Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Matthew J. Holley, 21, of San Diego, California.
Spc Holley died of injuries sustained in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The 21-year-old was born in Idaho, but grew up in Chula Vista. Holley enlisted into the Army following the footsteps of his parents.
He was remembered as an incredibly bright, talented and patriotic man. Holley was a three-time AAU national champion in karate and a medic with the 101st Airborne with a knack for art.
"(He had an) extremely artistic talent. No one will ever be able to know the extent of to which that talent could've gone. We're very proud of him," said Stacey Holley, Matthew Holley's mother.
"It made me very proud that he actually wanted to be like his dad," said John Holley, Matthew Holley's father.
Both his parents are veterans of the 101st Airborne.
Friday morning, his parents said goodbye to their only child.
Matthew Holley received full military honors, including three medals for his service.
Holley was known as "Doc" his fellow soldiers and was engaged to be married.
Days before he died, he asked his family to send him crayons so he could teach the Iraqi children how to draw.
Army Specialist Matthew J. Holley was killed in action on 11/15/05.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Monday, November 07, 2005
Army Specialist Robert C. Pope II
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Robert C. Pope II, 22, of East Islip, New York.
Spc Pope died in Baghdad, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Newsday -- Army Spc. Robert Pope was stationed in Iraq, and dreamed of marrying his fiancee in a church. But he had another concern, too: her security.
So he married Lynnea, 24, in June by proxy, his family said.
"God forbid, if anything happened to him, he wanted her and [her 5-year-old son] Dylan to be taken care of," said Pope's father, Robert Sr., of East Islip. "He loved them very much."
Pope, 22, who was scheduled to come home in March, was killed Monday by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
"I really thought he'd make it home," his mother, Regina, 47, said tearfully. "He was a hero; he didn't have to die, though."
The U.S. Department of Defense told the family Tuesday that Pope was on foot patrol Monday when at 5:15 p.m. Baghdad time a car bomb detonated, the department said.
A specialist assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fort Carson, Colo., Pope and three other soldiers - ages 19 to 28 - were killed in the attack.
Pope, who graduated from East Islip High School in 2001 and attended Suffolk County Community College, enlisted in the Army in March 2003, motivated by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, his family said.
"It meant a lot to him, what he was doing," said Pope's father, Robert, 47.
"He thought he was doing the right thing over there, but at the same time he was looking to come home and do the right thing by his family."
Regina Pope, an aide at an elementary school, said her oldest child came home one day and told his parents he had joined the military - a decision they supported. "He just felt like he had to do this," she said.
Robert Pope, a millwright, said almost simultaneously: "He felt his country needed it."
Pope became the 14th soldier from Long Island and the second in as many weeks to die in the war in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense has said. His death follows the killing of Jared Kremm, 24, of Hauppauge, whose unit was caught in an explosion on Oct. 27.
Two weeks before he was killed, Pope's face was scraped by shrapnel when another roadside bomb exploded nearby, his family said.
"You could tell he was getting scared," Regina said of that incident. Pope wasn't badly hurt, but was even more eager to return home.
Pope regularly sent letters home to his family, which perused them yesterday as pictures of Pope were sprawled across a coffee table in their living room.
"I love you all very much," he wrote in one letter. "Please try not to worry; I'll be fine."
The photos showed Pope as a tight end for the East Islip High School Redmen, of Pope with Lynnea and Dylan, and as a soldier in boot camp.
Pope had just booked a Caribbean cruise, a vacation that would follow a wedding ceremony with his wife at the Huntington Town House in August, Regina Pope said.
At home, Pope doted on his sister, Kaitlyn, 14, who has cerebral palsy, his father said. "He just idolized her, loved her," he said. "She meant everything in the world to him."
Now the Pope family - his parents, sister and two brothers - is awaiting his body. Funeral arrangements will follow.
Mixed in with the sorrow, Robert Pope yesterday recalled watching New York Giants and Jets football games with his son over beers and laughs.
He was a great son," he said with a smile. "He was just terrific in every way."
Army Specialist Robert C. Pope II was killed in action on 11/07/05.
Army Specialist Robert C. Pope II, 22, of East Islip, New York.
Spc Pope died in Baghdad, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Newsday -- Army Spc. Robert Pope was stationed in Iraq, and dreamed of marrying his fiancee in a church. But he had another concern, too: her security.
So he married Lynnea, 24, in June by proxy, his family said.
"God forbid, if anything happened to him, he wanted her and [her 5-year-old son] Dylan to be taken care of," said Pope's father, Robert Sr., of East Islip. "He loved them very much."
Pope, 22, who was scheduled to come home in March, was killed Monday by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
"I really thought he'd make it home," his mother, Regina, 47, said tearfully. "He was a hero; he didn't have to die, though."
The U.S. Department of Defense told the family Tuesday that Pope was on foot patrol Monday when at 5:15 p.m. Baghdad time a car bomb detonated, the department said.
A specialist assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fort Carson, Colo., Pope and three other soldiers - ages 19 to 28 - were killed in the attack.
Pope, who graduated from East Islip High School in 2001 and attended Suffolk County Community College, enlisted in the Army in March 2003, motivated by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, his family said.
"It meant a lot to him, what he was doing," said Pope's father, Robert, 47.
"He thought he was doing the right thing over there, but at the same time he was looking to come home and do the right thing by his family."
Regina Pope, an aide at an elementary school, said her oldest child came home one day and told his parents he had joined the military - a decision they supported. "He just felt like he had to do this," she said.
Robert Pope, a millwright, said almost simultaneously: "He felt his country needed it."
Pope became the 14th soldier from Long Island and the second in as many weeks to die in the war in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense has said. His death follows the killing of Jared Kremm, 24, of Hauppauge, whose unit was caught in an explosion on Oct. 27.
Two weeks before he was killed, Pope's face was scraped by shrapnel when another roadside bomb exploded nearby, his family said.
"You could tell he was getting scared," Regina said of that incident. Pope wasn't badly hurt, but was even more eager to return home.
Pope regularly sent letters home to his family, which perused them yesterday as pictures of Pope were sprawled across a coffee table in their living room.
"I love you all very much," he wrote in one letter. "Please try not to worry; I'll be fine."
The photos showed Pope as a tight end for the East Islip High School Redmen, of Pope with Lynnea and Dylan, and as a soldier in boot camp.
Pope had just booked a Caribbean cruise, a vacation that would follow a wedding ceremony with his wife at the Huntington Town House in August, Regina Pope said.
At home, Pope doted on his sister, Kaitlyn, 14, who has cerebral palsy, his father said. "He just idolized her, loved her," he said. "She meant everything in the world to him."
Now the Pope family - his parents, sister and two brothers - is awaiting his body. Funeral arrangements will follow.
Mixed in with the sorrow, Robert Pope yesterday recalled watching New York Giants and Jets football games with his son over beers and laughs.
He was a great son," he said with a smile. "He was just terrific in every way."
Army Specialist Robert C. Pope II was killed in action on 11/07/05.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Army Spc. Timothy D. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Timothy D. Brown, 23, of Cedar Springs, Mich.
Spc Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, Saginaw, Mich.; killed Nov. 4, 2005 when a land mine detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
Spc. Timmy Brown, who grew up around Cedar Springs, always wanted to be a GI.
By Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News
As a child, Tim Brown used to play soldier with his friends in the woods near his home. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Brown decided to live his dream of becoming a soldier by joining the Michigan Army National Guard, where he served in the infantry.
On Friday, Spc. Brown, 23, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb that detonated near the Humvee in which he and four other members of Co. B, 125th Infantry, were riding near the town of Al Taqaddum.
Brown, who was known as Timmy by friends and family in Cedar Springs -- near Grand Rapids -- always wanted to be a soldier, said his aunt, Susan Metzger.
"Ever since he was a little kid, he knew he wanted to be a soldier," Metzger said. When he was a child he would dress up in fatigues and play war with his friends in the woods.
"He was over in Iraq doing his job. He used to e-mail his parents and tell them he was safe and sound because he didn't want them to worry. He told other members of the family about the horror of war, but he kept the bad stuff away from his parents. He's going to get a full military funeral, which he would have loved."
Metzger said Brown felt what he was doing was important.
"He felt that most of the people he saw in Iraq were glad they were there," Metzger said.
"He really loved the kids over there and liked helping them. He used to joke that everyone loved having the kids around because it meant nobody was going to shoot at them."
Brown -- who joined the Michigan Army National Guard in October 2003 after graduating from Cedar Springs High School -- had been scheduled for leave the war in October. But he stepped aside to allow another soldier -- who had a family -- to take his place instead, saying that the other soldier needed a break from the conflict more than he did.
Brown was an outdoorsman who loved hunting and camping, and soccer.
Tim was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Eldon Brown and Darwin L. Metzger. Surviving are his parents, Tim C. and Cindy (Metzger Tate) Brown; a sister, Stevie Brown; a nephew, Nathan Brown; grandparents, Helen Brown, John and Helen Tate all of Cedar Springs; many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Timothy D. Brown, aged 23, was killed while performing his military duties in hostile territory in the province of Abdalluyah, Iraq. Tim's goal in life was to be a professional soldier. When he was a child he would dress up in fatigues and play war with his friends in the woods. In 2003 he joined the National guard and in June of this year he was sent to Iraq. He was a graduate of Cedar Springs high school. Tim enjoyed soccer, hunting and was an outgoing person always funny and enjoyable to be with. He was trustworthy and dependable.
Army Spc. Timothy D. Brown was killed in action on 11/4/05.
Army Spc. Timothy D. Brown, 23, of Cedar Springs, Mich.
Spc Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, Saginaw, Mich.; killed Nov. 4, 2005 when a land mine detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
Spc. Timmy Brown, who grew up around Cedar Springs, always wanted to be a GI.
By Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News
As a child, Tim Brown used to play soldier with his friends in the woods near his home. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Brown decided to live his dream of becoming a soldier by joining the Michigan Army National Guard, where he served in the infantry.
On Friday, Spc. Brown, 23, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb that detonated near the Humvee in which he and four other members of Co. B, 125th Infantry, were riding near the town of Al Taqaddum.
Brown, who was known as Timmy by friends and family in Cedar Springs -- near Grand Rapids -- always wanted to be a soldier, said his aunt, Susan Metzger.
"Ever since he was a little kid, he knew he wanted to be a soldier," Metzger said. When he was a child he would dress up in fatigues and play war with his friends in the woods.
"He was over in Iraq doing his job. He used to e-mail his parents and tell them he was safe and sound because he didn't want them to worry. He told other members of the family about the horror of war, but he kept the bad stuff away from his parents. He's going to get a full military funeral, which he would have loved."
Metzger said Brown felt what he was doing was important.
"He felt that most of the people he saw in Iraq were glad they were there," Metzger said.
"He really loved the kids over there and liked helping them. He used to joke that everyone loved having the kids around because it meant nobody was going to shoot at them."
Brown -- who joined the Michigan Army National Guard in October 2003 after graduating from Cedar Springs High School -- had been scheduled for leave the war in October. But he stepped aside to allow another soldier -- who had a family -- to take his place instead, saying that the other soldier needed a break from the conflict more than he did.
Brown was an outdoorsman who loved hunting and camping, and soccer.
Tim was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Eldon Brown and Darwin L. Metzger. Surviving are his parents, Tim C. and Cindy (Metzger Tate) Brown; a sister, Stevie Brown; a nephew, Nathan Brown; grandparents, Helen Brown, John and Helen Tate all of Cedar Springs; many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Timothy D. Brown, aged 23, was killed while performing his military duties in hostile territory in the province of Abdalluyah, Iraq. Tim's goal in life was to be a professional soldier. When he was a child he would dress up in fatigues and play war with his friends in the woods. In 2003 he joined the National guard and in June of this year he was sent to Iraq. He was a graduate of Cedar Springs high school. Tim enjoyed soccer, hunting and was an outgoing person always funny and enjoyable to be with. He was trustworthy and dependable.
Army Spc. Timothy D. Brown was killed in action on 11/4/05.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Army Capt. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski, 30, of Upper Moreland, Pennsylvania.
Capt Toczylowski died in Al Anbar Province, Iraq from injuries sustained during combat operations. Toczylowski was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Panzer Kaserne, Germany.
(The Philadelphia Inquirer)
This is the last e-mail sent to the family and friends of Jeffery Toczylowski. He died from injuries suffered from a fall from a helicopter in Anbar, Iraq on November 3, 2005. Jeff was a career soldier raised in Montgomery County, PA, and serving as a Special Forces detachment commander assigned to First Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group ~ Airborne in Iraq.
Dear friends and family,
If you are getting this email, it means that I have passed away. No, it's not a sick Toz joke, but a letter I wanted to write in case this happened. Please don't be sad for me. It was an honor to serve my country, and I wouldn't change a thing. It was just my time.
Don't ever think that you are defending me by slamming the Global War on Terrorism or the US goals in that war. As far as I am concerned, we can send guys like me to go after them or we can wait for them to come back to us again. I died doing something I believed in and have no regrets except that I couldn't do more.
This will probably be the longest email most of you have ever received from me. More that one of you complained on multiple occasions about my brief emails.
I have requested to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery and would like you to attend, but I understand if you can't make it.
There will also be a party in Vegas with a 100k to help pay for travel, room, and a party. I want you to be happy for the time we had, not the future we won't.
Never regret not calling, writing enough, keeping in touch, or visiting. I was always away and thought of you all as much, if not more, than you thought of me.
Time keeps rolling and so should my family and friends. The only thing I ask is that you toast me every so often, because you know I'll be watching and wanting to be with you. Don't spend any time crying for me, because I'll bet you I am having a ball right now wherever I am.
I will look in on all of you and help whenever I can. I love you all!
(by permission from Skye http://midnightblue.blogdrive.com)
Army Capt. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski was killed in action on 11/03/05.
Army Capt. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski, 30, of Upper Moreland, Pennsylvania.
Capt Toczylowski died in Al Anbar Province, Iraq from injuries sustained during combat operations. Toczylowski was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Panzer Kaserne, Germany.
(The Philadelphia Inquirer)
This is the last e-mail sent to the family and friends of Jeffery Toczylowski. He died from injuries suffered from a fall from a helicopter in Anbar, Iraq on November 3, 2005. Jeff was a career soldier raised in Montgomery County, PA, and serving as a Special Forces detachment commander assigned to First Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group ~ Airborne in Iraq.
Dear friends and family,
If you are getting this email, it means that I have passed away. No, it's not a sick Toz joke, but a letter I wanted to write in case this happened. Please don't be sad for me. It was an honor to serve my country, and I wouldn't change a thing. It was just my time.
Don't ever think that you are defending me by slamming the Global War on Terrorism or the US goals in that war. As far as I am concerned, we can send guys like me to go after them or we can wait for them to come back to us again. I died doing something I believed in and have no regrets except that I couldn't do more.
This will probably be the longest email most of you have ever received from me. More that one of you complained on multiple occasions about my brief emails.
I have requested to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery and would like you to attend, but I understand if you can't make it.
There will also be a party in Vegas with a 100k to help pay for travel, room, and a party. I want you to be happy for the time we had, not the future we won't.
Never regret not calling, writing enough, keeping in touch, or visiting. I was always away and thought of you all as much, if not more, than you thought of me.
Time keeps rolling and so should my family and friends. The only thing I ask is that you toast me every so often, because you know I'll be watching and wanting to be with you. Don't spend any time crying for me, because I'll bet you I am having a ball right now wherever I am.
I will look in on all of you and help whenever I can. I love you all!
(by permission from Skye http://midnightblue.blogdrive.com)
Army Capt. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski was killed in action on 11/03/05.
Army Specialist Darren D. Howe
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Darren D. Howe, 21, of Beatrice, Nebraska.
Spc. Howe was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Nov. 3 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, of injuries sustained Oct. 17 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Samarra, Iraq.
Sioux City Journal -- LINCOLN (AP) -- An injured soldier Army Infantryman from Beatrice has died from injuries he sustained from a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Spec. Darren Howe died in Texas on Thursday, said Paul Fox, owner of Fox Funeral Home in Beatrice, which is handling arrangements.
Howe, 21, suffered severe burns on Oct. 17 in Iraq when the vehicle he was driving hit a roadside bomb, his stepfather, Greg Klaus, said last week. Howe and five other soldiers were taken first to Germany and then to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, for treatment, Klaus said.
A message left at the home of Howe's family in Beatrice was not immediately returned Friday night.
Last week, Klaus said Howe helped pull soldiers to safety after the bombing. Howe, a married father of two young children, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his face, hands and arms, and smoke inhalation, Klaus said.
Howe graduated from Beatrice High School in 2003 and had a strong desire to pursue a career in the military, said Jason Sutter, the school's principal. Sutter said last he heard, Howe's condition was improving.
"We were very grateful he was OK, and that he was back and safe," he said.
Howe was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., and was deployed to Iraq in January.
Darren D. Howe was determined to join the Army. So determined, in fact, that he tried unsuccessfully five times to get active duty status after he graduated high school in 2003.
He finally made it after enlisting the help of a state senator.
"I know he had a plan. He was very determined to make a career in the military, and he was very excited about it," said Kelly Meyer, his high school choir teacher.
Howe, 21, of Beatrice, Neb., was killed Nov. 3 of injuries from a roadside bomb Oct. 17 in Samarra. He was assigned to Fort Benning.
Even as a child playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he always wanted to be a defender of good, said his wife, Nakia. He also is survived by a daughter, Shaye-Maleigh, 3, and a son, Gary-Dean, 1.
He believed his military service was not only a means to provide for his family but a way to make the world they grew up in a better place, his wife said.
"He wanted to give his daughter a life. He wanted to give her things that we couldn't have when we were growing up. He was a loving dad. He gave her everything that she needed. He was the best dad I've ever seen in a young man."
Army Specialist Darren D. Howe died on 11/03/05 from injuries sustained in the line of duty on 10/17/05.
Army Specialist Darren D. Howe, 21, of Beatrice, Nebraska.
Spc. Howe was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Nov. 3 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, of injuries sustained Oct. 17 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Samarra, Iraq.
Sioux City Journal -- LINCOLN (AP) -- An injured soldier Army Infantryman from Beatrice has died from injuries he sustained from a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Spec. Darren Howe died in Texas on Thursday, said Paul Fox, owner of Fox Funeral Home in Beatrice, which is handling arrangements.
Howe, 21, suffered severe burns on Oct. 17 in Iraq when the vehicle he was driving hit a roadside bomb, his stepfather, Greg Klaus, said last week. Howe and five other soldiers were taken first to Germany and then to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, for treatment, Klaus said.
