Blood Libel Logic -- Texas for Sarah Palin -- Teddy Bear Files

I've been off line all day, perhaps this has already gone viral since TX4SP posted it last night. Ought to.
Thanks, again and again, Texas for Sarah Palin

Rex C. Kenyon, Army, Chief Warrant Officer -- Rest In Peace

Rex C. Kenyon, 34

Army, Chief Warrant Officer 3
Based: Ft. Hood, Texas
1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 16, 2006
Mishahda (north of Baghdad), Iraq
Engaged, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: El Segundo
High School: El Segundo High (El Segundo)
Burial: Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, Killeen, Texas

For his 17th birthday, he asked for a helicopter lesson.

At 18, he was lured from his engineering studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo by Army recruiters who offered him a chance to fly helicopters as a full-time soldier. He was ecstatic because he had gone to college only after being rejected by the Navy and Air Force academies.

Within two years, Kenyon had learned to fly Huey, Cobra and Apache helicopters, said his father, Rex, a retired Chevron Corp. senior manager who lives in Big Bear Lake with his wife, Beverly.

In more recent years, Kenyon learned to fly the Apache Longbow, a sophisticated copter that uses touch-screen controls instead of switches.

The Apache helicopter he was flying with another pilot Jan. 16 was shot down while on patrol north of Baghdad, killing both. The other soldier was Ruel M. Garcia, 34, of Wahiawa, Hawaii. Both were chief warrant officers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment (Attack), Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

"Every time we would see him, we would ask him when he was going to get out of the Army," his father said. "He would tell us that this wasn't a job to him. He told us he would never get a place to work where they would give him a $30-million helicopter to fly and all the gas he needed. He would tell us he was doing the right thing for him and for our country."

Kenyon was born in Rolla, Mo., and reared in New Jersey; Bakersfield; Pleasant Hill, Calif.; and El Segundo, where he graduated from El Segundo High in 1989. The family moved as his father's career advanced.

In addition to his parents, Kenyon is survived by his wife and 5-year-old daughter, whose names were not disclosed; a brother, Robert, 31, of Valencia; and his maternal grandfather, William Bryant of Illinois.

He "was the child everyone wants to have. He was very loving," his father said. "He was a very happy kid, and a good student and a good athlete."

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Chief Warrant Officer Rex C. Kenyon here, and find more here and here and visit Chief Warrant Officer Kenyon's Guest Book.

Tonton Macoute, Baby Doc Duvalier, Secretary of State Clinton, President Obama

It's Obama's world and I luv it.

Former dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier returns to Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE | Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:16pm EST

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Exiled former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier returned unexpectedly to his Caribbean homeland on Sunday for the first time since he was deposed in a coup in 1986.
Duvalier, known as "Baby Doc," who had ruled Haiti following the 1971 death of his father, the authoritarian Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, had been living in France in exile.
Enthusiastic supporters greeted him at the airport, but it was not immediately clear why he had returned. (Reporting by Joseph Guyler Delva: Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Peter Cooney)

It may not be clear to Reuters, but I can take a bloody guess:

The Sport Of Kings -- Hot Springs Division, Oaklawn and Zenyatta

Oaklawn. Zenyatta.
Bobblehead, bobblehorse.

Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper -- Firearms Training -- Torchwood

Torchwood.

Joshua R. Townsend, Army, Staff Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Joshua R. Townsend, 30

Army, Staff Sergeant
Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: January 16, 2009
Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Solvang
High School: Santa Ynez Valley Union High (Santa Ynez)

It is approaching the one year mark of losing one of my best friends as well as a huge mentor. To this day I have a hard time actually believing that Josh is not here, and not on a mission. He was a protector of not only the United States, but also a guardian to me since we first met.I have a few tattoo's in Josh's memory and even his tags that he wore, it's a painful yet constant reminder of a friend I will never forget and a friend I will always love. My only regret is that my son (Nicholas) never got to meet the the greatest person I have ever met. But he will know Josh through the stories I will tell about a true hero. I miss you Towny!

— Ronnie Durbiano
January 2, 2010 at 11:54 a.m.

He was born a warrior, and I am so proud to be his brother and to have been his twin. I will never forget him.

— Jordan Townsend, brother in The Lompoc Record

Read about Army Staff Sergeant Joshua R. Townsend here and here and visit Sergeant Townsend's Guest Book.

