2005
Hometown: West Milford , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 19 years old
Died: January 1, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines , Small Craft Company, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Killed by hostile action in Anbar province.
Brian Parrello planned to become a history teacher one day _ but he decided after the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks to first become a Marine. "He was going to postpone going to college," high school principal Michael McCormick said. "He probably took every elective history course we have in the school."
Parrello, 19, of West Milford, N.J., was killed Jan. 1 in a hostile attack. Parrello was an athlete since childhood, playing Little League baseball and then football and hockey in high school. Sean
Poppe, his football coach, said Parrello had a strong desire to excel and a "tremendous attitude and spirit." "Whatever he did, he did with feeling, emotion and energy," said his hockey coach,
Steve Frey. "He was a fiery kind of guy.
Whatever he did, he did with a lot of intensity." Parrello had thought about joining the service for several years but the Sept. 11 attacks made up his mind, his brother said. "He knew then he would probably be shipped overseas if he joined," Matthew Parrello said. "But he didn't care. He wanted to do this." He is also survived by his parents, Nino and Shirley.
Brian P. Parrello
PARRELLO - Lcpl. Brian P. age 19 on Saturday, January 1, 2005 in Iraq. Beloved son of Nino and
Shirley (Breen) of West Milford, brother of Matthew and Anthony Parrello and Grandson of Shirley and James Breen. Funeral Liturgy Saturday 10 AM at St. Joseph's Church, West Milford. Friends please meet directly at Church. Interment in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Visiting hours Thursday 7-9 PM and Friday 2-6 PM at the Richards Funeral Home, 1440 Union Valley Road, West Milford.
In lieu of flowers donations to the Brian P. Parrello Scholarship Fund, c/o Lakeland Bank, 1527 Union Valley
Road, West Milford, NJ 07480 or the West Milford Animal Shelter, PO Box 72, West Milford, NJ 07480 would be appreciated. ( www.ric
hards funeralhome.com)
Published in The Record and Herald News on January 5, 2005
19, of West Milford, N.J.; assigned to Small Craft Company, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine
Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Jan. 1 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Associated Press

WEST MILFORD, N.J. — A 19-year-old Marine from Passaic County who was killed in Iraq is being remembered as a dedicated member of the military.
Lance Cpl. Brian Parrello was killed Friday while serving with the 2nd Marine Division, Small Craft
Company, in the city of Hadithah, but details were scarce, his family said.
His brother, Matthew Parrello, 22, said Brian “wanted to serve his country, and he loved what he was doing.”
The family was notified of his death about 2 p.m. on Saturday, and Marine officers told them additional information should be available by Tuesday.
“He was proud to be a Marine, and he loved the guys he was serving with,” Matthew Parrello told The
Record of Bergen County for Monday’s newspapers.
Parrello was unsure what his brother’s exact duties were, but he said Brian told his family about working on riverboats on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
“He didn’t tell us a lot of what he was doing, but I know he moved to all the hot spots,” Matthew Parrello said.
Brian was an athlete since childhood, playing Little League baseball and then football and hockey in high school.
As a student at West Milford High School, Brian thought about joining the service for several years. The
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks made up his mind.
“He was in high school when the attack occurred, and he knew then he would probably be shipped overseas if he joined,” his brother said. “But he didn’t care. He wanted to do this.”
Michael McCormick, principal of West Milford High School, also said he recalls Brian speaking of a desire to join the military.
“It was a goal of his, and he reached it,” McCormick said.
Sean Poppe, the high school’s football coach, said Brian Parrello “possessed a strong desire to excel in whatever he did. He always had a tremendous attitude and spirit, and I’m sure he brought that to the
Marines.”
Brian enlisted in February 2003 and began active duty Sept. 22, 2003, three months after his high school graduation.
He recently told his brother, Anthony, who is Matthew’s twin, that he wanted to become a history teacher when he left the service.
The family plans to establish a scholarship in his name.
Hometown: Blairstown , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: January 16, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army National Guard , Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York
Incident: Killed in a vehicle accident in Baghdad.

Shortly after the death of his father, Alain L. Kamolvathin made a promise to his little sister, Sidney. They were now orphans, but Alain told her he'd earn the money to buy them a house. "He loved his sister. I can't even explain in words how much he loved her," said a cousin, Frank Kamolvathin. "He was saving everything he had so he could buy the house for her." Kamolvathin, 21, of Blairstown, N.J., died Jan. 16 when his Humvee rolled over into a drainage trench in Baghdad. He was stationed in New York City. He was remembered as a fireplug of a man, short and barrel-chested, who liked to re-enact the moves he saw in martial arts films. He enlisted after receiving his GED at age 19. His mother died in 2000 of cancer and their father died of a heart attack in 2003. A friend of the family took care of Sidney, while
Alain lived with his uncle's family in New York. Kamolvathin planned to leave the National Guard after his current commitment was up. "He wanted to take care of his sister," said Nazarin Kamolvathin, his uncle. "I told them that their mother and father would have wanted them to be together."
Alain L. Kamolvathin
KAMOLVATHIN - Alain L., Spc., Army National Guard, First Battalion, 69nd Infantry, New York City,
N.Y., on Jan. 16, 2005, in the line of duty in Baghdad, Iraq, devoted son of the late Marie Agnes and
Chochai, loving brother of Sidney of Blairstown, N.J., also survived by aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
Reposing at LEAHY-MC DONALD FUNERAL HOME, Atlantic Ave., at 111 St., Richmond Hill, N.Y.
Funeral Friday 9 a.m. Interment Long Island National Cemetery, Pinelawn, N.Y. Visiting Thursday 4-9 p.m.
21, of Blairstown, N.J.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army
National Guard, New York, N.Y.; killed Jan. 16 in a motor vehicle accident in Baghdad.
By Chris Newmarker
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J.
— A 21-year-old soldier from Blairstown, remembered for his quiet demeanor and love of family, died Monday in a vehicle accident in Baghdad, the military said.
Spc. Alain L. Kamolvathin’s devotion to his many relatives was ever the more important because of the loss he had experienced in his immediate family, according to Marilyn Maring of Blairstown, a family friend.
Kamolvathin’s mother, Marie, died of cancer almost four years ago. His father, Chokchai, died of a heart attack two years ago. But he was constantly in touch with his many aunts and uncles and his only immediate relative, his 12-year-old sister, Sidney, Maring said.
“He was respected. He was mature. And he was very much loved. And he will be very much missed,”
Maring said.
Kamolvathin attended North Warren Regional High School, but left in 1999 and was later home-schooled,
Maring said. He enlisted in the National Guard after receiving his general equivalency diploma at age 19.
After his father’s death, Kamolvathin lived in Queens with his father’s family, she said.
Kamolvathin had been in Iraq since October, Maring said. He was a scout with the 1st Battalion, 69th
Infantry Regiment, a New York National Guard unit.
Kamolvathin said little to his family about his duti es in Iraq. “He was careful about what he said. I know he was doing things that were not to be publicized,” Maring said.
Maring remembers Kamolvathin as being quiet and laid-back even when he was growing up in the Warren
County area.
“He really liked computers. He liked to read. He liked to hang out with his family and friends. He wasn’t really a sports type of person. But he was intelligent and studied hard,” Maring said.

Hometown: Pitman , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 23 years old
Died: January 26, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines , 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary
Force, Marine Corps Base, Hawaii
Incident: Killed when a Marine Corps transport helicopter crashed during a sandstorm near Rutbah.
23, of Gloucester, N.J.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III
Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; killed Jan. 26 when the CH-53E helicopter in which he was riding crashed near Rutbah, Iraq. Twenty-nine Marines and one sailor also were killed.
By Geoff Mulvihill
Associated Press
PITMAN, N.J. — Cpl. Sean Kelly, one of 31 U.S. troops killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Wednesday, fulfilled his childhood ambition early in life.
In a yearbook when he was a sophomore at Pitman High School, he wrote, “In the future, I plan on being a
United States Marine.” He enlisted immediately after his graduation in 2000.
Kelly, 23, was killed on the deadliest day for U.S. personnel since hostilities began in Iraq 22 months ago.
He was on a helicopter that crashed in bad weather in the desert, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.
His tour in Iraq was scheduled to end on Feb. 7, his family said.
Now, his parents Alexander and Lynn Kelly are preparing to send one of Sean’s two older brothers, Ryan,
25, also a Marine, to Iraq in late March.
Sean Kelly played football and wrestled for Pitman High. He loved fast cars and motorcycles, his parents said.
Growing up with a father, two grandfathers, a great uncle and other veterans in the family, he knew the dangers of life in the military, his parents said.
“Sean was our hero. He always wanted to be a U.S. Marine. He died a U.S. Marine and was fulfilling his life choice,” Lynn Kelly said in a news conference Thursday afternoon on the front porch of the family’s home.
His parents said Sean intended to be a career Marine, and when he was home on leave he talked to students at his old elementary school — where his mother is a secretary — about life in the military.
His older brother, who followed Sean into the Marines and is now preparing to go to where he died, said he wants Sean to be remembered by one word: “Hero.”
Sean Kelly fulfilled his childhood dreams early in life. In his high school yearbook, he wrote, "In the future, I plan on being a United States Marine." Kelly, 23, of Gloucester, N.J., was among the 31 killed Jan. 26 when a helicopter crashed in bad weather in Iraq. He was stationed at Marine Corps
Base Hawaii. Kelly played football and wrestled in high school and loved fast cars and motorcycles.
He was remembered by teachers as kind, popular and focused. His father and two grandfathers

were in the military, and he joined the Marines right out of high school, like his older brother. His parents said Sean intended to be a career Marine, and when he was home on leave he talked to students at his old elementary school _ where his mother is a secretary _ about life in the military.
"He always wanted to be a U.S. Marine. He died a U.S. Marine and was fulfilling his life choice," his mother Lynn said. Kelly is also survived by his father, Alexander.
Sean P. Kelly
Cpl. Sean P. Kelly, age 23 was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on January 26, 2005. Sean grew up in Pitman and was a graduate of Pitman High School Class of 2000. He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in December 2001. Sean was an avid sports fan and loved life.
He is survived by his wife Jessica D. (nee Jenkins) of Washington Twp., his parents Alexander and Lynn M. (nee
Taggart) of Pitman, NJ, brothers Jason of Clayton, NJ, Ryan of Camp Lejeune, NC, maternal grandmother Dorothy
Taggart of Pitman, mother- and father-in-law Dianne and David Barnhardt of Washington Twp., NJ, and brothers-inlaw Paul and Bryan Jenkins also of Washington Twp.
Relatives and friends may call on Wednesday from 4 PM until 9 PM, and Thursday after 9:30 AM at the Pitman High
School Auditorium, Waverly Ave, Pitman, NJ. Funeral services will be on Thursday at 11:00 AM. Interment Hillcrest
Memorial Park, Washington Twp., NJ. Contributions may be made in Sean’s memory to the Scholarship Committee of
Pitman, Inc., Pitman Public Schools, 420 Hudson Ave, Pitman, NJ 08071. Arrangements by the KELLEY FUNERAL
HOME, Pitman, NJ.
Published in Gloucester County Times on January 31, 2005
Hometown: Cumberland , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: January 31, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines , 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary
Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Kill during a security operation in Babil province.
21, of Cumberland, N.J.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Jan. 31 by enemy action in Babil province,
Iraq.
Associated Press
VINELAND, N.J. — A North Carolina-based Marine due to come home next week on leave from Iraq was killed Monday, his father said.

Lance Cpl. Harry Swain IV, 21, who was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq, last had an online conversation with his father Saturday. Two days later, Vineland Police Sgt. Harry Swain III received an ominous cell phone call from two Marines.
“They said they were standing outside, and I told them I had moved,” he told The Press of Atlantic City for
Tuesday’s editions.
Just an hour earlier he had watched a television news story about the Marine deaths.
Swain’s younger son, 19-year-old Jaymes, also is serving in Iraq. The father said he wanted Jaymes to leave the combat zone now that Harry has been killed.
Harry Swain IV grew up with his mother in Millville, while Jaymes Swain spent much of his childhood in
Vineland. The brothers stuck together while both were stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Harry Swain IV was a machine gunner with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines. He had signed up the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“We’re so proud of him,” their father said of Harry, his voice cracking. “It was only 11 more days before he came home. This is so horrible.”
Lance Corporal Harry R Swain IV
Millville, New Jersey
U.S.A.
Birth Date
Friday, July 29, 1983
Date Of Passing
Monday, January 31, 2005
This Tribute website was created by Harry R. Swain III on 2/2/2005 to honor our hero.
A TRIBUTE TO A TRUE AMERICAN HERO
Lance Cpl. Harry R. Swain 4th was killed in action on 1-31-2005 in Northern Babil, Iraq by a roadside bomb.
United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal Harry Swain IV, a resident of New Jersey, Harry IV was born and raised in Vineland, NJ most of his life. He moved to Millville, NJ and graduated from
Millville Senior High School in 2001 . Swain a Millville native enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack , with the hope of eventually becoming a member of the FBI’s
Hostage Rescue Team. Harry R. Swain IV was a former employee at the Holly City Deli on 10th and
Broad Streets in Millville, where he got to meet a lot of Millville residents, and worked with one of his best friends. He worked there through high school and right up until the week he left for boot camp.
He was a voracious reader, and was a member of the Bowling Club and Students Against
Destructive Decisions (SADD). He had a real passion for life, and cared about his Family and
Friends. He was committed and gave everything his all. Harry had that magic about him, and a unique sense of humor that just made you laugh. He was very clear about how felt about things, and if he disagreed with you he would let you know, but he was always respectful about it. He always had a smile, and a big wonderful heart. Harry had that Special gift, he could walk into room and meet you for the first time. By the time he left, you thought you have known him for a lifetime. He truly knew how to make you feel comfortable. A true Friend to all.

He wanted to go over there, to fight for his country. Lance Corporal Harry R. Swain IV proudly served as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, Second Marines, as a machine gunner and was deployed to Iraq in the service of his country for two tours of duty, where he received the Presidential Unit Citation and Combat Action Ribbon for his performance in battle at An Nasiriyah, Iraq March 2003.
The BLT 1/2's motto is "Others Will Follow, Where We Lead". Most recently, the battalion saw
Combat during "Operation Iraqi Freedom" as part of "Task Force Tarawa" (2003), and with the 24th
MEU in Iraq (2004/05).
Lance Corporal Swain was a courageous Marine, and a loving son and brother, and made the ultim ate sacrifice, giving his life in the line of duty while serving our nation. Lance Corporal Swain’s patriotism and dedicated service to his country make him a hero and a true role model for all
Americans.
Harry wrote a letter in the Vineland Daily Journal 12-10-2002. A copy of the letter is pasted below;
December 10, 2002 Daily Journal
Iraq, Saddam problem not going away This is in response to the letter "Springsteen is wrong on
Iraq, Saddam" on www.thedailyjournal.com on Dec. 7, 2002:
As a young Millville native currently serving as an active duty United States Marine Corps infantryman out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, I can tell you for certain that the problem of Iraq is not going to go away unless we do something about it. Springsteen shouldn't worry about "putting
... American lives on the line" because when those of us in the armed forces joined the military, we were fully aware of the dangers that may one day be placed upon us. As such, many of us are willing, even eager, to put our lives on the line, not only for the defense of our country but for the defense of all people, everywhere. This is what we signed up for, and this is what we do, for to do any less would violate the very fabric of our Constitution, which we are sworn to protect. "All men are created equal" means all men and all women, not just the citizens of the United States.
Semper Fidelis PFC Harry R. Swain IV
North Carolina
Lance Corporal Harry Swain got it. He was a young man who could have decided to do a million other things with his life. He chose to serve his country Proudly. He chose the profession of arms and made a decision to join a brotherhood that will never forget who he was and what he meant to the Marines and our country. He will be sadly missed, but never forgotten. He is in our hearts forever...
This young man believed in the USA and what we stand for. We would appreciate if you could honor this hero and the two other Marines that died with him.
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of three
Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Jason C. Redifer, 19, of Stuarts Draft, Va.
Lance Cpl. Harry R. Swain IV, 21, of Millville, N.J.
Cpl. Christopher E. Zimny, 27, of Cook, Ill.
The three deaths raised to 15 the number of 24th MEU Marines killed since the unit deployed to Iraq last July.
All three Marines died Jan. 31 as a result of hostile action in Babil Province, Iraq. They were all assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Harry enlisted in the Marine Corps April 8, 2002 in the delayed entry program after he signed up after 911, after graduating from the Cittone Institute. Harry joined BLT 1/2 on Sept. 21, 2002, and served with the unit during the liberation of Iraq in 2003, and with the 24th MEU in Iraq 2004 .
His personal awards include the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit
Citation, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Harry knew the true meaning of "Semper Fidelis”, which means "Always Faithful". He was given a mission, and upheld it with Honor, Respect, Humanity, and Dignity. We didn’t know what the true meaning of “Death before Dishonor” really meant, until now. It takes a remarkable person not just to say a Creed and Memorize a Creed, but also to live by a Creed, that’s what Marines do. Harry did his
Country proud.
Marine, now Rest in Peace with the other Angels. We know you still are on duty at the gates of heaven, continuing your duty with honor, respect, and courage as you were sworn to do…a Proud
United States Marine, Lance Corporal Harry R. Swain IV 1983 –2005. “Semper Fi Marine”
Harry Swain IV Scholarship
Lance Corporal Harry Swain IV gave his life in the service of our great country. His father and
Brother/Marine Lance Cpl. Jaymes P. Swain have established a scholarship in honor of Harry IV. If you are interested in donating to honor this true American Hero:
Send Contributions to:
LCPL Harry Swain IV Scholarship
C/O Cumco Federal Credit Union
37 W. Landis Avenue
Vineland NJ 08360
(856)696-0767

