2010 compilation thread

Spc. Brian Bowman grew up in Waveland, Indiana, and graduated from Southmont High School in 2004. He was serving as a medic in the United States Army, based out of Fort Carson, Colorado. Brian was one of four soldiers killed as a result of an improvised explosive device in southern Afghanistan. He was 24 years old. Brian is survived by his wife of just over two years.

January 3, 2010

Joshua Lengstorf joined the Army in August 2006 and was deployed to Afghanistan in May. He also served in Iraq from March to December 2007. He is survived by a wife and 14-month-old daughter, Kadence.

Lengstorf loved the outdoors, said Chuck Collins, who is Cody Collins' uncle. Lengstorf would spend long hours hunting, fishing and riding horses. A high school quarterback and safety, he also was an "unbelievable" fan of the University of Oregon Ducks football team, managing to watch the Rose Bowl from Afghanistan.

Jan 3, 2010

PVT John Dion and his girlfriend, Adi Vielma

Dion joined the Army in June after graduating from high school in Shattuck, where he was on the baseball and football teams. He was deployed to Afghanistan in November.

Dion's half-brother, Justin Werve, who was deployed to Iraq twice with the Air Force, said he tried talking Dion out of joining the Army, but he couldn't be dissuaded.

"He wanted to serve his country," Werve said. "He did it for the same reason I did it: to make sure his family stayed safe."

Age 19.

Jan 3, 2010

Senior Airman Bradley Smith, on right

"Brad was a boy's boy," said a friend, Tim Kalb. "He had an eager spirit and was always looking for the next adventure."

He recalled nights when Smith and his friends would camp in the forest, make inedible burnt breakfasts over a fire - and the time they accidentally set the woods ablaze.

Tiffany Smith gave birth in October to the couple's first child, a girl they named Chloe Lynn. The pastor said the child was born at a Belleville hospital and that Bradley Smith "had the joy of getting to be with (his wife and daughter) for a little more than a month" before shipping out to Afghanistan in early December.

The attack which killed Bradley Smith left Jim Malarsie (on left in above photo) blind.

Jan. 3, 2010

Jason Hickman is survived by his wife of seven years, Tiffany, and their three sons, ages 6, 4, and 2. He loved being outdoors, camping, hiking, fishing and also enjoyed teaching their children about the wonders of nature.

Jan 10, 2010

A newspaper photographer and five other U.S. military people were wounded in the blast northwest of the town of Nawa, where the battalion of 1,000 Hawaii Marines and sailors is located.

"I told him, 'Don't go. It's too dangerous over there,' " Juarez's grandmother, Elida Flores, told a San Antonio TV station.

"He said, 'Grandma, I want to go. I volunteered to go. And I'll come back very soon.' "

Juarez, responsible for issuing weapons to troops in the field, loved his job and planned to re-enlist. He recently had served nine months in Iraq and could have chosen not to deploy to Afghanistan. He went there in November.

"He was not supposed to go on this tour. He volunteered for it," Flores said.


Juarez leaves behind a 1-year-old son.

Jan 9, 2010

This is the last photo that Jacob Meinert took of himself in December before leaving Hawaii for deployment in Afghanistan. He sent the digital camera with this photo, with his belongings, to his brother in Fort Atkinson. His brother wanted a camera, so Jacob sent him the camera with this photo. Lance Corporal Jacob Alexander Meinert USMC was killed in action Sunday, January 10, 2010, in Bastion, Afghanistan.

When Jacob Meinert was just 12 or 13, he entered a sailing race at the South Shore Yacht Club. He was alone in his tiny boat near the Lake Michigan shore when the weather turned windy, and it took all of Meinert's strength and determination to stay at the helm.

"He was out there in this little boat and he never gave up. He finished the race," said his grandmother, Donna Meinert. "The wind was strong and the waves were rough. A lot of the young boys dropped out. But he finished."

Meinert spent a lot of time with his grandparents in Racine, where he loved to swim and sail on Lake Michigan. Tall and skinny, Meinert was proud of his nickname - "Slim" - given to him by his fellow Marines. He played trombone in Fort Atkinson High School's band and taught himself to play guitar. He earned a black belt in tae kwon do. He talked about going to college after his four-year hitch was up and then returning to the Corps as an officer.

When he was home on leave in November, his family threw a combination Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's/Easter party for him with a turkey dinner, Christmas cookies, Easter eggs and New Year's hats. Meinert decorated a Christmas tree. "We even made him look for an Easter basket," said Donna Meinert.

K&R

and bookmarked.

Already R'ed it.

Nicholas K. Uzenski (shown on right) loved his family and spending time with them; he loved the great outdoors and hiking. In addition, he was an avid Yankees Fan. Nick loved to eat, especially Rebakah's cookies.

Family and friends of Nick say the 21-year-old Marine from Tomball, Texas, was known for his faith, his competitive nature and his grin.

"Compared to his smile alone, I have accomplished nothing" -- William Uzenski, Nicholas Uzenski's father.

Jan 10, 2010

Thank you.

K&R.

Lowe's parents, Kevin and Teresa Lowe, didn't want their son's funeral to be a sad affair, so they asked everyone who participated in the service to show up wearing blue jeans. The service was filled with inspirational but lively music.

Teresa Lowe was an infant when her father, Verdell Solomon, was killed during the Vietnam War. He never got to see her, but heard her cry one time over the telephone.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jan/12/local-marine-killed-afghanistan/?print=1

Jan 11, 2010

this is a tragic, senseless loss.

Gary Ingham (left) and his son, Matt.


In 2006, Matt married Yasmin Rajpar, whom he met in eighth grade at Keith Junior High School.

"They were the loves of each others' lives," said Yasmin's mother, Shamim, an Altoona native who lives in Altoona with her husband, Haider, a native African she met in the Peace Corps. They adopted Yasmin as a baby from Pakistan and raised her here. Matt "absolutely adored" their daughter, she said.

They were best friends, "like two puppies from the same litter," she said.

