Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Chris Kleinwachter, 29, of Wahpeton, N.D.
Spc. Kleinwachter was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery, Grand Forks, N.D.; died Nov. 30 of injuries sustained when his vehicle rolled over during combat operations in Ghazni, Afghanistan.
Relatives of Chris Kleinwachter said he was a go-getter who put the needs of others in front of his own.
"One of Christopher's greatest attributes was his care for other people," said his mother, Carmen. "He was always attempting to bring peace to those in conflict. ... Add to this his great sense of humor, and you can get a glimpse into my son."
Bismarck, N.D. - Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, Adjutant General of the North Dakota National Guard, announced today that a Soldier from the Grand Forks based 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery (Security Forces-SECFOR), was killed in action in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, Nov. 29. The Soldier was participating in military convoy operations in the Ghazni province when the vehicle he was riding in was involved in a rolled-over.
Cpl. Christopher K. Kleinwachter, 29, of Wahpeton, died of injuries as a result of this accident.
"Mikey and I are joined by all North Dakotans in mourning the loss of Cpl. Christopher Kleinwachter, who died in the service of his nation in Afghanistan," said Governor Hoeven. "We extend our deepest sympathy to his family and friends, and offer our support in their time of grieving. On behalf of all North Dakotans, our hearts and prayers go out to them."
"I know that North Dakotans are saddened as well as members of the North Dakota National Guard at the loss of one of our own,"" said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk. "Cpl. Christopher Kleinwachter lost his life in service to this country. I am very proud of what he stood for and he will be remembered as a great Soldier and will be missed by everyone."
Maj. Gen. Sprynczynatyk visited the Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery in Sept. He says the unit is very close knit and his comrades are now mourning his loss.
"They've had a "fallen comrade" memorial service in Afghanistan for Cpl. Kleinwachter. It's a hard time for them. Losing two members of their unit in a short time is tough as it is for the Kleinwachter family and those of us here in North Dakota."
Cpl. Kleinwachter, a native of Grand Forks, enlisted into the North Dakota Army National Guard while still a senior in high school. After graduation from Grand Forks Central High School, he reported to basic training at Ft. Sill, Okla. He completed basic training and advanced individual training in 1995. He was serving as a power generator equipment repairer.
His military awards include the Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal and the North Dakota Legion of Merit medal.
Kleinwachter is survived by his mother, Carmen A. Kleinwachter, Crookston, Minn.; his father, Clare R. Kleinwachter, Wahpeton; and his brother Creg Kleinwachter, also of Wahpeton.
Army Specialist Chris Kleinwachter was killed in action on 11/30/06.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Army Specialist Christopher E. Mason
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Christopher E. Mason, 32, of Mobile, Ala.
Spc. Mason was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Nov. 28 of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire while on patrol in Bayji, Iraq.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) Army Spc. Christopher Mason, who recently told a church congregation of his devotion to his overseas mission, died in a bomb blast in Iraq, his family said.
Garland Mason said his 32-year-old brother, a 1994 Baker High School graduate and a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C., was killed Tuesday by an improvised explosive device.
The Defense Department lists Mason as a casualty, but had no other details.
Family members said Mason returned from Iraq about six weeks ago and spoke during a Sunday service at the Life Church of Mobile.
During that speech he talked about how important it was to be in Iraq and was looking forward to returning.
``Folks, you got to dig down deep. When things get tough for you, you got to remember you're in a war,'' he told members of his family's church. ``You're in a battle for your soul, people. You hear me? And it's no joke. The bullets we play with are real over there and the things that the devil uses on us is real over here.''
Army Specialist Christopher E. Mason was killed in action on 11/28/06.
Army Specialist Christopher E. Mason, 32, of Mobile, Ala.
Spc. Mason was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Nov. 28 of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire while on patrol in Bayji, Iraq.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) Army Spc. Christopher Mason, who recently told a church congregation of his devotion to his overseas mission, died in a bomb blast in Iraq, his family said.
Garland Mason said his 32-year-old brother, a 1994 Baker High School graduate and a member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C., was killed Tuesday by an improvised explosive device.
The Defense Department lists Mason as a casualty, but had no other details.
Family members said Mason returned from Iraq about six weeks ago and spoke during a Sunday service at the Life Church of Mobile.
During that speech he talked about how important it was to be in Iraq and was looking forward to returning.
``Folks, you got to dig down deep. When things get tough for you, you got to remember you're in a war,'' he told members of his family's church. ``You're in a battle for your soul, people. You hear me? And it's no joke. The bullets we play with are real over there and the things that the devil uses on us is real over here.''
Army Specialist Christopher E. Mason was killed in action on 11/28/06.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Shank
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Shank, 31 of Bonham, Texas
SSgt Shank was assigned to the 230th Military Police Company, 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, Kaiserslautern, Germany; died Nov. 28 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Logar, Afghanistan. Also killed was Spc. Jeffrey G. Roberson.
A Bonham family learned Tuesday afternoon that their son, husband and father, Staff Sgt. Michael Shank, 31, was killed that morning in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Shank reportedly died when his Humvee ran over a land mine planted on a mountain road by the enemy. He had been in Afghanistan about six months, his wife Brandy said Wednesday.
Brandy, Michael and their two daughters, KateLynn, 7, and Michaela, 4, had spent the past three years together while he was stationed in Germany. Brandy Shank and the girls returned home to the United States this past spring when her husband received orders to go to Afghanistan. He was expected to finish his tour of duty by the end February or beginning of March 2007. Then he would go back to Germany to process out.
“We don’t know what base he was going to come to,” his mother Lynn Colbert, also of Bonham, said Wednesday. “He was going to make the Army his career. He was an MP, military police.”
An officer from Fort Hood arrived in Bonham Tuesday to deliver the news to the family.
Staff Sgt. Shank graduated high school from Dodd City. His two daughters both attend Bonham schools, their mother said. “He was our hero,” she said Wednesday. "She was her daddy's junior," Colbert said of Michaela.
Colbert said the family is waiting for the Army to come to Bonham again and for “a liaison to walk us through all this.”
Staff Sgt. Shank always planned to be a soldier and always wanted to go into the military, his mother said. He first enlisted 10 years ago and re-enlisted in March of this year.
“It’s one of those things you never expect to happen. We’re just trying to get everything taken care of, everybody’s so confused about the situation,” Brandy Shank said. “There will be a casualty officer here in a few hours. I think he will help me do all the paperwork for the military.
“He went in when he was 20 and he had been in a year when we got married. He was making it a career and he was looking forward to putting in the paperwork to be a drill sergeant.”
Bonham ISD flags will fly at half-staff this week in honor of Staff Sgt. Shank, said Judy Lewis, Bonham school secretary.
Michaela is a pre-kindergarten student at Fannin County Head Start and KateLynn is a first-grade student at Finley-Oates Elementary School in Bonham.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Shank was killed in action on 11/28/06.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Shank, 31 of Bonham, Texas
SSgt Shank was assigned to the 230th Military Police Company, 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, Kaiserslautern, Germany; died Nov. 28 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Logar, Afghanistan. Also killed was Spc. Jeffrey G. Roberson.
A Bonham family learned Tuesday afternoon that their son, husband and father, Staff Sgt. Michael Shank, 31, was killed that morning in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Shank reportedly died when his Humvee ran over a land mine planted on a mountain road by the enemy. He had been in Afghanistan about six months, his wife Brandy said Wednesday.
Brandy, Michael and their two daughters, KateLynn, 7, and Michaela, 4, had spent the past three years together while he was stationed in Germany. Brandy Shank and the girls returned home to the United States this past spring when her husband received orders to go to Afghanistan. He was expected to finish his tour of duty by the end February or beginning of March 2007. Then he would go back to Germany to process out.
“We don’t know what base he was going to come to,” his mother Lynn Colbert, also of Bonham, said Wednesday. “He was going to make the Army his career. He was an MP, military police.”
An officer from Fort Hood arrived in Bonham Tuesday to deliver the news to the family.
Staff Sgt. Shank graduated high school from Dodd City. His two daughters both attend Bonham schools, their mother said. “He was our hero,” she said Wednesday. "She was her daddy's junior," Colbert said of Michaela.
Colbert said the family is waiting for the Army to come to Bonham again and for “a liaison to walk us through all this.”
Staff Sgt. Shank always planned to be a soldier and always wanted to go into the military, his mother said. He first enlisted 10 years ago and re-enlisted in March of this year.
“It’s one of those things you never expect to happen. We’re just trying to get everything taken care of, everybody’s so confused about the situation,” Brandy Shank said. “There will be a casualty officer here in a few hours. I think he will help me do all the paperwork for the military.
“He went in when he was 20 and he had been in a year when we got married. He was making it a career and he was looking forward to putting in the paperwork to be a drill sergeant.”
Bonham ISD flags will fly at half-staff this week in honor of Staff Sgt. Shank, said Judy Lewis, Bonham school secretary.
Michaela is a pre-kindergarten student at Fannin County Head Start and KateLynn is a first-grade student at Finley-Oates Elementary School in Bonham.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Shank was killed in action on 11/28/06.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael A. Schwarz
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael A. Schwarz, 20, of Carlstadt, N.J.
Lance Cpl. Schwarz died Nov. 27 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
A small North Jersey town was in grief Tuesday after learning of the death in Iraq of a Marine who was a member of a well-known local family.
Lance Cpl. Michael A. Schwarz, 20, of Carlstadt, Bergen County, died Monday from wounds he sustained during combat in Iraq's Anbar province. He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune.
"You couldn't go anywhere today without seeing someone visibly upset. The community as a whole will grieve over this," Carlstadt Mayor William Roseman told The Record of Bergen County.
The son and brother of area auto mechanics, Schwarz graduated from Becton Regional High School in 2004.
Along with his brother Frank, Michael Schwarz served in the borough's volunteer fire department. Their father, Kenneth, headed the department for years.
Friends and relatives remembered Michael Schwarz as fun-loving and outgoing. Friends recalled off-road outings in Schwarz's customized Jeep that often ended up with busted parts.
Most of all, there was Schwarz's love of the military and his desire to enlist in the Marines, a wish he expressed even when he was a young child.
"He always wanted to be a soldier," said Chris Assenheimer, a cousin of Schwarz's father.
Schwarz approached going to Iraq with nervous excitement, his friends said. Only a few weeks before, they said, Schwarz had a near miss when a sniper's bullet grazed his helmet.
On Monday, he wasn't as lucky.
"It's hard to believe," said Dana Rawinski, 20, one of Schwarz's best friends.
Rawinski said she had worn a Marines shirt or sweat shirt almost every day since Schwarz went to Iraq.
"I'm waiting for him to come home and laugh at us," Rawinski said.
Losing a 'happy-go-lucky' Marine
Carlstadt suffers the death of Michael Schwarz in combat in Iraq
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
BY RUDY LARINI AND RUSSELL BEN-ALI
Star-Ledger Staff
Michael A. Schwarz was a free spirit who knew what was at stake when he joined the Marines right out of high school, and later when he headed to Iraq.
"He just loved his country. He loved the idea of being a soldier and he loved being a Marine," said the Rev. Donald M. Pitches, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Carlstadt, who baptized the borough native some two decades ago.
"He's not one to second-guess himself or express his doubts," Pitches said. "He was ready to do what he was trained to do."
Schwarz, a 20-year-old lance corporal, died Monday from injuries he sustained while conducting combat operations in the Iraqi province of Anbar, the Department of Defense announced yesterday. He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Schwarz was the second service member from the Bergen County community and the 64th with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq.
"Mike had looked forward to joining the Marines ever since I knew him back in the fifth grade. That was his goal back then," said Schwarz's friend Shawn Tilt, also 20.
Tilt said Schwarz joined the Marines after they graduated from Henry P. Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford in 2004. He said he last saw his friend late last summer when Schwarz was home on a two-week leave.
"We just hung out and did what we always did, tried to have a good time," Tilt said. "Mike was a great guy, had a good personality and was easy to get along with. I don't know anybody who didn't like Mike."
Tilt said he had played hockey with Schwarz in a borough recreation league, but his friend's passion was off-roading in his prized Jeep.
"He loved that Jeep," Tilt said. "That was his pride and joy."
At the Schwarz home in Carlstadt -- decorated with multicolored holiday lights, a seven-foot inflatable Santa and an American flag -- a family friend referred reporters last night to the pastor.
Pitches described Schwarz as a 6-footer built "like a string bean."
"He's an all-American boy. He was happy-go-lucky, fun-loving and he loved the outdoors," Pitches said, describing how Schwarz reveled in his jaunts along muddy trails in his customized Jeep.
Pitches said Schwarz's father and mother, Ken and Pam, learned of their son's death when three Marines came to their home Monday.
"They're completely in shock, greatly saddened," Pitches said, adding friends and community members have been coming by the house to offer support. "It's a very well-loved family, very well-respected."
Schwarz was a volunteer firefighter in Carlstadt, following in the footsteps of his father, a mechanic for the borough Department of Public Works, and older brother, Frank.
"Mike's been a volunteer since he was first eligible at age 18," firefighter Karl Ross said. "He was a great kid, exceptional, kind-hearted and a go-getter. I don't know anybody who could say anything bad about Michael."
Jim Bononno, Becton High's athletic director and head football coach, said Schwarz was in his U.S. history class for two years.
"Mike was a wonderful kid," Bononno said. "When something like this happens, everyone says nice things about a person, but Mike was just a really, really good kid. That's what makes this a bigger tragedy."
Bononno said Schwarz's interest in joining the Marines was well-known around the school.
"Mike, that was his dream, to be in the Marines," he said. "That was one of his goals. Any kid who joins the military during a war, that says something special about him."
Ross said: "Mike was a free-spirited individual who understood the danger of being in the Marine Corps and he grasped it and accepted it. He's made this town very proud."
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael A. Schwarz was killed in action on 11/27/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael A. Schwarz, 20, of Carlstadt, N.J.
Lance Cpl. Schwarz died Nov. 27 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
A small North Jersey town was in grief Tuesday after learning of the death in Iraq of a Marine who was a member of a well-known local family.
Lance Cpl. Michael A. Schwarz, 20, of Carlstadt, Bergen County, died Monday from wounds he sustained during combat in Iraq's Anbar province. He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune.
"You couldn't go anywhere today without seeing someone visibly upset. The community as a whole will grieve over this," Carlstadt Mayor William Roseman told The Record of Bergen County.
The son and brother of area auto mechanics, Schwarz graduated from Becton Regional High School in 2004.
Along with his brother Frank, Michael Schwarz served in the borough's volunteer fire department. Their father, Kenneth, headed the department for years.
Friends and relatives remembered Michael Schwarz as fun-loving and outgoing. Friends recalled off-road outings in Schwarz's customized Jeep that often ended up with busted parts.
Most of all, there was Schwarz's love of the military and his desire to enlist in the Marines, a wish he expressed even when he was a young child.
"He always wanted to be a soldier," said Chris Assenheimer, a cousin of Schwarz's father.
Schwarz approached going to Iraq with nervous excitement, his friends said. Only a few weeks before, they said, Schwarz had a near miss when a sniper's bullet grazed his helmet.
On Monday, he wasn't as lucky.
"It's hard to believe," said Dana Rawinski, 20, one of Schwarz's best friends.
Rawinski said she had worn a Marines shirt or sweat shirt almost every day since Schwarz went to Iraq.
"I'm waiting for him to come home and laugh at us," Rawinski said.
Losing a 'happy-go-lucky' Marine
Carlstadt suffers the death of Michael Schwarz in combat in Iraq
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
BY RUDY LARINI AND RUSSELL BEN-ALI
Star-Ledger Staff
Michael A. Schwarz was a free spirit who knew what was at stake when he joined the Marines right out of high school, and later when he headed to Iraq.
"He just loved his country. He loved the idea of being a soldier and he loved being a Marine," said the Rev. Donald M. Pitches, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Carlstadt, who baptized the borough native some two decades ago.
"He's not one to second-guess himself or express his doubts," Pitches said. "He was ready to do what he was trained to do."
Schwarz, a 20-year-old lance corporal, died Monday from injuries he sustained while conducting combat operations in the Iraqi province of Anbar, the Department of Defense announced yesterday. He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Schwarz was the second service member from the Bergen County community and the 64th with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq.
"Mike had looked forward to joining the Marines ever since I knew him back in the fifth grade. That was his goal back then," said Schwarz's friend Shawn Tilt, also 20.
Tilt said Schwarz joined the Marines after they graduated from Henry P. Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford in 2004. He said he last saw his friend late last summer when Schwarz was home on a two-week leave.
"We just hung out and did what we always did, tried to have a good time," Tilt said. "Mike was a great guy, had a good personality and was easy to get along with. I don't know anybody who didn't like Mike."
Tilt said he had played hockey with Schwarz in a borough recreation league, but his friend's passion was off-roading in his prized Jeep.
"He loved that Jeep," Tilt said. "That was his pride and joy."
At the Schwarz home in Carlstadt -- decorated with multicolored holiday lights, a seven-foot inflatable Santa and an American flag -- a family friend referred reporters last night to the pastor.
Pitches described Schwarz as a 6-footer built "like a string bean."
"He's an all-American boy. He was happy-go-lucky, fun-loving and he loved the outdoors," Pitches said, describing how Schwarz reveled in his jaunts along muddy trails in his customized Jeep.
