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

Wire Reports | 3/22/03 | Wire Reports

[Diddle E. Squat]

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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Lance Cpl. Thomas Alan Blair


http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/5534288.htm

Slain Marine died a hero, brother says
KELLY KURT
Associated Press

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. - Al Blair played big brother the day before Tommy's deployment, warning him to pack the strongest sunblock made. The two Marines didn't need to share the bigger worries.

"You know what the dangers are," Blair said Tuesday as he grieved for the brother who followed him in service but won't be coming back from Iraq alive.

At age 24, Lance Cpl. Thomas Alan Blair became Oklahoma's first known casualty in the war on Iraq. He disappeared during fighting on the outskirts of Nasiriyah on March 23, and was later confirmed killed in action.

Blair, a 28-year-old staff sergeant, chose to keep private what little his family learned about his brother's death.

What he wants strangers to know is that Tommy was his hero.

"He said he was proud of what he was doing, proud of where he was at, and he was doing the job he'd been trained to do, which was defend this country," Blair said, recalling a letter from Tommy after his January deployment.

"He's a very patriotic young man who died for his country and died for what he believed in the most - which was freedom," he said.

Tommy Blair graduated from Broken Arrow High School and joined the Marines at age 19. He served with the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Air Control Group 28.

He was based in Cherry Point, N.C., just a quick drive from his brother in New River, N.C. He often visited Al Blair's family for home-cooked meals and the chance to play with his brother's children.

Tommy Blair was a "free spirit," his brother said. He tempered his shyness with a strong will. He enjoyed his life, and he'd "give the shirt right off his back if he could help you," the older brother said.

"He was a devoted brother, son, uncle and friend," Blair said, "and a devoted Marine."

When Tommy was just 14, he attended his brother's graduation from boot camp. Four years later, he signed up himself.

Blair last saw his brother just before Tommy deployed to the Middle East. The older brother had just returned from the region after six months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, combat operations in Afghanistan. He told his brother what to expect and what to pack.

He dug up his own bottle of SPF-45 sunscreen.

"You can say he really did follow in my footsteps," Blair said, "but he was the type of person who was going to be in the military service regardless of what I did."

The flags in the brothers' hometown, where their mother Nancy still lives, fluttered at half staff Tuesday in honor of the slain Marine.

On Monday, the mayor of the Tulsa suburb proclaimed "Thomas Alan Blair Week."

Blair, whose unit has not been deployed to Iraq, thanked the community for its support, but said the family wanted to be left alone to grieve in private.

He doesn't know when Tommy's body will be returned from Iraq. A private funeral with full military honors will take place in Joplin, Mo., he said.

And when he's ready, Blair plans to get back to work as a Marine.

"It's going to be tough for us," he said. "My mom has had 9 1/2 years to prepare for this. It has always been something that could happen.

"I think she would be disappointed if I left the military because of this reason," he said. "And I think Tommy would be, too."

[Diddle E. Squat]

Lance Cpl. Thomas Alan Blair

[ladyinred]

God rest their souls, and give comfort to their families. I hope they know they were heroes to us.

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Staff Sergeant James Wilford Cawley


http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/091/nation/Marine_reservist_couldn_t_stay_away+.shtml

Marine reservist couldn't stay away


By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff, 4/1/2003

Staff Sergeant James Wilford Cawley didn't have to be in Iraq. He had already served 12 years in the US Marines and had returned home to Utah to raise his children.


But in 2001, before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, something made him reenlist in the Marine Corps Reserves.

''Once you serve so much time, it's hard to get away from it,'' said Brian Wardle, his neighbor. ''I think he missed it. That's what he loved doing.''

Cawley, 41, was struck and killed by a Humvee early Saturday in southern Iraq, family members said.

Yesterday, as neighbors decorated his street with American flags and lauded him as a ''true patriot,'' his family said he died in the line of fire because of his convictions.

''He could have been anything, but he chose to be a soldier and an officer because of his strong beliefs,'' said his sister, Deborah Seamons. ''He wanted to protect people from `the bad guys' and make the world a safer place.''

Born into a Mormon family of five girls and two boys, Cawley took after his father, a man of few words who served in World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam wars.

