Army Master Sgt. Danial R. Adams

Died September 13, 2011 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

35 year old Danial Adams, of Portland, Ore., assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Stuttgart, Germany; died Sept. 13 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using mortar, machine-gun and small-arms fires.

Master Sgt. Danial R. Adams, assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Stuttgart, Germany, was killed in action in Afghanistan, Sept. 13.

Adams, a native of Oregon, joined the Army in 1995 as an infantryman, where he served with distinction while assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga., followed by exemplary service with 1st Bn., 501st Infantry and 1st Bn., 23rd Infantry at Fort Lewis, Wash.

After his assignment at Fort Lewis, Adams earned the Green Beret in 2005. His first Special Forces assignment was as a senior medical sergeant with the 3rd SFG (A) at Fort Bragg, N.C. In 2009, he joined 1st Bn., 10th SFG (A), where he served on a Special Forces team. He was killed in action while conducting combat operations with his team in Afghanistan.

Adam’s military education includes Airborne School, Jungle Warfare School, Ranger School, Jumpmaster School, Air Assault School, and the Special Forces Qualification Course.

His awards and decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, five Army Good Conduct Medals, two National Defense Service Medals, two Afghanistan Campaign Medals, two Iraq Campaign Medals, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, three Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbons, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and Expert Infantryman’s Badge.

He is survived by his wife Melany, his two sons Jeffrey and John, and his daughter Skye.

Army Staff Sgt. Angel D. Mercado-Velazquez

Died September 1, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

Angel Mercado-Velazquez from the 82nd Airborne Division was recently killed while serving in Iraq. (U.S. Army Photo)Angel D. Mercado-Velazquez 9/1/06

24, of Puerto Rico; assigned to 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died in Yusifiyah, Iraq, on Sept. 1 of injuries suffered from mortar fire during dismounted combat operations.

December 21, 2006 – Angel is my hero. Angel fought to reach all his goals. He was a good husband and a great father. It hurts that he was just a short time in my life. I had wanted that this never had happened to us but nobody knows or understands the mysteries of God. I am always going to love my husband Angel with all my soul. Angel always is going to be the reason for pride for all specially for his son whom never it could know.

Mercado’s wife.
(Sheila D. Mercado)~ SHEILA MERCADO,FAYETTEVILE, North Carolina

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 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 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.

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.

Army Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger

Died June 27, 2008 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

24 year old Travis Hunsberger, of Goshen, Ind.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died on June 27 of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device while on combat patrol near Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan.

Fort Bragg-based soldier killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

GOSHEN, Ind. — A North Carolina-based Special Forces soldier was killed when he stepped on a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, the military said.

Army Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger, 24, of Goshen, died Friday near Tarin Kowt, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command said. Hunsberger was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., and left on his second deployment to Afghanistan in May.

He is survived by his wife, Hannah Hunsberger, of Fort Bragg; his parents, Steve and Ronda Hunsberger; a brother, Kyle Hunsberger, and a sister Kelsey Hunsberger, all of Goshen.

“He loved his family with his whole heart,” Ronda Hunsberger said.

The 2002 Northwood High School graduate enlisted just over four years ago after two years at Ball State University, his mother said. She said he had been injured twice during his deployments.

Hunsberger joined the Army in 2004 and entered Special Forces two years later.

Hunsberger had been married for less than two years. He had his wife invited his parents to Fort Bragg last Christmas to witness a re-enactment of their wedding. Travis and Hannah Hunsberger had a small private wedding before his first deployment.

Hunsberger was remembered Sunday during services at Wakarusa Missionary Church.

Army Sgt. John D. Aragon

Died June 12, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

22 year old John Aragon, of Antioch, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died June 12 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

Antioch soldier killed by roadside bomb in Iraq

The Associated Press

ANTIOCH, Calif. — When John Aragon told his mother during his senior year of high school that he wanted to join the Army, she urged him to wait at least a year before making the decision.

Aragon completed a year at a community college, but the delay did nothing to diminish his passion for the military, his mother said. He called his parents once he reached Fort Campbell, Ky., to tell them all about it.

“He said, ‘I love the Army and the Army loves me,”’ Denise Aragon said. “The two just clicked.”

Aragon served for just over two years before he was killed Thursday by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Friday. Officials said the 22-year-old died of wounds suffered when his Humvee struck the bomb in Kadamiyah, just northwest of Baghdad.

