Skip to comments.
Names, Stories, and Pictures of the Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Wire Reports
| 3/22/03
| Wire Reports
Posted on 03/22/2003 10:32:34 AM PST by 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.
TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Alabama; US: Alaska; US: Arizona; US: Arkansas; US: California; US: Colorado; US: Connecticut; US: Delaware; US: District of Columbia; US: Florida; US: Georgia; US: Idaho; US: Illinois; US: Indiana; US: Iowa; US: Kansas; US: Louisiana; US: Maine; US: Maryland; US: Massachusetts; US: Michigan; US: Minnesota; US: Mississippi; US: Missouri; US: Nebraska; US: Nevada; US: New Jersey; US: New York; US: North Carolina; US: Ohio; US: Oklahoma; US: Oregon; US: Pennsylvania; US: South Carolina; US: South Dakota; US: Tennessee; US: Texas; US: Utah; US: Vermont; US: Virginia; US: Washington; US: Wisconsin; US: Wyoming; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 31; aaroncontreras; aaronwhite; alandinhlam; albertomontrandjr; andrewarnold; andrewaviles; andrewchris; andrewlamont; andrewpokorny; andrewwilson; anthonymiller; antonyking; armandogonzalez; atanacioharomarin; barrystephen; benjaminsammis; bernardgooden; bradleykorthaus; brandenoberleitner; brandonrowe; brandonsloan; brandontobler; brendonreiss; brettpetriken; briananderson; brianbuesing; briankennedy; brianmcginnis; brianmcphillips; brianvandusen; cedricbruns; cedriclennon; chadbales; chrismuir; christiangurtner; christophercoffin; christophermaddison; christophermuzvuru; christopherseifert; comfort; coreyhubbell; coreysmall; cyberwallofhonor; danielcunningham; davewilliams; davidclarke; davidevans; davidfribley; davidnutt; davidowens; davidowensjr; devonjones; diegorincon; dominicbaragona; donaldcline; donaldmay; donaldmayjr; donaldoaks; donaldwalters; douglasmarencoreyes; doylebollinger; duanerios; edwardanguiano; edwardherrgott; edwardkorn; edwardsmith; ericdas; ericholder; ericorlowski; ericsmith; erikhalvorsen; eriksilva; eugenewilliams; evanjames; everlastingthanks; fernandoramirez; franciscoflores; franciscunningham; frederickpokorney; gavinneighbor; georgebuggs; georgefernandez; georgemitchell; gilmercado; gladimirphilippe; gratitude; gregoryhuxley; gregorymacdonald; gregorysanders; gregorystone; hansgukeisen; henrybrown; heroes; howardjohnson; ianmalone; ianseymour; inmemoriam; iraq; iraqifreedom; jacobbutler; jakubkowalik; jamaaladdison; jamesadamouski; jamescawley; jameskiehl; jamesm; jamesmccue; jameswilliams; jasondeibler; jasonmeyer; jasonmileo; jasonmoore; jasonward; jayaubin; jeffreybohr; jeffreykaylor; jeremiahsmith; jerodrdennis; jessegivens; jessehalling; jesusdelsolar; jesusgonzalez; jesusmedellin; joegarza; johnbrown; johncecil; johnklinesmith; johnmarshall; johnnymata; johnrivero; jonathangifford; jonathanlambert; jorgegonzalez; josegaribay; josegutierrez; joseperez; josephmaglione; josephmayek; josephmenusa; josephsuell; joserodriguez; juangarza; karlshearer; kelanturrington; kelleyprewitt; kemanmitchell; kemaphoomchanawongse; kendallwatersbey; kennethbradley; kennethnalley; kevinmain; kevinnave; kevinott; kiehl; killedinaction; kirkstraseskie; kylegriffin; larrykbrown; leshehir; lincolnhollinsaid; llywelynevans; loripiestewa; lukeallsopp; marclawrence; markevnin; markstratford; marlinrockhold; mathewboule; mathewschram; matthewsmith; mattyhull; michaelbitz; michaelcurtin; michaeldeuel; michaeldooley; michaelgleason; michaeljohnson; michaellalush; michaelpedersen; michaelquinn; michaeltosto; michaelweldon; michaelwilliams; milwaukee; milwaukeecounty; narsonsullivan; nathanielcaldwell; nathanwhite; nicholaskleiboeker; nicolashodson; ninolivaudais; nogreaterlove; nolenhutchings; oif; operation; orenthialsmith; osbaldoorozco; patrickgriffin; patricknixon; patrickoday; paulnakamura; paulsmith; philipgreen; philipguy; philipwest; phillipjordan; prayersforfamilies; puertorico; randallrehn; randalrosacker; rasheedsahib; riayantejeda; richardcarl; richardgoward; richardorengo; robertchannell; robertdowdy; robertfrantz; robertrodriguez; robertstever; rodericsolomon; roybuckley; rubenestrellasoto; russellrippetoe; ryanbeaupre; ryancox; ryanlong; sacrifice; scottjamar; scottsather; seanreynolds; semperfi; shaunbrierley; shawnpahnke; sholtohedenskog; simoncullingworth; stephenallbutt; steveballard; stevenroberts; stevonbooker; tamarioburkett; terryhemingway; therrelchilders; thomasadams; thomasblair; thomasbroomhead; thomasfoley; thomasslocum; timothyconneway; timothyryan; toddrobbins; tomassotelo; travisbradachnall; travisburkhardt; travisford; tristanaitken; troyjenkins; warlist; wilbertdavis; wilfredbellard; williamjeffries; williamlatham; williampayne; williamwatkins; williamwhite; zachariahlong
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 281-300, 301-320, 321-340 ... 621-627 next last
Comment #301 Removed by Moderator
To: Diddle E. Squat
Marine Sgt. Fernando Padilla-Ramirez, 26, of San Luis, Ariz. Staff Sgt. Scott D. Sather, 29, of Clio, Mich.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/vaapwire/MGB37KS7GED.html Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr.