A message left at the home of Howe's family in Beatrice was not immediately returned Friday night.
Last week, Klaus said Howe helped pull soldiers to safety after the bombing. Howe, a married father of two young children, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his face, hands and arms, and smoke inhalation, Klaus said.
Howe graduated from Beatrice High School in 2003 and had a strong desire to pursue a career in the military, said Jason Sutter, the school's principal. Sutter said last he heard, Howe's condition was improving.
"We were very grateful he was OK, and that he was back and safe," he said.
Howe was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., and was deployed to Iraq in January.
Darren D. Howe was determined to join the Army. So determined, in fact, that he tried unsuccessfully five times to get active duty status after he graduated high school in 2003.
He finally made it after enlisting the help of a state senator.
"I know he had a plan. He was very determined to make a career in the military, and he was very excited about it," said Kelly Meyer, his high school choir teacher.
Howe, 21, of Beatrice, Neb., was killed Nov. 3 of injuries from a roadside bomb Oct. 17 in Samarra. He was assigned to Fort Benning.
Even as a child playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he always wanted to be a defender of good, said his wife, Nakia. He also is survived by a daughter, Shaye-Maleigh, 3, and a son, Gary-Dean, 1.
He believed his military service was not only a means to provide for his family but a way to make the world they grew up in a better place, his wife said.
"He wanted to give his daughter a life. He wanted to give her things that we couldn't have when we were growing up. He was a loving dad. He gave her everything that she needed. He was the best dad I've ever seen in a young man."
Army Specialist Darren D. Howe died on 11/03/05 from injuries sustained in the line of duty on 10/17/05.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Marine Major Gerald M. Bloomfield II
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Major Gerald M. Bloomfield II, 38, of Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Maj Bloomfield died when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed while flying in support of security and stabilization operations near Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was with the Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II MEF (Forward).
A helicopter crash in Iraq,claims the life of a Marine with roots in mid-Michigan. Major Gerald Bloomfield died on Tuesday while serving in Iraq. The Marine is a Fowlerville High School graduate who died after a crash in his Cobra helicopter.
Bloomfield's family lives in Livingston County.
Kate Kerch, sister: "He was just passionate, passionate about everything."
Passion was something major Gerald Bloomfield had in spades. As a kid in the 80s, he was known around Fowlerville as a daredevil, a free spirit. His sisters remember once how Jerry, or Jer as they called him, got stuck with a friend on a frozen lake.
Kate Kerch: "They were doing donuts and the car went into the lake, and they just sat on the hood and laughed."
But those who knew Jerry, also knew he was smart.
Paula Wallace, sister: "Smart, smart, smart."
At Eastern Michigan University he earned double degrees in math and physics. Before graduating in '89, he joined the Marines. Becoming and officer and eventually a pilot. Y ears later, married and with a son, he was a career military man who believed in the job he was doing in Iraq.
Paula: "By being there, he was protecting us and everything we have here."
And he also believed in the freedom and the future of the country he was fighting in. He wrote about it in email sent home.
Kate: "It's not a 3rd world country. I believe it has hope. He wanted them to experience some of the same freedoms we have here."
And it's his sisters wish that people who knew her brother in Fowlerville understand this, a s well as the people of Iraq and in the country he was so proud to defend. Major Bloomfield will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
Marine Major Gerald M. Bloomfield II was killed in action on 11/02/05.
Marine Major Gerald M. Bloomfield II, 38, of Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Maj Bloomfield died when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed while flying in support of security and stabilization operations near Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was with the Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II MEF (Forward).
A helicopter crash in Iraq,claims the life of a Marine with roots in mid-Michigan. Major Gerald Bloomfield died on Tuesday while serving in Iraq. The Marine is a Fowlerville High School graduate who died after a crash in his Cobra helicopter.
Bloomfield's family lives in Livingston County.
Kate Kerch, sister: "He was just passionate, passionate about everything."
Passion was something major Gerald Bloomfield had in spades. As a kid in the 80s, he was known around Fowlerville as a daredevil, a free spirit. His sisters remember once how Jerry, or Jer as they called him, got stuck with a friend on a frozen lake.
Kate Kerch: "They were doing donuts and the car went into the lake, and they just sat on the hood and laughed."
But those who knew Jerry, also knew he was smart.
Paula Wallace, sister: "Smart, smart, smart."
At Eastern Michigan University he earned double degrees in math and physics. Before graduating in '89, he joined the Marines. Becoming and officer and eventually a pilot. Y ears later, married and with a son, he was a career military man who believed in the job he was doing in Iraq.
Paula: "By being there, he was protecting us and everything we have here."
And he also believed in the freedom and the future of the country he was fighting in. He wrote about it in email sent home.
Kate: "It's not a 3rd world country. I believe it has hope. He wanted them to experience some of the same freedoms we have here."
And it's his sisters wish that people who knew her brother in Fowlerville understand this, a s well as the people of Iraq and in the country he was so proud to defend. Major Bloomfield will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
Marine Major Gerald M. Bloomfield II was killed in action on 11/02/05.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Marine Staff Sgt. Joel Preston Dameron
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Staff Sgt. Joel P. Dameron, 27, of Ellabell, Georgia.
SSG Dameron died from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Al Amiriyah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Joel Preston Dameron was a stoic "Marine's Marine" on duty and a prankster around friends and family, his widow, Logyn Butler Dameron, said Wednesday from the family home in South Georgia.
Staff Sgt. Dameron, 27, of Ellabell, Ga., was killed Sunday by an improvised bomb that exploded while he was on patrol near Al Amiriyah, Iraq, the Department of Defense said.
He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Dameron is the 61st Georgian killed in military operations during the Iraq war, according to statistics on the Web site icasualty.org.
Joel and Logyn Dameron were sweethearts at Bryan County High School and married two years ago, said Logyn.
Joel Dameron's parents, who are separated, live in Claxton and Woodstock. He has two brothers, in Savannah and North Carolina respectively, and two half-brothers in Woodstock.
Logyn Dameron, who has a four-year-old son, Riley, and is now seven months pregnant, recalled Wednesday how his warm attitude around family belied the battle-hardened Marine underneath.
"Around people he knows he's got a really outrageous, fun-loving attitude. He's always doing crazy stuff, getting his nephews into trouble — and my son," she said from her home in Pembroke, near Fort Stewart.
"As a Marine, he was a very brave person, not very emotional but stoic and reserved.
"When he got over there [to Iraq], he realized how bad it was. It was his duty to be a Marine and had no patience for people who weren't doing their job."
Logyn Dameron said her husband was also a huge Florida Gators football fan, who revelled in the team's most recent victory against the Georgia Bulldogs, the team she roots for.
"The last time I talked to him was Saturday night after the Georgia-Florida game," she said. "He had to call and rub that in my face."
Dameron left Sept. 3 for his second tour in Iraq, his wife said. His first tour lasted from Aug. 2004 to March 2005.
She said her husband told her the violence appeared to have increased during his second term.
"He said it was either really quiet and boring or nonstop — that it was never in between," she said. "Especially during Ramadan . . . he said it was a lot worse."
Marine Staff Sgt. Joel P. Dameron was killed in action on 10/30/05.
Marine Staff Sgt. Joel P. Dameron, 27, of Ellabell, Georgia.
SSG Dameron died from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Al Amiriyah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Joel Preston Dameron was a stoic "Marine's Marine" on duty and a prankster around friends and family, his widow, Logyn Butler Dameron, said Wednesday from the family home in South Georgia.
Staff Sgt. Dameron, 27, of Ellabell, Ga., was killed Sunday by an improvised bomb that exploded while he was on patrol near Al Amiriyah, Iraq, the Department of Defense said.
He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Dameron is the 61st Georgian killed in military operations during the Iraq war, according to statistics on the Web site icasualty.org.
Joel and Logyn Dameron were sweethearts at Bryan County High School and married two years ago, said Logyn.
Joel Dameron's parents, who are separated, live in Claxton and Woodstock. He has two brothers, in Savannah and North Carolina respectively, and two half-brothers in Woodstock.
Logyn Dameron, who has a four-year-old son, Riley, and is now seven months pregnant, recalled Wednesday how his warm attitude around family belied the battle-hardened Marine underneath.
"Around people he knows he's got a really outrageous, fun-loving attitude. He's always doing crazy stuff, getting his nephews into trouble — and my son," she said from her home in Pembroke, near Fort Stewart.
"As a Marine, he was a very brave person, not very emotional but stoic and reserved.
"When he got over there [to Iraq], he realized how bad it was. It was his duty to be a Marine and had no patience for people who weren't doing their job."
Logyn Dameron said her husband was also a huge Florida Gators football fan, who revelled in the team's most recent victory against the Georgia Bulldogs, the team she roots for.
"The last time I talked to him was Saturday night after the Georgia-Florida game," she said. "He had to call and rub that in my face."
Dameron left Sept. 3 for his second tour in Iraq, his wife said. His first tour lasted from Aug. 2004 to March 2005.
She said her husband told her the violence appeared to have increased during his second term.
"He said it was either really quiet and boring or nonstop — that it was never in between," she said. "Especially during Ramadan . . . he said it was a lot worse."
Marine Staff Sgt. Joel P. Dameron was killed in action on 10/30/05.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Army Capt. Raymond D. Hill II
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. Raymond D. Hill II, 39, of Turlock, California.
Capt Hill died in Baghdad, Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during patrol operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, Modesto, California.
He was an inquisitive child who liked to wear his dad's fatigues. He was a big brother who would both tease and protect. He was a track stand-out, baritone player, college graduate, and a captain in the National Guard. He was a father who took his daughters to 4-H meetings and he was a husband who occasionally burned the chicken on the barbecue. He was Capt. Raymond Dwayne Hill II, 39, and he was one of the latest soldiers to die in combat in Iraq.
Ray was killed in Iraq Saturday when a roadside bomb exploded near his humvee while on patrol in Baghdad. He had been serving in Iraq since February as a Fire Support and Public Affairs Officer with the California Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment.
Ray believed wholeheartedly in his duty to serve and protect his country and that's why, despite the heartache of separating from his family, Ray volunteered to go to Iraq.
“He wanted to go. He believed in the effort 100 percent and had been training for 18 years for this,” Dena, his wife said. “He compared it to football. He said it was like going to practice everyday but never getting in the game. He always said that if he didn't go, somebody else would have to.”
“He was very passionate about his service and he looked after the soldiers under his command,” Major Dan Markert of the 184th Infantry Regiment said.
Born for the Army
A love of the military developed in Ray at a young age. He and his three brothers, Ron, Rod, and Russ would accompany their dad, 1st Sgt. Raymond Hill (retired) during his weekend drills with the 184th.
“He liked to play army and had one of the original G.I Joe's as a kid,” Raymond said.
When they returned home from these outings, Ray would organize his brothers into their own military unit.
“We'd all dress in our dad's fatigues, which were too big, and have our own drills,” Rod said. “He liked to be precise and meticulous.”
Besides an early love for the military, Raymond said his son Ray was an inquisitive child and liked to know how things worked.
“In sixth grade he had the nickname of the redheaded walking encyclopedia because he knew so much,” Rod said.
“He loved to play with tools and take things apart and put them back together again, sometimes with pieces left over,” Raymond said.
That early habit got Ray started in restoring classic cars. In an email he sent to his wife, he wrote that when he returned, he wanted to start working on his 1965 Mustang again, a project his oldest daughter BreeAnna would occasionally help him with.
“I'll miss doing that with him,” BreeAnna said.
As the oldest of four boys, Ray was often looked upon to guide his brothers in the right direction, but that doesn't mean he didn't sometimes take advantage of his older brother status.
“On Saturday mornings he would want to watch “American Bandstand” and we all wanted to watch “Scooby Doo.” He'd have three little kids ganging up on him, but we'd still end up watching “American Bandstand,” Rod said.
Army Capt. Raymond D. Hill II was killed in action on 10/29/05.
Army Capt. Raymond D. Hill II, 39, of Turlock, California.
Capt Hill died in Baghdad, Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during patrol operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, Modesto, California.
He was an inquisitive child who liked to wear his dad's fatigues. He was a big brother who would both tease and protect. He was a track stand-out, baritone player, college graduate, and a captain in the National Guard. He was a father who took his daughters to 4-H meetings and he was a husband who occasionally burned the chicken on the barbecue. He was Capt. Raymond Dwayne Hill II, 39, and he was one of the latest soldiers to die in combat in Iraq.
Ray was killed in Iraq Saturday when a roadside bomb exploded near his humvee while on patrol in Baghdad. He had been serving in Iraq since February as a Fire Support and Public Affairs Officer with the California Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment.
Ray believed wholeheartedly in his duty to serve and protect his country and that's why, despite the heartache of separating from his family, Ray volunteered to go to Iraq.
“He wanted to go. He believed in the effort 100 percent and had been training for 18 years for this,” Dena, his wife said. “He compared it to football. He said it was like going to practice everyday but never getting in the game. He always said that if he didn't go, somebody else would have to.”
“He was very passionate about his service and he looked after the soldiers under his command,” Major Dan Markert of the 184th Infantry Regiment said.
Born for the Army
A love of the military developed in Ray at a young age. He and his three brothers, Ron, Rod, and Russ would accompany their dad, 1st Sgt. Raymond Hill (retired) during his weekend drills with the 184th.
“He liked to play army and had one of the original G.I Joe's as a kid,” Raymond said.
When they returned home from these outings, Ray would organize his brothers into their own military unit.
“We'd all dress in our dad's fatigues, which were too big, and have our own drills,” Rod said. “He liked to be precise and meticulous.”
Besides an early love for the military, Raymond said his son Ray was an inquisitive child and liked to know how things worked.
“In sixth grade he had the nickname of the redheaded walking encyclopedia because he knew so much,” Rod said.
“He loved to play with tools and take things apart and put them back together again, sometimes with pieces left over,” Raymond said.
That early habit got Ray started in restoring classic cars. In an email he sent to his wife, he wrote that when he returned, he wanted to start working on his 1965 Mustang again, a project his oldest daughter BreeAnna would occasionally help him with.
“I'll miss doing that with him,” BreeAnna said.
As the oldest of four boys, Ray was often looked upon to guide his brothers in the right direction, but that doesn't mean he didn't sometimes take advantage of his older brother status.
“On Saturday mornings he would want to watch “American Bandstand” and we all wanted to watch “Scooby Doo.” He'd have three little kids ganging up on him, but we'd still end up watching “American Bandstand,” Rod said.
Army Capt. Raymond D. Hill II was killed in action on 10/29/05.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Army Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander, Jr., 34, of Clanton, Alabama.
Alexander died at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of injuries sustained in Samarra, Iraq, on October 17, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Georgia.
Staff Sgt. George Alexander, 34, a 1989 graduate of Chilton County High School, became death number 2000 in the Iraqi conflict according to a count conducted by the Associated Press and Reuters.
Alexander, who was wounded Oct. 17 in Samarra by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad, died in Texas last weekend.
Alexander was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, of Fort Benning, Ga. and was no stranger to the Iraqi landscape.
"He had been to Iraq about nine times," said Alexander's sister, Sasha Spence. "He had just went back over there in August."
Alexander, who enlisted in October 1991, was suited well for the Army, Spence said, and saw enlisting as a way to serve his community.
"He really enjoyed being in the Army. He loved it," she said. "He just wanted to make a difference. That was his thing - just make a difference. He was very loving. He was never down and he always smiled.
Even though Alexander's role with the Army suited him well, Spence joked that upon his graduation from CCHS, Alexander
Army Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander, Jr. was killed in action on 10/22/05.
Army Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander, Jr., 34, of Clanton, Alabama.
Alexander died at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of injuries sustained in Samarra, Iraq, on October 17, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Georgia.
Staff Sgt. George Alexander, 34, a 1989 graduate of Chilton County High School, became death number 2000 in the Iraqi conflict according to a count conducted by the Associated Press and Reuters.
Alexander, who was wounded Oct. 17 in Samarra by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad, died in Texas last weekend.
Alexander was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, of Fort Benning, Ga. and was no stranger to the Iraqi landscape.
"He had been to Iraq about nine times," said Alexander's sister, Sasha Spence. "He had just went back over there in August."
Alexander, who enlisted in October 1991, was suited well for the Army, Spence said, and saw enlisting as a way to serve his community.
"He really enjoyed being in the Army. He loved it," she said. "He just wanted to make a difference. That was his thing - just make a difference. He was very loving. He was never down and he always smiled.
Even though Alexander's role with the Army suited him well, Spence joked that upon his graduation from CCHS, Alexander
Army Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander, Jr. was killed in action on 10/22/05.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher W. Thompson
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher W. Thompson, 25, of N. Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Petty Officer Thompson was killed in action from an IED explosion while conducting Combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. He was assigned to Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 8th Regimental Combat Team, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Forces Atlantic, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
"I can't let my Marines go without me," Chris Thompson, 25, told his father, just before shipping out on his second combat tour. "I take care of them."
A corpsman - similar to a medic in the Army - goes on patrol with the Marines and tries to keep the wounded alive. Thompson was a petty officer hospitalman third class. Thompson and another member of the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) were killed in the bombing near Amiriyah, 25 miles west of Baghdad. Thompson was riding in the left rear seat of an armored vehicle when someone set off an improvised explosive device, his parents said.
Larry and Geraldine Thompson were home at 9:25 p.m. Friday when they got the news. She was already in bed reading. While he was in the living room, Larry Thompson looked up from the television and through the front door's glass panel to see Navy officers in dress blues. He knew immediately why they were there, Larry Thompson said.
Churches throughout Wilkes County offered up prayers for Chris Thompson and his family yesterday as news of his death spread. Mourners offered condolences at the family's home beside a road off N.C. 16 in the Millers Creek community.
His brother, David, also a Navy hospital corpsman assigned to the Marines, said that Chris Thompson's executive officer told him he was proud to go to war with Chris.
"He knew if something happened he'd take care of them," David said. "If things were worst, he'd be the first one to step up."
David Thompson, 35, hugged his parents before leaving yesterday to return to Camp Lejeune. He is scheduled to travel to Iraq on Nov. 4 and expects to meet with his commanding officer today to see if he will still do that.
Larry and Geraldine Thompson sat at their kitchen table as they talked about their son. They wore yellow bracelets with the message "Support Our Troops."
The bracelets were a gift from Chris, presented as they all stood in the rain July 21 at Camp Lejeune and he boarded the bus that would take him to the plane back to Iraq.
"We promised him we wouldn't take them off until he got back and they haven't been off," Larry Thompson said.
"Mine neither," Geraldine Thompson said.