They hiked and kayaked together in Okinawa, where he was stationed. They saw life as an adventure, she said. She was a secondary school teacher taking courses for a master's degree.

He played football in junior high school, but motocross was his love. He became a professional motocross driver in Okinawa.

Before Matt left for Afghanistan, his father Gary visited him in San Diego, where they rode motorcycles in the desert, fished in the ocean and went to bars at night. They were buddies. "That 'I'm your dad' sort of thing went out when he went into the Marines," Gary said.

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/526002.html?nav=742

Jan 11, 2010

Geoffrey Whitsitt was a country boy who loved running through the woods and fields near his rural South Carolina home as a child, dreaming of the day he'd finally be a soldier.

"He was my fishing buddy and my friend," said Whitsitt's father, Steve. He and his wife, Debbie, said their son never wavered from his dream of becoming a Ranger.

"He had a warrior spirit," his mother said.

Whitsitt, 21, of Taylors, S.C., was killed by a roadside bomb Jan. 13 in Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.

He was home-schooled until 10th grade, then attended Greenville Tech Charter High School. He graduated in 2007. Whitsitt’s brother, Steven, is a sailor stationed in the Persian Gulf.


U.S. Army Pfc. Geoffrey Whitsitt, from Grainville, S.C. , belonging to the 118th Airborne MP Company stands at a checkpoint near the town of Balisal Afghan, Logar province, Afghanistan Thursday Nov. 19, 2009. Security into the capital city of Kabul was heightened as President Hamid Karzai was scheduled to be inaugurated for his second term in office.

Jan 13, 2010

Daniel's family says he knew the risks of war, but was dedicated to his country.

He was also dedicated to his wife Rachel and two young boys, once born last October.

"He loved his boys. They were his little men, he called them." says Cook.

Daniel graduated from Overton and joined the military right out of high school at 17.

"He loved being an M.P. One of the greatest things he thought he could do was be a Military Policeman." says Cook.

But his sister says Daniel somehow knew this would be his last deployment.

"He actually told us he didn't think he was going to make it home this time. This was his third deployment. He said this one was a lot more dangerous then the other two he had first gone on." says Winton.

Jan 13, 2010

:(

Back in middle school, Brushaun Anderson could often be found in the computer lab with a few of his buddies - a curious student building Web sites and working on other technology projects.

"I cannot think of Brushaun without smiling," Dee Ann Barlow, one of Anderson’s teachers at Marshall Middle School in Columbus, Ga., wrote in an online message board. "He was so energetic and loved to learn. As a soldier he became a hero."

Anderson, 20, of Columbus died Jan. 1 in Baghdad in a noncombat incident. The military is investigating. The soldier, assigned to Fort Drum, N.Y., enlisted in the Army in 2007 after graduating from Carver High School.

One of Anderson's technology pals, Ricardo Toro, wrote in an online message board the technology club the two founded at their middle school continues going strong to this day.

"He and I shared our rivalries from time to time but it didn’t make us any less of what we were, friends to the end," Toro said.

Years before he joined the Army, Plant City native Spc. David A. Croft Jr. was always trying to make his world a better place.

About age 15, he brought his mother three abandoned kittens that needed a home. He even brought home a wounded hawk, but it had to be taken to the humane society.

Instead celebrating David Croft's 23rd birthday Friday, his family will be planning his funeral.

Croft was about two weeks away from returning home to his fiancee, Susie Clark.



Jan 6, 2010

Michael Jarrett lived in North Platte for less than two years, friends and family said, but his time there was pivotal in getting him interested in a military career. He arrived in Nebraska on something of a whim, when friend Andy Clark announced that he was moving to North Platte to care for a sick uncle. Michael decided to tag along after he graduated from high school in Ramona, Calif., in June 2007.

He worked at the Walmart distribution center in North Platte and later got a job at a Casey’s General Store, friends said.

Most nights, you could find Jarrett and his friends holed up in the basement of the two-story house they rented, playing “Halo” together on XBox Live.

On weekends, they often drove to McCook, playing in Magic: The Gathering tournaments and meeting people.

During his time in North Platte, Jarrett thought more and more about a military career, friends said. He liked the Army recruiter who befriended him. He liked the idea of making more than minimum wage, said North Platte friend Nathan Vogt, a veteran who often talked with Jarrett about the wages and lifestyle of the military.

PFC. Jarrett joined the Army in August 2008 and soon found himself in Germany, repairing helicopters.

“He loved working on those Apaches,” said Clark. “The military really seemed like it was helping him straighten up, you know. It seemed like it helped him focus.”

Jan 6, 2010

Kevin Beachnaw's heart sank as he opened the door Wednesday night to see two U.S. Army representative standing before him.

"Being from a military family, I knew ...," he said, choking up.

They told him his 23-year-old son, Sgt. Lucas Beachnaw with the 173rd Airborne Infantry, had been killed Wednesday in Afghanistan in small arms fire.

"I can't stop crying," the father said Thursday from his Charlotte area home. "I feel like my eyes are burning."

He had just chatted on the telephone Tuesday with his son about the daily rigors of Army training school, deer hunting and sending him a care package of venison summer sausage and jerky.

Kevin says his son was married right before he left for his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. Lucas also leaves behind a mother and two sisters.

Jan 13, 2010

:kick:

Kyle Wright joined the Army after graduating from Romeoville High School in 2006, and was based in Fort Lewis, Wash., where he met his fiancee. Skateboarding was among his interests and he had earned a contract to compete semi-professionally before joining the Army.

He quickly became fluent in Arabic after the Army placed him in the Defense Language Institute. Richard Wright said his son was selected for his high aptitude and was immersed in Arabic 10 hours a day for a year. "His writing in Arabic was like artwork."

Shortly before his death, Wright e-mailed his parents to share stories about a 6,000-pound drug and weapons seizure his team completed, which was reported on CNN. "His message said 'This was us, on our own, with a couple of helicopters,'" Richard Wright said. "He was on the front, cutting edge of this whole war effort."

