Boom3

Michael G. Mihalakis, Army National Guard Specialist -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-26T02:01:00.000-09:00

Army National Guard, Specialist
Based: Fairfield, Calif.
270th Military Police Company, 49th Military Police Battalion, 100th Troop Command
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: December 26, 2003
Baghdad, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Jose
High School: Milpitas High (Milpitas)
Burial: Cedar Lawn Memorial Park, Fremont, Calif.

As his assignment in Iraq neared completion, Army National Guard Spc. Michael Mihalakis e-mailed his instructors at Cuesta College near San Luis Obispo and asked them to hold him a place in their spring classes. His unexpected overseas adventures were coming to a close, and he was ready to renew his quest for a business degree.
"He was already planning the next phase of his life," his mother, Diana, said from the family home in San Jose. "He went out to discover himself and to grow and to have experiences. The last time I talked with him, he felt he had done those things."

Read more about Specialist Michael G. Mihalakis here, here and here.

Army National Guard Specialist Michael G. Mihalakis was last remembered at Boom3 on Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Shabbat Shalom -- Jerusalem The Movie

2011-12-16T14:01:00.002-09:00

Jerusalem | Filmed in Imax 3D from JerusalemTheMovie on Vimeo.

Big hat tip to Israel Matzav.

Kitchen Cabinet -- Harry and Michelle

2011-12-16T10:01:00.001-09:00

Michael D. Anderson Jr., Marines, Corporal -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-16T02:01:00.003-09:00

Michael D. Anderson Jr., 21

Marines, Corporal

Based: Camp Pendleton

3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: December 14, 2004

Fallouja, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Modesto

High School: Peter Johansen High (Modesto)

Burial: Lakewood Memorial Park, Hughson, Calif.

Marine Cpl. Michael D. Anderson Jr., 21, of Modesto withstood the bloody battle for the Iraqi town of Fallouja but was unable to survive its aftermath in violent, house-to-house combat against insurgents.

Anderson, a former member of the Marine Corps' terrorism-fighting team known as Fast Company, retired from the elite squad earlier this year to be closer to his family. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. He left for Iraq on Sept. 11.

The decorated Marine was killed Tuesday as his squad traveled from house to house on rooftops searching for enemy combatants, said his father, Michael Anderson Sr., who spoke with Marines from his son's squad...

The senior Anderson, who described his son as his best friend, said they last talked on the phone Dec. 11, when his son told him that "things were getting weird."

Read the entire LA Times article about Marine Corporal Michael D. Anderson Jr. here

and find more about Marine Corporal Michael D. Anderson Jr. here

and here.

Ian W. Stewart, Marines, Corporal -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-12T02:01:00.001-09:00

Ian W. Stewart , 21

Marines, Corporal

Based: Camp Pendleton

3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: December 12, 2004

Fallouja, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Lake Hughes

High School: Quartz Hill High (Quartz Hill)

Burial: Buried in Illinois

Stewart entered the Marines three days after he finished high school, on Father's Day 2001. He completed boot camp the week of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Coincidently, he deployed to Iraq on Sept. 11 of this year.
Last week, Marine Cpl. Ian Wesley Stewart was killed by small-arms fire while his unit was clearing houses in Fallouja. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

"We were praying for his safety, but God moved differently. We trust God's judgment, but we don't care much for his time schedule," Stewart's father said. "But we have real peace.... We're confident we'll see him again, and that beautiful smile of his, in heaven."

Read the entire LA Times article about Marine Corporal Ian W. Stewart here,

with more about Corporal Stewart at Military Times

and find messages and remembrances regarding Marine Corporal Ian W. Stewart here.

Mark T. Carter, Navy Seal, Chief Petty Officer -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-11T02:01:00.001-09:00

Mark T. Carter , 27

Navy, Chief Petty Officer
Based: East Coast-based Navy SEAL
Navy SEAL
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: December 11, 2007
Balad, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Fallbrook
High School: Fallbrook High (Fallbrook)
Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

[Mark T. Carter] knew exactly what he wanted to do when he joined the Navy after graduating from Fallbrook High School in 1998. He wanted to be a Navy SEAL.
The son of a doctor, Carter graduated from boot camp at Great Lakes, Ill., and then Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in Coronado, Calif. More than half of SEAL students drop out, but not Carter, a stocky 5-foot-5 and outdoor athlete who loved physical challenges.

Once he was in the SEALs, his rise through the ranks was swift. He deployed during the U.S. campaign to topple the Taliban in Afghanistan and then during the early stages of the U.S. mission in Iraq.

His fellow SEALs gave him the nickname Badger after the small but ferocious animal. The name was bestowed after Carter beat a 6-foot-5 opponent in a wrestling match.

The facts behind his death and earlier service in Afghanistan and Iraq may never be fully known. Like other special forces units, the SEALs keep a tight hold on their identities and the facts behind their missions. His parents, Cindy and Dr. Thomas Carter, now of Council Bluffs, Iowa, have declined to speak to the media.

Although SEALs do multiple tasks, one of Carter's specialties was keeping team members in radio contact during missions. When team members cannot communicate with each other, high-risk missions can go awry.

"Without a good comm guy, you can't complete a mission," said Petty Officer 1st Class Steve Otten, who teaches at the SEALs school and will soon leave active duty. "Next to the officer in charge, the comm guy is probably the most important. Mark was one of the best."

Read the whole LA Times article about Navy Chief Petty Officer Mark T. Carter here

and find more at the Arlington Cemetary site

and at Military Times

and visit Navy Seal Carter's Guest Book here.

Jhanner A. Tello, Army, Private -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-10T02:01:00.001-09:00

Jhanner A. Tello , 29

Army, Private
Based: Ft. Hood, Texas
3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: December 10, 2009
Baghdad, Iraq
Married, 2 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: Los Angeles
Foreign Country of Birth: Colombia

He was a very happy man.

— Lusin Mathews-Gezalyan, ex-wife

Jhanner Tello was a charmer, a sweet-talker and a man who loved to entertain, and when he was around, there was never a dull moment, those close to him say.

In July 2005, he took that energy and joined the Army, which soon posted him overseas.

Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, was on his second deployment to Iraq on Dec. 10 when he died in Baghdad of injuries suffered in a noncombat-related incident, according to the Department of Defense.

But his relatives said Tello always took pride in his military service and his family. "He wanted to be there for his two boys," Ashley Tello said.

Read the whole LA Times article on Army Private Jhanner A. Tello here
and find more about Army Private Jhanner A. Tello here.

Shabbat Shalom -- Early White House Chanukah

2011-12-09T14:01:00.003-09:00

Drudge says:

Obama celebrates Hanukkah at White House...

TWO WEEKS EARLY? LIGHTS ALL THE CANDLES...

'We Never Need an Excuse For a Good Party'...

The basic elements of a koshermenorah are eight holders for oil or candles and an additional holder, set apart from the rest, for the shamash ("attendant") candle.
The Menorah
The Chanukah lights can either be candle flames or oil-fueled. Since the miracle of Chanukah happened with olive oil – the little cruse of oil that lasted for eight days – an oil menorah is preferable to a candle one, and olive oil is the ideal fuel. Cotton wicks are preferred because of the smooth flame they produce.
Whenever purchasing a mitzvah article, we try to buy the most beautiful one that is within our means. So, if at all possible, go for the silver menorah. Beautifying a mitzvah is our way of expressing our appreciation to G‑d, and showing how dearly we hold His commandments.
The eight candles of the menorah must be arranged in a straight, even line, not in a zigzag or with some lights higher than others. If it is an oil menorah, the oil cups must hold enough oil to burn for the required time – at least 30 minutes on weeknights, and up to one-and-a-half hours on Friday evening (see Special Shabbat Rules). If it is a candle menorah, the candles should be large enough to burn for the required time.
Electric menorahs are great for display purposes, and are a wonderful medium for publicizing the Chanukah miracle. But the Chanukah lights used to fulfill the mitzvah should be real flames fueled by wax or oil – like the flames in the Holy Temple.

Yep, as Matt Drudge reminds us, "we never need an excuse for a good party." Amein.

Nicholas P. Steinbacher, Army, Specialist -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-09T05:45:00.000-09:00

Nicholas P. Steinbacher, 22

Army, Specialist

Based: Ft. Hood, Texas

2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: December 10, 2006

Baghdad, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: La Crescenta

High School: Crescenta Valley Senior High (La Crescenta)

It was the last parade for Army Spc. Nicholas P. Steinbacher of La Crescenta, an infantryman killed earlier this month by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

On Dec. 20, as his funeral procession slowly traveled from Crippen Mortuary to St. James the Less Catholic Church, thousands of people from his hometown lined the 2 1/2 -mile route.

They included veterans, firefighters, police officers, local merchants, former classmates, high school athletes and friends. Many held American flags. All stood in silence as the motorcade passed.

"It was phenomenal. In the middle of a Wednesday just before the holidays, people with plenty to do turned out to pay their respects," said Steinbacher's father, Paul. "It was a comfort for the family and a tribute to my son."

Steinbacher was killed Dec. 10 when a bomb exploded near his Humvee while he was on a night patrol in Baghdad. Just two days before, he had celebrated his 22nd birthday.

Steinbacher was assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Calvary Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas. His comrades described him as the spirit of their unit.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Specialist Nicholas P. Steinbacher here and find more about Steinbacher here, here, here and here.

Steven H. Bridges, Army, Staff Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-08T02:01:00.001-09:00

Steven H. Bridges, 33

Army, Staff Sergeant
Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.
1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: December 8, 2003
Balad (9 km northeast of), Iraq
Married, 4 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: Tracy
Burial: Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Wash.

Army Staff Sgt. Steven H. Bridges of Tracy, a father of four who had hoped to become a history teacher when he finished his military career, died Monday on a nighttime patrol north of Baghdad.

Army officials said Bridges, 33, was in one of two Stryker vehicles -- a lightweight, high-tech troop carrier introduced only recently in Iraq -- that plunged into a canal when the dike on which they were driving suddenly collapsed.

Two other soldiers, Spc. Joseph M. Blickenstaff, 23, and Spc. Christopher J. Rivera Wesley, 26, both of Oregon, also died in the accident.

Bridges graduated from Tracy High in 1988 and, to the surprise of his family, joined the Army in 1991.

He is survived by his wife, Debra; their 5-year-old daughter; and three stepchildren from his wife's earlier marriage.

