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

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. William J. Maher III

7-28-2003

Army Spc. William J. Maher III, 35, Yardley, Pa.; assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Ray Barracks, Germany; killed when he was injured by an improvised explosive device while riding in a convoy on July 28 in Baghdad, Iraq.
• • • • •

After drifting in and out of several fields, William J. Maher III joined the military at age 30 to “find himself,” said his father, William Maher Jr. “He thanked the Army for that.”

In letters home, Maher expressed pride in the mission but also said he was anxious to be closer to friends and family. He was to be discharged from the military in January. “I don’t regret being in the Army,” he wrote. “Seeing all the people, places and cultures made me realize that I’m a strong person and that nothing is too difficult. The experience is like no other.”

Maher, 35, of Yardley, Pa., was killed by an explosive device July 28 as he traveled in a convoy in Iraq. Stationed in Germany, he was deployed to Iraq on May 11 and told his father he was “shot at constantly.”

“Like any red-blooded American, he wanted to be home,” his father said, “but he knew he had to be there and he wanted to do his job.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army 1st Lt. Leif E. Nott

7-30-2003

Army 1st Lt. Leif E. Nott, 24, of Cheyenne, Wyo.; attached to A Troop, 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry, Fort Hood, Texas; died of wounds received from hostile fire on July 30 in Belaruz, Iraq.
• • • • •

Growing up with an Army dad, Leif E. Nott was born in Italy, raised in Europe and graduated from high school in Germany. He spoke at least five languages. When it was time for college, he came back to the United States to continue the family’s military tradition, enrolling at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Family members said Nott was known for his “can-do” attitude, and his latest assignment was troop executive officer, the right-hand man for the troop commander. Nott had met his wife, Melanie, in a Bible study class while at his previous post, the Army’s tanker training headquarters at Fort Knox.

Here is a story about Leif:

Funeral Aug. 8 for Cheyenne soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press


CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Funeral services were scheduled for Aug. 8 for 1st Lt. Leif E. Nott, who was killed last week in Iraq.
Nott, 24, died of wounds received from hostile fire July 30 in Belaruz.

A funeral liturgy was scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at St. Mary’s Cathedral with the Rev. Gary Ruzicka and Chaplain David Hall officiating.

Interment will be in Cheyenne Memorial Gardens.

Nott, a 2000 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., had been assigned to A Troop, 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry at Fort Hood, Texas.

His parents and a brother live in Cheyenne.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pvt. Michael J. Deutsch

7-31-2003

Army Pvt. Michael J. Deutsch, 21, of Dubuque, Iowa; assigned to 1st Squadron, 1st Armored Cavalry Regiment, Armstrong Barracks, Germany; killed while riding in a vehicle that was struck by an explosive device on July 31 in Baghdad.

Here is a story about Michael:

Dubuque soldier dies in Iraq

Associated Press


DUBUQUE, Iowa — The father of a soldier killed in Iraq says his son “was our hero.”
Pvt. Michael J. Deutsch, 21, of Dubuque, was killed July 31 in Baghdad. He served with Troop C, 1-1 Cavalry, 1st Armored Division.

He died when the armored personnel carrier he was riding in was hit by an explosive round, said Iowa National Guard spokesman Col. Robert King.

Until news of Deutsch’s death reached Dubuque, his family did not know that his unit had been sent to Iraq.

“We thought he was in Germany,” his father, Wayne Deutsch, said Sunday.

Michael Deutsch graduated from Dubuque High School in 2000 and entered the Army in 2002, his family told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. He completed basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., and was stationed at Armstrong Barracks in Budingen, Germany, before being sent to Iraq.

His business teacher at Dubuque Senior High, Pat Murphy, said Deutsch was a member of the German Club.

“He was a good kid to have in class. He had a good personality,” Murphy said. “He seemed to get along with everyone.

“You hear about all of the families who lose loved ones. This one brings it home — the reality hits home for us. It’s a tough situation. A tragedy,” Murphy said.

Deutsch is the fourth Iowan to die in the war in the Iraq. The others were Marine Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 28, of Davenport; Army Pvt. Kenneth A. Nalley, 19, of Hamburg; and Jeffrey E. Bohr, Jr., 39, of Ossian.

Adam

 

[TigerBear]

Thank you Adam for your continuing efforts to make sure we don't forget...

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. James I. Lambert III

7-31-2003

Army Spc. James I. Lambert III, 22, of Raleigh, N.C.; assigned to the 407th Combat Support Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed by a stray bullet fired during what was believed to be a celebratory event by local nationals July 31 in Baghdad.

