Remember Our Heroes
Army Pfc. Billy G. Anderson, 20, of Alexandria, Tenn.
Pfc. Anderson was assigned to the 508th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died May 17, 2010 in Badghis province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with improvised explosive devices.
"I'm not angry because it was his time to go. But I'm still hurt. He was like my sunshine. He was my ray of hope and he was taken too suddenly." Caitlin Anderson, who is also 20 years old, says she will probably never get over the pain of losing her husband this way, but the loss is very unfair to her almost nine month old daughter, Lilly Grace, who will grow up without him. "It's very unfair. It's unfair to me to miss out on my best friend and the chapters of our life. It's mainly unfair to my daughter who is going to grow up without him physically being here. I'm not angry because it was his time to go. He was called and he knew from the very beginning what he was doing. Like I said, being a military family, that is something you are faced with. The thought of death. You always know that risk whenever you tell them bye for their tour, you know that could be the last time you tell them bye. Unfortunately, that's just part of the job. I believe he had accepted that."
Caitlin says her husband was a kind, good hearted man. " He (Billy) was such an amazing man. He was an amazing soldier. He was very strong but the other side of the soldier was someone who was so intelligent and musically inclined and so loving and nurturing and he was a strong Christian person. He was the kind of person that you could be having the worst day in the world, everything could have happened wrong and he could just tell you something silly or just tell the funniest joke or make an odd face and you'd just feel better. He could walk in a room and you'd feel warm. He was just a wonderful person."
When asked about how Billy might have reacted to the way the community turned out for him Sunday, Caitlin said he would have loved it. "He wanted to be recognized, not in a selfish sense or self centered way, but he wanted people to know that there is just cause out there. It's not just soldiers being bad. He did like the admiration."
Caitlin says she and Billy became friends in high school but didn't develop a romantic relationship until after their high school years. She says they became reaquainted at a party. They were married in June 2009.
Billy was unable to obtain leave to get home for the birth of his daughter. In fact Lilly Grace was already about two and a half months old before he got to spend time with her. It was on the occasion of his graduation from basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where Caitlin, the baby, and other family members went to visit him.
Caitlin recalled the last time she spoke with Billy. "He called me the night that it happened. It was probably about seven hours before at around 10 p.m. Sunday night. He said he was not going to be able to get on the Internet for a while but that he was going to try to keep his phone charged. He didn't know if he was going to have electricity where he was going. He said his phone was dying and he had to hurry up but before the phone cut off he told me that he loved me and that he loved Lilly and said to kiss Lilly for him."
Goodwin told reporters that she feared for her son's safety in the Army and didn't want him to enlist, although she respected his decision to serve his country. "I did not want him to go into the service. It's not that I'm not patriotic. It's just from a mother's standpoint because I was afraid for him. Not that he (Billy) is any better than any of those soldiers over there. He's not. My heart goes out to every person that has someone over there. My heart breaks for them because this is my worst fear and it's come home."
Goodwin said her son was a Christian and while she was at first angry with God, she prayed for forgiveness, knowing she will see Billy again in heaven someday. She added that Billy was a good son and father and he loved his family." My son is the kind of son any mother would hope for. He was the sweetest boy. He was a good father. He could not hardly wait to get home to his family. That's all he talked about."
According to the DOD, PFC Anderson, who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, died May 17, in Badghis province Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with improvised explosive devices.
He was assigned to the 508th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Anderson enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 26th, 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan on January 13th, 2010. Anderson was due to return home in July.
Several awards have been bestowed upon PFC Anderson including the Bronze Star Medal, posthumous; the Purple Heart Medal, posthumous; Army Commendation Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal, posthumous; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a Bronze Service Star; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal, posthumous; Combat Action Badge; posthumous; Parachutist Badge, basic; Weapons Qualifications Badge; and Overseas Service Bar.
Anderson was a member of the Covenant Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his father, Steve Goodwin; his maternal grandparents, Edwin "Cruse" and Connie Inez Lattimore Wheeler; and his paternal grandfather, Walter L. Goodwin.
Anderson is survived by his wife, Caitlin Anderson of Smithville. A daughter, Lilly Grace Anderson of Smithville. His mother, Marlene Goodwin of Alexandria. His paternal grandmother, Louise Goodwin of Liberty. One sister, April and her husband Chad Walker of Alexandria. Two brothers, Bobby Joe and wife Tabitha Anderson and John and wife Claire all of Smithville. Special nieces and nephews, Thea, Hunter, Nik, Macy, and Summer. His father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jimmy and Gina Lewis of Smithville. A sister-in-law, Chelsie Lewis of Smithville. A host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends also survive.
Army Pfc. Billy G. Anderson was killed in action on 5/17/10.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Marine Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins, 27, of Antelope, Calif.
SSgt Perkins was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 17, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. and bomb technician Adam Perkins knew that his job could lead to his death, so before the Marines redeployed him to Afghanistan last month, Perkins made sure his 9-month-old son would remember him.
"He videotaped himself reading a bunch of books to his son," his mom, Laureen Myers, said Saturday.
Perkins, who grew up in Antelope and attended Center High School, died Monday while defusing a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's Helmand province, where at least nine Marines have been killed this month. He was 27.
Perkins' mom and step dad said Saturday that they had received an outpouring of support from his friends and comrades.
"Adam was a hero," said step dad Bill Myers. "What he did saved countless lives, both military and civilian."
Perkins joined the Marines one week after Sept. 11, 2001, wanting to do something about what he saw on television. He chose to become a bomb technician, his mom said, because he thought it would be a challenge.
The Marines sent Perkins overseas three times. He volunteered for his second deployment to take the place of a fellow technician who was a new father, his mom recalled.
Stationed at Camp Pendleton, Perkins was happiest when around his wife and son, whom the family did not want named. A serious man, Perkins often would go long periods without cracking a smile – unless his son was in the room.
Perkins didn't talk much about his work. Still, he told his mom that he didn't care for the Oscar-winning movie "The Hurt Locker," with its protagonist casually disabling bombs.
"It's a Hollywood version," Laureen Myers said, recalling Perkins' views. "He was very big on safety. Don't think for a minute he was not cautious."
He was cautious to the end. Her voice shaking, Myers explained that it wasn't a mistake that caused her son's death.
"He was defusing a roadside bomb," she said, "and there was a second detonation."
Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins, 27, was killed Monday while trying to disarm the insurgents' primary weapon in the Helmand province. His death is the fourth troop fatality for the base in the past two weeks.
A native of Antelope in Sacramento County, Perkins suffered "multiple traumatic injuries" when the bomb detonated, the base said in a prepared release.
Married and the father of a 9-month-old son, Perkins was on his third combat deployment. He served two tours of duty in Iraq before deploying to Afghanistan earlier this year.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2001, one month before the invasion of Afghanistan after the terror attacks of Sept. 11.
Perkins was assigned to the 1st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
Hidden roadside bombs -- called improvised explosive devices -- continue to kill Marines and Afghan civilians. Authorities said Perkins died of multiple traumatic injuries received from an IED.
At Center High School in Antelope, the 2001 graduate was part of a long and proud tradition of boys and girls who have joined the military,
said English teacher Paul Frazee.
Frazee, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, maintains contact online with former students who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We have a lot of kids who right now are fighting in the war on terror," Frazee said Thursday.
He said Perkins was a fine student, an Eagle scout and an active member of his church.
"We teach our kids to be thoughtful and productive and responsible members of society," said Frazee. "Adam took that to heart. He was just a fine young man. He will be missed."
School bookkeeper Dana Busath has known Perkins' family for many years. She recalled that Perkins enjoyed a good time and loved life.
The Marines said Perkins, who was based at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, was married and had a child.
Under the surge this summer, about 9,000 Marines from Camp Pendleton are among the 20,000 Marines now serving in Afghanistan.
Perkins first enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2001 and was serving his third deployment when he was killed. He was previously deployed to Iraq in 2006 and 2008.
His military awards and decorations included: the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat “V” distinguishing device for valor; Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat “V”; Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with star; Iraq Campaign Medal with two service stars; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Combat Action Ribbon; Navy Unit Commendation, second award; and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The Center High graduate was an explosive ordinance disposal technician with the 1st Explosive Ordinance Disposal Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group based out of Camp Pendelton, California.
"As 1st Marine Logistics Group mourns the loss of one of our own, our heartfelt condolences go out to Staff Sgt. Adam Perkins’ friends and family," officials said.
SSgt. Perkins is survived by his wife and infant son as well as his mother Laureen Myers and step father Bill Myers.
Marine Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins was killed in action on 5/17/10.
Marine Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins, 27, of Antelope, Calif.
SSgt Perkins was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 17, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. and bomb technician Adam Perkins knew that his job could lead to his death, so before the Marines redeployed him to Afghanistan last month, Perkins made sure his 9-month-old son would remember him.
"He videotaped himself reading a bunch of books to his son," his mom, Laureen Myers, said Saturday.
Perkins, who grew up in Antelope and attended Center High School, died Monday while defusing a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's Helmand province, where at least nine Marines have been killed this month. He was 27.
Perkins' mom and step dad said Saturday that they had received an outpouring of support from his friends and comrades.
"Adam was a hero," said step dad Bill Myers. "What he did saved countless lives, both military and civilian."
Perkins joined the Marines one week after Sept. 11, 2001, wanting to do something about what he saw on television. He chose to become a bomb technician, his mom said, because he thought it would be a challenge.
The Marines sent Perkins overseas three times. He volunteered for his second deployment to take the place of a fellow technician who was a new father, his mom recalled.
Stationed at Camp Pendleton, Perkins was happiest when around his wife and son, whom the family did not want named. A serious man, Perkins often would go long periods without cracking a smile – unless his son was in the room.
Perkins didn't talk much about his work. Still, he told his mom that he didn't care for the Oscar-winning movie "The Hurt Locker," with its protagonist casually disabling bombs.
"It's a Hollywood version," Laureen Myers said, recalling Perkins' views. "He was very big on safety. Don't think for a minute he was not cautious."
He was cautious to the end. Her voice shaking, Myers explained that it wasn't a mistake that caused her son's death.
"He was defusing a roadside bomb," she said, "and there was a second detonation."
Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins, 27, was killed Monday while trying to disarm the insurgents' primary weapon in the Helmand province. His death is the fourth troop fatality for the base in the past two weeks.
A native of Antelope in Sacramento County, Perkins suffered "multiple traumatic injuries" when the bomb detonated, the base said in a prepared release.
Married and the father of a 9-month-old son, Perkins was on his third combat deployment. He served two tours of duty in Iraq before deploying to Afghanistan earlier this year.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2001, one month before the invasion of Afghanistan after the terror attacks of Sept. 11.
Perkins was assigned to the 1st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
Hidden roadside bombs -- called improvised explosive devices -- continue to kill Marines and Afghan civilians. Authorities said Perkins died of multiple traumatic injuries received from an IED.
At Center High School in Antelope, the 2001 graduate was part of a long and proud tradition of boys and girls who have joined the military,
said English teacher Paul Frazee.
Frazee, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, maintains contact online with former students who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We have a lot of kids who right now are fighting in the war on terror," Frazee said Thursday.
He said Perkins was a fine student, an Eagle scout and an active member of his church.
"We teach our kids to be thoughtful and productive and responsible members of society," said Frazee. "Adam took that to heart. He was just a fine young man. He will be missed."
School bookkeeper Dana Busath has known Perkins' family for many years. She recalled that Perkins enjoyed a good time and loved life.
The Marines said Perkins, who was based at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, was married and had a child.
Under the surge this summer, about 9,000 Marines from Camp Pendleton are among the 20,000 Marines now serving in Afghanistan.
Perkins first enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2001 and was serving his third deployment when he was killed. He was previously deployed to Iraq in 2006 and 2008.
His military awards and decorations included: the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat “V” distinguishing device for valor; Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat “V”; Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with star; Iraq Campaign Medal with two service stars; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Combat Action Ribbon; Navy Unit Commendation, second award; and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The Center High graduate was an explosive ordinance disposal technician with the 1st Explosive Ordinance Disposal Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group based out of Camp Pendelton, California.
"As 1st Marine Logistics Group mourns the loss of one of our own, our heartfelt condolences go out to Staff Sgt. Adam Perkins’ friends and family," officials said.
SSgt. Perkins is survived by his wife and infant son as well as his mother Laureen Myers and step father Bill Myers.
Marine Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins was killed in action on 5/17/10.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Cpl. Nicolas D. Parada Rodriguez
Remember Our Heroes
Cpl. Nicolas D. Parada Rodriguez,29, of Stafford, Va.
Cpl. Parada Rodriguez was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 16, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Nicholas Parada-Rodriguez was an immigrant, who came to the United States 19 years ago, graduated from high school in Fairfax County, and his sister Norma said, he wanted to defend his country.
Marine Corps Cpl. Nicolas Parada-Rodriguez, 29, of Stafford, died Sunday in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said.
He had been in the Navy and was deployed to Afghanistan during his service, said his sister Norma. After his discharge, he held a civilian job for a time and then signed up again, this time in the Marines.
When he was sent to Afghanistan in December, she said, it was his second Afghanistan tour with the Marines.
"He said he just liked defending his country," Norma said Tuesday. "He wanted to do something that people would remember him for."
The Pentagon said Parada-Rodriguez died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province.
After coming to this country from El Salvador in 1991, according to his sister, Nicholas Parada-Rodriguez and his parents and siblings settled in Springfield.
He went to Robert E. Lee High School, where, she said, he enjoyed being with his friends, "being their leader . . . defending people . . . always looking out for people."
His sister said Cpl. Parada-Rodriguez had no children but loved to be with his nieces and nephews, sometimes telling them war stories, and often telling them to do good things.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division of the II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the Pentagon said.
It was a long drive between Camp Lejeune and Stafford, but Nicholas Parada-Rodriguez made it often, Norma said.
When at Lejeune, his sister said, he "couldn't wait for weekends" to come to Virginia to be with family.
"It's very sad," she said. "We are devastated. We knew that this could happen." But she said, he was due to return in late June or early July, and "we always had that hope" that he would.
Military officials say a 29-year-old Marine corporal based in North Carolina has been killed in Afghanistan.
A statement from Camp Lejeune says Paradarodriguez was a team leader assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. Paradarodriguez joined the Marine Corps in January 2007 and was promoted to corporal in April 2009.
Parada-Rodriguez deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and again last December.
His awards include the Navy Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.
Cpl. Nicolas D. Parada Rodriguez was killed in action on 5/16/10.
Cpl. Nicolas D. Parada Rodriguez,29, of Stafford, Va.
Cpl. Parada Rodriguez was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 16, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Nicholas Parada-Rodriguez was an immigrant, who came to the United States 19 years ago, graduated from high school in Fairfax County, and his sister Norma said, he wanted to defend his country.
Marine Corps Cpl. Nicolas Parada-Rodriguez, 29, of Stafford, died Sunday in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said.
He had been in the Navy and was deployed to Afghanistan during his service, said his sister Norma. After his discharge, he held a civilian job for a time and then signed up again, this time in the Marines.
When he was sent to Afghanistan in December, she said, it was his second Afghanistan tour with the Marines.
"He said he just liked defending his country," Norma said Tuesday. "He wanted to do something that people would remember him for."
The Pentagon said Parada-Rodriguez died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province.
After coming to this country from El Salvador in 1991, according to his sister, Nicholas Parada-Rodriguez and his parents and siblings settled in Springfield.
He went to Robert E. Lee High School, where, she said, he enjoyed being with his friends, "being their leader . . . defending people . . . always looking out for people."
His sister said Cpl. Parada-Rodriguez had no children but loved to be with his nieces and nephews, sometimes telling them war stories, and often telling them to do good things.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division of the II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the Pentagon said.
It was a long drive between Camp Lejeune and Stafford, but Nicholas Parada-Rodriguez made it often, Norma said.
When at Lejeune, his sister said, he "couldn't wait for weekends" to come to Virginia to be with family.
"It's very sad," she said. "We are devastated. We knew that this could happen." But she said, he was due to return in late June or early July, and "we always had that hope" that he would.
Military officials say a 29-year-old Marine corporal based in North Carolina has been killed in Afghanistan.
A statement from Camp Lejeune says Paradarodriguez was a team leader assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. Paradarodriguez joined the Marine Corps in January 2007 and was promoted to corporal in April 2009.
Parada-Rodriguez deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and again last December.
His awards include the Navy Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.
Cpl. Nicolas D. Parada Rodriguez was killed in action on 5/16/10.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Zarian Wood
Remember Our Heroes
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Zarian Wood, 29, of Houston
Corpsman 3rd Class Wood was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 16, 2010 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in a blast from an improvised-explosive device while on mounted patrol.
Before he deployed to Afghanistan last month, Zarian Wood visited his father and brother for a week at their home in south Houston. The three men played video games, dined on steak and shrimp and lounged on camping chairs in the driveway. It was like a mini family reunion, recalled his father, Daniel Wood.
“Just before he left, he told me, ‘Dad, take care of yourself and everything, and I'll be back,' ” he said.
The 29-year-old Navy petty officer third class from Houston died Sunday of wounds inflicted by a bomb blast during a foot patrol in Helmand Province. He had only been in Afghanistan about 3½ weeks.
“He was a good honest Christian man,” said his father, a 63-year-old Vietnam veteran. “He thought he went over there to help children and help the country better itself, and wham.” The father took a shaking breath, still stunned by the news. “Ah well, he's with the good Lord, you know,” he said.
Nicknamed “Z,” Zarian graduated in 1999 from South Houston High School, where he'd competed on the wrestling team.
Youth pastor, tutor
He worked as a youth pastor and tutor for troubled kids on Houston's northeast side and a merchandiser for Coca-Cola before enlisting in 2006.