Vulgarity Interlude -- The Tucson Files -- Yes This Is For You, Dears

Long story short.
I vowed to keep quiet all week, just shut the heck up, just say my poor prayers for little Christina Taylor Green.
And for the others.
Dead or devastated by evil in Tucson.
Meanwhile, all over my FaceBook place my grotesque friends donned their ass hats and committed their usual asshatery.
I maintained my silence. Why engage with the irrational? Nobody Wins.
The bodies in Tucson were still warm and these civilized friends of mine were climbing on the pile of corpses and thanking each other sincerely for blaming Mrs. Todd Palin -- and the Tea Party -- for the evil in the parking lot at Safeway.
"Who will the Tea Party target next?" they accused.
Way to stay classy, ladies.
Are they really stupid? Or are they just pretending to be stupid?
Asked and answered.
What else can we expect from those who get their self-righteous sense of self-worth from MSNBC, NPR, the Comedy Channel, PBS, and, get this: Michael Moore.
[Update 1/19/11: Maddow/Moore twofer.]
Sarah Palin? She needs no defense by me.
The Tea Party? Me likes. Hey, I must be raaaaacist. Sorry.
Finally, my friends bore me to contempt.
Until I address them directly, this'll have to do:

Mark J. Daily, Army, 2nd Lieutenant -- Rest In Peace

Mark J. Daily, 23

Army, 2nd Lieutenant
Based: Ft. Bliss, Texas
2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 15, 2007
Mosul, Iraq
Married
Gender: Male
Hometown: Irvine
High School: Woodbridge High (Irvine)
Burial: Cremated

Ultimately, his family says, Daily came to believe that his lifelong altruistic impulses and passions for the underdog had to extend to Iraqis crushed under decades of oppression. It was time to stop simply talking about human rights and actually do something to help secure them.

And he decided that joining the Army was the best way to do that.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army 2nd Lieutenant Mark J. Daily here and find more here.

Read Army 2nd Lieutenant Mark J. Daily's essay Why I Joined.

Shabbat Shalom -- Yonkle and Levi Cowboy Files

Sheet music found here....

Keicia M. Hines, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Keicia M. Hines, 27

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C.
108th Military Police, Combat Support Company
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 14, 2004
Mosul, Iraq
Married
Gender: Female
Hometown: Citrus Heights
High School: Florin High (Sacramento)
Burial: St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Sacramento

When Army Sgt. Keicia M. Hines was buried last week in Sacramento, she left a particularly painful void in the lives of her mother, Beverly Coleman, and her family.
The 27-year-old soldier was Coleman's only child. And because Coleman's two sisters do not have children, Hines also was an only niece and an only grandchild and great-grandchild on her mother's side of the family.
Hines was killed Jan. 14 when she was accidentally struck by a vehicle at Mosul Airfield in Iraq, military officials said.
"She was the baby," her mother said last week before a motorcade of Sacramento police officers and military officials escorted Hines' body from the airport to the mortuary. "I'm extremely proud of her. The loss is tremendous, but she was doing what she wanted to do. She was just so honorable."

Hines, who was assigned to the 108th Military Police, Combat Support Company at Ft. Bragg, N.C., was buried Thursday in the veterans' section of St. Mary's Cemetery.

In addition to her mother and husband, Hines also is survived by her father, Rudolph Dixon of Chicago; her maternal grandparents, Robert and Mary Coleman of West Sacramento; and a great-grandmother, Ida Wheeler of West Sacramento.

Read the entire LA Times article here and read more about Army Sergeant Keicia M. Hines here and visit her Guest Book here.

+++++++
Sergeant Hines was remembered here September 30, 2010.

Michael A. DiRaimondo, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Michael A. DiRaimondo, 22

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Carson, Colo.
571st Medical Company (Air Ambulance)
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 8, 2004
Fallouja (near), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Simi Valley
High School: Simi Valley High (Simi Valley)
Burial: Assumption Cemetery, Simi Valley

From Military Times:

Spc. Michael A. Diraimondo had aspirations to work as a paramedic after his tour of duty in Iraq, where he served as an Army medic.

