Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Jonathan C. Yanney, 20, of Litchfield, Minn.
Pfc. Yanney was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Aug. 18, 2009 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed was Spc. Troy O. Tom.
Soldier with Minnesota ties killed in Afghanistan
KARE-TV (Minneapolis)
Jonathan Yanney once described himself as a “pretty active” person, “so I don’t like just sitting around doing nothing.”
Not long after he graduated from high school, Yanney joined an Army Stryker brigade deployed to southern Afghanistan. The 20-year-old was reportedly on his way to help another unit under fire last week when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. The explosion killed him and another soldier, Spc. Troy O. Tom, 21, of Shiprock, N.M.
“Extremely driven,” was how his former high school principal, Marcella Swatosh, described Yanney on Monday.
“We knew that he wanted to go into something where he could help people,” said Swatosh, the principal of Norwood High School in southern Missouri, which Yanney attended for three years. “He was always very focused on wanting to help people, and it sounds like that’s what he was doing.
Yanney, of Litchfield, Minn., enlisted in the Army in March 2008 and reported to Fort Lewis, Wash., six months later.
He was sent to Kandahar province, one of the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan. Insurgents regularly plant roadside bombs to attack Afghan and foreign troops there to combat both the Taliban and a thriving opium trade.
Yanney’s self-description was on his MySpace page. A posting on Yanney’s MySpace from someone who identified himself as his father said Yanney was “en route to assist another unit under fire.”
Jonathan Yanney’s decision to join the military was a surprise to some who knew him.
“I never pictured that,” said Kevin Drake, his former baseball coach. “Very respectful, always, ‘Yes sir, Mr. Drake.’ ... As far as the being respectful part, you could see the military in him. But no, I wouldn’t have thought he’d be in the armed forces.”
Drake said he persuaded Yanney to join the team even though he hadn’t played baseball before. In time, Yanney became a good hitter on the junior-varsity level and played in a handful of varsity games by his second year.
Both Drake and Swatosh, his high school principal, remembered his sense of humor.
“It was very dry,” Swatosh said.
Yanney later moved to Tennessee for a short time. Samantha Lynn Fedele worked with him at a Wendy’s in Johnson City and stayed in touch after he moved to Minnesota and then deployed abroad.
She remembered him as outgoing and friendly.
“He just had this big, bright smile,” she said. “His smile would be the very first thing you noticed.”
Army Pfc. Jonathan C. Yanney was killed in action on 8/18/09.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Army 1st Sgt. Jose S.N. Crisostomo
Remember Our Heroes
Army 1st Sgt. Jose S.N. Crisostomo, 59, of Injaran, Guam
1st Sgt Crisostomo was assigned to International Security Assistance Force, Kabul, Afghanistan; died Aug. 18, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
He was one hell of a guy’
By Brett Kelman
Pacific Daily News
While stationed in Germany through Liberation Day in 1985, Julian Leon Guerrero Mendiola shook hands with a Chamorro man he didn’t know. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo was stationed a few hours away, so the brothers-in-arms had never met.
“He was one hell of a guy,” Mendiola said yesterday, preparing a rosary for his fallen friend. “He was very family-oriented. And he went above and beyond himself to help other people.”
Army 1st Sgt. Jose Crisostomo, who was often called Joe instead of Jose, was killed by a roadside blast in Afghanistan on Aug. 18. He became the oldest of the 33 sons and daughters of Micronesia to have died in the Global War on Terror since 2003. He was 59.
Mendiola said yesterday he met Crisostomo again years after they both left Germany and relocated to Washington state, where they had decided to create lives far away from their beloved island, people and culture.
In 1999, both men were founding members of Grupun Minagof, a community group of Chamorro families who keep ties in the Pacific Northwest so they can retain the family ties they cherished in Guam.
“We describe it as a ‘group of happiness,’ or our happy group. And he was our first vice president,” Mendiola said.
Even later, Mendiola would realize that because Crisostomo was married to Patricia Duenas Leon Guerrero Crisostomo, they were probably related. There are a lot of Leon Guerreros on Guam, but they are all linked somehow, Mendiola said.
Jim Aguigui, the first president of Grupun Minagof, said the organization was started to keep Chamorros who had left Guam cured of homesickness and away from poverty.
For this cause, Crisostomo was aggressive and effective. If Chamorros needed help, he would get it to them, Aguigui said.
“If the time came when they needed help, so they would get on their feet, we would help out in weddings, times of passing, christenings. ... We were there when a Chamorro would need us here in the state of Washington,” Aguigui said.
Aguigui stepped down as head of Grupun Minagof after about six years and Crisostomo eventually took his seat as president.
Crisostomo was still president as of two years ago, when he decided to re-enlist in the military, said friend John Lizama.
Lizama was elected to fill Crisostomo’s spot and is still leading the group.
“Joe was an absolutely outstanding leader,” Lizama said. “He has the biggest heart of gold. He’s been extremely charitable to the organizations in Washington state.”
Lizama said Crisostomo was so patriotic, vibrant, motivated and physically fit, few of his friends were surprised when Crisostomo decided he would — or could — re-enlist.
“His enthusiasm is such that it is so contagious he can really motivate people. As old as he was, he is such a motivated and well-liked person that his charisma is actually spectacular,” Lizama said.
Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo and acting Gov. Mike Cruz issued statements yesterday that said they also were mourning Crisostomo’s death.
“We extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to his family and loved ones. 1st Sergeant Crisostomo was a hero and his sacrifices made in the name of our freedom will not be forgotten by the people of Guam,” Bordallo’s statement said.
Crisostomo tribute set
By Bernice Santiago
Pacific Daily News
A tribute for Army 1st Sgt. Jose “Joe” S.N. Crisostomo, who died on Aug. 18 while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, will be held in Talofofo this Saturday.
Crisostomo, 59, died in Kabul, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, according to an Aug. 21 release from the Department of Defense.
Crisostomo is a son of Inarajan, and left the island when he joined the Army for a career lasting decades, his wife, Patricia Duenas Leon Guerrero Crisostomo, said last week.
The tribute will begin at 4:45 p.m Saturday at the San Miguel Church in Talofofo, his sister-in-law, Catherine Leon Guerrero, said. Nightly Mass will continue at the parish until the Aug 29. service.
He was the 33rd soldier from Micronesia to become a casualty of the War on Terror since 2003. He was the third soldier from Micronesia to die this year in the Middle East.
As of Aug. 1 of this year, 759 members of the U.S. armed services have died while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the Philippines, southwest Asia and other areas since 2001, according to the Department of Defense. As of Aug. 24 of this year, 1,331 members of coalition forces have died in Afghanistan since 2001, either in support of U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, according to CNN.
Crisostomo was assigned to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was one of more than 64,000 members of the ISAF, who are conducting security and stabilization operations throughout Afghanistan, according to NATO releases.
“On behalf of my sister (Patricia Crisostomo), she extends her gratitude for all the condolences and support that the island has given in honor of her husband,” Leon Guerrero said.
Army 1st Sgt. Jose S.N. Crisostomo was killed in action on 8/18/09.
Army 1st Sgt. Jose S.N. Crisostomo, 59, of Injaran, Guam
1st Sgt Crisostomo was assigned to International Security Assistance Force, Kabul, Afghanistan; died Aug. 18, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
He was one hell of a guy’
By Brett Kelman
Pacific Daily News
While stationed in Germany through Liberation Day in 1985, Julian Leon Guerrero Mendiola shook hands with a Chamorro man he didn’t know. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo was stationed a few hours away, so the brothers-in-arms had never met.
“He was one hell of a guy,” Mendiola said yesterday, preparing a rosary for his fallen friend. “He was very family-oriented. And he went above and beyond himself to help other people.”
Army 1st Sgt. Jose Crisostomo, who was often called Joe instead of Jose, was killed by a roadside blast in Afghanistan on Aug. 18. He became the oldest of the 33 sons and daughters of Micronesia to have died in the Global War on Terror since 2003. He was 59.
Mendiola said yesterday he met Crisostomo again years after they both left Germany and relocated to Washington state, where they had decided to create lives far away from their beloved island, people and culture.
In 1999, both men were founding members of Grupun Minagof, a community group of Chamorro families who keep ties in the Pacific Northwest so they can retain the family ties they cherished in Guam.
“We describe it as a ‘group of happiness,’ or our happy group. And he was our first vice president,” Mendiola said.
Even later, Mendiola would realize that because Crisostomo was married to Patricia Duenas Leon Guerrero Crisostomo, they were probably related. There are a lot of Leon Guerreros on Guam, but they are all linked somehow, Mendiola said.
Jim Aguigui, the first president of Grupun Minagof, said the organization was started to keep Chamorros who had left Guam cured of homesickness and away from poverty.
For this cause, Crisostomo was aggressive and effective. If Chamorros needed help, he would get it to them, Aguigui said.
“If the time came when they needed help, so they would get on their feet, we would help out in weddings, times of passing, christenings. ... We were there when a Chamorro would need us here in the state of Washington,” Aguigui said.
Aguigui stepped down as head of Grupun Minagof after about six years and Crisostomo eventually took his seat as president.
Crisostomo was still president as of two years ago, when he decided to re-enlist in the military, said friend John Lizama.
Lizama was elected to fill Crisostomo’s spot and is still leading the group.
“Joe was an absolutely outstanding leader,” Lizama said. “He has the biggest heart of gold. He’s been extremely charitable to the organizations in Washington state.”
Lizama said Crisostomo was so patriotic, vibrant, motivated and physically fit, few of his friends were surprised when Crisostomo decided he would — or could — re-enlist.
“His enthusiasm is such that it is so contagious he can really motivate people. As old as he was, he is such a motivated and well-liked person that his charisma is actually spectacular,” Lizama said.
Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo and acting Gov. Mike Cruz issued statements yesterday that said they also were mourning Crisostomo’s death.
“We extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to his family and loved ones. 1st Sergeant Crisostomo was a hero and his sacrifices made in the name of our freedom will not be forgotten by the people of Guam,” Bordallo’s statement said.
Crisostomo tribute set
By Bernice Santiago
Pacific Daily News
A tribute for Army 1st Sgt. Jose “Joe” S.N. Crisostomo, who died on Aug. 18 while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, will be held in Talofofo this Saturday.
Crisostomo, 59, died in Kabul, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, according to an Aug. 21 release from the Department of Defense.
Crisostomo is a son of Inarajan, and left the island when he joined the Army for a career lasting decades, his wife, Patricia Duenas Leon Guerrero Crisostomo, said last week.
The tribute will begin at 4:45 p.m Saturday at the San Miguel Church in Talofofo, his sister-in-law, Catherine Leon Guerrero, said. Nightly Mass will continue at the parish until the Aug 29. service.
He was the 33rd soldier from Micronesia to become a casualty of the War on Terror since 2003. He was the third soldier from Micronesia to die this year in the Middle East.
As of Aug. 1 of this year, 759 members of the U.S. armed services have died while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the Philippines, southwest Asia and other areas since 2001, according to the Department of Defense. As of Aug. 24 of this year, 1,331 members of coalition forces have died in Afghanistan since 2001, either in support of U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, according to CNN.
Crisostomo was assigned to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was one of more than 64,000 members of the ISAF, who are conducting security and stabilization operations throughout Afghanistan, according to NATO releases.
“On behalf of my sister (Patricia Crisostomo), she extends her gratitude for all the condolences and support that the island has given in honor of her husband,” Leon Guerrero said.
Army 1st Sgt. Jose S.N. Crisostomo was killed in action on 8/18/09.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin, 34, of Garfield Heights, Ohio
Gunnery Sgt. Benjamin was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 18, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
WKSU -- Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin died yesterday in Afghanistan, where he was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion in the Helmand Province. Benjamin was 34.
He was a 1993 graduate of Garfield Heights High School, and joined the Marines right after high school.
He last signed onto MySpace in May, and wrote then: "Most people don't understand what we do. I love my job. Yes, I said I love my job. How many of you can say you are right where you want to be at this point in your life? I know I can."
Benjamin is the second man from Garfield Heights to die in combat this year. Army Spc. Brad Davis died in a roadside bombing in Iraq in April. He graduated from Garfield Heights High School in 2006.
Gunny, lance cpl. die in Afghanistan
Staff report
Two North Carolina-based Marines were killed this week supporting combat operations in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.
Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin, 34, of Garfield, Ohio, died Aug. 18 and Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, N.Y., died Aug. 17. Both died in Helmand province. Both were assigned to units with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, but it’s not clear if the incidents were related.
Benjamin was assigned to Camp Lejeune’s 8th Engineer Support Battalion, according to a news release. No other information about him was immediately available.
Damas was a rifleman with the Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. He joined the Corps in January 2006. In February, he returned from his second seven-month tour in Iraq since 2007, and then left for Afghanistan in May.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin was killed in action on 8/18/09.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin, 34, of Garfield Heights, Ohio
Gunnery Sgt. Benjamin was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 18, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
WKSU -- Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin died yesterday in Afghanistan, where he was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion in the Helmand Province. Benjamin was 34.
He was a 1993 graduate of Garfield Heights High School, and joined the Marines right after high school.
He last signed onto MySpace in May, and wrote then: "Most people don't understand what we do. I love my job. Yes, I said I love my job. How many of you can say you are right where you want to be at this point in your life? I know I can."
Benjamin is the second man from Garfield Heights to die in combat this year. Army Spc. Brad Davis died in a roadside bombing in Iraq in April. He graduated from Garfield Heights High School in 2006.
Gunny, lance cpl. die in Afghanistan
Staff report
Two North Carolina-based Marines were killed this week supporting combat operations in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.
Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin, 34, of Garfield, Ohio, died Aug. 18 and Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, N.Y., died Aug. 17. Both died in Helmand province. Both were assigned to units with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, but it’s not clear if the incidents were related.
Benjamin was assigned to Camp Lejeune’s 8th Engineer Support Battalion, according to a news release. No other information about him was immediately available.
Damas was a rifleman with the Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. He joined the Corps in January 2006. In February, he returned from his second seven-month tour in Iraq since 2007, and then left for Afghanistan in May.
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin was killed in action on 8/18/09.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, N.Y.
LCpl. Damas was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 17, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
YourNabe.com -- A Queens Marine was killed earlier this week in Afghanistan as the fledgling democracy prepared to hold its annual elections, the U.S. Marine Corps. said.
Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, died Monday during a combat operation in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, according to the Marines.
“It shocked me,” said Master Sgt. Darin Bell, who helped recruit Damas at the Marine’s recruiting station on Jamaica Avenue.
Damas, a Jamaica native, was on his first tour of duty in that country and served as a rifleman Company G, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, according to the Marines. The Marine, who joined the corps in January 2006, had previously served two tours in Iraq, from March 2007 to September 2007 and July 2008 to February 2009, the Marines said.
He had been in Afghanistan since May, according to the Marines.
Violence from insurgent forces has been on the rise in the last few weeks in the run-up to Thursday’s national elections in Afghanistan.
Bell, who did not serve with Damas, said that he was very enthusiastic about his life as a member of the armed services and always wanted to be a Marine.
“He wanted to get out of New York and do something different,” Bell said.
The sergeant said that Damas would keep in contact with him via his Facebook and MySpace pages, which were filled with photos of his time overseas.
“He hit me up on Facebook and I saw the photos of him in uniform and I was like, ‘Man, he finally made it,’” Bell said.
Bell said that Damas lived with his mother in Jamaica until he enlisted.
Dan Andrews, a spokesman for Borough President Helen Marshall, said that Damas was an alumnus of Newtown High School in Elmhurst.
“On behalf of the people of Queens, I extend condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Lance Cpl. Leopold Damas, who was killed while serving his country in Afghanistan,” Marshall said in a statement.
Marine Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas was killed in action on 8/17/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, N.Y.
LCpl. Damas was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 17, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
YourNabe.com -- A Queens Marine was killed earlier this week in Afghanistan as the fledgling democracy prepared to hold its annual elections, the U.S. Marine Corps. said.
Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, died Monday during a combat operation in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, according to the Marines.
“It shocked me,” said Master Sgt. Darin Bell, who helped recruit Damas at the Marine’s recruiting station on Jamaica Avenue.
