Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Christopher G. Stark, 22, of Monett, Mo.
Spc Stark was assigned to the 705th Ordnance Co (EOD), 63rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), 20th Support Command, Fort Polk. La.; died Feb. 28, 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Christopher Stark, a 2007 Monett High School graduate, died in Afghanistan on Monday.
His family released a statement saying Stark, a bomb specialist, was going to disarm one IED when his vehicle was hit with another.
Stark’s mother, Teresa, is the director of the Nevada Regional Technical Center.
David Stephens, the superintendent of the Nevada school district, said after Teresa received word of her son’s death, she sent a notice out to other staff members Monday.
John Jungmann, the superintendent of the Monett school district, said Christopher Stark had been involved in the Junior ROTC program while a student at Monett High School.
The Department of Defense confirmed Stark's death Wednesday, saying he and another member of the 63rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 20th Support Command, were killed when they were attacked with an improvised explosive device.
Stark and Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays, 25, of Cookville, Texas, were in Wardak province, Afghanistan.
A teacher and two JROTC instructors who knew him in high school said Stark was focused on an army career.
A memorial has been set up in the Monett High School's career center and flags are at half-staff.
Statement from the family
United States Army Specialist Christopher G. Stark, 22 of Monett, MO was killed in action on Monday, February 28, 2011, while serving in Afghanistan.
Christopher was an Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Tech, also known as a bomb specialist.
While en route to an IED (bomb) that had been spotted, his vehicle was hit with another IED and as a result, Christopher was killed.
At this time, there are no other specifics to the incident and the investigation is ongoing.
Christopher is the son of Teresa Stark and the late, Jeff Stark.
Additional family members include brother, Trenton Stark; Grandparents Max & Maxine Brown; and Mary & Bill Johnson.
Extended family include; longtime family friend, Kirk Little and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins
Please respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time and remember them in your thoughts and prayers.
Respectfully,
Teresa & Trenton Stark
“He really had a strong sense of family, community, country,” his former teacher and family friend, Deann Crockett said today. She also spoke of his deep faith and his kind-hearted but determined attitude.
She taught Stark biology and remembers Stark telling her husband about his plans to join the U.S. Army after graduation.
“I knew him as a kid. I would love to have known him as an adult,” Crockett said. “We fall in love with all our kids. He is one of those kids you kind of like to watch and see what he is going to be one day.”
Army Spc. Christopher G. Stark was killed in action on 2/28/11.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Army Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays, 25, of Cookville, Texas
SSgt Mays was assigned to the 705th Ordnance Co (EOD), 63rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), 20th Support Command, Fort Polk. La.; died Feb. 28, 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
COOKVILLE, TX (KLTV) - An East Texas soldier has been killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that Staff Sergeant Chauncy R. Mays, 25, of Cookville, died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked the unit he was in with an improvised explosive device.
"It made me sick every time he had to leave, but I always thought he was coming back," said Matthew Terrell, Chauncy's best friend.
Matthew Terrell returned to Staff Sgt. Chauncy Mays childhood home when he learned of his best friend's death. He says this is the place he feels closest to the fallen soldier.
"Every time he came in, we'd usually get together and me and him and his daddy would hang out and throw some horseshoes," said Terrell. "He was always talking about going back what he could do to help somebody else. I never understood it, but it takes a different kind of person to do that and we're all proud of him."
Terrell says Chauncy had an undeniable love for his country, and for the military.
"I never met anybody that was enthused, probably won't ever again about being in the army and help serve the country," said Terrell.
The childhood friends made thousands of memories at this home. Terrell says none compare to the last time he saw his best friend and the joy in his eyes.
"When he showed me his little girl for the first time was a pretty good memory. He was proud of her," said Terrell.
Terrell says this was supposed to be Chauncy's final tour overseas, before returning to his family.
"That was his third tour, sure was. I think it was going to be his last. He was going to be teaching after that," said Terrell.
Friends wrapped a yellow ribbon around a tree in Chauncy's front yard to honor the contribution he made to our country. Terrell says he can't be angry, because Chauncy died doing what he loved.
"That goes back to the heart, an enormous heart, brave," said Terrell. "I'm a big fellow but it's hard to describe what kind of heart it takes to do that. Special people...all of them...not just him...everybody over there."
Now Terrell can only wait until his best friend is home, at his final resting place.
Staff Sergeant Mays' family was in Greenville today making arrangements for their son's final resting place.
Army Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays was killed in action on 2/28/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays, 25, of Cookville, Texas
SSgt Mays was assigned to the 705th Ordnance Co (EOD), 63rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), 20th Support Command, Fort Polk. La.; died Feb. 28, 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
COOKVILLE, TX (KLTV) - An East Texas soldier has been killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that Staff Sergeant Chauncy R. Mays, 25, of Cookville, died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked the unit he was in with an improvised explosive device.
"It made me sick every time he had to leave, but I always thought he was coming back," said Matthew Terrell, Chauncy's best friend.
Matthew Terrell returned to Staff Sgt. Chauncy Mays childhood home when he learned of his best friend's death. He says this is the place he feels closest to the fallen soldier.
"Every time he came in, we'd usually get together and me and him and his daddy would hang out and throw some horseshoes," said Terrell. "He was always talking about going back what he could do to help somebody else. I never understood it, but it takes a different kind of person to do that and we're all proud of him."
Terrell says Chauncy had an undeniable love for his country, and for the military.
"I never met anybody that was enthused, probably won't ever again about being in the army and help serve the country," said Terrell.
The childhood friends made thousands of memories at this home. Terrell says none compare to the last time he saw his best friend and the joy in his eyes.
"When he showed me his little girl for the first time was a pretty good memory. He was proud of her," said Terrell.
Terrell says this was supposed to be Chauncy's final tour overseas, before returning to his family.
"That was his third tour, sure was. I think it was going to be his last. He was going to be teaching after that," said Terrell.
Friends wrapped a yellow ribbon around a tree in Chauncy's front yard to honor the contribution he made to our country. Terrell says he can't be angry, because Chauncy died doing what he loved.
"That goes back to the heart, an enormous heart, brave," said Terrell. "I'm a big fellow but it's hard to describe what kind of heart it takes to do that. Special people...all of them...not just him...everybody over there."
Now Terrell can only wait until his best friend is home, at his final resting place.
Staff Sergeant Mays' family was in Greenville today making arrangements for their son's final resting place.
Army Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays was killed in action on 2/28/11.
Army Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr., 23, of Norwalk, Conn.
Pfc Fahey was assigned to 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died Feb. 28, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
According to unit records, Fahey enlisted in the Army Aug. 31, 2007, at Springfield, Mass., and reported to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., next month. After training a military policeman, he served .12 months at Camp Walker, Korea, and then reported to Lewis-McChord March 18, 2009 He was assigned to the 42nd Military Police Brigade.
At Faith Preparatory Academy in New Milford on Wednesday, where David R. Fahey Jr. graduated in 2006, the school was planning a memorial page for its yearbook, featuring photos of him playing soccer.
Principal Josephine DuBois, said she has been fielding calls from his classmates since they learned that Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr. was killed Monday while on duty in Afghanistan.
"The whole class of kids is just devastated," DuBois said, noting that when Fahey attended the Christian school was located in Danbury and was called New Hope Academy.
"Even though he had things in his past, it's a testimony to him how he grew up," DuBois said. "He was a good Christian, truly somebody who knew what he was doing."
Fahey's sister, Phyliss Lee, put up a Facebook tribute to her brother Tuesday, and Giordano is one of 56 people who have signed up so far. "I will always remember David being the funny guy," said Giordano, 21, of Rollinsford, N.H. "He was always pulling pranks and joking around."
Reports of Fahey's connection to Norwalk are conflicting. The Department of Defense said Fahey was from Norwalk, but The Hartford Courant quotes Mayor Richard Moccia as saying Fahey went to school in Norwalk until seventh grade. The News-Times says Fahey was raised in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Emails to The Daily Norwalk from Dino Parton say Fahey lived in Yorktown Heights for several years before he enlisted in 2007 and that commuted to high school in Connecticut. Parton said Fahey and his family were pillars in her church, Calvary Bible Church.
Phyllis Lee confirmed that her brother did not go to public high school in Norwalk. Giordano says Phyllis is Fahey's younger sister. He is also survived by a younger brother, Nick Fahey, who lives in Westchester County, N.Y. Fahey was raised by an aunt and uncle, who are now in Dover, Del. They will receive his body Wednesday.
Giordano said she has known Fahey for almost all of her life but hadn't talked to him in a long time. Fortunately, she got the chance to have "one last conversation" with him a few weeks ago. They laughed and joked about old times, including his Backstreet Boys dance on the porch. In return, Giordano and four other girls did a Spice Girls act.
"I will always remember his prank phone calls telling people Margaret was hiding in their closet and the way he always used to say 'hey mang,'" Giordano said on Facebook. "Dave was an amazing kid, and I would do anything to be able to reminisce on the old times we spent together with him again."
Lee wrote to The Daily Norwalk, "It's such a tragedy. I can't believe it. He's in such a better place, he will always be a hero. He was greatly loved by so many and such great family support! It has been such an honor to have such an amazing brother!! He would do anything for anyone give the shirt off his back for you even if he didn't know you! He will never be forgotten and we will meet again!"
Fahey's friends, who are scattered across the region, agreed. "Dave was the best of all of us," John Gullen of Syracuse wrote on Facebook. "He brought joy and laughter to every situation and I miss him like crazy."
Katie O'Brien of Yorktown Heights said on Facebook, "Dave was one of the funniest guys I've ever known. He could brighten up any atmosphere. One of my many great memories of him was when I had my back surgery and him, Danny, and I think Stephen bought me a whole bunch of helium balloons. All the balloons said things like 'Get better soon' etc. But the one that Dave picked out said 'It's a boy!' Hahaha totally made my day and I'll never forget him."
The way his grandmother tells it, Fahey was born into a world of chaos.
The parents gave him up," Sharon Trepanier, 66, of Shelton, told WTNH-TV. "They didn't care. They were drug addicts." The oldest of three children, Fahey was forced to grow up fast. His father died young and his mother led a pockmarked life in and out of prison and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, according to court records.
Fahey and his younger brother and sister were cared for by Trepanier and other relatives and were eventually formally adopted by their Aunt Fran and Uncle Tom Fahey in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., where they lived with their three cousins.
Despite a turbulent childhood, Fahey was known as a good student and gained a reputation as a practical joker who loved to bring levity to any situation. Relatives said he was deeply religious and wanted to serve his community, enlisting in the U.S. Army and was looking to join the New York City Police Department.
Relatives were still waiting Wednesday for the the military to release his remains before arrangements are finalized.
Dan O'Brien, the pastor at Calvary Bible Church in Yorktown Heights where Fahey attended services, accompanied the family to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to bring his body home.
It is unclear where the funeral will be held and if O'Brien's church will be big enough to accommodate the hundreds of mourners expected to pay their respects.
While growing up in Norwalk, Fahey attended Kendall Elementary School and spent a year from 1999 to 2000 in sixth grade at Ponus Ridge Middle School, said Principal Linda Sumpter.
"It is always sad news (when a soldier dies) but it is even sadder when it strikes so close to home," Sumpter said.
Betty Ettinger, 41, a Shelton resident originally from Westport, said Fahey lived in Norwalk with her sister and brother-in-law since he was 8 years old and attended Ponus Ridge Middle School. Two sets of relatives on both sides of his family raised Fahey, and everyone considered him their son, she said.
Ettinger's sister, Cari, cared for Fahey and his younger brother and sister in Norwalk before he moved in with his aunt and uncle in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Ettinger called Fahey the "ultimate practical joker" and said his many cousins and aunts and uncles all had set times to speak with him during his four-year tour overseas. She called Fahey a "hero" and said he overcame a spotty family history at a young age.
"He was everything to us," Ettinger said. "We're going to be empty now, for a long time."
Fahey's 57-year-old uncle, Christopher Fahey of Wilmington, N.C., described his nephew as a gregarious and religious young man who enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school in order to gain training and experience as a police officer. Christopher said his nephew had a job lined up with the New York Police Department after his tour of duty ended. "He always talked about becoming a policeman," Christopher said.
Fahey was raised by his uncle Tom Fahey after his own father passed away, Christopher said. His brother took custody of Fahey, his younger sister and little brother and cared for them along with his four children. He said Fahey lived in Norwalk with relatives briefly after graduating high school and before enlisting in the military.
"He was friendly," Christopher said from his home Tuesday afternoon. "He has a load of friends. He was well liked."
Christopher said Fahey enlisted for a four-year tour and was due to finish the last few months of service at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash. He said the family is devastated by Fahey's death. "We're all still in shock," Christopher said.
Christopher said his brother told him the Army is sending his nephew's body to the United States and will hold a private ceremony Wednesday morning at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the aunt and uncle who raised Fahey. Funeral arrangements for friends and relatives are still being arranged, he said.
According to a story in the Norwalk Citizen newspaper today, Gov. Daniel P. Malloy ordered the state and U.S. flags to fly at half staff in Fahey's honor.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Pfc. David Fahey," said Malloy in a statement. "Our country lost a brave and dedicated serviceman, and we stand with the men and women who are grieving the loss of Pfc. Fahey, and the families of the other brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Our hearts go out to the soldiers who are working so hard, so far away from home. We wish for your safe and speedy return."
Fahey's awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and more, according to the public affairs office at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Army Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr. was killed in action on 2/28/11.
Army Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr., 23, of Norwalk, Conn.
Pfc Fahey was assigned to 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died Feb. 28, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
According to unit records, Fahey enlisted in the Army Aug. 31, 2007, at Springfield, Mass., and reported to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., next month. After training a military policeman, he served .12 months at Camp Walker, Korea, and then reported to Lewis-McChord March 18, 2009 He was assigned to the 42nd Military Police Brigade.
At Faith Preparatory Academy in New Milford on Wednesday, where David R. Fahey Jr. graduated in 2006, the school was planning a memorial page for its yearbook, featuring photos of him playing soccer.
Principal Josephine DuBois, said she has been fielding calls from his classmates since they learned that Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr. was killed Monday while on duty in Afghanistan.
"The whole class of kids is just devastated," DuBois said, noting that when Fahey attended the Christian school was located in Danbury and was called New Hope Academy.
"Even though he had things in his past, it's a testimony to him how he grew up," DuBois said. "He was a good Christian, truly somebody who knew what he was doing."
Fahey's sister, Phyliss Lee, put up a Facebook tribute to her brother Tuesday, and Giordano is one of 56 people who have signed up so far. "I will always remember David being the funny guy," said Giordano, 21, of Rollinsford, N.H. "He was always pulling pranks and joking around."
Reports of Fahey's connection to Norwalk are conflicting. The Department of Defense said Fahey was from Norwalk, but The Hartford Courant quotes Mayor Richard Moccia as saying Fahey went to school in Norwalk until seventh grade. The News-Times says Fahey was raised in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Emails to The Daily Norwalk from Dino Parton say Fahey lived in Yorktown Heights for several years before he enlisted in 2007 and that commuted to high school in Connecticut. Parton said Fahey and his family were pillars in her church, Calvary Bible Church.
Phyllis Lee confirmed that her brother did not go to public high school in Norwalk. Giordano says Phyllis is Fahey's younger sister. He is also survived by a younger brother, Nick Fahey, who lives in Westchester County, N.Y. Fahey was raised by an aunt and uncle, who are now in Dover, Del. They will receive his body Wednesday.
Giordano said she has known Fahey for almost all of her life but hadn't talked to him in a long time. Fortunately, she got the chance to have "one last conversation" with him a few weeks ago. They laughed and joked about old times, including his Backstreet Boys dance on the porch. In return, Giordano and four other girls did a Spice Girls act.
"I will always remember his prank phone calls telling people Margaret was hiding in their closet and the way he always used to say 'hey mang,'" Giordano said on Facebook. "Dave was an amazing kid, and I would do anything to be able to reminisce on the old times we spent together with him again."
Lee wrote to The Daily Norwalk, "It's such a tragedy. I can't believe it. He's in such a better place, he will always be a hero. He was greatly loved by so many and such great family support! It has been such an honor to have such an amazing brother!! He would do anything for anyone give the shirt off his back for you even if he didn't know you! He will never be forgotten and we will meet again!"
