Remember Our Heroes
Marine Capt. Jesse Melton III, 29, of Randallstown, Md.
Cpt Melton was assigned to Headquarters Battery, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Sept. 9, 2008 in Afghanya Valley, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed was 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo.
Marine Capt. Jesse Melton III remembered
The Associated Press
After attending boot camp at Parris Island, Jesse Melton III’s family instantly saw a change.
“It literally changed his life,” said his younger sister, Jenine Melton, a captain in the U.S. Army. “He used to be very messy — the way, most of the time, boys’ rooms aren’t so neat. But when I went to see him in Parris Island, you could bounce a quarter off his bed.”
Melton, 29, of Randallstown, Md., was killed Sept. 9 during combat operations in Parwan province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Kaneohe Bay.
After graduating from high school in 1996 — he played lacrosse and baseball — Melton attended Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., where he studied communications and graduated in 2000.
“He would say, ‘I am willing to take a bullet for my country and my men,’” said Melton’s mother, Janice Chance. “‘If I need to give my life for my Marines, I will take a bullet for them.’”
Melton was always concerned with helping others, said his family. He always tried to lead by example, and he always looked for the good in everyone. “He would say that if I can save one person that would be worth it,” Chance said.
Marine Capt. Jesse Melton III was killed in action on 9/9/08.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo
Remember Our Heroes
Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo, 25, of Bothell, Wash.
1st Lt. Madrazo was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Sept. 9, 2008 in Bagram, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed was Capt. Jesse Melton III.
Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo remembered
The Associated Press
Nicholas A. Madrazo told his family about the joy he found in giving candy to Afghan children. Later, after learning about the lack of dental care, he worried about the children getting cavities and started giving them pens, pencils and paper.
“He cared about the people there,” said Jenny Madrazo, his mother. “The kids were really excited to see Nic.”
Madrazo, 25, of Bothell, Wash., was killed Sept. 9 by a roadside bomb in Parwan province. He was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Okinawa, Japan.
He played soccer in high school and received a degree in business from Seattle Pacific University in 2005. On the soccer field, he was known as a tough competitor.
“He was aggressive, but always kept his smile on the field,” said William Frankhouser, a classmate. “He was the guy who was always friendly and smiling and willing to befriend anyone.”
Madrazo was a great listener and a good friend, said Beth Flansburg, a friend. “He wanted to make things better for people,” she said. He lived to tell jokes and impersonate movie stars.
He also is survived by his father, Joel.
Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo was killed in action on 9/9/08.
Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo, 25, of Bothell, Wash.
1st Lt. Madrazo was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Sept. 9, 2008 in Bagram, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed was Capt. Jesse Melton III.
Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo remembered
The Associated Press
Nicholas A. Madrazo told his family about the joy he found in giving candy to Afghan children. Later, after learning about the lack of dental care, he worried about the children getting cavities and started giving them pens, pencils and paper.
“He cared about the people there,” said Jenny Madrazo, his mother. “The kids were really excited to see Nic.”
Madrazo, 25, of Bothell, Wash., was killed Sept. 9 by a roadside bomb in Parwan province. He was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Okinawa, Japan.
He played soccer in high school and received a degree in business from Seattle Pacific University in 2005. On the soccer field, he was known as a tough competitor.
“He was aggressive, but always kept his smile on the field,” said William Frankhouser, a classmate. “He was the guy who was always friendly and smiling and willing to befriend anyone.”
Madrazo was a great listener and a good friend, said Beth Flansburg, a friend. “He wanted to make things better for people,” she said. He lived to tell jokes and impersonate movie stars.
He also is survived by his father, Joel.
Marine 1st Lt. Nicholas A. Madrazo was killed in action on 9/9/08.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eichmann A. Strickland
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eichmann A. Strickland, 23, of Arlington, Wash.
Seaman Strickland was assigned to Combat Service Support Det. 36, Iwakuni, Japan; a member of a U.S. Marine embedded Training Team deployed to Afghan Regional Security Integration Command Central; died Sept. 9, 2008 from injuries sustained when the vehicle he was driving hit an improvised explosive device in Afghanya Valley, Afghanistan.
The Seattle Times -- Some of Seaman Eichmann Strickland's comrades called him Doc. Perhaps it was because he was a Navy medical corpsman stationed with a Marine unit in Japan. Perhaps it was just because he had aspirations.
He hoped for a career in the medical field, perhaps as a physician assistant. He aspired to join a medical mission to Africa. He hoped to be home for Christmas. And he dreamed of winning the lottery.
Those hopes and dreams were dashed last week when Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Strickland, 23, of Arlington, died after the vehicle he was driving hit an improvised bomb in Afghanistan's Afghanya Valley, northwest of Kabul, the capital.
Strickland, a 2003 graduate of Arlington's Lakewood High School, was killed Sept. 9, according to a Department of Defense release.
According to a military spokeswoman, Strickland was a member of a training team deployed to Afghan Regional Security Integration Command Central. He was part of a team in Afghanistan providing the Afghan National Army with combat advisers.
He was not only patching wounds on Marines and Afghans alike but was also training Afghan soldiers how to treat their wounded, according to military sources.
In Iwakuni, Japan, he regularly performed sick calls, maintaining health records and assisting medical officers. At times he was the only on-site medical personnel around, and the closest thing to an on-call doctor. He had been assigned to Combat Logistics Company 36 at Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni.
Strickland enlisted in the military nearly five years ago, said Navy Region Northwest spokeswoman Melanie Reeder. He had been stationed in Afghanistan for nine months.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eichmann A. Strickland was killed in action on 9/9/08.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eichmann A. Strickland, 23, of Arlington, Wash.
Seaman Strickland was assigned to Combat Service Support Det. 36, Iwakuni, Japan; a member of a U.S. Marine embedded Training Team deployed to Afghan Regional Security Integration Command Central; died Sept. 9, 2008 from injuries sustained when the vehicle he was driving hit an improvised explosive device in Afghanya Valley, Afghanistan.
The Seattle Times -- Some of Seaman Eichmann Strickland's comrades called him Doc. Perhaps it was because he was a Navy medical corpsman stationed with a Marine unit in Japan. Perhaps it was just because he had aspirations.
He hoped for a career in the medical field, perhaps as a physician assistant. He aspired to join a medical mission to Africa. He hoped to be home for Christmas. And he dreamed of winning the lottery.
Those hopes and dreams were dashed last week when Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Strickland, 23, of Arlington, died after the vehicle he was driving hit an improvised bomb in Afghanistan's Afghanya Valley, northwest of Kabul, the capital.
Strickland, a 2003 graduate of Arlington's Lakewood High School, was killed Sept. 9, according to a Department of Defense release.
According to a military spokeswoman, Strickland was a member of a training team deployed to Afghan Regional Security Integration Command Central. He was part of a team in Afghanistan providing the Afghan National Army with combat advisers.
He was not only patching wounds on Marines and Afghans alike but was also training Afghan soldiers how to treat their wounded, according to military sources.
In Iwakuni, Japan, he regularly performed sick calls, maintaining health records and assisting medical officers. At times he was the only on-site medical personnel around, and the closest thing to an on-call doctor. He had been assigned to Combat Logistics Company 36 at Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni.
Strickland enlisted in the military nearly five years ago, said Navy Region Northwest spokeswoman Melanie Reeder. He had been stationed in Afghanistan for nine months.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eichmann A. Strickland was killed in action on 9/9/08.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Army Pfc. Michael R. Dinterman
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Michael R. Dinterman, 18, of Littlestown, Pa.
Pfc Dinterman was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 6, 2008 at Outpost Restrepo, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he received enemy fire while on dismounted patrol.
Army Pvt. Michael R. Dinterman remembered
The Associated Press
A little boy’s death changed the direction of Michael R. Dinterman’s life.
He enlisted in the Army in January because he wanted to do something with his life after the death of his 3-month-old nephew, Noah.
“He came home for that and just decided that life was too short, and he wanted to do something with his,” said Dinterman’s mother, Lora Martin. “It changed him to say, ‘What do I want in life?’”
Dinterman, 18, of Littlestown, Pa., died Sept. 6 in Kunar province of wounds from small-arms fire. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
He enjoyed all types of sports including football, baseball and basketball, and he especially enjoyed going to the beach. He was taking classes at Harrisburg Area Community College.
Alan Staub, who coached Dinterman in baseball, recalled the young man as being the first one to practice, eager to learn and be competitive.
“He knew when to have a good time and when to be serious,” said Matthew Meakin, his former athletic director.
He is survived by his parents and stepparents, Lora Martin and Michael A. Martin, and Richard Dinterman and Misty Stonesifer.
Pfc. Dinterman was killed in action on 9/6/08.
Army Pfc. Michael R. Dinterman, 18, of Littlestown, Pa.
Pfc Dinterman was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 6, 2008 at Outpost Restrepo, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he received enemy fire while on dismounted patrol.
Army Pvt. Michael R. Dinterman remembered
The Associated Press
A little boy’s death changed the direction of Michael R. Dinterman’s life.
He enlisted in the Army in January because he wanted to do something with his life after the death of his 3-month-old nephew, Noah.
“He came home for that and just decided that life was too short, and he wanted to do something with his,” said Dinterman’s mother, Lora Martin. “It changed him to say, ‘What do I want in life?’”
Dinterman, 18, of Littlestown, Pa., died Sept. 6 in Kunar province of wounds from small-arms fire. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
He enjoyed all types of sports including football, baseball and basketball, and he especially enjoyed going to the beach. He was taking classes at Harrisburg Area Community College.
Alan Staub, who coached Dinterman in baseball, recalled the young man as being the first one to practice, eager to learn and be competitive.
“He knew when to have a good time and when to be serious,” said Matthew Meakin, his former athletic director.
He is survived by his parents and stepparents, Lora Martin and Michael A. Martin, and Richard Dinterman and Misty Stonesifer.
Pfc. Dinterman was killed in action on 9/6/08.
Army Spc. Marques I. Knight
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Marques I. Knight, 24, of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Spc Knight was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 6, 2008 in Aliabad, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he received small arms fire while on dismounted patrol.
WTYV News -- The US Army announced the death of a soldier in Afghanistan who has ties to the wiregrass area.
The Army says 24-year old Specialist Marques I. Knight died on September 6, 2008, in Aliabad, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to initial reports, Specialist Knight was fatally injured when his walking patrol came under small arms fire.
Specialist Knight joined the army in August of 2002 as an infantryman and was living in San Juan Capistrano, California.
He has been assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas since August of 2007 and was deployed to Afghanistan in July of this year.
Specialist Knight's family resides in the Wiregrass area.
His mother lives in Altamonte Springs, Florida and his father lives in Dothan.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Army Spc. Marques I. Knight was killed in action on 9/6/08.
Army Spc. Marques I. Knight, 24, of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Spc Knight was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 6, 2008 in Aliabad, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he received small arms fire while on dismounted patrol.
WTYV News -- The US Army announced the death of a soldier in Afghanistan who has ties to the wiregrass area.
The Army says 24-year old Specialist Marques I. Knight died on September 6, 2008, in Aliabad, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to initial reports, Specialist Knight was fatally injured when his walking patrol came under small arms fire.
Specialist Knight joined the army in August of 2002 as an infantryman and was living in San Juan Capistrano, California.
He has been assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas since August of 2007 and was deployed to Afghanistan in July of this year.
Specialist Knight's family resides in the Wiregrass area.
His mother lives in Altamonte Springs, Florida and his father lives in Dothan.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Army Spc. Marques I. Knight was killed in action on 9/6/08.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault, 22, of South Jordan, Utah
Pvt Thibeault was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died Sept. 5, 2008 at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.
Soldier should be 'heralded,' family says
By Stephen Speckman, Deseret News
The Sept. 5, 2008 death of Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault should be "heralded" by everyone, the family said in a statement this week.
"Mankind today is faced with terrible calamities," the family said. "Only a select few are willing to forgo comforts of home, indeed the very promise of a brighter future, to place themselves between the forces of hate and oppression and the human spirit yearning for peace and safety."
Thibeault died from injuries he sustained during a noncombat incident, which is still under investigation. He was the 48th person with Utah ties to die while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to Deseret News records.
Thibeault lived in South Jordan while being home-schooled, and he also attended Benjamin Franklin Academy before joining the Army. After four years of service, he recently enlisted for another six years. At the time of his death Thibeault was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. During his first tour he received a commendation for his efforts as an M-88 tank recovery vehicle driver and Bradley tank mechanic.
Thibeault was born in Maine, loved airplanes, mathematics, computers and military history, according to information from the 96th Regional Readiness Command in Salt Lake City.
His family said Thibeault served to protect mankind and that he followed his "inner core of beliefs" to ensure that Iraqis have a chance to achieve peace and prosperity.
"His passing should give hope to all that there are still those among us who are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to keep mankind safe and free," family members said in their statement. "We honor all men and women in uniform and will continue to pray for each and every one of them as well as their families."
There will be a public viewing Sept. 14 at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary and a funeral service with full military honors the following day at the River Ridge Stake 2nd LDS Ward in South Jordan. His parents, John and Celeste Thibeault, live in the western Salt Lake County suburb, and Thibeault is also survived by his sister, Denise, a student at Brigham Young University. He will be buried at the South Jordan City Cemetery.
Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault remembered
The Associated Press
As a boy, Jordan P. Thibeault loved to ride bikes, build with Legos and act out impromptu plays. He was quiet, a hard worker and always helpful.
Christian Carnley described his friend as always saying, “Let’s go do something,” when they were children.
Thibeault, 22, of South Jordan, Utah, died Sept. 5 at Forward Operating Base Hammer of injuries from a non-combat incident. He was on his second combat tour in Iraq and was assigned to Baumholder, Germany.
Thibeault was born in Maine, loved airplanes, mathematics, computers and military history. During his first tour he received a commendation for his efforts as an M-88 tank recovery vehicle driver and Bradley tank mechanic.
His family said Thibeault served to protect mankind and that he followed his “inner core of beliefs” to ensure that Iraqis have a chance to achieve peace and prosperity.
“His passing should give hope to all that there are still those among us who are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to keep mankind safe and free,” family members said in their statement.
He is survived by his parents, John and Celeste Thibeault.
Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault was killed in a non-combat incident on 9/5/08.
Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault, 22, of South Jordan, Utah
Pvt Thibeault was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died Sept. 5, 2008 at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.
By Stephen Speckman, Deseret News
The Sept. 5, 2008 death of Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault should be "heralded" by everyone, the family said in a statement this week.
"Mankind today is faced with terrible calamities," the family said. "Only a select few are willing to forgo comforts of home, indeed the very promise of a brighter future, to place themselves between the forces of hate and oppression and the human spirit yearning for peace and safety."
Thibeault died from injuries he sustained during a noncombat incident, which is still under investigation. He was the 48th person with Utah ties to die while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to Deseret News records.
Thibeault lived in South Jordan while being home-schooled, and he also attended Benjamin Franklin Academy before joining the Army. After four years of service, he recently enlisted for another six years. At the time of his death Thibeault was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. During his first tour he received a commendation for his efforts as an M-88 tank recovery vehicle driver and Bradley tank mechanic.
Thibeault was born in Maine, loved airplanes, mathematics, computers and military history, according to information from the 96th Regional Readiness Command in Salt Lake City.
His family said Thibeault served to protect mankind and that he followed his "inner core of beliefs" to ensure that Iraqis have a chance to achieve peace and prosperity.
"His passing should give hope to all that there are still those among us who are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to keep mankind safe and free," family members said in their statement. "We honor all men and women in uniform and will continue to pray for each and every one of them as well as their families."
There will be a public viewing Sept. 14 at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary and a funeral service with full military honors the following day at the River Ridge Stake 2nd LDS Ward in South Jordan. His parents, John and Celeste Thibeault, live in the western Salt Lake County suburb, and Thibeault is also survived by his sister, Denise, a student at Brigham Young University. He will be buried at the South Jordan City Cemetery.
Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault remembered
The Associated Press
As a boy, Jordan P. Thibeault loved to ride bikes, build with Legos and act out impromptu plays. He was quiet, a hard worker and always helpful.
Christian Carnley described his friend as always saying, “Let’s go do something,” when they were children.
Thibeault, 22, of South Jordan, Utah, died Sept. 5 at Forward Operating Base Hammer of injuries from a non-combat incident. He was on his second combat tour in Iraq and was assigned to Baumholder, Germany.
Thibeault was born in Maine, loved airplanes, mathematics, computers and military history. During his first tour he received a commendation for his efforts as an M-88 tank recovery vehicle driver and Bradley tank mechanic.
His family said Thibeault served to protect mankind and that he followed his “inner core of beliefs” to ensure that Iraqis have a chance to achieve peace and prosperity.
“His passing should give hope to all that there are still those among us who are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to keep mankind safe and free,” family members said in their statement.
He is survived by his parents, John and Celeste Thibeault.
Army Pvt. Jordan P. Thibeault was killed in a non-combat incident on 9/5/08.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr., 22, of St. Louis, Mo.
Pvt. Winston was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 4, 2008 in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
St. Louis soldier dies in Afghanistan
KSDK-TV
A St. Louis family is mourning tonight. Army Pvt. Vincent Winston has become the latest casualty in Operation Enduring Freedom. He died September 4 in Afghanistan.
His mother, Angie Little says, “He was a baby hero. He wasn’t nothing but 22. So young.”
The life of Vincent Winston was cut short in Afghanistan. He enlisted two years ago, but this was his first deployment.
His mother says, “He had just went over there. He just went over there. He couldn’t have been in Afghanistan, what, two whole months.”
According to Little, Afghanistan was a tough adjustment. Winston was just settling into his job as a mechanic when it happened. He and four others were riding in a Humvee when a roadside bomb exploded nearby. Winston died from his injuries.
Angie Little says, “I’m so sad. I’m heartbroken. I’m mad at him and I’m proud of him.”
For Winston, joining the military was family tradition. He was following in his father’s footsteps.
Angie Little says, “He wanted to go in the service and I told him not to because it was during the war. He said ‘I want to mom to get off the streets.’”
His aunt Betty Little says, “We’ve got a dark cloud in our heart. We are so sad. We are hurting.”
Relatives hope Vincent Winston will be remembered as a leader, a role model and a good man.
Betty Little says, “I want them to remember the smile, to remember Vincent as Vincent.”
Funeral arrangements are still being finalized. Winston’s body could return home later this week.
Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr. remembered
The Associated Press
Vincent C. Winston Jr. always knew he wanted to follow in his father’s military footsteps.
“He was different from most kids. He was more serious, he stayed determined,” said his father, Vincent Cortez Winston Sr.
