Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Dennis C. Poulin, 26, of Cumberland, R.I.
Spc Poulin was assigned to 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts National Guard, Milford, Mass.; died March 31, 2011 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of injuries sustained March 28 in Konar province, Afghanistan, from a non-combat incident.
SPC Poulin, serving with the Massachusetts National Guard, died from injuries he sustained in a non-combat related accident. Poulin was a gunner in a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle when it rolled over on March 28, 2011. Poulin was severely injured. He was then taken to a base in Germany to be treated and later died there on Thursday, March 31st.
His mother and sister were flown to Germany to say goodbye to their son and brother earlier this week and just touched back down in the U.S. Saturday evening.
His mother said he loved his country, but he needed work and benefits for the 5-year-old son he was planning to see when came home on leave in two weeks.
Specialist Poulin had been in Afghanistan since July 2010. "It's still so hard for me to know that my baby's not coming home. I can't figure it out, not when he was so close, so close to coming home," Poulin said.
Poulin's mom holds on even tighter to a son's gift that reads, "We do not remember days; we remember moments."
"Remember mom, I love you and we remember the good times," Poulin said.
His mother said he donated several organs that saved or helped seven people. His body is still in Germany. Information about Poulin's services has not yet been released.
The circumstances surrounding the death of Specialist Poulin are currently under investigation.
SPC Poulin is survived by his mother, a sister and his son.
Army Spc. Dennis C. Poulin died from a non-combat related accident on 3/31/11.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Army Pvt. Jeremy P. Faulkner
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Jeremy P. Faulkner, 23, of Griffin, Ga.
Pvt Faulkner was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
Faulkner, an infantryman, is survived by his mother, Julia Berry.
His close friend, U.S. Army Pfc. Alex Paull, said a few words about Faulkner.
“He had a way of lighting up the room and you knew when he entered,” said Paull. “He had the ability to make an excuse almost convincing enough to get him out of trouble, but in the end he would just end up getting smoked for about an hour.”
Paull said Faulkner was always concerned about how his fellow Soldiers were doing, and he could make the best out of bad situations.
Faulkner, born May 5th, 1987, joined the Army in 2009. His major awards and decorations include the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Army Pvt. Jeremy P. Faulkner was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Pvt. Jeremy P. Faulkner, 23, of Griffin, Ga.
Pvt Faulkner was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
Faulkner, an infantryman, is survived by his mother, Julia Berry.
His close friend, U.S. Army Pfc. Alex Paull, said a few words about Faulkner.
“He had a way of lighting up the room and you knew when he entered,” said Paull. “He had the ability to make an excuse almost convincing enough to get him out of trouble, but in the end he would just end up getting smoked for about an hour.”
Paull said Faulkner was always concerned about how his fellow Soldiers were doing, and he could make the best out of bad situations.
Faulkner, born May 5th, 1987, joined the Army in 2009. His major awards and decorations include the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Army Pvt. Jeremy P. Faulkner was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog, 23, of Pleasanton, Calif.
Spc Lindskog was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
Lindskog entered the Army in August 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2009. He was a Combat Medic, assigned to Headquarters and headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon and NATO Medal.
Lindskog is survived by his father, Curtis Lindskog of Livermore, Calif. and mother, Donna Walker of Pleasanton, Calif.
PLEASANTON, Calif. — A 23-year-old Army medic from the San Francisco Bay area has been killed in Afghanistan along with five fellow members of the 101st Airborne Division based in Ft. Campbell, Ky.
Spc. Jameson Lindskog’s mother told the Contra Costa Times on March 31 that her son was shot while tending to injured soldiers from his unit, which came under attack Tuesday near Pakistan.
Donna Walker said her son joined the Army because he thought the medical training would help him pursue a career as a physical therapist. His four-year military commitment was scheduled to end in August 2012.
Lindskog graduated from Amador Valley High in Pleasanton, Calif., and split his time between his mother’s home and his father’s in nearby Livermore.
Two members of his unit died in the same attack. Army officials say three other members of the 101st Airborne also were killed March 29 during a military offensive in Kunar province
Army Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog, 23, of Pleasanton, Calif.
Spc Lindskog was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
Lindskog entered the Army in August 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2009. He was a Combat Medic, assigned to Headquarters and headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon and NATO Medal.
Lindskog is survived by his father, Curtis Lindskog of Livermore, Calif. and mother, Donna Walker of Pleasanton, Calif.
PLEASANTON, Calif. — A 23-year-old Army medic from the San Francisco Bay area has been killed in Afghanistan along with five fellow members of the 101st Airborne Division based in Ft. Campbell, Ky.
Spc. Jameson Lindskog’s mother told the Contra Costa Times on March 31 that her son was shot while tending to injured soldiers from his unit, which came under attack Tuesday near Pakistan.
Donna Walker said her son joined the Army because he thought the medical training would help him pursue a career as a physical therapist. His four-year military commitment was scheduled to end in August 2012.
Lindskog graduated from Amador Valley High in Pleasanton, Calif., and split his time between his mother’s home and his father’s in nearby Livermore.
Two members of his unit died in the same attack. Army officials say three other members of the 101st Airborne also were killed March 29 during a military offensive in Kunar province
Army Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga, 28, of Hialeah, Fla.
SFC Arrechaga was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
Arrechaga entered the Army in Feb. 2001 and arrived at Fort Campbell in July 2001. He was an Infantryman, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
His awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Valorous Unit Award; Meritorious Unit Citation; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; Ranger Tab; Expert Infantryman Badge; Parachutist Badge; Air Assault Badge and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Arrechaga is survived by his wife, Seana Arrechaga and son, Alston Arrechaga of Clarksville, Tenn. He is also survived by his daughter, Tristian Arrechaga of Benton, Ky.; mother, Marta Alvarez and father, Ofren Arrechaga of Clarksville, Tenn.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga, 28, of Hialeah, Fla.
SFC Arrechaga was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
Arrechaga entered the Army in Feb. 2001 and arrived at Fort Campbell in July 2001. He was an Infantryman, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
His awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Valorous Unit Award; Meritorious Unit Citation; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; Ranger Tab; Expert Infantryman Badge; Parachutist Badge; Air Assault Badge and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Arrechaga is survived by his wife, Seana Arrechaga and son, Alston Arrechaga of Clarksville, Tenn. He is also survived by his daughter, Tristian Arrechaga of Benton, Ky.; mother, Marta Alvarez and father, Ofren Arrechaga of Clarksville, Tenn.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III, 26, of Moosup, Conn.
SSgt Adamski was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
On Wednesday night, family members confirmed that Sergeant Frank Adamski, of Plainfield, was killed while serving in Afghanistan.
"We had a lot of fun together. Frank was a great guy," said Lee Cote, a friend of Sgt. Frank Adamski. Cote is having a hard time coming to terms with the death of his friend.
"I had just sent Frank a birthday message, because his birthday was last night. I sent him a message. I said I miss you, I love you, I hope you come back safe," said Cote.
Cote, who grew up with Adamski, sent that birthday message on Facebook, and then learned the sad news from one of Adamski's cousins.
"When I heard that, I was thinking maybe he's just joking around with me. I asked him about 5 times is this a joke. I just didn't want to believe it. My best friend has been in the army 7 years now. That's the worst part. No one should have to celebrate a birthday this way," Cote said.
We spoke with Adamski's Aunt by phone. She told us her nephew was home on leave just a few weeks ago to be with his wife Danielle, and celebrate his baby daughter's first birthday.
"If I can say, I'm really ashamed, because I didn't get a chance to see him 2 weeks ago, because he was away for so long, he wanted to spend time with his daughter," Cote stated.
This wasn't Adamski's first tour of duty. His Aunt tells News 8 he had also served in Iraq. She says the family is still waiting to hear about the circumstances surrounding his death.
A patriot is how Lee Cote describes his friend.
"He was really passionate about our country, and that's why he did it. He wanted to put himself out there, and make a stand for our country. He really cared about our country. To Danielle, and the rest of his family, I'm speechless. I don't know what to say. I really wish it was me and not him," Cote said.
Frank E. Adamski III died Tuesday, the day before what would have been his 27th birthday, according to Carol Anne Rowe, Adamski’s stepmother.
Rowe said Adamski had been serving in Afghanistan, though she did not know if he was killed there. Rowe said she was informed of Adamski’s death by his father, Frank E. Adamski Jr., of Voluntown, at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“Frankie,” as he was known by Rowe and his friends, was a 2002 graduate of Plainfield High School, where he played on the football team, Rowe said. She laughed when recalling how Adamski broke his leg “in a stellar fashion” during a high school game.
Rowe, a former Plainfield selectman who now lives in Killingly, said she married Adamski Jr. when Frankie was 9, and he lived with Rowe, his father and Rowe’s son, Chris Fink, now 26, until he was 16. “To me, he’s always that 9-year-old kid,” Rowe said, choking back tears.
Rowe said Adamski enlisted in the Army after high school, and then re-enlisted after serving four years. A 2007 article in The Bulletin lists Adamski as an Army E-4 specialist who enlisted in March 2005 and was deployed to Iraq’s Al Almbar province from January 2006 to February 2007.
Rowe said he was an “excellent brother” to his stepsister and Rowe’s daughter, Veronica Adamski, 12. “My daughter adores him,” Rowe said.
Rowe said she was glad Adamski was home so recently, and told her daughter to cherish the time spent with him. “I just keep telling my daughter that you had that moment of a hug and good-bye and ‘stay safe.’ Most people don’t have that,” Rowe said.
Army Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III, 26, of Moosup, Conn.
SSgt Adamski was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
On Wednesday night, family members confirmed that Sergeant Frank Adamski, of Plainfield, was killed while serving in Afghanistan.
"We had a lot of fun together. Frank was a great guy," said Lee Cote, a friend of Sgt. Frank Adamski. Cote is having a hard time coming to terms with the death of his friend.
"I had just sent Frank a birthday message, because his birthday was last night. I sent him a message. I said I miss you, I love you, I hope you come back safe," said Cote.
Cote, who grew up with Adamski, sent that birthday message on Facebook, and then learned the sad news from one of Adamski's cousins.
"When I heard that, I was thinking maybe he's just joking around with me. I asked him about 5 times is this a joke. I just didn't want to believe it. My best friend has been in the army 7 years now. That's the worst part. No one should have to celebrate a birthday this way," Cote said.
We spoke with Adamski's Aunt by phone. She told us her nephew was home on leave just a few weeks ago to be with his wife Danielle, and celebrate his baby daughter's first birthday.
"If I can say, I'm really ashamed, because I didn't get a chance to see him 2 weeks ago, because he was away for so long, he wanted to spend time with his daughter," Cote stated.
This wasn't Adamski's first tour of duty. His Aunt tells News 8 he had also served in Iraq. She says the family is still waiting to hear about the circumstances surrounding his death.
A patriot is how Lee Cote describes his friend.
"He was really passionate about our country, and that's why he did it. He wanted to put himself out there, and make a stand for our country. He really cared about our country. To Danielle, and the rest of his family, I'm speechless. I don't know what to say. I really wish it was me and not him," Cote said.
Frank E. Adamski III died Tuesday, the day before what would have been his 27th birthday, according to Carol Anne Rowe, Adamski’s stepmother.
Rowe said Adamski had been serving in Afghanistan, though she did not know if he was killed there. Rowe said she was informed of Adamski’s death by his father, Frank E. Adamski Jr., of Voluntown, at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“Frankie,” as he was known by Rowe and his friends, was a 2002 graduate of Plainfield High School, where he played on the football team, Rowe said. She laughed when recalling how Adamski broke his leg “in a stellar fashion” during a high school game.
Rowe, a former Plainfield selectman who now lives in Killingly, said she married Adamski Jr. when Frankie was 9, and he lived with Rowe, his father and Rowe’s son, Chris Fink, now 26, until he was 16. “To me, he’s always that 9-year-old kid,” Rowe said, choking back tears.
Rowe said Adamski enlisted in the Army after high school, and then re-enlisted after serving four years. A 2007 article in The Bulletin lists Adamski as an Army E-4 specialist who enlisted in March 2005 and was deployed to Iraq’s Al Almbar province from January 2006 to February 2007.
Rowe said he was an “excellent brother” to his stepsister and Rowe’s daughter, Veronica Adamski, 12. “My daughter adores him,” Rowe said.
Rowe said she was glad Adamski was home so recently, and told her daughter to cherish the time spent with him. “I just keep telling my daughter that you had that moment of a hug and good-bye and ‘stay safe.’ Most people don’t have that,” Rowe said.
Army Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Ariz.
Pfc Feldhaus was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked their unit with small-arms fire in Konar province.
Private 1st Class Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Ariz., entered the Army in September 2009 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2010. Feldhaus was an Infantryman assigned to Charlie Company.
His awards and decorations include: National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; NATO Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Feldhaus is survived by his mother, Nichol Etchells of Glendale, Ariz. and father, Bernard Mahaljevic of Maricopa, Ariz.
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Pfc. Dustin Feldhaus was a star wrestler at Deer Valley High School in north Phoenix before joining the Army. He became a marksman in the 101st Airborne Division.
Feldhaus and five fellow soldiers were killed this week during a combat mission to clear insurgents from an area in Eastern Afghanistan. Details of the operation will not be released until it is complete, according to Army officials.
"It was small arms fire," said Feldhaus' aunt, Deborah Feldhaus.
The family received a call from the Army saying Feldhaus had been hit and was in critical condition on Monday. Hours later they learned he had died from his injuries.
"He was in good spirits and excited to go back," Feldhaus said. "He really felt like he was making a difference."
"He was a small guy who left big shoes to fill," said close friend Karl Kohler, of Phoenix.
Feldhaus was due to return home to Arizona later this month. Instead his parents have flown to Dover, Del., to receive his body.
Army Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Ariz.
Pfc Feldhaus was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked their unit with small-arms fire in Konar province.
Private 1st Class Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Ariz., entered the Army in September 2009 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2010. Feldhaus was an Infantryman assigned to Charlie Company.
His awards and decorations include: National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; NATO Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Feldhaus is survived by his mother, Nichol Etchells of Glendale, Ariz. and father, Bernard Mahaljevic of Maricopa, Ariz.
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Pfc. Dustin Feldhaus was a star wrestler at Deer Valley High School in north Phoenix before joining the Army. He became a marksman in the 101st Airborne Division.
Feldhaus and five fellow soldiers were killed this week during a combat mission to clear insurgents from an area in Eastern Afghanistan. Details of the operation will not be released until it is complete, according to Army officials.
"It was small arms fire," said Feldhaus' aunt, Deborah Feldhaus.
The family received a call from the Army saying Feldhaus had been hit and was in critical condition on Monday. Hours later they learned he had died from his injuries.
"He was in good spirits and excited to go back," Feldhaus said. "He really felt like he was making a difference."
"He was a small guy who left big shoes to fill," said close friend Karl Kohler, of Phoenix.
Feldhaus was due to return home to Arizona later this month. Instead his parents have flown to Dover, Del., to receive his body.
Army Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess, 29, of Cleburne, Texas
SSgt Burgess was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked their unit with small-arms fire in Konar province.
His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon and Combat Infantryman Badge.
He was completing his third tour of duty in the Middle East. He had served two tours in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan. Only 26 days remained before his return home.
Following graduation in 1999, Burgess completed one year at Hill College before enlisting.
“He didn’t talk about the military until the end of his senior year,” Pearce said. “He was in his ninth year of service and had planned to make it a career.”
Burgess’ last visit home was in September. A meal at Whataburger, his favorite spot, according to his mother, was on his “to do” list. The family also gathered together for a barbecue at his uncle’s home in Burleson.
Burgess is survived by his wife, Tiffany R. Burgess, daughter, Makya, and son, Zander, ages 3 and 4 all of Fort Campbell, Ky.; and mother, Linda Pearce of Keene, Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess, 29, of Cleburne, Texas
SSgt Burgess was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 29, 2011 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked their unit with small-arms fire in Konar province.
His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon and Combat Infantryman Badge.
He was completing his third tour of duty in the Middle East. He had served two tours in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan. Only 26 days remained before his return home.
