PARTIAL LIST AT THIS TIME
2010
Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham
Hometown: Altoona, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 25 years old
Died: January 11, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine
Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan
Incident: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13235http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 027-10
January 13, 2010
DOD Identifies Marine Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of three Marines who were supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
The following Marines died Jan. 11 while supporting combat operations in Helmand
province, Afghanistan:
Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, 25, of Altoona, Pa.
Cpl. Jamie R. Lowe, 21, of Johnsonville, Ill.
Cpl. Nicholas K. Uzenski, 21, of Tomball, Texas.
Ingham, Lowe and Uzenski were assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine
Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.
For additional background information on these Marines, news media representatives may
contact the III Marine Expeditionary Force/Marine Corps Bases Japan public affairs office at 011-81-611745-0790 or e-mail them at okinawapao@usmc.mil .
Local Marine dies
Altoonan ambushed in?Afghanistan
By William Kibler, bkibler@altoonamirror.com
POSTED: January 13, 2010
POSTED: January 13, 2010
Gary Ingham (left) and his son, Matt, spent time together in San Diego last year before
Matt was deployed to Afghanistan. Marine Staff Sgt. Matt Ingham, 24, died Monday with
two comrades in an ambush in southern Afghanistan.
As a kid, Matt Ingham of Juniata wanted to be a game warden.
But 9/11 triggered his martial spirit, and he signed up for a way of life where the
quarry shoots back.
Early Monday, the ultimate consequence of that decision came due when Marine
Staff Sgt. Ingham, 24, died with two comrades in an ambush in southern
Afghanistan.
When two of Matt's fellow Marines in dress uniform walked through the door of his
home office on North Fourth Avenue Monday afternoon, Matt's father, Gary,
suspected the worst.
"Please tell me he's injured," he recalled saying. But he knew by the set of their
faces that wasn't it.
"We're sorry to inform you ... " they began. He flung his glasses down, breaking
one of the stems.
Still, the visitors were kind, waiting two-and-a-half hours until Matt's mother,
Tammi, came home from work at the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society so they
could tell her in person.
On Tuesday, Matt's platoon leader called from Afghanistan. Almost immediately,
Gary and Tammi began crying. The platoon leader spoke of the ambush that killed
Matt and two fellow Marines he'd stationed with him in an exposed position,
anticipating an assault. He said Matt remained calm and called for helicopters.
"He saved the rest of our lives," the platoon leader said.
Matt, a 2002 Altoona Area High School graduate, had already done two tours in
Iraq and was among the first Marines there at the beginning of the war. He went to
Afghanistan in the fall, part of a reconnaissance outfit in the Third Marine Division.
Gary didn't like the idea of his son in combat. "But he was his own man," Gary said.
He said his son was good with a gun and could shoot a bull's-eye at a thousand
yards.
He liked the structure of the military, and he was a "physical kid."
"His arms are like this," Gary said, making a circle with his hands about 7 inches in
diameter.
He played football in junior high school, but motocross was his love. He became a
professional motocross driver in Okinawa, Japan, where he was stationed.
The platoon leader spoke of riding with Matt up and down hills until he had to get
off.
In 2006, Matt, who has a sister, Monica, who lives in Phoenix, married Yasmin
Rajpar, whom he met in eighth grade at Keith Junior High School.
"They were the loves of each others' lives," said Yasmin's mother, Shamim, an
Altoona native who lives in Altoona with her husband, Haider, a native African she
met in the Peace Corps. They adopted Yasmin as a baby from Pakistan and raised
her here. Matt "absolutely adored" their daughter, she said.
They were best friends, "like two puppies from the same litter," she said.
They hiked and kayaked together in Okinawa, where he was stationed. They saw
life as an adventure, she said. She was a secondary school teacher taking courses
for a master's degree. Despite the divergence of their life goals, they supported
each other's ambitions, she said.
Shamim took pride in her son-in-law's excellence as a Marine.
"I hope I've conveyed to you our love for him, and our high regard," she said. "He's
part of our family."
Yasmin had just returned to their home in Okinawa from Christmas vacation in
Altoona when she learned of Matt's death. She sounded "numb" and "flat" when her
mom spoke to her Monday. She'll fly accompanied by a casualty officer to Dover,
Del., where Matt's body will be brought back to the States, and she'll probably resettle here, Shamim said.
With strangers, Matt was reserved, but with people he loved he was "loving" and
"carefree," Gary said.
He "messed with everybody," according to the platoon leader, but he always kept a
straight face.
Listening on the speakerphone to the platoon leader speak, Tammi slapped her
husband on the thigh at that point.
Matt never spoke of what it was like in battle, said his father, who never served.
Surely he was scared, Gary said.
"I don't see how you could get used to that," he said.
But Matt was highly trained and stayed calm Monday in anticipation of the attack,
his father pointed out.
Gary and Tammi will fly to Dover today to meet the plane that will bring their son's
body in about 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
Depending on the weather, a motorcycle honor guard may accompany the hearse
from Lancaster to Altoona, Gary said.
Gary said he goes from "numb to angry." But he remained sensitive to others.
He called the Marines who delivered their message of death "super nice." He asked
the platoon leader to give his phone number to the families of the other two
Marines killed in the ambush, so they could call if they wanted.
Marine Staff Sgt. Matt Ingham met his wife, Yasmin, in eighth grade at
Keith Junior High School.
He said goodbye to the platoon leader by saying, "Stay safe, so I can talk to you
again."
Before Matt left for Afghanistan, Gary visited him in San Diego, where they rode
motorcycles in the desert, fished in the ocean and went to bars at night. They were
buddies. "That 'I'm your dad' sort of thing went out when he went into the
Marines," Gary said.
The platoon leader told Gary that Matt wasn't easy to lead because of his
knowledge and strong convictions.
They didn't always agree but always "talked it out," the platoon leader said.
He learned a lot from Matt, he said.
Matt wanted to make a career of the service, his dad said.
"He was literally the No. 1 Marine I've ever had," the leader told them. "I'm sorry I
couldn't bring him home."
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Nevin Ingham
POSTED: January 20, 2010
July 6, 1984 - Jan. 11, 2010
Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, 25, stationed in Okinawa, Japan, was killed in action
Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, along with two of his brother Marines while on patrol in Afghanistan.
He was born in Altoona, son of Gary Ingham and the late Kathryn Cherry Ingham. He
married Yasmin Rajpar, also of Altoona, in 2006 in a private ceremony in Spotsylvania
County, Va.
Surviving are his wife; his parents, Gary and Tammi Ingham of Altoona; a sister, Monica
Ingham of Altoona; his grandmothers: Doris Wantz ("Me Ma") of Altoona and Beryl Horvath
of Port Charlotte, Fla.; as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Kathryn; his grandfathers: Nevin Wantz,
Norman Cherry and Fred A. Ingham Jr.; and his grandmother, Regina Ingham.
Matthew was a 2002 graduate of Altoona Area High School and the Greater Altoona Career
and Technology Center. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2002 and served honorably
for seven years, achieving the rank of staff sergeant.
Matt was a loving husband, son, brother, grandson and friend. Besides being a dedicated
Marine, his passions included motocross, mountain biking and many other outdoor
recreational activities. You name it, he did it, and he excelled at it!
Matt truly lived his life in the moment and lived each day as if it would be his last. He
pushed his mind, body and spirit to the maximum to meet and surpass his own personal
goals and aspirations. He believed in always striving to succeed at a higher level and never
acknowledged a limit beyond which he could not achieve. He was a natural-born leader,
able to lead by example, as well as foster personal growth in others. He lived daringly, loved
unconditionally and learned constantly.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, at the Cathedral
of the Blessed Sacrament, where a public memorial service will be held at 10 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. Immediately after the service, he will be buried with full military
honors in a private ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors Foundation through the
Department of Navy Gift Fund, Wounded Warrior Regiment, c/o Charitable Donations
Coordinator, 3025 John Quick Road, MCB Quantico, VA 22134, or to the Central
Pennsylvania Humane Society, 1837 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd., Altoona, PA 16602.
Arrangements are by the Santella Funeral Home. Online condolences may be sent to
www.santellafuneralhome.com.
Teacher Describes Fallen Altoona Soldier As Natural Leader
A Marine from Blair County killed in the war in Afghanistan was being remembered in his
hometown Wednesday. Matthew Ingham was a 2002 graduate of Altoona High School.
One of Ingham’s former teachers described him as a bright student with a magnetic personality.
Leanne Sidney said because of that, students at the Greater Altoona Career and Technology
Center were naturally drawn to him.
Sidney said Ingham was natural leader, so it was no surprise to her when he told her he was
joining the Marine Corps. After he graduated, she and her students adopted Ingham’s platoon in
Iraq and sent him letters and care packages.
Ingham served two tours in Iraq before going to Afghanistan. Some of his classmates from the
previous school year returned to class after Ingham left for his first tour of duty.
“When those juniors came back as seniors the following fall, Matt was deployed to Iraq and that
really impacted the class,“ Sidney said. “He'd been sitting in class with us in June and the next
fall he was off fighting for his country.”
Sidney said Ingham also like riding his motorcycle and told her that was his way of relaxing. He
had also recently married his eighth-grade sweetheart.
Stay with WJACTV.com and WJAC-TV News for continuing coverage.
Fallen Altoona Marine Credited With Saving 12 Lives
Posted: 2:02 pm EST January 14,2010Updated: 2:06 pm EST January 14,2010
http://www.wjactv.com/news/22237450/detail.html
Military officials said a local Marine killed in battle saved the lives of 12 fellow soldiers before he died.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Ingham, 25, was killed in Afghanistan earlier this week. He was a 2002 graduate of
Altoona Area High School.
His platoon commander said Ingham was wounded, but crawled and exposed himself while under fire to
call for air support. The commander said Ingham's actions saved 12 other Marines.
"Nearly half as old as me, this man was a man I looked up to. If my children ever one day decide to
serve, I would hope and pray that they would be led by someone like Staff Sgt. Matt Ingham," said Maj.
Jordan Walzer.
Ingham was assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion stationed in Okinawa, Japan, with his wife,
who was his eighth-grade sweetheart.
Ingham's wife and parents were at Dover Air Force Base on Thursday to receive his body. Fire crews and
motorcycles are on standby to escort them back home to Altoona. The senior ride captain with the
Patriot Guard Riders said they were asked to help escort Ingham's body, but the details were not known
as of Thursday afternoon. Stya with WJACTV.com and WJAC-TV News for continuing coverage.
Copyright 2010 by WJACTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham
Died January 11, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom
25, of Altoona, Pa.; assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine
Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Jan. 11 while supporting combat operations in
Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed were Cpl. Jamie R. Lowe and Cpl. Nicholas K.
Uzenski.
Hero Marine laid to rest in hometown
The Associated Press
ALTOONA, Pa. — A Marine credited with saving the lives of about a dozen of his comrades in
Afghanistan has been laid to rest in western Pennsylvania.
Funeral services were held Jan. 23 for 25-year-old Staff Sgt. Matt Ingham at Cathedral of
Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, and he was later buried at Grandview Cemetery.
Ingham’s platoon commander says he died Jan. 11 after saving about 12 fellow Marines by
crawling, while wounded, to call in air support, exposing himself to additional fire.
Ingham was assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine
Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. He graduated from Altoona Area High School in 2002
and also served two tours in Iraq.
He is survived by his wife; his parents; and a sister.
3 Recon Marines killed in Afghanistan
Staff report
Posted : Friday Jan 15, 2010 6:41:50 EST
3 Recon Marines
You have been s
http://w w w .marin
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Three Japan-based Reconnaissance Marines died Monday during
combat operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, defense officials announced
Wednesday.
Killed were: Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, 25, of Altoona, Pa.; and Cpls. Jamie R. Lowe, 21, of
Johnsonville, Ill., and Nicholas K. Uzenski, 21, of Tomball, Texas.
The three Marines were assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, which
is based in Okinawa, Japan.
Pentagon officials did not release information about their deaths. The NATO command reported
that six NATO troops died Monday in separate incidents in Afghanistan, including three U.S.
service members killed during a firefight with militants during a patrol in southern Afghanistan.
Ingham’s parents told the Altoona Mirror, a Pennsylvania newspaper, that their son, who was
married and had done two combat tours in Iraq, played football and loved motocross.
“We lost a family member and a great Marine,” Maj. John South, 3rd Recon Battalion’s
executive officer, said in a statement.
First Sgt. Ingo Rasch, Ingham’s company first sergeant in Afghanistan, said, “Seniors, peers
and juniors valued his opinion and guidance. He was one of the finest staff (noncommissioned
officers) I have ever served with.”
Ingham, who had enlisted in July 2002 and was promoted to staff sergeant in April, had earned
several military awards and decorations, including the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit
Citation, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal,
Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, NATO Medal ISAF, Sea
Service Deployment Ribbon and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Lowe enlisted in August 2007 and arrived on Okinawa a year later. His awards and decorations
include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal ISAF,
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
“He was driven to be the best, and it showed in everything he did,” Maj. Jordan Walzer, the
corporal’s officer-in-charge in Afghanistan, said in the statement.
Rasch said Lowe “had a huge impact on the morale of his company and his platoon.”
Uzenski enlisted in January 2008, and his awards include the National Defense Service Medal,
NATO Medal ISAF and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. “Marines fed off his energy and
loved being around him,” Rasch said.
T UESDA Y, JA NU AR Y 19, 2010
R.I.P. Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham
Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham
25, of Altoona, Pa.; assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd
Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died
Jan. 11 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province,
Afghanistan. Also killed were Cpl. Jamie R. Lowe and Cpl. Nicholas K.
Uzenski.
(Taken from www.post.gazette.com of Jan. 15, 2010)
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, touched Matt Ingham and his future wife, Yasmin, in
different ways.
Yasmin was inspired to become a social studies teacher "so she could work to build
bridges of understanding," said her mother, Shamim Rajpar.
Matt enlisted in the Marines and was among the first sent into Iraq after the U.S.
invasion in 2003. He served two tours there, and later was deployed with an
antiterrorism task force in the African nation of Djibouti, his mother-in-law said.
His most recent deployment to Afghanistan ended Monday in tragedy and heroism.
According to accounts from Helmand province, Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, 25,
weathered gunfire to radio for air support for his comrades, who were under attack. Sgt.
Ingham and two others died. His bravery saved 12 others.
Sgt. Ingham, a 2002 graduate of Altoona High School, was assigned to the 3rd
Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force in
Okinawa, Japan, according to the Defense Department.
He was sent to Afghanistan in the fall, his mother-in-law said.
"Loyal beyond belief. Disciplined. Hardworking. Goal-oriented," she described him. "But
fun-loving."
An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hiking, kayaking and camping, and romping with the
couple's two chocolate Labs, said Ms. Rajpar, a librarian at Mount Aloysius College in
Cambria County.
He loved to ride his dirt bike, and was spotted in Japan by members of a professional
racing team who recruited him to take part in a motocross event, she said. He finished
second.
Matt met Yasmin while the two were eighth-graders at Keith Junior High School in
Altoona. Yasmin earned a degree at Duquesne University in 2006 and the couple lived
for a time in Virginia before leaving for Okinawa in 2008.
The sergeant's parents, Gary and Tammi Ingham, who operate a trophy and awards
business in Altoona, were with Yasmin at Dover Air Force Base, Del., yesterday for the
arrival of the fallen Marine's flag-draped casket.
"I was very, very proud of Matthew, proud to be his mother-in-law, and loved him very
deeply," Ms. Rajpar said. "My daughter has lost her best friend in the world."
Also killed in the attack were Cpl. Jamie R. Lowe, 21, of Johnsonville, Ill., and Cpl.
Nicholas K. Uzenski, 21, of Tomball, Texas.
Santella Funeral Home in Altoona was handling arrangements for Sgt. Ingham
Posted by Subvet at 12:00 AM
Labels: Support the troops, True hero
In Memory of
SSgt. Mathew N. Ingham
Died: January 11, 2010
SSgt. Matthew N. Ingham, of Altoona, Pa.
Matthew was his own man. A quiet, reserved person, who was fun loving and carefree with
those he knew and loved. A natural-born leader, he was bright with a magnetic personality.
Growing up he thought someday he’d be a game warden. An expert shooter, he could hit a
bulls-eye at a thousand yards.
The events of 9-11 set off a spark in Matt and he enlisted in the Marine Corps in July of
2002. Matt served two tours of duty in Iraq, and was among the first wave of Marines to
enter Iraq back in 2003.
In the fall of 2009 he left for Afghanistan as part of a reconnaissance team with the 3rd
Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force based at
Okinawa, Japan.
Matt and several other Marines, were caught in an ambush. Although wounded, Matt was
able to call for assistance. Gravely wounded, Matt and two other Marines, Cpl. Jamie R.
Lowe and Cpl. Nicholas K. Uzenski, died. His platoon leader said Matt was the number 1
Marine he’d ever had.
His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct
Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, NATO Medal ISAF, Sea Service Deployment
Ribbon, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Remarks Honoring the Memoriy of SSGT Matthew Ingham, USMC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtHwyuXFKxo&feature=youtube_gdata
Matthew Ingham (25) died while he weathered gunfire to radio for air support
for his comrades
Filed Under: War-Related Published: Feb 28, 2010 @ 6:28 AM
Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham
25, of Altoona, Pa.; assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine
Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan; died Jan. 11 while supporting combat operations in
Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed were Cpl. Jamie R. Lowe and Cpl. Nicholas K.
Uzenski.
(Taken from www.post.gazette.com of Jan. 15, 2010)
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, touched Matt Ingham and his future wife, Yasmin, in different
ways.
Yasmin was inspired to become a social studies teacher "so she could work to build bridges of
understanding," said her mother, Shamim Rajpar.
Matt enlisted in the Marines and was among the first sent into Iraq after the U.S. invasion in
2003. He served two tours there, and later was deployed with an antiterrorism task force in the
African nation of Djibouti, his mother-in-law said.
His most recent deployment to Afghanistan ended Monday in tragedy and heroism.
According to accounts from Helmand province, Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, 25, weathered
gunfire to radio for air support for his comrades, who were under attack. Sgt. Ingham and two
others died. His bravery saved 12 others.
Sgt. Ingham, a 2002 graduate of Altoona High School, was assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance
Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan, according to
the Defense Department.
He was sent to Afghanistan in the fall, his mother-in-law said.
"Loyal beyond belief. Disciplined. Hardworking. Goal-oriented," she described him. "But funloving."
An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hiking, kayaking and camping, and romping with the couple's
two chocolate Labs, said Ms. Rajpar, a librarian at Mount Aloysius College in Cambria County.
He loved to ride his dirt bike, and was spotted in Japan by members of a professional racing team
who recruited him to take part in a motocross event, she said. He finished second.
Matt met Yasmin while the two were eighth-graders at Keith Junior High School in Altoona.
Yasmin earned a degree at Duquesne University in 2006 and the couple lived for a time in
Virginia before leaving for Okinawa in 2008.
The sergeant's parents, Gary and Tammi Ingham, who operate a trophy and awards business in
Altoona, were with Yasmin at Dover Air Force Base, Del., yesterday for the arrival of the fallen
Marine's flag-draped casket.
"I was very, very proud of Matthew, proud to be his mother-in-law, and loved him very deeply,"
Ms. Rajpar said. "My daughter has lost her best friend in the world."
Also killed in the attack were Cpl. Jamie R. Lowe, 21, of Johnsonville, Ill., and Cpl. Nicholas K.
Uzenski, 21, of Tomball, Texas.
Santella Funeral Home in Altoona was handling arrangements for Sgt. Ingham
Marine awarded Bronze Star
A Marine from Altoona who was killed Jan. 11 in Afghanistan has been posthumously
awarded the Bronze Star with Valor - the nation's fourth-highest combat honor.
Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham crawled to a radio and called for air support after his unit was
ambushed, saving the lives of 12 Marines, according to his superior officer. Ingham was
buried Saturday in Grandview Cemetery after a funeral service at the Cathedral of the
Blessed Sacrament.
Ingham was remembered during a speech Wednesday on the U.S. House floor by Rep. Bill
Shuster, R-9th District.
"Sgt. Ingham exposed himself to more enemy fire, and put the lives of his fellow Marines
above his own," Shuster said.
"The Ninth District of Pennsylvania and our entire nation owes a great debt of gratitude to
Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, his family and all those who have sacrificed their lives in the
pursuit of freedom."
An Altoona Area High School graduate, Ingham joined the Marine Corps in July 2002. He
was assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary
Force in Okinawa, Japan.
Former Marine now honors fallen service members as Air Force
Chaplain
Posted 2/4/2010 Updated 2/4/2010
by Mr. Ed Drohan
AFMAO Public Affairs
Chaplain Carl Groh (right) leads members of the Marine Corps carry team in a prayer prior to the dignified
transfer of fallen U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham of Altoona, Pa., at Dover Air Force Base, Del.,
on January 14, 2010. Chaplain Groh is currently deployed to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations
Center from the Iowa National Guard. (USAF photo by Brianne Zimny)
2/4/2010 - Dover Air Force Base, Del -- When Carl Groh was a young Marine infantryman
serving outside Da Nang, South Vietnam, he saw many of his brother Marines killed in action
but never had the chance to escort the fallen warriors home. Today, more than 40 years later,
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Carl Groh has come full circle. As a chaplain for the Air Force Mortuary
Affairs Operations Center (AFMAO) here, he assists with the dignified transfer of fallen Soldiers,
Sailors, Airmen and Marines as they return to the United States.
The chaplain, a member of the Air National Guard's 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City,
Iowa, who lives in Fremont, Neb., deployed to the AFMAO Dec. 31. In little more than a week,
he has already participated in several dignified transfer events, praying for the fallen before a
carry team moves the transfer case holding their remains from the aircraft to an awaiting
vehicle. It is a deployment he volunteered for. "I'm retired from my ministry now so I have the
time to volunteer for some of these extended deployments," Chaplain Groh said. "When I
learned about the opportunity, I literally begged them to let me come."
