Army Staff Sgt. Anton R. Phillips

Died December 31, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

31 year old Anton Phillips, of Inglewood, Calif.; assigned to G Forward Support Company, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Task Force Wildhorse, Jalalabad, Afghanistan; died Dec. 31 at FOB Methar Lam, Afghanistan.

‘He was more than just a team leader, he was a friend’

The Associated Press

Anton Phillips, a father of three, “took care of his soldiers like family,” a fellow officer said.

“He rallied them to do their jobs to the best of their ability and he led by example,” said Capt. Alexis Jackson, who served with Phillips.

As an executive officer for the 5th Maintenance Company out of Kaiserslautern, Germany, Phillips earned respect from both his leaders and peers, according to The Provider, a blog about the 82nd Sustainment Brigade, which is supporting the war in Afghanistan.

Phillips, 31, of Inglewood, Calif., died Dec. 31 at Forward Operating Base Methar Lam, Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, Phillips was assigned to the base in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department has announced that it is investigating Phillips’ death.

“Sergeant Phillips was beyond reliable,” 1st Lt. Craig A. Long, 5th MC platoon leader, said at a service for Phillips. “He was more than just a team leader, he was a friend and his door was always open to anyone, day or night.”

Phillips is survived by daughters Lexus, 13, Antoneth, 8, and Alina, 5. The Provider reports that more than 200 soldiers attended a memorial service for Phillips at Bagram Airfield.

Army Sgt. Damien T. Ficek

Died December 30, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

26 year old Damien Ficek, of Pullman, Wash.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, Washington Army National Guard, Spokane, Wash.; killed Dec. 30 when his patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in Baghdad.

Soldier with Oregon, Washington ties killed in Baghdad

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — Sgt. Damien Ficek, an Oregon native and former Washington State University student, was killed while on foot patrol in Baghdad two days before he was to turn 27, the family of the Washington National Guardsman confirms.

A resident of Pullman, Wash., Ficek was killed Dec. 30. He had spent more than a year in Iraq.

“I praise and honor Damien for answering the call of duty, and I salute him for making the ultimate sacrifice in defending our security, our freedoms and our way of life,” Washington Gov. Gary Locke said Monday. “I know how much he will be missed and my heart goes out to his wife and family.”

Ficek was a student at WSU until withdrawing from classes during fall 2003 when his National Guard unit was activated.

“He was an active member of our community and an excellent student,” said WSU President V. Lane Rawlins. “Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife and family and he will be missed.”

Ficek’s name will be added to the veterans memorial on the WSU campus, Rawlins said. A memorial service is planned on the Pullman campus later this month.

Ficek arrived at WSU for fall semester 2002. He was enrolled in the athletic training education program offered through the College of Education.

Ficek was an infantryman assigned to the Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment. A U.S. Department of Defense news release said he died when his patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire.

Ficek is survived by his wife Kyla; parents Donna and Danny Vian, of the Portland, Ore., area and Dean and Suzanne Dibble of the Vancouver, Wash., area; and two brothers, Dustin and John.

Brian Lynott, a friend of Ficek’s since middle school, said both of them signed up for military service after graduating from Beaverton, Ore., High School in 1996.

Ficek served with the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis, Wash., until June 2000. In July 2002, he enlisted in the Washington Army National Guard.

In a Dec. 16 e-mail to Lynott, Ficek said he was looking forward to returning home — perhaps as soon as March — and starting a family. But with the Iraqi national election coming up, Ficek said, his tour probably would be extended, Lynott told The Oregonian newspaper.

Concerned that Ficek might not have adequate body armor, Lynott said he and others offered to send him the best protection available.

“We made it clear to him from Day 1 we’d get him whatever he needed,” he said.

Ficek deserved nothing less, say those who knew him.

“The world has lost a very, very promising person in Damien Ficek,” said his aunt, Joani Dufourd, 55, of Bend, Ore. “He was the most incredible man. I don’t know how to tell you that any better.

“He was a giver,” she said. “He was not so much focused on his own destiny but on how he could affect people around him.”

Ficek liked physical action, his friends said. He was on his high school football team and wrestling squad and rode BMX bikes for fun.

And Ficek grew into a smart, dependable soldier.

“They put him in contact with the enemy because he knew what to do,” Lynott said.

Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino

Died December 29, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

45 year old Ronald Spino, of Waterbury, Conn.; assigned to the 274th Forward Surgical Team, 44th Medical Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 29 in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot while unloading supplies.

Bragg medic killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A 45-year-old Fort Bragg soldier has been killed while unloading medical supplies in a village in northwestern Afghanistan.

Military officials say Staff Sgt. Ronald Jay Spino from Waterbury, Conn., died Dec. 29 in Bala Morghab, a village in Badghis province.

Spino was assigned to the 44th Medical Command at Fort Bragg. He returned from Iraq in February and deployed to Afghanistan in November.

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell says Spino was expected to return from Afghanistan in about 30 days and ordered flags in the state lowered to half-staff.

Spino was remembered by friends in his unit as a quiet, hardworking soldier with a good sense of humor.

‘Blossomed’ after joining Army

The Associated Press

Ronald Spino was a hardworking but shy man who “blossomed” when he joined the military, his mother said.

“It was his true love,” Rita Spino said.

For a time he worked in the records room of Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., where co-workers said he went out of his way to help others. The same held true in the military.

“For those who knew and worked with him, we will remember him as a dedicated non-commissioned officer,” said Col. Scott Putzier, one of Spino’s superiors. “He was quiet, so when he spoke, everyone listened and were often caught off guard by his sense of humor. … He was really funny.”

Spino, 45, of Fayetteville, N.C., died Dec. 29 in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, when he was shot while unloading supplies. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., and lived in Waterbury before joining the military.

The combat nurse graduated from Holy Cross High School and Teikyo Post University, now known as Post University.

He joined the Army in 1993 at age 29, becoming a medic. He later trained as a nurse and then became a paratrooper, and was sometimes called upon to parachute into war-ravaged areas to treat wounded soldiers, his mother said.

Spino is survived by his wife, Betty, whom he met while he was in the military; a stepdaughter, Kandice, 24; his mother and father; two brothers; and a sister.

Marine Staff Sgt. Jason A. Lehto

Died December 28, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

31 year old Jason Lehto, of Mount Clemens, Mich.; assigned to Marine Wing Support Group 47, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve, Mt. Clemens, Mich.; killed Dec. 28 in a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq.

Macomb County Marine dies in Iraq

Associated Press

WARREN, Mich. — A Marine from the Detroit area has been killed in Iraq’s Anbar province, the military said Wednesday.

Staff Sgt. Jason A. Lehto, 31, of Warren died Tuesday in what the Defense Department described as a non-hostile incident.

“We are very sad that he is gone,” Lehto’s sister, Angela Krug of Clinton Township, told The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens.

Lehto was assigned to the Marine Forces Reserve’s Marine Wing Support Group 47, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, based in Macomb County’s Harrison Township. The military originally identified Lehto as being from Mount Clemens.

Lehto enlisted in the Marines after graduating from Clintondale High School in Clinton Township in 1992. He served on active duty until 1996, when he joined the reserves.

Before leaving for Iraq in August, Lehto worked as a service technician for SBC Communications in Trenton, his family said.

He was trained by the military to defuse anything from a pipe bomb to an atom bomb, said his stepfather, Chuck Walsh.

“He was an outstanding young man who loved his family,” Walsh told The Detroit News for a Thursday story. “He was gung-ho military and gung-ho American.”

The family preferred to keep the details of his death private, but Walsh called it a “total accident” during a routine mission. “Unfortunately something just went off,” he said.

Left behind are Lehto’s wife, Michele Lehto, and sons Nathan, 11, Joseph, 3, and Joshua, 2.

Joseph and Joshua are “too little to comprehend. They have no idea,” Michele Lehto, 31, told the Detroit Free Press as she stood outside the family’s small tan home trimmed with Christmas lights.