''He always wanted to be a soldier, ever since he was a little boy,'' Seamons said. ''He just had so much respect for what the military did and the sacrifices that those soldiers gave.''

At 19, he traveled to Fukuoka, Japan, to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There, he learned to read, write, and speak Japanese and eventually joined the Marines and traveled the world.

Years later, he was stationed on Okinawa, where he met and married his wife, Miyuki.

Serving in the armed forces was one of Cawley's passions. He also loved children and carried sticks of gum for them wherever he was stationed. His desire for children of his own brought him home to Utah.

''He was tough on the outside, marshmallow on the inside,'' said Seamons.

Back in Utah, he thought about going to college, but decided to become a police officer instead.

Cawley quickly established himself while training, winning awards for expert shooting and physical conditioning.

In 1997, he was hired as a SWAT team instructor for Salt Lake City's gang supression unit, where he was known as a man who could quote lines from any movie.

In the Marine Reserves, he served one weekend a month. Seamons said that after Sept. 11, when Cawley knew he might be called to active duty, he wrote letters to his 6-year-old daughter and his 8-year-old son, to be opened in case anything happened to him.

''When I was a little boy aged 6, my dad, your Grandpa Cawley, was sent to Vietnam during the War there,'' he wrote. ''I remember how much I missed him. But being a child, I didn't realize how hard it must have been on him, too. But unfortunately I have come to realize just how rough it must have been for Grandpa to be away from his children for a year.''

In January 2002, Cawley's unit was deployed to help with security at Camp Pendleton, Calif. In limbo at the austere camp for a year, Cawley was due to go home this January, but the prospect of war led the military to institute a policy that barred reservists from leaving.

But friends and family said yesterday that if given a chance, Cawley probably would not have left active duty anyway.

''My personal opinion is that if they needed him, he would have gone,'' Seamons said.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Staff Sergeant James Wilford Cawley

[MHT]

A NY Times article said that the soldiers who have died so far have been a reflection of America. Only one was from a well-to-do family, one a graduate of a prestigious college, and another, a graduate of the Naval Academy. The rest have been middle-class people for whom the military represented a chance to serve others and better oneself.

I really wish we had more about EACH one. So few (and hopefully it will stay that way); and, each, so precious.

Maybe after this is all over with someone will put out a book about the special life each one led.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Sgt. Michael Vernon Lalush


http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=1210324&nav=0RcxEyG1

2nd Virginian Killed (He was born on the 4th of July)

Sgt. Michael Vernon Lalush could hardly wait to send home pictures of his new job helping transport wounded soldiers in southern Iraq to hospitals. This was exactly the kind of service he wanted. Those pictures will now be the last images Lalush's family will have of their 23-year-old son.

Marines told the family that Lalush died Sunday in a Huey helicopter crash while serving in the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron in southern Iraq. He had been deployed from the Marine Corps Air Station at Camp Pendleton, California. Military officials said the helicopter crashed at a forward supply and refueling point, killing three Marines and injuring one. The cause was unclear but enemy fire was not involved, Capt. Dani Burrows of U.S. Central Command said.

``He was a wonderful child,'' Lalush's mother, Becky, said Tuesday. ``He was going to be career military. He felt they were doing the right thing.''

Lalush was the second Virginian reported killed in the war with Iraq. Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr., 31, whose mother lives in Richmond, was killed last week when his tank went off a bridge into the Euphrates River.

From birth it seemed, Lalush was trying to fix things, said Linda McMillan, a family friend who knew Michael Lalush from birth. He always had his hands in equipment, tinkering with lawnmowers
and cars. As a teenager, he dragged home a pink 1965 Volkswagen Beetle, rebuilt and repainted it, and in no time was driving it around the neighborhood.

Lalush moved to Virginia with his family in 1994 from Sunnyville, Calif., settling in a quiet house on a hilltop overlooking farmland about 20 miles north of Roanoke. A tall, gangly boy who eventually sprouted several inches above his parents, Lalush was anything but the stereotypically domineering military man, McMillan said. He was quieter, more sensitive, she said. He loved his sister, Danielle, and depended on his family. ``He was just like a little puppy,'' McMillan said. ``He wouldn't like it, but I'd always rub his prickly head.'' More than anything, McMillan said, Lalush wanted to be a pilot and he wanted to be a Marine.

