2005
Lance Cpl. Allan Klein
Hometown: Clinton Township, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 34 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.
Allan Klein always had an interest in the military _ but he didn't decide to join until the relatively
advanced age of 30, after the Sept. 11 attacks. "He felt a calling," said his father, Manfred. Klein, 34,
of Clinton Township, Mich., was among the 31 killed Jan. 26 when a helicopter crashed in bad
weather in Iraq. He was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Klein attended Michigan
Technological University for three years and held several jobs before deciding to go into the military
in October 2001. After the helicopter crash, one of Klein's friends brought his mother, Rae Oldaugh, a
letter with instructions for the disposition of his belongings. It also spoke of another, more personal
letter intended for his parents that was being kept with his personal effects. "He said his buddies
would know where it is and know when to send it," Oldaugh said. "The fact is," she said, "all of his
buddies were killed with him."
Clinton Township Marine killed in Iraq chopper crash
Associated Press
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 34-year-old Marine from Macomb County was one of 31 U.S
military personnel killed in the crash of a helicopter during a sandstorm in Iraq, the Pentagon says.
He was identified as Lance Cpl. Allan Klein, 34, of Clinton Township, north of Detroit.
As of Thursday, at least 1,418 members of the U.S. military had died since the beginning of the
Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Those killed included 40 service
members from Michigan or with known Michigan ties.
News of the Klein’s death came Thursday night, hours after family and friends welcomed home
members of a Michigan National Guard unit who had been serving in Iraq. The 1440th Engineer
Detachment-Firefighters are based at Camp Grayling.
Forty-eight members of the unit were sent to Fort McCoy, Wis., in 2003 before deployment to Iraq.
Klein was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine
Expeditionary Force from Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the Pentagon said.
Wednesday’s crash killed 30 Marines and a Navy medic.
The CH-53E Super Stallion went down in western Iraq while transporting troops for security
operations in preparation for Sunday’s elections.
Pentagon officials said Thursday they had no further information about the ongoing investigation of
the crash, which happened during a desert sandstorm near the border with Jordan.
Gen. John Abizaid, the top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said Wednesday that
there was no early indication of hostile fire.
The crash was the single deadliest event for the American military in Iraq since the United States
invaded that country in March 2003. It was also the largest number of Marines to die in a single
event since the terrorist bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in October 1983.
Before this week, 15 Marines from the same 900-member unit had been killed since the March
2003 start of the war in Iraq. Those included eight Marines who were killed Oct. 30 when a car
bomb exploded near their patrol outside Fallujah.
“The unit left Hawaii in August for a routine deployment to Okinawa to serve as the ground combat
element ... with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit,” the Marine base said in a news release. In
September, the units were sent on to Iraq.
— Associated Press
*****
Iraqi’s gift comforts family of slain Marine
ROSEVILLE, Mich. — Rae Oldaugh says she cried upon being told her son, Lance Cpl. Allan Klein
had been killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq, and again when an Iraqi immigrant offered his banquet
hall for a free funeral luncheon.
Allan Klein, 34, of Macomb County’s Clinton Township, was one of 31 U.S. service members killed
in the Jan. 26 helicopter crash. They were part of a team providing security in the days before
Iraq’s first free election in decades.
Youil “Louie” Ishmail, owner of the Athena Banquet Center in Roseville, was among the IraqiAmericans who voted Sunday in that election. At 46, Ishmail for the first time had freely voted in an
election in the land of his birth.
Oldaugh called him the next day to book the hall for a luncheon following Klein’s funeral,
scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
When Ishmail learned that Oldaugh’s son had died in Iraq, he immediately offered to provide the
hall and a meal for 230 people at no cost.
“This Marine give his life for me to go and vote,” Ishmail told the Detroit Free Press for a Friday
story. “This is the least I can give this lady, just to give her some comfort.
“I tell her, ‘Everything. I will take care of everything. It doesn’t matter how many come.”’
Oldaugh was still marveling at Ishmail’s gesture Thursday.
“I was absolutely stunned when he said that to me,” she said. “It’s terribly ironic and significant to
me that he did that.”
The value of the luncheon is about $3,000. But, Ishmail said, “It’s not the money.” Providing the
luncheon, he said, was “the least I could do” for the family of a man who gave his life trying to bring
freedom to Iraq.
“I want to tell those soldiers, those heroes, thank you for your sacrifice,” Ishmail told The Macomb
Daily of Mount Clemens.
Ishmail came to the United States in 1979 from Baghdad, where he had been studying
management and economics at Baghdad University. He grew up in Mosul after his family —
members of a Christian minority long hounded by Saddam Hussein’s ruling Baath Party — was
forced from their village in northern Iraq.
Ishmail, his wife Shamrain, his parents and his brother and sister-in-law traveled Sunday with a
busload of Iraqis from Assyrian (Catholic) Church of the East in Warren to Southgate, where they
voted in the Iraqi election.
“It was a dream come true for us to be able to vote,” said Ishmail, a U.S. citizen since 1991. “My
family and I were so excited. I could see it in the eyes of my parents.”
— Associated Press
Burial dispute over Mich. Marine could soon end
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — One year after his death in Iraq, Marine Lance Cpl. Allan Klein soon
could be buried, now that his parents tentatively have ended a long dispute over the location.
The 34-year-old resident of Macomb County’s Clinton Township died Jan. 26, 2005, along with 29
other Marine infantrymen and a medic, in a helicopter crash near the Jordanian border. His
remains are being temporarily kept at the Roseville crypt while the legal dispute is pending.
Mother Rae Oldaugh of Roseville wanted him buried in the Great Lakes National Cemetery in
Holly, while father Manfred Klein of Monroe County said he should be buried near a family farm in
Croswell, north of Port Huron.
The parents tentatively agreed to bury the Marine on “a mutually agreed-upon plot of land which is
a place that both parties know Allan loved,” according to a joint statement reported by The Detroit
News and the Detroit Free Press.
The statement did not reveal the plot’s location.
“At this point, I won’t say anything beyond the press release,” said the father’s lawyer, Derek
Wilczynski.
A Defense Department rule gives the older of two parents of an unmarried service member the
power to choose the burial site. But Allan Klein had designated Oldaugh, the younger of his
parents, as next of kin. She filed suit in Macomb County Circuit Court, saying she had the right to
select the burial site.
“The object has always been to do what Allan would have wanted,” Oldaugh said Wednesday.
“This does seem to be something that he might agree to or might really want, or at least wouldn’t
object to.”
Earlier, Oldaugh’s lawyer and brother, Dan Shemke, had proposed that the Marine be cremated
and have his ashes spread at the Klein family farm, about 4 miles from the Croswell cemetery.
Then, Oldaugh could have arranged for a memorial stone at the national cemetery.
Manfred Klein said last year that his son never specifically talked about what should happen if he
died but did tell friends that he wanted to settle in the Croswell area.
“He loved that area. His grandmother had a farm there and he spent a lot of time up there,” the
father said.
Judge Diane Druzinski retains jurisdiction over the case, which had been scheduled for action next
Tuesday. If the deal breaks down, a trial could start April 4.
— Associated Press
Lt. Cmdr. Edward E. Jack
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 51 years old
Died: January 29, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Navy, Commander, Destroyer Squadron Seven, San Diego, Calif.
Incident: Died of a heart attack aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard.
Lutheran minister and military chaplain, Edward E. Jack was a favorite among his shipmates aboard
the USS Bonhomme Richard. "Everybody loved him," said his wife, Jean. "He didn't have to go on this
trip. He volunteered." Jack, 51, of Detroit, died of a heart attack Jan. 29 on the amphibious assault
ship in the waters near Iraq. Before reaching Iraq, Jack's ship was part of the U.S. military's tsunami
relief. He served in the Navy for 23 years, with three in the Navy reserves. He was due to retire in
June. Navy spokesman Lt. Kyle Raines said Jack was most recently based in San Diego, where he was
assigned to Commander Destroyer Squadron Seven. "His role was in comforting the sailors and
Marines," said his wife, who noted that her husband also served in the war zone in 2003. "He took it
because he liked adventure." Jack also is survived by a daughter, Amanda Roggow, and a son, Todd.
"Chaplain Jack exemplified an unwavering commitment to Scripture and to service to the men and
women of the sea services," said Cmdr. Mark Steiner, a Lutheran chaplain and a longtime friend of
Jack's. "He will be dearly missed."
Heart attack fells chaplain at sea
By Gidget Fuentes
Times staff writer
SAN DIEGO — Just weeks after participating in the Navy’s tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia, Lt.
Cmdr. Edward E. Jack and the crew of the assault ship Bonhomme Richard were heading to their
next mission in the Persian Gulf.
But a heart attack felled Jack, 51, a Navy chaplain assigned to the San Diego-based Destroyer
Squadron 7, according to his family.
“His role was in comforting the sailors and Marines,” his wife, Jean Jack, told The Detroit News.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Murphy Canyon Chapel, which is located
at 3200 Santo Road in San Diego.
“Chaplain Jack exemplified an unwavering commitment to Scripture and to service to the men and
women of the sea services,” said Cmdr. Mark Steiner, a Lutheran chaplain with Amphibious Group
3 in San Diego and a longtime friend of Jack’s. “He will be dearly missed.”
In addition to his wife, Jack is survived by a daughter, Amanda Roggow; a son, Todd Jack; his
mother, Barbara Jack; and two brothers and one sister.
The Bonhomme Richard is leading Expeditionary Strike Group 5, a San Diego-based force that
includes the transport dock Duluth, dock landing ship Rushmore, cruiser Bunker Hill, guidedmissile destroyer Milius and frigate Thach, and the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit from
Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Lt. Cmdr. Edward E. Jack
ALutheran minister and military chaplain, Edward E. Jack was a favorite among his
shipmates aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard. "Everybody loved him," said his wife,
Jean. "He didn't have to go on this trip. He volunteered." Jack, 51, of Detroit, died of a
heart attack Jan. 29 on the amphibious assault ship in the waters near Iraq. Before
reaching Iraq, Jack's ship was part of the U.S. military's tsunami relief. He served in
the Navy for 23 years, with three in the Navy reserves. He was due to retire in June.
Navy spokesman Lt. Kyle Raines said Jack was most recently based in San Diego,
where he was assigned to Commander Destroyer Squadron Seven. "His role was in
comforting the sailors and Marines," said his wife, who noted that her husband also
served in the war zone in 2003. "He took it because he liked adventure." Jack also is
survived by a daughter, Amanda Roggow, and a son, Todd. "Chaplain Jack exemplified
an unwavering commitment to Scripture and to service to the men and women of the
sea services," said Cmdr. Mark Steiner, a Lutheran chaplain and a longtime friend of
Jack's. "He will be dearly missed."
Capt. Sean Grimes
Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 31 years old
Died: March 4, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Infantry Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Carson, Colo.
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb while on patrol in Ramadi.
Army Capt. Sean Grimes, March 4, 2005
By Beverly M. Reid May 18, 2007, 5:57PM
file photo
Age: 31
Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Mich., buried in Morris County, where his mother lives
Circumstances: Killed by an explosive device in Ramadi
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/03/09
Iraq roadside blast kills Picatinny worker's son
By RUDY LARINI
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
An Army Reserve captain whose mother lives in Morris County has been killed in a roadside
explosion in Iraq. Capt. Sean Grimes, 31, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., an Army Reserve nurse,
was killed Friday when the armored Humvee in which he was riding hit an improvised
explosive device in the Tamin District of Ar Ramadi.
"Our family is very saddened and our hearts are filled with grief. Sean loved the Army and the
military and was devoted to his mission of providing the best possible medical care to
soldiers," his family said in a statement issued through the Army.
"He was a soldier because he firmly believed that was the best way he could make a
difference in the world," the statement said. "He was very devoted to the soldiers who served
under him and never wanted to leave them. Sean was a wonderful son, brother, nephew and
uncle. He died fighting for what he believed in, and our entire family is extremely proud of his
service. Sean will always be a hero to us, and he will be sorely missed by his family and his
many friends."
Grimes' mother, Mary T. Grimes, a New York native, has lived in Dover for the past 12 years.
She works for the Picatinny Arsenal Federal Credit Union. The family statement said Grimes
was wearing the new-style protective combat gear helmet and body armor at the time his
Humvee was struck. The statement said the family did not want to comment further.
Grimes was assigned to Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment,
which is part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team supporting the 1st Marine Division in Iraq.
Born in Pontiac, Mich., he was raised in Bloomfield Hills and graduated from the township's
Lasher High School in 1991. He was a 1997 graduate of Michigan State University with a
bachelor of science degree in nursing.
Shortly after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Army Reserve, serving for four
years as an enlisted soldier. He enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps while enrolled
at Michigan State. During his Army career, Grimes served in various medical service and
nursing assignments with Army units in Landstuhl and Miesau, Germany, Kosovo and Korea.
He was deployed to Iraq last September.
Grimes graduated from the physician's assistant course at Brooke Army Hospital, Fort Sam
Houston, Texas, in 2003. He will be awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart posthumously.
Army spokesman Henry Kearney said the family plans memorial services in Michigan and New
Jersey, but details and funeral arrangements remain incomplete.
Grimes also is survived by his father, Donald of Bloomfield Hills, Mich; a brother, Donald Jr. of
Aliso Viejo, Calif, and a sister, Mary T. Grimes of Pittsburgh.
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/03/16 SACRIFICE FOR 'HIS MEN'
Army 'skilled healer' buried with honors
By PAULA SAHA STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Army Capt. Sean Grimes had spent the last six months tending to wounded American soldiers
on the Iraqi front line. He had a leave coming up, and he planned to visit with his family in
New Jersey.
Anticipating the visit, his brother Donald asked Grimes, 31, to "hang back a little" on the
battlefield so he wouldn't get hurt, so his family would have that time with him. But Capt.
Grimes' response was unequivocal.
"Can't do that, bro," Grimes answered. "The troops can't hang back, so neither can I." A few
days later, on March 4, "Doc Grimes" died when his armored Humvee hit a roadside explosive
in Iraq. Three other soldiers died alongside him.
Though he was born and raised in Michigan, Grimes' funeral was held in New Jersey
yesterday, where his mother Mary now lives. His family and friends gathered at St. Cecilia's
Church in Rockaway for a service that included the posthumous awarding of medals, including
the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Medic Badge.
"As a captain Sean needn't have gone into fire," the Rev. Brendan J. Murray pointed out in his
homily. "But he did, knowing that it was an encouragement to the soldiers to have an officer
and a skilled healer with them."
That refrain echoed throughout the words of Grimes' siblings, father and superiors as they
remembered a smart, sweet, tough young man who ran out into mortar attacks in search of
wounded soldiers, who put the welfare of "his men" before anything else.
Grimes was assigned to Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment,
which is part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team supporting the 1st Marine Division in Iraq.
While overseas, he kept in touch with his family through emails and phone calls. Yesterday,
his father Donald read from e-mails Capt. Grimes had written his family while abroad. He told
them how on Thanksgiving day he took guard duty for "his men" so they could rest. When he
hurt his knee, he wrote to his family, "I'm not going to leave my men."
In a message to his mother, he wrote, "Take very good care of you." In another to his father,
he told him about his girlfriend. "Love her madly," he said simply.
Grimes' brother wrote a eulogy that was distributed at the funeral and read aloud at the
services by Col. Hugh MacKenzie, a chaplain based at Fort Monmouth. "I am absolutely
devastated to have lost my beloved brother, friend and hero," Donald Grimes wrote. "But he
lived the wonderful and joyful and rewarding life he wanted."
Donald Grimes went on to describe Grimes' time in the Army Reserve, where he served for
four years as an enlisted soldier before enrolling in ROTC and attending Michigan State
University. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing and was commissioned a second
lieutenant.
He spent more than three years as a nurse at the Army hospital in Germany. He also was
assigned to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Kosovo. He attended the Department of Defense
Physician's Assistant program, a nine- month intensive course that prepared Grimes to do a
doctor's work on the battlefield.
He then volunteered to go to Korea, where he met his girlfriend, Young Du Moon, who
attended services with the family yesterday. Grimes was to introduce Moon, who now lives in
Vancouver, British Columbia, to his family when he visited New Jersey this month. Last year,
when the army sent 2,000 soldiers from Korea to Iraq, Grimes was asked if he wanted to go,
and he immediately agreed.
Grimes' sister, Mary, also wrote a remembrance. She recalled how her little brother was
fiercely protective of her, and how he was always telling funny stories about himself and
praising others. She noted the messages the family had received from her brother's other
friends and colleagues.
"My family is not alone with the admiration that we have for Sean," she wrote. "Sean touched
everyone the same way."
Col. William Tozier, the army's senior physician's assistant, also spoke at the services. "On
that day," he said, referring to the day Grimes died, "he was doing what he believed in most:
traveling up front with his soldiers and medics."
His family agreed. "When that Humvee drove off to begin its patrol, Sean was right where he
wanted to be," Donald Grimes' eulogy said. "With members of his Army family and looking
forward to soon being with us."
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005
Date: 2005/05/19
Picatinny will revive tradition to celebrate Armed Forces Day
By KRISTEN ALLOWAY STAR-LEDGER STAFF
It is a small monument really, a modest plaque that will be placed just outside the entrance of
Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township honoring those who have died in the "global war on
terror." But Mary Grimes, whose son Army Capt. Sean Grimes was killed in Iraq in March,
says it means a great deal to her and her family.
"I think it's absolutely wonderful," Grimes, of Dover, said yesterday. "Not only for Sean but
for all the other soldiers . . . that risked their lives over there. I think people shouldn't forget
them."
The plaque will be dedicated Saturday at Picatinny's first public Armed Forces Day celebration
since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Though the event comes little more than a week after the research and development facility
learned it was not targeted for closure by the Pentagon - and in fact could gain nearly 700
jobs - base officials were quick to note that the event had been planned well before Picatinny
knew its fate.
The post has held public Armed Forces Day celebrations annually since 1953, except briefly
during the Vietnam War and in the mid-1990s when it did not have the money to stage the
$50,000 event.
The celebration was once a staple at the base, drawing up to 10,000 people.
But after the terrorist attacks, security was heightened at the post, and it was no longer
possible for the public to enter the base unescorted and unannounced.
Base officials also felt it was inappropriate to host a celebration when Picatinny had work to do
testing and developing weapons and munitions for U.S. soldiers.
"After 9/11 it wasn't the time to say 'Open the post' . . . it wasn't the time to take resources
away to plan all of this," said Picatinny commander Brig. Gen. Paul Izzo. "We had soldiers
going into battle. We had to support them."
The highlight of the day will be the dedication of the plaque, which will be placed just outside
Picatinny's main gate along Route 15. The memorial is in honor of the more than 40 service
people with ties to New Jersey who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Izzo said he wanted something that the base's 2,700 employees would pass every day as a
reminder of the importance of their work.
Cheryl Doltz of Mine Hill, whose son Army National Guard Spc. Ryan Doltz died in Iraq last
June, will attend the dedication with her family.
"The worst thing that can happen to the soldiers is they are forgotten," Doltz said. "This is one
way they will never be forgotten."
There will be no names on the marker because "this war is still ongoing," said Maj. Joseph
Minus, who helped lead the effort at Picatinny to have the plaque installed. But names may be
added later.
A private group has plans for a much larger $500,000 statue to be erected at the arsenal to
remember service people who have been killed since Sept. 11. Fund-raising for that project is
ongoing.
Grimes, who works at the Picatinny Federal Credit Union, is one of several family members of
those being honored who will attend the dedication.
The festivities Saturday will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will include a parade at 11
a.m., flyover by the New Jersey Air National Guard, parachute landing team, jazz and
orchestra concerts, Civil War and World War II re-enactments, and a tank crushing a car.
Displays will highlight Picatinny's work on weapons systems and homeland defense including
the Abrams tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Stryker armored vehicle and the military's
newest 8,000 pound cannon.
There also will be children's activities, a petting zoo and concession stands.
Visitors can enter at the main gate along Route 15, the truck entrance further north on Route
15, and the Mount Hope entrance off Mount Hope Road. Cars may be searched before being
allowed onto the base.
Visitors should not bring backpacks, coolers, pets or food and drinks. COPYRIGHT © The StarLedger 2005
Date: 2005/05/26 UNITED BY PRIDE AND GRATITUDE
Morris remembers its Iraq heroes
By JORDAN M. DORONILA
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Anyone who wanted to know how proud John Walter Wroblewski was of his Marine son only
had to look at his tie - a bald eagle enveloped in the colors of the American flag.
"This country is truly indebted to our war veterans," said Wroblewski, whose son, John
Thomas, a Marine 2nd lieutenant, died in Iraq last year. "Without your service, this country
does not remain safe and free."
Wroblewski spoke yesterday at a crowded Memorial Day program in Morristown. After the
ceremony, he recalled being surprised at first when his son told him he wanted to enlist in the
Marines.
"But he looked at me straight in the eye and said that what could be more honorable than
serving your country?" Wroblewski said. "From that point on, I began to look at him as a
hero."
The county freeholders held the program at the Morris County Administration and Records
Building to honor those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and to present them or their
families with medals acknowledging their service.
Officials said the Morris County Distinguished Military Service Medal for Iraq is the first of its
kind to be given at the annual ceremony. The county previously gave medals to veterans from
World War I, World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The service was scheduled to take place on the front lawn of the Morris County Courthouse,
but due to the rainy weather it was held inside the freeholders' meeting room.
More than 120 people - veterans, their families and friends, and town and county officials packed the room. The sharp wail of bagpipes and the pounding of beating drums filled the
room. An honor guard of Jersey City police officers marched together t know why jersey city
cops were there carrying the American flag.
"The world as we know it has changed," said keynote speaker James J. Rosenberg, a retired
Army Reserve colonel and a former county administrator. "We have seen the all-too-graphic
scenes of suicide bombing. War is a norm.
"We are free because so many lives were sacrificed" to defend the country from terrorism, he
said.
Those who received medals included servicemen who have died in Iraq: Wroblewski, a native
of Jefferson; Army Maj. Charles R. Soltes Jr. of Boonton Township; Army Spc. Ryan Doltz of
Mine Hill; Marine Lance Cpl. Vincent M. Sullivan of Chatham; and Army Capt. Sean Grimes of
Michigan, whose mother is a Dover resident.
Officials also gave medals to Morris County employees who are back home after tours of duty
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Morris County employees and their family members who served are: Wanda Bell, Ronnie
Joseph, Donna Laver, William Lunger, Maria Mapes, Matthew Mines, Jessie Nieto, John
Rospond, Steve Seidler and John Watson III.
When family members of those who died in Iraq received their medals, they broke down in
tears. After the presentations, a wreath was hung inside the meeting room.
The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2005 Date: 2005/03/12
Capt. Sean Grimes of Michigan, Army nurse served in Iraq, 31
OBITUARY
A Mass for Capt. Sean Grimes, 31, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in St.
Cecilia's Church, Rockaway. Arrangements are by the Tuttle Funeral Home, Randolph.
Capt. Grimes was killed in action in Iraq on March 4. He had served in the Army since 1997
and was a physician's assistant and nurse. A graduate of the Army Air Assault Course and
Airborne School, he was awarded a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Combat Medic Badge
posthumously.
Capt. Grimes received a bachelor's degree in nursing from Michigan State University. Born in
Pontiac, Mich., he is survived by his mother, Mary Grimes; his father, Donald Grimes; a
brother, Don, and a sister, Mary.
Soldier from Oakland County killed in Iraq bombing
Associated Press
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — An Army captain and nurse from Oakland County was killed when
a roadside bomb exploded near his patrol in Iraq, the military said Tuesday.
Capt. Sean Grimes, 31, of Bloomfield Hills, serving as a physician’s assistant, was one of four
soldiers killed Friday by an improvised explosive device in Ramadi, the Defense Department said.
All four were assigned to the 1st Infantry Battalion based at Fort Carson, Colo.
“Our family is very saddened and our hearts are filled with grief,” his family said in a statement
released by the Army. “Sean loved the Army and the military and was devoted to his mission of
providing the best possible medical care to soldiers.”
Grimes was born in Pontiac and graduated from Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School in 1991. He
studied at Western Michigan University and graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 with
a degree in nursing, the Detroit Free Press said. He was wearing a protective combat helmet and
body armor at the time of his death.
“He died fighting for what he believed in, and our entire family is extremely proud of his service.
Sean will always be a hero to us,” the family said.
Grimes’ father, Donald Grimes, lives in Bloomfield Hills, while his mother, Mary T. Grimes, lives in
Dover, N.J., according to The Daily Oakland Press of Pontiac.
“His family said he had a strong sense of service to his country and his fellow man,” said Army
spokesman Henry Kearney. “He felt he was making a positive difference in Iraq.”
Besides having a “strong desire to serve,” Grimes joined the Army out of a sense of family
tradition, his sister, Mary T. Grimes, told The Detroit News. His father was in the Navy and his
brother was an Army Ranger.
Grimes had been in Iraq for about six months when he was killed. He loved his job because of the
chance to travel, said family spokesman Henry Kearney. While stationed in Germany, Grimes
traveled through much of Europe, and he visited Japan and China while based in South Korea,
Kearney said.
Grimes is survived by his parents, sister, and brother Donald Grimes Jr.
Memorial services will be held in Michigan and New Jersey after his body is returned from Iraq.
The Society of Army Physician Assistants
The Captain Sean P. Grimes
Physician Assistant Educational Scholarship Award
Captain Sean P. Grimes
Sean P. Grimes was born on 29 May 1973 in Pontiac, Michigan to Donald and Mary Grimes. After high
school, he served in the Army Reserve as a medic in an aviation unit. He graduated from Michigan State
University in 1997 with a degree in Nursing and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army
Nurse Corps.
Captain Grimes’ first assignment was to Germany where he served for over three years as a Critical Care
Nurse. While in Germany he deployed for six months to Kosovo where he served as an assistant head nurse.
After his time in Europe he decided to broaden his skills and attended the Military Physician Assistant (PA)
program and then reported to Korea in 2003. CPT Grimes served in Korea with 6-37 Field Artillery as their
PA and also served for a time as the DIVARTY Surgeon. When the announcement was made that 1-9 would
deploy, he volunteered to join the Manchus and serve as the battalion physician assistant for the
deployment.
CPT Grimes was a brilliant practitioner of medicine. In addition to his broad base of skills and experience in
the medical field, his personality made him even more effective. He had a great sense of humor and was
dedicated to his friends and family. He was a man of the world who loved foreign travel and constantly
sought out new experiences. He was always upbeat and positive and one could never leave a conversation
with him without feeling happier.
Amongst CPT Grimes’ awards and decorations are the Bronze Star (Posthumous), the Purple Heart
(Posthumous), the Army Commendation Medal, The Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Combat Medic Badge,
Aviator Crewman’s wings, the Basic Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge. He is survived by his
parents, his brother Donald and his sister Mary. A scholarship fund has been established in his honor by his
family in conjunction with the AAPA and SAPA. The Fund information and Application links are included
on this page.
TOPIC: SEAN GRIMES SCHOLARSHIP
ADMINISTRATOR: THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT FOUNDATION
NAMED SCHOLARSHIP FUND: THE CAPTAIN SEAN P. GRIMES PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
CONSTITUANT ORGANIZATION: SOCIETY OF ARMY PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
INTENT: TO AWARD FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IF FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO AN
INDIVIDUAL WHO IS SEEKING INITIAL TRAINING AS A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT OR TO A PA
SEEKING A BACCULARATE, MASTERS OR DOCTORAL DEGREE INITIAL DURATION: TEN
YEARS WITH OPTION TO CONTINUE AT THE DESCRETION OF THE SAPA BOD
FIRST AWARD DATE: APRIL 2006
FREQUENCY OF AWARD: ONE ANNUALLY PROVIDED FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE.