The house was the first the Lehtos bought as a married couple. A small swing set sits in the backyard. Above the garage in bold letters is the Marine Corps motto, “Semper Fi.”

Three hours before his death, Lehto and his wife happened to access their e-mail accounts at the same time and exchanged messages. He wrote about a house he had found online that was closer to his job in Trenton.

“He told me he found the perfect house for us to move into when he got home” in March, Michele Lehto said.

Army Staff Sgt. Todd D. Olson

Died December 27, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

36 year old Todd Olson, of Loyal, Wis.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, Wisconsin Army National Guard, Neillsville, Wis.; died Dec. 27 in the 67th Combat Support Hospital in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds sustained on Dec. 26 when an improvised explosive device detonated in Samarra, Iraq.

Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

LOYAL, Wis. — A Wisconsin National Guardsman who had four children, served on a school board and coached youth football was killed in Iraq, friends said Monday.

Staff Sgt. Todd Olson, 36, of Loyal, died of injuries he suffered in Samarra, said his best friend, Dan Gluch.

His vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb Sunday, Loyal Mayor Arthur Olsen said.

Department of Defense and Wisconsin National Guard officials released no official information Monday and didn’t return messages left by The Associated Press.

Olson’s family was told he was injured, but around noon on Dec.26, they learned he had died, the mayor said. The Clark County community of about 1,300 people lowered its flags to half-staff Monday.

The mayor told The Associated Press he had known Olson since he was a baby.

“It couldn’t be any worse than at Christmas time,” the mayor said. “I feel for them. I didn’t go to war when I could have in World War II just for fear of my own life. Maybe that’s being greedy, I don’t know. Fortunately, we’re lucky to have people who are willing to serve and give up their lives. That’s why we have the freedom we do have.”

Thirty-two Wisconsin soldiers have died in Iraq since the war started. Olson was one of 35 soldiers with Detachment 1, Company C of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry.

Gluch, of Eau Claire, was at Olson’s home Monday. No one else there wanted to talk, he said.

“He deserves press, that’s for sure,” he said. “I don’t know how to even explain a guy like that. He was deeply devoted to his wife and family … I’m a better man for having him as a lifelong friend.”

He had known Olson since grade school, he said. They were roommates at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where they both studied finance, he said.

Olson worked as a vice president and an agricultural loan officer at M&I Bank in Loyal. Bank president Al Nystrom described him as a leader who would volunteer to take on extra responsibilities. For example, Olson volunteered to serve as a temporary manager of the Neillsville branch and volunteered to become an agricultural lender.

He often worked with dairy farmers, Nystrom said.

“He was a leader,” Nystrom said. “He spread himself in a lot of directions. Lot of personal sacrifices to do what he did for the bank … he’ll be sorely missed.”

Olson was married and had three sons, ages 17, 16, and 14, as well as a 5-year-old daughter, Gluch said.

He served on the Loyal School Board and in the local Lions chapter. He also coached Pop Warner football. He loved to hunt and watch the Green Bay Packers, too, Gluch said.

Olson often told him how blessed he felt, Gluch said.

“We’re at peace knowing he’s in heaven,” he said.

Funeral held for Loyal soldier killed in Iraq

LOYAL, Wis. — Staff Sgt. Todd Olson, who was killed in Iraq last month, was the type of leader who watched out for his men, his former commander told more 1,000 mourners at the soldier’s funeral.

“It’s not normal for a commander to walk point, but knowing Todd, I know why he was walking point that night,” Lt. Col. Steven Bensend said Wednesday of when Olson was injured by a roadside bomb Dec. 26.

Bensend said during the gathering at the Loyal High School gymnasium that walking point on a foot patrol is “the most vulnerable and dangerous position. It’s the eyes and ears” of the squad.

Olson, 36, was serving in Detachment 1, Charley Company of the Wisconsin National Guard’s Eau Claire-based 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Brigade, when he led his squad on the patrol in Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. He died the next day at a hospital in Tikrit.

He was the father of three boys — Trevor, 17, Jesse, 16, and Cody, 13 – and a 5-year-old daughter, Kasey.

Olson was an agriculture loans officer at M&I Bank in Neillsville and Loyal, and a member of the Loyal School Board.

A letter from his son Trevor read during the funeral recounted how his father was always there for his kids to coach their football teams, take them fishing and teach them how to find their way in the world.

“Dad was always my role model,” he said. “If I have half the qualities of him, I’ll be a good man,” the teenager said in the letter.

— Associated Press

Army Spc. Jason M. Johnston

Died December 26, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

24 year old Jason Johnston, of Albion, N.Y.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 26 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Family says he felt that he had to serve

The Associated Press

While serving in an explorers program at the volunteer fire department in Albion, N.Y., Jason Johnston earned a reputation as hardworking and responsible.

That reputation followed him when he joined the Army in 2006.

“Johnston was the type of guy that did the job with little complaint, comment or fanfare — but always did the job well,” said the soldier’s commander, Capt. Adam Armstrong.

Johnston’s second deployment to Afghanistan was delayed, but the infantry paratrooper was eager to rejoin his unit.

“He fought to get over here with us this time just so he could fight for his country again and to be with his brother in arms,” friend and fellow soldier Spc. Joshua Leeson wrote from Afghanistan.

Johnston, 24, died Dec. 26 in Arghandab after his unit was bombed. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.

Johnston attended Albion High School but didn’t graduate. He earned his GED before joining the Army.

“Jason always wanted to be in the military,” his family said in a statement. “He said he felt a strong sense of duty to serve. He had been planning to apply to Syracuse University after his term in the Army.”

He leaves behind his parents, Bradley and Jeanine Johnston.

Army Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez

Died December 25, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

35 year old David Gutierrez, of San Francisco; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Dec. 25 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad.

* * * * *

Soldier died in Christmas Day ambush

The Associated Press

David Gutierrez tried to visit his wife, Patty, and three sons via webcam daily while in Afghanistan.

The last time the family connected online was Christmas Eve. The next day, Patty Gutierrez and her sons were eating Christmas breakfast when she learned her husband had been killed. Two Army chaplains knocked on her door.

“I woke up Christmas morning,” she said. “But when the knock came it wasn’t Christmas anymore.”

Gutierrez, 35, died Christmas Day at Kandahar Air Field of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his patrol with a bomb in Howz-e Madad. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.

Gutierrez graduated from Santa Teresa High School in San Jose, Calif., and attended San Jose City College. He met his wife while working as a bouncer at a club in San Jose. He enlisted in 1998, two years after he married his wife.

Gutierrez served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, and he was deployed to Afghanistan in July 2009.

“He had his life in the uniform,” Patty Gutierrez said. “But when he came home, he was the patient one, my go-to guy.”

Gutierrez is survived by his wife; and sons Gabriel, 4, Jeremiah, 6, and Andrew, 12.

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith

Died December 24, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

28 year old Christopher Smith, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 24 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover. Also killed were Spc. Stephen. M. Okray and Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik.

2 soldiers from Michigan remembered for devotion

The Associated Press

Two soldiers from Michigan who were among three who died when their vehicle crashed on Christmas Eve in Baghdad are being remembered by relatives for their devotion to their families.

The Department of Defense on Friday identified the soldiers as Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith, 28, of Grand Rapids; Spc. Stephen M. Okray, 21, of St. Clair Shores; and Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik, 19, of Broken Arrow, Okla.

Bobbi Jo Smith told The Detroit News that her husband was an entertainer who loved to hold parties and grill briskets and ribs.

“He really lived for his family. He was that kind of guy,” Bobbi Jo said of her husband, who leaves behind a 15-month-old son.

Smith’s parents are Pastor Virgil Glenn and Donna Smith of the Evangelife Assembly of God Church near Bad Axe, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

Okray’s aunt, Denise Okray, said her nephew loved to hunt and fish.

“When someone was worried or felt like there was a problem, he was like, ‘Shrug it off; it’s OK,”’ Denise Okray told The News. “He was always family-oriented.”