Aragon’s father, John Aragon Sr., said his son wanted to be near the action: “He would say, ‘A true soldier is a fighting foot soldier.”’

But, the elder Aragon said, his son never harbored any romantic notions of war.

“He’d tell us it was pure hell,” he said. “Those were his words: ‘pure hell.”’

Both parents said they are proud of what he accomplished, including the rank of sergeant in two years with the 101st Airborne Division.

The Antioch High School graduate, a die-hard Oakland Raiders fan with the team’s name tattooed above his heart, always kept close ties to home, calling his parents once a week and looking forward to care packages they would send filled with his favorite snacks. Denise Aragon said she had planned to send one more round of snacks before he was due home for a break next month.

“We never got to send them,” Denise Aragon said.

Army Spc. Jarrett P. Griemel

Died June 3, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Jarrett Griemel, of La Porte, Texas; assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died June 3 at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from a noncombat-related incident.

SPC Jarrett Pearson Griemel graduated with honors from La Porte High School in 2006. Jarrett was on the swim team and was active in the surf club. After graduation he enlisted in the US Army with the hope and expectation that military service meant seeing the world and finding a variety of adventures. Jarrett liked taking risks. He was a daredevil growing up indulging in skydiving and cliff diving. He had a great sense of humor. Jarrett was extraordinarily caring and kind and liked expressing his affection for people by giving loving hugs.

Army 1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma II

Died April 29, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

24 year old Salvatore Corma, of Wenonah, N.J.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 29 at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using improvised explosive devices.

Town stops to remember fallen O-2

By Shruti Mathur Desai

(Camden, N.J.) Courier-Post

WOODBURY HEIGHTS, N.J. — Friends and family of 1st Lt. Salvatore Corma gathered to pay their last respects to the fallen soldier during religious and military ceremonies May 12.

It was a day when faith and mission convened, where the “Ave Maria” was immediately followed by “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That’s because Corma loved the church and the military, friends and family said.

“He did what he loved and he loved what he did,” said his uncle, Martin Keeney, before reading Psalm 23. “He loved his brothers and sisters in arms.”

Corma died April 29 in Afghanistan, after waving aside 18 other soldiers to isolate an improvised explosive device. He was 24.

Before the start of Mass at Infant Jesus Parish at St. Margaret’s Church in Woodbury Heights, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, who serves as the commanding general of Fort Bragg where Corma served, held a private ceremony with the family.

He presented several posthumous medals, including the Purple Heart and a recommendation that Corma receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The bells of the church tolled as Corma’s coffin was escorted out. The American flag was carefully draped across as his parents watched.

The mile-long funeral procession that snaked between Infant Jesus Parish and the Gloucester County Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Monroe was watched by dozens of mourners.

Fire departments brought out their rigs and hung American flags across the roadway, while firefighters and emergency medical personnel stood at attention at the side of the road. Police cars blocked traffic, the officers standing respectfully.

One man, caught by surprise by the procession, swept his weathered brown cap off his head, and stood on the sidewalk in salute, his hat and hand over his heart.

The students of St. Margaret’s School, which Corma attended, lined the street holding small American flags as the hearse carrying Corma’s coffin went by. It was preceded by an honor guard of police and motorcycle riders.

Corma’s mother, Trudy, smiled and waved at the children as she went by. That smile stayed on her face throughout the day.

It was from his mother that Corma learned his optimism, said Rev. Paul Galetto, president of St. Augustine’s Preparatory School, where Corma graduated in 2004.

Galetto, who presided over Mass, advised mourners to banish such thoughts as “Why do the good die young and why did Salvatore die?” Instead he encouraged them to remember Corma’s endless optimism, a trait that kept him smiling from the moment he walked in the doors of the school until the day he left.

“Sal was irrepressively happy,” Galetto said. “Sal never knew how to do anything but his best.”

Galetto said Corma embodied the spirit of service and good deeds, not for his own sake, but to earn the honor of friends, family and “a grateful nation who gives thanks for men and women like Salvatore Corma.”

At the veterans’ cemetery, Corma, a 2008 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, was given military honors, with a 21-gun salute and a bugler playing “Taps.”

Corma would have appreciated the military pomp, said his best friend, Robert Cahall.

“There’s nothing he loved more than the military honors.”