Following graduation in 1999, Burgess completed one year at Hill College before enlisting.
“He didn’t talk about the military until the end of his senior year,” Pearce said. “He was in his ninth year of service and had planned to make it a career.”
Burgess’ last visit home was in September. A meal at Whataburger, his favorite spot, according to his mother, was on his “to do” list. The family also gathered together for a barbecue at his uncle’s home in Burleson.
Burgess is survived by his wife, Tiffany R. Burgess, daughter, Makya, and son, Zander, ages 3 and 4 all of Fort Campbell, Ky.; and mother, Linda Pearce of Keene, Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess was killed in action on 3/29/11.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Army Spc. Jeremiah Pulaski
Remember Our Heroes
Jeremiah was with the 10 Mtn Division out Ft Drum and was part of the 1-87 Infantry Battalion. He did deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jeremiah was good at what he did. . He protected his men and saved several of them. He was still considered active duty and was due to be out of the Army officially in April.
Since returning home Jeremiah had suffered with severe PTSD. He had recently contacted the VA to get into the PTSD program there.
On March 28, 2011 Jeremiah was shot during an altercation in his hometown.
His mother had this to say: "Please know that all though this was a horrible thing that happened. When they found him he had his bible in his coat jacket. I do know my son believed in our Father in heaven, he had such a big heart and in the end that is what took him from us. He couldn't handle the demons inside his head."
Jeremiah was survived by his parents and a sister. One of his battle buddies was with him when he was shot and could use your prayers also, as he deals with the loss of this "battle buddy" and his own struggles with PTSD.
Jeremiah was with the 10 Mtn Division out Ft Drum and was part of the 1-87 Infantry Battalion. He did deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jeremiah was good at what he did. . He protected his men and saved several of them. He was still considered active duty and was due to be out of the Army officially in April.
Since returning home Jeremiah had suffered with severe PTSD. He had recently contacted the VA to get into the PTSD program there.
On March 28, 2011 Jeremiah was shot during an altercation in his hometown.
His mother had this to say: "Please know that all though this was a horrible thing that happened. When they found him he had his bible in his coat jacket. I do know my son believed in our Father in heaven, he had such a big heart and in the end that is what took him from us. He couldn't handle the demons inside his head."
Jeremiah was survived by his parents and a sister. One of his battle buddies was with him when he was shot and could use your prayers also, as he deals with the loss of this "battle buddy" and his own struggles with PTSD.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Army Cpl. Justin D. Ross
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Justin D. Ross, 22, of Green Bay, Wis.
Cpl Ross was assigned to 863rd Engineer Battalion, Army Reserve, Wausau, Wis.; died March 26, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire.
HOWARD, Wis.—
A Green Bay man whose father is the pastor of an area church has been killed while serving in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department confirmed Sunday that Justin D. Ross, 22, died Saturday in Helmand province of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small arms fire. Ross was assigned to the 863rd Engineer Battalion, Wausau, Wis.
New Freedom Church says pastor Ron Ross and his wife, Debbie, flew to Dover Air Force Base on Sunday for the return of their son's body.
"Being this soon into the grieving process you are still in shock," Gerald Heins, the assistant pastor at New Freedom, told WLUK-TV. "You are still trying to make sense of it, trying to understand what happened."
Justin Ross was a 2007 graduate of Bay Port High School. He was in the Army Reserves and deployed in August.
"Even before he graduated high school he was talking about going into the military," Heins said.
Heins said Ross will be remembered as a wonderful man who was proud to serve his country.
"From what I understand he really enjoyed it," Heins said. "He loved the guys from his squad and he enjoyed the process and the idea of being able to defend his country."
Heins said the church and its members didn't know many details of what happened.
Before leaving, the pastor wrote on his Facebook page, "We thank God for freedom and all those ... who have paid the ultimate price. We are proud of you Justin!"
Army Cpl. Justin D. Ross was killed in action on 3/26/11.
Army Cpl. Justin D. Ross, 22, of Green Bay, Wis.
Cpl Ross was assigned to 863rd Engineer Battalion, Army Reserve, Wausau, Wis.; died March 26, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire.
HOWARD, Wis.—
A Green Bay man whose father is the pastor of an area church has been killed while serving in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department confirmed Sunday that Justin D. Ross, 22, died Saturday in Helmand province of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small arms fire. Ross was assigned to the 863rd Engineer Battalion, Wausau, Wis.
New Freedom Church says pastor Ron Ross and his wife, Debbie, flew to Dover Air Force Base on Sunday for the return of their son's body.
"Being this soon into the grieving process you are still in shock," Gerald Heins, the assistant pastor at New Freedom, told WLUK-TV. "You are still trying to make sense of it, trying to understand what happened."
Justin Ross was a 2007 graduate of Bay Port High School. He was in the Army Reserves and deployed in August.
"Even before he graduated high school he was talking about going into the military," Heins said.
Heins said Ross will be remembered as a wonderful man who was proud to serve his country.
"From what I understand he really enjoyed it," Heins said. "He loved the guys from his squad and he enjoyed the process and the idea of being able to defend his country."
Heins said the church and its members didn't know many details of what happened.
Before leaving, the pastor wrote on his Facebook page, "We thank God for freedom and all those ... who have paid the ultimate price. We are proud of you Justin!"
Army Cpl. Justin D. Ross was killed in action on 3/26/11.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent A. Filpi III
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent A. Filpi III, 41, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent A. Filpi III was assigned to the aircraft carrier Enterprise; died March 22, 2011 as a result of a non-combat incident. The Enterprise was deployed in the Arabian Sea in the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, conducting operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Vincent A. Filpi III, a 41-year-old petty officer first class, was found dead Tuesday aboard the carrier, which is deployed in the Arabian Sea.
The Defense Department issued a news release Wednesday saying his death was the result of a "noncombat-related incident." So far, the Navy has not said anything else about how he died.
Lt. Frederick Martin, a spokesman with the Navy's 5th Fleet, said he doesn't expect more information to be made public until the service completes an investigation into what happened.
Filpi, who was from Florida, enlisted in the Navy in 1992. He'd been assigned to the Enterprise since May 2009 as an aviation ordnanceman.
“Vince loved his country and paid the ultimate price to ensure our continued freedom,” said his wife, Erica Bruder-Filpi. “While our grief is immense we will forever thank him and all other military members.”
Filpi and his wife have a son, Tony. He also had five stepchildren: Aleksandra, Nicholai, Brianna, Davan and Taelin.
“Vince was a fantastic father who was completely devoted to our children,” Bruder-Filpi said. “I can’t say enough nice things about Vincent.”
His parents Vincent II and Donna Filpi live in Shalimar.
Before the Enterprise, he spent time assigned to aviation units in Norfolk, Italy and California, as well as onboard the carrier Theodore Roosevelt, according to the Navy.
The Enterprise is currently supporting operations in Afghanistan.
Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent A. Filpi III was killed in a non-combat incident on 3/22/11.
Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent A. Filpi III, 41, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent A. Filpi III was assigned to the aircraft carrier Enterprise; died March 22, 2011 as a result of a non-combat incident. The Enterprise was deployed in the Arabian Sea in the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, conducting operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Vincent A. Filpi III, a 41-year-old petty officer first class, was found dead Tuesday aboard the carrier, which is deployed in the Arabian Sea.
The Defense Department issued a news release Wednesday saying his death was the result of a "noncombat-related incident." So far, the Navy has not said anything else about how he died.
Lt. Frederick Martin, a spokesman with the Navy's 5th Fleet, said he doesn't expect more information to be made public until the service completes an investigation into what happened.
Filpi, who was from Florida, enlisted in the Navy in 1992. He'd been assigned to the Enterprise since May 2009 as an aviation ordnanceman.
“Vince loved his country and paid the ultimate price to ensure our continued freedom,” said his wife, Erica Bruder-Filpi. “While our grief is immense we will forever thank him and all other military members.”
Filpi and his wife have a son, Tony. He also had five stepchildren: Aleksandra, Nicholai, Brianna, Davan and Taelin.
“Vince was a fantastic father who was completely devoted to our children,” Bruder-Filpi said. “I can’t say enough nice things about Vincent.”
His parents Vincent II and Donna Filpi live in Shalimar.
Before the Enterprise, he spent time assigned to aviation units in Norfolk, Italy and California, as well as onboard the carrier Theodore Roosevelt, according to the Navy.
The Enterprise is currently supporting operations in Afghanistan.
Navy Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent A. Filpi III was killed in a non-combat incident on 3/22/11.
Army Pfc. Michael C. Mahr
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Michael C. Mahr, 26, of Homosassa, Fla.
Pfc. Mahr was assigned to 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died March 22, 2011 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
Stephanie Mahr says she tried to talk to her husband Michael on the telephone every day.
Even for just 10 minutes, so she and the couple's 3-year-old son Jadon could stay in touch.
It wasn't always easy. The phone would drop the call or her husband would be too busy, or exhausted, from his job making sure the roads in Logar Province, Afghanistan, were clear of improvised explosive devices.
She remembers the last call.
It was Monday.
"He told me that there was this mission coming up and he would not be able to have any contact," says Stephanie Mahr. "I told him I felt really scared. I had a really bad feeling about it."
Michael, she says, tried to reassure her.
"He told me the same thing he told me all the time," she says.
I am a good soldier and I am coming home.
Tuesday evening, in a telephone call from her husband's step-father, Stephanie Mahr learned that her "especially bad feeling" was right.
Mahr, an Army private, and Staff Sgt. Joshua S. Gire of Chillicothe, Ohio, were killed Tuesday riding in their RG-31 Cougar armored car.
"Enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire," is the official word from the Department of Defense.
Michael Mahr was scheduled to come home in August.
"Everybody loved him," says Stephanie Mahr, talking from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where she is waiting for the military transport carrying her husband. "His Army buddies called him 'Superman.' He didn't have any fear."
Mahr and his twin brother Matthew were born in Orlando, says their mother, Kimberly Albury. She divorced their father, remarried James Albury and moved to Citrus County when the twins were about eight, she says.
"There were eight kids all together in the house," she says. "There was never a dull moment."
The twins, she says, were especially close.
They played football together at Sumter High School in Bushnell, where they were both offensive lineman. They went to work together at Walmart.
"When Michael made the decision to go into the Army, it was hard on Matthew," says Albury. "It was hard on Matt. Hard on both of them being apart."
Sumter High football coach Inman Sherman says he, too, was struck by the closeness of the twins.
"You seldom saw one without the other,'' Stewart says. "If you saw one, the other was within 10 feet."
"Matthew is very torn up about it," his wife, Carly, wrote in an email on their way to Dover. "They were extremely close. Even while he was stationed overseas they did not go a day with out talking online or by phone. When they get together they orbit each other. If one moves the other mirrors it perfectly."
Michael Mahr "was your typical 26-year-old video game junkie," recalls his mother. "He loved X-Box. He loved the Gators. Loved, loved the Gators. He liked to go to rock concerts."
Albury says tried to dissuade her son when he told her he wanted to join the Army.
"I said, 'We already have a daughter in the Army, you won't make it through basic training.' He had a bad tendon in the ankle and couldn't work but it never bothered him."
Albury says she found out about her son's death when the men in uniform showed up at her door.
They didn't have to say a word, she says.
"We knew."
Stephanie Mahr says she first met her future husband when the two were working together at a Walmart in North Carolina in 2006.
"Actually, it never even crossed my mind" that she would one start dating her co-worker.
Then one night, sparks flew.
"He came in, looked good and smelled good and something clicked," Stephanie Mahr says.
A few months later, in April, 2007, they were married. Then Jadon was born. And they moved to Homosassa.
Initially, Mahr wasn't itching to enlist.
"He never really wanted to," she says. "Once he got out of Walmart, he never wanted to do anything. Then he went to a recruiter and it was like he was meant to be in the Army."
Stephanie Mahr says as a military brat herself, she knew all about that life.
"I was scared," she says. "He is my life and I didn't want him to go."
But he went.
He enlisted April 26, 2010, and at first went to Germany. He came home and left for Afghanistan on Nov. 2, Jadon's third birthday.
Mahr, she says, became a "great soldier." He was up for the Soldier of the Month in Afghanistan," she says, "because everyone said he was the best RG driver."
It is no easy task. The vehicle is extremely heavy and you have to watch out for IEDs and the enemy while navigating often treacherous roads.
"I believe they were ambushed," says Stephanie Mahr of her husband's last mission. "I talked to one of his buddies, who he was teaching to drive the RG. He said it was quick."
Stephanie Mahr says she has no idea how she will react when she sees the casket come off the plane.
"There is no way to be ready," she says. "I still don't believe it. He promised me every day he would be home. He said the same thing every time we talked."
Honey, you ain't got to worry about me. We are the Expendables.
"The platoon called themselves 'The Expendables," says Stephanie Mahr. "They were the baddest ass crew out there."
Stephanie Mahr says she doesn't know her son will react to seeing the plane either.
"He knows a military plane will be here," she says. "And I have explained to him what is going to happen, but I don't think he will fully understand. He misses his daddy terribly."
Mahr's unit in Germany will hold a memorial service for him.
Stephanie Mahr says it is too early to make plans for a funeral for her husband here.
She doesn't know how to begin setting up a memorial fund.
But she does have a message to anyone who cares about those who are serving and want to help. "They need to communicate with their families."
Phone cards trump popcorn, she says.
"One thing I want people to know is that all the things they send to soldiers is great, but one thing that makes it really hard on them is not being able to communicate. Internet is very, very expensive over there. Soldiers have to pay $200 a month for Internet service. We have to buy phone cards and it all adds up."
BROOKSVILLE — His life cut short by the enemy, there are many things Army Pfc. Michael C. Mahr will never get the chance to do.
But as his mother, Kim Albury, waited for her 26-year-old son's remains to land at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Thursday, she found solace in the satisfying life he'd made for himself.
Mahr, who most recently lived in Homosassa, was happily married. He had three children. And seven years after his 2003 graduation from South Sumter High School in Bushnell, he'd found his calling.
"He beamed when he talked about the Army," Albury said. "He finally found his niche. That was what he was meant to do."
Natives of Orlando, Mahr and his twin brother, Matt, were two of eight children, including four step siblings. The boys didn't know their biological father, but their mother has married twice since their birth and both stepfathers — Jeff Salle and her current husband of 20 years, James Albury Jr. — played important roles in their lives, she said.
The twins thought about joining the Army together straight out of high school, but the Iraq war gave Michael pause, his mother said. They got jobs at Walmart.
Michael married in April 2007. His wife, Stephanie, has two sons from a previous marriage who live in Vermont — Caleb, 12, and Scott, 10 — so the family lived there and in New York for a while before returning to Florida in 2009. They had a son together, Jadon Michael, now 3 years old.
When Michael's sister, Melanie, enlisted in the Army, he started thinking hard about the service, Albury said. He talked to a recruiter and enlisted in April, cranking out push ups and sit ups to drop a few pounds before basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Before Mahr left, he had a long conversation with Albury's stepfather, a Baptist minister. Michael was never very religious, but he got saved, she said.
Before he left for Afghanistan, Mahr finally got to share his passion with his son. "He couldn't wait until Jadon was old enough to go fishing," Albury said.
They headed off to a little Homosassa lake, and Albury cherishes the memory of father and son in tank tops, shorts, and baseball caps turned backward.
While Michael was abroad, Stephanie got them a place in Inverness. He hadn't seen it yet.
Stephanie told Jadon that Daddy had passed away and gone to heaven.
"We're pretty confident he knows what heaven is," Albury said, "but you just don't know.
Albury said Mahr will be buried close to home, at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.
As his father's casket came off the plane Thursday, Jadon, 3, held a U.S. flag.
"He said he was waving it at his dad," Albury said.
Army Pfc. Michael C. Mahr was killed in action on 3/22/11.
Army Pfc. Michael C. Mahr, 26, of Homosassa, Fla.
Pfc. Mahr was assigned to 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died March 22, 2011 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
Stephanie Mahr says she tried to talk to her husband Michael on the telephone every day.
Even for just 10 minutes, so she and the couple's 3-year-old son Jadon could stay in touch.
