Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Amy R. Sinkler, 23, of Chadbourn, N.C.
Pfc. Sinkler was assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died Jan. 20, 2011 in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked her unit with a rocket propelled grenade.
Sinkler, 23, from Chadbourn, N.C., was the second female soldier and third overall from the 109th Transportation Co., the "Rough Riders," to die in combat since the 150-soldier unit deployed in July. A gunner for the mission, she was in the exposed turret of an armored MRAP vehicle when it was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, the Army said. Three other soldiers in the vehicle were uninjured.
Sinkler was married. She arrived at Fort Richardson in January 2010 after joining the Army in August 2009. Her family has been notified of her death, the Army said.
Sinkler, a motor transport operator, was in a convoy en route to Forward Operating Base Killaghey in Baghlan Province on Wednesday when the attack occurred about 11:40 p.m. Afghanistan time. She died less than four hours later.
I am not sure how I ever could function as a journalist before the inception of Facebook.
I first joined the Social Network in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. Being that nearly every horrific thing has ties to Tampa, I signed up hoping to find students at the school from our area. I don’t think I did, but it has been a powerful reporting tool for me ever since.
Which is why, when I learned about 23-year-old Amy Sinkler, the first woman to die in combat this year, I turned to Facebook to see what I could find out about her. As is usually the case, the Social Network did not let me down.
I learned this much about Sinkler. She loved and missed her husband. She apparently recently found her father and her sister was about to have a baby. Her last post came Tuesday at 9:03 a.m. She wrote about how she knew what her sister was having a girl. “ok u had on ur page its a gurl lol,” she wrote.
Two days later, Sinkler was killed when insurgents attacked her unit with a rocket propelled grenade. Later that day, Sinkler’s friends began leaving heartfelt messages on her “wall.”
“AMY I MISS U SO MUCH! I CNT STOP THINKIN ABT U @ ALL THA FUN TIMES WE USED 2 HAVE,” wrote one friend “...REMEMBER THAT TIME WHEN WE WENT 2 THA HEALTH DEPARTMENT @ U RAN THAT SIGN OVA?! LOL! REMEMBER WHEN I WAS STUDYIN 2 TAKE MY ASVAB TEST SO THAT WE COULD GO 2 ...BASIC IN THA BUDDY SYSTEM? I REALLY WISH THAT I COULD WAKE UP FRM THIS THAT SEEMS LIKE A TERRIBL NITEMARE! I KNW THAT UR OK WHERE U R NOW…THIS LIFE WAS ONLY PART OF THA JOURNEY THAT OUR SPIRIT MUST TAKE @ U HAVE FINALLY MADE IT HOME. UR FAMILY IS IN MY PRAYERS @ IM HERE IF THEY NEED ME 4 ANYTHING WHATSOEVA. IMA TAG A PIC OF U 2 HAVE ON MY PAGE…I KNW U WNT MIND. I LOVE U GIRL @ I WIL SEE U WHEN I GET HOME ...”
Brittany Rahman, Sinkler's best friend going back to their childhood days reported this: She was a good person, very strong-minded. Some people try to hold back their feelings or their thoughts. That's not Amy. She's going to tell you exactly how she's feeling.
The girls graduated high school one year apart. After graduation they wanted to see the world and decided to go talk to a recruiter. We were like, 'Hey let's try it, just to see the world, just try something different'. "Basically, we were in our hometown forever. We grew up there, didn't travel much, so we wanted to get away and see different stuff.
Rahman said Sinkler liked her experience in the Army and was proud when she completed her training. Sinkler married her high school boyfriend, Doug Sinkler, last year, and they settled in at the post just north of Anchorage, she said. She bought a nice little car, so she got stable. I think she actually liked Alaska, but she wasn't there much longer.
Army Pfc. Amy R. Sinkler was killed in action on 1/20/11.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Marine Sgt. Jason G. Amores
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Jason G. Amores, 29, of Lehigh Acres, Fla.
Sgt Amores was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Jan. 20, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
In the late 90s while he was in Lehigh Senior High School, Sgt. Jason G. Amores was affectionately called "Mowgli." He played the saxophone and was an active member of the Lehigh Senior High School's Marching Band.
Amores, 29, was killed in Afghanistan last Thursday, Jan. 20, when he stepped on an explosive device in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was serving in the Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The State Department said he was killed while conducting combat operations. It was his third deployment in Afghanistan and he had been deployed to Iraq twice before.
On Saturday, Amores' family, his wife, Jennifer, his parents, Beverly and Curtis Middleton and his brother, Jeremiah, and other family members were waiting for a 3 p.m. flight to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware from Afghanistan.
His father, Curtis, was the first editor of The Lehigh Acres Citizen and later was publisher of the old Lehigh Acres News Star. Sometime after he left The Star, he moved away from Lehigh.
Today, the Marine's parents live in Olive Branch, Miss., where Middleton has retired, and is writing a book.
Reached Saturday afternoon just minutes before the flight arrived, Middleton said that the family was very upset as expected, but that they were proud of their son who had served his country so valiantly.
Amore's wife, Jennifer, and their two children had been making their home at Camp Pendleton, Calif., while her husband was in combat in Afghanistan. She is from the Lehigh Acres area.
His brother, Jeremiah, was also in Dover Saturday for the arrival of his brother's body. Jeremiah and Jason had joined the U.S. Marine Corps on the same day in 2004, and had gone through basic training and advanced training together. The two brothers were very close. Jason graduated from Lehigh Senior High School in 1999.
Jeremiah left the Marine Corps and moved to Ohio, while his brother decided to re-up for more service to his country.
Middleton told The Citizen that both he and his wife, and his son's wife in California, all received the terrible news at the same time.
"Two Marine cars pulled up in front of our house in Mississippi. I saw them and knew the news was bad," Middleton said. At about the very same moment, the same thing was happening at Jennifer's house at Camp Pendleton.
"That's the way they do it apparently, informing the parents and the spouses at the same time even though they may live in different parts of the country," Middleton said.
Jason and Jennifer have two children, a son, Corbin, 9 and a daughter, Violet, 4.
"All the family is here in Dover," Middleton said.
"We have been told that when the flight lands, the caskets draped with the American flag will be brought off the cargo plane and that there would be a ceremony for the families and friends who went to Dover to be there when their loved one's remains arrived.
Then Middleton said the bodies are taken to a mortuary on the Air Force Base for the individual families.
Middleton said it was a very difficult for everyone in the family. Also at Dover were Jason's two sisters Rebecca, 21, and Samantha, 19.
"My wife, Beverly, has been crying ever since we got the news last Thursday afternoon. It's just very hard on her as it is with the other members of the family," Middleton said.
Middleton said over the weekend that there would be services for his son at Lee Memorial Park on SR82, but he was not sure of the time, but it would be in an obituary on the Citizen's online Internet site, Lehighacrescitizen.com and in the paper if arrangements have been made before press time.
"I'm doing okay," Middleton said. "But my wife and Jason's wife, and his brother and sisters are having a rough time," Middleton said.
"Our memories will always remain of just how proud of Jason we were of his serving his nation. We are very proud of him," Middleton said.
Marine Sgt. Jason G. Amores was killed in action on 1/20/11.
Marine Sgt. Jason G. Amores, 29, of Lehigh Acres, Fla.
Sgt Amores was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Jan. 20, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
In the late 90s while he was in Lehigh Senior High School, Sgt. Jason G. Amores was affectionately called "Mowgli." He played the saxophone and was an active member of the Lehigh Senior High School's Marching Band.
Amores, 29, was killed in Afghanistan last Thursday, Jan. 20, when he stepped on an explosive device in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was serving in the Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The State Department said he was killed while conducting combat operations. It was his third deployment in Afghanistan and he had been deployed to Iraq twice before.
On Saturday, Amores' family, his wife, Jennifer, his parents, Beverly and Curtis Middleton and his brother, Jeremiah, and other family members were waiting for a 3 p.m. flight to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware from Afghanistan.
His father, Curtis, was the first editor of The Lehigh Acres Citizen and later was publisher of the old Lehigh Acres News Star. Sometime after he left The Star, he moved away from Lehigh.
Today, the Marine's parents live in Olive Branch, Miss., where Middleton has retired, and is writing a book.
Reached Saturday afternoon just minutes before the flight arrived, Middleton said that the family was very upset as expected, but that they were proud of their son who had served his country so valiantly.
Amore's wife, Jennifer, and their two children had been making their home at Camp Pendleton, Calif., while her husband was in combat in Afghanistan. She is from the Lehigh Acres area.
His brother, Jeremiah, was also in Dover Saturday for the arrival of his brother's body. Jeremiah and Jason had joined the U.S. Marine Corps on the same day in 2004, and had gone through basic training and advanced training together. The two brothers were very close. Jason graduated from Lehigh Senior High School in 1999.
Jeremiah left the Marine Corps and moved to Ohio, while his brother decided to re-up for more service to his country.
Middleton told The Citizen that both he and his wife, and his son's wife in California, all received the terrible news at the same time.
"Two Marine cars pulled up in front of our house in Mississippi. I saw them and knew the news was bad," Middleton said. At about the very same moment, the same thing was happening at Jennifer's house at Camp Pendleton.
"That's the way they do it apparently, informing the parents and the spouses at the same time even though they may live in different parts of the country," Middleton said.
Jason and Jennifer have two children, a son, Corbin, 9 and a daughter, Violet, 4.
"All the family is here in Dover," Middleton said.
"We have been told that when the flight lands, the caskets draped with the American flag will be brought off the cargo plane and that there would be a ceremony for the families and friends who went to Dover to be there when their loved one's remains arrived.
Then Middleton said the bodies are taken to a mortuary on the Air Force Base for the individual families.
Middleton said it was a very difficult for everyone in the family. Also at Dover were Jason's two sisters Rebecca, 21, and Samantha, 19.
"My wife, Beverly, has been crying ever since we got the news last Thursday afternoon. It's just very hard on her as it is with the other members of the family," Middleton said.
Middleton said over the weekend that there would be services for his son at Lee Memorial Park on SR82, but he was not sure of the time, but it would be in an obituary on the Citizen's online Internet site, Lehighacrescitizen.com and in the paper if arrangements have been made before press time.
"I'm doing okay," Middleton said. "But my wife and Jason's wife, and his brother and sisters are having a rough time," Middleton said.
"Our memories will always remain of just how proud of Jason we were of his serving his nation. We are very proud of him," Middleton said.
Marine Sgt. Jason G. Amores was killed in action on 1/20/11.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Dominique D. Cruz
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Dominique D. Cruz, 26, of Panama City, Fla.
Assigned to the destroyer Halsey, homeported in San Diego but currently deployed to the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations; was found during search and rescue operations Jan. 19, 2011 in the Gulf of Oman after being reported missing Jan. 18.
The USS Abraham Lincoln honored a local sailor after she apparently went overboard and died last week. “This week the Lincoln Strike Group family lost a shipmate to the perilous depths of the sea,” the Facebook page read. “A leader, a friend, a patriot, a hero. OS2 Cruz has gone to a far, far better rest than she has ever known, and today all Lincoln warriors fight in her name.”
The memorial was posted by the Lincoln’s public affairs team Friday, the day the Department of Defense released the identity of 26-year-old Navy Petty Officer Dominique Cruz, known to family and friends as Dominique McNair. The Panama City woman’s body was found during search and rescue operations Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman, located between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea south of the Iranian coast.
Navy officials said Sunday they had no new information about McNair’s death except to confirm the incident is still under investigation.
Friends and family have declined requests for comments about McNair, but dozens of supporters have shared their thoughts and prayers through Facebook postings.
“My heart is breaking!” one woman wrote. “You were an angel.”
A cousin, Victoria Janise McNair, posted shortly after learning of Dominique’s death: “R.I.P. Dominique McNair! Yu were amazing in every way possible. We all miss and love yu!”
Another cousin, Hailey “Ms. Lyte Eyes” McNair, as she is known on Facebook, posted Wednesday she “can’t stop crying. I didn’t even get the chance to tell u bye or give u a hug of nothing! I miss you so much!”
Melissa L. Bell, who serves in the Navy, also posted Wednesday. “My heart hurts, but u will always be in it! Thank you for allowing me to serve with you. I’ve been blessed. I miss you. RIP Dominique McNair.”
McNair was a native of Cleveland, Miss., and graduated from Cleveland High School in 2003, according to her Facebook profile. She later moved to Panama City, enlisted in the Navy in June 2006, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, and was assigned as an operations specialist to the USS Halsey, home ported in San Diego, in December of that year.
The Halsey had been deployed to the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, conducting maritime security operations, according to the U.S. Navy. McNair did not report to her watch duty Tuesday and, after a search of the ship, a “man overboard” was called by the ship’s officials to search for her.
Helicopters from Halsey, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) and the British Royal Navy’s HMS Cumberland (F 85), F/A 18 Hornets from the Lincoln and P-3 maritime patrol aircraft participated in the search operations.
From her Face Book page: I dont care about your farm, or your fish, or your park, or your mafia!!!, God still loves me, even if I don't forward those text messages, My parents didn't put me in time-out, they whooped my ass!, Sorry, I'm allergic to bullshiit., PRAYER IS THE KEY, Barack Obama, I BET THE SOUTH CAN GET 1,000,000 FANS BEFORE THE NORTH, Breast Cancer Awareness, Tyra Sanchez, I Love My Mama, Pray for Ariah, Dwight Howard, Saints, Positively Positive, Antonio McDyess, Debbie Allen, Hennessy, The Bible, Curvy girls are better than skinny girls!, Ashton Kutcher, Sanaa Lathan, Victoria's Secret Pink, Victoria's Secret, Taraji P. Henson, Don't give up on God because he never gave up on you..:), I Love Being Black, Tyler Perry, Maya Angelou, Target, I SUPPORT MY PRESIDENT, The Twilight Saga, If you DON'T want people in your business, Don't post it on your STATUS!, Michelle Obama, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kevin Hart, TATIANNA, Orlando Magic, I Hate Duty Days, Vin Diesel, Morris Chestnut
Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Dominique D. Cruz was died 1/18/11.
Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Dominique D. Cruz, 26, of Panama City, Fla.
Assigned to the destroyer Halsey, homeported in San Diego but currently deployed to the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations; was found during search and rescue operations Jan. 19, 2011 in the Gulf of Oman after being reported missing Jan. 18.
The USS Abraham Lincoln honored a local sailor after she apparently went overboard and died last week. “This week the Lincoln Strike Group family lost a shipmate to the perilous depths of the sea,” the Facebook page read. “A leader, a friend, a patriot, a hero. OS2 Cruz has gone to a far, far better rest than she has ever known, and today all Lincoln warriors fight in her name.”
The memorial was posted by the Lincoln’s public affairs team Friday, the day the Department of Defense released the identity of 26-year-old Navy Petty Officer Dominique Cruz, known to family and friends as Dominique McNair. The Panama City woman’s body was found during search and rescue operations Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman, located between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea south of the Iranian coast.
Navy officials said Sunday they had no new information about McNair’s death except to confirm the incident is still under investigation.
Friends and family have declined requests for comments about McNair, but dozens of supporters have shared their thoughts and prayers through Facebook postings.
“My heart is breaking!” one woman wrote. “You were an angel.”
A cousin, Victoria Janise McNair, posted shortly after learning of Dominique’s death: “R.I.P. Dominique McNair! Yu were amazing in every way possible. We all miss and love yu!”
Another cousin, Hailey “Ms. Lyte Eyes” McNair, as she is known on Facebook, posted Wednesday she “can’t stop crying. I didn’t even get the chance to tell u bye or give u a hug of nothing! I miss you so much!”
Melissa L. Bell, who serves in the Navy, also posted Wednesday. “My heart hurts, but u will always be in it! Thank you for allowing me to serve with you. I’ve been blessed. I miss you. RIP Dominique McNair.”
McNair was a native of Cleveland, Miss., and graduated from Cleveland High School in 2003, according to her Facebook profile. She later moved to Panama City, enlisted in the Navy in June 2006, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, and was assigned as an operations specialist to the USS Halsey, home ported in San Diego, in December of that year.
The Halsey had been deployed to the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, conducting maritime security operations, according to the U.S. Navy. McNair did not report to her watch duty Tuesday and, after a search of the ship, a “man overboard” was called by the ship’s officials to search for her.
Helicopters from Halsey, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) and the British Royal Navy’s HMS Cumberland (F 85), F/A 18 Hornets from the Lincoln and P-3 maritime patrol aircraft participated in the search operations.
From her Face Book page: I dont care about your farm, or your fish, or your park, or your mafia!!!, God still loves me, even if I don't forward those text messages, My parents didn't put me in time-out, they whooped my ass!, Sorry, I'm allergic to bullshiit., PRAYER IS THE KEY, Barack Obama, I BET THE SOUTH CAN GET 1,000,000 FANS BEFORE THE NORTH, Breast Cancer Awareness, Tyra Sanchez, I Love My Mama, Pray for Ariah, Dwight Howard, Saints, Positively Positive, Antonio McDyess, Debbie Allen, Hennessy, The Bible, Curvy girls are better than skinny girls!, Ashton Kutcher, Sanaa Lathan, Victoria's Secret Pink, Victoria's Secret, Taraji P. Henson, Don't give up on God because he never gave up on you..:), I Love Being Black, Tyler Perry, Maya Angelou, Target, I SUPPORT MY PRESIDENT, The Twilight Saga, If you DON'T want people in your business, Don't post it on your STATUS!, Michelle Obama, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kevin Hart, TATIANNA, Orlando Magic, I Hate Duty Days, Vin Diesel, Morris Chestnut
Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Dominique D. Cruz was died 1/18/11.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Marine Cpl. Joseph C. Whitehead
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Joseph C. Whitehead, 22, of Axis, Ala.
Cpl. Whitehead was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 17, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Melanie Miller said her son is a hero. "I am very proud. I want everyone one to know, the world to know he was only 22-years-old," said Melanie Miller.
The young Marine's family said he had only been in the battle torn country for five weeks when he was killed. Whitehead's family said he had a big personality and an even bigger heart.
They said he died doing what he loved and knew the sacrifice it would take. "He wanted to serve his country and he went to Afghanistan even though he knew the consequences. He wanted to become a man and he did," said Miller.
Photos of a bright eyed high school graduate adorn the family coffee table. Whitehead's mother, sister, brother and aunt shared stories about him. Stories such as the time he took his niece mud riding or the time he paid his mother's electric bill.