Virginia's first war casualty laid to rest
Apr 12, 2003
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The family of Virginia's first casualty in the war with Iraq said goodbye to a devoted husband and father during a tear-filled ceremony punctuated by a 21-gun military salute.
Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr., 31, of Richmond, died last month when his tank fell off a bridge into the Euphrates River in southern Iraq. Three other Marines also perished.
About 100 family, friends and military comrades attended May's funeral Friday at Richmond's St. Augustine's Catholic Church. He was buried at Dale Memorial Park in Chesterfield County.
May's pregnant wife, Deborah, wept as she leaned over the military casket to kiss her husband one final time, clutching a neatly folded American flag that had been draped over the casket.
May's friend, Shannon Bannister, remembered his buddy fondly during an emotional eulogy. May was known as D.J. by those close to him.
"As sad as this is," Bannister said, "we can't forget that D.J. was living his dream. He made it to the front lines."
May leaves behind a stepdaughter Mariah, 7, and son Jack, who is nearly 2. He and his wife planned to name their unborn son William.
303
posted on
04/13/2003 2:07:59 PM PDT
by
Ligeia
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20030411-28385384.htm Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe
Fallen Army ranger 'a man of faith'
By Jon Ward
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The toughest of men shed tears yesterday at the funeral of Army Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, one of three U.S. soldiers killed last week in a suicide car bombing in Iraq.
Army Ranger Capt. Shawn Daniel, of Capt. Rippetoe's 75th Ranger Regiment, bent down in front of Capt. Rippetoe's mother, Rita, as he presented her with the American flag that had been draped over her son's silver casket.
"The president of the United States and a grateful nation present you with this flag as a token of the honorable and faithful service of your loved one," Capt. Daniel said, clenching his teeth as he fought back tears.
Lt. Col. James May, the Army chaplain, presided over the graveside service at Arlington National Cemetery. More than 100 of Capt. Rippetoe's family and friends attended the service, and eight Rangers from Capt. Rippetoe's unit, wearing khaki berets and blinking back tears, were honorary pallbearers.
A Ranger who was wounded in the attack was bandaged and witnessed the service from a wheelchair. Another, injured in a different incident in Iraq, was on crutches with a heavy knee brace.
Col. May called Capt. Rippetoe "a man of faith" who had engraved a Bible passage from Joshua on the back of his dog tags: "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
"Russell Rippetoe was one of those special people," Col. May said. "His life has touched so many other lives, as is evident by all of you here today. ... Russell was a man of faith. ... Because of his faith, we know that the Lord has prepared a place for him. We commend him to the Lord."
Capt. Rippetoe was the first soldier who died in the Iraqi war to be buried at Arlington. His burial was initially planned to take place with abbreviated honors because his family didn't want to wait until a service with full military honors could be scheduled. An abbreviated honors service is held without a color guard, an escort platoon, a military band and a horse-drawn caisson.
However, Arlington Cemetery Superintendent John Metzler adjusted the cemetery's schedule so Capt. Rippetoe could receive "the honor he was due," said Arlington spokesman Tom Findtner.
Capt. Rippetoe, 27, was a fire support officer who called in air strikes on selected targets on the ground during combat. He trained at the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, the Basic Airborne Course and the Ranger School. He served in Afghanistan from October 2001 through last January as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
He was killed 130 miles northwest of Baghdad on April 3 when a pregnant woman jumped out of a car screaming at a military checkpoint. When Capt. Rippetoe, Staff Sgt. Nino D. Livaudais, 23, of Utah, and Spc. Ryan P. Long, 21, of Seaford, Del., ran up to her, the car exploded, killing all three Rangers. The woman and the driver of the car also were killed.
A native of Arvada, Colo., Capt. Rippetoe is survived by his parents, Joe and Rita, and sister, Rebecca Kim, and her husband, John Kim. His parents moved from Colorado to Gaithersburg a little over a week ago.
A retired Army lieutenant colonel and decorated veteran of two Vietnam tours, his father wore his military dress uniform to his son's funeral. He saluted the Rangers as they knelt in front of him and his wife expressing condolences, and at one point he wept openly.
Beside the grave, inside a wreath of flowers, were framed pictures of Capt. Rippetoe, as a grinning infant, as a young soldier in fatigues smiling in a tent and holding a rifle, and as a son kissing his mother on the cheek.
Three sharp cracks of gunfire rang out from a seven-member rifle squad, and a bugler, standing among rows of white headstones, played taps.
"He loved being in the Rangers," Ranger Capt. Logan Stanton said.
Capt. Rippetoe received several awards during his military career. Yesterday, Capt. Rippetoe's parents were given the Bronze Star Medal for valor and the Purple Heart that their son was posthumously awarded.
Col. May said Capt. Rippetoe was "the kind of man who participated with everything he had."
"From very early on he knew the word 'dedication,' " he said as Capt. Rippetoe's fellow Rangers looked on. "He was a man who loved his troops and they loved him."
