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 Sgt. Raul Moncada

Died April 13, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

29 year old Raul Moncada, of Madera, Calif.; assigned to the 563rd Military Police Company, 91st Military Police Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died April 13 near Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Served in Marines before transitioning to Army

The Associated Press

Raul Moncada enrolled in the Marines at age 17 — less than a week after graduating from high school. He was honored at one point as the youngest active-duty Marine in the country, his family has said.

“He was very outgoing. He would do anything he could for anybody,” said his sister, Miriam. “He was a great person all around. Everybody knew him. Everybody loved him.”

Moncada, 29, of Madera, Calif., was killed by a roadside bomb April 13 when his convoy came under attack as it was returning to a base in Baghdad. He was on his second tour.

“He was such a one-of-a-kind person,” said Cecilia Herrera, a longtime neighbor. “He was a polite person, a humble person.”

As the third-oldest in a family of eight children, he served in the Marines for six years before taking a one-year break. He returned to the military in June 2004 — this time in the Army’s military police program.

Moncada was assigned to Fort Drum. He loved playing baseball and was a fan of the Seattle Mariners and Dallas Cowboys.

He is survived by his 6-year-old daughter, Priscila; his girlfriend Tina; his father, Raul; and his mother, Obdulia.

Army Cpl. Michael J. Anaya

Died April 12, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

23 year old Michael Anaya, of Crestview, Fla.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died April 12 in Mosul, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Always envisioned serving in military

The Associated Press

Michael J. Anaya had dreams of being in the military since he was a little boy. His family said he’d don a uniform to pretend he was a soldier.

“He knew the risk, and he said that’s what he loved and that’s what his life was meant for,” said Katie Rowe, who is engaged to his older brother, Carmelo Jr. “He has, ever since he was 5 years old, known that’s what he wanted to do.”

Anaya, 23, of Crestview, Fla., died April 12 in Bayji when his truck drove over a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Schofield Barracks.

“It didn’t take long for someone to become best friends with Anaya,” said Pfc. Daniel Hicks. “He was always laughing and making everyone around have a great time.”

Lt. Col. Raul E. Gonzalez said, “His courage, compassion and character have left an indelible mark on the men of this battalion.”

Anaya loved fishing, cooking on the grill and fighting for his country.

“He had a switch where he could go from Anaya to Anayalator,” said Sgt. Daniel Demuth. “When he got in that uniform and he flipped that switch into soldier mode, he was a force to be reckoned with.”

He is survived by his parents, Carmelo Sr. and Cheryl.

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 1st Lt. Robert W. Collins

Died April 7, 2010 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

24 year old Robert Collins, of Tyrone, Ga.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died April 7 in Mosul, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Snow didn’t deter him from West Point dream

The Associated Press

Robert Collins was more accustomed to the balmy weather of his hometown of Tyrone, Ga., where snow is rare. That didn’t stop him from attending the U.S. Military Academy, though, even after he visited on a snowy April day.

He decided he wanted to go after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. And a little snow didn’t stop him, said his mother, Sharon Collins.

“He seemed to really be having a neat experience, working with the local populace. He was thriving as a leader of men,” Sharon Collins told the Fayette Daily News of Georgia.

Collins, 24, was killed April 7 in Mosul, Iraq, when the vehicle he and another soldier were in hit a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Stewart, Ga.

Back in high school, the soldier could always make his classmates laugh. He always wore a sweatband, all day long, earning him the nickname “Sweaty.” He also played fullback on the Sandy Creek High School football team for four years.

Football coach Chip Walker said Collins worked hard and encouraged his teammates to do the same.

“If my two boys can turn out like Robert, I will be satisfied,” Walker told the Daily News.

Collins also is survived by his father, Deacon, and girlfriend of eight years, Nicole Williams.

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 Spc. Israel Candelaria Mejias

Died April 5, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

28 year old Israel Mejias, of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Grafenwoehr, Germany; died April 5 in Balad Ruz, Iraq, of wounds sustained when a mine detonated near him during combat operations.

Dignified transfer ceremony opened

By Randall Chase

The Associated Press

DOVER, Del. — On a cold April night, under a bright moon, the body of Army Specialist Israel Candelaria Mejias arrived at Dover Air Force Base in a flag-draped aluminum case.

Mejias, of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, was killed by an improvised explosive device Sunday while serving in Iraq.

His return Tuesday marked the second time this week members of the media were allowed to witness a U.S. combat casualty being brought back from overseas, ending the Pentagon’s 18-year ban on such coverage.

Mejias’ body arrived shortly before 8:30 p.m. aboard a C-17 military cargo jet from Ramstein, Germany.

A little more than hour later, an eight-member team from the Army’s Old Guard in Washington, D.C., slowly walked up the rear ramp of the C-17 and into the cargo hold, where an advance team from the military mortuary at Dover stood quiet sentinel over the fallen soldier’s body.

Following the white-gloved carry team were Col. Robert Edmondson, commander of the mortuary affairs operations, chaplain Maj. Klavens Noel, and Brig. Gen. Walter Davis, director of Army aviation.

Davis and Edmondson bowed their heads as Noel recited a brief prayer. The carry team then gently picked up the case bearing the soldier’s body and carried it to a waiting vehicle for transport to the mortuary, where it will be processed and returned to the family.

Tuesday’s event took only about 12 minutes, roughly half the time needed for the dignified transfer of the body of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers, which arrived late Sunday aboard a contract Boeing 747 and had to be lowered about 20 feet to the tarmac. Myers, 30, of Hopewell, Va., was killed by an IED in Afghanistan.

While both families consented to media coverage of the return of their loved ones, neither consented to be photographed or interviewed.

The media ban was put in place by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, during the Persian Gulf War. From the start, it was cast as a way to shield grieving families.

But critics argued the government was trying to hide the human cost of war. President Barack Obama asked for a review, resulting in a policy under which families of fallen service members will decide whether to allow media coverage of their return. If several bodies arrive on the same flight, news coverage will be allowed only for those whose families have given permission.

Mejias was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment in Task Force 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Grafenwoehr, Germany.

‘Always had a smile on his face’

The Associated Press

Sgt. Erick Dybvig remembered Israel Candelaria Mejias’ love of martial arts.

“I don’t think there is a guy in third platoon that hasn’t been kicked by him at some point,” his friend wrote in a letter.

Candelaria, 28, of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, died April 5 after a mine detonated during combat operations near Baghdad. He was assigned to Grafenwoehr, Germany.