The chaplain said he knew little about AFMAO before hearing about the deployment opportunity
from the National Guard Bureau. After his application to deploy here was approved, he starting
learning more from the chaplains he was to replace. In fact, AFMAO has the mission of
providing dignity, honor and respect for America's fallen, while providing care, service and
support for their families. The center is the Department of Defense's sole port mortuary and has
a total force staff consisting of active duty Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines as well as
Guardsmen, Reservists and civilians.
The staff works closely with the FBI who performs fingerprint analysis and the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner Service who utilizes state-of-the-art equipment to establish positive
identification through DNA, dental, and examines the fallen to determine cause of death. The
staff also prepares fallen members for transport to their final destination as determined by the
family. But it is the dignified transfer that is the most visible part of the AFMAO mission, and the
part that Chaplain Groh works with frequently. A solemn dignified transfer of remains is
conducted upon arrival here from the aircraft to a transfer vehicle to honor those who have
given their lives in the service of the country. The vehicle then moves the fallen to the center.
As a member of the official party, Chaplain Groh enters the aircraft behind the carry team.
Before the transfer cases are moved, he says a prayer for the fallen and then renders military
honors as the carry teams move the cases to the transfer vehicle. Oftentimes this is done in
front of the fallen member's family and members of the media. "It tugs at your heart," the
chaplain said. "The Marines have a saying that you never leave a guy behind. When I see these
(service) teams carrying that case off the plane, I know these young service members are
working to bring their comrade back."
Chaplain Carl Groh (right) salutes, as fallen Marine Corps SSgt Matthew Ingham is carried during a
dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base Delaware on January 14, 2010. SSgt Ingham was assigned to
the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan.
One thing that's impressed the chaplain, though, is the young Airmen working at the center to
support the fallen and their families, especially those whose work would make most people
squeamish. "They're like any other Airman, but when the time comes for them to do their job,
they're competent, respectful and professional," Chaplain Groh said. "These are the best
America has. Even though I know the one in the transfer case doesn't know it, I say a prayer in
my head for them. I say, 'You don't know it, but you'll be well taken care of and honored."
Chaplain Groh also has three sons serving in the military. One son is a member of the
chaplain's Air National Guard unit and another is an active duty Marine stationed at Patuxent
River Naval Air Station, Md., who has already served a tour in Iraq. Another son reported to the
Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego a few days after the chaplain reported to Dover.
While he's seen the respect paid to the fallen at AFMAO, his concern is just like that of every
parent of a military member. "I'm scared stiff, and even more so than before," he said. "Josh (his
Marine son) was in Iraq for seven months and returned home safely, but I'm still very frightened
for my children." But he continues to serve, he said, because of the people he serves with, and
especially those who recently deployed here from units around the country. "I just want to brag
about these folks," he explained cheerfully. "You see all these people gathered - officers and
enlisted - and within two days they're a team doing their best for our fallen warriors. It fills you up
emotionally. There are so many good people in America. It's like discovering treasure wherever
you look."
Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr.
Hometown: Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: February 1, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr.
Died February 01, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom
21, of Fayetteville, Pa.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 1 while supporting
combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marine from central Pa. killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A Marine from central Pennsylvania has been killed in Afghanistan, military
authorities said Feb. 2.
Lance Cpl. Michael Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., died Feb. 1 during what military
authorities called a “hostile incident” while conducting combat operations in Helmand province in
the southern part of the country.
Freeman was a machine gunner assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., authorities said. The 2008
graduate of Chambersburg Area High School deployed to Afghanistan in October. His awards
included a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
His wife, Stephanie, 18, told The Herald Mail of Hagerstown, Md., that the couple married in
October and were planning a June 12 ceremony for family and friends.
“He just wanted to come home and be with us,” she told the paper, adding that he was
conflicted because he also wanted to serve his country.
Her grandmother, Lenora Short, said Freeman was expected to return from his deployment in
April.
“He was a sweetheart,” she said. “He was very polite and mannerly.”
Freeman was an outdoorsman who enjoyed target shooting, fishing and visiting Caledonia State
Park, and coming from a military family developed a commitment to the Marines at an early age,
his wife said. She said she suspects he would want to be remembered as “a crazy, goofy
Marine.”
LCPL. Michael L. Freeman Jr.
We mourn another Marine. An IED in Afghanistan has ended the life of LCpl
Mike Freeman and put a hole in the hearts of his wife, his parents and
family, his fellow Marines, and all of his friends. LCpl Michael Freeman was
from Fayetteville PA, which is close to Gettysburg.
Please put the Lance Corporal and his family, Marines, and friends in your
thoughts and prayers.
We all severely and sincerely mourn the deaths of all our military who pay
the ultimate price for freedom.
Marine Lance Corporal Michael L. Freeman Jr.
Michael Freeman, Jr. was from Fayetteville, Pennsylvania. The 2008 graduate of
Chambersburg Area High School and his wife, Stephanie, were married in early
October.
Freeman had joined the Marine Corps in August 2008, and was promoted to the
rank of Lance Corporal on October 1, 2009. Freeman was a machine gunner
assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He had his first deployment
later in October when he was sent to Afghanistan. He was expected to return in
April.
Freeman's 18-year-old wife is quoted on the Herald-Mail site:
Freeman was an outdoorsman who enjoyed target shooting, fishing and visiting
Caledonia State Park. He and his wife met at a graduation party in 2007, and he
proposed five months into their relationship.
"I said ‘yes’ immediately," Stephanie said.
Freeman developed his commitment to the Marines at an early age.
"He wanted to serve his country," Stephanie said. "He grew up in a military family."
Lance Corporal Michael L. Freeman Jr. died February 1st in the Helmand province of
Afghanistan from injuries suffered in the detonation of an improvised explosive
device (IED). He was killed during what military authorities called a "hostile
incident". He was 21 years old when he lost his life.
His awards included a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and the Afghanistan
Campaign Medal. Survivors of the Lance Corporal include his wife, his parents,
Michael Sr. and Chris, and his sister, Dawn.
Funeral plans have not been announced but services are expected to be held at the
Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home in Chambersburg. Flags throughout Pennsylvania
have been lowered to half-staff in honor of Lance Corporal Freeman, including those
in his hometown, as well as all across Franklin County and in Harrisburg. The flags
will remain at half-staff until Freeman is brought home and buried, according to a
spokesman at Governor Ed Rendell's office.
R.I.P. Marine !
Kevin G. Gilbert | Staff Photographer
Marine bugler plays taps Thursday during a funeral service for Lance Cpl. Michael L.
Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., who died Feb. 1 while serving with the U.S. Marine
Corps in Afghanistan.
Kevin G. Gilbert | Staff Photographer
Marines fire a volley from the parking lot Thursday during a funeral service for Lance Cpl.
Michael L. Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., who died Feb. 1 while serving with the U.S.
Marine Corps in Afghanistan.
Kevin G. Gilbert | Staff Photographer
A U.S. Marines Honor Guard files into Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home Thursday after firing a
ceremonial volley Thursday during a funeral service for Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr.,
21, of Fayetteville, Pa. Freeman died Feb. 1 while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in
Afghanistan.
Kevin G. Gilbert | Staff Photographer
A Marine stands at attention Thursday outside a funeral service for Lance Cpl. Michael L.
Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., who died Feb. 1 while serving with the U.S. Marine
Corps in Afghanistan.
Kevin G. Gilbert | Staff Photographer
A U.S. Marines Honor Guardsman is flanked by civilians Thursday after a funeral service for
Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa. Freeman died Feb. 1 while serving
with the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan.
Kevin G. Gilbert | Staff Photographer
A member of Patriot Guard Riders, a group that attends military funerals to show respect,
stands with an American flag outside a funeral service for Lance Cpl. Michael L. Freeman Jr.,
21, of Fayetteville, Pa., who died Feb. 1 while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in
Afghanistan.
Pennsylvania
Funeral service held for Fayetteville Marine
By ANDREW SCHOTZ
FEBRUARY 18, 2010
andrews@herald-mail.com
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — A funeral service was held Thursday for Lance Cpl. Michael
L. Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., who died Feb. 1 while serving with the U.S.
Marine Corps in Afghanistan.
The service was held at Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home in Chambersburg.
Members of Patriot Guard Riders, a group that attends military funerals to show
respect, stood with American flags in a line outside the funeral home.
The parking lot was filled. A few people attended in military uniform.
As the service ended, a group of Marines saluted, fired volleys and played taps
outside.
Mourners started to file out shortly after 11:30 a.m., about a half-hour after the
scheduled start of the service.
The funeral home did not allow reporters inside or on the premises during the
service, which it said was at the family’s request.
Freeman died after a roadside bomb exploded in Afghanistan’s Helmand province,
according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine
Expeditionary Brigade in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
He was a machine gunner who joined the Marine Corps in August 2008.
Freeman married Stephanie Short, a Chambersburg Area Senior High School senior,
on Oct. 1, 2009, about a month before he was deployed.
He was promoted to lance corporal on his wedding day.
The couple was planning a wedding ceremony for family and friends in June, a few
months after Freeman was expected to return from his deployment.
Fayetteville Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Freeman Jr. killed in Afghanistan
By Steve Ruark
A Marine carry team bows their heads near a transfer case containing the remains of Marine Lance
Cpl. Michael L. Freeman as Air Force chaplain Lt. Col. Marti Reynolds, second from right, reads a
prayer Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense,
Freeman, 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., died Feb. 1 while supporting combat operations in Helmand
province, Afghanistan.
The Associated Press
Wed Feb 03, 2010, 05:23 AM EST
Washington, D.C. -
A Marine from central Pennsylvania has been killed in Afghanistan, military authorities said
Tuesday.
Lance Cpl. Michael Freeman Jr., 21, of Fayetteville, Pa., died Monday during what military
authorities called a “hostile incident” while conducting combat operations in Helmand province
in the southern part of the country.
Freeman was a machine gunner assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C., authorities said. The 2008
graduate of Chambersburg Area High School deployed to Afghanistan in October. His awards
included a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
His wife, Stephanie, 18, told The Herald Mail of Hagerstown, Md., that the couple married in
October and were planning a June 12 ceremony for family and friends.
“He just wanted to come home and be with us,” she told the paper, adding that he was conflicted
because he also wanted to serve his country.
Her grandmother, Lenora Short, said Freeman was expected to return from his deployment in
April.
“He was a sweetheart,” she said. “He was very polite and mannerly.”
Freeman was an outdoorsman who enjoyed target shooting, fishing and visiting Caledonia State
Park, and coming from a military family developed a commitment to the Marines at an early age,
his wife said. She said she suspects he would want to be remembered as “a crazy, goofy Marine.”
Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson
Hometown: Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 19 years old
Died: February 18, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Killed while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Larry Michael Johnson
Lance Cpl. Larry Michael Johnson, 19, of Scranton, died Feb. 18 as a result of a hostile incident while
conducting combat operations in Helmand Province of Afghanistan.
Born in Scranton, son of Larry Johnson and Johanna Thomas Johnson, both of Scranton, he was a
member of Divine Mercy Parish, educated in Kennedy Elementary School and South Scranton
Intermediate School and a graduate of Scranton High School, class of 2008.
A Marine Corps veteran, graduating from Parris Island, S.C., he received the Purple Heart, the Combat
Action Ribbon, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan
Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Deployment
Ribbon and Rifle Sharp Shooter Badge.
With great pride and excitement, Larry became a lance corporal on Dec. 1.
He enjoyed snowboarding, swimming, boating at Lake Wallenpaupack, knee boarding, playing Little
League, Teener League at the Minooka Little League, dancing and singing with his friends.
He was a loving, caring son, brother and uncle who will be deeply missed by his family, his fellow
Marines and his friends.
Also surviving are his stepfather, Jeffery Whitney, Scranton; a brother, Matthew T. Johnson, Scranton;
two sisters, Janis E. Johnson and Ashley M. Johnson, both of Scranton; a stepsister, Melissa Bouwkamp,
Florida; his paternal grandfather, James H. Johnson, Scranton; a niece, Mauriann Johnson, Scranton; a
nephew, Ryan Kester, Scranton; a stepniece, Lacy Bouwkamp, Florida; eight aunts, Ann Marie Marshall,
Sue Ellen Civiello, Patricia Pullum, Jeanette Thomas, Darlene Hall, Bonnie Lewis, Lenore Johnson and
Judy Bidwell; two uncles, William Thomas and Lee Johnson; cousins and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother, Cecillia Boyko Johnson; and maternal
grandparents, John Thomas and Blanche Singley Thomas.
Friends may call today, 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m., in the Eagen-Hughes Funeral Home, 2908 Birney Ave.,
Scranton.
Lance Cpl. Johnson will be transferred at 9 p.m. by the Marine Corps Honor Guard to Divine Mercy
Parish, 312 Davis St., Scranton, where his remains will lie in state until the Mass of Christian Burial on
Saturday at 10:30 a.m., to be celebrated by the Rev. Francis Pauselli, pastor. Interment with full military
honors will follow in Cathedral Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph's Center, 2010 Adams Ave., Scranton, PA 18509.
Funeral arrangements by the Eagen-Hughes Funeral Home.
Published in Scranton Times on February 26, 2010
Marine Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson
Died February 18, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom
19, of Scranton, Pa.; assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Feb. 18 while supporting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Fallen Pa. teen called good-natured, proud Marine
The Associated Press
SCRANTON, Pa. — A teenager killed last week in Afghanistan is being remembered as a proud
Marine and a friendly youth with a close-knit family.
Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, 19, of Scranton died Feb. 18 while supporting combat operations
in Helmand province, military authorities said. He joined the Marine Corps after graduating
Scranton High School in 2008 and was with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine
Expeditionary Brigade, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Johnson had been in the country for four months, said 2nd Marine Division spokesman 1st Lt.
Evan Pettyjohn.
Dominic Rodriguez, 19, who had known Johnson since both were toddlers, described him as a
laid-back person who enjoyed hanging out with his buddies as they watched MTV.
“He was never mad, ever. He went through a lot in his life and never did he let that bring him
down. He was always with a smile on his face,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez’s mother, Amy, said she was with the family Thursday shortly after they received the
news about their son’s death.
“My heart just aches for the family right now,” she said. “He loved his mom so much. ... He was
their hero. They loved him so much.”
Scranton High principal Eric Schaeffer recalled Johnson as a polite, friendly student who looked
forward to joining the Marines. He also remembered his mother’s pride as she dropped off a
picture of him in his uniform at the school earlier in the week.
“I can picture him walking down the hall — blond hair and bright blue eyes, always smiling,” he
said.
His former English teacher, Jennifer Brotherton, also remembers him as a good-natured youth
who almost always had a smile on his face.
“He had a really good heart and he was so full of energy,” she said. “Any time a child dies, it’s
too soon.”
Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 128-10
February 19, 2010
DOD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, 19, of Scranton, Pa., died Feb. 18 while supporting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer
Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Images: Fallen Marine's body returns to Scranton
Published: February 25, 2010
The casket of Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, of Scranton, returned to the area on Wednesday.
A funeral for Cpl. Johnson, who was killed last week serving with the Marines in Afghanistan,
will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Church, Divine Mercy Parish.
Following the service, the 19-year-old Cpl. Johnson will be buried at Cathedral Cemetery with
full military honors.
Friends may call Friday, 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at Eagen-Hughes Funeral Home, 2908
Birney Ave. A Marine Corps honor guard will escort Cpl. Johnson's body to the church, 312
Davis St.
Marines carry the casket of Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, of Scranton, from a private plane that landed at
the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Wednesday. (Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer)
Marines salute Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, of Scranton, who returned home in a private plane that
landed at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Wednesday. (Jason Farmer / Staff
Photographer)
The family of Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson watch as his casket is removed from the hearse at EagenHughes Funeral Home on Wednesday. Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
A hearse carrying the casket of Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, of Scranton, pulls into Eagen-Hughes
Funeral Home on Wednesday. Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
For Marine's family, knock at door brought tragedy home
BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK (STAFF WRITER)
Published: February 22, 2010
Courtesy of the Johnson Family The funeral for Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson will be held later
this week, family members said.
Johanna Johnson thought she would die first, not any of her four kids.
"You're not supposed to bury your son. Your son is supposed to bury you," Johnson, 43, said
Sunday. "It isn't supposed to be this way."
She worried about Larry, her third child, the Marine in Afghanistan, the one who loved the
outdoors and a good time and loved his mom so much that he always promised he would
someday make sure she no longer had to work. He would buy her a double-block home in
California, and she would live on one side and live off the rent from the other half.
"I'm 43 and he's acting like I'm 70," Johnson said.
She worried about him the way a mom worries about a son fighting a war a world away, but this
was not supposed to happen.
Two serious-looking Marines are not supposed to come to the door of a tiny, third-floor
apartment on Moosic Street in Scranton to report that your son gave his life in service to his
country.
Last Thursday, they did.
The official Marine version says Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson, 19 , of Scranton, died that day
"as a result of a hostile incident while conducting combat operations in Helmand province,
Afghanistan."
Family members say a Marine who transported his body to the U.S. told them Cpl. Johnson,
trained as a combat engineer whose job was to seek and destroy improvised explosive devices,
was the victim of one himself. He was part of the renewed thrust into Helmand, the United
States' biggest push in Afghanistan since 2001. The goal is to chase away the Taliban.
His funeral will be Thursday or Friday, family members said.
Johanna Johnson was not home when the Marines arrived with the bad news.
She was at work, second day on the job on the assembly line packaging helmet shields at
Gentex Corp. in Simpson where they make the helmets American troops wear in places like
Afghanistan.
Ashley, 21, Larry Johnson's older sister, heard the knock on the door from the bathroom.
It was a hard knock, she remembered.
"Is your mom home?" one Marine asked.
"I went to turn away and I was like, 'Wait, did something happen to my brother?'" Ashley
Johnson asked.
They never actually said Larry Michael Johnson was dead.
"I just knew," Ashley said. "I saw the look in their face that he was dead. I didn't even have to
ask the question."
She broke down. She chokes up re-telling the story.
Her brother, a 2008 Scranton High School graduate, always smiled. He loved to laugh and was
good at breaking the silence when a conversation paused with a joke.
He was no more than 5 feet 7 inches tall, and suggesting Larry Johnson would be a Marine
might bring a chuckle. He enlisted in October 2008 only two weeks after surprising his mother
with his decision.
His father, an Army veteran also named Larry Johnson, would do his best to get his son to bulk
up by lifting weights, but pictures show a skinny kid. In a senior prom picture, he has a barely
visible pencil-thin mustache.
His sister Ashley always wanted to take care of him.
He wanted to care for animals. As a 10-year-old, he dreamed of being a veterinarian. He owned
an unnamed python and could draw highly detailed pictures of animals. Outdoors, he snowboarded, skied, water-skied, camped, rode all-terrain vehicles and liked to party, family
members said. Though he was underage, he liked a beer or two now and then.
"The transformation that these Marines did to Larry was something," said Jeff Whitney, Johanna
Johnson's boyfriend, whom Cpl. Johnson viewed as a stepfather. "Not that he was a bad kid,
don't get me wrong. But he was headed in the wrong direction, hanging around with
knuckleheads. He was headed straight to jail. I kept on him every time. I kept on his butt."
The Marines did the rest. His Marine pictures show a boy turning into a man, with wider biceps
and a more rugged look.
He gained respect for others, family members said, always answering, "Yes, sir" or "No, sir."
After being deployed to Afghanistan in October, he talked about how he would no longer take
life for granted.
At Christmas, he sent his mother a deep fryer and a crock pot he bought online from Wal Mart.
On patrol, he would sometimes call her via a satellite phone, sometimes when he should not
have.
"He'd be out on a mission and he would call me," Johanna Johnson said. "He always worried
about his mother."
The last three weeks, well before he died, he did not call. It is now apparent to family members
that he could not because the mission was being planned, and secrecy was essential.
"I was stressing over my phone not ringing," Johanna Johnson said. "I kept saying 'Why isn't he
calling me? I wish he would call me.'"
bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com
Lance Cpl Larry Michael Johnson
February 19th, 2010
Born: March 22, 1990 in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Died: February 18, 2010 in Helmand, Afghanistan
Lance Cpl. Larry M. Johnson of Scranton, Pennsylvania graduated in 2008 from
Scranton High School where he was a polite, friendly student who looked forward to
joining the Marines. He enlisted the following October. He was a laid back kid who
enjoyed hanging out with his friends watching MTV. He also enjoyed snowboarding,
swimming, boating at Lake Wallenpaupack, knee boarding, playing Little League,
Teener League at the Minooka Little League, dancing and singing with his friends.
He never seemed to get mad, ever. He went through his share of troubles in life
and never did let things bring him down. He was always with a smile on his face.
Larry died at age 19 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province,
Afghanistan. He was born the son of Larry Johnson and Johanna Thomas Johnson.
He is also survived by his stepfather, Jeffery Whitney; a brother, Matthew, two
sisters, Janis and Ashley, a stepsister, Melissa, and his paternal grandfather, James
H. Johnson among others. Larry was a member of Divine Mercy Parish. His Awards
and Decorations include, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Marine
Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign
Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea
Deployment Ribbon and Rifle Sharp Shooter Badge.
Marines
2nd Combat Engineer Battalion
2nd Marine Division
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Burial is at Cathedral Cemetery in Scranton, Pennsyvalnia
Scranton Marine Larry Johnson laid to rest
BY MEGAN REITER (STAFF WRITER)
Published: February 28, 2010
Butch Comegys / times-shamrock newspapers Two Marines guard the casket of Lance Cpl. Larry M.
Johnson, 19, of Scranton on Saturday. Johnson was killed Feb. 18 serving with the Marines Corps in
Afghanistan.
