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

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Jason D. Jordan


7-20-2003

Army Sgt. Jason D. Jordan, 24, of Elba, Ala.; assigned to Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 1-187 Infantry Battalion, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died when the vehicle he occupied was ambushed and hit by rocket-propelled grenades during a patrol on July 20 in Tallifar, Iraq.

Sgt. Jason D. Jordan made sure there was no doubt: He was proud of his Southern roots.

“Everywhere Jason went — when people asked him where he was from — he never just said he was from the South; he said ‘I am from Dixie,’ because he was so proud of his hometown, and so proud of being raised here,” the Rev. Mack King said while delivering Jordan’s eulogy.

Jordan, 24, of Elba, Ala., died July 20 when his infantry patrol came under a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq.

“I watched Jason grow up, and I watched him help his grandparents with their cattle farm next door,” said Frank Chirico, a close family friend. “And he was just a good, hardworking, Christian boy who was raised right.”

Jordan joined the military after high school, where he was an honor student and member of the Beta Club and the Math Club.

“Jason strongly believed in what he was doing, by serving in the armed forces to keep America safe and strong,” his family said in a statement.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Justin W. Garvey


7-20-2003

Army Sgt. Justin W. Garvey, 23, of Townsend, Mass.; assigned to Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 1-187 Infantry Battalion, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed during a patrol when the vehicle he occupied was ambushed and struck by a rocket-propelled grenade July 20 at Tallifar, Iraq.

Here is a story about Justin:

Garvey buried in Vermont

Associated Press


FAIR HAVEN, Vt. — Church bells tolled July 28 to welcome Army Sgt. Justin Garvey home from the war in Iraq.
An eight-man honor guard of soldiers, civilians and a Marine carried Garvey’s flag-draped casket into the Our Lady of Seven Dolors church in Fair Haven for his funeral.

Afterward he was buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery, taking his place under a pine tree near veterans of previous American conflicts: the Civil War, World War II and Korea.

During the burial ceremony, a soldier choked back sobs as Garvey was reported absent after a symbolic roll-call of a small group of soldiers. Along with the folded American flag, Garvey’s family was given his medals, including a posthumous bronze star, purple heart and combat infantry man’s badge.

The 23-year-old Garvey was killed July 20 when the vehicle in which he was riding was ambushed near Tal Afar, Iraq.

Garvey was a member of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He was one of two soldiers to die in the same attack and the third Vermonter to die in combat operations since the Iraq war began in March.

“It hits home. It really makes us think about the cost of our way of life,” said Maj. Gen. Martha Rainville, the head of the Vermont National Guard, who has attended all three Vermont funerals.

In April, Army pilot Erik Halvorsen of Bennington was killed when his helicopter went down while flying a combat mission. A day later, Marine Cpl. Mark Evnin of South Burlington was killed as his unit marched on Baghdad.

Garvey’s family did not allow the news media to watch or listen to the church service, but the steady stream of uniformed mourners and young people bidding goodbye to a fallen classmate told the story.

Garvey’s widow Katie and his mother Angie Walsh led the mourners. His 9-year-old younger brother Adam wore to the funeral a desert camouflage uniform with the Screaming Eagle shoulder patch of the 101st Airborne.

Garvey graduated from Proctor High School, where he was co-captain of the soccer team, in 1998 and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky. His wife, Katie, was his high school sweetheart and currently lives in Oak Grove, Ky. His mother now lives in Massachusetts and his father lives in Florida.

Garvey spent three years as a member of the Vermont National Guard before joining the regular Army. He had been planning to leave the Army and rejoin his wife in Kentucky.

“He did his duty. It’s so tragic he had to pay with his life,” Rainville said.

Vermont National Guard Master Sgt. Scott Bigelow was Garvey’s first supervisor after basic training.

“He was one of the most squared-away and motivated soldiers I’ve had in 24 years of service,” Bigelow said. “The more difficult the task, the more he liked it.”

Bigelow said he wasn’t surprised that Garvey made the switch to the regular Army.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Cpl. Mark A. Bibby


7-21-2003

Army Cpl. Mark A. Bibby , 25, of Watha, N.C.; assigned to Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 422 Civil Affairs Battalion, Greensboro, N.C.; died when a vehicle in the convoy he was riding with hit an improvised explosive device while traveling to a water treatment facility on July 21 in Baghdad.

Here is a story about Mark:

Hundreds gather in Burgaw for soldier’s funeral

Associated Press


BURGAW, N.C. — Hundreds gathered here Wednesday to pay final respects to a soldier killed in a grenade attack in Iraq.
Cpl. Mark Anthony Bibby’s flag-draped coffin sat in the gymnasium where he played high school basketball, as mourners remembered the 25-year-old as a leader who wanted to serve his country.

Bibby, of Watha, was killed July 21 when his convoy was attacked on its way to a water treatment facility in Baghdad.

“Truly he was among the best we ever had,” Brig. Gen. Charles Davidson said. “He was willing to go and do what most young Americans are not willing to do — go in a hard place at a hard time. He was truly an uncommon man who lived a good life — a soldier’s life.”

Bibby’s Army Reserve unit, the 422 Civil Affairs Battalion of Greensboro, was attached to the Army’s Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Bragg.

Bibby served four years of active duty in the Army, then left to go to college but stayed in the reserves. Before Bibby’s unit was activated Jan. 22, he was a sophomore transportation major in the School of Business and Economics at North Carolina A&T State University.

Bibby, who was born in Wilmington, was a chemical operations specialist and was responsible for nuclear, biological and chemical detection and decontamination for his unit.

Stephanie Jackson graduated with Bibby in 1996, and said “Markie” was voted “Most Likely to Succeed,” and was involved with sports, student government and JROTC at Pender High School.

“It will be the little things, those quiet moments,” Jackson told the family. “It will be those memories that will push away the pain.”

Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., told mourners that Bibby’s death proves that “freedom isn’t free.”

Following the service, he said many on Capitol Hill are concerned about the “almost daily loss of life” among American soldiers in Iraq.

“There’s great concern, especially given that hostilities were announced ended,” said McIntyre, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Jon P. Fettig

7-22-2003

Army Spc. Jon P. Fettig, 30, of Dickinson,N.D.; assigned to the 957th Engineer Company (V Corps), Bismarck, N.D.; died when the Heavy Expanded-Mobility Tactical Truck he was in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade July 22 outside of Ramadi, Iraq.

Here is a story about Jon:

Home town, comrades remember fallen soldier

Associated Press


DICKINSON, N.D. — Hundreds of family members, friends and soldiers packed a church here to praise Jon Fettig as a hero who gave his life for his country.
Fettig, 30, an Army National Guard specialist, died in Iraq when attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades at a truck he was driving. Guard officials said Fettig was the first North Dakota Army National Guard soldier killed in battle since the Korean War.

Two rows of solemn-faced soldiers and military officers stood at attention on July 31 as Fettig’s weeping family followed his casket into the Queen of Peace Catholic Church. Officials estimated more than 1,000 people were at the service.

Gov. John Hoeven and Maj. Gen. Mike Haugen, the commander of the North Dakota Army National Guard, presented awards to Fettig’s family.

“There’s no question Jon Fettig is a hero,” Hoeven said before giving Cody Fettig her husband’s North Dakota Legion of Merit award.

Fettig was part of a Dickinson-based engineering unit but volunteered to fill a vacancy in Bismarck’s 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company. The Bismarck unit left for Kuwait in late April, the moved into Iraq.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom,” Hoeven said. “We are very, very proud and grateful to him.”

Haugen presented Fettig’s Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals to Cody Fettig and to Jon Fettig’s parents, Larry and Shirley Fettig. He recalled meeting Fettig last summer when he visited Guard soldiers training in Canada.

“I’ve got to tell you, there was no more enthusiastic soldier, no one who loved what he was doing with the Army better than Jon,” Haugen said. He began to weep as he read a Bible verse dedicated to Fettig.

“Jon was a great soldier,” he said.

A display of school portraits, wedding photos and candid shots from Fettig’s life greeted mourners Thursday. The images were joined by photos of a helmeted Fettig peeking out of an armored personnel carrier, and pictures of soldiers loading his casket onto a plane.

An armored personnel carrier led the funeral procession as it approached St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery.

The crowd pushed close to watch six uniformed soldiers carry Fettig’s flag-draped casket to the shady grave site. Larry, Shirley and Cody Fettig, wearing yellow ribbons and American flag pins, held hands as Guard soldiers fired a 21-gun salute.

A bugler played taps before the flag from Fettig’s casket was folded and handed to Haugen, who presented it to Cody Fettig. After the service, she and Jon Fettig’s parents stood quietly for a few moments over the vault, where a few people laid small American flags.

Haugen also spoke to a few members of the Dickinson unit in which Fettig served.

“I just told them they had some very good comrades-in-arms from this state,” he said.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Capt. Joshua T. Byers

7-23-2003

Army Capt. Joshua T. Byers, 29, of Nevada; assigned to Headquarters, Headquarters Troop, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment, in Fort Carson, Co.; killed in action July 23 when his convoy hit an explosive device.


Here is a story about Joshua:

Carson remembers fallen colleague

Associated Press


FORT CARSON, Colo. — A captain killed in Iraq was remembered July 30 as an impeccable soldier and leader who loved his command and put his troops’ welfare above all else.
Capt. Josh Byers was killed July 23 when a homemade bomb was placed under his Humvee outside Ramadi, Iraq.

“We lost one of our best and brightest last week and the world is now a darker place,” Lt. Dan Lawrence, who served with Byers, said at a memorial service at Fort Carson.

Byers, 29, is the 13th Fort Carson soldier to die in Iraq. The funeral and burial tentatively were planned for Aug.2, at Lisbon Presbyterian Church in Mountville, S.C.

About 600 soldiers — some back because of combat injuries — wives of troops still in Iraq and others crammed Soldier’s Memorial Chapel.

They told stories about how he could make people laugh in the toughest times. How he once pulled on red, white and blue boxer shorts and wrapped a Kuwaiti flag around his shoulders like a cape and struck a pose.

“He proceeded to stand by for photos,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Watson, who witnessed the morale-boosting antics.

Others recalled heroic acts, including his tiptoeing into a minefield to rescue children who had ventured there in search of firewood and pushing a fellow captain behind a wall as shrapnel poured down on them.

“Afterward, he said he didn’t remember doing it,” said Capt. Jesse Sellars, Byers’ best friend. “He was the finest among all of us.”

Byers, a 1996 West Point graduate, commanded Fox Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

He was married to Kim Byers and was the son of Baptist missionaries Lloyd and Mary Byers and himself was a Southern Baptist lay leader. His parents are director of missions for the Guam Baptist Association. Lloyd Byers earlier served as a pastor in Sparks, Nev., Mountville, S.C., and Mt. Airy, Ga.

Byers attended high school in Sparks, Nev.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Brett T. Christian

7-23-2003

Army Spc. Brett T. Christian, 27, North Royalton, Ohio; assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 502 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died while riding in a convoy that came under attack July 23 by rocket-propelled grenades in Mosul, Iraq.

Here is a story about Brett:

Ohio soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Associated Press


ARLINGTON, Va. — The mother and two younger brothers of an Ohio soldier killed in Iraq knelt in the rain before his wooden casket at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 7 to say goodbye.
About 50 family members and friends stood nearby as Maj. Douglas Fenton said a prayer for Army Spc. Brett T. Christian, whom Fenton called an American hero.

“I have a request to make of all of you and that is when time permits, write your memories of Brett and send them to his family,” Fenton said.

Christian, 27, of North Royalton in suburban Cleveland, was driving a troop truck in Mosul, Iraq, on July 23 when his convoy was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenades. In Cleveland, it was still July 22, his mother’s 47th birthday.

Tess Christian, a self-employed multimedia artist, said her son always wanted to be a soldier and enlisted before he finished high school.

Six soldiers carried his coffin to the graveside while a lone bugler played ‘Taps.’

Christian’s mother was presented a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart by Lt. Gen. Dan K. McNeil, commander of the 18th Airborne Corps.

Christian is one of 10 Ohio soldiers killed in Iraq since the war started March 19. A memorial service for him was held last Saturday in Broadview Heights, a Cleveland suburb.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Cpl. Evan Asa Ashcraft

7-24-2003

Army Cpl. Evan Asa Ashcraft, 24, West Hills, Calif.; assigned to the Company A, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed when his convoy came under enemy fire north of Hawd, Iraq, on July 24.

Here is a story about Evan:

California soldier remembered as a hero

Associated Press


LOS ANGELES — A soldier and aspiring police officer killed in Iraq last month was remembered as a hero to his country as he was laid to rest on Aug. 2.
Army Sgt. Evan Ashcraft , 24, an infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division, was one of three soldiers killed in Iraq on July 24 when the convoy in which he was traveling came under attack from gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades. Ashcraft’s division led the fiery assault in northern Iraq that killed Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay.

Nearly 400 people filled the Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Woodland Hills for a memorial service Saturday. Ashcraft was buried later in the day with full military honors in the Oakwood Cemetery in Chatsworth.

Ashcraft’s family said the Los Angeles native planned to join the police department upon his scheduled discharge from the Army in January.

“I would smile when he’d say, ‘I’m going to be on the SWAT team,’ like it was something you did by merely checking a box on a form,” said Ashcraft’s father-in-law, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Loren Farell.

“He was a good soldier; he would have made a great cop,” he said, his voice breaking. “As for the rest of us, Evan — you are a hero to all of us, and you are a hero to your country,” Farell said.

Ashcraft’s 23-year-old widow Ashley wept as she was presented with a U.S. flag that had been draped on her husband’s casket. The couple had lived in Oak Grove, Ky., where Ashcraft had been stationed.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter

7-24-2003

Army Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter, 22, Bay Shore, N.Y.; assigned to the 2/320th Field Artillery, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed when his convoy came under enemy fire north of Hawd, Iraq, on July 24.

Here is a story about Raheen:

Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter recently wrote to his mother from Iraq, saying he was fine and urging his family not to worry.

“Time goes by like a continuous Groundhog Day over here,” he wrote in a letter dated June 20. “In the beginning, there was a lot of bloodshed, but now it’s all over. … The good news is I will be coming home in September — October at the latest.”

Heighter was one of three soldiers killed July 24 when their convoy was ambushed. He was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.

“He was a good boy and a phenomenal talent,” his uncle Ron Adams said. “He would display his work at arts festivals. No matter what he was doing, he aspired to be best.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Staff Sgt. Hector R. Perez

7-24-2003

Army Staff Sgt. Hector R. Perez, 40, of Corpus Christi, Texas; assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed when his convoy came under enemy fire north of Hawd, Iraq, on July 24.

When Staff Sgt. Hector R. Perez was sent to Iraq in March at the start of the war, his family would anxiously gather around the television hoping to catch a glimpse of him on the news. As the months went on and soldiers kept dying, the only person still watching was Perez’s father.

Esequial Perez, a World War II veteran, would sit quietly in his wheelchair and hold out hope that his son would return home. Hector Perez, 40, of Corpus Christi, Texas, was killed July 24 when his convoy was ambushed.

“I was always proud, ever since he was a little boy,” said Esequial Perez, 77, as he cried softly. “He was always a good boy, always joking and playing around.”

Hector Perez, who joined the Army in June 1993, had been married to Elisa Perez for nearly 17 years and is survived by three daughters Marla, 14, Elisa, 13, and Lily, 4. “Men like him, men like my dad, are the reason for the freedoms that we all share. Remember that he was a hero,” said Perez’s sister, Rosa Anna Garza.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Juan M. Serrano


7-24-2003

Army Sgt. Juan M. Serrano, 31, of Manati, Puerto Rico; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany; killed in Baghdad July 24 while changing a tire on an M998 vehicle. It fell on him, inflicting a fatal head injury.

Here is a story about Juan:

Puerto Rican soldier dies in accident in Iraq

Associated Press


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Puerto Rican soldier died in an accident while changing a tire on a military truck in Iraq, officials said Friday.
Army Sgt. Juan Serrano was changing the tire Thursday when the truck fell, striking his head, according to Jose Pagan, a spokesman for Fort Buchanan in suburban San Juan. He died two hours later in a hospital.

