Tag: 10yr

Army Pfc. Matthew M. Martinek

Died September 11, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Matthew Martinek, of DeKalb, Ill.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died Sept. 11 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds sustained in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 4 when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised-explosive device followed by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire.

‘One of those clowns’

The Associated Press

Friends and family say Matthew M. Martinek had a sparkle in his eyes, maybe the seed of the smile he drew out of others.

“If you were in a bad mood, he always did something to cheer you up y’know, one of those clowns,” said Ryne Jones, who worked with him at a car care center in Martinek’s hometown of DeKalb, Ill.

Martinek, 20, died Sept. 11 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds suffered earlier in a roadside ambush in Paktika province.

“He tried not to talk too much about what he was doing, but he said he liked helping people,” said his brother, Travis Wright.

The Bartlett High School football player graduated in 2007 and joined the Army the next year, following a family tradition that included his grandfather, uncle and two older brothers.

His stepmother, Char DeGand, said he loved the outdoors snowboarding, camping, all-terrain vehicles and had an impressive tan for someone stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

She said he was an organ donor, helping to save other soldiers even after his death.

Martinek also is survived by his father, Michael; mother, Cheryl Brandes Ferguson; and brothers Frank and Michael Jr.

Army 1st Lt. Tyler E. Parten

Died September 10, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

24, of Jonesboro, Ark.; assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Sept. 10 in Glehazi District, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.

Ark. soldier killed by insurgents in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

MARIANNA, Ark — The father of an Arkansas soldier who was killed in Afghanistan said Sept. 12 his son was a gifted leader who was dedicated to serving his country.

“He was one of the most incredible individuals a man could ever be,” Dave Parten told The Associated Press of his son, 24-year-old 1st Lt. Tyler E. Parten.

The Defense Department said Tyler Parten was killed in Afghanistan on Sept. 10 after insurgents attacked his unit. The department said he died in Konar province after being wounded when insurgents attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire.

He had been stationed in Afghanistan since May and was a scout platoon leader on the mission in which he died. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Parten grew up in Marianna and graduated from Marianna Lee High School.

Dave Parten, 53, said his son was a 2007 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. “The top 10 percent of his class or something like that,” he said.

A second son, Daniel, is in his fourth year at West Point, he said.

Tyler Parten studied Arabic and wanted to be involved in conflicts targeting terror groups overseas, his father said.

“That was his reason for wanting to serve, to face the challenge and to serve others, serve his country,” Dave Parten said. “He wanted to lead other men.”

Tyler Parten’s mother, Lona Parten, told television station KAIT of Jonesboro, Ark., that her son loved the military and his country.

“He’s not just a U.S. soldier, he’s a man that took care of his troops,” she said.

Dave Parten said his son worked to excel in everything he attempted.

“He wrote music,” the father said. “He could pick up and play anything he wanted. He was just incredibly gifted.”

Tyler Parten, who was not married, also had a strong religious foundation and was a “wonderful Christian man,” his father said.

“He had a wonderful relationship with God,” Dave Parten said. “He affected everyone who ever shook hands with him.”

Tyler Parten’s body is expected to be returned to the U.S. over the weekend.

Mourners remember dedicated soldier

The Associated Press

MARIANNA, Ark. — Mourners remembered an Arkansas soldier Sept. 17 who killed in Afghanistan as a brave, dedicated man who knew what he was getting into when he enlisted in the Army.

Family and friends gathered in Marianna to honor 1st Lt. Tyler Parten, who was killed Sept. 10 in Kunbar province after insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, according to the Department of Defense.

“My brother died a hero,” his brother, Daniel, told mourners attending Parten’s funeral in downtown Marianna. “Tyler earned his military honors and he knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what he was doing when he signed up for the job he signed up for.”

Parten had been stationed in Afghanistan since May and was a scout platoon leader on the mission in which he died. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

He grew up in Marianna and graduated from Marianna Lee High School. He was 2007 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and his brother, Daniel, is now in his fourth year there.

Parten’s family remembered their son as a bright man who traveled the world and spoke Arabic fluently.

Parten’s service awards included a National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Badge, according to his mother, Lona Parten of Jonesboro.

“Ty right now is having the greatest adventure of his life. … I don’t grieve for Tyler, I grieve for us, because a nation has lost a great man,” she told mourners.

‘Tough days make the good days that much better,’ he wrote

The Associated Press

Tyler E. Parten entertained the “kiddos” in Afghanistan with his harmonica, built a chicken coop and wrote warmly of the look on a man’s face “when you show his child a little compassion.”

Those are some of the war zone experiences he documented through photos and messages on Facebook.

“Tough days make the good days that much better,” Parten said in a mid-August posting.

The 2007 graduate of West Point was assigned to Fort Carson, Colo., and studied Arabic because he wanted to help target terrorist groups overseas.

“That was his reason for wanting to serve, to face the challenge and to serve others, serve his country,” said his father, Dave Parten. “He wanted to lead other men.”

The 24-year-old from Marianna, Ark., was doing just that when he died during an ambush Sept. 10 in Konar province.

His father said Parten’s talents went beyond those of a good soldier.

“He wrote music,” Dave Parten said. “He could pick up and play anything he wanted. He was just incredibly gifted.”

The Marianna Lee High School graduate is also survived by his mother, Lona; and a brother, Daniel.

Air Force 1st Lt. Joseph D. Helton Jr.

Died September 8, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

24 year old Joseph Helton, of Monroe Ga.; assigned to the 6th Security Forces Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; died Sept. 8 near Baghdad of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Airman killed in Iraq IED attack

Staff report

An Air Force security forces officer died Tuesday near Baghdad when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

The victim was 1st Lt. Joseph D. Helton Kr., 24, of Monroe, Ga., the Defense Department announced Wednesday.

Helton was deployed from the 6th Security Forces Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. He was stationed there in 2007 after graduating from the Air Force Academy, reports said.

“We’d like to express our deepest sympathy to family, friends and comrades of Lieutenant Joe Helton for their recent loss,” said Col. Lawrence Martin, commander of MacDill’s 6th Air Mobility Wing. “Joe was an amazing airman and defender who volunteered to lead our best in Iraq. We are deeply saddened by his loss and very proud of his service.”

Air Force Academy graduate cared about family

The Associated Press

If someone had a question, Joseph D. Helton was the man to go to for the answer.

“He just looked like he knew the answers,” said his mother, Jiffy. He was comfortable cooking his signature treat, baklava, and cleaning, but he also had a “quiet, commanding presence,” she said.

Helton, 24, of Monroe, Ga., died Sept. 8 near Baghdad when the vehicle he was in hit a roadside bomb. He admired his family’s service — his parents, grandparents and three uncles all had been in the armed forces — and doodled battleships and fighter jets as a child.

The daydreaming was not in vain: He went to the Air Force Academy, graduating in 2007. He then was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. He didn’t want to leave his sisters behind, but his mother insisted he follow his dream.

“He felt like he had to stay around home and take care of the girls and me,” Jiffy Helton said. “He felt like he was the man of the house.”

Helton also wrote a blog while in Iraq, writing that the people he met were “just like us on a basic, human level.”

He is survived by his mother; father, Joseph; and his sisters.

Army Staff Sgt. Randy M. Haney

Died September 6, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

27 year old Randy Haney, of Orlando, Fla.; was assigned to 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Sept. 6 in Nangarhar, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

* * * * *

Enjoyed working on his Honda Civic

The Associated Press

When Randy M. Haney got a care package filled with candy while serving in Afghanistan, he wasn’t the one who ate it. He gave it to Afghan children, his mother said.

“He was very proud of the fact that he helped people and that he was serving his country,” added his mother-in-law, Cindy Alexopoulos. “He cared a lot about the kids and trying to help people who were there.”