It wasn't always easy. The phone would drop the call or her husband would be too busy, or exhausted, from his job making sure the roads in Logar Province, Afghanistan, were clear of improvised explosive devices.
She remembers the last call.
It was Monday.
"He told me that there was this mission coming up and he would not be able to have any contact," says Stephanie Mahr. "I told him I felt really scared. I had a really bad feeling about it."
Michael, she says, tried to reassure her.
"He told me the same thing he told me all the time," she says.
I am a good soldier and I am coming home.
Tuesday evening, in a telephone call from her husband's step-father, Stephanie Mahr learned that her "especially bad feeling" was right.
Mahr, an Army private, and Staff Sgt. Joshua S. Gire of Chillicothe, Ohio, were killed Tuesday riding in their RG-31 Cougar armored car.
"Enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire," is the official word from the Department of Defense.
Michael Mahr was scheduled to come home in August.
"Everybody loved him," says Stephanie Mahr, talking from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where she is waiting for the military transport carrying her husband. "His Army buddies called him 'Superman.' He didn't have any fear."
Mahr and his twin brother Matthew were born in Orlando, says their mother, Kimberly Albury. She divorced their father, remarried James Albury and moved to Citrus County when the twins were about eight, she says.
"There were eight kids all together in the house," she says. "There was never a dull moment."
The twins, she says, were especially close.
They played football together at Sumter High School in Bushnell, where they were both offensive lineman. They went to work together at Walmart.
"When Michael made the decision to go into the Army, it was hard on Matthew," says Albury. "It was hard on Matt. Hard on both of them being apart."
Sumter High football coach Inman Sherman says he, too, was struck by the closeness of the twins.
"You seldom saw one without the other,'' Stewart says. "If you saw one, the other was within 10 feet."
"Matthew is very torn up about it," his wife, Carly, wrote in an email on their way to Dover. "They were extremely close. Even while he was stationed overseas they did not go a day with out talking online or by phone. When they get together they orbit each other. If one moves the other mirrors it perfectly."
Michael Mahr "was your typical 26-year-old video game junkie," recalls his mother. "He loved X-Box. He loved the Gators. Loved, loved the Gators. He liked to go to rock concerts."
Albury says tried to dissuade her son when he told her he wanted to join the Army.
"I said, 'We already have a daughter in the Army, you won't make it through basic training.' He had a bad tendon in the ankle and couldn't work but it never bothered him."
Albury says she found out about her son's death when the men in uniform showed up at her door.
They didn't have to say a word, she says.
"We knew."
Stephanie Mahr says she first met her future husband when the two were working together at a Walmart in North Carolina in 2006.
"Actually, it never even crossed my mind" that she would one start dating her co-worker.
Then one night, sparks flew.
"He came in, looked good and smelled good and something clicked," Stephanie Mahr says.
A few months later, in April, 2007, they were married. Then Jadon was born. And they moved to Homosassa.
Initially, Mahr wasn't itching to enlist.
"He never really wanted to," she says. "Once he got out of Walmart, he never wanted to do anything. Then he went to a recruiter and it was like he was meant to be in the Army."
Stephanie Mahr says as a military brat herself, she knew all about that life.
"I was scared," she says. "He is my life and I didn't want him to go."
But he went.
He enlisted April 26, 2010, and at first went to Germany. He came home and left for Afghanistan on Nov. 2, Jadon's third birthday.
Mahr, she says, became a "great soldier." He was up for the Soldier of the Month in Afghanistan," she says, "because everyone said he was the best RG driver."
It is no easy task. The vehicle is extremely heavy and you have to watch out for IEDs and the enemy while navigating often treacherous roads.
"I believe they were ambushed," says Stephanie Mahr of her husband's last mission. "I talked to one of his buddies, who he was teaching to drive the RG. He said it was quick."
Stephanie Mahr says she has no idea how she will react when she sees the casket come off the plane.
"There is no way to be ready," she says. "I still don't believe it. He promised me every day he would be home. He said the same thing every time we talked."
Honey, you ain't got to worry about me. We are the Expendables.
"The platoon called themselves 'The Expendables," says Stephanie Mahr. "They were the baddest ass crew out there."
Stephanie Mahr says she doesn't know her son will react to seeing the plane either.
"He knows a military plane will be here," she says. "And I have explained to him what is going to happen, but I don't think he will fully understand. He misses his daddy terribly."
Mahr's unit in Germany will hold a memorial service for him.
Stephanie Mahr says it is too early to make plans for a funeral for her husband here.
She doesn't know how to begin setting up a memorial fund.
But she does have a message to anyone who cares about those who are serving and want to help. "They need to communicate with their families."
Phone cards trump popcorn, she says.
"One thing I want people to know is that all the things they send to soldiers is great, but one thing that makes it really hard on them is not being able to communicate. Internet is very, very expensive over there. Soldiers have to pay $200 a month for Internet service. We have to buy phone cards and it all adds up."
BROOKSVILLE — His life cut short by the enemy, there are many things Army Pfc. Michael C. Mahr will never get the chance to do.
But as his mother, Kim Albury, waited for her 26-year-old son's remains to land at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Thursday, she found solace in the satisfying life he'd made for himself.
Mahr, who most recently lived in Homosassa, was happily married. He had three children. And seven years after his 2003 graduation from South Sumter High School in Bushnell, he'd found his calling.
"He beamed when he talked about the Army," Albury said. "He finally found his niche. That was what he was meant to do."
Natives of Orlando, Mahr and his twin brother, Matt, were two of eight children, including four step siblings. The boys didn't know their biological father, but their mother has married twice since their birth and both stepfathers — Jeff Salle and her current husband of 20 years, James Albury Jr. — played important roles in their lives, she said.
The twins thought about joining the Army together straight out of high school, but the Iraq war gave Michael pause, his mother said. They got jobs at Walmart.
Michael married in April 2007. His wife, Stephanie, has two sons from a previous marriage who live in Vermont — Caleb, 12, and Scott, 10 — so the family lived there and in New York for a while before returning to Florida in 2009. They had a son together, Jadon Michael, now 3 years old.
When Michael's sister, Melanie, enlisted in the Army, he started thinking hard about the service, Albury said. He talked to a recruiter and enlisted in April, cranking out push ups and sit ups to drop a few pounds before basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Before Mahr left, he had a long conversation with Albury's stepfather, a Baptist minister. Michael was never very religious, but he got saved, she said.
Before he left for Afghanistan, Mahr finally got to share his passion with his son. "He couldn't wait until Jadon was old enough to go fishing," Albury said.
They headed off to a little Homosassa lake, and Albury cherishes the memory of father and son in tank tops, shorts, and baseball caps turned backward.
While Michael was abroad, Stephanie got them a place in Inverness. He hadn't seen it yet.
Stephanie told Jadon that Daddy had passed away and gone to heaven.
"We're pretty confident he knows what heaven is," Albury said, "but you just don't know.
Albury said Mahr will be buried close to home, at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.
As his father's casket came off the plane Thursday, Jadon, 3, held a U.S. flag.
"He said he was waving it at his dad," Albury said.
Army Pfc. Michael C. Mahr was killed in action on 3/22/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Joshua S. Gire
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Joshua S. Gire, 28, of Chillicothe, Ohio
SSgt Gire was assigned to 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died March 22, 2011 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
A 2000 graduate of Huntington High School in southern Ross County was reportedly killed while serving as an Army staff sergeant in Afghanistan, family members told The Times-Gazette Thursday.
Joshua S. Gire, 28, had been stationed in Germany, but was serving a second tour in Afghanistan at the time of his death, according to his cousin Kellie Uhrig, of Columbus, who is speaking on behalf of the family.
The Associated Press reported that the Department of Defense said Gire and 26-year-old Pfc. Michael C. Mahr of Homosassa, Fla. died Tuesday after an attack involving explosives and small arms fire.
However, Uhrig said that at this time no details are available as to the time or exact nature of Gire’s death. She said family members were notified Tuesday evening.
Gire’s mother, Peggy Hunt and her husband Dale reside in Greenfield and Uhrig said the family has friends across the area. Gire, also the son of Paul Gire Jr., had three brothers, Mike Donahue, Paul Gire III, and John Hunt, one sister Beth Hunt and a step-sister Sandy (Hunt) Bourne.
Enlisting in the Army in 2001, prior to 9-11, Gire followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. While in Germany, he met his wife, Jackie, and together the couple had two children, Nicholas, 5, and Riley, 3.
“Josh thought the world of Jackie…,” Uhrig said. “He was a wonderful guy who was very proud of his children and very much loved his wife. He was a good son and a good brother… they are a very tight-knit family.”
Uhrig said Gire’s immediate family was traveling to Dover, Del. Thursday, but that it is unknown when Gire’s body will return to the U.S.
“We are hopeful that he will be stateside soon,” she said.
“Josh was from a small community and he was a big part of that small community,” Uhrig said. “He played baseball at Huntington… he was quiet growing up and was just a very respected, wonderful person.
“The family loved Josh a great deal. It’s a huge, huge, huge loss for our family, our country and the communities affected. We are very proud of him.”
They were six days from completing their tours of duty.
Joshua is survived by numerous loving relatives including his wife, Jackie and children Nicholas, age 5 and Riley, age 3; his mother, Peggy Hunt and her husband Dale; father Paul Gire Jr.; brothers, Mike Donahue, Paul Gire III, and John Hunt; one sister Beth Hunt and a step-sister Sandy (Hunt) Bourne.
Army Staff Sgt. Joshua S. Gire was killed in action on 3/22/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Joshua S. Gire, 28, of Chillicothe, Ohio
SSgt Gire was assigned to 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died March 22, 2011 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
A 2000 graduate of Huntington High School in southern Ross County was reportedly killed while serving as an Army staff sergeant in Afghanistan, family members told The Times-Gazette Thursday.
Joshua S. Gire, 28, had been stationed in Germany, but was serving a second tour in Afghanistan at the time of his death, according to his cousin Kellie Uhrig, of Columbus, who is speaking on behalf of the family.
The Associated Press reported that the Department of Defense said Gire and 26-year-old Pfc. Michael C. Mahr of Homosassa, Fla. died Tuesday after an attack involving explosives and small arms fire.
However, Uhrig said that at this time no details are available as to the time or exact nature of Gire’s death. She said family members were notified Tuesday evening.
Gire’s mother, Peggy Hunt and her husband Dale reside in Greenfield and Uhrig said the family has friends across the area. Gire, also the son of Paul Gire Jr., had three brothers, Mike Donahue, Paul Gire III, and John Hunt, one sister Beth Hunt and a step-sister Sandy (Hunt) Bourne.
Enlisting in the Army in 2001, prior to 9-11, Gire followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. While in Germany, he met his wife, Jackie, and together the couple had two children, Nicholas, 5, and Riley, 3.
“Josh thought the world of Jackie…,” Uhrig said. “He was a wonderful guy who was very proud of his children and very much loved his wife. He was a good son and a good brother… they are a very tight-knit family.”
Uhrig said Gire’s immediate family was traveling to Dover, Del. Thursday, but that it is unknown when Gire’s body will return to the U.S.
“We are hopeful that he will be stateside soon,” she said.
“Josh was from a small community and he was a big part of that small community,” Uhrig said. “He played baseball at Huntington… he was quiet growing up and was just a very respected, wonderful person.
“The family loved Josh a great deal. It’s a huge, huge, huge loss for our family, our country and the communities affected. We are very proud of him.”
They were six days from completing their tours of duty.
Joshua is survived by numerous loving relatives including his wife, Jackie and children Nicholas, age 5 and Riley, age 3; his mother, Peggy Hunt and her husband Dale; father Paul Gire Jr.; brothers, Mike Donahue, Paul Gire III, and John Hunt; one sister Beth Hunt and a step-sister Sandy (Hunt) Bourne.
Army Staff Sgt. Joshua S. Gire was killed in action on 3/22/11.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Army Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking, 24, of Seattle, Wash.
Cpl Hocking was assigned to 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died March 21, 2011 in Samarra, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
The Department of Defense announced March 22 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.
Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking, 24, of Seattle, Wash., died March 21 in As Samawah, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Cpl. Brandon Hocking, a 24-year-old soldier from Seattle, died Monday from wounds suffered in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. He died just 10 days before his scheduled return home.
Cpl. Hocking was a small-arms repair specialist and also served as a convoy gunner, according to his sister, Brianna Hocking, who exchanged messages with her brother on Facebook just two weeks ago.
"I told him to stay safe, and he told me, 'Don't worry. I love you, and I will be home soon'," Hocking, of Reno, Nev., said Tuesday.
Cpl. Hockings's unit was attacked in the southern Iraq city of As Samawah.
He posthumously received a Purple Heart and also the Bronze Star, which is awarded for acts of combat heroism, according to an Army spokeswoman at Fort Stewart, Ga., where Cpl. Hocking's unit is based.
Cpl. Hocking was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, where the United States has had ground troops since 2003. During that period, more than 4,440 U.S. troops have died, including 11 this year, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.
Cpl. Hocking first joined the Army in November 2005. He served with the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. In a June 2010 report by an Army public-affairs writer, Cpl. Hocking was featured as he worked at an armament-repair shop at a base in Iraq, where he was helping put together a team that could travel to repair weapons.
Cpl. Hocking was the eldest of six children and attended Federal Way and Decatur high schools.
He enjoyed fixing up old cars, sketching and playing the acoustic and electric guitar.
"He could strum just about anything," said his grandmother, Delores Pitts, of Lake Tapps.
Friends and family said Cpl. Hocking joined the military after high school in an effort to improve his life. I think it probably made him a stronger man," said Mike Davis, a friend since childhood
On Tuesday, family members said that Cpl. Hocking's parents, Christine Dansereau, of Pomeroy, Garfield County, and Kevin Hocking, of Burien, were traveling to Delaware to meet their son's casket.
Other survivors include Hocking's wife, Havalah Hocking, of Seattle, a 4-year-old son, Sebastian Hocking, and a 3-year-old daughter, Gwen.
He is also survived by sisters Britney Hocking, of Tacoma; Brooke Hocking, of Kent; Brielle Hocking and Gracie Dansereau, of Pomeroy. His surviving grandparents are Myrna Hocking, of Bigfork, Mont., and Gary Pitts, of Lake Tapps.
Army Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking was killed in action on 3/21/11.
Army Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking, 24, of Seattle, Wash.
Cpl Hocking was assigned to 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died March 21, 2011 in Samarra, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
The Department of Defense announced March 22 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.
Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking, 24, of Seattle, Wash., died March 21 in As Samawah, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Cpl. Brandon Hocking, a 24-year-old soldier from Seattle, died Monday from wounds suffered in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. He died just 10 days before his scheduled return home.
Cpl. Hocking was a small-arms repair specialist and also served as a convoy gunner, according to his sister, Brianna Hocking, who exchanged messages with her brother on Facebook just two weeks ago.
"I told him to stay safe, and he told me, 'Don't worry. I love you, and I will be home soon'," Hocking, of Reno, Nev., said Tuesday.
Cpl. Hockings's unit was attacked in the southern Iraq city of As Samawah.
He posthumously received a Purple Heart and also the Bronze Star, which is awarded for acts of combat heroism, according to an Army spokeswoman at Fort Stewart, Ga., where Cpl. Hocking's unit is based.
Cpl. Hocking was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, where the United States has had ground troops since 2003. During that period, more than 4,440 U.S. troops have died, including 11 this year, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.
Cpl. Hocking first joined the Army in November 2005. He served with the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. In a June 2010 report by an Army public-affairs writer, Cpl. Hocking was featured as he worked at an armament-repair shop at a base in Iraq, where he was helping put together a team that could travel to repair weapons.
Cpl. Hocking was the eldest of six children and attended Federal Way and Decatur high schools.
He enjoyed fixing up old cars, sketching and playing the acoustic and electric guitar.
"He could strum just about anything," said his grandmother, Delores Pitts, of Lake Tapps.
