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

[SAYHEY]

Marine Lance Cpl. Jason William Moore, 21, of San Marcos, Calif

5-19-03

Assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, Calif., killed in a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crash in the Shatt al Hillah Canal in Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Jason William Moore was gung-ho about everything — no matter how much of a challenge it was.

“He was the only person who complained when boot camp was over because he wanted more,” longtime friend Josh Wagner said.

Moore, 21, of San Marcos, Calif., and stationed at Camp Pendleton, was one of four Camp Pendleton Marines who died May 19 when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt al Hillah Canal shortly after takeoff. It had been on a resupply mission in support of civil-military operations. “He was an awesome guy, very honorable,” said Sam Scolamieri, another longtime friend. “The way he was hard-core about the Marines, that’s the way it was about his friendships.”

After graduating from high school in 2000, Moore kept in touch with history teacher Jim Beason.

“I felt like I lost my own son,” Beason said. “I’m sorry for the world to lose a kid like this.”

Moore’s sister Michelle said she last spoke to her brother May 16, and he was excited about the possibility of becoming a crew chief at Camp Pendleton. “He promised me that he’d be back. He promised that nothing would happen to him.”

 

[Big Dude]

Continuing to remember my heros. Thanks brother.

Adam aka Big Dude

 

[SAYHEY]

Marine Cpl. Douglas Jose Marencoreyes

5-18-03

Marine Cpl. Douglas Jose Marencoreyes, 28, of Chino, Calif.; assigned to Light Armored Vehicle-Air Defense Battery, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed when the transport truck in which he was riding rolled over near Samawah, Iraq.

 

[Pin Wizard]

It's so heartbreaking to read all these. I thank God every day that a good friend of mine is stationed here and not somewhere else. He was recently assigned to a long-term position in the US. Although he tells me he would rather be where the action is!

 

[SAYHEY]

Army Lt. Col. Dominic R. Baragona, 42, of Niles, Ohio

5-19-03

Assigned to 19th Maintenance Battalion, Fort Sill, Okla.; killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

For Lt. Col. Dominic R. Baragona, the military was his career, but his family was his life. He especially liked Christmas and always made a big deal of getting the family together, said his father, Dominic Baragona of St. George Island, Fla.

“Every Christmas he was the guy who put it all together,” his father said. “He was the one who spent the most on Christmas presents. That was his style.”

Baragona, commanding officer of the 19th Maintenance Battalion at Fort Sill, Okla., was killed May 19 in a multi-vehicle accident in Iraq.

He and his father had talked recently on a satellite phone. “He told me, ‘Things are looking good — we’re rolling out of here in two days,’ ” his father said.

Baragona grew up in Niles and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in nearby Warren. He was a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

One of seven children, Baragona was an avid football and baseball fan. His middle name, Rocco, was chosen for Indians slugger Rocky Colavito, and he went by the nickname Rocky.

 

[SAYHEY]

Marine Capt. Andrew David La Mont, 31, of Eureka, Calif

5-19-03

Assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed in a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crash in the Shatt al Hillah Canal in Iraq.

Capt. Andrew David La Mont was born at Andrews Air Force Base, where his father, James, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was stationed. He was the youngest of nine children, and the only one to follow his father’s path into the military.

For him, flying was a passion. “(Andrew) died doing what he loved,” La Mont’s brother Thomas said. “There were many facets to Andrew, but flying was his one big love.”

La Mont, 31, of Eureka, Calif., was one of four Camp Pendleton Marines who died May 19 when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt al Hillah Canal shortly after takeoff. It had been on a resupply mission in support of civil-military operations.

La Mont served in Kosovo and was part of the helicopter detail that flew the first Marines into Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

On April 3, as U.S. forces prepared to enter Baghdad for the final stages of the war, KGO-AM in San Francisco broadcast a live interview with La Mont before he flew to Baghdad to help evacuate injured troops. “Hello to everyone in Eureka, Calif.,” La Mont said. “I look forward to coming back.”

 

[SAYHEY]

Marine 1st Lt. Timothy Louis Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Ill.

5-19-03

Assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed in a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crash in the Shatt al Hillah Canal in Iraq.

Timothy Louis Ryan, a music major in college, joined the Marines to play percussion in the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, an elite ensemble also known as The Commandant’s Own. Judith Ryan said her son loved traveling with the corps to Paris and all over the United States.

He also found a new love in the Marines: flying. This was something of a surprise to his mother.

“He said he would love to fly things, but when he was a kid he said he would like to be a chef, too, so who knew?” she said.