Hometown: Neptune , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 27 years old
Died: February 3, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army , 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, (Stryker Brigade Combat
Team) Fort Lewis, Wash.
Incident: Killed by a roadside bomb blast in Mosul.
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 125-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 04, 2005
Media Contact: Army Public Affairs - (703) 692-2000 Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who supporting
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sergeant Stephen R. Sherman, 27, from Neptune, New Jersey, died February 3,
2005, in Mosul, Iraq, from wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Sherman was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry
Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) Fort Lewis,
Washington.
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703)
692-2000.
Click here for a memorial to Sergeant Sherman
Family to bury Neptune soldier in Arlington, Virginia
G.I., 27, was killed in Iraq Thursday
Courtesy of the Asbury Park Press
8 February 2005
By A. SCOTT FERGUSON
Sergeant Stephen R. Sherman
NEPTUNE, New Jersey - An Army sergeant killed in Iraq Thursday morning will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday with full military honors, according to officials at Fort Monmouth.
Sergeant Stephen R. Sherman, who lived with his family in the township for the last four years, died near Mosul after a homemade bomb hit the vehicle he was traveling in, according to his family and the Army.
Officials announced Monday that Sherman's family decided to bury him at
Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia at 1 p.m. Monday, said Henry Kearney, a spokesman for Fort Monmouth.
The family will hold a viewing for Sherman from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. on
Thursday at Ely Funeral Home on Route 33 in Neptune. A funeral Mass will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Holy Innocents Roman Catholic Church on West Bangs Avenue

in Neptune.
Sherman was the 43rd member of the military from New Jersey to be killed in Iraq since fighting began there in March 2003, according to the Associated Press.
Born in Virginia, Sherman and his family moved to New Jersey when he was 11.
They lived in Spring Lake Heights before moving to Neptune.
Sherman first went to Manasquan High School but graduated from High
Technology High School in Middletown in 1996. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of Oregon in 2001.
After working in the private sector, he joined the Army in 2003 and trained as a chemical specialist, leaving for Iraq in October.
Although his family has declined requests for interviews, his mother, Bernadette
Sherman, described her son in an e-mail to the Asbury Park Press as a hardworking, responsible young man who loved the outdoors and who looked forward to his brother's upcoming graduation from college.
"The fondest memories I have of Steve are of his loving and caring relationships with each of his family members," Bernadette Sherman wrote. "After college and before enlisting in the Army, he had some free time but preferred not to be idle. He would keep himself busy with small, around-the-house jobs for his grandmother and me."
Neptune resident Sgt. Stephen R. Sherman, formerly of Spring Lake Heights, died Thursday,
February 3, 2005, while serving our country in Mosul, Iraq.
He was 27 years old.
Sergeant Sherman enlisted in the Army in April 2003. He completed basic and advanced individual training as a Chemical Operations Specialist soldier at Fort
Leonard Wood, Missouri, in October 2003, before being assigned to the 1st
Battalion, 5th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington. He deployed to Iraq from
Fort Lewis with his unit in October 2004, serving as a Nuclear, Biological, Chemical
[NBC] noncommissioned officer and directing soldiers in the operation, maintenance and use of NBC detection and decontamination equipment. His medals and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on
Terrorism Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Born in July 1977 in Arlington, Virginia, Sergeant Sherman moved with his family to Spring Lake Heights, when he was 11 years old, and then moved with his family to
Neptune four years ago. He attended his freshman year at Manasquan High School, transferring for his sophomore through senior years to High Tech High School,
Brookdale Community College, graduating in 1996. Sergeant Sherman later attended the University of Oregon, graduating with a business administration degree in 2001. Before enlisting in the U.S. Army, he managed a Budget Rent-A-War franchise in the Cayman Islands. Among his many interests were outdoor sports and survival skills including participating in an 80-day Outward Bound Excursion survival skills training course.
Sgt. Sherman will be remembered as a gentle and loving son who was determined to shield his mother from the harsh and frightening realities of war. In conversations and e-mail, he would often focus on the brighter aspects of a difficult situation.
Things like the camaraderie of the troops and his interaction with the children of
Iraq were the inspiration for much of his correspondence.
Sgt. Sherman is survived by his mother, Bernadette Sherman, Neptune; his father
Richard W. Sherman, Great Falls, Virginia; brothers Eddie and Danny; sister,
Caitlin; half-brother and sister, Will and Annie Sherman, Great Falls, Virginia; maternal grandmother, Rose Wildeman, Point Pleasant and paternal grandmother,

Beverly Marten, Camden, Delaware.
He is also survived by several aunts and uncles, John Wildeman Jr., Punta Gorda,
Florida; Kevin and Sarah Wildeman, McLean, Virginia; Jim and Donna Brogan,
Point Pleasant; Brian and Mary Wildeman, Canton, Georgia; Terry and Veronica
Wildeman, Farmingdale; Timmy and Anna Lee Wildeman, Shark River, and Tom
Sherman, Manahawkin, and many loving cousins, extended family and friends.
Visiting hours will be on today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m.to 9 p.m. at the
Ely Funeral Home, 3316 Rt. 33, Neptune and on Friday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Holy
Innocents Church. Shuttle transportation from the Holy Innocents church parking lot will be provided for the evening viewing hours tonight.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday at 7 p.m. at Holy Innocents
Church, West Bangs Avenue and Rt. 33. Interment will be at Arlington National
Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, on Monday, February 14 at 1 p.m.
Arlington National Cemetery does not accept flowers, therefore at the family’s request, memorial donations can be made to the American Red Cross or the
Outward Bound Scholarship program.
' He was a hero to me'
By Beverly Crawford
02/08/2005
U.S. Army Sergant Stephen Richard Sherman, 27, of Neptune, New Jersey, the son of Richard "Dick" Sherman of Great Falls, was killed in Mosul in northern Iraq on
February 3, 2005, when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated beneath him as he traveled in an Army Stryker vehicle on a night mission.
His death was the first to occur in his Stryker unit, his father said.
A wake will be held at Ely Funeral Home in Neptune from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 10. The funeral Mass will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, at Holy
Innocents Catholic Church, also in Neptune.
A military funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, February 14, at Arlington
National Cemetery.
Sherman enlisted in the Army in April 2003 and completed basic and advanced training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
He was a chemical operations specialist assigned to a Stryker brigade combat team in the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division based out of Fort
Lewis, Washington.
"He talked to us a lot by e-mail and phone," said his father, Dick Sherman. "He was always telling us not to worry; that things were not as bad as they seemed."
"We were a little concerned a month or so ago," he said, after a suicide bomber attacked a mess tent where his son's unit was located at Camp Maruz.
Sherman, the eldest of four children, was born at Arlington Hospital and moved to
New Jersey in the late 1980s after his parents divorced. His mother, Bernadette
Sherman, lives in Neptune, New Jersey.
He was a member of the first class to graduate in 1996 from a high school in
Lynncroft, New Jersey, that specialized in high technology, and he was a wrestler.
He attended Loyola University and graduated from the University of Oregon, where he studied music and business.

Sherman completed a semester-long Outward Bound program in 1997 that included river rafting and rock climbing. He was a canoing enthusiast and often went on canoe trips to Canada with friends and family. He also enjoyed snowboarding, rock climbing and golf.
After graduating from college, Sherman explored options for his life. He managed a car rental agency in the Cayman Islands and then decided to join the Army when he was 25.
"He joined the Army because he thought that was a good thing to do," his father said. "He was a hero to me and his family and friends long before he met this tragic end. He was a hero for what he stood for. He was a great guy."
"He enriched and enlivened the many lives he touched," he said, adding that "he led a very exciting and adventurous life."
"He had a strong will and body, but he was gentle and compassionate," Dick
Sherman said. "He was much more than a loving son to me. He was a dear friend."
Sherman's father, a retired aerospace executive, is CEO of an agricultural business.
His stepmother, Deborah Tucker, works for the National Association for Variable
Annuities. Their two children, Annie and Will, attend Colvin Run Elementary
School.
Sherman is also survived by his brothers, Eddie Sherman of Great Falls, and Dan
Sherman, a senior at Mary Washington College; a sister, Caitlin, a 2003 graduate of
The Madeira School who now attends Rhodes College in Memphis; and his grandparents, Rose Wildeman of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, and Beverly Marten of
Camden, Delaware.
The family requests that any donations in Stephen Sherman's memory be made to
Outward Bound USA or to the American Red Cross.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
BY BRIAN DONOHUE AND MARK MUELLER
Courtesy of the Newark Star-Ledger
He died in a military uniform in a foreign land, fulfilling a duty to his country.
For that, family members of Army Sergeant Stephen Sherman say they are proud.
But as they mourned the 27-year-old Neptune man at his funeral last night, eight days after a bomb blast claimed him in Iraq, relatives said Sherman's military service represented just one facet of a rich and passionate life.
To his three younger siblings, who eulogized him after a funeral Mass at Holy
Innocents Church in Neptune, Sherman was a teacher, protector and role model, a man with an intense interest in history and a thirst for outdoor adventure.
"He was my hero long before he suited up and went to war for our country," brother
Danny Sherman told nearly 400 mourners. "He instilled in me an energy and a passion for everything I do."
Sherman's sister, Caitlin, told the assembly that countless people over the past week had offered condolences with the words "sorry for your loss."
The condolences were well-meaning, she said, but misplaced.
"It's not we for whom people should be sorry," Caitlin Sherman said. "We are sorry for those who didn't have him to lose."
Sherman, a 1996 graduate of High Technology High School in Lincroft, was killed

Feb. 3 near Mosul, Iraq, when an improvised bomb exploded in the road as his convoy passed by. He was the 43rd soldier or Marine with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq since the war began.
Sherman, who enlisted in 2003 and deployed to Iraq in October, was assigned to the
1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis,
Wash. The unit is one of the Army's Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, so named for the new generation of agile, armored vehicles the teams use.
In conversations with his family overseas and in letters home, he expressed sympathy for the Iraqi people, particularly the children, with whom he shared sweets and snacks sent from home.
The Rev. Brian T. Butch, the pastor at Holy Innocents, said Sherman's view toward the Iraqis typified the man's character.
"Steve understood Jesus," Butch said. "He reached out and loved so many people.
He saw the darkness that enveloped Iraq, and he chose to bring light to the darkness."
Sherman's sister said he brought light and laughter to family members as well, engaging them with humor and inspiring them with his many travels, whether it was camping in Canada, canoeing in some remote waterway or studying for a semester at a college in Australia.
Sherman, who graduated in 2001 from the University of Oregon with a degree in business administration, also lived for a time in the Cayman Islands, where he managed a rental car franchise. To fulfill his interest in outdoor survival, he completed an 80-day Outward Bound Excursion survival training course.
"He did more in 27 years than most people do in one hundred," another brother,
Eddie Sherman, told mourners.
There were other interests: philosophy, sports, music. In tribute to Sherman's obsession with The Grateful Dead, two uncles sang a rendition of "Ripple," one of the band's best-known songs and one of Sherman's favorites. Many in the funeral joined in.
Later, bagpipers played "Amazing Grace" as members of the Fort Monmouth honor guard carried Sherman's flag-draped casket out of the church. Mourners followed, lighted candles in hand.
Sherman, an Arlington, Va., native who moved to New Jersey when he was 11, will be buried Monday in Arlington National Cemetery. In addition to his brothers
Danny and Eddie and his sister Caitlin, he is survived by his mother, Bernadette
Sherman, who lives in Neptune, and his father, Richard W. Sherman, of Great Falls,
Virginia.
Under an executive order signed by acting Governor Richard Codey, flags flew at half staff at all state offices yesterday in honor of Sherman's funeral.
"Sergeant Sherman served our nation with great ability, great bravery and great patriotism," Codey said in a statement. "His dedication to his country and his family makes him a hero to all of us."
Monmouth County soldier buried at Arlington
Published in the Asbury Park Press 02/15/05
By LEDYARD KING

An honor guard carries the coffin of Army Sgt. Stephen R. Sherman at
Arlington National Cemetery
Bernadette Sherman of Neptune touches the coffin at her son's funeral
Under a gray Valentine's Day sky, more than 150 friends and family members said goodbye to Army Sergeant Stephen R. Sherman as the Monmouth County soldier was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Sherman's mother, Bernadette, of Neptune and father, Richard, of Great Falls,
Virginia, received folded American flags as a tribute for his service. Brigadier
General Marvin K. McNamara presented three posthumous medals, including a
Bronze Star for valor. A 21-gun salute was followed by a lone bugler playing taps during the half-hour service.
"It was very moving," said Richard Sherman, hours after the burial, which was attended by former classmates and two injured soldiers from his unit. "We're proud to have him buried close by. His wish was to be buried there. He figured if he didn't make it, that was his due. We honored that."
Sherman, 27, of Neptune, died on February 3, 2005, near Mosul in northern Iraq when a homemade bomb hit the vehicle in which he was riding. There have been more than 1,450 U.S. deaths in Iraq, and Sherman was the 116th soldier killed in the
Iraq war to be buried at Arlington.
The oldest of four children, Sherman left Virginia when he was 11 and moved to
Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey. He later attended Manasquan High and graduated from High Technology High School and the University of Oregon.
Sherman joined the Army in April 2003. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th
Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington.
In his eulogy at Monday's funeral, Richard Sherman talked about how much his son meant to those around him.
"He was a hero to all of us for his service and his sacrifice, but he was a hero to his family and friends long before he met his tragic end in a foreign land," he told mourners. "He was a good soldier, but he was a lot more than that. He was a great guy, one of the good guys we all like to know and want to have be a part of our lives."
In his last phone call home, Sherman, who had lived in Neptune the past four years, told his mother he hoped his unit might come home in September.

"He closed, as always, by saying, "Don't worry Mom, I'm OK. I love you and remember, please don't watch the news,' " his mother wrote in a recent e-mail to the
Asbury Park Press.
Leaning on a cane, Howard Tucker watched somberly from a distance as the casket of his step-grandson was prepared for interment amid the dignified rows of white gravestones.
"If I was killed," the Alexandria, Virginia, resident said, "I would want to be buried here."
16 February 2005:
Under the gray monotony of a weeping sky, Army Sergeant Stephen Sherman was buried in a silver casket at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. It was
Valentine's Day.
Sherman was killed in action in Mosul, Iraq, on February 3, 2005, when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded under his Army Stryker vehicle.
Just before his funeral began at 1 p.m., another sergeant from "1-5 Bobcat, Charlie
Company, Headquarters Platoon," Sherman's Army Stryker unit, presented his mother, Bernadette Sherman, with the dog tags Sherman was wearing when he died.
Sergeant Michael Buyas had lost both legs on December 23, 2004, "Christmas Eve eve," also when an IED exploded beneath his Stryker vehicle. "I was blown up from the bottom of the Stryker, as far as I can surmise," Buyas said.
He was ejected from the vehicle and lost both legs-one above the knee. But "I remember nothing" before waking up at Walter Reed Hospital on New Year's Eve, where he is now in rehabilitation, Buyas said.
The IEDs that struck both Strykers were probably mixed from plastic explosives and rocket fuel, a concoction that made his job in Iraq much more difficult, Buyas said.
At first, he said, "I felt invincible" in his Army Stryker.
"My whole time in Iraq was a bunch of near misses. I was feeling pretty invincible.
No one ever hit us." But then the enemy "started loading bigger IEDs."
Sherman was the first fatality in their Stryker unit, Buyas said. "I was with him for a long time before we came to Iraq," said Buyas, now recovering at Walter Reed
Hospital.
He described Sherman as "a great guy, very intelligent and very smart. He was a good soldier, too. He got his E5 very, very fast, 19 months. Less than two years. We couldn't think of one person that didn't like Steve Sherman," Buyas said.
"I wish he could have made it. He could have come and saw us, and we could have helped him heal up.
"He definitely did not deserve to die, that's for sure. He was a good soldier, a good buddy, a good friend."
Buyas watched from a wheelchair pushed by his wife, Carrie, as six soldiers in dress uniforms removed Sherman's casket from the hearse and the Army band played the
"Going Home" theme from Dvorak's "New World" symphony.
About 150 mourners walked silently, some carrying umbrellas, others allowing cold raindrops to fall on their faces. Later, as a 21-gun salute sounded and Sergeant First
Class Christian Hinkle of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, played "Taps" on his bugle,

raindrops mixed with tears.
Father Brian T. Butch, parish priest from Holy Innocents Catholic Church in
Neptune, N.J., and a graduate of George Mason University, conducted the service.
Deacon Lee Trammell of St. Michael's in West End, New Jersey, offered a prayer for the hungry and impoverished people in the world, "especially the Iraqi children who
Stephen loved so dearly."
In his eulogy, Dick Sherman of Great Falls recalled his son's self-effacing manner and love for popular culture icons such as Will Ferrell of "Saturday Night Live."
The younger Sherman loved music, played guitar and made CDs to help his father appreciate contemporary music.
But, if his son could speak, he would say, "Don't make such a fuss over me," Dick
Sherman said.
His mother, Bernadette Sherman, received the folded American flag from her son's casket that had been protected from the rain with clear plastic until it was placed under cover at graveside.
Then, Sgt. John Nash, of Florida, touched Sherman's coffin with one corner of a second flag that was folded into a triangle; it was presented to the soldier's father.
Posthumous Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts were presented to Sherman's parents, and an Army general expressed condolences.
In keeping with tradition, an unidentified "Arlington lady," the wife or widow of a military person who represents the chief of staff "and the Army family," spoke to each of the parents before she was escorted away by a uniformed officer.
The lengthy funeral procession had crept along Bradley Drive to York Drive where a newly opened section of graves has marble markers with the inscription, "Operation
Iraqi Freedom."
One grave was also adorned with a small white ceramic tile with a child's handprint in pink: "A person's spirit lives as long as someone is alive that remembers him. I love you, Daddy," read the inscription by Mallory Hugger. Her father, 26-year-old
Staff Sgt. Jamie L. Hugger, died on Oct. 26, 2003.
After the mourners left, one tall slender figure in a navy overcoat with brass buttons moved slowly from one marker to the next, reading each name.
Lt. Matthew Bovia, a Navy helicopter pilot from Manasquan, N.J., is stationed in
Norfolk but drove to Arlington Cemetery on Monday to attend Sherman's funeral.
His hometown is near Sherman's home in Neptune, and he came after his mother emailed him the news that a man from their area had died in Iraq.
"It is my way of saying 'thank you' and paying my respects," said Bovia, who just returned from his first tours of duty in the Persian Gulf and is "up for the second."
He observed that the dates engraved on the grave markers are "so recent, especially their birth dates," Bovia said. But visiting the graves, he said, gives him "a distinct sense of pride and thankfulness for what they've done."
Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth L. Kerr, Arlington's senior Army chaplain, said a military burial with honors in Arlington National Cemetery has honored the nation's fallen patriots for 150 years. "It is because of their sacrifice that we are, and remain, free," he said.
As Sherman was laid to rest, two other funerals were under way nearby. Army drummers marched to one of the graves; a caisson pulled by white horses led mourners to the other.

But both those funerals marked the endings of long lives, fully lived, Kerr said.
"When someone is 25 years old, they are part of that defense of freedom, but it is just so tragic, every time," he said.
17 February 2005:
NEPTUNE — Several hundred mourners filed into The Church of the Holy
Innocents, here, last Friday to pay their respects to Army Sergeant Stephen
Sherman, who was killed in Mosul, Iraq when insurgents assaulted his armored vehicle with an explosive device on February 3, 2005.
While news of the 27-year-old's untimely death sent friends and relatives into shock, it also triggered some of their own special memories of the former Spring Lake
Heights resident, who, by all accounts, was a person full of life and love.
During Friday night's Mass of Christian Burial at the Roman Catholic Church,
Sereant Sherman’s younger siblings shared their memories, which described him as a jovial, polite role model for those close to him.
“Steve did more in 27 years than others do in 100,” his brother Eddie Sherman said.
“Stephen was a confident, strong man who found a way to get the job done.”
As a testament to Sgt. Sherman’s zest for life, Eddie spoke of their canoe trip to
Canada several years ago. There, his older brother had carried a canoe by himself for miles over rugged terrain while others had lagged behind.
The whole time, Eddie said, he was in disbelief of how far his brother had carried that canoe without any help.
“He was my hero before he put on the uniform,” brother Danny Sherman said. “He showed me the thirst of life and how he always kept an open mind. He never left by quitting and never burned any bridges.”
As Sgt. Sherman’s siblings eulogized him, there were stories of funny moments as well, helping immediate family, friends and relatives get through an otherwise somber evening.
Sgt. Sherman’s sister, Caitlin, whose voice was shaky at moments as she fought back tears, recalled her brother as a role model who helped her with her homework and was the man of the house.
“When he was 10 years old, he was the man of the house. He was so good to my mom,” Caitlin said.
At that time, their parents Bernadette and Richard Sherman divorced, leaving Sgt.
Sherman the oldest male in the home.
“Stephen would always set the highest standard for all three of us,” she said.
“I hope I learned enough from you to make you proud of me,” Caitlin said to her brother.
Sergeant Sherman was born in Arlington, Virginia, and had lived a good portion of his childhood, beginning at the age of 11, in the Spring Lake Heights community.
He attended the local elementary school and Manasquan High School, eventually transferring to High Technology High School his sophomore year.
Sergeant Sherman also played on various sports teams while living in Spring Lake
Heights.