Army Sgt. Francisco X. Aguila

Died April 14, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

35 year old Francisco Aguila, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico; assigned to the 82nd Sustainment Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 14 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident.

Aguila described as a ‘family man’

The Associated Press

Maj. James Dobrinska, executive officer for the 82nd Sustainment Brigade, said Francisco X. Aguila’s competence and leadership were critical to the success of Bravo Detachment’s mission.

“He ensured that every trooper in the task force received their proper pay and benefits while serving our nation in combat,” Dobrinska said.

Aguila, 35, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, died April 14 in Kabul of wounds suffered from a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Bragg.

Aguila was assigned as a finance specialist in the 82nd Finance Company of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade of the 18th Airborne Corps in March 2007. He deployed to Afghanistan in July.

Aguila is survived by a wife and two daughters who live in Bayamon.

Aguila joined the Army in March 2000 and had been assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Camp Humphreys, South Korea.

“Cpl. Aguila was a dedicated family man, soldier and leader whose motivation and positive attitude left a lasting impression on all that knew him. He was invaluable to his company, to the brigade and to his fellow troopers. Cpl. Aguila will be missed by us all. We are devastated by his loss,” Dobrinska said.

Army Spc. Joseph T. Caron

Died April 11, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Joseph Caron, of Tacoma, Wash.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 11 in Char Bagh, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

Washington flags lowered for slain soldier

The Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire has directed agencies to lower flags at state buildings to half staff April 15 in memory of a Washington soldier killed April 11 by an improvised bomb in Afghanistan.

Joseph T. Caron was a 21-year-old native of Roy who graduated in 2007 from Washington High School in Parkland. He was a member of a combat team from Fort Bragg, N.C.

Army Spc. Adam M. Kuligowski

Died April 6, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

21 year old Adam Kuligowski, of Arlington, Va.; assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Apr. 6 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

Soldier was interested in exploring the world

The Associated Press

DERRY, N.H. — A soldier from Derry, N.H., who died in Afghanistan is being remembered by his teachers as an intelligent student who was interested in exploring the world.

Twenty-one-year-old Adam Kuligowski died Monday in Bagram in a non-combat incident. The case remains under investigation.

Kuligowski was a signals intelligence analyst assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division. He entered the Army in October 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in August 2007.

In New Hampshire he attended Pinkerton Academy, where the flag was flown at half-staff Wednesday. The New Hampshire Union Leader reports he was involved with a student-run TV station and went to China as a member of the school’s first exchange program.

Among his family members is an older brother, Stefan, who is also in the Army, stationed in Thailand.

‘Spirit of adventure’ guided Kuligowski

The Associated Press

In high school, Adam M. Kuligowski made his mark on a 2004 trip to China when he climbed on a camel’s back and was photographed wearing his signature cowboy hat.

“Adam was a unique individual,” said John Barry, one of his former teachers. “He wasn’t one for formality or going by the rules. He had a spirit of adventure, for sure. He was the only kid who dared to get up on the camel in China.”

Kuligowski, 21, of Arlington, Va., died April 6 in Bagram of injuries from a noncombat incident. He was assigned to Fort Campbell.

The son of a foreign service officer, he grew up living in U.S. embassies in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

He was born weighing nearly 11 pounds and was a curious child who didn’t speak until after his first birthday, but then always spoke in complete sentences.

At his funeral, Kalia Kuligowski read excerpts from an essay her brother wrote. “Adam always saw things deeper than just face value,” she said. “Adam wrote, ‘I may not be a grade-A student or a star athlete, but I always thought I understood the big picture better than most.”

He also is survived by his parents, Michael and Tracie.

Army Pfc. Antione V. Robinson

Died March 19, 2008 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Antione Robinson, of Detroit; assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died March 19 in Nawa, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when the vehicle he was repairing collapsed.

Detroit soldier injured repairing vehicle in Afghanistan dies

The Associated Press

DETROIT — A 20-year-old soldier from Detroit has died in Afghanistan of injuries sustained when the vehicle he was repairing collapsed.

The Department of Defense says Pfc. Antione V. Robinson died Wednesday in Nawa.

Robinson was assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The military says the incident is under investigation.

Robinson joined the Army in September 2005 and completed wheeled vehicle mechanic advanced individual training at Fort Jackson, S.C., in 2005. He completed the basic airborne course at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2006.