Here is a story about James:

Last respects paid to Virginia native killed in Iraq

Associated Press


KENBRIDGE, Va. — When the Rev. Curtis Bagley Jr. baptized James Lambert II 11 years ago in a white clapboard church in this rural town, he never fathomed he would bury him at age 22.
Calling Lambert’s death in Iraq a comma, not a period, in the soldier’s life, Bagley pleaded with family and friends Aug. 8 to put their faith in God and remember that death is part of life.

“He has answered the call we all must answer,” Bagley told mourners attending Lambert’s funeral at New Grove Baptist Church. “Some will answer on the battleground, some will answer in hospitals, some will answer on the highways, but we all must answer.”

Lambert, a native of this southern Virginia town of 1,250 residents, was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., with his wife, Jacqueline, an Army sergeant. Jacqueline Lambert returned from Kuwait and was waiting for her husband to join her. He had been there since March 20, his 22nd birthday.

The last week in July, the Army specialist said he was coming home; she could hear the excitement and happiness in his voice. Then, he was killed in Baghdad.

He was due to return Aug. 9.

The Pentagon has said Lambert may have died after someone fired a gun in the air in celebration.

He was buried in Kenbridge beside his mother and father.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Justin W. Hebert

8-1-2003

Army Spc. Justin W. Hebert, 20, of Arlington, Wash.; assigned to the 319th Field Artillery, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy; killed when his vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade Aug. 1 in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Here is a story about Justin:

Hundreds gather to mourn slain soldier

Associated Press


ARLINGTON, Wash. — Years ago, Justin Hebert played basketball and took physical education classes in the wood-floored gymnasium at Post Middle School.
More than 200 people filed into that same gymnasium on Aug. 16 to honor him, two weeks after a rocket-propelled grenade took his life near Kirkuk, Iraq.

“You are a brother unlike any other,” said his sister, Jessica, sobbing. “Nobody else could compete.”

Family members and friends, high school buddies and fellow soldiers attended the service. Afterward, he was buried beside a small white church on a hillside overlooking a dairy farm in nearby Silvana, the tiny town where he grew up.

“I am proud to be the one who brought Justin home,” said Sgt. Nicholas Lewis, who helped return Hebert’s body. “In doing so I have fulfilled a promise to him and helped ease my own pain.

“I ask God to protect him, to keep his music loud and his steaks well-done.”

Army Spc. Hebert, barely 20 years old and a paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, was on a nighttime patrol when the grenade struck his vehicle, killing him and wounding three others.

He was the 250th American to die in Iraq, the 114th since May 1, when President Bush declared an end to major hostilities.

Army Spc. Bret Rickard was one of Hebert’s best friends growing up in Silvana. The two met at Post Middle School in the seventh grade, then both enlisted immediately after graduating from Arlington High School.

Hebert’s parents had to sign the paperwork for him because he was only 17, too young to sign it himself.

“I was thinking about joining the Army because of the college money — they were going to give me $50,000 for college,” Rickard said after the funeral. “He also didn’t have the money but wanted to go to college, so we both signed up.

“He was really proud of what he did. It was something he was good at.”

Rickard, with a maroon beret and forest green uniform, said he tried not to cry during the memorial, but “then they showed the movie and you see the pictures of the day-to-day life with your best friend and he’s not here anymore, and I just cried.”

The Army presented Hebert’s family with his posthumous Purple Heart and Bronze Star, as well as the American flag that draped his casket.

His death reverberated through Silvana. Willow & Jim’s, the town’s only restaurant, took up a collection for the family, and co-owner Willow Payne gave the Heberts a copy of a plaque bearing Justin’s likeness. The plaque will be placed next to the restaurant’s flagpole.

Silvana residents and rodeo enthusiasts Kory and Rachel Johnson held a bull-riding benefit for the family at their ranch. Bill Hebert, Justin’s father, directed that the proceeds instead be given to 2-year-old Jessica Fisher, a Tacoma girl receiving a bone marrow transplant from her older brother at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.

“In a small town like this you get to know pretty much everybody in the community,” Kory Johnson said. “Something like this is real hard. Everybody just tries to pull together to support the family.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Staff Sgt. David L. Loyd (no picture available)

8-5-2003

Army Staff Sgt. David L. Loyd, 44, of Jackson, Tenn.; assigned to the 1175th Transportation Company, Army National Guard, Brownsville, Tenn.; died in a Kuwaiti hospital after experiencing chest pains while on a mission on Aug. 5 in Kuwait.

