Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Anton R. Phillips, 31, of Inglewood, Calif.; assigned to G Forward Support Company, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Task Force Wildhorse, Forward Operating Base Methar Lam, Afghanistan; died Dec. 31, 2009 at FOB Methar Lam, Afghanistan.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Army Master Sgt. Dane Paresi (Rt)
Remember Our Heroes
A highly decorated soldier was among those killed in last week’s bombing at a CIA base in Afghanistan. Master Sgt. Dane Paresi, 46, grew up on Mount Scott and spent almost 30 years in the Army before retiring and going to work for the security company Xe which was formerly known as Blackwater.
After more than a quarter century in the Army, Master Sgt. Dane Paresi, of DuPont, retired in 2008 and briefly tried to settle into a civilian stateside job. But he quickly grew restless and joined Xe Services, the company formally known as Blackwater, on what a relative says was a security assignment in Afghanistan.
"He was just not meant to be behind a desk. He was meant to be on the front lines," said his brother Terry Paresi, of Oregon City, Ore. "He told me he was providing security as an independent contractor."
Paresi, 46, died Dec. 30 in an Afghanistan suicide bombing by a Jordanian double agent. The bombing killed seven Americans — five men and two women — including Paresi, another Xe contractor and five CIA employees.
The CIA has not released the names of any of those killed in the bombing at a base in eastern Afghanistan. Xe also has not publicly released any names of those who died. However, details of some of the dead have begun to trickle out in newspaper obituaries and family statements.
In the Pacific Northwest, relatives confirmed Dane Paresi's death.
His wife, MindyLou Paresi, told The News Tribune of Tacoma that she had been told her husband suspected something might be wrong with the Jordanian informant who came to meet with the CIA agents at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost Province. MindyLou Paresi said that her husband approached the bomber, and was the closest person to the bomber as the explosion happened. "He saved many people; unfortunately seven of them did die," she said in the News Tribune interview. "It could have been worse."
Paresi credited Xe for keeping her family informed in recent days. She told the News Tribune that she attended a ceremony with CIA Director Leon Panetta and other government officials after meeting her husband's casket Tuesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
"The Americans who fell in the line of duty last week at a CIA base in Afghanistan were courageous and patriotic," said George Little, a CIA spokesman. "They were doing essential work to protect our nation."
A federal law-enforcement official said this week that the bomber, a Jordanian doctor identified as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, entered the base by car and detonated a powerful explosive just outside the base's gym where CIA operatives and others had gathered. It was unclear whether the explosives were hidden in a suicide vest or belt.
The bomber hit a sensitive CIA post, where agents were involved in targeting Taliban and other militant leaders through armed drones that flew across the border into Pakistan.
The bomber, at the time of his attack, had offered to share information about a top al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Xe, like its predecessor company Blackwater, is led by Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL who built a huge contracting business that since 9/11 has been involved in a wide range of security-related jobs for U.S. government agencies.
In Afghanistan, Xe has a range of contracts that include training Afghan border guards and has a role in assisting in CIA security. The New York Times reported that Blackwater once was involved in assisting the CIA drone program in Pakistan, where the company has been a flash point for controversy.
Paresi, a native of Portland, Ore., joined Xe after retiring from Fort Lewis, where he served in the Special Forces. His career included several overseas tours, including Afghanistan, and he earned numerous awards and medals, according to a statement released by the family.
After joining Xe, Paresi trained at the company's headquarters in North Carolina before heading over to Afghanistan. He told his brother Terry that he would be involved in security but never disclosed additional details about his assignment.
"My brother's true passions were the military and his family," said Terry Paresi. "He left for basic training the day after high school, and began the odyssey that finally just ended. He got done whatever needed to be done, whether it was messy or easy."
In addition to his brother Mark, survivors include Paresi's wife, MindyLou; two daughters; mother and father, Charles and Jan Paresi of Portland; three other brothers, Terry, Steve and Kirt; and a sister, Santina.
A highly decorated soldier was among those killed in last week’s bombing at a CIA base in Afghanistan. Master Sgt. Dane Paresi, 46, grew up on Mount Scott and spent almost 30 years in the Army before retiring and going to work for the security company Xe which was formerly known as Blackwater.
After more than a quarter century in the Army, Master Sgt. Dane Paresi, of DuPont, retired in 2008 and briefly tried to settle into a civilian stateside job. But he quickly grew restless and joined Xe Services, the company formally known as Blackwater, on what a relative says was a security assignment in Afghanistan.
"He was just not meant to be behind a desk. He was meant to be on the front lines," said his brother Terry Paresi, of Oregon City, Ore. "He told me he was providing security as an independent contractor."
Paresi, 46, died Dec. 30 in an Afghanistan suicide bombing by a Jordanian double agent. The bombing killed seven Americans — five men and two women — including Paresi, another Xe contractor and five CIA employees.
The CIA has not released the names of any of those killed in the bombing at a base in eastern Afghanistan. Xe also has not publicly released any names of those who died. However, details of some of the dead have begun to trickle out in newspaper obituaries and family statements.
In the Pacific Northwest, relatives confirmed Dane Paresi's death.
His wife, MindyLou Paresi, told The News Tribune of Tacoma that she had been told her husband suspected something might be wrong with the Jordanian informant who came to meet with the CIA agents at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost Province. MindyLou Paresi said that her husband approached the bomber, and was the closest person to the bomber as the explosion happened. "He saved many people; unfortunately seven of them did die," she said in the News Tribune interview. "It could have been worse."
Paresi credited Xe for keeping her family informed in recent days. She told the News Tribune that she attended a ceremony with CIA Director Leon Panetta and other government officials after meeting her husband's casket Tuesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
"The Americans who fell in the line of duty last week at a CIA base in Afghanistan were courageous and patriotic," said George Little, a CIA spokesman. "They were doing essential work to protect our nation."
A federal law-enforcement official said this week that the bomber, a Jordanian doctor identified as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, entered the base by car and detonated a powerful explosive just outside the base's gym where CIA operatives and others had gathered. It was unclear whether the explosives were hidden in a suicide vest or belt.
The bomber hit a sensitive CIA post, where agents were involved in targeting Taliban and other militant leaders through armed drones that flew across the border into Pakistan.
The bomber, at the time of his attack, had offered to share information about a top al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Xe, like its predecessor company Blackwater, is led by Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL who built a huge contracting business that since 9/11 has been involved in a wide range of security-related jobs for U.S. government agencies.
In Afghanistan, Xe has a range of contracts that include training Afghan border guards and has a role in assisting in CIA security. The New York Times reported that Blackwater once was involved in assisting the CIA drone program in Pakistan, where the company has been a flash point for controversy.
Paresi, a native of Portland, Ore., joined Xe after retiring from Fort Lewis, where he served in the Special Forces. His career included several overseas tours, including Afghanistan, and he earned numerous awards and medals, according to a statement released by the family.
After joining Xe, Paresi trained at the company's headquarters in North Carolina before heading over to Afghanistan. He told his brother Terry that he would be involved in security but never disclosed additional details about his assignment.
"My brother's true passions were the military and his family," said Terry Paresi. "He left for basic training the day after high school, and began the odyssey that finally just ended. He got done whatever needed to be done, whether it was messy or easy."