Damas, a Jamaica native, was on his first tour of duty in that country and served as a rifleman Company G, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, according to the Marines. The Marine, who joined the corps in January 2006, had previously served two tours in Iraq, from March 2007 to September 2007 and July 2008 to February 2009, the Marines said.
He had been in Afghanistan since May, according to the Marines.
Violence from insurgent forces has been on the rise in the last few weeks in the run-up to Thursday’s national elections in Afghanistan.
Bell, who did not serve with Damas, said that he was very enthusiastic about his life as a member of the armed services and always wanted to be a Marine.
“He wanted to get out of New York and do something different,” Bell said.
The sergeant said that Damas would keep in contact with him via his Facebook and MySpace pages, which were filled with photos of his time overseas.
“He hit me up on Facebook and I saw the photos of him in uniform and I was like, ‘Man, he finally made it,’” Bell said.
Bell said that Damas lived with his mother in Jamaica until he enlisted.
Dan Andrews, a spokesman for Borough President Helen Marshall, said that Damas was an alumnus of Newtown High School in Elmhurst.
“On behalf of the people of Queens, I extend condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Lance Cpl. Leopold Damas, who was killed while serving his country in Afghanistan,” Marshall said in a statement.
Marine Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas was killed in action on 8/17/09.
Army Spc. Matthew D. Hastings
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Matthew D. Hastings, 23, of Claremore, Okla.
Spc. Hastings was assigned to the 582nd Medical Logistics Company, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 17, 2009 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Tulsa World -- Friends and family of Spc. Matthew D. Hastings say they are devastated by the death of the Claremore soldier, who was killed Monday in Baghdad, Iraq, in a noncombat-related incident.
But in describing the brief life he lived and the passion with which he lived it, they did so with an unmistakable sense of pride and gratitude.
“He was just an all-American kid,” his mother, Lawanda Lowry, said Thursday night. “He was so proud to be in the Army and he was so proud to serve our country.”
Hastings, 23, joined the military in August 2006 as a light-wheel vehicle mechanic. In 2007, he was assigned to the 582nd Medical Logistics Company, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, Texas.
Lowry said joining the military was the best thing her son ever did.
“He called me when he was graduating from basic training and said, ‘Mom, I have accomplished far more and greater things than I ever thought possible,’” Lowry said.
But it wasn’t easy. Lowry said her son, who was first deployed to Iraq in December 2008, saw a lot of his friends die serving their country.
“That was really hard on Matt,” Lowry said.
The military is still investigating the circumstances of Hastings’ death. It did not release any details in a news release announcing his death on Thursday.
Lowry said she also was waiting to hear specifics from military officials.
Kristy Moore said her longtime friend loved to hunt and fish, but that it was the company of his friends and family that brought Hastings the most joy.
“He just loved to be surrounded by friends and family,” Moore said.
Hastings’ tour of duty in Iraq began in December 2008 and he returned home for about two weeks in April, Moore said. It was precious time spent with friends and family.
“When he walked into a room everybody liked him,” Moore said. “He was an amazing human being.”
Lowry said her son graduated from Broken Arrow Alternative Academy in 2005 and that like most kids, he had his share of bumps in the road.
But the military helped change that.
“He loved the structure of it,” Lowry said. “He loved the honor of it.”
Hastings received several awards and decorations, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
In addition to his mother, Hastings is survived by his stepfather, Roger Lowry, both of Coweta; his father, Clark Hastings Jr. of Arkansas; his sister, Michelle Brazil of Claremore; his maternal grandparents, Wanda and Vernon Cline of Pryor; and his paternal grandfather, Clark W. Hastings of Jacksonville, Ark. A brother, Clark Hastings III, preceded him in death.
Army Spc. Matthew D. Hastings was killed in a non-combat related incident on 8/17/09.
Army Spc. Matthew D. Hastings, 23, of Claremore, Okla.
Spc. Hastings was assigned to the 582nd Medical Logistics Company, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 17, 2009 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Tulsa World -- Friends and family of Spc. Matthew D. Hastings say they are devastated by the death of the Claremore soldier, who was killed Monday in Baghdad, Iraq, in a noncombat-related incident.
But in describing the brief life he lived and the passion with which he lived it, they did so with an unmistakable sense of pride and gratitude.
“He was just an all-American kid,” his mother, Lawanda Lowry, said Thursday night. “He was so proud to be in the Army and he was so proud to serve our country.”
Hastings, 23, joined the military in August 2006 as a light-wheel vehicle mechanic. In 2007, he was assigned to the 582nd Medical Logistics Company, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, Texas.
Lowry said joining the military was the best thing her son ever did.
“He called me when he was graduating from basic training and said, ‘Mom, I have accomplished far more and greater things than I ever thought possible,’” Lowry said.
But it wasn’t easy. Lowry said her son, who was first deployed to Iraq in December 2008, saw a lot of his friends die serving their country.
“That was really hard on Matt,” Lowry said.
The military is still investigating the circumstances of Hastings’ death. It did not release any details in a news release announcing his death on Thursday.
Lowry said she also was waiting to hear specifics from military officials.
Kristy Moore said her longtime friend loved to hunt and fish, but that it was the company of his friends and family that brought Hastings the most joy.
“He just loved to be surrounded by friends and family,” Moore said.
Hastings’ tour of duty in Iraq began in December 2008 and he returned home for about two weeks in April, Moore said. It was precious time spent with friends and family.
“When he walked into a room everybody liked him,” Moore said. “He was an amazing human being.”
Lowry said her son graduated from Broken Arrow Alternative Academy in 2005 and that like most kids, he had his share of bumps in the road.
But the military helped change that.
“He loved the structure of it,” Lowry said. “He loved the honor of it.”
Hastings received several awards and decorations, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
In addition to his mother, Hastings is survived by his stepfather, Roger Lowry, both of Coweta; his father, Clark Hastings Jr. of Arkansas; his sister, Michelle Brazil of Claremore; his maternal grandparents, Wanda and Vernon Cline of Pryor; and his paternal grandfather, Clark W. Hastings of Jacksonville, Ark. A brother, Clark Hastings III, preceded him in death.
Army Spc. Matthew D. Hastings was killed in a non-combat related incident on 8/17/09.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr., 31, of Chesapeake, Va.
SFC Woods was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Maryland National Guard, Glen Arm, Md.; died Aug. 16, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds sustained when he was shot Aug. 14, 2009 while on patrol in Ghazni, Afghanistan.
Washington Post -- A Virginia soldier has died of wounds he suffered in Afghanistan last week.
Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr., 31, of Chesapeake, died Aug. 16 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. He succumbed to gunshot wounds he suffered Aug. 14 while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a news release.
A family member remembered Woods as a soft-spoken, level-headed man who was devoted to his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters, Lilly, 6, and Elle May Sky, 8 months.
"He would always be beaming when he was around his kids," said Bob Woods, 58, an uncle who lives near Cincinnati. "And he and his wife . . . they really just made a nice couple. They really worked well together. They were happy and in love."
Woods said that he talked with William before he left for Afghanistan and that he was proud to serve his country in spite of the risks.
"He was a very, very good young man," Woods said. "He loved his country, he loved what he was doing, and he knew the ramifications of what he did."
Woods, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Glen Arm, Md., was shot in Afghanistan's Ghazni province. The enemy has not been identified.
"The overall mission of that task force is training and enabling the Afghan forces," said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Baker, a Special Forces spokesman at Fort Bragg, N.C. "They work with Afghan commandos."
Woods said William was a medical sergeant who completed a treacherous three-year training program. "That's more than just a paramedic. . . . There's serious stuff you've got to do there."
Woods's family has a long military lineage. His father, William B. Woods Sr., served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War; his grandfather, John Woods, was in the Navy in World War II; and his uncles, Johnnie and Bob Woods, served in the Army in Vietnam.
Bob Woods is Ohio State captain of the Patriot Guard Riders, a national organization made up mostly of motorcycle riders that attends military funerals to show support for families. "My fellow patriots this one hit close to home," he wrote in a posting on the group's Web site.
"I understand war, and I understand people dying, and unfortunately it tapped my door this time," he said. "Our family believes that when it's your time to die, it's your time to die. We don't know the reason."
Bob Woods said his nephew grew up in Catawissa, Mo., about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis. He had an adventurous spirit and loved sports, the outdoors and skydiving. He served in the Marine Corps and the Army before joining the Special Forces.
"The family is coping with it the best we can," Bob Woods said. "And we'll get through it, and we would . . . like to ask the nation not only to pray for my nephew's wife and two children but also to continue to respect and pray for our military men and women around the world. They need our support in the worst way, and a lot of times people don't realize how much support they need until something hits home like this."
Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr. was killed in action on 8/16/09.
Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr., 31, of Chesapeake, Va.
SFC Woods was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Maryland National Guard, Glen Arm, Md.; died Aug. 16, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds sustained when he was shot Aug. 14, 2009 while on patrol in Ghazni, Afghanistan.
Washington Post -- A Virginia soldier has died of wounds he suffered in Afghanistan last week.
Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr., 31, of Chesapeake, died Aug. 16 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. He succumbed to gunshot wounds he suffered Aug. 14 while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, according to a news release.
A family member remembered Woods as a soft-spoken, level-headed man who was devoted to his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters, Lilly, 6, and Elle May Sky, 8 months.
"He would always be beaming when he was around his kids," said Bob Woods, 58, an uncle who lives near Cincinnati. "And he and his wife . . . they really just made a nice couple. They really worked well together. They were happy and in love."
Woods said that he talked with William before he left for Afghanistan and that he was proud to serve his country in spite of the risks.
"He was a very, very good young man," Woods said. "He loved his country, he loved what he was doing, and he knew the ramifications of what he did."
Woods, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Glen Arm, Md., was shot in Afghanistan's Ghazni province. The enemy has not been identified.
"The overall mission of that task force is training and enabling the Afghan forces," said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Baker, a Special Forces spokesman at Fort Bragg, N.C. "They work with Afghan commandos."
Woods said William was a medical sergeant who completed a treacherous three-year training program. "That's more than just a paramedic. . . . There's serious stuff you've got to do there."
Woods's family has a long military lineage. His father, William B. Woods Sr., served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War; his grandfather, John Woods, was in the Navy in World War II; and his uncles, Johnnie and Bob Woods, served in the Army in Vietnam.
Bob Woods is Ohio State captain of the Patriot Guard Riders, a national organization made up mostly of motorcycle riders that attends military funerals to show support for families. "My fellow patriots this one hit close to home," he wrote in a posting on the group's Web site.
"I understand war, and I understand people dying, and unfortunately it tapped my door this time," he said. "Our family believes that when it's your time to die, it's your time to die. We don't know the reason."
Bob Woods said his nephew grew up in Catawissa, Mo., about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis. He had an adventurous spirit and loved sports, the outdoors and skydiving. He served in the Marine Corps and the Army before joining the Special Forces.
"The family is coping with it the best we can," Bob Woods said. "And we'll get through it, and we would . . . like to ask the nation not only to pray for my nephew's wife and two children but also to continue to respect and pray for our military men and women around the world. They need our support in the worst way, and a lot of times people don't realize how much support they need until something hits home like this."
Army Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr. was killed in action on 8/16/09.
Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush, 22, of Middleville, Mich.
Cpl. Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 16, 2009 in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Father calls son’s death ‘devastating’
The Associated Press
MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. — The father of a Middleville soldier killed in Afghanistan says dealing with his son’s death has been “devastating.”
The Department of Defense announced Aug. 17 that 22-year-old Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush died Aug 16 in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Roush was a Thornapple-Kellogg High School graduate.
Bob Roush tells The Grand Rapids Press his son “wanted to serve” and “do something significant,” he and believes he “has done that and more.”
He says the family is “counting on seeing Nick in heaven.”
Nicholas Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Middleville is about 125 miles west-northwest of Detroit.
Flags at half-staff for fallen soldier
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered that U.S. flags in Michigan be flown at half-staff to honor a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.
Flags should be lowered Aug. 25 for Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush of Middleville. The 22-year-old died Aug. 16 from injuries sustained in Herat when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush was killed in action on 8/16/09.
Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush, 22, of Middleville, Mich.
Cpl. Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 16, 2009 in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Father calls son’s death ‘devastating’
The Associated Press
MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. — The father of a Middleville soldier killed in Afghanistan says dealing with his son’s death has been “devastating.”
The Department of Defense announced Aug. 17 that 22-year-old Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush died Aug 16 in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Roush was a Thornapple-Kellogg High School graduate.
Bob Roush tells The Grand Rapids Press his son “wanted to serve” and “do something significant,” he and believes he “has done that and more.”
He says the family is “counting on seeing Nick in heaven.”
Nicholas Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Middleville is about 125 miles west-northwest of Detroit.
Flags at half-staff for fallen soldier
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered that U.S. flags in Michigan be flown at half-staff to honor a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.
Flags should be lowered Aug. 25 for Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush of Middleville. The 22-year-old died Aug. 16 from injuries sustained in Herat when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush was killed in action on 8/16/09.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard, 21, of New Portland, Maine
LCpl. Bernard was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay; died Aug. 14, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2/3 Marine dies in Afghanistan
Staff report
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Defense Department officials Aug. 17 identified a Marine killed Aug. 14 in Afghanistan as Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard.
Bernard, 21, a rifleman from New Portland, Maine, died while he was supporting operations in Helmand province, military officials said.
The combat deployment was the second for Bernard, who enlisted in November 2006 and joined Hawaii-based 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in May 2007 and deployed with the battalion to Iraq in 2008, Marine Corps Base-Hawaii officials said in a news release. The battalion is operating as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan.
Bernard had received the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, officials said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard was killed in action on 8/14/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard, 21, of New Portland, Maine
LCpl. Bernard was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay; died Aug. 14, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
2/3 Marine dies in Afghanistan
Staff report
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Defense Department officials Aug. 17 identified a Marine killed Aug. 14 in Afghanistan as Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard.
Bernard, 21, a rifleman from New Portland, Maine, died while he was supporting operations in Helmand province, military officials said.
The combat deployment was the second for Bernard, who enlisted in November 2006 and joined Hawaii-based 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in May 2007 and deployed with the battalion to Iraq in 2008, Marine Corps Base-Hawaii officials said in a news release. The battalion is operating as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan.
Bernard had received the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, officials said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard was killed in action on 8/14/09.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Marine Sgt. William J. Cahir
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. William J. Cahir, 40, of Washington D.C.
Sgt. Cahir was assigned to 4th Civil Affairs Group, Marine Forces Reserve, Washington D.C.; died Aug. 13, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Former journalist, Pa. congressional candidate dies in Afghanistan
By Dan Robrish
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Sgt. Bill Cahir, a former news reporter and congressional candidate, has been killed in Afghanistan while serving with the Marines, a family friend said Aug 13. He was 40.
The friend, June Weaver, answered the telephone at a relative’s house and confirmed Cahir’s death to The Associated Press but said the family did not wish to comment.
Cahir was lauded at a newspaper where he used to work.
“This is an American hero as far as I’m concerned,” said Joe Owens, editor of The Express-Times, of Easton, Pa. “This guy’s the real thing.”
Cahir, a Bellefonte, Pa., native, was working in the newspaper’s Washington, D.C., bureau. Owens said Cahir enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 2003 in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“He was in his mid-30s, only days away from being ineligible — too old — to sign up for the Marine Corps, and he essentially talked his way in because it was something he had to do,” Owens said.
Cahir did two tours of duty in Iraq before returning to Pennsylvania.
He ran in a three-way Democratic primary last year to replace longtime Republican Rep. John Peterson, who retired. Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken won the primary and was in turn defeated by Republican Glenn Thompson in the overwhelmingly Republican district, which covers a large area of north-central Pennsylvania.
The Express-Times reported that after losing the primary, Cahir said, “My journalism career is over. I’ll talk to the Marine Corps and see what they want me to do and talk to my wife and see what she wants me to do.”
Owens called the former newspaperman “a great American.”
“He was committed to serving this country,” Owens said. “He was on a career path before this that could have led anywhere for him, and he chose this because it was what he needed to do.”
Marine Sgt. William J. Cahir was killed in action on 8/13/09.