Winston Jr., 22, of St. Louis, died Sept. 4 after his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Hood.
Army Maj. Gen. Charles Cartwright told mourners of Winston’s dedication, big smile and love of family. “He asked nothing for nothing,” Cartwright said.
His father, an Army veteran of Desert Storm, often told his oldest son of the realities of Army life. “I told him the Army was a great career, but it wasn’t for everyone,” Winston Sr. said.
He signed up for the Job Corps in St. Louis after going to high school in Tennessee. Then he went into the Army.
“He wanted to get off the streets, and that’s why he wanted to go — he wanted to make something of himself,” said his mother, Angie Little.
Relatives hope Winston will be remembered as a leader, a role model and a good man. His aunt, Betty Little, said, “I want them to remember the smile, to remember Vincent as Vincent.”
Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr. was killed in action on 9/4/08.
Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr., 22, of St. Louis, Mo.
Pvt. Winston was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 4, 2008 in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
St. Louis soldier dies in Afghanistan
KSDK-TV
A St. Louis family is mourning tonight. Army Pvt. Vincent Winston has become the latest casualty in Operation Enduring Freedom. He died September 4 in Afghanistan.
His mother, Angie Little says, “He was a baby hero. He wasn’t nothing but 22. So young.”
The life of Vincent Winston was cut short in Afghanistan. He enlisted two years ago, but this was his first deployment.
His mother says, “He had just went over there. He just went over there. He couldn’t have been in Afghanistan, what, two whole months.”
According to Little, Afghanistan was a tough adjustment. Winston was just settling into his job as a mechanic when it happened. He and four others were riding in a Humvee when a roadside bomb exploded nearby. Winston died from his injuries.
Angie Little says, “I’m so sad. I’m heartbroken. I’m mad at him and I’m proud of him.”
For Winston, joining the military was family tradition. He was following in his father’s footsteps.
Angie Little says, “He wanted to go in the service and I told him not to because it was during the war. He said ‘I want to mom to get off the streets.’”
His aunt Betty Little says, “We’ve got a dark cloud in our heart. We are so sad. We are hurting.”
Relatives hope Vincent Winston will be remembered as a leader, a role model and a good man.
Betty Little says, “I want them to remember the smile, to remember Vincent as Vincent.”
Funeral arrangements are still being finalized. Winston’s body could return home later this week.
Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr. remembered
The Associated Press
Vincent C. Winston Jr. always knew he wanted to follow in his father’s military footsteps.
“He was different from most kids. He was more serious, he stayed determined,” said his father, Vincent Cortez Winston Sr.
Winston Jr., 22, of St. Louis, died Sept. 4 after his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Hood.
Army Maj. Gen. Charles Cartwright told mourners of Winston’s dedication, big smile and love of family. “He asked nothing for nothing,” Cartwright said.
His father, an Army veteran of Desert Storm, often told his oldest son of the realities of Army life. “I told him the Army was a great career, but it wasn’t for everyone,” Winston Sr. said.
He signed up for the Job Corps in St. Louis after going to high school in Tennessee. Then he went into the Army.
“He wanted to get off the streets, and that’s why he wanted to go — he wanted to make something of himself,” said his mother, Angie Little.
Relatives hope Winston will be remembered as a leader, a role model and a good man. His aunt, Betty Little, said, “I want them to remember the smile, to remember Vincent as Vincent.”
Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr. was killed in action on 9/4/08.
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne, 29, of Arvada, Colo.
SSgt Mayne was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 4, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas.
Funeral Saturday for Arvada soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
DENVER — Gov. Bill Ritter has ordered that U.S. and Colorado flags be lowered on public buildings Saturday in honor of a soldier from Arvada who was killed in Iraq.
Twenty-nine-year-old Staff Sgt. Kenneth Mayne died Sept. 4 in Baghdad after his vehicle came across a bomb. The explosion also killed 22-year-old Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas of Battle Creek, Mich.
Both were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Mayne grew up in Arvada, where his mother and stepfather still live. He graduated from Arvada West High School in 1997.
His funeral is set for Saturday at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Sergeant turned his life around in the Army
The Associated Press
Among Kenneth W. Mayne’s last wishes were these: Everyone wears Hawaiian shirts to his memorial service. No one wears black. And someone plays Jimmy Buffet, preferably “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
“That’s his one last laugh at all of us,” said his cousin Josh Mayne.
Mayne, 29, of Fort Benning, Ga., was killed Sept. 4 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 1997 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
The Army turned out to be just what Mayne needed after a trouble-filled youth. He grew bigger, stronger, more mature and responsible.
“He’d come home, and we’d sit back, awe-struck,” Josh Mayne said. “All the people in life who said, ‘You’re a screw-up’ — he could look back and say, ‘Look what I did.”’
On a recent trip home, Mayne showed the family a photo of his combat team. In it, there were about 60 people, all dressed in camouflage and hiding in various poses.
He asked if anyone could spot him. They could. “He was the only one waving to the camera,” Josh Mayne said. “There were some things you couldn’t change about him.”
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Michelle and Dan Benavidez.
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne was killed in action on 9/4/08.
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne, 29, of Arvada, Colo.
SSgt Mayne was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 4, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas.
Funeral Saturday for Arvada soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
DENVER — Gov. Bill Ritter has ordered that U.S. and Colorado flags be lowered on public buildings Saturday in honor of a soldier from Arvada who was killed in Iraq.
Twenty-nine-year-old Staff Sgt. Kenneth Mayne died Sept. 4 in Baghdad after his vehicle came across a bomb. The explosion also killed 22-year-old Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas of Battle Creek, Mich.
Both were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Mayne grew up in Arvada, where his mother and stepfather still live. He graduated from Arvada West High School in 1997.
His funeral is set for Saturday at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Sergeant turned his life around in the Army
The Associated Press
Among Kenneth W. Mayne’s last wishes were these: Everyone wears Hawaiian shirts to his memorial service. No one wears black. And someone plays Jimmy Buffet, preferably “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
“That’s his one last laugh at all of us,” said his cousin Josh Mayne.
Mayne, 29, of Fort Benning, Ga., was killed Sept. 4 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 1997 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
The Army turned out to be just what Mayne needed after a trouble-filled youth. He grew bigger, stronger, more mature and responsible.
“He’d come home, and we’d sit back, awe-struck,” Josh Mayne said. “All the people in life who said, ‘You’re a screw-up’ — he could look back and say, ‘Look what I did.”’
On a recent trip home, Mayne showed the family a photo of his combat team. In it, there were about 60 people, all dressed in camouflage and hiding in various poses.
He asked if anyone could spot him. They could. “He was the only one waving to the camera,” Josh Mayne said. “There were some things you couldn’t change about him.”
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Michelle and Dan Benavidez.
Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne was killed in action on 9/4/08.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas, 22, of Battle Creek, Mich.
Pfc. Thomas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 4, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne.
Battle Creek soldier killed in Iraq
By Joe Rossiter
Detroit Free Press
A Michigan serviceman was one of two soldiers killed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Department of Defense announced Sept. 8.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas, 22, of Battle Creek and Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne, 29, of Fort Benning, Ga., died Thursday in Baghdad of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in a marketplace within the city. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas.
Thomas joined the Army in September 2007 and was stationed in Iraq for the past three months. He came home last month for a two-week leave.
An animal-lover who did volunteer work with the Michigan Humane Society, Thomas was also a skilled photographer.
“He was a person who was steadfast and committed,” said Laura Stewart, a longtime family friend. “He was proud to serve in the Army, and once he was finished, planned to make a career in education or sports medicine.”
A former student at Kellogg Community College, Thomas graduated in 2004 from Lakeview High School in Battle Creek, where he played football and was a member of the wrestling team.
“He was just an outstanding person who was a good student, well-liked and all-around nice guy,” said Chris Doyle, who was Lakeview High assistant principal at the time Thomas attended but is now principal.
“He was the type of player you want to have on your team, a hard worker and someone who could always fire up the other kids,” Doyle said. “We are very proud of his accomplishments and proud that he represented our country.”
Survivors include his mother, Pam Sikora; grandfather, Richard Sikora, and step-grandmother, Barbara Sikora.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete today. Burial with full military honors will take place at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Mich.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas remembered
The Associated Press
Friends and family friends described Bryan R. Thomas as an “old soul” — a thoughtful and introspective young man who took an interest in animals, sports, photography and Mountain Dew.
“It just doesn’t seem real,” said Laura Stewart, a family friend. “I think any minute now he’ll come in, open up the refrigerator and take a seat on the couch.”
Thomas, 22, of Battle Creek, Mich., was killed Sept. 4 when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Hood.
A former student at Kellogg Community College, Thomas graduated in 2004 from Lakeview High School, where he played football and was a member of the wrestling team.
“He was just an outstanding person who was a good student, well-liked and all-around nice guy,” said Chris Doyle, the principal. “He was the type of player you want to have on your team, a hard worker and someone who could always fire up the other kids.”
Thomas was the grappler who jumped up a weight class to save a couple points for the team. “He was a dedicated kid who didn’t seek the limelight,” said Tony Evans, an ex-wrestling coach.
He is survived by his mother, Pam Sikora.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas was killed in action on 9/4/08.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas, 22, of Battle Creek, Mich.
Pfc. Thomas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 4, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne.
Battle Creek soldier killed in Iraq
By Joe Rossiter
Detroit Free Press
A Michigan serviceman was one of two soldiers killed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Department of Defense announced Sept. 8.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas, 22, of Battle Creek and Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne, 29, of Fort Benning, Ga., died Thursday in Baghdad of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in a marketplace within the city. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas.
Thomas joined the Army in September 2007 and was stationed in Iraq for the past three months. He came home last month for a two-week leave.
An animal-lover who did volunteer work with the Michigan Humane Society, Thomas was also a skilled photographer.
“He was a person who was steadfast and committed,” said Laura Stewart, a longtime family friend. “He was proud to serve in the Army, and once he was finished, planned to make a career in education or sports medicine.”
A former student at Kellogg Community College, Thomas graduated in 2004 from Lakeview High School in Battle Creek, where he played football and was a member of the wrestling team.
“He was just an outstanding person who was a good student, well-liked and all-around nice guy,” said Chris Doyle, who was Lakeview High assistant principal at the time Thomas attended but is now principal.
“He was the type of player you want to have on your team, a hard worker and someone who could always fire up the other kids,” Doyle said. “We are very proud of his accomplishments and proud that he represented our country.”
Survivors include his mother, Pam Sikora; grandfather, Richard Sikora, and step-grandmother, Barbara Sikora.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete today. Burial with full military honors will take place at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Mich.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas remembered
The Associated Press
Friends and family friends described Bryan R. Thomas as an “old soul” — a thoughtful and introspective young man who took an interest in animals, sports, photography and Mountain Dew.
“It just doesn’t seem real,” said Laura Stewart, a family friend. “I think any minute now he’ll come in, open up the refrigerator and take a seat on the couch.”
Thomas, 22, of Battle Creek, Mich., was killed Sept. 4 when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Hood.
A former student at Kellogg Community College, Thomas graduated in 2004 from Lakeview High School, where he played football and was a member of the wrestling team.
“He was just an outstanding person who was a good student, well-liked and all-around nice guy,” said Chris Doyle, the principal. “He was the type of player you want to have on your team, a hard worker and someone who could always fire up the other kids.”
Thomas was the grappler who jumped up a weight class to save a couple points for the team. “He was a dedicated kid who didn’t seek the limelight,” said Tony Evans, an ex-wrestling coach.
He is survived by his mother, Pam Sikora.
Army Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas was killed in action on 9/4/08.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Army Pfc. Patrick W. May
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Patrick W. May, 22, of Jamestown, N.Y.
Pfc. May was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Sept. 2, 2008 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Private ‘could make anyone smile’
The Associated Press
Patrick W. May’s smile kept coming up when friends remembered him.
“Patrick could make anyone smile,” wrote Silver Cunningham in tribute. “It was so amazing, that no matter how bad of a day you were having, he would make it better. I miss when he would give me a high five in the morning, and always reminded me to smile.’
May, 22, of Jamestown, N.Y., died Sept. 2 in Baghdad of injuries from a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Drum.
May, a Cassadaga Job Corps Academy student, joined the military in June 2006, attending his basic training at Fort Jackson. Upon graduation, he went to Fort Huachuca, where he received advanced training. He is survived by his parents, Rieca and Gary Littrell, and George II and Olga May.
“On behalf of the citizens of New York I wish to extend our condolences to the family of Private First Class May, and to his fellow soldiers from the Army’s 10th Mountain Division serving at home and overseas,” said Gov. David A. Paterson. “Private First Class May’s service to our nation will never be forgotten.”
Army Pfc. Patrick W. May was killed in a non-combat incident on 9/2/08.
Army Pfc. Patrick W. May, 22, of Jamestown, N.Y.
Pfc. May was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Sept. 2, 2008 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Private ‘could make anyone smile’
The Associated Press
Patrick W. May’s smile kept coming up when friends remembered him.
“Patrick could make anyone smile,” wrote Silver Cunningham in tribute. “It was so amazing, that no matter how bad of a day you were having, he would make it better. I miss when he would give me a high five in the morning, and always reminded me to smile.’
May, 22, of Jamestown, N.Y., died Sept. 2 in Baghdad of injuries from a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Drum.
May, a Cassadaga Job Corps Academy student, joined the military in June 2006, attending his basic training at Fort Jackson. Upon graduation, he went to Fort Huachuca, where he received advanced training. He is survived by his parents, Rieca and Gary Littrell, and George II and Olga May.
“On behalf of the citizens of New York I wish to extend our condolences to the family of Private First Class May, and to his fellow soldiers from the Army’s 10th Mountain Division serving at home and overseas,” said Gov. David A. Paterson. “Private First Class May’s service to our nation will never be forgotten.”
Army Pfc. Patrick W. May was killed in a non-combat incident on 9/2/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35, of Weidman, Mich.
SFC Rodriguez was assigned to the K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, Ansbach, Germany; died Sept. 2, 2008 of wounds sustained in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small arms fire.
Soldier from Weidman to be buried at Arlington
The Associated Press
WEIDMAN, Mich. — The widow of a soldier from Michigan killed in Afghanistan says he will be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35, died Tuesday of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire. He was a native of Weidman, about 50 miles north of Lansing in Isabella County.
“I asked Greg if anything ever happened to him where he’d prefer to be buried,” his wife Laura Rodriguez told the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant, “and he told me Arlington, as he wanted to be among the best and the brave.”
Rodriguez, an avid Detroit Red Wings fan, graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1991 and joined the Army Reserve about three years later. He liked the military life and became an active-duty soldier in 1996, his wife said.
Survivors include Laura, their three young children and his mother, Virginia Richardson of Lake Isabella.
The family now lives at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, site of the military’s working-dog programs. Rodriguez was assigned to the K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, Ansbach, Germany.
His dog Jacko survived the ambush and Laura Rodriguez said she hoped the dog could come live with the family. “He was Greg’s best companion for the past couple of years,” she said.
Services for Rodriguez are planned in San Antonio and Mount Pleasant but have not been scheduled.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez
The Associated Press
Gregory A. Rodriguez was a former football player and wrestler who sought to keep order both before joining the Army and while he was in it, said his sister.
“My brother liked to be the law,” said Lisa Dombrowski. “He liked justice. If it wasn’t right, he made it right.”
Rodriguez, 35, died Sept. 2 of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire. He was a 1991 high school graduate and was assigned to Ansbach, Germany.
“Rod,” as he was known to his Army buddies, was a Red Wings fan who loved to hassle fans of other hockey teams he met during his military career, said his wife, Laura Rodriguez.
“Greg loved to push everyone’s buttons and get people going with his rare, unique sense of sarcasm,” she said. At the same time, her husband, a military police dog handler whose dog, Jacko, survived the fatal ambush, was “a very committed, loyal individual and could be counted on whenever needed.”
He had been stationed in Hawaii, Missouri, Alaska and Texas.
Rodriguez also is survived by three children: 8-year-old Gregory Jr., 7-year old Zachary and 3-year-old Malory.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez was killed in action on 9/2/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35, of Weidman, Mich.
SFC Rodriguez was assigned to the K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, Ansbach, Germany; died Sept. 2, 2008 of wounds sustained in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small arms fire.
Soldier from Weidman to be buried at Arlington
The Associated Press
WEIDMAN, Mich. — The widow of a soldier from Michigan killed in Afghanistan says he will be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35, died Tuesday of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire. He was a native of Weidman, about 50 miles north of Lansing in Isabella County.
“I asked Greg if anything ever happened to him where he’d prefer to be buried,” his wife Laura Rodriguez told the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant, “and he told me Arlington, as he wanted to be among the best and the brave.”
Rodriguez, an avid Detroit Red Wings fan, graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1991 and joined the Army Reserve about three years later. He liked the military life and became an active-duty soldier in 1996, his wife said.
Survivors include Laura, their three young children and his mother, Virginia Richardson of Lake Isabella.
The family now lives at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, site of the military’s working-dog programs. Rodriguez was assigned to the K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, Ansbach, Germany.
His dog Jacko survived the ambush and Laura Rodriguez said she hoped the dog could come live with the family. “He was Greg’s best companion for the past couple of years,” she said.
Services for Rodriguez are planned in San Antonio and Mount Pleasant but have not been scheduled.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez
The Associated Press
Gregory A. Rodriguez was a former football player and wrestler who sought to keep order both before joining the Army and while he was in it, said his sister.
“My brother liked to be the law,” said Lisa Dombrowski. “He liked justice. If it wasn’t right, he made it right.”
Rodriguez, 35, died Sept. 2 of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire. He was a 1991 high school graduate and was assigned to Ansbach, Germany.
“Rod,” as he was known to his Army buddies, was a Red Wings fan who loved to hassle fans of other hockey teams he met during his military career, said his wife, Laura Rodriguez.
“Greg loved to push everyone’s buttons and get people going with his rare, unique sense of sarcasm,” she said. At the same time, her husband, a military police dog handler whose dog, Jacko, survived the fatal ambush, was “a very committed, loyal individual and could be counted on whenever needed.”
He had been stationed in Hawaii, Missouri, Alaska and Texas.
Rodriguez also is survived by three children: 8-year-old Gregory Jr., 7-year old Zachary and 3-year-old Malory.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez was killed in action on 9/2/08.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Joshua Harris
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Joshua T. Harris, 36,of Lexington, N.C.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Harris, temporarily forward deployed from his assignment at Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Dam Neck, Va.; died Aug. 30, 2008 from injuries sustained while conducting combat operations in Bagram, Afghanistan.
