jonesboro serving in Baghdad was among three American soldiers killed Thursday when a bomb was set off in a vehicle at an outdoor market, his family said.

Paul Faris Brooks, 35, was on his second tour in Iraq, according to his mother, Barbara Brooks.

She said a military chaplain and sergeant arrived at her home around 4 p.m. Thursday to notify the family of the death.

The blast occurred in Baghdad’s southern Dora district, where a bomb exploded near an American foot patrol, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

The U.S. military initially reported nine U.S. personnel were wounded in the attack. Later, the military said it could not confirm that number because the injured were still being evaluated and treated.

The attack occurred about 10:38 a.m. as the soldiers patrolled near an outdoor market, according to Army Maj. David Shoupe.

Iraqi police said a suicide bomber was responsible, but Shoupe said the U.S. could not confirm that. He said four civilians died in the blast, but Iraqi police and hospital officials put the civilian toll at 12 killed and 25 wounded.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Mrs. Brooks said her son was a good father to his seven children, and a good husband.

“Daddy was their idol,” she said, holding a photo of four of Paul Brooks’ children. “He had good kids. He was a typical teen-ager who grew into a family man.”

Mrs. Brooks said her son attended Jonesboro High School and obtained a GED while in the military.

In addition to his mother and father, Paul David Brooks, the slain soldier is survived by his wife, Nicole, and their children — Hayley, 14; Harmony, 11; Seth, 7; Logan, 6; Aiden, 5; Samara, 3; and Denver, 2.

Mrs. Brooks said she and her husband last spoke with their son on Wednesday.

“We talked about the mission and how they had to have a medic with them,” she said.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Army Sgt. Paul F. Brooks was killed in action on 5/21/09.

Army 1st Lt. Leevi K. Barnard

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Army 1st Lt. Leevi K. Barnard 28, of Mount Airy, N.C.

1st Lt. Barnard was assigned to the 252nd Combined Arms Battalion, Fayetteville, N.C.; died May 21, 2009 near Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Maj. Jason E. George and Sgt. Paul F. Brooks.

Lt. Barnard Returns to his home in Ararat, VA

5/29/09 - May 29-Public is encouraged to line the streets to honor 1st Lt. Leevi Barnard as his body is returned home today. Planned processional route is approximately 10:30am. Folowing U. S. Route 51 North from Winston-Salem onto Rockford Street (U. S. 601) and

The public has been invited to line the streets along the procession route to honor fallen Ararat, Va., soldier, 1st Lt. Leevi Khole Barnard, as his body is returned home.

North Carolina National Guard soldier Barnard was killed in Baghdad, Iraq, May 21. His body will arrive in North Carolina this morning and a procession will escort Barnard to Moody Funeral Home this morning.

Those wishing to honor Barnard should plan to be along the planned processional route by 10:30 a.m. in order to pay respects as the hearse makes its way to the funeral home. The route will bring Barnard to Surry County from Winston-Salem on U.S. 52 North, turn right onto Rockford Street/U.S. 601, and then left onto Grave Street to the funeral home.

Escorting the procession from the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro to Mount Airy today will be the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle association. The riders will also escort Barnard’s casket from Moody Funeral Home around 2 p.m. Saturday to Blue Ridge Elementary School in Ararat, Va., where the public memorial service and visitation will be held that evening, as well as the funeral service on Sunday.

Visitation for 1st Lt. Leevi Barnard is scheduled at Blue Ridge Elementary School, 5135 Ararat Highway, Ararat, Va., from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, and his funeral will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at the school.

Barnard joined the North Carolina Army National Guard in August 2004 as a Multiple Launch Rocket System Crew member. He graduated as a Distinguished Military graduate with a GPA of 99 percent from his Advanced Individual Training Class at Fort Sill, Okla., and took his first assignment at B Battery, 5th Battalion 113th Field Artillery Regiment. He later transferred to Detachment 1, A Battery 113th Field Artillery Regiment 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team.

A 1998 graduate of Patrick County High School, Barnard earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and then received his commission as an officer in the Field Artillery through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) at the university. After serving in A Battery 1st Battalion 113th Field Artillery Regiment, he transferred to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company 252nd Combined Arms Battalion in Fayetteville of the 30th HBCT where he was assigned at the time of his deployment. This was his first deployment.
Source: Mt. Airy News May 29,2009.

Martinsville Bulletin -- First Lt. Leevi Khole Barnard, 28, of Ararat in Patrick County, has been killed in action while serving on his third tour of duty in Iraq, according to his grandfather, Thomas L. Barnard of Ararat.

Barnard said the family was notified of the death at midnight Thursday. He said they have few details of the incident, except that there were eight servicemen involved and three were killed. He was not sure when or where the incident occurred.

Barnard was the son of Pamela Jane Barnard Payne of Patrick County, the daughter of Thomas Barnard and his wife, Daisy Barnard.

First Lt. Barnard went to Blue Ridge Elementary School and graduated from Patrick County High School in 1998, according to a release from Patrick County School Superintendent Roger Morris.

Thomas Barnard said his grandson was in JROTC in high school and then worked and also went to school after he graduated. He had been in the military for several years, Barnard said.

He added that he did not know when his grandson’s remains would be returned to the United States.

“It is difficult to imagine the loss to our community, particularly at a time of remembering our fallen soldiers,” Morris wrote Friday.

Morris has ordered that the flags at all Patrick County schools be lowered to half-staff until Barnard’s burial. He also requested that a moment of silence in the schools on Tuesday be dedicated in Barnard’s memory.

Army 1st Lt. Leevi K. Barnard was killed in action on 5/21/09.

Army Maj. Jason E. George

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Army Maj. Jason E. George, 38, of Tehachapi, Calif.

Major George was assigned to 252nd Combined Arms Battalion, Fayetteville, N.C.; died May 21, 2009 near Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. Also killed were 1st Lt. Leevi K. Barnard and Sgt. Paul F. Brooks.

When he was close, he’d honk the horn twice. Then his parents would smile, look at each other and move toward the door. Jason was home. All was well again.

Last Thursday, Hugh and Candy Mason had a different kind of visitor at their beautiful home in Golden Hills, a part of Tehachapi that gets a cooling afternoon breeze from the Tehachapi Mountains.

They had just returned from Bakersfield and a visit with Candy’s father, who is dying of cancer. They had been home for half an hour sitting on their comfortable leather chairs sorting out the day when the doorbell rang. It was 9 p.m.

Standing at the door were two servicemen — one was a major and the other an Army chaplain. The men stood very still.

“We have some news ...”

Last Thursday, Maj. Jason E. George was killed in Baghdad while on foot patrol in the Dora district. A suicide bomber exploded an improvised explosive device and killed three American soldiers along with at least 25 Iraqi civilians.

Jason George was 38. He was a proud Tehachapi son. George had a room full of trophies. If there was a prize — academic or sporting — and George didn’t win it, his hot breath would be on your neck.

“Jason was balanced,” Hugh said. “He could do almost anything.”

Like mother, like son. That’s always been the case in the Mason household. Candy is a vocational instructor at the California Correctional Institution. She teaches inmates at Tehachapi how to use a computer, a calculator and do other sorts of office work.

“I Iove my job,” she said. “I don’t know for sure, but I’d like to think I make a difference. That’s the way Jason looked at his time in Iraq.”

George’s time in Iraq was short. He had flown into Kuwait on April 22. He had only been in Baghdad since May 5.

“It looks like I will be leading our civil/military operations as well as helping to bolster the local government and trying to stimulate the local economy,” George wrote on May 7 in his last e-mail to his parents. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to leverage some of my past experience as well as my MBA.”

He had something to leverage. His resume was thicker than one of his beloved Double-Doubles at In-N-Out. It was deeper than the Dodgers, his favorite baseball team — a team he was able to watch with his parents in early April when they played the Angels.

Growing up, George did what a lot of us only dreamed about — he won the Pinewood Derby. In high school, he had an internship with NASA at Edwards Air Force Base. George played tennis, baseball, soccer and basketball. As a senior at Tehachapi High, No. 22 kicked the winning field goal in the finals of the Desert Inyo League Championships. George was an Eagle Scout, and after a year at Cal State Bakersfield, he was appointed to West Point by then-U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas.

