Iraq and Afghanistan wars, RIP US Troops - Page 3 - U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

Rakkasan · #31 (**permalink**) 09-06-2006

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/im...on-rodrick.JPG

Army Sgt. Roderic A. Solomon

32, of Fayetteville, N.C.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed March 28 in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

• • • • •

Mother’s faith shaken by son’s death in Iraq

By Stephen Manning
Associated Press

Belinda Solomon watched the Iraq war every day last spring on television, convinced that her vigilance, along with a deep religious faith, would help bring her son home alive.

But a year after Sgt. Roderic Solomon, 32, was killed in a crash last March 28, she finds that her once-steadfast faith has been badly shaken.

Now she wonders why God picked her “Roddy,” a quiet man who tried hard, who didn’t drink or smoke, the father of two young sons and an 8-year-old girl he lovingly called his “Asia Bear.”

“I’m a true believer in God, and I think he has reasons for why all things happen,” she said from her home in Fayetteville, N.C. “Why he took my son and left the rest of them, I don’t know. I have questioned God and I know that’s not right.”

Solomon was one of six men in the back of a Bradley fighting vehicle that plunged into a ravine during a late-night mission just south of Baghdad.

He came from a line of service members — his father, Robert, served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the Army, his grandfathers fought in World War II and his older brother served in the Army.

Roderic served during the first Gulf War, but when he told his parents in 2002 that he wanted to sign up again, to make the Army a career, they pleaded with him to change his mind. In the post-Sept. 11 world, they were sure he would be sent to a war zone.

“I kept telling him, ‘No, Roddy, not now, this is a bad time,”’ Belinda remembers.

Sometimes she looks at the photos sent home by one of Roderic’s friends. There are shots of him when he was promoted to sergeant and another of a buddy hoisting Solomon over his head. But the one that gives her chills is a snapshot of Roderic standing in front of a Bradley.

The men who served with Solomon said he took care of them, that he would sacrifice himself to help fellow soldiers.

Pfc. Joseph Matherne, who was in the back of the Bradley with Solomon the night he died, said Solomon took on a paternal responsibility for the younger men in the unit. When Solomon learned Matherne didn’t have a Kevlar protective vest that fit, he traded a pair of expensive goggles to get the gear Matherne needed.

“He was a good man, an extremely good man,” Matherne said.

• • • • •

First Gulf War veteran won re-enlistment at age 31

Sgt. Roderic Solomon, 32, of Fayetteville, N.C., fought hard to get the Army to take him back last year.

The third-generation soldier had seen combat in the ‘91 Gulf War during a six-year stint after high school. Then, he tried civilian life and the National Guard before he realized the Army was where be belonged.

Trouble was, the Army was reluctant to take a 30-year-old infantryman with three children.

“The Army said no, no, no, but Roddy wouldn’t accept that,” said his father, Robert Solomon of Fayetteville. “He pushed and pushed and pushed.”

After more than a year of trying to get back in, Solomon won a one-on-one interview with a colonel. He made his case. The colonel said yes. Solomon rejoined the Army in May 2002.

He wanted an administrative position but returned to the infantry, his father said.

Solomon died Friday, March 28, when the Bradley Fighting Vehicle he was in drove off a cliff near Najaf in Iraq. Solomon, who is divorced, had a daughter, Asia, 8, and two sons, Talyn, 7, and Kenyon, 3.

Solomon’s father and older brother retired from the Army. Both his grandfathers were career soldiers, too. One died in Germany in World War II and is buried there.

“Even a career soldier can’t prepare for this. It hurts,” Solomon’s father said. “But I’m proud of what he was doing.”

— USA Today

ViolaLee · #32 (**permalink**) 09-06-2006

Rest in peace Roderic.

Oh no, there are many new entries on the Iraq Page.

Eugene Alex

Quote:

Detroit Free Press -- Staff Sgt. Eugene Alex turned 32 on Aug. 30. It also was the day he was wounded by small-arms fire on traffic control duty in Baghdad, Iraq.

On Saturday, the former Reese and Bay City native died at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

No other details about his injuries or the circumstances in which he was shot were released by the Pentagon.

Alex was a cavalry scout who served with the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska.

He also was a "wonderful husband and excellent father" of two boys and a girl, ages 11, 8, and 6, respectively, said Sue Huntley, his mother-in-law.