EXPECTED TIME OF AWARD: DURING THE ANNUAL SAPA CONFERENCE AMOUNT OF
AWARD: $3,000.00 ANNUALLY FOR THE FIRST TEN YEARS PROVIDED FUNDS ARE
AVAILABLE;THEN THE AMOUNT BE REEVALUATED AT THE DESCRETION OF SAPA BOD
WHO MAY CONTRIBUTE: ANY INDIVIDUAL, PRIVATE GROUPS, ASSOCIATIONS, COMPANIES,
BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRY.
WHO MAY APPLY: ANY ARMY VETERAN, ANY MOS ANY ARMY ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIER,
ANY MOS ANY ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SOLIDER, ANY MOS ANY ARMY RESERVIST
SOLDIER, ANY MOS (ANY OF THE ABOVE : ENLISTED OR OFFICIER) (ANY OF THE ABOVE
FROM THE RANK OF E-5 THROUGH 04)
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION CONSIDERATION: GPA 2.5 OR GREATER SAT ANY ARMY SOLDIER
IN A CURRENT STATUS OF ACTIVE DUTY, NATIONAL GUARD, RESERVIST OR VETERAN
UNENCUMBERED BOARD CERTIFICATION FROM ANY PROFESSION UNENCUMBERED STATE
LICENSE FROM ANY PROFESSION NO PENDING DISCIPLINARY, SUSPENSION OR PROBATION
FROM ANY AGENCY
TRAINED PA’S MUST HAVE NCCPA BOARD CERTIFICATON A DEFINATE FINANCIAL NEED
THOSE FOR INITIAL PA TRAINING MUST BE ENROLLED IN AN ARC-PA APPROVED PROGRAM
FOR OTHER THAN ENTRY LEVEL PA TRAINING
MUST BE ENROLLED IN AN ACCREDITED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. SELECTION
AUTHORITY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS / SOCIETY OF ARMY PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
Sean Grimes
GRIMES - Captain Sean, 31, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., killed in action in Iraq, on Friday, March 4, 2005,
son of Mary Grimes of Dover and Donald P. Grimes of Southfield, Mich., brother of Don of Allso Viejo,
Calif., and Mary Grimes of Pittsburgh, Pa, also survived by his nephew, Scott Grimes of Allso Viejo, Calif.,
and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. A Funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, March 15, 2005, 10 a.m. at St.
Cecilia's R.C. Church, Rockaway. Visitation Sunday, March 13, 2005, 2-6 p.m. and Monday, March 14,
2005, 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. at TUTTLE FUNERAL HOME, 272 Hwy. 10, Randolph. Interment St. Charles
Cemetery, Farmingdale, L.I., N.Y.
COLLEGE OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP DESCRIPTIONS
For Undergraduate Students
Captain Sean Grimes Nursing Endowed Scholarship
Established by his beloved family, this scholarship honors Captain Sean Grimes (BSN ‘97) who was an
exceptional student that graduated with honors from the College of Nursing. He was the recipient of a
Distinguished Military Graduate Award from the Reserve Officers Training Corps. Sean enlisted in the Army to
make a positive impact in the world. His life tragically ended on March 4, 2005 when his armored Humvee was
hit by an improvised explosive device during combat patrol in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Sean had been in Iraq for about
six months when he was killed.
To help future students realize their dreams of becoming a nurse, this scholarship provides financial assistance
to Michigan State University nursing students that are an Army Reservist, Army National Guard member, Active
Army soldier or honorably discharged veteran of these branches.
PO Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360
For Release:
March 14, 2005
Fred M. Jacobs, M.D., J.D.
Commissioner
For Further Information Contact:
Kelley Heck
609-777-2600
Acting Governor Codey Orders Flags to Fly Half-Staff to Honor U.S. Army Captain Sean
Grimes
(TRENTON) - In honor of U.S. Army Captain Sean Grimes, Acting Governor Richard J. Codey signed an
Executive Order today calling for the United States and New Jersey flags to fly half-staff on March 15th. Grimes,
31, was born and raised in Michigan. His mother lives in Dover.
“Sean was a great soldier and served his country with such bravery and honor,” said Codey. “He helped people
everywhere he was stationed. It is extremely sad that such a heroic person, who had his whole life ahead of him,
is gone. I grieve for Sean’s family but they should be so proud of what he has accomplished. We honor his
memory by flying our flags at half-staff. We will keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Grimes served in a variety of medical service positions and assignments in Germany, Kosovo, Korea and Iraq.
He has received numerous awards and citations, including two awards of the National Defense Service Medal. He
was deployed to Iraq in September 2004.
He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2 nd Brigade Combat team.
He and three other soldiers were killed March 4 in Iraq after an explosive device hit the vehicle he was riding
during a patrol in the city of Ar Ramadi.
Captain Grimes will be awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart posthumously.
A copy of the Executive Order is attached:
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 26
WHEREAS, United States Army Captain Sean Grimes, the beloved son of Mary Grimes of
Dover, New Jersey, and Donald P. Grimes of Southfield, Michigan, graduated from Michigan State
University, with a B.S. degree in nursing; and
WHEREAS, Captain Grimes enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1997 and served as a physician’s assistant and
an Army nurse; and
WHEREAS, Captain Grimes graduated from the Army’s Air Assault Course and from the Army’s Airborne
School; and
WHEREAS, Captain Grimes proudly served as a member of the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Battalion, 9 th
Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and was deployed to Iraq in the service of his country; and
WHEREAS, Captain Grimes was a courageous soldier, and a loving son and brother; and
WHEREAS, Captain Grimes has made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life in the line of duty while serving
our nation, and has been awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Combat Medic Badge
posthumously; and
WHEREAS, Captain Grimes’ 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
Tuesday, March 15, 2005, in recognition and mourning of United States Army Captain Sean Grimes.
2.
This Order shall take effect immediately.
GIVEN,
under
my
hand
and
seal
this
14th day of March
in the Year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Five, and
of the Independence of the United States, the Two
Hundred and Twenty-Ninth.
/s/ Richard J. Codey
Acting Governor
Our effort is dedicated to the memory of Captain Sean Grimes, RN PA, US Army, who was a Physician
Assistant serving in Iraq with the 2nd Infantry Division in the Al Anbar province.
Captain Grimes and three other outstanding soldiers were killed by an IED on March 4, 2005. Captain
Grimes was volunteering to accompany the combat patrol so he would be closer to the troops if any were to
be wounded. He had volunteered to accompany over 80 patrols and raids and had treated over 25 wounded
U.S. Troops in addition to wounded Iraqi soldiers, Iraqi civilians and even two wounded terrorists.
Captain Grimes was the first U.S. military Physician Assistant
to be killed in action.
Staff Sgt. Ricky A. Kieffer
Hometown: Ovid, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 36 years old
Died: March 15, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 182nd Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), Army
National Guard, Detroit, Mich.
Incident: Killed during an attack in Baghad.
Ricky A. Kieffer was a homebody who loved nothing more than spending time with his family. "He
was a real nice guy," said Al Goodrich, a police sergeant and family friend. "He was a quiet person.
You never saw him out a lot. He was either fishing with his dad or at home with his family doing
something." Kieffer, 36, of Ovid, Mich., was killed March 15 by small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was
based in Detroit. Kieffer married his wife, Patricia, more than 16 years ago and had two children,
Dustin and Kira. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. Before he was deployed, Kieffer worked as a
mechanic for the Michigan National Guard in Lansing. "He's a hometown hero. He gave his life for
what he believed in," Goodrich said.
Michigan Guardsman killed in Iraq
Associated Press
OVID, Mich. — As this weekend’s two-year anniversary of the start of the Iraq war nears, the
Pentagon says an Army National Guard member from mid-Michigan has been killed in an ambush
by insurgents in Baghdad.
Staff Sgt. Ricky A. Kieffer, 36, of Ovid died Tuesday, the department said on its Web site.
Kieffer was assigned to the Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 182nd Field Artillery Regiment
(Multiple Rocket Launch System) based in Detroit.
“He’s a hometown hero, he gave his life for what he believed in,” Al Goodrich, an Ovid police
officer and Kieffer’s friend, told WILX-TV in Lansing.
Kieffer, whose survivors include his wife and two children, had been in Iraq since Dec. 31,
according to Lansing’s WLNS-TV.
“The whole town knew about it almost immediately,” said Bill Messeroll, who owns a hardware
store in Ovid. “It’s sad when any soldier dies, but when it’s somebody you have as a customer or a
part of a small community, it becomes more personal.”
Ovid is located 30 miles northeast of Lansing in Clinton County. Flags were lowered to half-staff
after word of Kieffer’s death reached the town of 1,700 residents.
Kieffer is the 44th member of the U.S. armed forces with known Michigan ties to be killed
supporting military operations in Iraq.
Ricky Allan Kieffer
Staff Sgt. Ricky Allan Kieffer, Ovid, MI Staff Sergeant Ricky Allan Kieffer, U.S. Army, died March 15,
2005, while serving his Country in Iraq, at the age of 36. He was born in Lansing on November 21,
1968, the son of Howard and Barbara (Young) Kieffer, Sr. Ricky was employed at the Combined
Support Maintenance Shop (CSMS), a member of the Michigan National Guard, a 1986 graduate of
Ovid-Elsie High School and a member of the American Legion Post #502 in Elsie. He was an avid
hunter and fisherman, a humanitarian to all, a fantastic mechanic and loved to buy Christmas
presents.
Ricky married Patricia Newell in St. Johns on November 4, 1988. He was a loving husband to Patti
and loving father to Dustin and Kira Kieffer. Also surviving are his parents, Howard Sr. and Barbara Kieffer of Ovid;
brother, Howard Kieffer, Jr. of Ovid; and mother-in-law, Beverly Newell of Owosso.
Funeral Services will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday, March 24, 2005 at Grove Bible Church, 6980 E. Price Road (Corner of
Price and Shepardsville Roads) St. Johns with Pastor Larry Smith officiating. Interment will follow in Maple Grove
Cemetery with body-bearers and Military Graveside Services provided by Fort Knox. The family will receive friends at
the Houghton Chapel of Osgood Funeral Homes, 232 E. Oak Street, Ovid, Tuesday and Wednesday from 2-4 and 6-8
p.m. Sympathy may be expressed in the form of memorials to the Children's Educational Trust Fund in memory of
Ricky.
Cpl. Michael B. Lindemuth
Hometown: Petoskey, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 27 years old
Died: April 13, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit:Marines, Inspector/Instructor Staff, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Akron, Ohio
Incident: Killed by enemy mortar fire in Camp Hit, Anbar province.
Michael Lindemuth loved carpentry and hoped to make his hobby a career after he finished with the
Marines. "He loved his tools, had a quite a few of them. Those were his pride and joy," said Cpl. Cory
Miller, who shared an apartment with Lindemuth. Lindemuth, 27, of Petoskey, Mich., died April 13
after being wounded by mortar fire at Camp Hit in Anbar province. He was based in Akron, Ohio.
Lindemuth graduated from a Christian high school in 1996. He was on his second deployment to Iraq
and hoped it would bring a promotion. "He pretty much had an upbeat attitude about going back,"
Miller said. Lindemuth was an outgoing and devout man who attended chapel services several times
a week and loved sports, especially soccer and hunting. He was always willing to help those in need.
"He was a remarkable young man who always knew what he wanted," said Brenda Nash, a former
neighbor.
A close friend of CPL Lindemuth's pays his last respects, Camp Hit, Iraq
TRIBUTE LETTER...A FALLEN MARINE
...this letter was given to me yesterday by a United States Marine. It was written, by that Marine, to the
parents of Cpl. Michael B. Lindemuth, who recently gave his life in Iraq.
Corporal, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend, the loss to the Corps and the loss to the Country. I can
only imagine how much this letter will mean to his parents when they receive it...
Semper Fi...
Mr. and Mrs. Lindemuth,
I called into my drill center in L----, M---- today to get all the good dirt about what was going on around the
unit. My Platoon Commander, Sergeant H---- answered the phone. We spoke for a few moments, and then
he asked me, “Hey, you were in 3/2 with Mike Lindemuth weren’t you?”
“Oh yeah,” I answered, “he and I were good friends back in Lejeune when I was on active duty before the
war.”
“He died in Iraq dude,” said Sergeant H---.
And earlier today, that’s how I found out your son gave his life for our country. At first I was speechless. Too
many times over the last two years I’ve heard about a fellow Marine I knew who died. Some I was closer to
than others, but never anyone I knew as well as Mike.
I find myself thinking today about young Mike Lindemuth and his first few days in the fleet with us back in
3/2. I remember being very impressed with him. First off he was older than the other new guys. He was
more confident, but not in a cocky way, he had a quiet confidence that resonated throughout his demeanor.
I liked that when he endured hardship with the rest of the grunts, he’d use his folksy sense of humor to lead
and encourage his fellow Marines. He recognized that he was older, and took care of them as best he could.
Mike was such a good person.
It didn’t take very long for him to be assigned a team of Marines of his own, and we in CAAT Platoon were
impressed with how he handled them. Stress and pressure just made him smile. He wasn’t a yeller, he didn’t
lead by intimidation. His Marines followed him because of the example he set and lived by.
But what I remember most about Mike was his character. Now all Marines have character. When you first
meet a few jarheads the uninitiated might be shocked at the gruff, profane persona that follows us in our
everyday lives. But those same foul mouthed, abrasive grunts would give somebody the shirt off their back if
they met a person they knew needed it more than they did. They’re mostly painfully young and innocent. To
be an Infantry Marine means to be part of a small, tight knit family that makes up a platoon. Grunts share
every hardship and possession, and are more than willing to lay down their lives for their friends. Almost
every grunt has that kind of character. That’s more than one can ask out of most people. But Mike had
something more.
I was struck by his character and his morality. A lot of guys get to combat and get pretty religious. Mike was
devoted to God long before any of us had heard a shot fired in anger. I respected him for practicing what he
preached, for being such a moral man. I want you to know he really lived it. I think that his relationship with
God was where that quiet confidence came from.
Being both from M---, we made friends quickly. I remember him making the shape of the state with his
hand, trying to show me where in the heck P---, M--- is.
I also remember that red truck of his, the one with all the stickers. There were a lot of M--- guys in 3/2, and
with our friends who couldn’t get to their own homes for liberty we’d pile into our cars and visit our families.
I took more than a few of these trips with your son.
Today I’m thinking about one road trip in particular. I rode home with Mike shortly before our deployment
to Okinawa, and we got lost. And had a lot of fun doing it too. Mike was so laid back; he just took that trip in
stride. A lot of guys would have been frustrated taking one second longer than necessary to get home. Not
Mike. We laughed and joked about our predicament, and found our way. In the 15 hours we spent together
in that red truck, we talked about his love for creating things. His (anyone who knew him knows what I
mean here) absolute passion for carpentry and working with wood.
We talked about religion. I’m not a particularly religious guy, and it concerned Mike. He wasn’t like many of
the other Christians I’ve met in my life. He didn’t preach the gospel to me, but instead showed
compassionate concern that I did not enjoy a true relationship with Christ. It downright worried him. His
concern wasn’t selling the church to me, but the fate of not only my soul, but my happiness here on earth
which he felt I could never have without Jesus.
But I must say his main concern during all these conversations was that I did NOT know how to drive a stick
shift. He might not be able to bring me to Christ, but that stick shift problem he was sure he could remedy.
For the rest of my life, whenever I drive a manual transmission I will think of your son, because he taught
me to drive a stick.
“You’re senior to me, how in the heck can I take orders from a guy who can’t drive a stick!?” And so he
taught me how right on the spot. What a “Can do” guy. Things were going fine…until I pulled over for gas in
West Virginia. I stalled the truck out getting off a steep off ramp and couldn’t get it started up fast enough. I
rolled right into a car behind us. I was of course mortified, but Mike just laughed…and drove the rest of the
way to M---. I can’t recall ever seeing him angry. He was such a cheery laid back guy.
The last time I saw him, we were in Djibouti, Africa. Of all the places, it’s a small Corps I guess. I had since
long gone from 3/2 and was in a reserve unit deployed to the Horn of Africa. Mike had shipped over to 2/2
to go to war with the MEU. His unit made a long stop in Africa, and one day out of the clear blue sky I ran
into him in the chow hall. I saw him first. He was alone, and I greeted him in the manner of salty corporals
who haven’t seen each other in a long time. I tackled him right there in the chow hall. We were wrestling and
laughing, knocking over tables and chairs. We were so glad to see each other. I was so glad to see him. The
first few minutes of conversation were so excited; an outsider could never have understood what we had just
said to each other. After a few obligatory head butts and a lot of dirty looks from Air Force personnel, we had
dinner and made plans to meet up a few days later at the bombed out E-club on Camp Lemonier.
Mike was most definitely a moral man, but he knew how to have fun too. We succeeded in sneaking away
from our units and got really good and drunk. It was a great night. It just so happened it was my 24th
birthday, and I was thrilled to celebrate it with an old friend from 3/2. The last time I laid eyes on Mike, we
were singing loudly and obnoxiously…stumbling to our respective tents. Shortly after he shipped for Iraq the
first time.
When I heard Mike had reenlisted to be I&I in Ohio, I was floored. I figured I’d see him around the battalion
at AT or a range. I was excited to see him again.
Sergeant H---, who was a close friend of Mike’s in 2/2 and a fellow Javelin heard and passed on the news to
me today.
Mike wasn’t my first buddy to die. There aren’t many of us NCOs around anymore who haven’t lost
someone. Let me tell you, this never gets any easier for me. It’s like taking a shot in the gut every time, only
that punch to the gut lasts for weeks. I guess the first question I always ask is “Why?” Why Mike and not
some other guy? Why not me for that matter?
I look around at our world and sometimes I wonder if the death of a friend like Mike is worth it. Is this
whole Global War on Terrorism thing worth the cost? Are the Mikes of the world worth spending so we can
eat McDonalds and drive SUVs? It doesn’t seem so. But that of course is the bitter first reaction of someone
feeling loss.
I imagine Mike’s flag draped coffin and in my mind’s eye I see the embodiment of Semper Fidelis. I think of
Mike, and I am proud to have known a man who was willing to pay the cost so that my wife can live free. So
my daughter can grow up. So that my mother and father can vote and worship the way they choose.
I think of the enemy Mike and I’ve fought and what they’d do to my family given the chance and I’m
ashamed at myself for doubting Mike’s cause for even one second. Mike died a hero not for the anonymous
entity that is “The United States,” but for me and everyone and thing here I know and love. Mike knew from
experience what I know, that America is the hope and light of this world and it is worth any cost.
Even more so Mike laid down his life for his friends, his fellow Marines. I wasn’t in Iraq that day. Another
Corporal was doing his duty there so I didn’t have to. Somehow that seems so unfair. I feel in my heart I owe
Mike and a lot of other grunts my family, my life, and my freedom. I am so proud to have known your son.
My only bitter thought is that we who’ve survived must bear the burden, the realization that it should have
been us. I’d trade my life for your son’s right now. But then again if that were possible, Mike would trade his
for mine right back.
That’s love. Someone taught him how to do that. Someone taught him honor, character, and his defining
morality. That was you. I can’t thank you enough for raising your son. This whole country can never pay you
back for raising Mike. And there will never be an adequate way to thank him or you enough for your
sacrifice.
Like I said, I’m not a very religious guy. But even I know that if there is a Heaven… Mike is there with God.
I can’t imagine or comprehend the absolute devastation you must feel now, I can only say that I am awed by
you and don’t have the words to convey my respect. If there is anything I can ever do for you don’t hesitate
to ask. It is my honor to be at your service.
Sincerely,
--- ---Corporal
USMC
Cpl. Michael B. Lindemuth, age 27, was killed by mortar fire on April 13th, 2005 in Anbar Province, Iraq.
Spec. Randy L. Stevens
Hometown: Swartz Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: April 16, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp
Hovey, South Korea
Incident: Killed while conducting military operations in Ramadi.
On his last visit home, Randy Stevens rode go-carts at Busch Gardens and loaded up on Tshirts and Kool Aid, which he said was "like gold" in Iraq. "In so many ways he was a man, but
he was also still a kid who liked to do kid things, like going to amusement parks," said his
brother, Jacob Maxwell. Stevens, 21, of Swartz Creek, Mich., was killed April 16 after being hit
by indirect fire from mortars and rockets in Ramadi. He was so close to leaving Iraq that he
had sent his things back to Fort Carson. At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Stevens went from
playing football in high school to being the first sharpshooter in the door on many operations
in Iraq. Family members said the military helped Stevens get through tough times. He had
dropped out of high school but earned his general equivalency diploma when he enlisted in
2002. He had just re-enlisted for another six years. Stevens planned to become an Army
recruiter in Flint and someday open an auto body repair shop with his brother. He had a
passion for Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Ford Mustangs. He is survived by his mother,
Sherri Stevens and father, David Maxwell.
Randy Lee Stevens
STEVENS, Randy Lee, U.S. Army Specialist, E-4 - Of Swartz Creek, age 21, died Saturday, April 16, 2005
in Ramadi, Iraq. Funeral service will be held at 11AM Saturday, April 30, 2005 at Great Lakes Baptist
Temple, 2112 East Maple Avenue, Flint, Pastor George Stevens officiating. Burial in Flint Memorial Park
with a military graveside service under the auspices of the Ft. Knox Funeral Honors Squad. Visitation 128PM Friday at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road. Randy will be at the church from 10AM
Saturday until the time of the service.
Capt. Stephen W. Frank
Hometown: Haslett, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 29 years old
Died: April 29, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.
Incident: Killed by a carbomb at a checkpoint in Diyarah.
Birth: Apr. 4, 1976
Lansing
Ingham County
Michigan, USA
Death: Apr. 29, 2005, Iraq
Army Capt. Stephen W. Frank, 29, from Lansing, Michigan was killed by a car
bomb at a check point in Diyarah on April 29, 2005. He was a member of the
2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Calvary Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.
A bomb that exploded south of Baghdad, Iraq, brought two Metro Detroit
families together in grief.
The vehicle explosion on Friday killed Army Capts. Stephen Frank, 29, and
Ralph John "Jay" Harting III, 28, two former Michigan men who had become
buddies in the Army. They were killed when a vehicle they were inspecting at
a checkpoint exploded.
After learning of the deaths of their sons on Saturday, Harting's mother and
father, June and Ralph J. Harting, drove to Frank's parents' Farmington Hills
home two miles away to meet the family of the man who died alongside their
son.
"It was a kind of coincidence you think God arranged for you," said June
Harting of her meeting with Bill and Sue Frank.
"Initially, I was just trying to make myself feel better that somebody was
with Jay and (then) I ended up thinking, there was somebody with us, too,"
said June Harting of West Bloomfield.
Frank and Harting were the 48th and 49th soldiers with Michigan ties to die in
Iraq since the war began in March 2003.
Frank and Harting were classmates at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point,
New York, and both graduated in 1998. They were both stationed at the Fort
Irwin Army base near Barstow, Calif., and were part of the 11th Armored
Cavalry Regiment.
Stephen Frank, who has three younger sisters, grew up in the Lansing area
and graduated from Haslett High School in 1994. His parents moved to
Farmington Hills seven years ago.
Frank was a combat trainer at Fort Irwin, where he lived with his wife, Laurel,
and their 2-year-old son, Alexander.
At Fort Irwin, Frank taught other soldiers how to conduct battles in desertlike conditions. He was deployed to the Middle East in December and moved
from Kuwait to Iraq the next month.
"He was excited to be there, although it was dangerous," Bill Frank said. "He
hated to leave his wife and his son, but he knew this was his duty to his
country."
Frank's mother, Sue, said she is holding fast to her faith as she and her
husband deal with the pain of losing their son.
"I don't understand why this happened and it's very, very difficult, but I
believe God had a purpose for Stephen's life, and Stephen believed God had
a purpose for his life," she said.
June Harting said she is comforted by the fact that her son died with his
Army buddy.
"They were both wonderful young men. We're feeling really bad, but it's a
little better that they were together," she said.
Bill Frank said the last time he heard from his son was on April 8.
"He called me on my birthday," he said. "He said, 'Happy Birthday, things are
going well here.' He felt they were making real progress and the Iraqis were
helping Americans with more information (about insurgents)," Frank said.
Ralph J. Harting lived in Union Lake until he was a teenager and his family
moved to Wilmington, Del. He graduated from Salesianum High School in
Wilmington in 1994 and, like Frank, entered the U.S. Military Academy.
Harting was deployed to Iraq in January from Fort Irwin. He led a company of
120 soldiers.
"He never really talked about the dangers (of war)," said June Harting. "He
was very, very patriotic. He really believed in the West Point motto 'Duty,
Honor, Country'."
June Harting said she last heard from her son about three weeks ago when
they exchanged messages on the Internet.
Harting leaves behind his wife, Jennifer, and three young children, including a
son who was born Sunday, two days after his father's death.
A joint memorial service will be held for Frank and Harting on Friday at Fort
Irwin. Another service will be held for them on May 14 at West Point, where
they will be buried.
***Heartfelt thanks to Find A Grave contributor Barbara Nazworth for paying
tribute to Stephen by sponsoring his memorial. May your kindness be
returned to you a hundredfold. Please take a moment to pay tribute to her
son-in-law Jay as well.
**Special thanks to Find A Grave contributor, JoeD who visited the final
resting place of Stephen Frank and Ralph Harting and for fulfilling my photo
request of their memorial markers. May your kindness be returned to you a
hundredfold sir.
Burial:
United States Military Academy Post Cemetery
West Point
Orange County
New York, USA
Created by: Kimberly Kassab's Mom
Record added: Oct 14, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 11996010
55016 CPT Stephen Frank USA
April 04, 1976 - April 29, 2005
Post or View a Personal Eulogy
usma1998-A2
Photo courtesy of Academy Photo
.
Capt. Stephen Frank, 29, died April 29th, 2005 while inspecting a truck at a checkpoint 30 miles
south of Baghdad in Diyarah, Iraq. The driver detonated a bomb, killing Frank, and his West
Point classmate Capt. Ralph John Harting III.
CPT Frank is survived by his wife Laurel and their two year old son Alex.
A joint memorial service will be held for Frank and Harting on on Friday, May 6 at Fort Irwin at
1400 hours in the main chapel on post. Another service will be held for them at West Point on 12
May, where they will be buried. Services at 1000 for Harting and 1330 for Frank.
These Classmates were both raised in Detroit, graduated from West Point together, died together, and
buried together will also have their eulogy pages linked to each other:
CPT. Ralph (Jay) John Harting III
"Grip hands - though it be from the shadows"
The Corps
CPT Frank's awards include: Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army
Achievement Medal (2 oak leaf clusters), National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service
Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon,
Combat Infantryman's Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Ranger Tab, Parachutist's Badge, and the Air
Assault Badge.
2 soldiers with ties to Michigan die in Iraq

Updated:5/3/2005 9:19:24 AM - Posted: 5/3/2005 9:19:24 AM
 1998 West Point graduates arrived in Iraq around same time
 A bomb that exploded south of Baghdad, Iraq, brought two Metro Detroit families together in grief.