After graduating high school, he was accepted to the University of Oregon and graduated with a business degree in 2001.
He then enlisted in the Army in April 2003 and completed basic and advanced individual training as a Chemical Operations Specialist soldier at Fort Leonard
Wood, Missouri, that October, before being assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th
Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, Washington.
He deployed to Iraq from Fort Lewis with his unit in October 2004.
Parents and friends were all proud of his devotion and service to the military.
“He chose to bring light into a place of great darkness,” Reverend Brian Butch said referring to Sgt. Sherman’s service in Iraq. “He is truly a hero.”
He added how Stephen had expressed a desire to extend some good will to the Iraqi children.
Reverend Butch said he wondered what Sergeant Sherman would have said if he had the opportunity to say goodbye to family and friends.
The reverend said if Sgt. Sherman had the chance to speak to his family and friends again, he believes he would express his love to his entire family and faith to Jesus
Christ. The reverend added that Sgt. Sherman would have wished that one day in the future there is peace in the world.
“He also would have said, ‘Jesus is a Grateful Dead fan,’” the reverend added, drawing smiles and chuckles from those who knew Sgt. Sherman well and knew his passion for music was rooted in The Grateful Dead.
Toward the close of the Mass, his two uncles, Tim and Terry Wildeman, played one of the band’s more famous tunes, “Ripple” on their acoustic guitars while those in attendance sang along.
After a moving performance of “Amazing Grace” came a difficult moment for many.
While the members of the Fort Monmouth honor guard carried Sergeant Sherman's flag-draped casket slowly down the center aisle and out the church to the awaiting hearse, people embraced each-other with hugs and whispers of comforting words.
The candlelight vigil followed Sergeant Sherman’s casket outside after the ceremony, where mourners comforted each other and tried to express their feelings of sorrow to family members.
Moments later the hearse escorted Sergeant Sherman away from the light of the candles and into the darkness of night, as the hero continued on his final journey to
Arlington National Cemetery.
That day, acting New Jersey Governor Richard Codey had ordered all state offices and departments to fly their flags at half-staff in honor of Sergeant Sherman.
“Sgt. Sherman served our nation with great ability, great bravery and great

patriotism,” said acting Governor Codey. “His dedication to his country and his family makes him a hero to all of us. We honor his memory by flying our flags at half-staff. We will keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Sergeant Sherman was buried in Arlington on Monday.
“He was a rock for me and his mother in good times and in bad,” his father said while delivering his graveside eulogy. “He was a great inspiration for his brothers and sisters, he showed them strength and courage, and taught them how to expand and enjoy life and reach out and chase their dreams.”
“Steve's physical presence will be missed, but a part of him will live on forever in all those he met and inspired. In living his life he earned our deepest respect, and he will be remembered always with much love, honor and admiration,” Mr. Sherman said.
Bernadette Sherman touches the coffin of her son Stephen, the 116th soldier killed in Operation Iraqi
Freedom to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery
SHERMAN, STEPHEN RICHARD
SGT US ARMY
DATE OF BIRTH: 07/16/1977
DATE OF DEATH: 02/03/2005
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 8097
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

Photo Courtesy of Holly, August 2005
Posted: 8 February 2005 Updated: 10 February 2005 Updated: 12 February 2005 Updated: 15 February 2005
Updated: 16 February 2005
Updated: 17 February 2005 Updated: 21 August 2005 Updated: 8 September 2005 Updated: 5 October 2005
Stephen R. Sherman lived for adventure: He scaled the rocks of Arizona, rafted the rivers of
Colorado and sky-dived above a glacier in New Zealand. He headed west for college and spent a semester in Australia before moving to the Cayman Islands to manage a rental car agency. "He just liked to go far away," said his father, Richard Sherman. "Oregon wasn't far enough, so he went to
Australia." Sherman, 27, of Neptune, N.J., was killed Feb. 3 by a homemade bomb that hit the armored Stryker combat vehicle in which he was riding near Mosul. He was based at Fort Lewis.
Sherman graduated from the University of Oregon and joined the Army in 2003 to get job skills and do some good, his father said. He talked of opening a restaurant with his brothers or doing emergency relief work after completing his four-year commitment to the military. In his calls home,
Sherman told his parents not to read the news or worry about him. "If he could talk to us now, he would likely say: 'Don't make such a fuss over me. I had my time, and it was good,'" Richard
Sherman said. "That was his way."
27, of Neptune, N.J.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
(Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed Feb. 3 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.
Associated Press
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — A Stryker Brigade soldier from Fort Lewis who survived a December mess-tent bombing in Iraq has died near Mosul.
Sgt. Stephen Sherman, 27, died Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded as his Stryker rolled past, U.S. military officials said. Sherman was riding in a convoy south of the city at about 2 a.m. Iraq time when the explosion occurred.

Sherman, from Neptune, N.J., was with the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, which is part of the Fort
Lewisbased 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. He’s the 17th brigade soldier to be killed since the unit deployed to Iraq in October, and the 44th Fort Lewis-based soldier to die in the war.
Twenty-two people, including six from the brigade, died when a suicide bomber attacked a mess tent at
Forward Operating Base Marez on Dec. 22.
“Our family is deeply saddened, and our hearts are heavy,” Sherman’s family said in a statement released by the Army at Fort Monmout h, N.J. “Stephen was a great son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, and a dedicated soldier who was devoted to making the world a better place.”
Sherman, the eldest of four children, “was everything you would expect of a good American boy,” former neighbor Frank Walsh told The Star-Ledger (N.J.) newspaper.
“He was thoughtful, considerate, kind. Just the nicest young man. During the (snow) storms, he would come over and clear out a path for me or help me clear the driveway. He would never take anything. Not a cent.”
Sherman graduated from the University of Oregon in 2001 with a degree in business administration, and had spent a semester as an exchange student in Australia. He also worked for a time as manager of a rental-car agency in the Cayman Islands.
Sherman joined the Army in April 2003. He was trained as a nuclear, biological and chemical operations specialist before joining Fort Lewis’ Stryker Brigade.
“He died fighting for what he believed in, and our entire family is proud of his service,” his family said. “We will always remember Stephen as a hero. He will forever be missed by his family and by his many friends.”
Sherman is survived by his mother, Bernadette Sherman of Neptune; his father, Richard W. Sherman of
Great Falls, Va.; two brothers and a sister.
Sgt. Stephen R. Sherman
Friday, February 04 2005 @ 07:22 PM EST
APP.COM
-- A former student at Manasquan and High Technology high schools known for his love of sports and the outdoors died on Thursday when insurgents attacked his Army unit near
Mosul, Iraq.
Sgt. Stephen R. Sherman, 27, was the oldest of four children of a Willow Drive family. He had joined the
Army in April 2003 and had been in Iraq since October.
Sherman was a passenger in an armored Stryker combat vehicle when it was hit by a homemade bomb in the early morning hours, said Henry Kearney, a spokesman for Fort Monmouth.
During his short time there, Sherman had survived an insurgent attack in December that killed more than
20 of his fellow soldiers inside a mess hall in Mosul, Kearney said.
"Our family is deeply saddened, and our hearts are heavy," Sherman's family wrote in a joint statement that was released by the Army. "Stephen was a great son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, and a dedicated soldier who was devoted to making the world a better place."
After completing basic training, Sherman became a chemical operations specialist. As a noncommissioned officer, Sherman oversaw other soldiers who looked for and decontaminated nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in Iraq.
He also maintained and supervised chemical equipment and supplies for the Army.
"He died fighting for what he believed in, and our entire family is proud of his service," Sherman's family

said in their statement. "We will always remember Stephen as a hero. He will forever be missed by his family and by his many friends."
Sherman was part of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division based out of Fort
Lewis, Wash.
Born in Arlington, Va., in 1977, Sherman and his family moved to Spring Lake Heights when he was 11.
They moved to Neptune four years ago.
High school athlete
Bruce Jeska, who coached Sherman on the wrestling team at Manasquan High School, remembered him as
"a hard worker who always gave his all."
Jeska, the high school's wrestling coach from 1993 to 2003, recalled the day when Sherman showed up to a wrestling practice a few years ago.
He had just finished basic training and came to inform Jeska of his Army plans. Sherman told Jeska that the discipline he gained through wrestling helped him get through the rigors of camp.
"He was really excited to go into the military," Jeska recalled. "I think he may have even had his uniform on. He was proud of it. That was probably the last I saw of him."
Sherman was a freshman at Manasquan, then was admitted to High Technology High School on the
Brookdale Community College campus in Middletown for his sophomore through senior years, graduating in 1996. He continued to wrestle at Manasquan for all four years.
Manasquan High School Principal Cary D. McCormack remembered Sherman as "a very, very nice person" who was a friend of McCormack's son, Michael.
"When it's one of your own, it definitely does hit home," McCormack said Thursday.
Sherman's whole family was athletic, McCormack said. Edward Sherman, a younger brother, played basketball at Manasquan.
Australia to the Caymans
Sherman attended the University of Oregon, earning a degree in business administration in 2001. He spent a semester at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
He enjoyed outdoor sports and was interested in survival skills, which included an 80-day Outward Bound
Excursion survival skills training course.
Before joining the Army two years ago, Sherman managed a Budget Rent-A-Car franchise in the Cayman
Islands.
Stephen Sherman is survived by his mother, Bernadette Sherman of Neptune; his father, Richard W.
Sherman of Great Falls, Va.; his brothers, Eddie and Danny, and his sister, Caitlin; his grandmothers, Rose
Wildeman of Point Pleasant and Beverly Marten of Dover, Del.; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
No funeral arrangements had been announced as of Thursday night.
Editors Note: Following are some comments about Sgt Sherman sent to me in private communication.
Here's what his high school buddies have been saying:
Steve was a dear friend to myself and many others. Those who knew and loved him have spent today discussing the times we had with with him and the plans we had in the future that will, sadly, never materialize. Steve was an adventurer, a loyal and true man. He loved his family and friends dearly.
Steve's humor left everyone he met with a grin. Steve would make you laugh, then carry on joking until your tummy hurt. I'll never forget his serious glare, cut by a jovial smile.
Steve climbed mountains, lived in the islands, traveled the country and blessed everyone he met with
God's love. He was an amazing man.
We will miss him dearly.
-Dan

Daniel O. Niemela
Englewood, CO
First of all, I need you to understand the type of kinship shared by all members of our graduating class of
1996 in High Tech High School. For the better majority of us, High Tech was a utopian existence we were blessed to experience, 50 students brought together and gelled with a chemistry that you couldn't script better in any cinematic fashion. We all enjoyed a unique feeling of being a vibrant thread in a large tapestry of comradery, respect, and love.
Steve was a chord in this tapestry of unmatched strength and chroma. An athlete, a philosopher, and a comedian, Steve possessed a bound, focused current of intensity throughout his entire being, whether he was discussing the finer points of movies we enjoyed, or coiling his body like a panther to lay a devastating tackle playing sandlot football. He was a reserved person, he never felt the need like so many of us to propogate his opinions on others, he simply lived by a code of just principles and let his actions speak for himself. He had a wonderful laugh that belied his demure nature, never hesitating to show enjoyment of his company. To many, Steve's brevity in his responses during conversation might imply some false sense of simplicity or ignorance. Such individuals would be quickly humbled for feeling as such; when he felt the need, Steve could open up a thoroughly stimulating conversation in an intelligent and unassuming fashion, allowing you to marvel at his subtle genius, yet never feeling out of place with him, as he always showed genuine interest and consideration for what you had to say.
In short, Steve truly encompassed all the qualities any man could hope to possess; strength, dedication, intelligence, and charisma. Steve was a hero to so many of us that knew him throughout high school and beyond, a long time before he became a hero to his country by deciding to risk his life and surrendering his painful sacrifice. He will be dearly missed, but moreso than that, and certainly for his sake, will always be honored as a man whom we admired and felt fortunate for the chance to call him our friend.
Respectfully Yours,
Brian C. Betcher"
"Yes I knew Steve; we did graduate high school together in 1996. Steve was a very honest person, and a man of strong character and conviction. I will always remember him as a bold & brave person, loyal to his friends and never afraid to make his own path in the world.
-Ryan T. Downey
Feb- 4-2005 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation
Iraqi Freedom.
SGT Stephen R. Sherman, 27, from Neptune, NJ., died February 3rd in Mosul, Iraq, from wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. SGT Sherman was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, (Stryker Brigade Combat
Team) Fort Lewis, WA.
We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones.
Saturday, February 5, 2005
By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
After only two months in Iraq, Army Sgt. Stephen R. Sherman had survived an insurgent attack on a mess

hall in Mosul in late December that killed 22 soldiers and civilians, including six of his fellow Stryker
Brigade soldiers from Fort Lewis.
On Thursday, Sherman, 27, of Neptune, N.J., and a 2001 University of Oregon graduate, was killed when a roadside bomb detonated near the Stryker vehicle in which he was riding, Army officials said yesterday.
"Our family is deeply saddened, and our hearts are heavy," Sherman's family said in joint statement released through the Army. "Stephen was a great son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, and a dedicated soldier who was devoted to making the world a better place."
Sherman, who graduated in 1996 from High Technology High School in Lincroft, N.J., joined the Army in
April 2003.
He was trained as a nuclear, biological and chemical operations specialist before joining Fort Lewis' 25th
Infantry Division Stryker Brigade, which was sent to Iraq in October. The brigade is named for its fast, lightarmored vehicles.
The oldest of four children, Sherman "was everything you would expect of a good American boy," former neighbor Frank Walsh told The Star-Ledger (N.J.) newspaper.
"He was thoughtful, considerate, kind. Just the nicest young man. During the (snow) storms, he would come over and clear out a path for me or help me clear the driveway. He would never take anything. Not a cent."
Sherman loved sports and the outdoors, completing an 80-day Outward Bound training course and living for six months as an exchange student in Melbourne, Australia, the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press said.
Before joining the Army, Sherman also lived in the Cayman Islands, where he managed a Budget Rent-A-
Car franchise, the paper said.
Sherman is survived by his mother, Bernadette Sherman of Neptune; his father, Richard W. Sherman of
Great Falls, Va.; two brothers and a sister.
Since March 2003 when the war in Iraq began, 77 members of the armed forces with ties to Washington state have been killed in Iraq, 75 of them after President Bush announced an end to major combat operations in May 2003. Nearly 400 from this state have been wounded.
P-I reporter Mike Barber can be reached at 206-448-8018 or mikebarber@seattlepi.com
Hometown: River Vale , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: February 26, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army , 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart,
Ga.
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb while on patrol in Abertha.

NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 210-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 01, 2005
Media Contact: Army Public Affairs - (703) 692-2000 Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-
0711
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died February 26 in Abertha, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated while they were on patrol. Both
Soldiers were assigned to the Army's 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade,
3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
The Soldiers are:
Private First Class Min S. Choi, 21, of River Vale, New Jersey
Private Landon S. Giles, 19, of Indiana, Pennsylvania
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at
(703) 692-2000.
FALLEN GI'S FINAL WISH
On day of his funeral, Jerseyan slain in Iraq gains U.S. citizenship
Monday, March 07, 2005
BY KASI ADDISON
Courtesy of the Star-Ledger
Private First Class Min Soo Choi wanted desperately to be an American citizen.
Yesterday, the 21-year-old South Korean native from River Vale received his wish, becoming the first New Jersey soldier to receive citizenship posthumously since the Iraq war began two years ago.
"He had only been in this country for a short while," Senator Frank
Lautenberg said during a funeral service attended by hundreds of people at
Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale. "But we all know you loved America."
Lautenberg, along with River Vale and federal officials, pushed to get Choi his citizenship after he was killed on February 26, 2005, when a bomb exploded near his patrol in Abertha, Iraq.
"Thank you, Min Soo, and your family for contributing to the well-being of our nation," the senator said as he handed the certificate to the soldier's family.
Choi was the 44th service member with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq, according to the Defense Department. He will be buried this afternoon at
Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
There are roughly 30,000 non-American citizens serving in the military,

Lautenberg said. Choi was the 58th immigrant solider killed in Iraq to be awarded citizenship.
Throughout the well-attended service in the high school auditorium, people remembered Choi's humor, charisma, kindness, determination and his pride in serving his country and community.
"We fought for them, he fought for us. We're a band of brothers," said Korean
War veteran George Bruzgis, 72.
Choi lived with his family in Bergen County for about sevenyears. After graduating from Pascack Valley in 2003, Choi enrolled at John Jay College of
Criminal Justice for one semester before deciding to enlist in the Army. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry.
While his family and friends are proud of Choi, they were initially unhappy with his decision to enter the military during a time of war. They spoke about their struggle to understand his death and the nagging question of whether it was in vain.
But while those gathered to honor the soldier may be struggling with the answer, Choi would not have, said Carlos C. Huerta, an Army Captain and
Chaplain.
"If you had asked Min Soo, he would have given a resounding 'No, my life was not wasted,'" Huerta said.
Choi's friend, Ji Ha Lee, said when Choi told a group of friends he was enlisting in the Army, they all began shouting and asking him why.
"But his decision wasn't made on impulse," she said as her voice choked with emotion. "He did not want fear of the impending war to stop him from achieving what he wanted to in life."
He was always there for others, an optimist and dreamer who didn't allow things to stand in his way, Lee said.
"You wanted to protect the people and the country you loved," Lee said to
Choi. "And the marks you have left on each and every one of us is like footsteps on our heart."
Throughout the service, Choi's mother sat in the front row of the auditorium, her head bent forward and at times resting on the shoulder of Angela Harris, wife of Lieutenant Colonel Michael J. Harris, Choi's commander in Iraq.
Harris traveled from her home at Fort Stewart, Georgia, to be with the Choi family. She said her husband and the rest of the unit in Iraq took the deaths of
Choi and Private Landon Giles "pretty hard."
"We are here to honor his ultimate sacrifice, and those who continue to fight a noble cause for his memory," she said before awarding the family engraved dog tags with a photo of Choi.
Among the honors awarded to the fallen soldier were a Purple Heart, the
Bronze Star, the Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. The
River Vale Police Department also declared Choi an honorary police officer and gave his family a badge.
As each plaque, medal and memento of his son was handed to him, Jong Dae
Choi bowed in thanks. Choi's parents do not speak English.
His sister Mirry did not speak during the service, but nodded as condolences were whispered in her ears by the various speakers.

Earlier, as her brother's casket was taken out of the hearse, a grimace crossed
Mirry's face briefly. She then glanced at her mother, who was sobbing, grabbed her hand and then looked at the flag-draped casket.
Everyone in the family is struggling with Choi's death, said Maria Oh, a family friend who was present when Army officials delivered the news to the family.
"They hurt so, so much," she said. "I miss him so much. He lived very short, but was a good man."
Oh said Choi's death made the deaths of all the soldiers fighting in Iraq more personal.
"Today I see they died for me," she said. "Not for the U.S., but for me. Every soldier."
She began to cry.
"We in America, have peace because of him."
Hundreds mourn soldier devoted to his adopted land
Monday, March 7, 2005
By ADRIENNE LU
© The Record (Bergen, New Jersey) www.northjersey.com
Min Soo Choi's family receiving condolences at Pascack Valley High School.
From left, father Jong Dae, mother Jae Wha, and sister Mirry, hugging a friend.
In a somber memorial service with full military honors, hundreds of people filled a high school auditorium in Hillsdale on Sunday to honor a young man who gave his life for his adopted country.
Army Private First Class Min Soo Choi, 21, of River Vale, who was killed
February 26, 2005, while on patrol in Abertha, Iraq, was remembered as a courageous soldier, a caring friend and an American patriot.
The service at Pascack Valley High School was a study in quiet dignity and grace, befitting a man several mourners characterized as an American hero.
A police motorcade preceded a hearse to the entrance, where friends and family were gathered. As the honor guard slowly lifted the coffin from the vehicle and marched into the auditorium, one mourner cried out as others dabbed handkerchiefs to their cheeks.
At the service, some speakers paid tribute to an ideal: a soldier who wanted to become a police officer or join the FBI to serve his community and the nation he called home. Others spoke of a devoted friend whose sudden loss was unfathomable.
"It still seems as if you would appear before us with a grin and a shoulder to comfort us in our grief," said Ji Ha Lee, a friend of the family, fighting back tears.

