William River Emanuel IV, Army Specialist -- Rest In Peace

William River Emanuel IV, 19

Army, Specialist
Based: Schweinfurt, Germany
1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: July 8, 2004
Samarra, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Stockton
High School: Enterprise Alternative (Clovis)
Burial: San Joaquin Catholic Cemetery, Stockton

"I was a single parent and I worried a lot," his mother said. "... He knew he and his sister were the world to me, and they were very protective of me. I wanted them to be happy, but as a mother, I always had that fear. I wanted them to come home, to keep them safe with me."
Two weeks ago, Emanuel left a message on her voicemail, telling her that he was sending money, that he was fine and that he loved his family.
His mother tried to recover the message from her answering machine Thursday, a week after the 19-year-old Army specialist and four other soldiers were killed.
"I try to listen to it, but I can't get it back," his mother said, weeping. "I don't even have my last message from my son. I'll never hear his voice again."
Emanuel was killed when insurgents attacked a military headquarters with mortar rounds in the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad. The five soldiers killed were members of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Read more about Army Specialist William River Emanuel IV here, here and here.

Reposted: Army Specialist William River Emanuel IV was previously remembered on Boom3 Thursday, July 8, 2010.