Pitches said Schwarz's father and mother, Ken and Pam, learned of their son's death when three Marines came to their home Monday.
"They're completely in shock, greatly saddened," Pitches said, adding friends and community members have been coming by the house to offer support. "It's a very well-loved family, very well-respected."
Schwarz was a volunteer firefighter in Carlstadt, following in the footsteps of his father, a mechanic for the borough Department of Public Works, and older brother, Frank.
"Mike's been a volunteer since he was first eligible at age 18," firefighter Karl Ross said. "He was a great kid, exceptional, kind-hearted and a go-getter. I don't know anybody who could say anything bad about Michael."
Jim Bononno, Becton High's athletic director and head football coach, said Schwarz was in his U.S. history class for two years.
"Mike was a wonderful kid," Bononno said. "When something like this happens, everyone says nice things about a person, but Mike was just a really, really good kid. That's what makes this a bigger tragedy."
Bononno said Schwarz's interest in joining the Marines was well-known around the school.
"Mike, that was his dream, to be in the Marines," he said. "That was one of his goals. Any kid who joins the military during a war, that says something special about him."
Ross said: "Mike was a free-spirited individual who understood the danger of being in the Marine Corps and he grasped it and accepted it. He's made this town very proud."
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael A. Schwarz was killed in action on 11/27/06.
Air Force Maj. Troy L. Gilbert
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, 34, of Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Maj. Gilbert was assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.; died Nov. 27 when his F-16C fighter crashed 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. Gilbert was previously carried as "Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown," awaiting positive DNA identification of remains from the crash site.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The American pilot whose F-16 crashed in Iraq this week was described by military members and his family as a husband and father of five who always completed his missions.
The military has classified Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, 34, as "whereabouts unknown." [Editor's note] Remains recovered at the site confirm that Maj Troy L Gilbert did die in this crash.
Air Force officials said in a news conference Wednesday that human remains were retrieved from the crash site. They would not elaborate, but said figuring out whether Gilbert is dead depended largely on those remains, which were undergoing DNA identification.
Gilbert was supporting troops fighting in Anbar province, where many of the country's Sunni-Arab insurgent groups operate. Videotape footage obtained by Associated Press Television News appeared to show the wreckage of the F-16CG in a farm field and a tangled parachute nearby.
U.S. forces investigating the crash have said insurgents reached the site before American forces could.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Officials don't believe Gilbert was shot down.
Officials switched between referring to Gilbert in the present and past tense during a Wednesday news conference at Luke Air Force Base in the western Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Ariz., where Gilbert has been stationed since 2003.
"Everybody liked him - such a hard worker. Everyone here will tell you that. He did what it took to get the mission done," said Lt. Col. John Paradis, an Air Force spokesman.
Paradis explained his and another official's careful wording when referring to Gilbert's status.
"In situations like this, the Air Force and the Department of Defense want to be extremely careful about drawing any conclusions until we can look at all the facts that we have and everything available to us to make sure the family can have some closure, regardless of what that might be," Paradis said.
"Troy was first and foremost a wonderful husband and father," Gilbert's family said in a news release issued through the military. "His Christian faith, personal values, and work ethic guided his personal life and his career as a military officer."
Gilbert, who finished undergraduate pilot training in 2001, was deployed to the 332nd Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq in September and logged more than 130 combat hours, the Air Force said in a news release.
At Luke Air Force Base, Gilbert was assistant director of operations, executive officer of wing flying, a flight commander and chief of training.
"Major Gilbert is well-known here at Luke Air Force Base," Brig. Gen. Tom Jones said. "He is an outstanding officer, an outstanding pilot, and an outstanding friend to many people."
Air Force Maj. Troy L. Gilbert was killed in action on 11/27/06.
Air Force Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, 34, of Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Maj. Gilbert was assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.; died Nov. 27 when his F-16C fighter crashed 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. Gilbert was previously carried as "Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown," awaiting positive DNA identification of remains from the crash site.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The American pilot whose F-16 crashed in Iraq this week was described by military members and his family as a husband and father of five who always completed his missions.
The military has classified Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, 34, as "whereabouts unknown." [Editor's note] Remains recovered at the site confirm that Maj Troy L Gilbert did die in this crash.
Air Force officials said in a news conference Wednesday that human remains were retrieved from the crash site. They would not elaborate, but said figuring out whether Gilbert is dead depended largely on those remains, which were undergoing DNA identification.
Gilbert was supporting troops fighting in Anbar province, where many of the country's Sunni-Arab insurgent groups operate. Videotape footage obtained by Associated Press Television News appeared to show the wreckage of the F-16CG in a farm field and a tangled parachute nearby.
U.S. forces investigating the crash have said insurgents reached the site before American forces could.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Officials don't believe Gilbert was shot down.
Officials switched between referring to Gilbert in the present and past tense during a Wednesday news conference at Luke Air Force Base in the western Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Ariz., where Gilbert has been stationed since 2003.
"Everybody liked him - such a hard worker. Everyone here will tell you that. He did what it took to get the mission done," said Lt. Col. John Paradis, an Air Force spokesman.
Paradis explained his and another official's careful wording when referring to Gilbert's status.
"In situations like this, the Air Force and the Department of Defense want to be extremely careful about drawing any conclusions until we can look at all the facts that we have and everything available to us to make sure the family can have some closure, regardless of what that might be," Paradis said.
"Troy was first and foremost a wonderful husband and father," Gilbert's family said in a news release issued through the military. "His Christian faith, personal values, and work ethic guided his personal life and his career as a military officer."
Gilbert, who finished undergraduate pilot training in 2001, was deployed to the 332nd Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq in September and logged more than 130 combat hours, the Air Force said in a news release.
At Luke Air Force Base, Gilbert was assistant director of operations, executive officer of wing flying, a flight commander and chief of training.
"Major Gilbert is well-known here at Luke Air Force Base," Brig. Gen. Tom Jones said. "He is an outstanding officer, an outstanding pilot, and an outstanding friend to many people."
Air Force Maj. Troy L. Gilbert was killed in action on 11/27/06.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Army Cpl. Nathan J. Goodiron
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Nathan J. Goodiron, 25, of Mandaree, N.D.
Cpl. Goodiron was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery, North Dakota National Guard, Grand Forks, N.D.; died Nov. 23 of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades in Qarabagh, Afghanistan.
With drums, prayers, fallen soldier is honored
By JAMES MacPHERSON
Associated Press Writer
NEW TOWN - Hundreds packed an auditorium to honor a fallen warrior, joining in prayers in Nathan Goodiron's native Hidatsa language and smiling through tears at pictures of his high school basketball games and his time with his newborn son.
"He was proud to be an American soldier, an American Indian soldier. He knew the meaning of the word sacrifice," said Marcus Wells Jr., the chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes. "He was a good son, a good husband and a proud father."
Goodiron, 25, of Mandaree, known on the Fort Berthold reservation as Young Eagle, was killed Thanksgiving Day in Afghanistan when a grenade struck his vehicle while he was on patrol. He was a corporal in the 1st Battalion of the North Dakota National Guard's 188th Air Defense Artillery.
Tribal officials said he was the first member of the Three Affiliated Tribes to be killed in the war on terror. The tribal memorial service was held Wednesday in the auditorium of the Four Bears Casino and Lodge west of New Town.
Friends and family members talked of Goodiron's love of sports and service to his country. A huge screen showed highlights of his life, as a member of Mandaree's 1999 state tournament basketball team, a soldier training for military duty and a father holding his newborn son.
The service featured drum songs and Hidatsa prayers. The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara make up the Three Affiliated Tribes.
Among those attending were about 50 American Indian veterans.
Goodiron's father, Paul, asked people to remember the soldiers still on duty.
"For every one of them still there, putting their lives in harm's way, I wish I could shake their hands," he said.
Nathan Hale, of Mandaree, a Tribal Council member, remembered how Nathan Goodiron volunteered to dress up as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny to entertain children.
"He was a funny, enjoyable person to be around," Hale said.
"He chose to defend his country. He gave his life for what he believed in," Hale said.
Tribal officials said Goodiron, who joined the Guard in 2001, enjoyed working with computers, and developed a PowePoint program about the tribal constitution. He attended classes at Minot State University.
The commander of the North Dakota National Guard, Maj. Gen. Dave Sprynczynatyk, said Goodiron was a true hero who "made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of all of us."
Harvey Peterson, of Beach, the commander-elect of the American Legion of North Dakota, called Goodiron "truly a noble servant to his nation and to his fellow man."
Survivors include his wife, his son, two stepchildren, his parents and his brother.
Army Cpl. Nathan J. Goodiron was killed in action on 11/23/06.
Larger Images
Army Cpl. Nathan J. Goodiron, 25, of Mandaree, N.D.
Cpl. Goodiron was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery, North Dakota National Guard, Grand Forks, N.D.; died Nov. 23 of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades in Qarabagh, Afghanistan.
With drums, prayers, fallen soldier is honored
By JAMES MacPHERSON
Associated Press Writer
NEW TOWN - Hundreds packed an auditorium to honor a fallen warrior, joining in prayers in Nathan Goodiron's native Hidatsa language and smiling through tears at pictures of his high school basketball games and his time with his newborn son.
"He was proud to be an American soldier, an American Indian soldier. He knew the meaning of the word sacrifice," said Marcus Wells Jr., the chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes. "He was a good son, a good husband and a proud father."
Goodiron, 25, of Mandaree, known on the Fort Berthold reservation as Young Eagle, was killed Thanksgiving Day in Afghanistan when a grenade struck his vehicle while he was on patrol. He was a corporal in the 1st Battalion of the North Dakota National Guard's 188th Air Defense Artillery.
Tribal officials said he was the first member of the Three Affiliated Tribes to be killed in the war on terror. The tribal memorial service was held Wednesday in the auditorium of the Four Bears Casino and Lodge west of New Town.
Friends and family members talked of Goodiron's love of sports and service to his country. A huge screen showed highlights of his life, as a member of Mandaree's 1999 state tournament basketball team, a soldier training for military duty and a father holding his newborn son.
The service featured drum songs and Hidatsa prayers. The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara make up the Three Affiliated Tribes.
Among those attending were about 50 American Indian veterans.
Goodiron's father, Paul, asked people to remember the soldiers still on duty.
"For every one of them still there, putting their lives in harm's way, I wish I could shake their hands," he said.
Nathan Hale, of Mandaree, a Tribal Council member, remembered how Nathan Goodiron volunteered to dress up as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny to entertain children.
"He was a funny, enjoyable person to be around," Hale said.
"He chose to defend his country. He gave his life for what he believed in," Hale said.
Tribal officials said Goodiron, who joined the Guard in 2001, enjoyed working with computers, and developed a PowePoint program about the tribal constitution. He attended classes at Minot State University.
The commander of the North Dakota National Guard, Maj. Gen. Dave Sprynczynatyk, said Goodiron was a true hero who "made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of all of us."
Harvey Peterson, of Beach, the commander-elect of the American Legion of North Dakota, called Goodiron "truly a noble servant to his nation and to his fellow man."
Survivors include his wife, his son, two stepchildren, his parents and his brother.
Army Cpl. Nathan J. Goodiron was killed in action on 11/23/06.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner, 19, of Canton, Ohio
Pvt. Warner was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 22 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Military service a longtime dream
Canton McKinley graduate, in Marines for a year, was proud to be `defending freedom'
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
CANTON - When Heath Warner was 12, he visited Arlington National Cemetery with his family.
Standing at attention, Heath saluted a member of the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The guard gave the boy a subtle hint, a slight wink, letting Heath know that he understood what the boy was feeling at the historic site.
Soon, Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner, 19, will return to Arlington National Cemetery, this time to be buried in the rolling landscape that meant so much to him.
He was among three Marines killed Nov. 22 in a roadside bombing in Iraq.
The young man, who would have turned 20 on Jan. 2, dreamed of going into the military from the time he was 5.
While at Canton McKinley High School, he decided to join the Marines, enlisted in his senior year and by August 2005 -- several weeks after graduation -- was on his way to boot camp.
Inside their home this week, his parents, Scott and Melissa Warner, grabbed a pile of snapshots and pulled out one after another showing Heath as he grew up, determined to serve his country.
There was a picture of him wearing the Army uniform of his grandfather, Randy Metzger, of Bolivar.
Another showed Heath standing at attention and saluting at an Army fort in Virginia.
And one was from seven years ago as he stood at attention and saluted in the cemetery in Arlington, Va.
On graduation day at McKinley, he walked straight as an arrow, like a Marine, as he picked up his diploma.
``This is what he's always wanted to do,'' said his mother, Melissa Warner, 39, a cashier trainer for Sears.
``It was his calling in life,'' she said.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America played a part in Heath's desire to serve his country.
``I remember him over and over saying, `I'm gonna go fight for my country,' '' his mother said.
In the week since his parents learned of his death, they have been comforted by friends and family and even strangers who have stopped by their Canton home to visit or to drop off food, flowers and cards.
Heath was a gunner on a Humvee when he and Lance Cpl. James Davenport, 20, of Danville, Ind., and Lance Cpl. Joshua Alonzo, 21, of Dumas, Texas, were killed while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
The three were part of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, and were based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
As a gunner, he stood on the Humvee.
On his Web site at www.myspace.com/tmarui, he wrote, ``if you are gonna die, die standing up.''
On that Web site, he listed his major as ``Defending Freedom.''
While in Hawaii, he spoke with his family by cell phone, sometimes several times a day.
But after he left for Iraq in early September, the family received only one letter and no phone calls.
The letter was dated Oct. 2 and arrived in Canton on Oct. 28.
Heath wrote that he was studying the Bible and reading The Purpose Driven Life, a religious best-seller by Rick Warren.
``I don't want to talk about it much,'' he said in the letter. ``I get homesick. And you worry.''
In that letter, he told his family he had survived an IED -- an improvised explosive device.
``I know God is watching,'' he wrote.
Father Scott Warner, 43, a financial analyst for the Westfield Group in Medina County, said he and his wife believe Heath was trying to protect his family by not telling them much about what was going on in Iraq.
``Heath was a selfless young man,'' his father said.
The young Marine loved to break dance, was intrigued with martial arts, was teaching himself to speak Japanese and had taken Arabic lessons in the Marines.
A brother, Chandler, 14, described Heath as his best friend.
Losing him, Chandler said, is hard.
``My nerves are shot,'' he said.
His brother's sacrifice, Chandler said, will ``motivate me to do something good with my life.''
Heath has another brother, 7-year-old Ashton.
Father Scott Warner recalled a Memorial Day ceremony at McKinley Monument this year, attended by family of service members who had died in Iraq.
He said he told his wife during the ceremony: ``I pray to God we aren't up there next year.''
Heath didn't like to say goodbye when on the phone with his parents. Instead, he would say, ``talk to you soon'' or something like that, his parents said.
In the last letter to his family were these words in English: ``I love you all,'' followed by this word in Arabic, ``Goodbye.''
For some reason, his mother said, God wanted her son.
``He entrusted him to me,'' Melissa Warner said. ``Our children are definitely a true gift from God.... God needed him and I had to give him back.''
Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner was killed in action on 11/22/06.
For Larger Image
Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner, 19, of Canton, Ohio
Pvt. Warner was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 22 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Military service a longtime dream
Canton McKinley graduate, in Marines for a year, was proud to be `defending freedom'
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
CANTON - When Heath Warner was 12, he visited Arlington National Cemetery with his family.
Standing at attention, Heath saluted a member of the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The guard gave the boy a subtle hint, a slight wink, letting Heath know that he understood what the boy was feeling at the historic site.
Soon, Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner, 19, will return to Arlington National Cemetery, this time to be buried in the rolling landscape that meant so much to him.
He was among three Marines killed Nov. 22 in a roadside bombing in Iraq.
The young man, who would have turned 20 on Jan. 2, dreamed of going into the military from the time he was 5.
While at Canton McKinley High School, he decided to join the Marines, enlisted in his senior year and by August 2005 -- several weeks after graduation -- was on his way to boot camp.
Inside their home this week, his parents, Scott and Melissa Warner, grabbed a pile of snapshots and pulled out one after another showing Heath as he grew up, determined to serve his country.
There was a picture of him wearing the Army uniform of his grandfather, Randy Metzger, of Bolivar.
Another showed Heath standing at attention and saluting at an Army fort in Virginia.
And one was from seven years ago as he stood at attention and saluted in the cemetery in Arlington, Va.
On graduation day at McKinley, he walked straight as an arrow, like a Marine, as he picked up his diploma.
``This is what he's always wanted to do,'' said his mother, Melissa Warner, 39, a cashier trainer for Sears.
``It was his calling in life,'' she said.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America played a part in Heath's desire to serve his country.
``I remember him over and over saying, `I'm gonna go fight for my country,' '' his mother said.
In the week since his parents learned of his death, they have been comforted by friends and family and even strangers who have stopped by their Canton home to visit or to drop off food, flowers and cards.
Heath was a gunner on a Humvee when he and Lance Cpl. James Davenport, 20, of Danville, Ind., and Lance Cpl. Joshua Alonzo, 21, of Dumas, Texas, were killed while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
The three were part of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, and were based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
As a gunner, he stood on the Humvee.
On his Web site at www.myspace.com/tmarui, he wrote, ``if you are gonna die, die standing up.''