Lee spoke of an optimistic young man who always thought of others first. She said Choi seemed driven not by ambition but by duty. And she talked of how proud his friends and family were when he seemed to grow in maturity each time they saw him after he joined the Army.
"Do not worry and rest assured that we will do our best to support your family," Lee said. "We know for certain you are watching over us in heaven."
Another speaker, Bowen Pak, told the audience that the Choi family moved from Korea to River Vale in 1999. Min Soo Choi attended Holdrum Middle
School and Pascack Valley High. A member of the high school golf and soccer teams, Choi graduated in 2003. He joined the Army the following February while attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. After completing his training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Choi was assigned to Fort
Stewart, Georgia.
Choi was dispatched to Iraq on January 25, 2005. He died less than a month later, when an explosive device detonated while he was on patrol, according to the Pentagon.
Throughout the hour-long service, Choi's parents, Jong Dae and Jae Wha Choi, accepted tokens of gratitude for their son's sacrifice, bowing in thanks to receive each gift.
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg presented a certificate granting their son the U.S. citizenship he had dreamed of.
Angela Harris, wife of Michael J. Harris, the commander of Choi's unit, the 8th
Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division, gave the Chois their son's dog tag with a picture taken the day he left for Iraq.
"Our hearts go out to you and your family for the loss of such a fine young man," Harris said. "We honor your son for the ultimate sacrifice."
Some 1,500 American troops, 36 of them from New Jersey, have died in the Iraq war.
Choi was the first Korean citizen killed in action while serving with the U.S. military in Iraq, according to a representative of the family. A Korean flag was displayed at the memorial service and Bong Joo Moon, the Korean ambassador to the United States, delivered a eulogy.
Lautenberg noted that 57 other non-U.S. citizens have died serving the United
States in Iraq.
The senator said that, like the Chois, his parents had immigrated to America in search of a better life.
"Even though your family has only been in the country a short time, we know that you loved this country," Lautenberg said of Min Soo Choi.
Following the service, Choi's parents and younger sister, Mirry, received hugs and condolences.
Choi will be laid to rest today at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. An anonymous donor from River Vale provided three buses to shuttle friends, family and media to Arlington for the 1 p.m. burial. The buses will leave from
New Florentine Gardens, 97 Rivervale Road, at 6:45 a.m., following the hearse.
Lee concluded her speech with a heartfelt goodbye.
"Our memories and reminiscences of you will always live on," the family friend said. "Farewell, our beloved friend, and may you rest in peace."

Salutes to a fallen soldier
Here are some of the honors bestowed on Private First Class Min Soo Choi and his family at Sunday's service:
Certificate of citizenship - presented by Senator Frank R. Lautenberg.
Gold Star Mother's Flag - presented by Bergen County Executive Dennis
McNerney.
Honorary membership certificate - presented by the River Vale Police Officers
Association.
Cavalry spurs - presented by Angela Harris, wife of Army Lieutenant Colonel
Michael J. Harris, commander 8th Cavalry Regiment.
Military awards - Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal and
Combat Infantry Badge presented by Major General Michael R. Mazzucchi, commanding general, Communications-Electronics Command.
N.J. soldier killed in Iraq gets posthumous U.S. citizenship
By ANGELA DELLI SANTI
Posted March 6 2005
HILLSDALE, NEW JERSEY -A young Korean killed in Iraq last week was eulogized as an American hero Sunday for enlisting in the Army and selflessly serving his adopted country.
Army Private First Class Min Soo Choi, 21, was born in Seoul, South Korea, and had lived with his family in River Vale for the past seven years. He was killed February 26, 2005, in an explosion in Abertha, Iraq, a month after he had arrived in the country.
On Sunday, more than 500 people packed Pascack Valley High School's auditorium for an emotional, hour-long memorial service attended by Choi's family, members of the military, politicians, high school friends and members of the Bergen County Korean-American community.
Choi graduated from the school in 2003 and played soccer and golf there.
A casket carrying Choi's body and draped with an American flag was brought into the auditorium in a full military procession as bagpipes played softly in the background.
Inside, a dozen large floral arrangements filled the stage, many containing sashes containing messages written in Korean.
Choi's parents and sister sat in the front row, about 10 feet from the coffin as speaker after speaker presented them with awards, honors and accolades on their son's behalf. His mother and sister wept softly as his father kept a supportive arm around his wife.
Senator Frank Lautenberg lauded Choi's "bravery and gallantry" before presenting his parents, Jong Dae and Jae Wha Choi, with posthumous citizenship for their son.
Although he was not yet an American citizen, Choi had told a neighbor, Donna
LoPiccolo, "I'm just proud to serve." Jong Dae Choi has said his son looked forward to becoming a citizen after completing his military service.
Lautenberg said 30,000 members of the U.S. military are not U.S. citizens and that Choi is the 58th non-citizen to die in Iraq fighting for the U.S.
Because the young soldier had talked of a career with the River Vale police, the

town's mayor, George Paschalis, presented Choi's sister, Mirry, with an honorary police badge. Choi had attended John Jay college of Criminal Justice before joining the Army last February.
The family also was given customized dog tags inscribed with the words, "Fallen but never forgotten."
Choi will be buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery.
Acting Governor Richard J. Codey ordered flags to be flown at half staff
Sunday in Choi's honor. Choi also received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart,
Good Conduct Medal and combat Infantry Badge.
Ji Ha Lee, a family friend, said those who knew him struggled to understand his decision to enlist.
"This was not done on impulse," she said. "He was an optimistic person who would never let anything hinder his way."
Choi was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division's 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry. He is the 36th soldier with ties to New Jersey to die in Iraq.
Fallen soldier's final honor
By SUZAN CLARKE
Courtesy of the JournalNews
March 7, 2005
HILLSDALE, NEW JERSEY — Though he was awarded his U.S. citizenship posthumously, the 21-year-old River Vale man who was killed in Iraq was remembered yesterday as an American hero.
Hundreds gathered at Pascack Valley Regional High School yesterday afternoon to remember Pfc. Min Soo Choi, a U.S. Army infantry soldier who died February 26, 2005, in Abertha, Iraq, when the Humvee in which he was patrolling hit an explosive device.
The soldier's father, Jong Dae Choi; his mother, Jae Wha Choi; and his sister,
Mirry, stood stoically outside the high school as Min Choi's flag-draped casket was removed from the back of a hearse by an Army honor guard.
But as a bagpipe wailed, Jae Wha Choi slumped, sagged against her husband and sobbed. Mirry Choi, her eyes fixed on her brother's casket, also cried.
During the hourlong funeral — the first of two military services planned —
Choi was remembered as a selfless young man who always wanted to serve
America.
"He wanted to protect his adopted country and he did it so bravely," Sen.
Frank Lautenberg said, shortly before conferring American citizenship upon the South Korean who came to America with his family about seven years ago.
A second soldier, Private Landon S. Giles, 19, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, also was killed in the explosion.
Ji Ha Lee, a family friend, recalled some of the reaction to Choi's decision to serve in the military.
"We just shook our heads at what seemed like reckless behavior," she said. She and others soon changed their minds, however, when they saw how Choi had matured during his military service, she said.
"You were a person of big dreams and even bigger will," she said during the

service, urging Choi to accomplish his goals "in heaven."
An official from the South Korean Consulate also spoke, as did several local officials.
Rabbi Carlos Huerta, an Army major and West Point chaplain, said Choi was being mourned by three families: his immediate one, his local community and his military "band of brothers and sisters."
"There is a pain we feel today, a pain that no pill can take away," Huerta said.
Huerta added that he believed Choi would not have thought his life was
"wasted," and said those who survived Choi should continue to fight for the freedom the young man defended so that his death would not be in vain.
"He knew that all of God's children deserved a shot at life. ... So Private Min could not, would not, settle for just his family being safe, his nation being safe, his community being safe," Huerta said.
Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney presented Jae Wha Choi with a
Gold Star Mothers Flag, and Army Major General Michael R. Mazzucchi of the communications-electronics command presented the family with a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
Min Choi, who wanted a career in law enforcement and was attending John Jay
College of Criminal Justice in New York City when he joined the Army, also was made an honorary River Vale police officer yesterday.
Angela Harris, wife of Lieutenant Colonel Michael J. Harris, the commander of
Choi's 8th Cavalry Regiment, presented Choi's parents and sister with dog tags bearing an engraved picture of their loved one on one side and, on the reverse, the words "Fallen But Never Forgotten."
At the end of the service, mourners lined up inside the auditorium to express condolences to the family. Each person walked past a picture of a uniformed
Min Choi that was placed in front of American and South Korean flags.
Frank LoPiccolo hugged the Chois, who are his neighbors.
"It's a sad day," LoPiccolo said after the service. "I'm hoping that everyone who came here and everybody else in the country appreciates what Min Soo did.
He gave up his life."
Jackie Basralian, who for two years taught Choi English for nonnative speakers, and Jane Barch, who taught him English, smiled as they reminisced about their student.
"He was a wonderful, respectful, happy, beautiful young man," Basralian said.
Barch agreed.
"And we're smiling," she said, "because he always smiled, and he had a beautiful demeanor, elegant and respectful, the kind of boy it was a pleasure to have. It's a great loss."
A second funeral service for Choi will be today at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Taps and tears for a hero
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
By TOM DAVIS

Major General Michael Mazzucchi presenting Jae Wha Choi with the flag that draped the casket of her son, Min Soo Choi.
Min Soo Choi's different worlds came together Monday.
Standing before Choi's silver casket at Arlington National Cemetery, a chaplain spoke of duty, honor and sacrifice.
A South Korean minister spoke of salvation and resurrection for the 21-year-old native son.
Meanwhile, attendees from River Vale, where the Choi family lives, bowed their heads in respect as many gathered sang "Rock of Ages" in Korean.
A lone bugler played taps. A boy wearing black knelt and prayed. Seven soldiers fired three volleys of gunfire. Together, South Koreans and New Jerseyans wept openly.
"Today, we have come to rest an American patriot," said the chaplain, Kenneth
Kerr.
Army Private First Class Min Soo Choi arrived in Iraq in January and was killed by an explosive device a month later. He was just two years removed from his Pascack Valley High School graduation.
As wind swept through the vast, open greenscape, where the white marble headstones are in perfect rows, those gathered still struggled with the tragedy.
But at Arlington National Cemetery - thousands of miles from South Korea -
Choi was, in a way, home. Seven years after his family immigrated, Choi was a
U.S. soldier, laid to rest in America's most sacred burial ground.
"I said to him before he left, 'You are our future,'Ÿ" said Jung Choi, the soldier's father.
Choi was buried alongside 290,000 others - many of them soldiers who, like him, died in a war. Fifty-five are foreign nationals.
Choi's war was Iraq. More than 1,500 Americans have died in the two-year-old conflict; 120 are interred at Arlington. Choi was the 36th who lived in New
Jersey, and the first native of South Korea to die serving America in Iraq. On
Monday, he took his place near President John F. Kennedy, the Tomb of the
Unknowns and many other dignitaries.
Like Kennedy, Choi saw the blood and turmoil of war. During his month in
Iraq, he told people how proud he was to be a U.S. soldier.
In the end, the family buried Choi as an honorary U.S. citizen, a status he had received a day earlier. He would not have wanted it any other way, said those who knew him.
"It was an honor chosen for a son who gave up his life for America," said Jack
Carbone, a River Vale attorney who helped with the arrangements.
Like the other headstones, Choi's will be small, white and marble, one of a vast

field of markers that seem to stretch endlessly.
They are lined in formation, as though the soldiers are ready to march into battle again.
The first American military service member in the cemetery's 624 acres was buried on May 13, 1864. Nearly every conflict is represented.
Before the Sept. 11 attacks, those typically buried at Arlington were years removed from battle. But the wars to defeat terrorism and democratize Iraq have changed that.
Many here now are like Choi, who played golf at Pascack Valley High School just three years ago. They're 19, 20, 21 - barely out of high school. Now they're heroes.
All are honored ceremonially at Arlington under strict military protocol.
Many officers get full honors. Others who enlisted, such as Choi, get standard honors.
At Choi's burial, there was no horse-drawn carriage. But for the family, and for those in River Vale, the ceremony was no less deep and moving.
From the time the black hearse pulled up at 1 p.m., the mood was solemn and quiet. Barely a word was spoken as the leaves on the one tree that still had leaves rustled in the wind.
From two buses, some 50 people walked, slowly, toward the hearse. A man carrying Choi's picture stood in front. Many of those behind him held long-stem red roses.
Six pallbearers grasped the flag-draped casket, stepping carefully toward the grave.
Then they removed the American flag and held it, flat. The flag flapped in the wind.
"We honor our fallen patriots. America's Army has chosen its finest," said
Kerr, the cemetery chaplain.
Then came the Korean sermon, and a hymn.
Speaking in Korean, Harry Hurh, a family friend, thanked everyone. He ended his speech with "God Bless America."
After the military gave Choi's family their son's Bronze Star and Purple Heart, those gathered laid the roses on the casket, then returned to their seats and stared straight ahead.
From the casket, soldiers folded the American flag into a triangle and gave it to
Choi's mother, Jae Wha.
She moved it to her chest, hugged it like a baby and wept.
Sacrifice of 2 Soldiers Honored at Arlington
Different Paths Led to Service in Iraq
By Leef Smith
Courtesy of the Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 8, 2005

One soldier was following family tradition, joining the Army right out of high school. The other soldier was not a U.S. citizen, but he wanted to serve his new country after emigrating from South Korea. He, too, enlisted.
Yesterday, Staff Sergeant Daniel G. Gresham , 23, and Private First Class Min
Soo Choi, 21, casualties of Operation Iraqi Freedom, were buried at Arlington
National Cemetery in separate ceremonies.
"Today, we come together to lay to rest another patriot," said Lieutenant
Colonel Kenneth Kerr, an Army Chaplain, gusts of wind carrying his words to the mourners seated before Choi's coffin.
Choi, of River Vale, New Jersey, was assigned to the Army's 6th Squadron, 8th
Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart,
Georgia. He was killed Feb. 26 in Abertha, Iraq, when an explosive device detonated while he was on patrol in a Humvee.
Also killed in the attack was Private Landon S. Giles, 19, of Indiana,
Pennsylvania.
According to news reports, Choi wanted to become an Army officer and was looking forward to obtaining his U.S. citizenship. He was killed less than a month after arriving in Iraq.
Choi's family emigrated from Seoul seven years ago. After coming to America,
Choi spent several years learning English.
"My son said he needed to serve our country," Choi's father, Jong Choi, told the Journal News of Westchester County, New York,
Yesterday, family and friends sang a hymn in Korean before placing dozens of long-stemmed red roses at his grave.
An hour later, Choi's grave and the blanket of flowers adorning it would become the backdrop for Gresham's graveside memorial.
Gresham, of Lincoln, Illinois, was assigned to the 797th Ordnance Company
(explosive ordinance disposal), 79th Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordinance, Fort
Sam Houston, Tex. He was killed February 24, 2005, at Camp Wilson, Iraq, when an explosive device detonated while he was responding to another blast.
"There are 150,000 kids over there," Gresham's father, Gene Gresham, told the
Pantagraph newspaper in Bloomington, Illinois, shortly after learning of his son's death. "Twelve hundred of them have died. Who would have guessed one of them would be mine?"
Gene Gresham told the Pantagraph it was a family tradition to do a tour of duty with the Army. He said the last family member killed in action was an uncle who died in World War I.
His son's loss, he said, was a devastation. "I haven't stopped crying since I heard it," he said.
Gresham's funeral was held under warm, blue skies and was attended by dozens of friends and relatives who wept as taps whispered through the leafless trees.
Also attending the service was Major General Antonio M. Taguba, who wrote a report detailing the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
Yesterday, Choi and Gresham were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
They were the 120th and 121st service members killed in Iraqi Freedom to be

buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The total number of U.S. military personnel killed in the Iraq war as of yesterday morning was 1,499, including four civilian Defense Department employees.
Immigrant Serving in Iraq Falls Before Realizing Ultimate Goal
Grace E. Jang
Courtesy of the KoreAm Journal,
August 28, 2005
He was the guy with the “big, beautiful, gracious smile.” His calm, mature demeanor put those around him at ease. Just being around him made you feel safe, say those who knew Min Soo Choi.
Mostly, people remember that Min Soo loved his sister. He took his role as big brother seriously. Before leaving for Iraq with the U.S. Army in January, Min
Soo visited his old high school, where Mirry was in her senior year, and asked his guidance counselor for a favor. Take care of my baby sister, he said.
The bond between Min Soo and Mirry was “immeasurable,” said Vincent
Paolini, the counselor at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey.
A month after Min Soo was deployed, he and another soldier — both with the
8th Cavalry of the 3rd Infantry’s 6th Squadron — were killed Feb. 26 while on patrol in Abertha, 20 miles from Baghdad, according to a statement by the U.S.
Department of Defense.
He was 21.
Min Soo went overseas in pursuit of a dream — a job as a Federal Bureau of
Investigations agent. The 2003 Pascack Valley High graduate had barely finished his first semester at John Jay College in New York, where he was studying criminology, when he decided to enlist.
The U.S. Army, Choi believed, would be a one-way ticket to obtaining American citizenship, a prerequisite for any law enforcement position. But by the time he was deployed, joining the military was more than just a means to an end.
“He was just very proud to serve his country,” said Jacqueline Basralian, Min
Soo’s former teacher.
The U.S. government posthumously awarded him citizenship during a March 6 memorial service held at his alma mater. The 58th immigrant soldier killed in
Iraq to be granted citizenship, Min Soo was later buried at Arlington National
Cemetery in Virginia.
Hundreds, including federal officials and international dignitaries, attended the service in Hillsdale.
“He had only been in this country for a short while, but we all know you loved
America,” said New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, as he handed the naturalization certificate to the fallen soldier’s family. “Thank you, Min Soo, and your family, for contributing to the well-being of our nation.”
Min Soo was awarded a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, a Good Conduct Medal and a Combat Infantry Badge. The River Vale Police Department declared him an honorary police officer and gave his family a badge, according to published reports.
In eulogies, Min Soo’s friends recounted that they tried to talk him out of his decision to join the military. But he was resolute.
“I saw his sister in the hallway one day in the fall, and I asked her, ‘How’s Min

Soo?’” Basralian recalled. “She said, ‘He’s in the Army now, and he’ll be going to Iraq soon.’ I just looked stunned and asked, ‘How do your parents feel about that?’ She said, ‘Well, it’s his decision.’ It was something he felt he had to do.”
Min Soo had thought long and hard about enlisting.
“His decision wasn’t made on impulse,” said Ji Ha Lee in a eulogy. “He did not want fear of the impending war to stop him from achieving what he wanted to in life.”
Joining the military was, among the mostly white, upper-middle class, New
Jersey suburb, an unusual choice. Pascack Valley High graduates almost invariably went on to prestigious four-year colleges, Basralian said.
“He had a sense of maturity about him,” she said. “A very calm demeanor. You always felt very reassured when you were in his presence. Because of that manner, I think he would have done well [in law enforcement].”
To honor the graduate who chose the road less traveled, the high school newspaper printed a memorial edition celebrating Min Soo’s life. Featured in the special issue of The Smoke Signal are essays by former teachers, counselors and friends about the kid who, having immigrated to the United States in middle school, barely knew English but eventually graduated from the advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
He was “popular in a quiet way,” said Basralian, who teaches ESL. “He came to me in the ninth grade when he spoke very little English. I had the pleasure of watching him develop and flourish, and he did so with good humor. He always had the most respectful demeanor. He was a fun student to have in class.
Delightful. Hardworking. And as he learned more English, you realized he had an impish sense of humor.”
The memorial edition also featured Mirry’s college-entrance essay, in which she wrote about her brother.
“Mirry was just so attached to him,” Basralian said. “He was a really loving big brother. Just a lovely, very fine family.”
Also featured in the special issue, she said, are photos of Choi in various sports.
Choi was, in true Korean fashion, a member of the school’s golf and soccer teams.
Choi, ever an optimistic dreamer who put others first, is surely “watching over us in heaven,” Lee eulogized. “You wanted to protect the people and the country you loved. And the marks you have left on each and every one of us is like footsteps on our heart.”