“If there was anyone you could count on to lift your spirits, it was him. He always had a smile on his face and a joke at hand,” Dybvig said.

Capt. Daniel Godbey, who served as Candelaria’s company commander for 14 months, remembered him for the same reason.

“It didn’t matter what was going on, he always had a smile on his face, whether he was goofing around or intently focused on the task at hand.”

He is survived by his wife, Angela. Dybvig recalled that Candelaria would do anything for his wife.

“If you ever got the chance to see the two of them together, you would know how much they loved each other,” Dybvig said. “He spared no expense to make her happy and to better the lives of his family.”

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael L. Hartwick

Died April 1, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

Michael Hartwick of Orrick, Mo.; assigned to the 4th Battalion, 4th Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died April 1 when his Apache helicopter crashed while conducting a combat air patrol in Baghdad. Also killed was Capt. Timothy J. Moshier.

Orrick soldier fulfilled dream: flying Apache helicopter, serving country

By Margaret Stafford

Associated Press

ORRICK, Mo. — Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Hartwick Jr., who died when his helicopter crashed in Iraq, was being remembered in his hometown as a born leader who always had a passion to fly.

Hartwick, of Orrick, and Capt. Timothy Moshier, of Albany, N.Y., were killed Saturday when their AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter crashed. The military said the crash possibly was caused by hostile fire west of Youssifiyah, which is about 10 miles southwest of Baghdad.

“When I heard the news, I thought, ‘That’s one of America’s best and brightest,”’ said Sandra Pendleton, who taught Hartwick social studies at Orrick High School. “If you had a son, he was what you would have wanted him to be.”

Both Hartwick and Moshier were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 4th Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

A statement attributed to Hartwick’s family said he died “while fulfilling his life dream of flying the AH-64 Apache helicopter while serving his country. He was a true Patriot.”

An extremist group posted a video on the Internet on Wednesday claiming to show Iraqi insurgents dragging the body of a U.S. pilot on the ground. Parts of the video were blurry, and the face of the man being dragged was not shown. The U.S. military said the authenticity of the video could not be confirmed.

The death brought sadness — and confusion — to his hometown.

“People don’t know what’s really happening here,” said Ken McAfee, a retired Orrick High School coach who had Hartwick in a physical education class. “Nobody really knows yet when Mike will be coming back.”

Hartwick graduated from Orrick in 1986 and married his high school sweetheart, Kerri. She and their two young children still live in Orrick.

He had an all-American boy resume in high school: member of the National Honor Society and student council, senior class president, and football and basketball star. But he was remembered more for his kindness, his faith, his natural leadership ability and the desire he always had to fly.

Rick Wrisinger, current principal at the school, was Hartwick’s coach in junior high school. He remembered Hartwick once telling a man who had been a tail gunner in Vietnam that he was going to fly a helicopter one day.

“You know, you hear kids say things like that all the time, and you think ‘We’ll see,”’ Wrisinger said. “But he followed through and did it.”

Pendleton said Hartwick did a tour of duty with the Air Force but when he couldn’t get into flight school, he joined the Army so he could get into its flight school.

Pendleton said she wrote to Hartwick’s wife in a sympathy card that Michael was “one of the reasons it’s so good to be in education. Even as a teenager, he was a good person, intelligent, nice to everybody.

“I know this makes it sound like he walked on water, but I’ve dealt with hundreds of kids in 28 years, and he was just one of the best. He came from a very strong Christian family and he had a faith in God, and I think that’s what made him how he was.”

A few years ago, when Hartwick returned to Orrick after flying missions over Kosovo, the school held a surprise welcome home party for him in the school gymnasium.

“Nothing thrills me more than that we did that,” Wrisinger said. “He told me that day that ‘This makes it all worth it, to know people really do care.”’

Wrisinger said Hartwick had given him posters of the Apache helicopter he flew and the Viper helicopter, which he had qualified to fly.

“He was just always real proud of what he was doing,” he said. “I would tell you the most impressive thing about Mike was his respect for people and for life.”

Wrisinger had just sent Hartwick a care package last week, and Pendleton said the National Honor Society had been collecting things to send him. The society will instead send the package to Hartwick’s unit in Iraq, she said.

Army Sgt. Eugene Williams

Died March 29, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

24 year old Eugene Williams, of Highland, N.Y.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed in a suicide car-bombing near Najaf, Iraq.

Father of one was expecting second child in June

From wire reports

All Eugene Williams wanted was a little home cooking.

That’s what his older sister, Lori Ackert, remembers most from a letter he sent her. It arrived Saturday, March 29. “He was very optimistic — he wrote that he couldn’t wait to come home so he could cook us some good food,” she told the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal.

Just hours earlier, Williams had been among the four soldiers killed by the suicide car bomber near Najaf in south-central Iraq.

A laid-back man with a love for soulful R&B music, Williams, 24, had planned to finish a demo tape showcasing his singing. Although he aspired to fame, to family and friends in Highland, N.Y., in the Hudson River valley, it was enough that he was a good guy.

Carl Relyea, his football coach at Highland High School, said Williams easily stood out. “He was a good student and a dedicated and loyal football player. That was who he was to his teammates. I guess he continued that later in life.”

Williams was married to Brandy Delacruz Williams and lived in Hawaii. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Mya, and were expecting a second child in June.

Brandy Williams told NBC’s Today show Monday that she will tell her children their father gave his life for his country. “And even though he’s not here, he loves them with all his heart, and that he’s always going to be our hero,” she said.

She last spoke to her husband on March 15, before the first bombs fell in the war. He told her that he wouldn’t be able to call for a while but that he was mailing letters to his girls.

Army Staff Sgt. Raphael A. Futrell

Died March 25, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

26 year old Raphael Futrell, of Anderson, S.C.; assigned to the 13th Military Police Detachment, 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Shafter, Hawaii; died March 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

Futrell was Shafter-based MP

The Associated Press

HONOLULU — The military says a Hawaii-based soldier from South Carolina has died in Iraq after a non-combat incident.

The Pentagon said March 27 that Staff Sgt. Raphael A. Futrell, 26, of Anderson, S.C., died March 25 in Baghdad. Officials said the incident is being investigated, but no details have been released.

Futrell was assigned to a military police battalion at Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

His mother, Vicki, said in an interview March 27 that her son always wanted to work in law enforcement and was working as a military police officer. She said he was on his second deployment to the region.

