Iraq and Afghanistan wars, RIP US Troops - Page 5 - U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

ViolaLee · #61 (**permalink**) 09-17-2006

Ryan Adam Miller

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Chron.com -- A third generation Marine, Ryan Adam Miller planned to join the Houston Police Department after serving his country and follow in the footsteps of his parents.

But just a few weeks shy of the completion of his tour in Iraq, the 19-year-old from Pearland was killed in action near Bawana, Iraq.

"He followed his dad into the Marines, and planned to wear his mother's badge when he joined the police department," said a longtime friend and neighbor, Katie King.

Miller's parents, Jeannine Maughmer-Miller and Frank Miller, who are retired from the department, learned Thursday of his death, the news delivered by three Marines.

The Millers could not be reached for comment. Assistant Police Chief Vicki King, acting as a spokesman for the family, said, "Ryan would have made a fine police officer."

Rest in peace Ryan.

ViolaLee · #62 (**permalink**) 09-19-2006

David Roddy

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WAVY.COM -- The war in Iraq once again hits home for Hampton Roads.

Another sailor loses his life to a buried bomb.

Tonight, Navy officials are confirming Petty Officer Second Class David Roddy died on Saturday.

Friends say he was killed by a bomb he was trying to diffuse.

David Roddy knew the dangers of this war for someone in his position, a member of the Navy's elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal units. His teammate, another locally based sailor, was killed the same way less than a month ago.

Outside of the Maryland home where David Roddy was raised, a yellow ribbon hangs to help bring him home, now intertwined with a black one because he never will be again.

"He's the guy who worked the robot, went in and pulled the wires, tried to keep them from blowing up. That's how he died," said family friend John Ropka.

Rest in peace David.

ViolaLee · #63 (**permalink**) 09-19-2006

Sgt Adam L Knox

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2006-09-17 Sgt Adam L Knox was 21 from Columbus, OH

346th Psychological Operations Company Army Reserve.

Knox died on Sept. 17 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when his patrol encountered enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations.

Rest in peace Adam.

ViolaLee · #64 (**permalink**) 09-19-2006

Sgt David J Davis

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2006-09-17 Sgt David J Davis was 32 from Mount Airy MD

4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Army

Davis died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept.17, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker Armored Vehicle during combat operations in Sadr City, Iraq.

Rest in peace David.

ViolaLee · #65 (**permalink**) 09-20-2006

James Worster

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Rocky Mountain News -- Sgt. James Worster never reached his goal of becoming a doctor, but he fulfilled his dream of touching the lives of the sick, the injured and the needy as an Army medic.
The 24-year-old Fort Carson soldier died Monday in Iraq of natural causes, three weeks shy of his scheduled return to the United States, his mother, Donna Thornton, said from her home in North Pole, Alaska.

He was assigned to the 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad.

The loss six years ago of his father and hero, Richard Malcom, who died from hepatitis C, made him want to become a doctor, Thornton said.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were a factor in Worster's decision to enlist.

"He didn't want to see us attacked again," Thornton said.

His unit eventually deployed to Baghdad where it operated a trauma center.

"He did tell us he had a lot of times that he had to work on little kids who had been shot and injured," Thornton said. "He was glad he was there for them and comforted them, and he was glad he was there for his soldiers."

ViolaLee · #66 (**permalink**) 09-21-2006

Dobre Lili

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www.keralanext.com -- BUCHAREST - A Romanian soldier in Iraq who tried to commit suicide ten days ago died in a Kuwaiti hospital late Saturday, the Romanian news agency reported Sunday.

The soldier, Dobre Lili, fired at his head in his tent on March 14 after finishing petrol around the area. He was in an immediate coma after the shot and was rushed to a nearby Kuwaiti hospital for treatment.

The cause of suicide was unknown.

A spokesman for the Romanian Defense Ministry told Xinhua that Lili is the first soldier dead in Iraq. So far, three Romanian soldiers died in Afghanistan, he added.

Romania currently has more than 840 soldiers in Iraq.

Rest in peace Dobre.

ViolaLee · #67 (**permalink**) 09-28-2006

2nd Lt. Emily Perez

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WEST POINT, New York (AP) -- The first member of West Point's "Class of 9/11" to die in combat was buried at the military academy Tuesday, two weeks after she was killed by a bomb at the head of a convoy in Iraq.

2nd Lt. Emily Perez, 23, was leading a platoon when a roadside bomb exploded September 12 south of Baghdad. She was the first female West Point graduate to die in Iraq and the highest-ranking black and Hispanic woman cadet in the school's history.

"She was like a little superwoman, so full of energy and life," said Meghan Venable-Thomas, a senior who was on the track team and in the gospel choir with Perez.

The academy's Class of 2005 is called the "Class of 9/11" because the 2001 terrorist attacks occurred just weeks into the students' freshman years.

"I think we all hoped it wouldn't happen," said class President James Freeze of the first death among the graduates, who numbered exactly 911. Half of the class remains on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Perez was a Medical Service Corps officer assigned to the 204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in Fort Hood, Texas.