An Honor guard carry the coffin containing the remains of Army Pfc. Min Soo Choi, during a funeral ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, March 7, 2005
Pallbearers carry the coffin containing the remains of Army Pfc. Min Soo Choi, during a funeral ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, March 7, 2005,
Mother of Army Pfc. Min Soo Choi, Jae D. Choi, second left, and father Jong Choi, third left, weep as the
Taps is played during a funeral ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, March 7, 2005,
Mother of Army Pfc. Min Soo Choi, Jae D. Choi, center, weeps as she is presented with the U.S. flag that draped her son's coffin, by Maj. Gen. Michael Mazzucchi, left, during a funeral ceremony at the Arlington

National Cemetery
CHOI, MIN SOO
PFC US ARMY
DATE OF BIRTH: 01/28/1984
DATE OF DEATH: 02/26/2005
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 8101
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Photo Courtesy of Holly, August 2005
Posted: 9 March 2005 Updated: 31 May 2005 Updated: 21 August 2005 Updated: 28
August 2005
Different Paths Led to Service in Iraq
By Leef Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
One soldier was following family tradition, joining the Army right out of high school. The other soldier was not a U.S. citizen, but he wanted to serve his new country after emigrating from South Korea. He, too, enlisted.
Yesterday, Staff Sgt. Daniel G. Gresham, 23, and Pfc. Min Soo Choi, 21, casualties of Operation Iraqi
Freedom, were buried at Arlington National Cemetery in separate ceremonies.
"Today, we come together to lay to rest another patriot," said Lt. Col. Kenneth Kerr, an Army Chaplain, gusts of wind carrying his words to the mourners seated before Choi's coffin.
Choi, of River Vale, N.J., was assigned to the Army's 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 3rd
Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Ga. He was killed Feb. 26 in Abertha, Iraq, when an explosive device detonated while he was on patrol in a Humvee.

Also killed in the attack was Pvt. Landon S. Giles, 19, of Indiana, Pa.
According to news reports, Choi wanted to become an Army officer and was looking forward to obtaining his U.S. citizenship. He was killed less than a month after arriving in Iraq.
Choi's family emigrated from Seoul seven years ago. After coming to America, Choi spent several years learning English.
"My son said he needed to serve our country," Choi's father, Jong Choi, told the Journal News of
Westchester County, N.Y.
Yesterday, family and friends sang a hymn in Korean before placing dozens of long-stemmed red roses at his grave.
An hour later, Choi's grave and the blanket of flowers adorning it would become the backdrop for Gresham's graveside memorial.
Gresham, of Lincoln, Ill., was assigned to the 797th Ordnance Company (explosive ordinance disposal), 79th
Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordinance, Fort Sam Houston, Tex. He was killed Feb. 24 at Camp Wilson, Iraq, when an explosive device detonated while he was responding to another blast.
"There are 150,000 kids over there," Gresham's father, Gene Gresham, told the Pantagraph newspaper in
Bloomington, Ill., shortly after learning of his son's death. "Twelve hundred of them have died. Who would have guessed one of them would be mine?"
Gene Gresham told the Pantagraph it was a family tradition to do a tour of duty with the Army. He said the last family member killed in action was an uncle who died in World War I.
His son's loss, he said, was a devastation. "I haven't stopped crying since I heard it," he said.
Gresham's funeral was held under warm, blue skies and was attended by dozens of friends and relatives who wept as taps whispered through the leafless trees.
Also attending the service was Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, who wrote a report detailing the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
Yesterday, Choi and Gresham were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
They were the 120th and 121st service members killed in Iraqi Freedom to be buried at Arlington National
Cemetery. The total number of U.S. military personnel killed in the Iraq war as of yesterday morning was
1,499, including four civilian Defense Department employees.
Maj. General Antonio M. Taguba presents Esther Gresham the flag from her son's coffin. Staff Sgt. Daniel
G. Gresham was killed on patrol last month.
When Min Soo Choi joined the Army, he wanted to be sent to his native South Korea. Instead, he went to Iraq. But that didn't bother him. "I'm just proud to serve," neighbor Donna LoPiccolo quoted Choi as saying. Choi, 21, of River Vale, N.J., died Feb. 26 when a bomb detonated near his patrol in Abertha. He was assigned to Fort Stewart. Choi moved with his family from South Korea in
1998. Friends remembered him as a well-respected young man who aspired to someday join the
FBI. He played golf and soccer in high school and graduated in 2003. Choi joined the Army in 2004, shortly after enrolling at John Jay College. River Vale Township Mayor George Paschalis said he would name Choi an honorary police officer in homage to the young man.
Though Choi was not an American citizen when he died, he got that in death. "It's the least a grateful country can do," said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services. He is survived by his father, Jung Choi, and his mother, Jae.
21, of River Vale, N.J.; assigned to the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry
Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed Feb. 26 when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was on patrol in Abertha, Iraq. Also killed was Army Pvt. Landon S. Giles.

Associated Press
RIVER VALE, N.J. — A 21-year-old soldier from this Bergen County community was killed Saturday when an explosive device detonated near his patrol in Abertha, Iraq, the Defense Department said Tuesday.
Pfc. Min Soo Choi died just one month after he was deployed, according to family members.
Choi, who was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry, had moved to River Vale with his family from South Korea about seven years ago.
Alth ough he was not yet an American citizen, he told a neighbor, Donna LoPiccolo, “I’m just proud to serve.”
His father, Jung Choi, said his son looked forward to becoming a citizen after completing his military service.
Choi was a 2003 graduate of Pascack Valley High School, where he played golf and soccer. School principal Barbara Sapienza described him as “a very well-respected young man.”
Choi was hoping to pursue a criminal justice degree and a career in the FBI, his father said.
HILLSDALE, N.J. — A young Korean killed in Iraq last week was eulogized as an American hero Sunday for enlisting in the Army and selflessly serving his adopted country.
Army Pfc. Min Soo Choi, 21, was born in Seoul, South Korea, and had lived with his family in River Vale for the past seven years. He was killed Feb. 26 in an explosion in Abertha, Iraq, a month after he had arrived in the country.
On Sunday, more than 500 people packed Pascack Valley High School’s auditorium for an emotional, hourlong memorial service attended by Choi’s family, members of the military, politicians, high school friends and members of the Bergen County Korean-American community.
Choi graduated from the school in 2003 and played soccer and golf there.
A casket carrying Choi’s body and draped with an American flag was brought into the auditorium in a full military procession as bagpipes played softly in the background.
Inside, a dozen large floral arrangements filled the stage, many with sashes containing messages written in
Korean.
Choi’s parents and sister sat in the front row, about 10 feet from the coffin as speaker after speaker presented them with awards, honors and accolades on their son’s behalf. His mother and sister wept softly as his father kept a supportive arm around his wife.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, DNJ, lauded Choi’s “bravery and gallantry” before presenting his parents, Jong
Dae and Jae Wha Choi, with posthumous citizenship for their son.
Although he was not yet an American citizen, Choi had told a neighbor, Donna LoPiccolo, “I’m just proud to serve.” Jong Dae Choi has said his son looked forward to becoming a citizen after completing his military service.
Lautenberg said 30,000 members of the U.S. military are not U.S. citizens and that Choi is the 58th noncitizen to die in Iraq fighting for the U.S.
Because the young soldier had talked of a career with the River Vale police, the town’s mayor, George
Paschalis, presented Choi’s sister, Mirry, with an honorary police badge. Choi had attended John Jay college of Criminal Justice before joining the Army last February.
The family also was given customized dog tags inscribed with the words, “Fallen but never forgotten.”
Choi will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Acting Go v. Richard J. Codey ordered flags to be flown at half staff Sunday in Choi’s honor. Choi also received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal and Combat Infantry Badge.
Ji Ha Lee, a family friend, said those who knew him struggled to understand his decision to enlist.

“This was not done on impulse,” she said. “He was an optimistic person who would never let anything hinder his way.”
Choi was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry. He is the 36th soldier with ties to New Jersey to die in Iraq.
— Associated Press
By Beverly M. Reid
May 18, 2007, 5:49PM
Age: 21
Hometown: River Vale
Circumstances: Killed by an explosive device while on patrol in Abertha
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/03/02 Series: THE CHANGING MIDEAST
A Jersey soldier's bond with his sister is broken
Pfc. Min Soo Choi dies on patrol in Iraq
By GEORGE BERKIN
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Shortly before leaving for duty in Iraq, Army Pfc. Min Soo Choi gave his high school guidance counselor a special assignment: take care of my baby sister.
He was close to his sister, Mirry, a senior at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, and wanted to make sure she had wise mentoring.
"He wanted me to make sure that she was all right," said Vincent Paolini of River Edge, the guidance counselor. "He was big brother looking out for little sister."
On Saturday, Choi, 21, of River Vale was killed when an explosive device detonated near his patrol in Abertha, Iraq, the Defense Department said.
Choi, a 2003 graduate of Pascack Valley, died one month after he was deployed, according to family members and school officials. He was the 44th service member with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq since the United States launched its invasion in March 2003.

On Monday, students learned of Choi's death, said Principal Barbara Sapienza.
"Our entire high school is very saddened by his loss," Sapienza said. "He was a member of our Pascack Valley family. He was a very brave young man who gave his life for his country."
The school, home to about 1,000 students in grades 9 through 12, will offer grief counseling to students, said Assistant Principal Thomas DeMaio.
"He was a quiet kid, but he had a lot of good relationships with kids in the school," DeMaio said.
The son of South Korean immigrants, Choi aspired to become a U.S. citizen and FBI agent, and felt military experience would help toward a career in federal law enforcement.
Choi came from his native South Korea about 10 years ago and spent four years at the
Bergen County school, where he was a member of the varsity golf team and a good student, his guidance counselor said.
With his goal of joining the FBI, Choi wanted to become a U.S. citizen, his guidance counselor said.
"Absolutely. He wanted to become an FBI agent, and that would not be something he would be able to do had he not become an American citizen."
In keeping with his plans for a career in federal law enforcement, Choi enrolled at John Jay
College in New York following high school.
But after a semester, he changed plans. He enlisted in the Army in the summer of 2004 and was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division's 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry.
"He said the military was something that was always on his mind," his guidance counselor said. "He felt this went hand-in-hand with his career aspirations."
That's when he gave Paolini charge to care for his sister. "He had very strong traditional values," Paolini said. "The bond between the two of them is immeasurable."
Although Choi was not an American citizen, he told a neighbor, Donna LoPiccolo, "I'm just proud to serve."
His father, Jung Choi, said his son looked forward to becoming a citizen after he completed his military service.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/03/03
Fallen Jersey soldier likely to be given U.S. citizenship
By ANA M. ALAYA
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Pfc. Min Soo Choi, the 21-year-old South Korean native from River Vale, who was killed
Saturday in Iraq, may become the first soldier from New Jersey to receive citizenship posthumously.

"I think it's safe to say that before he's interred he'll have 'paper' citizenship," said John
Carbone, the attorney for River Vale who is assisting the Choi family. "Honestly, I think when you give your life for this country, you are a citizen."
Choi, who lived with his family in Bergen County for about seven years, had told friends and family that he wanted to become a U.S. citizen so that he could be a police officer or work for the FBI.
Carbone said Choi had hoped to get his citizenship status after leaving the military. The young immigrant died when an explosive device detonated while he was on patrol, the Pentagon announced earlier this week.
Over the past several days, River Vale officials, with the help of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, have been working with federal officials to get Choi his U.S. citizenship. Local officials are also planning a ceremony on Saturday to make Choi an honorary police officer, according to
Carbone.
Choi's citizenship could be approved before he is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in
Virginia next week, said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services district director Andrea
Quarantillo, based in Newark.
"We believe he meets the requirements," Quarantillo said. "He died in the Iraq war. He's been a lawful permanent resident and he had a green card."
If the new status is approved, Choi will become the 58th immigrant soldier to receive U.S. citizenship posthumously since the Iraq war started two years ago, federal officials said.
"This is an expedited process," Quarantillo said. "This is terribly important. These are people who fought and died for their country. It's only appropriate we give their family the benefit of posthumous naturalization."
Choi's parents do not speak English and a friend of the family said they were too distraught to do interviews yesterday.
"His family is as well as can be expected," said Carbone, who spent time with the Chois yesterday and whose son also served in the U.S. military in Iraq.
"It's such a loss to be taken at such a young age, but they know this was his choice as to what he wanted to do."
Choi joined the Army a year ago, shortly after enrolling at John Jay College in New York. His friends and a guidance counselor at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, Vincent Paolini, said he decided to join the military to get some experience he hoped would help his future career.
Choi was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division's 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry. He was the 44th service member with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq, according to the Defense Department.
If Choi is awarded citizenship posthumously, his relatives would be able to use his citizenship for sponsorship to become citizens also, according to officials.
Plans for a memorial service and funeral are being handled by the Barrett Funeral Home in
Tenafly. Plans were not finalized as of yesterday.

The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/03/07
FALLEN GI'S FINAL WISH
On day of his funeral, Jerseyan slain in Iraq gains U.S. citizenship
By KASI ADDISON
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Pfc. Min Soo Choi wanted desperately to be an American citizen.
Yesterday, the 21-year-old South Korean native from River Vale received his wish, becoming the first New Jersey soldier to receive citizenship posthumously since the Iraq war began two years ago.
"He had only been in this country for a short while," Sen. Frank Lautenberg said during a funeral service attended by hundreds of people at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale.
"But we all know you loved America."
Lautenberg, along with River Vale and federal officials, pushed to get Choi his citizenship after he was killed on Feb. 26 when a bomb exploded near his patrol in Abertha, Iraq. "Thank you,
Min Soo, and your family for contributing to the well-being of our nation," the senator said as he handed the certificate to the soldier's family.
Choi was the 44th service member with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq, according to the
Defense Department. He will be buried this afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
There are roughly 30,000 non-American citizens serving in the military, Lautenberg said. Choi was the 58th immigrant soldier killed in Iraq to be awarded citizenship.
Throughout the well-attended service in the high school auditorium, people remembered
Choi's humor, charisma, kindness, determination and his pride in serving his country and community.
"We fought for them, he fought for us. We're a band of brothers," said Korean War veteran
George Bruzgis, 72.
Choi lived with his family in Bergen County for about seven years. After graduating from
Pascack Valley in 2003, Choi enrolled at John Jay College of Criminal Justice for one semester before deciding to enlist in the Army. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, 6th
Squadron, 8th Cavalry.
While his family and friends are proud of Choi, they were initially unhappy with his decision to enter the military during a time of war. They spoke about their struggle to understand his death and the nagging question of whether it was in vain.
But while those gathered to honor the soldier may be struggling with the answer, Choi would not have, said Carlos C. Huerta, an Army captain and chaplain.
"If you had asked Min Soo, he would have given a resounding 'No, my life was not wasted,'"
Huerta said.
Choi's friend, Ji Ha Lee, said when Choi told a group of friends he was enlisting in the Army, they all began shouting and asking him why.

"But his decision wasn't made on impulse," she said as her voice choked with emotion. "He did not want fear of the impending war to stop him from achieving what he wanted to in life."
He was always there for others, an optimist and dreamer who didn't allow things to stand in his way, Lee said.
"You wanted to protect the people and the country you loved," Lee said to Choi. "And the marks you have left on each and every one of us is like footsteps on our heart."
Throughout the service, Choi's mother sat in the front row of the auditorium, her head bent forward and at times resting on the shoulder of Angela Harris, wife of Lt. Col. Michael J.
Harris, Choi's commander in Iraq.
Harris traveled from her home at Fort Stewart, Ga., to be with the Choi family. She said her husband and the rest of the unit in Iraq took the deaths of Choi and Pvt. Landon Giles "pretty hard."
"We are here to honor his ultimate sacrifice, and those who continue to fight a noble cause for his memory," she said before awarding the family engraved dog tags with a photo of Choi.
Among the honors awarded to the fallen soldier were a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the
Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. The River Vale Police Department also declared Choi an honorary police officer and gave his family a badge.
As each plaque, medal and memento of his son was handed to him, Jong Dae Choi bowed in thanks. Choi's parents do not speak English.
His sister Mirry did not speak during the service, but nodded as condolences were whispered in her ears by the various speakers.
Earlier, as her brother's casket was taken out of the hearse, a grimace crossed Mirry's face briefly. She then glanced at her mother, who was sobbing, grabbed her hand and then looked at the flag-draped casket.
Everyone in the family is struggling with Choi's death, said Maria Oh, a family friend who was present when Army officials delivered the news to the family.
"They hurt so, so much," she said. "I miss him so much. He lived very short, but was a good man."
Oh said Choi's death made the deaths of all the soldiers fighting in Iraq more personal.
"Today I see they died for me," she said. "Not for the U.S., but for me. Every soldier."
She began to cry.
"We in America, have peace because of him."
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/03/08 Series: THE POLITICS AND TENSION IN IRAQ

Correction: This story on yesterday's front page incorrectly reported that Pfc. Min Soo Choi, a
South Korean native and River Vale resident who was killed in Iraq on Feb. 26, had been awarded a Medal of Honor during his funeral at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
The site that unites PFCs and presidents
Jerseyan is buried at Arlington Cemetery
By TOM FEENEY
STAR-LEDGER STAFF - ARLINGTON, Va.
One of America's newest citizens was laid to rest yesterday in its most hallowed graveyard.
Min Soo Choi, the 21-year-old South Korea native who was awarded his citizenship after he died fighting in Iraq, was buried alongside U.S. presidents and generals at Arlington National
Cemetery.
"It was an honor that was afforded their son because he gave his life for his country, and it is something they treasure greatly," family adviser John Carbone said of the Chois' decision to bury their son on the banks of the Potomac River rather than in a graveyard closer to their home in River Vale, Bergen County.
Arlington, the best-known of more than 100 national cemeteries in the United States, sits on
624 acres just across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial and not far from the Pentagon.
Twenty times every day on average, a soldier or a veteran or a spouse is committed to the ground here. Choi became the 120th serviceman killed in Iraq to join them.
Choi, an Army private first class, was killed Feb. 26 while he was on patrol in Abertha. He was remembered Sunday during a memorial service at his alma mater, Pascack Valley Regional
High School in Hillsdale. He was buried on his parents' 22nd wedding anniversary.
The black hearse bearing Choi's silver casket rolled to a stop beneath a bare tree on York
Drive in Arlington just a few minutes before 1 p.m. Two buses bearing his parents and other mourners pulled in behind it.
The six soldiers who made up his casket team slid Choi's flag-draped remains from the back of the hearse. The mourners, most of them in black suits or black dresses and all of them bearing a single red flower, climbed down from the buses and fell in behind the casket team.
The team followed the Army chaplain up a small hill to Grave No. 8101 in Section 60. The mourners followed somberly.
More than 260,000 people are buried in Arlington. They include veterans from every American war since the Revolution.
For the most part, the plots are reserved for men and women who die on active duty or have retired from the military and die after they've turned 60.
Exceptions are made for war heroes. Any service member who earns a Medal of Honor, a
Distinguished Service Cross, a Distinguished Service Medal, a Silver Star or a Purple Heart can be buried at Arlington.
Every president is eligible to be buried there, too, as is any veteran who later holds federal elective office or serves on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Two presidents are there, William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, as are 11 Supreme Court justices (including Taft). So are 16 astronauts and dozens of important figures from U.S. military history.