Haney, 27, of Orlando, Fla., was killed Sept. 6 when enemy forces attacked his unit. He joined the military in search of a stable job after he earned his GED and had trouble finding jobs. He was a military police officer assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.

Haney had served a tour in Afghanistan from 2005-06, and in Iraq from 2007-08. But he was ready to come back to civilian life with his wife and two young children. And he was especially excited to work on his speedy Honda Civic, which he was always taking apart and putting back together.

His family said he was also a jokester who decided he would be in charge of boosting morale in his military unit.

Haney is survived by his wife, Katie, and two children, 5-year-old Aubry and 18-month-old Austin.

Marine Capt. Joshua S. Meadows

Died September 5, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

30 year old Joshua Meadows, of Bastrop, Texas; assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Sept. 5 while supporting combat operations in Koshan, Afghanistan.

MarSOC officer killed in Afghanistan

Staff report

A California-based Marine was killed Saturday in Afghanistan’s Farah province, the Pentagon reported Wednesday.

Capt. Joshua S. Meadows, 30, of Bastrop, Texas, died from wounds sustained during a firefight, friends told the Elgin Courier, his hometown newspaper. A UH-1N Huey pilot, he was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Corps Forces-Special Operations Command, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.

He had joined MarSOC in May, Marine officials said in a statement.

Meadows enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1996, and he served as a reservist while studying at Texas Tech University, the Courier reported. He and his wife were expecting the birth of their first child.

His military awards and decorations included the Purple Heart, Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, officials said.

Meadows approached Marine service ‘like it was his destiny’

The Associated Press

Joshua S. Meadows was about to become a father. He was only two weeks away from coming home where his wife was waiting to reveal whether they’d have a boy or girl when he died Sept. 5 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.

The 30-year-old from Bastrop, Texas, was assigned to Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Friends said Meadows was a devout Christian and Eagle Scout who always had a sincere smile. He joined the Marines before graduating from Elgin High School in 1997 and earned a business degree from Texas Tech University before he was commissioned as an officer.

“He was just a very polite young man, very ‘Yes, sir, No, sir,’ ” said family friend Jeff Carter. “Some people join the military, and it’s just a job. But he approached it like it was his destiny.”

Local library director Sandy Ott said she remembered watching Meadows as a boy, riding in a green pickup and wrestling with his late father, Robert Meadows, also a Marine.

“Joshua and Robert are probably up in heaven now knocking each other in the head and playing,” she said.

Meadows is survived by his wife in Carlsbad, Calif.; his mother, Jan; and his sister, Erin.

Army 2nd Lt. Darryn D. Andrews

Died September 4, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

34 year old Darryn Andrews, of Dallas; was assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; was killed Sept. 4 in Yahya Khail District, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device and a rocket-propelled grenade.

‘If he knew you, it was always a bear hug’

The Associated Press

Darryn D. Andrews wasn’t one for shaking hands.

“If he knew you, it was always a bear hug. It didn’t make any difference,” said his mother, Sondra.

She said he loved life, especially with his wife, Julie, and their 2-year-old son. The couple was expecting their second child when Andrews died Sept. 4 of wounds from a rocket-propelled grenade in Paktika province, Afghanistan.

The 34-year-old from Dallas was assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska.

His mother said he was lighthearted, energetic and “could put a fun spin on any situation.” He enjoyed scuba and sky diving, fishing and hunting, and he immersed himself in athletics, theater productions and church youth group while growing up in the Texas panhandle.

He and his twin brother, Jarrett, attended Texas Tech University, and he earned a master’s degree from Texas State University in 2008. But his sense of duty led him to the military six years ago, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

“We grew up with an enormous amount of pride for our nation,” she said. “We passed it on to our children, never thinking we would pay the ultimate sacrifice.”

Andrews also is survived by his father.

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione

Died September 3, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Benjamin Castiglione, of Howell, Mich.; was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 3 while supporting combat operations in Qal Yeh Now, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Baltazar Jr.

Corpsman with 2nd LAR killed in Afghanistan

Staff report

A Navy corpsman was killed Sept. 3 while supporting Marines in southern Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione, 21, of Howell, Mich., died after being struck by an improvised explosive in Helmand province, his family told local media. Units from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade have been operating in Helmand and neighboring provinces since the spring. He was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion out of Camp Lejeune.

Castiglione was the subject of a February feature story in the Daily Press & Argus, his hometown newspaper. At the time, his father described the corpsman as a “gung-ho, John Wayne type of guy.”

Just a few months before that article was published, Castiglione had received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for actions in Iraq. His commander, Col. R.E. Smith, singled out the sailor’s quick actions after one Marine in the unit had been stung by a scorpion and, again, in the wake of a car wreck involving Iraqi civilians near Combat Outpost Rio Lobo.

“The military life is not easy,” Castiglione told the newspaper last winter, “but I believe that I am a stronger person for it. The hardships I have dealt with were worth what I have learned and the bonds I have with the Marines in my platoon. When my platoon and I have downtime and talk and mess around with each other, it’s like one big hilarious, dysfunctional family — and it’s a blast. We take care of each other.”

Castiglione joined the Navy in 2006. He aspired to be a physician’s assistant.

Flags lowered in memory of Michigan sailor

The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered that U.S. flags in Michigan be flown at half-staff to honor a sailor from Howell who was killed in Afghanistan.

Granholm says flags should be lowered Sept. 21 for Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione, 21. He served as a hospitalman, the Navy equivalent of an Army medic.

Castiglione died Sept. 3 from injuries sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Battalion.

Corpsman joined Navy out of high school

The Associated Press

Benjamin P. Castiglione was unfazed even by a scorpion. He helped civilians and comrades in the Afghan and Iraqi war zones as a medic in the Navy, once treating an unconscious Marine having breathing and heart problems after being stung by the desert-dwelling creature.

“Those Marines meant the world to him,” said his mother, Carrie Castiglione. “I talked to him before he went to Iraq about preparing himself for losing one if he had to. He said, ‘Mom, I’m bringing all those guys home.’ ”

Instead, they lost him in Afghanistan.

Castiglione, 21, of Howell, Mich., was killed Sept. 3 by an improvised explosive in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.

He graduated from Howell High School in 2006 and joined the Navy that November. He served in Iraq for eight months last year and deployed to Afghanistan in June.

He wanted to continue medical work and planned to become a physician’s assistant. He also was looking forward to going to Germany or Hawaii when his deployment ended in November, his parents said.

He died one day after talking about those plans with his family.

Castiglione is also survived by three stepbrothers.

Army Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu

Died August 31, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Jordan Brochu, of Cumberland, Maine; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Aug. 31 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Spc. Jonathan D. Welch and Spc. Tyler R. Walshe.

Flags lowered in memory of Brochu

The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Maine — Flags in Maine are flying at half-staff Sept. 10 in honor of a soldier from the state who was killed in combat in Afghanistan. Pfc. Jordan Brochu is also being honored with a memorial service in celebration of his life.

Brochu died Aug. 31 from wounds suffered in an improvised explosive device attack. Brochu moved to Maine while he was in high school, and his parents live in Oakland, outside of Waterville.

A memorial service will be held at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Waterville. A service with military honors for family and close friends will follow at the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Augusta.

Gov. John Baldacci has ordered U.S. and Maine flags flown at half staff from sunrise to sunset.

Brochu was serving with an infantry battalion out of Fort Lewis, Wash.

Pfc. excelled putting shot, in the kitchen

The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Maine — A soldier from Maine who was killed in Afghanistan was remembered as an outgoing high school student who excelled as an athlete and who loved to cook.

Pfc. Jordan Brochu was killed Aug. 31 in Afghanistan, according to Gov. John Baldacci’s office.

Brochu’s family moved to Maine for his senior year in high school. His coaches at Lake Region High School, where he graduated in 2008, told the Morning Sentinel of Waterville that Brochu played football and qualified for the state track meet as a discus thrower. He also was involved in culinary arts with a fondness for baking cookies.

