Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Leroy Sandoval, Jr., 21, of Houston, Texas.
Pfc Sandoval died due to hostile fire in the Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.
Pfc Sandoval joined the Marines in May 2003. He told his parents he was worried about going into the dangerous area of Iraq to relieve an Army unit. “He asked his mom to pray for him; told her they were going into a real bad city,” Steve Walters said. “He didn’t like the name of that town from the start.”
Walters said he and his wife hoped Sandoval wouldn’t have to go into Iraq, “but he was ready to do what he needed to do and was proud to do it.”
In his school days, Marine Pfc. Leroy Sandoval Jr. had a mischievous smile and a knack for making others laugh.
Sandoval graduated from Harvest Christian Academy in Pasadena, a private school, in 2000. More than 200 classmates, friends and school staffers remembered Sandoval during a memorial service.
“Little Leroy ran a big race, and he ran it quick. He fell on this Earth, but he fell to rise in heaven,” Patricia Gehret, the academy’s superintendent, said. “We have the hard part — to carry on.”
Marine Pfc Leroy Sandoval was killed in action on 03/26/04.
Friday, March 26, 2004
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Marine Cpl. Andrew D. Brownfield
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Andrew D. Brownfield, 24, of Akron, Ohio.
Cpl Brownfield died due to wounds received from an enemy mortar attack at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California.
Members of his family said they last saw him in December, when he came home for Christmas with his fiancée. He went to Iraq in early February.
“He volunteered to go to Iraq,” said Melody Roop, his mother, who lives in nearby Stow. “He did this because he wanted to fight for what he believed in. He was a very strong Marine. He believed in this war, and he wanted to fight for his country to help prevent any more 9-11’s from happening here.”
Roop said she last spoke with him about 10 days ago by telephone. She now treasures a message he recently left on her answering machine, imitating Forrest Gump.
Kirk Brownfield, his father, said Andrew graduated from Akron North High School and worked at various jobs before joining the Marines. “He enjoyed it real well. He liked it more than he didn’t,” he said. “He was a good kid. Everybody was proud of him.”
Brownfield joined the Marines Jan. 3, 2001. His job in Iraq was to hang bombs on planes and helicopters.
“He walked proud,” Roop said. “He had the Marine look, even in civilian clothes.”
Marine Cpl Andrew D. Brownfield was killed in action on 03/18/04.
Rest in Peace, Andy, you are a Hero.
Marine Cpl. Andrew D. Brownfield, 24, of Akron, Ohio.
Cpl Brownfield died due to wounds received from an enemy mortar attack at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California.
Members of his family said they last saw him in December, when he came home for Christmas with his fiancée. He went to Iraq in early February.
“He volunteered to go to Iraq,” said Melody Roop, his mother, who lives in nearby Stow. “He did this because he wanted to fight for what he believed in. He was a very strong Marine. He believed in this war, and he wanted to fight for his country to help prevent any more 9-11’s from happening here.”
Roop said she last spoke with him about 10 days ago by telephone. She now treasures a message he recently left on her answering machine, imitating Forrest Gump.
Kirk Brownfield, his father, said Andrew graduated from Akron North High School and worked at various jobs before joining the Marines. “He enjoyed it real well. He liked it more than he didn’t,” he said. “He was a good kid. Everybody was proud of him.”
Brownfield joined the Marines Jan. 3, 2001. His job in Iraq was to hang bombs on planes and helicopters.
“He walked proud,” Roop said. “He had the Marine look, even in civilian clothes.”
Marine Cpl Andrew D. Brownfield was killed in action on 03/18/04.
Rest in Peace, Andy, you are a Hero.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Army Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins, 27, Schenectady, N.Y.
Sgt. Robbins was assigned to Troop A, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Feb. 9 when a collection of unexploded ordinance, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds detonated while being moved to a demolition point in Sinjar, Iraq.
Thomas D. Robbins loved the outdoors, and after camping and hiking in the woods, always returned home with trash he picked up on the trail.
His mother said Robbins was a talented artist and had been in Iraq less than three months when he died.
"He believed he was helping people and was working at learning the Iraqi language, just as he had learned Korean and studied the culture when he was stationed in Korea," said Charlene Robbins.
Sgt. Robbins, 27, of Schenectady, N.Y., died Feb. 9 when rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds blew up while being moved to a detonation site in Sinjar, Iraq. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
Robbins earned an associate degree in environmental sciences at Morrisville State College. In the Army, he resumed his college studies and was two credits short of a bachelor's degree.
Robbins is survived by his wife, Gina, and their infant daughter, Marisa.
— Associated Press
Army Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins was killed in action on 02/09/04
Army Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins, 27, Schenectady, N.Y.
Sgt. Robbins was assigned to Troop A, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Feb. 9 when a collection of unexploded ordinance, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds detonated while being moved to a demolition point in Sinjar, Iraq.
Thomas D. Robbins loved the outdoors, and after camping and hiking in the woods, always returned home with trash he picked up on the trail.
His mother said Robbins was a talented artist and had been in Iraq less than three months when he died.
"He believed he was helping people and was working at learning the Iraqi language, just as he had learned Korean and studied the culture when he was stationed in Korea," said Charlene Robbins.
Sgt. Robbins, 27, of Schenectady, N.Y., died Feb. 9 when rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds blew up while being moved to a detonation site in Sinjar, Iraq. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
Robbins earned an associate degree in environmental sciences at Morrisville State College. In the Army, he resumed his college studies and was two credits short of a bachelor's degree.
Robbins is survived by his wife, Gina, and their infant daughter, Marisa.
— Associated Press
Army Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins was killed in action on 02/09/04
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Army Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr, 37, of Parkersburg, W.Va.
SSgt. Turner was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed in his sleeping quarters Feb. 1 when the logistical support area came under mortar attack in Anaconda, Iraq.
Soldier remembered as family man, courageous and happy-go-lucky
Associated Press
SISTERSVILLE, W.Va. — A soldier killed during a mortar attack in Iraq earlier this month was remembered Feb. 10 as a devoted husband and military man who was both courageous and happy-go-lucky.
More than 50 people, including members of the Sistersville Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter, attended the funeral for Staff Sgt. Roger Clinton Turner, 37, at a funeral home in Sistersville.
Turner, a native of Elgin, Ill., who listed his hometown as Parkersburg, was injured after his sleeping area came under fire near Balad, northwest of Baghdad, and died at a combat support hospital on Feb. 1. He was a vehicle mechanic assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas.
His wife Teresa Turner, who lives at Fort Hood, did not speak during the service but the Rev. William Williamson gave a statement on her behalf.
“While the world talks of weapons of mass destruction, an Iraqi weapon found you sleeping ... The weapon destroyed our lives,” Williamson said. “Every time there is a smiling child’s face in Iraq ... it’s because you made the sacrifice.”
Turner’s mother Dottie Turner, of Pomeroy, Ohio, was choked with emotion as she spoke of him.
“My son believed that this was a just war. He will always be remembered by his mother as a brave, courageous and caring son,” she said.
His sister, Denise Bunce, said he was a happy-go-lucky brother and a playful father to his children, 14-year-old Steven and 5-year-old Tabitha.
Turner graduated from Meigs High School in Pomeroy and attended Ohio University in Athens, where he studied theater for a year and a half before focusing on courses to be a schoolteacher. He left before getting his degree in elementary education.
He had been stationed at Fort Hood since 1999. He had also served in Desert Storm and had also served in the Navy.
Turner was buried with military honors at Greenwood Cemetery and was given a gun salute. Members of the 16th Cavalry Regiment from Fort Knox, Ky., who served as honor guard, removed an American flag that draped the casket, folded it and gave it to Turner’s widow.
“He made the peace in Iraq and he stayed to keep the peace for people there. He made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Maj. Gen. Terry Tucker, commanding general of Fort Knox.
Fort Hood soldier killed in Iraq identified
FORT HOOD, Texas — A Fort Hood soldier who died from injuries he suffered during a mortar attack on a U.S. military base in Iraq was remembered by his family in Ohio on Feb. 3 as an artistic person who loved to sketch.
Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr., 37, died Jan. 31 after his sleeping area came under fire near Balad, which is northwest of Baghdad, military officials said.
Turner graduated from Meigs High School in Pomeroy, Ohio, and attended Ohio University in Athens, said his mother Dottie Turner, 61, of Pomeroy. Roger Turner was born in Illinois, moving with his family to Ohio when he was 8, she said.
“He did his job. He went there to fight for his country, and I’m very proud,” his mother said Tuesday.
Turner’s wife, Teresa; his 14-year-old son, Steven; and 5-year-old daughter, Tabitha, live at Fort Hood, where he was based.
Dottie Turner described her only son as an artistic person who loved to sketch, read comic books and play video games. While at Ohio University, Roger Turner studied theater for a year and a half before focusing on courses to be a schoolteacher.
“He really wanted to be an actor,” she said. “But he changed his major to elementary education because he wasn’t getting to do much more than building props.”
Dottie Turner said her son didn’t finish his degree at the university.
Roger became interested in the military while serving in the National Guard in college, and he served in the Navy for five years before joining the Army in 1988, she said.
He was a vehicle mechanic assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, according to Fort Hood officials. He had been stationed at Fort Hood since 1999.
He died of his injuries after being evacuated to a combat support hospital in Balad. The attack is under investigation.
Dottie Turner said Roger had four sisters and that his father died in 1983, a year before the son’s high school graduation. Ironically, Roger died on his father’s birthday, she said.
“He was my only boy. I’m going to miss him really bad,” she said, as her voice faltered.
“He loved his family and he loved his country. I think that’s the greatest thing you can say about anybody.”
Funeral arrangements are pending the arrival of Turner’s remains in Ohio.
— Associated Press
Army Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr was killed in action on 02/01/04.
Army Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr, 37, of Parkersburg, W.Va.
SSgt. Turner was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed in his sleeping quarters Feb. 1 when the logistical support area came under mortar attack in Anaconda, Iraq.
Soldier remembered as family man, courageous and happy-go-lucky
Associated Press
SISTERSVILLE, W.Va. — A soldier killed during a mortar attack in Iraq earlier this month was remembered Feb. 10 as a devoted husband and military man who was both courageous and happy-go-lucky.
More than 50 people, including members of the Sistersville Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter, attended the funeral for Staff Sgt. Roger Clinton Turner, 37, at a funeral home in Sistersville.
Turner, a native of Elgin, Ill., who listed his hometown as Parkersburg, was injured after his sleeping area came under fire near Balad, northwest of Baghdad, and died at a combat support hospital on Feb. 1. He was a vehicle mechanic assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas.
His wife Teresa Turner, who lives at Fort Hood, did not speak during the service but the Rev. William Williamson gave a statement on her behalf.
“While the world talks of weapons of mass destruction, an Iraqi weapon found you sleeping ... The weapon destroyed our lives,” Williamson said. “Every time there is a smiling child’s face in Iraq ... it’s because you made the sacrifice.”
Turner’s mother Dottie Turner, of Pomeroy, Ohio, was choked with emotion as she spoke of him.
“My son believed that this was a just war. He will always be remembered by his mother as a brave, courageous and caring son,” she said.
His sister, Denise Bunce, said he was a happy-go-lucky brother and a playful father to his children, 14-year-old Steven and 5-year-old Tabitha.
Turner graduated from Meigs High School in Pomeroy and attended Ohio University in Athens, where he studied theater for a year and a half before focusing on courses to be a schoolteacher. He left before getting his degree in elementary education.
He had been stationed at Fort Hood since 1999. He had also served in Desert Storm and had also served in the Navy.
Turner was buried with military honors at Greenwood Cemetery and was given a gun salute. Members of the 16th Cavalry Regiment from Fort Knox, Ky., who served as honor guard, removed an American flag that draped the casket, folded it and gave it to Turner’s widow.
“He made the peace in Iraq and he stayed to keep the peace for people there. He made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Maj. Gen. Terry Tucker, commanding general of Fort Knox.
Fort Hood soldier killed in Iraq identified
FORT HOOD, Texas — A Fort Hood soldier who died from injuries he suffered during a mortar attack on a U.S. military base in Iraq was remembered by his family in Ohio on Feb. 3 as an artistic person who loved to sketch.
Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr., 37, died Jan. 31 after his sleeping area came under fire near Balad, which is northwest of Baghdad, military officials said.
Turner graduated from Meigs High School in Pomeroy, Ohio, and attended Ohio University in Athens, said his mother Dottie Turner, 61, of Pomeroy. Roger Turner was born in Illinois, moving with his family to Ohio when he was 8, she said.
“He did his job. He went there to fight for his country, and I’m very proud,” his mother said Tuesday.
Turner’s wife, Teresa; his 14-year-old son, Steven; and 5-year-old daughter, Tabitha, live at Fort Hood, where he was based.
Dottie Turner described her only son as an artistic person who loved to sketch, read comic books and play video games. While at Ohio University, Roger Turner studied theater for a year and a half before focusing on courses to be a schoolteacher.
“He really wanted to be an actor,” she said. “But he changed his major to elementary education because he wasn’t getting to do much more than building props.”
Dottie Turner said her son didn’t finish his degree at the university.
Roger became interested in the military while serving in the National Guard in college, and he served in the Navy for five years before joining the Army in 1988, she said.
He was a vehicle mechanic assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, according to Fort Hood officials. He had been stationed at Fort Hood since 1999.
He died of his injuries after being evacuated to a combat support hospital in Balad. The attack is under investigation.
Dottie Turner said Roger had four sisters and that his father died in 1983, a year before the son’s high school graduation. Ironically, Roger died on his father’s birthday, she said.
“He was my only boy. I’m going to miss him really bad,” she said, as her voice faltered.
“He loved his family and he loved his country. I think that’s the greatest thing you can say about anybody.”
Funeral arrangements are pending the arrival of Turner’s remains in Ohio.
— Associated Press
Army Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr was killed in action on 02/01/04.
Saturday, January 31, 2004
Army Cpl. Juan C. Cabral Banuelos
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Juan C. Cabral Banuelos, 25, of Emporia, Kan.
Cpl. Banuelos was assigned to Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), Fort Hood, Texas; killed Jan. 31 when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Kirkuk, Iraq.
Kansan among three soldiers killed in explosion in Iraq
Associated Press
EMPORIA, Kan. — A Kansan was one of three soldiers killed in an explosion in Iraq, the Defense Department said.
The department identified the dead as Cpl. Juan Carlos Cabral Banuelos, 25, who had moved to Emporia from Utah while a teenager; Sgt. Eliu Miersandoval, 27, of San Clemente, Calif., and Pfc. Holly McGeogh, 19, of Taylor, Mich. It said they died Jan. 31 when an improvised explosive device hit their vehicle in a convoy near Kirkuk.
The three were assigned to Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas.
A cousin, Marisol Gomez, said Cabral was a native of Jeres, Mexico who spent most of his childhood in Riverdale, Utah, moving to Emporia with his family as a teenager and graduating from high school there.
She said he was a popular student in high school who dreamed of enlisting in the Army after graduation. He became an Army mechanic and was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas before being sent to Iraq.
Gomez said he will be buried in Utah, where most of his family lives.
An aunt, Laura Banuelos, said that during a visit last fall Cabral talked about his pride in serving his country.
“He did tell us, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be OK,”’ she said. “His last words were, ‘You guys always have to remember that I’m doing something I wanted to do. I’m serving my country, and I’m proud of it.’ It’s hard for us, but we know he died doing something he enjoyed.”
A sister, Rocio Cabral of Wichita, said he enlisted to improve his life and himself.
“He always encouraged us to do more in our lives and said that if we really wanted to do something, if we put our head into it, we could do it — because he did it.”
Shortly after joining the Army, Cabral returned to Utah and reunited with Anita, a girlfriend when he lived there. Rocia Cabral said that when he moved to Emporia he had promised to marry Anita and eventually did. He adopted her son, Fabian, now 7, and in August 2002 the couple had another son, Manuel. The family had lived in Texas while Cabral was stationed at Fort Hood.
Anita Cabral, 24, told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden, Utah, that she met her husband-to-be when she was a young child. The pair married in September 1998, a few months after Cabral enlisted.
“He was proud of his boys, proud of his family ... I’m going to go back to Utah and raise my boys like he wanted me to,” she said.
She said her husband loved to tinker, especially on his 1963 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport. That love of cars helped make him a light-truck mechanic in the military.
Rocio Cabral said her brother was a fun-loving, outgoing man.
“He was a very happy person — always smiling, making funny faces, sticking out his tongue, doing something to make us laugh,” she said. “Where he was, everybody was happy.”
Soldier killed in Iraq will be buried Wednesday
SOUTH OGDEN, Utah — Funeral services are planned Feb. 11 for a soldier killed in an explosion in Iraq.
Juan Carlos Cabral Banuelos, will be posthumously awarded a Bronze Star, a second Purple Heart and a promotion to sergeant at a burial ceremony at Washington Heights Memorial Park in South Ogden. That will precede the 10 a.m. funeral at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Ogden.
His mother, who has been jailed since Jan. 4 on methamphetamine and driving without a license charges, will be allowed to attend her son’s funeral. A judge agreed to let Angela Cabral attend both a Tuesday memorial service Tuesday and the funeral.
Juan Cabral was born in Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico, on Sept. 11, 1978, and moved to Ogden with his family a year later. He attended Ogden High School before moving to Emporia, Kan., with his mother during his junior year, after his parents had divorced.
He joined the U.S. Army soon after graduation. Cabral, who had been in Iraq since April 4 as a mechanic with Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, was scheduled to return home in about a month.
A Mexican national, the 25-year-old was also set to become a U.S. citizen in April.
Cabral was among three soldiers killed Jan. 31 when their vehicle struck a homemade explosive device near the northern city of Kirkuk.
He leaves behind his wife, Anita, and two young sons, ages 7 and 18 months old. They arrived in Utah from Texas on Friday.
— Associated Press
Army Cpl. Juan C. Cabral Banuelos was killed in action on 01/31/04.
Army Cpl. Juan C. Cabral Banuelos, 25, of Emporia, Kan.
Cpl. Banuelos was assigned to Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), Fort Hood, Texas; killed Jan. 31 when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Kirkuk, Iraq.
Kansan among three soldiers killed in explosion in Iraq
Associated Press
EMPORIA, Kan. — A Kansan was one of three soldiers killed in an explosion in Iraq, the Defense Department said.
The department identified the dead as Cpl. Juan Carlos Cabral Banuelos, 25, who had moved to Emporia from Utah while a teenager; Sgt. Eliu Miersandoval, 27, of San Clemente, Calif., and Pfc. Holly McGeogh, 19, of Taylor, Mich. It said they died Jan. 31 when an improvised explosive device hit their vehicle in a convoy near Kirkuk.
The three were assigned to Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas.
A cousin, Marisol Gomez, said Cabral was a native of Jeres, Mexico who spent most of his childhood in Riverdale, Utah, moving to Emporia with his family as a teenager and graduating from high school there.
She said he was a popular student in high school who dreamed of enlisting in the Army after graduation. He became an Army mechanic and was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas before being sent to Iraq.