In a statement read by military authorities in Ft. Lewis, Debra Bridges said of her husband: "He knew that he was going to miss his family and, at times, expected he might not see us again. But he deployed with confidence that he was well-trained and ready. No one could have predicted the accident that suddenly took this man from our lives."

His parents, Sheldon and Loretta Bridges, live in Tracy.

Read the full LA Times article about Army Staff Sergeant Steven H. Bridges here, find messages and remembrances here and Sergeant Bridges' photograph is to be found here.

Pearl Harbor

2011-12-07T02:01:00.002-09:00

Pearl Harbor Casualty List. There are 2402 names on this list.

USS Arizona

First the sneak attack.

Then some talk -- sans teleprompter.

Later some action.

Kenneth E. Necochea Jr., Army, Corporal -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-06T02:01:00.002-09:00

Kenneth E. Necochea Jr., 21

Army, Corporal

Based: Ft. Campbell, Ky.

2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment,

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom

Died: December 12, 2010

Kandahar province, Afghanistan

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: San Diego

High School: Poway High (Poway)

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

Poway High Grad, Kenneth Necochea Jr., dies in Afghanistan
By Blanca Gonzalez

Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 6:10 p.m.
Specialist Kenneth Necochea Jr.
As a student at Poway High School, Kenny Necochea was a gentle, quiet kid who developed a passion for history.

As a young man in the Army, he started making plans for the future and considered a career as a fireman or police officer.

He had been in Afghanistan, part of the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, since early June and was looking forward to a leave in mid-January.

Specialist Kenneth Necochea Jr. was killed Dec. 12 in a suicide attack in Afghanistan. He was 21.

Five other American soldiers were also killed when a vehicle packed with explosives blew up at the entrance of a joint NATO-Afghan base in Kandahar province. Spc. Necochea and his fellow soldiers were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

Friends said Spc. Necochea was a personable, polite young man with a strong faith, great smile and good sense of humor.

Laura Dossett of Tennessee, met him when he was stationed at Fort Campbell and they quickly became close. “He was so shy (when they first met) but once we got to know each other, he opened up,” Dossett said. “He was such a gentle, sweet soul. He was a strong Christian. He was one of the only boys who ever willingly went to church with me.”

Dossett recalled that he brought her mother flowers the first time he met her. “She wondered ‘What’s he buttering me up for,’ but she learned that was just Kenny being Kenny. My family just loved him.”

David LeMaster, assistant principal at Poway High, remembered Spc. Necochea as a low-key student in his history class. “He was a nice, sweet kid. His classmates liked him and he worked well in groups,” LeMaster said. Although he didn’t participate much in class discussions, “he was great one-on-one,” LeMaster said. “Like many kids, he wasn’t too thrilled about (history) at first but he left the class excited about the subject.”

According to the Department of the Defense, Spc. Necochea was an Infantryman who joined the Army in February 2009 and arrived in Fort Campbell in June of 2009. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, and Army Service Medal.
In a June 2010 blog posting, his mother, Donna Wright of San Diego, encouraged friends to send care packages and letters to him. His requests included beef jerky, chocolate chip cookies and hard candy, she wrote. In an Aug. 29 posting she wrote that her son had received a medal. “This medal means ‘He’s been in battle,’ been shot at and has shot at others. I can’t tell you how terrifying it was to hear this news,” she wrote.

Laurie Davidson of Selah, Wash., has known Spc. Necochea since he befriended her son, Spc. Markus Jensen at Fort Campbell. The two formed a special bond and planned on becoming police officers or opening a business together after they got out of the Army, she said.

Everybody who met Spc. Necochea loved him, Davidson said. “He was so easy to talk to … He was the type of person you wanted to spend time with, he always had something good to say.”

A California native, Kenneth E. Necochea Jr. was born March 1, 1989. He graduated from Poway High in 2007.

Survivors include his father, Kenneth E. Necochea of Poway; his mother and stepfather, Donna and Neal Wright of San Diego; and several siblings.

See the comments about Army Corporal Kenneth E. Necochea Jr. at the LA Times,

visit a FaceBook page honoring Corporal Necochea,

visit Corproal Kenneth E. Necochea's page at Horizon Christian Fellowship

and read more about Corporal Necochea at the Fort Campbell Courier here.

Dignified Transfer at Dover AFB
A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Spc. Kenneth E. Necochea Jr., of San Diego, Calif., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Dec. 13, 2010. Necochea was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Roland Balik)

Arron R. Clark, Army Specialist -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-05T02:01:00.000-09:00

Arron R. Clark, 20

Army, Specialist

Based: Darmstadt, Germany

440th Signal Battalion, 22nd Signal Brigade, V Corps

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: December 5, 2003
Baghdad (eastern part), Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Chico

High School: Chico High (Chico)

Burial: Glen Oaks Memorial Park, Chico

For several months, Army Spc. Arron R. Clark gave soldiers serving with him in Iraq his two-week passes, which would have allowed him to visit his mother in Northern California.
"Mom, they have babies they have not seen," he explained in letters to his mother, Tamela Lyne Clark, 45, of Chico. "I hope you understand."

The 20-year-old Chico native promised his mother he would come home on his scheduled Jan. 8 return to the United States to attend the Army Ranger School.
But Clark was killed Dec. 5 when an explosive device detonated next to his Humvee in Baghdad.
"He was my only child," his mother said Thursday as she waited in Sacramento for her son's body, which was being escorted home by his cousin, Lisa Herrik, 28, of Chico, who is an Army helicopter pilot stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Specialist Arron Ray Clark here and read more here and find messages and remembrances here.

The casket of Army Spc. Arron R. Clark of Chico, Calif., is moved Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003, from Neighborhood Church to a hearse after a funeral service in Chico, Calif. At right center in the rear is Clark's mother, Lynn Clark. (AP Photo/Chico Enterprise-Record, Ty Barbour)
This photograph is found here.

Vincent W. Ashlock, Army National Guard, Staff Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-04T02:01:00.002-09:00

Vincent W. Ashlock, 45

Army National Guard, Staff Sergeant
Based: Lucedale, Miss.
890th Engineer Battalion, 168th Engineer Brigade
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: December 4, 2010
Khost province, Afghanistan
Married, 5 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: Seaside
Burial: San Carlos Cemetery, Monterey, Calif.

From the LA Times:

Staff Sgt. Vincent W. Ashlock put in nearly 10 years in the active-duty Army as a young man. After he left, his yearning to get back in uniform never waned. Three years ago, he signed up with the California Army National Guard and found himself, at age 42, staffing dangerous checkpoints south of Baghdad.

"Getting back into the service was his mission in life," said his mother, Margot Stengel. "When he went to Iraq, he said: 'I finally feel like a man.' He just felt good about what he was doing."

Ashlock died Dec. 4, partway through the second tour of duty in his second military life. He was attached to an Army National Guard company, the 890th Engineer Battalion, 168th Engineer Brigade in Lucedale, Miss. He had been serving in eastern Afghanistan's Khowst province, on the Pakistani border. He was 45.

Ashlock appears to have died in his sleep, relatives and military officials said. The cause of death is presumed to be a heart attack, said his wife, Angela.

"He had a strong patriotism," his wife said. "He took the military spirit to heart. He tried to be a man of honor and liberty and honesty."

Ashlock was born in San Jose and reared largely in Merced, then in Montana, his mother said. He joined the Army at 18. After leaving the military in his late 20s, he held a variety of jobs — installing flooring and carpeting and working as a warehouse manager in Sacramento.

"But in his civilian life, it was hard for him to do the everyday work, going to work 9 to 5," his wife said. "He liked the excitement of the military. He wanted to be part of doing great things and helping people and making a difference."

After joining the National Guard in California, he was quickly attached to a Mississippi unit that was ready to deploy to Iraq. There, he helped train security forces from other nations — at one point trading in the rum cakes his mother sent him for a goat, which he cooked as a holiday meal for Ugandan forces.

"I said, 'You did what?' " his mother said. "He said, 'That's what they like. I made sure they got Christmas dinner.' "

After that deployment, Ashlock volunteered for another tour, this one in Afghanistan. Much of it was spent conducting dangerous road-clearing missions. He injured his neck in one roadside explosion.

In November, shortly before he died, Ashlock visited home on leave. His daughter's elementary school asked him to participate in a Veterans Day ceremony.

"They sang songs to them and honored them," his wife said. "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. He went up there with my daughter in front of everybody and had tears in his eyes. He was really proud of what he did. It was the last time he was here."

Ashlock was buried in Monterey near his hometown of Seaside, south of Santa Cruz.

In addition to his wife and mother, he is survived by five children, Christopher Romine, Erica Sepanski, Jessee Ashlock, Kali Ashlock and Steven Ashlock; his stepfather, Neil Schweitzer; two brothers, Ryan "Buzz" Schweitzer and Lonnie Everson; a sister, Dawn Doss; his grandmother, Bonnie Ashlock; and two grandchildren.

Read more about Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Vincent W. Ashlock at Military Times and visit Sergeant Ashlock's Guest Book.

Kyle Dayton, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-03T02:01:00.000-09:00

Kyle Dayton, 22

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: December 3, 2007
Ashwah, Iraq
Married, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: El Dorado Hills
High School: Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills)
Burial: Green Valley Cemetery, Graton, Calif.

[Sergeant Dayton's wife Nicole] said she will forever have imprinted in her mind the image from the day her husband flew off to Iraq. They had about 15 minutes together and she gave him a hug and a kiss. Standing 6 feet 2 and with his pack on his back, Dayton bent down to kiss her belly, swelling with their unborn son. "I'll see you in a couple months," he said, and then walked away.

"He looked back once, and he smiled at me," Nicole said. "He had that smile on his face that he always has . . . it was a goofy smile, it was that don't-you-dare-cry sort of smile, but his eyes looked kind of sad, and I'd never seen that before.

"I was just about to lose it, I was just about to collapse in tears . . . but it was OK, I really thought it was going to be OK. You know, I'll always have that picture of him in my mind."

Do read the whole LA Times article about Army Sergeant Kyle Dayton here and read more here and here and find pictures and remembrances in his Guest Book here.

Shabbat Shalom -- San Antonio

2011-12-02T14:01:00.000-09:00

San Antonio, Texas mayor Julian Castro inserts a note as he stands at Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, during his visit of Jerusalem's Old city, Monday, July 11, 2011. (AP Photos/Dan Balilty)

Photo: Express-News, Dan Balilty / AP

Napoleon Crowns Napoleon

2011-12-02T13:15:00.000-09:00

December 2, 1804

Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French

Ryan C. Young, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-12-02T03:37:00.000-09:00

Ryan C. Young, 21

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Riley, Kan.
A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: December 2, 2003
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, USA
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Corona
High School: Norco High (Norco)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside

After his hospital stay to treat shrapnel wounds, Army Sgt. Ryan C. Young expected to be released soon and come home to Riverside County.