Friends and family said Cpl. Hocking joined the military after high school in an effort to improve his life. I think it probably made him a stronger man," said Mike Davis, a friend since childhood
On Tuesday, family members said that Cpl. Hocking's parents, Christine Dansereau, of Pomeroy, Garfield County, and Kevin Hocking, of Burien, were traveling to Delaware to meet their son's casket.
Other survivors include Hocking's wife, Havalah Hocking, of Seattle, a 4-year-old son, Sebastian Hocking, and a 3-year-old daughter, Gwen.
He is also survived by sisters Britney Hocking, of Tacoma; Brooke Hocking, of Kent; Brielle Hocking and Gracie Dansereau, of Pomeroy. His surviving grandparents are Myrna Hocking, of Bigfork, Mont., and Gary Pitts, of Lake Tapps.
Army Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking was killed in action on 3/21/11.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Army Pfc. Rudy A. Acosta
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Rudy A. Acosta, 19, of Canyon Country, Calif.
Pfc. Acosta was assigned to 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 19, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained with small-arms fire.
Fallen soldier Rudy A. Acosta, 19, of Canyon Country, was remembered Monday as a dedicated Christian, a fun-loving person and a man who wanted to honor God and his family.
“I think the military was really an extension of who Rudy was,” said Senior Pastor Scott Basolo of Santa Clarita Baptist Church, where the Acosta family has attended for more than a decade. “He was a servant. He wasn’t interested in personal gain.”
Acosta, a combat medic, died Saturday in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he and Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr., 29, of Ohio, were allegedly shot with small-arms fire by an individual from a military security group, according to a statement from the Department of Defense.
They were assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
The incident is under investigation, according to the statement.
The Acosta family was notified of their son’s death Saturday afternoon, Basolo said.
Acosta’s family spent the weekend and Monday in Delaware receiving their son’s body.
After graduating from Santa Clarita Christian School in 2009, Acosta completed Army basic training on Aug. 11, 2009, and was deployed to Afghanistan on June 10. He served as a health care specialist.
“He believed he had a great opportunity to serve and contribute to his fellow man in the military,” Basolo said.
Acosta came home during the holidays earlier this year, and attended Santa Clarita Baptist Church for a Sunday service.
“He said he wanted all of us to continue to be fervent in prayer for the people of Afghanistan,” Basolo recalled. “He asked that we pray for them.”
Santa Clarita Christian held a special ceremony Monday, with students and staff, to talk about Acosta. Acosta’s brother and sister attend Santa Clarita Christian.
“We can’t bring Rudy back, but we can serve the Acosta family with honor,” a letter from Principal Derek Swales reads. “Just as Rudy served our school, our city and our country!”
The school also recognized Acosta’s parents, Carolyn and Dante, who have been involved with Santa Clarita Christian for 13 years.
“The Acostas sent pictures to the (Santa Clarita Christian School) faculty of two caskets wrapped with the flag of the United States of America,” a letter from Principal Derek Swales reads. “Seeing our beautiful flag wrapped around his son’s casket was, in father Dante Acosta’s words, ‘brutal.’”
Garrick Moss got to know Rudy Acosta when Acosta was in seventh grade as part of the youth group.
“He just loves life and loves people,” said Moss, Santa Clarita Christian’s football and baseball coach and youth director at Santa Clarita Baptist. “He’s just a godly young man.”
“He genuinely had a love for God that showed through how he treated others,” Moss said.
Acosta was about six weeks away from finishing his tour, Moss said. He was hoping to come home before spending time in Germany.
“He was all excited about the chance to see Europe,” Moss said.
He eventually wanted to go into the medical field.
“I truly think of Rudy as a hero,” Moss said.
Army Pfc. Rudy A. Acosta was killed in action on 3/19/11.
Army Pfc. Rudy A. Acosta, 19, of Canyon Country, Calif.
Pfc. Acosta was assigned to 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 19, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained with small-arms fire.
Fallen soldier Rudy A. Acosta, 19, of Canyon Country, was remembered Monday as a dedicated Christian, a fun-loving person and a man who wanted to honor God and his family.
“I think the military was really an extension of who Rudy was,” said Senior Pastor Scott Basolo of Santa Clarita Baptist Church, where the Acosta family has attended for more than a decade. “He was a servant. He wasn’t interested in personal gain.”
Acosta, a combat medic, died Saturday in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he and Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr., 29, of Ohio, were allegedly shot with small-arms fire by an individual from a military security group, according to a statement from the Department of Defense.
They were assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
The incident is under investigation, according to the statement.
The Acosta family was notified of their son’s death Saturday afternoon, Basolo said.
Acosta’s family spent the weekend and Monday in Delaware receiving their son’s body.
After graduating from Santa Clarita Christian School in 2009, Acosta completed Army basic training on Aug. 11, 2009, and was deployed to Afghanistan on June 10. He served as a health care specialist.
“He believed he had a great opportunity to serve and contribute to his fellow man in the military,” Basolo said.
Acosta came home during the holidays earlier this year, and attended Santa Clarita Baptist Church for a Sunday service.
“He said he wanted all of us to continue to be fervent in prayer for the people of Afghanistan,” Basolo recalled. “He asked that we pray for them.”
Santa Clarita Christian held a special ceremony Monday, with students and staff, to talk about Acosta. Acosta’s brother and sister attend Santa Clarita Christian.
“We can’t bring Rudy back, but we can serve the Acosta family with honor,” a letter from Principal Derek Swales reads. “Just as Rudy served our school, our city and our country!”
The school also recognized Acosta’s parents, Carolyn and Dante, who have been involved with Santa Clarita Christian for 13 years.
“The Acostas sent pictures to the (Santa Clarita Christian School) faculty of two caskets wrapped with the flag of the United States of America,” a letter from Principal Derek Swales reads. “Seeing our beautiful flag wrapped around his son’s casket was, in father Dante Acosta’s words, ‘brutal.’”
Garrick Moss got to know Rudy Acosta when Acosta was in seventh grade as part of the youth group.
“He just loves life and loves people,” said Moss, Santa Clarita Christian’s football and baseball coach and youth director at Santa Clarita Baptist. “He’s just a godly young man.”
“He genuinely had a love for God that showed through how he treated others,” Moss said.
Acosta was about six weeks away from finishing his tour, Moss said. He was hoping to come home before spending time in Germany.
“He was all excited about the chance to see Europe,” Moss said.
He eventually wanted to go into the medical field.
“I truly think of Rudy as a hero,” Moss said.
Army Pfc. Rudy A. Acosta was killed in action on 3/19/11.
Army Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr., 29, of Bucyrus, Ohio
Cpl Mickler was assigned to 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 19, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained with small-arms fire.
Mickler, described by family members as a “true warrior,” worked in communications according to family. He leaves behind a 3-year-old son who lives in Germany with his mother.
Mickler, who was serving his third enlistment in the Army and had previously served in Iraq, was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment out of Vilseck, Germany.
Great-uncle Roy Hollis said Mickler had always seen the Army as a way of getting out of Dayton and fulfilling his life goals.
“He realized his parents couldn’t send him to college, so the military was a good option for him,” Hollis said. “He very easily could have been a casualty of the streets, but he was determined not to be caught in Dayton.”
Hollis said Mickler started training for the military in high school and excelled as an athlete, participating in track, football and wrestling at the varsity level. He was the wrestling team captain his senior year at Trotwood-Madison. “He was a leader,” Hollis said.
Uncle Sylvester Mickler said as the oldest boy in a big family, Mickler was a role model to his younger siblings. “He loved his family, his sisters and his brothers,” he said. The family kept in touch every day via social networking.
The family expected Mickler home for a family reunion in June, which according to Sylvester Mickler, the 29-year-old was really looking forward to.
Sylvester Mickler said he was proud to see his nephew excelling in the military when he visited him in Germany a few years ago.
“He took the younger soldiers under his wing. It was really good to see him prospering,” he said.
The family said it has been hard to mourn their loss knowing that Mickler’s death may not have come at the hands of the enemy, but a fellow solider. “It’s unfortunate for everyone. The family is grieving,” Hollis said. But he said he is consoled knowing that Mickler loved serving his country and knew the risk he was taking. “He was doing what he wanted to be doing,” he said.
Army Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr. was killed in action on 3/19/11.
Army Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr., 29, of Bucyrus, Ohio
Cpl Mickler was assigned to 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 19, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained with small-arms fire.
Mickler, described by family members as a “true warrior,” worked in communications according to family. He leaves behind a 3-year-old son who lives in Germany with his mother.
Mickler, who was serving his third enlistment in the Army and had previously served in Iraq, was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment out of Vilseck, Germany.
Great-uncle Roy Hollis said Mickler had always seen the Army as a way of getting out of Dayton and fulfilling his life goals.
“He realized his parents couldn’t send him to college, so the military was a good option for him,” Hollis said. “He very easily could have been a casualty of the streets, but he was determined not to be caught in Dayton.”
Hollis said Mickler started training for the military in high school and excelled as an athlete, participating in track, football and wrestling at the varsity level. He was the wrestling team captain his senior year at Trotwood-Madison. “He was a leader,” Hollis said.
Uncle Sylvester Mickler said as the oldest boy in a big family, Mickler was a role model to his younger siblings. “He loved his family, his sisters and his brothers,” he said. The family kept in touch every day via social networking.
The family expected Mickler home for a family reunion in June, which according to Sylvester Mickler, the 29-year-old was really looking forward to.
Sylvester Mickler said he was proud to see his nephew excelling in the military when he visited him in Germany a few years ago.
“He took the younger soldiers under his wing. It was really good to see him prospering,” he said.
The family said it has been hard to mourn their loss knowing that Mickler’s death may not have come at the hands of the enemy, but a fellow solider. “It’s unfortunate for everyone. The family is grieving,” Hollis said. But he said he is consoled knowing that Mickler loved serving his country and knew the risk he was taking. “He was doing what he wanted to be doing,” he said.
Army Cpl. Donald R. Mickler Jr. was killed in action on 3/19/11.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Army Master Sgt. Jamal H. Bowers
Remember Our Heroes
Army Master Sgt. Jamal H. Bowers, 41, of Raleigh, N.C.
MSgt Bowers was assigned to 6th Battalion, 4th Military Information Support Group, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died March 18, 2011 at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, as a result of a non-combat incident.
Jamal was from Raleigh, North Carolina and was assigned to 6th Battalion, 4th Military Information Support Group, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Jamal Bowers was a U.S. Marine who joined the Army in 1999 as a combat engineer. In 2001, he was qualified in psychological operations, and he had worked as an instructor at the psychological operations qualification course at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center.
He has more than 20 years of service. His son, Army Pfc. Jamal Bowers Jr. is with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group.
Jamal Bowers' awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, a posthumous Meritorious Service Medal, a Navy Achievement Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal.
He is survived by his parents, Leroy and Mary Bowers; wife, Kawana King-Bowers; son, Jamal; daughter, Surita; and stepdaughters, Clarice and Denise Kimp.
Army Master Sgt. Jamal H. Bowers died 3/18/11 of a non-combat related incident.
Army Master Sgt. Jamal H. Bowers, 41, of Raleigh, N.C.
MSgt Bowers was assigned to 6th Battalion, 4th Military Information Support Group, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died March 18, 2011 at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, as a result of a non-combat incident.
Jamal was from Raleigh, North Carolina and was assigned to 6th Battalion, 4th Military Information Support Group, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Jamal Bowers was a U.S. Marine who joined the Army in 1999 as a combat engineer. In 2001, he was qualified in psychological operations, and he had worked as an instructor at the psychological operations qualification course at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center.
He has more than 20 years of service. His son, Army Pfc. Jamal Bowers Jr. is with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group.
Jamal Bowers' awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, a posthumous Meritorious Service Medal, a Navy Achievement Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal.
He is survived by his parents, Leroy and Mary Bowers; wife, Kawana King-Bowers; son, Jamal; daughter, Surita; and stepdaughters, Clarice and Denise Kimp.
Army Master Sgt. Jamal H. Bowers died 3/18/11 of a non-combat related incident.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Meis
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Meis, 20, of Bennett, Colo.
LCpl Meis was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died March 17, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Colorado Marine Killed in Afghanistan:
A 20-year-old Marine from Bennett was killed in action Thursday while serving in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Christopher "Steele" Meis was killed while on a mission in Helmand province, according to his family.
He was a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Meis' mother, Holly, said Friday that the Bennett High graduate knew from a very early age that he wanted to serve his country.
"He was a stand up guy who knew he wanted to be a Marine since the eighth grade," she said. "He was funny, considerate, a gentleman. He loved his family. He was all about family and all about country."
Meis made good on his promise to serve in the military and enlisted in the Marines in January 2010.
"He felt like they were the best and hardest branch to get into," Holly Meis said of her son's choice. "He felt like they were the best of the best. The few, the proud."
He was deployed to Afghanistan with Operation Enduring Freedom in January. He was promoted to lance corporal on March 1, less than three weeks before he was killed.
Meis and his unit were on a mission in Helmand province when they came under fire, according to the Defense Department. During the firefight, Meis was fatally shot in the chest.
His mother said that whenever her son phoned home, he always said he had found his calling.
"He loved being a Marine," she said. "He said he was going to make a career of it, and he told me last week he was going to re-enlist. He wanted to be the front guy; he wanted to make a difference."
His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
These are the only statements released from the family at this time as they ask for privacy to deal with their loss and heart ache.
Lance Cpl. Meis is survived by his parents Christopher and Holly Meis and a brother, Hunter, 16, all of Bennett, CO.
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Meis was killed in action on 3/17/11.
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Meis, 20, of Bennett, Colo.
LCpl Meis was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died March 17, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Colorado Marine Killed in Afghanistan:
A 20-year-old Marine from Bennett was killed in action Thursday while serving in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Christopher "Steele" Meis was killed while on a mission in Helmand province, according to his family.
He was a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Meis' mother, Holly, said Friday that the Bennett High graduate knew from a very early age that he wanted to serve his country.
"He was a stand up guy who knew he wanted to be a Marine since the eighth grade," she said. "He was funny, considerate, a gentleman. He loved his family. He was all about family and all about country."
Meis made good on his promise to serve in the military and enlisted in the Marines in January 2010.
"He felt like they were the best and hardest branch to get into," Holly Meis said of her son's choice. "He felt like they were the best of the best. The few, the proud."
He was deployed to Afghanistan with Operation Enduring Freedom in January. He was promoted to lance corporal on March 1, less than three weeks before he was killed.
Meis and his unit were on a mission in Helmand province when they came under fire, according to the Defense Department. During the firefight, Meis was fatally shot in the chest.
His mother said that whenever her son phoned home, he always said he had found his calling.
"He loved being a Marine," she said. "He said he was going to make a career of it, and he told me last week he was going to re-enlist. He wanted to be the front guy; he wanted to make a difference."
His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
These are the only statements released from the family at this time as they ask for privacy to deal with their loss and heart ache.
Lance Cpl. Meis is survived by his parents Christopher and Holly Meis and a brother, Hunter, 16, all of Bennett, CO.
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Meis was killed in action on 3/17/11.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Army Staff Sgt. Travis M. Tompkins
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Travis M. Tompkins, 31, of Lawton, Okla.
SSgt Tompkins was assigned to Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.; died March 16, 2011 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained on March 15 when enemy forces attacked his unit with a rocket propelled grenade.
Travis Tompkins, who was promoted posthumously to staff sergeant, was a military police officer with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
Tompkins' awards and decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the NATO Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal, among many more, according to the Department of Defense.
He was carrying on a tradition of service in his family that dates back to World War I.
"His mother Vickie said Saturday that the main thing she wanted people who never met him to know is what a great son he was to her and what a wonderful husband he was to his wife, Candy, and their children."
Staff Sgt. Tompkins died Wednesday, March 16, 2011, in Logar Province, Afghanistan.
Burial with full military honors will be in the Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin.
He was born Nov. 26, 1979, at Fort Sill, to Leland and Vickie Tompkins. He graduated from MacArthur High School in 1999 and was very active in the Boy Scouts.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in January of 2000. He married Candice Brown on March 1, 2001, at Fort Carson, Colo..
He was currently serving as a military policeman with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2OLC), Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd Award), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
Travis was a loving husband, father and son.