In addition to his brother Mark, survivors include Paresi's wife, MindyLou; two daughters; mother and father, Charles and Jan Paresi of Portland; three other brothers, Terry, Steve and Kirt; and a sister, Santina.
CIA Agent Elizabeth Hanson
Remember Our Heroes
In a telephone interview, her father, Duane Hanson Jr., said an agency official called several days ago to let him know that his daughter, who he said would have turned 31 next month, had been killed. He knew little of her work, other than that she had been in Afghanistan. “I begged her not to go,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Do you know how dangerous that is? That’s for soldiers.’ ”
Known for her curiosity and chattiness, Elizabeth Hanson saw life as an adventure to be embraced, judging from the quote she chose to run next to her high school yearbook photo in Rockford.
"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end," read the quote, by author Ursula K. LeGuin.
On Thursday, Hanson's family, friends and teachers expressed shock and sadness after learning that the 30-year-old was one of several CIA agents killed Dec. 30 in a suicide bombing while gathering intelligence on al-Qaida at a remote base in the mountains of Afghanistan.
The four CIA agents, along with three American security guards and a Jordanian intelligence officer, died after the bomber had been invited to a meeting, supposedly to pass along important information. Officials said he turned out to be a double agent.
"We're very proud of her," said Hanson's brother, Duane Hanson III, confirming her death to the Associated Press.
In Rockford, where Elizabeth Hanson grew up, her friends and teachers at Keith Country Day School remembered her Thursday as friendly and outgoing. They also expressed surprise at her career.
Her nickname was "Bitsy" and she was voted most talkative girl by her senior class, said her Latin teacher Sherrilyn Martin. Hanson took advanced placement classes, loved tennis and worked on the yearbook. She also was in the Junior Engineering Technical Society, Martin said.
"Even though her journey was short, I certainly hope it was very fulfilling for her," Martin said. "Those who remember her do so with great affection and admiration, both for what she did overseas and what she did while she was here."
After graduating in 1997, Hanson majored in economics and minored in Russian language and literature at Colby College in Maine. She graduated in 2002.
Michael Donihue, an economics professor at Colby, said he was struck by Hanson's intellectual curiosity and desire to understand the world around her.
"She was thoughtful and asked the types of questions that indicate she was thinking beyond the textbook," he said, though he too was surprised by her CIA work.
Just after Sept. 11, 2001, she wrote a thesis titled "Faithless Heathens: Scriptural Economics of Judaism, Christianity and Islam." The paper explored economic principles through the lens of the three religions.
In a telephone interview, her father, Duane Hanson Jr., said an agency official called several days ago to let him know that his daughter, who he said would have turned 31 next month, had been killed. He knew little of her work, other than that she had been in Afghanistan. “I begged her not to go,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Do you know how dangerous that is? That’s for soldiers.’ ”
Known for her curiosity and chattiness, Elizabeth Hanson saw life as an adventure to be embraced, judging from the quote she chose to run next to her high school yearbook photo in Rockford.
"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end," read the quote, by author Ursula K. LeGuin.
On Thursday, Hanson's family, friends and teachers expressed shock and sadness after learning that the 30-year-old was one of several CIA agents killed Dec. 30 in a suicide bombing while gathering intelligence on al-Qaida at a remote base in the mountains of Afghanistan.
The four CIA agents, along with three American security guards and a Jordanian intelligence officer, died after the bomber had been invited to a meeting, supposedly to pass along important information. Officials said he turned out to be a double agent.
"We're very proud of her," said Hanson's brother, Duane Hanson III, confirming her death to the Associated Press.
In Rockford, where Elizabeth Hanson grew up, her friends and teachers at Keith Country Day School remembered her Thursday as friendly and outgoing. They also expressed surprise at her career.
Her nickname was "Bitsy" and she was voted most talkative girl by her senior class, said her Latin teacher Sherrilyn Martin. Hanson took advanced placement classes, loved tennis and worked on the yearbook. She also was in the Junior Engineering Technical Society, Martin said.
"Even though her journey was short, I certainly hope it was very fulfilling for her," Martin said. "Those who remember her do so with great affection and admiration, both for what she did overseas and what she did while she was here."
After graduating in 1997, Hanson majored in economics and minored in Russian language and literature at Colby College in Maine. She graduated in 2002.
Michael Donihue, an economics professor at Colby, said he was struck by Hanson's intellectual curiosity and desire to understand the world around her.
"She was thoughtful and asked the types of questions that indicate she was thinking beyond the textbook," he said, though he too was surprised by her CIA work.
Just after Sept. 11, 2001, she wrote a thesis titled "Faithless Heathens: Scriptural Economics of Judaism, Christianity and Islam." The paper explored economic principles through the lens of the three religions.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino, 45, of Waterbury, Conn.
SSgt. Spino was assigned to the 274th Forward Surgical Team, 44th Medical Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 29, 2009 in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot while unloading supplies.
Bragg medic killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A 45-year-old Fort Bragg soldier has been killed while unloading medical supplies in a village in northwestern Afghanistan.
Military officials say Staff Sgt. Ronald Jay Spino from Waterbury, Conn., died Dec. 29 in Bala Morghab, a village in Badghis province.
Spino was assigned to the 44th Medical Command at Fort Bragg. He returned from Iraq in February and deployed to Afghanistan in November.
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell says Spino was expected to return from Afghanistan in about 30 days and ordered flags in the state lowered to half-staff.
Spino was remembered by friends in his unit as a quiet, hardworking soldier with a good sense of humor.
Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino was killed in action on 12/29/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino, 45, of Waterbury, Conn.
SSgt. Spino was assigned to the 274th Forward Surgical Team, 44th Medical Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 29, 2009 in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot while unloading supplies.
Bragg medic killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A 45-year-old Fort Bragg soldier has been killed while unloading medical supplies in a village in northwestern Afghanistan.
Military officials say Staff Sgt. Ronald Jay Spino from Waterbury, Conn., died Dec. 29 in Bala Morghab, a village in Badghis province.
Spino was assigned to the 44th Medical Command at Fort Bragg. He returned from Iraq in February and deployed to Afghanistan in November.
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell says Spino was expected to return from Afghanistan in about 30 days and ordered flags in the state lowered to half-staff.
Spino was remembered by friends in his unit as a quiet, hardworking soldier with a good sense of humor.
Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino was killed in action on 12/29/09.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Charles Rochlin
Remember Our Heroes
Westport (WTNH) - An accident in Westport has left an active-duty Marine dead. The driver of the vehicle was hospitalized.
Lance Cpl. Charles Rochlin was killed early Sunday morning when the car he was riding in slammed into a tree along Greens Farms Road in Westport.
"Everything was done to assist him but unfortunately he succombed" to his injuries, Lt. Vincent Penna, Westport Police, said.
The damage to the passenger side of the Jeep Cherokee shows the force of impact.
Rochlin, a 24-year-old who grew up in Westport, had been out with a childhood friend. Police tell News Channel 8 Mathew Packer was the only other person in the car.
Packer, 25, wasn't seriously hurt, but police said he denies he was behind the wheel when the crash occured.
"The physical evidence at the scene and also what we will garner from the vehicle will indicate who was operating the vehicle and at this point in time we have no other suspects except Mr. Packer and feel he was the operator of the vehicle," Lt. Penna said.
Rochlin was based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and recently returned to Connecticut following a tour in Iraq. He was set to deploy to Afganistan this spring.
Police are waiting for toxicology reports to come in, but they believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
"Does appear that alcohol played a role and it shows the unfortunate consequences of mixing alcohol and operating a vehicle especially at this time of year," Lt. Penna said.
Born in Norwalk, Rochlin spent much of his live in Westport. He attended Fairfield Prep, but graduated from Staples High School in June 2003.
According to a story posted on WestportNow.com , calling hours will be Tuesday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East. The funeral will be held Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. at Saint Luke Church, 49 Turkey Hill Road North. Rochlin will be buried with full military honors at Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main St.
Westport (WTNH) - An accident in Westport has left an active-duty Marine dead. The driver of the vehicle was hospitalized.
Lance Cpl. Charles Rochlin was killed early Sunday morning when the car he was riding in slammed into a tree along Greens Farms Road in Westport.
"Everything was done to assist him but unfortunately he succombed" to his injuries, Lt. Vincent Penna, Westport Police, said.
The damage to the passenger side of the Jeep Cherokee shows the force of impact.
Rochlin, a 24-year-old who grew up in Westport, had been out with a childhood friend. Police tell News Channel 8 Mathew Packer was the only other person in the car.
Packer, 25, wasn't seriously hurt, but police said he denies he was behind the wheel when the crash occured.
"The physical evidence at the scene and also what we will garner from the vehicle will indicate who was operating the vehicle and at this point in time we have no other suspects except Mr. Packer and feel he was the operator of the vehicle," Lt. Penna said.
Rochlin was based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and recently returned to Connecticut following a tour in Iraq. He was set to deploy to Afganistan this spring.
Police are waiting for toxicology reports to come in, but they believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
"Does appear that alcohol played a role and it shows the unfortunate consequences of mixing alcohol and operating a vehicle especially at this time of year," Lt. Penna said.
Born in Norwalk, Rochlin spent much of his live in Westport. He attended Fairfield Prep, but graduated from Staples High School in June 2003.
According to a story posted on WestportNow.com , calling hours will be Tuesday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East. The funeral will be held Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. at Saint Luke Church, 49 Turkey Hill Road North. Rochlin will be buried with full military honors at Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main St.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Army Spc. Jason M. Johnston
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jason M. Johnston, 24, of Albion, N.Y.
Spc. Johnston was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 26, 2009 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
A small Orleans County village is mourning the loss of one of its own. Army soldier Jason Johnston, 24, of Albion was killed in Afghanistan Saturday.
The Department of Defense says Johnston was killed in southern Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device.
Johnston's parents left for Delaware to identify their son’s body. While they're gone, some are doing their best to honor Johnston here in his hometown.
"It's a family," said Albion Fire Chief Eric Bradshaw. "It's the true meaning of family."
Bradshaw said in many ways the Albion Fire Department is Johnston's family.
"Jason and his dad spent a lot of time in the fire house together," Bradshaw said.
Johnston's father Brad has been with the department for more than 15 years. His mother Jenny has volunteered for more than ten years. Johnston himself was in the youth explorer program.
"When he graduated high school, he went into the military and we sort of lost touch with him but he was a good kid very hard working the time that we shared down here at the fire house," said Bradshaw.
"I'm really close with the mother and we just hugged and talked a little bit about what was going on," said Albion Fire Department President Stanley Farone. "Just to let her know basically we're here for them."
Flags outside several businesses and at the firefighters memorial at the Mt. Albion Cemetery have been lowered to half staff, a sign of respect for Johnston and a show of support for his family.
"What we can do we're going to do," Farone said. "We're just trying to take some of the burden off them."
Johnston was never a full fledged member. Albion's fire chief says now he will be.
"We're very proud of the fact that he decided to go into the military," said Bradshaw. "We're going to honor Jason as best we can, and one of the things we can do is make him a full member here at the department. We're a family and we take care of our family."
Funeral arraignments have not been finalized. Johnston leaves behind three sisters, one of whom was also in the Albion Fire Department's Explorer Program.
Bradshaw said the department will help with any services the Johnston family requests.
Army Spc. Jason M. Johnston was killed in action on 12/26/09.
Army Spc. Jason M. Johnston, 24, of Albion, N.Y.
Spc. Johnston was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 26, 2009 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
A small Orleans County village is mourning the loss of one of its own. Army soldier Jason Johnston, 24, of Albion was killed in Afghanistan Saturday.
The Department of Defense says Johnston was killed in southern Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device.
Johnston's parents left for Delaware to identify their son’s body. While they're gone, some are doing their best to honor Johnston here in his hometown.
"It's a family," said Albion Fire Chief Eric Bradshaw. "It's the true meaning of family."
Bradshaw said in many ways the Albion Fire Department is Johnston's family.
"Jason and his dad spent a lot of time in the fire house together," Bradshaw said.
Johnston's father Brad has been with the department for more than 15 years. His mother Jenny has volunteered for more than ten years. Johnston himself was in the youth explorer program.
"When he graduated high school, he went into the military and we sort of lost touch with him but he was a good kid very hard working the time that we shared down here at the fire house," said Bradshaw.
"I'm really close with the mother and we just hugged and talked a little bit about what was going on," said Albion Fire Department President Stanley Farone. "Just to let her know basically we're here for them."
Flags outside several businesses and at the firefighters memorial at the Mt. Albion Cemetery have been lowered to half staff, a sign of respect for Johnston and a show of support for his family.
"What we can do we're going to do," Farone said. "We're just trying to take some of the burden off them."
Johnston was never a full fledged member. Albion's fire chief says now he will be.
"We're very proud of the fact that he decided to go into the military," said Bradshaw. "We're going to honor Jason as best we can, and one of the things we can do is make him a full member here at the department. We're a family and we take care of our family."
Funeral arraignments have not been finalized. Johnston leaves behind three sisters, one of whom was also in the Albion Fire Department's Explorer Program.
Bradshaw said the department will help with any services the Johnston family requests.
Army Spc. Jason M. Johnston was killed in action on 12/26/09.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Army Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, of San Francisco
SSgt Gutierrez was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Dec. 25, 2009 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad.
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Fort Lewis Soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, of San Francisco, Calif., died Dec. 25 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
According to unit records, Gutierrez enlisted October 22, 1998, at San Francisco, Calif. Following basic training and Advanced Individual Training in Military Occupational Specialty 11B: Infantryman, he reported to Fort Campbell, Kentucky on April 14, 1999. Gutierrez completed two overseas assignments; Camp Casey, Korea September 2000 – August 2001, and Schofield Barracks from October 2001 through May 2008. While assigned to Schofield Barracks Gutierrez deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from January 2004 through January 2005.
He arrived at Fort Lewis May 8, 2008 was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, The brigade deployed to Afghanistan in July, 2009. This was his second deployment.
Gutierrez’ civilian and military education includes a high school equivalency diploma, the Military Occupational Specialty 11B: Infantryman (1999), Air Assault training (1999), Combat Lifesavers Course (1999), Warrior Leader Course (2002), Army Retention Course (2002), Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below Leader Operator New Equipment Training Certification (2006), Javelin Training Devices Course (2008), Unit Prevention Leader Course (2008)
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal (2 awards), Army Achievement Medal (4 awards), Army Good Conduct Medal (3 awards), National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Air Assault Badge.
