Jose A. Garibay




Marine Cpl. Jose A. Garibay

21, of Costa Mesa, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed in action near Nasiriyah, Iraq.





Some of life’s sweetness was on its way to Cpl. Jose Angel Garibay, had he lived to taste it.

His mother, Simona, had sent off a package of his favorite Mexican candy to her son. And his favorite teacher, Janis Toman, was assembling a package of granola bars and cookies when she got word Monday that Garibay, age 21 and less than three years out of high school, had been killed in Iraq.

In his mother’s Costa Mesa, Calif., home, candles now burn before a photograph of “Angel,” as she called him, in his Marine dress uniform. He was a baby when Simona Garibay brought him to the United States from Jalisco, Mexico. Mexican and American flags dot the lawn outside her home.

“Like all mothers, we love all our children, but he was my pride and joy,” his mother said in Spanish. “It was a great honor having a Marine son.”

At Newport Harbor High School, Garibay played football but didn’t achieve the glory of a starter’s position. His job was to face off against the starting line in scrimmages. In other words, he took the hits to improve the team.

He liked the rituals of the football team: short haircuts, jacket and tie on game day, team dinners, assistant coach Mike Bargas said. “He enjoyed being a part of the program. It was just a natural progression for him to go into the military. He knew his role. He didn’t complain … He didn’t have a mean bone in his body.”

Garibay wrote his mother from overseas about the hardships of rain and sandstorms. And he asked for CDs of the Mexican ranchera folk music he loved and missed. “But (he wrote) that he was fine, and not to worry about him,” his mother added. “He had a niece and asked me to watch her carefully and take good care of her. And (wrote) that God would take care of him.”

To his teacher, he wrote of a much-appreciated meal served as a special treat: steak, potatoes, ice cream and Pepsi. “You may not realize how much that meant to us,” he wrote in a letter to Toman she received Monday.

He planned to become a citizen of the country whose uniform he wore. And he hoped to wear another uniform after his military service was finished: that of a police officer.

“He had a definite plan in life,” Bargas said. “The military was there for him, and he was there for them too.”

Died:
March 23, 2003  
 
 

Abraham Simpson


Marine Lance Cpl. Abraham Simpson

19, Chino, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Nov. 9 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Ian Stewart



Camp Pendleton Marine killed in Iraq

Associated Press

LAKE HUGHES, Calif. — Cpl. Ian Stewart joined the military three years ago to find himself, his family and friends said.

“He picked the Marines because he thought it would give him the discipline and the focus he needs in figuring out who he’s supposed to be,” said Roy Dull, who led a weekly Bible study attended by Stewart.

Stewart, 21, was killed Nov. 12 by small-arms fire while his unit was clearing houses in Fallujah. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton.

“We were praying for his safety, but God moved differently. We trust God’s judgment,” said his father, Dana Stewart. “But we have real peace. We’re confident we’ll see him again, and that beautiful smile of his, in heaven.”

The son of missionaries, Stewart grew up in Lake Hughes at the Oaks Conference and Retreat Center Christian facility in the San Gabriel Mountains. He attended Quartz Hill High School.

He enlisted days after graduation, finishing boot camp the week of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He deployed to Iraq on Sept. 11 this year.

Family and friends said he thought of becoming a firefighter and wanted to travel around Europe. Most of all, he was passionate about cars, particularly the GMC Sonoma he bought this summer.

“He was very respectful, responsible and courteous. You could tell he had a good heart and was going in the right direction,” said Patricia Beane, a former instructor.

His father remembered how the family spent time together before his son shipped out, walking around Dana Point and having lunch in San Juan Capistrano.

“It was just the most special day. We realized it at the time, but we realize it more now,” his father said.

Funeral services were scheduled Dec. 29 in Princeville, Ill. Stewart will be buried across the road from his family’s original home.

Died:
December 12, 2004  
 
 

Jason Tetrault


Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Andrew Tetrault

20, of Moreno Valley, Calif.; assigned to 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; killed in a vehicle accident in Kuwait July 9.

A former high school football player, Lance Cpl. Jason Andrew Tetrault had planned to join the football team at the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, Calif., and to study computer programming in college. But his mother said he hadn’t been looking too far into the future.

“Jason was the type of person that didn’t make long-term plans,” said Mary Carriere of Moreno Valley, Calif. “His theory was: You never know what life is going to throw at you.”

Tetrault, 20, died July 9 in a car accident in Kuwait.

Seeking new challenges, Tetrault decided he would join the Marines the summer before his senior year in high school, his mother said. She and her husband, Raymond, come from military families and supported his decision to enlist.

“We’ve always left that up to the kids, but we’ve also let them know that, as an American, you should serve your country if you’re able to.”

Tetrault had been looking forward to coming home on leave and was already planning out his month of leave back in Moreno Valley. He wanted to go bungee jumping and skydiving and couldn’t wait to see the Pacific Ocean again, his mother said. “He didn’t like having to sit; he liked to go, liked to play,” Carriere said. “He was just always on the move.”

— Associated Press

Jose Rodriguez



Marine Pfc. Jose Franci Gonzalez Rodriguez

19, of Norwalk, Calif.; assigned to 1st Supply Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed in Iraq when unexploded ordnance he was handling detonated.





Jose F. Gonzalez Rodriguez was the kind of student all his teachers liked to remember. A Mexican immigrant, he was an honor student, an athlete and someone who seldom missed a high school event.

“He really enjoyed all of that,” said Linda Granillo, the school principal. “We remember him dancing at all the school dances. He was very well-liked.”

Rodriguez played third base on the baseball team and liked wearing his John Glenn Eagles baseball cap at school. He came from a large and very supportive family, Granillo said, and was recruited by the Marines just after high school.

“The military is a good opportunity,” Granillo said. “But you hate to lose kids from your school this way.”

— Associated Press

Erik Silva  


Marine Cpl. Erik H. Silva

22, of Chula Vista, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed in action in Iraq.





The last time Erik Silva visited his hometown, the 23-year-old Marine attended the town’s annual carrot festival and got a special blessing from his grandmother.

On April 3, two months after that visit, the infantry rifleman died in combat when his platoon was ambushed in Iraq, said his brother.

The youngest of four children, Erik Silva graduated from Holtville High, where he played the trumpet, was a drum major and a member of the varsity golf team.

“He joined the Marines mainly because he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. The best way to do that is to join the military,” said Isaac Silva, 28.

When Silva last returned home for a few weeks in late January and early February, Isaac Silva said he and his brother had a sobering talk, acknowledging the risks of war.