In one season, Brochu went from not knowing how to throw a discus to having the best form of anyone that Lake Region track coach Chip Morton had coached.

“He was very dedicated and determined to succeed,” Morton said. “It’s hard to look at so short of a life as a success, but he lived life with a passion and he was loved by those who knew him.”

Brochu had been through some tough times in his life, but he was involved in school and fit in well, principal Roger Lowell said.

“To have a kid who goes through that and gets back into school and back on track and has a good senior year isn’t all that common,” Lowell said.

Brochu, 20, was serving with Company C, 1-17th Infantry Battalion of Fort Lewis, Wash. Additional details about his death were not available.

His parents live in Oakland, but they weren’t at their rural farmhouse Tuesday afternoon.

‘Jordan lived a lifetime in 20 years’

The Associated Press

Jordan Brochu got a rough start in life. He was abused and neglected until age 3, said his adoptive mother, Suzanne Brochu.

Overcoming his early childhood horrors was hard, with many setbacks, she said.

As he got older, he poured himself into a variety of activities — fishing, video games, sports, cooking, reading J.R.R. Tolkien books, even poetry writing.

“It was very real,” his former high school guidance counselor, Nancy McClean, said of his writings. “He was very, very good and expressing life, expressing hope.”

Brochu, 20, of Cumberland, Maine, died Aug. 31 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered after his Army unit was attacked with an explosive device. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.

Brochu wrote on his MySpace page that “my life has been hell and no one thought or cared if i would make it.” But he added, “for once my head is held high.”

Brochu, a 2008 graduate of Lake Region Vocational Center, was popular student and athlete. He joined the Army as a way to do some good, McClean said.

His mother and his father, Daniel Brochu, believe he succeeded.

“Jordan lived a lifetime in 20 years,” Suzanne Brochu said. “He started with us broken but he has finished complete. A hero.”

Army Pfc. Eric W. Hario

Died August 29, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

19 year old Eric Hario, of Monroe, Mich.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.; died Aug. 29 in Sharana, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he was shot by enemy forces Aug. 28 while conducting combat operations.

Flags lowered in memory of Hario

The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered that U.S. flags in Michigan be flown at half-staff to honor a soldier from Monroe who was killed in Afghanistan.

Granholm’s office says flags should be lowered Sept. 9 for 19-year-old Army Pfc. Eric W. Hario. He died Aug. 28 from injuries sustained from small arms fire in Paktika province, Afghanistan.

Hario was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

Army Spc. Abraham S. Wheeler III

Died August 28, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

22 year old Abraham Wheeler, of Columbia, S.C.; assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Aug. 28 in Charkh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Was looking forward to restoring Olds when he returned

The Associated Press

Abraham S. Wheeler III, whom friends called “Rod,” couldn’t wait to get home and finish restoring his 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.

His father, Abraham Wheeler Jr., was hoping to have it repainted by the time his son came home. But he won’t have that chance.

“I’ve never had a feeling like that ever,” the elder Wheeler said of the moment he learned of his son’s death. “My heart, it felt like it had fallen down to my foot.”

Wheeler joined the Army in 2007, two years after graduating from Ridge View High School, where he was a 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive end on the football team. He was assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y.

The 22-year-old from Columbia, S.C., was killed by a roadside bomb Aug. 28 in Logar province, Afghanistan.

His father said when he last spoke to his son on the phone, the soldier said “things were getting a little hectic, but he told me not to worry because he would be all right.”

However, the younger Wheeler knew the risks, according to posts on his online Facebook page.

“Man, so many soldiers fallin all over this … country,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to them.”

Wheeler is also survived by a brother.

Army Pfc. Matthew E. Wildes

Died August 27, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

18 year old Matthew Wildes, of Hammond, La.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 27 in Maywand, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Soldier’s body returns to U.S.

The Associated Press

HAMMOND, La. — The body of an 18-year-old soldier killed in Afghanistan has been returned to his family.

On Sept. 1, Pfc. Matthew Wildes’ flag-draped casket arrived at Top Gun Aviation at the Hammond Airport as a large turnout of friends and family stood by to receive him. Troops carried the coffin to a hearse, which took the body to an area funeral home.

Wildes was killed Aug. 27 when a roadside bomb struck a convoy in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says Wildes was with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, part of Fort Carson’s 4th Infantry Division. The brigade went to Afghanistan in May to patrol a four-province area along the Pakistan border.

On Sept. 3, a graveside service with full military honors will be held at Westchurch Church of Christ in Hammond.

Remembered by colleagues for humorous ticks

The Associated Press

Matthew E. Wildes was known for his sense of humor and carefree attitude.

“Wildes always tried to make everyone laugh with his corny raps and his famous ‘Blue Steel’ look he had mastered,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Nares, referring to the pose struck by Ben Stiller as a model caricature in “Zoolander.”

“You were a great soldier, but an even better friend.”

Wildes, 18, of Hammond, La., was killed Aug. 27 by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.

The teen’s parents tried to talk him out of joining, but he was determined. Wildes earned his GED to join up as soon as possible, in April 2008, said his mother, Mary.

Halfway through basic training, he was sent home with stress fractures — and couldn’t wait to get back with his fellow soldiers.

“He was a sweet kid,” she said. “He didn’t like me saying that, but he was a kid. I treated him like a baby. But he was my baby.”

Mary Wildes talked to him on MySpace the day before he died and told him she loved him — but let him go so he didn’t spend all his allotted 30 minutes on the computer talking to her.

He is survived by his mother; his father, Clint; a brother, also named Clint; and a sister, Jamie Ackan.

Army Staff Sgt. Kurt R. Curtiss

Died August 26, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

27 year old Kurt Curtiss, of Murray, Utah; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died Aug. 26 in Sar Howzeh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot while his unit was supporting Afghan security forces during an enemy attack.

‘He felt we were in danger’

The Associated Press

SOUTH OGDEN, Utah — A candlelight vigil has been scheduled for Aug. 31 for a Utah soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sgt. Kurt Curtiss, 27, of Murray was fatally shot Aug. 25 in a firefight as his unit tried to clear a group of insurgents out of a hospital in Paktika province, Army spokesman Nathan Banks said.

Curtiss is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.

Curtiss had two prior tours of duty in Iraq and told his mother that the situation he found in his most recent deployment in Afghanistan was “brutal.”

“He didn’t say much more than that,” his mother, Ruth Serrano of South Ogden, told the Salt Lake Tribune. “I don’t know if he wasn’t allowed to, or if he just didn’t want to worry people. I don’t know.”

Forty-seven U.S. service members died in August in Afghanistan, the most since the start of the eight-year war.

Curtiss, who enlisted in the Army the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

“He felt we were in danger and he wanted to do something to help,” said his sister, Lynn Burr of Arizona.

Vigil for Utah soldier killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

SOUTH OGDEN, Utah — Friends and family of a Utah soldier killed in Afghanistan held a vigil to remember him on the lawn of his mother’s home.

Kurt Curtiss, 27, died Aug. 26 in Paktika Province in Afghanistan. He was shot while his unit was supporting Afghan security forces during an enemy attack.

Ruth Serrano on Sept. 1 recalled seeing her son at Christmas. She said he was handsome and well-mannered but that something was wrong and he wouldn’t talk about it.

Curtiss, of Murray, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. He left behind had a wife and two young children.

Curtiss went to Afghanistan in December. He had already served two tours in Iraq.

Army Capt. John L. Hallett III

Died August 25, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

30 year old John Hallett III, of California; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Aug. 25 in Sha Wali Kot, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer and Pfc. Dennis M. Williams.