His decision to undergo rigorous training to become a hospital corpsman was very much in character for him, his relatives say.
“He was a very giving young man and my mother taught all of us that when you have nothing to give you have yourself to give,” said his sister, Teresa Robertson.
Zarian deployed to Iraq from 2007-2008. His relatives said he volunteered for his second combat tour, this time a seven-month stint in Afghanistan, where he served as “Doc” on the front lines alongside Marine infantrymen from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
“He was taking care of other folks,” his father said. “He was doing what he wanted to do, and he was doing it for his beliefs. He didn't want younger men to have to see and do what he'd seen and done over there.”
Zarian was the third Texan and third member of this Marine battalion to be killed in Afghanistan recently. Cpl. Jeffrey Johnson, 21, of Tomball was also killed May 11 by an improvised explosive device while on a foot patrol. Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, of Kilgore, also died in that attack. Johnson and May served in Weapons Company.
The close-knit Wood family gathered on Tuesday to make funeral arrangements and remember the fallen corpsman.
“He had a good heart, very outgoing, worked out at the gym every day,” said his older brother, Zachary Wood. “He cared about his looks.”
“He was very meticulous about that,” his father said with a laugh. “He was a handsome man.”
Wanted to be a dentist
He was an honest man, too, even to the point of being blunt, his brother said. “Yeah, he'd tell you in a flat minute if you were wrong,” his father said. “Then again, he'd stand up for you in a flat minute if you were right.”
He said his son dreamed of going back to school someday. “He wanted to study radiology and then after he got that degree, he was going to try to become a dentist,” he said. “He was all about living life, living life to the fullest,” his brother said.
Zarian was preceded in death by his mother, Nellie Sue Wood. He is survived by his father, Daniel Wood, and siblings Zachary Wood, Krista Hamilton, Teresa Robertson, Victor Robertson and Micah Dixon.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Zarian Wood was killed in action on 5/16/10.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Zarian Wood, 29, of Houston
Corpsman 3rd Class Wood was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 16, 2010 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in a blast from an improvised-explosive device while on mounted patrol.
Before he deployed to Afghanistan last month, Zarian Wood visited his father and brother for a week at their home in south Houston. The three men played video games, dined on steak and shrimp and lounged on camping chairs in the driveway. It was like a mini family reunion, recalled his father, Daniel Wood.
“Just before he left, he told me, ‘Dad, take care of yourself and everything, and I'll be back,' ” he said.
The 29-year-old Navy petty officer third class from Houston died Sunday of wounds inflicted by a bomb blast during a foot patrol in Helmand Province. He had only been in Afghanistan about 3½ weeks.
“He was a good honest Christian man,” said his father, a 63-year-old Vietnam veteran. “He thought he went over there to help children and help the country better itself, and wham.” The father took a shaking breath, still stunned by the news. “Ah well, he's with the good Lord, you know,” he said.
Nicknamed “Z,” Zarian graduated in 1999 from South Houston High School, where he'd competed on the wrestling team.
Youth pastor, tutor
He worked as a youth pastor and tutor for troubled kids on Houston's northeast side and a merchandiser for Coca-Cola before enlisting in 2006.
His decision to undergo rigorous training to become a hospital corpsman was very much in character for him, his relatives say.
“He was a very giving young man and my mother taught all of us that when you have nothing to give you have yourself to give,” said his sister, Teresa Robertson.
Zarian deployed to Iraq from 2007-2008. His relatives said he volunteered for his second combat tour, this time a seven-month stint in Afghanistan, where he served as “Doc” on the front lines alongside Marine infantrymen from Camp Pendleton, Calif.
“He was taking care of other folks,” his father said. “He was doing what he wanted to do, and he was doing it for his beliefs. He didn't want younger men to have to see and do what he'd seen and done over there.”
Zarian was the third Texan and third member of this Marine battalion to be killed in Afghanistan recently. Cpl. Jeffrey Johnson, 21, of Tomball was also killed May 11 by an improvised explosive device while on a foot patrol. Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, of Kilgore, also died in that attack. Johnson and May served in Weapons Company.
The close-knit Wood family gathered on Tuesday to make funeral arrangements and remember the fallen corpsman.
“He had a good heart, very outgoing, worked out at the gym every day,” said his older brother, Zachary Wood. “He cared about his looks.”
“He was very meticulous about that,” his father said with a laugh. “He was a handsome man.”
Wanted to be a dentist
He was an honest man, too, even to the point of being blunt, his brother said. “Yeah, he'd tell you in a flat minute if you were wrong,” his father said. “Then again, he'd stand up for you in a flat minute if you were right.”
He said his son dreamed of going back to school someday. “He wanted to study radiology and then after he got that degree, he was going to try to become a dentist,” he said. “He was all about living life, living life to the fullest,” his brother said.
Zarian was preceded in death by his mother, Nellie Sue Wood. He is survived by his father, Daniel Wood, and siblings Zachary Wood, Krista Hamilton, Teresa Robertson, Victor Robertson and Micah Dixon.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Zarian Wood was killed in action on 5/16/10.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Army Sgt. Denis D. Kisseloff
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Denis D. Kisseloff, 45, of Saint Charles, Mo.
Sgt. Kisseloff was assigned to the 1141st Engineer Company, Missouri National Guard, Kansas City, Mo.; died May 14, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
Scores gather to remember St. Charles soldier
The Associated Press
COTTLEVILLE, Mo. — Mourners gathered over the weekend to remember a St. Charles soldier killed in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Denis Kisseloff died May 14 when his unit was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade and fire from small arms. He was 45 and was assigned to the 1141st Engineer Company in Kansas City, Mo.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Rev. James P. Callahan said Saturday during the funeral that Kisseloff "gave his life for our nation because he believed in this nation and he believed in the people of America."
Afterward, scores of people came to pay their respects as his body made its way to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Kisseloff leaves behind two young children, Serena and Alexandr. Their mother died of an illness about two years ago.
The two are living with their grandparents in St. Charles County.
Army Sgt. Denis D. Kisseloff was killed in action on 5/14/10.
Army Sgt. Denis D. Kisseloff, 45, of Saint Charles, Mo.
Sgt. Kisseloff was assigned to the 1141st Engineer Company, Missouri National Guard, Kansas City, Mo.; died May 14, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
Scores gather to remember St. Charles soldier
The Associated Press
COTTLEVILLE, Mo. — Mourners gathered over the weekend to remember a St. Charles soldier killed in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Denis Kisseloff died May 14 when his unit was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade and fire from small arms. He was 45 and was assigned to the 1141st Engineer Company in Kansas City, Mo.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Rev. James P. Callahan said Saturday during the funeral that Kisseloff "gave his life for our nation because he believed in this nation and he believed in the people of America."
Afterward, scores of people came to pay their respects as his body made its way to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Kisseloff leaves behind two young children, Serena and Alexandr. Their mother died of an illness about two years ago.
The two are living with their grandparents in St. Charles County.
Army Sgt. Denis D. Kisseloff was killed in action on 5/14/10.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23, of Fredericksburg, Va.
Sgt. Lamar was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 12, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine was serving his third combat tour
WASHINGTON - A Marine soldier from Fredericksburg, Va. died Wednesday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, said the Department of Defense.
Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23, was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
He served two tours in Iraq and was serving in Afghanistan for his third combat tour. He was recently promoted meritoriously to sergeant and had been meritoriously promoted to all ranks in the Corps.
A Marine sniper who grew up in Stafford County and played sports at Stafford High School was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan.
A family friend who asked not to be identified said Lamar's relatives were doing remarkably well under the circumstances. He mentioned Lamar's wife, Stephanie; daughter, Madison, 2; parents, Donald and Coleen, who live in Stafford; and other family members.
As for Lamar, the friend said, "He really was a remarkable kid. When he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, he'd drive up here to help with the wrestling team. The kids all idolized him."
And he said Donald Lamar loved the military.
"He was a Marine's Marine, a big, strapping kid--tough, a great sense of humor and a natural leader."
Donald James Lamar was born in New York; his family moved to Stafford when he was an infant.
A Fredericksburg Marine who played football and coached wrestling at Stafford High School has been killed in combat in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department and family friends.
"He was a bright young man, a fun-loving young man and a good athlete," said David Ripley, a principal intern at the high school.
"He was an exceptional leader on the football team, very well-rounded and liked by so many people because he just had a charismatic personality," Ripley added.
Sgt. Donald J. Lamar never really left Fredericksburg.
His presence was felt after he graduated from Stafford Senior High School and went on to enlist in the Marine Corps.
“I think of him almost like a son,” said former wrestling coach Richard Hall, choking back tears. “I’m going to miss him.”
Lamar would often return to his old school and coach other wrestlers. He was also quick to share the ins and outs of military life with Stafford students.
Sheri Pierce, who taught sociology, recalled how he talked to one of her classes about the transition from civilian life to military life and back again. Now, she sees students and other staffers at the school struggle with the loss.
“We’re wondering why it’s the good ones that go," she said.
Her husband Roger, who coached football at Stafford when Lamar was there, said the news of his death hit him like a “punch in the gut.”
He remembered how happy Lamar was with his life in the corps.
Friends said his family was still too upset to speak publicly about him.
Sgt. Lamar's awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and Afghanistan Campaign Medal, according to the release
He graduated in 2004 and joined the Marines, serving two tours in Iraq and most recently a tour in Afghanistan.
"He had just been meritoriously promoted to sergeant," the family friend said. Lamar was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
In a Free Lance-Star story March 2009, Lamar was mentioned along with other area Marines who had just returned from duty in Iraq. He said he was looking forward to spending time with his wife, daughter and family.
Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II was killed in action on 5/12/10.
Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23, of Fredericksburg, Va.
Sgt. Lamar was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 12, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine was serving his third combat tour
WASHINGTON - A Marine soldier from Fredericksburg, Va. died Wednesday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, said the Department of Defense.
Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23, was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
He served two tours in Iraq and was serving in Afghanistan for his third combat tour. He was recently promoted meritoriously to sergeant and had been meritoriously promoted to all ranks in the Corps.
A Marine sniper who grew up in Stafford County and played sports at Stafford High School was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan.
A family friend who asked not to be identified said Lamar's relatives were doing remarkably well under the circumstances. He mentioned Lamar's wife, Stephanie; daughter, Madison, 2; parents, Donald and Coleen, who live in Stafford; and other family members.
As for Lamar, the friend said, "He really was a remarkable kid. When he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, he'd drive up here to help with the wrestling team. The kids all idolized him."
And he said Donald Lamar loved the military.
"He was a Marine's Marine, a big, strapping kid--tough, a great sense of humor and a natural leader."
Donald James Lamar was born in New York; his family moved to Stafford when he was an infant.
A Fredericksburg Marine who played football and coached wrestling at Stafford High School has been killed in combat in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department and family friends.
"He was a bright young man, a fun-loving young man and a good athlete," said David Ripley, a principal intern at the high school.
"He was an exceptional leader on the football team, very well-rounded and liked by so many people because he just had a charismatic personality," Ripley added.
Sgt. Donald J. Lamar never really left Fredericksburg.
His presence was felt after he graduated from Stafford Senior High School and went on to enlist in the Marine Corps.
“I think of him almost like a son,” said former wrestling coach Richard Hall, choking back tears. “I’m going to miss him.”
Lamar would often return to his old school and coach other wrestlers. He was also quick to share the ins and outs of military life with Stafford students.
Sheri Pierce, who taught sociology, recalled how he talked to one of her classes about the transition from civilian life to military life and back again. Now, she sees students and other staffers at the school struggle with the loss.
“We’re wondering why it’s the good ones that go," she said.
Her husband Roger, who coached football at Stafford when Lamar was there, said the news of his death hit him like a “punch in the gut.”
He remembered how happy Lamar was with his life in the corps.
Friends said his family was still too upset to speak publicly about him.
Sgt. Lamar's awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and Afghanistan Campaign Medal, according to the release
He graduated in 2004 and joined the Marines, serving two tours in Iraq and most recently a tour in Afghanistan.
"He had just been meritoriously promoted to sergeant," the family friend said. Lamar was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
In a Free Lance-Star story March 2009, Lamar was mentioned along with other area Marines who had just returned from duty in Iraq. He said he was looking forward to spending time with his wife, daughter and family.
Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II was killed in action on 5/12/10.
Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, 23, of Ludlow, Mass.
Sgt. Desforges was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 12, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Marjah, Afghanistan.
Desforges was a 2004 graduate of Ludlow Senior High School.
Prior to enlisting in the Marines, Desforges was a member of the Westover Young Marines program, based in East Longmeadow.
He is the third soldier with local ties killed in Afghanistan and the 22 overall killed in combat in either Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003.
He was also friends with Marine Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson, 19, of Enfield, Conn., who was killed Sept. 3, 2006 in a roadside attack west of Baghdad, Iraq. Both served together in the Westover Young Marines program.
At Johnson’s funeral on Aug. 14, 2006, Desforges told a Republican reporter that his friend was enthusiastic about the Marines and excited to be going to combat. “I told him ‘be safe’,” he said.
No funeral arrangements have been set and it is not clear when his body will return to the area, Couture said.
Jacob Oliveira, a member of the Ludlow School Committee, was a classmate of Joshua Desforges at Ludlow High School. They both graduated in 2004.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks when I heard,” Oliveira said. “I grew up with Josh, went to Middle School and high school with him and I went to his deployment party on West Street. “It’s surreal that he’s gone,” he said.
Oliveira said his father, Richard Oliveira, was Desforges’ math teacher at Ludlow High School , and he said his father said Desforges always brightened the room when he walked into class. “He was a fun-loving kid,” Jacob Oliveira said of Desforges. He said he became very serious about joining the Marines and serving his country. “He has become a hero to me and my classmates,” Oliveira said.
“This is a small community,” Oliveira added. He said Desforges’ mother is a para-professional at Veterans Park Elementary School in town.
Oliveira said the last time he saw Desforges was a few years ago at a Memorial Day parade. “This year we will be honoring him,” he said.
A favorite quote from his FB page: " Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." James Dean
Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges was killed in action on 5/12/10.
Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, 23, of Ludlow, Mass.
Sgt. Desforges was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 12, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Marjah, Afghanistan.
Desforges was a 2004 graduate of Ludlow Senior High School.
Prior to enlisting in the Marines, Desforges was a member of the Westover Young Marines program, based in East Longmeadow.
He is the third soldier with local ties killed in Afghanistan and the 22 overall killed in combat in either Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003.
He was also friends with Marine Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson, 19, of Enfield, Conn., who was killed Sept. 3, 2006 in a roadside attack west of Baghdad, Iraq. Both served together in the Westover Young Marines program.
At Johnson’s funeral on Aug. 14, 2006, Desforges told a Republican reporter that his friend was enthusiastic about the Marines and excited to be going to combat. “I told him ‘be safe’,” he said.
No funeral arrangements have been set and it is not clear when his body will return to the area, Couture said.
Jacob Oliveira, a member of the Ludlow School Committee, was a classmate of Joshua Desforges at Ludlow High School. They both graduated in 2004.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks when I heard,” Oliveira said. “I grew up with Josh, went to Middle School and high school with him and I went to his deployment party on West Street. “It’s surreal that he’s gone,” he said.
Oliveira said his father, Richard Oliveira, was Desforges’ math teacher at Ludlow High School , and he said his father said Desforges always brightened the room when he walked into class. “He was a fun-loving kid,” Jacob Oliveira said of Desforges. He said he became very serious about joining the Marines and serving his country. “He has become a hero to me and my classmates,” Oliveira said.
“This is a small community,” Oliveira added. He said Desforges’ mother is a para-professional at Veterans Park Elementary School in town.
Oliveira said the last time he saw Desforges was a few years ago at a Memorial Day parade. “This year we will be honoring him,” he said.
A favorite quote from his FB page: " Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." James Dean
Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges was killed in action on 5/12/10.
Army Sgt. Major Michael S. Kurtz
Remember Our Heroes
Sergeant Major Michael "Mike" S. Kurtz: On May 12, 2010 Sergeant Major Michael "Mike" S. Kurtz, of Yelm, Washington, passed away peacefully while scouting hunting locations by the Deschutes River near his home. He was 52 years old.
Mike was born on January 14th, 1958 to Jack and Emily "Jackie" Kurtz of Williamsport, PA. Mike graduated from Edinboro University with a Baccalaureate of Science Degree in Biology. He entered active duty with the Army on January 14th, 1982 and was assigned as a Biological Sciences Assistant at Letterman Army Institute of Research, Presidio of San Francisco, CA.
His military career includes the following assignments: Plans, Operations, Training and Security Section NCOIC at Letterman Army Institute of Research, Presidio of San Francisco, CA; Laboratory Liaison Noncommissioned Officer to the Office of The Surgeon General of the Army, Health Care Systems Support Activity, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Platoon Sergeant/NCOIC, Blood Donor Center, 16th Medical Logistics Battalion, Seoul, Korea; Department of Pathology NCOIC, Reynolds Army Community Hospital, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services NCOIC, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington; Chief, Medical Laboratory NCO, 18th MEDCOM, Seoul, Korea; Sergeant Major, Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services. He recently served as the Command Sergeant Major for Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Sergeant Major Kurtz' military education includes the Warrior Leaders Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, the Security Managers Course, and the United States Army Sergeant's Major Academy, Class 51.
Sergeant Major Kurtz' awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (4 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal (11 OLC), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal (1 Bronze Star). He was a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3) and was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit Medal.
Mike was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing with his friends. He was a member of the Free Masons and was active in many conservation causes and charitable organizations supporting his fellow soldiers.
This was posted by "Mitch" on bloodydecks.com (a fishing site):
"It is with the deepest regret to inform you that Sergeant Major Michael Kurtz passed away on May 12. Mike had been missing for a couple days and was found on the evening of May 14. It appears that he passed away quietly doing what he loved to do, scouting for game in one of his favorite secluded hunting areas near his home.
