John L. Hallett, III, Army, Captain -- Rest In Peace

John L. Hallett, III, 30

Army, Captain

Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.

1st Batallion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division

Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom

Died: August 25, 2009

southern Afghanistan, Afghanistan

Married, 3 children

Gender: Male

Hometown: Concord

High School: De La Salle High School (Concord)

Burial: Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Lafayette, Calif.

On Aug. 25, Hallett was among four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in southern Afghanistan. He was 30.

Hallett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Also killed were Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, of Mesa, Ariz.; Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, Mo.; and Pfc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, of Federal Way, Wash.

Hallett's father, John L. Hallett II, said the four men had gone on a mercy mission to a village suffering a cholera outbreak.

"Knowing my son, he volunteered," the elder Hallett said.

Soon after John Hallett III died, the Army released a statement from his wife, Lisa, who lives in DuPont, Wash.:

"Capt. John Louis Hallett III was an amazing father, devoted and joyful husband, thoughtful son, loving brother and inspiring friend. . . . He would always put the needs of others before his own. He was a patient teacher to our children.

"He had the warmest and most genuine smile. John would always make people laugh by his clever ways and kind humor. . . . John's amazing example and memories will live in and guide his three young children."

In addition to his wife, Hallett is survived by two sons, Jackson, who will be 4 on Dec. 31, and Bryce, who turned 2 in early September, the day before his father was buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lafayette, Calif. Hallett also is survived by an infant daughter, Heidi, who was born in August and whom he never got to see.

Do read more about Army Captain John L. Hallett, III and follow links here, here and here.

Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, of Mesa, AZ.

-- Rest In Peace

Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, MO

-- Rest In Peace

Pfc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, of Federal Way, WA

-- Rest In Peace

Army Captain Cory J. Jenkins and Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer and Private First Class Dennis M. Williams and Captain John L. Hallett, III were previously remembered here.

Kyle A. Colnot, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Kyle A. Colnot, 23

Army, Sergeant

Based: Ft. Hood, Texas

1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: April 22, 2006

Iskandariya, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: San Dimas

Burial: Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Covina Hills

From the Pasadena Star News:

ARCADIA - U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle A. Colnot was described as a young man who knew what his life was about and thought he was making a difference by serving in Iraq.

Colnot, 23, of San Dimas and three other soldiers were killed April 22 in Baghdad when a bomb exploded near the Humvee they were riding in, causing a fire.

Also killed were: Pfc. Jacob H. Allcott, Pvt. Michael E. Bouthot and Spc. Eric D. King.

His funeral was held Saturday at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Arcadia. Colnot attended Arcadia High School part of his sophomore and junior years.

More than 300 people attended the service, including more than 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, flag-waving Vietnam vets who travel around California on motorcycles attending the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We want to pay our respects to what we refer to as a fallen hero and his family," said Jerry Zimmerman, a member of the group. He said the Riders attend a service every week somewhere in California.

The Rev. Roger Sonnenberg said as far as Colnot was concerned, life "was about service and making a difference. He was motivated by the satisfaction of serving. If you're not willing to lay down your life, you don't belong in the military."

Colnot's dress uniform hung on a rack behind his flag- draped coffin as music played and photographs depicting his life flashed on a screen.

They showed him as a blond infant and teen, playing with friends, siblings and his parents, fishing, swimming, playing his guitar, in Halloween outfits, posing next to his car and, finally, with fellow soldiers in Iraq. As he matured, his hair went from blond to brown and he acquired several tattoos. Colnot joined the Army in May 2000 and served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.

He re-enlisted in July 2004, knowing he would likely be sent to Iraq, which he was in November. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 67th Armored Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

Denise Colnot, Kyle's mother, said her son's death has not dampened her support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Following the hourlong service, Colnot was buried with military honors at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Covina Hills.

In an interview last week, Denise Colnot said, "It's important to remember he gave his life, he did not lose it."

Read more about Army Sergeant Kyle A. Colnot
in the LA Times,

the Whittier Daily News

and Fallen Heroes.

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Pfc Jacob H. Alcott -- Rest In Peace

Pvt. Michael E. Bouthot -- Rest In Peace

Spc. Eric D. King -- Rest In Peace

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Also remembered today:

Corporal Patrick D. Tillman -- Rest In Peace

Felipe de Jesus Sandoval-Flores, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

Felipe de Jesus Sandoval-Flores , 20

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Camp Pendleton
1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: April 2, 2006
Al Asad (near), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Los Angeles
High School: Locke High (Los Angeles)
Foreign Country of Birth: Mexico
Burial: Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City

"The single and most prevalent fear of most men is death," he wrote for his high school English class just months before he graduated.