Army 2nd Lt. Joseph D. Fortin

Died August 23, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

22 year old Joseph Fortin, of St. Johnsbury, Vt..; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 23 in Muhallah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Friends, family remember his desire to be a ‘superhero’

By Wilson Ring

The Associated Press

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. — A Vermont soldier killed in Iraq chose military service as a way to further a childhood desire to be a superhero and protect those around him, friends and family said Aug. 31.

Family, friends, and colleagues, gathered in the gymnasium of St. Johnsbury Academy for the funeral for 22-year-old 2nd Lt. Joseph Fortin, who was killed Aug. 23 in Iraq. Gov. Jim Douglas and Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie, the head of the Vermont National Guard, and Fortin’s fellow soldiers were among the mourners.

Martin Fortin said he once asked his son why he wasn’t afraid to die.

“He said ‘Dad, because there’s one thing worse than that. I know I’m going to have a unit underneath me … if I gave the wrong order or did the wrong thing and one man got maimed for life or died, I would never, never be able to live with myself,’ ” the elder Fortin said. “And it’s amazing, then he smiled and made me at peace with that.”

The St. Johnsbury native was killed by an improvised explosive device while riding in a vehicle in Muhallah, near Baghdad.

By The Associated Press’ count, Fortin was the 27th serviceman with ties to Vermont to die in Iraq. Another Vermont soldier was killed in Afghanistan, and one died of natural causes in Kuwait.

About 700 people attended the service in the gym of the high school where Fortin graduated in 2004. Over the weekend, thousands of mourners lined the roads of Vermont as the soldier’s body was returned to St. Johnsbury from Burlington International Airport.

On Aug. 30, hundreds more gathered for calling hours. After the funeral, Fortin’s family and friends gathered for a public reception.

During the funeral, some recounted how Fortin never outgrew the desire to be a superhero.

“Superheroes can’t stay in high school forever,” said Larry Golden, who teaches high school art and had Fortin in class. “So Joey moved on and took his superhero powers off to college, and while he was in college he heard the call. And being a superhero, he had to answer that call; his country needed him. So Joey joined the military.

“But life is different than a superhero movie, it doesn’t always have the ending we planned,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Joey was a standup guy, and Joey always cared about his men. And Joey always led by example and sometimes superhero powers can’t protect you.

“Joey has come home and his spirit has gone to wherever superheroes go.”

Fortin left a wife, Nicquelle; his parents; and his siblings.

Remembering 2nd Lt. Joseph D. Fortin

The Associated Press

Joey Fortin was a competitive, outgoing guy who enjoyed sports and just having fun.

But the 22-year-old graduate of a private New England academy also could make those around him feel comfortable.

It was that part of his personality that made him a good fit when he helped with a summer baseball camp for young children five years ago, and when he befriended fellow students at the St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont.

The St. Johnsbury native and 2004 academy graduate was very approachable, classmate Sara Davidson recalled in a recent post to a newspaper Web site.

“He was a good person to everyone in high school,” she wrote. “There are not many people that can pull that off through all of the awkwardness and insecurities most high schoolers (like me) experience.”

Tom Lovett, headmaster of the academy, said Fortin liked to have fun, but also was “caring and responsible.”

Fortin, an Army lieutenant assigned to Fort Hood was killed Aug. 23 when an explosive device hit the vehicle he was riding in near Baghdad. His funeral was held on the campus of St. Johnsbury Academy.

He leaves behind his, wife, Nicquelle, also a graduate of the academy.

Army Staff Sgt. Andrew T. Lobosco

Died August 22, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

29 year old Andrew Lobosco, of Somerville, N.J.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 22 in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit.

Friends, family remember Somerville native killed in Afghanistan

By Martin C. Bricketto

(East Brunswick, N.J.) Home News Tribune

Staff Sgt. Andrew T. Lobosco, 29, was a dedicated soldier with a big heart and someone who just stood out as special, according to those who knew him.

Lobosco, a Somerville native and Immaculata High School graduate, was killed Aug. 22 in Yakhchal, Afghanistan while on patrol in support of combat operations, according to U.S. Army Special Forces Command. A member of the Green Berets, Lobosco was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Lobosco is survived by his mother, Bonnie Lobosco, father Robert Lobosco and sister, Lisa Lobosco. They could not be reached for comment.

Lobosco graduated from Immaculata in 1998. Kristen Kostes, a fellow member of that graduating class, said Lobosco “was not a person you easily forget” and “had such a big heart.”

“He was big on honor. Even in high school he was very disciplined. He was all about mind, body and soul,” Kostes said.

Kostes, a Bedminster resident, said she kept in touch with Lobosco via Facebook and other means, and talked to him just before he visited his twin sister in Minnesota last month and before he was deployed to Afghanistan.

“He was just having so much fun, and he was so excited about going back too, he said it was going to be like his vacation,” Kostes said. “The army was his life. He loved everything about it.”

Lobosco participated in collection drives known as “missions” in each of his four years at Immaculata. He was also a member of the art club, Students Against Destructive Decisions and a group known as the Antioch Team that led a mentoring retreat. He participated in the spring musical during his senior year.

“He was a well-respected student and an outstanding young man, and certainly our community is grieving, but at the same time, we’re very proud of him for his service to the country,” said Pierce Frauenheim, the athletic director, head football coach, and an assistant principal at Immaculata.

Vivian Gleeson, the school’s director of crisis management and plant security, said Lobosco was one of her counselees as a sophomore just when Gleeson was transitioning to the guidance department after several years in the art department.

“I remember him being spirited and alert, kids could rally around him,” Gleeson said. “In his sophomore year, which is when I had him, he was just beginning to awake into his own abilities.”

Both Frauenheim and Gleeson recalled Lobosco’s talent for art and drawing. Gleeson said “some kids just stand out.”

“When you see his picture, it just brings a smile because you remember he was just that kind of kid, a happy kid,” Gleeson said.

Lobosco — a Special Forces medical sergeant — enlisted in the Army in January 2004 as a Special Forces candidate. He earned the distinction of being a Green Beret in January 2007. He was in his second deployment in the war on terror, and his awards and decorations include the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

“The Army was his life,” Kostes said.

Lobosco’s profile on the social networking Web site MySpace shows his personal side. His interests include “anything that gets my heart racing and adrenaline flowing.” Lobosco’s favorite music ranged from alternative rock to hip hop. He didn’t waste time on television and professed that “you can never read too much!” He liked “any and all horror movies, even the really corny b-rated ones.”

According to Kostes, Lobosco updated his Facebook page on Aug. 20 with a post that stated “what you are is what you have been, and what you will be is what you do now.”

Kostes said Lobosco had been living outside of Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N. C. Kostes also remembered Lobosco living in Bridgewater during high school.

Somerville Mayor Brian Gallagher said borough flags would fly at half staff in honor of Lobosco.

Army Sgt. Matthew L. Ingram

Died August 21, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

25 year old Matthew Ingram, of Pearl, Miss.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 21 in Chapa Dara, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle and his unit came under small fire from enemy forces.

Slain Miss. soldier known as leader

By Jerry Mitchell

(Jackson, Miss.) Clarion Ledger

Army Sgt. Matthew Ingram, killed in an apparent ambush in Afghanistan, is being remembered as a leader who loved his country, a father who loved his family and a small-town Mississippian who wanted to see the world.

The 25-year-old Newton County native already had a Purple Heart for injuries he suffered in his second tour of duty in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan in May.

His mother, Patricia, said Army officials called with the news of his death. “It’s the worst news that anybody had ever told me,” she said, “but this is what he wanted to do.”

No date has been set for funeral services in Newton County, where he grew up. He is survived by his wife, Holly, and their 10-month-old daughter, Chloe, who lived with him near Fort Carson, Colo, where he was stationed.

Ingram was killed Friday in Afghanistan, where fighting is so fierce that Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the situation as “serious and deteriorating.”

With 44 killed, July was the deadliest month for American forces in Afghanistan since the conflict began.