“He was at the peak of his life,” said his father, Anthony Diraimondo. “He was like a sponge with knowledge. He had such a great, great attitude and felt so good about himself. I take some comfort that he died with the highest self-confidence in himself.”

Diraimondo, 22, of Simi Valley, Calif., died Jan. 8 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was on was shot down near near Fallujah, Iraq. Eight others on board were killed. Diraimondo was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo.

The elder Diraimondo, a veteran of the Vietnam War, said his son had recently sent an e-mail to one of his two older sisters.

“He thought a lot about the families back home and how he was helping to save lives,” his father said.

Read the LA Times article about Army Sergeant Michael A. DiRaimondo here and find more here and here; and visit the Warrior Medic Memorial.

1000 Words -- Mrs. Todd Palin's Alaska

Soon to be appearing on my FaceBook wall. Heh.

Jesse D. Mizener, Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

Jesse D. Mizener, 24

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.

542nd Maintenance Company, 44th Support Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: January 7, 2004

Logistics Base Seitz (west of Baghdad), Iraq

Married, 3 children

Gender: Male
Hometown: Auburn
High School: Bear Creek High (Stockton)
Burial: Cherokee Memorial Park, Lodi, Calif.

Before Army Pfc. Jesse D. Mizener hung up the phone at his military base near Baghdad on Jan. 7, he promised his wife to "instant message" her on the computer as soon as he got out of the shower.

His 22-year-old wife, Nicole, waited at her home in Auburn, near Sacramento, but the message never came.

Minutes after Mizener's call, anti-American insurgents fired six mortar rounds into Logistical Base Seitz, killing the 23-year-soldier and injuring 34 others.

In 2000, he met Nicole Mulqueen, then 19, who frequently came to the facility to visit her mother, a supervising cook. The two got to know each other while they volunteered running banquets for veterans and the homeless. "I was pregnant when he met me," Nicole said. "He was a real nice guy." The couple married in May 2001 and Mizener adopted Mulqueen's child, Gia, now 3. The couple had two children of their own, Eve, 2, and Jesse Jr., 2 months.

Mizener fulfilled a childhood dream by joining the Army in 2002. He was deployed to Iraq last April. He and his wife talked about moving to Washington in April, when he was due home. He wanted to be a highway patrol officer, she said. "He was a very loving man," his wife said.

Mizener also is survived by his father, James; a brother, Brian; a sister, Jennifer; his maternal grandparents, Ernest and Irene Bustamante of San Jose; and his paternal grandparents, Raymond and Peggy Mizener of Lodi.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Private 1st Class Jesse D. Mizener here; read more here, here and here, and visit Private Mizener's Guest Book.

Jim Mizener, father of Pfc. Jesse D. Mizener, comforts his wife, Becky Mizener, left, and Jesse's widow, Nicole Mizener, at the funeral for his son Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi, Calif. Pfc. Mizener died Jan. 7 when a mortar round hit a Baghdad-area logistics base, officials said. (AP Photo/The Sacramento Bee, Brian Baer)

Picture found here.

Targets in the Crosshairs -- 1000 Words Division

Thanks, Anonymous, for feeding Boom3 another great graphic...

Texas For Sarah Palin gives up the true truth about crosshairs and targets and our disgusting distinguished friends on the left.

Zachariah S. Davis, Marines, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Zachariah S. Davis, 25

Marines, Sergeant
Based: Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 6, 2005
Anbar province, Iraq
Married, 2 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: Twentynine Palms
High School: Twentynine Palms High (Twentynine Palms)

It was almost a given that Zach Davis would become one of the few, the proud.

With a career Marine as a father, who was stationed for many years at the base in Twentynine Palms, Calif., Davis, 25, joined the Marine Corps in 1998 and rose to the rank of sergeant.

Assigned to the base's 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Davis was among the first troops in Baghdad in 2003 before the start of the war in Iraq.

Zachariah Scott Davis, a vehicle commander, was killed Jan. 6 in enemy action in Al Anbar province, which includes the city of Fallouja. The Defense Department declined to provide details of the incident, but family members were told that Davis was killed by a roadside bomb.

Perhaps it was because he had six younger siblings, but Davis cared deeply for children. When he first saw his nephew Christian, Davis insisted on holding the infant until he fell asleep, said his brother Marine Cpl. Christopher Davis, 23, of Honolulu, a military police officer stationed in Hawaii.