On that Web site, he listed his major as ``Defending Freedom.''
While in Hawaii, he spoke with his family by cell phone, sometimes several times a day.
But after he left for Iraq in early September, the family received only one letter and no phone calls.
The letter was dated Oct. 2 and arrived in Canton on Oct. 28.
Heath wrote that he was studying the Bible and reading The Purpose Driven Life, a religious best-seller by Rick Warren.
``I don't want to talk about it much,'' he said in the letter. ``I get homesick. And you worry.''
In that letter, he told his family he had survived an IED -- an improvised explosive device.
``I know God is watching,'' he wrote.
Father Scott Warner, 43, a financial analyst for the Westfield Group in Medina County, said he and his wife believe Heath was trying to protect his family by not telling them much about what was going on in Iraq.
``Heath was a selfless young man,'' his father said.
The young Marine loved to break dance, was intrigued with martial arts, was teaching himself to speak Japanese and had taken Arabic lessons in the Marines.
A brother, Chandler, 14, described Heath as his best friend.
Losing him, Chandler said, is hard.
``My nerves are shot,'' he said.
His brother's sacrifice, Chandler said, will ``motivate me to do something good with my life.''
Heath has another brother, 7-year-old Ashton.
Father Scott Warner recalled a Memorial Day ceremony at McKinley Monument this year, attended by family of service members who had died in Iraq.
He said he told his wife during the ceremony: ``I pray to God we aren't up there next year.''
Heath didn't like to say goodbye when on the phone with his parents. Instead, he would say, ``talk to you soon'' or something like that, his parents said.
In the last letter to his family were these words in English: ``I love you all,'' followed by this word in Arabic, ``Goodbye.''
For some reason, his mother said, God wanted her son.
``He entrusted him to me,'' Melissa Warner said. ``Our children are definitely a true gift from God.... God needed him and I had to give him back.''
Marine Pvt. Heath D. Warner was killed in action on 11/22/06.
For Larger Image
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael D. Scholl
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael D. Scholl, 21, of Lincoln, Neb.
LCpl Scholl was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 14, 2006 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Ed Darack, a freelance photographer, was embedded with Michael D. Scholl's platoon in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2005.
Scholl helped him, giving him anti-malaria pills from his own supply and introducing him to the Afghans he had befriended.
"He was very good at what he did," Darack said. "He was smart and tough and dedicated. The best of the best."
Scholl, 21, of Lincoln, Neb., was killed Nov. 14 by a roadside bomb in Haditha. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Kaneohe Bay.
Scholl had been denied enlistment at first because he was diagnosed with a kidney condition, but he obtained a medical waiver.
He went through a troubled time when his older brother, Trenton, died in 2000. But he turned it around and graduated from high school at 17.
Scholl worked at a McDonald's and a convenience store. He studied briefly at Southeast Community College, and he was active in a car club, where he met Erich Kaiser.
"He was just one of those kids," Kaiser said. "He brought a whole new kind of life to our club."
He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and infant daughter, Addison Rose.
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael D. Scholl was killed in action on 11/14/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael D. Scholl, 21, of Lincoln, Neb.
LCpl Scholl was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 14, 2006 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Ed Darack, a freelance photographer, was embedded with Michael D. Scholl's platoon in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2005.
Scholl helped him, giving him anti-malaria pills from his own supply and introducing him to the Afghans he had befriended.
"He was very good at what he did," Darack said. "He was smart and tough and dedicated. The best of the best."
Scholl, 21, of Lincoln, Neb., was killed Nov. 14 by a roadside bomb in Haditha. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Kaneohe Bay.
Scholl had been denied enlistment at first because he was diagnosed with a kidney condition, but he obtained a medical waiver.
He went through a troubled time when his older brother, Trenton, died in 2000. But he turned it around and graduated from high school at 17.
Scholl worked at a McDonald's and a convenience store. He studied briefly at Southeast Community College, and he was active in a car club, where he met Erich Kaiser.
"He was just one of those kids," Kaiser said. "He brought a whole new kind of life to our club."
He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and infant daughter, Addison Rose.
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael D. Scholl was killed in action on 11/14/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez, 21, of La Puente, Calif.
LCpl Gonzalez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 14, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez, 21, La Puente; killed in explosion
Hector Becerra | Times Staff Writer
They always got a laugh as they related the story about how the young man who would grow up to be a strapping Marine got seasick while fishing as a boy with his father.
Mario Gonzalez and his son of the same name had to debark and walk three hours in the Baja California sand to their car.
"We would always talk about it," said the elder Gonzalez, 48, of La Puente. "And everyone laughed. He was always trying to find a smile in everyone."
The stories that the young Marine told when he first went overseas, to Afghanistan, were more serious. Yet his father was always impressed by his calm, the tone of his voice, his refusal to linger on the bad.
Iraq was different. The few times that Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez, 21, called, the strain in his voice jarred his father. So did the stories that crept out, reluctantly.
"He sounded fatigued, and he sounded worried," his father said. "He told me, 'Don't worry, Dad.' But I understood that they were in constant danger. They slept with their weapons ready. They had their uniforms and body armor all the time."
The elder Gonzalez and his wife would light a votive candle, place it on an altar for the Virgin of Guadalupe and pray.
Their son, who grew up with his father in La Puente, was killed Nov. 14 by an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
The elder Gonzalez said his son, whose middle name was Daniel and who went by Danny, liked to go camping and fishing with the family while growing up. They would go to Mexico or Kings Canyon National Park.
He said his son struggled in school for a while and went to a continuation school, where he studied harder and graduated. He began working full time, unloading trucks, his father said, but increasingly began to focus on his dream of being a police officer. "Ever since he was 8 or 9, he wanted to be a cop," his father said.
More than two years ago, Gonzalez joined the Marine Corps. He told his father that it would give him the experience to become a policeman.
Last year, he spent eight months in Afghanistan. His family would send him energy drinks and other items, and he would tell stories about firefights. But he always closed their conversations with reassurances.
"He would say, 'Hey, we're all right, Dad, don't worry. I have to do what I have to do to get back,' " his father recalled.
The Marine returned from Afghanistan early this year, saddened by the death of a friend. He wore a black armband.
Back with his family, he liked to cook with his brother, Gustavo Gonzalez, 16. He liked his father's cooking, especially barbecued ribs. Before he left for Iraq, his father asked what he could cook for him. The Marine looked at him with a smile and an incredulous look and replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: "Ribs, Dad!"
In September, the Marine was deployed to Iraq. His father pressed his family to write to him. They did, though not as much as they would later wish.
But they thought he would be back. They had gone to church as a family to pray. They had lighted candles at a makeshift altar.
When Marines knocked on the door of his home, the elder Gonzalez invited them in. They asked him to take a seat, and he knew. His wife, Enedelia Garza, the Marine's stepmother, saw them and burst into tears. "But we lit a candle for him so that he would be OK," she said, crying.
In addition to his father, stepmother and brother Gustavo, Gonzalez is survived by his mother, Patricia Arreola of Baldwin Park; two other brothers, Ricardo Gonzalez, 24, and Rogelio Morales, 17; and a sister, Karina Gonzalez, 17. He was buried with military honors at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Covina Hills.
Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez was killed in action on 11/14/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez, 21, of La Puente, Calif.
LCpl Gonzalez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 14, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez, 21, La Puente; killed in explosion
Hector Becerra | Times Staff Writer
They always got a laugh as they related the story about how the young man who would grow up to be a strapping Marine got seasick while fishing as a boy with his father.
Mario Gonzalez and his son of the same name had to debark and walk three hours in the Baja California sand to their car.
"We would always talk about it," said the elder Gonzalez, 48, of La Puente. "And everyone laughed. He was always trying to find a smile in everyone."
The stories that the young Marine told when he first went overseas, to Afghanistan, were more serious. Yet his father was always impressed by his calm, the tone of his voice, his refusal to linger on the bad.
Iraq was different. The few times that Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez, 21, called, the strain in his voice jarred his father. So did the stories that crept out, reluctantly.
"He sounded fatigued, and he sounded worried," his father said. "He told me, 'Don't worry, Dad.' But I understood that they were in constant danger. They slept with their weapons ready. They had their uniforms and body armor all the time."
The elder Gonzalez and his wife would light a votive candle, place it on an altar for the Virgin of Guadalupe and pray.
Their son, who grew up with his father in La Puente, was killed Nov. 14 by an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
The elder Gonzalez said his son, whose middle name was Daniel and who went by Danny, liked to go camping and fishing with the family while growing up. They would go to Mexico or Kings Canyon National Park.
He said his son struggled in school for a while and went to a continuation school, where he studied harder and graduated. He began working full time, unloading trucks, his father said, but increasingly began to focus on his dream of being a police officer. "Ever since he was 8 or 9, he wanted to be a cop," his father said.
More than two years ago, Gonzalez joined the Marine Corps. He told his father that it would give him the experience to become a policeman.
Last year, he spent eight months in Afghanistan. His family would send him energy drinks and other items, and he would tell stories about firefights. But he always closed their conversations with reassurances.
"He would say, 'Hey, we're all right, Dad, don't worry. I have to do what I have to do to get back,' " his father recalled.
The Marine returned from Afghanistan early this year, saddened by the death of a friend. He wore a black armband.
Back with his family, he liked to cook with his brother, Gustavo Gonzalez, 16. He liked his father's cooking, especially barbecued ribs. Before he left for Iraq, his father asked what he could cook for him. The Marine looked at him with a smile and an incredulous look and replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: "Ribs, Dad!"
In September, the Marine was deployed to Iraq. His father pressed his family to write to him. They did, though not as much as they would later wish.
But they thought he would be back. They had gone to church as a family to pray. They had lighted candles at a makeshift altar.
When Marines knocked on the door of his home, the elder Gonzalez invited them in. They asked him to take a seat, and he knew. His wife, Enedelia Garza, the Marine's stepmother, saw them and burst into tears. "But we lit a candle for him so that he would be OK," she said, crying.
In addition to his father, stepmother and brother Gustavo, Gonzalez is survived by his mother, Patricia Arreola of Baldwin Park; two other brothers, Ricardo Gonzalez, 24, and Rogelio Morales, 17; and a sister, Karina Gonzalez, 17. He was buried with military honors at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Covina Hills.
Marine Lance Cpl. Mario D. Gonzalez was killed in action on 11/14/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy W. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy W. Brown, 21, of Sacramento, Calif.
LCpl Brown was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 14, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Brown was an assaultman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
Brown joined the Marine Corps Sept. 2005 and reported to Hawaii March 2006. He deployed to Iraq Sept. 2006.
His awards include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Timothy Wayne Brown was born on April 17, 1985. Then, on November 14, 2006 was tragically taken from us in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
Remembered for being a Lance Corporal with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary force.
To his friends and family Timothy will be remembered as a one of a kind man that was very proud to serve his country.
Timothy's hobbies included: shooting, collecting guns and knives, working on cars, wrestling with his fellow marines back on base in Hawaii, and spending time with his fiancee, Ashley Milami.
Timothy will forever be honored; he gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
He was extremely loved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed, but will never be forgotten.
Timothy is preceded in death by: Brother William Weaver Brown and Grandfather (Opa), Walter Ganz. Timothy is survived by: Mother, Susan C. Brown, Father, Richard K. Brown, Brother, Richard K. Brown Jr., Sister, Sabrina D. Brown, Grandparents, Joe and Elma Brown, Babs Brown, and Ruth Ganz, Great aunt, Thea Loffelhart, and Fiancee Ashley M. Brown.
The family would also like to send their deepest condolences to the families of Lance Corporal Mario D Gonzalez (La Puente, California) and Lance Corporal Michael D. Scholl (Lincoln, Nebraska), who were also killed with Timothy in Al Anbar province, Iraq on November 14, 2006.
Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy W. Brown was killed on 11/14/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy W. Brown, 21, of Sacramento, Calif.
LCpl Brown was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Nov. 14, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Brown was an assaultman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
Brown joined the Marine Corps Sept. 2005 and reported to Hawaii March 2006. He deployed to Iraq Sept. 2006.
His awards include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Timothy Wayne Brown was born on April 17, 1985. Then, on November 14, 2006 was tragically taken from us in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
Remembered for being a Lance Corporal with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary force.
To his friends and family Timothy will be remembered as a one of a kind man that was very proud to serve his country.
Timothy's hobbies included: shooting, collecting guns and knives, working on cars, wrestling with his fellow marines back on base in Hawaii, and spending time with his fiancee, Ashley Milami.
Timothy will forever be honored; he gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
He was extremely loved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed, but will never be forgotten.
Timothy is preceded in death by: Brother William Weaver Brown and Grandfather (Opa), Walter Ganz. Timothy is survived by: Mother, Susan C. Brown, Father, Richard K. Brown, Brother, Richard K. Brown Jr., Sister, Sabrina D. Brown, Grandparents, Joe and Elma Brown, Babs Brown, and Ruth Ganz, Great aunt, Thea Loffelhart, and Fiancee Ashley M. Brown.
The family would also like to send their deepest condolences to the families of Lance Corporal Mario D Gonzalez (La Puente, California) and Lance Corporal Michael D. Scholl (Lincoln, Nebraska), who were also killed with Timothy in Al Anbar province, Iraq on November 14, 2006.
Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy W. Brown was killed on 11/14/06.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Army Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez, 24, of Chapel Hill, N.C.
SSgt. Martinez was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Giessen, Germany; died Nov. 11 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were: Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II and Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez.
The military expected too much of Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez, who died when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Iraq, his father said.
"He went there (to Iraq) already, twice," said Juan Antonio Martinez, weary from several sleepless nights.
Misael Martinez, 24, of Chapel Hill was killed Saturday when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, the military said. His family planned to bury him Thursday.
Martinez, a combat engineer, was on his third tour in Iraq. His parents said they last spoke with their son Oct. 31, when he said he wouldn't be able to call again for several days.
The explosion also killed Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II, 29, of Saginaw, Mich., and Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez, 22, of Pacoima, Calif. All three soldiers were assigned to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division based at Giessen, Germany.
Martinez joined the Army after graduating from Orange High School in 2000, telling his parents he needed discipline.
"He said he wanted to do something for people," his mother, Rosala Martinez, said. "I think he did it because he's a hero."
The family remembered Misael Martinez playing pickup baseball games and fishing in University Lake. Juan Antonio Martinez said his son was a bit of a prankster but was humble and respectful.
The second of four children, he had hoped to attend college, his mother said.
"You know the rest," she said
Army Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez was killed in action on 11/11/06.
Army Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez, 24, of Chapel Hill, N.C.
SSgt. Martinez was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Giessen, Germany; died Nov. 11 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were: Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II and Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez.
The military expected too much of Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez, who died when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Iraq, his father said.
"He went there (to Iraq) already, twice," said Juan Antonio Martinez, weary from several sleepless nights.
Misael Martinez, 24, of Chapel Hill was killed Saturday when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, the military said. His family planned to bury him Thursday.
Martinez, a combat engineer, was on his third tour in Iraq. His parents said they last spoke with their son Oct. 31, when he said he wouldn't be able to call again for several days.
The explosion also killed Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II, 29, of Saginaw, Mich., and Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez, 22, of Pacoima, Calif. All three soldiers were assigned to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division based at Giessen, Germany.
Martinez joined the Army after graduating from Orange High School in 2000, telling his parents he needed discipline.
"He said he wanted to do something for people," his mother, Rosala Martinez, said. "I think he did it because he's a hero."
The family remembered Misael Martinez playing pickup baseball games and fishing in University Lake. Juan Antonio Martinez said his son was a bit of a prankster but was humble and respectful.
The second of four children, he had hoped to attend college, his mother said.
"You know the rest," she said
Army Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez was killed in action on 11/11/06.
Army Staff Sgt. William S. "Jack" Jackson II
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II, 29, of Saginaw, Michigan
SSgt. Jackson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Giessen, Germany; died Nov. 11 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were: Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez and Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez.
A Saginaw Township father of four who had survived a tour of duty in Afghanistan was killed on Veterans Day by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Army Staff Sergeant William S. Jackson II, known to friends and family as Jack, died along with two of his comrades when their vehicle was blown up Saturday in Ramadi.
Jackson is one of three soldiers who died from an explosive detonated near their vehicle in Ramadi, Iraq, November 11, 2006. All were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, in Giessen, Germany
Jackson, 29, was a native of Maine who moved to the Saginaw area after he met his Michigan-born wife, Katie, said his mother-in-law, Kathy Layer. The couple had met at Northland Baptist Bible College in Dunbar, Wisconsin.
"He just lived to get home and be back with his family again," Layer said. "He was just a great husband and a great father."
Jackson's last visit home came after the birth of his only daughter six months ago. His death leaves the children, all younger than six, to be raised by his widow.
"Her family is here, so she does have the support of her family and certainly her church family, as well," said Pastor Mark Hazen of Immanuel Bible Church in Saginaw.
Jackson was serving in the Marines when he fought in Afghanistan. He left that branch of the service after returning to the United States, his mother-in-law said.
"He was out for a time, and then he went into the Army," Layer said. "He comes from a very military family, and this was a goal his whole life. It was a mutual decision, though" between him and his wife "when he went back in."
Jackson was serving in the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, based in Giessen, Germany. Funeral arrangements are pending.