Alex is the first member of the 3,900-member 172nd Brigade killed since U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced the unit's extended deployment in July.

In Fairbanks last month, Rumsfeld said he could not promise that the full brigade would be home by the holidays.

Alex also is the second member of a Stryker Brigade, an armored tank unit, to die in Iraq. The first was Sgt. Gabriel G. DeRoo, 25, of Paw Paw, who was killed in August.

Alex, who grew up in Reese and later lived in Bay City, was back in Alaska earlier this year recuperating for three months from neck injuries he sustained when his unit was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq last October, Huntley said.

"He got through that roadside bomb and we thought he would be OK," she said.

Alex joined the Army in May 1996. He was recently married and had been working at a granary when he decided to enlist so that he could better provide for his family, Huntley said.

He served at Ft. Knox in Kentucky and Ft. Hood in Texas before going to Ft. Wainwright in September 2003.

He also was previously stationed in Bosnia and Korea.

"As a 10-year member of America's all-volunteer Army, Sergeant Alex willingly set aside the comforts of home to defend our nation and extend freedom to an oppressed people. Alaskans are proud to have had him as a part of our community, and we honor his memory," said Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski.

"He was a happy-go-lucky guy," Huntley said. "He always had a smile on his face."

In addition to his children, Alex is survived by his wife, Melissa; his parents, Ronald and Sally Alex of Greenie, and two sisters who live in Reese.

Rest in peace Eugene.

ViolaLee · #33 (**permalink**) 09-06-2006

Ryan Miller

Quote:

His Humvee had struck a land mine and the war as a whole felt more dangerous on this second tour of Iraq, but Ryan Miller still told his family not to worry.

The 21-year-old Marine had squeezed in a call to his family's Northeast Side home last Tuesday, after 10 days in the field with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines.

The Marines had drawn small-arms and mortar fire and his Humvee had been damaged by the land mine, but Miller wasn't hurt. Combat-seasoned, he knew a close call when he saw one.

"He said, 'Boy, we're really lucky, Dad,' " Ed Miller recalled yesterday. "I said, 'Yeah, praise the Lord, son.' "

Ryan Miller said he was looking forward to a shower and meal because the Marines were headed out again soon.

"And that was the last we heard," his mother, Mary, said last night.

The pair of uniformed Marines came to the Miller home on Beaver Head Court unannounced Sunday evening.

They didn't have to say anything.

"I had to grab ahold of both of them and said, 'I gotta know if this is real,' " Ed Miller said.

Ryan Miller, a 2003 graduate of St. Francis DeSales High School, died in Iraq on Sunday, said Dennis Benson, a Marine family-support group organizer who had worked with the Millers for most of the year.

"He was a very good kid," he said.

A Defense Department news release said two Marines assigned to the Regimental Combat Team 5 died Sunday in enemy action in Iraq's Anbar province. The release did not name the Marines.

Miller's family said the young man's Humvee had struck a much more powerful improvised explosive device, but they don't know many other details about his death. They said he had been involved in Operation Rubicon, an effort to drive out insurgents in an area west of Habbaniyah that U.S. or coalition forces have rarely traversed.

The yellow ribbons remained tied to trees outside the family's home last night as a steady stream of friends and relatives arrived to offer their condolences.

It's been the family home since Ryan Miller was 6 years old, his mother said.

His younger sister, Tara, remembered the forts he built in the woods. His father remembered teaching his son to shoot a pellet gun in the backyard. Even then, Mr. Miller saw that his son — who hoped to become a Marine sniper — had a knack for marksmanship.

Miller joined the Marines after high school in late 2003, telling his parents that he thought he would come out of it a stronger, better person with lifelong friendships.

"There's nothing negative here, Dad," he told his father. "This is all good."

He first shipped to Iraq in February 2004 and returned that September. He was proud of his service and would give a slide show to anyone interested in his experiences.

Miller returned to the war in July and was two months into another seven-month stretch when he died. His parents could sense in their son that this tour was more volatile.

"He was in a totally different situation this time than he was last time," Ed Miller said.

Ryan Miller rarely could say what he was up to but assured his family that the Marines had prepared him well.

"I can handle anything they can throw at me," he said once, his father recalled. "I'll have a lot of good stories to tell you when I get back."