 The vehicle explosion on Friday killed Army Capts. Stephen Frank, 29, and Ralph John "Jay"
Harting III, 28, two former Michigan men who had become buddies in the Army. They were killed
when a vehicle they were inspecting at a checkpoint exploded.
 After learning of the deaths of their sons on Saturday, Harting's mother and father, June and Ralph
J. Harting, drove to Frank's parents' Farmington Hills home two miles away to meet the family of the
man who died alongside their son.
 "It was a kind of coincidence you think God arranged for you," said June Harting of her meeting with
Bill and Sue Frank.
 "Initially, I was just trying to make myself feel better that somebody was with Jay and (then) I ended
up thinking, there was somebody with us, too," said June Harting of West Bloomfield.
 Frank and Harting were the 48th and 49th soldiers with Michigan ties to die in Iraq since the war
began in March 2003.
 Frank and Harting were classmates at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, and both
graduated in 1998. They were both stationed at the Fort Irwin Army base near Barstow, Calif., and
were part of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
 Stephen Frank, who has three younger sisters, grew up in the Lansing area and graduated from
Haslett High School in 1994. His parents moved to Farmington Hills seven years ago.
 Frank was a combat trainer at Fort Irwin, where he lived with his wife, Laurel, and their 2-year-old
son, Alexander.
 At Fort Irwin, Frank taught other soldiers how to conduct battles in desert-like conditions. He was
deployed to the Middle East in December and moved from Kuwait to Iraq the next month.
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"He was excited to be there, although it was dangerous," Bill Frank said. "He hated to leave his wife
and his son, but he knew this was his duty to his country."
Frank's mother, Sue, said she is holding fast to her faith as she and her husband deal with the pain
of losing their son.
"I don't understand why this happened and it's very, very difficult, but I believe God had a purpose
for Stephen's life, and Stephen believed God had a purpose for his life," she said.
June Harting said she is comforted by the fact that her son died with his Army buddy.
"They were both wonderful young men. We're feeling really bad, but it's a little better that they were
together," she said.
Bill Frank said the last time he heard from his son was on April 8.
"He called me on my birthday," he said. "He said, 'Happy Birthday, things are going well here.' He
felt they were making real progress and the Iraqis were helping Americans with more information
(about insurgents)," Frank said.
Ralph J. Harting lived in Union Lake until he was a teenager and his family moved to Wilmington,
Del. He graduated from Salesianum High School in Wilmington in 1994 and, like Frank, entered the
U.S. Military Academy.
Harting was deployed to Iraq in January from Fort Irwin. He led a company of 120 soldiers.
"He never really talked about the dangers (of war)," said June Harting. "He was very, very patriotic.
He really believed in the West Point motto 'Duty, Honor, Country'."
June Harting said she last heard from her son about three weeks ago when they exchanged
messages on the Internet.
Harting leaves behind his wife, Jennifer, and three young children, including a son who was born
Sunday, two days after his father's death.
A joint memorial service will be held for Frank and Harting on Friday at Fort Irwin. Another service
will be held for them on May 14 at West Point, where they will be buried.
Associated Press contributed to this report. You can reach Oralandar Brand-Williams at (313) 2222027 or bwilliams@detnews.com.
By Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News
Capt. Ralph John Harting, III Died with Captain Frank
December 17th, 2009
Born Aug. 19, 1976 in Pontiac, MI
Died Apr. 29, 2005 in Diyarah, Iraq
Ralph was known as Jay to his friends and family. He spent his early years in Union Lake, Michigan where he took
up a love for soccer. He was a quiet, confident and responsible child growing up, taking responsibilities around the
house and with his siblings. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Wilmington, Delaware where he was a
state champion goalkeeper and member of the Olympic development soccer team. An extremely bright student, he
took an interest in the military and applied to all four military academies for further education. He was accepted at
all four. He accepted the invitation from West Point and graduated from there in 1998 with a degree in mechanical
engineering. He served at Fort Campbell, Kentucky until 2002 when he transferred to Fort Irwin, California. He
deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in December of 2004, along with his former classmate and good
friend, Captain Stephen W. Frank. Ralph was the commander of Echo Troop, the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored
Cavalry Regiment from Fort Irwin. He led his soldiers by example, never asking them to do anything he would not
do himself. He was an inspiration to his troops who cared deeply for their safety and well being. Phone calls home
to his family were never about any danger he encountered, but more about what American’s were doing for the
Iraqi people and what the Iraqi were doing for the Americans. On April 25, 2005, both Captain Frank and Ralph
were killed in the same incident when an IED detonated as they were conducting a traffic control point inspection.
Captain Harting’s awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army
Achievement Medal (1 oak leaf clusters), National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global
War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Multinational Force Observer Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat
Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, Sapper Tab, Parachutist’s Badge, and the Air
Assault Badge. His parents; his wife and their three children survive Jay. His youngest child was born two days
after Ralph was killed. He was buried at the United States Military Academy Cemetery at West Point, New York.
Sgt. Brad A. Wentz
Hometown: Gladwin, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: May 20, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army Reserves, 180th Transportation Company, Muskegon, Mich.
Incident: Killed on a main supply route when his convoy was attacked.
Brad A. Wentz was days away from his second wedding anniversary with his high school sweetheart, Tami. The
couple named their 1-year-old daughter Jerzey in honor of Fort Dix, N.J., where he was first stationed. Wentz, 21, of
Gladwin, Mich., was killed May 20 when his convoy came under attack along one of the country's main supply routes.
He was based in Muskegon, Mich. Wentz was an avid hockey player who also enjoyed fishing, hunting and golf. He
went to basic training while still in high school and had a plan to join the reserves, then become active duty. When he
was last home in April, Wentz was reluctant to return to Iraq. "Brad was telling everybody that he hated to go back to
Iraq, but he made a commitment and he said, `I'll go,'" said his grandfather, Clark E. Wentz. "He made that
commitment and he followed through with it."
Brad A. Wentz
Thursday, May 26 2005 @ 08:03 AM MDT
The Saginaw News -- GLADWIN -- Brad A. Wentz doled out hugs and tee shots during his leave
from Iraq last month, spending 11 days between Michigan and Florida in a fast and furious family reunion
for the 21-year-old father.
"He saw everybody he could, even his great-grandfather," said his grandmother, Michelle Hisey of
Beaverton. "We golfed, spent about five days down there, did the Florida thing."
But rather than celebrate his second wedding anniversary today with high school sweetheart Tami Wentz,
Army Reserve Sgt. Brad Wentz's family is readying for a funeral and the arrival of a flag-wrapped coffin.
Wentz, a 2002 Gladwin High School graduate who joined up in his junior year, died Friday when an
explosion ripped through the truck he was driving with the 180th Transportation Company in Iraq.
"He was traveling in a convoy when they were attacked by Iraqi insurgents, and his vehicle was hit either
by a rocket-propelled grenade or roadside bomb," Army Maj. Willie Harris said Tuesday.
He said Brig. Gen. Michael W. Beasley from the Army Reserve's headquarters at Ft. Snelling, Minn., was
planning to attend Wentz's funeral Thursday.
Tami Wentz, 21, and their 15-month-old daughter, Jerzey, learned of his death with a knock on the door
around 10 a.m. Friday in Beaverton. Military officials also were visiting Wentz's father, Chris Wentz, in
Gladwin and his mother, Shelly Wentz, in Zephyrhills, Fla.
"They talked to all of them within about an hour-and-a-half that morning," Hisey said.
Wentz is among 1,493 U.S. soldiers killed since President George W. Bush declared an end to major
combat operations in April 2003 and among 1,636 killed in the Iraq war since it began, the military said.
Wentz often summered at his grandparents' Wixom Lake home after returning at 12 to live with his father.
He had lived in Florida with his mother after his parents split early on, Hisey said.
An avid youth hockey player, Wentz also spent hours in Michigan's woods and lakes, fishing or hunting
with his grandfather, a veteran -- and Wentz's inspiration, Hisey said.
She recalled the day he announced his intentions to become a career military man while still in school.
"He came to me and his grandfather and he said he made a decision about his future, and we said, 'Lay it
on us," said Hisey, 52.
"His grandfather was in the 82nd Airborne, and I think that had a big, big influence on his life."
She said her grandson since early childhood spent hours in deer blinds with William Hisey, 64, who regaled
him with stories of military duty and is reeling from his grandson's death.
"Oh my God, that's the worst part," she said.
An athlete who enjoyed water activities as well -- his grandfather pulled him on inner tubes behind a
speedboat on Wixom Lake -- Brad Wentz's married life featured frequent departures and reunions, Hisey
said.
She said the Pentagon activated him three times, but only in December did he ship to Iraq for a one-year
hitch. Last month, Wentz began his leave April 18 and returned to Iraq on April 29.
A service is set for 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at Hall Funeral Home, 440 E. Cedar in Gladwin, and family
and friends may call thereafter from noon to 9 p.m. Another ceremony is set for 11 a.m. Friday at Gladwin
High School.
He is survived by step-mother Christine Wentz of Gladwin, sister Brandy Wentz of Zephyrhills, niece
Jazmine Gomez of Zephyrhills and step-brother Justin Clemons of Gladwin.
Also surviving are grandparents Clark and Sandy Wentz of Beaverton, Carol Wentz of Gladwin, Nancy
Fisher of Zephyrhills and Fred and Mary Schoenberg of Palmetto, Fla.; and great-grandparents Dorothy
Wentz of Coleman and Harold Comer of Beaverton.
Wentz's family has created a Chemical Bank trust fund for his daughter's college education under the
name Brad A. Wentz. For information, call the bank at (989) 426-9246.
Sgt. Charles A. Drier
Hometown: Tuscola, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 28 years old
Died: May 24, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near their Humvee.
Charles A. Drier was coming home in July for a joyous occasion: He would walk his mother
down the aisle for her second marriage. "He wasn't just my son," said his mother, Mary. "He
was my best friend. I'll miss his smile, his compassion." Drier, 28, of Tuscola, Mich., was killed
May 24 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was based at Fort
Stewart. Drier played football in high school and was known as a generous natural leader. "He
liked structure, discipline, tradition," said his former coach, Tim Travis. The 1995 high school
graduate enlisted in the Army in 2001 after stints as a cook and roofer. He saw the Army as a
chance for college and a new career. "He felt like his life was going nowhere," Mary Drier said.
"There's nothing but dead-end jobs around here. He wanted his life to have a purpose, to have
some meaning." He aspired to be a writer. "He was an avid reader and talked about writing a
book," his mother said. "Fiction. He sent me some pages, and I was very impressed. I was
looking forward to reading more, but..."
Michigan soldier killed in Iraq
Associated Press
COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A soldier from Michigan who enlisted in the Army to give his life
meaning and direction was killed this week by an explosion in Iraq, his mother said.
Sgt. Charles A. Drier, 28, who was serving as a sniper, was scheduled to return to Michigan on
leave in July to give his mother away at her wedding, but was killed Tuesday, The Saginaw News
reported.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, which had not confirmed the death as of
Thursday morning, declined to comment.
Mary Drier, of Tuscola County’s Columbia Township, learned of her son’s death while she was at
work at the Tuscola County Advertiser, where she is a reporter. She said her son enlisted in March
2001.
“He felt like his life was going nowhere,” she said. “There’s nothing but dead-end jobs around here.
He wanted his life to have a purpose, to have some meaning.”
People who knew her son in high school described him as generous and a natural leader. Drier
was a 1995 graduate of Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School, located about 26 miles east of
Bay City.
“He liked structure, discipline, tradition. He probably liked the Army because it was the same
discipline he found in football,” said his former coach, Tim Travis, now the principal at UnionvilleSebewaing Area Middle School.
Drier is the 52nd member of the U.S armed forces with known Michigan ties to be killed in Iraq.
Sgt. Charles A. Drier
Sgt. Charles "Chuck" Allen Drier, 28, of Caro, was killed in action on Tuesday, May 24,
2005, in Baghdad, Iraq. He was born May 15, 1977 in Caro. Chuck graduated from
Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School in 1995. He played football and ran track,
enjoyed snowboarding and the Detroit Red Wings. He was a talented artist and showed
promise of being a talented writer. Chuck worked for a few years for the Capri Restaurant
in Caro and worked for Thomas Roofing in Cass City before joining the Army in 2001.
Chuck was part of the opening attack on Baghdad that started the war there in 2003.
Chuck is survived by his mother, Mary (Mark Hill) Drier, of Unionville; father, Michael
and Sabrina Drier and children, of Unionville, Tennessee; daughter, Bailie Lockhart, of
Caro; brother, Jason (Raquel Torrez) Drier, of Caro; girlfriend, Amanda Altznauer, of
Savannah, Georgia; aunt, Lynn Dillon and her husband, Gary, of Cass City; uncle, Joseph
Brandmair and his wife, Sara, of Caro; Bailie's mother, Amanda Lockhart, of Caro; and
many cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Helen and Courtland
Drier, and Frances and Leo Brandmair.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 6, 2005, at Kranz Funeral Home in Cass City with a U.S.
Army Chaplain from Fort Knox, Kentucky and the Rev. Clifford Randall, of St. Peter Lutheran Church of Unionville,
officiating. Interment will be in the Ellington Township Cemetery in Caro
with military honors under the direction of U.S. Army, Fort Knox, Kentucky. Visitation
will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, from 2 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, and from 10 to 11 a.m.
on Monday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please direct donations made in
Chuck's memory to The Charles Drier Memorial Fund. Family and friends may share
memories, prayers, and stories with the family at www.kranzfuneralhome.com.
Spec. Joshua T. Brazee
Hometown: Sand Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 25 years old
Died: May 23, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
Incident: Died from non-combat related injuries in Qaim.
Joshua T. Brazee was a computer whiz, and if he didn't make the machines sing and dance, he
came close. "He could make them talk and squeak," said his father, Kevin. "He would step up
(upgrade) the computers on his own." Brazee, 25, of Sand Creek, Mich., died May 23 in Qaim,
Iraq, of non-combat-related injuries. He was based at Fort Carson. Brazee was a good student
and played football in high school. After graduating in 1998, Brazee joined the Navy as a way
to go to college. "He was looking for education to further him in life," said his father. "The
Navy offered the best program." He was in the Navy for four years and tried to find a job in his
hometown, to no avail. His father said at that point his son decided to re-enlist, this time in
the Army. He planned to go to college and study computers and engineering after he finished
his tour in Iraq. "That was something he was training to do through the Army," his father said.
Brazee is also survived by his mother, Teresa.
Spec. Eric T. Burri
Hometown: Wyoming, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: June 7, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 623rd Quartermaster Company, 1st Corps Support Command, Fort
Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee in
Baghdad.
Joanne Burri says her son Eric thought of his time in the Army as an adventure,
much the same as his trip to Uruguay several years ago as an exchange
student. "He was an adventurous boy. He wanted to see the world," she said.
Eric T. Burri, 21, of Wyoming, Mich., was killed June 7 by a roadside bomb in
Baghdad. He was based at Fort Bragg. Burri loved to travel, learn languages
and meet people. He joined the Army the year he graduated from high school.
His enthusiasm and love for his country convinced his best friend, Patrick Sova,
to join the military as well. "He was outgoing and wanted to serve his country,
and I wanted to be a part of that too," Sova said. While overseas, Burri leaned
on his trust in God and was looking forward to returning home. "He wanted to
get back, get it done, because he was due to come back in October," said
Patrick's father, Bruce Sova. "He just wanted to start his life." Burri is survived
by his parents, John and Joanne.
Eric T. Burri
BURRI - US Army Specialist 4th Class, Eric T. Burri, aged 21, of Wyoming, has left the battle of
war to be with our Lord on Tuesday, June 7, 2005, while proudly serving his country in Baghdad,
Iraq. He was preceded in death by his infant brother, Bryan; grandfather, Nathan Fairchild;
grandmother, Delores Burri; and uncle, David Walgreen. Proudly surviving Eric are his parents,
John and Joanne Burri of Wyoming; his big brother, Andrew and special friend, MaryAnn Dukas of
Saginaw; his grandparents, Bill and Ginny Burri of Caledonia; grandmother, Lou Fairchild of
Phoenix, AZ; many aunts, uncles, cousins, and good friends. The Mass of Christian Burial will be
held Monday at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 1630 Godfrey, SW, Wyoming,
with Fr. Stephen Dudek and Fr. Thomas Hack, celebrants. Eric's family will greet family and friends
at the Matthysse-Kuiper-DeGraaf Funeral Home (Grandville), 4145 Chicago Dr., Grandville on
Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., where a Vigil Service will be held on Sunday at 8:30 p.m.
Those who wish may make memorial contributions to the "Make A Wish Foundation".
Condolences may be sent online at www.mkdfuneralhome.com.
Letter from Virginia high school student touches Wyoming couple
who lost son in Iraq
By Tom Rademacher | The Grand Rapids Press
December 13, 2009, 6:00AM
Emily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids
PressJohn and Joanne Burri of Wyoming lost their son, Eric, 21, in 2005 when he was
killed in Iraq. The Burris received a letter from Alexis Moraski, 17, of Virginia, who
was assigned to contact the family of a fallen soldier for a school project. “This was a
gift for us,” John Burri said, “to know that people haven’t forgotten.”
Most high school assignments come and go. You put in the time, hand over the goods,
get a grade, move on.
Not this one.
John and Joanne Burri are still reeling from a letter they received “out of the blue”
from a high school student in Virginia, a young lady who only now is beginning to
understand the significance and timelessness of the words she penned for strangers.
John’s eyes well with tears virtually every time he handles the pages, a simple class
assignment that now stands as a tribute to the soldier son he and his wife, Joanne,
buried four autumns ago.
“I’m sorry,” he says, choking back emotions wrought by the letter, “but this came to
our home two days before Thanksgiving, and it helped us to give thanks not only for
her kindness but for helping us to realize that people are not forgetting Eric and not
forgetting these young men and women still fighting.”
Alexis Moraski is a senior at Midlothian High School in Chesterfield, Va. Several weeks
ago, as part of a class assignment, she was instructed to research a fallen soldier and
write to his survivors.
Tough assignment
It was the brainstorm of Danny Abell, 31, who teaches government at the school.
Drawing on his experiences in writing Medal of Honor winners from past wars and the
300-plus letters he received in thanks and appreciation, he asked students to honor
those who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some resisted.
“I don’t want to write this letter,” one student told him. “I don’t want to make people
cry.”
“Not all tears are sad tears,” Abell countered.
Of 95 students who complied, Alexis was the first to get a response — a package
bearing a four-page letter from the Burris, along with photos, newspaper clippings and
a T-shirt bearing Eric’s image.
Abell said when he and Alexis shared the Burris’ letter, people broke down, reading
the words of a couple “who were so excited to talk about their son.”
Just the right time
Alexis’ letter arrived in the Burris’ mailbox Nov. 25. To say that Eric was on his
parents’ mind at the time would be a vast understatement.
Not only was the thought of Eric weighing on them heavily as the holidays
approached, but Nov. 27 — the day after Thanksgiving — would have been Eric’s 26th
birthday.
He died in Iraq at age 21, in June 2005, when a roadside bomb detonated near the
vehicle in which he was riding.
It ended the hopes and dreams of a young man who enlisted after graduating from
Kelloggsville High School in 2003, a son described by his mother as “an adventurous
boy” who “wanted to see the world.”
Though trained to be a soldier, U.S. Army Spec. 4th Class Eric T. Burri couldn’t help
but feel drawn to the dirt-poor kids he befriended on the streets there.
In one note home, he wrote “Mom, if I could only give them the shoes off my feet.”
Alexis knew little of Eric when she wrote his parents, only what she could glean from
Web sites she researched as part of the assignment.
Though more than four years after the fact, she started her letter by saying, “I would
like to give you my condolences for your son Eric who bravely served for our country.”
She then went on to ask the type of probing questions posed by reporters but rarely
friends and acquaintances: “If I may ask, what is it like to lose a child that fought in
the Army? I can understand you would be heartbroken but at the same time are you
proud that he died fighting for his country? It would mean a lot to me if you could
please answer these questions.”
Alexis Moraski
Not their first loss
Another couple might have recoiled. Not the Burris. Not if it meant even one more
chance to share a son gone too soon.
In his letter to Alexis, John shared how Eric wasn’t the first son they lost. Joanne
carried Eric’s older brother, Bryan, to full-term, only to have him die of a ruptured
blood vessel. He was 3 hours old.
Bryan only briefly lay on Joanne’s chest, “a baby we never got to hold,” John said. “No
picture. Just a birth certificate with his footprint.
“And I thought Alexis should know that this wasn’t our first time.”
John and Joanne also shared with Alexis what it was like to receive the news about
Eric: how at the sight of the two servicemen approaching their home on 50th Street
SW that evening, Joanne fell to the floor; how John screamed out, “No, no, no!” Alexis
said she was moved by the Burris’ candor and willingness to share their story.
“I was just really stunned,” she said. “And it was really sad.”
She said the assignment has made her more aware of both wars we continue to wage.
And, like so many other Americans, she would like to see them resolved.
“I want it to end.”
'You're a part of our family'
In the meantime, the Burris cherish the letter sent 500 miles by a young lady who not
only asked questions but gave them hope: “I know I will never forget (Eric’s) face,”
she wrote, “for it has been engraved in my heart for life.”
Joanne keeps Alexis’ letter in the same file box with all the other important
remembrances of their son’s short time on earth. “It was overwhelming,” she said,
“to know that people like Alexis haven’t forgotten these soldiers.”
In reciprocity, Alexis and her family keep a photo of Eric with snapshots of their own
and, in a recent conversation, Alexis’ mother, Theresa, told the Burris, “You’re a part
of our family now.”
Even after four years and counting, the pain visits the Burris every day. But they also
have a letter out of nowhere, proof that people are remembering — a high school kid
who turned a routine assignment into something that lapped up the time and the
miles and came to matter.
Here is the text of Alexis' letter:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Burri,
My name is Alexis Moraski. I am a senior at Midlothian High school, and I would like to
give you my condolences for your son Eric T. Burri who bravely served for our
country.
My mother and grandfather worked in the force for a long time, my uncle is still in the
service, and recently he went to Africa.
If I may ask, what is it like lose a child that fought in the Army? I can understand you
would be heartbroken but at the same time are you proud that he died fighting for
this country? It would mean a lot to me if you could please answer these questions.
My heart breaks every time when I see everyone go to the Arlington Cemetery and
grieve for their loved ones with their children.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this letter of mine, and I am
truly, very sorry that you have lost your boy. But you know, your son is and always
will be remembered not only by his friends and family but every other American who
has fought with him including every citizen that knew him, maybe not well, but I know
I will never forget this face, for it has been engraved in my heart for life.
Sincerely,
Alexis Moraski
Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Kilpela
Hometown: Fowerville, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 22 years old
Died: June 10, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp
Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Killed in an explosion during combat operations in Saqlawiyah.
Michigan Marine dies in Iraq
Associated Press
FOWLERVILLE, Mich. — A 22-year-old Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., who joined the
Marine Corps to prove he could get through boot camp died after a roadside bomb went off in Iraq,
his father and brother said.
Lance Cpl. Andrew Kilpela of Fowlerville was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineering Battalion,
2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, and had been in
Iraq since March. He’d been a Marine since 2003.
His family learned of the Friday death that night, the Lansing State Journal reported Monday.
His father, Michael Kilpela, said he used to get frustrated because he thought his son didn’t plan
for the future, but his perspective has changed.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that he was a person who did not worry about tomorrow,” Michael
Kilpela said. “He did not regret yesterday, and he filled every moment of today with love and with
joy and with passion for life.”
Andrew Kilpela joined the Marines in 2003 “to prove it to himself and to those who kept telling him
that he couldn’t do anything,” his father said.
His death came eight days before the wedding of his 25-year-old sister, Janice.
“We’re going to throw a party so where he’s at, he’s going to hear it,” his 27-year-old brother, David
Kilpela of Grand Blanc Township said. “He would want us to rock the house.”
The Marine shared a July birthday with his girlfriend from Redford.
“One of the last things he wanted my parents to do was send flowers in his name on her birthday,”
his brother said.
Plans for a memorial service are incomplete, but the family said it will take place in Fowlerville.
“We prayed and prayed that he would come home safe and the Lord answered our prayer,” his
brother said. “He is in the most safe place anybody could be.”
Cpl Andrew Jacob Kilpela July 20th, 2009
Born: July 21, 1982 in Michigan
Died: June 10, 2005 in Saqlawiyah, Iraq
Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Kilpela of Fowerville, Michigan graduated from Fowlerville High School.
Andrew joined the Marines in 2003 to prove it to himself and to those who kept telling him
that he wouldn’t even get through basic training. He reported to 2nd Combat Engineer
Battalion for duty as a Combat Engineer in May 2004. Andy didn’t seem to worry about
tomorrow and he never regretted what happened yesterday, rather he filled every moment of
the day with love and joy and a passion for life. He enjoyed music and poetry. Andy was
currently serving in Iraq where he died just eight days before the wedding of his 25-year-old
sister, Janice. He was killed at age 22 in an explosion while conducting combat operations in
Saqlawiyah, Iraq. Andrew and his squad were conducting a dismounted patrol in the City of
Saqlawiyah, just north of Fallajuah in the Al Anbar Province. During the mission, an
improvised explosive device struck the vehicle he was operating, mortally wounding him and
Lance Cpl. Mario A. Castillo.
Marines 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion 2nd Marine Division
II Marine Expeditionary Force Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Burial is at Greenwood Cemetery
in Fowlerville, Michigan
Spec. Adrian J. Butler
Hometown: East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 28 years old
Died: July 27, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th
Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Tex.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near their Humvee while on
patrol in Ashraf.
The best memories of Adrian J. Butler are of him hanging out with friends, listening to R&B and
going bowling. Lots of bowling. "We owned our own equipment. We were serious about it; 210 was
his best score," said Brandon Barnett, Butler''s best friend. Butler, 28, of East Lansing, Mich., was
killed July 27 by a bomb blast near his vehicle in Ashraf. He was based at Fort Hood. "He just
loved life, period," Barnett said. "He never had a bad thing to say; he was very positive. We always
went to him for advice." Butler saw the armed services as a step toward his dream job of being an
FBI agent. After getting a degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University, he enlisted as
an MP. "He was a real soldier," said his mother, Peggy Donaldson. "He was a business type,
conservative, a real professional person. He didn't do a lot of kidding. He was more formal. ... He
was a loving and kind person with a good heart and spirit." He also is survived by his father,
Eldridge.
Spec. Brian K. Derks
Hometown: White Cloud, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: August 13, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb while he was on mounted patrol in Baghdad.