The casket team set Choi's remains on a silver stand above his open grave at 1:04 p.m.
Choi's parents, Jong Dae and Jae Wha, and his younger sister, Mirry, sat in front of the casket, in folding chairs draped in green fabric. The rest of the mourners stood behind them.
After the six members of the casket team lifted the flag from Choi's coffin at 1:05 p.m., Army
Chaplain Kenneth Kerr turned to the small crowd and said, "Today we have come to lay to rest another patriot who has faithfully and honorably served our nation."
The mourners, led by the Rev. Dong Kwon Kim, sang "Rock of Ages" in Korean.
Choi came to America from South Korea with his family. They settled in River Vale in 1999.
He graduated from high school in 2003, spent a semester at the John Jay College of Criminal
Justice in New York, then joined the Army in February 2004.
He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry. The unit shipped out
Jan. 25.
Choi's father, Jong Dae Choi, a veteran of the South Korean Army, remembers reading in the newspaper about the detonation of an improvised explosive device in Abertha Feb. 26. The blast claimed the life of a soldier from his son's unit, the newspaper report said. He immediately sent his son an e-mail message, saying he hoped the son was okay and asking the son to e-mail back as soon as he could. There was never a return message.
Min Soo Choi became the 44th service member with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq. At least three of them have been buried at Arlington.
Choi's burial was one of 28 at the cemetery yesterday, two of them for soldiers killed in Iraq.
SIMPLE MARKERS
Burials at Arlington are egalitarian - generals and buck privates are treated the same. They are buried side by side beneath simple, standard-issue granite markers.
But the ceremonies are not the same. Officers are given funerals with full military honors.
They receive an escort platoon and a military band, and their caskets are carried to their grave sites on caissons. Army and Marine Corps officers above the rank of colonel are often given a riderless horse. Generals are saluted with cannons.
Presidents are entitled to a 21-gun salute. Other high-ranking government officials are entitled to a 19-gun salute.
For enlisted men like Choi, the trappings are simpler but no less moving. The Old Guard, the
3rd Infantry Division group that serves as the Army's official ceremonial unit, provides the casket team, a rifle team and a bugler to play taps.
Kim, the Presbyterian minister who accompanied the Choi family to Arlington yesterday, spoke to them in Korean about salvation and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some of his words were drowned out by the sounds of a military band that was playing at an officer's funeral in another part of the cemetery.
Once Kim was done speaking, the seven-member rifle team fired three volleys.
The bugler sounded taps at 1:20 p.m.
The casket team folded up the flag from Choi's coffin and handed it to Maj. Gen. Michael
Mazzucchi, the commanding general of the communications-electronics life cycle management

command. Mazzucchi offered words of condolence, then presented the flag to Choi's mother, along with his Medal of Honor, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
She clutched the flag tightly to her breast.
The mourners approached the grave one by one and dropped their red flowers in front of the casket.
Then they filed back onto the tour buses for a long, quiet trip back to Bergen County.
Hometown: Cherry Hill , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 42 years old
Died: May 2, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines , Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft
Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.
Incident: Killed when his F/A-18 Hornet aircraft crashed in Iraq.
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 435-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 04, 2005
Media Contact: Marine Corps Public Affairs - (703) 614-4309 Public/Industry Contact:
(703)428-0711
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Major John C. Spahr, 42, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, died May 2, 2005, from injuries received when the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft he was piloting apparently crashed in Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323,
Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air
Station Miramar, California. His unit was embarked aboard the U.S.S. Carl
Vinson.
Media with questions about this Marine can call the Marine Corps Air Station

Miramar Public Affairs Office at (858) 577-7542 during working hours and
(858) 864-3406 after working hours.
Former Blue Hen dies in crash in Iraq
From staff and wire reports
5 May 2005
Cherry Hill, New Jersey - Major John Charles Spahr, a Marine Corps pilot, New Jersey native, and University of Delaware alumnus, was little more than a month shy of ending his second tour of duty in Iraq.
The 18-year Marine Corps veteran was soon to be promoted to lieutenant colonel, relatives said, and looked forward to returning to his home in San
Diego and seeing his 9-year-old daughter.
Spahr, 42, was one of two pilots to die in what officials have described as a midair collision Monday evening. Each pilot was flying a single-seat F/A-18
Hornet fighter when radio contact was lost.
Spahr completed a bachelor's degree in physical education at UD, where he also was a quarterback on the football team. He went on to earn a master's degree there in exercise physiology. But Stephen Spahr said his brother was fascinated by the idea of flight, and joined the Marines at 24.
Former Delaware football coach Tubby Raymond, who hadn't spoken to Spahr in many years but knew he was a Marine, was saddened to learn that he had died.
"He was a great kid," said Raymond, who retired as Delaware coach after the
2001 season. "He really had two lives for us, one where he was a very efficient backup quarterback and the other [as a starter] in which things didn't go well for him. But he was always a class man. He was your quintessential Marine -- clean-cut, straightforward. I couldn't fault him for anything."
Spahr's remains were scheduled to arrive today at Dover Air Force Base, where an autopsy will be performed to try to help determine what happened 30,000 feet in the air half a world away.
His brother said Spahr never expressed fear or doubt about his mission.
"He believed in his commander in chief. He said, 'My boss says I go, I go,' " his brother said.
"He enjoyed flying that plane and was going to make a career of it," Stephen
Spahr said. "He did make a career of it, but it was cut short."
Spahr is survived by his daughter, mother, brother, four sisters and much extended family. Relatives said he will be buried in Arlington National
Cemetery, but funeral arrangements were incomplete.
SPAHR, JOHN CHARLES
LTCOL US MARINE CORPS

DATE OF BIRTH: 01/09/1963
DATE OF DEATH: 05/02/2005
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 8183
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
With little more than a month to go in Iraq, John Charles Spahr was looking forward to a promotion to lieutenant colonel and returning home to see his 9-year-old daughter. "He was an extremely caring, understanding, family-oriented workaholic," said his brother, Stephen. "His life was career, child and his family." Spahr, 42, of Cherry Hill, N.J., died May 2 in a midair collision of his F/A-18
Hornet fighter plane. He was based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and had lived in San Diego for more than a decade. Spahr played basketball, football and crew in high school and became quarterback of the football team at the University of Delaware, where he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and a master's in exercise physiology. He joined the Marines at 24 and attended the Navy's "Top Gun" fighter weapons school in 1996, where his brother said he graduated first in his class. "It was just like in the movies," Stephen Spahr said. "He got his choice of duties: He chose to become a Top Gun instructor." Spahr, who was divorced, is survived by his 9year-old daughter, Chandler.
John C. Spahr
SPAHR
JOHN C., LT. COLONEL, on May 2, 2005, over Iraq, of San Diego, CA., Son of the late Ronald C. A 1981
Graduate of St. Joseph's Prep and a 1988 Graduate of the University of Delaware with a Masters of
Science in Physiology. Survived by his beloved daughter Chandler Marie, his mother Eileen (nee Kelly) of Cherry Hill,
N.J., his sisters Kelly A. (Frederick) Sutter of Annapolis, MD, Sabrina M. (David) Lawrence of Medford, N.J., Tracy S.
(Brian) Harrington of Baltimore, MD and his brother Stephen P. (Maria) Spahr of Havertown, PA. Relatives and friends are invited to his Visitation on Tues., May 17 from 9 to 11:15 A.M. at St. Thomas of Villanova Church (Villanova Univ.-
Main Campus), Ithan and Lancaster Ave. (Rt. 30). Funeral Mass 11:30 A.M. Int. Wed., May 18, 10:30 A.M. Arlington
National Cemetery with full Military Honors. Contributions may be made in John's memory to The John C. Spahr '81
Memorial Fund at St. Joseph's Prep School, 1733 W. Girard Ave., Phila., PA 19130.
Published in Philadelphia Inquirer & Philadelphia Daily News on May 12, 2005

Hometown: Mount Holly , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 33 years old
Died: May 9, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines , 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp
Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Killed by small-arms fire while conducting combat operations near Qaim.
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 463-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2005
Media Contact: Marine Corps Public Affairs - (703) 614-4309 Public/Industry Contact:
(703)428-0711
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sergeant Anthony L. Goodwin, 33, of Mount Holly, New Jersey, died May
9, 2005, from enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Al Qaim, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd
Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina.
Media with questions about this Marine can call the 2nd Marine Division Public
Affairs Office at (910) 451-9033.
Friday, May. 13, 2005
A Marine to the end
South Jersey family mourns a son killed in Iraq
By Frank Kummer
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer
Anthony Goodwin was still playing Pop Warner football and Little League when he had already decided what he wanted to be: a U.S. Marine.
He joined the ROTC as a high school freshman in the 1980s near San Antonio,
Texas; his family moved to South Jersey just a few years later.

No matter, said Paul Cheney, Goodwin's father, at his home in Westampton.
His son, killed Monday in Iraq, always felt his true home would be anywhere the Marines took him.
"He always intended to be a Marine," Cheney said yesterday. "He felt it was a noble and just career. He truly felt he was helping the Iraqi people."
Goodwin, 33, a married father of two, died from small-arms fire in combat near
Al Qaim. A Staff Sergeant, he led an infantry unit patrolling western Iraq.
Goodwin's mother, Brenda, is already at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, staying with her son's widow, Kimberly, and the couple's daughter, Alyssa, and son, Oury.
Goodwin has a brother, Gregory, just shy of a year younger, who lives in
Florence.
A viewing is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Jones Funeral Home in
Jacksonville, North Carolina. Burial is to be 3 p.m. Tuesday at Arlington
National Cemetery.
Goodwin was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He grew up mostly in Texas until Cheney moved the family to New Jersey for a better job.
The family settled in split-level home on Holly Lane in Westampton in the late
1980s. Goodwin attended Rancocas Valley High School in Mount Holly, and was gearing up for early admission to the military.
In all, he lived in Westampton for about 18 months.
Goodwin had recently signed up for a fourth tour in the Marines, his father said.
"He's highly decorated," Cheney said. "He did Kuwait, the Gulf War, then, of course, he did this last war. He served three tours in Iraq."
Goodwin had lived the last 17 years just outside Camp Lejeune.
He received numerous awards, including two combat-action ribbons. Among other honors, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal from Saudi Arabia, three Southwest Asia Service
Medals, a Good Conduct Medal, and two certificates of commendation.
Goodwin was assigned to his current unit in February 2004 with a mission to
"disrupt terrorist activities" and "conduct patrols to prevent insurgents from developing strongholds," a military spokesman said.
Karol Vengen, who lives next to Goodwin's parents, said she used to see
Goodwin all the time and played cards with him and his family.
"Tony was a good kid," Vengen recalled. "He kept to himself and did his own thing. He was here visiting not long ago, and his wife was here with him at
Christmas."
The members of his family learned of Goodwin's death when neighbors told them that Marines had been looking for them. Cheney said he knew right then the news was bad.
"There are only two things they would want: to say he was severely injured or dead," Cheney said. "We took it as anyone would take it - it's a severe loss. I have an empty heart."
He added: "What do they say? Once a Marine, always a Marine."

Friday, May 13, 2005
By JASON NARK
Courtesy of the Courier-Post
Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Anthony L. Goodwin fought to go back to Iraq, family members said Thursday.
"His life was his service," said his father, Paul Cheney. "He felt the people of
Iraq needed him. I'm proud to have him as a son."
The highly decorated Goodwin, a former Westampton Township resident, was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed by enemy small-arms fire
Monday. He was on a combat mission to disrupt terrorist activities near Al
Qaim, Marine Corps officials said. He had arrived in February for a 14-month deployment.
Cheney said Goodwin's funeral will be Monday in North Carolina, where he was stationed at Camp Lejeune and lived with his wife, Kimberly; daughter,
Alyssa, 15, and son, Oury, 5.
He will buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia later in the week and he will be awarded the Purple Heart, said his sister-in-law, Laurie Goodwin.
"He was a Marine through and through," said Laurie Goodwin, 34, inside her
Florence Township home.
Goodwin, 33, was born in Massachusetts and lived in San Antonio with his father before coming to Westampton Township to live with his mother and stepfather in a brick split-level on Holly Lane.
Laurie Goodwin said Anthony and his brother Gregory, 32, both attended
Rancocas Valley High School but Anthony returned to Texas to finish high school.
Mathilde Vengen, 67, lives next door to Anthony Goodwin's former home on
Holly Lane and said she saw two Marines at the home earlier this week.
"I knew right away," said Vengen. "I told my daughter that it has to be Tony."
A Blue Star banner, which signifies a family member is serving in the Armed
Forces, hung in the picture window of Goodwin's former residence. Vengen said
Goodwin's mother had gone to North Carolina to visit her daughter-in-law and grandchildren before her son's death.
Goodwin enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1989 and served in Operation Desert
Shield and Operation Desert Storm. After the Gulf War, he served in a number locations, including Angola and the Balkans, and he served as a trainer and instructor.
In January 2003, Goodwin reported to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Division as a platoon sergeant, shortly before deployment with the II Marine Expeditionary
Force for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In March 2004, he was moved to 2nd Marine Regimental Training Center to serve as the chief instructor for the regiment.
He returned to Iraq in February.
"He knew this would be the most dangerous mission," said Cheney.
According to Second Lieutenant Barry Edwards, a spokesman for the 2nd
Marine Division, Goodwin's unit "conducted patrols to prevent insurgents from

developing strongholds in the remote cities of western Iraq."
Goodwin received more than two dozen medals and commendations while in the
Marine Corps, including two Combat Action ribbons, the Navy and Marine
Corps Achievement medal, three Sea Service Deployment ribbons, and Kuwait
Liberation medals for both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia from Operation Desert
Storm in 1991.
Goodwin is the 14th service member from the tri-county area who has died since American forces invaded Afghanistan and Iraq.
Laurie Goodwin said both her husband and her brother-in-law knew Army Spc.
Bryan Freeman Jr. from high school.
Freeman, a 1991 graduate of Rancocas Valley, was killed by small-arms fire in
Baghdad on November 8, 2004.
Laurie Goodwin said her husband, who served eight years in the Army, is devastated at the loss of his older brother.
Photos Courtesy of his wife, Kim and his children Alyssa and Oury
GOODWIN, ANTHONY L
SSGT US MARINE CORPS
PERSIAN GULF
DATE OF BIRTH: 05/28/1971
DATE OF DEATH: 05/08/2005
BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 8182
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

Posted: 13 May 2005 Updated: 21 August 2005 Updated: 6 September 2005 Updated: 17 August 2006
Photo Courtesy of Holly, August 2006
33, of Mount Holly, N.J.; assigned to the 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed May 9 by enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Qa'im, Iraq.
Associated Press
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J.
— A highly decorated Marine from New Jersey was killed Monday while on patrol in western Iraq, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
Staff Sgt. Anthony L. Goodwin, 33, formerly of Mount Holly, was an infantry unit leader with the 2nd Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. The unit was on a mission to disrupt insurgent activities near Qaim, said
2nd Lt. Barry Edwards, a spokesman for the 2nd Marine Division.
Goodwin joined the Marine Corps in September 1989 and had received more than two dozen medals and commendations during his time in the service, Edwards said. He was a veteran of the first Gulf War and had deployed to Iraq as part of the II Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“His unit conducted patrols to prevent insurgents from developing strongholds in the remote cities of western Iraq,” Edwards told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill.
The Pentagon said Goodwin was killed by small-arms fire. He died during a day of intense fighting as U.S. troops conducted an offensive in a desert region believed to be a staging area for insurgent assaults.
Goodwin’s wife lives in North Carolina, but Edwards declined to say whether the couple had children.
Anthony L. Goodwin had a minor stroke as he was being shipped home from Iraq, but he underwent a series of medical tests to prove he was able to return to duty. "He's been wanting to be a Marine since he was 7 years old," said Goodwin's mother Brenda Cheney. "He died doing what he wanted to do." Goodwin, 33, of Mount Holly, N.J., was killed May 9 by small-arms fire near Qaim. Goodwin was born in Massachusetts and lived in San Antonio with his father before going to live in New Jersey with his mother. He was in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in high school and earned his GED before enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1989. He served in the first Gulf War, Angola and the Balkans.
He was based at Camp Lejeune and lived in North Carolina with his wife, Kimberly; daughter, Alyssa, 15, and son,
Oury, 5. "His life was his service," said his father, Paul Cheney. "He felt the people of Iraq needed him."
Anthony Lee Goodwin
USMC SSGT ANTHONY LEE GOODWIN, 33, of Jacksonville, died Monday, May 9, 2005 in Iraq. Graveside funeral services, with full military honors, will be held at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 at Arlington National Cemetery.
Ssgt Goodwin had served in the USMC since 1989, was a veteran of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm

and was currently serving his third tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly Vance
Goodwin of the home; two children, his daughter, Alyssa and his son, Oury, both of the home; his parents, Paul and
Brenda Goodwin Cheney of Mt. Holly, NJ; one brother, Greg Goodwin of Roebling, NJ; and one niece, Cassandra of
Germany.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the POW MIA, c/o Rolling Thunder, Chapter 5, 115
Spring Drive, Jacksonville, NC 28540. The family will receive friends Monday evening from 6-8 PM at Jones Funeral
Home, 303 Chaney Avenue, Jacksonville, NC 28540. Internet condolences may be sent to the family at jonesfuneral@ec.rr.com.
Published in Houston Chronicle on May 13, 2005
Hometown: Camden , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: April 23, 2005 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army , 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (Provisional), Fort
Lewis, Wash.
Incident: Died of non-combat related injuries at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
PRIVATE ROBERT C. WHITE III of Camden, N.J.; assigned to the 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th
Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (Provisional), based at Fort Lewis, Washington, died April 23, 2005 at
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, of non-combat-related injuries. He had shipped out for Afghanistan in
February of 2005. Private White was 21 years old.
Courier-News - April 29, 2005
Camden Soldier Dies in Kandahar
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- A soldier from New Jersey has died in Afghanistan from non-combat related injuries, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
Pvt. Robert C. White III of Camden died April 23 at Kandahar Airfield, the department said in a news release.
White, 21, was assigned to the 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Maneuver Enhancement
Brigade (Provisional) at Fort Lewis, south of Tacoma. He worked in food service operations and had deployed to Afghanistan in February, said Tammy Reed, a Fort Lewis spokeswoman.
White joined the Army Reserves in New Jersey on Nov. 3, 2003, Reed said. He signed up for active duty and was assigned to Fort Lewis on Jan. 31, 2005.
Camden Courier-Post - May 3, 2005
By JASON NARK
A former Camden man who died serving in the Army in Afghanistan, will be laid to rest here this afternoon after funeral services in New York City.
Pvt. Robert C. White III, 21, died at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan on April 23 of

noncombat related injuries, said Maj. Elizabeth Robbins, an Army spokeswoman.
White went to Afghanistan from Fort Lewis, Wash., in February with the 864th Engineer
Battalion and worked in food service operations, Robbins said.
White was survived by his wife, two children, and parents. Relatives in Camden could not be reached for comment, however.
A viewing for White was held Monday night at Benta's Funeral Home in New York City. After a funeral service this morning at St. James Presbyterian Church, also in New York City, White will be brought back to New Jersey for burial at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, said Jacqueline
Sherman, funeral director at Benta's.
No relatives of White could be reached in New York.
Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Hitt said he could not release any personal information about White without the consent of his family.
Hitt said White arrived at Fort Lewis on Jan. 31 after enlisting in the Army full time. Hitt said it appeared White had been an Army reservist, stationed out of Fort Dix, Burlington County. White joined the Army reserve on Nov. 3, 2003.
Kryn Westhoven, a spokesman for Fort Dix, said he could not find records of White's time at
Fort Dix.
Monica Lewis, a spokeswoman for the Camden school district, said there was a Robert C.
White who matched the age of the deceased soldier, who left the school in the 10th grade and moved to Peekskill, N.Y. Lewis did not know what year White left.
The Army has not released the cause of White's death.
Camden Courier-Post - May 5, 2005
We extend out thoughts to the friends and family of John Charles Spahr, formerly of
Cherry Hill, and Robert White, formerly of Camden.
In barely a week's time, two more servicemen with ties to South Jersey have perished in the war on terror.
On April 23, former Camden resident Army private Robert C. White III, formerly of
Camden, died of noncombat injuries at the Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. On
Wednesday the military confirmed that Marine Maj. John Charles Spahr, formerly of
Cherry Hill, died earlier this week following the crash of his fighter jet in Iraq.
American fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan are falling but, as these twin tragedies prove, our nation still is very much at war.
White, 21, was not involved in combat operations in Afghanistan, but his efforts in support of his fellow soldiers in the war on terror deserve to be remembered. White had been in Afghanistan since February with the 864th Engineer Battlion, 555th Maneuver
Enhancement Brigade (Provisional). He worked in food service in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom.
He attended school in Camden until 10th grade and then moved to New York, enlisting in the Army Reserve in New Jersey in 2003. He bravely signed up for active duty two years later and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash. He leaves behind a wife, two children and his parents.
Spahr, 42, leaves behind a wife and daughter in San Diego, as well as his mother, four older sisters and a younger brother.