While he had been home from his first combat tour, someone asked him how he could manage to insert an IV in someone's arm on a battlefield, while bullets were crackling by and bombs exploding.
"He said, 'All I can tell you is I haven't missed yet. When you've got somebody dying, you've got to do what you can do,'" Larry Thompson recalled.
During his first tour, from March 2004 to October 2004, Thompson used those skills to help four Marines seriously hurt when a bomb exploded beside the Humvee in front of his. One man was blinded. Another lost his right leg. Another lost his right arm. Another had a head injury.
Thompson attended to them, and held a fifth Marine, his best friend, who died in his arms.
When the fight was over, they would find two bullets inside Thompson's medical pack. He was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with valor for his actions.
When he was home, he talked to his father about still seeing the faces of those who had died.
Larry Thompson, an Army veteran, understood. Larry said he still sees faces of those lost when he was in Vietnam in 1967-68.
"I don't want to forget them," he says he told his son. "I want to remember them and honor them.... You do the best you can and come home. That's all you can do."
His mother remembers a funny boy. She told the story of how as a teenager he would sneak her convertible out to take his buddies for a ride. He would think she didn't notice when she'd crank up and the gas needle would be on empty and the radio blaring. She never told him she knew.
She remembers the time he was wrestling for fun with his oldest brother, Jimmy Epley, who is now 42. Epley pinned him against the wall, but Chris got the last word by saying he would still be young when Epley was old.
Chris Thompson played football and baseball at North Wilkes High School. He grew up in the Mulberry area, and the family only recently moved to Millers Creek.
He joined the Navy when he was 21, and finished basic training three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He didn't get to go to his promised school, but was sent straight to the fleet as a seaman aboard the USS Austin.
Eighteen months later, he finally started the corpsman training that he had wanted.
Because Wilkes County was relatively close to Camp Lejeune, it wasn't uncommon for the Thompsons to come home and find tents hanging outside to dry. Their son and several Marine friends would be sprawled asleep inside the house.
Chris Thompson wanted to become a coach and teacher. Once his military duty ended in July 2006, he hoped to study at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.
In his parent's last phone conversation with him Thursday, Thompson asked them to send some clear lenses for his sunglasses. He also wanted some Kool-Aid mix because the water there tasted nasty.
They talked for only five minutes.
"He said 'Dad, I'm awfully tired, I can't stay long, I'm going out on another patrol,'" Larry Thompson remembers. "He said, 'I love you,' and we said 'We love you.'"
They talked about Coastal Carolina's overtime football win against Gardner-Webb University the previous weekend.
"He said, 'I'll go down there and go to school and you may see me on the sideline next year,'" his father recalled.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher W. Thompson was killed in action on 10/21/05.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher W. Thompson, 25, of N. Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Petty Officer Thompson was killed in action from an IED explosion while conducting Combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. He was assigned to Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 8th Regimental Combat Team, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Forces Atlantic, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
"I can't let my Marines go without me," Chris Thompson, 25, told his father, just before shipping out on his second combat tour. "I take care of them."
A corpsman - similar to a medic in the Army - goes on patrol with the Marines and tries to keep the wounded alive. Thompson was a petty officer hospitalman third class. Thompson and another member of the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) were killed in the bombing near Amiriyah, 25 miles west of Baghdad. Thompson was riding in the left rear seat of an armored vehicle when someone set off an improvised explosive device, his parents said.
Larry and Geraldine Thompson were home at 9:25 p.m. Friday when they got the news. She was already in bed reading. While he was in the living room, Larry Thompson looked up from the television and through the front door's glass panel to see Navy officers in dress blues. He knew immediately why they were there, Larry Thompson said.
Churches throughout Wilkes County offered up prayers for Chris Thompson and his family yesterday as news of his death spread. Mourners offered condolences at the family's home beside a road off N.C. 16 in the Millers Creek community.
His brother, David, also a Navy hospital corpsman assigned to the Marines, said that Chris Thompson's executive officer told him he was proud to go to war with Chris.
"He knew if something happened he'd take care of them," David said. "If things were worst, he'd be the first one to step up."
David Thompson, 35, hugged his parents before leaving yesterday to return to Camp Lejeune. He is scheduled to travel to Iraq on Nov. 4 and expects to meet with his commanding officer today to see if he will still do that.
Larry and Geraldine Thompson sat at their kitchen table as they talked about their son. They wore yellow bracelets with the message "Support Our Troops."
The bracelets were a gift from Chris, presented as they all stood in the rain July 21 at Camp Lejeune and he boarded the bus that would take him to the plane back to Iraq.
"We promised him we wouldn't take them off until he got back and they haven't been off," Larry Thompson said.
"Mine neither," Geraldine Thompson said.
While he had been home from his first combat tour, someone asked him how he could manage to insert an IV in someone's arm on a battlefield, while bullets were crackling by and bombs exploding.
"He said, 'All I can tell you is I haven't missed yet. When you've got somebody dying, you've got to do what you can do,'" Larry Thompson recalled.
During his first tour, from March 2004 to October 2004, Thompson used those skills to help four Marines seriously hurt when a bomb exploded beside the Humvee in front of his. One man was blinded. Another lost his right leg. Another lost his right arm. Another had a head injury.
Thompson attended to them, and held a fifth Marine, his best friend, who died in his arms.
When the fight was over, they would find two bullets inside Thompson's medical pack. He was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with valor for his actions.
When he was home, he talked to his father about still seeing the faces of those who had died.
Larry Thompson, an Army veteran, understood. Larry said he still sees faces of those lost when he was in Vietnam in 1967-68.
"I don't want to forget them," he says he told his son. "I want to remember them and honor them.... You do the best you can and come home. That's all you can do."
His mother remembers a funny boy. She told the story of how as a teenager he would sneak her convertible out to take his buddies for a ride. He would think she didn't notice when she'd crank up and the gas needle would be on empty and the radio blaring. She never told him she knew.
She remembers the time he was wrestling for fun with his oldest brother, Jimmy Epley, who is now 42. Epley pinned him against the wall, but Chris got the last word by saying he would still be young when Epley was old.
Chris Thompson played football and baseball at North Wilkes High School. He grew up in the Mulberry area, and the family only recently moved to Millers Creek.
He joined the Navy when he was 21, and finished basic training three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He didn't get to go to his promised school, but was sent straight to the fleet as a seaman aboard the USS Austin.
Eighteen months later, he finally started the corpsman training that he had wanted.
Because Wilkes County was relatively close to Camp Lejeune, it wasn't uncommon for the Thompsons to come home and find tents hanging outside to dry. Their son and several Marine friends would be sprawled asleep inside the house.
Chris Thompson wanted to become a coach and teacher. Once his military duty ended in July 2006, he hoped to study at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.
In his parent's last phone conversation with him Thursday, Thompson asked them to send some clear lenses for his sunglasses. He also wanted some Kool-Aid mix because the water there tasted nasty.
They talked for only five minutes.
"He said 'Dad, I'm awfully tired, I can't stay long, I'm going out on another patrol,'" Larry Thompson remembers. "He said, 'I love you,' and we said 'We love you.'"
They talked about Coastal Carolina's overtime football win against Gardner-Webb University the previous weekend.
"He said, 'I'll go down there and go to school and you may see me on the sideline next year,'" his father recalled.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher W. Thompson was killed in action on 10/21/05.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Army Specialist Lucas A. Frantz
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Lucas A. Frantz, 22, of Tonganoxie, Kansas.
Spc Frantz died in Mosul, Iraq when he was hit by enemy fire while performing a combat mission. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Sryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Frantz's platoon was conducting an operation in an area of Mosul known as "Bedrock." Frantz was in his Stryker vehicle protecting dismounted members of his platoon when he was attacked.
Frantz was an infantryman and Stryker vehicle commander assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry. He turned 22 on Tuesday.
Frantz's hometown of Tonganoxie, Kan., rallied around his family after his wife, Kelly, got word of his death. Kelly Frantz said in a Wednesday phone interview that flags around the small town were flying at half-staff. Even the Sonic Drive-in had changed its sign to read, "Thank you for serving our country Lucas."
Frantz's fellow squad members remembered him Wednesday in a news release issued by U.S. Army Alaska.
"Spc. Frantz was the kind of guy who would always help you out," said his platoon leader, 1st Lt. Randy Lewis. "He would never ask you for help, no matter what, but he was always helping others."
Spc. Toby Alsip said Frantz could fix anything.
"He was the biggest, strongest guy I ever knew," he said
Kelly Frantz said her husband was known for his build. It earned him the nickname "Killer" as a star linebacker on the Tonganoxie High School football team.
The Frantzes' love story also began in high school. Kelly Frantz said she was two years ahead of Lucas in school, where they knew each other but didn't date.
"But he always had a little bit of a crush on me," she said.
After Lucas graduated in 2002, he began working at the same grocery store as Kelly. She said they became friends, she eventually became interested in him and teased him about when he was going to ask her out. On their first date, they went to Taco Johns and walked around the high school track until 3 a.m.
"We knew we were meant to be," she said.
Kelly Frantz said her husband joined the Army Reserves in 2000 and went on active duty in May 2003. When Lucas returned from advanced individual training, he had two weeks in Tonganoxie before leaving for Fort Wainwright. Kelly said in those two weeks they got engaged and then married.
"It was a perfect love," Kelly said.
The two were together in Fairbanks until Lucas left with the rest of the brigade in August for a yearlong deployment. She returned to Tonganoxie and was able to talk to Lucas in Iraq once or twice a week.
She last spoke to him on Oct. 12 when they each had access to a Web cam and were able to see each other for the first time since Frantz left.
Kelly Frantz said the Tonganoxie High football team will retire Frantz's No. 69 at its game Friday. She said there are no plans for a memorial service or funeral yet, but she hopes to hold a service on the Veterans of Foreign Wars grounds to honor Frantz's service. It was where the couple had their wedding pictures taken and had planned to renew their vows when Frantz returned from Iraq.
Kelly Frantz spoke in a strong voice and said she had already talked to several newspapers and members of the media about her husband. She sometimes cried while talking about special memories but kept talking, adamant that she wanted to tell the story of her husband's life and service.
"He was a perfect soldier if there ever could be one," she said. "When he needed to be a husband, he was one. When he needed to be a friend, he was one. He went over there and fought and he died for our country and I don't want people to forget that."
Army Specialist Lucas A. Frantz was killed in action on 10/18/05.
Army Specialist Lucas A. Frantz, 22, of Tonganoxie, Kansas.
Spc Frantz died in Mosul, Iraq when he was hit by enemy fire while performing a combat mission. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Sryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Frantz's platoon was conducting an operation in an area of Mosul known as "Bedrock." Frantz was in his Stryker vehicle protecting dismounted members of his platoon when he was attacked.
Frantz was an infantryman and Stryker vehicle commander assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry. He turned 22 on Tuesday.
Frantz's hometown of Tonganoxie, Kan., rallied around his family after his wife, Kelly, got word of his death. Kelly Frantz said in a Wednesday phone interview that flags around the small town were flying at half-staff. Even the Sonic Drive-in had changed its sign to read, "Thank you for serving our country Lucas."
Frantz's fellow squad members remembered him Wednesday in a news release issued by U.S. Army Alaska.
"Spc. Frantz was the kind of guy who would always help you out," said his platoon leader, 1st Lt. Randy Lewis. "He would never ask you for help, no matter what, but he was always helping others."
Spc. Toby Alsip said Frantz could fix anything.
"He was the biggest, strongest guy I ever knew," he said
Kelly Frantz said her husband was known for his build. It earned him the nickname "Killer" as a star linebacker on the Tonganoxie High School football team.
The Frantzes' love story also began in high school. Kelly Frantz said she was two years ahead of Lucas in school, where they knew each other but didn't date.
"But he always had a little bit of a crush on me," she said.
After Lucas graduated in 2002, he began working at the same grocery store as Kelly. She said they became friends, she eventually became interested in him and teased him about when he was going to ask her out. On their first date, they went to Taco Johns and walked around the high school track until 3 a.m.
"We knew we were meant to be," she said.
Kelly Frantz said her husband joined the Army Reserves in 2000 and went on active duty in May 2003. When Lucas returned from advanced individual training, he had two weeks in Tonganoxie before leaving for Fort Wainwright. Kelly said in those two weeks they got engaged and then married.
"It was a perfect love," Kelly said.
The two were together in Fairbanks until Lucas left with the rest of the brigade in August for a yearlong deployment. She returned to Tonganoxie and was able to talk to Lucas in Iraq once or twice a week.
She last spoke to him on Oct. 12 when they each had access to a Web cam and were able to see each other for the first time since Frantz left.
Kelly Frantz said the Tonganoxie High football team will retire Frantz's No. 69 at its game Friday. She said there are no plans for a memorial service or funeral yet, but she hopes to hold a service on the Veterans of Foreign Wars grounds to honor Frantz's service. It was where the couple had their wedding pictures taken and had planned to renew their vows when Frantz returned from Iraq.
Kelly Frantz spoke in a strong voice and said she had already talked to several newspapers and members of the media about her husband. She sometimes cried while talking about special memories but kept talking, adamant that she wanted to tell the story of her husband's life and service.
"He was a perfect soldier if there ever could be one," she said. "When he needed to be a husband, he was one. When he needed to be a friend, he was one. He went over there and fought and he died for our country and I don't want people to forget that."
Army Specialist Lucas A. Frantz was killed in action on 10/18/05.
Army National Guard SSG Tommy I. Folks, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army National Guard SSG Tommy I. Folks, Jr., 31, of Amarillo, Texas.
SSG Folks was assigned to the Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 56th Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, Amarillo, Texas.
The Prairie
By Krissy Mailman
Reporter
Just recently, Army Staff Sgt. Tommy Folks, Jr., a resident of Amarillo, and a student at WTAMU, was killed in Iraq on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
According to KAMR's Web site, Tommy Folks Sr. said his son was someone you could always depend on.
"He was a quiet, reserved man, a very private person, but a solid citizen," Folks Sr. said.
"(I) Had an e-mail from him last week that he had lost the hearing on his right side, and we knew that he was close to an explosion then.
"And he said, `I`m just knocking out the days until I come home.` And then of course yesterday, (Oct. 19) the casualty officer showed up, and I knew, I knew he was gone," Folks said.
"A part of me is gone, but we'll survive. We'll go ahead and make it. He served his country very well, he was dedicated to his work and he believed on the cause of what we are trying to do over there," he said.
According to the Amarillo Globe-News, Tommy Folks was born Jan. 22, 1974.
He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1992. He was an honor student and was a member of the National Honor Society.
Dr. Eddie Henderson, head of the division of education, said Folks was a student in the teacher preparation program at the time of his deployment to Iraq.
He was registered for class in the fall of 2004.
The division of education is accepting contributions to the Division of Education Scholarship Fund in Sgt. Folks’ memory from the faculty and staff of the department.
Jim Rutledge, instructor of instructional technology & e-mentoring, said he had Folks in class.
"He was a very good student," Rutledge said.
"This is a very sad occasion."
Rutledge grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, where Folks’ grandparents lived right across the street from him.
"I knew of some of his family," Rutledge said. "I have known his step-mother all of my life."
Rutledge said that this unfortunate event could be a wake up call to students.
"Students need to pay attention to what is going on in the world and get involved in the process," he said.
According to the Amarillo Globe-News, some of Folks’ achievements while serving for the military include the Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expedition Medal and the Southwest Asia Combat Medal.
Army National Guard SSG Tommy I, Folks, Jr., was killed in action on 10/18/05.
Army National Guard SSG Tommy I. Folks, Jr., 31, of Amarillo, Texas.
SSG Folks was assigned to the Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 56th Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, Amarillo, Texas.
The Prairie
By Krissy Mailman
Reporter
Just recently, Army Staff Sgt. Tommy Folks, Jr., a resident of Amarillo, and a student at WTAMU, was killed in Iraq on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
According to KAMR's Web site, Tommy Folks Sr. said his son was someone you could always depend on.
"He was a quiet, reserved man, a very private person, but a solid citizen," Folks Sr. said.
"(I) Had an e-mail from him last week that he had lost the hearing on his right side, and we knew that he was close to an explosion then.
"And he said, `I`m just knocking out the days until I come home.` And then of course yesterday, (Oct. 19) the casualty officer showed up, and I knew, I knew he was gone," Folks said.
"A part of me is gone, but we'll survive. We'll go ahead and make it. He served his country very well, he was dedicated to his work and he believed on the cause of what we are trying to do over there," he said.
According to the Amarillo Globe-News, Tommy Folks was born Jan. 22, 1974.
He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1992. He was an honor student and was a member of the National Honor Society.
Dr. Eddie Henderson, head of the division of education, said Folks was a student in the teacher preparation program at the time of his deployment to Iraq.
He was registered for class in the fall of 2004.
The division of education is accepting contributions to the Division of Education Scholarship Fund in Sgt. Folks’ memory from the faculty and staff of the department.
Jim Rutledge, instructor of instructional technology & e-mentoring, said he had Folks in class.
"He was a very good student," Rutledge said.
"This is a very sad occasion."
Rutledge grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, where Folks’ grandparents lived right across the street from him.
"I knew of some of his family," Rutledge said. "I have known his step-mother all of my life."
Rutledge said that this unfortunate event could be a wake up call to students.
"Students need to pay attention to what is going on in the world and get involved in the process," he said.
According to the Amarillo Globe-News, some of Folks’ achievements while serving for the military include the Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expedition Medal and the Southwest Asia Combat Medal.
Army National Guard SSG Tommy I, Folks, Jr., was killed in action on 10/18/05.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Army Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr., 29, of Virden, Ill.
SSgt Harper was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Oct. 9, 2005 when his reconnaissance mission was attacked by enemy forces in Baghdad.
Special Forces medic from central Illinois killed Iraq
Associated Press
VIRDEN, Ill. — An Army Special Forces medic from central Illinois has been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr., 29, of Virden was killed Sunday when insurgents ambushed his unit during a reconnaissance mission near Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Hans Bush, a spokesman for Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Linda Morrison, Harper’s mother, said her son told his three children he was going to Iraq to protect them.
“He was a family man. He told his children he was going to go over to fight so they don’t come over here to hurt us,” Morrison told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register. “That’s who Gary was.”
Harper, who joined the Army in 1993 and deployed to Iraq in June, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Ky.
Brad Paisley, who coached Harper when he played football at Virden High School about 30 miles south of Springfield, said Harper had a positive attitude.
“He’d take the rough job, the dirty job. He was a real great, hardworking kid,” Paisley told the newspaper.
In addition to his children and mother, Harper’s other survivors include his wife.
Army Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr. was killed in action on 10/09/05.