Ingram died from wounds he suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. According to the Department of Defense, his unit was under small arms fire from enemy forces when the blast occurred.

Ingram was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson.

His mother said the initial report military officials gave was enemy forces had ambushed her son and other soldiers who had been called out at 3 a.m.

“Matthew was the first one hit,” she said.

She said Army officials said they are going to continue to investigate what happened but that it wasn’t the first time soldiers had been ambushed there.

“They told me I should be very proud, that he went down as a hero,” she said.

Even as a child, Matthew was the one giving the orders, she said. “He’s always been a leader, not a follower.”

He would tell his brother, five years older, what to do, she said.

And he was bright. When he was in kindergarten, his classroom had a plastic replica of a human body. He was able to remove the organs and return them to the right locations, naming each one, she said. “The teacher told me Matthew might be a doctor one day.”

When he got older, he found he could miss a few days of school and still keep up, she said. “He was very smart.”

Eventually, those misses became more permanent, and he dropped out during his senior year at Newton County High School, where he was a member of the Future Farmers of America.

Principal Ken Stringer said Matthew was never loud or a troublemaker. “The ones who made the racket I knew,” he said.

Although he dropped out of school, Ingram was filled with ambitions and dreams beyond the discount store where he worked, his mother said. “He didn’t want to be mediocre.”

He saw the Army as a way to pay for his college, she said.

He saw other advantages to military service, too, she said. “He wanted to see the world. He said, ‘When I get older, I want to go to a big town and live in a big town.’“

He may have been influenced, too, by his mother’s fiance, Harry Hastings, who retired as a full colonel in the Army medical service corps.

“He talked about how happy he was when he joined,” Hastings said.

Matthew joined the Army the summer of 2003 and did basic training at Fort Benning. His mother and Hastings visited him there on parents’ day, and at Matthew’s request, Hastings wore his uniform.

Ingram was reassigned to South Korea, where he spent 10 months before his entire brigade was deployed to Iraq, where he spent a year.

While visiting back home, Matthew enjoyed the hobbies of paintball and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, his mother said.

Stationed later in Colorado, he met his future wife, Holly, in Colorado Springs. They married in 2006.

He became a sergeant before returning for a second tour in Iraq. He didn’t get back home until early 2007.

Hastings remembers he and Matthew’s mother visiting the young couple after he returned, and Matthew pushing a medal out onto the table.

It was a Purple Heart, he said. “That was his most prized possession.”

Matthew never discussed what happened beyond an explosion inside a Humvee that injured his foot and ankle, he said. “Most likely it was a roadside bomb or a grenade.”

In May, Matthew had to leave for Afghanistan, and this time he didn’t want to go “because of his little baby,” his mother said. “He said, ‘You know, Mama, I might not come back this time.’ “

He worried about not seeing his daughter again.

Though grieved by his death, his mother said she’s comforted by a Native American saying that people “never die as long as you mention their name. Their spirit lives on forever.”

Services set for Ingram

The Associated Press

HICKORY, Miss. — Services are scheduled Aug. 29 for a 25-year-old soldier from Mississippi who was killed Aug. 21 during combat in Afghanistan.

Services for Army Sgt. Matthew Ingram are 2 p.m. Aug. 29 at Antioch Christian Church, three miles south of Hickory on Mississippi Highway 503.

The Department of Defense says Ingram died from wounds suffered Aug. 20 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. The blast occurred while his unit was under small-arms fire from enemy forces.

Ingram was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Ingram is survived by his wife, Holly, and their 10-month-old baby.

Post office named in soldier’s memory

The Associated Press

HICKORY, Miss. — The post office in Hickory was named Aug. 13 for a Newton County native who died while serving in Afghanistan.

The facility will be called the Sgt. Matthew L. Ingram Post Office.

Ingram, 25, died in August 2009 after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was survived by his wife and a child.

Ingram received a Purple Heart after being injured in Iraq, where he served August 2004 to July 2005.

Mississippi’s congressional delegation co-sponsored a bill to name the post office in the soldier’s honor. Republican Rep. Gregg Harper hosted the dedication ceremony.

Army Spc. Justin R. Pellerin

Died August 20, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Justin Pellerin, of Boscawen, N.H.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Aug. 20 in FOB Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Concord-area man killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. — A 21-year-old soldier from Boscawen was killed in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle, the Pentagon said Saturday.

Pentagon officials say Spc. Justin R. Pellerin, 21, died Thursday in Wardak Province from wounds suffered in the attack.

He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

The Concord Monitor reports that Pellerin, a 2006 Concord High School graduate, left for his first tour in Afghanistan in January.

Josh Bisson, a childhood friend and the best man at Pellerin’s wedding, said Pellerin was scheduled to return to the United States on Dec. 15.

He said Pellerin married 21-year-old Chelsey Pellerin, his high school sweetheart and “the love of his life,” in July 2008, adding that the two hoped to move to New York when Pellerin returned.

Bisson described his friend as a funny man who loved American muscle cars and had decided to join the military in hopes of “doing something good” for other people.

“He’d give the shirt off his back for anyone,” Bisson said. “Everyone he met he was friends with. He had no rough edges, everybody loved him.”

Louis Chouinard of Littleton, Pellerin’s grandfather, said the young soldier “had it in his mind that he wanted to make a difference, so that’s why he did what he did,” Chouinard said. “He was just a great kid.”

Funeral held for Pellerin

The Associated Press

PEMBROKE, N.H. — Family and friends paid tribute this weekend to a soldier killed in Afghanistan.

A private funeral was held Saturday for Army infantryman Spc. Justin R. Pellerin of Concord, N.H., who died last week from wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He was 21.

Close friends remember him as a dedicated soldier with a sense of humor.

Friend Geordan Rule told WMUR-TV that Pellerin was fearless, always ready for any challenge.

The service was held at the Grace Capital Church in Pembroke.

Pellerin will be buried Tuesday at the state Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen.

Army Sgt. Troy O. Tom

Died August 19, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Troy Tom, of Shiprock, N.M.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Aug. 18 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Also killed was Pfc. Jonathan C. Yanney.

21-year-old Navajo soldier dies in Afghanistan

By Sue Major Holmes

The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A 21-year-old Navajo soldier killed in Afghanistan was described by his mother as someone who made everyone smile and his father remembered him as an outgoing man with an interest in the outdoors and art.

Navajo Nation Council Delegate David Tom of Beclabito-Cudii and his wife, Carolyn Tom, flew to Dover Air Force Base, Del., for a brief ceremony Aug. 20 when the body of their son, Spc. Troy Orion Tom, was brought back to the United States.

“Right now he’s just our hero,” David Tom said Aug. 21. “His family is all proud of him that he was out there, serving his country.”

His son was killed Aug. 17 in the Kandahar province, Afghanistan. David Tom said the family was told he stepped on a roadside bomb when his unit was setting up camp after a fight with Taliban insurgents.

Tom joined the Army in June 2006 after graduating from Aztec High School and was based in Fort Lewis, Wash. His father said he joined the military because he wanted to physically and mentally challenge himself.

“He was the nicest, the kindest, son. He made everybody smile. He always had a smile on his face — never, ever did he get mad. We’re going to miss him very much,” Carolyn Tom said before breaking down in tears.

David Tom said his son liked to hunt, fish and sketch, and enjoyed herding sheep when he was back on the reservation.

George Hardeen, spokesman for Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., said Tom is the ninth Navajo member of the military to die in either Afghanistan or Iraq since 2004.

Shirley will order flags lowered to half-staff before the funeral, Hardeen said.

Begged parents to let him join Army before he turned 18

The Associated Press

Before he was 18, Troy Tom begged his family to let him join the Army, saying he wanted the challenges and experiences time in the service would bring and he wanted to attend college on the GI Bill.

