Died: August 18, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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PARTIAL LIST AT THIS TIME
2003
Pfc. James R. Dillon Jr.
Hometown: Grove City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 19 years old
Died: March 13, 2003 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division,
Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.Incident: Died of an
apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in Kuwait.
Capt. Tristan N. Aitken
Hometown: State College, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 31 years old
Died: April 4, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 3rd Army Infantry Division, Fort Stewart,
Ga.
Incident: Killed in an ambush by a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher near Baghdad's
international airport. He was riding in the lead vehicle in an artillery supply convoy.
Army Capt. Tristan N. Aitken, 31, of State College, Pa., grew up just blocks from
Pennsylvania State University, where his mother taught. He attended Centre County
(Pa.) Christian Academy, where he played soccer and basketball and ran track. He
went to Texas Christian University to study pre-med and won the Distinguished
Military Graduate medal. A former Eagle Scout, Aitken enjoyed working with children
and returned from college to teach riflery at a Boy Scout camp. "He graduated straight
from Boy Scouts and merit badges to ROTC and medals," said his mother, Ruth Aitken.
Aitken, who came from a military family, served in Korea and in Kosovo, where he was
in charge of supply inventory and worked with medical units.
Tristan Neil Aitken
Captain, United States Army
23 April 2003:
In Afghanistan, Iraq, They 'Gave All'
At Arlington Cemetery, Airman, Soldier Praised for Their Sacrifice
During the service at Arlington National Cemetery for Staff Sergeant
Jason C. Hicks, his wife, Crystalyn, lays a yellow rose on the coffin. His mother, Taresa,
is with a family friend, at right.
By Patricia Davis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
There are yellow ribbons tied around every pole in downtown Pageland,
South Carolina, and American flags fly at half-staff. But the anguish the
tiny community feels may be spelled out best in the banner that stretches
across Main Street: "Thanks for everything. In memory of Jason Hicks."
The 25-year-old Hicks was one of six U.S. airmen killed March 23, 2003, in
a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Family members and friends say Hicks,
who was twice deployed to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom, most
recently in January, died the same way he lived his abbreviated life: His
HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter went down during a thunderstorm while the
crew was trying to pick up two children with life-threatening head
injuries.
"That was just typical Jason," said Eddie Rivers, chief of the Pageland
Fire Department, where Hicks, like his father before him, was a volunteer
firefighter. "He was always interested in helping someone else."
At a rain-slickened grave site at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday,
Staff Sgt. Jason C. Hicks was honored for helping an entire nation. As a
clear plastic tarp was carefully removed from his flag-draped coffin, and
those who loved him most huddled close in the springtime chill, an HH-60
Pave Hawk roared overhead in a final salute.
"As we look around, we see that there are thousands of inscriptions and
names that represent . . . the history of this great nation," Chaplain Mark
Thomas said as rain tapped gently on the corrugated awning. "This
afternoon we add another individual to the record of names who are
identified as loving this country more than self. The cost of adding the
name of Staff Sergeant Jason Hicks comes at a high price. He gave all to
ensure freedom for all."
So, too, did Army Captain Tristan N. Aitken, 31, who also was buried at
Arlington yesterday. Aitken, who grew up in State College, Pennsylvania,
died in Iraq April 4, 2003, when he was hit with a round from a shouldermounted rocket launcher while riding in the lead vehicle of an artillery
supply convoy.
Aitken, assigned to the 41st Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division
at Fort Stewart, Georgia, leaves behind a wife of 16 months, Margo. At
Texas Christian University, he was a member of ROTC. Ronald Aitken
told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his son was a devout Christian who
went to spring break in Fort Lauderdale while in college, not to party, but
to preach on the beach to other students. "His faith sustained him,"
Ronald Aitken said. "It was his shield. . . . He was a rock."
With U.S. forces defending freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq, for some at
the cost of their lives, these have been busy days at the nation's preeminent
military cemetery. At least five other service members who died in Iraq
will be buried at Arlington this week, including today's service for Army
First Lieutenant Jeffrey J. Kaylor, of Clifton. Kaylor, 24, a graduate of
Centreville High School, was killed April 7 in a grenade attack about 20
miles outside Baghdad. He is survived by his wife Jenna, a Second
Lieutenant in the Army.
The two met as members of Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets. Like Aitken,
Kaylor was assigned to Fort Stewart, with the 39th Field Artillery. He was
deployed to the Middle East last August; his wife was serving in Kuwait at
the time of his death.
Yesterday, Jenna Kaylor had this to say about her husband of 15 months:
"Since the day Jeff entered my life, I have carried his soul with me
everywhere. He is my strength, my love, my passion, my life. . . . The world
is not complete without him -- I am not complete." The family has
requested a private funeral.
Jason and Crystalyn Hicks had planned a traditional wedding next month,
when he got back from Afghanistan. But four days before he left in
January, they decided not to wait and have a second service when he got
back. Crystalyn planned to be with her husband on his next posting, to
Japan, his sister, Janet Barbee, said yesterday.
Hicks, who joined the Air Force in 1996 after graduating from high school
and working for the Pageland Fire Department, discussed the upcoming
church wedding in the last e-mail his sister received from him, on March
23, the day he died.
Their mother, Taresa, had a bad feeling when Hicks was first sent to
Afghanistan, last July, for three months, Barbee said. She didn't want him
to go. But Hicks assured his family that if he did die, he would be doing
what he loved most.
"Nobody twisted my arm to do this," he told his sister. "Make sure they
give me my flag."
Yesterday, his wife and his mother were each presented with an American
flag at his grave.
23 April 2003:
ARLINGTON, Virginia -Army Capt. Tristan Aitken, who was killed in
combat in Iraq on April 4, 2003, once said, "a true winner always gives his
best, not to the glory of self, but to the glory of God."
The State College native was buried Tuesday with full military honors at
Arlington National Cemetery.
The ceremony began with a salute to the fallen hero. His flag-draped
casket was carried from a horse-drawn caisson to the gravesite by an
eight-man honor guard.
Following them were Aitken's wife of 15 months, Maria Forey-Aitken, his
parents, Ronald and Ruth Aitken, and his sister Terryl. They took small
steps, keeping time with the Army band, their pride as evident as their
grief. Up to 100 other relatives and friends, including babies in their
parents' arms, accompanied the Aitkens.
"To be buried in Arlington, you have to earn it," said Army Chaplain
Douglas Fenton, who presided over a 20-minute funeral service at the Fort
Myer Chapel next to the cemetery. "Your character and your sacrifices
pave the way. And so we honor Tristan for that."
Tristan Aitken was deployed on January 24 with the 1st Battalion, 3rd
Infantry Division, based in Fort Stewart, Georgia. He was killed when a
rocket-propelled grenade struck his Humvee.
Ron Aitken, Tristan's father, said his son, who was in charge of 217
soldiers, was riding in the lead vehicle in an artillery supply convoy when
the attack occurred.
"He always led his people," Ron Aitken said in an interview earlier this
month. "He never waited in the back."
Aitken, an Eagle Scout and a graduate of the Centre County Christian
Academy, where he played soccer and basketball and ran track, comes
from a military family. His father is a retired officer in the Navy Reserves,
and his sister is an Army lieutenant. Aitken graduated in 1995 from Texas
Christian University with a Distinguished Military Graduate medal. A
devout Christian, he led the Officers Christian Fellowship at TCU.
He has also served tours of duty in Korea and Kosovo, where he was
responsible for supply inventory and assisted medical units.
Aitken's sister broke down in tears during a short speech at the chapel
funeral, and his aunt read a short poem about "America's Heroes."
Fenton, striking a comparison with Aitken's mission in Iraq, reminded the
congregation of about 60 people that Christ asked believers to "love thy
neighbor."
"Tristan served in Iraq, and you might ask, 'Is Iraq our neighbor?' I think
Jesus would answer that there are no people on Earth that are not our
neighbor, and I am confident that Tristan believed that in his soul,"
Fenton said. "To go to a faraway land, not just to serve the United States
Army, but to also serve God and mankind."
Aitken was the 10th casualty from the war in Iraq to be buried at
Arlington. A spokeswoman said seven more were scheduled to be laid to
rest there.
Arlington has been home to America's departed war heroes since 1864, its
austere white tombstones commemorating the dead from the American
Revolution, the Civil War, Vietnam and the two World Wars.
About 280,000 people have been interred within the cemetery's 624 acres,
and about 25 funerals take place each day.
At the grave, the honor guard held the Stars and Stripes over Aitken's
casket as Fenton spoke reassuring words to the family. He spoke of
Aitken's competitive nature, remarking that he had raced twice in a
soapbox derby and then, later in life, changed to driving a military
Humvee.
Aitken "fought the good fight for his family, his country, and his God,"
Fenton said.
The chaplain read from 1 Corinthians 9:24, a carefully chosen passage
that echoed Aitken's own philosophy: "Don't you know that those who run
in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may
win."
As the sun disappeared into the gray clouds overhead, Fenton said a
prayer. Then, the family stood while a rifle salute was fired -- three shots
in quick succession, their abruptness a contrast to the gentle, familiar
strains of taps, which followed on a bugle.
The honor guard began to fold the flag, and as the Army band played
"America the Beautiful" it started to rain. The meticulously folded flag
was presented to Aitken's wife by a kneeling Brigadier General Mark T.
Kimmitt. She was also given her husband's Purple Heart medal, awarded
to soldiers wounded in battle, and a Bronze Star for meritorious service.
Ruth Aitken also was presented with a flag and a Purple Heart.
Once the ceremony was over, the family walked away from the gravesite,
to be comforted by the other mourners.
Family members declined to be interviewed for this story.
An Officer and Gentleman
April 8, 2003
Ruth Aitken did not believe in the war in Iraq, but she believed deeply in
her son, Army Captain Tristan N. Aitken.
"I have made a decision, Tristan. I want to be an activist," she recalled
telling him on the telephone last fall. "My question is, Do you have any
problem with that?"
"Mom, you're my Mom," said her son, who was killed Friday in the
fighting at Baghdad International Airport. "You can be whatever you
want to be, you know that."
So the mother dismissed the war as an American power play for oil, wrote
to local politicians in State College, Pennsylvania, where she lives, and
cried when she watched the TV coverage. And the son prepared for the
war for which he seemingly had always trained - roughing it outdoors as
an Eagle Scout, snapping bullets into bull's-eyes as a state-champion
marksman and mastering his classwork as the 1995 Distinguished Military
Graduate from Texas Christian University.
"Whenever he said something about freeing Iraqis, I would tell him what I
thought, but I was also very proud of who he was, and I respected him for
doing his job," Ruth Aitken said yesterday. "He was not really a fighter,
you know. He joined the military because he genuinely wanted to make a
contribution to society."
Aitken, 31, died on Friday, 4 April 2003, as American troops swarmed the
Baghdad airport, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the vehicle in
which he was riding.
Among the other casualties announced yesterday was Army Sergeant
Wilbert Davis, 40, Hinesville, Georgia, who was killed Thursday along
with journalist Michael Kelly when their Humvee flipped and landed in a
canal.
The military also notified relatives of a Gulf War veteran, Army Sergeant
Stevon Booker, 34, of Apollo, Pennsylvania, that he had been killed.
Booker was a tank commander with the 3rd Infantry Division.
Aitken is survived by his wife of 15 months, Margo; his parents, Ronald
and Ruth; and his sister, Terry, who is in the ROTC at the Illinois College
of Optometry.
Although disturbed by the war that has taken her son, Ruth Aitken found
comfort in recalling her family's happier times. In the 1980s, the Aitkens
were the "A-Team" in national soap-box derby competitions. They wore
black jackets and matching caps, and young Tristan took the controls of
the motorless racer he and his father had built together.
"I've often thought, that's where I really noticed his eye hand coordination
that later must have helped him in the Army," Ruth Aitken said.
As an Eagle Scout, Tristan Aitken was a member of the Order of the
Arrow, Scouting's honor society. At TCU, he led the Officers Christian
Fellowship. He had the privilege of training with Army Rangers as an
undergraduate. His were deft hands with weapons, with vehicles, with
global positioning devices, colleagues told his mother.
One officer, Ruth Aitken recalled, told her that her son had "a third or
fourth sense about things."
In a letter dated March 6 that was received only recently by the family,
Tristan Aitken asked his family not to worry about his welfare and to pray
for the "safety and protection" of men and women under his command."
"He cared so deeply about his soldiers and their families," Ruth Aitken
said. "He would rather have taken that hit on Friday than any of the men
and women he worked with. I know that. I just know that."
Army Captain Tristan N. Aitken, 31, of State College, Pennsylvania,
assigned to 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort
Stewart, Georgia, has been killed in action in Iraq.
As a teen, Tristan Aitken raced twice in the national Soap Box Derby
Championships. But the Army’s high-tech fighting machines became his
professional passion.
His father, Ron, said Aitken often marveled at how “ ‘they pay me to play
with these things.’ It’s Star Wars for him. He loved it.”
Aitken, 31, of State College, Pennsylvania, died April 4, 2003, in Iraq when
a grenade struck his Humvee.
“He was a gung-ho’er,” Ron Aitken said. “He went into Iraq saying: ‘Dad,
I’m in God’s hands. Don’t worry about me.’
The father, a retired Chief Petty Officer in the Navy Reserve, was bitter at
the loss: “To lose my son for some people’s hidden agenda in an unjust
war is a real tragedy.”
“My kids are Republicans, and my wife and I are Democrats,” the father
said. “We agreed to disagree about the war, but we support our kids 100
percent. Tristan’s sister, Terryl, is an Army Lieutenant.
He is also survived by his wife, Margo, who is a teacher in Fort Stewart,
Georgia.
Robert Baylor, the principal at Centre County (Pennsylvania) Christian
Academy, where Aitken attended high school, recalled Aitken and his pals
playing war games with squirt guns during their senior class trip to
Dollywood in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Aitken wrote an e-mail in February from Kuwait to Peter Ort, one of his
high school buddies: “We’ve been on different paths, you and I, and I
think we have done great for being the worst troublemakers the school
saw in quite a while.”
AITKEN, TRISTAN NEIL
CPT US ARMY
VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 05/12/1995 - 04/04/2003
DATE OF BIRTH: 05/18/1971
DATE OF DEATH: 04/04/2003
DATE OF INTERMENT: 04/22/2003
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 7869
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
An Army honor guard lowers the casket of Army Captain Tristan Aitken of
State College, Pennsylvania, during funeral services at Arlington National
Cemetery Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Army Brigadier General Mark T. Kimmitt, left, presents the United States
flag that draped the casket of Army Captain Tristan Aitken of State
College, Pennsylvania, to his widow Maria Forey-Aitken during funeral services
at Arlington National Cemetery Tuesday, April 22, 2003.
Aitken was killed April 4 during an attack in Iraq
Courtesy of Barbara McGlynn, Valentines's Day February 2006
Webmaster: Michael Robert Patterson
Posted: 22 April 2003 Updated: 23 April 2003 Updated: 7 July 2003 Updated: 21 May 2004
Updated: 30 October 2004 Updated: 18 November 2005 Updated: 11 February 2006
Updated: 14 May 2008
Army Capt. Tristan N. Aitken
31, of State College, Pa.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 3rd Infantry
Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. killed in action in Iraq.
As a teen, Tristan Aitken raced twice in the national Soap Box Derby championships. But the
Army’s high-tech fighting machines became his professional passion.
His father, Ron, said Aitken often marveled at how “ ‘they pay me to play with these things.’ It’s
Star Wars for him. He loved it.”
Aitken, 31, of State College, Pa., died April 4 in Iraq when a grenade struck his Humvee.
“He was a gung-ho’er,” Ron Aitken said. “He went into Iraq saying: ‘Dad, I’m in God’s hands.
Don’t worry about me.’
The father, a retired chief petty officer in the Navy Reserve, was bitter at the loss: “To lose my
son for some people’s hidden agenda in an unjust war is a real tragedy.”
“My kids are Republicans, and my wife and I are Democrats,” the father said. “We agreed to
disagree about the war, but we support our kids 100 percent. Tristan’s sister, Terryl, is an Army
lieutenant.
He is also survived by his wife, Margo, who is a teacher in Fort Stewart, Ga.
Robert Baylor, the principal at Centre County (Pa.) Christian Academy, where Aitken attended
high school, recalled Aitken and his pals playing war games with squirt guns during their senior
class trip to Dollywood in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Aitken wrote an e-mail in February from Kuwait to Peter Ort, one of his high school buddies:
“We’ve been on different paths, you and I, and I think we have done great for being the worst
troublemakers the school saw in quite a while.”