Gomez said he will be buried in Utah, where most of his family lives.
An aunt, Laura Banuelos, said that during a visit last fall Cabral talked about his pride in serving his country.
“He did tell us, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be OK,”’ she said. “His last words were, ‘You guys always have to remember that I’m doing something I wanted to do. I’m serving my country, and I’m proud of it.’ It’s hard for us, but we know he died doing something he enjoyed.”
A sister, Rocio Cabral of Wichita, said he enlisted to improve his life and himself.
“He always encouraged us to do more in our lives and said that if we really wanted to do something, if we put our head into it, we could do it — because he did it.”
Shortly after joining the Army, Cabral returned to Utah and reunited with Anita, a girlfriend when he lived there. Rocia Cabral said that when he moved to Emporia he had promised to marry Anita and eventually did. He adopted her son, Fabian, now 7, and in August 2002 the couple had another son, Manuel. The family had lived in Texas while Cabral was stationed at Fort Hood.
Anita Cabral, 24, told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden, Utah, that she met her husband-to-be when she was a young child. The pair married in September 1998, a few months after Cabral enlisted.
“He was proud of his boys, proud of his family ... I’m going to go back to Utah and raise my boys like he wanted me to,” she said.
She said her husband loved to tinker, especially on his 1963 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport. That love of cars helped make him a light-truck mechanic in the military.
Rocio Cabral said her brother was a fun-loving, outgoing man.
“He was a very happy person — always smiling, making funny faces, sticking out his tongue, doing something to make us laugh,” she said. “Where he was, everybody was happy.”
Soldier killed in Iraq will be buried Wednesday
SOUTH OGDEN, Utah — Funeral services are planned Feb. 11 for a soldier killed in an explosion in Iraq.
Juan Carlos Cabral Banuelos, will be posthumously awarded a Bronze Star, a second Purple Heart and a promotion to sergeant at a burial ceremony at Washington Heights Memorial Park in South Ogden. That will precede the 10 a.m. funeral at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Ogden.
His mother, who has been jailed since Jan. 4 on methamphetamine and driving without a license charges, will be allowed to attend her son’s funeral. A judge agreed to let Angela Cabral attend both a Tuesday memorial service Tuesday and the funeral.
Juan Cabral was born in Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico, on Sept. 11, 1978, and moved to Ogden with his family a year later. He attended Ogden High School before moving to Emporia, Kan., with his mother during his junior year, after his parents had divorced.
He joined the U.S. Army soon after graduation. Cabral, who had been in Iraq since April 4 as a mechanic with Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, was scheduled to return home in about a month.
A Mexican national, the 25-year-old was also set to become a U.S. citizen in April.
Cabral was among three soldiers killed Jan. 31 when their vehicle struck a homemade explosive device near the northern city of Kirkuk.
He leaves behind his wife, Anita, and two young sons, ages 7 and 18 months old. They arrived in Utah from Texas on Friday.
— Associated Press
Army Cpl. Juan C. Cabral Banuelos was killed in action on 01/31/04.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, 29, of Bremer, Wash
SSgt. Bunda was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Jan. 25 when his boat capsized during a patrol on the Tigris River. Bunda was originally listed as duty status whereabouts unknown. His remains were recovered Feb. 10.
Missing soldier’s wife struggles to answer children’s questions
Associated Press
BREMERTON, Wash — Michele Bunda does her best to answer her children’s questions about their father, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, missing since Sunday in Iraq.
“Our 3-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter are aware of what is going on and they are sad, but I don’t think they understand yet,” she told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at the family’s home Tuesday night.
“I told my daughter, ‘Papa is missing, and they can’t find him,’ and she says, ‘Why?”’ Bunda said. “I told her, ‘I don’t know, we’ll just pray that he’s OK.’
“But then she asks, ‘Why is Poppa in the Army? Why can’t he do something else like other children’s fathers?”’
Christopher Bunda, 29, assigned to the Stryker brigade in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, “is proud to be in the Army,” his wife said.
The Bundas grew up in the Philippines and bought their current home in March.
“He likes to do so much around the house,” Michele Bunda said. “He remodeled one of the floors, made it wood after we bought the house and did all the cement work in the back yard.”
Christopher Bunda was identified Tuesday by the Pentagon as missing in the Tigris River near Mosul.
Bunda was one of four Stryker brigade soldiers on a river patrol with Iraqi police when the police boat capsized Sunday. The other three U.S. soldiers reached shore but three Iraqi police officers also were listed as missing in the swift-flowing, chilly waters.
Two U.S. soldiers in an OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter that crashed while helping in the search for Bunda also are listed as missing — 1st Lt. Adam G. Mooney, 28, of Cambridge, Md., and Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Dorff, 32, of Minnesota, both from the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 10th Mountain Division, at Fort Drum, N.Y.
The cause of the crash and capsizing were under investigation, but U.S. officials have said they do not believe hostile action was involved.
“I’m still hoping. I feel he’s still alive. Sometimes you just have that feeling,” Michele Bunda said. “I’m very tired from the waiting, holding that little bit of hope that he will show up.”
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda was killed in action on 01/25/04.
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, 29, of Bremer, Wash
SSgt. Bunda was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Jan. 25 when his boat capsized during a patrol on the Tigris River. Bunda was originally listed as duty status whereabouts unknown. His remains were recovered Feb. 10.
Missing soldier’s wife struggles to answer children’s questions
Associated Press
BREMERTON, Wash — Michele Bunda does her best to answer her children’s questions about their father, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, missing since Sunday in Iraq.
“Our 3-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter are aware of what is going on and they are sad, but I don’t think they understand yet,” she told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at the family’s home Tuesday night.
“I told my daughter, ‘Papa is missing, and they can’t find him,’ and she says, ‘Why?”’ Bunda said. “I told her, ‘I don’t know, we’ll just pray that he’s OK.’
“But then she asks, ‘Why is Poppa in the Army? Why can’t he do something else like other children’s fathers?”’
Christopher Bunda, 29, assigned to the Stryker brigade in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, “is proud to be in the Army,” his wife said.
The Bundas grew up in the Philippines and bought their current home in March.
“He likes to do so much around the house,” Michele Bunda said. “He remodeled one of the floors, made it wood after we bought the house and did all the cement work in the back yard.”
Christopher Bunda was identified Tuesday by the Pentagon as missing in the Tigris River near Mosul.
Bunda was one of four Stryker brigade soldiers on a river patrol with Iraqi police when the police boat capsized Sunday. The other three U.S. soldiers reached shore but three Iraqi police officers also were listed as missing in the swift-flowing, chilly waters.
Two U.S. soldiers in an OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter that crashed while helping in the search for Bunda also are listed as missing — 1st Lt. Adam G. Mooney, 28, of Cambridge, Md., and Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Dorff, 32, of Minnesota, both from the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 10th Mountain Division, at Fort Drum, N.Y.
The cause of the crash and capsizing were under investigation, but U.S. officials have said they do not believe hostile action was involved.
“I’m still hoping. I feel he’s still alive. Sometimes you just have that feeling,” Michele Bunda said. “I’m very tired from the waiting, holding that little bit of hope that he will show up.”
Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda was killed in action on 01/25/04.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Army Pfc. Ervin Dervishi
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Ervin Dervishi, 21, Fort Worth, Texas
Pfc. Dervishi was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan. 24 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in which he was traveling on combat patrol in Baji, Iraq. He was evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital where he later died.
Soldier from North Texas dies in Iraq
Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas — A soldier from North Texas who died in a grenade attack had wanted to pursue a law enforcement career, relatives say.
Pfc. Ervin Dervishi, who was killed on Saturday, became a U.S. citizen only after being inducted into the Army. The victim was identified on Monday.
Dervishi, 21, came to the United States from his homeland of Albania and joined the military because he decided it would be the best way to train for a career in law enforcement, said a spokeswoman for his family.
Attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in which the Fort Hood soldier was riding in Baji. Dervishi died of his injuries after being evacuated to a combat support hospital.
Military officials were investigating the attack.
The Fort Worth man’s parents spent Monday evening with a military officer, planning their son’s funeral and completing paperwork, said friends.
“It’s very hard,” Gzim Haliti, 17, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Tuesday’s editions. “He was one of the best people you could meet. He wanted to be in the military and then be a police officer.”
He said Dervishi’s deployment was extended until April after the soldier had expected to return home in November.
Dervishi was present during the capture of Saddam Hussein, said friends.
They said the soldier was a 2002 graduate of Western Hills High School, where he had played soccer. He was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment.
Saimir Dervishi, the soldier’s brother, said his family knew something would happen to him.
“My dad felt it and I felt it. My mom felt it,” said Saimir Dervishi. “ We knew something was going to come up anytime. We just didn’t know it was going to happen this soon.”
In 1999, the Dervishis came to the United States after winning an immigration lottery, said Kim Beebe, the family’s U.S. sponsor. They lived in Waxahachie for three years before moving to Fort Worth.
In Waxahachie, the soldier was named the soccer team’s most valuable player in 2001.
“He grew up under communism and wanted something better and something different for his life,” Beebe said. “His whole point was to keep peace.”
Army Pfc. Ervin Dervishi was killed in action on 01/24/04.
Army Pfc. Ervin Dervishi, 21, Fort Worth, Texas
Pfc. Dervishi was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan. 24 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in which he was traveling on combat patrol in Baji, Iraq. He was evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital where he later died.
Soldier from North Texas dies in Iraq
Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas — A soldier from North Texas who died in a grenade attack had wanted to pursue a law enforcement career, relatives say.
Pfc. Ervin Dervishi, who was killed on Saturday, became a U.S. citizen only after being inducted into the Army. The victim was identified on Monday.
Dervishi, 21, came to the United States from his homeland of Albania and joined the military because he decided it would be the best way to train for a career in law enforcement, said a spokeswoman for his family.
Attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in which the Fort Hood soldier was riding in Baji. Dervishi died of his injuries after being evacuated to a combat support hospital.
Military officials were investigating the attack.
The Fort Worth man’s parents spent Monday evening with a military officer, planning their son’s funeral and completing paperwork, said friends.
“It’s very hard,” Gzim Haliti, 17, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Tuesday’s editions. “He was one of the best people you could meet. He wanted to be in the military and then be a police officer.”
He said Dervishi’s deployment was extended until April after the soldier had expected to return home in November.
Dervishi was present during the capture of Saddam Hussein, said friends.
They said the soldier was a 2002 graduate of Western Hills High School, where he had played soccer. He was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment.
Saimir Dervishi, the soldier’s brother, said his family knew something would happen to him.
“My dad felt it and I felt it. My mom felt it,” said Saimir Dervishi. “ We knew something was going to come up anytime. We just didn’t know it was going to happen this soon.”
In 1999, the Dervishis came to the United States after winning an immigration lottery, said Kim Beebe, the family’s U.S. sponsor. They lived in Waxahachie for three years before moving to Fort Worth.
In Waxahachie, the soldier was named the soccer team’s most valuable player in 2001.
“He grew up under communism and wanted something better and something different for his life,” Beebe said. “His whole point was to keep peace.”
Army Pfc. Ervin Dervishi was killed in action on 01/24/04.
Army Specialist William R. Sturges Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist William R. Sturges Jr., 24, of Spring Church, Pa.
Spc. Sturges was assigned to Company B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, Fort Hood Texas; attached to Task Force All American; killed Jan. 24 when a vehicle-based improvised explosive device detonated in Khalidiyah, Iraq.
Soldier killed in Iraq remembered as loving husband, father
Associated Press
APOLLO, Pa. — A 24-year-old soldier killed in Iraq was remembered by family and friends Wednesday as a loving husband and father.
Army Spc. William R. Sturges Jr., of Spring City, was killed Jan. 24 when a car bomb exploded next to his Humvee.
Sturges was an indirect fire infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, while his wife, Spc. Deida Sturges, was also serving in Iraq as an Army medic with the 21st Combat Support Hospital.
During the ceremony at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Apollo, a single drummer played and Deida Sturges received her husband’s posthumous military honors, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
“I want you to remember that one single act of violence can end a life but it cannot conquer what a life stood for,” said the Rev. Nichole Torbitzky, pastor of the nearby First Reformed Church of the United Church of Christ in Vandergrift. “We remember together that his life had moments of delight and happiness, caring and friendship, sharing and love. Let us never forget this.”
Sturges, a 1998 graduate of Lenape High School who enlisted in the Army that year, was deployed to Iraq in September 2003, shortly after his wife shipped out.
Deida Sturges last heard from her husband a week before his death in an e-mail.
The couple has a 16-month-old son and William Sturges also has a 4-year-old son.
PITTSBURGH — A soldier whose wife is an Army medic was among three killed when a car bomb exploded at a U.S. checkpoint west of Baghdad.
Spc. William R. Sturges Jr., 24, of Spring City, died in the explosion, which happened near a bridge on the Euphrates River in Khaldiyah, the U.S. command said.
Sturges, an indirect fire infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, was serving in Iraq at the same time as his wife, Spc. Deida Sturges, an Army medic with the 21st Combat Support Hospital.
Deida Sturges said she last heard from her husband a week before his death in an e-mail.
In the e-mail, he asked her about where they should go when they re-enlisted, Deida Sturges told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He said he loved me and talk to you later,” Deida Sturges told the newspaper.
The couple met at a vocational school in Armstrong County, about 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, and married in 2000. They have a 16-month-old son and William Sturges also has a 4-year-old son.
Deida Sturges was already in the Army, while William Sturges transferred from the National Guard into the Army. His mother, Linda Sturges, said her son likely joined the military because of his selflessness.
“I know Bill was always one to protect people. He was always a caring person,” she said.
The couple arrived at Fort Hood, Texas, in June 2003 and were deployed separately to Iraq.
Deida Sturges, whose unit was expected to return this week, was returning to western Pennsylvania to plan her husband’s funeral and to rejoin their son, Gabriel, who was being cared for by relatives.
Army Specialist William R. Sturges Jr. was killed in action on 01/24/04.
Army Specialist William R. Sturges Jr., 24, of Spring Church, Pa.
Spc. Sturges was assigned to Company B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, Fort Hood Texas; attached to Task Force All American; killed Jan. 24 when a vehicle-based improvised explosive device detonated in Khalidiyah, Iraq.
Soldier killed in Iraq remembered as loving husband, father
Associated Press
APOLLO, Pa. — A 24-year-old soldier killed in Iraq was remembered by family and friends Wednesday as a loving husband and father.
Army Spc. William R. Sturges Jr., of Spring City, was killed Jan. 24 when a car bomb exploded next to his Humvee.
Sturges was an indirect fire infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, while his wife, Spc. Deida Sturges, was also serving in Iraq as an Army medic with the 21st Combat Support Hospital.
During the ceremony at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Apollo, a single drummer played and Deida Sturges received her husband’s posthumous military honors, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
“I want you to remember that one single act of violence can end a life but it cannot conquer what a life stood for,” said the Rev. Nichole Torbitzky, pastor of the nearby First Reformed Church of the United Church of Christ in Vandergrift. “We remember together that his life had moments of delight and happiness, caring and friendship, sharing and love. Let us never forget this.”
Sturges, a 1998 graduate of Lenape High School who enlisted in the Army that year, was deployed to Iraq in September 2003, shortly after his wife shipped out.
Deida Sturges last heard from her husband a week before his death in an e-mail.
The couple has a 16-month-old son and William Sturges also has a 4-year-old son.
PITTSBURGH — A soldier whose wife is an Army medic was among three killed when a car bomb exploded at a U.S. checkpoint west of Baghdad.
Spc. William R. Sturges Jr., 24, of Spring City, died in the explosion, which happened near a bridge on the Euphrates River in Khaldiyah, the U.S. command said.
Sturges, an indirect fire infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, was serving in Iraq at the same time as his wife, Spc. Deida Sturges, an Army medic with the 21st Combat Support Hospital.
Deida Sturges said she last heard from her husband a week before his death in an e-mail.
In the e-mail, he asked her about where they should go when they re-enlisted, Deida Sturges told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He said he loved me and talk to you later,” Deida Sturges told the newspaper.
The couple met at a vocational school in Armstrong County, about 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, and married in 2000. They have a 16-month-old son and William Sturges also has a 4-year-old son.
Deida Sturges was already in the Army, while William Sturges transferred from the National Guard into the Army. His mother, Linda Sturges, said her son likely joined the military because of his selflessness.
“I know Bill was always one to protect people. He was always a caring person,” she said.
The couple arrived at Fort Hood, Texas, in June 2003 and were deployed separately to Iraq.
Deida Sturges, whose unit was expected to return this week, was returning to western Pennsylvania to plan her husband’s funeral and to rejoin their son, Gabriel, who was being cared for by relatives.
Army Specialist William R. Sturges Jr. was killed in action on 01/24/04.
Friday, January 23, 2004
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael T. Blaise
Remember Our Heroes
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael T. Blaise, 29, of Tennessee
CWO2 Blaise was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Jan. 23, 2004 when his OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul in northern Iraq.
Chief Warrant Officer Michael T. Blaise loved to fly so much that he would e-mail pictures of the inside and outside of his helicopter to his family.
“He was doing what he wanted to do, and he loved it,” said his stepmother, Cheryl Blaise. “He told my husband that if anything happened, don’t feel bad: ‘I’m doing what I want to do.’”
Blaise, 29, died Jan. 23 when his helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul, Iraq. He was based at Fort Campbell, Ky. He graduated from high school in Macon, Mo., in 1993 and attended technical school for a year before joining the Army, which he always wanted to do, said his father, Terry. Blaise felt strongly about serving in Iraq, and said Iraqis often thanked him for his service. Blaise’s wife, Kate, is an Army captain who was serving at the same base in Iraq.
Funeral services are still pending in the hometown of a Northeast Missouri soldier killed in a helicopter crash Friday, just days before he was scheduled to return from duty in Iraq. Now, family and friends of Macon native, Michael Blaise, are gathering at his home. They're sharing memories of this fallen soldier.
Walking into the Blaise household, you'll find moments when the family is laughing as they reminisce and deep sadness as they miss their, son, brother, husband and best friend.
Twenty-seven-year old Captain Kate Blaise married her high school sweetheart, Michael Blaise, six and a half years ago. During that time they balanced their marriage with their careers in the Army. She says, "So much of my life, who I am now, is just completely linked with the person that Mike made me. I don't think I'm going to have a good sense of humor, and it's very difficult to imagine that larger-than-life kind of person not around."
She was close by when news of the helicopter crash came to her and officials are still not certain what happened. She adds, "We don't know exactly, Michael is an excellent pilot, it could have been a variety of things, weather, mechanical, could have been a mistake he made, a lot of different things and to me. That is just not really important. He was doing what he felt and believed very strongly in what he was doing and unfortunately he paid that sacrifice. But it's something he felt was the right thing and he knew was going in, that could be the end result."