Here is a story about David:

Indiana native dies of heart attack in Kuwait

Associated Press


TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A Terre Haute native who served with the Army National Guard died in Kuwait this week following a heart attack he suffered while on a routine mission, family members said.
David Loyd, 44, was living in western Tennessee with his wife Pamela Loyd, also a native of Terre Haute, when he was called up in February for deployment overseas.

Family members say Loyd enjoyed his job as a truck mechanic and hobbies of riding his Harley Davidson and tinkering with cars.

“But most of all he loved serving his country,” said his mother-in-law, Bonnie Flinn, of Terre Haute.

Pamela Loyd said she will cherish a conversation she had with her husband Monday — only a day before he died — and also time spent together in late May and early June.

Her husband was able to return home for 10 days because the family’s home was damaged by a tornado.

When it came time for his return to Kuwait, he was eager to get back to serving his country, his wife said.

“He wouldn’t have had it any other way,” she said.

In addition to his wife, Loyd is survived by two sons.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Farao K. Letufuga (no picture available)

8-5-2003

Army Spc. Farao K. Letufuga, 20, of Pago Pago, American Samoa; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died after falling from the top of a building while he was performing guard duty Aug. 5 in Mosul, Iraq.

Here is a story about Farao:

Body of soldier from American Samoa heading home

Associated Press


PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — The body of a soldier from American Samoa who died in Iraq was scheduled to arrive in the U.S. territory on Thursday.
Army Spc. Farao Kevin Letufuga’s body was to be transported from Dover, Del., to Honolulu before the last leg of the journey aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight, Eni Faleomavaega, American Samoa’s congressional delegate, said Wednesday from Washington.

Faleomavaega said he, Army Sgt. Maj. Iuniasolua Savusa of American Samoa and an Army escort will accompanied the body.

Letufuga, 20, of Pago Pago, was killed Aug. 5 when he fell from a roof while on guard duty in Mosul, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.

Letufuga’s mother, Siniva Letufuga, said she last spoke with her son during a telephone call July 24.

“I told him to always remember God and always pray during his tour of duty,” she said.

Letufuga left Pago Pago the night of Sept. 10, 2001, the eve of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, to join the Army, his mother said.

Letufuga was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., where he arrived in March 2002.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Ronald D. Allen Jr.

8-5-2003

Army Spc. Ronald D. Allen Jr., 22, of Mitchell, Ind.; assigned to the 502nd Personnel Service Battalion, 43rd Area Support Group, Fort Carson, Colo.; died in a vehicle accident while conducting convoy operations near Balad, Iraq, on Aug. 5.

Here is a story about Ronald:

Fort Carson soldier remembered as mischievous, loyal

By Ben Kieckhefer
Associated Press


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A standing-room-only crowd at Soldiers’ Memorial Chapel remembered a Fort Carson soldier killed in Iraq as mischievous, loyal and as a “true American hero.”
Spc. Ronald D. Allen Jr., 22, was killed Aug. 25 in a traffic accident in northern Iraq. The Indiana native was the first soldier from the 502nd Personal Service Battalion, 43rd Area Support Group and the 17th soldier from Fort Carson to die in Iraq.

“We are reminded that in war there are no guarantees of safety,” his commander, Capt. Jessica Murnock, said Tuesday. She described Allen as “an outstanding soldier and a loving son.”

Allen, of Mitchell, Ind., had jumped out of his Humvee to repair a flat tire. He was fatally injured when another vehicle spun out.

A solitary helmet and an empty pair of boots flanked Allen’s photo at the head of the aisle during his memorial service. Allen’s mother and stepfather traveled from Indiana to join about 700 other mourners.

Three of his fellow specialists paid tribute to Allen, described as a young man with exuberant tastes and deep friendships.

“He played his music too loud,” said Spc. Travis Rollins, “(but) to us he was a friend. I don’t trust many people, but I knew I could count on Allen.”

“Whether it cost (him) financially or physically, he was always willing to help,” said Spc. Stephen Bell.

The crowd watched silently as a large screen showed images of Allen’s life, from a gap-toothed young boy to a soldier hugging his mother.

Allen enlisted in the Army in his junior year in high school. He received the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal after his death.

Spc. Buck Simmons remembered taking Allen home to Leadville one Thanksgiving and introducing him to snowmobiling in Colorado.

“We were more than friends, we were family,” Simmons said.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Leonard D. Simmons (no picture available)

8-6-2003

Army Sgt. Leonard D. Simmons, 33, of New Bern, N.C.; assigned to C Company, 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died of a non-combat related cause on Aug. 6 in Mosul, Iraq.