The 21-year-old soldier from Corona had appeared to be recuperating steadily from the injuries he suffered Nov. 8 when an improvised explosive device detonated and hit his vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq. But he unexpectedly developed a blood clot in his lungs that traveled to his heart, and he died Dec. 2. ...

Young ... met his future wife, neighbor Sarah Smith ... the summer before their sophomore year at Norco High School. "Ever since that day, we were best friends," she said. They were married in a civil ceremony in August 2002.

A month after graduating in 2000 from Norco High, Young joined the Army, just as he had planned since he was 7. His wife said he welcomed his September deployment to Iraq. "He just couldn't wait," she said. "That's what he got trained to do, and he finally got to do it."

Young also is survived by his father, Marvin Young of Iowa; his stepfather, Steve Cutshall; a brother, Brandon Cutshall; two sisters, Jenifer and Nicole Cutshall; his paternal grandparents, Milton Young of Louisiana and Billy Jean Shackleford of Texas; and his maternal grandparents, Walt and Gwen Duran of Oregon.

Read the whole LA Times article about Army Sergeant Ryan C. Young here and visit Sergeant Young's memorial website here.

John A. "JT" Lucente, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

2011-11-16T02:01:00.000-09:00

John A. "JT" Lucente, 19

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Camp Pendleton
Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: November 16, 2005
Ubaydi (near Syrian border), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Grass Valley
High School: Bear River High (Grass Valley)
Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

Marine Lance Cpl. John Lucente, 19, Grass Valley; Killed by Hand Grenade

There was something sweetly old-fashioned about Marine Lance Cpl. John Lucente, who was among five Marines killed Nov. 16 in combat in Ubaydi, Iraq, an insurgent stronghold near the Syrian border.

The 19-year-old Grass Valley, Calif., resident went to church regularly, enlisted in the Marine Corps in his junior year in high school, held down a summer job as a dishwasher and never failed to tell his family that he loved them.

In his last e-mail home, Lucente asked for prayers for his safety and that of others in Operation Steel Curtain, which was launched earlier this month with 2,500 Marines, soldiers and sailors, as well as 1,000 Iraqi soldiers.

The assault was said to be the first time that battalion-sized Iraqi units have fought alongside U.S. forces in restive Al Anbar province, stretching west almost from Baghdad to the Syrian border. The province is a stronghold of Sunni-led insurgents fighting the American-backed Iraqi government.

In addition to his mother and stepfather, Lucente is survived by two brothers, Cris, 15, and 2-month-old Jake; and a sister Cassie, 9. Jake was given his name by Lucente, his mother said.

Read the entire LA Times article about Marine Lance Corporal John A. "JT" Lucente here, see the Arlington National Cemetery article about Lance Corporal Lucente here and visit his Guest Book here.

Matthew J. Holley, Army, Specialist -- Rest In Peace

2011-11-15T02:01:00.000-09:00

Matthew J. Holley, 21

Army, Specialist
Based: Ft. Campbell, Ky.
1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: November 15, 2005
Taji (northwest of Baghdad), Iraq
Engaged
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Diego
Burial: Glen Abbey Memorial Park, Bonita, Calif.
School: Home schooled

Matthew Holley was the son every parent wants: smart, handsome, creative, and filled with purpose. A three-time AAU national karate champion, he was an exceptionally-skilled athlete. He was also a gifted amateur artist. With his talent and his drive, Matthew could have excelled in nearly any profession he chose. He chose to be a Soldier.
When Matthew enlisted in the United States Army in February of 2004, he was following the example of generations of his family. His father and his mother were both Army veterans. Between uncles, cousins, and grandfathers, the Holley family had collectively served more than 150 years in uniform since World War II, and Matthew was ready to do his part. But most importantly, Matthew was excited to be following in his father's footsteps.

The day he graduated from Air Assault School Matthew called home, saying, “I've got my wings, Dad. We can put them with yours.” Matthew put in for assignment to his father's old unit, the 101st Airborne. He got his wish and became a Screaming Eagle, just like his dad before him. He chose his military specialty, Combat Medic, because he wanted to help people, again following the example set by his father, who has been both a paramedic and a professional firefighter.

Read the entire article about

Army Specialist Matthew J. Holley here.

Visit Matthew J. Holley's Guest Book here,

read the San Diego Tribune article here,

an article about his final trip home here,

and visit the Matthew Holley Foundation.

Shabbat Shalom -- The Jews of Yemen

2011-11-11T15:01:00.000-09:00

With a kalashnikov on his side, 19-year-old Yemeni Jew, Yosef Saeed Hamdi (Right), poses for a picture with an unidentified guest on the first day of his traditional wedding party in the village of Raydah in Amran province, 70 kms north of Sanaa, on June 15, 2008. Hamdi is completing his studies in Jerusalem but he came back home to get married to a young woman from his community, according to relatives. A few hundred Jews still live in Yemen, but recent threats by rebels from the Zaidi minority made some leave their homes in the Saada province to the Sanaa region. Jews, like Muslims in tribal areas of Yemen, hold three-day wedding parties for their children who usually marry members of the same community.

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T10:01:00.002-09:00

Thank you, Veterans.

With the Old Breed

The Pacific

Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-11-11T02:01:00.001-09:00

Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez, 22

Army, Sergeant
Based: Giessen, Germany
1st Battalion, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: November 11, 2006
Ramadi, Iraq
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Pacoima
High School: San Fernando High (San Fernando)
Foreign Country of Birth: Mexico
Burial: Los Angeles National Cemetery, Westwood

Army Sgt. Angel de Jesus Lucio Ramirez knew how much his mother worried about him during his first combat tour in Iraq. So during his second tour he would call home two or more times a week to reassure her that all was well.

On Nov. 9, Marina Lucio answered the phone in her Bakersfield home to hear her son offer a quick hello. The 22-year-old soldier said he was going on a two-day mission and would call again when he returned.

Three days later, two soldiers in crisp Army greens knocked on her door with the news that Lucio had been killed by a roadside bomb on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

"At least I got to talk to him one last time," she said. "He said he loved us and his brothers and sisters very much. That was the last thing he told me."

Lucio was among three soldiers killed in the explosion while on a security escort mission in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. They were all assigned to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Giessen, Germany.

A graduate of San Fernando High School in Pacoima, Lucio moved with his family from Saltillo, Mexico, when he was 11. He adapted quickly to his new homeland and took an interest in the U.S. military.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Sergeant Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez here.

Also killed on that day with Army Sergeant Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirez were

Staff Sergeant William S. Jackson II, 29, of Saginaw, Michigan

and Staff Sergeant Misael Martinez, 24, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Marine Corps Birthday

2011-11-10T01:24:00.002-09:00

236th Marine Corps Birthday

Title: Marine Corps Birthday
Caption: Four young Marines celebrate the Marine Corps' birthday by enjoying a beer whilst off-duty
Artist: Steve Curtis
Date: 1968
Medium: Silver Gelatin Archival Fibre Print
Copyright: © Steve Curtis

Shabbat Shalom -- IDF Medical Corps

2011-11-04T15:01:00.002-08:00

IDF

Michael D. Martino, Marines, Major -- Rest In Peace

2011-11-03T02:01:00.000-08:00

Michael D. Martino, 32

Marines, Major

Based: Camp Pendleton

Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: November 2, 2005

Ramadi, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Oceanside

High School: Woodbridge High (Irvine)

Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

Here is the LA Times article on Marines Major Michael D. Martino:

At age 9, in what would become an annual ritual, Michael Martino tumbled out of bed at the crack of dawn, pedaled his bike across Irvine and spent the day watching planes at the El Toro Air Show.

"He always knew his mission in life was to be a pilot," said his mother, Sybil.

In high school, between stints on the football and wrestling teams, his hobby was assembling model aircraft. After graduating with an economics degree from UC San Diego in 1996, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and earned his wings.

When he was later dispatched to Iraq, he told his father, "If something happens, I don't want you and Mom to get mad at the military or the government. I'm doing what I love to do and what I believe in."

On Nov. 2, as Capt. Martino and his co-pilot flew a support mission near Ramadi, a shoulder-fired enemy rocket streaked into the sky, knocking their Super Cobra helicopter to the ground and killing both men, according to news reports. Al Qaeda insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack.

Martino, 32, was assigned to Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Back home, friends and relatives recalled the Oceanside resident as a quiet, selfless man who was devoted to family, work and the Washington Redskins, his favorite football team.

In Iraq, fellow Marines nicknamed him "Oprah" because he was so good at listening to people's problems. It was a trait he developed in childhood.

"Whenever I had a nightmare, I'd go to Mike instead of our parents," said his older sister, Lauri. "He'd stay up and talk to me until I could go back to sleep."

He had a contagious smile and generous spirit, said Katie Ashford, whose husband, Brian, went through flight school with Martino and served in the same squadron. "I've never known anyone to love their friends unconditionally, but Mike did," she said.

Martino also had a playful side. In September, after learning that high school pal Scott Tarlo had to pay $130,000 in estate taxes after the death of a parent, Martino told him the sum would pay for one of the Hellfire missiles carried by his helicopter. A few weeks later, Tarlo received a photo of Martino next to a missile painted with Tarlo's name and the message, "USMC thanks you."

Born in 1973 on the Marshall Islands, where his parents worked as military contractors, Martino was the youngest of three children. When he was 8, the family moved to Irvine.

At Woodbridge High School he joined the football team and was nicknamed "Flea" for his small size and tenacious play.

After college, he signed up as a Marine and eventually was assigned to a light-attack helicopter squadron based at Camp Pendleton.

In 2004, during his first tour of duty in Iraq, he called in airstrikes on enemy positions in Fallouja, earning a Navy Commendation Medal and a nomination for a Bronze Star.

But Martino wasn't hardened by combat, his mother said. He risked his own safety to rescue civilians and consulted a chaplain about "the anguish he felt for killing people," she said. The chaplain told him he was a peacekeeper, as described in the Bible.

Martino's second tour of duty began a few weeks ago, this time as a helicopter pilot. Before he shipped out, his parents visited him at Camp Pendleton and had "a sinking feeling it would be the last time we saw him," his mother said.