SEAL drowns in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. — A Navy SEAL from North Carolina has died while fighting in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Thomas Harris drowned Saturday, the military said. The Navy SEAL special warfare operator from Lexington, N.C., was swept away while crossing a river during combat operations.
Harris joined the Navy in August 2000 and joined SEAL Team 10 based at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va.
He had also served in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star.
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Joshua T. Harris was killed in action on 8/30/08.
Larger Images
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Joshua T. Harris, 36,of Lexington, N.C.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Harris, temporarily forward deployed from his assignment at Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Dam Neck, Va.; died Aug. 30, 2008 from injuries sustained while conducting combat operations in Bagram, Afghanistan.
SEAL drowns in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. — A Navy SEAL from North Carolina has died while fighting in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Thomas Harris drowned Saturday, the military said. The Navy SEAL special warfare operator from Lexington, N.C., was swept away while crossing a river during combat operations.
Harris joined the Navy in August 2000 and joined SEAL Team 10 based at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va.
He had also served in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star.
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Joshua T. Harris was killed in action on 8/30/08.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Army Spc. Jorge L. Feliz Nieve
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jorge L. Feliz Nieve, 26, of Queens Village, N.Y.
Spc. Nieve was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died on Aug. 28, 2008 of injuries sustained from a vehicle incident in Mosul, Iraq.
Newsday -- A Queens Village man serving in Iraq has died, the Department of Defense confirmed yesterday.
Spc. Jorge L. Feliz Nieve, 26, died Thursday of injuries sustained in a vehicle incident in Mosul, Iraq.
Nieve was assigned to the Army's 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Fort Hood, Texas.
When reached at her Maryland home, Nieve's mother, Carmen Feliz Gonzalez, declined to comment.
Details of how Nieves died were not released by the Department of Defense, which said in a statement that it is being investigated.
Army Spc. Jorge L. Feliz Nieve was killed in a vehicle accident on 8/28/08.
Army Spc. Jorge L. Feliz Nieve, 26, of Queens Village, N.Y.
Spc. Nieve was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died on Aug. 28, 2008 of injuries sustained from a vehicle incident in Mosul, Iraq.
Newsday -- A Queens Village man serving in Iraq has died, the Department of Defense confirmed yesterday.
Spc. Jorge L. Feliz Nieve, 26, died Thursday of injuries sustained in a vehicle incident in Mosul, Iraq.
Nieve was assigned to the Army's 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Fort Hood, Texas.
When reached at her Maryland home, Nieve's mother, Carmen Feliz Gonzalez, declined to comment.
Details of how Nieves died were not released by the Department of Defense, which said in a statement that it is being investigated.
Army Spc. Jorge L. Feliz Nieve was killed in a vehicle accident on 8/28/08.
Army Spc. Michael L. Gonzalez
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Michael L. Gonzalez, 20, of Spotswood, N.J.
Spc. Gonzalez was assigned to the 340th Military Police Company, Fort Totten, N.Y.; died Aug. 28, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.
Spotswood soldier killed in Iraq remembered as outstanding person
By Rick Malwitz
(East Brunswick) Home News Tribune
In summer 2006 Michael L. Gonzalez graduated from Spotswood High School, left the comforts of home and the embrace of a legion of friends, and went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
“He came back a different person,” said Rick Auteri of East Brunswick, who knew Gonzalez as a fellow employee of the ShopRite in East Brunswick. “He came back a man.”
Gonzalez still had a sense of humor that could find something funny in the most serious situations, said Auteri, but had a new level of maturity.
On Thursday night the family of Army Military Policeman Spc. Gonzalez learned that he had died earlier in the day, the victim of an improvised explosive-device in Baghdad, Iraq.
Gonzalez, 20, is survived by his father and mother, Pedro and Ida Gonzalez, his brother, Troy Gonzalez, his grandparents Maria and Alberto Gonzalez. He also leaves behind Tiffany Loving, his girlfriend.
On Friday, Auteri was joined by about two dozen employees of the ShopRite in East Brunswick for an informal memorial service under an American flag that had been lowered to half-staff outside the entrance at the Mid-State Mall supermarket.
Several employees read tributes, and a moment of silence was held, while patrol cars from the East Brunswick Police Department blocked off space for the mourners — most of whom were teenagers or employees in their early 20s who embraced in their tears and grief.
Vanessa Costeira, who works in customer service, described Gonzalez as “a person who made me feel good about myself.”
“He was the funniest person I ever met,” said Daniele Reitsma.
Gonzalez’s family issued a statement through the Army Office of Public Affairs:
“Our family is deeply saddened and sorrowful. Michael was a wonderful son and a great soldier who died fighting for what he believed in. Michael served his country as a soldier to make a difference in the world. He will be forever missed by his family and his many friends.”
Gonzalez joined the 340th Military Police Company shortly before deploying with his unit from Fort Dix to Iraq earlier this summer. His home unit is the 430th Military Police Detachment, Red Bank.
It was well-known that Gonzalez’s dream was to become a police officer, and to further that goal, he joined the military police.
“I have known Michael for many years. He grew up to be a fine upstanding adult,” said Spotswood Police Sgt. Christopher Bierman, who serves as the department’s resource officer at the high school.
Bierman operates a junior police academy each summer, and twice Gonzalez participated in the program.
“His ambition was to become a police officer, and he wanted to learn everything he could. He was an outstanding person,” said Bierman, who recalled how Gonzalez occasionally visited him at police headquarters following his graduation.
“He was very proud of his decision to join the military,” said Bierman.
“He was a polite kid from a wonderful family,” said Thomas Calder, the principal of the high school, who took time off from preparation for a new school year to spend time with Gonzalez’s family Friday.
Word of Gonzalez’s death reached the ShopRite the night of Thursday, Aug. 28. He had begun working at the store at age 16.
Human Resources Manager Kathy Roberts, who hired him, said he was part of a circle of friends who worked at the store.
“They’re all good kids,” she said. “(Gonzalez) was an easy hire.”
“It was very somber all day here,” said customer service manager Carol Wanas.
Wanas said she had corresponded several times with Gonzalez, and said his return letters and e-mails were “very inspirational. He was very proud to serve.”
Ron Abline of East Brunswick, the commandant of the James Paige Detachment of the Marine Corps League, went to the ShopRite yesterday morning, and when he saw the flag lowered, he assumed it was for Perth Amboy police officer Thomas Raji — who was killed in the line of police duty on Aug. 22.
When he learned it was for Gonzalez he said the news, “Hit me like a shot. You mean that little kid in produce?” he asked.
Abline and Wanas then made plans for the small memorial service outside the store.
Army Cpl. Lem Cox, who works at a recruiting station in East Brunswick, attended the event, wearing his military uniform. He said he did not know Gonzalez, but felt it important to show his respect.
“He’s a soldier, a fallen comrade. That’s why I’m here,” said Cox.
Army Spc. Michael L. Gonzalez was killed in action on 8/28/08.
Army Spc. Michael L. Gonzalez, 20, of Spotswood, N.J.
Spc. Gonzalez was assigned to the 340th Military Police Company, Fort Totten, N.Y.; died Aug. 28, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.
Spotswood soldier killed in Iraq remembered as outstanding person
By Rick Malwitz
(East Brunswick) Home News Tribune
In summer 2006 Michael L. Gonzalez graduated from Spotswood High School, left the comforts of home and the embrace of a legion of friends, and went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
“He came back a different person,” said Rick Auteri of East Brunswick, who knew Gonzalez as a fellow employee of the ShopRite in East Brunswick. “He came back a man.”
Gonzalez still had a sense of humor that could find something funny in the most serious situations, said Auteri, but had a new level of maturity.
On Thursday night the family of Army Military Policeman Spc. Gonzalez learned that he had died earlier in the day, the victim of an improvised explosive-device in Baghdad, Iraq.
Gonzalez, 20, is survived by his father and mother, Pedro and Ida Gonzalez, his brother, Troy Gonzalez, his grandparents Maria and Alberto Gonzalez. He also leaves behind Tiffany Loving, his girlfriend.
On Friday, Auteri was joined by about two dozen employees of the ShopRite in East Brunswick for an informal memorial service under an American flag that had been lowered to half-staff outside the entrance at the Mid-State Mall supermarket.
Several employees read tributes, and a moment of silence was held, while patrol cars from the East Brunswick Police Department blocked off space for the mourners — most of whom were teenagers or employees in their early 20s who embraced in their tears and grief.
Vanessa Costeira, who works in customer service, described Gonzalez as “a person who made me feel good about myself.”
“He was the funniest person I ever met,” said Daniele Reitsma.
Gonzalez’s family issued a statement through the Army Office of Public Affairs:
“Our family is deeply saddened and sorrowful. Michael was a wonderful son and a great soldier who died fighting for what he believed in. Michael served his country as a soldier to make a difference in the world. He will be forever missed by his family and his many friends.”
Gonzalez joined the 340th Military Police Company shortly before deploying with his unit from Fort Dix to Iraq earlier this summer. His home unit is the 430th Military Police Detachment, Red Bank.
It was well-known that Gonzalez’s dream was to become a police officer, and to further that goal, he joined the military police.
“I have known Michael for many years. He grew up to be a fine upstanding adult,” said Spotswood Police Sgt. Christopher Bierman, who serves as the department’s resource officer at the high school.
Bierman operates a junior police academy each summer, and twice Gonzalez participated in the program.
“His ambition was to become a police officer, and he wanted to learn everything he could. He was an outstanding person,” said Bierman, who recalled how Gonzalez occasionally visited him at police headquarters following his graduation.
“He was very proud of his decision to join the military,” said Bierman.
“He was a polite kid from a wonderful family,” said Thomas Calder, the principal of the high school, who took time off from preparation for a new school year to spend time with Gonzalez’s family Friday.
Word of Gonzalez’s death reached the ShopRite the night of Thursday, Aug. 28. He had begun working at the store at age 16.
Human Resources Manager Kathy Roberts, who hired him, said he was part of a circle of friends who worked at the store.
“They’re all good kids,” she said. “(Gonzalez) was an easy hire.”
“It was very somber all day here,” said customer service manager Carol Wanas.
Wanas said she had corresponded several times with Gonzalez, and said his return letters and e-mails were “very inspirational. He was very proud to serve.”
Ron Abline of East Brunswick, the commandant of the James Paige Detachment of the Marine Corps League, went to the ShopRite yesterday morning, and when he saw the flag lowered, he assumed it was for Perth Amboy police officer Thomas Raji — who was killed in the line of police duty on Aug. 22.
When he learned it was for Gonzalez he said the news, “Hit me like a shot. You mean that little kid in produce?” he asked.
Abline and Wanas then made plans for the small memorial service outside the store.
Army Cpl. Lem Cox, who works at a recruiting station in East Brunswick, attended the event, wearing his military uniform. He said he did not know Gonzalez, but felt it important to show his respect.
“He’s a soldier, a fallen comrade. That’s why I’m here,” said Cox.
Army Spc. Michael L. Gonzalez was killed in action on 8/28/08.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Army Pfc. Tan Q. Ngo
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Tan Q. Ngo, 20, of Beaverton, Ore.
Pfc. Ngo was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany; died Aug. 27, 2008 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol received small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Army Pvt. Tan Q. Ngo remembered
The Associated Press
One of Tan Q. Ngo’s hobbies was cooking. He could turn anything, even potatoes and eggs, into a meal, as long as it was super spicy, said his brother.
“He could put anything together and make it taste good,” Timmy Ngo said.
Ngo, 20, of Beaverton, Ore., was killed Aug. 27 by small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire in Zabul province. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Hohenfels, Germany.
“He wanted to protect his country. He didn’t want another 9/11,” said his mother, Binh Thanh Sam. “He said, ‘This is our home now, I want to take care of it.’”
He walked his younger brothers to school. He volunteered through Key Club at school and spent a year in the Job Corps, working to become a chef and then as a house painter. He also liked video games, including Grand Theft Auto and Halo.
“He always said, ‘Mom, I love you,’” Sam said. “He was a big boy, but a little kid at heart.”
He liked nothing better than playing pickup basketball or football, or playing cards with friends. “He had lots of moms; he was a neighborhood boy,” Sam said.
He also is survived by his father, Ut Quoc Ngo.
Army Pfc. Tan Q. Ngo was killed in action on 8/27/08.
Army Pfc. Tan Q. Ngo, 20, of Beaverton, Ore.
Pfc. Ngo was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany; died Aug. 27, 2008 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol received small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.
Army Pvt. Tan Q. Ngo remembered
The Associated Press
One of Tan Q. Ngo’s hobbies was cooking. He could turn anything, even potatoes and eggs, into a meal, as long as it was super spicy, said his brother.
“He could put anything together and make it taste good,” Timmy Ngo said.
Ngo, 20, of Beaverton, Ore., was killed Aug. 27 by small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire in Zabul province. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Hohenfels, Germany.
“He wanted to protect his country. He didn’t want another 9/11,” said his mother, Binh Thanh Sam. “He said, ‘This is our home now, I want to take care of it.’”
He walked his younger brothers to school. He volunteered through Key Club at school and spent a year in the Job Corps, working to become a chef and then as a house painter. He also liked video games, including Grand Theft Auto and Halo.
“He always said, ‘Mom, I love you,’” Sam said. “He was a big boy, but a little kid at heart.”
He liked nothing better than playing pickup basketball or football, or playing cards with friends. “He had lots of moms; he was a neighborhood boy,” Sam said.
He also is survived by his father, Ut Quoc Ngo.
Army Pfc. Tan Q. Ngo was killed in action on 8/27/08.
Army Sgt. David K. Cooper
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. David K. Cooper, 25, of Williamsburg, Ky.
Sgt. Cooper was assigned to Forward Support Company, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 27, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained in Qadasiyah, Iraq, when his dismounted patrol came under small arms fire.
Soldier from Williamsburg is killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Kentucky soldier has been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Sgt. David K. Cooper, 25, of Williamsburg, died Wednesday in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his patrol came under small-arms fire, according to a statement from the military.
Cooper was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.
Gov. Steve Beshear has ordered that flags at state office buildings be lowered to half-staff on the day of Cooper’s funeral.
Croley Funeral Home in Williamsburg is handling arrangements, including a yet-to-be-scheduled memorial service sometime next week.
Jerry Croley, owner of the funeral home, said Cooper’s body was being flown back from Iraq last night.
Army Sgt. David K. Cooper was killed in action on 8/27/08.
Larger Images
Army Sgt. David K. Cooper, 25, of Williamsburg, Ky.
Sgt. Cooper was assigned to Forward Support Company, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 27, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds sustained in Qadasiyah, Iraq, when his dismounted patrol came under small arms fire.
Soldier from Williamsburg is killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Kentucky soldier has been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Sgt. David K. Cooper, 25, of Williamsburg, died Wednesday in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his patrol came under small-arms fire, according to a statement from the military.
Cooper was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.
Gov. Steve Beshear has ordered that flags at state office buildings be lowered to half-staff on the day of Cooper’s funeral.
Croley Funeral Home in Williamsburg is handling arrangements, including a yet-to-be-scheduled memorial service sometime next week.
Jerry Croley, owner of the funeral home, said Cooper’s body was being flown back from Iraq last night.
Army Sgt. David K. Cooper was killed in action on 8/27/08.
Larger Images
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Army Spc. Carlo E. Alfonso
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Carlo E. Alfonso, 23, of Spokane, Wash.
Spc. Alfonso was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died on Aug. 26, 2008 of injuries sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Sadr City, Iraq.
KXLY -- SPOKANE -- A Spokane man who was serving with the US Army as a combat engineer in Iraq was killed by an IED strike on August 26th, family members report.
Specialist Carlo Alfonso of Alpha Company, 40th Engineer Battalion, based at Baumholder, Germany was killed by an IED which critically wounded one of his fellow soldiers, his wife said in an e-mail Friday afternoon.
"I am so thankful to them and the Army for being their through this," Rosemarie said of her husband's fellow soldiers.
Alfonso came to the United States in 1997 with his mother. He met his wife Rosemarie in high school. They dated, later married and now have a two-year-old son Kyle Alfonso.
Alfonso joined the Army and while he wasn't a U.S. citizen yet he "was proud to be a soldier and to serve for this country and thanks to the military he will become one very soon."
Funeral arrangements are pending, though it's reported he will be returning home to Spokane on September 4th, his birthday.
"His time here on Earth was full of love and we will go on loving him," Rosemarie said.
Army Spc. Carlo E. Alfonso was killed in action on 8/26/08.
Army Spc. Carlo E. Alfonso, 23, of Spokane, Wash.
Spc. Alfonso was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died on Aug. 26, 2008 of injuries sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Sadr City, Iraq.
KXLY -- SPOKANE -- A Spokane man who was serving with the US Army as a combat engineer in Iraq was killed by an IED strike on August 26th, family members report.
Specialist Carlo Alfonso of Alpha Company, 40th Engineer Battalion, based at Baumholder, Germany was killed by an IED which critically wounded one of his fellow soldiers, his wife said in an e-mail Friday afternoon.
"I am so thankful to them and the Army for being their through this," Rosemarie said of her husband's fellow soldiers.
Alfonso came to the United States in 1997 with his mother. He met his wife Rosemarie in high school. They dated, later married and now have a two-year-old son Kyle Alfonso.
Alfonso joined the Army and while he wasn't a U.S. citizen yet he "was proud to be a soldier and to serve for this country and thanks to the military he will become one very soon."
Funeral arrangements are pending, though it's reported he will be returning home to Spokane on September 4th, his birthday.
"His time here on Earth was full of love and we will go on loving him," Rosemarie said.
Army Spc. Carlo E. Alfonso was killed in action on 8/26/08.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Army Spc. Steven J. Fitzmorris
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Steven J. Fitzmorris, 26, of Columbia, Mo.
Spc. Fitzmorris was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died on Aug. 25, 2008 of wounds sustained from enemy fire while on a dismounted patrol in Adhamiyah, Iraq.
Columbia soldier killed in Iraq known for charm, audacity
BY KATLIN CHADWICK
According to Army Major Mike Humphreys, Spc. Steven Fitzmorris was wearing body armor and was shot from the side through the shoulder where the armor does not cover. Humphreys also noted that the soldier provided incomplete contact information, which delayed notification of the family.
He was the kind of guy who lived on impulse.
It was his impulse for adventure that made him, at age 18, join the carnival. Granted it was a mere two-week endeavor, but he had to try it.
It was his impulse for determination that made him persuade his stepfather to buy him an old car, just to see if he could fix it. He didn't manage to fix that "small, dinky, blue car," said his sister, Michaela Fitzmorris, but he had to try.