Army Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez was killed in action on 12/25/09.
Army Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, of San Francisco
SSgt Gutierrez was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Dec. 25, 2009 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad.
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Fort Lewis Soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, of San Francisco, Calif., died Dec. 25 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
According to unit records, Gutierrez enlisted October 22, 1998, at San Francisco, Calif. Following basic training and Advanced Individual Training in Military Occupational Specialty 11B: Infantryman, he reported to Fort Campbell, Kentucky on April 14, 1999. Gutierrez completed two overseas assignments; Camp Casey, Korea September 2000 – August 2001, and Schofield Barracks from October 2001 through May 2008. While assigned to Schofield Barracks Gutierrez deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from January 2004 through January 2005.
He arrived at Fort Lewis May 8, 2008 was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, The brigade deployed to Afghanistan in July, 2009. This was his second deployment.
Gutierrez’ civilian and military education includes a high school equivalency diploma, the Military Occupational Specialty 11B: Infantryman (1999), Air Assault training (1999), Combat Lifesavers Course (1999), Warrior Leader Course (2002), Army Retention Course (2002), Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below Leader Operator New Equipment Training Certification (2006), Javelin Training Devices Course (2008), Unit Prevention Leader Course (2008)
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal (2 awards), Army Achievement Medal (4 awards), Army Good Conduct Medal (3 awards), National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Air Assault Badge.
Army Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez was killed in action on 12/25/09.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool
Remember Our Heroes
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool lost his left leg when a bomb ripped a hole in the side of the USS Cole nearly a decade ago, but the injury was nothing compared with the mental torment that ravaged him almost daily. He returned home to Florida suffering severe post-traumatic stress disorder and frequent panic attacks so violent he would launch into seizures and even fractured his own wrist several times as he flailed, sister Natala Gokool said Tuesday.
One of the brothers he lived with, his younger brother Hamish, found him dead in their home Wednesday, December 23, 2009, just a week after his 31st birthday, Natala Gokool said. His cause of death was unknown, though she said foul play was not suspected. The family believes the seizures just became too much for his body to handle.
Gokool was an electronic warfare technician aboard the Cole when suicide bombers rammed a small boat packed with explosives into it on Oct. 12, 2000, during a refueling stop in Aden, Yemen. It triggered a string of deadly fires. Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed and 39 others injured. His sister said he soon began having panic attacks.
"Every year around the anniversary of the attack on the Cole, it seemed to get worse and more violent and more frequent," she said.
When he was awake, the episodes were generally mild, she said. When they struck in his sleep, he would thrash uncontrollably.
``We had to restrain him,'' said Natala, project coordinator for a Miami architecture firm. ``Once, he got loose and hit me with such force I went through the [open] front window.'' Later, he'd have no memory of the incidents.
``When he was doing well, he was outgoing,'' she said. ``He spoke to everyone and was very friendly,'' a practical joker who would play tricks with his prosthetic leg. ``When he wasn't doing well, it was physically exhausting.''
When he could, Gokool spoke to school kids about overcoming adversity. He played cards on Monday evenings, and had an on-again, off-again relationship with a longtime girlfriend.
He loved Buffalo wings, Caribbean dishes like curried crab and shrimp, and all kinds of music, from German punk rock to a bagpipe version of Amazing Grace to Sean ``Diddy'' Combs' raps.
He was clean-cut and preppy, Natala said. ``He didn't own a pair of jeans.''
Drenched in Davidoff's Cool Water cologne, he'd declare: ``I want to look sharp and smell good.''
Gokool recalled her brother as a "fun-loving, outgoing, friendly, generous to-a-fault type of person," even after the bombing.
He was in the ship's mess hall during the attack. "When the explosion went off, everything was in slow motion, like a movie," Gokool told The Miami Herald in 2005. "My body spun around and I could smell smoke and fuel." After being knocked unconscious, Gokool said he woke up and slowly dragged himself up a ladder to rescue. "I don't want to die here," he said he thought to himself.
Doctors later removed his badly injured left leg, and he was visited in the hospital by then-President Bill Clinton.
"The president ... told me to hang in there," Gokool told the Herald. "I told him not to worry, that I'd make it, and to prove it, I'd open a nightclub and he'd be the first musician I'd invite so he could watch me dance on one leg while he played the sax."
Gokool lived in Homestead, about 35 miles southwest of Miami.
His sister said the lost leg "didn't really have any effect on him once the physical wound healed."
It was the panic attacks that scarred him. He couldn't work and stayed home when he felt them coming on, which was sometimes too often for him to live any normal life. He played cards occasionally and video games, and chatted often on the Internet with friends. He and his sister would go to the movies just about every Tuesday, but only when he felt comfortable there were no panic attacks looming.
"We saw every specialist you could think of but nobody knew what was causing it. They could just rule things out," his sister said.
While Gokool's death was sudden, "my parents and my brothers and I always knew that unless somebody could figure out what was wrong with him, it would probably kill him," she said. "A part of us always knew that would be his demise."
The family plans to take his ashes to Arlington National Cemetery, where the Cole dead lie in a special section. ``He always said he wanted to be interred with his buddies up there,'' his father said.
Born in Trinidad, Johann Gokool was 8 years old when the family moved to South Florida. His father, Ramish, is Hindu, of Indian heritage; his mother, Liah, is French Creole Catholic. Brothers Angelo and Hamish Gokool of Homestead, and Owen Paponette of Richmond, Va., also survive.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Johann Gokool lost his left leg when a bomb ripped a hole in the side of the USS Cole nearly a decade ago, but the injury was nothing compared with the mental torment that ravaged him almost daily. He returned home to Florida suffering severe post-traumatic stress disorder and frequent panic attacks so violent he would launch into seizures and even fractured his own wrist several times as he flailed, sister Natala Gokool said Tuesday.
One of the brothers he lived with, his younger brother Hamish, found him dead in their home Wednesday, December 23, 2009, just a week after his 31st birthday, Natala Gokool said. His cause of death was unknown, though she said foul play was not suspected. The family believes the seizures just became too much for his body to handle.
Gokool was an electronic warfare technician aboard the Cole when suicide bombers rammed a small boat packed with explosives into it on Oct. 12, 2000, during a refueling stop in Aden, Yemen. It triggered a string of deadly fires. Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed and 39 others injured. His sister said he soon began having panic attacks.
"Every year around the anniversary of the attack on the Cole, it seemed to get worse and more violent and more frequent," she said.
When he was awake, the episodes were generally mild, she said. When they struck in his sleep, he would thrash uncontrollably.
``We had to restrain him,'' said Natala, project coordinator for a Miami architecture firm. ``Once, he got loose and hit me with such force I went through the [open] front window.'' Later, he'd have no memory of the incidents.
``When he was doing well, he was outgoing,'' she said. ``He spoke to everyone and was very friendly,'' a practical joker who would play tricks with his prosthetic leg. ``When he wasn't doing well, it was physically exhausting.''
When he could, Gokool spoke to school kids about overcoming adversity. He played cards on Monday evenings, and had an on-again, off-again relationship with a longtime girlfriend.
He loved Buffalo wings, Caribbean dishes like curried crab and shrimp, and all kinds of music, from German punk rock to a bagpipe version of Amazing Grace to Sean ``Diddy'' Combs' raps.