“It wasn’t the normal, ‘Hey bro, let’s go have a few beers.’ It was the ‘Do you have everything set? Do you have all your papers in order? Where can I find it in case of an emergency?’ “ he recalled. “It was a very serious, deep conversation and it needed to be done.”

From his 72-year-old grandmother, Rebeca Silva, the Marine sought a special blessing. She kissed him and said a prayer with him, relatives recalled.

“He valued my mom’s blessing very much,” said his aunt Elvira Silva.

— Associated Press

• • • • •

The death of Erik Silva has touched a community.

Silva, 23, a Marine who died when his platoon was ambushed April 3, grew up in Holtville, an agricultural hamlet tucked in California’s Imperial Valley. He graduated from Holtville High School in 1998, where he was known as a quiet, friendly, well-liked kid who played the trumpet in the band and was drum major his last two years, said school secretary Chrys Diez.

Diez said his death has hit Holtville, population 5,612, hard. “Anytime something like this happens, it has a major impact here,” she said.

Students at the school have put up an American flag, which they are using as a backdrop for pictures of Silva and other alumni who are serving in the Middle East. So far, there are 15 pictures.

“The entire Silva family was in church Sunday, and we all said prayers for them, and for Erik and for all the others serving in the war,” Diez said.

Family members said Silva visited home in February, sought a blessing from his grandmother and talked about serious issues of life and death. They said he joined the military because he wanted to get the kind of experience he would need to someday join a police force.

Silva is survived by his parents, two older brothers and an older sister.

— USA Today and The Associated Press


Died:
April 03, 2003  
 
 

Sean Brock






Sean L. Brock

29, of Redondo Beach, Calif.; assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan; died Feb. 2 of wounds sustained due to enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.






Family recalls Marine officer as loyal family man

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — The last time Capt. Sean Lee Brock spoke to his mother from Iraq, he told her he was worried because it was eerily quiet and “when it gets quiet like that, something happens.”

Brock, 29, of Redondo Beach was fatally wounded in combat in Iraq’s Anbar province six hours after that phone call, his family said. He died Feb. 2, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

The Marine’s wife of two years and his mother remembered the trim, dark-haired Marine this week, who loved scuba diving and soccer.

“Family was so important,” said his mother, Anita Brock Monday. “He was an excellent friend. And just loyal.”

Brock was able to remain close to family, even after joining the Marines when a typo put him and his fraternal twin Rayme in the same boot camp in San Diego, his brother said. Although twins are usually separated, Rayme Brock’s last name was misspelled, making the twins appear unrelated.

Brock’s wife, Navy Lt. Nurse Heather Brock, 27, was stationed aboard the USS Fort McHenry off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, when she received news of his death.

She said her husband sent her an e-mail four hours before he was killed.

“The most he would say was, ‘Oh, I had a close call today,’ “she said of her husband’s messages. “He knew he was going to die. He was just so honorable.”

The couple married in 2002, a few months after they met at a Marine Corps ball.

They spent only a short time in their new home before Brock was shipped out to what would be the first of two stints in Iraq.

Brock held bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara and Central Michigan University. He was working toward a doctorate in public policy and administration and a master’s degree in international relations, family members said.

“Sean’s family was blessed to know him for 29 years,” Heather Brock said. “I was blessed to know him for 27 months. ... We had our whole lives to look forward to.”


Died:
February 02, 2005  
 

Jeremy Ailes



Marine Lance Cpl. Jeramy A. Ailes

22, of Gilroy, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Nov. 15 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.

Genero Acosta


Army Spc. Genaro Acosta

26, of Fair Oaks, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), Fort Hood, Texas; killed while on patrol Nov. 11 when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle hit and detonated two improvised explosive devices in Taji, Iraq.





The twin explosions that killed Spc. Genaro Acosta on Veterans Day destroyed even his wedding ring, but they left his gold cross intact.

“Everywhere he went, he would not take that cross off,” his brother Fernando Acosta said. “He was a very strong believer in God.”

Acosta, 26, of Fair Oaks, Calif., was killed Nov. 11 when his vehicle hit two explosives in Taji, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

The avid Los Angeles Lakers fan with a fondness for the cartoon character Scooby Doo “felt very strongly about helping other people out,” Fernando Acosta said. He re-enlisted this year despite his concern over the dangers because “he figured it was the right thing to do,” his brother said.

“I know that he did not die in vain,” said his widow, Roxanne Longoria Acosta. “He was proud of what he did.”

— Associated Press


Died:
November 11, 2003  
 
 

Steven Acosta





Army Pfc. Steven Acosta

19, of Calexico, Calif.; assigned to C Company, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Oct. 26 from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baqubah, Iraq.






California soldier killed in Iraq during non-combat incident

Associated Press

PHOENIX — As Pfc. Steven Acosta was preparing to serve in Iraq, his older brother Gerardo was just returning from the same war.

Steven Acosta didn’t have another opportunity to see his older brother. The 19-year-old Army supply clerk from Calexico, Calif., died from a gunshot wound suffered in a non-combat incident in Baqubah, Iraq.

His death on Sunday remains under investigation, the military said Monday.

“I just wish I could see him again, and just be with him like we used to be before,” said his brother, Gerardo, a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Steven Acosta enlisted in the Army before his older brother had a chance to talk to him about becoming a Marine.

“We used to make fun of each other,” Gerardo said from his parents’ home in Calexico, Calif. “I used to tell him how Marines were better. We used play around like that.”

Over the Christmas holiday, Steven Acosta returned from boot camp and spoke of making a career of the Army. That was the last time Gerardo saw his brother.

Steven Acosta entered the Army after graduating from Calexico High School in 2002. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas.

The second youngest of five brothers, Steven Acosta was born in Blythe, Calif., into a family that spends their time together playing soccer, Gerardo Acosta said. The Acostas lived in Mexicali, Mexico, before settling in Calexico in 1991.

Steven was sentimental and outgoing, his brother said. Steven’s friends would regularly gather at the Acosta home, bringing their guitars to play punk rock while Steven kept the beat on the drums, Gerardo Acosta said.

While in Iraq, Steven Acosta e-mailed his family regularly, telling them about the realities of his military service: what it felt like to be under attack, something falling in his food during an unexpected skirmish and breaking his toe.

His mom packed bundles of noodles, books and Mexican sweets in the box she sent him for Sept. 27, his 19th birthday. As always, she urged Steven to not spend his money, but instead save it so he could travel the world once he returned.

Steven’s e-mails stopped coming around Oct. 2, when he told his family he’d call on Saturday.

“We were waiting for his call,” Gerardo Acosta said. “My mom, she e-mailed him three or four times. We were just waiting for him.”