George was an undefeated boxer at West Point. After graduating, he served eight years. George left the service in 2002 and earned an MBA at the University of Michigan. Before being called up, George was working for a consulting firm in Chicago that specialized in health care, helping hospitals and clinics save money by becoming more efficient.

It is too early for either Hugh or Candy Mason to be philosophical. They still expect their son to walk through the door. Although they do not want to criticize the military, they are struggling with the idea that a major was on foot patrol. They just do not understand.

George sent both his mother and grandmother flowers on Mother’s Day. He worried about his terminally ill grandfather. In his last e-mail, he asked if he could help and make a call to the doctors who were in charge of his grandfather’s care. He finished every call with, “I love you Mom, I love you Dad.”

Thursday, Maj. Jason George will come home for good. When the Bakersfield National Cemetery opens later this summer, George will be buried there and it is possible that he will be the first. Until then, he must trust those he has left behind to honk twice when they find their way home.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement regarding the death of Maj. Jason E. George of Tehachapi:

“Major Jason George was a courageous soldier who dedicated his life to serving his fellow Americans. His loyalty and dedication to our country is an inspiration to all of us and we are forever indebted to his service. Maria and I send our thoughts and prayers to Jason’s family, friends and fellow soldiers during this difficult time.”

Army Maj. Jason E. George was killed in action on 5/21/09.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte

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Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte, 25, of St. Louis

1st Lt. Schulte was assigned to the Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces Command, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; died May 20, 2009 near Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.

Honolulu Advertiser -- A Hickam Air Force Base officer has been killed in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said today.

1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte, 25, of St. Louis, Mo., died yesterday near Kabul of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. She was assigned to Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces Command, Hickam Air Force Base.

Schulte is the believed to be the first female graduate of the Air Force Academy ever to be killed by an enemy combatant, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported.

Another female graduate, 1st Lt. Laura Piper, died in the mid-90s from a friendly-fire incident.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported today that Schulte, who grew up in Ladue, Mo., was a born leader.

Her father, Robert Schulte, told the paper he remembers asking his 2-year-old daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up.

"Chairman of the board," she replied.

"Even at that age, she didn't say she wanted to be president, she wanted to be the leader," Schulte said of his daughter, whom most knew as Roz. "She wanted to be in charge. And she was."

She was an avid and accomplished lacrosse player in high school. Her parents said that while on the field, any time a jet flew overhead, she would pause in admiration and say how one day she would be a fighter pilot.

She went to the Air Force Academy after graduating from high school in 2002.

At the academy, she majored in political science, interned for former Sen. Alan Allard, R-Colo., and became a group commander — one of the academy's highest positions — said her mother, Suzie Schulte.

Robert Schulte said: "She would call me and say, 'Dad, all these guys might fly the planes, but they follow me.' She was a leader."

She graduated from the academy in 2006 and went into military intelligence instead of aviation.

In February she was deployed to Afghanistan, where her parents said she taught Afghan military leaders how to gather and interpret intelligence.

She was to return to the United States in August.

Schulte's brother and only sibling, Todd Schulte, is chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-N.Y.

The Schultes said funeral arrangements were pending.

Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte was killed in action on 5/20/09.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Army Pvt. Thomas E. Lee III

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pvt. Thomas E. Lee III, 20, of Dalton, Ga.

Pvt. Lee was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 29, 2009 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an explosive device struck his vehicle.

Chattanooga Times Free Press— Shirley Lee backed her son’s lifelong dream to join the Army, but when he was deployed to Iraq, there was never a moment that she didn’t worry about him.

“He wasn’t just my son — he was my best friend,” Mrs. Lee said Tuesday. “He wanted to fight for his country. He wanted to make things better for me and his sisters.”

Dalton Pvt. Thomas E. Lee III was killed May 29 in an explosion while on patrol in Mosul, Iraq. He recently spent 11 days at home with his family and returned to Iraq for another year of service.

Pvt. Lee also leaves behind sisters Ashley Lee, 24, and Katie Lee, 14. He was engaged to Misti Beasley, who says on her MySpace page that she is expecting his child this year.

Mrs. Lee said she went to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware this week to watch her son’s body come back to the United States.

Now, she and her family are completing paperwork and firming up funeral plans, she said. The funeral may be Friday, but she said she’ll know more details today. Ponders Funeral Home is handling the arrangements, Mrs. Lee said.

“Tommy is going to be buried in a military cemetery,” she said. “Everybody is going to be welcome to attend.”

Mrs. Lee and other family members said they were comforted by an outpouring of support from friends and community members.

“Everybody calls and wants to help, and I love them for that,” said Billy Hobbs, Pvt. Lee’s grandfather. “But what can you do? Just pray for us.”

Mark Seay, pastor of Swamp Creek Baptist Church, where Mr. Hobbs is a member and Pvt. Lee a frequent guest, called the soldier “a fine young man.”

“It was a privilege to know him,” he said.

The last time he saw his oldest grandson, Mr. Hobbs recalled, the young man visited his grandfather’s Sugar Valley home, where the two hugged and said, “I love you.”

“I will never forget that,” he said.

In less than two years of service, Pvt. Lee temporarily had lost his hearing from a bomb blast and was grazed on the hip by a bullet, Mr. Hobbs said. He became particularly worried about Pvt. Lee’s welfare after the last time they talked, not long before his grandson was killed, he said.

“Last time he called me, I heard machine guns going off and bombs going off,” Mr. Hobbs said. “I said ‘Tommy, what’s all that noise I hear?’ He said, ‘We’re fighting over here tooth and nail.’ I worried every minute after that.”

Pvt. Lee always told his family not to worry because he was doing what he wanted to do, his mother said.

He had loved tanks and guns since he was a child, his sister Katie said, and the family always joked that he would grow up to be like G.I. Joe.

He attended Whitfield County schools, but didn’t finish high school. He received his General Educational Development certificate so he could pursue his military interests, his family said.

Pvt. Lee had completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., where he received a medal for expert rifle marksmanship. From there he trained for desert combat in Fort Hood, Texas, before deploying to Iraq.

His sisters said he was a jokester, always playing pranks. But the young Lees’ father isn’t in the picture, and Katie and Ashley said Tommy was a father figure to them.

“He was a real man,” Ashley said. “He was a real hero.”

Pvt. Lee loved hunting and fishing, and he used to watch the History Channel to learn about World War I and II, Vietnam and other wars. He enjoyed camping and riding horses and valued time spent with his family, Mr. Hobbs said.

“He didn’t care anything about hanging around the mall,” he said. “He didn’t care anything about sitting in there on the computer. He liked outside.”

In the midst of heartache, there are two small comforts for the family — Pvt. Lee died doing what he loved, and something of him will live on in the child that is due sometime this winter.

“We hope it’s a boy because we don’t have anybody else to carry on the family name,” Katie said. “I feel like it will be a part of Tommy.”

Mrs. Lee wants her son to be remembered for his “happy-go-lucky” personality and for the love he spread.

“He was our light, our rock,” she said. “He was just our man.”

Now the boy from Northwest Georgia who grew up wanting to be a soldier will be remembered for giving his life for his country.

“He died doing what he loved to do — playing G.I. Joe,” Katie said.

Army Pvt. Thomas E. Lee III was killed in action 5/19/09.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Army Spc. David A. Schaefer Jr.

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. David A. Schaefer Jr., 27, of Belleville, Ill.

Spc. Schaefer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Schweinfurt, Germany; died May 16, 2009 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit.

Belleville News Democrat -- A Belleville soldier died doing what he loved, family and friends said Tuesday.

Army Spc. David A. Schaefer Jr., 27, died Saturday in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit .

"He was born to serve his country," his wife, Shelly, said. "He wanted to be a soldier -- that's all he talked about when he was younger -- and that's what he did."

The Schaefers last talked on Thursday, and David Schaefer told his wife everything was fine. They discussed their plans to move their family -- Jason Phillips 13, Logan Schaefer, 7, and Savanna Schaefer, 6 -- to Germany as soon as what was his second tour in Iraq ended in November.

