Reagan Handles a Heckler

Remember when we had a real president?

Alex Oceguera, Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

Alex Oceguera, 19

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Ft. Drum, N.Y.
1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 31, 2006
Wygal Valley, Afghanistan
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Bernardino
High School: Montclair High (Montclair)
Burial: Oakdale Memorial Park, Glendora









Visit Army Private 1st Class Alex Oceguera's Memorial Page here.
Read the LA Times article about Army Private 1st Class Alex Oceguera here.
Visit Army Private 1st Class Alex Oceguera's Guest Book here.
Read more about Army Private 1st Class Alex Oceguera at his page here:

Pfc. Alex Oceguera, 19, was an infantryman assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI).

A native of San Bernardino, Calif., Oceguera enlisted in the Army in June 2005 and trained at Fort Benning, Ga., to be an infantryman.

A roadside bomb killed a 19-year-old San Bernardino native on Oct. 31 in Afghanistan.

Oceguera's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

He is survived by his parents and a sister.

Oceguera was traveling in a vehicle in Wygal Valley when he and another soldier from the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y., were killed by an improvised explosive device.

The explosion also mortally wounded Sgt. Charles J. McClain, 26, of Fort Riley, Kan., who later died in Asadabad.

Oceguera was born in San Bernardino,and his family moved to Montclair when he was a child.

He graduated from Montclair High School in June 2005.


During his four years there, Oceguera did not make a name for himself through sports or awards. Instead, it was his personality and charm that made a lasting impression...


In the Army, Oceguera's skills as an infantryman shone through.


In less than two years, he won the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge, according to the Fort Drum press office.

Tea Day -- Art Interlude -- Bosch Fawstin

Tea Day is Coming

Lukas C. Hopper, Army, Pfc -- Rest In Peace

Lukas C. Hopper, 20

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: October 30, 2009

Karadah (southeast of), Iraq

Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Merced
High School: Golden Valley High (Merced)

From the LA Times:

Though he was raised Mormon, Hopper liked to attend the Jewish services on base because at the end of the service, everyone danced and ate doughnuts and bagels, he told his pals.

"He never conformed to what society or anyone around him wanted him to do, be, or say. He did what he thought was best for him, his family and his friends, whether it was a popular decision or not," said Kevin Pope, a family friend.

"The saddest part of his death is that he was truly coming into his own as an adult. . . . He definitely had a sense of purpose and a sense of direction that he might not have had prior to joining the military, and it was great to see him doing things that he loved."

Hopper, a specialist assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C., died less than two weeks before he was scheduled to return from Iraq.

He had planned to transfer to another brigade to fight in Afghanistan and was interested in going through Ranger school.

The last time he saw Hopper, Alcorn said, his friend was becoming more serious about his future.

"He wanted to go to school after the Army," Alcorn said. "He wanted a family, wanted to grow old together and live simply."

Don't miss the entire LA Times article about Army Private First Class Lukas C. Hopper here and read more from his Merced hometown paper here.

Go here now for a tribute to Lukas Hopper from his friends.

Shabbat Shalom -- Sobchak Files

Shakere T. Guy, Army National Guard, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Shakere T. Guy, 23




Army National Guard, Sergeant
Based: Modesto
1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 29, 2005
Baghdad (southern part), Iraq
Engaged
Gender: Male
Hometown: Pomona
High School: Pomona Senior High (Pomona)
Foreign Country of Birth: Jamaica
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

Army National Guard Sgt. Shakere T. Guy was known among his fellow soldiers for his fun-loving sense of humor and his efforts to help the Iraqi people. He used his own money to buy the children toys, soccer balls, clothes and candy.
Born in Jamaica, Guy became a U.S. citizen in July 2004. A few months later, the 23-year-old Pomona resident was dispatched to Iraq as a member of the National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment in Modesto.
Guy was one of two guardsmen killed Oct. 29 when a roadside bomb exploded near the Humvee they were riding in during a combat mission in Baghdad. Also killed was National Guard Capt. Raymond D. Hill II, 39, of Turlock, Calif.