304
posted on
04/13/2003 2:25:14 PM PDT
by
Ligeia
WT Second Lt. Jeffrey J. Kaylor
Clifton officer killed by grenade
By Jon Ward
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The fourth Virginian to die in the war against Iraq was a hardworking, constantly smiling 24-year-old man from Clifton who loved sports cars.
Second Lt. Jeffrey J. Kaylor was killed in a grenade attack outside Baghdad on Monday. The Centreville High School graduate was recently promoted to platoon leader in the 3rd Infantry's C Battery of the 39th Artillery Battalion, his father, Michael Kaylor, said yesterday.
"He was a great person," Mr. Kaylor, 54, said. "He was smart and he loved life, and he was dedicated to the Army and the nation. We will miss him."
Lt. Kaylor is survived by his wife of 10 months, Jenna, 23; his parents, Michael and Roxanne, 53; and two sisters, Patricia, 25, and Cindy, 17. Jenna Kaylor, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., is a military police officer who was in Kuwait at the time of her husband's death. She was returning home with his remains yesterday.
Lt. Kaylor played football at Centreville High until graduating in 1997. He went to Radford University for one year before transferring in August 1998 to Virginia Tech to major in information management and attend Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets, a military school within the university. During his time in the corps, Lt. Kaylor met Jenna, was the battalion commander of the Army ROTC attachment and was 1st sergeant his senior year.
Besides being active in the Corps of Cadets, Lt. Kaylor also was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He graduated from the Corps in 2001. A midnight vigil was held for Lt. Kaylor on the Virginia Tech campus last night, and a memorial service was being planned for later this week.
"We're all humbled by his service and sacrifice," said Col. Rock Roszak, associate director for Corps Alumni Programs at Virginia Tech. Col. Roszak, who was Lt. Kaylor's faculty adviser at Pi Kappa Alpha, said he remembered often seeing Lt. Kaylor studying in his room late at night.
"He was always smiling," Col. Roszak said. "I know he went out and had a lot of fun with his friends, but he was serious about the things in life that are important."
Mr. Kaylor said his son's greatest passions were sports and sports cars. Lt. Kaylor recently bought a red Mustang GT, and was saddened when he had to put it in storage before going to the Middle East.
Centreville High Principal Pamela Latt said when she learned of Lt. Kaylor's death, she first told the school's soccer team because Cindy Kaylor is on the team. Mrs. Latt then addressed the student body over the loudspeaker.
"I told them the only reason they have any freedoms at all is because of people like Jeff," Mrs. Latt said. "Jeff believed in what he was doing. He was very strong about his convictions. He went into this because he believed he was liberating the Iraqis. Jeff was there to do right by the Iraqi people."
Mrs. Latt yesterday fought back tears as she watched a video tribute to Lt. Kaylor's graduating class in her office. Lt. Kaylor was in almost every clip, she said.
"He was the kind of person who, when you were with him, you laughed a lot," Mrs. Latt said. "He saw the bright sides of life. He had great charisma and was a natural leader among his friends. When he walked into a room, everybody just kind of relaxed and lightened up. He had that specialness about him."
Phil Rogers, a college friend, remembered going on five- and six-mile runs with Lt. Kaylor several times a week, even during spring-break trips.
"No matter how long our nights were, we would still wake up every morning and we'd be the only ones running," Mr. Rogers, 23, said. "He had one of the best personalities in the world. Every time I turned around he had the same goofy grin on his face, and I can't get that picture out of my mind."
The Kaylor family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Centreville High School, 6001 Union Mill Road, Clifton, Va., 20124. A scholarship fund in Lt. Kaylor's name will be set up.
The other war casualties from Virginia are: Capt. James Adamouski, 29, of Springfield, killed April 2 with five other soldiers when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Iraq; Sgt. Michael V. Lalush, 23, of Troutville, killed March 30 in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash in southern Iraq; and Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr., 31, of Richmond, one of three Marines killed March 25 when a tank went off a bridge into the Euphrates River.
=====
Photos courtesy of Kaylor family
FROM THE BATTLEFIELD: 1st Lt. Jeffrey
Kaylor, 24, sent this photo home to his family
in Clifton to keep them posted on his movements in the Middle East. This week, Kaylor became Fairfax County's second death in the [...]
Clifton man killed in combat
'We have freedom in this country because of people like Jeff Kaylor'
By Jennifer Cooper
04/10/2003
While many are celebrating the fall of Baghdad, one Clifton family is in mourning. On Tuesday, the Kaylor family of Clifton learned that 1st Lt. Jeffrey J. Kaylor, 24, died April 7 while serving his country. The Pentagon has not released the circumstances surrounding his death, but Kaylor's father, retired Lt. Col. Michael Kaylor, said unofficially the family was told he came under enemy attack by a grenade.
Jeffrey Kaylor was assigned to C Battery, 1/39th Field Artillery Battalion out of Fort Stewart, Ga., and was deployed in August. Michael Kaylor said he was proud of his son and repeatedly spoke of him as a hero.
Struggling through tears to understand her son's death, Roxanne Kaylor, a graphic design teacher at Fairfax Academy, said her son was not the stereotypical soldier. He loved sports cars, especially his Ford Mustang, and animals.
In an e-mail he sent home while overseas, he wrote about the day they had to kill their tent mouse. Though it was not bothering anybody and he did not want to kill it, he wrote, it was necessary to prevent deadly snakes from following.
What makes his death particularly difficult is that Kaylor was likely to be returning home in just a few weeks.