Shelly said her husband took good care of his family, and loved his children. They often watched motorcross together.

"He loved being in the Army,"Army Sgt. Joshua Wood said of his friend. "He loved being an infantry soldier."

Wood got to know Schaefer in 2006, when Schaefer decided to make the leap to active duty after serving in the National Guard.

"Davey had a heck of personality; he's just a magnetic person," Wood said. "You really couldn't meet the person and not like him."

Schaefer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Schweinfurt, Germany.

"He died doing what he loved," said Wood, of Fort Bragg, N.C.

Schaefer's father, David A. Schaefer Sr., said: "His memory will always be in my soul."

Schaefer's aunt and uncle, Karen and Danny Schaefer, of Belleville, said their nephew visited them before he enlisted, and his excitement about joining the military was tangible.

"Like all young men, he got himself all ripped up and excited about going into the Army," Karen Schaefer said. "I answered the door and didn't recognize him. He said, 'Aunt Karen, it's Little Davey!' and I gave him a big 'ol hug. He did good for himself."

Schaefer attended Freeburg High School, but left before he graduated, they said, but got his life in order -- he got his GED and quit smoking, drinking and cursing -- because he wanted to join the Army.

Karen Schaefer said her fond memories of "Little Davey" and his three siblings include family trips that involved camping, fishing and swimming.

"I want them to remember him as a hero," Danny Schaefer said. "I think his goal in life was to go to the service, and he fulfilled that. He went over there to fight for his country. He'll always be tops in my books."

Schaefer's remains were returned Monday to the United States; his casket was brought to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

George Renner & Sons Funeral Homes, in Belleville, is handling services, which are pending.

Army Spc. David A. Schaefer Jr. was killed in action on 5/16/09.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Army Staff Sgt. Esau I. De la Pena-Hernandez

Remember Our Heroes

Army Staff Sgt. Esau I. De la Pena-Hernandez, 25, of La Puente, Calif.

SSgt. Pena-Hernandez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died May 15, 2009 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in Chak, Afghanistan. Also killed was Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III.

San Gabriel Valley Tribune -- LA PUENTE - For Army Staff Sgt. Esau Ivan De La Pena-Hernandez, dying for his country was more than just a possibility, it was his own professed destiny.

De La Pena-Hernandez was killed while on patrol during a battle in Chak, Afghanistan alongside a friend on Friday. He would have been 26 next Monday.

"It's a big loss to us," said his mother Leticia De La Pena. "But in some way, I know he's glad the way he died."

Family members said the military was top priority for the La Puente High School graduate, who enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 18 and served in Iraq before enlisting in the Army and going to Afghanistan. He told his family he was willing to die at war.

De La Pena-Hernandez poured his whole heart into his military service, family members said.

He was a fan of military-themed video games and movies and knew the film Full Metal Jacket word-for-word, family said. His love for soccer was a close second.

The oldest of three children, De La Pena-Hernandez was born in Mexico and moved to the United States with his family when he was 11, family members said. Previously a legal resident, he had recently earned his citizenship.

His father Mario J. De La Pena said his son was a man of dedication and determination who knew what he wanted to do with his life and went for it.

"He used to always call me and ask `Are you proud of me?'," Mario De La Pena said. "I told him `You are my hero."'

De La Pena-Hernandez was humble about his military service, and did not complain to his family about anything.

Family members were shocked to discover after his death that he had earned nearly 20 decorations during his service.

"He wasn't a flashy person," said sister Denise De La Pena. "We never knew he had all these medals."

When he called home, it was to check up on the family and let them know he was OK. His last call was on Mother's Day.

"Whenever I talked to him, he always said, `Do whatever you want to do that makes you happy'," said brother Bryan De La Pena. "I'm glad he died doing something he wanted to do."

While the De La Pena family continues to mourn their loss, they take some solace in the fact that Esau lived his dream.

"I'm proud of what my son did for our country," Mario De La Pena said. "I always will be."

De La Pena-Hernandez was a member of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment.

Army Staff Sgt. Esau I. De la Pena-Hernandez was killed in action on 5/15/09.

Army Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III, 23, of Birmingham, Ala.

Sgt. Lee was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died May 15, 2009 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in Chak, Afghanistan. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Esau I. De la Pena-Hernandez.

AL.com -- Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III, known to his family as Nicky, had two loves in his life, according to his mother, Norma Lee.

Low-riding trucks and his mama.

"He loved me more than anything," she said Monday.

Sgt. Lee, a 23-year-old native of Sandusky, a community on the west edge of Birmingham, was killed Friday in Afghanistan, she said.

According to a news release from the Department of Defense, Lee and Staff Sgt. Esau I. Delapena Hernandez, 25, of La Puente, Calif., were killed Friday in Chak, Afghanistan.

Norma Lee said her son was shot multiple times. The military did not provide an account of the circumstances of the two men's deaths other than to say "their patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire."

Norma Lee questioned whether her son should have been in combat that day. Sgt. Lee had only recently undergone surgery on his appendix and had not been out of the hospital for more than two weeks when he went back into combat, she said.

Sgt. Lee and Staff Sgt. Hernandez were members of the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment and deployed earlier this year with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

After completing training at Fort Benning, Lee was assigned to Fort Drum in New York in August 2006.

Sgt. Lee's awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Combat Service, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal.

He was a graduate of the Combat Life Savers Course and had previously deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from October 2006 to May 2007.

Sgt. Lee had re-enlisted in the Army in December and was scheduled to return home in July.

Lee said her son joined the Army two weeks after graduating from home-schooling. She said her son was a mother's best friend.

"He was just full of life," she said. "He loved everybody. He didn't judge nobody."

"He was my heart," Lee said.

Army Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III was killed in action on 5/15/09.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Army Cpl. Ryan C. McGhee

Remember Our Heroes

Army Cpl. Ryan C. McGhee, 21, of Fredericksburg, Va.

Cpl. McGhee was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.; died May 13, 2009 from wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces while conducting combat operations in central Iraq.

Richmond Times Dispatch -- A Fredericksburg man who was an Army Ranger died yesterday of wounds received by small-arms fire in central Iraq.

Cpl. Ryan C. McGhee, 21, and his unit were conducting operations to rid Iraq of a weapons facilitator and suicide-bomber cell known to be operating in the area when they came under attack, the Army said in a statement.

McGhee was an automatic rifleman assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.

"Cpl. Ryan McGhee's actions are in the finest traditions of this great regiment," Col. Richard D. Clarke, 75th Ranger Regiment commander, said in a statement.

"He continuously answered his nation's call, fighting the most tenacious, fanatical and resolute enemies of our country during multiple deployments to places where most would or could not go. His memory will not be forgotten by our Rangers."

McGhee was on his fourth deployment. The other deployments had been to Afghanistan, the statement said.

McGhee enlisted in the Army on Aug. 1, 2006, after graduating from high school in Fredericksburg.

McGhee is survived by his father, Steven McGhee of Myrtle Beach, S.C., his mother, Sherrie L. McGhee of Knoxville, Tenn., and his brother, Zachary, the statement said.

The Free Lance-Star -- Under a blustery gray sky and in a transfer case draped with an American flag, Cpl. Ryan Casey McGhee, 21, an Army Ranger killed in Iraq on Wednesday, began his final journey home.

In a solemn scene yesterday on the tarmac, McGhee's remains were transferred by fellow soldiers from a 747 cargo plane bearing the Stars and Stripes on its flank, to the ground where relatives and a large white van were waiting.

McGhee, a 2006 Massaponax High school graduate, is the son of Steven and Kristie McGhee of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Sherrie Battle-McGhee of Knoxville, Tenn. He was engaged to be married to a fellow Massaponax High School graduate next year.

On Wednesday, the flag-draped remains of five soldiers killed over the weekend by a troubled fellow soldier in Iraq were were received by relatives at the same spot.

McGhee, who served four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, was killed by small arms fire while conducting combat operations in central Iraq, when his unit came under fire. A combat operator with the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga., McGhee was part of a team hunting down a weapons provider and a suicide-bombing cell.

"He was an all-around great person and he loved what he did," McGhee's brother Zachary, 24, said yesterday. "I talked to him two weeks ago. He called to wish me a happy birthday. He said he loved me and he missed me."