Here is a story about Leonard:

Fort Campbell soldier dies

By Thomya Hogan, The Leaf-Chronicle / Gannett News Service


Military officials have released the name of the Fort Campbell soldier who died Aug. 6 in Iraq.
Sgt. Leonard D. Simmons, 33, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, died of cardiac arrest while performing his duties, post officials said.

He was the 18th Screaming Eagle to die in Iraq since the division deployed in February.

Simmons, a native of New Bern, N.C., entered the Army in July 1990 and arrived at Fort Campbell in March 2003. He is survived by his wife and three stepchildren of Clarksville.

Simmons’ death is still under investigation.

Since the 101st Airborne Division is deployed, a Fort Campbell memorial service is not planned, said John Minton, post public affairs spokesman. It is not known when his body will arrive back in the United States for burial.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Staff Sgt. Brian R. Hellermann

8-6-2003

Army Staff Sgt. Brian R. Hellermann, 35, of Freeport, Minn.; assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 325th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died of injuries received when an Iraqi vehicle fired upon his unit during an ambush Aug. 6 in Baghdad.

Here is a story about Brian:

N.C. soldier, Minnesota native remembered at Salisbury funeral

Associated Press


SALISBURY, N.C. — A Fort Bragg soldier killed in the line of duty in Iraq was remembered Thursday as a man devoted to his military career.
Staff Sgt. Brian Richard Hellermann was fatally injured Aug. 6 when an Iraqi vehicle opened fire on Hellermann’s 82nd Airborne unit.

At Thursday’s funeral in the chapel at Lyerly Funeral Home, brother-in-law Jamie Livengood read a letter he wrote to Hellermann after his death — one he said he had meant to write for months.

“Brother-in-law, brother I never had,” Livengood read. “It makes me feel better knowing that you went home the way you wanted to go.”

More than 150 mourners filled pews in the small chapel, many weeping and hugging as Hellermann was remembered and songs were played in tribute to him.

His flag-draped coffin rested at the front of the chapel.

A native of Freeport, Minn., Hellermann leaves a wife, Rowan County native Michelle Livengood Hellermann, and two children — son Travis and daughter Katelyn.

He also is survived by his mother, Caroline Hellermann Erickson, and stepfather Wally Erickson, both of Freeport.

Jamie Livengood told his brother-in-law that he will wear patches from Hellermann’s military uniform every day on his work clothes.

“I want you to be my anchor, forever looking over my shoulder, watching over me,” he said.

“You gave your all, family,” the Rev. Billy Ray Huffman, pastor at Parkdale Baptist Church in Salisbury, told survivors. “You gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

Huffman, a longtime minister to the Livengood family, said he spoke with Hellermann’s commanding officer in Iraq.

“He did his job,” Huffman said. “He went about his job quietly. ... Brian carried on like so many of you, he carried on his duties and we never heard anything about Brian. ...

“America, we need to wake up. This very freedom we have today is threatened. Thank God for those who give. This is not for nothing — it is not for nothing.”

Huffman played recordings of Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You” and Clint Black’s “Half The Man” — an apparent tribute to Hellermann’s stepfather.

And he turned to the Bible, citing John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

When a balky compact disc player stymied Huffman’s effort to play a final song — Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High On That Mountain” — Tom Killgore, a Fort Bragg-based chaplain for the 82nd Airborne, stepped in.

“I’m no Vince Gill, but my mama did teach me to read,” Killgore told the mourners before reading from the lyrics: “Go rest high on that mountain son, your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a-shoutin’ love for the Father and the Son.”

Hellermann was buried at Rowan Memorial Park.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pvt. Kyle C. Gilbert

8-6-2003

Army Pvt. Kyle C. Gilbert, 20, of Brattleboro, Vt.; assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 325th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed when Iraqi gunmen in a vehicle opened fire on Gilbert’s unit Aug. 6 in Baghdad. Gilbert died of injuries received during the ambush.

Here is a story about Kyle:

Brattleboro soldier killed

By Leslie Wright, The Burlington Free Press / Gannett News Service


Kyle Gilbert joined the U.S. Army two weeks after he graduated from Brattleboro Union High School. He signed up for eight years.
The dark-eyed teen of short stature pursued his goal with the same intensity that won him national rankings in martial arts. In joining up, Gilbert, 20, followed in the footsteps of his father and his uncle. The latter was a Vietnam-era Medal of Honor recipient.

He shipped out to Iraq on March 6.

