IN MEMORIAM.......These BRAVE Men and Women died.......FOR US

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Jeremiah D. Smith

5-26-2003

Army Pfc. Jeremiah D. Smith, 25, of Odessa, Mo.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, Fort Riley, Kan.; killed when his vehicle hit unexploded ordnance in Baghdad May 26.
Smith was escorting heavy equipment transporters when his vehicle hit unexploded ordnance.


Pfc. Jeremiah D. Smith was a cavalry scout in Baghdad, the soldier out front looking for possible trouble awaiting his brothers in arms. He was killed on Memorial Day, May 26, while escorting heavy equipment transporters. His vehicle hit unexploded ordnance.

“That is not a great surprise that he was out front providing security for other soldiers,” said 1st Lt. Alan Davison, who trained with Smith at Fort Riley, Kan. “He was a great American.”

Smith was married, with two daughters, ages 3 and 5.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Thomas F. Broomhead

5-27-2003

Army Sgt. Thomas F. Broomhead, 34, of Cannon City, Colo.; assigned to 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.; killed by enemy fire in Fallujah, Iraq, May 27.
Broomhead was on guard at a checkpoint when a vehicle pulled up and assailants fired on him.


• • • • •

Thomas F. Broomhead was born in Ohio and raised in Fort Myers, Fla. He joined the Marines out of high school in 1989. He left the service briefly and re-enlisted in the Army a few years later in the hopes of becoming a helicopter pilot. He also served in the Gulf War.

“He liked it a lot,” said his wife, Kelli Broomhead. “He was in it for the long haul.”

Broomhead was killed May 27 when Iraqis opened fire at a checkpoint in Fallujah. “He was supposed to be there as a peacekeeper,” said Jim Carter, his brother-in-law and close friend. Broomhead also left three sons, ages 7, 9 and 11.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Staff Sgt. Michael B. Quinn

5-27-2003

Army Staff Sgt. Michael B. Quinn, 37, of Tampa, Fla.; assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.; killed by enemy fire in Fallujah, Iraq.
Quinn, who was part of a four-man crew assigned to M1 Abrams tanks, was on guard duty at a checkpoint when a vehicle pulled up and assailants fired on him May 27.


Michael B. Quinn grew up on a ranch and helped raise sheep in high school.

He was killed May 27 when Iraqis opened fire at a checkpoint in Fallujah.

“He would put his heart and soul into whatever he was doing,” said his mother, Sally Quinn Taylor. “He’s going to be sorely missed by his wife, son and mother.”

Quinn leaves behind a wife, Melissa Palmer Quinn, and a son, Tim, who will be 9 in July. They live in the Colorado Springs area.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth R. Bradley

5-28-2003

Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth R. Bradley, 39, of Utica, Miss.; assigned to the 588th Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas; died in Baqubah, Iraq, May 28. His death was non-combat related.

Staff Sgt. Kenneth R. Bradley led the soldier’s life in the military. But long before then, he was known for his music.

“He was left-handed, he blew the trumpet and played the guitar,” said Cleveland Washington of Jackson, Miss., Bradley’s first cousin. “He always liked music and was always in a band.”

Bradley died of a heart attack May 28 in Iraq. Stationed at Fort Hood and a 19-year Army veteran, he is survived by his wife, Claudia Bradley, son, Bryan Bradley, and stepdaughter, Sandra Coleman.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Jose A. Perez III

5-28-2003

Army Spc. Jose A. Perez III, 22, of San Diego, Texas; assigned to 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Sill, Okla.; killed in Taji, Iraq, when the convoy he was traveling in was ambushed.

Jose Amancio Perez III enlisted in the Army in July 2000, and arrived at Fort Sill, Okla., in February 2001. An Army medic, he was killed on May 28 when his convoy was ambushed in Taji, Iraq.

Yolanda Torres, one of Perez’s teachers at San Diego High School, said the loss resonated in the city of fewer than 5,000.

“You know it’s like one of our own,” she said.

“I thought the war was over,” said Candice Benavides, Perez’s cousin. “This was the last thing I expected.”

Family members said they found strength in knowing how proud Perez was to be serving in the military. “I’m very proud of him,” Benavides said. “You know the work he did out there.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Michael T. Gleason

5-30-2003

Army Spc. Michael T. Gleason, 25, of Warren, Pa.; assigned to the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed in a vehicle accident near Mosul, Iraq.
Spcs. Michael T. Gleason, Zachiariah W. Long and Kyle A. Griffin were among the soldiers traveling from Mosul to Tikrit in a three-vehicle convoy — two Humvees and a light medium tactical vehicle — during a storm May 30. A civilian vehicle dodged a pothole, causing the Humvees to swerve. There was not enough stopping distance between the vehicles, and the LMTV swerved off the road and turned over, causing the death of three soldiers.