Marine Sgt. William J. Cahir, 40, of Washington D.C.
Sgt. Cahir was assigned to 4th Civil Affairs Group, Marine Forces Reserve, Washington D.C.; died Aug. 13, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Former journalist, Pa. congressional candidate dies in Afghanistan
By Dan Robrish
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Sgt. Bill Cahir, a former news reporter and congressional candidate, has been killed in Afghanistan while serving with the Marines, a family friend said Aug 13. He was 40.
The friend, June Weaver, answered the telephone at a relative’s house and confirmed Cahir’s death to The Associated Press but said the family did not wish to comment.
Cahir was lauded at a newspaper where he used to work.
“This is an American hero as far as I’m concerned,” said Joe Owens, editor of The Express-Times, of Easton, Pa. “This guy’s the real thing.”
Cahir, a Bellefonte, Pa., native, was working in the newspaper’s Washington, D.C., bureau. Owens said Cahir enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 2003 in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“He was in his mid-30s, only days away from being ineligible — too old — to sign up for the Marine Corps, and he essentially talked his way in because it was something he had to do,” Owens said.
Cahir did two tours of duty in Iraq before returning to Pennsylvania.
He ran in a three-way Democratic primary last year to replace longtime Republican Rep. John Peterson, who retired. Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken won the primary and was in turn defeated by Republican Glenn Thompson in the overwhelmingly Republican district, which covers a large area of north-central Pennsylvania.
The Express-Times reported that after losing the primary, Cahir said, “My journalism career is over. I’ll talk to the Marine Corps and see what they want me to do and talk to my wife and see what she wants me to do.”
Owens called the former newspaperman “a great American.”
“He was committed to serving this country,” Owens said. “He was on a career path before this that could have led anywhere for him, and he chose this because it was what he needed to do.”
Marine Sgt. William J. Cahir was killed in action on 8/13/09.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Army Capt. John Tinsley
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. John Tinsley, 28, of Tallahassee, Fla.
Capt. Tinsley was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 12, 2009 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
La. soldier killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
HOUMA, La. — An Army Green Beret killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan was from Houma.
Capt. John Tinsley, 28, died Aug. 12 in Oruzgan province in central Afghanistan, after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle, according to an Army spokesman.
Tinsley, a graduate of Vandebilt High School and Florida State University, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, commonly called the Green Berets, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
A former teacher and classmate recalled him as a quiet, considerate and confident student committed to others.
“He was one of my model students, that’s why I remember him so well,” said Margie Duplantis, who taught Tinsley religion his senior year and worked with him in the campus ministry. “One that had a heart of gold.”
Duplantis, who teaches 130 students a year, said Tinsley stood out.
“He always went against the flow,” said Duplantis, who has taught at Vandebilt for 20 years. “He didn’t follow his peers. He always did what he felt was morally right. If someone was doing something wrong and they wanted him to be a part of it, he wouldn’t be a part of it. Even if it meant him standing up alone.”
Duplantis said Tinsley took charge of his class Christmas project, raising money for needy families.
“If he could do anything to help anyone out, he did,” she said. “He challenged his friends to be better.”
Rodney Burns Jr., 28, a Houma building contractor, graduated from Vandebilt with Tinsley.
“He was a good kid, and from what I was told, he became a great man,” Burns said.
Burns said Tinsley left behind a wife and young daughter.
“I always thought there’d be a time when I’d get to talk to him again,” he said.
Army Capt. John Tinsley was killed in action on 8/12/09.
Army Capt. John Tinsley, 28, of Tallahassee, Fla.
Capt. Tinsley was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 12, 2009 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
La. soldier killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
HOUMA, La. — An Army Green Beret killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan was from Houma.
Capt. John Tinsley, 28, died Aug. 12 in Oruzgan province in central Afghanistan, after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle, according to an Army spokesman.
Tinsley, a graduate of Vandebilt High School and Florida State University, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, commonly called the Green Berets, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
A former teacher and classmate recalled him as a quiet, considerate and confident student committed to others.
“He was one of my model students, that’s why I remember him so well,” said Margie Duplantis, who taught Tinsley religion his senior year and worked with him in the campus ministry. “One that had a heart of gold.”
Duplantis, who teaches 130 students a year, said Tinsley stood out.
“He always went against the flow,” said Duplantis, who has taught at Vandebilt for 20 years. “He didn’t follow his peers. He always did what he felt was morally right. If someone was doing something wrong and they wanted him to be a part of it, he wouldn’t be a part of it. Even if it meant him standing up alone.”
Duplantis said Tinsley took charge of his class Christmas project, raising money for needy families.
“If he could do anything to help anyone out, he did,” she said. “He challenged his friends to be better.”
Rodney Burns Jr., 28, a Houma building contractor, graduated from Vandebilt with Tinsley.
“He was a good kid, and from what I was told, he became a great man,” Burns said.
Burns said Tinsley left behind a wife and young daughter.
“I always thought there’d be a time when I’d get to talk to him again,” he said.
Army Capt. John Tinsley was killed in action on 8/12/09.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce E. Ferrell, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce E. Ferrell, Jr., 21, of Perdido, Ala.
LCpl. Ferrell was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 10, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
North Escambia -- An area Marine on his first deployment has been killed in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Bruce “Bubba” Ferrell Jr., 21, of Perdido, Ala., was killed Sunday night by an improvised explosive device.
He joined the Marine Corps in November 2007, and was promoted to rank of lance corporal. His unit deployed to Afghanistan in May of this year as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Ferrell was a gradate of Baldwin County High School where he was an honor student and a member of the JROTC program.
Ferrell was a member of Fox Company, a rifle unit of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment of the Marine Corps. His tour of duty was scheduled to be just seven months.
He was recently engaged to be married.
Funeral service will be announced after his body is returned to the United States.
Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce E. Ferrell, Jr. was killed in action on 8/10/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce E. Ferrell, Jr., 21, of Perdido, Ala.
LCpl. Ferrell was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 10, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
North Escambia -- An area Marine on his first deployment has been killed in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Bruce “Bubba” Ferrell Jr., 21, of Perdido, Ala., was killed Sunday night by an improvised explosive device.
He joined the Marine Corps in November 2007, and was promoted to rank of lance corporal. His unit deployed to Afghanistan in May of this year as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Ferrell was a gradate of Baldwin County High School where he was an honor student and a member of the JROTC program.
Ferrell was a member of Fox Company, a rifle unit of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment of the Marine Corps. His tour of duty was scheduled to be just seven months.
He was recently engaged to be married.
Funeral service will be announced after his body is returned to the United States.
Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce E. Ferrell, Jr. was killed in action on 8/10/09.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel, 21, of Winfield, Mo.
LCpl. Schimmel was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 9, 2009 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow and Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera.
St. Louis Today -- Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel, 21, was killed Sunday in the Afghanistan's Helmand province, according to the Defense Department.
Schimmel was one of three Marines from the same expeditionary force killed last weekend in combat in the province. All three were based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. The others were Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera, 20, of Palmdale, Calif., and Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow, 23, of Naples, Fla.
The three had been assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. Schimmel was a rifleman who joined the Marine Corps in 2006.
Schimmel was a 2006 graduate of Winfield High School, where he ran cross country. He had also been involved with the Boy Scouts.
Visitation for Schimmel will be 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Baue Funeral and Memorial Center in St. Charles. A funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Baue, with burial to follow at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery.
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel was killed in action on 8/9/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel, 21, of Winfield, Mo.
LCpl. Schimmel was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 9, 2009 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow and Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera.
St. Louis Today -- Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel, 21, was killed Sunday in the Afghanistan's Helmand province, according to the Defense Department.
Schimmel was one of three Marines from the same expeditionary force killed last weekend in combat in the province. All three were based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. The others were Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera, 20, of Palmdale, Calif., and Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow, 23, of Naples, Fla.
The three had been assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. Schimmel was a rifleman who joined the Marine Corps in 2006.
Schimmel was a 2006 graduate of Winfield High School, where he ran cross country. He had also been involved with the Boy Scouts.
Visitation for Schimmel will be 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Baue Funeral and Memorial Center in St. Charles. A funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Baue, with burial to follow at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery.
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel was killed in action on 8/9/09.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera, 20, of Palmdale, Calif.
LCpl. Olvera was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 8 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow and Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel.
Contra Costa Times -- A 20-year-old U.S. marine from Palmdale whose last message to friends on his Myspace account read: "I went to Afghanistan, see you guys later," was killed over the weekend in that country's Helmand Province.
Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera died Saturday as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
It was unclear how Olvera died.
He lists Reseda High School on his Myspace page as one of the schools he attended.
Olvera's last login was June 13.
Messages left for him from friends read: "I'm going to miss you brother... but you will always be in my heart."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement that Olvera was a brave marine who selflessly gave his life in service to his.
"Along with all Californians, Maria and I will forever be grateful for Javier's incredible sacrifice and his courage will not be forgotten," the governor said. "We send our thoughts and prayers to Javier's family, friends and fellow marines during this difficult time."
Marine Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera was killed in action on 8/8/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera, 20, of Palmdale, Calif.
LCpl. Olvera was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 8 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow and Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel.
Contra Costa Times -- A 20-year-old U.S. marine from Palmdale whose last message to friends on his Myspace account read: "I went to Afghanistan, see you guys later," was killed over the weekend in that country's Helmand Province.
Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera died Saturday as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
It was unclear how Olvera died.
He lists Reseda High School on his Myspace page as one of the schools he attended.
Olvera's last login was June 13.
Messages left for him from friends read: "I'm going to miss you brother... but you will always be in my heart."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement that Olvera was a brave marine who selflessly gave his life in service to his.
"Along with all Californians, Maria and I will forever be grateful for Javier's incredible sacrifice and his courage will not be forgotten," the governor said. "We send our thoughts and prayers to Javier's family, friends and fellow marines during this difficult time."
Marine Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera was killed in action on 8/8/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Tara J. Smith
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Tara J. Smith, 33, of Nashville, N.C.
SSgt Smith was assigned to the 50th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 8, 2009 in Bagram, Afghanistan, from a non-combat-related incident that occurred Aug. 4, 2009 at Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan.
Rocky Mount News -- The U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday that Sgt. 1st Class Tara J. Smith of Nashville died from an unspecified noncombat medical condition.
Smith, 33, died Aug. 8 in Bagram, Afghanistan. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Smith was assigned to the 50th Signal Battalion based at Fort Bragg. She deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in January 2009.
“Tara Smith, in addition to being an outstanding noncommissioned officer and leader in the unit, was a bright and charming young woman who will be missed by all.” her battalion commander, Lt. Col Brian Foley, said.
Smith had been selected for promotion prior to her death and was posthumously promoted to sergeant 1st class.
Smith was born in Spring Lake and enlisted in February 1997. Her past duty assignments include Arifjan, Kuwait; Camp Casey, South Korea; and Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
Smith’s military schooling included the Warrior Leader, Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defense, Combat Lifesavers, Basic NCO and Advanced NCO courses.
Her decorations include the Army Commendation, Army Achievement, Korea Defense Service, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Global War on Terror Service medals.
Smith is survived by her husband, Deron Smith, and her children David, 8, and Jordan, 6. A memorial service for Smith was conducted in theater.
Army Staff Sgt. Tara J. Smith died 8/08/09 from a non-combat related incident occuring on 8/04/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Tara J. Smith, 33, of Nashville, N.C.
SSgt Smith was assigned to the 50th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 8, 2009 in Bagram, Afghanistan, from a non-combat-related incident that occurred Aug. 4, 2009 at Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan.
Rocky Mount News -- The U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday that Sgt. 1st Class Tara J. Smith of Nashville died from an unspecified noncombat medical condition.
Smith, 33, died Aug. 8 in Bagram, Afghanistan. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Smith was assigned to the 50th Signal Battalion based at Fort Bragg. She deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in January 2009.
“Tara Smith, in addition to being an outstanding noncommissioned officer and leader in the unit, was a bright and charming young woman who will be missed by all.” her battalion commander, Lt. Col Brian Foley, said.
Smith had been selected for promotion prior to her death and was posthumously promoted to sergeant 1st class.
Smith was born in Spring Lake and enlisted in February 1997. Her past duty assignments include Arifjan, Kuwait; Camp Casey, South Korea; and Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
Smith’s military schooling included the Warrior Leader, Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defense, Combat Lifesavers, Basic NCO and Advanced NCO courses.
Her decorations include the Army Commendation, Army Achievement, Korea Defense Service, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Global War on Terror Service medals.
Smith is survived by her husband, Deron Smith, and her children David, 8, and Jordan, 6. A memorial service for Smith was conducted in theater.
Army Staff Sgt. Tara J. Smith died 8/08/09 from a non-combat related incident occuring on 8/04/09.
Army Spc. Matthew K.S. Swanson
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Matthew K.S. Swanson, 20, of Lake Forest, Calif.
Spc. Swanson was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Aug. 8, 2009 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover July 19 in Logar Province, Afghanistan.
OCRegister -- A Lake Forest soldier who was injured in Afghanistan in July died Saturday.
Specialist Matthew Swanson, 20, sustained injuries during a vehicle rollover accident on July 19 in Logar Province, Afghanistan. Swanson suffered a traumatic brain injury and a fractured spine, his father, Jeff Swanson, said today.
After the incident, Swanson was transferred to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he was taken off life support over the weekend at the request of his family.
Jeff Swanson said his son's body will be brought back to Orange County for a funeral after an autopsy has been completed.
In a statement, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Specialist Swanson a "dedicated soldier who selflessly worked to defend the values that our country was built upon."
"Maria and I are deeply saddened to learn of Matthew's sacrifice and we join all Californians in remember his courageous service," he said. "Our hearts go out to Matthew's family, friends and fellow soldiers as they mourn this tremendous loss."
Matthew Swanson joined the Army after graduating from Trabuco Hills High School in 2007. He was deployed to Afghanistan in January as a member of the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y.
The soldier returned home to visit his dad in June and left on the Fourth of July, Jeff Swanson said. He mourned the loss of his son, but said he was glad Matthew died doing what he wanted to do.
"He always wanted a job where he was making a difference. He's a hero in more ways than one," Jeff Swanson said, adding that his son died for his country and that his organs will be donated. "In his 20 years, he accomplished a lot."
Army Spc. Matthew K.S. Swanson died 8/08/09 as a result of a vehicle rollover on 7/19/09.
Army Spc. Matthew K.S. Swanson, 20, of Lake Forest, Calif.
Spc. Swanson was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Aug. 8, 2009 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover July 19 in Logar Province, Afghanistan.
OCRegister -- A Lake Forest soldier who was injured in Afghanistan in July died Saturday.
Specialist Matthew Swanson, 20, sustained injuries during a vehicle rollover accident on July 19 in Logar Province, Afghanistan. Swanson suffered a traumatic brain injury and a fractured spine, his father, Jeff Swanson, said today.
After the incident, Swanson was transferred to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he was taken off life support over the weekend at the request of his family.
Jeff Swanson said his son's body will be brought back to Orange County for a funeral after an autopsy has been completed.
In a statement, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Specialist Swanson a "dedicated soldier who selflessly worked to defend the values that our country was built upon."
"Maria and I are deeply saddened to learn of Matthew's sacrifice and we join all Californians in remember his courageous service," he said. "Our hearts go out to Matthew's family, friends and fellow soldiers as they mourn this tremendous loss."
Matthew Swanson joined the Army after graduating from Trabuco Hills High School in 2007. He was deployed to Afghanistan in January as a member of the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y.
The soldier returned home to visit his dad in June and left on the Fourth of July, Jeff Swanson said. He mourned the loss of his son, but said he was glad Matthew died doing what he wanted to do.
"He always wanted a job where he was making a difference. He's a hero in more ways than one," Jeff Swanson said, adding that his son died for his country and that his organs will be donated. "In his 20 years, he accomplished a lot."
Army Spc. Matthew K.S. Swanson died 8/08/09 as a result of a vehicle rollover on 7/19/09.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow, 23, of Naples, Fla.
LCpl. Burrow was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 7, 2009 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera and Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel.
CBS4 -- MIAMI (AP) ― A Marine from southwest Florida has been killed in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense says 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow of Naples died Friday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Burrow was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow was killed in action on 8/7/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow, 23, of Naples, Fla.