After news of his death spread, it became evident just how many people Kaylor touched. The Kaylor's home in the Little Rocky Run area of Clifton was filled with his friends Tuesday night, and many in the community have called the family to express their condolences.
Kaylor graduated from Centreville High School, where he played on the football team, in 1997 and headed off to Radford University. After earning an ROTC scholarship, he transferred to Virginia Tech where he met his wife Jenna (Cosby) Kaylor, who was also in the ROTC program. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2001.
The couple was married July 5, 2002, and in August he was deployed to Kuwait. 2nd Lt. Jenna Kaylor was serving in the Middle East as a military police officer until her husband was killed. As of Wednesday morning, she was on her way to Northern Virginia with his body.
His older sister, Patricia Kaylor, 25, said serving his country was something he always wanted to do.
"He cared about other people," she said. "The military made him stronger. He had no second thoughts about getting out."
Roxanne Kaylor said she is proud her son took part in securing Baghdad International Airport. "He would have been so proud."
"He's our hero," Cindy Kaylor, 17, said of her older brother.
At Centreville High School, where Cindy is a student, dozens of ribbons adorn the flagpole in honor of graduates who have gone off to war.
Cindy's teammates on the school's soccer team made T-shirts to wear to school Wednesday to show their support.
Principal Pam Latt announced Kaylor's death Tuesday morning over the loudspeaker. "I said, 'This is why we have freedom in this country, because of people like Jeff Kaylor,'" Latt said.
Though Centreville High School is a big place, Latt said Kaylor was someone who stood out. He was friendly, self-assured and charismatic, Latt said. "When you think about him, you can't help but smile," she said.
A memorial service at St. Andrew's Catholic Church has not yet been scheduled, but his parents said they hope Kaylor will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Those who wish to remember him can donate to a fund being established at Centreville High School. Contributions should be sent to the school care of the Jeff Kaylor Scholarship to 6001 Union Mill Road, Clifton, VA 20124.
source
305
posted on
04/13/2003 3:58:15 PM PDT
by
Ligeia
Clifton's Jeff Kaylor Killed in Iraq WarGrenade Hit Humvee in Which He Was Traveling By Bonnie Hobbs
April 9, 2003
Jeff Kaylor and his wife Jenna.
|
|
|
In letters to his parents in Little Rocky Run, Army 1st Lt. Jeff Kaylor assured them he'd be "home soon" from Iraq. But Mike and Roxanne Kaylor didn't know exactly what "soon" meant.
Tragically, they do now but it's not how they'd envisioned it. Jeff, 24, whose field artillery platoon supports the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, mechanized, was killed Monday when an enemy grenade was tossed at the humvee in which he was riding.
He's the first person from western Fairfax County to die in the War in Iraq, and he also leaves behind two sisters and his wife of nine months, Jenna also serving in the Army, in Kuwait.
"It's awful I have so much anger," said Roxanne Kaylor. "I really blame the lean forces and the rapid race to Baghdad. This was straggler stuff the paramilitary with weapons in villages along the way that hadn't been cleaned up.
"He was on a reconnaissance with his driver and they got grenaded. The driver lost his arm; it wasn't Jeff's lucky day. But they were by themselves there was no one else to cover them. I hope whoever set up these plans thinks about it every day of their lives it killed my son."
JEFF ATTENDED UNION MILL ELEMENTARY and Rocky Run Middle School, graduating in 1997 from Centreville High, where he played linebacker on the varsity football team. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2001 with a bachelor's in information systems. While there, he was in the Corps of Cadets (like ROTC) and, upon graduation, he was commissioned an Army second lieutenant.
He attended jump and leadership schools at Fort Benning, Ga., and received basic training, last winter, at Fort Sill, Okla. Next came orders to the 1st/39th Artillery Battalion, C Company, at Fort Stewart, Ga.
Jenna who was also in Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets became a military police officer and was stationed with Kaylor at Fort Stewart. They married July 5 but, a month later, he left for Kuwait.
"When he reported [to Fort Stewart] in May, she was doing her MP training in Missouri," explained Kaylor. "When he learned he was to be deployed to Kuwait by August, they moved up their wedding to July. He left Aug. 8 for Kuwait, and she left [in early March], but they weren't stationed together."
Still, it caught his mother a bit off guard when he told her he was deploying. "I always thought [the U.S.] would not get involved [in a war] that we'd let diplomacy take care of it," she said. "In August, I had no idea that it would escalate to this point. He was only supposed to be there on a six-month rotation, until Feb. 1. [But] after Christmas, he e-mailed me that he wouldn't be home then."
Kaylor couldn't bear to watch news of the war on TV, but she kept up via the Internet and through Jenna's letters, telling her what was happening and if Jeff needed anything. And she busied herself "living day by day," taking care of her family and teaching graphic imagery and design at Fairfax High's Academy.
Jenna was stationed in Kuwait, but Jeff's platoon went into Iraq, where it operates multiple rocket launchers to support the 3rd Infantry Division. Just recently, Kaylor heard from an officer at Fort Stewart who'd talked to Jeff's battalion commander in Iraq.
At that time, he reported all was well. Said Kaylor: "He said the boys were fine they were all hungry and dirty, but morale was high and everyone was doing a good job."