"They're just a wonderful family," Hazen said of the Jacksons. "Certainly Jack loved the Lord and loved his family. He loved his wife, and he loved his country. He was a wonderful man, and we'll dearly miss him."
Layer agreed.
"It's very difficult," she said. "But Jack was a Christian. He knew the Lord was his savior, and we believe he's in heaven today. And that's a great comfort to us."
FAMILY SAYS GOODBYE TO SLAIN SOLDIER COURTESY OF THE SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, NEWS
More than 300 people paid tribute to another fallen soldier Saturday during an hour-long service commemorating U.S. Army Staff Sergeant William S. "Jack" Jackson II of Saginaw Township, Michigan.
The memorial featured tearful eulogies, a photo album presentation and memories of a 29-year-old man who "seemed to know a little about everything."
Jackson died in Iraq on November 11, 2006 - Veterans Day - with two fellow soldiers when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations.
His family plans to bury the Thomaston, Maine, native at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia during a 9 a.m. Wednesday funeral.
Saturday's service at First Baptist Church of Bridgeport, 2400 King, began with a eulogy by Rev. Mark Hazen, who told the crowd about Jackson's worldly, friendly nature via a letter sent by one of the soldiers stationed with Jackson in Iraq.
"Jack was awesome at everything he did," Hazen read from a letter authored by James O'Connell.
O'Connell wrote about Jackson's overseas efforts to learn Arabic and musical instruments such as the penny whistle and ukelele. "Our neighbors preferred his ukelele to the penny whistle," O'Connell's correspondence continued, getting a laugh from the audience.
The letter went on to paint a picture of a man who loved the coast of Maine and often told tales of the industry associated with the port. "It was expected that every night there was fish on the menu, we would hear another fish story," the letter continued.
O'Connell described Jackson's prankster streak, which he exercised by writing "ridiculous" entries in other people's journals, setting mouse traps on the floors of sleeping bunkmates and convincing one fellow soldier with Irish lineage that his family actually descended from Wales.
A musical photo presentation followed, setting the soft strumming sounds of a guitar alongside a video montage of Jackson's life -- from a childhood playing across Maine's coastline to his last visit to Saginaw in April for the birth of his daughter, Hannah S. Jackson.
His other children are Zachariah W. Jackson, 6; Levi D. Jackson, 4; and Samuel M. Jackson, 2.
Jackson's brother-in-law, Benjamin E. Layer, delivered the day's final eulogy.
He compared Jackson's life to the white gold band that made his wedding ring. "When white gold is mined, it has no value," Layer said. "It has great potential. First, it has to be heated up, filed, then a jeweler can make it into something very valuable."
Jackson lived life trying to make the most of it, Layer said: "Jack didn't die in vain."
The service ended with a 21-gun salute from soldiers outside the church.
Jackson served in the U.S. Marines for four years -- 1998-2002 -- before joining the Army. While in the Marines, he served in Afghanistan.
He supported Operation Iraqi Freedom in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, as a member of the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, headquartered in Giessen, Germany, military records show.
He was in Iraq since the beginning of the year.
Jackson met his future wife, Katie M. Jackson, 31, while both were attending Northland Baptist Bible College in Dunbar, Wisconsin. Both joined the military.
The couple later relocated to the Saginaw area so they could live closer to her relatives.
With a growing family, Jackson left the service after his eight-month tour in Afghanistan and was thinking about returning to college to study marine biology.
Army Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II was killed in action on 11/11/06.
For Larger Images
Army Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II, 29, of Saginaw, Michigan
SSgt. Jackson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Giessen, Germany; died Nov. 11 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were: Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez and Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez.
A Saginaw Township father of four who had survived a tour of duty in Afghanistan was killed on Veterans Day by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Army Staff Sergeant William S. Jackson II, known to friends and family as Jack, died along with two of his comrades when their vehicle was blown up Saturday in Ramadi.
Jackson is one of three soldiers who died from an explosive detonated near their vehicle in Ramadi, Iraq, November 11, 2006. All were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, in Giessen, Germany
Jackson, 29, was a native of Maine who moved to the Saginaw area after he met his Michigan-born wife, Katie, said his mother-in-law, Kathy Layer. The couple had met at Northland Baptist Bible College in Dunbar, Wisconsin.
"He just lived to get home and be back with his family again," Layer said. "He was just a great husband and a great father."
Jackson's last visit home came after the birth of his only daughter six months ago. His death leaves the children, all younger than six, to be raised by his widow.
"Her family is here, so she does have the support of her family and certainly her church family, as well," said Pastor Mark Hazen of Immanuel Bible Church in Saginaw.
Jackson was serving in the Marines when he fought in Afghanistan. He left that branch of the service after returning to the United States, his mother-in-law said.
"He was out for a time, and then he went into the Army," Layer said. "He comes from a very military family, and this was a goal his whole life. It was a mutual decision, though" between him and his wife "when he went back in."
Jackson was serving in the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, based in Giessen, Germany. Funeral arrangements are pending.
"They're just a wonderful family," Hazen said of the Jacksons. "Certainly Jack loved the Lord and loved his family. He loved his wife, and he loved his country. He was a wonderful man, and we'll dearly miss him."
Layer agreed.
"It's very difficult," she said. "But Jack was a Christian. He knew the Lord was his savior, and we believe he's in heaven today. And that's a great comfort to us."
FAMILY SAYS GOODBYE TO SLAIN SOLDIER COURTESY OF THE SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, NEWS
More than 300 people paid tribute to another fallen soldier Saturday during an hour-long service commemorating U.S. Army Staff Sergeant William S. "Jack" Jackson II of Saginaw Township, Michigan.
The memorial featured tearful eulogies, a photo album presentation and memories of a 29-year-old man who "seemed to know a little about everything."
Jackson died in Iraq on November 11, 2006 - Veterans Day - with two fellow soldiers when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations.
His family plans to bury the Thomaston, Maine, native at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia during a 9 a.m. Wednesday funeral.
Saturday's service at First Baptist Church of Bridgeport, 2400 King, began with a eulogy by Rev. Mark Hazen, who told the crowd about Jackson's worldly, friendly nature via a letter sent by one of the soldiers stationed with Jackson in Iraq.
"Jack was awesome at everything he did," Hazen read from a letter authored by James O'Connell.
O'Connell wrote about Jackson's overseas efforts to learn Arabic and musical instruments such as the penny whistle and ukelele. "Our neighbors preferred his ukelele to the penny whistle," O'Connell's correspondence continued, getting a laugh from the audience.
The letter went on to paint a picture of a man who loved the coast of Maine and often told tales of the industry associated with the port. "It was expected that every night there was fish on the menu, we would hear another fish story," the letter continued.
O'Connell described Jackson's prankster streak, which he exercised by writing "ridiculous" entries in other people's journals, setting mouse traps on the floors of sleeping bunkmates and convincing one fellow soldier with Irish lineage that his family actually descended from Wales.
A musical photo presentation followed, setting the soft strumming sounds of a guitar alongside a video montage of Jackson's life -- from a childhood playing across Maine's coastline to his last visit to Saginaw in April for the birth of his daughter, Hannah S. Jackson.
His other children are Zachariah W. Jackson, 6; Levi D. Jackson, 4; and Samuel M. Jackson, 2.
Jackson's brother-in-law, Benjamin E. Layer, delivered the day's final eulogy.
He compared Jackson's life to the white gold band that made his wedding ring. "When white gold is mined, it has no value," Layer said. "It has great potential. First, it has to be heated up, filed, then a jeweler can make it into something very valuable."
Jackson lived life trying to make the most of it, Layer said: "Jack didn't die in vain."
The service ended with a 21-gun salute from soldiers outside the church.
Jackson served in the U.S. Marines for four years -- 1998-2002 -- before joining the Army. While in the Marines, he served in Afghanistan.
He supported Operation Iraqi Freedom in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, as a member of the 1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, headquartered in Giessen, Germany, military records show.
He was in Iraq since the beginning of the year.
Jackson met his future wife, Katie M. Jackson, 31, while both were attending Northland Baptist Bible College in Dunbar, Wisconsin. Both joined the military.
The couple later relocated to the Saginaw area so they could live closer to her relatives.
With a growing family, Jackson left the service after his eight-month tour in Afghanistan and was thinking about returning to college to study marine biology.
Army Staff Sgt. William S. Jackson II was killed in action on 11/11/06.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Army Sgt. 1st Class William R. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class William R. Brown, 30, of Fort Worth, Texas
SFC Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Nov. 6, 2006 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy vehicle in Sperwan-Gar, Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class William Brown, 30, was killed in action Nov. 6, when an Improvised Explosive Device detonated near his Humvee in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar while deployed in support of combat operations. He was a senior Special Forces weapons sergeant, assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group here.
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in August 2006, he had already served one tour of duty in Iraq and was on his second tour in Afghanistan..
On June 2nd, two weeks after graduating from Brewer High School in White Settlement, Texas in 1994. Brown enlisted in the US Army as an Infantryman.
After completing Basic, Advanced Individual Training and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
In 2002, Brown was selected for duty as a U.S. Army Recruiter and served in Dallas, Texas.
In 2004, Brown volunteered for Special Forces Training and upon completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Fort Bragg, N.C. as a Senior A Detachment Weapons Sergeant, He was with the 3rd 3rd Special Forces Group until his death.
Brown's mother, Anita Walton of Boyd said her son was "perfect." "He's one I never got a call on," said the mother of five. "I've been up to the school many times, but with him, I never got a call one time."
Sgt. Brown was born at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, He grew up in White Settlement, where he played football from youth leagues through high school, his mother said.
Sgt. Brown served six months in Iraq about a year after the invasion. He was in Afghanistan late last year and returned there early this summer, his mother said.
"He loved it, being out in the field doing what they trained him to do," Ms. Walton said.
"One time I said, 'What do you do?' and he said, 'Mom, do you really want to know?' "
"He died for our country," his mother said. "He was patriotic to the end. He was doing what he loved to do."
He will be buried in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. "He would like that," his mother said.
Awards and Decorations
The Bronze Star Medal for Valor, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, U.S. Army Recruiter Badge (silver), Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.
Army Sgt. 1st Class William R. Brow was killed in action on 11/6/06.
Army Sgt. 1st Class William R. Brown, 30, of Fort Worth, Texas
SFC Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Nov. 6, 2006 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy vehicle in Sperwan-Gar, Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class William Brown, 30, was killed in action Nov. 6, when an Improvised Explosive Device detonated near his Humvee in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar while deployed in support of combat operations. He was a senior Special Forces weapons sergeant, assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group here.
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in August 2006, he had already served one tour of duty in Iraq and was on his second tour in Afghanistan..
On June 2nd, two weeks after graduating from Brewer High School in White Settlement, Texas in 1994. Brown enlisted in the US Army as an Infantryman.
After completing Basic, Advanced Individual Training and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
In 2002, Brown was selected for duty as a U.S. Army Recruiter and served in Dallas, Texas.
In 2004, Brown volunteered for Special Forces Training and upon completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Fort Bragg, N.C. as a Senior A Detachment Weapons Sergeant, He was with the 3rd 3rd Special Forces Group until his death.
Brown's mother, Anita Walton of Boyd said her son was "perfect." "He's one I never got a call on," said the mother of five. "I've been up to the school many times, but with him, I never got a call one time."
Sgt. Brown was born at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, He grew up in White Settlement, where he played football from youth leagues through high school, his mother said.
Sgt. Brown served six months in Iraq about a year after the invasion. He was in Afghanistan late last year and returned there early this summer, his mother said.
"He loved it, being out in the field doing what they trained him to do," Ms. Walton said.
"One time I said, 'What do you do?' and he said, 'Mom, do you really want to know?' "
"He died for our country," his mother said. "He was patriotic to the end. He was doing what he loved to do."
He will be buried in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. "He would like that," his mother said.
Awards and Decorations
The Bronze Star Medal for Valor, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, U.S. Army Recruiter Badge (silver), Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.
Army Sgt. 1st Class William R. Brow was killed in action on 11/6/06.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Marine 2nd Lt. Mark C. Gelina
Remember Our Heroes
Marine 2nd Lt. Mark C. Gelina, 33, of Moberly, Mo.
2nd Lt. Gelina was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Nov. 4 from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. The incident is under investigation.
A Marine who grew up in Moberly and attended MU for officer training died Saturday in Iraq.
Mark C. Gelina, a second lieutenant, died during a combat operation in Al-Anbar province in western Iraq. He was 33.
Cmdr. Lynn Smith of the Naval ROTC unit at MU said Gelina died while he was preparing a battle position and fell off a roof, according to information from the Marine Mobilization Command in Kansas City. The Defense Department on Tuesday confirmed that Gelina was killed in a nonhostile incident.
Gelina was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, according to the Department of Defense. He was most recently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., before being deployed to Iraq.
A Defense Department spokesman said Gelina’s unit was assigned to train and work alongside Iraqi forces to deny insurgent activities.
Gelina graduated from MU in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, according to the university registrar. He was a member of the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program and a 10-year veteran of the Marine Corps.
The education program enables enlisted Marines to attend one of the 70 universities in the U.S. that have ROTC programs. After attending a preparatory school, students work toward a bachelor’s degree at the university of their choice. Upon graduation, they become commissioned officers, attending the Basic School at Quantico, Va., for six months and then receiving specialty assignments, said Capt. J. Basil Read III, the commanding officer of the Navy ROTC at MU and one of Gelina’s former professors.
Participants in the program are career-oriented Marines selected to get a college degree and a commission, Read said. “The top enlisted Marines in the country are chosen for this,” he said.
At MU, Gelina was president of the Semper Fi society, planned the Navy/Marine Corps ball and mentored other students. He also trained and led teams in drill, rifle and pistol skills at competitions around the country.
“Just about his entire tenure here spoke to leadership,” Read said. “He was a Marine’s Marine. He was the type of leader that other Marines wanted to emulate.”
Staff Sgt. Scott Kates, a junior at MU, said Gelina worked hard but also enjoyed spending time outdoors and with his three children.
“He was just an all around fun guy,” Kates said. “He knew when it was time to work and when it was time to play.”
Read said that to his knowledge, Gelina was the first MU alum from the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program to have been killed in Iraq.
“He got to do what he wanted to do, which was go lead Marines,” Read said.
Marine 2nd Lt. Mark C. Gelina died on 11/04/06.
Marine 2nd Lt. Mark C. Gelina, 33, of Moberly, Mo.
2nd Lt. Gelina was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Nov. 4 from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. The incident is under investigation.
A Marine who grew up in Moberly and attended MU for officer training died Saturday in Iraq.
Mark C. Gelina, a second lieutenant, died during a combat operation in Al-Anbar province in western Iraq. He was 33.
Cmdr. Lynn Smith of the Naval ROTC unit at MU said Gelina died while he was preparing a battle position and fell off a roof, according to information from the Marine Mobilization Command in Kansas City. The Defense Department on Tuesday confirmed that Gelina was killed in a nonhostile incident.
Gelina was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, according to the Department of Defense. He was most recently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., before being deployed to Iraq.
A Defense Department spokesman said Gelina’s unit was assigned to train and work alongside Iraqi forces to deny insurgent activities.
Gelina graduated from MU in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, according to the university registrar. He was a member of the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program and a 10-year veteran of the Marine Corps.
The education program enables enlisted Marines to attend one of the 70 universities in the U.S. that have ROTC programs. After attending a preparatory school, students work toward a bachelor’s degree at the university of their choice. Upon graduation, they become commissioned officers, attending the Basic School at Quantico, Va., for six months and then receiving specialty assignments, said Capt. J. Basil Read III, the commanding officer of the Navy ROTC at MU and one of Gelina’s former professors.
Participants in the program are career-oriented Marines selected to get a college degree and a commission, Read said. “The top enlisted Marines in the country are chosen for this,” he said.
At MU, Gelina was president of the Semper Fi society, planned the Navy/Marine Corps ball and mentored other students. He also trained and led teams in drill, rifle and pistol skills at competitions around the country.
“Just about his entire tenure here spoke to leadership,” Read said. “He was a Marine’s Marine. He was the type of leader that other Marines wanted to emulate.”
Staff Sgt. Scott Kates, a junior at MU, said Gelina worked hard but also enjoyed spending time outdoors and with his three children.
“He was just an all around fun guy,” Kates said. “He knew when it was time to work and when it was time to play.”
Read said that to his knowledge, Gelina was the first MU alum from the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program to have been killed in Iraq.
“He got to do what he wanted to do, which was go lead Marines,” Read said.
Marine 2nd Lt. Mark C. Gelina died on 11/04/06.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Marine Cpl. Michael H. Lasky
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Michael H. Lasky, 22, of Sterling, Alaska
Cpl. Lasky was assigned to the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; killed Nov. 2 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Alaska Marine dies on second tour of Iraq
By TATABOLINE BRANT
Anchorage Daily News
A 22-year-old Sterling man who grew up in Alaska and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq was killed in combat last week, leaving behind a wife and 1-year-old daughter, Liberty Lynn, who was born during his first tour.
Cpl. Michael H. Lasky is the third member of Alaska’s single, small Marine unit to die in Iraq since the war began in 2003. The other men killed were from Salcha and Anchorage.
Donn Lasky and his wife, Carol, learned of their son’s death early Friday, when a Suburban with a military team in it pulled into their long, private driveway in Soldotna around 1 a.m.