In his last call, he talked about being home for Christmas 2007 and his plans to pay down his Nissan Altima.

"His car was his pride and joy," his father said.

Ryan planned to leave the Marines after his four years were up and go to college and pursue law enforcement. His inspiration was his uncle, David Blubaugh, a Columbus police officer.

He talked of maybe playing with his father in an adult softball league.

"He was just happy to be thinking ahead," Ed Miller said.

His son, he said, had become confident, mature, focused. And every time they spoke to him, the Millers made sure to tell him how proud they were of all that he had done and would do.

Ryan Miller's body should be home within a week.

"It's tough, boy, I'm telling you, it's tough," Mr. Miller said. "You just feel like somebody tore half your heart out.

"I couldn't have asked for a better son."

ViolaLee · #34 (**permalink**) 09-06-2006

Nicholas A. Madaras

A

Quote:

n Army private from Wilton was killed Sunday in Iraq when an explosive device blew up near his patrol, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.

Pfc. Nicholas A. Madaras, 19, died in Bagubah when the bomb detonated near his patrol, which was dismounted, military officials said.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered that U.S. and state flags remain at half staff to honor Madaras and Marine Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson, 19, of Enfield, who was also killed Sunday in Iraq.

Madaras was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Carson, Colo.

"This is a tremendously sad day for Connecticut," Rell said. "In fact, combined with our recent loss of Marine Cpl. Jordan Pierson, the past several days have been very sad ones for the people of our state."

Governor Rell Statement on Army PFC Nicholas A. Madaras of Wilton: Governor M. Jodi Rell today ordered U.S. and state flags to remain at half staff to honor Army PFC Nicholas A. Madaras, 19, of Wilton, and Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson, 19, of Enfield.

PFC Madaras was killed on September 3 in Bagubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol during combat operations. Army PFC Madaras was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Carson, Colorado. Lance Cpl. Johnson was killed September 3 while his unit was in Ramadi, Iraq.

"This is a tremendously sad day for Connecticut," Governor Rell said. "In fact, combined with our recent loss of Marine Cpl. Jordan Pierson, the past several days have been very sad ones for the people of our state.

"Words cannot express the sense of loss we feel today, but by honoring PFC Madaras and Lance Cpl. Johnson's memory and by celebrating their lives and their selfless service, we can show our gratitude to these courageous heroes.

"Army PFC Madaras and Lance Cpl. Johnson were killed while protecting what each of us cherishes so dearly: our freedom. They made the ultimate sacrifice for each of us, and for that we owe them a debt of gratitude which we can never fully repay. The State of Connecticut's thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends."

On August 26, Governor Rell ordered flags to be lowered to half staff to honor Marine Corporal Jordan C. Pierson of Milford, who was killed in combat in Iraq.

At the Governor's direction, flags will remain at half staff until Army PFC Madaras and Lance Cpl. Johnson have been interred.

Mrs. M · #35 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

This young man was due home this month. God rest his soul.

Soldiering was Metairie man's dream
By Kate Moran
East Jefferson bureau

A life’s calling is not always so obvious as it was to Matthew Joseph Vosbein, a Metairie native who spent his childhood dressing up in fatigues and later married a military girl.

Vosbein consummated a lifelong dream when he enlisted in the Army in September 2002 and became part of the first wave of soldiers to push into Iraq. He died there Aug. 29, less than a month before he was scheduled to return home, when a roadside bomb exploded while he was on combat patrol in Sadr Al Ysifiyah.

Family members describe Vosbein, 30, as an infantryman who saw grueling combat duty — he once nearly died of heat stroke — but who used to write home about the hospitality of the Iraqi civilians who offered soldiers tea after the Americans had swept their houses for weapons.
“He liked the people. He has a lot of pictures of him grinning away with his arms around civilians and kids doing peace signs around him,” his wife, Lynda Vosbein, said. “In a combat zone, you cannot be friendly to everyone, but he liked to talk to people when he felt it was safe to stand there and have a conversation.”

His family called Vosbein a devoted father to two sons, Connor, 5, and John, 7, both of Louisiana, and a stepson, Brandon Jackson, 12. His attachment to his kids fueled his sense of purpose in Iraq, where he was troubled by the precarious conditions in which many children lived.

“It was very hard,” his mother, Anna Williams, said of Vosbein’s time in Iraq. “He felt very bad for the kids and the women because of the way they lived.”