THEN CAME MONDAY and an 8 p.m. phone call from Jenna telling the Kaylors their son was dead. "I just didn't want to believe it," said Jeff's mother. Two hours later, a chaplain from Fort Myer was at their door. Jenna was due to arrive here from Kuwait, Wednesday afternoon. Jeff will return home via Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
"It's tough," said his father, Mike Kaylor, a retired Army lieutenant colonel. "I was in the military for 22 years I knew what he was doing. I understand it, but it doesn't make it any easier."
He said the family received "sketchy details" of Jeff's death from the rear detachment of the 3rd Infantry Division, and the Army will investigate further. "You can't make sense of it," he said. "He's the only death out of his battalion."
But he's comforted by the fact that his son was "a leader on the field" and was doing his job. "He was a wonderful person and a great soldier," said his dad. "He got nothing but compliments from his commanding officers. We're proud of him. He was doing exactly what he wanted to do he just ran out of luck. It's an absolute tragedy."
Funeral arrangements aren't yet completed, but the family's considering burial at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Centreville High to establish a scholarship in Jeff's name.
His sisters, Tricia, 25, who works in Washington, D.C., and Cindy, 17, a Centreville junior, are both devastated. Said their mother: "They're fine, as long as they don't hear me cry." Cindy plays varsity soccer for the Wildcats, so her brother's death hit her teammates hard.
"Everyone was emotionally drained [Tuesday]," said school Principal Pam Latt. "Jeff was a wonderful kid, well-liked by faculty and students. The only reason we have our freedoms is because of people like Jeff who are willing to put their lives on the line."
Meanwhile, the Kaylors thank all the friends and neighbors who've shown them such support in their time of grief. "We all feel like our children are safe out here in these communities and no harm will come to them," said Roxanne. "This makes it really hit home."
source
306
posted on
04/13/2003 4:37:06 PM PDT
by
Ligeia
Army: Staff Sgt. Terry W. Hemingway, 39, of Willingboro, NJ
Sgt. 1st Class John W. Marshall, 50, of Los Angeles, CA
Marines:
Sgt. Brendon C. Reiss, 23, of Casper, WY
Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey E. Bohr, Jr., 39, of Ossian, IA
Cpl. Jesus A. Gonzalez, 22, of Indio, CA
Staff Sgt. Riayan A. Tejeda, 26, of New York, NY
Pfc. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, of Buffalo, NY
Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline, Jr., 21, of Sparks, NV
Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19, of Boiling Springs, SC
Marine Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford, 20, of Macon, IL
Navy:
Lt. Nathan D. White, 30, of Mesa, AZ
To: Diddle E. Squat
Army Spc. Gil Mercado, 25, of Paterson, NJ
To: Diddle E. Squat
Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Rehn
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/america_at_war/article/0,1299,DRMN_2116_1880426,00.html 'Tough as nails' sergeant had big heart
Randy Rehn helped bring down tyranny, Owens tells crowd
By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News
April 11, 2003
LONGMONT - Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Rehn's nephew, Joshua, did not understand. Why were all these people protesting the war in Iraq if his uncle was over there?
"This is why we're fighting," Rehn said. "So that people have the right to do that."
Joshua's mother, Penny Rehn, recalled that conversation Thursday at a memorial service for Randy
Rehn, who was killed near Baghdad in a possible friendly fire accident. He'll be buried later in Oklahoma, where he was posted for much of his career.
Nearly 700 friends and family packed St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Thursday to remember the 36-year-old soldier, the third Coloradan killed in the war with Iraq.
They remembered a soldier with an easy smile, a wrestler, a young father, and someone who stood up for the little guy.
"He was tough as nails with a heart just as big," said Justin Macy, who went to high school and junior high with Rehn. "He was an incredible guy."
Gov. Bill Owens eulogized Rehn as a "son of Colorado."
Owens related what Rehn's family had said, about how he would intervene if he saw someone being picked on.
"He got in more than a few fights that way, sticking up for people he didn't know," Owens said.
It's the same thing he and other American soldiers do, Owens added.
"They protect us from our enemies. They protect our liberties, which are the envy of the world," Owens said. "Because of good men like Randy Rehn, tyranny will always fall, just like the statue of Saddam Hussein fell yesterday."
Born in Milbank, S.D., Randall Scott Rehn grew up in Longmont, graduating from Niwot High School in 1985. This was his second tour of duty in the Persian Gulf. He served in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm.
During the Thursday service, nephew Joshua and niece Bree Ann carried some of his Army belongings up the church aisle. Bree Ann briefly donned his floppy, camouflaged hat.
Another friend, Rob Roth, recalled how he presented Rehn as a role model to at-risk students he deals with in his job as a school psychologist.
"He was straightforward and honest," said Roth, who had known
Rehn since they were in the third grade. "He devoted himself to his family and his country."
Outside the church, an honor guard from John Harold Buckley American Legion Post 32 fired eight rifles in three quick rounds over the sun-drenched parking lot.
The neighborhood came to a stop. Across the street, people stood on their front porches. On one, a flag flapped in the breeze as a bugler played taps.
To: Diddle E. Squat
Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Rehn
(pictured on the left. Also pictured are Sgt. Todd Robbins and Spc. Samuel Oaks, Jr. in the middle and right).
To: Diddle E. Squat
Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata
http://www.oaoa.com/news/nw041203a.htm A fallen soldier comes home
Hundreds pay respects to Johnny Mata
By David J. Lee
Odessa American
PECOS The word of the day was hero, and it hung on nearly every lip as this small community came together Friday to honor its fallen son, Johnny Villareal Mata.