Steven Fitzmorris, 26, was killed in action in Baghdad on Monday, Aug. 25, while serving his country. He lived in Columbia with his wife, Samantha Fitzmorris, 22, and his son, 3, and daughter, 2. He served in A Battery, 329th Field Artillery, as an E-4 and was stationed in Fort Carson, Colo.
Every adventure Steven had, as his mother, Rosemarie Fitzmorris-Currier recalled, seemed to end the same way: with Steven saying, "Could you come get me?" He called from the carnival and from his old car after it had broken down. This week, Steven's family is doing "the ultimate come-and-get-me-mom," Rosemarie said.
According to Steven's stepfather, Michael Currier, Steven was shot "while going to make friendly with Iraqis." It was supposed to be a safe mission in a safe area. He didn't get his body armor because he was told he wouldn't need it.
Steven hadn't always wanted to be a soldier. But one day, Steven came home and said, "I joined the military."
Given Steven's impulsive nature, this decision made perfect sense. The military fit all he wanted to do.
It fit his adventurous impulse, his love of traveling, his camaraderie, his loyalty. But most of all, it was something important to him.
"Steven always did what he thought was important to be done and took care of those important to him," Rosemarie said. He had told his family that "no one else could do it better than he could," Rosemarie added.
Rosemarie smiled thinking of her son's ego. He was complex and multidimensional, she said, and was different things to different people.
"If 15 people were asked to describe him, they would give you 15 different adjectives," Rosemarie said. "He was just Steve." On this, the whole family seemed to agree.
Steven's impulses sometimes got him in trouble, his family recalled, but his charm is what always got him out of it.
Yet another impulse drove him to sell magazine subscriptions door to door, travelling by bus and seeing the country. He just had to try it. And it's a good thing he did, considering that is how he met his wife.
"He could sell ice to an eskimo and make Ebeneezer Scrooge laugh," his sister Michaela said. Selling magazines was nothing.
"His eyes would twinkle," Rosemarie said, describing her son's charm. "Even when he was mad, his eyes would be smiling at you."
It was hard to stay angry with him, she said. He was a charmer and a comic.
To his friends and to his family, Steven was loyal. If someone needed him, he would find a way to be there, Rosemarie said. And the loyalty was mutual.
"If you were a friend of his, you would go to the end of the world for him," Rosemarie said.
Currier, Steven's stepdad, said there is one thing that hurts more than anything else: the family was not notified of Steven's injury until at least 24 hours after it happened.
They found out he had lived through his surgery and was alive for at least a full day afterward. By the time his family was informed of what had happened, Steven was dead. Steven's family said they can't help but wonder what would have happened if they had been able to talk to him in the hospital.
Fitzmorris will be honored Sunday morning as his body returns home to Columbia. Memorial Funeral Home has invited the public to come to Columbia Regional Airport to show their support, sympathy and patriotism, as well as follow the family in procession to the funeral home.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W., followed by an internment with full military honors at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Fitzmorris is buried with full military honors
BY KATLIN CHADWICK
COLUMBIA - Services for Spc. Steven J. Fitzmorris were held Tuesday at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia. The funeral was followed by a burial complete with full military honors in Memorial Park Cemetery. Fitzmorris was killed in action in Baghdad on Aug. 25.
The family chose to keep the funeral and burial private. A more public memorial was held Sunday, when Fitzmorris was flown home to Columbia. Memorial Funeral Home invited the public to come and show support and sympathy, as well as line the streets of the city in a procession to the funeral home.
The funeral on Tuesday was a closed ceremony. Afterward, funeral attendees drove through the cemetery street, lined with American flags, to the burial site. They were received by a U.S. Army Honor Guard along with Patriot Guard Riders holding American flags.
Those who did not know Fitzmorris also attended the burial to show their support. Warren and Ann Livingston waited along the roadside in the cemetery for the funeral procession. The Livingstons have a son who is in the Army and had served in Iraq for 15 months.
"The family needed to see our support," Ann Livingston said. Her son, Eric Livingston, will return to Iraq in the fall as a chaplain's assistant. "The military is very dear to our hearts."
Giving their condolences to the family, the Livingstons said they felt strongly that their being there was the right thing to do.
Army Spc. Steven J. Fitzmorris was killed in action on 8/25/08.
Army Spc. Steven J. Fitzmorris, 26, of Columbia, Mo.
Spc. Fitzmorris was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died on Aug. 25, 2008 of wounds sustained from enemy fire while on a dismounted patrol in Adhamiyah, Iraq.
Columbia soldier killed in Iraq known for charm, audacity
BY KATLIN CHADWICK
According to Army Major Mike Humphreys, Spc. Steven Fitzmorris was wearing body armor and was shot from the side through the shoulder where the armor does not cover. Humphreys also noted that the soldier provided incomplete contact information, which delayed notification of the family.
He was the kind of guy who lived on impulse.
It was his impulse for adventure that made him, at age 18, join the carnival. Granted it was a mere two-week endeavor, but he had to try it.
It was his impulse for determination that made him persuade his stepfather to buy him an old car, just to see if he could fix it. He didn't manage to fix that "small, dinky, blue car," said his sister, Michaela Fitzmorris, but he had to try.
Steven Fitzmorris, 26, was killed in action in Baghdad on Monday, Aug. 25, while serving his country. He lived in Columbia with his wife, Samantha Fitzmorris, 22, and his son, 3, and daughter, 2. He served in A Battery, 329th Field Artillery, as an E-4 and was stationed in Fort Carson, Colo.
Every adventure Steven had, as his mother, Rosemarie Fitzmorris-Currier recalled, seemed to end the same way: with Steven saying, "Could you come get me?" He called from the carnival and from his old car after it had broken down. This week, Steven's family is doing "the ultimate come-and-get-me-mom," Rosemarie said.
According to Steven's stepfather, Michael Currier, Steven was shot "while going to make friendly with Iraqis." It was supposed to be a safe mission in a safe area. He didn't get his body armor because he was told he wouldn't need it.
Steven hadn't always wanted to be a soldier. But one day, Steven came home and said, "I joined the military."
Given Steven's impulsive nature, this decision made perfect sense. The military fit all he wanted to do.
It fit his adventurous impulse, his love of traveling, his camaraderie, his loyalty. But most of all, it was something important to him.
"Steven always did what he thought was important to be done and took care of those important to him," Rosemarie said. He had told his family that "no one else could do it better than he could," Rosemarie added.
Rosemarie smiled thinking of her son's ego. He was complex and multidimensional, she said, and was different things to different people.
"If 15 people were asked to describe him, they would give you 15 different adjectives," Rosemarie said. "He was just Steve." On this, the whole family seemed to agree.
Steven's impulses sometimes got him in trouble, his family recalled, but his charm is what always got him out of it.
Yet another impulse drove him to sell magazine subscriptions door to door, travelling by bus and seeing the country. He just had to try it. And it's a good thing he did, considering that is how he met his wife.
"He could sell ice to an eskimo and make Ebeneezer Scrooge laugh," his sister Michaela said. Selling magazines was nothing.
"His eyes would twinkle," Rosemarie said, describing her son's charm. "Even when he was mad, his eyes would be smiling at you."
It was hard to stay angry with him, she said. He was a charmer and a comic.
To his friends and to his family, Steven was loyal. If someone needed him, he would find a way to be there, Rosemarie said. And the loyalty was mutual.
"If you were a friend of his, you would go to the end of the world for him," Rosemarie said.
Currier, Steven's stepdad, said there is one thing that hurts more than anything else: the family was not notified of Steven's injury until at least 24 hours after it happened.
They found out he had lived through his surgery and was alive for at least a full day afterward. By the time his family was informed of what had happened, Steven was dead. Steven's family said they can't help but wonder what would have happened if they had been able to talk to him in the hospital.
Fitzmorris will be honored Sunday morning as his body returns home to Columbia. Memorial Funeral Home has invited the public to come to Columbia Regional Airport to show their support, sympathy and patriotism, as well as follow the family in procession to the funeral home.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W., followed by an internment with full military honors at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Fitzmorris is buried with full military honors
BY KATLIN CHADWICK
COLUMBIA - Services for Spc. Steven J. Fitzmorris were held Tuesday at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia. The funeral was followed by a burial complete with full military honors in Memorial Park Cemetery. Fitzmorris was killed in action in Baghdad on Aug. 25.
The family chose to keep the funeral and burial private. A more public memorial was held Sunday, when Fitzmorris was flown home to Columbia. Memorial Funeral Home invited the public to come and show support and sympathy, as well as line the streets of the city in a procession to the funeral home.
The funeral on Tuesday was a closed ceremony. Afterward, funeral attendees drove through the cemetery street, lined with American flags, to the burial site. They were received by a U.S. Army Honor Guard along with Patriot Guard Riders holding American flags.
Those who did not know Fitzmorris also attended the burial to show their support. Warren and Ann Livingston waited along the roadside in the cemetery for the funeral procession. The Livingstons have a son who is in the Army and had served in Iraq for 15 months.
"The family needed to see our support," Ann Livingston said. Her son, Eric Livingston, will return to Iraq in the fall as a chaplain's assistant. "The military is very dear to our hearts."
Giving their condolences to the family, the Livingstons said they felt strongly that their being there was the right thing to do.
Army Spc. Steven J. Fitzmorris was killed in action on 8/25/08.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Army Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr., 36, of Marrero, La.
SFC Todd was assigned to the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-West, Herat, Afghanistan; died Aug. 20, 2008 in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire.
Scott Huddleston - Express-News Mary Todd can't shake the memory of her son's last e-mail from Afghanistan.
“Mom, this is going to be a long one,” Army Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr. wrote early this month.
Expecting his mission to last 10 to 12 days, he told her to keep checking on his wife, knowing she'd worry about not hearing from him. His mother sensed that he might not return to see his wife and five children.
“It's almost like he was saying goodbye,” she said, her voice breaking.
Her son, 36, died Wednesday after being hit by small-arms fire when his unit was attacked in Bala Morghab, according to the Defense Department.
His death comes amid increasing dangers in Afghanistan. While San Antonio hasn't had a combat-related death in Iraq in 2008, Todd's is this year's second known battle death of a San Antonian there. Marine Sgt. Matthew Mendoza was killed by an explosive June 20 in Helmand province.
As her son served in the first phase of the war in Iraq, Mary Todd attended meetings of a support group for mothers of deployed troops.
“We feel like that old beetle that finds himself upside down, waving its legs and feeling helpless,” she told the San Antonio Express-News in August 2003, explaining the mothers' anxiety.
Since then, while Iraq has absorbed the public's attention, her son, who also served in Kuwait during Desert Storm, avoided being called back to Iraq. But Afghanistan was a “different animal,” his mother said. Both wars made him nervous.
“He looked a little more worried” while preparing for Afghanistan, she said.
Though he recently lived in the New Orleans suburb of Marrero and worked as an ROTC instructor at Tulane University, Todd was proud of his San Antonio roots. He often wore a cowboy hat and boots.
He'd also worn Army colors since he was a boy, when his mother bought him fatigues at an Army surplus store. His father, David Todd Sr., served with the Air Force in Vietnam. His mother said that over time, Todd believed in sacrificing to make life better for others.
“It's better to let 10 soldiers die than 1,000 innocent people,” he'd tell his teenage son, according to his mother.
He was the 101st U.S. service member killed this year in Afghanistan, where deaths are on pace to exceed last year's record toll of 111, according to the Associated Press. June was the second-deadliest month in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001, with 23 deaths, surpassing 22 in Iraq that same month.
Chris Peche, who founded a local chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America in 2003, said her members no longer view Afghanistan as “the good war.”
“They realize what the news has reported, that Afghanistan is now more prone to violence,” Peche said.
Todd, a San Antonio native, grew up on the Northeast Side and attended MacArthur High School. As an adult, he put his children at the center of his life, calling them “little gifts” from God, his mother said. He'd take them fishing or boating, or to Mardi Gras.
After Hurricane Katrina damaged the New Orleans area's schools, he sent two of his children, Kandace Todd, now 18, and David S. Todd, now 16, to live with his parents in St. Hedwig so they could attend East Central High School. His other three children, 15, 12 and 2, live with his wife, Tianne, in Louisiana.
Mary Todd used to sit in the heat and imagine her son enduring Iraq's triple-digit temperatures so she could feel close to him. After he went to Afghanistan in December, she sent him a soft sleeping bag and hand warmers to get him through the winter. He was a reconnaissance scout at the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-West in Herat.
Keeping in touch by phone, e-mail or instant message, Todd and his mother exchanged spiritual advice. She told him to read Psalm 23, often read at funerals. He preferred Psalm 27, which says to “be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.”
She feels that psalm best describes her son.
Todd also is survived by a sister, Stephanie Marie Keller of Aurora, Colo.
A funeral is planned Saturday in New Orleans, under the direction of Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home. Locally, a memorial service is set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at Cross of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Universal City.
Army Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr. was killed in action on 8/20/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr., 36, of Marrero, La.
SFC Todd was assigned to the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-West, Herat, Afghanistan; died Aug. 20, 2008 in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire.
Scott Huddleston - Express-News Mary Todd can't shake the memory of her son's last e-mail from Afghanistan.
“Mom, this is going to be a long one,” Army Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr. wrote early this month.
Expecting his mission to last 10 to 12 days, he told her to keep checking on his wife, knowing she'd worry about not hearing from him. His mother sensed that he might not return to see his wife and five children.
“It's almost like he was saying goodbye,” she said, her voice breaking.
Her son, 36, died Wednesday after being hit by small-arms fire when his unit was attacked in Bala Morghab, according to the Defense Department.
His death comes amid increasing dangers in Afghanistan. While San Antonio hasn't had a combat-related death in Iraq in 2008, Todd's is this year's second known battle death of a San Antonian there. Marine Sgt. Matthew Mendoza was killed by an explosive June 20 in Helmand province.
As her son served in the first phase of the war in Iraq, Mary Todd attended meetings of a support group for mothers of deployed troops.
“We feel like that old beetle that finds himself upside down, waving its legs and feeling helpless,” she told the San Antonio Express-News in August 2003, explaining the mothers' anxiety.
Since then, while Iraq has absorbed the public's attention, her son, who also served in Kuwait during Desert Storm, avoided being called back to Iraq. But Afghanistan was a “different animal,” his mother said. Both wars made him nervous.
“He looked a little more worried” while preparing for Afghanistan, she said.
Though he recently lived in the New Orleans suburb of Marrero and worked as an ROTC instructor at Tulane University, Todd was proud of his San Antonio roots. He often wore a cowboy hat and boots.
He'd also worn Army colors since he was a boy, when his mother bought him fatigues at an Army surplus store. His father, David Todd Sr., served with the Air Force in Vietnam. His mother said that over time, Todd believed in sacrificing to make life better for others.
“It's better to let 10 soldiers die than 1,000 innocent people,” he'd tell his teenage son, according to his mother.
He was the 101st U.S. service member killed this year in Afghanistan, where deaths are on pace to exceed last year's record toll of 111, according to the Associated Press. June was the second-deadliest month in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001, with 23 deaths, surpassing 22 in Iraq that same month.
Chris Peche, who founded a local chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America in 2003, said her members no longer view Afghanistan as “the good war.”
“They realize what the news has reported, that Afghanistan is now more prone to violence,” Peche said.
Todd, a San Antonio native, grew up on the Northeast Side and attended MacArthur High School. As an adult, he put his children at the center of his life, calling them “little gifts” from God, his mother said. He'd take them fishing or boating, or to Mardi Gras.
After Hurricane Katrina damaged the New Orleans area's schools, he sent two of his children, Kandace Todd, now 18, and David S. Todd, now 16, to live with his parents in St. Hedwig so they could attend East Central High School. His other three children, 15, 12 and 2, live with his wife, Tianne, in Louisiana.
Mary Todd used to sit in the heat and imagine her son enduring Iraq's triple-digit temperatures so she could feel close to him. After he went to Afghanistan in December, she sent him a soft sleeping bag and hand warmers to get him through the winter. He was a reconnaissance scout at the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-West in Herat.
Keeping in touch by phone, e-mail or instant message, Todd and his mother exchanged spiritual advice. She told him to read Psalm 23, often read at funerals. He preferred Psalm 27, which says to “be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.”
She feels that psalm best describes her son.
Todd also is survived by a sister, Stephanie Marie Keller of Aurora, Colo.
A funeral is planned Saturday in New Orleans, under the direction of Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home. Locally, a memorial service is set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at Cross of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Universal City.
Army Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr. was killed in action on 8/20/08.
Army Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet, 26, of Rising Sun, Md.
SSgt Paquet was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 20, 2008 at Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of undetermined causes while conducting a patrol.
Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet, U.S. Army, age 26, collapsed and died of non-casualty, natural causes, Aug. 20, 2008, while on patrol in Korengal Valley/Vegas, Afghanistan. He was 41 days into his fourth tour in the Middle East. The first two were in Kuwait and the third was in Iraq.
Born in Freehold, NJ., Sgt. Paquet was a son of Fern, Sr. and Dawn Murray Paquet of New Hampshire. He grew up in Rising Sun, MD and graduated from Rising Sun High School.
He was stationed in Ft. Hood, TX.
His beloved wife of six years, Katie Seese Paquet, grew up in the Souderton/Hatfield area.
Katie described David as a "Great Man," who was very respected and loved by many people. She wants everyone to know that there will never be another David, he was "One in a Million."
Also surviving are his sister, Jennifer McKenna of Florida; and two brothers, Fern Paquet, Jr. and his wife, Jamie, of New York and Michael Paquet of Pennsylvania.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral service with full military honors, Friday, Aug. 29 at 1 PM at the Simcox-McIlvaine Funeral Home, 532 E. Main St., Lansdale, where the family will receive friends Friday from 11 AM to 1 PM. The Rev. J. R. Damiani, pastor of the Family Worship Center, will be officiating. Interment will follow in Whitemarsh Memorial Park.
Army Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet died on 8/20/08.
Army Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet, 26, of Rising Sun, Md.
SSgt Paquet was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 20, 2008 at Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of undetermined causes while conducting a patrol.
Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet, U.S. Army, age 26, collapsed and died of non-casualty, natural causes, Aug. 20, 2008, while on patrol in Korengal Valley/Vegas, Afghanistan. He was 41 days into his fourth tour in the Middle East. The first two were in Kuwait and the third was in Iraq.
Born in Freehold, NJ., Sgt. Paquet was a son of Fern, Sr. and Dawn Murray Paquet of New Hampshire. He grew up in Rising Sun, MD and graduated from Rising Sun High School.
He was stationed in Ft. Hood, TX.