Survivors include his mother, Ginger L. Jhons; his father, Emror Robinson; and his grandmother, Mary L. Stevenson, all of Detroit.

Army Cpl. Albert Bitton

Died February 20, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

20 year old Albert Bitton, of Chicago; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 20 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device on Feb. 19. Also killed were Sgt. Conrad Alvarez and Spc. Micheal B. Matlock Jr.

3 Campbell soldiers killed in IED attack

The (Clarksville) Leaf-Chronicle

Three 101st Airborne Division soldiers died Wednesday of wounds suffered when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday.

Killed were Sgt. Conrad Alvarez, 22, of Big Spring, Texas; Cpl. Albert Bitton, 20, of Chicago; and Spc. Micheal B. Matlock Jr., 21, of Glen Burnie, Md.

All three were with 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, according to a news release from Fort Campbell.

Alvarez was an infantryman assigned to A Company. He entered the Army in March 2005 and arrived at Fort Campbell in August 2005, according to the news release.

He is survived by his wife, Maria, of Oak Grove, Ky.; daughters, Celeste and Alyssa, of Sweetwater, Texas; father, Arthur; and mother, Belinda Alcala, of Big Spring, Texas.

Alvarez’s awards and decorations include Army Commendation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Combat Infantry Badge; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

Bitton was a medic assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company. He entered the Army in November 2005 and arrived at Fort Campbell in June 2006, according to the news release.

He is survived by his wife, Melissa Handelman, of Buffalo Grove, Ill.; and parents, Elie and Sylvia, of Chicago.

Bitton’s awards and decorations include National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

Matlock was an infantryman assigned to A Company. He entered the Army in August 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in December 2006, according to the news release.

He is survived by his wife, Breon, and son, Byron, of Severna Park, Md.; father, Micheal Matlock Sr., of Vansboro, N.C.; and mother, Sheena Douglas, of Glen Burnie, Md.

Matlock’s awards and decorations include National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

A memorial service will be held in Iraq. Fort Campbell holds a monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony on the second Wednesday of each month.

Mourners remember soldier’s humor, smile

The Associated Press

Max Saltzman, one of Albert Bitton’s high school friends, remembered Bitton as a kid who was scrawny but tough, after having to deal with anti-Semitism in the public school system.

“He dealt with grief for being Jewish. But he was proud,” Saltzman said. “He was really tough inside and out.”

Bitton, 20, of Chicago, was killed Feb. 20 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.

“Albert’s smile was infectious,” said Rabbi Leonard Matanky, who officiated at Albert’s bar mitzvah. “His interactions with others drew them in. In recent months when he began to understand the reality of the dangers in Iraq, it was his smile that convinced his parents he was OK.”

Bitton graduated in 2005 from Ida Crown Jewish Academy, where he was on the school wrestling team and enjoyed painting, drawing and video games.

“He was an amazing artist. He was a funny boy,” said his wife, Melissa Handelman, who married Bitton in August. “He was nice to everyone. Everyone in his high school remembered him as being one of the sweetest boys there.”

“He always had a very sweet smile,” echoed Rabbi Leonard Matanky.

Army Staff Sgt. Javares J. Washington

Died February 11, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

27 year old Javares Washington, of Pensacola, Fla.; assigned to the 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 11 at Camp Buehring, Kuwait City, Kuwait, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.

Fort Campbell-based soldier dies in Kuwait

The Associated Press

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — A member of Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division has died in Kuwait, the Army said.

Staff Sgt. Javares J. Washington, 27, of Pensacola, Fla., died Feb. 11 at Camp Buehring in Kuwait City, Kuwait, from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident, the Army said Feb. 14.

Washington was assigned to the 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. He joined the Army in 2001 and arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2007.

Washington is survived by wife Letrica Nixon-Washington, daughter Tristyne Washington and stepson Mekhi Nixon, all of Fort Campbell, Ky. He is also survived by son Jayden Washington of Americus, Ga.; mother Felicia Smith and father Willie Matthews of Pensacola, Fla.

Washington earned several honors during his career, including the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

The military said the incident is under investigation.

Mourners remember soldier who died in Kuwait

The Associated Press

Bridgette Smith, one of Javares J. Washington’s cousins, told mourners about the man she described as a best friend, confidant and playmate.