Handmade signs hung at Eagle Stadium proudly proclaiming the schools support of Mata: We salute our hero: Johnny Mata and Johnny Mata: an American hero. The town was decorated in yellow ribbons, American flags and pictures of the U.S. Army chief warrant officer, who was slain March 23 in Iraq.
But beyond the decorations, the town showed its support through its presence.
More than 700 people attended a rosary said for Mata, and at least as many showed up for a night-time candlelight vigil in his honor.
As a large crowd gathered in a semi-circle at the Pecos football field, several city officials and longtime friends spoke their support for Mata, as well as the other American soldiers still fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He is truly our hero for giving that ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation, said Gerald Tellez, Pecos Mayor pro tem. This is what Johnny would want to have his family, friends and entire community come together in fellowship.
Mata, 35, was the first Permian Basin soldier reported dead in Operation Iraqi Freedom. His body was located when American special forces raided an Iraqi hospital to rescue Jessica Lynch, a member of the 507th Ordinance Maintenance Company. Mata, Lynch and other members of the 507th Ordinance Maintenance Company were taken when Iraqi forces ambushed them near An Nasiriyah in central Iraq.
As the body was returned to Pecos on Friday morning, a crowd of law-enforcement officers met the procession on the road and escorted them to the funeral home.
And later that evening, friends, neighbors and family packed into two rooms, the foyer and a hallway of Peaceful Gardens Funeral Home, as a rosary was said. The service was so crowded, more than 60 people stood outside, and the service was telecast over a closed-circuit system to a 61-inch television, so everyone could see what was happening.
The aroma of flowers wafted out to the parking lot of the funeral room as scores of red, white and blue floral arrangements and many other plants led the way from the foyer to the flag-draped coffin. Several picture collages depicted Matas life in the military.
This is a time for everyone to come together and realize how delicate life is, said Mark Zuniga, owner of Peaceful Gardens Funeral Home. Most people at the service were wearing yellow, red, white and blue ribbons with a pin that read Johnny V. Mata: our hometown hero, and many continued to wear those pins at the vigil.
Javier Contreras, spokesman for the Mata family, said the family was honored so many people turned out for the ceremonies.
We expected a big turnout, Contreras said. To our city, hes a hometown hero. Our family the Mata family is a very big family here in town. And in a small city, everyone knows everyone.
And that everyone included both city and county officials. County Judge Jimmy Galindo spoke of Mata, his voice breaking.
On Sept. 11, 2001, this country was attacked by a band of criminal terrorists, Galindo said. George W. Bush declared a vow to hunt down and kill every supporter and every member of that group of terrorists. Our brother, our neighbor, our friend, Johnny V. Mata, was on that hunt.
To our loss, to the loss of his family, he died on that hunt. And today, we honor his memory.
Contreras said he is proud of his cousins sacrifice.
He was out there serving our country, Contreras said. I never thought this would happen. I know what kind of man Johnny was. He was strong. I truly believed I would see him again, but he died in honor in defense of his country.
To: Diddle E. Squat
Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata
To: Diddle E. Squat
Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/West/04/06/sprj.irq.female.soldier/ Tuba City mourns soldier killed in Iraq
'Her family is very proud' of mother of two
TUBA CITY, Arizona (CNN) -- Residents of this Indian reservation recalled the life of Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa, 23, at a Mass on Sunday.
"Her family is very proud," her brother Wayland told reporters. "She is our hero. We continue to believe that, we'll hold that in our hearts forever. She will not be forgotten. It gives us comfort to know she's at peace right now."
After being listed as missing for 13 days, her status was changed Saturday from missing in action to killed in action. Piestewa was the first American woman and American Indian to die in combat in the war in Iraq.
Piestewa was with a convoy of the 507th Maintenance Company, based at Fort Bliss, Texas, when it went astray March 23 near Nasiriya, in southern Iraq, and ambushed by Iraqi forces. She and seven others from her unit were listed as missing.
While at Fort Bliss, Piestewa had been friends and roommates with Jessica Lynch, the American soldier who was rescued last week from an Iraqi hospital.
Before leaving for Iraq, the single mother had told her family that her biggest concern was leaving her two young children, friends said.
Piestewa had gone to Texas from Tuba City, a community of 9,000 people and a Navajo Indian reservation. She was a member of the Hopi tribe.
A community waits and prays
When Piestewa, a Roman Catholic, was reported missing, her family asked the Rev. Godden Menard to open Saint Jude's Catholic Church.
"We had a prayer service for her that evening at 6," he told a reporter. "Over 200 people attended and gave their condolences to the family, and, of course, we all prayed for Lori, that she would return."
News that the missing soldiers, including Piestewa, were dead, came Saturday.
Menard had less than a day's notice to decide what to say about the woman who told him she joined the Army because she liked the road less traveled.
"I'm going to say that I too am proud of her, and I thank her for being willing to give her life for her country," he said before the Mass.
"I'm also going to tell the people that they have been praying for two weeks now, and if they have been praying in the right spirit, asking God, if it's his will, that she come back, that now they will be content with the fact that she's not able to come."
Hopes raised, then dashed
That was a tough order for Serita Dale, a family friend who once babysat for Piestewa. Dale said the news Wednesday that a U.S. servicewoman had been discovered alive in a hospital in Nasiriya had buoyed their hopes, but only temporarily.
"We were ready to go honk our horns and thank the Lord," she said. "We waited anxiously, and it happened not to be her."
Three days later, when Piestewa was identified as the first American servicewoman to die in Iraq, the community was stunned. "Everybody was crying," Dale said. "Everybody was hoping for more than what we got the news on."