“He had a strong sense of God, family and country, and he was willing to defend his beliefs,” added his father, Gene Williams.

Vosbein grew up intimate with the outdoors, camping and fishing with his brothers and spending weekends and summers with his grandparents at their remote cabin in Illinois. His younger brothers said he would accompany them to Boy Scout jamborees at Camp Robert and Camp Salmon.

“He was always playing army and dressing up and playing guns and camping,” his younger brother, Hagle Williams, said. “He was always an outdoorsman, showing us how to be in the woods, showing us what kind of plants we could eat.”

At Riverdale High School in Jefferson, Vosbein spent four years in the Reserve Officers Training Corps and served as corps commander during his senior year in 1995, according to his mother.

After graduation, he worked for two years as a correctional officer for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and then trained as a welder at the Northrop Grumman Avondale shipyard. He and his first wife, Tara, with whom he had his two sons, also lived in Wyoming before he enlisted in the Army in 2002.

Vosbein fed his passion for all things military with a collection of antique rifles and memorabilia, some dating to the Civil War. When he left for his first tour of duty, he brought the most personal of those mementos with him: a survival knife that his grandfather, a Navy veteran, used in the Pacific theater during World War II.

When he returned from his first tour after 18 months, he brought a souvenir of the latest war for his sons: an album of photographs from Iraq.

The period between his two deployments was a decisive time for Vosbein. At home in Tennessee, he met an Army reserve officer named Lynda Dodge at a country-western dance hall. He swept her onto the dance floor moments after they were introduced and married her less than a year later, in February 2005.

Vosbein had re-enlisted in the Army by then and learned that he would be stationed in Germany. Family members said he requested a transfer to Iraq because other members of his unit, based in Fort Campbell, Ky., were headed to the Middle East.

He served with the 101 Airborne Division in the Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. One hundred and sixty-nine soldiers from Fort Campbell have died in the Iraq war, more than 150 of them from the 101st Airborne Division.

“He said, ‘Dad, if my men are going back, I want to be there with them,’¤” Gene Williams said.

That summer, before he left for his second tour of duty, Vosbein who was promoted to sergeant.

“All I know is how his sergeants talked about him when they came back from their first tour,” Gene Williams said. “They were very impressed with his leadership abilities.”

Vosbein was raised by his mother and her husband, Gene, in Metairie, but when he was a teenager, he decided he wanted to meet his biological father, Tim Lingle of Illinois. His family says he put on his ROTC uniform, asked for the military discount on his plane ticket and set off to Illinois.

“He got to know him well, and they formed a close relationship. Matt did not limit his heart by little things,” Gene Williams said. “Anna and I were always open with him about his heritage. He reached a time when he wanted to meet his biological father, and he took the initiative and did it. He was that type of person.”

His family these days is scattered between Louisiana and Illinois, where Lingle and his wife Amy live, and where Gene and Anna Williams are spending time while their Metairie home, which sustained wind damage during Katrina, is under repair.

Vosbein is survived by his two sets of parents, five grandparents, six brothers, two sons, a stepson and his wife. Friends may call on the family from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Parker-Reedy Funeral Home in West Frankfort, Ill. The burial will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. John’s Catholic Church in the same town. The family will celebrate a remembrance of his life that evening at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

ViolaLee · #36 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

Philip Alexander Johnson

Quote:

ENFIELD - Philip Alexander Johnson realized a childhood dream by joining the U.S. Marine Corps after his graduation from Enfield High School last year, and it showed in the pride and maturity he displayed on a visit home.

"He stood tall with his shoulders back and his hair cut military-style," Ron Jackman, a family friend, said today. "You could tell he was doing what he wanted."

Lance Cpl. Johnson was killed near one of Iraq's most dangerous cities Sunday morning, less than two months after arriving in the war-torn nation.

He died with one other Marine as his unit was traveling from Ramadi, Jackman said.

Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, is patrolled by hundreds of Marines. The Marines are confined to bases during the day and return to the streets at night. Daytime foot patrols are limited because of the threat of snipers and roadside bombs.

Jackman said Johnson apparently was killed in a roadside attack. His parents, Louis and Kathy Johnson, were notified by the military Sunday night.

Johnson was the younger of their two children. His 25-year-old sister is a member of the Army Reserves, Jackman said.