— USA Today and The Associated Press
Pfc. Timmy R. Brown, Jr.
Hometown: Conway, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: August 12, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Pfc. Brown died of injuries sustained while traveling in a convoy hit by an
explosive device.
Soldier killed in Iraq to receive Purple Heart, Bronze Star
Associated Press
CONWAY, Pa. — A 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq will receive the Purple Heart,
Bronze Star and other honors posthumously, the Army announced.
The medals will be sent in time for the Aug. 20 funeral of Army Pfc. Timothy R. Brown
Jr., according to Maj. Steven Chung, deputy provost marshal for the 99th Regional
Readiness Command in Moon Township.
Brown, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was assigned to D
Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was killed
by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy Aug. 12 just north of Baghdad.
On Aug. 17, more than 250 people gathered at the Conway War Memorial to pay tribute
to Brown. Candles were passed through the crowd and friends and families left flowers
on the memorial. Some held American flags and a bell was struck to honor Brown.
Brown’s father, Timothy Brown Sr., and his stepmother, Pam Brown, were presented
with a flag.
“He was a spectacular human being,” said Bryan Revelant, 19, one of Brown’s friend.
“He would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him to.”
Pennsylvania soldier killed by explosive device in Iraq
PITTSBURGH — A western Pennsylvania man was killed by an explosive device while
traveling in a convoy in Iraq, the Defense Department.
Pfc. Timothy R. Brown Jr., 21, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of
Pittsburgh, was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at
Fort Bragg, N.C. He died Aug. 12 in Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad.
Brown’s stepmother, Pam Brown Lois, said Thursday she was “devastated.” She said
did not want to talk about her stepson until she heard more about his death from the
military.
Brown’s friend, Bryan Revelant, 19, described the 2001 graduate of Freedom Area High
School as a prankster who was popular with his peers.
“This is real tough. We were so close because I knew him all my life. He was like my
brother,” Revelant said.
Brown decided to enlist in the Army on April 1, 2001, just to see his friends’ reactions,
Revelant said.
“He thought it’d be funny to do it on April Fools’ Day. He was one of those jokesters,”
said Revelant, a 2002 graduate of Freedom Area High School.
Brown signed up for two years of military service and was scheduled to be discharged
in February. But Revelant said Brown was having second thoughts about leaving the
Army.
“He wanted to go to Iraq ... When he got over there, he said he wanted to stay,”
Revelant said.
Since May 1, when President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq, 60 American
soldiers have died in attacks. Eight Britons have been killed in combat in the same
period.
— Associated Press
Officer praises Atlanta soldier killed in Iraq sniper fire
ATLANTA — A soldier who was killed in Iraq last week saved the lives of his men by
warning them about the sniper fire while lying mortally wounded, his commanding officer
said.
Army 1st Lt. Tyler Hall Brown was “an inspirational leader, both on the field of battle and
off. In numerous enemy contacts, he was calm, leading his men with bravery and
aplomb,” Capt. Daniel M. Gade said in e-mails to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this
week.
Brown, 26, was killed Sept. 14 in the town of Ramadi, about 70 miles east of Baghdad,
when he was hit in the upper thigh and bled to death, Gade said. “He died of his
wounds rather quickly,” he wrote from Iraq.
The sniper, who fired at long range, got away, Gade added.
The former Georgia Tech student body president was honored Sept. 22 in a funeral at
the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. Brown will be buried with full military honors at
Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 28.
Gade, 29, said he and Brown became friends in South Korea, where their 1st Battalion,
9th Infantry Regiment, had been deployed before going to Iraq. The Army unit had been
in the Middle East for only two weeks before the sniper attack.
Brown had been approved for service in the 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old
Guard, which patrols the Tomb of the Unknowns and serves as an escort on military
burials at Arlington, but he instead chose to join his battalion in Iraq “over this
prestigious assignment,” Gade said.
“Tyler was the finest officer I’ve ever known ... he loved his men, and they loved him in
return,” he said.
— Associated Press
Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown, Jr.
21, of Conway, Pennsylvania.
Brown was in a convoy in Taji, Iraq when he was injured by an explosive device.
Brown died of his injuries. Brown was assigned to D Company, 519th Military
Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Died on August 12, 2003.
I stand before you today, because I have been given the privilege and honor of being asked
by the United States Army to make the decisions regarding how to best pay tribute to one of
their finest fallen solders. Today, that soldier happens to be my only son, PFC Timmy Ray
Brown, Jr.
The first thing I thought when they told me that my son had been killed, besides every
parents' wish that there must be a mistake, was that the only fitting way to honor Timmy was to
bury him in Arlington National Cemetery with his fellow soldiers. Many people have asked me,
"Why Arlington?", when his family and friends are here. I cannot fully explain why I came to this
conclusion, in my time of shock and disbelief, other than to express my wish for Tim to have in
death, that which I wanted for him in life, only the very best.
The price for membership in the very exclusive club, known as Arlington National Cemetery,
is very high. You must have given your life in defense of your country to be admitted. Tim has
paid that price. Before he takes his place among all the other brave men and women that have
given their all to keep us safe and free, however, I knew he would have wanted to come home
first, to Beaver County, Pennsylvania, to say goodbye to his family, friends and classmates.
Tim was a very unique and special person. He suffered from the same affliction that I do,
which is 'thinking too much'. He could never accept things as they were. He was always looking
for the deeper meaning in everything he encountered. "What's below the surface?" he always
wanted to know. I remember when he was a kid; his favorite toy was a flashlight, which he rarely
used for its intended purpose. He would instead take it apart to see how it worked. There were a
lot of things around the house, like that flashlight, that somehow just came apart and never
seemed to find their way back together. A trait that, at the time, aggravated me. Especially when
I had to find all the pieces of the TV remote, in his room full of experiments, and then attempt to
reassemble it. When I think back to what my room looked like when I was young, though, I can
remember that mine was much worse.
His next favorite toy was the trampoline. He would jump on that thing for 8 hours straight. He
and I would have battles for hours trying to knock each other down. He would, of course, always
win. The stamina of youth versus the wisdom of age, I can tell you, is no match on a trampoline.
All of the kids from the neighborhood would be there and the noise was unbearable at times,
especially after a hard day's work. I find myself missing those sounds now.
When he was 15 years old, his independent nature truly showed through, when he asked me
why he had been named Timmy Ray Brown, Jr. At the time I was shocked and hurt that he
would ask such a thing. In my vanity, I felt he should be proud to share my name. I explained to
him that it was my own selfish desire to live on through my son that led him to share my name. I
understood, though, that he meant no disrespect when he asked; he just wanted to be his own
person with his own identity. He achieved that with a vengeance. I now find myself the one who
is proud to share his name. Tim has turned the table on his fear of having to live in my shadow.
It is now I who will forever have to walk in his. Tim was eager to serve his country. The events of
9-11 troubled him a great deal and he could not wait to do his part. The example that he has set
forth far surpasses anything I have done or will ever do in my life. The pride and admiration I
feel for my son cannot be put into words, but I promise you Tim that I will live my life in a way as
to never bring shame to your memory.
When God chose to give us Tim, He knew that one family would not be able to contain all of
the love that Tim had to give. So He let us all share in the duties of shaping Tim into the man he
became. In the beginning with his mother Cindy and her extended family. Followed by Pam and
I, and our combined families. Then he adopted the Revalents, the Freedom High School Class
of 2000, as well as my wife Jennifer's family. There was also Richard's family, and finally the
United States Army. The list of people Tim knew as family is far too long for me to go into, for it
would take a team of accountants to tally the endless list of lives he touched, and who thought
of Tim as family.
As you can see, it would be impossible for me to personally list everyone. If I didn't mention
you, I am deeply sorry, but you know who you are and what you meant to him. Tim was, as all
of you know, the kind of person that put all others before himself. I know that when this terrible
event took place, he was grateful that it was he, and not one of his buddy's driving the truck
behind him that got hurt. His aspirations for greatness had already been achieved. I only hope
he knew how loved he was.
Tim's job here with us is complete. Now he is needed elsewhere. He has taught each of us
something unique about life. Each of you here today has been both touched by and learned
something from him. We are all better for having known him.
Tim, of all the times I was proud to be your father, if you added them all together and
multiplied that times infinity, then you will only begin to realize and understand the pride that I
feel for you now. I love you with all of my heart and always will.
I would like to thank all of you for coming, to show your love and support at this time of loss. I
would also like to thank everyone that is helping all the families get through this most trying
time.
But most of all, I would like to thank my son for the sacrifice he made to keep me, and all of
us safe. I would also like to thank President Bush for having the courage and commitment to
make the hard decisions he must make, fully knowing the sacrifices that will have to be made in
order to keep us safe and prevent the atrocities of 9-11 from ever happening again.
TIM R BROWN SR.
Timmy Ray Brown, Jr.
Private First Class, United States Army
No. 598-03
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 14, 2003
(703)697-5131(media)
(703)428-0711(public/industry)
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today that Private first Class
Timmy R. Brown, Jr., 21, of Conway, Pennsylvania, was killed on August
12, 2003, in Taji, Iraq. Brown was in a convoy when he was injured by an
explosive device. Brown died of his injuries.
Brown was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence
Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Veterans, family honor Pfc. Brown
Bill Vidonic, Times Staff 08/21/2003
FREEDOM - As mourners Wednesday honored the ultimate sacrifice of
Private First Class Timothy Brown R. Jr., who was killed in Iraq on
August 12, 2003, several wondered if it's a price that was too high.
"I think that's what makes it so difficult," said Francine Palak of Baden, a
former learning support teacher for Brown. "The war is supposed to be
over, and we still have people getting killed."
"I just think it's sad," Tony DiSanzo of Freedom said of Brown's death. "I
wasn't for this war from the beginning."
Nearly 200 family, friends, and strangers filled the auditorium of Freedom
Middle School on Wednesday evening during a funeral service for Brown,
of Conway, who was killed when the armored personnel carrier he was
driving struck a land mine.
Nearly three dozen veterans of various military branches made up honor
guards that slowly passed Brown's flag-draped coffin, saluting their fallen
brother as they went.
Other veterans attended, including ex-Marine Pete Gerovac, 34, of Center
Township, who had never met Brown, but felt his attendance Wednesday
was a sign of respect and to show "he didn't lose his life in vain."
Vietnam and Army veteran Gary Andresky, 53, of Aliquippa, lamented
how little the people of the Middle East value life, but said Brown did the
right thing, as "it's better to fight on foreign soil than to have them come
here and have to fight here."
Paul Walker, pastor of the Conway United Methodist Church, said that
Brown now "has a new commander-in-chief," and is in a place where all
the troubles of the world have been replaced with "peace and love and
justice and harmony and freedom."
Brown's father, Timothy R. Brown Sr., said his son is "a testament to what
courage and valor are in this country," and also praised President George
W. Bush for his strength in making tough decisions in the war on
terrorism, decisions that have cost soldiers' lives.
"Tim's job is done here, and now he is needed elsewhere," Brown Sr. said,
his voice dropping to a whisper as he wept.
Several others remembered Brown Jr. as a prankster, as someone who
didn't care much about material wealth, instead making those around him
laugh and putting their interests before his own.
"Today, we remember a young man who was very special and we mourn
this loss to the whole world," said U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, R-4, Bradford
Woods.
Throughout the day Wednesday, hundreds of others passed by Brown's
casket, and many left handwritten condolence notes for Brown's family.
One woman wrote, "I didn't know Tim, but I came to say thank you for
serving our country and protecting our freedom." One man wrote, "His
death ensures our freedom from worldly oppression," while another
wrote, "Men like him are what keep us sleeping safely."
As the last light of day dimmed, Brown's silver gray casket was wheeled
from the auditorium to a waiting hearse, ready for a final journey to
Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Brown's burial is scheduled
there for Friday.
Courtesy of the Washington Post:
Generous Son, Caring Soldier Laid to Rest
By Eric M. Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 23, 2003
His life's journey led from a small town in Pennsylvania to travels in
Canada to a dusty village 20 miles north of Baghdad. And yesterday Army
Private First Class Tim R. Brown Jr. concluded the final leg with a hero's
burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
The 21-year-old from Conway, Pennsylvania, known as "Timmy" to his
family and friends, was assigned to D Company of the 519th Military
Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On August 12
he was traveling with a convoy in Al Taji when he was killed by an
explosion, the Army reported. Brown is the 26th casualty of the war in
Iraq to be buried at Arlington.
"His motivation was pure, and what he wanted to do was for the all the
right reasons," said his father, Tim R. Brown Sr. "And if he was here now,
he would know that I am as proud of him as a father can be."
Brown was generous and caring, his father said.
When his father and stepmother separated, he chose to stay with her. "He
knew I was strong enough to get through it, but she wasn't. So he stayed,"
the elder Brown said.
Once, when his son was traveling in Canada, he gave all his cash to a
homeless person, then had to borrow from his friends to get back home.
"That's just the way he was," his father recalled.
In Iraq, the young private was moved by the conditions he observed.
"He had seen a new kind of poverty over there and thought we really
made a difference," his father said. "He really wanted to help the people
over there. He said they weren't all enemies."
The soldier's final journey was a 268-mile trip from Conway to Arlington
in a mint-green hearse with an American flag fluttering over the hood.
At Arlington, the casket, carefully draped with an American flag, was
gently moved to the burial site in Section 60 of the cemetery. Nearby are
24 other Iraq casualties. Three of the graves are so new that they do not
yet have headstones.
Brown's family and friends followed his coffin, walking down a path
covered in brown burlap and taking seats covered in green velvet.
He was buried with traditional military honors. To one side, a sevenmember firing party lofted three shots into the air. The volleys were
followed by the sounding of taps, the lone bugler under a pin oak amid the
thousands of marble headstones standing like sentinels.
Family members wiped away tears that mixed with the sweat of the 90degree day. Fellow soldiers who came to honor Brown stood off to the left,
sweltering in their dress uniforms.
An Army chaplain read the 23rd Psalm, and Brown's family was
presented with his Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Lieutenant General Keith B. Alexander handed neatly folded flags to
Brown's father and his mother, Cindy Miles. And, in a part of the
ceremony that pivots the focus from the ceremonial to the personal,
Alexander leaned close to the grieving parents and gave personal
condolences.
Miles clutched her flag to her breast and sobbed.
After the media and other mourners had departed, she dropped to her
knees before her son's coffin and rested her head on its silver top, still
sobbing.
Brown's father said an Arlington burial was fitting for one who gave his
life for his country.
"This is the last respect I can pay for my son, and my gratitude for his
service," the elder Brown said. "I wanted to show my son how proud we
were of him.
08/30/2003
The Beaver County Commissioners Thursday honored a Conway man
killed in Iraq earlier this month.
Commissioners presented proclamations to the father and stepmother of
Army Pfc. Tim R. Brown Jr., 21, who died August 12, 2003, when the
armored personnel carrier he was driving hit a land mine. He was the first
Beaver County resident to die in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Several county judges and row officers listened as commissioners Dan
Donatella, Charlie Camp and Jimmy Albert spoke to Tim Brown Sr. of
Big Beaver and Pam Brown Lois of their loss.
"Your son is in a place that's really, really treasured by America," Albert
said of Brown's Friday burial in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
"Your son is not forgotten. Your son did not die in vain."
BROWN, TIMMY RAY JR
PFC US ARMY
DATE OF BIRTH: 02/10/1982
DATE OF DEATH: 08/12/2003
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 7886
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Family members mourn at the graveside of Army PFC Timmy Brown, Jr. during
his funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery Friday, August 22, 2003.
Army Sergeant First Class Christopher Roussey plays TAPS at the funeral
of Army PFC Timmy Brown, Jr. at Arlington National Cemetery Friday, Aug. 22, 2003
Cindy Miles weeps at the casket of her son, Army PFC Timmy Brown, Jr.
as she is comforted by Major Steven Chung, Deputy Provost Marshall for the 99th
Regional Readiness Command, after Timmy's funeral services at Arlington National
Cemetery Friday, August 22, 2003
Courtesy of Barbara McGlynn, Valentines's Day February 2006
Posted: 23 August 2003 Updated: 3 September 2003 Updated: 21 February 2004 Updated: 5 May
2004 Updated: 6 August 2005
Updated: 11 February 2006 Updated: 24 March 2007
Tim R. Brown Sr. of Beaver Falls, Pa., lost his son, Pfc. Tim R. Brown Jr.,
in Iraq.