They describe this soldier as "larger-than-life, hilarious, dedicated and all about family. In fact, his family and friends agree, when Blaise made friends, he made them part of his family. Scott White ought to know, he says he first met Blaise in flight school. The two the were later based in Korea, and then Fort Campbell at the same time. It was from there they were deployed within the stame Troop to Iraq.
"If you need a line of dry, witty humor, go to Mike. He had them all for you." Terry Blaise says his son had thoughtfully taken this path into service. Blaise says, "He just felt very strongly about it. He was proud to serve his country and he felt strongly about being in over in Iraq and what he was doing and he was proud to be helping people and he loved it."
White adds, "We'd get up and do what we could, every day and every night. Whenever our duty called, put ourselves at risk. He did it. We all did it, for the guys on the ground. They're the ones you see everyday on the news. So, we wanted to be there and do what we could to help them out at any cost. Unfortunately things happen, he paid the ultimate price for freedom."
Blaise says, "He will be sorely missed but he was doing what he loved to do."
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael T. Blaise was killed in action on 1/23/04.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael T. Blaise, 29, of Tennessee
CWO2 Blaise was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Jan. 23, 2004 when his OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul in northern Iraq.
Chief Warrant Officer Michael T. Blaise loved to fly so much that he would e-mail pictures of the inside and outside of his helicopter to his family.
“He was doing what he wanted to do, and he loved it,” said his stepmother, Cheryl Blaise. “He told my husband that if anything happened, don’t feel bad: ‘I’m doing what I want to do.’”
Blaise, 29, died Jan. 23 when his helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul, Iraq. He was based at Fort Campbell, Ky. He graduated from high school in Macon, Mo., in 1993 and attended technical school for a year before joining the Army, which he always wanted to do, said his father, Terry. Blaise felt strongly about serving in Iraq, and said Iraqis often thanked him for his service. Blaise’s wife, Kate, is an Army captain who was serving at the same base in Iraq.
Funeral services are still pending in the hometown of a Northeast Missouri soldier killed in a helicopter crash Friday, just days before he was scheduled to return from duty in Iraq. Now, family and friends of Macon native, Michael Blaise, are gathering at his home. They're sharing memories of this fallen soldier.
Walking into the Blaise household, you'll find moments when the family is laughing as they reminisce and deep sadness as they miss their, son, brother, husband and best friend.
Twenty-seven-year old Captain Kate Blaise married her high school sweetheart, Michael Blaise, six and a half years ago. During that time they balanced their marriage with their careers in the Army. She says, "So much of my life, who I am now, is just completely linked with the person that Mike made me. I don't think I'm going to have a good sense of humor, and it's very difficult to imagine that larger-than-life kind of person not around."
She was close by when news of the helicopter crash came to her and officials are still not certain what happened. She adds, "We don't know exactly, Michael is an excellent pilot, it could have been a variety of things, weather, mechanical, could have been a mistake he made, a lot of different things and to me. That is just not really important. He was doing what he felt and believed very strongly in what he was doing and unfortunately he paid that sacrifice. But it's something he felt was the right thing and he knew was going in, that could be the end result."
They describe this soldier as "larger-than-life, hilarious, dedicated and all about family. In fact, his family and friends agree, when Blaise made friends, he made them part of his family. Scott White ought to know, he says he first met Blaise in flight school. The two the were later based in Korea, and then Fort Campbell at the same time. It was from there they were deployed within the stame Troop to Iraq.
"If you need a line of dry, witty humor, go to Mike. He had them all for you." Terry Blaise says his son had thoughtfully taken this path into service. Blaise says, "He just felt very strongly about it. He was proud to serve his country and he felt strongly about being in over in Iraq and what he was doing and he was proud to be helping people and he loved it."
White adds, "We'd get up and do what we could, every day and every night. Whenever our duty called, put ourselves at risk. He did it. We all did it, for the guys on the ground. They're the ones you see everyday on the news. So, we wanted to be there and do what we could to help them out at any cost. Unfortunately things happen, he paid the ultimate price for freedom."
Blaise says, "He will be sorely missed but he was doing what he loved to do."
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael T. Blaise was killed in action on 1/23/04.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Army Specialist Michael A. Diraimondo
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Michael A. Diraimondo, 22, of Simi Valley, Calif.
Spc. Diraimondo was assigned to the 571st Medical Company (Air Ambulance), based in Fort Carson, Colo.; killed Jan. 8 while on board a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter when it crashed during a Medevac mission in Fallujah, Iraq.
Spc. Michael A. Diraimondo had aspirations to work as a paramedic after his tour of duty in Iraq, where he served as an Army medic.
“He was at the peak of his life,” said his father, Anthony Diraimondo. “He was like a sponge with knowledge. He had such a great, great attitude and felt so good about himself. I take some comfort that he died with the highest self-confidence in himself.”
Diraimondo, 22, of Simi Valley, Calif., died Jan. 8 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was on was shot down near near Fallujah, Iraq. Eight others on board were killed. Diraimondo was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.
The elder Diraimondo, a veteran of the Vietnam War, said his son had recently sent an e-mail to one of his two older sisters.
“He thought a lot about the families back home and how he was helping to save lives,” his father said.
— Associated Press
Army Specialist Michael A. Diraimondo was killed in action on 01/08/04.
Army Specialist Michael A. Diraimondo, 22, of Simi Valley, Calif.
Spc. Diraimondo was assigned to the 571st Medical Company (Air Ambulance), based in Fort Carson, Colo.; killed Jan. 8 while on board a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter when it crashed during a Medevac mission in Fallujah, Iraq.
Spc. Michael A. Diraimondo had aspirations to work as a paramedic after his tour of duty in Iraq, where he served as an Army medic.
“He was at the peak of his life,” said his father, Anthony Diraimondo. “He was like a sponge with knowledge. He had such a great, great attitude and felt so good about himself. I take some comfort that he died with the highest self-confidence in himself.”
Diraimondo, 22, of Simi Valley, Calif., died Jan. 8 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was on was shot down near near Fallujah, Iraq. Eight others on board were killed. Diraimondo was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.
The elder Diraimondo, a veteran of the Vietnam War, said his son had recently sent an e-mail to one of his two older sisters.
“He thought a lot about the families back home and how he was helping to save lives,” his father said.
— Associated Press
Army Specialist Michael A. Diraimondo was killed in action on 01/08/04.
Friday, January 02, 2004
Army Capt. Kimberly N. Hampton
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. Kimberly N. Hampton, 27, of Easley, S.C.
Capt. Hampton was assigned to 1st Battalion, 82nd Aviation Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed Jan. 2 when her OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopter was shot down by enemy ground fire in Fallujah, Iraq.
Parents, fiancé lay to rest first woman from South Carolina to die in Iraq
Associated Press
EASLEY, S.C. — Army Capt. Kimberly Hampton accomplished a lot in her 27 years.
She was an honors graduate from Presbyterian College who never lost a tennis match. She became the battalion commander of the ROTC unit there, a job that prepared her to command the Delta Troop in the 1st Squadron of the 17th Cavalry Regiment in Iraq.
She was in her second term of military service when the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter she was piloting was shot down Jan. 2.
On Saturday, about 1,200 people recalled Hampton’s life as she was laid to rest near her parents’ home with full military honors.
Hampton, who was based at Fort Bragg, N.C., was the first female pilot killed in Iraq. She was also the first woman from South Carolina to die there.
To her parents, Hampton, an only child, was “baby girl.” To Army Capt. Will Braman, she was his fiancée, who he planned to marry when both returned from Baghdad. To her tennis teammates, she was “Kimbo.” To those serving with her in Iraq, her voice was “Dark Horse Six.”
Not everyone at the funeral knew Hampton. There were hundreds of veterans and members of Rock Springs Baptist Church, where the ceremony was held.
Some mourners worked with her father, Dale, at Fort Hill Gas and Electric. Hundreds more who had never met her lined the path of the funeral procession, waving American flags at the passing motorcade. Mourners shook from the cold and from tears as some huddled under blankets and saluted at her casket in the near-freezing weather.
Everyone who knew her seemed to have a story about Hampton. She was president of the student body and captain of the tennis team at Easley High School. Robin Smith taught Hampton how to play shortstop on the softball team their senior year. She said she will always remember Hampton’s heart. “She was a friend to everyone,” Smith said.
Presbyterian College President John Griffith remembered Hampton as motivated and generous. “She was always striving for more,” he said.
“Our world is so much in need of heroes. I’m here to tell you today that at Presbyterian College, she is a hero,” Griffith told the those at the church. Dozens more watched the funeral on a television in the church’s overflow room.
Her Fort Bragg commander, Lt. Col. Terry Morgan, said she could be tough on her troops but was an inspiring leader who rewarded a job well done with “her warm smile and trademark wink.”
Hampton was stationed in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. She lived in Fayetteville, N.C., before she left for Iraq on Aug. 31.
She had also served in Korea and Afghanistan.
“She was doing what she enjoyed doing. She was trained well, and she felt it an honor to serve her country,” said Hampton’s mom, Ann.
The Kiowa helicopter, which must be operated by two people, is designed for reconnaissance and observation missions and is often used to spot targets for Apache attack helicopters. The second pilot was injured in the crash near Fallujah, a Sunni Muslim town west of Baghdad under the charge of the 82nd.
Hampton wanted to be a pilot since she was young, her parents said. She grew up in Easley and wrote a paper for her third grade class that described how she had always wanted to fly, they said.
“We gave that to her as part of her graduation gift from Army flight school, and I think it pretty much blew her away that she had written such things as that as far back as the third grade,” Dale Hampton said.
Friends of Hampton’s parents said the Easley City Council is planning a memorial in her name.
Hampton’s parents were given Hampton’s Bronze medal, an Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
“The greatest accolade Kimberly Hampton will be given will not be here but in Heaven,” said the Rev. David Gallamore, pastor of the church. “Thank God for the life of Kimberly Hampton.”
Gunfire kills Bragg-based helicopter pilot
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina soldier based at Fort Bragg, N.C., has become the first woman pilot killed in Iraq.
Capt. Kimberly Hampton, 27, died Jan. 2 after her OH-58 Kiowa helicopter went down in enemy fire near Fallujah, her parents said. The other pilot on the helicopter was injured in the crash.
Hampton, an Easley High School graduate, also was the first woman from South Carolina killed in combat in Iraq.
She was stationed in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg. She lived in Fayetteville, N.C., before she left for Iraq on Aug. 31.
Dale and Ann Hampton said the Army called to put them in touch with Kimberly’s boyfriend, who also is an Army pilot stationed in Baghdad. Dale Hampton said Kimberly’s boyfriend, Capt. Will Braman, will be coming to Easley “shortly” to be with her family.
The couple “were considering very strongly becoming engaged when both got back to the United States,” Dale Hampton said.
The Hamptons said they were told that witnesses identified that missile fire brought down Hampton’s helicopter. The Kiowa, which must be operated by two people, is designed for reconnaissance and observation missions and is often used to spot targets for Apache attack helicopters.
Kimberly Hampton was an only child who wanted to be a pilot since she was young, her parents said. She grew up in Easley and wrote a paper for her third grade class that described how she had always wanted to fly, they said.
“We gave that to her as part of her graduation gift from Army flight school, and I think it pretty much blew her away that she had written such things as that as far back as the third grade,” Dale Hampton said.
Kimberly was her high school’s student body president and captain of the tennis team. She played tennis at Furman University for a year but graduated in 1998 from Presbyterian College, where she studied English and was the battalion commander of the ROTC unit. She was recruited by West Point to play tennis but decided it was “not a place for women, that it was a place for men,” Dale Hampton said.
The military seemed like a natural thing for her to do, Hampton said, because he and Kimberly’s grandfather had served in the military.
“It was just probably part of her background that we didn’t think a whole lot about until looking back now,” he said. She had also served in Korea and Afghanistan.
Dale Hampton said Kimberly “was smiling real big, she was eager to get to Iraq and do what she was trained to do and she was very upbeat about taking command” as she deployed for Iraq from Fort Bragg.
“She was doing what she enjoyed doing. She was trained well, and she felt it an honor to serve her country,” Ann Hampton said.
— Associated Press
S.C. pilot killed in Iraq to be honored at state tournament
BELTON, S.C. — Former Presbyterian College tennis coach Donna Arnold came looking for prospects in the early 1990s at the Wachovia Palmetto Championships and immediately saw something special in Kimberly Hampton.
Capt. Hampton, who became a college tennis star for Arnold, went on to a military career as an Army helicopter pilot. She was the first female pilot to die in the Iraqi conflict when she was shot down in January near Fallujah.
Hampton will be honored Friday at one of South Carolina’s premier junior tournaments when the Tiger Hustle Award, given to a girl from the event’s 12-and-under division, is renamed for her.
“It wasn’t like she was the No. 1 player with all the big schools looking at her. But she was one of those sleepers who develop,” Arnold recalled.
“She hustled, went for every ball and wasn’t a brat on the court. She was everything I look for in a player, and each year she quietly improved,” Arnold said.
Palmetto Championships director Rex Maynard says he knew Hampton through the tournament. He said the 27-year-old woman’s death brought the war home to him in a very personal way.
“Things like that happen, and it’s all over the front page and all over the news, and then it goes away. Anything we can do to remember her is good,” Maynard said.
More than 1,000 people turned out for Hampton’s burial in Easley. Some remembered her as a gallant servicewoman, but others knew her from her tennis accomplishments.
She attended Presbyterian on an ROTC scholarship. Hampton played for Arnold for three years with the Blue Hose. Hampton became team captain and won the South Atlantic Conference singles title her final two years.
Hampton helped the Blue Hose reach the NCAA Division II tournament and ended her career with a 27-0 record in conference singles play.
Hampton was named the SAC female athlete of the year in 1998. The day before her graduation that spring, Hampton was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army.
Arnold, who is senior director of programs and sports director at the Laurens Family YMCA, said Hampton will be enshrined in the SAC Hall of Fame.
Earlier this year, the South Carolina branch of the United State Tennis Association renamed its most improved junior girl award in honor of Hampton.
Arnold expects Hampton’s character and skill will be showcased each time her Palmetto Championship award is given out.
“She had that athleticism and that burning desire to do well in everything she did,” Arnold said. “She was one of a kind.”
— Associated Press
Female helicopter pilot killed in Iraq was living her dreams
When Kimberly Hampton headed off to war the first time, she sent her mother an e-mail, joking about the hazards of flying a small helicopter. But she had a serious message, too.
“If there is anything I can say to ease your mind ... if anything ever happens to me, you can be certain that I am doing the things I love,” she wrote. “... I’m living my dreams for sure, living life on the edge at times and pushing the envelope. ...
“So, worry if you must,” she added, “but you can be sure that your only child is living a full, exciting life and is HAPPY!”
Kimberly Hampton wrote that message on Feb. 4, 2003, while stationed in Afghanistan. Eleven months later, the 27-year-old Army captain was killed in Fallujah, Iraq, when her Kiowa helicopter was shot down.
“A lot of times when I’m feeling down, I’ll read it,” her mother, Ann, says of the note. “It doesn’t take away the hurt or the loneliness. It does reinforce the fact that she was happy.”
Growing up in Easley, S.C., Kimberly Hampton excelled at most everything: She was the high school student body president and captain of the tennis team, then ROTC battalion commander and an honors graduate from Presbyterian College.
Her dreams of taking to the skies began early. When she finished Army flight school, her parents presented her with a composition she had written in third grade saying she “would like to fly like a bird.”
Hampton liked the structure and discipline of the military and in college wrote a letter to her mother, saying: “The United States needs good, solid troops in the hot spots. That’s where I want to be.”
Stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq, she had taken over a troop command months before her death.
“She was an overachiever,” her mother says. “She felt she had to work harder, maybe because she was female. But that didn’t bother her.”
Ann Hampton says she was comforted by a chaplain in Iraq who said he admired her daughter because “she never lost her femininity.”
“Being in command, she had to be rough and tough ... but she was extremely fair,” her mother says. “Just because she lived in a man’s world, she didn’t try to be a man. At night, she could take her hair out of the bun, and still look like a beautiful girl.”
“She was a sweet girl, tenderhearted,” her mother adds. “She was just real genuine.”
— Associated Press
Army Capt. Kimberly N. Hampton was killed in action on 01/02/04.
Army Capt. Kimberly N. Hampton, 27, of Easley, S.C.
Capt. Hampton was assigned to 1st Battalion, 82nd Aviation Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed Jan. 2 when her OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopter was shot down by enemy ground fire in Fallujah, Iraq.
Parents, fiancé lay to rest first woman from South Carolina to die in Iraq
Associated Press
EASLEY, S.C. — Army Capt. Kimberly Hampton accomplished a lot in her 27 years.
She was an honors graduate from Presbyterian College who never lost a tennis match. She became the battalion commander of the ROTC unit there, a job that prepared her to command the Delta Troop in the 1st Squadron of the 17th Cavalry Regiment in Iraq.
She was in her second term of military service when the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter she was piloting was shot down Jan. 2.
On Saturday, about 1,200 people recalled Hampton’s life as she was laid to rest near her parents’ home with full military honors.
Hampton, who was based at Fort Bragg, N.C., was the first female pilot killed in Iraq. She was also the first woman from South Carolina to die there.
To her parents, Hampton, an only child, was “baby girl.” To Army Capt. Will Braman, she was his fiancée, who he planned to marry when both returned from Baghdad. To her tennis teammates, she was “Kimbo.” To those serving with her in Iraq, her voice was “Dark Horse Six.”
Not everyone at the funeral knew Hampton. There were hundreds of veterans and members of Rock Springs Baptist Church, where the ceremony was held.
Some mourners worked with her father, Dale, at Fort Hill Gas and Electric. Hundreds more who had never met her lined the path of the funeral procession, waving American flags at the passing motorcade. Mourners shook from the cold and from tears as some huddled under blankets and saluted at her casket in the near-freezing weather.
Everyone who knew her seemed to have a story about Hampton. She was president of the student body and captain of the tennis team at Easley High School. Robin Smith taught Hampton how to play shortstop on the softball team their senior year. She said she will always remember Hampton’s heart. “She was a friend to everyone,” Smith said.
Presbyterian College President John Griffith remembered Hampton as motivated and generous. “She was always striving for more,” he said.
“Our world is so much in need of heroes. I’m here to tell you today that at Presbyterian College, she is a hero,” Griffith told the those at the church. Dozens more watched the funeral on a television in the church’s overflow room.
Her Fort Bragg commander, Lt. Col. Terry Morgan, said she could be tough on her troops but was an inspiring leader who rewarded a job well done with “her warm smile and trademark wink.”
Hampton was stationed in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. She lived in Fayetteville, N.C., before she left for Iraq on Aug. 31.
She had also served in Korea and Afghanistan.
“She was doing what she enjoyed doing. She was trained well, and she felt it an honor to serve her country,” said Hampton’s mom, Ann.
The Kiowa helicopter, which must be operated by two people, is designed for reconnaissance and observation missions and is often used to spot targets for Apache attack helicopters. The second pilot was injured in the crash near Fallujah, a Sunni Muslim town west of Baghdad under the charge of the 82nd.