His beloved wife of six years, Katie Seese Paquet, grew up in the Souderton/Hatfield area.
Katie described David as a "Great Man," who was very respected and loved by many people. She wants everyone to know that there will never be another David, he was "One in a Million."
Also surviving are his sister, Jennifer McKenna of Florida; and two brothers, Fern Paquet, Jr. and his wife, Jamie, of New York and Michael Paquet of Pennsylvania.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral service with full military honors, Friday, Aug. 29 at 1 PM at the Simcox-McIlvaine Funeral Home, 532 E. Main St., Lansdale, where the family will receive friends Friday from 11 AM to 1 PM. The Rev. J. R. Damiani, pastor of the Family Worship Center, will be officiating. Interment will follow in Whitemarsh Memorial Park.
Army Staff Sgt. David L. Paquet died on 8/20/08.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Army Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel, 40, of Greenwood, Miss.
SFC Stanciel was assigned to the 370th Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died Aug. 19, 2008 at Forward Operating Base Garry Owen, Iraq, of wounds sustained when the base came under mortar attack.
Services held for Miss. soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
GREENWOOD, Miss. — Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel, who was killed in Iraq on August 19, was buried Saturday in Greenwood.
The 40-year-old Stanciel died of wounds suffered during a mortar attack. Stanciel was assigned to the 370th Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany.
Services were held at Locust Grove Baptist Church with burial in Hudson Park Cemetery.
During the service, Brig. Gen. James O. Barclay III presented a flag to Mydersteen Canady, the soldier’s mother. He had also presented a flag to Stanciel’s widow, Shequita Stanciel, who also serves in the Army.
Stanciel was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 1989 and joined the Army right after that.
Stanciel was survived by his wife; a son and daughter; his mother and a sister.
Army Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel was killed in action on 8/19/08.
Army Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel, 40, of Greenwood, Miss.
SFC Stanciel was assigned to the 370th Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died Aug. 19, 2008 at Forward Operating Base Garry Owen, Iraq, of wounds sustained when the base came under mortar attack.
Services held for Miss. soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
GREENWOOD, Miss. — Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel, who was killed in Iraq on August 19, was buried Saturday in Greenwood.
The 40-year-old Stanciel died of wounds suffered during a mortar attack. Stanciel was assigned to the 370th Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany.
Services were held at Locust Grove Baptist Church with burial in Hudson Park Cemetery.
During the service, Brig. Gen. James O. Barclay III presented a flag to Mydersteen Canady, the soldier’s mother. He had also presented a flag to Stanciel’s widow, Shequita Stanciel, who also serves in the Army.
Stanciel was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 1989 and joined the Army right after that.
Stanciel was survived by his wife; a son and daughter; his mother and a sister.
Army Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel was killed in action on 8/19/08.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Stottlemyer
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Stottlemyer, 20, of Hatfield, Pa.
LCpl. Stottlemyer was assigned to the 3rd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company, Marine Corps Security Forces, Norfolk, Va.; died Aug. 17, 2008 in Manama, Bahrain, as a result of a non-hostile incident.
Hatfield Marine Cpl. Travis Stottlemyer dies in Bahrain
By: Bradley Schlegel 08/20/2008
Lyndsay Oscar first met Travis Stottlemyer as a 4-year-old when they both lived in Hatfield Village. Oscar said the happy-go-lucky child always tried to follow her and his older sister to the park, pool or store.
"Travis was always there," Oscar said. "He was an adorable little boy."
Stottlemyer, 20, a lance corporal with the U.S. Marines, died Sunday in Manama, Bahrain. Stottlemyer, assigned to the 3rd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company, died as a result of a non-hostile incident, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The incident remains under investigation by the D.O.D. No further details have been provided.
Oscar, who said she learned of Stottlemyer's death Monday from a friend, said the soldier's family is handling the news as well as possible.
"I'm still in shock," said Oscar, who now lives in Lansdale. "From what I remember, Travis was quite a little boy."
News of Stottlemyer's passing spread quickly. By late Thursday afternoon, 65 well-wishers posted a remark on a Facebook tribute page.
"I can't believe I have to do this for you because you should not be gone," read one of the posts. "You touched so many lives that you have no idea what an inspiration you were to some and an envy to others. Your smile is infectious and you could make anyone laugh ... We all miss you so deeply that words can not describe. We will do you proud in honoring you."
A 2006 graduate of North Penn High School, Stottlemyer joined the Marine Corps on Oct. 16 and was trained as an infantryman and Marine Corps security force guard. The next year he was assigned to the 3rd FAST Co., based in Norfolk.
On July 1, he accepted a promotion to lance corporal. Stottlemyer's decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Stottlemyer was killed in a non-hostile incident on 8/17/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Stottlemyer, 20, of Hatfield, Pa.
LCpl. Stottlemyer was assigned to the 3rd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company, Marine Corps Security Forces, Norfolk, Va.; died Aug. 17, 2008 in Manama, Bahrain, as a result of a non-hostile incident.
Hatfield Marine Cpl. Travis Stottlemyer dies in Bahrain
By: Bradley Schlegel 08/20/2008
Lyndsay Oscar first met Travis Stottlemyer as a 4-year-old when they both lived in Hatfield Village. Oscar said the happy-go-lucky child always tried to follow her and his older sister to the park, pool or store.
"Travis was always there," Oscar said. "He was an adorable little boy."
Stottlemyer, 20, a lance corporal with the U.S. Marines, died Sunday in Manama, Bahrain. Stottlemyer, assigned to the 3rd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company, died as a result of a non-hostile incident, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The incident remains under investigation by the D.O.D. No further details have been provided.
Oscar, who said she learned of Stottlemyer's death Monday from a friend, said the soldier's family is handling the news as well as possible.
"I'm still in shock," said Oscar, who now lives in Lansdale. "From what I remember, Travis was quite a little boy."
News of Stottlemyer's passing spread quickly. By late Thursday afternoon, 65 well-wishers posted a remark on a Facebook tribute page.
"I can't believe I have to do this for you because you should not be gone," read one of the posts. "You touched so many lives that you have no idea what an inspiration you were to some and an envy to others. Your smile is infectious and you could make anyone laugh ... We all miss you so deeply that words can not describe. We will do you proud in honoring you."
A 2006 graduate of North Penn High School, Stottlemyer joined the Marine Corps on Oct. 16 and was trained as an infantryman and Marine Corps security force guard. The next year he was assigned to the 3rd FAST Co., based in Norfolk.
On July 1, he accepted a promotion to lance corporal. Stottlemyer's decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Stottlemyer was killed in a non-hostile incident on 8/17/08.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Marine Sgt. Sean M. Powers
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Sean M. Powers
Marine Corps veteran of Iraq, Hopkinton police officer
Monitor staff
HILLSBORO - Officer Sean Michael Powers, 24, died Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008.
Sean was born in Boston on March 29, 1984, to Peter W. Powers Sr. and Marilyn T. (Donahue) Powers of Hillsboro.
After graduating from Hillsboro-Deering High School in 2002, Sean enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served two tours in Iraq. One tour Sean served as a platoon sergeant for the 10th Marines stationed out of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Sean then returned home to New Hampshire and worked with Asplundh Tree Experts. Sean joined the Hopkinton Police Force in April 2008.
Sean is the grandson of Pearl V. Donahue of West Quincy, Mass., and Pauline Powers of Wareham, Mass. He is the godson of Aunt Bea and Uncle Jack. Sean is survived by his older brother, Peter Jr., 27, and sister-in-law, Elissa (Tenhave) Powers, of Newbury; twin brothers, Scott and Daniel, 21; younger brother, David, 19; newborn nephews, Evan Williams and Owen Lucas, born Aug. 14, 2008, and girlfriend, Amanda Schalk of Salem. Sean will be missed greatly by family, friends and his community.
Calling hours will be held tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. and Monday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 32 School St., Hillsboro.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Theresa's Church in Henniker.
Graveside services will military honors will be held the Veteran's Cemetery in Boscawen.
Memorial donations may be made to the Hillsboro Food Pantry.
Marine Sgt. Sean M. Powers
Marine Corps veteran of Iraq, Hopkinton police officer
Monitor staff
HILLSBORO - Officer Sean Michael Powers, 24, died Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008.
Sean was born in Boston on March 29, 1984, to Peter W. Powers Sr. and Marilyn T. (Donahue) Powers of Hillsboro.
After graduating from Hillsboro-Deering High School in 2002, Sean enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served two tours in Iraq. One tour Sean served as a platoon sergeant for the 10th Marines stationed out of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Sean then returned home to New Hampshire and worked with Asplundh Tree Experts. Sean joined the Hopkinton Police Force in April 2008.
Sean is the grandson of Pearl V. Donahue of West Quincy, Mass., and Pauline Powers of Wareham, Mass. He is the godson of Aunt Bea and Uncle Jack. Sean is survived by his older brother, Peter Jr., 27, and sister-in-law, Elissa (Tenhave) Powers, of Newbury; twin brothers, Scott and Daniel, 21; younger brother, David, 19; newborn nephews, Evan Williams and Owen Lucas, born Aug. 14, 2008, and girlfriend, Amanda Schalk of Salem. Sean will be missed greatly by family, friends and his community.
Calling hours will be held tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. and Monday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 32 School St., Hillsboro.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Theresa's Church in Henniker.
Graveside services will military honors will be held the Veteran's Cemetery in Boscawen.
Memorial donations may be made to the Hillsboro Food Pantry.
Marine Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda, 19, of Mesa, Ariz.
LCpl Lopez-Castaneda was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Sangin, Afghanistan. Also killed was Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo.
Slain Marine just wanted to stay alive
By Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
A 19-year-old Mesa Marine had a simple but essential goal for this year: to stay alive.
But Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda, described by a priest as “a warrior” and “a free spirit,” died Thursday with two other Marines while supporting combat operations in Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Lopez-Castaneda, who was born in Mexico but grew up in Mesa, was the 12th Mesa resident to die in Operation Enduring Freedom and the 123rd Arizonan killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since the war began, according to a listing compiled by azcentral.com.
“He was a very honest guy, strong in his decisions and very proud serving in the Marines,” the Rev. Kilian McCaffrey of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mesa said of Lopez-Castaneda. “He died doing what he believed in: fighting for freedom. He will be rewarded.”
Lopez-Castaneda’s simple wish was listed on his MySpace profile. One relative, identified only as Sandra, reacted with shock and sadness in a message she posted.
“Hopefully, it’s just a mistake. If not, Juan Pedro RIP. We all love you. You are one of my favorite cousins,” she wrote. “I will pray that God takes you with him.”
Lopez-Castaneda wrote on his site that he was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, but McCaffrey said family members told him the Marine was a U.S citizen. Lopez-Castaneda received his first Holy Communion and was confirmed at Queen of Peace Church, the priest said.
He said the fallen Marine would be remembered at a rosary service at 8:30 Wednesday night at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, 1500 E. Baseline Road, Mesa. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at Queen of Peace Church, 141 N. Macdonald.
The Department of Defense released few details about the deaths of Lopez-Castaneda; Cpl. Anthony Mihalo, 23, of Naperville, Ill.; and Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, 27, of Grover Beach, Calif. Lt. Curtis Williamson, a Marine spokesman, said a “battle-damage assessment” is under way and Marine policy restricts information about deaths to protect other service members.
He said Lopez-Castaneda was a rifleman who joined the Marine Corps on June 4, 2007. He was on his first deployment and received the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Lopez-Castaneda was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Marine Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda, 19, of Mesa, Ariz.
LCpl Lopez-Castaneda was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Sangin, Afghanistan. Also killed was Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo.
Slain Marine just wanted to stay alive
By Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
A 19-year-old Mesa Marine had a simple but essential goal for this year: to stay alive.
But Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda, described by a priest as “a warrior” and “a free spirit,” died Thursday with two other Marines while supporting combat operations in Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Lopez-Castaneda, who was born in Mexico but grew up in Mesa, was the 12th Mesa resident to die in Operation Enduring Freedom and the 123rd Arizonan killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since the war began, according to a listing compiled by azcentral.com.
“He was a very honest guy, strong in his decisions and very proud serving in the Marines,” the Rev. Kilian McCaffrey of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mesa said of Lopez-Castaneda. “He died doing what he believed in: fighting for freedom. He will be rewarded.”
Lopez-Castaneda’s simple wish was listed on his MySpace profile. One relative, identified only as Sandra, reacted with shock and sadness in a message she posted.
“Hopefully, it’s just a mistake. If not, Juan Pedro RIP. We all love you. You are one of my favorite cousins,” she wrote. “I will pray that God takes you with him.”
Lopez-Castaneda wrote on his site that he was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, but McCaffrey said family members told him the Marine was a U.S citizen. Lopez-Castaneda received his first Holy Communion and was confirmed at Queen of Peace Church, the priest said.
He said the fallen Marine would be remembered at a rosary service at 8:30 Wednesday night at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, 1500 E. Baseline Road, Mesa. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at Queen of Peace Church, 141 N. Macdonald.
The Department of Defense released few details about the deaths of Lopez-Castaneda; Cpl. Anthony Mihalo, 23, of Naperville, Ill.; and Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, 27, of Grover Beach, Calif. Lt. Curtis Williamson, a Marine spokesman, said a “battle-damage assessment” is under way and Marine policy restricts information about deaths to protect other service members.
He said Lopez-Castaneda was a rifleman who joined the Marine Corps on June 4, 2007. He was on his first deployment and received the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Lopez-Castaneda was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Marine Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Marine Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire, 19, of Mashpee, Mass.
Pfc. McGuire was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Camp Lejeune Marine dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
MASHPEE, Mass — A 19-year-old Marine from Mashpee has died while fighting in Iraq.
The Department of Defense said Friday that Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire died Thursday while supporting combat operations in Anbar province.
Details about his death weren’t immediately released. However, the military reported that a Marine was killed Thursday during a small-arms fire attack during security operations about a half of mile east of Fallujah, a former insurgent stronghold in Anbar province that has seen a sharp decline in violence after local Sunnis turned against al-Qaida in Iraq.
McGuire was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Family and friends said McGuire, an Eagle Scout and the oldest of four brothers, enlisted in the Marine Corps not long after he graduated from Mashpee High School in 2007. They said he was sent to Iraq in March and was to return to the U.S. in November.
Janet Kraskouskas, McGuire’s high school guidance counselor, told The Boston Globe he was popular and respected at school. Kraskouskas said she and some of his teachers encouraged McGuire to go to college instead of enlisting right away. She said he was accepted for college, but his dream was to go into the military.
“He was steadfast,” she told the Globe. “He had a deep commitment to serving his country, and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
The Rev. Thomas Crumb, his longtime pastor at Christ Chapel in Centerville, told the newspaper McGuire also was deeply committed to his religious faith.
“Dan believed deeply in the cause for which he was fighting,” Crumb said. “He died doing what he believed in, what he believed God had created him to do and called him to do.”
Soldier, Marine from Mashpee honored
The Associated Press
MASHPEE, Mass. — Friends and family on Cape Cod are honoring two young servicemen from Mashpee who died in Iraq and Afghanistan one day apart.
Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Tim Murray also are among those expected to attend a memorial service this afternoon for 19-year-old Marine Pfc. Daniel McGuire, killed Aug. 14 in Iraq.
McGuire’s service is being held at Christ Chapel in Centerville.
The body of 21-year-old Army Pfc. Paul Conlon, killed Aug. 15 in Afghanistan, was flown to the Cape yesterday with military honors.
A funeral Mass for Conlon will be Tuesday at Christ the King Parish in Mashpee.
Both servicemen will be buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
The town held a candlelight vigil for the Mashpee High School graduates on Monday night.
Marine Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Marine Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire, 19, of Mashpee, Mass.
Pfc. McGuire was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Camp Lejeune Marine dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
MASHPEE, Mass — A 19-year-old Marine from Mashpee has died while fighting in Iraq.
The Department of Defense said Friday that Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire died Thursday while supporting combat operations in Anbar province.
Details about his death weren’t immediately released. However, the military reported that a Marine was killed Thursday during a small-arms fire attack during security operations about a half of mile east of Fallujah, a former insurgent stronghold in Anbar province that has seen a sharp decline in violence after local Sunnis turned against al-Qaida in Iraq.
McGuire was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Family and friends said McGuire, an Eagle Scout and the oldest of four brothers, enlisted in the Marine Corps not long after he graduated from Mashpee High School in 2007. They said he was sent to Iraq in March and was to return to the U.S. in November.
Janet Kraskouskas, McGuire’s high school guidance counselor, told The Boston Globe he was popular and respected at school. Kraskouskas said she and some of his teachers encouraged McGuire to go to college instead of enlisting right away. She said he was accepted for college, but his dream was to go into the military.
“He was steadfast,” she told the Globe. “He had a deep commitment to serving his country, and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
The Rev. Thomas Crumb, his longtime pastor at Christ Chapel in Centerville, told the newspaper McGuire also was deeply committed to his religious faith.
“Dan believed deeply in the cause for which he was fighting,” Crumb said. “He died doing what he believed in, what he believed God had created him to do and called him to do.”
Soldier, Marine from Mashpee honored
The Associated Press
MASHPEE, Mass. — Friends and family on Cape Cod are honoring two young servicemen from Mashpee who died in Iraq and Afghanistan one day apart.
Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Tim Murray also are among those expected to attend a memorial service this afternoon for 19-year-old Marine Pfc. Daniel McGuire, killed Aug. 14 in Iraq.
McGuire’s service is being held at Christ Chapel in Centerville.
The body of 21-year-old Army Pfc. Paul Conlon, killed Aug. 15 in Afghanistan, was flown to the Cape yesterday with military honors.
A funeral Mass for Conlon will be Tuesday at Christ the King Parish in Mashpee.
Both servicemen will be buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
The town held a candlelight vigil for the Mashpee High School graduates on Monday night.
Marine Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, 27, of Grover Beach, Calif.
LCpl. Toves was assigned to the 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Sangin, Afghanistan.
Grover Beach Marine killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
GROVER BEACH, Calif. — A Marine who hoped to earn a master’s degree after his deployment was killed last week in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said.
Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, 27, of Grover Beach died Thursday in southwestern Afghanistan’s Helmand province. No other details on his death were released.
Toves was assigned to the 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, which is part of the 3rd Marine Division, in Okinawa, Japan.
At least two other Marines were killed the same day in the same area, the Defense Department said.
Toves enlisted in November 2006. He wrote on his MySpace Web page that he was working at continuing his education with the goal of attaining a master’s degree within the next five years.
“My two-year goal is to survive deployment and be an upstanding Marine,” Toves wrote on his MySpace blog.