Donn Lasky said in a telephone interview Saturday that he woke up when the family’s dogs started barking. The two parents were grief-stricken when they looked outside and, at first, were reluctant to open the door. Donn said his wife broke down, repeating, “No, no, go away.”
“Last thing we wanted to see was a Marine standing there in front of our house,” Donn said.
Finally, Donn opened the door and asked the Marines who had come to do the notification to come back around 7 a.m., he said. The men didn’t deliver the news about Michael on that first visit, the family said. “They didn’t have to. We knew,” Donn said.
A prepared statement released Saturday by the Department of Defense said only that Lasky was killed “while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province.”
Lasky was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve’s 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Calls to the small unit’s offices in Anchorage on Saturday were not returned. The Lasky family moved to Alaska in the late 1970s. Donn Lasky was in the Navy then and was twice stationed at the now-defunct Adak naval base, on the Aleutian chain. Michael Lasky attended elementary school on the remote island before his family relocated to the Kenai Peninsula.
Marine Cpl. Michael H. Lasky was killed in action on 11/02/06.
Larger Images
Marine Cpl. Michael H. Lasky, 22, of Sterling, Alaska
Cpl. Lasky was assigned to the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; killed Nov. 2 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Alaska Marine dies on second tour of Iraq
By TATABOLINE BRANT
Anchorage Daily News
A 22-year-old Sterling man who grew up in Alaska and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq was killed in combat last week, leaving behind a wife and 1-year-old daughter, Liberty Lynn, who was born during his first tour.
Cpl. Michael H. Lasky is the third member of Alaska’s single, small Marine unit to die in Iraq since the war began in 2003. The other men killed were from Salcha and Anchorage.
Donn Lasky and his wife, Carol, learned of their son’s death early Friday, when a Suburban with a military team in it pulled into their long, private driveway in Soldotna around 1 a.m.
Donn Lasky said in a telephone interview Saturday that he woke up when the family’s dogs started barking. The two parents were grief-stricken when they looked outside and, at first, were reluctant to open the door. Donn said his wife broke down, repeating, “No, no, go away.”
“Last thing we wanted to see was a Marine standing there in front of our house,” Donn said.
Finally, Donn opened the door and asked the Marines who had come to do the notification to come back around 7 a.m., he said. The men didn’t deliver the news about Michael on that first visit, the family said. “They didn’t have to. We knew,” Donn said.
A prepared statement released Saturday by the Department of Defense said only that Lasky was killed “while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province.”
Lasky was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve’s 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Calls to the small unit’s offices in Anchorage on Saturday were not returned. The Lasky family moved to Alaska in the late 1970s. Donn Lasky was in the Navy then and was twice stationed at the now-defunct Adak naval base, on the Aleutian chain. Michael Lasky attended elementary school on the remote island before his family relocated to the Kenai Peninsula.
Marine Cpl. Michael H. Lasky was killed in action on 11/02/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. James E. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. James E. Brown, 20, of Owensville, Ind.
LCpl Brown was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Nov. 2, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
OWENSVILLE - Lance Cpl. James Eric Brown, USMC, 20, was killed in action in Habbanijah, Iraq, on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006.
He was born on Jan. 12, 1986, in Evansville. He was preceded in death by his father, Edward Van Antwerp.
He was a member of the First General Baptist Church in Owensville.
James graduated from Gibson Southern High School in 2005. He was the captain of the football team his senior year and was awarded the Most Valuable Player, Iron Man Award, Best Offensive Lineman, All PAC Conference team and earned state honorable mention as a linebacker. He also was a two-time Golden Gloves champion.
After high school graduation he left for boot camp on June 19, 2005. He graduated boot camp as Private First Class on Sept. 16, 2005. Then, he went on to the school of infantry at Camp Geigu, graduating Dec. 22, 2005. He joined his unit, the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines II Expeditionary Forces, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C. In April 2006, James was promoted to lance corporal. He was deployed to Iraq on July 11, 2006.
James loved fishing, hunting and most of all being with his family.
Surviving are his mother, Joanne Van Antwerp; sister, Carma Marie Dart, and a brother, Dillen Andrew Friend, all of Owensville; his fiancee, Jamie Coleman, whom he was to wed upon his arrival home; aunts, Barbara (Dennis) DeLong, Mary (Kevin) Hess and Tammy Brown; uncles, Roger (Ginger) Brown and Jack (Karen) Brown; and loving great-aunts, cousins and friends.
Fallen but not forgotten, Semper Fidelis.
Memorials may be made to Dollar for Scholars in memory of James E. Brown to establish a scholarship fund.
Marine Lance Cpl. James E. Brown was killed in action on 11/2/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. James E. Brown, 20, of Owensville, Ind.
LCpl Brown was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Nov. 2, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
OWENSVILLE - Lance Cpl. James Eric Brown, USMC, 20, was killed in action in Habbanijah, Iraq, on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006.
He was born on Jan. 12, 1986, in Evansville. He was preceded in death by his father, Edward Van Antwerp.
He was a member of the First General Baptist Church in Owensville.
James graduated from Gibson Southern High School in 2005. He was the captain of the football team his senior year and was awarded the Most Valuable Player, Iron Man Award, Best Offensive Lineman, All PAC Conference team and earned state honorable mention as a linebacker. He also was a two-time Golden Gloves champion.
After high school graduation he left for boot camp on June 19, 2005. He graduated boot camp as Private First Class on Sept. 16, 2005. Then, he went on to the school of infantry at Camp Geigu, graduating Dec. 22, 2005. He joined his unit, the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines II Expeditionary Forces, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C. In April 2006, James was promoted to lance corporal. He was deployed to Iraq on July 11, 2006.
James loved fishing, hunting and most of all being with his family.
Surviving are his mother, Joanne Van Antwerp; sister, Carma Marie Dart, and a brother, Dillen Andrew Friend, all of Owensville; his fiancee, Jamie Coleman, whom he was to wed upon his arrival home; aunts, Barbara (Dennis) DeLong, Mary (Kevin) Hess and Tammy Brown; uncles, Roger (Ginger) Brown and Jack (Karen) Brown; and loving great-aunts, cousins and friends.
Fallen but not forgotten, Semper Fidelis.
Memorials may be made to Dollar for Scholars in memory of James E. Brown to establish a scholarship fund.
Marine Lance Cpl. James E. Brown was killed in action on 11/2/06.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Marine Lance Cpl. Minhee Kim
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Minhee Kim, 20, of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Lance Cpl. Kim was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Lansing, Mich.; died Nov. 1 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Hundreds mourn Ann Arbor Marine
20-year-old Andy Kim's faith remembered
Friday, November 10, 2006
BY JO COLLINS MATHIS
News Staff Reporter
On her son's 20th birthday two weeks ago, Mi Hea Kim waited in her Ann Arbor home for a phone call or e-mail from Iraq.
She was worried because it had been about a week since she'd heard from Andy, who had sounded tired and mentioned how difficult his duties had become. The day passed with no word.
On Thursday night, Mi Hea Kim wept and hugged her son's still body as Marines stood guard on either side of his flag-draped casket.
Lance Cpl. Andy Kim, who died in Iraq Nov. 1 of a gunshot wound to the neck during combat duty, was honored during an emotional six-hour viewing, Marine Corps League ceremony, funeral service and reception at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Jackson Road in Scio Township.
Some people, perhaps expecting a closed casket, broke into tears as soon as they entered the building and saw Kim's body at rest. On one side of the casket was his serious Marine portrait. On the other, was a portrait of the Andy they all knew: smiling and relaxed.
Only the sound of soft hymns and people crying broke the silence during the viewing and visitation. Still, the evening had an overriding theme of hope and eternal life, as many spoke of Kim's faith in resurrection through Jesus Christ.
Most of the 500 or so mourners were, like Kim, of Korean descent. And many had worshipped with Kim at the Harvest Mission Community Church in Ann Arbor, where Kim had become a fervent Christian while a sophomore at Pioneer High School.
Kim's close friend, Jean Lee, said Kim would have loved the evening's emphasis on the eternal rather than temporal.
"He was a man of passion and good integrity,'' she said. "I know God fulfilled his purpose for Andy, and I'm really proud of him.''
His friend, Jaehyup Chun, noted that Kim said he was "ready to face anything'' before he left for Iraq in September.
Chun recalled the day he felt compelled to pray for his friend recently.
"God spoke to me in a powerful way and said, 'Andy is so safe in Christ. Andy is so secure in the Lord.' And that day was Nov. 1, 2006.''
Shawn Ashley, who was Kim's speech and composition teacher at Pioneer High, recalled how Kim had an easy-going, fun spirit. Ashley said after graduation, Kim came back to visit a couple of times, and the two talked about his decision to join the military.
"He said he understood the risks, and that it was what he wanted to do,'' he said.
His parents said he had wanted to join the Marines since he was a boy.
Dozens of Marines from all wars since World War II came to show their respects in the formal Marine Corps League ceremony, complete with bagpipes.
"It's a heart-wrenching service,'' said Tony Gillum of Belleville, a Vietnam veteran with the Marine Corps League. "But it's a needed service to help them draw closure to their son who gave his life ... who gave everything, his tomorrows, his children, his family for this country.''
At the end of the visitation, Kim's family took turns saying goodbye as onlookers fought back tears. When the funeral director slowly closed the casket, Mi Hea Kim leaned over, as if to gaze at her son's face until the last second.
The funeral service included a slide show of Kim in various activities, playing his guitar, jumping in the air with friends, at graduation. Also included was a clip of Kim talking to a group at church, and explaining how his relationship with God had given him a new reason to live.
Marine Sgt. Jesse Lake said he met Kim on June 25, 2005, the day Kim joined Charlie Company. He said he was always the first to volunteer, no matter the task.
"I asked some of the Marines in Charlie Company to describe him as he was in Iraq,'' he said. "The Marines who knew him best wrote: 'We were always in awe of his ability to be so soft-spoken in demeanor, yet to fight with such tenacity.
"Lance Cpl. Kim was an outstanding Marine. His smile and uplifting spirit will be missed by the Marines in Charlie Company.
"Semper fideles.'''
Marine Lance Cpl. Minhee Kim was killed in action on 11/01/06.
Marine Lance Cpl. Minhee Kim, 20, of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Lance Cpl. Kim was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Lansing, Mich.; died Nov. 1 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Hundreds mourn Ann Arbor Marine
20-year-old Andy Kim's faith remembered
Friday, November 10, 2006
BY JO COLLINS MATHIS
News Staff Reporter
On her son's 20th birthday two weeks ago, Mi Hea Kim waited in her Ann Arbor home for a phone call or e-mail from Iraq.
She was worried because it had been about a week since she'd heard from Andy, who had sounded tired and mentioned how difficult his duties had become. The day passed with no word.
On Thursday night, Mi Hea Kim wept and hugged her son's still body as Marines stood guard on either side of his flag-draped casket.
Lance Cpl. Andy Kim, who died in Iraq Nov. 1 of a gunshot wound to the neck during combat duty, was honored during an emotional six-hour viewing, Marine Corps League ceremony, funeral service and reception at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Jackson Road in Scio Township.
Some people, perhaps expecting a closed casket, broke into tears as soon as they entered the building and saw Kim's body at rest. On one side of the casket was his serious Marine portrait. On the other, was a portrait of the Andy they all knew: smiling and relaxed.
Only the sound of soft hymns and people crying broke the silence during the viewing and visitation. Still, the evening had an overriding theme of hope and eternal life, as many spoke of Kim's faith in resurrection through Jesus Christ.
Most of the 500 or so mourners were, like Kim, of Korean descent. And many had worshipped with Kim at the Harvest Mission Community Church in Ann Arbor, where Kim had become a fervent Christian while a sophomore at Pioneer High School.
Kim's close friend, Jean Lee, said Kim would have loved the evening's emphasis on the eternal rather than temporal.
"He was a man of passion and good integrity,'' she said. "I know God fulfilled his purpose for Andy, and I'm really proud of him.''
His friend, Jaehyup Chun, noted that Kim said he was "ready to face anything'' before he left for Iraq in September.
Chun recalled the day he felt compelled to pray for his friend recently.
"God spoke to me in a powerful way and said, 'Andy is so safe in Christ. Andy is so secure in the Lord.' And that day was Nov. 1, 2006.''
Shawn Ashley, who was Kim's speech and composition teacher at Pioneer High, recalled how Kim had an easy-going, fun spirit. Ashley said after graduation, Kim came back to visit a couple of times, and the two talked about his decision to join the military.
"He said he understood the risks, and that it was what he wanted to do,'' he said.
His parents said he had wanted to join the Marines since he was a boy.
Dozens of Marines from all wars since World War II came to show their respects in the formal Marine Corps League ceremony, complete with bagpipes.
"It's a heart-wrenching service,'' said Tony Gillum of Belleville, a Vietnam veteran with the Marine Corps League. "But it's a needed service to help them draw closure to their son who gave his life ... who gave everything, his tomorrows, his children, his family for this country.''
At the end of the visitation, Kim's family took turns saying goodbye as onlookers fought back tears. When the funeral director slowly closed the casket, Mi Hea Kim leaned over, as if to gaze at her son's face until the last second.
The funeral service included a slide show of Kim in various activities, playing his guitar, jumping in the air with friends, at graduation. Also included was a clip of Kim talking to a group at church, and explaining how his relationship with God had given him a new reason to live.
Marine Sgt. Jesse Lake said he met Kim on June 25, 2005, the day Kim joined Charlie Company. He said he was always the first to volunteer, no matter the task.
"I asked some of the Marines in Charlie Company to describe him as he was in Iraq,'' he said. "The Marines who knew him best wrote: 'We were always in awe of his ability to be so soft-spoken in demeanor, yet to fight with such tenacity.
"Lance Cpl. Kim was an outstanding Marine. His smile and uplifting spirit will be missed by the Marines in Charlie Company.
"Semper fideles.'''
Marine Lance Cpl. Minhee Kim was killed in action on 11/01/06.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Army Sgt. Kraig D. Foyteck
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Kraig D. Foyteck, 26, of Skokie, Ill.
Sgt. Foyteck was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; died Oct. 30 from injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations in Baghdad.
LaPorte family mourns son's death in Iraq
IRAQ WAR: Kraig Foyteck killed while on extended tour
BY ROBYN MONAGHAN
nwitimes.com
LAPORTE | Seconds after she watched herself as a grieving military mom sobbing on a midday television newscast, Connie Foyteck's cell phone rang.
It was the call this LaPorte mom had been waiting for -- word from the wife of a soldier who had been with her son when he was killed in Iraq early Monday morning.
Until Wednesday afternoon, Foyteck didn't know whether her oldest son, Sgt. Kraig Foyteck, had been killed by a bullet or a bomb.
She still doesn't know if she'll ever see his body.
"He was shot three times?" Foyteck said into her cell.
"The first two went into his vest, but the third one went into his neck," she repeated calmly. "He said Kraig didn't feel a thing?"
But, Jen Parsons, whose husband, Sgt. Kirt Parsons, saw Connie Foyteck's son die as he searched houses in an Iraqi town called Mahala, couldn't tell the heartbroken mother what she yearned to know the most.
Were the remains of her son so mutilated she would never be able to see his body? Two days after he died, the Army hadn't told her, either.
"That's the most devastating part is that I may not even be able to see his body," Foyteck said, breaking into tears. "I have to see him. I have to hold him one more time."
Extended tours
In the Iraq conflict's fourth deadliest month, Kraig Foyteck was among the one-third of American casualties already scheduled to be home. According to a recent report, 105 American soldiers were killed in Iraq during October. About 30 percent were on their second or third tours, according to a Chicago Tribune poll.
Foyteck, 26, with the 2-1 Infantry 172nd Brigade, had bought his airline ticket to come home last August. He was told the day before his flight he would have to stay up to another year. But he had heard he would be heading back to the States by Thanksgiving, his mother said.
In his last e-mail, sent Sunday evening, Kraig told his mom he was shopping for an airline ticket home at Christmastime.
"They already killed us once when they didn't let him come home when he was supposed to," Connie Foyteck said.
The worst news possible came knocking on her door in the form of an Army messenger about 8 p.m. Monday.
"I never, ever expected that man to come to my door," she said. "We were in the home stretch. It was the last thing on my mind."
Daredevil, practical joker
Kraig Foyteck enlisted in the Army in 2003, before the Iraq war erupted. He and his mother never talked about the possibility that Kraig, known as an adventure-seeking practical joker, would ever see combat. After a year of college and some time working as a computer salesman, the 1998 Niles West High School graduate enlisted.
"I think it was the daredevil in him," Connie Foyteck said.
Kraig Foyteck was an accomplished diver. He loved to ski, boat, ride snowmobiles and parachute.
"He had a way of bringing people together," said Eric Chan, a Winnetka teacher who was a close friend of Foyteck for a decade since the two worked together at the Skokie pool.
Barbara Giannelli, who works in the office at Niles West, remembers the pranks he pulled at school. He taped her phone receiver button down, then called her. He linked her paper clips together.
"He enjoyed himself," Giannelli said. "He didn't take himself too seriously."
Honoring their friend
Foyteck's fellow soldiers held a funeral ceremony for him in Iraq on Wednesday, his mother said.
