Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Alexander J. Miller, 21, of Clermont, Fla.
Spc. Miller was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 31, 2009 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
My Fox Orlando -- WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Defense announced on Monday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Alexander J. Miller, 21, of Clermont, died July 31 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum. N.Y.
Fort Drum officials say Miller joined the U.S. Army in January 2007. After completing training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Miller came to Fort Drum in June 2007.
Miller's awards and citations include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
“He was a great kid and we are going to miss him,” said BJ Gomez. Both Gomez and Alexander attended South Lake High in Clermont
“It does impact very close to home but he was out there doing what he loved doing best and I am proud of him for that,” said Gomez.
Miller enlisted in the armed forces right after high school at the age of 19. He was an Army Specialist and according to his friends, this was his dream to serve his country.
Miller’s mother was too emotionally distraught to talk to FOX 35, but Miller's brother said this is a difficult time and that the community has been very supportive.
Funeral arrangements have not been disclosed as of yet.
Army Spc. Alexander J. Miller was killed in action on 7/31/09.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
LCpl. Stroud was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
News On 6 -- OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 20-year-old Marine from Cashion was killed in line of duty in Afghanistan.
A family friend said Jonathan Stroud was killed Thursday morning during a fire fight.
Stroud's close friend, Sam Boyd, said he's proud of Jonathan's service and sacrifice.
"He already had a high view of the United States as it was. Becoming a Marine was just, Jonathan was so spontaneous there was no reason behind it other than he wanted to do it," Boyd said.
Stroud joined the Marine Corp in May 2008 and was stationed in Afghanistan since June 1.
Stroud leaves behind his wife Lacie who is pregnant with the couple's first child. The baby is due in December.
Stroud graduated from Cashion High School and faculty said he was exceptionally intelligent. His former counselor said God gifted him with superior skills in reading and writing, enough that she said she didn't mind when he occasionally snuck into the teacher's lounge to grab a pop.
Those who remember Stroud in high school said he was goofy and gangly, and that's the way they liked him.
"Probably one of the most honest, dorkiest, nicest guys you could possibly meet," Boyd said.
A family friend said Stroud's mother and sister will meet his wife in North Carolina. They'll bring his body back to Cashion for burial.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
LCpl. Stroud was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
News On 6 -- OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 20-year-old Marine from Cashion was killed in line of duty in Afghanistan.
A family friend said Jonathan Stroud was killed Thursday morning during a fire fight.
Stroud's close friend, Sam Boyd, said he's proud of Jonathan's service and sacrifice.
"He already had a high view of the United States as it was. Becoming a Marine was just, Jonathan was so spontaneous there was no reason behind it other than he wanted to do it," Boyd said.
Stroud joined the Marine Corp in May 2008 and was stationed in Afghanistan since June 1.
Stroud leaves behind his wife Lacie who is pregnant with the couple's first child. The baby is due in December.
Stroud graduated from Cashion High School and faculty said he was exceptionally intelligent. His former counselor said God gifted him with superior skills in reading and writing, enough that she said she didn't mind when he occasionally snuck into the teacher's lounge to grab a pop.
Those who remember Stroud in high school said he was goofy and gangly, and that's the way they liked him.
"Probably one of the most honest, dorkiest, nicest guys you could possibly meet," Boyd said.
A family friend said Stroud's mother and sister will meet his wife in North Carolina. They'll bring his body back to Cashion for burial.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
LCpl Posey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
WBIR -- The U.S. Military said a local Marine was killed in combat Friday.
According to a statement from the Department of Defense, Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville died while supporting "Operation Eduring Freedom."
He was fatally wounded during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Posey was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was deployed on May 18 with the United States Marine Corps 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, according to the Herald-Chronicle in Winchester, Tenn.
Although the statement said Posey is from Knoxville, his parents Delma and Steven Posey live in Winchester, Tenn., and he graduated from Franklin High School in 2005.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
LCpl Posey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
WBIR -- The U.S. Military said a local Marine was killed in combat Friday.
According to a statement from the Department of Defense, Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville died while supporting "Operation Eduring Freedom."
He was fatally wounded during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Posey was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was deployed on May 18 with the United States Marine Corps 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, according to the Herald-Chronicle in Winchester, Tenn.
Although the statement said Posey is from Knoxville, his parents Delma and Steven Posey live in Winchester, Tenn., and he graduated from Franklin High School in 2005.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III, 38, of Concrete, Wash.
CWO2 Vose was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Stuttgart, Germany; died July 29, 2009 in Kabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
‘He was a soldier first’
The Associated Press
Doug Vose was described as a courageous Green Beret who was both confident on the battlefield and relaxed while enjoying a glass of fine red wine.
“That’s what made Doug so unique,” said Dave Takaki, a retired master sergeant who served with Vose.
Vose, 38, of Concrete, Wash., was based in Stuttgart, Germany. He spoke fluent German.
He was killed July 29 after insurgents attacked his unit in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Vose is survived by his wife, Nicole, two sons, two daughters and mother, Paulette.
His late father was a Marine who instilled a strong work ethic in him, said Vicki Frank, the mother of one of Vose’s best friends.
“He was the best citizen and had the sweetest temperament,” she said.
As a youth, Vose would split wood each day with his brother. Then, he would work a shift at Red Apple, a local market, Frank said.
After graduating from high school in 1988, Vose joined the Army. A decade later, he joined the Special Forces, and began rising through the ranks.
“The whole family is military, and that’s all Doug wanted to do,” Frank said. “He was a soldier first.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III was killed in action on 7/29/09.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III, 38, of Concrete, Wash.
CWO2 Vose was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Stuttgart, Germany; died July 29, 2009 in Kabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
‘He was a soldier first’
The Associated Press
Doug Vose was described as a courageous Green Beret who was both confident on the battlefield and relaxed while enjoying a glass of fine red wine.
“That’s what made Doug so unique,” said Dave Takaki, a retired master sergeant who served with Vose.
Vose, 38, of Concrete, Wash., was based in Stuttgart, Germany. He spoke fluent German.
He was killed July 29 after insurgents attacked his unit in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Vose is survived by his wife, Nicole, two sons, two daughters and mother, Paulette.
His late father was a Marine who instilled a strong work ethic in him, said Vicki Frank, the mother of one of Vose’s best friends.
“He was the best citizen and had the sweetest temperament,” she said.
As a youth, Vose would split wood each day with his brother. Then, he would work a shift at Red Apple, a local market, Frank said.
After graduating from high school in 1988, Vose joined the Army. A decade later, he joined the Special Forces, and began rising through the ranks.
“The whole family is military, and that’s all Doug wanted to do,” Frank said. “He was a soldier first.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III was killed in action on 7/29/09.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill.
Sgt. Smith was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry, Illinois Army National Guard, Marion, Ill.; died July 29, 2009 in Herat, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Illinois soldier posthumously promoted
The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A 19-year-old central Illinois soldier who died of a non-combat-related injury in Afghanistan late last month has been posthumously promoted.
The Illinois Army National Guard says Spc. Gerrick Smith of Sullivan has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He died July 29.
Smith enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in February 2007. This was his first deployment.
Smith was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry based in Marion. The unit had been in Afghanistan since December 2008.
Visitation is being held at 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday at Sullivan High School. Graveside services will be held following Saturday’s visitation at Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan.
Smith made the extra effort to keep friends laughing
The Associated Press
Gerrick D. Smith knew even before he graduated from high school in 2008 that he wanted to be in the military. He joined the Illinois Army National Guard in his junior year.
“If you needed someone to have your back, Gerrick was that guy,” longtime friend and fellow soldier Tyler Craven said. “He would stand up with you to the bitter end.”
Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill., died July 29 of a noncombat-related injury in Heart, Afghanistan. His death is under investigation.
He was based in Marion, Ill. It was the first deployment for the former football and soccer player and choir singer from Sullivan (Ill.) High School.
Friends described him as an energetic performer who tried to make people laugh by occasionally goofing off — even once putting on a dress — and occasionally drew tattoos on friends during study hall.
Sullivan police chief John Love said he saw a change when Smith returned to town with a deep pride about serving his country.
“He left here as a kid and came back as a soldier,” Love said.
Smith is survived by his parents, Marilyn Smith and David Jones, a sister and a half-brother.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith died from a non-combat related incident on 7/29/09.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill.
Sgt. Smith was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry, Illinois Army National Guard, Marion, Ill.; died July 29, 2009 in Herat, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Illinois soldier posthumously promoted
The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A 19-year-old central Illinois soldier who died of a non-combat-related injury in Afghanistan late last month has been posthumously promoted.
The Illinois Army National Guard says Spc. Gerrick Smith of Sullivan has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He died July 29.
Smith enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in February 2007. This was his first deployment.
Smith was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry based in Marion. The unit had been in Afghanistan since December 2008.
Visitation is being held at 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday at Sullivan High School. Graveside services will be held following Saturday’s visitation at Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan.
Smith made the extra effort to keep friends laughing
The Associated Press
Gerrick D. Smith knew even before he graduated from high school in 2008 that he wanted to be in the military. He joined the Illinois Army National Guard in his junior year.
“If you needed someone to have your back, Gerrick was that guy,” longtime friend and fellow soldier Tyler Craven said. “He would stand up with you to the bitter end.”
Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill., died July 29 of a noncombat-related injury in Heart, Afghanistan. His death is under investigation.
He was based in Marion, Ill. It was the first deployment for the former football and soccer player and choir singer from Sullivan (Ill.) High School.
Friends described him as an energetic performer who tried to make people laugh by occasionally goofing off — even once putting on a dress — and occasionally drew tattoos on friends during study hall.
Sullivan police chief John Love said he saw a change when Smith returned to town with a deep pride about serving his country.
“He left here as a kid and came back as a soldier,” Love said.
Smith is survived by his parents, Marilyn Smith and David Jones, a sister and a half-brother.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith died from a non-combat related incident on 7/29/09.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla.
Pfc. Vincent was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 25, 2009 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine ‘touched a lot of hearts,’ dad says
The Associated Press
Donald W. Vincent — better known by his middle name, Wayne — had to work a few odd jobs before everything really fell into place.
“Wayne found he needed to get his life in focus,” said his father, Lee, a retired Navy captain. “The Marines was a means to an end. ... He discovered abilities he didn’t know he had.”
Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla., died July 25 after being wounded in combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Family and friends recalled that Vincent’s experiences in the Marines gave him a different perspective on life, and that his skills in math and other areas developed with his training. He had worked as an electrician and at a couple of restaurants before deciding to join the military.
“The Marines helped him discover his confidence,” said friend Ian Walters.
Vincent, who loved to hunt, fish and scallop, was the oldest Marine in his unit, earning him the nickname “the old man,” said his mother, Betty Sue.
“He touched a lot of hearts,” Lee Vincent said. “People really loved him and they’re broken-hearted with us.”
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent was killed in action on 7/25/09.
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla.
Pfc. Vincent was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 25, 2009 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine ‘touched a lot of hearts,’ dad says
The Associated Press
Donald W. Vincent — better known by his middle name, Wayne — had to work a few odd jobs before everything really fell into place.
“Wayne found he needed to get his life in focus,” said his father, Lee, a retired Navy captain. “The Marines was a means to an end. ... He discovered abilities he didn’t know he had.”
Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla., died July 25 after being wounded in combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Family and friends recalled that Vincent’s experiences in the Marines gave him a different perspective on life, and that his skills in math and other areas developed with his training. He had worked as an electrician and at a couple of restaurants before deciding to join the military.
“The Marines helped him discover his confidence,” said friend Ian Walters.
Vincent, who loved to hunt, fish and scallop, was the oldest Marine in his unit, earning him the nickname “the old man,” said his mother, Betty Sue.
“He touched a lot of hearts,” Lee Vincent said. “People really loved him and they’re broken-hearted with us.”
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent was killed in action on 7/25/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk, 39, of Gulfport, Miss.
SSgt. Polk was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 25, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23, 2009 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
Sun Herald -- GULFPORT — The Patriot Guard Riders are preparing to honor Army Staff. Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk as a hero when he is returned to Gulfport for burial.
The Department of Defense Monday said Polk, 39, who grew up in North Gulfport, died July 25 at a German hospital from wounds he suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, and died supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete. His family said Polk told them if anything happened to him while he was serving in the Army, he wanted to be buried at home on the Coast.
“Please stand by to render honors to Army Staff Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk, of Gulfport, MS,” was posted on the Patriot Guard Web site Monday. The Patriot Guard Riders are a diverse group of motorcycle riders across the country, who honor those who risk their lives and die for America’s freedom and security.
Ed Baker, Mississippi PGR state captain, said when they receive permission from the family, they will meet the airplane bringing Polk home and escort him to the church or funeral home. They will set up a flag line for funeral services and at the cemetery.
“We can expect anywhere from 30 to over 100 PGR members to attend,” Baker said.
A press release issued by Fort Hood Monday said Polk entered the Army in March 1992 as a cannon crewmember. He had been assigned to his team since December 2008 and had been deployed to Iraq since January.
Among his awards and decorations are: the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Among Polk’s survivors are a daughter, Mary, and a son, Antoine, who family said also serves in the military.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk died 7/25/09 of combat injuries sustained 7/23/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk, 39, of Gulfport, Miss.
SSgt. Polk was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 25, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23, 2009 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
Sun Herald -- GULFPORT — The Patriot Guard Riders are preparing to honor Army Staff. Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk as a hero when he is returned to Gulfport for burial.
The Department of Defense Monday said Polk, 39, who grew up in North Gulfport, died July 25 at a German hospital from wounds he suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, and died supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete. His family said Polk told them if anything happened to him while he was serving in the Army, he wanted to be buried at home on the Coast.
“Please stand by to render honors to Army Staff Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk, of Gulfport, MS,” was posted on the Patriot Guard Web site Monday. The Patriot Guard Riders are a diverse group of motorcycle riders across the country, who honor those who risk their lives and die for America’s freedom and security.
Ed Baker, Mississippi PGR state captain, said when they receive permission from the family, they will meet the airplane bringing Polk home and escort him to the church or funeral home. They will set up a flag line for funeral services and at the cemetery.
“We can expect anywhere from 30 to over 100 PGR members to attend,” Baker said.
A press release issued by Fort Hood Monday said Polk entered the Army in March 1992 as a cannon crewmember. He had been assigned to his team since December 2008 and had been deployed to Iraq since January.
Among his awards and decorations are: the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Among Polk’s survivors are a daughter, Mary, and a son, Antoine, who family said also serves in the military.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk died 7/25/09 of combat injuries sustained 7/23/09.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman, 21, of Spring Hill, Fla.
Spc. Coleman was assigned to 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 24, 2009 in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires.
The Tampa Tribune -- SPRING HILL - She felt it when she first met him.
Nicole Coleman wanted to know about the shaggy-haired boy who was sitting on her friend's sofa. They started dating not long after their first encounter four years ago.
They had been married for two years and he still had that heart-melting effect on her.
"He was a devoted husband," she said with a soft, quivering voice. "I'd say if we had kids, he would've made a great father."
Her husband, U.S. Army Spc. Justin Coleman of Hernando Beach, was killed Friday fighting in Afghanistan. He was 21.
Nicole Coleman was told the news Friday — the day after her birthday. Her husband was expected to return home for leave during the next few weeks.
His birthday was Aug. 31. He and his wife had planned on a joint celebration.
The soldier's affection for his wife did not go unnoticed by her mother, Rosellen Jenkins. Jenkins described Coleman as a "smart kid."
"He was really respectful and has always been great," she said of her son-in-law.
Nicole Coleman had received several calls during the past few days and had several visitors offering condolences.
"It's appreciated," she said of the support she has received from friends and acquaintances. "It's something I will never get used to."
An Associated Press photograph shows Coleman's remains arriving at Dover Air Force base in Delaware and cites the Department of Defense to identify Coleman. The Department of Defense confirmed the death Tuesday.
On its Web site, the department stated Coleman "died July 24 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires."
He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Nicole Coleman and her father-in-law went to Dover this weekend for the remains and returned home Monday evening.
Jenkins said the couple were longtime friends and very close. When Coleman deployed in January, his wife sent care packages to him, including camouflage Easter eggs.
Coleman enlisted right after graduating from Nature Coast Technical High School in 2007 and seemed intent on making a career of the military.
His wife said his Army recruiter was among the small list of guests at their wedding.
"I really didn't want to believe it," she said when she received a call from her mother Friday informing her there were men in uniform at the house.