His essay, somber and filled with references to Scripture, underscored Sandoval-Flores' recognition, even as a teenager, that, as he wrote, "Tomorrow is never promised."

The essay ends with this: "Death scares me, but it is coming, ready or not...."

Looking back, his sister said she believes the serious conversations that she and her younger brother often had were meant to prepare her and the rest of the family for the worst.


A devout Catholic, Sandoval-Flores may have been prepared for death, but he also embraced life, family and friends said.


"Felipe was always a giving kind of person, a good heart," said another longtime friend, Raoul Gonzalez, 22.


Whether it was letting friends win at video games, counseling young parishioners on the Catholic rite of confirmation or helping out the homeless, Sandoval-Flores savored every day, Gonzalez said.


Once, Gonzalez remembered, the two were out distributing food, clothes and hot chocolate to the poor when Sandoval-Flores spotted a boy about 9 or 10 years old in line with the others.


"Felipe had this new sweater, not even 2 weeks old, and when he saw this young kid, he didn't hesitate, he took off his sweater and gave it to him," Gonzalez said.

At his funeral, more than 200 family members and friends watched Sandoval-Flores' body carried to his grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City by a white carriage drawn by two white horses.

"Words cannot explain how much we miss him," his parents wrote in a letter to The Times. "We are proud as [his] parents because, despite being poor, we were able to raise a good young man with a big heart who loved and respected his fellow human beings."

In a separate letter, his younger sister, Michelle, wrote: "April 2, 2006, I recognized true sorrow; my brother was not coming home."

But through the pain, she wrote, "I am glad Felipe is no longer living in that hell called war."

Do read the entire LA Times article about Marine Lance Corporal Felipe de Jesus Sandoval-Flores.
Find messages and remembrances at
Fallen Heroes and in Lance Corporal Sandoval-Flores' Guest Book.



Vicky Huynh grieves as she looks at a memorial for her fiance Lance Cpl. Felipe D. Sandoval-Flores (sp right) and other fallen serviceman and women from the 1st. Marine Logistics Group Forward during a memorial Service held Friday on Camp Pendleton. Vicky's fiancee, gave his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom.



Killed with Lance Cpl. Felipe D. Sandoval-Flores were:

Cpl. David Bass of Davidson, Tenn.

Lance Cpl. Patrick Gallagher of Duval, Fla.

Cpl. Brian St. Germain of Kent, Rhode Island

Staff Sgt. Abraham Twitchell of Yelm, Wash.

Cpl. Andres Aguilar Jr. of Victoria, Texas

John L. Hallett, III, Army, Captain -- Rest In Peace

John L. Hallett, III, 30

Army, Captain

Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.

1st Batallion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division

Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom

Died: August 25, 2009

southern Afghanistan, Afghanistan

Married, 3 children

Gender: Male

Hometown: Concord

High School: De La Salle High School (Concord)

Burial: Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Lafayette, Calif.

On Aug. 25, Hallett was among four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in southern Afghanistan. He was 30.

Hallett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Also killed were Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, of Mesa, Ariz.; Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, Mo.; and Pfc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, of Federal Way, Wash.

Hallett's father, John L. Hallett II, said the four men had gone on a mercy mission to a village suffering a cholera outbreak.

"Knowing my son, he volunteered," the elder Hallett said.

Soon after John Hallett III died, the Army released a statement from his wife, Lisa, who lives in DuPont, Wash.:

"Capt. John Louis Hallett III was an amazing father, devoted and joyful husband, thoughtful son, loving brother and inspiring friend. . . . He would always put the needs of others before his own. He was a patient teacher to our children.

"He had the warmest and most genuine smile. John would always make people laugh by his clever ways and kind humor. . . . John's amazing example and memories will live in and guide his three young children."

In addition to his wife, Hallett is survived by two sons, Jackson, who will be 4 on Dec. 31, and Bryce, who turned 2 in early September, the day before his father was buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lafayette, Calif. Hallett also is survived by an infant daughter, Heidi, who was born in August and whom he never got to see.

Do read more about Army Captain John L. Hallett, III and follow links here, here and here.

Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, of Mesa, AZ. -- Rest In Peace
Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, MO -- Rest In Peace
Pfc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, of Federal Way, WA -- Rest In Peace