Guy, who was engaged to be married, is survived by his mother, Donna Sanguinette, and a sister, Tracy Ann Smith, both of Pomona.

At an emotional memorial service for Guy and three other soldiers in the same company, including the battalion commander, who were killed within a few days, one friend recalled that Guy was beside him the first time they were attacked with explosives.

"I couldn't have asked for a better soldier by my side," the unidentified soldier said in a eulogy for Guy. "He performed very well at his assigned duties, whether it be as a gunner or driver. He maintained a high level of alertness, and was quick to point out weaknesses to help the team. Guy wore the uniform proudly.

Read more about Army National Guard Sergeant Shakere Taffari Guy here and here.

Previously posted here.

Joseph F. Curreri, Army, Staff Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Joseph F. Curreri, 27

Army, Staff Sergeant

Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.

2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom

Died: October 27, 2007
Siet Lake, Philippines

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Los Angeles

High School: Loyola Blakefield High School (Baltimore)

Burial: Los Angeles National Cemetery, Westwood

Born and reared in the suburbs of Baltimore, Curreri became a Civil War buff at an early age and a record-breaking swimmer. When he was 14, he swam across Chesapeake Bay and also founded the water polo team at his high school, the Jesuit-run Loyola Blakefield.

Coaches from Harvard, Yale, Princeton and elsewhere urged him to join their swim teams, but he fell in love with USC on a recruiting trip, his mother said.

"He was a dedicated Trojan," she said.

His Army buddies, some from competing colleges around the country, recounted how he would devilishly subject them to his singing of the USC fight song.

On the USC swim team, he was a member of a four-man relay team that took first place in the 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. Spring Nationals in 1999.

He qualified for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials and was voted captain of the swim team for the first half of his senior year....

In an essay titled "Why I wish to become a Green Beret," Curreri quoted President Kennedy about the few granted the role of defending freedom in the hour of maximum danger.

"When my children ask me what I did to avenge the assault of September 11th, I shall be able to look them in the eye, without a hint of hesitation, and respond that I answered the call of our nation," he wrote.

Curreri joined the Army in 2004 and was assigned as a Special Forces communications sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

He was part of a group helping to train Philippine government troops fighting Islamic militants in the nation's southern islands and was due to return to the United States with his group Nov. 8.

In addition to his wife and mother, Curreri is survived by his father, Frank, of Carney, Md.; his stepmother, Tricia; and two sisters, Shannon Trevino of Laguna Beach and Angelina Curreri of Carney, Md.

The family asks that any donations be made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation --  which provides scholarships and counseling to children of fallen military personnel.

Please read the entire LA Times article about Army Staff Sergeant Joseph F. Curreri hereand read more here, here and here.

Coming Up Roses -- Merman Interlude

And here she is singing the same number for, yes, Ronald Reagan.

Billy Gomez, Army, Corporal -- Rest In Peace

Billy Gomez, 25

Army, Corporal

Based: Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry,
3rd Infantry Brigade,
25th Infantry Division

Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom

Died: October 27, 2004
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Perris

Cpl. Billy Gomez of Perris, California died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he was taken after his vehicle struck a homemade bomb Oct. 20 in Naka, Afghanistan. He was a member of the medical corps and enlisted in the Army in August 1997. Originally from Perris, Calif., Gomez was the youngest of triplets. Both of his brothers are also in the Army. Mark is a member of 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, serving on Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan, and Joey is assigned to a unit on Fort Sill, Okla. He was 25.

Army
Wolfhounds
Headquarters Company
2nd Battalion
27th Infantry Regiment
25th Infantry Division (Light)
Schofield Barracks

Billy Gomez was a true friend of mine..we were stationed at Fort Bragg,NC together. He would always put a smile on your face no matter what the situation was..We both re-enlisted for Hawaii and was stationed there together before we both were deployed..My family had him over for Thanksgiving dinner because neither one of us had family there..I miss you brother!!

— SSG Chris Pettit

May 20, 2010 at 1:05 p.m.

It is hard to think that he is gone forever. But he is only gone physically and still lives within our memories... I miss my brother.