Hampton wanted to be a pilot since she was young, her parents said. She grew up in Easley and wrote a paper for her third grade class that described how she had always wanted to fly, they said.
“We gave that to her as part of her graduation gift from Army flight school, and I think it pretty much blew her away that she had written such things as that as far back as the third grade,” Dale Hampton said.
Friends of Hampton’s parents said the Easley City Council is planning a memorial in her name.
Hampton’s parents were given Hampton’s Bronze medal, an Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
“The greatest accolade Kimberly Hampton will be given will not be here but in Heaven,” said the Rev. David Gallamore, pastor of the church. “Thank God for the life of Kimberly Hampton.”
Gunfire kills Bragg-based helicopter pilot
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina soldier based at Fort Bragg, N.C., has become the first woman pilot killed in Iraq.
Capt. Kimberly Hampton, 27, died Jan. 2 after her OH-58 Kiowa helicopter went down in enemy fire near Fallujah, her parents said. The other pilot on the helicopter was injured in the crash.
Hampton, an Easley High School graduate, also was the first woman from South Carolina killed in combat in Iraq.
She was stationed in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg. She lived in Fayetteville, N.C., before she left for Iraq on Aug. 31.
Dale and Ann Hampton said the Army called to put them in touch with Kimberly’s boyfriend, who also is an Army pilot stationed in Baghdad. Dale Hampton said Kimberly’s boyfriend, Capt. Will Braman, will be coming to Easley “shortly” to be with her family.
The couple “were considering very strongly becoming engaged when both got back to the United States,” Dale Hampton said.
The Hamptons said they were told that witnesses identified that missile fire brought down Hampton’s helicopter. The Kiowa, which must be operated by two people, is designed for reconnaissance and observation missions and is often used to spot targets for Apache attack helicopters.
Kimberly Hampton was an only child who wanted to be a pilot since she was young, her parents said. She grew up in Easley and wrote a paper for her third grade class that described how she had always wanted to fly, they said.
“We gave that to her as part of her graduation gift from Army flight school, and I think it pretty much blew her away that she had written such things as that as far back as the third grade,” Dale Hampton said.
Kimberly was her high school’s student body president and captain of the tennis team. She played tennis at Furman University for a year but graduated in 1998 from Presbyterian College, where she studied English and was the battalion commander of the ROTC unit. She was recruited by West Point to play tennis but decided it was “not a place for women, that it was a place for men,” Dale Hampton said.
The military seemed like a natural thing for her to do, Hampton said, because he and Kimberly’s grandfather had served in the military.
“It was just probably part of her background that we didn’t think a whole lot about until looking back now,” he said. She had also served in Korea and Afghanistan.
Dale Hampton said Kimberly “was smiling real big, she was eager to get to Iraq and do what she was trained to do and she was very upbeat about taking command” as she deployed for Iraq from Fort Bragg.
“She was doing what she enjoyed doing. She was trained well, and she felt it an honor to serve her country,” Ann Hampton said.
— Associated Press
S.C. pilot killed in Iraq to be honored at state tournament
BELTON, S.C. — Former Presbyterian College tennis coach Donna Arnold came looking for prospects in the early 1990s at the Wachovia Palmetto Championships and immediately saw something special in Kimberly Hampton.
Capt. Hampton, who became a college tennis star for Arnold, went on to a military career as an Army helicopter pilot. She was the first female pilot to die in the Iraqi conflict when she was shot down in January near Fallujah.
Hampton will be honored Friday at one of South Carolina’s premier junior tournaments when the Tiger Hustle Award, given to a girl from the event’s 12-and-under division, is renamed for her.
“It wasn’t like she was the No. 1 player with all the big schools looking at her. But she was one of those sleepers who develop,” Arnold recalled.
“She hustled, went for every ball and wasn’t a brat on the court. She was everything I look for in a player, and each year she quietly improved,” Arnold said.
Palmetto Championships director Rex Maynard says he knew Hampton through the tournament. He said the 27-year-old woman’s death brought the war home to him in a very personal way.
“Things like that happen, and it’s all over the front page and all over the news, and then it goes away. Anything we can do to remember her is good,” Maynard said.
More than 1,000 people turned out for Hampton’s burial in Easley. Some remembered her as a gallant servicewoman, but others knew her from her tennis accomplishments.
She attended Presbyterian on an ROTC scholarship. Hampton played for Arnold for three years with the Blue Hose. Hampton became team captain and won the South Atlantic Conference singles title her final two years.
Hampton helped the Blue Hose reach the NCAA Division II tournament and ended her career with a 27-0 record in conference singles play.
Hampton was named the SAC female athlete of the year in 1998. The day before her graduation that spring, Hampton was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army.
Arnold, who is senior director of programs and sports director at the Laurens Family YMCA, said Hampton will be enshrined in the SAC Hall of Fame.
Earlier this year, the South Carolina branch of the United State Tennis Association renamed its most improved junior girl award in honor of Hampton.
Arnold expects Hampton’s character and skill will be showcased each time her Palmetto Championship award is given out.
“She had that athleticism and that burning desire to do well in everything she did,” Arnold said. “She was one of a kind.”
— Associated Press
Female helicopter pilot killed in Iraq was living her dreams
When Kimberly Hampton headed off to war the first time, she sent her mother an e-mail, joking about the hazards of flying a small helicopter. But she had a serious message, too.
“If there is anything I can say to ease your mind ... if anything ever happens to me, you can be certain that I am doing the things I love,” she wrote. “... I’m living my dreams for sure, living life on the edge at times and pushing the envelope. ...
“So, worry if you must,” she added, “but you can be sure that your only child is living a full, exciting life and is HAPPY!”
Kimberly Hampton wrote that message on Feb. 4, 2003, while stationed in Afghanistan. Eleven months later, the 27-year-old Army captain was killed in Fallujah, Iraq, when her Kiowa helicopter was shot down.
“A lot of times when I’m feeling down, I’ll read it,” her mother, Ann, says of the note. “It doesn’t take away the hurt or the loneliness. It does reinforce the fact that she was happy.”
Growing up in Easley, S.C., Kimberly Hampton excelled at most everything: She was the high school student body president and captain of the tennis team, then ROTC battalion commander and an honors graduate from Presbyterian College.
Her dreams of taking to the skies began early. When she finished Army flight school, her parents presented her with a composition she had written in third grade saying she “would like to fly like a bird.”
Hampton liked the structure and discipline of the military and in college wrote a letter to her mother, saying: “The United States needs good, solid troops in the hot spots. That’s where I want to be.”
Stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq, she had taken over a troop command months before her death.
“She was an overachiever,” her mother says. “She felt she had to work harder, maybe because she was female. But that didn’t bother her.”
Ann Hampton says she was comforted by a chaplain in Iraq who said he admired her daughter because “she never lost her femininity.”
“Being in command, she had to be rough and tough ... but she was extremely fair,” her mother says. “Just because she lived in a man’s world, she didn’t try to be a man. At night, she could take her hair out of the bun, and still look like a beautiful girl.”
“She was a sweet girl, tenderhearted,” her mother adds. “She was just real genuine.”
— Associated Press
Army Capt. Kimberly N. Hampton was killed in action on 01/02/04.
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Army Sgt. Dennis A. Corral
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Dennis A. Corral, 33, of Kearney, Neb.
Sgt. Corral was assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; killed while riding in a convoy going to Baghdad International Airport Jan. 1, 2004 when his vehicle went out of control and rolled over in Baghdad.
Sgt. Dennis A. Corral was not scheduled for deployment to Iraq until January, but he volunteered to go earlier in place of another soldier who was married and had children.
“He’ll step forward if they need help,” said his mother, Yolanda Corral. “He’s always been like that.”
Corral, 33, of Kearney, Neb., was killed Jan. 1 when his vehicle went out of control as it traveled in a convoy to Baghdad International Airport. He was deployed to Iraq in December. Born in San Diego, Corral entered the Army in 1989 and later left the service to pursue other interests. He moved to Kearney in 1994, re-entered the Army in 1997 and had been stationed at Fort Riley, Kan., since October.
After his death, his mother gathered with relatives to share memories.
“It’s hard to believe he’s gone,” said Corral’s brother, Peter. “But he did die doing what he loved to do.”
Army Sgt. Dennis A. Corral was killed in action on 01/01/04.
Army Sgt. Dennis A. Corral, 33, of Kearney, Neb.
Sgt. Corral was assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; killed while riding in a convoy going to Baghdad International Airport Jan. 1, 2004 when his vehicle went out of control and rolled over in Baghdad.
Sgt. Dennis A. Corral was not scheduled for deployment to Iraq until January, but he volunteered to go earlier in place of another soldier who was married and had children.
“He’ll step forward if they need help,” said his mother, Yolanda Corral. “He’s always been like that.”
Corral, 33, of Kearney, Neb., was killed Jan. 1 when his vehicle went out of control as it traveled in a convoy to Baghdad International Airport. He was deployed to Iraq in December. Born in San Diego, Corral entered the Army in 1989 and later left the service to pursue other interests. He moved to Kearney in 1994, re-entered the Army in 1997 and had been stationed at Fort Riley, Kan., since October.
After his death, his mother gathered with relatives to share memories.
“It’s hard to believe he’s gone,” said Corral’s brother, Peter. “But he did die doing what he loved to do.”
Army Sgt. Dennis A. Corral was killed in action on 01/01/04.
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Army Pfc. Ray J. Hutchinson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Ray J. Hutchinson, 20, of League City, Texas
Pfc. Hutchinson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based at Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Dec. 7 when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle as he was returning from patrol in Mosul, Iraq.
For a soldier, Pfc. Ray Joseph Hutchinson was known as a remarkably gentle and sensitive young man.
"He wouldn't even kill an insect, which is so strange given the military career he went into," said his older brother, Lee.
But when Hutchinson set his mind to something, he dedicated himself entirely, said his father, Michael.
"He was selfless and was more than willing to give his all for others, and he did that all throughout his life," Michael Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson, 20, of League City, Texas, was killed in Iraq on Dec. 7 when he drove a Humvee over an explosive device that was detonated by remote control. He was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.
Hutchinson graduated from high school in 2000 and attended what is now Texas State University in San Marcos. After a year or so, he decided to join the Army.
His family had gained approval for him to return home in December for his grandmother's heart surgery, which took place the day after he was killed.
— Associated Press
Army Pfc. Ray J. Hutchinson was killed in action on 12/07/03.
Army Pfc. Ray J. Hutchinson, 20, of League City, Texas
Pfc. Hutchinson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based at Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Dec. 7 when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle as he was returning from patrol in Mosul, Iraq.
For a soldier, Pfc. Ray Joseph Hutchinson was known as a remarkably gentle and sensitive young man.
"He wouldn't even kill an insect, which is so strange given the military career he went into," said his older brother, Lee.
But when Hutchinson set his mind to something, he dedicated himself entirely, said his father, Michael.
"He was selfless and was more than willing to give his all for others, and he did that all throughout his life," Michael Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson, 20, of League City, Texas, was killed in Iraq on Dec. 7 when he drove a Humvee over an explosive device that was detonated by remote control. He was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.
Hutchinson graduated from high school in 2000 and attended what is now Texas State University in San Marcos. After a year or so, he decided to join the Army.
His family had gained approval for him to return home in December for his grandmother's heart surgery, which took place the day after he was killed.
— Associated Press
Army Pfc. Ray J. Hutchinson was killed in action on 12/07/03.
Saturday, November 22, 2003
Army Spc. Robert D. Roberts
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Robert D. Roberts, 21, of Winter Park, Fla.
Spc Roberts was assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Armstrong Barracks, Germany; killed Nov. 22 when a tank collided with his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq.
The same day she learned of her husband's death in Iraq, Jill Roberts received three cards in the mail from him, two of them for their 3-year-old son, Jacob.
In one card, Robert Roberts told his son to "take care of Mommy until Daddy gets home."
"Bobby went into the Army to be sure he could provide for his son, and he always did provide for us," Jill Roberts said.
Spc. Roberts, 21, of Winter Park, Fla., died Nov. 22 when his vehicle was crushed by a tank during a night mission in Baghdad. His unit had been based in Hanau, Germany, before being sent to Iraq.
Roberts played high school football, and worked at an Italian restaurant and as a carpenter before enlisting.
His brother returned home from serving in Iraq in August.
"We want him remembered as the hero he was," said Jill Roberts, 20. "He was very proud of the job he was doing."
Army Spc. Robert D. Roberts was killed in action on 11/22/03.
Army Spc. Robert D. Roberts, 21, of Winter Park, Fla.
Spc Roberts was assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Armstrong Barracks, Germany; killed Nov. 22 when a tank collided with his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq.
The same day she learned of her husband's death in Iraq, Jill Roberts received three cards in the mail from him, two of them for their 3-year-old son, Jacob.
In one card, Robert Roberts told his son to "take care of Mommy until Daddy gets home."
"Bobby went into the Army to be sure he could provide for his son, and he always did provide for us," Jill Roberts said.
Spc. Roberts, 21, of Winter Park, Fla., died Nov. 22 when his vehicle was crushed by a tank during a night mission in Baghdad. His unit had been based in Hanau, Germany, before being sent to Iraq.
Roberts played high school football, and worked at an Italian restaurant and as a carpenter before enlisting.
His brother returned home from serving in Iraq in August.
"We want him remembered as the hero he was," said Jill Roberts, 20. "He was very proud of the job he was doing."
Army Spc. Robert D. Roberts was killed in action on 11/22/03.
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Army Specialist Eugene A. Uhl III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Eugene A. Uhl III, 21, of Amherst, Wis.
Spc. Uhl was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 15 when two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Mosul, Iraq.
Community gathers to remember latest casualty of war
Associated Press
AMHERST, Wis. — The community gathered to mourn the death of a young soldier who died in the crash of two Black Hawk helicopters in Iraq.
Flags flew at half-staff outside Amherst High School, Staff Sgt. Eugene Uhl III’s alma mater, where a community memorial service was held Nov. 25 in the gym. A funeral was planned for the following day.
“What we honor here today is a young man who took a different direction,” Chaplain Daniel Farley told a crowd of about 450 who gathered to remember the 21-year-old Uhl. He died Nov. 15 in Mosul, Iraq, in a crash that killed 17 soldiers.
“He knew the risks, but he also knew it was a wonderful opportunity to make a difference,” said Farley, a captain who served as Uhl’s chaplain with the Wisconsin National Guard in Stevens Point.
Uhl’s parents, Eugene Jr. and Joan Uhl, stood with his sisters and other relatives in front of a flag-draped casket. A portrait of Uhl sat on a nearby easel, and slides of his life flashed on a screen.
Capt. Brian Leahy recalled hearing Uhl tell stories about his grandfather, the late Eugene “Bud” Uhl, who served in the same National Guard unit and was a decorated World War II combat veteran.
Leahy said Uhl left for active duty in July 2002, despite the uncertain times, because of his love for the country.
“The simple fact that you wear the uniform puts you in harm’s way,” he added.
National Guard soldiers in olive green dotted the crowd. Sgt. 1st Class Paul Peplinski said many of the younger unit members were good friends with Uhl.
Amherst principal Pete Sippel said a somber mood hung over the school throughout the week as students were reminded of the sacrifices of others.
Wisconsin soldier mourned at funeral
Hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday to pay tribute to Army Staff Sgt. Eugene A. Uhl III, killed when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Iraq.
Gov. Jim Doyle, attending the services at Amherst High School, said people throughout the state shared in the loss. Uhl would have turned 22 on Thanksgiving.
“We are understanding what we have to be thankful for and finding inspiration in the life of a 21-year-old man,” Doyle said. “It demonstrates to us what it means to live in a free country and the sacrifice it takes.”
The Bronze Star and Purple Heart were posthumously awarded to Uhl and presented to his parents by Gen. Nathaniel Thompson, representing the Army chief of staff at the funeral.
Uhl served with the Army’s 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment of the Division Artillery Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division.
Uhl wrote in a letter to his father that he had seen some horrible things in Iraq, said Capt. Daniel Farley, the chaplain who co-presided at the funeral with the Rev. Robert Pedretti of St. James Catholic Church in Amherst.
“But he knew he had to be there,” Farley said. “There is ongoing praise of him that he was a man filled with life and enjoyed sharing that life. ... Eugene said, ‘I want to make a difference.’ He knew what his choice involved, and he knew it might involve going to Iraq.”
More than 600 relatives, friends and others attended the service in the high school gymnasium. Many went by bus afterward to Greenwood Cemetery in Amherst, where Uhl was buried with full military honors.
Students from the Tomorrow River School District were allowed to be released from classes with a note from their parents to attend the funeral, said Principal Pete Sippel.
“It’s an opportunity for them to see the show of respect for Eugene,” Sippel said.
Uhl was a 2000 graduate of Amherst High School and president of the Student Council.
— Associated Press
Army Specialist Eugene A. Uhl III was killed in action on 11/15/03.
Army Specialist Eugene A. Uhl III, 21, of Amherst, Wis.
Spc. Uhl was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 15 when two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Mosul, Iraq.
Community gathers to remember latest casualty of war
Associated Press
AMHERST, Wis. — The community gathered to mourn the death of a young soldier who died in the crash of two Black Hawk helicopters in Iraq.
Flags flew at half-staff outside Amherst High School, Staff Sgt. Eugene Uhl III’s alma mater, where a community memorial service was held Nov. 25 in the gym. A funeral was planned for the following day.
“What we honor here today is a young man who took a different direction,” Chaplain Daniel Farley told a crowd of about 450 who gathered to remember the 21-year-old Uhl. He died Nov. 15 in Mosul, Iraq, in a crash that killed 17 soldiers.
“He knew the risks, but he also knew it was a wonderful opportunity to make a difference,” said Farley, a captain who served as Uhl’s chaplain with the Wisconsin National Guard in Stevens Point.
Uhl’s parents, Eugene Jr. and Joan Uhl, stood with his sisters and other relatives in front of a flag-draped casket. A portrait of Uhl sat on a nearby easel, and slides of his life flashed on a screen.
Capt. Brian Leahy recalled hearing Uhl tell stories about his grandfather, the late Eugene “Bud” Uhl, who served in the same National Guard unit and was a decorated World War II combat veteran.
Leahy said Uhl left for active duty in July 2002, despite the uncertain times, because of his love for the country.
“The simple fact that you wear the uniform puts you in harm’s way,” he added.
National Guard soldiers in olive green dotted the crowd. Sgt. 1st Class Paul Peplinski said many of the younger unit members were good friends with Uhl.
Amherst principal Pete Sippel said a somber mood hung over the school throughout the week as students were reminded of the sacrifices of others.
Wisconsin soldier mourned at funeral
Hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday to pay tribute to Army Staff Sgt. Eugene A. Uhl III, killed when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Iraq.
Gov. Jim Doyle, attending the services at Amherst High School, said people throughout the state shared in the loss. Uhl would have turned 22 on Thanksgiving.