After graduating from Lord Botetourt High School, Lalush left for boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina. He was transferred to Camp Lejeune, N.C. and then to Camp Pendleton, said David Lalush, his father. As expected, Lalush specialized in fixing things.

In his final message that the family received last Wednesday, Michael said he was finally discovering his dream in Iraq. He told his mother that he was finally using his skills to help people. ``He said, 'Momma, this is what it's all about,''' McMillan said.

Becky Lalush said a memorial service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, where Michael Lalush will be buried.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Sgt. Michael Vernon Lalush

[Diddle E. Squat]

Army Cpl. Michael Curtin


http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2003/0402/Front_Page/001.html


Howell soldier Falls In Iraq

By Kathy Baratta
Staff Writer

The war in Iraq came home to Howell on Monday with the news that township resident Army Cpl. Michael Curtin, 23, was one of four American soldiers killed on March 29 by the first reported suicide bombing of the war.

Curtin, who was with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division, was killed along with three other soldiers who approached their disguised killer with the intention of coming to his aid.

According to information provided by the Army, an Iraqi officer disguised as a taxi driver had deceived the four soldiers into believing he needed their help and then detonated his cab full of explosives when Curtin and his fellow soldiers drew close enough to the vehicle at the U.S. checkpoint near Najaf, Iraq. Curtin, a 1998 graduate of Howell High School, is survived by his parents, a brother and three sisters. He is the first soldier from the Jersey Shore area to be reported killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began March 19.

In a statement released by the family through Fort Monmouth Public Affairs spokesman Henry Kearney, the Curtin family said, "Our family is deeply saddened and our hearts are heavy at this time. Our son, Michael, was a kind and courageous young man. Although he was with us but a short time, he displayed tremendous bravery, unwavering faith and a devout love for his family. We are extremely proud of his patriotism and service to his country. He was fighting for our freedom, which we should never take for granted. He was a hero in our eyes. Our hearts and prayers go out to the other servicemen who were killed and their families."

On Monday afternoon, members of the Curtin family met with reporters outside their home in Howell. Curtin’s uncle, John Curtin, said his nephew had been attending a civilian school at the Lakehurst military base in Ocean County to study tool and die making. Curtin said Michael’s instructors were former military personnel and he believes that association may have inspired Michael to enter military service.

Curtin played football at Howell for Coach Cory Davies, who on Monday recalled him as a dedicated team player.

"He was the kind of young man every football coach wants," said Davies. "He was always at practice, understood discipline, worked hard and always had a smile on his face."

Curtin was not a starter at Howell, but he nevertheless gave as much to the team as if he had been. That impressed Davies as much as anything.

"He was a very nice young man, one of those guys who gave 100 percent," the coach said. "He knew his role and worked very hard."

According to Kearney, Curtin had joined the military in May 2001 and com­pleted basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. The soldier had been based at Fort Stewart, Ga., and was deployed to Kuwait on Jan. 25.

Kearney said Curtin was a graduate of Army paratrooper training school and had received several medals. He said the Curtin family received the news of his death from a uniformed army officer from Fort Monmouth on Saturday at about 5 p.m.

Kearney said the family had last heard from their son and brother in a letter re­ceived about two weeks ago.

Curtin is survived by his mother and fa­ther, Joan and Michael Curtin; his brother, Dan; his sisters, Katie, Jennifer and Stephanie; and his niece, Kayla.

His sister, Stephanie, had recently writ­ten a poem about her brother:

"My Brother"

My brother is the one who is kind and polite. He is the one who is willing to fight.

My brother is strong and brave as could be. I know that he will always succeed.

My brother is willing to risk his life, ev­ery hour day and night.

I want everyone to know how lucky I am, to have such a great brother, and such a great friend!

Howell Mayor Timothy J. Konopka, a retired army intelligence officer, said he spoke with Curtin’s mother and told her how proud the Howell community was of her son.

"Understanding her profound loss, I told her to draw comfort in knowing her son was not only a hero to her and those who knew and loved him, but to all of his fel­low countrymen," the mayor said.