Doubled over in grief, Johanna Thomas Johnson clutched a single red rose and an American
flag as she leaned over the casket that held the body of her 19-year-old son, Lance Cpl. Larry
M. Johnson.
Friends, family and dignitaries gathered at Divine Mercy Parish on Davis Street on Saturday to
bid farewell to the slain Marine from South Scranton.
"He gave his life for this county and for freedom and for the way we live," said the Rev. Francis
L. Pauselli, who served as principal celebrant. "He followed a dream, he became a Marine, and
he served this county wonderfully and beautifully."
Johnson died Feb. 18 as a result of a hostile incident while conducting combat operations with
the U.S. Marines in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, officials said. His body was laid to rest
Saturday in Cathedral Cemetery, following a Mass of Christian Burial at the church.
Johnson's body traveled about 9,000 miles from Afghanistan to return to his home in Scranton,
Pauselli said, but now the 19-year-old's soul is in "God's Kingdom," where there is "no more
war, no more explosives, but only happiness and joy forever."
The young man was baptized and took his first Holy Communion in the same church, formerly
known as St. Joseph's, so it's only fitting the Marine's casket lay in peace near the church's altar
the night before his funeral, said Pauselli, who celebrated the Mass along with Diocese of
Scranton Bishop-elect Monsignor Joseph Bambera and the Rev. Stephen Stavoy.
White-gloved hands clasped behind their backs, two Marines stood guard over Johnson's
casket in the church, while a single pillar candle flickered above. At 10:30 a.m., the church bells
began to toll and two other Marines stepped forward, saluted one another, and began to fold the
flag that had been draped over Johnson's casket.
Johanna Johnson, 43, wept throughout her son's funeral. The family sat close together,
comforting one another with heads bowed amid sobs.
During the sign of peace - normally a time when handshakes are exchanged during Mass - the
Johnson family instead embraced on another. Fellow mourners clutched tissues in their fists
and blotted their tears.
The eulogy was given by Johnson's sister Ashley Johnson, 21, and Jeff Whitney, Johanna
Johnson's boyfriend, whom Larry viewed as a stepfather.
"Larry is the child I never had," Whitney said. "He is the best stepson any man could ever ask
for."
Whitney remembered a child who was always concerned about animals, loved drawing and
music and, most of all, his family.
"Larry always worried about his whole entire family," Whitney said, "but the love for his mother
was unconditional."
mreiter@timesshamrock.com
At one point, Whitney said he was concerned Larry was choosing the wrong path in life.
"I had faith that it would change, and it did," Whitney said.
The young man he considered a son was proud to be a Marine. Johnson enlisted in October
2008, the same year he graduated from Scranton High School. Larry became a lance corporal
on Dec. 1 and was trained as a combat engineer whose job was to seek and destroy improvised
explosive devices.
"Last but not least, Lance Cpl. Larry Michael Johnson gave the ultimate sacrifice for our
freedom and his county," Whitney said.
As the Scranton High School Advanced Chorus sang "God Bless the U.S.A." a slideshow
played on television screens in the church with images of the flag and military personnel. The
slideshow ended with Johnson's photograph and the entire crowd of about 350 on its feet.
Attendees included U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty and state Rep. Kevin
Murphy, D-Scranton.
At the cemetery, Johnson received full military honors, including a three-volley rifle salute. Two
Marines presented American flags that had covered Johnson's casket to his mother and his
father, Larry Johnson.
Taps rang out, then one by one, members of Johnson's family approached his casket to place a
red rose on the smooth gray surface.
"I love you," Johanna Johnson said, leaning down to kiss her son's casket, her voice that of a
mother whose heart has been broken.
mreiter@timesshamrock.com
Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy
Hometown: Claysville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 24 years old
Died: April 27, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th
Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Incident: died April 27, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using
small arms fire near Quarando Village, Afghanistan.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Army Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy
Remember Our Heroes
Army Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy, 24, of Claysville, Pa.
Sgt. Kennedy was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat
Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died April 27, 2010 near Quarando Village,
Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
A flag outside American Legion Post 639 in Claysville is flying at half-staff today for Army Sgt.
Nathan Kennedy, a third-generation soldier and high school wrestling star who was killed this
week during combat operations in Afghanistan.
"Nathan was a typical 24-year-old. He liked to party; he enjoyed people; he had such a smile.
He loved life," his aunt, Jane Kennedy, said Wednesday at her Claysville home, adorned with
an American flag and yellow ribbon.
Soldiers arrived at the home of Nathan Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, late Tuesday
afternoon to tell him that his son had been killed, she said.
"Nathan was a wonderful boy, very smart, very intelligent, very good-looking," said his
grandmother, Mary Lou Kennedy, who shares her home with Jane Kennedy. "He was never in
trouble, no drugs, no nothing; just a good hometown boy."
Nathan Kennedy of Claysville, a 2004 graduate of McGuffey High School, would have turned 25
on May 5. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., which bills itself "The Best 'Hometown' in
the Army."
He enlisted four years ago, saw combat operations in Iraq and had just re-enlisted for another
four-year term, his aunt said.
The women said Kennedy, a trained sniper and Army Ranger, was deployed to Afghanistan on
June 5 and was scheduled to return to the United States in two weeks.
"I think he felt very strongly about doing something positive with his life," said Gary Six, a
family friend.
"Nathan never really said why he joined the Army. That's what he wanted to do," Jane
Kennedy said. "His grandfather, Henry, was in the military, and my brother was in Vietnam."
"He called his dad every week, sometimes twice a week," Mary Lou Kennedy said. "Once in
awhile he'd call, and you'd hear gunfire in the background, but he'd never talk about it."
The Kennedys are a close-knit family who gather every Sunday for dinner at Grandma's house.
"He rarely called me Grandma. He usually called me 'Mary Lou' just to torment me. I loved it.
That's just the kind of kid he was," Kennedy said of Nathan Kennedy.
Six said Kennedy shared his love of wrestling with his father, vice president of the McGuffey
Wrestling Boosters.
"He was the (WPIAL) section champ his freshman, sophomore and junior years. He didn't
wrestle his senior year because of a serious knee injury," Six said.
Kennedy won the PIAA Southwestern Regional championship in the 135-pound weight class in
his junior year and advanced to the PIAA Championships in Hershey.
He also wrestled with national freestyle wrestling teams during the summer, often traveling
to places such as Fargo, N.D., to compete, Six said. "He was a darn good wrestler, that's for
sure."
The last time Kennedy saw his family was in February when he came home for a week or so
when his twin sister, Noelle Pattison, gave birth to her first child, Emily.
"A lot of times when he came home, he spent much of it with his buddies and friends," Jane
Kennedy said. "This time he spent a lot of time with the family. It was nice."
Kennedy was devastated when his mother, Penelope, died nine years ago. Her birthday was
April 27, the same day his family learned of his death.
"I think he took it the hardest," Mary Lou Kennedy said. "She's buried in Claysville Cemetery.
Now he'll be buried right beside her."
His father and sisters were in Delaware last night to await the return of his body. The family
hopes to conduct services at the Post 639 hall.
American flags and yellow ribbons waved outside the Claysville, Washington County, home of
Mary Lou Kennedy as the news that her grandson had been killed in Afghanistan was still
setting in.
"I couldn't believe it. It's just … unbelievable," said Kennedy.
"That's when it'll hit me, when I see his body," said Kennedy. "It hasn't sunk in yet. You just
can't believe that he's gone."
Kennedy will receive full military honors and will be buried in Claysville Cemetery in
Washington County next to his mom, who died nine years ago from cancer.
Army Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy was killed in action on 4/27/10.
Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy
April 30th, 2010
Born May 5, 1985 in Claysville, PA
Died Apr. 27, 2010 in Afghanistan
Sgt. Nathan Patrick Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army on November 28,
2005, and was assigned to Fort Carson in March of 2006. He deployed to Iraq from
October 2006 to December 2007. In June of 2009 he deployed to Afghanistan
assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th
Infantry Division, from Fort Carson. He died of wounds sustained when enemy
forces attacked his unit using small arms fire near Quarando Village, Afghanistan.
Nathan’s military awards include: 2 Army Commendation Medal’s, 2 Army
Achievement Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with
Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon,
Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantry Badge and
Expert Infantry Badge. Nathan was the third generation of his family to serve in the
military.
Army
An Army carry team carries the transfer case containing the remains of Army Sergeant Nathan
Patrick Kennedy of Claysville, Pa., upon his arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Del. on Thursday,
April 29, 2010. The Department of Defense announced the death of Army Sergeant Nathan
Patrick Kennedy who was supporting Operation Eduring Freedom, in Afghanistan
Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13494 http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 350-10
April 30, 2010
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy, 24, of Claysville, Pa., died April 27, of wounds sustained when enemy
forces attacked his unit using small arms fire near Quarando Village, Afghanistan. He was assigned to
2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson,
Colo.
For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719- 526-7525;
after hours 719-526-5500.
Fallen Carson soldier was due home this month
April 30, 2010 4:05 PM
LANCE BENZEL
THE GAZETTE
A Fort Carson soldier with less than a month remaining in a yearlong tour in Afghanistan was
shot to death Tuesday while on a patrol, family members said.
Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy, 24, of Claysville, Pa., was reportedly the only person wounded in the
attack. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat
Team, 4th Infantry Division.
“He was just a typical American boy,” said his grandmother, Mary Lou Kennedy, also of
Claysville. Family members said he was set to return to Colorado on May 25.
Kennedy was a 2004 graduate of McGuffey High School in Claysville, where he was a standout
on the wrestling team.
He joined the Army after attending one semester of college and deciding it wasn’t for him, Mary
Lou Kennedy said.
Family members said he flourished in the service, earning a coveted Ranger tab and completing
the Army’s sniper school. He is a two-time recipient of both the Army Commendation Medal and
the Army Achievement Medal. Kennedy re-enlisted in November with the goal of joining the
Special Forces.
Despite his accomplishments, Kennedy kept the war stories to himself, changing the subject
when anyone asked about Afghanistan or his previous 14-month tour in Iraq, from 2006 to 2007.
“He was just doing what he thought was right for the country,” said his father, Joe Kennedy of
Claysville.
He is also survived by two sisters and a brother. His mother, Penelope Kennedy, died in 2001.
The family last saw Kennedy in February. He passed up the chance to take leave from
Afghanistan over Christmas so that he could be home for the birth of his twin sister’s first child in
Pennsylvania, his grandmother said.
Mary Lou Kennedy said her grandson was a prankster who used to disguise his voice when he
called from Afghanistan, sometimes posing as a salesman. She never let on that her caller ID
always gave him away.
“That’s the kind of kid that he was – happy-go-lucky,” she said.
This was the second report of a Fort Carson death in Afghanistan in two days.
Sgt. Grant A. Wichmann, 27, of Golden, died Saturday at the Walter Reed Army Medical
Center, Washington, D.C. after a March 12 gunfire attack at Outpost Bari Alai, Afghanistan.
The 3,500-soldier 4th Brigade Combat Team began returning this week and should be back on
post by mid-June, Fort Carson said. The brigade has accounted for 45 of the 49 Fort Carson
deaths in Afghanistan so far. Two hundred and fifty six soldiers have died in Iraq.
Another Fort Carson soldier dies of wounds
Friday, April 30, 2010 at 12:12 p.m.
Read more: Local, Military, Soldier Killed, Afghanistan, Died of Wounds, Fort Carson
FORT CARSON, COLO. -- The Department of Defense announced Friday the death of a soldier
who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy, 24, of Claysville, Pa., died April 27, of wounds sustained when enemy
forces attacked his unit using small arms fire near Quarando Village, Afghanistan. He was
assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry
Division, Fort Carson.
Kennedy joined the U.S. Army in November 2005. He joined his current unit in March 2006. He
was previously deployed to Iraq from October 2006 to December 2007, and deployed to
Afghanistan with his unit in June 2009.
Kennedy was an infantryman. His awards received include: Army Commendation Medal - 2,
Army Achievement Medal - 2, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star,
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon,
NATO Medal, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge.
Austin H. Gates Benson
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13502http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 359-10
May 04, 2010
DOD Identifies Air Force Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, of Hellertown, Pa., died May 3 of injuries sustained
from a non-combat related incident near Khyber, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 54th Combat
Communications Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
For more information related to this release, please contact the Robins Air Force Base public
affairs office at 478-926-2137.
Austin H. Gates Benson
A transfer case containing the remains of Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson sits on a
loader Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of
Defense, Benson, 19, of Hellertown, Pa., died May 3 of injuries sustained from a non-combat
related incident near Khyber, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark
Services set for Airman Austin H. Gates Benson, who died
in Afghanistan
By Express-Times staff
May 06, 2010, 10:52AM
Austin H. Gates Benson was a 2008 graduate of Saucon Valley High School.
memorial service for Airman First Class Austin H. Gates Benson will be held
Friday, May 14, in Hellertown.
Gates Benson, 19, of Hellertown, died Monday in Afghanistan.
An informal gathering to celebrate his life will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. May 14
at Heintzelman Funeral Home Inc., 326 Main St. Burial will be private at
Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Gates Benson was a 2008 graduate of Saucon Valley High School. The cause
and manner of his death have not been released, but his death was described
by the U.S. Department of Defense as a noncombat incident while stationed
near the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan.
A memorial scholarship in his name is being established in the Saucon
Valley School District, the funeral home said. The family asks that in
lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the scholarship fund.
Checks may be made payable to the Saucon Valley School District care
of Heintzelman Funeral Home, 326 Main St., Hellertown PA 18055.
Gates Benson was assigned to a combat communications unit and was attached
to the 54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins Air Force Base in
Georgia. This was his first tour of duty in the war.
Gates Benson joined the Air Force shortly after graduating high school in June
2008.
Surviving are Gates Benson's mother, Joie M. Gates, of Hellertown, and her
partner, Christopher F. Verone, of Warminster, Pa.; his father, Frederick J.
Boenig and his partner, Janice E. Johnson, of Emmaus; Frederick's former wife,
Victoria V. Boenig, of Hellertown; a half-brother, Search D. Willson, of
Hellertown; maternal grandparents Milo E. and Lois Benson, of Oak Harbor,
Wash.; and his paternal grandmother, Elaine L. Blair, of Flemington.
Air Force Airman Austin Gates Benson's remains arrive in
Delaware - UPDATE
By Express-Times staff May 04, 2010, 9:05PM
AP PhotoAirmen carries a transfer case containing the remains of Airman 1st
Class Austin H. Gates Benson at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
Joie Gates' bags sat on the living room floor of her Hellertown home this
afternoon as she waited for U.S. Air Force airmen to pick her up and drive her
to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Gates' son, Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, an airman first class, died in
Afghanistan Monday from injuries suffered during a noncombat incident,
according to the Department of Defense. Air Force officials said no further
details were available.
His casket arrives tonight in Dover, Gates said.
"Every child is a loss, and I can't say mine is a greater loss than anyone
else's," Gates said, "but I never expected it. He will be sorely missed."
Gates Benson graduated from Saucon Valley High School in June 2008 and left
for basic training a month later. He was assigned to a combat communications
unit, Gates said, in the Khyber Pass at a place called Torkham along the border
between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
It was his first tour of duty, Gates said, and he volunteered for the assignment.
"He was really proud to serve his country," Gates said.
Three airmen arrived at her home Monday, Gates said, and were directed to the
car dealership where she works in Flemington. She said watching the men come
in through the door was every bit as awful and heart wrenching as it is depicted
in movies.
Austin H. Gates Benson
"They aren't there to tell you how great they think your son is,"
Gates said.
Former Saucon Valley High School principal Todd Gombos said Gates Benson
was an independent thinker, an advocate for others and just a good kid.
"He was the kind of man who was going to do things," Gombos said. "He
was going to make his own path in life."
Gates last spoke to her son in late April and he told her that he felt humbled by
his interactions with Afghans, many of whom live in abject poverty.
"He said, 'Mom, I will come back and always be grateful for everything
we have because these people have nothing,'" she said.
Gates said arrangements are being made with a Hellertown funeral home to
hold a memorial service, but details were not finalized.
Memorial planned for fallen airman
Service for Austin H. Gates-Benson will be held next Friday in Hellertown
MAY 7, 2010
Friends and family will gather to remember fallen Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates-Benson
next Friday in his hometown of Hellertown.
Gates-Benson, 19, died Monday as a result of a noncombat incident in Afghanistan. Air Force
officials have declined to give any other details on his death.
He graduated from Saucon Valley High School in 2008, joined the Air Force and was assigned
to the 54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. at the Heintzelman Funeral Home, 326 Main St.,
Hellertown. Gates-Benson will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
He is survived by his mother, Joie M. Gates, and her partner, Christopher F. Verone, of
Warminster Township, Bucks County. He is also survived by his father, Frederick J. Boenig, and
his partner, Janice E. Johnson, of Emmaus, and Boenig's former wife, Victoria V. Boenig of
Hellertown.
Besides his parents, he is survived by his half-brother, Search D. Wilson of Hellertown, and
grandparents Milo E. Benson and Lois Benson of Oak Harbor, Wash., and Elaine L. Blair of
Flemington, N.J.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Saucon Valley School District, where a
memorial scholarship has been set up in Gates-Benson's name. Checks can be made to SVSD
in care of the Heintzelman Funeral Home.
––Veronica Torrejón Copyright © 2010, The Morning Call
Robins airman dies in Afghanistan
by GENE RECTOR
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE - A 19-year-old Robins Air Force Base airman who lost his life
in Afghanistan on Monday was called an "independent thinker, an advocate for others and
just a good kid" by his former high school principal.
Educator Todd Gombos' comments were included in an Express-Times Web site article on
Tuesday. The Express-Times covers the greater Bethlehem, Pa., area.
The Defense Department announced late Tuesday that Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates
Benson of Hellertown, Pa., died of non-combat injuries in an incident near Khyber,
Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins, a
subordinate unit of the 5th Combat Communications Group and the 689th Combat
Communications Wing on base.
The 689th is an element of Air Force Space Command. The 54th CCS specializes in
establishing and maintaining tactical communications often in remote, isolated locations
around the world. The Robins unit has been heavily tasked throughout the continuing war
on terror in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Robins spokesman John Birdsong said no additional details were immediately available on
the fatal incident. Also, comments from base officials or word of an on-base memorial
service have not been issued.
According to the Express-Times, Benson graduated from Saucon Valley High School in
June of 2008 and left for Air Force basic training a month later. Benson's mother, Joie
Gates, said she spoke to her son in April. "He said he was humbled by his interactions with
Afghans," Gates is quoted by the Express-Times. "He said, mom, I will come back and
always be grateful for everything we have because these people have nothing."
Local Airman Dies In Afghanistan
Matt Roth | Web Producer
Posted: 1:51 pm EDT May 4, 2010Updated: 5:44 pm EDT May 4, 2010
http://wfmz.img.entriq.net/htm/PopUpPlayerv4.htm?articleID=1387608&v=b
KHYBER, Afghanistan -- A local member of the U.S. Air Force has died in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department announced today that Airman First Class Austin H. Gates Benson of
Hellertown, Northampton County died Monday of non-combat related injuries he suffered near
Khyber, Afghanistan.
Benson, 19, was assigned to the 54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins Air Force
Base in Georgia.
His body is scheduled to arrive tonight at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the Air Force said.
"I realized when they bring that casket off that plane my heart will just break in a million pieces,"
Benson's father, Fred Boenig, wrote on his Facebook page. "I won't be the first parent to feel
this way... I just wish I was the last."
Boenig also wrote about how much he appreciates the outpouring of support.
Benson was a 2008 graduate of Saucon Valley Senior High School.
Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson, 19, of Hellertown, Pa., died May 3 of injuries
sustained from a non-combat related incident near Khyber, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the
54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
Copyright 2010 WFMZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
Austin Gates-Benson
Saucon Valley High School graduate is Afghan war casualty
May 05, 2010|By Veronica Torrejón and Devon Lash | OF THE MORNING CALL
As a boy, Austin H. Gates-Benson always fought for what he believed in. He grew to be
a man who believed in and fought for his country.
He died on Monday. The 19-year-old Hellertown native was serving in the U.S. Air
Force in Afghanistan. He had been injured in a non-combat-related incident near
Khyber, according to the Department of Defense. Air Force officials did not have any
additional information to release Tuesday, saying only that the death is under
investigation.
Airman 1st Class Gates-Benson was assigned to the 54th Combat Communications
Squadron at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
Airman 1st Class Austin Harper Gates Benson
May 4th, 2010
Born: June 17, 1990
Died: May 3, 2010 in Afghanistan
Airman 1st Class Austin H. Gates Benson of Hellertown, Pennsylvania is a 2008
graduate of Saucon Valley Senior High School where he stood out as a leader
among his peers. Intelligent and articulate, he lobbied for student rights at the
school on behalf of the student body. A month after graduation he left for basic
training. Austin is the son of Joie Gates, who was devoted to her only child. It was
through her that he developed a sense of right and wrong, and he never wavered
from standing up to his beliefs. Even at his young age he had matureness about
him and a quiet determination. Austin also like to play computer games and was
quite good at building computers as well. While serving his first tour of duty, an
assignment that he volunteered for, he died at age 19 of injuries sustained from a
non-combat related incident near Khyber, Afghanistan. He leaves behind his
mother, Joie M. Gates, and her partner, Christopher F. Verone, his father, Frederick
J. Boenig and his partner, Janice E. Johnson, Frederick’s former wife, Victoria V.
Boenig, a half-brother, Search D. Willson, maternal grandparents Milo E. and Lois
Benson and his paternal grandmother, Elaine L. Blair.