Despite being a world away, Spc. Michael T. Gleason thought often of his northwest Pennsylvania home. The last time he spoke with his parents, Gleason hungered for news from Warren, the small town near the Allegheny National Forest where he grew up.

His father, Timothy Gleason Sr., said Michael was almost finished with his four-year stint in the Army.

“His goal was to come home to Warren,” the elder Gleason said. “He was toying with college. He was toying with re-enlisting. He was going to come home and take the summer off.”

Timothy and Laurie Gleason have another son in Iraq — Timothy Jr., 28, serving in the Air Force. “My two sons went into the military,” the father said. “They took an oath.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Kyle A. Griffin

5-30-2003

Army Spc. Kyle A. Griffin, 20, of Emerson, N.J.; assigned to the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed in a vehicle accident near Mosul, Iraq.
Spcs. Kyle A. Griffin, Zachiariah W. Long and Michael T. Gleason were among the soldiers traveling from Mosul to Tikrit in a three-vehicle convoy — two Humvees and a light medium tactical vehicle — during a storm May 30. A civilian vehicle dodged a pothole, causing the Humvees to swerve. There was not enough stopping distance between the vehicles, and the LMTV swerved off the road and turned over, causing the death of three soldiers.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Zachariah W. Long

5-30-2003

Army Spc. Zachariah W. Long, 20, of Milton, Pa.; assigned to the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed in a vehicle accident near Mosul, Iraq.
Spcs. Zachiariah W. Long, Michael T. Gleason and Kyle A. Griffin were among the soldiers traveling from Mosul to Tikrit in a three-vehicle convoy — two Humvees and a light medium tactical vehicle — during a storm May 30. A civilian vehicle dodged a pothole, causing the Humvees to swerve. There was not enough stopping distance between the vehicles, and the LMTV swerved off the road and turned over, causing the death of three soldiers.


Milking cattle wasn’t one of Spc. Zachariah Long’s regular tasks in the Army, but that didn’t stop him from showing two comrades how it’s done.

“His platoon leader called us and said that a cow came in, and he taught his two buddies,” said Mandy Long, the soldier’s older sister. “That was just Zach — he was always fun and entertaining.”

Long was only 12 when he decided he wanted to enlist, and he left for basic training right after high school. He had worked with farm animals as a youth and that made him a natural teacher the day the cow wandered into camp.

“Of course, the boys he taught were city slickers,” Mandy Long said. One of them was Spc. Kyle A. Griffin of Emerson, N.J., who died in the same crash that killed Long. Mandy Long said her family made sure to tell Griffin’s family about the milking lesson. “Mr. Griffin got a kick out of that,” she said. “He was like, ‘My boy milked a cow?’ ”

Adam

 

[Deb in IA]

Originally posted by Big Dude
Just bumping because I think I see what EROS, BOSTON WILLIE, SAYHEY or whatever he wants to call himself is saying. Albiet we have different agendas, these brave men and women have given the ULTIMATE sacrifice for ME!!!! I love and pray for each and every one of them and their families.



Adam aka Big Dude

I agree completely, Adam, and I thank you also for continuing this important thread.

It is so sad that people are so polarized about EROS/Silky/Say Hey that they automatically pigeon-hole him into a specific caricature, and refuse to see that there may be other admirable aspects of his personality, and have made it impossible for him to continue this thread.

And I, for one, never saw any other agenda with this thead other than a wonderful tribute to those selfless VOLUNTEERS who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect us and our families from the tyrrants and terrorists of the world. Truly, they gave their 'last full measure', and deserve to be honored. They were REAL people, with names and faces and families, who loved and were loved, and who lived lives similar to ours, and are not just a growing list of 'grim statistics'.

Thank you very much, Adam.

 

[nativetxn]

I appreciate and mourn these young people who gave their lives for their country. I didn't realize there was an agenda.

 

[Big Dude]

Marine Sgt. Jonathan W. Lambert

6-1-2003

Marine Sgt. Jonathan W. Lambert, 28, of New Site, Miss.; assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died June 1 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, as a result of injuries he suffered May 26 when his Humvee rolled over in Iraq.