"I don't know what people's stereotypes are of a quote/unquote grunt soldier, but he was the toughest, smartest, bravest man, and I don't just say that because he's my son," said Wright. "He was the very, very best."

Jan 13, 2010

25-year-old Christopher Hrbek was a 2002 graduate of Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School and a nine-year member of the Westwood Fire Department.

He deployed to Afghanistan in November, just before President Obama officially announced the surge.

He was due to receive a bronze star with valor. Two days before Christmas, Hrbek braved intense gunfire to save the life of a Marine sergeant major who lost both legs in an IED explosion. The man’s legs were immediately blown off and Hrbek acted quickly along with a Navy Corpsman who was with him at the time.

Together, they applied tourniquets to stop the bleeding, removed him from enemy fire and got him to an airlift so that he could receive medical attention.

jan 15, 2010

can find peace, but the pain must be intense as they try to deal with their losses.

:kick: and rec.

Thanks for remembering what war is really all about.

i hope everyone is reading each of these.

noamnety, thank you.

An avid sports fan, Spc. Robert Donevski played intramural basketball and had a 4-0 record in an amateur boxing league before entering the military. He followed the Phoenix Suns and the Buffalo Bills - his mother's home team - and loved partying, playing Xbox games and hanging out with his friends.

He was intense and occasionally intimidating - a born debater with strongly felt convictions, a friend said. "Even if he was wrong, he'd argue with you until he convinced you he was right," said Stephen Northrop, of Scottsdale, Ariz. "You definitely had to have self-confidence to be around him."

At the same time, his friend Sally Deadman knew him as a "softy." "He would always text me and be so hard on himself when he would cry or get emotional about leaving all of his friends and family," she said in an e-mail. "I don't think many people got to see that side of him, but I'm glad I did."

He joined the Army in the summer of 2008, over the objections of his brother and mother, who worried about his safety.

Jan 16, 2010

Michael Shannon enlisted in the Army in 1977 and served for six years. Shannon earned a bachelor's degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, went on to complete a master's degree in criminal justice at Long Island University in Brookville, N.Y., and became a corrections officer in New York City. That is where he met his wife. By 2001, Shannon had retired as an assistant deputy warden.

"He cared about everybody. He was concerned and helpful — too helpful. Any time someone needed him, he was there," recalled Shannon's mother.

Love of country is apparent by the "Obama Biden" presidential campaign sign that lingers in the family's yard a year after inauguration, and in the years of service he gave to the Army.

He is survived by his mother, Lorena; and three children, Rhea, 21, Michel’le, 18, and George, 9.

Jan 17, 2010

Sgt. Ginett lived in Knightdale before joining the Air Force at the age of 18. Sgt. Ginett received two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree in criminal justice and political science. He worked in explosive ordinance disposal. He was also a master sniper.

Sgt. Ginett served three tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan. He earned the Bronze Star on his first tour in Afghanistan. He was the head of the units that swept the buildings used for the Democratic and Republican presidential nomination conventions.

Air Force Tech Sgt. Adam K. Ginett had a reason for pursuing one of the most dangerous missions in the military, his mother said. "He told me, ;Mom, I don't go out there on the battlefield with a gun and shoot anybody. I find these bombs that are going to take someone else's life. I'm saving people's lives, not taking them,' " said Christina Kazacavage of Coats.

Ginett opted for explosive ordnance duty after he graduated from boot camp. Though he had planned for a career in the military since he was in high school, he had other interests, too. He interned for four summers during high school with cartoonists at Walt Disney World in Florida, and he worked in Nancy Redman's pottery studio in Knightdale during his last year at East Wake. Redman remembers him as an artistic friend of the family. "He just had a big interest in art," she said.

Cpt. Paul Pena, 27, died after reportedly stepping on an improvised explosive device. He was a West Point graduate who previously attended the San Marcos Baptist Academy.

Pena attended the academy since the seventh grade. He was a part of the cross country and power lifting team. He was awarded most likely to succeed by his peers and won the best all around honor society award his senior year. Pena ranked number five in his class and after he graduated he enrolled at West Point with the help of a congressional recommendation.

Smith said his legacy can be seen just outside of his classroom in a field where Pena built a nine hole frisbee golf course before becoming an eagle scout.

Combs said he was struck by the close bond between Pena, an only child, and his mother, Cecilia, a single mom. "He's a seasoned veteran, and you see him turn into a boy again with her. It was beautiful," he said. "She was his world. It was obvious to anyone who saw him. He was very protective of her. Before I met her he told me, 'Look man, if you tell any stories, make sure they have a happy ending.'"

Jan 19, 2010

Staff Sgt. Thaddeus S. Montgomery II, 29, was born with a wanderlust, Hays said. It led him to travel the country after leaving high school in Decatur, Ala. And it prompted him to move to Montana where he worked at Yellowstone National Park for two years before joining the Army in March 2003.

Montgomery is survived by his 3-year-old son, Thaddeus Montgomery III.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHmz8OKYXxE&feature=player_embedded

Jan 19, 2010

After Tarique Thompson dunked in his high school's basketball game Friday, he pointed to the sky. But the basket was the last thing on his mind. Instead, Thompson, a freshman on Fayetteville Christian's varsity basketball team, was thinking of his older brother, Pfc. Gifford Hurt, a soldier stationed in Iraq who died just days before the game.

Hurt's and Thompson's mother, Lisa Davis, wanted to be at that game, but she couldn't go. Instead, Davis was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, waiting for her son's body.

No one was surprised when Hurt, of Yonkers N.Y., decided on an Army career and enlisted a year ago at age 18. "All of our friends are in the military, and that's all he knew," said his mother, Lisa Davis.

His funeral marked the one year anniversary of his enlistment in the Army.

Jan 20, 2010

Qi's family has spoken very little, if at all, to the press. When a reporter for the Commercial Appeal knocked on their door, a friend of the family answered and said only "Right now, they just want to keep quiet ... It's really hard for them. We hope you understand."