Spahr was executive officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, based at Marine
Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, according to The Associated Press.
"He was a real affable, outgoing, easy-to-get-along-with kid, really hard working," said Barbara Brown, a biology teacher at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, where Spahr attended until 1981.
His Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet was one of two reported missing earlier this week. The second pilot still is missing.
Spahr had been flying F/A-18s since 1993, according to his official biography. He attended the Navy's "Top Gun" fighter weapons school in 1996, later was an instructor pilot there and was embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation when the Iraq war began in March 2003.
Both men deserve our eternal gratitude for their willingness to place themselves at risk for the greater good.
Unfortunately, they are just the latest to join a growing list of local heroes who have died in Afghanistan or Iraq.
By Beverly M. Reid
May 18, 2007, 6:53PM
Age: 21
Hometown: Camden
Circumstances: Died of non-combat injuries at Kandahar Airfield
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/04/29
Ex-N.J. Reservist dies in Afghanistan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A former Army Reservist from Camden has died in Afghanistan from noncombat-related injuries, the Department of Defense said yesterday.
Pvt. Robert C. White III, 21, died Saturday at Kandahar Airfield, the department said in a news release.
White joined the Army Reserves on Nov. 3, 2003, said Tammy Reed, a spokeswoman at Fort
Lewis near Tacoma, Wash. He signed up for active duty and was assigned to Fort Lewis on
Jan. 31.
White was assigned to the 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
(Provisional). He worked in food service operations and had deployed to Afghanistan in
February, said Reed.
He is survived by a wife, two children and his parents.
The death was under investigation. Additional information was not immediately available.

Hometown: Haddon Heights , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 29 years old
Died: June 3, 2005 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Unit: Army
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 558-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 05, 2005
Media Contact: Army Public Affairs - (703) 692-2000 Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They were killed on June 3 at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E in Afghanistan when their convoy vehicle was struck by an improvised expolsive device. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The soldiers are:
Staff Sergeat Leroy E. Alexander , 27, of Dale City, Virginia
Captain Charles D. Robinson, 29, of Haddon Heights, New Jersey
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703)
692-2000.

Services set for soldier who died in Afghanistan
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
PEMBERTON TWP. - A memorial service will be held Saturday for Capt. Charles
D. Robinson, who was killed June 3 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.
Robinson, who was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and stationed in Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, served in Operation Enduring Freedom with the Army Special
Forces Command. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple
Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
He is survived by his wife, Laura of Fayetteville, North Carolina; his parents Rev.
Charles and Janet Robinson of Browns Mills; a brother, Jeffrey of Cedarville, Ohio; and a sister, Christine, a junior at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in
Pomona.
Services will be held at 7 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, Magnolia and Scrapetown roads, Pemberton Township. He will be buried with full military honors on July 5 at
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Captain Charles D. Robinson Memorial
Fund, First Citizens Bank, 1701 Owen Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304.
Service will be held for slain soldier
By KIM BENN
Courtesy of the Burlington County Times
PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY - A memorial service will be held this weekend for an Army Special Forces soldier who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month.
The service for Captain Charles D. Robinson, 29, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church, Magnolia and Scrapetown roads, said his father, the Rev. Charles L. Robinson Jr. of Pemberton Township.
Robinson was killed June 3 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He was a member of the Army's 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.
"We wanted to give family and friends in this area a chance to come and remember

him," his father said.
Robinson will be buried with full military honors July 5, 2005 at Arlington National
Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
The U.S. Army had a service for Robinson at Fort Bragg on June 10, his father said.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, the
Meritorious Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
Charles L. Robinson said his son had been in Afghanistan since November and was four to seven weeks away from coming home at the time of his death.
"He told his wife (Laura) that he felt there was honor in what he was doing in
Afghanistan," Charles L. Robinson said. "He felt it was important that Christians were there doing the work because of the moral character that was required."
Charles Robinson Killed in Afghanistan
June 9, 2005
United States Army Captain Charles Daniel Robinson, a 1998 graduate of Cedarville
University and Army ROTC commissionee, was killed in Afghanistan on Friday,
June 3, 2005.
According to his brother Jeff, Charles and another member of his unit were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding encountered an IED (improvised explosive device) and exploded. A third unit member in the vehicle was severely burned and is at the Army's burn unit at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas.
Charles’s remains were flown to Dover Air Force Base.
A memorial service will be held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina (where Charles and his wife Laura [Brown] were stationed), on Friday, June 10. Burial will be at
Arlington National Cemetery on July 5 at 1:00 p.m. with full military honors because of his sacrificial service with distinction as an officer in the U.S. Military.
The military service at Fort Bragg will give the Special Operations Forces an opportunity to honor Charles.
Charles was the son of Chuck and Jan Robinson, former ABWE missionaries in
Paraguay and Chile. Charles’s testimony and witness was impacting his comrades in Afghanistan. They deeply respected and loved their commanding officer.
29 April 2008:
An urgent message awaited Charles and Janet Robinson when they came home from dinner that evening in June 2005.
The wife of their son's battalion commander had phoned: Call your daughter-in-law immediately, she instructed the Browns Mills couple.
Their hearts sank as they prepared for the news they had feared most. Army
Captain Charles D. Robinson, their bright and pensive son, had been killed in
Afghanistan.
The 29-year-old Special Forces officer, who attended Baptist Regional School in
Haddon Heights, was riding in a heavily armored humvee through Orgun-e in southeastern Afghanistan when an antitank mine exploded. One more month and he was to have returned Stateside.
"It's difficult to say what we will miss most about Charlie," said his father, a Baptist

minister who, with his wife, has found comfort in a Christian grief counseling group for parents.
The U.S. military death toll will soon reach 500 in Afghanistan, where the war has received less media attention than the conflict in Iraq despite an increasingly violent insurgency, the resurgence of al-Qaeda, and a growing commitment of troops.
Robinson is one of 11 New Jerseyans who have lost their lives in Operation Enduring
Freedom since it began in 2001. Also mourning are the families of 17 Pennsylvanians and one Delawarean.
The coalition's success in Afghanistan has come at a terrible cost for the loved ones of those who have died in that rugged, faraway land. Almost three years after
Robinson's death, his family feels his absence keenly.
"Charlie was always very mature and thought about things a lot," said the Rev.
Charles Robinson, 59, who now lives with his wife in Southampton, Burlington
County. "He thought through the issues of life and what he wanted to do."
Charles and Janet Robinson, with the case that contains the flag they received after their son was killed in Afghanistan
In one of his letters, the soldier wrote of the importance of the mission, not only politically and militarily, but also spiritually. "Charlie's faith was important to him," said his father, a former missionary whose work took the family to Paraguay and
Chile. His son wanted the world to associate the U.S. military with men and women of principle, he said.
"He wrote that believers should be doing what he was doing because of the need there for the moral character of Christians," the elder Robinson said. "There was honor in what he was doing."
Until they lost their son, the Robinsons did not realize the impact he had on the people around him.
While at his grave at Arlington National Cemetery a couple of years ago, the
Robinsons stopped to talk to relatives paying their respects to Staff Sergeant Leroy
Alexander of Dale City, Virginia, who was killed in the same explosion.
When they turned back to their son's grave, they saw a young man kneeling in prayer.
"We waited until he was done and went over," said Charles Robinson, a Vietnam veteran who attended Philadelphia College of Bible, now Philadelphia Biblical
University. "He told us he had served with Charlie in the 82d Airborne at Fort
Bragg and was interning that summer with a member of Congress.
"He said Charlie was the one who had encouraged him to go into government service," he said.
The soldier told the Robinsons that whenever he was having a hard time, he asked himself, "What would Charlie do?" said Janet Robinson, 61.
From an early age, the younger Robinson had known a life of faith and duty. "He

was a big help to us in our work," his father said.
At religious services during the family's time in South America, Charlie - who lived in Haddon Heights as a boy - played guitar and witnessed to young people about his faith in their own language.
He spent much of his life in Paraguay, then returned to New Jersey to attend Baptist
Regional School, where he played soccer. His family later resumed its missionary work in Paraguay, and he graduated from Asunción Christian Academy.
"Learning came naturally for him," said his mother, who has another son, Jeffrey, and a daughter, Janet. "He really challenged us and kept us on our toes."
He majored in international studies and global economics at Cedarville University, a tight-knit Christian school in Ohio. There he met his future wife, Laura, a native of
Iowa.
Robinson joined the ROTC at Cedarville, which led him into the Army after graduation in 1998, the year before he and Laura married. He was first assigned to the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82d Airborne Division, based at Fort
Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C.
Robinson decided to undertake a more rigorous two-year training course and join the Special Forces.
"We knew him as a child, but we learned more about him as an adult after he died," his mother said. "We found out later that Charlie's church in Fayetteville grew because he and Laura brought in many new couples."
Laura did not accept an invitation, relayed by family, to speak to The Inquirer.
"He was doing what he loved doing in the military with what time God gave him," said his father, who refrains from discussing the political aspects of the war: "It makes no difference in the loss."
"We never talked to him about going into missionary work," he said. "We told him it was important to do what he thought was the Lord's will for his life."
"We loved him for who he was," added Janet Robinson. "Our only complaint is that we didn't have him long enough. . . . I'm pleased that he's not forgotten."
In an online memorial sponsored by the Washington Post, his friends and family have written tributes, none as touching as his wife's in 2006:
One year ago today . . .
Charlie, we honor you. You continue to be missed, and in our tears we're a little jealous of how it must be to be in the presence of God. Thank you for being the kind of man that we are honored to remember. I miss your daily presence.

Photo Courtesy of Holly, September 2005
His awards and decorations include:
the Army Commendation Medal, the Army
Achievement Medal, the National Defense
Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the
Parachutist Badge, the Combat Infantryman
Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the
Special Forces Tab and Ranger Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal,
Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
Robinson is survived by his wife, Laura; and parents, Charles and Janet Robinson of Brown Mills, N.J.
Robinson deployed to Afghanistan in January 2005 in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
A resident of Haddon Heights, N.J., Robinson was commissioned in the Army immediately following graduation from
Cedarville College in Ohio May 1998, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign trade.

His first military assignment was with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Robinson graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course and was assigned to 7th SFG in December 2003.
Army Capt. Charles D. Robinson's life spanned the globe.
The son of missionaries based in Haddon Heights, Robinson spent much of his life in Paraguay, where he developed a love of languages and a bond with other Americans stationed overseas.
At Baptist Regional School in Haddon Heights, Robinson played soccer and kept in touch with friends after his family resumed their travels.
And after the Special Forces sent him to Afghanistan in January as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Robinson asked his family to mail him care packages of candy. He planned to give them to children in villages he was helping rebuild.
Robinson, 29, was one of two Special Forces soldiers killed Friday when a bomb exploded near the ground mobility vehicle he was traveling in during operations near Orgun-e, in the southeastern region of Afghanistan. He had been assigned to the First Battalion, Seventh Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C.
"He put his heart and soul into everything he did," said his maternal grandmother, Doris Anderson of Woodstown. "He was outgoing in a quiet sort of way."
During Robinson's childhood, his parents, Charles and Janet, were missionaries based at Haddon Heights Baptist
Church.
Robinson and his brother and sister were home-schooled by their mother in Paraguay, his grandmother said.
During one family furlough, Robinson spent his freshman and sophomore years at Baptist High School, which is affiliated with the church, head administrator Lynn Conahan said.
"He was easygoing, friendly, outgoing, and he could take a joke," said Conahan, whose son, P.J., was a friend of
Robinson's. After Robinson's family returned to Paraguay, he continued to write letters to P.J., Conahan said.
Robinson later graduated from Asuncion Christian Academy in Paraguay, said his brother, Jeffrey.
In Paraguay, Robinson and his family developed a kinship with American military officials and other Americans living abroad, his grandmother said.
He later majored in international studies and global economics at Cedarville University in Ohio, graduating in 1998, according to university spokesman Roger Overturf. That was where he met his wife, Laura, a native of Iowa, said
Overturf, who remembered the couple.
Several of Robinson's and his wife's relatives attended the tight-knit, 3,000-student university, Overturf said. "We're all pretty devastated here."
Robinson became involved in ROTC in college, which led him into the Army after graduation. He was first assigned to the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg.
But "he wanted more than that," Anderson said. Robinson completed a rigorous training program over more than two years and joined the elite Special Forces in December 2003.
He lived with his wife in Fayetteville, N.C., and they were hoping to start a family soon, Anderson said. The family was hoping Robinson would return in August.
Laura Robinson said yesterday she did not want to comment.
Robinson's parents, who live in Pemberton Township, could not be reached yesterday.
Maj. Robert Gowan, a spokesman for the Army's Special Forces Command, said Robinson had been riding in a ground mobility vehicle. "It is a modified humvee," Gowan said, and was "heavily armored."
Also killed in the explosion was another member of Robinson's group, Staff Sgt. Leroy E. Alexander, 27, a Special
Forces engineer sergeant from Dale City, Va.
Captain Robinson is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Hometown: Eatontown , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 25 years old
Died: November 4, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army , 26th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee during convoy operations in
Baghdad.
There wasn't a lot James M. Gurbisz didn't excel at. He was captain of the football team during his junior and senior years in high school. He also played varsity baseball, served as president of the student council and held a 4.5 grade point average. "He was respected as a student and as an athlete," said Anthony Gaetano, who coached Gurbisz for two years of football. "He was that kid who was the team clown, but he was a leader as well. Kids followed him." Gurbisz, 25, of Eatontown, N.J., was killed Nov. 4 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2002 graduate of West Point and was assigned to Fort Stewart. His father, an Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, wasn't surprised when his son chose to go to college at West Point. As a boy, James loved to visit Fort
Monmouth and always had an interest in the military, Kenneth Gurbisz said. "That was Jimmy," his father recalled. "That was probably his calling, with all his dedication and all his hard work. He believed in what West Point stood for. And he did very well up there." He also is survived by his wife, Victoria. z
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 1159-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2005
Media Contact: Army Public Affairs - (703) 692-2000 Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 4,
2005, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during convoy operations. The soldiers were assigned to the 26th Forward Support
Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Killed were:
Capt. James M. Gurbisz, 25, of Eatontown, New Jersey
Private First Class Dustin A. Yancey, 22, of Goose Creek, South Carolina
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703)

692-2000.
Bomb Explosion In Baghdad Kills N.J. Native
8 November 2005:
EATONTOWN, NEW JERSEY - An Army officer from New Jersey has been killed in Iraq.
Captain James Gurbisz, 25, who grew up in Eatontown, was killed Friday when a bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, the Pentagon said.
He was on a scouting mission with a unit of the Third Infantry Division.
Gurbisz was a star athlete -- captain of the football team at Monmouth Regional
High School -- and a top scholar, carrying a 4.5 grade-point average.
He went on to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 2002.
He'll be buried on Monday in Arlington National Cemetery.
Eatontown GI dies as bomb hits Humvee
Monmouth Regional graduate excelled in classroom, on field
To those who knew him as a student at Monmouth Regional High School, James M.
Gurbisz was a star athlete, a scholar, a class clown and a leader.
To his family, he was Jimmy — the only son of Helen and Kenneth, and Kathleen's little brother. He was the boy who loved to visit Fort Monmouth and who grew up to graduate, with honors, with a degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point.
"He was a magnet," said Kenneth Gurbisz, James' father. "People were just drawn to him."
Army Captain James M. Gurbisz, 25, was killed in Iraq Friday when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee, according to a Department of Defense statement
Monday.