Jen Parsons told Connie Foyteck a group of soldiers at Fort Wainwright Army Base near Fairbanks Ala., where her son was based, is holding a memorial for him today.
Connie Foyteck, whose parents Virginia and Henry (Jack) Foyteck are from LaPorte, recently moved back to her hometown after years in Skokie, where Kraig grew up and she still works for the village of Skokie. She has another son, Christopher Mastas, 20.
The Foytecks plan to hold a military funeral in Skokie. They'll schedule it as soon as the Army tells them when Kraig's body will be coming home, Connie Foyteck said.
Army Sgt. Kraig D. Foyteck was killed in action on 10/30/06.
Larger Images
Army Sgt. Kraig D. Foyteck, 26, of Skokie, Ill.
Sgt. Foyteck was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; died Oct. 30 from injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations in Baghdad.
LaPorte family mourns son's death in Iraq
IRAQ WAR: Kraig Foyteck killed while on extended tour
BY ROBYN MONAGHAN
nwitimes.com
LAPORTE | Seconds after she watched herself as a grieving military mom sobbing on a midday television newscast, Connie Foyteck's cell phone rang.
It was the call this LaPorte mom had been waiting for -- word from the wife of a soldier who had been with her son when he was killed in Iraq early Monday morning.
Until Wednesday afternoon, Foyteck didn't know whether her oldest son, Sgt. Kraig Foyteck, had been killed by a bullet or a bomb.
She still doesn't know if she'll ever see his body.
"He was shot three times?" Foyteck said into her cell.
"The first two went into his vest, but the third one went into his neck," she repeated calmly. "He said Kraig didn't feel a thing?"
But, Jen Parsons, whose husband, Sgt. Kirt Parsons, saw Connie Foyteck's son die as he searched houses in an Iraqi town called Mahala, couldn't tell the heartbroken mother what she yearned to know the most.
Were the remains of her son so mutilated she would never be able to see his body? Two days after he died, the Army hadn't told her, either.
"That's the most devastating part is that I may not even be able to see his body," Foyteck said, breaking into tears. "I have to see him. I have to hold him one more time."
Extended tours
In the Iraq conflict's fourth deadliest month, Kraig Foyteck was among the one-third of American casualties already scheduled to be home. According to a recent report, 105 American soldiers were killed in Iraq during October. About 30 percent were on their second or third tours, according to a Chicago Tribune poll.
Foyteck, 26, with the 2-1 Infantry 172nd Brigade, had bought his airline ticket to come home last August. He was told the day before his flight he would have to stay up to another year. But he had heard he would be heading back to the States by Thanksgiving, his mother said.
In his last e-mail, sent Sunday evening, Kraig told his mom he was shopping for an airline ticket home at Christmastime.
"They already killed us once when they didn't let him come home when he was supposed to," Connie Foyteck said.
The worst news possible came knocking on her door in the form of an Army messenger about 8 p.m. Monday.
"I never, ever expected that man to come to my door," she said. "We were in the home stretch. It was the last thing on my mind."
Daredevil, practical joker
Kraig Foyteck enlisted in the Army in 2003, before the Iraq war erupted. He and his mother never talked about the possibility that Kraig, known as an adventure-seeking practical joker, would ever see combat. After a year of college and some time working as a computer salesman, the 1998 Niles West High School graduate enlisted.
"I think it was the daredevil in him," Connie Foyteck said.
Kraig Foyteck was an accomplished diver. He loved to ski, boat, ride snowmobiles and parachute.
"He had a way of bringing people together," said Eric Chan, a Winnetka teacher who was a close friend of Foyteck for a decade since the two worked together at the Skokie pool.
Barbara Giannelli, who works in the office at Niles West, remembers the pranks he pulled at school. He taped her phone receiver button down, then called her. He linked her paper clips together.
"He enjoyed himself," Giannelli said. "He didn't take himself too seriously."
Honoring their friend
Foyteck's fellow soldiers held a funeral ceremony for him in Iraq on Wednesday, his mother said.
Jen Parsons told Connie Foyteck a group of soldiers at Fort Wainwright Army Base near Fairbanks Ala., where her son was based, is holding a memorial for him today.
Connie Foyteck, whose parents Virginia and Henry (Jack) Foyteck are from LaPorte, recently moved back to her hometown after years in Skokie, where Kraig grew up and she still works for the village of Skokie. She has another son, Christopher Mastas, 20.
The Foytecks plan to hold a military funeral in Skokie. They'll schedule it as soon as the Army tells them when Kraig's body will be coming home, Connie Foyteck said.
Army Sgt. Kraig D. Foyteck was killed in action on 10/30/06.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Conrad Hollis
Remember Our Heroes
Fellow soldier, former principal remember Conrad Hollis
By Michael McCollum
cdispatch.com
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 11:26 AM CST
Danny Browning woke early Saturday morning to a call from one of his men in the Mississippi National Guard with the news that Conrad Hollis, a soldier under his command, had been shot and killed.
“I was his first sergeant and that's a call you never want to get,” said Browning who also coached Hollis on the New Hope High School football team. “Especially after all that boy has gone through for his country in Iraq and he's cut down by a low-life thug on the streets of America that he fought to defend.”
Hollis, 21, was shot to death shortly before 12:45 a.m. Saturday after leaving a concert on The University of Alabama campus, where he was enrolled as a freshman.
Hollis had attended a homecoming concert at the university with friends and was leaving the campus when the vehicle he was riding in rear-ended another vehicle, according to police.
The drivers did not file a report on the accident, and the vehicles left the scene. When the driver of the car Hollis was riding in got home, he noticed the other vehicle was following him.
Hollis got out of the car and was shot, police said.
“I was devastated when I got the news,” Browning said. “He was a real good kid and a first class soldier. I was with him in Iraq and he was one of the best soldiers I had. I was real proud of him.”
Hollis joined the armed forces in his junior year of high school and finished basic training right after graduating from New Hope High School in 2004. Browning added that Hollis had said his dream was to go to The University of Alabama.
“Conrad was doing what every soldier seems to do these days - put his time in, then get an education,” Browning said. “When he was in high school he came to me and asked about the military. I never pushed him, but I told him it better lead to an education.”
Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Mike Halford, who was Hollis' principal at New Hope High School, described Hollis as quiet and thoughtful.
“I knew Conrad not only as a student, but also as the child of a very close friend,” said Halford who stressed the past few days have been miserable. “He was always amicable and didn't say a whole lot, but he had a lot of ability.”
He noted that Hollis had become interested in serving his country while in high school and saw Browning as a role model.
“It's just a shame and it's hard to understand how he fulfilled his dream of serving his country and then was killed just one semester into fulfilling another dream of attending the University of Alabama.”
Hollis was the son of Eric and Sara Hollis of New Hope.
Conrad Hollis was killed on 10/27/06.
Fellow soldier, former principal remember Conrad Hollis
By Michael McCollum
cdispatch.com
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 11:26 AM CST
Danny Browning woke early Saturday morning to a call from one of his men in the Mississippi National Guard with the news that Conrad Hollis, a soldier under his command, had been shot and killed.
“I was his first sergeant and that's a call you never want to get,” said Browning who also coached Hollis on the New Hope High School football team. “Especially after all that boy has gone through for his country in Iraq and he's cut down by a low-life thug on the streets of America that he fought to defend.”
Hollis, 21, was shot to death shortly before 12:45 a.m. Saturday after leaving a concert on The University of Alabama campus, where he was enrolled as a freshman.
Hollis had attended a homecoming concert at the university with friends and was leaving the campus when the vehicle he was riding in rear-ended another vehicle, according to police.
The drivers did not file a report on the accident, and the vehicles left the scene. When the driver of the car Hollis was riding in got home, he noticed the other vehicle was following him.
Hollis got out of the car and was shot, police said.
“I was devastated when I got the news,” Browning said. “He was a real good kid and a first class soldier. I was with him in Iraq and he was one of the best soldiers I had. I was real proud of him.”
Hollis joined the armed forces in his junior year of high school and finished basic training right after graduating from New Hope High School in 2004. Browning added that Hollis had said his dream was to go to The University of Alabama.
“Conrad was doing what every soldier seems to do these days - put his time in, then get an education,” Browning said. “When he was in high school he came to me and asked about the military. I never pushed him, but I told him it better lead to an education.”
Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Mike Halford, who was Hollis' principal at New Hope High School, described Hollis as quiet and thoughtful.
“I knew Conrad not only as a student, but also as the child of a very close friend,” said Halford who stressed the past few days have been miserable. “He was always amicable and didn't say a whole lot, but he had a lot of ability.”
He noted that Hollis had become interested in serving his country while in high school and saw Browning as a role model.
“It's just a shame and it's hard to understand how he fulfilled his dream of serving his country and then was killed just one semester into fulfilling another dream of attending the University of Alabama.”
Hollis was the son of Eric and Sara Hollis of New Hope.
Conrad Hollis was killed on 10/27/06.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Marine Pfc. Daniel B. Chaires
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Daniel B. Chaires, 20, of Tallahassee, Fla.
Pfc. Chaires was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Oct. 25 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
By Gerald Ensley
DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER
Harry Chaires remained stoic through most of his son's funeral. But when a U.S. Marine captain knelt and handed him the folded American flag from the casket, Chaires began to tremble and weep.
He was not alone. More than 1,000 people thronged to Chaires, a small community east of Tallahassee, on Thursday for the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Chaires, 20, who was killed in combat in Iraq. Almost all left with tear-stained faces. It is impossible not to grieve the loss of the young who serve their country.
Chaires was killed Oct. 25 in a gun battle with Iraqi insurgents. He is at least the sixth resident of Leon and surrounding counties to die in Afghanistan or Iraq since this war began.
Chaires had deep roots in Tallahassee. He was descended from one of Leon County's pioneer families. His father, Harry Chaires, is a retired Leon County Sheriff's Office captain; his mother, Nanna Cuchens, is a former hospital emergency-room director who now teaches at Florida State University.
Those ties and Daniel Chaires' military service drew an inordinately large crowd for a funeral that was an evocative blend of military custom and Old South tradition.
The funeral service was held in the Chaires United Methodist Church, which Chaires attended from childhood through his enlistment in the Marines a year ago. Only 150 people could be shoehorned into the church; the remainder stood outside listening to the service through speakers. The crowd included Chaires' relatives, neighbors, colleagues and students, cadres of law enforcement, military, university and government officials, plus numerous local residents who didn't know the family but were moved by their loss.
Three pastors, one of Daniel's older brothers and a retired U.S. Navy officer delivered eulogies. Six Marines flanked his casket throughout the 55-minute service; his Marine hat, saber and gloves sat on a table to the side.
A bagpiper played "Amazing Grace." A brass quintet played the Marine Corps hymn. A singer and guitarist performed "God Bless the U.S.A."
After the service, the Marines carried the casket to a horse-drawn wagon, which carried Chaires to a grave behind his parents' home. The procession of mourners walking behind the wagon stretched the entire quarter mile on Chaires Cross Road between the church and home. Students and teachers from Chaires Elementary School stood along the road, holding small U.S. flags. The bagpiper played "Danny Boy."
Chaires' casket was laid over a grave his father prepared in a clearing behind the family home, flanked by dogwood trees, azalea bushes and a newly planted flagpole. Marines fired a 21-gun salute. The flag was presented to Harry Chaires.
It was a touching pageant.
"I've been to funerals for heads of state that weren't this nice," said former Florida Lt. Gov. Bobby Brantley, a Chaires family friend. "It really fit this community."
Chaires was emblematic of the Chaires community, which was settled in the 1820s by his ancestors. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman who was home-schooled and served as chief companion to his late grandfather - famously ferrying his grandfather over community fields and roads in a golf cart long before he was of driving age.
"He was proud to be part of this Chaires community," said his older brother, Todd Chaires. "He was the true definition of a Southern gentleman. He had the ability to melt you with his 'yes sirs' and 'no sirs' to everyone, no matter their age. I never saw that child without a smile on his face."
All three pastors, including Daniel Chaires' uncle, Anthony Cuchens, seconded Daniel's affection for his community - and his family.
"I don't know that I ever met a young man who loved his mother and father more than he did, y'all," said Cuchens, nodding at Daniel's parents. "Hang on to that. Daniel's love will always be there for you."
The most stirring eulogy came from retired Navy officer Jim Whyte, who teaches in the Florida State College of Nursing along with Daniel's mother. Whyte began his military career in the Marines and pronounced Marines "a cut above" other people. He said they are unabashedly trained to be "warriors" and said Daniel Chaires made the "same sacrifice for family and country" as all previous Marines killed in war.
"Daniel was not a victim of circumstances; this was no accident," Whyte said. "Instead of running for cover, Daniel chose to move as the point man through the kill zone. He willingly gave his most precious possession for his comrades.
"Thank God for Daniel Chaires. Let us never forget he did this for us."
Marine Pfc. Daniel B. Chaires was killed in action on 10/25/06.
Marine Pfc. Daniel B. Chaires, 20, of Tallahassee, Fla.
Pfc. Chaires was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Oct. 25 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
By Gerald Ensley
DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER
Harry Chaires remained stoic through most of his son's funeral. But when a U.S. Marine captain knelt and handed him the folded American flag from the casket, Chaires began to tremble and weep.
He was not alone. More than 1,000 people thronged to Chaires, a small community east of Tallahassee, on Thursday for the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Chaires, 20, who was killed in combat in Iraq. Almost all left with tear-stained faces. It is impossible not to grieve the loss of the young who serve their country.
Chaires was killed Oct. 25 in a gun battle with Iraqi insurgents. He is at least the sixth resident of Leon and surrounding counties to die in Afghanistan or Iraq since this war began.
Chaires had deep roots in Tallahassee. He was descended from one of Leon County's pioneer families. His father, Harry Chaires, is a retired Leon County Sheriff's Office captain; his mother, Nanna Cuchens, is a former hospital emergency-room director who now teaches at Florida State University.
Those ties and Daniel Chaires' military service drew an inordinately large crowd for a funeral that was an evocative blend of military custom and Old South tradition.
The funeral service was held in the Chaires United Methodist Church, which Chaires attended from childhood through his enlistment in the Marines a year ago. Only 150 people could be shoehorned into the church; the remainder stood outside listening to the service through speakers. The crowd included Chaires' relatives, neighbors, colleagues and students, cadres of law enforcement, military, university and government officials, plus numerous local residents who didn't know the family but were moved by their loss.
Three pastors, one of Daniel's older brothers and a retired U.S. Navy officer delivered eulogies. Six Marines flanked his casket throughout the 55-minute service; his Marine hat, saber and gloves sat on a table to the side.
A bagpiper played "Amazing Grace." A brass quintet played the Marine Corps hymn. A singer and guitarist performed "God Bless the U.S.A."
After the service, the Marines carried the casket to a horse-drawn wagon, which carried Chaires to a grave behind his parents' home. The procession of mourners walking behind the wagon stretched the entire quarter mile on Chaires Cross Road between the church and home. Students and teachers from Chaires Elementary School stood along the road, holding small U.S. flags. The bagpiper played "Danny Boy."
Chaires' casket was laid over a grave his father prepared in a clearing behind the family home, flanked by dogwood trees, azalea bushes and a newly planted flagpole. Marines fired a 21-gun salute. The flag was presented to Harry Chaires.
It was a touching pageant.
"I've been to funerals for heads of state that weren't this nice," said former Florida Lt. Gov. Bobby Brantley, a Chaires family friend. "It really fit this community."
Chaires was emblematic of the Chaires community, which was settled in the 1820s by his ancestors. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman who was home-schooled and served as chief companion to his late grandfather - famously ferrying his grandfather over community fields and roads in a golf cart long before he was of driving age.
"He was proud to be part of this Chaires community," said his older brother, Todd Chaires. "He was the true definition of a Southern gentleman. He had the ability to melt you with his 'yes sirs' and 'no sirs' to everyone, no matter their age. I never saw that child without a smile on his face."
All three pastors, including Daniel Chaires' uncle, Anthony Cuchens, seconded Daniel's affection for his community - and his family.
"I don't know that I ever met a young man who loved his mother and father more than he did, y'all," said Cuchens, nodding at Daniel's parents. "Hang on to that. Daniel's love will always be there for you."
The most stirring eulogy came from retired Navy officer Jim Whyte, who teaches in the Florida State College of Nursing along with Daniel's mother. Whyte began his military career in the Marines and pronounced Marines "a cut above" other people. He said they are unabashedly trained to be "warriors" and said Daniel Chaires made the "same sacrifice for family and country" as all previous Marines killed in war.
"Daniel was not a victim of circumstances; this was no accident," Whyte said. "Instead of running for cover, Daniel chose to move as the point man through the kill zone. He willingly gave his most precious possession for his comrades.
"Thank God for Daniel Chaires. Let us never forget he did this for us."
Marine Pfc. Daniel B. Chaires was killed in action on 10/25/06.
Marine Pfc. Donald S. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Donald S. Brown, 19, of Succasunna, N.J.
Pfc Brown was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Oct. 25, 2006 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Hadithah, Iraq.
Hometown to honor Marine killed 5 years ago in Iraq
By Matt Manochio
(Morristown, N.J.) Daily Record
ROXBURY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The township will honorarily name Eyland Avenue after a native son who grew up along that street and who was killed while serving in Iraq as a Marine in 2006.