Nicole Coleman was celebrating her birthday at her friend's house. She asked her mother to put one of the men, a sergeant, on the phone. He insisted on telling her the news in person and asked her to come to the house.
"I thought, 'There has to be some sort of confusion,'" she said. "I still don't want to believe it."
The two had made plans to raise a family together.
Services will be arranged through Downing Funeral Home. A viewing is scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
A funeral with full military honors will take place at 10 a.m. at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. A reception will follow at the VFW in Hernando Beach.
Coleman said her husband often seemed sure of himself while they were together, but they also had tender moments during which he would act shyly around her.
Their friends noticed the connection, even before they started dating.
"All of them said they knew something was going on with the way we'd flirt with each other," she said.
Coleman recalled a time when she found out he wrote a blog on his MySpace page that explained his feelings for her. He wrote it before they began dating. He was too shy to read it to her, she said.
She didn't discover it until a year after they were married.
"See that?" she playfully told him. "You really do like me."
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman was killed in action on 7/24/09.
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman, 21, of Spring Hill, Fla.
Spc. Coleman was assigned to 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 24, 2009 in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires.
The Tampa Tribune -- SPRING HILL - She felt it when she first met him.
Nicole Coleman wanted to know about the shaggy-haired boy who was sitting on her friend's sofa. They started dating not long after their first encounter four years ago.
They had been married for two years and he still had that heart-melting effect on her.
"He was a devoted husband," she said with a soft, quivering voice. "I'd say if we had kids, he would've made a great father."
Her husband, U.S. Army Spc. Justin Coleman of Hernando Beach, was killed Friday fighting in Afghanistan. He was 21.
Nicole Coleman was told the news Friday — the day after her birthday. Her husband was expected to return home for leave during the next few weeks.
His birthday was Aug. 31. He and his wife had planned on a joint celebration.
The soldier's affection for his wife did not go unnoticed by her mother, Rosellen Jenkins. Jenkins described Coleman as a "smart kid."
"He was really respectful and has always been great," she said of her son-in-law.
Nicole Coleman had received several calls during the past few days and had several visitors offering condolences.
"It's appreciated," she said of the support she has received from friends and acquaintances. "It's something I will never get used to."
An Associated Press photograph shows Coleman's remains arriving at Dover Air Force base in Delaware and cites the Department of Defense to identify Coleman. The Department of Defense confirmed the death Tuesday.
On its Web site, the department stated Coleman "died July 24 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires."
He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Nicole Coleman and her father-in-law went to Dover this weekend for the remains and returned home Monday evening.
Jenkins said the couple were longtime friends and very close. When Coleman deployed in January, his wife sent care packages to him, including camouflage Easter eggs.
Coleman enlisted right after graduating from Nature Coast Technical High School in 2007 and seemed intent on making a career of the military.
His wife said his Army recruiter was among the small list of guests at their wedding.
"I really didn't want to believe it," she said when she received a call from her mother Friday informing her there were men in uniform at the house.
Nicole Coleman was celebrating her birthday at her friend's house. She asked her mother to put one of the men, a sergeant, on the phone. He insisted on telling her the news in person and asked her to come to the house.
"I thought, 'There has to be some sort of confusion,'" she said. "I still don't want to believe it."
The two had made plans to raise a family together.
Services will be arranged through Downing Funeral Home. A viewing is scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
A funeral with full military honors will take place at 10 a.m. at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. A reception will follow at the VFW in Hernando Beach.
Coleman said her husband often seemed sure of himself while they were together, but they also had tender moments during which he would act shyly around her.
Their friends noticed the connection, even before they started dating.
"All of them said they knew something was going on with the way we'd flirt with each other," she said.
Coleman recalled a time when she found out he wrote a blog on his MySpace page that explained his feelings for her. He wrote it before they began dating. He was too shy to read it to her, she said.
She didn't discover it until a year after they were married.
"See that?" she playfully told him. "You really do like me."
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman was killed in action on 7/24/09.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealton, Va.
Spc. Berrios-Campos was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 24, 2009 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Quiet, confident described Berrios-Campos
The Associated Press
Herberth Berrios-Campos was an energetic and determined soldier before he even formally joined the military.
“He told me that he was going to join the program and be my highest-ranked cadet, and he was a man of his word, because that next term, he joined up and he stayed,” said Warren Fountain, who was Berrios-Campos’ Junior ROTC instructor in high school.
“If you asked him a question, he said he could do it. He never doubted himself. That’s one thing about Campos.”
Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealeton, Va., died July 24 in Salman Park, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.
Fountain remembered Berrios-Campos as a quiet but confident young man who enjoyed playing soccer and running cross-country. He said as a teen, Berrios-Campos often wore his uniform on days it wasn’t necessary so he could represent the military.
Capt. Joel Graves, his company commander, remembered Berrios-Campos for his “energetic youthfulness and humorous personality.”
Berrios-Campos is survived by his mother, Armida Carballos, and his father, Jose Campos.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos was killed in a non-combat related incident on 7/24/09.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealton, Va.
Spc. Berrios-Campos was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 24, 2009 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Quiet, confident described Berrios-Campos
The Associated Press
Herberth Berrios-Campos was an energetic and determined soldier before he even formally joined the military.
“He told me that he was going to join the program and be my highest-ranked cadet, and he was a man of his word, because that next term, he joined up and he stayed,” said Warren Fountain, who was Berrios-Campos’ Junior ROTC instructor in high school.
“If you asked him a question, he said he could do it. He never doubted himself. That’s one thing about Campos.”
Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealeton, Va., died July 24 in Salman Park, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.
Fountain remembered Berrios-Campos as a quiet but confident young man who enjoyed playing soccer and running cross-country. He said as a teen, Berrios-Campos often wore his uniform on days it wasn’t necessary so he could represent the military.
Capt. Joel Graves, his company commander, remembered Berrios-Campos for his “energetic youthfulness and humorous personality.”
Berrios-Campos is survived by his mother, Armida Carballos, and his father, Jose Campos.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos was killed in a non-combat related incident on 7/24/09.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier, 21, of Great Falls, Mont.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Charpentier was assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; died July 23, 2009 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., from a non-combat related illness.
Flags fly at half-staff for Great Falls sailor
The Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Brian Schweitzer has ordered the American and Montana state flags to fly at half-staff Friday and Saturday in honor of a sailor from Great Falls who died last week at a Miami hospital.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Charpentier died at a Miami hospital on July 23 of a brief, noncombat related illness. He was 21.
Charpentier had been assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Charpentier’s funeral is scheduled Saturday morning at Central Assembly of God Church in Great Falls, with burial to follow at Highland Cemetery.
Miami Herald -- A young American sailor who guarded prisoners at Guantánamo died at Jackson Memorial Hospital last week, losing a two-month battle in the intensive-care unit over what doctors suspected was a rare blood disease.
Andrew S. Charpentier, 21, of Montana was airlifted to Miami from the remote U.S. Navy base in Cuba in early June, the military said. As his circumstances grew more dire, he married his high school sweetheart on July 3 in a civil ceremony at Jackson's ICU.
``He was proud to serve, he worked really hard,'' said Kathleen Charpentier, the bride, as she prepared for a funeral Saturday in Great Falls, Mont. ``The doctors were really good. I know they tried hard and they tried everything for Andrew.''
The cause of death was still being investigated.
But Kathleen Charpentier, a college student of theology and ecology at the University of St. Mary in Kansas, said doctors treated him for a rare blood disease, known as TTP, called thrombocytopenia. During two months here, she said, his kidneys failed, then his lungs and his heart.
``He was awake and able to speak and do things,'' she said. But things turned for the worse.
The young sailor enlisted in 2007 after high school, trained as an aviations technician at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and in August was assigned to the guard force that walked the blocks of the prison camps.
``All his time was with the guard force and it was within all the camps, because they rotate,'' reported Army Maj. Diana Haynie of the Florida National Guard, from Guantánamo Wednesday.
Members of the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Charpentier's unit, pulled 12-hour shifts walking the cell blocks, watching some of the 239 foreign men held there as wartime prisoners.
His guard duty was to end in late summer, for which he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, said a Navy spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Susan Henson.
He was to return to his specialty -- avionics -- in August with a Navy air squadron known as ``The Wizards,'' VAQ133, from Whidbey Island, Wash.
His wife of three weeks said Wednesday the couple, who met as high school sophomores, had earlier planned to wed before he became ill ``once we got back from Cuba'' in August or September.
After he turned ill, she moved here to stay with a cousin in South Florida. The cousin's wife, a notary, held a simple wedding ceremony at the hospital.
Services were scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Great Falls' Central Assembly of God Church.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier died of a non-combat related illness on 7/23/09.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier, 21, of Great Falls, Mont.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Charpentier was assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; died July 23, 2009 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., from a non-combat related illness.
Flags fly at half-staff for Great Falls sailor
The Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Brian Schweitzer has ordered the American and Montana state flags to fly at half-staff Friday and Saturday in honor of a sailor from Great Falls who died last week at a Miami hospital.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Charpentier died at a Miami hospital on July 23 of a brief, noncombat related illness. He was 21.
Charpentier had been assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Charpentier’s funeral is scheduled Saturday morning at Central Assembly of God Church in Great Falls, with burial to follow at Highland Cemetery.
Miami Herald -- A young American sailor who guarded prisoners at Guantánamo died at Jackson Memorial Hospital last week, losing a two-month battle in the intensive-care unit over what doctors suspected was a rare blood disease.
Andrew S. Charpentier, 21, of Montana was airlifted to Miami from the remote U.S. Navy base in Cuba in early June, the military said. As his circumstances grew more dire, he married his high school sweetheart on July 3 in a civil ceremony at Jackson's ICU.
``He was proud to serve, he worked really hard,'' said Kathleen Charpentier, the bride, as she prepared for a funeral Saturday in Great Falls, Mont. ``The doctors were really good. I know they tried hard and they tried everything for Andrew.''
The cause of death was still being investigated.
But Kathleen Charpentier, a college student of theology and ecology at the University of St. Mary in Kansas, said doctors treated him for a rare blood disease, known as TTP, called thrombocytopenia. During two months here, she said, his kidneys failed, then his lungs and his heart.
``He was awake and able to speak and do things,'' she said. But things turned for the worse.
The young sailor enlisted in 2007 after high school, trained as an aviations technician at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and in August was assigned to the guard force that walked the blocks of the prison camps.
``All his time was with the guard force and it was within all the camps, because they rotate,'' reported Army Maj. Diana Haynie of the Florida National Guard, from Guantánamo Wednesday.
Members of the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Charpentier's unit, pulled 12-hour shifts walking the cell blocks, watching some of the 239 foreign men held there as wartime prisoners.
His guard duty was to end in late summer, for which he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, said a Navy spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Susan Henson.
He was to return to his specialty -- avionics -- in August with a Navy air squadron known as ``The Wizards,'' VAQ133, from Whidbey Island, Wash.
His wife of three weeks said Wednesday the couple, who met as high school sophomores, had earlier planned to wed before he became ill ``once we got back from Cuba'' in August or September.
After he turned ill, she moved here to stay with a cousin in South Florida. The cousin's wife, a notary, held a simple wedding ceremony at the hospital.
Services were scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Great Falls' Central Assembly of God Church.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier died of a non-combat related illness on 7/23/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher, 27, of Oneida, N.Y.
LCpl Lasher was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Ryan H. Lane and Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos.
Honors planned for Marine killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
ONEIDA, N.Y. — A motorcade and memorial service are planned for a central New York Marine killed July 23 in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher of Oneida died along with two other Marines in the southern province of Helmand, where Marines are spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces ahead of upcoming elections.
The Department of Defense didn’t release details on how he was mortally wounded.
A flight from Dover, Del., carrying the 27-year-old Marine’s body is expected to arrive at 10 a.m. Thursday at Griffiss International Airport. His remains will be taken by motorcade to a funeral home in his hometown.
The local American Legion Post and fire department are urging people to turn out for the motorcade.
Lasher was married with an infant son.
Hundreds pay tribute at funeral for NY Marine
The Associated Press
WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. — Hundreds of friends and relatives have paid respects to a Marine killed in Afghanistan at his funeral in central New York.
Lance Cpl. Ryan Lasher told mourners at a Wampsville church Saturday that his brother and fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher, “will never be forgotten.”
Jeremy Lasher and another Marine died July 23 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where Marines have been spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces.
The 27-year-old Jeremy Lasher was a married father of an infant son. Lasher was a member of the Verona Volunteer Fire Department, which presented his helmet to his family at the funeral.
Lasher has been honored at a series of remembrances in his hometown of Oneida. Hundreds of people lined its Main Street as a motorcade carried his body Thursday.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher, 27, of Oneida, N.Y.
LCpl Lasher was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Ryan H. Lane and Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos.
Honors planned for Marine killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
ONEIDA, N.Y. — A motorcade and memorial service are planned for a central New York Marine killed July 23 in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher of Oneida died along with two other Marines in the southern province of Helmand, where Marines are spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces ahead of upcoming elections.
The Department of Defense didn’t release details on how he was mortally wounded.
A flight from Dover, Del., carrying the 27-year-old Marine’s body is expected to arrive at 10 a.m. Thursday at Griffiss International Airport. His remains will be taken by motorcade to a funeral home in his hometown.
The local American Legion Post and fire department are urging people to turn out for the motorcade.
Lasher was married with an infant son.
Hundreds pay tribute at funeral for NY Marine
The Associated Press
WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. — Hundreds of friends and relatives have paid respects to a Marine killed in Afghanistan at his funeral in central New York.
Lance Cpl. Ryan Lasher told mourners at a Wampsville church Saturday that his brother and fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher, “will never be forgotten.”
Jeremy Lasher and another Marine died July 23 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where Marines have been spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces.
The 27-year-old Jeremy Lasher was a married father of an infant son. Lasher was a member of the Verona Volunteer Fire Department, which presented his helmet to his family at the funeral.
Lasher has been honored at a series of remembrances in his hometown of Oneida. Hundreds of people lined its Main Street as a motorcade carried his body Thursday.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Marine Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos, 21, of Yarmouth Port, Mass.
Cpl Xiarhos was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Ryan H. Lane and Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher.
Marine remembered as motivated, selfless
The Associated Press
At 6 feet, Nicholas G. Xiarhos was muscular and strong, but gentle at heart. After returning from service in Iraq, he changed battalions so he could be deployed to Afghanistan.
“He didn’t feel comfortable living an easy life,” said his mother, Lisa. “He just wanted to fight.”
Xiarhos, 21, of Yarmouth, Mass., was killed July 23 in a roadside bombing in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
Cpl. Matthew Madeux said Xiarhos was “one of the most phenomenal Marines” he ever met. At Camp Lejeune, he was always the first to make sure young Marines minded their manners around women, insisting they use the formal “ma’am.”
Paul Funk, Xiarhos’s high school football and baseball coach, remembered him as a motivated, selfless player. “I know he was doing something that he really believed in,” he said.
Rebecca M. Barbo, a close friends, remembered their drives around the Cape blasting classic rock. She said his peers voted to present him the “Does Most For Others” title their senior year.
“It was a no-brainer,” she said.
He also is survived by his father, Steven.
Marine Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Marine Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos, 21, of Yarmouth Port, Mass.
Cpl Xiarhos was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Ryan H. Lane and Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher.
Marine remembered as motivated, selfless
The Associated Press
At 6 feet, Nicholas G. Xiarhos was muscular and strong, but gentle at heart. After returning from service in Iraq, he changed battalions so he could be deployed to Afghanistan.
“He didn’t feel comfortable living an easy life,” said his mother, Lisa. “He just wanted to fight.”
Xiarhos, 21, of Yarmouth, Mass., was killed July 23 in a roadside bombing in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
Cpl. Matthew Madeux said Xiarhos was “one of the most phenomenal Marines” he ever met. At Camp Lejeune, he was always the first to make sure young Marines minded their manners around women, insisting they use the formal “ma’am.”
Paul Funk, Xiarhos’s high school football and baseball coach, remembered him as a motivated, selfless player. “I know he was doing something that he really believed in,” he said.
Rebecca M. Barbo, a close friends, remembered their drives around the Cape blasting classic rock. She said his peers voted to present him the “Does Most For Others” title their senior year.
“It was a no-brainer,” she said.
He also is survived by his father, Steven.
Marine Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Marine Sgt. Ryan H. Lane
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Ryan H. Lane, 25, of Pittsburgh
Sgt. Lane was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher and Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos.