Inseparable as children, they shared a fondness for superhero Underoos. “He was Batman. I was Batgirl,” she remembered. As they grew older, Washington became her real-life protector.

“He would tell me which guys to stay away from,” she said. “When I got married, Jay told me he trusted my husband to take care of me. That meant so much to me to have his blessing.”

Washington, 27, of Pensacola, Fla., was killed Feb. 11 in a vehicle accident in Kuwait. He was a 1999 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.

The former running back and track star in high school left Pensacola to play football on a full scholarship at Northern Arizona University.

He also is survived by a 6-year-old son, Jayden; his wife, Letrica; a 9-month-old child, Tristyne; and a 7-year-old stepson, Mekhi.

“He loved me,” Jayden said. “He hugged me every time he saw me, and I was just happy to see him. I just remember I’m going to see him back in heaven.”

Army Staff Sgt. Zachary R. Wobler

Died February 6, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

24 year old Zachary Wobler, of Ottowa, Ohio; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed Feb. 6 when his dismounted patrol encountered enemy forces using small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.

Soldier killed in Iraq during second tour of duty

Associated Press

GATE CITY, Va. — A Scott County woman is mourning the death of her son who was killed in Iraq on Feb. 6 during his second tour of duty.

Staff Sgt. Zachary Wobler, 24, was killed by insurgent fire in Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday morning. He was a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Jeanette Poston said her son still called the southwest Virginia town of Snowflake home, although he had moved with his father to Ottawa, Ohio, before entering high school.

“He told people he was a southern boy from Virginia,” Poston said.

While the Army provided no official details on the circumstances surrounding Wobler’s death, the soldiers under his command told the family he was shot three times during a firefight with insurgents. Medics had to sedate an angry Wobler, who demanded he be taken back to his troops while he was being transported for surgery.

“He was just so mad they had got him,” Wobler’s stepfather, Tim Poston, said. “He was wanting to get back out there. Now, if the U.S. doesn’t understand the kind of men they’ve got, that’s it right there. That’s a hero.”

Wobler had served an 11-month tour of duty in 2003, when he injured his knee. Jeanette Poston said doctors told her son in November he needed knee surgery, but he refused, opting instead to return to Iraq the next month.

Wobler had joined the Army full time in 2000 after serving in Ohio’s National Guard. In 2002, he was selected as the 82nd Airborne’s paratrooper of the year.

In an interview in May 2002 with The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer about his selection, Zachary Wobler discussed his feelings about deployment.

“Nobody knows ‘til it comes down to it whether you are ready or not,” he said.

He attributed his success in the Army to his father.

“My father was big on honesty when I was young,” he said in 2002. “That’s one thing that was drilled into our family when I was young.”

Wobler had been legally separated from his wife, Corissa, for about two years. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Trinity.

His family said Wobler will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Army Staff Sgt. Ronnie L. Sanders

Died February 3, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

26 year old Ronnie Sanders, of Thibodaux, La.; assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Feb. 3 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Fort Bragg-based soldier from Louisiana killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A Fort Bragg-based soldier who was on his third tour of duty in Iraq died over the weekend fighting in the country, the Department of Defense announced Monday.

Staff Sgt. Ronnie L. Sanders, 26, of Shreveport, La., died Saturday of wounds he suffered when a bomb went off near his vehicle near Taji, Iraq, according to a military statement. Sanders was a platoon sergeant with Company A, 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

“He was the model paratrooper and leader. He was revered and trusted by his soldiers and made sure they were always trained and ready,” said Lt. Col. Thomas J. Rogers, commander of the 407th Brigade Support Battalion.

Sanders joined the Army in November 1999 and reported to the 82nd Airborne Division in May 2006. Sanders previously deployed to Iraq from Fort Bragg with the 126th Transportation Command.

Sanders is survived by his wife, Rachel, and twin daughters, Ra-onnie and Re-onnie, of Raeford, N.C. His mother, Ruth Manley, lives in Kennedale, Texas.

“My husband was looking forward to completing the mission, to return and continue to raise his two beautiful daughters that meant everything to him,” Rachel Sanders said in a written statement.

Army Capt. Daniel Whitten

Died February 2, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

28 year old Daniel Whitten, of Grimes, Iowa; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device Feb. 2 near Forward Operating Base Sweeney, Afghanistan. Also killed was Pfc. Zachary G. Lovejoy.