Mike has been a fantastic friend to many of us here at Madigan and this community. He was with me since my arrival in August when Madigan and Western Regional Medical Command became separate. He held the position of Command Sergeant Major for approximately a year, excelling in all facets of taking care of Soldiers, Civilians and their Families.
He admirably served his country for over 28 years and truly did a superb job getting the mission done as Madigan’s Command Sergeant Major while exemplifying our spirit of caring with compassion.
We lost a great Soldier. Mike was my trusted adviser, confidant and most importantly, my close and loyal friend.
We will all miss him very much. Please keep Mike's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Godspeed Mike, we had some great times fishing together.
Mitch also posted this:
It was springer fishing last year with Mike that the idea to take Wounded Warriors out fishing at the WTC was born. As you can see, he was a strong supporter of the guys while at the hospital and would take them fishing on his own. He always said fishing was its own therapy. Hopefully I can continue to make him proud. Time to dust off the suit again.
Thanks guys.
Searchers discovered the body of Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Kurtz, 52, of Yelm, near the edge of the Deschutes River on Friday night, more than a day after his wife reported him missing.
Pamela Kurtz came home last Wednesday to find her husband, Sgt. Maj. Michael Kurtz, nowhere to be found. Kurtz had left behind his wallet, wedding ring and keys. But his bike was missing.
Two months prior, the 52-year-old top soldier at Madigan Army Medical Center had been cited for drunk driving. Pamela said the arrest had made her husband irritable. According to the Tacoma News-Tribune, two days before he disappeared Kurtz came home and told his wife that his career in the military had been ruined.
Searchers combed a wooded area near the Deschutes where Kurtz was known to hunt. They found his bike at the end of a logging road. Shortly thereafter, they found his body near the river's banks.
Kurtz had an empty beer can in his hand and a prescription pain killer at his feet. An autopsy has been performed, but police are waiting until a toxicology report comes back to determine a cause of death.
"We lost a great soldier," Kurtz's commanding officer told the News-Tribune. "Mike was my trusted adviser, confidant and, most importantly, my close and loyal friend. We will all miss him."
Investigators for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, which led the search-and-rescue operation, said foul play is not suspected.
Kurtz’s wife, Paula, reported her husband missing on the afternoon of May 13, 24 hours after he last was seen, by a neighbor.
She told a sheriff’s deputy that she arrived home at their property southeast of Yelm the previous evening to find his bike missing and his wedding ring, wallet and keys in the house, according to investigative reports reviewed by The Olympian. She said he rode his bike on Weyerhaeuser property to the south to hunt and scout for deer.
She said her husband had come home from work May 11 “extremely upset and irritable and became upset with her for ‘small, silly things,’” according to a report. She said her husband was cited for driving under the influence two months ago, and “his career in the military had been ruined.” Records from Thurston County District Court confirm the citation. A court hearing was scheduled for May 26.
The sheriff’s office began the search Friday in the area where he was known to hunt with the assistance of K9s and 150 soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Kurtz was found leaning downward with his arms crossed and a empty beer can in his right hand, a report said. Two beer cans were near his body. A backpack containing a full can of beer was nearby. A white-colored pill, later identified as the prescription painkiller Roxicet, was found at his feet, a report said. His wife told a deputy that her husband had recently had knee surgery.
Kurtz was born and grew up in the Williamsport, Pa. He entered the Army shortly after graduating from Edinboro University, near Erie, Pa., in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
His military career involved assignments nationwide, including an earlier stint at Fort Lewis. During an assignment in South Korea as the chief medical laboratory non-commissioned officer for the 18th Medical Command, he received the Army Commendation Medal for pulling a woman from the Han River and performing life-saving CPR, his brother, Thomas, said during a telephone interview from his home in Williamsport.
He returned to South Sound in July 2004 as the non-commissioned officer in charge of Madigan’s pathology department. He was promoted as the hospital’s top enlisted soldier last summer.
Thomas Kurtz said his brother loved to hunt and fish. “He was a true outdoorsman,” he said.
The two talked once a week. Thomas Kurtz said he was unaware of his reported depression and his driving-under-the-influence citation. He said news of his brother’s death came as a shock.
“I didn’t hear anything negative at all from him,” he said. “He wouldn’t have talked about it.”
He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Paula Kurtz, his daughter Nicole Kurtz, his mother Jackie Kurtz, brother Tom Kurtz, and sister Sue Stopper. He was preceded in death by his father, Jack Kurtz.
A military service honoring Sergeant Major Kurtz will be held at the North Fort Chapel, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Sergeant Major Michael "Mike" S. Kurtz: On May 12, 2010 Sergeant Major Michael "Mike" S. Kurtz, of Yelm, Washington, passed away peacefully while scouting hunting locations by the Deschutes River near his home. He was 52 years old.
Mike was born on January 14th, 1958 to Jack and Emily "Jackie" Kurtz of Williamsport, PA. Mike graduated from Edinboro University with a Baccalaureate of Science Degree in Biology. He entered active duty with the Army on January 14th, 1982 and was assigned as a Biological Sciences Assistant at Letterman Army Institute of Research, Presidio of San Francisco, CA.
His military career includes the following assignments: Plans, Operations, Training and Security Section NCOIC at Letterman Army Institute of Research, Presidio of San Francisco, CA; Laboratory Liaison Noncommissioned Officer to the Office of The Surgeon General of the Army, Health Care Systems Support Activity, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Platoon Sergeant/NCOIC, Blood Donor Center, 16th Medical Logistics Battalion, Seoul, Korea; Department of Pathology NCOIC, Reynolds Army Community Hospital, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services NCOIC, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington; Chief, Medical Laboratory NCO, 18th MEDCOM, Seoul, Korea; Sergeant Major, Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services. He recently served as the Command Sergeant Major for Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Sergeant Major Kurtz' military education includes the Warrior Leaders Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, the Security Managers Course, and the United States Army Sergeant's Major Academy, Class 51.
Sergeant Major Kurtz' awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (4 OLC), the Army Achievement Medal (11 OLC), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal (1 Bronze Star). He was a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3) and was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit Medal.
Mike was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing with his friends. He was a member of the Free Masons and was active in many conservation causes and charitable organizations supporting his fellow soldiers.
This was posted by "Mitch" on bloodydecks.com (a fishing site):
"It is with the deepest regret to inform you that Sergeant Major Michael Kurtz passed away on May 12. Mike had been missing for a couple days and was found on the evening of May 14. It appears that he passed away quietly doing what he loved to do, scouting for game in one of his favorite secluded hunting areas near his home.
Mike has been a fantastic friend to many of us here at Madigan and this community. He was with me since my arrival in August when Madigan and Western Regional Medical Command became separate. He held the position of Command Sergeant Major for approximately a year, excelling in all facets of taking care of Soldiers, Civilians and their Families.
He admirably served his country for over 28 years and truly did a superb job getting the mission done as Madigan’s Command Sergeant Major while exemplifying our spirit of caring with compassion.
We lost a great Soldier. Mike was my trusted adviser, confidant and most importantly, my close and loyal friend.
We will all miss him very much. Please keep Mike's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Godspeed Mike, we had some great times fishing together.
Mitch also posted this:
It was springer fishing last year with Mike that the idea to take Wounded Warriors out fishing at the WTC was born. As you can see, he was a strong supporter of the guys while at the hospital and would take them fishing on his own. He always said fishing was its own therapy. Hopefully I can continue to make him proud. Time to dust off the suit again.
Thanks guys.
Searchers discovered the body of Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Kurtz, 52, of Yelm, near the edge of the Deschutes River on Friday night, more than a day after his wife reported him missing.
Pamela Kurtz came home last Wednesday to find her husband, Sgt. Maj. Michael Kurtz, nowhere to be found. Kurtz had left behind his wallet, wedding ring and keys. But his bike was missing.
Two months prior, the 52-year-old top soldier at Madigan Army Medical Center had been cited for drunk driving. Pamela said the arrest had made her husband irritable. According to the Tacoma News-Tribune, two days before he disappeared Kurtz came home and told his wife that his career in the military had been ruined.
Searchers combed a wooded area near the Deschutes where Kurtz was known to hunt. They found his bike at the end of a logging road. Shortly thereafter, they found his body near the river's banks.
Kurtz had an empty beer can in his hand and a prescription pain killer at his feet. An autopsy has been performed, but police are waiting until a toxicology report comes back to determine a cause of death.
"We lost a great soldier," Kurtz's commanding officer told the News-Tribune. "Mike was my trusted adviser, confidant and, most importantly, my close and loyal friend. We will all miss him."
Investigators for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, which led the search-and-rescue operation, said foul play is not suspected.
Kurtz’s wife, Paula, reported her husband missing on the afternoon of May 13, 24 hours after he last was seen, by a neighbor.
She told a sheriff’s deputy that she arrived home at their property southeast of Yelm the previous evening to find his bike missing and his wedding ring, wallet and keys in the house, according to investigative reports reviewed by The Olympian. She said he rode his bike on Weyerhaeuser property to the south to hunt and scout for deer.
She said her husband had come home from work May 11 “extremely upset and irritable and became upset with her for ‘small, silly things,’” according to a report. She said her husband was cited for driving under the influence two months ago, and “his career in the military had been ruined.” Records from Thurston County District Court confirm the citation. A court hearing was scheduled for May 26.
The sheriff’s office began the search Friday in the area where he was known to hunt with the assistance of K9s and 150 soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Kurtz was found leaning downward with his arms crossed and a empty beer can in his right hand, a report said. Two beer cans were near his body. A backpack containing a full can of beer was nearby. A white-colored pill, later identified as the prescription painkiller Roxicet, was found at his feet, a report said. His wife told a deputy that her husband had recently had knee surgery.
Kurtz was born and grew up in the Williamsport, Pa. He entered the Army shortly after graduating from Edinboro University, near Erie, Pa., in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
His military career involved assignments nationwide, including an earlier stint at Fort Lewis. During an assignment in South Korea as the chief medical laboratory non-commissioned officer for the 18th Medical Command, he received the Army Commendation Medal for pulling a woman from the Han River and performing life-saving CPR, his brother, Thomas, said during a telephone interview from his home in Williamsport.
He returned to South Sound in July 2004 as the non-commissioned officer in charge of Madigan’s pathology department. He was promoted as the hospital’s top enlisted soldier last summer.
Thomas Kurtz said his brother loved to hunt and fish. “He was a true outdoorsman,” he said.
The two talked once a week. Thomas Kurtz said he was unaware of his reported depression and his driving-under-the-influence citation. He said news of his brother’s death came as a shock.
“I didn’t hear anything negative at all from him,” he said. “He wouldn’t have talked about it.”
He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Paula Kurtz, his daughter Nicole Kurtz, his mother Jackie Kurtz, brother Tom Kurtz, and sister Sue Stopper. He was preceded in death by his father, Jack Kurtz.
A military service honoring Sergeant Major Kurtz will be held at the North Fort Chapel, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Marine Cpl. Jeffery W. Johnson
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Jeffery W. Johnson, 21, of Tomball, Texas
Cpl. Johnson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 11, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, of Kilgore, Texas.
Cpl. Jeffrey W. Johnson died on Tuesday supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Department of Defense officials said Wednesday. He was on foot patrol when the device exploded.
Another Marine from Texas, Sgt. Kenneth B. May, Jr., 26, of Kilgore, was also killed.
Cpl.Johnson and Sgt.May were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Jeffrey Johnson enlisted in July 2007 and was trained to fire an anti-tank guided missile.
He was serving his second deployment.
His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
“The Marines and sailors of the 1st Marine Division mourn the loss of Cpl. Johnson. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family,” the Marines stated in a press release last week.
Jeffrey Johnson graduated from Waller High School in 2007. According to Waller ISD Public Relations Director Marianne Kosik, Johnson enrolled in Waller Junior High his seventh grade year after his family moved from North Carolina.
“Jeffrey’s death reminds us all that life can be brief and of the importance to live our lives to the fullest each day,” Waller ISD Superintendent Richard McReavy said. “Our deepest condolences go to Jeffrey’s wife, Katy Anguish, his family, friends and the entire Waller ISD community during this difficult time.”
McReavy added that, at press time last week, Johnson’s family was at Dover Air Force base in Delaware and funeral arrangements would be made upon their return.
Cpl. Johnson is the second Marine from Tomball to perish in Helman province in Afghanistan within the past four months.
The Patriot Riders have Cpl. Johnson on their Watch List, where members are leaving messages of love and support for the Johnson family.
Marine Cpl. Jeffery W. Johnson was killed in action on 5/11/10.
Marine Cpl. Jeffery W. Johnson, 21, of Tomball, Texas
Cpl. Johnson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 11, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, of Kilgore, Texas.
Cpl. Jeffrey W. Johnson died on Tuesday supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Department of Defense officials said Wednesday. He was on foot patrol when the device exploded.
Another Marine from Texas, Sgt. Kenneth B. May, Jr., 26, of Kilgore, was also killed.
Cpl.Johnson and Sgt.May were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Jeffrey Johnson enlisted in July 2007 and was trained to fire an anti-tank guided missile.
He was serving his second deployment.
His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
“The Marines and sailors of the 1st Marine Division mourn the loss of Cpl. Johnson. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family,” the Marines stated in a press release last week.
Jeffrey Johnson graduated from Waller High School in 2007. According to Waller ISD Public Relations Director Marianne Kosik, Johnson enrolled in Waller Junior High his seventh grade year after his family moved from North Carolina.
“Jeffrey’s death reminds us all that life can be brief and of the importance to live our lives to the fullest each day,” Waller ISD Superintendent Richard McReavy said. “Our deepest condolences go to Jeffrey’s wife, Katy Anguish, his family, friends and the entire Waller ISD community during this difficult time.”
McReavy added that, at press time last week, Johnson’s family was at Dover Air Force base in Delaware and funeral arrangements would be made upon their return.
Cpl. Johnson is the second Marine from Tomball to perish in Helman province in Afghanistan within the past four months.
The Patriot Riders have Cpl. Johnson on their Watch List, where members are leaving messages of love and support for the Johnson family.
Marine Cpl. Jeffery W. Johnson was killed in action on 5/11/10.
Marine Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr.
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, of Kilgore, Texas
Sgt. May was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 11, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Cpl. Jeffrey W. Johnson.
KILGORE, TX (KLTV) - It was a sobering day on an East Texas campus and for the city of Kilgore, as a hometown Marine falls in the line of duty in Afghanistan. The Marine was killed only a day after celebrating his second wedding anniversary.
According to his family, Sergeant Kenneth May Jr., 26, served two tours in Iraq, and was on a tour in Afghanistan when he was killed.
"[He was] very giving, very open, very friendly, willing to do anything to help for whatever needed to be done," said Wayne Smith, the Kilgore College band director. "Somebody needs something and he'd help them just a great young man.
May was a Kilgore High School graduate, and was in the choir and played tuba in the band at Kilgore College in 2002-2003. The news of his death is shattering.
The latest confirmation of an East Texas Marine falling in the line of duty brings home the continued fight that servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan face.
Sergeant Kenneth May of Kilgore was killed this week while serving in Afghanistan. This is the second time Kilgore has lost one of their heroes in the war on terror. The loss of the Marine has hit the community of Kilgore hard.
"There's a lot of people here that he sure meant a lot to," said Gregg Brown, the Kilgore High School principal. "War can be a terrible thing. Lot's of times we're sort of de-sensitized to it...A tragedy like this happens and it sort of hits home.
May's death means that Kilgore now has two young men who have lost their lives in the modern era in the war against terrorism. In 2003 Marine Stephen Wyatt fell in Iraq. Both May and Wyatt were Kilgore High School graduates.
"These men and women in armed services put themselves in that position on a daily basis to give us the freedoms, luxuries to come to school and learn, all the things we take for granted," said Brown.
Over this decade we have honored servicemen from Tyler to Longview, from small communities like Hughes Springs and Terrell, adding to the list of casualties bringing war home to East Texans.
"Until it comes home to your community or your county or to a close friend somebody you know, you just don't pay it that much attention until it does," said William Perkins, the VFW 1183 post commander. "They are protecting their country serving their country...It's our duty to show his family that we care."
They join the list of our honored dead now. They have given all in hopes that we will remember.
"We will be there on that tarmac when Mister May comes in," said Perkins.
Veterans of the Patriot Guard plan to be at East Texas Regional Airport to honor Kenneth May when his body is returned to East Texas, tentatively schedule for this coming Tuesday.
"We work so hard to teach service learning and try to get students to learn what a life of service is but here's someone who models that in their own behavior and sets an example for all of us what it means to give an ultimate sacrifice," said Dr. Bill Holda, president of Kilgore College.
Those who knew May at school say they will remember a young man with high character who did not have to join the fight, but made the decision to defend freedom.
"He made the most unselfish of all sacrifices and that is to give up his life for the love and the freedom of others, and that was the person that I think he was," said Smith.
"He had a big heart and lots of friends around him, and my heart weeps as I say this because its just heartbreaking," said Holda.
He is remembered as being tough as boot leather and the best of what this country had to give.
"We probably will never know the full impact of his choice and the difference that it made," said Holda.
Marine Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr. was killed in action on 5/11/10.
Marine Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr., 26, of Kilgore, Texas
Sgt. May was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died May 11, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Cpl. Jeffrey W. Johnson.
KILGORE, TX (KLTV) - It was a sobering day on an East Texas campus and for the city of Kilgore, as a hometown Marine falls in the line of duty in Afghanistan. The Marine was killed only a day after celebrating his second wedding anniversary.
