Friday, July 06, 2007

Army Sgt. Thomas P. McGee

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Thomas P. McGee, 23, of Hawthorne, Calif.

Sgt. McGee was assigned to the 546th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died July 5, 2007 of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Wazi Khwa, Afghanistan.

Southern California soldier dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — As a trainer in Afghanistan, Army Sgt. Tommy McGee, 23, struggled at first to assert himself next to louder colleagues.

“He was having a hard time because his style of sergeant training is a little bit different than most,” said his mother, Sylvia McGee of Hawthorne. “He’s not a yeller or a screamer, and a lot of them are.”

But he soon became an effective trainer and earned the respect of his fellow trainers, she said.

He died July 6 from injuries caused by a roadside bomb in Wazi Khwa, Afghanistan, leaving his unit with a void, said his mother.

“A lot of soldiers talked about him,” she said. “He’s very respected.”

McGee wanted to join the military after the terrorist attacks in New York but his mother was opposed. He instead took college courses in hope of becoming a police officer and then joined the National Guard and went to Kosovo.

In early 2006, he joined the Army and was sent to Afghanistan.

McGee participated in the Junior ROTC program in high school, where Lt. Col. Ken Falasco remembered him as dependable.

“When you asked him to do something, it was done,” he said. “You didn’t have to follow him around.”

He was recalled as level-headed and generous.

In Afghanistan he gave up his phone time so married colleagues could call their wives.

“It was harder on us, but we understood,” said his mother.

McGee is also survived by his father, Tom McGee, and his brother Corey, 19.

Army Sgt. Thomas P. McGee was killed in action on 7/5/07.

2 comments:

joseph paulk said...

i dont know who your source is but sgt mcgee died july 5th 2007 not the 6th as stated in this article. i know this because i was driving the truck when WE got blown up in afghanistan. if your gonna write somthing in memory of a fallen soldier get your facts correct

Terri Rager said...

Spc. Paulk,
My only source, as far as date and cause of death, is the DoD news releases. I can only go by the info that they give as they are supposed to be the "authority". I am sorry that their info doesn't match what you know to be the truth as I have no other way to verify this particular information.

Thank you for your service to our country. Your sacrifices are very much appreciated and will not be forgotten.