Jan 23, 2010

When Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane got word last year that his Marine reserve unit was being called to serve in Afghanistan, his family said he was conflicted.
The Cherry Hill resident had a lot of reasons to want to stay home. In addition to being on the verge of finishing his degree at Rutgers University, Kane had recently lost his father to stomach cancer. As the oldest son in the family, he wanted to be home to support his mother and brothers as they grieved.

But in the end, Kane went to Afghanistan with his unit proudly.

Melinda Kane relied on humor to remember her son. Jeremy Kane, she recalled during her oldest son's funeral service Friday, was fond of running around the house naked as a boy. And when he was older, he would still wear the bare essentials: boxer shorts or the "occasional Speedo" -- even in the presence of company.

"He didn't care," she said to laughter.

He had the intelligence and sense of humor to subtly poke fun at himself, they said, like listing on his Facebook profile that one of his hobbies was "grunting unintelligibly."

Kane's mother, Melinda Kane, said she and her husband tried their best to get him to not join the military, but Kane sat down and talked to them about his choice, she said.

In addition to his mother and siblings, Kane leaves his girlfriend, Julia Smoot, to mourn his death.

Jan 23, 2010

When Timothy "Bubba" Poole was 4 years old, he stared up at a Marine at a Toys for Tots event. The rigid man in uniform broke attention, though, and picked up the little boy, holding him for a few minutes and whispering.

That night, Timothy Poole Sr. was putting his tucking his son into bed.

"I want to grow up to be a Marine," little "Bubba" told his father. The elder Poole still doesn't know what that Marine told his son, but he's never forgotten those moments. And that 4-year-old kept his word, joining the Corps once he was old enough.

Poole Jr., 22, of Bowling Green, Ky., was killed by a roadside bomb while patrolling in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C., and graduated from Warren East High School in Bowling Green in 2007.

Jan 24, 2010

Sgt Daniel Angus leaves behind a wife, Bonnie, whom he married just days before he left for Afghanistan on Dec. 17. The couple has a daughter, Kaitlyn, who will turn 2 in March. Bonnie Angus and their daughter live in Kingston, Tenn., Kathy Angus said.

"They thought they were going to get old and fat together," Kathy Angus said. "Obviously, that's not going to happen."

Born in New York state, Daniel Angus and his family moved to the Thonotosassa area when he was 2. After graduating from Armwood, he began working a construction job in the area, but there was little opportunity for him, his mother said.

"He wanted more for his life," Kathy Angus said.

Outside of military life, Angus loved the outdoors, especially going to the mud hole. He had a big four wheeler that he drove in the woods and through the mud. He also owned a huge pickup that he used to cruise the town and to also go mudding, Kathy Angus said.

Jan 24, 2010

Mastin, described Smith as an outgoing, comical and caring young man, who was also a gifted athlete. Smith was on the Hornell football and golf teams throughout high school. Mastin said he coached Smith for four years as a high school football player, but knew Smith since he was "just a small child."

"He was one of the friendliest, happiest, most respectful kids," Mastin said. "Whatever your day was going like, it got better when you saw Zach."

Smith is survived by his wife, Anne (Deebs) Smith, who he married last summer, his brother Nathaniel, 23, his sister Grace, 10, and his parents.

Jan 24, 2010

Sgt. Carlos E. Gill, 25, of Fayetteville, N.C., died Jan. 26 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center of an unspecified illness that he contracted while in Afghanistan. This was his first deployment.

He served in the following capacities in the church: Youth usher, a percussionist, youth choir, male chorus, gospel choir and a trustee. He was a 2002 graduate of Pine Forest High School, where he was on the track team and a member of the band. He attended Fayetteville State University, where he was also a member of the Bronco Band.

Sgt. Gill is survived by his parents, his brother, fiancee Rhea Irineo and baby daughter Kamora Victoria.

Jan 26, 2010

Marine Sgt. David J. Smith died Jan. 26 from injuries from a suicide bombing in Afghanistan three days earlier. A second Marine reservist and a Navy hospital corpsman were killed in the attack, and several other Marines were injured.

Smith was brought to a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where he was declared brain dead. He was kept on life support until his parents arrived at the hospital. They decided to donate his organs, a wish he had made well known.

Jan 26, 2010

"To the Army, Barnett was a mechanic assigned to the 412th Aviation Support Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, stationed in Katterbach, Germany. To his wife Nikki, who battled non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as a teen, he was her match. In high school, they went to Linkin Park concerts and attended cancer walks. Scott Barnett loved video games such as "Guitar Hero" and "Call of Duty" and the movie "The Beastmaster." Mostly he loved his pets, including three cats, a shepherd mix and three ferrets he would take walking on leashes...

Scott Barnett was patriotic, but he had soured on Iraq. Nikki Barnett said she was planning the move to Germany when he returned...

Jonathan Atherton, a childhood friend who served two tours in Iraq as an Army infantryman, said he tried to help Scott Barnett when he had doubts while in Iraq. He said his friend was "just the biggest-hearted person I've ever known. "Everybody who's out there is frustrated. It drives you nuts," Atherton said. "I left the Army pretty much tired of losing brothers."

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/contracostatimes/obituary.aspx?n=scott-barnett&pid=139301986

Jan 28, 2010

Greeneville Sun General Manager Steve Harbison... recalled Christian as "charismatic" and noted that he played football at GHS until knee injuries cut short his football career. In addition, he excelled in baseball and was a member of the varsity GHS team.

Christian had also been a drummer for a local rock band called the Bell Tower Band while at GHS.

Mrs. Ball said she learned of her son's death about 2:30 p.m. Thursday in a telephone call from his wife, Amber Christian, who was residing with the couple's two young children at Fort Lewis, Wash., where Rusty Christian was based before he deployed to Afghanistan.

The Christians' children are a daughter, Taylor, who turned three on Jan. 26, and a son, Gavin, who turned one on Feb. 26.
http://greenevillesun.com/story/307861

Jan 28, 2010

"In March 2006, when our first attempts to drum up support for a proposed theatre in Waterville Valley were met with resistance, we found a champion in Town Manager Mark Decoteau, who was the first person to see the possible value we could bring to local families. A quiet, reserved athlete and retired military, he was a (seemingly) unlikely patron for a classical theater. But not only did he value us from his professional perspective, on a personal note, he fondly remembered attending a Shakespeare theater close to where he was stationed in the Army and had a son whose interests lay in both sports and theatre.

So it came to pass that, under Town and Rec dept patronage, our theatre found not only its first home, but its first REACH FOR THE STARS "CAN DO" theatre camp student - Marc Paul Decoteau. Over the ensuing years, young Marc starred in our Winter Holiday shows and appeared in both Kid Camp and Main Stage professional shows with our Shakespeare in the Valley Outdoor Summer Fest. His family - father Mark, mother Nancy, sister Maddie and brother Andrew - were all mainstays in our audience as they watched Marc and his friends display the fruits of their creative labor." http://www.shakespeareinthevalley.com/tribute.asp

Marc Decoteau, 19, was stationed in Afghanistan as part of a Psychological Operations unit based out of Fort Bragg, N.C.

Jan 29, 2010

My god, will this ever end? Will this freaking bloodletting ever end?

Thank you, noamnety for giving faces and stories to the numbers. Sorry I'm too late to recommend.

:cry: :cry: :cry:

Captain David J. Thompson, 39, died after an Afghan interpreter shot him and another American soldier, Specialist Marc P. Decoteu, 19, who also died. Another U.S. soldier killed the interpreter, who was said to be a civilian resident of the United States working for the Army.

Thompson is survived by his wife, Emily, and their two daughters, Isabelle and Abigail. The two girls attend Episcopal Day School in Southern Pines.

http://www.thepilot.com/news/2010/feb/03/special-forces-officer-dies-in-afghanistan/

Jan 29, 2010

Lance Cpl. Michael Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., died Feb. 1 during what military authorities called a "hostile incident" while conducting combat operations in Helmand province in the southern part of the country.

His wife, Stephanie, 18, told The Herald Mail of Hagerstown, Md., that the couple married in October and were planning a June 12 ceremony for family and friends.

Freeman graduated from high school in 2008. He was involved in his school's Future Farmers of America program. He was an outdoorsman who enjoyed target shooting, fishing and visiting Caledonia State Park, and coming from a military family developed a commitment to the Marines at an early age, his wife said. She said she suspects he would want to be remembered as "a crazy, goofy Marine."


http://militarytimes.com/valor/marine-lance-cpl-michael-l-freeman-jr/4494730/

Daniel Whitten was a 1999 graduate of Johnston (Iowa) High School, where he played football and worked on the student newspaper. He was a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he double-majored in mathematics and English.

He is survived by his wife, Starr Whitten; his parents, and a sister, a captain in the U.S. Army who is also serving in Afghanistan.

Feb 2, 2010

Zach Lovejoy met his fiance, Kaitlin, in the spring of 2009 and a June 4, 2011 wedding was planned. He enlisted in the US Army his senior year of high school and shipped out to boot camp one day before his 19th birthday.

In high school, Zach played football and wrestled. He enjoyed camping, atv riding, snow skiing and had started water skiing.

Feb 2, 2010

:kick:

The mission of which Mark Stets Jr. was part did not receive much publicity. He and other Americans were helping train Pakistanis in the country's Border Region as part of an effort to fight Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan and root out members of al-Quaeda who occupy the mountainous border. Frequently, Mark was in civilian clothes for a job that he described as "marketing to the enemy."

Stets deployed to Pakistan in November but in his short time there had made many friends, including a former dean at Bahria University in Islamabad, whom he had met at a U.S. Embassy function, his father said.

Stets spent Christmas with the former dean, who, after the soldier's death, held a memorial service that drew more than 60 people. Stets' favorite Pakistani rock band, Qayaas, dedicated a performance to his memory the next night, his father said.

With his wife, Nina Stets, he had three daughters, ages 14, 18 and 21.


http://www.wvec.com/news/local/Soldier-from-Hampton-Roads-among-first-killed-in-Pakistan-83509152.html
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/06/local/la-me-stets-20100606/2

Feb 3, 2010

It's not very often a three-star general comes in to lead the honor guard at a local soldiers funeral.

But that general says U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Matthew Sluss-Tiller was a key operative in the war on terror.

Sgt. Sluss-Tiller's mother said he grew a beard for his latest mission. Thurnbury told WSAZ.com in a recent phone conversation, he strangely hinted of a dangerous top-secret mission that could be his last.

35-year-old Matthew Sluss-Tiller is survived by his wife, Melissa, and 3-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Feb 3, 2010

Sgt. 1st Class David Hartman knew the tough, dangerous realities of war. As a soldier in the U.S. Army, he had seen combat in Afghanistan and later in Iraq.

After those tours, the California native was committed to remaining in the military, but decided it was time to try something new. He completed the Army's civil affairs training program and left in November for Pakistan, where he focused on coordinating the construction of schools and other humanitarian projects.

At the time of the attack, which claimed the lives of two other servicemen (Matthew and Mark above ^) , David Hartman was on his way to attend the opening ceremony of a girls' school that he had helped to build in Pakistan.

David Hartman and wife, Cherise, have a 3 year old son, Michael, and were expecting their second child together.

Feb 3, 2010

U.S. Army Sgt. Dillon Black Foxx holding his son.

"Dillon enjoyed the outdoors and often spent time camping or enjoying nature. Dillon could be found reading or taking the time to write or sketch in one of his notebooks. "

And when I go to heaven, And see that pearly gate,
I'll gladly decline entrance, Then stand my post and wait.
I'm sorry Sir I can't come in, I'm sort of in a bind,
You see I'm still a Soldier Sir, So I can't leave them behind. - Dillon Foxx

Feb 5, 2010

K&R

:patriot:

Pfc. Charles A. Williams, 29, joined the army in April 2008. He was on his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Feb 7, 2010

Adam Ray spent most of his childhood traveling with his parents, his mother wrote in a letter. His father, Jim, was a traveling minister.

... "He challenged his teachers," Donna Ray wrote. "He stood up to the bullies that were picking on the smaller kids. He and his friend Tony escorted the girls that nobody else wanted to take to the camp-ball, because 'the girls deserved to feel like princess.' He risked his life to save a wounded puppy, He pulled funny pranks on his friends, He loved to go fishing with his Grandaddy, He spent summers in high school tutoring dyslexic children, He lettered in soccer in high school, He was a big flirt, He could not look you in the face and lie."


Adam with his nephew.

Feb 9, 2010

Army Specialist Bobby Pagan, 23, followed his older brother, Robert, into the Army in 2008. He was known as the jokester in his family of eight brothers and sisters.

Robert Pagan said he has learned a lot about his little brother in the days since his death. "He did want to follow in my footsteps- that's what I've been hearing these past couple of days and that he was proud of me," said Robert. "I never got to see him in uniform and tell him that I was proud of him." Robert is stationed at Fort Hood and scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in July.

Pagan's custom coffin lid was adorned with two of his loves. Painted burnt orange, it featured the logo of his beloved University of Texas Longhorns and an emblem of the U.S. Army.

Bobby was engaged to be married and his fiance is also deployed in Afghanistan. He was scheduled to come home for a visit in two weeks.


http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/Austin-soldier-killed-in-Afghanistan

Feb 13, 2010

Jeremiah Wittman grew up riding dirt bikes with his sisters and father in the Pine Hills, where he asked for his ashes to be scattered.

He'd ride when it was 10 below. Even when he was stuck on a tricycle, he'd jump it off the precipice into the unfinished basement of his parent's home.

Robert Wittman said he has a picture of his son with five of his Army buddies, and four of them are now dead.

His wife, Karen, and 3-year-old daughter, Miah, are in South Carolina with her family. Another daughter, Arieana, 7, lives with her grandma in Wyoming.


Feb 13, 2010

Casey Reiners described her husband John Reiners as "a country boy." He bought a vintage Chevrolet Suburban and equipped it with 44-inch tires so he could take it mud-bogging in Lakeland. Reiners put a photo of the lime green vehicle, nicknamed "the Spearmint Hearse" by his wife, as the main image on his Facebook page.

"He was having problems because he had to kill women and children who were suicide bombers," Jerry Jackson said. "He couldn't tell who they were. That's not the way he was raised. He didn't like the idea of having to take a human life."

Greg Reiners said his son was a devout Baptist and had a problem reconciling the biblical commandment "Thou shall not kill" with what he had to do to protect himself and his fellow soldiers.

Reiners' wife Casey received a bouquet of roses for Valentine's Day just hours after receiving the news of his death from three military representatives at her home in Colorado Springs, Colo. Reiners, who was due to return home in May, leaves behind a 2-year-old son, Lex.


http://www.theledger.com/article/20100216/news/2165048

Feb 13, 2010

:kick:

"About me: The names Jake, I am 21 years old and in the marines. i am married to a gorgeous girl named Crystal and shes the best thing thats ever happened to me, so back the fuck off.

I enlisted in the marines in 2006, and am a combat engineer, I am currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan. I have been to Iraq, Kuwait, Thailand, and Bangladesh. Coming up in September, my wife and I will be moving down to North Carolina, as that is my new base."

Last post:
Bout to head out for a while, if you want to get updates, talk to the wifey
Mood: anxious (Feb 11, 2010)


http://www.myspace.com/squishy_face_retard

Jacob Turbett
Feb 13, 2010

I've been posting these at the same time on another board - not a political one. One of the responses there was that maybe instead of posting these on a design forum, I should make my own blog or create a tumblr for them.

I know they didn't intend for their comment to be read that way but what I saw in it was "why are you bothering us with these, this isn't part of our life."

Pfc. Estopinal worked for the Cobb County Parks & Recreation Department before entering the Marine Corps in February 2009. He and best friend Mitchell Gard worked together at Cobb Parks & Rec before enlisting together in the Marines, and Gard, who was not deployed to Afghanistan in December with Pfc. Estopinal, was allowed to escort his friend back home, said Mrs. Estopinal.

"He always wanted to enlist in the Marines - not the Army, Navy or Air Force - the Marines," said Estopinal’s mother. "He was a true Marine. He loved paintball and was an expert rifleman. He knew what he wanted to do."

She said her son lost his life "a year and a day after he stepped onto Paris Island” for training.

"He was not like your regular 21-year-old," said the Marine’s mother. "We was so smart and well-rounded. With both of us (parents) unemployed, he helped us out as parents. He said 'Mom, I'll take care of you.' He was such a good kid."

http://www.times-georgian.com/view/full_story/6444511/article-Pfc--Estopinal-sacrifices-his-life-in-Afghanistan


Feb 15, 2010

From his pastor: Noah Pier came from a wonderful family that was just the typical, all-American, kind of people everyone would love to have as their next door neighbors. Ten children, active in church and ministry, home-schooled, hard-working dad, loving and devoted mother, a rolling dust-storm of laughter, crises, enthusiasm, drama and excitement.

Noah was a typical teenage guy in many ways. Tall and lanky, trying to "find himself", struggling with the typical adolescent demons, but driven by something deep within him that wanted to make a difference. At times he could be shy and deferential. At other times, he'd be in your face and on a mission.

From his dad: Noah was such a happy man and he loved to laugh. He greatly anticipated coming home from Afghanistan to marry his childhood sweetheart, Rachel Black. His laughter and love of life will be sorely missed.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/02/19/1258981/family-calls-fallen-marine-our.html#ixzz0t36PrZLu

Feb 16, 2010

Feb 17, 2010

Eric Currier lived in Methuen until the eighth grade, when he moved to Londonderry with his mother. He spent his summers on Plum Island, his grandfather said.

"I've got a place on Plum Island, and he spent every summer there since he was a baby," Russ Currier said. "We hunted and fished. I did everything with this boy.'"

Joining the military wasn't always Eric's top priority. Eric was a 2007 graduate of the Adult Education Program at Londonderry High School. He enjoyed carpentry and also studied to be an electrician.

A few months after Eric enlisted in the Marines, his brother Brent, 19, joined the Army.

In September, Eric Currier married Kaila Parkhurst, formerly of Haverhill.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2010/02/20/2_ne_marines_are_killed_in_afghanistan/

There is an additional person I would have written about here, but out of respect for the Navajo culture I am not including his image or name.

From various reports online, I learned that he was a cowboy, he rode bulls and loved horses, and he loved his wife who was 5 months pregnant with their first child.

Feb 17, 2010

:kick:

But thank you for posting this - I hope it stays on the front page. Heartbreaking but important. They're all heros.

In August 2008, Adriana Alvarez joined the Army, her sister said.

"She wanted to pursue a career in the criminal justice department and she decided the best way was to get into the military," she said.

Last August, Adriana Alvarez left for Iraq to serve a one-year tour of duty, her sister said.

"We were devastated. We didn't want her to go but there was nothing we could do," Alma Alvarez said. "She knew there were risks. She knew she had to do it for her country. She did what she had to do and she was proud of it."


http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/adriana-108545-alvarez-paloma.html

Adriana was posthumously named an honorary officer of the San Benito Police Department.

Feb 10, 2010

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YlH1XSlujrQ/S4cdf0KICnI/AAAAAAAAC-Y/hRfQkYEa8vY/s400/1267033475Caughman,%20Sean1.jpg

Sean Caughman had been a well-respected and much-loved member of several Star Trek and science-fiction organizations since the late 1980s. He became the glue that held every group he was involved in together. His lifelong love of "Star Trek," coupled with his visual similarity to one of the characters, led to many chances to dress up in his uniform to act in plays, visit, along with others, kids at children's hospitals in Dallas and Fort Worth and just have fun.

He loved movies and was part of the stunt crew during the filming of "The Protector," a 1999 film starring Lee Majors. Sean felt almost every situation in life could be summed up with a quote of movie dialogue.

His innate childlike wonderment, his love for everyone he met and his ready smile made him a pleasure to be around. Every child he met called him "Uncle Sean." His love of animals led to a slew of dogs and cats at his house.


http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dfw/obituary.aspx?n=sean-l-caughman&pid=140004349#ixzz0tCPDnyXn

Feb 17, 2010

:kick:

Larry Johnson wanted to care for animals. As a 10-year-old, he dreamed of being a veterinarian. He owned an unnamed python and could draw highly detailed pictures of animals. Outdoors, he snow-boarded, skied, water-skied, camped, rode all-terrain vehicles and liked to party, family members said. Though he was underage, he liked a beer or two now and then.

"You're not supposed to bury your son. Your son is supposed to bury you," Johnson, 43, said Sunday. "It isn't supposed to be this way."

She worried about Larry, her third child, the Marine in Afghanistan, the one who loved the outdoors and a good time and loved his mom so much that he always promised he would someday make sure she no longer had to work. He would buy her a double-block home in California, and she would live on one side and live off the rent from the other half.
http://citizensvoice.com/news/for-marine-s-family-knock-at-door-brought-tragedy-home-1.634037

Feb 18, 2010

Kyle Coutu graduated in June from William E. Tolman High School, where he had captained the wrestling and football teams. He promptly joined the Marines, fulfilling a plan he had had for some time. He returned to the school about a month ago to see friends before deployment.

Kyle was killed by a sniper three weeks after arriving in Afghanistan.

Feb 18, 2010

Willison said her brother, Sgt. Jeremy R. McQueary, 27, felt a strong desire to help people, inspired by his father's work as a Bartholomew County Sheriff's reserve deputy. The death of McQueary's father in 1992, when McQueary was 9, amplified his desire to serve others, she said.

WRTV reports that Jeremy McQueary was last home for his 5 month old son's birth.

Rae McQueary had gotten a tattoo of the number "18" to surprise her husband at his scheduled homecoming in two months. It stands for the day of the month they got married.

Now it also stands for the day he died: Feb. 18, 2010.

During the summer of 2008, the staff at Virginia Beach's Seton Youth Shelter got a call from a young man in need of help.

Something had gone wrong at home, Kielin T. Dunn told them, and he needed a place to stay. He wasn't a runaway, troublemaker or wayward teen, said David Mount, the shelter's director of street outreach programs. He had a plan: Graduate and join the Marine Corps. He just needed some help to get there.

So the shelter provided a bed, food and clothing. A few months later, in August 2008, Dunn graduated early from Chesapeake's Western Branch High School. The next day, he left for boot camp, Mount said.

Feb 18, 2010

:kick:


:cry:

:patriot:

Joshua Birchfield's humor and generosity were traits people remembered. The descriptions of his ability to make people laugh brought ripples of laughter among the tears. One family member told of an instance when Birchfield's parents overheard a phone conversation in which he was describing to someone an evening's exploits with friends. They were shocked at some of the things he told the person on the other end. It wasn't until he hung up that they learned he was talking to his grandmother.

Bruce Birchfield, Joshua’s father, said, “Josh is the kind of guy, you could kick him in the butt one minute and the next minute you love him.”

Feb 19, 2010

In the summer of 2007, one year before he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, Gregory Scott Stultz worked full-time at a summer day camp for the Clay County YMCA. During that summer, Stultz made a special effort to bring out the best in the camp's more than 100 kids.

"He was just so excited and eager to help," said Pam Fischer, director of the day camp and a longtime teacher at Jackson Township Elementary School, which Stultz and his siblings attended.

At the day camp, Stultz took it upon himself to talk to kids, especially those who seemed to need a little extra encouragement, Fischer said. He'd tell them to have hope for their futures and encourage them to be the best they could be, she said.

Gregory Stultz was captain of the Northview wrestling team and was also a member of the football team. After high school, Stultz earned a wrestling scholarship to Rend Lake Junior College, the obituary states.

"He loved his family and his siblings," said Peter Latrenta, director of the House of Hope, a Christian drug and alcohol rehabilitation mission in western Clay County. Stultz helped out and got to know people at the mission while a family member was employed there, he said.

Feb 19, 2010

Twenty-seven-year-old 1st Lt. Brandon A. Barrett of Marion died Wednesday in Helmand province.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

end the wars.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Cardenaz with Dan Rather in November when he re-enrolled in the Army for 10 more years.

Cardenaz described himself as "an old-school career soldier." He said he had close calls with 35 IEDs, scores of rocket-propelled grenades and one 500-pound bomb. He suffered shrapnel injuries twice.

His battalion drew unwanted attention last year because of a series of violent crimes tied to its soldiers during peacetime, including several murders in Colorado Springs.

Cardenaz knew at least five of the soldiers who were tied to murders. He said they should pay for their crimes, if guilty. He also expressed sympathy, calling them "casualties of war."

"These are all younger guys. They are just kids, straight out of high school, from Mom's house to basic training to Iraq. You throw them in a tour like this, and there is going to be an aftermath," he told The Gazette. "Time was, before I really understood it, my reaction would have been 'fry 'em'. But now I can empathize. . . If they did what they did, fine, they have to answer to the justice system, but these guys ... who tried so hard and loved the Army . . . they are a casualty of war. Their psyches are casualties of war."

http://www.gazette.com/articles/afghanistan-94632-killed-carson.html#ixzz0tizMJYHO

He leaves behind 5 children, the youngest 18 months.

Feb 20, 2010

Growing up in Hickory, Chris Eckard rode bikes, played Little League ball and ran track at St. Stephens High School. Casey Mahoney recalled his longtime friend also shot pool at Newton's Rack-N-Roll and enjoyed movies like "Happy Gilmore."

"The dumber the movie the better," said Mahoney, 29, of Salisbury.

Chris is survived by his wife of eight years, Ashley, and their two sons, Steven William and Avery Cole.

Feb 20, 201

:kick:

:cry:

We're the lucky ones
Thanks for this thread

JR Salvacion was many things. He was born in the Philippines and given the initials of its national hero, Jose Rizal.

He was a cook at Chili's after he moved to Hawai'i to be with family.

He was a gifted guitar player.

The 'Aiea man was married and the father of a young son.

JR received his US citizenship posthumously at his funeral.

Feb 21, 2010

"He joined the Alpha Delta Gamma National Fraternity Rho Chapter and was active in the Saints Club, Computer Club, Education Club, and the theatre group called The Villa Players. Known for his humor, quick wit and of course, his sarcasm, Adam could always make you laugh no matter the situation. A constant performer, he would entertain his younger sister Angela by enacting any and every character role that she wanted him to play."

The loss is especially difficult for Peak's brother Sean. They were born two years apart but were twins in every other way. They even joined the Marines within one week of each other. Both served one tour in Iraq. Since October, both brothers were in Afghanistan.

"Sean and Adam were legendary on base. They were the Peak brothers. ... They didn't know them separately. They know them together," said Robyn Peak, Sean's wife and Adam's sister-in-law.

Sean Peak accompanied his brother's remains as they were brought back to the Tri-State.

Waiting for them at their family's home in Florence was a Christmas tree, with presents for both brothers underneath.


http://dunes.cincinnati.com/classifieds/obits/obitdisplay.aspx?d=2/28/2010&st=1&id=970013
http://www.wlwt.com/news/22631691/detail.html

Feb 21, 2010

Besides his humor, Lance Cpl. Ward was known for his athletic talent and unusual generosity, said his father, Steven Ward. Every year while he was a student at Snoqualmie Valley Public Schools, Eric Ward would buy extra sets of school supplies to give to those who were less fortunate.
A fourth-generation Marine, Lance Cpl. Ward had dreamed of joining the Corps from an early age, his father said.

By his junior year, Marine recruiters were coming to school and holding Saturday camps. When he turned 17, Eric called his parents from the recruiter's office to tell them he was signing up for the Marines.

"It was his 17th birthday," said Eric's mother, Monica McNeal. "His only favor was for me to sign the papers for him to become a Marine."

Volunteering his family to supply cupcakes and pizzas for school fundraisers and events, Eric's generosity extended during his adult years, when he convinced his parents to help buy gear for fellow Marines who were less fortunate than him.

"Not every Marine comes from a strong, supportive family, so he reached out," Ward said. "He called me one day and (said) 'Dad, some of these guys don't have everything they need.'"

Feb 21, 2010

No more war....

:cry:

When Lance Cpl. Matthias Hanson joined the Marines in 2007, he was following a long family history of military service.

His father had served in the Gulf War, his stepfather in Vietnam. His brother currently is serving in the Army. And the family has relatives who served in both World Wars.

Matt had been in Afghanistan only 3 weeks when his family received the knock on their door.

Feb 21, 2010

:kick:

Marcos Gorra moved to the U.S. from Cuba when he was 7, barely able to speak English. His outgoing personality helped him adapt quickly. He decided to give back to his adopted country after high school by serving in the U.S. Army, where he became a paratrooper.

"He was just grateful to be here," said Sgt. Benjamin Jimenez, who jumped out of planes with him in Afghanistan. "Grateful that his family was here with him. Grateful that the U.S. opened doors for them."

Gorra had an American flag and an eagle tattooed on one arm. He also had one of the Cuban flag.


http://www.nwcn.com/news/national/86902072.html

"I'm the oldest of 3 children," Gorra wrote on his MySpace page. "My family is by far the most important thing in my life, my reason for living."

Feb 21, 2010