Before deploying to Afghanistan, Cpl. Whitehead served his country in Kuwait and Haiti.
Whitehead was born and raised in Mobile. His uncle, Chris Bassenger, tells News 5 that Whitehead enlisted in the Marines after graduating from Satsuma High School in 2007. He was about to finish up his first stretch and planned to re-enlist in August. Bassenger says it's something Whitehead wanted to do since the 9/11 attacks.
Whitehead turned 22 years old on Wednesday, less than a week prior to his death.
Coach Jeff Kelly, who coached Whitehead while he was a student at Satsuma, says Whitehead was proud to wear his #62 football jersey. Everyone remembers his smile. "He always had a smile on his face, a fun-loving guy. He worked hard in everything, whether it was in the weight room, or between classes. He always had that smile on his face."
Kelly says Whitehead was the kind of student that other students gravitated toward, and the kind of player who could put in countless hours on the field. "I could see he would be a great military guy. He was a mentally tough guy, that he would be a great soldier."
Kelly says the entire community is saddened by his death. "Joseph is a young man who touched many lives in his short time and displayed the courage to look those things in the eye and defend his country, and that is something that we need to be forever grateful."
Whitehead "was doing a sweep for the infantry in the field" when "he set off an IED," an improvised explosive device, said his brother, Destin Goodhue.
"He was a young man that would never back down from hard work," said Kelly. "He was a hard worker and had a certain playfulness about his personality that made folks want to be around him. He was a joy to coach."
Goodhue called his older brother a hero. "He was my hero, my idol. He just paid the ultimate sacrifice," Goodhue said. "I just want everybody to know he was my hero."
Whitehead joined the Marines after graduating from Satsuma High School in 2007, family members said. "He had been in Afghanistan for five weeks," Goodhue said.
"He was the kind of person you would like to know, the best person you could ever possibly imagine to meet," Goodhue said. "Anytime I needed him, he would be there. He never denied me anything in my life. It's a sad loss."
Goodhue said family members have been told that Whitehead's body will arrive in Mobile in about four to seven days.
-Joe-Man i love you so much, you was, are, and will always be my brother. you have been my best friens scince the day i was born. we are exactly alike in so many ways dude. im crying over you everyday because i miss you bro, but you know i guess im just being selfish, because i know that you are looking down on me right now, i know that you are sitting beside me right now as i am typing this. you are my hero. you really are. you put your life out on the line for me and this country. if i grow up to be half the man that you are, im in good shape. we had so many good times together, you were the crazyest, funnyest, goofyest, funest, and most of all the bravest MAN i have ever met. you always told me that i am your brother, and its deffenetly true man. i know your going to be watching over me for the rest of my life man. I LOVE YOU BROTHER! Roll Tide! [1-12-89/ 1-17-11] In loving memory of a hero to us all, my best friend, cpl Joseph Charles Whitehead…Your brother…-Alex-
First thing I have to say is THE WORLD IS SUFFERING A TRAGIC LOSS, WHILE HEAVEN IS RECEIVING A WONDERFUL BLESSING. Joe is an awesome man, son, brother, nephew, grandson,cousin, friend, marine. The day he was born, my world changed forever. He made me smile everytime he walked into a room. The most important thing to Joe is his family, and their happiness. He had the biggest heart and he would do anything for anyone. He was compassionate. He was so funny, even when he drove u crazy, you were laughing. Really, their are no words that can express what a wonderful person he is. He brought so much joy into my life. Me and Joe shared a bond that I will cherish forever. I am so glad to have had the priveldge of having Joe as my nephew. He made the world a better place to be. Joe, I love you and I miss you so much. I will think of you and miss you everyday of my life. When I close my eyes I can feel you hug me, kiss me on my cheek and I can hear you say “I love you Aunt Susie” like you did everytime I saw you. I know you are happy and smiling now and you are making everyone up there roll with laughter just like you did us. I will never forget changing your diaper, feeding u a bottle, helping u walk, t how you beat someone up for me and how no one could say anything bad about me, watching you sing kareoke with Uncle Cris and seeing you and Savanna asleep on the couch together, and you and Alex doing pranks together. I will hold on to all the memories we shared for 22 years so tight. I will cherish every moment that we had with you. I miss you so very much. Rest in Peace and continue to do what you did so well, make people laugh, make them roll with laughter just like you did for us on earth. I know you are watching over us now, and we will see you again when God calls us up to be with you. Until then, my heart will always have a missing piece. We love you, Forever, my Joe-Joe. Love, Aunt Susie, Uncle Cris, Alex and Savanna
Marine Cpl. Joseph C. Whitehead was killed in action on 1/17/11.
Marine Cpl. Joseph C. Whitehead, 22, of Axis, Ala.
Cpl. Whitehead was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 17, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Melanie Miller said her son is a hero. "I am very proud. I want everyone one to know, the world to know he was only 22-years-old," said Melanie Miller.
The young Marine's family said he had only been in the battle torn country for five weeks when he was killed. Whitehead's family said he had a big personality and an even bigger heart.
They said he died doing what he loved and knew the sacrifice it would take. "He wanted to serve his country and he went to Afghanistan even though he knew the consequences. He wanted to become a man and he did," said Miller.
Photos of a bright eyed high school graduate adorn the family coffee table. Whitehead's mother, sister, brother and aunt shared stories about him. Stories such as the time he took his niece mud riding or the time he paid his mother's electric bill.
Before deploying to Afghanistan, Cpl. Whitehead served his country in Kuwait and Haiti.
Whitehead was born and raised in Mobile. His uncle, Chris Bassenger, tells News 5 that Whitehead enlisted in the Marines after graduating from Satsuma High School in 2007. He was about to finish up his first stretch and planned to re-enlist in August. Bassenger says it's something Whitehead wanted to do since the 9/11 attacks.
Whitehead turned 22 years old on Wednesday, less than a week prior to his death.
Coach Jeff Kelly, who coached Whitehead while he was a student at Satsuma, says Whitehead was proud to wear his #62 football jersey. Everyone remembers his smile. "He always had a smile on his face, a fun-loving guy. He worked hard in everything, whether it was in the weight room, or between classes. He always had that smile on his face."
Kelly says Whitehead was the kind of student that other students gravitated toward, and the kind of player who could put in countless hours on the field. "I could see he would be a great military guy. He was a mentally tough guy, that he would be a great soldier."
Kelly says the entire community is saddened by his death. "Joseph is a young man who touched many lives in his short time and displayed the courage to look those things in the eye and defend his country, and that is something that we need to be forever grateful."
Whitehead "was doing a sweep for the infantry in the field" when "he set off an IED," an improvised explosive device, said his brother, Destin Goodhue.
"He was a young man that would never back down from hard work," said Kelly. "He was a hard worker and had a certain playfulness about his personality that made folks want to be around him. He was a joy to coach."
Goodhue called his older brother a hero. "He was my hero, my idol. He just paid the ultimate sacrifice," Goodhue said. "I just want everybody to know he was my hero."
Whitehead joined the Marines after graduating from Satsuma High School in 2007, family members said. "He had been in Afghanistan for five weeks," Goodhue said.
"He was the kind of person you would like to know, the best person you could ever possibly imagine to meet," Goodhue said. "Anytime I needed him, he would be there. He never denied me anything in my life. It's a sad loss."
Goodhue said family members have been told that Whitehead's body will arrive in Mobile in about four to seven days.
-Joe-Man i love you so much, you was, are, and will always be my brother. you have been my best friens scince the day i was born. we are exactly alike in so many ways dude. im crying over you everyday because i miss you bro, but you know i guess im just being selfish, because i know that you are looking down on me right now, i know that you are sitting beside me right now as i am typing this. you are my hero. you really are. you put your life out on the line for me and this country. if i grow up to be half the man that you are, im in good shape. we had so many good times together, you were the crazyest, funnyest, goofyest, funest, and most of all the bravest MAN i have ever met. you always told me that i am your brother, and its deffenetly true man. i know your going to be watching over me for the rest of my life man. I LOVE YOU BROTHER! Roll Tide! [1-12-89/ 1-17-11] In loving memory of a hero to us all, my best friend, cpl Joseph Charles Whitehead…Your brother…-Alex-
First thing I have to say is THE WORLD IS SUFFERING A TRAGIC LOSS, WHILE HEAVEN IS RECEIVING A WONDERFUL BLESSING. Joe is an awesome man, son, brother, nephew, grandson,cousin, friend, marine. The day he was born, my world changed forever. He made me smile everytime he walked into a room. The most important thing to Joe is his family, and their happiness. He had the biggest heart and he would do anything for anyone. He was compassionate. He was so funny, even when he drove u crazy, you were laughing. Really, their are no words that can express what a wonderful person he is. He brought so much joy into my life. Me and Joe shared a bond that I will cherish forever. I am so glad to have had the priveldge of having Joe as my nephew. He made the world a better place to be. Joe, I love you and I miss you so much. I will think of you and miss you everyday of my life. When I close my eyes I can feel you hug me, kiss me on my cheek and I can hear you say “I love you Aunt Susie” like you did everytime I saw you. I know you are happy and smiling now and you are making everyone up there roll with laughter just like you did us. I will never forget changing your diaper, feeding u a bottle, helping u walk, t how you beat someone up for me and how no one could say anything bad about me, watching you sing kareoke with Uncle Cris and seeing you and Savanna asleep on the couch together, and you and Alex doing pranks together. I will hold on to all the memories we shared for 22 years so tight. I will cherish every moment that we had with you. I miss you so very much. Rest in Peace and continue to do what you did so well, make people laugh, make them roll with laughter just like you did for us on earth. I know you are watching over us now, and we will see you again when God calls us up to be with you. Until then, my heart will always have a missing piece. We love you, Forever, my Joe-Joe. Love, Aunt Susie, Uncle Cris, Alex and Savanna
Marine Cpl. Joseph C. Whitehead was killed in action on 1/17/11.
Army Maj. Michael S. Evarts
Remember Our Heroes
Army Maj. Michael S. Evarts, 41, of Concord, Ohio
Major Evarts was assigned to 256th Combat Support Hospital, U.S. Army Reserve, Twinsburg, Ohio; died Jan. 17, 2011 in Tikrit, Iraq, in a non-combat-related incident.
Maj. Michael S. Evarts, 41, of Concord Township, died Monday in Tikrit, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident.
Evarts, who has a wife, Monique, and two children (whose names could not be provided), had been assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital based out of Twinsburg since 2006 and had only been in Iraq for a couple of months, said Maj. Matthew Lawrence of the 807 for Medical Command in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Evarts was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, and had been a part of the Army for 17 years, Lawrence said, adding his unit left for training in early November.
According to Evarts’ linkedin profile, he was also a pharmaceutical sales specialist at Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals in addition to being an executive officer for the 256th Combat Support Hospital.
The circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated, Lawrence said. “A, what we call, 15-6 investigation is being implemented, so until that comes out, we can’t really talk about the cause of death or what the reason of death was,” he said.
Longtime veterans council member Dan Evarts has learned that his brother died Monday while serving in Tikrit, Iraq, with the U.S. Army Reserve.
Maj. Michael S. Evarts, 41, was a communications officer with the 256th Combat Support Hospital and died in a non-combat-related incident, an Army spokesman in Utah said.
Keith Jermyn, Hingham’s (Massachusetts) director of veterans services, has helped Dan Evarts navigate military channels so he can be at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware when his brother’s body arrives from Iraq.
Michael Evarts was killed during his second tour in Iraq. In 2006, he served as a logistics officer near Baquba. He helped train Iraqi infantry in combat operations. He also distributed school supplies and toys sent by Hingham Cub Scouts and Hingham High School students.
Also from Linkedin:
Mike Evarts’s Interests: Waterskiing, Snowskiing, Running, Motorsports
Mike Evarts’s Groups: MAJ in the Army Reserves
Mike Evarts’s Honors: Bronze Star Medal awardee for service in Iraq 2007
Reservist was active, fun-loving
The Associated Press
Mike Evarts ran marathons, skied on both snow and water, and loved music. His close friends say he always was full of energy, goodwill and humor.
“He had a big heart and infectious laugh,” longtime friend Todd Ulrich told The News-Herald in northeastern Ohio. “I’ve never laughed as much as I’ve laughed with him where I had tears streaming down my face. It was quite a special thing that he had a gift for that.”
Evarts, a 41-year-old Cleveland resident, was a salesman for a pharmaceutical company. He also spent nearly two decades in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he was an executive officer with the 256th Combat Support Hospital in Twinsburg.
During his second overseas deployment, Evarts died Jan. 17 in Tikrit, Iraq. The Defense Department says his death was not combat-related.
He was a graduate of St. Lawrence University, where he majored in science and completed the ROTC program while competing on the school’s football and wrestling teams.
Evarts leaves behind his wife, Monique, and two sons, 7-year-old Zachary and 4-year-old Luke.
Army Maj. Michael S. Evarts was killed in a non-combat related incident on 1/17/11.
Army Maj. Michael S. Evarts, 41, of Concord, Ohio
Major Evarts was assigned to 256th Combat Support Hospital, U.S. Army Reserve, Twinsburg, Ohio; died Jan. 17, 2011 in Tikrit, Iraq, in a non-combat-related incident.
Maj. Michael S. Evarts, 41, of Concord Township, died Monday in Tikrit, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident.
Evarts, who has a wife, Monique, and two children (whose names could not be provided), had been assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital based out of Twinsburg since 2006 and had only been in Iraq for a couple of months, said Maj. Matthew Lawrence of the 807 for Medical Command in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Evarts was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, and had been a part of the Army for 17 years, Lawrence said, adding his unit left for training in early November.
According to Evarts’ linkedin profile, he was also a pharmaceutical sales specialist at Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals in addition to being an executive officer for the 256th Combat Support Hospital.
The circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated, Lawrence said. “A, what we call, 15-6 investigation is being implemented, so until that comes out, we can’t really talk about the cause of death or what the reason of death was,” he said.
Longtime veterans council member Dan Evarts has learned that his brother died Monday while serving in Tikrit, Iraq, with the U.S. Army Reserve.
Maj. Michael S. Evarts, 41, was a communications officer with the 256th Combat Support Hospital and died in a non-combat-related incident, an Army spokesman in Utah said.
Keith Jermyn, Hingham’s (Massachusetts) director of veterans services, has helped Dan Evarts navigate military channels so he can be at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware when his brother’s body arrives from Iraq.
Michael Evarts was killed during his second tour in Iraq. In 2006, he served as a logistics officer near Baquba. He helped train Iraqi infantry in combat operations. He also distributed school supplies and toys sent by Hingham Cub Scouts and Hingham High School students.
Also from Linkedin:
Mike Evarts’s Interests: Waterskiing, Snowskiing, Running, Motorsports
Mike Evarts’s Groups: MAJ in the Army Reserves
Mike Evarts’s Honors: Bronze Star Medal awardee for service in Iraq 2007
Reservist was active, fun-loving
The Associated Press
Mike Evarts ran marathons, skied on both snow and water, and loved music. His close friends say he always was full of energy, goodwill and humor.
“He had a big heart and infectious laugh,” longtime friend Todd Ulrich told The News-Herald in northeastern Ohio. “I’ve never laughed as much as I’ve laughed with him where I had tears streaming down my face. It was quite a special thing that he had a gift for that.”
Evarts, a 41-year-old Cleveland resident, was a salesman for a pharmaceutical company. He also spent nearly two decades in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he was an executive officer with the 256th Combat Support Hospital in Twinsburg.
During his second overseas deployment, Evarts died Jan. 17 in Tikrit, Iraq. The Defense Department says his death was not combat-related.
He was a graduate of St. Lawrence University, where he majored in science and completed the ROTC program while competing on the school’s football and wrestling teams.
Evarts leaves behind his wife, Monique, and two sons, 7-year-old Zachary and 4-year-old Luke.
Army Maj. Michael S. Evarts was killed in a non-combat related incident on 1/17/11.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Army Spc. Jose A. Torre
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jose A. Torre, 21, of Garden Grove, Calif.
Spc Torre was assigned to Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Jan. 15, 2011 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Soldier was ‘turning his life around’
The Associated Press
Jose Torre’s high school Spanish teacher remembers a student who not too long ago struggled, “like most teens.”
But then he started to turn his life around and became focused as he matured during his junior and senior years, said Alicia Duncan, of Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, Calif.
His guidance counselor, whom he had visited at his former high school on recent trips home, said that after he graduated, she could see Torre had found a sense of fulfillment in serving his country.
“He came in a couple of times in his fatigues,” Amy Bowman told the Orange County Register. “He was very proud of serving. He told me he was very happy doing what he was doing. I got the sense that he belonged and was part of something bigger.”
Jose Torre Jr., 21, of Garden Grove, Calif., was killed in Baghdad in an attack on his unit. He was assigned to Fort Riley, Kan.
“He was a man at 15,” Duncan said shortly after his death. “Why does it always have to be the kid who is pulling his life back together?”
Torre graduated in 2007 from Pacifica, where he was on the varsity wrestling team.
Teachers described him as friendly and outgoing.
Army Spc. Jose A. Torre was killed in action on 1/15/11.
Army Spc. Jose A. Torre, 21, of Garden Grove, Calif.
Spc Torre was assigned to Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died Jan. 15, 2011 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Soldier was ‘turning his life around’
The Associated Press
Jose Torre’s high school Spanish teacher remembers a student who not too long ago struggled, “like most teens.”
But then he started to turn his life around and became focused as he matured during his junior and senior years, said Alicia Duncan, of Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, Calif.
His guidance counselor, whom he had visited at his former high school on recent trips home, said that after he graduated, she could see Torre had found a sense of fulfillment in serving his country.
“He came in a couple of times in his fatigues,” Amy Bowman told the Orange County Register. “He was very proud of serving. He told me he was very happy doing what he was doing. I got the sense that he belonged and was part of something bigger.”
Jose Torre Jr., 21, of Garden Grove, Calif., was killed in Baghdad in an attack on his unit. He was assigned to Fort Riley, Kan.
“He was a man at 15,” Duncan said shortly after his death. “Why does it always have to be the kid who is pulling his life back together?”
Torre graduated in 2007 from Pacifica, where he was on the varsity wrestling team.
Teachers described him as friendly and outgoing.
Army Spc. Jose A. Torre was killed in action on 1/15/11.
Army Sgt. Michael P. Bartley
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Michael P. Bartley. 23, of Barnhill, Ill.