Toves was single and had no children. His father, Joe Toves, declined to comment about his son’s death.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, 27, of Grover Beach, Calif.
LCpl. Toves was assigned to the 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Sangin, Afghanistan.
Grover Beach Marine killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
GROVER BEACH, Calif. — A Marine who hoped to earn a master’s degree after his deployment was killed last week in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said.
Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, 27, of Grover Beach died Thursday in southwestern Afghanistan’s Helmand province. No other details on his death were released.
Toves was assigned to the 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, which is part of the 3rd Marine Division, in Okinawa, Japan.
At least two other Marines were killed the same day in the same area, the Defense Department said.
Toves enlisted in November 2006. He wrote on his MySpace Web page that he was working at continuing his education with the goal of attaining a master’s degree within the next five years.
“My two-year goal is to survive deployment and be an upstanding Marine,” Toves wrote on his MySpace blog.
Toves was single and had no children. His father, Joe Toves, declined to comment about his son’s death.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Marine Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo, 23, of Naperville, Ill.
Cpl. Mihalo was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Sangin, Afghanistan. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda.
Chicago-area Marine killed in Afghanistan
Staff report
A 22-year-old enlisted Marine with ties to the Chicago area died Thursday in Afghanistan, his family told local media.
Lance Cpl. Tony Mihalo grew up in Naperville, Ill. The Defense Department has not confirmed his death by press time, and no unit information was immediately available.
Before his most recent assignment in Afghanistan, Mihalo had deployed twice to Iraq, according to a report in the Daily Herald, which covers the Chicago suburbs. He was the recipient of three Purple Hearts, reportedly, one for an injury sustained last month.
“He ... had the opportunity to come home,” his father told the newspaper. “But he refused. He said he couldn’t leave his unit behind.”
A page dedicated to Mihalo on SoldierWall.com includes a handful of comments from friends and family. One remembrance posted Friday reads: “Hey brother, it was great serving with you, see you a little later on.”
Mihalo was a 2004 graduate of Naperville High School, where he was a member of the football team, the Herald reported. He was expected home from Afghanistan in November.
Marine Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Marine Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo, 23, of Naperville, Ill.
Cpl. Mihalo was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died Aug. 14, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Sangin, Afghanistan. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Juan Lopez-Castaneda.
Chicago-area Marine killed in Afghanistan
Staff report
A 22-year-old enlisted Marine with ties to the Chicago area died Thursday in Afghanistan, his family told local media.
Lance Cpl. Tony Mihalo grew up in Naperville, Ill. The Defense Department has not confirmed his death by press time, and no unit information was immediately available.
Before his most recent assignment in Afghanistan, Mihalo had deployed twice to Iraq, according to a report in the Daily Herald, which covers the Chicago suburbs. He was the recipient of three Purple Hearts, reportedly, one for an injury sustained last month.
“He ... had the opportunity to come home,” his father told the newspaper. “But he refused. He said he couldn’t leave his unit behind.”
A page dedicated to Mihalo on SoldierWall.com includes a handful of comments from friends and family. One remembrance posted Friday reads: “Hey brother, it was great serving with you, see you a little later on.”
Mihalo was a 2004 graduate of Naperville High School, where he was a member of the football team, the Herald reported. He was expected home from Afghanistan in November.
Marine Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo was killed in action on 8/14/08.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Army Cpl. James M. Hale
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. James M. Hale, 23, of Naperville, Ill.
Cpl. Hale was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Aug. 13, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fort Bliss soldier dies in Iraq
GI's life 'was just barely beginning'
Loved ones prepare for soldier's funeral
By James Kimberly | Chicago Tribune reporter
About the only thing that could compete with Army Cpl. James Hale's sense of service to his country was his love for his family, his widow said as she prepared for his funeral service this week.
Hale, 23, was one of two men honored in Naperville on Friday after they were killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hale died Aug. 13 while on patrol with the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion in Baghdad, when the vehicle in which he was riding was struck by a roadside bomb. Hale was honored Friday in Naperville along with Marine Cpl. Tony Mihalo, 23, who was killed Thursday by a roadside bomb in Sangin, Afghanistan.
It was Hale's second tour of Iraq, and although he was aware of the dangers, he was excited to go, said his wife, Jessica.
"He felt like it was his time to go back," she said Monday.
Although the Army listed Hale's hometown as Naperville and the city honored his death with a memorial service, Hale did not spend a lot of time in the city. He moved to Naperville in 2000 and for three years attended Naperville Central High School, where he played football and wrestled.
Retired wrestling coach Benny Kenyon remembered Hale's strength and athleticism.
"He was determined. He made a real good effort at what he was doing," Kenyon said. "He was a good teammate."
Hale and his family moved to Columbus, Ohio, and he graduated from Franklin Heights High School. Hale talked of serving in the military while in high school, Jessica Hale said.
"He takes the military very seriously. He was the type of person [who] believed in doing the right thing," Jessica Hale said.
Hale enlisted in the Army in June 2003.
Hale also is survived by three children, Jaden, 4, Jesse, 3, and Jordyn, born two weeks after Hale's second deployment to Iraq on June 26.
"That's the worst part. [Hale] was so young. He was too young. His life was just barely beginning," Jessica Hale said. "I'm mad at the world for that."
A funeral service is planned for Corbin Colonial Funeral Chapel in Maywood. Plans for services have not been finalized.
Funeral services for Mihalo also have not been finalized.
Army Cpl. James M. Hale was killed in action on 8/13/08.
Army Cpl. James M. Hale, 23, of Naperville, Ill.
Cpl. Hale was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Aug. 13, 2008 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.
Fort Bliss soldier dies in Iraq
GI's life 'was just barely beginning'
Loved ones prepare for soldier's funeral
By James Kimberly | Chicago Tribune reporter
About the only thing that could compete with Army Cpl. James Hale's sense of service to his country was his love for his family, his widow said as she prepared for his funeral service this week.
Hale, 23, was one of two men honored in Naperville on Friday after they were killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hale died Aug. 13 while on patrol with the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion in Baghdad, when the vehicle in which he was riding was struck by a roadside bomb. Hale was honored Friday in Naperville along with Marine Cpl. Tony Mihalo, 23, who was killed Thursday by a roadside bomb in Sangin, Afghanistan.
It was Hale's second tour of Iraq, and although he was aware of the dangers, he was excited to go, said his wife, Jessica.
"He felt like it was his time to go back," she said Monday.
Although the Army listed Hale's hometown as Naperville and the city honored his death with a memorial service, Hale did not spend a lot of time in the city. He moved to Naperville in 2000 and for three years attended Naperville Central High School, where he played football and wrestled.
Retired wrestling coach Benny Kenyon remembered Hale's strength and athleticism.
"He was determined. He made a real good effort at what he was doing," Kenyon said. "He was a good teammate."
Hale and his family moved to Columbus, Ohio, and he graduated from Franklin Heights High School. Hale talked of serving in the military while in high school, Jessica Hale said.
"He takes the military very seriously. He was the type of person [who] believed in doing the right thing," Jessica Hale said.
Hale enlisted in the Army in June 2003.
Hale also is survived by three children, Jaden, 4, Jesse, 3, and Jordyn, born two weeks after Hale's second deployment to Iraq on June 26.
"That's the worst part. [Hale] was so young. He was too young. His life was just barely beginning," Jessica Hale said. "I'm mad at the world for that."
A funeral service is planned for Corbin Colonial Funeral Chapel in Maywood. Plans for services have not been finalized.
Funeral services for Mihalo also have not been finalized.
Army Cpl. James M. Hale was killed in action on 8/13/08.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr., 22, of Maryville, Tenn.
Sgt. Ferschke was assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 10, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Salah ad Din province, Iraq.
Maryville Marine killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A Marine who had married about a month ago and just found out his wife was going to have a baby was shot to death in Iraq during a house search, his family said Tuesday.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke Jr. died Sunday, his father said. Ferschke, 22, of Maryville, was assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division and stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
Ferschke’s father, Michael said his son had been in Iraq since March. The son and his wife had just found out they were going to have a baby, due in January.
Ferschke said his son was born in Rhode Island, but grew up and went to high school in Maryville, about 16 miles south of Knoxville.
The younger Ferschke joined the Marines because he was looking for a challenge after high school, his father said.
“He looked at all the other forces, but that didn’t look like a challenge for him,” Ferschke said. “He loved his job and he loved what he was doing.”
Ferschke, who was a radio operator, completed a diving school while in the Marines and hoped to become a diving instructor.
He had the option of finishing his service in the Marines in October, but he felt an obligation to stay and serve a tour in Iraq, like many of his fellow Marines, his father said.
His mother, Robin, said Ferschke was an energetic and adventurous teenager who liked riding BMX bikes and skiing. They talked a lot by phone even while he was in Japan and he was always giving advice or trying to help his friends and family, she said.
“He was like a male ‘Dear Abby,”’ Robin Ferschke said. “He helped me through things and I helped him. He always used to say his dad was his hero, but he’s our hero.”
Ferschke said her son was excited about becoming a father and talked a lot about the things he wanted to share with his child.
“He had lots of dreams, but the only one he wanted was to make sure that child grew up to be the best,” she said.
In a Father’s Day message aired on WBIR-TV in Knoxville in June, Ferschke greeted his father and brother from Camp Fallujah, Iraq, and said, “Hopefully next year, I’ll be down there with you guys. Have a couple of beers, celebrate. Love you guys.”
Ferschke is also survived by his brother, Raymond Lambert, and his sister, Alissa Bridgman. Funeral services are planned for Monday in Maryville.
Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr. was killed in action on 8/10/08.
Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr., 22, of Maryville, Tenn.
Sgt. Ferschke was assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 10, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Salah ad Din province, Iraq.
Maryville Marine killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A Marine who had married about a month ago and just found out his wife was going to have a baby was shot to death in Iraq during a house search, his family said Tuesday.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke Jr. died Sunday, his father said. Ferschke, 22, of Maryville, was assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division and stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
Ferschke’s father, Michael said his son had been in Iraq since March. The son and his wife had just found out they were going to have a baby, due in January.
Ferschke said his son was born in Rhode Island, but grew up and went to high school in Maryville, about 16 miles south of Knoxville.
The younger Ferschke joined the Marines because he was looking for a challenge after high school, his father said.
“He looked at all the other forces, but that didn’t look like a challenge for him,” Ferschke said. “He loved his job and he loved what he was doing.”
Ferschke, who was a radio operator, completed a diving school while in the Marines and hoped to become a diving instructor.
He had the option of finishing his service in the Marines in October, but he felt an obligation to stay and serve a tour in Iraq, like many of his fellow Marines, his father said.
His mother, Robin, said Ferschke was an energetic and adventurous teenager who liked riding BMX bikes and skiing. They talked a lot by phone even while he was in Japan and he was always giving advice or trying to help his friends and family, she said.
“He was like a male ‘Dear Abby,”’ Robin Ferschke said. “He helped me through things and I helped him. He always used to say his dad was his hero, but he’s our hero.”
Ferschke said her son was excited about becoming a father and talked a lot about the things he wanted to share with his child.
“He had lots of dreams, but the only one he wanted was to make sure that child grew up to be the best,” she said.
In a Father’s Day message aired on WBIR-TV in Knoxville in June, Ferschke greeted his father and brother from Camp Fallujah, Iraq, and said, “Hopefully next year, I’ll be down there with you guys. Have a couple of beers, celebrate. Love you guys.”
Ferschke is also survived by his brother, Raymond Lambert, and his sister, Alissa Bridgman. Funeral services are planned for Monday in Maryville.
Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr. was killed in action on 8/10/08.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Army Sgt. Jose E. Ulloa
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Jose E. Ulloa, 23, of New York
Sgt. Ulloa was assigned to the 515th Transportation Company, 28th Transportation Battalion, Mannheim, Germany; died Aug. 9, 2008 in Sadr City, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device Aug. 8, 2008 in Sadr City.
Army Sgt. Jose E. Ulloa was killed in action on 8/9/08.
Army Sgt. Jose E. Ulloa, 23, of New York
Sgt. Ulloa was assigned to the 515th Transportation Company, 28th Transportation Battalion, Mannheim, Germany; died Aug. 9, 2008 in Sadr City, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device Aug. 8, 2008 in Sadr City.
Army Sgt. Jose E. Ulloa was killed in action on 8/9/08.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anthony M. Carbullido
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anthony M. Carbullido, 25, of Agat, Guam
Corpsman Carbullido was assigned to the Naval Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, Ill.; died Aug. 8, 2008 in Sangatesh, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
Family, friends mourn sailor: Acting governor orders flags to half-staff
By Beau Hodai
Pacific Daily News
Family and friends of Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anthony M. “Tony” Carbullido gathered at the family’s home in Agat yesterday to mark his passing.
Throughout intermittent showers, family members in chairs under an awning recited the rosary.
Anthony Carbullido, 25, is the 17th serviceman from Guam to die since the outset of the War on Terror in 2001 and the fifth this year. The total number of regional casualties is 29.
Anthony Carbullido, the sailor’s father, said that the family was notified of his son’s death early Saturday morning.
The sailor is survived by his wife, Summer, and his daughter, Lexie, both of whom live in Chicago.
According to a statement issued yesterday from the Navy’s Public Affairs office, the corpsman died from “injuries he suffered when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device while serving in Sangatesh, Afghanistan.” Lt. Donnell Evans, public affairs director for Naval Forces Marianas, said the sailor died Aug. 8.
Island leaders shared their condolences over the loss of another of Guam’s sons.
“We extend our sympathies and prayers to his family, friends and loved ones,” said Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo in a statement issued yesterday.
“Anthony will rest in the hearts and minds of a grateful people who are humbled by his ultimate sacrifice,” said acting Gov. Mike Cruz in a statement yesterday. “I have ordered all government ... agencies to fly all flags at half-staff in honor of Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Carbullido.”
Those gathered at the Carbullido family home yesterday remembered Anthony M. Carbullido fondly.
“He was a real doer,” said Austin Carbullido, the sailor’s brother. Austin Carbullido said his brother always approached challenges head-on and that he enlisted in the military because he wanted to be a doctor.
Jermaine Alerta, who had been friends with the sailor since they were in kindergarten together, remembered his friend’s sense of humor.
“He was a very funny guy, ... always talking. He was fun to be around,” said Alerta. “He was a great guy, just a great guy.”
Alerta remembered the corpsman’s last visit to Guam in March. He was here for two weeks with his wife, Summer whom he had recently married.
“We took him and his wife around and had a good time,” said Alerta.
Alerta said the couple talked about how they planned to move back to Guam to raise their family once his tour of duty in Afghanistan was completed.
According to the fallen sailor’s father, the corpsman was scheduled to leave Afghanistan in July for the 3rd Marine Reconnaissance Battalion in Okinawa, Japan.
But Anthony M. Carbullido’s tour was extended until Aug. 7. His tour was extended yet again, until the end of August.
“He was over there so we can have the way of life we always believed in,” his father said. “He was the kind of kid that always made the ultimate challenge, and he made this ultimate challenge so we can have freedom anywhere in the world.”
While he doesn’t know the exact date yet, the sailor’s father said he plans to meet his son’s remains when they arrive in Dover, Del.
Aurora Carbullido, the sailor’s mother, said that her son’s death was the realization of her fears as the mother of a sailor involved in active duty.
“I’ve seen past pictures and articles (of troops who have died in combat) and it scared me because my son is over there,” said Aurora Carbullido.
“This is a hard situation to be in,” his father said. “It’s hard to believe that this is happening to us.”
Aurora Carbullido asked the community to pray for them during their hardship and pray for other servicemen and women serving overseas in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anthony M. Carbullido was killed in action on 8/8/08.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anthony M. Carbullido, 25, of Agat, Guam
Corpsman Carbullido was assigned to the Naval Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, Ill.; died Aug. 8, 2008 in Sangatesh, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
Family, friends mourn sailor: Acting governor orders flags to half-staff
By Beau Hodai
Pacific Daily News
Family and friends of Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anthony M. “Tony” Carbullido gathered at the family’s home in Agat yesterday to mark his passing.
Throughout intermittent showers, family members in chairs under an awning recited the rosary.
Anthony Carbullido, 25, is the 17th serviceman from Guam to die since the outset of the War on Terror in 2001 and the fifth this year. The total number of regional casualties is 29.
Anthony Carbullido, the sailor’s father, said that the family was notified of his son’s death early Saturday morning.
The sailor is survived by his wife, Summer, and his daughter, Lexie, both of whom live in Chicago.
According to a statement issued yesterday from the Navy’s Public Affairs office, the corpsman died from “injuries he suffered when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device while serving in Sangatesh, Afghanistan.” Lt. Donnell Evans, public affairs director for Naval Forces Marianas, said the sailor died Aug. 8.
Island leaders shared their condolences over the loss of another of Guam’s sons.
“We extend our sympathies and prayers to his family, friends and loved ones,” said Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo in a statement issued yesterday.
“Anthony will rest in the hearts and minds of a grateful people who are humbled by his ultimate sacrifice,” said acting Gov. Mike Cruz in a statement yesterday. “I have ordered all government ... agencies to fly all flags at half-staff in honor of Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Carbullido.”
Those gathered at the Carbullido family home yesterday remembered Anthony M. Carbullido fondly.
“He was a real doer,” said Austin Carbullido, the sailor’s brother. Austin Carbullido said his brother always approached challenges head-on and that he enlisted in the military because he wanted to be a doctor.
Jermaine Alerta, who had been friends with the sailor since they were in kindergarten together, remembered his friend’s sense of humor.
“He was a very funny guy, ... always talking. He was fun to be around,” said Alerta. “He was a great guy, just a great guy.”
Alerta remembered the corpsman’s last visit to Guam in March. He was here for two weeks with his wife, Summer whom he had recently married.
“We took him and his wife around and had a good time,” said Alerta.
Alerta said the couple talked about how they planned to move back to Guam to raise their family once his tour of duty in Afghanistan was completed.
According to the fallen sailor’s father, the corpsman was scheduled to leave Afghanistan in July for the 3rd Marine Reconnaissance Battalion in Okinawa, Japan.
But Anthony M. Carbullido’s tour was extended until Aug. 7. His tour was extended yet again, until the end of August.
“He was over there so we can have the way of life we always believed in,” his father said. “He was the kind of kid that always made the ultimate challenge, and he made this ultimate challenge so we can have freedom anywhere in the world.”
While he doesn’t know the exact date yet, the sailor’s father said he plans to meet his son’s remains when they arrive in Dover, Del.
Aurora Carbullido, the sailor’s mother, said that her son’s death was the realization of her fears as the mother of a sailor involved in active duty.