Post Gazette -- Two U.S. military personnel with roots in Western Pennsylvania were killed in Afghanistan this week, contributing to the deadliest month for American forces in the region.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Lane, 25, the son of former Castle Shannon police Chief Harold Lane, died in combat yesterday, according to family friends.
Sgt. Lane arrived in Afghanistan this summer after serving at least one other tour in the country. His unit had lost several Marines in recent weeks, said Shirley McMonagle, police secretary for Castle Shannon and a close friend of the Lane family.
"He's my hero," Mrs. McMonagle said of Sgt. Lane. "He always wanted to be a Marine. He just wanted to serve his country."
Sgt. Lane, the youngest of four brothers and a graduate of Keystone Oaks High School, was an avid baseball fan and played the sport throughout his childhood. He was outgoing and friendly, Mrs. McMonagle said.
"He was a sweetheart," said Sarah Coffey, Mrs. McMonagle's granddaughter.
Sgt. Lane joined the Marines in 2002. Three years later, he saw heavy combat in Afghanistan's Khost province, according to a military report posted on the Castle Shannon Web site at the time.
He was reluctant to talk about his experiences there, Mrs. McMonagle said.
Sgt. Lane married his wife, Valerie, about two years ago. They lived at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
This year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates observed Sgt. Lane's Marine unit, Delta Company, 2nd Light Armored Recon Battalion, as it prepared to go overseas.
"I am honored he took time out of his day to watch us do this," Sgt. Lane told an Associated Press reporter. "We train like we fight -- 24/7."
Sgt. Lane's father served as Castle Shannon's police chief for 17 years, retiring in June to become an investigator for the Allegheny County district attorney's office.
"It's a terrible blow," Castle Shannon Mayor Donald Baumgarten said yesterday. "Our hearts go out to the family."
Marine Sgt. Ryan H. Lane was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Marine Sgt. Ryan H. Lane, 25, of Pittsburgh
Sgt. Lane was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher and Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos.
Post Gazette -- Two U.S. military personnel with roots in Western Pennsylvania were killed in Afghanistan this week, contributing to the deadliest month for American forces in the region.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Ryan Lane, 25, the son of former Castle Shannon police Chief Harold Lane, died in combat yesterday, according to family friends.
Sgt. Lane arrived in Afghanistan this summer after serving at least one other tour in the country. His unit had lost several Marines in recent weeks, said Shirley McMonagle, police secretary for Castle Shannon and a close friend of the Lane family.
"He's my hero," Mrs. McMonagle said of Sgt. Lane. "He always wanted to be a Marine. He just wanted to serve his country."
Sgt. Lane, the youngest of four brothers and a graduate of Keystone Oaks High School, was an avid baseball fan and played the sport throughout his childhood. He was outgoing and friendly, Mrs. McMonagle said.
"He was a sweetheart," said Sarah Coffey, Mrs. McMonagle's granddaughter.
Sgt. Lane joined the Marines in 2002. Three years later, he saw heavy combat in Afghanistan's Khost province, according to a military report posted on the Castle Shannon Web site at the time.
He was reluctant to talk about his experiences there, Mrs. McMonagle said.
Sgt. Lane married his wife, Valerie, about two years ago. They lived at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
This year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates observed Sgt. Lane's Marine unit, Delta Company, 2nd Light Armored Recon Battalion, as it prepared to go overseas.
"I am honored he took time out of his day to watch us do this," Sgt. Lane told an Associated Press reporter. "We train like we fight -- 24/7."
Sgt. Lane's father served as Castle Shannon's police chief for 17 years, retiring in June to become an investigator for the Allegheny County district attorney's office.
"It's a terrible blow," Castle Shannon Mayor Donald Baumgarten said yesterday. "Our hearts go out to the family."
Marine Sgt. Ryan H. Lane was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Army Spc. Raymundo P. Morales
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Raymundo P. Morales, 34, of Dalton, Ga.
Spc. Morales was assigned to the 148th Brigade Support Battalion, Cedartown, Ga.; died July 21, 2009 in Methar Lam, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover.
Believed in protecting his country
The Associated Press
Everyone knew Raymundo P. Morales’ smile.
“As soon as you seen him, whether he was down or not, he always had that smile no matter what,” said his aunt, Maria Vicencio, adding that the man known as “Ray” had an infectious laugh and sense of humor.
Morales, 34, of Dalton, Ga., was killed July 21 when the Humvee he was riding in rolled over in Methar Lam, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Cedartown, Ga.
The sergeant graduated from Murray County High School in 1992. He had only been in Afghanistan for about a month, but his family says he was doing what he enjoyed most.
“He was always trying to help people. He says he loved the Army, that’s why he joined,” said his uncle, Jorge Vicencio.
The Georgia National Guardsman planned to be in the military for the rest of his career, said his brother, Tommy.
“He said, ‘Daddy, if I don’t, who will? You know, who will protect us and our country?’ So that’s what he did,” Morales said.
Morales is survived by four children, his parents and a brother and sister
Army Spc. Raymundo P. Morales was killed in a vehicle rollover on 7/21/09.
Army Spc. Raymundo P. Morales, 34, of Dalton, Ga.
Spc. Morales was assigned to the 148th Brigade Support Battalion, Cedartown, Ga.; died July 21, 2009 in Methar Lam, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover.
Believed in protecting his country
The Associated Press
Everyone knew Raymundo P. Morales’ smile.
“As soon as you seen him, whether he was down or not, he always had that smile no matter what,” said his aunt, Maria Vicencio, adding that the man known as “Ray” had an infectious laugh and sense of humor.
Morales, 34, of Dalton, Ga., was killed July 21 when the Humvee he was riding in rolled over in Methar Lam, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Cedartown, Ga.
The sergeant graduated from Murray County High School in 1992. He had only been in Afghanistan for about a month, but his family says he was doing what he enjoyed most.
“He was always trying to help people. He says he loved the Army, that’s why he joined,” said his uncle, Jorge Vicencio.
The Georgia National Guardsman planned to be in the military for the rest of his career, said his brother, Tommy.
“He said, ‘Daddy, if I don’t, who will? You know, who will protect us and our country?’ So that’s what he did,” Morales said.
Morales is survived by four children, his parents and a brother and sister
Army Spc. Raymundo P. Morales was killed in a vehicle rollover on 7/21/09.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Army Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr., 24, of Garland, Texas
Sgt. Owens was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, Spc. Andrew J. Roughton and Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt.
Followed dad’s footsteps by joining military
The Associated Press
Gregory Owens Jr. had an attitude of thinking of others first. When his sister had her appendix removed one summer, he kept her company for an entire week.
And instead of taking his scheduled leave from duty in Afghanistan in July, he swapped shifts with another soldier so that he’d be home in mid-October as a surprise for his father’s 50th birthday.
Owens, 24, of Garland, Texas, died July 20 in Wardak province, Afghanistan when his vehicle was hit with a roadside bomb and enemy fire. He was based in Fort Drum, N.Y.
“He always put others before himself,” said his mother, LaDonna. “He made time to spend with other people and to listen to them.”
He was born in Germany during his father’s military service and had followed in those footsteps by joining the Army in 2007. He had graduated with honors in 2002 from Hillcrest High School, where he kept a full schedule but still managed to find time to roughhouse with his younger brothers and play sports with them.
“He did everything to keep my mom busy 24/7: band, Boy Scouts, church,” said his sister, Shelena.
Owens is survived by his parents, sister and younger brothers, Lamar and Jonathan.
Army Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr. was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Army Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr., 24, of Garland, Texas
Sgt. Owens was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, Spc. Andrew J. Roughton and Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt.
Followed dad’s footsteps by joining military
The Associated Press
Gregory Owens Jr. had an attitude of thinking of others first. When his sister had her appendix removed one summer, he kept her company for an entire week.
And instead of taking his scheduled leave from duty in Afghanistan in July, he swapped shifts with another soldier so that he’d be home in mid-October as a surprise for his father’s 50th birthday.
Owens, 24, of Garland, Texas, died July 20 in Wardak province, Afghanistan when his vehicle was hit with a roadside bomb and enemy fire. He was based in Fort Drum, N.Y.
“He always put others before himself,” said his mother, LaDonna. “He made time to spend with other people and to listen to them.”
He was born in Germany during his father’s military service and had followed in those footsteps by joining the Army in 2007. He had graduated with honors in 2002 from Hillcrest High School, where he kept a full schedule but still managed to find time to roughhouse with his younger brothers and play sports with them.
“He did everything to keep my mom busy 24/7: band, Boy Scouts, church,” said his sister, Shelena.
Owens is survived by his parents, sister and younger brothers, Lamar and Jonathan.
Army Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr. was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Army Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, 20, of Riverdale, Ga.
Spc. Lightfoot was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr., Spc. Andrew J. Roughton and Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt.
Kept alive dream of designing video game
The Associated Press
Anthony M. Lightfoot could always be spotted glued to a television set, playing video games.
He beat the Super Mario Bros. game at when he was 4, and from there his passion for gaming, animation and drawing blossomed.
“Ever since then, you couldn’t move him from the TV,” said his brother, Steven Lightfoot, 29. “Everything he touched he tried to master, and that was an awesome quality about him.”
Lightfoot, 20, of Riverdale, Ga., died July 20 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Wardak province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Drum.
Lightfoot was familiar with the military at an early age — he was born in Germany while his mother, Lyvonne, was stationed there. He grew to love his own role in the Army, and a sergeant told his family Anthony was “really loved by his unit.”
“He felt so good about himself and so good about his mission and so good about his life,” Steven Lightfoot said. “He was happy and valorous about his service.”
He still wanted to develop a career, though. Anthony Lightfoot’s family said he loved to draw and hoped to one day design a video game.
He is survived by his mother, brother and a sister, Nija.
Army Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Army Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, 20, of Riverdale, Ga.
Spc. Lightfoot was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr., Spc. Andrew J. Roughton and Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt.
Kept alive dream of designing video game
The Associated Press
Anthony M. Lightfoot could always be spotted glued to a television set, playing video games.
He beat the Super Mario Bros. game at when he was 4, and from there his passion for gaming, animation and drawing blossomed.
“Ever since then, you couldn’t move him from the TV,” said his brother, Steven Lightfoot, 29. “Everything he touched he tried to master, and that was an awesome quality about him.”
Lightfoot, 20, of Riverdale, Ga., died July 20 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Wardak province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Drum.
Lightfoot was familiar with the military at an early age — he was born in Germany while his mother, Lyvonne, was stationed there. He grew to love his own role in the Army, and a sergeant told his family Anthony was “really loved by his unit.”
“He felt so good about himself and so good about his mission and so good about his life,” Steven Lightfoot said. “He was happy and valorous about his service.”
He still wanted to develop a career, though. Anthony Lightfoot’s family said he loved to draw and hoped to one day design a video game.
He is survived by his mother, brother and a sister, Nija.
Army Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Army Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt, 34, of Duncan, Okla.
Pfc. Pratt was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, Spc. Andrew J. Roughton and Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr.
Duncan soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
DUNCAN, Okla. — The parents of an Oklahoma soldier say their 34-year-old son was among four killed during an attack in Afghanistan earlier this week.
Army Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt of Duncan was driving a Humvee in a convoy in a classified location when a roadside bomb exploded near the vehicle, his parents said. A Defense Department statement said the four soldiers in the vehicle then came under enemy fire with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.
Along with Pratt, those killed were 24-year-old Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr. of Garland, Texas; 20-year-old Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot of Riverdale, Ga.; and 21-year-old Spc. Andrew J. Roughton of Houston.
All were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th “Strike” Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th “Mountain” Division (Light Infantry) in Fort Drum, N.Y.
“A shell hit in front of him, then another shell hit behind him,” said Pratt’s mother, Sinnamon Pratt. “There was no place for him to go. The third shell hit the Humvee and tore it in two.”
“Dennis wasn’t supposed to be at that place at that time, but he always told us that the Army and serving his country was where he wanted to be. He had found his niche in life in the military,” she added.
She said he was due to leave Afghanistan on Monday for a two-week break.
Sinnamon Pratt said she did not know exactly when or where her son’s body would be returned to Oklahoma, but that his funeral services will be held in a Fort Sill chapel and he will be buried at Fort Sill National Cemetery.
Army was his ‘niche in life’
The Associated Press
Dennis J. Pratt was a third-generation soldier and 34-year-old father of three who was called “the old man” among comrades in his unit.
“He had found his niche in life in the military,” said his mother, Sinnamon.
Pratt, of Duncan, Okla., was killed July 20 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Wardak province, Afghanistan, days before he was scheduled to head home for two weeks of down time.
“Dennis wasn’t supposed to be at that place at that time, but he always told us that the Army and serving his country was where he wanted to be,” his mother said.
He had graduated high school in Southington, Conn., and was assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y.
His calls home to Oklahoma always ended with him saying, “I’ve got your back. You can sleep in peace,” his mother said.
He is survived by his three children; his wife, Michelle; his parents; and two brothers.
Duncan residents stood along the road with American flags to honor their hometown hero as his family drove to the funeral at Fort Sill, Okla. Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, who attended the services, praised Pratt as “a beloved son” of Duncan.
Army Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Army Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt, 34, of Duncan, Okla.
Pfc. Pratt was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, Spc. Andrew J. Roughton and Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr.
Duncan soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
DUNCAN, Okla. — The parents of an Oklahoma soldier say their 34-year-old son was among four killed during an attack in Afghanistan earlier this week.
Army Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt of Duncan was driving a Humvee in a convoy in a classified location when a roadside bomb exploded near the vehicle, his parents said. A Defense Department statement said the four soldiers in the vehicle then came under enemy fire with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.
Along with Pratt, those killed were 24-year-old Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr. of Garland, Texas; 20-year-old Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot of Riverdale, Ga.; and 21-year-old Spc. Andrew J. Roughton of Houston.
All were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th “Strike” Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th “Mountain” Division (Light Infantry) in Fort Drum, N.Y.
“A shell hit in front of him, then another shell hit behind him,” said Pratt’s mother, Sinnamon Pratt. “There was no place for him to go. The third shell hit the Humvee and tore it in two.”
“Dennis wasn’t supposed to be at that place at that time, but he always told us that the Army and serving his country was where he wanted to be. He had found his niche in life in the military,” she added.
She said he was due to leave Afghanistan on Monday for a two-week break.
Sinnamon Pratt said she did not know exactly when or where her son’s body would be returned to Oklahoma, but that his funeral services will be held in a Fort Sill chapel and he will be buried at Fort Sill National Cemetery.
Army was his ‘niche in life’
The Associated Press
Dennis J. Pratt was a third-generation soldier and 34-year-old father of three who was called “the old man” among comrades in his unit.
“He had found his niche in life in the military,” said his mother, Sinnamon.
Pratt, of Duncan, Okla., was killed July 20 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Wardak province, Afghanistan, days before he was scheduled to head home for two weeks of down time.
“Dennis wasn’t supposed to be at that place at that time, but he always told us that the Army and serving his country was where he wanted to be,” his mother said.
He had graduated high school in Southington, Conn., and was assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y.
His calls home to Oklahoma always ended with him saying, “I’ve got your back. You can sleep in peace,” his mother said.
He is survived by his three children; his wife, Michelle; his parents; and two brothers.
Duncan residents stood along the road with American flags to honor their hometown hero as his family drove to the funeral at Fort Sill, Okla. Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, who attended the services, praised Pratt as “a beloved son” of Duncan.
Army Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Army Spc. Andrew J. Roughton
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Andrew J. Roughton, 21, of Houston
Spc. Roughton was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr. and Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt.
Put athletic dreams on hold to serve his country
The Associated Press
Andrew J. Roughton was known by his friends as “Tuna,” and for good reason.
“Whenever he went to a friend’s house, he would leave an unopened can of tuna fish behind, sometimes in a closet, sometimes in a bathroom,” said his father, Mark Roughton. “I have no idea why, it was just sort of his signature.”
Roughton, 21, of Houston, died July 20 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He was assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y.
He was an athlete at Spring Woods High School and graduated in 2006 with dreams of proving that a small offensive guard could make it on the college gridiron. But he put that dream aside, left a scholarship at Trinity Valley Community College and joined the Army to support his young wife, Heather, when she became pregnant. Despite a miscarriage, he didn’t second-guess the decision, his father said.
Friends say Roughton always tried to be positive and keep people smiling.
“If you knew Andrew, he was a cutup,” his father said. “If you didn’t know Andrew, he’d make you his friend.”