Jonathan Lambert joined the Marine Corps in January 1995 and was assigned to the Headquarters Battalion of the 1st Marine Division since January 2001. He died at Lansdstulh hospital in Germany from injuries he received in a Humvee accident in southern Iraq.

His division was traveling by convoy from Baghdad to Kuwait to prepare to return to their home base in Camp Pendleton, Calif., when the May 26 accident occurred.

A 1993 Booneville High School graduate, Lambert worked in wireless data communications as a member of the 1st Marine Division.

In a message e-mailed to his hometown newspaper, The Banner-Independent of Booneville, Lambert had written: “I am hard and thorough with my Marines to make sure the job is done right. Many other Marines depend on us for their survival in combat. I will not let them down.”

Survivors include his wife, Betty; a 2-year-old daughter, Kinsey; and his parents, Becky and Johnny Lambert of Booneville, Miss.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Thanks Deb and Nativetxn. I should have elaborated further. The different agendas I wrote about were not about this thread. Eros and I have had many heated and interesting discussions on various topics in the past as I'm sure you are well aware. Those are the agendas I was referring to. I think that he is as emotional as I am about the sacrifices that these brave men and women made for our sake. I felt it only just to continue this thread until he returns to continue it.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Atanacio Haro Marin

6-3-2003

Army Sgt. Atanacio Haro Marin, 27, of Baldwin Park, Calif.; assigned to Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; killed by enemy south of Balad, Iraq, June 3.
Marin was manning a checkpoint when his unit came under enemy fire from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Branden F. Oberleitner

6-5-2003

Army Pfc. Branden F. Oberleitner, 20, of Worthington, Ohio; assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed by a rifle-fired grenade in Fallujah, Iraq, as he returned from a dismounted patrol.

Branden F. Oberleitner, of the Columbus suburb of Worthington, Ohio, felt compelled to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks, friends said. He was killed June 5 in Fallujah, Iraq, when his unit was fired on by a rifle-propelled grenade.

Oberleitner was passionate about military service, said Kevin Earhart, who worked with Oberleitner at a gasoline station before he enlisted. “That’s all he wanted to do,” he said.

Oberleitner was a 2001 graduate of Thomas Worthington High School. He took classes to prepare for a firefighting career at a vocational school in Delaware, Ohio, his junior and senior years.

Friends say he was always tinkering with cars, and for years seemed to be working on the same car in his driveway. Friend and classmate Tyler Louk laughed as she remembered seeing Oberleitner elbow-deep in grease and working on the car the night of the senior prom. “He wasn’t into the social scene,” she said. “He went his own way.”

Adam

 

[Deb in IA]

Thanks again, Adam.

Katholyn, I think some accused EROS of 'using' these soldiers' deaths to push his own political ideas.

I never saw it that way.

I took it as EROS' way of reminding us of the HUMAN toll that war takes.


Sadly, Adam, after this past weekend, you now have 15 more to eventually add to this list . . .

 

[Big Dude]

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Doyle W. Bollinger Jr.

6-6-2003

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Doyle W. Bollinger Jr., 21, of Poteau, Okla.; assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, Gulfport, Miss.; killed in Iraq when a piece of unexploded ordnance accidentally detonated in the area he was working.

Doyle W. Bollinger joined the U.S. Navy shortly after high school. He was a Seabee.

“Wayne is a very special young man and is proud to be a Navy Seabee. He died defending his country. He is without doubt one of America’s finest,” a family statement said.

His unit has been in the Middle East since January, providing construction support to the Navy, Marines and other armed forces during military operations.

“He marched to the beat of a different drum, and he was happy in his own little world,” said Pat Eidschun, a retired teacher who taught Bollinger when he was in the seventh grade in Poteau.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Travis L. Burkhardt

6-6-2003

Army Sgt. Travis L. Burkhardt, 26, of Edina, Mo.; assigned to 170th Military Police Company, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed on June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq. Burkhardt was part of an escort mission when the vehicle he was in hit a curb along the road and rolled over.
• • • • •

Travis Lee Burkhardt joined the Army in 1995 to pursue an interest in law enforcement.

“He wanted to be a policeman,” said Burkhardt’s father, David Burkhardt. “He had always been interested in law enforcement.”

David Burkhardt said his son was a highly honored soldier who most recently received an Army award for saving a life in 2002.

“Travis was a patriotic man with a great sense of duty and compassion, and he was a very good father to his children,” he said.