“I’ve seen past pictures and articles (of troops who have died in combat) and it scared me because my son is over there,” said Aurora Carbullido.
“This is a hard situation to be in,” his father said. “It’s hard to believe that this is happening to us.”
Aurora Carbullido asked the community to pray for them during their hardship and pray for other servicemen and women serving overseas in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anthony M. Carbullido was killed in action on 8/8/08.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Marine Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, of Whitefish, Mont.
Cpl. Trejo was assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 7, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed was Cpl. Adam T. McKiski.
Whitefish man dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
WHITEFISH, Mont. — A Whitefish man who died in Iraq suffered fatal injuries in a vehicle accident while supporting combat operations, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.
Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, died Thursday after being injured in Anbar province, the military said. Also killed in the accident was Cpl. Adam McKiski, 21, of Cherry Valley, Ill.
Trejo enlisted in the Marine Corps on Nov. 2, 2005. McKiski enlisted a year earlier. They were artillery systems technicians in a unit based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Arizona Daily Star -- Just weeks before his tour of duty in Iraq was to end, a Marine with Tucson ties has died.
Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, died Aug. 7, one of two Marines killed in a vehicle accident.
Trejo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and throughout his childhood he traveled with his family between Southern Arizona, California and Mexico. Trejo's parents, several siblings and his grandmother live in Tucson.
Trejo, a father of two who most recently called Whitefish, Mont., home, enlisted in the Marine Corps in November 2005 and was finishing his first tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed, said his sister, Sherry Valenzuela of Tucson.
Trejo, who arrived in Iraq in February, was scheduled to return to Camp Pendleton in California next month.
He was one of two Marines killed in a vehicle accident while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, the Defense Department reported. The other casualty was Cpl. Adam T. McKiski, 21, of Cherry Valley, Ill.
Trejo and McKiski were artillery systems technicians assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
The Marines were traveling in a Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle when their truck overturned into a ditch, Valenzuela said. Her brother was knocked unconscious and drowned before he could be rescued.
"He was the finest boy you ever could meet," said his grandmother, Connie Stewart of Tucson.
Her husband, Johnny S. Stewart, was an Army paratrooper who took part in the Normandy invasion in 1944 during World War II.
"He was one of the lucky ones," Connie Stewart said. "He came back."
It was his grandfather's military service that inspired Trejo to enlist in the Marines, she said.
"Stewart always wanted to make his grandpa proud of him," she said.
Trejo began high school in Nogales, Ariz., then moved to Montana, where he graduated. After high school, Trejo met his future wife while working at a Whitefish lumber company, Valenzuela said. But the work, his sister said, didn't fulfill him.
"He didn't feel that was his calling," she said. "He wanted to join the Marines, because our grandfather was in the Army and he wanted to be in the military, too."
Growing up, Trejo enjoyed working on cars, assembling model robots and playing the guitar and drums, his sister said.
"He was very bright," Valenzuela said. "He became corporal in a matter of a year. He worked very hard for that position.
"He was very funny, he loved life, and he was proud of what he did in Iraq. He was proud to be a Marine."
Trejo's honors include the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Survivors also include his wife, Taffie; and their two children, 3-year-old Nathaniel and year-old Roary. A funeral service is planned for Thursday in San Diego, to be immediately followed by interment with military honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
Marine Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo was killed in action on 8/7/08.
Marine Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, of Whitefish, Mont.
Cpl. Trejo was assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 7, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed was Cpl. Adam T. McKiski.
Whitefish man dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
WHITEFISH, Mont. — A Whitefish man who died in Iraq suffered fatal injuries in a vehicle accident while supporting combat operations, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.
Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, died Thursday after being injured in Anbar province, the military said. Also killed in the accident was Cpl. Adam McKiski, 21, of Cherry Valley, Ill.
Trejo enlisted in the Marine Corps on Nov. 2, 2005. McKiski enlisted a year earlier. They were artillery systems technicians in a unit based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Arizona Daily Star -- Just weeks before his tour of duty in Iraq was to end, a Marine with Tucson ties has died.
Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, died Aug. 7, one of two Marines killed in a vehicle accident.
Trejo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and throughout his childhood he traveled with his family between Southern Arizona, California and Mexico. Trejo's parents, several siblings and his grandmother live in Tucson.
Trejo, a father of two who most recently called Whitefish, Mont., home, enlisted in the Marine Corps in November 2005 and was finishing his first tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed, said his sister, Sherry Valenzuela of Tucson.
Trejo, who arrived in Iraq in February, was scheduled to return to Camp Pendleton in California next month.
He was one of two Marines killed in a vehicle accident while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, the Defense Department reported. The other casualty was Cpl. Adam T. McKiski, 21, of Cherry Valley, Ill.
Trejo and McKiski were artillery systems technicians assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
The Marines were traveling in a Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle when their truck overturned into a ditch, Valenzuela said. Her brother was knocked unconscious and drowned before he could be rescued.
"He was the finest boy you ever could meet," said his grandmother, Connie Stewart of Tucson.
Her husband, Johnny S. Stewart, was an Army paratrooper who took part in the Normandy invasion in 1944 during World War II.
"He was one of the lucky ones," Connie Stewart said. "He came back."
It was his grandfather's military service that inspired Trejo to enlist in the Marines, she said.
"Stewart always wanted to make his grandpa proud of him," she said.
Trejo began high school in Nogales, Ariz., then moved to Montana, where he graduated. After high school, Trejo met his future wife while working at a Whitefish lumber company, Valenzuela said. But the work, his sister said, didn't fulfill him.
"He didn't feel that was his calling," she said. "He wanted to join the Marines, because our grandfather was in the Army and he wanted to be in the military, too."
Growing up, Trejo enjoyed working on cars, assembling model robots and playing the guitar and drums, his sister said.
"He was very bright," Valenzuela said. "He became corporal in a matter of a year. He worked very hard for that position.
"He was very funny, he loved life, and he was proud of what he did in Iraq. He was proud to be a Marine."
Trejo's honors include the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Survivors also include his wife, Taffie; and their two children, 3-year-old Nathaniel and year-old Roary. A funeral service is planned for Thursday in San Diego, to be immediately followed by interment with military honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
Marine Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo was killed in action on 8/7/08.
Marine Cpl. Adam T. McKiski
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Adam T. McKiski, 21, of Cherry Valley, Ill.
Cpl. McKiski was assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 7, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed was Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo.
Three enlisted Marines killed in Iraq
Staff report
Three enlisted Marines were killed in Iraq’s Anbar province during a four-day span in mid-August.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke Jr., 22, died from wounds suffered during a house-to-house search Aug. 10 in Salah ad Din province, according to media and Defense Department reports. Cpl. Adam T. McKiski, 21, and Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, died Aug. 7 in a vehicle accident outside Fallujah, Marine officials said.
Ferschke, who had family ties in Rhode Island and eastern Tennessee, was a radio operator with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion at Camp Butler, Okinawa, according to the Providence (R.I.) Journal. McKiski, of Cherry Valley, Ill., and Trejo, of Whitefish, Mont., were artillery technicians with 1st Maintenance Battalion, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Born in Woonsocket, R.I., Ferschke moved south with his family at age 9, the Journal reported. A 2003 graduate of Maryville High School, just south of Knoxville, Tenn., he was an honor student with a penchant for BMX bikes and skateboards. He joined the Corps later that year.
“He said school hadn’t been a hard enough challenge,” family friend Douglas Cooper told the Journal. “He thought the Marines were.”
Ferschke spent time at Camp Lejeune, N.C., before shipping out to Camp Butler, the Journal reported. His wife, a native Okinawan whom he married only a month ago, is five months pregnant with the couple’s son.
McKiski died just two days after his second wedding anniversary, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. He was married to his high school sweetheart.
At Jefferson High School in Rockford, Ill., about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, McKiski was known for his ability to quickly troubleshoot computer problems. He was everyone’s best friend in Barbara Erickson’s journalism lab, his former teacher told the Tribune, “especially at deadline time.”
That magnanimous energy followed him to the Corps in October 2004, and other Marines were easily drawn to him.
“Adam was the guy everyone wanted to be around because of his attitude,” Lance Cpl. Josh Alston told the Rockford Register Star.
Trejo, who enlisted in November 2005, leaves a wife and two children, according to a report in his hometown paper, the Whitefish Pilot. He moved to northwestern Montana from Arizona about eight years ago.
His unit was due back at Pendleton in September, the Pilot reported.
Trejo and his wife intended to renew their wedding vows at Disneyland.
Marine Cpl. Adam T. McKiski was killed in action on 8/7/08.
Marine Cpl. Adam T. McKiski, 21, of Cherry Valley, Ill.
Cpl. McKiski was assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 7, 2008 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed was Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo.
Three enlisted Marines killed in Iraq
Staff report
Three enlisted Marines were killed in Iraq’s Anbar province during a four-day span in mid-August.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke Jr., 22, died from wounds suffered during a house-to-house search Aug. 10 in Salah ad Din province, according to media and Defense Department reports. Cpl. Adam T. McKiski, 21, and Cpl. Stewart S. Trejo, 25, died Aug. 7 in a vehicle accident outside Fallujah, Marine officials said.
Ferschke, who had family ties in Rhode Island and eastern Tennessee, was a radio operator with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion at Camp Butler, Okinawa, according to the Providence (R.I.) Journal. McKiski, of Cherry Valley, Ill., and Trejo, of Whitefish, Mont., were artillery technicians with 1st Maintenance Battalion, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Born in Woonsocket, R.I., Ferschke moved south with his family at age 9, the Journal reported. A 2003 graduate of Maryville High School, just south of Knoxville, Tenn., he was an honor student with a penchant for BMX bikes and skateboards. He joined the Corps later that year.
“He said school hadn’t been a hard enough challenge,” family friend Douglas Cooper told the Journal. “He thought the Marines were.”
Ferschke spent time at Camp Lejeune, N.C., before shipping out to Camp Butler, the Journal reported. His wife, a native Okinawan whom he married only a month ago, is five months pregnant with the couple’s son.
McKiski died just two days after his second wedding anniversary, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. He was married to his high school sweetheart.
At Jefferson High School in Rockford, Ill., about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, McKiski was known for his ability to quickly troubleshoot computer problems. He was everyone’s best friend in Barbara Erickson’s journalism lab, his former teacher told the Tribune, “especially at deadline time.”
That magnanimous energy followed him to the Corps in October 2004, and other Marines were easily drawn to him.
“Adam was the guy everyone wanted to be around because of his attitude,” Lance Cpl. Josh Alston told the Rockford Register Star.
Trejo, who enlisted in November 2005, leaves a wife and two children, according to a report in his hometown paper, the Whitefish Pilot. He moved to northwestern Montana from Arizona about eight years ago.
His unit was due back at Pendleton in September, the Pilot reported.
Trejo and his wife intended to renew their wedding vows at Disneyland.
Marine Cpl. Adam T. McKiski was killed in action on 8/7/08.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Army Pvt. Timothy J. Hutton
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Timothy J. Hutton, 21, of Dillon, Mont.
Pvt. Hutton was assigned to the 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died Aug. 4, 2008 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Noncombat injuries claim Montanan in Iraq
The Associated Press
DILLON, Mont. — A soldier from this southwestern Montana town has died in Iraq, from injuries not related to combat, the Defense Department said Wednesday.
Army Pvt. Timothy J. Hutton, 21, died Monday in Baghdad. Information about the circumstances of his death was not released by the military, which said an investigation was under way.
Hutton’s grandmother, Karin Malesich of Dillon, said he joined the Army in January and had been in Iraq only a couple of weeks.
“He loved fishing and floating the river,” said Malesich, who raised her grandson. “His dream that he talked about was that when he got of the service he was going to build a cabin next to a fishing stream. That was his dream, but that’s not going to happen now.”
Malesich said signs with the message “We Love You Timmy” began appearing in Dillon after word of his death spread. His grandfather, Malesich’s former husband, is Dillon Mayor Marty Malesich. The mayor referred a reporter’s call to Karin Malesich.
She said Hutton, who did not complete high school, learned carpentry through the Job Corps. He was enthusiastic about the Army, and a desire to see more of the world was one of the reasons he joined, said Malesich. She was informed of his death on Monday, one day after she and Hutton spoke by phone.
“He told me he was doing fine and not to worry about him,” she said.
Survivors in addition to his grandparents in Dillon include mother Sonya Miller of Dillon; father Albert Hutton of Fairbanks, Alaska; sister Christine Hutton of Missoula; and aunt Ingrid Malesich of Dillon.
Arrangements for a military service in Dillon were pending at Brundage Funeral Home. Karin Malesich said cremated remains will be taken to Alaska later.
Services held for Dillon soldier who died in Iraq
The Associated Press
DILLON, Mont. — Friends and family gathered in Dillon on Thursday to pay their respects to a Montana soldier who died in Iraq from injuries not related to combat.
Army Pvt. Timothy J. Hutton, 21, of Dillon, died in Baghdad on Aug. 4. Information about the circumstances of his death has not been released by the military, which said an investigation was underway.
“I’m so proud of that young man,” Navy veteran Al Lawson said. “He has been a very good example of what the military is all about.”
Nearly 100 people gathered at Hutton’s funeral before his body was taken to Mountain View Cemetery for a full military graveside service. His cremated remains are expected to be taken to Alaska, where his father is from.
Hutton joined the Army in January and had been in Iraq only a couple of weeks.
Army Pvt. Timothy J. Hutton, 21, of Dillon, Mont.
Pvt. Hutton was assigned to the 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany; died Aug. 4, 2008 in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Noncombat injuries claim Montanan in Iraq
The Associated Press
DILLON, Mont. — A soldier from this southwestern Montana town has died in Iraq, from injuries not related to combat, the Defense Department said Wednesday.
Army Pvt. Timothy J. Hutton, 21, died Monday in Baghdad. Information about the circumstances of his death was not released by the military, which said an investigation was under way.
Hutton’s grandmother, Karin Malesich of Dillon, said he joined the Army in January and had been in Iraq only a couple of weeks.
“He loved fishing and floating the river,” said Malesich, who raised her grandson. “His dream that he talked about was that when he got of the service he was going to build a cabin next to a fishing stream. That was his dream, but that’s not going to happen now.”
Malesich said signs with the message “We Love You Timmy” began appearing in Dillon after word of his death spread. His grandfather, Malesich’s former husband, is Dillon Mayor Marty Malesich. The mayor referred a reporter’s call to Karin Malesich.
She said Hutton, who did not complete high school, learned carpentry through the Job Corps. He was enthusiastic about the Army, and a desire to see more of the world was one of the reasons he joined, said Malesich. She was informed of his death on Monday, one day after she and Hutton spoke by phone.
“He told me he was doing fine and not to worry about him,” she said.
Survivors in addition to his grandparents in Dillon include mother Sonya Miller of Dillon; father Albert Hutton of Fairbanks, Alaska; sister Christine Hutton of Missoula; and aunt Ingrid Malesich of Dillon.
Arrangements for a military service in Dillon were pending at Brundage Funeral Home. Karin Malesich said cremated remains will be taken to Alaska later.
Services held for Dillon soldier who died in Iraq
The Associated Press
DILLON, Mont. — Friends and family gathered in Dillon on Thursday to pay their respects to a Montana soldier who died in Iraq from injuries not related to combat.
Army Pvt. Timothy J. Hutton, 21, of Dillon, died in Baghdad on Aug. 4. Information about the circumstances of his death has not been released by the military, which said an investigation was underway.
“I’m so proud of that young man,” Navy veteran Al Lawson said. “He has been a very good example of what the military is all about.”
Nearly 100 people gathered at Hutton’s funeral before his body was taken to Mountain View Cemetery for a full military graveside service. His cremated remains are expected to be taken to Alaska, where his father is from.
Hutton joined the Army in January and had been in Iraq only a couple of weeks.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Army Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr., 40, of Austin, Texas
Sgt. Gonzalez was assigned to the 436th Chemical Company, Texas Army National Guard, Laredo, Texas; died Aug. 3, 2008 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when his vehicle encountered a mine.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A bombing in Afghanistan has claimed the life of a Texas National Guard soldier.
The Defense Department late Tuesday announced the death of 40-year-old Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr. of Austin.
Military officials say Gonzalez died Sunday in Kabul,Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when his vehicle came in contact
with a mine.
Gonzalez was assigned to the 436th Chemical Company, Texas Army National Guard, out of Laredo.
Texas National Guard spokesman Capt. James Campbell told The Associated Press that Gonzalez earlier this year deployed to
Afghanistan.
Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez, Jr., 40, born in El Paso, Texas was killed in action in Kabul, Afghanistan. He served in both the U.S. Navy and U. S. Army.
He is survived by his parents: Jaime Gonzalez Sr. and Maria M. Gonzalez; wife: Erica Gonzalez; son: Jaime Ricardo Gonzalez III; daughter: Samantha Elizabeth Gonzalez; stepsons: Jacob and Christopher Villarreal, and Robert Garcia; stepdaughter: Missy Villarreal; brothers: Robert and Demetrio Gonzalez; sisters: Belen Gonzalez, Cynthia Ann Aleman and Flower "Flor" Providence.
Visitation will be from 5:00-9:00 pm and Prayer Service at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast. Funeral Service at 12:30 pm, Thursday, August 14, 2008 at Iglesia Bautista - Trinity, 201 Cargill St. Interment will follow with full military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast.
Army Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr. was killed in action on 8/3/08.
Army Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr., 40, of Austin, Texas
Sgt. Gonzalez was assigned to the 436th Chemical Company, Texas Army National Guard, Laredo, Texas; died Aug. 3, 2008 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when his vehicle encountered a mine.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A bombing in Afghanistan has claimed the life of a Texas National Guard soldier.
The Defense Department late Tuesday announced the death of 40-year-old Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr. of Austin.
Military officials say Gonzalez died Sunday in Kabul,Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when his vehicle came in contact
with a mine.
Gonzalez was assigned to the 436th Chemical Company, Texas Army National Guard, out of Laredo.
Texas National Guard spokesman Capt. James Campbell told The Associated Press that Gonzalez earlier this year deployed to
Afghanistan.
Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez, Jr., 40, born in El Paso, Texas was killed in action in Kabul, Afghanistan. He served in both the U.S. Navy and U. S. Army.
He is survived by his parents: Jaime Gonzalez Sr. and Maria M. Gonzalez; wife: Erica Gonzalez; son: Jaime Ricardo Gonzalez III; daughter: Samantha Elizabeth Gonzalez; stepsons: Jacob and Christopher Villarreal, and Robert Garcia; stepdaughter: Missy Villarreal; brothers: Robert and Demetrio Gonzalez; sisters: Belen Gonzalez, Cynthia Ann Aleman and Flower "Flor" Providence.