— Debbie Gomez

May 25, 2010 at 3:49 p.m.

sorry i wasnt there to protect u billy...

— Robinson Prieto

May 31, 2010 at 11:17 p.m.



Spc. Visala Tui (see below), a medic with HHC, 2nd Bn., 27th Inf. Rgt., pays his respects following a memorial service for his best friend, Cpl. Billy Gomez Oct. 30 at Forward Operating Base Orgun -E, Afghanistan. Gomez, who was also a medic in HHC, 2-27, died Oct. 27 from injuries he sustained when his vehicle hit an IED Oct. 20 in Afghanistan. US Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen.
Find more pictures of Army Corporal Billy Gomez' memorial here (scroll down once you reach the link):

 Update: Found this at The Bark :

The Loss of a Friend

Wolfhounds of the 2nd Battalion,

27th Infantry Regiment remember a

fallen comrade at a memorial service

held at Orgun-e FOB on 30 October.

CPL William Gomez, 25, of

Perris, California died on 27 October at

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in

Germany of wounds sustained from an

IED attack.

CPL Gomez, a Combat Medic

assigned to HHC 2-27IN, was critically

wounded when an improvised explosive

device destroyed his Humvee while on

patrol in Paktika Province, Afghanistan

on 20 October.

Two other 2-27 soldiers seriously

wounded in the same attack are

recovering.

CPT Daniel Beard, Headquarters

Company Commander, described CPL

Gomez as a quality soldier and dedicated

medic.

“There was nothing CPL Gomez

would not and could not do for the good

of the mission,” CPT Beard said.

Medical Platoon Leader, 1LT

William Curtis, said CPL Gomez was

one of the most competent medics in the

platoon.

“If I had a platoon of medics like

him I’d have no worries," said 1LT

Curtis.

CPL Gomez entered the United

States Army on 11 August 1997. He

was assigned to Schofield Barracks in

July of 2001. In March 2004 he was

deployed to Afghanistan in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom as part of

the 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

During his combat tour in

Afghanistan, CPL Gomez earned the

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,

the Global War on Terrorism

Expeditionary Medal, the Combat

Medical Badge, and the Purple Heart.

Previous awards include the Army

Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service

Ribbon, the Army Good Conduct Medal,

the National Defense Service Medal, and

the Expert Field Medical Badge.

PFC Jerry Little said his coworker

was a true friend and type of guy

you could always count on.

“He was a great person. If you

needed something he was there,” PFC

Little said. “He was liked and respected

by everyone who knew him.”

SPC Visala Tui spoke at the

memorial service paying tribute to his

best friend.

“I’m thankful to have had him as

a friend in my life the last three years,”

he said. “I can look back at all the

memories of the good times we had.”

“I will never forget him. He will

always be in my heart now and forever.”

SPC Tui shared how he would

tell his children about CPL Gomez.

“He’s the person who helped

their daddy…the hero who fought for

their freedom,” he said. “They will hear

stories of how great he was, how tough

he was, and how he inspired others to

fight on.”

"Because of CPL Gomez,

America is America today. I will always

miss you, Billy, my friend.”

All soldiers of the 25th Infantry

Division will miss his presence and

friendship both on and off the battlefield.

His dedication to his duty,

professionalism and faith is a model for

all to follow. His love for country,

family and friends is an inspiration to us

all.

CPL Gomez was the youngest of

triplets. He is survived by his two

brothers, Army SGT Mark Gomez who

is currently deployed to Afghanistan

with the 2-35IN, 25th ID(L), and Army

SGT Joey Gomez who is assigned to

Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He is also survived

by his sister Debbie Gomez, and his

mother Maria Rivas.

-MH

David Eliah Metzger, Army, Sergeant 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

David E. Metzger, 32

Army, Sergeant 1st Class
Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 26, 2009
Darreh-ye Bum, Afghanistan
Married, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Diego
High School: Mar Vista Senior High (Imperial Beach)
Burial: Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego

Sgt. 1st Class Metzger, 32, was one of seven Army Special Operations Command soldiers [and one of two from Fort Bragg] killed in Afghanistan Oct. 26 when the helicopter carrying them crashed in the western province of Badghis. Also killed were three Drug Enforcement Administration agents. Most of those on board, including U.S. and Afghan personnel, survived the crash.