“We are understanding what we have to be thankful for and finding inspiration in the life of a 21-year-old man,” Doyle said. “It demonstrates to us what it means to live in a free country and the sacrifice it takes.”
The Bronze Star and Purple Heart were posthumously awarded to Uhl and presented to his parents by Gen. Nathaniel Thompson, representing the Army chief of staff at the funeral.
Uhl served with the Army’s 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment of the Division Artillery Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division.
Uhl wrote in a letter to his father that he had seen some horrible things in Iraq, said Capt. Daniel Farley, the chaplain who co-presided at the funeral with the Rev. Robert Pedretti of St. James Catholic Church in Amherst.
“But he knew he had to be there,” Farley said. “There is ongoing praise of him that he was a man filled with life and enjoyed sharing that life. ... Eugene said, ‘I want to make a difference.’ He knew what his choice involved, and he knew it might involve going to Iraq.”
More than 600 relatives, friends and others attended the service in the high school gymnasium. Many went by bus afterward to Greenwood Cemetery in Amherst, where Uhl was buried with full military honors.
Students from the Tomorrow River School District were allowed to be released from classes with a note from their parents to attend the funeral, said Principal Pete Sippel.
“It’s an opportunity for them to see the show of respect for Eugene,” Sippel said.
Uhl was a 2000 graduate of Amherst High School and president of the Student Council.
— Associated Press
Army Specialist Eugene A. Uhl III was killed in action on 11/15/03.
Friday, November 14, 2003
Army Sgt. Jay A. Blessing
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Jay A. Blessing, 23, Tacoma, Wash.
Sgt. Blessing was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed in action by an improvised explosive device, on Nov. 14 in Asadabad, Afghanistan.
Sgt. Jay Anthony Blessing was born January 4, 1980 in Washington and claimed Tacoma as home. He volunteered for Army service in August 1998.
He completed basic combat training and advanced individual training in the military operational specialty of Infantryman at Fort Benning, Ga. Sgt. Blessing continued his military training at Fort Benning when he attended the Basic Airborne Course in November 1998 and then graduated from the Ranger Indoctrination Program in January 1999. On January 28, 1999, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash. He went on to graduate from the U.S. Army Ranger Course and the Primary Leadership Development Course and was promoted to sergeant in June 2002.
Sgt. Blessing was an armorer with 2nd Battalion’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company. He was wounded and later died of his injuries Nov. 14 when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
His awards and decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the 2nd Bn., 75th Ranger Rgt. Combat Shoulder Sleeve Insignia and the Ranger tab.
Sergeant Blessing deployed with his Ranger battalion in support of the Global War on Terrorism and participated in combat operations in Afghanistan.
He is survived by his father, James A. Blessing, of Tacoma, Wash., and his brother, Jason Blessing, also of Tacoma. His mother, Carol Lee M. Blessing, is deceased.
As a Ranger, Sgt. Blessing distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier light-infantry unit, traveled to all corners of the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and fought valiantly to “uphold the prestige, honor, and high ‘esprit de corps’ of my Ranger Regiment.”
~Night Stalker Memorial
Army Sgt. Jay A. Blessing was killed in action on 11/14/03.
Army Sgt. Jay A. Blessing, 23, Tacoma, Wash.
Sgt. Blessing was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed in action by an improvised explosive device, on Nov. 14 in Asadabad, Afghanistan.
Sgt. Jay Anthony Blessing was born January 4, 1980 in Washington and claimed Tacoma as home. He volunteered for Army service in August 1998.
He completed basic combat training and advanced individual training in the military operational specialty of Infantryman at Fort Benning, Ga. Sgt. Blessing continued his military training at Fort Benning when he attended the Basic Airborne Course in November 1998 and then graduated from the Ranger Indoctrination Program in January 1999. On January 28, 1999, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash. He went on to graduate from the U.S. Army Ranger Course and the Primary Leadership Development Course and was promoted to sergeant in June 2002.
Sgt. Blessing was an armorer with 2nd Battalion’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company. He was wounded and later died of his injuries Nov. 14 when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
His awards and decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the 2nd Bn., 75th Ranger Rgt. Combat Shoulder Sleeve Insignia and the Ranger tab.
Sergeant Blessing deployed with his Ranger battalion in support of the Global War on Terrorism and participated in combat operations in Afghanistan.
He is survived by his father, James A. Blessing, of Tacoma, Wash., and his brother, Jason Blessing, also of Tacoma. His mother, Carol Lee M. Blessing, is deceased.
As a Ranger, Sgt. Blessing distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier light-infantry unit, traveled to all corners of the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and fought valiantly to “uphold the prestige, honor, and high ‘esprit de corps’ of my Ranger Regiment.”
~Night Stalker Memorial
Army Sgt. Jay A. Blessing was killed in action on 11/14/03.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Army Sgt. Joseph Minucci
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Joseph Minucci, 23, of Richeyville, Pa.
Sgt. Minucci was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy; killed Nov. 13 when an improvised explosive device exploded next to the bus on which he was riding in Samara, Iraq.
At 17, Sgt. Joseph Minucci II knew he wasn't headed to college, and the National Guard offered him some purpose in his life.
"He told me the reason he did what he did was that he felt that he was keeping his family safe. He was not only protecting his country, but keeping us all safe," Marcella Minucci said.
The 23-year-old soldier from Richeyville, Pa., was killed by an explosive Nov. 13 in Samara, Iraq. He was based at Camp Ederle, Italy, and is survived by his parents.
Minucci was a high school varsity football player and a soccer co-captain when he joined the National Guard. About a year later, he enlisted in the Army, and he earned his paratrooper wings at Fort Campbell, Ky.
"He was a proud soldier," Marcella Minucci said. "He was proud to be serving in Iraq."
Army Sgt. Joseph Minucci was killed in action on 11/13/03.
Army Sgt. Joseph Minucci, 23, of Richeyville, Pa.
Sgt. Minucci was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy; killed Nov. 13 when an improvised explosive device exploded next to the bus on which he was riding in Samara, Iraq.
At 17, Sgt. Joseph Minucci II knew he wasn't headed to college, and the National Guard offered him some purpose in his life.
"He told me the reason he did what he did was that he felt that he was keeping his family safe. He was not only protecting his country, but keeping us all safe," Marcella Minucci said.
The 23-year-old soldier from Richeyville, Pa., was killed by an explosive Nov. 13 in Samara, Iraq. He was based at Camp Ederle, Italy, and is survived by his parents.
Minucci was a high school varsity football player and a soccer co-captain when he joined the National Guard. About a year later, he enlisted in the Army, and he earned his paratrooper wings at Fort Campbell, Ky.
"He was a proud soldier," Marcella Minucci said. "He was proud to be serving in Iraq."
Army Sgt. Joseph Minucci was killed in action on 11/13/03.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Army National Guard Spc. Robert A. Wise
Remember Our Heroes
Florida Army National Guard Spc. Robert A. Wise, 21, of Tallahassee, Fla.
Spc. Wise was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade, Florida National Guard, Tallahassee, Fla.; killed while on mounted patrol Nov. 12, 2003 when an improvised explosive device exploded in Baghdad.
Tallahassee family shares memories of dead Florida guardsman
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Robert Allen Wise, the young infantryman killed in Iraq, had to get his mother’s signature to join the Florida National Guard when he was 17 — a decision his mom said Monday she almost denied.
“I drove over to the school with the full intention of telling him I could not do this,” Tammy Wise said.
But when she picked up her son that fateful day from a high school class, he said, “Mom, we’ve got to talk.”
And she told him to go first.
Robert Wise told his mother that while many of his buddies had no idea what they were going to do after finishing school, he knew where he was headed — to boot camp and a military career.
“I looked at him and said, ‘Son, you said the only thing possible that you could have said to get me to walk into that office and sign those papers,”’ she related. “He never once said he regretted what he was doing.”
The young soldier’s unit, assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was activated in January and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in February.
And his mom worried.
“Every second of every hour of everyday,” she said at a media availability at a National Guard armory. “The only time that it goes away is when you’re on the phone with him.”
In the e-mails they exchanged, he would constantly try to reassure his mother that everything was OK.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry, things here are fine,”’ Tammy Wise said.
“If anything major happens you’ll be the last to know,” she said he teased. “I don’t want you worrying on my behalf.”
Wise, 21, was killed Nov. 12 when a combat vehicle he was riding in was blown up by a bomb in Baghdad.
“He looked at life and saw the winding road and he kind of took aim at it,” said Marie Hildinger, Wise’s older sister.
Wise, who sent home several photos with his arms around young Iraqi children, loved kids — especially his sister’s two youngsters.
“Robert had a special affinity for children because he knew how to act like them,” Hildinger said. “If there was a game in town he wanted to be part of it.”
Hildinger, who spent three years as a military policewoman in the Army, said she often talked with her brother about the dangers of war.
“Before he left, he told me if he was going to die, he was going to die honorably for his country, for us and my children, his niece and nephew ... and he did,” she said tearfully.
Wise’s family and girlfriend, Jenny Walsh, all wore T-shirts with ‘Operation Iraqi’ across the front — shirts the specialist sent from Qatar during a recent four-day R&R.
“He actually had his life mapped out,” said David Wise of Key West, the guardsman’s father, noting the son has a new role.
David Wise alluded to the collision of two Army Black Hawk helicopters as they tried to escape enemy fire. The collision killed 17 soldiers.
“Seventeen more soldiers,” David Wise said. “We just think Robert’s greeting them. Making it better on them ... you know, with that goofy grin that he had.”
Army National Guard Spc. Robert A. Wise was killed in action on 11/12/03.
Florida Army National Guard Spc. Robert A. Wise, 21, of Tallahassee, Fla.
Spc. Wise was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade, Florida National Guard, Tallahassee, Fla.; killed while on mounted patrol Nov. 12, 2003 when an improvised explosive device exploded in Baghdad.
Tallahassee family shares memories of dead Florida guardsman
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Robert Allen Wise, the young infantryman killed in Iraq, had to get his mother’s signature to join the Florida National Guard when he was 17 — a decision his mom said Monday she almost denied.
“I drove over to the school with the full intention of telling him I could not do this,” Tammy Wise said.
But when she picked up her son that fateful day from a high school class, he said, “Mom, we’ve got to talk.”
And she told him to go first.
Robert Wise told his mother that while many of his buddies had no idea what they were going to do after finishing school, he knew where he was headed — to boot camp and a military career.
“I looked at him and said, ‘Son, you said the only thing possible that you could have said to get me to walk into that office and sign those papers,”’ she related. “He never once said he regretted what he was doing.”
The young soldier’s unit, assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was activated in January and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in February.
And his mom worried.
“Every second of every hour of everyday,” she said at a media availability at a National Guard armory. “The only time that it goes away is when you’re on the phone with him.”
In the e-mails they exchanged, he would constantly try to reassure his mother that everything was OK.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry, things here are fine,”’ Tammy Wise said.
“If anything major happens you’ll be the last to know,” she said he teased. “I don’t want you worrying on my behalf.”
Wise, 21, was killed Nov. 12 when a combat vehicle he was riding in was blown up by a bomb in Baghdad.
“He looked at life and saw the winding road and he kind of took aim at it,” said Marie Hildinger, Wise’s older sister.
Wise, who sent home several photos with his arms around young Iraqi children, loved kids — especially his sister’s two youngsters.
“Robert had a special affinity for children because he knew how to act like them,” Hildinger said. “If there was a game in town he wanted to be part of it.”
Hildinger, who spent three years as a military policewoman in the Army, said she often talked with her brother about the dangers of war.
“Before he left, he told me if he was going to die, he was going to die honorably for his country, for us and my children, his niece and nephew ... and he did,” she said tearfully.
Wise’s family and girlfriend, Jenny Walsh, all wore T-shirts with ‘Operation Iraqi’ across the front — shirts the specialist sent from Qatar during a recent four-day R&R.
“He actually had his life mapped out,” said David Wise of Key West, the guardsman’s father, noting the son has a new role.
David Wise alluded to the collision of two Army Black Hawk helicopters as they tried to escape enemy fire. The collision killed 17 soldiers.
“Seventeen more soldiers,” David Wise said. “We just think Robert’s greeting them. Making it better on them ... you know, with that goofy grin that he had.”
Army National Guard Spc. Robert A. Wise was killed in action on 11/12/03.
Friday, November 07, 2003
Army Sgt. Scott C. Rose
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Scott C. Rose, 30, of Fayetteville, N.C.;
Sgt. Rose was assigned to 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 7 when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Tikrit, Iraq.
Soldier killed in Iraq remembered in Vermont
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Army Staff Sgt. Scott Rose told his wife Michele last year that if he were killed in Iraq he wanted his funeral to be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in her hometown.
On Nov. 22 Rose, who was killed when the helicopter he was in went down near Tikrit, Iraq, got his wish.
The Rev. Peter Williams recalls Rose was struck by the church and its community when he and his wife visited last Christmas.
There was something about the church, with its stained glass windows honoring the saints, and its vaulted painted ceiling, overlooking the Black River and downtown Springfield, that spoke to Rose, who was born in Massachusetts and grew up in North Carolina.
Or maybe it was that the church’s previous priest was a retired military chaplain.
Williams said the couple, who met at North Carolina State University and were married in Mendon in 1996, often came to Vermont.
Michele Basso Rose and her parents don’t belong to St. Mary’s Church, but her husband and his family were devout Catholics, so the pair went to Christmas Mass, Williams said outside the church before the requiem Mass.
Strangers held flags as the coffin was carried to the church by soldiers from Fort Drum, N.Y., marching into the church with tiny steps.
And strangers cried, moved by the tragedy of a soldier dying in a distant war, and leaving behind a baby daughter he had never met.
Rose was honored on a bright sunny and mild November morning, hundreds of miles from his parents’ home in North Carolina, and thousands of miles from Tikrit, Iraq, where the 30-year-old Army sergeant died when his Black Hawk helicopter exploded and fell to the ground, killing all six GIs aboard.
Sgt. Rose’s father, retired Lt. Col. Alfred F. Rose, who wore his Army uniform for his son’s funeral, accompanied his wife, daughter and daughter-in-law.
After the Mass, family and friends stood silently on the steps of the church, as a final military farewell was held and the Army presented boxes holding his Purple Heart and his Silver Star to the widow.
Shots were fired into the air, making babies cry, and the American flag covering his maple casket was folded with careful precision by an honor guard from the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum.
Soldier dies in helicopter crash
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A soldier reportedly from Cumberland County was one of six people who died when a helicopter was shot down Friday in Tikrit, Iraq, the Department of Defense said on Sunday.
Sgt. Scott C. Rose was a member of the 101st Airborne Division, based in Fort Campbell, Ky. Rose was 30. The 101st is part of the 18th Airborne Corps, which has its headquarters at Fort Bragg.
Rose’s hometown wasn’t released by the Army, but a press release from Fort Campbell said he was a native of Massachusetts. The Defense Department said in a release on Sunday that Rose was from Fayetteville.
Rose had been in Iraq since spring. He never held is baby girl, born July 31. The closest he got was watching Meghan Louise through a computer monitor. His wife, Michele, and father-in-law had hooked up a Web camer so that Rose could watch her fussing and cooing from Rose’s home in Fort Campbell.
He was good at his job, said his father, retired Lt. Col. Alfred “Butch” Rose, who lives in Fayetteville.
“I could not be more proud of a son,” his father said. “There was no way, when I looked at what he did, I could not have done what he did. He was better than me.”
Rose was looking forward to his next assignment: teaching other crew chiefs stateside in Fort Eustis, Va., where he could be near his wife and daughter.
Rose and his wife met at North Carolina State University, said Paula Basso, Rose’s mother-in-law, in a phone interview from her home in Vermont.
She said Michele, who was from Vermont, had found a perfect Southern gentleman. Rose was friendly, thoughtful and quiet, Basso said.
Michele, contacted in Tennessee, had no comment.
The Black Hawk was apparently shot down by insurgents. A total of six soldiers, including two from the Department of the Army headquarters at the Pentagon, were killed.
An investigation was under way Sunday to determine whether mechanical failure or hostile fire caused the crash, but several officers believed the Black Hawk was shot down.
Tikrit is Saddam Hussein’s hometown. The Black Hawk’s crash underscores the danger American troops face in Iraq, especially in areas north and west of Baghdad dominated by Sunni Muslim Arabs. Anti-American sentiments are strong in the “Sunni Triangle,” and attacks against coalition forces have recently intensified.
— Associated Press
Army Sgt. Scott C. Rose was killed in action on 11/07/03.
Army Sgt. Scott C. Rose, 30, of Fayetteville, N.C.;
Sgt. Rose was assigned to 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 7 when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Tikrit, Iraq.
Soldier killed in Iraq remembered in Vermont
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Army Staff Sgt. Scott Rose told his wife Michele last year that if he were killed in Iraq he wanted his funeral to be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in her hometown.
On Nov. 22 Rose, who was killed when the helicopter he was in went down near Tikrit, Iraq, got his wish.
The Rev. Peter Williams recalls Rose was struck by the church and its community when he and his wife visited last Christmas.
There was something about the church, with its stained glass windows honoring the saints, and its vaulted painted ceiling, overlooking the Black River and downtown Springfield, that spoke to Rose, who was born in Massachusetts and grew up in North Carolina.
Or maybe it was that the church’s previous priest was a retired military chaplain.
Williams said the couple, who met at North Carolina State University and were married in Mendon in 1996, often came to Vermont.
Michele Basso Rose and her parents don’t belong to St. Mary’s Church, but her husband and his family were devout Catholics, so the pair went to Christmas Mass, Williams said outside the church before the requiem Mass.
Strangers held flags as the coffin was carried to the church by soldiers from Fort Drum, N.Y., marching into the church with tiny steps.
And strangers cried, moved by the tragedy of a soldier dying in a distant war, and leaving behind a baby daughter he had never met.
Rose was honored on a bright sunny and mild November morning, hundreds of miles from his parents’ home in North Carolina, and thousands of miles from Tikrit, Iraq, where the 30-year-old Army sergeant died when his Black Hawk helicopter exploded and fell to the ground, killing all six GIs aboard.
Sgt. Rose’s father, retired Lt. Col. Alfred F. Rose, who wore his Army uniform for his son’s funeral, accompanied his wife, daughter and daughter-in-law.
After the Mass, family and friends stood silently on the steps of the church, as a final military farewell was held and the Army presented boxes holding his Purple Heart and his Silver Star to the widow.
Shots were fired into the air, making babies cry, and the American flag covering his maple casket was folded with careful precision by an honor guard from the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum.
Soldier dies in helicopter crash
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A soldier reportedly from Cumberland County was one of six people who died when a helicopter was shot down Friday in Tikrit, Iraq, the Department of Defense said on Sunday.
Sgt. Scott C. Rose was a member of the 101st Airborne Division, based in Fort Campbell, Ky. Rose was 30. The 101st is part of the 18th Airborne Corps, which has its headquarters at Fort Bragg.