Pvt. Gilbert died Aug. 6 when gunmen in an Iraqi vehicle opened fire on his unit in Baghdad. He died from injuries received during the ambush, the Defense Department said.

Gilbert was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 325th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg, N.C.

His father, Robert Gilbert, said it seemed like just the other day that he attended his son’s graduation from jump school at Fort Benning, Ga. In a traditional ceremony, Robert Gilbert and his son exchanged jump school pins.

“I pinned my wings on his chest,” Robert Gilbert said. “I made a special point of polishing them up and pinning them on him.”

That was a proud moment, Robert Gilbert said.

Kyle Gilbert was focused even as a child. When his mother was teaching aerobics, Kyle would go along and watch the tae kwon do classes. He would imitate the movements and persuaded the teachers to let him learn, his father said.

He was the youngest student they’d ever had, Robert Gilbert said. By the time he was 11 or 12 he had earned his black belt.

“Kyle was ranked nationally. I think he was No. 2 on the East Coast when he was 12 years old,” Robert Gilbert said. “He was really my hero.”

While in high school he qualified for the Goodwill Games on Team USA.

Wendy Brown’s son Jordon Sorrell was a childhood friend of Kyle Gilbert. The two reunited in the Army at Fort Bragg and rekindled their friendship. They were in different platoons but spent their days off in Iraq hanging around a pool in a former palace, Brown said.

Kyle Gilbert had genuine integrity, she said.

Brown, who lives in Brattleboro, and Kyle’s mother, Regina Gilbert, became close friends, too, drawn together by their similar circumstances as mothers with children fighting a war. The two were in a support group that sent daily e-mails and planned rallies and parades.

Kyle’s death stirs her greatest fears for her son.

“I’m heartsick. I was already worried. I’m way past that,” Brown said.

Barbara Wauchope of Brattleboro is in the support group. Her son Darren Cansler, 25, is a Marine who came home in early July after seven months in Iraq.

She said she can’t imagine what Regina Gilbert must be going through. Kyle was her only child, Wauchope said.

“This is so horrible,” Wauchope said. “It seems to be worse now that we say the war is over and most of the people have kind of forgotten about them. You don’t even get the same kind of support. It actually seems more dangerous now.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Zeferino E. Colunga

8-6-2003

Army Spc. Zeferino E. Colunga, 20, of Bellville, Texas; assigned to 4th Squadron, 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment, Fort Polk, La.; died Aug. 6 at Homburg University Hospital after he was evacuated from the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq.

Here is a story about Zeferino:

Soldier dies suddenly of illness

Associated Press


Army Spc. Zeferino Eusebio Colunga was a healthy 220-pound former Texas high school tackle when he was deployed to Kuwait in late April. He died on Wednesday at a hospital in Germany after a battle with acute leukemia his family didn’t know he had as well as pneumonia, his sister said Thursday.
“When he left here, my brother was a totally healthy boy,” Teresa Colunga told The Associated Press from the family home in Bellville, about 50 miles west of Houston.

The Department of Defense on Aug. 7 announced Colunga died at Homburg University Hospital in Germany. He was first evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq on Aug. 4, then evacuated to Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center and later to Homburg for further evaluation.

The Defense Department said Colunga’s death was unrelated to recent cases of pneumonia in Southwest Asia. The Army is telling troops to take precautions as it tries to ascertain the cause of pneumonia cases, including two deaths, among forces in the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns.

Assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment in Fort Polk, La., Zeferino Eusebio Colunga developed a 102-degree fever within a week of arriving in Kuwait, his sister said. He had received all the routine vaccinations given to soldiers, and neither he nor his family was concerned for his health.

She said he called the family once a week while in Kuwait and later when in Iraq. He spoke to his sister on her birthday in May and his mother, Juanita Colunga, on her birthday in June. They last spoke to him July 24 and grew worried when he didn’t call his father, Zeferino Reyes Colunga, on the elder Colunga’s birthday Aug. 2, Teresa Colunga said.

The family learned he was gravely ill with acute leukemia when he was evacuated to the combat support hospital in Iraq on Aug. 4, she said.

Teresa Colunga spoke briefly to her brother on a speaker phone, telling him she would try to visit him, but he wasn’t well enough to talk to her. He was taken to Landstuhl and then Homburg. Teresa Colunga and her mother flew to Washington, D.C., on July 6 to get passports so they could continue to Germany.

Army officials in Washington informed them that afternoon that Zeferino Eusebio Colunga had died, his sister said. She and their mother returned to Bellville and will plan a memorial service once his body is returned to the family, she said.

The family remains puzzled at his sudden death. She said an autopsy was planned.