Dozens of cadets watched as she was buried in the West Point Cemetery. After accepting the folded American flag from Perez's coffin, her mother leaned over, put her forehead on the casket and whispered.

Perez was fluent in German from growing up overseas. She also played the clarinet and helped start an AIDS ministry at her church. Before leaving for Iraq, she donated bone marrow to a stranger.

"One of the things important to Emily was not the fear of death, but the fear of not living," the Rev. E. Faith Bell said after the service.

Rest in peace Emily.

ViolaLee · #68 (**permalink**) 09-28-2006

Jared Raymond

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The Daily Item -- LYNN - The line of mourners, many clutching facial tissues and handkerchiefs, extended along Maple Street from the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home and wrapped around the nearest corner Wednesday evening.

There were friends and relatives, high school classmates, former teachers, ex-soldiers, neighbors, military officials in dress uniforms, local dignitaries, acquaintances, and those who simply came to grieve the death of an American serviceman.

The body of Army Spc. Jared Raymond, 20, of Swampscott, killed Sept. 19 in combat in Iraq, arrived at the funeral home amid an escort of motorcycles and police cruisers. With colors struck, the soldier's coffin was carried inside where family members sat in silence.

Although the young man's wake was to begin at 4 p.m., the somber crowd assembled outside grew so quickly that a decision was made to open the doors nearly an hour earlier, and still they came.

An only child, Raymond died when a bomb exploded beneath the tank he was driving in Taji as part of the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Hood, Texas. He joined the military a month after graduating Swampscott High in 2004.

Rest in peace Jared.

ViolaLee · #69 (**permalink**) 09-29-2006

Bobby Callahan

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News Record -- HIGH POINT -- Bobby Callahan wasn't always the best kid.

He dropped out of Southwest Guilford High School in the 10th grade to be home-schooled. He found himself arguing with his parents quite a bit. And he drank.

Then at 18, Callahan decided it was time for a change: He thought the Army might be his savior.

Callahan enlisted and found a home.

"The thing I'm most proud of is how he blossomed," his father, David Callahan, said. "In boot camp, he was talking about quitting. Then, he just turned into a man."

Army Spc. Robert Thomas Callahan died Tuesday in Iraq when the vehicle in which he was riding overturned. He was 22 and stationed in the Baghdad region.

The Army had turned Bobby Callahan's life around, his family said Thursday. He straightened up and apologized to his parents for giving them a hard time during his teenage years.

He had fallen in love and married in January. His wife, Kristen Callahan, lives in Syracuse, N.Y., near where he was stationed. He was able to buy a new car -- an Acura RSX -- something that had meant a lot to him.

"The Army and Kristen really helped him out a lot," his mother, Robin Minor said. "He was a sweetheart. He had a huge heart, was nice to everybody and never met a stranger."

Callahan was assigned to the Fourth Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, N.Y.

He had been in Iraq for about a month and was starting his second tour of duty there.

The first time around, he was awarded an Army Commendation Medal with valor for saving another soldier's life while under enemy mortar fire.

In addition to his wife and parents, he is survived by a brother, Sean Callahan, a sister, Sarah Callahan, and step-father, Ben Minor.

Rest in peace Bobby.

ViolaLee · #70 (**permalink**) 09-29-2006

Ashley L. Huff

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New Jersey Times -- A former Montgomery Township resident was killed last week in a suicide attack on her convoy in Mosul, Iraq, her father and the Department of Defense confirmed.

First Lt. Ashley L. Huff, whose maiden name was Henderson, had been scheduled to return to her home in Georgia in about six weeks. The 23-year-old was assigned to the 549th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, based out of Fort Stewart, Ga.

During the late 1990s, she lived with her parents, Mark and Janet Henderson, on Cobblestone Court in the Belle Mead section of Montgomery Township.

After high school, she relocated to Athens, Ga., to attend the University of Georgia. After graduating from there in 2004, she moved to Savannah, Ga. Her parents now live in Buford, Ga.

In Iraq working to train that country's police force, she was killed Sept. 19 when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden car near her patrol, military officials said.

A memorial service was held yesterday for her at Fort Stewart.

Ashley Huff grew up in Louisiana and New Jersey, but she enjoyed living in the South, her father said.

She married her husband, Brian Huff, about a year ago.

"She was a newlywed, so she was looking forward to coming home and buying a house," Mark Henderson said. "After the leave, that's what she was focusing on -- coming home."

Even after she moved to Savannah, she regularly returned to Athens. She rarely missed a University of Georgia football game.

"They were big Dawg fans," her father said.

A 2004 graduate of UGA, Ashley Huff was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority.

The perils of serving in Iraq grew painfully clear to Huff on June 18, 2005, when her friend and fellow UGA Army ROTC classmate, 2nd Lt. Noah Harris, was killed in combat.

Huff spoke at his memorial service at UGA.

"We're always told we have to be strong as leaders when this stuff happens, but it's so much harder knowing what a great friend I just lost," she wrote in an online memorial for Harris, when Huff herself was a second lieutenant.

"She was a happy person, a good leader," Mark Henderson said. "She was very caring about her soldiers -- well respected by them and by her commanding officers. She had a promising career in the Army and whatever else she chose."