Serrano, a San Juan native who had been posted in Germany, was an outstanding soldier in Iraq, Pagan said.

Serrano will be buried in Puerto Rico, but it was unknown when his remains would arrive.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

As we head into Christmas and Kwanza and continue with Hanukkah, please keep in mind those who gave their ALL so we could celebrate these precious Holidays. Please keep in thought or say an extra prayer for our brave men and women who will not be home to celebrate with their families during this season. For those now serving.....Thank You. For those who have served.....Thank You. For those who passed while serving...May God be holding you in the palm of His hand.

Adam

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Thank you, Adam, for keeping this thread alive. I look forward to the day when it is complete and there are no more soldiers to add to it.

Merry Christmas, and may God shower his blessings upon you, Brenda, and all your kiddos.

Thanks for the Christmas card. It put a smile on my face.

 

[Big Dude]

Remembering the fallen heros this Christmas day

Adam

 

[Pin Wizard]

Great job, Adam! Blessings to their families for whom this is a very difficult day.

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Jonathan P. Barnes


7-26-2003

Army Spc. Jonathan P. Barnes, 21, Anderson, Mo.; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed as a result of a grenade being thrown from a window of an Iraqi civilian hospital he was helping guard July 26 in Baghdad.

Here is a story about Jonathan:

Coweta soldier killed in Iraqi grenade attack

Associated Press


COWETA, Okla. — An Oklahoma soldier is among three U.S. servicemen killed in a grenade attack in Iraq.
Spc. Jonathan Paul Barnes, 21, died July 26 while guarding a children’s hospital in Baqoubau, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, said Kim Riley, Barnes’ sister.

Barnes was a member of the 4th Infantry Division, his sister said.

“What are the odds that out of the whole the 4th Infantry, one of the three (killed) would be him?” Riley said.

She heard news of the attack the day it happened, and military officials notified her family of Barnes’ death a day later, Riley said.

Barnes and two other soldiers were killed after a grenade was thrown from a window of an Iraqi civilian hospital, according to a statement from the Department of Defense.

“He was assigned to the children’s hospital because they were storing weapons there,” Riley said.

Barnes was born in Muskogee and attended school in Coweta. The married father of a 2-year-old girl, joined the military after a recruiting visit to Joplin, Mo., and underwent basic training in Fort Benning, Ga., Riley said.

Barnes served in Korea and Kuwait before being sent to Iraq.

He had taken law enforcement classes while in the military and wanted to become a state trooper, Riley said.

“He wanted to find a way to better his education and also support his family better,” Riley said. “He chose to join the military. He thought that way, not only would he have housing for them but that he would be a better provider.”

Barnes’ wife has requested that Barnes be buried in a cemetery in Anderson, Mo., Riley said.

Barnes is believed to be the first person from Coweta to have died in Iraq.


Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Jonathan M. Cheatham


7-26-2003

Army Pfc. Jonathan M. Cheatham, 19, of Camden, Ark.; assigned to the 489th Engineer Battalion, Army Reserve, North Little Rock, Ark.; killed while riding in a convoy that came under a rocket-propelled grenade attack, on July 26 in Baghdad.


Here is a story about Jonathan:

Camden flags fly at half-mast for fallen soldier

CAMDEN, Ark. — Flags in Camden are flying at half-staff as the Ouachita County city mourns the loss of one of its sons in combat in Iraq over the weekend.

Army Pfc. Jonathan M. Cheatham, who died in a grenade attack Saturday, was remembered as a soldier proud of his service in the military, Arkansas political leaders said Tuesday.

The mayor of Camden, Cheatham’s hometown, ordered American flags lowered to half staff in the soldier’s honor Tuesday morning. They are to remain that way throughout the week.

Cheatham, 19, of Camden, was killed Saturday in a rocket propelled grenade attack in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 489th Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Army Reserve at North Little Rock when he joined the military last fall after high school.

“I know he will be missed by his fellow soldiers, and all those who knew him and counted him as a friend,” said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., whose district includes Camden. “This is the first life lost in Iraq from our district, but it is one too many.”

Cheatham’s convoy was attacked west of Baghdad near the Abu Ghraib prison, his mother, Dr. Barbara Porchia of Camden, said. Two other soldiers in the unit were wounded.

Porchia was told of his death Monday and news of the casualty spread quickly through the small town in mostly rural Ouachita County, about 90 miles southeast of Little Rock.

Camden Mayor Chris Claybaker said, “This is a tragedy for Camden. It’s a tragedy when any of our young men and women die in such conflict. The price of freedom is high.”

Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both D-Ark., offered their condolences to Cheatham’s family.

“His passing is a reminder that our soldiers still face daily risks in their efforts to stabilize and secure Iraq,” Lincoln said.

Porchia said Cheatham took on responsibilities as the head of the family after losing his father, Stephen, in an accident three years ago. He had one sister.

“He cared for his sister deeply, always taking care of her,” his mother said.

Porchia said the added obligations prompted her son to join the military.

“That’s what made him enlist. He was a Cheatham man, and through God, he could do anything possible. That was his motto,” his mother said. “And he lived by it.”

She described the 19-year-old as a caring man who loved animals. She said he enrolled in college with an interest in veterinarian medicine and computers, but completed two weeks of classes before the military activated him.

Cheatham was a member of the marching band at Camden Fairview High School, playing trumpet. He also played soccer.

Cheatham is the second Arkansan to die in combat in Iraq. Michael Vann Johnson Jr. of Little Rock, a 25-year-old Navy corpsman, died March 25 when he was struck by an enemy grenade while tending to a wounded Marine.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Daniel K. Methvin

7-26-2003

Army Sgt. Daniel K. Methvin, 22, Belton, Texas; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed as a result of a grenade being thrown from a window of an Iraqi civilian hospital he was helping guard, July 26 in Baghdad.


Here is a story about Daniel:

Belton soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press


FORT HOOD, Texas — A Belton, Texas, resident was one of three Fort Hood soldiers killed July 26 when a grenade was thrown from the window of an Iraqi hospital they were guarding, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Sgt. Daniel K. Methvin, 22, was killed in the attack near Baghdad. He is a member of the Army’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.

Methvin’s family declined to speak with The Associated Press.

Also killed in the attack were Pfc. Wilfredo Perez Jr., 24, of Norwalk, Conn., and Spc. Jonathan Paul Barnes, 21, of Anderson, Mo.

Lt. Col. Dan Baggio, chief of public affairs at Fort Hood, said the three deaths bring the total casualties from Fort Hood to 11.

“Everybody here is focused,” Baggio said of the soldiers at Fort Hood. “It is sad when any of our soldiers is killed and we extend our sympathy to those families.”

Baggio said although they know the dangers of the military, it still hits hard when soldiers are lost.

“Being in the Army is a dangerous business,” Baggio said. “We all know that — but that doesn’t make it any easier when these things happen.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Wilfredo Perez Jr.

7-26-2003

Army Pfc. Wilfredo Perez Jr., 24, Norwalk, Conn.; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed as a result of a grenade being thrown from a window of an Iraqi civilian hospital he was helping guard, July 26 in Baghdad.

Here is a story about Wilfredo:

Norwalk soldier dies in Iraq

NORWALK, Conn. — A 24-year-old soldier from Norwalk serving in Iraq was killed in a grenade attack July 26 while he was guarding a children’s hospital, the U.S. military said.

Pfc. Wilfredo Perez Jr. and two other soldiers were killed in the attack, which happened at a hospital in Baquouba, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, the military said.

Perez was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas.

Witnesses told an Associated Press photographer that the soldiers were guarding the hospital because some of their wounded comrades were being treated there.

Family members gathered Monday at the East Norwalk home of Perez’s father and stepmother, who were notified of his death in a telephone call on the morning of July 27. Perez lived at the home before joining the Army.

“They’re destroyed at the moment,” said Tom Noonan, an uncle of Perez who lives in Stratford. “Their heads are filled with all types of questions.”

Outside the house, there was a large American flag and a red, white and blue wreath around a photograph of Perez.

Perez spent time with his mother and father last August after finishing his military training at Fort Benning, Ga.

Noonan said Perez worked as a remodeling contractor with his father before joining the Army about 18 months ago.

“I don’t think he had a career in mind,” Noonan said. “His dad said, ‘Here’s a job. If you live here, either you work or go to college.”’

About a year later, Perez said, “You know what, I’m going to get a life now,” Noonan said.

Perez, who was called “Junior” by his family, stayed in touch with his father by e-mail when he was serving in Iraq, and his father shared the news at family gatherings, Noonan said.

Wilfredo Perez Sr. told The Hour of Norwalk that he believed his son’s joining the Army was a good idea.

“I had so many plans for him,” the elder Perez said. “I wanted him to go to school and get out of New York City and the Connecticut area. I wanted him to take full advantage of the GI Bill and pursue a career, maybe in the military.”

Perez also told the newspaper that his son called him several times from Iraq.

“At first it was exciting for him, in the later phone calls he didn’t really like it, he wanted to come out,” he said.

The younger Perez was born in New York City and spent his early years in the Ridgewood section of Queens, where his mother lives, The Hour reported.

He moved to Connecticut in middle school to take advantage of the better school system in Connecticut, his father said. He did not graduate from Norwalk High School, but passed the GED exam, he said.

Gov. John G. Rowland said he will order Connecticut flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff until sundown on the day of Perez’s internment.

“Tonight, the citizens of Connecticut sadly mourn the loss of a local hero,” the governor said on July 28. “Our hearts are saddened by this tragic loss. The bravery of Private First Class Perez and his comrades in the 4th Infantry Division will never be forgotten. The thoughts and prayers of Connecticut will remain with his family and fellow soldiers.”

State Rep. Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, said he reads off the names of Norwalk residents serving in Iraq each Sunday at church so parishioners can pray for their safety.

He estimates there are about 25 to 30 names on the list.

“I remember hearing his name. I read it,” Cafero said. “I just pray for his family and pray for his soul. I just pray this whole stuff stops.”

Cafero said he hopes to contact the Perez family to pass along his condolences.

“We had false hope in May when they said the hostilities ended,” Cafero said. “Everyday you hear of another tragedy.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Heath A. McMillin


12-27-2003

Army Sgt. Heath A. McMillin, 29, of Canandaigua, N.Y.; assigned to the 105th Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Buffalo, N.Y.; killed while on patrol when he came under attack from rocket propelled grenade and small arms fire south of Baghdad on July 27.

Here is a story about Heath:

Soldier killed in Iraq was from small upstate town

Associated Press


CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — A soldier who was killed in Iraq when he came under attack from rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire was a 29-year-old sergeant from this Finger Lakes town.
Sgt. Heath McMillin was killed while on patrol July 27 south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 105th Military Police Company of the Army National Guard in Buffalo.

McMillin’s mother lives in Biddeford, Maine. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, described McMillin as “truly an American hero to us all.”

“His bravery in action, his commitment to freedom and democracy and his loyalty to his country will forever be his legacy,” she said.

The defense department said 176 members of the 105th have been deployed.

The unit left Buffalo in February for up to two years, the Buffalo News reported. The 105th was previously deployed on a peace-keeping mission in Bosnia.

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[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Nathaniel Hart Jr.


7-28-2003

Army Sgt. Nathaniel Hart Jr., 29, of Valdosta, Ga.; assigned to the 416th Transportation Company, 260th Quartermaster Battalion, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.; died of injuries he received when his vehicle went off the road and rolled over on July 28 in Tillil, Iraq.
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The Army was a family tradition for Sgt. Nathaniel Hart Jr., whose father and grandfather both served, but his loved ones remember him as much more than a soldier. To them, Hart was a family man who loved to take his two sons fishing and camping. He was a devout Christian who served as a youth pastor, sang in the choir and played drums in the church band.

“I believe he was as big a hero in life as he is in death,” said Hart’s sister, Valarie Lowry. “He was a good example for everybody. His love and kindness were what he was known for. He was sweet in spirit.”

Lowry said her brother’s wife, Erica, was in shock over his death and the realization that she would be raising their sons, 7-year-old Nathaniel III and 5-year-old Gabriel, without him. “He had a big role in his family’s life and his sons’ lives,” Lowry said.

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