Air Force
54th Combat Communications Squadron
Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia
Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman
Hometown: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 28 years old
Died: May 18, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army, Special Troops Battalion, V Corps, Heidelberg, Germany
Incident: Died in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked
their convoy with a vehicle-borne makeshift bomb.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13544http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 412-10
May 19, 2010
DOD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of five soldiers who were supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom. They died May 18 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy
forces attacked their convoy with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
Killed were:
Col. John M. McHugh, 46, of New Jersey, assigned to the U.S. Army Battle Command Training
Program, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.;
Lt. Col. Paul R. Bartz, 43, of Waterloo, Wis., assigned to Headquarters, 10th Mountain Division
(Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.;
Lt. Col. Thomas P. Belkofer, 44, of Perrysburg, Ohio, assigned to Headquarters, 10 th Mountain
Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.;
Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman, 28, of Waynesboro, Pa., assigned to Special Troops Battalion, V
Corps, Heidelberg, Germany; and
Spc. Joshua A. Tomlinson, 24, of Dubberly, La., assigned to Special Troops Battalion, V Corps,
Heidelberg, Germany.
Staff Sgt. Richard James Tieman of Waynesboro is killed in Kabul suicide
bombing
By Denise Bonura
The Record Herald
Wed May 19, 2010, 11:09 AM EDT
Staff Sgt. Richard James Tieman, 28, of Waynesboro was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday during the
deadliest attack on NATO forces this year.
A newlywed, he was serving his third tour of duty in the war zone.
“He served with U.S. Army Europe and was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany,” his father, Richard, said
through tears this morning in his North Grant Street home. “Four other soldiers from his unit were
killed. He was the detachment NCO for Lt. Gen. (David) Rodriguez,” who directs the day-to-day
operations of coalition forces across Afghanistan.
The U.S. Department of Defense had not released the names of the other soldiers before press time this
morning.
Tieman was in charge of the convoy and only had two months left before he returned home for at least
three years. He was sent to Afghanistan in August 2009. His family will fly to Dover, Del., tomorrow
when his remains are to be returned to the United States.
A suicide bomber detonated his vehicle near the U.S. convoy around 8 a.m. Tuesday, according
to The Associated Press. Eighteen people — five American troops, a Canadian soldier and 12
Afghan civilians — were killed and 47 were wounded. The vehicle was packed with 1,650
pounds of explosives, the AP said.
The Kabul attack was the heaviest loss of life for NATO in a single attack in the capital since
Sept. 17, when a suicide car bomber killed six Italian soldiers. For U.S. forces, it was the
bloodiest day since Oct. 27, when nine Americans died in separate attacks in central and
southern Afghanistan.
Tieman was born on an Army base in November 1981. His father was a master sergeant with the
U.S. Army and served in the military for 25 years.
“He was young when his father served in the first Desert Storm,” his mother Diane said.
Family tradition
Tieman joined the military to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“He was a patriot who loved his country. He loved doing what he did,” his father said.
Tieman, who attended Waynesboro schools, joined the Army in 2000 and was first stationed at
Fort Hood, Texas, according to his family.
He then was stationed in Bamberg, Germany, and at Fort Riley, Kan. He was first sent overseas
for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and was there until 2004. He then served from 2006 to 2007 and
returned for the third time in August 2009.
He and Staff Sgt. Paulina Tieman were married in April and had planned a large wedding this
December when they both returned home. Paulina is currently stationed at Fort Riley.
“He was a great friend and a great soldier,” best friend Toby Ditch of Waynesboro said. “He said
his privilege was to serve his country.”
Sorely missed
Tieman’s family and friends are mourning a “very outgoing and very well-liked” man, Diane
said.
The front room of their Waynesboro home features smiling pictures of Richard and his 17-yearold brother, Tyler, fishing.
“He was very well-loved,” Tyler, a junior at Waynesboro Area Senior High School, said before
breaking into sobs.
His father said Tieman loved to play football, lift weights and hang out with his friends.
“He was an all-around great guy,” added Ditch, who has known Tieman since they were
teenagers. “Anytime I’d call, he’d be there for me. No matter what we did, we had fun. He lived
his life. There was never a dull moment.”
---The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Staff Sgt. Richard James Tieman
Waynesboro soldier dies in Kabul, Afghanistan
By ROSCOE BARNES III Staff writer
Retired Master Sgt. Richard Tieman Jr. of Waynesboro served in casualty assistance, a job
through which he visited families with news of a soldier's death. He said he was hardly prepared
to receive news Tuesday of his son's death.
Tieman's son, Staff Sgt. Richard James Tieman, 28, was one of five soldiers killed Tuesday in a
blast from a suicide car bomb in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to his father. The blast came
from a car with 1,700 pounds of explosives, he said.
"I've done casualty assistance work," he said. "When you're on the other side of the fence, it's
quite disturbing. Everybody is coping as well as you'd expect under the circumstances."
Tieman was apparently in charge of a convoy as it was passing the embassy when the suicide
bomber set off the bomb, according to Bob Harris, director of Franklin County's Veterans Affairs
office.
Tieman's dad said the young man was serving with USAREUR headquarters and was responsible
for the security of headquarters personnel. He was shuttling them from base to base.
Tieman, a newlywed, was set to return home in two months, and begin training to become a drill
sergeant in Fort Jackson, S.C., his dad said. With 10 years in the military, he was planning to do
20 years total and retire, he said.
The last time Tieman and his dad spoke was on Friday.
According to his dad: "He talked about coming home. He'd planned to go to Australia for their
honeymoon."
The family is expected to travel to Dover
Air Force Base in Delaware today when the soldier's body returns, according to Harris.
Harris said he was shocked by the news: "It was déjà vu all over again. I had just gone over to
get grave markers. I had just counted them for the Persian Gulf and the War On Terrorism."
Harris said he was thinking, "I hope I don't have to order markers. We've been lucky so far."
Then he received a call from a reporter about a casualty from Waynesboro.
His family and friends remember him as a great guy.
The soldier was "full of life, fun to be around, easy going, and he loved his country," his brother,
Tyler, said.
"He liked playing sports, fishing, lifting weights and occasional drinking, the things that other
young people typically do," said his dad.
Tyler said he was a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tieman and his wife, Paulina, had just married in April. She's still in the Army, stationed at Fort
Riley in Kansas.
He was planning to come home for a visit, his dad said.
Tieman's assignment was his third for combat duty, according to his dad. He said that when he
thinks about the sacrifices made by his son and other soldiers, he realizes it is their duty.
"My uncle was in World War II, the Korean War, and then Vietnam," he said. "Some of these
guys are doing more tours of duty than my uncle."
Toby Ditch of Waynesboro said he was Tieman's best friend.
"We met on the streets as kids," Ditch said. "We did all the things that kids do. We kept in
touch."
Ditch said Tieman was a "great individual, who was fun to be around." When he walked into a
room, everyone knew it, he said.
"We grew up together. I watched him grow up. He was a young punk boy and then he became a
man in the service," Ditch said.
Tieman's dad said the last time he saw his son was in July. At the time, they met in Germany.
They used to go fishing together each year.
--Roscoe Barnes III can be reached at 262-4762 or rbarnes@publicopinionnews.com.
FREEDOM REMEMBERED
Staff Sgt Richard James Tieman
May 20th, 2010
Died: May 18, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania joined the Army at age
18 and served two tours of duty in Iraq, followed by the one in Afghanistan that
began in August of 2009. He had been based in Germany, when there was a call for
additional troops and he was sent to Afghanistan. Richard had recently married
Paulina, who is also a Staff Sgt in the Army. He enjoyed fishing, family BBQ’s and
playing Guitar her with his brother for hours on end. He was set to return stateside
in two months, and would have begun training to become a drill sergeant in Fort
Jackson, South Carolina. With 10 years of military already behind him, he was
planning to do 20 years total before retiring. He died at age 28 in Kabul,
Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their convoy with a
vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. He is the son of Diane and Richard
Tieman an the brother to Tyler.
Army
Special Troops Battalion
V Corps
Heidelberg, Germany
Waynesboro soldier's stepmother heartbroken over news of
his death in Afghanistan
By ROSCOE BARNES III Staff writer
Diane Tieman, the stepmother of Staff Sgt. Richard James Tieman who was killed
Tuesday in Afghanistan, said she knew something was wrong when the family was
contacted by a military chaplain.
"My heart broke," she said. "I kind of guessed it. The chaplain did not have to tell
me that he was dead. I knew it."
The U.S. Department of Defense has released the names of all five of the soldiers
who were killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring
Freedom. According to DOD: "They died of wounds suffered when enemy forces
attacked their convoy with a vehicle -borne improvised explosive device."
In addition to Tieman, DOD reported those killed included Col. John M. McHugh, 46,
of New Jersey, assigned to the U.S. Army Battle Command Training Program, Fort
Leavenworth, Kan.; Lt. Col. Paul R. Bartz, 43, of Waterloo, Wis., assigned to
Headquarters, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; Lt. Col.
Thomas P. Belkofer, 44, of Perrysburg, Ohio, assigned to Headquarters, 10th
Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Spc. Joshua A. Tomlinson,
24, of Dubberly, La., assigned to Special Troops Battalion, V Corps, Heidelberg,
Germany.
Tomlinson and Tieman were assigned to the same unit.
Diane, who lives in Waynesboro, said she had raised Richard from the age of 5.
When his father, retired Army Master Sgt. Richard Tieman Jr., was away serving in
Desert Storm, she and the children stayed at Fort Bragg, N.C., Diane said.
"He was my stepson, but felt like my son," she said. "He was an all-out great guy.
He loved his job and he loved his family."
Diane is the manager of the Rite Aid store in Waynesboro. She and the soldier's
father are now divorced.
She took a photograph of Richard in his uniform and placed it on the counter where
she works. Customers come in and share in her grief. They offer condolences, and
some of them bring flowers, she said.
"Some of them look at the picture and ask questions," she said. "One of the girls
(employees) said, 'It's the manager's stepson.' They give me their regards and
their sympathy."
Richard's dad, Richard Tieman Jr. of Waynesboro, went to Dover Air Force Base
Thursday to receive the remains of their son. He was joined by Tyler, the soldier's
brother, and Paulina, the deceased soldier's widow and also a soldier herself,
stationed at Fort Riley, Kan.
According to Diane, she received a text message from Tyler on Thursday stating
they were headed to the ceremony that would be held to honor the soldier. Details
on the local arrangements for the memorial service were still being worked out,
Diane said.
Sgt. Tieman had just married in April and was planning to return to the United
States in a couple of months to begin training as a drill sergeant, according to his
dad. His dad said he was proud to be serving his country.
---------Roscoe Barnes III can be reached at 262-4762 or rbarnes@publicopinionnews.com.
Condolences: Diane Tieman, stepmother of fallen soldier Richard Tieman, displays his picture
with her at work Thursday. (Public Opinion/Ryan Blackwell)
Family, friends and fellow troops share memories of the late Staff Sgt.
Richard James Tieman, who was killed Tuesday in a suicide bombing in
Kabul, Afghanistan
Family, friends and fellow troops share memories of the late Staff Sgt. Richard
James Tieman, who was killed Tuesday in a suicide bombing in Kabul,
Afghanistan
Richard James “Rick” Tieman poses with his Giutar Hero.
By Denise Bonura The Record Herald Sat May 22, 2010, 07:52 AM EDT
Waynesboro, Pa. Staff Sgt. Richard James “Rick” Tieman never backed down from anyone or anything. He fought
for his country and stood up for what he believed in.
His family laughed and cried Friday as they shared memories of the fallen soldier at their North
Grant Street home.
Tieman was killed Tuesday when a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan,
during the deadliest attack on NATO forces this year.
“After the invasion a woman came up to me and told me if it wasn’t for my son, her husband
wouldn’t be alive,” his father, Richard L. Tieman, said. “Every night my son’s unit went out to
clear the roads and it was extremely dangerous. They were under fire one night and my son
ripped the door off the Humvee and carried her husband to safety when he got wounded. She was
so thankful for him.”
Richard said his son never complained about the difficult things he had to do while fighting in
the war in Iraq.
Tieman was ending his third tour of duty overseas when he was killed. He would have returned
home in two months. Four other American soldiers — a full colonel, two lieutenant colonels and
a specialist — a Canadian colonel and 12 Afghan civilians were also killed in the blast.
His family is still in the process of planning a funeral and will announce arrangements soon.
Tieman’s remains are still in Dover’s mortuary where they will be readied for his trip home. The
family plans to bury him in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where other family
members who served in the military are buried.
Wonder years
Tieman’s father smiled as he recounted stories from his son’s younger years on the Army base
when Richard himself was in the military.
“When we’re running (drills) in the Army, one of us will take the flag and run it around the unit
as fast as we can. One time I was running the flag and Richard was right along with me. When
we were in formation, my commanding officer asked who the small soldier was running with
me. He said, ‘He’s a bit small, but he’s ready!’ Another officer told him it was my son and he
looked at me and said, ‘You’re training him well!’”
When Richard was 8, he told Gen. Gary Luck at Fort Bragg, N.C., he had big muscles for an old
guy. His father said it was a long-standing joke between them.
“I couldn’t believe he just said that to a three-star general!” he said.
‘Real go-getter’
His family remembers the soldier as a “gregarious, outgoing, enthusiastic, patriotic young man.”
“He liked taking charge. He was a real go-getter,” his father said. “He wasn’t one of those guys
that liked to sit in the house. He liked to go out and do something.”
Tieman would do anything for his family and friends and stood up for them any chance he got.
“I think he would have fought anyone’s battle, even if he didn’t know them,” his mother Diane
said.
The group laughed at Tieman’s obsession with keeping his teeth clean and with the video game
“Guitar Hero.”
Tieman joined the Army in 2000 and was first stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He then went to
Bamberg, Germany, before Fort Riley, Kan., where he met his wife, Staff Sgt. Paulina Tieman.
He was first sent overseas for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and was there until 2004. He served in
Iraq from 2006 to 2007 and was then stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, with U.S. Army Europe.
He deployed the third time in August 2009. He has been awarded with numerous medals,
including the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, Operation Iraqi Freedom with
two bronze stars and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
“He was so brave,” Paulina Tieman said through tears.
Tieman was set to return home in two months to finish planning his Florida Keys wedding and
Australian honeymoon. The couple were married in a civil ceremony in April. He planned on
becoming a drill instructor at Fort Jackson, S.C.
“I talked to him for about an hour last Friday,” Richard Tieman said. “We talked about him
packing up his stuff and coming home, the wedding and Australia.”
Richard last saw his son in July 2009 when he and Tieman’s 17-year-old brother, Tyler, visited
for two weeks before Tieman’s deployment.
Maj. Stewart Upton, public affairs officer to the commander of the International Security
Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan, said Tieman was a great guy.
“He was a kind spirit who had a great sense of humor while doing his job serving his country and
working towards a better Afghanistan,” Upton said.
Sgt. Raymond Henry was stationed with Tieman in Germany and said he would miss his friend,
who was the only other Philadelphia Eagles fan on base.
Plenty of support
Tieman’s father, brother and wife were at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Thursday when his
remains were flown to the U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
and the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Armed Forces, was in attendance.
“They consoled us and Admiral Mullen said if we need anything at all, we can contact him
directly. It was rather in-depth,” his father said.
“Even though it was very painful, the ceremony was so professional. It was so amazing that in
such a sad situation, they made sure we knew we were in their thoughts and prayers.”
Tieman’s father, who served as a paratrooper and military policeman with the Army for 25 years,
said his former soldiers were also at the ceremony guarding his son’s casket.
“They let us know that they are thinking about us over there. It’s very heartfelt that everyone’s
that concerned,” he said.
Spc. David “Stretch” Gartner, who served with Tieman’s father, wrote the following message to
the family on The Record Herald’s Web site:
“To MSgt Rick Tieman (retired) and family. On behalf of all your former soldiers at the 572nd
MP Company please accept our prayers and sympathies at your great loss and sacrifice. It has
been almost 25 years since we all served together, but time will not break the bonds of
brotherhood we formed. We are still with you and your son’s legacy will be remembered for
even longer. May peace find your family soon.”
The Waynesboro community has rallied around the family. Flags were hung along Main Street
this morning, Tieman was recognized at the Brothers of the Brush annual barbecue fundraiser in
the Kmart parking lot today with area government and emergency services personnel present. He
will also be included in the town’s Memorial Day celebration May 31. The family appreciates all
of the support it has received since learning the grim news.
The Tiemans are taking the soldier’s death one day at a time.
“Those guys are over there fighting for these small towns and dying for them. That’s what
Richard did, he died to protect this country,” his father said, tears welling in his blue eyes.
Pennsylvania
Waynesboro, Pa., soldier killed in Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman ‘liked being a soldier’
By JENNIFER FITCH
MAY 19, 2010
waynesboro@herald-mail.com
WAYNESBORO, Pa. — A 28-year-old soldier from Waynesboro was killed Tuesday in
Afghanistan when a suicide bomber targeted a NATO convoy in Kabul.
Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman was one of five U.S. troops killed in the attack that
claimed 18 lives, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.
"He liked being a soldier. He loved the Army," his father, Richard Tieman, said
Wednesday.
The family moved around the country during the elder Richard Tieman's military
career. They settled in Waynesboro more than a decade ago, giving the highenergy teenager an opportunity to attend local schools and make friends in town.
"Whenever I think about him, I get a big ol' smile on my face," Toby Ditch said of
his best friend.
Tieman joined the Army when he was 18 and served two tours of duty in Iraq,
followed by the one in Afghanistan that started in August. He had been based in
Heidelberg, Germany, when there was a call for additional troops and he was sent
to Afghanistan.
"His responsibility was providing security for the senior officers at the
headquarters," his father said.
Tieman's family said he shared the bad feeling they all had about the third
deployment. They said something felt amiss as they traveled to the airport to say
goodbye.
Despite that feeling, Tieman was able to enjoy a rest and relaxation leave for a
couple of weeks this spring. He used the time to marry a fellow soldier he had
dated for a few years.
Staff Sgt. Paulina Tieman and her husband were planning a bigger wedding
ceremony for December in Florida.
Tieman was eager to return to the United States in July and start new duties as a
drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, S.C., his father said.
Richard's mother, Diane Tieman, said she and her older son bonded greatly when
her husband was serving in Desert Storm. The boy, who always served as a mentor
to his brother, Tyler, enjoyed a variety of activities, she said.
As an adult, Tieman liked to spend his down time fishing or participating in raucous
barbecue parties at the family home. He and Tyler, 17, would engage in marathon
sessions of the Guitar Hero video game.
"We just got together and did crazy stuff," Ditch said, saying he watched military
service transform his friend from a boy to a man.
Ditch said his friend talked only once about the friends he had lost in Iraq, but he
could tell it weighed heavily on him.
"He said, 'That's my job. That's what I signed up for,'" Ditch said.
Tieman's father and brother will reunite with Paulina Tieman today at Dover Air
Force Base when his body is returned to the United States. The family intends to
bury him at Arlington National Cemetery.
Diane Tieman said her son will be remembered as an "all-out great man who loved
his country, his family and was always there when you needed him."
Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield
Hometown: Hastings, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 22 years old
Died: June 8, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Sgt Derek L. Shanfield
June 9th, 2010
Born: April 27, 1988 in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Died: June 8, 2010 in Helmand, Afghanistan
Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield of Hastings, Pennsylvania graduated in 2006 from Cambria
Heights High School where he was a popular student and in that National Honor
Society. A natural athlete, he enjoyed swimming, running track and soccer. Derek
and his twin brother, Devin joined the Marines together in September 2005. Both
were stationed at Camp Lejeune, although in different units. A third brother, had
enlisted in the Marines in 2001. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant on April
2, 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in
May 2010. His awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and Global
War on Terrorism Service Medal. He is the son of David and Pamela Shanfield, and
also has two sisters, Jessica and Allison. He died at age 22 while supporting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Sgt. Zachary J.
Walters.
Marines
2nd Battalion
6th Marine Regiment
2nd Marine Division
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Mourning the loss of a Hastings hero
POSTED: June 13, 2010
The area has lost another hero.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield of Hastings was killed Tuesday during
combat operations in Afghanistan's violent Helmand province.
Derek had been in Afghanistan less than a month after being deployed out of Camp
Lejeune.
Shanfield was a 2006 graduate of Cambria Heights School, where he left a legacy
as an outstanding student, a multi-sport athlete and a leader admired by his
community .
Shanfield enlisted into the Marines in 2005 and was promoted to sergeant in April.
He was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service
Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal for previous service and deployments, including Cuba.
The list of area casualties who have been lost during Operation Enduring Freedom
and Operation Iraqi Freedom is chilling - a total of 21 from Blair, Cambria, Centre,
Bedford and Clearfield counties.
Derek is the first service member from Cambria County to die in Operation
Enduring Freedom, and according to officials in the Hastings-Patton area, he is the
first Hastings man to die in combat since the Vietnam War.
He comes from a family of military servants.
His two brothers - older brother Sydney and Devin, who is Derek's twin - both are
serving in the Marines.
It's especially difficult to lose a son and a brother, let alone a twin brother.
As the town of Hastings and surrounding communities mourn, funeral arrangements
remain in the works.
The Shanfield family has our condolences and our gratitude.
A Marine carry team carries a transfer case containing the remains of Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of
Defense, Shanfield, 22, of Hastings, Pa., died June 8 while supporting combat operations in
Helmand province, Afghanistan
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Our Latest American Hero #142
In the first 12 days of the month of June, 29 American service members have died in the pursuit
of the War on Terrorism.
Marine Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield, 22, of Hastings, Pa.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion,
6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp
Lejeune, N.C.; died June 8 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting
combat operations. Also killed was Sgt. Zachary J. Walters.
"SGT. DEREK L. SHANFIELD'S HEART WAS SET ON SERVICE”
Remembered as a loving son and driven honors student who could have accomplished whatever
he put his mind to in life, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2005 and quickly rose through
the ranks.