Rose’s hometown wasn’t released by the Army, but a press release from Fort Campbell said he was a native of Massachusetts. The Defense Department said in a release on Sunday that Rose was from Fayetteville.
Rose had been in Iraq since spring. He never held is baby girl, born July 31. The closest he got was watching Meghan Louise through a computer monitor. His wife, Michele, and father-in-law had hooked up a Web camer so that Rose could watch her fussing and cooing from Rose’s home in Fort Campbell.
He was good at his job, said his father, retired Lt. Col. Alfred “Butch” Rose, who lives in Fayetteville.
“I could not be more proud of a son,” his father said. “There was no way, when I looked at what he did, I could not have done what he did. He was better than me.”
Rose was looking forward to his next assignment: teaching other crew chiefs stateside in Fort Eustis, Va., where he could be near his wife and daughter.
Rose and his wife met at North Carolina State University, said Paula Basso, Rose’s mother-in-law, in a phone interview from her home in Vermont.
She said Michele, who was from Vermont, had found a perfect Southern gentleman. Rose was friendly, thoughtful and quiet, Basso said.
Michele, contacted in Tennessee, had no comment.
The Black Hawk was apparently shot down by insurgents. A total of six soldiers, including two from the Department of the Army headquarters at the Pentagon, were killed.
An investigation was under way Sunday to determine whether mechanical failure or hostile fire caused the crash, but several officers believed the Black Hawk was shot down.
Tikrit is Saddam Hussein’s hometown. The Black Hawk’s crash underscores the danger American troops face in Iraq, especially in areas north and west of Baghdad dominated by Sunni Muslim Arabs. Anti-American sentiments are strong in the “Sunni Triangle,” and attacks against coalition forces have recently intensified.
— Associated Press
Army Sgt. Scott C. Rose was killed in action on 11/07/03.
Thursday, November 06, 2003
Mississippi Army National Guard Spc. James A. Chance III
Remember Our Heroes
Mississippi Army National Guard Spc. James A. Chance III, 25, of Kokomo, Miss.
Spc. Chance assigned to C Company, 890th Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, based in Columbia, Miss.; killed Nov. 6 when his vehicle struck a landmine in Husaybah, Iraq.
Spc. James A. Chance III didn't want his counterparts with spouses or children to risk themselves driving through dangerous territory in Iraq, family pastor Jimmy Jones said.
So the Mississippi National Guardsman volunteered to lead his convoy.
"He would do without so that someone could have. That's the way he was raised," older brother Allen Chance said.
The 25-year-old from Kokomo, Miss., was killed Nov. 6 when his truck hit a land mine near the Syrian border.
Chance usually stayed close to his parents' home, helping to care for his father, who is in a wheelchair and had served in Vietnam.
The last conversation Allen Chance had with his brother was about their ailing grandmother. "He was worried about her and he was trying to get it where he could come home for a few days to see her," he said. "He never could get around to it."
He is survived by his father, James Jr., and his mother, Patricia Ann.
— Associated Press
Mississippi Army National Guard Spc. James A. Chance III was killed in action on 11/06/03.
Mississippi Army National Guard Spc. James A. Chance III, 25, of Kokomo, Miss.
Spc. Chance assigned to C Company, 890th Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, based in Columbia, Miss.; killed Nov. 6 when his vehicle struck a landmine in Husaybah, Iraq.
Spc. James A. Chance III didn't want his counterparts with spouses or children to risk themselves driving through dangerous territory in Iraq, family pastor Jimmy Jones said.
So the Mississippi National Guardsman volunteered to lead his convoy.
"He would do without so that someone could have. That's the way he was raised," older brother Allen Chance said.
The 25-year-old from Kokomo, Miss., was killed Nov. 6 when his truck hit a land mine near the Syrian border.
Chance usually stayed close to his parents' home, helping to care for his father, who is in a wheelchair and had served in Vietnam.
The last conversation Allen Chance had with his brother was about their ailing grandmother. "He was worried about her and he was trying to get it where he could come home for a few days to see her," he said. "He never could get around to it."
He is survived by his father, James Jr., and his mother, Patricia Ann.
— Associated Press
Mississippi Army National Guard Spc. James A. Chance III was killed in action on 11/06/03.
Friday, October 31, 2003
Army 2nd Lt. Todd J. Bryant
Remember Our Heroes
Army 2nd Lt. Todd J. Bryant, 23, of Riverside, Calif.
Lt. Bryant was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; killed while on patrol Oct. 31 when an improvised explosive device exploded in Fallujah, Iraq.
War hits home for students after teacher’s husband killed
Associated Press
ABILENE, Kan. — When the Army officers marched into Abilene High School on Friday, the war in Iraq suddenly hit a personal note for students.
The soldiers brought the news that first-year teacher Jenifer Bryant’s husband of less than two months, 2nd Lt. Todd Bryant, had been killed while on patrol in Al Fallujah when an improvised explosive device detonated. He was 23.
“Knowing someone who was over there gave a little connection to the students,” Principal Jason Webb said. “It really hit home for the kids the last couple of days. This took some of those things we talk about in an educational setting and put it in terms of what it means in real people’s lives.”
Webb said Jenifer and Todd Bryant met in college. Todd Bryant, who originally was from Riverside, Calif., graduated from West Point and was commissioned in the Army in 2002. In January, he was sent to Fort Riley.
Webb said Bryant joined her husband at Fort Riley after she graduated in May. The two were married in September, two weeks before his deployment to Iraq. He was a tank platoon leader assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.
“He was a wonderfully charismatic young man,” Webb said. “He was only 23, but a West Point graduate and a platoon leader and an officer. He was young-looking, but very good at what he did.”
A memorial service was Wednesday at Fort Riley, and Webb said Bryant will be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery, Va.
Bryant was the 11th Fort Riley soldier to be killed while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. About 6,500 of the 10,000 troops assigned to For Riley have been deployed to Iraq, post officials said.
Webb said some classes have discussed buying books for the school library in Todd Bryant’s name, and students have talked about collecting such items as magazines, puzzle books and lip balm and sending them to soldiers in Iraq.
Army 2nd Lt. Todd J. Bryant was killed in action on 10/31/03.
Army 2nd Lt. Todd J. Bryant, 23, of Riverside, Calif.
Lt. Bryant was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; killed while on patrol Oct. 31 when an improvised explosive device exploded in Fallujah, Iraq.
War hits home for students after teacher’s husband killed
Associated Press
ABILENE, Kan. — When the Army officers marched into Abilene High School on Friday, the war in Iraq suddenly hit a personal note for students.
The soldiers brought the news that first-year teacher Jenifer Bryant’s husband of less than two months, 2nd Lt. Todd Bryant, had been killed while on patrol in Al Fallujah when an improvised explosive device detonated. He was 23.
“Knowing someone who was over there gave a little connection to the students,” Principal Jason Webb said. “It really hit home for the kids the last couple of days. This took some of those things we talk about in an educational setting and put it in terms of what it means in real people’s lives.”
Webb said Jenifer and Todd Bryant met in college. Todd Bryant, who originally was from Riverside, Calif., graduated from West Point and was commissioned in the Army in 2002. In January, he was sent to Fort Riley.
Webb said Bryant joined her husband at Fort Riley after she graduated in May. The two were married in September, two weeks before his deployment to Iraq. He was a tank platoon leader assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.
“He was a wonderfully charismatic young man,” Webb said. “He was only 23, but a West Point graduate and a platoon leader and an officer. He was young-looking, but very good at what he did.”
A memorial service was Wednesday at Fort Riley, and Webb said Bryant will be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery, Va.
Bryant was the 11th Fort Riley soldier to be killed while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. About 6,500 of the 10,000 troops assigned to For Riley have been deployed to Iraq, post officials said.
Webb said some classes have discussed buying books for the school library in Todd Bryant’s name, and students have talked about collecting such items as magazines, puzzle books and lip balm and sending them to soldiers in Iraq.
Army 2nd Lt. Todd J. Bryant was killed in action on 10/31/03.
Sunday, October 26, 2003
Army Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld, 19, of Waupun, Wis.
Pfc. Bosveld was assigned to the 527th Military Police Company, V Corps, Giesen, Germany; killed Oct. 26 during a mortar attack on the Abu Ghraib Police Station in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.
Wisconsin soldier dies in Iraq
By Colleen Kottke
The (Fond Du Lac, Wis.) Reporter
WAUPUN, Wis. — The news of Rachel Bosveld’s death has brought the reality of the conflict in Iraq home to Waupun.
Bosveld, a member of the 527th Military Police, was killed Sunday during a mortar attack at a Baghdad police station.
As the word of the 19-year-old’s death filtered through the community, friends who knew the fun-loving brunette sought out one another to grieve and relive memories spent with their fallen friend.
Although Bosveld attended Waupun High School for only two years after transferring from Oshkosh West High School, it is clear that she made a lasting impression in the lives of those who knew her.
“She was energetic and always laughing,” said Krissy Beske, UW-Fond du Lac student and former classmate. “When she first came to school, we just kind of pulled her into our circle and took her under our wing.”
Beske says that Bosveld was very independent and comfortable with who she was.
“She was really unique and had her own style and wasn’t embarrassed to show it,” said Beske, who also tells of Bosveld’s sense of humor. “Sometimes we would just do silly stuff, like dress up like boys and then go out in public.”
After she learned of Bosveld’s death, she spent time with friend Jessica Gruening, looking over old pictures of themselves and Bosveld in happier times.
“Because she had been away for so long, the news didn’t really hit me at first, but when we began looking at old pictures and wishing she was here, it came over us big time,” said Beske. “(Rachel) was such a strong person and I looked up to her. She knew what she wanted and where she wanted to go in life. I will always remember that about her.”
WAUPUN, Wis. — All Rachel Bosveld wanted was to come home.
She never complained, but after eight months in the sands of Iraq, barely surviving a roadside ambush and patrolling anti-American riots, the 19-year-old military policewoman from Waupun had had enough.
“More and more people want us to go home,” she wrote in a letter to her father. “Believe me, we want to go home.”
Rachel Bosveld died Sunday in a mortar attack at a Baghdad police station, becoming the first Wisconsin woman killed in the Iraqi conflict and the fifth soldier from the state to die in that country this year.
Marvin Bosveld said he supported the invasion at first, but now he isn’t sure.
“That war killed her,” Marvin Bosveld said. “I’m not so sure what I’ll support now.”
Craig Bosveld, 32, described his sister as an artist who loved to draw forest scenes, play her violin and act in Waupun High School’s drama club. She played Frieda in the school rendition of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” She hoped one day to become a graphic artist, he said.
“Can’t believe it,” he said. “The chances are one in a hundred thousand. She did what she had to do and never complained. We’re all proud of her.”
Reporters, photographers and cameramen descended on the Bosvelds’ modest white house Tuesday as a cold rain fell outside. A red Marine Corps flag hung outside the door in honor of Rachel’s stepbrother, 19-year-old Aaron Krebs.
The other Wisconsin soldiers who died in Iraq were Army Spc. Paul J. Sturino, 21, of Rice Lake; Army Reservist Dan Gabrielson, 40, of Frederic; Army Maj. Mathew Schram, 36, of Brookfield; and Marine Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam.
Marvin Bosveld sat on the couch and told the story of his daughter’s short life.
Marvin Bosveld and his former wife, Mary, were serving as foster parents when Rachel came to them as a neglected baby. The couple adopted her. After they separated, she lived in Oshkosh with her mother but moved to Waupun with her father for her junior and senior years in high school.
She enlisted in the Army when she graduated in June 2002, following in the footsteps of her father, who served in the Army in Italy from 1967-1969, and Craig, who served in the Army in Alaska.
“She idolized her brother,” Marvin Bosveld said, pointing to a photograph of Craig holding a toddler-sized Rachel on a tree branch. “I had some reservation because she was a girl. She asked me not to worry about it. She was as good as anyone.”
Her mother said she desperately tried to talk her daughter out of it.
“I would have done anything to have her choose a different career,” Mary Bosveld said. “She said, ‘I know, Mom, but I have to do this. … I want to keep up the family tradition. Except, Mom, I’m going to be the first girl in our entire family.”’
Rachel graduated from boot camp in October 2002. Her father rode his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to see her graduate. She asked for a ride on the back. That, Marvin said, was his last real memory of her.
When she first got to Iraq, she was ready to “kick butt,” her father said.
Until Sept. 12. That was the day a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Humvee she was driving.
Craig Bosveld said the Humvee burned up from the inside. His sister dislocated her shoulder trying to open the door. When she did free herself, her unit started taking small-arms fire until another Humvee arrived to help.
From then on, her father said, her opinion changed.
She counted the days until she could leave in her letters. One focused on all the dead and abused horses she saw in Baghdad. Another talked about anti-American riots and people chanting “USA go home.”
She transferred from night patrol to day patrol. She hoped she might live longer that way, Craig Bosveld said.
Mary Bosveld said her daughter wrote to her and asked her to ask newspapers in Wisconsin to do a story on the real hardships troops there face.
She got three letters from her daughter Tuesday, the day after the family learned she had been killed.
“Mom, don’t worry so much about me,” one letter said.
Mary Bosveld said Rachel hoped to write a book about her experiences. Now she has to pass on her daughter’s story to reporters, as much as she hates it, she said.
“I’m doing this for Rachel because this is her story,” she said.
Marvin Bosveld said the hardest part for him will be dealing with unopened birthday cards when they return. Rachel would have turned 20 on Nov. 7.
“She kept assuring me she was getting her sleep, staying alert, keeping her head down and looking over her shoulder,” Bosveld said.
“I can hardly believe it yet today,” he said. “That was my daughter.”
— Associated Press
Army Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld was killed in action on 10/26/03.
Army Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld, 19, of Waupun, Wis.
Pfc. Bosveld was assigned to the 527th Military Police Company, V Corps, Giesen, Germany; killed Oct. 26 during a mortar attack on the Abu Ghraib Police Station in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.
Wisconsin soldier dies in Iraq
By Colleen Kottke
The (Fond Du Lac, Wis.) Reporter
WAUPUN, Wis. — The news of Rachel Bosveld’s death has brought the reality of the conflict in Iraq home to Waupun.
Bosveld, a member of the 527th Military Police, was killed Sunday during a mortar attack at a Baghdad police station.
As the word of the 19-year-old’s death filtered through the community, friends who knew the fun-loving brunette sought out one another to grieve and relive memories spent with their fallen friend.
Although Bosveld attended Waupun High School for only two years after transferring from Oshkosh West High School, it is clear that she made a lasting impression in the lives of those who knew her.
“She was energetic and always laughing,” said Krissy Beske, UW-Fond du Lac student and former classmate. “When she first came to school, we just kind of pulled her into our circle and took her under our wing.”
Beske says that Bosveld was very independent and comfortable with who she was.
“She was really unique and had her own style and wasn’t embarrassed to show it,” said Beske, who also tells of Bosveld’s sense of humor. “Sometimes we would just do silly stuff, like dress up like boys and then go out in public.”
After she learned of Bosveld’s death, she spent time with friend Jessica Gruening, looking over old pictures of themselves and Bosveld in happier times.
“Because she had been away for so long, the news didn’t really hit me at first, but when we began looking at old pictures and wishing she was here, it came over us big time,” said Beske. “(Rachel) was such a strong person and I looked up to her. She knew what she wanted and where she wanted to go in life. I will always remember that about her.”
WAUPUN, Wis. — All Rachel Bosveld wanted was to come home.
She never complained, but after eight months in the sands of Iraq, barely surviving a roadside ambush and patrolling anti-American riots, the 19-year-old military policewoman from Waupun had had enough.
“More and more people want us to go home,” she wrote in a letter to her father. “Believe me, we want to go home.”
Rachel Bosveld died Sunday in a mortar attack at a Baghdad police station, becoming the first Wisconsin woman killed in the Iraqi conflict and the fifth soldier from the state to die in that country this year.
Marvin Bosveld said he supported the invasion at first, but now he isn’t sure.
“That war killed her,” Marvin Bosveld said. “I’m not so sure what I’ll support now.”
Craig Bosveld, 32, described his sister as an artist who loved to draw forest scenes, play her violin and act in Waupun High School’s drama club. She played Frieda in the school rendition of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” She hoped one day to become a graphic artist, he said.
“Can’t believe it,” he said. “The chances are one in a hundred thousand. She did what she had to do and never complained. We’re all proud of her.”
Reporters, photographers and cameramen descended on the Bosvelds’ modest white house Tuesday as a cold rain fell outside. A red Marine Corps flag hung outside the door in honor of Rachel’s stepbrother, 19-year-old Aaron Krebs.
The other Wisconsin soldiers who died in Iraq were Army Spc. Paul J. Sturino, 21, of Rice Lake; Army Reservist Dan Gabrielson, 40, of Frederic; Army Maj. Mathew Schram, 36, of Brookfield; and Marine Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam.
Marvin Bosveld sat on the couch and told the story of his daughter’s short life.
Marvin Bosveld and his former wife, Mary, were serving as foster parents when Rachel came to them as a neglected baby. The couple adopted her. After they separated, she lived in Oshkosh with her mother but moved to Waupun with her father for her junior and senior years in high school.
She enlisted in the Army when she graduated in June 2002, following in the footsteps of her father, who served in the Army in Italy from 1967-1969, and Craig, who served in the Army in Alaska.
“She idolized her brother,” Marvin Bosveld said, pointing to a photograph of Craig holding a toddler-sized Rachel on a tree branch. “I had some reservation because she was a girl. She asked me not to worry about it. She was as good as anyone.”
Her mother said she desperately tried to talk her daughter out of it.
“I would have done anything to have her choose a different career,” Mary Bosveld said. “She said, ‘I know, Mom, but I have to do this. … I want to keep up the family tradition. Except, Mom, I’m going to be the first girl in our entire family.”’
Rachel graduated from boot camp in October 2002. Her father rode his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to see her graduate. She asked for a ride on the back. That, Marvin said, was his last real memory of her.
When she first got to Iraq, she was ready to “kick butt,” her father said.
Until Sept. 12. That was the day a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Humvee she was driving.
Craig Bosveld said the Humvee burned up from the inside. His sister dislocated her shoulder trying to open the door. When she did free herself, her unit started taking small-arms fire until another Humvee arrived to help.
From then on, her father said, her opinion changed.
She counted the days until she could leave in her letters. One focused on all the dead and abused horses she saw in Baghdad. Another talked about anti-American riots and people chanting “USA go home.”
She transferred from night patrol to day patrol. She hoped she might live longer that way, Craig Bosveld said.
Mary Bosveld said her daughter wrote to her and asked her to ask newspapers in Wisconsin to do a story on the real hardships troops there face.
She got three letters from her daughter Tuesday, the day after the family learned she had been killed.
“Mom, don’t worry so much about me,” one letter said.
Mary Bosveld said Rachel hoped to write a book about her experiences. Now she has to pass on her daughter’s story to reporters, as much as she hates it, she said.
“I’m doing this for Rachel because this is her story,” she said.
Marvin Bosveld said the hardest part for him will be dealing with unopened birthday cards when they return. Rachel would have turned 20 on Nov. 7.