The high school honor roll student didn’t want to burden his family with tuition for school and other expenses, said his aunt Lena Dorme.

“He was a smart boy,” his father, David Tom, added. “He begged us to let him go into the Army early, before he even turned 18.”

Troy Tom, 21, of Shiprock, N.M., was one of two soldiers killed Aug. 18 when a roadside bomb exploded near them in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on the Pakistani border. He was based at Fort Lewis, Wash., and was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

Tom joined the Army in June 2006 after graduating from Aztec High School in Aztec, N.M. He was a member of the Navajo Nation. His family said they will remember him as someone who could make people around him smile.

“He was the nicest, the kindest, son. He made everybody smile. He always had a smile on his face — never, ever did he get mad. We’re going to miss him very much,” his mother Carolyn Tom said before breaking down in tears.

Marine Master Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin

Died August 18, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

34 year old Adam Benjamin, of Garfield Heights, Ohio; assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 18 while supporting combat operations in COP Payne, Afghanistan.

Gunny, lance cpl. die in Afghanistan

Staff report

Two North Carolina-based Marines were killed this week supporting combat operations in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin, 34, of Garfield, Ohio, died Aug. 18 and Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, N.Y., died Aug. 17. Both died in Helmand province. Both were assigned to units with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, but it’s not clear if the incidents were related.

Benjamin was assigned to Camp Lejeune’s 8th Engineer Support Battalion, according to a news release. No other information about him was immediately available.

Damas was a rifleman with the Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. He joined the Corps in January 2006. In February, he returned from his second seven-month tour in Iraq since 2007, and then left for Afghanistan in May.

Marine Cpl. Leopold F. Damas

Died August 17, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

26 year old Leopold Damas, of Floral Park, N.Y.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 17 while supporting combat operations in Garmsir, Afghanistan.

Gunny, lance cpl. die in Afghanistan

Staff report

Two North Carolina-based Marines were killed Aug. 17 supporting combat operations in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

Gunnery Sgt. Adam F. Benjamin, 34, of Garfield, Ohio, died Aug. 18 and Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas, 26, of Floral Park, N.Y., died Aug. 17. Both died in Helmand province. Both were assigned to units with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, but it’s not clear if the incidents were related.

Benjamin was assigned to Camp Lejeune’s 8th Engineer Support Battalion, according to a news release. No other information about him was immediately available.

Damas was a rifleman with the Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. He joined the Corps in January 2006. In February, he returned from his second seven-month tour in Iraq since 2007, and then left for Afghanistan in May.

Marine mourned at funeral in NYC

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Relatives and friends have paid their final respects in New York City to a Marine killed in Afghanistan after serving two tours in Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Leopold Damas was remembered at a Queens church Saturday for his bravery, determination and dedication to the Marine Corps. Gerard Damas says his younger brother lived a longtime dream by joining the corps and “was exactly where he wanted to be.”

The 26-year-old Damas died Aug. 17 in Helmand province. Originally from Haiti, he joined the Marines after graduating from a Queens high school.

He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. He will be buried in Charlotte, N.C.

Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush

Died August 16, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

22 year old Nicholas Roush, of Middleville, Mich.; assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 16 in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Father calls son’s death ‘devastating’

The Associated Press

MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. — The father of a Middleville soldier killed in Afghanistan says dealing with his son’s death has been “devastating.”

The Department of Defense announced Aug. 17 that 22-year-old Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush died Aug 16 in Herat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Roush was a Thornapple-Kellogg High School graduate.

Bob Roush tells The Grand Rapids Press his son “wanted to serve” and “do something significant,” he and believes he “has done that and more.”

He says the family is “counting on seeing Nick in heaven.”

Nicholas Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Middleville is about 125 miles west-northwest of Detroit.

Flags at half-staff for fallen soldier

The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered that U.S. flags in Michigan be flown at half-staff to honor a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.

Flags should be lowered Aug. 25 for Army Cpl. Nicholas R. Roush of Middleville. The 22-year-old died Aug. 16 from injuries sustained in Herat when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Roush was assigned to the 1st Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.

Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard

Died August 14, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Joshua Bernard, of New Portland, Maine; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay; died Aug. 14 while supporting combat operations in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

2/3 Marine dies in Afghanistan

Staff report

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Defense Department officials Aug. 17 identified a Marine killed Aug. 14 in Afghanistan as Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard.

Bernard, 21, a rifleman from New Portland, Maine, died while he was supporting operations in Helmand province, military officials said.

The combat deployment was the second for Bernard, who enlisted in November 2006 and joined Hawaii-based 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in May 2007 and deployed with the battalion to Iraq in 2008, Marine Corps Base-Hawaii officials said in a news release. The battalion is operating as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan.

Bernard had received the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, officials said.

Marine Sgt. William J. Cahir

Died August 13, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

40 year old William Cahir, of Washington D.C.; assigned to 4th Civil Affairs Group, Marine Forces Reserve, Washington D.C.; died Aug. 13 while supporting combat operations in Nawa, Afghanistan.

Former journalist, Pa. congressional candidate dies in Afghanistan

By Dan Robrish

The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Sgt. Bill Cahir, a former news reporter and congressional candidate, has been killed in Afghanistan while serving with the Marines, a family friend said Aug 13. He was 40.

The friend, June Weaver, answered the telephone at a relative’s house and confirmed Cahir’s death to The Associated Press but said the family did not wish to comment.

Cahir was lauded at a newspaper where he used to work.

“This is an American hero as far as I’m concerned,” said Joe Owens, editor of The Express-Times of Easton. “This guy’s the real thing.”

Cahir, a Bellefonte native, was working in the newspaper’s Washington, D.C., bureau before his most recent deployment.

Owens said Cahir enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 2003 in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“He was in his mid-30s, only days away from being ineligible — too old — to sign up for the Marine Corps, and he essentially talked his way in because it was something he had to do,” Owens said.

Cahir did two tours of duty in Iraq before returning to Pennsylvania.

He ran in a three-way Democratic primary last year to replace longtime Republican Rep. John Peterson, who retired. Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken won the primary and was in turn defeated by Republican Glenn Thompson in the overwhelmingly Republican district, which covers a large area of north-central Pennsylvania.

The Express-Times reported that after losing the primary, Cahir said, “My journalism career is over. I’ll talk to the Marine Corps and see what they want me to do and talk to my wife and see what she wants me to do.”

Owens called the former newspaperman “a great American.”

“He was committed to serving this country,” Owens said. “He was on a career path before this that could have led anywhere for him, and he chose this because it was what he needed to do.”

Cahir laid to rest at Arlington

By Ann Sanner

The Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Va. — Marine Sgt. William J. Cahir, a former news reporter and congressional candidate, was laid to rest with full military honors Aug. 31 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Cahir, 40, died Aug. 13 of an enemy gunshot wound while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

More than 200 people gathered at the cemetery for his burial services. A horse-drawn cart carried Cahir’s flag-draped casket to the grave site. A squad of Marines fired several shots into the air. Many in the crowd placed their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads as a bugler played taps.

In response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Cahir enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in November 2003. He was assigned to 4th Civil Affairs Group, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Washington, D.C.

He had done two tours of duty in Iraq before returning to Pennsylvania last year to run in a three-way Democratic primary to replace longtime Republican Rep. John Peterson, who retired. Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken won the primary and was in turn defeated by Republican Glenn Thompson.

Cahir is survived by his wife, Rene E. Browne of Alexandria, who is pregnant with their twins.

In a written statement, Browne described Cahir as “a loved and cherished husband, son, brother and excited father-to-be, as well as a friend and colleague who touched the lives of so many.”

“Bill was a hero to me, and to his family and friends, long before he gave his life for his country,” Browne said.

Cahir, a Bellefonte, Pa., native, previously worked as a Washington correspondent for Newhouse News Service, writing for several newspapers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He quit in early 2008 to run for Congress.