Sgt Bartley was assigned to 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan. 15, 2011 in Mosul of wounds sustained when an Iraqi soldier from the unit with which he was training shot him with small-arms fire. Also killed was Spc. Martin J. Lamar.
FAIRFIELD, Ill. — A Wayne County, Ill., Army sergeant was one of two soldiers killed Saturday in a training exercise in the northern Iraq city of Mosul.
Sgt. Michael Bartley, 23, of Barnhill, Ill., died when an Iraqi soldier, who apparently smuggled live ammunition into a training exercise, opened fire. A U.S. military official said the shooter was immediately killed by American forces who were running the morning drill at a training center in Mosul.
The official said the exercise was not meant to include live ammunition. An Iraqi Army official said the shooting appeared to have been planned.
Michael Bartley was a 2007 graduate of Fairfield Community High School and the only child of Rebecca Isles of Fairfield.
"I talked to him on Friday," Isles said. "He told me he was doing fine and was in the middle of a big training exercise, getting ready for a generals visit."
Members of the New Beginnings Church in Fairfield gathered Saturday night at the home of Bartley's grandmother, Delta Lewis, to offer the family prayers and comfort.
Isles said her son enlisted in the Army not long after high school and recently had re-enlisted. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed Saturday. Bartley was a member of a U.S. Army Cavalry unit.
Army officials notified Isles of the death on Saturday evening. She was to meet with military officials Sunday afternoon to begin making funeral arrangements.
"They are going to fly me to Washington, D.C., so I can be there when his remains arrive home," Isles said.
His mother was on hand as her son’s flag draped coffin turned to the States at Dover Air Force Base.
Family, friends and community members are remembering a Wayne County, Illinois, soldier killed during a training exercise in Iraq.
Bartley was a graduate of Fairfield Community High School. Former principal Diana Zurliene, now superintendent of Fairfield Elementary School, said Bartley knew from an early age that he wanted to join the armed forces.
"'(He told me) 'Ms. Z, I'm going to go into the military' and I said, 'Michael, that's a good ambition for you.' And he worked towards that," Zurliene said. "He played sports and he stayed in shape and everything 'cause he said 'When I join I've got to be able to do the PT and everything like that.' So that was always his goal that he was going to join the military and make a future of it."
The flag at Fairfield Community High School was flown at half-staff Monday in honor of Bartley. Fairfield Community High School Superintendent David Savage, said the school will have a moment of silence Tuesday morning and before their first game of the week to honor him.
"Michael was a very special young man, he was very dedicated. And not just to himself, but to his goals and his country," Superintendent Savage said.
"He was always the young man who looked at the glass as always half full. He never looked at the bad side of things, there was always a brighter side," said Superintendent Zurliene.
A former classmate posted this message on IllinoisHighSchoolSports.com:
“I really took a hard hit over this. My heart is tore up....he was my friend and we graduated from high school together from FCHS...Class of 2007. We took several courses together and also talked several times. Michael was a good guy who lived life to the fullest. He was a good athlete. He played baseball all four years at FCHS.”
A comrade made the following comment on Michael’s MySpace page:
“Now we have to say bye to you an Lamar I wish I could have been there to take the hit for y'all I know you will never see this but rip burtle”
Sgt. Bartley is a native of Barnhill, a town just a few miles south of Fairfield in Wayne County.
"He enlisted in the Army, and I thought, how appropriate. You know their motto is to be all you can be. Michael lived that," Fairfield Schools Superintendent David Savage said.
Bartley's former basketball coach Chase Curd said he remembers Bartley for his work ethic and optimistic spirit--no matter how many times he was knocked down, he always pulled himself back up.
"He came from a place where he could have gone a whole lot of different directions. And he went the right direction," Curd said.
Curd first met Bartley as his 8th grade basketball coach--He worked with him again when Michael was a senior in high school and volunteered to help coach that same team.
"I love and am proud of every one of my players that I've coached," Curd said, "But I'd be lying if I said that Michael wasn't probably the one I was most proud of."
A pastor at Rebecca Isles church in Xenia, IL said the congregation is sharing her loss.
"Everyone is really grief-stricken by it and really heartbroken by it. We all really felt for Becky," said Pastor Mark Shell of Orchardville Church.
It's really a scriptural thing where when one mourns, everyone mourns."
Army Sgt. Michael P. Bartley was killed in action on 1/15/11.
Army Sgt. Michael P. Bartley. 23, of Barnhill, Ill.
Sgt Bartley was assigned to 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan. 15, 2011 in Mosul of wounds sustained when an Iraqi soldier from the unit with which he was training shot him with small-arms fire. Also killed was Spc. Martin J. Lamar.
FAIRFIELD, Ill. — A Wayne County, Ill., Army sergeant was one of two soldiers killed Saturday in a training exercise in the northern Iraq city of Mosul.
Sgt. Michael Bartley, 23, of Barnhill, Ill., died when an Iraqi soldier, who apparently smuggled live ammunition into a training exercise, opened fire. A U.S. military official said the shooter was immediately killed by American forces who were running the morning drill at a training center in Mosul.
The official said the exercise was not meant to include live ammunition. An Iraqi Army official said the shooting appeared to have been planned.
Michael Bartley was a 2007 graduate of Fairfield Community High School and the only child of Rebecca Isles of Fairfield.
"I talked to him on Friday," Isles said. "He told me he was doing fine and was in the middle of a big training exercise, getting ready for a generals visit."
Members of the New Beginnings Church in Fairfield gathered Saturday night at the home of Bartley's grandmother, Delta Lewis, to offer the family prayers and comfort.
Isles said her son enlisted in the Army not long after high school and recently had re-enlisted. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed Saturday. Bartley was a member of a U.S. Army Cavalry unit.
Army officials notified Isles of the death on Saturday evening. She was to meet with military officials Sunday afternoon to begin making funeral arrangements.
"They are going to fly me to Washington, D.C., so I can be there when his remains arrive home," Isles said.
His mother was on hand as her son’s flag draped coffin turned to the States at Dover Air Force Base.
Family, friends and community members are remembering a Wayne County, Illinois, soldier killed during a training exercise in Iraq.
Bartley was a graduate of Fairfield Community High School. Former principal Diana Zurliene, now superintendent of Fairfield Elementary School, said Bartley knew from an early age that he wanted to join the armed forces.
"'(He told me) 'Ms. Z, I'm going to go into the military' and I said, 'Michael, that's a good ambition for you.' And he worked towards that," Zurliene said. "He played sports and he stayed in shape and everything 'cause he said 'When I join I've got to be able to do the PT and everything like that.' So that was always his goal that he was going to join the military and make a future of it."
The flag at Fairfield Community High School was flown at half-staff Monday in honor of Bartley. Fairfield Community High School Superintendent David Savage, said the school will have a moment of silence Tuesday morning and before their first game of the week to honor him.
"Michael was a very special young man, he was very dedicated. And not just to himself, but to his goals and his country," Superintendent Savage said.
"He was always the young man who looked at the glass as always half full. He never looked at the bad side of things, there was always a brighter side," said Superintendent Zurliene.
A former classmate posted this message on IllinoisHighSchoolSports.com:
“I really took a hard hit over this. My heart is tore up....he was my friend and we graduated from high school together from FCHS...Class of 2007. We took several courses together and also talked several times. Michael was a good guy who lived life to the fullest. He was a good athlete. He played baseball all four years at FCHS.”
A comrade made the following comment on Michael’s MySpace page:
“Now we have to say bye to you an Lamar I wish I could have been there to take the hit for y'all I know you will never see this but rip burtle”
Sgt. Bartley is a native of Barnhill, a town just a few miles south of Fairfield in Wayne County.
"He enlisted in the Army, and I thought, how appropriate. You know their motto is to be all you can be. Michael lived that," Fairfield Schools Superintendent David Savage said.
Bartley's former basketball coach Chase Curd said he remembers Bartley for his work ethic and optimistic spirit--no matter how many times he was knocked down, he always pulled himself back up.
"He came from a place where he could have gone a whole lot of different directions. And he went the right direction," Curd said.
Curd first met Bartley as his 8th grade basketball coach--He worked with him again when Michael was a senior in high school and volunteered to help coach that same team.
"I love and am proud of every one of my players that I've coached," Curd said, "But I'd be lying if I said that Michael wasn't probably the one I was most proud of."
A pastor at Rebecca Isles church in Xenia, IL said the congregation is sharing her loss.
"Everyone is really grief-stricken by it and really heartbroken by it. We all really felt for Becky," said Pastor Mark Shell of Orchardville Church.
It's really a scriptural thing where when one mourns, everyone mourns."
Army Sgt. Michael P. Bartley was killed in action on 1/15/11.
Army Sgt. Martin J. ‘Mick’ LaMar
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Martin J. ‘Mick’ LaMar, 43, of Sacramento, Calif.
Sgt LaMar was assigned to 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan. 15, 2011 in Mosul of wounds sustained when an Iraqi soldier from the unit with which he was training shot him with small-arms fire. Also killed was Sgt. Michael P. Bartley.
MOSUL, IRAQ - A Sacramento soldier has been shot to death by an Iraqi soldier he was training.
Spc. Martin J. "Mick" LaMar, 43, was shot Jan. 15 in Mosul, Iraq. The Iraqi soldier also shot Sgt. Michael P. Bartley, 23, of Barnhill, Ill.
Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
A news release said a third U.S. soldier was wounded. It was not immediately clear what happened to the Iraqi soldier who shot them.
One of LaMar's friends called News10 to clarify the soldier's name.
"He hated being called Martin," said Wylie Guadamuz. "We called him Mick or Micky," he said.
Guadamuz said LaMar served as a Marine in the first Gulf War and later joined the Army. "He lived to be a soldier. He loved it."
Guadamuz said Mick LaMar is survived by his wife, Josephine, and five children. Josephine and the three youngest children were living in Ft. Hood, he said.
Wylie Guadamuz wrote:
"thank you all for the prayers and thoughts. he hated being called martin. he liked being called micky or mick. and its LaMar. that would have really bugged him!! he loved serving. being in and going back was all he talked about. he was doing what he loved and believed in. he was coming home next week. mick will be sorely missed. thanks again for all the prayers." gguada
MOSUL, IRAQ —
A Sacramento soldier who was killed in Iraq was scheduled to come home that very day, but his deployment was postponed for one week.
It's a tough loss for family members, who say 43-year-old Specialist Martin Lamar was a family man and all-around great guy.
"He had a newborn daughter he hasn't met yet," says Lamar's brother-in-law, Gilbert Alvarado. "He loved his family, his wife, his kids. He was a provider."
According to The Department of Defense, Lamar and one other soldier were killed by an Iraqi soldier they were training. Alvarado says the Iraqi soldier wasn't supposed to be using live ammunition, that it was an insurgent who infiltrated the military. "[The insurgent] ambushed [Lamar] and another fellow soldier. It was definitely a planned killing. The insurgency is still active."
The Iraqi soldier was killed as well. This was Spc. Lamar's second tour of duty in Iraq. Alvarado says he's always been gung-ho about the military. "If there was any way he wanted to go, this was the way he wanted to go, serving his country. That's a big honor for us, the family, I'm sure for the country, too."
Micky Lamar went to Oakmont High School in Roseville. Now, his family just wants him home. "Hopefully in the next week or so we'll bring him home to Sacramento and give him the right burial," says Alvarado.
Spc. Martin Lamar died January 15th, along with 23-year-old Michael Bartley of Barnhill, Illinois.
Alvarado wants people to remember that there's still a lot of fighting in Iraq, that our soldiers are still dying. "Hopefully this death won't be in vain, it will be for our freedom."
Army Sgt. Martin J. ‘Mick’ LaMar was killed in action on 1/15/11.
Army Sgt. Martin J. ‘Mick’ LaMar, 43, of Sacramento, Calif.
Sgt LaMar was assigned to 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan. 15, 2011 in Mosul of wounds sustained when an Iraqi soldier from the unit with which he was training shot him with small-arms fire. Also killed was Sgt. Michael P. Bartley.
MOSUL, IRAQ - A Sacramento soldier has been shot to death by an Iraqi soldier he was training.
Spc. Martin J. "Mick" LaMar, 43, was shot Jan. 15 in Mosul, Iraq. The Iraqi soldier also shot Sgt. Michael P. Bartley, 23, of Barnhill, Ill.
Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
A news release said a third U.S. soldier was wounded. It was not immediately clear what happened to the Iraqi soldier who shot them.
One of LaMar's friends called News10 to clarify the soldier's name.
"He hated being called Martin," said Wylie Guadamuz. "We called him Mick or Micky," he said.
Guadamuz said LaMar served as a Marine in the first Gulf War and later joined the Army. "He lived to be a soldier. He loved it."
Guadamuz said Mick LaMar is survived by his wife, Josephine, and five children. Josephine and the three youngest children were living in Ft. Hood, he said.
Wylie Guadamuz wrote:
"thank you all for the prayers and thoughts. he hated being called martin. he liked being called micky or mick. and its LaMar. that would have really bugged him!! he loved serving. being in and going back was all he talked about. he was doing what he loved and believed in. he was coming home next week. mick will be sorely missed. thanks again for all the prayers." gguada
MOSUL, IRAQ —
A Sacramento soldier who was killed in Iraq was scheduled to come home that very day, but his deployment was postponed for one week.
It's a tough loss for family members, who say 43-year-old Specialist Martin Lamar was a family man and all-around great guy.
"He had a newborn daughter he hasn't met yet," says Lamar's brother-in-law, Gilbert Alvarado. "He loved his family, his wife, his kids. He was a provider."
According to The Department of Defense, Lamar and one other soldier were killed by an Iraqi soldier they were training. Alvarado says the Iraqi soldier wasn't supposed to be using live ammunition, that it was an insurgent who infiltrated the military. "[The insurgent] ambushed [Lamar] and another fellow soldier. It was definitely a planned killing. The insurgency is still active."
The Iraqi soldier was killed as well. This was Spc. Lamar's second tour of duty in Iraq. Alvarado says he's always been gung-ho about the military. "If there was any way he wanted to go, this was the way he wanted to go, serving his country. That's a big honor for us, the family, I'm sure for the country, too."
Micky Lamar went to Oakmont High School in Roseville. Now, his family just wants him home. "Hopefully in the next week or so we'll bring him home to Sacramento and give him the right burial," says Alvarado.
Spc. Martin Lamar died January 15th, along with 23-year-old Michael Bartley of Barnhill, Illinois.
Alvarado wants people to remember that there's still a lot of fighting in Iraq, that our soldiers are still dying. "Hopefully this death won't be in vain, it will be for our freedom."
Army Sgt. Martin J. ‘Mick’ LaMar was killed in action on 1/15/11.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Army Maj. Evan J. Mooldyk
Remember Our Heroes
Army Maj. Evan J. Mooldyk, 47, of Danville, Calif.
Major Mooldyk was assigned to 19th Sustainment Command, 377th Theater Sustainment Command, Belle Chasse, La.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Khowst province, Afghanistan, in a noncombat-related incident.
He had been in Afghanistan for one year and was supposed to come back home to Danville in just two weeks. Mooldyk also served a year in Iraq while he was a member of the National Guard five years ago.
Dear Leslie, Connor, Quinn and Kelly, I'm so very sad to hear about your loss. Your husband and dad sounds like an incredible guy. Reading the article brought tears to my eyes and a heaviness to my heart this morning.
It's hard enough to celebrate holidays, birthdays or even just a quiet evening at home when you've got someone you love so very far from home. The one thread you've hung onto for nearly a year was that this sadness would be replaced with joy once he came home again and your family could once again establish "normal" with him nearby.
As a member of the National Guard family, it's common to feel like the entire world goes on without the knowledge of what your family is going through because Rancho Murieta is not near a regular Army base where others share your loneliness and worries. Going to Home Depot to pick up things to help keep the house looking great, or out to dinner without "dad" seems strange when you look around and see other men accompany their wives and children on these daily chores that no one gives much thought to. It's only another family that has a loved one away that can understand how out of place daily chores feel when your guy is missing.
It's with extreme sadness that your time without your soldier has ended without a joyous homecoming. Your family has indeed given the ultimate sacrifice of service to our country. Those words sometimes sound hollow especially at a time like this, but in the big picture, he did the work he believed in. The time he spent away from his family was a gift of what a dedicated citizen of our nation will offer in order to serve the values that make our nation great. For that, I thank you. Debra Lind, a.k.a., Mrs. Major Stephen Lind, California Army National Guard, (deployed).
He is survived by his wife Leslie, sons Connor 15, Quinn 13, and daughter Kelly 19.
Army Maj. Evan J. Mooldyk was killed in a non-combat related incident on 1/12/11.
Army Maj. Evan J. Mooldyk, 47, of Danville, Calif.
Major Mooldyk was assigned to 19th Sustainment Command, 377th Theater Sustainment Command, Belle Chasse, La.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Khowst province, Afghanistan, in a noncombat-related incident.
He had been in Afghanistan for one year and was supposed to come back home to Danville in just two weeks. Mooldyk also served a year in Iraq while he was a member of the National Guard five years ago.
Dear Leslie, Connor, Quinn and Kelly, I'm so very sad to hear about your loss. Your husband and dad sounds like an incredible guy. Reading the article brought tears to my eyes and a heaviness to my heart this morning.
It's hard enough to celebrate holidays, birthdays or even just a quiet evening at home when you've got someone you love so very far from home. The one thread you've hung onto for nearly a year was that this sadness would be replaced with joy once he came home again and your family could once again establish "normal" with him nearby.
As a member of the National Guard family, it's common to feel like the entire world goes on without the knowledge of what your family is going through because Rancho Murieta is not near a regular Army base where others share your loneliness and worries. Going to Home Depot to pick up things to help keep the house looking great, or out to dinner without "dad" seems strange when you look around and see other men accompany their wives and children on these daily chores that no one gives much thought to. It's only another family that has a loved one away that can understand how out of place daily chores feel when your guy is missing.
It's with extreme sadness that your time without your soldier has ended without a joyous homecoming. Your family has indeed given the ultimate sacrifice of service to our country. Those words sometimes sound hollow especially at a time like this, but in the big picture, he did the work he believed in. The time he spent away from his family was a gift of what a dedicated citizen of our nation will offer in order to serve the values that make our nation great. For that, I thank you. Debra Lind, a.k.a., Mrs. Major Stephen Lind, California Army National Guard, (deployed).