He is survived by his wife, his father and a stepbrother.
Army Spc. Andrew J. Roughton was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Army Spc. Andrew J. Roughton, 21, of Houston
Spc. Roughton was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (Strike), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 20, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr. and Pfc. Dennis J. Pratt.
Put athletic dreams on hold to serve his country
The Associated Press
Andrew J. Roughton was known by his friends as “Tuna,” and for good reason.
“Whenever he went to a friend’s house, he would leave an unopened can of tuna fish behind, sometimes in a closet, sometimes in a bathroom,” said his father, Mark Roughton. “I have no idea why, it was just sort of his signature.”
Roughton, 21, of Houston, died July 20 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He was assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y.
He was an athlete at Spring Woods High School and graduated in 2006 with dreams of proving that a small offensive guard could make it on the college gridiron. But he put that dream aside, left a scholarship at Trinity Valley Community College and joined the Army to support his young wife, Heather, when she became pregnant. Despite a miscarriage, he didn’t second-guess the decision, his father said.
Friends say Roughton always tried to be positive and keep people smiling.
“If you knew Andrew, he was a cutup,” his father said. “If you didn’t know Andrew, he’d make you his friend.”
He is survived by his wife, his father and a stepbrother.
Army Spc. Andrew J. Roughton was killed in action on 7/20/09.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon T. Lara
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon T. Lara, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas
LCpl Lara was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died July 19, 2009 in Anbar province, Iraq, while supporting combat operations.
Was eager to join the Corps
The Associated Press
As his Canyon High School classmates donned caps and gowns, Brandon Lara was in his helmet and fatigues. He was so eager to become a Marine that he finished his studies a semester before his May 2006 graduation.
“He had long waited for his 18th birthday so he could join,” said his father, Jacob Lara Jr. “When his classmates were walking the stage, Brandon was serving his first tour.” And he volunteered for his second.
Brandon Lara, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, died July 19 in Iraq while supporting combat operations in Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton, Calif., and scheduled to be home in October, in time for his birthday.
“Ever since I can remember, he knew exactly what he wanted to do,” his stepmother, Gloria Lara, said. “He’s always wanted to be military. Since he was little, he was into guns and swords and knives.”
She said they communicated constantly on the MySpace social networking Web site. During their last phone conversation, she said, he told her he was thinking of home.
Brandon Lara also is survived by his mother, Shannon Martin; his brother, Jonathon; and his sisters, Victoria and Rebecca Lara and Stormi McCandless.
Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon T. Lara was killed in action on 7/19/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon T. Lara, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas
LCpl Lara was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died July 19, 2009 in Anbar province, Iraq, while supporting combat operations.
Was eager to join the Corps
The Associated Press
As his Canyon High School classmates donned caps and gowns, Brandon Lara was in his helmet and fatigues. He was so eager to become a Marine that he finished his studies a semester before his May 2006 graduation.
“He had long waited for his 18th birthday so he could join,” said his father, Jacob Lara Jr. “When his classmates were walking the stage, Brandon was serving his first tour.” And he volunteered for his second.
Brandon Lara, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, died July 19 in Iraq while supporting combat operations in Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton, Calif., and scheduled to be home in October, in time for his birthday.
“Ever since I can remember, he knew exactly what he wanted to do,” his stepmother, Gloria Lara, said. “He’s always wanted to be military. Since he was little, he was into guns and swords and knives.”
She said they communicated constantly on the MySpace social networking Web site. During their last phone conversation, she said, he told her he was thinking of home.
Brandon Lara also is survived by his mother, Shannon Martin; his brother, Jonathon; and his sisters, Victoria and Rebecca Lara and Stormi McCandless.
Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon T. Lara was killed in action on 7/19/09.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Air Force Capt. Thomas J. Gramith
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, of Eagan, Minn.
Capt. Gramith was assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.; died July 17, 2009 in an F-15E crash near Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Capt. Mark R. McDowell.
Pioneer Press -- An Air Force captain from Eagan has been killed in a fighter jet crash in eastern Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced today.
Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, of Eagan, died Friday when his F-15E Strike Eagle crashed near Ghazni Province.
Also killed was Capt. Mark R. McDowell, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Both men were assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
A military spokesman at the base said the crash was not caused by enemy fire.
"Right now, there's an investigation going on to determine the crash, however, we know the enemy didn't do it," Staff Sgt. Shawn Jones said. "We just don't know yet the specific cause of the incident."
The crash happened about 3:15 a.m. while Gramith and McDowell were providing air support to ground troops, Jones said.
News of Gramith's death comes just three days after three Minnesota soldiers were killed in a missile attack near Basra, Iraq.
The three members of the Minnesota National Guard 34th Red Bull Infantry Division were Spc. Carlos Wilcox, 27, of Cottage Grove; Spc. Daniel Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury; and Spc. James Wertish, 20, of Olivia. They were killed Thursday.
Their deaths bring the death toll of Minnesota military in Iraq to 63.
There will be a vigil for the guardsmen at 6 tonight at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, located at Third and Pine Streets in downtown Stillwater. It is being organized by the Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County and is open to the public.
Air Force Capt. Thomas J. Gramith was killed in action on 7/17/09.
Air Force Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, of Eagan, Minn.
Capt. Gramith was assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.; died July 17, 2009 in an F-15E crash near Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Capt. Mark R. McDowell.
Pioneer Press -- An Air Force captain from Eagan has been killed in a fighter jet crash in eastern Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced today.
Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, of Eagan, died Friday when his F-15E Strike Eagle crashed near Ghazni Province.
Also killed was Capt. Mark R. McDowell, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Both men were assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
A military spokesman at the base said the crash was not caused by enemy fire.
"Right now, there's an investigation going on to determine the crash, however, we know the enemy didn't do it," Staff Sgt. Shawn Jones said. "We just don't know yet the specific cause of the incident."
The crash happened about 3:15 a.m. while Gramith and McDowell were providing air support to ground troops, Jones said.
News of Gramith's death comes just three days after three Minnesota soldiers were killed in a missile attack near Basra, Iraq.
The three members of the Minnesota National Guard 34th Red Bull Infantry Division were Spc. Carlos Wilcox, 27, of Cottage Grove; Spc. Daniel Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury; and Spc. James Wertish, 20, of Olivia. They were killed Thursday.
Their deaths bring the death toll of Minnesota military in Iraq to 63.
There will be a vigil for the guardsmen at 6 tonight at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, located at Third and Pine Streets in downtown Stillwater. It is being organized by the Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County and is open to the public.
Air Force Capt. Thomas J. Gramith was killed in action on 7/17/09.
Air Force Capt. Mark R. McDowell
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Capt. Mark R. McDowell, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Capt. McDowell was assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.; died July 17, 2009 in an F-15E crash near Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Capt. Thomas J. Gramith.
F-15E was 1st fighter to crash in Afghanistan
By Bruce Rolfsen
Staff writer
The loss of an F-15E Strike Eagle over the weekend marked the first crash of an Air Force fighter in Afghanistan since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001. Both crewmembers died.
The jet was not shot down, according to a statement from the Defense Department released shortly after the crash. The cause is still under investigation.
Killed were pilot Capt. Mark R. McDowell, 26, and weapons systems officer Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, both deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. N.C.
The two were flying a close-air support mission over eastern Afghanistan about 3:15 a.m. when the crash occurred, officials said. The government did not say whether the aviators ejected.
The F-15E was the second loss of a deployed fighter from Seymour Johnson since 2001. In April 2003, a jet crashed on a combat mission north of Baghdad, Iraq. Because the crash was considered a combat loss, the Air Force didn’t reveal the specific cause.
McDowell’s grandfather, Gilbert McDowell, told television station WRAL in North Carolina what motivated the captain.
“(Flying) was his life,” the elder McDowell said. “He died doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to fly. He was called to fly ... God called him to be a pilot.”
McDowell was a 2005 class member of the Air Force Academy, where he met his wife, Kate, also an Air Force officer.
Gramith’s hometown was given as Eagan, Minn. No other additional information was provided by the Defense Department.
‘Always good at everything,’ wife recalls
The Associated Press
Mark McDowell was a 4.0 student, the MVP on his high school soccer team and the usual winner in the golf matches he played against his brother.
When he decided he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy, he was accepted and graduated in 2005 with a degree in physics.
“He was always good at everything,” said his wife, Katie. “If we did something, he always learned quickly, or was always better at it than everyone.”
McDowell, 26, of Mooresville, N.C., died July 17 when the F-15 he was piloting went down near Ghazni province, Afghanistan. He was based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
“He loved flying. He loved being a part of the community that was doing what they’re doing,” his wife said.
The couple met while attending the academy. Katie McDowell was deployed to Iraq in June.
Mark McDowell graduated from South Iredell County High School in Statesville, N.C.
He is survived by his wife; stepfather and mother, Bill and Barbara Thomas; father and stepmother, Stan and Karen McDowell; and brothers Joseph McDowell and Bill Thomas.
“He was a great brother. I always looked up to him. He used to push me around a lot, but then I got to be bigger than him,” Joseph McDowell said.
Air Force Capt. Mark R. McDowell was killed in action on 7/17/09.
Air Force Capt. Mark R. McDowell, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Capt. McDowell was assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.; died July 17, 2009 in an F-15E crash near Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Capt. Thomas J. Gramith.
F-15E was 1st fighter to crash in Afghanistan
By Bruce Rolfsen
Staff writer
The loss of an F-15E Strike Eagle over the weekend marked the first crash of an Air Force fighter in Afghanistan since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001. Both crewmembers died.
The jet was not shot down, according to a statement from the Defense Department released shortly after the crash. The cause is still under investigation.
Killed were pilot Capt. Mark R. McDowell, 26, and weapons systems officer Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, both deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. N.C.
The two were flying a close-air support mission over eastern Afghanistan about 3:15 a.m. when the crash occurred, officials said. The government did not say whether the aviators ejected.
The F-15E was the second loss of a deployed fighter from Seymour Johnson since 2001. In April 2003, a jet crashed on a combat mission north of Baghdad, Iraq. Because the crash was considered a combat loss, the Air Force didn’t reveal the specific cause.
McDowell’s grandfather, Gilbert McDowell, told television station WRAL in North Carolina what motivated the captain.
“(Flying) was his life,” the elder McDowell said. “He died doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to fly. He was called to fly ... God called him to be a pilot.”
McDowell was a 2005 class member of the Air Force Academy, where he met his wife, Kate, also an Air Force officer.
Gramith’s hometown was given as Eagan, Minn. No other additional information was provided by the Defense Department.
‘Always good at everything,’ wife recalls
The Associated Press
Mark McDowell was a 4.0 student, the MVP on his high school soccer team and the usual winner in the golf matches he played against his brother.
When he decided he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy, he was accepted and graduated in 2005 with a degree in physics.
“He was always good at everything,” said his wife, Katie. “If we did something, he always learned quickly, or was always better at it than everyone.”
McDowell, 26, of Mooresville, N.C., died July 17 when the F-15 he was piloting went down near Ghazni province, Afghanistan. He was based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
“He loved flying. He loved being a part of the community that was doing what they’re doing,” his wife said.
The couple met while attending the academy. Katie McDowell was deployed to Iraq in June.
Mark McDowell graduated from South Iredell County High School in Statesville, N.C.
He is survived by his wife; stepfather and mother, Bill and Barbara Thomas; father and stepmother, Stan and Karen McDowell; and brothers Joseph McDowell and Bill Thomas.
“He was a great brother. I always looked up to him. He used to push me around a lot, but then I got to be bigger than him,” Joseph McDowell said.
Air Force Capt. Mark R. McDowell was killed in action on 7/17/09.
Army Sgt. Ryan R. Schlack
Remember Our Heroes
U.S. Army Sgt. Ryan Schlack is remembered as a good soldier, who did his work and got the job done.
The 30-year-old Oshkosh man was laid to rest in a funeral service Friday about a week after he was shot and killed by a fellow soldier during an altercation at an on-base party in Fort Hood, Texas.
An estimated 150 people, including family, friends and military personnel, attended a funeral for Schlack at Fiss & Bills-Poklasny Funeral Home in Oshkosh. Schlack was later buried with full military honors at Riverside Cemetery
"Ryan did his part. He always did what he was supposed to do. It's a big loss and we will definitely miss him," said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Griner, who attended the funeral and had served with Schlack in the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.
Officials from the U.S. Army said Schlack, who served 5½ years in the Army, was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.
The Rev. Carl Knitt, who officiated at the funeral and burial, had words of comfort to those who knew Schlack.
"As we go through all of this together, putting to rest our friend who served our country we want to say 'thank you Ryan' for doing what you did," he said.
Oshkosh resident Sally Marshall, who said she knows Schlack's parents well, said Friday was a tough day to get through.
"Nobody should have to bury a child," said Marshall, who attended the funeral.
Two-dozen members of the Patriot Guard Riders stood watch holding American flags outside of the funeral home prior to the service. They also drove their motorcycles in the funeral procession to Riverside Cemetery.
"We come with the utmost respect and compassion," said Kaukauna resident Michael Weaver, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a member of the Patriot Guard Riders. "We feel it is our duty and obligation to pay respects to the veteran and also the families and to be here in their time of need."
Spc. Armando Baca is charged with murder in the death of Schlack, who is a 1998 graduate of Oshkosh West High School. Schlack and Baca were members of the 1st Cavalry Division and had recently returned from tours in Iraq.
Schlack's father, Richard Schlack, said his son's commanding officers told him Schlack had been at a party last Saturday less than an hour when an argument broke out. Baca is accused of leaving the party and coming back with a gun. When Schlack stepped in to calm things down, Baca shot him in the hip. He died July 18 at a Texas hospital.
Schlack entered the military in 2004 as a computer detection systems repairer and arrived at Fort Hood in 2005. He served two tours in Iraq where he was assigned to the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
U.S. Army Sgt. Ryan Schlack is remembered as a good soldier, who did his work and got the job done.
The 30-year-old Oshkosh man was laid to rest in a funeral service Friday about a week after he was shot and killed by a fellow soldier during an altercation at an on-base party in Fort Hood, Texas.
An estimated 150 people, including family, friends and military personnel, attended a funeral for Schlack at Fiss & Bills-Poklasny Funeral Home in Oshkosh. Schlack was later buried with full military honors at Riverside Cemetery
"Ryan did his part. He always did what he was supposed to do. It's a big loss and we will definitely miss him," said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Griner, who attended the funeral and had served with Schlack in the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.
Officials from the U.S. Army said Schlack, who served 5½ years in the Army, was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.
The Rev. Carl Knitt, who officiated at the funeral and burial, had words of comfort to those who knew Schlack.
"As we go through all of this together, putting to rest our friend who served our country we want to say 'thank you Ryan' for doing what you did," he said.
Oshkosh resident Sally Marshall, who said she knows Schlack's parents well, said Friday was a tough day to get through.
"Nobody should have to bury a child," said Marshall, who attended the funeral.
Two-dozen members of the Patriot Guard Riders stood watch holding American flags outside of the funeral home prior to the service. They also drove their motorcycles in the funeral procession to Riverside Cemetery.
"We come with the utmost respect and compassion," said Kaukauna resident Michael Weaver, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a member of the Patriot Guard Riders. "We feel it is our duty and obligation to pay respects to the veteran and also the families and to be here in their time of need."
Spc. Armando Baca is charged with murder in the death of Schlack, who is a 1998 graduate of Oshkosh West High School. Schlack and Baca were members of the 1st Cavalry Division and had recently returned from tours in Iraq.
Schlack's father, Richard Schlack, said his son's commanding officers told him Schlack had been at a party last Saturday less than an hour when an argument broke out. Baca is accused of leaving the party and coming back with a gun. When Schlack stepped in to calm things down, Baca shot him in the hip. He died July 18 at a Texas hospital.
Schlack entered the military in 2004 as a computer detection systems repairer and arrived at Fort Hood in 2005. He served two tours in Iraq where he was assigned to the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Army Spc. James D. Wertish
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. James D. Wertish, 20, of Olivia, Minn.
Spc. Wertish was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, Stillwater, Minn.; died July 16, 2009 in Basra, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. Also killed were Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick and Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV.
Minnesota mourns guardsmen killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Minn. — Condolences poured in from across the state Saturday after three soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon on Saturday confirmed the slain soldiers were 22-year-old Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, of Woodbury; 20-year-old Spc. James D. Wertish, of Olivia; and 27-year-old Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, of Cottage Grove.
All three were assigned to Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division.