Nicknamed “Cowboy” because of a childhood habit of wearing a cowboy hat while riding a stick horse, Zeferino Eusebio Colunga joined the Army shortly after graduating from Bellville High School with honors, his sister said. He sought a career with the military.

“He wanted everybody to be proud of him,” she said. “He had a lot of fun doing it.”

She said word of his death spread quickly in the town of about 4,000, and the high school retired the former Bellville Brahmas tackle’s jersey, No. 61.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Duane E. Longstreth

8-7-2003

Army Pfc. Duane E. Longstreth, 19, of Tacoma, Wash.; assigned to Company B, 307th Engineer Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died of non-combat related injuries on Aug. 7 in Baghdad.

Here is a story about Duane:

Soldier who died in Iraq enlisted the same day as his mother

Associated Press


TACOMA, Wash. — Duane E. Longstreth and his mother, Jennifer West, enlisted in the Army together in January 2002.
He became a combat engineer with Company B, 307th Engineer Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C., and was sent to war in Iraq. She became a communications specialist with the 44th Signal Battalion in Mannheim, Germany.

On Friday she learned her 19-year-old son, a private first class, had died a day earlier of non-combat injuries — apparently an accidental gunshot — in Baghdad.

“My son left us a hero,” West, 36, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Monday from her family’s home in Tacoma. “He was doing the right thing, and he was proud to be doing what he was doing.”

Army officials gave no details of Longstreth’s death. A spokesman at Fort Bragg said more information might be released following an investigation.

Spc. Kristopher Haney, who serves with West in Germany, told The Seattle Times the family was informed that Longstreth died of a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators believe it was an accident and that no other soldiers were involved, Haney added.

Longstreth had been in the Middle East since February.

“He was a very proud soldier and happy to serve in Iraq,” Haney said.

Longstreth, a native of Tacoma, was sent to Lincoln’s Challenge Academy, a military-style program run by the Illinois National Guard for at-risk youth, and enlisted in the Army after graduation, five months before he turned 18.

“He was an unbelievably outstanding child,” his mother said. “I think, like me, he joined because he was very aware of what was right and what was wrong,” she said.

West, a Western Washington University journalism graduate who did newspaper and radio reporting, said both were motivated by the war on terror after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The last time they spoke was when he called her about two weeks ago.

“My sentiments are still the same,” West said. “We’re in Iraq to do a necessary job. We fully know that.

“We’re serving not only for our nation and our people and the Army, but also for our own families.”

Other survivors include West’s husband, Joseph West, a military veteran, and two sisters, Anna and Victoria, all of whom lived in South Carolina while West was assigned to Germany.

The Army is working on a compassionate transfer of West to Fort Lewis, south of Tacoma, the P-I reported.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pvt. Matthew D. Bush

8-8-2003

Army Pvt. Matthew D. Bush, 20, of East Alton, Ill.; assigned to F Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 8 in Camp Caldwell, Iraq. A fellow soldier tried to wake Bush and noticed he was not breathing.

Here is a story about Matthew:

East Alton, Ill., soldier may have died of heat in Iraq

Associated Press


EAST ALTON, Ill. — The body of Army Pvt. Matthew Bush has been returned home to East Alton, and authorities are blaming his death on the blistering summer heat in Iraq.
Bush, 20, was stationed in Kirkush, about 100 miles north of Baghdad. He had been overseas about three weeks when he was found dead in his bed Aug. 8.

A heat-related illness probably caused his death, according preliminary findings from an autopsy conducted at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., said he was told of the findings on Aug. 14. He said the doctor in charge of the autopsy planned to get in touch with Bush’s family that night. A formal autopsy report, including toxicology results, will be unavailable for 20 to 30 days.

The summer heat in Iraq, with the temperature routinely reaching 115 degrees and above, is a growing concern for the U.S. armed forces.

Bush’s father, Randy Bush, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he hoped his son’s death, if it was caused by heat, would influence other soldiers to be more alert to signs of illness and report them to superiors.

“Matthew sacrificed his life,” Randy Bush said. “I hope it helps prevent that happening to others.”

“There’s a young man who plays sports all his life,” Randy Bush said. “He’s used to having football gear. It just goes to show you it can happen to anybody.”

The father last heard from Matthew Bush on Aug. 5, and he had complained about the heat. He felt ill on Thursday, Aug. 7, and was told to quit his duties early. He complained of a headache before going to bed and was found dead in his bed the next morning.

His sister, Army Pfc. Deann Bush, was also in Iraq, and both told their father they had been cautioned to drink plenty of liquids and report symptoms of illness.