Died:
October 26, 2003  
 
 

Nicanor Alverez
Marine Cpl. Nicanor Alvarez

22, of San Bernardino, Calif.; assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed Aug. 21 by enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq.






Marine killed in Iraq remembered for jokes, pranks

Associated Press

COLTON, Calif. — To his family, Nicanor Angel Alvarez was a prankster at heart who loved to surprise them with imaginative tricks. Once, the lance corporal sent a video home announcing he wouldn’t be returning from the military for two years, while all along he was hiding in his car just outside the house.

Now the family is preparing to say goodbye. Alvarez died in combat on Saturday in Iraq’s Anbar province. He was killed with three other members of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, according to the Department of Defense.

After the family learned of his death, “We had to ask, is this one of his jokes?” said his sister-in-law, Lorena Gonzalez.

Along with his sense of humor, family members recalled his exuberance and love of life.

Their grief was deepened when they learned that Alvarez, who was to return home in October, planned to deliver yet another surprise.

“He got married,” said his sister, Daisy Gonzalez. “He was going to tell us as a surprise when he got back.”

Military officials told his wife, Sandra, 21, of San Bernardino, that Alvarez was wounded in an explosion that went off near his vehicle and died while being transported to a hospital, said his brother, Ismael Gonzalez.

Alvarez enlisted in the Marine Corps three years ago after graduating from Pacific High School. Family members were surprised, but the self-confident Alvarez, who was known as Nick, always assured them he was fine.

“I talked to him two-weeks ago,” Ismael Gonzalez said Monday. “He’d always say, ‘I’m coming home.”’

Jimmy Arroyave




Marine Staff Sgt. Jimmy J. Arroyave

30, of Woodland, Calif.; assigned to Combat Service Support Battalion 1, Combat Service Support Group 11, 1st Force Service Support Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died April 15 in a non-combat-related vehicle accident northeast of Ramadi, Iraq.





Staff Sgt. Jimmy J. Arroyave loved his family, national parks and the Sacramento Kings. Arroyave, 30, who grew up in Woodland, Calif., visited the Channel Islands with his family before his deployment to Iraq in March, and was eager to visit other parks in Arizona and New Mexico when he came home. He often e-mailed his wife, Rachelle, reminding her of his love for her and his family, though he would also sneak in some questions about his favorite basketball team. "I would try to go on the Sacramento Kings Web site and update him," she said. Arroyave, who served two missions in Iraq and had served in the Marines since 1993, died April 15 in a non-combat vehicle accident near Ramadi. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. "I know in my heart he died doing what he loved to do," said his wife, who was pregnant when he died. "He was proud to be a Marine, and he loved the military." He is also survived by three daughters, ages 11, 6 and 2.

— Associated Press

Eric Ayon





Marine Corps Pfc. Eric A. Ayon

26, of Arleta, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed April 9 by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.






Mexican singer joins funeral for Glendale Marine

Associated Press

GLENDALE, Calif. — Pfc. Eric Ayon loved the music of Mexican singer Lipillo Rivera, so it was fitting that Rivera serenaded nearly 400 mourners Saturday at the Marine’s funeral.

Ayon, 26, was killed during a fierce gunbattle April 9 in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, where he was stationed. Ayon was with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Ayon brought Rivera’s records with him to Iraq to remind him of home and his family thought having Rivera at his funeral would have pleased their son.

Rivera cut short a vacation to sing at Ayon’s funeral.

“He was a fan of mine and bought my records,” Rivera told KCBS-TV. “But little did he know that I was a fan of his as well. He was a Marine. I support our troops.”

On Monday, Ayon’s 7-year-old son Joshua received a birthday card his father had mailed from Iraq before his death.

In it, Ayon wrote, “Being your dad is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. ... I’m sorry I’m not there with you today. I love you and will always be around.”

Friends and family remembered Ayon as a devoted father who also gave back to his community. Before joining the military last summer, he worked as a youth counselor helping kids keep away from drugs and gangs, his family said.

Ayon is survived by his wife, Angie; his son, Joshua; his father, Enrique; his mother, Maria; and sisters Cynthia and Jasmine.




Camp Pendleton Marine killed in Iraq

LOS ANGELES — Marine Pfc. Eric Ayon loved kids.

Before joining the military last summer, he worked as a youth counselor helping kids keep away from drugs and gangs and, instead, pursue a successful career.

“He loved doing it,” Angie, his high school sweetheart and wife of eight years, said Monday. “He loved being able to touch a lot of people. He was a wonderful father. He had such big heart. All the kids loved him.”

Ayon, 26, was killed Friday in a gun battle in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton.

He loved taking his 7-year-old son Joshua to the Chuck E. Cheese and Olive Garden restaurants. A birthday card the Marine sent his son arrived Monday, the day his family mourned his death.

“Being your dad is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” the card read. “You being my son makes me a better man. I’m sorry I’m not there with you today. I love you and I will always be around.”

Ayon played with G.I. Joe action figures as a boy and dreamed of becoming a Marine to fight for his country.

His sister Cynthia was proud of his accomplishments. “He’s a real Marine. That was his dream ever since he was small. He did it,” she said.

In February, Ayon’s family saw him before he left for Iraq.

“I always thought he was going to come back home,” his wife Angie said. “I just thought he was going to come back home because he was strong and he was a survivor. We will all miss him.”

His body is being transported back to Southern California, and his family plans to hold a funeral in Glendale. It may take place this weekend.

He also is survived by his father, Enrique; mother, Maria; and sister, Jasmine, 15.

— Associated Press

Died:
April 09, 2004  
 
 

Kenneth Ballard






Army 1st Lt. Kenneth Michael Ballard

26, of Mountain View, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, from Friedberg, Germany; killed May 30 during a firefight with insurgents in Najaf, Iraq.






Calif. mother remembers son killed in Iraq

Associated Press

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A 26-year-old Army officer had been scheduled to return from Iraq eight days before he was killed by small arms fire, his single mother said of her only child.

Lt. Ken Ballard, a tank platoon leader, died May 30 in Najaf, where U.S. troops had halted offensive operations Thursday as peace talks continued with Shiite militia leaders, said Karen Meredith, Ballard’s mother.

In one of the last e-mails Meredith received from Iraq, her son wrote, “Don’t worry about us. We know what we’re doing.”

Ballard originally had been scheduled to return from a little more than a year in Iraq on May 22, but Meredith said she rescheduled his “welcome home” party to Labor Day weekend after his stay was extended. The timing of his death made the news even more painful, she said.

Mother and son chatted, online or over the telephone, almost every day. The pair last talked Thursday, “a bonus day” because Meredith received both a letter and a phone call from her son.

“He was an only child. I was a single mom. He knew how important it was for me to hear from him,” Meredith said.