LCpl. Burrow was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 7, 2009 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera and Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel.
CBS4 -- MIAMI (AP) ― A Marine from southwest Florida has been killed in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense says 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow of Naples died Friday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Burrow was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow was killed in action on 8/7/09.
Marine Capt. Matthew C. Freeman
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Capt. Matthew C. Freeman, 29, of Richmond Hill, Ga.
Capt. Freeman was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 7, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.
Bryan County News -- Fallen Marine Captain Matthew Freeman, 29, of Richmond Hill, is being remembered as a good man, a devoted family man and a true patriot.
He was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36 in Okinawa, Japan, but volunteered for a special liason assignment. Freeman was helping to train the Afghan military on the ground while supporting combat operations in the Kapisa Province. On Aug. 7, Freeman was on top of a roof directing close air support when he was hit by machine gun fire and killed. There were no other reported fatalities in the area at that time.
"We’re all very proud of him," said Gary Freeman, Matthew Freeman’s father. "He was a good man. He loved his country, he loved the Marine Corps, and he loved his wife and family."
Freeman’s casket is slated to arrive at the Savannah Airport today at 3 p.m. and a police escort will lead the casket from the airport along Hwy. 17 to the Richmond Hill Funeral Home.
Richmond Hill City Manager Mike Melton said much of Hwy. 17 will be lined with flags and encourages residents to line up along the highway as Capt. Freeman passes between 3:30-4 p.m.
Mill Run Road, the Strathy Hall street the Freemans live on, has been decorated by neighbors with more than a hundred flags and a large sign at the entrance to the street that is decorated with his picture and reads, "Capt. Matt Freeman USMC was raised on this island. Last week he gave his life in Aghanistan protecting our freedom. Freedom is not free. Matt is our hero."
"Everyone liked Matt," said Richmond Hill High School Principal Charles Spann.
Freeman graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1998. He was chosen as the Richmond Hill Exchange Club Student of the Year that same year.
Spann said Freeman was an outgoing student and that he excelled academically and was an outstanding tennis player.
"He was a young man who was committed to what he wanted to do," Spann said. "He always knew what he wanted. He wanted to be a pilot."
Spann said Freeman wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Gary Freeman is a senior test pilot at Gulfstream and also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
"Matt graduated with honors and got his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy," Spann said.
Freeman graduated from the Naval Academy in 2002. His sister Ginny Freeman is currently attending the academy.
Spann said he and the teachers who knew Freeman were shocked and saddened by the news of his death.
"We all remember Matt with a great deal of fondness," he said. "I’ve known his mother for 12-14 years. She (Lisa Freeman) teaches at the (Richmond Hill) middle school. Many of our students know Matt’s two younger sisters. Our heart goes out to the family."
Some will remember Freeman for his achievements in high school tennis. He played on two final four tennis teams and played varsity tennis for four years.
"He was an A student with interests varying from scouts to church," said Pat Paruso, his RHHS tennis coach. "Always a leader and always good-natured, the kid was admired by both teachers and peers. He wasn’t a goody-goody. He could be rowdy and tough. My kind of kid. He challenged authority but tempered it with understanding. I won’t ever forget him."
"The Freemans have been neighbors of my family for over 17 years, and I will always remember Matt as an outstanding young man who loved his family and country," said Lynn Bennett, who lives on Mill Run Road. "Please remember him and his family in your prayers."
The City of Richmond Hill plans to honor Freeman by presenting the family with a certificate as part of a program entitled The Last Roll Call, which Mayor Richard Davis started up in 2005. Freeman will be the third recipient in the program which honors Richmond Hill men who have been killed in the line of duty. Prior recipients were Alan Gifford and Sid Brookshire.
"Of course, this is a huge loss to the family, but it is also a huge loss to this community," Davis said. "Matt grew up here and I knew him to be a very able and smart young man. This city will always remember the honor and the courage of Captain Matthew Freeman." Freeman leaves behind his wife Theresa. The two wed just three weeks ago. Both graduated from RHHS in 1998. Theresa Freeman, formerly Hess, is an Air Force flight surgeon.
He also leaves behind two siblings – Ginny Freeman and Mary Beth Macias. Mary Beth is married to Air Force Special Ops pilot Mike Macias, who is flying in from Dover, Maryland to help lead today’s precession.
Visitation is scheduled for Friday at the Richmond Hill United Methodist Church from 5-8 p.m., and the service will take place at the church Saturday at 11 a.m.
Marine Capt. Matthew C. Freeman was killed in action on 8/7/09.
Marine Capt. Matthew C. Freeman, 29, of Richmond Hill, Ga.
Capt. Freeman was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 7, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.
Bryan County News -- Fallen Marine Captain Matthew Freeman, 29, of Richmond Hill, is being remembered as a good man, a devoted family man and a true patriot.
He was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36 in Okinawa, Japan, but volunteered for a special liason assignment. Freeman was helping to train the Afghan military on the ground while supporting combat operations in the Kapisa Province. On Aug. 7, Freeman was on top of a roof directing close air support when he was hit by machine gun fire and killed. There were no other reported fatalities in the area at that time.
"We’re all very proud of him," said Gary Freeman, Matthew Freeman’s father. "He was a good man. He loved his country, he loved the Marine Corps, and he loved his wife and family."
Freeman’s casket is slated to arrive at the Savannah Airport today at 3 p.m. and a police escort will lead the casket from the airport along Hwy. 17 to the Richmond Hill Funeral Home.
Richmond Hill City Manager Mike Melton said much of Hwy. 17 will be lined with flags and encourages residents to line up along the highway as Capt. Freeman passes between 3:30-4 p.m.
Mill Run Road, the Strathy Hall street the Freemans live on, has been decorated by neighbors with more than a hundred flags and a large sign at the entrance to the street that is decorated with his picture and reads, "Capt. Matt Freeman USMC was raised on this island. Last week he gave his life in Aghanistan protecting our freedom. Freedom is not free. Matt is our hero."
"Everyone liked Matt," said Richmond Hill High School Principal Charles Spann.
Freeman graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1998. He was chosen as the Richmond Hill Exchange Club Student of the Year that same year.
Spann said Freeman was an outgoing student and that he excelled academically and was an outstanding tennis player.
"He was a young man who was committed to what he wanted to do," Spann said. "He always knew what he wanted. He wanted to be a pilot."
Spann said Freeman wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Gary Freeman is a senior test pilot at Gulfstream and also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
"Matt graduated with honors and got his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy," Spann said.
Freeman graduated from the Naval Academy in 2002. His sister Ginny Freeman is currently attending the academy.
Spann said he and the teachers who knew Freeman were shocked and saddened by the news of his death.
"We all remember Matt with a great deal of fondness," he said. "I’ve known his mother for 12-14 years. She (Lisa Freeman) teaches at the (Richmond Hill) middle school. Many of our students know Matt’s two younger sisters. Our heart goes out to the family."
Some will remember Freeman for his achievements in high school tennis. He played on two final four tennis teams and played varsity tennis for four years.
"He was an A student with interests varying from scouts to church," said Pat Paruso, his RHHS tennis coach. "Always a leader and always good-natured, the kid was admired by both teachers and peers. He wasn’t a goody-goody. He could be rowdy and tough. My kind of kid. He challenged authority but tempered it with understanding. I won’t ever forget him."
"The Freemans have been neighbors of my family for over 17 years, and I will always remember Matt as an outstanding young man who loved his family and country," said Lynn Bennett, who lives on Mill Run Road. "Please remember him and his family in your prayers."
The City of Richmond Hill plans to honor Freeman by presenting the family with a certificate as part of a program entitled The Last Roll Call, which Mayor Richard Davis started up in 2005. Freeman will be the third recipient in the program which honors Richmond Hill men who have been killed in the line of duty. Prior recipients were Alan Gifford and Sid Brookshire.
"Of course, this is a huge loss to the family, but it is also a huge loss to this community," Davis said. "Matt grew up here and I knew him to be a very able and smart young man. This city will always remember the honor and the courage of Captain Matthew Freeman." Freeman leaves behind his wife Theresa. The two wed just three weeks ago. Both graduated from RHHS in 1998. Theresa Freeman, formerly Hess, is an Air Force flight surgeon.
He also leaves behind two siblings – Ginny Freeman and Mary Beth Macias. Mary Beth is married to Air Force Special Ops pilot Mike Macias, who is flying in from Dover, Maryland to help lead today’s precession.
Visitation is scheduled for Friday at the Richmond Hill United Methodist Church from 5-8 p.m., and the service will take place at the church Saturday at 11 a.m.
Marine Capt. Matthew C. Freeman was killed in action on 8/7/09.
Army Sgt. Jerry R. Evans Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Jerry R. Evans Jr., 23, of Eufala, Ala.
Sgt. Evans was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Aug. 7, 2009 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Dothan Eagle -- Sgt. Jerry Evans always wanted to be on the front line.
It’s why he was a volunteer with the White Oak Volunteer Fire Department before he could drive a car. If there was a fire, he wanted to be the one at the end of the hose to extinguish the blaze.
A few years later, Evans joined the U.S. Army. He was eventually sent to Afghanistan to fight in the war on terror. He was injured early in his deployment and earned the Army Commendation Medal for Valor and Purple Heart in 2006.
“I received shrapnel in my hand at first,” then Pfc. Evans, who at the time was a turret gunner for his platoon, said in a 2006 interview. “That’s why they wanted to give me the valorous award because I kept firing my weapon after I was hit.
“I was scared, no doubt, but my training kicked in quickly, and I realized that I had four other people in my Humvee I had a responsibility to protect. I just did what I was trained to do.”
Evans was hit in his hand and his face. In fact, he was wounded three times in his first tour of duty. But despite his injuries, Evans still wanted to serve.
“We’re doing good for the Afghan people,” he said in a Eufaula Tribune article from July 2006.
Evans gave his life late last week in service to the country he loved so much, according to his father, Jerry Evans Sr. As of Monday morning, the family still had little information on how he died, even though they were informed of his death Friday evening.
Evans, 23, was reportedly in a truck that was hit by an improvised explosive device.
“They got out (of the vehicle) and then shots were fired,” his father said.
Evans enjoyed serving his country, according to his father. He was home less than two months ago, but even then his thoughts were often with his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. He would call to check on them.
Evans returned to Afghanistan the day after Father’s Day.
“He was ready to go back” to the Middle East, his father said.
Evans had looked forward to returning closer to home so he could be a drill sergeant at Fort Benning, Ga.
As of Monday afternoon there had not been an announcement as to when the funeral will occur, though it is expected to take place either Friday or Saturday from Eufaula Church of God. Burial is expected at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery. Kent Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Army Sgt. Jerry R. Evans Jr. was killed in action on 8/07/09.
Army Sgt. Jerry R. Evans Jr., 23, of Eufala, Ala.
Sgt. Evans was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Aug. 7, 2009 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Dothan Eagle -- Sgt. Jerry Evans always wanted to be on the front line.
It’s why he was a volunteer with the White Oak Volunteer Fire Department before he could drive a car. If there was a fire, he wanted to be the one at the end of the hose to extinguish the blaze.
A few years later, Evans joined the U.S. Army. He was eventually sent to Afghanistan to fight in the war on terror. He was injured early in his deployment and earned the Army Commendation Medal for Valor and Purple Heart in 2006.
“I received shrapnel in my hand at first,” then Pfc. Evans, who at the time was a turret gunner for his platoon, said in a 2006 interview. “That’s why they wanted to give me the valorous award because I kept firing my weapon after I was hit.
“I was scared, no doubt, but my training kicked in quickly, and I realized that I had four other people in my Humvee I had a responsibility to protect. I just did what I was trained to do.”
Evans was hit in his hand and his face. In fact, he was wounded three times in his first tour of duty. But despite his injuries, Evans still wanted to serve.
“We’re doing good for the Afghan people,” he said in a Eufaula Tribune article from July 2006.
Evans gave his life late last week in service to the country he loved so much, according to his father, Jerry Evans Sr. As of Monday morning, the family still had little information on how he died, even though they were informed of his death Friday evening.
Evans, 23, was reportedly in a truck that was hit by an improvised explosive device.
“They got out (of the vehicle) and then shots were fired,” his father said.
Evans enjoyed serving his country, according to his father. He was home less than two months ago, but even then his thoughts were often with his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. He would call to check on them.
Evans returned to Afghanistan the day after Father’s Day.
“He was ready to go back” to the Middle East, his father said.
Evans had looked forward to returning closer to home so he could be a drill sergeant at Fort Benning, Ga.
As of Monday afternoon there had not been an announcement as to when the funeral will occur, though it is expected to take place either Friday or Saturday from Eufaula Church of God. Burial is expected at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery. Kent Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Army Sgt. Jerry R. Evans Jr. was killed in action on 8/07/09.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Marine Cpl. Christian A. Guzman Rivera
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Christian A. Guzman Rivera, 21, of Homestead, Fla.
Cpl. Rivera was assigned to the 3rd Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Just News -- MIAMI -- When Velma Torres saw the Marines at her house Thursday afternoon, she already knew what the news would be.
"They said, 'we need to talk - we could go inside.' I said, 'you bring me bad news?' And they say 'yes,'" she told Local 10's Janine Stanwood.
It was news her 21-year-old son Christian Guzman Rivera had been killed in Afghanistan.
"My heart is broken - I'm not going to have him anymore," she said.
On Friday night, surrounded by family and friends, his mother wore his hefty ring from boot camp around her neck. Rivera was big. And strong.
"He was in great shape," said Cristobal Rivera, an uncle.
"He was always outgoing and fun and competing. Always competiting," added Felix Torres, Velma's husband.
Together, they had a blended family that included two boys and two girls. The siblings looked up to Rivera as a mentor.
Rivera was just promoted to Corporal last week. He was supporting combat operations in the Farah Province of Afghanistan when he was killed.
A 2006 graduate of Homestead Senior High, Rivera wanted to be a firefighter for the Marines.
"That's what he wanted to do. That's the uniform he wanted to wear," said his uncle.
After high school, and serving in the ROTC for four years, Rivera had graduated from the Miami-Dade Fire academy. But after being stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and then sent to Afghanistan in May, he never got to fight fires.
He still served his country.
"We're going to miss him. We're really going to miss him," said Felix.
His wife has grown tired of the war.
"We are wondering when this is gonna stop. It's 8 years already. And how many more - how many more heroes they need?" she asked.
Rivera's uncle made a plea:
"To everybody out there - everytime you see a service man - say thank you. Thank you for the service you've done."
Marine Cpl. Christian A. Guzman Rivera was killed in action on 8/6/09.
Marine Cpl. Christian A. Guzman Rivera, 21, of Homestead, Fla.
Cpl. Rivera was assigned to the 3rd Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Just News -- MIAMI -- When Velma Torres saw the Marines at her house Thursday afternoon, she already knew what the news would be.
"They said, 'we need to talk - we could go inside.' I said, 'you bring me bad news?' And they say 'yes,'" she told Local 10's Janine Stanwood.
It was news her 21-year-old son Christian Guzman Rivera had been killed in Afghanistan.
"My heart is broken - I'm not going to have him anymore," she said.
On Friday night, surrounded by family and friends, his mother wore his hefty ring from boot camp around her neck. Rivera was big. And strong.
"He was in great shape," said Cristobal Rivera, an uncle.
"He was always outgoing and fun and competing. Always competiting," added Felix Torres, Velma's husband.
Together, they had a blended family that included two boys and two girls. The siblings looked up to Rivera as a mentor.
Rivera was just promoted to Corporal last week. He was supporting combat operations in the Farah Province of Afghanistan when he was killed.
A 2006 graduate of Homestead Senior High, Rivera wanted to be a firefighter for the Marines.
"That's what he wanted to do. That's the uniform he wanted to wear," said his uncle.
After high school, and serving in the ROTC for four years, Rivera had graduated from the Miami-Dade Fire academy. But after being stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and then sent to Afghanistan in May, he never got to fight fires.
He still served his country.
"We're going to miss him. We're really going to miss him," said Felix.
His wife has grown tired of the war.