Yellow signs with "L Cpl Don Brown Ave" in red lettering will be placed above approximately eight of the 20 Eyland Avenue street signs that line the road, said Connie Gouck, and administrative assistant for the township.
They officially will be unveiled July 18 at the Eyland and Hillside avenues intersection, near the home where Brown, a 2005 Roxbury High School graduate, grew up. Brown was 19 when he was killed.
"Every organization, every group that I have contacted has been nothing but generous and accommodating [asking] what can we do to help," Gouck said of the effort to honor Brown, who was killed along with three other Marines on Oct. 25, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Anbar province.
Township councilman Martin Schmidt, himself a Vietnam veteran and former commander of the Morris County chapter of the Disabled American Veterans, said he's been working on renaming Eyland for Brown for three years.
"Any kid that gets hurt in combat, or killed like that, they're kind of our own," Schmidt said. "I didn't know him well, but I knew him before he went into the service. ... He was a nice young kid. When he got killed in action, there are no words to describe it."
Schmidt said he got the idea because of the way the Army names buildings in honor of its war dead.
"To me that is one of the ultimate honors that we can give to these kids who give their lives," he said, adding that Roxbury passed a resolution to make the sign official.
Gouck said Brown's family is expected to attend, as will a Marine Corps Color Guard and bagpipers.
She said Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., is hoping to procure an American flag that flew over the Capitol Building so it can be presented to the family.
The Morris County Freeholders Board also is expected to present the Browns with a distinguished service award.
Marine Pfc. Donald S. Brown was killed in action on 10/25/06.
Marine Pfc. Donald S. Brown, 19, of Succasunna, N.J.
Pfc Brown was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Oct. 25, 2006 from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Hadithah, Iraq.
Hometown to honor Marine killed 5 years ago in Iraq
By Matt Manochio
(Morristown, N.J.) Daily Record
ROXBURY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The township will honorarily name Eyland Avenue after a native son who grew up along that street and who was killed while serving in Iraq as a Marine in 2006.
Yellow signs with "L Cpl Don Brown Ave" in red lettering will be placed above approximately eight of the 20 Eyland Avenue street signs that line the road, said Connie Gouck, and administrative assistant for the township.
They officially will be unveiled July 18 at the Eyland and Hillside avenues intersection, near the home where Brown, a 2005 Roxbury High School graduate, grew up. Brown was 19 when he was killed.
"Every organization, every group that I have contacted has been nothing but generous and accommodating [asking] what can we do to help," Gouck said of the effort to honor Brown, who was killed along with three other Marines on Oct. 25, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Anbar province.
Township councilman Martin Schmidt, himself a Vietnam veteran and former commander of the Morris County chapter of the Disabled American Veterans, said he's been working on renaming Eyland for Brown for three years.
"Any kid that gets hurt in combat, or killed like that, they're kind of our own," Schmidt said. "I didn't know him well, but I knew him before he went into the service. ... He was a nice young kid. When he got killed in action, there are no words to describe it."
Schmidt said he got the idea because of the way the Army names buildings in honor of its war dead.
"To me that is one of the ultimate honors that we can give to these kids who give their lives," he said, adding that Roxbury passed a resolution to make the sign official.
Gouck said Brown's family is expected to attend, as will a Marine Corps Color Guard and bagpipers.
She said Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., is hoping to procure an American flag that flew over the Capitol Building so it can be presented to the family.
The Morris County Freeholders Board also is expected to present the Browns with a distinguished service award.
Marine Pfc. Donald S. Brown was killed in action on 10/25/06.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Army Specialist Matthew W. Creed
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Matthew W. Creed, 23, of Covina, California
Specialist Creed was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Oct. 22 of injuries sustained when their patrol came in contact with enemy forces in Baghdad. Also killed was Spc. Nathaniel A. Aguirre.
Covina man dreamed of becoming a police officer
By Phil Drake Staff Writer
Matthew Creed COVINA - Army Spc. Matthew Creed called his mother about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, excited that within 45 days he would be out of Iraq and stationed back in the United States.
He was making plans, one of which was to buy his first new vehicle.
"I am coming home," his mother, Kimberly, 45, recalled him saying. "He was real excited about that.
"One of the last things he said to me was `I love you mom.' I told him to be careful."
He promised he would.
The next day, the 2001 Charter Oak High School graduate was killed by a sniper's bullet in Baghdad while on foot patrol.
He was 23.
Creed was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
As of Wednesday, at least 2,804 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Creed was the 19th person from the San Gabriel Valley to die in the war.
Matthew Creed had been in the military since 2003, his father, Richard, 47, said Wednesday in a telephone interview from the Rancho Cucamonga home they have lived in for two months.
He wanted to become a police officer, and interviewed with the Covina Police Department. He learned he was not qualified and someone suggested he go into the military to gain experience, Richard Creed said.
Matthew was friends with Scott Hanson, the Covina police sergeant who died in July from injuries he suffered during a 2003 vehicle crash.
Family members said the friendship had "a good effect on Matt."
Matthew Creed had a job making sandwiches at Blimpie's in San Dimas when he decided to join the Army.
He was was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., for boot camp, followed by a year in Korea. After that, he was offered an assignment in Washington, D.C., but asked to be sent to a combat unit so that he could perform the duties that he had been trained for, Richard Creed said.
Richard Creed said one of Matthew's nephews may have pegged him best:
"He sometimes made bad decisions but whatever he did he went 100 mph and never looked back. But he always ended up doing a good job."
They remember when he was 4 or 5 and had been watching a television show about paramedics.
Later, they found him in the back yard. He was wearing his fire helmet and doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on his teddy bear.
Other than his parents, Matthew is survived by his wife, Ashley, and brother, James, 19.
Services are pending, his parents said, but added they would likely be at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Covina.
Matthew Creed signed his leave papers on Saturday and would have been out of Iraq by December. He was also getting a month's vacation.
He called his mom to tell her the good news.
After 40 minutes he had to hang up.
He had to go to work.
Army Specialist Matthew W. Creed was killed in action on 10/22/06.
Army Specialist Matthew W. Creed, 23, of Covina, California
Specialist Creed was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Oct. 22 of injuries sustained when their patrol came in contact with enemy forces in Baghdad. Also killed was Spc. Nathaniel A. Aguirre.
Covina man dreamed of becoming a police officer
By Phil Drake Staff Writer
Matthew Creed COVINA - Army Spc. Matthew Creed called his mother about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, excited that within 45 days he would be out of Iraq and stationed back in the United States.
He was making plans, one of which was to buy his first new vehicle.
"I am coming home," his mother, Kimberly, 45, recalled him saying. "He was real excited about that.
"One of the last things he said to me was `I love you mom.' I told him to be careful."
He promised he would.
The next day, the 2001 Charter Oak High School graduate was killed by a sniper's bullet in Baghdad while on foot patrol.
He was 23.
Creed was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
As of Wednesday, at least 2,804 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Creed was the 19th person from the San Gabriel Valley to die in the war.
Matthew Creed had been in the military since 2003, his father, Richard, 47, said Wednesday in a telephone interview from the Rancho Cucamonga home they have lived in for two months.
He wanted to become a police officer, and interviewed with the Covina Police Department. He learned he was not qualified and someone suggested he go into the military to gain experience, Richard Creed said.
Matthew was friends with Scott Hanson, the Covina police sergeant who died in July from injuries he suffered during a 2003 vehicle crash.
Family members said the friendship had "a good effect on Matt."
Matthew Creed had a job making sandwiches at Blimpie's in San Dimas when he decided to join the Army.
He was was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., for boot camp, followed by a year in Korea. After that, he was offered an assignment in Washington, D.C., but asked to be sent to a combat unit so that he could perform the duties that he had been trained for, Richard Creed said.
Richard Creed said one of Matthew's nephews may have pegged him best:
"He sometimes made bad decisions but whatever he did he went 100 mph and never looked back. But he always ended up doing a good job."
They remember when he was 4 or 5 and had been watching a television show about paramedics.
Later, they found him in the back yard. He was wearing his fire helmet and doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on his teddy bear.
Other than his parents, Matthew is survived by his wife, Ashley, and brother, James, 19.
Services are pending, his parents said, but added they would likely be at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Covina.
Matthew Creed signed his leave papers on Saturday and would have been out of Iraq by December. He was also getting a month's vacation.
He called his mom to tell her the good news.
After 40 minutes he had to hang up.
He had to go to work.
Army Specialist Matthew W. Creed was killed in action on 10/22/06.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Army Cpl. David M. Unger
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. David M. Unger, 21, of Leavenworth, Kansas.
Cpl. Unger was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He died Oct. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were 2nd Lt. Christopher E. Loudon, 23, of Brockport, Pa., Cpl. Russell G. Culbertson III, 22, of Amity, Pa. and Spc. Joseph C. Dumas Jr., 25, of New Orleans.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- A soldier from Leavenworth who reveled in making others laugh has died in Iraq, his mother said.
The Department of Defense has not released the official details of Army Cpl. David Unger's death.
His mother, Diana Pitts, told KMBC her son was killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device struck his armored Humvee. At least two other soldiers also were killed, she said.
"The only way I can remember my son is he made everybody laugh," Pitts said. "For almost 22 years, he was the rock of our family."
Unger, who graduated from Leavenworth High School in 2003, would have celebrated his birthday on Halloween. He leaves behind a wife, Laura Unger, and a son and daughter.
Laura Unger said she met David in high school.
"I was best friends with him in high school, that's how we ended up married," she said.
They both went into the Army and were stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. She got out to raise their son.
Then, David got the call to head overseas.
"I didn't want him to go, he didn't want to go," Unger said.
'He Made Everybody Happy'
The family is cherishing a video he made spoofing "MTV Cribs," which gives viewers an inside look at the plush homes of television and film stars.
In Unger's version, viewers got an inside look of a shabby-looking grassy patch in Iraq. Unger called the ground "the future bowling alley, golf course, horseshoe arena. It's all gonna go down right here."
He also joked about the birds who liked to leave droppings on military beds.
"He was just always just trying to make everybody happy and laugh. That was my child. I just don't know what any of us are going to do without him," said Pitts, who works in the chaplain's office at Fort Leavenworth.
Pitts said Unger was expected to leave Iraq for Kuwait in mid-November. He would have returned to Texas with the 4th Infantry Division in December. Unger already had decided not to re-enlist and instead return to Leavenworth to spend more time with his family, Pitts said.
Army Cpl. David M. Unger was killed in action on 10/18/06.
Larger Images
Army Cpl. David M. Unger, 21, of Leavenworth, Kansas.
Cpl. Unger was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He died Oct. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were 2nd Lt. Christopher E. Loudon, 23, of Brockport, Pa., Cpl. Russell G. Culbertson III, 22, of Amity, Pa. and Spc. Joseph C. Dumas Jr., 25, of New Orleans.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- A soldier from Leavenworth who reveled in making others laugh has died in Iraq, his mother said.
The Department of Defense has not released the official details of Army Cpl. David Unger's death.
His mother, Diana Pitts, told KMBC her son was killed Tuesday when an improvised explosive device struck his armored Humvee. At least two other soldiers also were killed, she said.
"The only way I can remember my son is he made everybody laugh," Pitts said. "For almost 22 years, he was the rock of our family."
Unger, who graduated from Leavenworth High School in 2003, would have celebrated his birthday on Halloween. He leaves behind a wife, Laura Unger, and a son and daughter.
Laura Unger said she met David in high school.
"I was best friends with him in high school, that's how we ended up married," she said.
They both went into the Army and were stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. She got out to raise their son.
Then, David got the call to head overseas.
"I didn't want him to go, he didn't want to go," Unger said.
'He Made Everybody Happy'
The family is cherishing a video he made spoofing "MTV Cribs," which gives viewers an inside look at the plush homes of television and film stars.
In Unger's version, viewers got an inside look of a shabby-looking grassy patch in Iraq. Unger called the ground "the future bowling alley, golf course, horseshoe arena. It's all gonna go down right here."
He also joked about the birds who liked to leave droppings on military beds.
"He was just always just trying to make everybody happy and laugh. That was my child. I just don't know what any of us are going to do without him," said Pitts, who works in the chaplain's office at Fort Leavenworth.
Pitts said Unger was expected to leave Iraq for Kuwait in mid-November. He would have returned to Texas with the 4th Infantry Division in December. Unger already had decided not to re-enlist and instead return to Leavenworth to spend more time with his family, Pitts said.
Army Cpl. David M. Unger was killed in action on 10/18/06.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Army Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, Calif.
Sgt. Taylor was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo; died Oct. 17, 2006 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Pfc. Nathan J. Frigo and Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt.
Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, Calif.; and Pfc. Nathan J. Frigo, 23, of Kokomo, Ind. The three, all assigned as snipers in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, were riding together to protect a convoy traveling between Baqouba and Balad when the bomb went off.
The deaths came days before the brigade was scheduled to begin coming home from Iraq. The first soldiers to return to Fort Carson after the brigade’s yearlong tour are due back Sunday.
Frigo and Taylor were honored at Friday night football games in their hometowns.
Frigo lettered in cross country and track at his high school in Indiana. His father, Fred Frigo, said the determination shown by the 6-foot-3-inch runner as he raced down the track at Northwestern High School was an early indication of what led him to the Army.
"He knew the risks, but he wanted to go where he was needed," he said. "He wanted to help, and he wanted to make a difference with his life."
Taylor appeared set on a path to become a leader in the Army even when he was in high school, said 1st Sgt. Gerald Edwards, a military instructor for a junior ROTC program in Blythe.
"He was an excellent cadet," Edwards said, explaining how he watched Taylor rise from captain in the battalion to become its commander.
Taylor played football and wrestled at Palo Verde Valley High School before graduating in 2003. He enlisted in the Army afterward, Edwards said.
Edwards said he was stunned to hear Taylor had been killed.
"I still don’t believe it," Edwards said. "He was more than a student to me. He was a friend."
Army Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III was killed in action on 10/17/07.
Army Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, Calif.
Sgt. Taylor was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo; died Oct. 17, 2006 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Pfc. Nathan J. Frigo and Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt.
Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, Calif.; and Pfc. Nathan J. Frigo, 23, of Kokomo, Ind. The three, all assigned as snipers in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, were riding together to protect a convoy traveling between Baqouba and Balad when the bomb went off.
The deaths came days before the brigade was scheduled to begin coming home from Iraq. The first soldiers to return to Fort Carson after the brigade’s yearlong tour are due back Sunday.
Frigo and Taylor were honored at Friday night football games in their hometowns.
Frigo lettered in cross country and track at his high school in Indiana. His father, Fred Frigo, said the determination shown by the 6-foot-3-inch runner as he raced down the track at Northwestern High School was an early indication of what led him to the Army.
"He knew the risks, but he wanted to go where he was needed," he said. "He wanted to help, and he wanted to make a difference with his life."
Taylor appeared set on a path to become a leader in the Army even when he was in high school, said 1st Sgt. Gerald Edwards, a military instructor for a junior ROTC program in Blythe.
"He was an excellent cadet," Edwards said, explaining how he watched Taylor rise from captain in the battalion to become its commander.
Taylor played football and wrestled at Palo Verde Valley High School before graduating in 2003. He enlisted in the Army afterward, Edwards said.
Edwards said he was stunned to hear Taylor had been killed.
"I still don’t believe it," Edwards said. "He was more than a student to me. He was a friend."
Army Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III was killed in action on 10/17/07.
Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth
Remember Our Heroes
Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth, 23, of Fiskdale, Mass.
2nd Lt. Booth was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; killed Oct. 17 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Anbar province, Iraq.
Slain Sturbridge Marine was ‘a natural'
By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
STURBRIDGE— A 23-year-old Sturbridge man who was destined from his youth to be a Marine died a Marine Tuesday in Haditha, Iraq.
Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth was killed at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Iraqi time, by a single sniper shot, his parents said yesterday. He was a platoon leader in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Echo Company, deployed to the AnBar Province last month. Before his deployment, he was stationed at the Marine Corps base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Marine Capt. Mathew W. Tracy called 2nd Lt. Booth's parents, John E. “Jack” and Debra L. Booth, within 12 hours of their son's death. Reading off notes that he jotted down from the conversation, Mr. Booth repeated what Capt. Tracy said: “The enemy is terrified of Josh. The people of Iraq love him. He was a natural. Everything he touched turned to gold. Nobody follows ferociously as Josh or worked as lovingly with the people.”
Mr. Booth said his son's mission was to build trust between the Marines and the Iraqi people. Because 2nd Lt. Booth was having great success finding weapons caches, his parents said, he became a target for snipers.
“What the captain told me is that they have a very advanced intelligence unit that speaks Iraqi, all of them, and they said Josh got more out of the neighbors in Haditha in his two weeks there than they have in six months,” Mr. Booth said.
When it comes to his son's love for the Marines, Mr. Booth said Joshua's was “hard core.”
“Josh wanted to be in the military since he was a little boy,” Mr. Booth said. “He was in the Sea Cadets in Worcester when he was going to St. John's (High School in Shrewsbury) and he just fell in love with the Marines. And from that point forward, he was not going to be denied.”
When he was 7 years old, Joshua hopped on the bus and went to Burgess Elementary School dressed as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
“When we first moved up here (from Virginia), they had a class on American history and the teacher encouraged him to present the other side,” Mr. Booth recalled. “So Josh dressed up and went in school as Robert E. Lee.”