“She kept assuring me she was getting her sleep, staying alert, keeping her head down and looking over her shoulder,” Bosveld said.
“I can hardly believe it yet today,” he said. “That was my daughter.”
— Associated Press
Army Pfc. Rachel K. Bosveld was killed in action on 10/26/03.
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Army Pfc. John D. Hart
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. John D. Hart, 20, of Bedford, Mass.
Pfc. Hart was assigned to 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry Battalion, 173rd Infantry Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy; killed in action Oct. 18 when enemy forces, using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, ambushed his patrol in Taza, Iraq.
Pfc. John D. Hart was as loving as he was lovable, sure to one day become a teacher or a counselor, his family said.
But Hart wanted to be in the military, a resolve strengthened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, said his father, Brian Hart.
Hart, 20, who enlisted in the Army after high school, was killed Oct. 18 when his patrol came under fire 160 miles north of Baghdad.
"I know you had a warrior's heart. You dreamed of being a soldier and you lived your dream," the elder Hart said at a memorial service for his son in their hometown of Bedford, Mass. "I presumed you'd come back and become a teacher or a counselor. You already were a counselor to many."
Brian Hart said he wished his son knew how his death had brought an entire town together in grief _ "a town united now in sorrow."
He is also survived by his mother, Alma, and two sisters.
Army Pfc. John D. Hart was killed in action on 10/18/03.
Army Pfc. John D. Hart, 20, of Bedford, Mass.
Pfc. Hart was assigned to 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry Battalion, 173rd Infantry Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy; killed in action Oct. 18 when enemy forces, using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, ambushed his patrol in Taza, Iraq.
Pfc. John D. Hart was as loving as he was lovable, sure to one day become a teacher or a counselor, his family said.
But Hart wanted to be in the military, a resolve strengthened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, said his father, Brian Hart.
Hart, 20, who enlisted in the Army after high school, was killed Oct. 18 when his patrol came under fire 160 miles north of Baghdad.
"I know you had a warrior's heart. You dreamed of being a soldier and you lived your dream," the elder Hart said at a memorial service for his son in their hometown of Bedford, Mass. "I presumed you'd come back and become a teacher or a counselor. You already were a counselor to many."
Brian Hart said he wished his son knew how his death had brought an entire town together in grief _ "a town united now in sorrow."
He is also survived by his mother, Alma, and two sisters.
Army Pfc. John D. Hart was killed in action on 10/18/03.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Army Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, Pa.
Sgt. Baddick was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Fort Bragg, N.C.; drowned Sept. 29, 2003 as he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
As his older sister remembers it, Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick never thought twice before rushing to help someone. “He feared nothing,” Elizabeth Hoherchak said. “Nothing. There was no hesitation in him.”
Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, Pa., drowned Sept. 29 when he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had plunged into a canal in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Bragg.
Baddick had been serving in Afghanistan before going to Iraq, said Charles McHugh, a family friend.
“I knew the boy all his life; I watched him grow up,” McHugh said. “All he wanted to do was be in the Army and be a paratrooper, and he succeeded.”
Paratrooper from Pa. killed in Iraq
Associated Press
A paratrooper stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., drowned while trying to save another soldier in Iraq, the Defense Department said Wednesday, and a Veterans Affairs official said he was from Pennsylvania.
Sgt. Andrew J. Baddick, 26, died Monday, according to both a Pentagon news release and Charles McHugh, director of the Carbon County, Pa., Veterans Affairs Office.
According to the Pentagon, Baddick was trying to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq when he drowned.
Military authorities did not say where Baddick was from, but McHugh said Baddick was from Jim Thorpe. McHugh, a friend of the family, said the military had informed Baddick’s mother, Ann, of his death.
“I knew the boy all his life; I watched him grow up,” McHugh said. “All he wanted to do was be in the Army and be a paratrooper, and he succeeded.”
McHugh said Baddick, a paratrooper with Headquarters Company, 82nd Airborne Division, had been stationed in Afghanistan before coming to Iraq one or two months ago.
Baddick, a 1997 graduate of Jim Thorpe Area Senior High School, enlisted in the Army in 1999 and re-enlisted for another six years in 2001, McHugh said.
Army Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick died saving another on 9/29/03.
Army Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, Pa.
Sgt. Baddick was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Fort Bragg, N.C.; drowned Sept. 29, 2003 as he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
As his older sister remembers it, Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick never thought twice before rushing to help someone. “He feared nothing,” Elizabeth Hoherchak said. “Nothing. There was no hesitation in him.”
Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, Pa., drowned Sept. 29 when he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had plunged into a canal in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Bragg.
Baddick had been serving in Afghanistan before going to Iraq, said Charles McHugh, a family friend.
“I knew the boy all his life; I watched him grow up,” McHugh said. “All he wanted to do was be in the Army and be a paratrooper, and he succeeded.”
Paratrooper from Pa. killed in Iraq
Associated Press
A paratrooper stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., drowned while trying to save another soldier in Iraq, the Defense Department said Wednesday, and a Veterans Affairs official said he was from Pennsylvania.
Sgt. Andrew J. Baddick, 26, died Monday, according to both a Pentagon news release and Charles McHugh, director of the Carbon County, Pa., Veterans Affairs Office.
According to the Pentagon, Baddick was trying to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq when he drowned.
Military authorities did not say where Baddick was from, but McHugh said Baddick was from Jim Thorpe. McHugh, a friend of the family, said the military had informed Baddick’s mother, Ann, of his death.
“I knew the boy all his life; I watched him grow up,” McHugh said. “All he wanted to do was be in the Army and be a paratrooper, and he succeeded.”
McHugh said Baddick, a paratrooper with Headquarters Company, 82nd Airborne Division, had been stationed in Afghanistan before coming to Iraq one or two months ago.
Baddick, a 1997 graduate of Jim Thorpe Area Senior High School, enlisted in the Army in 1999 and re-enlisted for another six years in 2001, McHugh said.
Army Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick died saving another on 9/29/03.
Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Darrin K. Potter
Remember Our Heroes
Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Darrin K. Potter, 24, of Louisville, Ky.
Sgt Potter was assigned to the 223rd Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Louisville, Ky.; killed Sept. 29, 2003 when his vehicle left a road and went into a canal during a mission to search an area near Abu Ghraib Prison, outside Baghdad, Iraq.
Family, friends mourn guardsman killed in Iraq
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bagpipes and a solemn drumbeat rang through Southeast Christian Church as family, friends and comrades gathered Oct 8 to remember the first Kentucky Army National Guardsman to die in combat since Vietnam.
Sgt. Darrin K. Potter, 24, was “a very compassionate, loving, selfless person who always had a calm demeanor,” Mike Koenig, a friend and Louisville police officer, said during the funeral.
One by one, military and police officers stood before Potter’s casket and bade him farewell with slow salutes after the service that drew about 300 mourners.
Potter wanted to be a police officer — his dream since high school — when he was deployed with the 223rd Military Police Company to Iraq.
He served as a peacekeeper in Bosnia with the 223rd in December 2000. Potter’s deployment to Iraq was to have been his last before returning with hopes of re-entering the police force.
Potter died Sept. 29 when his military vehicle overturned and was submerged in a canal in Baghdad. He was in a four-vehicle convoy on patrol. A Humvee carrying Potter and other soldiers failed to make a turn and plunged into the canal while responding to a mortar attack by Iraqi insurgents.
Sgt. Matthew Staples said Potter was more concerned about the safety of his comrades than about himself.
“When his vehicle rolled into the canal, he made sure his troops made it out of the vehicle,” said Staples, one of Potter’s closest friends in the unit.
All the occupants got out, and two made it to shallow water, but Potter was swept away by swift currents. A soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division, Sgt. Andrew Baddick of Jim Thorpe, Pa., died trying to rescue Potter.
Potter’s company was supporting elements of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Potter was born in Flemingsburg and grew up in Maysville, Frankfort and finally Louisville. He became interested in sports and the outdoors at an early age. In elementary school, he would clip empty Final Four brackets printed in the newspaper and sell copies to classmates for a quarter a piece, said the Rev. Larry Pope in a eulogy.
Potter had many friends but was especially close to his sister, Anita. Though four years his junior, Anita “was a mother hen to him,” doting over him and trying to pick his girlfriends for him, said Dennis Romans, their uncle.
Potter was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville. He was honored with a 21-gun salute and a flyover by three Black Hawk helicopters.
He is survived by his father, David Potter; his mother, Lynn Romans; and his sister.
Guardsman killed in Iraq is remembered by his parents
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s first Army National Guard combat casualty in a generation died a “hero’s death” while responding to a mortar attack in Iraq, his mother said Friday.
Sgt. Darrin Potter was remembered by his parents as a warm, compassionate man devoted to family and his military mission.
Potter, 24, a member of the 223rd Military Police Company, died Monday when his military vehicle overturned and submerged in a canal in Baghdad.
“He died serving his country,” said his mother, Lynn Romans. “He died a hero’s death, and I think that’s how we need to remember him.”
In Iraq, Potter’s fellow guardsmen paid tribute to their fallen comrade at memorial services, said Kentucky Adjutant General D. Allen Youngman. The guardsmen received a short break from duties so they could “catch up a little bit emotionally and physically,” he said.
Youngman provided more details about the Kentucky Army National Guard’s first combat death since the Vietnam War.
Potter was in a four-vehicle convoy on patrol. A Humvee carrying Potter and other soldiers failed to make a turn and plunged into the canal while responding to a mortar attack by Iraqi insurgents, Youngman said.
All the occupants got out of the vehicle and two made it to shallow water, Youngman said, but Potter was swept away by the swift currents. A soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division also died while trying to rescue Potter, he said. Potter was part of a military police squad supporting elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, which is based at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Potter’s parents offered condolences to the family of Sgt. Andrew Baddick of Jim Thorpe, Penn., the soldier who tried to rescue Potter.
Potter’s father, David Potter, said he last spoke with his son the morning of his death. It was a brief conversation — his son had two minutes left on his phone card. Potter gave his father instructions to carry out some of his business back home, his father said.
David Potter said his son was always reluctant to discuss what was happening in Iraq. Potter’s unit arrived in the Persian Gulf in February.
“I think he was very content,” David Potter said. “He was a military man, he knew his mission and he went there to do a job. He was very positive in his outlook.”
Asked his thoughts about the war, David Potter replied, “We have decided to leave it to the intelligence of the nation to argue the pros and cons of the war.” Darrin Potter’s mother said the war was “the route our country has chosen, and that was his role.”
Potter joined the guard unit because of his interest in law enforcement, his father said.
Romans said her son was a “very likable, easy going person.” Potter’s father remembered him as an “outstanding, all-around person.”
She said the family doesn’t yet know when Potter’s body will be returned to Louisville. She said his funeral will be at Southeast Christian Church. Potter also is survived by a 20-year-old sister.
Potter’s mother said his death was “part of a much larger plan,” and that he continues to touch many lives even after death.
“In his 24 years of life he had a lot of opportunities and a lot of privileges,” she said. “He had a goal and he went for that, and he worked for that goal. He did accomplish a lot in his life, a lot more than maybe a lot of us in our entire lifetime.”
Romans learned of her son’s death while at work. She was alerted in a phone call from her ex-husband, Potter’s father, that something was wrong before a military team told her of her son’s death.
“It’s just something that you really can’t fathom, and you never want to see,” Romans told reporters at the Buechel Armory, where her son’s unit is stationed. “And even now it feels unreal.”
Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Darrin K. Potter was killed in action on 9/29/03.
Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Darrin K. Potter, 24, of Louisville, Ky.
Sgt Potter was assigned to the 223rd Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Louisville, Ky.; killed Sept. 29, 2003 when his vehicle left a road and went into a canal during a mission to search an area near Abu Ghraib Prison, outside Baghdad, Iraq.
Family, friends mourn guardsman killed in Iraq
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bagpipes and a solemn drumbeat rang through Southeast Christian Church as family, friends and comrades gathered Oct 8 to remember the first Kentucky Army National Guardsman to die in combat since Vietnam.
Sgt. Darrin K. Potter, 24, was “a very compassionate, loving, selfless person who always had a calm demeanor,” Mike Koenig, a friend and Louisville police officer, said during the funeral.
One by one, military and police officers stood before Potter’s casket and bade him farewell with slow salutes after the service that drew about 300 mourners.
Potter wanted to be a police officer — his dream since high school — when he was deployed with the 223rd Military Police Company to Iraq.
He served as a peacekeeper in Bosnia with the 223rd in December 2000. Potter’s deployment to Iraq was to have been his last before returning with hopes of re-entering the police force.
Potter died Sept. 29 when his military vehicle overturned and was submerged in a canal in Baghdad. He was in a four-vehicle convoy on patrol. A Humvee carrying Potter and other soldiers failed to make a turn and plunged into the canal while responding to a mortar attack by Iraqi insurgents.
Sgt. Matthew Staples said Potter was more concerned about the safety of his comrades than about himself.
“When his vehicle rolled into the canal, he made sure his troops made it out of the vehicle,” said Staples, one of Potter’s closest friends in the unit.
All the occupants got out, and two made it to shallow water, but Potter was swept away by swift currents. A soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division, Sgt. Andrew Baddick of Jim Thorpe, Pa., died trying to rescue Potter.
Potter’s company was supporting elements of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Potter was born in Flemingsburg and grew up in Maysville, Frankfort and finally Louisville. He became interested in sports and the outdoors at an early age. In elementary school, he would clip empty Final Four brackets printed in the newspaper and sell copies to classmates for a quarter a piece, said the Rev. Larry Pope in a eulogy.
Potter had many friends but was especially close to his sister, Anita. Though four years his junior, Anita “was a mother hen to him,” doting over him and trying to pick his girlfriends for him, said Dennis Romans, their uncle.
Potter was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville. He was honored with a 21-gun salute and a flyover by three Black Hawk helicopters.
He is survived by his father, David Potter; his mother, Lynn Romans; and his sister.
Guardsman killed in Iraq is remembered by his parents
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s first Army National Guard combat casualty in a generation died a “hero’s death” while responding to a mortar attack in Iraq, his mother said Friday.
Sgt. Darrin Potter was remembered by his parents as a warm, compassionate man devoted to family and his military mission.
Potter, 24, a member of the 223rd Military Police Company, died Monday when his military vehicle overturned and submerged in a canal in Baghdad.
“He died serving his country,” said his mother, Lynn Romans. “He died a hero’s death, and I think that’s how we need to remember him.”
In Iraq, Potter’s fellow guardsmen paid tribute to their fallen comrade at memorial services, said Kentucky Adjutant General D. Allen Youngman. The guardsmen received a short break from duties so they could “catch up a little bit emotionally and physically,” he said.
Youngman provided more details about the Kentucky Army National Guard’s first combat death since the Vietnam War.
Potter was in a four-vehicle convoy on patrol. A Humvee carrying Potter and other soldiers failed to make a turn and plunged into the canal while responding to a mortar attack by Iraqi insurgents, Youngman said.
All the occupants got out of the vehicle and two made it to shallow water, Youngman said, but Potter was swept away by the swift currents. A soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division also died while trying to rescue Potter, he said. Potter was part of a military police squad supporting elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, which is based at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Potter’s parents offered condolences to the family of Sgt. Andrew Baddick of Jim Thorpe, Penn., the soldier who tried to rescue Potter.
Potter’s father, David Potter, said he last spoke with his son the morning of his death. It was a brief conversation — his son had two minutes left on his phone card. Potter gave his father instructions to carry out some of his business back home, his father said.
David Potter said his son was always reluctant to discuss what was happening in Iraq. Potter’s unit arrived in the Persian Gulf in February.
“I think he was very content,” David Potter said. “He was a military man, he knew his mission and he went there to do a job. He was very positive in his outlook.”
Asked his thoughts about the war, David Potter replied, “We have decided to leave it to the intelligence of the nation to argue the pros and cons of the war.” Darrin Potter’s mother said the war was “the route our country has chosen, and that was his role.”
Potter joined the guard unit because of his interest in law enforcement, his father said.
Romans said her son was a “very likable, easy going person.” Potter’s father remembered him as an “outstanding, all-around person.”
She said the family doesn’t yet know when Potter’s body will be returned to Louisville. She said his funeral will be at Southeast Christian Church. Potter also is survived by a 20-year-old sister.
Potter’s mother said his death was “part of a much larger plan,” and that he continues to touch many lives even after death.
“In his 24 years of life he had a lot of opportunities and a lot of privileges,” she said. “He had a goal and he went for that, and he worked for that goal. He did accomplish a lot in his life, a lot more than maybe a lot of us in our entire lifetime.”
Romans learned of her son’s death while at work. She was alerted in a phone call from her ex-husband, Potter’s father, that something was wrong before a military team told her of her son’s death.
“It’s just something that you really can’t fathom, and you never want to see,” Romans told reporters at the Buechel Armory, where her son’s unit is stationed. “And even now it feels unreal.”
Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Darrin K. Potter was killed in action on 9/29/03.
Monday, September 22, 2003
Army Specialist Paul J. Sturino
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Paul J. Sturino, 21, of Rice Lake, Wis.
Spc. Sturino was assigned to B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Sept. 22 from a non-combat weapons discharge in Quest, Iraq.
Brother takes different road after death of sibling in Iraq
Associated Press
RACINE, Wis. — Army Spc. Alonzo Sturino arranged his little brother’s hair in his casket at the Hanson Funeral Home, carefully placed rosary beads in his hands and made sure all other details were perfect.
They were things Sturino wished he didn’t have to do Sunday for his 21-year-old brother Spc. Paul J. Sturino, who died Sept. 22 in Quest, Iraq.
Paul Sturino had been assigned to B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment out of Fort Campbell, Ky. Family members say he died as the result of an accidental discharge from another soldier’s firearm.
Alonzo Sturino also had escorted his brother’s body to Wisconsin, first to Racine, where area relatives gathered for services, and then to the Sturino brothers’ hometown, Rice Lake.
After years of Alonzo leading and Paul following — from high school wrestling at Rice Lake High School, joining the Army, then going to Iraq — Paul’s death now sets the brothers on separate journeys.
Duane Sturino of Kenosha, the brothers’ uncle, said his nephews were having a friendly race to see who would be the first promoted to sergeant.
“Alonzo said he is even more motivated now because of Paul’s death,” Duane Sturino said.
Overcast skies and rain reflected the somber gathering at the funeral home, where the American flag flew at half-staff. Red, white and blue was the theme for the flower sprays that surrounded the casket, which was also draped in a flag.
Family members reminisced about the happy boy who often spent summers in Kenosha, where the Sturino family is widely known and well-loved. Paul’s grandparents, George and Gloria, ran a family restaurant in Kenosha for years. Paul also spent three summers on the Barracuda Swim Team in Kenosha.
“He was a fun-loving, well-liked young man,” Duane Sturino said.
The Rev. Jeffrey Thielen, who officiated at the slain soldier’s memorial service, reminded the Sturino family that Paul will always be in their hearts.