Martino will be buried Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In addition to his parents and sister, he is survived by a brother, Robert; and two nieces.

Read Michael Davis Martino's mother's tribute here.

Find pictures here
and read more about Marines Major Michael David Martino here and here.

Karina Sotelo Lau, Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

2011-11-02T02:01:00.003-08:00

Karina Sotelo Lau , 20

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Ft. Hood, Texas
16th Signal Battalion
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: November 2, 2003
Fallouja (near), Iraq
Single
Gender: Female
Hometown: Livingston
High School: Livingston High (Livingston)
Burial: Turlock Memorial Park, Turlock, Calif.

Pfc. Lau, 20, died Nov. 2 in Iraq with 15 other soldiers when a transport helicopter, taking them to the Baghdad Airport for home leave in the United States, was struck by a shoulder-fired missile. Lau didn't tell her parents she would be returning home from Iraq on leave; she wanted to surprise them for her 21st birthday.
As the casualties slowly mount in Iraq and the dead trickle home, the impact is beginning to be felt in towns across America. Wednesday was Livingston's turn.

Townspeople -- co-workers of Lau's parents from nearby packing plants, schoolmates who performed with her in the Livingston High marching band, former teachers -- gathered in the church as Father Harvey Fonseca spoke of the young soldier's tragic trip home in a coffin.

Lau's father, Augustin, is ethnically Chinese, and her mother is Mexican. However, both parents were born in Mexico, and Spanish is their first language. West said Karina Lau came into the class speaking mostly Spanish but by the end of the year was registering the highest scores on English tests.

Most of the people in the working-class Merced County town of more than 11,000 have jobs in the nearby Foster Farms chicken-processing plants, the Gallo Winery or the other large food-processing facilities that flank California Highway 99.

The jobs and other agricultural opportunities have attracted one of the state's most diverse populations.

Several churches hold services in Portuguese, catering to that group of immigrants. Mennonites have three congregations surrounding Livingston and a school that goes through the 10th grade. Punjabi Sikhs operate three temples, called gurdwaras, here.

As in many valley towns, Spanish is the dominant language of the streets. About 65% of Livingston's population is Latino. St. Jude's, with attached parochial school, has 8,000 members, most of them Latino.

Looking at the mourners in his church Wednesday, Fonseca, a descendant of Portuguese immigrants, marveled at what he saw as the cohesion of his town compared to the violent chaos that brought down Karina Lau.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Private 1st Class Karina Sotelo Lau here and find more at Freedom Remembered, Military Times and Fallen Heroes. Visit Private Lau's Guest Book and find her on a FaceBook page dedicated to American Women Veterans.

Allan M. Cundanga Espiritu, Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class -- Rest In Peace

2011-11-01T02:01:00.004-08:00

Allan M. Cundanga Espiritu, 28

Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class

Based: Camp Lejeune, N.C.

2nd Force Service Support Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: November 1, 2005

Ramadi, Iraq

Married, 3 children

Gender: Male

Hometown: Oxnard

High School: Channel Islands High (Oxnard)

Foreign Country of Birth: Philippines

Burial: Ivy Lawn Memorial Park, Ventura

As a child, Allan C. Espiritu and his two younger brothers dressed up as soldiers and spent hours playing "war" in the backyard of their Oxnard home.
Years later, Espiritu achieved his childhood dream of serving in the military, first becoming a Navy medic and then helping Marines detonate roadside bombs.
It was one of those devices that killed him Oct. 31 near Ramadi, Iraq, while on his second tour of duty.
He was assigned to the 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward), 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)...
The eldest of three boys, Espiritu loved to play soldier as a child, and the three brothers would paint their faces in camouflage and run around the yard for hours, said his brother Neil, 27.
"We would have our BB guns and paint our faces to save the world," he said. "We thought it was something because we were athletic and competitive."
Relatives said Espiritu was a quiet man with a deep spiritual side and a loving father who saw his family and his career as the cornerstones of his life.
Espiritu was especially proud of being able to buy a new two-story house for his family in the Riverside County city of Menifee, which is within commuting distance of Camp Pendleton.
He had been married to his second wife, Theresa, 25, also a Navy petty officer second class, for less than a year. They had moved into the house in July, Neil Espiritu said.
"His dream was to have a home for his family because he didn't want his kids growing up in a military environment," his brother said. "He wanted them to have a normal life."
Espiritu doted on his daughters -- Alissa, 8; Melanie, 7; and Alexy, 5 -- and taught them to ride bikes this past summer.
"He loved to take care of them," his brother said. "It was in his nature, he was so caring."

Read the entire LA Times article about
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Allan M. Cundanga Espiritu here.
Read more at Military Times,
Freedom Remembered
and Military Health Systems.
Visit Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Allan M. Cundanga Espiritu's Guest Book.

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

2011-10-31T02:01:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2011-10-30T02:01:00.002-08:00

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.

Life is Good -- Dinah Shore and Pearl Bailey Live on a Saturday Night

2011-10-29T16:01:00.002-08:00

Mack the Knife

Have We No Shame? Racially Insensitive Halloween Costumes

2011-10-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

Boo!

Yeah, we're racially insensitive again this year, but we love this little guy prepped for his holy martyrdom.

OU Students Fight Racially-Insensitive Halloween Costumes

Boohoo.

Sure you're a culture. A culture of death.

On the other hand...

Racially insensitive Halloween costumes.

Ozomatli Interlude -- Jardinero

2011-10-29T10:01:00.004-08:00

A Better Life

The song "Jardinero," created by Ozomatli, heard here from our film of the week:

A Better Life

Diego A. Solorzano Valdovinos, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-29T02:01:00.001-08:00

Diego A. Solorzano Valdovinos, 24

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Campbell, Ky.
1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 29, 2010
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Huntington Park
High School: Huntington Park Senior High (Huntington Park)

Foreign Country of Birth: Mexico

Burial: Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside

On his 24th birthday, Army Sgt. Diego A. Solorzano Valdovinos was on patrol near his Afghanistan combat outpost.

Tall and affable, "Sgt. Solo," as he was known, had immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico as a boy. He'd recently visited the family home in Huntington Park and spoken about his plans. He wanted to save money and buy a house. And he was going to reenlist.

His mother was anxious, as she was in 2006 when he announced he was joining the Army. "I think he wanted some excitement in his life," Patricia Valdovinos said of her son's determination to become a soldier. "I couldn't do anything. He was old enough."

He grew into a leader, with a keen sense of responsibility for the members of the infantry team of riflemen and grenadiers he led. In his last conversation with his mother, when she urged him to be careful, he replied, "I'm a sheep dog." He said he had to look after his flock of soldiers. "His brothers, he called them," his mother recalled.

Solorzano Valdovinos was newly into his third war zone tour of duty when he set out on patrol Oct. 27 in the Yahya Khel district southeast of Kabul. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, based at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

As his platoon moved down through a ravine, small arms fire began raining down from both sides. Solorzano Valdovinos was hit multiple times, including in the major artery of his thigh. He kept firing and directing his team even though they were pinned down, said Maj. Bradd Schultz, citing a summary of the encounter prepared by Solorzano Valdovinos' commanding officer.

"His only thought," the officer wrote, "was about protecting his fellow soldiers from enemy fire."

The young man's blood loss was severe and he was evacuated and underwent surgery in Afghanistan. He was then airlifted to a military hospital in Germany. He died there two days after the firefight, as his mother was en route to be with him.

"I had no idea he had achieved so much," she said recently. Among several decorations her son received was the Army Commendation Medal, awarded for heroism or significant meritorious service.

Solorzano Valdovinos was buried at Riverside National Cemetery.

In addition to his mother and brother Jesus, his survivors include his brothers Omar Solorzano, 20, a member of the Marine Corps, and Joshua Muralles, 12; a sister, Samantha Muralles, 14; and his stepfather, Cesar Muralles.

Read the entire LA Times article about

Army Sergeant Diego A. Solorzano Valdovinos here.

Find more about Sergeant Solorzano Valdovinos at Special Forces Honor Roll

and at Military Times.

Shabbat Shalom -- Live and Become

2011-10-28T14:01:00.003-08:00

From the movie Live and Become via The K Experience.

Winehouse Summit.

2011-10-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

Coroner concludes alcohol killed Amy Winehouse.

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

2011-10-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

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 and here.

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

2011-10-27T02:01:00.000-08:00

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 here
and read more at Professional Soldiers,
Curreri College Counseling
and at Boom3.

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

2011-10-26T02:01:00.000-08:00

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, 2 children
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.

Trig Palin With His Mom

2011-10-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Eduviges G. Wolf, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-25T02:01:00.001-08:00

Eduviges G. Wolf, 24

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Carson, Colo.
704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 25, 2009
Kunar province, Afghanistan

Married, 2 children

Gender: Female
Hometown: Hawthorne
High School: Leuzinger High (Lawndale)

From the LA Times:

In October, five months into her first tour in Afghanistan, a captain in her unit asked for volunteers for a supply mission. Wolf raised her hand even though she was still recovering from an injured foot. She refused to use crutches or take pain medication and wanted to do everything like her fellow soldiers, her family said.

"Typical Duvi," said Susie Martin, a police service officer who supervised Wolf in the Explorer program, recounting the story. "Everything about her was enthusiastic. . . . If it was something fun, she was the first one to volunteer. If it was something nobody wanted to do, she was still the first one to volunteer."

The supply mission would be her last. Wolf was killed Oct. 25 when her vehicle was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province, on the Pakistani border. She was 24.

She was an automated logistical specialist assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.
Wolf, whose maiden name was Preciado, grew up in Hawthorne as the youngest of four sisters in an immigrant family from Guadalajara, Mexico.

From a young age, she was responsible and focused, a tomboy who always kept her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and wanted to run around outside when her cousins wanted to play with dolls or experiment with makeup.

Her father, who worked as a gardener, taught all his daughters to play the violin. But Wolf played exceptionally, her family recalled. Her father beamed as he distributed CDs of her mariachi music performances to friends and family.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Sergeant Eduviges G. Wolf here.

Find more about Sergeant Wolf in the South Bay C&C

and at Military Times.

Visit Army Sergeant Eduviges G. Wolf's Guest Book.

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

2011-10-24T02:01:00.000-08:00

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

and at Military Monday on CCR...

Marine Lance Corporal Richard Patrick Slocum also remembered by Boom3 on Sunday, October 24, 2010.

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

2011-10-23T06:22:00.002-08:00

Marine Corporal Joseph R. Livingston III -- Still loved, still missed.