"We are wondering when this is gonna stop. It's 8 years already. And how many more - how many more heroes they need?" she asked.
Rivera's uncle made a plea:
"To everybody out there - everytime you see a service man - say thank you. Thank you for the service you've done."
Marine Cpl. Christian A. Guzman Rivera was killed in action on 8/6/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, of Farmingdale, N.Y.
LCpl Argentine was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Newsday -- A Marine from Farmingdale has been killed in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Friday.
Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, was among three Hawaii-based Marines who were killed Thursday by a roadside bomb, The Associated Press reported. The military said the three riflemen were supporting combat operations in Farah province.
Argentine was a 2005 graduate of St. Anthony High School in South Huntington, a friend said Friday night.
The other victims were Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine, 20, of San Antonio, and Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas, the military said.
They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
Argentine joined the Marine Corps in October 2006 and reported to Hawaii in January 2007, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported on its Web site Friday. He was previously deployed from January to August 2008, the Star-Bulletin said.
"He was one of my best friends," said Omid Ghaffarian of Hicksville, who graduated with Argentine. "He was one of the most sincere, generous people I ever met."
Ghaffaraian said he last saw Argentine in April. "He was proud of being an American, and he had no problem protecting his country and doing his duty," he said.
Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine was killed in action on 8/6/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, of Farmingdale, N.Y.
LCpl Argentine was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Newsday -- A Marine from Farmingdale has been killed in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Friday.
Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, was among three Hawaii-based Marines who were killed Thursday by a roadside bomb, The Associated Press reported. The military said the three riflemen were supporting combat operations in Farah province.
Argentine was a 2005 graduate of St. Anthony High School in South Huntington, a friend said Friday night.
The other victims were Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine, 20, of San Antonio, and Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas, the military said.
They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
Argentine joined the Marine Corps in October 2006 and reported to Hawaii in January 2007, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported on its Web site Friday. He was previously deployed from January to August 2008, the Star-Bulletin said.
"He was one of my best friends," said Omid Ghaffarian of Hicksville, who graduated with Argentine. "He was one of the most sincere, generous people I ever met."
Ghaffaraian said he last saw Argentine in April. "He was proud of being an American, and he had no problem protecting his country and doing his duty," he said.
Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine was killed in action on 8/6/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine, 20, of San Antonio
LCpl Babine was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Honolulu Advertiser -- About three weeks ago, Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine's heavily armored vehicle rolled over a pressure-detonated roadside bomb in southwestern Afghanistan.
There were five Marines inside. The bomb blew off the rear wheel and axle with such force that it sent the parts flying 120 feet.
But Babine, 20, and the other Marines in the hulking Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle were unhurt.
On Thursday, Babine wasn't so lucky. He and two other Kane'ohe Bay Marines, along with a Marine out of Okinawa, Japan, were killed when their thinner-skinned Humvee hit a roadside bomb in Farah province, according to family. It was another of the deadly bombs by which U.S. service members are increasingly being killed in Afghanistan.
Alice Babine, Travis' mother, yesterday said in a shaky voice that her strong faith was helping carry her through the death of her son.
"That's how you get through these things," she said by phone from Texas. "I'm confident that Travis is with God now and I'm confident that I'll see him again. God doesn't owe me an explanation, and I don't demand one. But one day, I'll understand."
The Pentagon yesterday announced the deaths of the three Kane'ohe Bay Marines, a day after a Kane'ohe Bay sailor also died in a roadside bomb attack in the same region.
The Hawai'i Marines also killed Thursday in Farah province were: Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, of Farmingdale, N.Y.; and Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas. Babine was from San Antonio.
Marine Cpl. Christian A. Guzman Rivera, 21, of Homestead, Fla., who also was killed, was out of Okinawa, Japan.
The three riflemen from Kane'ohe Bay were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
Travis Babine had called his father, Bill Badger, and told him roadside bombs "were a serious problem and it was one of the most difficult things to deal with."
Travis Babine joined the Marines immediately out of high school as part of the delayed entry program and reported to boot camp in January 2008, his mother said.
The deployment to Afghanistan was his first. His parents had served in the Army but Travis Babine had always wanted to be a Marine.
"He wanted to do something really difficult," his mother said. She tried to convince him to go to college first and get a commission. Her son decided college could wait a bit.
"He was convinced that he would make a better officer if he served a tour as an enlisted man," Alice Babine said.
The quiet Marine who was a voracious reader and spent a lot of time involved in gaming and painting miniature models in high school was based at Forward Operating Base Bakwa, one of the westernmost outposts maintained by the 2nd Battalion.
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine was killed in action on 8/06/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine, 20, of San Antonio
LCpl Babine was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Honolulu Advertiser -- About three weeks ago, Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine's heavily armored vehicle rolled over a pressure-detonated roadside bomb in southwestern Afghanistan.
There were five Marines inside. The bomb blew off the rear wheel and axle with such force that it sent the parts flying 120 feet.
But Babine, 20, and the other Marines in the hulking Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle were unhurt.
On Thursday, Babine wasn't so lucky. He and two other Kane'ohe Bay Marines, along with a Marine out of Okinawa, Japan, were killed when their thinner-skinned Humvee hit a roadside bomb in Farah province, according to family. It was another of the deadly bombs by which U.S. service members are increasingly being killed in Afghanistan.
Alice Babine, Travis' mother, yesterday said in a shaky voice that her strong faith was helping carry her through the death of her son.
"That's how you get through these things," she said by phone from Texas. "I'm confident that Travis is with God now and I'm confident that I'll see him again. God doesn't owe me an explanation, and I don't demand one. But one day, I'll understand."
The Pentagon yesterday announced the deaths of the three Kane'ohe Bay Marines, a day after a Kane'ohe Bay sailor also died in a roadside bomb attack in the same region.
The Hawai'i Marines also killed Thursday in Farah province were: Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, of Farmingdale, N.Y.; and Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas. Babine was from San Antonio.
Marine Cpl. Christian A. Guzman Rivera, 21, of Homestead, Fla., who also was killed, was out of Okinawa, Japan.
The three riflemen from Kane'ohe Bay were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
Travis Babine had called his father, Bill Badger, and told him roadside bombs "were a serious problem and it was one of the most difficult things to deal with."
Travis Babine joined the Marines immediately out of high school as part of the delayed entry program and reported to boot camp in January 2008, his mother said.
The deployment to Afghanistan was his first. His parents had served in the Army but Travis Babine had always wanted to be a Marine.
"He wanted to do something really difficult," his mother said. She tried to convince him to go to college first and get a commission. Her son decided college could wait a bit.
"He was convinced that he would make a better officer if he served a tour as an enlisted man," Alice Babine said.
The quiet Marine who was a voracious reader and spent a lot of time involved in gaming and painting miniature models in high school was based at Forward Operating Base Bakwa, one of the westernmost outposts maintained by the 2nd Battalion.
Marine Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine was killed in action on 8/06/09.
Marine Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas
Sgt. Hoskins was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Hometown to remember fallen Marine
The Associated Press
PARIS, Texas — Officials in an East Texas town plan to line the streets with American flags to honor a Marine who died in Afghanistan.
A hearse carrying the body of 24-year-old Marine Sgt. Jay Hoskins is expected to make the six-mile journey Aug. 13 from a local airstrip to a funeral home in Paris, about 90 miles northeast of Dallas.
Hoskins died Aug. 6 with two fellow Marines when a roadside bomb exploded in Farah province.
The city’s Kiwanis Club is distributing 500 large flags on 10-foot poles, and the football coach at the local high school told The Paris News that he expects hundreds of students to line the route.
The funeral procession is expected to include all local law enforcement agencies and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders.
NBC DFW -- Three Hawaii-based Marines were killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb while supporting combat operations in Farah province, the military said Friday.
The Department of Defense on Friday identified the three killed Thursday as Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas; Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, of Farmingdale, N.Y.; and Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine, 20, of San Antonio.
Sergeant Hoskins graduated from North Lamar High School in Paris in 2003. He joined the Marine Corps in August 2003 and reported to Hawaii in January.
The three riflemen were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
Marine Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins was killed in action on 8/6/09.
Marine Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas
Sgt. Hoskins was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 6, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Hometown to remember fallen Marine
The Associated Press
PARIS, Texas — Officials in an East Texas town plan to line the streets with American flags to honor a Marine who died in Afghanistan.
A hearse carrying the body of 24-year-old Marine Sgt. Jay Hoskins is expected to make the six-mile journey Aug. 13 from a local airstrip to a funeral home in Paris, about 90 miles northeast of Dallas.
Hoskins died Aug. 6 with two fellow Marines when a roadside bomb exploded in Farah province.
The city’s Kiwanis Club is distributing 500 large flags on 10-foot poles, and the football coach at the local high school told The Paris News that he expects hundreds of students to line the route.
The funeral procession is expected to include all local law enforcement agencies and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders.
NBC DFW -- Three Hawaii-based Marines were killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb while supporting combat operations in Farah province, the military said Friday.
The Department of Defense on Friday identified the three killed Thursday as Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins, 24, of Paris, Texas; Lance Cpl. James D. Argentine, 22, of Farmingdale, N.Y.; and Lance Cpl. Travis T. Babine, 20, of San Antonio.
Sergeant Hoskins graduated from North Lamar High School in Paris in 2003. He joined the Marine Corps in August 2003 and reported to Hawaii in January.
The three riflemen were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
Marine Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins was killed in action on 8/6/09.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia, 21, of Panama City, Fla.
PO3 Garcia was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditonary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 5, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Honolulu Advertiser -- A Hawai'i-based sailor serving as a corpsman with Kane'ohe Bay Marines in southern Afghanistan died Wednesday in Farah Province, the Pentagon said.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia, 21, of Tyndall, Fla., died "while supporting combat operations," a Pentagon release said. Garcia was with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Navy corpsmen are assigned to Marine units and have jobs similar to those of an Army medic.
Garcia joined the Navy in July 2006 and reported to Hawai'i in February.
Garcia said on his MySpace page that he was married and was "most definitely the most happy person you have ever met and most positively the funniest."
He said he was born in Denver but grew up an Air Force "brat" and moved around a lot. He also said he joined the Navy right out of high school.
Garcia said his addictions were "working out ... being a beach bum and hittin' the waves up, always a sucker for beautiful women, family time is a must and on top of it all music is my life."
In a 2008 post, Garcia said he was attending the University of Maryland and after his three-year tour was up planned to go to medical school at the University of Miami.
His awards include the Purple Heart medal, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
About 1,000 Hawai'i Marines with the 2nd Battalion arrived in Helmand and Farah provinces in late May, part of a surge of 21,000 additional U.S. troops ordered by President Obama into an increasingly restive Afghanistan.
The Marines are expected to be in the country seven months.
The Marines have engaged in skirmishes with anti-American forces in the poppy fields, orchards and walled compounds of Helmand province, and fallen victim to the increasing use of roadside bombs.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia was killed in action on 8/05/09.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia, 21, of Panama City, Fla.
PO3 Garcia was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditonary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 5, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Honolulu Advertiser -- A Hawai'i-based sailor serving as a corpsman with Kane'ohe Bay Marines in southern Afghanistan died Wednesday in Farah Province, the Pentagon said.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia, 21, of Tyndall, Fla., died "while supporting combat operations," a Pentagon release said. Garcia was with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Navy corpsmen are assigned to Marine units and have jobs similar to those of an Army medic.
Garcia joined the Navy in July 2006 and reported to Hawai'i in February.
Garcia said on his MySpace page that he was married and was "most definitely the most happy person you have ever met and most positively the funniest."
He said he was born in Denver but grew up an Air Force "brat" and moved around a lot. He also said he joined the Navy right out of high school.
Garcia said his addictions were "working out ... being a beach bum and hittin' the waves up, always a sucker for beautiful women, family time is a must and on top of it all music is my life."
In a 2008 post, Garcia said he was attending the University of Maryland and after his three-year tour was up planned to go to medical school at the University of Miami.
His awards include the Purple Heart medal, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
About 1,000 Hawai'i Marines with the 2nd Battalion arrived in Helmand and Farah provinces in late May, part of a surge of 21,000 additional U.S. troops ordered by President Obama into an increasingly restive Afghanistan.
The Marines are expected to be in the country seven months.
The Marines have engaged in skirmishes with anti-American forces in the poppy fields, orchards and walled compounds of Helmand province, and fallen victim to the increasing use of roadside bombs.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia was killed in action on 8/05/09.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Army Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm, 19, of Plymouth, Ohio
Pvt. Wilhelm was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 13th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Aug. 4, 2009 in Maysan province, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Fort Bliss soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
FORT BLISS, Texas — The Defense Department says a 19-year-old Fort Bliss soldier from Ohio has died in Maysan province, Iraq, and his death is under investigation.
The military said Wednesday that Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm, of Plymouth, Ohio, died Tuesday from a noncombat related incident which is being investigated. No other details were provided.
Wilhelm was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 13th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. He was an Infantryman who entered the Army in December 2008. He was previously stationed at Fort Benning, Ga.
He is survived by his parents.
Wilhelm's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Army Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm was killed in a non-combat related incident on 8/04/09.
Army Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm, 19, of Plymouth, Ohio
Pvt. Wilhelm was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 13th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Aug. 4, 2009 in Maysan province, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Fort Bliss soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
FORT BLISS, Texas — The Defense Department says a 19-year-old Fort Bliss soldier from Ohio has died in Maysan province, Iraq, and his death is under investigation.
The military said Wednesday that Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm, of Plymouth, Ohio, died Tuesday from a noncombat related incident which is being investigated. No other details were provided.
Wilhelm was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 13th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. He was an Infantryman who entered the Army in December 2008. He was previously stationed at Fort Benning, Ga.
He is survived by his parents.
Wilhelm's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Army Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm was killed in a non-combat related incident on 8/04/09.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Army Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado, 42, of Fairfax, Va.
Sgt. 1st Class Granado was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Miss.; died Aug. 2, 2009 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Capt. Ronald G. Luce and Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III.
News-Journal -- TATUM — Family members say Alejandro Granado III told them he didn't feel good about his latest trip to Afghanistan.
"He told me that he had a bad feeling about going away — that he probably won't come back," his brother, Rolando Granado remembered.
"And here we are."
The family learned Sunday evening that retired Army Staff Sgt. Alejandro "Alex" Granado III was among three people killed during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan earlier that day. Granado, 42, retired from the Army less than a year ago but was serving in a secret mission for the U.S. government, family members said Monday. As of late Monday, the Department of Defense had not officially released information about the incident.
"We're hearing that they got attacked, and after that, they went in and finished them off," his brother said while sitting with family outside their Tatum home. "We've never really kept up with him because he was always gone. He could never tell us where he was."
Granado signed up for military service before graduating from Tatum High School in 1986.
"Instead of working out here somewhere in the sun, he joined as soon as he was 18," he said. "He loved to travel."
Granado spent three weeks with family and friends in June. His older sister, Tatum High School Cafeteria Manager Dionicia Cruz, remembers the eerie feeling she got when he asked her to always take good care of herself and his three kids — ages 19, 21 and 23.
"I asked, 'Why is that so important?' and he said, 'It would make me very happy to know you are all OK,'" Cruz said. "He was such a good boy."
Services for Granado are pending with Jimerson-Lipsey Funeral Home in Carthage.
"The family has contacted us, but we have not heard back from the military," said funeral home spokesman Don Lipsey. "If he died in eastern Afghanistan, it may be a week before we hear anything."
Another brother, 35-year-old Jose Granado, is scheduled for active duty in either Afghanistan or Iraq in October, family members said.
"That was their goal — protect the country," said Rolando Granado. "He was a good kid, man. A good kid."
Army Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado was killed in action on 8/02/09.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado, 42, of Fairfax, Va.
Sgt. 1st Class Granado was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Miss.; died Aug. 2, 2009 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Capt. Ronald G. Luce and Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III.
News-Journal -- TATUM — Family members say Alejandro Granado III told them he didn't feel good about his latest trip to Afghanistan.
"He told me that he had a bad feeling about going away — that he probably won't come back," his brother, Rolando Granado remembered.
"And here we are."