Rest in peace Ashley.

ViolaLee · #71 (**permalink**) 09-29-2006

Christopher M. Zimmerman

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News Observer -- Chris Zimmerman grew up loving cars and people. Cars he made faster. People he made happier.
Joining the Marine Corps after high school, the gifted artist and natural mechanic fixed helicopters and nurtured friendships.

Zimmerman left the Marines after five years, joined the Marine Reserves and thought about college. But nothing else fit.

After terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Zimmerman rejoined the Marines. He served in Afghanistan and then in Iraq.

"When he decided to go into the military, I said, 'Why are you going into the Marines?' " recalled his father, Mike Zimmerman of Stephenville, Texas. "He said, 'Because they're the best.' "

Sgt. Christopher M. Zimmerman on Wednesday gave his last to the best. He was killed in a midday gunbattle near Fallujah, his father said. He was 28.

The U.S. Department of Defense said Zimmerman was a member of a reconnaissance unit based at Camp Lejeune near Jacksonville.

Rest in peace Christopher.

ViolaLee · #72 (**permalink**) 09-30-2006

Yull Estrada Rodriguez

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Star Bulletin -- A Kaneohe Marine unit completing its seven-month combat tour in Iraq next month has suffered its 12th casualty this year.

The Marine Corps said Cpl. Yull Estrada Rodriguez, 21, of Alegre Lajas, Puerto Rico, was the gunner of a 7-ton truck when it struck a homemade bomb Wednesday in Al-Anbar province.

Estrada Rodriguez enlisted in the Marine Corps in February 2004 and reported to Hawaii in July 2004.

It was his second combat tour. Estrada Rodriguez deployed to Afghanistan in late 2004 with Kaneohe Bay's 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

He left Kaneohe for Iraq with the same unit in March.

His awards include the Purple Heart, two Combat Action ribbons, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and two Sea Service Deployment ribbons.

He is survived by his mother and father.

Estrada Rodriguez's unit, the 3rd Battalion, is being replaced by its affiliate unit, the 2nd Battalion. A Kaneohe spokesman yesterday said that a majority of Rodriguez's unit is expected to be home next month.

About 100 Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, left Marine Corps Base Hawaii last month for a seven-month deployment to Iraq. An additional 900 Marines from the same regiment will join them this month in Al-Anbar.

Three 3rd Battalion Marines were killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

Thirty-three soldiers, two sailors, 56 Marines, one Air Force personnel and one civilian with Hawaii ties have been killed in Iraq since the war started in March 19, 2003.

Rest in peace Yull.

ViolaLee · #73 (**permalink**) 09-30-2006

Robb G. Needham

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Oregon Live -- VANCOUVER -- Master Sgt. Robb G. Needham, 51, had the smile of an optimist. Just look at his official Army photo.
"That's him, all the time," said his mother, Margaret E. Needham. "Always smiling, always smiling."

Loved ones remembered Needham Friday as a big-hearted family man who believed it was his duty to serve in Iraq.

Needham died Wednesday when his patrol encountered small arms fire, according to a Department of Defense news release. The Rev. John Bishop, a family pastor, said he was killed by a sniper's bullet while on patrol near Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Lewis near Tacoma.

He would have turned 52 on Oct. 26, and was among the oldest U.S. soldiers and Marines killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 14 others 50 or older have died in those conflicts.

Yet his age never came up in conversations and e-mails with Bishop, a senior pastor at Living Hope Church in Vancouver, where Needham was a member.

Catherine M. Needham, his wife, is an English teacher at New Generation Christian School, which is affiliated with the east Vancouver church. The couple has an adult daughter and son and two grandchildren. They requested privacy.

Rest in peace Robb.

ViolaLee · #74 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006

Eric Kavanagh

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A 20-year-old Army private from Severna Park, who saw his service in Iraq as ultimately protecting Americans, will be buried Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery.

Eric Kavanagh was killed five days ago when an explosive detonated. The young soldier, trained as a Bradley tank driver, had been in Iraq about five weeks as a member of the 26th Infantry Regiment.

"He knew what was out there," said Andy Baxley, who supervised Kavanagh when he helped run the presses at the Maryland Pennysaver after high school. "We were all very proud of him. He knew where he was heading."

Rest in peace Eric

ViolaLee · #75 (**permalink**) 10-08-2006

Charles Jason Jones

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Courier Journal -- FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Military officials are investigating the unexplained "non-combat" death of a Kentucky National Guard soldier in Iraq this week, the head of the state Guard said yesterday.

Sgt. 1st Class Charles Jason Jones, 29, was found dead in his quarters at Camp Liberty in Baghdad about 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday, a Guard spokesman said.

Kentucky Adjutant General Donald Storm said there was not enough information as of yesterday to determine how Jones died, including whether foul play, natural causes or suicide might have been involved.

"He was a fine soldier who died serving his nation in a faraway land," said Storm, who knew Jones as a boy and had helped recruit him.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher ordered flags at state office buildings lowered to half-staff in honor of Jones, who was the 12th Kentucky National Guard soldier to die during the war on terror.

Rest in peace Charles

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