From Marine Times Battle Rattle:

[Today] Marines will gather at the Beirut Memorial in Jacksonville, N.C., near Camp Lejeune to mark the day 28 years ago when 220 of their brothers were killed in a terrorist attack in Beirut, Lebanon.

Also killed in the Oct. 23, 1983, attack were 18 sailors and three soldiers.

It was a bright Sunday morning at 6:22 when a man drove a five-ton truck laden with more than 12,000 pounds of TNT straight into the base of the building and blasted the barracks into a pile of concrete under a sky-high plume of acrid black smoke.

The Marines were in Beirut on a peace keeping mission, to help the Lebanese government establish security and stabilize their capital city.

The monument in Jacksonville was dedicated on Oct. 22, 1988. There are memorials in several other states dedicated to the fallen.

Visit the Beirut Memorial web site here. The Marines gathering this Sunday in Jacksonville said they’d love to see you there, too.

From the Beirut Memorial Online

NAME OF SERVICEMEMBER / SERVICE / RANK / DATE OF DEATH / HOME STATE / HOMETOWN

Carlson, Randall A. ....... USA .... MAJ .... 09/25/1982 .. CT .. Trumbull, CT
Reagan, David L. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 09/30/1982 .. VA .. Virginia Beach, VA
Maxwell, Ben H. ........... USA .... SSGT ... 04/18/1983 .. VA .. Appomattox, VA
McMaugh, Robert V. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 04/18/1983 .. VA .. Manassas, VA
Salazar, Mark E. .......... USA .... SSGT ... 04/18/1983 .. CA .. Pasadena, CA
Twine, Richard ............ USA .... SFC .... 04/18/1983 .. UK .. Salop, UK
Losey, Donald George ...... USMC ... 2LT .... 08/29/1983 .. NC .. Winston Salem, NC
Ortega, Alexander M. ...... USMC ... SSGT ... 08/29/1983 .. NY .. Rochester, NY
Clark, Randy W. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 09/06/1983 .. WI .. Minong, WI
Valle, Pedro J. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 09/06/1983 .. RP .. San Juan, RP
Soifert, Alan H. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/14/1983 .. NH .. Nashua, NH
Ohler, Michael J. ......... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/16/1983 .. NY .. Huntington, NY
Abbott, Terry W. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. New Richmond, OH
Alexander, Clemon S. ...... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Monticello, FL
Allman, John R. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NM .. Carlsbad ... NM
Arnold, Moses J. Jr. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Bailey, Charles K. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Berlin, MD
Baker, Nicholas ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Alexandria, VA
Banks, Johansen ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Detroit, MI
Barrett, Richard E. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Tappahanock, VA
Bates, Ronny K. ........... USN .... HM1 .... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Aiken, SC
Battle, David L. .......... USMC ... 1stSGT . 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Hubert, NC
Baynard, James R. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Richmond, VA
Beamon, Jesse W. .......... USN .... HN ..... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Haines City, FL
Belmer, Alvin. ............ USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Bland, Stephen ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Midway Park, NC
Blankenship, Richard L. ... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Hubert, NC
Blocker, John W. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Yulee, FL
Boccia, Joseph J. Jr. ..... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Northport, NY
Bohannon, Leon Jr. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Bohnet, John R. Jr. ....... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. TN .. Memphis, TN
Bonk, John J. Jr. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Boulos, Jeffrey L. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Islip, NY
Bousum, David R. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Fife Lake, MI
Boyett, John N. ........... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Brown, Anthony ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Detroit, MI
Brown, David W. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Conroe, TX
Buchanan, Bobby S. Jr. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Midway Park, NC
Buckmaster, John B. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Vandalia, OH
Burley, William F. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Linden, NJ
Cain, Jimmy R. ............ USN .... HN ..... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Birmington, AL
Callahan, Paul L. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Lorain, OH
Camara, Mecot E. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Campus, Bradley J. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Lynn, MA
Ceasar, Johnnie D. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. El Campo, TX
Cole, Marc L. ............. USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Ludlow Falls, OH
Coleman, Marcus A. ........ USA .... SP4 .... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Dallas, TX
Comas, Juan M. ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Hialeah, FL
Conley, Robert A .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Orlando, FL
Cook, Charles D. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Advance, NC
Cooper, Curtis J. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. North Wales, PA
Copeland, Johnny L. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Burlington, NC
Corcoran, Bert D. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Katonah, NY
Cosner, David L. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Elkins, WV
Coulman, Kevin P. ......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Seminary, NY
Croft, Brett A. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Lakeland, FL
Crudale, Rick R. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Warwick, RI
Custard, Kevin P. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Virginia, MN
Cyzick, Russell E. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Star City, WV
Davis, Andrew L. .......... USMC ... MAJ .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Decker, Sidney James ...... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Clarkson, KY
Devlin, Michael J. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Westwood, MA
Dibenedetto, Thomas A. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Mansfield Center, CT
Dorsey, Nathaniel G. ...... USMC ... PVT .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Douglass, Frederick B. .... USMC ... SGTMAJ . 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Cataumet, MA
Dunnigan, Timothy J. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Princeton, WV
Earle, Bryan L. ........... USN .... HN ..... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Painsville, OH
Edwards, Roy L. ........... USMC ... MSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Elliot, William D. Jr. .... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Lancaster, PA
Ellison, Jesse ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WI .. Soldiers Grove, WI
Estes, Danny R. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Gary, IN
Estler, Sean F. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Kenall Park, NJ
Faulk, James E. ........... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Panama City, FL
Fluegel, Richard A. ....... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Erie, PA
Forrester, Steven M. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Foster, William B. Jr. .... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Richmond, VA
Fulcher, Michael D ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Madison Heights, VA
Fuller, Benjamin E ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Duluth, GA
Fulton, Michael S. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Ft. Worth, TX
Gaines, William Jr. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Port Charlotte, FL
Gallagher, Sean R. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. N. Andover, MA
Gander, David B. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WI .. Milwaulkee, WI
Gangur, George M. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Cleveland, OH
Gann, Leland E. ........... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Garcia, Randall J. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Modesto, CA
Garcia, Ronald J. ......... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Gay, David D. ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Harrisburg, IL
Ghumm, Harold D. .......... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Gibbs, Warner Jr. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Portsmouth, VA
Giblin, Timothy R. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. N. Providence, RI
Gorchinski, Michael W. .... USN .... ETC .... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Evansville, IN
Gordon, Richard J. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Somerville, MA
Gratton, Harold F. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Conoes, NY
Greaser, Robert B. ........ USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Lansdale, PA
Green, Davin M. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Hairston, Thomas A. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Haltiwanger, Freddie Jr. .. USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Little Mountain, SC
Hamilton, Virgil D. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Dayton, OH
Hanton, Gilbert ........... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. DC .. Washington, DC
Hart, William ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Haskell, Michael S. ....... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Hastings, Michael A. ...... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. DE .. Seaford, DE
Hein, Paul A. ............. USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Held, Douglas E. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Helms, Mark A. ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NE .. Dwight, NE
Henderson, Ferrandy D. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Tampa, FL
Hernandez, Matilde Jr. .... USMC ... MSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Midway Park, NC
Hester, Stanley G. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Raleigh, NC
Hildreth, Donald W. ....... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Sneads Ferry, NC
Holberton, Richard H. ..... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Beaufort, SC
Holland, Robert S. ........ USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Gilbertsville, KY
Hollingshead, Bruce A. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Fairborn, OH
Holmes, Melvin D. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Chicago, IL
Howard, Bruce L. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. ME .. Strong, ME
Hudson, John R. ........... USN .... LT ..... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Riverdale, GA
Hudson, Terry L. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Prichard, AL
Hue, Lyndon J. ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. LA .. Des Allemands, LA
Hukill, Maurice E. ........ USMC ... 2ndLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Iacovino, Edward F. Jr. ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Warwick, RI
Ingalls, John J. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Interlaken, NY
Innocenzi, Paul G. III .... USMC ... WO1 .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Trenton, NJ
Jackowski, James J. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. S. Salem, NY
James, Jeffrey W. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Jenkins, Nathaniel W. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Daytona Beach, FL
Johnson, Michael H. ....... USN .... HM2 .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Detroit, MI
Johnston, Edward A. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Struthers, OH
Jones, Steven ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Julian, Thomas A. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Middleton, RI
Kees, Marion E. ........... USN .... HM2 .... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Martinsburg, WV
Keown, Thomas C. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Louisville, KY
Kimm, Edward E. ........... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. IA .. Atlantic, IA
Kingsley, Walter V. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WI .. Wisconsin Dells, WI
Kluck, Daniel S. .......... USA .... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Owensboro, KY
Knipple, James C. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Alexandria, VA
Kreischer, Freas H. III ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Indiatlantic, FL
Laise, Keith J. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. East Stroudsburg, PA
Lamb, Thomas G. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Coon Rapids, MN
Langon, James J. IV ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Lakehurst, NJ
Lariviere, Michael S. ..... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Perry, FL
Lariviere, Steven B. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Chicopee, MA
Lemnah, Richard L. ........ USMC ... MSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Lewis, David A. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Garfield Heights, OH
Lewis, Val S. ............. USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Atlanta, GA
Livingston, Joseph R. ..... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Champaign, IL
Lyon, Paul D. Jr. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Milton, FL
Macroglou, John W. ........ USMC ... MAJ .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Maitland, Samuel .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Martin, Charlie R. ........ USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Martin, Jack L. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Oveido, FL
Massa, David S. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Warren, RI
Massman, Michael R. ....... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Port Huron, MI
Mattacchione, Joseph J. ... USMC ... PVT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Sanford, NC
McCall, John .............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Rochester, NY
McDonough, James E. ....... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Newcastle, PA
McMahon, Timothy R. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Austin, TX
McNeely, Timothy D. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Mooresville, NC
McVicker, George N. II .... USN .... HM2 .... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Wabash, IN
Melendez, Louis ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. PR .. Puerto Rico
Menkins, Richard H. II .... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Tully, NY
Mercer, Michael D. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Vale, NC
Meurer, Ronald W. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Milano, Joseph P. ......... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Farmingville, NY
Moore, Joseph P. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MO .. St. Louis, MO
Morrow, Richard A. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Clairton, PA
Muffler, John F. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Munoz, Alex ............... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NM .. Bloomfield, NM
Myers, Harry D. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Whittler, NC
Nairn, David J. ........... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Nava, Luis A. ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Gardena, CA
Olson, John A. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Sabin, MN
Olson, Robert P. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Lawtons, NY
Ortiz, Richard C. ......... USMC ... CWO3 ... 10/23/1983 .. OK .. Ft. Sill, OK
Owen, Jeffrey B. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Virginia Beach, VA
Owens, Joseph A. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Chesterfield, VA
Page, Connie Ray .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Erwin, NC
Parker, Ulysses ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Payne, Mark W. ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Binghamton, NY
Pearson, John L. .......... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Perron, Thomas S. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Whitinsville, MA
Phillips, John A. Jr. ..... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Wilmette, IL
Piercy, George W. ......... USN .... HMC .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Mt. Savage, MD
Plymel, Clyde W. .......... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Merritt, FL
Pollard, William H. ....... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Pomalestorres, Rafael I. .. USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Prevatt, Victor M. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Columbus, GA
Price, James C. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Attala, AL
Prindeville, Patrick K. ... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Gainesville, FL
Pulliam, Eric A. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. E. St. Louis, IL
Quirante, Diomedes J. ..... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. RP .. Calcoocan City, RP
Randolph, David M. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. AZ .. Siloam Springs, AZ
Ray, Charles R. ........... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Relvas, Rui A. ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Rich, Terrence L. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Richardson, Warren ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Rodriguez, Juan C. ........ USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Miami, FL
Rotondo, Louis J. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Sanpedro, Guillermo Jr. ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Hialeah, FL
Sauls, Michael C. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Waterboro, SC
Schnorf, Charles J. ....... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Schultz, Scott L. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Keeseville, NY
Scialabba, Peter J. ....... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Moorehead City, NC
Scott, Gary R. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Rankin, IL
Shallo, Ronald L. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Hudson, NY
Shipp, Thomas A. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Shropshire, Jerryl D. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Macon, GA
Silvia, James F. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Portsmouth, RI
Sliwinski, Stanley J. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Niles, OH
Smith, Kirk H. ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Miami, FL
Smith, Thomas G. .......... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Middletown, CT
Smith, Vincent L. ......... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Soares, Edward ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Tiverton, RI
Sommerhof, William S. ..... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Springfield, IL
Spaulding, Michael C. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Akron, OH
Spearing, John W. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Lancaster, PA
Spencer, Stephen E. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Portsmouth, RI
Stelpflug, Bill J. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Auburn, AL
Stephens, Horace R. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Capitol Heights, MD
Stockton, Craig S. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Rochester, NY
Stokes, Jeffrey G. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Waynesboro, GA
Stowe, Thomas D. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Sturghill, Eric D. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Chicago, IL
Sundar, Devon L. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Standford, CT
Surch, James F. Jr. ....... USN .... LT ..... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Lompoc, CA
Thompson, Dennis A. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Bronx, NY
Thorstad, Thomas P. ....... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Chesterton, IN
Tingley, Stephen D. ....... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Ellington, CT
Tishmack, John J. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Minneapolis, MN
Trahan, Lex D. ............ USMC ... PVT .... 10/23/1983 .. LA .. Lafayette, LA
Vallone, Donald H. Jr. .... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Palmdale, CA
Walker, Eric R. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Chicago, IL
Walker, Leonard W. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Dothan, AL
Washington, Eric G. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Alexandria, VA
Weekes, Obrian ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Wells, Tandy W. ........... USMC ... 1stSGT . 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Wentworth, Steven B. ...... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Reading, PA
Wesley, Allen D. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
West, Lloyd D. ............ USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Weyl, John R. ............. USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Wherland, Burton D. Jr. ... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Wigglesworth, Dwayne W. ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Naugatuck, CT
Williams, Rodney J. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Opa Locka, FL
Williams, Scipio Jr. ...... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Charleston, SC
Williamson, Johnny A. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Asheboro, NC
Wint, Walter E. Jr. ....... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Wilkes-Barre, PA
Winter, William E. ........ USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Fripp Island, SC
Wolfe, John E. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. AZ .. Phoenix, AZ
Woollett, Donald E. ....... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. OK .. Barthesville, OK
Worley, David E. .......... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Wyche, Craig L. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Jamaica, NY
Yarber, James G. .......... USA .... SFC .... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Vacaville, CA
Young, Jeffrey D. ......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Moorestown, NJ
Zimmerman, William A. ..... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Grand Haven, MI
Townsend, Henry Jr. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 12/02/1983 .. AL .. Montgomery, AL
Biddle, Shannon D. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. AL .. Valley Head, AL
Cherman, Sam .............. USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. NY .. Queens, NY
Cox, Manuel A. ............ USMC ... SGT .... 12/04/1983 .. NJ .. Union City, NJ
Daugherty, David L. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. OH .. Eastlake,OH
Evans, Thomas A. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. MT .. Conrad, MT
Hattaway, Jeffrey T. ...... USMC ... PFC .... 12/04/1983 .. FL .. Pensacola, FL
Kraft, Todd A. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. ND .. Devilslake, ND
Lange, Mark A. ............ USN .... LT .... 12/04/1983 .. MI .. Fraser, MI
Perkins, Marvin H. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. TN .. Franklin, TN
Gargano, Edward J. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 01/08/1984 .. MA .. Quincy, MA
Dramis, George L. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 01/30/1984 .. NJ .. Cape May Court House, NJ
*Hernandez, Rodolfo ....... USMC ... - ...... 01/30/1984 .. TX ..El Paso, TX (see below footnote)
Butler, Alfred III ........ USMC ... CAPT ... 02/09/1984 .. FL .. Cocoa Beach, FL
Wagner, Michael ........... USN .... IS1 .... 09/20/1984 .. NC .. Zebulon,, NC
Welch, Kenneth ............ USA .... WO2 .... 09/20/1984 .. MI .. Grand Rapids, MI
*Hendrickson, John ........ USMC ... - ...... 04/13/1990 .. - .. (see below footnote)
*Simpson, Larry H. Jr. .... USMC ... - ...... 08/31/1992 .. - .. (see below footnote)
Hasenfus, Michael ......... USA .... CPL .... 10/20/1984 .. MA .. Dedham, MA
Stethem, Robert D. ........ USN .... SW2 .... 06/15/1985 .. MD .. Waldorf, MD
Higgins, William R. ....... USMC ... COL .... 07/06/1990 .. KY .. Louisville, KY