And on Tuesday, the 22-year-old Hastings man died a proud Marine, fighting in Afghanistan for
the country he loved, his family said.
"He always knew what he wanted," his mother, Pam, said Thursday, holding back tears on the
front porch of her Hastings home - and with her sons and husband close beside.
The youngest of five children - three of them Marines - it was often Derek who helped the family
get through tough times, she added.
"When his brother [Sydney] left for Iraq, he was there to make me smile," she said, recalling her
son playfully mimicking his older brother's habits in the house. "I remember him telling me, 'It's
so you don't miss him, Mom.'"
Promoted to sergeant two months ago, Derek Shanfield was deployed to Afghanistan in late
May. He was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, II Marine Expeditionary
Force.
A squad leader, he was part of a small advance party that was laying the groundwork for his
infantry unit to take over for a group that was finishing its Afghan tour, said his twin brother,
Cpl. Devin Shanfield.
"Their job was to go over, meet the group they were replacing, get a grasp for the area and meet
people ahead of time," he said.
Tuesday was Shanfield's first day on patrol in the country's war-torn Helmand province, his
father, David, said. The family knows little more and has not yet read the preliminary report on
the incident, he said.
Marine officials said Shanfield died as the result of a hostile incident while supporting combat
operations in the province. Shanfield was serving in one of the most violent sections of a country
that has seen an increasing amount of violence in recent weeks with roadside bomb attacks a
common threat.
It's an environment his oldest brother, Sydney, was familiar with. The Marine sergeant joined
the Corps nearly a decade ago and served three tours in Iraq.
Twins Derek and Devin knew they wanted to follow in his footsteps by the time high school
arrived - even as track and other sports kept them busy, Devin said.
Despite a more than 6-inch height difference - Derek was nearly 6 feet 5 inches tall and stood
over his twin - the pair were much alike, he said.
During boot camp, drill sergeants jokingly dubbed them "Little" and "Big" Shanfield because
their similar names and sprint times were always only a second or two apart.
"We liked to joke around. We made a game out of everything," Devin said, showing a rare smile
behind dark sunglasses. "And when high school came, we enlisted in the buddy program
together in 2005. We went through boot camp together, training secondary school - everything."
Left to Right: Derek, Sydney and Devin Shanfield all Marine Corps members.
"Derek was a top-flight kid," said Cambria Heights High School Principal Tim Laurito, recalling
him as "a leader" among students. Laurito, who has been principal at the high school for 16
years, recalled Shanfield as a student who was both a good athlete and an excellent scholar.
“Derek was 15 out of 126 in his class,” Laurito said. “He was a very strong student and was in
the National Honor Society. He took the college credit classes and had the grades and aptitude
to do whatever he wanted."
The principal said the Shanfield twins were active in track, cross country, swimming and soccer.
“You name it, they did it. They were leaders.” Laurito said many of the school’s alumni are serving in the armed forces.
“We found out last
night before graduation [that Derek had been killed], and our superintendent offered a moment
of silence for all our kids in the military.
We’re very proud that they are serving their country.”
But the school leader could not get over the loss of one so young and so talented.
"He felt very strongly about what he was doing - very strongly about the cause - and paid the
ultimate price for his country," he said.
The family was able to gather one last time in Hastings last month before Derek was quickly
deployed to Afghanistan. His unit was shipped off ahead of schedule, canceling a planned
weekend in California together, his brothers said.
"That was the last we saw him," his father added, moments before they were briefly interrupted
by a friend who came to drop off flowers and condolences.
Neighborhood support has been comforting, the family said. There's also the understanding
Derek died serving his country - a point of pride. Still, it doesn't make it easier, his mother said.
"This is something you never prepare for, you don't even think about it," she said. "You just wait
for them to come home. I always just figured.”
POSTED BY RANDUWA AT 6:01 PM
Fellow Marine, 24-year-old Sgt. Zachary J. Walters, of Palm Coast, Florida died with Derek.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13593http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 475-10
June 09, 2010
DOD Identifies Marine Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were
supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
The following Marines died June 8 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province,
Afghanistan:
Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield, 22, of Hastings, Pa.
Sgt. Zachary J. Walters, 24, of Palm Coast, Fla.
Shanfield and Walters were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on these Marines, news media representatives may
contact the II Marine Division public affairs office at 910-450-6575.
Marine from Cambria County killed in Afghanistan
Friday, June 11, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Marine from Cambria County died Tuesday in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield, 22, of Hastings, died as a result of a "hostile incident" in
Helmand province, the Marines said, but they didn't provide any more detail. Also
killed was Sgt. Zachary J. Walters, 24, of Palm Coast, Fla., according to the
Department of Defense.
Sgt. Shanfield and Sgt. Walters were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Sgt. Shanfield, a graduate of Cambria Heights High School, joined the Marine Corps
in September 2005 with his twin brother, Marine Cpl. Devin L. Shanfield, and was
promoted to sergeant in April. He deployed in May to Afghanistan.
Cambria County Marine Killed In Afghanistan
Updated: 1:56 pm EDT June 10, 2010
Just two weeks after he was deployed to Afghanistan, a Cambria County Marine was killed in battle.
Sgt. Derek Shanfield, 22, of Hastings, was a Marine for four years and was supporting combat operations
in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Prior to his deployment, he had been with a Marine battalion
based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
His mother, Pam Shanfield, said, "I was at work when they came. My husband was home and he
contacted me at work and he told me I needed to come home. At that instant, you knew."
He was one of five children. His mother said Derek's twin brother, Devin, and older brother, David, are
also Marines.
Shanfield was a 2006 graduate of Cambria Heights High School, and principal Tim Laurito said Shanfield
was top-notch in cross county, track, soccer, swimming and tennis. He was also a member of the
National Honor Society.
"We're very proud of him serving our country and obviously giving the ultimate. (He was) just a
wonderful kid, " Laurito said.
Shanfield's body will arrive at Dover Air Force Base on Friday afternoon. His brother said he plans to
make the trip to Delaware and bring his body home.
Funeral arrangements are still being finalized, but his mother said he will be buried at Union Cemetery,
not far from their family.
Stay with WJACTV.com and WJAC-TV News for continuing coverage.
Copyright 2010 by WJACTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.wjactv.com/news/23859596/detail.html
Hastings Marine killed in Afghanistan
By Michael Hasch
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, June 10, 2010
It seemed like Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield was born to be a Marine.
The 22-year-old Cambria County native, who joined the Marines shortly after graduating in 2006
from Cambria Heights High School and recently was given a meritorious promotion, was killed
Tuesday during combat operations in Afghanistan.
"He was truly amazing. He rose up through the ranks very high in a very short time. He was
basically a picture of perfection when it comes to being a Marine," said Shanfield's brother,
Marine Sgt. Sydney David Lee Shanfield.
Derek Shanfield and his twin brother, Marine Cpl. Devin L. Shanfield, joined the corps together
and were stationed with different units in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
"I felt very compelled to take part in everything going on in our country, and both of my brothers
were very proud to follow and do their part as well," said Sydney Shanfield, who joined the corps
in 2001 and has served three tours of duty in Iraq.
"Derek believed in it wholeheartedly, believed in taking care of his Marines. He believed in
everything he was doing."
The three Marines are the children of David and Pamela Shanfield of Hastings, 35 miles north of
Johnstown.
"He was a squad leader. He deployed to Afghanistan earlier than the rest of his unit," Pamela
Shanfield said. "He left May 21 and was just over there for two weeks. Devin was set to deploy
later."
She said she didn't know all the details of what happened to her son.
"All I know is he was out on patrol."
The Department of Defense said Shanfield and Marine Sgt. Zachary J. Walters, 24, of Palm
Coast, Fla., who also was based in Camp Lejeune, were killed in action in Helmand province.
Both were members of 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force.
Shanfield last talked to her son after he landed in Bangor, Maine, while en route to Afghanistan.
"He said the Freeport Flag Ladies took a bunch of pictures and put them on their website,"
Shanfield said, speaking of the group of women from a coastal Maine village who drive weekly
to the airport in Bangor to see the soldiers off or greet them upon their return.
"He said not to worry, 'I'll be fine. I'll be coming home just as good as new.' I told him, 'Keep
your head down and come on home.'"
She said her son -- who has two sisters, Jessica Petro of Maryland and Allison Shanfield, at
home -- enjoyed running cross country and swimming.
"He was a good person. He made people laugh. He was just the kind of person who would
make jokes or do something foolish. He had a lot of friends."
Two Lejeune Marines killed in Afghanistan
Thursday, June 10, 2010
CAMP LEJEUNE (WTVD) -- According to Camp Lejeune officials, Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield and
Sgt. Zachary J. Walters both died on June 8 as a result of a hostile incident while supporting
combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Sgt. Shanfield, 22, of Hastings, Pa., was a squad leader assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine
Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. Shanfield joined
the Marine Corps in September 2005, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant on April 2, 2010.
He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2010.
His awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Sgt. Walters, 24, of Palm Coast, Fla., squad leader assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine
Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, and I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. Walters
joined the Marine Corps in May 2005, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant on August 1,
2008.
He deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2008 to March 2009 and
to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2010.
His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good
Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary
Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
(Copyright ©2010 WTVD-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Sgt Derek L. Shanfield June 9th, 2010
Born: April 27, 1988 in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Died: June 8, 2010 in Helmand, Afghanistan
Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield of Hastings, Pennsylvania graduated in 2006 from Cambria
Heights High School where he was a popular student and in that National Honor
Society. A natural athlete, he enjoyed swimming, running track and soccer. Derek
and his twin brother, Devin joined the Marines together in September 2005. Both
were stationed at Camp Lejeune, although in different units. A third brother, had
enlisted in the Marines in 2001. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant on April
2, 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in
May 2010. His awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and Global
War on Terrorism Service Medal. He is the son of David and Pamela Shanfield, and
also has two sisters, Jessica and Allison. He died at age 22 while supporting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Sgt. Zachary J.
Walters.
Marines
2nd Battalion
6th Marine Regiment
2nd Marine Division
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Family trying to cope with Marine's death
Posted: June 10, 2010 - 2:41pm
By MORRIS NEWS SERVICE
Two days after Marine Sgt. Zachary J. Walters died in Afghanistan, his fiancée and grandmother
are just beginning to come to terms with the tragic event.
The 24-year-old Flagler County native had only been in country 20 days before falling victim to
an improvised explosive device Tuesday. Walters and 22-year-old Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield of
Pennsylvania were leading a patrol of marines and Afghan forces through the Helmand province
when the bomb detonated.
Walter’s fiancée, Victoria Falcon, a daughter of an active Marine, said he was one of the bravest
Marines she’d ever known.
“I’m a military brat, and have lost people I’ve cared about before, but it’s harder to lose someone
when you love them so much,” she said.
His grandmother, Bobbie Walters, said her grandson was more like a son to her.
“He was truly a great kid growing up and was my only grandson,” she said.
After serving in the Marines for five years, he decided to commit another four years, she told
First Coast News.
"He said 'Nana I love it'. He had just re-upped four more years. He wasn't gone two weeks and
could've been out, but he chose to stay," said Walters.
Walters was home in May and had only been deployed for two weeks when he stepped on the
IED.
Falcon said it’s been particularly hard to handle because they just recently had become engaged
and had seen each other less than a month ago. He also had just turned 24.
Walters, who graduated high school in Palm Coast, joined the Marines the day after graduation,
his grandmother said.
He was the squad leader assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental
Combat Team 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, stationed out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good
Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary
Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a Marine spokesman said.
His body will be sent to his family in Texas to buried at the Dallas Fort Worth National
Cemetery, his grandmother said.
His death brings the total dead in Afghanistan to 1,029.
Marine dies in Afghanistan
Young man remembered as perfect gentleman
(Courtesy photo)
Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield of Hastings was killed Tuesday while supporting combat
operations in Afghanistan.
HASTINGS - A local Marine has been killed in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield, 22, of Hastings died Tuesday at a time when U.S. and
allied forces have been under heavy attack in the war-torn country.
Shanfield died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province as part of
the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the Defense Department said
Wednesday night.
Shanfield is the first service member from Cambria County to die as a part of
Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Associated Press reported that at least 17 U.S. service members were killed in
the field since Saturday night. Including Monday when 10 soldiers were killed, this
month has been among the deadliest in the coalition's nine-year war against
Taliban forces.
News of Shanfield's death was spreading through Hastings, where as of Wednesday
night, the VFW Post on Beaver Street had its flag lowered to half-mast.
"I just can't believe it, that somebody I graduated with has died so young," said
Alissa Coposky, 22, of Patton, who was tending bar inside the post.
She and her fiance, Aaron McConnell, also of Patton, said they and the Shanfield
twins, Derek and his brother, Devin, were in the Cambria Heights High School Class
of 2006.
"Devin was always more mellow," Coposky said. "Derek was the one who was
always cracking jokes, always in-your-face kind of funny."
McConnell remembered Derek Shanfield as a classmate who was a swimmer, track
runner and a soccer player.
"He always had something nice to say ... and he was just too young to die,"
McConnell said.
"It is just so sad," Coposky said. "You know what I mean? It's just sad."
Cambria Heights High School guidance counselor Jeff Koss, outside Wednesday
night's Class of 2010 commencement ceremony, said news of Shanfield's death was
very shocking.
"He was very well-liked here and the perfect gentleman of a student," Koss said.
A moment of silence, in recognition of all military personnel, was observed at
commencement after the National Anthem.
Lee Stanek, a former Cambria Heights educator and a neighbor to Shanfield,
remembered him as an active student, an athlete and a "great kid."
"He was bright - a great student and a good young man," said Stanek. "You see it
on TV and you wonder when it's going to be someone you know. When something
like this happens, you just hate to hear it."
Shanfield's family, heartbroken by the news Tuesday, indicated they were not yet
prepared to talk about the matter.
"My heart goes out to his family," Stanek said. "And this is one of those things, in a
small town like this, that will impact just about everyone in some way."
Hastings Mayor Sam Grillo agreed. It's been 40 years or more since the last native
son died at war, he said. "When it happens in a town like Hastings, it hits home for
everyone. Derek was a hometown boy," Grillo said.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert J. Fike
Hometown: Conneautville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 38 years old
Died: June 11, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, Connellsville, Pa.
Incident: Died at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, from wounds
sustained when insurgents attacked their unit using a makeshift bomb.
SFC Robert James Fike
SFC Robert James Fike died Friday, June 11, 2010 in Zabul, Afghanistan, while serving
with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He was born in Jeannette July 23, 1971.
He graduated from Penn-Trafford High School class of 1989, and Edinboro University.
Bob was a highly decorated soldier whose awards and decorations included the
Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Achievement Medal (3rd award), Combat Action
Badge, NATO Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Keystone Freedom Medal, Afghan
Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon. Bob had been a member of the National
Guard (28th Military Police Co.) for 16 years. He was a Pennsylvania State employee
with 13 ½ years of service and had been a Corrections Officer at SCI Albion since 2002, holding the rank
of Sergeant. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time with his
daughter, the love and joy of his life. Bob is survived by his daughter MacKenzie Fike-Bliscik of Meadville,
parents Jime and Chris Fike of Trafford, a brother Christopher Fike (Nicole) of Monroeville, maternal
grandmother Liz Balkovec of Trafford and nephew Tristan and nieces Alexa and Parker. He was preceded
in death by his paternal grandparents Ross and Geraldine Fike, his maternal grandfather Joseph "Shorty"
Balkovec and an Uncle Robert Fike. Family and friends will be received from 2 to 8 PM on Monday and
Tuesday in the Christian Life Church, 900 7th St. Ext. (Rt. 130) Trafford. Funeral services will be at 10 AM
Wednesday in the church with Army Chaplin (LTC) Douglas Etter officiating. Interment with full military
honors will follow in the Cemetery of the Alleghenies, Washington County. In lieu of flowers the family
suggests donations to the SFC Robert J. Fike Fund to benefit Bob's Daughter. Donations can be made
through the family or any Citizens Bank Branch. The John M. Dobrinick Funeral Home Inc., 702 7th St.
(Rt. 130), Trafford, (412)-372-3111 is assisting the family with arrangements.
Published in the Erie Times-News on June 20, 2010
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13603http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 488-10
June 14, 2010
DOD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom. They died June 11 at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, from
wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit using an improvised explosive device. They were
assigned to the 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, Connellsville, Pa.
Killed were:
Sgt. 1st Class Robert J. Fike, 38, of Conneautville, Pa.
Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Hoover, 29, of West Elizabeth, Pa.
For further information related to this release, contact the Pennsylvania Army National Guard
public affairs office at 717-861-8468 or 717-861-8829.
Jun 20, 2010 8:20 pm US/Eastern
Trafford Residents Emotional As Hero Arrives Home
TRAFFORD (KDKA) ―
There was a sad homecoming today for a local hero killed in Afghanistan as dozens of people
lined the streets in his hometown of Trafford to pay their respects.
In the final homecoming for Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike, the slow-moving procession crossed the
Trafford Bridge, and made its way through a big crowd of saluting, flag-waving and tearful
residents.
Sgt. Fike was killed 10 days ago during an attack by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.
"The community coming out was very emotional and very moving," said Linda Novac, a Trafford
resident, "and I'm just thankful for him and all the other soldiers that were kind enough to serve
our country."
Many people in the crowd could not hide their emotions when the hearse brought Sgt. Fike back
home.
"Breaks your heart," said Karen Botti, a Trafford resident. "None of these boys and girls should
ever have to come like this."
"Terrible, just terrible," added Patty Morrocco, another Trafford resident. "It just made my heart
stop; proud of him, of course, but very sad. You just have to cry."
"I couldn't breathe. I was crying," said Trafford resident Rose Schoppbaur. "This is someone I
grew up with, that I knew and he died serving for us."
Because Trafford is a small town, many of the spectators knew Sgt. Fike personally, like 90year-old Concetta Pettinato.
"She said she knew Bob, like a son," said Joe Pettinato, of Trafford. "She's lived here for 20
years and she knew Bob when he was a little kid."
Mrs. Pettinato and her family were among the hundreds of people who lined the streets Sunday
to support their hometown hero and his family.
"It's an indication of small town America, they care about each other," said Sam Severino, a
friend of the family.
"When it comes to something like this, Trafford does stick together," said Mark Kozuba, a
relative. "We do stick together, in this borough."
Sgt. Fike was a highly-decorated soldier, who was serving his third tour of duty. He was also a
loving father, son and brother.
His grandmother and other family members were present when the police-escorted hearse
arrived in town. Christopher Fike said he was touched by the support and the love the
community showed for his brother.
Visitation for Sgt. Fike is scheduled at Christian Life Church in Trafford on Monday and
Tuesday. The funeral service will be held at the church on Wednesday.
Sgt. Fike will be buried at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jun 13, 2010 7:17 pm US/Eastern
Afghanistan Suicide Bombing Kills 2 Local Soldiers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Two soldiers in the Pennsylvania National Guard lost their lives in a suicide bomb attack in
Afghanistan this week, while another was injured.
According to a press release from the Pennsylvania National Guard, the attack happened Friday
in the Zabul province in southeastern Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike, 38, of Conneautville, Crawford County, and Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover,
29, of West Elizabeth were killed in the attack.
They were on foot patrol in the Bullard Bazaar when the attack happened around 10:30 a.m.
Pfc. Anthony Spangler of Howard, Centre County, was injured has since returned to duty.
The soldiers were part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Company C, 1st Battalion,
110th Infantry in Connellsville.
"These were experience soldiers who had done other combat deployments and were dedicated
to serving the nation and the commonwealth," Maj. Gen. Randall Marchi, Commander, 28th
Infantry Division said. "It is a tragic loss and we send our heartfelt sympathies to their families
and friends."
Sgt. Fike, had been deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2002 and Iraq in 2007. He also served as a
corrections officer at the State Correctional Institution Albion.
Sgt. Fike joined the National Guard in 1993 and was awarded several medals including the
Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Global
War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Sgt. Hoover joined the Marine Corps in 1999 and served on active duty until 2004. After several
months in the Marine Corps Reserve, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard in 2005.
During his service he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Pennsylvania
Commendation Medal, Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct
Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, Air Assault Badge and the
Humanitarian Service Medal.
Students at the Elizabeth Forward High School gathered on Saturday and placed a memorial
there for Sgt. Hoover, who was a track coach in the school district.
They are the 35th and 36th soldiers in the Pennsylvania National Guard to have lost their lives
in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Both will also be awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.
Stay With KDKA.com For More Details
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jun 14, 2010 5:07 pm US/Eastern
Brother Remembers Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Sergeant 1st Class Robert Fike's grandfather served in the Navy, his father and three uncles
served in the Army and his own brother was also in the Navy.
So you might say, serving their country runs in the family's blood.
Surrounded by military folks nearly all his life, Christopher Fike of Monroeville said he's used to
dealing with the pain and loss of war.
However, losing his brother is a whole different story.
"With the military, you hear about the war and people dying and you feel sorry for the family
when people die, but when it hits home it's a completely different feeling that you have," Fike
said.
Sgt. Fike had been a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard for 16 years.
He served three tours of duty in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Friday, he was killed in a suicide bombing attack while on foot patrol in Afghanistan.
"He was a great guy. A loving father. He fought for this country. He had great respect for the
country," Fike said.
Sgt. Fike was a graduate of Penn Trafford High School and Edinboro University.
When he wasn't hard at work, he loved to hunt, fish and spend time with his daughter, who is
about to turn 13-years-old.
Sgt. Fike will receive the Purple Heart Medal posthumously and his funeral arrangements are
not yet complete.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
http://kdka.com/local/Bryan.Hoover.killed.2.1751435.html
Jun 14, 2010 6:54 am US/Eastern
Family, Friends Mourn Loss Of Soldier
WESTMORELAND COUNTY (KDKA) ―
Sergeant 1st Class Robert Fike was killed in a suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan on Friday.