Survivors include his wife, Candice, and two children: Madison and Gianna, of the home; his parents: Leland and Vickie Tompkins, of Lawton; a sister, Jenny Meek and her husband, Troy, of Fletcher; niece and nephew, Megan Meek and Dillon Meek; and his mother and father-in-law, Wendy and Tim Brown, of Lawton.
Army Staff Sgt. Travis M. Tompkins was killed in action on 3/16/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Travis M. Tompkins, 31, of Lawton, Okla.
SSgt Tompkins was assigned to Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.; died March 16, 2011 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained on March 15 when enemy forces attacked his unit with a rocket propelled grenade.
Travis Tompkins, who was promoted posthumously to staff sergeant, was a military police officer with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
Tompkins' awards and decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the NATO Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal, among many more, according to the Department of Defense.
He was carrying on a tradition of service in his family that dates back to World War I.
"His mother Vickie said Saturday that the main thing she wanted people who never met him to know is what a great son he was to her and what a wonderful husband he was to his wife, Candy, and their children."
Staff Sgt. Tompkins died Wednesday, March 16, 2011, in Logar Province, Afghanistan.
Burial with full military honors will be in the Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin.
He was born Nov. 26, 1979, at Fort Sill, to Leland and Vickie Tompkins. He graduated from MacArthur High School in 1999 and was very active in the Boy Scouts.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in January of 2000. He married Candice Brown on March 1, 2001, at Fort Carson, Colo..
He was currently serving as a military policeman with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2OLC), Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd Award), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
Travis was a loving husband, father and son.
Survivors include his wife, Candice, and two children: Madison and Gianna, of the home; his parents: Leland and Vickie Tompkins, of Lawton; a sister, Jenny Meek and her husband, Troy, of Fletcher; niece and nephew, Megan Meek and Dillon Meek; and his mother and father-in-law, Wendy and Tim Brown, of Lawton.
Army Staff Sgt. Travis M. Tompkins was killed in action on 3/16/11.
Air Force Senior Airman Michael J. Hinkle II
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Senior Airman Michael J. Hinkle II, 24, of Corona, Calif.
SAr Hinkle was assigned to the 28th Communications Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.; died March 16, 2011 due to a non-combat related incident in Southwest Asia.
A 24-year-old airman was killed during a deployment in a non-combat-related incident.
Senior Airman Michael J. Hinkle II of Corona, Calif., died Wednesday while on deployment to the Middle East. He was assigned to the 28th Communications Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. The Pentagon did not provide further details about the incident.
Hinkle was a cyber transport systems journeyman who enlisted in December 2005 and arrived at Ellsworth in November 2008, base officials told the Rapid City (S.D.) Journal.
The newspaper reported Hinkle was assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, which is widely known to operate out of Ali al Salem Air Base, Kuwait.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our fellow airman,” the Journal quoted base commander Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro. “Mike will be missed by all of us, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Air Force Senior Airman Michael J. Hinkle II was killed in a non-combat related incident on 3/16/11.
Air Force Senior Airman Michael J. Hinkle II, 24, of Corona, Calif.
SAr Hinkle was assigned to the 28th Communications Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.; died March 16, 2011 due to a non-combat related incident in Southwest Asia.
A 24-year-old airman was killed during a deployment in a non-combat-related incident.
Senior Airman Michael J. Hinkle II of Corona, Calif., died Wednesday while on deployment to the Middle East. He was assigned to the 28th Communications Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. The Pentagon did not provide further details about the incident.
Hinkle was a cyber transport systems journeyman who enlisted in December 2005 and arrived at Ellsworth in November 2008, base officials told the Rapid City (S.D.) Journal.
The newspaper reported Hinkle was assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, which is widely known to operate out of Ali al Salem Air Base, Kuwait.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our fellow airman,” the Journal quoted base commander Col. Jeffrey Taliaferro. “Mike will be missed by all of us, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Air Force Senior Airman Michael J. Hinkle II was killed in a non-combat related incident on 3/16/11.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dae Han Park
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dae Han Park, 36, of Watertown, Conn.
SFC Park was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died March 12, 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
A graduate of Watertown High School, Park enlisted in the Army in 1998 as an infantryman. He earned his ranger qualification tab in 2000, then deployed to Iraq in 2003 as a rifle squad leader, according to the Army.
In 2006, Park completed a course to join the Army's Special Forces and was assigned to his current unit as a Special Forces communications sergeant. He served in Bangladesh, Iraq, the Philippines, Cambodia, India and Afghanistan.
Park received numerous awards and decorations including the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
He is survived by his wife, Mi Kyong Park, daughters Niya and Sadie, parents Joseph and Bonnie Schneider of Thomaston, and sister and brother, Katie and Saejin of Watertown, according to the Army. He lived in Lacey, Wash.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dae Han Park was killed in action on 3/12/11.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dae Han Park, 36, of Watertown, Conn.
SFC Park was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died March 12, 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
A graduate of Watertown High School, Park enlisted in the Army in 1998 as an infantryman. He earned his ranger qualification tab in 2000, then deployed to Iraq in 2003 as a rifle squad leader, according to the Army.
In 2006, Park completed a course to join the Army's Special Forces and was assigned to his current unit as a Special Forces communications sergeant. He served in Bangladesh, Iraq, the Philippines, Cambodia, India and Afghanistan.
Park received numerous awards and decorations including the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
He is survived by his wife, Mi Kyong Park, daughters Niya and Sadie, parents Joseph and Bonnie Schneider of Thomaston, and sister and brother, Katie and Saejin of Watertown, according to the Army. He lived in Lacey, Wash.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Dae Han Park was killed in action on 3/12/11.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Marine Cpl. Ian M. Muller
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Ian M. Muller, 22, of Danville, Vt.
Cpl Muller was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died March 11, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
DANVILLE, Vt. -- Cpl. Ian Muller grew up in rural Danville, Vt. alongside five brothers and one sister. His family tells NewsChannel 5 that Ian was always the most outgoing; he was always the risk-taker.
"He was also very generous, he was strong, and he was smart," said his father, Clif Muller. "You know he was really a great marine."
Ian joined the Marine Corps in 2007 and deployed to Afghanistan in January. His brother says Ian knew the dangers.
"He said he was scared," said Ryan Muller. "He said he'd never been that scared before in his life. But he got over it. Bravery isn't the absence of fear, it's the overcoming of it, and Ian did that."
Ian was killed Friday in an IED blast. He was the point man on many missions, which meant that he was at the front of his unit, often in harms way.
"He mentioned that most of the other guys were married and had a kid, and he didn't," said his dad. "So he wanted to be on point for that reason, and he thought he was the best man for it."
"The measure of a man is somebody who does what they have to do," said Ryan Muller. "And Ian did that."
Marine Cpl. Ian M. Muller was killed in action on 3/11/11.
Marine Cpl. Ian M. Muller, 22, of Danville, Vt.
Cpl Muller was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died March 11, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
DANVILLE, Vt. -- Cpl. Ian Muller grew up in rural Danville, Vt. alongside five brothers and one sister. His family tells NewsChannel 5 that Ian was always the most outgoing; he was always the risk-taker.
"He was also very generous, he was strong, and he was smart," said his father, Clif Muller. "You know he was really a great marine."
Ian joined the Marine Corps in 2007 and deployed to Afghanistan in January. His brother says Ian knew the dangers.
"He said he was scared," said Ryan Muller. "He said he'd never been that scared before in his life. But he got over it. Bravery isn't the absence of fear, it's the overcoming of it, and Ian did that."
Ian was killed Friday in an IED blast. He was the point man on many missions, which meant that he was at the front of his unit, often in harms way.
"He mentioned that most of the other guys were married and had a kid, and he didn't," said his dad. "So he wanted to be on point for that reason, and he thought he was the best man for it."
"The measure of a man is somebody who does what they have to do," said Ryan Muller. "And Ian did that."
Marine Cpl. Ian M. Muller was killed in action on 3/11/11.
Army Pfc. Andrew M. Harper
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Andrew M. Harper, 19, of Maidsville, W. Va.
Pfc. Harper was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 11, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a noncombat incident.
Pfc. Andrew M. Harper, 19, of Maidsville, W. Va., died March 11, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
Andrew attended Nutter Fort Primary and Intermediate, Washington Irving Middle School and then transferred to South Harrison Middle School. He then went on to attend University High School where he played football, was a member of the track and wrestling teams. He graduated University High in 2009 at which time he joined the United States Army.
He obtained the rank of PFC/E3 and was currently assigned to Co I, 3d Squadron, 2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment Vilseck, Germany. In addition to sports Andrew enjoyed hunting and fishing, he was a member of the Young Life of Morgantown and attended Chestnut Ridge Church. He was also a huge Pittsburgh Steelers and WVU Mountaineer fan.
His company commander, Captain Daniel Bourke, recalled him as “one of the finest infantrymen” in his company.
Army Pfc. Andrew M. Harper was killed in a non-combat related incident on 3/11/11.
Army Pfc. Andrew M. Harper, 19, of Maidsville, W. Va.
Pfc. Harper was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 11, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a noncombat incident.
Pfc. Andrew M. Harper, 19, of Maidsville, W. Va., died March 11, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
Andrew attended Nutter Fort Primary and Intermediate, Washington Irving Middle School and then transferred to South Harrison Middle School. He then went on to attend University High School where he played football, was a member of the track and wrestling teams. He graduated University High in 2009 at which time he joined the United States Army.
He obtained the rank of PFC/E3 and was currently assigned to Co I, 3d Squadron, 2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment Vilseck, Germany. In addition to sports Andrew enjoyed hunting and fishing, he was a member of the Young Life of Morgantown and attended Chestnut Ridge Church. He was also a huge Pittsburgh Steelers and WVU Mountaineer fan.
His company commander, Captain Daniel Bourke, recalled him as “one of the finest infantrymen” in his company.
Army Pfc. Andrew M. Harper was killed in a non-combat related incident on 3/11/11.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Army Staff Sgt. Eric S. Trueblood
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Eric S. Trueblood, 27, of Alameda, Calif.
SSgt Trueblood was assigned to 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, Spinelli Barracks, Mannheim, Germany; died March 10, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
According to his own bio on his MySpace page, Eric did not finish High School, he states that he quit school, started working, got an apartment, and that he made some mistakes, and ended up joining the military to get his life back on track.
From High School drop out to the man chosen to compete for the chance of representing his brigade as the Warrior Leader of the Year, and from High School drop out to the man who graduated at the top of his class at the Naval EOD School.
He enlisted as a light wheel mechanic on May 15, 2033. He deployed to Kuwait, in February of 2004 for 12 months.
He deployed to Afghanistan in February of 2006 serving a 12-month combat tour.
On November 16, 2007 he reported to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama to receive training as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. From there he went on to advanced training as a EOD specialist.
His father Don Trueblood says “he was incredibly committed to the Army and to the EOD team in particular. He was committed to help the military accomplish their mission in Afghanistan.”
Army Staff Sgt. Eric S. Trueblood was killed in action on 3/10/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Eric S. Trueblood, 27, of Alameda, Calif.
SSgt Trueblood was assigned to 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, Spinelli Barracks, Mannheim, Germany; died March 10, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
According to his own bio on his MySpace page, Eric did not finish High School, he states that he quit school, started working, got an apartment, and that he made some mistakes, and ended up joining the military to get his life back on track.
From High School drop out to the man chosen to compete for the chance of representing his brigade as the Warrior Leader of the Year, and from High School drop out to the man who graduated at the top of his class at the Naval EOD School.
He enlisted as a light wheel mechanic on May 15, 2033. He deployed to Kuwait, in February of 2004 for 12 months.
He deployed to Afghanistan in February of 2006 serving a 12-month combat tour.
On November 16, 2007 he reported to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama to receive training as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. From there he went on to advanced training as a EOD specialist.
His father Don Trueblood says “he was incredibly committed to the Army and to the EOD team in particular. He was committed to help the military accomplish their mission in Afghanistan.”
Army Staff Sgt. Eric S. Trueblood was killed in action on 3/10/11.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Army Cpl. Loren M. Buffalo
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Loren M. Buffalo, 20, of Mountain Pine, Ark.
Cpl Buffalo was assigned to 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 9, 2011 in Kandahar province of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
The father of a Mountain Pine soldier killed in Afghanistan says his son was a dedicated military man who loved music and liked to hunt and ride horses.
Cecil Buffalo told the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record that his son comes from a family with a military service tradition. Loren's father and his uncle served in the Army, and his great-grandfather was a B-17 bomber pilot in World War II.
Senator Ross released the following statement: “We are all mourning the loss of Corporal Buffalo – a brave, American hero who put his life on the line in service to his country. A respected soldier and proud American, Cpl. Buffalo will be missed by all who knew him and we must never forget his selfless sacrifice on behalf of all Americans. Our nation is safer, stronger and freer because of patriots like Cpl. Buffalo and my thoughts and prayers are with his parents and the rest of his family and friends during this tragic time.”
A recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Buffalo is survived by his father, Cecil M. Buffalo of Mountain Pine, and his mother, Anjanette D. Buffalo of West Bend, Wisc. Buffalo was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, KY.
Army Cpl. Loren M. Buffalo was killed in action on 3/9/11.
Army Cpl. Loren M. Buffalo, 20, of Mountain Pine, Ark.
Cpl Buffalo was assigned to 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 9, 2011 in Kandahar province of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
The father of a Mountain Pine soldier killed in Afghanistan says his son was a dedicated military man who loved music and liked to hunt and ride horses.
Cecil Buffalo told the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record that his son comes from a family with a military service tradition. Loren's father and his uncle served in the Army, and his great-grandfather was a B-17 bomber pilot in World War II.
Senator Ross released the following statement: “We are all mourning the loss of Corporal Buffalo – a brave, American hero who put his life on the line in service to his country. A respected soldier and proud American, Cpl. Buffalo will be missed by all who knew him and we must never forget his selfless sacrifice on behalf of all Americans. Our nation is safer, stronger and freer because of patriots like Cpl. Buffalo and my thoughts and prayers are with his parents and the rest of his family and friends during this tragic time.”
A recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Buffalo is survived by his father, Cecil M. Buffalo of Mountain Pine, and his mother, Anjanette D. Buffalo of West Bend, Wisc. Buffalo was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, KY.
Army Cpl. Loren M. Buffalo was killed in action on 3/9/11.
Army Spc. Andrew P. Wade
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Andrew P. Wade, 22, of Antioch, Ill.
Spc Wade was assigned to 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died March 9, 2011 in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, as a result of a non-combat incident.
Wade joined the U.S. Army in September 2008. He was deployed with Operation Enduring Freedom in spring 2010. Wade's awards and decorations include the NATO medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Antioch GI Dies in Afghanistan --
Army Spc. Andrew Wade died half way around the world while serving in the Army before he could take his own trip around the world with his friends.
“My brother loved soccer, it was his life. His goal was to be a professional soccer player,” said his sister, Alicia Wade-Litchfield.
Andrew Wade graduated from Antioch High School in 2007. He played soccer and in 2005 his Sequoit team wrapped up their first North Suburban Conference Prairie Division crown with Wade assisting on one of two goals that sealed the victory. In 2006, he was named for All-Sectional Honors by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association.
“For me he was great,” said Becky Dziekan, who coached Wade at Antioch his sophomore year. She is now the assistant athletic director at Zion-Benton Township High School.
“He was an outstanding player and a great kid,” she said, “We had a special relationship and I cared a lot about him.”
Wade-Litchfield said her brother was planning a trip around the world with some friends when they were all finished in the Army.
“After that trip, he talked about possibly going back to school. His family and friends were everything to him,” she said.The family was in Delaware on Thursday to meet the plane that carried his body. Funeral arrangements will not be finalized until Saturday morning.
“He had three best friends, Eric Knauff, Brandon Rojas and Tony Smerk. He also loved his niece, Veronica Mauritz, to death and he was her world,” said Wade-Litchfield, who lives in Arizona.
Wade joined the Army in September 2008, completing basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. The infantryman arrived at Fort Drum, headquarters of the 10th Mountain Division, in April 2009, then deployed with his unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the spring of 2010.