Brian Keith Derks
DERKS, SPECIALIST 4th CLASS BRIAN KEITH White Cloud Specialist 4th Class Brian Keith Derks, age 21, passed away
from injuries he received while serving his country in the United States Army stationed with the Fox Group Second
Squadron of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Iraq. Brian was born on July 12, 1984 in Fremont to Keith and
Peggy (Willson) Derks. Brian graduated from White Cloud High School in 2003 where was enjoyed and was an active
member of the Quiz Bowl team, football, and baseball teams. After graduation, Brian worked at Bob Evans
Restaurant in Big Rapids for a short time before he enlisted in the United States Army. Brian was an active member of
the White Cloud community where he was a lifelong member of the Christ Lutheran Church; an active member of the
White Cloud Boy Scouts Troop #1137 where he became and Eagle Scout and served as assistance Scout Master for a
period. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, computers and spending time with his family on all the holiday's but especially
Thanksgiving. Brian's sense of humor kept everybody laughing, his loyalty first to God then to his family and friends
and his country and his generosity will always be remembered. He is survived by his loving parents, Keith and Peggy
Derks of White Cloud; his sister, Sally Derks of White Cloud; his fiancee', Nikki Crans of Fremont; maternal
grandparents, Emery and Esther Willson of White Cloud; paternal grandparents, Vernon and Evelyn Derks of
Fremont; aunts and uncles, Randy (Sue) Derks of Fremont; Randy (Margaret) Willson of White Cloud; Ricky (Delvina)
Willson of Dover, Maryland; Harry (Terri) Willson of White Cloud; 13 cousins; many great aunts, uncles and cousins;
numerous friends he called mom and dad, brothers and sisters and his best buds. VISITATION: Sunday 2-4 & 6-8 pm
at Crandell Funeral Home - White Cloud Chapel, 1109 Court Street White Cloud. FUNERAL SERVICES: Monday at
11am at the First Christian Reformed Church 721 Hillcrest in Fremont with Rev. Richard Hoogerhyde of the Christ
Lutheran Church presiding. INTERMENT: White Cloud Cemetery 500 Wilcox Ave in White Cloud. MEMORIAL
CONTRIBUTIONS: White Cloud High School Quiz Bowl or Boy Scouts of America, White Cloud Troop #1137. Envelopes
will be available at the visitation or funeral services. Friends may also send condolences or share a memory with the
Derk's family at www.crandellfh.com. Crandell-White Cloud 1109 Court Street www.crandellfh.com 231-689-1492 or
1-888-358-8704
Published in Muskegon Chronicle on August 18, 2005
Staff Sgt. Brian L. Morris
Hometown: Centreville, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 38 years old
Died: August 21, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 360th Transportation Company, 68th Corps Support Battalion, 43rd Area Support Group, Fort
Carson, Colo.
Incident: Died when his tractor pulling a 7,500-gallon tanker accidentally rolled over in Mosul.
Brian L. Morris got a lot more than poultry when he took a job at a KFC restaurant. It was there that he met his wife.
"He got a job there and I got a job there and the rest is history," Lori Morris said with a chuckle. "It's not one of those
romantic places, but we've got our KFC story." Morris, 38, of Centreville, Mich., died Aug. 21 when his vehicle rolled
over in Mosul. Morris joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1985, where he was a star cross-country
runner. When he returned years later to speak to students, he had transformed from athlete to military man, said
Coral Fry, Morris' former English teacher. Fry remembered Morris as "one of the nicest, most gentlemanly students"
she ever had. A bout with testicular cancer forced Morris into temporary retirement from the Army in 1989. He reenlisted and served in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea. He also is survived by a 5-year-old daughter,
Emilee. "She was daddy's girl," Lori Morris said. "She is daddy's girl. We're so proud of him. He worked so hard."
SSG Brian L. Morris
Aug-24-2005 » Filed Under: TF Freedom
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
SSG Brian L. Morris, 38, of Centreville, Mich. died on August 21, 2005, in Mosul, Iraq, where his
M915A1 tractor pulling a 7,500-gallon tanker accidentally rolled over. SSG Morris was assigned to the
Army's 360th Transportation Company, 68th Corps Support Battalion, 43rd Area Support Group, Fort
Carson, CO.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers. We will add any subsequent
articles we find to this entry.
Maj. Gregory J. Fester
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 41 years old
Died: August 30, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army Reserves, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations
Command, U.S. Army Reserves, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb detonated near his dismounted patrol
in Iskandariyah.
The next care package being prepared for Gregory J. Fester contained a pink and
yellow, flower-shaped dog toy for a pup he had adopted. "I'd be talking on the phone
and I'd hear him say, 'Oh, hi, Snowball,'" said his wife, Julie Fester. "It was like no dog
I'd ever seen _ white and straggly." Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, Mich., was killed Aug.
30 by a bomb blast in Iskandariyah. He was based at Fort Bragg. The rest of the care
package offered a picture of Fester: his three favorite magazines _ National
Geographic, Car & Driver and Popular Mechanics _ and DVDs of the movie "Coach
Carter" and the first two seasons of "Seinfeld." His wife also planned to send him a
book of constellations. He loved the night sky and was always pointing out the Big and
Little Dippers. "He said the sky was so clear over there," she said of Iraq. "You could
see even more of the constellations." He attended Ohio State University and served in
the Army for 8 1/2 years, including a stint in Operation Desert Storm, before taking a
job in pharmaceutical sales at Pfizer Inc. He also is survived by his children Jenni, 16;
Megan, 13; and Peyton, 6.
Gregory J. Fester
FESTER Gregory J. Fester. On Tuesday, August 30, 2005, Gregory J. Fester, Major, U.S. Army, passed away while on
service duty in Iraq. Of Ada, Mich. and formerly of Westerville, Oh. A graduate of The Ohio State University, he was a
CNS Specialist with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Gregory is the beloved husband of Julie; devoted father of Jennifer,
Megan and Peyton; dear son of Virginia Piecoro and William Fester; and son-in-law to Jack and Charlene Hammond;
loving brother of Mindy (Fester) Lind and her husband, Brad and Lt. Col. Eric Fester, M.D., U.S.A.F. and his wife,
Jennifer; brother-in-law to Julie's sisters, Jackie and her husband, Joe Whalen, Linda and her husband, Doug Frey,
Beth and her husband, Jeff Ramsey. Greg is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Friends may call at the
ARLINGTON FUNERAL HOME, 3901 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, Va. 22203 on Monday, September 12 from 7-9 p.m.
Funeral service will be held at the Arlington Funeral Home on Tuesday, September 13 at 1 p.m. Interment will follow
at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gregory Fester
Memorial Fund c/o 5th/3rd Bank, 475 Ada Dr., P.O. Box 311, Ada, Mich. 49301. All proceeds will be
entrusted for scholarships for Greg's children.
Published in The Columbus Dispatch on September 9, 2005
Gregory J. Fester
Major, United States Army
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 905-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 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 was
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Major Gregory J. Fester, 41, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, died on August 30,
2005, in Iskandariyah, Iraq, where an improvised explosive device detonated
near his dismounted patrol. Fester was a reservist assigned to the U.S. Army
Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North
Carolina.
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at
(703) 692-2000.
A Former Clarence Center resident and Army civil affairs major who rebuilt
schools for Iraqi children died Tuesday in an explosion while on patrol about 30
miles south of Baghdad.
U.S. Army Major Gregory Fester, 41, a reservist assigned to the Army Civil
Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
was "fighting at the tip of the spear," working in the dangerous Sunni Triangle
when he was killed, said his wife, Julie, reached Friday at her home in Ada
Township, Michigan.
"Greg was helping rebuild the schools," said Julie Fester, who received daily email messages from her husband describing his missions.
"He was doing the greatest mission of all for the good of mankind everywhere."
Fester, a native of Westerville, Ohio, near Columbus, attended Ohio State
University. He spent 81/2 years in the Army and was a veteran of Operation
Desert Storm, in which he earned the Bronze Star, among other honors.
The couple moved to Williamsville in 1996 after Fester began working in
pharmaceutical sales for Pfizer Inc. Shortly after moving here, they built a
house in Clarence Center, where they lived for about six years.
Fester remained involved in the military. He was a member of an Army Reserve
unit based in the Connecticut Street Armory and then in Tonawanda, according
to his wife.
They moved to Michigan in January 2002 after Fester was promoted at Pfizer.
There, he left the military and was reclassified as "individual ready reserve."
In April, a presidential executive order called Fester and others back to service.
He left for Iraq just after July 4 for a tour that was scheduled to last until
November 2006.
"He believed in what he was doing," his wife said. "The schools over there were
rubble. His job was to go into the schools and to rebuild the high schools and
elementary schools."
Fester talked with mayors of Iraqi communities and Islamic clerics and used the
information they gave him to line up contractors for construction, she said.
"He really felt they were making a difference."
Fester was with five other soldiers when the roadside bomb exploded.
He was killed instantly, dying of massive head injuries, his wife said.
When Army officials made their way up to the door of the family's home this
week, Julie said she "froze."
"I thought Greg was going to come back home to me. I thought we were going
to grow old together," she said.
The couple's 18th wedding anniversary was Monday. They have two daughters,
ages 13 and 16, and a 6-year-old son.
Julie Fester called her husband a "true hero."
Fester, who was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, will be buried in
Arlington National Cemetery.
A Kent County (Michigan) soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the
Defense Department said.
U.S. Army Major Gregory Fester, 41, of Ada Township, died Tuesday while on
foot patrol about 30 miles south of Baghdad. He was a reservist assigned to the
U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.
Fester worked with Iraqi officials to improve schools, his wife Julie said. He emailed her every day and said many of the Iraqis welcomed him.
"He loved his mission. He believed in it," Julie Fester told The Grand Rapids
Press.
Fester grew up in Westerville, Ohio, and graduated from Westerville North
High School and Ohio State University. He served in the Army for 8 1/2 years,
including a stint in Operation Desert Storm, before taking a job in
pharmaceutical sales at Pfizer Inc.
The family lived in New York at the time, where he continued to serve in the
Army Reserves. He quit the Reserves after Pfizer transferred him to Grand
Rapids in 2001.
Julie Fester said her husband was ordered back to active duty on April 15, and
was expected to serve through November 2006.
The couple's 18th wedding anniversary would have been Monday. They have
two daughters, 16 and 13 years old, and a 6-year-old son.
Fester was the 58th member of the U.S. armed forces with known Michigan ties
to be killed in Iraq.
Soldier of Generosity Is Mourned at Arlington
Reservist Killed While in Iraq on Repair Mission
By Lila de Tantillo
Courtesy of the Washington Post
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Major Gregory J. Fester was known for always taking care of those around him
-- friends, family, even strangers. And then there was his smile.
"He's just someone who was always happy and made everyone around him
happy," said Timra Stump, 38, a former neighbor who had known Fester since
elementary school. "He was one of those people who could make a bad day
positive. He had the most infectious smile in the world."
Julie Fester, widow of Major Gregory J. Fester, holds on to their son, Peyton, 6, during funeral services
for her husband at Arlington National Cemetery. The major's mother, Virginia Piecoro, is at right.
Fester, 41, who lived near Grand Rapids, Michigan, was killed in an explosion
Aug. 30 in Iskandariyah, Iraq, while on a mission to build schools and repair
other infrastructure in the war-torn country.
Yesterday, dozens of friends and family members gathered to remember Fester
as he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. He was a reservist
assigned to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command
based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Fester's daughters, Jenni, 16, and Megan, 13, and son, Peyton, 6, watched as a
horse-drawn caisson carried their father's flag-draped coffin to the grave site.
At the close of the ceremony, a military band played "America the Beautiful" as
flags were presented to his wife, Julie Fester, mother, Virginia Piecoro, and
father, William Fester.
Fester grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a close-knit community where he attended
high school with his future wife, who was one year his junior. They began dating
shortly after she graduated after "clicking" at a graduation party, friends said.
He went to Ohio State University and was a loyal Buckeyes fan who moved
several years ago to rival territory in Michigan. Sandra Cleveland, a front desk
supervisor at a medical office Fester used to visit in his job as a pharmaceutical
sales representative, recalled how he would wear his beloved team's colors -scarlet and gray -- on the eve of big games, especially those against the
University of Michigan.
"It was good camaraderie back and forth," said Cleveland, 53. "He was so
vibrant. He was always fun-loving, and he always had a smile on his face."
Fester also made frequent visits to the office of Arles Stern, a Kalamazoo
psychiatrist, whom he provided with free samples of medicine for patients who
could not afford it.
"He was kind and generous," Stern said. "There were a lot of people who
benefited from him who didn't know him at all."
After college, Fester served several years in the Army, including a stint in Iraq
during Operation Desert Storm. He later remained in the Army Reserve and
worked for Pfizer in New York. When his family moved to Michigan, Fester was
active in a men's prayer group at Ada Bible Church.
When Fester learned in April that he had been summoned back to active duty,
Bob King, a pastor at Ada Bible Church, was among those he called. King
recalled that Fester was completely dedicated to serving his country and equally
committed to ensuring that his loved ones would be taken care of during his
absence.
"He was very concerned about his family," King said. "But as a soldier, he was
ready to step up and do his duty. He truly had the desire to make the world a
better place."
King said that a Sept. 6 memorial service for Fester drew more than 650 people
and was the largest ever at the church.
On Thursday, flags in Michigan were lowered to half staff in Fester's honor. He
was the 174th person killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom to be buried at
Arlington National Cemetery.
Posted: 3 September 2005 Updated: 14 September 2005 Updated: 2 November
2005
Soldier of Generosity Is Mourned at Arlington
Reservist Killed While in Iraq on Repair Mission
By Lila de Tantillo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Maj. Gregory J. Fester was known for always taking care of those around him -- friends, family, even
strangers. And then there was his smile.
"He's just someone who was always happy and made everyone around him happy," said Timra Stump, 38, a
former neighbor who had known Fester since elementary school. "He was one of those people who could
make a bad day positive. He had the most infectious smile in the world."
Fester, 41, who lived near Grand Rapids, Mich., was killed in an explosion Aug. 30 in Iskandariyah, Iraq,
while on a mission to build schools and repair other infrastructure in the war-torn country.
Yesterday, dozens of friends and family members gathered to remember Fester as he was laid to rest in
Arlington National Cemetery. He was a reservist assigned to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological
Operations Command based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
Fester's daughters, Jenni, 16, and Megan, 13, and son, Peyton, 6, watched as a horse-drawn caisson carried
their father's flag-draped coffin to the grave site. At the close of the ceremony, a military band played
"America the Beautiful" as flags were presented to his wife, Julie Fester, mother, Virginia Piecoro, and
father, William Fester.
Fester grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a close-knit community where he attended high school with his future
wife, who was one year his junior. They began dating shortly after she graduated after "clicking" at a
graduation party, friends said.
He went to Ohio State University and was a loyal Buckeyes fan who moved several years ago to rival
territory in Michigan. Sandra Cleveland, a front desk supervisor at a medical office Fester used to visit in his
job as a pharmaceutical sales representative, recalled how he would wear his beloved team's colors -- scarlet
and gray -- on the eve of big games, especially those against the University of Michigan.
"It was good camaraderie back and forth," said Cleveland, 53. "He was so vibrant. He was always funloving, and he always had a smile on his face."
Fester also made frequent visits to the office of Arles Stern, a Kalamazoo psychiatrist, whom he provided
with free samples of medicine for patients who could not afford it.
"He was kind and generous," Stern said. "There were a lot of people who benefited from him who didn't
know him at all."
After college, Fester served several years in the Army, including a stint in Iraq during Operation Desert
Storm. He later remained in the Army Reserve and worked for Pfizer in New York. When his family moved
to Michigan, Fester was active in a men's prayer group at Ada Bible Church.
When Fester learned in April that he had been summoned back to active duty, Bob King, a pastor at Ada
Bible Church, was among those he called. King recalled that Fester was completely dedicated to serving his
country and equally committed to ensuring that his loved ones would be taken care of during his absence.
"He was very concerned about his family," King said. "But as a soldier, he was ready to step up and do his
duty. He truly had the desire to make the world a better place."
King said that a Sept. 6 memorial service for Fester drew more than 650 people and was the largest ever at
the church.
On Thursday, flags in Michigan were lowered to half staff in Fester's honor. He was the 174th person killed
in Operation Iraqi Freedom to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Julie Fester, widow of Major Gregory J. Fester,
holds on to their son, Peyton, 6, during funeral
services
for her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.
The major's mother, Virginia Piecoro, is at right.
Capt. Lowell T. Miller, II
Hometown: Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 35 years old
Died: August 31, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard, McComb, Miss.
Incident: Killed when his military training team was conducting operations with the Iraqi Army and they came
under attack by enemy forces in Iskandariyah.
Lowell Thomas Miller II
Captain, United States Army
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 910-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2005
Media Contact: Army Public Affairs - (703) 692-2000 Public/Industry Contact: (703)4280711
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Captain Lowell T. Miller, II, 35, of Flint, Michigan, died on August 31, 2005, in
Iskandariyah, Iraq, when his military training team was conducting operations
with the Iraqi Army and they came under attack by enemy forces using small
arms fire. Miller was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion,
155th Infantry Regiment, McComb, Mississippi.
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at
(703) 692-2000.
Courtesy of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI):
LEXINGTON, Virginia, September 2, 2005
Army National Guard Captain Lowell T. Miller II, a 1993 graduate of Virginia
Military Institute, was killed in action in Iraq on August 31, 2005.
Captain Miller died of gunshot wounds sustained in combat. He was a member
of the Michigan National Guard and volunteered for duty with the Mississippi
National Guard's 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry during its deployment to Iraq.
Further details of his death are not immediately available.
Captain Miller earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
Funeral arrangements are not available at this time.
Captain Miller is the seventh VMI graduate to die in Iraq.
UPDATE - 6 September 2005 - Funeral Arrangements
A funeral service for Captain Lowell T. Miller II '93 is scheduled for 1 p.m. on
Saturday, September 10, 2005. The funeral will be held at Swartz Funeral
Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Flint, Michigan 48507.
Visitation is scheduled this Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day. For additional information, call the funeral home at
(810) 235-2345.
Arrangements for a service at Arlington National Cemetery are pending
(Captain Miller will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on 12
September 2005).
Ben received an email from Tom's father which gives us more details into Tom's
life.
First of all, please forgive me for sending this news in an email. Members of my
family that I haven't made contact with by phone are receiving this because of
attempts made have failed. Some of you already know but don't have many
details. I hope this helps you in understanding our loss. Those of you who I
consider very close friends are receiving it also. I have sent it as a blind copy to
each of you.
On Wednesday 31 August I received a knock on my door at 9:55 PM. It was a
knock that I have dreaded for the past 2 years. An Army Major in full Class
"A" uniform was standing on my porch. It didn't dawn on me at the time until
he asked are you Mr. Miller and I said, "yes", that I realized who and why he
was there. He said that on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, he regretted to
inform me that my son Captain Lowell T. Miller II had been killed in action in
Iraq. I had envisioned this same thing in my mind many times, since his brother
Patrick first went to Iraq in 2003. My wife, Linda was not at home because she
works nights at a funeral home and was running late. I had the grim task of
meeting her as she got out of her car. She knew something was wrong by the
look on my face. She asked, "is there something wrong." I said that I was just
informed that Tommy has been killed.
It was a night mission. A night mission that they said was too dangerous for
American soldiers and they called on the group of Iraqi soldiers that he had
been training for the past 6 weeks since he returned from his 2 weeks home on
leave in July. He didn't want them to go alone so he went with them. I'm not
sure of the following but was told by the CAO (casualty assistance officer) that
they were ambushed and he was shot once in the chest. He did not live but a
short while. Tommy was a soldiers' soldier. He always took care of his men and
never gave thought for his own safety.
His body is at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, arriving today(2 September
2005). They will be preparing his body and sometime next week he will be flown
back to Flint. There will be a full rites military funeral. He will be cremated and
part of his ashes will be interned here and the other part will be scattered on the
Parade Grounds of Virginia Military Institute where he graduated in 1993 and
was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
We have been told that he is to be posthumously promoted to Major and will
receive a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Tommy enjoyed being a soldier. He had joined the 155th Infantry at Champ
Shelby in Mississippi in order to be able to deploy to Iraq. In an email he stated
that his job was fun training these soldiers and it appears that he had made
some good Iraqi comrades.
He died doing what he believed in.
I only ask that you keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as we go
through this time. Tommy was a born-again Christian by accepting Jesus as his
savior at the early age of 8 years. He still remained a believer until the end. He is
now at peace with the Heavenly Father. He will go to war no more.
Thank you all so much.
Tom Miller
Officer Thought of Others First, Friends Say
By Lila de Tantillo
Courtesy of the Washington Post
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Army Captain Lowell T. Miller II loved helping others and serving his country.
He was killed August 31, 2005, in Iskandariyah, Iraq. His team had been
training soldiers for the Iraqi army when they came under enemy attack.
As an officer who died in the line of duty, Miller, 35, of Flint, Michigan, was
eligible for a funeral with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery, complete
with a horse-drawn caisson and a military band. Instead, his family chose a
simple and solemn service yesterday at the cemetery's Columbarium.
Among the dozens of mourners who gathered beneath the Marshall Shelter at
the Columbarium were Miller's wife, Angela; his parents, Lowell and Linda
Miller; his daughters, Danielle, 11, and Alexandra, 7; stepchildren Jessica, 13,
and Jordan, 6; and siblings Patrick and Jennie.
During the service, an honor guard held an American flag over the urn
containing Miller's ashes. Afterward, Chaplain Charles Hamlin presented the
folded flag to Miller's wife, who in turn presented it to his children.
Miller was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry
Regiment based in McComb, Mississippi. The lifelong Michigan resident had
asked to join the Mississippi National Guard so that he could be deployed to
Iraq, according to Eric Leszczynski, who was Miller's supervisor at Yazaki
North America Inc., where Miller worked as an electrical engineer.
"It was where he felt he was best needed," said Leszczynski, 42, who had known
Miller for nearly a decade. "He did this for love of country and for duty."
Leszczynski, who spoke about Miller at a memorial service September 10, 2005,
at the Swartz Funeral Home in Flint, said that Miller's military efficiency and
precision also were evident at Yazaki, where he had helped design electrical
systems for such specialty cars as the Dodge Viper.
"If you gave him something to do, it would get done. He would get everybody
going," Leszczynski said. "He was a bulldog -- he approached everything he did
in that manner."
Miller was a 1993 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and the seventh
VMI graduate to die in Iraq. He was a longtime member of the Michigan
National Guard and served a stint patrolling the U.S. border with Canada. Last
year, he was sent to Sinai, Egypt, where he served with Captain Thomas Golden
of Utica, Michigan.
"He's the kind of guy that, if you were at war, you'd want right next to you,"
said Golden, 39, who later roomed with Miller during a two-week officers school
at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The men had a chance to share a few beers,
Golden said, and became friends in addition to comrades.
"He was a good man, beyond being a soldier," Golden said. "He thought about
other people first."
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm ordered American flags across the state
lowered to half-staff Sept. 12 in Miller's honor. He was the 175th person killed
in Operation Iraqi Freedom to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Members of the U.S. Army 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard), carry the remains of
Army Captain Lowell Miller II, 35, of Flint, Michigan, during burial services at Arlington National Cemetery
September 20, 2005. Miller was killed August 31, 2005 by small arms fire in Iskandariyah. Iraq.
Angela Meyer, second from left, wife of Army Captain Lowell Miller II, 35, of Flint, Michigan
presents the U.S. Flag to her step-daughters Danielle, 11, center, and Alexandra, 7, during burial
services at Arlington National Cemetery. Looking on are Millers parents Linda Miller, left, and Lowell Miller.
Army Chaplain Charles Hamlin, left, kneels as he presents the U.S. Flag to Angela Meyer,
center, wife of Army Captain Lowell Miller II, Looking on is Miller's mother Linda Miller, right.
MILLER, LOWELL THOMAS
CPT US ARMY
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/31/1970
DATE OF DEATH: 08/31/2005
BURIED AT: SECTION 5-QQ ROW 12 SITE 5
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Webmaster: Michael Robert Patterson
Posted: 7 September 2005 Updated: 20 September 2005 Updated: 21 September 2005 Updated: 30 May 2006
Captain Lowell T. Miller II, VMI Class of 1993
LEXINGTON, Va., Sept. 2, 2005 Army National Guard Captain Lowell T.
Miller II, a 1993 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, was killed in action
in Iraq on Aug. 31.
Captain Miller died of gunshot wounds sustained in combat. He was a
member of the Michigan National Guard and volunteered for duty with the
Mississippi National Guard's 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry during its
deployment to Iraq. Further details of his death are not immediately
available.
Captain Miller earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
Funeral arrangements are not available at this time.
Captain Miller is the seventh VMI graduate to die in Iraq.
UPDATE - Sept. 14, 2005 - Service at Arlington on Sept. 20
A service for Captain Miller will be held on Sept. 20, 2005, at Arlington National Cemetery.
Those attending the service must be with the party when it departs from the cemetery's
administration building at 12:30 p.m. The service will be conducted at the Columbarium.
Among those representing VMI at the service will be the regimental commander, Cadet First
Capt. Mark Searles, the First Class president, Cadet Michael Pasquale, and two veterans of
combat tours, cadets Jon Glasscock and Dave Kimsey, as well as Col. Eric Hutchings,
commandant of cadets. A cadet bagpiper will play "Amazing Grace."
Lowell Thomas "Tom" Miller II
MILLER, Captain Lowell Thomas, II "Tom" - Of Monroe, Michigan, formerly of Flint, age 35, died Wednesday, August
31, 2005 in Iskandariyah, Iraq, as the result of small arms fire while on a mission south of Baghdad, Iraq. Funeral
service will be held at 1PM Saturday, September 10, 2005 at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Tom's
youth minister, Steven Ferguson, will officiate. Cremation will take place following the service and cremains will be
placed in the columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the
Lowell Thomas Miller, II Scholarship Fund at the Virginia Military Institute. Visitation 1-4 and 6-8PM Thursday and
Friday and 11AM until the time of the service Saturday at the funeral home. He was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia
on March 20, 1970, the son of Lowell T. and Linda (Patterson) Miller and was a resident of Flint most of his life. He
married Angela Meyer on July 2, 2005 at Crosswinds Marsh in Wayne County, MI. Tom was a member of Calvary
Christian Church, where he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior and was baptized at the age of 8. He was active in
youth group, youth choir and Bible Quiz Bowl. As an adult he was a youth sponsor and deacon. Tom graduated from
Carman-Ainsworth High School with honors in 1988. He lettered in track and held the school record in the 4X100
meter for six years. He was also on the All State Track Team and was Athlete of the Month in 1988. Tom attended
Milligan College in Tennessee and went on to Virginia Military Institute, where he was commissioned Second
Lieutenant upon graduation in 1993. He was a first responder with the Virginia Rescue Squad and was a member and
president of the VMI Glee Club. He was employed with Yazaki North America in Canton, Michigan as an electrical
engineer. Surviving are his wife, Angela of Monroe, MI; his beloved daughters, Danielle, age 11 and Alexandra, age 7,
and their mother, Jennifer Miller, of Flint; parents, Lowell T. (Tom) and Linda Miller of Flint; sister, Jennie Miller of
Grand Blanc; brother, 1ST LT Patrick and wife Esther of Ft. Lewis, WA; niece, Isabella Miller of Ft. Lewis, WA; special
aunts, Sharron Weeden and Patti Sage; uncles, Dale Miller of IL, Allen and wife Linda Miller of NV; aunt, Linda and
husband Steve Stovall of TX and many cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Harold and Jennie
Patterson, Guss and Pearl Miller and his beloved uncle, Dennis Sage.
Published in Flint Journal from September 7 to September 8, 2005
Cpl. Nicholas O. Cherava
Hometown: Ontonagon, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: October 6, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb while conducting combat operations near
Karmah.