I stand before you today, because I have been given the privilege and honor of being asked
by the United States Army to make the decisions regarding how to best pay tribute to one of
their finest fallen solders. Today, that soldier happens to be my only son, PFC Timmy Ray
Brown, Jr.
The first thing I thought when they told me that my son had been killed, besides every
parents' wish that there must be a mistake, was that the only fitting way to honor Timmy was to
bury him in Arlington National Cemetery with his fellow solders. Many people have asked me,
"Why Arlington?", when his family and friends are here. I cannot fully explain why I came to this
conclusion, in my time of shock and disbelief, other than to express my wish for Tim to have in
death, that which I wanted for him in life, only the very best.
The price for membership in the very exclusive club, known as Arlington National Cemetery,
is very high. You must have given your life in defense of your country to be admitted. Tim has
paid that price. Before he takes his place among all the other brave men and women that have
given their all to keep us safe and free, however, I knew he would have wanted to come home
first, to Beaver County, Pennsylvania, to say goodbye to his family, friends and classmates.
Tim was a very unique and special person. He suffered from the same affliction that I do,
which is 'thinking too much'. He could never accept things as they were. He was always looking
for the deeper meaning in everything he encountered. "What's below the surface?" he always
wanted to know. I remember when he was a kid; his favorite toy was a flashlight, which he rarely
used for its intended purpose. He would instead take it apart to see how it worked. There were a
lot of things around the house, like that flashlight, that somehow just came apart and never
seemed to find their way back together. A trait that, at the time, aggravated me. Especially when
I had to find all the pieces of the TV remote, in his room full of experiments, and then attempt to
reassemble it. When I think back to what my room looked like when I was young, though, I can
remember that mine was much worse.
His next favorite toy was the trampoline. He would jump on that thing for 8 hours straight. He
and I would have battles for hours trying to knock each other down. He would, of course, always
win. The stamina of youth versus the wisdom of age, I can tell you, is no match on a trampoline.
All of the kids from the neighborhood would be there and the noise was unbearable at times,
especially after a hard days work. I find myself missing those sounds now.
When he was 15 years old, his independent nature truly showed through, when he asked me
why he had been named Timmy Ray Brown, Jr. At the time I was shocked and hurt that he
would ask such a thing. In my vanity, I felt he should be proud to share my name. I explained to
him that it was my own selfish desire to live on through my son that led him to share my name. I
understood, though, that he meant no disrespect when he asked; he just wanted to be his own
person with his own identity. He achieved that with a vengeance. I now find myself the one who
is proud to share his name. Tim has turned the table on his fear of having to live in my shadow.
It is now I who will forever have to walk in his. Tim was eager to serve his country. The events of
9-11 troubled him a great deal and he could not wait to do his part. The example that he has set
forth far surpasses anything I have done or will ever do in my life. The pride and admiration I
feel for my son cannot be put into words, but I promise you Tim that I will live my life in a way as
to never bring shame to your memory.
When God chose to give us Tim, He knew that one family would not be able to contain all of
the love that Tim had to give. So He let us all share in the duties of shaping Tim into the man he
became. In the beginning with his mother Cindy and her extended family. Followed by Pam and
I, and our combined families. Then he adopted the Revalents, the Freedom High School Class
of 2000, as well as my wife Jennifer's family. There was also Richard's family, and finally the
United States Army. The list of people Tim knew as family is far too long for me to go into, for it
would take a team of accountants to tally the endless list of lives he touched, and who thought
of Tim as family.
As you can see, it would be impossible for me to personally list everyone. If I didn't mention
you, I am deeply sorry, but you know who you are and what you meant to him. Tim was, as all
of you know, the kind of person that put all others before himself. I know that when this terrible
event took place, he was grateful that it was he, and not one of his buddy's driving the truck
behind him that got hurt. His aspirations for greatness had already been achieved. I only hope
he knew how loved he was.
Tim's job here with us is complete. Now he is needed elsewhere. He has taught each of us
something unique about life. Each of you here today has been both touched by and learned
something from him. We are all better for having known him.
Tim, of all the times I was proud to be your father, if you added them all together and
multiplied that times infinity, then you will only begin to realize and understand the pride that I
feel for you now. I love you with all of my heart and always will.
I would like to thank all of you for coming, to show your love and support at this time of loss. I
would also like to thank everyone that is helping all the families get through this most trying
time.
But most of all, I would like to thank my son for the sacrifice he made to keep me, and all of
us safe. I would also like to thank President Bush for having the courage and commitment to
make the hard decisions he must make, fully knowing the sacrifices that will have to be made in
order to keep us safe and prevent the atrocities of 9-11 from ever happening again.
TIM R BROWN SR.
Spec. Craig S. Ivory
Hometown: Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 26 years old
Died: August 17, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 501st Forward Support Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Southern
European Task Force, Vicenza, Italy
Incident: Died in a German hospital of a stroke he suffered in Iraq.
Army Spc. Craig S. Ivory
Died August 17, 2003 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
26, of Port Matilda, Pa.; assigned to the 501st Forward Support Company, 173rd
Airborne Brigade, Southern European Task Force, Vicenza, Italy; died of a non-combatrelated cause Aug. 17 in Homberg University Hospital, Germany. Ivory had been
medically evacuated from Kuwait on Aug. 12.
It wasn’t until he became a medic that Spc. Craig S. Ivory found his niche.
“Initially when he went into the Army, they made him a mechanic, which he hated,” said
his father, Patrick J. Ivory. “He re-enlisted to become a medic.”
The 26-year-old from Port Matilda, Pa., died Aug. 17 after suffering a stroke while
serving in Iraq. He was based in Vicenza, Italy.
Although he was not in a combat unit, Craig Ivory often was among the first medical
responders when soldiers were injured in combat. He hoped to become a physician
assistant after completing his service, his father said.
As a high school student, Craig Ivory lettered in football and track and field and played
clarinet and bass clarinet in the school’s concert and symphonic bands. He joined the
Army in January 1997 and re-enlisted twice.
— Associated Press
SPC Craig Ivory, 26, was a proud Airborne Medic with the 173rd. Airborne
Brigade. He loved his family and helping people. He graduated from State
College Area HS before entering the Army.
Craig S. Ivory
PORT MATILDA, PA -- Specialist Craig S. Ivory, U.S. Army, 26, died in Homberg, Germany, Sunday of nonhostile injuries incurred while serving as a medic with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Kirkuk, Iraq as part
of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Born Jan. 24, 1977 in Charleston, S.C., he was the son of CWO4 Patrick J. Ivory, U.S. Navy, Retired, of
Port Matilda and Mary Kay Ivory, a former U.S. Navy nurse, of Hamilton Square.
Spec. Ivory attended State College Area High School and graduated in 1996. He lettered in football, ran
relay in track and field and participated in wrestling, played clarinet in the concert band and enjoyed
weight lifting.
He joined the U.S. Army in January 1997 and attended basic training at Fort Knox, KY, advanced
individual training at Fort Jackson, SC, and paratrooper school at Fort Benning, GA. He served a one year
tour in Pusan, Korea, before returning to the Fort Campbell, KY. He re-enlisted there and was
transferred to Fort Sam Houston, TX, where he changed his military occupation to be a medic. He then
served at Fort Bliss, TX, providing medical support to a Patriot Missile Battalion. He again re-enlisted
there and was transferred to the 501st Forward Support Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in
Vicenza, Italy in August 2002. In March of 2003, the 173rd Airborne Brigade made a combat jump in to
Northern Iraq. Spec. Ivory provided direct support to injured troops while working in the trauma unit
and periodically went on patrol missions as the direct medical support for an infantry platton.
His service awards and decorations included the U.S. Army Achievement Medal (two awards), National
Defense Service Medal, U.S. Army Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon (two awards), U.S. Army
Good Conduct Medal, Bronze Star, U.S. Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM) and Parachutist Badge
along with serveral Unit Awards. Additionally, other medals and awards are pending.
He intended to make the U.S. Army a career. As one of his closest aunts' said, "Craig died serving his
country and doing what he loved best, taking care of his fellow soldiers."
Spec. Ivory's two greatest hobbies while serving in the U.S. Army were bull riding, where he won in some
minor rodeo's and being part of the base wrestling team in Vicenza. He had hoped to be part of the U.S.
Army bull riding and wrestling teams in Europe. Upon completing his tour in Iraq, he had planned to
attend college through the U.S. Army Opportunity College.
He is survived by his parents and his stepmother, HMCS Teresa Ivory, U.S. Navy, Retired; his brother
Brandon of Hamilton Square; his brother Sean and sister Amanda of Port Matilda, PA, who are students
of the State College Area High School. He is also survived by his grandparents, Bernard C. Dennies and
Mary K. Dennis of Parsippany; and his stepgrandparents, William and Phyllis Dunn of Land O'Lakes, FL.
He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins throughout the eastern and southern states.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Peter F. Ivory Sr. and Margaret M. (Fitzgerald) Ivory of
Honesdale, PA, and his uncle, HMC(SS) Peter F. Ivory Jr., U.S. Navy Retired of Uncasville, CT.
Visitation will be held at the Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College, PA, 3-6 p.m.
Sunday.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Good Sheperd Catholic Church, 867 Gray's Woods Blvd., State
College, PA, 9:30 a.m. Monday with the Reverend Philip M. Bender officiating. Interment will be at the
Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, RR #2, Annville, PA, with full military honors 2 p.m. Monday.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are requested to be sent to the Landstuhl Fisher House at the
Landstuhl Army Medical Center. The Landstuhl Army Fisher House is a nonprofit lodge that provides
comfort, caring and compassion for families of injured military personnel so that the families can be
with their servicemen and women during their time of recovery or their last days. Donations in Craig's
name may be sent to the Landstuhl Fisher House, CMR 402 Box 669, APO, AE 09180.
Published in The Times, Trenton, on August 23, 2003
print
Spec. Eric R. Hull
Hometown: Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 23 years old
Died: August 18, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army Reserves, 307th Military Police Company, U.S. Army Reserve, New
Kensington, Pa.
Incident: Spc. Hull was killed when an explosive device hit his vehicle.
When they were young, Eric R. Hull's sister loved to help their father in the garage.
Hull liked to follow his mother, aunts and grandmother around in the kitchen.
Sometimes he would surprise his family with fresh-baked bread, his mother said. "He
made the best Alfredo you'll ever taste," Deborah Hull said. Hull became a cook and
went to Iraq with the Army Reserves. The 23-year-old from Uniontown, Pa., died Aug.
18 when his vehicle rode over a land mine while hauling supplies. He is survived by his
wife, Missy, and two children, Mia Nicole, 2, and Dominic, 1. "He always had a grin on
his face, He was such a happy-go-lucky person. The only thing he wanted to do was be
at home with his children and his wife," Deborah Hull said.
Obituary: Eric Hull / Fayette County reservist dies
when truck hits mine
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
By Ervin Dyer, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
An Army reservist from Fayette County was killed when the vehicle he was driving struck a land
mine Monday in Iraq.
Eric Hull, 23, whose passion from an early age was cooking, was assigned to the 99th Regional
Support Command's 307th Military Police Company based in New Kensington. His vehicle hit a
mine after he had picked up food supplies and water from Baghdad airport.
When he was 3, he showed his father, Raymond, how to scramble eggs. While his wife, Debbie,
was hospitalized, the elder Hull needed to cook breakfast for his son, but wasn't very good at it.
Even the dogs refused the eggs.
"All the while," said Raymond Hull, "Eric was telling me I'm doing it wrong. His eggs were
delicious. He could watch his mom in the kitchen and just catch on."
Eric Hull took his culinary skills to the Army Reserve. He joined while still a junior in high
school.
The family got the news of his death on Monday, when Mr. Hull's father was called from his job
at U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock and met two uniformed military personnel at
his house.
A lifelong resident of the Uniontown area, Mr. Hull meet his wife, Missy, at Uniontown Area
High School, where he played on the football team. The couple has a daughter, Mia, 2, and a 1year-old son, Dominic.
The couple recently finished building a house in Upper Middletown. Missy Hull moved in on
Memorial Day, but Mr. Hull never saw the home, except in e-mail photos.
Mr. Hull was a Boy Scout, earning the rank of Eagle Scout before 18 and going on to achieve
three additional Eagle palms.
He was an attentive, well-rounded Scout, said Ray Williams, former Troop 687 scoutmaster who
guided Mr. Hull.
"He was enthusiastic about everything."
He did so well with the Boy Scouts, said his father, that they talked about him joining the
Reserve. Both thought it would teach him further discipline and responsibility.
After senior year of high school, Mr. Hull went to boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C. He then
trained as a cook for eight weeks at Fort Lee, Va.
Two weeks after he finished there, in 1998, he came home and got married.
Mr. Hull studied to be a chef at Westmoreland County Community College and worked at local
restaurants and as an underchef at Nemacolin Woodlands.
Six months ago, he was hired as a food services program director in Greene County, where he
was in charge of school meals.
He had always wanted to cook, said his father, and felt at home in the kitchen.
"At holiday times, he helped his mother cook. When we went to Boy Scout camp, Eric always
did the cooking. It was a role he enjoyed."
Mr. Hull communicated with the family via e-mail but last spoke with his father about two
weeks ago.
He told them the area where he was stationed was safe but that he had to travel to the airport
twice a week to pick up food and that there were mines and booby traps.
"He sounded upbeat," said his father. "He knew there was danger, but he didn't seem to be
worried that much."
When Mr. Hull got his orders to go to Iraq, he told his father that while he would prefer staying
with his children, he had a job to do.
Mr. Hull's sister, Ashley, is three years younger and is in the Army stationed in Germany, where
she serves as a supply specialist.
According to her father, she was in training to be sent to Baghdad.
Ervin Dyer can be reached at edyer@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1410.
Families grieve as soldiers continue to die
Monday, December 22, 2003 By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
This region has sent so many sons and daughters to the military that every loud bang in some
corner of the world is followed by the silence of families holding their breath and waiting.
For the first month of the second Persian Gulf war, it seemed as if Western Pennsylvania would
be spared. Then the phone call came to the family of Donald Oaks Jr. in Harborcreek, an Erie
suburb.
An errant bomb, dropped by a coalition airplane, had taken the region's first casualty of war.
Oaks was 20.
Erie buried its son with flourishes worthy of a hero. A downtown theater served as the venue for
the funeral. Hundreds thronged into Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery, a rolling expanse of trees,
gardens and greenery.
The cemetery now is covered with the snow that blows off the Great Lakes every winter. In
December, it was the kind of snow in which Donald Oaks Jr. used to look for the tracks of deer.
"He really enjoyed it," said his grandfather, Sam Oaks. "He was here in December and he went
out. Even if it was only one day." Young Oaks' hunting rifle now rests unused. He left his
military insurance policy to his younger sister; he'd always promised to look out after her, his
grandfather said.
The family recently met with someone from the Army about the circumstances in which the
young man died. Even in the face of endless news accounts detailing the accidental bombing that
killed Oaks and two other soldiers, the Army held off making any official confirmation.
Earlier this month, a letter arrived, stating the Army was ready to discuss its final report on the
young soldier's death, which happened "as a result of the tragic accident which took place."
"If you read between the lines, it tells you without seeing the report," Sam Oaks said.
Oaks died just as the family of Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch was jetting to an air base in Europe to
reunite with their daughter, the lone survivor of an enemy ambush during Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
Other families in the region were reuniting around caskets.
One day after Oaks was killed, Army Capt. Tristan N. Aitken, 31, born in Erie and raised in State
College, was killed in action. The next day, Army Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker, 34, of Apollo,
Armstrong County, fell in action in Baghdad.
The list stretched on, even after President Bush declared the combat phase largely completed.
From May through this month, more men and women would die in the occupation than in the
initial invasion.
Michael T. Gleason, 25, an Army specialist from Warren County, was killed when his Army
vehicle swerved off a road between Mosul and Tikrit on May 30.
Nine days later, Army Sgt. Micheal Dooley, 23, approached a car that had stopped at a traffic
control post on the western Iraqi border. The occupants had cried out for help. Then they opened
fire, killing him. His wife, Christine, was waiting at home in Murrysville, pregnant with their
daughter, who was born three months later and promptly displayed for the cameras in a T-shirt
reading "My Hero, My Daddy."