Metzger was on his third deployment to Afghanistan. Fellow soldiers lauded his dedication and described him as a strapping, affable comrade who paid close attention to detail.

"He was someone you could count on," Master Sgt. Javier F. Martinez, the senior enlisted sergeant on Metzger's team, said by telephone from Afghanistan. "He was someone you'd want there in the heat of battle. You always knew he was watching your back."

Metzger was buried at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, after several services celebrating his life.

Survivors include Alicia Metzger and the couple's two sons, David Jr., 13, and Grant, 2, of Fort Bragg; and his grandmother Dolores Wallen and parents, David Metzger and Lisandra Holstein, of California.

Read the entire LA Times story on Army Sergeant 1st Class David E. Metzger here, read more here and here and find a story and photographs from NBC San Diego here.
Find one of many articles about Keith R. Bishop here.

Art Interlude -- Potato[e] Party

Via Big H'wood

Raymond D. Hill II, Army National Guard, Captain -- Rest In Peace

Raymond D. Hill II, 39

Army National Guard, Captain
Based: Modesto
1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 29, 2005
Baghdad (southern area), Iraq
Married, 2 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: Turlock
High School: Ceres High (Ceres)
Burial: Lakewood Memorial Park, Hughson, Calif.

On Oct. 29, [Captain Ramond D. Hill II] and another guardsman were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in southern Baghdad. The blast followed raids earlier that day that netted 39 suspected insurgents in the area, Markert said.


Hill was on his way to deliver educational supplies and humanitarian aid to Iraqis affected by military operations, officials said...

"His passion was his family, and the military," said Ron Hill, Ray's brother. "He loved what he was doing."

Hill's unit did a first Middle East tour in 2001, heading to Kuwait as terrorists struck New York and the Pentagon. He returned to Iraq in January.

He wrote his wife, Dena, soon after arriving. Balancing obligations to his family -- including daughters BreeAnna, 13, and Alyssa, 10 -- and the military wasn't always easy or convenient, he wrote.


"My heart aches for the time I am missing; missing important dates, events and special moments. I know you think I see this as just a big adventure and a carefree event for me.


"I admit I was willing to go. After all, this is what I have trained for, for the past 18 years.... If I did not go, someone else would have to."

Hill's unit operates in a heavily Sunni Muslim area that has been a hotspot of insurgent attacks.

Since mid-September, 11 members of the 184th Regiment have been killed. Three officers were fatally wounded in bomb attacks in a single week, including Hill and a colonel, the highest-ranking commander killed in the war.

Ron Hill said his brother, who e-mailed and spoke with family members two days before he died, never expressed despair over casualties or fear for his own safety.

Instead, he was encouraged by the appreciation he received from Iraqis, especially children, Ron Hill said.

"The gratitude he experienced was 'beyond comprehension.' Those were some of his words."

Read the entire LA Times article about Army National Guard Captain Raymond D. Hill II here and read more here, here and here.

Richard Patrick Slocum, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

Richard Patrick Slocum, 19

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Marine Corps Base Hawaii
1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 24, 2004
Baghdad (Abu Ghraib), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Saugus
High School: Saugus High (Saugus)
Burial: Eternal Valley Memorial Park, Newhall

Here's the LA Times on Richard P. Slocum:
October 31, 2004
Catherine Saillant

Richard P. Slocum joined the Marine Corps right after high school because he wanted to become a man, his father says.

Always a "tough guy," the 19-year-old viewed the military as a way to serve his country while gaining new skills and discipline, his father, Robert, said.

"Ricky felt the Marines would make a man of him," he said. "It definitely did."

The lance corporal was killed Oct. 24 in a noncombat accident when a Humvee he was riding in rolled over near Abu Ghraib, Iraq, his father said.

Slocum was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, military officials said. The Department of Defense did not release details about the accident, saying it is under investigation.