The family learned Sunday evening that retired Army Staff Sgt. Alejandro "Alex" Granado III was among three people killed during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan earlier that day. Granado, 42, retired from the Army less than a year ago but was serving in a secret mission for the U.S. government, family members said Monday. As of late Monday, the Department of Defense had not officially released information about the incident.
"We're hearing that they got attacked, and after that, they went in and finished them off," his brother said while sitting with family outside their Tatum home. "We've never really kept up with him because he was always gone. He could never tell us where he was."
Granado signed up for military service before graduating from Tatum High School in 1986.
"Instead of working out here somewhere in the sun, he joined as soon as he was 18," he said. "He loved to travel."
Granado spent three weeks with family and friends in June. His older sister, Tatum High School Cafeteria Manager Dionicia Cruz, remembers the eerie feeling she got when he asked her to always take good care of herself and his three kids — ages 19, 21 and 23.
"I asked, 'Why is that so important?' and he said, 'It would make me very happy to know you are all OK,'" Cruz said. "He was such a good boy."
Services for Granado are pending with Jimerson-Lipsey Funeral Home in Carthage.
"The family has contacted us, but we have not heard back from the military," said funeral home spokesman Don Lipsey. "If he died in eastern Afghanistan, it may be a week before we hear anything."
Another brother, 35-year-old Jose Granado, is scheduled for active duty in either Afghanistan or Iraq in October, family members said.
"That was their goal — protect the country," said Rolando Granado. "He was a good kid, man. A good kid."
Army Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado was killed in action on 8/02/09.
Army Capt. Ronald G. Luce, Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Army Capt. Ronald G. Luce, Jr., 27, of Fayetteville, N.C.
Capt. Luce was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Miss.; died Aug. 2, 2009 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado and Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III.
USASOC -- Captain Ronald G. Luce died while conducting combat operations in the Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan August 2 while serving as the Special Forces Team Commander with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered in Jackson, Miss.
Luce, 27, was killed when a command wire improvised explosive device struck his vehicle while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Luce, born in Julian, California, enrolled in ROTC at Valley Forge Military Academy and became a commissioned officer in 2002. In 2005 attended the Special Forces Qualification Course, graduating May 2008 as an 18A, team commander and was assigned to 2nd Bn., 7th SFG(A) as a liaison officer. He was reassigned to Co. C, 2nd Bn., 20th SFG(A) as a detachment commander.
Luce’s military and civilian educations include a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. He also attended the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course, Infantry Captain’s Career Course, Ranger School and Airborne School.
His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Luce also earned the Parachutist Badge, and Ranger and Special Forces Tabs.
Luce is survived by his wife Kendahl and daughter Carrie of Fayetteville, N.C.
Army Capt. Ronald G. Luce, Jr. was killed in action on 8/02/09.
Army Capt. Ronald G. Luce, Jr., 27, of Fayetteville, N.C.
Capt. Luce was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Miss.; died Aug. 2, 2009 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado and Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III.
USASOC -- Captain Ronald G. Luce died while conducting combat operations in the Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan August 2 while serving as the Special Forces Team Commander with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered in Jackson, Miss.
Luce, 27, was killed when a command wire improvised explosive device struck his vehicle while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Luce, born in Julian, California, enrolled in ROTC at Valley Forge Military Academy and became a commissioned officer in 2002. In 2005 attended the Special Forces Qualification Course, graduating May 2008 as an 18A, team commander and was assigned to 2nd Bn., 7th SFG(A) as a liaison officer. He was reassigned to Co. C, 2nd Bn., 20th SFG(A) as a detachment commander.
Luce’s military and civilian educations include a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. He also attended the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course, Infantry Captain’s Career Course, Ranger School and Airborne School.
His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Luce also earned the Parachutist Badge, and Ranger and Special Forces Tabs.
Luce is survived by his wife Kendahl and daughter Carrie of Fayetteville, N.C.
Army Capt. Ronald G. Luce, Jr. was killed in action on 8/02/09.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III, 43, of Bentonia, Miss.
SFC Summers was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Miss.; died Aug. 2, 2009 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Capt. Ronald G. Luce and Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado.
USASOC -- Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers, died while conducting combat operations in the Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan August 2, while serving as a Special Forces Engineer with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered at Jackson, Miss.
Summers, 43, was killed by command wired improvised explosive device struck his vehicle while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Summers, born in Lafayette, Louisiana, enlisted in 1989 as an 11B, Infantryman. He later attended the SF Qualification Course, graduating in 2002. Summers then joined 2nd Battalion 20th SFG (A). After graduating US Army Ranger School successfully, he was assigned to ODA 2065, the SCUBA team. He then volunteered for the Special Operations Combat Diver Course in Key West, Fla.
Summer’s military and civilian education includes the Basic Airborne Course, Military Free Fall Parachutist Course, Ranger School, Special Operations Combat Diver Course, and Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course. He also received his Bachelors of Science from Louisiana State University.
His awards and decorations include Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Armed Forces Medal.
Summers also earned Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Scuba Diver Badge, and Military Free Fall Badge and the Ranger and Special Forces tabs.
Summer’s is survived by his wife Tammy Fraser and his daughters Jessica, Shelby & Sarah.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III was killed in action on 8/02/09.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III, 43, of Bentonia, Miss.
SFC Summers was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Miss.; died Aug. 2, 2009 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Capt. Ronald G. Luce and Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado.
USASOC -- Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers, died while conducting combat operations in the Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan August 2, while serving as a Special Forces Engineer with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered at Jackson, Miss.
Summers, 43, was killed by command wired improvised explosive device struck his vehicle while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Summers, born in Lafayette, Louisiana, enlisted in 1989 as an 11B, Infantryman. He later attended the SF Qualification Course, graduating in 2002. Summers then joined 2nd Battalion 20th SFG (A). After graduating US Army Ranger School successfully, he was assigned to ODA 2065, the SCUBA team. He then volunteered for the Special Operations Combat Diver Course in Key West, Fla.
Summer’s military and civilian education includes the Basic Airborne Course, Military Free Fall Parachutist Course, Ranger School, Special Operations Combat Diver Course, and Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course. He also received his Bachelors of Science from Louisiana State University.
His awards and decorations include Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Armed Forces Medal.
Summers also earned Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Scuba Diver Badge, and Military Free Fall Badge and the Ranger and Special Forces tabs.
Summer’s is survived by his wife Tammy Fraser and his daughters Jessica, Shelby & Sarah.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III was killed in action on 8/02/09.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones, 21, of Roxboro, N.C.
Pfc. Jones was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 1, 2009 in Mushan village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls and Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon.
Roxboro Courier Times -- Franceen Jones said that those who knew her son Richie knew him as a very caring and loving person. He cared about his family, his friends, his country. And, it was in proud service to his country that Pfc. Richard K. Jones, 21, of Roxboro, died Aug. 1 in Afghanistan after insurgents attacked his patrol.
In a news release Monday, the Department of Defense announced Jones’ death, along with the deaths of two other soldiers who were with him. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
“Joining the military was something Richie really wanted to do,” said Jones’ mother. “It was his way of doing his duty and serving his country.”
She added, “I’m proud my son was able to serve his country to keep the United States free.”
Jones joined the Army in the fall of 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan in May of this year.
Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones was killed in action on 8/1/09.
Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones, 21, of Roxboro, N.C.
Pfc. Jones was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 1, 2009 in Mushan village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls and Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon.
Roxboro Courier Times -- Franceen Jones said that those who knew her son Richie knew him as a very caring and loving person. He cared about his family, his friends, his country. And, it was in proud service to his country that Pfc. Richard K. Jones, 21, of Roxboro, died Aug. 1 in Afghanistan after insurgents attacked his patrol.
In a news release Monday, the Department of Defense announced Jones’ death, along with the deaths of two other soldiers who were with him. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
“Joining the military was something Richie really wanted to do,” said Jones’ mother. “It was his way of doing his duty and serving his country.”
She added, “I’m proud my son was able to serve his country to keep the United States free.”
Jones joined the Army in the fall of 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan in May of this year.
Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones was killed in action on 8/1/09.
Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon
Remember Our Heroes
Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon, 19, of Knoxville, Tenn.
Pvt. Fitzgibbon was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 1, 2009 in Mushan village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls and Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones.
WVLT -- KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- South Doyle High School is about to add another marker to its soldier memorial garden.
Private Patrick Fitzgibbon was a student just months ago. Now his school will remember the 19-year-old for his decision to serve his county and lay down his life.
Only about 1% of JROTC students enlist, and First Sergeant Calvin Hartwell says he never thought Patrick Fitzgibbon would be among them.
Hartwell was watching TV Sunday night when he found out his former student had died in combat.
"Immediately, when I saw his face, before his name came by, I was like 'no!' " Hartwell told Volunteer TV. "I'll remember him as a person that's willing to make a sacrifice," Hartwell continued.
But Hartwell says Patrick Fitzgibbon was not always a shining example of a cadet.
"Patrick was a very energetic young man, and kind of," Hartwell trailed off, "sometimes we'd say a little rebel," he finished.
In fact, during his senior year at South Doyle Fitzgibbon decided school wasn't for him. He dropped out and went for his GED.
His older brother tells us Patrick was pulling his life together and was excited about the infantry.
"He decided to join and serve his country and he was like, 'Hey, I'm going to do it. I ain't going to think about it. I'm just going to do it,' " John Fitzgibbon said.
"He was fortunate, really, to get in because most of the time you don't get in with a GED," Hartwell told WVLT.
First Sergeant Hartwell says Fitzgibbon came to visit him in March, just before his deployment. And Hartwell says that's the memory he'll keep: a clean cut, focused Patrick Fitzgibbon.
"Anytime you give your life for your country, we have to look at you as a hero," Hartwell said. The JROTC instructor already knows where he wants Fitzgibbon's marker to go in the school's memorial garden.
He still can't believe he's planning a student body memorial for Patrick, a cadet who signed up in December and left in April.
His family went to meet the body Monday in Dover, Delaware.
Getting it back to Knoxville can take anywhere from two to nine days.
The Fitzgibbons plan to bury him at Sherwood Chapel and Memorial Gardens on Alcoa Highway.
Those arrangements are not complete.
Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon was killed in action on 8/1/09.
Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon, 19, of Knoxville, Tenn.
Pvt. Fitzgibbon was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 1, 2009 in Mushan village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls and Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones.
WVLT -- KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- South Doyle High School is about to add another marker to its soldier memorial garden.
Private Patrick Fitzgibbon was a student just months ago. Now his school will remember the 19-year-old for his decision to serve his county and lay down his life.
Only about 1% of JROTC students enlist, and First Sergeant Calvin Hartwell says he never thought Patrick Fitzgibbon would be among them.
Hartwell was watching TV Sunday night when he found out his former student had died in combat.
"Immediately, when I saw his face, before his name came by, I was like 'no!' " Hartwell told Volunteer TV. "I'll remember him as a person that's willing to make a sacrifice," Hartwell continued.
But Hartwell says Patrick Fitzgibbon was not always a shining example of a cadet.
"Patrick was a very energetic young man, and kind of," Hartwell trailed off, "sometimes we'd say a little rebel," he finished.
In fact, during his senior year at South Doyle Fitzgibbon decided school wasn't for him. He dropped out and went for his GED.
His older brother tells us Patrick was pulling his life together and was excited about the infantry.
"He decided to join and serve his country and he was like, 'Hey, I'm going to do it. I ain't going to think about it. I'm just going to do it,' " John Fitzgibbon said.
"He was fortunate, really, to get in because most of the time you don't get in with a GED," Hartwell told WVLT.
First Sergeant Hartwell says Fitzgibbon came to visit him in March, just before his deployment. And Hartwell says that's the memory he'll keep: a clean cut, focused Patrick Fitzgibbon.
"Anytime you give your life for your country, we have to look at you as a hero," Hartwell said. The JROTC instructor already knows where he wants Fitzgibbon's marker to go in the school's memorial garden.
He still can't believe he's planning a student body memorial for Patrick, a cadet who signed up in December and left in April.
His family went to meet the body Monday in Dover, Delaware.
Getting it back to Knoxville can take anywhere from two to nine days.
The Fitzgibbons plan to bury him at Sherwood Chapel and Memorial Gardens on Alcoa Highway.
Those arrangements are not complete.
Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon was killed in action on 8/1/09.
Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls
Remember Our Heroes
Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls, 27, of West Lawn, Pa.
Cpl. Walls was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 1, 2009 in Mushan village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones and Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon.
Reading Eagle -- Despite the dangers, Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls loved his job.
And it was while carrying out his duty that the 27-year-old soldier formerly of West Lawn lost his life. He and two other soldiers were killed Saturday when their patrol was attacked by insurgents in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.
According to Walls' father, Steven A. Walls, the Army wasn't always in sight for the 2001 Wilson High School graduate.
In fact, Jonathan struggled with plans for the future, unsure of what he wanted to do, his father said.
Steven Walls suggested he join the military.
"I was hoping he'd go into the Navy. We're a Navy family," he said. "But he was really into the shoot-em-up games when he was a kid."
So, Jonathan decided to join the Army, where he quickly found himself living out his video-game dreams.
"He loved it," Steven Walls said, explaining that Jonathan was initially assigned to drive the heavily armored Stryker vehicle. "He said, 'Dad, it's just like the video games.' "
But it wasn't just action that Jonathan was looking for. Steven, who lives in Blackwood, N.J., said his son had a good heart and always wanted to help others.
"If you asked him to do anything for you he would," he said. "He really wanted to make an impact."
Steven said his son already had made an impact by becoming a father. He had two daughters with his wife, Meghan, and adopted her son from a previous relationship, Steven said.
"His kids were his life," Steven said. "He lived for them."
The father, a retired Navy man, often worried about his son. Since Jonathan left for Afghanistan about three months ago, he hadn't been able to contact his family for fear of giving out his unit's position, Steven said.
"I worried about him every day," Steven said. "I'd watch the TV every day to see the reports, to see if I could see his face."
But the torture of not knowing doesn't compare to the pain of waiting, Steven said Monday night from Dover, Del., where he was awaiting a plane carrying his son's body.
"I'm freaking right now," he said. "I never expected to bury my own son, but now I'm going to have to do it. It's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done."
Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls was killed in action on 8/1/09.
Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls, 27, of West Lawn, Pa.
Cpl. Walls was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 1, 2009 in Mushan village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones and Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon.
Reading Eagle -- Despite the dangers, Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls loved his job.
And it was while carrying out his duty that the 27-year-old soldier formerly of West Lawn lost his life. He and two other soldiers were killed Saturday when their patrol was attacked by insurgents in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.
According to Walls' father, Steven A. Walls, the Army wasn't always in sight for the 2001 Wilson High School graduate.
In fact, Jonathan struggled with plans for the future, unsure of what he wanted to do, his father said.
Steven Walls suggested he join the military.
"I was hoping he'd go into the Navy. We're a Navy family," he said. "But he was really into the shoot-em-up games when he was a kid."
So, Jonathan decided to join the Army, where he quickly found himself living out his video-game dreams.
"He loved it," Steven Walls said, explaining that Jonathan was initially assigned to drive the heavily armored Stryker vehicle. "He said, 'Dad, it's just like the video games.' "
But it wasn't just action that Jonathan was looking for. Steven, who lives in Blackwood, N.J., said his son had a good heart and always wanted to help others.
"If you asked him to do anything for you he would," he said. "He really wanted to make an impact."
Steven said his son already had made an impact by becoming a father. He had two daughters with his wife, Meghan, and adopted her son from a previous relationship, Steven said.
"His kids were his life," Steven said. "He lived for them."
The father, a retired Navy man, often worried about his son. Since Jonathan left for Afghanistan about three months ago, he hadn't been able to contact his family for fear of giving out his unit's position, Steven said.
"I worried about him every day," Steven said. "I'd watch the TV every day to see the reports, to see if I could see his face."
But the torture of not knowing doesn't compare to the pain of waiting, Steven said Monday night from Dover, Del., where he was awaiting a plane carrying his son's body.
"I'm freaking right now," he said. "I never expected to bury my own son, but now I'm going to have to do it. It's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done."
Army Cpl. Jonathan M. Walls was killed in action on 8/1/09.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Army Spc. Alexander J. Miller
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Alexander J. Miller, 21, of Clermont, Fla.
Spc. Miller was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 31, 2009 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
My Fox Orlando -- WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Defense announced on Monday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Alexander J. Miller, 21, of Clermont, died July 31 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum. N.Y.
Fort Drum officials say Miller joined the U.S. Army in January 2007. After completing training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Miller came to Fort Drum in June 2007.
Miller's awards and citations include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
“He was a great kid and we are going to miss him,” said BJ Gomez. Both Gomez and Alexander attended South Lake High in Clermont
“It does impact very close to home but he was out there doing what he loved doing best and I am proud of him for that,” said Gomez.
Miller enlisted in the armed forces right after high school at the age of 19. He was an Army Specialist and according to his friends, this was his dream to serve his country.
Miller’s mother was too emotionally distraught to talk to FOX 35, but Miller's brother said this is a difficult time and that the community has been very supportive.
Funeral arrangements have not been disclosed as of yet.
Army Spc. Alexander J. Miller was killed in action on 7/31/09.
Army Spc. Alexander J. Miller, 21, of Clermont, Fla.
Spc. Miller was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 31, 2009 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
My Fox Orlando -- WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Defense announced on Monday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Alexander J. Miller, 21, of Clermont, died July 31 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum. N.Y.
Fort Drum officials say Miller joined the U.S. Army in January 2007. After completing training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Miller came to Fort Drum in June 2007.
Miller's awards and citations include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
“He was a great kid and we are going to miss him,” said BJ Gomez. Both Gomez and Alexander attended South Lake High in Clermont
“It does impact very close to home but he was out there doing what he loved doing best and I am proud of him for that,” said Gomez.
Miller enlisted in the armed forces right after high school at the age of 19. He was an Army Specialist and according to his friends, this was his dream to serve his country.
Miller’s mother was too emotionally distraught to talk to FOX 35, but Miller's brother said this is a difficult time and that the community has been very supportive.
Funeral arrangements have not been disclosed as of yet.
Army Spc. Alexander J. Miller was killed in action on 7/31/09.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
LCpl. Stroud was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
News On 6 -- OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 20-year-old Marine from Cashion was killed in line of duty in Afghanistan.
A family friend said Jonathan Stroud was killed Thursday morning during a fire fight.
Stroud's close friend, Sam Boyd, said he's proud of Jonathan's service and sacrifice.
"He already had a high view of the United States as it was. Becoming a Marine was just, Jonathan was so spontaneous there was no reason behind it other than he wanted to do it," Boyd said.
Stroud joined the Marine Corp in May 2008 and was stationed in Afghanistan since June 1.
Stroud leaves behind his wife Lacie who is pregnant with the couple's first child. The baby is due in December.
Stroud graduated from Cashion High School and faculty said he was exceptionally intelligent. His former counselor said God gifted him with superior skills in reading and writing, enough that she said she didn't mind when he occasionally snuck into the teacher's lounge to grab a pop.
Those who remember Stroud in high school said he was goofy and gangly, and that's the way they liked him.
"Probably one of the most honest, dorkiest, nicest guys you could possibly meet," Boyd said.
A family friend said Stroud's mother and sister will meet his wife in North Carolina. They'll bring his body back to Cashion for burial.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
LCpl. Stroud was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
News On 6 -- OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 20-year-old Marine from Cashion was killed in line of duty in Afghanistan.
A family friend said Jonathan Stroud was killed Thursday morning during a fire fight.
Stroud's close friend, Sam Boyd, said he's proud of Jonathan's service and sacrifice.
"He already had a high view of the United States as it was. Becoming a Marine was just, Jonathan was so spontaneous there was no reason behind it other than he wanted to do it," Boyd said.
Stroud joined the Marine Corp in May 2008 and was stationed in Afghanistan since June 1.
Stroud leaves behind his wife Lacie who is pregnant with the couple's first child. The baby is due in December.
Stroud graduated from Cashion High School and faculty said he was exceptionally intelligent. His former counselor said God gifted him with superior skills in reading and writing, enough that she said she didn't mind when he occasionally snuck into the teacher's lounge to grab a pop.
Those who remember Stroud in high school said he was goofy and gangly, and that's the way they liked him.
"Probably one of the most honest, dorkiest, nicest guys you could possibly meet," Boyd said.
A family friend said Stroud's mother and sister will meet his wife in North Carolina. They'll bring his body back to Cashion for burial.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
LCpl Posey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
WBIR -- The U.S. Military said a local Marine was killed in combat Friday.
According to a statement from the Department of Defense, Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville died while supporting "Operation Eduring Freedom."
He was fatally wounded during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Posey was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was deployed on May 18 with the United States Marine Corps 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, according to the Herald-Chronicle in Winchester, Tenn.
Although the statement said Posey is from Knoxville, his parents Delma and Steven Posey live in Winchester, Tenn., and he graduated from Franklin High School in 2005.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn.
LCpl Posey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 30, 2009 of wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan F. Stroud, 20, of Cashion, Okla.
WBIR -- The U.S. Military said a local Marine was killed in combat Friday.
According to a statement from the Department of Defense, Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey, 22, of Knoxville died while supporting "Operation Eduring Freedom."
He was fatally wounded during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Posey was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was deployed on May 18 with the United States Marine Corps 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, according to the Herald-Chronicle in Winchester, Tenn.
Although the statement said Posey is from Knoxville, his parents Delma and Steven Posey live in Winchester, Tenn., and he graduated from Franklin High School in 2005.
Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory A. Posey was killed in action on 7/30/09.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III
Remember Our Heroes
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III, 38, of Concrete, Wash.
CWO2 Vose was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Stuttgart, Germany; died July 29, 2009 in Kabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
‘He was a soldier first’
The Associated Press
Doug Vose was described as a courageous Green Beret who was both confident on the battlefield and relaxed while enjoying a glass of fine red wine.
“That’s what made Doug so unique,” said Dave Takaki, a retired master sergeant who served with Vose.
Vose, 38, of Concrete, Wash., was based in Stuttgart, Germany. He spoke fluent German.
He was killed July 29 after insurgents attacked his unit in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Vose is survived by his wife, Nicole, two sons, two daughters and mother, Paulette.
His late father was a Marine who instilled a strong work ethic in him, said Vicki Frank, the mother of one of Vose’s best friends.
“He was the best citizen and had the sweetest temperament,” she said.
As a youth, Vose would split wood each day with his brother. Then, he would work a shift at Red Apple, a local market, Frank said.
After graduating from high school in 1988, Vose joined the Army. A decade later, he joined the Special Forces, and began rising through the ranks.
“The whole family is military, and that’s all Doug wanted to do,” Frank said. “He was a soldier first.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III was killed in action on 7/29/09.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III, 38, of Concrete, Wash.
CWO2 Vose was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Stuttgart, Germany; died July 29, 2009 in Kabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
‘He was a soldier first’
The Associated Press
Doug Vose was described as a courageous Green Beret who was both confident on the battlefield and relaxed while enjoying a glass of fine red wine.
“That’s what made Doug so unique,” said Dave Takaki, a retired master sergeant who served with Vose.
Vose, 38, of Concrete, Wash., was based in Stuttgart, Germany. He spoke fluent German.
He was killed July 29 after insurgents attacked his unit in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Vose is survived by his wife, Nicole, two sons, two daughters and mother, Paulette.
His late father was a Marine who instilled a strong work ethic in him, said Vicki Frank, the mother of one of Vose’s best friends.
“He was the best citizen and had the sweetest temperament,” she said.
As a youth, Vose would split wood each day with his brother. Then, he would work a shift at Red Apple, a local market, Frank said.
After graduating from high school in 1988, Vose joined the Army. A decade later, he joined the Special Forces, and began rising through the ranks.
“The whole family is military, and that’s all Doug wanted to do,” Frank said. “He was a soldier first.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III was killed in action on 7/29/09.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill.
Sgt. Smith was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry, Illinois Army National Guard, Marion, Ill.; died July 29, 2009 in Herat, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Illinois soldier posthumously promoted
The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A 19-year-old central Illinois soldier who died of a non-combat-related injury in Afghanistan late last month has been posthumously promoted.
The Illinois Army National Guard says Spc. Gerrick Smith of Sullivan has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He died July 29.
Smith enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in February 2007. This was his first deployment.
Smith was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry based in Marion. The unit had been in Afghanistan since December 2008.
Visitation is being held at 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday at Sullivan High School. Graveside services will be held following Saturday’s visitation at Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan.
Smith made the extra effort to keep friends laughing
The Associated Press
Gerrick D. Smith knew even before he graduated from high school in 2008 that he wanted to be in the military. He joined the Illinois Army National Guard in his junior year.
“If you needed someone to have your back, Gerrick was that guy,” longtime friend and fellow soldier Tyler Craven said. “He would stand up with you to the bitter end.”
Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill., died July 29 of a noncombat-related injury in Heart, Afghanistan. His death is under investigation.
He was based in Marion, Ill. It was the first deployment for the former football and soccer player and choir singer from Sullivan (Ill.) High School.
Friends described him as an energetic performer who tried to make people laugh by occasionally goofing off — even once putting on a dress — and occasionally drew tattoos on friends during study hall.
Sullivan police chief John Love said he saw a change when Smith returned to town with a deep pride about serving his country.
“He left here as a kid and came back as a soldier,” Love said.
Smith is survived by his parents, Marilyn Smith and David Jones, a sister and a half-brother.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith died from a non-combat related incident on 7/29/09.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill.
Sgt. Smith was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry, Illinois Army National Guard, Marion, Ill.; died July 29, 2009 in Herat, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
Illinois soldier posthumously promoted
The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A 19-year-old central Illinois soldier who died of a non-combat-related injury in Afghanistan late last month has been posthumously promoted.
The Illinois Army National Guard says Spc. Gerrick Smith of Sullivan has been promoted to the rank of sergeant. He died July 29.
Smith enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in February 2007. This was his first deployment.
Smith was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry based in Marion. The unit had been in Afghanistan since December 2008.
Visitation is being held at 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday at Sullivan High School. Graveside services will be held following Saturday’s visitation at Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan.
Smith made the extra effort to keep friends laughing
The Associated Press
Gerrick D. Smith knew even before he graduated from high school in 2008 that he wanted to be in the military. He joined the Illinois Army National Guard in his junior year.
“If you needed someone to have your back, Gerrick was that guy,” longtime friend and fellow soldier Tyler Craven said. “He would stand up with you to the bitter end.”
Smith, 19, of Sullivan, Ill., died July 29 of a noncombat-related injury in Heart, Afghanistan. His death is under investigation.
He was based in Marion, Ill. It was the first deployment for the former football and soccer player and choir singer from Sullivan (Ill.) High School.
Friends described him as an energetic performer who tried to make people laugh by occasionally goofing off — even once putting on a dress — and occasionally drew tattoos on friends during study hall.
Sullivan police chief John Love said he saw a change when Smith returned to town with a deep pride about serving his country.
“He left here as a kid and came back as a soldier,” Love said.
Smith is survived by his parents, Marilyn Smith and David Jones, a sister and a half-brother.
Army Sgt. Gerrick D. Smith died from a non-combat related incident on 7/29/09.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla.
Pfc. Vincent was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 25, 2009 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine ‘touched a lot of hearts,’ dad says
The Associated Press
Donald W. Vincent — better known by his middle name, Wayne — had to work a few odd jobs before everything really fell into place.
“Wayne found he needed to get his life in focus,” said his father, Lee, a retired Navy captain. “The Marines was a means to an end. ... He discovered abilities he didn’t know he had.”
Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla., died July 25 after being wounded in combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Family and friends recalled that Vincent’s experiences in the Marines gave him a different perspective on life, and that his skills in math and other areas developed with his training. He had worked as an electrician and at a couple of restaurants before deciding to join the military.
“The Marines helped him discover his confidence,” said friend Ian Walters.
Vincent, who loved to hunt, fish and scallop, was the oldest Marine in his unit, earning him the nickname “the old man,” said his mother, Betty Sue.
“He touched a lot of hearts,” Lee Vincent said. “People really loved him and they’re broken-hearted with us.”
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent was killed in action on 7/25/09.
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla.
Pfc. Vincent was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 25, 2009 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine ‘touched a lot of hearts,’ dad says
The Associated Press
Donald W. Vincent — better known by his middle name, Wayne — had to work a few odd jobs before everything really fell into place.
“Wayne found he needed to get his life in focus,” said his father, Lee, a retired Navy captain. “The Marines was a means to an end. ... He discovered abilities he didn’t know he had.”
Vincent, 26, of Gainesville, Fla., died July 25 after being wounded in combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Family and friends recalled that Vincent’s experiences in the Marines gave him a different perspective on life, and that his skills in math and other areas developed with his training. He had worked as an electrician and at a couple of restaurants before deciding to join the military.
“The Marines helped him discover his confidence,” said friend Ian Walters.
Vincent, who loved to hunt, fish and scallop, was the oldest Marine in his unit, earning him the nickname “the old man,” said his mother, Betty Sue.
“He touched a lot of hearts,” Lee Vincent said. “People really loved him and they’re broken-hearted with us.”
Marine Pfc. Donald W. Vincent was killed in action on 7/25/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk, 39, of Gulfport, Miss.
SSgt. Polk was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 25, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23, 2009 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
Sun Herald -- GULFPORT — The Patriot Guard Riders are preparing to honor Army Staff. Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk as a hero when he is returned to Gulfport for burial.
The Department of Defense Monday said Polk, 39, who grew up in North Gulfport, died July 25 at a German hospital from wounds he suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, and died supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete. His family said Polk told them if anything happened to him while he was serving in the Army, he wanted to be buried at home on the Coast.
“Please stand by to render honors to Army Staff Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk, of Gulfport, MS,” was posted on the Patriot Guard Web site Monday. The Patriot Guard Riders are a diverse group of motorcycle riders across the country, who honor those who risk their lives and die for America’s freedom and security.
Ed Baker, Mississippi PGR state captain, said when they receive permission from the family, they will meet the airplane bringing Polk home and escort him to the church or funeral home. They will set up a flag line for funeral services and at the cemetery.
“We can expect anywhere from 30 to over 100 PGR members to attend,” Baker said.
A press release issued by Fort Hood Monday said Polk entered the Army in March 1992 as a cannon crewmember. He had been assigned to his team since December 2008 and had been deployed to Iraq since January.
Among his awards and decorations are: the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Among Polk’s survivors are a daughter, Mary, and a son, Antoine, who family said also serves in the military.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk died 7/25/09 of combat injuries sustained 7/23/09.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk, 39, of Gulfport, Miss.
SSgt. Polk was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 25, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23, 2009 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
Sun Herald -- GULFPORT — The Patriot Guard Riders are preparing to honor Army Staff. Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk as a hero when he is returned to Gulfport for burial.
The Department of Defense Monday said Polk, 39, who grew up in North Gulfport, died July 25 at a German hospital from wounds he suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23 in Kirkuk, Iraq.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, and died supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete. His family said Polk told them if anything happened to him while he was serving in the Army, he wanted to be buried at home on the Coast.
“Please stand by to render honors to Army Staff Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk, of Gulfport, MS,” was posted on the Patriot Guard Web site Monday. The Patriot Guard Riders are a diverse group of motorcycle riders across the country, who honor those who risk their lives and die for America’s freedom and security.
Ed Baker, Mississippi PGR state captain, said when they receive permission from the family, they will meet the airplane bringing Polk home and escort him to the church or funeral home. They will set up a flag line for funeral services and at the cemetery.
“We can expect anywhere from 30 to over 100 PGR members to attend,” Baker said.
A press release issued by Fort Hood Monday said Polk entered the Army in March 1992 as a cannon crewmember. He had been assigned to his team since December 2008 and had been deployed to Iraq since January.
Among his awards and decorations are: the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Among Polk’s survivors are a daughter, Mary, and a son, Antoine, who family said also serves in the military.
Army Staff Sgt. Johnny R. Polk died 7/25/09 of combat injuries sustained 7/23/09.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman, 21, of Spring Hill, Fla.
Spc. Coleman was assigned to 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 24, 2009 in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires.
