Navy Chief Joel Egan Baldwin

Died December 21, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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

Gulfport chief killed in Iraq mess hall blast

By Christopher Munsey

Navy Times staff writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marine 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.

Marine Sgt. Maj. Joseph J. Ellis

Died February 7, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

40 year old Joseph Ellis, of Ashland, Ohio; assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Feb. 7 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine volunteered for 3 tours in Iraq until he was killed

The Associated Press

ASHLAND, Ohio — A Marine killed by a suicide bomber last week was a perfectionist who volunteered for three tours in Iraq, his daughter said.

Sgt. Maj. Joseph J. Ellis, 40, of Ashland, died Feb. 7 in Iraq’s Anbar province west of Baghdad.

He was assigned to the Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), I Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“I always thought he wouldn’t be one of those people who wouldn’t come home,” said Rachael Ellis, 20, on Monday. “In my eyes, he was Superman.”

Ellis enlisted in the Marines at age 17 after graduating from Ashland High School, devoting himself to advancement in the military. He was set to return to the United States this month and planned to retire in May and move to North Carolina, said his daughter, a nursing student who lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

He also is survived by his wife, Deborah, and her three children, of Camp Pendleton; his former wife of 17 years, Traci, of Perrysville; his parents and five siblings. Ellis will be buried Feb. 21 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. No services in Ohio are planned.

Ellis served with the Marines in Ohio, Hawaii, California and North Carolina. He was deployed to Saudia Arabia in 1990 in the first Gulf War.

The military told Traci and Rachael Ellis that he was doing a routine checkpoint search when he approached a suspicious man who detonated a suicide bomb, killing him and injuring another Marine. A message seeking comment was sent to Camp Pendleton.

“He just wanted to make a difference,” Rachael Ellis said. “Anytime he was asked to go somewhere, even times when he didn’t have to, he would. He wanted to be there for his troops.”

2/4 sergeant major killed in Iraq

By Gidget Fuentes

Staff writer

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Sgt. Maj. Joseph J. Ellis, the top enlisted man with a Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based infantry battalion, was killed Wednesday during combat operations in Iraq.

Ellis, 40, was the sergeant major for Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, which is operating in Iraq as the ground combat force for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), Pentagon officials announced Friday.

Ellis, of Ashland, Ohio, graduated from boot camp in 1984 and trained as a radio operator. He served with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and deployed in 1990 to Saudi Arabia with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, according to his biography posted on the 15th MEU’s Web site. Over his 22-year career, he did several tours at the School of Infantry, was the battalion radio chief for 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in Hawaii and worked as a canvassing recruiter in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ellis joined 2/4 in late 2003 and deployed to Iraq as the Headquarters and Service Company first sergeant. He became the battalion sergeant major Dec. 17, 2004.

Among his personal awards and decorations are the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat “V” and two gold stars and two awards of the Combat Action Ribbon.

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.