In his absence, Meredith began posting his photos from Iraq on her Web site, to keep friends and family updated about his daily activities and to remind the world “there are real people over there.” Ballard’s favorite picture shows him pointing to the fist-sized hole left by the sixth rocket-propelled grenade to hit his tank.

“It was important that people see his smiling face and for people to know what was going on in Iraq, that it wasn’t just a news story,” she said.

Born in Mountain View, Ballard joined the Army after graduating from Mountain View High in 1995. He served in Bosnia and Macedonia before taking a leave to attend Middle Tennessee State University, where he earned a degree in international relations in 2002.

Ballard planned to serve in the Army for two more years, then to earn a master’s degree and work in Washington, D.C. Now, Meredith said, “it’s going to be a different kind of welcome home.”


Died:
May 30, 2004  
 
 

William Emanuel IV





Army Spc. William R. Emanuel IV

19, of Stockton, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany; killed July 8 during a mortar attack on the Iraqi National Guard Headquarters in Baghdad.






California soldier killed in Iraq mortar attack

Associated Press

STOCKTON, Calif. — A 19-year-old soldier from Stockton was killed on July 8 during a mortar attack on military headquarters in Samarra, north of Baghdad, in Iraq, Department of Defense officials said Friday.

Spc. William River Emanuel IV had joined the military when he was 17, soon after he graduated from an alternative high school. He had been in Iraq since February and was the ninth soldier with ties to San Joaquin County to die since operations began there.

Emanuel had not wanted to come back home because he was having an adventure, and because there was still work to be done, his aunt, Jean Shipley, told the Stockton Record.

Emanuel’s 21-year-old sister, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Tiffany Emanuel, said she had tried to join her younger brother in Iraq but volunteered too late to be considered. She worried about him, she said.

Emanuel’s mother and sister remembered how he helped neighbors, and how he always beat other family members during their annual Christmastime pancake eating contest, swallowing 16 peanut-butter-and syrup-laden pancakes last year.

While in high school, Emanuel had worked for a landscaping company, bused tables at a local restaurant and worked at a nickel arcade, his mother and sister said. Emanuel had attended the Stockton Covenant Church, his family said, and was very active in the church’s youth group before enlisting.

On July 9, the day his family members found out about his death, Emanuel’s mother, Jean Emanuel, played back for the Stockton Record a message her son had left on her answering machine.

In it, he told her he was sending money home, that he was doing well and that he loved his family.

She cried, saying, “We’re not supposed to bury our kids...Oh God, I can’t do this.”

Jose Flores-Mejia


Army Pfc. Jose Ricardo Flores-Mejia

21, of Santa Clarita, Calif.; assigned to the 25th Transportation Company, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; killed Nov. 16 when an improvised explosive device hit his convoy in Mosul, Iraq.

pc. Jonathan Castro,

of Corona, Calif.  Castro, 21, was killed near Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday Dec. 21, 2004, in an explosion in a mess hall. Castro was assigned to the 73rd Engineer Company, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.

His family loved him and knew him as a great guy.

THANKS

Wade Twyman



Army Spc. Wade Michael Twyman

27, of Vista, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Infantry Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Camp Hovey, Korea; killed March 4 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were Capt. Sean Grimes, Sgt. 1st Class Donald W. Eacho and Cpl. Stephen M. McGowan.

Rudy Salas



Marine Cpl. Rudy Salas

20, of Baldwin Park, Calif.; assigned to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed May 20 in a non-combat-related vehicle accident in Anbar province.





The eldest of five children, Rudy Salas loved to run and would sprint home before he could be picked up from school. Maybe it was an early form of basic training, since he always wanted to be a Marine. "Since he was little, he liked the Marines," said his mother, Elida Salas. His brother Sammy said Salas "always tried to influence me to go into the military." Cpl. Salas, 20, of San Bernardino, Calif., joined the Marine Corps in 2001 after high school and was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He was killed May 20 in a vehicle accident in Iraq’s Anbar province. "He died a hero," his mother said. Other survivors include his father, Rodolfo Salas.

— Associated Press

Joshua M. Palmer




Marine 1st Lt. Joshua M. Palmer

25, of Banning, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; killed April 8 by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.





First Lt. Joshua M. Palmer sent an e-mail home asking for candy, not for himself but for Iraqi children. "He said he liked to see them happy, and they loved the Americans," said his mother, Jackie Palmer. Palmer, 25, of Banning, Calif., died April 8 in a hostile attack. Palmer enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves when he was 17 and worked three summers at his mother's restaurant, The Farmhouse. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of San Diego and graduated last year from officer training at Quantico, Va. He had told his mother that he'd be home by summer, but she recently learned he was trying to extend his stay. "He wasn't going to leave until it was cleaned up," she said.

— Associated Press

Patrick S. Tainsh





Army Sgt. Patrick S. Tainsh

33, of Oceanside, Calif.; assigned to Troop E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, La.; killed Feb. 11 by an improvised explosive device while on a mounted patrol in Baghdad.






Soldier from California killed in Baghdad blast

Associated Press

FORT POLK, La. — Two soldiers killed by a roadside bomb while on mounted patrol in Iraq on Feb. 11 were assigned to Fort Polk, the Army said Friday.

Sgt. Patrick S. Tainsh, 33, of Oceanside, Calif., and Pfc. William C. Ramirez, 20, of Portland, Ore., were killed in the blast in Baghdad, according to a statement from Fort Polk. One soldier was also wounded, but the Army released no details about his wounds.

Tainsh, a cavalry scout, joined the Army in September 2000 and had been at Fort Polk since May 2001.

“Patrick died defending our freedom, and we honor his sacrifice for protecting our cherished way of life,” California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a prepared statement.

Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff in honor of Tainsh, he said.

Ramirez, a fire support specialist, joined the Army in May 2002 and had been at Fort Polk since September 2002.

Both soldiers were assigned to E Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

The explosion remained under investigation.

Died:
February 11, 2004  
 
 

Adam G. Kinser



Army Spc. Adam G. Kinser

21, of Sacramento Calif.; assigned to 304th Psychological Operations Company, Army Reserve, Sacramento, Calif.; killed when a weapons cache exploded on Jan. 29, 2004, in Afghanistan.

Keith E. Taylor



Navy Lt. Cmdr Keith E. Taylor

47, of Irvine, Calif.; assigned to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command, Iraq Detachment; killed died Jan. 29 in a rocket attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.






Naval officer dies in Iraq rocket attack

Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Navy sailor who lived in Jacksonville before joining the military was killed in an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, the Department of Defense said.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Keith E. Taylor, 47, died Saturday when a rocket hit an office at the embassy in Baghdad, a Department of Defense news release stated Monday.