He was clean-cut and preppy, Natala said. ``He didn't own a pair of jeans.''
Drenched in Davidoff's Cool Water cologne, he'd declare: ``I want to look sharp and smell good.''
Gokool recalled her brother as a "fun-loving, outgoing, friendly, generous to-a-fault type of person," even after the bombing.
He was in the ship's mess hall during the attack. "When the explosion went off, everything was in slow motion, like a movie," Gokool told The Miami Herald in 2005. "My body spun around and I could smell smoke and fuel." After being knocked unconscious, Gokool said he woke up and slowly dragged himself up a ladder to rescue. "I don't want to die here," he said he thought to himself.
Doctors later removed his badly injured left leg, and he was visited in the hospital by then-President Bill Clinton.
"The president ... told me to hang in there," Gokool told the Herald. "I told him not to worry, that I'd make it, and to prove it, I'd open a nightclub and he'd be the first musician I'd invite so he could watch me dance on one leg while he played the sax."
Gokool lived in Homestead, about 35 miles southwest of Miami.
His sister said the lost leg "didn't really have any effect on him once the physical wound healed."
It was the panic attacks that scarred him. He couldn't work and stayed home when he felt them coming on, which was sometimes too often for him to live any normal life. He played cards occasionally and video games, and chatted often on the Internet with friends. He and his sister would go to the movies just about every Tuesday, but only when he felt comfortable there were no panic attacks looming.
"We saw every specialist you could think of but nobody knew what was causing it. They could just rule things out," his sister said.
While Gokool's death was sudden, "my parents and my brothers and I always knew that unless somebody could figure out what was wrong with him, it would probably kill him," she said. "A part of us always knew that would be his demise."
The family plans to take his ashes to Arlington National Cemetery, where the Cole dead lie in a special section. ``He always said he wanted to be interred with his buddies up there,'' his father said.
Born in Trinidad, Johann Gokool was 8 years old when the family moved to South Florida. His father, Ramish, is Hindu, of Indian heritage; his mother, Liah, is French Creole Catholic. Brothers Angelo and Hamish Gokool of Homestead, and Owen Paponette of Richmond, Va., also survive.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck, 23, of Moreno Valley, Calif.
LCpl Roebuck was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 22, 2009 as a result of a noncombat-related incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck was killed in a non-combat related incident on 12/22/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck, 23, of Moreno Valley, Calif.
LCpl Roebuck was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 22, 2009 as a result of a noncombat-related incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck was killed in a non-combat related incident on 12/22/09.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Marine Pfc. Serge Kropov
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Serge Kropov, 21, of Hawley, Pa.
Pfc. Kropov was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.; died Dec. 20, 2009 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Los Angeles Times -- A Marine from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego has died in Afghanistan from a "nonhostile incident," the Pentagon announced.
Pfc. Serge Kropov, 21, died in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where Marines have been assigned to oust Taliban fighters and win support from the local populace.
Kropov, from Hawley, Pa., enlisted in 2006 and had served in Iraq. He was a helicopter airframe mechanic assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, part of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
His death Sunday is under investigation
Marine Pfc. Serge Kropov was killed in a non-hostile incident on 12/20/09.
Marine Pfc. Serge Kropov, 21, of Hawley, Pa.
Pfc. Kropov was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.; died Dec. 20, 2009 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Los Angeles Times -- A Marine from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego has died in Afghanistan from a "nonhostile incident," the Pentagon announced.
Pfc. Serge Kropov, 21, died in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where Marines have been assigned to oust Taliban fighters and win support from the local populace.
Kropov, from Hawley, Pa., enlisted in 2006 and had served in Iraq. He was a helicopter airframe mechanic assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, part of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
His death Sunday is under investigation
Marine Pfc. Serge Kropov was killed in a non-hostile incident on 12/20/09.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Army Sgt. Albert D. Ware
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Albert D. Ware, 27, of Chicago
Sgt. Ware was assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 18, 2009 in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Washington DC) A soldier from Chicago has been killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan.
Military officials said today 27-year-old Army Sergeant Albert D. Ware died December 18th in Arghandab River Valley of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive.
Ware was assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, Fourth Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"They are on the offense," said Maj. Brian Fickel, a division spokesman at Fort Bragg. "It's a product of that. With the surge of forces into Afghanistan, we expect that's going to continue all across Afghanistan."
Ware was assigned to Company F of the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
"Sgt. Ware was loved and respected by all personnel in his platoon," said Sgt. 1st Class Kalep Rivers, his platoon sergeant. "He will be truly missed."
Ware joined the Army as a motor transport operator on July 6, 2006, and attended basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He completed the Basic Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga. and was assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion at Fort Bragg in November 2006.
"He would go above and beyond his job," said Sgt. Scott Wolfe, who worked with Ware. "He thought of his soldiers before himself, any day. He would often work late nights and weekends to make sure soldiers had what they needed for missions."
Ware served with the battalion during its 15-month deployment to Afghanistan from January 2007 to April 2008.
He is survived by his wife, Pleshette Farmer-Ware; his son, T'John B. Ware; his daughters, Heaven Ferguson and Musu Cawtain; his father, Thomas Ware; and his mother, Massa Cooper.
A memorial in his honor will be held in Afghanistan.
Army Sgt. Albert D. Ware was killed in action on 12/18/09.
Army Sgt. Albert D. Ware, 27, of Chicago
Sgt. Ware was assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 18, 2009 in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Washington DC) A soldier from Chicago has been killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan.
Military officials said today 27-year-old Army Sergeant Albert D. Ware died December 18th in Arghandab River Valley of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive.
Ware was assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, Fourth Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"They are on the offense," said Maj. Brian Fickel, a division spokesman at Fort Bragg. "It's a product of that. With the surge of forces into Afghanistan, we expect that's going to continue all across Afghanistan."
Ware was assigned to Company F of the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
"Sgt. Ware was loved and respected by all personnel in his platoon," said Sgt. 1st Class Kalep Rivers, his platoon sergeant. "He will be truly missed."
Ware joined the Army as a motor transport operator on July 6, 2006, and attended basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He completed the Basic Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga. and was assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion at Fort Bragg in November 2006.
"He would go above and beyond his job," said Sgt. Scott Wolfe, who worked with Ware. "He thought of his soldiers before himself, any day. He would often work late nights and weekends to make sure soldiers had what they needed for missions."
Ware served with the battalion during its 15-month deployment to Afghanistan from January 2007 to April 2008.
He is survived by his wife, Pleshette Farmer-Ware; his son, T'John B. Ware; his daughters, Heaven Ferguson and Musu Cawtain; his father, Thomas Ware; and his mother, Massa Cooper.
A memorial in his honor will be held in Afghanistan.
Army Sgt. Albert D. Ware was killed in action on 12/18/09.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr., 35, of Florence, Ky.
TSgt. Campbell was assigned to the 932nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; died Dec. 15, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from the detonation of an improvised explosive device.
Flags to be lowered for Campbell
The Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has ordered that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff Dec. 22 in honor of an airman who died in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon says 35-year-old Tech Sgt. Anthony Campbell Jr. of Florence died Dec. 15 of wounds suffered when a bomb exploded in Helmand province. Campbell was assigned to the 932nd Civil Engineer Squadron based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
Services for Campbell were to be held in Williamstown on Dec. 22.