Zapasnik’s mother, Chris Zapasnik, said her son’s company commander told her that he and the two Michigan soldiers were riding in a Humvee when part of a road collapsed, sending the vehicle into a canal. All three were dead when they were pulled from the water several minutes after the crash, Chris Zapasnik told the Tulsa World.

The soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Staff sgt. remembered as outdoorsman, good cook

The Associated Press

Christopher G. Smith took two years of classes at Kellogg Community College, studying for a possible sports medicine career and playing soccer there, before enlisting in the Army in May 2001.

Virgil Smith knew his son was looking for “something big and exciting” to do with his life, but said he never anticipated him joining the Army.

“Chris was such his own man in that way,” Virgil Smith said. “He was very thoughtful in what he would do and once he made a decision, that was it.”

Smith, 28, of Grand Rapids, Mich., died Dec. 24 in Baghdad of injuries from a vehicle roll-over. He was a 1999 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Carson.

Smith, who was on his second tour in Iraq, was an outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish and was an avid University of Michigan fan. He enjoyed socializing and cooking for large groups. He even thought about going to culinary school at one point.

“He cooked literally for 30 to 40 people at a time. He just enjoyed that,” his father said.

He also is survived by his wife, Bobbi Jo, and their 15-month-old son, Adler.

Army 1st Lt. Christopher W. Barnett

Died December 23, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

32 year old Christopher Barnett, of Baton Rouge, La.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 156th Armor Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, Louisiana Army National Guard, Shreveport, La.; killed Dec. 23 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle in Baghdad.

Louisiana Guardsman killed in Iraq

Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. — A Baton Rouge area man, 2nd Lt. Christopher W. Barnett, was killed by a roadside bomb that exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad last week, the Department of Defense said.

Barnett, 32, of Denham Springs, was killed early Thursday. He was assigned to the Army National Guard’a 1st Battalion, 156th Armor Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat team, based out of Shreveport.

“He believed in what he was doing,” his older brother, Jim Barnett, of Mobile, Ala., told The (Baton Rouge) Advocate. “He died doing what he wanted to do.”

Barnett had planned to join an active-duty unit again once his tour in Iraq ended, his brother said. “He loved being a soldier,” Jim Barnett said. “He loved his troops. He lived by duty, honor, bravery and sacrifice.”

But, Barnett added, Christopher also had a great sense of humor: “He’s about the funniest person I’ve known in my life.”

Barnett, who attended Glen Oaks High School before his family moved to Jacksonville, Fla., lived in Baton Rouge from seventh grade to 10th grade, his brother said. He later came back to the state to attend LSU, graduating a year ago.

He is survived by his wife, Amanda, in Denham Springs, and his parents, Bob and Judy, who live in the town of Baker near Baton Rouge.

Barnett’s was the second of two deaths involving Louisiana military personnel in Iraq last week. Pfc. Lionel Ayro, 22, of Jeanerette, was killed Tuesday when an explosion ripped through a mess tent at a base in Mosul. He was assigned to the 73rd Engineer Company, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash.

Marine Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck

Died December 22, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

23 year old Omar Roebuck, of Moreno Valley, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 22, as a result of a noncombat-related incident in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

‘My son continues to shine even in death’

The Associated Press

Omar Roebuck, who grew up in a house with a single father, loved boxing, stunt bikes and his family, including a next door neighbor he called “Mom.”

“Omar was wonderful, funny, smart,” said neighbor Connie Tatum. “He always had a smile on his face. He loved my enchiladas. He was like another son to me.”

Tatum, who has three sons of her own with her husband, Pat, said she tried to discourage Roebuck from enlisting in 2008. But he told her, “ ‘Mom, the Marine Corps will give me an education and a better life.’ And he loved it.”

Roebuck, of Moreno Valley, Calif., died Dec. 22 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Roebuck’s father said the 23-year-old Marine, a diesel mechanic, was crushed while working on a new assault tank.

“This is so hard,” said John Roebuck, 54. “The only way to look at it is that God wanted Omar in his presence.”

Omar Roebuck enlisted in November 2008 and was promoted to lance corporal June 2. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.

“My son continues to shine even in death,” John Roebuck said. “I don’t have the words to say how proud I am of him.”

Roebuck is survived by his father and sister, Eboni, 27.

Navy Chief Joel Egan Baldwin

Died December 21, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

37 year old Joel Baldwin, of Arlington, Va.; assigned to Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 77, Gulfport, Miss.; killed Dec. 21 when his base dining facility was attacked in Mosul, Iraq.

Gulfport chief killed in Iraq mess hall blast

By Christopher Munsey

Navy Times staff writer

A Navy Seabee chief killed in the suicide bombing of a Mosul, Iraq, mess hall on Dec. 21 was remembered for his skilled teaching, dedicated leadership and civic involvement.

Chief Builder (SCW) Joel E. Baldwin, 37, was one of 14 service members killed in the attack. The explosion, which killed 22 and wounded 69, occurred as service members, civilian contractors and Iraqi guardsmen sat down for lunch at Forward Operating Base Marez.

“At this point, it looks like it was an improvised explosive device worn by an attacker,” Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Dec. 22 at a Pentagon news conference.

Myers did not say whether authorities believe the bomber worked at the base or got into the mess tent some other way. Baldwin was a member of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 out of Gulfport, Miss., which deployed to Guam and Iraq in October. He joined the battalion in April.

“Just a very good human being, an exceptional Navy leader and a great Seabee,” said Capt. Will McKerall, commanding officer of Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport.

McKerall said Baldwin’s most recent civic project was organizing a group that built a playground at his daughter’s elementary school.

Seabees are spread all over Iraq, and McKerall said Baldwin was performing general engineering evaluation work.

Born in Panama, Baldwin joined the Navy in 1988, and his home of record was listed as Arlington, Va.

Before coming to NMCB 7, Baldwin taught quality control to sailors training in Seabee ratings at the Naval Construction Training Center in Gulfport.

“He was recognized for being an exceptional instructor, he was on his way to other things,” McKerall said.

He leaves behind a wife, Claudia, and their 9-year-old daughter, Cali.

Claudia Baldwin, who works as an intern at the local Veterans Affairs hospital, also served as one of the battalion’s ombudsmen, linking families to the command, McKerall said.

A memorial service is being planned at Gulfport, McKerall said.

Baldwin’s death is not the first time Seabees have suffered a combat casualty in Iraq.

Seven Seabees from NMCB 14, a Reserve battalion out of Jacksonville, Fla., died in two separate attacks in Anbar over a three-day period in late April and early May.

Baldwin’s awards include two Navy Achievement Medals, four Good Conduct Medals, an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, two Overseas Service Ribbons, two National Defense Service Medals, two Navy “E” ribbons, the M16 rifle expert marksman device, and Sea Service deployment ribbons.

The Mississippi-based Keesler Federal Credit Union set up a memorial fund in his name, to help his wife and daughter, said spokeswoman Michelle Manley.

Those who want to donate to the Baldwin Memorial Fund, account number 80100.12, can mail donations to: Keesler Federal Credit Union, attention Baldwin Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 7001, Biloxi, MS 39534.

Marine Pfc. Serge Kropov

Died December 20, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Serge Kropov, of Hawley, Pa.; assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.; died Dec. 20 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

‘He had a million friends’

The Associated Press

Serge Kropov’s friends said the Marine helicopter mechanic was a good-hearted, fun-loving guy who enjoyed basketball and trick bike riding.

“He was just a very kind, giving, friendly, loving person,” said Lindamay Rodnite, who said her sons attended school with Kropov. “He had a million friends.”

Indeed, a Facebook page dedicated to Kropov was filled with dozens of tributes to the fallen Marine.

Kropov, 21, of Hawley, Pa., died Dec. 20 in a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. He attended Wallenpaupack Area High School in Hemlock Farms, Pa. His obituary said he planned to be a career military man.