The flags at the armory in Westmoreland County will be flying at half mast Monday, but there's a
feeling of overwhelming loss when you ask about Sergeant 1st Class Robert Fike, who lost his
life in Afghanistan on Friday.
"He was a great guy. A loving father. He fought for this country. He had great respect for the
country. He just didn't think what he was doing was wrong," his brother, Christopher Fike said.
Sgt. Fike was a graduate of Penn Trafford High School and Edinboro University. He had been a
member of the Pennsylvania National Guard for 16 years and served in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and
Afghanistan.
He was on foot patrol when he and another soldier from western Pennsylvania were killed, while
a third was injured.
"Nobody wants somebody to die, but if they knew they were going to die, this is the way he
would want to die because he has so much respect for this country. He loves his job. He always
thought he was doing the right thing," Fike said.
Sgt. Fike leaves behind a 12-year-old daughter, who will spend her 13th birthday on Tuesday
without her dad.
His fellow soldiers are now remembering a man who told stories, encouraged others and had
strong convictions.
"Sgt. Fike would always have something good to say, something funny to say to help pick you
up and drive you. Always there," Sgt. Brad Bennett said.
"Sgt. Fike was definitely one of the funniest people I know. Any situation, he could, he would
make light of it," Sgt. Michael McCloskey said.
Sgt. Fike died while providing security in the Zabul province in Afghanistan. He will receive the
Purple Heart posthumously.
"With the military, you hear about the war and people dying and you feel sorry for the family
when people die, but when it hits home it's a completely different feeling that you have. I talk
about these times and it tingles in my body," Fike said.
Sgt. Fike's parents are at Dover Air Force Base making arrangements to bring him home, but
the details are still pending.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Sgt 1st Class Robert J. Fike
June 14th, 2010
Died: June 11, 2010, Afghanistan
Sgt. 1st Class Robert J. Fike of Conneautville, Pennsylvania was a 1989 graduate of
Penn-Trafford High School. He also attended Edinboro University where he earned
his Bachelor’s Degree in organic chemistry in 1992 before joining the Guard in
September of 1993. As a member of the National Guard, he worked since 1995 as a
civilian as a corrections officer at State Correctional Institution at Albion. In the
Guard, he was attached to the 28th Military Police out of Connellsville. He loved the
military and the idea of serving his country. His father, James Fike is a retired
Sergeant Major in the Guard and a veteran of the Vietnam War. His grandfather
served in the Navy, and three uncles served in the Army and his brother also
served in the Navy. Robert had been in Afghanistan since February 2010. He was
there doing provincial reconstruction, seeing what the villages needed. He had
previously served two deployments, one to Saudi Arabia in 2002 and to Iraq in
2007. He loved spending his free time outdoors hunting and fishing with his
daughter, MacKenzie. His awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army
Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary and Service Medals and Iraq Campaign Medal. Robert died at age 38
at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when
insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He will receive
the Purple Heart Medal posthumously.
Army
National Guard
1st Battalion
110th Infantry Regiment
Connellsville, Pennsylvania
June 14, 2010
Conneautville National Guardsman killed in Afghanistan
By Pat Bywater Meadville Tribune
MEADVILLE — “Nobody wants to die,” said Jim Fike, reflecting on his son’s death as the
cameras of WPXI-NBC Pittsburgh captured every word. “Nobody wants to lose their life. But if
he had to do it, this is how he would have chosen to go. He had a great love for this country, a
great respect for this country, and he always felt he was doing the right thing.”
Pennsylvania National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike of Conneautville was killed Friday
while on patrol in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber. The 38-year-old Edinboro University of
Pennsylvania graduate and corrections officer at the state prison in Albion leaves behind a
daughter, Mackenzie Bliscik of Meadville, who is entering seventh grade, and family including
his father and mother in the Pittsburgh suburb of Trafford.
Also killed in the blast was Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Hoover, 29, of West Elizabeth, and numerous
civilians. Pfc. Anthony Spangler of Howard was wounded and has returned to duty.
Fike and Hoover, who will be posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, are the 35th and 36th
soldiers of the Pennsylvania National Guard killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fike is
the second Crawford County resident to be killed serving in Afghanistan and the fourth to die
serving in the Global War on Terror.
Fike was among a group of soldiers on foot patrol in Bullard Bazaar, Zabul Province, when the
attack occurred at 10:25 p.m., according to the Pennsylvania Guard Public Affairs Office. Fike
was a military police officer who worked with the state Guard’s only MP unit based in
Johnstown/Greensburg, according to Public Affairs Officer Maj. Cory Angell. However, since
January of this year Fike was attached to Connellsville-based Company C, 1st Battalion, 110th
Infantry, with a mission of providing security with Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul.
The reconstruction teams assess and address infrastructure problems across Afghanistan in an
effort to stabilize communities. The teams include security details, and it was in that capacity
that Fike was serving when he was killed, Angell explained.
Fike joined Pennsylvania’s Guard in September 1993. In his 16 years of service he completed
two tours, one in Saudi Arabia from 2002 to 2003 and another in Iraq from 2007 to 2008. His
awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Armed Forces
Reserve Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals and Iraq Campaign
Medal.
Fike and Hoover previously served together in Iraq in 2007 and 2008 with the 28th Military
Police Company.
The soldiers’ families were notified of their deaths Friday and authorities released information to
the public late Saturday and Sunday. As word spread, family and friends reflected on Fike’s life
and legacy.
“He was a father,” Jim Fike said of his son in a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper interview.
“He wanted to hunt. He loved to fish, and if he had spare time that’s what he did. He loved being
in the outdoors and loved being with his daughter.”
Friends in Meadville recalled how Fike would have his daughter and her friends enjoy outdoors
activities around his place in Conneautville.
Fellow soldiers stressed Fike’s professionalism and ability.
“I have talked with people who knew him,” said Maj. Angell. “Those who served with him stated
how good a leader he was and how well he took care of the soldiers he supervised. By all
accounts they (Fike and Hoover) were excellent leaders.”
“These were experienced soldiers who had done other combat deployments and were
dedicated to serving the nation and the commonwealth,” said Maj. Gen. Randall Marchi,
commander of 28th Infantry Division. “It is a tragic loss and we send our heartfelt sympathies to
their families and friends.”
Fike’s family met Robert’s body at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday afternoon
when it returned to the United States, according to Robert’s brother, Chris.
Memorial arrangements were not complete as of Sunday night.
“It’s all just been so sudden,” Chris said.
PUBLISHED: JUNE 16. 2010 12:01AM
Our view: Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike makes ultimate
sacrifice
In case we've forgotten, there's a war raging in Afghanistan.
That reality hit home with news that Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike, of Conneautville, in Crawford
County, had been killed in a suicide bombing on Friday.
Fike and Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover, of Allegheny County, were on foot patrol in Zabul, in
southeastern Afghanistan, when a suicide bomber wearing a burqa entered a bazaar. Both
soldiers were with the Pennsylvania National Guard's Company C.
Violence has increased as NATO forces have tried to secure Kandahar, the birthplace of the
Taliban. At least 11 civilians have also died in recent attacks.
But it's the death of Sgt. Fike that puts a face on the war in Afghanistan, just as the death of Sgt.
Donald Oaks Jr., 20, did when the war in Iraq began. Oaks was killed by friendly fire in a
bombing near Baghdad, on April 3, 2003.
Just a few years ago, the war against terrorism dominated the news in this country. Now,
occupied with the recession and the BP oil spill, we tend to forget that Americans are still putting
their lives on the line on two war fronts.
Fike, 38, earned a bachelor's degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a
prison guard at the State Correctional Institute at Albion. His parents, from Trafford, outside
Pittsburgh, went to Dover Air Force Base to meet their son's body.
With 17 years of service in the Pennsylvania National Guard, Fike had completed two previous
tours of duty, in Saudi Arabia and in Iraq, according to news reports about his death.
Jim Fike had to face television cameras after learning of his son's death. "Nobody wants to die,"
he told WPXI in Pittsburgh. "Nobody wants to lose their life. But if he had to do it, this is how he
would have chosen to go. He had a great love for this country, a great respect for this country,
and he always felt he was doing the right thing," he said.
Like the soldiers who died, bereaved family members also are valiant in facing their loss.
According to a news report, this is what the late Sgt. Fike's 12-year-old daughter, Mackenzie,
posted on a Facebook page in memory of her father:
"I need one more hug, I need to hear your voice one more time," she wrote. "You taught me
how to fish, how to ride a four-wheeler, and how to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors. But most
of all, Dad, you were my rock."
Fike's military supervisors praised his dedication. Previously, he had earned the Army
Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service medals and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
He and Sgt. Hoover will be awarded the Purple Heart, posthumously.
Four words from prison guard Mike Prince sum up Fike's life and sacrifice: "A real good soldier."
Amen.
June 16, 2010
Photographer recalls last interactions with Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike
By Pat Bywater Meadville Tribune
Harrisburg — By Pat Bywater
Meadville tribune
Most mornings for about a month, the two were the first to rise, enjoying the relative quiet of the
forward operating base.
As the other men slept and the orange glow of another day broke over the hills of Afghanistan, the two
would try to get online to send a message home. They tried knowing that they probably wouldn’t get an
internet connection in the rough country of rural Zabul Province, and when the computer connection
went down, they pursued a different kind of connection. Alone in those quiet mornings far away from
home, the 31-year-old freelance photographer from Harrisburg and the 38-year-old sergeant from
Conneautville would talk.
“We would talk about home, family, his daughter, hunting and fishing,” said embedded photographer
Dan Shakal. “He really, really missed his daughter.”
Shakal looks back on those conversations now with deep sorrow and a sense of obligation. Sgt. 1st Class
Robert Fike was killed in action last Friday, not long after Shakal left Afghanistan for home. Shakal is
grieving Fike’s loss. He also feels a sense of duty to share his knowledge and his photographs so that the
work of Fike and his fellow Pennsylvania National Guardsmen is understood and respected.
‘A bad neighborhood’
It was clear from the outset that danger was ever-present, according to Shakal. Zabul’s sparse
population, border with Pakistan and proximity to Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold, make it particularly
rough territory. Kandahar in particular has been targeted for the next major offensive by coalition
forces.
During the month Shakal was present, attacks were commonplace and an American officer was killed.
“We watched it (the attacks) escalate over the weeks,” Shakal said. “It’s a bad neighborhood.”
Nonetheless, the Provincial Reconstruction Team was making progress rebuilding the area’s
infrastructure and stabilizing local governments and the services they provide. “They are trying to win
the support of locals,” Shakal explained.
Fike was among the leaders of the Reconstruction Team’s security detail. Missions outside of their
forward operating base ran the gamut from a few hours to overnight.
“It was very interesting to watch them go out on a mission,” Shakal said. “On base they were like regular
guys. But as soon as you got out past the wire it was like a light switch turned on. They were 100 percent
professional. Heads on a swivel.”
“You just have to keep your eyes open — constantly looking all the time,” Shakal said. Even he was on
alert. “It’s draining after a while.”
‘Morale was good’
Fike and Shakal met in January during training before the group deployed to Afghanistan. The encounter
left an immediate impression. Fike “was just one of those guys you just liked instantly,” Shakal said.
During his time with Fike in Afghanistan, Shakal spent every moment with the troops — they ate, slept,
worked and patrolled together. There were no special arrangements for the press. As a result, he got to
see Fike’s leadership and its impact up close.
“He was amazing,” Shakal said of Fike. “The guys respected everything he said. They trusted and liked
him. They were like his kids. They got along so well.”
The bond between troops and officer and the trust extended in that relationship was key to managing
the stress of an environment that demands hyperalertness. Thanks in no small part to Fike, the troops
were in good spirits and retained their focus, Shakal said.
“Everybody was on their A game. They knew what they are doing is important. Morale was good. But I
can’t say what is going on there now.”
Haunting images
One of Shakal’s photographs shows Fike kneeling, pausing during a patrol. Another shows Fike working
with Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Hoover of West Elizabeth. Both pictures were taken in Bullard Bazaar, the spot
where Fike, Hoover and several civilians were killed by a suicide bomber on Friday.
The bazaar is not far from the troops’ base and, as a regional hub, the bazaar was frequently patrolled.
If the pictures had a soundtrack it would be a cacophony of beeping horns, revving engines, raised
voices, pounding, sawing and rumbling machines.
The Bullard Bazaar is a nearly mile-long strip of one- and two-story mud and brick buildings, most with
rollup garage door entryways. They’re swarming with people and bulging at the seams with commerce
ranging from groceries to metalworking shops, Shakal said.
“It’s pretty much like the gathering place where everyone goes and hangs around. There isn’t too much
to do in rural Afghanistan.”
It is also the site of one of the Reconstruction Team’s projects — coordinating the placement of speed
bumps by local contractors.
“The people used to drive through there like Andretti,” Shakal said.
Although the bumps slowed traffic and cut some of the noise, the bazaar, with its warren of shops,
constant movement and crowds, remained one of the most challenging security environments the
troops faced.
“There are so many people,” Shakal said.
Pat Bywater can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at pbywater@meadvilletribune.com.
Meet the photographer
Dan Shakal is not your regular embedded freelance photographer.
The 31-year-old Harrisburg resident had no formal photographic training, media experience or any
prospects of publication the first time he went to Iraq to take pictures of the troops back in 2003.
“I had stopped seeing stuff in the local newspapers about the wars. I thought maybe someone should do
something to get the word out about these guys (U.S. soldiers),” he said.
So he flew to Turkey and caught a cab into the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Up to that point the
furthest he’d been from home was Las Vegas. He didn’t know any Arabic.
Now he’s been to Iraq three times and Afghanistan once, mostly embedded with Pennsylvania National
Guard units. In between he comes home and finds what work he can long enough to fund his next trip.
There’s been no big payoff in taking the pictures, but he finds the work very satisfying.
Once his pictures were featured in a spread by the Patriot-News, and he was still with the soldiers when
their families wrote to them about seeing the pictures.
“The guys were happy and their families were excited and that made me feel really good.”
You can help
A fund to aid the 12-year-old daughter of a local soldier killed in action has been established at
Citizens Bank.
Donations can be made at any branch to the SFC Robert J. Fike Fund, according to Fike’s
brother, Chris. Fike, a Conneautville resident, was on patrol in Afghanistan on Friday when he
was killed by a suicide bomber. His daughter is Mackenzie Bliscik of Meadville.
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), on patrol in the market area of Shajoy, Zabul
Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA) on patrol in the market area of the Shajoy District,
Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), inspecting a rifle cartridge that malfunctioned.
DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), shooting a .50 caliber machine gun at a target on the
mountain side. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA) on right, and CPL Bo Zimmerman, (Duncannon, PA),
on patrol in the market area of the Shajoy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL
SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), searches a vehicle in the market area
of the Shajoy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The
Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), uses a translator to get information
from the locals in the market area of the Shajoy District, Zabul Province,
Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA) DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
CPT Pappas and SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), confiscate an antiaircraft weapon in the market area of the Shajoy District, Zabul Province,
Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), and CPL Bo Zimmerman,
(Duncannon, PA), responding to an IED placed in the road by the Taliban in
the Shajoy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The
Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), at a hospital in the Shajoy District,
Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), searches a local mans compound
after responding to an RPG attack in a village of the Shajoy District, Zabul
Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), pulling security outside of a hospital
in the Shajoy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The
Patriot-News
Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Hoover
Hometown: West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 29 years old
Died: June 11, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, Connellsville, Pa.
Incident: Died at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, from wounds
sustained when insurgents attacked their unit using a makeshift bomb.
Bryan A. Hoover
Bryan A. Hoover
Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Hoover, 29, of the Boston section of Elizabeth Township, died June 11 in the line of
duty in Afghanistan.
He was born April 19, 1981, in Pittsburgh to Melvin "Sam" Hoover and Debra Jean (Bradford) Hoover.
He was a member of the North Street Christian Church in Butler.
He served two tours in the Middle East as a Marine before joining the Pennsylvania Army National
Guard Company C 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry, based in Connellsville.
He was a 2000 graduate of Elizabeth Forward High School where he returned as an assistant track and
cross-country coach. He received an associate degree from the Community College of Allegheny County
and a bachelor's degree in sports management from California University of Pennsylvania, where he
volunteered with many youth sports programs. He also was a volunteer at the Monongahela YMCA.
Surviving are his father, Melvin "Sam" Hoover of West Elizabeth; brothers, Richard M. Hoover of
Whitehall and Ben R. Hoover of West Elizabeth; sister, Samantha M. Hoover of Pittsburgh; grandfather,
Ray Bradford of McKees Rocks; stepmother, Blaina Evans of Buena Vista, Pa.; and his fiancée, Ashley
Tack of Lyndora. He also is survived by many aunts, uncles and cousins.
HOOVER - Visitation for Bryan A. Hoover, who died Friday, June 11, 2010, will be from noon to 3 p.m.
and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday at Paul E. Bekavac Funeral Home, 221 Second St., Elizabeth, Pa.
Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Elizabeth Forward High School Auditorium. Chaplain Russ
Brown and Pastor Robert Huber will officiate. Interment will be at Round Hill Cemetery in Elizabeth
Township.
The family requests donations be made to Patriot Guard Riders of Pennsylvania, 5108 Valley Stream
Lane, Macungie, PA 18062. Visit the funeral home online at www.bekavacfuneralhome.com for more
information.
Published in Butler Eagle from June 19 to June 20, 2010
Staff Sgt Bryan A. Hoover
June 14th, 2010
Born: April 19, 1981
Died: June 11, 2010 in Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Hoover of West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania graduated in 2000 from
Elizabeth Forward High School where he was a member of the track and wrestling
teams. He also loved to play football and hockey. Years later he returned to the
school to share his extensive knowledge as an assistant track and cross country
coach. The students valued his inspirational coaching style and made himself
available to the students who looked up to him. He recently graduated from
California University of Pennsylvania where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in
sports management. Growing up, Bryan enjoyed playing military with his brother,
and he clearly wanted to someday do his part by serving his country. He was
respectful to others and always presented himself as a gentleman. Bryan enlisted in
the Marine Corps following high school where he served a four year enlistment.
During that military stint he served tours in Iraq. He then joined the Army Reserves
including another tour of duty in Iraq. In spite of the dangers, Bryan was proud to
serve his country. His unit deployed to Afghanistan in the fall of 2009. He died at
age 29 at Forward Operating Base Bullard, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained
when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was a
soft-spoken, easy going person and could carry on a conversation with anyone.
Army
National Guard
1st Battalion
110th Infantry Regiment
Connellsville, Pennsylvania
Jun 21, 2010 2:19 pm US/Eastern
Communities Remember Fallen Heroes
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Today is a day of mourning for many people in Pennsylvania after two local service members
were recently killed while serving in Afghanistan.
Gov. Ed Rendell has ordered flags to fly at half-staff today in their honor.
To date, 36 Pennsylvanians have died while fighting in Afghanistan.
Over the last few days, both of their communities have gathered to remember them and love
and support their families.
They were friends and leaders of men in war. They were soldiers, they were Staff Sergeant
Bryan A. Hoover and Sergeant 1st Class Robert J. Fike.
"Nothing but great memories of both of them. They were both great citizen soldiers," Sgt. Lucas
Murtaugh said.
This weekend, these fallen soldiers and veterans of multiple combat tours came home to stay.
"I raised Brian since he was 3-years-old. He was the most kind, gentile individual there ever
was. He loved his fiancé, he loved his track team. He was very into sports. He loved his family,
his brother. Most of all, he loved his country," Elaina Evans said.
Sgt. Hoover was mourned and memorialized in his home town of West Elizabeth. The track
coach and dedicated soldier made his mark on the young by asking them to exceed their own
expectations. He reveled in others' success.
Then there was Sgt. Fike.
"He was an American hero, loving father, son, brother," Chris Fike said.
On Sunday in Trafford, people welcomed him home with flags and tears.
"My nephew and I, we spent a lot of time together. We hunted together. Good friend. It was just
something, you never thought was going to happen.You thought he was indestructible," Mark
Kozubal said.
"Words can't describe. Bob was a wonderful person, great patriot, cared about this country. You
couldn't find anybody with a bad word to say about Bob," Joe Pettinato said.
"It's a sad thing and an amazing thing. These men are out there giving their lives for us," Rose
Schoppbaur said.
By all accounts, they were amazing men. Where most wouldn't venture once, these men went
repeatedly and willingly. Of all the things said of these soldiers and where they came from,
maybe this one sentence says it all.
"Small town America, that's where our heroes come from," Sam Severion said.
Funeral services for Sgt. Hoover are set for Tuesday at Elizabeth Forward High School, while
funeral services for Sgt. Fike will be Wednesday at Christian Life Church in Trafford.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Jun 14, 2010 8:33 pm US/Eastern
Elizabeth Forward Remembers Slain Soldier
WEST ELIZABETH (KDKA) ―
Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover lost his life in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan on Friday.
Related Stories
Another local serviceman has been killed in the line of duty.
Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover's dad has a memory to hold on to – a sweet time last summer with
Bryan and his brothers, fishing for pike on the Pickled River in Ontario.
"He was probably one of the proudest people I know. He was very determined – put 100
percent in everything he did," Bryan's longtime friend Laura Sari said.
Sgt. Hoover died on foot patrol in an attack by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. He was a
much-decorated Marine and then enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
He was 29.
"It meant the world to him," Sari said. "I mean to do that for us and to be over there fighting so
that we could stay safe."
Bryan Hoover was a warrior even before he joined the military as No. 29 on the Elizabeth
Forward football team.
"He was a leader. He liked to lead people to greatness," Jeff Esper, Bryan's former middle
school coach, remembered. "I'm sure that's what he was doing that day."
Outside Elizabeth Forward High School, the flag flutters at half-staff. Bryan was in the class of
2000 and returned to coach track and cross country after getting his degree in Sports
Management at California University of Pennsylvania.
