Army Spc. Eric N. Lembke

Died October 23, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

25 year old Eric Lembke, of Tampa, Fla.; assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Oct. 23 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed was Pfc. Kimble A. Han.

2 Carson soldiers die in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Two more soldiers based at Fort Carson have been killed in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department announced Monday that Pfc. Kimble A. Han of Lehi, Utah, and Spc. Eric N. Lembke of Tampa, Fla., died Oct. 23 of wounds suffered when their vehicle was attacked by an improvised explosive device.

The soldiers were attached to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion.

Han, 30, entered the service in January 2008. He served a tour of duty in Iraq between February and May of this year and was transferred to Afghanistan.

Lembke, 25, also joined the Army in January 2008 and served similar tours of duty.

On Oct. 19, the Defense Department said four other soldiers with the same company had died in Afghanistan when their vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device. Killed were Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr., 34, of Blairsville, Pa.; Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr., 28, of La Mirada, Calif.; Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, 33, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, of Lancaster, Pa.

At least 47 U.S. service members have been killed in October. Fourteen Americans were killed in helicopter crashes Monday.

On Oct. 3, eight soldiers based at Fort Carson were killed in an attack at a remote outpost in northeastern Afghanistan.

This has been the deadliest year for international and U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban. Fighting spiked around the presidential election in August, and 51 U.S. soldiers died that month — the deadliest for American forces in the eight-year war.

The latest deaths came as President Barack Obama prepared to meet his national security team for a sixth full-scale conference on the future of the troubled war.

Obama is debating whether to send tens of thousands more troops to the country, while the Afghan government is rushing to hold a Nov. 7 runoff election between President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah after it was determined that the August election depended on fraudulent votes.

Army Pfc. William L. Meredith

Died September 21, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

26 year old William Meredith, of Virginia Beach, Va.; assigned to the 569th Engineer Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Sept. 21 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Soldier’s enlistment surprised father

The Associated Press

Master Sgt. Lloyd Lee Meredith was a bit surprised when his son, William “Lee” Meredith, called to say he had joined the military.

“Lee is the kindest, gentlest soul I have ever met in my life,” the elder Meredith said. “He never had a hard word for anybody. Would never fight anybody. He was not a fighter. He was very passive.”

It was even more surprising that Lee had chosen a combat specialty. Sandy Mahoney, the mother of Lee Meredith’s best friend Chris, said the timid boy had blossomed after the Army.

“I never saw him stand so tall and proud as in his uniform,” Mahoney said.

Meredith, 26, of Virginia Beach, Va., was killed Sept. 21 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, after enemy forces attacked the vehicle in which he was riding. He was assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.

Mahoney fondly remembered all the times her son spent with Meredith, including the time Meredith lived with her and her son. Chris Mahoney had a bunk bed, and the two would argue over who would get the top bunk.

Now, Meredith was a guy who loved music and playing video games, and had hoped to propose soon to his longtime girlfriend.

“He took life day by day just trying to get by,” Chris Mahoney said of his friend.

Army Pfc. Jeremiah J. Monroe

Died September 17, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

31 year old Jeremiah Monroe, of Niskayuna, N.Y.; assigned to the 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died Sept. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

‘We were together as one,’ brother says

The Associated Press

Jeremiah Monroe liked to build and fix things, and his brother said he was a master tradesman.

“You name a blue-collar trade, he could do it,” Robert Monroe said of his older brother. Robert Monroe said he had a strong relationship with Jeremiah, forged through the family’s hard times.

“We haven’t had the easiest life. There wasn’t any little brother, big brother,” said Robert Monroe, who also is in the military. “We were together as one.”

Jeremiah Monroe, 31, of Niskayuna, N.Y., was killed Sept. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when the vehicle in which he was riding hit a roadside bomb. He was a combat engineer assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y. He joined the Army in March 2008 and was on his first deployment to Afghanistan, Army officials said.

Monroe enjoyed drawing motorcycles and cars, and served as a mentor in the Big Brothers-Big Sisters program, his family said in his obituary.

Monroe’s great-aunt, Netty Manning, said he was well-liked and was happy to use his skills in the military.

“It made him grow up a little bit more,” she said. “He was happy to be there and protecting us and doing what he could protecting his country.”

Monroe is also survived by his daughter, mother and grandmother.

Army Sgt. Demetrius L. Void

Died September 15, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

20 year old Demetrius Void, of Orangeburg, S.C.; assigned to the 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 11th Signal Brigade, III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 15 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when a military vehicle struck him while conducting physical training.

Took part in family tradition of military service

The Associated Press

Demetrius Void was always focused on academics in high school: Teachers said he never shied away from asking for help and had a competitive nature.

“He kept at it until he figured out that calculus,” said math teacher Sharlene Foster.

But Void also always wanted to be different. He decided not to apply for college and instead chose to follow his family’s tradition of military service.

“He said he was tired of school,” said his uncle Keith Void. “He said he was tired of being smart.”

Void, 20, of Orangeburg, S.C., died Sept. 15 at Kandahar Air Field of injuries sustained when a military vehicle struck him while he was jogging. He was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas. The military has said it is investigating the hit-and-run accident.

Void was disciplined before he joined the Army, being active in the JROTC at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.

“He greeted students at the front desk and said, ‘You can’t go in there until you get your pants up. … This is an order,’ ” recalled Angelia Fersner, the school’s guidance counselor, who called Void her “acting secretary.”

Void is survived by his mother and two brothers.