Johnson was remembered by many as a young man with goals and a drive to help people.

"All he wanted to do was be in the Marine Corps," childhood friend Jordan Meyer said. "I'm really proud of him. He's one person who actually did what they said they were going to do in life."

Kevin Verheggen, another childhood friend, said Johnson was outgoing and popular.

"Everybody liked him," Verheggen said today. Verheggen, 22, said Johnson's death has been difficult to grasp.

ViolaLee · #37 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

Richard Henkes

There is no picture posted of this soldier who died in Iraq on Sunday. RIP Richard.

Quote:

Sgt. 1st Class Richard Henkes always knew he wanted to be a soldier.

Shortly after graduating from Clackamas High School, he joined the U.S. Army in 1992, training for the infantry.

"When Rich enlisted, he was in for a couple of years, and then he got out and was in the National Guard for a while," said his sister, Army Capt. Linda Bass of Birmingham, Ala. Eventually Henkes re-enlisted, in part because he wanted to provide steady support for his family.

"He loved what he was doing, and he was very, very good at what he did," Bass said. "It's what he knew and believed in."

Henkes, 33, died Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded in Mosul, Iraq. He'd been there two months, his sister said. He was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash.

He leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter, Isabel, in Vancouver and an extended family.

Henkes was the 71st member of the military with ties to Oregon or Southwest Washington to die in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Leading his first platoon, Henkes knew the dangers he and his soldiers were getting into, his sister said. Bass had been stationed in Iraq in 2003, and they talked may times about what could happen over there.

True to form, she said, her little brother tried to reassure her. But in e-mails home, he indicated he sometimes worried about his platoon members. Still, he believed in the mission in Iraq, Bass said.

"He believed in serving his country and doing something that would have a positive effect," she said. "He believed he was doing something for the greater good."

Such beliefs ran in the family. Henkes' father served in the Air Force, and both his grandfathers were in the Army and fought in World War II. A great-grandfather fought in World War I, Bass said.

Henkes grew up in Boring. In high school he wrestled and ran track, but his passion was snowboarding. Last December, he taught his 17-year-old niece, Cassidy Richard, how to ride a snowboard on Mount Hood during a family vacation to celebrate Bass' wedding.

Henkes was "always the jokester" at such gatherings, his sister said.

"But be could also be very quiet," she said. "He was very serious about what he was doing for a living. He was a very caring and compassionate person."

Henkes is survived by his daughter, Isabel; parents, Chris and Jim Stanton of Ashdown, Ark., and Richard and Karen Henkes of Woodburn; sisters, Bass, Tamara Henkes of Portland, Dana Harmel of Woodburn and Cindy Stanton of Hot Springs, Ark.; and brothers, Mark Holmgren of Woodburn and Paul Stanton of Arkadelphia, Ark.

Bass said she will fly to Dover Air Force Base, Del., to accompany her brother's body home as his official military escort.

"It's my honor to do it for him," she said. "His family is very proud of him."

ViolaLee · #38 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

2006-09-03 Lance Cpl Shane Paul Harris

He was 23 from Las Vegas, NV

Quote:

3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Harris died Sep. 3 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

Rest in peace Shane.

ViolaLee · #39 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

Justin Dreese

Quote:

FREEBURG, PA. - A North Carolina soldier died in Iraq just weeks after returning to the Middle East from leave, his mother said Tuesday.

Pfc. Justin Dreese, 21, served with the 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg. The Pentagon has not released details of Dreese's death.

"He will be sadly missed," Dreese's mother, Kathryn Shaffer, said by phone on Tuesday. "He was my only child."

Shaffer said she last saw her son five weeks ago, before he returned to Fort Bragg and then went overseas. Dreese had been back in Iraq for three weeks when he was killed.

Shaffer described Dreese as an avid hunter and fisherman who made it a point to go fishing with his grandfather when he was home.

"He was a wonderful son. A patriot. Everybody loved him. A good kid," Shaffer said.

The front porch of the home of Dreese's father and stepmother in Freeburg was adorned with a yellow ribbon, and cars packed the driveway Monday, a day after the family learned of his death.

He died this weekend. Rest in peace Justin.

ViolaLee · #40 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

Stephen Robert Wright

Quote:

MOD -- It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Gunner Stephen Robert Wright in Iraq on Monday 4 September 2006.