“We mourn the loss of these three soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, the Minnesota National Guard’s adjutant general, in a statement. “They were truly part of our National Guard family.”
The soldiers were killed Thursday evening when insurgents attacked their Basra position with mortars, rockets and artillery.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply saddened” by the soldiers’ deaths.
“They made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and for that we are forever grateful,” she said.
Funeral details were not immediately provided. But an organization that supports military families and troops returning from duty planned a silent vigil to honor the three soldiers and their families.
The Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County said the vigil, to be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, would also honor all deployed service members and their families.
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they arrested a member of an Iranian-backed militia suspected in an attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those three soldiers were the Minnesota guardsmen.
Maj. Gen. Adil Daham, chief of the Basra provincial police, said the militiaman confessed early Saturday to the attack on a U.S. base near the airport. The rocket attack was a rare assault on troops in the comparatively quiet south, the U.S. military said.
The last time three Minnesota soldiers were killed on the same day in Iraq was Feb. 21, 2005, when three National Guard troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
Wilcox, who wanted to become a doctor, had been on his first deployment to Iraq since May, his mother told The Associated Press on Friday.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” said Charlene Wilcox.
Carlos Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, his mother said. He studied at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain. He then returned to Minnesota and graduated from Metropolitan State University with a biology degree.
Drevnick had hoped to become a state trooper, said his father, who recently retired from the Minnesota State Patrol.
Ken Drevnick remembered his son’s work ethic in the way he was restoring his muscle car after graduating from Woodbury High School. Dan Drevnick worked two jobs while attending school full time to help pay for the car.
“That’s what type of person he was,” his father said. “To get someplace, he knew he had to make it happen.”
Rev. George Schmit, the Wertish family’s pastor, told the West Central Tribune of Willmar that David and Kim Wertish were in mourning. Their son joined the Guard before graduating from Bold High School in 2007, Schmit said.
The pastor told the newspaper that James Wertish was a “friendly young man” who helped on the family farm. He enjoyed riding snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles in his spare time, Schmit said.
State Rep. Phil Sterner, DFL-Rosemount, where the Red Bull division has its headquarters, said in a statement that the three guardsmen “exemplify the best of our state and of public service.”
Hundreds line the highway to honor fallen National Guardsman
KARE-11 (Ch. 11-NBC)
Hundreds of Minnesotans lined highway 212 between the Twin Cities and Olivia Thursday afternoon, paying their respects to a National Guardsman making his final journey home.
The Patriot Guard Riders and a convoy of family, friends, and fellow soldiers led a hearse carrying the body of SPC. James Wertish west towards his home in rural Olivia. Wertish was among three Minnesota soldiers killed last week in an insurgent rocket attack in Iraq.
People holding American flags stretched out along the shoulders of Highway 212 as it ran through the communities of Stewart, Buffalo Lake, Hector, Bird Island, and the many farmsteads that link them. A huge flag draped the fire hall in Hector.
In Olivia, hundreds more waited for their fallen soldier to arrive. Classmates from Wertish’s 2007 BOLD High School graduating class described him as a man who was small in stature, but who had a large circle of friends. He was a devoted outdoorsman who loved to fish, hunt, snowmobile and four-wheel. Wertish enlisted in the National Guard the summer before his senior year in high school, and he was extremely proud to serve his community and country.
Meanwhile, a fellow Minnesota National Guardsman and friend who survived the attack is providing details about what happened.
On July 16, just before 9:15 p.m. Iraqi time, Spc. Jacob Benson, 22, of Willmar was talking with his three closest friends and fellow National Guard soldiers at a military base near Basra, Iraq, when a rocket hit, sending him flying.
“I hit the ground, and I got back up,” he told the West Central Tribune, based in Willmar.
What he found were his friends — Spc. James Wertish, 20, of rural Olivia, Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, 27, of Cottage Grove, and Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury — all on the ground, dying. Staff Sgt. Blake Hayden called in an ambulance. It was there within 15 minutes.
“It felt like hours,” Benson said.
Benson, a 2005 Willmar High School graduate, identified himself as the fourth soldier involved in the attack that killed his friends and fellow Minnesotan soldiers assigned to the Stillwater-based military police unit, part of the 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls.”
His wife, Alison, and 1-month-old daughter, Avery, reside in New London. His parents, Dr. Terry and Betty Benson, formerly of Willmar, live in Prior Lake.
During a telephone interview with the West Central Tribune, Benson said that pieces of shrapnel were found in his arm and his back after what reports from Iraq indicate was a rocket attack on the base. He also suffered a concussion and bruises all over his body.
He was later told that it took a struggle to pull him away from the scene. He left only when it was clear that his friends were being taken to the hospital.
“I was pretty emotional at that point,” he said. “They were my brothers in arms. They were my best friends.”
Wertish was dead before medics arrived, according to Benson. He said that Wilcox died on the way to the hospital, and Drevnick died soon after arriving.
Benson was taken to a hospital in Kuwait. He stayed there three days before returning to the military base in Basra. He said doctors see him every day.
In his six years of service, Benson said he got to know the three soldiers well. Both he and his wife were close friends with Wilcox.
Now, a week after his friends’ deaths, Benson is still coping with the shock and pain of their loss.
“It’s trouble every day,” he said.
He said he wanted everybody to know that the three killed were not only great soldiers, but great friends.
“I want you to put in there: Wilcox made everybody smile. Drevnick was a great guy who made everybody laugh. James was a great friend.
“They were the best soldiers I ever got to know.”
Flags lowered to remember fallen soldiers
The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Tim Pawlenty is ordering flags at the state Capitol complex lowered to half-staff to honor two Minnesota soldiers killed in Iraq.
Pawlenty ordered flags lowered July 25 to remember Spc. Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. Drevnick’s funeral is July 25 in Woodbury, with burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
The governor also ordered flags lowered July 27. That’s the day a funeral Mass will be held in Bird Island for Spc. James Wertish of rural Olivia.
Wertish and Drevnick were among three Minnesota National Guardsmen killed by an insurgent attack July 16 in Basra.
Found a way to make comrades laugh
The Associated Press
James D. Wertish helped out on his family’s farm in rural Minnesota, but he also may have helped quicken his father’s hair loss.
The Rev. George Schmit said Wertish was a friendly young man who loved to ride snow mobiles and all-terrain vehicles, but also “raised a little hell now and then.”
The pastor said Wertish’s teenage years likely caused some of his father’s hair loss, but “deep down in his heart were the values and virtues that guided his life.”
Wertish, 20, of Olivia, Minn., was among three Minnesota soldiers killed July 16 in an insurgent attack near Basra, Iraq. His unit was based in Stillwater, Minn.
Wertish joined the Guard before graduating from BOLD High School in 2007, said Schmit, pastor at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bird Island where his family attended.
Fellow soldiers said he loved playing Rock Band II, a video game that challenges players to play the drums and guitar, and sing to popular rock songs. They said he could always make them laugh — “we could count on him to improve our day.”
Wertish is survived by his parents, David and Kim Wertish; sisters Amber and Carolyn, and a brother, Tony.
Army Spc. James D. Wertish was killed in action on 7/16/09.
Army Spc. James D. Wertish, 20, of Olivia, Minn.
Spc. Wertish was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, Stillwater, Minn.; died July 16, 2009 in Basra, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. Also killed were Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick and Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV.
Minnesota mourns guardsmen killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Minn. — Condolences poured in from across the state Saturday after three soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon on Saturday confirmed the slain soldiers were 22-year-old Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, of Woodbury; 20-year-old Spc. James D. Wertish, of Olivia; and 27-year-old Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, of Cottage Grove.
All three were assigned to Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division.
“We mourn the loss of these three soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, the Minnesota National Guard’s adjutant general, in a statement. “They were truly part of our National Guard family.”
The soldiers were killed Thursday evening when insurgents attacked their Basra position with mortars, rockets and artillery.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply saddened” by the soldiers’ deaths.
“They made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and for that we are forever grateful,” she said.
Funeral details were not immediately provided. But an organization that supports military families and troops returning from duty planned a silent vigil to honor the three soldiers and their families.
The Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County said the vigil, to be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, would also honor all deployed service members and their families.
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they arrested a member of an Iranian-backed militia suspected in an attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those three soldiers were the Minnesota guardsmen.
Maj. Gen. Adil Daham, chief of the Basra provincial police, said the militiaman confessed early Saturday to the attack on a U.S. base near the airport. The rocket attack was a rare assault on troops in the comparatively quiet south, the U.S. military said.
The last time three Minnesota soldiers were killed on the same day in Iraq was Feb. 21, 2005, when three National Guard troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
Wilcox, who wanted to become a doctor, had been on his first deployment to Iraq since May, his mother told The Associated Press on Friday.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” said Charlene Wilcox.
Carlos Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, his mother said. He studied at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain. He then returned to Minnesota and graduated from Metropolitan State University with a biology degree.
Drevnick had hoped to become a state trooper, said his father, who recently retired from the Minnesota State Patrol.
Ken Drevnick remembered his son’s work ethic in the way he was restoring his muscle car after graduating from Woodbury High School. Dan Drevnick worked two jobs while attending school full time to help pay for the car.
“That’s what type of person he was,” his father said. “To get someplace, he knew he had to make it happen.”
Rev. George Schmit, the Wertish family’s pastor, told the West Central Tribune of Willmar that David and Kim Wertish were in mourning. Their son joined the Guard before graduating from Bold High School in 2007, Schmit said.
The pastor told the newspaper that James Wertish was a “friendly young man” who helped on the family farm. He enjoyed riding snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles in his spare time, Schmit said.
State Rep. Phil Sterner, DFL-Rosemount, where the Red Bull division has its headquarters, said in a statement that the three guardsmen “exemplify the best of our state and of public service.”
Hundreds line the highway to honor fallen National Guardsman
KARE-11 (Ch. 11-NBC)
Hundreds of Minnesotans lined highway 212 between the Twin Cities and Olivia Thursday afternoon, paying their respects to a National Guardsman making his final journey home.
The Patriot Guard Riders and a convoy of family, friends, and fellow soldiers led a hearse carrying the body of SPC. James Wertish west towards his home in rural Olivia. Wertish was among three Minnesota soldiers killed last week in an insurgent rocket attack in Iraq.
People holding American flags stretched out along the shoulders of Highway 212 as it ran through the communities of Stewart, Buffalo Lake, Hector, Bird Island, and the many farmsteads that link them. A huge flag draped the fire hall in Hector.
In Olivia, hundreds more waited for their fallen soldier to arrive. Classmates from Wertish’s 2007 BOLD High School graduating class described him as a man who was small in stature, but who had a large circle of friends. He was a devoted outdoorsman who loved to fish, hunt, snowmobile and four-wheel. Wertish enlisted in the National Guard the summer before his senior year in high school, and he was extremely proud to serve his community and country.
Meanwhile, a fellow Minnesota National Guardsman and friend who survived the attack is providing details about what happened.
On July 16, just before 9:15 p.m. Iraqi time, Spc. Jacob Benson, 22, of Willmar was talking with his three closest friends and fellow National Guard soldiers at a military base near Basra, Iraq, when a rocket hit, sending him flying.
“I hit the ground, and I got back up,” he told the West Central Tribune, based in Willmar.
What he found were his friends — Spc. James Wertish, 20, of rural Olivia, Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, 27, of Cottage Grove, and Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury — all on the ground, dying. Staff Sgt. Blake Hayden called in an ambulance. It was there within 15 minutes.
“It felt like hours,” Benson said.
Benson, a 2005 Willmar High School graduate, identified himself as the fourth soldier involved in the attack that killed his friends and fellow Minnesotan soldiers assigned to the Stillwater-based military police unit, part of the 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls.”
His wife, Alison, and 1-month-old daughter, Avery, reside in New London. His parents, Dr. Terry and Betty Benson, formerly of Willmar, live in Prior Lake.
During a telephone interview with the West Central Tribune, Benson said that pieces of shrapnel were found in his arm and his back after what reports from Iraq indicate was a rocket attack on the base. He also suffered a concussion and bruises all over his body.
He was later told that it took a struggle to pull him away from the scene. He left only when it was clear that his friends were being taken to the hospital.
“I was pretty emotional at that point,” he said. “They were my brothers in arms. They were my best friends.”
Wertish was dead before medics arrived, according to Benson. He said that Wilcox died on the way to the hospital, and Drevnick died soon after arriving.
Benson was taken to a hospital in Kuwait. He stayed there three days before returning to the military base in Basra. He said doctors see him every day.
In his six years of service, Benson said he got to know the three soldiers well. Both he and his wife were close friends with Wilcox.
Now, a week after his friends’ deaths, Benson is still coping with the shock and pain of their loss.
“It’s trouble every day,” he said.
He said he wanted everybody to know that the three killed were not only great soldiers, but great friends.
“I want you to put in there: Wilcox made everybody smile. Drevnick was a great guy who made everybody laugh. James was a great friend.
“They were the best soldiers I ever got to know.”
Flags lowered to remember fallen soldiers
The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Tim Pawlenty is ordering flags at the state Capitol complex lowered to half-staff to honor two Minnesota soldiers killed in Iraq.
Pawlenty ordered flags lowered July 25 to remember Spc. Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. Drevnick’s funeral is July 25 in Woodbury, with burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
The governor also ordered flags lowered July 27. That’s the day a funeral Mass will be held in Bird Island for Spc. James Wertish of rural Olivia.
Wertish and Drevnick were among three Minnesota National Guardsmen killed by an insurgent attack July 16 in Basra.
Found a way to make comrades laugh
The Associated Press
James D. Wertish helped out on his family’s farm in rural Minnesota, but he also may have helped quicken his father’s hair loss.
The Rev. George Schmit said Wertish was a friendly young man who loved to ride snow mobiles and all-terrain vehicles, but also “raised a little hell now and then.”
The pastor said Wertish’s teenage years likely caused some of his father’s hair loss, but “deep down in his heart were the values and virtues that guided his life.”
Wertish, 20, of Olivia, Minn., was among three Minnesota soldiers killed July 16 in an insurgent attack near Basra, Iraq. His unit was based in Stillwater, Minn.
Wertish joined the Guard before graduating from BOLD High School in 2007, said Schmit, pastor at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bird Island where his family attended.
Fellow soldiers said he loved playing Rock Band II, a video game that challenges players to play the drums and guitar, and sing to popular rock songs. They said he could always make them laugh — “we could count on him to improve our day.”
Wertish is survived by his parents, David and Kim Wertish; sisters Amber and Carolyn, and a brother, Tony.
Army Spc. James D. Wertish was killed in action on 7/16/09.
Army Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury, Minn.
Spc. Drevnick was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, Stillwater, Minn.; died July 16, 2009 in Basra, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. Also killed were Spc. James D. Wertish and Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV.
Minnesota mourns guardsmen killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Minn. — Condolences poured in from across the state Saturday after three soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon on Saturday confirmed the slain soldiers were 22-year-old Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, of Woodbury; 20-year-old Spc. James D. Wertish, of Olivia; and 27-year-old Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, of Cottage Grove.
All three were assigned to Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division.
“We mourn the loss of these three soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, the Minnesota National Guard’s adjutant general, in a statement. “They were truly part of our National Guard family.”
The soldiers were killed Thursday evening when insurgents attacked their Basra position with mortars, rockets and artillery.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply saddened” by the soldiers’ deaths.
“They made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and for that we are forever grateful,” she said.
Funeral details were not immediately provided. But an organization that supports military families and troops returning from duty planned a silent vigil to honor the three soldiers and their families.
The Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County said the vigil, to be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, would also honor all deployed service members and their families.
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they arrested a member of an Iranian-backed militia suspected in an attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those three soldiers were the Minnesota guardsmen.
Maj. Gen. Adil Daham, chief of the Basra provincial police, said the militiaman confessed early Saturday to the attack on a U.S. base near the airport. The rocket attack was a rare assault on troops in the comparatively quiet south, the U.S. military said.
The last time three Minnesota soldiers were killed on the same day in Iraq was Feb. 21, 2005, when three National Guard troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
Wilcox, who wanted to become a doctor, had been on his first deployment to Iraq since May, his mother told The Associated Press on Friday.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” said Charlene Wilcox.
Carlos Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, his mother said. He studied at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain. He then returned to Minnesota and graduated from Metropolitan State University with a biology degree.
Drevnick had hoped to become a state trooper, said his father, who recently retired from the Minnesota State Patrol.
Ken Drevnick remembered his son’s work ethic in the way he was restoring his muscle car after graduating from Woodbury High School. Dan Drevnick worked two jobs while attending school full time to help pay for the car.