Michael Nekritz, one of the superintendents at Antioch High School, remembered Wade as a jock who had a great smile.
“It’s tragic,” he said Thursday. “He had a lot of friends and he had a charismatic personality,” he said. “I remember him as a kid who always liked to smile. I’m proud of him serving his country.”
When Becky Dziekan arrived as a new coach at Antioch High School, the student she "latched on to" was then-sophomore Andrew Wade.
Many of the Sequoits athletes she coached in soccer for two years took to calling her "Mom," but Dziekan said she had a particularly strong bond with Wade, who would often visit her office during his lunch break.
"I kind of latched on to him when I was new to the school, and he latched on to me. He needed someone to help get him through school and things at that time," she said. "He was his own kind of person. He didn't live by anybody else's rules on what he should look like or act like."
Dziekan said she reacted with shock and disbelief when she learned that Wade died while serving in the Army in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
He'd been a two-year varsity soccer starter for Antioch High, athletic director Steve Schoenfelder said, and was one of the only juniors on the varsity team the team won the regional and division championships.
"In his senior year, we lost a lot of players," the athletic director said. "With him and a few players, we went right back to division championships. It really surprised a lot of people."
At one game in October of 2006, Wade sported a Mohawk haircut to a game, according to Chicago Tribune archives.
Schoenfelder described Wade as a unique person.
"He was independent in a positive way," Schoenfelder said. "He was a good kid. He wasn't in any standard mold".
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Monday in honor of Wade, according to New York news reports.
“On behalf of all New Yorkers I extend our condolences to the family, friends and fellow soldiers of Specialist Wade,” Cuomo said. “While this young soldier was not a native of New York, we consider all those stationed at Fort Drum as our own. We will grieve for his loss, and honor his memory.”
Army Spc. Andrew P. Wade was killed in a non-combat incident on 3/9/11.
Army Spc. Andrew P. Wade, 22, of Antioch, Ill.
Spc Wade was assigned to 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died March 9, 2011 in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, as a result of a non-combat incident.
Wade joined the U.S. Army in September 2008. He was deployed with Operation Enduring Freedom in spring 2010. Wade's awards and decorations include the NATO medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Antioch GI Dies in Afghanistan --
Army Spc. Andrew Wade died half way around the world while serving in the Army before he could take his own trip around the world with his friends.
“My brother loved soccer, it was his life. His goal was to be a professional soccer player,” said his sister, Alicia Wade-Litchfield.
Andrew Wade graduated from Antioch High School in 2007. He played soccer and in 2005 his Sequoit team wrapped up their first North Suburban Conference Prairie Division crown with Wade assisting on one of two goals that sealed the victory. In 2006, he was named for All-Sectional Honors by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association.
“For me he was great,” said Becky Dziekan, who coached Wade at Antioch his sophomore year. She is now the assistant athletic director at Zion-Benton Township High School.
“He was an outstanding player and a great kid,” she said, “We had a special relationship and I cared a lot about him.”
Wade-Litchfield said her brother was planning a trip around the world with some friends when they were all finished in the Army.
“After that trip, he talked about possibly going back to school. His family and friends were everything to him,” she said.The family was in Delaware on Thursday to meet the plane that carried his body. Funeral arrangements will not be finalized until Saturday morning.
“He had three best friends, Eric Knauff, Brandon Rojas and Tony Smerk. He also loved his niece, Veronica Mauritz, to death and he was her world,” said Wade-Litchfield, who lives in Arizona.
Wade joined the Army in September 2008, completing basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. The infantryman arrived at Fort Drum, headquarters of the 10th Mountain Division, in April 2009, then deployed with his unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the spring of 2010.
Michael Nekritz, one of the superintendents at Antioch High School, remembered Wade as a jock who had a great smile.
“It’s tragic,” he said Thursday. “He had a lot of friends and he had a charismatic personality,” he said. “I remember him as a kid who always liked to smile. I’m proud of him serving his country.”
When Becky Dziekan arrived as a new coach at Antioch High School, the student she "latched on to" was then-sophomore Andrew Wade.
Many of the Sequoits athletes she coached in soccer for two years took to calling her "Mom," but Dziekan said she had a particularly strong bond with Wade, who would often visit her office during his lunch break.
"I kind of latched on to him when I was new to the school, and he latched on to me. He needed someone to help get him through school and things at that time," she said. "He was his own kind of person. He didn't live by anybody else's rules on what he should look like or act like."
Dziekan said she reacted with shock and disbelief when she learned that Wade died while serving in the Army in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
He'd been a two-year varsity soccer starter for Antioch High, athletic director Steve Schoenfelder said, and was one of the only juniors on the varsity team the team won the regional and division championships.
"In his senior year, we lost a lot of players," the athletic director said. "With him and a few players, we went right back to division championships. It really surprised a lot of people."
At one game in October of 2006, Wade sported a Mohawk haircut to a game, according to Chicago Tribune archives.
Schoenfelder described Wade as a unique person.
"He was independent in a positive way," Schoenfelder said. "He was a good kid. He wasn't in any standard mold".
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Monday in honor of Wade, according to New York news reports.
“On behalf of all New Yorkers I extend our condolences to the family, friends and fellow soldiers of Specialist Wade,” Cuomo said. “While this young soldier was not a native of New York, we consider all those stationed at Fort Drum as our own. We will grieve for his loss, and honor his memory.”
Army Spc. Andrew P. Wade was killed in a non-combat incident on 3/9/11.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson, 19, of Lexington, S.C.
Pfc Johnson was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 8, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident.
Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson, 19, of Lexington died in Afghanistan on Tuesday of injuries suffered in a non-combat incident, the Department of Defense reported Wednesday.
“It’s just heartbreaking. It’s horrible. He had a small child,” said Christina Chandler of Lexington.
Lexington High School, where Johnson earned his diploma, has lost four graduates who died in military service since 2003. All of them were 19 years old, she said.
In addition, another Lexington 19-year-old who attended a different high school died serving in the military during that time, she said. Johnson was friends with her son, Chandler said.
His death happened in Kandahar province while he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany, the DOD said.
“I got the news directly from the regiment in Afghanistan. No other information was released,” said Dave Gettman, 2nd Cavalry Association webmaster and editor-in-chief.
A memorial ceremony for Johnson has been scheduled for March 17 at Rose Barracks Cavalry Chapel in Vilseck, Gettman reported.
Johnson was a 2009 graduate of Lexington High School, WIS-TV reported.
His Facebook page listed his hometown as Charleston.
Johnson's parents released this statement Wednesday afternoon saying the family is in mourning. "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Kalin who died serving his country."
Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson was killed in a non-combat related incident on 3/8/11.
Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson, 19, of Lexington, S.C.
Pfc Johnson was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 8, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident.
Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson, 19, of Lexington died in Afghanistan on Tuesday of injuries suffered in a non-combat incident, the Department of Defense reported Wednesday.
“It’s just heartbreaking. It’s horrible. He had a small child,” said Christina Chandler of Lexington.
Lexington High School, where Johnson earned his diploma, has lost four graduates who died in military service since 2003. All of them were 19 years old, she said.
In addition, another Lexington 19-year-old who attended a different high school died serving in the military during that time, she said. Johnson was friends with her son, Chandler said.
His death happened in Kandahar province while he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany, the DOD said.
“I got the news directly from the regiment in Afghanistan. No other information was released,” said Dave Gettman, 2nd Cavalry Association webmaster and editor-in-chief.
A memorial ceremony for Johnson has been scheduled for March 17 at Rose Barracks Cavalry Chapel in Vilseck, Gettman reported.
Johnson was a 2009 graduate of Lexington High School, WIS-TV reported.
His Facebook page listed his hometown as Charleston.
Johnson's parents released this statement Wednesday afternoon saying the family is in mourning. "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Kalin who died serving his country."
Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson was killed in a non-combat related incident on 3/8/11.
Monday, March 07, 2011
Navy Constructionman Mychael Flint
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Constructionman Mychael Flint, 21, Fort Ann, NY
FORT ANN -- He had a smile recognized by all, was a key high school soccer player, and served as a U.S. Navy sailor.
Twenty-one-year-old serviceman Mychael Flint of Fort Ann died Monday in an accident at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps training base near San Diego, said his uncle, John Winchell, also of Fort Ann.
Flint died when a military vehicle rolled over at about 8 a.m. Monday, killing him and another sailor and slightly injuring a third, said Cmdr. Greg Hicks, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 3rd Fleet.
"He always brought a smile to people's face," Winchell said.
The sailors were in a seven-ton water truck, taking part in a military exercise.
Flint was involved in a construction battalion, the Navy equivalent of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Winchell said.
He left behind his parents, Amy and Bob Pecue, and 15-year-old sister, Kaitlyn, of Fort Ann.
(Aaron Eisenhauer - aeisenhauer@poststar.com) Patriot Guard riders lead the hearse beneath a large flag hung over Main Street in Hudson Falls, as the funeral procession for Mychael Flint makes its way south on Route 4 to the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Flint grew up in Fort Ann, and graduated from high school there in 2008. He and his soccer teammates made it to the sectional championship game, winning the Class D title in 2006.
"He was a good part of the team because he kept things light," said Brian Farenell, an Adirondack soccer club coach for Flint. "He worked hard, but he made sure everyone was having fun."
His parents attended every game they could, said Winchell, whose wife is the sister of Flint's mother.
At times, Flint would give up a better grade if it meant a better laugh in a class project, said his 11th- and 12th-grade social studies teacher, Mark Cusson.
He said he remembers Flint's big smile, twinkling eyes, and the feeling he had, as his teacher, that something was up.
"He wanted it to be entertaining, he was a prankster ... but in a happy way," Cusson said.
"He was like everybody's little brother," he said. "He was very upbeat, very positive."
Flint sought out Cusson, a Navy veteran, outside of class to talk about how he would do in the Navy.
"If he put his mind to it, he did it," Winchell said.
Flint joined the Navy in 2009, and was stationed in San Diego after training in Great Lakes, Ill. and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Flint set military service as an early career goal, wore camouflage cargo pants to school events and was a recipient of the Future Veterans' Award at commencement. The award is given in honor of Fort Ann graduates who enlisted in the Armed Forces.
"We were all very proud of Mike when he joined the Navy," said Dan Ward, principal of Fort Ann High School, who also coached Flint on the junior varsity soccer team and taught him in a science class.
In snapshots taken during his high school years, Flint was fair-haired and baby-faced. He wore braces, which gleamed behind a wide smile. Flint, whose given name was Mychael, preferred to be called Mike.
"He was a good kid who only wanted to make everyone's day brighter," Ward said. "He made class entertaining. He often had something witty to say or a joke to share. He liked to make people smile."
As a soccer player, he was small for his age, and skinny. He made it up for a lack of size with a competitive nature.
"He was scrappy and played big," said Brian Farenell, who coached Flint with the Adirondack Soccer Club, where he was an all-star regional player as a striker and midfielder. "Mike wasn't afraid to mix it up with anybody. His fearlessness was what made him effective."
Flint was a member of the Fort Ann High School soccer team that won the Class D sectional title in 2006.
"If we were losing a game or were having a tough practice, Mike would crack a joke or say something funny to lift our spirits," recalled Sean Driscoll, 20, an Adirondack Soccer Club teammate. "Mike was the energizer bunny on our team. He kept us all motivated."
"He was a definite asset for the school," Cusson said. "He made the place a happier place."
FORT ANN, N.Y. – "Mike was a practical joker, he was looking for a laugh at all times," Fort Ann High School principal Dan Ward said of former student, Mychael Flint.
"He was a mischievous kid and he got braces pretty late, so that only accentuated his grin,” social studies teacher Mark Cusson said. “It was more of a grin, a big toothy grin, than a smile."
Ever the prankster, Mychael Flint left a lasting impression at the Fort Ann Central School, where he graduated from in 2008.
On Monday, the 21-year-old Navy sailor died in a training accident at Camp Pendleton in California after a vehicle he and two others were riding in rolled over.
"It's unbelievable,” Ward said. “Mike had joined the service and we were all very proud that he had made that choice. It seemed he really had the drive to be a part of something special and serve his country and to lose him after made that great choice is pretty heartbreaking."
A Navy spokesperson confirmed Flint and one other sailor, Daniel Shirar, 27, of Baytown, Texas, died in the accident Monday and that one other was injured.
Flint joined the Navy in 2009 following high school, where he played varsity soccer for two years.
"I know the family really well,” Fort Ann boys soccer coach Rich McCabe said. “His uncle also played for me and all of his cousins and our hearts go out to the whole family. It's a terrible tragedy."
Each teacher at the school has their own memory of Flint. Ward remembers the time he hammed it up at a pep rally before a big soccer match.
"It was very entertaining for everybody there,” said Ward, who keeps a photo of Flint’s performance in his office. “He really laid it out on the line and performed for everybody there and gave everybody a great laugh."
Social studies teacher Mark Cusson, himself a Navy veteran, says he remembers lots of little things, but it's a letter Mike wrote him before graduation he holds most dear.
"Dear Mark, and he never called me Mark, he was just being funny,” said Cusson as he recited Flint’s letter, which he keeps posted on a wall in his classroom with letters from other students.
“The past few years have been wonderful. I would like to thank you for the great and fun times we've had together. You've made me the mature adult that I am - not - today. Love, Mike Flint."
"It tears me up,” Cusson added. “I guess I would consider myself fortunate that I did get the opportunity to tell him that I'm very proud of him and continue to be. I'm very proud of Mike."
Navy Constructionman Mychael Flint was killed in a training accident on 3/7/11.
Navy Constructionman Mychael Flint, 21, Fort Ann, NY
FORT ANN -- He had a smile recognized by all, was a key high school soccer player, and served as a U.S. Navy sailor.
Twenty-one-year-old serviceman Mychael Flint of Fort Ann died Monday in an accident at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps training base near San Diego, said his uncle, John Winchell, also of Fort Ann.
Flint died when a military vehicle rolled over at about 8 a.m. Monday, killing him and another sailor and slightly injuring a third, said Cmdr. Greg Hicks, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 3rd Fleet.
"He always brought a smile to people's face," Winchell said.
The sailors were in a seven-ton water truck, taking part in a military exercise.
Flint was involved in a construction battalion, the Navy equivalent of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Winchell said.
He left behind his parents, Amy and Bob Pecue, and 15-year-old sister, Kaitlyn, of Fort Ann.
Flint grew up in Fort Ann, and graduated from high school there in 2008. He and his soccer teammates made it to the sectional championship game, winning the Class D title in 2006.
"He was a good part of the team because he kept things light," said Brian Farenell, an Adirondack soccer club coach for Flint. "He worked hard, but he made sure everyone was having fun."
His parents attended every game they could, said Winchell, whose wife is the sister of Flint's mother.
At times, Flint would give up a better grade if it meant a better laugh in a class project, said his 11th- and 12th-grade social studies teacher, Mark Cusson.
He said he remembers Flint's big smile, twinkling eyes, and the feeling he had, as his teacher, that something was up.
"He wanted it to be entertaining, he was a prankster ... but in a happy way," Cusson said.
"He was like everybody's little brother," he said. "He was very upbeat, very positive."
Flint sought out Cusson, a Navy veteran, outside of class to talk about how he would do in the Navy.
"If he put his mind to it, he did it," Winchell said.
Flint joined the Navy in 2009, and was stationed in San Diego after training in Great Lakes, Ill. and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Flint set military service as an early career goal, wore camouflage cargo pants to school events and was a recipient of the Future Veterans' Award at commencement. The award is given in honor of Fort Ann graduates who enlisted in the Armed Forces.
"We were all very proud of Mike when he joined the Navy," said Dan Ward, principal of Fort Ann High School, who also coached Flint on the junior varsity soccer team and taught him in a science class.
In snapshots taken during his high school years, Flint was fair-haired and baby-faced. He wore braces, which gleamed behind a wide smile. Flint, whose given name was Mychael, preferred to be called Mike.
"He was a good kid who only wanted to make everyone's day brighter," Ward said. "He made class entertaining. He often had something witty to say or a joke to share. He liked to make people smile."