"He wasn't just a Marine, he was also a dad. He was one of the best. You couldn't ask for better," said Zach Davis' widow, Angela.

She said he "did cartwheels inside our apartment" when he learned of her first pregnancy, adding that he did not mind changing diapers and substituted military cadence for lullabies.

In addition to his wife, father and brother Christopher, Davis is survived by sons Landen and Gabriel; his mother, Kathy Owens of Spiro, Okla; brothers Terry Davis Jr. of Wister, Okla., and Jonathan and Jesse Davis, both of Spiro, Okla.; and sisters Sarah Davis of Twentynine Palms and Audra D. Thornburg of Spiro, Okla.

Read the entire LA Times article about Marine Sergeant Zachariah S. Davis here and find more about Sergeant Davis here and here.

Update, in case you missed it the first time around, as did I:

I remember being new to the unit, and you taking all of us new guys in like we were younger brothers...brought us to your house and introduced us to your family. You seemed so much older than me then, but as I looked at your picture on this site just now, I realized that when you died you were only 25. It was a shock because I'm 25 and I don't feel that old. You were incredibly strong, committed to the cause and to your Marines. I think about you all the time, and carry your dog tag on my key ring. I hope you know how much you mean to us all. We'll keep up the fight down here, Sergeant, so you just kick back and enjoy the show.
Semper Fi

— Wolfpack
August 29, 2009 at 12:13 a.m.

Ming Sun, Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

Ming Sun , 20

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Ft. Carson, Colo.

1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment,
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 9, 2007
Ramadi, Iraq
Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Cathedral City
High School: Cathedral City High (Cathedral City)
Foreign Country of Birth: China
Burial: Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside

If he could have, Ming Sun would have joined the Army soon after he graduated from Cathedral City High School in 2004.

"He wanted to do something for his country," said his father, David. "He loved the military. He wanted to be a man, you know, like a soldier."

But Sun, who came to the United States from China in 1995, wasn't a citizen and lacked a green card -- the proof of legal residency required by the military, his father said.

So Sun went to a local community college until his green card was granted. Then, without telling his parents, he enlisted in March, requesting the infantry, his father said.

"We, both parents, didn't want him to go," his father said, speaking for himself and his wife, Zhi Feng Liu. "We wanted him to be a scientist."


But Ming Sun launched eagerly into a military whirlwind, his friends recalled. He did his basic training at Ft. Carson, Colo., where in mid-August he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Two months later, he was sent to Iraq, his father said.

On Jan. 9, less than 10 months after he enlisted, the 20-year-old private first class was killed when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire while on patrol in Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

He is believed to be the first Chinese national to be killed in the Iraq war, his father said.

In addition to his parents, Sun is survived by a 9-year-old sister, Allison.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Private 1st Class Sun Ming here and find more here, here, and here.



A soldier holds the 'dogtags' of slain U.S. Army PFC Ming Sun, age 20, at a memorial ceremony January 15, 2007 in Ramadi in Iraq's Anbar province. Sun was shot and killed by an insurgent sniper on January 9, 2007 while on combat operations with his unit from A Company 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment in Sufia, east of Ramadi. Sun was born in China and became an American citizen after moving to the United States with his family in 1996.

 More Ming Sun images found at Life.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Also in our prayers today, Marine Captian Matthew W. Bancroft and his family.

Nobody Wins

Radney Foster interlude.

Climate Change Chakra In Arkansas

Stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond on the way to the salt mine this morning to pick up some Tassimo discs -- thanks Santa Annie -- and grabbed a windshield scraper while there. Fifteen years in Southern California, where such devices are rarely needed -- up Mount Baldy, or up the Grapevine, some times, but no where else in my big world. Anyway, storm's abrewing and I'm aready. As my Arkansas barber Neal says to me regularly, claiming it's the state motto:

"You better toughen up.
You're in Arkansas now."

Darn that global warming climate change Al Gore's powerful chakra being released all over the south.
Meanwhile:
Global Warming Update over at The Other McCain

Arkansas Weather Forecast:

Ivan E. Merlo, Army, Private 1st Class -- Rest In Peace

Ivan E. Merlo, 19

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Ft. Campbell, Ky.