Cahir was deployed to Afghanistan last spring. His military awards include three Navy and Marine Corps achievement medals and two combat action ribbons.

Survivors include his parents, John and Mary Anne Cahir of State College, Pa.; and two sisters and a brother.

A memorial fund has been set up for his children.

Army Capt. John Tinsley

Died August 12, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

28 year old John Tinsley, of Tallahassee, Fla.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 12 at Firebase Cobra, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

La. soldier killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

HOUMA, La. — An Army Green Beret killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan was from Houma.

Capt. John Tinsley, 28, died Aug. 12 in Oruzgan province in central Afghanistan, after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle, according to an Army spokesman.

Tinsley, a graduate of Vandebilt High School and Florida State University, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, commonly called the Green Berets, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

A former teacher and classmate recalled him as a quiet, considerate and confident student committed to others.

“He was one of my model students, that’s why I remember him so well,” said Margie Duplantis, who taught Tinsley religion his senior year and worked with him in the campus ministry. “One that had a heart of gold.”

Duplantis, who teaches 130 students a year, said Tinsley stood out.

“He always went against the flow,” said Duplantis, who has taught at Vandebilt for 20 years. “He didn’t follow his peers. He always did what he felt was morally right. If someone was doing something wrong and they wanted him to be a part of it, he wouldn’t be a part of it. Even if it meant him standing up alone.”

Duplantis said Tinsley took charge of his class Christmas project, raising money for needy families.

“If he could do anything to help anyone out, he did,” she said. “He challenged his friends to be better.”

Rodney Burns Jr., 28, a Houma building contractor, graduated from Vandebilt with Tinsley.

“He was a good kid, and from what I was told, he became a great man,” Burns said.

Burns said Tinsley left behind a wife and young daughter.

“I always thought there’d be a time when I’d get to talk to him again,” he said.

Tinsley remembered as caring friend

By Matt Gilmour and Julia Thompson

Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat via Gannett News Service

Before becoming a highly decorated captain in the Army, John Tinsley had already made his mark as a caring friend who was dedicated to the service of others.

Eric Lundblom, who knew Tinsley when they were members of the National Guard with the 124th Infantry Alpha Company in Tallahassee, recalled watching this “quiet kid” blossom from a cadet with Florida State University’s Army ROTC program to an officer who paid the “ultimate sacrifice” for his country.

“He turned into a leader of men,” Lundblom said of Tinsley, a Green Beret and recipient of the Purple Heart, among numerous other awards and decorations.

Tinsley, 28, was killed Aug. 12 by an improvised explosive device strike to his vehicle during a routine patrol in the Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan while serving with company B of 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group. He is survived by his wife, Emily Tinsley, and daughter, Isabella, of Fayetteville, N.C., and parents Debra and John Tinsley of Jacksonville.

Tinsley graduated from Vanderbilt Catholic High School in Houma, La., in 1998. Lisa Vegas, director of public relations at the school and Tinsley’s eighth-grade language-arts teacher, said she remembers Tinsley being relatively quiet but that he stepped up to take charge of a service project his senior year.

“He wanted to serve others, and that’s what he’s done since then,” she said.

Members of his high-school class have been talking about ways to honor him and will likely make a contribution to the high-school’s endowment fund in Tinsley’s memory.

“It’s affected everyone in his class,” Vegas said.

Tinsley began attending FSU in 1998 and graduated with a degree in criminology. On Aug. 15, FSU President T.K. Wetherell said “The Florida State University community joins Capt. Tinsley’s family, friends and colleagues in mourning his loss.

“[Tinsley’s] courage in choosing to defend his country stands as an example for all of us,” Wetherell said. “We owe so much to the heroism of Capt. Tinsley, Capt. Scott Speicher and all of the many Florida State men and women who have sacrificed and served this nation.”

Tallahassee resident Jason White, who was in the Chi Phi fraternity with Tinsley, remembered him as a “genuine person.” White said he and Tinsley bonded over a mutual interest in martial arts, sometimes spending nights on the back deck of the fraternity house messing around and teaching each other what they knew.

“He was a great guy,” White said. “Some people thought he was a little rough around the edges, but once you got to know him he was one of the best guys you could ever be around. He cared for all of the brothers.”

White said one time he and Tinsley went to Potbelly’s and stayed out late the night before they had to go on an early-morning 5K run. Tinsley insisted that White stayed at his place so he could make sure White would wake up on time.

“That’s just the kind of the guy he was,” White said. “He would do whatever he could do to help you out.”

Green Beret loved martial arts

The Associated Press

John Tinsley and his buddy used to hang out on the back deck of their fraternity house, the two martial arts lovers teaching each other different moves.

“Some people thought he was a little rough around the edges,” said Jason White, who was in the Chi Phi fraternity with Tinsley at Florida State University. “But once you got to know him, he was one of the best guys you could ever be around. He cared for all of the brothers.”

Tinsley 28, of Tallahassee, Fla., was killed by a roadside bomb Aug. 12 in Oruzgan province, Afghanistan. He was a Green Beret assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. He was in FSU’s ROTC program before becoming a full-time soldier.

A former teacher said he was also a serious student who never backed down from doing what was morally correct.

“He always went against the flow,” said Margie Duplantis, who taught Tinsley religion at Vandebilt High School in Houma, La., and worked with him in the campus ministry.

“If someone was doing something wrong and they wanted him to be a part of it, he wouldn’t be a part of it, even if it meant him standing up alone.”

Tinsley is survived by his wife, Emily; daughter, Isabella; and parents, Debra and John Tinsley.

Tinsley gets Arlington burial

The Associated Press

HOUMA, La. — An Army Special Forces officer from Houma who was killed in Afghanistan this month will be laid to rest Sept. 3 in Arlington National Cemetery.

The Army said Capt. John Tinsley, 28, died Aug. 12 in central Afghanistan after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle.

Tinsley was a 1998 graduate of Vandebilt High School and went on to Florida State University. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, commonly called the Green Berets, Fort Bragg, N.C.

A memorial fund at a Cincinnati bank was set up for his daughter, Isabella.

Donations can be mailed to the attention of Nick Konernan at PNC Bank, 5916 Cheviot Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45247.

Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel

Died August 9, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Patrick Schimmel, of Winfield, Mo.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 9 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Dennis J. Burrow and Lance Cpl. Javier Olvera.

Was lean, wiry kid in high school

The Associated Press

Patrick W. Schimmel was a collector of knives and swords, a Boy Scout who had a thing for weapons, so it’s perhaps no surprise he joined the Marine Corps in 2006 and became a rifleman.

“The first time he shot a .50-caliber machine gun, he was ecstatic,” said his father, Wayne.

Patrick Schimmel, 21, of Winfield, Mo., died Aug. 9 from injuries suffered in combat operations in Helmand province.

His family said the 2006 Winfield High School graduate and cross country runner was a shy guy with a frame so lean and wiry that military recruiters had him bulk up by eating fast food so he’d meet weight standards. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., and also had been deployed to Iraq from October 2007 to May 2008.

His older brother, Matthew, said Schimmel drove combat vehicles and translated Arabic.

The person he became as a Marine was a contrast to his high school persona as a spike-haired kid who typically wore baggy, black jeans and T-shirts, his family said.

“Everyone says he was a man, a warrior, but I still picture him as my little boy,” said his mother, Mary Jean Schimmel.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Tara J. Smith

Died August 8, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

33 year old Tara Smith, of Nashville, N.C.; assigned to the 50th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 8 in Bagram, Afghanistan, from a non-combat-related incident that occurred Aug. 4 at Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan.

Smith juggled motherhood, service

The Associated Press

From the time Tara J. Smith was a child, she was energetic as a wasp: “She’d sting, hit you and keep going,” recalled her brother, Earl Coley.