Greater Media Newspapers staff writer Tim Morris contributed to this story.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Army Cpl. Michael Curtin

[Yuri]

Having a bit of difficulty in locating UK casualties (by name)- by all means locate them and post them here

It is here http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/882377/posts

[Diddle E. Squat]

Pfc. Michael Russell Creighton Weldon


http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/local/5528718.htm

Soldier killed in attack followed mom's path
Palm Bay resident was 'the strength of the household'
By Mike Schneider
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PALM BAY - Michael Russell Creighton-Weldon took after his mother when he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army last year. His mother, Sgt. Maj. Jean Weldon, had just recently retired after two decades in the service.

"He wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps," Jean Weldon said Monday from her home in Palm Bay, about 70 miles southeast of Orlando. "He chose infantry because he's a tough guy."

Creighton-Weldon, 20, was one of four members of the Army's 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division who were killed Saturday when a taxi drove up to an Army checkpoint north of the Iraqi city of Najaf and exploded after the driver waved for help.

It was the first suicide attack since the U.S.-led invasion began.

U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, who is not related to the family, offered his condolences.

"We owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid," the congressman said.

Creighton-Weldon was a muscular 5 feet 10 inches tall and looked like the actor Nicolas Cage, his mother said.

"He was quite a looker," she said.

Creighton-Weldon became engaged before he went to Iraq in January, but his military duties kept him from marrying his fiancee, Kerri. Whenever he called Kerri from Iraq, she would drive over to the Weldon home carrying the cell phone so he could talk to his 15-year-old brother and mother, Jean Weldon said. Creighton-Weldon also had a 23-year-old sister.

"My son was the strength of the household," Jean Weldon said. "After I got divorced, Michael was the man of the house."

Loved his truck, video games

Creighton-Weldon loved PlayStation video games, especially "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City." Whenever he came home from Fort Stewart in Georgia, which was almost every weekend, he and his brother would hole themselves up in a bedroom to play.

He took special care of his truck.

"He would polish it all the time," Jean Weldon said. "He was fixing it up before they called him up."

That was in late January.

Neighbors in the Palm Bay subdivision where Creighton-Weldon once lived said his death brings the Iraqi war close to home.

"My hat's off to these young people who give up their lives for freedom," said neighbor Iris Haskins. "To hear about his death, I'm so saddened by it."

The family received its most recent letter last week. Creighton-Weldon wrote that soldiers were trying to "do the right thing" and that he was trying to be a good soldier.

"The last thing he wrote in the letter was, 'I love you, Mom,"' Jean Weldon said.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Pfc. Michael Russell Creighton Weldon

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Army Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincon


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=War%20Colombia

Colombian-Born U.S. Soldier Dies in Iraq

By CARLOS GONZALEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

BOGOTA, Colombia -- More than a decade ago, Diego Fernando Rincon's family fled Colombia's violence for life in the United States. Last weekend, Rincon became the first Colombian-born U.S. soldier to die in Iraq.

Rincon, 19, joined his new country's Army after graduating from high school, telling friends he wanted to avenge the Sept. 11 attacks and protect the United States.

A car bomb that blew up at a military checkpoint Saturday killed Rincon and three other American soldiers. The driver - said to be an Iraqi soldier - also died.

Luis Rincon, Rincon's uncle, said his nephew planned to visit Colombia - where car bombs are commonly used by rebels and drug traffickers - after the war in Iraq.

"He wanted to come to Colombia after the war to get to know the good parts of the country," Luis Rincon said from Mosquera, a town 10 miles west of Bogota.

Rincon's death was prominently reported in Colombian media. The Bogota tabloid Hoy carried a Page 1 headline: "Iraq: A kamikaze kills the first Colombian."

Rincon was born in Funza, a town on the outskirts of Bogota. He immigrated to Conyers, Ga., with his family in 1989.

In Conyers, yellow ribbons honoring the dead soldier adorned every mailbox in his neighborhood. His yellow Mustang was draped with American flags.