The difficult times will continue, she predicted. Piestewa's family still does not know when her body will be shipped back to the community in the sun-seared, red-rock mesa, and has put its plans on hold until then.
At some point, the family will hold a "celebration of her life," said her brother, who asked reporters to give his family privacy until then.
"We also ask you to continue to pray for all the troops, all the servicemen and women and the world leaders ... so that our children will know one day what it is to live in a world of peace and so that there will be a quick end to this conflict as well as other conflicts around the world."
To: Diddle E. Squat
Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa
To: Diddle E. Squat
Russell Box, a Southern Ute veteran, stands at attention during the lowering of the flag in front of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Affairs Building in Ignacio on Thursday. The Southern Ute tribes Veterans Association held a memorial for the Hopi woman, Lori Ann Piestewa, who was killed in Iraq. She was the first American woman and American Indian to die in combat in the war.
To: Diddle E. Squat
Army Sgt. Donald R. Walters
http://www.katu.com/news/war_story.asp?ID=56462 Don Walters remembered at memorial in Kansas
By JEFF LATZKE
Associated Press Writer
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. - Army Sgt. Donald R. Walters, killed when his 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed last month in Iraq, was remembered Saturday as a caring father and a committed soldier.
Walters, 33, who grew up in Oregon, was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart during a simple, traditional funeral service at the Fort Leavenworth chapel.
The post's chaplain, Maj. Frank Jackson, led mourners in hymns and urged them to follow 1 Corinthians and depend on faith, hope and love in remembering Walters.
Friends and fellow service members spoke of Walters' sacrifice for his country, but also of his cheerful nature and his kind heart.
"He always had a smile and kind words for everyone," said Maj. Annie Nelson, who served with Walters for about two years at the 325th Field Hospital in Independence, Mo.
Walters, a cook, was serving with the 507th when it was ambushed on March 23. Walters and eight other soldiers from the unit were found dead April 1, during the rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital.
Like his parents, Walters grew up in Salem, Ore., but he lived in the Kansas City area for about six years, serving in the Army Reserves.
Nelson said she remembered Walters frequently talking about his family and sharing photographs of his three children: Monica, Danielle, and Amber. Nelson said she had photographs of the children displayed near a piano in her home.
Nelson said Walters' death was particularly shocking because she didn't expect him to be in the line of fire.
"As cooks, we don't expect to be attacked," she said.
When she heard about Walters' death, Nelson said she was "devastated."
"I was in disbelief," she said. "I really couldn't believe it was actually him."
Lt. Col. Dan Sakata, who also served with Walters in Independence, remembered Walters being a "highly motivated, highly committed" soldier.
Sakata also praised Walters for rejoining the Army full-time after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Walters was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, then had served in the reserves until re-enlisting last year.
Walters was the first casualty of the current war in Iraq to be buried in the Fort Leavenworth cemetery.
Walters' wife, Stacie, stood in front of her husband's flag-draped casket in the red brick church to accept her husband's medals from commanding general Lt. Gen. James C. Riley. She sobbed as the casket was taken out of the church and clutched the flag to her chest as the left the cemetery.
The family chose not to speak with reporters, but said through an Army liaison that it wanted to thank the community for its support, love and sympathy.
"They understand that it is not only their loss, but a loss for all of us," said Capt. Dena Sonneborn.
Walters and the other eight members of the 507th were remembered at a ceremony Friday at the unit's headquarters in Fort Bliss, Texas.
To: Diddle E. Squat
Army Sgt. Donald R. Walters
To: Diddle E. Squat
Marine Pfc. Chad Eric Bales
http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/041403/new_muleshoe.shtml Family, friends remember Pfc. Chad Bales
By JOHN REYNOLDS
Morris News Service
MULESHOE - They came from Wichita Falls, Canyon, Coahoma, Forsan and even Hawaii to join what seemed like most of Muleshoe in a teary-eyed tribute Sunday afternoon to a fallen hero.
Marine Pfc. Chad Eric Bales, who made his home in Coahoma but spent his summers and his junior year of high school in Muleshoe, died April 3 in Iraq while taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He was deployed to Kuwait on Jan. 18. He died in a convoy accident, possibly during a sandstorm.
Hundreds of mourners packed the eastern bleachers of the Muleshoe High School football field as friends and family paid tribute to Bales in song and verse and Bales' Marine family rendered military honors.
A fitting tribute for the man with a perpetual grin on his face whose lifelong ambition was to be a Marine, according to his friends.
Capt. Kraig Smith said Bales' father, Kem, told him that "Chad was never prouder of anything than the day he became a Marine."
While in high school, Bales worked his ambition to become a Marine into his regular schoolwork, said classmate Leslie Phinny.
Now a student at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Phinny recalled a presentation Bales made in a business computer systems class.
The subject of the 20-page PowerPoint presentation?
The Marine Corps, of course.
A cousin, Dakota Pitcock, read aloud a poem that concluded,
"I'm proud of him for living his dream
"He died for us as a United States Marine."
"It just meant that the boy touched so many lives," said Kem Bales when asked about the crowded bleachers. "To see the way the community (has come together), it lifts me up so much. It's just been awesome."
Bales left Muleshoe when he was 3, but he came back every summer and for a month during the school year, his father said. He also attended Muleshoe High School during his junior year.
While the impact on the town was great, Bales' death also sent ripples around the world.