Kropov was a native of Moscow who later moved to the U.S. with his parents, Igor and Allison Alevtina. He is also survived by a sister, Anna.

Rodnite’s son Jonathan remembered seeing Kropov riding his mountain bike around the neighborhood because he didn’t have a car.

“He was a good friend from day one,” Jonathan Rodnite said. “Very outgoing, very social.”

The Marine wrote on a Web site profile that he also loved snowboarding, working out and the beach, and that he was “always looking and willing to learn and expand my experiences.”

Army Sgt. Berry K. Meza

Died December 19, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

23 year old Berry Meza, assigned to the 180th Transportation Battalion, 13th Corps Support Command, Fort Hood, Texas; killed Dec. 19 when a vehicle struck him in Shuaybah, Kuwait. Also killed was Army Staff Sgt. Donald B. Farmer.

Texan dies in Kuwait

Associated Press

FORT HOOD, Texas — A 23-year-old soldier from League City was one of two Fort Hood soldiers to die Sunday in Shuaybah, Kuwait, when they were struck by a vehicle.

The Department of Defense identified the two as Sgt. Berry K. Meza of League City, and Staff Sgt. Donald B. Farmer, 33, of Zion, Ill.

They were assigned to the 180th Transportation Battalion, 13th Corps Support Command, at Fort Hood.

Meza was in his third tour of duty in the Middle East. Family members said he was struck by a car while changing a tire.

“He was a very outgoing person who enjoyed life and would always tell everyone, ‘Life is short. Live everyday like it is your last,”’ Meza’s aunt, Cyndi Meza, told the Galveston County Daily News. “He loved his country and he loved his family.”

Army Sgt. Albert D. Ware

Died December 18, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

27 year old Albert Ware, of Chicago; assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 18 in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Died during 2nd tour of Afghanistan

The Associated Press

Albert D. Ware was no stranger to war. As a scrawny 12-year-old, he came to the United States to escape violence in Liberia, which is why his father, Thomas, got upset when he joined the Army in 2006.

He had played sports — soccer, football and wrestling — as an honors student at Corliss High School near Chicago, and the military made him even more athletic and disciplined.

In time, his family grew proud.

“He was a respectable man,” said his stepmother, Anna. “He didn’t throw a mean word to anyone. He did something with himself.”

The 27-year-old died Dec. 18 in the Arghandab River Valley of Afghhanistan of wounds from an explosive during his second tour there. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.

He had attended Chicago State University and Kennedy-King College before joining the Army. A colleague, Sgt. Scott Wolfe, said Ware always put fellow soldiers first and worked extra night and weekend hours to make sure they were well equipped for missions.

At home, he enjoyed cooking fufu and other West African dishes.

He and his wife, Plichette, have three children, all younger than 6: T’John, Heaven and Musu. Ware is also survived by his mother and a sister, Ciatta.

Army Pfc. Juctin P. McDaniel

Died December 17, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

19 year old Juctin McDaniel, of Andover, N.H.; assigned to the 524th Combat Service Support Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Shafter, Hawaii; died Dec. 17 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident in Taji, Iraq.

Hawaii-based soldier dies of non-combat-related injuries in Iraq

The Associated Press

HONOLULU — The Pentagon says a Hawaii-based soldier has died of non-combat injuries in Iraq.

Pfc. Juctin R. P. McDaniel of Andover, N.H., died Dec. 17 in Baghdad. He sustained the injuries in what the military is calling a non-combat related incident in Taji, Iraq.

The 19-year-old’s work specialty was repairing power generation equipment.

He deployed to Iraq last month.

The Pentagon says the circumstances of the incident are under investigation.

McDaniel was a member of the 524th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, at the 8th Theater Sustainment Command at Fort Shafter.

McDaniel joined the Army in November 2006 and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in April.

Andover soldier dies in Iraq, military cites non-combat incident

The Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. — A 19-year-old soldier from Andover has died in Iraq of non-combat related injuries, the Department of Defense said.

Pfc. Juctin McDaniel died Dec. 17 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat incident in Taji, Iraq, the Pentagon announced in a news release last week. It said the incident was under investigation.

McDaniel was a graduate of Merrimack Valley High School, the Concord Monitor reported. He served in 524th Combat Service Support Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, based in Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

McDaniel was a generator mechanic and had deployed to Iraq last month, the Honolulu Advertiser reported. A neighbor told the newspaper that McDaniel joined the Army more than a year ago.

“I didn’t know him well, but I know that he was very, very proud of his military service, and I think that he found a lot of direction having joined the military,” the neighbor, Joy Langtry, said in a phone interview with the Advertiser.

Langtry remembers seeing McDaniel playing basketball with his siblings and helping his stepfather in the garden.

“He was a decent kid and I know that his family felt his going into the Army really, really helped him,” she said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Franklin A. Sweger

Died December 16, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

24 year old Franklin Sweger, of San Antonio; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; killed Dec. 16 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

San Antonio Marine killed in Iraq

Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio Marine who loved science and dreamed of getting married and raising a family has been killed in Iraq, his family confirmed Saturday.

Lance Cpl. Franklin A. Sweger, 24, died Thursday as a result of enemy action in Iraq’s Anbar province, the Defense Department said.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Sweger was depressed when he first arrived in Iraq three or four months ago, said his mother, Susie Hernandez. But he was more upbeat when he last talked to them on the phone two weeks ago.

“Everything’s OK mom, don’t worry about me,” she recalled him saying. “I think I’m going to make it.”

Hernandez said her son joined the Marines in the spring of 2001 after having trouble in his first semester at Lamar University. He wanted to go back to school to study chemistry after completing his military obligations, she said.

“He loved science,” she told The Associated Press. “He studied chemistry and everything on his own since he was little. He wrote down all the definitions for everything.”

Sweger was devoted to his family and looked forward to starting one of his own, Hernandez said. In addition to his mother, he is survived by his stepfather, his father and stepmother, two stepbrothers and many aunts and uncles.

“He was always making everybody laugh,” Hernandez said. “He loved everybody. He was just so full of love and laughter and joy.”

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony C. Campbell Jr.

Died December 15, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

35 year old Anthony Campbell Jr., of Florence, Ky.; assigned to the 932nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; died Dec. 15 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from the detonation of an improvised explosive device.

Flags to be lowered for Campbell

The Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has ordered that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff Dec. 22 in honor of an airman who died in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon says 35-year-old Tech Sgt. Anthony Campbell Jr. of Florence died Dec. 15 of wounds suffered when a bomb exploded in Helmand province. Campbell was assigned to the 932nd Civil Engineer Squadron based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Services for Campbell were to be held in Williamstown on Dec. 22.

Campbell transferred to the Air Force Reserve in early 2008 after serving with the Kentucky Air National Guard.

Reservist served on Cincinnati police force

The Associated Press

Anthony “Tony” Campbell loved life, his wife and his children, friends and family said — and even got to hear his 2-year-old son, Ryker, count to 10 during their last conversation.

Campbell was an Air Force reservist serving in Afghanistan, but he fulfilled a dream by becoming a police officer back home in Cincinnati in 2008.

“He just always had in his mind that he wanted to be a police officer,” said longtime friend Chris Webster.

Campbell, 35, of Florence, Ky., was killed by a roadside bomb Dec. 15 in Helmand province. He was assigned to Scott Air Force Base, Ill. He went into active duty in the Air Force immediately after graduating from Boone County High School in 1992 and later became a reservist.

Webster told the crowd at Campbell’s funeral that the technical sergeant loved his wife, Emily, and was always telling his friends how proud he was of his children — Ryker, 7-year-old Jordan and his stepson, 11-year-old Devin Ruberg.

“I hadn’t seen him for a long time, but you could tell from his Facebook postings how he loved life and loved serving his country,” said Tracy Adkins, a former schoolmate who had recently reconnected with Campbell through the social networking Web site.

Marine Cpl. Michael D. Anderson Jr.

Died December 14, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

21 year old Michael Anderson Jr., of Modesto, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Dec. 14 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

* * * * *

Modesto Marine killed in Iraq

Associated Press

MODESTO, Calif. — When Cpl. Michael Anderson Jr. first arrived in Iraq in September, the risky duties of searching house-to-house for insurgents was a thrill for the 21-year-old from Modesto.

“At first, he was all gung-ho, like everybody is,” his father told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He called after the first firefight he was in and said it was the greatest day of his life.”

But the horror of the war quickly changed his attitude. He told his family he was having nightmares and couldn’t get the smell of flesh and blood out of his head.

Anderson was killed Tuesday on one of those missions in Fallujah. The Department of Defense released no additional details Wednesday about his death.

“He was tough as nails,” his father said. “You know when they say that Marines are a different breed? I didn’t know what they were talking about until I had one for a son.”

As a child growing up in Modesto, Anderson enjoyed skateboarding, snowboarding and motorcycles. He graduated from Johanson High School in 2001 and then joined the Marine Corps.

He served stints in Japan, Guam and Haiti before being sent to Iraq this past Sept. 11.

Anderson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton.

Army Sgt. Tina S. Time

Died December 13, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

22 year old Tina Time, of Tucson, Ariz.; assigned to the 208th Transportation Company, Army Reserve, Tucson, Ariz.; killed Dec. 13 in a vehicle accident near Cedar, Iraq.

* * * * *

Army Reserve soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press.

TUCSON, Ariz. — An Army reservist has been killed in Iraq, believed to be the first female American Samoan to die in the war.

Authorities said Sgt. Tina Safaira Time, 22, died Monday near Cedar, Iraq, when the supply truck she was driving during a dust storm collided with another military vehicle.

Time was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 208th Transportation Company based in Tucson, Ariz.

Time’s family said she was a top student and leader at Leone High School, where she graduated in 2000.

School officials were planning to honor her Thursday night with a candlelight service and Christmas program at the school campus in American Samoa.

Time was two months away from completing a 22-month tour in Iraq before returning home, according to her family.

Mary Time said her daughter was a proud soldier and a great role model who loved her family, which includes four siblings, three of whom are serving in the U.S. military.

Time was a mechanic and worked on medium trucks for the unit, which has more than 100 members. She was promoted to sergeant in January.

After being assigned to Tucson, Time began taking classes at Pima Community College in computer science and enjoyed fixing cars in her spare time.

She joined the Army Reserve to serve her country and help offset the cost of attending college, her mother said.

Born in Australia, Time grew up in Pago Pago in American Samoa — a group of islands in the southern Pacific Ocean northeast of Fiji. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States and has a population of about 60,000.

In high school, Time was an honor student and class president. She was also a member of a youth group and a choir, and was a Sunday school teacher in her church.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Blanton

Died December 12, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

23 year old Jeffery Blanton, of Fayetteville, Ga.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; killed Dec. 12 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Georgia Marine killed in Iraq two days after leaving hospital

Associated Press

SENOIA, Ga. — A Marine from Georgia was killed over the weekend in Iraq after returning to the battlefield two days after being released from a hospital where he was treated for an earlier gunshot wound, his aunt said Tuesday.

“He lost three toes and had an opportunity to come home, but he would not,” Sandra Blanton said of her nephew, Lance Cpl. Jeffery Blanton. “He wanted to stay. He didn’t want to give up his career with them.”

Blanton, 23, of Fayetteville, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.

His aunt said the Marines provided details to his family Sunday night. She said they were told he was doing a ground sweep with other soldiers when he was shot to death. She said he had been released Friday from a hospital in Iraq after having previously been wounded by gunfire.

He was one of seven Marines killed Sunday in two separate incidents in Iraq’s Anbar province, which encompasses the battleground cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

Blanton had been in the Marines for three years and wanted to make a career of it, his aunt said. His wife, Amber, also serves in the Marines and was in Afghanistan at the time of Jeffrey’s death, the aunt said.

Jeffrey Blanton grew up in Senoia, in Coweta County, southwest of Atlanta. While in high school, he enjoyed football and baseball, his aunt said.

“He was very happy about being in the military,” his aunt told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “He had a lot of pride for the uniform that he wore.”

Marine killed in Iraq laid to rest

Associated Press

MARIETTA, Ga. — U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey joined about 100 other mourners Tuesday at a graveside service at the Marietta National Cemetery for a Georgia Marine who was killed in Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Jeffery Blanton, 23, was killed in action in Fallujah on Dec. 12, just two days after being released from the hospital for another injury.

Blanton’s wife, Amber, and mother, Tracie Botts, were among family members attending the service. Local residents also said they felt a need to pay their respects even though they did not know Blanton.

Fred Duncan of Marietta, who served in the Marines from 1982 to 1986, said that while he did not know Blanton, he felt a kinship.

“The Marine Corps is a brotherhood,” Duncan said. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”

Absent from the service were Blanton’s father and stepmother, Steven and Donna Blanton of Senoia, who had previously said they would not attend the funeral because Blanton wanted his son to be buried in Fayette County.

Blanton was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

The Cobb County native grew up in Senoia in Coweta County southwest of Atlanta. He later moved back to Cobb to be closer to his mother and attended Marietta High School, where he played football and baseball.

Blanton enlisted in the Marines in 2002 and had been stationed in Fallujah for the last two months.

He and his wife met while both were stationed in Hawaii, he in the Marine Corps and she in the Army. The couple married on Feb. 29, 2003. Earlier this year, Blanton was called for duty in Iraq while she was sent to Afghanistan.

Army Spc. Jaiciae L. Pauley

Died December 11, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

29 year old Jaiciae Pauley, of Austell, Ga.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Dec. 11 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID. As a line medic with one year of active service, Pfc. Pauley trained hard to bring essential skills to his team, said Brig. Gen. Phillips.

Friends say he had a warm and noble heart, he always had a smile, and he never complained.

“Private First Class Pauley was a quiet guy unless you knew him,” said fellow medic and comrade Spc. Andrew Servi, 1/30 Inf. “If you knew him, he’d open up to you. When we were at school together, you could always depend on him.”

“He was one of my best Soldiers I had in my squad,” he added.

Army Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello

Died December 10, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

29 year old Jhanner Tello, of Los Angeles; assigned to the 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Dec. 10 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.

A helicopter mechanic, Tello was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Family members said he had aspirations to go back to college for a degree in aviation mechanics and dreamed of eventually owning his own shop.

“He was a very happy man,” said Lusin Mathews-Gezalyan, his ex-wife and the mother of his two children, Giovanny Tello-Gezalyan, 9, and Christian Tello-Gezalyan, 8.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Patrick D. Leach

Died December 9, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

39 year old Patrick Leach, of Rock Hill, S.C.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, South Carolina Army National Guard, Columbia, S.C.; killed Dec. 9 in an Apache helicopter accident in Mosul, Iraq. Also killed was Army 1st Lt. Andrew C. Shields.

Federal Way native killed in Iraq

Associated Press

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — One of two soldiers killed when a pair of U.S. helicopters collided in Iraq was a commercial airline pilot who had served in Operation Desert Storm.

Warrant Officer Patrick Leach, 39, was one of the victims, said his parents, Bruce and Grace Leach of Tacoma.

“My son was doing what he had to do,” said Bruce Leach Sr. “He hated to leave his family. But he went because he was told to go. He did his duty.”

The Federal Way native, a member of the South Carolina National Guard, died Thursday when an AH-64 Apache struck an UH-60 Black Hawk on the ground in the city of Mosul.

Leach’s parents learned of his death Thursday night when they returned from a visit with his wife and children in Rock Hill, S.C.

Officials in South Carolina identified the other soldier who died as Lt. Andrew Shields, also a Guardsman from that state.

The four men wounded in the collision have returned to duty, said Lt. Col. Paul Hastings, a spokesman for Task Force Olympia, which includes the Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade.

The accident was under investigation.

Leach served in the active-duty Army from 1986 to 1992 and was deployed to Iraq in 1991 as part of Operation Desert Storm.

Before his guard unit was called up, Leach was an airline pilot and regional jet captain for six years at Mesa Airlines, which flies US Airways Express flights out of Charlotte.

“Pat’s life’s ambition was to be a pilot,” brother-in-law John Landstreet said. “He lived for that and his family. This is just devastating.”

Leach is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children, a 4-year-old daughter and two boys, ages 2 years and 7 months. He also has 19- and 17-year-old sons from a previous marriage.

About two dozen Apaches and a half-dozen Black Hawks from the South Carolina National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, are stationed in northern Iraq as part of Task Force Olympia. The unit was deployed in October with the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Lewis.

S.C. town remembers pilot killed in Iraq

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Friends, family and fellow pilots gathered this week for a memorial service honoring a South Carolina National Guard pilot killed in Iraq.

Patrick Leach, 39, a father of five, died in a helicopter accident in Mosul on Thursday. The Apache helicopter he was piloting ran into a Black Hawk helicopter on the ground, his family said.

Lt. Andrew Shields of Campobello also died in the crash.

Civilian pilot Leo Friedwald said he flew with Leach whenever he could. Leach, a veteran of the first Gulf War, was a jet pilot for Mesa Airlines out of Charlotte, N.C., before he was activated to serve in Iraq.

“We lost one of our best,” Friedwald said Tuesday during the memorial service at First ARP Church. “Best friend. Best pilot. Best person. Best guy.”

There are only about 1,000 Apache pilots in the entire Army, said Col. Tony Barber of the Guard’s 151st Aviation Regiment, based out of Eastover.

“We all knew Pat,” Barber said. “We all train together. Apache pilots are a close brotherhood. This hurts us all.”

Leach, a native of Washington state, married a Rock Hill woman, Elizabeth Brice Leach, and has lived in Rock Hill for years.

Army spokeswoman Maj. Elizabeth Robbins in Washington had no other details, other than that the crash did not occur during hostilities. The cause of the crash could take four to six weeks to determine, said Lt. Col. Pete Brooks, a Guard spokesman in Columbia.

— Associated Press

Soldier killed in Iraq laid to rest

ROCK HILL, S.C. — A soldier killed in Iraq earlier this month has been buried with full military honors.

Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Leach was buried Monday during a graveside service attended by more than 150 people.

Leach, 39, was killed Dec. 9 in a helicopter accident in Mosul, Iraq.

Three Apache helicopters flew over Laurelwood Cemetery, two heading south and the third turning north alone, symbolizing a fallen soldier.

A member of the South Carolina Army National Guard, he was a veteran helicopter pilot of the first Gulf War. He was deployed in October and was a member of A Company, 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment.

“He was a cheerful giver,” the Rev. Barry Dagenhart said. “He gave up his life in the service of his country and ultimately for you and me.”

The service included a 21-gun salute and the playing of ‘Taps’.

Leach’s wife, Elizabeth, his two older sons, his parents and his brother were among those at the service.

Among the crowd was the twin brother of Lt. Andrew Shields of Campobello, who was killed in the incident with Leach.

Lt. Philip Shields of the South Carolina Army National Guard had attended his 25-year-old brother’s funeral Saturday.

Elizabeth Leach attended that service, as well.

Philip Shields, an Apache pilot himself, recently returned from Kosovo. He said his family was holding up under the circumstances.

“People wait too late to think of them as heroes,” he said. “They were heroes when they left. There are a lot more out there.”

— Associated Press

Marine Cpl. Xhacob Latorre

Died December 8, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Xhacob Latorre, of Waterbury, Conn.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 8 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

2/8 Marine dies from combat wounds

Staff report

A North Carolina-based Marine injured in Afghanistan in August died Tuesday, according to the Defense Department.

Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn., died of wounds he suffered Aug. 10 during combat operations in Helmand province. He lost both legs when he was struck by an improvised explosive device, according to the Warrior’s Wish Foundation Web site. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Latorre, a mortar man, joined the Corps in June 2005, according to II Marine Expeditionary Force release. He served two tours in Iraq, one in July 2006 and another in late 2007.

He is survived by his wife and son.

Marine to be laid to rest

The Associated Press

WATERBURY, Conn. — A funeral service is being held for a Connecticut Marine who died Dec. 8 from wounds he suffered four months earlier during combat operations in Afghanistan.

The funeral for Cpl. Xhacob Latorre is set for Dec. 17 in his hometown of Waterbury. He will be buried at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.

Latorre, 21, died at a Texas hospital from wounds he suffered in August when an improvised explosive device detonated. He left behind his wife and an 18-month-old son.

He was a mortar man assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He joined the Marines in 2005 shortly after graduating from Crosby High School in Waterbury.

Awarded Purple Heart before death

The Associated Press

Xhacob LaTorre enjoyed making people happy.

“You could be sad. You could be crying, but he would look for the way to make you laugh,” said his mother, Nicole LaSalle.

The 21-year-old Marine corporal even joked around some in his hospital room after being severely wounded during combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan, last August.

LaTorre, who was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., succumbed to his injuries Dec. 8. It was just four days before his 22nd birthday and one day after being awarded the Purple Heart.

The Waterbury, Conn., native joined the Marines three days after graduating from Crosby High School in 2005. He was deployed twice to Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan, where he sustained wounds so severe his legs had to be amputated.

LaTorre was married to his high school sweetheart, Frances LaTorre. They have a son, 1½-year-old Javier, whom family members say has a strong resemblance to his father.

“To me, it’s like he never left,” said LaTorre’s brother, Danny LaTorre, also a Marine corporal. “Seeing his son is seeing him grow up all over again.”

Marine Cpl. In C. Kim

Died December 7, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

23 year old In Kim, of Warren, Mich.; assigned to 9th Communications Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Dec. 7 in a non-hostile vehicle incident in Anbar province, Iraq.

* * * * *

Marine from Warren killed in Iraq

Associated Press

Everyone describes In C. Kim as a shy young man who tried hard to fit in.

“He was quiet and daydreaming,” said his uncle, Christopher Kim. “Once I saw a picture he drew. It was a boy lying down on the grass and looking at the sky and daydreaming.”

Kim, 23, of the Detroit suburb of Warren, Mich., died Dec. 7 in a vehicle accident in Iraq’s Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.

After growing up in Seoul, South Korea, Kim moved to Michigan with his family five years ago. His parents named him In Chul because “In” means “merciful” in Korean and “Chul” means “pride.”

One day, military recruiters piqued his interest with talk of benefits and travel. He took a test and scored especially high in mathematics. He was a Marine by August 2001, a few months after graduating high school.

Kim spent six months in Iraq last year. Two months ago, he returned for another six-month stint. He was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal.

Kim’s father, Chang Kim, said one of the attractions of military service was its ability to help him learn more about American culture and help with his English.

“First of all, he wanted to learn English, then he wanted to learn about America,” his father said. “He wanted to serve his country.”

In C. Kim also is survived by his mother, Kyoung Kim, and an older sister, Sun Kim.

Marine Maj. Megan M. McClung

Died December 6, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

34 year old Megan McClung, of Coupeville, Wash.; assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, I MEF, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Dec. 6 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Legacy of female major killed in Iraq grows

By Mike Barber

Seattle Post-Intelligencer via AP

COUPEVILLE, Wash. — After they received the hard news of their daughter’s death in Iraq in December 2006, Mike and Re McClung cloaked themselves in solitude, declining requests for interviews.

But then, Re McClung says, “we had a visitation.”

From a dream, a sense, an energy, a voice, Re heard her dead daughter clearly tell the couple to break their silence.

“She said, ‘Mom, there’s something you want to say; you better take your sound bite,”’ Re McClung says of the experience.

They were not surprised. Maj. Megan Malia Leilani McClung stood a mere 5 feet 4 inches and weighed only 125 pounds, but her spirit was a giant and had been since childhood.