Army Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr., 29, of Virden, Ill.
SSgt Harper was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Oct. 9, 2005 when his reconnaissance mission was attacked by enemy forces in Baghdad.
Special Forces medic from central Illinois killed Iraq
Associated Press
VIRDEN, Ill. — An Army Special Forces medic from central Illinois has been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr., 29, of Virden was killed Sunday when insurgents ambushed his unit during a reconnaissance mission near Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Hans Bush, a spokesman for Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Linda Morrison, Harper’s mother, said her son told his three children he was going to Iraq to protect them.
“He was a family man. He told his children he was going to go over to fight so they don’t come over here to hurt us,” Morrison told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register. “That’s who Gary was.”
Harper, who joined the Army in 1993 and deployed to Iraq in June, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Ky.
Brad Paisley, who coached Harper when he played football at Virden High School about 30 miles south of Springfield, said Harper had a positive attitude.
“He’d take the rough job, the dirty job. He was a real great, hardworking kid,” Paisley told the newspaper.
In addition to his children and mother, Harper’s other survivors include his wife.
Army Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr. was killed in action on 10/09/05.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Army Spc. Jeremiah W. Robinson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jeremiah W. Robinson, 20, of Mesa, Ariz.
Spc Robinson was assigned to the 860th Military Police Company, Arizona Army National Guard, Phoenix; died Oct. 6, 2005 in Baghdad of injuries sustained Oct. 5 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during convoy operations in Baghdad.
Jeremiah Robinson - American Patriot
Family of Mesa soldier refuses to 'wallow in self-pity'
Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Chandler police Sgt. Burt Robinson served in Iraq and returned home unharmed. His son, Jeremiah, 20, wasn't as fortunate.
But Jeremiah, a graduate of Mesa's Skyline High School, died living his dream, following his father's footsteps into the military. Eventually, he wanted to become a police officer.
"Jeremiah, his mission in life was to be a soldier, to be a copper," Burt Robinson, 43, said Tuesday. "It was his privilege to serve in that war. Unfortunately, we have to pay the ultimate sacrifice. There's no reason for it. It just is."
Burt Robinson, a Chandler officer for 21 years, was on active duty, awaiting deployment on a prisoner interrogation mission when informed of his son's death last Thursday.
He had just returned home after a training session at Fort Huachuca.
Robinson, of Mesa, won't be going back to Iraq. The risks are too high for his wife, Amy, and his tight-knit family, his source of strength and support. He also won't give Iraqi insurgents the satisfaction of mortally wounding his family.
"You can't wallow in self-pity. I refuse to let my family go into despair," Robinson said. "They killed my son, but they're not going to kill our spirit."
Jeremiah Robinson was killed last Thursday in Baghdad. He was driving a Humvee when an explosive device was detonated during convey operations. He was a member of the Army National Guard's 860th Military Police Company, based in Phoenix.
Ten days before Jeremiah's death, he completed a two-week leave in the Valley.
"That was the toughest thing we had to do, to put him back on the plane," Burt Robinson said.
During the week of Jeremiah's death, his unit came under enemy fire daily, his father said. A couple of months earlier, a sniper's bullet passed within inches of his face.
Sgt. Kevin Carpenter, Jeremiah's supervisor in Iraq, traded leave with another soldier so he could come to the Robinsons' home to describe the young man's death.
Carpenter also is escorting Jeremiah's remains from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to Arizona.
Jeremiah was the 61st soldier with Arizona ties to die in Iraq and Afghanistan. His services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at Word of Grace Church, 655 E. University Drive, Mesa.
Lucas Robinson, 16, the couple's youngest son, played football for Desert Ridge High School the same day he learned of Jeremiah's death. His brother Jake, 17, played quarterback a day later for Skyline High School.
"You can't quit living," Burt Robinson said as he watched Lucas return a kickoff Tuesday night in a junior varsity game against Chandler High School. "The dead are going to stay dead. It takes more courage to get on with life than crawl into a hole."
Ken Ehle, Jeremiah's grandfather, said his grandson decorated his room with pictures of planes and military helmets, not cars like other boys.
"I was proud of him. That's exactly where he needed to be," said Amy, a Starbucks assistant manager. "He wasn't the partying type of kid. He knew what the real world was about. He didn't want to waste any time."
She said Jeremiah preferred the company of adults his father's age rather than his peers. He loved the camaraderie of hunting with his father and doing construction work with his uncle, Steve Ehle.
By the time he graduated from Skyline in 2003, Jeremiah was a journeyman roofer and framer. He had plans to marry his girlfriend, Rachelle Figueroa, 19.
"People are saying he put in 40 years of living in a 20-year span," Amy said.
Figueroa said she met Jeremiah in a communications class at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. The two dated for 13 months. She said Jeremiah wouldn't have been satisfied with a safer assignment.
"He made sure the 860th was going to war. He wanted the action," she said.
Figueroa said she would never forget Jeremiah.
"He was the best thing that ever happened to me," she said. "He made me want to be a better person. He made you want to be like him."
In May, Jeremiah Robinson wrote a letter to Amy for Mother's Day from his post in Iraq. She had it laminated after learning of his death.
"I'm sure you probably don't like the fact that your husband and your son are going to be over here," Jeremiah wrote, thanking his mother for her support.
"This is something we had to do for ourselves and our duty to our country. That's what patriots do."
Army Spc. Jeremiah W. Robinson was killed in action on 10/6/05.
Army Spc. Jeremiah W. Robinson, 20, of Mesa, Ariz.
Spc Robinson was assigned to the 860th Military Police Company, Arizona Army National Guard, Phoenix; died Oct. 6, 2005 in Baghdad of injuries sustained Oct. 5 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during convoy operations in Baghdad.
Jeremiah Robinson - American Patriot
Family of Mesa soldier refuses to 'wallow in self-pity'
Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Chandler police Sgt. Burt Robinson served in Iraq and returned home unharmed. His son, Jeremiah, 20, wasn't as fortunate.
But Jeremiah, a graduate of Mesa's Skyline High School, died living his dream, following his father's footsteps into the military. Eventually, he wanted to become a police officer.
"Jeremiah, his mission in life was to be a soldier, to be a copper," Burt Robinson, 43, said Tuesday. "It was his privilege to serve in that war. Unfortunately, we have to pay the ultimate sacrifice. There's no reason for it. It just is."
Burt Robinson, a Chandler officer for 21 years, was on active duty, awaiting deployment on a prisoner interrogation mission when informed of his son's death last Thursday.
He had just returned home after a training session at Fort Huachuca.
Robinson, of Mesa, won't be going back to Iraq. The risks are too high for his wife, Amy, and his tight-knit family, his source of strength and support. He also won't give Iraqi insurgents the satisfaction of mortally wounding his family.
"You can't wallow in self-pity. I refuse to let my family go into despair," Robinson said. "They killed my son, but they're not going to kill our spirit."
Jeremiah Robinson was killed last Thursday in Baghdad. He was driving a Humvee when an explosive device was detonated during convey operations. He was a member of the Army National Guard's 860th Military Police Company, based in Phoenix.
Ten days before Jeremiah's death, he completed a two-week leave in the Valley.
"That was the toughest thing we had to do, to put him back on the plane," Burt Robinson said.
During the week of Jeremiah's death, his unit came under enemy fire daily, his father said. A couple of months earlier, a sniper's bullet passed within inches of his face.
Sgt. Kevin Carpenter, Jeremiah's supervisor in Iraq, traded leave with another soldier so he could come to the Robinsons' home to describe the young man's death.
Carpenter also is escorting Jeremiah's remains from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to Arizona.
Jeremiah was the 61st soldier with Arizona ties to die in Iraq and Afghanistan. His services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at Word of Grace Church, 655 E. University Drive, Mesa.
Lucas Robinson, 16, the couple's youngest son, played football for Desert Ridge High School the same day he learned of Jeremiah's death. His brother Jake, 17, played quarterback a day later for Skyline High School.
"You can't quit living," Burt Robinson said as he watched Lucas return a kickoff Tuesday night in a junior varsity game against Chandler High School. "The dead are going to stay dead. It takes more courage to get on with life than crawl into a hole."
Ken Ehle, Jeremiah's grandfather, said his grandson decorated his room with pictures of planes and military helmets, not cars like other boys.
"I was proud of him. That's exactly where he needed to be," said Amy, a Starbucks assistant manager. "He wasn't the partying type of kid. He knew what the real world was about. He didn't want to waste any time."
She said Jeremiah preferred the company of adults his father's age rather than his peers. He loved the camaraderie of hunting with his father and doing construction work with his uncle, Steve Ehle.
By the time he graduated from Skyline in 2003, Jeremiah was a journeyman roofer and framer. He had plans to marry his girlfriend, Rachelle Figueroa, 19.
"People are saying he put in 40 years of living in a 20-year span," Amy said.
Figueroa said she met Jeremiah in a communications class at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. The two dated for 13 months. She said Jeremiah wouldn't have been satisfied with a safer assignment.
"He made sure the 860th was going to war. He wanted the action," she said.
Figueroa said she would never forget Jeremiah.
"He was the best thing that ever happened to me," she said. "He made me want to be a better person. He made you want to be like him."
In May, Jeremiah Robinson wrote a letter to Amy for Mother's Day from his post in Iraq. She had it laminated after learning of his death.
"I'm sure you probably don't like the fact that your husband and your son are going to be over here," Jeremiah wrote, thanking his mother for her support.
"This is something we had to do for ourselves and our duty to our country. That's what patriots do."
Army Spc. Jeremiah W. Robinson was killed in action on 10/6/05.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Army Pfc. Roberto C. Baez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Roberto C. Baez, 19, of Tampa, Florida.
Pfc Baez died in Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
St Petersburg Times
By JUSTIN GEORGE
TAMPA - There was regret in Army Pfc. Roberto C. Baez's bedroom Wednesday.
His mother wished she never let her 19-year-old son join the military. His brother wished he would have coaxed Baez into the Navy.
But it's unlikely either could have persuaded the headstrong and confident Baez differently. The Army was his first job. He signed up for six years until his mother went back to the recruiter and changed his enlistment to three years. He slept next to a checklist that included running, pushups and situps, things to do to prepare for boot camp. He was proud of his meager pay and came home always asking his mother what she wanted to buy.
Baez died in Haqlaniyah, Iraq, on Monday, when an explosive device blew up near his Humvee, according to the Defense Department. He had three diplomas - infantry training, javelin course and airborne course - framed on his dresser. He had a can of spray starch on his entertainment center. He had an "Army of One" bumper sticker above his bed.
Baez was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.
"We did not enjoy our son after high school," Baez's mother, Jeannette Carrasco, 48, wailed from a hallway. The recruiter had stolen him away too quickly after his graduation from Tampa's Alonso High School.
Now, there is a blue candle pooling wax in the living room where Baez's picture sits on a small stand. He wears Army fatigues behind a stretched tight American Flag.
Nearby a stack of pictures are tossed on the dining room table. A picture of mother wrapping her arms around the neck of her youngest son, "Robertcito," little Robert, stands out.
"He really had everything," said Carlos Baez, 57, Roberto's father and Carrasco's husband. "A good friend; a good son."
Juan Carlos Baez, 28, said his brother wanted to join the military after Sept. 11, 2001. He used to quiz Juan about the Navy.
"He wanted me to talk to him about the Navy," Juan Carlos said. "I wasn't ready. I was going through some hard times, and I didn't open up about it."
So Roberto joined the Army when his time came.
"I would have rather he joined the Navy," Juan Carlos said, standing in his room, where baseball trophies and an apple-shaped pigg y bank sits on his dresser. "I just would have wanted to talk to him about the Navy or veer him to the Navy."
Roberto Baez's mother said he wanted the Army to pay for college so he could be a psychiatrist. He was good with people. He would befriend children. He would speak to seniors. He would give up his television for his young niece.
But his best friend of 16 years, Brian Pena, 18, said he was content finishing his career in the Army. He wanted to put in 20 years, Pena said.
"He wanted it to be his career," Pena said. "It was his first job, and he was proud of it."
Nearby are Baez's books: The U.S. Army Infantry Training Brigade. The Iraq War. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
His mother knows he was meant for the military. He used to shut off the ceiling fan and air conditioner on Saturday mornings just to sweep his room when other teens would be sleeping.
"He was like a little big boy," she said.
"I'm upset," Carrasco added. "Being so young, they send him over there, and I don't agree with that. They're young kids."
Then she got tired of talking.
"I never get tired of talking unless someone hurt me," Carrasco said.
"It hurts me not to have him here."
Army Pfc. Roberto C. Baez was killed in action on 10/03/05.
Army Pfc. Roberto C. Baez, 19, of Tampa, Florida.
Pfc Baez died in Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
St Petersburg Times
By JUSTIN GEORGE
TAMPA - There was regret in Army Pfc. Roberto C. Baez's bedroom Wednesday.
His mother wished she never let her 19-year-old son join the military. His brother wished he would have coaxed Baez into the Navy.
But it's unlikely either could have persuaded the headstrong and confident Baez differently. The Army was his first job. He signed up for six years until his mother went back to the recruiter and changed his enlistment to three years. He slept next to a checklist that included running, pushups and situps, things to do to prepare for boot camp. He was proud of his meager pay and came home always asking his mother what she wanted to buy.
Baez died in Haqlaniyah, Iraq, on Monday, when an explosive device blew up near his Humvee, according to the Defense Department. He had three diplomas - infantry training, javelin course and airborne course - framed on his dresser. He had a can of spray starch on his entertainment center. He had an "Army of One" bumper sticker above his bed.
Baez was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.
"We did not enjoy our son after high school," Baez's mother, Jeannette Carrasco, 48, wailed from a hallway. The recruiter had stolen him away too quickly after his graduation from Tampa's Alonso High School.
Now, there is a blue candle pooling wax in the living room where Baez's picture sits on a small stand. He wears Army fatigues behind a stretched tight American Flag.
Nearby a stack of pictures are tossed on the dining room table. A picture of mother wrapping her arms around the neck of her youngest son, "Robertcito," little Robert, stands out.
"He really had everything," said Carlos Baez, 57, Roberto's father and Carrasco's husband. "A good friend; a good son."
Juan Carlos Baez, 28, said his brother wanted to join the military after Sept. 11, 2001. He used to quiz Juan about the Navy.
"He wanted me to talk to him about the Navy," Juan Carlos said. "I wasn't ready. I was going through some hard times, and I didn't open up about it."
So Roberto joined the Army when his time came.
"I would have rather he joined the Navy," Juan Carlos said, standing in his room, where baseball trophies and an apple-shaped pigg y bank sits on his dresser. "I just would have wanted to talk to him about the Navy or veer him to the Navy."
Roberto Baez's mother said he wanted the Army to pay for college so he could be a psychiatrist. He was good with people. He would befriend children. He would speak to seniors. He would give up his television for his young niece.
But his best friend of 16 years, Brian Pena, 18, said he was content finishing his career in the Army. He wanted to put in 20 years, Pena said.
"He wanted it to be his career," Pena said. "It was his first job, and he was proud of it."
Nearby are Baez's books: The U.S. Army Infantry Training Brigade. The Iraq War. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
His mother knows he was meant for the military. He used to shut off the ceiling fan and air conditioner on Saturday mornings just to sweep his room when other teens would be sleeping.
"He was like a little big boy," she said.
"I'm upset," Carrasco added. "Being so young, they send him over there, and I don't agree with that. They're young kids."
Then she got tired of talking.
"I never get tired of talking unless someone hurt me," Carrasco said.
"It hurts me not to have him here."
Army Pfc. Roberto C. Baez was killed in action on 10/03/05.
Army Sgt. Bryan W. Large
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Bryan W. Large, 31, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Sgt Large died in Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Sgt. Bryan W. Large of Cuyahoga Falls was among three U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq on Tuesday, according to the Department of Defense.
The soldiers, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Haqlaniyah.
Large, stationed at Fort Bragg for the past four years, was a health care specialist, Army officials told The Plain Dealer Wednesday night, and was on his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Late Monday and early Tuesday, 2,500 U.S. troops along with Iraqi forces launched Operation River Gate with an air assault on Haqlaniyah, Haditha and Parwana, about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad.
"They were proud of what they were doing and rendered the ultimate sacrifice for our nation," Col. Bryan Owens, commander of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg, said in a statement.
Relatives of the 31-year-old Large, who played football at Cuyahoga Falls High School, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Large was first assigned to the 307th Forward Medical Company of the 82nd in September 2002 and moved to the 504th in January 2004.
He is survived by his father, Larry, mother, Linda, and two daughters.
Army Sgt. Bryan W. Large was killed in action on 10/03/05.
Larger Image
Army Sgt. Bryan W. Large, 31, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Sgt Large died in Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Sgt. Bryan W. Large of Cuyahoga Falls was among three U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq on Tuesday, according to the Department of Defense.
The soldiers, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Haqlaniyah.
Large, stationed at Fort Bragg for the past four years, was a health care specialist, Army officials told The Plain Dealer Wednesday night, and was on his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Late Monday and early Tuesday, 2,500 U.S. troops along with Iraqi forces launched Operation River Gate with an air assault on Haqlaniyah, Haditha and Parwana, about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad.
"They were proud of what they were doing and rendered the ultimate sacrifice for our nation," Col. Bryan Owens, commander of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg, said in a statement.
Relatives of the 31-year-old Large, who played football at Cuyahoga Falls High School, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Large was first assigned to the 307th Forward Medical Company of the 82nd in September 2002 and moved to the 504th in January 2004.
He is survived by his father, Larry, mother, Linda, and two daughters.
Army Sgt. Bryan W. Large was killed in action on 10/03/05.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Army Sgt. Marshall A. Westbrook
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Marshall A. Westbrook, 43, of Farmington, N.M.
Sgt. Westbrook was assigned to the 126th Military Police Company, New Mexico Army National Guard, Albuquerque, N.M.; killed Oct. 1, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad.
Family grieves for fallen soldier
FARMINGTON, N.M. — Relatives and friends of Sgt. Marshal A. Westbrook, the first New Mexico National Guardsman killed during combat in Iraq, gathered at his Farmington home to remember him and celebrate his life.
“He was a good man. He loved his family. He loved fighting for his country,” Dave Westbrook, the fallen soldier’s brother, told The Daily Times newspaper Oct. 7.
Westbrook, 43, was a member of the Albuquerque-based 126th Military Police Company. He died on the morning of Oct. 1 in Baghdad after being struck in the head by shrapnel from an explosive device.
Ken Nava, a New Mexico National Guard casualty assistant, said Westbrook worked for Public Service Company of New Mexico and was a longtime resident of Farmington.