Slocum had been manning a machine gun in the turret when the Humvee swerved to avoid a barrier in the road. He was fatally ejected when the vehicle rolled over, his father said.

He said his son had hoped to attend college after a four-year stint in the military.

Robert Slocum and his wife, Kay, supported their son's decision to join the Marines shortly after his graduation from Saugus High School last year even though no one else in the family had served in the military since the Korean War.

Slocum played football and baseball and enjoyed bodybuilding in high school, his father said. After straying from religion, Slocum began quoting Bible verses in letters home as he approached his duty in Iraq, his father said.

"He had a tough-guy image," Robert Slocum said. "But deep down inside, he had a soft heart and would do anything for family and friends."


In addition to his parents, Slocum is survived by a brother, Robert, 22; a sister, Kimberly, 24; his grandparents, Bob and Shirley Slocum of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and Hilma Kelley of Lancaster; and a nephew.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Eternal Valley Mortuary in Newhall.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita. Burial will be at Eternal Valley Cemetery in Newhall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Red Cross. Checks should be made out to ARC-Service to Military Families and sent to 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057.

Read more about Marine Lance Corporal Richard Patrick Slocum here, and find him mentioned on a C-Span video here and at Military Monday on CCR...

/

Saturday Night Video -- Decision Points Interlude

Why? Because on the weekends we're highbrow literateaurs and modern historateaurs here at Boom3. 
Plus we like the trend of video trailers for new books. 
Plus plus, we miss having a real president.

Senatress Babs Rexob -- I Worked So Hard

Call Me Senator from RightChange on Vimeo.

Yeah, I want to post this on FaceBook but my pitiful loser friends would cardiac arrest themselves.

Via The Other McCain.
Update: Also seen on Texas for Sarah Palin.
Update update: just spotted in Israel...

1000 Words -- Sarah Diva Palin and Trig -- 1773

Joseph R. Livingston III, Beirut, Lebanon, 1983 -- Rest In Peace, Corporal

Rest In Peace Marine Corporal Joseph R. Livingston III -- Dad, Husband, Son, Brother, Friend 
-- Killed by that religion of peace

1983 

Beirut Lebanon

Pevious posts here and here.

Shabbat Shalom

Today's bonus Hatikva. Because we still like it and haven't heard it in a while:

San Sim, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

San Sim, 23

Marines, Lance Corporal

Based: Twentynine Palms, Calif.

1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force

Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom

Died: October 22, 2008 Helmand province, Afghanistan
Married, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: Santa Ana
High School: Valley High (Santa Ana)

Foreign Country of Birth: Philippines

“We came to this country to escape war. And now he’s died in war. Our thoughts, prayers and wishes go out to the troops still out there.”

-- Yasmine Sim

From the LA Times:

Growing up in Santa Ana, San Sim could usually be found with an animal nearby.

He had snakes, dogs, cats, chickens, scorpions, lizards, fish and an ant farm, as well as many other pets, said his sister, Serene Sim.

"When he was in high school, he tried to take his pet rooster for a walk, and a rooster is not really an animal you take for a walk, but that's just what he did," she said.

The only thing he loved more than animals was his family, she said. That love of family eventually led to a military career.

San Sim grew up hearing the story of how his family made it from Southeast Asia to the United States against immeasurable odds.

"My dad would tell him about our family and how the nine of them would run through the jungle for hours each day to escape war in Cambodia, and that really stuck with him," Serene Sim, 25, said.

In the late 1970s, the Sims fled Cambodia, then under the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge, for refugee camps in Thailand. In 1985, the family made it to the Philippines, where Sim was born, the last of the family's 11 children.

"To be able to survive that migration is a miracle, and he really understood the sacrifice and the struggle the family went through to get here to have some freedom," Serene Sim said.

It was this family history that gave Sim his appreciation for freedom and life, whether animal or human, she said. "He wanted to be a part of America and contribute and give back to the country that gave us all so much," she said.

But it wasn't until after the Sept. 11 attacks, when Sim was a student at Santa Ana’s Valley High School, that he decided how he wanted to give back to the country.