Futrell was a member of the 13th Military Police Detachment in the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, based in Hawaii.

Family remembers fallen MP

The Associated Press

Staff Sgt Raphael A. Futrell loved his job as a military police officer, said his older brother, Capt. Wilson Winters.

“He liked being a police officer, anything that dealt with investigating,” Winters said. “He was a dual canine operator — bomb-sniffing dogs and attack dogs. He was certified in both. He enjoyed handling the dogs.”

Futrell, 26, of Anderson, S.C., died March 25 in Baghdad from non-combat related injuries. Known as “Ralph,” he was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Shafter.

“He did things around the house every time he would come home on leave,” single mom Vicki Futrell said of her younger son.

“He’d clean out my refrigerator, clean out my garage. He’d take care of my dogs.”

He also is survived by Chance, his 3-year-old son with his former wife, Angela.

His mother said she will remember the practical gifts he would give her, like the jug for ice water when she worked as a teller.

“Once when I was sick with the flu, he made macaroni and cheese,” she said. “He said, ‘This would be good for you,’ and that was the best macaroni and cheese.”

Army Spc. Gregory P. Sanders

Died March 24, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

19 year old Gregory Sanders, of Hobart, Ind.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed in action in Iraq.

Greg Sanders, the son of a Navy sailor, was wearing combat gear even before he was out of diapers.

“He wanted to be a soldier,” said his mother, Leslie Sanders, holding a photo of her son, age 2, wearing a green-and-khaki camouflage T-shirt. “He was born to be a soldier.”

Sanders, 19, of Hobart, Ind., was killed in a sniper shooting Monday in Iraq as his unit moved north toward Baghdad. His wife, Ruthann, was his high school sweetheart, and they have a 14-month-old daughter, Gwendolyn.

“We’re just trying to take it one day at a time,” Ruthann Sanders said. “We’re very proud of him.”

Leslie Sanders said her son enlisted right after graduating from Hobart High in 2001. He struggled over whether to join the Marines but chose the Army.

He knew life in the military could be dangerous. As a child, he saw a Navy plane crash at his father’s base in California. His father, a Navy veteran who is now deceased, talked with him before he joined the Army. “His dad told him it’s not going to be all these wonderful things,” Leslie Sanders said. “But Greg just said, ‘I want to be a soldier.’ ”

The family received a letter from Sanders on Monday, hours before they learned he had been killed, said an uncle, Rick Knight. It was written two weeks earlier in Kuwait. “His morale was great, and he said he anticipated coming home in June or July,” his uncle said.

_ Associated Press

Army Pvt. Tyler J. Smith

Died March 21, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

22 year old Tyler Smith, of Bethel, Maine; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Mar. 21 at Forward Operating Base Falcon near Baghdad of wounds sustained when the base received indirect fire.

Maine soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

BETHEL, Maine — A 22-year-old soldier from Bethel has become the latest Maine service member killed in Iraq.

The Defense Department announced Monday that Army Pvt. Tyler Smith died Friday of wounds received when his forward base near Baghdad received indirect fire. The Army would not elaborate on the circumstances, but a spokesman said indirect fire typically describes a mortar or rocket attack.

Smith, a 2004 graduate of Telstar Regional High School, was a combat engineer assigned to a unit of the 3rd Infantry Division.

A spokesman at Fort Stewart, Ga., said Smith joined the Army in December 2005 and arrived in Iraq around the end of November.

Gov. John Baldacci spoke with Smith’s parents, Martin and Wendy Smith. The governor said he will order that flags be lowered to half-staff on the day of the funeral.

“As a state, we join together and mourn the loss of another young soldier from Maine,” Baldacci said in a statement. “This is a terrible loss for his family, his friends and his community. We honor Private Smith’s sacrifice and will keep his family in our hearts and prayers.”

Members of Maine’s congressional delegation also issued statements honoring Smith’s sacrifice and mourning his loss.

Martin and Wendy Smith could not be reached for comment.

Telstar’s dean of students, Charles Raymond, remembered Tyler Smith as a “straight-shooter” who was fun-loving but responsible. “He was a leader among his peers,” Raymond said.

Smith, who excelled in industrial arts, had worked with his father in construction and was very knowledgeable about that field, the school official said.

Smith died two days before The Associated Press tally of the death toll of U.S. military forces and civilians working for the military in Iraq reached 4,000.

Army Sgt. Jose R. Escobedo

Died March 20, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

32 year old Jose Escobedo, of Albuquerque, N.M.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment in Schweinfurt, Germany; died March 20 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident, which happened the previous night at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Baghdad, Iraq.

Iraq incident kills soldier from NM

The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Defense Department has announced that a soldier from Albuquerque has died of injuries suffered during a non-combat incident at a base in Iraq.

The department identified him as Sgt. Jose R. Escobedo Jr., 32. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment in Schweinfurt, Germany.

The circumstances surrounding the incident at the Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Iskandariyah are under investigation. The department said Escobedo died March 20, the day after the incident.

Flags at half-staff

The Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. — Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered flags to fly at half-staff Friday and Saturday in honor of an Albuquerque soldier who died of injuries suffered during a non-combat incident in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Jose R. Escobedo, 32, was a field artillery forward observer assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Escobedo died March 20, the day after he was injured during a non-combat incident at a base south of Baghdad. The Defense Department did not release details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Escobedo left behind a wife, a daughter and two sons.

Richardson says Escobedo’s patriotism, bravery and dedication will always be remembered.

Former Marine found new home in Army

The Associated Press

Staff Sgt. Shawn Johnson, a close friend of Jose R. Escobedo Jr., smiled during his eulogy, remembering Escobedo’s humor. When he would see a soldier doing something that he disliked, he would say something like that wouldn’t happen in the Marine Corps.

“I would just respond by saying, ‘You’re not a Marine anymore,’ ” Johnson said.

“ ‘Once a Marine, always a Marine,’ would be Jose’s response,” recalled Johnson.

Escobedo, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., died March 20 in Baghdad of injuries from a non-combat incident while in Iskandariyah. He was assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.

Escobedo attended high school in Albuquerque and joined the Marines after graduation, serving 11 years with the Corps. He briefly left the service and then joined the Army in 2007.

Johnson said he would miss playing pickup basketball with him.

“He was always the one little guy on the basketball court going against a giant,” Johnson said.

He is survived by his wife, Angelica, and their three children, Elvida, 9; Jose, 4; and Mikey, 2.