As a soccer player, he was small for his age, and skinny. He made it up for a lack of size with a competitive nature.
"He was scrappy and played big," said Brian Farenell, who coached Flint with the Adirondack Soccer Club, where he was an all-star regional player as a striker and midfielder. "Mike wasn't afraid to mix it up with anybody. His fearlessness was what made him effective."
Flint was a member of the Fort Ann High School soccer team that won the Class D sectional title in 2006.
"If we were losing a game or were having a tough practice, Mike would crack a joke or say something funny to lift our spirits," recalled Sean Driscoll, 20, an Adirondack Soccer Club teammate. "Mike was the energizer bunny on our team. He kept us all motivated."
"He was a definite asset for the school," Cusson said. "He made the place a happier place."
FORT ANN, N.Y. – "Mike was a practical joker, he was looking for a laugh at all times," Fort Ann High School principal Dan Ward said of former student, Mychael Flint.
"He was a mischievous kid and he got braces pretty late, so that only accentuated his grin,” social studies teacher Mark Cusson said. “It was more of a grin, a big toothy grin, than a smile."
Ever the prankster, Mychael Flint left a lasting impression at the Fort Ann Central School, where he graduated from in 2008.
On Monday, the 21-year-old Navy sailor died in a training accident at Camp Pendleton in California after a vehicle he and two others were riding in rolled over.
"It's unbelievable,” Ward said. “Mike had joined the service and we were all very proud that he had made that choice. It seemed he really had the drive to be a part of something special and serve his country and to lose him after made that great choice is pretty heartbreaking."
A Navy spokesperson confirmed Flint and one other sailor, Daniel Shirar, 27, of Baytown, Texas, died in the accident Monday and that one other was injured.
Flint joined the Navy in 2009 following high school, where he played varsity soccer for two years.
"I know the family really well,” Fort Ann boys soccer coach Rich McCabe said. “His uncle also played for me and all of his cousins and our hearts go out to the whole family. It's a terrible tragedy."
Each teacher at the school has their own memory of Flint. Ward remembers the time he hammed it up at a pep rally before a big soccer match.
"It was very entertaining for everybody there,” said Ward, who keeps a photo of Flint’s performance in his office. “He really laid it out on the line and performed for everybody there and gave everybody a great laugh."
Social studies teacher Mark Cusson, himself a Navy veteran, says he remembers lots of little things, but it's a letter Mike wrote him before graduation he holds most dear.
"Dear Mark, and he never called me Mark, he was just being funny,” said Cusson as he recited Flint’s letter, which he keeps posted on a wall in his classroom with letters from other students.
“The past few years have been wonderful. I would like to thank you for the great and fun times we've had together. You've made me the mature adult that I am - not - today. Love, Mike Flint."
"It tears me up,” Cusson added. “I guess I would consider myself fortunate that I did get the opportunity to tell him that I'm very proud of him and continue to be. I'm very proud of Mike."
Navy Constructionman Mychael Flint was killed in a training accident on 3/7/11.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Army Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells, 31, of San Jose, Calif.
SSgt Wells was assigned to 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died March 5, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – A soldier from the South Bay was killed over the weekend in Afghanistan when he stepped on a hidden bomb.
The Defense Department said Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells of San Jose died Saturday in Helmand province. The 31-year-old was assigned to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
Wells joined the Army shortly after graduating from Leigh High School. He started his tour in Afghanistan in August, after serving 14 months in Iraq.
Burl Wells said his son was fearless and always reminded the family that he loved being a member of the bomb squad. He also used to play the bag pipes at the funerals of other soldiers.
Staff Sgt. Mark Christopher Wells looked forward to being part of a family of four.
He and his wife, Danielle, have a 2-year-old son, and she is eight months pregnant.
"Family was very important to him," said his aunt Patti Stewart.
Wells, 31, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, was killed Saturday by a bomb in Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Wells was assigned to the 303rd Ordnance Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command at Schofield Barracks since July 2008.
"It so breaks my heart," said his father, Burl Wells, in a tearful telephone interview. "That little boy loves him so much, and that little girl who is coming won't get to know her daddy."
"Mark was an unbelievable father," Wells said.
Mark Wells was born and raised in San Jose, Calif., where he grew up with three older sisters. He enlisted in the Army in December 2003.
Soon after, he deployed to Iraq for a 14-month tour until February 2005. In August he deployed to Afghanistan for a yearlong tour.
Wells' father described him as a fearless and caring leader who was passionate about his bomb disposal mission.
"He would say, 'Dad, I know it's dangerous. Just know that I love what I'm doing,'" his father said by phone yesterday from Dover Air Force Base, Del., where he and his wife, Sharon, awaited the arrival of their son's body.
He was adventurous and enjoyed sky diving, scuba diving and rock climbing, Wells' father said.
"He liked to do it all," he added.
Wells met his wife, who was serving in the Navy, while they were stationed in Hawaii, and they were married here. While Wells was deployed in Afghanistan, his wife moved back to Arizona to be close to family.
Wells enjoyed family get-togethers on St. Patrick's Day for home-cooked corned beef and cabbage and Guinness beer, his father recalled.
"Mark loved everything Irish," he said.
Services will be held on St. Patrick's Day in Phoenix with bagpipe music.
A bagpipe player himself, Wells was called upon to play for fallen soldiers in Iraq, his father said.
"He loved his country. He loved the Army. And I'll miss him forever."
"He was very patriotic," said Wells' aunt, Patti Stewart of Carson City, Nev. "He loved his country. He believed in serving. My father was that way too."
Stewart also credited her nephew with being a "good husband and a great father." Wells was also the youngest in the family, with three older sisters.
Staff Sgt. Wells is survived by son wife Danielle, 2 year old son Finnegan and their unborn daughter, his parents Burl and Sharon Wells as well as sisters Angeline Jesse, Sheila Blue and Shannon McCarn.
Army Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells was killed in action on 3/5/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells, 31, of San Jose, Calif.
SSgt Wells was assigned to 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died March 5, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – A soldier from the South Bay was killed over the weekend in Afghanistan when he stepped on a hidden bomb.
The Defense Department said Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells of San Jose died Saturday in Helmand province. The 31-year-old was assigned to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
Wells joined the Army shortly after graduating from Leigh High School. He started his tour in Afghanistan in August, after serving 14 months in Iraq.
Burl Wells said his son was fearless and always reminded the family that he loved being a member of the bomb squad. He also used to play the bag pipes at the funerals of other soldiers.
Staff Sgt. Mark Christopher Wells looked forward to being part of a family of four.
He and his wife, Danielle, have a 2-year-old son, and she is eight months pregnant.
"Family was very important to him," said his aunt Patti Stewart.
Wells, 31, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, was killed Saturday by a bomb in Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Wells was assigned to the 303rd Ordnance Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command at Schofield Barracks since July 2008.
"It so breaks my heart," said his father, Burl Wells, in a tearful telephone interview. "That little boy loves him so much, and that little girl who is coming won't get to know her daddy."
"Mark was an unbelievable father," Wells said.
Mark Wells was born and raised in San Jose, Calif., where he grew up with three older sisters. He enlisted in the Army in December 2003.
Soon after, he deployed to Iraq for a 14-month tour until February 2005. In August he deployed to Afghanistan for a yearlong tour.
Wells' father described him as a fearless and caring leader who was passionate about his bomb disposal mission.
"He would say, 'Dad, I know it's dangerous. Just know that I love what I'm doing,'" his father said by phone yesterday from Dover Air Force Base, Del., where he and his wife, Sharon, awaited the arrival of their son's body.
He was adventurous and enjoyed sky diving, scuba diving and rock climbing, Wells' father said.
"He liked to do it all," he added.
Wells met his wife, who was serving in the Navy, while they were stationed in Hawaii, and they were married here. While Wells was deployed in Afghanistan, his wife moved back to Arizona to be close to family.
Wells enjoyed family get-togethers on St. Patrick's Day for home-cooked corned beef and cabbage and Guinness beer, his father recalled.
"Mark loved everything Irish," he said.
Services will be held on St. Patrick's Day in Phoenix with bagpipe music.
A bagpipe player himself, Wells was called upon to play for fallen soldiers in Iraq, his father said.
"He loved his country. He loved the Army. And I'll miss him forever."
"He was very patriotic," said Wells' aunt, Patti Stewart of Carson City, Nev. "He loved his country. He believed in serving. My father was that way too."
Stewart also credited her nephew with being a "good husband and a great father." Wells was also the youngest in the family, with three older sisters.
Staff Sgt. Wells is survived by son wife Danielle, 2 year old son Finnegan and their unborn daughter, his parents Burl and Sharon Wells as well as sisters Angeline Jesse, Sheila Blue and Shannon McCarn.
Army Staff Sgt. Mark C. Wells was killed in action on 3/5/11.
Friday, March 04, 2011
Marine Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton, 20, of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Cpl Stanton was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died March 4, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Since his deployment to Afghanistan in November, Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton was only able to speak to his father twice, most recently a week ago.
"I got a satellite call from him Wednesday morning, for just two or three minutes," Robert Stanton said. "I got to tell him I love him, and it was great. He was happy." Jordan Stanton shared a few brief moments by phone that day with his father, mother and fiancée.
Two days later, on Friday, Jordan Stanton was killed during combat operations in Helmand Province.
Stanton, 20, joined the Marine Corps in April 2008. He enrolled early, just before his 2008 graduation from Trabuco Hills High School. Stanton had applied to several different colleges – and was accepted to all – but his heart was set on joining the military, his father said.
Jordan Stanton first expressed interest in the military when he was 15 years old and began researching the different branches. Stanton had looked up to his maternal grandfather Jim Reynolds, a Vietnam veteran, as a hero and an inspiration. And though his parents didn't know it at the time, their son had also befriended a retired naval captain at the gym whom he viewed as a mentor.
"He knew he wanted to do this," Robert Stanton said. "He wanted to do something special, on his own. He was a little older than his years in high school – he matured a little faster."
Preparation to become a U.S. Marine is physically strenuous, but Jordan Stanton was a natural-born athlete. He played baseball, football and wrestled, and even tried skateboarding and sports in between. Though he was extremely skilled in sports, said his father, he wouldn't let his athleticism define him, eventually breaking away from sports to pursue "a more certain path."
His athletic strength was but one of the qualities friends and family remember about the Marine. He always had a smile on his face, with a fun-loving personality people couldn't help but gravitate toward. He was simply an all-American kid full of energy and life.
Jordan Stanton was well-liked in school. Childhood friend Zach Vosough said he always enjoyed seeing his buddy because "you couldn't hang out with Jordan Stanton and not have a good time." Beyond his easygoing nature, Stanton was incredibly trustworthy and faithful, Vosough said. He was not one to leave commitments unfulfilled.
"He was always incredibly disciplined even before he was in the Marines," Vosough said. "He's someone who knew what he wanted and would do what it took to go get it."
Jordan Stanton attended boot camp and was stationed at Camp Pendleton until fall 2009 when he was permanently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was promoted to corporal on July 1.
He became an assistant team leader – a very natural position for him, his father said – assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. Jordan Stanton was sent to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom on his first deployment in November.
He has been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
But despite his accomplishments, Jordan Stanton was humble, said his father.
"It's the people who are alive and left behind who are Marines out there – or airmen, or soldiers – who really deserve the attention right now," Robert Stanton said. "My son would be angry if we gave him too much."
In his immediate family, Jordan Stanton is survived by his father, Robert, his mother, Joyce, his brothers Ryan, Ethan and Cole, and his fiancée Julie Dickson.
Marine Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton was killed in action on 3/4/11.
Marine Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton, 20, of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Cpl Stanton was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died March 4, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Since his deployment to Afghanistan in November, Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton was only able to speak to his father twice, most recently a week ago.
"I got a satellite call from him Wednesday morning, for just two or three minutes," Robert Stanton said. "I got to tell him I love him, and it was great. He was happy." Jordan Stanton shared a few brief moments by phone that day with his father, mother and fiancée.
Two days later, on Friday, Jordan Stanton was killed during combat operations in Helmand Province.
Stanton, 20, joined the Marine Corps in April 2008. He enrolled early, just before his 2008 graduation from Trabuco Hills High School. Stanton had applied to several different colleges – and was accepted to all – but his heart was set on joining the military, his father said.
Jordan Stanton first expressed interest in the military when he was 15 years old and began researching the different branches. Stanton had looked up to his maternal grandfather Jim Reynolds, a Vietnam veteran, as a hero and an inspiration. And though his parents didn't know it at the time, their son had also befriended a retired naval captain at the gym whom he viewed as a mentor.
"He knew he wanted to do this," Robert Stanton said. "He wanted to do something special, on his own. He was a little older than his years in high school – he matured a little faster."
Preparation to become a U.S. Marine is physically strenuous, but Jordan Stanton was a natural-born athlete. He played baseball, football and wrestled, and even tried skateboarding and sports in between. Though he was extremely skilled in sports, said his father, he wouldn't let his athleticism define him, eventually breaking away from sports to pursue "a more certain path."
His athletic strength was but one of the qualities friends and family remember about the Marine. He always had a smile on his face, with a fun-loving personality people couldn't help but gravitate toward. He was simply an all-American kid full of energy and life.
Jordan Stanton was well-liked in school. Childhood friend Zach Vosough said he always enjoyed seeing his buddy because "you couldn't hang out with Jordan Stanton and not have a good time." Beyond his easygoing nature, Stanton was incredibly trustworthy and faithful, Vosough said. He was not one to leave commitments unfulfilled.
"He was always incredibly disciplined even before he was in the Marines," Vosough said. "He's someone who knew what he wanted and would do what it took to go get it."
Jordan Stanton attended boot camp and was stationed at Camp Pendleton until fall 2009 when he was permanently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was promoted to corporal on July 1.
He became an assistant team leader – a very natural position for him, his father said – assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. Jordan Stanton was sent to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom on his first deployment in November.
He has been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
But despite his accomplishments, Jordan Stanton was humble, said his father.
"It's the people who are alive and left behind who are Marines out there – or airmen, or soldiers – who really deserve the attention right now," Robert Stanton said. "My son would be angry if we gave him too much."
In his immediate family, Jordan Stanton is survived by his father, Robert, his mother, Joyce, his brothers Ryan, Ethan and Cole, and his fiancée Julie Dickson.
Marine Cpl. Jordan R. Stanton was killed in action on 3/4/11.
Army Sgt. Adam D. Craig
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Adam D. Craig, 23, of Cherokee, Iowa
Sgt Craig was assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa National Guard, Sioux City, Iowa; died March 4, 2011 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of cancer. He had been deployed to Afghanistan prior to being diagnosed.
Deployed to Afghanistan prior to being diagnosed with cancer, Sgt Craig, with his family by his side, died March 4, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Sgt Craig graduated from Washington High School in 2006. He enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in December of 2004.
Sgt Craig's 20 year old sister, Abby is also enlisted with the Iowa National Guard. She is with the 334th Brigade Support Battalion of Storm Lake, Iowa, attached to the 1-134th Cavalry Squadron, Nebraska Army National Guard.
Both brother and sister deployed to Afghanistan on the same day last November and their father Daniel Craig was praying they would finish their jobs and return home safely. Instead, Adam came back stateside in December.
Sgt Craig was out in the field when a medic thought Craig had appendicitis. Adam was rushed to the base hospital on December 5 where a white blood cell count showed something was wrong. He was sent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany on the 9th and on the 12th, was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. From there, he was transferred to cancer center at Bethesda's Naval Medical Center.
Once at Bethesda, Adam's family was told of the desmoplastic small round cell tumors which were in his pelvis, on both sides of his diaphragm and in his kidneys. The doctors told the family that the cancer was incurable and his prognosis was one to three years. He died 3 months later.
Sgt Craig's family released this statement:
"Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure. He was a loving and caring son, brother, husband, soldier, grandson, nephew, cousin, son-in-law and all-around friend. Adam's unique sense of humor and caring smile will be missed by all. His love for children and life in general will leave an impact on all who knew him.
Sgt Craig is survived by his wife, Hailey, his mother, Pam, his father, Dan, sister, Abigail, and half sisters, Brianna and Madison Craig.