Visitation will be from 5:00-9:00 pm and Prayer Service at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast. Funeral Service at 12:30 pm, Thursday, August 14, 2008 at Iglesia Bautista - Trinity, 201 Cargill St. Interment will follow with full military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast.
Army Sgt. Jaime Gonzalez Jr. was killed in action on 8/3/08.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Army Pfc. Jennifer L. Cole
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Jennifer L. Cole, 34, of American Canyon, Calif.
Pfc. Cole was assigned to the 426th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Aug. 2, 2008 in Bayji, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Mother: Soldier killed in Iraq loved country
The Associated Press
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The mother of a California soldier who died while serving in Iraq said the Fort Campbell soldier loved the country and the people.
The military said 34-year-old Army Pfc. Jennifer L. Cole of American Canyon died Saturday in Bayji, Iraq, from injuries in a non-combat incident. Officials said the cause is under investigation.
Cole was a motor transport operator assigned to E Company, 426th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
Cole’s mother, Candace Gholson, said her daughter enlisted in the Army a year ago after spending years as a floral designer. Gholson told The San Francisco Chronicle that Cole “thought we were really over there for a good purpose, and she loved the people and thought we were helping them, that we were making a difference.”
She is also survived by her husband, Lamont C. Capers, of Fort Campbell, Ky., and her father, James M. Cole II, of White Marsh, Md.
Cole was one of two 101st Airborne soldiers killed over the weekend. The military said 24-year-old Sgt. Ryan P. Baumann of Great Mills, Md., died Friday on Route Alaska, Afghanistan from wounds suffered when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
Army Pfc. Jennifer L. Cole, 34, of American Canyon, Calif.
Pfc. Cole was assigned to the 426th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Aug. 2, 2008 in Bayji, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
Mother: Soldier killed in Iraq loved country
The Associated Press
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The mother of a California soldier who died while serving in Iraq said the Fort Campbell soldier loved the country and the people.
The military said 34-year-old Army Pfc. Jennifer L. Cole of American Canyon died Saturday in Bayji, Iraq, from injuries in a non-combat incident. Officials said the cause is under investigation.
Cole was a motor transport operator assigned to E Company, 426th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
Cole’s mother, Candace Gholson, said her daughter enlisted in the Army a year ago after spending years as a floral designer. Gholson told The San Francisco Chronicle that Cole “thought we were really over there for a good purpose, and she loved the people and thought we were helping them, that we were making a difference.”
She is also survived by her husband, Lamont C. Capers, of Fort Campbell, Ky., and her father, James M. Cole II, of White Marsh, Md.
Cole was one of two 101st Airborne soldiers killed over the weekend. The military said 24-year-old Sgt. Ryan P. Baumann of Great Mills, Md., died Friday on Route Alaska, Afghanistan from wounds suffered when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
Army Sgt. Brian K. Miller
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Brian K. Miller, 37, of Pendleton, Ind.
Sgt. Miller was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana Army National Guard, Fort Wayne, Ind.; died Aug. 2, 2008 in Abd Allah, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
Indystar -- A memorial service will be Tuesday for an Indiana National guardsman from Pendleton who died in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Brian K. Miller, 37, died Aug. 2 near Abd Allah in southern Iraq. The wrecker Miller was riding in rolled over after it swerved sharply. He was with the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Miller deployed as a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, headquartered in Huntington.
Miller was a member of Pendleton High School Class of 1990, and a Monday visitation and Tuesday memorial service will be in the gymnasium of his former school.
Gov. Mitch Daniel and the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, will attend the memorial service, according to a news release from Susan S. Hawver, a contractor for the Indiana National Guard.
==Another news story==
Indianapolis - A Pendleton soldier serving in the Indiana National Guard was killed in Iraq over the weekend.
Sergeant Brian K. Miller, 37, died from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident during combat operations in Abd Allah, Iraq.
Sgt. Miller deployed as a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Huntington, Indiana.
"Sergeant Brian Miller gave his life selflessly, not only for the defense of his nation's security but also for the growth of freedom in another. Were it not for the courage of patriots like Sgt. Miller, freedom and democracy would exist only in theory; it is because our heroes answer the call of duty that we have a firm foundation upon which to build a better world," said Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN).
Army Sgt. Brian K. Miller was killed in a vehicle accident 8/2/08.
Army Sgt. Brian K. Miller, 37, of Pendleton, Ind.
Sgt. Miller was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana Army National Guard, Fort Wayne, Ind.; died Aug. 2, 2008 in Abd Allah, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
Indystar -- A memorial service will be Tuesday for an Indiana National guardsman from Pendleton who died in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Brian K. Miller, 37, died Aug. 2 near Abd Allah in southern Iraq. The wrecker Miller was riding in rolled over after it swerved sharply. He was with the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Miller deployed as a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, headquartered in Huntington.
Miller was a member of Pendleton High School Class of 1990, and a Monday visitation and Tuesday memorial service will be in the gymnasium of his former school.
Gov. Mitch Daniel and the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, will attend the memorial service, according to a news release from Susan S. Hawver, a contractor for the Indiana National Guard.
==Another news story==
Indianapolis - A Pendleton soldier serving in the Indiana National Guard was killed in Iraq over the weekend.
Sergeant Brian K. Miller, 37, died from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident during combat operations in Abd Allah, Iraq.
Sgt. Miller deployed as a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Huntington, Indiana.
"Sergeant Brian Miller gave his life selflessly, not only for the defense of his nation's security but also for the growth of freedom in another. Were it not for the courage of patriots like Sgt. Miller, freedom and democracy would exist only in theory; it is because our heroes answer the call of duty that we have a firm foundation upon which to build a better world," said Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN).
Army Sgt. Brian K. Miller was killed in a vehicle accident 8/2/08.
Army Spc. Ronald A. Schmidt
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Ronald A. Schmidt, 18, of Newton, Kan.
Spc. Schmidt was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas Army National Guard, Kingman, Kan.; died Aug. 3, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained Aug. 2 in a vehicle accident in Ashraf, Iraq.
Newton Kansas – The city of Newton is mourning the loss of the latest casualty in Iraq. Eighteen-year-old Specialist Ronald Andrew Schmidt was killed early Sunday when his patrol vehicle overturned.
Barely out of high school, Specialist Schmidt was doing exactly what he planned; serving his country in Iraq. He enlisted with the Kansas Army National Guard when he was a senior at Newton High School.
"I would characterize Ronnie as very resilient, strong willed,” said Asst. Principal Roger Erickson.
Erickson knew Schmidt very well. He watched him grow from a typical high school boy into a young man.
Schmidt was a busy student at Newton High not only with classes, but he was with the wrestling team, and held a full-time job. He had a busy schedule that helped make him who he was. Erickson believes it was that drive to succeed that led Schmidt to the military.
"I think Ronnie was like a lot of kids, he saw it as a way to financially be secure and gain some training,” Erickson said. “Make sure he knew what he wanted to do with his life. It was a stepping stone to meet his goals."
Schmidt’s goal was to become a firefighter and while that dream won’t be realized, in Newton, many people say the young Kansas hero made his impact despite living such a short life.
Army Spc. Ronald A. Schmidt was killed in a vehicle accident 8/2/08
Army Spc. Ronald A. Schmidt, 18, of Newton, Kan.
Spc. Schmidt was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas Army National Guard, Kingman, Kan.; died Aug. 3, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained Aug. 2 in a vehicle accident in Ashraf, Iraq.
Newton Kansas – The city of Newton is mourning the loss of the latest casualty in Iraq. Eighteen-year-old Specialist Ronald Andrew Schmidt was killed early Sunday when his patrol vehicle overturned.
Barely out of high school, Specialist Schmidt was doing exactly what he planned; serving his country in Iraq. He enlisted with the Kansas Army National Guard when he was a senior at Newton High School.
"I would characterize Ronnie as very resilient, strong willed,” said Asst. Principal Roger Erickson.
Erickson knew Schmidt very well. He watched him grow from a typical high school boy into a young man.
Schmidt was a busy student at Newton High not only with classes, but he was with the wrestling team, and held a full-time job. He had a busy schedule that helped make him who he was. Erickson believes it was that drive to succeed that led Schmidt to the military.
"I think Ronnie was like a lot of kids, he saw it as a way to financially be secure and gain some training,” Erickson said. “Make sure he knew what he wanted to do with his life. It was a stepping stone to meet his goals."
Schmidt’s goal was to become a firefighter and while that dream won’t be realized, in Newton, many people say the young Kansas hero made his impact despite living such a short life.
Army Spc. Ronald A. Schmidt was killed in a vehicle accident 8/2/08
Army Spc. Kevin R. Dickson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Kevin R. Dickson, 21, of Steelville, Mo.
Spc. Dickson was assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Group Support Battalion, Group Service Support Company, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 2, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
USASOC -- FORT CARSON, Colo. (USASOC News Service, August 4, 2008) – A Special Forces support Soldier died from a non-combat related injury Aug. 2 in Balad, Iraq.
Spc. Kevin R. Dickson, 21, a construction equipment repair specialist, assigned to the Group Support Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo., was pronounced dead from wounds Aug. 2 at the Joint Balad Hospital.
Dickson joined the Army January 2006 and attended basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. After completion, he attended Basic Airborne and Parachute Rigger Schools at Fort Benning, Ga., before attending his Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Shortly after arriving to the unit in January 2007, Dickson deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V. Dickson was on his second tour to Iraq in support of OIF VI at the time of his death.
His awards include the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
Dickson, a native of Steelville, Mo., is survived by his mother, Catherine Ann Neidig, and two brothers, also of Steelville.
Dickson’s death is under investigation.
Army Spc. Kevin R. Dickson, 21, of Steelville, Mo.
Spc. Dickson was assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Group Support Battalion, Group Service Support Company, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 2, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.
USASOC -- FORT CARSON, Colo. (USASOC News Service, August 4, 2008) – A Special Forces support Soldier died from a non-combat related injury Aug. 2 in Balad, Iraq.
Spc. Kevin R. Dickson, 21, a construction equipment repair specialist, assigned to the Group Support Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo., was pronounced dead from wounds Aug. 2 at the Joint Balad Hospital.
Dickson joined the Army January 2006 and attended basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. After completion, he attended Basic Airborne and Parachute Rigger Schools at Fort Benning, Ga., before attending his Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Shortly after arriving to the unit in January 2007, Dickson deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V. Dickson was on his second tour to Iraq in support of OIF VI at the time of his death.
His awards include the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
Dickson, a native of Steelville, Mo., is survived by his mother, Catherine Ann Neidig, and two brothers, also of Steelville.
Dickson’s death is under investigation.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Army Pvt. Jair DeJesus Garcia
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Jair DeJesus Garcia, 29, of Chatsworth, Calif.
Pvt. Garcia was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 1, 2008 in Chowkay Valley, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed were 2nd Lt. Michael R. Girdano, Spc. William J. Mulvihill and Pfc. David J. Badie.
PORTER RANCH - Maria Luisa Avneri got a call early Friday from her son, U.S. Army Pvt. Jair De Jesus Garcia, stationed in Afghanistan.
"I'm OK, just going on a little mission now," the 29-year-old soldier told his mother. "So if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, don't worry, I'll be back."
That night, her heart filled with joy when she spotted a man in a green uniform walking toward her house.
Was it Jair? Was his "little mission" a surprise trip home to visit mom?
Hardly able to contain her excitement, she called to her husband to come to the door.
Just then, another soldier stepped into view. Within an instant, she no longer wanted to open the door.
"I knew what they were coming to say," Avneri said.
There was an explosion, they told her, and her youngest son was dead.
Jair Garcia was killed Friday by a roadside bomb in Chowkay Valley, Afghanistan, along with three other soldiers.
On Tuesday, relatives remembered Garcia - who leaves behind a wife and a 9-year-old son - as a proud soldier and loving father who would do anything to please those he cared for.
"He really believed in what he was doing as far as being in the military," said 31-year-old Eddie Garcia, one of his three siblings. "We were very supportive of him. We understood that this is what made him the happiest."
"You couldn't be around him without laughing," his mother said. "He was always volunteering."
Garcia, a Birmingham High School grad, had told relatives he was upset about the state of the world and felt he had to do something about it. So he joined the Army last fall. In June, he left for Afghanistan.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags flown at half-staff over the state Capitol on Tuesday to specifically honor Garcia.
"Jair De Jesus was a brave soldier who fought courageously in defense of our nation's freedom. His sacrifice, service and loyalty to our country will never be forgotten," Schwarzenegger said.
`He loved the kids'
In the Army, Garcia was happy. Even though family members had tried to talk him out of enlisting last year, his enthusiasm infected them.
"You should have seen his face. And you could see it on his pictures if you could only see them," Avneri said. "He was very, very proud of what he was doing."
He always had a talent for reading people and relating to them.
Named after a Brazilian soccer star from the 1960s, Garcia was once an assistant soccer coach at Fulton College Preparatory in Van Nuys, said Eddie Garcia, who also coached the team.
He believed in the kids, and did everything he could to mentor them and keep them on a positive path. When he was with them, his brother said, he was able to fit in as one of the guys.
"The kids loved him, he loved the kids," he said. "The guys had a lot of respect for him, aside from being in the military. He had a lot of friends."
On Tuesday, the kids on the soccer team hadn't been informed that Garcia had been killed in action. A few are going to take it especially hard, Eddie Garcia said.
Soldier was close to his family
As a child, Jair Garcia had a keen interest in the arts. He loved opera and played several piano recitals. But when he entered Birmingham High School, he traded the ivory keys for the pigskin and joined the football team.
He and Eddie shared a bedroom for 10 years growing up, along with their most personal secrets and tidbits about each other's girlfriends.
"Him and I had this thing where no matter how upset we were, whenever we left a room, no matter how pissed off or how upset we were, the last thing we would say is we love each other," Eddie Garcia said. "That's just how he was, with everybody."
Garcia was always close to his family and made it a point to visit every Sunday until he shipped out.
His family has pulled together over the loss. In addition to his son, wife, mother and brother Eddie, Jair is survived by his father, his sister, and another brother.
Jair Garcia's son is too young to fully understand the concept of death, Eddie Garcia said.
The boy asked his grandmother if there's sushi in heaven, because his dad loved it. She told him there's all-you-can-eat sushi up there.
His mother reflected on her youngest son's childhood, when she took him to his first opera: "Madame Butterfly."
"He saw the part when the son is taken away from the mother, and he started crying," she said. "He was a beautiful baby. He'll always be a beautiful baby to me."
Army Pvt. Jair DeJesus Garcia was killed in action on 8/1/08.
Army Pvt. Jair DeJesus Garcia, 29, of Chatsworth, Calif.
Pvt. Garcia was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 1, 2008 in Chowkay Valley, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed were 2nd Lt. Michael R. Girdano, Spc. William J. Mulvihill and Pfc. David J. Badie.
PORTER RANCH - Maria Luisa Avneri got a call early Friday from her son, U.S. Army Pvt. Jair De Jesus Garcia, stationed in Afghanistan.
"I'm OK, just going on a little mission now," the 29-year-old soldier told his mother. "So if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, don't worry, I'll be back."
That night, her heart filled with joy when she spotted a man in a green uniform walking toward her house.
Was it Jair? Was his "little mission" a surprise trip home to visit mom?
Hardly able to contain her excitement, she called to her husband to come to the door.
Just then, another soldier stepped into view. Within an instant, she no longer wanted to open the door.
"I knew what they were coming to say," Avneri said.
There was an explosion, they told her, and her youngest son was dead.
Jair Garcia was killed Friday by a roadside bomb in Chowkay Valley, Afghanistan, along with three other soldiers.
On Tuesday, relatives remembered Garcia - who leaves behind a wife and a 9-year-old son - as a proud soldier and loving father who would do anything to please those he cared for.
"He really believed in what he was doing as far as being in the military," said 31-year-old Eddie Garcia, one of his three siblings. "We were very supportive of him. We understood that this is what made him the happiest."
"You couldn't be around him without laughing," his mother said. "He was always volunteering."
Garcia, a Birmingham High School grad, had told relatives he was upset about the state of the world and felt he had to do something about it. So he joined the Army last fall. In June, he left for Afghanistan.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags flown at half-staff over the state Capitol on Tuesday to specifically honor Garcia.
"Jair De Jesus was a brave soldier who fought courageously in defense of our nation's freedom. His sacrifice, service and loyalty to our country will never be forgotten," Schwarzenegger said.
`He loved the kids'
In the Army, Garcia was happy. Even though family members had tried to talk him out of enlisting last year, his enthusiasm infected them.
"You should have seen his face. And you could see it on his pictures if you could only see them," Avneri said. "He was very, very proud of what he was doing."
He always had a talent for reading people and relating to them.
Named after a Brazilian soccer star from the 1960s, Garcia was once an assistant soccer coach at Fulton College Preparatory in Van Nuys, said Eddie Garcia, who also coached the team.
He believed in the kids, and did everything he could to mentor them and keep them on a positive path. When he was with them, his brother said, he was able to fit in as one of the guys.
"The kids loved him, he loved the kids," he said. "The guys had a lot of respect for him, aside from being in the military. He had a lot of friends."
On Tuesday, the kids on the soccer team hadn't been informed that Garcia had been killed in action. A few are going to take it especially hard, Eddie Garcia said.
Soldier was close to his family
As a child, Jair Garcia had a keen interest in the arts. He loved opera and played several piano recitals. But when he entered Birmingham High School, he traded the ivory keys for the pigskin and joined the football team.
He and Eddie shared a bedroom for 10 years growing up, along with their most personal secrets and tidbits about each other's girlfriends.
"Him and I had this thing where no matter how upset we were, whenever we left a room, no matter how pissed off or how upset we were, the last thing we would say is we love each other," Eddie Garcia said. "That's just how he was, with everybody."
Garcia was always close to his family and made it a point to visit every Sunday until he shipped out.
His family has pulled together over the loss. In addition to his son, wife, mother and brother Eddie, Jair is survived by his father, his sister, and another brother.
Jair Garcia's son is too young to fully understand the concept of death, Eddie Garcia said.
The boy asked his grandmother if there's sushi in heaven, because his dad loved it. She told him there's all-you-can-eat sushi up there.
His mother reflected on her youngest son's childhood, when she took him to his first opera: "Madame Butterfly."
"He saw the part when the son is taken away from the mother, and he started crying," she said. "He was a beautiful baby. He'll always be a beautiful baby to me."
Army Pvt. Jair DeJesus Garcia was killed in action on 8/1/08.
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