"My son Diego was a very brave man, and we are all very proud of him," said Rincon's father, George.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Army Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincon

(pictured with his proud father)

[Diddle E. Squat]

Army Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincon

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030401&Category=API&ArtNo=304010860&Ref=AR&cachetime=5

Text of Slain Soldier's Last Letter Home

By The Associated Press
April 01, 2003

Hola Mother,

How are you doing? Good I hope. I'm doing OK I guess. I won't be able to write anymore starting the 28th of this month. We are moving out. We are already packed and ready to move to a tactical Alpha-Alpha (in Iraq). Once that happens, there will not be any mail sent out. We will only receive mail that is less than 12 ounces. At least that's what they said. I'm not sure where exactly we're going be at yet, but it is said to be a 20-hour drive in the Bradleys.

So I guess the time has finally come for us to see what we are made of, who will crack when the stress level rises and who will be calm all the way through it. Only time will tell. We are at the peak of our training and it's time to put it to the test.

I just want to tell everybody how much you all mean to me and how much I love you all. Mother, I love you so much! I'm not going to give up! I'm living my life one day at a time, sitting here picturing home with a small tear in my eyes, spending time with my brothers who will hold my life in their hands.

I try not to think of what may happen in the future, but I can't stand seeing it in my eyes. There's going to be murders, funerals and tears rolling down everybody's eyes. But the only thing I can say is, keep my head up and try to keep the faith and pray for better days. All this will pass. I believe God has a path for me. Whether I make it or not, it's all part of the plan. It can't be changed, only completed.

Mother will be the last word I'll say. Your face will be the last picture that goes through my eyes. I'm not trying to scare you, but it's reality. The time is here to see the plan laid out. And hopefully, I'll be at home in it. I don't know what I'm talking about or why I'm writing it down. Maybe I just want someone to know what goes through my head. It's probably good not keeping it all inside.

I just hope that you're proud of what I'm doing and have faith in my decisions. I will try hard and not give up. I just want to say sorry for anything I have ever done wrong. And I'm doing it all for you mom. I love you.

P.S. Very Important Document.

Your son,

Diego Rincon

[sonofatpatcher2]

To the men and women who have given their last, full measure of devotion:

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy,
let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

This part of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" has alway brought tears to my eyes and I have them now as I post this.

As has this from "13 Days of Glory":
"Now the bugles are silent
And there's rust on each sword
And the small band of soldiers...
Lie asleep in the arms of the Lord...

Bless them, Bless them All.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Thank you for your thread to honor these heroes and linking to it. May we never forget them.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Sgt. Eugene Williams


http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/frontpage/stories/fr040103s1.shtml

'Eugene died for his country'
Highland community pulls together to aid family
By Elizabeth Lynch
Poughkeepsie Journal

HIGHLAND -- Betty Jean Williams sat on the couch in her Highland home Monday, pictures of her son Eugene piled on a table in front of her.
There were pictures of him in his high school football uniform. At a Mets game. With his wife and daughter. With his siblings.

On Saturday, Eugene Williams, 24, died when a suicide bomber blew up a taxi near an Army checkpoint in Najaf, Iraq. The car exploded after soldiers from Williams' detail ordered the driver to open the trunk. Williams and three other American soldiers were killed.

The incident has sent shock waves through the U.S. military. It has forced a change in the rules of engagement between coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. And it gave an indication of the changing face of the war.

Thousands of miles away, Betty Jean Williams was thinking about none of this.

In her home in the middle of Highland's hilly village, she was greeting well-wishers, and hoping to hear from her other son, 19-year-old Eric, who also is in the Middle East fighting the war.

Betty Jean Williams spoke by telephone with Eugene's wife, Brandy, on Sunday.

''I told her to be strong,'' she said. ''I told her I love her.''

Visit from friends

Her voice broke and her eyes filled with tears as friends climbed the steps to her living room, some bringing cards, others to give a hug and let her know what they were doing for the family.

''Highland is a great community,'' she said about the outpouring of support the family has received -- now and when her brother-in-law died after being struck by a car crossing Route 9W on March 22. ''It's a community of love.''

Betty Jean was also waiting for her husband Ulyses ''Cee'' to return from escorting home family members who had traveled to Highland for his brother's funeral services.

''He's my strength,'' she said.

A sergeant in the 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, out of Fort Stewart, Ga., Eugene Williams was married, with a 3-year-old daughter and another child expected in June.