Under a tree, a spontaneous memorial is growing. The kids he coached, like James Krznaric,
cannot fathom the loss.
"I was just really upset because Coach Hoover – I mean, he was too good of a guy for this to
happen," he said.
Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover served three tours of duty.
"And he came back safe already how many times," Sari said, "and you never think he's gonna
not come back."
The Elizabeth Forward Warriors Baseball Team had a moment of silence in Sgt. Hoover's
memory before their big game Monday night.
Funeral arrangements are being worked out between the Bekavac Funeral Home in Elizabeth
and the Army. They are not complete.
Sgt. Hoover is survived by his dad, Sam; two brothers, Rick and Ben and his sister, Samantha.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover lost his life in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan on Friday.
http://kdka.com/local/Bryan.Hoover.mourned.2.1749195.html
Daniel Shakal, The Patriot-NewsStaff Sgt. Bryan A. Hoover of West Elizabeth, left, and Sgt.
1st Class Robert J. Fike of Conneautville, shown patrolling in the Shajoy District, Zabul
Province, Afghanistan, were killed in a bomb blast Friday.
SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville, PA), holds a ladder while SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West
Elizabeth, PA) stands guard on top of a Hesco barrier. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West Elizabeth, PA), right, on patrol in the Shajoy District, Zabul
Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West Elizabeth, PA) on left, and. SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville,
PA), on patrol in the Shajoy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The
Patriot-News
SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West Elizabeth, PA) on patrol in the Shajoy District, Zabul Province,
Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
Pennsylvania National Guardsman remembers his fellow
soldiers' 'ultimate sacrifice'
Published: Thursday, June 17, 2010, 12:00 AM
2010, 1:18 PM
Updated: Thursday, June 17,
BARBARA MILLER, The Patriot-News
If he hadn't been home in Duncannon on leave from Afghanistan, Cpl. Bo Zimmerman
figures he probably would have been with two fellow soldiers who were killed in a
suicide bomb attack Friday.
Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike, 38, of Conneautville, Crawford County, and
Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover, 39, of West Elizabeth, Allegheny County, were on foot patrol in the
Bullard Bazaar in Zabul province of southeastern Afghanistan when they were killed in the
10:25 a.m. blast, military officials said. Pfc. Anthony Spangler of Howard, Centre County,
was wounded and has returned to duty.
Zimmerman, 37, will attend the funerals of the fallen soldiers before returning to
Afghanistan at the end of June.
He said he’ll give the grieving families a heartfelt message. “Just like every American should
be doing right now, [I’ll be] thanking them for the ultimate sacrifice they made,” he said.
He also expressed hope that the attack is a sign that the Taliban are getting desperate.
“When the Taliban starts blowing up their own people and going after us like they are, we
are doing something right,” he said. “They’re afraid they’re losing control, so they escalate
the violence.”
The soldiers are members of the Guard’s Company C, 1st Battalion of the 110th Infantry,
based in Connellsville. Fike was Zimmerman’s squadron leader, and Hoover was the team
leader of the other unit in the company.
They were part of a security force platoon for the provincial reconstruction team, which is
working to rebuild Afghanistan’s infrastructure and includes engineers, medical personnel,
agriculture experts, civilian affairs experts and security personnel.
Zimmerman said Fike and Hoover might have been dealing with a problem when a suicide
bomber walked up to them. “I probably would’ve been there with them,” he said.
Officials said there are unconfirmed reports that the suicide bomber was wearing a robelike
garment over his bomb vest.
It’s difficult to defend against suicide attacks, Zimmerman said.
“You have a slim chance. You look for bulges under clothing. I always watch people’s hands,
since usually a detonator is held in the hands. You watch for weapons, pressure plate”
improvised explosive devises, he said.
“I knew something was coming, just not this magnitude,” Zimmerman said. “The area has a
lot of insurgents passing through; it’s not far from the Pakistan border.”
The Taliban fire regularly on the unit’s base with mortars and rockets, he said.
He described Fike, a corrections officer at the State Correctional Institution at Albion, as “a
good dad, a professional soldier. I learned so much from him being my squadron leader. ...
He always was keeping me in line with my paper work.”
Zimmerman knew Hoover as a former military policeman in the 28th Infantry, and both
were former Marines. “He was a good tactician,” he said.
Hoover was a track and field coach in the Elizabeth-Forward School District, and he was
engaged to another Guard soldier who is a recruiter in the Pittsburgh area.
Despite the dangerous conditions, Zimmerman said the loss of his fellow guardsman makes
him want to go back to go after the Taliban and make conditions safer.
Zimmerman, a former Harrisburg and Millersburg police officer, said the soldiers’ job is
similar to that of police walking the beat and that the situation in Afghanistan is similar to a
gang threatening a city block.
“The good people want the police, but they are still kind of scared,” he said, adding he
believes a majority of residents support the U.S. troops and the Afghan national police.
A former Marine who served in places such as Cuba and Okinawa from 1992 to 1996,
Zimmerman has served 15 months in Iraq and had a nine-month tour in Afghanistan in
2007-08. He and the others in his unit volunteered and have been in the country since
February.
Zimmerman has had his share of close calls.
In April, he found himself standing on a bomb buried in a mound of dirt. Afghan soldiers
uncovered copper wires coming out of the mound under his feet, and Zimmerman snipped
the wires. They followed the wires 250 yards behind a grassy knob, where there were
batteries connected to a detonator.
“When the [demolition crew] detonated it, it made a pretty big hole,” he said. “Somebody
was looking out for me.”
Zimmerman said he volunteered “because I believe the Afghans can make it, but we got to
put in the time and effort. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I think I can make a
difference and help out the younger soldiers and teach them.”
Zimmerman said he believes the U.S. and its allies can succeed in Afghanistan, but that will
require perseverance. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, who were
sheltering al-Qaida terrorists, after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
“As long as we stay the course. ... If you read books, to win an insurgency, the least
amount of years it has taken is 15 years,” he said. “Anything under is a loss.”
Funeral arrangements have not been announced for Fike and Hoover, said Maj. Cory Angell,
a National Guard spokesman. Soldiers in Afghanistan will hold a memorial service for them
at 2 p.m. Friday, he said.
Also, at the Big 33 football game Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium between Pennsylvania
and Ohio high school seniors, each player will have the name of a fallen Guard soldier on his
helmet.
SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West Elizabeth, PA) on left, and SFC Robert J Fike
(Conneautville, PA), on patrol in the market area of Shajoy, Zabul Province,
Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West Elizabeth, PA) on patrol in the market area of Shajoy, Zabul
Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West Elizabeth, PA) on left, and. SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville,
PA), on patrol in the Shajoy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. DANIEL SHAKAL, The
Patriot-News
SSGT Bryan A Hoover (West Elizabeth, PA) on left, and SFC Robert J Fike (Conneautville,
PA), pulling security outside of a hospital in the Shajoy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan.
DANIEL SHAKAL, The Patriot-News
2 Connellsville-based guardsmen's memorials in
Elizabeth, Trafford
By Tim Puko
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Two Connellsville-based guardsmen who died together as victims of a suicide bombing in
Afghanistan will have public viewing services this week.
Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hoover and Sgt. 1st Class Robert Fike served as military police with the
Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Company C, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry. The sergeants
were on foot patrol the morning of June 11 at the Bullard bazaar in Zabul province in southern
Afghanistan when a suicide bomber detonated explosives, killing at least four and wounding 16.
Hoover, 29, of Lyndora, Butler County, was an assistant track and cross country coach at his
high school alma mater. His public viewing will be from noon to 3 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. today and
Monday in Paul E. Bekavac Funeral Home, 221 Second St. in Elizabeth. There will be a public
memorial service from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at Elizabeth Forward High School.
Fike, 38, of Conneautville, Crawford County, was a corrections officer at SCI Albion in Erie
County. His viewing will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday in Christian Life Church,
Seventh Street Extension in Trafford. A memorial service will be held there at 10 a.m.
Wednesday, followed by a one-hour procession from the church to the National Cemetery of the
Alleghenies in Bridgeville.
Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 24 years old
Died: June 26, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Incident: Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13654http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
No. 548-10
June 28, 2010
DOD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died June 26 while supporting combat operations
in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine
Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact
the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at760-725-6573.
Marine Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey
Died June 26, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom
24, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died June 26 while supporting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
DOD: Marine from Pittsburgh killed in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — A Marine from Pittsburgh has been killed in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department reports that 24-year-old Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey died Saturday while
supporting combat operations in Helmand province.
He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Caskey followed his grandfather, father, mother and two older brothers into the military after
graduating from North Hills High School in 2004.
His family says he was killed when an improvised explosive device struck the vehicle he was
riding in. It was his second tour of duty overseas.
Sgt Joseph D. Caskey
June 28th, 2010
Born: in Germany
Died: June 26, 2010 in Helmand, Afghanistan
Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a 2004 graduate of North Hills
High School where he was athletic and fun loving with a charismatic personality
that seem to draw others in. He was a natural leader. He grew up all over the world
but Pittsburgh was home to his family. Regardless of where he was Joe always
supported his Pittsburgh sports teams the Penguins and the Steelers. He enlisted in
the Marine Corps immediately upon graduation. This was a dream he held on to
throughout his formative years. He hails from a family with a rich history of military
service. His father, Gerald Caskey, is a retired Army veteran and served mostly as a
chaplain’s assistant. His mother, Debra, was an Army photographer, and two
brothers have served in the military, with one brother, Josh, suffering a traumatic
brain injury in 2007 from a suicide bombing in Iraq. And the other brother, Jeremy,
served thirteen years active duty with the Air Force and served as a combat
videographer to document the war in Iraq. Jeremy is currently in seminary studying
to become a pastor. These qualities were not lost on Joseph who had a strong
passion for his country. Six years later he was serving his second tour of duty, the
first being in Iraq in 2008. And Joe knew that his upcoming deployment to
Afghanistan would be dangerous and was aware that he was going into a situation
where he might not return. Before the deployment in April of 2010, he went
through a year of intensive mountain and desert training with his 50 member
convoy, which he commanded. He was offered a potentially safer job at the main
base of Afghanistan after his training, but he wanted to be with his men who he had
trained with. He died at age 24 while supporting combat operations in Helmand
province, Afghanistan.
Marines
3rd Battalion
1st Marine Regiment
1st Marine Division
I Marine Expeditionary Force
Camp Pendleton, California
Burial will be at Unity Baptist Cemetery in Harlansburg, Pennsylvania
Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey
Sgt. Joseph Caskey
Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey, U.S. Marine Corps, 24, of West View died June 26 while proudly serving his
country in Afghanistan.
He was the beloved son of Gerald and Debra (Davis) Caskey; brother of Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Caskey U.S. Air
Force, of Kentucky; Staff Sgt. Joshua Caskey, USMC, of California; and John Caskey of Alabama; and
grandson of Dorothy and the late Joseph Davis and the late John and Berna Lee Caskey.
Joseph was a 2004 graduate of North Hills High School.
CASKEY - Friends of Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey, who died Saturday, June 26, 2010, will be received from 2 to 4
and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 5, at the H.P. BRANDT FUNERAL HOME INC., 1032 Perry Highway, Ross
Township, 412-364-4444. Additional visitation will be from 10 a.m. until time of service at 11 a.m.
Tuesday at the Unity Baptist Church of Harlansburg, 304 Old Route 19, New Castle, PA. 16101.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church, the Semper Fi Fund or the Wounded Warrior
Project.
Information also is available at www.brandtfuneralhome.com.
Published in Butler Eagle from July 1 to July 4, 2010
A Marine carry team loads into a transfer vehicle a transfer case containing the remains
of Marine Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey Monday, June 28, 2010 at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
According to the Department of Defense, Caskey, 24, of Pittsburgh, died June 26...
Born: February 2, 1986
Died: June 26, 2010
http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignitymemorial/obituary.aspx?n=
Joseph-Caskey%2C+USMC&lc=7414&mid=4302747
Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey, USMC, 24, of West View, died Saturday, June 26, 2010, while proudly
serving his country in Afghanistan. He was the beloved son of Gerald and Debra (Davis)
Caskey; brother of Tech Sgt. Jeremy Caskey, USAF, of Kentucky, Staff Sgt. Joshua Caskey,
USMC, of California, and John Caskey, of Alabama; and grandson of Dorothy and the late
Joseph Davis and the late John and Berna Lee Caskey. Joseph was a 2004 graduate of North
Hills High School. Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at the H.P.
BRANDT FUNERAL HOME INC., 1032 Perry Highway, Ross Township, 412-364-4444.
Additional visitation from 10 a.m. until time of service at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Unity Baptist
Church of Harlansburg, 304 Old Route 19, New Castle, PA 16101. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made to the church, the Semper Fi Fund or the Wounded Warrior Project.
www.brandtfuneralhome.com.
Sergeant Louis R. Fastuca
Hometown: West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 24 years old
Died: July 5, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat
Team, Camp Ederle, Italy
Incident: Died at Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents
attacked his vehicle with a makeshift bomb.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13682http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 578-10
July 06, 2010
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Louis R. Fastuca, 24, of West Chester, Pa., died July 5 at Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan,
of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was
assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Camp Ederle,
Italy.
For more information, the media may contact the U.S. Army, Europe, and Seventh Army public
affairs office at 011-49-6221-57-8694 or ocpa.pi@eur.army.mil.
Soldier from East Goshen dies in Afghanistan
Published: Thursday, July 08, 2010
By DAN KRISTIE, Staff Writer
A 24-year-old soldier from East Goshen died in Afghanistan on Monday as the result of injuries
he sustained when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb planted by insurgents, the
Department of Defense announced Tuesday.
Spc. Louis R. Fastuca, who graduated from Malvern Preparatory School in 2004, joined the
Army in 2006. He is one of two soldiers from the region who were killed in Afghanistan since
the start of July.
The other is Pfc. David A. Jefferson, 23, of Philadelphia. Jefferson, an army medic, was killed on
July 2 in Kabul, also by a roadside bomb. The U.S. death toll in Afghanistan surpassed 1,000 on
May 18.
As part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Fastuca was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd
Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which was based out of Camp
Ederle, Italy. He was killed in the town of Abdulhamid Kalay, the Department of Defense said.
Fastuca's friends remembered him as a man of integrity and honor. William Rogan Shaw, who
has known Fastuca since high school, called him "one of the most kind, good-natured characters
you would be happy to meet."
Father Jim Flynn, who served as Malvern Prep's assistant head of school at the time Fastuca
attended, said that Fastuca had "heart and honor" and was "very intense, capable of great focus."
"He didn't live on the surface of life," Flynn said.
"There was a depth to him."
Friends said that Fastuca loved hockey and played on Malvern Prep's ice hockey team. And, they
said, he played piano in the school's liturgical music group.
After Fastuca graduated high school, he attended Temple University for a year and then took a
job in construction, friends said. But, they said, it was clear the Army was his calling.
"When he joined the armed services, he found his niche," Flynn said. "Any time he was home, he
stopped by the school. He just glowed with pride that he was able to serve his country. It was a
very big and important thing for him."
Shaw said that the Army helped bring out Fastuca's potential.
"He was so talented on so many levels," Shaw said. "I don't think he realized his abilities, but the
Army helped him realize what he had. He was the type of person you wanted to be around
because he was a good man."
Fastuca is survived by his mother, Monette; his father, Robert; two younger brothers; and his
fiancéee, Ashley Wilcox. They were not immediately available for comment.
Shaw described the relationship between Fastuca and Wilcox as loving and happy.
"Lou made Ashley's eyes smile," Shaw said. "When she would talk about him while he was
away, she would perk up and her eyes would smile. He made her happy, and she made him
happy."
Fastuca's body was flown to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday afternoon. His family has not
yet announced funeral arrangements.
Upon learning of Fastuca's death, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a retired three-star admiral whose
congressional district includes the Fastuca family's East Goshen home, said of Fastuca:
"By his courage and selfless sacrifice, Louis reflects what is truly great in each of us and our
nation. I extend my prayers and thanks to Louis' parents for raising such a wonderful son and to
his other family and friends who helped him grow into a strong good man."
To contact staff writer Dan Kristie, send an e-mail to dkristie@dailylocal.com.
Jul 7, 2010 8:14 am US/Eastern
2 Area Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS3/AP) ―
Pfc. David A. Jefferson of Philadelphia was killed July 2 in Afghanistan.
CBS
Two soldiers from the Philadelphia area have died while supporting Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan.
Pfc. David A. Jefferson of Philadelphia was killed July 2 when his patrol encountered an
explosive device in Afghanistan.
Pfc. Jefferson was an Army Combat Medic assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
The 23-year-old entered the Army in July 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell in February 2009.
He had been in Afghanistan for approximately 45 days.
"I saw the guy at the door and I knew what that meant. Once you open the door, reality hits. I
opened the door, he came in, we sat down and talked. It hurt. I was angry," said Jefferson's
father James Lyles.
Jefferson's awards and decorations include: National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan
Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas
Service Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification: M4, expert.
Jefferson is survived by his wife, Darniece T. Melton-Jefferson; a son, Ian of Philadelphia; and
his father.
It is the second time that tragedy has struck for the family this year. Back in February,
Jefferson's mother passed away.
In addition to Pfc. Jefferson's passing, Spc. Louis R. Fastuca, 24, of West Chester, Pa., died
July 5 at Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his
vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Spc. Fastuca was assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade
Combat Team, Camp Ederle, Italy.
http://cbs3.com/local/Philadelphia.David.Jefferson.2.1790486.html
Soldier from East Goshen killed in Afghanistan
Published: Wednesday, July 07, 2010
By DAN KRISTIE, Special to the Times
A soldier from East Goshen was killed during fighting in Afghanistan, the Department of
Defense announced Tuesday.
Spc. Louis R. Fastuca, 24, died Monday at Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered
when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Fastuca, who graduated from Malvern Preparatory School in 2004, joined the Army in 2006. He
was assigned to 1st Battalian, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team,
Camp Ederle, Italy, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
William Rogan Shaw, a friend of Fastuca's, remembered Fastuca as "one of the most kind, good
natured characters you would be happy to meet.
"He was so talented on so many levels," Shaw said. "I don't think he realized his abilities, but the
Army helped him realize what he had. He was the type of person you wanted to be around
because he was a good man."
Shaw said that he and Fastuca ate lunch together every day at Malvern Prep and served together
in the school's liturgical music group.
Shaw said that Fastuca was engaged to Ashley Wilcox.
"Lou made Ashley's eyes smile," Shaw said. "When she would talk about him while he was
away, she would perk up and her eyes would smile. He made her happy, and she made him
happy."
U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a retired three star admiral whose district includes Faustica's home,
released the following statement following Faustica's death:
"Today, I was reminded again of the greatness of our nation and the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. I was informed that on July 5th in Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan Specialist
Louis Fastuca of West Chester, Pa., gave his life for us and for future generations of Americans.
By his courage and selfless sacrifice, Louis reflects what is truly great in each of us and our
nation. I extend my prayers and thanks to Louis' parents for raising such a wonderful son and to
his other family and friends who helped him grow into a strong good man. I offer my
condolences and support to the Soldiers of D Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment,
173rd Airbourne Brigade Combat Team who stood by Louis through the tough times as well as
the good and will miss him deeply."
7/9/2010 - A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Spc. Louis R. Fastuca of West Chester,
Pa. at Dover Air Force Base, Del., July 7, 2010. Fastuca was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry
Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. He died July 5 at Abdulhamid Kalay,
Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive
device. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Minto)
July 09, 2010
American Heroes: Two from Area KIA Fighting in Afghanistan
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. David Jefferson, 23, of Philadelphia, died July 2 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries
sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Louis R. Fastuca, 24, of West Chester, Pa., died July 5 at Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan,
of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat
Team, Camp Ederle, Italy.
Sgt. Louis R. Fastuca
Posted on Tue, Jul. 20, 2010
Sgt. Louis R. Fastuca | Services set
A Funeral Mass for Sgt. Louis Robert Fastuca will be said at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 21,
at SS. Peter and Paul Church, 1325 Boot Rd., West Chester. Friends may call from 2 to 8
p.m. Tuesday, July 20, and from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, July 21, at the church. Burial
will be in St. Agnes Cemetery, West Chester.
Sgt. Fastuca, 24, was killed Monday, July 5, in action in Warduk, Afghanistan, while serving
with the 503d Army Infantry Regiment. He had been deployed to Afghanistan in December.
He was promoted from specialist to sergeant posthumously and was awarded the Bronze
Star and a Purple Heart.
Sgt. Fastuca joined the Army in April 2006 and completed basic training at Fort Benning,
Ga. His first assignment was with the Third Infantry (Old Guard), a ceremonial unit based at
Fort Myer, Va. His family said he considered it a privilege to be in the honor guard at the
Dec. 29, 2006, funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford at Arlington National Cemetery.
A 2004 graduate of Malvern Preparatory School, he grew up in Boston and Pittsburgh before
moving to West Chester with his family in 1998.
At Malvern Prep, he played the piano for the liturgical-music group and was on the varsity
ice hockey team. He also played ice hockey for the Delco Phantoms and basketball for the
SS. Peter and Paul CYO. He attended Temple University for a year, where he played on the
varsity roller hockey team.
During summer vacations, he participated in community-service projects in Mexico,
Appalachia, and Camden.
Sgt. Fastuca is survived by his parents, Robert and Monette Fastuca; brothers Anthony and
Joseph; and grandmother Mary Fastuca.
Keep the politics out of this war and honor our heroes
Published: Saturday, July 10, 2010
Word came earlier this week that Spec. Louis R. Fastuca, a 24-year-old Army soldier from East Goshen,
had been mortally wounded Monday when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb planted by
insurgents. The U.S. Department of Defense announced his death Tuesday.
Fastuca, who graduated from the Malvern Preparatory School in 2004, joined the Army in 2006. As part
of Operation Enduring Freedom, Fastuca was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment,
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which was based out of Camp Ederle, Italy. He was killed in the
town of Abdulhamid Kalay, the Department of Defense said.
Fastuca's friends remembered him as a man of integrity and honor. William Rogan Shaw, who has
known Fastuca since high school, called him "one of the most kind, good-natured characters you would
be happy to meet." The Rev. Jim Flynn, who served as Malvern Prep's assistant head of school at the
time Fastuca attended, said that Fastuca had "heart and honor" and was "very intense, capable of great
focus."
"He didn't live on the surface of life," Flynn said. "There was a depth to him."
His friends said that Fastuca loved hockey and played on Malvern Prep's ice hockey team, and attended
Temple University after graduation. But it was clear the Army was his calling, those who knew him best
said.
"When he joined the armed services, he found his niche," Flynn said. "Any time he was home, he
stopped by the school. He just glowed with pride that he was able to serve his country. It was a very big
and important thing for him."
Shaw said the Army helped bring out Fastuca's potential.
"He was so talented on so many levels," Shaw said. "I don't think he realized his abilities, but the Army
helped him realize what he had. He was the type of person you wanted to be around because he was a
good man."
Fastuca is survived by his mother, Monette; his father, Robert; two younger brothers; and his fiancéeee,
Ashley Wilcox.
Pfc. David Jefferson
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 23 years old
Died: July 2, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st
Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: died July 2 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents
attacked his unit using a makeshift bomb.
http://cbs3.com/local/Philadelphia.David.Jefferson.2.1790486.html
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13681http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
No. 580-10
July 06, 2010
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation
Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. David Jefferson, 23, of Philadelphia, died July 2 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries
sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to
the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Fort Campbell public
affairs office at 270-798-3025.
Posted on Wed, Jul. 7, 2010
Army Pfc. David A. Jefferson, killed in Afghanistan, returns
home
By Robert Moran and Tom Infield
Inquirer Staff Writers
The body of Army Pfc. David A. Jefferson arrived Sunday evening at Dover Air Force
Base, where his father was waiting with another family of a fallen soldier.
"It's a very beautiful ceremony," said James M. Lyles, Jefferson's father. "I really
believe everyone should see it. Things don't actually hit you until you actually see
it."
Nearby, other families were waiting for the next plane landing later that night.
Jefferson, 23, a combat medic from Philadelphia, was killed Friday by an enemy
explosion during a foot patrol in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said
Tuesday.
The Defense Department also announced the death of Spec. Louis R. Fastuca, 24,
of West Chester, who died Monday from injuries suffered from an improvised
explosive device in Afghanistan.
Jefferson was killed in Kandahar when his unit was attacked by insurgents using an
IED, the Defense Department said.
There have been 212 U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan this year, according to
iCasualties.org. There were 317 last year - the worst year for U.S. deaths in
Afghanistan since the war started in 2001.
On Tuesday evening, Jefferson's 2-year-old son, Ian, played on his greatgrandmother's porch on Sparks Street in the city's Ogontz section while family
members recalled David.
Ian had not been told of his father's death.
The family has a deep background in the military. Lyles, 70, who drove to Dover
from his home in Columbia, S.C., and then on to Philadelphia, spent 30 years in the
Army.
Jefferson's brother, William, 28, served in the Air Force. Their mother, Annette
Jefferson, was also in the Army. She was 53 when she died in February of lung
cancer.
Jefferson, born in Philadelphia, followed his father around the country from base to
base, from Durham, N.C., to California, his father said.
He came back to Philadelphia as a teen and attended Lankenau High School. He did
not graduate, but later got his G.E.D., his family said.
He saw his career opportunities were limited and thought the Army would give him
a foundation for something better, his father said.
"It more or less made him into a man," he said.
With his experience as a combat medic, he was considering medical school after his
service, said his maternal grandmother, Mildred Jefferson, 81.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in May.
Jefferson was assigned to the First Battalion, 502d Infantry Regiment, Second
Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based at Fort
Campbell, Ky.
He was married to Darniece T. Melton-Jackson of West Philadelphia.
Fastuca was assigned to First Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne
Brigade Combat Team, based at Camp Ederle, Italy.
Fastuca, who went to Afghanistan with his unit in mid-December, had come home
to Pennsylvania on a two-week leave in May. He spent the time in East Goshen
Township with his parents, Robert and Monette Fastuca, and his two younger
brothers, Joseph, 14, and Anthony, 13.
He left to go back to his base in Italy on June 4. His mother said she was not aware
he was back in Afghanistan until the family was informed of his death on Monday.
Fastuca was a 2004 graduate of Malvern Preparatory School.
After high school, he attended Temple University for a year and then did
construction work, his mother said. He joined the Army in 2006.
Jim Stewart, president of Malvern Prep, said Fastuca had visited during a leave.
"He came by school in his uniform and he told us how happy he was to be in
service," Stewart said.
Contact staff writer Robert Moran at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com.
Friday, July 9, 2010 Posted by Tom Sileo
Camaraderie and tragedy
Image courtesy: U.S. Army
Pfc. David Jefferson, left, and Pfc. John Pardue were friends, former roommates, and brothers in arms.
The 101st Airborne Division medics deployed to Afghanistan in May as part of the 502nd Infantry
Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. The two buddies spent six weeks helping the wounded near the
front lines, until a battlefield tragedy forced one to care for the other.
The Augusta Chronicle has a harrowing account of the July 2 events in Kandahar. According to Chuck
Pardue, an independent state senate candidate in the Augusta, Georgia, area, an improvised explosive
device detonated near his son and Pfc. Jefferson while they were on foot patrol. Despite a badly injured
leg and the possiblity that terrorists would follow the IED attack with small arms fire, Pfc. Pardue knelt
over his friend and frantically performed CPR. Despite his best efforts, Jefferson died from his
devastating injuries.
According to Susan McCord's article, Pardue stayed in Afghanistan long enough to honor his exroommate at a memorial service. He is now flying back to the United States for surgery.
"I feel better now because he's coming home, at least for awhile," [the wounded soldier's father] said.
WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, where Pfc. Jefferson lived, spoke to his father, James Lyles, a Vietnam veteran.
While conveying the overwhelming nature of the pain his family is experiencing, Lyles is praising the
military for its handling of his son's death.
"I want to give them high marks from the time I was notified to the time I got to Dover," James said. "The
team the Army has put together has been nothing but fantastic."
Jefferson's mother, who recently succumbed to cancer, also served in the U.S. Army. While following in
the footsteps of his parents, the decorated soldier had hoped to attend medical school after returning
from his deployment to Afghanistan. Jefferson also leaves behind his wife, two-year-old son, and many
more loved ones and fellow troops.
Pfc. John Pardue will never forget Pfc. David Jefferson or the day he tried to save his life. Hopefully,
while recovering from his injuries, the volunteer warrior's pain will be eased by knowing his friend would
have done the same for him.
Army Pfc. David A. Jefferson, killed in Afghanistan, returns home
July 09, 2010
American Heroes: Two from Area KIA Fighting in Afghanistan
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. David Jefferson, 23, of Philadelphia, died July 2 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries
sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Louis R. Fastuca, 24, of West Chester, Pa., died July 5 at Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan,
of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat
Team, Camp Ederle, Italy.
Spec. Jesse D. Reed
Hometown: Orefield, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 26 years old
Died: July 14, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit:Army, 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade
(Combat), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Died at Zabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents
attacked their military vehicle with a makeshift bomb.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13719http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 625-10
July 16, 2010
DOD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four soldiers who were supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Killed were:
Spc. Chase Stanley, 21, of Napa, Calif.
Spc. Jesse D. Reed, 26, of Orefield, Penn.
Spc. Matthew J. Johnson, 21, of Maplewood, Minn.
Sgt. Zachary M. Fisher, 24, of Ballwin, Mo.
They died July 14 at Zabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked
their military vehicle with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 27th Engineer
Battalion (Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Fort Bragg, N.C.
For more information, the media may contact the 18th Airborne Corps public affairs office at 910396-5600 or 910-396-5620.
FORT BRAGG -- Seven Fort Bragg soldiers were killed in two attacks in Afghanistan this week.
The defense department announced the deaths late Friday evening.
The first incident happened on Tuesday in Kandahar City, where three soldiers were killed.
Officials says 23-year-old 1st Lt. Christopher S. Goeke of Apple Valley, Minn.; 34-year-old Staff Sgt.
Christopher T. Stout of Worthville, Ky.; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Sheldon L. Tate, 27, of Hinesville, Ga.
died while fighting insurgents that attacked the Afghan National Police headquarters in Kandahar.
They were members of the 82nd's 4th Brigade due to come home soon. The 4th Brigade left Fort Bragg
last August to train Afghanistan troops and police units.
Four other soldiers also lost their lives on Wednesday in the Zabul province.
They were identified as 21-year-old Spc. Chase Stanley of Napa, Calif.; 26-year-old Spc. Jesse D. Reed
of Orefield, Penn.; 21-year-old Spc. Matthew J. Johnson of Maplewood, Minn. and 24-year-old Sgt.
Zachary M. Fisher of Ballwin, Mo. They were assigned to the 20th Engineer Brigade.
Officials say the men were killed while they were finding and clearing roadside bombs.
"They did so willingly, professionally and absolutely without fear," 20th Eng. Brigade Commander Col.
Richard G. Kaiser said. "Their whole purpose was to make Afghanistan a safer place for our American
troops and our Afghan partners, as well as every citizen of Afghanistan. What more noble and selfless
task could there be. They are true American heroes."
A memorial for the fallen soldiers will be held in Afghanistan.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7559766
Spc Jesse D. Reed
July 16th, 2010
Died: July 14, 2010 in Zabul, Afghanistan
Spc. Jesse D. Reed of Orefield, Pennsylvania graduated from Whitehall High School
in 2002. He also attended Lehigh Carbon Community College. Jesse was married
and the father of a son. He and his wife were expecting their second child later in
the summer. He had been deployed to Afghanistan since December 2009, and was
expected back home for the birth. He died at age 26 at Zabul Province,
Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their military vehicle
with an improvised explosive device.
27th Engineer Battalion (Combat Airborne)
20th Engineer Brigade (Combat)
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
South Whitehall Township soldier Jesse D. Reed killed in
Afghanistan, Department of Defense confirms
Published: Friday, July 16, 2010, 8:18 PM
Updated: Friday, July 16, 2010, 8:46 PM
The Department of Defense today confirmed the deaths of four soldiers in
Afghanistan, among them 26-year-old Army Spc. Jesse D. Reed, of South Whitehall
Township.
Reed, a resident of the township's Orefield section, died Wednesday in
Afghanistan's Zabul province, a department news release says. He and the others
suffered fatal wounds when insurgents attacked their military vehicle with an
improvised explosive device, the release says.
Reed and the other men killed were assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion
(Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Spc. Jesse D. Reed
Spc. Jesse D. Reed, 26, of Orefield, Penn., enlisted in the Army in 2008 and was
assigned to the 618th Eng. Spt. Co. He served as an engineer equipment operator and
MRAP operator during route clearance operations. He served on one deployment to
Afghanistan.
“His aggressiveness and intelligence showed what it meant to be an airborne soldier,”
said Capt. Steven Holmberg, commander of the 618th Engineer Company. “Spc. Reed
could be counted on to succeed when it counted and under the hardest conditions.”
Reed’s awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal,
Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat
Action Badge and Driver Badge with Driver Wheeled Vehicles.
Reed died of injuries sustained Wednesday, July 14, 2010, in the Zabul Province of
Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his military vehicle with an improvised explosive
device.
Copyright 2010 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Lehigh Valley man was among four soldiers killed in Afghanistan
bombing
July 16, 2010
The Pentagon announced Friday that the Whitehall High School graduate killed
Wednesday in Afghanistan was among four soldiers who died in Zabul province when
insurgents attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb.
Army Spc. Jesse D. Reed, 26, of Orefield was assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion
(Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat) at Fort Bragg, N.C., according to a
release on the Department of Defense website.
The three other soldiers, all from Reed's unit, were identified as Spc. Chase Stanley, 21,
of Napa, Calif.; Spc. Matthew J. Johnson, 21, of Maplewood, Minn.; and Sgt. Zachary
M. Fisher, 24, of Ballwin, Mo.
-- David Venditta
IGTNT - A Brotherhood of Pathfinders
18 Jul 10
The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and
more unto the perfect day.
Tonight, we gather to honor four combat engineers of the elite
27th Combat Engineers Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, members
of a special brotherhood of pathfinders and path clearers who gave
their last full measure for their country this week while clearing
the way for the efforts of their brothers and sisters in arms,
Spc. Chase Stanley, 21, of Napa, CA, Spc. Jesse D. Reed, 26, of
Orefield, PA, Spc. Matthew J. Johnson, 21, of Maplewood, MN
and Sgt. Zachary M. Fisher, 24, of Ballwin, MO.
Here, in the States, we take safe roads for granted. In
Afghanistan, there are very few paved roads, and those that are
paved have turned into treacherous shooting galleries and booby
trap laden corridors. Trucks traveling those roads make easy
targets for improvised explosive devices (IED's).
Most of what passes for roads in Afghanistan are little more than
winding, dusty and rock strewn pathways. Only the relentless and
life threatening daily efforts of our combat engineers makes those
roads safer. Explosive ordinance specialists (EOD's) are the second
group of soldiers who deal with IED's. The combat engineers,
however, have to find them first, using a combination of wits and
ever changing technologies to address the changing tactics of a
crafty enemy. Tonight, we honor four combat engineers who gave
their lives, clearing the way.
- Emerson
God Bless these pathfinders, and those loved ones they leave
behind.
Spc. Jesse D. Reed, 26, of Orefield, Penn., enlisted in the Army
in 2008 and was assigned to the 618th Eng. Spt. Co. He served as
an engineer equipment operator and MRAP operator during route
clearance operations. He served on one deployment to Afghanistan.
His aggressiveness and intelligence showed what it meant to be an
airborne soldier, said Capt. Steven Holmberg, commander of the
618th Engineer Company. Spc. Reed could be counted on to succeed
when it counted and under the hardest conditions.
Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13761http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 677-10
July 29, 2010
DOD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard, 21, of Williamsport, Pa., died July 27 while supporting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion,
4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of North Versailles, Pa.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact
the Marine Forces Reserve public affairs office at 504-678-0052.
Williamsport Marine killed in Afghanistan
Published: Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 9:30 PM
Updated: Wednesday, July 28,
2010, 9:35 PM JOHN BEAUGE, The Patriot-News
A Marine lance corporal from Williamsport, scheduled to come home from
Afghanistan in late August, was killed Tuesday while on patrol.
Abram L. Howard, 21, died from shrapnel wounds, his mother, Constance Howard,
said Wednesday. The family has not been provided any details about his death, but
she said she believes it occurred in the Mazar area in the northeast part of the
country.
Howard was a reservist with Military Police Bravo Company out of North Versailles
in the Pittsburgh area. He had enlisted in the Marines in May 2007 about a month
before graduating from Williamsport Area High School, where he played football,
wrestled and was in the orchestra.
The third-generation Marine went on active duty before Thanksgiving and had been
in Afghanistan since Feb. 5. His active duty tour was scheduled to end Aug. 28. His
mother said she and her husband, Bart, planned to pick him up in Pittsburgh in
early September.
Howard called regularly by satellite phone and said he liked what he was doing, but
could not wait to get out of there, his mother said.
His plans when he got home were to leave the reserves for active duty and receive
training to detonate explosives, she said. He was cleared for presidential guard duty
and had talked about a career with the FBI or the CIA, she said.
Constance Howard described her son as well-liked with a lot of friends, freespirited, charming and respectful. He liked to play the guitar, she said.
He is survived by his parents, a brother, Alex, and a sister, Olivia Howard.
The funeral is tentatively scheduled for Monday at Sanders’ Mortuary, 821 Diamond
St., Williamsport.
Lance Cpl Abram L. Howard
July 29th, 2010
Born: June 15, 1989
Died: July 27, 2010 at Bastion Medical Center, Afghanistan
Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard, 21, of Williamsport, Pa., died July 27 while supporting
combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to
Headquarters and Service Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces
Reserve, based out of North Versailles, Pa. He is the son of Connie and Bart Howard
and graduated from Williamsport Area High School in 2007, where he played
football, wrestled and was in the orchestra. Abram’s family has a history of Marines
and his great-uncle, Sam Howard, died on the island of Okinawa in World War II.
He graduated from boot camp and reported to a reserve unit, Bravo Company in
Pittsburgh, then to Cherry Point, for combat operations training and was deployed
to Afghanistan in early February 2010. He planned to leave the Marine Corps
Reserves for active duty. He was already cleared for presidential guard duty and
had talked about his future with a career with the FBI or the CIA. Abram was
expected back stateside in late August of 2010. In addition to his parents, he leaves
a brother, Alex, and a sister, Olivia.
Lance Cpl. Joshua T. Twigg
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
On the Web:
Public contact:
http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=13859http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx
Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 800-10
September 03, 2010
DOD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Joshua T. Twigg, 21, of Indiana, Pa., died Sept. 2 while conducting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact
the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at 910-449-9925 or
http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmardiv/Pages/Media/default.aspx .
Marine from Penns Manor killed in Afghanistan
Marine from Penns Manor killed in
Afghanistan
Marine from Penns Manor
killed in Afghanistan
By RANDY WELLS, rwells@indianagazette.net
Published: Friday, September 3, 2010 11:15 AM EDT
KENWOOD - Penns Manor High School teachers remembered one of their former
students who died Thursday in Afghanistan as a jovial young man with many
friends who enjoyed having a good time and lighting up a classroom with his
personality.
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Twigg, 21, formerly of the Penn Run area, was killed
in action in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring
Freedom.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Twigg died Thursday while
conducting combat operations while assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune,
N.C.
He was the son of Randy and Terri Twigg, who now live in Northern Cambria.
An uncle, August Twigg, said Thursday the family wished only to release the
following statement: ``The U.S. Marine Corps contacted Mr. and Mrs. Twigg early
Thursday morning to inform them that their son, Joshua T. Twigg, was killed by
hostile fire in Afghanistan,'' August Twigg read from the statement. ``Josh was
proud to serve his country as a Marine, having served previously in Iraq two years
ago, and volunteering to be deployed to Afghanistan.
``Josh's family asks for your prayers as they grieve the loss of this fine young man
who was loved by his parents, longtime girlfriend, brothers, sister, nieces and
nephew, as well as his extended family and community of friends who knew and
loved him. Please respect their privacy as they mourn,'' August Twigg said.
Twigg graduated in 2007 from Penns Manor. He played on the football team there
and took several of the school's vocational-agriculture and technical classes. He was
listed as an honors student during his senior year.
``Josh was very popular and mechanically inclined,'' said Andy Bridge, who taught
Twigg in his woodshop and advanced technology classes. ``He wasn't afraid to do
anything, and he always had to be doing something.''
Bridge said long before Twigg graduated he was planning to join the Marines.
Bridge warned him that choice could place him in harm's way in Afghanistan. But
Twigg was not deterred.
``He was fun to be around. I enjoyed having him class,'' Bridge said. ``He was
good kid. This is a real shame.''
Penns Manor vo-ag teacher Jerry Hughes also had Twigg as a student in several of
his classes.``He was one of the kids you enjoyed coming to school to be with,''
Hughes said, adding that the usually jovial Twigg could come into a room and lift
everyone's spirits.
``He enjoyed having a good time and making people laugh,'' he said. Hughes also
said he was under the impression Twigg was planning a career in construction, and
the vo-ag teacher was a little surprised when he learned Twigg had enlisted in the
military.
Twigg played defensive line and offensive tackle for the Comets.``He was a young
man who enjoyed life,'' said football coach Bill Packer. ``He always had a lot of
friends around him. He always treated the coaches with a lot of respect.''
Penns Manor High School Principal Daren Johnston said his most memorable
recollection of Twigg was when Twigg made his high school graduation project
presentation to a panel of five school administrators and teachers. Twigg based his
project on his experiences working with his uncle in a moving business.
``He just floored me'' with his presentation, Johnston said. ``I always saw him as
a football player,'' but his presentation was ``one of the best projects I've seen. ...
That graduation project still sticks out in my mind.''
School officials plan to honor Twigg's memory in a brief ceremony preceding the
Comets' football game at 7 this evening. Funeral arrangements for Twigg were
incomplete at press time.
Indiana Co. Marine Killed In Afghanistan
Lance Cpl. Joshua Twigg Died In Combat On Thursday
POSTED: 4:09 pm EDT September 2, 2010
UPDATED: 5:58 pm EDT September 3, 2010
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- An Indiana County Marine who was based in North
Carolina has been killed in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department said Friday that 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua T. Twigg of
Indiana, Pa., was killed Thursday in combat in Helmand province.
"He was the most selfless person I know. He was just worried about everyone else.
No matter what it did to him, it was just what it did to you," said longtime girlfriend
Christina Young.
Young told Channel 4 Action News' Ashlie Hardway that she last spoke to Twigg on
Wednesday.
"He said the same thing he always did. I always told him the same lecture -- 'Just be
careful.' He said, 'I love you and I have to go.' That was it," said Young.
Twigg served a 7-month tour in Iraq before returning home to Young. But in July,
Young said Twigg and the rest of his infantry were told they would be deployed to
Afghanistan until April before he could return home and be discharged.
"We actually only had 300 days left," said Young.
Young said that Twigg enlisted in the Marines and went to boot camp after high
school.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at
Camp Lejeune.
Twigg was a graduate of Penns Manor High School, where he was a member of the
football team.
"He had so many friends. Everybody loved him," said Young. The Penns Manor High
School football team planned to honor Twigg before Friday night's game.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.