According to his family, Sergeant Kenneth May Jr., 26, served two tours in Iraq, and was on a tour in Afghanistan when he was killed.
"[He was] very giving, very open, very friendly, willing to do anything to help for whatever needed to be done," said Wayne Smith, the Kilgore College band director. "Somebody needs something and he'd help them just a great young man.
May was a Kilgore High School graduate, and was in the choir and played tuba in the band at Kilgore College in 2002-2003. The news of his death is shattering.
The latest confirmation of an East Texas Marine falling in the line of duty brings home the continued fight that servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan face.
Sergeant Kenneth May of Kilgore was killed this week while serving in Afghanistan. This is the second time Kilgore has lost one of their heroes in the war on terror. The loss of the Marine has hit the community of Kilgore hard.
"There's a lot of people here that he sure meant a lot to," said Gregg Brown, the Kilgore High School principal. "War can be a terrible thing. Lot's of times we're sort of de-sensitized to it...A tragedy like this happens and it sort of hits home.
May's death means that Kilgore now has two young men who have lost their lives in the modern era in the war against terrorism. In 2003 Marine Stephen Wyatt fell in Iraq. Both May and Wyatt were Kilgore High School graduates.
"These men and women in armed services put themselves in that position on a daily basis to give us the freedoms, luxuries to come to school and learn, all the things we take for granted," said Brown.
Over this decade we have honored servicemen from Tyler to Longview, from small communities like Hughes Springs and Terrell, adding to the list of casualties bringing war home to East Texans.
"Until it comes home to your community or your county or to a close friend somebody you know, you just don't pay it that much attention until it does," said William Perkins, the VFW 1183 post commander. "They are protecting their country serving their country...It's our duty to show his family that we care."
They join the list of our honored dead now. They have given all in hopes that we will remember.
"We will be there on that tarmac when Mister May comes in," said Perkins.
Veterans of the Patriot Guard plan to be at East Texas Regional Airport to honor Kenneth May when his body is returned to East Texas, tentatively schedule for this coming Tuesday.
"We work so hard to teach service learning and try to get students to learn what a life of service is but here's someone who models that in their own behavior and sets an example for all of us what it means to give an ultimate sacrifice," said Dr. Bill Holda, president of Kilgore College.
Those who knew May at school say they will remember a young man with high character who did not have to join the fight, but made the decision to defend freedom.
"He made the most unselfish of all sacrifices and that is to give up his life for the love and the freedom of others, and that was the person that I think he was," said Smith.
"He had a big heart and lots of friends around him, and my heart weeps as I say this because its just heartbreaking," said Holda.
He is remembered as being tough as boot leather and the best of what this country had to give.
"We probably will never know the full impact of his choice and the difference that it made," said Holda.
Marine Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr. was killed in action on 5/11/10.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Marine Cpl. Kurt S. Shea
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, 21, of Frederick, Md.
Cpl. Shea was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 10, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The family of Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, a 21-year-old Marine from Frederick, had been planning a party for July 4 to celebrate the end of his tour in Afghanistan. Instead, on Tuesday, relatives were preparing to go to Dover Air Force Base to retrieve the body of Shea, who was killed Monday in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.
On Sunday night, his family learned he'd been shot and killed while on duty in Afghanistan.
Shea had wanted a military career since he was three years old. His mother Linda pointed with pride to her son's many awards. As team captain, he led his Frederick High School wrestling team to the regional championship.
Then he became a Marine, following in the footsteps of two uncles whose pictures hang on his bedroom wall. Other family members served in the Army and Navy.
But his mother feared the worst when there was a sharp knock on the door Sunday night, and she saw three men standing outside Sunday night. That's when the family found out what had happened.
"Even though I've lost my son, I'm still very proud to be associated with the Marines," said Linda Shea. "Unfortunately it was Mother's Day evening [when we found out]. It was around nine o'clock. I knew what that meant. I had followed the Marines as far as being supportive to other families who have lost their children and I know about the knock on the door."
Kurt Shea graduated from Frederick High School in 2007. A plaque will be put up in the football stadium in honor of his leadership of the wrestling team and of the school's chapter of Future Farmers of America.
Edward Mayne, the advisor of that group, said Shea loved all animals and growing things.
"The Unsung Hero Award was one of the last awards he had gotten before he graduated," Mayne said. "It was very typical of Kurt. he always did things behind the scenes. He always helped support everybody. And he was recognized for that."
Another teacher at Frederick High, Beth Strakonsky, said, "He was always very respectful, unassuming. He did what he was asked to do, and went about his business."
Kurt Shea's proudest achievement was being a Marine.
His mother thought it important to add this thought: "I encourage everybody everywhere to be supportive of our troops. They're out there. They believe in what they're doing. They're committed. They're serving their community. And unfortunately that's some of the risk that's involved, but I'm very proud of our military."
He died doing what he had always longed to do, said his mother, Linda Shea. "When he was 3, he wanted to be an Army man," she said, adding that she probably still has her son's crayon drawings of military men from that time.
The Department of Defense said that Cpl. Shea, a radio operator assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division Forward, died while supporting combat operations. His mother said preliminary reports say he was killed by a gunshot to the head.
After investigating all the branches of the military during high school, Shea chose the Marines and signed up before beginning his senior year, his mother said.
He was attracted to the discipline and physical rigor. "Kurt did not ever sidestep a challenge," she said, adding that his three years of service had helped him develop. "He was always respectful, he became more respectful; he was always mature, he became more mature."
Shea's friends were reeling from the news, with messages about his death appearing on Facebook and pouring in to the Web site of Maryland DeMolay, a youth fraternity Shea had been a member of since his early teens.
Jonathan Adler, one of his fraternity brothers, said Shea had wanted to study kung fu. "We were going to look into schools in the area so that we could train together," he said. "He demonstrated many qualities that would have made him a great martial artist."
Courtney Duvall, a classmate at Frederick High School, recalled a gesture Kurt Shea made when she was a new student at Frederick High. "He was kind enough to invite me to his table with his friends at lunch when I first started," she said.
Cpl. Shea was to serve one more year in the Marines, after which, his mother said, he was trying to decide whether to continue or pursue a career in law enforcement or criminal justice. "He wanted to protect," she said. "He's a big brother."
His sister Olivia, who is in high school, felt that protection, his mother said. "With the guys that are paying attention to her, Kurt reminded her to remind them that her brother's a Marine."
Cpl. Shea, who was promoted to corporal in April 2009, was still getting used to overseeing people, his mother said. "He would ask for advice: How do you supervise people?" He would also ask for Girl Scout peanut butter cookies and Hostess banana cupcakes, which his family would send in the mail.
Shea was a radio operator assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division Forward, according to a 2nd Marine Division press release. Shea joined the Marine Corps in June 2007, and was promoted to corporal on April 1, 2009.
He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2009, according to the 2nd Marine Division. His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.
Cpl. Kurt Shea could have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery, but his mother says his ties to the community of Frederick run so deep that they chose to bury him there.
Marine Cpl. Kurt S. Shea was killed in action on 5/10/10.
Marine Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, 21, of Frederick, Md.
Cpl. Shea was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 10, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The family of Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, a 21-year-old Marine from Frederick, had been planning a party for July 4 to celebrate the end of his tour in Afghanistan. Instead, on Tuesday, relatives were preparing to go to Dover Air Force Base to retrieve the body of Shea, who was killed Monday in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.
On Sunday night, his family learned he'd been shot and killed while on duty in Afghanistan.
Shea had wanted a military career since he was three years old. His mother Linda pointed with pride to her son's many awards. As team captain, he led his Frederick High School wrestling team to the regional championship.
Then he became a Marine, following in the footsteps of two uncles whose pictures hang on his bedroom wall. Other family members served in the Army and Navy.
But his mother feared the worst when there was a sharp knock on the door Sunday night, and she saw three men standing outside Sunday night. That's when the family found out what had happened.
"Even though I've lost my son, I'm still very proud to be associated with the Marines," said Linda Shea. "Unfortunately it was Mother's Day evening [when we found out]. It was around nine o'clock. I knew what that meant. I had followed the Marines as far as being supportive to other families who have lost their children and I know about the knock on the door."
Kurt Shea graduated from Frederick High School in 2007. A plaque will be put up in the football stadium in honor of his leadership of the wrestling team and of the school's chapter of Future Farmers of America.
Edward Mayne, the advisor of that group, said Shea loved all animals and growing things.
"The Unsung Hero Award was one of the last awards he had gotten before he graduated," Mayne said. "It was very typical of Kurt. he always did things behind the scenes. He always helped support everybody. And he was recognized for that."
Another teacher at Frederick High, Beth Strakonsky, said, "He was always very respectful, unassuming. He did what he was asked to do, and went about his business."
Kurt Shea's proudest achievement was being a Marine.
His mother thought it important to add this thought: "I encourage everybody everywhere to be supportive of our troops. They're out there. They believe in what they're doing. They're committed. They're serving their community. And unfortunately that's some of the risk that's involved, but I'm very proud of our military."
He died doing what he had always longed to do, said his mother, Linda Shea. "When he was 3, he wanted to be an Army man," she said, adding that she probably still has her son's crayon drawings of military men from that time.
The Department of Defense said that Cpl. Shea, a radio operator assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division Forward, died while supporting combat operations. His mother said preliminary reports say he was killed by a gunshot to the head.
After investigating all the branches of the military during high school, Shea chose the Marines and signed up before beginning his senior year, his mother said.
He was attracted to the discipline and physical rigor. "Kurt did not ever sidestep a challenge," she said, adding that his three years of service had helped him develop. "He was always respectful, he became more respectful; he was always mature, he became more mature."
Shea's friends were reeling from the news, with messages about his death appearing on Facebook and pouring in to the Web site of Maryland DeMolay, a youth fraternity Shea had been a member of since his early teens.
Jonathan Adler, one of his fraternity brothers, said Shea had wanted to study kung fu. "We were going to look into schools in the area so that we could train together," he said. "He demonstrated many qualities that would have made him a great martial artist."
Courtney Duvall, a classmate at Frederick High School, recalled a gesture Kurt Shea made when she was a new student at Frederick High. "He was kind enough to invite me to his table with his friends at lunch when I first started," she said.
Cpl. Shea was to serve one more year in the Marines, after which, his mother said, he was trying to decide whether to continue or pursue a career in law enforcement or criminal justice. "He wanted to protect," she said. "He's a big brother."
His sister Olivia, who is in high school, felt that protection, his mother said. "With the guys that are paying attention to her, Kurt reminded her to remind them that her brother's a Marine."
Cpl. Shea, who was promoted to corporal in April 2009, was still getting used to overseeing people, his mother said. "He would ask for advice: How do you supervise people?" He would also ask for Girl Scout peanut butter cookies and Hostess banana cupcakes, which his family would send in the mail.
Shea was a radio operator assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division Forward, according to a 2nd Marine Division press release. Shea joined the Marine Corps in June 2007, and was promoted to corporal on April 1, 2009.
He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2009, according to the 2nd Marine Division. His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.
Cpl. Kurt Shea could have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery, but his mother says his ties to the community of Frederick run so deep that they chose to bury him there.
Marine Cpl. Kurt S. Shea was killed in action on 5/10/10.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Army Spc. Jeremy L. Brown
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Jeremy L. Brown, 20, of McMinnville, Tenn.
Spc. Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 9 at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
He liked to throw baseball in the backyard with his dad. He enjoyed playing football and wrestling for the Pioneers. And he was determined to follow in the footsteps of his family members and join the military after graduation. On Sunday, 20-year-old Jeremy Lynn Brown gave his life for his country, killed in Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Army. Spc. Brown, a Warren County native, was killed while on foot patrol near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border when his unit was attacked by insurgents. Four other soldiers were wounded.
Brown is the first soldier, and second Warren County resident, killed in action since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. Jim Cantrell, a former Marine working for Blackwater Security Consulting as a civilian, was killed near Baghdad in March
2005. Brown graduated from Warren County High School in May, 2007. He joined the Army less than a month later on June 11 and was stationed out of Ft. Campbell. His parents, Mac and Rhonda Brown, learned of his death Sunday night.
“He hadn’t called me on Mother’s Day and that wasn’t like him at all,” said Rhonda. “If he had to sneak a phone from his sergeant, I figured he would call me on Mother’s Day, even if he was in Afghanistan. So I went to work and my boss came to tell me to get my purse because I had some visitors. I wasn’t really sure what it was about until I stepped out and saw my pastor. That’s when I knew it was my baby.”
Mac fought through tears yesterday as he remembered his son for his pranks and his persistence. He said once Jeremy set his mind to accomplish a goal, there was no stopping him. “I can’t tell you how many coaches told me how good a ball player he was for his size,” said Mac. “He only weighed 130 pounds but that didn’t stop him. He always wanted to bang heads with somebody who was bigger than he was. And he didn’t ever back down. That’s what scared me about him going to Afghanistan. He wasn’t afraid of anything. I just never expected it to turn out like this. There are 30,000 soldiers over there and he’s the one who gets killed. We’re going to miss him so bad.”
Spc. Brown comes from a military family. His father Mac comes from a family of five boys and all five served in the Army. That includes uncle Bernie Brown who served three tours in Vietnam and is current quartermaster at VFW Post 5064. Both of Brown’s grandfathers, Willard Brown and William “Pee Wee” Reed, served in World War II. He has two cousins, Will Brown and Matthew Brown, who are enlisted, with Will currently deployed in Iraq.
“This is our first loss,” said uncle Pat Brown. “He was so young, it’s just been devastating. With all of us being in the military and with all of our deployments, I guess you start thinking the family is bullet proof. Maybe that’s why we’re all so shocked.”
Spc. Brown died at Contingency Outpost Zerok in Afghanistan. He was a fire support specialist who arrived at Fort Campbell in May, 2009 and had been deployed for four months. His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Army Service Ribbon and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.
His family members say it was always his dream to join the Army. His father says he talked about how the Army would be easier than life at home in the Mt. Leo community. “He told me he was going into the Army to get out from under my rule,” said Mac. “He told me I was too strict on him. I told him, ‘Son, I think the military is going to be just a little bit tougher than I am.’ And it wasn’t too long after that he told me I was right.”
Mac says his son never backed down from competition, whether on the baseball field or racing his brother in the backyard. “He worked until he could be first. That was the way he was,” said Mac. “It tickled him to death when he could finally outrun his brother. He was so proud of McMinnville and so proud of being from here. He would want his hometown to be proud of him.” His mother said the military is continuing its investigation of the attack to more accurately determine what happened. She said the military will also provide them counseling with other people who have lost a family member in war. “They’ve told us we can even talk to some of the people who were with him during the attack and we’re looking forward to finding out more of what happened,” said Rhonda.
Spc. Brown would have turned 21 this weekend.
A memorial service will be held in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Jeremy L. Brown was killed in action 5/9/10.
Army Spc. Jeremy L. Brown, 20, of McMinnville, Tenn.
Spc. Brown was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 9 at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
He liked to throw baseball in the backyard with his dad. He enjoyed playing football and wrestling for the Pioneers. And he was determined to follow in the footsteps of his family members and join the military after graduation. On Sunday, 20-year-old Jeremy Lynn Brown gave his life for his country, killed in Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Army. Spc. Brown, a Warren County native, was killed while on foot patrol near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border when his unit was attacked by insurgents. Four other soldiers were wounded.
Brown is the first soldier, and second Warren County resident, killed in action since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. Jim Cantrell, a former Marine working for Blackwater Security Consulting as a civilian, was killed near Baghdad in March
2005. Brown graduated from Warren County High School in May, 2007. He joined the Army less than a month later on June 11 and was stationed out of Ft. Campbell. His parents, Mac and Rhonda Brown, learned of his death Sunday night.
“He hadn’t called me on Mother’s Day and that wasn’t like him at all,” said Rhonda. “If he had to sneak a phone from his sergeant, I figured he would call me on Mother’s Day, even if he was in Afghanistan. So I went to work and my boss came to tell me to get my purse because I had some visitors. I wasn’t really sure what it was about until I stepped out and saw my pastor. That’s when I knew it was my baby.”
Mac fought through tears yesterday as he remembered his son for his pranks and his persistence. He said once Jeremy set his mind to accomplish a goal, there was no stopping him. “I can’t tell you how many coaches told me how good a ball player he was for his size,” said Mac. “He only weighed 130 pounds but that didn’t stop him. He always wanted to bang heads with somebody who was bigger than he was. And he didn’t ever back down. That’s what scared me about him going to Afghanistan. He wasn’t afraid of anything. I just never expected it to turn out like this. There are 30,000 soldiers over there and he’s the one who gets killed. We’re going to miss him so bad.”
Spc. Brown comes from a military family. His father Mac comes from a family of five boys and all five served in the Army. That includes uncle Bernie Brown who served three tours in Vietnam and is current quartermaster at VFW Post 5064. Both of Brown’s grandfathers, Willard Brown and William “Pee Wee” Reed, served in World War II. He has two cousins, Will Brown and Matthew Brown, who are enlisted, with Will currently deployed in Iraq.
“This is our first loss,” said uncle Pat Brown. “He was so young, it’s just been devastating. With all of us being in the military and with all of our deployments, I guess you start thinking the family is bullet proof. Maybe that’s why we’re all so shocked.”
Spc. Brown died at Contingency Outpost Zerok in Afghanistan. He was a fire support specialist who arrived at Fort Campbell in May, 2009 and had been deployed for four months. His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Army Service Ribbon and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.
His family members say it was always his dream to join the Army. His father says he talked about how the Army would be easier than life at home in the Mt. Leo community. “He told me he was going into the Army to get out from under my rule,” said Mac. “He told me I was too strict on him. I told him, ‘Son, I think the military is going to be just a little bit tougher than I am.’ And it wasn’t too long after that he told me I was right.”
Mac says his son never backed down from competition, whether on the baseball field or racing his brother in the backyard. “He worked until he could be first. That was the way he was,” said Mac. “It tickled him to death when he could finally outrun his brother. He was so proud of McMinnville and so proud of being from here. He would want his hometown to be proud of him.” His mother said the military is continuing its investigation of the attack to more accurately determine what happened. She said the military will also provide them counseling with other people who have lost a family member in war. “They’ve told us we can even talk to some of the people who were with him during the attack and we’re looking forward to finding out more of what happened,” said Rhonda.
Spc. Brown would have turned 21 this weekend.
A memorial service will be held in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Jeremy L. Brown was killed in action 5/9/10.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis, 19, of Perry, Iowa
LCpl Davis was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 7, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
PERRY, IOWA:
The family of an Iowa soldier killed last week in Afghanistan told KCCI on Wednesday that members of the Westboro Baptist Church are expected to protest at their son's funeral.
Lance Cpl. Joshua Davis, 19, of Perry, died last Friday. His funeral is Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Perry High School. Visitation is scheduled for Friday at Carris Funeral Home from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Westboro Church frequently protests outside soldiers funerals.
The Davis family said Joshua talked about the church at one time and said that he was fighting for people like them too.
Military officials said three North Carolina-based Marines were killed the attack. The Department of Defense announced on Monday that 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel of San Antonio, Texas, and 21-year-old Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, of Frederick, Md., also died.
All three were killed in Helmand province. Officials provided no additional details on how the men died.
LCpl. Davis, Rangel and Shea all were assigned to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune.
Josh Davis was a machine gunner assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, according to a 2nd Marine Division press release. Davis joined the Marine Corps in March 2009, and was promoted to lance corporal on May 1, 2010.
He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2010, according to the 2nd Marine Division. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Perry High School for Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Davis, 19, who died in combat in Afghanistan last week.
Visitation will be on Friday from to 1 to 9 p.m. at the Carris Family Funeral Home in Perry. The family will be present from 5 to 8 p.m. Burial will be at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery at Adel. Memorials may be given to the Joshua Davis Scholarship Fund and may be left at the funeral home or at First Federal Savings Bank of Iowa.
Davis graduated in 2009 from Perry High School and joined the Marine Corps. He was a machine gunner assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. He was deployed to Afghanistan in March.
The family of LCpl Joshua Davis has asked that the Patriot Guard Riders show our honor and respect for Joshua who died in combat in Afghanistan last week.
LCpl. Davis is survived by his father, Dave Davis and stepmother, Patti Davis of Perry; his mother, Beverly Jean Russell of Des Moines; brother, Joe Davis of Perry; sisters, Ashley Davis of Perry and Brandie Joy of Des Moines.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis was killed in action on 5/7/10.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis, 19, of Perry, Iowa
LCpl Davis was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 7, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
PERRY, IOWA:
The family of an Iowa soldier killed last week in Afghanistan told KCCI on Wednesday that members of the Westboro Baptist Church are expected to protest at their son's funeral.
Lance Cpl. Joshua Davis, 19, of Perry, died last Friday. His funeral is Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the Perry High School. Visitation is scheduled for Friday at Carris Funeral Home from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Westboro Church frequently protests outside soldiers funerals.
The Davis family said Joshua talked about the church at one time and said that he was fighting for people like them too.
Military officials said three North Carolina-based Marines were killed the attack. The Department of Defense announced on Monday that 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel of San Antonio, Texas, and 21-year-old Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, of Frederick, Md., also died.
All three were killed in Helmand province. Officials provided no additional details on how the men died.
LCpl. Davis, Rangel and Shea all were assigned to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune.
Josh Davis was a machine gunner assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, according to a 2nd Marine Division press release. Davis joined the Marine Corps in March 2009, and was promoted to lance corporal on May 1, 2010.
He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2010, according to the 2nd Marine Division. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Perry High School for Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Davis, 19, who died in combat in Afghanistan last week.
Visitation will be on Friday from to 1 to 9 p.m. at the Carris Family Funeral Home in Perry. The family will be present from 5 to 8 p.m. Burial will be at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery at Adel. Memorials may be given to the Joshua Davis Scholarship Fund and may be left at the funeral home or at First Federal Savings Bank of Iowa.
Davis graduated in 2009 from Perry High School and joined the Marine Corps. He was a machine gunner assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. He was deployed to Afghanistan in March.
The family of LCpl Joshua Davis has asked that the Patriot Guard Riders show our honor and respect for Joshua who died in combat in Afghanistan last week.
LCpl. Davis is survived by his father, Dave Davis and stepmother, Patti Davis of Perry; his mother, Beverly Jean Russell of Des Moines; brother, Joe Davis of Perry; sisters, Ashley Davis of Perry and Brandie Joy of Des Moines.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis was killed in action on 5/7/10.
Army Spc. Darrell A. Jones
Remember Our Heroes
SPRINGBORO — The U.S. Army’s 377th Military Police Company’s first casualty came before it reached Afghanistan.
The weekend before the Cincinnati-based unit was to ship out, Specialist Darrell Jones died in a one-car crash, stunning his comrades and his family.
Jones, 21, of Springboro, was pronounced dead at the scene of the May 7 crash on Lower Springboro Road.
His girlfriend, Kayla Napier, 20, of Middletown, was flown by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital with a broken left leg and a broken rib.
The couple planned to marry upon his return and raise a family in the area, family members said.
“It’s heartbreaking, they loved each other so much,” said Beverly Napier, Kayla’s grandmother and surrogate mother.
Instead on May 15, Kayla, a student at Miami University, rode with Jones’ family to his funeral, with full military honors, at Heritage Hills Memory Gardens on Ohio 48 in Clearcreek Twp.
“I’d never seen so many military and police,” her grandmother said. “It was unbelievable.”
The bulk of the 377th’s deployment left for Afghanistan last week after a memorial “final roll call” at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The deployment of another member of the unit, Ernest Moody, 20, of Wilmington, was delayed, so he could attend the funeral.
At the time of the crash, Moody and Jones were part of the unit in town for a three-day visit before heading to Afghanistan.
On May 7, Jones, Napier and Moody were driving back to Jones’ parents home after getting gas at a nearby service station in Springboro.
“Darrell started to take the long way home,” Kayla said.
Moody was following in another car as they drove along Lower Springboro Road before the crash, according to witnesses.
Investigators determined Jones’ classic 1999 Ford Mustang, was traveling eastbound at 77 mph in the 55 mph zone, twice went airborne, once for 50 feet, before veering off the road and coming to rest against a tree in the township.
“Everyone is in shock,” Kayla said. “I feel like I’ve lost my better half.”
As the 377th arrived in Afghanistan last week, the American death toll reached 1,000.
Still Kayla said, “I feel bad for him because he can’t be in Afghanistan. That’s what he wanted to do.”
Comrades recalled Jones’ ability to cheer up and motivate them.
“It’s sad. We lost a very good soldier,” said Lt. Gregory Lee, the unit’s rear detachment commander.
Upon his return, Jones hoped to land a job at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, family members said.
“Our son was a man of high caliber and high integrity, “said his mother, Diane Jones. “We were very blessed to have him as long as we did.”
Jones came from a family with an extensive military background, including both grandfathers.
“He knew when he was 7-years-old he wanted to be a policeman and in the Army,” his mother said. “He will be missed.”
SPRINGBORO — The U.S. Army’s 377th Military Police Company’s first casualty came before it reached Afghanistan.
The weekend before the Cincinnati-based unit was to ship out, Specialist Darrell Jones died in a one-car crash, stunning his comrades and his family.
Jones, 21, of Springboro, was pronounced dead at the scene of the May 7 crash on Lower Springboro Road.
His girlfriend, Kayla Napier, 20, of Middletown, was flown by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital with a broken left leg and a broken rib.
The couple planned to marry upon his return and raise a family in the area, family members said.
“It’s heartbreaking, they loved each other so much,” said Beverly Napier, Kayla’s grandmother and surrogate mother.
Instead on May 15, Kayla, a student at Miami University, rode with Jones’ family to his funeral, with full military honors, at Heritage Hills Memory Gardens on Ohio 48 in Clearcreek Twp.
“I’d never seen so many military and police,” her grandmother said. “It was unbelievable.”
The bulk of the 377th’s deployment left for Afghanistan last week after a memorial “final roll call” at Fort Bliss, Texas.
The deployment of another member of the unit, Ernest Moody, 20, of Wilmington, was delayed, so he could attend the funeral.
At the time of the crash, Moody and Jones were part of the unit in town for a three-day visit before heading to Afghanistan.
On May 7, Jones, Napier and Moody were driving back to Jones’ parents home after getting gas at a nearby service station in Springboro.
“Darrell started to take the long way home,” Kayla said.
Moody was following in another car as they drove along Lower Springboro Road before the crash, according to witnesses.
Investigators determined Jones’ classic 1999 Ford Mustang, was traveling eastbound at 77 mph in the 55 mph zone, twice went airborne, once for 50 feet, before veering off the road and coming to rest against a tree in the township.
“Everyone is in shock,” Kayla said. “I feel like I’ve lost my better half.”
As the 377th arrived in Afghanistan last week, the American death toll reached 1,000.
Still Kayla said, “I feel bad for him because he can’t be in Afghanistan. That’s what he wanted to do.”
Comrades recalled Jones’ ability to cheer up and motivate them.
“It’s sad. We lost a very good soldier,” said Lt. Gregory Lee, the unit’s rear detachment commander.
Upon his return, Jones hoped to land a job at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, family members said.
“Our son was a man of high caliber and high integrity, “said his mother, Diane Jones. “We were very blessed to have him as long as we did.”
Jones came from a family with an extensive military background, including both grandfathers.
“He knew when he was 7-years-old he wanted to be a policeman and in the Army,” his mother said. “He will be missed.”
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Army Spc. Wade A. Slack
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Wade A. Slack, 21, of Waterville, Maine
Spc. Slack was assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died May 6, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire.
It was a clear evening sky with a few fluffy clouds and a cool, heavy breeze, punctuated by the far-off roar of jet engines. A transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Wade A. Slack of Waterville sits on a loader during a prayer Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Slack, 21, died May 6 in Jaghatu, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire.
The green-and-white Boeing 747 cargo aircraft rested on the tarmac, cooling after an overseas flight, massive against the vast airfield. Its rear door opened as three soldiers stood in the aircraft facing outward. In a transfer case lay Army Spc. Wade A. Slack, 21, of Waterville, killed Thursday by “indirect fire” from insurgents in Jaghatu, Afghanistan.
Slack, who specialized in defusing explosives with the Army’s 707th Ordnance Battalion, had come home to the United States, touching down about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The military had brought his remains here, to this transfer station, a windy airfield near the shore of Delaware Bay. The next stop is Slack’s final resting place. A blue van pulled slowly towards the jet, carrying Slack’s family. Attending the ceremony were Slack’s father, Alan Slack; his mother; his sisters, Meghan, Lauren and Allison; and his brothers, Jesse, Andrew and Jonathan.
“The ceremony was dignified,” Alan Slack said later. “It was incredible. It was an extremely emotional experience. “These people are going out of their way to make things dignified, and to honor him for his sacrifice. I can’t say enough about the care and thoughtfulness and honor that was part and parcel to this whole thing.”
Seven military men walked in formation toward the transfer vehicle, a white van that soon carried the transfer case. The soldiers, who wore camouflage fatigues, white gloves and black berets, stopped and stood at attention under the massive wing of the plane. Three men, including an Air Force chaplain, walked to the transfer case, pausing to pray. The men marched with the transfer case to the transfer vehicle and gave a three-second salute.
Among the men were Sgt. James Cribbett and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Burns, who had accompanied Slack’s body home to the United States. “Sgt. Cribbett was Wade’s very good friend, and quite a comfort to us,” said Alan Slack, a veterinarian at the New England Animal Hospital in Waterville. Cribbett served with Wade Slack in Afghanistan, and planned to speak with Slack’s family late Saturday night about their duties in Afghanistan.
“Wade’s unit moved heaven and earth to let James Cribbett be there,” Slack said. “James’ words to me were, ‘Wade would have done this for me. I was not going to let him come home alone.’ ” He did not. The transfer case was placed in the van as the sun set.
Slack is the son of mother Mary Slack of Waterville, and father Alan Slack and stepmother Rose Slack of Waterville. He has six siblings.
He graduated from Waterville Senior High School in 2007 and worked on and off as a cook at The Last Unicorn restaurant in Waterville from 2005 to 2007.
Army Spc. Wade A. Slack was killed in action on 5/6/10.
Army Spc. Wade A. Slack, 21, of Waterville, Maine
Spc. Slack was assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died May 6, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire.
It was a clear evening sky with a few fluffy clouds and a cool, heavy breeze, punctuated by the far-off roar of jet engines. A transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Wade A. Slack of Waterville sits on a loader during a prayer Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Slack, 21, died May 6 in Jaghatu, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire.
The green-and-white Boeing 747 cargo aircraft rested on the tarmac, cooling after an overseas flight, massive against the vast airfield. Its rear door opened as three soldiers stood in the aircraft facing outward. In a transfer case lay Army Spc. Wade A. Slack, 21, of Waterville, killed Thursday by “indirect fire” from insurgents in Jaghatu, Afghanistan.
Slack, who specialized in defusing explosives with the Army’s 707th Ordnance Battalion, had come home to the United States, touching down about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The military had brought his remains here, to this transfer station, a windy airfield near the shore of Delaware Bay. The next stop is Slack’s final resting place. A blue van pulled slowly towards the jet, carrying Slack’s family. Attending the ceremony were Slack’s father, Alan Slack; his mother; his sisters, Meghan, Lauren and Allison; and his brothers, Jesse, Andrew and Jonathan.
“The ceremony was dignified,” Alan Slack said later. “It was incredible. It was an extremely emotional experience. “These people are going out of their way to make things dignified, and to honor him for his sacrifice. I can’t say enough about the care and thoughtfulness and honor that was part and parcel to this whole thing.”
Seven military men walked in formation toward the transfer vehicle, a white van that soon carried the transfer case. The soldiers, who wore camouflage fatigues, white gloves and black berets, stopped and stood at attention under the massive wing of the plane. Three men, including an Air Force chaplain, walked to the transfer case, pausing to pray. The men marched with the transfer case to the transfer vehicle and gave a three-second salute.
Among the men were Sgt. James Cribbett and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Burns, who had accompanied Slack’s body home to the United States. “Sgt. Cribbett was Wade’s very good friend, and quite a comfort to us,” said Alan Slack, a veterinarian at the New England Animal Hospital in Waterville. Cribbett served with Wade Slack in Afghanistan, and planned to speak with Slack’s family late Saturday night about their duties in Afghanistan.
“Wade’s unit moved heaven and earth to let James Cribbett be there,” Slack said. “James’ words to me were, ‘Wade would have done this for me. I was not going to let him come home alone.’ ” He did not. The transfer case was placed in the van as the sun set.
Slack is the son of mother Mary Slack of Waterville, and father Alan Slack and stepmother Rose Slack of Waterville. He has six siblings.
He graduated from Waterville Senior High School in 2007 and worked on and off as a cook at The Last Unicorn restaurant in Waterville from 2005 to 2007.
Army Spc. Wade A. Slack was killed in action on 5/6/10.
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel, 22, of San Antonio
LCpl Rangel was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 6, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal Christopher Rangel would never know if his grandmother got the flowers for Mother’s Day. They were roses for a woman who raised him, his sister and his twin brother since he was six months old. “I considered them my kids. Not my grandkids. My kids,” said Gloria Rangel.
Word came Thursday of her grandson’s death, brought by Marines standing at attention outside her home. It’s a home now adorned with the familiar red color and anchor of the corps.
Rangel was killed in Afghanistan when his Humvee was ambushed, and he was fatally shot.
Gloria Rangel says she didn’t want her grandson to go to Afghanistan this time around. She had hung the yellow ribbon in January when he deployed, hoping for his safe return.
“It hurts so much. I’ve been feeling so empty. And there’s a piece of my heart that’s not there. It’s not there,” she said.
A 22-year-old West Campus High School graduate serving with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan was killed this week, after his unit came under fire from enemy insurgents.
According to his family, Christopher Rangel was deployed to Afghanistan in January, and was due to return home in July. Rangel had been stationed at Camp Legeune, NC.
"It's so sad that it had to come to this," said Rangel's uncle Robert Rangel. "I'm gonna miss him dearly, and I'm very proud of him."
Listed on a roster as 5 feet 9 inches and just 165 pounds, Chris Rangel was a leader on the field in one of the last football seasons at West Campus High School.
To friends and family, memories of a hard-driving linebacker in a red, white and blue No. 35 jersey soothe the pain of learning that Rangel, 22, was killed by enemy fire last week in Afghanistan. According to the Defense Department, he died Thursday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province.
His wife, Linda, who also attended West Campus, said her husband, a Marine lance corporal and infantry team leader who served twice in Iraq, “gave it his all.”
“He was a great husband. Even when he came home tired, he would help me with anything,” Linda Rangel, a petty officer in the Navy, said by phone Monday from Norfolk, Va.
“He did everything he could for his team. His buddies would say, ‘Rangel is the best!'” she said.
Rangel, son of former San Antonio boxer Roland Rangel, was raised with his sister Belinda and twin brother Roland Jr. by their paternal grandparents, Gloria and Alfredo Rangel, relatives said.
“We pretty much grew up together as brothers” in a large family on the Southwest Side, said Robert Rangel, 27, the Marine's uncle.
Rangel had wanted to become a career Marine. But after deploying to Afghanistan in January, he recently decided to get out of the service and return to school, once his tour ended in July, his uncle said.
“He knew it was going to be tough in Afghanistan,” he said.
But Rangel's uncle smiled when talking about his nephew being nicknamed “Wee Man” in football, because of his size, and his jubilation at scoring a touchdown against Marion his senior season, though the game was one of many the Cougars lost.
John Olmstead, a former West Campus football coach and former Army major, said Rangel played football all through high school and had extra energy in the fourth quarter.
“If he'd tried as hard in academics as he did in athletics, he would've made all A's,” Olmstead said. “He played much bigger than his size. There were a lot of qualities in Chris that reminded me of some of the better soldiers I'd had.”
Jesse Heridia, a math teacher, said Rangel was a B and C student — “the type of kid you wouldn't want to fail” — because he showed such promise and “had a clear understanding of right and wrong.”
While returning in a school bus from a senior trip to the zoo, Rangel took charge as students distributed their leftover lunches to homeless people on Commerce Street, said Toni Needham, his former English teacher.
“He was very bright, and had a real quiet sense of leadership,” she said.
Rangel's 2006 senior class at West Campus, which closed in 2007 and was consolidated with South San High School, had just 96 members and was a close-knit group, Needham said. Though many of his fellow graduates are now scattered, teachers at South San who still remember him consoled each other Monday with hugs and words of comfort.
“This is one of the hard parts of being a teacher,” Olmstead said.
Family members said Rangel's remains might arrive this week at Lackland AFB. Services are pending with Porter Loring Mortuary.
Since his death, the family has lined the front of the house with small red Marine Corps flags, “to let him know we're proud of him,” his uncle said.
Rangel is survived by four brothers, including his twin, a sister, and his wife, 20-year-old Linda Rangel, whom he met in high school. Linda Rangel is currently serving in the U.S. Navy.
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel was killed in action on 5/6/10.
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel, 22, of San Antonio
LCpl Rangel was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 6, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Lance Corporal Christopher Rangel would never know if his grandmother got the flowers for Mother’s Day. They were roses for a woman who raised him, his sister and his twin brother since he was six months old. “I considered them my kids. Not my grandkids. My kids,” said Gloria Rangel.
Word came Thursday of her grandson’s death, brought by Marines standing at attention outside her home. It’s a home now adorned with the familiar red color and anchor of the corps.
Rangel was killed in Afghanistan when his Humvee was ambushed, and he was fatally shot.
Gloria Rangel says she didn’t want her grandson to go to Afghanistan this time around. She had hung the yellow ribbon in January when he deployed, hoping for his safe return.
“It hurts so much. I’ve been feeling so empty. And there’s a piece of my heart that’s not there. It’s not there,” she said.
A 22-year-old West Campus High School graduate serving with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan was killed this week, after his unit came under fire from enemy insurgents.
According to his family, Christopher Rangel was deployed to Afghanistan in January, and was due to return home in July. Rangel had been stationed at Camp Legeune, NC.
"It's so sad that it had to come to this," said Rangel's uncle Robert Rangel. "I'm gonna miss him dearly, and I'm very proud of him."
Listed on a roster as 5 feet 9 inches and just 165 pounds, Chris Rangel was a leader on the field in one of the last football seasons at West Campus High School.
To friends and family, memories of a hard-driving linebacker in a red, white and blue No. 35 jersey soothe the pain of learning that Rangel, 22, was killed by enemy fire last week in Afghanistan. According to the Defense Department, he died Thursday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province.
His wife, Linda, who also attended West Campus, said her husband, a Marine lance corporal and infantry team leader who served twice in Iraq, “gave it his all.”
“He was a great husband. Even when he came home tired, he would help me with anything,” Linda Rangel, a petty officer in the Navy, said by phone Monday from Norfolk, Va.
“He did everything he could for his team. His buddies would say, ‘Rangel is the best!'” she said.
Rangel, son of former San Antonio boxer Roland Rangel, was raised with his sister Belinda and twin brother Roland Jr. by their paternal grandparents, Gloria and Alfredo Rangel, relatives said.
“We pretty much grew up together as brothers” in a large family on the Southwest Side, said Robert Rangel, 27, the Marine's uncle.
Rangel had wanted to become a career Marine. But after deploying to Afghanistan in January, he recently decided to get out of the service and return to school, once his tour ended in July, his uncle said.
“He knew it was going to be tough in Afghanistan,” he said.
But Rangel's uncle smiled when talking about his nephew being nicknamed “Wee Man” in football, because of his size, and his jubilation at scoring a touchdown against Marion his senior season, though the game was one of many the Cougars lost.
John Olmstead, a former West Campus football coach and former Army major, said Rangel played football all through high school and had extra energy in the fourth quarter.
“If he'd tried as hard in academics as he did in athletics, he would've made all A's,” Olmstead said. “He played much bigger than his size. There were a lot of qualities in Chris that reminded me of some of the better soldiers I'd had.”
Jesse Heridia, a math teacher, said Rangel was a B and C student — “the type of kid you wouldn't want to fail” — because he showed such promise and “had a clear understanding of right and wrong.”
While returning in a school bus from a senior trip to the zoo, Rangel took charge as students distributed their leftover lunches to homeless people on Commerce Street, said Toni Needham, his former English teacher.
“He was very bright, and had a real quiet sense of leadership,” she said.
Rangel's 2006 senior class at West Campus, which closed in 2007 and was consolidated with South San High School, had just 96 members and was a close-knit group, Needham said. Though many of his fellow graduates are now scattered, teachers at South San who still remember him consoled each other Monday with hugs and words of comfort.
“This is one of the hard parts of being a teacher,” Olmstead said.
Family members said Rangel's remains might arrive this week at Lackland AFB. Services are pending with Porter Loring Mortuary.
Since his death, the family has lined the front of the house with small red Marine Corps flags, “to let him know we're proud of him,” his uncle said.
Rangel is survived by four brothers, including his twin, a sister, and his wife, 20-year-old Linda Rangel, whom he met in high school. Linda Rangel is currently serving in the U.S. Navy.
Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel was killed in action on 5/6/10.
Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny, 21, of Fayetteville, Ark.
LCpl Penny was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 6, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Richard Penny's family says he's a hero who fell in the line of duty..but he's also someone who you could always count on.
Jon McCard spent most of his childhood with his kid brother tagging along. "He was always looking for adventure. He'd follow me around. We'd do everything together," McCard said.
McCard watched as Richard Penny grew up into the man who was a school football star and thrived under the stress of danger. "He was always pushing himself to the limits. He had a motorcyle, and he wrecked that. He would off road bike, and wrecked that. Had a four-wheeler and wrecked that. Anything that was dangerous and fun at the same time," he said.
It was Richard's all-American quality and the threat of danger that drove McCard's kid brother to the desert. It was a place he'd have to go solo. "He really did love his country. More than most people I think. That was a big thing to him. He wanted to serve and keep the bad out of here and keep them over there," McCard said. And when the call came to let McCard know his brother died after being hit by improvised explosive device, it was a blow to know so much had been lost. "He was my brother. He was my best friend. He was an uncle. And we'll miss him," McCard said.
But he doesn't see Richard's death as the end. "I'll see him again," he said. "He's probably up there fishing with my grandpa or something." It's just another adventure his younger brother will have to take alone, at least until McCard can catch up.
McCard says Richard's body will probably be back in Fayetteville by next week, and the family plans to have him buried among the other fallen heroes in the Fayetteville National Cemetery. He had been in Afghanistan for only 3 months.
Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny was killed in action on 5/6/10.
Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny, 21, of Fayetteville, Ark.
LCpl Penny was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 6, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Richard Penny's family says he's a hero who fell in the line of duty..but he's also someone who you could always count on.
Jon McCard spent most of his childhood with his kid brother tagging along. "He was always looking for adventure. He'd follow me around. We'd do everything together," McCard said.
McCard watched as Richard Penny grew up into the man who was a school football star and thrived under the stress of danger. "He was always pushing himself to the limits. He had a motorcyle, and he wrecked that. He would off road bike, and wrecked that. Had a four-wheeler and wrecked that. Anything that was dangerous and fun at the same time," he said.
It was Richard's all-American quality and the threat of danger that drove McCard's kid brother to the desert. It was a place he'd have to go solo. "He really did love his country. More than most people I think. That was a big thing to him. He wanted to serve and keep the bad out of here and keep them over there," McCard said. And when the call came to let McCard know his brother died after being hit by improvised explosive device, it was a blow to know so much had been lost. "He was my brother. He was my best friend. He was an uncle. And we'll miss him," McCard said.
But he doesn't see Richard's death as the end. "I'll see him again," he said. "He's probably up there fishing with my grandpa or something." It's just another adventure his younger brother will have to take alone, at least until McCard can catch up.
McCard says Richard's body will probably be back in Fayetteville by next week, and the family plans to have him buried among the other fallen heroes in the Fayetteville National Cemetery. He had been in Afghanistan for only 3 months.
Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny was killed in action on 5/6/10.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Marine Capt. Brandon A. Barrett
Remember Our Heroes
Marine Capt. Brandon A. Barrett, 27, of Marion, Ind.
Capt. Barrett was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 5, 2010 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Brandon was passionate about serving his country, said Ashley Barrett, 21. "He was not only an amazing big brother, but he's always been a hero to all of us," she said. "Not only was he born a hero, but he died a hero. He died doing what he loved to do."
Barrett was a 2001 graduate of Marion High School and a 2006 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Classmates at Marion said Barrett was very popular and a star on the school's baseball and football teams.
"Brandon was a well-liked person, and I always admired the fact that he was a proud military guy," Brett Nichols said in an e-mail. "He's someone that didn't take our freedoms and liberty here in the United States for granted, as some young adults like us do."
Many close friends took the news of Barrett's death hard. Jason Stambaugh, Pendleton, said Barrett was always smiling and made others feel special.
"Last time we hung out he told me and a few others we are the older brothers he never had," Stambaugh said in an e-mail. "I get to keep that memory. My hero thought of me as family. How special is that?"
He was only 27 years-old. Friends said Brandon Barrett's personality was infectious. "This is so hard. I was in shock just like everybody else and very, very sad. He always had a smile on his face and it's hard not to see him anymore," said friend Lee Contreras.
The 1st Lt. was assigned to the 2nd Marine division based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He graduated Marion High School in 2001 and was a star athlete. Friends say Brandon was popular and stood out on the football and baseball fields.
"He never backed down from anything. There was nothing that Brandon couldn't do. There was no challenge that he couldn't overcome. He took on everything that you put in front of him. He was just such a great guy," said Contreras.
Brandon graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006, but his friends at home in Marion said he held his Indiana roots dear. "He was who you wanted to be like. He respected people, people respected him. He was just a go-getter," said Contreras.
The letter with instructions about where 1st Lt. Brandon Barrett wanted to be buried told friends back home in Indiana that — even if he didn't talk about it — he understood he might not survive his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.
But Kristin Marcuccilli also thought about another letter when she found out the 27-year-old Marine was killed in combat Wednesday — the one he wrote to the parents of the men he would lead on his first tour, promising to take care of their sons. There also was that smile he had when he came home to Marion, Ind., having done just that a couple of years ago.
“The first thing out of his mouth when we went out to dinner is 'Everyone's safe,“’ said Marcuccilli, who went to Marion High School with Barrett. “You never heard a person more passionate about the responsibilities of leading these young men.”
His mother said Friday that she was told he was shot in the chest. As she waited to be taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet her son's remains and escort them back to Marion for burial, his mother, Cindy Barrett, sounded like many moms before her who have been given the news they always hoped would not come — but knew it might.
She worried about her son's safety ever since she received a telephone call in 2001 telling her that her son had been accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy. As the daughter of an Army captain, Cindy Barrett understood that graduation from the military academies led to active duty.
She put those fears on the back burner until months before his 2006 graduation from the Naval Academy, when Barrett excitedly told her he'd been accepted into the Marine Corps and that, as he'd hoped, would be going into the infantry, she said.
“I took a big gulp, told him I was excited (but) when I hung up I probably cried for two hours,” she said.
If Cindy Barrett tried to protect her son from her own worries, she said her son did the same thing with her, the rest of his family and his friends.
“Never once did he second guess his decision or tell me, ‘Mom, I'm scared, this is real.’ Not one time,” she said.
In fact, in all the letters and e-mails he sent to friends like Marcuccilli and Jason Hodge, another high school buddy, besides some minor complaints about the food, there was no talk of fear or questions about whether he made the right choice.
“He chose to do it, he was happy to do it,” said Hodge, to whom Barrett sent the letter — with a copy to Marcuccilli — about where he wanted to be buried. In it, he said he wanted to be buried in Marion and not New Mexico, where he'd lived for part of his boyhood. Even then, Barrett, who Marcuccilli described as a “clown,” kept it light.
“He said don't let my mom take me out to that desert in Albuquerque,” she said, letting herself chuckle for a second.
As she was poised to carry out her son's wishes, Cindy Barrett said Friday couldn't help but think about how she was just a few months from seeing her son again and wonder if his death came with suffering. But she also said there was some comfort knowing her son, who thought about making the military his career or perhaps following an uncle into the Secret Service, was doing what he wanted to do with his life.
“He was passionate about his platoon and what he was doing and what his mission was in this world,” she said.
Friends said the Marine loved his country, fighting for it, and never took his freedom for granted.
Marine Capt. Brandon A. Barrett was killed in action on 5/5/10.
Marine Capt. Brandon A. Barrett, 27, of Marion, Ind.
Capt. Barrett was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 5, 2010 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
Brandon was passionate about serving his country, said Ashley Barrett, 21. "He was not only an amazing big brother, but he's always been a hero to all of us," she said. "Not only was he born a hero, but he died a hero. He died doing what he loved to do."
Barrett was a 2001 graduate of Marion High School and a 2006 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Classmates at Marion said Barrett was very popular and a star on the school's baseball and football teams.
"Brandon was a well-liked person, and I always admired the fact that he was a proud military guy," Brett Nichols said in an e-mail. "He's someone that didn't take our freedoms and liberty here in the United States for granted, as some young adults like us do."
Many close friends took the news of Barrett's death hard. Jason Stambaugh, Pendleton, said Barrett was always smiling and made others feel special.
"Last time we hung out he told me and a few others we are the older brothers he never had," Stambaugh said in an e-mail. "I get to keep that memory. My hero thought of me as family. How special is that?"
He was only 27 years-old. Friends said Brandon Barrett's personality was infectious. "This is so hard. I was in shock just like everybody else and very, very sad. He always had a smile on his face and it's hard not to see him anymore," said friend Lee Contreras.
The 1st Lt. was assigned to the 2nd Marine division based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He graduated Marion High School in 2001 and was a star athlete. Friends say Brandon was popular and stood out on the football and baseball fields.
"He never backed down from anything. There was nothing that Brandon couldn't do. There was no challenge that he couldn't overcome. He took on everything that you put in front of him. He was just such a great guy," said Contreras.
Brandon graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006, but his friends at home in Marion said he held his Indiana roots dear. "He was who you wanted to be like. He respected people, people respected him. He was just a go-getter," said Contreras.
The letter with instructions about where 1st Lt. Brandon Barrett wanted to be buried told friends back home in Indiana that — even if he didn't talk about it — he understood he might not survive his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.
But Kristin Marcuccilli also thought about another letter when she found out the 27-year-old Marine was killed in combat Wednesday — the one he wrote to the parents of the men he would lead on his first tour, promising to take care of their sons. There also was that smile he had when he came home to Marion, Ind., having done just that a couple of years ago.
“The first thing out of his mouth when we went out to dinner is 'Everyone's safe,“’ said Marcuccilli, who went to Marion High School with Barrett. “You never heard a person more passionate about the responsibilities of leading these young men.”
His mother said Friday that she was told he was shot in the chest. As she waited to be taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet her son's remains and escort them back to Marion for burial, his mother, Cindy Barrett, sounded like many moms before her who have been given the news they always hoped would not come — but knew it might.
She worried about her son's safety ever since she received a telephone call in 2001 telling her that her son had been accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy. As the daughter of an Army captain, Cindy Barrett understood that graduation from the military academies led to active duty.
She put those fears on the back burner until months before his 2006 graduation from the Naval Academy, when Barrett excitedly told her he'd been accepted into the Marine Corps and that, as he'd hoped, would be going into the infantry, she said.
“I took a big gulp, told him I was excited (but) when I hung up I probably cried for two hours,” she said.
If Cindy Barrett tried to protect her son from her own worries, she said her son did the same thing with her, the rest of his family and his friends.
“Never once did he second guess his decision or tell me, ‘Mom, I'm scared, this is real.’ Not one time,” she said.
In fact, in all the letters and e-mails he sent to friends like Marcuccilli and Jason Hodge, another high school buddy, besides some minor complaints about the food, there was no talk of fear or questions about whether he made the right choice.
“He chose to do it, he was happy to do it,” said Hodge, to whom Barrett sent the letter — with a copy to Marcuccilli — about where he wanted to be buried. In it, he said he wanted to be buried in Marion and not New Mexico, where he'd lived for part of his boyhood. Even then, Barrett, who Marcuccilli described as a “clown,” kept it light.
“He said don't let my mom take me out to that desert in Albuquerque,” she said, letting herself chuckle for a second.
As she was poised to carry out her son's wishes, Cindy Barrett said Friday couldn't help but think about how she was just a few months from seeing her son again and wonder if his death came with suffering. But she also said there was some comfort knowing her son, who thought about making the military his career or perhaps following an uncle into the Secret Service, was doing what he wanted to do with his life.
“He was passionate about his platoon and what he was doing and what his mission was in this world,” she said.
Friends said the Marine loved his country, fighting for it, and never took his freedom for granted.
Marine Capt. Brandon A. Barrett was killed in action on 5/5/10.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Army Sgt. Ralph Mena
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Ralph Mena, 27, of Hutchinson, Kan.