Randy Bush said his daughter had difficulty adjusting to much cooler temperatures in the United States after he picked her up Monday in Nashville, Tenn.

“Deann had to turn on the heat in the pickup truck,” he said. “She thought it was cold.”

Matthew Bush’s body arrived home on Aug. 13. A military funeral service was scheduled for Aug. 18.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Brandon Ramsey

8-8-2003

Army Pfc. Brandon Ramsey, 21, of Calumet City, Ill.; assigned to the 933rd Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Chicago; killed in a vehicle accident Aug. 8 in Tallil, Iraq. Ramsey was part of a convoy escort mission when the vehicle in which he was riding rolled over during the chase of a suspicious vehicle.

Here is a story about Brandon:

Soldier from Calumet City killed in Iraq

Associated Press


CALUMET CITY, Ill. — Army Pfc. Brandon Ramsey joined the Illinois National Guard for the education perks, not to fight a war.
But the 21-year-old, who died in Iraq on Friday, answered the call to duty without fear, his older brother said.

“As far as leaving, there was no way out of it,” said Vaughn Ramsey. “(Brandon) was never one to back away from a challenge.”

The Defense Department announced Wednesday that Ramsey was killed in Tallil, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in rolled over while chasing a suspicious vehicle.

“(Fighting) was something he didn’t expect he would have to do,” said Vaughn Ramsey.

Brandon Ramsey’s large extended family gathered at his home in Calumet City on Wednesday, just like they often did for his calls from Iraq.

“He told us he was safe. He never gave us details,” Vaughn Ramsey said. “He didn’t want us to worry.”

Ramsey joined the guard in July 2001 and was called up in May. He left behind a job at a Ford dealership, his brother said.

Ramsey graduated in 2000 from Thornton Fractional North High School in Calumet City where he played football and basketball, said assistant principal Mike Fies.

Fies described Ramsey as “a nice young man, a hard working student.”

“This is a very tough loss,” Fies said.

Ramsey was one of 4,000 Illinois National Guardsmen supporting multiple military operations that began after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“The Illinois guard is a close-knit organization, almost like a family, so anytime we lose one of our own, it has a very deep and profound impact,” said Brig. Gen. Randal Thomas in a news release.

Ramsey is the second Illinois guard member to die in combat-related service since the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Thomas said.

Ramsey was part of a convoy escort mission, according to the Defense Department. He was assigned to Chicago’s 933rd Military Police Company.

With 176 people, the 933rd MP unit is one of the largest deployments from Chicago.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Levi B. Kinchen

8-9-2003

Army Spc. Levi B. Kinchen, 21, of Tickfaw, La.; assigned to 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, La.; died in his sleep in Baghdad. A fellow soldier tried to wake Kinchen on Aug. 9 and discovered he was not breathing.

Here is a story about Levi:

Parents await word on cause of death for Louisiana soldier

ALBANY, La. — A rural Louisiana family awaited word from the Army about what caused the death of their 21-year-old son, who was found dead on his cot in Iraq.

Army Spc. Levi Kinchen’s parents, stepsister and other relatives remembered him as a fun-loving jokester and avid outdoorsman who willingly faced combat despite his fears.

“He had this magnetic personality,” Louise O’Sullivan said of her nephew. “You just had to love Levi.”

An Army officer arrived at the Livingston Parish, La., home of his parents, Barbara and Carter Kinchen, and said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of death. It would be at least 10 days before the body would be returned home.

Barbara Kinchen told The Associated Press that her son had insisted on being baptized before he left for the war. She said the soldier’s pastor told her Levi Kinchen may have had a premonition that he would not return home.

Barbara Kinchen said her son once tearfully acknowledged that he was afraid of combat. Nevertheless, he wanted to go to Iraq.

“He was ready to go. That’s what he wanted to do. He knew the consequences,” Barbara Kinchen said.

Levi Kinchen loved the outdoors, his relatives said, and started hunting as a child, killing his first deer when he was 9 years old.

He graduated from Albany High School in 2000, getting average marks but excelling in industrial arts and other courses in which he worked with his hands.

“He was an average student, but he did his best,” said Sid Kinchen, a distant relation who teaches agriculture-related courses at Albany High. “He would much rather go out and build something than sit in a classroom.”

Kinchen was skinny, about 5-feet-6 and had bad eyesight, but joined the Army months after graduation. He maintained, fixed and loaded a howitzer as part of a Fort Polk-based field artillery unit. His mother said he raved about life in the Army.