Fahey's friends, who are scattered across the region, agreed. "Dave was the best of all of us," John Gullen of Syracuse wrote on Facebook. "He brought joy and laughter to every situation and I miss him like crazy."
Katie O'Brien of Yorktown Heights said on Facebook, "Dave was one of the funniest guys I've ever known. He could brighten up any atmosphere. One of my many great memories of him was when I had my back surgery and him, Danny, and I think Stephen bought me a whole bunch of helium balloons. All the balloons said things like 'Get better soon' etc. But the one that Dave picked out said 'It's a boy!' Hahaha totally made my day and I'll never forget him."
The way his grandmother tells it, Fahey was born into a world of chaos.
The parents gave him up," Sharon Trepanier, 66, of Shelton, told WTNH-TV. "They didn't care. They were drug addicts." The oldest of three children, Fahey was forced to grow up fast. His father died young and his mother led a pockmarked life in and out of prison and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, according to court records.
Fahey and his younger brother and sister were cared for by Trepanier and other relatives and were eventually formally adopted by their Aunt Fran and Uncle Tom Fahey in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., where they lived with their three cousins.
Despite a turbulent childhood, Fahey was known as a good student and gained a reputation as a practical joker who loved to bring levity to any situation. Relatives said he was deeply religious and wanted to serve his community, enlisting in the U.S. Army and was looking to join the New York City Police Department.
Relatives were still waiting Wednesday for the the military to release his remains before arrangements are finalized.
Dan O'Brien, the pastor at Calvary Bible Church in Yorktown Heights where Fahey attended services, accompanied the family to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to bring his body home.
It is unclear where the funeral will be held and if O'Brien's church will be big enough to accommodate the hundreds of mourners expected to pay their respects.
While growing up in Norwalk, Fahey attended Kendall Elementary School and spent a year from 1999 to 2000 in sixth grade at Ponus Ridge Middle School, said Principal Linda Sumpter.
"It is always sad news (when a soldier dies) but it is even sadder when it strikes so close to home," Sumpter said.
Betty Ettinger, 41, a Shelton resident originally from Westport, said Fahey lived in Norwalk with her sister and brother-in-law since he was 8 years old and attended Ponus Ridge Middle School. Two sets of relatives on both sides of his family raised Fahey, and everyone considered him their son, she said.
Ettinger's sister, Cari, cared for Fahey and his younger brother and sister in Norwalk before he moved in with his aunt and uncle in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Ettinger called Fahey the "ultimate practical joker" and said his many cousins and aunts and uncles all had set times to speak with him during his four-year tour overseas. She called Fahey a "hero" and said he overcame a spotty family history at a young age.
"He was everything to us," Ettinger said. "We're going to be empty now, for a long time."
Fahey's 57-year-old uncle, Christopher Fahey of Wilmington, N.C., described his nephew as a gregarious and religious young man who enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school in order to gain training and experience as a police officer. Christopher said his nephew had a job lined up with the New York Police Department after his tour of duty ended. "He always talked about becoming a policeman," Christopher said.
Fahey was raised by his uncle Tom Fahey after his own father passed away, Christopher said. His brother took custody of Fahey, his younger sister and little brother and cared for them along with his four children. He said Fahey lived in Norwalk with relatives briefly after graduating high school and before enlisting in the military.
"He was friendly," Christopher said from his home Tuesday afternoon. "He has a load of friends. He was well liked."
Christopher said Fahey enlisted for a four-year tour and was due to finish the last few months of service at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash. He said the family is devastated by Fahey's death. "We're all still in shock," Christopher said.
Christopher said his brother told him the Army is sending his nephew's body to the United States and will hold a private ceremony Wednesday morning at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the aunt and uncle who raised Fahey. Funeral arrangements for friends and relatives are still being arranged, he said.
According to a story in the Norwalk Citizen newspaper today, Gov. Daniel P. Malloy ordered the state and U.S. flags to fly at half staff in Fahey's honor.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of Pfc. David Fahey," said Malloy in a statement. "Our country lost a brave and dedicated serviceman, and we stand with the men and women who are grieving the loss of Pfc. Fahey, and the families of the other brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Our hearts go out to the soldiers who are working so hard, so far away from home. We wish for your safe and speedy return."
Fahey's awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and more, according to the public affairs office at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Army Pfc. David R. Fahey Jr. was killed in action on 2/28/11.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Army Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould, 25, of Saginaw, Mich.
Sgt Gould was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.; died Feb. 27, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
SAGINAW, Mich. — A 25-year-old infantryman from Michigan was on his third combat deployment when he was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army said Tuesday.
Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould died Sunday from wounds he sustained when insurgents attacked his unit in Ghazni province, the Defense Department said in a news release.
"This was a job we knew he enjoyed," his mother, Ann Gould of Bay County's Frankenlust Township, told The Bay City Times. "He was proud to do it, and he was good at it."
Gould was a graduate of Valley Lutheran High School in Saginaw County's Saginaw Township. Gould's pastor described him as sports-minded and devout. The soldier particularly liked dirt biking.
"He was a faithful member," said the Rev. Charles Buckhahn of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Saginaw. "He was very proud of his military service, as was the rest of his family and the congregation. ... He was a very personable guy, always was on the lookout for other members of Bethlehem in the military. He was always trying to connect and keep up with them."
Gould was part of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Knox, Ky.
He enlisted in 2003 and served 15 months in Iraq in 2005-06, followed by 12 months in Afghanistan in 2008-09, Fort Knox said in a statement.
Ford spokesman Ryan Brus said Gould's current deployment started in January.
Buckhahn said his own daughter was in Gould's grade in school.
"We have a lot of members who are in the military," said the minister, who son serves in the Marines. "This hits home for a lot of the families here who are in the same boat as the Goulds were."
A memorial service was planned in Afghanistan on Wednesday, with funeral plans still pending.
His awards and decorations include:
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal
Overseas Service Ribbon
Combat Infantryman Badge
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal for Mobilization
Army Service Ribbon
Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart (posthumously)
FRANKENLUST TWP. — In his near daily e-mails home from Afghanistan, Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould liked to dream big.
The dreams, his mother Ann Gould said, changed often — starting with plans to fix up an old pickup he had at home and most recently focused on buying a new Ford Harley-Davidson pickup.
“He liked champagne on a beer budget,” his mom joked. “But that’s what kept him going, too. We just let him dream.”
Kristopher Gould, 25, of Frankenlust Township died Sunday after his unit was attacked by insurgents with an improvised explosive device in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan.
The 2004 Valley Lutheran graduate was on his third tour of duty in the Middle East. He most recently deployed in January as part of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Knox, Ky.
“It’s hard,” Ann Gould said of her son’s death. “This was a job we knew he enjoyed. He was proud to do it and he was good at it.”
Ann Gould was at work Monday when her husband, James Gould, called telling her she needed to come home. Military officers had just been to their Frankenlust Township home to deliver the news.
“My husband was here and he knew,” Ann Gould said. “When you see two military men come up to your back door, you know.”
Funeral arrangements are pending. Ann Gould said one of the hard parts has been waiting to hear when her son’s body will be returned to Michigan.
Ryan Brus, a spokesman for the U.S. Army at Fort Knox, said Kristopher Gould likely will be returned home in the next two weeks.
In the coming days, Kristopher Gould’s body will be flown to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., where it will be prepared and another ceremony likely will take place.
Then the body will be returned to Michigan through MBS International Airport in Freeland, Brus said.
Army Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould was killed in action on 2/27/11.
Army Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould, 25, of Saginaw, Mich.
Sgt Gould was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.; died Feb. 27, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
SAGINAW, Mich. — A 25-year-old infantryman from Michigan was on his third combat deployment when he was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army said Tuesday.
Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould died Sunday from wounds he sustained when insurgents attacked his unit in Ghazni province, the Defense Department said in a news release.
"This was a job we knew he enjoyed," his mother, Ann Gould of Bay County's Frankenlust Township, told The Bay City Times. "He was proud to do it, and he was good at it."
Gould was a graduate of Valley Lutheran High School in Saginaw County's Saginaw Township. Gould's pastor described him as sports-minded and devout. The soldier particularly liked dirt biking.
"He was a faithful member," said the Rev. Charles Buckhahn of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Saginaw. "He was very proud of his military service, as was the rest of his family and the congregation. ... He was a very personable guy, always was on the lookout for other members of Bethlehem in the military. He was always trying to connect and keep up with them."
Gould was part of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Knox, Ky.
He enlisted in 2003 and served 15 months in Iraq in 2005-06, followed by 12 months in Afghanistan in 2008-09, Fort Knox said in a statement.
Ford spokesman Ryan Brus said Gould's current deployment started in January.
Buckhahn said his own daughter was in Gould's grade in school.
"We have a lot of members who are in the military," said the minister, who son serves in the Marines. "This hits home for a lot of the families here who are in the same boat as the Goulds were."
A memorial service was planned in Afghanistan on Wednesday, with funeral plans still pending.
His awards and decorations include:
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal
Overseas Service Ribbon
Combat Infantryman Badge
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal for Mobilization
Army Service Ribbon
Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart (posthumously)
FRANKENLUST TWP. — In his near daily e-mails home from Afghanistan, Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould liked to dream big.
The dreams, his mother Ann Gould said, changed often — starting with plans to fix up an old pickup he had at home and most recently focused on buying a new Ford Harley-Davidson pickup.
“He liked champagne on a beer budget,” his mom joked. “But that’s what kept him going, too. We just let him dream.”
Kristopher Gould, 25, of Frankenlust Township died Sunday after his unit was attacked by insurgents with an improvised explosive device in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan.
The 2004 Valley Lutheran graduate was on his third tour of duty in the Middle East. He most recently deployed in January as part of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Knox, Ky.
“It’s hard,” Ann Gould said of her son’s death. “This was a job we knew he enjoyed. He was proud to do it and he was good at it.”
Ann Gould was at work Monday when her husband, James Gould, called telling her she needed to come home. Military officers had just been to their Frankenlust Township home to deliver the news.
“My husband was here and he knew,” Ann Gould said. “When you see two military men come up to your back door, you know.”
Funeral arrangements are pending. Ann Gould said one of the hard parts has been waiting to hear when her son’s body will be returned to Michigan.
Ryan Brus, a spokesman for the U.S. Army at Fort Knox, said Kristopher Gould likely will be returned home in the next two weeks.
In the coming days, Kristopher Gould’s body will be flown to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., where it will be prepared and another ceremony likely will take place.
Then the body will be returned to Michigan through MBS International Airport in Freeland, Brus said.
Army Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould was killed in action on 2/27/11.
Army Spc. Brian Tabada
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Brian Tabada, 21, of Las Vegas
Spc Tabada was assigned to 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 27, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade.
A 21-year-old soldier from Las Vegas died Sunday in Afghanistan after insurgents attacked his mounted patrol unit, the Department of Defense announced today.
Spc. Brian Tabada, 21, died in the Kunar providence of Afghanistan from wounds suffered when attacked by insurgents using small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade, officials said.
Tabada, who joined the Army in August 2008, was assigned to the First Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, First Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Ky.
He had arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2009 as a fire support specialist, officials from the base said.
Clark County School District officials said Tabada had attended Shadow Ridge High School and then Arbor View High School before moving out of state in 2005.
Tabada joined the Army in August 2008 and has received a number of awards and commendations, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Combat Action Badge.
In a statement, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said, “I was saddened to learn of the death of Spec. Brian Tabada of Las Vegas in service to his country. Spec. Tabada made the ultimate sacrifice and we are forever grateful. As our state mourns his loss, Kathleen and I extend our sympathies to his family.”
Fort Campbell officials said Tabada is survived by his father, Muncko Kruize, of Honolulu, and his mother, Leinette Mahan, of Las Vegas.
Army Spc. Brian Tabada was killed in action on 2/27/11.
Army Spc. Brian Tabada, 21, of Las Vegas
Spc Tabada was assigned to 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 27, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade.
A 21-year-old soldier from Las Vegas died Sunday in Afghanistan after insurgents attacked his mounted patrol unit, the Department of Defense announced today.
Spc. Brian Tabada, 21, died in the Kunar providence of Afghanistan from wounds suffered when attacked by insurgents using small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade, officials said.
Tabada, who joined the Army in August 2008, was assigned to the First Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, First Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Ky.
He had arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2009 as a fire support specialist, officials from the base said.
Clark County School District officials said Tabada had attended Shadow Ridge High School and then Arbor View High School before moving out of state in 2005.
Tabada joined the Army in August 2008 and has received a number of awards and commendations, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Combat Action Badge.
In a statement, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said, “I was saddened to learn of the death of Spec. Brian Tabada of Las Vegas in service to his country. Spec. Tabada made the ultimate sacrifice and we are forever grateful. As our state mourns his loss, Kathleen and I extend our sympathies to his family.”
Fort Campbell officials said Tabada is survived by his father, Muncko Kruize, of Honolulu, and his mother, Leinette Mahan, of Las Vegas.
Army Spc. Brian Tabada was killed in action on 2/27/11.
Army National Guardsman Seamus Byrne
Remember Our Heroes
A decorated Afghanistan War hero who survived a suicide bomb attack was fatally struck by a car while crossing a dangerous intersection in Long Island on Sunday morning, February 27, 2011.
Seamus Byrne of Smithtown, was hit while walking home with his wife after celebrating his 33rd birthday party with family and friends at a nearby restaurant, his family said.
Byrne turned back to say a final goodbye to lingering guests and, on his way back, stepped onto the crosswalk of a six-lane road when the car struck him.
Byrne's wife, Michelle, a nurse, attempted to resuscitate him until responders arrived. He was taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center, and was pronounced dead.
The driver was not charged and police are investigating.
James Gallagher, Byrne's father-in-law, told NBC New York the driver should have been able to see Byrne, but said the busy intersection was poorly-lit.
Newsday reported there were 359 crashes from 2003 through 2008 on the nearby stretch of Route 111, the road where Byrne was killed, according to the state Department of Transportation.
"It's a dangerous intersection," Gallagher said. "There's really no one to blame. It was just one of those things where it was the wrong place at the wrong time."
Byrne, who served in the National Guard, was awarded a Purple Heart in 2008 after his Humvee convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber. Byrne escaped with a concussion, but nine others were killed.
The event deeply affected Byrne, his family said.
Rick Silecchio, Byrne's younger cousin who was deployed in Afghanistan at the same time, was one of the first family members to talk to Byrne about the attack when the two met before flying home together.
He said Byrne, the father of two young children, Seamus Jr., 10 and Ashley, 3, couldn't stop talking about seeing his family again on the long flight back, Silecchio said.
"He said that after that happened he just couldn’t wait to go home and hug his wife and kids,” said Silecchio, 23. “After coming so close to losing everything he just wanted to be a better husband and a better father than when he left.”
But like many other veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Byrne struggled to adjust to life at home and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder shortly after being discharged.
Still, Silecchio said, he handled it well. “He did everything he could to make sure it was a smooth transition for him and his kids.”
Seamus and Michelle were high school sweethearts from their days at Kings Park High School and married two years after graduating. The couple recently purchased their first home together and Byrne, who worked in construction as a carpenter, kept both of them busy with various home improvement projects.
“My daughter is devastated,” Gallagher said. “He was a really loving husband and father. He was just taken early.”
In October 2008, Mr Byrne suffered severe head injuries in Afghanistan after a suicide bomber struck close to the Humvee he was travelling in.
Nine others died in the attack, which left Mr Byrne with post-traumatic stress disorder. He served in the Army National Guard’s Fighting 69th Infantry Regiment.
He spent several months in hospital, but returned to his Long Island home two years ago and began working as a carpenter.
He lived there with his wife and two children, Seamus Jr, ten, and Ashley, three.
He and Michelle were childhood sweethearts who met in kindergarten and went through school together. He was a footballer and she was a cheerleader.
Mr Gallagher told the Post his son-in-law had left Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub in Long Island and was crossing the road to go home when he realised he had forgotten to say goodbye to someone.
Seamus was not drinking - never has - so it was not in any way a drinking related accident on Seamus' part.
He was hit by a 1998 Honda as he turned to go back. Police say it was driven by Michael Armentano, 24.
They are investigating but have so far ruled the crash was an accident.
Mr Gallagher told the New York Daily News: 'He was very happy with his friends celebrating life. He just wasn't looking at the traffic, and he walked in front of a car.'