He is survived by his wife Leslie, sons Connor 15, Quinn 13, and daughter Kelly 19.
Army Maj. Evan J. Mooldyk was killed in a non-combat related incident on 1/12/11.
Army Pfc. Zachary S. Salmon
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Zachary S. Salmon, 21, of Harrison, Ohio
Pfc. Salmon was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
The body of a soldier who recently moved back to the Tri-State will return to the United States. 21 year old Pfc. Zachary Salmon was a gunner in an armored vehicle and was fatally shot when the vehicle was attacked in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
His sister, Kelsi, says the family was told on Wednesday afternoon. The last time she talked to him was on Monday. "He was in good spirits," she said. "He had his ups and downs during the whole tour, but mostly he was in good spirits."
Pfc. Salmon grew up in Ohio, but he moved to Tennessee as a teenager and graduated from Pigeon Forge High School in 2008. After graduating he returned to the Tri-State and spent a year living in Hebron, Kentucky with his mother. His father lives in Hamilton. He enlisted in March of 2010 and was deployed in September.
"I remember Zack being a good student," said John Griffis, Pigeon Forge High School counselor. "He would stop and see us at the guidance office every now and then. I remember him as a good person." A moment of silence was held in Zack's honor before the Pigeon Forge/Gibbs boy's basketball game Thursday night at Pigeon Forge High School.
Salmon joined the Army in March 2010 and he was deployed in September. His sister says he considered his service his calling in life. "Everyone was so proud of him," said Salmon. "He was very, very loved."
Pfc. Salmon's aunt, Christine Craig of Lawrenceberg tells Local 12 his mother and father are going to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. They plan to be there when his remains arrive. Craig says her nephew will be buried at Riverview Cemetery in Aurora, Indiana but his services have not been set yet. Part of Pfc. Salmon's family has lived in Pigeon Forge for the past eight years, but most of them still live in the Tri-State.
"He's not going to be at our family functions," Craig said. "It's just that a hole that he's going to leave because he is larger than life." Another aunt, Denise Hogue, says Salmon's good friend and fellow soldier Joseph Frank was there when Salmon was killed.
"[Salmon] looked in [Frank's] eyes as if he was letting them down. He felt him getting killed was him letting his fellow soldiers down," Hogue said. "That to me is a hero."
"He was such a wonderful, loving father," Craig said. "He adored Noah. It was fun to see him with Noah. Zach made everything fun."
Craig says Salmon's mother, Rene Cross, can't believe she's lost her son. "That's one of her babies, and that's something no mother anywhere should have to deal with," Craig said. "Knowing that her baby has a baby that's not going to know his dad just tears her up."
On an evening nearly cold enough to freeze a teardrop, about 60 people gathered at Patriot Park in Sevier County to grieve and light a candle for a soldier who gave his all.
Army Pfc. Zachary Salmon, 21 and the father of a 3-year-old boy, took a sniper's bullet Wednesday in Afghanistan, wearing a tattoo on his leg that says, "Life is but a vapor," a reference to a favorite passage of Scripture, James 4:14.
"He was in a vehicle sitting when it was attacked," said Keely McCarter, Salmon's fiance, who with her mother and grandmother organized the candlelight vigil Friday evening in Pigeon Forge. "They couldn't shut the door in time."
A few dozen solemn mourners - many, if not most, strangers to the soldier - stood in the frigid park to hear Salmon eulogized by Earlene Teaster, Pigeon Forge city manager, and others who had known the 2008 Pigeon Forge High School graduate.
Teaster called him "a fine, fine young man" and spoke of his spiritual nature, saying he had told McCarter that, based on his faith, he was not worried about what might happen. He said he would be "A-OK," Teaster said. "Zack is A-OK now."
Candles provided a warm glow to a memorial stand that included pictures of Salmon and McCarter, and those in attendance also held candles in his memory. McCarter wept softly throughout the vigil.
Shirley Harmon, McCarter's grandmother, said Salmon's mother was the best friend of her daughter, Andrea Weddington, McCarter's mother.
Weddington said following the brief memorial that Salmon was "loving and giving" and she looked forward to having him as a son-in-law.
"He always put others first," she said. "He had questions about what to do with his life" and how best to be a father to Noah, 3, whose mother is a former girlfriend of Salmon's.
"His world was built around his son," Weddington said. "He was remarkable."
Salmon was scheduled to return in April, McCarter said, and the couple planned to be married in September.
During the memorial, members of the groups spontaneously sang a verse of "America the Beautiful," and Vanessa Mayes, a family friend, read from a poem she wrote for Salmon titled "One in a Million."
The poem includes the lines "You taught us how to live/How to appreciate our freedom/How to appreciate another day/How to appreciate a friend, a brother, a son, a father, a hero."
Army Pfc. Zachary S. Salmon was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Pfc. Zachary S. Salmon, 21, of Harrison, Ohio
Pfc. Salmon was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
The body of a soldier who recently moved back to the Tri-State will return to the United States. 21 year old Pfc. Zachary Salmon was a gunner in an armored vehicle and was fatally shot when the vehicle was attacked in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
His sister, Kelsi, says the family was told on Wednesday afternoon. The last time she talked to him was on Monday. "He was in good spirits," she said. "He had his ups and downs during the whole tour, but mostly he was in good spirits."
Pfc. Salmon grew up in Ohio, but he moved to Tennessee as a teenager and graduated from Pigeon Forge High School in 2008. After graduating he returned to the Tri-State and spent a year living in Hebron, Kentucky with his mother. His father lives in Hamilton. He enlisted in March of 2010 and was deployed in September.
"I remember Zack being a good student," said John Griffis, Pigeon Forge High School counselor. "He would stop and see us at the guidance office every now and then. I remember him as a good person." A moment of silence was held in Zack's honor before the Pigeon Forge/Gibbs boy's basketball game Thursday night at Pigeon Forge High School.
Salmon joined the Army in March 2010 and he was deployed in September. His sister says he considered his service his calling in life. "Everyone was so proud of him," said Salmon. "He was very, very loved."
Pfc. Salmon's aunt, Christine Craig of Lawrenceberg tells Local 12 his mother and father are going to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. They plan to be there when his remains arrive. Craig says her nephew will be buried at Riverview Cemetery in Aurora, Indiana but his services have not been set yet. Part of Pfc. Salmon's family has lived in Pigeon Forge for the past eight years, but most of them still live in the Tri-State.
"He's not going to be at our family functions," Craig said. "It's just that a hole that he's going to leave because he is larger than life." Another aunt, Denise Hogue, says Salmon's good friend and fellow soldier Joseph Frank was there when Salmon was killed.
"[Salmon] looked in [Frank's] eyes as if he was letting them down. He felt him getting killed was him letting his fellow soldiers down," Hogue said. "That to me is a hero."
"He was such a wonderful, loving father," Craig said. "He adored Noah. It was fun to see him with Noah. Zach made everything fun."
Craig says Salmon's mother, Rene Cross, can't believe she's lost her son. "That's one of her babies, and that's something no mother anywhere should have to deal with," Craig said. "Knowing that her baby has a baby that's not going to know his dad just tears her up."
On an evening nearly cold enough to freeze a teardrop, about 60 people gathered at Patriot Park in Sevier County to grieve and light a candle for a soldier who gave his all.
Army Pfc. Zachary Salmon, 21 and the father of a 3-year-old boy, took a sniper's bullet Wednesday in Afghanistan, wearing a tattoo on his leg that says, "Life is but a vapor," a reference to a favorite passage of Scripture, James 4:14.
"He was in a vehicle sitting when it was attacked," said Keely McCarter, Salmon's fiance, who with her mother and grandmother organized the candlelight vigil Friday evening in Pigeon Forge. "They couldn't shut the door in time."
A few dozen solemn mourners - many, if not most, strangers to the soldier - stood in the frigid park to hear Salmon eulogized by Earlene Teaster, Pigeon Forge city manager, and others who had known the 2008 Pigeon Forge High School graduate.
Teaster called him "a fine, fine young man" and spoke of his spiritual nature, saying he had told McCarter that, based on his faith, he was not worried about what might happen. He said he would be "A-OK," Teaster said. "Zack is A-OK now."
Candles provided a warm glow to a memorial stand that included pictures of Salmon and McCarter, and those in attendance also held candles in his memory. McCarter wept softly throughout the vigil.
Shirley Harmon, McCarter's grandmother, said Salmon's mother was the best friend of her daughter, Andrea Weddington, McCarter's mother.
Weddington said following the brief memorial that Salmon was "loving and giving" and she looked forward to having him as a son-in-law.
"He always put others first," she said. "He had questions about what to do with his life" and how best to be a father to Noah, 3, whose mother is a former girlfriend of Salmon's.
"His world was built around his son," Weddington said. "He was remarkable."
Salmon was scheduled to return in April, McCarter said, and the couple planned to be married in September.
During the memorial, members of the groups spontaneously sang a verse of "America the Beautiful," and Vanessa Mayes, a family friend, read from a poem she wrote for Salmon titled "One in a Million."
The poem includes the lines "You taught us how to live/How to appreciate our freedom/How to appreciate another day/How to appreciate a friend, a brother, a son, a father, a hero."
Army Pfc. Zachary S. Salmon was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Sgt. Zainah C. Creamer
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Zainah C. Creamer, 28, of Texarkana, Ark.
Sgt Creamer was assigned to 212th Military Police Detachment, Headquarters Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Va.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device.
She was an Army sergeant, based in Northern Virginia, and she was an Army dog handler. Last month, a cousin said, she posted pictures on the Internet of herself and the dog, costumed for Christmas, in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Zainah Caye Creamer, 28, who was based at Fort Belvoir, was in the military police, and she and her working dog, Jofa, were assigned to check vehicles and facilities for explosives, a Belvoir spokesman said. The two had gone to Afghanistan in October.
Creamer was killed Wednesday in Kandahar province when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device, the Pentagon said.
Details of the incident were sketchy. But Don Carr, the Belvoir spokesman, said Creamer and the dog were doing their job, carrying out "a route and building clearance mission" when the blast occurred.
Creamer went to high school in Texarkana, Ark., and "always loved animals," her cousin, Samantha Creamer, said Sunday in an interview. Other interests included hunting and fishing, the cousin said, as well as the martial art of taekwondo.
She "absolutely loved being in the Army," the cousin said. She enjoyed serving, and she "loved her dog she had in the Army."
Samantha Creamer said that her cousin was often "smiling and laughing" and caring for others and that she rarely had a bad word for anybody. "Everybody that knew her loved her," the cousin said. "'She touched a lot of people for the short amount of time she was on Earth," her cousin said. "That was her personality."
Creamer, who was single, was assigned to the 212th Military Police Detachment, Headquarters Battalion at Fort Belvoir. Fort Belvoir spokesman Don Carr said that Creamer had been in the Army for six years and three months and had been assigned to the 212th since October of 2009.
"This was her third deployment, but her first as a Military Working Dog handler," said Carr. Creamer and her work dog, Jofa, left for Afghanistan in October. Jofa was not hurt in the attack.
Creamer's aunt — Pat Willis — told the Texarkana Gazette that the memorial service will be Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Willis said burial is likely to take place in the Phillipines.
Army Sgt. Zainah C. Creamer was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Sgt. Zainah C. Creamer, 28, of Texarkana, Ark.
Sgt Creamer was assigned to 212th Military Police Detachment, Headquarters Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Va.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device.
She was an Army sergeant, based in Northern Virginia, and she was an Army dog handler. Last month, a cousin said, she posted pictures on the Internet of herself and the dog, costumed for Christmas, in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Zainah Caye Creamer, 28, who was based at Fort Belvoir, was in the military police, and she and her working dog, Jofa, were assigned to check vehicles and facilities for explosives, a Belvoir spokesman said. The two had gone to Afghanistan in October.
Creamer was killed Wednesday in Kandahar province when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device, the Pentagon said.
Details of the incident were sketchy. But Don Carr, the Belvoir spokesman, said Creamer and the dog were doing their job, carrying out "a route and building clearance mission" when the blast occurred.
Creamer went to high school in Texarkana, Ark., and "always loved animals," her cousin, Samantha Creamer, said Sunday in an interview. Other interests included hunting and fishing, the cousin said, as well as the martial art of taekwondo.
She "absolutely loved being in the Army," the cousin said. She enjoyed serving, and she "loved her dog she had in the Army."
Samantha Creamer said that her cousin was often "smiling and laughing" and caring for others and that she rarely had a bad word for anybody. "Everybody that knew her loved her," the cousin said. "'She touched a lot of people for the short amount of time she was on Earth," her cousin said. "That was her personality."
Creamer, who was single, was assigned to the 212th Military Police Detachment, Headquarters Battalion at Fort Belvoir. Fort Belvoir spokesman Don Carr said that Creamer had been in the Army for six years and three months and had been assigned to the 212th since October of 2009.
"This was her third deployment, but her first as a Military Working Dog handler," said Carr. Creamer and her work dog, Jofa, left for Afghanistan in October. Jofa was not hurt in the attack.
Creamer's aunt — Pat Willis — told the Texarkana Gazette that the memorial service will be Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Willis said burial is likely to take place in the Phillipines.
Army Sgt. Zainah C. Creamer was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Spc. Benjamin G. Moore
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Benjamin G. Moore, 23, of Robbinsville, N.J.
Spc. Moore was assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Cpl. Jarrid L. King and Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves.
BORDENTOWN, N.J. — Benjamin Moore had a strong sense of duty and service.
It spurred him to serve with a volunteer fire company at just 16 years old, and led him to join the Army two years ago.
“His main beliefs were his family and community service,” said Capt. Ken Mortello, who served with Moore at the Hope Hose Humane Fire Company.
Army Pfc. Benjamin Moore, 23, was killed in Afghanistan on Jan. 12.
The Defense Department said Jan. 13 that Moore and two other soldiers were killed in Ghazni province. They suffered fatal wounds when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.
All were assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
A seven-year member of the fire company, Moore was remembered by his fellow firefighters as a jokester.
“If he saw someone serious, he tried to make him smile,” said Mortello, who also serves as a firefighter for the Defense Department.
Mortello said Moore knew how to push people’s buttons. He saw Moore grow from a young teenager into a more emotionally developed young man, a maturation helped by his time in the military, Mortello said.
Moore talked about becoming a career firefighter or some other form of emergency services, according to Mortello. He had the chops for it.
“When he left here on a military leave of absence he was our fire lieutenant,” Mortello recalled.
“He was well liked. To be in that position, you have to be trusted by your colleagues.”
Mortello said he had no doubt Moore had the same rapport with his fellow soldiers in the Army.
The close-knit river community is mourning the loss of one of its own — a municipality where to be a Bordentownian, you must be born in the community, Mortello said.
Moore was a Bordentownian.
“He was an integral part of our team,” Mortello said. “I lost more than a friend, I lost a brother.”
‘We will never forget him’
By Julie Shannon
(Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post
BORDENTOWN CITY, N.J. — Hundreds of family members, friends, fellow service members and others came together on Jan. 22 to remember Army Spc. Benjamin G. Moore, killed in Afghanistan on Jan. 12.
Inside Trinity United Methodist Church, every pew and open space was filled to with people there to honor the fallen soldier. Two servicemen stood on opposite sides of Moore’s casket like watchdogs protecting their leader.
Outside the church, hundreds more stood on Farnsworth Avenue, bundled from head-to-toe in the frigid weather, clutching American flags tightly to their chest. Three women held a banner that read, “Thank You Ben.”
Moore was among three soldiers who were killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.
As well as being part of the Army, Moore was a firefighter and an EMT with the Hope Hose Humane Company of Bordentown City. He joined the fire company when he was 16.
The 2006 Bordentown Regional High School graduate received many awards including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the NATO Medal.
“I learned a lot about Benjamin right out of the gate,” said the Rev. Thomas C. Miller at the funeral service. “As I learned more and more, the more I liked him.”
Moore was well known for his gentle kindness, courage and the way he would do any job asked of him at any given moment.
Miller turned to Bordentown Mayor Tom Lynch and said, “Did you ever wonder about him campaigning against you one day?”
Later in the service, Lynch proclaimed, “Ben is our mayor today.”
Miller remembered Moore for being a team player who had “such purpose” in life.
“He was the one helping others,” he said profoundly. “Do you see what God did with his life?”
One by one, family and friends got up to speak about the fallen comrade. Some talked about how dedicated he was to his community and how much he loved being a part of the fire company. Others spoke of his outgoing personality that would get others in trouble, not him.
“Somehow, somewhere, he would always get you in trouble,” one friend said with a laugh that enabled others to laugh with him. “But he was a good man, a good person and we’ll never forget him.”
Another friend said Moore helped people as much as he could for the right reasons.
“He didn’t help because it was the right thing to do, he did it because he wanted to,” one friend said.
After the service, service members carried his flag-draped casket onto one of the city’s fire trucks before driving past hundreds of mourners.
It was preceded by a police escort, firefighters and the Warrior Watch Riders motorcycle group.
As his cousin Jacob Archer put it, “He knew what he was getting in to, and he paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Army Spc. Benjamin G. Moore was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Spc. Benjamin G. Moore, 23, of Robbinsville, N.J.
Spc. Moore was assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Cpl. Jarrid L. King and Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves.
BORDENTOWN, N.J. — Benjamin Moore had a strong sense of duty and service.
It spurred him to serve with a volunteer fire company at just 16 years old, and led him to join the Army two years ago.
“His main beliefs were his family and community service,” said Capt. Ken Mortello, who served with Moore at the Hope Hose Humane Fire Company.
Army Pfc. Benjamin Moore, 23, was killed in Afghanistan on Jan. 12.
The Defense Department said Jan. 13 that Moore and two other soldiers were killed in Ghazni province. They suffered fatal wounds when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.
All were assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
A seven-year member of the fire company, Moore was remembered by his fellow firefighters as a jokester.
“If he saw someone serious, he tried to make him smile,” said Mortello, who also serves as a firefighter for the Defense Department.
Mortello said Moore knew how to push people’s buttons. He saw Moore grow from a young teenager into a more emotionally developed young man, a maturation helped by his time in the military, Mortello said.
Moore talked about becoming a career firefighter or some other form of emergency services, according to Mortello. He had the chops for it.
“When he left here on a military leave of absence he was our fire lieutenant,” Mortello recalled.
“He was well liked. To be in that position, you have to be trusted by your colleagues.”