“Josh was too little and did not realize that the bus would be a vicious place for someone dressed as Robert E. Lee,” Mrs. Booth said with a laugh.
Their son chose the Marines because it was the hardest of all the U.S. armed services, his parents said.
“Josh loves his country and he believes that we are only here because of people that did what he did,” Mr. Booth said. “He was committed. He wasn't changing anything.”
A 2001 graduate of St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, and a 2005 graduate of The Citadel Military College in Charleston, S.C., the young Marine earned a degree in criminal justice.
“Josh was offered a full ROTC scholarship from the Army (to go to Norwich University) and he turned it down because he wanted to be a Marine,” Mr. Booth said. “He said, ‘Dad, you can do this to me. I got to be a Marine.' So we paid a full ride at Citadel.”
“To the world, he was a soldier. To his family, he was the world,” state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, said after meeting with the Booths yesterday.
Besides his parents, Joshua Booth leaves his wife, Erica, 21, their 1-1/2-year-old daughter, Grace M. Booth, and a son on the way, Tristen Joshua Booth, all of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
“She is an amazing Marine wife,” Joshua's mother said of her daughter-in-law. “She's the most wonderful mother I've ever seen. And my son loves her dearly. She told me the worst part of this is that she lost her best friend.”
Born in Virginia Beach, Va., and a longtime resident of Sturbridge, 2nd Lt. Booth also leaves a sister, Melissa L. DeVera of Fredericksburg, Va.
The last time the Booths talked to their son was 10 days before he died. His father said his son told him his tour was “very dangerous.” When he talked to his mother, the two joked about whether NetFlix would send DVDs to Iraq. She said they were very alike and shared a weird sense of humor.
“We would laugh at the most inane, insane things and people would just look at us,” she recalled. “Jack (her husband) always said that we were more like brother and sister than mother and son. We shared in every activity in every school. Every interest he had, we had. We just hope that we can share with his children what a wonderful person he was.”
The Booths wanted their son to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but he didn't think he was worthy of that, his mother said, and instead wished to be buried in the family plot in Longwood Cemetery in Virginia.
As she clenched her son's dog tags dangling around her neck, Mrs. Booth praised her son as being one of those rare kids who was always focused. She had not planned to take off the dog tags until her son returned safely. She said she doesn't know what to do with them now.
“Joshua had a strong sense that he was going to be giving his life for his country,” Mrs. Booth said. “A Marine believes that their name is written in a book on a certain day. … Unfortunately, that was his day. We love him. We're proud of him. He supported what he did, so we supported what he did.”
Mrs. Booth is spearheading a collection drive for care packages to be sent to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in Iraq. Packages can be sent to GZA GeoEnivronmental Inc., 1 Edgewater Drive, Norwood, MA 02062. For more information, send an e-mail to her at dbooth@gza.com.
Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth was killed in action on 10/17/06.
For Larger Images
Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth, 23, of Fiskdale, Mass.
2nd Lt. Booth was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; killed Oct. 17 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Anbar province, Iraq.
Slain Sturbridge Marine was ‘a natural'
By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
STURBRIDGE— A 23-year-old Sturbridge man who was destined from his youth to be a Marine died a Marine Tuesday in Haditha, Iraq.
Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth was killed at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Iraqi time, by a single sniper shot, his parents said yesterday. He was a platoon leader in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Echo Company, deployed to the AnBar Province last month. Before his deployment, he was stationed at the Marine Corps base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Marine Capt. Mathew W. Tracy called 2nd Lt. Booth's parents, John E. “Jack” and Debra L. Booth, within 12 hours of their son's death. Reading off notes that he jotted down from the conversation, Mr. Booth repeated what Capt. Tracy said: “The enemy is terrified of Josh. The people of Iraq love him. He was a natural. Everything he touched turned to gold. Nobody follows ferociously as Josh or worked as lovingly with the people.”
Mr. Booth said his son's mission was to build trust between the Marines and the Iraqi people. Because 2nd Lt. Booth was having great success finding weapons caches, his parents said, he became a target for snipers.
“What the captain told me is that they have a very advanced intelligence unit that speaks Iraqi, all of them, and they said Josh got more out of the neighbors in Haditha in his two weeks there than they have in six months,” Mr. Booth said.
When it comes to his son's love for the Marines, Mr. Booth said Joshua's was “hard core.”
“Josh wanted to be in the military since he was a little boy,” Mr. Booth said. “He was in the Sea Cadets in Worcester when he was going to St. John's (High School in Shrewsbury) and he just fell in love with the Marines. And from that point forward, he was not going to be denied.”
When he was 7 years old, Joshua hopped on the bus and went to Burgess Elementary School dressed as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
“When we first moved up here (from Virginia), they had a class on American history and the teacher encouraged him to present the other side,” Mr. Booth recalled. “So Josh dressed up and went in school as Robert E. Lee.”
“Josh was too little and did not realize that the bus would be a vicious place for someone dressed as Robert E. Lee,” Mrs. Booth said with a laugh.
Their son chose the Marines because it was the hardest of all the U.S. armed services, his parents said.
“Josh loves his country and he believes that we are only here because of people that did what he did,” Mr. Booth said. “He was committed. He wasn't changing anything.”
A 2001 graduate of St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, and a 2005 graduate of The Citadel Military College in Charleston, S.C., the young Marine earned a degree in criminal justice.
“Josh was offered a full ROTC scholarship from the Army (to go to Norwich University) and he turned it down because he wanted to be a Marine,” Mr. Booth said. “He said, ‘Dad, you can do this to me. I got to be a Marine.' So we paid a full ride at Citadel.”
“To the world, he was a soldier. To his family, he was the world,” state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, said after meeting with the Booths yesterday.
Besides his parents, Joshua Booth leaves his wife, Erica, 21, their 1-1/2-year-old daughter, Grace M. Booth, and a son on the way, Tristen Joshua Booth, all of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
“She is an amazing Marine wife,” Joshua's mother said of her daughter-in-law. “She's the most wonderful mother I've ever seen. And my son loves her dearly. She told me the worst part of this is that she lost her best friend.”
Born in Virginia Beach, Va., and a longtime resident of Sturbridge, 2nd Lt. Booth also leaves a sister, Melissa L. DeVera of Fredericksburg, Va.
The last time the Booths talked to their son was 10 days before he died. His father said his son told him his tour was “very dangerous.” When he talked to his mother, the two joked about whether NetFlix would send DVDs to Iraq. She said they were very alike and shared a weird sense of humor.
“We would laugh at the most inane, insane things and people would just look at us,” she recalled. “Jack (her husband) always said that we were more like brother and sister than mother and son. We shared in every activity in every school. Every interest he had, we had. We just hope that we can share with his children what a wonderful person he was.”
The Booths wanted their son to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but he didn't think he was worthy of that, his mother said, and instead wished to be buried in the family plot in Longwood Cemetery in Virginia.
As she clenched her son's dog tags dangling around her neck, Mrs. Booth praised her son as being one of those rare kids who was always focused. She had not planned to take off the dog tags until her son returned safely. She said she doesn't know what to do with them now.
“Joshua had a strong sense that he was going to be giving his life for his country,” Mrs. Booth said. “A Marine believes that their name is written in a book on a certain day. … Unfortunately, that was his day. We love him. We're proud of him. He supported what he did, so we supported what he did.”
Mrs. Booth is spearheading a collection drive for care packages to be sent to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in Iraq. Packages can be sent to GZA GeoEnivronmental Inc., 1 Edgewater Drive, Norwood, MA 02062. For more information, send an e-mail to her at dbooth@gza.com.
Marine 2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth was killed in action on 10/17/06.
Army Specialist Nathan J. Frigo
Remember Our Heroes
Army Specialist Nathan J. Frigo, 23, of Kokomo, Indiana
Spc. Frigo was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. Died Oct. 17 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt, 24, of Phoenix, Ariz. and Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, California.
Family says Nathan Frigo was proud to serve
By JOHN DEMPSEY
Tribune staff writer
Pfc. Nathan Joseph Frigo died doing what he wanted to do: serving in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army.
The 23-year-old son of Maureen Frigo, of Kokomo, and Fred Frigo, of Indianapolis, was one of three soldiers based at Fort Carson, Colo., who were killed when a bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baqubah, a city northeast of Baghdad.
Frigo, Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt, 24, of Phoenix, and Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, Calif., were assigned to 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, which is part of 4th Infantry Division.
His family issued a statement Friday regarding his life.
“Our only son and brother, Nathan, was deeply loved by family and friends and esteemed by strangers. He knew the risks of service, faced the dangers of combat and honorably fought for what he valued and believed in.
“He served his family. He served his country, but most importantly, he served his Lord. There are no words to express how greatly he will be missed. Our hearts grieve with the families of those who died serving with Nate. God be with us all.”
Speaking for her family, his sister Sarah spoke of Nate in more intimate detail.
The 2001 Northwestern High School graduate trained his entire life to be in the military, she explained.
“He wanted to join the military as a child,” Sarah said Friday night from the living room of her mother’s house near the Cass County line. “We tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t turn from this. When we asked him why he wanted to do it, he said he wanted to make a difference with his life. He wanted to do something that mattered.
“He went into the infantry because he wanted to fill the area of greatest need. Army infantry is a very small area of our military.”
With her mother, father and sister Beth present, she remembered how her only brother wanted to go to Iraq and serve on the front line. Even when he came home on leave for two weeks at the end of July, his mind was still on those with whom he served.
“He couldn’t stop thinking of how much his troops there needed him,” she said.
“Our uncle said he was the type of man you would want to go into battle with because you knew you could depend on him.”
That wouldn’t surprise Harold Seamon, who was Frigo’s principal at Northwestern. He noted that while Frigo had a mischievous grin, he would describe him as a “very respectful, pleasant school citizen.”
“He had a real sense of duty, one that made him memorable,” Seamon said.
“It saddens me that he had to make this sacrifice.”
Sarah remembered how much the family enjoyed having him home on his last leave.
“It was a little bit of heaven for him. He got to do everything he wanted on that leave. God gave him everything he wanted while he was home,” she said.
His father noted that he ran cross country and track while at Northwestern, that he studied karate, was a member of the Flying Squirrels, that he was a hunter and how he loved paintball.
“Nate had a lot of talents, and they defined his interests,” Sarah said, “but he was more than that.
“Nate was also a Christian, and he lived the life of a Christian. He was an honorable man. He had high values, and he lived them in life. We know he is living them still in heaven,” she continued.
“He was one of those guys who any parent would want to have as a son and would make them proud. He definitely shouldered his share of problems for us.”
One of the greatest gifts, his mother said, “was he could make you laugh without even trying.”
“Nate could take a serious story and turn it into something light,” Sarah said.
He proclaimed himself a “simple kinda guy” on his MySpace page, an Internet networking site, which he logged into the day before he was killed.
One of Frigo’s high school friends and classmates paints a picture of a quiet young man.
“He was really quiet until you go to know him,” Erica Knight said. “He was an all-around really nice guy.”
She said he was proud of being in the military.
“Once he kind of decided that this was the route he was going to take, he was so dedicated to it,” Knight said. “It was like ‘This is what I believe in and I want to help in any way I can.’”
For the last three or four months, Knight and Frigo spoke every few weeks on MySpace.
They talked about Iraq. They talked about high school. But mostly, they talked about his hometown, she said.
“He talked a little bit about — I can’t say ‘enjoying’ what he was doing — but it was a good experience,” she said.
Frigo was among nine soldiers and one Marine killed by roadside bombs and enemy fire Tuesday, the military said.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the other men who were killed with him and with the others who have lost family members there and elsewhere,” Sarah said. “We understand and we care about them. We want to pray for them, too.”
Frigo reported for active duty April 2005, and completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga. At that time, he chose the position of infantryman as his military occupation. He had volunteered to serve a four-year tour of duty.
He is the seventh Kokomo area man and 68th person from Indiana to have died after being sent to the Mideast since the buildup for the invasion of Iraq began in 2003.
The family has been notified that he will be elevated to specialist and awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
“The government has been more than generous helping military families get through these crises,” his sister said. “We are thankful for the United States.”
While many disagree with America being involved militarily in Iraq, Sarah said her brother believed U.S. involvement was not only right, but necessary.
“Nate would want people to support the troops there and their families. He believed in what he did over there and that we needed to be there,” she explained, “otherwise it would be on our own shores.
“He really made us proud.”
Army Specialist Nathan J. Frigo was killed in action on 10/17/06.
Army Specialist Nathan J. Frigo, 23, of Kokomo, Indiana
Spc. Frigo was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. Died Oct. 17 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt, 24, of Phoenix, Ariz. and Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, California.
Family says Nathan Frigo was proud to serve
By JOHN DEMPSEY
Tribune staff writer
Pfc. Nathan Joseph Frigo died doing what he wanted to do: serving in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army.
The 23-year-old son of Maureen Frigo, of Kokomo, and Fred Frigo, of Indianapolis, was one of three soldiers based at Fort Carson, Colo., who were killed when a bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baqubah, a city northeast of Baghdad.
Frigo, Staff Sgt. Ryan E. Haupt, 24, of Phoenix, and Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, Calif., were assigned to 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, which is part of 4th Infantry Division.
His family issued a statement Friday regarding his life.
“Our only son and brother, Nathan, was deeply loved by family and friends and esteemed by strangers. He knew the risks of service, faced the dangers of combat and honorably fought for what he valued and believed in.
“He served his family. He served his country, but most importantly, he served his Lord. There are no words to express how greatly he will be missed. Our hearts grieve with the families of those who died serving with Nate. God be with us all.”
Speaking for her family, his sister Sarah spoke of Nate in more intimate detail.
The 2001 Northwestern High School graduate trained his entire life to be in the military, she explained.
“He wanted to join the military as a child,” Sarah said Friday night from the living room of her mother’s house near the Cass County line. “We tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t turn from this. When we asked him why he wanted to do it, he said he wanted to make a difference with his life. He wanted to do something that mattered.
“He went into the infantry because he wanted to fill the area of greatest need. Army infantry is a very small area of our military.”
With her mother, father and sister Beth present, she remembered how her only brother wanted to go to Iraq and serve on the front line. Even when he came home on leave for two weeks at the end of July, his mind was still on those with whom he served.
“He couldn’t stop thinking of how much his troops there needed him,” she said.
“Our uncle said he was the type of man you would want to go into battle with because you knew you could depend on him.”
That wouldn’t surprise Harold Seamon, who was Frigo’s principal at Northwestern. He noted that while Frigo had a mischievous grin, he would describe him as a “very respectful, pleasant school citizen.”
“He had a real sense of duty, one that made him memorable,” Seamon said.
“It saddens me that he had to make this sacrifice.”
Sarah remembered how much the family enjoyed having him home on his last leave.
“It was a little bit of heaven for him. He got to do everything he wanted on that leave. God gave him everything he wanted while he was home,” she said.
His father noted that he ran cross country and track while at Northwestern, that he studied karate, was a member of the Flying Squirrels, that he was a hunter and how he loved paintball.
“Nate had a lot of talents, and they defined his interests,” Sarah said, “but he was more than that.
“Nate was also a Christian, and he lived the life of a Christian. He was an honorable man. He had high values, and he lived them in life. We know he is living them still in heaven,” she continued.
“He was one of those guys who any parent would want to have as a son and would make them proud. He definitely shouldered his share of problems for us.”
One of the greatest gifts, his mother said, “was he could make you laugh without even trying.”
“Nate could take a serious story and turn it into something light,” Sarah said.
He proclaimed himself a “simple kinda guy” on his MySpace page, an Internet networking site, which he logged into the day before he was killed.
One of Frigo’s high school friends and classmates paints a picture of a quiet young man.
“He was really quiet until you go to know him,” Erica Knight said. “He was an all-around really nice guy.”
She said he was proud of being in the military.
“Once he kind of decided that this was the route he was going to take, he was so dedicated to it,” Knight said. “It was like ‘This is what I believe in and I want to help in any way I can.’”
For the last three or four months, Knight and Frigo spoke every few weeks on MySpace.
They talked about Iraq. They talked about high school. But mostly, they talked about his hometown, she said.
“He talked a little bit about — I can’t say ‘enjoying’ what he was doing — but it was a good experience,” she said.
Frigo was among nine soldiers and one Marine killed by roadside bombs and enemy fire Tuesday, the military said.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the other men who were killed with him and with the others who have lost family members there and elsewhere,” Sarah said. “We understand and we care about them. We want to pray for them, too.”
Frigo reported for active duty April 2005, and completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga. At that time, he chose the position of infantryman as his military occupation. He had volunteered to serve a four-year tour of duty.
He is the seventh Kokomo area man and 68th person from Indiana to have died after being sent to the Mideast since the buildup for the invasion of Iraq began in 2003.
The family has been notified that he will be elevated to specialist and awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
“The government has been more than generous helping military families get through these crises,” his sister said. “We are thankful for the United States.”
While many disagree with America being involved militarily in Iraq, Sarah said her brother believed U.S. involvement was not only right, but necessary.
“Nate would want people to support the troops there and their families. He believed in what he did over there and that we needed to be there,” she explained, “otherwise it would be on our own shores.
“He really made us proud.”
Army Specialist Nathan J. Frigo was killed in action on 10/17/06.
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