The Tampa Tribune -- SPRING HILL - She felt it when she first met him.
Nicole Coleman wanted to know about the shaggy-haired boy who was sitting on her friend's sofa. They started dating not long after their first encounter four years ago.
They had been married for two years and he still had that heart-melting effect on her.
"He was a devoted husband," she said with a soft, quivering voice. "I'd say if we had kids, he would've made a great father."
Her husband, U.S. Army Spc. Justin Coleman of Hernando Beach, was killed Friday fighting in Afghanistan. He was 21.
Nicole Coleman was told the news Friday — the day after her birthday. Her husband was expected to return home for leave during the next few weeks.
His birthday was Aug. 31. He and his wife had planned on a joint celebration.
The soldier's affection for his wife did not go unnoticed by her mother, Rosellen Jenkins. Jenkins described Coleman as a "smart kid."
"He was really respectful and has always been great," she said of her son-in-law.
Nicole Coleman had received several calls during the past few days and had several visitors offering condolences.
"It's appreciated," she said of the support she has received from friends and acquaintances. "It's something I will never get used to."
An Associated Press photograph shows Coleman's remains arriving at Dover Air Force base in Delaware and cites the Department of Defense to identify Coleman. The Department of Defense confirmed the death Tuesday.
On its Web site, the department stated Coleman "died July 24 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires."
He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Nicole Coleman and her father-in-law went to Dover this weekend for the remains and returned home Monday evening.
Jenkins said the couple were longtime friends and very close. When Coleman deployed in January, his wife sent care packages to him, including camouflage Easter eggs.
Coleman enlisted right after graduating from Nature Coast Technical High School in 2007 and seemed intent on making a career of the military.
His wife said his Army recruiter was among the small list of guests at their wedding.
"I really didn't want to believe it," she said when she received a call from her mother Friday informing her there were men in uniform at the house.
Nicole Coleman was celebrating her birthday at her friend's house. She asked her mother to put one of the men, a sergeant, on the phone. He insisted on telling her the news in person and asked her to come to the house.
"I thought, 'There has to be some sort of confusion,'" she said. "I still don't want to believe it."
The two had made plans to raise a family together.
Services will be arranged through Downing Funeral Home. A viewing is scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
A funeral with full military honors will take place at 10 a.m. at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. A reception will follow at the VFW in Hernando Beach.
Coleman said her husband often seemed sure of himself while they were together, but they also had tender moments during which he would act shyly around her.
Their friends noticed the connection, even before they started dating.
"All of them said they knew something was going on with the way we'd flirt with each other," she said.
Coleman recalled a time when she found out he wrote a blog on his MySpace page that explained his feelings for her. He wrote it before they began dating. He was too shy to read it to her, she said.
She didn't discover it until a year after they were married.
"See that?" she playfully told him. "You really do like me."
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman was killed in action on 7/24/09.
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman, 21, of Spring Hill, Fla.
Spc. Coleman was assigned to 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died July 24, 2009 in Nuristan province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires.
The Tampa Tribune -- SPRING HILL - She felt it when she first met him.
Nicole Coleman wanted to know about the shaggy-haired boy who was sitting on her friend's sofa. They started dating not long after their first encounter four years ago.
They had been married for two years and he still had that heart-melting effect on her.
"He was a devoted husband," she said with a soft, quivering voice. "I'd say if we had kids, he would've made a great father."
Her husband, U.S. Army Spc. Justin Coleman of Hernando Beach, was killed Friday fighting in Afghanistan. He was 21.
Nicole Coleman was told the news Friday — the day after her birthday. Her husband was expected to return home for leave during the next few weeks.
His birthday was Aug. 31. He and his wife had planned on a joint celebration.
The soldier's affection for his wife did not go unnoticed by her mother, Rosellen Jenkins. Jenkins described Coleman as a "smart kid."
"He was really respectful and has always been great," she said of her son-in-law.
Nicole Coleman had received several calls during the past few days and had several visitors offering condolences.
"It's appreciated," she said of the support she has received from friends and acquaintances. "It's something I will never get used to."
An Associated Press photograph shows Coleman's remains arriving at Dover Air Force base in Delaware and cites the Department of Defense to identify Coleman. The Department of Defense confirmed the death Tuesday.
On its Web site, the department stated Coleman "died July 24 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires."
He had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Nicole Coleman and her father-in-law went to Dover this weekend for the remains and returned home Monday evening.
Jenkins said the couple were longtime friends and very close. When Coleman deployed in January, his wife sent care packages to him, including camouflage Easter eggs.
Coleman enlisted right after graduating from Nature Coast Technical High School in 2007 and seemed intent on making a career of the military.
His wife said his Army recruiter was among the small list of guests at their wedding.
"I really didn't want to believe it," she said when she received a call from her mother Friday informing her there were men in uniform at the house.
Nicole Coleman was celebrating her birthday at her friend's house. She asked her mother to put one of the men, a sergeant, on the phone. He insisted on telling her the news in person and asked her to come to the house.
"I thought, 'There has to be some sort of confusion,'" she said. "I still don't want to believe it."
The two had made plans to raise a family together.
Services will be arranged through Downing Funeral Home. A viewing is scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
A funeral with full military honors will take place at 10 a.m. at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. A reception will follow at the VFW in Hernando Beach.
Coleman said her husband often seemed sure of himself while they were together, but they also had tender moments during which he would act shyly around her.
Their friends noticed the connection, even before they started dating.
"All of them said they knew something was going on with the way we'd flirt with each other," she said.
Coleman recalled a time when she found out he wrote a blog on his MySpace page that explained his feelings for her. He wrote it before they began dating. He was too shy to read it to her, she said.
She didn't discover it until a year after they were married.
"See that?" she playfully told him. "You really do like me."
Army Spc. Justin D. Coleman was killed in action on 7/24/09.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealton, Va.
Spc. Berrios-Campos was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 24, 2009 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Quiet, confident described Berrios-Campos
The Associated Press
Herberth Berrios-Campos was an energetic and determined soldier before he even formally joined the military.
“He told me that he was going to join the program and be my highest-ranked cadet, and he was a man of his word, because that next term, he joined up and he stayed,” said Warren Fountain, who was Berrios-Campos’ Junior ROTC instructor in high school.
“If you asked him a question, he said he could do it. He never doubted himself. That’s one thing about Campos.”
Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealeton, Va., died July 24 in Salman Park, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.
Fountain remembered Berrios-Campos as a quiet but confident young man who enjoyed playing soccer and running cross-country. He said as a teen, Berrios-Campos often wore his uniform on days it wasn’t necessary so he could represent the military.
Capt. Joel Graves, his company commander, remembered Berrios-Campos for his “energetic youthfulness and humorous personality.”
Berrios-Campos is survived by his mother, Armida Carballos, and his father, Jose Campos.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos was killed in a non-combat related incident on 7/24/09.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealton, Va.
Spc. Berrios-Campos was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 24, 2009 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Quiet, confident described Berrios-Campos
The Associated Press
Herberth Berrios-Campos was an energetic and determined soldier before he even formally joined the military.
“He told me that he was going to join the program and be my highest-ranked cadet, and he was a man of his word, because that next term, he joined up and he stayed,” said Warren Fountain, who was Berrios-Campos’ Junior ROTC instructor in high school.
“If you asked him a question, he said he could do it. He never doubted himself. That’s one thing about Campos.”
Berrios-Campos, 21, of Bealeton, Va., died July 24 in Salman Park, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.
Fountain remembered Berrios-Campos as a quiet but confident young man who enjoyed playing soccer and running cross-country. He said as a teen, Berrios-Campos often wore his uniform on days it wasn’t necessary so he could represent the military.
Capt. Joel Graves, his company commander, remembered Berrios-Campos for his “energetic youthfulness and humorous personality.”
Berrios-Campos is survived by his mother, Armida Carballos, and his father, Jose Campos.
Army Spc. Herbeth A. Berrios-Campos was killed in a non-combat related incident on 7/24/09.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier, 21, of Great Falls, Mont.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Charpentier was assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; died July 23, 2009 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., from a non-combat related illness.
Flags fly at half-staff for Great Falls sailor
The Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Brian Schweitzer has ordered the American and Montana state flags to fly at half-staff Friday and Saturday in honor of a sailor from Great Falls who died last week at a Miami hospital.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Charpentier died at a Miami hospital on July 23 of a brief, noncombat related illness. He was 21.
Charpentier had been assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Charpentier’s funeral is scheduled Saturday morning at Central Assembly of God Church in Great Falls, with burial to follow at Highland Cemetery.
Miami Herald -- A young American sailor who guarded prisoners at Guantánamo died at Jackson Memorial Hospital last week, losing a two-month battle in the intensive-care unit over what doctors suspected was a rare blood disease.
Andrew S. Charpentier, 21, of Montana was airlifted to Miami from the remote U.S. Navy base in Cuba in early June, the military said. As his circumstances grew more dire, he married his high school sweetheart on July 3 in a civil ceremony at Jackson's ICU.
``He was proud to serve, he worked really hard,'' said Kathleen Charpentier, the bride, as she prepared for a funeral Saturday in Great Falls, Mont. ``The doctors were really good. I know they tried hard and they tried everything for Andrew.''
The cause of death was still being investigated.
But Kathleen Charpentier, a college student of theology and ecology at the University of St. Mary in Kansas, said doctors treated him for a rare blood disease, known as TTP, called thrombocytopenia. During two months here, she said, his kidneys failed, then his lungs and his heart.
``He was awake and able to speak and do things,'' she said. But things turned for the worse.
The young sailor enlisted in 2007 after high school, trained as an aviations technician at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and in August was assigned to the guard force that walked the blocks of the prison camps.
``All his time was with the guard force and it was within all the camps, because they rotate,'' reported Army Maj. Diana Haynie of the Florida National Guard, from Guantánamo Wednesday.
Members of the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Charpentier's unit, pulled 12-hour shifts walking the cell blocks, watching some of the 239 foreign men held there as wartime prisoners.
His guard duty was to end in late summer, for which he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, said a Navy spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Susan Henson.
He was to return to his specialty -- avionics -- in August with a Navy air squadron known as ``The Wizards,'' VAQ133, from Whidbey Island, Wash.
His wife of three weeks said Wednesday the couple, who met as high school sophomores, had earlier planned to wed before he became ill ``once we got back from Cuba'' in August or September.
After he turned ill, she moved here to stay with a cousin in South Florida. The cousin's wife, a notary, held a simple wedding ceremony at the hospital.
Services were scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Great Falls' Central Assembly of God Church.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier died of a non-combat related illness on 7/23/09.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier, 21, of Great Falls, Mont.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Charpentier was assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; died July 23, 2009 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., from a non-combat related illness.
Flags fly at half-staff for Great Falls sailor
The Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Brian Schweitzer has ordered the American and Montana state flags to fly at half-staff Friday and Saturday in honor of a sailor from Great Falls who died last week at a Miami hospital.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Charpentier died at a Miami hospital on July 23 of a brief, noncombat related illness. He was 21.
Charpentier had been assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Charpentier’s funeral is scheduled Saturday morning at Central Assembly of God Church in Great Falls, with burial to follow at Highland Cemetery.
Miami Herald -- A young American sailor who guarded prisoners at Guantánamo died at Jackson Memorial Hospital last week, losing a two-month battle in the intensive-care unit over what doctors suspected was a rare blood disease.
Andrew S. Charpentier, 21, of Montana was airlifted to Miami from the remote U.S. Navy base in Cuba in early June, the military said. As his circumstances grew more dire, he married his high school sweetheart on July 3 in a civil ceremony at Jackson's ICU.
``He was proud to serve, he worked really hard,'' said Kathleen Charpentier, the bride, as she prepared for a funeral Saturday in Great Falls, Mont. ``The doctors were really good. I know they tried hard and they tried everything for Andrew.''
The cause of death was still being investigated.
But Kathleen Charpentier, a college student of theology and ecology at the University of St. Mary in Kansas, said doctors treated him for a rare blood disease, known as TTP, called thrombocytopenia. During two months here, she said, his kidneys failed, then his lungs and his heart.
``He was awake and able to speak and do things,'' she said. But things turned for the worse.
The young sailor enlisted in 2007 after high school, trained as an aviations technician at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and in August was assigned to the guard force that walked the blocks of the prison camps.
``All his time was with the guard force and it was within all the camps, because they rotate,'' reported Army Maj. Diana Haynie of the Florida National Guard, from Guantánamo Wednesday.
Members of the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Charpentier's unit, pulled 12-hour shifts walking the cell blocks, watching some of the 239 foreign men held there as wartime prisoners.
His guard duty was to end in late summer, for which he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, said a Navy spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Susan Henson.
He was to return to his specialty -- avionics -- in August with a Navy air squadron known as ``The Wizards,'' VAQ133, from Whidbey Island, Wash.
His wife of three weeks said Wednesday the couple, who met as high school sophomores, had earlier planned to wed before he became ill ``once we got back from Cuba'' in August or September.
After he turned ill, she moved here to stay with a cousin in South Florida. The cousin's wife, a notary, held a simple wedding ceremony at the hospital.
Services were scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Great Falls' Central Assembly of God Church.
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Andrew Scott Charpentier died of a non-combat related illness on 7/23/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher, 27, of Oneida, N.Y.
LCpl Lasher was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Ryan H. Lane and Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos.
Honors planned for Marine killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
ONEIDA, N.Y. — A motorcade and memorial service are planned for a central New York Marine killed July 23 in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher of Oneida died along with two other Marines in the southern province of Helmand, where Marines are spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces ahead of upcoming elections.
The Department of Defense didn’t release details on how he was mortally wounded.
A flight from Dover, Del., carrying the 27-year-old Marine’s body is expected to arrive at 10 a.m. Thursday at Griffiss International Airport. His remains will be taken by motorcade to a funeral home in his hometown.
The local American Legion Post and fire department are urging people to turn out for the motorcade.
Lasher was married with an infant son.
Hundreds pay tribute at funeral for NY Marine
The Associated Press
WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. — Hundreds of friends and relatives have paid respects to a Marine killed in Afghanistan at his funeral in central New York.
Lance Cpl. Ryan Lasher told mourners at a Wampsville church Saturday that his brother and fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher, “will never be forgotten.”
Jeremy Lasher and another Marine died July 23 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where Marines have been spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces.
The 27-year-old Jeremy Lasher was a married father of an infant son. Lasher was a member of the Verona Volunteer Fire Department, which presented his helmet to his family at the funeral.
Lasher has been honored at a series of remembrances in his hometown of Oneida. Hundreds of people lined its Main Street as a motorcade carried his body Thursday.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher, 27, of Oneida, N.Y.
LCpl Lasher was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 23, 2009 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Sgt. Ryan H. Lane and Cpl. Nicholas G. Xiarhos.
Honors planned for Marine killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
ONEIDA, N.Y. — A motorcade and memorial service are planned for a central New York Marine killed July 23 in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher of Oneida died along with two other Marines in the southern province of Helmand, where Marines are spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces ahead of upcoming elections.
The Department of Defense didn’t release details on how he was mortally wounded.
A flight from Dover, Del., carrying the 27-year-old Marine’s body is expected to arrive at 10 a.m. Thursday at Griffiss International Airport. His remains will be taken by motorcade to a funeral home in his hometown.
The local American Legion Post and fire department are urging people to turn out for the motorcade.
Lasher was married with an infant son.
Hundreds pay tribute at funeral for NY Marine
The Associated Press
WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. — Hundreds of friends and relatives have paid respects to a Marine killed in Afghanistan at his funeral in central New York.
Lance Cpl. Ryan Lasher told mourners at a Wampsville church Saturday that his brother and fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Lasher, “will never be forgotten.”
Jeremy Lasher and another Marine died July 23 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where Marines have been spearheading a major offensive against Taliban forces.
The 27-year-old Jeremy Lasher was a married father of an infant son. Lasher was a member of the Verona Volunteer Fire Department, which presented his helmet to his family at the funeral.
Lasher has been honored at a series of remembrances in his hometown of Oneida. Hundreds of people lined its Main Street as a motorcade carried his body Thursday.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher was killed in action on 7/23/09.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)