Brig. Gen. Kenny Montoya, head of the New Mexico National Guard, spent the day Monday with Westbrook’s family.
“He loved his family. He loved his soldiers. This gentle giant, Sgt. Allen Westbrook, will rest in peace,” Montoya said.
Westbrook, born July 25, 1962 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., was married and the father of five children.
Relatives declined to say much to reporters.
“Right now, we are hurting too much,” Dave Westbrook said. “But he loved doing what he was doing.”
The 126th Military Police Company was activated a year ago and was expected to return to New Mexico next March.
Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered flags at state office buildings flown at half staff to honor Westbrook, the 17th service member from New Mexico killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
“I am deeply saddened by his death and I ask all New Mexicans to join me in honoring his passing,” the governor said.
Army Sgt. Marshall A. Westbrook was killed in action on 10/1/05.
Sgt. Westbrook's brother, Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook, died 10/7/09 from wounds recieved in Afghanistan in September of that year. God bless this family of Heroes.
Army Sgt. Marshall A. Westbrook, 43, of Farmington, N.M.
Sgt. Westbrook was assigned to the 126th Military Police Company, New Mexico Army National Guard, Albuquerque, N.M.; killed Oct. 1, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad.
Family grieves for fallen soldier
FARMINGTON, N.M. — Relatives and friends of Sgt. Marshal A. Westbrook, the first New Mexico National Guardsman killed during combat in Iraq, gathered at his Farmington home to remember him and celebrate his life.
“He was a good man. He loved his family. He loved fighting for his country,” Dave Westbrook, the fallen soldier’s brother, told The Daily Times newspaper Oct. 7.
Westbrook, 43, was a member of the Albuquerque-based 126th Military Police Company. He died on the morning of Oct. 1 in Baghdad after being struck in the head by shrapnel from an explosive device.
Ken Nava, a New Mexico National Guard casualty assistant, said Westbrook worked for Public Service Company of New Mexico and was a longtime resident of Farmington.
Brig. Gen. Kenny Montoya, head of the New Mexico National Guard, spent the day Monday with Westbrook’s family.
“He loved his family. He loved his soldiers. This gentle giant, Sgt. Allen Westbrook, will rest in peace,” Montoya said.
Westbrook, born July 25, 1962 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., was married and the father of five children.
Relatives declined to say much to reporters.
“Right now, we are hurting too much,” Dave Westbrook said. “But he loved doing what he was doing.”
The 126th Military Police Company was activated a year ago and was expected to return to New Mexico next March.
Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered flags at state office buildings flown at half staff to honor Westbrook, the 17th service member from New Mexico killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
“I am deeply saddened by his death and I ask all New Mexicans to join me in honoring his passing,” the governor said.
Army Sgt. Marshall A. Westbrook was killed in action on 10/1/05.
Sgt. Westbrook's brother, Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook, died 10/7/09 from wounds recieved in Afghanistan in September of that year. God bless this family of Heroes.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Army Sgt. Steve Morin, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Steve Morin, Jr., 34, of Arlington, Texas.
Sgt Morin died west of Umm Qasr, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated, overturning the HMMWV in which he was riding. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 111th Engineer Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, Mineral Wells, Texas.
The Dallas Morning News -- Audrey Morin says she'll cherish the final conversation she had with her son Sunday. They talked about family, the sweltering heat in Iraq and the Dallas Cowboys.
"He was fine," said Mrs. Morin of Brownfield, Texas. "He could only talk for 30 minutes."
Sgt. Steve Morin Jr., 34, of Arlington died Wednesday west of Umm Qasr, Iraq, when an explosive device detonated, overturning the Humvee he was riding in. Sgt. Morin had been assigned to the Army National Guard's 111th Engineer Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, in Mineral Wells.
Sgt. Morin was buried with full military honors.
After graduating from Brownfield High School in 1988, Sgt. Morin enlisted in the Navy, serving for 14 years and specializing in aviation electronics.
He attended Texas Tech University, where he earned bachelor's degrees in business and financial economics in 2000.
Sgt. Morin enlisted in the National Guard in October 2003 and was deployed to Iraq on Jan. 6.
His wife, Gwendolyn Morin of Arlington, said she supported her husband's decision to go.
"He felt like that was where he needed to be," she said. "He was doing it out of loyalty for his country."
The couple married on Feb 5, 1999. They had two children, Brianna, 12, and Esteban, 6. She said her husband enjoyed fishing, wrestling and reading to his children.
"He read The New York Times and Newsweek to our son when he was only a year old," Ms. Morin said. "Esteban just sat there and listened to his father's voice."
She said Esteban knew that his father was at war "fighting the bad guys."
"They always talked about it," she said. "They kept that line of communication open."
As a young boy, Sgt. Morin was in the Boy Scouts and received various awards. He played baseball in high school and was an altar boy, said his father, Steve Morin Sr.
"He was very committed to the church and had a firm belief in God," Mr. Morin said.
His mother said her son's strong faith in God sustained him in Iraq.
"He was supposed to come home in 60 days," she said Thursday night. "I will miss him very much, but now he is with God, in peace."
In addition to his parents, wife and children, Sgt. Morin is survived by brother Javier Morin of Lubbock and sister Leticia Morin of Orange, Calif.
Army Sgt. Steve Morin, Jr. was killed in action on 09/28/05.
Army Sgt. Steve Morin, Jr., 34, of Arlington, Texas.
Sgt Morin died west of Umm Qasr, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated, overturning the HMMWV in which he was riding. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 111th Engineer Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, Mineral Wells, Texas.
The Dallas Morning News -- Audrey Morin says she'll cherish the final conversation she had with her son Sunday. They talked about family, the sweltering heat in Iraq and the Dallas Cowboys.
"He was fine," said Mrs. Morin of Brownfield, Texas. "He could only talk for 30 minutes."
Sgt. Steve Morin Jr., 34, of Arlington died Wednesday west of Umm Qasr, Iraq, when an explosive device detonated, overturning the Humvee he was riding in. Sgt. Morin had been assigned to the Army National Guard's 111th Engineer Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, in Mineral Wells.
Sgt. Morin was buried with full military honors.
After graduating from Brownfield High School in 1988, Sgt. Morin enlisted in the Navy, serving for 14 years and specializing in aviation electronics.
He attended Texas Tech University, where he earned bachelor's degrees in business and financial economics in 2000.
Sgt. Morin enlisted in the National Guard in October 2003 and was deployed to Iraq on Jan. 6.
His wife, Gwendolyn Morin of Arlington, said she supported her husband's decision to go.
"He felt like that was where he needed to be," she said. "He was doing it out of loyalty for his country."
The couple married on Feb 5, 1999. They had two children, Brianna, 12, and Esteban, 6. She said her husband enjoyed fishing, wrestling and reading to his children.
"He read The New York Times and Newsweek to our son when he was only a year old," Ms. Morin said. "Esteban just sat there and listened to his father's voice."
She said Esteban knew that his father was at war "fighting the bad guys."
"They always talked about it," she said. "They kept that line of communication open."
As a young boy, Sgt. Morin was in the Boy Scouts and received various awards. He played baseball in high school and was an altar boy, said his father, Steve Morin Sr.
"He was very committed to the church and had a firm belief in God," Mr. Morin said.
His mother said her son's strong faith in God sustained him in Iraq.
"He was supposed to come home in 60 days," she said Thursday night. "I will miss him very much, but now he is with God, in peace."
In addition to his parents, wife and children, Sgt. Morin is survived by brother Javier Morin of Lubbock and sister Leticia Morin of Orange, Calif.
Army Sgt. Steve Morin, Jr. was killed in action on 09/28/05.
Army Pfc. Oliver J. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Oliver J. Brown, 19, of Athens, Pa.
Pfc Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, New Milford, Pa.; killed Sept. 28, 2005 when his M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were: Staff Sgt. George A. Pugliese; Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Arnold; Sgt. Eric W. Slebodnik, and Spc. Lee A. Wiegand.
Soldier’s death splits ‘brothers’ apart
Associated Press
From kindergarten on, Oliver J. Brown and Brandon Johnson were more like brothers than friends.
They played Little League together, graduated from the same high school in 2004, biked and hunted together, and enlisted together. They planned to be each other’s best man.
Brown, 19, of Carbondale, Pa., was killed Sept. 28 in Ramadi when his vehicle came under attack. He was assigned to New Milford.
The news stunned Johnson. “Physically he is OK,” said Lisa Johnson, Brandon’s mother. “Emotionally he is a wreck. ‘I lost my best friend. I lost my brother,’ he told me.”
Brandon’s father, Robert Johnson, remembers when the two signed up for the National Guard.
“Oliver joined and Brandon said, ‘I want to go with you.’ They joined together because they didn’t want to be alone. They even asked the recruiter to make sure they were placed in the same unit.”
He is survived by his mother, Sue Orchard, and father, Bob Brown.
Before he died, Brown asked his mother to send him his childhood baseball mitt so he and Johnson could play catch. He wanted it to be a surprise.
It was sent before she heard the news.
Army Pfc. Oliver J. Brown was killed in action on 9/28/05
Army Pfc. Oliver J. Brown, 19, of Athens, Pa.
Pfc Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, New Milford, Pa.; killed Sept. 28, 2005 when his M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were: Staff Sgt. George A. Pugliese; Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Arnold; Sgt. Eric W. Slebodnik, and Spc. Lee A. Wiegand.
Soldier’s death splits ‘brothers’ apart
Associated Press
From kindergarten on, Oliver J. Brown and Brandon Johnson were more like brothers than friends.
They played Little League together, graduated from the same high school in 2004, biked and hunted together, and enlisted together. They planned to be each other’s best man.
Brown, 19, of Carbondale, Pa., was killed Sept. 28 in Ramadi when his vehicle came under attack. He was assigned to New Milford.
The news stunned Johnson. “Physically he is OK,” said Lisa Johnson, Brandon’s mother. “Emotionally he is a wreck. ‘I lost my best friend. I lost my brother,’ he told me.”
Brandon’s father, Robert Johnson, remembers when the two signed up for the National Guard.
“Oliver joined and Brandon said, ‘I want to go with you.’ They joined together because they didn’t want to be alone. They even asked the recruiter to make sure they were placed in the same unit.”
He is survived by his mother, Sue Orchard, and father, Bob Brown.
Before he died, Brown asked his mother to send him his childhood baseball mitt so he and Johnson could play catch. He wanted it to be a surprise.
It was sent before she heard the news.
Army Pfc. Oliver J. Brown was killed in action on 9/28/05
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Army Sgt. Tane T. Baum
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Tane T. Baum, 30, of Pendleton, Oregon.
Sgt Baum died southwest of Deh Chopan, Afghanistan, when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Pendleton, Oregon.
Two Oregon National Guard soldiers who died this week in Afghanistan both loved aviation but had different ideas about going to war, fellow soldiers and family members said Tuesday.
Both men grew up in the Pendleton area, but Baum was older than Stump, with a wife, Tina, and children, ages 6 and 3. He was less enthusiastic about uprooting himself from Pendleton to take part in the Afghan war, but he didn't hesitate.
"He was doing what he wanted to do, and that was fly helicopters, but he would rather be home than fight in a war," said Roseann Mulkey of Pendleton, his sister-in-law. "He was a brave man. You can't get much braver than flying a helicopter in war."
The two men were assigned to Detachment I, Company D, 113th Aviation Battalion, based in Pendleton.
As flight engineer, Baum was responsible for keeping the passengers safe and for making sure the Chinook's engines were running properly. Walker said Baum always could be counted on to do his job.
"Tane was a lot of fun to be around," added Sgt. John Barnedt of Pendleton, who sometimes hunted pheasants with him a few miles from the National Guard Armory in Pendleton.
Baum was an enthusiastic hunter but sometimes got razzed by other guardsmen because he was so much more skillful with a rifle than a shotgun.
Besides his wife and children, Baum's survivors include his father, Danny Baum of Pendleton, and mother, Brenda Davis of Athena. Stump's survivors include his parents, Jerry and Anne Stump of Pendleton.
Pentagon officials said the crash occurred in a mountainous region while the helicopter was returning to a U.S. base after dropping off troops for an operation near Daychopan in southern Zabul province, about 180 miles southwest of the Afghan capital of Kabul. The Pendleton detachment had mobilized in January for a one-year deployment.
It was still not known Tuesday whether the chopper had taken enemy fire. Three other soldiers also died in the crash.
Most family members of the Pendleton men were in seclusion. Other soldiers in Company D/113th Aviation were taking the deaths hard.
"Soldiers do cry," Cummings said. "It is a small, tightly knit unit. They are very close."
Army Sgt. Tane T. Baum was killed in action on 09/25/05.
Army Sgt. Tane T. Baum, 30, of Pendleton, Oregon.
Sgt Baum died southwest of Deh Chopan, Afghanistan, when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Pendleton, Oregon.
Two Oregon National Guard soldiers who died this week in Afghanistan both loved aviation but had different ideas about going to war, fellow soldiers and family members said Tuesday.
Both men grew up in the Pendleton area, but Baum was older than Stump, with a wife, Tina, and children, ages 6 and 3. He was less enthusiastic about uprooting himself from Pendleton to take part in the Afghan war, but he didn't hesitate.
"He was doing what he wanted to do, and that was fly helicopters, but he would rather be home than fight in a war," said Roseann Mulkey of Pendleton, his sister-in-law. "He was a brave man. You can't get much braver than flying a helicopter in war."
The two men were assigned to Detachment I, Company D, 113th Aviation Battalion, based in Pendleton.
As flight engineer, Baum was responsible for keeping the passengers safe and for making sure the Chinook's engines were running properly. Walker said Baum always could be counted on to do his job.
"Tane was a lot of fun to be around," added Sgt. John Barnedt of Pendleton, who sometimes hunted pheasants with him a few miles from the National Guard Armory in Pendleton.
Baum was an enthusiastic hunter but sometimes got razzed by other guardsmen because he was so much more skillful with a rifle than a shotgun.
Besides his wife and children, Baum's survivors include his father, Danny Baum of Pendleton, and mother, Brenda Davis of Athena. Stump's survivors include his parents, Jerry and Anne Stump of Pendleton.
Pentagon officials said the crash occurred in a mountainous region while the helicopter was returning to a U.S. base after dropping off troops for an operation near Daychopan in southern Zabul province, about 180 miles southwest of the Afghan capital of Kabul. The Pendleton detachment had mobilized in January for a one-year deployment.
It was still not known Tuesday whether the chopper had taken enemy fire. Three other soldiers also died in the crash.
Most family members of the Pendleton men were in seclusion. Other soldiers in Company D/113th Aviation were taking the deaths hard.
"Soldiers do cry," Cummings said. "It is a small, tightly knit unit. They are very close."
Army Sgt. Tane T. Baum was killed in action on 09/25/05.
Army Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump
Remember Our Heroes
Army Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, 22, of Pendleton, Oregon.
Warrent Officer Stump died southwest of Deh Chopan, Afghanistan, when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Pendleton, Oregon.
Two Oregon National Guard soldiers who died this week in Afghanistan both loved aviation but had different ideas about going to war, fellow soldiers and family members said Tuesday.
Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, 22, was co-pilot, and Sgt. Tane T. Baum, 30, was flight engineer on a military CH-47 Chinook helicopter when it crashed Sunday.
Stump was a newly minted graduate of a helicopter flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala. He joined the Oregon Guard while in high school and didn't want to miss going to Afghanistan, said Oregon Guard Maj. Thomas Lingle, himself a veteran of the Afghan war.
"He obviously loved aviation, loved the organization, loved being around these people," Lingle said.
Shortly before learning to fly, Stump served as a helicopter crew member in a dramatic Oct. 6, 2003, rescue of a fallen civilian climber at 13,000 feet in California's rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. He later told guard members that the rescue was one of his proudest moments.
"He was a perfect candidate for flight school," said Staff Sgt. Scott Doran of Pendleton. "Certain people are cut out for flying. He was."
Stump was "just a go-getter," said Chief Warrant Officer Doug Walker, the Chinook instructor-pilot who flew the rescue mission. "There was nothing bad you could say about the kid."
Adrian Stump was 17 when he joined the National Guard.
The summer between his junior and senior years at Pendleton High School, he attended basic training in South Carolina. Stump graduated from PHS in 2002 and went to flight school to fulfill his dream of piloting the Chinook helicopters he first saw in the sky of his hometown.
Upon his graduation from flight school in 2004, he began lobbying to join his comrades from the Pendleton armory in Afghanistan.
His wish was granted and he arrived in Afghanistan in April.
In a relatively short period of time, Stump had logged more than 300 hours of flying time, played a significant role in a harrowing mountain-top rescue and became a seasoned combat pilot.
“(He) brightened our dusty, long days in Kandahar,” Chief Warrant Officer Dave Long of Pendleton said of his fallen comrade at Stump’s funeral.
Stump was "one of the good ones," said his aunt, Maggie Daly of Portland. "He was just a great kid."
Daly and her family gathered Sunday in Pendleton to honor her father -- Adrian Stump's grandfather -- on his 70th birthday. But after hearing about the crash, Daly said Stump's mother called in her regrets, saying she wanted to wait to see whether more information would emerge
As it turned out, the day brought the worst news for the family.
Stump "wanted to fly helicopters since he was 17," Daly said Monday. "He was doing what he wanted to do."
Army Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump was killed in action on 09/25/05.
Army Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, 22, of Pendleton, Oregon.
Warrent Officer Stump died southwest of Deh Chopan, Afghanistan, when his CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 113th Aviation Regiment, Pendleton, Oregon.
Two Oregon National Guard soldiers who died this week in Afghanistan both loved aviation but had different ideas about going to war, fellow soldiers and family members said Tuesday.
Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, 22, was co-pilot, and Sgt. Tane T. Baum, 30, was flight engineer on a military CH-47 Chinook helicopter when it crashed Sunday.
Stump was a newly minted graduate of a helicopter flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala. He joined the Oregon Guard while in high school and didn't want to miss going to Afghanistan, said Oregon Guard Maj. Thomas Lingle, himself a veteran of the Afghan war.
"He obviously loved aviation, loved the organization, loved being around these people," Lingle said.
Shortly before learning to fly, Stump served as a helicopter crew member in a dramatic Oct. 6, 2003, rescue of a fallen civilian climber at 13,000 feet in California's rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. He later told guard members that the rescue was one of his proudest moments.
"He was a perfect candidate for flight school," said Staff Sgt. Scott Doran of Pendleton. "Certain people are cut out for flying. He was."
Stump was "just a go-getter," said Chief Warrant Officer Doug Walker, the Chinook instructor-pilot who flew the rescue mission. "There was nothing bad you could say about the kid."