According to the Post, he said: 'Michelle is taking this really hard she’s just unable to talk about it right now. She's just crying.'
He told the newspaper Mr Byrne's parents are 'devastated'. He said: 'They're grieving very terribly right now.'
A decorated Afghanistan War hero who survived a suicide bomb attack was fatally struck by a car while crossing a dangerous intersection in Long Island on Sunday morning, February 27, 2011.
Seamus Byrne of Smithtown, was hit while walking home with his wife after celebrating his 33rd birthday party with family and friends at a nearby restaurant, his family said.
Byrne turned back to say a final goodbye to lingering guests and, on his way back, stepped onto the crosswalk of a six-lane road when the car struck him.
Byrne's wife, Michelle, a nurse, attempted to resuscitate him until responders arrived. He was taken to Stony Brook University Medical Center, and was pronounced dead.
The driver was not charged and police are investigating.
James Gallagher, Byrne's father-in-law, told NBC New York the driver should have been able to see Byrne, but said the busy intersection was poorly-lit.
Newsday reported there were 359 crashes from 2003 through 2008 on the nearby stretch of Route 111, the road where Byrne was killed, according to the state Department of Transportation.
"It's a dangerous intersection," Gallagher said. "There's really no one to blame. It was just one of those things where it was the wrong place at the wrong time."
Byrne, who served in the National Guard, was awarded a Purple Heart in 2008 after his Humvee convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber. Byrne escaped with a concussion, but nine others were killed.
The event deeply affected Byrne, his family said.
Rick Silecchio, Byrne's younger cousin who was deployed in Afghanistan at the same time, was one of the first family members to talk to Byrne about the attack when the two met before flying home together.
He said Byrne, the father of two young children, Seamus Jr., 10 and Ashley, 3, couldn't stop talking about seeing his family again on the long flight back, Silecchio said.
"He said that after that happened he just couldn’t wait to go home and hug his wife and kids,” said Silecchio, 23. “After coming so close to losing everything he just wanted to be a better husband and a better father than when he left.”
But like many other veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Byrne struggled to adjust to life at home and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder shortly after being discharged.
Still, Silecchio said, he handled it well. “He did everything he could to make sure it was a smooth transition for him and his kids.”
Seamus and Michelle were high school sweethearts from their days at Kings Park High School and married two years after graduating. The couple recently purchased their first home together and Byrne, who worked in construction as a carpenter, kept both of them busy with various home improvement projects.
“My daughter is devastated,” Gallagher said. “He was a really loving husband and father. He was just taken early.”
In October 2008, Mr Byrne suffered severe head injuries in Afghanistan after a suicide bomber struck close to the Humvee he was travelling in.
Nine others died in the attack, which left Mr Byrne with post-traumatic stress disorder. He served in the Army National Guard’s Fighting 69th Infantry Regiment.
He spent several months in hospital, but returned to his Long Island home two years ago and began working as a carpenter.
He lived there with his wife and two children, Seamus Jr, ten, and Ashley, three.
He and Michelle were childhood sweethearts who met in kindergarten and went through school together. He was a footballer and she was a cheerleader.
Mr Gallagher told the Post his son-in-law had left Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub in Long Island and was crossing the road to go home when he realised he had forgotten to say goodbye to someone.
Seamus was not drinking - never has - so it was not in any way a drinking related accident on Seamus' part.
He was hit by a 1998 Honda as he turned to go back. Police say it was driven by Michael Armentano, 24.
They are investigating but have so far ruled the crash was an accident.
Mr Gallagher told the New York Daily News: 'He was very happy with his friends celebrating life. He just wasn't looking at the traffic, and he walked in front of a car.'
According to the Post, he said: 'Michelle is taking this really hard she’s just unable to talk about it right now. She's just crying.'
He told the newspaper Mr Byrne's parents are 'devastated'. He said: 'They're grieving very terribly right now.'
Army Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt, 31, of Rosemount, Minn.
Spc Wilfahrt was assigned to 504th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died Feb. 27, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
MINNEAPOLIS – A military policeman from Rosemount has died in an attack in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense says Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt died Sunday when insurgents attacked his unit in Kandahar province using a homemade bomb.
The 31-year-old Wilfahrt was assigned to a military police battalion based in Hawaii. He enlisted in the Army in January 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan last July.
Principal John Wollersheim says Wilfahrt graduated from Rosemount High School in 1997.
His uncle, Charlie Wilfahrt of Minneapolis, says his nephew was a talented musician who had found purpose in life in the Army.
Bomb Kills Schofield Soldier
A Schofield Barracks military policeman was killed Sunday in southern Afghanistan and another was wounded when a roadside bomb exploded as they were on foot patrol in Kandahar city, officials said.
Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt, 31, of Rosemount, Minn., was part of the 552nd Military Police Company, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
Spc. Wilfahrt, who was not married, is survived by his parents, Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt as well as a brother Peter, 26 and a sister Martha, 27. His uncle, Charlie Wilfahrt of Minneapolis, said his nephew was a talented musician who found purpose in life in the Army.
Classmates of the 1997 Rosemount High School graduate described Wilfahrt as kind, outgoing and talented, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
He had been a member of the choir and marching band and later traveled around Europe and Central America, the newspaper said.
Wilfahrt's father, Jeff, told the newspaper that family members were at Dover Air Force Base, Del., yesterday, grieving and awaiting the return of his body.
Elizabeth Schaefer's grandson Andrew Wilfahrt wrote in December to thank her for the care package with homemade chocolate chip cookies she sent him in Afghanistan.
"He just wrote to say that he enjoyed them ... and he sounded as though he was OK," the New Ulm, Minn., resident said. It was the final letter Schaefer, 91, received from her grandson.
The 31-year-old military police officer from Rosemount died Sunday of wounds inflicted by a makeshift bomb while serving in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Andy Wilfahrt, a 1997 graduate of Rosemount High School, was a specialist assigned to the 552nd Military Police Company. He was patrolling on foot with his unit in Kandahar Province on Sunday when the bomb went off, said Lt. Col. Matt Garner, public affairs officer for the 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
Wilfahrt was pronounced dead at a military hospital in Kandahar Province. On Monday, his parents, Jeff and Lori, flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to await their son's return to the United States, Schaefer said.
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. - Family and friends are remembering a fallen Minnesota soldier as kind, outgoing and musically-gifted.
Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt died Sunday when insurgents attacked his unit in Kandahar province using an improvised explosive device, said the Department of Defense.
In his hometown of Rosemount, word of his death spread quickly Monday. Shelia Wandersee lives in the cul-de-sac where Wilfahrt's parents reside. Wandersee said she remembers the melodies that would drift across the street when Wilfahrt was playing the piano.
Emily Pavlik also sent in a photo to FOX 9 News of a 1999 trip Wilfahrt took to Nicaragua, saying,"He really enjoyed playing with the children in this remote rural Nicaraguan community."
Army Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt was killed in action on 2/27/11.
Army Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt, 31, of Rosemount, Minn.
Spc Wilfahrt was assigned to 504th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died Feb. 27, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
MINNEAPOLIS – A military policeman from Rosemount has died in an attack in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense says Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt died Sunday when insurgents attacked his unit in Kandahar province using a homemade bomb.
The 31-year-old Wilfahrt was assigned to a military police battalion based in Hawaii. He enlisted in the Army in January 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan last July.
Principal John Wollersheim says Wilfahrt graduated from Rosemount High School in 1997.
His uncle, Charlie Wilfahrt of Minneapolis, says his nephew was a talented musician who had found purpose in life in the Army.
Bomb Kills Schofield Soldier
A Schofield Barracks military policeman was killed Sunday in southern Afghanistan and another was wounded when a roadside bomb exploded as they were on foot patrol in Kandahar city, officials said.
Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt, 31, of Rosemount, Minn., was part of the 552nd Military Police Company, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
Spc. Wilfahrt, who was not married, is survived by his parents, Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt as well as a brother Peter, 26 and a sister Martha, 27. His uncle, Charlie Wilfahrt of Minneapolis, said his nephew was a talented musician who found purpose in life in the Army.
Classmates of the 1997 Rosemount High School graduate described Wilfahrt as kind, outgoing and talented, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
He had been a member of the choir and marching band and later traveled around Europe and Central America, the newspaper said.
Wilfahrt's father, Jeff, told the newspaper that family members were at Dover Air Force Base, Del., yesterday, grieving and awaiting the return of his body.
Elizabeth Schaefer's grandson Andrew Wilfahrt wrote in December to thank her for the care package with homemade chocolate chip cookies she sent him in Afghanistan.
"He just wrote to say that he enjoyed them ... and he sounded as though he was OK," the New Ulm, Minn., resident said. It was the final letter Schaefer, 91, received from her grandson.
The 31-year-old military police officer from Rosemount died Sunday of wounds inflicted by a makeshift bomb while serving in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Andy Wilfahrt, a 1997 graduate of Rosemount High School, was a specialist assigned to the 552nd Military Police Company. He was patrolling on foot with his unit in Kandahar Province on Sunday when the bomb went off, said Lt. Col. Matt Garner, public affairs officer for the 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
Wilfahrt was pronounced dead at a military hospital in Kandahar Province. On Monday, his parents, Jeff and Lori, flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to await their son's return to the United States, Schaefer said.
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. - Family and friends are remembering a fallen Minnesota soldier as kind, outgoing and musically-gifted.
Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt died Sunday when insurgents attacked his unit in Kandahar province using an improvised explosive device, said the Department of Defense.
In his hometown of Rosemount, word of his death spread quickly Monday. Shelia Wandersee lives in the cul-de-sac where Wilfahrt's parents reside. Wandersee said she remembers the melodies that would drift across the street when Wilfahrt was playing the piano.
Emily Pavlik also sent in a photo to FOX 9 News of a 1999 trip Wilfahrt took to Nicaragua, saying,"He really enjoyed playing with the children in this remote rural Nicaraguan community."
Army Spc. Andrew C. Wilfahrt was killed in action on 2/27/11.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Army Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag, 29, of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
SSgt Firtamag was assigned to 96th Combat Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 24, 2011 in Pembroke, Ky., after being medically evacuated from Kandahar, Afghanistan on Dec. 1, 2010, for treatment of a non-combat illness.
Fort Campbell says a 101st Airborne Division soldier who had served in Afghanistan until December has died of liver cancer.
The Defense Department says 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag of Pohnpei, Micronesia, was medically evacuated from Kandahar to the U.S. on Dec. 1 and died Thursday in Pembroke, Ky.
He was an avionic radar repairer assigned to Bravo Company, 96th Combat Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. He joined the Army in March 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2007.
Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag, 29, of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, was medically evacuated from Kandahar, Afghanistan, to the United States on Dec. 1, according to a Department of Defense news release.
The soldier died, under hospice care, of metastatic liver cancer, according to a Fort Campbell news release.
He joined the Army in March 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2007. His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Army Good Conduct Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Staff Sgt. Firtamag is survived by his wife, Kimberley Firtamag of Hopkinsville, Ky.; father, John Firtamag and mother, Ruth Giyeg both of San Antonio, Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag died from a non-combat illness on 2/24/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag, 29, of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
SSgt Firtamag was assigned to 96th Combat Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 24, 2011 in Pembroke, Ky., after being medically evacuated from Kandahar, Afghanistan on Dec. 1, 2010, for treatment of a non-combat illness.
Fort Campbell says a 101st Airborne Division soldier who had served in Afghanistan until December has died of liver cancer.
The Defense Department says 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag of Pohnpei, Micronesia, was medically evacuated from Kandahar to the U.S. on Dec. 1 and died Thursday in Pembroke, Ky.
He was an avionic radar repairer assigned to Bravo Company, 96th Combat Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. He joined the Army in March 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2007.
Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag, 29, of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, was medically evacuated from Kandahar, Afghanistan, to the United States on Dec. 1, according to a Department of Defense news release.
The soldier died, under hospice care, of metastatic liver cancer, according to a Fort Campbell news release.
He joined the Army in March 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2007. His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Army Good Conduct Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Staff Sgt. Firtamag is survived by his wife, Kimberley Firtamag of Hopkinsville, Ky.; father, John Firtamag and mother, Ruth Giyeg both of San Antonio, Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Jerome Firtamag died from a non-combat illness on 2/24/11.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Marine Cpl. Johnathan W. Taylor
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Johnathan W. Taylor, 23, of Homosassa, Fla.
Cpl Taylor was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 22, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Once a Marine, always a Marine.
That's what the family of Cpl. John Taylor came to understand in time.
From the moment he graduated from boot camp in 2007, they knew the Marines had became his second family, a support group for the life he chose to live.
To his comrades, Taylor was a fearless warrior who looked after them, his mother, Deb Taylor, recalled on Thursday. In their last conversation, she reminded him that she was sending a package of snacks, soft drinks, new socks, smokeless tobacco and other items that are tough to come by in the desolate Helmand province in Afghanistan where his unit is stationed. "He told me to make sure I packed enough so that he could share with the guys in his unit. That was really important to him," Deb Taylor recalled of their Monday conversation.
The next morning, the 23-year-old was killed when an improvised explosive device blew up beneath his feet.
At the dining room table inside her Homosassa home Thursday, Deb Taylor, her husband, Mark, and 19-year-old son Chris worked to assemble photos for a Facebook memorial. Through tear-filled eyes, Deb Taylor gazed at photos of the young man nicknamed "Butters" by his Lecanto High School football teammates because he had trouble handling the ball.
"He liked playing football," she said. "But deep down, I think he always knew that life had more important plans for him."
Drawn to the idea of joining the military, Taylor spent four years in Lecanto High's JROTC program, and earned honors in the Navy Sea Cadets program. Social studies teacher Brian Donovan described Taylor as someone who saw himself with a higher purpose in life.
"He was very patriotic," Donovan said. "He looked different than most of the kids. He was very neat and wore his hair high and tight in a military style cut. You could tell he was determined to live up to being a Marine."
After graduation in 2006, Taylor went directly into the Marines where he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Deb Taylor said her son quickly latched onto the brotherhood of his close-knit unit. On an early visit home, she noticed he had a tattoo of the Marine Corps "Devil Dogs" symbol on his chest. Over time, Taylor added several more on his torso, including the names of fallen comrades.
Through his four deployments with a Marine combat unit in Iraq and Afghanistan, Taylor never complained of the conditions or the dangers. Deb Taylor said she got a call one night from her son telling her that he had coordinated communications for several combat units engaged in a firefight.
"I thought, 'Here is this 20-year-old kid who's found something special that's going to be with him for the rest of his life," she said. "That's how proud he was of being a Marine."
As was his request, John Taylor will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His parents plan to have a memorial service for local friends and family at a later date.
Deb Taylor still plans to send the package to her son's unit. She thinks it will make a fitting memorial.
"He was always thinking of them," she said. "I know they'll never forget him."
When the two Marines in their dress blues showed up Tuesday evening at his Homosassa home, Mark Taylor thought they were coming to talk to his son Christopher, who was thinking about joining up.
One glance at the somber Marines and Taylor knew better. "I looked at them and broke down, and I knew it wasn't for him," says Taylor.
They were there to tell them about his middle son, Johnathan, 23, a Marine corporal who was on his fourth tour of duty, this time volunteering to return to Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
"I knew John wasn't coming home the way we wanted him to," says Taylor.
Johnathan Taylor was killed about an hour-and-a-half before the Marines arrived, Taylor says. He was on patrol when he stepped on an improvised explosive device. Jonathan Taylor was placed on a helicopter but died before it landed.
Mark Taylor spent part of today packing and getting ready for a flight this afternoon to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where they will take part in the dignified transfer ceremony welcoming Johnathan's body back home.
Johnathan Taylor was born in Hickory, N.C., on Aug. 14, 1987. and moved to Florida with his family when he was about 12.
"I was having health problems and needed to be someplace warm," says Taylor.
Johnathan Taylor wore No. 83 when he played tight end at Lecanto High School. Though he couldn't hold on to the football, Johnathan held on to his interest in serving the country. "He loved the Marine Corps," says Taylor. "He loved to serve his country and was upset over 9/11.
He remembered that when he was younger and always talked about going into the Marine Corps, because that was the toughest outfit."
Even before he graduated from Lecanto High School in 2006, Johnathan Taylor displayed military leadership skills as a Sea Cadet attending summer programs at Admiral Farragut Academy in Tampa, says his dad. As a teenager of 16 or 17, he was an honor cadet in charge of the rest of the cadets, Taylor said.
After high school, Johnathan Taylor worked at a local quarry before finally enlisting around Thanksgiving in 2007.
"His expertise was hand-to-hand and close-quarter combat," says Taylor, who says in four tours, his son saw plenty of both. His first tour of duty was in 2008, when he went to Anbar Province in Iraq, where he was stationed for seven months, says Taylor.
Johnathan Taylor returned to Camp Lejeune, then left again, this time to Afghanistan, "where his company was part of the biggest airlift since Vietnam, dropped the furthest south, into the middle of a Taliban stronghold on April 2, 2009."
He lost one of his best friends that day, and six others soon after, says his dad. "He knew the dangers," says Taylor. "He was very proud - 90 percent me. I always told him you would never die, your body will, but you spiritually will never die, your spirit is what makes you up. He was a firm believer and had no problem laying himself down for his fellow man. The world is a better place for people like that."
After returning from his 2009 tour, Johnathan Taylor volunteered to go back. He returned in November and, after training 140 new recruits at Lejeune, went back again on Jan. 12.
Last night, Christopher Taylor went to honor his brother by getting a similar tattoo and haircut, says Taylor. "He got a tattoo on his right shoulder, like John had, with the Marine emblem," says Taylor.
"I think I talked him out of joining," says Taylor. "I want him to go to college."
About 12 hours before what would be his last patrol, Johnathan Taylor called home and spoke to his mother, Deborah. "He said, 'I love you,'" recalls Taylor. "He said, 'I have to leave in the morning. I have to get socks and shoes on and go on patrol.'" He never made it home from patrol.
Marine Cpl. Johnathan W. Taylor was killed in action on 2/22/11.
Marine Cpl. Johnathan W. Taylor, 23, of Homosassa, Fla.
Cpl Taylor was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 22, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Once a Marine, always a Marine.
That's what the family of Cpl. John Taylor came to understand in time.
From the moment he graduated from boot camp in 2007, they knew the Marines had became his second family, a support group for the life he chose to live.
To his comrades, Taylor was a fearless warrior who looked after them, his mother, Deb Taylor, recalled on Thursday. In their last conversation, she reminded him that she was sending a package of snacks, soft drinks, new socks, smokeless tobacco and other items that are tough to come by in the desolate Helmand province in Afghanistan where his unit is stationed. "He told me to make sure I packed enough so that he could share with the guys in his unit. That was really important to him," Deb Taylor recalled of their Monday conversation.
The next morning, the 23-year-old was killed when an improvised explosive device blew up beneath his feet.
At the dining room table inside her Homosassa home Thursday, Deb Taylor, her husband, Mark, and 19-year-old son Chris worked to assemble photos for a Facebook memorial. Through tear-filled eyes, Deb Taylor gazed at photos of the young man nicknamed "Butters" by his Lecanto High School football teammates because he had trouble handling the ball.
"He liked playing football," she said. "But deep down, I think he always knew that life had more important plans for him."
Drawn to the idea of joining the military, Taylor spent four years in Lecanto High's JROTC program, and earned honors in the Navy Sea Cadets program. Social studies teacher Brian Donovan described Taylor as someone who saw himself with a higher purpose in life.
"He was very patriotic," Donovan said. "He looked different than most of the kids. He was very neat and wore his hair high and tight in a military style cut. You could tell he was determined to live up to being a Marine."
After graduation in 2006, Taylor went directly into the Marines where he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Deb Taylor said her son quickly latched onto the brotherhood of his close-knit unit. On an early visit home, she noticed he had a tattoo of the Marine Corps "Devil Dogs" symbol on his chest. Over time, Taylor added several more on his torso, including the names of fallen comrades.
Through his four deployments with a Marine combat unit in Iraq and Afghanistan, Taylor never complained of the conditions or the dangers. Deb Taylor said she got a call one night from her son telling her that he had coordinated communications for several combat units engaged in a firefight.
"I thought, 'Here is this 20-year-old kid who's found something special that's going to be with him for the rest of his life," she said. "That's how proud he was of being a Marine."
As was his request, John Taylor will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His parents plan to have a memorial service for local friends and family at a later date.
Deb Taylor still plans to send the package to her son's unit. She thinks it will make a fitting memorial.
"He was always thinking of them," she said. "I know they'll never forget him."
When the two Marines in their dress blues showed up Tuesday evening at his Homosassa home, Mark Taylor thought they were coming to talk to his son Christopher, who was thinking about joining up.
One glance at the somber Marines and Taylor knew better. "I looked at them and broke down, and I knew it wasn't for him," says Taylor.
They were there to tell them about his middle son, Johnathan, 23, a Marine corporal who was on his fourth tour of duty, this time volunteering to return to Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
"I knew John wasn't coming home the way we wanted him to," says Taylor.
Johnathan Taylor was killed about an hour-and-a-half before the Marines arrived, Taylor says. He was on patrol when he stepped on an improvised explosive device. Jonathan Taylor was placed on a helicopter but died before it landed.
Mark Taylor spent part of today packing and getting ready for a flight this afternoon to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where they will take part in the dignified transfer ceremony welcoming Johnathan's body back home.
Johnathan Taylor was born in Hickory, N.C., on Aug. 14, 1987. and moved to Florida with his family when he was about 12.
"I was having health problems and needed to be someplace warm," says Taylor.
Johnathan Taylor wore No. 83 when he played tight end at Lecanto High School. Though he couldn't hold on to the football, Johnathan held on to his interest in serving the country. "He loved the Marine Corps," says Taylor. "He loved to serve his country and was upset over 9/11.
He remembered that when he was younger and always talked about going into the Marine Corps, because that was the toughest outfit."
Even before he graduated from Lecanto High School in 2006, Johnathan Taylor displayed military leadership skills as a Sea Cadet attending summer programs at Admiral Farragut Academy in Tampa, says his dad. As a teenager of 16 or 17, he was an honor cadet in charge of the rest of the cadets, Taylor said.
After high school, Johnathan Taylor worked at a local quarry before finally enlisting around Thanksgiving in 2007.
"His expertise was hand-to-hand and close-quarter combat," says Taylor, who says in four tours, his son saw plenty of both. His first tour of duty was in 2008, when he went to Anbar Province in Iraq, where he was stationed for seven months, says Taylor.
Johnathan Taylor returned to Camp Lejeune, then left again, this time to Afghanistan, "where his company was part of the biggest airlift since Vietnam, dropped the furthest south, into the middle of a Taliban stronghold on April 2, 2009."
He lost one of his best friends that day, and six others soon after, says his dad. "He knew the dangers," says Taylor. "He was very proud - 90 percent me. I always told him you would never die, your body will, but you spiritually will never die, your spirit is what makes you up. He was a firm believer and had no problem laying himself down for his fellow man. The world is a better place for people like that."
After returning from his 2009 tour, Johnathan Taylor volunteered to go back. He returned in November and, after training 140 new recruits at Lejeune, went back again on Jan. 12.
Last night, Christopher Taylor went to honor his brother by getting a similar tattoo and haircut, says Taylor. "He got a tattoo on his right shoulder, like John had, with the Marine emblem," says Taylor.
"I think I talked him out of joining," says Taylor. "I want him to go to college."
About 12 hours before what would be his last patrol, Johnathan Taylor called home and spoke to his mother, Deborah. "He said, 'I love you,'" recalls Taylor. "He said, 'I have to leave in the morning. I have to get socks and shoes on and go on patrol.'" He never made it home from patrol.
Marine Cpl. Johnathan W. Taylor was killed in action on 2/22/11.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew P. Carpenter
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew P. Carpenter, 27, of Columbia, Tenn.
LCpl Carpenter was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 19, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds received Feb. 14 while conducting combat operations.
Kevin Carpenter watched as doctors turned off his son’s ventilator.
“It took about five minutes, but it seemed like an hour,” Carpenter said by phone Saturday, hours after he watched the final moments of his 27-year-old son’s life.
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Carpenter had been hospitalized at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany since Monday after he was shot in the neck while on patrol in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan. He was a member of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The bullet severed his spinal cord, his heart stopped and it took officials 43 minutes to revive him. Medical officials declared Andrew Carpenter brain dead.
Kevin Carpenter and his wife flew to Germany last week to spend time with their son.
“We got to tell him we love him. We got to see him. And even though he wasn’t there, we got to hold him,” he said.
Before Andrew Carpenter was taken off life support, his parents shared a final moment with their son.
“We told him we loved him and were very proud of him, and that his wife and son are very proud of him,” Kevin Carpenter said as his voice began to crack.
A Marine spokesman declined comment Saturday, citing military policy that disallows comments on deaths until 24 hours after all family members have been notified.
Andrew Carpenter joined the Marines in 2007 and was serving his second deployment in Afghanistan. Kevin Carpenter said his son was due back sometime this spring.
He married Crissie Ponder in 2010. Crissie is pregnant and expecting to give birth to a baby boy, who will be named Landon, in less than two weeks.
The Marine’s father said officials tried their best to keep his son alive and entertained the idea of flying him back to the U.S. to let Crissie see him, but officials believed he would have died inflight.
“He was seriously degrading every day,” Kevin Carpenter said. “It came time to think of Andy and let Andy go. It was very admirable that she wanted to be with him, but it was safer to put it in the hands of God.”
Cpl. Joseph Davis, who has known Carpenter since childhood and grew up in Columbia, will escort Andrew Carpenter’s body back to Tennessee once he reaches U.S. soil.
Davis said Saturday his friend was always happy wherever he went.
“He lived a full life,” Davis said. “He loved doing what he was doing. He was glad to serve.”
Friends rallied around the family after word spread of Carpenter’s injury. On Friday night, more than a dozen people held vigil outside Columbia Central High School, where Carpenter once attended.
Well-wishers left hundreds of messages on Carpenter’s Facebook page. On Saturday, many thanked Carpenter for his sacrifice.
“You will be missed Andy! Thank you for fighting for our country and being a wonderful person! Rest in Peace. Watch over your family from above and protect them always. Thank you!” one friend wrote.
Crissie Carpenter, who has previously declined comment, also left a note on her husband’s Facebook account.
“I love you, baby. You will always be my soul mate and my best friend forever,” she wrote. “I know Landon will give me those hugs and kisses that I will miss so much. I look forward to seeing you in Heaven one day, baby.”
Kevin Carpenter said arrangements have not been finalized but he expects his son’s body will arrive in Columbia sometime this week.
“It’s a devastating loss, but we’ll get through it,” he said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew P. Carpenter was killed in action on 2/19/11.
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew P. Carpenter, 27, of Columbia, Tenn.
LCpl Carpenter was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 19, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds received Feb. 14 while conducting combat operations.
Kevin Carpenter watched as doctors turned off his son’s ventilator.
“It took about five minutes, but it seemed like an hour,” Carpenter said by phone Saturday, hours after he watched the final moments of his 27-year-old son’s life.
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Carpenter had been hospitalized at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany since Monday after he was shot in the neck while on patrol in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan. He was a member of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The bullet severed his spinal cord, his heart stopped and it took officials 43 minutes to revive him. Medical officials declared Andrew Carpenter brain dead.
Kevin Carpenter and his wife flew to Germany last week to spend time with their son.
“We got to tell him we love him. We got to see him. And even though he wasn’t there, we got to hold him,” he said.
Before Andrew Carpenter was taken off life support, his parents shared a final moment with their son.
“We told him we loved him and were very proud of him, and that his wife and son are very proud of him,” Kevin Carpenter said as his voice began to crack.
A Marine spokesman declined comment Saturday, citing military policy that disallows comments on deaths until 24 hours after all family members have been notified.
Andrew Carpenter joined the Marines in 2007 and was serving his second deployment in Afghanistan. Kevin Carpenter said his son was due back sometime this spring.
He married Crissie Ponder in 2010. Crissie is pregnant and expecting to give birth to a baby boy, who will be named Landon, in less than two weeks.
The Marine’s father said officials tried their best to keep his son alive and entertained the idea of flying him back to the U.S. to let Crissie see him, but officials believed he would have died inflight.
“He was seriously degrading every day,” Kevin Carpenter said. “It came time to think of Andy and let Andy go. It was very admirable that she wanted to be with him, but it was safer to put it in the hands of God.”
Cpl. Joseph Davis, who has known Carpenter since childhood and grew up in Columbia, will escort Andrew Carpenter’s body back to Tennessee once he reaches U.S. soil.
Davis said Saturday his friend was always happy wherever he went.
“He lived a full life,” Davis said. “He loved doing what he was doing. He was glad to serve.”
Friends rallied around the family after word spread of Carpenter’s injury. On Friday night, more than a dozen people held vigil outside Columbia Central High School, where Carpenter once attended.
Well-wishers left hundreds of messages on Carpenter’s Facebook page. On Saturday, many thanked Carpenter for his sacrifice.
“You will be missed Andy! Thank you for fighting for our country and being a wonderful person! Rest in Peace. Watch over your family from above and protect them always. Thank you!” one friend wrote.
Crissie Carpenter, who has previously declined comment, also left a note on her husband’s Facebook account.
“I love you, baby. You will always be my soul mate and my best friend forever,” she wrote. “I know Landon will give me those hugs and kisses that I will miss so much. I look forward to seeing you in Heaven one day, baby.”
Kevin Carpenter said arrangements have not been finalized but he expects his son’s body will arrive in Columbia sometime this week.
“It’s a devastating loss, but we’ll get through it,” he said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew P. Carpenter was killed in action on 2/19/11.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Marine Sgt. Matthew J. DeYoung
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Matthew J. DeYoung, 26, of Talent, Ore.
Sgt DeYoung was was assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He died Feb. 18, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
DeYoung, an assistant team leader, was deployed to Afghanistan in November 2010 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. He also served in Iraq from January 2006 to August 2006 and again from October 2007 to May 2008.
He joined the Marine Corps in November 2004 and was promoted to sergeant on June 1, 2008.
Talent Marine killed in Afghanistan remembered as family man, hero
A U.S. Marine from Oregon who was killed in Afghanistan was remembered Monday as a humble man who took pride in caring for his family.
Sgt. Matthew J. DeYoung, 26, of Talent died Friday while supporting combat operations in southwest Afghanistan's Helmand province.
His widow, Aisha DeYoung, flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware with other close family members to receive his remains Saturday.
"We're devastated, to tell you the truth," said Tommie Kell, Aisha DeYoung's sister. "It's something we knew was a possibility, but we never thought it could happen to our family." We are requesting privacy from the press and media during our time of grief and heart ache, Kell stated.
A member of a battalion known as "Swift, Silent, Deadly," Matthew DeYoung was an assistant team leader assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"He was first and foremost a hero," Kell said. "He knew he had to go over there and do a job. He's in the thick of danger over there. He's really in the front lines, and he never thought twice about it."
DeYoung joined the Marine Corps in 2004 and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006 and 2007. He was promoted to sergeant in June 2008, one month after returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq. He deployed to Afghanistan late last year.
He had been awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Marine Sgt. Matthew J. DeYoung was killed in action on 2/18/11.
Marine Sgt. Matthew J. DeYoung, 26, of Talent, Ore.
Sgt DeYoung was was assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He died Feb. 18, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
DeYoung, an assistant team leader, was deployed to Afghanistan in November 2010 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. He also served in Iraq from January 2006 to August 2006 and again from October 2007 to May 2008.
He joined the Marine Corps in November 2004 and was promoted to sergeant on June 1, 2008.
Talent Marine killed in Afghanistan remembered as family man, hero
A U.S. Marine from Oregon who was killed in Afghanistan was remembered Monday as a humble man who took pride in caring for his family.
Sgt. Matthew J. DeYoung, 26, of Talent died Friday while supporting combat operations in southwest Afghanistan's Helmand province.
His widow, Aisha DeYoung, flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware with other close family members to receive his remains Saturday.
"We're devastated, to tell you the truth," said Tommie Kell, Aisha DeYoung's sister. "It's something we knew was a possibility, but we never thought it could happen to our family." We are requesting privacy from the press and media during our time of grief and heart ache, Kell stated.
A member of a battalion known as "Swift, Silent, Deadly," Matthew DeYoung was an assistant team leader assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"He was first and foremost a hero," Kell said. "He knew he had to go over there and do a job. He's in the thick of danger over there. He's really in the front lines, and he never thought twice about it."
DeYoung joined the Marine Corps in 2004 and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006 and 2007. He was promoted to sergeant in June 2008, one month after returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq. He deployed to Afghanistan late last year.
He had been awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Marine Sgt. Matthew J. DeYoung was killed in action on 2/18/11.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Air Force Airman 1st Class Corey C. Owens
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Airman 1st Class Corey C. Owens, 26, of San Antonio, Texas
Airman 1st Class Owens was assigned to 47th Security Forces Squadron, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; died Feb. 17, 2011 at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, due to a non-combat incident.
Laughlin members are in mourning today after the Department of Defense announced the death of a 47th Security Forces Squadron member who was deployed to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.
Airman 1st Class Corey Owens, a 26-year-old installation patrolman with the 47th SFS, was pronounced dead of non-combat related injuries Feb. 17. Airman Owens, a native of San Antonio, was assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing while deployed to Iraq. The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing is the most forward-deployed Air Force wing in Iraq and has units at a number of different bases in Iraq.
"The Laughlin community is devastated by the loss of Corey (Airman Owens)," said Col. Michael Frankel, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. "He stepped up to serve his nation in a time of war and deployed when he was asked. There is nothing more honorable for an Airman."
Colonel Frankel said he had already been touched by an outpouring of concern from the Del Rio community. "This area's support for its military is really something special," he said.
Corey Owens was originally from Del Rio, Texas. Some of his family lives in the San Antonio are, and others live in Illinois. They are mourning Corey there, and in the Del Rio community, as well as at Laughlin Air Force base.
Airman Owens joined the Air Force in 2008. This was his second deployment to Iraq.
Spc. Owens deployed to Iraq with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing this past December on a six-month tour. The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing is the most forward-deployed Air Force wing, which has different units stationed at a number of air bases in Iraq. His commander said, Airman 1st Class Corey Owens was the perfect Air Force cop, as Security Forces troops call themselves.
“The level of his ability to lead at his rank and short time in the military far surpassed many of his peers,” Maj. Ian Dinesen, commander of the 47th Security Forces Squadron said. “He just had a natural knack as a leader. Definitely a rare quality.”
"The Laughlin community is devastated by the loss of Corey (Airman Owens)," said Col. Michael Frankel, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. "He stepped up to serve his nation in a time of war and deployed when he was asked. There is nothing more honorable for an Airman."
Airman 1st Class Owens leaves behind family and friends, and his fellow Airmen at Laughlin AFB. Airman Owens joined the Air Force in 2008 and his only permanent duty station was Laughlin. This was his second deployment.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Corey C. Owens was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/17/11.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Corey C. Owens, 26, of San Antonio, Texas
Airman 1st Class Owens was assigned to 47th Security Forces Squadron, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; died Feb. 17, 2011 at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, due to a non-combat incident.
Laughlin members are in mourning today after the Department of Defense announced the death of a 47th Security Forces Squadron member who was deployed to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.
Airman 1st Class Corey Owens, a 26-year-old installation patrolman with the 47th SFS, was pronounced dead of non-combat related injuries Feb. 17. Airman Owens, a native of San Antonio, was assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing while deployed to Iraq. The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing is the most forward-deployed Air Force wing in Iraq and has units at a number of different bases in Iraq.
"The Laughlin community is devastated by the loss of Corey (Airman Owens)," said Col. Michael Frankel, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. "He stepped up to serve his nation in a time of war and deployed when he was asked. There is nothing more honorable for an Airman."
Colonel Frankel said he had already been touched by an outpouring of concern from the Del Rio community. "This area's support for its military is really something special," he said.
Corey Owens was originally from Del Rio, Texas. Some of his family lives in the San Antonio are, and others live in Illinois. They are mourning Corey there, and in the Del Rio community, as well as at Laughlin Air Force base.
Airman Owens joined the Air Force in 2008. This was his second deployment to Iraq.
Spc. Owens deployed to Iraq with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing this past December on a six-month tour. The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing is the most forward-deployed Air Force wing, which has different units stationed at a number of air bases in Iraq. His commander said, Airman 1st Class Corey Owens was the perfect Air Force cop, as Security Forces troops call themselves.
“The level of his ability to lead at his rank and short time in the military far surpassed many of his peers,” Maj. Ian Dinesen, commander of the 47th Security Forces Squadron said. “He just had a natural knack as a leader. Definitely a rare quality.”
"The Laughlin community is devastated by the loss of Corey (Airman Owens)," said Col. Michael Frankel, 47th Flying Training Wing commander. "He stepped up to serve his nation in a time of war and deployed when he was asked. There is nothing more honorable for an Airman."
Airman 1st Class Owens leaves behind family and friends, and his fellow Airmen at Laughlin AFB. Airman Owens joined the Air Force in 2008 and his only permanent duty station was Laughlin. This was his second deployment.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Corey C. Owens was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/17/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart, 25, of Perrysburg, Ohio
SSgt Hart was assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died February 17, 2011 at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident.
Staff Sgt. Hart, who is survived by his wife, Katharine P. Hart, and parents, Charles and Darlene Hart, has posthumously been awarded the Army Bronze Star and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, according to a news release from USASOC.
Described as an expert mechanic and dedicated soldier, Hart had unparalleled selfless service and technical and tactical expertise that set him apart, according to the release.
A graduate of Penta High School in Perrysburg, Hart enlisted as a wheeled vehicle mechanic in August 2003, according to his military biography.
After training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Benning, Ga., Hart was first assigned to Fort Bragg in 2004 as a paratrooper and mechanic with the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Brigade.
In the next four years, Hart served as the heavy wheeled vehicle noncommissioned officer in charge and recovery vehicle operator, deploying once for a year's stay in Afghanistan.
In 2008, Hart was selected for assignment with the Special Operations Logistics Support Element, also on Fort Bragg, where he "quickly proved himself as an expert mechanic and trusted leader within the unit and easily gained the respect of his soldiers, fellow noncommissioned officers and unit leadership within a very short period of time," according to USASOC.
Unit leadership recognized his ability by deploying him individually in support of various Joint Special Operations Task Forces.
At the time of his death, Hart was stationed in Djibouti supporting Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, a cooperative partnership between civilian agencies, the U.S. Armed Forces and partner countries that provide peacekeeping, humanitarian and military assistance for countries in West Africa.
Hart's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral two, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Parachutist Badge, and the Driver/Mechanics Badge.
Perrysburg Soldier Killed in Africa
A member of the Army's Special Forces, Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart, 25, of Perrysburg, died Thursday at his base at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, from injuries sustained in a noncombat incident, the Defense Department said Sunday.
The Army said Staff Sgt. Hart and was stationed in the Horn of Africa in support of the war in Afghanistan and was assigned to the Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The military did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to his death beyond noting that he died "while performing his official military duties."
A spokesman at Fort Bragg said deaths from noncombat incidents would trigger an investigation.
Staff Sgt. Hart's death is the third this year of area members of the Armed Forces.
Since 2003, 32 area service members have died as a result of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Hart was born June 18, 1985, in Perrysburg to Charles and Darlene Hart and graduated from Penta Career Center in Perrysburg Township. He enlisted in the Army as mechanic in August, 2003.
He attended his basic training at Ft. Jackson, S.C., and volunteered for airborne training and the Ranger program at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2004, the Army said in a news release.
After his training, he was assigned as a paratrooper and mechanic in Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.
Over the next four years, Staff Sgt. Hart served as the noncommissioned officer in charge and as a recovery vehicle operator, the Army said.
He was deployed for a year in Afghanistan where he received the Army Commendation Medal for his actions.In May, 2008, Staff Sgt. Hart was assigned to the Special Operations logistics support element at Fort Bragg.
While there he served as a vehicle maintenance sergeant and was called on to support different joint Special Operations task forces.
His mother, Darlene Hart, declined to comment out of respect for his widow, but she noted that the family is proud of their son and his service to his country.
Army Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/17/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart, 25, of Perrysburg, Ohio
SSgt Hart was assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died February 17, 2011 at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident.
Staff Sgt. Hart, who is survived by his wife, Katharine P. Hart, and parents, Charles and Darlene Hart, has posthumously been awarded the Army Bronze Star and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, according to a news release from USASOC.
Described as an expert mechanic and dedicated soldier, Hart had unparalleled selfless service and technical and tactical expertise that set him apart, according to the release.
A graduate of Penta High School in Perrysburg, Hart enlisted as a wheeled vehicle mechanic in August 2003, according to his military biography.
After training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Benning, Ga., Hart was first assigned to Fort Bragg in 2004 as a paratrooper and mechanic with the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Brigade.
In the next four years, Hart served as the heavy wheeled vehicle noncommissioned officer in charge and recovery vehicle operator, deploying once for a year's stay in Afghanistan.
In 2008, Hart was selected for assignment with the Special Operations Logistics Support Element, also on Fort Bragg, where he "quickly proved himself as an expert mechanic and trusted leader within the unit and easily gained the respect of his soldiers, fellow noncommissioned officers and unit leadership within a very short period of time," according to USASOC.
Unit leadership recognized his ability by deploying him individually in support of various Joint Special Operations Task Forces.
At the time of his death, Hart was stationed in Djibouti supporting Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, a cooperative partnership between civilian agencies, the U.S. Armed Forces and partner countries that provide peacekeeping, humanitarian and military assistance for countries in West Africa.
Hart's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral two, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Parachutist Badge, and the Driver/Mechanics Badge.
Perrysburg Soldier Killed in Africa
A member of the Army's Special Forces, Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart, 25, of Perrysburg, died Thursday at his base at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, from injuries sustained in a noncombat incident, the Defense Department said Sunday.
The Army said Staff Sgt. Hart and was stationed in the Horn of Africa in support of the war in Afghanistan and was assigned to the Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The military did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to his death beyond noting that he died "while performing his official military duties."
A spokesman at Fort Bragg said deaths from noncombat incidents would trigger an investigation.
Staff Sgt. Hart's death is the third this year of area members of the Armed Forces.
Since 2003, 32 area service members have died as a result of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Hart was born June 18, 1985, in Perrysburg to Charles and Darlene Hart and graduated from Penta Career Center in Perrysburg Township. He enlisted in the Army as mechanic in August, 2003.
He attended his basic training at Ft. Jackson, S.C., and volunteered for airborne training and the Ranger program at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2004, the Army said in a news release.
After his training, he was assigned as a paratrooper and mechanic in Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.
Over the next four years, Staff Sgt. Hart served as the noncommissioned officer in charge and as a recovery vehicle operator, the Army said.
He was deployed for a year in Afghanistan where he received the Army Commendation Medal for his actions.In May, 2008, Staff Sgt. Hart was assigned to the Special Operations logistics support element at Fort Bragg.
While there he served as a vehicle maintenance sergeant and was called on to support different joint Special Operations task forces.
His mother, Darlene Hart, declined to comment out of respect for his widow, but she noted that the family is proud of their son and his service to his country.
Army Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/17/11.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Christoffer P. Johnson
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Airman 1st Class Christoffer P. Johnson, 20, of Clarksville, Tenn.
Airman 1st Class Johnson was assigned to 423rd Security Forces Squadron, Royal Air Force Alconbury, England; died Feb. 17 in Southwest Asia due to a non-combat incident.
Johnson, born July 5, 1990, is survived by his parents, Marcus and Julee Johnson, along with two siblings, Katelyn and Seth Johnson, according to an obituary provided by Montgomery County spokeswoman Elizabeth Black. Marcus Johnson is the county Information Systems director.
Christoffer Johnson was a 2008 graduate of Clarksville High School. He was serving as a member of the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in support of Operation New Dawn. He died Feb. 17 in a vehicle wreck while on security patrol at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Black said.
While serving with the 423d Security Forces Squadron, Royal Air Force Base Alconbury in England, Christoffer volunteered for deployment and had been in theater for approximately three weeks of a six-month rotation.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Christoffer P. Johnson was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/17/11.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Christoffer P. Johnson, 20, of Clarksville, Tenn.
Airman 1st Class Johnson was assigned to 423rd Security Forces Squadron, Royal Air Force Alconbury, England; died Feb. 17 in Southwest Asia due to a non-combat incident.
Johnson, born July 5, 1990, is survived by his parents, Marcus and Julee Johnson, along with two siblings, Katelyn and Seth Johnson, according to an obituary provided by Montgomery County spokeswoman Elizabeth Black. Marcus Johnson is the county Information Systems director.
Christoffer Johnson was a 2008 graduate of Clarksville High School. He was serving as a member of the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in support of Operation New Dawn. He died Feb. 17 in a vehicle wreck while on security patrol at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Black said.
While serving with the 423d Security Forces Squadron, Royal Air Force Base Alconbury in England, Christoffer volunteered for deployment and had been in theater for approximately three weeks of a six-month rotation.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Christoffer P. Johnson was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/17/11.
Army Spc. Jonathan A. Pilgeram
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jonathan A. Pilgeram, 22, of Great Falls, Mont.
Spc. Pilgeram was assigned to 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 17, 2011 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Pilgeram, a 2007 Centerville High School graduate, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
A woman who answered the phone at his parents’ home Friday night said the family did not want to comment.
"He was a hard-working kid,” said Matt McCale, Centerville High principal. “He worked real hard for his grades.”
McCale said that whether Pilgeram was on the family ranch, in school or in the military, his work ethic was apparent and served him well. "Jon was a farmer/rancher. I can remember him coming to school when he was in third, fourth grade. He had spent the morning working with the cows, and sometimes he had a little cow manure on his boot,” McCale said, chuckling.
Doug Mills, who graduated from Centerville two years after Pilgeram, said he also remembers Pilgeram as a hard-working rancher. "That’s exactly how I know him,” Mills said. “He was the all-out country boy.”
McCale said teachers, bus drivers and cooks all knew and remembered Pilgeram, and could trace in their minds from when he used to show up to school “covered in mud,” until he achieved his dream of being accepted into the military.
"We used to have to grab him at the door and help him get cleaned up,” McCale said. “He was just a worker. ... He always had a big cowboy hat on and a big smile.”
McCale said Pilgeram tried to join the Miners football team as a freshman, but stopped playing so he could work the family ranch. "Most of his time was spent at home, working the cows and working the family ranch,” McCale said. “He did it at an awful young age — I remember talking to him and he was driving the truck around there at 9 or 10 years old, picking up bales.”
McCale said another quality that stood out in Pilgeram was his loyalty to his friends, his school and the military. "When he committed himself, it was always full out,” McCale said. According Mills, Pilgeram was fully committed to the military. "He was really excited, really gung-ho to get into the military,” Mills said.
"He always was searching for that group that he’d fit in with,” McCale said, adding that the Army was the perfect fit. “He was totally committed.”
McCale, who wrote letters of recommendation for Pilgeram to join the military, said he spoke with Pilgeram last summer while the soldier was home on leave from Afghanistan. The pair talked for hours, mostly about Pilgeram’s experiences in the Army.
"He was extremely proud of the United States and his job of protecting it,” McCale said. “He just told story after story after story of what he was going through, what he did. He was so excited to be there.”
McCale said that after he listened to the stories, including those of combat situations Pilgeram was involved in, he asked his former student if he ever got scared. "He told me ‘No, Mr. McCale ... We have a job to do, and this is what we’re paid to do and this is what we’re supposed to do,’ ” McCale said. “It was just life at that time.
"The way Jon talked, I can see him probably be first in line,” McCale added. “He wasn’t afraid, I can guarantee that. He wasn’t afraid — he was going to stand up and do his job.”
McCale said another quality he admired in Pilgeram was that the young man always was willing to help out. "I remember asking kids to do things and Jon’s hand was always up there,” McCale said. “That was his work ethic.”
McCale said that small communities hear of the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, but don’t believe it will happen to one of their own.
That idea was shattered when he got a call while at the 8C District basketball tournament in Great Falls telling him of Pilgeram’s death. "I was shocked, just absolutely shocked,” McCale said.
He said school officials haven’t had a chance to discuss it yet, but he knows the school will do something to honor Pilgeram. There are a total of 86 students in Centerville High School, in grades 9-12.
'We’re very proud of Jon and everything he’s done, not only for Centerville High School, but for himself — and his country,” McCale said, noting that Pilgeram is the first Centerville alum killed in combat in Afghanistan. “We surely will have something planned to honor one of our great students for the ultimate sacrifice.”
Pilgeram is survived by his father Rodney L. Pilgeram and mother, Roberta L. Pilgeram both of Great Falls, Mont.
Army Spc. Jonathan A. Pilgeram was killed in action on 2/17/11.
Army Spc. Jonathan A. Pilgeram, 22, of Great Falls, Mont.
Spc. Pilgeram was assigned to 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 17, 2011 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
Pilgeram, a 2007 Centerville High School graduate, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
A woman who answered the phone at his parents’ home Friday night said the family did not want to comment.
"He was a hard-working kid,” said Matt McCale, Centerville High principal. “He worked real hard for his grades.”
McCale said that whether Pilgeram was on the family ranch, in school or in the military, his work ethic was apparent and served him well. "Jon was a farmer/rancher. I can remember him coming to school when he was in third, fourth grade. He had spent the morning working with the cows, and sometimes he had a little cow manure on his boot,” McCale said, chuckling.
Doug Mills, who graduated from Centerville two years after Pilgeram, said he also remembers Pilgeram as a hard-working rancher. "That’s exactly how I know him,” Mills said. “He was the all-out country boy.”
McCale said teachers, bus drivers and cooks all knew and remembered Pilgeram, and could trace in their minds from when he used to show up to school “covered in mud,” until he achieved his dream of being accepted into the military.
"We used to have to grab him at the door and help him get cleaned up,” McCale said. “He was just a worker. ... He always had a big cowboy hat on and a big smile.”
McCale said Pilgeram tried to join the Miners football team as a freshman, but stopped playing so he could work the family ranch. "Most of his time was spent at home, working the cows and working the family ranch,” McCale said. “He did it at an awful young age — I remember talking to him and he was driving the truck around there at 9 or 10 years old, picking up bales.”
McCale said another quality that stood out in Pilgeram was his loyalty to his friends, his school and the military. "When he committed himself, it was always full out,” McCale said. According Mills, Pilgeram was fully committed to the military. "He was really excited, really gung-ho to get into the military,” Mills said.
"He always was searching for that group that he’d fit in with,” McCale said, adding that the Army was the perfect fit. “He was totally committed.”
McCale, who wrote letters of recommendation for Pilgeram to join the military, said he spoke with Pilgeram last summer while the soldier was home on leave from Afghanistan. The pair talked for hours, mostly about Pilgeram’s experiences in the Army.
"He was extremely proud of the United States and his job of protecting it,” McCale said. “He just told story after story after story of what he was going through, what he did. He was so excited to be there.”
McCale said that after he listened to the stories, including those of combat situations Pilgeram was involved in, he asked his former student if he ever got scared. "He told me ‘No, Mr. McCale ... We have a job to do, and this is what we’re paid to do and this is what we’re supposed to do,’ ” McCale said. “It was just life at that time.
"The way Jon talked, I can see him probably be first in line,” McCale added. “He wasn’t afraid, I can guarantee that. He wasn’t afraid — he was going to stand up and do his job.”
McCale said another quality he admired in Pilgeram was that the young man always was willing to help out. "I remember asking kids to do things and Jon’s hand was always up there,” McCale said. “That was his work ethic.”
McCale said that small communities hear of the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, but don’t believe it will happen to one of their own.
That idea was shattered when he got a call while at the 8C District basketball tournament in Great Falls telling him of Pilgeram’s death. "I was shocked, just absolutely shocked,” McCale said.
He said school officials haven’t had a chance to discuss it yet, but he knows the school will do something to honor Pilgeram. There are a total of 86 students in Centerville High School, in grades 9-12.
'We’re very proud of Jon and everything he’s done, not only for Centerville High School, but for himself — and his country,” McCale said, noting that Pilgeram is the first Centerville alum killed in combat in Afghanistan. “We surely will have something planned to honor one of our great students for the ultimate sacrifice.”
Pilgeram is survived by his father Rodney L. Pilgeram and mother, Roberta L. Pilgeram both of Great Falls, Mont.
Army Spc. Jonathan A. Pilgeram was killed in action on 2/17/11.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Army Sgt. Lashawn D. Evans
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Lashawn D. Evans, 24, of Columbia, S.C.
Sgt Evans was assigned to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Feb. 15, 2011 in Baghdad province, Iraq, in a non-combat incident.
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The body of a soldier killed while serving in Iraq arrived in Columbia Thursday morning, but his family still has questions about how he died.
The body of Sergeant LaShawn D. Evans arrived at Hamilton-Owens Air Field at 9:00 a.m. to a hero's welcome. Motorcycle riders lined the airport with American flags and full military honors were given as his casket was loaded into a hearse.
His family stood idle, heart broken at the loss of their hero who had been posthumously promoted from "Specialist" to the rank of "Sergeant."
Evans' father, Kevin Green, is proud of his son's service to the country and wants the Army to fully investigate his death.
"We are going to lay him to rest in peace and silence until the truth comes out," said Kevin Green. "That's all I want for his name to live on forever, and whatever happened to him in Iraq, that we be told the whole truth."
The Army has not yet confirmed how the 24-year-old died or the circumstances surrounding his death, classifying it as a "non-combat fatality."
Evans was nearing the end of his second tour of duty in Iraq. He died just two weeks before he was due home.
Family members say "Shawn" Evans entered the Army to support his wife of three years and 4-year-old daughter. Officials at Fort Riley said Evans' wife, Cierra, is also currently serving in Iraq.
Funeral services for Evans are tentatively scheduled for Monday at 11:00 a.m. at First Nazareth Baptist Church on Gervais Street. The burial will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Fort Jackson National Cemetery.
Evans was part of the 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley. He was a petroleum supply specialist, and arrived at Fort Riley in July 2008. His unit deployed to Iraq in March 2010.
IGNITE:
24-year-old Specialist LaShawn "Shawn" Evans joined the Army shortly after graduation from Richland Northeast High School, in hopes of supporting his wife, Cierra and their 4-year-old baby daughter. Cierra Evans enlisted as well; she was also on rotation in Iraq while Spc. Evans' older brother Jamel was serving in Afghanistan. Shawn Evans was a petroleum supply specialist in his second deployment to Iraq, as per a statement released by the 1st Infantry Division public affairs office.
Spc. Evans was assigned to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas. His unit deployed to Iraq in March 2010 and was scheduled to return home in just a few short days. The family was happy about Spc. Evans' return to the states, and were planning to fly out en masse to Fort Riley to welcome him home.
Shawn and Jamel had their beloved grandmother, Mrs. Dorthy Evans, to encourage them during some tough teenage years. School counselor Latonya Freeman remembers, "When I met his grandmother, it was obvious her commitment to LaShawn and his brother."
(When she first met Shawn,] "He was probably in a transitional stage. A very critical time that could have been a student who could have decided not to complete a high school education." Spc. Evans got a second chance when he transferred from Richland to Blythewood Academy, where he was guided by Ms. Freeman. "He made the best of the time he was here. He did well academically. He loved playing basketball. He flourished while he was here, and he went on and got his high school diploma." Spc. Evans returned to Richland to graduate, but he did not forget the lessons and support he had received from Ms. Freeman. "You never know if you'll see them again [but] he came back. He expressed his gratitude, his admiration for me."
Friends have left condolences in a Guest Book at the Columbia Heraldonline. The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have Spc. Evans on their "Watch List" where members are leaving messages of love and support for the Evans family.
LaShawn Evans is survived by his wife, Cierra; their young daughter; his brother, Jamal; his grandmother, Mrs. Dorthy Evans; many family friends as well as his 1st Attack Recon brethren.
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Shawn Evans. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
Grandmother speaks about soldier killed in non-combat incident in Iraq --
Specialist Lashawn D. Evans, 24, of Columbia died in a non-combat related incident on Tuesday while supporting Operation New Dawn in Baghdad Province, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.
Evans was at the end of his second tour in Iraq, and his family was happy about him heading home. His grandmother says they were all flying out to Fort Riley, Kansas on Monday for his unit's homecoming. But with one phone call, everything changed.
Army investigators are not releasing any additional information about Evans' death, other than to say his death is under investigation.
Evans' grandmother just talked to him a few days ago, and remembers him as "a very nice, honorable, sweet young man." the heartache was too much for her to do a full interview, but she spent some time telling us about the young man she calls her baby.
Family members say "Shawn" Evans graduated from Richland Northeast High School, and entered the Army to support his wife of three years and 4-year-old daughter. Officials at Fort Riley said Evans' wife, Cierra, is also currently serving in Iraq.
A recent post on Facebook shows Evans was counting down the days. It says, "ima be home soon 13 days left in iraq"
His grandmother says a big celebration was planned for his return home next week. Now Evans' grandmother says his wife, as well as his brother on duty in Afghanistan, are headed home to plan his funeral.
Family members stated that he was a "very nice, honorable, sweet young man." "Shawn" Evans graduated from Richland Northeast High School, and entered the Army to support his wife of three years and 4-year-old daughter. LaShawn Evans' wife, Cierra, is also currently serving in Iraq.
Army Sgt. Lashawn D. Evans was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/15/11.
Army Sgt. Lashawn D. Evans, 24, of Columbia, S.C.
Sgt Evans was assigned to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Feb. 15, 2011 in Baghdad province, Iraq, in a non-combat incident.
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The body of a soldier killed while serving in Iraq arrived in Columbia Thursday morning, but his family still has questions about how he died.
The body of Sergeant LaShawn D. Evans arrived at Hamilton-Owens Air Field at 9:00 a.m. to a hero's welcome. Motorcycle riders lined the airport with American flags and full military honors were given as his casket was loaded into a hearse.
His family stood idle, heart broken at the loss of their hero who had been posthumously promoted from "Specialist" to the rank of "Sergeant."
Evans' father, Kevin Green, is proud of his son's service to the country and wants the Army to fully investigate his death.
"We are going to lay him to rest in peace and silence until the truth comes out," said Kevin Green. "That's all I want for his name to live on forever, and whatever happened to him in Iraq, that we be told the whole truth."
The Army has not yet confirmed how the 24-year-old died or the circumstances surrounding his death, classifying it as a "non-combat fatality."
Evans was nearing the end of his second tour of duty in Iraq. He died just two weeks before he was due home.
Family members say "Shawn" Evans entered the Army to support his wife of three years and 4-year-old daughter. Officials at Fort Riley said Evans' wife, Cierra, is also currently serving in Iraq.
Funeral services for Evans are tentatively scheduled for Monday at 11:00 a.m. at First Nazareth Baptist Church on Gervais Street. The burial will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Fort Jackson National Cemetery.
Evans was part of the 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley. He was a petroleum supply specialist, and arrived at Fort Riley in July 2008. His unit deployed to Iraq in March 2010.
IGNITE:
24-year-old Specialist LaShawn "Shawn" Evans joined the Army shortly after graduation from Richland Northeast High School, in hopes of supporting his wife, Cierra and their 4-year-old baby daughter. Cierra Evans enlisted as well; she was also on rotation in Iraq while Spc. Evans' older brother Jamel was serving in Afghanistan. Shawn Evans was a petroleum supply specialist in his second deployment to Iraq, as per a statement released by the 1st Infantry Division public affairs office.
Spc. Evans was assigned to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas. His unit deployed to Iraq in March 2010 and was scheduled to return home in just a few short days. The family was happy about Spc. Evans' return to the states, and were planning to fly out en masse to Fort Riley to welcome him home.
Shawn and Jamel had their beloved grandmother, Mrs. Dorthy Evans, to encourage them during some tough teenage years. School counselor Latonya Freeman remembers, "When I met his grandmother, it was obvious her commitment to LaShawn and his brother."
(When she first met Shawn,] "He was probably in a transitional stage. A very critical time that could have been a student who could have decided not to complete a high school education." Spc. Evans got a second chance when he transferred from Richland to Blythewood Academy, where he was guided by Ms. Freeman. "He made the best of the time he was here. He did well academically. He loved playing basketball. He flourished while he was here, and he went on and got his high school diploma." Spc. Evans returned to Richland to graduate, but he did not forget the lessons and support he had received from Ms. Freeman. "You never know if you'll see them again [but] he came back. He expressed his gratitude, his admiration for me."
Friends have left condolences in a Guest Book at the Columbia Heraldonline. The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have Spc. Evans on their "Watch List" where members are leaving messages of love and support for the Evans family.
LaShawn Evans is survived by his wife, Cierra; their young daughter; his brother, Jamal; his grandmother, Mrs. Dorthy Evans; many family friends as well as his 1st Attack Recon brethren.
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Shawn Evans. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
Grandmother speaks about soldier killed in non-combat incident in Iraq --
Specialist Lashawn D. Evans, 24, of Columbia died in a non-combat related incident on Tuesday while supporting Operation New Dawn in Baghdad Province, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.
Evans was at the end of his second tour in Iraq, and his family was happy about him heading home. His grandmother says they were all flying out to Fort Riley, Kansas on Monday for his unit's homecoming. But with one phone call, everything changed.
Army investigators are not releasing any additional information about Evans' death, other than to say his death is under investigation.
Evans' grandmother just talked to him a few days ago, and remembers him as "a very nice, honorable, sweet young man." the heartache was too much for her to do a full interview, but she spent some time telling us about the young man she calls her baby.
Family members say "Shawn" Evans graduated from Richland Northeast High School, and entered the Army to support his wife of three years and 4-year-old daughter. Officials at Fort Riley said Evans' wife, Cierra, is also currently serving in Iraq.
A recent post on Facebook shows Evans was counting down the days. It says, "ima be home soon 13 days left in iraq"
His grandmother says a big celebration was planned for his return home next week. Now Evans' grandmother says his wife, as well as his brother on duty in Afghanistan, are headed home to plan his funeral.
Family members stated that he was a "very nice, honorable, sweet young man." "Shawn" Evans graduated from Richland Northeast High School, and entered the Army to support his wife of three years and 4-year-old daughter. LaShawn Evans' wife, Cierra, is also currently serving in Iraq.
Army Sgt. Lashawn D. Evans was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/15/11.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Army Spc. Nathan B. Carse
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Nathan B. Carse, 32, of Harrod, Ohio
Spc Carse was assigned to 2nd Engineer Battalion, 176th Engineer Brigade, White Sands Missile Range, N.M.; died Feb. 8, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
A local soldier is killed in Afghanistan just two months before he was supposed to come home.
As Kristin Purdy sorts through the pictures of her brother, Spc. Nathan Carse, the memories come flooding back. "I think Nathan was the one that knocked my tooth out. When I was younger we were playing football in the house, and I don't know if he pushed me or if I tripped or something, but I fell and cracked my tooth on the floor," Purdy said.
She and her family are trying to remember all those happy times now. When Kristin answered the door Tuesday she got the news she hoped she'd never hear. Her brother was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
"He loves his friends, he loves his family, he loves his country, and he wanted to do something, make a difference, and he did," Purdy said.
"He died for you. You know, every military man and woman, they're out there fighting for our freedom day in day out. We think we have it rough here, but it's far worse over there," Purdy said.
Specialist Carse was never married and didn't have any kids, but his sister says his life revolved around his four young nephews. "The first thing he always asked about was his nephews, it was the first thing. He loved them very dearly," Purdy said.
Carse's family has spent the day trying to celebrate his life, thinking back on the good times. They hope everyone else does the same. "Me and my sister and my brother have very many memories, and they'll last for a lifetime because really was, he was amazing," Purdy said.
The Carse family thanks the community for all the support.
Carse was a Combat Engineer who came on active duty with the Army in February 2010. Before coming to WSMR, he completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He deployed to Afghanistan in September.
Carse was from Harrod in northwest Ohio. His sister, Kristin Purdy, tells The Lima News her brother earned a master's degree in engineering and was working in that field in Louisiana last year when he told the family he wanted to take his life in a "different route." Carse's father had served in the military, as a Green Beret. His father passed away last year.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal. He will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
His civilian education included a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences from Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, and a master's degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal. He will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
He is survived by his mom Janis Carse, his sister Kristin Purdy, and his brother in law who is currently deployed to Iraq.
Army Spc. Nathan B. Carse was killed in action on 2/8/11.