"He just knew it's what he wanted to do -- we all did, him, my brother and I," said Rossy Morales, Sim's childhood neighbor. "We always talked about it, and how we were going to go fight for our country."

After graduation, he attended Orange Coast College for two semesters and then joined the Marines in 2004.

Morales, 22, said her brother, Jay, enlisted in the Marines on the same day as Sim and fought alongside him in Iraq. She later joined the Army herself and will head to Iraq in December.

Sim's decision to go to war left his family conflicted.

The family had hoped to leave war behind, Serene Sim said, and the Sims are pacifists as a part of their Buddhist faith.

"It was a calling for him regardless and we can't stop him from his journey," said Seng Sim, one of Sim's older brothers.

"The war changed him in a lot of good ways. After the first tour when he came back, he was always saying he loved you. That's not something we grew up a lot with, showing that kind of emotion, but that's something he brought with him and into our family."

Read the entire LA Times story here and read more about Marine Lance Corporal San Sim here and find pictures here in the Orange County Register and here at Chandra Pong.



Marine Cpl. Sal Loera holds Donovan Sim,
the one-year-old son of his friend, Lance Cpl. San Sim.
The two served two tours together.

Kyle A. Coumas, Army, Specialist -- Rest In Peace

Kyle A. Coumas, 22

Army, Specialist
Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.
1st Batallion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 21, 2009
Kandahar province, Afghanistan
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Lockeford
High School: St. Mary's High School (Stockton) 

An Army specialist, Coumas, 22, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash. On Oct. 21, he was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in southwest Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border.

Army Specialist Kyle A. Coumas' parents wrote of their beloved son:

“Kyle Coumas was a man who believed that serving his country, being a part of a greater whole and being dedicated to preserving our nation’s freedom was the most honorable job a person could have ... Kyle will always be remembered as a soldier who served with honor, dignity and pride. We are blessed to have been his parents for 22 years and will always love him, our only child, with all our hearts!”

Read their entire letter here.



Read the LA Times article about Army Specialist Kyle A. Coumas here and read more here and here. You will find pictures here and here.

Charles O. Sare, Navy, Hospitalman -- Rest In Peace

Charles O. Sare, 23

Navy, Hospitalman

Based: Port Hueneme, Calif.

Naval Ambulatory Care Center

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 23, 2006 Sadah, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male
Hometown: Hemet

High School: Hemet High (Hemet)

Burial: San Jacinto Valley Cemetery, San Jacinto, Calif.

When Navy Hospitalman Charles O. Sare deployed to "the sandbox" Sept. 1, he took with him a teddy bear given to him by his girlfriend of seven months. He told her that he would keep it by his heart, she recounted on Sare's home page on MySpace.com.
A medic, Sare was killed when a roadside bomb blew up near his Humvee in Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense.

He is the fourth graduate of Hemet High School to be killed in Iraq.

His father, Charles "Ed" Sare of Hemet, said Otto entered the service because he wanted to become a paramedic firefighter.

"He was there to do a job and get the experience," his father said. "But he believed in the mission. That's why he wanted to go."

Sare enlisted in 2004 and was stationed at the Naval Ambulatory Care Center in Port Hueneme. His family said that shortly after arriving in Iraq, he helped save the life of a fellow serviceman, an event he spoke of with great pride.

Called "Otter" by everyone, Sare was a happy-go-lucky guy who tried to coax a smile from others, his father said.

He was close to his younger brother, Matt, and spoke of moving to Las Vegas with him once he left the service, according to his MySpace page.

His mother, Vikki Carver, a resident of Nibley, Utah, called her son "my closest friend, even though I had to be a parent too. He never judges, only tries to compliment you."

Sare was buried Nov. 1 in Hemet in a service attended by 600 people. His tricked-out Toyota pickup truck led the procession of mourners to San Jacinto Valley Cemetery.

"There are no words to describe the hurt," his father said.

Read the entire LA Times article about Navy Hospitalman Charles O. Sare here, and read more about Sare here and here and visit his Guest Book here.