Adrian Stump was 17 when he joined the National Guard.
The summer between his junior and senior years at Pendleton High School, he attended basic training in South Carolina. Stump graduated from PHS in 2002 and went to flight school to fulfill his dream of piloting the Chinook helicopters he first saw in the sky of his hometown.
Upon his graduation from flight school in 2004, he began lobbying to join his comrades from the Pendleton armory in Afghanistan.
His wish was granted and he arrived in Afghanistan in April.
In a relatively short period of time, Stump had logged more than 300 hours of flying time, played a significant role in a harrowing mountain-top rescue and became a seasoned combat pilot.
“(He) brightened our dusty, long days in Kandahar,” Chief Warrant Officer Dave Long of Pendleton said of his fallen comrade at Stump’s funeral.
Stump was "one of the good ones," said his aunt, Maggie Daly of Portland. "He was just a great kid."
Daly and her family gathered Sunday in Pendleton to honor her father -- Adrian Stump's grandfather -- on his 70th birthday. But after hearing about the crash, Daly said Stump's mother called in her regrets, saying she wanted to wait to see whether more information would emerge
As it turned out, the day brought the worst news for the family.
Stump "wanted to fly helicopters since he was 17," Daly said Monday. "He was doing what he wanted to do."
Army Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump was killed in action on 09/25/05.
Army Sgt. Shawn A. Graham
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Shawn A. Graham, 34, of Red Oak, Texas.
Sgt Graham died in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained earlier that day when the vehicle he was riding in accidentally rolled over. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 124th Cavalry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.
Sgt. Shawn A. Graham, 34, of Red Oak died Sunday in Balad, Iraq, of injuries he received earlier that day in a vehicle rollover in Baghdad, the Defense Department said Tuesday. He was with the Army National Guard out of Fort Worth.
"He loved his job, he loved the military," said his mother, Kathleen Graham of Grove City, Penn. "He was dedicated. He was good at his job. He thought we should be there, and we were doing the right thing, and they liked us there."
Sgt. Graham was born in Orange, Calif., and lived briefly in Hawaii, before growing up in Grove City, where he graduated from high school.
In 1988, he and his father, Thomas L. Graham, a veteran of the Marines, joined the Pennsylvania National Guard.
In 1990, Shawn Graham went into active duty with the Marine Corps and served for 10 years, his mother said.
Sgt. Graham then moved to Texas to work for MCI in Dallas, his mother said.
The Marines called Sgt. Graham back to active duty for a year in 2002. He then joined the Texas National Guard and was activated in August 2004. He was deployed to Iraq in January.
His father returned from active duty with the Pennsylvania National Guard in Afghanistan eight weeks ago, Mrs. Graham said. Sgt. Graham's brother, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Graham, also served in Iraq this past year, their mother said. Nicholas Graham is now stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
In addition to his parents and brother, Sgt. Graham is survived by his wife, Jeannette Graham of Brazoria, Texas; and a sister, Sheila Berry of Grove City.
Army Sgt. Shawn A. Graham was killed in action on 09/25/05.
Army Sgt. Shawn A. Graham, 34, of Red Oak, Texas.
Sgt Graham died in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained earlier that day when the vehicle he was riding in accidentally rolled over. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 124th Cavalry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.
Sgt. Shawn A. Graham, 34, of Red Oak died Sunday in Balad, Iraq, of injuries he received earlier that day in a vehicle rollover in Baghdad, the Defense Department said Tuesday. He was with the Army National Guard out of Fort Worth.
"He loved his job, he loved the military," said his mother, Kathleen Graham of Grove City, Penn. "He was dedicated. He was good at his job. He thought we should be there, and we were doing the right thing, and they liked us there."
Sgt. Graham was born in Orange, Calif., and lived briefly in Hawaii, before growing up in Grove City, where he graduated from high school.
In 1988, he and his father, Thomas L. Graham, a veteran of the Marines, joined the Pennsylvania National Guard.
In 1990, Shawn Graham went into active duty with the Marine Corps and served for 10 years, his mother said.
Sgt. Graham then moved to Texas to work for MCI in Dallas, his mother said.
The Marines called Sgt. Graham back to active duty for a year in 2002. He then joined the Texas National Guard and was activated in August 2004. He was deployed to Iraq in January.
His father returned from active duty with the Pennsylvania National Guard in Afghanistan eight weeks ago, Mrs. Graham said. Sgt. Graham's brother, Marine Sgt. Nicholas Graham, also served in Iraq this past year, their mother said. Nicholas Graham is now stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
In addition to his parents and brother, Sgt. Graham is survived by his wife, Jeannette Graham of Brazoria, Texas; and a sister, Sheila Berry of Grove City.
Army Sgt. Shawn A. Graham was killed in action on 09/25/05.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Marine 2nd Lt. Ryan Leduc
Remember Our Heroes
Marine 2nd Lt. Ryan Leduc, 28, of Pana, Illinois.
Lt Leduc died as result of a non-combat vehicle accident in Rutbah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Associated Press
PANA, Ill. — A 28-year-old Marine was killed as a result of a non-combat vehicle accident in Rutbah, Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Sept. 25.
Second Lt. Ryan Leduc of Pana was killed Sept. 24 when the Humvee he was riding in crashed, throwing him out and landing on top of him, according to his father, David Leduc.
Ryan Leduc, a graduate of Pana High School and Southern Illinois University, was assigned to the Second Battalion, 10th Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Leduc graduated from Southern Illinois in May 2002 with a degree in aircraft engineering with the intent of pursuing a career in commercial aircraft maintenance, according to his father. However, his goal was stymied by the downturn in the airline industry.
He joined the Marines in January 2003.
David Leduc said his son, who he described as easygoing and always smiling, was not motivated by the Sept. 11 terror attacks to join the Marines, adding it was just an opportunity that presented itself.
“When he became a Marine, he knew that it was what he was looking for,” Leduc said. “He loved his job. He believed in the mission and he knew the risks, and still felt it was the right thing to do.”
Leduc said his son was engaged to be married to a woman he met at Southern Illinois.
In addition to his father, Leduc is survived by his mother, Nola Hector, brothers Dennis Radcliff, Kyle Hector, Matthew Leduc, and sisters Katie Hector and Hannah Leduc.
Marine 2nd Lt. Ryan Leduc was killed in action on 09/24/05.
Marine 2nd Lt. Ryan Leduc, 28, of Pana, Illinois.
Lt Leduc died as result of a non-combat vehicle accident in Rutbah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Associated Press
PANA, Ill. — A 28-year-old Marine was killed as a result of a non-combat vehicle accident in Rutbah, Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Sept. 25.
Second Lt. Ryan Leduc of Pana was killed Sept. 24 when the Humvee he was riding in crashed, throwing him out and landing on top of him, according to his father, David Leduc.
Ryan Leduc, a graduate of Pana High School and Southern Illinois University, was assigned to the Second Battalion, 10th Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Leduc graduated from Southern Illinois in May 2002 with a degree in aircraft engineering with the intent of pursuing a career in commercial aircraft maintenance, according to his father. However, his goal was stymied by the downturn in the airline industry.
He joined the Marines in January 2003.
David Leduc said his son, who he described as easygoing and always smiling, was not motivated by the Sept. 11 terror attacks to join the Marines, adding it was just an opportunity that presented itself.
“When he became a Marine, he knew that it was what he was looking for,” Leduc said. “He loved his job. He believed in the mission and he knew the risks, and still felt it was the right thing to do.”
Leduc said his son was engaged to be married to a woman he met at Southern Illinois.
In addition to his father, Leduc is survived by his mother, Nola Hector, brothers Dennis Radcliff, Kyle Hector, Matthew Leduc, and sisters Katie Hector and Hannah Leduc.
Marine 2nd Lt. Ryan Leduc was killed in action on 09/24/05.
Army Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Scheile
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Scheile, 37, of Antioch, California.
Sgt Scheile died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 23, 2005 when he was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire and an improvised explosive device detonated near his M113 armored personnel carrier. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Oakdale, California.
Sgt. Daniel Scheile, 37, died Saturday from injuries he received late Friday while patrolling in southeastern Baghdad, according to military reports. Scheile was with the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Kelli, 9 and Marissa, 4.
Scheile, an active-duty guardsmen for 17 years, worked as a concrete mason in Antioch before shipping off to Iraq in August 2004.
"He was a really good family man. He would do anything for anybody," said Scheile's father, Ronald Scheile, who worked as a mason with his son. Scheile's mother lives in Stockton.
He said his son also fought in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War.
"I didn't agree on this (the Iraq war), but I was proud of him for what he'd done," Ronald Scheile said.
During his stint in Iraq, Scheile reported a number close calls with roadside bombs before Friday's incident, including one about a month ago that left shrapnel in his face. Yet, he never talked about being afraid, he was just doing his job, his duty, Ronald Scheile said.
"He had a Purple Heart," he said. "I couldn't understand why they didn't send him home."
He said Scheile was scheduled to come home in October for both his daughters' birthdays, but during their last conversation a month ago, Scheile told him the Army had pushed back his visit to November.
His sister-in-law, Annie Carroll, said the Antioch native had two passions -- his wife, Jennifer, and the military.
"She talked to him every day through email when he could," Carroll said.
Carroll said Jennifer, her sister, would regularly send Scheile copious bags of candy, which he would hand out to Iraqi children.
"He believed strongly in what he was fighting for," Carroll said. "He was there for peace and believed in rebuilding Iraq."
Scheile had another passion -- fishing, which he shared with his father-in-law, John Beason.
In April, Beason, a member of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers in Mountain Home, Ark., raised money to donate fishing equipment to his son-in-law's unit. Scheile, an angling enthusiast, planned to organize a fishing derby when the gear arrived.
But ever mindful of the dangers of a job that shrouded even the most innocuous pastime, Scheile reminded his father-in-law in an email, "that fishing is a bit less relaxing in the middle of a war."
Scheile got to use the fishing gear once, Carroll said.
Army Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Scheile was killed in action on 09/24/05.
Army Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Scheile, 37, of Antioch, California.
Sgt Scheile died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 23, 2005 when he was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire and an improvised explosive device detonated near his M113 armored personnel carrier. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Oakdale, California.
Sgt. Daniel Scheile, 37, died Saturday from injuries he received late Friday while patrolling in southeastern Baghdad, according to military reports. Scheile was with the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Kelli, 9 and Marissa, 4.
Scheile, an active-duty guardsmen for 17 years, worked as a concrete mason in Antioch before shipping off to Iraq in August 2004.
"He was a really good family man. He would do anything for anybody," said Scheile's father, Ronald Scheile, who worked as a mason with his son. Scheile's mother lives in Stockton.
He said his son also fought in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War.
"I didn't agree on this (the Iraq war), but I was proud of him for what he'd done," Ronald Scheile said.
During his stint in Iraq, Scheile reported a number close calls with roadside bombs before Friday's incident, including one about a month ago that left shrapnel in his face. Yet, he never talked about being afraid, he was just doing his job, his duty, Ronald Scheile said.
"He had a Purple Heart," he said. "I couldn't understand why they didn't send him home."
He said Scheile was scheduled to come home in October for both his daughters' birthdays, but during their last conversation a month ago, Scheile told him the Army had pushed back his visit to November.
His sister-in-law, Annie Carroll, said the Antioch native had two passions -- his wife, Jennifer, and the military.
"She talked to him every day through email when he could," Carroll said.
Carroll said Jennifer, her sister, would regularly send Scheile copious bags of candy, which he would hand out to Iraqi children.
"He believed strongly in what he was fighting for," Carroll said. "He was there for peace and believed in rebuilding Iraq."
Scheile had another passion -- fishing, which he shared with his father-in-law, John Beason.
In April, Beason, a member of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers in Mountain Home, Ark., raised money to donate fishing equipment to his son-in-law's unit. Scheile, an angling enthusiast, planned to organize a fishing derby when the gear arrived.
But ever mindful of the dangers of a job that shrouded even the most innocuous pastime, Scheile reminded his father-in-law in an email, "that fishing is a bit less relaxing in the middle of a war."
Scheile got to use the fishing gear once, Carroll said.
Army Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Scheile was killed in action on 09/24/05.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Army Sgt. Andrew J. Derrick
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Andrew J. Derrick, 25, of Columbia, South Carolina.
Sgt Derrick died near Baghdad, Iraq when his dismounted team came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
In his last call home, Andrew J. Derrick said he was hungry for a steak and wanted to go to the South Carolina-Vanderbilt football game.
“He was very tired,” said his stepfather, Carey Shealy. “It was 2 a.m. his time when he called, and he had had just four hours of sleep. He had been working 20-hour days. He said he couldn’t wait to get home to see us.”
Derrick, 25, of Columbia, S.C., was killed Sept. 23 by small-arms fire near Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood and had previously served in Bosnia and South Korea.
“He was just the sweetest,” said his aunt, Barbara Rainey.
“It was always, what can I do for you?”
He was a graduate of Marion Military Institute, lettering in varsity football, baseball and basketball. He was named the class of 1998’s “Best All Round Athlete” and was named to Alabama’s All
Star Baseball Team in 1998. He later attended Francis Marion University.
Derrick had proposed to Sgt. Shaunna Miller, whom he met in an Army infirmary after injuring his leg playing softball in Korea.
He also is survived by his mother, Suzanne Shealy, father, Butch Derrick and stepmother, Deborah Derrick.
Army Sgt. Andrew J. Derrick was killed in action on 09/23/05.
Army Sgt. Andrew J. Derrick, 25, of Columbia, South Carolina.
Sgt Derrick died near Baghdad, Iraq when his dismounted team came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
In his last call home, Andrew J. Derrick said he was hungry for a steak and wanted to go to the South Carolina-Vanderbilt football game.
“He was very tired,” said his stepfather, Carey Shealy. “It was 2 a.m. his time when he called, and he had had just four hours of sleep. He had been working 20-hour days. He said he couldn’t wait to get home to see us.”
Derrick, 25, of Columbia, S.C., was killed Sept. 23 by small-arms fire near Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood and had previously served in Bosnia and South Korea.
“He was just the sweetest,” said his aunt, Barbara Rainey.
“It was always, what can I do for you?”
He was a graduate of Marion Military Institute, lettering in varsity football, baseball and basketball. He was named the class of 1998’s “Best All Round Athlete” and was named to Alabama’s All
Star Baseball Team in 1998. He later attended Francis Marion University.
Derrick had proposed to Sgt. Shaunna Miller, whom he met in an Army infirmary after injuring his leg playing softball in Korea.
He also is survived by his mother, Suzanne Shealy, father, Butch Derrick and stepmother, Deborah Derrick.
Army Sgt. Andrew J. Derrick was killed in action on 09/23/05.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Army Sgt. Travis M. Arndt
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Travis M. Arndt, 23, of Bozeman, Montana.
Sgt Arndt died in Kirkuk, Iraq, as a result of a vehicle accident during convoy operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 163rd Cavalry Troop, 116th Brigade Combat Team, 42nd Infantry Division, Missoula, Montana.
Spec. Travis Arndt, a 23-year-old with an easy smile and a contagious laugh, died Wednesday in Iraq, his family said Friday.
"He was a giving person, and he loved to help his friends," his father, Mark Arndt, said Friday. "And I'm sure he was that way in Iraq, too."
A 2001 graduate of Great Falls High School, Arndt was a member of the 163rd Infantry Battalion, part of about 700 Montanans deployed in the last year as part of the 116th Brigade Combat Team headquartered in Idaho.
The Defense Department, late Friday, said that Arndt died "as a result of a vehicle accident during convoy operations."
"He was working as a gunner on the day that he passed," said his stepbrother, Steve Salazar of Great Falls.
"They were in a convoy," said Salazar. "He was sitting in the netting on top of a Hummer, and he got trapped in the netting when the vehicle rolled."
The cause of the rollover near Kirkuk is under investigation, he said.
Arndt had planned to come home on leave the second weekend in October to surprise his girlfriend, Lindsay Logan, on her birthday Oct. 10.
"I honestly believe he planned to ask her to marry him," said Salazar.
The couple went to high school together in Great Falls and had been dating for about three years, said Logan, who is attending college in Bozeman.
"The last time I talked with him, he said that he wanted to come home and go to school and look into becoming a police officer," Logan said through her tears.
His stepmother, Rita Neill of Great Falls, who was married to Arndt's dad until five years ago, said Arndt "was a beautiful, beautiful child."
"He could light up a room with his smile," she said.
Neill said Arndt wanted to join the police force because he was so concerned about the spread of drugs through Great Falls.
"Before that, he wanted to be a teacher because he loved kids so much," Neill said.
Military personnel visited Arndt's mother on Thursday in Vancouver, Wash., and his father in Sun Prairie on Friday.
Great Falls High football coach Gregg Dart announced Arndt's death at a homecoming pep rally Friday morning.
Arndt played football at Great Falls High and was one of the school's top weightlifters.
He was a linebacker on the junior varsity football team at Great Falls High in 1999, his junior year. He was named scout player of the year at the season-ending awards banquet.
Entering his senior season, Arndt was battling for a varsity spot at outside linebacker. He injured a knee during practice for the Bison's second game, however, and didn't see a lot of action thereafter.
"He was a great kid, really a hard worker," Dart said Friday.
"He was always there, encouraging his teammates and putting the well-being of his team ahead of his own," said Dart.
In early May 2001, in the second annual Bison Lifting Contest, Arndt placed second in both parallel squat and power clean of the senior male division.
Arndt also did some boxing, participating in several bouts at the Northwest Center.
He was among 89 GFH students who received a Heisey Award in April 2001.
Arndt could be very competitive about sports, said his best friend, J.R.. Price, now a supply chain analyst for the Goodrich Corp in Jamestown, N.D.
"Travis loved to lift weights, so we went down to Universal Gym a lot together," he said.
"He was a funny, laid-back guy, but you could always tell when he wanted to be serious," said Price.
He remembers long, hot afternoons diving off the rocks on the Missouri River near the Fly Fisher's Inn.
His father remembers that Arndt loved to drive in the mountains in his Jeep.
"Travis had a contagious laugh," Arndt said. "He could change the mood in a room from somber to joyous."
Arndt, who is a student at MSU-College of Technology in Great Falls, said he and his son had talked about taking classes together down the road.
"He really loved all this state had to offer," Arndt said.
Logan remembers hiking and snowshoeing with Arndt in the Rocky Mountain Front west of Augusta.
"He was a really good kid," said Tina Price, finance officer at Great Falls High and J.R.'s mother.
"He was a happy-go-lucky, smiling-all-the-time kid, a really fun guy to be around," she said.