*Still checking on the following to confirm information:

PLEASE NOTE: The symbol ' - ' denotes unknown to this web author, and does not
mean that the information is unknown to the Department of Defense.

*Rivers, Paul . ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
(Listed in article, but his name is not on DOD list, but was in a
2/84 "Leatherneck" magazine article list. Later, it was confirmed by
several eye witnesses that he did in fact survive the blast and is living.)

*Hernandez, Rodolfo ........ USMC ... - ...... 01/31/1984 .. DOD - NOT IN LEBANON EVENT
(Although the DoD Graves database lhas him listed as not died in Lebanon, but he
was wounded on 30 Jan 84 and died weeks later in Germany as a result of wounds.
Some references list him as being wounded 30 Jan and others 31 Jan, but it is
believed he died on 08 Feb 1984 in a German hospital.)
Hendrickson, John ......... USMC ... - ...... 04/13/1990 .. DOD - NOT IN LEBANON EVENT
Simpson, Larry H. Jr. ..... USMC ... - ...... 08/31/1992 .. DOD - NOT IN LEBANON EVENT
(Last 3 on one database, but not on DOD list as being in Lebanon)
Grateful acknowledgment to Bob Whitney for the accuracy of this file.
______

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

2011-10-23T00:01:00.003-08:00

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 at Legacy
and at Iraq War Heroes
and visit Charles O. Sare's Guest Book here.

Navy Hospitalman Charles O. Sare also remembered at Boom3 on Wednesday, October 20, 2010.

Life Is Good -- Ella Fitzgerald Live on a Saturday Night

2011-10-22T16:01:00.003-08:00

Mac the Knife

Occupier In Chief -- Art Interlude -- Bosch Fawstin

2011-10-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

From Pajamas Media:
Seven images that will make the occupiers cry.

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

2011-10-22T02:01:00.001-08:00

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.

Marine Lance Corporal San Sim also remembered at Boom3 on Friday, October 22, 2010.

Also remembered today, Aracely Gonzalez O'Malley.

Shabbat Shalom -- Gilad Shalit

2011-10-21T15:01:00.001-08:00

Hark! A vagrant -- K. Beaton Interlude

2011-10-21T14:01:00.001-08:00

Hark! A Vagrant

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

2011-10-21T02:01:00.001-08:00

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 Army Specialist Kyle A. Coumas' parents' entire letter here.

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

Aracely Gonzalez-O'Malley, Army, Staff Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-20T02:01:00.001-08:00

Aracely Gonzalez-O'Malley, 31

Army, Staff Sergeant
Based: Ft. Shafter, Hawaii
307th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 516th Signal Brigade, 311th Signal Command
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 22, 2010
Hamburg, Germany
Married, 3 children
Gender: Female
Hometown: Brawley
High School: Brawley High (Brawley)
Burial: Desert Lawn Memorial Park, Yuma

From Military Times:

Aracely Gonzalez O’Malley’s husband says she joined the Army because she wanted to do something that made her children proud.

In the same year that she was deployed to Afghanistan, she also gave birth to a son. While she could have postponed her deployment, she didn’t. She had wanted to deploy with her husband, Sgt. Ryan O’Malley, 24.

“She did everything for the kids,” her husband said.

Gonzalez O’Malley’s sister Lizbeth Gonzalez of Yuma, Ariz., says she once told her family that she wanted her sons to serve one day, too.

The 31-year-old mother from Brawley, Calif, died Oct. 21 at Homburg, Germany. Her family told the Los Angeles Times that she suffered a brain aneurysm nine days earlier while serving in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan.

She had been assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

She enlisted in the Army in 2002 and met her husband while based at Fort Shafter in Hawaii four years later.

The Times reported that friends and relatives remembered her as a proud soldier who was outgoing and a die-hard San Diego Chargers fan.

Army Staff Sergeant Aracely Gonzalez O'Malley is survived by her husband, Ryan P. O'Malley; children, Sidney, Riley and Sean; parents, Armando and Juanita Gonzalez; brothers, Santiago and Armando Gonzalez; and sisters, Lizbeth and Paulette Gonzalez.

From Beyond The Sail:

One could argue our grief is tiny compared to the sorrow that the Gonzalez-OMalley families suffer. But that misses the point. As a soldier, SSgt O’Malley’s life reached beyond the circle of her family, friends and fellow soldiers. Her life, dedicated to serve those who daily enjoy their freedom, also reached far beyond her what might be considered a circle of influence.