An ambush in Baghdad killed Spc. Eric R. Hull, 23, on Aug. 18. He was in a military vehicle
returning from an airport when a bomb claimed him.
Spc. Rafael L. Navea, 34, of Oakland, left behind a wife and three young sons when his vehicle
rolled over an improvised land mine in Fallujah on Aug. 27.
Army communications Spc. Douglas J. Weismantle was raised in Spring Garden on the city's
North Side. He was 28 when an Iraqi truck swerved and rolled over onto his Humvee on Oct. 13,
killing him and another soldier.
Ernest Bucklew, 33, an Army sergeant from Beaver County, was leaving Iraq to attend his
mother's funeral when the Ch-47 Chinook helicopter in which he was riding was shot down Nov.
2. The Pentagon got him home in time to be buried beside his mother.
Army Sgt. Nicholas A. Tomko, 24, of McKees Rocks, was the door gunner in a convoy when
Iraqi insurgents opened fire, killing him Nov. 9. He was with the 307th Military Police unit out
of New Kensington.
A list of grief that began with an errant bomb in the early days of a war now threatens to stretch
into a new year, leaving behind families in a region accustomed to loss.
Char Fedak, who was planning to marry Donald Oaks after his return from Iraq, went on with
her life. She works now as a dietary aide at a rehabilitation hospital.
"It's been rough for all of us, just getting through the holidays," she said. Wintry weather has hit
Erie with special force this year, freezing streets and burying the area around the cemetery.
Fedak said she visits her fiance's grave as often as she can.
"On clear days," she said, "I get up there."
Dennis Roddy can be reached at droddy@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1965.
Army Spc. Eric R. Hull
Died August 18, 2003 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
23, of Uniontown, Pa.; assigned to the 307th Military Police Company, U.S. Army
Reserve, New Kensington, Pa.; killed when a military vehicle he was riding in hit an
improvised explosive device Aug. 18 in Baghdad.
Family: Pa. soldier killed by land mine in Iraq
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — An Army Reserve cook from western Pennsylvania was killed by a
land mine while hauling supplies in Iraq, his mother said Aug. 19.
Spc. Eric R. Hull, 23, a married father of two young children from Uniontown, was a
member of the 99th Regional Support Command’s 307th Military Police Company out of
New Kensington, said his mother, Deborah Hull.
Military personnel visited the home of Hull’s mother and father Aug. 18, but did not
provide many details of his death, family members said.
But a fellow reservist who was a passenger in the vehicle Eric Hull was driving at the
time of the explosion said the two were returning to Baghdad with supplies Monday
when the vehicle drove over the mine, Deborah Hull said.
A 1998 graduate from Uniontown Area High School, Eric Hull was married to Missy Hull,
24, for almost five years. The couple had two children — Mia Nicole, who will be 3 in
September, and 1-year-old Dominic.
Workers recently completed work on the couple’s new home and Deborah Hull said her
son never got to see it.
“He always had a grin on his face. He was such a happy-go-lucky person. The only
thing he wanted to do was be at home with his children and his wife; he loved her from
the moment he laid eyes on her,” Deborah Hull said.
Eric Hull worked at numerous restaurants in the Fayette County area and, most
recently, he worked as a chef at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa.
Before he and other reservists were called to their mobilization site at Fort Dix, N.J., Eric
Hull had graduated from the Westmoreland County Community College and was lining
up a job to lead a school cafeteria kitchen, Deborah Hull said.
Her son played several defensive positions for his high school football team, as a child
collected He-Man action figures and baseball cards, and was an Eagle Scout, Deborah
Hull said.
Eric Hull’s true talent, however, was in the kitchen. While his 19-year-old sister, Ashley,
who is stationed in Germany with the Army, loved to help their father in his garage, Eric
Hull liked to follow his mother, aunts and grandmother around in the kitchen.
Sometimes, he would surprise his family with fresh-baked whole wheat bread, his
mother said.
“He made the best Alfredo you’ll ever taste,” she said.
*****
Funeral set for Uniontown soldier killed in Iraq
SMOCK, Pa. — Sgt. Eric R. Hull, 23, of Upper Middletown, was killed Aug. 18 when a
truck in which he was riding was destroyed by an explosive device near Baghdad. He
was a cook in the 307th Military Police Company, 519th Military Police Battalion.
Hull’s funeral was set for 11 a.m. Aug. 27 at the Uppermiddletown United Methodist
Church. The funeral will be preceded by an hour of visitation at the church. Interment
will follow in LaFayette Memorial Park in Brier Hill.
Hull was a former chef at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa in Farmington, and
was a food service director for the Central Greene School District when he was called to
active duty.
He is survived by his wife, Missy DeFabbo Hull, and two young children, Mia and
Dominic.
A benefit fund was established for the children at National City Bank, in care of Missy
Hull, Cherry Tree Plaza, 8 Matthew Drive, Uniontown, Pa. 15401.
— Associated Press
A benefit Fund was established for the children at National City
Bank, in care of Missy Hill, Cherry Tree Plaza, 8 Matthew Drive,
Uniontown, PA 15401.
Eric was a devoted father and husband. He was 23 years old when he died but
lived a whole life in those short years. He was a chef in civilian life and loved to
spend time with his friends and family. His two kids Mia and Dominic and wife
Missy of 5 years were his world. When Eric was killed he was in the process of
building his very first house. He had a smile that could light up a room and a
bubbly personality to match. He was traveling in a convoy when his vehicle was
hit with an IED. He will always be in our hearts everyday and loved till we meet
again. Sadly missed my Missy-Mia and Dominic Hull.
Staff Sgt. Christopher E. Cutchall
Hometown: McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 30 years old
Died: September 29, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, Delta Troop, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry
Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
Incident: A makeshift bomb hit his convoy west of Baghdad.
As a teenager, Staff Sgt. Christopher Cutchall spent a lot of time hunting and fishing in
the woods of Pennsylvania's rural Fulton County. "Chris wasn't very big physically. He
grew up in the woods here hunting and fishing, so he knew how to shoot and how to
sneak, and the Army built on that," said his father, Paul Cutchall. An Army scout,
Cutchall had been in Iraq for less than a month when he was killed Sept. 29 by an
explosive device west of Baghdad. The 30-year-old Cutchall had been in the military
since 1991 and was stationed at Fort Riley. Cutchall, who grew up in McConnellsburg,
Pa., planned to make the military his career, his father said. He had been to Germany,
Turkey and most recently was in Kuwait. "He was a firm believer that everybody
should serve their country," Paul Cutchall said. Cutchall is survived by his wife and two
sons, ages 4 and 6.
Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick
Hometown: Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 26 years old
Died: September 29, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division,
Fort Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Drowned as he tried to rescue another soldier after their vehicle fell into a
canal near Abu Ghraib prison.
As his older sister remembers it, Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick never thought twice before rushing to help
someone. "He feared nothing," Elizabeth Hoherchak said. "Nothing. There was no hesitation in him."
Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, Pa., drowned Sept. 29 when he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle
had plunged into a canal in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Bragg. Baddick had been serving in
Afghanistan before going to Iraq, said Charles McHugh, a family friend. "I knew the boy all his life; I
watched him grow up," McHugh said. "All he wanted to do was be in the Army and be a paratrooper,
and he succeeded."
Sgt. Andrew J. Baddick
Sgt. Andrew Joseph ''AJ'' Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, died Sept. 29 in Iraq where he was
stationed with the Third Birrcade, 504th Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort
Bragg, N.C. He was in Iraq about a month and in 2002 worked with computers tracing troops
from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He joined the
Army in 1999, graduated from Jump School at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2001 and was assigned to
the 82nd Airborne Division and re-enlisted for six years in 2002. He received the Enduring
Freedom Army Achievement Medal this year and in 2002 he received the Commendation Medal
for Meritorious Service. He was a 1997 graduate of Jim Thorpe Area High School. Born in
Coaldale, he was a son of Joseph M. Baddick of Mohrsville and Ann (Callen) Baddick of Jim
Thorpe, and a stepson of Sheila Baddick of Mohrsville. He was a Catholic. He was a volunteer
fire fighter for Jim Thorpe Fire Company and a volunteer for the ambulance corps. Survivors:
Parents; stepmother; fiancee, Nicole Cottle of Fort Bragg; sister, Elizabeth Ann Hoherchak of
Jim Thorpe; paternal grandmother, Rose (Pelton) Baddick of Tamaqua; maternal grandmother,
Gail (Zeiser) Stempel of White Haven, Luzerne County. Services: Mass, 10 a.m. Friday, St.
Joseph's Catholic Church, Jim Thorpe. Call 5-9 p.m. Thursday in the church. Memorial tribute, 9
p.m. Thursday in the church. Arrangements, E. Franklin Griffiths & Robert C. Resser Funeral
Home, Tamaqua.
Contributions: To the church, or Jim Thorpe Ambulance Corps or Fire Company.
Published in Morning Call on October 7, 2003
Army Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick
26, of Jim Thorpe, Pa.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
Fort Bragg, N.C.; drowned Sept. 29 as he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle
had entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
As his older sister remembers it, Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick never thought twice before
rushing to help someone. “He feared nothing,” Elizabeth Hoherchak said. “Nothing. There was
no hesitation in him.”
Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, Pa., drowned Sept. 29 when he tried to rescue another soldier
whose vehicle had plunged into a canal in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Bragg.
Baddick had been serving in Afghanistan before going to Iraq, said Charles McHugh, a family
friend.
“I knew the boy all his life; I watched him grow up,” McHugh said. “All he wanted to do was be in
the Army and be a paratrooper, and he succeeded.”
Paratrooper from Pa. killed in Iraq
Associated Press
A paratrooper stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., drowned while trying to save another soldier in Iraq,
the Defense Department said Wednesday, and a Veterans Affairs official said he was from
Pennsylvania.
Sgt. Andrew J. Baddick, 26, died Monday, according to both a Pentagon news release and
Charles McHugh, director of the Carbon County, Pa., Veterans Affairs Office.
According to the Pentagon, Baddick was trying to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had
entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq when he drowned.
Military authorities did not say where Baddick was from, but McHugh said Baddick was from Jim
Thorpe. McHugh, a friend of the family, said the military had informed Baddick’s mother, Ann, of
his death.
“I knew the boy all his life; I watched him grow up,” McHugh said. “All he wanted to do was be in
the Army and be a paratrooper, and he succeeded.”
McHugh said Baddick, a paratrooper with Headquarters Company, 82nd Airborne Division, had
been stationed in Afghanistan before coming to Iraq one or two months ago.
Baddick, a 1997 graduate of Jim Thorpe Area Senior High School, enlisted in the Army in 1999
and re-enlisted for another six years in 2001, McHugh said.
Andrew Joseph Baddick
Sergeant, United States Army
No. 723-03
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 01, 2003
(703)697-5131(media)
(703)428-0711(public/industry)
DOD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today that the deaths of Sergeant
Andrew Joseph Baddick, 26, and Private First Class Kristian E. Parker,
23.
Baddick drowned September 29, 2003, as he tried to rescue another soldier
whose vehicle had entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq. He was
assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Fort
Bragg, North Carolina.
The incident is under investigation.
Parker died on Sept. 29 of non-combat related injuries at Camp AS
Sayliyah, Qatar. She was assigned to the 205th Engineer Battalion, U.S.
Army National Guard, Slidell, Louisiana.
The incident is under investigation.
No. 723-03
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 01, 2003
(703)697-5131(media)
(703)428-0711(public/industry)
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
Note: This is a corrected copy of News release 723-03 dated Oct. 1, 2003.
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers
who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sergeant Andrew Joseph Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania,
drowned September 29, 2003, as he tried to rescue another soldier whose
vehicle had entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
Baddick was assigned to 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry
Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Private First Class Kristian E. Parker, 23, of Slidell, Louisiana, died on
September 29, 2003, at Camp AS Sayliyah, Qatar. Parker died from noncombat related injuries.
Parker was assigned to the 205th Engineer Battalion, Army National
Guard, Slidell, Louisiana.
These incidents are under investigation.
December 10, 2003
2 Carbon heroes honored by state
Soldier's mother still seeks closure without having seen body.
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA - Grief has cut hard into the heart of
Ann Baddick, who mourns the death of her son, Sergeant Andrew J.
Baddick of Jim Thorpe, on September 29, 2003, while he was trying to
rescue a soldier in Iraq whose vehicle had plunged into a canal.
Baddick's anguish over not seeing her son's body before burial
overshadowed a visit Tuesday to Harrisburg, where state lawmakers
honored A.J., as he was called, with a standing ovation.
Also honored was Brian Firkal of Nesquehoning, who died trying to save a
boy from drowning in Ocean City, Maryland, two days before Andrew
Baddick was killed.
Baddick, 26, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on October 14,
2003.
Without telling her why, Ann Baddick said, the Army refused to let her
view her son's body. The Army even denied her plea to look one last time
at the tattoo of an iguana on his shoulder, its tail wrapped around his
upper left arm.
He got the iguana tattoo on the sly, his mother said with a sad smile,
because she wouldn't let him keep one.
''I have no closure, no peace of mind,'' she said. ''Even if they don't let me
see his face, if they would have just let me look at the tattoo on his arm.''
Army spokeswoman Shari Lawrence said she could not comment on the
Baddick case but said it's rare for a family to be denied one last look at a
loved one.
''It takes a lot for us to say to the family, 'We don't recommend you do
this,''' she said. ''It is very, very rare that we are going to say that to a
family.''
A casualty assistance officer may be able to resolve the issue, she said. The
officer works with the family until the family decides the help isn't needed.
Lawrence said ''a lot of families need to view the remains for closure,'' but
the bodies sometimes are not viewable. In that case, the Army tries to have
someone other than family members take a look.
The only reason a soldier's casket would never be opened is if the body
inside has been chemically contaminated or harbors a contagion,
Lawrence said.
On Tuesday, Baddick — with John Adams, her partner of 20 years, beside
her — poured out her anguish to state Representative Keith McCall, DCarbon.
The couple plan to marry the day before Christmas.
McCall told Baddick he was appalled she could not see her son's body and
that he would do whatever he could to find out what happened.
The family, including Andrew Baddick's father, Joseph, and his wife,
Sheila, was in the capital to attend the passage of resolutions honoring
Baddick and Firkal.
The Legislature passed both resolutions, standing and applauding after
each was voted upon.
''Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy,'' McCall told the
legislators, quoting from author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Baddick, the Army says, hit his head and drowned as he tried to rescue a
soldier whose vehicle went into a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison during a
mortar attack. The soldier in the vehicle also died.
Officials said Baddick, an avid swimmer, plunged into the canal to try to
rescue the man. And when it became clear the man had drowned, Baddick
dove again to try to recover the man's body.
That's when he hit his head and drowned, authorities said.
Baddick's mother said she has yet to receive his dog tags and other effects.
Baddick graduated from jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia, in
February 2001, served in Afghanistan and had recently re-enlisted. He
arrived in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North
Carolina, about a month before he died.
''Sergeant Baddick was awarded the Bronze Star,'' McCall said on the
House floor. ''No combat ribbon, no medal for bravery, nor, frankly, the
recognition of the House, could ever replace his family's love for Sergeant
Baddick.''
Firkal, 27, died while trying to rescue a boy who had become caught in a
riptide.
Firkal, a volunteer firefighter, was buried with a firefighter's honors, his
casket carried to St. Michael's Cemetery in Summit Hill atop a fire truck.
''Brian's death highlights the true spirit of helping others,'' McCall said.
Jane Firkal said she is coping with her grief with the help of her late
husband's and her own family.
''I just take it one day at a time,'' she said.
Jim Thorpe sergeant drowns in Iraqi canal
26-year-old soldier dived in to help comrade, officials say.
An Army sergeant from Jim Thorpe who wanted to be a career military
man has died in Iraq, his family and the Carbon County's Veterans
Affairs director confirmed Wednesday.
U.S. Department of Defense officials confirmed that Andrew J. Baddick,
26, drowned Monday as he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle
plunged into a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
County Veteran Affairs Director Charles McHugh said an Army chaplain
and a staff sergeant visited the family Tuesday night and informed them of
Baddick's death.
Baddick's ex-wife, Jami Sydensticker, said the family was told he dived
into water to try to save another soldier, hit his head and drowned.
Baddick was an expert swimmer who worked as a guide for white-water
trips on the Lehigh River.
Sydensticker said it would be like Baddick to try to save another person.
''If he saw somebody in trouble, he would try to help, especially if it was
one of his people,'' she said.
Baddick, a 1997 Jim Thorpe Area High School graduate, had been in Iraq
only about a month. In 2002, he worked with computers tracking troops
from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring
Freedom.
McHugh said Baddick, who visited him during leaves from the service,
wanted to make a career of the military. ''All he wanted to do was be in
the Army and be a paratrooper,'' McHugh said.
Baddick joined the Army in 1999 and completed basic training at Fort
Hood, Texas, then graduated from jump school at Fort Benning in
Georgia in February 2001. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division
out of Fort Bragg, N.C. Last year he re-enlisted for six years.
Sydensticker, who was married to Baddick for a year and lives near
Pittsburgh, said she last saw him in January. She described him as a
helpful person who liked kayaking, hunting and taking their two dogs to
the park.
''He liked being in the military for the most part, but it is definitely not a
place to have a relationship,'' she said. ''It takes two strong people. That's
the only thing he hated about it.''
Flags at the Carbon County courthouse, Jim Thorpe schools and the
community's Veterans of Foreign Wars post flew at half-staff Wednesday.
McHugh, who watched Baddick grow up, was upset by the death. ''When
you lose one in your hometown, your home county, it's tough to take,'' he
said.
Word of Baddick's death spread quickly through the Jim Thorpe area,
where he worked as a guide for Jim Thorpe River Adventures during high
school and after graduation.
Owner Dave Kuhn said he met Baddick when he was 12 years old and
took his first trip on the Lehigh River. Two years later, Kuhn said,
Baddick was a proficient kayaker.
Kuhn said Baddick, who called him ''Uncle Dave,'' worked on and off for
him for 13 years. He said he had an easygoing personality and was wellliked by customers whom he guided down the river.
Kuhn said he last saw Baddick when he was on leave in the spring when he
visited him and paddled a kayak on the river.
At the family home on Front Street, a picture of Baddick in his Army
desert camouflage hung on the front window near a sign urging people to
pray for U.S. troops.
Chris Gehres of Jim Thorpe, who knew Baddick from childhood, said the
military instilled more discipline and focus in Baddick. ''He certainly was
a changed man,'' Gehres said.
Ron Sheehan, who serves as county treasurer and director of the Asa
Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe, said Baddick's mother, Ann, had worked
at the mansion.
Baddick's mother was a proud military mom. She helped organize a
support-the-troops rally held in Jim Thorpe in April and was part of a
group of parents who shipped care packages to soldiers.
She also volunteered to help with Jim Thorpe's annual July 4 fireworks
display after her son told her he would be disappointed if the event was
canceled. The event was in doubt because of a lack of volunteers for the
festival.
Friday, October 10, 2003
By Rob Stewart
Carbon County Soldier Honored
The sound of bagpipes filed the air in Jim Thorpe Friday as a horse drawn
carriage carried a soldier through his hometown.
Army Sergeant Andrew Baddick drowned last week in Iraq while trying to
rescue another soldier whose vehicle fell into a canal. At St. Joseph's
Church in Jim Thorpe it was a sad farewell for a hometown hero.
The bagpipes and bells offered a ringing tribute for Sergeant Baddick. A
horse drawn caisson carried away a devoted son and soldier.
"It's a sad, sad situation. He tried to save the life of another person and
lost his own," said Anna Sweden of Jim Thorpe.
Friends said that was the beauty of the soldier they called A. J., always
putting others before himself in the way he lived and died.
"It was him, it was what he was and I can accept what happened because
of that," said friend Sean O'Neill. He was one of dozens of firefighters to
honor Sgt. Baddick, a volunteer firefighter himself. "He's a brother. We
all honor our brothers. He was a good friend of mine from kayaking. I
knew him well, so we honor our own," added O'Neill.
Sergeant Baddick's friends said his passion was kayaking. His wet suit sat
empty inside the church, surrounded by pictures of happier times.
Flanked by those who are called to serve, Baddick received the honor of
both a military and a firefighter's funeral.
Sergeant Baddick will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full
military honors.
October 8, 2003
Father mourns fallen soldier
Son's burial request is honored
On September 30, 2003, Joseph M. Baddick received the phone call that
every parent dreads: his son was dead.
Sergeant Andrew J. "A. J." Baddick, a Jim Thorpe, Carbon County,
native stationed in Iraq with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, had died
the night before while trying to save the life of a fellow serviceman.
Last Friday, Joseph Baddick opened his mailbox and found a letter from
his late son, written shortly before his death.
"When I first saw the letter, I cried," said Baddick, 51, who lives in Centre
Township in Berks County with his wife, Sheila, A. J.'s stepmother. "But
when I opened it, and read it, I smiled."
In the letter, his son had talked a bit about his two-month tour of duty in
Iraq, and recounted his part in a mission in which six Iraqi prisoners had
been captured.
But the last few sentences were particularly poignant to Joseph Baddick.
His son ended his letter by reminding his father of a conversation that they
had a few months earlier, when A. J. was home on leave.
"He wanted to remind me about what he had told me when I last saw him,
that if anything happened to him, he wanted to be buried in Arlington
National Cemetery," Baddick said.
Many years before, when Andrew was just a boy, Joseph had taken him
and his older sister, Elizabeth, who now lives in Jim Thorpe, to visit
Arlington National Cemetery.
The memory of that visit made a lasting impression on young Andrew, and
in the end, it had become part of his private last will and testament: to
take his place of honor among them in death.
"It meant so much to him, to have the right to be buried there among so
many honorable men, these fallen warriors. He wanted to be a part of
that," Joseph Baddick said.
Andrew Baddick grew up in Jim Thorpe, where he lived with his mother,
Ann Baddick, until graduating from Jim Thorpe Area High School in
1997.
He then worked as a river guide for Jim Thorpe River Adventures, a river
rafting company on the Lehigh River, but found his true calling when he
enlisted in the Army in 1999.
He completed basic training in Fort Hood, Texas, then went onto jump
school in Fort Benning, Georgia, graduating in 2001.
He decided to re-enlist for six more years, and, like his father before him,
become a member of the 82nd Airborne. Joseph Baddick had served in the
82nd Airborne from 1970 to 1973.
For six months, Andrew Baddick served at the 82nd Airborne
headquarters in Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2002, he was awarded the Army Commendation medal for Meritorious
Service, and in 2003 the Army Achievement Medal.
For many years, Andrew Baddick had also been a volunteer firefighter
and ambulance volunteer in Jim Thorpe, so the fact that he died while
trying to save another person's life doesn't surprise those who knew him,
his father said.
"It doesn't surprise me that he died being a hero," Joseph Baddick said.
"I'm sure he didn't even think about it. I'm sure that he'd dive right in to
save someone's life. My son would do that."
In the days following his son's death, Joseph Baddick heard different
accounts of what transpired that fateful night, but later talked to an
eyewitness, who was there when his son perished.
Andrew Baddick was one of several soldiers traveling in a four-vehicle
convoy that was responding to a mortar attack near Abu Ghraib prison on
the west side of Baghdad, around 10:45 p.m.
The Humvee in front of them, carrying three military police officers from
the 800th Military Police Brigade, suddenly swerved to avoid an obstacle
in the road, and plunged into a nearby canal.
Andrew, being an experienced swimmer and kayaker, instinctively
responded to a call for help, his father said.
"He had no fear of the water - he was an experienced swimmer and knew
how to handle himself in raging water," Joseph Baddick said. "He jumped
right in to rescue the driver for the Humvee, who was trapped."
But the turbulent water must have suddenly whirled the submerged
vehicle around, striking A. J. in the head.
"They think he lost consciousness at that point, and drowned," Joseph
Baddick said.
The trapped driver, Sergeant Darrin K. Potter, 24, of Louisville, Ky., also
drowned, but the other two solders in the vehicle managed to escape.
Baddick, though heartbroken over his only son's death, said he harbors no
bitterness.
"My feeling is that I believe fully in what President Bush is doing. We
watch the news every night and hear that more soldiers are killed, but if
it's not somebody you know, you're not close to it. It doesn't really hit
home," he said.
"But that's the price we have to pay for freedom," Baddick added. "It
gives me some comfort knowing that my son died being a hero."
Carbon soldier who died in Iraq mourned
Sergeant Andrew J. Baddick spent his last hours trying to find a
comrade's body.
Sergeant Andrew J. Baddick spent hours Sunday night in the waters of a
canal near Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison, desperately trying to find, then
retrieve, the body of a comrade whose Humvee had crashed into the
channel.
Baddick, 26, of Jim Thorpe, was among divers sent to the site after the
vehicle carrying three U.S. military police crashed into the water. Two
escaped the wreck, but Sergeant Darrin K. Potter, 24, of Louisville,
Kentucky, did not.
''They spent five hours looking for the missing man, and recovered his
body at about 2:30 a.m.,'' Charles McHugh, a Baddick family friend and
the Carbon County Veterans Affairs director, said Thursday.
''One of the divers failed to surface, and that was our hero, A. J.''
While in the water, Baddick — who had been in Iraq about a month — hit
his head and drowned.
McHugh and Department of Defense officials gave that account as Jim
Thorpe mourned the first Carbon County soldier killed in Iraq.
Those who knew Baddick said they were stunned at the manner of his
death, because he grew up swimming, rafting and kayaking the Lehigh
River, and had worked as a guide for white-water trips on the Lehigh.
''We're shocked and dismayed he drowned,'' Baddick's aunt, Patti
Wrzeszewski, said at a news conference. ''He was an unbelievable
swimmer.''
Wrzeszewski spoke on behalf of Baddick's family, who she said are
distraught.
The family is waiting for the Army to deliver Baddick's body home for
services in Jim Thorpe and burial at Arlington National Cemetery in
Virginia.
Wrzeszewski said Baddick, who was engaged to be married in the spring,
had joined the Army, just as his father did, and joined the 82nd Airborne
Division, where he was a paratrooper.
''His father was in the 82nd as well,'' Wrzeszewski said. ''His father didn't
make it a career, but A. J. wanted to.''
And like his father, Baddick was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
''He was always my hero,'' Wrzeszewski said. ''Now everyone knows he
was a hero.''
Wrzeszewski and others remembered Baddick — who served in
Afghanistan last year, then re-enlisted for six years — as a dedicated
military man who always wanted to help others.
Carbon County Commissioner Charles Getz, who once owned a whitewater rafting company, said Baddick worked a few times for him as a
guide.
''He was a nice young man,'' Getz said.
Baddick's death was the second in less than two days for heroes in Carbon
County.
As Jim Thorpe mourned Baddick on Thursday, a few miles away, Brian
Firkal, a 27-year-old teacher and volunteer firefighter from
Nesquehoning, was buried with the full honors of a firefighter killed in the
line of duty.
Firkal, on vacation Saturday in Maryland, drowned trying to rescue a boy
struggling in the surf off Ocean City.
Firefighters from many departments attended services for Firkal in dress
uniforms, and his casket was carried to St. Michael's Cemetery in
Lansford atop a fire truck.
County commissioners observed a moment of silence Thursday morning
for Baddick and Firkal, who grew up in small towns a few miles apart and
had joined local fire companies when they were teenagers. Both were said
to have been driven by a desire to help others.
Firkal became a printer and later a graphic arts teacher at Lehigh Career
and Technical Institute, while Baddick pursued a career in the military.
At the county commissioners meeting, McHugh, the county veterans
affairs official, read a poem and prayer in memory of them.
''We lost two of the best of the best,'' McHugh said.
Honoring Their Hometown Hero
Pa. Paratrooper Recalled for Putting Himself in Harm's Way for His
Buddies
By Lila Arzua
Courtesy of The Washington Post
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
A bus provided by two local banks wasn't enough to bring all the residents
of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, who wanted to attend the funeral of Army
Sergeant Andrew Joseph Baddick at Arlington National Cemetery
yesterday. So a friend of the fallen soldier donated another one to bring
dozens more wanting to pay final respects to their hometown hero.
"A.J.," as he was known to all, had been in Iraq just a few weeks when he
died trying to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had toppled into a
canal west of Baghdad. A paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, he
was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star.
Though shocked by his death, those who knew Baddick were not surprised
that the 26-year-old gave his life trying to save a comrade. According to
the Army, a four-vehicle convoy was responding to reports of a mortar
attack outside Baghdad on September 29 when one of the vehicles plunged
into the canal. Baddick dived in to help, but he didn't surface. One of the
three soldiers in the vehicle, Sergeant Darrin K. Potter, 24, of Louisville,
also drowned.
"He was trying to save his buddy when he died. He always put himself in
harm's way for somebody else," said Pat Gillespie, 30, an Army airborne
specialist who grew up with Baddick in Jim Thorpe, near Allentown in
eastern Pennsylvania. "He seemed to make friends with anybody."
Near Baddick's grave site yesterday, a seven-member rifle party fired into
the drizzly afternoon mist. Family members clutched red roses and other
flowers, which they gently placed on the long gray casket. Nearby was a
box brought from home that held a tiny teddy bear and other tokens of
Baddick's childhood.
As the service ended, General Richard Rowe, assistant division
commander with the 82nd Airborne, handed American flags to the
soldier's parents, Ann and Joe Baddick. A funeral Mass for their son was
held Friday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Jim Thorpe.
The newly dug grave was flanked by those of others who, like Baddick,
had died in Iraq and one who had died in Afghanistan. Baddick had
served there before being sent to Iraq in early September.
Since he was a child, friends recalled, he had wanted to be a paratrooper
like his father. "It's all he ever talked about," said John Adams, who
helped Ann Baddick raise her son. Neighbors remember the youngster
being a hilarious handful; one had even appropriated the nickname
"Dennis the Menace" for the blondish mischief-maker.
"He was everywhere," recalled Regina Scherer, 35, whose family had
shared a duplex with the Baddicks. "Once, he just popped his head in
through the dining room window."
As a teen, Baddick helped out on rafting excursions on the Lehigh River
and then worked as a river guide for several years after high school. More
than six feet tall and an avid kayaker and swimmer, he was described by
friends as having a "lean-and-mean" build.
He also worked with the volunteer fire squad in town.
"He was always willing to help," said Frank Lauth, captain of the Jim
Thorpe Fire Department. "That kid, he doesn't go halfway."
Army Staff Sergeant Gary Leleux roomed with Baddick at Fort Hood in
Texas and preceded him to Afghanistan. When Baddick's division was
among those that came to relieve his own, Leleux was gathering his gear to
leave when he heard a voice behind him. " 'Hey, put that down!' " Leleux
remembered Baddick calling. "Man, what's up?"
Out of the thousands of soldiers, Baddick had tracked down his buddy for
a quick hello. "The last thing you're expecting is for an old friend to show
up," Leleux said.
It was to be the last time they would see each other.
Yesterday, Jim Thorpe firefighters put black ribbons over their badges,
Lehigh river guides put their hands over their hearts and, with Baddick's
parents, his sister and his fiancee, they mourned a beloved son and
comrade.
Fate joins two soldiers: 8 November 2003
Sergeant Andrew J. Baddick died more than a month ago while
attempting to save another soldier whose vehicle had plunged into an Iraqi
drainage canal.
Three men were saved that day. Sergeant Baddick died in a heroic effort
to save a fourth soldier who didn't make it.
Who was the man that a 26-year-old Jim Thorpe soldier sacrificed his life
to try and save?
The Baddick family found out recently, when they received a letter from
the officer who was in charge of the deceased while he was stationed in the
U.S.
The letter said:
"From the men and women of the Kentucky National Guard, please
accept our deepest condolences for the loss of your son Andrew. At a time
like this I realize there is little I can say to lessen your sense of sorrow and
loss; however, I would like to express my personal gratitude for the efforts
made by your son to save the life of one of my soldiers, Sergeant Darrin K.
Potter, age 24. I had the privilege of knowing Sergeant Potter and would
like you to know that he was an exceptionally fine young man.
Sergeant Potter was a member of the 223rd Military Police Company,
Kentucky Army National Guard. His squad was engaged in joint
patrolling with your son's unit in an attempt to locate and disrupt an
enemy mortar crew that had previously attacked American soldiers,
causing loss of life as well as injuries. Although this is not an official
report, based on my conversations with members of Sergeant Potter's unit,
it appears that the patrol was moving toward the enemy locations when his
vehicle failed to negotiate a sharp turn at the top of a steep bank and went
into a deep and swiftly moving drainage canal.
Your son's unit immediately came to their aid, assisting two soldiers to
shore and, when it became apparent that a third soldier would not be able
to make it, your son unhesitatingly went into the water after him and
saved his life. After successfully locating that soldier and helping him to
shore, your son reported that there was someone else down there,
presumably Sergeant Potter, and went back in after him; neither of them
surfaced after that point and their bodies were recovered sometime later.
In discussion with Major General Swannack, Commanding General of the
82nd Airborne Division, I learned that your son was an exceptionally wellregarded young man who had already contributed much and had great
future potential. Clearly, he exemplified the truth that no greater love hath
a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Please accept our deepest
sympathies for his loss.
D. Allen Youngman
Major General, Kentucky National Guard
The Adjutant General
Remembering A. J.
President Bush offers comfort to Baddick family, vows resolve
By DONALD R. SERFASS
Courtesy of Times News On Line
30 August 2005
Tamaqua native Joe Baddick, a zone lieutenant at SCI Mahanoy, points to family members who
joined him on a recent trip to North Carolina to visit with President Bush.
For Tamaqua native Joe Baddick, the price of war isn't measured in
dollars and cents. It's measured in memories and tears.
Baddick's only son, Sergeant Andrew. J. 'A. J." Baddick, 26, a 1997
graduate of Jim Thorpe Area H. S., drowned in Iraq on October 1, 2003,
while taking heroic measures to save a life.
On that night, A. J., an outstanding swimmer, dove into a swift-moving
canal and helped to rescue one soldier. But while trying to rescue a second
soldier trapped in a Humvee, Baddick lost his life.
On June 28, family members were invited to meet President George Bush
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, prior to Bush's televised address to the
nation. Joe and wife, Sheila, of Mohrsville, were joined by A. J.'s mother,
Ann Baddick of Jim Thorpe, and A. J.'s sister, Elizabeth, along with her
husband Terry Hoherchak, a Lehighton native, and the couple's daughter,
Andi Rose, 2.
Baddick said meeting the president was not only a pleasure, but
therapeutic. The commander in chief put everyone at ease from the
moment he entered the room.
"There was no formality," said Baddick. "He had two Secret Service men
with him and a White House photographer. He came in and said 'It's
really me,' and that broke the ice."
Baddick was impressed by Bush's sincerity, saying that the president
became teary-eyed during the course of the conversation.
Baddick encouraged the president to push forward with the mission.
"I told him 'please don't drop the ball – or the lives of my son and the
others would've been for nothing.'"
Baddick said Bush looked him directly in the eye and explained that his
message would be loud and clear.
"You listen to my speech tonight and you'll know where I stand," offered
the president.
In that speech, Bush promised that America would do what was necessary
to make Iraq a free country.
Bush handed each family member a special memento - a brass 'challenge
coin' featuring a colorful, enamel image of the Presidential Seal.
Family members estimate that Bush spent about 10 minutes chatting.
Baddick lauds the demeanor of the most powerful man in the world.
"This man is on a mission. He's the genuine article. He wants to bring
peace to the Middle East."
The president also visited with 30 other families, all of whom had lost a
loved one in the war.
Baddick had a chance to talk with many of those individuals prior to
meeting the president.
For the most part, he said, the majority seem to support their leader.
A. J. was a member of the U. S. Army 82nd Airborne Division 504
Parachute Infantry Regiment. He had asked to be attached to that unit for
a special reason.
"He wanted to be just like Dad so he requested it when he re-enlisted,"
recalls his father while speaking from his job post as zone lieutenant for
the State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy. Joe served in the same unit
following his graduation from Marian High School in 1970.
Baddick said A. J. spent six months in Afghanistan prior to the assignment
in Iraq. A. J. understood the dangers, as do others who enlist in the
military, he said.
A. J. was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star for heroism and a
Soldier's Medal for saving another soldier's life.
Baddick is proud of A. J.'s courage and contributions, and for his acts of
bravery in the face of danger. It'll always remain a bright spot in his life.
For sure, the past three years have been a particularly difficult time. He
lost his father in 2002, then A. J. in 2003, and his mother, Rose, passed
away in 2004.
While driving home from the meeting with Bush, Baddick stopped at
Arlington National Cemetery to visit his son's grave.
There, he noticed a military funeral taking place nearby. The sight tugged
at his heart. Another young soldier had died. Putting his own sorrow aside,
Baddick walked over and helped comfort the grieving parents - total
strangers sharing a painful bond.
Ann Baddick, left, the mother of Army Sgt. Andrew Joseph Baddick, who died in Iraq, clutches the
flag from her son's coffin during memorial services yesterday at Arlington Cemetery. Seated next
to her are Sgt. Baddick's sister, Elizabeth Hohorchak, his grandmother, Rose Baddick, and his
father, Joe Baddick.
(Photo Courtesy of The Washington Post, By Susan Biddle -- The Washington PostUsed By
Special Permission)
Courtesy of Barbara McGlynn, Valentines's Day February 2006
BADDICK, ANDREW JOSEPH
SGT US ARMY
IRAQ
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/30/1977
DATE OF DEATH: 09/30/2003
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 7890
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Webmaster: Michael Robert Patterson
Posted: 11 October 2003 - Updated: 15 October 2003 Updated: 9 November 2003 Updated: 3 May
2004 Updated: 30 August 2005 Updated: 11 February 2006 Updated: 26 October 2006
Updated: 30 September 2007 Updated: 12 May 2008
Andrew Joseph Baddick
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Age Military
26
Army
Rank
Unit/Location
Sgt
1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry
Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Drowned Sept. 29 as he tried to rescue another soldier whose vehicle had entered a canal
near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
September 29, 2003
A.J. was posthumously awarded: The Soldiers Medal for Heroism
A.J. could always been found kayaking on the Lehigh River (Jim Thorpe,
PA) or any whitewater river. He loved the river.
A.J. is buried at Arlington National Cemetery VA
Friday, October 10, 2003
By Rob Stewart
Carbon County Soldier Honored
The sound of bagpipes filed the air in Jim Thorpe Friday as a horse drawn
carriage carried a soldier through his hometown.
Army Sergeant Andrew Baddick drowned last week in Iraq while trying to
rescue another soldier whose vehicle fell into a canal. At St. Joseph's Church
in Jim Thorpe it was a sad farewell for a hometown hero.
The bagpipes and bells offered a ringing tribute for Sergeant Baddick. A
horse drawn caisson carried away a devoted son and soldier.
"It's a sad, sad situation. He tried to save the life of another person and lost
his own," said Anna Sweden of Jim Thorpe.
Friends said that was the beauty of the soldier they called A. J., always
putting others before himself in the way he lived and died.
"It was him, it was what he was and I can accept what happened because of
that," said friend Sean O'Neill. He was one of dozens of firefighters to honor
Sgt. Baddick, a volunteer firefighter himself. "He's a brother. We all honor
our brothers. He was a good friend of mine from kayaking. I knew him well,
so we honor our own," added O'Neill.
Sergeant Baddick's friends said his passion was kayaking. His wet suit sat
empty inside the church, surrounded by pictures of happier times. Flanked
by those who are called to serve, Baddick received the honor of both a
military and a firefighter's funeral.
Sergeant Baddick will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full
military honors.
October 8, 2003
Father mourns fallen soldier
Son's burial request is honored
On September 30, 2003, Joseph M. Baddick received the phone call that
every parent dreads: his son was dead.
Sergeant Andrew J. "A. J." Baddick, a Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, native
stationed in Iraq with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, had died the night
before while trying to save the life of a fellow serviceman.
Last Friday, Joseph Baddick opened his mailbox and found a letter from his
late son, written shortly before his death.
"When I first saw the letter, I cried," said Baddick, 51, who lives in Centre
Township in Berks County with his wife, Sheila, A. J.'s stepmother. "But
when I opened it, and read it, I smiled."
In the letter, his son had talked a bit about his two-month tour of duty in
Iraq, and recounted his part in a mission in which six Iraqi prisoners had
been captured.
But the last few sentences were particularly poignant to Joseph Baddick. His
son ended his letter by reminding his father of a conversation that they had a
few months earlier, when A. J. was home on leave.
"He wanted to remind me about what he had told me when I last saw him,
that if anything happened to him, he wanted to be buried in Arlington
National Cemetery," Baddick said.
Many years before, when Andrew was just a boy, Joseph had taken him and
his older sister, Elizabeth, who now lives in Jim Thorpe, to visit Arlington
National Cemetery.
The memory of that visit made a lasting impression on young Andrew, and
in the end, it had become part of his private last will and testament: to take
his place of honor among them in death.
"It meant so much to him, to have the right to be buried there among so
many honorable men, these fallen warriors. He wanted to be a part of that,"
Joseph Baddick said.
Andrew Baddick grew up in Jim Thorpe, where he lived with his mother,
Ann Baddick, until graduating from Jim Thorpe Area High School in 1997.
He then worked as a river guide for Jim Thorpe River Adventures, a river
rafting company on the Lehigh River, but found his true calling when he
enlisted in the Army in 1999.
He completed basic training in Fort Hood, Texas, then went onto jump
school in Fort Benning, Georgia, graduating in 2001.
He decided to re-enlist for six more years, and, like his father before him,
become a member of the 82nd Airborne. Joseph Baddick had served in the
82nd Airborne from 1970 to 1973.
For six months, Andrew Baddick served at the 82nd Airborne headquarters
in Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring
Freedom.
In 2002, he was awarded the Army Commendation medal for Meritorious
Service, and in 2003 the Army Achievement Medal.
For many years, Andrew Baddick had also been a volunteer firefighter and
ambulance volunteer in Jim Thorpe, so the fact that he died while trying to
save another person's life doesn't surprise those who knew him, his father
said.
"It doesn't surprise me that he died being a hero," Joseph Baddick said. "I'm
sure he didn't even think about it. I'm sure that he'd dive right in to save
someone's life. My son would do that."
In the days following his son's death, Joseph Baddick heard different
accounts of what transpired that fateful night, but later talked to an
eyewitness, who was there when his son perished.
Andrew Baddick was one of several soldiers traveling in a four-vehicle
convoy that was responding to a mortar attack near Abu Ghraib prison on
the west side of Baghdad, around 10:45 p.m.
The Humvee in front of them, carrying three military police officers from
the 800th Military Police Brigade, suddenly swerved to avoid an obstacle in
the road, and plunged into a nearby canal.
Andrew, being an experienced swimmer and kayaker, instinctively
responded to a call for help, his father said.
"He had no fear of the water - he was an experienced swimmer and knew
how to handle himself in raging water," Joseph Baddick said. "He jumped
right in to rescue the driver for the Humvee, who was trapped."
But the turbulent water must have suddenly whirled the submerged vehicle
around, striking A. J. in the head.
"They think he lost consciousness at that point, and drowned," Joseph
Baddick said.
The trapped driver, Sergeant Darrin K. Potter, 24, of Louisville, Ky., also
drowned, but the other two solders in the vehicle managed to escape.
Baddick, though heartbroken over his only son's death, said he harbors no
bitterness.
"My feeling is that I believe fully in what President Bush is doing. We watch
the news every night and hear that more soldiers are killed, but if it's not
somebody you know, you're not close to it. It doesn't really hit home," he
said.
"But that's the price we have to pay for freedom," Baddick added. "It gives
me some comfort knowing that my son died being a hero."
Fate joins two soldiers: 8 November 2003
Sergeant Andrew J. Baddick died more than a month ago while attempting
to save another soldier whose vehicle had plunged into an Iraqi drainage
canal.
Three men were saved that day. Sergeant Baddick died in a heroic effort to
save a fourth soldier who didn't make it.
Who was the man that a 26-year-old Jim Thorpe soldier sacrificed his life to
try and save?
The Baddick family found out recently, when they received a letter from the
officer who was in charge of the deceased while he was stationed in the U.S.
The letter said:
"From the men and women of the Kentucky National Guard, please accept
our deepest condolences for the loss of your son Andrew. At a time like this
I realize there is little I can say to lessen your sense of sorrow and loss;
however, I would like to express my personal gratitude for the efforts made
by your son to save the life of one of my soldiers, Sergeant Darrin K. Potter,
age 24. I had the privilege of knowing Sergeant Potter and would like you to
know that he was an exceptionally fine young man.
Sergeant Potter was a member of the 223rd Military Police Company,
Kentucky Army National Guard. His squad was engaged in joint patrolling
with your son's unit in an attempt to locate and disrupt an enemy mortar
crew that had previously attacked American soldiers, causing loss of life as
well as injuries. Although this is not an official report, based on my
conversations with members of Sergeant Potter's unit, it appears that the
patrol was moving toward the enemy locations when his vehicle failed to
negotiate a sharp turn at the top of a steep bank and went into a deep and
swiftly moving drainage canal.
Your son's unit immediately came to their aid, assisting two soldiers to shore
and, when it became apparent that a third soldier would not be able to make
it, your son unhesitatingly went into the water after him and saved his life.
After successfully locating that soldier and helping him to shore, your son
reported that there was someone else down there, presumably Sergeant
Potter, and went back in after him; neither of them surfaced after that point
and their bodies were recovered sometime later.
In discussion with Major General Swannack, Commanding General of the
82nd Airborne Division, I learned that your son was an exceptionally wellregarded young man who had already contributed much and had great future
potential. Clearly, he exemplified the truth that no greater love hath a man
than he lay down his life for his brother. Please accept our deepest
sympathies for his loss.
D. Allen Youngman
Major General, Kentucky National Guard
The Adjutant General
December 10, 2003
2 Carbon heroes honored by state
Soldier's mother still seeks closure without having seen body.
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA - Grief has cut hard into the heart of
Ann Baddick, who mourns the death of her son, Sergeant Andrew J. Baddick
of Jim Thorpe, on September 29, 2003, while he was trying to rescue a
soldier in Iraq whose vehicle had plunged into a canal.
Baddick's anguish over not seeing her son's body before burial
overshadowed a visit Tuesday to Harrisburg, where state lawmakers honored
A.J., as he was called, with a standing ovation.
Also honored was Brian Firkal of Nesquehoning, who died trying to save a
boy from drowning in Ocean City, Maryland, two days before Andrew
Baddick was killed.
Baddick, 26, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on October 14,
2003.
Without telling her why, Ann Baddick said, the Army refused to let her view
her son's body. The Army even denied her plea to look one last time at the
tattoo of an iguana on his shoulder, its tail wrapped around his upper left
arm.
He got the iguana tattoo on the sly, his mother said with a sad smile, because
she wouldn't let him keep one.
''I have no closure, no peace of mind,'' she said. ''Even if they don't let me
see his face, if they would have just let me look at the tattoo on his arm.''
Army spokeswoman Shari Lawrence said she could not comment on the
Baddick case but said it's rare for a family to be denied one last look at a
loved one.
''It takes a lot for us to say to the family, 'We don't recommend you do this,'''
she said. ''It is very, very rare that we are going to say that to a family.''
A casualty assistance officer may be able to resolve the issue, she said. The
officer works with the family until the family decides the help isn't needed.
Lawrence said ''a lot of families need to view the remains for closure,'' but
the bodies sometimes are not viewable. In that case, the Army tries to have
someone other than family members take a look.
The only reason a soldier's casket would never be opened is if the body
inside has been chemically contaminated or harbors a contagion, Lawrence
said.
On Tuesday, Baddick — with John Adams, her partner of 20 years, beside
her — poured out her anguish to state Representative Keith McCall, DCarbon.
The couple plan to marry the day before Christmas.
McCall told Baddick he was appalled she could not see her son's body and
that he would do whatever he could to find out what happened.
The family, including Andrew Baddick's father, Joseph, and his wife, Sheila,
was in the capital to attend the passage of resolutions honoring Baddick and
Firkal.
The Legislature passed both resolutions, standing and applauding after each
was voted upon.
''Show me a hero, and I'll show you a tragedy,'' McCall told the legislators,
quoting from author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Baddick, the Army says, hit his head and drowned as he tried to rescue a
soldier whose vehicle went into a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison during a
mortar attack. The soldier in the vehicle also died.
Officials said Baddick, an avid swimmer, plunged into the canal to try to
rescue the man. And when it became clear the man had drowned, Baddick
dove again to try to recover the man's body.
That's when he hit his head and drowned, authorities said.
Baddick's mother said she has yet to receive his dog tags and other effects.
Baddick graduated from jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia, in February
2001, served in Afghanistan and had recently re-enlisted. He arrived in Iraq
with the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, about a
month before he died.
''Sergeant Baddick was awarded the Bronze Star,'' McCall said on the House
floor. ''No combat ribbon, no medal for bravery, nor, frankly, the recognition
of the House, could ever replace his family's love for Sergeant Baddick.''
Firkal, 27, died while trying to rescue a boy who had become caught in a
riptide.
Firkal, a volunteer firefighter, was buried with a firefighter's honors, his
casket carried to St. Michael's Cemetery in Summit Hill atop a fire truck.
''Brian's death highlights the true spirit of helping others,'' McCall said.
Jane Firkal said she is coping with her grief with the help of her late
husband's and her own family.
''I just take it one day at a time,'' she said.
1st Lt. David R. Bernstein
Hometown: Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 24 years old
Died: October 18, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade,
Southern European Task Force, Vicenza, Italy
Incident: Killed when enemy forces ambushed his patrol with rocket-propelled
grenades and small arms fire in Taza.
Valedictorian at his suburban Philadelphia high school and fifth in his class at the U.S. Military Academy,
1st Lt. David R. Bernstein had the intelligence and ambition to do anything he wanted. "What he wanted
was to do something for his country," said his father, Richard Bernstein. Bernstein, 24, assigned to the
173rd Infantry Brigade based in Italy, was killed Oct. 18 when his patrol came under fire 160 miles north
of Baghdad. Bernstein, who grew up in Austin, Texas, and moved to Phoenixville, Pa., was "an athlete
and a scholar," his father said. He was a swim team member at West Point and enjoyed running,
bicycling and competing in triathlons. "David was a soldier," said Richard Bernstein, who now lives in
Knoxville, Tenn. "If the leadership made decisions, then he tried to follow them. He appreciated serving
his country." He is also survived by his mother, Gail, and a brother and sister.
David Richard Bernstein was born on April 14, 1979 in Mountain
View, California. His parents, Richard and Gail Bernstein, had two older children, Michelle,
born in 1975 and Doug, born in 1977.
David as a baby, 1980
David lived with his family in Los Altos, California until
1982, when Richard was transferred by his company, the
Lockheed Corporation, to Dallas, Texas. In Dallas, David
started school and became active in sports, especially
soccer.
David, Brother Doug, Sister Michelle,
Cousin Rae Leigh - 1981
In 1985, the family relocated to Austin, Texas where
David spent most of his youth. He excelled academically
and was a participant in several gifted student programs in
grammar, middle and high school. During summer
vacations, David began to swim competitively and
continued to do so for his high school team.
David became very active in his religious youth group, the
B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, and was elected to a
position on the regional board of directors during his
sophomore year in high school. He attended national
summer camps and conventions in 1994 and 1995.
David with his mom - 1982
In the summer of 1995, David’s father was again
transferred by the newly merged Lockheed Martin
Corporation. David had just completed his sophomore
year in high school, his sister was in college, and his
brother was entering his senior year in high school. Only
David accompanied his parents to their new home in
Phoenixville , Pennsylvania.
At the Phoenixville Area High School, David, who was 6
feet tall, 175 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a
swimmer's physique, continued to swim competitively, for
both the school and the local YMCA. He also played
David, his brother Doug, and sister
football for one year. His coach and history teacher, Hank
Michelle - 1984
Coyne, remembers David as “well respected by his peers,
the administration and fellow classmates. He wasn’t
flashy and had a quiet kind of confidence.” ' Mathematics
teacher Sandra Parrish, said David was a “wonderful
example to all students at the high school…Although he
was only at the high school for two years, he left a good impression on our community. He left
his mark.” David’s physics teacher, Carol Mandik wrote, “he was a very exceptional student,
not only in the classroom but also in his personal life….I remember his resolve, his dedication to
service and his wonderful smile.”
Dave was popular with his fellow students for his achievements, modesty, and friendship.
Adam Sharp commented that David was “real laid back. You could go to him if you needed
anything from notes to a ride home.” Robyn Rosen recalled, “I will always remember Dave for
his dedication, his smile that could light up a room, his ability to make you feel special and most
of all for the wonderful person that he was.” Classmate Michael Parrish said “When you got to
know him you knew he was going to go a long way. He had both athletic and mental capabilities
and that’s very rare.”
David was elected to membership in the National Honor Society and became an officer of that
organization during his senior year. He also participated in several other clubs and academic
competitions while maintaining a straight “A” academic grade average.
David graduated first in his class from the Phoenixville Area High School in 1997. He was
awarded a scholarship from Centocor, Inc. a biotechnology company founded in Philadelphia in
1979, and received nominations to both the United States Military and Naval Academies.
David accepted the nomination to the US Military Academy at West Point and entered as a plebe
in June 1997. He believed that he would receive an outstanding education, combining both
academic and physical challenges, and have the opportunity to serve his country as an officer in
the US Army.
1991
1992
1994
1997
During his four years at West Point, David:









excelled in academics, athletics, and military science; and, graduated fifth in his class of
2001
graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering
was nominated by the Academy for a Rhodes Scholarship
was a member of the swim team, lettering each year
was selected to be an exchange student at the US Air Force Academy for the first
semester of his junior year
qualified as a combat diver
became airborne qualified
participated in triathlon competitions
was a member of the brigade staff during the last semester of his senior year
David at West Point - 2001
David graduated from West Point on June 2, 2001 and received a commission as a
Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Graduation
Doug, David, and Michelle at the West Point Graduation Banquet
He then served for nearly a year on temporary duty at Fort Benning , Georgia. It was at Fort
Benning that David completed the Infantry Officers Basic Course and the Ranger Qualification
Course. 1st Lieutenant Matt Mason remembers of David: “In Ranger School, he was the one
everybody hoped was their Ranger buddy, because he consistently shouldered more than his
share of the task. We could trust him to carry us to the next objective or pick us up when we
couldn’t go another step. Given his accomplishments and paramount abilities, he always
remained humble, nonchalant, and willing to lend a helping hand. He was a scholar, athlete, and
dedicated friend to all.”
Ranger School Graduation
In May, 2002, David reported to his permanent duty station in Vicenza, Italy. He was assigned
as the platoon leader of the 2nd Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry, of
the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
David was serving with the unit at the outbreak of the war in Iraq in March 2003. He was part of
an airborne combat assault carried out by 1,000 soldiers of the 173rd, who parachuted into
northern Iraq in the early days of the war to secure an airbase and oil facilities around Kirkuk.
David continued to serve as platoon leader, leading his 30-50 man unit on various combat
missions until August 2003 when he was assigned to be the Executive Officer of C Company.
David in Italy, 2002
David (left), with fellow soldiers in Iraq - May, 2003
David served with distinction in Iraq and was well liked and respected by both his subordinates
and superiors. He was affectionately known as “Super Dave” by his men and the senior officers
of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
On the night of October 18th, 2003, David was traveling in the third vehicle of a three vehicle
convoy returning to their base of operations. While they were enroute, the base came under
rocket attack. His convoy was the closest force to the location of the rocket launchers, and it was
ordered to investigate and to stop the attack.
As the convoy neared the suspected location of the rocket launchers, it came under attack by
small arms fire. The driver of David’s Humvee lost control, resulting in it crashing into an
embankment. The Humvee gunner was killed by gunfire and his assistant was immobilized.
Their driver was thrown out of the vehicle and was trapped under the wheels when the Humvee
rolled back over him.
David exited the right side of the vehicle firing his weapon at the attackers and was immediately
hit in the upper thigh by a bullet. He continued around the back of the vehicle and attempted five
times to climb in behind the steering wheel. His fifth attempt was successful and he was able to
move the Humvee off the driver and then pull him out from under the vehicle. At that point,
David collapsed from loss of blood as the bullet had severed his femoral artery.
David's parents receive his Silver Star
The rest of the convoy returned and the enemy retreated. A medical helicopter was called in, but
David never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
1st Lieutenant David Richard Bernstein was Killed In Action on October 18, 2003.
David was buried on Friday, October 31, 2003 at West Point with Full Military Honors.
David was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his action on October 18th.
His Citation reads:
For exceptionally valorous achievement while on patrol in Qutash, Iraq during Operation
Iraqi Freedom. First Lieutenant Bernstein, under extreme enemy fire, risked his life in an
effort to rescue one of his Soldiers. Although suffering from a mortal wound, First
Lieutenant Bernstein extracted the driver to safety, directed the security of his objective and
repulsed the enemy forces before succumbing to his wounds. His actions are in keeping the
finest tradition of military service and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the 4th Infantry
Division, Combined Joint Task Force Seven and the United States Army.
David was also awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, as well as the Combat Jump
Star on his airborne wings, and Combat Infantry Badge. The Army, continuing to
recognize David’s courage, named a forward operating base in Iraq in his honor.
David with Platoon Sgt. Frank Lauer
Sergeant First Class Frank Lauer’s Eulogy at David’s Memorial Service in Vicenza, Italy:
Greater love hath no man than this, than a man who lays down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.
I’ve always thought that this was a verse appropriate for a soldier. This was indeed the verse
that describes Lt. Bernstein. This was true about his life also. Lt. Bernstein devoted his life to
serving his country and his soldiers. He spent an inordinate amount of time ensuring that his
soldiers were trained and prepared for war. He believed and trusted his Non-commissioned
Officers, and had full faith and confidence in his soldiers. The respect that he afforded his men
was returned to him in untold measures. His soldiers would do anything for him, they would
never let him down and his NCOs would never let him fail.
I’ve seen a lot of Platoon leaders in my career. Most are received as green Lieutenants that
have these ideas that they think are original and are going to change the world. Lt. Bernstein
was different. He didn’t act green, he had some very original ideas and he did change the
world. He changed the world of everyone around him, those that knew him and those who
didn’t.
All infantry soldiers have Lieutenants, but how many of them are proud to say, “That’s my
Platoon Leader”? I can tell you no matter what time of day, no matter how tired the platoon
was from a twelve-mile road march, a pool PT session that was more like drowning PT, or from
an all night mission in Iraq… the soldiers of 2nd Platoon Bravo Company were always proud
when they said, That’s my Platoon Leader.
Lt. Bernstein was not only a great leader, he was a great mentor, and a great friend for his
soldiers. I was Lt. Bernstein’s Platoon Sergeant for 15 months, but more importantly, I’m proud
to say, Lt. Bernstein was my Platoon Leader. I would not trade our friendship for anything.
The Phoenixville Area School District established a Wall of Fame, with David as
its first inductee. It was dedicated on Tuesday, May 25th2004.
West Point Memorial to Swim Team Members
Killed in Action - Arvin Gym
David’s family established the David R. Bernstein Memorial Scholarship Fund for the
Phoenixville Area High School graduates named as class valedictorians.
His family also established, as a perpetual tribute, the 1st Lieutenant David R. Bernstein
Memorial Award to be given to those in each graduating class of the United States Military
Academy who achieve the fifth highest class standing, David’s standing in 2001.
Congressman Curt Weldon read into the Congressional minutes a tribute to David on October
30, 2003.
David (front right), with platoon in Iraq
Spec. Maurice J. Johnson
Hometown: Levittown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: November 1, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, C Company, 501st Signal Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault),
Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb hit his vehicle in Mosul.
Spc. Maurice J. Johnson told his family he wasn't in danger. “I got worried when he
told me he was going to Iraq," said his sister, Keisha Johnson. "And he told me, 'Keisha,
don't worry about it, I'm not on infantry. I sit behind a desk all day _ nothing's going to
happen to me.'" The 21-year-old communications specialist from Levittown, Pa., was
killed Nov. 1 when his vehicle was bombed in Mosul, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort
Campbell. At the time of his death, he was serving as a liaison to the governor of the
Nineveh Province in northern Iraq. In high school, Johnson studied auto repair,
excelled at the high jump on the track team, and was fond of baking desserts, his sister
said. His late mother had encouraged him to enlist. "My mom's thing was do
something with yourself," Keisha Johnson said. "If you're not going to go to college, go
to the Army, just don't be hanging out on the street."
Army Spc. Maurice J. Johnson
Died November 01, 2003 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
21, of Levittown, Pa.; assigned to C Company, 501st Signal Battalion, 101st Airborne
Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 1 when his Humvee was
hit by an improvised explosive device in Mosul, Iraq.
Slain soldier named
By Chantal Escoto
The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle
The name of a second soldier killed in a Nov. 1 enemy roadside bombing in Mosul, Iraq,
was released by the Pentagon.
Spc. Maurice J. Johnson, 21, Company C of the 501st Signal Battalion, died, along with
1st Lt. Joshua C. Hurley, 24, of 326th Engineer Battalion, when their Humvee hit what
the military calls an improvised explosive device. Two others were injured in the attack,
but their names will not be released.
Johnson, a native of Levittown, Pa., entered the Army in July 2000 and arrived at Fort
Campbell in April 2002 as a communications specialist.
His sister, Keisha Johnson, 25, in Levittown, said she’s doing all she can to keep the
family together after dealing with her oldest brother’s death. The family plans to have his
burial in Pennsylvania — possibly at a military cemetery. His body arrived late on Nov. 3
at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
“Everybody is OK. Our mom passed away two years ago, so it was just us left,” Keisha
Johnson said, referring to herself and brothers Joshua, 19, and Abdul, 13. “Our family is
close, but we’re not a big family.”
She called it a blessing that she received an e-mail from her oldest brother two days
before he was killed.
“He said he’d send some pictures and couldn’t wait to get back home. He decided he
wasn’t going to take his two weeks (R&R) and would wait to come home in March and
April and be home with the family” Keisha Johnson said. “It was a little weird because I
hadn’t heard from him for such a long time, and then I got the e-mail.”
After Spc. Johnson graduated from Harry S. Truman High School in 2000, where he
was on the track team, he joined the military. His sister said he had hopes of making a
career of the Army.
She said although her brother was quiet, he was never short on making others laugh.
“He was always trying to make jokes,” Keisha Johnson said, recalling the times he
called her from Iraq pretending to be a bill collector or acting like an ex-boyfriend trying
to stir up trouble. But Spc. Johnson was always even-tempered and gentle.
“You had to really make him upset about something before he got mad,” she said. “All of
us had our own special bond with Maurice. He was close to all of us. I’m going to miss
him dearly.”
A Fort Campbell memorial service is not planned because the 101st Airborne Division is
deployed. Johnson and Hurley were both remembered and honored
Soldier from Pennsylvania killed in attack
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — A specialist from Pennsylvania was identified as one of two
soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division killed Oct. 31 in northern Iraq in a roadside
bombing.
Spc. Maurice Johnson, 21, of Levittown, Pa., and 1st. Lt. Joshua C. Hurley, 24, from
Clifton Forge, Va., were both killed in Mosul when the Humvee they were riding in was
hit by an improvised explosive device. Johnson was assigned to the 101st’s 501st
Signal Battalion.
Johnson was a single channel tactical satellite operator and provided communications
for the commanding general of the 101st. During the onset of combat operations early in
the war, he provided radio support that linked the base camps during combat
operations.
At the time of his death, he was serving as a liaison to the governor of the Nineveh
Province in northern Iraq.
“Whether it was helping out the servers, protecting the city hall during a riot, or traveling
to work at the mayor’s office,” said Lt. Col. Welton Chase Jr., commander of the 501st.
“Johnson always did his job and did it well.”
Johnson is survived by his sister, Kieshia Johnson, of Levittown, Pa.
— Associated Press
Sgt. Timothy L. Hayslett
Hometown: Newville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 26 years old
Died: November 15, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored
Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb while on patrol in Baghdad.
At age 26, Timothy L. Hayslett had already served eight years in the Army and had just re-enlisted with
the idea of spending his entire career in the military. From Iraq, he complained about the heat but
otherwise seemed to be enjoying his job and was in good spirits. "He said, 'Don't worry about me, Mom.
My guys and I take care of each other. We're all going to come out of this alive. We'll be all right,'" said
his mother, Mary Hayslett. Sgt. Hayslett, who was from Carlisle, Pa., and stationed in Germany, died
Nov. 15 when the Humvee he was in was hit by a grenade in Baghdad. Survivors include his wife, Kori,
and daughters Gracy and Kaitlyn. "When I found out that he was going to Iraq, I was worried that he was
afraid," Mary Hayslett said. "Then he called from Germany and he said, 'Mom, I'm not afraid. I'm ready
to drive my tank right onto Saddam's front steps.'"
Timothy L. Hayslett
Timothy L. Hayslett
Sgt. Timothy L. Hayslett, 26, stationed at Friedberg, Germany and formerly of Newville, was
killed Saturday, November 15, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq, while serving in the U.S. Army.
He was born May 17, 1977, in Winston-Salem, NC, the son of Guy L. and Mary Davidson
Hayslett of Newville.
Sgt. Hayslett had attended Big Spring High School.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by two daughters, Kaitlyn O. Brough of Newville and
Gracy L. Hayslett of Barnsville, OH; two brothers, Phillip S. and Robert L. Hayslett, both of
Newville and one sister, Melody A. Hayslett of Newville; maternal grandfather, William
Davidson of FL; maternal grandmother, Betty A. Karns of Mechanicsburg; one nephew and one
niece.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 24, 2003 at 12 Noon, in the Newville
Assembly of God Church, 403 Oak Flat Road, Newville, with the Rev. Jeffrey Kettering
officiating. Friends will be received in the church from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon, on Monday. Burial
will follow in the Center Lutheran Church Cemetery, Center Road, Newville.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Tim Hayslett Memorial Fund, c/o Members 1st
Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 40, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Egger Funeral Home, Newville.
www.pennlive.com/obits Published in Patriot-News on November 23, 2003
Father of Kaitlyn Brough and Gracy Hayslett, son of Guy and Mary
Hayslett, Brother of Phillip Hayslett, Melody Connelly, and PVT Robert
Hayslett (US Army).
Army Sgt. Timothy L. Hayslett
Died November 15, 2003 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
26, of Newville, Pa.; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st
Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Friedberg, Germany;
killed while on patrol Nov. 15 when his Humvee was struck by an improvised explosive
device in Baghdad.
Family remembers Cumberland County, Pa., soldier killed in Iraq
Associated Press
CARLISLE, Pa. — A soldier from central Pennsylvania was killed in Iraq when a
grenade was thrown into a Humvee as it was driving down a side street in Baghdad, his
mother said.
Sgt. Timothy L. Hayslett, 26, was a passenger in the Humvee, which came under fire on
on Nov. 15 as it was patrolling the city, according to his mother, Mary Hayslett. The
family learned of his death from Army officials who visited their Carlisle-area home the
next evening. Two other soldiers were injured in the attack, she said.
“He’s a hero and everybody should know about him,” Mary Hayslett said.
Hayslett, a graduate of Big Spring High School, was assigned to the Army’s 1st
Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment of the 1st Armored Division, based in Friedberg,
Germany.
His wife, Kori, and 3-year-old daughter, Gracy, live in Ohio, while another daughter,
Kaitlyn Brough, attends Newville Elementary School in Pennsylvania, according to The
Sentinel newspaper in Carlisle.
Hayslett had served in the Army for eight years and went to Iraq in May. He had
planned to spend his career in the military and had just re-enlisted, said his father, Guy
Hayslett.
He was scheduled to return to Germany in December, then spend Jan. 15 to Feb. 15 at
home before going to Alaska, his mother said.
“When I found out that he was going to Iraq, I was worried that he was afraid,” Mary
Hayslett said. “Then he called from Germany and he said, ‘Mom, I’m not afraid. I’m
ready to drive my tank right onto Saddam’s front steps.’
His parents said Hayslett complained about the heat, but otherwise seemed to be
enjoying his job and was in good spirits
“The last time that I talked to him, I got an e-mail. He said, ‘Don’t worry about me, Mom.
My guys and I take care of each other. We’re all going to come out of this alive. We’ll be
all right.”’
Mary Hayslett said that in one of his last e-mails, Timothy said he wanted to see yellow
ribbons on the trees in the yard.
“’You’ve got the only son on the street serving in Iraq,” she remembers him writing.
The yellow ribbons are there now, and the Big Spring School District is also honoring
Hayslett by flying the flags outside its schools at half-staff and having flowers places at
a veterans’ memorial at the high school.
“All of the individuals that I’ve spoken with that knew Tim well are saddened by his
death,” Big Spring Superintendent William Cowden said. “Tim was serving his country
and representing us. We’re proud of what he was doing. We extend our sympathy to his
family.”
A 1976 Big Spring graduate, Sgt. Randall D. Shughart, died in October 1993 while
helping to rescue a downed helicopter pilot in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Sgt. Ernest G. Bucklew
Hometown: Enon Valley, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 33 years old
Died: November 2, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
Incident: Killed when insurgents shot down a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Fallujah.
Once she saw the 5-foot-3 Ernest Bucklew, with his brown eyes and brown hair,
Barbara Bucklew she knew she wanted to spend her life with him. "Even on your worst
day, he knew how to make you laugh," she said. "That had to be his best quality." Sgt.
Ernie Bucklew was on his way home for his mother's funeral when he was killed in the
Nov. 2 downing of an Army helicopter carrying troops home on leave. His mother,
Mary Ellen Bucklew, died two days earlier at age 57 of a burst aneurysm. "They say
there's a reason for everything, but I just can't find a reason for this," said Bucklew's
uncle, Jack Smith of Point Marion, Pa. The son of a coal miner, the 33-year-old Bucklew
had been in the Army since 1999 and was stationed at Fort Carson. He was a "happygo-lucky kind of guy and a really good friend," said David Davis of Charles Town, W.Va.,
who played high school football with Bucklew. In his last e-mail to his uncle, Bucklew
wrote: "This is a letter from hell." Besides his wife, he is survived by sons Joshua, 8,
and 4-year-old Justin.
Ernest Glenn "Ernie" Bucklew
BUCKLEW
SGT. ERNEST GLENN "ERNIE"
U.S. ARMY
Ernest "Ernie" Glenn Bucklew, Sgt. U.S. Army, 33, was killed, Sunday, November 2, 2003,
while on military duty in Iraq. Born July 28, 1970, in New Geneva, PA. Ernie is survived by his
wife, Barbara Ellen Kennedy Bucklew and his sons, Joshua 9 and Justin 4, of Fort Carson,
Colorado; his father, Donald R. Bucklew; sister and brother-in-law, Dawn Marie and Chris
DeFelice; niece Kristyn and nephew, Zackary, all of Enon Valley, PA. He was preceded in death
by his mother, Mary Ellen Bucklew, on October 31, 2003. Sgt. Bucklew will lie in state Fri. 79pm and Sat. 11am until time of Service at 1pm in Highland Middle School, 402 Shenango Rd.,
Beaver Falls. Interment will follow for Ernie and his mother, Mary Ellen, in Beaver Falls
Cemetery, Chippewa Twp. where he will be presented with full Military Honors. The family is
requesting that donations to a trust fund in the names of Ernie's sons, Joshua and Justin Bucklew
be made in lieu of flowers. Donations can be sent to: First National Bank, Chippewa Office,
2634 Darlington Rd., Beaver Falls, PA 15010. Ernie's family and friends thank him for making
their lives better. CAMPBELL'S CHIPPEWA FUNERAL HOME,
www.campbellfuneralhomes.com 2618 Darlington Road, Beaver Falls, PA is in charge of
arrangements.
Soldier dies while heading home for mother's funeral
Among 16 killed by missle attack on U.S. helicopter
Monday, November 03, 2003
By Ann Belser, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Sgt. Ernest Bucklew, 33, was coming home from Iraq on an emergency leave to
attend the funeral of his mother when his helicopter was shot from the sky.
In three days, Donald Bucklew, of Darlington Township, lost his wife and his son.
"His mother and dad prayed every night that he would come home safe," said Jack
Smith, of Point Marion, Fayette County, Ernest Bucklew's uncle.
The family tragedy started Friday afternoon. Mary Ellen Bucklew, 57, was driving
home from work at a warehouse when an aneurysm in one of the arteries leading to
her heart burst. Her vehicle ran into the median of the road and she died.
Smith said Ernest Bucklew's wife, Barbara, went to the American Red Cross and put
in a plea to get him home for the funeral. The couple lived in Fort Carson, Colo., with
their two sons, Justin, 6, and Joshua, 4. Smith said the Army agreed to get him to Fort
Carson, but that he would have to get to Pennsylvania on his own.
The plan was that Ernest Bucklew would pick up his family and they would all come
to Pennsylvania to attend the funeral.
The CH-47 Chinook he was aboard was one of two helicopters flying out information
from an air base in Habbaniyah, Iraq, yesterday carrying troops to Baghdad on route
for rest and recreation leaves.
In flight, two missiles streaked into the sky from a ground position and slammed into
the rear of the helicopter, witnesses told The Associated Press. It crashed in flames in
farmers' fields west of Baghdad, killing 16 and wounding 20 in the deadliest strike
against U.S. forces since they invaded Iraq in March.
"Two deaths in three days is hard. I'm scared to death for my brother-in-law," Smith
said.
The family is close-knit, holding yearly reunions. One of Ernest Bucklew's cousins
stayed with Barbara Bucklew last night. She and her children will return to
Pennsylvania today.
Bucklew had recently e-mailed his uncle that the military was offering soldiers 10
days off in the States, but that he did not plan to come home because it would be
harder for his children to see him for 10 days and then say goodbye again than to not
see him at all, Smith said.
Ernest Bucklew grew up in Geneva, Fayette County, the son of a coal miner. Bucklew
was about 13 when his family moved to Morgantown, W.Va., and he graduated from
high school there.
After high school, Bucklew's family moved to Beaver County, where Donald
Bucklew is an electrician for Duquesne Light Co.
Ernest Bucklew joined the National Guard after high school. About five years ago, his
uncle said, he joined the Army. He and his wife moved to Georgia for two years, then
to Colorado.
Yesterday afternoon Smith got the call from Bucklew's sister, Dawn Marie DeFelice,
that his nephew had died when the helicopter was shot down.
"I can't find any reason for both of them going like this," he said.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete last night. First published on November 3,
2003 at 12:00 am
KDKA-TV contributed to this report. Ann Belser can be reached at abelser@postgazette.com or 412-263-1699.
Soldier is back home for his, mom's burial
Friday, November 07, 2003
By Ann Belser, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The remains of Army Sgt. Ernest Bucklew arrived in Pittsburgh last night, fulfilling
his family's wish for a joint funeral for him and his mother.
Bucklew, 33, was on his way here from Iraq to attend his mother's funeral when he
was killed along with 14 others when their helicopter was shot down near Fallujah,
Iraq, on Sunday.
Mary Ellen Bucklew, 57, of Darlington, Beaver County, died last Friday while driving
home from work.
A spokesman for the family, William Braslawsce, said Bucklew's wife, Barbara, and
children, Joshua, 9, and Justin, 4, arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport from Fort
Collins, Colo., Wednesday night. They were greeted by a military escort and
Barbara's father-in-law, Donald Bucklew, who is Mary Ellen Bucklew's husband and
Ernest Bucklew's father.
Braslawsce said Barbara Bucklew and her sons will remain in the Pittsburgh area.
Sgt. Bucklew's body was the first of the helicopter attack victims to be returned to the
United States, Army spokesman Maj. Greg Yesko said.
Typically, the military takes seven to 10 days to return the remains of dead soldiers,
but in this case, people at both the Pentagon and at Central Command in the Middle
East were aware of the family's circumstances and expedited the return, Yesko said.
The remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware yesterday. They were
accompanied by a detachment from Fort Carson, Colo. Bucklew was assigned to the
Support Squadron for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Visitation for Mary Ellen Bucklew continues today from 2 to 4 p.m. at Campbell's
Chippewa Funeral Home, Beaver Falls.
A joint visitation for Mary Ellen and Ernest Bucklew will be held from 7 to 9 p.m.
tonight and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow at Highland Middle School in Beaver
Falls.
The funeral will immediately follow Saturday's visitation at the middle school.
Burial will be in Beaver Falls Cemetery. Yesko said there will be a military ceremony
for Ernest Bucklew at the cemetery.
The family asks that donations be made to a memorial trust fund set up for Bucklew's
sons at First National Bank, 2634 Darlington Road, Suite No. 3, Beaver Falls 15010.
Ann Belser can be reached at abelser@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1699.
First published on November 7, 2003 at 12:00 am
Joint funeral for GI and mom delayed
Family just wants body of soldier killed in Iraq helicopter crash
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
By Paula Reed Ward, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
All Ernest Bucklew's family wants is an answer to what seems to them a simple question: When
will the soldier's remains be returned to Beaver County?
Bucklew was one of 15 soldiers killed Sunday when a CH47 Chinook helicopter was shot down near Fallujah, Iraq.
While the same question must weigh on all the grieving
families, for the Bucklews, it's especially heavy.
They would like to have a joint funeral for Bucklew and
his mother, Mary Ellen Bucklew, who died Friday when
an aneurysm in an artery leading to her heart burst.
Bucklew died as he was heading back to the U.S. for her
funeral.
"His tragedy is a result of her sudden death," said Donald
Bucklew, Bucklew's father. "He was coming home to be
with his mother, and that's my goal -- for him to be with
his mother."
Sgt. Ernest Bucklew's father,
Donald Bucklew, and sister, Dawn
Defelice, talk with reporters
yesterday in Darlington, Pa. (Dave
Miller, Associated Press)
Click photo for larger image.
Yesterday, the Bucklew family sounded a plea through the news media for the quick return of his
body.
The military cannot tell them when Bucklew's remains
will make it back to the United States. His father was told
seven to 10 days. Bucklew's wife, Barbara, was told five
to seven.
A call to the Defense Department at the Pentagon was
referred to U.S. Central Command in Florida. Central
Command referred the question to the Department of the
Army at the Pentagon. The Army sent the question back to
Central Command, who then referred it to the public
affairs office in Baghdad. Still, there was no response.
Because the family would like to hold a joint, open-casket
funeral service on Saturday, they're anxious to know when
the 33-year-old soldier's remains will reach home.
Sgt. Ernest Bucklew is shown with
his wife Barbara, and sons Justin,
left, and Joshua in this 2001 family
holiday card.
Maj. Steve Stover, an Army spokesperson based at the
Pentagon, said he couldn't say how long it will take to get Click photo for larger image.
a body back to the United States, because that job falls to
the people running the war theater -- in this case U.S. Central Command.
"The Army doesn't take back responsibility of the soldier's body until the body gets back on U.S.
soil," he said.
Once the body is recovered, it's prepared much as it would be by a medical examiner, then sent
back to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. From there, it's flown to the closest airport to the
soldier's home, then escorted to a funeral home.
Sometimes, an investigation into the cause of death can cause a delay, he said. He couldn't say if
that's what's happening in Bucklew's case.
Sam Oaks, whose grandson, Donald Oaks Jr., was killed April 3 in Iraq, said it took about 10
days to get the remains back to the Erie area.
His family was able to have an open-casket ceremony.
For now, not knowing the condition of the body or when it will arrive is making it difficult for
the Bucklews to plan the joint funeral service.
The family is reeling from the two unexpected deaths in just three days.
At a news conference yesterday morning in Darlington, Beaver County, Donald Bucklew's eyes
remained rimmed with tears.
He is waiting for his daughter-in-law, Barbara, and grandsons Joshua, 9, and Justin, 4, to arrive.
Ernest Bucklew had been stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., for three years before he was sent to
Fort Carson, Colo., where his family has been living. He was assigned to the Support Squadron
for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Following so closely the death of his wife of 33 years, the death of his son in Iraq has left Donald
Bucklew feeling numb.
"It was totally unbelievable that this could happen," he said.
The last time the family spoke with Bucklew was Oct. 26.
"We were all home and got a chance to talk to him," Donald Bucklew said. "He honestly
believed that what we're doing is the right thing. He didn't like the country. He thought it was a
terrible place, but he had a job to do."
Dawn Marie DeFelice, Bucklew's sister, said she's been trying to explain the two deaths to her
children.
"They can't understand why, and I don't know how to explain it to them," she said. "I just tell
them they're up in heaven watching over us, and they'll always be in our hearts."
Donald Bucklew said he spoke with his grandsons in Colorado Monday evening.
"I let them tell me what's on their mind," Donald Bucklew said. "I just listen. Both boys are
anxious to get home here to grandpap."
Once Bucklew's remains are returned here, the funeral will be held at Campbell's Chippewa
Funeral Home on Darlington Road and burial will be in Beaver Falls Cemetery.
A memorial trust fund has been set up for Bucklew's sons at First National Bank at 2634
Darlington Road, Suite No. 3, Beaver Falls 15010.
Paula Reed Ward can be reached at pward@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1455.
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