Taylor was assigned to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command, Iraq Detachment, the release said.

Taylor lived in Irvine, Calif., but grew up in Jacksonville. He graduated from Sandalwood High School in 1975 before joining the Navy.

Taylor had five weeks left on a six-month deployment. He is survived by a wife and three children, according to First Coast News.



Died:
January 29, 2005  
 
 

Michael W. Vega  


Army 1st Lt. Michael W. Vega

41, of Lathrop, Calif.; assigned to the 223rd Military Intelligence Company, 223rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Army National Guard, based in Sacramento, Calif.; died March 20 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., from injuries sustained March 11 when his military vehicle rolled over in Diwaniyah, Iraq.






Happy and outgoing, Vega was ‘a soldier at heart’

By Mielikki Org
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — When 1st Lt. Michael Vega joined the California National Guard three years ago, he was following in the proud footsteps of his father and brothers, who had all served in the military.

Vega, 41, died on March 20, nine days after his military vehicle rolled on top of him during fighting with Iraqi insurgents in Diwaniyah.

“He believed in defending the country and was willing to do anything for it,” said his girlfriend, Marisol Vazquez, who lived with Vega in Lathrop, Calif. “He knew this is what he wanted to do, because he was a soldier at heart.”

She described Vega as “an upbeat person, outgoing, really happy. He could make anybody laugh.”

Vega, who was stationed with the 223rd Military Intelligence Battalion in Sacramento, was a football star at Vallejo High School who enlisted in the Army after graduation. He served as a helicopter mechanic for three years, going on to earn a degree in aeronautics at Cal State-Hayward several years later.

Vega is survived by his father, Raphael; his mother, Maria Nothnagel; his stepfather, John Nothnagel; four brothers; three sisters; and nieces and nephews from California, Colorado, Florida, New York and Guam.


Died:
March 20, 2004  
 
 




Return to Honor the Fallen main page

Paul A. Velaquez



Army Staff Sgt. Paul A. Velazquez

29, of San Diego; assigned to III Corps Artillery at Fort Sill, Okla.; killed Nov. 2 in an attack on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Fallujah, Iraq.






Soldier remembered as being steadfast for freedom

Associated Press

LAWTON, Okla. — An Army sergeant who died along with 15 others when their helicopter was shot down in Iraq was remembered in Nov. 11 funeral services as being a lover of freedom.

Staff Sgt. Paul A. “Tony” Velazquez, 29, was one of six soldiers from Fort Sill who died when their CH-47 Chinook went down near Fallujah, Iraq, on Nov. 2.

“I am very proud and honored to serve alongside a soldier such as Tony Velazquez,” said retired 1st Sgt. Daniel Capri.

He said Velazquez believed in freedom.

“He lived it, he breathed it and he died for it,” Capri said.

Velazquez, who is survived by a wife and three young children, was born July 24, 1974, in Paris, Tenn., and grew up in San Diego.

He was due to return to his home near Fort Sill to see a baby born in June.

His widow, Mary Velazquez, was given three final mementos of her husband — a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and the flag that had covered his casket.

Robert Smith, youth pastor at the First Baptist Church of Madill, read memories of the soldier written by those who were close to Velazquez.

One wrote that “Tony was always their protector,” that he was “generous and loving, always trying to keep his family close to him.”

“He lived a hero, he died a hero, and I look forward to seeing him again in heaven,” one mourner wrote.

Velazquez entered the Army in 1992. His first duty station was the 5th Battalion, 18th Field Artillery at Fort Sill.

He was reassigned to B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery as a howitzer section chief in October 2002. Velazquez was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 12.

Velazquez had been part of the Fort Sill community for 10 years and was laid to rest in the post cemetery with full military honors.

He leaves behind his wife, Mary; his son, David; daughters, Kirsti and Brianna, and his mother, Mary Elizabeth Velazquez.



Died:
November 02, 2003  
 
 

Here is a MAN I know
Inland GI dies in firefight

11:44 PM PDT on Wednesday, April 6, 2005



By JOE VARGO / The Press-Enterprise

MORENO VALLEY - Army Sgt. William Dean Richardson so fretted about the new guys in his squad that he couldn't wait to rejoin them when the outfit returned to Iraq for a second tour of duty.

Most of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, went back to Iraq in January and February, but Richardson stayed on in the United States completing sniper training at Fort Benning, Ga.

In conversations with family members, though, his thoughts always returned to the first-time soldiers, the guys who'd never seen combat and who might take needless chances on the battlefield.

 
Special to The Press-Enterprise  
Army Sgt. William Dean Richardson, of Moreno Valley, enlisted after the 9/11 attacks.  



Richardson, 23, returned to Iraq on March 15. He died Sunday protecting his men.

"He's my hero," said Greg Richardson, his older brother, from the family's home north of Highway 60. "He was my best friend. I'm three years older but I always considered him by little big brother. He was someone I looked up to and idolized."

Richardson's outgunned squad came under heavy attack as they sought out insurgents during a daylight search-and-destroy mission in Baghdad, the military told his family Monday.

After firing all his ammunition and buying time for his buddies to scramble to safety, relatives said, Richardson fell into a canal while running for cover and drowned. Army officials told the family he suffered a head wound but they didn't know if that was from enemy fire or from falling into the concrete-lined waterway.

Richardson's actions helped save the lives of two men who were caught in the open when the enemy struck with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, his father, William Richardson, learned later.

The two squad-mates jumped into the swift-moving canal and were pulled to safety. Richardson dived in as well, but weighed down by his gear and possible combat injuries, never resurfaced. His body was recovered hours later.

Richardson's first name was William, but everybody knew him by his middle name, Dean. He was born July 28, 1981, and grew up in Moreno Valley, graduating from Moreno Valley High School in 2000. He grappled on the Vikings wrestling squad and played linebacker on the football team.

He was a small guy, maybe 150 or 160 pounds, but a ferocious tackler, said former teammate Dan Ganczak. He earned Player of the Week honors in October 1999 and bench-pressed 385 pounds.

"He was an animal," said Ganczak, 24, who played left guard on the football team. "He filled the other team with terror. I'm 6-foot, 3-inches tall and 300 pounds, but his heart was much bigger than mine."

After graduation, Richardson went to work with his brother, Greg, as an electrician, earning good money and traveling throughout California working on commercial jobs.

But Sept. 11 changed everything, Greg Richardson said.

"It lit a fire in his soul," he said. "He couldn't stop talking about it. He wanted to make things right."

His mother, Karen Richardson, 50, said Richardson spoke to a recruiter four days after the attack.