Gunner Wright, 20, from 58 Battery, 12 Regiment Royal Artillery, died as a result of injuries sustained from a roadside bomb at approximately 1300hrs local time near the town of Ad Dayr, north of Basra City. He was on a routine patrol in support of a Danish reconstruction team when the incident occurred.

The explosion hit his vehicle patrol as it was returning to base following a routine task training the Iraqi Police. Very sadly the incident killed two soldiers from the Battery, including Gunner Wright.

Rest in Peace Stephen.

ViolaLee · #41 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

There isn't a picture posted of this brave EMT. He was 30, he died on Tuesday. Rest in peace Christopher.

Christopher G. Walsh

Quote:

St. Louis Today -- A St. Louis Fire Department emergency medical technician, who loved helping people so much that he signed up for the Navy Reserves, was killed in Iraq on Monday, according to the fire department and family members.

Relatives and friends said Christopher G. Walsh, 30, was killed while helping people - the same thing that drove him to join the fire department in 2001. The Department of Defense had not yet confirmed his death late Tuesday, and details of his death were not clear.

What was clear was that he chose his own path, said Timothy Kirchoff, a friend and firefighter who worked with Walsh for several years. Walsh had followed a family history of firefighting and military service and pushed to be sent to Iraq, family and friends said.

"He said he was a little scared," Kirchoff said. "But he wanted to go over there. He basically wanted to expand his training and experience. He wanted to be on the front lines."

Kirchoff said Walsh was a talented EMT and partner in a profession that requires trust.

"He was by far the best EMT I ever worked with," said Kirchoff, who was a paramedic until heading for firefighter training shortly before Walsh left for Iraq. "He really cared for the people of the city and wanted to work for them. And when something went wrong, I knew he was there with me."

ViolaLee · #42 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

Samuela Vanua

Quote:

MOD -- It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Gunner Samuela Vanua, Royal Artillery, in Iraq on Monday 4 September 2006.

On 4 September 2006 Gunner Samuela Vanua, 27, from 58 Battery, 12 Regiment Royal Artillery died as a result of injuries sustained from a roadside bomb at approximately 1300hrs local time near the town of Ad Dayr, north of Basra City.

He was on a routine patrol in support of a Danish reconstruction team when the incident occurred. The explosion hit his landrover patrol as it was returning to their base following a routine task training the Iraqi Police. Very sadly the incident killed two soldiers from the Battery including Gunner Vanua.

Rest in peace Sam.

ViolaLee · #43 (**permalink**) 09-07-2006

Eric P. Valdepenas

Quote:

WHDH.com -- BOSTON -- A 21-year-old Marine reservist from Seekonk who had been studying engineering at the University of Massachusetts has been killed in Iraq, military officials announced Tuesday.

Lance Cpl. Eric P. Valdepenas died Monday when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in the Al Anbar province of Fallujah in Iraq, according to the Defense Department. Two other servicemen were killed in the attack.

Valdepenas was a machine gunner in the 1st Battalion 25th Marines reserve unit, based in Devens, Mass., the Marine Corps said. The unit, activated in December 2005, is scheduled to return home next month.

Valdepenas had received numerous honors, including a purple heart, the Marine Corps said.

Valdepenas graduated from Bishop Hendricken in Warwick, R.I., and was a full-time engineering student at UMass-Amherst before his unit was called up.

Valdepenas was the youngest of eight children. He is survived by his parents, Dr. Jesus Bernal Valdepenas and Anne-Marie Valdepenas, two brothers and five sisters.

Rest in peace Eric. You had a very short life.

ViolaLee · #44 (**permalink**) 09-09-2006

Jared M. Shoemaker

Jared was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday. He was a 29 year old Tulsa Police Officer as well as a Marine Cpl.

Quote:

While conducting combat operations in the Al Anbar Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Shoemaker's armored vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device about 11:15 a.m. Monday, according to a statement from the Marines.

Rest in Peace Jared.

ViolaLee · #45 (**permalink**) 09-09-2006

Marshall A Gutierrez

There is no picture yet, of Marshall.

Quote:

2006-09-04 He was a Lt Col, 41 years old NM Area Support Group, Arijan, Kuwait Army

Gutierrez died on Sep. 4 in Camp Virginia, Kuwait, from non-combat related injuries. US

Rest in Peace Marshall.

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