Sgt. Adam Daniel Craig was buried on March 12th at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee, Iowa
Army Sgt. Adam D. Craig, 23, of Cherokee, Iowa
Sgt Craig was assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa National Guard, Sioux City, Iowa; died March 4, 2011 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of cancer. He had been deployed to Afghanistan prior to being diagnosed.
Deployed to Afghanistan prior to being diagnosed with cancer, Sgt Craig, with his family by his side, died March 4, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Sgt Craig graduated from Washington High School in 2006. He enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in December of 2004.
Sgt Craig's 20 year old sister, Abby is also enlisted with the Iowa National Guard. She is with the 334th Brigade Support Battalion of Storm Lake, Iowa, attached to the 1-134th Cavalry Squadron, Nebraska Army National Guard.
Both brother and sister deployed to Afghanistan on the same day last November and their father Daniel Craig was praying they would finish their jobs and return home safely. Instead, Adam came back stateside in December.
Sgt Craig was out in the field when a medic thought Craig had appendicitis. Adam was rushed to the base hospital on December 5 where a white blood cell count showed something was wrong. He was sent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany on the 9th and on the 12th, was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. From there, he was transferred to cancer center at Bethesda's Naval Medical Center.
Once at Bethesda, Adam's family was told of the desmoplastic small round cell tumors which were in his pelvis, on both sides of his diaphragm and in his kidneys. The doctors told the family that the cancer was incurable and his prognosis was one to three years. He died 3 months later.
Sgt Craig's family released this statement:
"Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure. He was a loving and caring son, brother, husband, soldier, grandson, nephew, cousin, son-in-law and all-around friend. Adam's unique sense of humor and caring smile will be missed by all. His love for children and life in general will leave an impact on all who knew him.
Sgt Craig is survived by his wife, Hailey, his mother, Pam, his father, Dan, sister, Abigail, and half sisters, Brianna and Madison Craig.
Sgt. Adam Daniel Craig was buried on March 12th at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee, Iowa
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Army Sgt. Jason M. Weaver
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Jason M. Weaver, 22, of Anaheim, Calif.
Sgt Weaver was assigned to 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died March 3, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
Spc. Jason M. Weaver was the soldier in the lead when his squad went on foot patrols through the streets of Kandahar, in southeastern Afghanistan. It was a dangerous position in a dangerous place, but Weaver volunteered for it.
Weaver, 22, of Anaheim, died last week in the explosion of an improvised explosive during one of those foot patrols. He was on his first overseas deployment, and was looking forward to coming home in three months.
"He knew it was a dangerous job" to be the point man on foot patrol, his friend Spc. Brian Gabel said in an Army account. "But that's the kind of guy he was: the kind who wanted to lead the way for his team and be there to protect them if they were in danger."
Weaver graduated from El Dorado High School in Placentia in 2007 and enlisted in the U.S. Army a few months later. He was assigned to the 170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
He deployed to Afghanistan in June 2010, according to Army records. He wrote on his Facebook page that he expected to be home again in June – back in Orange County. "I love it down there; its got everything and more," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Weaver "set the tone" on patrols by building good relationships with Afghan villagers, the commander of his combat team recalled at a weekend memorial in Afghanistan, according to the Army account. A video posted online shows him playfully shaking hands with Afghan children.
He posted a picture of himself tousling the hair of a crying child; a friend wrote that the child didn't seem to like him much. "Lol no he didn't until I pulled out a piece of gum and then he was the happiest lil dude ever," Weaver wrote back.
Attempts to reach Weaver's friends and family were unsuccessful.
The Army promoted Weaver to the rank of sergeant after his death on March 3. He earned 10 medals and other awards during his service, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and medals for participating in the Afghanistan campaign and the Global War on Terror.
"I knew Jason for about 2 years," Gabel wrote in a video he posted online to celebrate Weaver's life. "In that time he became more than a life long friend to me but a brother. I miss him more and more everyday. See you in the afterlife. I love you."
Army Sgt. Jason M. Weaver was killed in action on 3/3/11.
Army Sgt. Jason M. Weaver, 22, of Anaheim, Calif.
Sgt Weaver was assigned to 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died March 3, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
Spc. Jason M. Weaver was the soldier in the lead when his squad went on foot patrols through the streets of Kandahar, in southeastern Afghanistan. It was a dangerous position in a dangerous place, but Weaver volunteered for it.
Weaver, 22, of Anaheim, died last week in the explosion of an improvised explosive during one of those foot patrols. He was on his first overseas deployment, and was looking forward to coming home in three months.
"He knew it was a dangerous job" to be the point man on foot patrol, his friend Spc. Brian Gabel said in an Army account. "But that's the kind of guy he was: the kind who wanted to lead the way for his team and be there to protect them if they were in danger."
Weaver graduated from El Dorado High School in Placentia in 2007 and enlisted in the U.S. Army a few months later. He was assigned to the 170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion, 42nd Military Police Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
He deployed to Afghanistan in June 2010, according to Army records. He wrote on his Facebook page that he expected to be home again in June – back in Orange County. "I love it down there; its got everything and more," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Weaver "set the tone" on patrols by building good relationships with Afghan villagers, the commander of his combat team recalled at a weekend memorial in Afghanistan, according to the Army account. A video posted online shows him playfully shaking hands with Afghan children.
He posted a picture of himself tousling the hair of a crying child; a friend wrote that the child didn't seem to like him much. "Lol no he didn't until I pulled out a piece of gum and then he was the happiest lil dude ever," Weaver wrote back.
Attempts to reach Weaver's friends and family were unsuccessful.
The Army promoted Weaver to the rank of sergeant after his death on March 3. He earned 10 medals and other awards during his service, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and medals for participating in the Afghanistan campaign and the Global War on Terror.
"I knew Jason for about 2 years," Gabel wrote in a video he posted online to celebrate Weaver's life. "In that time he became more than a life long friend to me but a brother. I miss him more and more everyday. See you in the afterlife. I love you."
Army Sgt. Jason M. Weaver was killed in action on 3/3/11.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Airforce Airman 1st Class Zachary Ryan Cuddeback
Remember Our Heroes
The family of Airman 1st Class Zachary Ryan Cuddeback, one of two U.S. airmen who were killed at a German airport last week, will lay their loved one to rest this weekend in the area where he was born just 21 years ago.
Cuddeback's family, which said he will always be remembered as "boisterous, impulsive and loving," will bury Cuddeback, who was born July 6, 1989, at Scott Air Force Base, next to his grandfather, Cecil O. Loyet.
According to his family, he had a passion for fixing cars and playing hockey. He also loved his younger brother, Tim, as well as the lifelong brothers he made in the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., where he attended school for a year and played on the school's hockey team.
"Zac's love of the Air Force, cars, hockey, (Old Dominion University) and (Kappa Delta Rho) were paramount in his life," according to a Cuddeback family statement. "He always had a smile on his face for everyone, but had no closer friend than his brother Tim."
Cuddeback and Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, of South Carolina, were killed Tuesday in a Frankfort, Germany, airport when 21-year-old Arid Uka, an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo who had lived in Germany for years, shot them during an attack on a busload of 16 airmen headed to a nearby base before they deployed to Afghanistan to serve a tour of duty.
Uka, who told authorities he planned the attack "as revenge for the American mission in Afghanistan," was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
His obituary
Cuddeback, Zachary Ryan, A1C Airman First Class and Hockey Player Extraordinaire Zachary Ryan Cuddeback's life was ended abruptly on March 2, 2011 while serving his nation in the Republic of Germany. Zac was an Army brat that called many places his home, but had a special place in his heart for St. Louis, Missouri. In 2008, Zachary graduated high school from William Monroe High School in Stanardsville, Virginia. After a year at Old Dominion University, where Zac played on the ODU Monarch's Ice Hockey Team, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 2009. Zac was a regular at the Charlottesville Ice Park. His love of the Air Force, Cars, and Hockey were paramount in his life. Zac always had a smile on his face for everyone, but had no closer friend than his brother Tim. Zac will be remembered by his family and friends as an automobile enthusiast and for his love of the game of hockey. His mother, De Loyet, father, Bob Cuddeback, and brother and best friend, Tim Cuddeback, will miss him sorely. Services: A Celebration Memorial Service will be conducted on March 9, 2011 from 1-3 p.m. at the Charlottesville, VA Main Street Arena (Ice Park). Please come as you are, but we know Zac would appreciate everyone dressing casual/comfortable such as in jeans and a hockey sweater or any sports or military oriented shirt. His favorite teams are the St Louis Blues and Rams!
Cuddeback is survived by his mother, Celia De Loyet, his father, Bob Cuddeback, his brother and best friend, Tim Cuddeback and his puppy, Einstein.
The family of Airman 1st Class Zachary Ryan Cuddeback, one of two U.S. airmen who were killed at a German airport last week, will lay their loved one to rest this weekend in the area where he was born just 21 years ago.
Cuddeback's family, which said he will always be remembered as "boisterous, impulsive and loving," will bury Cuddeback, who was born July 6, 1989, at Scott Air Force Base, next to his grandfather, Cecil O. Loyet.
According to his family, he had a passion for fixing cars and playing hockey. He also loved his younger brother, Tim, as well as the lifelong brothers he made in the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., where he attended school for a year and played on the school's hockey team.
"Zac's love of the Air Force, cars, hockey, (Old Dominion University) and (Kappa Delta Rho) were paramount in his life," according to a Cuddeback family statement. "He always had a smile on his face for everyone, but had no closer friend than his brother Tim."
Cuddeback and Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, of South Carolina, were killed Tuesday in a Frankfort, Germany, airport when 21-year-old Arid Uka, an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo who had lived in Germany for years, shot them during an attack on a busload of 16 airmen headed to a nearby base before they deployed to Afghanistan to serve a tour of duty.
Uka, who told authorities he planned the attack "as revenge for the American mission in Afghanistan," was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
His obituary
Cuddeback, Zachary Ryan, A1C Airman First Class and Hockey Player Extraordinaire Zachary Ryan Cuddeback's life was ended abruptly on March 2, 2011 while serving his nation in the Republic of Germany. Zac was an Army brat that called many places his home, but had a special place in his heart for St. Louis, Missouri. In 2008, Zachary graduated high school from William Monroe High School in Stanardsville, Virginia. After a year at Old Dominion University, where Zac played on the ODU Monarch's Ice Hockey Team, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 2009. Zac was a regular at the Charlottesville Ice Park. His love of the Air Force, Cars, and Hockey were paramount in his life. Zac always had a smile on his face for everyone, but had no closer friend than his brother Tim. Zac will be remembered by his family and friends as an automobile enthusiast and for his love of the game of hockey. His mother, De Loyet, father, Bob Cuddeback, and brother and best friend, Tim Cuddeback, will miss him sorely. Services: A Celebration Memorial Service will be conducted on March 9, 2011 from 1-3 p.m. at the Charlottesville, VA Main Street Arena (Ice Park). Please come as you are, but we know Zac would appreciate everyone dressing casual/comfortable such as in jeans and a hockey sweater or any sports or military oriented shirt. His favorite teams are the St Louis Blues and Rams!
Cuddeback is survived by his mother, Celia De Loyet, his father, Bob Cuddeback, his brother and best friend, Tim Cuddeback and his puppy, Einstein.
Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, of Williamston, S.C.
Senior Airman Alden was assigned to 48th Security Forces Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom; died March 2, 2011 as a result of a shooting at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, while en route to Afghanistan.
One of two United States airmen killed Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on an American military bus at the Frankfurt airport in Germany was from Williamston.
According to news reports, Nick Alden, 25 and another airman were killed and two others wounded by a 21 year old man who German authorities said was from Kosovo. According to reports, Alden was fatally shot while he and other airmen were on a U. S. Air Force bus carrying 15 airmen.
The airmen, who were based at the Lakenheath airfield in eastern England, had just arrived from London and were going from Frankfurt to an American military base at Ramstein, and then were to deploy to Afghanistan.
Alden was born in Germany to military parents and lived with his parents in Indiana before moving to South Carolina about 10 years ago. He graduated Palmetto High and joined the U. S. Air Force four years ago.
"There's no greater price you can pay than serving your country and certainly giving your life for that is the ultimate price. On behalf of the school we are extremely proud of him for taking that stand. We have a good number of young people that go into the military and I think Nick is a role model here, excellent for our young people to see and proud of what he has done for our country and say thank you,"said Palmetto High Principal Dr. Mason Gary.
Gary said, although he has not seen Alden in several years, he still remembers what a great kid he was, and he always expected great things from him.
"Nick was a very quiet kid, a good young man, a nice young man," Gary said. "It's a sad day for our Palmetto High School family. I'm very proud of Nick and his service to our country. Our prayers and our sympathies go out to his family."
Gary said he had been told that Alden confronted the gunman during the shootings. "That’s something he would have done anyway; that was his job," Garner said.
Cathy Garner told The Associated Press on Thursday that her son, Nick Alden, of Williamston, found out about a month ago he would be deployed to Afghanistan. The airman previously served a six-month tour in Iraq.
Garner said her son always wanted to be a police officer growing up. Both she and her ex-husband are U.S. Army veterans, and she said Alden's decision to become a member of the U.S. Air Force Security Forces was a perfect fit.
"He was a fun boy, a loving boy growing up, and he became a good man," Garner said.
Garner said her son was a loving father and devoted husband.
"The fact that some fanatic -- because we don’t believe the way they believe -- could take the life of my son, who is protecting his country and the rights of those of us who enjoy a free world, that makes me very angry," Garner said.
His mother, Cathy Garner, is an English teacher at Starr-Iva Middle School. Alden is survived by his wife, Trish and two young children who have been living in England.
Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden was killed on 3/2/11.
Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, of Williamston, S.C.
Senior Airman Alden was assigned to 48th Security Forces Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom; died March 2, 2011 as a result of a shooting at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, while en route to Afghanistan.
One of two United States airmen killed Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on an American military bus at the Frankfurt airport in Germany was from Williamston.
According to news reports, Nick Alden, 25 and another airman were killed and two others wounded by a 21 year old man who German authorities said was from Kosovo. According to reports, Alden was fatally shot while he and other airmen were on a U. S. Air Force bus carrying 15 airmen.
The airmen, who were based at the Lakenheath airfield in eastern England, had just arrived from London and were going from Frankfurt to an American military base at Ramstein, and then were to deploy to Afghanistan.
Alden was born in Germany to military parents and lived with his parents in Indiana before moving to South Carolina about 10 years ago. He graduated Palmetto High and joined the U. S. Air Force four years ago.
"There's no greater price you can pay than serving your country and certainly giving your life for that is the ultimate price. On behalf of the school we are extremely proud of him for taking that stand. We have a good number of young people that go into the military and I think Nick is a role model here, excellent for our young people to see and proud of what he has done for our country and say thank you,"said Palmetto High Principal Dr. Mason Gary.
Gary said, although he has not seen Alden in several years, he still remembers what a great kid he was, and he always expected great things from him.
"Nick was a very quiet kid, a good young man, a nice young man," Gary said. "It's a sad day for our Palmetto High School family. I'm very proud of Nick and his service to our country. Our prayers and our sympathies go out to his family."
Gary said he had been told that Alden confronted the gunman during the shootings. "That’s something he would have done anyway; that was his job," Garner said.
Cathy Garner told The Associated Press on Thursday that her son, Nick Alden, of Williamston, found out about a month ago he would be deployed to Afghanistan. The airman previously served a six-month tour in Iraq.
Garner said her son always wanted to be a police officer growing up. Both she and her ex-husband are U.S. Army veterans, and she said Alden's decision to become a member of the U.S. Air Force Security Forces was a perfect fit.
"He was a fun boy, a loving boy growing up, and he became a good man," Garner said.
Garner said her son was a loving father and devoted husband.
"The fact that some fanatic -- because we don’t believe the way they believe -- could take the life of my son, who is protecting his country and the rights of those of us who enjoy a free world, that makes me very angry," Garner said.
His mother, Cathy Garner, is an English teacher at Starr-Iva Middle School. Alden is survived by his wife, Trish and two young children who have been living in England.
Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden was killed on 3/2/11.
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