Army Spc. Nathan B. Carse, 32, of Harrod, Ohio
Spc Carse was assigned to 2nd Engineer Battalion, 176th Engineer Brigade, White Sands Missile Range, N.M.; died Feb. 8, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
A local soldier is killed in Afghanistan just two months before he was supposed to come home.
As Kristin Purdy sorts through the pictures of her brother, Spc. Nathan Carse, the memories come flooding back. "I think Nathan was the one that knocked my tooth out. When I was younger we were playing football in the house, and I don't know if he pushed me or if I tripped or something, but I fell and cracked my tooth on the floor," Purdy said.
She and her family are trying to remember all those happy times now. When Kristin answered the door Tuesday she got the news she hoped she'd never hear. Her brother was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
"He loves his friends, he loves his family, he loves his country, and he wanted to do something, make a difference, and he did," Purdy said.
"He died for you. You know, every military man and woman, they're out there fighting for our freedom day in day out. We think we have it rough here, but it's far worse over there," Purdy said.
Specialist Carse was never married and didn't have any kids, but his sister says his life revolved around his four young nephews. "The first thing he always asked about was his nephews, it was the first thing. He loved them very dearly," Purdy said.
Carse's family has spent the day trying to celebrate his life, thinking back on the good times. They hope everyone else does the same. "Me and my sister and my brother have very many memories, and they'll last for a lifetime because really was, he was amazing," Purdy said.
The Carse family thanks the community for all the support.
Carse was a Combat Engineer who came on active duty with the Army in February 2010. Before coming to WSMR, he completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He deployed to Afghanistan in September.
Carse was from Harrod in northwest Ohio. His sister, Kristin Purdy, tells The Lima News her brother earned a master's degree in engineering and was working in that field in Louisiana last year when he told the family he wanted to take his life in a "different route." Carse's father had served in the military, as a Green Beret. His father passed away last year.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal. He will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
His civilian education included a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences from Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, and a master's degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal. He will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
He is survived by his mom Janis Carse, his sister Kristin Purdy, and his brother in law who is currently deployed to Iraq.
Army Spc. Nathan B. Carse was killed in action on 2/8/11.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson, 21, of Jamestown, N.Y.
LCpl Swanson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Buffalo, N.Y.; died Feb. 7, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2007 Southwestern Graduate Dies ‘A Few Weeks’ Before End Of Tour ---
A local Marine was killed Monday while in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Department of Defense notified Gene and Julie Swanson of Lakewood that their son, 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson, was killed while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The parents said his tour of duty was scheduled to end in a few weeks.
Ms. Swanson said her son went into active service Aug. 12, and his obligation was a seven-month tour as part of the Marine Corps Reserves.
The Marine Forces Reserve Public Affairs Office stated that Swanson joined the Marine Corps on May 18, 2009. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based in Buffalo.
On Dec. 1 he was promoted to his latest rank while serving as a rifleman on active duty.
Swanson's personal awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the NATO Medal - International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan.
Ms. Swanson said Aaron was an "all-around, fun-loving kid," who grew to have a deep appreciation for the country and a devotion to serve. She cited his active participation in the Allegheny Highlands Council Troop 131 of the Boy Scouts, adding that he returned as a young adult to speak to the newer scouts, which included his brother.
She added they last spoke with Aaron when he checked in Jan. 14 on his brother's birthday, though he could occasionally keep in touch when he had access to Facebook.
Julie Swanson, Aaron's mother, released this statement:
"Aaron was traveling in the first of four vehicles in Afghanistan when a improvised explosive device detonated. He suffered back, leg and internal injuries that he succumbed to at 4:45 pm Monday.
He loved his Country, believed in what he was doing in serving his Country."
Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson will be returned to Dover, Delaware at Noon Wednesday.
Swanson has four brother and two sisters. Funeral arraignments will be announced shortly.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Thursday, in honor of Swanson, a 2007 graduate of Southwestern Central School.
"On behalf of all New Yorkers I extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, and fellow Marines of Lance Corporal Swanson," Cuomo said. "This young Marine gave his life for our nation and we will honor and remember his service."
Cuomo has directed that the flags on all state buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of, and in tribute to, our state's service members who are killed in action or die in a combat zone.
Southwestern principal Mike Cipolla said the school will have a moment of silence for Swanson this morning.
Lakewood Marine dies in Afghan combat:
Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson was a student at Jamestown Community College, but like so many others his age, he was still trying to figure out what he wanted from life.
So in the spring of 2009, the Lakewood resident joined the Marine Forces Reserve, hoping it would give him some direction.
"He wanted the structure and discipline of the Marines," his stepmother, Julie, said Tuesday. "He really joined the reserves to help guide him in what he wanted to do."
Swanson, a rifleman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Buffalo, died Monday from injuries suffered from a roadside bomb during combat operations in Afghanistan.
He was 21.
"He was in Garmsir in the Helmand province in Afghanistan," his stepmother said. "He was in a multipurpose all-terrain vehicle. He was in the first vehicle of a four-vehicle convoy. They were hit. They were struck by an IED."
Swanson was airlifted to Camp Dwyer, a Marine Corps military base in Afghanistan, where he died.
Swanson was raised in Lakewood, a small village of 3,200 people on the south end of Chautauqua Lake. He grew up around his dad's service station, Swanson Keystone, where he learned how to fix cars.
"When Aaron was home, he would go and talk to the Scouts about the Marines and things like that," his stepmother said.
In 2007, Swanson graduated from Southwestern High School, where he ran track and played football during his senior year.
It's hard to pick up the game in one year, while trying to fit in with teammates who played together for much longer, but Swanson managed to do it, said Jay Sirianni, Southwestern's football coach.
"He saw it as a challenge and really hit that challenge head on," Sirianni said. "I remember telling him that last practice at Southwestern how proud of him I was that he did that."
Swanson wasn't the star receiver or defensive back, but he embraced his role and made his teammates around him better, Sirianni said.
"Friday night was not always his night to shine, but during that week of practice he practiced with everything he had," Sirianni said.
"I can't speak for anyone in his unit, but I would assume it was the same way," the coach said. "He was there to make the people around him better and be a true teammate. I really believe that is Aaron."
Swanson's family had not spoken to him since Jan. 14, when he called home to wish his little brother a happy birthday.
Aaron Swanson couldn't divulge to his parents much about his mission or exactly where he was in Afghanistan, so the conversation was limited.
Are you OK? they asked. Are you eating? they wanted to know. Stay safe, they told him.
"He was supposed to be coming home in March," his stepmother said.
In addition to his stepmother, Lance Cpl. Swanson is survived by his father, Gene; his mother, Michelle Ford; two brothers, Luke and Benjamin; and two sisters, Torianna and Kiersten.
Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson was killed in action on 2/7/11.
Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson, 21, of Jamestown, N.Y.
LCpl Swanson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Buffalo, N.Y.; died Feb. 7, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2007 Southwestern Graduate Dies ‘A Few Weeks’ Before End Of Tour ---
A local Marine was killed Monday while in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Department of Defense notified Gene and Julie Swanson of Lakewood that their son, 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson, was killed while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The parents said his tour of duty was scheduled to end in a few weeks.
Ms. Swanson said her son went into active service Aug. 12, and his obligation was a seven-month tour as part of the Marine Corps Reserves.
The Marine Forces Reserve Public Affairs Office stated that Swanson joined the Marine Corps on May 18, 2009. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based in Buffalo.
On Dec. 1 he was promoted to his latest rank while serving as a rifleman on active duty.
Swanson's personal awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the NATO Medal - International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan.
Ms. Swanson said Aaron was an "all-around, fun-loving kid," who grew to have a deep appreciation for the country and a devotion to serve. She cited his active participation in the Allegheny Highlands Council Troop 131 of the Boy Scouts, adding that he returned as a young adult to speak to the newer scouts, which included his brother.
She added they last spoke with Aaron when he checked in Jan. 14 on his brother's birthday, though he could occasionally keep in touch when he had access to Facebook.
Julie Swanson, Aaron's mother, released this statement:
"Aaron was traveling in the first of four vehicles in Afghanistan when a improvised explosive device detonated. He suffered back, leg and internal injuries that he succumbed to at 4:45 pm Monday.
He loved his Country, believed in what he was doing in serving his Country."
Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson will be returned to Dover, Delaware at Noon Wednesday.
Swanson has four brother and two sisters. Funeral arraignments will be announced shortly.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Thursday, in honor of Swanson, a 2007 graduate of Southwestern Central School.
"On behalf of all New Yorkers I extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, and fellow Marines of Lance Corporal Swanson," Cuomo said. "This young Marine gave his life for our nation and we will honor and remember his service."
Cuomo has directed that the flags on all state buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of, and in tribute to, our state's service members who are killed in action or die in a combat zone.
Southwestern principal Mike Cipolla said the school will have a moment of silence for Swanson this morning.
Lakewood Marine dies in Afghan combat:
Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson was a student at Jamestown Community College, but like so many others his age, he was still trying to figure out what he wanted from life.
So in the spring of 2009, the Lakewood resident joined the Marine Forces Reserve, hoping it would give him some direction.
"He wanted the structure and discipline of the Marines," his stepmother, Julie, said Tuesday. "He really joined the reserves to help guide him in what he wanted to do."
Swanson, a rifleman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, based in Buffalo, died Monday from injuries suffered from a roadside bomb during combat operations in Afghanistan.
He was 21.
"He was in Garmsir in the Helmand province in Afghanistan," his stepmother said. "He was in a multipurpose all-terrain vehicle. He was in the first vehicle of a four-vehicle convoy. They were hit. They were struck by an IED."
Swanson was airlifted to Camp Dwyer, a Marine Corps military base in Afghanistan, where he died.
Swanson was raised in Lakewood, a small village of 3,200 people on the south end of Chautauqua Lake. He grew up around his dad's service station, Swanson Keystone, where he learned how to fix cars.
"When Aaron was home, he would go and talk to the Scouts about the Marines and things like that," his stepmother said.
In 2007, Swanson graduated from Southwestern High School, where he ran track and played football during his senior year.
It's hard to pick up the game in one year, while trying to fit in with teammates who played together for much longer, but Swanson managed to do it, said Jay Sirianni, Southwestern's football coach.
"He saw it as a challenge and really hit that challenge head on," Sirianni said. "I remember telling him that last practice at Southwestern how proud of him I was that he did that."
Swanson wasn't the star receiver or defensive back, but he embraced his role and made his teammates around him better, Sirianni said.
"Friday night was not always his night to shine, but during that week of practice he practiced with everything he had," Sirianni said.
"I can't speak for anyone in his unit, but I would assume it was the same way," the coach said. "He was there to make the people around him better and be a true teammate. I really believe that is Aaron."
Swanson's family had not spoken to him since Jan. 14, when he called home to wish his little brother a happy birthday.
Aaron Swanson couldn't divulge to his parents much about his mission or exactly where he was in Afghanistan, so the conversation was limited.
Are you OK? they asked. Are you eating? they wanted to know. Stay safe, they told him.
"He was supposed to be coming home in March," his stepmother said.
In addition to his stepmother, Lance Cpl. Swanson is survived by his father, Gene; his mother, Michelle Ford; two brothers, Luke and Benjamin; and two sisters, Torianna and Kiersten.
Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson was killed in action on 2/7/11.
Army Sgt. Patrick R. Carroll
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Patrick R. Carroll, 25, of Norwalk, Ohio
Sgt Carroll was assigned to 319th Military Intelligence Battalion, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Feb. 7, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
A village resident who was in the Army was killed Monday in Afghanistan, the soldier’s father confirmed Tuesday afternoon. Patrick Carroll, 25, attended New London Local Schools. He graduated from high school in Kentucky in 2004.
“He was a soldier through and through to the end,” said Patrick’s father, James Carroll, who was also in the Army. “It is rough, it’s going to be a long week,” he said. Patrick will be buried locally, although his father said he was not sure when the Army would bring his son back home.
Details about how Patrick was killed were sketchy Tuesday afternoon.
Bernadette Fannin, of New London, lives next door to Carroll’s grandmother, Fay. “It’s terrible,” she said. “It’s awful, it’s just unbelievable. You don’t expect it. You don’t expect (it) to be your neighbor’s grandson.” Fannin said she saw Patrick on and off a lot when he was younger. Tuesday morning, military officials came to Fay’s door and notified her, Fannin said.
Shortly after Christmas, just before boarding a plane to North Carolina, Sgt. Patrick Carroll, who had been visiting his grandmother in New London, began to cry. Fay Carroll was stunned, “I said, ‘Pat, you haven’t cried since you were a baby,’” she recalled. “He said ‘Mammaw, I’ve never left so much behind.’”
She said she knew it was the last time she would ever speak to her grandson. The phone call she expected, and dreaded, came Tuesday.
Patrick Carroll was in love and soon to be engaged, his grandmother said. All he was waiting on was the ring, which was being custom made. The ring is scheduled to be ready next week.
Patrick Carroll met and fell in love with a woman — whom Fay Carroll knows only as Kimberly — in North Carolina. When the young couple was in New London for Christmas, they were “so totally in love.” Patrick Carroll was “so taken with somebody and so happy,” Fay Carroll said.
But as happy as the family was, Fay Carroll said her intuition told her something wasn’t right. Patrick Carroll’s flight home was delayed because of heavy winter storms. “God was giving us every chance to get everything said and done that needed to be done,” Fay Carroll said.
Even the Christmas presents Patrick Carroll purchased for his family were perfect. He spent months researching and looking online for the best gifts. Fay Carroll received an engraved carousel for her collection. The inscription reads, “A grandmother holds your hands when you’re tiny and holds your heart forever,” Fay Carroll said. Patrick Carroll bought his grandfather an engraved knife. For his father, an engraved pocketwatch from France.
His tour in Afghanistan was Patrick Carroll’s second tour of duty — his first was in Iraq.
Before he joined the Army, Patrick Carroll went through a wild-child phase when he was 18, Fay Carroll recalled. He dyed his hair fluorescent orange. He woke his grandmother up in the middle of the night to ask what she thought. “‘You better put something over it before Pappaw sees it,’” she recalled telling her grandson.
Patrick Carroll’s decision to join the military, and to make it a career, didn’t surprise Fay Carroll, she said. Her son — Patrick Carroll’s father — was a serviceman.
She remembered Patrick Carroll telling her, “Mammaw, I just signed up.”
“For what?” Fay Carroll responded.
“I signed up for the Army,” he said.
“He got his head together and wanted to do something where he felt he was going to make a difference in the world,” Fay Carroll said. “He was making a difference.”
Patrick Carroll, an only child, attended New London Local Schools but graduated from a high school in Kentucky. One of his graduation parties was in Fay Carroll’s backyard. More than 300 people attended. “He was everyone’s little brother,” she said. “They took him under their wing, and he was loved by all of them. And he loved them all. That was our man. A truly great human being.”
Funeral arrangements are pending, Fay Carroll said.
Patrick Carroll’s body was scheduled to arrive at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Wednesday. From there, his body would be flown to Cleveland, where the family plans to have a military ceremony. Patrick Carroll will be buried in New London.
“I just hope we can do him justice in saying goodbye,” Fay Carroll said.
Army Sgt. Patrick R. Carroll was killed in action on 2/7/11.
Army Sgt. Patrick R. Carroll, 25, of Norwalk, Ohio
Sgt Carroll was assigned to 319th Military Intelligence Battalion, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Feb. 7, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
A village resident who was in the Army was killed Monday in Afghanistan, the soldier’s father confirmed Tuesday afternoon. Patrick Carroll, 25, attended New London Local Schools. He graduated from high school in Kentucky in 2004.
“He was a soldier through and through to the end,” said Patrick’s father, James Carroll, who was also in the Army. “It is rough, it’s going to be a long week,” he said. Patrick will be buried locally, although his father said he was not sure when the Army would bring his son back home.
Details about how Patrick was killed were sketchy Tuesday afternoon.
Bernadette Fannin, of New London, lives next door to Carroll’s grandmother, Fay. “It’s terrible,” she said. “It’s awful, it’s just unbelievable. You don’t expect it. You don’t expect (it) to be your neighbor’s grandson.” Fannin said she saw Patrick on and off a lot when he was younger. Tuesday morning, military officials came to Fay’s door and notified her, Fannin said.