“You can really see a reflection of his character in his family,” Johnson said following the ceremony.

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. Gary L. Moore

Died March 16, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

25 year old Gary Moore, of Del City, Okla.; assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion, Fort Bliss, Texas; died March 16 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an explosive device struck his vehicle.

Del City soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

DEL CITY, Okla. — Military officials say a soldier from Del City has been killed in Iraq.

Officials announced Wednesday that 25-year-old Cpl. Gary L. Moore died Monday when a bomb hit his vehicle in Baghdad.

Moore was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion in Fort Bliss, Texas.

Officials at Fort Bliss say Moore was a military policeman who joined the Army in January 2007 and was appointed to the rank of corporal in January.

Moore was previously stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and deployed to Iraq with his company in June 2008 to help provide training and oversight of the Iraqi police force.

Fort Bliss officials say Moore’s awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Purple Heart, which was awarded posthumously.

Friend describes fallen soldier

Tulsa (Okla.) World

TULSA, Okla. — A friend of a Del City soldier killed in Iraq described him as a religious young man who loved knowing that he was defending his country.

Cpl. Gary L. Moore, 25, of Del City died March 16 when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle in Baghdad, according to the military.

A military police officer, Moore was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Amber Rudd of El Paso, Texas, said she first met Moore more than two years ago when he began attending Sunday school classes at the Hillcrest Baptist Church in El Paso, which is near Fort Bliss.

“He was an amazing guy,” the 22-year-old Rudd said. “He was always smiling, always there for everyone.

“He was a friendly soul, and he had tons of friends,” she said.

Moore “loved the military, loved being a MP, and he loved knowing he was protecting our country,” she said.

Moore and the rest of his Fort Bliss outfit deployed to Iraq in June to provide training and oversight of Iraqi police.

Rudd said she last talked to Moore last week, and “he said he couldn’t wait to come home.”

Rudd said Moore loved playing football and volleyball and was engaged to be married.

At the Southwest Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, a spokeswoman said Moore and his fiancée were planning a marriage ceremony there this summer.

Rudd said Moore’s family lives in Del City. The family could not be reached for comment.

Rudd was shocked and stunned when she heard the news that Moore had been killed, she said.

“It hit me hard, especially since I had just talked to him on Thursday,” she said. “I’ve done my fair share of crying since then.”

“He was just one amazing person,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Before heading to Fort Bliss, Moore had been at Fort Leonard Wood, southwest of Rolla, Mo.

Moore was just promoted from specialist to corporal in January, Fort Bliss officials said.

Fiancée: Moore ‘loved life’

Tulsa (Okla.) World

OKLAHOMA CITY — The fiancée of a soldier from Del City who died in Iraq said she spoke to him using a Webcam just days before he died.

One of the subjects Randi Ivie and Army Cpl. Gary Lee Moore talked about during their hour-long conversation was their wedding, which was planned for later this year at Southwest Baptist Church, Ivie said. She said they ended by vowing their love to one another.

Moore, 25, died March 16 when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle in Baghdad, according to the military. The military police officer was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Ivie said Moore, a 2003 graduate of Westmoore High School who ran track and cross country, enjoyed serving his country and police work. She said he had worked as a security guard at Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City before joining the military in January 2007.

“He loved life,” she said. “He wasn’t a stranger to anyone. He always had a good smile and a strong handshake.”

Among his other traits, she said, Moore was blunt “without being rude, so everyone always knew what was on his mind.” She also said he “had a deep love for the Lord.”

Moore would continually make comments while watching a movie, she said, and loved food, “especially Italian food.”

Before heading to Fort Bliss, Moore had been at Fort Leonard Wood, southwest of Rolla, Mo. He and his company were deployed to Iraq in June 2008 to help provide training and oversight of the Iraqi police force.

Ivie said funeral arrangements for Moore still are pending but that the service likely would be held at Southwest Baptist Church.

Funeral held for Del City soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — A Del City soldier who died last week in Iraq was recalled Tuesday by those at the church he attended as a hero and a committed Christian.

Hundreds gathered for the funeral for Cpl. Gary Moore at Southwest Baptist Church. The 25-year-old died March 16 when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle in Baghdad.

The church’s head pastor, Sam Davison, said everyone at Southwest Baptist took pride in Moore.

“Gary was 38 years younger than me, but he was one of my heroes,” Davison said. “I’m proud of the service that he rendered. I’m proud of his bravery. I’m proud of Gary.”

Moore was a 2003 graduate of Westmoore High School who joined the military in January 2007. He was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Brig. Gen. David Phillips, the chief of the military police corps, praised members of that unit for their service and accomplishments in Iraq. He said people in Baghdad are beginning to experience normal lives again because of the work of Moore and others.

“This past fall, when the elementary schools reopened, young girls were able to go to school,” Phillips said.

Moore was engaged to be married later this year to Randi Ivie.

“I can’t think of Gary without thinking of Randi,” said Jason Gaddis, one of the church’s ministers. “It was during a college and career activity in 2003 that they met and became basically inseparable.”

Army Sgt. 1st Class Collin J. Bowen

Died March 14, 2008 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

38 year old Collin Bowen, of Millersville, Md.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard, Towson, Md.; died March 14 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of wounds sustained Jan. 2 in Khowst Province, Afghanistan, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

Soldier injured in Afghanistan bombing dies in Texas hospital

The Associated Press

MARION, Ind. — An Army sergeant from Indiana injured in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan that killed two other soldiers died March 14 at a Texas military hospital, relatives said.

Sgt. 1st Class Collin J. Bowen, 38, a Marion native, was critically injured Jan. 2 in Afghanistan’s Khowst province, a troubled region on the Pakistani border. The Army reservist had been hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, since Jan. 6.

Bowen graduated in 1988 from Marion High School. He had lived in Maryland with his wife, Ursula, their daughter and his two stepdaughters.

Bowen’s uncle, Dean Neal, said he received a call about his nephew’s death about 2 a.m. March 14. He told the Chronicle-Tribune that he was grateful he was able to visit Bowen at the Texas hospital about two weeks ago.

“Collin passed away peacefully … with his family holding his hands at his bedside,” Bowen’s brother Justin wrote in an online journal. “May he rest in peace.”

The online journal had reported during the past two weeks that Bowen’s condition had deteriorated. He had his final of many emergency surgeries March 11 to repair damage to abdominal tissue that had become infected.