Mortello said he had no doubt Moore had the same rapport with his fellow soldiers in the Army.
The close-knit river community is mourning the loss of one of its own — a municipality where to be a Bordentownian, you must be born in the community, Mortello said.
Moore was a Bordentownian.
“He was an integral part of our team,” Mortello said. “I lost more than a friend, I lost a brother.”
‘We will never forget him’
By Julie Shannon
(Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post
BORDENTOWN CITY, N.J. — Hundreds of family members, friends, fellow service members and others came together on Jan. 22 to remember Army Spc. Benjamin G. Moore, killed in Afghanistan on Jan. 12.
Inside Trinity United Methodist Church, every pew and open space was filled to with people there to honor the fallen soldier. Two servicemen stood on opposite sides of Moore’s casket like watchdogs protecting their leader.
Outside the church, hundreds more stood on Farnsworth Avenue, bundled from head-to-toe in the frigid weather, clutching American flags tightly to their chest. Three women held a banner that read, “Thank You Ben.”
Moore was among three soldiers who were killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.
As well as being part of the Army, Moore was a firefighter and an EMT with the Hope Hose Humane Company of Bordentown City. He joined the fire company when he was 16.
The 2006 Bordentown Regional High School graduate received many awards including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the NATO Medal.
“I learned a lot about Benjamin right out of the gate,” said the Rev. Thomas C. Miller at the funeral service. “As I learned more and more, the more I liked him.”
Moore was well known for his gentle kindness, courage and the way he would do any job asked of him at any given moment.
Miller turned to Bordentown Mayor Tom Lynch and said, “Did you ever wonder about him campaigning against you one day?”
Later in the service, Lynch proclaimed, “Ben is our mayor today.”
Miller remembered Moore for being a team player who had “such purpose” in life.
“He was the one helping others,” he said profoundly. “Do you see what God did with his life?”
One by one, family and friends got up to speak about the fallen comrade. Some talked about how dedicated he was to his community and how much he loved being a part of the fire company. Others spoke of his outgoing personality that would get others in trouble, not him.
“Somehow, somewhere, he would always get you in trouble,” one friend said with a laugh that enabled others to laugh with him. “But he was a good man, a good person and we’ll never forget him.”
Another friend said Moore helped people as much as he could for the right reasons.
“He didn’t help because it was the right thing to do, he did it because he wanted to,” one friend said.
After the service, service members carried his flag-draped casket onto one of the city’s fire trucks before driving past hundreds of mourners.
It was preceded by a police escort, firefighters and the Warrior Watch Riders motorcycle group.
As his cousin Jacob Archer put it, “He knew what he was getting in to, and he paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Army Spc. Benjamin G. Moore was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves, 30, of El Paso, Texas
SSgt Aceves was assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Cpl. Jarrid L. King and Spc. Benjamin G. Moore.
An El Paso soldier killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday will be remembered for his "big eyes and beautiful smile."
Sgt. Omar Aceves, 30, a husband and father, and two other soldiers were killed in Ghazni Province when their unit was struck by a homemade bomb.
The other soldiers were Spc. Jarrid L. King, 20, of Erie, Pa., and Pfc. Benjamin G. Moore, 23, of Robbinsville, N.J.
All three were combat engineers with the 693rd Engineer Company of the 7th Engineer Battalion from Fort Drum, N.Y.
Patricia Enriquez, Aceves' older sister, was one of the first members of the family to be notified. Aceves, one of five children, had two brothers and two sisters.
"The military did come over to pay their condolences," Enriquez said. "We were all in denial and kept thinking we were going to get a phone call saying they made a mistake."
Aceves' wife, parents and other sister were in Fort Drum on Friday to receive his body.
Enriquez said the rest of the family was still coming to terms with the death.
"Omar is a hero. He died fighting for our country and made us proud," she said as an official statement from the family. "Please keep us and all soldiers in your prayers. The war is not over."
Funeral arrangements had not been finalized as of Friday. Aceves' body will be buried either in El Paso, where he was born, or in Dallas, where his wife lives.
Omar Aceves was married to Leticia Aceves for six years. His children range in age from one year to eight years. He had two step-sons. His sister says he last saw his children in August, when he got a break in rotation. He was supposed to come home after his tour in April.
"They were his world," Enriquez said.
"When he was in town, he always wanted to spend time with his kids," Enriquez said. "They would all dress in military clothing, just like their daddy.
"I see his big eyes and his beautiful smile on them," she said.
When Aceves visited El Paso, he cherished time with the family and had an appetite for homemade Mexican food. Enriquez said he requested Mexican candy in his last package.
"The thing I remember the most about him is his big heart and great sense of humor," Enriquez said. "He had a great big smile that would just light up our lives."
After graduating Ysleta High School in 1999, Aceves spent four years in the military. After that, he spent time out of the service until he decided to make it a career and enlisted again in 2005.
He was then assigned to Fort Hood, where he met Leticia, before he was deployed to Iraq during 2006-2008.
After he returned from Iraq, he was stationed at Fort Drum, until he was deployed to Afghanistan last May.
"He was very proud of serving in the military," Enriquez said. "He felt the military was the best way to support himself and his family."
Along with his campaign medals, his decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Marksman Qualification Badge and more, according to a press release from Fort Drum public affairs.
"He was a great father, husband and he was a great leader," Enriquez said.
"We are very proud of him because he did something that not everyone can do. He died fighting for his country, which he loved."
January 15, 2011 -- Condolence Book
"My comrade,my friend,my brother,to your family I send my condolences and prayers.Today is a very sad day for me,the day that I heard that I lost a very special friend in you.I am glad to have been able to serve with and get to know you.I will miss you forever and will always remember the times we got to share here on earth together.We will share more later I know but the present is so hard to believe that I won't be able to share any more of the laughs and the old stories when we were roommates at Ft.Hood and of our last deployment but those are memories that I will forever hold onto.You were a great man Ace and an even better husband and father and I will forever pray for your wife and kids.May God always bless and protect them.To the family stay strong and your son,husband,father,brother(Omar "ACE" Aceves)will forever be missed by all the people he came in contact with and knew him.May God bless you all.I miss you Ace. Rest In Peace friend."
Sgt. Aceves is survived by his wife Leticia and 6 children; two sisters and two brothers and his parents who live in El Paso.
Army Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves, 30, of El Paso, Texas
SSgt Aceves was assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Cpl. Jarrid L. King and Spc. Benjamin G. Moore.
An El Paso soldier killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday will be remembered for his "big eyes and beautiful smile."
Sgt. Omar Aceves, 30, a husband and father, and two other soldiers were killed in Ghazni Province when their unit was struck by a homemade bomb.
The other soldiers were Spc. Jarrid L. King, 20, of Erie, Pa., and Pfc. Benjamin G. Moore, 23, of Robbinsville, N.J.
All three were combat engineers with the 693rd Engineer Company of the 7th Engineer Battalion from Fort Drum, N.Y.
Patricia Enriquez, Aceves' older sister, was one of the first members of the family to be notified. Aceves, one of five children, had two brothers and two sisters.
"The military did come over to pay their condolences," Enriquez said. "We were all in denial and kept thinking we were going to get a phone call saying they made a mistake."
Aceves' wife, parents and other sister were in Fort Drum on Friday to receive his body.
Enriquez said the rest of the family was still coming to terms with the death.
"Omar is a hero. He died fighting for our country and made us proud," she said as an official statement from the family. "Please keep us and all soldiers in your prayers. The war is not over."
Funeral arrangements had not been finalized as of Friday. Aceves' body will be buried either in El Paso, where he was born, or in Dallas, where his wife lives.
Omar Aceves was married to Leticia Aceves for six years. His children range in age from one year to eight years. He had two step-sons. His sister says he last saw his children in August, when he got a break in rotation. He was supposed to come home after his tour in April.
"They were his world," Enriquez said.
"When he was in town, he always wanted to spend time with his kids," Enriquez said. "They would all dress in military clothing, just like their daddy.
"I see his big eyes and his beautiful smile on them," she said.
When Aceves visited El Paso, he cherished time with the family and had an appetite for homemade Mexican food. Enriquez said he requested Mexican candy in his last package.
"The thing I remember the most about him is his big heart and great sense of humor," Enriquez said. "He had a great big smile that would just light up our lives."
After graduating Ysleta High School in 1999, Aceves spent four years in the military. After that, he spent time out of the service until he decided to make it a career and enlisted again in 2005.
He was then assigned to Fort Hood, where he met Leticia, before he was deployed to Iraq during 2006-2008.
After he returned from Iraq, he was stationed at Fort Drum, until he was deployed to Afghanistan last May.
"He was very proud of serving in the military," Enriquez said. "He felt the military was the best way to support himself and his family."
Along with his campaign medals, his decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Marksman Qualification Badge and more, according to a press release from Fort Drum public affairs.
"He was a great father, husband and he was a great leader," Enriquez said.
"We are very proud of him because he did something that not everyone can do. He died fighting for his country, which he loved."
January 15, 2011 -- Condolence Book
"My comrade,my friend,my brother,to your family I send my condolences and prayers.Today is a very sad day for me,the day that I heard that I lost a very special friend in you.I am glad to have been able to serve with and get to know you.I will miss you forever and will always remember the times we got to share here on earth together.We will share more later I know but the present is so hard to believe that I won't be able to share any more of the laughs and the old stories when we were roommates at Ft.Hood and of our last deployment but those are memories that I will forever hold onto.You were a great man Ace and an even better husband and father and I will forever pray for your wife and kids.May God always bless and protect them.To the family stay strong and your son,husband,father,brother(Omar "ACE" Aceves)will forever be missed by all the people he came in contact with and knew him.May God bless you all.I miss you Ace. Rest In Peace friend."
Sgt. Aceves is survived by his wife Leticia and 6 children; two sisters and two brothers and his parents who live in El Paso.
Army Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Cpl. Jarrid L. King
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jarrid L. King, 20, of Erie, Pa.
Cpl. King was assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves and Spc. Benjamin G. Moore.
Family friend Jeff Meade told the Erie Times-News that Mr. King aspired to a career in the military. Mr. Meade said Mr. King was "polite, popular and the first to help anyone who needed it."
Jarrid was a great young man and very popular. He was always polite and had a smile on his face.
Harbor Creek Athletic Director Andy Krahe said this:
He was very mature for his age. He was always, 'Yes, sir, no, sir.' He was one of the politest kids walking the halls. He was always pleasant and smiling, and he seemed to know what he wanted to do in the classroom and athletically.
King participated in Harbor Creek High School's wrestling program while in seventh, eighth and ninth grades.
Harbor Creek's wrestling head coach at that time was Mark Sallot, who currently serves as a volunteer wrestling coach at the school.
Sallot remembers immediately slapping a nickname on King when he began coaching him. I used to call him 'Subway,' when that Jared (Fogle) guy was doing all those commercials for Subway. Every time I'd see him at practice, I'd say, 'Boy, there's Jared, and he's lost a lot of weight.' He thought that was funny.
Jarrid King competed in the 119-pound weight class as a freshman -- the last year he wrestled.
Harbor Creek High School American History teacher and varsity baseball coach, Tim McQueeney instructed King during his sophomore year.
He was one of the most polite, well-mannered students I've ever been associated with. We certainly view Jarrid as an American hero. We appreciate what he and other military personnel around the world do for America.
When King returned home on leave in spring, he attended a few Harbor Creek baseball games to watch his two brothers play.
King's brother Jason is a senior, and his brother Johnathon is a sophomore. Both brothers pitch and play infield.
Cpl. King joined the Army in March 2009. Fort Drum was his first assignment after training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. Cpl. King is survived by his mother and father.
Obituary: Jarrid L. King / Soldier from Erie County serving in Afghanistan --
Nov. 6, 1990 - Jan. 12, 2011
A soldier who knew he wanted to join the military since the age of 15 and called people "sir" and "ma'am" even before entering the service died Wednesday in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Specialist Jarrid L. King, of Harborcreek Township near Erie, died in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, after enemy forces attacked his unit with an explosive device on Wednesday, the Department of Defense said. He was 20. (The Army on Friday awarded Mr. King a posthumous promotion to corporal.)
Also killed were Sergeant Omar Aceves, 30, of El Paso, Texas, and Private First Class Benjamin G. Moore, 23, of Robbinsville, N.J. The three soldiers were assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y.
Mr. King was born in Millington, Tenn. He attended Harbor Creek High School; he was on the wrestling team in seventh through ninth grades.
Jeff Meade, a neighbor and family friend whose son grew up with Mr. King, said he loved him like a son. Mr. King, his two brothers Jason and Johnathan, and Mr. Meade's son were "very tight" and enjoyed wrestling together. Mr. Meade was at the King home Saturday and spoke on behalf of the family.
"It would be nothing to look outside the window and see all four of them twisted up in the back yard," Mr. Meade said.
Mr. King expressed a desire for a military career when he was about 15, Mr. Meade said.
"When anyone needed a hand, he was the first one there to help," Mr. Meade said. "That's why he went into the military -- it's what he always wanted to do."
Mr. King left for active duty in the U.S. Army in April 2009.
While serving in Afghanistan, he spoke with his father almost daily on the Internet, Mr. Meade said. One of his favorite things to do was to talk to his father's two dogs over the computer as well, Mr. Meade said.
When Mr. King's photo was recently shown on the television, the dogs ran up to the television and barked at it, Mr. Meade said.
"They thought they were talking to him," he said.
Mr. King felt a strong duty toward his country and was very proud of his work in Afghanistan, Mr. Meade said. While home on leave over the summer, he told family and friends stories about passing out candy to Afghan children.
"He told me they are making a difference over there," Mr. Meade said. "He was very adamant about that."
Spc. King is survived by his parents, Donald L. King Jr. and Laura Elizabeth Weaver King; and his brothers Jason, 18, and Johnathan, 15, all of Harborcreek; and grandparents Ann and Donald King Sr., of Wesleyville, Pa., and David and Judith Weaver, of Summerville, S.C.
Army Cpl. Jarrid L. King was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Army Cpl. Jarrid L. King, 20, of Erie, Pa.
Cpl. King was assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Jan. 12, 2011 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Omar Aceves and Spc. Benjamin G. Moore.
Family friend Jeff Meade told the Erie Times-News that Mr. King aspired to a career in the military. Mr. Meade said Mr. King was "polite, popular and the first to help anyone who needed it."
Jarrid was a great young man and very popular. He was always polite and had a smile on his face.
Harbor Creek Athletic Director Andy Krahe said this:
He was very mature for his age. He was always, 'Yes, sir, no, sir.' He was one of the politest kids walking the halls. He was always pleasant and smiling, and he seemed to know what he wanted to do in the classroom and athletically.
King participated in Harbor Creek High School's wrestling program while in seventh, eighth and ninth grades.
Harbor Creek's wrestling head coach at that time was Mark Sallot, who currently serves as a volunteer wrestling coach at the school.
Sallot remembers immediately slapping a nickname on King when he began coaching him. I used to call him 'Subway,' when that Jared (Fogle) guy was doing all those commercials for Subway. Every time I'd see him at practice, I'd say, 'Boy, there's Jared, and he's lost a lot of weight.' He thought that was funny.
Jarrid King competed in the 119-pound weight class as a freshman -- the last year he wrestled.
Harbor Creek High School American History teacher and varsity baseball coach, Tim McQueeney instructed King during his sophomore year.
He was one of the most polite, well-mannered students I've ever been associated with. We certainly view Jarrid as an American hero. We appreciate what he and other military personnel around the world do for America.
When King returned home on leave in spring, he attended a few Harbor Creek baseball games to watch his two brothers play.
King's brother Jason is a senior, and his brother Johnathon is a sophomore. Both brothers pitch and play infield.
Cpl. King joined the Army in March 2009. Fort Drum was his first assignment after training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. Cpl. King is survived by his mother and father.
Obituary: Jarrid L. King / Soldier from Erie County serving in Afghanistan --
Nov. 6, 1990 - Jan. 12, 2011
A soldier who knew he wanted to join the military since the age of 15 and called people "sir" and "ma'am" even before entering the service died Wednesday in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Specialist Jarrid L. King, of Harborcreek Township near Erie, died in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, after enemy forces attacked his unit with an explosive device on Wednesday, the Department of Defense said. He was 20. (The Army on Friday awarded Mr. King a posthumous promotion to corporal.)
Also killed were Sergeant Omar Aceves, 30, of El Paso, Texas, and Private First Class Benjamin G. Moore, 23, of Robbinsville, N.J. The three soldiers were assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y.
Mr. King was born in Millington, Tenn. He attended Harbor Creek High School; he was on the wrestling team in seventh through ninth grades.
Jeff Meade, a neighbor and family friend whose son grew up with Mr. King, said he loved him like a son. Mr. King, his two brothers Jason and Johnathan, and Mr. Meade's son were "very tight" and enjoyed wrestling together. Mr. Meade was at the King home Saturday and spoke on behalf of the family.
"It would be nothing to look outside the window and see all four of them twisted up in the back yard," Mr. Meade said.
Mr. King expressed a desire for a military career when he was about 15, Mr. Meade said.
"When anyone needed a hand, he was the first one there to help," Mr. Meade said. "That's why he went into the military -- it's what he always wanted to do."
Mr. King left for active duty in the U.S. Army in April 2009.
While serving in Afghanistan, he spoke with his father almost daily on the Internet, Mr. Meade said. One of his favorite things to do was to talk to his father's two dogs over the computer as well, Mr. Meade said.
When Mr. King's photo was recently shown on the television, the dogs ran up to the television and barked at it, Mr. Meade said.
"They thought they were talking to him," he said.
Mr. King felt a strong duty toward his country and was very proud of his work in Afghanistan, Mr. Meade said. While home on leave over the summer, he told family and friends stories about passing out candy to Afghan children.
"He told me they are making a difference over there," Mr. Meade said. "He was very adamant about that."
Spc. King is survived by his parents, Donald L. King Jr. and Laura Elizabeth Weaver King; and his brothers Jason, 18, and Johnathan, 15, all of Harborcreek; and grandparents Ann and Donald King Sr., of Wesleyville, Pa., and David and Judith Weaver, of Summerville, S.C.
Army Cpl. Jarrid L. King was killed in action on 1/12/11.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Army Pfc. Robert J. Near
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Robert J. Near, 21, of Nampa, Idaho
Pfc. Near was assigned to the 86th Signal Battalion, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; died Jan. 7, 2011 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Before his enlistment in the U.S. Army in 2008, Robert J. Near had moved to Nampa to train for a promising career in computer technology at Centennial Job Corps.