After Nicholas O. Cherava's mother bought him an American flag for Christmas when
he was 8, he discovered that his mom didn't get the largest size. So she exchanged it
for him. "I've never forgotten that," recalled Sharon Cherava. "Here he was 8 years
old, and he wanted a bigger flag. He was always patriotic." Cherava, 21, of Ontonagon,
Mich., was killed Oct. 6 by a bomb near Karmah. He joined the Marines in 2003 after
graduating from high school and was assigned to Camp Lejeune. While growing up on
a cattle farm in the Upper Peninsula, he would disappear into the woods, usually
dressed in camouflage. "I used to worry sick about him," Sharon Cherava said. "He'd
be gone for hours, but he always found his way back." Known as "Chevy" at school, his
personality was so persuasive he convinced six other friends to join the Marines. He
also was proud of his Albanian heritage, and wore an Albanian flag tattooed on his
chest. "He was good for morale," said his sister, Cheryl Cherava. "That's what his
platoon leader told us when he called. Everyone looked to him." His father died five
years ago of cancer.
Birth:
Jan. 5, 1984
Ontonagon
Ontonagon County
Michigan, USA
Death:
Oct. 6, 2005, Iraq
Marine Cpl. Nicholas O. Cherava
21, of Ontonagon, Mich.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Oct. 6 by an improvised
explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Karmah,
Iraq.
Cherava's mother, Sharon, said:
"Nick wanted to be a Marine since he could walk," she said of her son Saturday night, fighting
through tears. But Nicholas Cherava's opinion of the war in Iraq changed after his first tour
there.
"Nick told me 'Afghanistan, yes. But not this,' " Sharon Cherava said. "He said, 'It's not going
to work. I signed up to protect my country, not these politicians.' "
Sharon Cherava said she opposed the war in Iraq before her son was killed. That feeling is
now stronger. "I lost my boy, and I'm never going to see him again," she said, sobbing.
"Doesn't anybody understand that?"
Corporal Nicholas Oresti Cherava was killed in action October 6, 2005 when his Humvee drove
over an improvised explosive device in Al Karmah, Iraq.
Nick was born January 5, 1984 in Ontonagon. He was the proud son of Sharon (Guzek) and
the late Thomas Robert Oresti Cherava. Nick was a 2003 graduate of the Ontonagon Area
High School. It was always his goal to be a Marine and follow in his father’s footsteps. Nick
joined the Marines in 2002 on a deferred enlistment. Following his graduation, he went to
Paris Island, SC where he completed his basic training.
Nick loved the broad, expansive forests of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Cherava, an Albanian
name, added to Nick’s distinct nature. “Corporal Chevy”, as he was known to his comrades in
the Marines, was a person that could always be counted on to take care of his friends.
He is survived by his Mother Sharon, and sister’s Christa and Cheryl Cherava.
Nick was preceded in death by his father Corporal Thomas Robert Oresti Cherava.
Burial and full military rites will take place at the Holy Family Cemetery.
Burial:
Holy Family Catholic Cemetery
Ontonagon
Ontonagon County
Michigan, USA
Pfc. Nicholas J. Greer
Hometown: Monroe, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: October 7, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Killed when his dismounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces in Haqlaniyah.
Nicholas J. Greer was only about 2 when he decided he was going to be a paratrooper. It was a
decision made after taking a ride in a helicopter during an air show. "He said, 'Momma, I'm going to
jump out of these one day. I'm going to be a soldier,'" recalled his mother, Kelly Greer. Greer, 21, of
Monroe, Mich., was killed Oct. 7 in Haqlaniyah when his patrol was attacked by small-arms fire. He
was assigned to Fort Bragg. He had attended high school and earned his general educational diploma.
He played paintball and had been the drummer in a heavy metal garage band. After high school, he
worked for a local greenhouse. Greer enlisted in September 2004 and was stationed in Afghanistan
before going to Iraq, where he served as a sniper marksman and helicopter search and rescue
specialist. He had planned to attend college and pursue a career in computers. At 19, he had built
from scratch a $6,000 computer. After the 2001 attacks, he told his mother he wanted to fight
terrorism. Other survivors include his father, Gary, and stepfather, Donald. "He was my best friend,"
Kelly Greer said.
Pfc. Nicholas J. Greer Scholarship Jefferson High School??
Staff Sgt. Vincent E. Summers
Hometown: South Haven, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 38 years old
Died: October 15, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Bradley fighting vehicle during combat operations in Ar
Ramadi.
Summers, who joined the military in 1998, lived in Columbus, Ga., with his wife and son. His current
tour began in January and he would have returned from Iraq in three months, said Monica
Manganaro, a spokeswoman at Fort Benning.
Staff Sgt. Lewis J. Gentry
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 48 years old
Died: October 26, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 94th Engineer Battalion, Vilseck, Germany
Incident: Died of a non-combat related cause in Mosul.
Sgt. Michael P. Hodshire
Hometown: North Adams, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 25 years old
Died: October 30, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp
Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Died of wounds sustained from a makeshift bomb explosion during combat operations near Nasser Wa
Salaam.
Michael P. Hodshire
HODSHIRE, SGT. MICHAEL P.—
Aged 25, North Adams, MI, died Sunday, October 30, 2005, while conducting combat operations against enemy
forces in the Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Sgt. Hodshire was born in Montpelier, OH on September 15, 1980, the son of
Edwin and Tarry (Eicher) Hodshire. He attended school in Montpelier, and graduated from North Adams-Jerome High
School, North Adams, in 1999. While a student at North Adams-Jerome High School, he was an active participant in
F.F.A., served on the 1998-1999 Yearbook Sentinel Staff and was recipient of the drama award his senior year. Sgt.
Hodshire excelled as a place kicker for the North Adams-Jerome football team, receiving numerous honors including
the Detroit Free Press First Team, All State Place Kicker and the Detroit News Honorable All State for Football. Four
days following his high school graduation, he entered the United States Marine Corps. His career in the Marine Corps
included being recommended to serve on the Silent Drill Team and Color Guard in Washington, D.C. Sgt. Hodshire
was first deployed to Iraq in March, 2004, serving until October, 2004, where he was 3rd platoon leader and
infantryman. In July, 2005, he was again deployed to Iraq serving as second squad leader for the 3rd Platoon, Easy
Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. Being a Marine and serving his country was Michael's dream and
passion. Sgt. Hodshire is survived by his father and stepmother, Edwin and Kelly Hodshire, North Adams; his mother,
Tarry Eicher, Montpelier; children, Thomas Hodshire, Andrew Rios; a brother, Kody Hodshire; sisters, Kaili Hodshire,
Kamie Yarwood, Kim Sharp; grandparents, Edwin and Phyllis Hodshire, Larry and Ilene Eicher, Bruce and Naomi
Cortright; his fiancee Wendie Stoll; many aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitation of family and friends will be at the
Kurtz Funeral Home, Hillsdale, MI on Wednesday, November 9 from 12 noon until 9 p.m. Funeral services with full
military honors will take place Thursday, November 10 at the North Adams-Jerome High School at 12:00 noon with
Pastor Fred Jensen and Pastor Clyde Wonders officiating. Doors will be open at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at
Northlawn Cemetery in North Adams. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Sgt. Michael P. Hodshire
Memorial Education Fund established by the Hillsdale County Community Foundation, 52 E. Bacon, Hillsdale, MI
49242
Published in Jackson Citizen Patriot on November 7, 2005
Marine Sgt. Michael P. Hodshire
Died October 30, 2005 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
25, of North Adams, Mich.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine
Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Oct. 30 of wounds sustained Oct. 29 from an improvised
explosive device during combat operations near Nasser Wa Salaam, Iraq.
*****
Hodshire dreamed of being a Marine
Associated Press
NORTH ADAMS, Mich. — A U.S. Marine from Hillsdale County who was serving in Iraq died Sunday near
Fallujah, a family spokesman said.
Funeral arrangements for Sgt. Michael Paul Hodshire, 25, of North Adams were incomplete Sunday night,
Kenneth Kurtz of Kurtz Funeral Home in Hillsdale said in a statement. He said the military told the family
that Hodshire was killed by indirect gunfire. The family was not available for comment, Kurtz said.
The Pentagon had not confirmed the death as of Sunday night.
Hodshire long dreamed of joining the Marine Corps, and he entered basic training four days after graduating
from North Adams-Jerome High School in 1999.
“That’s been a passion of his from his school days. He wanted to be a Marine,” Kurtz said.
Hodshire was deployed in Iraq from October 2003 through June 2004, then redeployed in July 2005.
“We’re a small, rural community here,” Kurtz said. “You can say this about so many kids, but he had a lot of
friends here. He was very popular.”
High school Principal Carl Christenson said Sunday that the 550-student district would be devastated by the
news. He said he met Hodshire last summer during a Little League baseball game. His 11-year-old son and
Hodshire’s younger brother play on the same team, he said.
“It’s a small district,” Christenson told the Detroit Free Press. “Obviously, it will have an impact.”
Hodshire is survived by two children, his parents, one brother, three sisters and grandparents.
Two Michigan service members die in Iraq
The Associated Press
NORTH ADAMS, Mich. — Two sergeants, a Marine from Hillsdale County and a soldier from Detroit, have
been killed in Iraq.
Marine Sgt. Michael Paul Hodshire of North Adams died Oct. 30 near Fallujah, a family spokesman said.
Funeral arrangements for Hodshire, 25, were incomplete Sunday night, Kenneth Kurtz of Kurtz Funeral
Home in Hillsdale said in a statement. He said the military told the family that Hodshire was killed by indirect
gunfire. The family was not available for comment, Kurtz said.
The Pentagon had not confirmed the death as of Oct. 31.
Hodshire long dreamed of joining the Marine Corps, and he entered basic training four days after graduating
from North Adams-Jerome High School in 1999.
“That’s been a passion of his from his school days. He wanted to be a Marine,” Kurtz said.
Hodshire was deployed in Iraq from October 2003 through June 2004, then redeployed in July 2005. He
served as second squad leader for 3rd Platoon, Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment,
based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Kurtz said family members recalled Hodshire saying, “We are there for all the right reasons,” before leaving
for his second deployment.
“We’re a small, rural community here,” Kurtz said. “You can say this about so many kids, but he had a lot of
friends here. He was very popular.”
High school principal Carl Christenson said Oct. 30 that the 550-student district would be devastated by the
news. He said he met Hodshire last summer during a Little League baseball game. His 11-year-old son and
Hodshire’s younger brother play on the same team, he said.
“It’s a small district,” Christenson told the Detroit Free Press. “Obviously, it will have an impact.”
Hodshire also had served on the Silent Drill Team and Color Guard in Washington, D.C.
He is survived by two children, his parents, one brother, three sisters and grandparents.
Meanwhile, the Defense Department announced Oct. 30 that Army Staff Sgt. Lewis J. Gentry, 48, of Detroit
died Oct. 26 in Mosul, Iraq, from a non-combat-related cause. Additional details were not immediately
available.
Gentry was assigned to the Army’s 94th Engineer Battalion in Vilseck, Germany, and worked in
transportation.
Vianne Gentry, 64, of Detroit said she remembers the date — Nov. 26, 1986 — on which her younger
brother enlisted in the Army.
“He was my baby brother, that’s why I remember the date,” she said. “He was a really good guy.”
Vianne Gentry’s son VonEric had already enlisted in the military and urged his uncle to do so, too.
“He really wasn’t doing that much at the time,” said VonEric Gentry, 45, of Detroit. “I wanted him to go into
the military. I told him it would give him a good start. Get a career and training.”
Gentry and Hodshire were the 65th and 66th members of the U.S. armed forces with known Michigan ties to
die in Iraq.
http://sgtmichaelhodshire.soldiertributes.com/
Sergeant Michael Paul Hodshire
North Adams, MI
USA
Birth Date
Monday, September 15, 1980
Date Of Passing
Sunday, October 30, 2005
This Tribute website was created by Kamie on 7/29/2007 to honor our hero.
On September 15 1980 Mike was brought in to this world by Tarry Eicher (Mother)
and Edwin Hodshire (Father). Growing up mike was a class clown you would say
but the one thing he made sure of is that no one i mean NO ONE messed with
his sisters. Mike was very protecting. If you were ever down about something mike
could always make you laugh (even when you didn't want to ). Four days after mike
graduated from North Adams High School he was shipped off to boot camp. We
would get letters saying this is hard but he love it. We all went to mike's graduation
in San Diego, CA. I actually walked right passed him and didnt know it. My brother
didnt look like he did when he left home. From graduation mike had a couple weeks
of leave then he had to go to do more training and learn more about what his job
was. Mike was station in DC at 8&I Mike was one of the few who got to guard
the President of the United States. He also was pick to be in the Silent Drill Team .
He loved every minute of it .Mike had his first son Thomas in 2000.
Mikes friends took off their medals and put them on his casket
First Son Thomas a.k.a Little Mikey
Mike and his seconed son Andrew
Michael P. Hodshire
HODSHIRE, SGT. MICHAEL P.—
Aged 25, North Adams, MI, died Sunday, October 30, 2005, while conducting combat operations against enemy
forces in the Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Sgt. Hodshire was born in Montpelier, OH on September 15, 1980, the son of
Edwin and Tarry (Eicher) Hodshire. He attended school in Montpelier, and graduated from North Adams-Jerome High
School, North Adams, in 1999. While a student at North Adams-Jerome High School, he was an active participant in
F.F.A., served on the 1998-1999 Yearbook Sentinel Staff and was recipient of the drama award his senior year. Sgt.
Hodshire excelled as a place kicker for the North Adams-Jerome football team, receiving numerous honors including
the Detroit Free Press First Team, All State Place Kicker and the Detroit News Honorable All State for Football. Four
days following his high school graduation, he entered the United States Marine Corps. His career in the Marine Corps
included being recommended to serve on the Silent Drill Team and Color Guard in Washington, D.C. Sgt. Hodshire
was first deployed to Iraq in March, 2004, serving until October, 2004, where he was 3rd platoon leader and
infantryman. In July, 2005, he was again deployed to Iraq serving as second squad leader for the 3rd Platoon, Easy
Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. Being a Marine and serving his country was Michael's dream and
passion. Sgt. Hodshire is survived by his father and stepmother, Edwin and Kelly Hodshire, North Adams; his mother,
Tarry Eicher, Montpelier; children, Thomas Hodshire, Andrew Rios; a brother, Kody Hodshire; sisters, Kaili Hodshire,
Kamie Yarwood, Kim Sharp; grandparents, Edwin and Phyllis Hodshire, Larry and Ilene Eicher, Bruce and Naomi
Cortright; his fiancee Wendie Stoll; many aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitation of family and friends will be at the
Kurtz Funeral Home, Hillsdale, MI on Wednesday, November 9 from 12 noon until 9 p.m. Funeral services with full
military honors will take place Thursday, November 10 at the North Adams-Jerome High School at 12:00 noon with
Pastor Fred Jensen and Pastor Clyde Wonders officiating. Doors will be open at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at
Northlawn Cemetery in North Adams. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Sgt. Michael P. Hodshire
Memorial Education Fund established by the Hillsdale County Community Foundation, 52 E. Bacon, Hillsdale, MI
49242
Published in Jackson Citizen Patriot on November 7, 2005
Maj. Gerald M. Bloomfield II
Hometown: Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 38 years old
Died: November 2, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines, Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing,
1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Incident: Died when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed while flying in support of operations near Ar
Ramadi.
Gerald M. Bloomfield II
Major, United States Marine Corps
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 1144-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 03, 2005
Media Contact: Marine Corps Public Affairs - (703) 614-4309 Public/Industry Contact: (703)4280711
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Major Gerald M. Bloomfield II, 38, of Ypsilanti, Michigan
Captain Michael D. Martino, 32, of Fairfax, Virginia
Both Marines died November 2, 2005, when their AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter
crashed while flying in support of security and stabilization operations near Ar
Ramadi, Iraq. Both Marines were with Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron
369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary
Force, Camp Pendleton, California. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, their unit was
attached to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II MEF (Forward).
The crash is currently under investigation.
Media with questions about these Marines can call the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Public Affairs Office at (858) 577-6021.
A helicopter crash in Iraq,claims the life of a Marine with roots in mid-Michigan. Major Gerald
Bloomfield died on Tuesday while serving in Iraq. The Marine is a Fowlerville High School
graduate who died after a crash in his Cobra helicopter.
Bloomfield's family lives in Livingston County.
Kate Kerch, sister: "He was just passionate, passionate about everything."
Passion was something major Gerald Bloomfield had in spades. As a kid in the 80s,
he was known around Fowlerville as a daredevil, a free spirit. His sisters remember
once how Jerry, or Jer as they called him, got stuck with a friend on a frozen lake.
Kate Kerch: "They were doing donuts and the car went into the lake, and they just
sat on the hood and laughed."
But those who knew Jerry, also knew he was smart.
Paula Wallace, sister: "Smart, smart, smart."
At Eastern Michigan University he earned double degrees in math and physics.
Before graduating in '89, he joined the Marines. Becoming and officer and
eventually a pilot. Y ears later, married and with a son, he was a career military man
who believed in the job he was doing in Iraq.
Paula: "By being there, he was protecting us and everything we have here."
And he also believed in the freedom and the future of the country he was fighting in.
He wrote about it in email sent home.
Kate: "It's not a 3rd world country. I believe it has hope. He wanted them to
experience some of the same freedoms we have here."
And it's his sisters wish that people who knew her brother in Fowlerville understand
this, a s well as the people of Iraq and in the country he was so proud to defend.
Major Bloomfield will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
Published November 5, 2005
Family mourns Marine killed in Iraq
Fowlerville grad is school's third casualty
FOWLERVILLE, MICHIGAN - Friends and family are remembering Gerald
Bloomfield II as a good-natured, humorous man who was focused on his career as a
Marine and loved every minute of it.
Bloomfield II, a 38-year-old Major, died Wednesday when his AH-1W Super Cobra
heli- copter crashed about 70 miles west of Baghdad. The co-pilot, Captain Michael
Martino, 32, of Fairfax, Virginia, also was killed.
Bloomfield II, of Ypsilanti, is the third Fowlerville High School graduate to have
died in the war, joining Lance Corporals Michael Hanks and Andrew Kilpela.
"He would fly high and see the green and know things were changing," his father,
Gerald Bloomfield, said of his son's experiences in Iraq. He'd see "power lines going
up - all the stuff you don't hear about in the news, all the good things going on. He
was optimistic about a country coming back."
Bloomfield II graduated from Fowlerville High School in 1984. He graduated from
Eastern Michigan University and was on his third tour in Iraq.
Fun times remembered
His former band teacher, Terri Palazzolo, said she remembers Bloomfield II as a
good kid who also was mischievous at times.
"When something funny happened, there was no question of who was behind it,"
Palazzolo said.
"He never let an opportunity for a dare pass him by."
Palazzolo said she recalled how Bloomfield II and some of his friends once toiletpapered her car, and another time during band "initiation" when older members
turned him upside down and stuck him in a garbage can.
But Fowlerville's Kraig Sacker said he was amazed at how much Bloomfield II had
turned his life around when the two talked at their 20th class reunion in 2004.
"I sat down with him for a good 20 minutes to half-hour at the reunion," Sacker
said, "and what he has accomplished and done with his life is amazing.
"Having three (Fowlerville High School) people getting killed for doing their duty
over there is tough, but listening to Jerry, he felt strongly it was for a good cause."
The Livingston County community has a population of a little more than 3,100.
Bloomfield II received a score of accolades during his time with the Marines, which
stretched back to 1989, including the Global War on Terror Service Medal, Sea
Service Deployment Ribbon and the National Defenses Service Medal.
He leaves behind a son, Ryan, 13; wife, Julie Bloomfield of White Pigeon; two sisters,
Paula Wallace of Howell and Katy Kerch of Brighton; brother, Tom Bloomfield of
Chelsea; mother Shirley Spears of Howell; and stepmother Judy Bloomfield of
Ypsilanti.
'You're so unprepared'
"You always have that feeling in the back of your head it could happen, but when it
happens, you're so unprepared because you just don't want to believe it," Wallace
said about her brother's death. "It's painful. It's a huge life that had so much more
to go. We're just kind of standing here waiting for him to come back."
No date has been set for funeral or memorial services, but his father said his son will
be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Hundreds attend memorial for Cobra pilots who died in Iraq
Julie Gill-Bloomfield, the widow of Major Gerald Bloomfield II, receives hugs at the conclusion
of the memorial service for both Bloomfield and Captain MIchael Martino
Nearly one week after burying him at Arlington National Cemetery and minutes
after a memorial service at Camp Pendleton on Monday, Sybil Martino said she is
convinced her fallen son, Captain Michael D. Martino, gave his life in war in a quest
for peace.
"The Bible talks about peacemakers and I believe Michael was born to be a
peacemaker," Sybil Martino said as she sat at a table with her son's dog tags around
her neck. "He died doing what he loved and what he believed in."
Martino, 32, and Major Gerald M. Bloomfield II were killed on November 2, 2005,
when their Camp Pendleton-based AH-1W Cobra helicopter crashed during fighting
near Ramadi, Iraq.
The pair were saluted during the 90-minute memorial attended by more than 200
Marines from their unit, Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, who gathered at the
base's Marine Memorial Chapel along with the men's family members and friends.
Bloomfield, whose call sign was "Woody," and Martino, whose call sign was
"Oprah," each were awarded posthumous Bronze Star medals for fighting off
insurgents with missile and cannon attacks the day they died.
Seated by his wife's side after the memorial, Martino's father, Robert, said the days
since his son's death have been among the hardest he has ever faced, but quickly
added that he is resolute in his belief that the United States should be in Iraq.
"I don't want any parent to have to go through what me and my family are going
through," he said. "But the thing that bothers me and my family is that some of our
elected officials want to cut and run and cutting and running is something my son
never would have done. He understood the bigger picture."
The squadron's commander, Colonel Douglas Gough, recalled both Marines as great
men of integrity who served as mentors to those around them.
"The streets of heaven are now guarded by two more of our finest Marines," Gough
said.
During his eulogy for Bloomfield, Major John Poehler, recalled the Oceanside
resident as a squadron mate, next-door neighbor and friend for the last 12 years.
Bloomfield, who would have turned 39 on November 15, 2005, and who leaves
behind his wife, Julie, and son, Ryan, died defending the goals of his nation, Poehler
said.
Addressing Ryan Bloomfield, Poehler said: "I am in awe of the man who was your
father. Tonight, I will toast my friend and remember not how he died, but how he
lived his life. Semper Fi and farewell, my friend."
The memorial service that packed the small chapel and filled rows of seats set up
under two tents outside began with a bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace" and the
showing of photos of a memorial service for Bloomfield and Martino conducted at
their Iraqi air base. One of the shots showed a handwritten sign designating the base
as "Bloomfield/Martino Field."
During his eulogy to Martino, Sergeant Major Bill Skiles recalled spending 40 days
with the 32-year-old graduate of the University of San Diego during fighting in
Fallujah in the spring of 2004.
As he began telling a story of the fighting on one of those days, Skiles briefly broke
down, and after catching himself told the gathering that "true warriors do cry."
Regaining his composure, Skiles told the story of Martino calling in a 500-pound
bomb air strike on a house full of insurgents. The bomb was on target, and the blast
threw a goat and chicken toward where the Marines were hunkered down.
Skiles said the goat perished, but he, Martino and the young troops around them
kept urging the chicken to move, to get up and show it was alive and it finally did.
"Me and Captain Martino high-fived," Skiles recalled.
The crash of the men's helicopter occurred during a day of heavy fighting about 70
miles west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Associated Press Television News quoted
an Iraqi man as saying their aircraft was shot down by insurgents, the Pentagon has
not given an official cause.
Each man was on his second tour of duty in Iraq.
In a pastoral reflection concluding the memorial service, Marine Chaplain Eric Hoog
said each man lived a dedicated and committed life.
"They saw fit to put on the uniform of their country and they died for it," Hoog said.
"They died for freedom."
After the playing of "Taps" and conclusion of the service, those assembled gathered
outside for a flyover of four Cobra helicopters, two of which broke off as they passed
overhead signifying the loss of the two Marines.
As she spoke a few minutes after the flyover, Sybil Martino said her daughter, Lauri,
is five months pregnant and that she and her son-in-law just learned the baby is a
boy.
"They're going to name my first grandchild Michael," she said.
Marine Maj. Gerald M. Bloomfield II
Died November 02, 2005 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
38, of Ypsilanti, Mich.; assigned to the Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group
39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine
Aircraft Wing, II MEF (Forward); killed Nov. 2 when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed while flying
in support of security and stabilization operations near Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed was Capt. Michael D.
Martino.
Michigan Marine killed in helicopter crash in Iraq
Associated Press
YPSILANTI, Mich. — A 38-year-old Marine pilot from Michigan and his co-pilot from Virginia were killed
when their helicopter crashed near Ramadi, Iraq, the Pentagon and family members say.
Maj. Gerald M. Bloomfield II of Ypsilanti and Capt. Michael Martino, 32, of Fairfax, Va., were aboard an AH1W Super Cobra helicopter that crashed Wednesday, the Defense Department said in a news release.
Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed Thursday that it shot down a U.S. attack helicopter near Ramadi.
The helicopter crashed during daylong fighting Wednesday in the insurgent stronghold 70 miles west of
Baghdad. Besides the two crewmen, an American lieutenant died when a bomb exploded as he was
rushing to the crash site.
The authenticity of the statement could not be determined. It appeared on an Islamic Web site and bore the
nickname of the group’s spokesman, Abu Maysara al-Iraqi.
The U.S. military said the cause of the crash was undetermined but said witnesses reported seeing what
they thought was firing at the helicopter before it broke into pieces and crashed.
Bloomfield and Martino were with the Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group
39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Bloomfield joined the ROTC while a student at Eastern Michigan University because military service gave
him the opportunity to live out his love for education and the armed forces, his father, Gerald Bloomfield,
told the Detroit Free Press.
The Michigan Marine volunteered for a third tour in Iraq because “it was worth fighting for,” his father quoted
him as saying.
“He strongly believed in what he was doing,” stepmother Judy Bloomfield told The Detroit News. “He wasn’t
afraid. He wanted to fight for his country.”
The father said he last spoke to his son a week ago when the Marine called him at work.
“He said, ‘I fly high and try not to get hit,”’ the father said. “I told him I loved him and to stay safe.”
Bloomfield was born in Detroit, graduated from Fowlerville High School in 1984 and from Eastern Michigan
in 1988. He also earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering, his family said.
Bloomfield also is survived by wife Julie and 13-year-old son Ryan.
Bloomfield is at least the 67th member of the U.S. armed forces with known Michigan ties to die in Iraq.
Home / News / Local News / Military News
Hundreds attend memorial for Cobra pilots who died in Iraq
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer | Posted: November 22, 2005 12:00 am |
CAMP PENDLETON —— Nearly one week after burying him at Arlington National Cemetery and minutes
after a memorial service at Camp Pendleton on Monday, Sybil Martino said she is convinced her fallen son,
Capt. Michael D. Martino, gave his life in war in a quest for peace.
"The Bible talks about peacemakers and I believe Michael was born to be a peacemaker," Sybil Martino said
as she sat at a table with her son's dog tags around her neck. "He died doing what he loved and what he
believed in."
Martino, 32, and Maj. Gerald M. Bloomfield II were killed on Nov. 2 when their Camp Pendleton-based
AH-1W Cobra helicopter crashed during fighting near Ramadi, Iraq.
The pair were saluted during the 90-minute memorial attended by more than 200 Marines from their unit,
Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, who gathered at the base's Marine Memorial Chapel along with the
men's family members and friends.
Bloomfield, whose call sign was "Woody," and Martino, whose call sign was "Oprah," each were awarded
posthumous Bronze Star medals for fighting off insurgents with missile and cannon attacks the day they
died.