"He looked a little mischievous at times," she added. "And he always had a joke for everyone."
J.R. Price persuaded Arndt to come out to North Dakota and enroll with him at Jamestown College, where Arndt played football for the Jamestown Jimmies.
But he came back to Montana after a semester, in part because he was too far from his girlfriend, Price said.
"Travis wanted to go to school really bad, but he couldn't afford it," said Price. "He said joining the military was an excellent way to help pay for his college education."
His father said that Arndt was born in Tacoma, Wash., and lived with his mother until coming to Great Falls in 1995 to live with his father and attend Paris Gibson Middle School.
In addition to Salazar, Neill and his parents, Arndt has an older sister in Missoula and a younger half-sister in Sun Prairie, as well as a half-brother and half-sister in Washington.
Army Sgt. Travis M. Arndt was killed in action on 09/21/05.
Army Sgt. Travis M. Arndt, 23, of Bozeman, Montana.
Sgt Arndt died in Kirkuk, Iraq, as a result of a vehicle accident during convoy operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 163rd Cavalry Troop, 116th Brigade Combat Team, 42nd Infantry Division, Missoula, Montana.
Spec. Travis Arndt, a 23-year-old with an easy smile and a contagious laugh, died Wednesday in Iraq, his family said Friday.
"He was a giving person, and he loved to help his friends," his father, Mark Arndt, said Friday. "And I'm sure he was that way in Iraq, too."
A 2001 graduate of Great Falls High School, Arndt was a member of the 163rd Infantry Battalion, part of about 700 Montanans deployed in the last year as part of the 116th Brigade Combat Team headquartered in Idaho.
The Defense Department, late Friday, said that Arndt died "as a result of a vehicle accident during convoy operations."
"He was working as a gunner on the day that he passed," said his stepbrother, Steve Salazar of Great Falls.
"They were in a convoy," said Salazar. "He was sitting in the netting on top of a Hummer, and he got trapped in the netting when the vehicle rolled."
The cause of the rollover near Kirkuk is under investigation, he said.
Arndt had planned to come home on leave the second weekend in October to surprise his girlfriend, Lindsay Logan, on her birthday Oct. 10.
"I honestly believe he planned to ask her to marry him," said Salazar.
The couple went to high school together in Great Falls and had been dating for about three years, said Logan, who is attending college in Bozeman.
"The last time I talked with him, he said that he wanted to come home and go to school and look into becoming a police officer," Logan said through her tears.
His stepmother, Rita Neill of Great Falls, who was married to Arndt's dad until five years ago, said Arndt "was a beautiful, beautiful child."
"He could light up a room with his smile," she said.
Neill said Arndt wanted to join the police force because he was so concerned about the spread of drugs through Great Falls.
"Before that, he wanted to be a teacher because he loved kids so much," Neill said.
Military personnel visited Arndt's mother on Thursday in Vancouver, Wash., and his father in Sun Prairie on Friday.
Great Falls High football coach Gregg Dart announced Arndt's death at a homecoming pep rally Friday morning.
Arndt played football at Great Falls High and was one of the school's top weightlifters.
He was a linebacker on the junior varsity football team at Great Falls High in 1999, his junior year. He was named scout player of the year at the season-ending awards banquet.
Entering his senior season, Arndt was battling for a varsity spot at outside linebacker. He injured a knee during practice for the Bison's second game, however, and didn't see a lot of action thereafter.
"He was a great kid, really a hard worker," Dart said Friday.
"He was always there, encouraging his teammates and putting the well-being of his team ahead of his own," said Dart.
In early May 2001, in the second annual Bison Lifting Contest, Arndt placed second in both parallel squat and power clean of the senior male division.
Arndt also did some boxing, participating in several bouts at the Northwest Center.
He was among 89 GFH students who received a Heisey Award in April 2001.
Arndt could be very competitive about sports, said his best friend, J.R.. Price, now a supply chain analyst for the Goodrich Corp in Jamestown, N.D.
"Travis loved to lift weights, so we went down to Universal Gym a lot together," he said.
"He was a funny, laid-back guy, but you could always tell when he wanted to be serious," said Price.
He remembers long, hot afternoons diving off the rocks on the Missouri River near the Fly Fisher's Inn.
His father remembers that Arndt loved to drive in the mountains in his Jeep.
"Travis had a contagious laugh," Arndt said. "He could change the mood in a room from somber to joyous."
Arndt, who is a student at MSU-College of Technology in Great Falls, said he and his son had talked about taking classes together down the road.
"He really loved all this state had to offer," Arndt said.
Logan remembers hiking and snowshoeing with Arndt in the Rocky Mountain Front west of Augusta.
"He was a really good kid," said Tina Price, finance officer at Great Falls High and J.R.'s mother.
"He was a happy-go-lucky, smiling-all-the-time kid, a really fun guy to be around," she said.
"He looked a little mischievous at times," she added. "And he always had a joke for everyone."
J.R. Price persuaded Arndt to come out to North Dakota and enroll with him at Jamestown College, where Arndt played football for the Jamestown Jimmies.
But he came back to Montana after a semester, in part because he was too far from his girlfriend, Price said.
"Travis wanted to go to school really bad, but he couldn't afford it," said Price. "He said joining the military was an excellent way to help pay for his college education."
His father said that Arndt was born in Tacoma, Wash., and lived with his mother until coming to Great Falls in 1995 to live with his father and attend Paris Gibson Middle School.
In addition to Salazar, Neill and his parents, Arndt has an older sister in Missoula and a younger half-sister in Sun Prairie, as well as a half-brother and half-sister in Washington.
Army Sgt. Travis M. Arndt was killed in action on 09/21/05.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Army Specialist David H. Ford IV
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist David H. Ford IV, 20, of Ironton, Ohio.
Spc Ford died in Baghdad, Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A1 Abrams tank during patrol operations. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Associated Press
IRONTON, Ohio — An Ohio soldier who was saving money to study forensic pathology was buried in his hometown Wednesday after he was killed in Iraq.
Ford graduated from Ironton High School in 2003.
Friends recalled Army Spec. David Ford, 20, as a proud soldier who always smiled and treated his friends like family. He was killed Sept. 16, six days after his birthday, when a bomb detonated near his tank.
At his funeral, Brig. Gen. John C. Bartley read a statement from Ford’s commander in Iraq.
“When I saw him, I thought to myself, ‘My goodness, this soldier looks so young,’ but as time went by I saw him mature from a boy into a man,” Bartley said, reading from the letter. “Watching him grow amazed me. As first gunner I could see he was nervous, but before I knew it, he was standing before me grinning from ear to ear.”
Ford, whose father was in the military and whose brother also serves in the Army, was proud to be a soldier, relatives said.
“He paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country,” friend John Dawson, a former Marine, said at visitation Tuesday. “I’m here out of respect for him, to honor him.”
Family and friends gathered at a small cemetery after the funeral Wednesday. Bartley dropped to one knee and presented the flag from Ford’s casket to his mother, Violet.
The Rev. Roger Pierce, who had been Ford’s pastor for about 14 years, said Ford had a smile for everyone.
“He was just a good boy and a quiet kid, never had a whole lot to say, you had to pump him to get conversation out of him. I’ll remember him as that grinning little boy,” Pierce said.
Army Specialist David H. Ford IV was killed in action on 09/16/05.
Army Specialist David H. Ford IV, 20, of Ironton, Ohio.
Spc Ford died in Baghdad, Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A1 Abrams tank during patrol operations. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Associated Press
IRONTON, Ohio — An Ohio soldier who was saving money to study forensic pathology was buried in his hometown Wednesday after he was killed in Iraq.
Ford graduated from Ironton High School in 2003.
Friends recalled Army Spec. David Ford, 20, as a proud soldier who always smiled and treated his friends like family. He was killed Sept. 16, six days after his birthday, when a bomb detonated near his tank.
At his funeral, Brig. Gen. John C. Bartley read a statement from Ford’s commander in Iraq.
“When I saw him, I thought to myself, ‘My goodness, this soldier looks so young,’ but as time went by I saw him mature from a boy into a man,” Bartley said, reading from the letter. “Watching him grow amazed me. As first gunner I could see he was nervous, but before I knew it, he was standing before me grinning from ear to ear.”
Ford, whose father was in the military and whose brother also serves in the Army, was proud to be a soldier, relatives said.
“He paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country,” friend John Dawson, a former Marine, said at visitation Tuesday. “I’m here out of respect for him, to honor him.”
Family and friends gathered at a small cemetery after the funeral Wednesday. Bartley dropped to one knee and presented the flag from Ford’s casket to his mother, Violet.
The Rev. Roger Pierce, who had been Ford’s pastor for about 14 years, said Ford had a smile for everyone.
“He was just a good boy and a quiet kid, never had a whole lot to say, you had to pump him to get conversation out of him. I’ll remember him as that grinning little boy,” Pierce said.
Army Specialist David H. Ford IV was killed in action on 09/16/05.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Army Spc. Jeremy M. Campbell
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jeremy M. Campbell, 21, of Middlebury, Pa.
Spc Campbell was assigned to the 108th Military Police Company, 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne), 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), killed Sept. 11, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations in Baghdad, Iraq.
Slain soldier had dreams of being a state trooper
It’s no wonder Jeremy M. Campbell got A’s in English and journalism. He basically single-handedly put out the high school paper.
“He did just about all the work himself,” said teacher Liz Hoover. “He used to work on the paper during study halls whenever he had time. He just did everything for that newspaper.”
Campbell, 21, of Middlebury, Pa., was killed Sept. 11 by a bomb blast in Baghdad. He graduated high school in 2002 and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
“He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but he got things done,” said Principal Patrick Hewitt.
After his parents died, Campbell was taken in by his step grandfather, Aaron Wilbur, who taught the boy to fish, shoot and hunt, and called in his first wild turkey.
“He called me from Iraq, and he wanted to know if I was still going to go wild boar hunting with him in North Carolina when he got back,” Wilbur said.
Campbell, who worked at the Laurel Lanes bowling alley for two years, had dreams.
“He wanted to be a state trooper and own the bowling lanes. He was very goal-oriented,” said owner Mike Goodwin.
He also is survived by his wife, Maddison.
Army Spc. Jeremy M. Campbell was killed in action on 9/11/05
Army Spc. Jeremy M. Campbell, 21, of Middlebury, Pa.
Spc Campbell was assigned to the 108th Military Police Company, 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne), 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), killed Sept. 11, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations in Baghdad, Iraq.
Slain soldier had dreams of being a state trooper
It’s no wonder Jeremy M. Campbell got A’s in English and journalism. He basically single-handedly put out the high school paper.
“He did just about all the work himself,” said teacher Liz Hoover. “He used to work on the paper during study halls whenever he had time. He just did everything for that newspaper.”
Campbell, 21, of Middlebury, Pa., was killed Sept. 11 by a bomb blast in Baghdad. He graduated high school in 2002 and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
“He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but he got things done,” said Principal Patrick Hewitt.
After his parents died, Campbell was taken in by his step grandfather, Aaron Wilbur, who taught the boy to fish, shoot and hunt, and called in his first wild turkey.
“He called me from Iraq, and he wanted to know if I was still going to go wild boar hunting with him in North Carolina when he got back,” Wilbur said.
Campbell, who worked at the Laurel Lanes bowling alley for two years, had dreams.
“He wanted to be a state trooper and own the bowling lanes. He was very goal-oriented,” said owner Mike Goodwin.
He also is survived by his wife, Maddison.
Army Spc. Jeremy M. Campbell was killed in action on 9/11/05
Saturday, September 10, 2005
U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman
Remember Our Heroes
U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman, 39, of Somerset, Pennsylvania.
To those who knew him as a young fireman in Collier, the circumstances behind Dale Hardiman's death were indicative of the kind of man he was.
What might have made it all the more tragic, however, was the timing of what happened Sept. 10 near his home in Friedens, Somerset County: The National Guardsman was back on a short leave from Iraq when he was electrocuted while trying to help a stranded motorist who had hit a utility pole.
"He died doing what he loved the most, helping people," said Doreen Ducsay, of Collier, who had served with Mr. Hardiman at the Rennerdale Volunteer Fire Department. The 1985 Chartiers Valley High School graduate joined Rennerdale as a teenager to get experience with ambulance calls.
Rennerdale Assistant Chief John Kripp, who was the department's chief then, echoed Ducsay's sentiment, saying, "He always had a care for his fellow man."
Mr. Hardiman also was a volunteer with Collier's Presto Volunteer Fire Department, which conducts rescue and fire missions.
Those here who knew Mr. Hardiman remembered him as a practical joker and a clown with a heart of gold.
"He tried to make people laugh no matter how bad the situation," Ducsay recalled.
Mr. Hardiman, 39, was due to return to Iraq on Sept. 13, where he had 45 days remaining in his tour of duty. He was a sergeant with the 876th Engineer Battalion of Johnstown and the 103rd Company C in Philadelphia.
He was employed as a corrections officer at the Camp Hill Corrections Institution but had been in Iraq since December.
Funeral services took place Sept. 14 at the Robert H. Halverson Funeral Home in Somerset. Interment was in Somerset County Memorial Park.
Mr. Hardiman is survived by his wife, Christine, parents Ralph and Virginia Hardiman, brothers Ralph and Shawn Hardiman and sister Pamela Lindberg.
U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman was killed on 09/10/05.
U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman, 39, of Somerset, Pennsylvania.
To those who knew him as a young fireman in Collier, the circumstances behind Dale Hardiman's death were indicative of the kind of man he was.
What might have made it all the more tragic, however, was the timing of what happened Sept. 10 near his home in Friedens, Somerset County: The National Guardsman was back on a short leave from Iraq when he was electrocuted while trying to help a stranded motorist who had hit a utility pole.
"He died doing what he loved the most, helping people," said Doreen Ducsay, of Collier, who had served with Mr. Hardiman at the Rennerdale Volunteer Fire Department. The 1985 Chartiers Valley High School graduate joined Rennerdale as a teenager to get experience with ambulance calls.
Rennerdale Assistant Chief John Kripp, who was the department's chief then, echoed Ducsay's sentiment, saying, "He always had a care for his fellow man."
Mr. Hardiman also was a volunteer with Collier's Presto Volunteer Fire Department, which conducts rescue and fire missions.
Those here who knew Mr. Hardiman remembered him as a practical joker and a clown with a heart of gold.
"He tried to make people laugh no matter how bad the situation," Ducsay recalled.
Mr. Hardiman, 39, was due to return to Iraq on Sept. 13, where he had 45 days remaining in his tour of duty. He was a sergeant with the 876th Engineer Battalion of Johnstown and the 103rd Company C in Philadelphia.
He was employed as a corrections officer at the Camp Hill Corrections Institution but had been in Iraq since December.
Funeral services took place Sept. 14 at the Robert H. Halverson Funeral Home in Somerset. Interment was in Somerset County Memorial Park.
Mr. Hardiman is survived by his wife, Christine, parents Ralph and Virginia Hardiman, brothers Ralph and Shawn Hardiman and sister Pamela Lindberg.
U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman was killed on 09/10/05.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Army Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, of Warrenville, Ill.
Spc. Williams was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo., killed Sept. 5, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his combat patrol in Tal Afar, Iraq.
Music helps soothe soldier's soul
Tunette M. Callis
Express-News
Army Staff Sgt. Adrian Taylor remembers the Regimental Interment Facility at Tal Afar, Iraq, on that terrible day two years ago.
The air was almost unbearable with the stench of sweat and burnt flesh. The temperature soared to 130 degrees. Dirty and nearly delirious from the heat, he looked for a place to get a drink of water.
As he walked into the camp's headquarters, he heard several radios blasting the same information. It took a second for him to piece the static together, and for his day to get much worse: "Hey, one of your Regional Support Squadron medics just got killed."
That medic was Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, of Warrenville, Ill., who was killed when a roadside bomb exploded while he was riding in the back of an armored tank Sept. 5, 2005.
Losing his best friend — whom he called Will — was the worst day of his life, said Taylor, 28, who now is stationed at Fort Sam Houston.
Though Taylor had known Williams for only a year — they served together from Fort Carson, Colo., to Iraq — the two drew an instant connection.
"We were as close as two friends can get," Taylor said.
Since then, Taylor has coped with Williams' death the only way he knows how: music.
A longtime fan of rap, Taylor and two high school buddies formed the local rap group 1223 (pronounced twelve-twenty-three). Now, through his music, his friend never is far from his thoughts.
"I didn't know how to cope with it because I don't like talking about my issues," Taylor said. "Rapping has become my form of counseling."
The rap group members will be special guests at 6 p.m. today at Brooke Army Medical Center at the annual convention of Soldiers' Angels — an all-volunteer organization that provides care packages to American troops. They'll entertain wounded soldiers and hand out CDs.
"It's amazing what music can do," said Tina Saari, grief counselor and regional coordinator for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors at Fort Hood. "We use a lot of music therapy to cope with different situations such as song writing."
Taylor, a single father of four, steps into a sound booth and transforms into his rapping alter ego, Mr. Sylk. Beside him is his rapping partner, John "John-John" Kirk, 28, a real estate agent at USAA.
Released in the spring, their first CD is titled "Full Circle." The duo hope it appeals to the average rap/hip-hop fan, and broadens rap's horizons with songs without drugs, sex and violence.
Instead, messages about war and politics run deep throughout the CD.
In the song "Drive On," the two rap about a soldier's duty.
"Freedom has a price, but not enough glory. Imma make sure the whole world knows your story.
Got so much respect for new enlisted troops, done lost a few at war and still you filling in the boots.
Our job ain't to decide if the president's right or wrong. Your battle buddy in the prone, your job's to bring 'em home and drive on."
Now the group is teaming up with Williams' mother, Sandra Williams Smith, to start a combat medic scholarship fund to honor Williams. Three dollars from each $8.99 CD sold will be donated toward the fund.
"These are great guys," said Smith, who now lives in Mansfield and has been promoting 1223's CD through the Dallas area. "I cried when I heard their CD. They have a message on every song."
She's taken their CDs to radio stations in her area. Several of their songs already have received airtime in Dallas and at local radio station 98.5 FM.
"This wasn't for marketing purposes," Kirk said. "We wanted to do the right thing and honor the soldiers."
For now, the music continues its healing power.
The last writing session, a meeting where the duo write and rehearse songs, started out as it always does. Kirk paces around the house listening to the heavy beat of a song they're developing. He waits for the music to talk to him.
Eventually, he plops down on the sofa near Taylor, and Taylor wipes the tears from his face.
Army Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams was killed in action on 9/5/05.