Relatives said Bowen, who earned a Purple Heart after being wounded, had volunteered to go to Afghanistan.

His other survivors include his parents, who live in Marion, and two brothers who live in the Indianapolis area. Funeral services were pending March 14.

Two other soldiers — Lt. Col. Richard Berrettini, 52, of Wilcox, Pa., and Sgt. Shawn Hill, 37, of Wellford, S.C. — died in the Jan. 2 bombing, along with an Afghani interpreter.

Soldier wanted to ‘do his part’

By Cathy Kightlinger

Indianapolis Star

MARION, Ind. — Army Staff Sgt. Collin J. Bowen’s mother referred to her boy as “America’s son” during his funeral service Thursday.

“I really share this sadness and pride with everyone,” Carolyn Smith said while greeting mourners who waited in line to comfort her. “He is not just mine. He belongs to everybody.”

Bowen, a 38-year-old Maryland National Guardsman, died a week ago at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

The soldier who grew up in Indiana suffered fatal wounds Jan. 2 in Khowst province, Afghanistan, when the vehicle in which he was riding encountered an improvised explosive device, according to the Department of Defense.

The veteran soldier was at the end of a year’s time in Afghanistan when he agreed to go on his final mission. He volunteered when asked by a new and inexperienced commander who wanted help, family members said. When the fatal explosion occurred on the last day of a 10-day mission, Bowen and others in a convoy were on their way back to base, the family said.

The explosion also killed the three others, including an Afghan interpreter, in the vehicle.

Bowen suffered burns on 50 percent of his body and spent the last weeks of his life on ventilators and dialysis machines, family members said.

“Collin did not want to die,” said his younger brother Justin Bowen, 36, Indianapolis. “He wanted to contribute and do his part.”

Bowen — who grew up in Marion and was known for his competitive spirit, loyalty and tenacity — fought to live, even in the end, said Justin. He and Bowen’s other brother, Shelby, 33, Carmel, gave eulogies in front of about 500 people at Grace Community Church in Marion on Thursday. The family said about 300 more people attended a visitation after the service.

Although he is gone, Justin said, his brother’s heart beats inside him, their family members and, they hope, everyone who honored him at the service.

“I hope a part of Collin’s heart continues in all of you,” he said.

There were a few laughs during the service, too: when the “Rocky” movie theme played as pictures of Bowen’s teenage years flashed on a screen, and as Shelby recalled the Bowen brothers’ childhood antics.

“His life should be celebrated and his memories cherished,” said Shelby.

After the service, Collin’s wife, Ursula Bowen, Nottingham, Md., remembered the last words she exchanged with her husband: “Te amo. Chau” — Spanish words for “I love you. Bye.”

Bowen met his wife when she was his Spanish teacher.

“I’m very proud of him — extremely proud of being his wife,” said Ursula, adding that Bowen always tried to help others.

That included asking family members to send him candy, paper and pencils to distribute to the children in Afghanistan, said Justin.

But Bowen’s courage did not mean he wasn’t frightened in Afghanistan.

“He called my mother and said, ‘I’m afraid,’” said Justin. “That didn’t stop him from doing it.”

Bowen, who earned a Bronze Star for bravery in combat, is the 17th service member with Indiana ties to die of injuries suffered in Afghanistan since U.S. troops were sent there after the Sept. 11 attacks, and the first this year.

Other survivors include three daughters, Gabriela and Katelyn Bowen and Erin McDermott; his stepfather, Richard Smith; and his father and stepmother, Michael and Beverly Bowen, Marion.

Bowen will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday.

Army Staff Sgt. Dwayne P.R. Lewis

Died February 27, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

26 year old Dwayne Lewis, of New York City; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.; killed Feb. 27 when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire during a dismounted patrol in Baghdad.

* * * * *

Infantryman laid to rest in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mobile Register / Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. — The funeral of a Mobile soldier killed in Iraq will be held in New York, where he grew up.

Army Staff Sgt. Dwayne Peter Lewis, 26, was killed Feb. 27 while on patrol with his unit in Baghdad.

His wife, Sgt. April Foster Lewis, also a veteran of the Iraq war, had initially said her husband’s funeral would be held in her hometown of Mobile. But the family decided to hold services at the St. Pascal Baylon Church in St. Albans, N.Y., about 10 miles east of Brooklyn, on Sunday.

The burial will follow at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, N.Y., with full military honors.

Lewis was born on the Caribbean island of Grenada, but moved to Brooklyn with his mother when he was a small child. He later became a naturalized U.S. citizen. The couple married Jan. 5, 2003.

Lewis was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

* * * * *

Grenada native dies on patrol in Baghdad

MOBILE, Ala. — Army Staff Sgt. Dwayne Peter Lewis was killed while on patrol with his unit in Baghdad, his wife said.

Sgt. April Foster Lewis of Mobile said her husband, a native of Grenada who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., was killed Monday.

Military officials confirmed the death but did not immediately release details. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

April Foster Lewis, also an Iraq war veteran, said two soldiers came to her parents’ home at about 11 a.m. Tuesday to report his death.

Lewis, 23, said her husband was born on the Caribbean island of Grenada but moved to Brooklyn with his mother when he was a small child. She said he later became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

After their marriage on Jan. 5, 2003, she said, “he started calling Mobile his ‘home”’ because he was no longer in contact with his own family, instead visiting her family in Mobile.

His wife, who had returned to her base at Fort Bragg, N.C., to make funeral arrangements, told the Mobile Register that the funeral will be in Mobile but that arrangements were incomplete.

She said her husband had been in Iraq since August.

— Associated Press

Army Cpl. Brian M. Connelly

Died February 26, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

26 year old Brian Connelly, of Union Beach, N.J.; assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, Task Force 1-6, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died Feb. 26 in Baghdad, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an explosive device.

Funeral services held for newlywed N.J. soldier

The Associated Press

KEYPORT, N.J. — Hundreds of people attend funeral services for a fallen soldier from New Jersey, who was killed in Iraq just five months after being married.

Spc. Brian M. Connelly of Union Beach died Feb. 26, after his vehicle was struck by an explosive device. The 26-year-old was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, Task Force 1-6, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division based in Germany.

Connelly had married his wife, Kara, last September.

While speaking with her via webcam just four hours before he was killed, he told her his tour in Iraq had been shortened by three months and that he would be heading back to Germany in May.

At Saturday’s service, Connelly’s younger brother, Kevin, said “it’s up to all of us to finish what he’s left undone and to take his lessons with a humble heart.”