Seated by his wife's side after the memorial, Martino's father, Robert, said the days since his son's death have
been among the hardest he has ever faced, but quickly added that he is resolute in his belief that the United
States should be in Iraq.
"I don't want any parent to have to go through what me and my family are going through," he said. "But the
thing that bothers me and my family is that some of our elected officials want to cut and run and cutting and
running is something my son never would have done. He understood the bigger picture."
The squadron's commander, Col. Douglas Gough, recalled both Marines as great men of integrity who
served as mentors to those around them.
"The streets of heaven are now guarded by two more of our finest Marines," Gough said.
During his eulogy for Bloomfield, Maj. John Poehler, recalled the Oceanside resident as a squadron mate,
next-door neighbor and friend for the last 12 years.
Bloomfield, who would have turned 39 on Nov. 15 and who leaves behind his wife, Julie, and son, Ryan,
died defending the goals of his nation, Poehler said.
Addressing Ryan Bloomfield, Poehler said: "I am in awe of the man who was your father. Tonight, I will
toast my friend and remember not how he died, but how he lived his life. Semper Fi and farewell, my
friend."
The memorial service that packed the small chapel and filled rows of seats set up under two tents outside
began with a bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace" and the showing of photos of a memorial service for
Bloomfield and Martino conducted at their Iraqi air base. One of the shots showed a handwritten sign
designating the base as "Bloomfield/Martino Field."
During his eulogy to Martino, Sgt. Maj. Bill Skiles recalled spending 40 days with the 32-year-old graduate
of the University of San Diego during fighting in Fallujah in the spring of 2004.
As he began telling a story of the fighting on one of those days, Skiles briefly broke down, and after catching
himself told the gathering that "true warriors do cry."
Regaining his composure, Skiles told the story of Martino calling in a 500-pound bomb air strike on a house
full of insurgents. The bomb was on target, and the blast threw a goat and chicken toward where the Marines
were hunkered down.
Skiles said the goat perished, but he, Martino and the young troops around them kept urging the chicken to
move, to get up and show it was alive and it finally did.
"Me and Capt. Martino high-fived," Skiles recalled.
The crash of the men's helicopter occurred during a day of heavy fighting about 70 miles west of the Iraqi
capital of Baghdad. Associated Press Television News quoted an Iraqi man as saying their aircraft was shot
down by insurgents, the Pentagon has not given an official cause.
Each man was on his second tour of duty in Iraq.
In a pastoral reflection concluding the memorial service, Marine Chaplain Eric Hoog said each man lived a
dedicated and committed life.
"They saw fit to put on the uniform of their country and they died for it," Hoog said. "They died for
freedom."
After the playing of "Taps" and conclusion of the service, those assembled gathered outside for a flyover of
four Cobra helicopters, two of which broke off as they passed overhead signifying the loss of the two
Marines.
As she spoke a few minutes after the flyover, Sybil Martino said her daughter, Lauri, is five months pregnant
and that she and her son-in-law just learned the baby is a boy.
"They're going to name my first grandchild Michael," she said.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Posted in Military on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 12:00 am Updated: 11:59 am.
This photo provided by the Bloomfield family, shows Maj. Gerald M. Bloomfield II with his wife, Julie, in
an undated photo. Bloomfield, of Ypsilante, Mich., and his co-pilot from Virginia were killed Wednesday,
Nov. 2, 2005, when their helicopter crashed near Ramadi, Iraq, the Pentagon and family members say. (AP
Photo/Bloomfield family via Ann Arbor News)
Spec. Timothy D. Brown
Hometown: Cedar Springs, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 23 years old
Died: November 4, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Army
National Guard, Saginaw, Mich.
Incident: Killed when a land mine exploded near his Humvee during combat
operations in Habbaniyah.
1st Lt. Justin S. Smith
Hometown: Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 28 years old
Died: November 7, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his dismounted patrol in Baghdad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5sloJp0z9o
Justin Smith
Thursday, November 10 2005 @ 01:27 AM MST
www.freep.com First Lt. Justin S. Smith knew what it meant to be a father. He had spent a
lifetime thinking about it. Raised by his mother, who separated from his father while she was pregnant,
Justin was a devoted son, brother, grandson and later husband. When he became a father to Ayden last
year, the boy became the center of his orbit. Every call he made from Iraq, every e-mail he sent was
devoted to details of the baby's first steps, his first teeth, his first birthday party, his first "bye-bye." And
now, Ayden, who shares his father's eyes and even his strong hands, will know his dad through
photographs and other people's memories. Smith, a Lansing native, was killed Monday in Baghdad, along
with three other soldiers on foot patrol. A car rigged with explosives detonated as it drove by the group at
about 5:15 p.m. The Department of Defense would not comment on whether it was a suicide bombing.
Smith was the 69th member of the armed services with ties to Michigan to die in Iraq.
Smith, 28, had been in Iraq since March. He had been married for nearly two years to Shellie Smith of
Clayton, N.C. After Ayden's birth in October last year, he saw him at Thanksgiving and then three more
times, the last in February. His plan was to come home to North Carolina for a few weeks next month and
then to move the family to Colorado when he finished his tour in Iraq next March. The other men killed
with Smith were Staff Sgt. Brian L. Freeman, 27, of Lucedale, Miss.; Spec. Robert C. Pope II, 22, of East
Islip, N.Y.; and Pfc. Mario A. Reyes, 19, of Las Cruces, N.M. Reached at her home Wednesday, Shellie
Smith said her husband was to come home Dec. 1 for a leave. The pair had been planning to discuss the
home they'd build in Colorado Springs. They were planning to drive to Lansing with Ayden and Spensir,
Shellie's son from a previous marriage, for a few days to visit Smith's family. "On Sunday, when we talked,
he said he was coming home for some R and R. That was our next milestone. If we could get him home
the first of December for two weeks, we could survive the rest of the time until he got home for good,"
Shellie Smith said. She described her husband, whom she met at a dance and married six months later, as
an extremely good-looking, loving person. "He was so strong -- a protector," Shellie Smith said. "He was
hot: When my friends met him they were like 'Oh my God.' But he was more beautiful inside than he was
outside. Everybody liked Justin. I know that's a cliché, but he was so good to everybody." Shellie Smith,
31, said her husband will be buried with full military honors in North Carolina, where he was stationed at
Ft. Bragg for several years before he was sent to Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs for artillery training.
Reached at her home Wednesday in Lansing, Judith Smith said her son joined the Army after graduating
from Waverly High School in Lansing, where he was on the wrestling and football teams. She said she had
a long talk with him about his choice, but he was firm. "He felt it was his duty. He felt it was to save our
country," she said.
Master Sgt. Anthony R.C. Yost
Hometown: Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 39 years old
Died: November 19, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his position during combat operations in Mosul.
Anthony "Andy" "Tony" Yost
YOST, Army Master Sgt. Anthony (Andy/Tony) - Age 39, of Millington, died while serving his country on Saturday,
November 19, 2005 after an explosion during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq. Andy was assigned to the 10th Special
Forces Group based in Fort Carson, CO, the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort
Bragg and most recently the 3rd battalion, 3rd Special Forces group out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was a
patriotic and dedicate soldier with many years of service. He had received many medals including the Meritorious
Service Medal, six Army Commendation Medals and six Army Achievement Medals. Andy was born in Flint,
Michigan on October 9, 1966 and was a 1984 graduate of Millington High School where he was an all-star basketball
player. Andy loved the camaraderie he found at deer camp with family members and friends. He enjoyed his hobby of
gun-smithing in his spare time. In addition, he loved to ride his Harley and enjoyed attending the Sturgis, North Dakota
bike rallies. Andy was proud of his Native American heritage and was a member of the Kiowa-Cheyenne Native
American tribe in Oklahoma. Many knew Andy by his beloved nicknames "Apache" and "Chief". A memorial service
to celebrate Andy's life will be held at 2PM Saturday, November 26, 2005 at the North End Baptist Church at G-7360
N. Clio Rd., Mt. Morris, MI. Burial at Arlington National Cemetery will occur on December 9, 2005. Andy will be
greatly missed. He had a wonderful sense of humor and left a huge impact on all who met or knew him. He loved his
family and friends and was a loving and dedicated father to his children. During his deployments he always carried
them in his heart. Andy leaves to cherish his memory: his devoted and loving wife, Joanne; sons, A.J. and Donovan;
daughter, Cheyenne and her mother, Rhonda; his loving parents Penny and Robert Cairnduff and Don and Julia Lynne
Yost, Tony and Linda Littlecalf; father and mother-in-law, Delmar and Patricia Tracy; brothers, Travis and wife Sylvia
Yost, Jeff Yost and Tony Littlecalf, Jr; sisters. Lacey and husband Nicolas Curtis and Tonya Litttlecalf; sister-in-law,
Julie and husband Stan Webb; grandparents, Maxine Dunning and Fern Yost; special cousin and friend, Eddie
Whitehead; nieces, nephews, many aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members and friends. He was preceded in
death by his grandfathers, Marvin Thomas and Vance Yost and brother, Vance N. Yost.
Published in Flint Journal from November 23 to November 25, 2005
Anthony Ray Charles Yost
Master Sergeant, United States Army
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 1213-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 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 was
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Master Sergeant Anthony R. C. Yost, 39, of Flint, Michigan, died in Mosul, Iraq on
November 19, 2005, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated
near his position during combat operations. Yost was assigned to the 3rd Battalion,
3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703)
692-2000.
Thumb native killed in Iraq war
Soldier is 69th to die with Mich. ties
November 22, 2005
Penny Cairnduff heard the military chaplain's words over the phone, but she didn't
believe them.
Her son couldn't be dead. He was coming home from Iraq in January. And, besides,
she thought, doesn't the military notify family members in person?
When she heard the knock on her front door Saturday night, reality sank in:
Cairnduff's son, 39-year-old Master Sgt. Anthony Yost of the U.S. Army Special
Forces, was dead, killed in a suicide bombing while working with the Iraqi army last
week.
Yost, a native of Millington in Michigan's Thumb, is the 69th member of the U.S.
armed forces with known ties to Michigan to be killed in Iraq.
According to a news release issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Defense, Yost
was killed Saturday in Mosul, Iraq, when "a vehicle-borne improvised explosive
device detonated near his position during combat operations."
Yost was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, in Ft. Bragg,
North Carolina.
Cairnduff said she and Yost's wife of two years, Joann, were both notified Saturday.
"She was hysterical," Cairnduff said of her daughter-in-law, who lives near Ft.
Bragg. "She was on her way to go somewhere, and when she opened the door, the
chaplain was there with the news."
The same chaplain called Cairnduff at work Saturday afternoon. Another showed up
on her doorstep to deliver the news in person that night.
Cairnduff of Linden said her son joined the military after a short stint at a technical
college.
He graduated from Millington High School in 1984.
Kris Currie, 39, a secretary at Millington Elementary School, graduated with Yost
and told the Associated Press that he loved playing on the school's basketball and
baseball teams.
Cairnduff said her son also played football.
"He was a guy's guy," Cairnduff said Monday, describing Yost's passions for
exercising -- "he was rock-solid," his mother said -- and motorcycling -- he owned a
red Harley-Davidson.
Yost also loved to hunt, especially deer, and ran a small gun business from his home.
He had planned to hunt with his father, Donald Yost of Millington, after he returned
home this winter, his mother said.
Yost had two children: a 13-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, who lives in Clio, and 2year-old son Anthony James, who lives with Yost's wife in North Carolina.
Cairnduff said her son spoke five languages and was a weapons expert.
He had been deployed to Iraq in the spring and was expected to end his nearly 20year military career after his return.
"He was almost due to get out, and there you go," Cairnduff said, her voice
cracking. "We have faith here that God plucked him out ...
"I try to find the answers for everything, and I just can't find it."
Cairnduff said her son is expected to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in
Virginia. Funeral arrangements weren't made Monday.
A hero, the way he died'
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
DEAN BOHN
COURTESY OF THE SAGINAW NEWS
MILLINGTON, MICHIGAN -Anthony R.C. Yost was two months away from
retiring with 20 years in the military when he was killed, family members say.
"He was coming home (to Millington) in January; he wanted to get out so that he
could be there for his 2-year-old son, A.J. (Anthony James)," said Yost's
grandmother, Fern M. Yost, 79, of Clio.
A suicide bomber on Friday killed Yost, an Army Special Forces master sergeant, in
Iraq, a federal Department of Defense Web site shows.
The vehicle detonated near his position during combat operations. Yost was assigned
to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Yost, 39, and his wife, Joann, had lived in North Carolina where he was stationed.
"They said he was a hero, the way he died," Yost's mother, Penny Cairnduff of
Linden, said of soldiers who on Saturday notified her of her son's death.
Cairnduff said her son, a 1984 graduate of Millington High School, spoke five
languages and was a sniper expert. She remembered her son as a giving person who
loved his children and family.
"He was a smart kid. He loved his job," she said.
Yost also has a daughter, Cheyenne, 13, by his first wife, Penny. Cheyenne attends
Jake L. Meachum Junior High School in Millington.
The family decided to bury Yost at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
Virginia, they said.
Hero's funeral planned for Millington soldier
COURTESY OF THE FLINT JOURNAL
Sunday, December 04, 2005
By Marjory Raymer
Anthony Yost will get a hero's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery this week,
and his widow said she will remember him as a selfless soldier with unwavering
dedication to both his country and his family.
"There will never be a man like that again, that's for sure," Joann Yost said of the
Millington resident.
Yost, an Army master sergeant and decorated special forces leader, died November
19, 2005, in an explosion while serving in Iraq.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday at his base at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina, followed by a graveside funeral at Arlington on Friday.
New information about his death indicates Yost, 39, did not die from the actions of a
suicide bomber, as originally reported.
Yost was in the process of searching for insurgents in a building in Mosul, Iraq,
when the explosion occurred, causing the structure to collapse, military officials said.
The explosion was caused by a "mini-bomb," which often are similar to Molotov
cocktails, according to the public affairs office for the Department of Defense.
Yost led some of the Army's toughest soldiers into battle. At the same time, the
father of three declared it "daddy's job" to put his youngest son, A.J., 2, to bed and
rock the baby to sleep every night when home.
Yost served in the Army for 18 years and five months and had recently decided he
would re-enlist for another six years - a move he planned to tell his extended family
when he returned from Iraq in two months, Joann Yost said.
As team sergeant, Yost led the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He also served as an instructor at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and
School when at Fort Bragg - teaching the Army's best how to be better.
He was fluent in Russian and was a master parachutist. His long list of honors
includes medals for serving in Kosovo and Korea as well as on the war on terrorism.
"For a man to call me from Iraq and say he wanted to stay (in the military), ... he
absolutely loved what he was doing. He absolutely died doing what he loved," Joann
Yost said by telephone from North Carolina.
Yost graduated from a gunsmith course at a community college. His dream was to
have a gunsmithing business on the side while continuing his military career, Joann
Yost said.
Yost was the kind of dad who taught his stepson, Donovan Dean, 18, how to drive
and took him on his first skydive. And when Yost asked Joann to marry him, he
sought her son's permission first, and then he and his future stepson picked out the
engagement ring together.
He also was father to Cheyenne, a 13-year-old daughter who lives in Clio and who he
hated being so far away from.
After meeting at a gym and dating for years, Anthony and Joann married a year and
10 months ago. Joann Yost said she always knew her husband missed his family but
understood his deep dedication to the Army and his country.
"When you are in the military, you have to make sacrifices," she said.
Yost is to receive the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his
service in Iraq, Joann Yost said.
The memorial service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at JFK Chapel at Fort Bragg, with
seating priority given to family and unit members.
Visitation will follow 4-8 p.m. Thursday at Murphy's Funeral Home in Arlington,
Virginia, with the funeral at Arlington at 10 a.m. Friday.
A memorial service celebrating his life for local friends and family was held
November 26, 2005, at North End Baptist Church in Mt. Morris Township.
The Sunday Times June 25, 2006
Zarqawi gunfight kept from US hero’s widow
Sarah Baxter, Washington, and Michael Smith
The hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, was so secretive that one
special forces widow did not know her husband had died in a close encounter with the terrorist
until she read about it in The Sunday Times.
Master Sergeant Tony Yost, a 39-year-old sniper known as “Chief” because of his Apache
heritage, was leading a special forces “A-team” raid on a Zarqawi safe house in Mosul,
northern Iraq, when he was killed last November.
The Sunday Times referred to the incident a fortnight ago in an article about
Zarqawi’s death in a US airstrike. We reported that Yost had killed three of the
terrorist’s lieutenants in a firefight before Zarqawi blew up the house and escaped
through a tunnel.
It was news to Yost’s grieving wife Joann. “I saw Tony’s name and thought, ‘That’s
my husband’,” she said.
All she had been told by the US military was that a building had exploded with her
husband inside. She learnt later that he had killed several insurgents, but Zarqawi
was not mentioned. The information was top secret.
“I can live with the fact that Tony died doing what he loved,” Joann said. “But I
want to fight for the right for my children to know what happened to him.”
Joann was discouraged from seeing her husband’s badly injured body before he was
buried at Arlington national cemetery. She hopes to be buried next to him one day.
Joann, the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, still lives near Fort Bragg in North
Carolina, home to Yost’s 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (airborne). She
was a 34-year-old aerobics teacher when she met Yost, a weapons instructor, at the
local gym shortly before the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
They had both been married before and each had a teenage child, but they soon
became inseparable. Yost secretly went to buy an engagement ring with Joann’s son
Donovan before he proposed.
After their marriage, AJ — short for Anthony James — was born. He is two now
and missing his father. Joann has taken him to see the memorial at Fort Bragg where
Yost’s name is inscribed alongside those of all 965 special forces soldiers killed or
missing in action since the Vietnam war.
She has told the boy his father will not be coming home. “He’s too young to
understand. He still says Daddy is at work.”
Joann worries that Yost will be nothing more than a photograph to AJ. “I would like
my son to be able to say one day, ‘This is what happened to my father’. The details
may not matter to some people, but they matter to me,” she said.
Yost had served in the special forces for more than a decade when the Iraq war
broke out. He was a deadly accurate sniper and volunteered for active duty.
“Tony was a special forces legend,” one source recalled. “There are many stories
around about his prowess with a rifle. He was known as ‘the master sniper’.”
Another special forces soldier said: “He was a natural leader who was called chief. I
remember him telling me that he carried his grandfather’s tomahawk with him.”
The net began closing in on Zarqawi last autumn as the tip-offs about his location
increased. On November 19, Yost’s “A team”, backed up by Iraqi forces, surrounded
the house in Mosul where they believed the terrorist was.
A firefight broke out in which an American soldier and several Iraqi soldiers were
killed. Eleven US troops were wounded. Yost fought his way into the house.
US Army Special Operations Command said later that Yost “was in the process of
searching a building in Mosul for insurgents when an explosion occurred, collapsing
the building. Yost was killed by the blast.”
But a source familiar with the operation confirmed it was a key moment in the hunt
for Zarqawi. “They had good information that Zarqawi and three of his top
subordinates would be meeting there,” the source said.
“The house was surrounded and a firefight ensued. Tony was able to get into the
house. Forensics indicated that Tony killed the three subordinates. A tunnel and
blood which proved to be Zarqawi’s was found. He apparently blew the house up as
he escaped.”
Joann said: “I asked everyone I could whether Tony’s death had anything to do with
Zarqawi and was told, ‘Well, Zarqawi wasn’t in there’.”
Major Jim Gregory, a spokesman for Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg, said
he had no information on Zarqawi’s alleged presence. “We don’t hold things back
from the wives, but it’s not something we would be typically made aware of.”
Joann is hoping the military will consider awarding Yost a distinguished service
medal for “exceptional performance of duty”. He has already been granted a silver
star, bronze star and purple heart.
“I’d like to see my husband fully honoured,” she said. “It makes me more than
proud to know he was on that mission."
6 July 2008:
MILLINGTON, Michigan -- A local hero will finally have a permanent place in his
hometown.
Bronze boots, a gun and helmet will soon stand above white granite in front of the
Millington Cemetery to honor the town's fallen soldier, Master Sergeant Anthony
"Andy" Yost.
After months of fundraising, a memorial for the locally famous Silver Star honoree
who was killed in Iraq in 2005 will be unveiled July 19 during a ceremony for him.
Cheyenne Yost, of Clio, stands by a memorial in Millington Cemetery. Family and friends of Cheyenne's father, Master
Sergeant Anthony 'Andy' Yost
have raised funds to build a memorial in his honor. The unveiling of the monument is July 19, 2008
"It just makes us feel like he's with us, like we've got him here," said Yost's aunt
Linda Whitehead. "It's just a beautiful monument. We're just going to be so proud
that his name will be on it."
Yost made international news amidst an unconfirmed story in a London paper -which local family members now say was misreported -- that he was killed while
hunting Iraq's onetime most vicious terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
According to official Army accounts, Yost, 39, volunteered to go into a house to help
Iraqi soldiers in the midst of a firefight when an insurgent bombed the house in
northeastern Mosul.
Yost was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and his local family -which includes 15-year-old daughter Cheyenne, his parents and grandparents -wanted a place to visit and honor him.
Whitehead said the family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that
helped raise more than the $10,000 needed for the memorial. The monument,
designed by Michigan's chapter of Lest They Be Forgotten, also will include the
names of other Millington troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"It could never have happened without all of those wonderful people who came
together," Whitehead said. "To see the patriotism of these people who came out ... I
don't even know what to say."
"He would have loved every moment of this," she added of her nephew, who was
known for enjoying attention. "It's been so emotional. It's like he's been with us on
this whole journey."
Two large fundraisers, including a February benefit concert at Boomers Roadhouse
in Waterford, raised the bulk of more than $12,000.
Leading the fundraising efforts was Flushing resident Georgeann Ricketts, who used
her music and business connections for sponsorships and donations that made the
benefits possible.
The family calls her their "angel," Whitehead said.
"I know the family has gone through a lot," said Ricketts, who did not know Yost's
family before. "I looked into (Yost's) story. Not only did he deserve it but every man
in that operation deserves it.
"It really touched me. I was thankful that they asked me and trusted me enough to
help."
Cheyenne Yost of Clio said she's proud of her dad and wanted a memorial to make
sure he isn't forgotten.
She plans to visit the new monument on holidays, the anniversary of his death and
just when she wants to feel closer to him.
"It will give me a place to go when I'm sad and his friends can remember him and
honor him there," she said.
Photos & Valentine's Day Remembrance By Holly February 2006
Webmaster: Michael Robert Patterson
Master Sergeant Anthony Ray Charles Yost, while assigned to Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha 381,
FOB 51, Mosul, Iraq distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct while engaged in combat operations
against enemies of the United States during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. In the early morning hours of 19
November 2005, while serving as the Detachment Operations Sergeant, MSG Yost was called into action to
respond to distress calls from elements of the Iraqi Police Service and 2-1 Infantry, 172d Stryker Brigade Combat
Team (SBCT) that were engaged in a furious battle with heavily armed insurgents in northeastern Mosul.
In a dense urban area against determined opposition, the Iraqi Police (IP) had suffered four KIA and many more
wounded while the US infantry had already suffered 11 wounded, two of whom would later die of wounds. MSG
Yost responded to their urgent calls for assistance by rapidly assembling his detachment and elements from the 2 nd
Iraqi Army Division that had been trained and advised by SFODA 381. After organizing this response force and
moving to the objective area, MSG Yost was informed that US infantry had been engaged from multiple locations
and were unable to secure and clear the house. Even rocket fire from US helicopters had been unable to dislodge
this determined enemy force.
Without regard for his own safety, MSG Yost volunteered to lead an assault to secure the house. He quickly
assembled a group of Special Forces and IA soldiers, and led them into the target house where they were rapidly
engaged by insurgents, both inside as well as outside of the house. As the firefight raged, MSG Yost , accompanied
by a squad of Iraqi Army Soldiers, fearlessly moved forward and entered the enemy stronghold. Once inside the
house, MSG Yost led his Iraqi Soldiers on a room to room search, once again with total disregard for his own
safety, and eliminated the insurgents inside the house. As he was consolidating his force, an enormous explosion
from a hidden demolition charge engulfed the house, instantly reducing most of it to rubble and fatally wounding
MSG Yost and several of the Iraqi Soldiers accompanying him. The corpses of seven insurgents were recovered
from the rubble of the house as well as a cache containing explosives, mines, remote detonating devices, and a
scoped rifle.
MSG Yost died leading a group of Iraqi soldiers from the front, soldiers that he had trained. Rather than simply
have the Iraqi Army unilaterally clear the house, MSG Yost voluntarily and audaciously led the assault element,
going far above and beyond what was required of him as a combat advisor. MSG Yost’s exceptional courage and
leadership inspired the inexperienced Iraqi soldiers to follow him and assault a determined enemy that had
already inflicted significant casualties on friendly forces, despite the immediate danger they faced. His actions are
in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the Command,
Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.
A- Team Sergeant
Thank you MSG Anthony RC Yost for your Commitment, Dedication and
Sacrifice to our Country.
The Special Forces Operational Detachment-A, or A-Team, is the fundamental building block for all Special
Forces Groups. There are six A detachments in each Special Forces company.
A captain leads the 12-man team. Second in command is a warrant officer. An Operations sergeant, also
known as the Team Sergeant is responsible for all operational aspects of the team. An Intelligence sergeant,
responsible for intelligence collection, processing and target analysis also serves as an assistant operations
sergeant. Two noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, per functional area: weapons, engineer, medical, and
communications, comprise the remainder of the team. All team members are SF qualified and cross-trained in
different skills, as well as being multi-lingual.
Capabilities of the highly-versatile A-team include: planning and conducting SF operations separately or as
part of a larger force; infiltrating and exfiltrating specified operational areas by air, land, or sea; conducting
operations in remote areas and hostile environments for extended periods of time with a minimum of external
direction and support; developing, organizing, equipping, training and advising indigenous forces up to
battalion size in special operations; training, advising and assisting other U.S. and allied forces and agencies;
planning and conducting unilateral SF operations; performing other special operations as directed by higher
authority.
In the SF battalion, two of the 18 A-teams are trained in combat diving and three are trained in military
free-fall parachuting. Both are used as methods of infiltration.
The detachment can serve as a manpower pool from which SF commanders organize tailored SF teams to
perform specific missions.
In general, A-teams are equipped with communications, i.e. tactical satellite communications, high-frequency
radios, and global positioning systems. Medical kits include laboratory and dental instruments and supplies,
sterilizer, resuscitator-aspirator, water-testing kits and veterinary equipment. Other key equipment includes
individual and perimeter defense weapons as well as electric and non-electric demolitions and night-vision
devices. Equipment distribution may be geared to conform to specific missions.
For underwater or waterborne infiltration, scuba teams are equipped with open-circuit twin 80s SCUBA
tanks, closed-circuit Draeger (rebreather) Lar-V, Zodiac boat and Klepper kayaks. Military free-fall
parachuting teams use MC4 ram air parachutes and oxygen systems.
Above: PERMANENT DISPLAY OF ANDY AT THE FRANKENMUTH MUSEUM.
Anthony R.C. Yost was born October 9th 1966 at Hurley hospital in Flint Michigan to Penny Thomas.
In 1968 Penny married Donald Yost. Don quickly adopted Anthony and became the only father that he ever knew and
loved, in fact he was his best man at his wedding to his first wife Rhonda. Anthony never referred to Don as his
adoptive parent. He used to say, "My dad is my dad". Years later he met his biological parent who is full blooded
Native American but Andy likened his relationship to him as that of a long lost 3rd cousin. He never called him dad or
father.