Campbell transferred to the Air Force Reserve in early 2008 after serving with the Kentucky Air National Guard.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr. was killed in action on 12/15/09.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr., 35, of Florence, Ky.
TSgt. Campbell was assigned to the 932nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; died Dec. 15, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from the detonation of an improvised explosive device.
Flags to be lowered for Campbell
The Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has ordered that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff Dec. 22 in honor of an airman who died in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon says 35-year-old Tech Sgt. Anthony Campbell Jr. of Florence died Dec. 15 of wounds suffered when a bomb exploded in Helmand province. Campbell was assigned to the 932nd Civil Engineer Squadron based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
Services for Campbell were to be held in Williamstown on Dec. 22.
Campbell transferred to the Air Force Reserve in early 2008 after serving with the Kentucky Air National Guard.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr. was killed in action on 12/15/09.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Army Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley, 29, of Austell, Ga.
Pfc. Pauley was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Dec. 11, 2009 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Muncie Star Press -- A man who moved to Muncie two years ago to be closer to his family has now lost his only son in the Iraq War.
Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley, 29, of Austell, Ga., son of Muncie residents Roger and Teressa Pauley, died Dec. 11 in Kirkuk, Iraq, as a result of a "non-combat related incident," according to a military press release.
The death is still being investigated by the U.S. Army, but for Roger Pauley, the manner of his son's death isn't important.
"It bothers me (knowing the death is still being investigated), but whether it's a suicide or an accidental discharge of a gun, my son is still gone," the elder Pauley said. "He was a typical man in his 20s and he was my best friend who I could talk to about anything."
Jaiciae Pauley enlisted in the Army during the summer of 2008, after his father and stepmother moved from the Atlanta metropolitan area to Muncie. The family had begun to struggle financially, prompting the Pauleys to choose to live with family in Indiana.
Roger's mother, Floffie, and stepfather, Marshall Bias, have lived in Muncie for the past 23 years. The couple, who have been married for 53 years, welcomed their son into their new home with open arms, although they were sad that their grandson opted to stay behind in Atlanta.
And although the family was supportive of Jaiciae's decision to enlist in the Army, they were concerned about the dangers of combat, wondering whether they would see their loved one again.
"I was a protective parent," Roger said. "I personally didn't want him to go, because I was worried about the outcome. But I was supportive."
Family members miss the man they knew as loyal and fun, a man who enjoyed having philosophical discussions and who was always there to help family and friends.
Nothing will bring Jaiciae back, but memories of him will go on forever.
"I was pretty hurt when I heard Jaiciae died," said his stepgrandfather, Bias. "This is the second family member I've lost in this stupid war. And we'll all miss him. I know his dad will really miss him."
Army Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley was killed in a non-combat related incident on 12/11/09.
Army Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley, 29, of Austell, Ga.
Pfc. Pauley was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Dec. 11, 2009 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Muncie Star Press -- A man who moved to Muncie two years ago to be closer to his family has now lost his only son in the Iraq War.
Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley, 29, of Austell, Ga., son of Muncie residents Roger and Teressa Pauley, died Dec. 11 in Kirkuk, Iraq, as a result of a "non-combat related incident," according to a military press release.
The death is still being investigated by the U.S. Army, but for Roger Pauley, the manner of his son's death isn't important.
"It bothers me (knowing the death is still being investigated), but whether it's a suicide or an accidental discharge of a gun, my son is still gone," the elder Pauley said. "He was a typical man in his 20s and he was my best friend who I could talk to about anything."
Jaiciae Pauley enlisted in the Army during the summer of 2008, after his father and stepmother moved from the Atlanta metropolitan area to Muncie. The family had begun to struggle financially, prompting the Pauleys to choose to live with family in Indiana.
Roger's mother, Floffie, and stepfather, Marshall Bias, have lived in Muncie for the past 23 years. The couple, who have been married for 53 years, welcomed their son into their new home with open arms, although they were sad that their grandson opted to stay behind in Atlanta.
And although the family was supportive of Jaiciae's decision to enlist in the Army, they were concerned about the dangers of combat, wondering whether they would see their loved one again.
"I was a protective parent," Roger said. "I personally didn't want him to go, because I was worried about the outcome. But I was supportive."
Family members miss the man they knew as loyal and fun, a man who enjoyed having philosophical discussions and who was always there to help family and friends.
Nothing will bring Jaiciae back, but memories of him will go on forever.
"I was pretty hurt when I heard Jaiciae died," said his stepgrandfather, Bias. "This is the second family member I've lost in this stupid war. And we'll all miss him. I know his dad will really miss him."
Army Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley was killed in a non-combat related incident on 12/11/09.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Army Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, of Los Angeles
Pvt. Tello was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Dec. 10, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
WASHINGTON —Fort Hood Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, of Los Angeles, died Thursday in Baghdad of injuries he received in what the military described Monday as a non-combat-related incident.
Circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Tello was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division’s 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade.
Tello joined the Army in July 2005 and had been stationed at Fort Hood since November 2005.
Army Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello was killed in a non-combat related incident on 12/10/09.
Army Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, of Los Angeles
Pvt. Tello was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Dec. 10, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
WASHINGTON —Fort Hood Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, of Los Angeles, died Thursday in Baghdad of injuries he received in what the military described Monday as a non-combat-related incident.
Circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Tello was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division’s 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade.
Tello joined the Army in July 2005 and had been stationed at Fort Hood since November 2005.
Army Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello was killed in a non-combat related incident on 12/10/09.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Marine Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas, 23, of Detroit, Mich.
Sgt. Frietas was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Dec. 8, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq, of unknown causes.
23-year-old Marine from Detroit is killed in Iraq
By Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press
A Marine from Detroit has died while serving in Iraq, the Pentagon said Saturday.
Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas, 23, died Tuesday in Baghdad.
The Department of Defense said the cause is unknown and is under investigation.
Frietas was assigned to the Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan.
Frietas was a combat engineer who began active duty in the Marine Corps in August 2004, according to the Marines.
He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in September 2008 and began his tour on Okinawa in June.
“He was a very good Marine, and it always hits hard when you lose one of your Marines,” Maj. Victor A. Chin, the executive officer of Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, said in a statement today. "He will be missed."
Frietas received a number of awards, including the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Marine Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas died 12/08/09 of unknown causes.
Marine Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas, 23, of Detroit, Mich.
Sgt. Frietas was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Dec. 8, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq, of unknown causes.
23-year-old Marine from Detroit is killed in Iraq
By Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press
A Marine from Detroit has died while serving in Iraq, the Pentagon said Saturday.
Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas, 23, died Tuesday in Baghdad.
The Department of Defense said the cause is unknown and is under investigation.
Frietas was assigned to the Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan.
Frietas was a combat engineer who began active duty in the Marine Corps in August 2004, according to the Marines.
He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in September 2008 and began his tour on Okinawa in June.
“He was a very good Marine, and it always hits hard when you lose one of your Marines,” Maj. Victor A. Chin, the executive officer of Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, said in a statement today. "He will be missed."
Frietas received a number of awards, including the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Marine Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas died 12/08/09 of unknown causes.
Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn.
