Names, Stories, and Pictures of the Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Wire Reports | 3/22/03 | Wire Reports

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Names of the four US Marines who died in yesterday's helicopter crash:

Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine

Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill.

Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas

Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Watersbey, 29, of Baltimore, Md.

The Pentagon has just released the names of two more US Marines who were killed in Iraq. I'll post as soon as I find that.

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Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White


http://www.news-star.com/stories/052303/New_31.shtml

Local Marine dies in Iraq
By JAMIE DUKES
SNS Staff Writer

Shawnee residents Darrell and Karen White will never forget Wednesday, the day three Marines came to their door with information that will forever change their lives.

Their son, Shawnee High School graduate and Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White, 27, died Monday in a Marine helicopter crash in Iraq, south of Baghdad. He leaves behind his parents, a sister, his wife and a 1-year-old daughter.

Marines told White's family he was one of four on board a CH-46 helicopter on a resupply mission when the chopper went down into the Shat Ahilala River in Iraq. They said the crash was near the Iraqi town of Al Hillah, south of Baghdad.

Darrell White's last conversation with his son was Saturday.

"His daughter was in Texas and he called here to get the phone number of the family she was staying with," Darrell said. "She turned 1 year old Saturday, and he called to talk to her and his wife."

But, White's mother Karen said, he almost didn't get to make that phone call.

"He said he was afraid he wasn't going to be able to make the call that day because he was originally scheduled to fly another resupply mission," she said.

He talked to his wife of five years, Michelle, and daughter, Brianna Nicole, for what would be the last time.

Darrell said he and his wife first received notice of their son's involvement in the crash about 11 p.m. Monday. The incident occurred about 3 p.m. Oklahoma time.

"The Marines came to the door in full attire, their dress blues," Karen said. "That's one thing about the Marines -- they take care of their own."

"They didn't say he was missing; they said his duty whereabouts were unknown," Darrell said. "They came back with a chaplain Wednesday morning and confirmed he was dead. They confirmed his body had been found Wednesday afternoon."

Darrell said he was standing on his front porch Wednesday talking to a co-worker when he saw the Marines drive by.

"There they are," he told his co-worker.

"They were talking on a phone as they circled the block again," he said. "They were talking to the other group of Marines who were going to tell Michelle. They were doing that so we were all told at the exact same time. They didn't want one of us to find out first."

Aaron left for training after he graduated from Shawnee High School in 1994.

"He left the week of graduation," Darrell said. "He didn't take a break at all. He enlisted in the delayed entry program and began training sessions on the weekends of his senior year."

"He loved it," his mother said. "We were able to go watch him train on some of the weekends."

Although White graduated from Shawnee High School, he spent the majority of his school career in Sasakwa.

"He spent his last two years at Shawnee," Darrell said. "He enjoyed it here."

White's parents describe him as a "hard worker" and a "people person."

"He never met a stranger," his mother said. "He was always wanting to help. He was a volunteer firefighter in Sasakwa before he could even drive. He would go out on calls with his dad."

Darrell said his son's volunteer efforts continued as he was deployed to Iraq in January.

"He complained, at first, because he wasn't as close to the action as he wanted to be," he said.

"That was fine with me," Karen said with a smile.

"He volunteered to be a gunner on the chopper when he went to Iraq so he could have the opportunity to fly," Darrell said.

Karen said her son loved to fly and drew pictures of planes even as a child.

"He drew pictures of planes on the envelopes he sent to us," Darrell said.

One of Aaron's drawings from the last time he was home still hangs in the Whites' kitchen.

Described as a hard worker and an overall go-getter, White remained close to his family.

"We've always remained in close contact since the very beginning -- even while he was in Japan," Darrell said. "He loved his wife and daughter very much. He told me once that he never knew he could have so much love and so much fun being a daddy."

"He loved life and lived it to the fullest," Karen said.

When Aaron left for Iraq he told his family not to worry.

"He said he was anxious to go," Darrell said. "He said it was something that had to be done."