Richardson enlisted in February 2002 and underwent infantry and airborne training. He married his childhood sweetheart, Teara, after boot camp. He was stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. During his first tour in Iraq, Richardson fought alongside members of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions right into the heart of Baghdad.

In April 2004, Richardson returned home after 14 months in combat. He went back to being a kid, snowboarding, kneeboarding and water skiing. He told family members he didn't really understand all the reasons for the war but was determined to do the best he could.

The family was enjoying a vacation at Lake Havasu when an Army detail tracked them down at a campsite about 2 p.m. Monday with the word Dean Richardson died in combat.

The Army told Richardson's family he will receive the Purple Heart for battlefield wounds and the Bronze Star, which is awarded for combat valor.

Funeral services were pending late Wednesday. Richardson will be interred at Riverside National Cemetery. Besides his wife, parents and older brother, Richardson is survived by a sister, April, 20, and a brother, Kyle, 15.

www.desertdispatch.com/2005/111339897554700.html

Wednesday, April 13, 2005
11th ACR soldier dies
Fort Irwin sharpshooter succumbs to burn wounds

By SCOTT SHACKFORD/City Editor

Pfc. Casey M. LaWare, 19, of Fort Irwin's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, died in Germany Friday of burns he received in a guard tower fire in Iraq.
Story Photo

Photo provided
Casey LaWare

LaWare, a resident of Redding since he was a child, joined the Army just out of high school, his uncle, Brian Telford, said. According to Telford, LaWare had planned to serve in the military for a few years and then go to college.

"He was a young man dedicated to what he could do for his country," Telford said. "He was respected by his classmates and had a lot of good friends."

LaWare served as a sharpshooter for the Army, according to Telford, as part of the Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron. Lt. Col. Frank Wenzel, the rear detachment commander for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, said the Army was still investigating the fire that killed LaWare.

LaWare was evacuated to Germany to treat his burns, Telford said. LaWare's condition deteriorated, however, and he died before he could be flown to Texas for further treatment, Telford said.

Fort Irwin will be holding a memorial service for LaWare at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Post Chapel. The family will hold funeral services for LaWare in Redding Saturday.

Soldiers from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment deployed to Iraq from Fort Irwin in January and February. The regiment had served as the opposing force in National Training Center training activities.

LaWare marks the second casualty from Fort Irwin during military duty in Iraq. Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Robsky, from Fort Irwin's 759th Ordnance Co., died Sept. 10, 2003, in Iraq when a bomb he had been attempting to defuse exploded.

Contact the writer: (760) 256-4126 or [email protected]

© 2005 Desert Dispatch. A Freedom Communications Newspaper.

Quoted: Services are being held today for Army Sgt. William Dean Richardson of Moreno Valley, who is being commended for his bravery during an ambush near a Baghdad canal. The squad leader is credited with saving the lives of two of his team while he continued firing on the insurgents until his ammunition was existed. My condolences go to his family and friends. Sgt. Richardson was a true patriot.

I was at the service and the burial at Riverside National I have known his wife for years
and her sister and my son are talking marrige but back to the service it was one of the most
moving services I have ever seen not a dry eye in the house.The funeral procession to the cemetary was led by a Perris city fire truck and they had 2 ladder trucks at the entrance to the cemetary with their ladders extended over the entrance with a US flag hanging between them what a sight
He was buried with full military honors as it should be,it was a moving experiance to see this young HERO be honored in death

Quoted: Quoted: Services are being held today for Army Sgt. William Dean Richardson of Moreno Valley, who is being commended for his bravery during an ambush near a Baghdad canal. The squad leader is credited with saving the lives of two of his team while he continued firing on the insurgents until his ammunition was existed. My condolences go to his family and friends. Sgt. Richardson was a true patriot. I was at the service and the burial at Riverside National I have known his wife for years and her sister and my son are talking marrige but back to the service it was one of the most moving services I have ever seen not a dry eye in the house.The funeral procession to the cemetary was led by a Perris city fire truck and they had 2 ladder trucks at the entrance to the cemetary with their ladders extended over the entrance with a US flag hanging between them what a sight He was buried with full military honors as it should be,it was a moving experiance to see this young HERO be honored in death

  That must of been tough. Sorry to hear that.

Juan De Dios Garcia-Arana


Army Staff Sgt. Juan De Dios Garcia-Arana

27, of Los Angeles; assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Hovey, Korea; killed April 30 when his Bradley fighting vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire in Khaladiyah, Iraq.

Wesley Rimes


SoCal Marine killed in Iraq protecting an injured Marine

By Associated Press

SANTA MARIA, Calif. — Cpl. Garry Wesley Rimes was killed protecting another Marine.

After a diesel truck drove into a building and exploded, a badly injured Marine crawled from the rubble. Rimes and others encircled the medics as they treated Lance Cpl. Daryl F. Brown Jr. Insurgents fired, killing Rimes.

“Corporeal Rimes is our hero,” Brown’s sister Danica Love of Baytown, Texas, wrote in a letter to the Santa Maria Times. “My whole family feels a deep gratitude to him.”

Rimes, an anti-tank gunner, was killed April 1 in Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. While in Iraq, he was attached to the 2nd Marine Division and was killed after less than a month in country.

On Tuesday, friends and relatives remembered Rimes’ generosity, sense of humor and his sense of honor.

“Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to be a Marine,” his younger sister Patty Rimes of Santa Maria said. “He wanted to be in the military.”

A native of the Philippines, Rimes immigrated to the United States in 1996. He joined the Marines in 1997, hoping the military would help in his goal to become a U.S. citizen.

The 30-year-old has been awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

Rimes took a break from the military in 2001 but couldn’t stay away for long. He re-enlisted in 2004, working in the Marines recruiting office in Santa Maria.

“I know he was a hard worker, he was dependable. He was always on time,” said Marine Sgt. James Gordon, who leads the Santa Maria recruiters. “He missed the Marine Corps.”

In addition to a sister, Rimes is survived by his wife, who lives in the Philippines, and his mother, who lives in Milwaukee.

Died:
April 01, 2005  
 
 




 

www.desertdispatch.com/2005/111581762650543.html

Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Prince remembered as model soldier

By KELLY DONOVAN/Staff Writer

FORT IRWIN -- A young Army corporal was remembered as a model soldier at a memorial service for him at Fort Irwin Tuesday.
Story Photo

Staff photo by Kelly Donovan
Sgt. Jason Ziegelhofer arranges a memorial display for Cpl. Kevin W. Prince Tuesday at Fort Irwin.

Hundreds of soldiers showed up at the post chapel to pay their respects to Cpl. Kevin W. Prince, 22, who was killed in an insurgent attack in Iraq April 23.