Don always told Anthony to be proud of his Indian heritage and to hold his head high because the Indians were the
only true Americans.
Andy was a very serious child. It seemed as though He was always scoping out his perimeters. He was curious about
everything and when he rode in the car or went to visit someone he checked everything out, always craning his little
neck to get a good view of where he was. He loved the sound of sirens and whenever he seen a police car his eyes
would light up and he would whisper "shhhhhhh cops comin".
He loved motorcycles, toy guns and hotwheel cars and of course sunglasses. Two of his favorite activities were
jumping homemade ramps on his bike and playing soldier. He also loved to be in his dad's garage where the guys
always worked on their motorcycles. Don remembers the day he painted his fenders and left for a while to let them
dry. When he returned Andy, who was about 7, was spray painting the fenders on his bike with every color he could
get his hands on. He wanted a cool bike just like his dad!
When he became a teenager his motto should have been" I can't wait until tomorrow comes because I just get cooler
every day."
He played basketball at Millington High School and was dubbed with the name "Chico" by the team. He
got good grades and had many friends but like most teens he liked to party and had the typical issues that every kid
growing up has.
His big passion was (as with most people here in Michigan) deer hunting and never missed a season or the chance to
go to "deer camp" with his dad, uncles and cousins. Years later he would say that being in the army on missions was
like "deer camp", sitting around shooting the bull with the guys, he loved it.
After Graduating from Millington, He entered Devry Tech School but the excitement just wasn't there so he decided to
join the Air Force but once again the desk job MOS didn't seem to cut it, He wanted more and he wanted to be the best.
Anthony Ray Charles Yost enlisted in the U.S.army on May 6,1987 and attended Basic and Advanced Individual
Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky where he served as a tanker from 1987-1991. He then served a one year tour in Korea
in the Air Defense Artillery field. MSG Yost was later assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington and Fort Bliss, Texas
before successfully completing the Special Forces Assessment and Selection in 1992.
MSG Yost graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1993 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion,
10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colorado as a SF weapons sergeant for 8 years, where he
deployed to Kosovo in support of NATO peacekeeping operations.
In addition to Korea and Kosovo he was also in Latvia, Germany, Turkey, Bosnia, Italy, Russia, Kazakhstan, Serbia
Montenegro and probably some countries he could not mention.
MSG Yost was then assigned to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, NC
in 2001 where he served as a Senior SF weapons instructor. In March 2005, MSG Yost was assigned to 3rd Battalion,
3rd Special Forces Group and served as A- Team Sergeant for Operational Detachment Alpha 381.
MSG Anthony Yost was killed in action on November 19, 2005 while conducting combat operations to in Mosul, Iraq.
This is what the official Military release stated.
When the news of our fallen hero first arrived reports said it was a car bomb and that Al Zarqawi was in the building
but that report was later changed perhaps due to the fact that is was Spec Ops and they like to keep their business- their
business. We may never know what evil was present in that building that day in Mosul but as someone recently said, "
he would have done it ten times over". He was a Special Forces soldier first and he gave his life for a cause he believed
in.
(Another close shave came last November when a special forces “A-team” raided an Al-Qaeda safe house in Mosul,
northern Iraq, surprising Zarqawi and three of his lieutenants. The team was commanded by Tony Yost, a US special
forces master sergeant who gunned down the three subordinates but was killed in the firefight. Zarqawi managed to
blow up the house and escape via a tunnel. He was badly wounded and there was even speculation that he had died.)
Excerpt from article in UK newspaper. To read the full story, click link below but please note in the Article there is a
typo that states quote: Another close shave came last October when in fact it was November.
Soldier from Michigan killed in Iraq explosion
Associated Press
MILLINGTON, Mich. — An Army Special Forces soldier from Michigan who spent nearly two
decades serving in the military was killed in an explosion detonated by a suicide bomber in Mosul,
Iraq, his parents said.
Sgt. Anthony Yost, a 39-year-old native of Millington, who had been in the military for 19 years,
died after the explosion at a building Friday, his father, Donald Yost of Millington, told The Flint
Journal.
Anthony Yost was stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C.
“They said he was a hero, the way he died,” Yost’s mother, Penny Cairnduff, of Linden, said of
soldiers who on Saturday notified her of her son’s death.
Cairnduff said her son, a graduate of Millington High School, spoke five languages and was a
sniper expert. She remembered her son as a giving person who loved his children and family.
“He was a smart kid. He loved his job,” she said.
Anthony Yost is survived by a daughter, Cheyenne, 13, of Clio, and a son, A.J., 2, of North
Carolina, Donald Yost said. His wife, Joann, also lives in North Carolina.
Kris K. Currie, 39, a secretary at Millington Elementary School, graduated with Yost from Millington
High School.
“I remember how much he loved basketball and played on the basketball and baseball teams for
the school,” Currie told The Saginaw News.
Donald Yost said his son had been in Iraq since spring, but they spoke about once a week.
Funeral arrangements for Yost were incomplete.
Millington is located 15 miles northeast of Flint.
Master Sgt. Anthony R. C. Yost
Special Forces A Detachment Team Sergeant
3rd Battalion
3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Fort Bragg, N.C.
39 from Flint, Mich
KIA 19 November 2005
Mosul, Iraq, in Ninawa Province, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad
MSgt. Anthony R. C. Yost
39, a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces
Group (Airborne) died Nov. 19 in Mosul, Iraq of wounds sustained when an explosion occurred inside a building
he was searching.
His wife, Joann and his children, Donovan, Cheyenne, and Anthony survive him.
Master Sgt. Anthony R. C. Yost, 39, a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team Sergeant assigned to 3rd
Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
At the time of his death, Yost was in the process of searching a building in Mosul for insurgents. During the search, an
explosion occurred collapsing the building. Yost was killed by the blast.
Yost was born in Oklahoma and raised in Flint, Mich. He enlisted in the Army in 1987.
Yost was assigned to 3rd Bn., 3rd SFG in March 2005. He was a Special Forces Soldier for 13 years and served with
10th SFG, Fort Carson, Colo., as well as with the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
here.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, six Army Commendation Medals, six Army
Achievement Medals, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal,
Kosovo Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces
Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO
Medal, Senior Parachutist Badge, Military Freefall Master Parachutist Badge, Driver and Mechanic Badges, and the
Special Forces Tab.
De Oppresso Liber
http://www.andyyost.com/fam/andy.htm
The family of Andy Yost would like to thank you for visiting our website. Though Andy has left this world his spirit, and our love for
him, will live on forever.
On this site, in both pictures and in words, we can share our fond memories of Andy with family and friends. While most of the
materials on this site were provided by our family we also plan to include stories written about Andy by his military friends, links to
related news articles, etc.
Andy died a hero, proudly, in service to his country. But long before his death he was a larger-than-life hero to his family, here, in
Michigan. Now the world knows what we always knew - that Andy was a person who stood up for what he believed in and who
would always rise to meet any challenge if it meant doing the right thing.
Our challenge is simple: to help keep the memory of this beloved man and proud patriot alive in the hearts and minds of both his
family and freedom-loving people everywhere; to that end we have created this website.
As we assemble the old photos and collect our memories for this site we feel as though Andy is watching. No matter what the
endeavor, Andy always gave his personal best. We can only hope that this website does his memory justice. We promise, Andy,
we'll do our best.
God bless your soul, Andy....you are greatly loved and sorely missed.
The Family of Andy Yost
A Daughter's Prayer
Andy's daughter, Cheyenne, wrote the following prayer which has been placed on a plaque in
School (where Andy graduated):
Millington High
MY DAD
My dad is a hero who loved his country,
he fought for our freedom
when other countries try to beat us
He lost the fight that took his life
but kept our freedom
Thank you so much for what you have done
Now that you're gone without saying goodbye
I miss you so much and wish you wouldn't have died
I love you with all my heart and we will never part
I love you always & forever Daddy
Love, Chey
Pfc. John W. Dearing
Hometown: Hazel Park, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: November 21, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard, Saginaw, Mich.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations.
John W. Dearing's body was covered with 14 tattoos, most with patriotic themes. "He had a whole piece on his back
called the Soldier's Prayer. It was huge," said his widow, Amanda Dearing. "I'm probably going to get a tattoo in
memory of him." John Dearing, 21, of Hazel Park, Mich., was killed Nov. 21 by a roadside bomb in Habaniyah. He was
assigned to Saginaw. Dearing was an outstanding high-school student and was on his school's track, swimming and
baseball teams. He graduated in 2003 after signing up for the Guard a year earlier. "He was a good kid who
graduated with all A''s and loved baseball and the Atlanta Braves," said his grandmother, Mary Dearing. His favorite
ballplayer was the Braves'' third baseman Chipper Jones. His teachers said he especially loved hands-on learning, got
involved in Oscoda's building trades program and took upper level science courses. "He was free spirited but he was
serious when he was doing his job," Amanda Dearing said. Dearing wanted to be a police officer upon his return, said
his father, John W. Dearing. "The world lost a perfect kid," he said.
John W. Dearing
Dearing, PFC John W. Hazel Park, Michigan Formerly of Oscoda, MI PFC John W. Dearing, age 21, died serving his
country in Iraq on November 21, 2005. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Fri. Dec. 2, 2005 at the Dryer Funeral
Home, Holly with Pastor Michael Hunter officiating. Burial will be in Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly. Visitation
will be from 2-9 p.m. Thursday. J.W. was born on Sept. 10, 1984 the son of John and Kitty Dearing. He graduated
from Oscoda High School in 2003. He loved baseball, NASCAR, bowling, and hunting. He was proud to be in the US
Army and to serve his country. He is survived by his wife Amanda; mother Kitty Dearing of Oscoda; father John
Dearing of Hazel Park; sister Tracy (Mark) Colodny of Oscoda; step-brother Zachary Burtenshaw of Hazel Park;
grandparents John and Mary Dearing of Hazel Park and Marie Rains of Marion, IN; nephew and niece Dillon and
Cheyenne Colodny; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He is always in our hearts - our hero. Memorial donations
may be made to the Michigan Fallen Soldiers Fund. Dryer Funeral Home (248) 634-8291
Published in Bay City Times on November 29, 2005
John Dearing
Friday, November 25 2005 @ 06:36 AM MST
Contributed by: River97
www.dailytribune.com
HAZEL PARK — At his parents' house in Hazel Park, John Dearing looked at pictures of his only
son John W. Dearing in his National Guard uniform and tried to come to grips with the grief that seized
him in waves.
"I wanted to keep him home," Dearing said as he looked at a photo of the young man the family called
"J.W."
Dearing covered his face with his hand and fought back two deep sobs.
"The world lost a perfect kid," he said.
PFC John W. Dearing, 21, of Hazel Park was a gunner riding in a Humvee with five other soldiers when it
ran over a land mine Monday in northern Iraq, killing him instantly. The other soldiers suffered serious
burns over most of their bodies but survived.
Dearing's paternal grandmother Mary Lee Dearing watched her son as he walked off to the kitchen where
relatives tried to comfort him.
"He's so angry about it," Mary Lee said. "He's angry that his only son volunteered to go over there and got
killed."
J.W. was an honor student and athlete who graduated from Oscoda High School in 2003. His mother Kitty
still lives there.
He had joined the reserves when he was still in high school, Mary Lee said.
"He was a good kid who graduated with all A's and loved baseball and the Atlanta Braves," she said.
A small, undecorated Christmas tree sat on the dining room table where Mary Lee gathered with some of
her relatives. About a dozen pictures of J.W. were spread out on the table beneath the tree in the place
where presents usually go.
They remembered how his favorite ballplayer was the Braves third baseman Chipper Jones and how he
had just married his wife Amanda in June, starting out in a rented house on Garfield Street.
Amanda, a 2004 Hazel Park High School graduate, was with her parents at their house Tuesday, a short
distance away from the Dearing clan.
She remembered how she found out Monday that her young husband was dead.
"I was downstairs in the basement and my dad called me up to the living room," said Amanda, 19. "I saw
three National Guard officers standing there and I started bawling my eyes out. Nobody had to say a
word. I knew right away."
Tuesday brought memories for Amanda. She recalled J.W.'s great sense of humor and how they hit it off
as soon as they met in September 2004. They got engaged a month later.
Inside the house they shared in their brief married life, J.W. had trophies for baseball and track, she said.
"He was free spirited but he was serious when he was doing his job," Amanda Dearing said.
J.W.'s Saginaw-based Guard unit had already done a tour of duty in Egypt and he volunteered to go to
Iraq after he returned.
"He moved down to Hazel Park from Oscoda to work with his uncle doing excavation work," Amanda said.
"He volunteered to go to Iraq. I was worried. But he wanted to serve his country — he really believed in
that — and he volunteered."
About a week after he married Amanda, J.W. began a series of deployments with his Guard unit that
ended in Iraq where he celebrated his 21st birthday Sept. 10.
The Department of Defense could not confirm John Wilson Dearing's death on Tuesday. A spokeswoman
said they have to wait on such information from individual units and typically list such casualties several
days later.
Amanda will talk with a counselor today who deals with grieving families, she said.
"I've had a lot of support from family and friends," she said. "I'm just trying to cope with the brutal reality
of things."
The night Mary Lee Dearing found out her grandson J.W. had been killed in action, she spent a long time
at the kitchen simply crying and trying to come to terms with reality of his death.
"I cried it out (Monday) night," she said.
In the darkness outside her house, a porch light cast a circle of light and illuminated part of a yellow
ribbon wrapped around a large tree.
The relatives talked about what today will bring.
J.W. is to be buried at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, his father said.
"We'll be going up there (today) I guess," he said, running a hand through his gray hair. "We don't really
have any other details yet though."
Michigan fathers on a mission
Detroit News
March 17th, 2007
Joe Menard / The Detroit News
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP - It's been more than three years and 100 funerals since John "Skip" Bushart
buried his 22-year-old son, one of Michigan's first casualties in the Iraq war.
As the nation prepares to mark the fourth anniversary of the war on Monday, the Waterford Township father
is on a mission.
He and friend John Dearing, whose son also died in Iraq, vow to continue attending the funerals of Michigan
sons and daughters who die as a result of the war, and to present their families with flags. And they're
working to have monuments erected in the hometown of every fallen Michiganian.
"They gave their lives. This is the least we can do," said Dearing of Hazel Park, who goes to the funerals not
only to console the parents, but also to tell stories of his own son, 21-year-old Army Pfc. John W. Dearing,
who was killed by a roadside bomb in November 2005.
Bushart, executive director of the Michigan chapter of Lest They Be Forgotten, started the local group
shortly after his son's death in November 2003 to honor him and all other military men and women from
Michigan who died in the war on terror.
As the war has stretched on, lasting longer than the United States' involvement in World War II and costing
more than the war in Vietnam when adjusted for inflation, the two men have traversed the state.
From Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula to Temperance near the Ohio state line, they've shared hugs,
tears and memories with the families of the young people who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
'Every loss is deeply felt'
Funerals have become nearly a weekly occurrence for the pair. Bushart usually can be found standing in the
back of the services with his son's dog tags swinging from his neck, and a photo of his son's smiling face
pinned to his chest. Dearing, an unemployed furniture delivery man, wears replicas of his son's dog tags -the originals never were recovered after the deadly blast.
"They're in heaven together," Dearing, 51, told the mother of a fallen Marine at a funeral in Davison on a
cold February afternoon, before the two shared a sorrowful hug.
The men mark the places they've been with pins on a map at Bushart's home.
"Each and every loss is deeply felt," said Bushart, 57, whose son, Army Pfc. Damian S. Bushart, died in
Baghdad in a collision between a Humvee and a tank. "There are some that just seem to hit home more than
others."
Bushart, a retired Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam and Desert Storm, got the memorial monument
idea from a Florida man who wanted to honor his own son who was killed in the war. Although the idea
wasn't his, Bushart has pushed it forward, and his dedication has helped give Michigan the sorrowful honor
of having the most Iraq war memorials in the country.
Michigan deaths hit 125
The dads have been busy in recent months as the number of Michigan deaths in Iraq has reached 125, the
seventh most in the nation, according to the Web site icasualties.org, which tracks U.S. deaths in Iraq. The
most recent, Marine Pfc. Bufford "Kenny" Van Slyke, 22, of Bay City died Feb. 28 after being shot during
combat in Anbar province.
December 2006 was the state's bloodiest month since the Iraq war began, with 14 Michigan soldiers and
Marines killed in combat. To start 2007, Bushart and Dearing attended 11 funerals in 10 days as the remains
of December's casualties were returned home. At each, they presented the parents with a special memorial
flag.
"To have that many, just one right after the other, it was very, very emotionally draining," Bushart said.
The fathers still flinch at the now-familiar ceremony: tearful families in black huddled around the casket, the
bugler playing "Taps," the 21-gun salute.
"I can never get used to the rifles," Dearing said at the February graveside service for Marine Cpl. Mark D.
Kidd in Brighton. "It reminds me of John's funeral."
It's the eulogies, with tales of patriotic men with youthful senses of humor that get to Bushart.
"When I hear that, I hear Damian's service over and over again," he said.
Bushart likes to blend into the background at the services, not wanting to draw attention from a hero's
funeral.
At the services, his only statement is a final salute, his right hand slowly raising to his brow in a traditional
goodbye. It's only after the casket is lowered to the ground that he approaches the families, allowing the tears
to subside before sharing a few words, often followed by a long hug, and the presentation of the memorial
flag.
Families honored with flag
The emotional encounters vary from funeral to funeral, but all leave an impact. Like the time Bushart
presented the flag to a grieving mother who clasped it to her breast, overcome by the gesture of kindness
from a stranger.
"They're just so honored by it," Bushart said.
Mike Kilpela of Fowlerville remembers the Sunday in June 2005 when Bushart presented him with the flag
honoring his son, 22-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Kilpela, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq nine
days earlier.
"It was just overwhelming that someone would think that much of our son," said Kilpela, who had watched
his daughter marry the day before he buried his middle child. "You kind of felt this connection with someone
who had been in this situation and could understand all the emotions you're going through. Here is someone
who truly understands that sense of loss."
The gold-trimmed white flag now flies proudly in Kilpela's backyard, a symbol of his son's sacrifice for his
country.
"To me, it's just a reminder that America will not forget," said Kilpela.
Money raised for memorials
In addition to the flag, Bushart helped raise nearly $8,000 for a monument erected in Greenwood Cemetery
in Fowlerville honoring Kilpela and two other fallen Marines from the town: Lance Cpl. Michael W. Hanks
and Maj. Gerald M. Bloomfield III.
The 6-foot monument, whose granite base is engraved with the fallen Michiganians' names and topped with
bronze boots, rifle and helmet field cross, was dedicated in May and is one of eight such memorials the
group has erected across the state.
"It's an absolutely beautiful tribute to the three Marines from Fowlerville who gave their lives for freedom,"
Kilpela said. "It was kind of important for us to do something like this to offer to future generations. It
touches all of us."
Bushart and Dearing hope to put a monument in the hometowns of each soldier, Marine, sailor or airman
killed in battle, and have at least 13 planned for this year, including one in Hazel Park for Dearing's son;
Lansing, Dearborn and White Lake; and on county property in Oakland and Macomb counties. The group
holds fundraisers to cover the cost of the monuments and dedication ceremonies.
"We do not accept anything from the family," Bushart said. "This is a community project. This is the
community honoring their son or daughter's sacrifice."
There are 20 monuments across the country honoring those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Gregg
Garvey, who founded Lest They Be Forgotten in 2003 after his son, Army Sgt. Justin W. Garvey, died in
Iraq.
He said he admires Bushart's efforts and credits him with making Michigan the state with the most
monuments.
"He's doing an outstanding job," said Garvey, of Keystone Heights, Fla. "It's above and beyond."
Michigan mourns again
Michigan National Guard members were again saddened by the death of another Company B, 125th
Infantry Soldier. Pfc. John W. Dearing, 21, of Hazel Park, Mich. died in Habbaniyah, Iraq on Nov. 21, 2005
when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV.
The explosion also critically critically injured four other Company B Soldiers.
Pfc. Dearing deployed with Company B in June in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and served valiantly
with his battalion. Following is the memorial tribute for Pfc. John W.
Dearing, spoken by Chaplain Doug Etter on Nov. 30, 2005 at Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq.
God still, has not answered my prayers. Each and every time you and I come to this sacred space to say
good bye, I pray it will be the last…And it is not because I don’t want to be with you. Quite to the contrary,
like Private First Class John Dearing, I love the company of soldiers.
I rejoice and celebrate the sweetness of our fellowship just like John did. Pfc. Dearing was not in the military
very long. But all of you who knew him, know the Army was his life. Basic training, AIT and soon after the
mission to the Sinai. He knew the heat, the sun, the sand and yet, like so many of you, his brothers, he
volunteered to come back. He didn’t have to but he did. He was not reluctant or unwilling.
He was committed and prepared. His great heart came out in his smile, in the way he loved life, in the way
he worked so hard to make you smile, make you laugh and make sure everyone was having a good time.
His heart came out running from tower to tower in the Sinai to tell them the time or after spending the
afternoon underneath a truck cleaning the chassis with his toothbrush, his smile never dimming even as the
sun was setting on the distant horizon. That heart swelled with pride at the sight of any John Deere product
or when he spoke of being a country boy. In fact, just in case someone couldn’t see the pride he took in
being a simple country boy, he had COUNTRY tattooed across the top of his young strong back in big bold
letters.
And as some of you know that John also had the 91st Psalm tattooed on his back, the entire psalm.
Listening to the words again this morning, I wonder if you believe them the way John did…
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty…Surely he will save
you…He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his
faithfulness will be your shield…A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand but it will
not come near you…If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the Lord, who is my refuge – then no
harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to
guard you in all your ways…’Because he loves me’, says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him, I will protect him, for
he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will
deliver him and honor him’”
(Psalm 91)
In listening to those words again this morning, I thought about Paul’s words to the Christians in Rome, “For I
am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor
any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 38-39) You see evil can spit on us, it can slap us, it
can strike us, it can stab us, it can even slay us…but it can never separate us from those who love us. I
know that many of you loved him. Admit it or not, all human beings are love magnets. We like to be with the
ones who love us most. That is why John had the 91st Psalm, the Soldier’s Psalm tattooed on his back, he
loved soldiers and he had written on his heart, each and every one of your names…
John touched many lives here. I was the last person here on this FOB to touch him, literally, and I would say
to you, the same thing I said in the back of that ambulance, with my hand resting on him: May the Lord
bless you and keep you, May the Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, May the
Lord, lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give to you, and to those whom you love, God’s
peace. So sleep in peace my young brother. Sleep in perfect peace.
Pfc. John Dearing, somewhere in Iraq.
Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson
Hometown: Union City, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 21 years old
Died: December 1, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force,
Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah.
As Craig N. Watson's math and physical-education teacher - not to mention head football
coach - Eric Tundevold got a good look at his former student. "He could be prankster. He
grinned a lot. And if he got in trouble, he'd take it pretty good. He'd say, ''Yeah, I did that. I'm
sorry.'' Now, a lot of us are sorry," Tundevold said. Watson, 21, of Union City, Mich., was killed
Dec. 1 by an explosive in Fallujah. He was assigned to Twentynine Palms and was on his
second tour, having shipped out within three weeks of graduating in 2003. "He was my hero a practical joker, a protector. He could be ornery at times, but he smiled a lot too," said his
mother, Shirley Watson. Watson's father, Jay Watson, lives in Caro. "He was a very sweet boy.
But he'd wrestle kids 100 pounds more than him because he was all heart and he was so
team-oriented," said Michele Kaniewski, a school library clerk. His brother Brad, 20, recalled
Watson playing defensive tackle to his linebacker on the football team. In sports and in his
military service, Brad said, his older brother never shrank from a challenge. "I actually look up
to him for having the courage to do stuff."
Marine Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson
Died December 01, 2005 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
21, of Union City, Mich.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine
Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary
Force (Forward); killed Dec. 1 by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations
against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Clay, Lance Cpl. John M.
Holmason, Lance Cpl. David A. Huhn, Lance Cpl. Adam W. Kaiser, Lance Cpl. Robert A. Martinez, Cpl.
Anthony T. McElveen, Lance Cpl. Scott T. Modeen, Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Patten, and Sgt. Andy A.
Stevens.
Marine from southern Michigan dies in Iraq
The Associated Press
UNION CITY, Mich. — A Marine and former athlete at Union City High School has been killed in Iraq,
school officials said Dec. 2.
Craig Watson, who graduated in 2003, died Dec. 1, Superintendent Martin Chard said. He said a family
member told him Watson was killed by an improvised explosive device, a roadside bomb made from several
large artillery shells.
It was not immediately clear whether Watson was among the 10 Marines killed Dec. 1 in Fallujah in an IED
explosion, which also wounded 11.
Watson played on the football and wrestling teams at Union City. He had twin brothers, Brad and Kevin,
who also attended the school.
Although he weighed only about 190 pounds, Watson wrestled in the heavyweight division and often went
against opponents 30 to 40 pounds heavier than him, assistant coach Ed Sybesma said. Sometimes he
beat them.
“He had to drink a lot of water so he could make weight,” Sybesma said. “He was a team player. He
sacrificed for the team and also for his country.”
Sybesma, a Vietnam veteran, said he and Watson discussed their combat experiences when Watson
returned from an earlier tour of duty in Iraq.
“The enemy we were fighting during the day looked like everybody else and at night they were the ones
trying to kill you,” Sybesma said. “It’s the same thing over there [in Iraq].”
Watson believed in the U.S. mission in Iraq, Sybesma said. “He was anxious to go back. I know he was
really proud to be a Marine.”
Students at Union City High had planned to send a Christmas care package to Watson, and the sixth-grade
class had “adopted” him and was preparing to send letters, Sybesma said.
Eric Tundevole, the head football coach, said Watson was a typical American youth.
“He wasn’t perfect. He had faults, but he was a good boy,” Tundevole said. “He was sharp, but not the
smartest. He was a good player, but not the greatest. But he obviously made the supreme sacrifice.”
Teachers in each of the school’s classes read a statement Friday morning announcing Watson’s death,
Tundevole said.
Union City is located about 130 miles west of Detroit.
David Huhn & Craig Watson
Saturday, December 03 2005 @ 03:45 PM MST
Contributed by: River97
www.mlive.com
DETROIT (AP) ” Two U.S. Marines from Michigan were among 10 Marines killed and 11
wounded in a roadside bomb near Fallujah, the U.S. military said Saturday.
David Huhn
Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson, 21, of Union City, and Lance Cpl. David A. Huhn, 24, of Portland, died
Thursday. They were assigned to a regiment within the 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Craig Watson
Watson was a former athlete at Union City High School. The 2003 graduate played on the football and
wrestling teams at Union City. He had twin brothers, Brad and Kevin, who also attended the school.
[Editors Note -- We were informed by family that Craig had four brothers: James Deaton the oldest, Derek
who was born and deceased before Craig and then Craig and the Twins.]
Union City assistant wrestling Coach Ed Sybesma Watson said Watson believed in the U.S. mission in Iraq.
"He was anxious to go back. I know he was really proud to be a Marine," he said.
Eric Tundevole, the head football coach, said Watson was a typical American youth.
"He wasn't perfect. He had faults, but he was a good boy," Tundevole said. "He was sharp, but not the
smartest. He was a good player, but not the greatest. But he obviously made the supreme sacrifice."