Army Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell

Died September 14, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

24 year old Andrew McConnell, of Carlisle, Pa.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Sept. 14 in Kandahar, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was 1st Lt. David T. Wright.

Followed dad’s footsteps

The Associated Press

Andrew McConnell’s fellow soldiers remembered him as a walking encyclopedia, able to recite random trivia at any moment and a man with an intense personality.

“He was 100 mph, 100 percent of the time,” Staff Sgt. Philip McIlroy said during McConnell’s eulogy.

McConnell, 24, of Carlisle, Pa., died Sept. 14 in southern Afghanistan when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash., and although he listed Carlisle as his hometown, he considered the northwest home.

He was the son of a military man and moved around a lot he was born in California, went to high school in Italy and attended Georgia Military College. His sister Ashlee said Washington was his true home. It was where he met his wife, Sarah, who is expecting the couple’s first child.

Ashlee McConnell said her brother was married for only seven months before his death, but said “they were seven months that made Andrew the happiest man in the world, and they were seven months that I know Andrew is thanking God for right now in Heaven.”

McConnell enlisted in 2005 and was on his first deployment. His father, Col. Gregory “Scott” McConnell, previously was deployed to Iraq.

In addition to his wife, father and sister, McConnell is survived by his mother and three other sisters.

Army Sgt. Troy O. Tom

Died August 19, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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

21-year-old Navajo soldier dies in Afghanistan

By Sue Major Holmes

The Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Begged parents to let him join Army before he turned 18

The Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick W. Schimmel

Died August 9, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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

Was lean, wiry kid in high school

The Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Army Sgt. Michael K. Ingram Jr.

Died April 17, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

23 year old Michael Ingram, of Monroe, Mich.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died April 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol.

Was nearing 1-year mark in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

FORT CARSON, Colo. — A 23-year-old Fort Carson soldier died when an improvised explosive device detonated near him while he was on patrol in Afghanistan.

Military officials say Sgt. Michael K. Ingram Jr. of Monroe, Mich., died April 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson.

Ingram had been awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals. He was on his first deployment and had been in Afghanistan since last May.

Flags at half-staff for fallen soldier

The Associated Press

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

Flags are to be lowered April 30 for 23-year-old Army Cpl. Michael K. Ingram Jr. of Newport, Monroe County. He died April 17 in Kandahar of wounds suffered after an improvised explosive device detonated near him.

Funeral services are to be held April 30 at the Stewart Road Christian Ministries in Monroe. Burial will take place in St. Joseph Cemetery in Monroe.

Ingram was assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Air Force Senior Master Sgt. James B. Lackey

Died April 9, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

45 year old James Lackey, of Green Clove Springs, Fla.; assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.; died April 9 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, in a crash of a CV-22 Osprey.

4 dead in AFSOC Osprey crash

Staff and wire reports

An Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22 Osprey crashed late Thursday in Afghanistan, killing three service members and a civilian contractor, NATO officials said.

As of Friday, the names of the dead had not been released. The aircraft was assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The CV-22 went down after dark about seven miles from Qalat, the capital of Zabul province in eastern Afghanistan, NATO said. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

The Osprey takes off and lands much like a helicopter, but its engines roll forward in flight, allowing it to fly at about 250 mph, faster than a helicopter.

The crash is the first fatal mishap involving a CV-22 since the special operations aircraft became operational in 2006, according to the Air Force. By the end of fiscal 2009, CV-22s had logged more than 8,060 flight hours.

The loss is also the first fatal crash of an Air Force plane in Afghanistan since the July 18 loss of an F-15E Strike Eagle.

The CV-22 is much like the Marine Corps version of the Osprey. However, the Air Force edition flies with a third cockpit crew member — a flight engineer — and has sophisticated navigation gear for night and low-level operations. A second flight engineer is stationed in the cargo area.

Overall, the plane can carry up to 32 troops or 10,000 pounds of supplies.

2 airmen killed in Osprey crash identified

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department says two airmen assigned to Hurlburt Field, Fla., were among those killed when their aircraft crashed in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department says 43-year-old Maj. Randell D. Voas of Lakeville, Minn., and 45-year-old Senior Master Sgt. James B. Lackey of Green Clove Springs, Fla., died Friday when an Air Force Osprey crashed near Kandahar. Both airmen were assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt.

The military said Friday that three service members and one civilian contractor had died in the first crash of the costly tilt-rotor aircraft in a combat zone. The other two people aboard the aircraft have not yet been identified.

‘He was loved by everyone in every capacity’

The Associated Press

James Lackey was a man of integrity who was dedicated to his family — exemplified by the way he helped his sister fight through her health problems, friends and family said.

“In every role that he had as a husband, father, son, young brother, he was loved by everyone in every capacity,” said the Rev. Roger Peadro of First Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., where Lackey was a member.

The 45-year-old airman from Green Cove Springs was killed April 9 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, when the aircraft he was in crashed. He was assigned to Hurlburt Field.

He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1983 and enlisted in the Air Force in 1986. He began his career as a maintenance crew chief before becoming a helicopter pilot.

“Flying was their priority, and nothing ever got in the way of that. They instructed with the intangible experience that only flight time could bestow, but more significantly, we lost men who inspired others, men of integrity who set the standards,” Lt. Col. Matt Glover said, according to an Air Force press release.

He was referring to Lackey and Maj. Randell Voas, who also was killed in the crash.

Lackey is survived by his wife, Cassie, and sons, Brandon, Alex and Nick.