2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment,

1st Brigade Combat Team, (Air Assault) 101st Airborne Division

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: January 8, 2008

Samarra, Iraq

Married

Gender: Male

Hometown: San Marcos
High School: San Marcos High (San Marcos)
Burial: Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego

Army Pfc. Ivan E. Merlo of San Marcos was supposed to come home in two weeks from Iraq.

The 19-year-old was supposed to reunite with his wife, Nicole. He was supposed to serve as the best man at the wedding of his best friend and brother in combat, Pfc. Phillip J. Pannier, 20, of Washburn, Ill.

But Merlo and Pannier died Wednesday while waging an Army offensive targeting insurgents north of Baghdad.

Also killed during the battle in the city of Samarra was Sgt. David J. Hart, 22, of Lake View Terrace. The three soldiers belonged to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Merlo and Pannier “would do anything for each other. I will never forget those two boys together,” Jennifer Marie Held, Pannier's fiancee, said yesterday in an e-mail from her home in Metamora, Ill. “I intend on keeping contact with Nicole for the rest of my life because we need each other.”

The Merlos were present at the dinner when Pannier proposed to Held. The two couples spent time together on many occasions.

“Ivan was a great, great person and always helped me through everything,” Held said.

At the Merlo family home in San Marcos, Diego Merlo said he'll miss his older brother's magnetic personality. He also expressed admiration for the way his brother aspired to achieve greater things in life.

Ivan Merlo graduated from San Marcos High School in 2006. He joined the Army that October and arrived at Fort Campbell four months later. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

“He was one those people you knew was good from the moment you met him. . . . He never got into trouble. He didn't run the streets. He got good grades,” Diego Merlo said. “He was just the kind of person that other people would go to and ask for advice. The guy had a lot of friends and stayed in touch with them.”

The brothers last talked to each other on Dec. 12, the day Diego Merlo turned 16. During the brief conversation, the elder brother imparted some advice.

“He said to be strong and said he soon would see me, and I told him to stay safe,” Diego Merlo said. “I'll always remember how he was always smiling, always funny.”

Merlo also is survived by his parents, Tony Merlo and Joanna Villegas.

Read the entire San Diego Union Tribune article about Army Private 1st Class Ivan E. Merlo here; find more here, and here. Visit Private Merlo's Guest Book here.

Shabbat Shalom -- Billy the Heretic Files

James K. Healy, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

James K. Healy, 25

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Knox, Ky.
703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: January 7, 2008
Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan
Married, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: Hesperia
High School: Hesperia High School (Hesperia)
Burial: Westminster Memorial Park, Westminster

Healy was killed Jan. 7 on his second tour of duty when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Laghar Juy, Afghanistan, southeast of Kabul and in a mountainous region on the eastern border with Pakistan. Also killed in the attack was Army Maj. Michael L. Green, 36, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Healy and his crew had defused scores of such bombs before, family members said.

"He wasn't drafted; he did this on his own," said Shannon Healy's brother Alan Olney, 15. "He died a hero. He did it for others." ...

Healy's death has been keenly felt in Hesperia, a desert city of 80,000.

"We feel a tremendous loss as a school and as a community," said Ken Jones, 59, who has been teaching at Hesperia High for 18 years. He said the school and town are particularly invested in the war effort.

The military "helps us and we help them," Jones said. "I know several teachers who have children that are over there. . . . We're all proud."

Jones said he had mixed emotions about the high-stakes choices that students make when they join the armed forces.

"I understand the cost of freedom," he said. "I don't like the fact that they have to lay their lives on the line, but that's what it is. I try not to think about it that much because I've had my sons over there."


In addition to his wife and son, Healy is survived by his parents, Timothy and Linda; and a brother, Ian.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Sergeant James K. Healy here; find more here in the Wild Blue Yonder and find more here.

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

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 and read more about Corporal  Necochea 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)

Robbie M. Mariano, Army, Private -- Rest In Peace

Robbie M. Mariano, 21

Army, Private

Based: Ft. Hood, Texas

3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: January 5, 2006

Najaf, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Stockton
High School: Stagg Senior High (Stockton)

The 21-year-old from Stockton was among five soldiers killed Jan. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Najaf, south of Baghdad, according to the Defense Department.