Army Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, of Warrenville, Ill.
Spc. Williams was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo., killed Sept. 5, 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his combat patrol in Tal Afar, Iraq.
Music helps soothe soldier's soul
Tunette M. Callis
Express-News
Army Staff Sgt. Adrian Taylor remembers the Regimental Interment Facility at Tal Afar, Iraq, on that terrible day two years ago.
The air was almost unbearable with the stench of sweat and burnt flesh. The temperature soared to 130 degrees. Dirty and nearly delirious from the heat, he looked for a place to get a drink of water.
As he walked into the camp's headquarters, he heard several radios blasting the same information. It took a second for him to piece the static together, and for his day to get much worse: "Hey, one of your Regional Support Squadron medics just got killed."
That medic was Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, of Warrenville, Ill., who was killed when a roadside bomb exploded while he was riding in the back of an armored tank Sept. 5, 2005.
Losing his best friend — whom he called Will — was the worst day of his life, said Taylor, 28, who now is stationed at Fort Sam Houston.
Though Taylor had known Williams for only a year — they served together from Fort Carson, Colo., to Iraq — the two drew an instant connection.
"We were as close as two friends can get," Taylor said.
Since then, Taylor has coped with Williams' death the only way he knows how: music.
A longtime fan of rap, Taylor and two high school buddies formed the local rap group 1223 (pronounced twelve-twenty-three). Now, through his music, his friend never is far from his thoughts.
"I didn't know how to cope with it because I don't like talking about my issues," Taylor said. "Rapping has become my form of counseling."
The rap group members will be special guests at 6 p.m. today at Brooke Army Medical Center at the annual convention of Soldiers' Angels — an all-volunteer organization that provides care packages to American troops. They'll entertain wounded soldiers and hand out CDs.
"It's amazing what music can do," said Tina Saari, grief counselor and regional coordinator for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors at Fort Hood. "We use a lot of music therapy to cope with different situations such as song writing."
Taylor, a single father of four, steps into a sound booth and transforms into his rapping alter ego, Mr. Sylk. Beside him is his rapping partner, John "John-John" Kirk, 28, a real estate agent at USAA.
Released in the spring, their first CD is titled "Full Circle." The duo hope it appeals to the average rap/hip-hop fan, and broadens rap's horizons with songs without drugs, sex and violence.
Instead, messages about war and politics run deep throughout the CD.
In the song "Drive On," the two rap about a soldier's duty.
"Freedom has a price, but not enough glory. Imma make sure the whole world knows your story.
Got so much respect for new enlisted troops, done lost a few at war and still you filling in the boots.
Our job ain't to decide if the president's right or wrong. Your battle buddy in the prone, your job's to bring 'em home and drive on."
Now the group is teaming up with Williams' mother, Sandra Williams Smith, to start a combat medic scholarship fund to honor Williams. Three dollars from each $8.99 CD sold will be donated toward the fund.
"These are great guys," said Smith, who now lives in Mansfield and has been promoting 1223's CD through the Dallas area. "I cried when I heard their CD. They have a message on every song."
She's taken their CDs to radio stations in her area. Several of their songs already have received airtime in Dallas and at local radio station 98.5 FM.
"This wasn't for marketing purposes," Kirk said. "We wanted to do the right thing and honor the soldiers."
For now, the music continues its healing power.
The last writing session, a meeting where the duo write and rehearse songs, started out as it always does. Kirk paces around the house listening to the heavy beat of a song they're developing. He waits for the music to talk to him.
Eventually, he plops down on the sofa near Taylor, and Taylor wipes the tears from his face.
Army Spc. Jeffrey A. Williams was killed in action on 9/5/05.
Navy Sailor Osiel Hipolito
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Osiel Hipolito, 20, of Compton, California.
Saturday, September 5, 2005, at approximately 6:40 p.m. in a strip mall in East Rancho Dominguez, Osiel Hipolito, a 20-year old sailor on leave from duty in Iraq, was shot several times. Mr. Hipolito was taken to St. Frances Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Petty Officer Hipolito’s pregnant wife was shot in the belly. She, the couple’s premature baby, and the sailor’s 16-year old brother, were all hospitalized with stable vital signs.
The Sailor, who worked as an explorer at the Sheriff’s Compton Station before joining the Navy in 2003, apparently got into a fight with suspected gang members, one of whom started shooting inside the store in the 15200 block of South Atlantic Boulevard.
Petty Officer Hipolito was assigned to the USS Germantown, an amphibious assault ship currently at port at San Diego.
The baby, a girl, was delivered prematurely with a leg wound. Hipolito's wife and brother were in stable condition, Gage said.
Deputies said Hipolito had no gang ties, and that the attack began when a gang member asked where he was from, and he replied: the U.S. Navy.
The shooting, in the middle of a September afternoon, was recorded by security cameras at a Compton-area mall where Hipolito, his wife and his teenage brother had gone to shop. By then, Compton had recorded 51 killings.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Hipolito was killed on 09/05/05.
Larger Image
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Osiel Hipolito, 20, of Compton, California.
Saturday, September 5, 2005, at approximately 6:40 p.m. in a strip mall in East Rancho Dominguez, Osiel Hipolito, a 20-year old sailor on leave from duty in Iraq, was shot several times. Mr. Hipolito was taken to St. Frances Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Petty Officer Hipolito’s pregnant wife was shot in the belly. She, the couple’s premature baby, and the sailor’s 16-year old brother, were all hospitalized with stable vital signs.
The Sailor, who worked as an explorer at the Sheriff’s Compton Station before joining the Navy in 2003, apparently got into a fight with suspected gang members, one of whom started shooting inside the store in the 15200 block of South Atlantic Boulevard.
Petty Officer Hipolito was assigned to the USS Germantown, an amphibious assault ship currently at port at San Diego.
The baby, a girl, was delivered prematurely with a leg wound. Hipolito's wife and brother were in stable condition, Gage said.
Deputies said Hipolito had no gang ties, and that the attack began when a gang member asked where he was from, and he replied: the U.S. Navy.
The shooting, in the middle of a September afternoon, was recorded by security cameras at a Compton-area mall where Hipolito, his wife and his teenage brother had gone to shop. By then, Compton had recorded 51 killings.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Hipolito was killed on 09/05/05.
Army Cpl. Jeffrey A. Williams
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, of Warrenville, Illinois.
Cpl. Williams died in Tal Afar, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his combat patrol. He was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Army Cpl. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, a 2003 graduate of Wheaton Warrenville South High School, died Monday in Tal Afar when an explosive device detonated near his combat patrol, the Defense Department said.
Williams, who his mother said was a combat medic, was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Carson.
Williams, the oldest of four boys, enlisted in the Army just days after he graduated from high school, said his mother, Sandra Smith of Mansfield, Texas.
"He was a leader, he wasn't a follower," said Smith, whose family moved to Texas after her son joined the Army. "The boys are really having a hard time. Every last one of the kids is having a hard time because they really looked up to Jeffrey."
Williams was born in Kansas City, Mo., and was raised around military bases in California and Maryland. Smith worked as a civilian nurse at military hospitals and several members of Williams' family were in the military.
In his weekly calls to his mother, Williams, who hoped to become a doctor, swapped stories with Smith on treating injuries - including sharing the time he inserted his first chest tube in a wounded patient.
He had been in Iraq since March and told his mother he was looking forward to returning in February.
"He was tired of it, because at first he said everything was peaceful and then the last four weeks they'd gotten rowdy again," she said.
Army Cpl. Jeffrey A. Williams was killed in action on 09/05/05.
Army Cpl. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, of Warrenville, Illinois.
Cpl. Williams died in Tal Afar, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his combat patrol. He was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Army Cpl. Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, a 2003 graduate of Wheaton Warrenville South High School, died Monday in Tal Afar when an explosive device detonated near his combat patrol, the Defense Department said.
Williams, who his mother said was a combat medic, was assigned to the Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Carson.
Williams, the oldest of four boys, enlisted in the Army just days after he graduated from high school, said his mother, Sandra Smith of Mansfield, Texas.
"He was a leader, he wasn't a follower," said Smith, whose family moved to Texas after her son joined the Army. "The boys are really having a hard time. Every last one of the kids is having a hard time because they really looked up to Jeffrey."
Williams was born in Kansas City, Mo., and was raised around military bases in California and Maryland. Smith worked as a civilian nurse at military hospitals and several members of Williams' family were in the military.
In his weekly calls to his mother, Williams, who hoped to become a doctor, swapped stories with Smith on treating injuries - including sharing the time he inserted his first chest tube in a wounded patient.
He had been in Iraq since March and told his mother he was looking forward to returning in February.
"He was tired of it, because at first he said everything was peaceful and then the last four weeks they'd gotten rowdy again," she said.
Army Cpl. Jeffrey A. Williams was killed in action on 09/05/05.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson, 39, of Norcross, Georgia.
Sgt Parson died in Baghdad, Iraq, when his M3A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle was struck by an enemy explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson, a tank commander, was killed Friday in Baghdad when his tank was struck by an explosive, according to the Department of Defense.
Parson, 39, had served in the military for 18 years and was on his third tour in Iraq, family members said.
Born in Mobile, Parson grew up in the White House Fork community just west of Bay Minette, where he lived until about a year after high school, according to his mother, Thelma Lassiter Catrett.
Parson left for Iraq in late July, after being home for two weeks, said his grandmother Dorothy Carpenter. The two spoke on the phone before he left.
"He told me, 'I take care of my men, I look after them,'" Carpenter recalled her grandson as saying. "'And I don't tell them to do anything that I wouldn't do.'"
Parson tried to assure his grandmother that he would return home soon.
"I'll be back Christmas," she said he told her. "And I won't be going back anymore."
Parson served in Operation Desert Storm and previously fought in Iraqi Freedom, his family said.
"He loved what he did," Catrett said. "And he was good at it."
Military officials could not provide details about Parson's service, but his mother said he had been awarded a Silver Star, "for gallantry in action" and a Bronze Star, for "heroic or meritorious achievement."
Both Parson's mother and grandmother said he was proud of his service, and Carpenter added, "He was just a sweet, easygoing person -- real lovable."
He will be buried in the White House Fork Baptist Cemetery, alongside his grandfather, Carpenter said. Funeral arrangements had not been made.
Along with his mother and grandmother, Parson is survived by his wife, Michelle Presley Parson, his son, Lance Parson, 15, his daughter, Paige Parson, 13, his sister, Pamela Sue Higgington, and two brothers, Curtis Mack Gray and Jesse Daniel Gray. Though the two have slightly different last names, family members said Parson also was a nephew of Mobile County School Board member Lonnie Parsons.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson was killed in action on 09/02/05.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson, 39, of Norcross, Georgia.
Sgt Parson died in Baghdad, Iraq, when his M3A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle was struck by an enemy explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson, a tank commander, was killed Friday in Baghdad when his tank was struck by an explosive, according to the Department of Defense.
Parson, 39, had served in the military for 18 years and was on his third tour in Iraq, family members said.
Born in Mobile, Parson grew up in the White House Fork community just west of Bay Minette, where he lived until about a year after high school, according to his mother, Thelma Lassiter Catrett.
Parson left for Iraq in late July, after being home for two weeks, said his grandmother Dorothy Carpenter. The two spoke on the phone before he left.
"He told me, 'I take care of my men, I look after them,'" Carpenter recalled her grandson as saying. "'And I don't tell them to do anything that I wouldn't do.'"
Parson tried to assure his grandmother that he would return home soon.
"I'll be back Christmas," she said he told her. "And I won't be going back anymore."
Parson served in Operation Desert Storm and previously fought in Iraqi Freedom, his family said.
"He loved what he did," Catrett said. "And he was good at it."
Military officials could not provide details about Parson's service, but his mother said he had been awarded a Silver Star, "for gallantry in action" and a Bronze Star, for "heroic or meritorious achievement."
Both Parson's mother and grandmother said he was proud of his service, and Carpenter added, "He was just a sweet, easygoing person -- real lovable."
He will be buried in the White House Fork Baptist Cemetery, alongside his grandfather, Carpenter said. Funeral arrangements had not been made.
Along with his mother and grandmother, Parson is survived by his wife, Michelle Presley Parson, his son, Lance Parson, 15, his daughter, Paige Parson, 13, his sister, Pamela Sue Higgington, and two brothers, Curtis Mack Gray and Jesse Daniel Gray. Though the two have slightly different last names, family members said Parson also was a nephew of Mobile County School Board member Lonnie Parsons.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson was killed in action on 09/02/05.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Hollar Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Hollar Jr., 35, of Griffin, Ga.
SSgt. Hollar was assigned to the 108th Cavalry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia National Guard, Griffin, Ga.; killed Sept. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations in Baghdad.
Sgt. Robert Lee "Bobby" Hollar, Jr. -THOMASTON - Sgt. Robert Lee "Bobby" Hollar, Jr., age 35, died Thursday, September 1, 2005. He was killed in the line of duty in Iraq.
Funeral services will be 2P.M. Sunday, September 11, 2005 at Mountain View Baptist Church, Thomaston. Dr. Edwin L. Cliburn will officiate. Burial will be in Fincher Methodist Cemetery, Meansville.
Mr. Hollar was born April 13, 1970 in Woodstock, Virginia.
He served in the U.S. National Guard Army as a tank commander, served in the 108th Calvary Division in Griffin, GA, served seven years with the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg and Colorado Springs and was also a Military Scout.
He worked with the Postal Service for several years before being deployed to Iraq.
Mr. Hollar attended Vega Baptist Church and was a member of the Pike County Lions Club.
Survivors include his wife, Amanda Whitten Hollar; sons, Brody Lee Hollar and Johnathan Wesley Hollar, all of Thomaston; parents, Timothy and Diane Mobley of Thomaston and Robert and Dot Hollar of Little Mountain, SC; siblings, Joshua Randall Mobley of Hampton, GA, Carl Weston Hollar of Fairfax, VA, Crystal Dawn Smith of Thomaston.
Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Hollar Jr. was killed in action on 09/01/05.
Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Hollar Jr., 35, of Griffin, Ga.
SSgt. Hollar was assigned to the 108th Cavalry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia National Guard, Griffin, Ga.; killed Sept. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations in Baghdad.
Sgt. Robert Lee "Bobby" Hollar, Jr. -THOMASTON - Sgt. Robert Lee "Bobby" Hollar, Jr., age 35, died Thursday, September 1, 2005. He was killed in the line of duty in Iraq.
Funeral services will be 2P.M. Sunday, September 11, 2005 at Mountain View Baptist Church, Thomaston. Dr. Edwin L. Cliburn will officiate. Burial will be in Fincher Methodist Cemetery, Meansville.
Mr. Hollar was born April 13, 1970 in Woodstock, Virginia.
He served in the U.S. National Guard Army as a tank commander, served in the 108th Calvary Division in Griffin, GA, served seven years with the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg and Colorado Springs and was also a Military Scout.
He worked with the Postal Service for several years before being deployed to Iraq.
Mr. Hollar attended Vega Baptist Church and was a member of the Pike County Lions Club.
Survivors include his wife, Amanda Whitten Hollar; sons, Brody Lee Hollar and Johnathan Wesley Hollar, all of Thomaston; parents, Timothy and Diane Mobley of Thomaston and Robert and Dot Hollar of Little Mountain, SC; siblings, Joshua Randall Mobley of Hampton, GA, Carl Weston Hollar of Fairfax, VA, Crystal Dawn Smith of Thomaston.
Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Hollar Jr. was killed in action on 09/01/05.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Army Chief Warrant Officer Dennis P. Hay
Remember Our Heroes
Army Chief Warrant Officer Dennis P. Hay, 32, of Valdosta, Georgia.
CWO Hay died in Tal Afar, Iraq, when his OH-58D Kiowa helicopter came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Chief Warrant Officer Dennis Hay always cranked down the knob that increased tension on the helicopter controls.
It made the OH-58 heavier to fly, an upper-body workout for pilots pulling against the spring tension. His co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Gabriel Torney, complained about the arm-straining adjustment. But Hay, nicknamed “Shooter,” always said that extra tension would buy precious seconds in an emergency.
That’s exactly what happened, Torney said Wednesday. His voice quaked at times as he spoke at a memorial service for Hay and three other soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
“He did this every time he flew and that selfless act is why I’m here today,” Torney said inside Soldiers’ Memorial Chapel at Fort Carson.
It was just after sunset on Aug. 29 when machine-gun fire stitched its way through the low-flying observation chopper over Tal Afar, Iraq.
Hay, who was at the controls, was fatally wounded.
The helicopter pitched up, but didn’t go out of control — that extra spring tension held it in check. Torney, injured by a bullet that tore through his right leg and lodged in his left thigh, had just enough time to grab the controls.
Bleeding badly, Torney wrestled the helicopter to the ground outside town and was rescued by comrades. Hay, a married father of two who left the Air Force to fly Army helicopters, died at a hospital.
Torney said he says a prayer every night now for Hay.
But prayer isn’t enough.
“You continue to teach the things that he taught me,” Torney said after the service. “That’s how you keep his memory alive.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer Dennis P. Hay was killed in action on 08/29/05.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Dennis P. Hay, 32, of Valdosta, Georgia.
CWO Hay died in Tal Afar, Iraq, when his OH-58D Kiowa helicopter came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado.
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Chief Warrant Officer Dennis Hay always cranked down the knob that increased tension on the helicopter controls.
It made the OH-58 heavier to fly, an upper-body workout for pilots pulling against the spring tension. His co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Gabriel Torney, complained about the arm-straining adjustment. But Hay, nicknamed “Shooter,” always said that extra tension would buy precious seconds in an emergency.
That’s exactly what happened, Torney said Wednesday. His voice quaked at times as he spoke at a memorial service for Hay and three other soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
“He did this every time he flew and that selfless act is why I’m here today,” Torney said inside Soldiers’ Memorial Chapel at Fort Carson.
It was just after sunset on Aug. 29 when machine-gun fire stitched its way through the low-flying observation chopper over Tal Afar, Iraq.
Hay, who was at the controls, was fatally wounded.
The helicopter pitched up, but didn’t go out of control — that extra spring tension held it in check. Torney, injured by a bullet that tore through his right leg and lodged in his left thigh, had just enough time to grab the controls.
Bleeding badly, Torney wrestled the helicopter to the ground outside town and was rescued by comrades. Hay, a married father of two who left the Air Force to fly Army helicopters, died at a hospital.
Torney said he says a prayer every night now for Hay.
But prayer isn’t enough.
“You continue to teach the things that he taught me,” Torney said after the service. “That’s how you keep his memory alive.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer Dennis P. Hay was killed in action on 08/29/05.
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