His military service maintained something of a tradition in the family: His father had served in the Navy and a grandfather and several uncles also had been in the military.

This is the second time Barbara and Carter Kinchen have faced the death of a child. Another son died in an automobile accident in 1996.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Floyd G. Knighten Jr.

8-9-2003

Army Sgt. Floyd G. Knighten Jr., 55, of Olla, La.; assigned to the 1087th Transportation Support Company, Army National Guard, Fort Polk, La.; died Aug. 9 from a non-combat-related cause while in a convoy from Camp Bilad to Camp Pennsylvania in Iraq.

Here is a story about Floyd:

Olla, La., soldier latest non-combat casualty in Iraq

Associated Press


ALEXANDRIA, La. — An Olla soldier who was serving in Iraq in the same company with his son has become the latest non-combat casualty.
The Defense Department said Floyd G. Knighten Jr., 55, likely died of heat-related causes Aug. 9 while he was traveling with a convey from Camp Bilad to Camp Pennsylvania, according to Maj. Ron Elliott, Fort Polk media relations officer. Knighten was based at Fort Polk.

Temperatures in Iraq have topped 120 degrees recently.

Knighten’s son, Spc. Floyd G. Knighten III, deployed with the Louisiana Army National Guard’s 1087th Transportation Company in the spring, joining his father on active duty in the Middle East. Both father and son served in the same company. In Iraq, Sgt. Knighten repaired the trucks; his son drove them.

Family members described Sgt. Knighten as friendly, but quiet. He was a man who liked people, fishing and cooking.

He served in the military his entire adult life, first with the Navy and then with the National Guard, said his niece, Carma Polk Hardy of Olla.

Knighten Jr. joined the Navy after graduating from Sicily Island High School in 1969.

He had fallen behind in school while his parents moved around, so he actually graduated from high school with his niece, who is a few years younger.

“I never called him uncle in my life,” Polk said.

Knighten Jr. served in the Navy until 1973 and then joined the National Guard. In 1984, he became a full-time employee with the National Guard’s Jena unit.

He deployed for the Gulf War in November 1989 and served there until May 1990.

When his company deployed again in April, most of 1087th flew out of England Airpark, but Sgt. Knighten left first, traveling by ship with the equipment.

“He was really looking forward to that because he was in the Navy originally,” Hardy recalled on Monday.

Knighten Jr. was born May 6, 1948, in Trout. He married Lisa Soledad in 1971 in the Philippines and also moved to Olla that year.

Their son was born Aug. 22, 1982, in Alexandria.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Staff Sgt. David S. Perry

8-10-2003

Army Staff Sgt. David S. Perry, 36, of Bakersfield, Calif.; assigned to 649th Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Camp San Luis Obispo, Calif.; killed when a suspicious package he was inspecting exploded Aug. 10 in Baquabah, Iraq.
• • • • •

As a prison guard at Wasco State Prison in California, Staff Sgt. David S. Perry was respected not only by his colleagues but by inmates as well, his supervisor said.

“He was consistent. He utilized his military ability to be very fair but firm with the inmates and very supportive with the staff,” said Lt. Troy Ojeda said.

A military policeman, Perry, 36, of Bakersfield, Calif., was killed in Baquaba, Iraq, on Aug. 10 when a package that had been dropped off at police headquarters exploded. He had been in Iraq since January.

Perry is survived by a wife and three children — ages 1, 4 and 6.

“He was a great person. He was goal-oriented. He wanted the best for the department, the best for the military and the best for his family,” Ojeda said.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown Jr.

8-12-2003

Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown Jr., 21, of Conway, Pa.; assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy in Taji, Iraq, on Aug. 12.

Here is a story about Timmy:

Soldier killed in Iraq to receive Purple Heart, Bronze Star

Associated Press


CONWAY, Pa. — A 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq will receive the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and other honors posthumously, the Army announced.
The medals will be sent in time for the Aug. 20 funeral of Army Pfc. Timothy R. Brown Jr., according to Maj. Steven Chung, deputy provost marshal for the 99th Regional Readiness Command in Moon Township.

Brown, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy Aug. 12 just north of Baghdad.

On Aug. 17, more than 250 people gathered at the Conway War Memorial to pay tribute to Brown. Candles were passed through the crowd and friends and families left flowers on the memorial. Some held American flags and a bell was struck to honor Brown.

Brown’s father, Timothy Brown Sr., and his stepmother, Pam Brown, were presented with a flag.

“He was a spectacular human being,” said Bryan Revelant, 19, one of Brown’s friend. “He would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him to.”

Adam