Soldier ‘was everything’ to those who loved him

The Associated Press

Once, when Brian M. Connelly was mad at his mother, he put itching power all over her clothes.

“He loved practical jokes, anything to keep people laughing and smiling,” said his wife, Kara. “He never tried anything with me. He knew better.”

Connelly, 26, of Union Beach, N.J., died Feb. 26 in Adhamiya of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an explosive device.

He was assigned to Baumholder, Germany. His brother, Kevin Connelly, recalled him as rowdy, loyal and protective. He loved being on the water, raucous music, mosh pits and once saved his younger sibling from a rip tide.

After graduating from high school in 2000, Connelly enrolled in Brookdale Community College, where he studied computer technology for about 18 months. He joined an electricians’ union, then was laid off.

After finishing his Army stint, Connelly hoped to land a construction job to help pay for his wife’s college. They talked about moving south, to someplace warm and affordable, and starting a family.

“He was just awesome,” said his wife. “He was good hearted. He was funny. He was everything.”

Army Cpl. Kevin S. Mowl

Died February 25, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

22 year old Kevin Mowl, of Pittsford, N.Y.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Feb. 25 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., of wounds sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 2, 2007, when the vehicle he was in encountered an improvised explosive device.

Soldier dies 6 months after being hurt in Iraq

The Associated Press

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — A western New York soldier wounded six months ago in an explosion in Iraq has died in a military hospital in Maryland.

Army Cpl. Kevin Mowl of the Rochester suburb of Pittsford was 22 when he died Monday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.

Mowl suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury Aug. 2 when a roadside bomb flipped his vehicle in Baghdad. Three others died, and 11 soldiers and an interpreter were injured.

President Bush presented Mowl with a Purple Heart and a Presidential Medallion at the hospital in December.

Mowl recently suffered a serious infection after part of his feeding tube broke and perforated his intestines.

Since Mowl was injured, his family has kept a Web page chronicling his recovery. The page, which received more than 70,000 visits in six months, will include funeral plans once they are made.

Mowl was sent to Iraq in June 2006 and patrolled with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Soldier wanted to work in conflict resolution

The Associated Press

Last year while on leave, Army Spc. Kevin S. Mowl visited the Rochester School for the Deaf, where his father was superintendent. He told the students about Iraq, his sense of purpose, and how he handed out candy to children.

Some students were thrilled to meet him in person and impressed with his sign language. “We don’t know a lot of soldiers here,” said Derrick Behm, a senior. “We are all deaf, and we can’t be soldiers. We don’t get to meet those kind of people very often.”

Mowl, 22, of Pittsford, N.Y., died Feb. 25 at the National Naval Medical Center of wounds he suffered in Baghdad on Aug. 2, 2007, when his vehicle was struck by an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Lewis.

Mowl loved to drive around in the family’s yellow Toyota Celica.

He started karate as a youngster and earned a black belt in his teens.

He wanted to become a teacher, but had picked up some Arabic and thought he could build a career out of conflict resolution, said his father, Harold Mowl Jr. “I often hear that when boys go into the Army, they come out as men. Kevin was a perfect example of that.”

He also is survived by his mother, Mary.

Army Capt. Brian M. Bunting

Died February 24, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

29 year old Brian Bunting, of Potomac, Md.; assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York National Guard, Syracuse, N.Y.; died Feb. 24 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Sgt. Schuyler B. Patch, Sgt. Scott B. Stream and Sgt. Daniel J. Thompson.

Captain remembered for dedication, personality

Tim Simpson, director of admissions at Brian “Bubba” Bunting’s high school, described him as a man dedicated to three things — family, friends and country.

“You see pictures of him with a big, goofy smile on his face, and that was Bubba 99 percent of the time,” Simpson said. “Whoever came in contact with him felt that positive energy and what a unique and special individual he was.”

Bunting, 29, of Potomac, Md., was killed Feb. 24 by a roadside bomb in Kandahar. He was a 1998 high school graduate and was assigned to Syracuse, N.Y.

Bunting graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a degree in civil engineering in 2002, and also played lacrosse and intramural football.

Bunting, who was on his first combat tour as a ready reservist, was stationed in Korea for two and a half years and was later stationed at Fort Knox, serving as a company executive officer and commander.

“He’s just a great guy,” said his sister-in-law, Sue Bunting. “He just made everyone feel welcome and at ease.”

He is survived by his wife, Nicki, and his son Connor, 1.

Md. lowers flags to honor soldier

The Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Gov. Martin O’Malley has ordered that the United States and state flags be flown at half staff in memory of a Montgomery County soldier killed in Afghanistan.

O’Malley ordered the flags be lowered March 16 in memory of Army Capt. Brian M. Bunting, who grew up in Potomac.

Bunting, 29, died Feb. 24 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Department of Defense says Bunting was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Bunting was a member of the Individual Ready Reserve, assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Syracuse, N.Y.

Army Cpl. Zachary R. Nordmeyer

Died February 23, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

21 year old Zachary Nordmeyer, of Indianapolis; assigned to the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; died Feb. 23 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. Also killed were Cpl. Michael L. Mayne and Cpl. Micheal B. Alleman.

Soldier remembered for his leadership

By Will Higgins

Indianapolis Star

Pfc. Zachary R. Nordmeyer, who died Monday in a firefight with insurgents in Iraq, was remembered as a quiet person with the makings of a leader.

A graduate of Ben Davis High School, Nordmeyer, 21, was killed while patrolling on foot near the town of Balad, about 70 miles north of Baghdad. He and other soldiers came under attack from small-arms fire.

He was the second graduate of the Ben Davis High School JROTC program to be killed in combat in Iraq.

“He was a very goal-oriented young man,” recalled Ben Davis Principal Joel McKinney, “and wanted to be in the armed forces and wanted to develop his leadership skills.”

Two other soldiers were killed in Monday’s attack: Cpl. Michael L. Mayne, 21, Burlington Flats, N.Y., and Spc. Michael B. Alleman, 31, Logan, Utah. The Pentagon released no further details about the incident.

Lt. Col. Dave Thompson, a retired Marine who runs Ben Davis’ JROTC program, taught Nordmeyer for three years and recalled his student’s transformation from follower to leader.

“There’s quiet leadership, and he was pretty strong at that early,” Thompson said. “But by his senior year, he kind of came out of his shell. He wasn’t afraid to encourage younger students to develop as cadets and do their best.”