Sgt. Mena was assigned to 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 7th Signal Brigade, 5th Signal Command, Mannheim, Germany; died May 4, 2010 of injuries sustained from a noncombat-related incident in Tikrit, Iraq.
Former Hutchinson High School student Ralph Mena Jr., who joined the U.S. Army while still in his teens and exchanged wedding vows only this year, died May 4 in Tikrit, Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sgt. Mena, 27, died of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident, according to the announcement. He was assigned to the 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 7th Signal Brigade, 5th Signal Command, in Mannheim, Germany. Press inquiries were directed to Germany. No one was available in that office Wednesday afternoon.
"He was bad and ornery and the Army kind of changed him to grow up and be what he was," said Mena's sister, Jennifer Hall.
On Hall's wall hung a framed picture of her "baby brother" in his camouflage Army uniform, a photo taken "right out of basic training," she said.
Ralph Mena had been to Iraq on a previous tour and he wanted to go back, Hall said. A better assignment - Hawaii - was supposed to be ahead, she had heard.
Amber Mena, the new bride and now widow, lives and works in Hutchinson, and was going to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet the returning body, according to Linda Hippen, an aunt to Sgt. Mena. Elliott Mortuary, Hutchinson, will be in charge of arrangements here, but no plans had been made as of Wednesday.
Mena attended Hutchinson High School. An old Allagaroo yearbook shows he played on the 1997 freshman football team that posted a 1-7 win-loss record. He didn't graduate from Hutchinson High, but enlisted in the Army.
Mena's father, Ralph Mena Sr., who died in 2002, was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. The father had talked to the son about the military, and the younger Mena decided that's what he wanted to do with his life, said Hippen, who lives in Hutchinson, and referred to her nephew as "Ralphie."
After enlisting, Sgt. Mena went to Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Hood, Texas, and later Germany, recalled Hall.
Hippen remembers a nephew who was "a really good kid" and enjoyed being with the family, and that included various cousins. Hippen's daughter, Maria Pearman, also went back to Dover Air Force Base.
"He liked to run around with his cousins," said Mena's grandmother, Margaret Ewing, who, along with her husband, Jim Ewing, lives in Hutchinson.
Sgt. Mena married earlier this year, going to Florida to wed and take a cruise, family members said. "They had a really nice time," said Hippen.
He was married in February and he returned to Iraq at the end of that month, said Hall, who saw her brother the day before he left.
"I said I'd see him the next time around. I just didn't think it would be like this," Hall said.
Hutchinson, KS:
A local community is mourning the death of a soldier. 27-year-old Sgt. Ralph Mena of Hutchinson died Tuesday while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, leaving behind friends and family who say he'll be sorely missed.
"When he left he took a piece of a lot of people with him," said Mena's friend, Harvey Barker.
Those who knew and love Mena call him one of the best people they've ever known.
"Ralph was, he'd give you the shirt off his back," said Barker.
"He was loved by everybody that knew him. He was an amazing husband and father and soldier, and he died serving our country. And that's honorable," said Mena's widow, Amber Mena.
Sgt. Mena died in Tikrit, Iraq from non-combat related injuries. His death left his friends and family shocked and devastated.
"I'm still standing here today kind of like it's unreal... still waiting to get that phone call to say they made a mistake," said Mena's friend Tim Robertson.
Those who knew him say they'll remember him for his magnetic personality, his sense of humor, and most of all, his laugh.
"His laugh, honestly I wish you guys could hear his laugh," said Robertson.
"It didn't matter what was going on in his life, he always smiled. And that was something you could always rely on was Ralph's smile," said Barker.
Those close to Ralph Mena call him a loyal friend, and a man dedicated to his country and his family.
"He was all about family and all about friends. And if you were one of Ralph's friends, essentially you were his family," said Barker.
Now the friends and family he left behind, say they'll always remember and respect the man they lovingly called "Ralphie."
"We'll always love him, there's no doubt about that," said Barker.
"I'll love him for always, and I know that everybody that he's ever touched their lives, they're going to miss him too," said Amber Mena.
Army Sgt. Ralph Mena was killed in a non-combat related incident on 5/4/10.
Army Sgt. Ralph Mena, 27, of Hutchinson, Kan.
Sgt. Mena was assigned to 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 7th Signal Brigade, 5th Signal Command, Mannheim, Germany; died May 4, 2010 of injuries sustained from a noncombat-related incident in Tikrit, Iraq.
Former Hutchinson High School student Ralph Mena Jr., who joined the U.S. Army while still in his teens and exchanged wedding vows only this year, died May 4 in Tikrit, Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sgt. Mena, 27, died of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident, according to the announcement. He was assigned to the 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 7th Signal Brigade, 5th Signal Command, in Mannheim, Germany. Press inquiries were directed to Germany. No one was available in that office Wednesday afternoon.
"He was bad and ornery and the Army kind of changed him to grow up and be what he was," said Mena's sister, Jennifer Hall.
On Hall's wall hung a framed picture of her "baby brother" in his camouflage Army uniform, a photo taken "right out of basic training," she said.
Ralph Mena had been to Iraq on a previous tour and he wanted to go back, Hall said. A better assignment - Hawaii - was supposed to be ahead, she had heard.
Amber Mena, the new bride and now widow, lives and works in Hutchinson, and was going to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet the returning body, according to Linda Hippen, an aunt to Sgt. Mena. Elliott Mortuary, Hutchinson, will be in charge of arrangements here, but no plans had been made as of Wednesday.
Mena attended Hutchinson High School. An old Allagaroo yearbook shows he played on the 1997 freshman football team that posted a 1-7 win-loss record. He didn't graduate from Hutchinson High, but enlisted in the Army.
Mena's father, Ralph Mena Sr., who died in 2002, was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. The father had talked to the son about the military, and the younger Mena decided that's what he wanted to do with his life, said Hippen, who lives in Hutchinson, and referred to her nephew as "Ralphie."
After enlisting, Sgt. Mena went to Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Hood, Texas, and later Germany, recalled Hall.
Hippen remembers a nephew who was "a really good kid" and enjoyed being with the family, and that included various cousins. Hippen's daughter, Maria Pearman, also went back to Dover Air Force Base.
"He liked to run around with his cousins," said Mena's grandmother, Margaret Ewing, who, along with her husband, Jim Ewing, lives in Hutchinson.
Sgt. Mena married earlier this year, going to Florida to wed and take a cruise, family members said. "They had a really nice time," said Hippen.
He was married in February and he returned to Iraq at the end of that month, said Hall, who saw her brother the day before he left.
"I said I'd see him the next time around. I just didn't think it would be like this," Hall said.
Hutchinson, KS:
A local community is mourning the death of a soldier. 27-year-old Sgt. Ralph Mena of Hutchinson died Tuesday while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, leaving behind friends and family who say he'll be sorely missed.
"When he left he took a piece of a lot of people with him," said Mena's friend, Harvey Barker.
Those who knew and love Mena call him one of the best people they've ever known.
"Ralph was, he'd give you the shirt off his back," said Barker.
"He was loved by everybody that knew him. He was an amazing husband and father and soldier, and he died serving our country. And that's honorable," said Mena's widow, Amber Mena.
Sgt. Mena died in Tikrit, Iraq from non-combat related injuries. His death left his friends and family shocked and devastated.
"I'm still standing here today kind of like it's unreal... still waiting to get that phone call to say they made a mistake," said Mena's friend Tim Robertson.
Those who knew him say they'll remember him for his magnetic personality, his sense of humor, and most of all, his laugh.
"His laugh, honestly I wish you guys could hear his laugh," said Robertson.
"It didn't matter what was going on in his life, he always smiled. And that was something you could always rely on was Ralph's smile," said Barker.
Those close to Ralph Mena call him a loyal friend, and a man dedicated to his country and his family.
"He was all about family and all about friends. And if you were one of Ralph's friends, essentially you were his family," said Barker.
Now the friends and family he left behind, say they'll always remember and respect the man they lovingly called "Ralphie."
"We'll always love him, there's no doubt about that," said Barker.
"I'll love him for always, and I know that everybody that he's ever touched their lives, they're going to miss him too," said Amber Mena.
Army Sgt. Ralph Mena was killed in a non-combat related incident on 5/4/10.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Army Staff Sgt. Esau S.A. Gonzales
Remember Our Heroes
Army Staff Sgt. Esau S.A. Gonzales, 30, of White Deer, Texas
SSgt Gonzales was assigned to the 38th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died May 3, 2010 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
American flags lined the main drag here Friday and large yellow ribbons were tied to the trees. Red, white and blue ribbons were wrapped around nearly every pole in town.
No one is sure where they all came from or who put them up, but they've all appeared since the news spread that Army Staff Sgt. Esau Gonzales died Monday in Iraq.
"Every day we're just seeing more and more and more," said Panhandle Mayor Dan Looten.
"He's a leader. He finally found his niche in life. That was serving in the military." Keri Harris
More than 100 people gathered downtown amid the flags and ribbons Friday morning to pay their respects during a brief, somber city-sponsored memorial. The close-knit community of about 2,600 had been seemingly immune to the casualties of war. But news of the 30-year-old's death came as a tremendous shock.
"It could have been any one of us," Looten said. "We are a family. We're just a large, extended family."
Looten's wife taught Gonzales in school. Albert Garcia, who drove from Clayton, N.M., to pay his respects, attended school with Gonzales at Panhandle High School. Sherry Dougwright's son was a good friend. Keri Harris, now of Stratford, used to live next door and watched Gonzales grow up.
Townspeople even painted patriotic signs on store windows. "Thank you Esau," read one. "God Bless our Troops," read another.
"Everybody's hurting, the whole community," said Wally Lanier Jr., Gonzales' uncle, fighting back tears. "It's broken everybody's hearts. It's the first kid we've lost. Hopefully the last."
The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday declined to confirm Gonzales' death or to release any details. The U.S. military said Tuesday that two soldiers died in Iraq on Monday in separate incidents unrelated to combat. The military said the deaths were under investigation.
Lanier said the family still has few details on what killed Gonzales. He said his nephew, on his third tour of duty, helped deactivate explosive devices in Iraq.
Gonzales, a 1998 Panhandle High School graduate, first served with the Navy before joining the Army and volunteering to serve overseas, said Dougwright.
"He just loved what he was doing," said Lanier, who noted that his nephew planned to come home soon.
Harris, an Army veteran herself, said she knew Gonzales as "smart, intelligent and handsome."
"He's a leader," she said. "He finally found his niche in life. That was serving in the military."
Esau is remembered and loved by a family that includes his wife, Melissa, and their two children, Ava Milagro and Sam Atanacio, who are only four and two, his father, Atanacio, his mother, Sandra, his sister, Sue Ann, and numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins.
Army Staff Sgt. Esau S.A. Gonzales was killed in a non-combat related incident in Iraq 5/3/10.
Army Staff Sgt. Esau S.A. Gonzales, 30, of White Deer, Texas
SSgt Gonzales was assigned to the 38th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died May 3, 2010 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.
American flags lined the main drag here Friday and large yellow ribbons were tied to the trees. Red, white and blue ribbons were wrapped around nearly every pole in town.
No one is sure where they all came from or who put them up, but they've all appeared since the news spread that Army Staff Sgt. Esau Gonzales died Monday in Iraq.
"Every day we're just seeing more and more and more," said Panhandle Mayor Dan Looten.
"He's a leader. He finally found his niche in life. That was serving in the military." Keri Harris
More than 100 people gathered downtown amid the flags and ribbons Friday morning to pay their respects during a brief, somber city-sponsored memorial. The close-knit community of about 2,600 had been seemingly immune to the casualties of war. But news of the 30-year-old's death came as a tremendous shock.
"It could have been any one of us," Looten said. "We are a family. We're just a large, extended family."
Looten's wife taught Gonzales in school. Albert Garcia, who drove from Clayton, N.M., to pay his respects, attended school with Gonzales at Panhandle High School. Sherry Dougwright's son was a good friend. Keri Harris, now of Stratford, used to live next door and watched Gonzales grow up.
Townspeople even painted patriotic signs on store windows. "Thank you Esau," read one. "God Bless our Troops," read another.
"Everybody's hurting, the whole community," said Wally Lanier Jr., Gonzales' uncle, fighting back tears. "It's broken everybody's hearts. It's the first kid we've lost. Hopefully the last."
The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday declined to confirm Gonzales' death or to release any details. The U.S. military said Tuesday that two soldiers died in Iraq on Monday in separate incidents unrelated to combat. The military said the deaths were under investigation.
Lanier said the family still has few details on what killed Gonzales. He said his nephew, on his third tour of duty, helped deactivate explosive devices in Iraq.
Gonzales, a 1998 Panhandle High School graduate, first served with the Navy before joining the Army and volunteering to serve overseas, said Dougwright.
"He just loved what he was doing," said Lanier, who noted that his nephew planned to come home soon.
Harris, an Army veteran herself, said she knew Gonzales as "smart, intelligent and handsome."
"He's a leader," she said. "He finally found his niche in life. That was serving in the military."
Esau is remembered and loved by a family that includes his wife, Melissa, and their two children, Ava Milagro and Sam Atanacio, who are only four and two, his father, Atanacio, his mother, Sandra, his sister, Sue Ann, and numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins.
Army Staff Sgt. Esau S.A. Gonzales was killed in a non-combat related incident in Iraq 5/3/10.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson
Remember Our Heroes
Air Force Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, of Hellertown, Pa.
Airman 1st Class was assigned to the 54th Combat Communications Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; died May 3. 2010 near Khyber, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Joie Gates' bags sat on the living room floor of her Hellertown home this afternoon as she waited for U.S. Air Force airmen to pick her up and drive her to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Gates' son, Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, an airman first class, died in Afghanistan from injuries sustained during a noncombat incident, according to the Department of Defense. Air Force officials said no further details were available at this time.
The following is from his Dad's FB page which can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=1188001849#!/profile.php?id=1188001849&v=wall
Fred John Boenig: I learned something today, just like in the civil war, three people in uniform show up at your house to tell you your Son is dead. Somehow I wished I didn't answer that damn door.
Fred John Boenig: I can only thank you, I am truly humbled by the out pouring of friends. I'm sure in a day or two I will be totally devastated, but after talking to the woman that will be responsible for getting my son's body home, I realized when they bring that casket off that plane, my heart will just break in a million pieces. I won't be the first parent to feel this way, I just wish I was the last. Monday at 7:14pm
His casket arrived Tuesday night in Dover, Gates said.
"Every child is a loss, and I can't say mine is a greater loss than anyone else's," Gates said, "but I never expected it. He will be sorely missed."
"I'm going to miss being called mom," Gates said, adding that he was her only child.
Gates Benson graduated from Saucon Valley High School in June 2008 and left for basic training a month later. He was assigned to a combat communications unit, Gates said, in the Khyber Pass at a place called Torkham along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Gates Benson was a champion of student rights and responsibilities at the school, said Laboski. He once met with Laboski and then Principal Todd Gambos, on behalf of the student body, challenging the district's policy of having students wear ID badges on campus. He was extremely intelligent and a great debater, said Laboski.
It was his first tour of duty, Gates said, and he volunteered for the assignment. "He was really proud to serve his country," Gates said.
Three airmen arrived at her home Monday, Gates said, and were directed to the car dealership she works at in Flemington. She said watching the men come in through the door was every bit as awful and heart wrenching as it is depicted in movies. "They aren't there to tell you how great they think your son is," Gates said.
Former Saucon Valley High School principal Todd Gombos said Gates Benson was an independent thinker, an advocate for others and just a good kid. "He was the kind of man who was going to do things," Gombos said. "He was going to make his own path in life."
Gates last spoke to her son in late April and he told her that he felt humbled by his interactions with Afghans, many of whom live in abject poverty. "He said, 'Mom, I will come back and always be grateful for everything we have because these people have nothing,'" she said.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson was killed in a non-combat related incident on 5/3/10.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, of Hellertown, Pa.
Airman 1st Class was assigned to the 54th Combat Communications Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; died May 3. 2010 near Khyber, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.
Joie Gates' bags sat on the living room floor of her Hellertown home this afternoon as she waited for U.S. Air Force airmen to pick her up and drive her to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Gates' son, Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, an airman first class, died in Afghanistan from injuries sustained during a noncombat incident, according to the Department of Defense. Air Force officials said no further details were available at this time.
The following is from his Dad's FB page which can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=1188001849#!/profile.php?id=1188001849&v=wall
Fred John Boenig: I learned something today, just like in the civil war, three people in uniform show up at your house to tell you your Son is dead. Somehow I wished I didn't answer that damn door.
Fred John Boenig: I can only thank you, I am truly humbled by the out pouring of friends. I'm sure in a day or two I will be totally devastated, but after talking to the woman that will be responsible for getting my son's body home, I realized when they bring that casket off that plane, my heart will just break in a million pieces. I won't be the first parent to feel this way, I just wish I was the last. Monday at 7:14pm
His casket arrived Tuesday night in Dover, Gates said.
"Every child is a loss, and I can't say mine is a greater loss than anyone else's," Gates said, "but I never expected it. He will be sorely missed."
"I'm going to miss being called mom," Gates said, adding that he was her only child.
Gates Benson graduated from Saucon Valley High School in June 2008 and left for basic training a month later. He was assigned to a combat communications unit, Gates said, in the Khyber Pass at a place called Torkham along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Gates Benson was a champion of student rights and responsibilities at the school, said Laboski. He once met with Laboski and then Principal Todd Gambos, on behalf of the student body, challenging the district's policy of having students wear ID badges on campus. He was extremely intelligent and a great debater, said Laboski.
It was his first tour of duty, Gates said, and he volunteered for the assignment. "He was really proud to serve his country," Gates said.