The 21-year-old Granger, WA.-native died in combat this past week while serving as a private first class infantryman in Afghanistan, according to relatives. Family members reached in Granger on Saturday said they do not yet know the details of his death, but Army officials have told them they are treating it as a combat-related incident.
Near, who also had Treasure Valley family in Ontario, had deployed to Afghanistan in March. As recently as several days ago, Near talked with his grandmother in Granger over the phone. Family members said he had been due to return home within the next few weeks.
Speaking on behalf of Near’s family, his uncle, Terry Near, said the family was notified of the death Thursday and an Army liaison visited them in person on Saturday.
Near's grandmother, Vera Near, said her grandson grew up in her Granger home from the age of 2. She declined to talk further Monday afternoon.
“He was a very intelligent kid, he had a lot of drive and he had a lot of family around him that helped,” Terry Near said. “He had kind of gotten off to a rocky start at the beginning in high school, but when he got in the Job Corps he really started to get his life together and he pretty much took off from there.”
After completing his training at Centennial Job Corps, Near decided he wanted to continue to pursue his education. The Army offered him an opportunity to do that, Terry Near said.
Those who knew Near remembered him for his sense of humor and quick wit.
"He was a funny and a fun kid," said Lisa Rosberg, principal at Granger Middle School. "He just always was looking for a way to make people laugh and get people's attention."
Michael Delaney, Near's computer instructor at Centennial Job Corps in Nampa, Idaho, said much the same, remembering him as an upbeat class clown who excelled at his studies. "Many students in the program have emotional baggage because of their backgrounds," Delaney said. "I never really saw that with Robert. I never saw him sulking in the corner."
Before joining the military, Near completed 13 months of training at Job Corps, a federal program, earning certificates as a computer operator and in business technology.
Delaney, a former military recruiter, encouraged Near to consider joining the military after Job Corps, partly to help pay for college. However, he said Near understood the risks of combat when he enlisted. "He thought the benefits were higher than the risks," Delaney said.
“He knew the dangers of enlisting with the war going on and all, but he was willing to take that risk,” his uncle said. “And he did. He stood up. He was a man.” An infantryman on track for promotion, Near had excelled in the military, according to family. “We can’t say enough about him,” Terry Near said.
Army Pfc. Robert J. Near was killed in action on 1/07/11.
Army Pfc. Robert J. Near, 21, of Nampa, Idaho
Pfc. Near was assigned to the 86th Signal Battalion, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; died Jan. 7, 2011 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Before his enlistment in the U.S. Army in 2008, Robert J. Near had moved to Nampa to train for a promising career in computer technology at Centennial Job Corps.
The 21-year-old Granger, WA.-native died in combat this past week while serving as a private first class infantryman in Afghanistan, according to relatives. Family members reached in Granger on Saturday said they do not yet know the details of his death, but Army officials have told them they are treating it as a combat-related incident.
Near, who also had Treasure Valley family in Ontario, had deployed to Afghanistan in March. As recently as several days ago, Near talked with his grandmother in Granger over the phone. Family members said he had been due to return home within the next few weeks.
Speaking on behalf of Near’s family, his uncle, Terry Near, said the family was notified of the death Thursday and an Army liaison visited them in person on Saturday.
Near's grandmother, Vera Near, said her grandson grew up in her Granger home from the age of 2. She declined to talk further Monday afternoon.
“He was a very intelligent kid, he had a lot of drive and he had a lot of family around him that helped,” Terry Near said. “He had kind of gotten off to a rocky start at the beginning in high school, but when he got in the Job Corps he really started to get his life together and he pretty much took off from there.”
After completing his training at Centennial Job Corps, Near decided he wanted to continue to pursue his education. The Army offered him an opportunity to do that, Terry Near said.
Those who knew Near remembered him for his sense of humor and quick wit.
"He was a funny and a fun kid," said Lisa Rosberg, principal at Granger Middle School. "He just always was looking for a way to make people laugh and get people's attention."
Michael Delaney, Near's computer instructor at Centennial Job Corps in Nampa, Idaho, said much the same, remembering him as an upbeat class clown who excelled at his studies. "Many students in the program have emotional baggage because of their backgrounds," Delaney said. "I never really saw that with Robert. I never saw him sulking in the corner."
Before joining the military, Near completed 13 months of training at Job Corps, a federal program, earning certificates as a computer operator and in business technology.
Delaney, a former military recruiter, encouraged Near to consider joining the military after Job Corps, partly to help pay for college. However, he said Near understood the risks of combat when he enlisted. "He thought the benefits were higher than the risks," Delaney said.
“He knew the dangers of enlisting with the war going on and all, but he was willing to take that risk,” his uncle said. “And he did. He stood up. He was a man.” An infantryman on track for promotion, Near had excelled in the military, according to family. “We can’t say enough about him,” Terry Near said.
Army Pfc. Robert J. Near was killed in action on 1/07/11.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese, 24, of Winder, Ga.
LCpl. Giese was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 7, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Ryan Giese spent his childhood in Lorain, Ohio where his dad was a police officer. At age ten he moved to Georgia with his mother and sisters, after his parents split.
His family said being a marine was something Ryan had always talked about. He told his father Larry that he wanted to be a marine just like his dad was during the Vietnam War. Ryan said if he didn’t stay in the military he would become a police officer, just like his dad.
When Ryan was 17, he asked his father to sign paperwork that would let him enlist. His father said no. When Ryan turned 18, he enlisted in the Marines.
In less than 30 days, Lance Cpl. Giese was supposed to return back to his base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. His family was making travel plans to be there to meet him.
After his long deployment, Ryan and his wife Brittany in Atlanta were happily looking forward to celebrating their first wedding anniversary next month. Instead Ryan's family flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet his returning casket.
Larry said Ryan liked to take point — or lead the troop. He wasn’t sure if Ryan was at point when he was killed. "He was looking out for other people," Larry said of his son. "He said, ‘I know what I’m doing.’
Larry Giese said the last time he spoke with his son was about three weeks ago. "It was, God, I was really looking forward to seeing him," Larry Giese said. "And that’s not going to happen anymore."
Giese joined the Marine Corps in July 2007 and was promoted to lance corporal in September 2008. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from September 2008 to April 2009.
In July, he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a Marine Corps spokesman.
His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, according to the Marine Corps.
Among those Lance Cpl. Giese leaves behind are his wife Heather, his mother Constance Wascovich, his father Larry Giese, and his three sisters.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese was killed in action on 1/07/11.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese, 24, of Winder, Ga.
LCpl. Giese was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 7, 2011 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.
Ryan Giese spent his childhood in Lorain, Ohio where his dad was a police officer. At age ten he moved to Georgia with his mother and sisters, after his parents split.
His family said being a marine was something Ryan had always talked about. He told his father Larry that he wanted to be a marine just like his dad was during the Vietnam War. Ryan said if he didn’t stay in the military he would become a police officer, just like his dad.
When Ryan was 17, he asked his father to sign paperwork that would let him enlist. His father said no. When Ryan turned 18, he enlisted in the Marines.
In less than 30 days, Lance Cpl. Giese was supposed to return back to his base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. His family was making travel plans to be there to meet him.
After his long deployment, Ryan and his wife Brittany in Atlanta were happily looking forward to celebrating their first wedding anniversary next month. Instead Ryan's family flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet his returning casket.
Larry said Ryan liked to take point — or lead the troop. He wasn’t sure if Ryan was at point when he was killed. "He was looking out for other people," Larry said of his son. "He said, ‘I know what I’m doing.’
Larry Giese said the last time he spoke with his son was about three weeks ago. "It was, God, I was really looking forward to seeing him," Larry Giese said. "And that’s not going to happen anymore."
Giese joined the Marine Corps in July 2007 and was promoted to lance corporal in September 2008. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from September 2008 to April 2009.
In July, he deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a Marine Corps spokesman.
His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, according to the Marine Corps.
Among those Lance Cpl. Giese leaves behind are his wife Heather, his mother Constance Wascovich, his father Larry Giese, and his three sisters.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese was killed in action on 1/07/11.
Army Pfc. Ira B. Laningham IV
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Ira B. Laningham IV, 22, of Zapata, Texas
Pfc. Laningham was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.; died Jan. 7, 2011 of wounds suffered in Logar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. Also killed was Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin.
Zapata soldier killed in Afghanistan
Ira Laningham, IV was married Oct. 18, 2010, to Pfc. Stephanie Laningham, who he had met at Fort Polk and dated for only a few months. The two were deployed to Afghanistan together four days later.
"He called me and told me he was engaged and said, ‘Mom, I think I’m in love,’" Laningham’s mother, Norma Cantu, said. "I didn’t get to attend, it was such short notice."
Laningham told his mother not to worry — he and Stephanie were planning a big wedding at Disney World when they got back from Afghanistan.
Stephanie Laningham accompanied her husband’s body back to U.S. soil, arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Sunday night. She will get 30 days of emergency leave from her tour of duty and plans to spend at least part of that time staying with Cantu, who has only met her once.
Cantu said her son was a music lover who sang, played the trumpet and taught himself how to play the guitar. He enjoyed spending time with his family, including two brothers and a sister.
"Oh my gosh, they were a group," Cantu said of her sons and their cousins.
Pfc. Laningham’s brother Pfc. Joseph Cantu is also in the Army, stationed in Oklahoma.
Cantu struggled to keep from breaking down in tears when she described how she and the rest of the family was coping.
"I’m trying to be strong because he didn’t want me to cry," she said.
At Zapata High School, where he graduated in 2006, Laningham is remembered as a popular student who played in the school marching and mariachi bands. Principal Jose Flores said the school had to create a schedule so Laningham could fit in band, ROTC and advanced placement courses.
Trumpeter Laningham used to play taps at military funerals ---
Sometimes, families of Zapata veterans would call the school to see if anyone could play taps at funerals, Flores said. While he was in high school, that person was always Laningham.
"He took a lot of pride in going and playing taps for the veterans," Flores said.
Throughout his high school years, Army Pfc. Ira Benjamin Laningham IV of Zapata used his love of music and his skills on the trumpet to play taps at military funerals.
Ira Laningham, 22, considered the soldiers fallen heroes and wanted to honor them, said his mother Norma Cantú.
On Friday, the young newlywed joined the ranks of the fallen as the first South Texas soldier to die in the war in Afghanistan this year.
Laningham was born Sept. 1, 1988, in Greenfield, Mass., but spent much of his life in Zapata, near the Texas-Mexico border. Laningham graduated from Zapata High School in 2006 and wanted to enter the military, but his mother persuaded him to attend college first. After spending two years at Texas A&M International University studying music, Laningham's heart returned to his original choice.
Cantú said she was afraid for her son but also proud of him for taking a stand to pursue his dream by joining the Army in November 2009. “He told me, ‘Mom, I think I'm going to be a lifer (in the Army),'” said Cantú of her son, who had aspirations of becoming an Army Ranger.
Laningham's wife, Stephanie Armendariz, also serves in the military.
“When I went to go see him off for his deployment, he said, ‘If anything happens to me, I don't want you to cry because I'm doing what I want to do. I'm doing something that I love,'” said Cantú through tears.
Funeral plans have not been finalized for Laningham yet, because the family doesn’t know when his body will arrive in Texas, but Flores said the school will be ready to assist if asked.
"I’m sure we can find someone to play taps for him," he said.
From Pfc. Laningham's Aunt Melissa:
PFC Ira Benjamin "Ben" Laningham IV is survived by his wife, Stephanie Laningham; his mother and father, Norma and ENRIQUE Cantú; and his three siblings, PVT Joseph Eleazar Cantú, Enrique Elidén Cantú, and Amanda Raquel Cantú...of Zapata, TX...
And of his PROUD grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends!
Army Pfc. Ira B. Laningham IV was killed in action on 1/07/11
Army Pfc. Ira B. Laningham IV, 22, of Zapata, Texas
Pfc. Laningham was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.; died Jan. 7, 2011 of wounds suffered in Logar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. Also killed was Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin.
Zapata soldier killed in Afghanistan
Ira Laningham, IV was married Oct. 18, 2010, to Pfc. Stephanie Laningham, who he had met at Fort Polk and dated for only a few months. The two were deployed to Afghanistan together four days later.
"He called me and told me he was engaged and said, ‘Mom, I think I’m in love,’" Laningham’s mother, Norma Cantu, said. "I didn’t get to attend, it was such short notice."
Laningham told his mother not to worry — he and Stephanie were planning a big wedding at Disney World when they got back from Afghanistan.
Stephanie Laningham accompanied her husband’s body back to U.S. soil, arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Sunday night. She will get 30 days of emergency leave from her tour of duty and plans to spend at least part of that time staying with Cantu, who has only met her once.
Cantu said her son was a music lover who sang, played the trumpet and taught himself how to play the guitar. He enjoyed spending time with his family, including two brothers and a sister.
"Oh my gosh, they were a group," Cantu said of her sons and their cousins.
Pfc. Laningham’s brother Pfc. Joseph Cantu is also in the Army, stationed in Oklahoma.
Cantu struggled to keep from breaking down in tears when she described how she and the rest of the family was coping.
"I’m trying to be strong because he didn’t want me to cry," she said.
At Zapata High School, where he graduated in 2006, Laningham is remembered as a popular student who played in the school marching and mariachi bands. Principal Jose Flores said the school had to create a schedule so Laningham could fit in band, ROTC and advanced placement courses.
Trumpeter Laningham used to play taps at military funerals ---
Sometimes, families of Zapata veterans would call the school to see if anyone could play taps at funerals, Flores said. While he was in high school, that person was always Laningham.
"He took a lot of pride in going and playing taps for the veterans," Flores said.
Throughout his high school years, Army Pfc. Ira Benjamin Laningham IV of Zapata used his love of music and his skills on the trumpet to play taps at military funerals.
Ira Laningham, 22, considered the soldiers fallen heroes and wanted to honor them, said his mother Norma Cantú.
On Friday, the young newlywed joined the ranks of the fallen as the first South Texas soldier to die in the war in Afghanistan this year.
Laningham was born Sept. 1, 1988, in Greenfield, Mass., but spent much of his life in Zapata, near the Texas-Mexico border. Laningham graduated from Zapata High School in 2006 and wanted to enter the military, but his mother persuaded him to attend college first. After spending two years at Texas A&M International University studying music, Laningham's heart returned to his original choice.
Cantú said she was afraid for her son but also proud of him for taking a stand to pursue his dream by joining the Army in November 2009. “He told me, ‘Mom, I think I'm going to be a lifer (in the Army),'” said Cantú of her son, who had aspirations of becoming an Army Ranger.
Laningham's wife, Stephanie Armendariz, also serves in the military.
“When I went to go see him off for his deployment, he said, ‘If anything happens to me, I don't want you to cry because I'm doing what I want to do. I'm doing something that I love,'” said Cantú through tears.
Funeral plans have not been finalized for Laningham yet, because the family doesn’t know when his body will arrive in Texas, but Flores said the school will be ready to assist if asked.
"I’m sure we can find someone to play taps for him," he said.
From Pfc. Laningham's Aunt Melissa:
PFC Ira Benjamin "Ben" Laningham IV is survived by his wife, Stephanie Laningham; his mother and father, Norma and ENRIQUE Cantú; and his three siblings, PVT Joseph Eleazar Cantú, Enrique Elidén Cantú, and Amanda Raquel Cantú...of Zapata, TX...
And of his PROUD grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends!
Army Pfc. Ira B. Laningham IV was killed in action on 1/07/11
Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin, 25, of Fayetteville, Ark.
Spc. Hardin was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.; died Jan. 7, 2011 of wounds suffered in Logar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. Also killed was Army Pfc. Ira B. Laningham.
Spc. Hardin joined the U.S. Army in January 2006 and after completing training was stationed at Fort Irwin, California and in Germany before arriving to Fort Polk in March 2010. Hardin previously deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from November 2008 through October 2009.
Hardin's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, ,Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Senator Mark Pryor made the following statement on the death of U.S. Army Specialist Ethan C. Hardin from Fayetteville, AR.
"Today I join all Arkansans in extending my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of U.S. Army Specialist Ethan C. Hardin, who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our country. Specialist Hardin was deployed in Logar Province, Afghanistan, and was dedicated to fighting terrorism and keeping our nation safe. Specialist Hardin's patriotism and courage make him a true American hero.
My thoughts and prayers are with Specialist Hardin's loved ones during this difficult time. Specialist Hardin had the greatest love for his country, and his country will always remember his sacrifice and service."
No statements have been released by the family. They have requested privacy during their time of grief and loss.
Governor Bebee Governor Beebe has ordered state flags to fly at half-staff through Wednesday in honor of Spec. Ethan C. Hardin.
Spc. Hardin is survived by his parents, Thomas and Cecelia Hardin, a brother, Paul D. Hardin, 23 and a sister, Adriel H. Wiggins of Springdale, AR.
Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin was killed in action on 1/07/11.
Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin, 25, of Fayetteville, Ark.
Spc. Hardin was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.; died Jan. 7, 2011 of wounds suffered in Logar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. Also killed was Army Pfc. Ira B. Laningham.
Spc. Hardin joined the U.S. Army in January 2006 and after completing training was stationed at Fort Irwin, California and in Germany before arriving to Fort Polk in March 2010. Hardin previously deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from November 2008 through October 2009.
Hardin's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, ,Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Senator Mark Pryor made the following statement on the death of U.S. Army Specialist Ethan C. Hardin from Fayetteville, AR.
"Today I join all Arkansans in extending my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of U.S. Army Specialist Ethan C. Hardin, who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our country. Specialist Hardin was deployed in Logar Province, Afghanistan, and was dedicated to fighting terrorism and keeping our nation safe. Specialist Hardin's patriotism and courage make him a true American hero.
My thoughts and prayers are with Specialist Hardin's loved ones during this difficult time. Specialist Hardin had the greatest love for his country, and his country will always remember his sacrifice and service."
No statements have been released by the family. They have requested privacy during their time of grief and loss.
Governor Bebee Governor Beebe has ordered state flags to fly at half-staff through Wednesday in honor of Spec. Ethan C. Hardin.
Spc. Hardin is survived by his parents, Thomas and Cecelia Hardin, a brother, Paul D. Hardin, 23 and a sister, Adriel H. Wiggins of Springdale, AR.
Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin was killed in action on 1/07/11.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Army SSgt Kristina R. Willis
Remember Our Heroes
Army SSgt Kristina R. Willis, 32, of Radcliff, KY passed away Thursday, January 6, 2011 at Norton Suburban Hospital, Louisville, KY after a long battle with Leukemia caused by the exposure to burn pits in Iraq.
SSgt Willis was a member of the Massachusetts Business Womens Club.
She was preceded in death by: Her paternal grandfather, John C. Willis
Survivors include: 2 children, Trent Sutton, Hailey Sutton both of Massachusetts; Her parents, John Drew & Patty Willis of Radcliff, KY; 1 brother, Robbie Willis & his wife Marie of Michigan; 1 sister, Jeannette Bogle & her fiancée Randy Brown of Rineyville, KY; maternal grandparents, Audrey Wilson, Kenneth Wilson both of Michigan; a paternal grandmother, Lucille Willis of Michigan; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and extended family.
Funeral services will be held at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 11, 2011 from the chapel of Coffey & Chism Funeral Home, Vine Grove, KY with Chaplain Major Jim Boyle officiating. Burial will follow at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central, Radcliff, KY with military honors.
Army SSgt Kristina R. Willis, 32, of Radcliff, KY passed away Thursday, January 6, 2011 at Norton Suburban Hospital, Louisville, KY after a long battle with Leukemia caused by the exposure to burn pits in Iraq.
SSgt Willis was a member of the Massachusetts Business Womens Club.
She was preceded in death by: Her paternal grandfather, John C. Willis
Survivors include: 2 children, Trent Sutton, Hailey Sutton both of Massachusetts; Her parents, John Drew & Patty Willis of Radcliff, KY; 1 brother, Robbie Willis & his wife Marie of Michigan; 1 sister, Jeannette Bogle & her fiancée Randy Brown of Rineyville, KY; maternal grandparents, Audrey Wilson, Kenneth Wilson both of Michigan; a paternal grandmother, Lucille Willis of Michigan; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and extended family.
Funeral services will be held at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 11, 2011 from the chapel of Coffey & Chism Funeral Home, Vine Grove, KY with Chaplain Major Jim Boyle officiating. Burial will follow at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central, Radcliff, KY with military honors.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Army Sgt. Eric M. Nettleton
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Eric M. Nettleton, 26, of Wichita, Kan.
Sgt. Nettleton was assigned to 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Jan. 5, 2011 in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered in Dehjawz-e Hasanzay when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
From high school sweetheart to devoted husband
By Deb Gruver
The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle via AP
WICHITA, Kan. — Ashley Nettleton clutched her husband’s dog tag in her right hand Sunday, her body shaking, her voice cracking.
She recalled the first time she met Eric Nettleton, a Wichita native who died Jan. 5 while serving in Afghanistan.
They were at a high school football game, and a mutual friend had been wanting to introduce them.
At the time, he was shy, and he asked his best friend, “What if she doesn’t like me?” Ashley Nettleton said.
But she told their friend to send Eric down, that she wanted to meet him.
There was an “instant connection,” Ashley Nettleton said. So much so that her mother turned to her and told her that Eric would be the man she would someday marry.
“I told her that she was crazy,” Ashley Nettleton recalled.
But years later — Dec. 23, 2009 — they did marry, surrounded by family and friends at the Sedgwick County Courthouse.
They were “like magnets,” Ashley Nettleton said, always connected, no matter how far apart.
Army Sgt. Eric Nettleton, 26, died in Dehjawz-e Hasanzay, Afghanistan. He was killed while on foot patrol after an improvised explosive device detonated.
His wife, parents, siblings and in-laws met with media at All Saints Catholic Church on Jan. 9 to remember Nettleton and also to pay respect to those serving in the military.
“My heart is aching, but I know I have to be strong for him and his soldiers, and his family and mine,” Ashley Nettleton said.
She asked those in the community to keep “your thoughts and prayers with those soldiers.”
She called her husband a “true American hero” who always had a smile on his face.
She and his family last saw Nettleton during a mid-tour break around Thanksgiving. With her still in Germany — where his unit was originally stationed — and him in the Middle East, they had talked about where to go for the break and decided it was important to come home to Wichita because his brother Clayton also was deployed overseas.
During the break, they went to Las Vegas, something they had always talked about doing together.
Sandy Nettleton, Nettleton’s mother, said she met her son at the airport when he arrived in Wichita because Ashley Nettleton was still on her way back to the United States.
She watched as people from his flight started walking down the hallway at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. Suddenly, she saw his head poke around the side of someone in front of him who was taller.
“Then he ran up to me and grabbed me,” she said.
Nettleton grew up in the same south Wichita house where his parents have lived for 30 years. He attended All Saints Catholic School and Hamilton Middle School and graduated from Wichita West in 2003.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks inspired him to join the Army, said Clayton Nettleton, who serves in the Air Force.
“It just seemed like he was born for the Army,” Clayton Nettleton said.
Nettleton was the gung-ho type and liked to impersonate Sylvester Stallone in “Rambo,” his brother said.
He was the “luckiest fisherman,” his father, James, said.
“Eric could always catch something,” he said. “He could catch walleye out of the Arkansas River in the middle of August.”
Nettleton attended basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then went through airborne school. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N.C.
He later deployed to Afghanistan to guard the country’s first elections, his brother said. When he returned home, he was assigned to West Point as a member of the honor and color guards.
Nettleton then requested to be stationed at Fort Riley to be closer to home. In September 2008, he deployed to Iraq with the Big Red 1, the 1st Infantry Division, and returned to Kansas in September 2009.
While he was home, he and his wife married. After a honeymoon in New York City, he was stationed in Germany with the Dragoon War Eagles 1st Squad, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Bravo Company, 2nd Platoon.
Clayton Nettleton said his brother signed a waiver to be deployed early to Afghanistan so he could be with his squad and served with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment from June until his death.
No funeral arrangements have been made yet, but the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, the Fisher House Foundation and the Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation planned for Wichita’s Veterans Memorial Park.
Sandy Nettleton said it’s important for the country to remember that those serving overseas willingly risk their lives.
“We need to not forget that,” she said.
Army Sgt. Eric M. Nettleton was killed in action on 1/05/11
Army Sgt. Eric M. Nettleton, 26, of Wichita, Kan.
Sgt. Nettleton was assigned to 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Jan. 5, 2011 in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered in Dehjawz-e Hasanzay when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
From high school sweetheart to devoted husband
By Deb Gruver
The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle via AP
WICHITA, Kan. — Ashley Nettleton clutched her husband’s dog tag in her right hand Sunday, her body shaking, her voice cracking.
She recalled the first time she met Eric Nettleton, a Wichita native who died Jan. 5 while serving in Afghanistan.
They were at a high school football game, and a mutual friend had been wanting to introduce them.
At the time, he was shy, and he asked his best friend, “What if she doesn’t like me?” Ashley Nettleton said.
But she told their friend to send Eric down, that she wanted to meet him.
There was an “instant connection,” Ashley Nettleton said. So much so that her mother turned to her and told her that Eric would be the man she would someday marry.
“I told her that she was crazy,” Ashley Nettleton recalled.
But years later — Dec. 23, 2009 — they did marry, surrounded by family and friends at the Sedgwick County Courthouse.
They were “like magnets,” Ashley Nettleton said, always connected, no matter how far apart.
Army Sgt. Eric Nettleton, 26, died in Dehjawz-e Hasanzay, Afghanistan. He was killed while on foot patrol after an improvised explosive device detonated.
His wife, parents, siblings and in-laws met with media at All Saints Catholic Church on Jan. 9 to remember Nettleton and also to pay respect to those serving in the military.
“My heart is aching, but I know I have to be strong for him and his soldiers, and his family and mine,” Ashley Nettleton said.
She asked those in the community to keep “your thoughts and prayers with those soldiers.”
She called her husband a “true American hero” who always had a smile on his face.
She and his family last saw Nettleton during a mid-tour break around Thanksgiving. With her still in Germany — where his unit was originally stationed — and him in the Middle East, they had talked about where to go for the break and decided it was important to come home to Wichita because his brother Clayton also was deployed overseas.
During the break, they went to Las Vegas, something they had always talked about doing together.
Sandy Nettleton, Nettleton’s mother, said she met her son at the airport when he arrived in Wichita because Ashley Nettleton was still on her way back to the United States.
She watched as people from his flight started walking down the hallway at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. Suddenly, she saw his head poke around the side of someone in front of him who was taller.
“Then he ran up to me and grabbed me,” she said.
Nettleton grew up in the same south Wichita house where his parents have lived for 30 years. He attended All Saints Catholic School and Hamilton Middle School and graduated from Wichita West in 2003.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks inspired him to join the Army, said Clayton Nettleton, who serves in the Air Force.
“It just seemed like he was born for the Army,” Clayton Nettleton said.
Nettleton was the gung-ho type and liked to impersonate Sylvester Stallone in “Rambo,” his brother said.
He was the “luckiest fisherman,” his father, James, said.
“Eric could always catch something,” he said. “He could catch walleye out of the Arkansas River in the middle of August.”
Nettleton attended basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then went through airborne school. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N.C.
He later deployed to Afghanistan to guard the country’s first elections, his brother said. When he returned home, he was assigned to West Point as a member of the honor and color guards.
Nettleton then requested to be stationed at Fort Riley to be closer to home. In September 2008, he deployed to Iraq with the Big Red 1, the 1st Infantry Division, and returned to Kansas in September 2009.
While he was home, he and his wife married. After a honeymoon in New York City, he was stationed in Germany with the Dragoon War Eagles 1st Squad, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Bravo Company, 2nd Platoon.
Clayton Nettleton said his brother signed a waiver to be deployed early to Afghanistan so he could be with his squad and served with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment from June until his death.
No funeral arrangements have been made yet, but the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, the Fisher House Foundation and the Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation planned for Wichita’s Veterans Memorial Park.
Sandy Nettleton said it’s important for the country to remember that those serving overseas willingly risk their lives.
“We need to not forget that,” she said.
Army Sgt. Eric M. Nettleton was killed in action on 1/05/11
Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Mo.
SFC Pharris was assigned to Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team IV, Jefferson City, Mo.; died Jan. 5, 2011 of wounds suffered in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Army Spc. Christian J. Romig.
SEYMOUR, Mo. — Missouri National Guard officials say a soldier from Seymour, Missouri, has died in Afghanistan.
Sergeant First Class Robert Pharris was killed January 5 when he and some fellow soldiers were hit by a roadside bomb.
The 48-year-old was an agriculture specialist and the first casualty for the Missouri National Guard's Agri-Business Development Team. SFC Pharris helped teach Afghan farmers about growing crops other than poppies.
SFC Pharris was born in Mansfield. His father was a farmer and Marine who served in Korea and Vietnam. His grandfather was a farmer and World War II soldier. His great-grandfather was also a farmer and World War I soldier.
SFC Pharris was featured in a November, Military News article talking about his experience with the Afghan farmers:
"I see a chance here to really make a difference," SFC Pharris said. "It would be interesting to come back here in ten years and see a farmer with his crops, a green valley here again, and to have someone tell them they learned that from an Afghan who was taught by an American. How cool would that be?"
The November article can be found at www.moguard.com/Pharrisreunion.php.
Staff Sgt. Robert Pharris, 48, was serving in Afghanistan at the same time that his son, Benjamin, a Marine, was also there. Robert Pharris had previously served as an infantryman, drill sergeant and recruiter. He rejoined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2008.
"I surprised my son by having him show up at my re-enlistment ceremony," Pharris said last year in an interview with a military reporter. "He had no idea I was re-enlisting."
Benjamin Pharris declined to comment Saturday. Other family members and friends could not be reached.
Cpl. Benjamin Pharris recounts one of his childhood memories solidifying his decision to join, "When my mom received an award on the parade field, I knew that I would serve. The only question that was left unanswered for quite some time was which service I would join." Cpl. Pharris enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2007 after completing high school early.
Pamala Pharris, as wife and mom, maintains their Missouri household and tends to the family farm, where they raise sheep and South African Boer goats.
"She's very supportive and she's the queen when it comes to sending care packages," said Cpl. Benjamin Pharris.
Robert Pharris was raised in Mansfield. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather also served in the military and farmed.
Col. Michael Fortune, the commander of the agri-business development team Pharris was in, said in a news release from National Guard that Pharris had embraced the Afghan people.
"He drank tea with the Afghans daily and constantly strived to learn more about their language and culture," Fortune said. "While his death is a tragic loss, we must remember that he lived well and he died doing what he loved to do.
Spec. Christian Romig, 24, of Kenner, La., was also killed in the attack. He was from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of Fort Campbell, Ky.
The mission of the agri-business team was to help improve agriculture. Pharris was the team's expert on sheep and goats.
Pharris told a military reporter last year that his farm in Seymour is a 36-acre plot on which sheep and goats graze. He said the team was trying to convince farmers to adopt more effective farming techniques such as using drip irrigation.
"You have to understand that these people are still using farming methods from the Middle Ages," Pharris said.
"That is because their whole lives depend on what they grow, and these are the methods used by their fathers, their father's fathers, and so on. If the new methods do not work, they will starve."
ADT Commander Col. Michael Fortune called Pharris the most energetic and enthusiastic soldier he'd ever met and was in many ways the perfect soldier.
"Among his many great qualities, he was passionate about his work, tenacious and always ready to take on a new challenge," said Fortune in a statement to news media. "He was an infantryman to the core, but at the same time he truly cared for and looked after his fellow Soldiers."
Sgt. 1st Class Pharris is the first member of one of Missouri’s Agri-business Development Teams to be killed in action. The group in Afghanistan now is the fourth team the Missouri Guard has sent to help Afghanistan’s farmers develop a more modern agricultural economy.
"Even as the Missouri National Guard's Agri-business Development Teams have led the way in helping the Afghan people become self-sustaining, as highly-trained soldiers and airmen they also have courageously faced the ever-present danger there," said Gov. Jay Nixon in the news release. "Sgt. 1st Class Pharris was part of this vital mission, and we greatly mourn the loss of this brave citizen-soldier."
“The loss of Sgt. 1st Class Pharris is a loss felt across the entire Missouri National Guard Family,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general for the Missouri National Guard. “Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
ADT IV has been mobilized since June 2010, with a mission to train and empower local agriculture extension agents; hire local laborers; work with the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock to provide outreach programs and communicate with the villages; and emplace processes, procedures and controls to ensure gains in agricultural productivity can be sustained once the Agri-business Development Team mission is complete. Pharris served as a small ruminants (sheep and goat) expert on the team.
Pharris first enlisted in the Army in 1981, and later in the Army National Guard. Pharris had more than 14 years of service in a variety of assignments. Primarily serving as an infantryman, he has also served as a drill sergeant and recruiter. After leaving military service in 1997 and experiencing an 11-year break, he re-joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2008 after he learned that an infantry unit was being formed.
Pharris deployed as a staff sergeant and was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class.
His military awards include: Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal, 3rd Award; Army of Occupation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Mobilization Device; Non-commissioned Officer Proficiency Development Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon Overseas Service Ribbon 2nd Award; Air Assault Badge and Missouri Expeditionary Ribbon.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris was killed in action on 1/05/11.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Mo.
SFC Pharris was assigned to Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team IV, Jefferson City, Mo.; died Jan. 5, 2011 of wounds suffered in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Army Spc. Christian J. Romig.
SEYMOUR, Mo. — Missouri National Guard officials say a soldier from Seymour, Missouri, has died in Afghanistan.
Sergeant First Class Robert Pharris was killed January 5 when he and some fellow soldiers were hit by a roadside bomb.
The 48-year-old was an agriculture specialist and the first casualty for the Missouri National Guard's Agri-Business Development Team. SFC Pharris helped teach Afghan farmers about growing crops other than poppies.
SFC Pharris was born in Mansfield. His father was a farmer and Marine who served in Korea and Vietnam. His grandfather was a farmer and World War II soldier. His great-grandfather was also a farmer and World War I soldier.
SFC Pharris was featured in a November, Military News article talking about his experience with the Afghan farmers:
"I see a chance here to really make a difference," SFC Pharris said. "It would be interesting to come back here in ten years and see a farmer with his crops, a green valley here again, and to have someone tell them they learned that from an Afghan who was taught by an American. How cool would that be?"
The November article can be found at www.moguard.com/Pharrisreunion.php.
Staff Sgt. Robert Pharris, 48, was serving in Afghanistan at the same time that his son, Benjamin, a Marine, was also there. Robert Pharris had previously served as an infantryman, drill sergeant and recruiter. He rejoined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2008.
"I surprised my son by having him show up at my re-enlistment ceremony," Pharris said last year in an interview with a military reporter. "He had no idea I was re-enlisting."
Benjamin Pharris declined to comment Saturday. Other family members and friends could not be reached.
Cpl. Benjamin Pharris recounts one of his childhood memories solidifying his decision to join, "When my mom received an award on the parade field, I knew that I would serve. The only question that was left unanswered for quite some time was which service I would join." Cpl. Pharris enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2007 after completing high school early.
Pamala Pharris, as wife and mom, maintains their Missouri household and tends to the family farm, where they raise sheep and South African Boer goats.
"She's very supportive and she's the queen when it comes to sending care packages," said Cpl. Benjamin Pharris.
Robert Pharris was raised in Mansfield. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather also served in the military and farmed.
Col. Michael Fortune, the commander of the agri-business development team Pharris was in, said in a news release from National Guard that Pharris had embraced the Afghan people.
"He drank tea with the Afghans daily and constantly strived to learn more about their language and culture," Fortune said. "While his death is a tragic loss, we must remember that he lived well and he died doing what he loved to do.
Spec. Christian Romig, 24, of Kenner, La., was also killed in the attack. He was from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of Fort Campbell, Ky.
The mission of the agri-business team was to help improve agriculture. Pharris was the team's expert on sheep and goats.
Pharris told a military reporter last year that his farm in Seymour is a 36-acre plot on which sheep and goats graze. He said the team was trying to convince farmers to adopt more effective farming techniques such as using drip irrigation.
"You have to understand that these people are still using farming methods from the Middle Ages," Pharris said.
"That is because their whole lives depend on what they grow, and these are the methods used by their fathers, their father's fathers, and so on. If the new methods do not work, they will starve."
ADT Commander Col. Michael Fortune called Pharris the most energetic and enthusiastic soldier he'd ever met and was in many ways the perfect soldier.