“That’s what type of person he was,” his father said. “To get someplace, he knew he had to make it happen.”
Rev. George Schmit, the Wertish family’s pastor, told the West Central Tribune of Willmar that David and Kim Wertish were in mourning. Their son joined the Guard before graduating from Bold High School in 2007, Schmit said.
The pastor told the newspaper that James Wertish was a “friendly young man” who helped on the family farm. He enjoyed riding snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles in his spare time, Schmit said.
State Rep. Phil Sterner, DFL-Rosemount, where the Red Bull division has its headquarters, said in a statement that the three guardsmen “exemplify the best of our state and of public service.”
Flags lowered to remember fallen soldiers
The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Tim Pawlenty is ordering flags at the state Capitol complex lowered to half-staff to honor two Minnesota soldiers killed in Iraq.
Pawlenty ordered flags lowered July 25 to remember Spc. Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. Drevnick’s funeral is July 25 in Woodbury, with burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
The governor also ordered flags lowered July 27. That’s the day a funeral Mass will be held in Bird Island for Spc. James Wertish of rural Olivia.
Wertish and Drevnick were among three Minnesota National Guardsmen killed by an insurgent attack July 16 in Basra.
‘Wild child’ came from long line of service members
The Associated Press
Dan Drevnick’s affinity with speed began early. He followed his father’s interest in drag racing and even started restoring his own muscle car after graduating from Woodbury (Minn.) High School in 2005.
He worked two jobs to pay for it, said his father, Ken.
“That’s what type of person he was,” he said. “To get someplace he knew he had to make it happen.”
Dan Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury, was one of three Minnesota National Guard soldiers killed July 16 during an insurgent attack in Iraq, a week after he returned from a visit home. He was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, Stillwater, Minn.
His father said Drevnick was part of a military police unit and hoped to become a state trooper. He was his family’s sixth generation in the military.
His family spoke of “rebellious years” in high school when he pierced his ears and grew out his hair. He was energetic — “our wild child,” his stepfather said — loved learning, skateboarded and raced cars. He also was fond of duct tape and once used it to mummify a friend.
“He was never afraid of anything,” said his stepfather, Charles Freese.
Army Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick was killed in action on 7/16/09.
Army Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury, Minn.
Spc. Drevnick was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, Stillwater, Minn.; died July 16, 2009 in Basra, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. Also killed were Spc. James D. Wertish and Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV.
Minnesota mourns guardsmen killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Minn. — Condolences poured in from across the state Saturday after three soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon on Saturday confirmed the slain soldiers were 22-year-old Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, of Woodbury; 20-year-old Spc. James D. Wertish, of Olivia; and 27-year-old Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, of Cottage Grove.
All three were assigned to Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division.
“We mourn the loss of these three soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, the Minnesota National Guard’s adjutant general, in a statement. “They were truly part of our National Guard family.”
The soldiers were killed Thursday evening when insurgents attacked their Basra position with mortars, rockets and artillery.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply saddened” by the soldiers’ deaths.
“They made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and for that we are forever grateful,” she said.
Funeral details were not immediately provided. But an organization that supports military families and troops returning from duty planned a silent vigil to honor the three soldiers and their families.
The Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County said the vigil, to be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, would also honor all deployed service members and their families.
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they arrested a member of an Iranian-backed militia suspected in an attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those three soldiers were the Minnesota guardsmen.
Maj. Gen. Adil Daham, chief of the Basra provincial police, said the militiaman confessed early Saturday to the attack on a U.S. base near the airport. The rocket attack was a rare assault on troops in the comparatively quiet south, the U.S. military said.
The last time three Minnesota soldiers were killed on the same day in Iraq was Feb. 21, 2005, when three National Guard troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
Wilcox, who wanted to become a doctor, had been on his first deployment to Iraq since May, his mother told The Associated Press on Friday.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” said Charlene Wilcox.
Carlos Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, his mother said. He studied at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain. He then returned to Minnesota and graduated from Metropolitan State University with a biology degree.
Drevnick had hoped to become a state trooper, said his father, who recently retired from the Minnesota State Patrol.
Ken Drevnick remembered his son’s work ethic in the way he was restoring his muscle car after graduating from Woodbury High School. Dan Drevnick worked two jobs while attending school full time to help pay for the car.
“That’s what type of person he was,” his father said. “To get someplace, he knew he had to make it happen.”
Rev. George Schmit, the Wertish family’s pastor, told the West Central Tribune of Willmar that David and Kim Wertish were in mourning. Their son joined the Guard before graduating from Bold High School in 2007, Schmit said.
The pastor told the newspaper that James Wertish was a “friendly young man” who helped on the family farm. He enjoyed riding snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles in his spare time, Schmit said.
State Rep. Phil Sterner, DFL-Rosemount, where the Red Bull division has its headquarters, said in a statement that the three guardsmen “exemplify the best of our state and of public service.”
Flags lowered to remember fallen soldiers
The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Tim Pawlenty is ordering flags at the state Capitol complex lowered to half-staff to honor two Minnesota soldiers killed in Iraq.
Pawlenty ordered flags lowered July 25 to remember Spc. Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury. Drevnick’s funeral is July 25 in Woodbury, with burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
The governor also ordered flags lowered July 27. That’s the day a funeral Mass will be held in Bird Island for Spc. James Wertish of rural Olivia.
Wertish and Drevnick were among three Minnesota National Guardsmen killed by an insurgent attack July 16 in Basra.
‘Wild child’ came from long line of service members
The Associated Press
Dan Drevnick’s affinity with speed began early. He followed his father’s interest in drag racing and even started restoring his own muscle car after graduating from Woodbury (Minn.) High School in 2005.
He worked two jobs to pay for it, said his father, Ken.
“That’s what type of person he was,” he said. “To get someplace he knew he had to make it happen.”
Dan Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury, was one of three Minnesota National Guard soldiers killed July 16 during an insurgent attack in Iraq, a week after he returned from a visit home. He was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, Stillwater, Minn.
His father said Drevnick was part of a military police unit and hoped to become a state trooper. He was his family’s sixth generation in the military.
His family spoke of “rebellious years” in high school when he pierced his ears and grew out his hair. He was energetic — “our wild child,” his stepfather said — loved learning, skateboarded and raced cars. He also was fond of duct tape and once used it to mummify a friend.
“He was never afraid of anything,” said his stepfather, Charles Freese.
Army Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick was killed in action on 7/16/09.
Army Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, 27, of Cottage Grove, Minn.
Spc. Wilcox was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, Stillwater, Minn.; died July 16, 2009 in Basra, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. Also killed were Spc. James D. Wertish and Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick.
Minnesota mourns guardsmen killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Minn. — Condolences poured in from across the state Saturday after three soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon on Saturday confirmed the slain soldiers were 22-year-old Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, of Woodbury; 20-year-old Spc. James D. Wertish, of Olivia; and 27-year-old Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, of Cottage Grove.
All three were assigned to Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division.
“We mourn the loss of these three soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, the Minnesota National Guard’s adjutant general, in a statement. “They were truly part of our National Guard family.”
The soldiers were killed Thursday evening when insurgents attacked their Basra position with mortars, rockets and artillery.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply saddened” by the soldiers’ deaths.
“They made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and for that we are forever grateful,” she said.
Funeral details were not immediately provided. But an organization that supports military families and troops returning from duty planned a silent vigil to honor the three soldiers and their families.
The Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County said the vigil, to be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, would also honor all deployed service members and their families.
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they arrested a member of an Iranian-backed militia suspected in an attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those three soldiers were the Minnesota guardsmen.
Maj. Gen. Adil Daham, chief of the Basra provincial police, said the militiaman confessed early Saturday to the attack on a U.S. base near the airport. The rocket attack was a rare assault on troops in the comparatively quiet south, the U.S. military said.
The last time three Minnesota soldiers were killed on the same day in Iraq was Feb. 21, 2005, when three National Guard troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
Wilcox, who wanted to become a doctor, had been on his first deployment to Iraq since May, his mother told The Associated Press on Friday.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” said Charlene Wilcox.
Carlos Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, his mother said. He studied at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain. He then returned to Minnesota and graduated from Metropolitan State University with a biology degree.
Drevnick had hoped to become a state trooper, said his father, who recently retired from the Minnesota State Patrol.
Ken Drevnick remembered his son’s work ethic in the way he was restoring his muscle car after graduating from Woodbury High School. Dan Drevnick worked two jobs while attending school full time to help pay for the car.
“That’s what type of person he was,” his father said. “To get someplace, he knew he had to make it happen.”
Rev. George Schmit, the Wertish family’s pastor, told the West Central Tribune of Willmar that David and Kim Wertish were in mourning. Their son joined the Guard before graduating from Bold High School in 2007, Schmit said.
The pastor told the newspaper that James Wertish was a “friendly young man” who helped on the family farm. He enjoyed riding snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles in his spare time, Schmit said.
State Rep. Phil Sterner, DFL-Rosemount, where the Red Bull division has its headquarters, said in a statement that the three guardsmen “exemplify the best of our state and of public service.”
Medical school was in his future
The Associated Press
Carlos Wilcox had his sights on medicine. He earned a biology degree from Metro State University, returning to Minnesota after spending time studying at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain.
Even when deployed to Iraq, he found time to study while helping his comrades as a health care specialist.
“He wanted to become a doctor,” said his mother, Charlene Wilcox. “I had just sent him books to study for the MCAT [entrance exam] so he could apply for medical school.”
Wilcox, 27, of Collage Grove, Minn., died July 16 along side two other Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers during an insurgent attack in Iraq. His mother said Wilcox was on his first deployment and had been in Iraq since May. His unit was based in Stillwater, Minn.
Comrades said they had fun joking around with Wilcox but were always a bit amazed by how professional and astute he was while deployed.
“Wilcox always took care of us,” one of his fellow soldiers said. “If anyone was hurting or had a medical issue, he took care of it.”
Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale. He enlisted in the National Guard in 2006, after a short break from service with the Army Reserve.
He is survived by his mother.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” she said.
Army Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV was killed in action on 7/16/09.
Larger Images
Army Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, 27, of Cottage Grove, Minn.
Spc. Wilcox was assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, Stillwater, Minn.; died July 16, 2009 in Basra, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. Also killed were Spc. James D. Wertish and Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick.
Minnesota mourns guardsmen killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
STILLWATER, Minn. — Condolences poured in from across the state Saturday after three soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were killed in Iraq.
The Pentagon on Saturday confirmed the slain soldiers were 22-year-old Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, of Woodbury; 20-year-old Spc. James D. Wertish, of Olivia; and 27-year-old Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, of Cottage Grove.
All three were assigned to Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division.
“We mourn the loss of these three soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, the Minnesota National Guard’s adjutant general, in a statement. “They were truly part of our National Guard family.”
The soldiers were killed Thursday evening when insurgents attacked their Basra position with mortars, rockets and artillery.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply saddened” by the soldiers’ deaths.
“They made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and for that we are forever grateful,” she said.
Funeral details were not immediately provided. But an organization that supports military families and troops returning from duty planned a silent vigil to honor the three soldiers and their families.
The Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County said the vigil, to be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Stillwater Veterans Memorial, would also honor all deployed service members and their families.
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they arrested a member of an Iranian-backed militia suspected in an attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq. It wasn’t immediately clear whether those three soldiers were the Minnesota guardsmen.
Maj. Gen. Adil Daham, chief of the Basra provincial police, said the militiaman confessed early Saturday to the attack on a U.S. base near the airport. The rocket attack was a rare assault on troops in the comparatively quiet south, the U.S. military said.
The last time three Minnesota soldiers were killed on the same day in Iraq was Feb. 21, 2005, when three National Guard troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
Wilcox, who wanted to become a doctor, had been on his first deployment to Iraq since May, his mother told The Associated Press on Friday.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” said Charlene Wilcox.
Carlos Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, his mother said. He studied at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain. He then returned to Minnesota and graduated from Metropolitan State University with a biology degree.
Drevnick had hoped to become a state trooper, said his father, who recently retired from the Minnesota State Patrol.
Ken Drevnick remembered his son’s work ethic in the way he was restoring his muscle car after graduating from Woodbury High School. Dan Drevnick worked two jobs while attending school full time to help pay for the car.
“That’s what type of person he was,” his father said. “To get someplace, he knew he had to make it happen.”
Rev. George Schmit, the Wertish family’s pastor, told the West Central Tribune of Willmar that David and Kim Wertish were in mourning. Their son joined the Guard before graduating from Bold High School in 2007, Schmit said.
The pastor told the newspaper that James Wertish was a “friendly young man” who helped on the family farm. He enjoyed riding snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles in his spare time, Schmit said.
State Rep. Phil Sterner, DFL-Rosemount, where the Red Bull division has its headquarters, said in a statement that the three guardsmen “exemplify the best of our state and of public service.”
Medical school was in his future
The Associated Press
Carlos Wilcox had his sights on medicine. He earned a biology degree from Metro State University, returning to Minnesota after spending time studying at Arizona State University and in Granada, Spain.
Even when deployed to Iraq, he found time to study while helping his comrades as a health care specialist.
“He wanted to become a doctor,” said his mother, Charlene Wilcox. “I had just sent him books to study for the MCAT [entrance exam] so he could apply for medical school.”
Wilcox, 27, of Collage Grove, Minn., died July 16 along side two other Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers during an insurgent attack in Iraq. His mother said Wilcox was on his first deployment and had been in Iraq since May. His unit was based in Stillwater, Minn.
Comrades said they had fun joking around with Wilcox but were always a bit amazed by how professional and astute he was while deployed.
“Wilcox always took care of us,” one of his fellow soldiers said. “If anyone was hurting or had a medical issue, he took care of it.”
Wilcox grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale. He enlisted in the National Guard in 2006, after a short break from service with the Army Reserve.
He is survived by his mother.
“He was a very proud young man, just very proud to serve his country,” she said.
Army Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV was killed in action on 7/16/09.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Army Lt. Colonel Raymond Trejo Rivas
Remember Our Heroes
By Sig Christenson - Express-News Comal County Sheriff's Deputy Tom Cheek liked to tell his friend that if he went to the well often enough, he'd end up wet.
“And sooner or later, you're going to fall in,” he said. “We joked about that, we both being prior service. Sooner or later, if you put yourself in harm's way, there's a price to pay.”
Cheek, a Navy veteran of Southeast Asia before Saigon's fall, shared that conversation with a large group of mourners Tuesday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Retired Army Reserve Lt. Col. Raymond Trejo Rivas, 53, of New Braunfels was buried six days after his death outside Brooke Army Medical Center's emergency room, and nearly three years after a mortar blast in Iraq.
Rivas had trouble with speech, balance and memory after a mortar exploded about 25 feet from him on Oct. 12, 2006. The injury was a profound blow to an engineer and veteran soldier who had served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa and Afghanistan, as well as Iraq. It forced his retirement.
But he was a fighter. A 2007 San Antonio Express-News story profiling the battle Rivas and others were making to recover from traumatic brain injury noted that his wife, Colleen, thought someone else would call if he was badly injured. Rivas himself did that despite stuttering, repeating himself and complaining of a headache. He later endured intensive therapy but was known at BAMC as a good patient.
“He was the kindest, gentlest man, one of them, that I've ever met,” said Judith Markelz, 60, director of the Warrior and Family Support Center at Fort Sam.
A Las Cruces, N.M., native who joined the Marines after high school and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Houston, Raymond Rivas was someone Comal County Precinct 1 Constable Ben Scroggin could count on.
“His performance not only as a soldier but as a deputy sheriff was absolutely exceptional,” said Scroggin, 72, of New Braunfels. “Many times, when I was on a traffic stop or something and I'd report it to the sheriff's office, I would turn around and there he was.”
Rivas' many friends, in turn, were there for him on a warm summer day. A line of soldiers, including Sgt. Maj. Dan Thompson of the Army Special Operations Command, stood next to the shelter as a horse-drawn caisson rolled toward them, led by a bagpiper playing a mournful tune.
The pallbearers, all soldiers in Army dress uniforms, placed Rivas' flag-draped casket on a bier in front of his family. An honor guard of Comal County deputies that had stood at attention in the sun then fired three volleys as two of the soldiers, wearing white gloves, held the flag over the casket. The bagpiper sounded taps.
A soldier folded the flag, carefully working to ensure it was tightly creased, as the other GI stood still. The flag's red and white stripes slowly disappeared into a field of blue with white stars. The NCO in charge of the detail inserted three shell casings into the American flag.