Read the entire piece at Beyond the Sail here. Find more in the LA Times and visit Staff Sergeant Aracely Gonzalez O'Malley's Guest Book.

Occupy

2011-10-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

Via Grandpa John.

Erik T. Garoutte, Marines, Corporal -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-19T02:01:00.001-08:00

Erik T. Garoutte, 22

Marines, Corporal
Based: Norfolk, Va.
1st Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Company, Marine Corps Security Force Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 19, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Santee
High School: Santana High (Santee)
Burial: Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego

Garoutte, 22, of Santee, Calif., collapsed and died Oct. 19 after working out in Baghdad, where he had been stationed for nearly three months.

He was assigned to the 1st Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Company, Marine Corps Security Force Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force in Norfolk, Va.

Garoutte grew up in Santee, a San Diego suburb...The eldest of five children, Garoutte doted on his siblings, buying them gifts and making time to play with all of them. "The kids just loved him," his stepmother said.

Garoutte became more religious as a teenager and joined several church youth groups.

"It was just something he did on his own," his stepmother said. "It started off as a social thing, but he gradually became closer to God."

With his Mom

His father and stepmother are both musicians, and Garoutte began to play the guitar more as he became increasingly active in church.

After graduating from Santana High School in 2004, he worked several jobs and briefly moved to Nashville with a friend ... After moving back to the San Diego area, Garoutte began considering the military.

With his Dad

"He was floundering, and he didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew he needed to get his ducks in a row," [his Pastor] Stine said.

Garoutte enlisted in 2005, and his family agreed that the military gave him direction. "He went into boot camp a boy and came out a man," his stepmother said.

In addition to his mother, father and stepmother, Garoutte is survived by his four siblings.

Read the entire LA Times article about Marine Corporal Erik T. Garoutte here, and with a tribute from his church here along with an article from the San Diego Tribune. Go here for Corporal Garoutte's Guest Book.

Wayne M. Geiger, Army, Specialist -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-18T02:01:00.007-08:00

Wayne M. Geiger, 23

Army, Specialist
Based: Vilseck, Germany
3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 18, 2007
Baghdad (eastern part), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Lone Pine
High School: Lone Pine High (Lone Pine)
Burial: Mt. Whitney Cemetery, Lone Pine, Calif.

Geiger's father, Randy, a lieutenant in the Inyo County Sheriff's Department, and his mother, Kim, a civil officer in the department, said he joined the Army in 2005 to put his take-control abilities, confidence and courage to work on the battlefield in Iraq.

On Sept. 1, Army Spc. Wayne M. Geiger, 23, was deployed to Iraq. He was killed Oct. 18 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.

Nine days after his death, more than 2,000 people lined up along a desolate stretch of U.S. Highway 395 with hats off and right hands over their hearts as his body was escorted by a motorcade of law enforcement and fire department vehicles to a funeral service at the Lone Pine High gymnasium, where he once played.

A graveside service followed at Mt. Whitney Cemetery, where dozens of friends and neighbors signed a basketball that was buried alongside the casket.

Weeks later, staring out a living room window facing Mt. Whitney, Geiger's father said, "Wayne was a born athlete. When he was still in diapers, Wayne liked to wear a plastic Raiders football helmet and tackle anyone who came through the front door."

In high school, Geiger was rambunctious and edgy, leaving some to wonder how he would harness all that energy.
Wayne M. Geiger with his sister.

He did so in the Army. Even his parents and sister, Jesseca, 20, were surprised by the difference a few months in the military made in him.

"He'd greet you with a firm handshake, and when he spoke, he looked you right in the eye," his father said. "One day, I asked him, 'Wayne, where did you get this sense of duty and patriotism? I never saw this in you before.' "
He said his son smiled and said, "Dad, you weren't looking hard enough."

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Specialist Wayne M. Geiger here, read more here and visit his Guest Book here.

Michael A. Dahl Jr., Army, Specialist -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-17T07:53:00.003-08:00

Michael A. Dahl Jr., 23

Army, Specialist
Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.
1st Batallion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 17, 2009
Argahndab, Afghanistan
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Beaumont
High School: Beaumont Senior High (Beaumont)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

Mikey i think about u every day that goes by its so hard for me an the rest of the family i miss u so much RIP MIKEY

— anthony dahl
September 3, 2010 at 1:25 a.m.

From the LA Times:

It was always important to to be responsible, to support himself and his family and shield them from worry.

"He was an inspiration to me," said his mother, Patricia Dahl, 42, who is divorced from her son's father. "Sometimes it's hard being a single parent. But he kept me going."

An Army crewman on armored vehicles, he never told her that he was fighting on the front lines.

The last time she talked to her son, he told her not to worry, that he was going on his last mission and he probably wouldn't be able to talk to her for a few days.

Two days later, on , Army Spc. Dahl, 23, of Beaumont, Calif., was killed Beaumont, Calif.,when his tank was hit by a roadside bomb in Arghandab in southwest Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border.

Dahl had deployed in July from Ft. Lewis, Wash., with the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He was due home on leave in November.

His mother last saw him in March. She said he described harsh living conditions in Afghanistan -- tents pitched near stinking, open sewers. He attended Bible study regularly, she said, and filled his digital camera with photographs of villages and local people.

"He felt compassion for them," she said.

Dahl was born and raised in the small town of Beaumont in Riverside County. He was a shy child who played piano and spent hours in his room sketching buildings in minute detail.

He left Beaumont High School before graduating to work two jobs, as a clerk at a Calvin Klein outlet by day and a stock clerk at a Stater Bros. market by night.

He earned his diploma in 2003, according to military records.

He lived at home with his mother; his 16-year-old brother, A.J.; and a pit bull, Girl. Settling down with a family of his own would have to wait -- he told his mother he needed steady work and a house first.

Read more about Army Specialist Michael A. Dahl Jr. here, here and here.

The body of Army Specialist Michael Dahl Jr., 23, The body of Army Specialist Michael Dahl Jr., 23, of Beaumont, is brought off a C-17 aircraft during a Dignified Transfer ceremeony Monday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

James D. Boelk, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-15T02:01:00.002-08:00

James D. Boelk, 24

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Camp Pendleton
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 15, 2010
Helmand province, Afghanistan
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Oceanside
Burial: Quantico National Cemetery, Triangle, Va.

From the LA Times:

Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk grew up in a well-traveled military family. But his path to the Marine Corps was not a straight one.

Home-schooled throughout his childhood, Boelk lived in Korea, Iceland, Texas and both coasts of the U.S. before attending Golden State Baptist College in Santa Clara, Calif., where he also worked in security for Google. He talked about becoming a youth leader or doing missionary work, but left college without getting his degree.

Then the secular world beckoned. Boelk moved to San Diego with plans to work and study business. When the job he had counted on to support his studies fell through, he turned to the profession that had sent his family around the globe.

His father, David Boelk, is a retired Air Force master sergeant. But his brother-in-law, a Marine captain, proved a persuasive recruiter and in March of 2009, Boelk enlisted in the Marines. He signed up for five years, promising his mother that he would finish college after his stint in the service.
"He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do for the rest of his life," said his mother, Cilicia Boelk, of Manassas, Va.

The second of seven children, James had five sisters and one brother. "We are a close family," Cilicia Boelk wrote in an e-mail. "James was there for each of us. He always gave his siblings attention and had fun with them. He called home often and [would] text his siblings daily. He would always say 'I love you' at the end of all phone calls to us. When he was with us he would give hugs, especially group hugs."

Boelk, 24, who lived in Oceanside, liked to surf and make his friends laugh, but he was also a hard worker.

"As one of my Marines I will always remember his work ethic," Staff Sgt. Matthew B. Cartier said in a posting on The Times' War Dead database. "No matter how hard the task, he would put on this half-grin and charge full speed ahead to accomplish it."
Boelk was a rifleman assigned to Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

In September, he shipped out to Afghanistan. A few weeks later, on Oct. 15, he was returning from a two-day patrol in Helmand province when he was killed by a bomb, military officials said. He was one of eight in his battalion who died in the span of a week.

"This was his first deployment. This was his first patrol," his mother said.

Boelk is buried in Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia. In addition to his parents, he is survived by sisters Amanda, Allyssia, Christina, Oressa and Charlynn, and a brother, Timothy.

Read more about Marine Lance Corporal James D. Boelk at

Military Times

Sanctuary of Mary

Facebook

and visit James D. Boelk's Guest Book.

Shabbat Shalom -- Sukkahmobile

2011-10-14T15:01:00.006-08:00

What are we doing for Sukkot today?

Having a little pommegranate and

apple salad in our Sukkah here in the Arkansan wilderness.

Others, in other places, move their own ways.

Chabad youth have installed traditional temporary huts
on dozens of off-road vehicles which will travel across Israel
throughout the holiday of Sukkot and serve hikers
and IDF soldiers in places where there are no permanent sukkot.

Plates We Like -- Parking Lot Files

2011-10-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

How's That Peace Prize Workin' Out For Ya?

2011-10-14T12:37:00.001-08:00

Steven Crowder

Obama orders 100 troops to Uganda

By Justin Sink - 10/14/11 02:25 PM ET

President Obama said Friday that he is sending 100 U.S. troops to Uganda to aid in the fight against the Lord's Resistance Army, a band of rebels in central Africa accused of murder, rape, and kidnap during their 20-year fight against Ugandan security forces.

Read it all in The Hill

Any excuse to play Steven Crowder.

Keith J. Moore, Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-14T02:01:00.001-08:00

Keith J. Moore, 28

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Ft. Drum, N.Y.
2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 14, 2006
Baghdad, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Francisco
High School: Woodside International School (San Francisco)
Burial: Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, Calif.

From the LA Times:

As a chaplain at the Veterans Affairs hospital south of San Francisco, Susan Turley has faced the most intimate consequences of the Iraq war. She also has developed a deep admiration of military culture and purpose.

So when her only child revealed earlier this year he had enlisted in the Army, Turley reacted with fear and respect. Until well past 2 a.m., mother and son sat together, talking it out.

"He explained his whole journey -- the process that led to his decision," said Turley, now among the grieving. "It was a turning point, where he became an adult friend of mine as well as my son."

On Oct. 14, Army Pfc. Keith J. Moore, 28, also became San Francisco's second Iraqi war casualty. His death, described by the Department of Defense only as the result of a "noncombat-related injury," is under investigation. It could be months before his family learns the particulars.