"Among his many great qualities, he was passionate about his work, tenacious and always ready to take on a new challenge," said Fortune in a statement to news media. "He was an infantryman to the core, but at the same time he truly cared for and looked after his fellow Soldiers."
Sgt. 1st Class Pharris is the first member of one of Missouri’s Agri-business Development Teams to be killed in action. The group in Afghanistan now is the fourth team the Missouri Guard has sent to help Afghanistan’s farmers develop a more modern agricultural economy.
"Even as the Missouri National Guard's Agri-business Development Teams have led the way in helping the Afghan people become self-sustaining, as highly-trained soldiers and airmen they also have courageously faced the ever-present danger there," said Gov. Jay Nixon in the news release. "Sgt. 1st Class Pharris was part of this vital mission, and we greatly mourn the loss of this brave citizen-soldier."
“The loss of Sgt. 1st Class Pharris is a loss felt across the entire Missouri National Guard Family,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general for the Missouri National Guard. “Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
ADT IV has been mobilized since June 2010, with a mission to train and empower local agriculture extension agents; hire local laborers; work with the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock to provide outreach programs and communicate with the villages; and emplace processes, procedures and controls to ensure gains in agricultural productivity can be sustained once the Agri-business Development Team mission is complete. Pharris served as a small ruminants (sheep and goat) expert on the team.
Pharris first enlisted in the Army in 1981, and later in the Army National Guard. Pharris had more than 14 years of service in a variety of assignments. Primarily serving as an infantryman, he has also served as a drill sergeant and recruiter. After leaving military service in 1997 and experiencing an 11-year break, he re-joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2008 after he learned that an infantry unit was being formed.
Pharris deployed as a staff sergeant and was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class.
His military awards include: Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal, 3rd Award; Army of Occupation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Mobilization Device; Non-commissioned Officer Proficiency Development Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon Overseas Service Ribbon 2nd Award; Air Assault Badge and Missouri Expeditionary Ribbon.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris was killed in action on 1/05/11.
Army Spc. Christian J. Romig
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, La.
Spc. Romig was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Jan. 5, 2011 of wounds suffered in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris.
Army Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, was killed in Afghanistan with another soldier Wednesday when insurgents attacked their unit with an IED, or improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense reported Saturday.
The department said Romig and Sgt. 1st Class Robert Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Mo., died from wounds suffered in Nangarhar Province.
Christian Romig joined the Army in May 2008, enlisting for three years, said his sister, Gabrielle Romig. She said his family last saw him when he visited in August, and he planned to visit again at the end of this month.
He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), in Fort Campbell, Ky.
Sgt. 1st Class Pharris was assigned to the Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team IV based in Jefferson City, Mo.
A 2005 Grace King High School graduate, Chris Romig had loved “everything Army” since he was little, his sister said.
She said he was on the wrestling team in high school, and his little brother Phillip was following in his footsteps. “He was really looking forward to seeing Phillip take state” championship honors, Gabrielle Romig said.
His sister said Romig always wanted to make people laugh.
“One time Chris answered the door for the pizza man in his wrestling singlet that was way too small,” she said. “He made sure to do stretches and lunges in front of the poor guy before taking the pizza and handing the guy the money that he had stored in the singlet, God only knows where.”
In Afghanistan, Spc. Romig was a cavalry scout and worked as a gunner on ground vehicles, she said.
When she last spoke to him on the phone, “he was very proud to serve the Army, but he was ready to come home for a visit,” she said.
Spc. Romig won an Army achievement medal in Korea last year and recently won a combat action badge after coming under enemy fire in Afghanistan, Gabrielle Romig said.
Gabrielle said her parents were not able to make any statements about their loss at this time.
FRANKFORT, Ky.– Gov. Steve Beshear today recognized the sacrifice of a Fort Campbell soldier who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to the Department of Defense, Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, La. died Jan. 5 of wounds suffered at Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Army Spc. Christian J. Romig was killed in action on 1/05/11.
Army Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, La.
Spc. Romig was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Jan. 5, 2011 of wounds suffered in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris.
Army Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, was killed in Afghanistan with another soldier Wednesday when insurgents attacked their unit with an IED, or improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense reported Saturday.
The department said Romig and Sgt. 1st Class Robert Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Mo., died from wounds suffered in Nangarhar Province.
Christian Romig joined the Army in May 2008, enlisting for three years, said his sister, Gabrielle Romig. She said his family last saw him when he visited in August, and he planned to visit again at the end of this month.
He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), in Fort Campbell, Ky.
Sgt. 1st Class Pharris was assigned to the Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team IV based in Jefferson City, Mo.
A 2005 Grace King High School graduate, Chris Romig had loved “everything Army” since he was little, his sister said.
She said he was on the wrestling team in high school, and his little brother Phillip was following in his footsteps. “He was really looking forward to seeing Phillip take state” championship honors, Gabrielle Romig said.
His sister said Romig always wanted to make people laugh.
“One time Chris answered the door for the pizza man in his wrestling singlet that was way too small,” she said. “He made sure to do stretches and lunges in front of the poor guy before taking the pizza and handing the guy the money that he had stored in the singlet, God only knows where.”
In Afghanistan, Spc. Romig was a cavalry scout and worked as a gunner on ground vehicles, she said.
When she last spoke to him on the phone, “he was very proud to serve the Army, but he was ready to come home for a visit,” she said.
Spc. Romig won an Army achievement medal in Korea last year and recently won a combat action badge after coming under enemy fire in Afghanistan, Gabrielle Romig said.
Gabrielle said her parents were not able to make any statements about their loss at this time.
FRANKFORT, Ky.– Gov. Steve Beshear today recognized the sacrifice of a Fort Campbell soldier who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to the Department of Defense, Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, La. died Jan. 5 of wounds suffered at Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Army Spc. Christian J. Romig was killed in action on 1/05/11.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Marine Cpl. Jacob A. Tate
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Jacob A. Tate, 21, of Columbus, Ohio
Cpl. Tate was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 2, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Cpl. Jacob A. Tate enjoyed the challenge of being a Marine, but to those who knew him it's a picture of him in Iraq, smiling and holding a puppy, that captures his fun-loving spirit.
Tate, 21, of the North Side, died Sunday along with another Marine from Hagerstown, Md., while conducting combat operations in southern Afghanistan. They were based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division of the II Marine Expeditionary Force.
Ben Peer and Jeff Frisch are both North Side residents who knew Tate since they went to Columbus' Alpine Elementary School together. "We were in Pee Wee soccer at the Y together," said Peer, 22. "He was very vibrant. Always smiling and always cracking jokes."
Frisch, 21, said he remembers going to Tate's house to play computer games. Frisch said they'd shoot targets with pellet guns in his backyard. "He was into hunting with Dad," Frisch said. "Honestly, I don't know of anyone who couldn't get along with him."
At the start of his junior year, Tate transferred to Gahanna Christian Academy from Northland High School. There was a period of adjustment to a school with a few more rules, said Paul Hartje, an English teacher at Gahanna Christian. "He was just so buoyant," Hartje said.
Tate soon became popular at the school and a committed Christian, Hartje said. He played soccer, baseball and basketball.
During his senior year, Tate decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. Peer said he thought that Tate's ultimate goal was a law-enforcement career. "He always pushed himself real hard," Peer said.
Hartje said that there was no hesitation with Tate's commitment to the Marines.
"I think that he saw the value of the Marines," Hartje said. "He saw the discipline. It gave him a sense of purpose to defend the country. He saw the strength of brotherhood." As an adopted child, Tate had a "sense of family that was genuine," Hartje said.
The life of a Marine agreed with Tate. He already had been to Iraq before returning for his second overseas tour in Afghanistan this past summer.
There were times that Tate would return to Gahanna Christian and talk with students about life in the Marine Corps.
One time when Tate returned to the school, he met Hartje's wife, Karen, who thought she couldn't greet him because he was in full dress uniform. She said, "Oh my goodness, I can't give you a hug." Mr. Hartje recalls Tate replying, "That's really why I came to see you" - then he hugged her.
Tate leaves behind a wife, Amy, in North Carolina, and an infant son he'd never met. Friends say the child is about 3 months old. Tate was the son of James and Janice Tate.
Marine Cpl. Jacob A. Tate was killed in action on 1/02/11.
Marine Cpl. Jacob A. Tate, 21, of Columbus, Ohio
Cpl. Tate was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 2, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Cpl. Jacob A. Tate enjoyed the challenge of being a Marine, but to those who knew him it's a picture of him in Iraq, smiling and holding a puppy, that captures his fun-loving spirit.
Tate, 21, of the North Side, died Sunday along with another Marine from Hagerstown, Md., while conducting combat operations in southern Afghanistan. They were based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division of the II Marine Expeditionary Force.
Ben Peer and Jeff Frisch are both North Side residents who knew Tate since they went to Columbus' Alpine Elementary School together. "We were in Pee Wee soccer at the Y together," said Peer, 22. "He was very vibrant. Always smiling and always cracking jokes."
Frisch, 21, said he remembers going to Tate's house to play computer games. Frisch said they'd shoot targets with pellet guns in his backyard. "He was into hunting with Dad," Frisch said. "Honestly, I don't know of anyone who couldn't get along with him."
At the start of his junior year, Tate transferred to Gahanna Christian Academy from Northland High School. There was a period of adjustment to a school with a few more rules, said Paul Hartje, an English teacher at Gahanna Christian. "He was just so buoyant," Hartje said.
Tate soon became popular at the school and a committed Christian, Hartje said. He played soccer, baseball and basketball.
During his senior year, Tate decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. Peer said he thought that Tate's ultimate goal was a law-enforcement career. "He always pushed himself real hard," Peer said.
Hartje said that there was no hesitation with Tate's commitment to the Marines.
"I think that he saw the value of the Marines," Hartje said. "He saw the discipline. It gave him a sense of purpose to defend the country. He saw the strength of brotherhood." As an adopted child, Tate had a "sense of family that was genuine," Hartje said.
The life of a Marine agreed with Tate. He already had been to Iraq before returning for his second overseas tour in Afghanistan this past summer.
There were times that Tate would return to Gahanna Christian and talk with students about life in the Marine Corps.
One time when Tate returned to the school, he met Hartje's wife, Karen, who thought she couldn't greet him because he was in full dress uniform. She said, "Oh my goodness, I can't give you a hug." Mr. Hartje recalls Tate replying, "That's really why I came to see you" - then he hugged her.
Tate leaves behind a wife, Amy, in North Carolina, and an infant son he'd never met. Friends say the child is about 3 months old. Tate was the son of James and Janice Tate.
Marine Cpl. Jacob A. Tate was killed in action on 1/02/11.
Army Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado, 38, of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
Sgt. Rosado was assigned to the 1013th Engineer (Sapper) Company of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; died Jan. 2, 2011 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroyo.
Army Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado was killed in action on 1/02/11.
Army Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado, 38, of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
Sgt. Rosado was assigned to the 1013th Engineer (Sapper) Company of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; died Jan. 2, 2011 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroyo.
Army Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado was killed in action on 1/02/11.
Army Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroyo
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroy, 41, of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Spc. Delgado Arroyo was assigned to the 1013th Engineer (Sapper) Company of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; died Jan. 2, 2011 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado.
Army Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroy was killed in action on 1/02/11.
Army Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroy, 41, of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Spc. Delgado Arroyo was assigned to the 1013th Engineer (Sapper) Company of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; died Jan. 2, 2011 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Sgt. Jose M. Cintron Rosado.
Army Spc. Jose A. Delgado Arroy was killed in action on 1/02/11.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Marine Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik, 20, of Hagerstown, Md.
LCpl Htaik was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 1, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
"From my understanding from talking to him, I see that he was inspired by the Marines to be brave and strong," Dan Yar wrote of his brother Tuesday in an e-mail. "I am more than sure that he did want to serve his country."
"He has never spoken of being afraid of death and was very quiet and calm," Yar wrote in the e-mail. "There are a lot of things, but I just want to say he was brave, real brave.
Yar said his brother was very quiet, and that he liked to play games on the computer and enjoyed drawing.
Htaik joined the Marines in February 2009, his brother said. He was promoted to lance corporal April 1, 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in July, the Marine Corps said.
Htaik's family left Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in 1998, and moved to Singapore, Yar said. The family came to the United States in 2002 because their father wanted them to be able to get a better education, Yar said. Htaik was a naturalized United States citizen, Yar said.
"He was interested in the military. I'm not sure why he chose the Marines," Grace Priest, the registrar at Smithsburg High School, said Tuesday. He was a student aide in the school's guidance office during his senior year, she said.
"He was a quiet young man. A nice young man," Priest said. "He would do anything you asked him to do," she said.
Htaik, who was known as Sam at school, transferred to Smithsburg from Frederick County during the second semester of his sophomore year, Priest said.
Htaik made the distinguished honor roll in his senior year at Smithsburg, according to Herald-Mail archives.
Among the photos Yar provided of his brother was one of Htaik shaking hands with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Htaik met Giuliani when the USS New York, an amphibious transport, was commissioned, Yar said.
Htaik's Marine Corps decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Marine Corps said.
His body was returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday, the Department of Defense said.
He was a young man who went to high school in Maryland and later took the trouble to get in touch with one of his teachers to let her know that things were going well.
A few months ago, the young man, Maung P. Htaik, sent an e-mail to Diana Price, who taught him world history. In it, he told her that he was a Marine and that he was going to Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Htaik, 20, of Hagerstown, Md., was killed Saturday while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, the Defense Department said.
"He was a nice kid," Price, his teacher at Smithsburg High School, said Monday night. "A delightful young man."
Other staff members at the high school in Washington County, near the Pennsylvania border, also remembered him as quiet, easygoing and well behaved, not one to call attention to himself.
People cited his good nature. At school, they recalled, his last name proved difficult for some to pronounce (like "tie"). When Price struggled with the name, she said, "he always just laughed at me." She said he told her: "Mrs. Price, just give up and call me Sam."
He was known at Smithsburg as Sam. "He was fine with that," said Grace Priest, secretary and registrar at Smithsburg.
One of his academic interests was psychology, Priest said. He was in an honors psychology class in his senior year, she said.
As he finished up at Smithsburg, he told school counselor Deborah Donoghue that he did not feel ready to go off to college. She said she tried to steer him toward the Air Force, in which she had served.
At school, he was interested in activities such as weight training, but he did not fit the image of the typical Marine, Donoghue said. But, she said, that was the branch of the service that he wanted.
His family had emigrated from Southeast Asia, she recalled, and "I just felt he wanted to do something to give back to this country."
Funeral services will be Saturday at Frederick Christian Fellowship Church, 10142 Hansonville Road, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the viewing from 10 to 11 a.m., Yar said. The family would like Htaik to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but has not yet received burial information from the Department of Defense.
Like his parents, Hla and Florie Shwe of Hagerstown, Htaik was a devout Christian, his brother said. Htaik attended Gateway Ministries in Williamsport, Yar said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik was killed in action on 1/01/11.
Marine Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik, 20, of Hagerstown, Md.
LCpl Htaik was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 1, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
"From my understanding from talking to him, I see that he was inspired by the Marines to be brave and strong," Dan Yar wrote of his brother Tuesday in an e-mail. "I am more than sure that he did want to serve his country."
"He has never spoken of being afraid of death and was very quiet and calm," Yar wrote in the e-mail. "There are a lot of things, but I just want to say he was brave, real brave.
Yar said his brother was very quiet, and that he liked to play games on the computer and enjoyed drawing.
Htaik joined the Marines in February 2009, his brother said. He was promoted to lance corporal April 1, 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in July, the Marine Corps said.
Htaik's family left Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in 1998, and moved to Singapore, Yar said. The family came to the United States in 2002 because their father wanted them to be able to get a better education, Yar said. Htaik was a naturalized United States citizen, Yar said.
"He was interested in the military. I'm not sure why he chose the Marines," Grace Priest, the registrar at Smithsburg High School, said Tuesday. He was a student aide in the school's guidance office during his senior year, she said.
"He was a quiet young man. A nice young man," Priest said. "He would do anything you asked him to do," she said.
Htaik, who was known as Sam at school, transferred to Smithsburg from Frederick County during the second semester of his sophomore year, Priest said.
Htaik made the distinguished honor roll in his senior year at Smithsburg, according to Herald-Mail archives.
Among the photos Yar provided of his brother was one of Htaik shaking hands with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Htaik met Giuliani when the USS New York, an amphibious transport, was commissioned, Yar said.
Htaik's Marine Corps decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Marine Corps said.
His body was returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday, the Department of Defense said.
He was a young man who went to high school in Maryland and later took the trouble to get in touch with one of his teachers to let her know that things were going well.
A few months ago, the young man, Maung P. Htaik, sent an e-mail to Diana Price, who taught him world history. In it, he told her that he was a Marine and that he was going to Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Htaik, 20, of Hagerstown, Md., was killed Saturday while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, the Defense Department said.
"He was a nice kid," Price, his teacher at Smithsburg High School, said Monday night. "A delightful young man."
Other staff members at the high school in Washington County, near the Pennsylvania border, also remembered him as quiet, easygoing and well behaved, not one to call attention to himself.
People cited his good nature. At school, they recalled, his last name proved difficult for some to pronounce (like "tie"). When Price struggled with the name, she said, "he always just laughed at me." She said he told her: "Mrs. Price, just give up and call me Sam."
He was known at Smithsburg as Sam. "He was fine with that," said Grace Priest, secretary and registrar at Smithsburg.
One of his academic interests was psychology, Priest said. He was in an honors psychology class in his senior year, she said.
As he finished up at Smithsburg, he told school counselor Deborah Donoghue that he did not feel ready to go off to college. She said she tried to steer him toward the Air Force, in which she had served.
At school, he was interested in activities such as weight training, but he did not fit the image of the typical Marine, Donoghue said. But, she said, that was the branch of the service that he wanted.
His family had emigrated from Southeast Asia, she recalled, and "I just felt he wanted to do something to give back to this country."
Funeral services will be Saturday at Frederick Christian Fellowship Church, 10142 Hansonville Road, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the viewing from 10 to 11 a.m., Yar said. The family would like Htaik to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but has not yet received burial information from the Department of Defense.
Like his parents, Hla and Florie Shwe of Hagerstown, Htaik was a devout Christian, his brother said. Htaik attended Gateway Ministries in Williamsport, Yar said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik was killed in action on 1/01/11.
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