Friends and family remembered that energy as key to her ability to juggled so many roles — sergeant, wife, mother. And she always made sure her sons, 6-year-old Jordan and 8-year-old David, were taken care of.

“Her kids were her No. 1 priority,” said Sgt. 1st Class Yolonda Chaney, who served with Smith.

Smith died Aug. 8 at Bagram Air Base of a noncombat-related medical condition. She had complained of fatigue a few days earlier, and was taken to a clinic at the airfield after being told to rest.

Chaney also said Smith’s appearance and work were impeccable.

“She was always squared away,” Chaney said. “It was always everyone else before her.”

Smith enlisted in 1997 and was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. She deployed to Camp Phoenix outside Kabul in January, and had previously served overseas in Kuwait and South Korea.

She was not only an outstanding leader, but also “a bright and charming young woman who will be missed by all,” said her battalion commander, Lt. Col. Brian Foley.

She is survived by her husband, Army Sgt. Deron Smith; her sons; her mother; and a sister and brother.

Marine Capt. Matthew C. Freeman

Died August 7, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

29 year old Matthew Freeman, of Richmond Hill, Ga.; assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Aug. 7 while supporting combat operations in the Shpee Valley, Afghanistan.

Matthew Freeman packed more into his 29 years than most people do in a lifetime. As a young boy, he was a “river-rat,” guiding his flat-bottomed, Jon-boat through the winding marshlands of the Ogeechee River in his Richmond Hill, Georgia home. Matthew was killed in action on August 7th 2009, his life was filled with strong and outstanding character including his top strengths of curiosity, bravery, humility and humor.

As a Boy Scout he took upon himself to fix the town’s centerpiece gazebo when it fell into disrepair, earning him Eagle Scout honors.

He was a true renaissance man. An avid reader he’d read all of Shakespeare’s works. He was a two-time tennis champion for his high school team, a saxophonist in the marching band and Matthew sang at his high school graduation. He was a 2002 graduate of the United States Naval Academy.

He was an active member of his Methodist church youth group. His Biblical questions kept the youth leaders researching before Matthew returned each week.

One high school classmate wrote this about him: “I think what really set Matt apart was his complete enthusiasm for life. He put his heart into everything he did, whether it was academics, drama, chorus, band, tennis, friendships, or his career. He sincerely wanted to be good at everything, and his combination of talent and hard work eventually turned him into the Renaissance man he would joke about being in high school. Throughout it all, he retained his great sense of subtly self-deprecating humor, and spending time with him was always, well, fun.” Matthew’s true passion though, was flying. As a young boy he fell in love with flying and went on to become a Marine pilot – the third generation of Freemans to wear Navy wings.

In 2009, he married his childhood sweetheart, Theresa Hess. Three weeks later, he opted out of the relative safety of the cockpit and volunteered for ground action when he heard the Marines needed more ground forces – in Afghanistan.

The memorial on the Freeman Barracks in Afghanistan reads:

“Capt. Matthew Freeman was a C-130 Hercules pilot. He volunteered for an individual augmented position with 4th Marines embedded training team and deployed to Afghanistan on 23 July. On 7 August, Captain Freeman was conducting operations with 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 201st Corps, and Afghan National Army. Captain Freeman was engaged in Operation Brest Thunder in one of the most dangerous regions within the 201st Corps area of operations when his team came under heavy enemy fire. He led his men to a building where they could locate a better firing position and was the first to reach the roof, killing a Taliban insurgent attempting to shoot a rocket propelled grenade at his team. While continuing to engage insurgents, Capt. Freeman was mortally wounded in the ensuing exchange of fire. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Combat “V” posthumously for his actions. He graduate in 2002 from the United States Naval Academy and is laid to rest in the United States Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium.”

Marine Sgt. Jay M. Hoskins

Died August 6, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

24 year old Jay Hoskins, of Paris, Texas; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 6 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.

Hometown to remember fallen Marine

The Associated Press

PARIS, Texas — Officials in an East Texas town plan to line the streets with American flags to honor a Marine who died in Afghanistan.

A hearse carrying the body of 24-year-old Marine Sgt. Jay Hoskins is expected to make the six-mile journey Aug. 13 from a local airstrip to a funeral home in Paris, about 90 miles northeast of Dallas.

Hoskins died Aug. 6 with two fellow Marines when a roadside bomb exploded in Farah province.

The city’s Kiwanis Club is distributing 500 large flags on 10-foot poles, and the football coach at the local high school told The Paris News that he expects hundreds of students to line the route.

The funeral procession is expected to include all local law enforcement agencies and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders.

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Anthony C. Garcia

Died August 5, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Anthony Garcia, of Panama City, Fla.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditonary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; died Aug. 5 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Anthony C. Garcia, who until January was assigned to the Pax River Naval Health Clinic, was remembered in a memorial service last Friday at St. Nicholas Chapel.
Garcia was killed in action Aug. 5 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Farah province, Afghanistan, while assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rdMarine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. He deployed to Afghanistan in May, supporting Marines in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pax River Health Clinic Commanding Officer Capt. Linda Ireland came to the clinic after Garcia’s departure, but told the over 100 people present, ‘‘You do not need to meet someone to know the character of that person. Indeed, you can discern their character from their actions, from the esteem or regard expressed for them by their friends and co-workers. Such is the case today with HM3 Garcia.”

She continued, ‘‘I have learned that this was a young man with a warm, infectious smile who was highly regarded by his military and civilian shipmates. I have learned that he embodied our core values of honor, courage and commitment, and armed with courage and commitment he willingly went into harm’s way in the service of his country.”

The loss of Garcia ‘‘has torn the fabric of the Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River community,” Ireland said, ‘‘so we are here to begin to mend this tear, to begin the journey to healing by comforting each other. We will do that through shared tears, stories and memories of a fine young man who, though we will never see again or talk with again, will remain forever in the heart of this community.”

Her remarks were followed by memorial reflections by Garcia’s friends and shipmates, a slide show, poetry reading, a pastoral reflection, the Hospital Corpsman Prayer, Roll Call, the playing of Taps and a closing hymn sung by HA Brittany Bounds and HM3 Melanie Davis.

Anthony Garcia grew up in a military family, the son of Carol and Anthony Garcia. He graduated in 2006 from Haney Technical High School in Panama City, Fla., and joined the Navy immediately after graduation.

After completing training, he was assigned to the Pax River Naval Health Clinic. During this initial assignment, he deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

While at Pax River, he met Jewell Verdejo, who became his wife April 24 in Hawaii. She still serves with the clinic at Pax River.

Garcia’s awards include the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

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Army Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers III

Died August 2, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

43 year old Severin Summers III, of Bentonia, Miss.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Mississippi Army National Guard, Jackson, Miss.; died Aug. 2 in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Capt. Ronald G. Luce Jr. and Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado III.

Summers loved the outdoors

The Associated Press

Severin W. Summers loved entertaining people, especially children — a trait that served “Sev” well during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

“He was everybody’s favorite uncle,” said his father, Severin Summers II.

The younger Summers was an outdoorsman who loved to hunt, fish and explore in the woods.

“I will never forget our canoe trip in the tornado,” Rob Savage of Phoenix wrote in an online bulletin board. “He was a darn keen woodsman.”

Summers, 43, of Bentonia, Miss., was killed Aug. 2 by a roadside bomb in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan. The Mississippi National Guardsman graduated from Christian Life Academy in 1984 and attended Louisiana State University. He was in the military for 20 years.

Many remembered his sense of humor and ability to make people laugh.

“His corny Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions always made me crack up,” Michael Stampley wrote on an online bulletin board.

Another friend remembered Summers’ days cutting up in high school classes.

“We were on the teacher’s bad boys list pretty much every day,” Scott Bice wrote online.

Summers is survived by his wife, Tammy; parents, Severin and Charlene Summers; and three daughters, Jessica, Shelby and Sara.