Burkhardt is survived by his wife, Rose; two children, Soliga, 3, and Christian, 1; his parents, David Burkhardt of Edina, and Kathy Shipley of Kahoka, Mo.; one brother, Justin; and one sister, Alicia Burkhardt of Edina and Kahoka.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

At the tender age of 19 this young man showed what bravery was all about!

Army Pvt. Jesse M. Halling

6-7-2003

Army Pvt. Jesse M. Halling, 19, of Indianapolis, Ind.; assigned to 401st Military Police Company, Fort Hood, Texas; killed in Tikrit, Iraq, June 7. Halling was at a military police station when his unit received rifle-propelled grenade and small arms fire.

Pfc. Jesse Halling was praised by other soldiers for his actions during a battle in Tikrit. He was at his post at a military police station when his unit began taking small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. He ordered others in his unit to take cover while he remained at his post and returned fire until he was hit by shrapnel. Halling, a graduate of Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, was awarded a posthumous Purple Heart and has been nominated for a Silver Star, the Army’s third-highest medal for valor behind the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross.

The following is an AP story that ran about the above hero. It is a really good read.

Soldier’s death is a reminder of Iraq dangers, mother says

Associated Press


INDIANAPOLIS — Tearful mourners gathered June 17 to bid farewell to a decorated Indiana soldier who died defending his comrades when their unit came under fierce attack in Iraq.
Pfc. Jesse Halling, an Indianapolis teenager, died June 7 during a battle in Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

“There’s no greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’’ the Rev. D. Michael Welch told about 300 mourners during the service at St. Christopher Catholic Church.

Halling, 19, has been widely praised for his actions during the battle, ordering others in his unit to take cover, while he remained at his post and returned fire until he was hit by shrapnel.

“Jesse went over to Iraq to help a people have a freedom, to help a people have a peace,’’ Welch said. “If that peace is going to have any chance it has to start with us. If Jesse’s life is going to make any sense to us, we must get in our churches on our knees and thank God for the freedoms we’ve got.’’

The words of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic’’ soared to the highest reaches as three soldiers marched to Halling’s coffin and draped it with a U.S. flag.

At the gravesite at Crown Hill Cemetery, Brig. Gen. Randal Castro promoted Halling to private first class and awarded him the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

The general gave Halling’s mother and father two American flags, folded in triangles, “on behalf of a grateful nation.’’

As a bugler played taps, seven soldiers fired a 21-gun salute. The service ended with the release of four white doves, one for the father, son and holy spirit, and one for Halling.

Halling’s mother, Pam Halling, said before the funeral that his death should be a reminder that thousands of U.S. military personnel still face danger in Iraq.

“People are still getting killed in Iraq,’’ she said. “It’s happening every day.’’

Since President Bush announced May 1 that major combat operations in Iraq were complete, 50 U.S. soldiers have been killed, according to the Pentagon.

A day before Halling’s burial, Pam Halling broke down in tears as she watched a slide presentation of snapshots from her son’s short life.

“Everything was about the military,’’ she said. “Ever since he was in kindergarten, drawing pictures of jets and helicopters and tanks … it was just in him.’’


Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Michael E. Dooley

6-8-2003

Army Sgt. Michael E. Dooley, 23, of Pulaski, Va.; assigned to 1st Squadron, 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.; killed on June 8 in Asad, Iraq. Dooley was manning a traffic control point when a vehicle came up to the checkpoint and two individuals got out requesting a medic for their sick friend. Immediately following the request for help, they opened fire on Dooley which resulted in his death.
• • • • •

Michael E. Dooley joined the Army five years ago after graduating from Pulaski County High School. He and his wife, Christine, were expecting their first child, a son, in October.

Dooley was killed June 8 at a checkpoint in Asad, Iraq.

“There hasn't been a day gone by that I didn't worry about my boy,” said his mother, Ann Davis. “I just wish those people would have appreciated the freedom that they had because of these American boys being there.”

Davis said she had received one letter from her son since the war in Iraq began, but that Dooley's 11-year-old brother, Jacob, received one just days before he was killed. In the letter, Dooley told his younger brother he couldn’t wait to be a father and that he expected Jacob to help teach his son how to play basketball, Davis said.

Adam

 

[ILUVDXL]

Adam, I too would like to thank you for continuing on with this most important thread. My eyes tear up with each added hero to this list. If EROS is peeking, he would be proud and I know he would say thank you as well. He really isn't a heartless man.