Also killed were Maj. William F. Hecker III, 37, of St. Louis; Sgt. Johnny J. Peralez Jr. , 25, of Kingsville, Texas; Capt. Christopher P. Petty, 33, of Vienna, Va.; and Sgt. 1st Class Stephen J. White, 39, of Talladega, Ala.

All were assigned to the Army's 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Mariano's father, Bob, said his son joined the Army in November 2004, shortly after graduating from Stagg High School, and soon found a second family among his fellow soldiers.

"He was always upbeat about the war and believed in what he was doing over there," said the elder Mariano, a Stockton police sergeant. "The Army was his new family. I talked to him about 10 hours before he died. He said he was doing fine."

Bob Mariano said his son had planned to leave the service in 2008, attend college on the GI Bill and possibly follow in his father's footsteps with a career in law enforcement.

In addition to his parents, Robbie Mariano is survived by a 19-year-old brother, Bobby.

Read the entire store about Army Private Robbie M. Mariano here and find more here,  visit Private Mariano's Guest Book, and listen to an NPR story here.

Raul Mercado, Marines, Lance Corporal -- Rest In Peace

Raul Mercado, 21

Marines, Lance Corporal
Based: Camp Lejeune, N.C.
2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group,
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 7, 2006
Karmah (near Fallouja), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Monrovia
High School: Monrovia High (Monrovia)
Burial: Buried near Guadalajara, Mexico

In 2004, Raul Mercado enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he hoped to garner enough recommendations from superiors to get into West Point.


"We tried to discourage him. He had so many other options," said Erica Lopez, a longtime family friend. "But his mind was made up."


Mercado was killed Jan. 7 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle while on patrol near the village of Karmah, in the south of Iraq, near Basra. He was 21.

Mercado was assigned to the 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He had risen to the rank of lance corporal.

A funeral service was held Wednesday at Immaculate Conception Church in Monrovia, where Mayor Rob Hammond called Mercado "one of Monrovia's heroes." Mercado is the first serviceman from Monrovia to be killed in Iraq.

Read the entire LA Times article about Marines Lance Corporal Raul Mercado Raul Mercado here find remembrances at Fallen Heroes and read more about Lance Corporal Mercado here and here.

Grant A. Cotting, Army, Private -- Rest In Peace

Grant A. Cotting, 19

Army, Private
Based: Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.
515 Sapper Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: January 24, 2009
Kut, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Corona
High School: Buena Vista High (Corona)
Burial: Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego

Pvt. Grant Cotting died Jan. 24 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries from a non-combat-related incident. He was 19. His death is under investigation.
Cotting was serving as a combat engineer, responsible for clearing roads and surrounding areas of improvised explosive devices.
[His friend Kelsey] Kingston said her friend made the decision to join the Army "all by himself. No one else was involved in it. When he wanted something, he just went out and got it."

A month before his departure to Iraq, Cotting wrote a MySpace entry titled, "Reasons why I joined." In it, he explained his decision to enlist, among them: "For family, for friends, for enemies, for no-bodies, for future flames, for past romances. . . ."

He continued, "I fight for us to remember our past, to get to our future, to live our lives. . . . But above all those, I Am Your Soldier."

Cotting is survived by his parents, Craig and Amanda Cotting of Corona, and brothers Branden, 15; Nick, 10; Scott, 7; and Lucas, 4. He is buried at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.

As friends think of him now, they often recall his knack for turning a bad day around with a wry joke. Once, after a particularly stressful day, Kingston vented on her MySpace page, saying, "Drama is like a pie in the face. It's really funny when it happens to someone else, but not when there's a pie in your own face."

She ended the post with a good-natured jab at Cotting: "Haha, find the silver lining in that one."

Cotting wrote back: "The pie tin."

It made her day.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Private Grant A. Cotting here, find the Press Enterprise story here, a Memorial Page here and visit Private Cotting's Guest Book here.

Vision Quest -- Annual January Viewing Supplement

Cam Cannon, in Big Hollywood, asks the question:

Most underrated sports movie of all time?

Love everything about it. Great soundtrack, solid acting, and Linda Fiorentino.

Me? I watch it every January.
Perhaps this year it'll take.
Vision Quest.


Linda Fiorentino
Matthew Modine
J.C. Quinn, RIP
Even Madonna -- before you learned to hate her.