“Duty,” a soldier said.
“Honor.” “Country.”
When Rivas came back badly hurt from Iraq, he picked up the conversation with Cheek about going to the well once too often.
“And Ray said, ‘Yeah, I fell in,'” Cheek told the mourners. “They dropped a mortar in my back pocket.”
By Sig Christenson - Express-News Comal County Sheriff's Deputy Tom Cheek liked to tell his friend that if he went to the well often enough, he'd end up wet.
“And sooner or later, you're going to fall in,” he said. “We joked about that, we both being prior service. Sooner or later, if you put yourself in harm's way, there's a price to pay.”
Cheek, a Navy veteran of Southeast Asia before Saigon's fall, shared that conversation with a large group of mourners Tuesday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Retired Army Reserve Lt. Col. Raymond Trejo Rivas, 53, of New Braunfels was buried six days after his death outside Brooke Army Medical Center's emergency room, and nearly three years after a mortar blast in Iraq.
Rivas had trouble with speech, balance and memory after a mortar exploded about 25 feet from him on Oct. 12, 2006. The injury was a profound blow to an engineer and veteran soldier who had served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa and Afghanistan, as well as Iraq. It forced his retirement.
But he was a fighter. A 2007 San Antonio Express-News story profiling the battle Rivas and others were making to recover from traumatic brain injury noted that his wife, Colleen, thought someone else would call if he was badly injured. Rivas himself did that despite stuttering, repeating himself and complaining of a headache. He later endured intensive therapy but was known at BAMC as a good patient.
“He was the kindest, gentlest man, one of them, that I've ever met,” said Judith Markelz, 60, director of the Warrior and Family Support Center at Fort Sam.
A Las Cruces, N.M., native who joined the Marines after high school and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Houston, Raymond Rivas was someone Comal County Precinct 1 Constable Ben Scroggin could count on.
“His performance not only as a soldier but as a deputy sheriff was absolutely exceptional,” said Scroggin, 72, of New Braunfels. “Many times, when I was on a traffic stop or something and I'd report it to the sheriff's office, I would turn around and there he was.”
Rivas' many friends, in turn, were there for him on a warm summer day. A line of soldiers, including Sgt. Maj. Dan Thompson of the Army Special Operations Command, stood next to the shelter as a horse-drawn caisson rolled toward them, led by a bagpiper playing a mournful tune.
The pallbearers, all soldiers in Army dress uniforms, placed Rivas' flag-draped casket on a bier in front of his family. An honor guard of Comal County deputies that had stood at attention in the sun then fired three volleys as two of the soldiers, wearing white gloves, held the flag over the casket. The bagpiper sounded taps.
A soldier folded the flag, carefully working to ensure it was tightly creased, as the other GI stood still. The flag's red and white stripes slowly disappeared into a field of blue with white stars. The NCO in charge of the detail inserted three shell casings into the American flag.
“Duty,” a soldier said.
“Honor.” “Country.”
When Rivas came back badly hurt from Iraq, he picked up the conversation with Cheek about going to the well once too often.
“And Ray said, ‘Yeah, I fell in,'” Cheek told the mourners. “They dropped a mortar in my back pocket.”
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi, 29, of Seffner, Fla.
SFC Fabrizi was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died July 14, 2009 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his mounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
Soldier to be buried in hometown of Cleveland
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — The body of a soldier killed in Afghanistan has been returned to Cleveland so he can buried in his native city.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason Fabrizi was killed July 14 when his convoy was attacked in Konar province. The 29-year-old was the father of three boys, and his widow is pregnant with their fourth child.
He was scheduled to be buried Saturday.
Fabrizi had toured Iraq three times. He earned a Purple Heart, two Bronze stars and more than a dozen other honors.
Fabrizi was born in Cleveland and moved to Florida at age 10 with his parents, both Marines.
Tampa Bay Online -- A 29-year-old soldier from Seffner has died in Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi was in the Konar province of Afghanistan on Tuesday when his mounted patrol was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
This was Fabrizi's fourth tour in the Middle East; his previous three had been in Iraq. Among his numerous medals were two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
Samantha Sturgeon said her son, Pfc. Andrew Lansing, was serving under Fabrizi when the attack happened. The sergeant was not only Lansing's mentor but his friend, Sturgeon said.
"Sgt. Fabrizi watched out for him," said Sturgeon, of St. Petersburg. Her son was not hurt in Tuesday's attack.
Sturgeon said her son felt safe when he was around Fabrizi because the sergeant had made it through three previous tours.
"They were good at what they were doing," Sturgeon said. "My son felt he was with the best."
Fabrizi had been a wrestler on the Armwood High School team in the late 1990s.
Fabrizi was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi was killed in action on 7/14/09.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi, 29, of Seffner, Fla.
SFC Fabrizi was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died July 14, 2009 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his mounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
Soldier to be buried in hometown of Cleveland
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — The body of a soldier killed in Afghanistan has been returned to Cleveland so he can buried in his native city.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason Fabrizi was killed July 14 when his convoy was attacked in Konar province. The 29-year-old was the father of three boys, and his widow is pregnant with their fourth child.
He was scheduled to be buried Saturday.
Fabrizi had toured Iraq three times. He earned a Purple Heart, two Bronze stars and more than a dozen other honors.
Fabrizi was born in Cleveland and moved to Florida at age 10 with his parents, both Marines.
Tampa Bay Online -- A 29-year-old soldier from Seffner has died in Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi was in the Konar province of Afghanistan on Tuesday when his mounted patrol was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
This was Fabrizi's fourth tour in the Middle East; his previous three had been in Iraq. Among his numerous medals were two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
Samantha Sturgeon said her son, Pfc. Andrew Lansing, was serving under Fabrizi when the attack happened. The sergeant was not only Lansing's mentor but his friend, Sturgeon said.
"Sgt. Fabrizi watched out for him," said Sturgeon, of St. Petersburg. Her son was not hurt in Tuesday's attack.
Sturgeon said her son felt safe when he was around Fabrizi because the sergeant had made it through three previous tours.
"They were good at what they were doing," Sturgeon said. "My son felt he was with the best."
Fabrizi had been a wrestler on the Armwood High School team in the late 1990s.
Fabrizi was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi was killed in action on 7/14/09.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Marine Sgt. Michael W. Heede Jr
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Michael W. Heede Jr., 22, of Delta, Pa.
Sgt. Heede was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died July 13, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
FOX 43 -- DELTA, YORK COUNTY - The Department of Defense said Sgt. Michael Heede, Jr., 22, of Delta, York County was killed while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Heede was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, California.
Heede was a 2005 graduate of Kennard-Dale High School. South Eastern Schools Superintendent, Dr. Tracy Shank, says Michael was an outstanding young man. She says he was a very admired and respected member of the community, as well as a star athlete.
Heede enlisted in the military in 2005, just a few months after graduating from high school. His stepfather, Jeff Crothers, says Michael had a passion for the military and for serving his country.
"Once the recruiters came to the high school, he just really wanted to be a Marine, he was really proud to be a Marine," said Crothers.
Family and friends say they will remember Michael as a person who lived life to the fullest.
"He was a great kid and he was very active in sports at school and a very likable person," said Patricia Pitman, family friend.
"He was a great person, always happy, very laid back, mild mannered, just a really great all around kid," said Crothers.
Heede will be laid to rest next week at Arlington National Cemetary.
Marine Sgt. Michael W. Heede Jr was killed in action on 7/13/09.
Marine Sgt. Michael W. Heede Jr., 22, of Delta, Pa.
Sgt. Heede was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died July 13, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
FOX 43 -- DELTA, YORK COUNTY - The Department of Defense said Sgt. Michael Heede, Jr., 22, of Delta, York County was killed while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Heede was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, California.
Heede was a 2005 graduate of Kennard-Dale High School. South Eastern Schools Superintendent, Dr. Tracy Shank, says Michael was an outstanding young man. She says he was a very admired and respected member of the community, as well as a star athlete.
Heede enlisted in the military in 2005, just a few months after graduating from high school. His stepfather, Jeff Crothers, says Michael had a passion for the military and for serving his country.
"Once the recruiters came to the high school, he just really wanted to be a Marine, he was really proud to be a Marine," said Crothers.
Family and friends say they will remember Michael as a person who lived life to the fullest.
"He was a great kid and he was very active in sports at school and a very likable person," said Patricia Pitman, family friend.
"He was a great person, always happy, very laid back, mild mannered, just a really great all around kid," said Crothers.
Heede will be laid to rest next week at Arlington National Cemetary.
Marine Sgt. Michael W. Heede Jr was killed in action on 7/13/09.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. David S. Spicer
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Gunnery Sgt. David S. Spicer, 33, of Zanesfield, Ohio
Gunnery Sgt Spicer was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 13, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2 staff NCOs among latest Marine casualties
Staff report
Four Marines killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province since Saturday have been identified by the Pentagon.
They are:
• Staff Sgt. David S. Spicer, 33, of Zanesfield, Ohio.
• Sgt. Michael W. Heede Jr., 22, of Delta, Pa.
• Master Sgt. Jerome D. Hatfield, 36, of Axton, Va.
• Lance Cpl. Pedro A. Barbozaflores, 27, of Glendale, Calif.
Spicer, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with 8th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Heede, a combat engineer with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., died Monday, officials said. The circumstances were not immediately known.
Hatfield, operations chief for Delta Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and Barbozaflores, a light armored vehicle crewman with 2nd LAR, died in a bomb blast Saturday, according to reports. Both were based at Lejeune.
Spicer joined the Corps in October 1994 and had been selected for promotion to gunnery sergeant, officials said. He is survived by a wife and a daughter. Heede enlisted in September 2005.
Hatfield, a former drill instructor, joined the Corps in June 1991, officials said. He is survived by his wife and three children. Barbozaflores joined the Corps in March 2008.
All four were part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which earlier this month launched a major offensive to expel Taliban fighters from the Helmand River valley
Columbus Dispatch -- A 33-year-old Marine from Zanesfield in Logan County was killed Monday in combat in Afghanistan, military officials confirmed today.
Staff Sgt. David S. Spicer died in the Helmand province, the Department of Defense said. "He was as good a guy as you could ever meet," said Tim Stacy of Zanesfield, one of Spicer's brothers. "He was in the military for 15 years. He loved the military. It was his life."
Spicer joined the Marines after graduating from Benjamin Logan High School in Zanesfield in 1994. Zanesfield is southeast of Bellfontaine, about 53 miles from Columbus.
Spicer's wife, Kate, gave birth to their first child, a daughter, one year ago and is pregnant with a son, Stacy said.
His mother, Sandra Lockwood, and father, David Spicer, were in Delaware today when the body arrived at Dover Air Force Base, he said. Besides Stacy, Spicer is survived by two other brothers and one sister.
He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Stacy said his brother was an ordnance technician who had been in Afghanistan for three months and previously was in Iraq.
Spicer was one of two Marines killed Monday in the province. Officials said Michael W. Heede Jr. of Delta, Pa., also was killed. Heede was assigned to Camp Pendleton.
Stacy said the military hasn't revealed the circumstances surrounding his brother's death.
The family was told that Spicer was in line to be promoted to gunnery sergeant and will receive that honor posthumously. He will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, Stacy said.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. David S. Spicer was killed in action on 7/13/09.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. David S. Spicer, 33, of Zanesfield, Ohio
Gunnery Sgt Spicer was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 13, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2 staff NCOs among latest Marine casualties
Staff report
Four Marines killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province since Saturday have been identified by the Pentagon.
They are:
• Staff Sgt. David S. Spicer, 33, of Zanesfield, Ohio.
• Sgt. Michael W. Heede Jr., 22, of Delta, Pa.
• Master Sgt. Jerome D. Hatfield, 36, of Axton, Va.
• Lance Cpl. Pedro A. Barbozaflores, 27, of Glendale, Calif.
Spicer, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with 8th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Heede, a combat engineer with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., died Monday, officials said. The circumstances were not immediately known.
Hatfield, operations chief for Delta Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and Barbozaflores, a light armored vehicle crewman with 2nd LAR, died in a bomb blast Saturday, according to reports. Both were based at Lejeune.
Spicer joined the Corps in October 1994 and had been selected for promotion to gunnery sergeant, officials said. He is survived by a wife and a daughter. Heede enlisted in September 2005.
Hatfield, a former drill instructor, joined the Corps in June 1991, officials said. He is survived by his wife and three children. Barbozaflores joined the Corps in March 2008.
All four were part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which earlier this month launched a major offensive to expel Taliban fighters from the Helmand River valley
Columbus Dispatch -- A 33-year-old Marine from Zanesfield in Logan County was killed Monday in combat in Afghanistan, military officials confirmed today.
Staff Sgt. David S. Spicer died in the Helmand province, the Department of Defense said. "He was as good a guy as you could ever meet," said Tim Stacy of Zanesfield, one of Spicer's brothers. "He was in the military for 15 years. He loved the military. It was his life."
Spicer joined the Marines after graduating from Benjamin Logan High School in Zanesfield in 1994. Zanesfield is southeast of Bellfontaine, about 53 miles from Columbus.
Spicer's wife, Kate, gave birth to their first child, a daughter, one year ago and is pregnant with a son, Stacy said.
His mother, Sandra Lockwood, and father, David Spicer, were in Delaware today when the body arrived at Dover Air Force Base, he said. Besides Stacy, Spicer is survived by two other brothers and one sister.
He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Stacy said his brother was an ordnance technician who had been in Afghanistan for three months and previously was in Iraq.
Spicer was one of two Marines killed Monday in the province. Officials said Michael W. Heede Jr. of Delta, Pa., also was killed. Heede was assigned to Camp Pendleton.
Stacy said the military hasn't revealed the circumstances surrounding his brother's death.
The family was told that Spicer was in line to be promoted to gunnery sergeant and will receive that honor posthumously. He will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, Stacy said.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. David S. Spicer was killed in action on 7/13/09.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rodney A. Jarvis
Remember Our Heroes
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rodney A. Jarvis, 34, of Akron, Ohio
CWO2 Jarvis was assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk, La.; died July 13 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Army Soldier's procession scheduled for 5:30p.m. in Jasper/Newton
Posted by: Nicole Murray
On July 13, 2009 America lost another Hero, CWO2 Rodney Jarvis, 34, US Army. CWO2 Jarvis was stationed in Baghdad and died from injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. CWO2 Jarvis was a 14 year Veteran and leaves behind his wife Fashion Jarvis (formerly from Bon Wier) and 2 school aged children. CWO2 Jarvis was assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk , LA. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
CWO2 Jarvis is scheduled to arrive Sunday at the Bush Int'l Airport -Houston at 2:50 pm which should put him in the Jasper/Newton area anytime after 5:30. The route for the procession will be Hwy 190 to Smith Funeral Home 100 S. Houston, Newton. CWO2 Jarvis will be escorted by Patriot Guard Riders, Jasper Police Dept., Jasper County Sheriff's Dept. Newton Co. Sheriff Dept., Newton Police Dept. and other law enforcement agencies.
Visitation will be Monday, July 20th 5:00 - 9:00 pm at Smith Funeral Home.
Funeral Service will be Tuesday, July 21st 2:00 pm at First Baptist Church 319 Main Street, Newton.
Interment will follow at Hughes Cemetery Hwy 190 Bon Weir.
Funeral services are under the direction of Smith Funeral Home; David Schultz, Director.
Citizens of the community are encouraged to show support, respect and honor for CWO2 Jarvis' service to his country by lining Hwy 190 from Jasper to Newton on Sunday. On Tuesday the community is asked show support by lining Hwy 190 E from the church to the cemetery. Show your appreciation to his family with American flags and signs.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rodney A. Jarvis died 7/13/09 from a non-combat related incident.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rodney A. Jarvis, 34, of Akron, Ohio
CWO2 Jarvis was assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk, La.; died July 13 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Army Soldier's procession scheduled for 5:30p.m. in Jasper/Newton
Posted by: Nicole Murray
On July 13, 2009 America lost another Hero, CWO2 Rodney Jarvis, 34, US Army. CWO2 Jarvis was stationed in Baghdad and died from injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. CWO2 Jarvis was a 14 year Veteran and leaves behind his wife Fashion Jarvis (formerly from Bon Wier) and 2 school aged children. CWO2 Jarvis was assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk , LA. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
CWO2 Jarvis is scheduled to arrive Sunday at the Bush Int'l Airport -Houston at 2:50 pm which should put him in the Jasper/Newton area anytime after 5:30. The route for the procession will be Hwy 190 to Smith Funeral Home 100 S. Houston, Newton. CWO2 Jarvis will be escorted by Patriot Guard Riders, Jasper Police Dept., Jasper County Sheriff's Dept. Newton Co. Sheriff Dept., Newton Police Dept. and other law enforcement agencies.