Jim Sheads, who coached Nordmeyer in baseball one summer, recalled a boy who craved action.

“He played second base for me,” Sheads said. “He was just suited for second base — not a real strong arm, and he loved the busyness of the infield.”

Nordmeyer joined the Army in July 2007, two months out of high school, and was sent to Iraq in September for a 12-month tour.

He is the 132nd soldier, sailor or Marine with Indiana ties to die in Iraq or Afghanistan and the 12th from Indianapolis. Overall, the fighting has claimed more than 4,800 U.S. troops.

The other Ben Davis grad, 19-year-old Army Pvt. Jesse Halling, died June 7, 2003, in an attack on a military police station in Tikrit.

About 150 students at Ben Davis are in the JROTC program; about 15 a year join the military upon graduation.

Thompson, who has taught JROTC at the high school since 1999, said the deaths of Nordmeyer and Halling bring the risks of service into focus.

“It doesn’t make me question our mission, but it definitely gives me a different perspective in talking to the kids about what they’re getting into. You don’t want them going into the military without understanding the ramifications.”

Nordmeyer’s death came a day before administration officials announced U.S. combat troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by August 2010.

Violence has fallen dramatically in Iraq, and this month Nordmeyer’s brigade commander reported that troops were encountering little combat.

“They came here expecting it to be more of a fight,” Col. Burt Thompson said in a conference call from Iraq on Feb. 9.

Nordmeyer was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Among its soldiers is Pfc. Track Palin, son of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. * * * * *

Memorial held at Wainwright for fallen soldiers

The Associated Press

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska — Soldiers from Indiana, New York and Utah who were killed in Iraq were remembered at a memorial service.

The memorial at Fort Wainwright Tuesday was for Pfc. Zachary R. Nordmeyer, Cpl. Michael L. Mayne and Spc. Micheal B. Alleman. The three were killed Feb. 23 by small arms fire during an attack in Balad.

The 21-year-old Nordmeyer was from Indianapolis. He was an infantryman, as was Alleman, a 31-year-old from Logan, Utah. The 21-year-old Mayne was a cavalry scout from Burlington Flats, N.Y.

The three were assigned to Fort Wainwright’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry.

Speakers at the memorial included Staff Sgt. Matthew Burns, the rear detachment commander of the 5-1 Cavalry Squadron. He knew the men well.

“They were truly heroes in every sense of the word,” he said.

Several hundred people attended the ceremony, including Lt. Hans Rohr, who was in the same gun fight that claimed the lives of his three friends. Rohr wore a cast on his left hand.

“No matter how bad we have it, there are family members who lost husbands, brothers and sons,” he said. “We’ll stick together. We’ll hold up.”

Chaplain David Neetz said Alleman, a former teacher, had a special connection with Iraqi children, often giving them candy and pens to learn to write English.

“He had a very unique ability to connect with kids not only in the classroom, but in combat,” Neetz said.

Nordmeyer was remembered for his intense devotion to those closest to him. The chaplain said that when Nordmeyer’s former fiancée broke up with him in high school, Nordmeyer showered her with poetry, flowers and cards until she came back to him.

Mayne was known for having a disarming sense of humor. Burns said Mayne would often sing random songs such as “Eye of the Tiger” or Britney Spears hits to bring humor to a mundane situation.

“That was Mike Mayne in a nutshell,” he said. “But at the same time as a total professional soldier.”

Army Cpl. Zachary R. Nordmeyer remembered

The Associated Press

Lt. Col. Dave Thompson, who runs an JROTC program, taught Zachary R. Nordmeyer for three years and recalled his student’s transformation from follower to leader.

Nordmeyer, 21, of Indianapolis, was killed Feb. 23 in Balad when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire. He was assigned to Fort Wainwright.

“Zach was such a good person. Zach loved me more than anything, and he would have given the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it,” said Nordmeyer’s fiancée, Christina Purdy.

Nordmeyer joined the Army in July 2007, two months out of high school, and was sent to Iraq in September for a 12-month tour.

Jim Sheads, who coached Nordmeyer in baseball one summer, recalled a boy who craved action. “He played second base for me,” Sheads said. “He was just suited for second base — not a real strong arm, and he loved the busyness of the infield.”

He is survived by his father, Michael.

Army Spc. Keisha M. Morgan

Died February 22, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

25 year old Keisha Morgan, of Washington, D.C.; assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Feb. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat-related cause.

Soldier who died in Iraq had just re-enlisted

The Associated Press

Diana Morgan described her daughter, Army Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, as a “very wonderful person” who liked to draw and to write poetry and planned to fulfill an ambition to become a nurse.

She had wanted to be a nurse “since she was very, very young,” her mother said.

Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 22 in Baghdad of a non-combat-related cause. Her mother said she suffered two seizures in her barracks.

She was born in Texas, where her father, Michael Morgan, was in the Army, and was raised in the District. Morgan was “very good in school,” and “teachers adored her,” her mother said. She was tall and slender, her mother said, and did some photo and runway modeling.

The Saturday before her death, she phoned her mother, saying: “Guess what I just did. I re-enlisted.” She was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, and was on her second tour in Iraq.

Keisha Morgan “just wanted to do what she wanted to do,” and “she’d always tell me, I’m going to be OK,” her mother said. “I feel like my heart’s been broken since she’s been gone.”

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 Sgt. Christina M. Schoenecker

Died February 19, 2018 Serving During Operation Inherent Resolve

26 year old Christina Schoenecker, of Arlington, Kansas, died Feb. 19 in Baghdad, from a non-combat related incident. Schoenecker was assigned to the Army 89th Sustainment Brigade, Wichita, Kansas. The incident is under investigation.

US soldier dies in non-combat incident in Baghdad

A soldier supporting Operation Inherent Resolve died this week in a non-combat related incident, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

Sgt. Christina Marie Schoenecker of Arlington, Kansas, died Monday in Baghdad, Iraq.

The 26-year-old was an Army Reserve soldier assigned to the 89th Sustainment Brigade, out of Wichita, Kansas.

The incident is under investigation, which is typical for non-combat deaths. According to her service verification documents, provided to Military Times by her command, Schoenecker enlisted in May 2009 and served as a human resources specialist. She made the rank of sergeant in January 2015.

“We express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sgt. Christina Marie Schoenecker,” Frankie Murphy, the command executive officer for the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said in an accompanying statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn the loss of a loved one. We’ve lost a valuable member of our team, and she will be sorely missed,” Murphy added.