Ryan, 30, of Aurora, Ill., was one of four Camp Pendleton Marines who died May 19 when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt al Hillah Canal shortly after takeoff. It had been on a resupply mission in support of civil-military operations.

He is survived by his wife, Michelle.

Will Lahvic, who was in the high school band with Ryan and followed him to Illinois State University, called his friend an “honest, straightforward guy” and talented musician.

“He was into drumming, but he fell in love with flying helicopters, too,” Lahvic said. “He died doing something that he truly wanted to be doing.”

 

[Disney Doll]

Good thread EROS...I mean Silky....I mean SAYHEY.

Thank you for remembering these brave people, who protect our freedom.

Freedom isn't free.

 

[Kitty 34]

Originally posted by Disney Doll
Good thread EROS...I mean Silky....I mean SAYHEY.

Thank you for remembering these brave people, who protect our freedom.

Freedom isn't free.

ditto

 

[Big Dude]

Marine Sgt. Kirk Allen Straseskie

05-19-2003

Marine Sgt. Kirk Allen Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam, Wis.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; drowned while attempting to rescue crewmembers of a Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that went down in the Shatt al Hillah Canal in Iraq.

Kirk Straseskie was a third-generation military son who promised to make his father proud. He drowned May 19 after he jumped into an Iraqi canal to try to rescue victims of a helicopter crash. Four Marines on the Sea-Knight helicopter were killed when it crashed into the Shatt al Hillah canal, about 60 miles south of Baghdad.

Mark Kirst, principal at Beaver Dam High School, said it was totally within Straseskie’s character to try to rescue the crew.

“He was always looking to help someone out. He was not a guy who would wait around for somebody else to do it. He was a doer.”

Straseskie graduated in 1998 from Beaver Dam High, where he played football, wrestled and ran the 400 meters in track. He wanted to make the military a career, but he met and fell in love with a woman from Juneau and was reconsidering that decision, said his father, John Straseskie

“He thought about going into law enforcement,” his father said. The elder Straseskie said both he and his father served in the Army. Another son, Ryan, is with the Wisconsin National Guard.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White

05-19-2003

Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White, 27, of Shawnee, Okla.; assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed in a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crash in the Shatt al Hillah Canal in Iraq.

If they ever had any doubt about their son’s love of flying, Darrell and Karen White just had to look at the envelopes he sent home. On them, Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White drew pictures of planes.

“That’s the reason he volunteered. He told me ‘Mom, I want to do it.’ He didn’t have to be a pilot — he simply loved being in the air,” Karen White said.

White, 27, of Shawnee, Okla., was one of four Camp Pendleton Marines who died May 19 when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down in the Shatt al Hillah Canal shortly after takeoff. It had been on a resupply mission in support of civil-military operations.

He is survived by his wife, Michele, and 1-year-old daughter, Brianna Nicole.

“I think he had the calling to serve. He had to serve somebody, serve our country, serve the people,” his mother said. “He needed the challenge the Marine Corps would give him.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Spc. Nathaniel A. Caldwell

05-21-2003

Army Spc. Nathaniel A. Caldwell, 27, of Omaha, Neb.; assigned to 404th Air Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed in a vehicle accident in Baghdad. Caldwell was responding to a civilian call when his vehicle rolled over.
• • • • •

Spc. Nathaniel A. Caldwell was a tank mechanic in the Army. But his dream was to become a pastor, and he looked forward to getting out of the Army and perhaps starting a counseling center.

“He wasn’t a fighter, he was a peacemaker,” said his wife, Amanda Caldwell. “Ever since I’ve known him, he wanted to be a chaplain.”

Caldwell grew up in Arizona and studied sports management at Peru State College in Peru, Neb. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder was named Peru State’s most inspirational player during the 1997-98 season.

Amanda Caldwell said her husband was a devout Christian who loved to make people feel at ease: “He was always trying to keep everyone’s spirits up.”

Besides his wife, he is survived by two children from his previous marriage: Donovan, 6, and Endira, 4. He also had a stepdaughter, Dallas, 9, from the previous marriage.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pvt. David Evans Jr.

5-25-2003

Army Pvt. David Evans Jr., 18, of Buffalo, N.Y.; assigned to the 977th Military Police Company, Fort Riley, Kan.; killed in an Iraqi ammunition plant explosion in Diwaniyah, Iraq, May 25.

David Evans Jr., 18, enlisted in the Army after graduating in 2002 from Kensington High School in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y.

He was killed May 24 when a munitions dump he and another soldier were guarding in Diwaniyah, Iraq, exploded and the steel shelter they were in collapsed. His squad returned after the first explosion and extracted the other soldier, but Pvt. Evans’ remains could not be located until several hours later. The incident is under investigation.