Captain’s star continues to shine

By Michael Futch

The Fayetteville Observer via Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The U.S. flag that draped Capt. Daniel Whitten’s coffin is carefully folded away in a shadow box that sits on one end of the living room table. The case also holds his military awards and decorations.

Whitten was scheduled to return home Aug. 26 from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan. The following day, he and his wife would have celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.

His death changed all that, leaving his wife, Starr, a widow at the age of 27.

“We’re a growing number,” she said, “and I wish that weren’t the case.”

Starr Whitten and members of her husband’s unit — Company C of the 1st Battalion of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division — will remember Whitten on Sept. 11 during a paver stone dedication at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum downtown.

“That’s kind of the reason I picked the day — because the boys are going to be back,” she said. “Sept. 11 is a big day in history to begin with. So, I thought, what better way to honor Dan than on Sept. 11.”

Soldiers with the Army Wounded Warriors program are expected to bike from the Iron Mike statue on Fort Bragg to the original Iron Mike statue that keeps sentry in front of the museum, arriving in time for the ceremony.

Whitten was a cadet, in school at West Point Military Academy, when the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington crippled this country on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Dan’s philosophy was always to complete the mission,” she said. “So, since 2001, part of our mission has been to protect our nation from something like this ever happening again. His death, I guess, was part of the mission.”

It has been more than seven months since Starr Whitten heard the knock on the couple’s front door the evening of Feb. 2.

“I didn’t answer the door,” she said. “I knew who it was.”

Whitten had been killed that morning in the Zabul province of southern Afghanistan. A homemade bomb, the Pentagon reported, hit his Humvee.

Whitten and Pfc. Zachary Lovejoy, a soldier in his company, were up front. Both were killed by the blast from the improvised explosive device. Another soldier, Cpl. LeGrand Strickland, ended up losing both legs.

For security reasons, Starr Whitten said she learned only that they were on a mission near the Pakistan border.

“The details of the mission, I don’t know,” she said from her Fayetteville home. “I don’t know that I would ever know.”

The couple last talked on Jan. 28, less than a week before the accident. “He said he was going to be ‘off grid,’ “ she recalled, tears glazing her blue eyes. “He used to say his Ranger tab made him invincible, and I shouldn’t worry.”

Daniel Preston Whitten was 28.

On the dashboard of her car, Starr keeps another Ranger tab that he gave her. “He said I earned it, too,” she said softly. “Yeah, so it made me invincible.”

Pictures of the two together grace her home. He loved to read, and a collection of his books fills a couple of bookshelves. Even her two dogs, Copper and Nilla, were picked out by her husband.

The occasional tear trickles down a cheek, and she sometimes smiles as she weeps.

“I like to go down memory lane,” she said.

It was Starr’s older brother, Rick, who introduced her to her future husband.

Six years ago, as Starr was beginning her senior year at the University of Georgia in Athens, Rick brought Daniel along to help her move into her apartment. The men had both graduated from West Point in 2004, but had become close friends during infantry officer basic course at Fort Benning, Ga.

“I remember first thinking, ‘Beautiful. He’s a really good-looking man.’ For some reason we got to talking about Harry Potter,” she said. “I had read all the Harry Potter books, and Dan had read them all, too. My roommate pulled me into the bedroom and she was like, ‘Starr! That one! That one’s a Starr boy. You go get him.’ “ They married a year later, on Aug. 27.

Six days after that, Daniel shipped out on his first deployment, to Iraq.

“Dan loved the 82nd. That’s where he wanted to be,” she said. “Dan was doing exactly what he loved.”

Though she has no family here, Starr said she’s fortunate to have a circle of close friends. Last month, she started her second year teaching at Seventy-First Classical Middle School.

“Everything I’ve done since Dan’s death is — what I like to think — would be Dan’s decision for me had he been able to make them,” she said. “I think he would be pleased I stayed in Fayetteville. Pleased that I bought this house.”

The paver stone bearing his name will be placed on the entrance to the museum, where 1,437 other inscribed bricks have been installed. Most, but not all, are dedicated to fallen soldiers.

Three years ago, Daniel took Starr to a similar paver stone dedication at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum for Maj. Larry Bauguess Jr., a soldier who was killed in Pakistan.

The Whittens didn’t know him.

“He wanted to go pay his respects,” she said. “I remember how strong his wife seemed.”