Aaron was not the only family member serving in the military. His younger sister, Patricia LaBar, was serving in the Army in Germany when the crash occurred. She arrived in Oklahoma Thursday night to be with her family. Her husband also serves in the military.

"He and his sister were very close," Darrell said.

Funeral services for White are pending. His parents said they are waiting for the military to release his body.

"He's in Dover, Delaware, right now," Darrell said.

Although both are proud of their son's service and dedication, they both said the reality that he's gone hasn't really hit them.

"I'm sure it will get me when I see him," Darrell said.

"We know he's gone, but it doesn't seem real yet," Karen said.

Although there were four on board the helicopter, five Marines died as a result of the crash. Two tried to swim from the shore and rescue the downed servicemen. One of those men survived and the other drowned.

"We're trying to get contact information for the man's family who tried to save them," Darrell said. "I would like to talk to his family. Aaron was the only one from Oklahoma involved."

Darrell is employed at the aviation campus of Gordon Cooper Technology Center as a maintenance worker and Karen is a manager of Phillips 66 at Kickapoo and I-40.

Employees at Gordon Cooper are working to establish a college education fund for White's daughter.

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Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Dean White

[VOA]

AP Photo/Beuapre Family Photo Marine pilot Ryan Beaupre

Bump for this good man (picture in post 26).

As I mentioned in previous posts...his family said that they only got a few letters
from him in his last deployment, and no phone calls.
Beuapre said something like "the lines for the phone are so long...and my fellow soldiers
with spouses and children back home should get the phone time."

[VOA]

...South African Sholto Hedenskog (26) died in a helicopter crash in Iraq....
He was one of the 12 Allied soldiers who died in a helicopter crash in Kuwait...

A moment for all the Coalition military that shed their blood with Americans...
...they are indeed brothers to our military.

[VOA]

Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa

Bump for one tough warrior (pictures in posts 314 and 315 for lurkers)

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Army Lt. Col. Dominic R. Baragona


http://www.marionstar.com/news/stories/20030521/localnews/340742.html

Ohio soldier killed in Iraq multi-vehicle accident


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

An Army lieutenant colonel killed in a multi-vehicle accident in Iraq had dedicated his life to the military and was due to return home next month, family members said.

Lt. Col. Dominic R. Baragona, 42, died Monday near Safwan, Iraq, the Department of Defense said Tuesday. He is the fifth Ohio soldier killed in Iraq since the beginning of the war.

A tractor-trailer jackknifed and collided with Baragona's Humvee and a second Humvee. An Iraqi citizen also was killed and two soldiers were injured, the Defense Department said.

"We're here devastated," Baragona's father, Dominic, said early Wednesday from his home in St. George Island, Fla. "The whole family is flying in tomorrow. It's just a terrible time."

He said his son was to return home soon and was in a convoy headed for Kuwait. He had recently talked with him on a satellite phone.

"He told me, 'things are looking good -- we're rolling out of here in two days,"' his father said.

Baragona was the commanding officer of the 19th Maintenance Battalion at Fort Sill, Okla.

He grew up in the Youngstown suburb of Niles about 50 miles southeast of Cleveland and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in nearby Warren.

He left home at 18 for West Point, where he graduated in 1982.

Baragona was previously stationed in Germany and twice in Korea.

"Wherever they needed him that's where he went," said cousin Anthony Baragona of Niles. "He was a colonel. That shows you what they thought of him."

Dominic Baragona said he last saw his son at Christmas. He said his son always made a big deal of getting the family together.

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

He also was an avid Browns and Indians fan. His middle name, Rocco, was chosen for popular Indians slugger Rocky Colavito, and he went by the nickname Rocky.

"I just e-mailed him about the Indians win (Monday) night," Baragona said. "I didn't even realize it that when I wrote to him he was probably gone."

Baragona said he had a close relationship with his son and e-mailed him daily. They enjoyed arguing politics.