Three airmen arrived at her home Monday, Gates said, and were directed to the car dealership she works at in Flemington. She said watching the men come in through the door was every bit as awful and heart wrenching as it is depicted in movies. "They aren't there to tell you how great they think your son is," Gates said.
Former Saucon Valley High School principal Todd Gombos said Gates Benson was an independent thinker, an advocate for others and just a good kid. "He was the kind of man who was going to do things," Gombos said. "He was going to make his own path in life."
Gates last spoke to her son in late April and he told her that he felt humbled by his interactions with Afghans, many of whom live in abject poverty. "He said, 'Mom, I will come back and always be grateful for everything we have because these people have nothing,'" she said.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson was killed in a non-combat related incident on 5/3/10.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Army Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman
Remember Our Heroes
Army Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman, 40, of Centerville, Wash.
MSgt Coleman was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died May 2, 2010 at Khakrez, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
YAKIMA, Wash. — The Defense Department on Thursday confirmed the death of an Army master sergeant serving in Afghanistan.
Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman, 40, of Centerville, Wash., died Sunday at Khakrez, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was hit with an IED, the Pentagon said. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Coleman’s family told the Yakima Herald-Republic they were informed he was killed while leading a foot patrol in a rugged, rural area of Kandahar province. Coleman was a 22-year veteran of the military and on his third tour in Afghanistan. He joined the Army in 1988 after graduating from Goldendale High School.
His wife, Barbie, will remember him as the farm boy who flirted with her by stealing her pencils at Goldendale High School only to return them neatly sharpened
Family members and friends have gathered at the Coleman's’ home to offer support and help plan details for a public memorial May 15 in Goldendale. The family also is planning a private funeral. A memorial ceremony at Lewis-McChord has yet to be scheduled.
The high school sweethearts married Feb. 25, 1989, and spent one night together in The Dalles, Ore., before he returned to training in Fort Sill, Okla. He left for Germany the next week.
Brett Coleman was born while the couple was stationed in Germany, Jessica while they were back in the United States at Fort Sill.
The family spent two years in Perth, Australia, when Coleman was in a foreign exchange program.
One of Coleman’s most exciting moments came this past year when he jumped from a plane with his son who was going through airborne training in Alaska.
“He did everything he possibly could in the military,” she said.
She described her husband as a good but strict father who sometimes regretted missing so much of his children’s lives because of work assignments.
He was eligible for full retirement in 2008 but re-enlisted for five more years. He and Barbie had been discussing another five, putting him on track for a 30-year career.
“He had just commented that his daughter was turning 16 and he missed so much of her life,” Barbie said.
Family members said Wednesday he died leading a patrol team on foot in a rugged, rural area of Kandahar Province.
"It blew him up before he even knew what hit him," said his sister-in-law, Pam Jussila.
This was Master Sgt. Coleman's fifth deployment in support of an overseas contingency operation, according to a release from U.S. Army Special Forces Command.
Master Sgt. Coleman grew up near Goldendale, Klickitat County, and his parents, Alice Eshelman and Jim Coleman, and other family members still live there.
"There's so many people that loved him," Barbie Coleman said in a phone call from their home in Yelm, Thurston County.
Master Sgt. Coleman deployed in December and was scheduled to be there until August. It was his third tour in Afghanistan.
For the past two years, the couple lived in Yelm with their two children, Jessica, 15, and Brett, 20, who also is in the Army, stationed at Fort Richardson in Alaska.
Family members and friends plan a public memorial May 15 in Goldendale. The family is also planning a private funeral.
"He was a local boy, and everybody knew him at one point," Jussila said.
The Army ran through Master Sgt. Coleman's veins, his wife said. "He loved his job and he believed in what he was doing."
As a child growing up on a farm in Centerville, Master Sgt. Coleman wanted to join the special forces. He left for basic training immediately after graduation from Goldendale High School in 1988.
The high school sweethearts married Feb. 25, 1989, and spent one night together in The Dalles, Ore., before he returned to training in Fort Sill, Okla. He left for Germany the next week.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Gov. Chris Gregoire has directed that state flags fly at half staff Tuesday for a Washington soldier who was killed Sunday in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department says 40-year-old Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman was killed by an improvised bomb. He was a member of the 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Coleman grew up on a farm near Centerville in Klickitat County and leaves parents who live at Goldendale.
Master Sgt. Coleman also had been stationed in South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Fort Bragg, N.C., and most recently, Fort Lewis.
He joined the Army's special forces in 1999, training at Fort Bragg, where he learned to speak Thai, his wife said.
The family spent two years in Perth, Australia, when Master Sgt. Coleman was in a foreign-exchange program.
He was eligible for full retirement in 2008 but re-enlisted for five more years. The couple had been discussing another five, putting him on track for a 30-year career.
Master Sgt. Coleman's awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and many others. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
Army Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman was killed in action on 5/2/10.
Army Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman, 40, of Centerville, Wash.
MSgt Coleman was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died May 2, 2010 at Khakrez, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
YAKIMA, Wash. — The Defense Department on Thursday confirmed the death of an Army master sergeant serving in Afghanistan.
Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman, 40, of Centerville, Wash., died Sunday at Khakrez, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was hit with an IED, the Pentagon said. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Coleman’s family told the Yakima Herald-Republic they were informed he was killed while leading a foot patrol in a rugged, rural area of Kandahar province. Coleman was a 22-year veteran of the military and on his third tour in Afghanistan. He joined the Army in 1988 after graduating from Goldendale High School.
His wife, Barbie, will remember him as the farm boy who flirted with her by stealing her pencils at Goldendale High School only to return them neatly sharpened
Family members and friends have gathered at the Coleman's’ home to offer support and help plan details for a public memorial May 15 in Goldendale. The family also is planning a private funeral. A memorial ceremony at Lewis-McChord has yet to be scheduled.
The high school sweethearts married Feb. 25, 1989, and spent one night together in The Dalles, Ore., before he returned to training in Fort Sill, Okla. He left for Germany the next week.
Brett Coleman was born while the couple was stationed in Germany, Jessica while they were back in the United States at Fort Sill.
The family spent two years in Perth, Australia, when Coleman was in a foreign exchange program.
One of Coleman’s most exciting moments came this past year when he jumped from a plane with his son who was going through airborne training in Alaska.
“He did everything he possibly could in the military,” she said.
She described her husband as a good but strict father who sometimes regretted missing so much of his children’s lives because of work assignments.
He was eligible for full retirement in 2008 but re-enlisted for five more years. He and Barbie had been discussing another five, putting him on track for a 30-year career.
“He had just commented that his daughter was turning 16 and he missed so much of her life,” Barbie said.
Family members said Wednesday he died leading a patrol team on foot in a rugged, rural area of Kandahar Province.
"It blew him up before he even knew what hit him," said his sister-in-law, Pam Jussila.
This was Master Sgt. Coleman's fifth deployment in support of an overseas contingency operation, according to a release from U.S. Army Special Forces Command.
Master Sgt. Coleman grew up near Goldendale, Klickitat County, and his parents, Alice Eshelman and Jim Coleman, and other family members still live there.
"There's so many people that loved him," Barbie Coleman said in a phone call from their home in Yelm, Thurston County.
Master Sgt. Coleman deployed in December and was scheduled to be there until August. It was his third tour in Afghanistan.
For the past two years, the couple lived in Yelm with their two children, Jessica, 15, and Brett, 20, who also is in the Army, stationed at Fort Richardson in Alaska.
Family members and friends plan a public memorial May 15 in Goldendale. The family is also planning a private funeral.
"He was a local boy, and everybody knew him at one point," Jussila said.
The Army ran through Master Sgt. Coleman's veins, his wife said. "He loved his job and he believed in what he was doing."
As a child growing up on a farm in Centerville, Master Sgt. Coleman wanted to join the special forces. He left for basic training immediately after graduation from Goldendale High School in 1988.
The high school sweethearts married Feb. 25, 1989, and spent one night together in The Dalles, Ore., before he returned to training in Fort Sill, Okla. He left for Germany the next week.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Gov. Chris Gregoire has directed that state flags fly at half staff Tuesday for a Washington soldier who was killed Sunday in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department says 40-year-old Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman was killed by an improvised bomb. He was a member of the 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Coleman grew up on a farm near Centerville in Klickitat County and leaves parents who live at Goldendale.
Master Sgt. Coleman also had been stationed in South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Fort Bragg, N.C., and most recently, Fort Lewis.
He joined the Army's special forces in 1999, training at Fort Bragg, where he learned to speak Thai, his wife said.
The family spent two years in Perth, Australia, when Master Sgt. Coleman was in a foreign-exchange program.
He was eligible for full retirement in 2008 but re-enlisted for five more years. The couple had been discussing another five, putting him on track for a 30-year career.
Master Sgt. Coleman's awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and many others. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
Army Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman was killed in action on 5/2/10.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Army Spc. Eric M. Finniginam
Remember Our Heroes
Army Spc. Eric M. Finniginam, 26, of Colonia, Federated States of Micronesia
Spc. Finniginam was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died May 1, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Blessing, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire.
Eric Finniginam was in his base camp, Forward Operating Base Blessing, when it was attacked with mortar fire, said his father, citing Army officials who informed him of his son's death.
Robert Finniginam said his son is survived by his wife, Annie Tilig and their 1-year-old girl.
Eric Finniginam last visited his family in Yap in February, and he was scheduled to see them again next month, his father said. The family was getting ready for his welcome back party. Instead, they have begun preparing for funeral services.
Robert Finniginam, who spoke by phone from Yap, described his son as a friendly guy who was fun to be around. In the water, he was an excellent fisherman. On the field, he was an outstanding soccer player, his father said. "He made it to the national soccer team when he was 15," Robert Finniginam said. "He was one of the youngest players ever to make the Yap team."
Robert Finniginam said he and his wife were a bit hesitant when their son shared his plans to join the military. "Knowing that the death mortality rate for (Federated States of Micronesia) citizens is pretty high, we were very concerned about his safety," his father said. "We always worried about him. We were always praying for him."
Eric Finniginam was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo. He joined the Army in 2008 and left for his first deployment last June, according to the Department of Defense.
Last year, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for valor that he displayed while he and fellow soldiers were attacked with rounds of rocket-propelled grenades. After being thrown by the blast, Finniginam assisted his fellow soldier to safety and effectively suppressed enemy fighting positions to result in two enemy kills, the DOD record stated.
Army Spc. Eric M. Finniginam was killed in action on 5/1/10.
Army Spc. Eric M. Finniginam, 26, of Colonia, Federated States of Micronesia
Spc. Finniginam was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died May 1, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Blessing, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire.
Eric Finniginam was in his base camp, Forward Operating Base Blessing, when it was attacked with mortar fire, said his father, citing Army officials who informed him of his son's death.
Robert Finniginam said his son is survived by his wife, Annie Tilig and their 1-year-old girl.
Eric Finniginam last visited his family in Yap in February, and he was scheduled to see them again next month, his father said. The family was getting ready for his welcome back party. Instead, they have begun preparing for funeral services.
Robert Finniginam, who spoke by phone from Yap, described his son as a friendly guy who was fun to be around. In the water, he was an excellent fisherman. On the field, he was an outstanding soccer player, his father said. "He made it to the national soccer team when he was 15," Robert Finniginam said. "He was one of the youngest players ever to make the Yap team."
Robert Finniginam said he and his wife were a bit hesitant when their son shared his plans to join the military. "Knowing that the death mortality rate for (Federated States of Micronesia) citizens is pretty high, we were very concerned about his safety," his father said. "We always worried about him. We were always praying for him."
Eric Finniginam was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo. He joined the Army in 2008 and left for his first deployment last June, according to the Department of Defense.
Last year, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for valor that he displayed while he and fellow soldiers were attacked with rounds of rocket-propelled grenades. After being thrown by the blast, Finniginam assisted his fellow soldier to safety and effectively suppressed enemy fighting positions to result in two enemy kills, the DOD record stated.
Army Spc. Eric M. Finniginam was killed in action on 5/1/10.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Army 1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II
Remember Our Heroes
Army 1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II, 24, of Wenonah, N.J.
1st Lt. Corma was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 29, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using improvised explosive devices.
Town stops to remember fallen O-2
By Shruti Mathur Desai
(Camden, N.J.) Courier-Post
WOODBURY HEIGHTS, N.J. — Friends and family of 1st Lt. Salvatore Corma gathered to pay their last respects to the fallen soldier during religious and military ceremonies May 12.
It was a day when faith and mission convened, where the “Ave Maria” was immediately followed by “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That’s because Corma loved the church and the military, friends and family said.
“He did what he loved and he loved what he did,” said his uncle, Martin Keeney, before reading Psalm 23. “He loved his brothers and sisters in arms.”
Corma died April 29 in Afghanistan, after waving aside 18 other soldiers to isolate an improvised explosive device. He was 24.
Before the start of Mass at Infant Jesus Parish at St. Margaret’s Church in Woodbury Heights, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, who serves as the commanding general of Fort Bragg where Corma served, held a private ceremony with the family.
He presented several posthumous medals, including the Purple Heart and a recommendation that Corma receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
The bells of the church tolled as Corma’s coffin was escorted out. The American flag was carefully draped across as his parents watched.
The mile-long funeral procession that snaked between Infant Jesus Parish and the Gloucester County Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Monroe was watched by dozens of mourners.
Fire departments brought out their rigs and hung American flags across the roadway, while firefighters and emergency medical personnel stood at attention at the side of the road. Police cars blocked traffic, the officers standing respectfully.
One man, caught by surprise by the procession, swept his weathered brown cap off his head, and stood on the sidewalk in salute, his hat and hand over his heart.
The students of St. Margaret’s School, which Corma attended, lined the street holding small American flags as the hearse carrying Corma’s coffin went by. It was preceded by an honor guard of police and motorcycle riders.
Corma’s mother, Trudy, smiled and waved at the children as she went by. That smile stayed on her face throughout the day.
It was from his mother that Corma learned his optimism, said Rev. Paul Galetto, president of St. Augustine’s Preparatory School, where Corma graduated in 2004.
Galetto, who presided over Mass, advised mourners to banish such thoughts as “Why do the good die young and why did Salvatore die?” Instead he encouraged them to remember Corma’s endless optimism, a trait that kept him smiling from the moment he walked in the doors of the school until the day he left.
“Sal was irrepressively happy,” Galetto said. “Sal never knew how to do anything but his best.”
Galetto said Corma embodied the spirit of service and good deeds, not for his own sake, but to earn the honor of friends, family and “a grateful nation who gives thanks for men and women like Salvatore Corma.”
At the veterans’ cemetery, Corma, a 2008 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, was given military honors, with a 21-gun salute and a bugler playing “Taps.”
Corma would have appreciated the military pomp, said his best friend, Robert Cahall.
“There’s nothing he loved more than the military honors.”
Army 1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II was killed in action on 4/29/10.
Army 1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II, 24, of Wenonah, N.J.
1st Lt. Corma was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 29, 2010 at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using improvised explosive devices.
Town stops to remember fallen O-2
By Shruti Mathur Desai
(Camden, N.J.) Courier-Post
WOODBURY HEIGHTS, N.J. — Friends and family of 1st Lt. Salvatore Corma gathered to pay their last respects to the fallen soldier during religious and military ceremonies May 12.
It was a day when faith and mission convened, where the “Ave Maria” was immediately followed by “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That’s because Corma loved the church and the military, friends and family said.
“He did what he loved and he loved what he did,” said his uncle, Martin Keeney, before reading Psalm 23. “He loved his brothers and sisters in arms.”
Corma died April 29 in Afghanistan, after waving aside 18 other soldiers to isolate an improvised explosive device. He was 24.
Before the start of Mass at Infant Jesus Parish at St. Margaret’s Church in Woodbury Heights, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, who serves as the commanding general of Fort Bragg where Corma served, held a private ceremony with the family.
He presented several posthumous medals, including the Purple Heart and a recommendation that Corma receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
The bells of the church tolled as Corma’s coffin was escorted out. The American flag was carefully draped across as his parents watched.
The mile-long funeral procession that snaked between Infant Jesus Parish and the Gloucester County Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Monroe was watched by dozens of mourners.
Fire departments brought out their rigs and hung American flags across the roadway, while firefighters and emergency medical personnel stood at attention at the side of the road. Police cars blocked traffic, the officers standing respectfully.
One man, caught by surprise by the procession, swept his weathered brown cap off his head, and stood on the sidewalk in salute, his hat and hand over his heart.
The students of St. Margaret’s School, which Corma attended, lined the street holding small American flags as the hearse carrying Corma’s coffin went by. It was preceded by an honor guard of police and motorcycle riders.
Corma’s mother, Trudy, smiled and waved at the children as she went by. That smile stayed on her face throughout the day.
It was from his mother that Corma learned his optimism, said Rev. Paul Galetto, president of St. Augustine’s Preparatory School, where Corma graduated in 2004.
Galetto, who presided over Mass, advised mourners to banish such thoughts as “Why do the good die young and why did Salvatore die?” Instead he encouraged them to remember Corma’s endless optimism, a trait that kept him smiling from the moment he walked in the doors of the school until the day he left.
“Sal was irrepressively happy,” Galetto said. “Sal never knew how to do anything but his best.”
Galetto said Corma embodied the spirit of service and good deeds, not for his own sake, but to earn the honor of friends, family and “a grateful nation who gives thanks for men and women like Salvatore Corma.”
At the veterans’ cemetery, Corma, a 2008 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, was given military honors, with a 21-gun salute and a bugler playing “Taps.”
Corma would have appreciated the military pomp, said his best friend, Robert Cahall.
“There’s nothing he loved more than the military honors.”
Army 1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II was killed in action on 4/29/10.
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