Instead, they are left with his memory -- that of a young man with well-researched convictions who chose to serve his country.

Moore was a history buff who read voraciously about Vikings and ancient Greek military heroes, earning a respect for "the nobility of those that protect civilians." He was a lover of music and an amateur guitar enthusiast with eclectic taste.

Moore had talked of joining the armed forces at age 17. Now, he spoke of learning to be a bomb detonator, of seeking corrective eye surgery to become a helicopter pilot. Although "not naive about the complexities of Iraq," Turley said, her son spoke most passionately about wanting to serve Iraqi civilians by serving his country.

He completed basic and advanced training in Georgia and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Frustrated by what was to be a six-month wait for deployment to Iraq, he volunteered for a unit soon heading there.

Moore landed in August. He told his parents about heading out on eight-day patrols, and of a weapon that was rusty and in need of repairs. He died in Baghdad.

Late last month, a team of nearly 20 motorcyclists from the volunteer Patriot Guard Riders helped escort Moore's casket from San Francisco International Airport, stopping traffic on Interstate 280. Then, they turned toward the ocean that Moore loved, crawling up the Great Highway at twilight as surfers and beachgoers stood at attention to pay respects.

He was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno.

In addition to his parents, both of San Francisco, Moore is survived by his grandmothers, Peggy Moore of Richmond, Calif.; and Marilyn Turley of Olympia, Wash.

The uncertainty surrounding the cause of death "complicates the grieving process," Turley said. "But the most important thing is my son served his country, and he's a casualty of war.... He was a beautiful person. He died way too young."

Read more about Army Pfc Keith J. Moore here with a Guest Book here.

Army Private 1st Class Keith J. Moore also remembered by Boom3 on Thursday, October 14, 2010.

Victor A. Dew, Marines, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-13T02:01:00.001-08:00

Victor A. Dew, 20

Marines, Private 1st Class
Based: Camp Pendleton
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 13, 2010
Helmand province, Afghanistan
Engaged
Gender: Male
Hometown: Granite Bay
High School: Granite Bay High (Granite Bay)
Burial: East Lawn Memorial Park, Sacramento

From the LA Times:

Family members say he had been preparing for duty since he was 12, when he first draped a giant Marine Corps flag over his bed.

Victor Dew and his fiance, Courtney Gold, seen in August, were planning… (NULL)
November 14, 2010|By Esmeralda Bermudez, Los Angeles Times
Their plan seemed simple: a wedding in the fall, a nice house on a big lot, a big truck and, some day, when the time was right, a few kids.

Before Marine Pfc. Victor Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, northeast of Sacramento, was sent on his first tour of Afghanistan, his fiance, Courtney Gold, bought her dress — a long, white, strapless gown.

"I wanted it to be a promise for him," she said. "To say, 'Look at all that will be waiting for you. Come home.' "

But about two weeks after the anti-tank assault specialist reached Afghanistan, everything changed. Three Marines came to his parents' home to tell them that their son had been killed.

He was among four Marines killed Oct. 13 when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. Also killed were Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, Wis.; Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, Ore.; and Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, of St. Charles, Mo.

Family members say Dew had been preparing for duty since he was 12, when he first draped a giant Marine Corps flag over his bed. As a boy, he would sit for hours watching old war documentaries on the History Channel.

"He wanted to be on the front lines where it counts," Gold said. "He always thought it was his duty."

For a while, his parents, Tom and Patty Schumacher, persuaded him to go to college, but after a semester and a half, their eldest son insisted on enrolling in the Marines.

When he set out for boot camp, his close-knit family supported him, glowing with pride as they watched him fulfill his goal. Nearly every month, they packed into their minivan, sometimes with Gold, and drove eight hours south to see him at Camp Pendleton.

He was a strong individual, his mother said, "who always liked to take care of things himself."

When he was about 2, he disappeared from his parents' bedroom one naptime, settling instead in front of the TV with a box of cereal. By age 10, he knew how to do laundry and cook dinner. And at around 15, he bought his first car, an old, black Nissan Ultima, from an uncle.

From an early age, he was shaped and disciplined by martial arts. His jujitsu teacher, Clint LeMay, was one of his closest friends.

"When I met him, he was a like a 30-year-old man walking in a 13-year-old's body," LeMay said. "He was wise beyond his years and knew how to deal with all kinds of people."

Whenever Dew struggled with a sweep or a throw, LeMay said, he would grow frustrated, then focus and work harder than most other students to improve. Over the years, Dew moved up to a second-degree black belt. He also began teaching.

Gold and Dew grew up within five miles of each other. They met when they were15. But it wasn't until they found themselves at the same college in late 2008 that they began to date. Last August, Dew took Gold to Disneyland, one of his favorite places, and proposed.

"I said 'Yes! Yes! Yes!' " Gold said.

The two had planned to move to Southern California while Dew finished with the Marines. She was going to become a medical assistant. He thought he might become a nurse. Eventually, they wanted to return to the Sacramento area to buy a home.

Now, Gold said, the future is a blur.

Days before Dew's burial, she put on her wedding dress and had someone take photographs. They were placed in her fiance's casket.

"I bought that dress for him," she said. "He deserved to see me in it."

Read more about Marine Private 1st Class Victor A. Dew

at Darkhorses Heroes Remembered,

the Roseville Press Tribune

and visit Victor A. Dew's Guest Book.

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Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, WI -- Rest In Peace

Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, OR -- Rest In Peace

Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, of Saint Charles, MO -- Rest In Peace

Victor A. Gonzalez, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-12T02:01:00.000-08:00

Victor A. Gonzalez, 19

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Camp Pendleton
2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 13, 2004
Ramadi, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Watsonville
High School: Watsonville High (Watsonville)
Burial: Valley Cemetery, Watsonville, Calif.

From the LA Times:

After graduating in 2003 from Watsonville High School, where he was on the track and soccer teams, Gonzalez entered the Marine Corps on Oct. 27.

During his sophomore year, he had joined the Watsonville Police Department's cadet program and eventually was promoted to lieutenant and helped oversee the program.

Police Capt. Manny Solano said Gonzalez would volunteer at least 40 hours a month, more than twice the time most cadets put in, helping with traffic control, assisting at crime scenes and going on ride-alongs. "He grew incredibly in character and maturity," he said.

Gonzalez was in excellent physical condition, and Solano said he would take two dozen cadets out to run a mile during their biweekly meetings. "There's no doubt in my mind that he would have been a fine officer," Solano said.

Fellow cadet Lt. Monique Rangel said Gonzalez always seemed to be in good spirits and would do whatever was needed to cheer up others in the department, including being silly or buying them candy bars.

He was so committed to the Watsonville Police Department that he would make sure to visit the station each time he returned home, one or two weekends a month after he finished basic training in January, Rangel said.

Gonzalez surprised Rangel and another lieutenant in August when he dropped in for lunch while they were in San Diego for the annual cadet academy.

Rangel remembers how the trio would often grab a late dinner after cadet meetings or occasionally go to a movie. "He was very close to my heart," she said. "I considered him like a brother."

Although Gonzalez said he was not nervous about going to Iraq, Rangel said he seemed shaken during a telephone call describing one of his first firefights, with bullets landing within 10 feet of him.

"It didn't sound like him; he's always cheerful," she said. "I hated to hear him like that." Rangel said his mood was much more upbeat during two subsequent calls.

Gonzalez's grandfather, Ishmael Avila, said there has been a steady stream of friends and well-wishers visiting the home since the Marine's death was announced.

He described his grandson as a prized student who joined the Marines to get extra training to help with a law enforcement career. "Nobody pushed him or tried to convince him. That's what he wanted to do," Avila said. "He felt he could make a difference."

Though concerned about his other two grandchildren in the military -- one with the Navy in San Diego and another stationed in South Korea with the Air Force -- Avila said he refused to worry.

"You're not going to help anything at all doing that. You'll just make yourself miserable," he said. "You just have to pray that God brings them home safely."

Gonzalez also is survived by his parents, Sergio and Amalia; a brother, Oscar, 12; and two sisters Edenia, 15, and Myrna Celeste, 4.

Read more about Marine Lance Corporal Victor A. Gonzalez here, here, here and here.

Marine Lance Corporal Victor A. Gonzalez also remembered by Boom3 on Tuesday, October 12, 2010.

Kenny F. Stanton Jr., Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

2011-10-11T02:01:00.024-08:00

Kenny F. Stanton Jr., 20

Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Waegwan, South Korea
57th Military Police Company
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 13, 2006
Baghdad (southwest of), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Hemet
High School: Hemet High (Hemet)
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery

Kenny until this day it seems as if you are still fighting out in Iraq. I can not let you go but sometimes I tell myself that you are really gone. I am always bummed during this time of year and I wait until the month of October passes by along with all the pain.....
Your Cousin Danny Boy
R.I.P
— Daniel Herrera
September 27, 2009 at 8:57 p.m.

From the LA Times:

When Army Cpl. Kenny Francis Stanton Jr. first tried to enlist in the military after graduating from Hemet High School, he was rejected because of his childhood asthma and seizures.

But that didn't deter his determination to serve.

He reapplied -- without citing the childhood afflictions that hadn't recurred for years -- and he was off to Army boot camp in Missouri. He spent a year with the 57th Military Police Company in Waegwan, South Korea, before his unit shipped off to Iraq in July. He forged deep bonds with three other young soldiers in his unit who called themselves "the four brothers."

While patrolling Baghdad on Oct. 13, Stanton was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee just two weeks after his 20th birthday. Two others were injured.

Stanton's father, Kenny Francis Stanton Sr., said his son had hoped to use military education benefits to earn his bachelor's degree in education and one day return to teach English at his high school alma mater. He hadn't been satisfied by the single semester of junior college courses he took at Mount San Jacinto College before enlisting.

"He'd say, 'Dad, when I'm done, I can do my military service and go to college,' " the elder Stanton recalled. He said his son had hoped to start classes once he completed his one-year tour in Iraq and shipped out to Hawaii for the remainder of his five-year enlistment.

The 5-foot-6 Stanton ran cross country and wrestled in high school. He was popular with girls -- he named his MySpace.com website "Romeo_Casanova"...

Read more about Army Private First Class Kenny F. Stanton Jr.

at the Iraq Page,

Military Times

and Legacy

and visit Kenny F. Stanton's Guest Book.

Army Private 1st Class Kenny F. Stanton Jr. also remembered here at Boom3 on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.