Zachary McGhee, who lives in Stafford County and is a sergeant in the Army National Guard in Fredericksburg, said his brother was interested in the military early on and decided in his senior year in high school to become a Ranger. "He pretty much wanted to serve his country and give something back."

"Ryan McGhee's actions are in the finest traditions of this great regiment," said Col. Richard D. Clarke, 75th Ranger Regiment commander. "He continuously answered his nation's call fighting the most tenacious, fanatical and resolute enemies of our country during multiple deployments to places where most would or could not go. His memory will not be forgotten by our Rangers."

High school Principal Joe Rodkey said he learned about McGhee's death Wednesday while attending a Massaponax soccer game.

"This is just devastating to us," Rodkey said of the impact on the Massaponax High School community.

"We all just thought the world of him."

McGhee also had been a member of the Key Club and served on the class executive board his junior and senior years.

He was chosen by his classmates for two senior superlatives--friendliest and most charming.

Rodkey said he met in his office yesterday with students who had learned of McGhee's death.

"Kids have a hard time with this because they never expect it to be anyone they know," Rodkey said.

He said the school is prepared to assist students if any need help dealing with the death.

Deb Aragon, who helps coordinate the "dignified transfers" at the Air Force Base, said it's an emotional time for all involved.

"My heart goes out to the families every time," said Aragon, a retired Air Force master sergeant. "I have two sons, 19 and 21."

Army Cpl. Ryan C. McGhee was killed in action on 5/13/09.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle

Remember Our Heroes

Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C.

Cmdr. Springle was assigned as an Individual Augmentee to the Army's 55th Medical Company; died May 11, 2009 from injuries sustained in a shooting by a U.S. soldier at Camp Liberty, Iraq. Also killed were Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton, Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, Army Maj. Matthew P. Houseal and Army Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr.

Star News Online -- A Wilmington man killed Monday in Iraq once served as the director of a program at Camp Lejeune that counseled military members and their families, officials said.

Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, was one of five people killed when a soldier opened fire at a clinic at a base in Baghdad, according to the U.S. Department of Defense and The Associated Press.

A soldier was charged with multiple counts of murder in connection with the shooting, and military officials have pledged to look into the mental health treatment provided for troops, according to The Associated Press.

1st Lt. Craig Thomas of Camp Lejeune said a Navy officer is assisting Springle’s family and answering any questions they may have.

Springle was a licensed clinical social worker who joined the Navy in 1988, according to a statement from Camp Lejeune. He was recently deployed to Iraq with a medical company.

Springle’s friend, Bob Goodale, told The Associated Press that Springle had dedicated his life to helping soldiers cope with emotional problems caused by combat stress. Goodale works with the Citizen-Soldier Support Program in Chapel Hill, an organization Springle dealt with when he directed Camp Lejeune’s Community Counseling Center.

The center provides counseling for problems including substance abuse, anger management and sexual abuse, as well as pre- and post-deployment issues and classes on post-traumatic or combat stress, according to Camp Lejeune’s Web site.

Springle was promoted to the rank of commander in 2002. He had received numerous decorations including multiple overseas service ribbons, according to the statement from Camp Lejeune.

Army IDs soldiers shot at Camp Liberty
By Michelle Tan
Staff writer

The Defense Department has identified the four soldiers killed Monday when a fellow soldier fired into a combat stress clinic on Camp Liberty, Iraq.

They are Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas; Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md.

Houseal was assigned to the 55th Medical Company of Indianapolis, Ind.

Bueno-Galdos and Yates were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of Grafenwoehr, Germany. Barton belonged to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade of Waco, Texas. Bueno-Galdos was posthumously promoted Wednesday to staff sergeant.

The fifth service member killed Monday was identified Tuesday. He was Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C. He also was assigned to the 55th Medical Company.

As part of the medical company, Springle and Houseal both worked at the Liberty Combat Stress Control Center.

A sergeant from the Bamberg, Germany-based 370th Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, has been charged in the shootings.

Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, first joined the Army National Guard in 1988; he went into the active Army in 1994. He is charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.

Russell, who was on his third Iraq deployment, remains in custody in Iraq.

Special agents from Army Criminal Investigation Command continue to investigate the shootings.

The Army also has initiated an AR 15-6 investigation to determine if there are adequate mental health facilities in Iraq, said Lt. Col. David Patterson, a spokesman for Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

The suspect was referred to counseling the week before the shootings and his commander determined that it was best for him not to have a weapon, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, a spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq.

According to an Army official who spoke on condition of anonymity, preliminary reports show the suspected shooter was unarmed when he was escorted to the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base near Baghdad’s international airport. Once inside, he got into a verbal altercation with the staff and was asked to leave. The soldier and his escort got back into their vehicle and began to drive away, according to the Army official.

At some point during the drive, the soldier got control of his escort’s weapon and ordered the escort out of the vehicle, the Army official said. The soldier then drove back to the clinic, walked in and began shooting, the official said.

Soldiers from the 55th Medical Company provided immediate counseling for those who witnessed the shooting and were at the center at the time of the incident, Perkins said.

“Anytime we lose one of our own, it affects us all,” MNC-I spokesman Col. John Robinson said. “Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all the service members involved in this terrible tragedy.”

According to Army records, Russell, of Sherman, Texas, first deployed to Iraq in April 2003. He returned for a second tour in May 2005. Before that, he deployed for six months in 1996 to Serbia and for seven months in 1998 to Bosnia.

During a press briefing Monday afternoon at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed his “horror and deep regret” over the shooting, adding that officials are still in the process of gathering information on exactly what happened.

“Such a tragic loss of life at the hands of our own forces is a cause of great and urgent concern,” he said.

When asked if the suspected gunman had been deployed multiple times, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday he did not have that information. However, he said, the tragedy occurred while service members were seeking help at the clinic.

“It does speak to me for the need for us to redouble our efforts in terms of dealing with the stress [of combat],” Mullen said. “It also speaks to the issues of multiple deployments [and] increasing dwell time.”

The death toll from the Monday shooting was the highest for U.S. personnel in a single attack since April 10, when a suicide truck driver killed five American soldiers with a blast near a police headquarters in Mosul, in northern Iraq.




Liberty shooting victims united by circumstance

By Allen G. Breed
The Associated Press

The paths that brought six men together in a Baghdad military clinic traced across the globe, from South America to rural Missouri, from the islands of Alaska to deepest Antarctica, before intersecting in a tragic shooting spree.

Authorities say Sgt. John M. Russell, who was nearing the end of his third tour in Iraq, was deeply angry at the military when he walked into the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty on Monday and opened fire.

Two of the men who died devoted their careers to helping men like Russell: soldiers suffering from the stress of combat and repeated deployments to dangerous overseas war zones.

Keith Springle, a Navy commander who grew up swimming and fishing off the North Carolina coast, was in Iraq because it was his duty as a military psychologist. Dr. Matthew Houseal, a psychiatrist and major in the Army Reserve, was there because he felt he needed to be.

The three other victims were Russell’s comrades. Soldiers like the Maryland rebel who liked tinkering with guns and despised “pencil pushers.” A Peru native who, whether walking the streets of New Jersey or the dirt roads of Iraq, was a magnet for candy-seeking kids. And the shy video gamer from Missouri whose refusal to back down probably cost him his life.

Killed were Springle, 52, from Beaufort, N.C.; Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas; Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md., who had met Russell shortly before the shootings.

The remains of Houseal, Yates and Bueno-Galdos were brought to Dover Air Force Base Wednesday night with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, attending. The three transfer containers were lowered down on a lift from a 747 commercial airplane, and six military personnel carried them onto a white truck. The families chose not to give interviews.

Family and teachers said Jacob Barton was a quiet student who loved graphic novels and science fiction. Growing up with his grandmother in the house, he sometimes had trouble relating to kids his own age.

“His grandmother was foremost on his mind at all times,” said Rod Waldrip, Barton’s high school English teacher at Rolla High School, where Barton graduated last year. “He sometimes wouldn’t do after-school activities because he had to see if she was OK.”

Barton’s older sister had been in the Army, and by graduation he’d already made up his mind to follow her. The grandmother he rushed home to see, Rose Coleman, said he was adjusting to life in the Army and that he “seemed to like it.”

Although he was reserved, he wasn’t afraid. Waldrip remembers seeing Barton come to the rescue of somebody who was getting bullied.

“He wouldn’t say much unless there was some injustice being done, and then he would speak up.”

Coleman said the Army told the family that Barton died trying to shield another man from the shooting.

“And he tried to talk the guy with the gun to put his gun down,” she said.

Springle, whose first assignment with the Navy was in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, wanted to be make sure mental health issues faced by soldiers and their families were treated properly, said Staff Sgt. Robert Mullis from the 1451st Transportation Company of the N.C. National Guard, who was part of a civilian outreach program with Springle.

“He saw it as preventive maintenance,” Mullis said. “They’ve just been through some tough experiences. He was reaching out trying to try and stop a big beast before it got started.”

Springle grew up in the little fishing village of Lewiston, N.C., just east of Beaufort. Cousin Alton Dudley said the pair were a kind of saltwater Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

“It was a carefree life,” said Dudley, a fishing boat captain who was nine years older than Springle. “I am sure that he joined the Navy so that he could be at sea or close to it.”

All who knew him talked about Springle’s sense of humor and upbeat attitude. But Springle — whose son and son-in-law have each done a tour in Iraq — took the issue of combat stress very seriously. His work on the homefront with the Citizen-Soldier Support Program was a labor of love.

“This was volunteer work,” said Bob Goodale, director of behavioral mental health for the program. “He was doing this because it was the right thing to do — training civilian providers so they were better equipped to serve the families and the service members.”

Houseal was under no obligation to go to Iraq, but he was already something of an adventurer.

In 1991, the University of Michigan graduate was a physician at the Amundsen-Scott Station near the South Pole in a climate research project, said Mike O’Neill, the group’s electronics technician.

“He came in at the last minute not knowing anybody,” O’Neill said. “That’s one of the reasons I really respected him.”

Houseal was inquisitive, always checking on people at the station, even if it meant braving temperatures that dropped to minus-107 degrees that year.

The Amarillo man had worked for a dozen years at the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation clinic, said executive director Bud Schertler. He left Texas for Iraq in late January and was assigned to the 55th Medical Company in Indianapolis, which ran the clinic where the shootings occurred.

Bueno-Galdos couldn’t wait to serve his adopted country and did so exceptionally, earning three Army Commendation Medals.

He was 7 when his family emigrated from Mollendo, Peru. The youngest of four children, he became a U.S. citizen in high school and joined the Army as soon as he graduated.

Back home in Paterson, he never made a trip to the corner bodega without a group of neighborhood children tailing him, knowing he would buy them candy or soda, his family recalled. It was the same in Iraq, where he was on his second tour.

On Mother’s Day, Eugenia Gardos made a small shrine to her recently deceased mother, placing her photograph on a small glass table surrounded by silk roses, a rosary necklace, votives and a prayer card of Senor de los Milagros — patron saint of Peru. The next day, she added a photo of her son Christian to the memorial.

“We want people to know we’re proud of our son’s Army, but if my son had died in war we would be able to handle that,” said his father, Carlos Bueno. “But not to die in this manner.”

Yates displayed zeal for serving in the Army, but perhaps not his locale, as evidenced by his MySpace page.

His profile lists his location as “(expletive), Iraq.” For his education, he listed his major as “KILLING F...ERS” and his minor as “SHOOTING THEM IN THE FACE.” Under clubs, he declared himself a member of “THE US ARMY THE BEST ORGINIZATION.”

Yates’ mother, Shawna Machlinski, said her son joined the Army not out of a sense of duty, but because he didn’t see many other options. Besides, his stepfather and two stepbrothers were military men.

“Michael was a hands-on person who didn’t like book work,” she said. “He liked putting guns together ... He just wanted to do something that he thought he would be good at, and he always liked guns and that kind of stuff.”

So two years ago, he got his GED and signed up.

Alexis Mister, 18, of Seaford, Del., and the mother of Michael Yates’ son Kamren, said he was an extremely caring father. “He was always was concerned with Kamren so much,” she said. “He loved him.”

Mister said Yates came home in April for the boy’s first birthday party and doted on his son by buying him a four-wheeler. “It’s absolutely devastating,” Mister said, choking up during a telephone interview discussing Yates’ death. “My son doesn’t have a father anymore.”

Yates’ mother said that April trip left him anxious. He wasn’t home long enough, but he’d still been away from “my military family” too long. Once back in Iraq, his mother said he began to think about things he wished he’d done while visiting Maryland.

When the strong emotions began surfacing, she said, he was transferred to headquarters company “so he could stay out of combat.”

“He didn’t like headquarters at all,” said Machlinski. “He said they’re stupid pencil pushers.”

Despite the stigma, Yates volunteered to go to the stress clinic.

“I need help dealing with this,” he told his mom.

Yates had been at the clinic nearly a week when he told his mother he bumped into Russell. Yates told her Russell seemed like a nice enough guy. But after three tours, he clearly hated the Army.

“Man, this guy’s got issues,” she remembers him telling her.

Russell, 44, who just shy of finishing his third tour, told his family that the clinic was hurting more than helping. Now, he is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault.

As angry as Machlinski is at Russell for taking her boy, she’s angrier at the military.

“My heart goes out to him, too,” she said of Russell. “Someone should have helped this sergeant way before he got this bad. I would rather have my son doing his job in combat, I would rather him have been blown up by a bomb ... than be shot by friendly fire.”

———

Breed reported from Raleigh, N.C. Contributing to this report were Associated Press Writers Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo.; Samantha Henry in Paterson, N.J.; Kevin Maurer in Wilmington, N.C.; Brian Witte in Seaford, Del.; Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas; and Linda Franklin and Regina L. Burns in Dallas.

Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle was killed in a shooting by a U.S. soldier at Camp Liberty, Iraq on 5/11/09.

Army Maj. Matthew P. Houseal

Remember Our Heroes

Army Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas

Maj. Houseal was assigned to the 55th Medical Company, based in Indianapolis; died May 11, 2009 from injuries sustained in a shooting by a U.S. soldier at Camp Liberty, Iraq. Also killed were Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton, Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle and Army Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr.

WSBT-TV -- ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — One of the victims fatally wounded in Monday's friendly-fire incident in Iraq has local ties.

Dr. Matthew Houseal proudly served his country as a reservist in Iraq. But it's tragedy crossing the great Pacific, coming to the shores of Lake Michigan, that overshadows his years of service.

Major Houseal was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve 55th Medical company. He was fatally wounded Monday in Iraq by friendly fire.

One of his own — Sgt. John Russell — faces murder charges for his death and four others.

News of his death began spreading across St. Joseph, Michigan.

"I couldn't believe it happened," said Van Taylor.

Friends tell WSBT News the St. Joseph High School alum grew up in the city. They say his parents and many of his family members still call St. Joseph home.

But it's not just one local community dealing with the loss; family and co-workers in Amarillo, Texas also grieve.

Houseal lived there with his wife and children and he worked alongside other doctors at the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation clinic for more than a decade.

A memorial in his honor was created to celebrate his life.

"I think that it was a sad tragedy," Taylor said.

Family members, still coping with news, didn't want to talk on camera at this time, but said:

"We're deeply saddened over our loss. As we mourn the loss of our son, we ask that you keep his wife and family in your prayers."

Liberty shooting victims united by circumstance
By Allen G. Breed
The Associated Press

The paths that brought six men together in a Baghdad military clinic traced across the globe, from South America to rural Missouri, from the islands of Alaska to deepest Antarctica, before intersecting in a tragic shooting spree.

Authorities say Sgt. John M. Russell, who was nearing the end of his third tour in Iraq, was deeply angry at the military when he walked into the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty on Monday and opened fire.

Two of the men who died devoted their careers to helping men like Russell: soldiers suffering from the stress of combat and repeated deployments to dangerous overseas war zones.

Keith Springle, a Navy commander who grew up swimming and fishing off the North Carolina coast, was in Iraq because it was his duty as a military psychologist. Dr. Matthew Houseal, a psychiatrist and major in the Army Reserve, was there because he felt he needed to be.

The three other victims were Russell’s comrades. Soldiers like the Maryland rebel who liked tinkering with guns and despised “pencil pushers.” A Peru native who, whether walking the streets of New Jersey or the dirt roads of Iraq, was a magnet for candy-seeking kids. And the shy video gamer from Missouri whose refusal to back down probably cost him his life.

Killed were Springle, 52, from Beaufort, N.C.; Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas; Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md., who had met Russell shortly before the shootings.

The remains of Houseal, Yates and Bueno-Galdos were brought to Dover Air Force Base Wednesday night with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, attending. The three transfer containers were lowered down on a lift from a 747 commercial airplane, and six military personnel carried them onto a white truck. The families chose not to give interviews.

Family and teachers said Jacob Barton was a quiet student who loved graphic novels and science fiction. Growing up with his grandmother in the house, he sometimes had trouble relating to kids his own age.

“His grandmother was foremost on his mind at all times,” said Rod Waldrip, Barton’s high school English teacher at Rolla High School, where Barton graduated last year. “He sometimes wouldn’t do after-school activities because he had to see if she was OK.”

Barton’s older sister had been in the Army, and by graduation he’d already made up his mind to follow her. The grandmother he rushed home to see, Rose Coleman, said he was adjusting to life in the Army and that he “seemed to like it.”

Although he was reserved, he wasn’t afraid. Waldrip remembers seeing Barton come to the rescue of somebody who was getting bullied.

“He wouldn’t say much unless there was some injustice being done, and then he would speak up.”

Coleman said the Army told the family that Barton died trying to shield another man from the shooting.

“And he tried to talk the guy with the gun to put his gun down,” she said.

Springle, whose first assignment with the Navy was in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, wanted to be make sure mental health issues faced by soldiers and their families were treated properly, said Staff Sgt. Robert Mullis from the 1451st Transportation Company of the N.C. National Guard, who was part of a civilian outreach program with Springle.

“He saw it as preventive maintenance,” Mullis said. “They’ve just been through some tough experiences. He was reaching out trying to try and stop a big beast before it got started.”

Springle grew up in the little fishing village of Lewiston, N.C., just east of Beaufort. Cousin Alton Dudley said the pair were a kind of saltwater Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

“It was a carefree life,” said Dudley, a fishing boat captain who was nine years older than Springle. “I am sure that he joined the Navy so that he could be at sea or close to it.”

All who knew him talked about Springle’s sense of humor and upbeat attitude. But Springle — whose son and son-in-law have each done a tour in Iraq — took the issue of combat stress very seriously. His work on the homefront with the Citizen-Soldier Support Program was a labor of love.

“This was volunteer work,” said Bob Goodale, director of behavioral mental health for the program. “He was doing this because it was the right thing to do — training civilian providers so they were better equipped to serve the families and the service members.”

Houseal was under no obligation to go to Iraq, but he was already something of an adventurer.

In 1991, the University of Michigan graduate was a physician at the Amundsen-Scott Station near the South Pole in a climate research project, said Mike O’Neill, the group’s electronics technician.

“He came in at the last minute not knowing anybody,” O’Neill said. “That’s one of the reasons I really respected him.”

Houseal was inquisitive, always checking on people at the station, even if it meant braving temperatures that dropped to minus-107 degrees that year.

The Amarillo man had worked for a dozen years at the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation clinic, said executive director Bud Schertler. He left Texas for Iraq in late January and was assigned to the 55th Medical Company in Indianapolis, which ran the clinic where the shootings occurred.

Bueno-Galdos couldn’t wait to serve his adopted country and did so exceptionally, earning three Army Commendation Medals.

He was 7 when his family emigrated from Mollendo, Peru. The youngest of four children, he became a U.S. citizen in high school and joined the Army as soon as he graduated.

Back home in Paterson, he never made a trip to the corner bodega without a group of neighborhood children tailing him, knowing he would buy them candy or soda, his family recalled. It was the same in Iraq, where he was on his second tour.

On Mother’s Day, Eugenia Gardos made a small shrine to her recently deceased mother, placing her photograph on a small glass table surrounded by silk roses, a rosary necklace, votives and a prayer card of Senor de los Milagros — patron saint of Peru. The next day, she added a photo of her son Christian to the memorial.

“We want people to know we’re proud of our son’s Army, but if my son had died in war we would be able to handle that,” said his father, Carlos Bueno. “But not to die in this manner.”

Yates displayed zeal for serving in the Army, but perhaps not his locale, as evidenced by his MySpace page.

His profile lists his location as “(expletive), Iraq.” For his education, he listed his major as “KILLING F...ERS” and his minor as “SHOOTING THEM IN THE FACE.” Under clubs, he declared himself a member of “THE US ARMY THE BEST ORGINIZATION.”

Yates’ mother, Shawna Machlinski, said her son joined the Army not out of a sense of duty, but because he didn’t see many other options. Besides, his stepfather and two stepbrothers were military men.

“Michael was a hands-on person who didn’t like book work,” she said. “He liked putting guns together ... He just wanted to do something that he thought he would be good at, and he always liked guns and that kind of stuff.”

So two years ago, he got his GED and signed up.

Alexis Mister, 18, of Seaford, Del., and the mother of Michael Yates’ son Kamren, said he was an extremely caring father. “He was always was concerned with Kamren so much,” she said. “He loved him.”

Mister said Yates came home in April for the boy’s first birthday party and doted on his son by buying him a four-wheeler. “It’s absolutely devastating,” Mister said, choking up during a telephone interview discussing Yates’ death. “My son doesn’t have a father anymore.”

Yates’ mother said that April trip left him anxious. He wasn’t home long enough, but he’d still been away from “my military family” too long. Once back in Iraq, his mother said he began to think about things he wished he’d done while visiting Maryland.

When the strong emotions began surfacing, she said, he was transferred to headquarters company “so he could stay out of combat.”

“He didn’t like headquarters at all,” said Machlinski. “He said they’re stupid pencil pushers.”

Despite the stigma, Yates volunteered to go to the stress clinic.

“I need help dealing with this,” he told his mom.

Yates had been at the clinic nearly a week when he told his mother he bumped into Russell. Yates told her Russell seemed like a nice enough guy. But after three tours, he clearly hated the Army.

“Man, this guy’s got issues,” she remembers him telling her.

Russell, 44, who just shy of finishing his third tour, told his family that the clinic was hurting more than helping. Now, he is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault.

As angry as Machlinski is at Russell for taking her boy, she’s angrier at the military.

“My heart goes out to him, too,” she said of Russell. “Someone should have helped this sergeant way before he got this bad. I would rather have my son doing his job in combat, I would rather him have been blown up by a bomb ... than be shot by friendly fire.”

———

Breed reported from Raleigh, N.C. Contributing to this report were Associated Press Writers Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo.; Samantha Henry in Paterson, N.J.; Kevin Maurer in Wilmington, N.C.; Brian Witte in Seaford, Del.; Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas; and Linda Franklin and Regina L. Burns in Dallas.

Army Maj. Matthew P. Houseal was killed in a shooting by a U.S. soldier at Camp Liberty, Iraq on 5/11/09.

Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.

Spc. Barton was assigned to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade, Waco, Texas; died May 11, 2009 from injuries sustained in a shooting by a U.S. soldier at Camp Liberty, Iraq. Also killed were Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, Army Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle and Army Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr.

Ozarks First -- (Rolla, MO) -- We're learning more about the five soldiers who died in iraq earlier this week.

One of the victims is Jacob Barton of Lenox, Missouri. That's just south of Rolla.


The 20-year old was shot at Camp Liberty in Baghdad.

There's been some grieving, reflection, even anger.


Mostly though it's been heavy hearts, as people learn about the soldier.


People who knew him best say he was devoted not only to his family but his country.

Rolla High School English teacher Rod Waldrip still remembers the favorite seat of one of his students and dear friends.


"He was like a son to me," Waldrip said.


In less than a year's time, Barton graduated from the Ozarks to the front lines in Iraq.


"He always wanted to be a soldier," Waldrip said.

That lifelong dream ended up costing Barton his life. Not from enemy fire, but a fellow soldier.


"We were stunned. We were shocked," Barton's counselor Kimberly Maskrey said.


She says the loss has been especially difficult for Barton's family and the school faculty.


"He was a family man who was very authentic," Maskrey said.


One of Barton's favorite hangouts was the library. Teachers say he was a big sci-fi reader.


"He saw things the other kids couldn't put into words."


The one word Waldrip says he'll always use when describing the hardworker, is hero. That's because he took the bullet for one of his fellow soldiers and friends.

"I hope that man knows what Barker means to us here," Waldrip said


Barker's heroics will soon be honored at the high school. Waldrip says he may never let another student sit in this seat after this year.


Teachers and counselors say the news of Barton's death has been slow to reach the students.


They say they've seen some tears shed this week, as well as a couple of lowered heads.


Faculty also says what makes this worse for them is the fact that summer is so close.


They will have a long three months to think about the tragedy.

The Associated Press

The paths that brought six men together in a Baghdad military clinic traced across the globe, from South America to rural Missouri, from the islands of Alaska to deepest Antarctica, before intersecting in a tragic shooting spree.

Authorities say Sgt. John M. Russell, who was nearing the end of his third tour in Iraq, was deeply angry at the military when he walked into the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty on Monday and opened fire.

Two of the men who died devoted their careers to helping men like Russell: soldiers suffering from the stress of combat and repeated deployments to dangerous overseas war zones.

Keith Springle, a Navy commander who grew up swimming and fishing off the North Carolina coast, was in Iraq because it was his duty as a military psychologist. Dr. Matthew Houseal, a psychiatrist and major in the Army Reserve, was there because he felt he needed to be.

The three other victims were Russell’s comrades. Soldiers like the Maryland rebel who liked tinkering with guns and despised “pencil pushers.” A Peru native who, whether walking the streets of New Jersey or the dirt roads of Iraq, was a magnet for candy-seeking kids. And the shy video gamer from Missouri whose refusal to back down probably cost him his life.

Killed were Springle, 52, from Beaufort, N.C.; Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas; Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md., who had met Russell shortly before the shootings.

The remains of Houseal, Yates and Bueno-Galdos were brought to Dover Air Force Base Wednesday night with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, attending. The three transfer containers were lowered down on a lift from a 747 commercial airplane, and six military personnel carried them onto a white truck. The families chose not to give interviews.

Family and teachers said Jacob Barton was a quiet student who loved graphic novels and science fiction. Growing up with his grandmother in the house, he sometimes had trouble relating to kids his own age.

“His grandmother was foremost on his mind at all times,” said Rod Waldrip, Barton’s high school English teacher at Rolla High School, where Barton graduated last year. “He sometimes wouldn’t do after-school activities because he had to see if she was OK.”

Barton’s older sister had been in the Army, and by graduation he’d already made up his mind to follow her. The grandmother he rushed home to see, Rose Coleman, said he was adjusting to life in the Army and that he “seemed to like it.”

Although he was reserved, he wasn’t afraid. Waldrip remembers seeing Barton come to the rescue of somebody who was getting bullied.

“He wouldn’t say much unless there was some injustice being done, and then he would speak up.”

Coleman said the Army told the family that Barton died trying to shield another man from the shooting.

“And he tried to talk the guy with the gun to put his gun down,” she said.

Springle, whose first assignment with the Navy was in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, wanted to be make sure mental health issues faced by soldiers and their families were treated properly, said Staff Sgt. Robert Mullis from the 1451st Transportation Company of the N.C. National Guard, who was part of a civilian outreach program with Springle.

“He saw it as preventive maintenance,” Mullis said. “They’ve just been through some tough experiences. He was reaching out trying to try and stop a big beast before it got started.”

Springle grew up in the little fishing village of Lewiston, N.C., just east of Beaufort. Cousin Alton Dudley said the pair were a kind of sal*censored*er Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

“It was a carefree life,” said Dudley, a fishing boat captain who was nine years older than Springle. “I am sure that he joined the Navy so that he could be at sea or close to it.”

All who knew him talked about Springle’s sense of humor and upbeat attitude. But Springle — whose son and son-in-law have each done a tour in Iraq — took the issue of combat stress very seriously. His work on the homefront with the Citizen-Soldier Support Program was a labor of love.

“This was volunteer work,” said Bob Goodale, director of behavioral mental health for the program. “He was doing this because it was the right thing to do — training civilian providers so they were better equipped to serve the families and the service members.”

Houseal was under no obligation to go to Iraq, but he was already something of an adventurer.

In 1991, the University of Michigan graduate was a physician at the Amundsen-Scott Station near the South Pole in a climate research project, said Mike O’Neill, the group’s electronics technician.

“He came in at the last minute not knowing anybody,” O’Neill said. “That’s one of the reasons I really respected him.”

Houseal was inquisitive, always checking on people at the station, even if it meant braving temperatures that dropped to minus-107 degrees that year.

The Amarillo man had worked for a dozen years at the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation clinic, said executive director Bud Schertler. He left Texas for Iraq in late January and was assigned to the 55th Medical Company in Indianapolis, which ran the clinic where the shootings occurred.

Bueno-Galdos couldn’t wait to serve his adopted country and did so exceptionally, earning three Army Commendation Medals.

He was 7 when his family emigrated from Mollendo, Peru. The youngest of four children, he became a U.S. citizen in high school and joined the Army as soon as he graduated.

Back home in Paterson, he never made a trip to the corner bodega without a group of neighborhood children tailing him, knowing he would buy them candy or soda, his family recalled. It was the same in Iraq, where he was on his second tour.

On Mother’s Day, Eugenia Gardos made a small shrine to her recently deceased mother, placing her photograph on a small glass table surrounded by silk roses, a rosary necklace, votives and a prayer card of Senor de los Milagros — patron saint of Peru. The next day, she added a photo of her son Christian to the memorial.

“We want people to know we’re proud of our son’s Army, but if my son had died in war we would be able to handle that,” said his father, Carlos Bueno. “But not to die in this manner.”

Yates displayed zeal for serving in the Army, but perhaps not his locale, as evidenced by his MySpace page.

His profile lists his location as “(expletive), Iraq.” For his education, he listed his major as “KILLING F...ERS” and his minor as “SHOOTING THEM IN THE FACE.” Under clubs, he declared himself a member of “THE US ARMY THE BEST ORGINIZATION.”

Yates’ mother, Shawna Machlinski, said her son joined the Army not out of a sense of duty, but because he didn’t see many other options. Besides, his stepfather and two stepbrothers were military men.

“Michael was a hands-on person who didn’t like book work,” she said. “He liked putting guns together ... He just wanted to do something that he thought he would be good at, and he always liked guns and that kind of stuff.”

So two years ago, he got his GED and signed up.

Alexis Mister, 18, of Seaford, Del., and the mother of Michael Yates’ son Kamren, said he was an extremely caring father. “He was always was concerned with Kamren so much,” she said. “He loved him.”

Mister said Yates came home in April for the boy’s first birthday party and doted on his son by buying him a four-wheeler. “It’s absolutely devastating,” Mister said, choking up during a telephone interview discussing Yates’ death. “My son doesn’t have a father anymore.”

Yates’ mother said that April trip left him anxious. He wasn’t home long enough, but he’d still been away from “my military family” too long. Once back in Iraq, his mother said he began to think about things he wished he’d done while visiting Maryland.

When the strong emotions began surfacing, she said, he was transferred to headquarters company “so he could stay out of combat.”

“He didn’t like headquarters at all,” said Machlinski. “He said they’re stupid pencil pushers.”

Despite the stigma, Yates volunteered to go to the stress clinic.

“I need help dealing with this,” he told his mom.

Yates had been at the clinic nearly a week when he told his mother he bumped into Russell. Yates told her Russell seemed like a nice enough guy. But after three tours, he clearly hated the Army.

“Man, this guy’s got issues,” she remembers him telling her.

Russell, 44, who just shy of finishing his third tour, told his family that the clinic was hurting more than helping. Now, he is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault.

As angry as Machlinski is at Russell for taking her boy, she’s angrier at the military.

“My heart goes out to him, too,” she said of Russell. “Someone should have helped this sergeant way before he got this bad. I would rather have my son doing his job in combat, I would rather him have been blown up by a bomb ... than be shot by friendly fire.”

Liberty shooting victims united by circumstance
By Allen G. Breed
The Associated Press

The paths that brought six men together in a Baghdad military clinic traced across the globe, from South America to rural Missouri, from the islands of Alaska to deepest Antarctica, before intersecting in a tragic shooting spree.

Authorities say Sgt. John M. Russell, who was nearing the end of his third tour in Iraq, was deeply angry at the military when he walked into the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty on Monday and opened fire.

Two of the men who died devoted their careers to helping men like Russell: soldiers suffering from the stress of combat and repeated deployments to dangerous overseas war zones.

Keith Springle, a Navy commander who grew up swimming and fishing off the North Carolina coast, was in Iraq because it was his duty as a military psychologist. Dr. Matthew Houseal, a psychiatrist and major in the Army Reserve, was there because he felt he needed to be.

The three other victims were Russell’s comrades. Soldiers like the Maryland rebel who liked tinkering with guns and despised “pencil pushers.” A Peru native who, whether walking the streets of New Jersey or the dirt roads of Iraq, was a magnet for candy-seeking kids. And the shy video gamer from Missouri whose refusal to back down probably cost him his life.

Killed were Springle, 52, from Beaufort, N.C.; Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas; Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md., who had met Russell shortly before the shootings.

The remains of Houseal, Yates and Bueno-Galdos were brought to Dover Air Force Base Wednesday night with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, attending. The three transfer containers were lowered down on a lift from a 747 commercial airplane, and six military personnel carried them onto a white truck. The families chose not to give interviews.

Family and teachers said Jacob Barton was a quiet student who loved graphic novels and science fiction. Growing up with his grandmother in the house, he sometimes had trouble relating to kids his own age.

“His grandmother was foremost on his mind at all times,” said Rod Waldrip, Barton’s high school English teacher at Rolla High School, where Barton graduated last year. “He sometimes wouldn’t do after-school activities because he had to see if she was OK.”

Barton’s older sister had been in the Army, and by graduation he’d already made up his mind to follow her. The grandmother he rushed home to see, Rose Coleman, said he was adjusting to life in the Army and that he “seemed to like it.”

Although he was reserved, he wasn’t afraid. Waldrip remembers seeing Barton come to the rescue of somebody who was getting bullied.

“He wouldn’t say much unless there was some injustice being done, and then he would speak up.”

Coleman said the Army told the family that Barton died trying to shield another man from the shooting.

“And he tried to talk the guy with the gun to put his gun down,” she said.

Springle, whose first assignment with the Navy was in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, wanted to be make sure mental health issues faced by soldiers and their families were treated properly, said Staff Sgt. Robert Mullis from the 1451st Transportation Company of the N.C. National Guard, who was part of a civilian outreach program with Springle.

“He saw it as preventive maintenance,” Mullis said. “They’ve just been through some tough experiences. He was reaching out trying to try and stop a big beast before it got started.”

Springle grew up in the little fishing village of Lewiston, N.C., just east of Beaufort. Cousin Alton Dudley said the pair were a kind of saltwater Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

“It was a carefree life,” said Dudley, a fishing boat captain who was nine years older than Springle. “I am sure that he joined the Navy so that he could be at sea or close to it.”

All who knew him talked about Springle’s sense of humor and upbeat attitude. But Springle — whose son and son-in-law have each done a tour in Iraq — took the issue of combat stress very seriously. His work on the homefront with the Citizen-Soldier Support Program was a labor of love.

“This was volunteer work,” said Bob Goodale, director of behavioral mental health for the program. “He was doing this because it was the right thing to do — training civilian providers so they were better equipped to serve the families and the service members.”

Houseal was under no obligation to go to Iraq, but he was already something of an adventurer.

In 1991, the University of Michigan graduate was a physician at the Amundsen-Scott Station near the South Pole in a climate research project, said Mike O’Neill, the group’s electronics technician.

“He came in at the last minute not knowing anybody,” O’Neill said. “That’s one of the reasons I really respected him.”

Houseal was inquisitive, always checking on people at the station, even if it meant braving temperatures that dropped to minus-107 degrees that year.

The Amarillo man had worked for a dozen years at the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation clinic, said executive director Bud Schertler. He left Texas for Iraq in late January and was assigned to the 55th Medical Company in Indianapolis, which ran the clinic where the shootings occurred.

Bueno-Galdos couldn’t wait to serve his adopted country and did so exceptionally, earning three Army Commendation Medals.

He was 7 when his family emigrated from Mollendo, Peru. The youngest of four children, he became a U.S. citizen in high school and joined the Army as soon as he graduated.

Back home in Paterson, he never made a trip to the corner bodega without a group of neighborhood children tailing him, knowing he would buy them candy or soda, his family recalled. It was the same in Iraq, where he was on his second tour.

On Mother’s Day, Eugenia Gardos made a small shrine to her recently deceased mother, placing her photograph on a small glass table surrounded by silk roses, a rosary necklace, votives and a prayer card of Senor de los Milagros — patron saint of Peru. The next day, she added a photo of her son Christian to the memorial.

“We want people to know we’re proud of our son’s Army, but if my son had died in war we would be able to handle that,” said his father, Carlos Bueno. “But not to die in this manner.”

Yates displayed zeal for serving in the Army, but perhaps not his locale, as evidenced by his MySpace page.

His profile lists his location as “(expletive), Iraq.” For his education, he listed his major as “KILLING F...ERS” and his minor as “SHOOTING THEM IN THE FACE.” Under clubs, he declared himself a member of “THE US ARMY THE BEST ORGINIZATION.”

Yates’ mother, Shawna Machlinski, said her son joined the Army not out of a sense of duty, but because he didn’t see many other options. Besides, his stepfather and two stepbrothers were military men.

“Michael was a hands-on person who didn’t like book work,” she said. “He liked putting guns together ... He just wanted to do something that he thought he would be good at, and he always liked guns and that kind of stuff.”

So two years ago, he got his GED and signed up.

Alexis Mister, 18, of Seaford, Del., and the mother of Michael Yates’ son Kamren, said he was an extremely caring father. “He was always was concerned with Kamren so much,” she said. “He loved him.”

Mister said Yates came home in April for the boy’s first birthday party and doted on his son by buying him a four-wheeler. “It’s absolutely devastating,” Mister said, choking up during a telephone interview discussing Yates’ death. “My son doesn’t have a father anymore.”

Yates’ mother said that April trip left him anxious. He wasn’t home long enough, but he’d still been away from “my military family” too long. Once back in Iraq, his mother said he began to think about things he wished he’d done while visiting Maryland.

When the strong emotions began surfacing, she said, he was transferred to headquarters company “so he could stay out of combat.”

“He didn’t like headquarters at all,” said Machlinski. “He said they’re stupid pencil pushers.”

Despite the stigma, Yates volunteered to go to the stress clinic.

“I need help dealing with this,” he told his mom.

Yates had been at the clinic nearly a week when he told his mother he bumped into Russell. Yates told her Russell seemed like a nice enough guy. But after three tours, he clearly hated the Army.

“Man, this guy’s got issues,” she remembers him telling her.

Russell, 44, who just shy of finishing his third tour, told his family that the clinic was hurting more than helping. Now, he is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault.

As angry as Machlinski is at Russell for taking her boy, she’s angrier at the military.

“My heart goes out to him, too,” she said of Russell. “Someone should have helped this sergeant way before he got this bad. I would rather have my son doing his job in combat, I would rather him have been blown up by a bomb ... than be shot by friendly fire.”

———

Breed reported from Raleigh, N.C. Contributing to this report were Associated Press Writers Maria Sudekum Fisher in Kansas City, Mo.; Samantha Henry in Paterson, N.J.; Kevin Maurer in Wilmington, N.C.; Brian Witte in Seaford, Del.; Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas; and Linda Franklin and Regina L. Burns in Dallas.

Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton was killed in a shooting by a U.S. soldier at Camp Liberty, Iraq on 5/11/09.