Friends of the family, Daniel and Teresa Morath of Wichita Falls, came to Muleshoe this weekend to help in any way they could.
They said the family had received correspondence from as far away as Belgium.
"The mail is unbelievable," Teresa Morath said.
She was surprised about the number of strangers who have reached out to the Bales family. She said the letters usually begin, "You don't know me, but ..."
Mixed with the sadness Sunday afternoon was the pride in Bales' sacrifice.
"I'm proud of him for going," said Staci Burris, a teaching assistant at Muleshoe High School. "Anybody who goes over there is a hero in my eyes."
Smith echoed the sentiment from the lectern, saying only one word - hero - describes someone who gives his life for his country.
His friends also remembered Bales as a mischievous, boisterous young man who took joy in showing prize pigs and never met a stranger.
He was the kind of person who would stop to help someone stranded on the side of the road, his aunt Bettie Wilcox said.
Micah Ruthardt, 18, remembered Bales' large yellow Dodge pickup. Bales liked to play his music loudly so everybody knew when the Dodge was about to make an appearance.
Bales customized the truck with a pair of bull horns that he wired to the hood, Ruthardt said.
"You never saw the guy without a smile," he said. "If you weren't in a happy mood, he made you."
The family asked Ruthardt's band, 184 Christ, to play a pair of songs at the memorial. Ruthardt called the invitation "a huge privilege."
The band plays a lot of funerals, but Ruthardt said the death of someone his age "was kind of an eye opener."
Another family friend, Ollie Ross, said Bales' death causes him to think more about his son who is in the Navy.
"It's scary but we're going to make it," he said.
Funeral services for the Lubbock-born Bales will be at 2 p.m. today at the First Baptist Church in Big Spring.
Military graveside rites will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.
To: Diddle E. Squat
Marine Pfc. Chad Eric Bales
To: Diddle E. Squat
Marine Cpl. Mark Evnin
http://timesargus.nybor.com/Regional_News/Story/63821.html Vt. Marine, killed in Iraq, honored
April 14, 2003
By WILSON RING The Associated Press
SOUTH BURLINGTON The war in Iraq ended for Marine Cpl. Mark Evnin under a pine tree Monday when his parents, relatives and friends shoveled earth onto his casket.
A Marine Corps honor guard escorted Evnins remains to the Jewish cemetery far from the battlefield near Kut, Iraq, where he was killed April 2.
In a tradition almost as old as the Marine Corps, seven Marines fired a 21-gun salute while a bugler played taps. A Marine officer then gave Evnins mother the American flag that had covered his casket. Another flag was given to his father.
Maj. Daniel Hooker thanked Evnins parents on behalf of the president of the United States, the commandant of the Marine Corps and a grateful nation.
At a funeral service earlier, the 21-year-old Evnin was remembered by family, friends and teachers as boy who grew up wearing a uniform, who flourished in the Marine Corps, yet never lost the ability to share or to care.
Evnin joined the Marines after graduating from South Burlington High School in 2000.
No one pushed him in that direction; it was just him, his uncle, Greg Novak, said at the funeral service attended by about 600 people, including Gov. James Douglas and former Gov. Madeleine Kunin and other top state officials at the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington.
Evnin was the grandson of Max Wall, rabbi emeritus, at Ohavi Zedek.
The in-town grandson of Max Wall came to Hebrew School in camouflage and combat boots, said current Rabbi Joshua Chasan. But never was he annoyed when he had to check his plastic rifle and later his lacrosse stick at the door.
Evnin was a member of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. He was hit in the abdomen during a firefight with an entrenched group of Iraqi soldiers outside the city of Kut, about 100 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Those with Evnin didnt think his wound was serious, but he died later en route to a military field hospital.
The same day Evnin was killed, Army helicopter pilot Erik Halvorsen of Bennington died when the Black Hawk helicopter he was flying went down about 50 miles south of Baghdad in an area of heavy combat. The 40-year-old Halvorsen will be buried Thursday.
I have stood in this pulpit many a day and sought to bring comfort and support to the bereaved, never thinking I might one day be in the same need, Wall, the retired rabbi and Evnins grandfather, said during the Burlington service. Now I stand here before you remembering a great kid.
Wall said he had been frustrated that his grandson hadnt taken more of an interest in school.
I believed in books. In the early years he believed in books, to prop up his toys, Wall said. Even though he didnt like formal schooling, things he really wanted to know he pursued.
Tim Comolli, a South Burlington High School teacher described as Evnins mentor, said Evnin took over for him by helping out in a computer course when he was sick. And Evnin organized a presentation that would have been done by Comolli, for an educators event.
He did all these things, not for money, but he thought it was right, Comolli said.
It was that sense of right and duty that led Evnin to the Marine Corps, said Chasan.
Mark died in the passion of his courage. He followed his dreams and his dreams led to his death, Chasan said.
Wall said the sacrifice by his grandson and others show that the people of the world must learn to communicate.
We have for too long discounted the idea that we cant save lives by killing, Wall said.
He thanked the Marines at the funeral for the service they provided to the country. We need our guardians. We need them desperately, he said.
He urged the crowd, especially the young people, to go out and learn new languages, not the traditional languages, but Chinese or Arabic as a way to break down the barriers that keep the world apart.
We are all mourning, Wall said. Somehow there is a meaning and a purpose in this life we have.
Speaking to God, Wall said: You didnt just take Mark; you gave him also. We enjoyed him for 21 years.
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 281-300, 301-320, 321-340 ... 621-627 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson