Iraq and Afghanistan wars, RIP US Troops - Page 22 - U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

ViolaLee · #**316** (**permalink**) 05-11-2007

Maj. Nick Bateson

Quote:

Maj. Nick Bateson was 49. Royal Corps of Signals. He was from Chislehurst, Kent, England. Killed in an accident with a coach while riding his bicycle on the British contingency operating base at Basra Air Station in southern Iraq on May 1, 2007

Rest in peace Nick.

ViolaLee · #**317** (**permalink**) 05-11-2007

Spc. Astor A. Sunsin-Pineda

Quote:

Spc. Astor A. Sunsin-Pineda was 20. 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. He was from Long Beach, California. One of two soldiers killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 2, 2007 CNN.com - Special Reports

Rest in peace Astor.

moon · #**318** (**permalink**) 05-21-2007

You're not going to be able to keep this up, Sam, there were that many killed over the weekend. This month so far there are over 70.

This site lists them all if you can't manage for any reason;

CNN.com - Special Reports

You've put in an admirable effort, a truly concerned American and I salute that.
There's a need for more concerned Americans, not fewer.

Bring them home now.

ViolaLee · #**319** (**permalink**) 06-27-2008

Army Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley

Quote:

Army Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley was 48, of Willingboro, N.J.; assigned to the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion, Green Bay, Wis.; died June 24 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from a bomb blast. Also killed was Chief Warrant Officer Robert C. Hammett.

Quote:

N.J. trooper killed in Iraq

By Michael J. Feeney and Jason Tsai
NorthJersey.com

A New Jersey state trooper serving in the war in Iraq was among those killed in a bomb attack in Iraq, authorities have confirmed.

Detective Sgt. First Class Dwayne M. Kelley, 48, of South Orange, was among 10 people — including four Americans — killed in a bomb attack in an office in Sadr City yesterday. He was one of the Americans working to restore local government in the former Shiite militia stronghold.

Kelley, who served as a major with the civil affairs unit of the Army Reserve, was a member of the counter terrorism bureau.

“This was his third deployment to Iraq,” said State Police Capt. Al Della Fave. “He was there to help reconstruct the government and help build the communities.”

Kelley’s wife, 21-year-old daughter and other loved ones who gathered at his South Orange apartment said through a trooper posted at the complex that they didn’t want to comment. They were visited by, among others, the State Police superintendent, Col. Rick Fuentes.

State Police Sgt. Guy Packwood, who spent much of today outside the apartment complex, said he’d known Kelley several years. Kelley had volunteered with the Beth-El Masonic Temple in Newark and did work with the Shriners, he said.

“He believed in what he was doing, and he loved doing it,” Packwood said. “If this would have happened to me, I would have wanted him standing sentry.”

A big basketball fan, Kelley often joked that he could have played for the New York Knicks, said neighbor Shan Atkinson, 62, who had known him the past four years.

Whenever she ran into him in the laundry room of the complex, Atkinson said, Kelley playfully asked: “What did you cook for me today?” Kelley’s grandparents were full-bloodied Cherokees, Atkinson said, and she often made him traditional food. He liked Arabic food, as well, she said, noting that she’d made grape leaves for Kelley the last time she saw him.

“He was very nice, very friendly, always smiling,” Atkinson said.

The strapping father of two became a state trooper in February 1988. In addition to serving on the state police terrorism task force, he also worked with the FBI’s terrorism task force in Newark, the captain said. Kelley began his work overseas in November, before the holidays, he said.

He received a valor award for his work in Guantanamo Bay assisting the FBI terrorism task force by interviewing detainees, said Della Fave. Kelley was also awarded for his work in the state police’s auto theft unit.

Kelley was a “tremendous tool” in Iraq, especially because he spoke Arabic, said Della Fave.

The news comes on the same day that a New Jersey National Guard Unit left the Teaneck armory for deployment to Iraq. This morning they traveled to McGuire Air Force Base and then will head to Fort Bliss, Texas, where they will begin two months of desert training before leaving for duty in Iraq in September.

It also comes amid news of a roadside bomb killing three American soldiers and an interpreter north of Baghdad.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman suggested that Iraqi officials — and not the Americans — were the main target.

At least 25 service members have died this month, with eight deaths coming since Friday. May’s death tally of 19 was the lowest monthly toll of the Iraq conflict.

The recent deaths brought to at least 4,109 the number of U.S. military members who have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The fighting in the south broke out before dawn near Nassiriyah, 200 miles south of Baghdad, as Iraqi forces were conducting house-to-house searches for Shiite militants.

Nassiriyah police chief Brig. Gen. Sabah al-Fatlawi said 14 suspects had been arrested but that sporadic clashes were continuing.

The area is a stronghold of the Mahdi Army of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and has been plagued by power struggles between rival Shiite factions — some with close ties to the Shiite-led national government.

Internal Shiite rivalries may have been behind Tuesday’s deadly blast inside the district council building in Sadr City, al-Sadr’s Baghdad stronghold. The bomb went off inside a councilman’s office ahead of an election to choose a new chairman of the council.

Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari said a preliminary investigation indicated that the Iraqi council members were the main target of the blast.

“The presence of the American forces and embassy employees was by chance,” al-Askari said. “Chance played a role in the casualties among the Americans.”

A dozen people were being detained for questioning, including 10 security guards.

Packwood, of the State Police, said Kelley’s body most likely will be returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware later this week. A former State Police captain who’s also stationed in Iraq had remained with his body, Packwood said. Meanwhile, outside Kelley’s home, various troopers continue to take turns standing sentry.

Rest in peace Michael.

Honor the fallen: Army Maj. Dwayne M. Kelley

ViolaLee · #**320** (**permalink**) 06-28-2008

Army Capt. Gregory T. Dalessio

Quote:

Army Capt. Gregory T. Dalessio was 30, of Cherry Hill, N.J.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; died June 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained in Salman Pak, Iraq, when his patrol encountered small arms fire during combat operations. Also killed was Pfc. Bryan M. Thomas.

Honor the fallen: Army Capt. Gregory T. Dalessio

Rest in peace Gregory.

ViolaLee · #**321** (**permalink**) 07-04-2008

Army Spc. Joel A. Taylor

Quote:

Army Spc. Joel A. Taylor was 20, of Pinetown, N.C.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; died June 25 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device on June 24. Also killed were Sgt. Alejandro A. Dominguez and Pfc. James M. Yohn.

Honor the fallen: Army Spc. Joel A. Taylor

Rest in peace Joel.

ViolaLee · #**322** (**permalink**) 07-05-2008

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Rada Morales

Quote:

Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Rada Morales was 32, of Naranjito, Puerto Rico.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died June 29 in Khosrow-E Sofla, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his vehicle rolled into a canal. Also killed were Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons and Sgt. James M. Treber.

3 Special Forces soldiers killed in vehicle rollover

Quote:

The Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The Army said Tuesday it is investigating the deaths of three North Carolina-based Special Forces soldiers who drowned in Afghanistan after their vehicle rolled into a river.

The Army Special Operations Command said the non-battle accident occurred Saturday in Kandahar province. The Green Berets were traveling in an RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle.

The victims were identified as 39-year-old Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons of Ashland, Mass.; 32-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Rada Morales of Naranjito, Puerto Rico, and 24-year-old Sgt. James M. Treber of San Diego, Calif.

All the soldiers were members of the same team in Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Bragg.

Simmons was a team sergeant. He is survived by his wife, Tricia Simmons; a daughter, Erin, and a son, Justin, all of Hope Mills; and his mother Alberta Simmons, of Tallahassee, Fla.

Rada Morales was a medical sergeant. He is survived by his wife, Amanda Rada Morales; a stepson, Andrew, and a daughter, Jessica, all of Fayetteville; and his mother, Virginia Morales, of Dorado, Puerto Rico.

Treber was a weapons sergeant. He is survived by his wife, Tamila Treber of Aberdeen; his father, Gordon Treber, of Astoria, Ore.; his mother, Laurie Treber, of Mohave, Ariz., and a brother, Gordon Treber Jr., of National City, Calif.

Rest in peace Jeffrey.

Honor the fallen: Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Rada Morales

ViolaLee · #**323** (**permalink**) 07-05-2008

Army Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons

Quote:

Army Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons was 39, of Ashland, Mass.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died June 29 in Khosrow-E Sofla, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his vehicle rolled into a canal. Also killed were Sgt. James M. Treber and Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Rada Morales.

Rest in peace Shawn.

Honor the fallen: Army Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons

ViolaLee · #**324** (**permalink**) 07-05-2008

Army Sgt. James M. Treber

Quote:

Army Sgt. James M. Treber was 24, of Imperial Beach, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died June 29 in Khosrow-E Sofla, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his vehicle rolled into a canal. Also killed were Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey M. Rada Morales and Master Sgt. Shawn E. Simmons.

Rest in peace James.

Honor the fallen: Army Sgt. James M. Treber

ViolaLee · #**325** (**permalink**) 07-05-2008

Army Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger

Quote:

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

Quote:

Fort Bragg-based soldier killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hunsberger was remembered Sunday during services at Wakarusa Missionary Church. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.

Honor the fallen: Army Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger

Rest in peace Travis.

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