Shortly after Christmas, just before boarding a plane to North Carolina, Sgt. Patrick Carroll, who had been visiting his grandmother in New London, began to cry. Fay Carroll was stunned, “I said, ‘Pat, you haven’t cried since you were a baby,’” she recalled. “He said ‘Mammaw, I’ve never left so much behind.’”
She said she knew it was the last time she would ever speak to her grandson. The phone call she expected, and dreaded, came Tuesday.
Patrick Carroll was in love and soon to be engaged, his grandmother said. All he was waiting on was the ring, which was being custom made. The ring is scheduled to be ready next week.
Patrick Carroll met and fell in love with a woman — whom Fay Carroll knows only as Kimberly — in North Carolina. When the young couple was in New London for Christmas, they were “so totally in love.” Patrick Carroll was “so taken with somebody and so happy,” Fay Carroll said.
But as happy as the family was, Fay Carroll said her intuition told her something wasn’t right. Patrick Carroll’s flight home was delayed because of heavy winter storms. “God was giving us every chance to get everything said and done that needed to be done,” Fay Carroll said.
Even the Christmas presents Patrick Carroll purchased for his family were perfect. He spent months researching and looking online for the best gifts. Fay Carroll received an engraved carousel for her collection. The inscription reads, “A grandmother holds your hands when you’re tiny and holds your heart forever,” Fay Carroll said. Patrick Carroll bought his grandfather an engraved knife. For his father, an engraved pocketwatch from France.
His tour in Afghanistan was Patrick Carroll’s second tour of duty — his first was in Iraq.
Before he joined the Army, Patrick Carroll went through a wild-child phase when he was 18, Fay Carroll recalled. He dyed his hair fluorescent orange. He woke his grandmother up in the middle of the night to ask what she thought. “‘You better put something over it before Pappaw sees it,’” she recalled telling her grandson.
Patrick Carroll’s decision to join the military, and to make it a career, didn’t surprise Fay Carroll, she said. Her son — Patrick Carroll’s father — was a serviceman.
She remembered Patrick Carroll telling her, “Mammaw, I just signed up.”
“For what?” Fay Carroll responded.
“I signed up for the Army,” he said.
“He got his head together and wanted to do something where he felt he was going to make a difference in the world,” Fay Carroll said. “He was making a difference.”
Patrick Carroll, an only child, attended New London Local Schools but graduated from a high school in Kentucky. One of his graduation parties was in Fay Carroll’s backyard. More than 300 people attended. “He was everyone’s little brother,” she said. “They took him under their wing, and he was loved by all of them. And he loved them all. That was our man. A truly great human being.”
Funeral arrangements are pending, Fay Carroll said.
Patrick Carroll’s body was scheduled to arrive at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Wednesday. From there, his body would be flown to Cleveland, where the family plans to have a military ceremony. Patrick Carroll will be buried in New London.
“I just hope we can do him justice in saying goodbye,” Fay Carroll said.
Army Sgt. Patrick R. Carroll was killed in action on 2/7/11.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Marine Cpl. Lucas T. Pyeatt
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Lucas T. Pyeatt, 24, of West Chester, Ohio
Cpl Pyeatt was assigned to 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 5, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine corporal from Newport News killed in Afghanistan
A Marine corporal who grew up in Newport News was killed in combat in Afghanistan this weekend.
Lucas T. Pyeatt would have turned 25 next month. This was his first deployment since joining the Marines in 2007, and his unit, which had been in Afghanistan about a week, was on its first patrol when Pyeatt died Saturday morning in the southern province of Helmand.
A 2004 graduate of Woodside High School, he was assigned to the 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His mother, Cindy Pyeatt, said her son hoped eventually to become a Navy SEAL. She said he joined the military after a close friend in the Army was killed in Iraq. “Luke said, 'This isn’t for other people to do. It’s for me to do.’”
Pyeatt was born in 1986 in England, where his father, Lon Scott, was stationed with the Air Force. He moved with his parents and older sister to Newport News in 1995 when his father was reassigned to Langley Air Force Base.
As a kid, he taught himself sign language, played the string bass and loved the Boy Scouts, eventually making Eagle Scout. He also was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
After high school, he briefly attended Old Dominion University before his father retired from the Air Force and the family left for Ohio.
Soon afterward, Pyeatt applied to go on a mission through the Mormon Church. He was sent to St. Petersburg, Russia, but was forced to come home early for medical reasons, his family said.
He was devastated that the mission ended so soon but not deterred, said Bryan Call, a close friend.
“He decided to just take it as a sign that he was needed here,” said Call, now a student at Virginia Tech. “So he did missionary work at home.”
Call added, “You live a very rigid lifestyle during your mission, and Luke continued to live that way even though he didn’t have to. I think he wanted to make sacrifices for things that were bigger than himself.”
That’s what appealed to Pyeatt about the Marine Corps, his mother said. He joined in April 2007. Before Camp Lejeune, he spent time at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., where he improved on the Russian he’d learned while preparing for his church mission.
His mother said the one thing Pyeatt didn’t like about the military was that it kept him from his family, especially his sister’s two young children.
“He was always torn about that,” she said. “He loved the Marines, but he hated being so far away.”
Others who knew him described Pyeatt as someone always willing to help a friend – always the one buddies called when they needed rides home after one too many beers, always the one looked to for advice.
He rode a motorcycle and dreamed of running his own ranch after retiring from the military, his family said.
“I’m not going to say he was perfect,” his mother said. “He made plenty of mistakes. … But he always took responsibility when he was wrong. He was never afraid to look anyone in the eye.”
Cpl. Pyeatt’s body arrived Monday night at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
His family plans to hold a memorial service later this month in Ohio. Pyeatt will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Marine Cpl. Lucas T. Pyeatt was killed in action on 2/5/11.
Marine Cpl. Lucas T. Pyeatt, 24, of West Chester, Ohio
Cpl Pyeatt was assigned to 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 5, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine corporal from Newport News killed in Afghanistan
A Marine corporal who grew up in Newport News was killed in combat in Afghanistan this weekend.
Lucas T. Pyeatt would have turned 25 next month. This was his first deployment since joining the Marines in 2007, and his unit, which had been in Afghanistan about a week, was on its first patrol when Pyeatt died Saturday morning in the southern province of Helmand.
A 2004 graduate of Woodside High School, he was assigned to the 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His mother, Cindy Pyeatt, said her son hoped eventually to become a Navy SEAL. She said he joined the military after a close friend in the Army was killed in Iraq. “Luke said, 'This isn’t for other people to do. It’s for me to do.’”
Pyeatt was born in 1986 in England, where his father, Lon Scott, was stationed with the Air Force. He moved with his parents and older sister to Newport News in 1995 when his father was reassigned to Langley Air Force Base.
As a kid, he taught himself sign language, played the string bass and loved the Boy Scouts, eventually making Eagle Scout. He also was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
After high school, he briefly attended Old Dominion University before his father retired from the Air Force and the family left for Ohio.
Soon afterward, Pyeatt applied to go on a mission through the Mormon Church. He was sent to St. Petersburg, Russia, but was forced to come home early for medical reasons, his family said.
He was devastated that the mission ended so soon but not deterred, said Bryan Call, a close friend.
“He decided to just take it as a sign that he was needed here,” said Call, now a student at Virginia Tech. “So he did missionary work at home.”
Call added, “You live a very rigid lifestyle during your mission, and Luke continued to live that way even though he didn’t have to. I think he wanted to make sacrifices for things that were bigger than himself.”
That’s what appealed to Pyeatt about the Marine Corps, his mother said. He joined in April 2007. Before Camp Lejeune, he spent time at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., where he improved on the Russian he’d learned while preparing for his church mission.
His mother said the one thing Pyeatt didn’t like about the military was that it kept him from his family, especially his sister’s two young children.
“He was always torn about that,” she said. “He loved the Marines, but he hated being so far away.”
Others who knew him described Pyeatt as someone always willing to help a friend – always the one buddies called when they needed rides home after one too many beers, always the one looked to for advice.
He rode a motorcycle and dreamed of running his own ranch after retiring from the military, his family said.
“I’m not going to say he was perfect,” his mother said. “He made plenty of mistakes. … But he always took responsibility when he was wrong. He was never afraid to look anyone in the eye.”
Cpl. Pyeatt’s body arrived Monday night at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
His family plans to hold a memorial service later this month in Ohio. Pyeatt will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Marine Cpl. Lucas T. Pyeatt was killed in action on 2/5/11.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Army Spec. Ryan A. Gartner
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Ryan A. Gartner, 23, of Dumont, N.J.
Spc Gartner was assigned to 201st Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; died Feb. 1, 2011 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in a non-combat incident.
When Army Spc. Ryan Gartner heard his 10-year-old brother say he wanted to join the Army, Gartner decided it was enough, his parents said. Several of Gartner’s friends already had died in Afghanistan, and he didn’t want his little brother to meet the same fate.
Gartner, 23, planned to leave the Army after his second tour’s scheduled end in March, his father, Irvin Gartner, said. Instead, he died Tuesday in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in a non-combat incident while serving with the 201st Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, according to a Department of Defense news release.
Gartner lived in Dumont, N.J., but was born in Corpus Christi and will be buried in Aransas Pass, his family said. His body arrived in Delaware on Friday morning.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Patricia Gartner raised her stepson since he was 5.
“Since the first day I saw him, he called me mom, even without knowing we were going to get married,” she said.
Gartner was last home in New Jersey during the Christmas holiday, when he began making plans to leave the Army and join the family's fourth-generation jewelry business. He also wanted to take his 15-year-old sister, whose birthday is Feb. 16, on a vacation to Japan to celebrate her 16th birthday.
Gartner's grandmother, Mariana Soto-Mota of Aransas Pass, said he joined the military to raise money to go to college. "He was a precious grandson," Soto-Mota said. "I missed so much of his life, but I was there for him early on. He used to play horse on top of my husband's back."
The Record newspaper of northern New Jersey reported that Gartner left Dumont High School before his scheduled 2005 graduation, then enrolled in a National Guard youth program. He earned a GED and graduated from the program in 2004.
When he was home in December, he wore a bracelet in memory of a friend killed in action, Patricia Gartner said.
"He wanted to come back and spend time with his little brother and sister," Irvin Gartner said of his son’s desire to see Jacobo, 10, and Melanie, who turns 16 next week. "He actually wanted to spend time with my little son, who wanted to join the Army and be with him."
The only solace for Irvin Gartner is that his soldier-son had grown to understand the important influence he was having on his siblings. That he stood as an example — an object of admiration.
"They all missed each other a lot," the grieving father said Friday. "Every time he came back they were so happy to see him. They wouldn’t leave him alone for a second. He wanted to spend time with them." While overseas, he communicated with his family often through texts and social networking, his father said.
Patricia last spoke to him Jan. 20. He couldn't talk much about his work because it was intelligence-related, but he was clearly frustrated. "He was totally tired of everything, but he was hanging in there and he would soon be home," she said.
His mother was thrilled when a trunk filled with the belongings of Spc. Ryan Anthony Gartner was delivered. But the brave soldier, recently of Dumont, wasn't returning. A military funeral will be scheduled next week for Gartner, 23, who was killed this week while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
"His mother got a call and they told her 'your son died a brave man," Soto-Mota said.
Gartner's mother had called relatives Tuesday excited that his trunk and belongings had come to her house. "She thought he was coming home early," Soto-Mota said. But she was contacted later in the day by military officials who informed her Gartner was killed in the line of duty overseas. "She called me later that night crying," Soto-Mota said. "She loves her son so much."
Public Works crews were removing snow banks from Walsh Drive Thursday afternoon, where Gartner’s father, stepmother and sister live. His mother lives in Texas.
Former classmates said Gartner attended Grant School, Honiss School, and Dumont High School. He left Dumont High School before his scheduled 2005 graduation, but then enrolled in the New Jersey National Guard ChalleNGe Youth Program at Fort Dix. He earned a GED and graduated from the program in 2004.
Gartner was serving his second tour of duty.
“We should be grateful for his service and commitment to our nation and respect, honor and commemorate the ultimate sacrifice he made,” McHale said. “Ryan embodies everything that Dumont was, is and will be.”
His mother, Caroline Oley, has flown to Delaware, where his body was scheduled to arrive early Friday. It will be about another week before he returns to Aransas Pass for a military funeral, his grandmother told the newspaper and TV station.
Army Spc. Ryan A. Gartner was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/1/11.
Army Spc. Ryan A. Gartner, 23, of Dumont, N.J.
Spc Gartner was assigned to 201st Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; died Feb. 1, 2011 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in a non-combat incident.
When Army Spc. Ryan Gartner heard his 10-year-old brother say he wanted to join the Army, Gartner decided it was enough, his parents said. Several of Gartner’s friends already had died in Afghanistan, and he didn’t want his little brother to meet the same fate.
Gartner, 23, planned to leave the Army after his second tour’s scheduled end in March, his father, Irvin Gartner, said. Instead, he died Tuesday in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in a non-combat incident while serving with the 201st Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, according to a Department of Defense news release.
Gartner lived in Dumont, N.J., but was born in Corpus Christi and will be buried in Aransas Pass, his family said. His body arrived in Delaware on Friday morning.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Patricia Gartner raised her stepson since he was 5.
“Since the first day I saw him, he called me mom, even without knowing we were going to get married,” she said.
Gartner was last home in New Jersey during the Christmas holiday, when he began making plans to leave the Army and join the family's fourth-generation jewelry business. He also wanted to take his 15-year-old sister, whose birthday is Feb. 16, on a vacation to Japan to celebrate her 16th birthday.
Gartner's grandmother, Mariana Soto-Mota of Aransas Pass, said he joined the military to raise money to go to college. "He was a precious grandson," Soto-Mota said. "I missed so much of his life, but I was there for him early on. He used to play horse on top of my husband's back."
The Record newspaper of northern New Jersey reported that Gartner left Dumont High School before his scheduled 2005 graduation, then enrolled in a National Guard youth program. He earned a GED and graduated from the program in 2004.
When he was home in December, he wore a bracelet in memory of a friend killed in action, Patricia Gartner said.
"He wanted to come back and spend time with his little brother and sister," Irvin Gartner said of his son’s desire to see Jacobo, 10, and Melanie, who turns 16 next week. "He actually wanted to spend time with my little son, who wanted to join the Army and be with him."
The only solace for Irvin Gartner is that his soldier-son had grown to understand the important influence he was having on his siblings. That he stood as an example — an object of admiration.
"They all missed each other a lot," the grieving father said Friday. "Every time he came back they were so happy to see him. They wouldn’t leave him alone for a second. He wanted to spend time with them." While overseas, he communicated with his family often through texts and social networking, his father said.
Patricia last spoke to him Jan. 20. He couldn't talk much about his work because it was intelligence-related, but he was clearly frustrated. "He was totally tired of everything, but he was hanging in there and he would soon be home," she said.
His mother was thrilled when a trunk filled with the belongings of Spc. Ryan Anthony Gartner was delivered. But the brave soldier, recently of Dumont, wasn't returning. A military funeral will be scheduled next week for Gartner, 23, who was killed this week while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
"His mother got a call and they told her 'your son died a brave man," Soto-Mota said.
Gartner's mother had called relatives Tuesday excited that his trunk and belongings had come to her house. "She thought he was coming home early," Soto-Mota said. But she was contacted later in the day by military officials who informed her Gartner was killed in the line of duty overseas. "She called me later that night crying," Soto-Mota said. "She loves her son so much."
Public Works crews were removing snow banks from Walsh Drive Thursday afternoon, where Gartner’s father, stepmother and sister live. His mother lives in Texas.
Former classmates said Gartner attended Grant School, Honiss School, and Dumont High School. He left Dumont High School before his scheduled 2005 graduation, but then enrolled in the New Jersey National Guard ChalleNGe Youth Program at Fort Dix. He earned a GED and graduated from the program in 2004.
Gartner was serving his second tour of duty.
“We should be grateful for his service and commitment to our nation and respect, honor and commemorate the ultimate sacrifice he made,” McHale said. “Ryan embodies everything that Dumont was, is and will be.”
His mother, Caroline Oley, has flown to Delaware, where his body was scheduled to arrive early Friday. It will be about another week before he returns to Aransas Pass for a military funeral, his grandmother told the newspaper and TV station.
Army Spc. Ryan A. Gartner was killed in a non-combat related incident on 2/1/11.
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