He leaves an infant son, David Kevonta Evans, who was born in February, a month after Evans made his last visit home on leave.

“I wish he could be here to see him, to hold him and to tell him how much he loved him,” said the baby’s mother, Tamara Douglas. “He wanted to see his son so bad.”

His father, David Evans Sr., said his son wanted to make something of himself. “It was his choice to sign up and protect us,” he said. “I’m proud of him.”

Adam

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>I think that if I had a family member who was on this list, and I came across it, I would be comforted a little in my pain ~ just knowing that there are people who got to read about my relative (be it son/daughter, cousin, uncle/aunt, brother/sister, father/mother...) and perhaps prayed or sent good wishes.

Thank you for doing this.

 

[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.

I will continue to post the biographies if and until EROS comes back (as another poster of course). I will try to keep it according to the day of the month. As you can see, the last soldier listed died on the 25th of May. Since I mostly post during the week, I will have to sometimes post ahead of the date. Folks, these are MY HEROES!!!

Adam aka Big Dude

 

[Keli]

Adam,
I'd like to thank you for posting these bio's. I appreciate the sacrifices these troops have made. These bio's really bring home to me the fact that freedom isn't free and that there is a face and story to every number on the casualty list. God bless our troops and their families.

 

[Big Dude]

Army Sgt. Keman L. Mitchell

5-26-2003

Army Sgt. Keman L. Mitchell, 24, of Hilliard, Fla.; assigned to Company C, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.; drowned in Karkuk, Iraq, May 26.
Mitchell jumped into seven-foot deep body of water. When he failed to resurface, members of his squad retrieved him. Medical personnel went to the scene and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Mitchell was evacuated to a forward surgical team and was pronounced dead on arrival.


Keman Mitchell graduated from Fernandina Beach High School in 1997 and had served six years in the Army. His father, Steven Mitchell, said he received a letter from his son the day he died, in which he complained about the heat and said his soldiers were retrieving loose weapons and helping establish a police force.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Pvt. Kenneth A. Nalley

5-26-2003

Army Pvt. Kenneth A. Nalley, 19, of Hamburg, Iowa, assigned to the 501st Military Police Company, Wiesbaden, Germany; killed in a vehicle accident in Samawah, Iraq, May 26.
Nalley and another soldier were escorting a convoy in a Humvee when a heavy equipment transporter crossed the median and struck their vehicle.


Kenneth A. Nalley enlisted in the Army for a five-year hitch last July, just a month after graduating from high school.

He had worked at Hamburg Oil, a full-service gas station, for almost three years, pumping gas, changing oil and fixing tires.

Bob Cooper, a mechanic at Hamburg Oil who spent 22 years in the Army, said he felt like he had lost a son. Cooper had counseled Nalley that joining the Army and gaining some experience as a military policeman could give him an edge when apply for a police job.

“He didn’t smoke. He didn’t drink. He didn’t do drugs because he wanted to be a policeman,” Cooper said. “That was his way to make sure that he didn’t have any troubles, so that he could get to that position in life.”

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Staff Sgt. Brett J. Petriken

5-26-2003

Army Staff Sgt. Brett J. Petriken, 30, of Flint, Mich.; assigned to the 501st Military Police Company, Wiesbaden, Germany; killed in a vehicle accident in Samawah, Iraq, May 26.
Petriken and another soldier were escorting a convoy in a Humvee when a heavy equipment transporter crossed the median and struck their vehicle.


Brett Petriken joined the Army in 1991. He was killed May 26 — a day before his 31st birthday — in a vehicle accident involving his Humvee, which was leading a convoy.

Petriken leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter.

Adam

 

[Big Dude]

Army Maj. Mathew E. Schram

5-26-2003

Army Maj. Mathew E. Schram, 36, of Brookfield, Wis.; assigned to the Headquarters & Headquarters Troop Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.; killed by enemy fire May 26 in Hadithah, Iraq.

Maj. Mathew E. Schram, the fifth of six children of Earl and Sarah Schram, always wanted to be a soldier, said his older sister, Susan Kuske. He joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater before joining the Army in 1989.

“He made it his career and loved it,” Kuske said. “He rose in the ranks and worked hard to get there.”

Schram, 36, of Brookfield, Wis., was killed May 26 near the town of Hadithah, about 120 miles north of Baghdad, when gunmen ambushed a military convoy on a resupply mission.

“He felt he was doing the right thing,” said Susan Kuske. “We all felt the same way.”

Adam