Schoenecker‘s assignment to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve was her first deployment, according to the documents. She had been in-country since June.

She was a recipient of the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Service Ribbon, and the National Defense Service Medal.

The 89th Sustainment Brigade has a logistical mission to provide support to combat and combat support forces deployed in support of contingency operations within the designated combatant commander’s area of responsibility, according to the unit’s website.

The brigade falls under the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

Schoenecker‘s death is the third casualty of the year for the Inherent Resolve mission. Another American service member supporting the mission died Jan. 8, and a soldier from the United Kingdom died Jan. 31, both of which were also non-combat related incidents, according to DoD announcements.

Army Cpl. Chad D. Groepper

Died February 17, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

21 year old Chad Groepper, of Kingsley, Iowa; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Feb. 17 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms fire. Also killed was Cpl. Luke S. Runyan.

Army identifies 2 Fort Lewis soldiers killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The Army has identified two Fort Lewis soldiers who were killed Feb. 17 in the Diyala province of Iraq when their patrol was attacked by small-arms fire.

Spc. Chad D. Groepper of Kingsley, Iowa, and Spc. Luke S. Runyan of Spring Grove, Pa., were both 21.

Both were members of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and deployed in April 2007.

The Army released the identifications Feb. 19, a day after notifying families.

Families say that Groepper leaves behind a wife and 4-month-old daughter; Runyan leaves behind a wife and a 1-year-old daughter.

Family remember soldier’s sense of adventure

The Associated Press

Army Spc. Chad D. Groepper’s sister, Denae Erickson, laughed at the memory of how her baby brother once installed speakers in her car.

She had asked him to change the oil.

“Yeah, but doesn’t it sound great?” Groepper had asked her in return.

Groepper, 21, of Kingsley, Iowa, was killed Feb. 17 by small-arms fire in Diyala province, Iraq. He was 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.

“Chad taught us many things, but probably the most important was to never stop making things better,” said his sister.

Groepper was known to be adventurous. At his funeral, a tiny pair of his first cowboy boots were displayed. His casket was painted with racer’s flames.

“Chad was always the first one to step up and try something new,” said the Rev. John Battern. “But he had a quiet side to him, too — contemplative. He liked to think about things.”

Groepper’s family described him as having a warm personality.

“He loved working on cars, snowboarding, riding four-wheelers, anything that was high energy,” recalled his sister.

He also is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and their infant daughter, Clarissa.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Munden

Died February 16, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

35 year old Raymond Munden, of Mesquite, Texas; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 16 at Forward Operating Base Tillman in Orgun-E, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire.

Longtime soldier was looking forward to final assignment, retirement

The Associated Press

Raymond J. Munden joined the Army in August 1991, only three months after graduating from high school. Growing up in a military family, he and his brother, Brad, both set their sights on serving their country at a young age.

Raymond joined the Army, and Brad joined the Navy.

“We both knew growing up that that’s what we wanted to do,” said Brad Munden. “He’s always had that passion.”

Munden, 35, of Mesquite, Texas, died Feb. 16 in Paktika province after insurgents attacked his unit. He was assigned to Fort Campbell.

His second tour in Afghanistan was his sixth overall, and he was hoping to work as an instructor at West Point until retirement after returning home. He also served in Somalia and Haiti.

“We were thinking he would never have to go back to war again,” said Dwaine Clark, the soldier’s stepfather.

Munden loved to play sports and participated on football and softball teams. He enjoyed spending time outdoors, especially with his family.

Munden is survived by his wife, Kelly their daughters, Sydney, 6, and Kailey, 2 and two sons from a previous marriage, Gaven, 13, and Garrett, 12.

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 Cpl. Michael T. Manibog

Died February 8, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

31 year old Michael Manibog, of Alameda, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died Feb. 8 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed were Sgt. Timothy P. Martin, Sgt. 1st Class Jerald A. Whisenhunt and Sgt. Gary D. Willett.

Four Hawaii-based soldiers killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

HONOLULU — The Army says four soldiers in the Stryker brigade based at Schofield Barracks died in Iraq after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle.

The soldiers died in the town of Taji on Feb. 8.

Two of the soldiers were from California: Spc. Michael T. Manibog, 31, of Alameda, and Sgt. Timothy P. Martin, 27, of Pixley.

Manibog and Marting both joined the Army three years ago.

Staff Sgt. Jerald A. Whisenhunt, 32, of Orrick, Mo., and Sgt. Gary D. Willett, 34, of Alamogordo, N.M., also died. Whisenhunt joined the Army in 2000 and Willett joined in 1995.

The four were assigned to the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in the 25th Infantry Division.

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, issued a statement saying the soldiers were part of “our island ohana,” or family.

“I salute these four brave soldiers for their service and sacrifice in a dangerous place far from home,” Inouye said. “We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.”

The fatal attack was the second involving Hawaii’s Stryker brigade, which deployed in November and December with 4,000 soldiers and over 300 Stryker vehicles.

The first unit’s first combat fatality occurred Jan. 19 when Spc. Jon Michael Schoolcraft III, 26, of Wapakoneta, Ohio, died from wounds received when his Stryker vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.

The death, also in Taji, came four days after the brigade officially took over responsibility for that area of Iraq, which is northwest of Baghdad.

Soldier killed by roadside bomb remembered as a joker

The Associated Press

Erwin Rodrillo owes Michael T. Manibog for introducing him to his wife.

Rodrillo had just returned from Iraq in 2004 after his second tour, and the two went to a restaurant and bar. Rodrillo saw a pretty woman but was drunk, so he asked Manibog to forward a note to her on his behalf.

“I gave it to Mike and said, ‘Hey, Mike, I’d really appreciate it if you gave this piece of paper to the lady,’ and now we’re married,” Rodrillo said.

Manibog, 31, of Alameda, Calif., was killed Feb. 8 by a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq. He was a 1996 high school graduate and was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Carla Dorotheo, a friend, recalled a man whose voice carried across the room and someone always joking around: “I will always remember him as being the comedian of the group. He made people smile, and he cared genuinely about his friends.”

Before enlisting, he worked at a Round Table Pizza and drove RVs part-time. He is survived by a 9-year-old son, Terrell.

“He had been through hard times in life, and he wanted to make a good living for his son,” said Brenda Reyes, Manibog’s former girlfriend and the mother of his son.

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.