Visitation will be Monday, July 20th 5:00 - 9:00 pm at Smith Funeral Home.
Funeral Service will be Tuesday, July 21st 2:00 pm at First Baptist Church 319 Main Street, Newton.
Interment will follow at Hughes Cemetery Hwy 190 Bon Weir.
Funeral services are under the direction of Smith Funeral Home; David Schultz, Director.
Citizens of the community are encouraged to show support, respect and honor for CWO2 Jarvis' service to his country by lining Hwy 190 from Jasper to Newton on Sunday. On Tuesday the community is asked show support by lining Hwy 190 E from the church to the cemetery. Show your appreciation to his family with American flags and signs.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rodney A. Jarvis died 7/13/09 from a non-combat related incident.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Army Staff Sgt. Eric J. Lindstrom
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Eric J. Lindstrom, 27, of Flagstaff, Ariz.
SSgt Lindstrom was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 12, 2009 near Barge Matal, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms and indirect fire.
Soldier from Flagstaff killed in Afghanistan
Wire and staff report
Azcentral.com
A former Flagstaff police officer serving in the Army has been killed in Afghanistan during a military operation.
Staff Sgt. Eric James Lindstrom was a member of the 10th Mountain Division. It was his second tour of duty.
Lindstrom’s father, Ric, told the Arizona Daily Sun that his 27-year-old son was killed by gunfire.
Eric Lindstrom was raised in Flagstaff and graduated high school in 1999. He joined the Army and spent time in Iraq before leaving the service.
Lindstrom then followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Flagstaff Police Department, said Police Chief Brent Cooper. He spent four years as a police officer and re-enlisted in the Army last fall.
“He had a burning desire to return to service,” Cooper said Tuesday.
Ric Lindstrom said his son had been stationed at a remote base near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and had been in several firefights in the last few months.
Army Staff Sgt. Eric J. Lindstrom was killed in action on 7/12/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Eric J. Lindstrom, 27, of Flagstaff, Ariz.
SSgt Lindstrom was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 12, 2009 near Barge Matal, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms and indirect fire.
Soldier from Flagstaff killed in Afghanistan
Wire and staff report
Azcentral.com
A former Flagstaff police officer serving in the Army has been killed in Afghanistan during a military operation.
Staff Sgt. Eric James Lindstrom was a member of the 10th Mountain Division. It was his second tour of duty.
Lindstrom’s father, Ric, told the Arizona Daily Sun that his 27-year-old son was killed by gunfire.
Eric Lindstrom was raised in Flagstaff and graduated high school in 1999. He joined the Army and spent time in Iraq before leaving the service.
Lindstrom then followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Flagstaff Police Department, said Police Chief Brent Cooper. He spent four years as a police officer and re-enlisted in the Army last fall.
“He had a burning desire to return to service,” Cooper said Tuesday.
Ric Lindstrom said his son had been stationed at a remote base near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and had been in several firefights in the last few months.
Army Staff Sgt. Eric J. Lindstrom was killed in action on 7/12/09.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Marine Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke, 22, of Tualatin, Ore.
Cpl. Lembke was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died July 10, 2009 of wounds sustained on June 24, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2/3 NCO dies from blast wounds
Staff report
A Hawaii-based Marine died Friday at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland from wounds suffered during a bombing late last month in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, according to reports.
Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke, 22, of Tualatin, Ore., was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, officials said in a news release. He was a sniper, according to the Oregonian newspaper.
Lembke lost both of his legs and suffered massive internal injuries in the explosion, the newspaper reported. He had undergone several surgeries at Bethesda to combat infection.
His platoon commander, 1st Lt. Joseph Cull, wrote Lembke’s family when he learned the noncommissioned officer was wounded, the Oregonian reported. The letter praised the “severity of his character,” and noted “the profound respect all within our battalion have for [Lembke’s] professionalism and solid character.”
Ore. governor praises fallen Marine corporal
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — Gov. Ted Kulongoski called a young Tualatin man “the best Oregon has to give” at a graveside service for the 22-year-old Marine who died following severe injuries suffered in Afghanistan.
The governor joined relatives and friends Monday to bury Cpl. Matthew Lembke, who died July 10 at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. He lost both legs in June. Lembke was buried at Willamette National Cemetery.
He was a sniper serving his third combat tour when an IED exploded during a late night foot patrol. He underwent several surgeries and held on for 18 days. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
A crowd of 800 filled the Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Tualatin for a funeral Mass. The Rev. Paul Peri said Lembke had a quiet faith and a spirit of self-sacrifice.
Marine Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke was died 7/10/09 of combat wounds sustained on 6/24/09.
Marine Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke, 22, of Tualatin, Ore.
Cpl. Lembke was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died July 10, 2009 of wounds sustained on June 24, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2/3 NCO dies from blast wounds
Staff report
A Hawaii-based Marine died Friday at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland from wounds suffered during a bombing late last month in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, according to reports.
Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke, 22, of Tualatin, Ore., was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, officials said in a news release. He was a sniper, according to the Oregonian newspaper.
Lembke lost both of his legs and suffered massive internal injuries in the explosion, the newspaper reported. He had undergone several surgeries at Bethesda to combat infection.
His platoon commander, 1st Lt. Joseph Cull, wrote Lembke’s family when he learned the noncommissioned officer was wounded, the Oregonian reported. The letter praised the “severity of his character,” and noted “the profound respect all within our battalion have for [Lembke’s] professionalism and solid character.”
Ore. governor praises fallen Marine corporal
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — Gov. Ted Kulongoski called a young Tualatin man “the best Oregon has to give” at a graveside service for the 22-year-old Marine who died following severe injuries suffered in Afghanistan.
The governor joined relatives and friends Monday to bury Cpl. Matthew Lembke, who died July 10 at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. He lost both legs in June. Lembke was buried at Willamette National Cemetery.
He was a sniper serving his third combat tour when an IED exploded during a late night foot patrol. He underwent several surgeries and held on for 18 days. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
A crowd of 800 filled the Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Tualatin for a funeral Mass. The Rev. Paul Peri said Lembke had a quiet faith and a spirit of self-sacrifice.
Marine Cpl. Matthew R. Lembke was died 7/10/09 of combat wounds sustained on 6/24/09.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker
Remember Our Heroes
By LORI STABILE
lstabile@repub.com
EAST LONGMEADOW - Debra W. Ecker read a letter to her son, Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker II, at his funeral Saturday.
"Markie, how do I say goodbye to you?" she said.
Ecker, 23, was killed July 10 when he was a passenger in a car that crashed on Interstate 93 in Andover. Just two years ago, Ecker survived a bomb blast in Ramadi, Iraq, that took his lower legs.
How he learned to walk again using prosthetic legs and feet was a story of inspiration and courage, themes that were repeated throughout the funeral by those who knew him.
His effect on his community was evident as more than 500 people turned out to pay their respects at the service at the East Longmeadow High School field, by the track that he ran so many times as a member of the school's cross-country team.
Debra Ecker, with her husband Mark R. Ecker Sr. by her side, talked about her son as a baby, "the most beautiful" she had ever seen. Even as an infant, she said, there was no holding him back.
"At nine months you tried to run before you could even walk," she said.
As a toddler, one of his favorite games was having his father chase him around the kitchen table every night, she remembered. Debra Ecker said before her son left for boot camp he told her he would miss their talks.
"Our closeness never wavered and I'm so grateful for that," Debra Ecker said.
She said she cannot imagine a world without her son.
"My son you are my hero," Debra Ecker said through tears.
As she went to her seat, she was embraced by her daughter Shannon, 21.
Ecker's godmother, Jackie Hebert, read a letter that she wrote when he was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he spent months recovering from his injuries. Hebert said while others might wallow in self-pity after losing their legs, "you were thanking God for being alive."
U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, recalled how he visited Ecker at Walter Reed. Neal said he was struck by Ecker's courage and optimism.
Neal said Ecker talked to him about running and how he was determined to do it again. When Neal saw him again, Ecker said to him, "Congressman, I'm back to running, but I'm not quite as fast as I used to be."
Neal said Ecker served America with honor and distinction. Never did he doubt the service he gave to his country, Neal said.
Selectman James D. Driscoll, who coordinated the service, said Ecker embraced his life and his challenges. Monsignor Christopher Connelly, from the Diocese of Springfield, said Ecker's abilities far outshone any hints of disabilities.
Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said when his daughters ask him what it means to be a patriot, he will tell them Ecker's story. Murray said one question has lingered in everyone's minds - why?
"Why ... after all he went through. Why is he ripped from us through a tragic accident?" Murray said.
Murray said Ecker will continue to inspire others to service and greatness, even in death, and that he will find "a hero's peace as he rejoins his brothers in arms."
Michael Gadziala, funeral director of Forastiere-Smith Funeral Home, said East Longmeadow has gone from a community to a family, because of Ecker.
Gadziala also noted Ecker's love of music, which led to a series of songs performed in memory of Ecker.
Merrill R. Shepard said Ecker was a "huge Guns n' Roses fan" before she sang "November Rain."
David Avezzie spoke about his longtime friend. Avezzie said they ran track together at the high school, where Ecker graduated in 2003. Avezzie said he especially will miss the way Ecker hugged.
"You'd say, 'When is he going to let go?' " Avezzie said. "He hugged with his whole heart."
"I'll see you sometime man ... I'll have all the time in the world then. And I don't care how long it takes for him to let go," Avezzie said, breaking down.
Army Staff Sgt. Matthew E. Keil served with Ecker. He brought a message from their platoon leader, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Farnsworth, who said Ecker was one of his favorite soldiers. Keil, of Colorado, said Ecker was a natural leader.
"He was one of those guys you liked instantly," Keil said.
Keil, who is in a wheelchair, was injured the same day as Ecker. Keil said he was on the opposite side of the street when the explosion hit Ecker and was first on scene. Keil said Ecker was more concerned about his fellow soldiers than he was that his legs were gone.
They were in recovery together at Walter Reed, which cemented their friendship.
"He always wore his dog tags on the outside of his shirt because he was so proud of his military career," Keil said.
"Saying goodbye to Mark is the toughest thing I've ever done in my life. Sgt. Ecker, I will see you on the battlefield," Keil said.
Ecker's flag-covered casket was led from the field, through a line of American flags, and under an American flag suspended between two fire truck ladders.
Ecker will be buried Monday at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. The public procession will begin at 10 a.m. at the Forastiere-Smith Funeral Home on North Main Street; overflow parking is at the high school and St. Michael's Church and people are asked to remain in their vehicles, Driscoll said. A reception will follow at Onyx restaurant in Springfield.
Larger Images
By LORI STABILE
lstabile@repub.com
EAST LONGMEADOW - Debra W. Ecker read a letter to her son, Army Sgt. Mark R. Ecker II, at his funeral Saturday.
"Markie, how do I say goodbye to you?" she said.
Ecker, 23, was killed July 10 when he was a passenger in a car that crashed on Interstate 93 in Andover. Just two years ago, Ecker survived a bomb blast in Ramadi, Iraq, that took his lower legs.
How he learned to walk again using prosthetic legs and feet was a story of inspiration and courage, themes that were repeated throughout the funeral by those who knew him.
His effect on his community was evident as more than 500 people turned out to pay their respects at the service at the East Longmeadow High School field, by the track that he ran so many times as a member of the school's cross-country team.
Debra Ecker, with her husband Mark R. Ecker Sr. by her side, talked about her son as a baby, "the most beautiful" she had ever seen. Even as an infant, she said, there was no holding him back.
"At nine months you tried to run before you could even walk," she said.
As a toddler, one of his favorite games was having his father chase him around the kitchen table every night, she remembered. Debra Ecker said before her son left for boot camp he told her he would miss their talks.
"Our closeness never wavered and I'm so grateful for that," Debra Ecker said.
She said she cannot imagine a world without her son.
"My son you are my hero," Debra Ecker said through tears.
As she went to her seat, she was embraced by her daughter Shannon, 21.
Ecker's godmother, Jackie Hebert, read a letter that she wrote when he was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he spent months recovering from his injuries. Hebert said while others might wallow in self-pity after losing their legs, "you were thanking God for being alive."
U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, recalled how he visited Ecker at Walter Reed. Neal said he was struck by Ecker's courage and optimism.
Neal said Ecker talked to him about running and how he was determined to do it again. When Neal saw him again, Ecker said to him, "Congressman, I'm back to running, but I'm not quite as fast as I used to be."
Neal said Ecker served America with honor and distinction. Never did he doubt the service he gave to his country, Neal said.
Selectman James D. Driscoll, who coordinated the service, said Ecker embraced his life and his challenges. Monsignor Christopher Connelly, from the Diocese of Springfield, said Ecker's abilities far outshone any hints of disabilities.
Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said when his daughters ask him what it means to be a patriot, he will tell them Ecker's story. Murray said one question has lingered in everyone's minds - why?
"Why ... after all he went through. Why is he ripped from us through a tragic accident?" Murray said.
Murray said Ecker will continue to inspire others to service and greatness, even in death, and that he will find "a hero's peace as he rejoins his brothers in arms."
Michael Gadziala, funeral director of Forastiere-Smith Funeral Home, said East Longmeadow has gone from a community to a family, because of Ecker.
Gadziala also noted Ecker's love of music, which led to a series of songs performed in memory of Ecker.
Merrill R. Shepard said Ecker was a "huge Guns n' Roses fan" before she sang "November Rain."
David Avezzie spoke about his longtime friend. Avezzie said they ran track together at the high school, where Ecker graduated in 2003. Avezzie said he especially will miss the way Ecker hugged.
"You'd say, 'When is he going to let go?' " Avezzie said. "He hugged with his whole heart."
"I'll see you sometime man ... I'll have all the time in the world then. And I don't care how long it takes for him to let go," Avezzie said, breaking down.
Army Staff Sgt. Matthew E. Keil served with Ecker. He brought a message from their platoon leader, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Farnsworth, who said Ecker was one of his favorite soldiers. Keil, of Colorado, said Ecker was a natural leader.
"He was one of those guys you liked instantly," Keil said.
Keil, who is in a wheelchair, was injured the same day as Ecker. Keil said he was on the opposite side of the street when the explosion hit Ecker and was first on scene. Keil said Ecker was more concerned about his fellow soldiers than he was that his legs were gone.
They were in recovery together at Walter Reed, which cemented their friendship.
"He always wore his dog tags on the outside of his shirt because he was so proud of his military career," Keil said.
"Saying goodbye to Mark is the toughest thing I've ever done in my life. Sgt. Ecker, I will see you on the battlefield," Keil said.
Ecker's flag-covered casket was led from the field, through a line of American flags, and under an American flag suspended between two fire truck ladders.
Ecker will be buried Monday at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. The public procession will begin at 10 a.m. at the Forastiere-Smith Funeral Home on North Main Street; overflow parking is at the high school and St. Michael's Church and people are asked to remain in their vehicles, Driscoll said. A reception will follow at Onyx restaurant in Springfield.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Army Spc. Joshua R. Farris
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Joshua R. Farris, 22, of La Grange, Texas
Spc. Farris was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 9, 2009 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
The Post-Standard -- A Fort Drum soldier died Thursday in Afghanistan from a roadside bomb, the Pentagon said Saturday.
Spc. Joshua R. Farris, 22, of La Grange, Texas, died in Wardak Province of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), at Fort Drum.
Farris joined the Army in March 2006 and came to Fort Drum in June 2006. He is survived by his father, mother and step-father.
Farris' awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Army Spc. Joshua R. Farris was killed in action on 7/9/09.
Army Spc. Joshua R. Farris, 22, of La Grange, Texas
Spc. Farris was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 9, 2009 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
The Post-Standard -- A Fort Drum soldier died Thursday in Afghanistan from a roadside bomb, the Pentagon said Saturday.
Spc. Joshua R. Farris, 22, of La Grange, Texas, died in Wardak Province of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), at Fort Drum.
Farris joined the Army in March 2006 and came to Fort Drum in June 2006. He is survived by his father, mother and step-father.
Farris' awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Army Spc. Joshua R. Farris was killed in action on 7/9/09.
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