When they reached out and began to hear back, the McClungs learned that as a woman and a Marine, their daughter had touched more people in more ways than they could fathom.

Wanting to learn more, “we told people, don’t send us flowers, tell us her story,” Mike McClung says.

Eighteen months after McClung, 34, was killed by a bomb that blew up her up-armored Humvee, responses arrive every day.

Many are e-mails from strangers, like one from the veteran Marine sergeant major who wept for her. Others are almost surreal. Six people, some complete strangers, named newborn daughters Megan, promising one day to tell their girls about their namesake. Drawings from schoolchildren, quilts, photos and messages from people who met their daughter only briefly yet came away feeling valued, arrive out of the blue. Privates and generals weigh in, as do the famous and the unknown.

“She’s become,” her mom says, “bigger than life, as if her energy and spirit are in people now.”

Long before her daughter began the first of her several tours in Iraq, before she became the highest-ranking female military officer and first female Naval Academy graduate to die in Iraq, Re McClung felt something different about this conflict.

“I don’t think the typical American realizes that the face of this war has changed. This one has a woman’s face,” Re McClung says.

Despite the military prohibition against women serving in combat units, military women aren’t confined to jobs as nurses or administrative or intelligence duties behind the lines as they were in past wars.

They sling rifles and drive armored trucks in convoys, guard checkpoints, fly helicopters and serve as combat medics and MPs.

As of May, nearly 100 American servicewomen were among the more than 4,000 troops killed, according to Pentagon statistics. More than two-thirds were killed in action by hostile fire. More than 20 left behind children. More than half were younger than 25, according to Defense Department statistics.

After seven years in Afghanistan and five in Iraq, it amounts to more women killed in action by direct enemy fire than in all U.S. wars combined in the past half-century.

Women also have returned in greater numbers with traumatic brain injury, amputations, burns and post-traumatic stress disorder. Veterans medical centers now have special women’s clinics, treating not only war injuries, but also the damage inflicted physically and mentally by sexual assault from fellow male troops.

In the McClung residence, a long “brag wall” is filled with frames of their redheaded daughter’s academic, athletic and military achievements. Her Marine officer’s sword. Her Boston University master’s degree. Her many triathlon and marathon championships. Her medals.

Thick albums are packed with photos. Megan McClung started collecting inspiring quotes on scraps of paper at age 9. One she lived by: “To do anything but your best is to waste the gift.”

Still unopened are packs of McClung’s photos returned with her belongings. Her mom can’t bring herself to go through them.

Outside is “Megan’s Garden,” with a model of a memorial inspired by McClung, who was a public affairs officer in Iraq. One day a larger version will be dedicated to combat correspondents and fallen communicators at Fort Meade, Md.

“Memorial Day is now different because it is no longer different,” her dad says. “Every day is Memorial Day.”

Because their daughter was concerned about wounded troops and their families, the couple channel their energy into supporting beneficial charities to help them. The McClungs, after all, are a military family: mother and father, daughter and a son, Michael Jr.

Megan McClung was born in Hawaii and graduated from high school in Mission Viejo, Calif. She was precocious and a top gymnast. Once she sought to improve strength but was rejected from the boy’s weightlifting program, so she took her case to the school board and won.

The senior prom was one of her few dates. Gymnastics and homework were her routine. Her parents never suspected she wanted to attend the naval academy until she announced she needed them to attend a reception for appointees.

She graduated from the academy in 1995.

Her dad, Mike, 65, grew up an Army brat. His father, a World War II veteran, once ran the stockade at Fort Lewis. McClung himself served in the Marines as an officer in Vietnam during the 1968 Tet offensive, then earned a doctorate and worked for a defense contractor’s classified and unclassified projects.

Her mother, Re, 61, was the daughter of a Navy officer who once flew seaplanes at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Re McClung spent a career in education, also earning a doctorate and becoming an assistant school superintendent. Both retired in 2004 and moved from California to Coupeville.

Megan McClung wanted to fly in the Navy but learned early she got airsick. She wanted to serve in the infantry, but frontline jobs aren’t open to women.

She found a way around as a public affairs officer and combat correspondent, telling her dad “the nicest thing about being a public affairs officer is that I can do everything the infantry guys do, but I don’t have to do the paperwork.”

McClung had been married to a Marine pilot, but the forced separation of the service brought the marriage to an end.

When she went back to Iraq in 2006, McClung had a new man in her life waiting at home, a Marine who left the service so they wouldn’t risk separations again.

He planned to propose when she returned.

“We knew our little girl but we didn’t know the woman she became. We didn’t know how good she was as a Marine, how competent and highly regarded she was,” her mom says.

The testimonials came from male Marines, whose respect was difficult for a woman to earn.

A colonel lightheartedly wrote that “he had worked for Megan” when she was a prepared and confident lieutenant.

A commanding officer said she could outshoot anyone not wearing an expert rifle or pistol badge, do dead-hang pull-ups and at the end of her very long and busy days in Iraq, earn a master’s degree.

“She could outrun all but four people in the entire camp,” her former commander said, calling her “a dear friend … a warrior — a Marine.”

If Marines didn’t know her, they knew of her.

Some young Marines newly returned from missions in the field in Iraq —tired, dirty, hungry — were turned away by the KBR contractor running the mess hall, told “no food” until they showered.

“Megan saw that and immediately took KBR to task. Those men got fed. That story about the redheaded captain went rampant, all over, because she understood what the mission was and who was important,” the troops, Re McClung says.

McClung was in the last month of her deployment when she died. She was in downtown Ramadi doing her job.

She had picked up Fox News’ Oliver North that night and was to have escorted him the next morning, but swapped with a gunnery sergeant to take a Newsweek crew.

Journalists appreciated her integrity and tenacity. She opened doors to the military and Iraqis.

The Humvee in which she rode was behind the Newsweek crew’s when the bomb exploded.

She died quickly, a blessing in a way, her mother says.

Maj. Megan McClung was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on a cloudy, chill morning on Dec. 19, 2006. So many people are being buried in Arlington that the McClungs had to reserve a 7:30 a.m. time slot. The sun broke out during the service.

More than 700 people attended.

And they remember her still.

In the last year, the shoes that her running partner in Iraq left at her grave, which cemetery rules require to be removed every month, keep reappearing.

Her headstone is engraved with her mantra, fitting perhaps for someone whose life was short but lived so well:

“Be bold, be brief, be gone.”

Army Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen

Died December 5, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

31 year old Dennis Hansen, of Panama City, Fla.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Dec. 5, at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit on Dec. 3 with an improvised explosive device in Logar province, Afghanistan.

Served with Corps before joining Army

The Associated Press

Dennis Hansen was determined to dunk a basketball when he was a boy, so he plotted the perfect strategy: Set up a ladder to slam that ball through the hoop.

He made the shot, but there was just one problem: He didn’t plan for what would happen after the dunk, so his landing was a bit rough, Pastor Barry Baughman recalled at Hansen’s funeral. But that desire to excel is something Hansen carried throughout life, Baughman said.

Hansen, 31, of Panama City, Fla., died Dec. 7 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds sustained from a roadside bomb four days earlier in Logar province, Afghanistan. He had served 8½ years in the Marine Corps before joining the Army and had previously served in Africa, Kosovo, Japan, Panama, Cuba and Iraq, as well as two tours in Afghanistan.

Hansen was assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y., and lived in Scottsville, N.Y., with his wife, Jennifer, and their infant son, Michael. Hansen had two other children who live in Texas: 10-year-old Alana and 7-year-old Gabriel.

His family said in his obituary that he enjoyed fishing, golfing, wrestling and woodworking, and noted he was an avoid Ohio State University football fan. He also loved animals, pumpkin pie and coffee, his family said.

“Michael says Hi Daddy!” his wife wrote on his MySpace page in July 2009. “… We think you’re the best and we cant [sic] wait to see your face again!”