Cpl. Latorre was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 8, 2009 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2/8 Marine dies from combat wounds
Staff report
A North Carolina-based Marine injured in Afghanistan in August died Tuesday, according to the Defense Department.
Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn., died of wounds he suffered Aug. 10 during combat operations in Helmand province. He lost both legs when he was struck by an improvised explosive device, according to the Warrior’s Wish Foundation Web site. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Latorre, a mortar man, joined the Corps in June 2005, according to II Marine Expeditionary Force release. He served two tours in Iraq, one in July 2006 and another in late 2007.
He is survived by his wife and son.
Marine to be laid to rest
The Associated Press
WATERBURY, Conn. — A funeral service is being held for a Connecticut Marine who died Dec. 8 from wounds he suffered four months earlier during combat operations in Afghanistan.
The funeral for Cpl. Xhacob Latorre is set for Dec. 17 in his hometown of Waterbury. He will be buried at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.
Latorre, 21, died at a Texas hospital from wounds he suffered in August when an improvised explosive device detonated. He left behind his wife and an 18-month-old son.
He was a mortar man assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He joined the Marines in 2005 shortly after graduating from Crosby High School in Waterbury.
Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre was killed in action on 12/08/09.
Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn.
Cpl. Latorre was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 8, 2009 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2/8 Marine dies from combat wounds
Staff report
A North Carolina-based Marine injured in Afghanistan in August died Tuesday, according to the Defense Department.
Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn., died of wounds he suffered Aug. 10 during combat operations in Helmand province. He lost both legs when he was struck by an improvised explosive device, according to the Warrior’s Wish Foundation Web site. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Latorre, a mortar man, joined the Corps in June 2005, according to II Marine Expeditionary Force release. He served two tours in Iraq, one in July 2006 and another in late 2007.
He is survived by his wife and son.
Marine to be laid to rest
The Associated Press
WATERBURY, Conn. — A funeral service is being held for a Connecticut Marine who died Dec. 8 from wounds he suffered four months earlier during combat operations in Afghanistan.
The funeral for Cpl. Xhacob Latorre is set for Dec. 17 in his hometown of Waterbury. He will be buried at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.
Latorre, 21, died at a Texas hospital from wounds he suffered in August when an improvised explosive device detonated. He left behind his wife and an 18-month-old son.
He was a mortar man assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He joined the Marines in 2005 shortly after graduating from Crosby High School in Waterbury.
Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre was killed in action on 12/08/09.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Army Sgt. Elijah J. Rao
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Elijah J. Rao, 26, of Lake Oswego, Ore.
Sgt. Rao was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 5, 2009 in Nuristan, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
The Gazette -- A 26-year-old Fort Carson soldier was killed Saturday when his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced this evening.
Sgt. Elijah J. Rao, of Lake Oswego, Ore., was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He is survived by a wife, Leah, and a 1-year-old daughter, The Oregonian newsPaper reported. His family remained at Fort Sill, Okla., when he was reassigned to Fort Carson and deployed in June to Afghanistan, the newsPaper said.
Rao was the 35th soldier from Fort Carson to die in Afghanistan, pushing the total number of Fort Carson’s war deaths to 290.
“He was a kind, loving, honorable man and will be missed dearly by our family and all those that he touched with his gentle spirit,” Cicily Ulrich, who identified herself as Rao’s sister,said in a blog post earlier this week.
Rao served a previous tour in Iraq from October 2006 to December 2007 before deploying to Afghanistan in June. He was scheduled to return home on leave in January and would have completed his tour in May, the blog entry said.
He was a field artillery meteorological crewmember. His mother, Sharon Heuerken of Vancouver, Wash., told The Oregonian that he repaired meteorological equipment. He was hit by an explosive after stepping out of his truck at the site of an earlier bombing, she said.
“As a family, we are so proud of Elijah,” she was quoted as saying in The Oregonian. “He was an honorable son, grandson, brother, uncle, husband, father, soldier and hero. We were lucky to have him.”
Army Sgt. Elijah J. Rao was killed in action on 12/05/09.
Army Sgt. Elijah J. Rao, 26, of Lake Oswego, Ore.
Sgt. Rao was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 5, 2009 in Nuristan, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
The Gazette -- A 26-year-old Fort Carson soldier was killed Saturday when his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced this evening.
Sgt. Elijah J. Rao, of Lake Oswego, Ore., was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He is survived by a wife, Leah, and a 1-year-old daughter, The Oregonian newsPaper reported. His family remained at Fort Sill, Okla., when he was reassigned to Fort Carson and deployed in June to Afghanistan, the newsPaper said.
Rao was the 35th soldier from Fort Carson to die in Afghanistan, pushing the total number of Fort Carson’s war deaths to 290.
“He was a kind, loving, honorable man and will be missed dearly by our family and all those that he touched with his gentle spirit,” Cicily Ulrich, who identified herself as Rao’s sister,said in a blog post earlier this week.
Rao served a previous tour in Iraq from October 2006 to December 2007 before deploying to Afghanistan in June. He was scheduled to return home on leave in January and would have completed his tour in May, the blog entry said.
He was a field artillery meteorological crewmember. His mother, Sharon Heuerken of Vancouver, Wash., told The Oregonian that he repaired meteorological equipment. He was hit by an explosive after stepping out of his truck at the site of an earlier bombing, she said.
“As a family, we are so proud of Elijah,” she was quoted as saying in The Oregonian. “He was an honorable son, grandson, brother, uncle, husband, father, soldier and hero. We were lucky to have him.”
Army Sgt. Elijah J. Rao was killed in action on 12/05/09.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen, 31, of Panama City, Fla.
SSgt. Hansen was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Dec. 7, at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit on Dec. 3, 2009 with an improvised explosive device in Logar province, Afghanistan.
News Herald -- A Panama City native has died of injuries suffered at war in Afghanistan, the Army said Thursday.
Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen died Monday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, military officials said. The 31-year-old sergeant was a husband and a father of three young children.
Hansen was wounded in a Dec. 3 blast in Afghanistan’s Logar province, according to the Army. Kerry Buchenroth, who identified himself as Hansen’s uncle, told the Bellefontaine (Ohio) Examiner that Hansen was clearing the second floor of a building when an improvised explosive device detonated.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Fort Drum, N.Y. He arrived at Fort Drum in July 2005.
Hansen graduated in 1996 from Indian Lake High School in Lewistown, Ohio, where he grew up as an adopted child, Buchenroth told the Examiner. He joined the Army immediately after graduation.
His previous deployments included four months in Iraq from March to July 2004 and 16 months in Afghanistan from February 2006 to June 2007.
Over his 13 years of service, Hansen earned decorations including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen was killed in action on 12/03/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen, 31, of Panama City, Fla.
SSgt. Hansen was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Dec. 7, at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit on Dec. 3, 2009 with an improvised explosive device in Logar province, Afghanistan.
News Herald -- A Panama City native has died of injuries suffered at war in Afghanistan, the Army said Thursday.
Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen died Monday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, military officials said. The 31-year-old sergeant was a husband and a father of three young children.
Hansen was wounded in a Dec. 3 blast in Afghanistan’s Logar province, according to the Army. Kerry Buchenroth, who identified himself as Hansen’s uncle, told the Bellefontaine (Ohio) Examiner that Hansen was clearing the second floor of a building when an improvised explosive device detonated.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Fort Drum, N.Y. He arrived at Fort Drum in July 2005.
Hansen graduated in 1996 from Indian Lake High School in Lewistown, Ohio, where he grew up as an adopted child, Buchenroth told the Examiner. He joined the Army immediately after graduation.
His previous deployments included four months in Iraq from March to July 2004 and 16 months in Afghanistan from February 2006 to June 2007.
Over his 13 years of service, Hansen earned decorations including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen was killed in action on 12/03/09.
Marine Cpl Ryan Pape
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Brothers Die 4 Years Apart
EAST GRAND FORKS, Minn. (AP) ―
Marine Corps Corporal Ryan Pape, 23, died Thursday from injuries sustained during a parachute training exercise in California.
A Minnesota family has lost a second military son in a non-combat accident.
Ron and Shar Pape received visitors at their home in East Grand Forks Sunday and mourned the loss of their 23-year-old son Ryan Pape, a Marine Corps corporal. He died Thursday from injuries suffered during a parachute training exercise at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Ryan Pape graduated from high school in May 2005, a day after his older brother, Marine Cpl. Riley Pape, was buried in a cemetery near the family farm. Riley Pape survived fighting in Iraq's Anbar Province, but lost his life in a motorcycle accident after returning to California.
The Star Tribune reports Ryan Pape followed his brother into a Marine reconnaissance battalion and served two tours in Iraq.
Marine Brothers Die 4 Years Apart
EAST GRAND FORKS, Minn. (AP) ―
Marine Corps Corporal Ryan Pape, 23, died Thursday from injuries sustained during a parachute training exercise in California.
A Minnesota family has lost a second military son in a non-combat accident.
Ron and Shar Pape received visitors at their home in East Grand Forks Sunday and mourned the loss of their 23-year-old son Ryan Pape, a Marine Corps corporal. He died Thursday from injuries suffered during a parachute training exercise at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Ryan Pape graduated from high school in May 2005, a day after his older brother, Marine Cpl. Riley Pape, was buried in a cemetery near the family farm. Riley Pape survived fighting in Iraq's Anbar Province, but lost his life in a motorcycle accident after returning to California.
The Star Tribune reports Ryan Pape followed his brother into a Marine reconnaissance battalion and served two tours in Iraq.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., 28, of Chrisman, Ill.
Sgt. Nichols was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 1, 2009 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Fort Carson solider killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT CARSON, Colo. — A Fort Carson soldier killed in Afghanistan’s Kunar province was looking forward to coming home for Christmas during a two-week break from the battlefield this month, family members said.
Twenty-eight-year-old Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., who grew up in Chrisman, Ill., was killed Tuesday when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, the Department of Defense said Friday.
He is survived by his wife and four children, including a 9-month-old daughter, Pailynn.
Nichols was assigned in Fort Carson’s 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
“He always smiled. He loved life, he was happy, and he made everyone around him want to be a better person,” his widow, Lexi Nichols, told The Gazette in Colorado Springs.
The four-year Army veteran had served a tour in Iraq, from October 2006 to December 2007.
He loved playing pranks, riding his Harley Davidson and hanging out in a shed he built behind his Colorado Springs home.
While deployed, Nichols chatted on the computer with his wife for 5 or 10 minutes a day. He had been looking forward to seeing his children during a two-week break that was to have started Dec. 16.
His family said he would be buried in the Danville National Cemetery in Illinois.
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr. was killed in action on 12/01/09.
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., 28, of Chrisman, Ill.
Sgt. Nichols was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 1, 2009 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Fort Carson solider killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT CARSON, Colo. — A Fort Carson soldier killed in Afghanistan’s Kunar province was looking forward to coming home for Christmas during a two-week break from the battlefield this month, family members said.
Twenty-eight-year-old Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., who grew up in Chrisman, Ill., was killed Tuesday when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, the Department of Defense said Friday.
He is survived by his wife and four children, including a 9-month-old daughter, Pailynn.
Nichols was assigned in Fort Carson’s 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
“He always smiled. He loved life, he was happy, and he made everyone around him want to be a better person,” his widow, Lexi Nichols, told The Gazette in Colorado Springs.
The four-year Army veteran had served a tour in Iraq, from October 2006 to December 2007.
He loved playing pranks, riding his Harley Davidson and hanging out in a shed he built behind his Colorado Springs home.
While deployed, Nichols chatted on the computer with his wife for 5 or 10 minutes a day. He had been looking forward to seeing his children during a two-week break that was to have started Dec. 16.
His family said he would be buried in the Danville National Cemetery in Illinois.
Army Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr. was killed in action on 12/01/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor, 22, of Jacksonville, Fla.
LCpl Taylor was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 1, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 22-year-old Marine killed in Afghanistan last week was laid to rest Wednesday.
Family and friends gathered to say a final goodbye to Lance Cpl. Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor, who joined the U.S. Marines after graduating from Wolfson High School, was killed in the Helmand Province on Dec. 1 by an improvised explosive device. He was attached to the 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune.
Taylor was two months into his second tour in Afghanistan. His personal awards included the National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a certificate of commendation.
"He had the biggest heart," said Justin Wilson, who knew Taylor since middle school. "Whenever anyone needed anything, Jonathan would volunteer himself."
"Jonathan Taylor always knew the right thing to say and when he needed to say it," said Sgt. Jonathan Davis, who also knew Taylor since middle school. "He always could calm any situation down."
Wilson and Davis said they were best friends with Taylor but thought of him more as a brother.
"He's been talking about going into the Marines ever since I've known him," Wilson said. "So he's actually one of the few people I know that lived his entire life the way he wanted to."
Friends and loved ones gathered graveside, remembering Taylor's love for God, his family and his country. Even though he's gone, they said his service and his spirit will never be forgotten.
"I know he would want everybody to celebrate the fact that he did walk the Earth and celebrate the fact that he did what he wanted to do," Davis said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor was killed in action on 12/01/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor, 22, of Jacksonville, Fla.
LCpl Taylor was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 1, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 22-year-old Marine killed in Afghanistan last week was laid to rest Wednesday.
Family and friends gathered to say a final goodbye to Lance Cpl. Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor, who joined the U.S. Marines after graduating from Wolfson High School, was killed in the Helmand Province on Dec. 1 by an improvised explosive device. He was attached to the 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune.
Taylor was two months into his second tour in Afghanistan. His personal awards included the National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a certificate of commendation.
"He had the biggest heart," said Justin Wilson, who knew Taylor since middle school. "Whenever anyone needed anything, Jonathan would volunteer himself."
"Jonathan Taylor always knew the right thing to say and when he needed to say it," said Sgt. Jonathan Davis, who also knew Taylor since middle school. "He always could calm any situation down."
Wilson and Davis said they were best friends with Taylor but thought of him more as a brother.
"He's been talking about going into the Marines ever since I've known him," Wilson said. "So he's actually one of the few people I know that lived his entire life the way he wanted to."
Friends and loved ones gathered graveside, remembering Taylor's love for God, his family and his country. Even though he's gone, they said his service and his spirit will never be forgotten.
"I know he would want everybody to celebrate the fact that he did walk the Earth and celebrate the fact that he did what he wanted to do," Davis said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor was killed in action on 12/01/09.
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