“He dedicated his life to make the world better for us, and for that we say, ‘Thank you, Paul,”’ Thielen said.
A burial with full military honors at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery was planned, Spooner said.
Family says 21-year-old Wisconsin soldier accidentally shot
ELM GROVE, Wis. — The fourth soldier from Wisconsin killed in Iraq was fatally shot in some kind of accident, his family said Sept. 23.
Christine Straate, the fiancée of the soldier’s father who lives in Elm Grove, said the family has been told some of the details surrounding the incident that killed Army Spc. Paul J. Sturino, 21, but she did not want to comment further.
“It was an accident,” she said.
Sturino, who graduated from Rice Lake High School in 2001, died Monday from what the Army called a “non-combat weapons discharge.”
He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and was in an area south of Mosul in northern Iraq.
Lt. Col. Kevin Curry, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, said Wednesday the incident that killed Sturino remained under investigation.
The military’s labeling of the cause of Sturino’s death means only that there was no enemy contact at the time a weapon was fired killing him, Curry said.
“It doesn’t really fill in all the blanks yet. That is why it is under investigation,” he said.
Curry said it was unknown how long the official probe into Sturino’s death would take.
Three American flags fluttered in the breeze outside the home of Sturino’s mother, Christine Wetzel, near Rice Lake. A woman who answered the telephone at the home Wednesday said the family wanted to be left alone for now.
Randy Drost, one of Sturino’s high school teachers and his wrestling coach, said he was awaiting word about exactly what happened to the soldier. “We know what they’ve said can mean multiple things,” Drost said.
Army Specialist Paul J. Sturino was killed on 09/22/03.
Army Specialist Paul J. Sturino, 21, of Rice Lake, Wis.
Spc. Sturino was assigned to B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Sept. 22 from a non-combat weapons discharge in Quest, Iraq.
Brother takes different road after death of sibling in Iraq
Associated Press
RACINE, Wis. — Army Spc. Alonzo Sturino arranged his little brother’s hair in his casket at the Hanson Funeral Home, carefully placed rosary beads in his hands and made sure all other details were perfect.
They were things Sturino wished he didn’t have to do Sunday for his 21-year-old brother Spc. Paul J. Sturino, who died Sept. 22 in Quest, Iraq.
Paul Sturino had been assigned to B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment out of Fort Campbell, Ky. Family members say he died as the result of an accidental discharge from another soldier’s firearm.
Alonzo Sturino also had escorted his brother’s body to Wisconsin, first to Racine, where area relatives gathered for services, and then to the Sturino brothers’ hometown, Rice Lake.
After years of Alonzo leading and Paul following — from high school wrestling at Rice Lake High School, joining the Army, then going to Iraq — Paul’s death now sets the brothers on separate journeys.
Duane Sturino of Kenosha, the brothers’ uncle, said his nephews were having a friendly race to see who would be the first promoted to sergeant.
“Alonzo said he is even more motivated now because of Paul’s death,” Duane Sturino said.
Overcast skies and rain reflected the somber gathering at the funeral home, where the American flag flew at half-staff. Red, white and blue was the theme for the flower sprays that surrounded the casket, which was also draped in a flag.
Family members reminisced about the happy boy who often spent summers in Kenosha, where the Sturino family is widely known and well-loved. Paul’s grandparents, George and Gloria, ran a family restaurant in Kenosha for years. Paul also spent three summers on the Barracuda Swim Team in Kenosha.
“He was a fun-loving, well-liked young man,” Duane Sturino said.
The Rev. Jeffrey Thielen, who officiated at the slain soldier’s memorial service, reminded the Sturino family that Paul will always be in their hearts.
“He dedicated his life to make the world better for us, and for that we say, ‘Thank you, Paul,”’ Thielen said.
A burial with full military honors at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery was planned, Spooner said.
Family says 21-year-old Wisconsin soldier accidentally shot
ELM GROVE, Wis. — The fourth soldier from Wisconsin killed in Iraq was fatally shot in some kind of accident, his family said Sept. 23.
Christine Straate, the fiancée of the soldier’s father who lives in Elm Grove, said the family has been told some of the details surrounding the incident that killed Army Spc. Paul J. Sturino, 21, but she did not want to comment further.
“It was an accident,” she said.
Sturino, who graduated from Rice Lake High School in 2001, died Monday from what the Army called a “non-combat weapons discharge.”
He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and was in an area south of Mosul in northern Iraq.
Lt. Col. Kevin Curry, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, said Wednesday the incident that killed Sturino remained under investigation.
The military’s labeling of the cause of Sturino’s death means only that there was no enemy contact at the time a weapon was fired killing him, Curry said.
“It doesn’t really fill in all the blanks yet. That is why it is under investigation,” he said.
Curry said it was unknown how long the official probe into Sturino’s death would take.
Three American flags fluttered in the breeze outside the home of Sturino’s mother, Christine Wetzel, near Rice Lake. A woman who answered the telephone at the home Wednesday said the family wanted to be left alone for now.
Randy Drost, one of Sturino’s high school teachers and his wrestling coach, said he was awaiting word about exactly what happened to the soldier. “We know what they’ve said can mean multiple things,” Drost said.
Army Specialist Paul J. Sturino was killed on 09/22/03.
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Army Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II, 27, of Creedmore, N.C.
Spc Brown was assigned to A Company, 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Patton Barracks, Germany; killed Sept. 20, 2003 in a mortar attack in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II may have been a bit unpolished as a high school football player, but his hard work helped his team in Henderson, N.C., win the conference championship.
“He was raw, since he hadn’t played much,” said coach Randy Long. “But he was a strong guy, and he moved well and ended up being a contributor to the team as a defensive lineman.” He also made an impression in other ways: “I vividly remember him coming to the locker room with his ROTC uniform on to get dressed for practice,” Long said.
Brown, 27, was killed Sept. 20 when mortars struck an Iraqi prison outside Baghdad. He was based in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Brown’s younger brother, Jason, is the star center for the University of North Carolina’s football team. Long said Lunsford Brown was “a very likable person. He had the same good demeanor as the rest of his family. I thought a lot of him.”
Survivors include his wife, Sherrie Wheeler Brown of Greensboro, N.C., and 3-month-old daughter, Amber.
Army Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II was killed in action on 9/20/03.
Army Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II, 27, of Creedmore, N.C.
Spc Brown was assigned to A Company, 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Patton Barracks, Germany; killed Sept. 20, 2003 in a mortar attack in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II may have been a bit unpolished as a high school football player, but his hard work helped his team in Henderson, N.C., win the conference championship.
“He was raw, since he hadn’t played much,” said coach Randy Long. “But he was a strong guy, and he moved well and ended up being a contributor to the team as a defensive lineman.” He also made an impression in other ways: “I vividly remember him coming to the locker room with his ROTC uniform on to get dressed for practice,” Long said.
Brown, 27, was killed Sept. 20 when mortars struck an Iraqi prison outside Baghdad. He was based in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Brown’s younger brother, Jason, is the star center for the University of North Carolina’s football team. Long said Lunsford Brown was “a very likable person. He had the same good demeanor as the rest of his family. I thought a lot of him.”
Survivors include his wife, Sherrie Wheeler Brown of Greensboro, N.C., and 3-month-old daughter, Amber.
Army Spc. Lunsford B. Brown II was killed in action on 9/20/03.
Thursday, September 04, 2003
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bruce E. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bruce E. Brown, 32, of Coatopa, Ala.
TSgt Brown was assigned to the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; killed in a motor vehicle accident on Sept. 4 near Udeid, Qatar.
Bruce Brown had a loving nickname for his wife of nine years. "He would call me Candy because he said I would sweeten up his day," Candice Brown said.
Bruce Brown, 32, of Coatopa, Ala., died Sept. 4 in a motor vehicle accident near Al Udeid, Qatar. He was stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Ohio.
Candice Brown said she met her husband in London in the 1990s while he was on assignment in Europe. She took him to catch the plane that took him to Iraq in July. "I prayed he would come home safely," she said.
The couple would have celebrated their ninth anniversary on Dec. 19. He is also survived by a daughter. "Dealing with his passing has been pretty hard," Candice Brown said. "You can't imagine all the things he did for me and his daughter."
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bruce E. Brown was killed in a vehicle accident on 9/4/03.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bruce E. Brown, 32, of Coatopa, Ala.
TSgt Brown was assigned to the 78th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; killed in a motor vehicle accident on Sept. 4 near Udeid, Qatar.
Bruce Brown had a loving nickname for his wife of nine years. "He would call me Candy because he said I would sweeten up his day," Candice Brown said.
Bruce Brown, 32, of Coatopa, Ala., died Sept. 4 in a motor vehicle accident near Al Udeid, Qatar. He was stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Ohio.
Candice Brown said she met her husband in London in the 1990s while he was on assignment in Europe. She took him to catch the plane that took him to Iraq in July. "I prayed he would come home safely," she said.
The couple would have celebrated their ninth anniversary on Dec. 19. He is also survived by a daughter. "Dealing with his passing has been pretty hard," Candice Brown said. "You can't imagine all the things he did for me and his daughter."
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bruce E. Brown was killed in a vehicle accident on 9/4/03.
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
North Carolina Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Bobby C. Franklin
Remember Our Heroes
North Carolina Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Bobby C. Franklin, 38, of Mineral Bluff, Ga.
SSgt. Franklin was assigned to the 210th Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Murphy N.C.; killed by an improvised explosive device Aug. 20 in Baghdad, Iraq.
N.C. Guard soldier killed was prison worker at home
Associated Press
Family members of a North Carolina National Guard soldier who died in Iraq said they knew something was wrong even before the military came to their door to give them the bad news.
Staff Sgt. Bobby Franklin, 38, a member of the 210th Military Police Company based in Murphy, was killed Aug. 20 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, according to the military.
Franklin’s death marks the first time in more than three decades that the North Carolina National Guard has lost a soldier to hostile fire, guard officials said.
Two other soldiers with Franklin were injured. By the night of Aug. 20, Franklin’s family knew something was wrong.
“The other two guys that were always with him had already called in and checked with their wives,” said Tim Nicholson, Franklin’s brother-in-law. Franklin’s wife, Brenda, didn’t receive a call.
By the morning of the 21st, soldiers had arrived in Mineral Bluff, Ga., the town just across the border where the Franklins lived to tell Brenda what happened.
When not in the guard, Franklin worked at the Carlton Colwell Probation and Detention Center in Blairsville, Ga. He supervised inmates working on construction projects in the community.
When the reservist was called up, his co-workers made sure he periodically received care packages filled with comforts from home.
Family members tried to talk the longtime reservist into calling it quits last year as the nation’s war of words with Iraq increased.
“He was within a year of retirement,” Nicholson said. “That’s why he went back this time.”
More than 1,300 North Carolina Guardsmen are on active duty, many overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers in his unit are trying to make sense of what happened to Franklin, a father of two children.
“Their morale is low,” said Kim Johnson, the family coordinator for the 210th. “They feel guilty they’re not home to give Bobby the burial he deserves. It’s hard for them to focus on their mission.”
Georgia man killed in explosion in Iraq
ATLANTA — A Georgia man was killed and two other soldiers from the same North Carolina National Guard unit were wounded Aug. 20 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.
Staff Sgt. Bobby Franklin, 38, of Mineral Bluff, and the two wounded men — who were not identified — were assigned to the 210th Military Police Company of Murphy, N.C.
The bombing happened in the Karkah district of Baghdad late Aug. 20, according to U.S. Central Command. Franklin was from the 1st Armored Division.
The wounded soldiers weren’t seriously injured, and one already has returned to duty, said Capt. Robert N. Carver, spokesman for the North Carolina National Guard.
Carver said the family asked reporters to not contact them.
“This is the time to ask all North Carolinians to not only express their gratitude for Staff Sgt. Bobby Franklin’s service, but to pray for his family, his wife, his son and his daughter,” North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said.
— Associated Press
North Carolina Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Bobby C. Franklin was killed in action on 08/20/03.
North Carolina Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Bobby C. Franklin, 38, of Mineral Bluff, Ga.
SSgt. Franklin was assigned to the 210th Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Murphy N.C.; killed by an improvised explosive device Aug. 20 in Baghdad, Iraq.
N.C. Guard soldier killed was prison worker at home
Associated Press
Family members of a North Carolina National Guard soldier who died in Iraq said they knew something was wrong even before the military came to their door to give them the bad news.
Staff Sgt. Bobby Franklin, 38, a member of the 210th Military Police Company based in Murphy, was killed Aug. 20 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, according to the military.
Franklin’s death marks the first time in more than three decades that the North Carolina National Guard has lost a soldier to hostile fire, guard officials said.
Two other soldiers with Franklin were injured. By the night of Aug. 20, Franklin’s family knew something was wrong.
“The other two guys that were always with him had already called in and checked with their wives,” said Tim Nicholson, Franklin’s brother-in-law. Franklin’s wife, Brenda, didn’t receive a call.
By the morning of the 21st, soldiers had arrived in Mineral Bluff, Ga., the town just across the border where the Franklins lived to tell Brenda what happened.
When not in the guard, Franklin worked at the Carlton Colwell Probation and Detention Center in Blairsville, Ga. He supervised inmates working on construction projects in the community.
When the reservist was called up, his co-workers made sure he periodically received care packages filled with comforts from home.
Family members tried to talk the longtime reservist into calling it quits last year as the nation’s war of words with Iraq increased.
“He was within a year of retirement,” Nicholson said. “That’s why he went back this time.”
More than 1,300 North Carolina Guardsmen are on active duty, many overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers in his unit are trying to make sense of what happened to Franklin, a father of two children.
“Their morale is low,” said Kim Johnson, the family coordinator for the 210th. “They feel guilty they’re not home to give Bobby the burial he deserves. It’s hard for them to focus on their mission.”
Georgia man killed in explosion in Iraq
ATLANTA — A Georgia man was killed and two other soldiers from the same North Carolina National Guard unit were wounded Aug. 20 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.
Staff Sgt. Bobby Franklin, 38, of Mineral Bluff, and the two wounded men — who were not identified — were assigned to the 210th Military Police Company of Murphy, N.C.
The bombing happened in the Karkah district of Baghdad late Aug. 20, according to U.S. Central Command. Franklin was from the 1st Armored Division.
The wounded soldiers weren’t seriously injured, and one already has returned to duty, said Capt. Robert N. Carver, spokesman for the North Carolina National Guard.
Carver said the family asked reporters to not contact them.
“This is the time to ask all North Carolinians to not only express their gratitude for Staff Sgt. Bobby Franklin’s service, but to pray for his family, his wife, his son and his daughter,” North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said.
— Associated Press
North Carolina Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Bobby C. Franklin was killed in action on 08/20/03.
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown Jr., 21, of Conway, Pa.
Pfc Brown was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy in Taji, Iraq, on Aug. 12, 2003.
Soldier killed in Iraq to receive Purple Heart, Bronze Star
Associated Press
CONWAY, Pa. — A 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq will receive the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and other honors posthumously, the Army announced.
The medals will be sent in time for the Aug. 20 funeral of Army Pfc. Timothy R. Brown Jr., according to Maj. Steven Chung, deputy provost marshal for the 99th Regional Readiness Command in Moon Township.
Brown, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy Aug. 12 just north of Baghdad.
On Aug. 17, more than 250 people gathered at the Conway War Memorial to pay tribute to Brown. Candles were passed through the crowd and friends and families left flowers on the memorial. Some held American flags and a bell was struck to honor Brown.
Brown’s father, Timothy Brown Sr., and his stepmother, Pam Brown, were presented with a flag.
“He was a spectacular human being,” said Bryan Revelant, 19, one of Brown’s friend. “He would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him to.”
Pennsylvania soldier killed by explosive device in Iraq
PITTSBURGH — A western Pennsylvania man was killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy in Iraq, the Defense Department.
Pfc. Timothy R. Brown Jr., 21, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He died Aug. 12 in Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad.
Brown’s stepmother, Pam Brown Lois, said Thursday she was “devastated.” She said did not want to talk about her stepson until she heard more about his death from the military.
Brown’s friend, Bryan Revelant, 19, described the 2001 graduate of Freedom Area High School as a prankster who was popular with his peers.
“This is real tough. We were so close because I knew him all my life. He was like my brother,” Revelant said.
Brown decided to enlist in the Army on April 1, 2001, just to see his friends’ reactions, Revelant said.
“He thought it’d be funny to do it on April Fools’ Day. He was one of those jokesters,” said Revelant, a 2002 graduate of Freedom Area High School.
Brown signed up for two years of military service and was scheduled to be discharged in February. But Revelant said Brown was having second thoughts about leaving the Army.
“He wanted to go to Iraq ... When he got over there, he said he wanted to stay,” Revelant said.
Since May 1, when President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq, 60 American soldiers have died in attacks. Eight Britons have been killed in combat in the same period.
Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown Jr. was killed in action on 8/12/03.
Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown Jr., 21, of Conway, Pa.
Pfc Brown was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy in Taji, Iraq, on Aug. 12, 2003.
Soldier killed in Iraq to receive Purple Heart, Bronze Star
Associated Press
CONWAY, Pa. — A 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq will receive the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and other honors posthumously, the Army announced.
The medals will be sent in time for the Aug. 20 funeral of Army Pfc. Timothy R. Brown Jr., according to Maj. Steven Chung, deputy provost marshal for the 99th Regional Readiness Command in Moon Township.
Brown, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy Aug. 12 just north of Baghdad.
On Aug. 17, more than 250 people gathered at the Conway War Memorial to pay tribute to Brown. Candles were passed through the crowd and friends and families left flowers on the memorial. Some held American flags and a bell was struck to honor Brown.
Brown’s father, Timothy Brown Sr., and his stepmother, Pam Brown, were presented with a flag.
“He was a spectacular human being,” said Bryan Revelant, 19, one of Brown’s friend. “He would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him to.”
Pennsylvania soldier killed by explosive device in Iraq
PITTSBURGH — A western Pennsylvania man was killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy in Iraq, the Defense Department.
Pfc. Timothy R. Brown Jr., 21, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He died Aug. 12 in Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad.
Brown’s stepmother, Pam Brown Lois, said Thursday she was “devastated.” She said did not want to talk about her stepson until she heard more about his death from the military.
Brown’s friend, Bryan Revelant, 19, described the 2001 graduate of Freedom Area High School as a prankster who was popular with his peers.
“This is real tough. We were so close because I knew him all my life. He was like my brother,” Revelant said.
Brown decided to enlist in the Army on April 1, 2001, just to see his friends’ reactions, Revelant said.
“He thought it’d be funny to do it on April Fools’ Day. He was one of those jokesters,” said Revelant, a 2002 graduate of Freedom Area High School.
Brown signed up for two years of military service and was scheduled to be discharged in February. But Revelant said Brown was having second thoughts about leaving the Army.
“He wanted to go to Iraq ... When he got over there, he said he wanted to stay,” Revelant said.
Since May 1, when President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq, 60 American soldiers have died in attacks. Eight Britons have been killed in combat in the same period.
Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown Jr. was killed in action on 8/12/03.
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