"He was always willing to volunteer for the most difficult missions," Staff Sgt. Osmar Castro said during the service.

Castro, who first met Prince in late 2002, said his friend loved watching movies, playing video games and reading.

While Prince -- who was originally from Ohio -- had plans to attend college, he was still dedicated to the Army and "his loyalty to his fellow soldiers never suffered," Capt. Dale DuMont said during the service.

DuMont represented the present commander and former commander of Echo Troop, part of the second squadron of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Prince was assigned to Echo Troop.

DuMont read comments about Prince that the previous Echo Troop commander, Capt. Ralph J. Harting III, forwarded before his own death April 29.

"He was a soldier who was true to himself," DuMont said, reading Harting's comments. "He joined the Army to make a difference ... He always stood up for what he thought was right, and I admired him for that."

Harting also wrote that Prince taught him about true friendship and loyalty, and changed his life, according to DuMont.

Castro said Prince was in excellent physical shape, and "raised the (fitness) standard for the rest of the platoon" -- a surprising achievement considering that he had respiratory problems. Prince's mother, Susan Prince, said he decided to stay in the Army despite his breathing problems.

During the service, Chaplain Thom Davies gave an example of compassionate gestures Prince made in Iraq.

Iraqi children make money picking up trash; at times when they weren't able to receive payment for any reason, Prince would pay them out of his own pocket, Davies said.

"Kevin loved the Iraqi people, especially the children," he said.

At a reception after the service, Susan Prince spoke to the crowd of people who came to offer their condolences. She said she knows her son was making an impact on the people he knew, and the family has been hearing wonderful things about Prince every day.

Prince was assigned to Echo Troop as a grenadier and later became a gunner on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. His numerous awards and honors include the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart, which were each given posthumously.

Davies said Prince believed in God and read the Bible.

"As we remember Kevin, we remember where he is spending eternity ... Jesus came for Kevin," Davies said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: (760) 256-4122 or [email protected]

Stephen Saxton



Fort Carson-based soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

FORT CARSON, Colo. — A soldier with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee.

Sgt. Stephen P. Saxton, 24, of Temecula, Calif., died in Baghdad on Tuesday, the Defense Department said Thursday. He was on a route security mission.

Saxton, a father of three young children, was serving his second yearlong tour in Iraq. He is the fourth soldier to die since units from Fort Carson were redeployed in March.

“Anything he decided to do, he always gave it his best,” Saxton’s mother, Deborah Saxton, told the Gazette of Colorado Springs by telephone from her home in California.

She said Saxton was looking forward to taking a leave later this month to visit his newest child, Sierra Rose, who was born three weeks ago at the military post outside Colorado Springs.

Saxton’s wife, Maegen, and other children, Joseph Thomas, 2, and Katelynn Elizabeth, 4, live in Colorado Springs.

Deborah Saxton said her son had a gift for lifting the spirits of those around him. “He just always looked for the bright side of things.” she said.

Saxton was the 51st soldier from Fort Carson to die in Iraq since the war started in March 2003.

An additional 55 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team have died. The unit, which deployed from South Korea last August, will be based at Fort Carson when it returns from Iraq this summer.


Died:
May 03, 2005  
 

Glenn J. Watkins

42, of Carlsbad, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry, Washington Army National Guard, Kent, Wash.; killed April 5 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle in Baghdad.

Bomb Explosion Kills Citrus Heights Marine Family and friends are mourning the death of a Marine reservist from Citrus Heights who was killed in Iraq Saturday. The Department of Defense has confirmed that First Sgt. Michael Barnhill died when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb about 85 miles north of Baghdad. The 39-year-old Barnhill lived in Citrus Heights. He was serving his second tour in Iraq and was assigned to the Marine Forces Reserve's 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group based at Eugene, Oregon. Barnhill's first assignment to Iraq was two years ago. He returned home for a year and then was called back in in January. Barhnill joined the Marines after graduating from Folsom High School 20 years ago. A good friend talked about Barnhill. "Calling him a patriot doesn't even begin to describe it," said Aaron Moxley. "To my eyes, he will always be a hero. Mike was larger than life. I'm sad and I'm going to miss my friend." Barnhill was a correctional officer at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione. He had been active in the Orangevale Youth Soccer Club as a coach and on its governing board. Barnhill is survived by his widow, a son and two daughters.

www.news10.net/storyfull1.asp?id=11213

Sacramento Family Learns Fate of Relative Missing in Vietnam War Thirty-nine years to the day after he went missing in Vietnam, a Sacramento area family finally learned what happened to their beloved brother and uncle. Larry Adams was a star student and athlete in Willits in Mendocino County. He earned his pilot's license while in high school. His love of flying led him to the U.S. Air Force Academy where he spent a fifth year going through an advanced flight training program. Adams was commissioned in June 1965 and was sent to Vietnam. Ten months later, his plane was reported shot down in the Quang Binh Province. Adams was a favorite of his nieces and nephews, including several of whom live in the Sacramento area. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, a division of the U.S. Department of Defense, began searching for Adams in 1993. Early on they recovered fragments of articles that had belonged to him, but no body. Finally in 2004, investigators traveled to the crash site and interviewed villagers. One of them, a farmer, had risked punishment to bury the pilot's remains. The bones were analyzed for their DNA. The results matched the DNA of Adams' brother while the bones were determined to be those of a male and consistent with Adams' stature. Next Wednesday, Larry Adams will finally return to California for burial. The military will honor him with a memorial ceremony at Beale Air Force Base in Marysville. Planes will fly in the "missing man formation," where one of the aircraft flies outward and upward to symbolize the lost pilot. Afterwards, Adams will be buried in the family plot in Willits.

www.news10.net/storyfull1.asp?id=11167

Stockton Soldier Killed In Afghanistan Sgt. Victor H. Cervantes Killed On Patrol Friday POSTED: 11:20 am PDT June 13, 2005 STOCKTON, Calif. -- A 28-year-old soldier from Stockton died while on patrol in Afghanistan, military officials said. Sgt. Victor H. Cervantes was killed Friday and three other U.S. troops were injured in the insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Cervantes was a Special Forces weapons sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He had been in Afghanistan since February. His parents, Fidel and Nisla Cervantes, live just east of Stockton. A man who answered the door at their home Sunday said the family did not want to comment. Cervantes enlisted in the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout in July 1996, according to a military biography. He began training for the Special Forces three years later and joined his current group in August 2000. Cervantes was the 149th U.S. soldier killed in and around Afghanistan since 2001. The attack on his patrol was the third deadly encounter last week on U.S. forces in the border region near Pakistan.

www.thekcrachannel.com/news/4602578/detail.html

Pilot From Beale AFB Killed in U-2 Crash The Department of Defense has identified the pilot who died when his U-2 reconnaissance aircraft crashed in southwest Asia as being assigned to Beale Air Force Base in Marysville. Maj. Duane W. Dively, 43, had completed a mission over Afghanistan and was returning to base in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday when his spy plane crashed, according to a Pentagon spokesperson. There's no indication that hostile fire was involved in the crash, but an investigation into the incident is ongoing. Dively was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale. His home address is listed as the city of Rancho in Southern California. The U-2 is a single-seat, single-engine reconnaissance aircraft that operates at an altitude of more than 70,000 feet, well above the range of most anti-aircraft missiles. The plane, first designed in the 1950s, has been used by the air force for strategic reconnaissance for nearly five decades.

www.news10.net/storyfull1.asp?id=11663

National Guardsman is First from Sacramento to Die in Iraq A 26-year-old National Guardsman is the first from Sacramento to die in Iraq. Arnold Duplantier II was killed on patrol in Baghdad Tuesday afternoon. Duplantier was only recently returned to Iraq. He was in Sacramento celebrating his birthday with his family on June 3. He leaves behind a wife and 5-year-old daughter. The details of Duplantier's death are unclear, but the National Guard told his family he was shot and killed by a sniper. He is the 12th California National Guard soldier to die in Iraq. Duplantier joined the National Guard last summer and was sent to Iraq in February.

www.news10.net/storyfull1.asp?id=11667

Sacramento Guardsman Killed In Iraq The Associated Press June 24, 2005 SACRAMENTO -- Arnold Duplantier II had just celebrated his 26th birthday and returned to Iraq when he was killed while guarding the hotel where members of the international media stay, the California National Guard said Friday. Duplantier was killed by small arms fire Wednesday afternoon while guarding the outside of the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad, Guard spokesman Tech. Sgt. Andrew Hughan said. He was the only casualty. He is the 12th California guardsman killed in Iraq and the first from Sacramento. "Every indication is he's just a good soldier. He volunteered to go" to Iraq, Hughan said. Duplantier had been a full-time guardsman providing security at the Guard's Sacramento headquarters before he volunteered, Hughan said. A casualty report released Friday said he was recently promoted to sergeant. He served six months of a yearlong deployment before returning to Sacramento recently for a two-week leave. He returned to Iraq 10 days ago for his second six-month stint after a shopping trip to buy presents to hand to Iraqi children, his widow said. He also is survived by a 5-year-old daughter. Tanya Duplantier, 25, last talked to her husband hours before he died. "He said he couldn't wait to get home and that he had to be strong," she told The Sacramento Bee while wrapped in one of her husband's camouflage jackets, sitting before a wall still bearing a "Happy Birthday" sign. Arnold Duplantier, 44, raised his son alone from the age of 12 and said his son found structure in the military. "He already had this sense of what he's got to do in life," he said while holding a watch with "United we stand" highlighted against an American flag, a gift from his son.

fox40.trb.com/news/ktxl-062405soldier,0,1665631.story?coll=ktxl-home-2

Marine Cpl. Carlos Pineda

23, of Los Angeles; assigned to 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed June 24 by enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq.

Marine Pfc. Veashna Muy

20, of Los Angeles; assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed June 23 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near her convoy vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Antonio Mendoza

21, of Santa Ana, Calif.; assigned to the 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died June 3 at Brook Army Medical Center, San Antonio, of wounds sustained Feb. 22 as a result of an explosion while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ramadi, Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Victor H. Cervantes

27, of Stockton, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed June 10 when he came under small-arms fire while on patrol in Orgun-e, Afghanistan.






Stockton soldier killed in Afghanistan

Associated Press

STOCKTON, Calif. — A 27-year-old soldier from Stockton died while on patrol in Afghanistan, military officials said.

Sgt. 1st Class Victor H. Cervantes was killed Friday and three other U.S. troops were injured in the insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Cervantes was a Special Forces weapons sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He had been in Afghanistan since February.

His parents, Fidel and Nisla Cervantes, live just east of Stockton. A man who answered the door at their home Sunday said the family did not want to comment.

Cervantes enlisted in the Army as a cavalry scout in July 1996, according to a military biography. He began training for the Special Forces three years later and joined his current group in August 2000.

Cervantes was the 149th U.S. soldier killed in and around Afghanistan since 2001. The attack on his patrol was the third deadly encounter last week on U.S. forces in the border region near Pakistan.


Died:
June 10, 2005  
 

Cesar O. Baez


Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Cesar O. Baez

37, of Pomona, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed June 15 by enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Dion M. Whitley

21, of Los Angeles; assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; unit operating with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed June 15 when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device while he was conducting combat operations near Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed were Lance Cpl. Jonathan R. Flores, Lance Cpl. Chad B. Maynard, Cpl. Jesse Jaime and Cpl. Tyler S. Trovillion.

Duane W. Dively

Air Force Maj. Duane W. Dively, 43, of Rancho California, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.; killed June 22 when his U-2 aircraft crashed in Southwest Asia as he was returning to base after flying a mission.

Air Force Capt. Derek Argel

28, of Lompoc, Calif.; assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.; killed May 30 in the crash of an Iraqi air force aircraft during a training mission in eastern Diyala province, Iraq. Also killed were Maj. William Downs, Capt. Jeremy Fresques and Staff Sgt. Casey Crate.





Derek Argel


Air Force commando from Lompoc dies in Iraq crash

Associated Press

LOMPOC, Calif. — Air Force Capt. Derek Argel was so dedicated to water polo that he started showing up at high school practices as a fifth-grader.

As he grew older, his intense commitment to the military led him to enroll in the Air Force Academy and head to Iraq as a commando.

Argel, 28, died Monday in a plane crash during a training mission in the Diyala province northwest of Baghdad. Three other U.S. troops and an Iraqi pilot were also killed in the Memorial Day crash.

Argel was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron based at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The squadron’s missions were often classified and officials refused to say when he was deployed.

Argel was named most valuable player in his high school water polo league, and played the sport at the Academy, where he graduated in 2000.

“He worked exceptionally hard. He never took anything for granted,” Cabrillo High School athletic director Bob Lawrence said.

He said the 6-foot-6 Argel towered over him. “He always leaned over and hugged me. He doesn’t ever leave without saying he loves me.”

Argel, who graduated from the school in 1995, brought his wife and young son with him when he last returned to Lompoc to attend the high school’s annual alumni game in October. He gave his old teachers photos of him in uniform.

“His life was always secondary to the United States of America,” friend David Riley said.


Died:
May 30, 2005  
 
 




Return to Honor the Fallen main page