Huhn graduated from Portland High School in 2000. He joined the Marines in 2004 and was sent to Iraq
earlier this summer. He had a month left until he was scheduled to come home.
"We will miss our Dave," Huhn's uncle, Jeff Helmel told the Lansing State Journal on Friday. "But we will
stand proud with all the other families who lost loved ones to this war against terror."
The soldier was last home in February to attend the funeral following the sudden death of his father, Larry
Huhn, who suffered a massive heart attack.
He lost his sister 15 years ago in a farming accident, neighbors said.
His older brother, Kevin, is a former Marine.
Friend and neighbor Larry Schueller recalled David as "a quiet young man" with a good sense of humor.
"He lived his entire life in the neighborhood and he was just very quiet and respectful of adults," Schueller
told The Grand Rapids Press.
The attack in Fallujah came a day after President Bush outlined his strategy for victory in Iraq, and at a
time when there are growing calls for an exit plan for U.S. troops.
The roadside bomb in Fallujah, the former insurgent headquarters west of the capital, was fashioned from
several large artillery shells, the military said.
http://craig-watson.memory-of.com/About.aspx
This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, L.Cpl. Craig Nolan
Watson who was born in Kansas on March 03, 1984 and was killed by Iraqi insurgents while in
service to his country on December 01, 2005 at the age of 21. We will remember him forever.
My son, my heart, my hero / Shirley Watson (Mom)
Craig was a part of my heart that will never die. Although his body is gone he will live forever
in my whole being. He was a brave and proud man that never quit even though there were
times he wanted to. He would give you all he had. He was my hero... now he's the wind
beneath my wings.
memorial service
Lance Cpl. David A. Huhn
Hometown: Portland, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 24 years old
Died: December 1, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force,
Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah.
David A. Huhn''s older brother, Kevin, spent hours together, playing play video games and
cards, and watching Robert De Niro and Al Pacino movies. "He was easy to get along with,"
Huhn said as tears streamed down his checks. "He always liked to joke around. ... He is my
best friend." David Huhn, 24, of Portland, Mich., was killed Dec. 1 by an explosive in Fallujah.
He graduated high school in 2000 and was assigned to Twentynine Palms. Huhn enjoyed
fishing and hunting. He watched professional wrestling and football and liked beer. His
favorite kind? His friends said: Cold. The soldier was last home in February to attend the
funeral following the death of his father, Larry Huhn, who suffered a massive heart attack.
Linda Friddle said her nephew always wore a smile and made people around him laugh. "He
was a hard worker," said Friddle. "I know he loved his country and he wanted to protect it. He
was very proud to be a Marine." He also is survived by his mother, Diane. "He was proud of
what he was doing," Kevin Huhn said. "He wanted to make it a career. It was the best thing he
ever did."
David A. Huhn
David A. Huhn, age 24, of Portland, MI passed away on December 1, 2005 near Fallujah, Iraq while on night patrol.
David was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. He was an avid Nascar fan, especially Tony Stewart, as well as a
W.W.F. fan. He also enjoyed sports, fishing, playing cards and watching movies. He was preceded in death by his
father, Larry Huhn; sister, Jaime Huhn; grandparents, Ronald Lenneman and Harold and Irene Huhn. Surviving are his
mother, Diane Huhn; sister, Christina (Craig) Forist; brother, Kevin Huhn; niece, Jamelyn Forist; grandmother,
Dorothy Lenneman, all of Portland; numerous aunts and uncles. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00
a.m. Tuesday, December 13, 2005 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Portland, with the Rev. Larry King, Pastor presiding.
Rite of Committal will follow at Portland Cemetery. Full Military Honors will be provided by Charlie Company, 1st
Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. The family will receive friends at the Schrauben-Lehman
Funeral Home, 210 E. Bridge Street, Portland from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Rosaries will be prayed
at 3 p.m. both days, and a Vigil Service will be held at 8 p.m. Monday, followed by a special service with the United
States Marine Corp. On line condolences may be made at www.schraubenlehman.com. Published in Grand Rapids Press on
December 10, 2005
David Huhn & Craig Watson
Saturday, December 03 2005 @ 03:45 PM MST
Contributed by: River97
www.mlive.com
DETROIT (AP) — Two U.S. Marines from Michigan were among 10 Marines killed and 11 wounded in a
roadside bomb near Fallujah, the U.S. military said Saturday.
david Huhn
Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson, 21, of Union City, and Lance Cpl. David A. Huhn, 24, of Portland, died
Thursday. They were assigned to a regiment within the 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Craig Watson
Watson was a former athlete at Union City High School. The 2003 graduate played on the football and
wrestling teams at Union City. He had twin brothers, Brad and Kevin, who also attended the school. [Editors
Note -- We were informed by family that Craig had four brothers: James Deaton the oldest, Derek who was
born and deceased before Craig and then Craig and the Twins.]
Union City assistant wrestling Coach Ed Sybesma Watson said Watson believed in the U.S. mission in Iraq.
"He was anxious to go back. I know he was really proud to be a Marine," he said.
Eric Tundevole, the head football coach, said Watson was a typical American youth.
"He wasn't perfect. He had faults, but he was a good boy," Tundevole said. "He was sharp, but not the
smartest. He was a good player, but not the greatest. But he obviously made the supreme sacrifice."
Huhn graduated from Portland High School in 2000. He joined the Marines in 2004 and was sent to Iraq
earlier this summer. He had a month left until he was scheduled to come home.
"We will miss our Dave," Huhn's uncle, Jeff Helmel told the Lansing State Journal on Friday. "But we will
stand proud with all the other families who lost loved ones to this war against terror."
The soldier was last home in February to attend the funeral following the sudden death of his father, Larry
Huhn, who suffered a massive heart attack.
He lost his sister 15 years ago in a farming accident, neighbors said.
His older brother, Kevin, is a former Marine.
Friend and neighbor Larry Schueller recalled David as "a quiet young man" with a good sense of humor.
"He lived his entire life in the neighborhood and he was just very quiet and respectful of adults," Schueller
told The Grand Rapids Press.
The attack in Fallujah came a day after President Bush outlined his strategy for victory in Iraq, and at a time
when there are growing calls for an exit plan for U.S. troops.
The roadside bomb in Fallujah, the former insurgent headquarters west of the capital, was fashioned from
several large artillery shells, the military said.
http://www.thechristys.com/documents/KarlaComfortHummer.htm
Rolling Hummer Memorial
Unknown Author
I feel a brotherhood and a closeness
with the military and their families,
beyond the average.
And I get emotional when I see and feel,
heart and mind such as the one depicted here..
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.
( 2006)
Sgt. Spencer C. Akers
Hometown: Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 35 years old
Died: December 8, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army
National Guard, Saginaw, Mich.
Incident: Died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Tex. of injuries
sustained in Habbaniyah when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee
during combat operations.
"He was a darn good kid, somebody every father would be proud of," Akers' uncle, George Akers of Manton, told the
Traverse City Record-Eagle. He said his nephew's goal was to become a state police trooper. The soldier, a veteran of
the first Gulf War, was on his second stint in Iraq, believing it was the right thing to do, the uncle said. "His thought
was, `Better me, a single guy with no strings, than a married man," Akers told The Detroit News. Akers' mother,
Carole, 69, said her son was drawn to the military as a child, wearing camouflage pajamas and playing with toy guns.
"He's always been fascinated by it," she told the Detroit Free Press. "He said he wanted to do his part," George Akers
said of his nephew. Akers, who previously lived in Tustin, worked security in Traverse City for four years, said Matt
Mayer, Akers' roommate in Traverse City. Mayer said he met Akers when they served in the National Guard. "He was
a great soldier, a great leader, he was always helping other people regardless of his own situation and what was
going on in his life," Mayer said. Carole Akers and husband Don, who live in Tustin, had traveled last month to the
hospital in Texas to be with their son, the Cadillac News reported. He was a graduate of Pine River High School.
Mayer said he admired his friend's decision to seek out deployment to Iraq. "He was trying for months to find a unit
to go with, and then when he found one, he jumped right on it," Mayer said. A funeral tentatively was planned for
Saturday at Covenant Life Church in Lake City.
Spencer Clark Akers
Died December 9, 2005
TUSTIN - Spencer Clark Akers, of Tustin, died Dec. 9, 2005. He was born in Wayne County on March 6,
1970, and lived in the rural Tustin area, graduating from Pine River High School.
He was an avid soldier from a very young age, enjoying the games of a youthful warrior. He loved most
sports and working on computers, continually perfecting his shooting skills.
Spencer served his country in the Army Reserves, which he entered in high school. He also served in the
regular Army and the Army National Guard.
He served in Operation Desert Storm and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also involved in the
Ambassador Bridge and Windsor Tunnel security after 9-11.
Spencer was a free spirit that turned his life into being a brave mentor and a respected soldier. Spencer
succumbed to his wounds of Nov. 21, 2005, in Iraq, and died leaving a hole in a lot of people's lives. A hero
to many, he is sorely missed by loved ones.
He is survived by his parents, Donald and Carole Akers of Tustin; sister, Jeannine (Randy) Robertson;
nephews, Tyeler and Jordan; nieces Laci and Larah; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Visitation will be Friday, Dec. 16, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Peterson Funeral Home, 205 East Cass St.,
Cadillac. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Dec. 17, at 11 a.m., at the Covenant Life Church, 7700
West Blue Road, Lake City. The Rev. Scott Goodwill will officiate. Burial will be in the Sherman Township
Cemetery in Osceola County.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Soldier and Family Assistance Center, Powless House, 2010
Stanley Road, Ste. 95, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234-5095.
Spencer C Akers
Traverse City, Michigan
December 8, 2005
Age Military
35
Army
Rank
Sgt
Unit/Location
Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 125th
Infantry Regiment
Saginaw, Michigan
Died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 8, of
injuries sustained in Habbaniyah, Iraq, on Nov. 21, when an improvised
explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.
"He was on Myspace a lot and had lots of friends. He
had served as a Army National Guard and Reserve. He
was a soldier true and
true. He volunteered to go to Iraq both times so a
married soldier could
stay home with their family. He is dearly missed and
loved." Amiy
MySpace Group Dedicated To Spencer
Spencer's Profile on MySpace
Memory Of Page
Video Tribute
From Cadillac News
Area soldier fights for his life after bomb blast
By Dale Killingbeck, Cadillac News
TUSTIN - A Tustin-area mom and dad wait for a phone call that will send
them to Texas to be with their critically burned soldier-son.
Don and Carol Akers learned their son Spencer, 35, of Traverse City was on
patrol Monday morning when his Humvee was hit by an improvised
explosive device while on patrol near the town of Al-Habbaniyah, Iraq.
“It flipped over and burst into flames,” Don Akers said. “One died and four
are critical.”
Akers said his son is burned on more than 75 percent of his body. The U.S.
Army veteran of the first Gulf War and sergeant with the Michigan National
Guard now battles for his life at a hospital in Germany.
“We've been talking to the doctors in Germany. It's just a case if he can get
through the infection,” Don Akers said. “The biggest part of the burn is his
faceŠ The odds are not in his favor.”
A team of specialists from Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio,
Texas, were flown to Germany to help provide care for Spencer Acres and
other buddies injured in the blast. They could be airlifted to Texas soon.
One soldier died from the explosion, Don Akers said.
A single man, Spencer Akers volunteered for the Iraq duty to spare some
married soldiers the assignment, his dad said. Although assigned to a guard
unit in Big Rapids, he joined with a Flint-area unit for the Iraq deployment.
Following training, he arrived in Iraq in June.
“He was due to rotate back for a two-week leave,” Don Akers said. “He was
due to leave on Thanksgiving Day to be home on the 30th.”
A team leader and sometimes turret gunner in the Humvee, Spencer Akers
communicated with his dad often. They talked briefly by phone two weeks
before the incident and by Yahoo Messenger on the computer just the day
before the blast, Don Akers said.
The Akers showed their son lots of support.
“We just mailed out some packages Wednesday,” he said.
Don Akers said he hopes people continue to show support for the troops
through packages and letters. He appreciates all those offering prayers for his
son in church prayer chains across the state and nation.
“Everybody I talk to says I've got you in our prayer chain,” he said.
The attack on Spencer Akers' Humvee is in the same area that claimed the life
of a Cedar Springs soldier earlier this month.
A Michigan National Guard spokesperson could not be reached for comment
on the incident Tuesday evening.
dkillingbeck(at)cadillacnews.com
From Cadillac News:
Akers succumbs to burns
By Mike Dunn and DALE KILLINGBECK, CADILLAC NEWS
CADILLAC - The price of Operation Iraqi Freedom became real to the
Cadillac area Thursday night.
Sgt. Spencer Akers, 35, a Pine River High School graduate, died of
complications from burns and other injuries sustained in a Nov. 21 explosion
in Iraq. His parents, Don and Carole Akers of Tustin, and his sister, Jeannine
Robertson of Canada, were with him at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort
Sam Houston near San Antonio, Texas, at the time of his death.
“When he died, the chaplain was beside his bed holding his hand,” Don Akers
said on Sunday night. “We suffered through this thing with him since it
happened and it's a relief to know it's all behind him now. There's no more
pain, no more damage. He's in a better place.”
Spencer remained unconscious and heavily sedated until the time of his death,
his father reported. Don Akers also said that his son received excellent care at
Brooke Army Medical Center.
Akers expects his son to be flown up from Texas to Michigan on Wednesday
and brought to Peterson's Funeral Home. The funeral will take place at
Covenant Life Church south of Lake City, where Don and Carole Akers are
longtime members and where Spencer was in the youth group as a teen. As of
Sunday night, a formal date had not been set for the funeral, however.
“It will be a military funeral,” Akers said. “We expect to meet with the
casualty officer tomorrow (Monday) and go over the military portion of the
service and finalize everything.”
Sgt. Akers and four other soldiers under Akers' command were patrolling
near al-Habbaniyah, Iraq, on Nov. 21 when their Humvee hit a land mine.
One soldier, PFC John Dearing, 21, of Hazel Park died in the blast.
The other soldiers, Sgt. Duane Drearsky, 31, of Novi, Sgt. Matthew Webber,
23, of Stanwood and Spc. Joshua Youman, 25, of Flushing were all critically
injured, suffering burns and other injuries.
They were all flown to Brooke Army Medical Center's burn unit at Fort Sam
Houston.
A spokeswoman at the medical center said the other soldiers remain in critical
condition. No other information was available on their status, but Don Akers,
who met with the parents and wives of the three wounded soldiers last week
at the hospital in Texas, said there is hope that all three will recover in time.
Don and Carole Akers returned home to Tustin on Saturday. Since then, they
have received a number of phone calls from friends of Spencer and from a
number of his fellow soldiers, offering condolences and paying tribute to
Spencer.
“We're getting calls from friends of his in the military and outside of the
military that put Spencer as No. 1 for being a friend and a mentor,” Akers
reported. “He was highly looked up to. People are coming out of the
woodwork, calling from all over the U.S. and even the United Kingdom to
tell us what kind of person Spencer was and how he affected their lives.”
Many people from the area who knew Spencer also remembered him fondly.
Wexford County Commissioner Bill Goodwill, a longtime friend of the
family, said Spencer grew up with his kids and participated in the church
youth group with them.
“He was a normal kid growing up,” he said. “He was a typical young guy
from northern Michigan with a good set of values and a sense of duty.”
Goodwill said Spencer Akers served in Operation Desert Storm in the first
Persian Gulf War in 1991. Goodwill noted that Akers did not have to return to
that war-torn part of the world. Akers volunteered to go to Iraq with his
Saginaw-based unit so that married soldiers could remain at home.
“That just shows the kind of person Spencer was,” Goodwill said. “He was
willing to put others above himself.”
Spencer, who lived in the Traverse City area, returned home for a final visit
before shipping off for training. He arrived in Iraq in June. Before leaving
Michigan, he attended church services with his parents at Covenant Life
Church. The congregation offered their spiritual support.
“We prayed for him before he went off to Iraq for this last time,” Goodwill
said. “He appreciated people's prayers and said that is what he felt he should
be doing.”
Lake City resident Chris Reitz got to know Akers when the two were part of
the same youth group at Covenant Life Church in the mid-1980s.
“Spencer was a real good guy,” Reitz said. “We went to different high
schools and played against each other in football, so we would tease about
who was going to win between Lake City and Pine River. He would kid
around, but he was also an independent thinker, not somebody who would
just blindly follow the crowd. He was always cordial and nice and a real good
sport about things. He comes from a great family.”
The last time Reitz and Goodwill saw Akers was at the church service shortly
before Akers left for Iraq.
“We all gathered around Spencer and prayed for him that day,” Reitz
recalled. “At the time, I never would have thought that this would be my last
time seeing him in this world. The great consolation is knowing that I'll see
him again in heaven.”
Matt Mayer got to know Akers quite well over the past four years. Mayer,
who is also a sergeant in the National Guard, came to Traverse City from
Detroit in 2001 after Akers offered him a place to live. The two got to know
each other while serving together in the Detroit area in the aftermath of the
9/11 terrorist attack.
“He was a great leader in the National Guard, but outside of that, he was a
great person, always looking out for his friends,” Mayer said. “He was an
open guy, somebody who was very easy to relate to. He cared about people.
He was always willing to help anyone in need.”
Mayer said that Akers searched for months to find a unit to go overseas with.
“He volunteered, just like he did for (Desert Storm),” Mayer said. “He had a
strong passion for the military and believed strongly in what we're doing over
there. He figured that if he went, a married man wouldn't have to go.”
Akers' death has had a profound effect on Mayer.
“Being in the National Guard, I've known others who have died in the war,
but no one that I was as close to as Spencer,” he said. “This is something
that'll be with me for a very long time. I literally haven't stopped thinking
about him since this happened. He was a hero. In the back of my mind, as
long as I'm putting on this uniform, I'll remember what he did.”
Prior to going to Iraq, Akers worked part-time selling big screen TVs and
home-theater systems at the Best Buy store in Traverse City.
“I couldn't speak enough good things about him,” said Connie Nunemaker, a
customer services manager at the store. “We would have customers come in
and ask for him by name. He was a great employee.”
She said he had worked for the store for about two years.
At Pine River High School, a 1988 yearbook features Akers on the first page
of the senior photo wearing a tie and light-colored shirt. A few pages later, in
a large Class of 1988 outdoor photo, he stands in the third row of the class
wearing a fedora hat.
Former teacher Ralph Hurley says his son, Ralph Hurley Jr., and Akers were
friends.
“I remember him quite well,” he says. “He was a high-energy type kid. Š I
thought he was a good kid.”
Former football coach Tom Roy said Spencer Akers played football for him
in the mid-80s.
“He was a hard worker, undersized, but out there mixing it up with the big
guys,” he said. “He just kept at it. He had a lot of perseverance.”
Mark Brock, an Osceola County Commissioner, was a school chum of Akers
and a fellow 1988 graduate of Pine River. Brock and Akers were two lockers
apart during their high schools years and had many classes together.
“Spencer was a good guy,” Brock said. “We goofed around a lot and kidded
each other with our lockers being so close. He was a jokester, but he also had
a serious side. I'm not a bit surprised that he would volunteer to go to Iraq so
that married soldiers could stay home. He was the same kind of person in
high school; he had a heart for people. That's probably what put him into the
military. He knew he could serve there and help people.”
Brock echoed the comments of others in expressing appreciation for the price
that Akers paid on behalf of all Americans.
“He's certainly a hero,” Brock said. “He was there overseas fighting for our
freedom and paying the ultimate price. You're always thankful for the soldiers
who are willing to put their lives on the line, but it's a little different when you
actually know somebody (who dies in the war). It really hits home.”
At the Big Rapids Armory, Sgt.1st Class Ted Platz of the 125th Infantry
Company E said he could not answer questions related to Akers' military
background. He did have some personal reflections on him.
“He was an awesome soldier,” Platz said. He confirmed that Akers
volunteered to go with the Saginaw's Company B to Iraq.
“He did volunteer and he was always willing to do his job,” he said. “He was
always there when anyone needed any extra duty or extra help with
anything.”
An e-mail sent out to members of Company E encouraged the soldiers
through Spencer Akers' example. The author of the e-mail is identified as
Capt. Wagh. No first name is given and attempts to contact the captain for
this article were unsuccessful.
“This soldier has raised his hand and followed a path few could or would
follow in similar circumstances,” the e-mail said. “He has led the way for us
left behind. He understood what the word duty truly means.”
As of Thursday, Akers becomes the 72nd member of the armed services to
die from Michigan as result of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Since the beginning of the war, the Department of Defense reports 1,804 have
died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in
Afghanistan.
Memorial Day Poem:
The American Hero
by Roger Robicheau
The American Hero always comes through To capture our hearts with a spirit so true
Some proudly are soldiers who march in harm’s way Insuring our freedom,
courageous they stay While others come forth as civilians so brave Determined in
purpose, so steadfast to save We should always keep clear a place in our heart For
each has a value beyond precious art Their duty to country will not be surpassed
Please honor their courage, for some it’s their last We live in a world which can be
hard to bear Thank God for these people, how greatly they care Do ponder new
heroes and what they will face And pray for their safety no matter their place Our
heritage brings out the best, we all know Our great book of heroes is destined to grow
Memoriam Poem
In Memory:
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
Who would of guessed he'd be an American Hero??
Jeannine showing off her soldier
21 gun Salute to Sgt. Spencer Akers at his funeral December 17, 2005.
We Miss You Spencer 'The Pickle'
Lest They be Forgotten Memorial Monument
Memorial Day 2009
Spec. Anthony O. Cardinal
Hometown: Muskegon, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 20 years old
Died: December 25, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad.
Anthony O. Cardinal and his wife kept in contact through e-mail almost every day. Electronic
connections also helped the couple be together for a very big occasion the birth of their
second child, Maylee, in October. "They brought a satellite phone to him so he could call me,"
said his wife, Amber. Her husband also got to see the baby by Web cam, but never in person.
"Amber and the kids meant the world to him," said Cardinal's mother, Maria Cardinal. "He
always put them first. He was a wonderful husband and a good father." Cardinal, 20, of
Muskegon, Mich., was killed Dec. 25 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2003 high
school graduate and was assigned to Fort Stewart. "He was always very responsible. He
seemed to grow up fast, but he was always joking. He sat around the dinner table and kept
everyone entertained," Maria Cardinal said. He also is survived by his son, Mikel, 1. "He was a
truly great guy. He was great with the kids and made everybody laugh. Just all around you
couldn't ask for a nicer person," said Gerald Toma, Amber's uncle.
Anthony O. Cardinal
CARDINAL, ARMY SPC. ANTHONY O. (Husband of Amber L.) Ft. Stewart, Georgia Formerly of Muskegon Army
Specialist Anthony O. Cardinal, age 20, was killed as the result of a bombing while on active duty in Iraq Christmas
Day, December 25, 2005. He is the husband of Amber L. (Hill) Cardinal and the father of Mikel A. and Maylee M.
Cardinal. Anthony was a 2003 graduate of Oakridge High School and had attended Kainay Community Church.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Sytsema Funeral Homes, Inc. 737 Apple Avenue (231) 726-5210
www.sytsemafh.com
Published in Muskegon Chronicle on December 28, 2005
Family: Fort Stewart soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
MUSKEGON, Mich. — An Army specialist who grew up in Michigan has been killed in Iraq, less
than two weeks before he was due home, his family said Dec. 25.
Tony Cardinal’s wife said two soldiers came to her door in Fort Stewart, Ga., on Christmas and told
her he had died earlier in the day. His death had not been officially announced by the Pentagon on
Dec. 25.
Cardinal, 20, graduated from Oakridge High School in Muskegon in 2003. His wife, Amber,
graduated in 2004.
Amber Cardinal told The Muskegon Chronicle that she did not know the circumstances of her
husband’s death.
She said her husband had told her recently that his anxiety was growing, as his Jan. 5
homecoming neared.
“He mentioned to me that he’s more afraid of dying now than ever, because he was so close to
coming home,” she said.
Amber Cardinal said she last heard from her husband on Christmas Eve via e-mail. He wrote that
he had two missions that day.
Tony Cardinal had spent nearly a year in Iraq and was to spend the rest of his two-year enlistment
in Georgia.
“Amber and the kids meant the world to him,” Cardinal’s mother, Maria, said. “He always put them
first. He was a wonderful husband and a good father.”
Amber Cardinal had recently moved to Fort Stewart with their two children, 19-month-old Mikel and
2-month-old Maylee. Her family lives in Michigan.
“I’m coming home as soon as possible. It’s too hard being here now,” she said.
Tony Cardinal joined the Army shortly before the arrival of the couple’s first baby because jobs
were scarce in the Muskegon area, his wife said. He was in Iraq when the couple’s daughter was
born in October.
“They brought a satellite phone to him so he could call me,” Amber Cardinal said, adding that her
husband got to see the baby by Web cam, though never in person.
Amber Cardinal said her husband came to love the military and wanted to make a career out of it.
“He was really dedicated to his job,” she said. “He said they were getting things done over there.”
Birth:
Feb. 23, 1985
Muskegon
Muskegon County
Michigan, USA
Death:
Dec. 25, 2005
Baghdad Governorate, Iraq
Two soldiers based at Fort Stewart were killed in Baghdad on Christmas Day, the Army said Tuesday.
Spc. Anthony O. Cardinal, 20, of Muskegon, Mich., died Sunday when a bomb went off near his vehicle
during combat operations, the military said. Cardinal was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry
Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, as a fire support specialist. He had spent
nearly a year in Iraq and was about to return to the U.S. and spend the rest of his two-year enlistment
in Georgia, his family said. He and his wife, Amber, had recently moved to Fort Stewart with their two
children, 19-month-old Mikel and 2-month-old Maylee. Also killed Sunday was Spc. Sergio Gudino, 22,
of Pomona, Calif. The Army said he died when an explosive detonated near his tank. Gudino was
assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
More than 100 3rd Infantry soldiers from Fort Stewart and Fort Benning have been killed in Iraq since
the division was deployed to the country in January for a second tour of duty. Soldiers from the division
helped lead the assault on Baghdad in 2003.
Burial:
Egelston Township Cemetery
Muskegon
Muskegon County
Michigan, USA
Created by: Rodeogirl73
Record added: Dec 29, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 12811737
Spec. Dane O. Carver
Hometown: Freeport, Michigan, U.S.
Age: 20 years old
Died: December 26, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Army
National Guard, Saginaw, Mich.
Incident: Killed when his Humvee came under attack by enemy forces using
small arms fire in Khalidiyah.
Dane O. Carver
SPC Dane O. Carver, age 20, of Freeport, died serving his country December 26, 2005 in Iraq. He
is the loving son of Donald and Candace Carver of Freeport; dearest brother of Kirsten (Kenneth)
Jamison of Grandville and Ingrid (Daniel) Ivey of Wichita Falls, TX; also surviving grandmother,
Jacqueline Sorensen of Lowell; nephew, Ethan Ivey; beloved fiancée, Karla Holwerda of Grand
Rapids; also several aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Thursday,
January 5, 2006 at the Calvary Church, 777 East Beltline NE and I96, Grand Rapids. Lt. Col.,
Chaplin Will Hensen officiating. Interment Friday, 1:30 p.m., Ft. Custer National Cemetery,
Augusta, MI. Visitation will be Wednesday, January 4, 2006 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the
Roth-Gerst Chapel, 305 N. Hudson, Lowell. Memorial contributions may be made to Dane's
Family. Published in Grand Rapids Press on January 1, 2006