''Eugene died for his country, and when our children grow up, I will be sure to tell them how proud we all are of their daddy, and that he may not be here with us, but that he will always remain in our hearts,'' Brandy Williams said in a prepared statement released by the Army. ''His family and I are very proud of the sacrifice he made. He is our hero.''

Now, Highland is coming together to help his family, who community leaders say have given so much of themselves.

The Highland Little League is coordinating a fund-raising effort to help defray the cost of the Williams' travel to Hawaii, where Eugene lived with his wife and their daughter, Mya, and where the funeral will be held.

A local memorial service is expected to be held. Arrangements have not been finalized.

Betty Jean Williams said she expects her younger son to return stateside for his brother's funeral.

''I've been waiting for him to call me,'' she said, explaining why she continues to answer the phone that rings incessantly.

Eugene graduated from Highland High School in 1996. He would have turned 25 on April 30.

''I want the Lord to take care of my baby,'' Betty Jean Williams said. ''Watch out for all the other young boys there.''

The Williamses, known as ''Highland's cheerleaders,'' attend many high school and other sporting events.

''They're good people, salt of the earth,'' said Jody Pavero, owner of Pavero Cold Storage, where Ulyses has worked for more than 28 years. ''There's nothing that's going to replace their son. That's the highest price you can pay.''

Community members say they are simply repaying a family that already has done much for them.

''We're trying to come together for a couple who has done so much for the community,'' said Tom Miller, president of the Highland Little League.

Neither Eric nor Eugene played baseball in Highland. But Betty and her husband volunteer their time to the league, she at the concession stand, he as an umpire.

''Because that's what we love,'' Betty Jean Williams said.

'A great guy'

''Cee is just a great guy,'' said Sharon Serini of Highland, who co-owns Hudson Valley Electric with her husband, another local business that is helping the Williams family. ''He always shows up at all the Little League games. He's the best cheerleader Highland has.''

The Williamses remember her sons, Serini said, and ask about what sports they're involved in. And, it's not just her children they remember.

''He just remembers every kid,'' she said. ''It's just the type of person he is. They're just a nice family.''

''It's our responsibility to help them,'' said Fred DeMaio, general manager of Hudson River Fruit Distributors, which is helping raise money for the family. ''We all don't have sons to send over, but we all do what we can. You can say what you want about the war, but families are sacrificing.''

Joan Cherico, who knew Eugene from driving him on the school bus to sporting and other events, said news of his death ''hurts.''

She has carried a picture of Eugene and his family for a year now.

''Eugene was like one of my own kids,'' she said. ''He always had a hug for me whenever he saw me. He was special.''

At Highland High School, students wore yellow ribbons Monday for the soldiers, said Ken Greenman, an English teacher who taught Eugene.

Eugene, Greenman remembered, wore an ''oversized football jersey on his slim shoulders, always ready with a 'Hey, what's up?' ''

Greenman said he experienced many emotions when he heard of Williams' death.

''The young man chose to do what he felt was his duty and you can be proud of that,'' he said. ''And the sad news is that it led to his death.''

Eugene Williams is a hero, said Gina Mosimann, a social studies teacher at the high school who taught him in two of her classes.

She brought Eugene Williams' yearbook picture to her class Monday to put a face with the name and to show her students ''freedom is not free.''

Fighting for freedom

Eugene Williams and other soldiers are ''fighting for the freedoms we all have and the freedoms that could be in jeopardy in the future.''

She described him as ''a quiet, genuine young man'' who was ''not boastful, not proud.''

''He's become a shining star,'' Mosimann said.

Pavero, who has known Eugene Williams since he was born, employed him part-time while he was in high school.

''An all-American boy,'' he said. ''Clean-cut, well-mannered, intelligent, hard-working.''

The family lived in Poughkeepsie and Florida before moving to Highland in 1994. Eugene Williams is one of four children. He has an older sister and an older brother. He joined the Army in 1997, served five years, left and then returned to the military about five months ago.

''He just wanted to be there for his country,'' his mother said.

She said she told both her sons that she supported them ''if that's what they wanted to do'' and were happy.

Betty Jean Williams received a letter in the mail Saturday from Eugene -- the day he died.

''It was a letter to his mama,'' she said, ''telling me was going to come home and cook me some collard greens.''

[Diddle E. Squat]

Sgt. Eugene Williams