"I was the liberal and he was the conservative," he said. "It was a great fun thing that we would go through."

But they put politics aside once the war started.

"We supported the troops 100 percent and had the ribbons flying outside of the house," Baragona said.

"You want to hope that all this was worth it," he said of the war. "I don't want him to die in vain. I just don't."

The lieutenant colonel is the second of seven children that Baragona and his wife, Vilma, have lost.

"We lost an 8-year-old to leukemia. In that case we had 15 months to know. You had time to think about these things," Baragona said.

"In Rocky's case, I'm working in the garden and I hear my wife give a yell, and I turn around and there's two officers there and I know that's not a good sign."

Baragona, who was divorced, leaves his parents, and five brothers and sisters.

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Army Lt. Col. Dominic R. Baragona

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Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Brian Kleiboeker


http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/B4FB25ED1A651D7A86256D28001A98AF?OpenDocument&Headline=Illinois+man+killed+in+Iraq+loved+being+a+Marine,+family+says

Illinois man killed in Iraq loved being a Marine, family says
By ROBERT GOODRICH Post-Dispatch

Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Brian Kleiboeker, who was killed Tuesday in an explosion in Iraq, was a true warrior and patriot, according to family and friends.

Military officials said Kleiboeker was loading ammunition into a vehicle near Al Hillah when a bunker where the ammo was stored exploded. The incident is under investigation.

Kleiboeker graduated two years ago from Odin, Ill., High School, about 90 miles east of St. Louis. His family has since moved to Iuka, Ill., near Salem. He would have celebrated his 20th birthday on June 6.

A sister, Jessica, 18, said Kleiboeker chose the Marine Corps after investigating all branches of the armed forces. "He knew they were the toughest," she said. "He wouldn't settle for anything less."

Nick was "one hundred percent Marine," she said. "He was doing what he loved to do."

Josh Case, 20, of Odin, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve, said he and Kleiboeker had been buddies since seventh grade.

Case said his friend Nick made everyone laugh. "Nothing ever bothered him," he said. At the same time, Case added, "He was probably the most patriotic person I ever met."

The two spent much of the summer of 2001 working out in preparation for boot camp, after graduating together from Odin High. After boot camp, they attended infantry school together at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Case said Kleiboeker was always willing to accept the hardest or most dangerous duty assignment.

Deployed last Valentine's Day, Kleiboeker was well prepared for the war in Iraq and eager to use his training, Case said.

He was a combat engineer, assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Odin school Superintendent Mark Cartwright said the entire community had been in mourning since news of Kleiboeker's death arrived Wednesday. Odin High has only 95 students, so everyone knows everyone, he said.

Cartwright said Kleiboeker had returned to visit the school on occasion, wearing his Marine Corps uniform. "I don't recall anyone who wore the uniform with any more pride," he said.

Kleiboeker's sister Jessica said their father, Wayne Kleiboeker, served in the Air Force, and both grandfathers were military veterans. She said a brother-in-law is currently serving in Iraq.

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Fallen British heroes:

Private Andrew Kelly

Gunner Duncan Pritchard

Corporal David Shepherd

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Private Andrew Kelly


http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/kelly.htm

It is with very deep regret that the Ministry of Defence has to confirm that Private Andrew Joseph Kelly died on 6 May in an accident whilst serving in Iraq. Aged 18, he was serving with 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment.

His mother, Mrs Helen Yallop, has asked for the following statement to be issued:

"Andrew's loss is deeply felt by all the family. We are devastated. He was a wonderful, fearless and confident son, always well-mannered, and who, even as a young boy, desired only to be a Para. He turned 18 on 9 March this year, and within days was on his way to the Gulf.

"Even at school in Tavistock, he was single-minded about an Army career, knowing it would fulfil his ambitions for travel and sport. He loved swimming, roller-blading and skiing, and had enjoyed many family trips abroad. In his last call to me just days ago, he said, 'Don't worry about me mum; Paras always go to heaven.'

"He will be missed sorely, too, by his two dogs - especially Roxy, a Staffordshire terrier who senses a terrible tragedy has befallen us all. Andrew remains alive in our thoughts and memories; it will always be so."

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Lowe, the Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, said:

"The loss of Private Andy Kelly is especially tragic. He was a young man full of energy and life with a long career in The Parachute Regiment ahead of him. Andy had recently joined the 3rd Battalion, having come from the Infantry Training Centre where he had completed basic training and proved himself to be fit, mentally agile, professional, and highly determined.

"It had always been Andy's ambition to be a Parachute Regiment soldier and he was welcomed from the moment he arrived. He had just started to make new friends and settle down into post-war operations. Andy was quiet but confident and likeable. He was very polite and carried out his job in the professional manner expected from a member of the British Army on operations.

"The Battalion will hold a private memorial service in Iraq. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, who have asked for privacy at this exceptionally difficult time."

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Private Andrew Kelly

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Gunner Duncan Pritchard


http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/pritchard.htm

It is with very deep regret that the Ministry of Defence has to announce that Gunner Duncan Geoffrey Pritchard, Royal Air Force Regiment, died on 8 May 2003 in a UK hospital from injuries sustained in a traffic accident while on duty in Iraq. Aged 22, he was serving with 16 Squadron of the RAF Regiment, home-based at RAF Honington in Suffolk.

His family have requested that their privacy be respected by the media at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

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Corporal David Shepherd


http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/shepherd.htm

It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence has to announce that Corporal David John Shepherd, of the Royal Air Force Police, died on 19 May 2003 in Kuwait. He was aged 34. His death is believed to have been from natural causes.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time and the media are requested to respect their privacy.

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Army:

Pvt. David Evans, Jr., 18, of Buffalo, NY

Maj. Mathew E. Schram, 36, of Brookfield, WI

Pfc. Jeremiah D. Smith, 25, of Odessa, MO

Sgt. Thomas F. Broomhead, 34, of Cannon City, CO

Staff Sgt. Brett J. Petriken, 30, of Flint, MI

Pvt. Kenneth A. Nalley, 19, of Hamburg, IA

Staff Sgt. Michael B. Quinn, 37, of Tampa, FL

Spc. Jose A. Perez III, 22, of San Diego, TX

Spc. Zachariah W. Long, 20, of Milton, PA

Spc. Michael T. Gleason, 25, of Warren, PA

Spc. Kyle A. Griffin, 20, of Emerson, NJ

Staff Sgt. Kenneth R. Bradley, 39, of Utica, MS

Sgt. Atanacio Haromarin, 27, of Baldwin Park, CA

Sgt. Keman L. Mitchell, 24, of Hilliard, FL

Pfc. Branden F. Oberleitner, 20, of Worthington, OH

Pvt. Jesse M. Halling, 19, of Indianapolis, IN

Navy:

Petty Officer Third Class Doyle W. Bollinger, Jr., 21, of Poteau, OK

Marines:

Sgt. Jonathan W. Lambert, 28, of Newsite, MS

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Army Pvt. David Evans Jr.


http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030604/1008558.asp

'Unbreakable Smile'

The image of Pvt. David Evans Jr. that will live on in the minds of mourners from his memorial service will be of his big smile

By GENE WARNER and BRIAN BASKIN
News Staff Reporters

They talked about his dreams, to become a military police officer and an FBI agent.
They talked about how much he loved being in the U.S. Army. And they talked about what a personable, respectful young man he had become in the halls of Kensington High School.

But the lasting image of Pvt. David Evans Jr. that will live on in the minds of 250 mourners from his memorial service Tuesday will be of his big smile - the same smile that looked out at mourners from two giant screens in front of True Bethel Baptist Church.

Sgt. Michael J. Murphy, an Army recruiter who became a good friend, called it "the big smile that I could see through the telephone."

Kensington teacher Eric Mohammed called it "the unbreakable smile on his face."

And Kensington Principal Geraldine Horton later explained why his smile was so infectious.

"When you looked at David, you wanted to smile, too, because he had this spirit," she said.

"No matter what the circumstances were, he was a happy kid. He taught us the value of a smile."

Evans was killed in an explosion May 25, while on duty with the 977th Military Police Company, guarding a munitions site in southern Iraq.

The soldier's body still has not been released to the family. A ceremonial casket draped in an American flag sat in front of the church pews at Tuesday morning's service.

Mourners - including more than 60 current and former Kensington students, about 15 staff members and the school's JROTC unit - were moved to laughter and tears at various times. Many stood and cheered the Rev. Darius G. Pridgen's spirited eulogy, and they bowed their heads in silence at other times.

But they no doubt left the service with a strong impression that Evans was fulfilling his own dreams.

Murphy, the Army recruiter, recalled a recent conversation he had with Evans, who often greeted him on an informal basis.

"Murphy, I'm going to Kuwait," Evans said. "I'm having a great time. I'm doing what I want to do. I'm on my way, Sgt. Murphy, and I'll see you when I get back."

The young soldier's best friend, Mallory Lee, called Evans "my ace," the brother he never had.

"I'm not here to cry, because he wasn't a sad story," Lee told the crowd. "And if he was here, he wouldn't let me cry, either."

And in their last conversation, Lee remembered, Evans told him to be strong.

The mourners, including Buffalo Mayor Anthony M. Masiello, School Superintendent Marion Canedo and several elected officials, heard an impassioned eulogy from Pridgen, who compared the young man to David of the Old Testament.

God chose to promote David, who was protecting us while in Iraq, Pridgen said, his neck and facial muscles bulging, as he whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

Mourners stood and clapped, swaying to the pastor's impassioned rhythmic chants.

"Rest now, David, you are promoted," Pridgen said. "You are relieved of your post. There is no greater post than to be in the Army of the Lord."

After the hour-long service, about two dozen Kensington students and staff members took gold balloons with green strings on them - the school's colors - and walked outside.

"The balloons are to symbolize David," Horton said. "We're releasing him back to the Lord."

The students, each holding a balloon, looked up at the gray sky.

"On the count of three, this is for David," the principal said. "One, two, three."

On cue, the students released the balloons and watched them soar westward, into the sky, up toward the heavens and finally out of sight.

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Army Pvt. David Evans Jr.

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Army Major Mathew E. Schram


http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/jun03/146423.asp

Recalling a Man of Character

Family, comrades in arms pay respects to Brookfield soldier slain in Iraq

By MIKE JOHNSON

New Berlin - As rain fell, shots rang out from honor guard rifles and a bugler played taps in a final salute to U.S. Army Maj. Mathew Schram as he was laid to rest Friday at Highland Memorial Park.

The gray day reflected the sadness shrouding the hearts of family and friends of Schram, 36, a Brookfield native killed in Iraq May 26 when his supply convoy was ambushed by gunmen who opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

While there were tears, there also was a celebration of Schram's life during the funeral Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Elm Grove and at the cemetery.

About 400 people - including Gov. Jim Doyle - attended the church service to pay their respects to Schram, the second soldier from Wisconsin to die in combat in Iraq.

Father Daniel Pakenham called Schram a man of "great eloquence" and fellow soldiers described him as a "man of character" and a perfect soldier.

"Today, we remember that the death of one we love is an incredible personal loss. But Mat's death reminds us, too, that there are bigger things in the world we live in and there are things we are willing to give our lives for," Pakenham said.

He described Schram as a man who "lived by his values - with fidelity, with strength, with perseverance - to the extent that he would give his life."

"Mat loved the Army. He was an outstanding soldier. More importantly, he was an outstanding individual," said Lt. Gen. Richard A. Hack, deputy commanding general of the Army Materiel Command at Fort Belvoir, Va. Schram was one of Hack's aides in 1999 and 2000.

"Mat died as he lived, serving the greater good," Hack said.

Final tributes
Before the Mass, dozens of people snaked through the church to say a prayer over Schram's closed casket and to offer condolences to his family. Schram was the fifth of six children of Earl and the late Sarah Schram.

At the church, photos of Schram from his childhood and the military were pinned to bulletin boards near the casket. At the center of the church, three letters Schram had written were attached to a poster board resting on an easel.

In one letter to a nephew dated May 15, Schram said he had been in Iraq since April 25 after spending three weeks in Kuwait.

"When we crossed the border of Kuwait into Iraq, starving children put their hands up to their mouths begging for food," Schram wrote. "We didn't throw them food or else they'll run in the street - we might run them over. Most of the kids give us the thumbs-up as we drive by."

Schram, who was with the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, also told of how at one point "hostile Iraqis" had fired shots near him and his fellow soldiers.

When Schram was killed in an attack on Memorial Day, he was out front with his convoy, a position that he could have delegated to someone else.

But Army Maj. Casimir Carey, who was in the ROTC with Schram and his roommate at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, said he wasn't surprised Schram was out front.

"He would never ask his soldiers to do anything he would not do," said Carey, now an instructor at West Point. "He loved leading soldiers. He is probably the best officer I've met in my career."

Friendship recalled
Scott Kowalski, who graduated in 1985 from Brookfield Central High School with Schram, recalled his friend as intense and passionate about whatever he undertook. They were tennis doubles partners and both played on the football team.

"He was a fierce competitor. He was always intense, and it's no surprise that he transferred that intensity to the military," said Kowalski, a Madison attorney. "I was damn happy to have him representing us as a soldier."

Schram joined the Army in 1989, served in the Gulf War of 1991 and then in Somalia in the late 1990s. Schram got his master's degree in organizational management last year while stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

"He was the best Wisconsin has to offer," Doyle said after the service. "It's a terrible loss that we feel in the whole state, but we're also very, very proud of him."

Schram was single, but was dating Maj. Kam Gunther, 34, who is stationed in South Korea. She said the two had talked of marriage, and she was planning on joining him at Fort Carson in Colorado, where he was based.

"He was so proud to be part of the Army and to go over and serve. . . . This is hard. I am really proud of him. This is such a tribute to him," she said.

At the cemetery, soldiers gave Schram's father, Earl, of Sister Bay the U.S. flag that had draped his son's casket and three medals - the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

"Major Mathew Schram, you are now a part of our heritage," said Lt. Col. James Ellison, chaplain at Fort Carson. "You are what America is, a great nation freely giving of itself for others. We respect you. We salute you."

Earl Schram said the service and the words from Pakenham and Army officials helped console his family.

But he said, "Mat might have been a little embarrassed at all the attention he got. He's kind of a modest man."

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Army Major Mathew E. Schram

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Army Spc. Nate Caldwell


http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0603caldwell03.html

The funeral was regulation
But Spc. Nate Caldwell known as unconventional

Judd Slivka
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 3, 2003 12:00 AM


Nate Caldwell was the boy who carried a briefcase through junior high and high school. The student who was always smiling. The man who put his arm around a woman's shoulders because it was raining and he was falling in love with her.

Nate Caldwell - before he became Army Spc. Nate Caldwell, Bravo Co., 404th Air Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division - graduated from Maryvale High School in 1994 and dreamed of playing professional basketball.

He was a father, a newlywed and the brother of a sister who died when she was 9. He was 27.

He was buried under a hot sky Monday in Phoenix, the first casualty of postwar Iraq to rest beneath the Valley's soil.

About 40 people attended, not counting the honor guard sweating in their Class A dress uniforms and black berets.

He is survived by his wife of six months, Amanda, and two children from a previous marriage, Donovan, 6 and Endira, 4, and stepdaughter, Dallas, 9. He is survived by his parents and step-parents and brothers and sisters.

Nate Caldwell did not die in combat, like Arizona Marines Mike Williams and Fernando Padilla-Ramirez. He did not die and instantly move into lore, like fellow Army Spc. Lori Piestewa.

He died in Baghdad on May 21 when the Humvee he was in rolled over and he was thrown out and then crushed when it continued to roll.

He was still alive when they got to him. It took an hour to get Caldwell to a hospital and he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

That is the official version.

"Nate talked about how unstable those Humvees were," his widow, Amanda, said.

"He was worried about them, and dadgum if that isn't what killed him."

An Army investigation continues, and family members say they still have questions; they believe the Humvee was hit by enemy fire.

Caldwell was counting the days until he got out of the Army and could make a new life for himself as something besides a tank mechanic.

He was going to be a chaplain.


Open casket


It was an open-casket service. That alone made Nate Caldwell different from the combat casualties.

He got the 21-gun salute. Amanda got the folded flag off the coffin. His children from the previous marriage - Donovan has his father's eyes, Endira has his smile - got a plane ride with their mother from Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they live.

But it was different from all this war's other burials. The media were not there in droves, because this death happened after the bonafide shooting was over.

Then again Caldwell always was a little different.

Growing up, he would ride his sister's bike to friends' houses. Everyone made fun of tall Nate riding his sister's bike with the banana seat and flowers. He didn't care. He just laughed along with them.

"Everybody knew Nate," said his longtime friend Jeb Bensing, who met him in art class in seventh grade at Isaac Junior High School. "He was the tall Black guy with a bad flat top."

And, he told everyone, he was going to be a basketball star. In junior high, he carried the briefcase and a basketball everywhere.

High school came and he didn't carry the ball as much, but he still was marching to the beat of his own drummer, carrying the gold-trimmed black briefcase - combination set to 000 - to each class in lieu of a backpack.

School was a means to an end; going to class meant playing basketball, and he concentrated on his game to the exclusion of much else, even girls.

That meant going to the prom alone, lounging on a sofa in the limousine Bensing and his girlfriend rented and grinning at them all night long, his long neck sticking out of the tuxedo shirt.

They didn't mind. No one really did.

"He was just the most polite, respectful young man," said Harry Taylor, Caldwell's basketball coach at Maryvale. "He always was smiling and very polite. Very respectable."

Nate tried at basketball; he was a left-hand shooter who hadn't grown into his 6-foot-4 body.

He went to college at Peru State College in Peru, Neb., and walked onto the basketball team there and made the same impression.

"Every time you talked to Nate, you walked away feeling good about yourself," said Ted Harshbarger, Peru State's interim athletic director at the time. "You couldn't help it."

Caldwell joined the Army because it was a way to get a step up on life. The basketball dream was dead, Caldwell had a sports management degree and was working at a car rental agency in Omaha.

He joined up and became a tank mechanic.

He met Amanda in Bossier City, La., while on leave, and they talked from the moment they met until the next dawn.

They got engaged a few months later, and married in November 2002.

Caldwell shipped out to Iraq in March.

He hadn't spoken to his wife in a month.

And then he was gone.


Regulation military


Caldwell's funeral was different than the others, but in some ways, it was regulation military.

Gov. Janet Napolitano attended the service, but did not speak. The Army sent an honor guard from Fort Huachuca and a brigadier general from Caldwell's base, Fort Hood, Texas.

Slowly and methodically, the honor guard walked the casket from the mortuary to the grave site. The 40 people followed on that long, hot, sad walk.

It was Brig. Gen. Mike Lenaers who walked over with the folded flag. He leaned in to Amanda Caldwell, and this is what he said:

"This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation as a token of appreciation for your husband's honorable service."

And then he straightened up and walked away.

Spc. Nate Caldwell came home Monday.

He was buried next to his sister.

[Diddle E. Squat]

"Army Brig. Gen. Mike Lenaers presents the flag from the casket of Nathaniel Alexander Caldwell, Jr., to his widow, Amanda Caldwell, at Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery and Mortuary in Phoenix, Monday."