Army Sgt. Cari Anne Gasiewicz

Died December 4, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

28 year old Cari Anne Gasiewicz, of Depew, N.Y.; assigned to the 202nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 513th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Gordon, Ga.; killed Dec. 4 when two improvised explosive devices detonated near her convoy in Baqubah, Iraq.

Military interpreter from upstate New York killed in Iraq

Associated Press

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A military interpreter from western New York died Saturday in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded on the convoy that was starting her on the journey home, church officials said Sunday.

Sgt. Cari Anne Gasiewicz, 28, of Cheektowaga, spoke fluent Arabic and served as an interpreter in a military intelligence unit of the Army. Military officials informed her family of her death Saturday, said her uncle, Marty Gasiewicz.

Gasiewicz died outside of Baghdad on Saturday afternoon while she was traveling to Kuwait, where she would have spent Christmas before being shipped home after the first of the year.

She graduated from Depew High School and attended Canisius College before enlisting in the Army eight years ago, according to Gwen Mysiak, a spokeswoman for the family’s church, St. Philip the Apostle in Depew. She was deployed to Iraq a year ago.

She is survived by her parents, Paul and Kathleen Gasiewicz of Cheektowaga, and her brother, Paul Gasiewicz Jr., 24.

“She loved the military, and she loved working as an interpreter,” said her uncle. “She thought she was making a difference over there. She thought she was helping people.”

Mourners remember soldier’s compassion

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A military interpreter killed in Iraq was remembered Monday for the compassion she showed others, from stray pets to Iraqi children.

Sgt. Cari Anne Gasiewicz, 28, of Depew, died Dec. 4 when her convoy was struck outside Baghdad by two improvised explosive devices. The convoy was traveling to Kuwait, where Gasiewicz would have spent Christmas before being shipped back home in January after the yearlong assignment.

“No matter where Cari was, she always found time to help others,” the Rev. Joseph H. Penkaul told about 600 mourners Monday in St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church.

When she was stationed in Korea, Gasiewicz gave free English lessons and brought home a puppy named Sabre that she had rescued.

“It reminds us of Cari all the time,” said her father, Paul Gasiewicz. “That was her puppy, and she brought her home to us. She was always caring and looking out for everybody else.

“Cari wouldn’t want us to be mourning. She’s looking down on us and keeping an eye on all of us.”

Fluent in Arabic, Gasiewicz had been a soldier for more than eight years and hoped to work for the FBI or CIA after leaving the military. She was stationed at Fort Gordon, Ga., and was attached to the Army’s 202nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 513th Military Intelligence Brigade in Iraq.

Her family said Gasiewicz would take lunch to Iraqi contractors and teach them English if they would teach her another Arabic dialect.

“We will try to think of this as your last deployment,” her aunt, Barbara Funk, said in a eulogy. “One more place you wish to serve, one more group of people you want to know, an additional foreign language you desire to learn. And Sgt. Cari Anne Gasiewicz, when you do master the language of the angels, and I know you will, remember to teach the rest of us.”

Her body was taken to Pine Lawn Chapel, where her ashes will be entombed. She is survived by her parents and a brother.

— Associated Press

Marine Cpl. Binh N. Le

Died December 3, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

20 year old Binh Le, of Alexandria, Va.; assigned to 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Dec. 3 of injuries sustained in enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Posthumous citizenship granted to Marine killed in Iraq

By Brett Zongker

Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Va. — He was born in Vietnam and came to America at age 6. After growing up in northern Virginia, he joined the Marines even though he was not a U.S. citizen.

Cpl. Binh Le became an American on Thursday, but he could not attend the citizenship ceremony held in the shadow of the Pentagon. Last month, he was buried nearby in Arlington National Cemetery, the victim of a truck bomb in Iraq during a voluntary second tour of duty there.

Le, 20, grabbed his rifle when the truck packed with explosives attacked his military post Dec. 3. He had run to a position to fire on the driver and hold back the vehicle when it exploded. His commanding officer recommended him for a Silver Star.

“His final act of bravery saved the lives of others,” Capt. Christopher J. Curtain wrote in a letter read at the ceremony. “I will be forever grateful for his heroism.”

An estimated 37,000 citizens of other countries serve in the U.S. armed forces. Since the Iraq war began, 54 have been awarded posthumous citizenship.

Le was raised by his aunt and uncle in Alexandria, Va. His parents, Lien Van Tran and Kim Hoan Thi Nguyen, traveled from Vietnam for his funeral. They are divorced but would like to remain in the United States to be close to their son’s grave, Nguyen said.

“There’s no way to describe the pain,” she said.

Rep. James P. Moran, D-Va., said he is working to offer citizenship to Le’s parents, which could require congressional action.

“I think this is a compelling enough case that we can get a single bill for citizenship for his parents,” Moran said. “They certainly deserve it.”

Tran said they didn’t have a problem with their son enlisting in the Marine Corps, but they wanted him to have time to attend college.

“His main concern was to join the military so that he could help protect the country he loved so much,” Tran said.

Army Pfc. George D. Harrison

Died December 2, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

22 year old George Harrison, of Knoxville, Tenn.; assigned to the 293rd Military Police Company, 3rd Military Police Battalion (Provisional), 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed Dec. 2 when his Humvee was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.

Fort Stewart honors Knoxville MP killed in Iraq

Associated Press

FORT STEWART, Ga. — Army Spc. George Daniel Harrison helped his fellow military policemen break the tension of constant danger in Iraq with infectious laughter, starting water gun fights and doing his grizzled veteran schtick.

Harrison, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn., was killed Dec. 2 during a firefight in Mosul. But fellow soldiers and family attending a memorial service Wednesday at Fort Stewart remembered the young soldier for his fearless sense of humor.

“He would talk about Vietnam like he was there, back in Nam,” said Spc. Joshua Curl, Harrison’s roommate. “He would buy water guns from the Iraqi kids and come in guns blazing. We acted like a bunch of kids on our downtime, but when it was time for business, everybody was on it.”

Harrison deployed in March with his unit, the 293rd Military Police Company, to help train and acclimate Iraqi police forces. It was hazardous duty, soldiers say, with troops under constant ambush from insurgents.

In Harrison’s honor, Fort Stewart officials planted an eastern redbud tree with a granite stone engraved with his name at its root at the Army post’s Warrior’s Walk memorial.

The lane of trees was begun in 2003 as a living memorial to 3rd Infantry Division soldiers killed in Iraq. Harrison’s tree marks him as the division’s 46th casualty since the invasion of Baghdad.

“I always told him, ‘You’re my hero,”’ said Doug Harrison, the soldier’s father, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Kim, and younger son, Joshua. “Even though we knew he was in harm’s way, you never, ever expect it to be your baby that’s taken away.”

Since the 3rd Infantry deployed 19,000 troops to Iraq for a second combat tour last month, it’s already clear the memorial at Fort Stewart will grow.

The Army announced late Tuesday that three soldiers of the division’s 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment died Sunday when their vehicle overturned in a canal near Balad.

They were identified as Spc. Dakotah L. Gooding, 21, of Des Moines, Iowa; Sgt. Rene Knox, Jr., 22, of New Orleans; and Sgt. Chad W. Lake, 26, of Ocala, Fla. Two other division soldiers were killed Feb. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded into their vehicle.

The night he was killed, Harrison was behind the machine gun of a Humvee when his convoy rushed to offer suppressing fire to U.S. troops under attack by insurgents.

Curl, who rode in another vehicle in the firefight, said an Iraqi bullet ricocheted off the front shield of Harrison’s machine gun and struck him in the chest.

For members of his unit, Harrison’s death hit especially hard because another soldier in his platoon, Spc. Andrew L. Tuazon, was killed in a firefight May 10.

Despite losing his older brother, Joshua Harrison, 20, cracked a smile while he told of a recent conversation with a friend. They were talking about his brother’s sacrifice, and the friend started laughing.

“She said, ‘I know what Dan would say in this situation — Ha, ha! I’m famous.”’