Gurbisz and Private First Class Dustin A. Yancey, 22, of Goose Creek, South
Carolina, were killed in Baghdad during a scouting mission of the 26th Forward
Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. No other information was available.
Gurbisz, a platoon leader, will be buried with full military honors at Arlington
National Cemetery Monday, Kenneth Gurbisz said.
Gurbisz leaves behind Victoria Gurbisz, his wife of nearly three years. The couple had recently bought a house in Savannah, Ga., near Fort Stewart, where he was stationed. Victoria Gurbisz could not be reached for comment.
A sports-oriented family
Gurbisz grew up in Eatontown, attending Woodmere Elementary and Memorial
Middle schools and playing sports in borough recreational leagues. The Gurbisz family was a fixture at sporting events for both James and his sister, Kathleen, now
28, who also was active in sports through high school.
"They were the family you saw everywhere," said Councilwoman Joyce Englehart, whose son, Joseph, played baseball with James.
"(James) was a wonderful young man. He was quite a kid, a lot of fun to be around.
He was one of those kids you wanted your kids to hang around."
Gurbisz graduated from Monmouth Regional in 1998. He was captain of the football team during his junior and senior years. He also played varsity baseball, served as president of the student council and held a 4.5 grade point average.
Gurbisz was named an Asbury Park Press' Scholar Athlete in 1998 for his achievements on and off the field.
"He was respected as a student and as an athlete," said Anthony "Bubba" Gaetano, who coached Gurbisz for two years of football. "He was that kid who was the team clown, but he was a leader as well. Kids followed him."
With his grades and his athletic ability, Gurbisz could have gone to college anywhere. He was courted by several Ivy League schools, his father said.
He chose West Point.
His father, an Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, wasn't surprised.
As a boy, James loved to visit Fort Monmouth and had always had an interest in the military, Kenneth Gurbisz said.
"That was Jimmy," his father recalled. "That was probably his calling — with all his dedication and all his hard work. He believed in what West Point stood for. And he did very well up there."
Marching orders
Gurbisz graduated from the military academy in the spring of 2002 — the first graduating class following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Kenneth
Gurbisz said his son knew it was likely he would be deployed somewhere.
In January 2004 he was sent to Iraq as a Second Lieutenant. He was stationed in
Baghdad and rose to the rank of Captain a few months later, leading a security platoon.
"Jimmy didn't believe in doing anything halfway," his father said.
Gurbisz would e-mail his family weekly and called at least once a month. Kenneth
Gurbisz said although James tried to shield his mother from the danger he

experienced in Iraq, his father knew from his own experience that it was more dangerous than he was letting on.
So when the Army knocked on the door of his Bernard Street home Friday, Kenneth
Gurbisz knew instantly why they had come.
"He and his soldiers believed in what they were doing," he said. "He dedicated himself to service of his country."
Kenneth Gurbisz said the loss has been especially hard on James' sister and his mother. He said James' wife is staying with family in Georgia. The family will meet up with James' wife in Arlington before the funeral next week, he said.
"It's one of those things you don't want to believe, especially for someone who's done so much in such a short period of time," Gaetano said.
5 November 2006:
EATONTOWN, NEW JERSEY — A monument dedicated to the memory of Army
Captain James M. Gurbisz, an Eatontown native killed November 4, 2005, in Iraq, was unveiled Saturday. From the inscription:
"And when our work is done, Our course on Earth is run, May it be said, "Well done!'
Be Thou at Peace"
Major General Michael Mazzucchi (left), the commanding general at Fort Monmouth, and Kenneth and Francis Gurbisz salute the flag during a ceremony for the couple's son, James who was killed in Iraq
A community can only do so much to soften the sting brought by the untimely death of one of its own. But it can try.
A community cannot take away the pain felt by longtime residents Kenneth and
Helen Gurbisz, whose 25-year-old son, Army Captain James M. Gurbisz, was killed in Baghdad, Iraq, a year ago Saturday. But it can try.
A sampling of the Eatontown community, more than 100 strong, gathered at
Wampum Memorial Park on Saturday morning to do what it could to honor the life and sacrifice of the fallen soldier on the anniversary of his death.
A memorial stone dedicated to James Gurbisz, who grew up attending borough schools and playing on borough sports teams, was unveiled as a permanent fixture in the park's Veteran's Plaza. It was what the community could do, and it was a gesture appreciated by the dozen Gurbisz family members who attended.
"This is such a tremendous town, such a close-knit community," Kenneth Gurbisz, a former Army helicopter pilot, said after the somber, 30-minute ceremony.
James Gurbisz was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee while on a scouting mission of the 26th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry

Division. Also killed in the blast was Private First Class Dustin A. Yancey , 22, of
Goose Creek, South Carolina.
Gurbisz was buried last year with full military honors at Arlington National
Cemetery in Virginia. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the
Purple Heart.
Gurbisz, who attended Woodmere Elementary and Memorial Middle schools and played sports in borough recreational leagues, left behind Victoria, his wife of nearly three years. The couple had no children.
Gurbisz graduated from Monmouth Regional High School in 1998 and was captain of the school football team during his junior and senior years. He also played varsity baseball, served as president of the student council and held a 4.5 grade point average.
Gurbisz graduated with honors from the military academy at West Point in 2002 in the first graduating class following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
He was sent to Iraq in January 2004, holding the rank of second lieutenant. He was stationed in Baghdad and rose to the rank of captain a few months later, leading a security platoon.
As the Eatontown Municipal Band softly played just inches away, James' parents gently lifted the black cloth that covered their only son's memorial stone, which was paid for entirely by community donations. Kenneth and Helen took several minutes to read the inscription, their eyes welling with tears.
"It never gets easier," his father said later. "There's always something that reminds you of him."
An invocation and closing prayer were led by the Rev. G. William Evans, pastor of
St. Dorothea's Roman Catholic Church.
During the ceremony, remarks were offered by Major General Michael Mazzucchi, commanding general at Fort Monmouth, Representative Rush D. Holt, D-N.J., and
Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo.
Photos & Valentine's Day Remembrance By Holly February 2006

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In Remembrance of Jimmy Gurbisz from Eatontown, NJ who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq, November 4, 2005. A
Memorial Mass was celebrated today, November 19, 2005 at St. Dorothea's Parish Community at 10:00 am. God
Bless You Jimmy
Hometown: West Deptford , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 33 years old
Died: November 12, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army , 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort
Wainwright, Alaska.
Incident: Killed when his Stryker military vehicle accidentally rolled over Qadisiyah.
Sgt. Stephen J. Sutherland
Sgt. Stephen J. Sutherland
Suddenly on November 12, 2005, Army Sergeant Stephen John, age 34, with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat
Team. A former resident of Pitman and Mantua, Stephen was stationed at Ft. Wainwright at North Pole, Alaska.
Stephen graduated from Clearview High School in 1992 where he played offense, defense and special teams for the school’s football team. He converted to Catholicism on Easter Sunday 2004 and he attended Mass regularly at the
Southern Lights Chapel located on the base. Stephen was active with the Youth Group and the Boy Scouts as well as being a member of the Knights of Columbus. In addition, he was very skilled as a handyman in electrical and plumbing work.
Stephen is lovingly survived by his wife, Maria; his sons, Omar and Victor; his parents, William and Shirley Sutherland; his sister, Tracy Gilman; his brother, William Sutherland, III and his wife, Sandra; his brother-in-law, Daniel Rowe; his nephews, Michael Rowe, John Rowe, Daniel Rowe, Aaron Gilman and Alexander Gilman; and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Rita and Jose Chavez. Stephen is predeceased by his beloved sister, Kathleen Dawn Rowe.

Relatives and friends are invited to his visitation Saturday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and again Sunday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the HEALEY FUNERAL HOME, 9 White Horse Pike (at Kings Highway), Haddon Heights, N.J. 08035. His Mass of
Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday at 11:00 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Fourth Avenue and Kings Highway, Haddon Heights, N.J. Interment private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Stephen Sutherland Memorial Fund, c/o Commerce Bank, 490
Mantua Ave., Woodbury, NJ 08096. Inquiries regarding services or donations may be made through the HEALEY
FUNERAL HOME at (856) 547-1675.
SUTHERLAND, SGT. STEPHEN J.
Suddenly on November 12, 2005, Army Sergeant Stephen John, age 34, with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat
Team. A former resident of Pitman and Mantua, Stephen was stationed at Ft. Wainwright at North Pole, Alaska.
Stephen graduated from Clearview High School in 1992 where he played offense, defense and special teams for the school's football team. He converted to Catholicism on Easter Sunday 2004 and he attended Mass regularly at the
Southern Lights Chapel located on the base. Stephen was active with the Youth Group and the Boy Scouts as well as being a member of the Knights of Columbus. In addition, he was very skilled as a handyman in electrical and plumbing work.
Stephen is lovingly survived by his wife, Maria; his sons, Omar and Victor; his parents, William and Shirley
Sutherland; his sister, Tracy Gilman; his brother, William Sutherland, III and his wife Sandra, his brother-in-law
Daniel Rowe; his nephews, Michael Rowe, John Rowe, Daniel Rowe, Aaron Gilman and Alexander Gilman; and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Rita and Jose Chavez. Stephen is predeceased by his beloved sister, Kathleen Dawn
Rowe.
Relatives and friends are invited to his visitation Saturday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM and again Sunday from 4:00 to 7:00
PM at the HEALEY FUNERAL HOME, 9 White Horse Pike (at Kings Highway), Haddon Heights, NJ 08035. His
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday at 11:00 AM at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Fourth
Avenue and Kings Highway, Haddon Heights, NJ. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the
Stephen Sutherland Memorial Fund, c/o Commerce Bank, 490 Mantua Ave. Woodbury, NJ 080
Hometown: Kearny , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 25 years old
Died: November 19, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army , 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne
Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations in
Bayji.

167f3a852cd1b0 0 0
SSgt Edward “Eddie” Karolasz was a life long resident of Kearny, NJ. Growing up he wanted to get out of
Kearny, wishing to see the world and travel; do something different with his life. A tall and skinny kid, he was full of wanderlust and adventure. Eddie broke his leg while in high school. Being placed in a wheelchair didn’t stop him; he rode it down a hill, smoking a cigarette and trying to brake at the same time. When he reached the bottom, he put his cigarette out, walked up the porch and flashed his famous smile. He enlisted in the Army right after his 1999 graduation from high school, and he indeed did travel the world. Stationed in
Kosovo, then Germany, he skied in the French Alps, went bungee jumping and skydiving in Switzerland and served an uneventful tour of duty in Iraqi where he was a guard near base. He also spent some time n Italy, although some of it was spent recovering from a burst appendix. When home on leaves, Eddie made sure he visited his old high school, showing up in uniform to visit his former teachers and counselors. His pride and growth was obvious; changing from a skinny kid into a muscular soldier. He served four years and then re-enlisted for another four, intending to leave after that term and pursue a career in law enforcement, Eddie was set to deploy to Iraq for a second tour in September of 2005. His first tour he had no problems, but before leaving for the second, he expressed concerns about not feeling optimistic, he wondered if he would make it back. He would be doing a lot of reconnaissance work, and it made him nervous. Assigned to the
1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort
Campbell, Kentucky, Eddie and three other soldiers were killed on November 19 when an IED exploded near their HMMWV. While in Iraq he was a professional leader and soldier; hungry for conversation and company, Eddie was well known for leading late night bull sessions, fueled by coffee and cigarettes. He lived his life the way he thought his life should be, believing that he was doing the right thing. His philosophy was always “Life is a journey, enjoy the ride.” Eddie enjoyed his. His parents, Edward and Krystna, a brother John and two sisters, Donna and Kristine, survived him. SSG Karolasz is buried at Holy Cross
Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ.
25, of Kearny, N.J.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat
Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 19 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Bayji, Iraq. Also killed were 1st Lt.
Dennis W. Zilinski, Cpl. Jonathan F. Blair, and Spc. Dominic J. Hinton.
The Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. — Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Dec. 3 in honor of a soldier from Kearny who died in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz was killed Nov. 19 when a bomb detonated near his Humvee during combat operations. He was among five 101st Airborne Division soldiers, two of them from New Jersey, killed by roadside bombings in Iraq that weekend.
“Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz served his country proudly and has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” Codey said. “We honor his life by flying the national and state flags at half-staff.”
Karolasz, 25, enlisted shortly after graduating high school and had always dreamed of joining the military while he was growing up, his relatives told several newspapers in New Jersey.
He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Divisio n’s 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, based in Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army 1st Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II, of Howell, also was killed in the bombing. Codey had flags fly at half-staff for him Nov. 30.
Hometown: Freehold , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 23 years old
Died: November 19, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army
23, of Freehold, N.J.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat
Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 19 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Bayji, Iraq. Also killed were Staff
Sgt. Edward Karolasz, Cpl. Jonathan F. Blair, and Spc. Dominic J. Hinton.
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. — Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey ordered flags to be flown at half staff Wednesday in honor of a soldier from Howell who died in Iraq.
Army 1st Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II was killed Nov. 19 when a bomb detonated near his Humvee during. He was among five 101st Airborne Division soldiers, two of them New Jerseyans, killed during two roadside bombings in Iraq that weekend.
“1st Lt. Zilinski was a courageous soldier fighting for our country’s safety and security,” Codey said. “We honor his life by flying the national and state flags at halfstaff.”
Zilinski, 23, the son of a Vietnam veteran, attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he earned several awards in swimming and diving. He was a team captain.
He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, based in Fort Campbell, Ky.
Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz, 25, of Kearny, also was killed in the bombing.
An order to fly flags at half staff in his honor is expected soon, a Codey spokesman said Wednesday.
Dennis W. Zilinski II

ZILINSKI - Dennis W. II, Army 1st Lieutenant, 23, died Saturday, Nov. 19, 2005, in Iraq of injuries as a result of a roadside bombing near Beji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, loving son of Dennis and Marion Zilinski, brother of Douglas
J. Kenner, Matthew J. Zilinski, Michele R. Vaughn and Tiffany A. Zilinski, beloved fiance of 2nd Lt. Marie Cicerelle, grandson of Anna Zilinski, uncle of four. Visitation will be held on Monday, Nov. 28, 2005, at Christian Brothers
Academy High School 7-9 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 29, 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. There will be a celebration of life on
Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Tower Hill Presbyterian Church in Red Bank. Interment will be on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 1:30 p.m. at The U.S. Military Academy of West Point. Memorial donations may be made to the Middletown Reformed
Church, 121 Kings Highway, Middletown, N.J. 07748, in the name of Dennis W. Zilinski II.
Please have all flowers sent to Christian Brothers Academy, 850 Newman Springs Rd., Lincroft, N.J. 07738. For further information, please contact The JOHN E. DAY FUNERAL HOME, Red Bank (732-747-0332). Letters of condolence may be emailed through our funeral home website www.sidun.com.
Published in Star-Ledger on November 26, 2005
Hometown: Spring Lake Heights , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 22 years old
Died: November 24, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army , 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division,
Fort Stewart, Ga.
Incident: Died at the Medical University of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., of a non-combat related illness identified in Balad on Nov. 10.
22, of Spring Lake Heights, N.J.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Nov. 24 at the Medical University of
Charleston in Charleston, S.C., of a non-combat-related illness identified Nov. 10 in Balad, Iraq.
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. — A soldier from New Jersey has died after developing a bacterial infection while serving in Iraq.
Army Pfc. Ryan D. Christensen, 22, died Thanksgiving Day at the Medical University of Charleston in
Charleston, S.C., the Pentagon said Monday.
Christensen, who grew up in the Manasquan area, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment,
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Ga.
He joined the Army in August 2002 and worked in communications, according to family members.
He had been in Iraq since January.
Earlier this month, he developed a fever and rash, said his uncle, Charles Conner, of Lacey’s Forked River section. He was taken first to Kuwait, then to Germany, before being flown back to the U.S., Conner said.
Christensen’s mother and stepfather, Suzette and Mark Detulio, live in Brick.

He attended Manasquan High School, then earned his high school diploma through an adult education program offered by the Monmouth County Vocational School District.
“He went into the Army and did so well,” said his great-uncle, Noel Switzer of Brick. “He went from a young man who didn’t know where he was going to someone with direction and commitment.”
Christensen was stationed in South Korea for about a year before his Iraq tour, his uncles said.
He was an avid video game player who liked working with computers and electronic equipment. In Iraq, he helped develop and maintain a Web site for a pro-American radio station, Peace106FM, Switzer said.
“He was very good at what he did,” said Switzer, who said he kept in touch with his nephew in Iraq via email.
Ryan D. Christensen was an avid video game player who'd always harbored a love for computers. So it made sense that he entered the communications field in the Army. "He was very good at what he did," said his great-uncle, Noel
Switzer, who kept in touch via e-mail during the young man's tour in Iraq. Among his accomplishments there,
Christensen worked to develop and keep running the Web site for Peace106FM, a pro-American radio station broadcast in Iraq, Switzer said. "I thought that was incredible," he said. Christensen, 22, of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., died Nov. 24 at a hospital in Charleston, S.C., after developing a bacterial infection. He was assigned to Fort Stewart.
Christensen earned his high school diploma through an adult education program at Monmouth County Vocational
School District. He joined the Army in August 2002. "He was a very good artist and was studying Web design. He was heavily into computers," said Mark Detulio, his stepfather. "He was very family-oriented." He also is survived by his mother, Suzette Detulio.
November 28th, 2009
Born March 16, 1983 in Neptune, NJ
Died Nov. 24, 2005 in Charleston, SC
PFC Ryan D. Christensen enlisted in the Army in 2002, just after graduating from Monmouth County
Vocational School, the fourth generation of his line to serve. A skilled artist and computer wiz, he signed up for a six-year enlistment and blossomed as a soldier. He matured quickly, and grew stronger both mentally and physically. In January of 2005 he deployed to Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 64th
Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Georgia. Most of his time was spent on a base, working as a signals specialist. In November, Ryan developed a rash and a cyst in his throat. He was transported to a hospital in Germany where the cyst was removed. He didn’t improve though and was taken to America for treatment. He died on Thanksgiving Day 2005 from an unknown illness at the Medical University of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. He was buried in
Saint Anne’s Cemetery in Monmouth County New Jersey.

Hometown: Newark , New Jersey , U.S.
Age: 28 years old
Died: December 10, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army , 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne
Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: Killed when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations in Taji.
28, of Newark, N.J.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Dec. 10 when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire during combat operations in Taji, Iraq.
Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. — A 101st Airborne Division soldier with close ties to New Jersey was killed by small arms fire Saturday in Taji, Iraq, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces, the Army said.
Sgt. Clarence L. Floyd Jr., 28, was a cannon crew member assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field
Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Campbell, Ky. His mother and stepfather,
Valerie and James Kelly, live in Newark.
Floyd, a father of five, was killed in Taji, about 20 miles north of Baghdad. Family members said he was shot in the head by a sniper.
Floyd joined the Army in October 2003, after holding a succession of minimum-wage jobs in New York City, hoping to be able to better provide for his family, his parents told The Star-Ledger of Newark.
He was deployed to Iraq at the end of September.
“He didn’t go there because he wanted to go,” James Kelly said. “He went there because he had to go. If these kids had jobs and opportunity, they wouldn’t even enlist.”
Floyd was born and raised in Harlem. He earned his high school diploma while a member of the Job Corps, a federally administered education and job training program. While in the Job Corps, he assisted in relief operations in North Carolina following Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
He will be buried in Calverton National Cemetery in Suffolk County, N.Y.
Attempts to reach Floyd’s wife, Deidra, in Fort Campbell, Ky., on Monday were unsuccessful.
Floyd is one of three soldiers with the 101st Airborne killed in Iraq since Friday. The names of the other two soldiers were not released Monday evening, Fort Campbell spokeswoman Kelly Tyler said.
Counting the three soldiers’ deaths, 29 troops from Fort Campbell have been killed since the 101st Airborne returned to Iraq for a second yearlong tour starting in September.
Fallen Heroes
Memorial
December 10, 2005

Operation Iraqi Freedom
SGT Clarence L. Floyd, Jr.
U.S. Army
Newark, New Jersey
State of New Jersey
Executive Order #71
Acting Governor Richard J. Codey
Return to EO Index
WHEREAS, U.S. Army Sergeant Clarence L. Floyd, Jr., whose parents reside in Newark, New Jersey, earned his high school diploma while serving as a member of the Job Corps, where he assisted in relief operations in North Carolina, following Hurricane Floyd in 1999; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Floyd, a father of five, enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 2003, hoping to be better able to provide for his family; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Floyd served proudly as a cannon crew member of the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion,
320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, based in Fort
Campbell, Kentucky, and was deployed to Iraq in September 2005 in the service of his country; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Floyd was a courageous soldier and a loving husband, father and son; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Floyd has made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life in the line of duty while fighting for our country; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Floyd's patriotism and dedicated service to his country make him a hero and a true role model for all Americans and, therefore, it is appropriate and fitting for the State of New Jersey to mark his passing and to honor his memory;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICHARD J. CODEY, Acting Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and
DIRECT:
1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all
State departments, offices, agencies and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Monday, December
19, 2005, in recognition and mourning of U.S. Army Sergeant Clarence L. Floyd, Jr.
2. This Order shall take effect immediately.
GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 16th day

of December Two Thousand and Five, and of the Independence of the United States, the Two
Hundred and Thirtieth.
/s/ Richard J. Codey
Acting Governor
Attest:
/s/ Mark J. Fleming
Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor