Michael S. Barnhill


Marine 1st Sgt. Michael S. Barnhill

39, of Folsom, Calif.; assigned to the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Marine Forces Reserve, Eugene, Ore.; attached to 2nd FSSG, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed May 28 when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near Haqlaniyah, Iraq.






Marine reservist killed in Iraq explosion

Associated Press

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. — A state prison guard who was serving in the Marines Reserve was killed in Iraq after his vehicle hit an explosive device, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

First Sgt. Michael S. Barnhill, 39, was killed Saturday near Haqlaniyah, Iraq.

Barnhill began his second tour of duty in Iraq in January and was due to come home in September, said Aaron Moxley, a family friend.

Barnhill never complained about being sent back to Iraq after serving his earlier tour, Moxley said.

“Mike Barnhill was first and foremost always a Marine,” Moxley said. “Duty and honor first.”

Barnhill worked as a prison guard for more than 15 years at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, outside of Sacramento.

“His passing has left a huge void among our correctional family,” said Warden Rosanne Campbell.

Barnhill was a graduate of Folsom High School, where he played baseball, soccer and wrestled, Moxley said.

He joined the Marine Corps in 1983 and worked as a helicopter mechanic before leaving active duty in 1989, according to a Marine Corps Web page. He joined the reserves seven months later and was assigned to various bases throughout the West.

While serving in Iraq, he was assigned to the Marine Forces Reserves 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, based in Oregon.

Barnhill received several awards during his 22 years in the service, including the Good Conduct Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and Meritorious Unit Commendation.

He is survived by his wife, Joanna, a son, 15, and two daughters, ages 14 and 11.

In honor of Barnhill, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced.

Barnhill is the second California state prison guard to die while serving in Iraq. Sgt. David Perry of Wasco State Prison was killed in an explosion in August 2003.


Died:
May 28, 2005  
 




       

Quoted: 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

I attended his funeral today.  A good Christian.

Sorry. We are losing our best in this war.

Erik Kristensen

Navy SEAL from San Diego killed in Afghanistan



The Associated Press

July 05, 2005



Lt. Cmdr. Erik Kristensen enjoyed reading poetry and spending time at the beach in a pair of Birkenstocks sandals.

Though the 33-year-old Navy SEAL was well over 6 feet tall, his mother called him a "big puppy."

"He was a very, very laid back young man," said Suzanne "Sam" Kristensen.

Kristensen, of San Diego, was among 16 troops killed June 28 in Afghanistan's Kunar province when their transport helicopter was shot down while attempting to rescue missing SEALs.

One missing SEAL was later rescued, two have been found dead and the fate of a fourth was unknown.

Kristensen, a gifted writer and quick learner, graduated with honors from the Naval Academy in 1997. He was a member of SEAL Team Ten based in Virginia Beach.

He joined the Navy in the footsteps of his father, retired Rear Adm. Edward K. Kristensen.

Kristensen's mother said her son loved reading Shakespeare and Melville. He lived blocks from the ocean in Virginia Beach and enjoyed being on the water.

Kristensen, who spoke French, was selected as an Olmsted Foundation Scholar to study in Paris next year at the Institute of Political Studies. The program allows a few service members to study abroad for two years.

His mother said he rarely spoke about his deployments.

"Boys are boys," she said. "SEALs are SEALs."

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday issued a statement of condolence to Kristensen's family and friends. Flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in his memory.

"Erik's service is an example to all Americans of the selfless sacrifice of a patriotic hero," Schwarzenegger said.

Kristensen, who was single, will be buried in his Birkenstocks, his mother said.

A memorial service was planned for Friday in Little Creek, Va.

Capt. Alan Rowe



DailyDemocrat -- A U.S. Marine, born in Woodland and with family still living in Yolo County, was killed Friday in an explosion in the al Anbar province of Iraq near the Syrian border.

Capt. Alan Rowe, 35, was one of three Marines that died Friday in the explosion, The Democrat learned on Tuesday.

Rowe was born Oct. 3, 1968, in Woodland and lived in Dixon as a child. His father, James, was affiliated with Valley Livestock Transportation in Dixon and his mother, Marian, taught in Esparto. His aunts and uncles are Yolo and Solano county residents, as are 15 first cousins and their families.




Rowe lived with his wife, Dawn, and their children Blake, 5, and Caitlin, 3, in Twentynine Palms.

This was the fourth deployment overseas for the Idaho veteran, who was with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms.

Graveside services with full military honors are scheduled for Saturday in Idaho, where his both his parents, stepmother, sister and other family live.

A memorial service is also scheduled for Sept. 17 at the Marine Corps Base Protestant Chapel in Twentynine Palms where Row is scheduled to be promoted to the rank of major posthumously.

Rowe was one of nearly a dozen Marines killed in Iraq in the past few days, pushing the number of deaths of U.S. service personnel to 1,002 since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count based on Defense Department records and AP reporting from Iraq. That count includes 999 service members and three military civilians.

The Defense Department's most recent published count, as of Tuesday, shows 987 U.S. service members dead. Of those, 741 died as a result of hostile action and 246 died of non-hostile causes. In addition, the Defense Department lists the deaths of three Defense Department civilians, for a total of 990.

The AP count is higher by 12 because it includes additional names released by the Defense Department and fatalities who have not been identified.

The British military has reported 64 deaths; Italy, 18; Spain, 11; Poland, 10; Bulgaria, six; Ukraine, six; Slovakia, three; Thailand, two; and Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia and the Netherlands have reported one death each.

According to the military's numbers Tuesday, 849 U.S. soldiers have died since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended. Of those, 632 died as a result of hostile action and 217 of non-hostile causes, according to the military's numbers Tuesday.




 
 

Matthew G. Axelson



Navy Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson

29, of Cupertino, Calif.; assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; killed while conducting counter-terrorism operations in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Coalition forces located his remains while conducting a combat search-and-rescue operation July 10 in Kunar province. His whereabouts had been unknown since June 28.

Army Staff Sgt. Jorge L. Pena-Romero

29, of Fallbrook, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.; killed July 16 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee as his unit was conducting a mounted patrol in Baghdad.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Erik S. Kristensen

33, of San Diego; assigned to SEAL Team 10, Virginia Beach, Va.; killed June 28 when an MH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed while ferrying personnel to a battle against militants in eastern Afghanistan.






Navy SEAL from San Diego killed in Afghanistan

Associated Press


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Lt. Cmdr. Erik Kristensen enjoyed reading poetry and spending time at the beach in a pair of Birkenstocks sandals.

Though the 33-year-old Navy SEAL was well over 6 feet tall, his mother called him a “big puppy.”

“He was a very, very laid back young man,” said Suzanne “Sam” Kristensen.

Kristensen, of San Diego, was among 16 troops killed June 28 in Afghanistan’s Kunar province when their transport helicopter was shot down while attempting to rescue missing SEALs.

One missing SEAL was later rescued, two have been found dead and the fate of a fourth was unknown.

Kristensen, a gifted writer and quick learner, graduated with honors from the Naval Academy in 1997. He was a member of SEAL Team Ten based in Virginia Beach.

He joined the Navy in the footsteps of his father, retired Rear Adm. Edward K. Kristensen.

Kristensen’s mother said her son loved reading Shakespeare and Melville. He lived blocks from the ocean in Virginia Beach and enjoyed being on the water.

Kristensen, who spoke French, was selected as an Olmsted Foundation Scholar to study in Paris next year at the Institute of Political Studies. The program allows a few service members to study abroad for two years.

His mother said he rarely spoke about his deployments.

“Boys are boys,” she said. “SEALs are SEALs.”

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday issued a statement of condolence to Kristensen’s family and friends. Flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in his memory.

“Erik’s service is an example to all Americans of the selfless sacrifice of a patriotic hero,” Schwarzenegger said.

Kristensen, who was single, will be buried in his Birkenstocks, his mother said.

Died:
June 28, 2005  
 

Marine Lance Cpl. Adam J. Strain

20, of Smartsville, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed Aug. 3 by enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/09/AR2005080901245.html

U.S. Identifies Remains of Vietnam MIAs By MARTHA MENDOZA The Associated Press Tuesday, August 9, 2005; 9:23 PM -- The remains of 12 servicemen listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War have been identified and are returning home, 37 years after they died in a fierce battle near the Laos-Vietnam border, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. The 11 Marines and one Army soldier are the largest group of MIAs identified since the war, according to the military.   "Now we don't have to wonder anymore," said Steven Fritsch of Cromwell, Conn., who will bury his older brother Sunday at St. John's Catholic Church in Cromwell. He said the news has been "bittersweet" for his parents. "Obviously now they have to bury their son, and who ever wants to do that?" he said. "But at least they know he's not just missing, he actually died in battle." Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas W. Fritsch and four others will be buried by their families. The other seven will be buried as a group in Arlington National Cemetery in October, said Larry Greer, a spokesman for the Pentagon's missing personnel office. The Marines were killed during a 10-hour battle on May 9, 1968, on a football field-sized area in South Vietnam, Greer said. He said villagers, former Vietnamese soldiers and American survivors helped investigators narrow their search to three excavations in 1998 and 1999, where they recovered the remains and other personal materials. Since then, they have been working to identify the remains through DNA and other forensic tools, he said. "We really feel very fortunate that we do have some remains coming home to us, and we are welcoming him home," said Brenda Scott, whose brother, Lance Cpl. Donald W. Mitchell, of Princeton, Ky., was among the recovered MIAs. Their father, Herman Mitchell, died in 1998 without knowing his son's fate. Their mother, Marjorie Mitchell, is now 80 and "feels finally at peace," Scott said. Mitchell's funeral is scheduled for Aug. 27, more than three dozen years after his family prepared for it. "We've had this family plot since 1968 with a monument ready for him to come home," Scott said. Carol Fordahl remembered her former boyfriend, Army Sgt. Glenn E. Miller, as a young man with a crew cut who serenaded her with his guitar from her roof top and mailed her fresh cherries for her birthday. She still has the pearl ring and charm bracelet that the Green Beret from Oakland, Calif., gave her. "I still miss him to this day," she said. "I just wish he had been able to come back. He had a lot to offer. He was an exceptional person and a really, really good friend." Marine Pfc. Robert Lopez of Albuquerque, N.M, had written a letter from Vietnam that reached his family a few days before they were informed he was missing in action. In it, the young man fresh out of high school talked about bathing in a river, his sister Margaret Coplen said. "He said he at least felt he was halfway clean," she said. "It was in a river, so he said when he came out, he was covered with leeches. I was just crying when I had read that." In addition to Fritsch, Lopez, Miller and Mitchell, the servicemen identified were Marine Cpl. Gerald E. King of Knoxville, Tenn.; Lance Cpls. Joseph F. Cook of Foxboro, Mass., and Raymond T. Heyne of Mason, Wis.; and Pfcs. Thomas J. Blackman of Racine, Wis., Paul S. Czerwonka of Stoughton, Mass., Barry L. Hempel of Garden Grove, Calif., William D. McGonigle of Wichita, Kan., and Lance Cpl. James R. Sargent, of Anawalt, W.Va.

Two Sacramento Soldiers Killed in Iraq, Afghanistan Aug. 24 - Two Sacramento area soldiers were killed on the same day -- one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan -- when bombs destroyed their vehicles, according to the military and family members. Army Sgt. Joseph C. Nurre, of Wilton, was killed Sunday when a roadside bomb hit his military vehicle near Samarra, Iraq, his family said. That same day, Pvt. Christopher L. Palmer, of Sacramento, died near Baylough, Afghanistan, when an explosive device detonated near the Humvee he was riding in. Three other soldiers also died in that explosion, according to the Department of Defense. Separate funeral services will be scheduled later this week. Both men were 22. Family and friends of Nurre, a member of the Reserve's 463rd Engineer Battalion, remembered him as kind, gregarious and dedicated. A 2001 graduate and captain of the football team at Elk Grove High School, he was known to invite freshmen to join him and his fellow players in the cafeteria. An only child, he enjoyed people and won their hearts with a quick wit and a ready smile, said his mother, Leigh Nurre. "He had a huge heart, and people loved being around him," she said. Nurre's tour of duty was scheduled to end in December. He trained as a medic and a radio technician and also served as an M60 machine-gunner, said his father, Charlie Nurre. The Nurres last spoke to their son Aug. 13, when he called to tell them he didn't have dangerous convoy duties any more. "He was relieved that the worst was over," Leigh Nurre said. Christopher Palmer's mother, Annie Palmer, said her son was a quiet man, who loved hip-hop music and relished the opportunity to serve his country. His sister, Casandra Palmer, said her brother's favorite movie was "Saving Private Ryan" because it reflected his military aspirations. "He said he wanted his life to mean something," she recalled. Palmer, a 2000 graduate of Cordova High School, was active in sports, including football, soccer and wrestling, and earned a brown belt in tae kwon do. Palmer served in the Army's 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy. He served a tour of duty in Iraq before his assignment in Afghanistan. After the military, Chris Palmer dreamed of joining the SWAT team in San Diego, his sister said. "He always wanted to defend the little man, to protect someone else," she said.

abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=state&id=3377936

Family mourns San Diego man killed in Iraq The Associated Press Last Updated 11:58 am PDT Friday, September 9, 2005 HALFWAY, Md. (AP) - Ryan Brandt Young, a San Diego man and former Navy SEAL performing diplomatic security in southern Iraq, died Wednesday when a bomb destroyed his armored vehicle. Young, 32, a native of Halfway, Md., served in the U.S. Navy for more than 13 years, including stints as a Navy SEAL and SEAL instructor, said his father, Greg Young. Ryan Young was in Iraq as a security contractor for Triple Canopy Inc. of Herndon, Va. and was working with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. He was riding in the lead vehicle of a motorcade escorting someone from an airport to the U.S. Embassy in Basra, Iraq when the bomb went off, said his mother, Pam Young. Three other Triple Canopy contractors - Ronald Hyatt of Calera, Ala., Robert McCoy of Refugio, Texas, and Robert Pole of Miller Place, N.Y. - were killed in the explosion. Al Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on a Web site known as a clearinghouse of militant claims. "We were told it was a devastating blast, that it was instant," Greg Young told The (Hagerstown) Herald-Mail. Pam Young said when she last spoke to her son, about 10 days ago, "he was very happy, very up, but he usually was. He wasn't a person who was down." The Youngs said their son had been in harm's way so many times that they tried not to think about the possibility that he would be killed. He received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for putting out a fire aboard the USS John F. Kennedy. "Everyone else ran away from it and he ran toward it," Greg Young said. He said his son once told him: "Dad, if anything should ever happen to me, I want you to know I enjoy what I'm doing. I'm doing what I want to do." Ryan Young served as a Navy SEAL for eight years, the last three as a combat diving instructor. It was his childhood dream to join the SEALs, his parents said. "He was a professional," said Wil Fisher, 32, who joined the Navy at the same time as Young. "He's done this for most of his adult life. It takes a unique individual to do that, to keep yourself in harm's way even after getting out of the military. ... I'm proud to say he's my friend." Young spent his entire childhood in Washington County, Md., graduating in 1990 from high school. As an adult, Young competed in marathons and enjoyed surfing, mountain climbing and snowboarding. He graced the cover of the 2004 Men of the Navy SEALs calendar and worked occasionally as a model in California, once appearing in a commercial with former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, his mother said. Young recently earned a bachelor's degree in business management from National University in San Diego. Greg Young said he asked his son if he would ever use his degree, and he responded, "Dad, I just can't see myself cooped up in an office."

---

===================================
latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-romero25sep25,1,7961128.story?coll=la-news-obituaries
MILITARY DEATHS
Marine Corps Pfc. Ramon Romero, 19, Huntington Park; Killed in Bombing
By Hector Becerra
Times Staff Writer

September 25, 2005

Even as he took his first ungainly steps as a toddler, Ramon Romero displayed a distinct distaste for being kept from doing things on his own.

"If he fell, I would run to him because I was afraid he was going to get hurt," said his mother, Maria Romero. "But if I picked him up, he would get mad. He wanted to get up by himself. Even when he was little, he had a very decisive character."

She laughed as she recalled how her son would return from Police Explorer training meetings only to lead a group of children in their Huntington Park neighborhood in exercise and drills. And she remembered how she worried when he told her two years ago that he wanted to be a Marine. "I told him, 'Mijo, if you do that, right away they're going to send you to the war. I don't want to sign for you,' " Romero, 41, recalled. "He said, 'Mom, if everyone thought like you, this country wouldn't be free. We need people to defend the country.' "

On Aug. 22, Ramon Romero, 19, was killed when a roadside bomb detonated next to his military vehicle in Fallouja, Iraq.

Now, Maria Romero said, it is time for her to practice a lesson that her firstborn son unwittingly taught her many years ago. "I have to be strong like him and not let myself fall, for my children," she said. "I have to pick myself up because you have to keep going forward."

A graduate of Huntington Park High School, Ramon Romero wanted to study criminology and become a police officer after leaving the Marine Corps. His family's travails in Watts, where their home was routinely burglarized, inspired him early on to want to become a cop, his mother said.

For three years, he took taekwondo lessons at the Blue Dragon Taekwondo School in Huntington Park, where an instructor said he demonstrated a thirst for discipline and teaching younger pupils. "He was one of the best students I ever had," Thomas Dueñas said. "He was the ideal student: disciplined, very respectful and always willing to lend a helping hand."

The teenager saw the Marines as an opportunity to learn skills that would help him as a police officer. In 2003, he began to visit Camp Pendleton twice a month in preparation for boot camp. On July 4, he graduated from boot camp at the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Within days, Romero had shipped off to Iraq, stopping briefly in Ireland, where he sent a letter to his mother dated July 8. "Never in my life did I dream about going to the other side of the world," he wrote. "I'm prepared for what awaits, and I will take care of myself. Whatever happens, it will be God's decision. I love you all very much."

Once in Iraq, Romero told his mom it didn't look much different from his maternal grandmother's home in the desert of Sinaloa, Mexico. But he said he came to value one particular bit of advice his mother gave him before he left. "I had told him, 'Mijo, don't trust everyone. Look at their eyes; it'll tell you what they're thinking. If they hate you, their eyes will tell you. You'll feel it,' " Maria Romero said. "He said, 'Mom, it really is true that people's eyes are a window to their heart because there's some people who see us, and you can see the hate in their eyes.' "

She said her son was generally upbeat when he called her, which was almost every day. "I always slept with the telephone on the side of my pillow so I wouldn't miss his calls," she said. "Sometimes he only told me, 'Hi mom, I'm OK. Don't worry and I love you. I've got to go, bye.' "

Maria Romero and her husband, Juan, 39, were visiting his family in Tijuana the day Ramon died. When they got back the next day, they saw a Red Cross number on their caller ID, she said. She noticed that her son had not called all weekend. Worried, she called his girlfriend. "She said, 'Yes, he called me yesterday,' " Maria Romero recalled. "He told her that he had to get off the phone because he had to go out on patrol, and that he loved us a lot."

In a letter, Ramon Romero's captain told his mother that the young Marine had volunteered to be at the head of the convoy patrol and that his actions probably preserved the lives of others. "He always wanted to be in the front," his mother said. "Since he was very little, he liked to get ahead."

Romero was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms.

He was buried with full military honors Aug. 30 at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. He also is survived by a brother, Bernardo, 17; and a sister, Yajaira, 16.

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-silva25sep25,1,7672496.story?coll=la-news-obituaries
MILITARY DEATHS
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Alfredo B. Silva, 35, Calexico; Killed in an Explosion in Iraq
By Eric Bailey
Times Staff Writer

September 25, 2005

When he returned to Iraq not long ago, Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Alfredo B. Silva maintained his habit of worrying about his family's worries.

Don't fret, he said to the grandmother who raised him. I'll be fine, he told the aunt who grew up with him like a sister.

There were plenty more family members to calm. Before the war, Silva used to gather each Sunday with his tight-knit clan, 44 relatives living within miles of each other in Chula Vista, Calif.

They watched football and shared menudo or carne asada — uncles and nieces and his beloved grandfather, whom Silva shadowed as a little boy and whose love showered back.

"His family was the most important thing to him," recalled a cousin, Cindy Lopez. "He didn't like that we all worried about him."

Silva, 35, of Calexico, Calif., was killed Sept. 15 when an improvised explosive device detonated near the military vehicle he was driving while on patrol in Baghdad. He was only about a week into a new stint in Iraq after a stateside furlough that ended Labor Day.

He is survived by his wife, Cecilia, and 12-year-old daughter, Mariel, a softball pitching whiz just like her father.

No one in the family called him Alfredo.

Even after he toughed up on high school sports and grew hard with muscle from construction work, Silva was known to relatives simply as "Boy." One of his aunts, Julia Robles, gave him the nickname. She was just a toddler when Silva was born and never could pronounce his Christian name. Everyone picked up on it and never let go.

Silva's father died when he was 4, and his mother moved in with her parents in San Diego County. Silva's grandparents, Asuncion and Amparo Barajas, raised him like their own.

He followed his grandfather everywhere. The duo would spend weekends at the horse races in Caliente or at the family ranch south of the border.

At 16, during one of the family's summer stints in Mexico, he met the young woman who would become his wife. Silva dated Cecilia for half a dozen years, traveling across the border on weekends to keep the romance alive.

After his high school graduation, he worked in the family concrete construction business. But with marriage and the birth of his daughter, Silva told his relatives that he was joining the Army.

"Nobody understood why he wanted to do it," Robles said. "But he wanted to be a little bit more independent. He wanted to help people. He wanted to do something different."

After his active-duty stint in Texas, Silva joined the Army National Guard so he could return to California and his family.

He loved following the San Diego Chargers and baseball's Padres. As an adult, his own fast-pitch softball career rarely wavered, and he would drive west to play in night leagues in Chula Vista or Tijuana. His catcher, Efrain Arvizu of Tijuana, remembered Silva as a man of "heart and determination."

Deployment in Iraq interrupted that life. After months overseas, Silva returned in August to attend his grandmother's 80th birthday party.

Lopez, the cousin, recalls Silva talking about the confusion of the war, but how the children of Iraq remained his prime motivation.

"He knew it was his job, his duty, and he signed up for that," she said. "He knew he was there to, in the end, bring these kids a better future."

Sgt. Joseph C. Barker, who was wounded in the explosion that claimed Silva's life, recalled a comrade who masqueraded as a tough guy to keep order in the ranks.

"But when it came down to it, he was a softie," Barker wrote on an Internet tribute site to Iraq casualties. "He was the first to start throwing Beanie Babies and soccer balls to the kids."

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

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http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-guerra25sep25,1,6720531.story?coll=la-news-obituaries
MILITARY DEATHS
Army Pvt. Ernesto R. Guerra, 19, Long Beach; Dies of Injuries in Humvee Accident in Baghdad
By Fred Alvarez
Times Staff Writer

September 25, 2005

More than anything, Ernesto R. Guerra wanted to take care of his mother.

While serving in Iraq, the Army private made sure to send money home every month to support her and his 11-year-old brother, Juan.

And he arranged before he left to start the process of obtaining legal immigration status for his mother, who crossed from Mexico into the United States without permission two decades ago.

The 19-year-old California native couldn't file the paperwork until he turned 21, but he signed it and wanted it ready so that no matter where he was in the world he could press forward.

Ironically, Guerra's July 29 death from injuries suffered in a Humvee accident in Baghdad could fast-track that process.

Amelia Nieto, director of the Centro Shalom social services agency in Long Beach, said Army officers told Maria Valadez that as the mother of a soldier killed in action, her application for legalization would be expedited.

"This was his dearest wish. He was tired of her having to live in the shadows," said Nieto, who has known the Long Beach family for a decade. "By dying in Iraq, he has accomplished what he wanted most."

Guerra died two weeks shy of his 20th birthday and was buried last month with military honors in San Francisco del Rincon, Mexico. Valadez remains in central Mexico with her family, Nieto said.

An avid skateboarder, Guerra was polite and responsible, the man of the family after his father died in a 1988 car accident, Nieto said.

Guerra graduated last year from Cabrillo High School in Long Beach. Nieto said he was interested in military service from an early age and joined his high school's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Still, Nieto said, it came as a shock to his family and friends when Guerra announced that he had joined the Army, signing up as a senior right at his high school campus. "My heart dropped when [Valadez] told me he was going," Nieto said. "I told her he would be in my prayers."

Nieto said Guerra last visited his family in Long Beach at Christmas, and that she had helped him file his taxes earlier this year while he was serving in Iraq.

Based at Ft. Stewart, Ga., he had just been promoted to E-2 status, one notch below private first class.

He was assigned to the 43rd Brigade Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division.

Guerra had been in Iraq for seven months when the Humvee accident occurred in central Baghdad.

Nieto said that because Valadez was informed of her son's death by an English-speaking Army officer, she could barely understand what she was being told. But Valadez understood enough to know that her son was dead and to track down Nieto, who helped guide her through the process of claiming his body and arranging for burial in Mexico.

Nieto said Guerra was buried next to his grandfather, and that Valadez was struggling to let him go and return to Long Beach.

"She's having a hard time emotionally leaving there," Nieto said. "She didn't really understand the war, but she was very proud of him."

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

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Soldier from Santa Rosa dies in Iraq Army Spc. Joshua J. Kynoch Thursday October 06, 2005 SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) A 23-year-old soldier from Santa Rosa died in Iraq last week when an explosive detonated near his vehicle, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday. Army Spc. Joshua J. Kynoch was killed Saturday in Bayji, Iraq, when the improvised device went off while his unit was in a convoy in Bayji, Iraq. Kynoch was riding in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle when he was killed. The Department of Defense did not release additional information about the attack, but said Kynoch is believed to be the only person who died. Kynoch was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, in Fort Stewart, Ga.

kcal9.com/california/CA--IraqCasualty-Kyno-kn/resources_news_html

Antioch Guardsman Killed In Iraq  Family Speaks Publicly Staff Sergeant Daniel Scheile           By Wayne Freedman Sept. 27 - The family of an Antioch reservist killed last weekend in Iraq went public Tuesday about the man they lost. Staff sergeant Daniel Scheile was 37-years-old -- a machine gunner on a humvee for the National Guard's 184th infantry. There was a mix of sadness, but also pride, when the family of Staff Sergeant Daniel Scheile gathered on the lawn in front of his home in Antioch Tuesday morning. Jennifer Scheile, Daniel's wife: "Never in a million years did we expect for him not to make it back." So said his wife, Jennifer, of her husband who died from yet another roadside bomb in Baghdad. Daniel Scheile was a cement mason in real life and an active duty guardsman for 17 years. He's been in Iraq since August. He was bigger than life to his wife and two young daughters, Marissa and Kelli. Jennifer Scheile, wife: "He was the first to stand up and do what his country asked of him. And people that are protesting, he saw it as a disgrace to him and what he was doing." Scheile had already earned a purple heart from another roadside bomb earlier this year, but he was not the type to worry his wife or mother. He was more a man who, before this last mission, shared his fears in an e-mail to his younger sister, Trina. Trina Scheile, sister: "He was tough and strong. So for him to say something it must have been pretty damn bad." ABC7's Wayne Freedman: "When he says bad, how do you interpret it?" Trina Scheile, sister: "That it's like hell there." And now, for this close-knit family, hell has spread to Poppy Way in the form of loss and loneliness. They say Staff Sgt. Daniel Scheile used to leave happy birthday messages on the telephone. The last of them is still there.

abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=3481324

1st Female Airman Killed in Iraq Honored Miami Herald  |  October 10, 2005 Elizabeth Nicole Jacobson, the first female U.S. airman killed in action in Iraq, was laid to rest Sunday in Pompano Beach. Jacobson, 21, who once lived in Riviera Beach and had many relatives in Broward County, was killed Sept. 28 when a roadside bomb exploded near her convoy. The airman 1st class was laid to rest with military honors in a new "war heroes" section at Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery in Pompano Beach. As flags gently flapped above the burial site, two jets soared overhead. Loved ones embraced. "Every member within the military considers her a hero," Chaplain Peggy Wilkins said during the service. Jacobson's parents, Marianne Earheart and David Jacobson, who live in California, somberly accepted U.S. flags tightly folded into triangles. "We loved Elizabeth very much and are extremely proud of her," the family wrote in a statement. "Elizabeth made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and the cause of freedom." Jacobson was assigned to the 17th Security Forces Squadron at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. She had served in the Air Force for two years, and had been in Iraq for about three months. Air Force spokesman Capt. Kevin Tuttle confirmed Jacobson was the first female airman killed in the Iraq conflict. "She was a sparkplug that made the squadron go," said Col. Scott Bethel, also based in Texas. He recalled how she set her sights high and dreamed of one day becoming chief. "She'd even sit in his chair," Bethel said. Air Force Major Ken O'Neil said he remembered a young lady who always had a bright smile. "Everything she did while she was with us, she did with passion," he said. Jacobson was born in Orlando, raised in California, and lived briefly in Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County. Her family received a bronze star that she was awarded for bravery under fire, an achievement medal and a purple heart. After hearing of Jacobson's death, the funeral home created the war heroes plot. The service and burial plot were free of charge, Forest Lawn general manager John Banas said. Banas said he wanted to create an appropriate place of honor for Jacobson. In the event that they might be needed, there are three other places reserved for service members who die in the line of duty. The plots are within an area of the cemetery reserved for veterans. "If it weren't for them, doing what they do, we would not be free here to do what we do," Banas said. Survivors include her father, David Jacobson of Vallejo, Calif.; mother Marianne Earheart of California; three sisters; a brother; grandfather Allan Jacobson of Pembroke Pines; grandparents Cos Cosimano and Sondra Millman-Cosimano of Riviera Beach; and great-grandfather Veto Cosimano of Tamarac.

www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,78343,00.html?ESRC=airforce.nl

Army Staff Sgt. Jerry L. Bonifacio Jr.

28, of Vacaville, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, Dublin, Calif., killed on Oct. 10 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his checkpoint in Baghdad.






Vacaville soldier died protecting Green Zone

Associated Press

VACAVILLE, Calif. — A 28-year-old soldier from Vacaville died this week in Iraq when a car bomb detonated near his checkpoint.

Army Staff Sgt. Jerry L. Bonifacio Jr. died Monday while protecting the Green Zone, a fortification in Baghdad designed to keep U.S. officials safe.

Bonifacio, who also worked at a Martinez refinery, had only three months remaining on his deployment to Iraq. He was engaged to Michelle Baptiste, who shared an apartment in Vacaville with Bonifacio.

Hearing the news was “numbing,” Baptiste told The Reporter of Vacaville.

“They read it off a paper. It was really cold. Like they do it all the time,” she said. “Everyone just says they feel numb. It doesn’t seem real.”

Bonifacio was remembered for his love of comic books and heavy metal concerts, attending concerts of some his favorite bands — Dio, Poison, Motley Crue and Iron Maiden — with Baptiste.

Bonifacio was originally scheduled to finish his enlistment with the National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, in Dublin, last October. His enlistment was extended so he could go to Iraq in December 2004, but he kept his feelings about the war to himself.

“He never really talked about it,” said his mother, Anna Bonifacio. “Last time he was on leave he said he had enlisted for another five years.”

Bonifacio, who was raised in Vacaville, is survived by his parents Jerry and Anna, younger sister, Esther, and younger brother, John.

Died:
October 10, 2005  
 

Army Spc. Joshua J. Kynoch

23, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed Oct. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A2 Bradley fighting Vehicle during convoy operations in Bayji, Iraq.






Fort Stewart soldier remembered as a hero, says family

Associated Press

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A 23-year-old soldier from Santa Rosa died in Iraq last week when an explosive detonated near his vehicle, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.

Army Spc. Joshua J. Kynoch was killed Saturday when the improvised device went off while his unit was in a convoy in Bayji, Iraq. Kynoch was riding in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle when he was killed.

Kynoch was married and the father of a five-month-old daughter. His family remembered him Wednesday as a hero who enlisted in the Army just days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He had 13 weeks left on his second tour of duty in Iraq.

“He said, ‘No, Dad, if I don’t go back, someone will have to take my place,’” recalled Kynoch’s father, Paul. “It was his belief and he was fighting for that belief the American way.”

The Department of Defense did not release additional information about the attack, but said Kynoch is believed to be the only person who died.

Kynoch was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, in Fort Stewart, Ga. His family said his funeral would most likely be held next week.

Died:
October 01, 2005  
 
 




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You missed a couple.

LT Andre Tyson, Engineer, National Guard. (Killed as a 2LT, subsequently promoted to 1LT) was killed in the same incident as SPC McAffree just North of LSA Anaconda by AK47. Shot in the head, he died instantly. It was a rather unfortunate incident for all concerned. A third soldier was hit four times at point blank range in the chest, twice in the back, the IBA stopped all the rounds. Number 7 hit him in the posterior, but he's OK. The individual who shot them was arrested some months later at a 1st ID checkpoint near Baghdad. How they ID'd him, I have no idea.

SFC Michael Ottolini, 579th Engineers, also California Guard was killed a tad NW of LSA Anaconda whilst driving an M1114. He ran over a delayed fuse mine, which detonated shortly after the driver's wheel passed over it. The blast went through the floor, seat, driver, and created an exit hole in the roof. The standard IED at that point in that area was a combination of mine and artillery or tank round or two, explaining the unusual amount of damage. Two others were seriously wounded. The other two in the back were seriously upset by the incident, and I can't blame them.

As asides, SPC Unger's uncle who was a pastor joined up immediately after he was killed, and is now a National Guard chaplain, 2LT.

SSG Bonafacio was buried last Friday in a custom Kiss casket donated by Gene Simmons. He was a heavy metal/rock fan. He is buried in the same cemetary as Sheehan, who I believe you've also missed.

SPC Kynoch was the unfortunate funeral two weeks ago where the hearse driver hired protestors, who then were sent to the hospital after encountering some people who believed it wasn't the most diplomatic time for a protest. Vacaville PD were out in force the following week for Bonafacio to prevent any possible repeats.

1/184IN of the Cal Guard has not had a great month. At least 4 KIA.

NTM

Quoted: You missed a couple. LT Andre Tyson, Engineer, National Guard. (Killed as a 2LT, subsequently promoted to 1LT) was killed in the same incident as SPC McAffree just North of LSA Anaconda by AK47. Shot in the head, he died instantly. It was a rather unfortunate incident for all concerned. A third soldier was hit four times at point blank range in the chest, twice in the back, the IBA stopped all the rounds. Number 7 hit him in the posterior, but he's OK. The individual who shot them was arrested some months later at a 1st ID checkpoint near Baghdad. How they ID'd him, I have no idea. SFC Michael Ottolini, 579th Engineers, also California Guard was killed a tad NW of LSA Anaconda whilst driving an M1114. He ran over a delayed fuse mine, which detonated shortly after the driver's wheel passed over it. The blast went through the floor, seat, driver, and created an exit hole in the roof. The standard IED at that point in that area was a combination of mine and artillery or tank round or two, explaining the unusual amount of damage. Two others were seriously wounded. The other two in the back were seriously upset by the incident, and I can't blame them. As asides, SPC Unger's uncle who was a pastor joined up immediately after he was killed, and is now a National Guard chaplain, 2LT. SSG Bonafacio was buried last Friday in a custom Kiss casket donated by Gene Simmons. He was a heavy metal/rock fan. He is buried in the same cemetary as Sheehan, who I believe you've also missed. SPC Kynoch was the unfortunate funeral two weeks ago where the hearse driver hired protestors, who then were sent to the hospital after encountering some people who believed it wasn't the most diplomatic time for a protest. Vacaville PD were out in force the following week for Bonafacio to prevent any possible repeats. 1/184IN of the Cal Guard has not had a great month. At least 4 KIA. NTM

Thanks for your help. I know I've missed a bunch,  one day I will organize this thread and make sure I have all the names listed.

CPT Hill, 1/184IN is the latest. I don't have the bio.

NTM

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Allan M. Cundanga Espiritu

28, of Oxnard, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward), II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed Nov. 1 by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in the vicinity of Ramadi, Iraq.

Marine Sgt. Daniel A. Tsue

27, of Honolulu; assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Force Service Support Group, II MEF (Forward); killed Nov. 1 by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ramadi, Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class James F. Hayes

48, of Barstow, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Nov. 6 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations in Taji, Iraq.

Army Spc. Matthew J. Holley

21, of San Diego; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 15 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Taji, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. John A. Lucente

19, of Grass Valley, Calif.; assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); died Nov. 16 from wounds sustained from an enemy hand grenade while conducting combat operations against enemy forces during Operation Steel Curtain in Ubaydi, Iraq.

Army Spc. Vernon R. Widner

, 34, of Redlands, Calif.; assigned to the 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 17 in Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained earlier that day when his Humvee was involved in a vehicle accident during convoy operations in Bayji, Iraq. Also killed was Pfc. Anthony A. Gaunky.

=============
Los Angeles Times: Army National Guard Sgt. Shakere T. Guy, 23, Pomona; Killed in Explosion

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-guy27nov27,0,2145526.story?coll=la-home-obituaries

MILITARY DEATHS
Army National Guard Sgt. Shakere T. Guy, 23, Pomona; Killed in Explosion
By Marla Cone
Times Staff Writer

November 27, 2005

Army National Guard Sgt. Shakere T. Guy was known among his fellow soldiers for
his fun-loving sense of humor and his efforts to help the Iraqi people. He used
his own money to buy the children toys, soccer balls, clothes and candy.

Born in Jamaica, Guy became a U.S. citizen in July 2004. A few months later, the
23-year-old Pomona resident was dispatched to Iraq as a member of the National
Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment in Modesto.

Guy was one of two guardsmen killed Oct. 29 when a roadside bomb exploded near
the Humvee they were riding in during a combat mission in Baghdad. Also killed
was National Guard Capt. Raymond D. Hill II, 39, of Turlock, Calif.

Guy, who was engaged to be married, is survived by his mother, Donna
Sanguinette, and a sister, Tracy Ann Smith, both of Pomona.

At an emotional memorial service for Guy and three other soldiers in the same
company, including the battalion commander, who were killed within a few days,
one friend recalled that Guy was beside him the first time they were attacked
with explosives.

"I couldn't have asked for a better soldier by my side," the unidentified
soldier said in a eulogy for Guy. "He performed very well at his assigned
duties, whether it be as a gunner or driver. He maintained a high level of
alertness, and was quick to point out weaknesses to help the team. Guy wore the
uniform proudly.

"There are many things for which Guy will be remembered, but what we will never
forget is his desire to help others and his commitment to the mission assigned
to him."

Guy and Hill were killed during Operation Clean Sweep, a mission to search for
insurgents who have been attacking U.S. soldiers, said Maj. Richard Lalor of the
National Guard.

Lt. Ky Cheng, also from Pomona, who served in the same company as Guy, said
Guy's platoon was involved in humanitarian and civilian affairs work to help
Iraqi communities.

"He said he wasn't there to fight or hurt. He wanted to help," said Cheng, who
was wounded in early October and has returned home. "He wanted to make a
difference. He was a genuine person who sincerely cared."

Guy "had fun with life and would take an awkward situation and make it funny,"
Cheng said, adding that he would have made a great comedian.

A graduate of Pomona High School, Guy worked at a Home Depot store in Mira Loma,
and joined the National Guard in 2000 to help pay for his education. Just before
he died, he told his mother and colleagues that, when he returned from Iraq, his
goal was to return to school to get a degree in computer engineering.

"Although his personal goals were not accomplished," the fellow soldier said in
his eulogy, "he did manage to accomplish a greater goal — giving other human
beings a better way of life through countless hours of no sleep and a lot of
hard work and sweat."

Trained as a tank driver but deployed as a gunner, Guy had served in Iraq for 10
months and was expected to return home in December. He was awarded, among other
badges and medals, a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and National Defense Service
Medal.

His National Guard battalion has often been under fire in insurgent attacks and
bombings, with 11 soldiers killed and more than 100 wounded among its 700
troops.

Guy returned home for two weeks in April and spoke by phone with his mother four
days before he died. She told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin that her son
would not talk about the war when he visited, and that she told him: "Whatever
it takes, get out of there alive."

"I am still having trouble absorbing the fact that you have parted with us," his
friend said in the eulogy. "The only thing that I can think of is that God
looked around and found an empty place, he put his arms around you and lifted
you to rest and only he knows why."

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

http://www.desertdispatch.com/2005/113327875432196.html

Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Fort Irwin soldier dies in Iraq on Thanksgiving

By ADRIENNE ZIEGLER

Staff Writer

BARSTOW -- Fort Irwin soldier Spc. Javier Villanueva, 25, a medic with the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, died Thursday from injuries he sustained Wednesday when he was struck by an improvised explosive device near Hit, Iraq. Villanueva was from Waco, Texas.

Villanueva had a wife, Felicia, and a 1-year-old daughter, Talihia, who recently moved back to Texas from Fort Irwin.

"Javier loved to kid around and act crazy. He didn't care," said his aunt, Linda Villanueva, also from Waco. "There was no telling what he would do when he would take off with his cousins."

She described the young man as tall and thin. She also said he had a lot of personality.

"He was my favorite nephew," she said.

She said she spoke to Villanueva from Iraq on Nov. 17, when the soldiers received cell phones.

"He was telling me about the food and smells there," she said. "When he was getting ready to hang up I said, 'Hey Javier, here comes the hug. Did you feel that?' He said, 'Yeah.'"

Villanueva had a unique sense of style as well, she said.

"He didn't care how he dressed," she said. "He was all mismatched. He would say, 'I don't care.' He was a good kid. He wasn't perfect, of course, but he was a good kid."

Villanueva was close to his younger brother, David, 20, and he was the oldest nephew in the family.

"David looked up to him," she said. "In his eyes, Javier could do no wrong. "

She said that Villanueva was looking forward to returning and was expecting to come home on Dec. 27.

"He said he was getting so anxious," she said. "He was showing the patrol around that was going to take over. He was all excited about his daughter who turned 1 in September."

Villanueva is the 13th Fort Irwin soldier killed in Iraq.

Contact the writer: (760) 256-4122 or [email protected]

© Desert Dispatch. A Freedom Communications Newspaper. All rights reserved.

Mick Bekowsky
Erick Hodges

A late reply but i knew these two Marines.. I joined a few months before Mick and remember when he signed a piece of paper when we exchanged phone numbers to know each other as "Poolies" as what you are called before you goto bootcamp.  I attended his Funeral in Concord as I am also originally from Concord. I also talked to Erick one day before we shipped off to boot.

May All of them rest in peace..

Quoted: Marine Lance Cpl. John A. Lucente 19, of Grass Valley, Calif.; assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); died Nov. 16 from wounds sustained from an enemy hand grenade while conducting combat operations against enemy forces during Operation Steel Curtain in Ubaydi, Iraq.

This Marine was here local.

www.desertdispatch.com/2005/113456978649979.html

Wednesday, December 14, 2005
A soldier remembered
Fort Irwin family copes with infantryman's death

By ADRIENNE ZIEGLER

Staff Writer

FORT IRWIN -- Elizabeth Orosco's voice wavers every few moments when she talks about her late husband, Fort Irwin soldier Sgt. Adrian Orosco.

"I had 10 beautiful years with him," she says. "I can't believe he's gone. He was the love of my life."

The pain is still fresh for Orosco, 26, who learned of her husband's death on Friday and is still in disbelief.

"I need to hold him to know it's real," she said. "I need to feel him cold to know."

The 26-year-old father of three was killed in the Abu Ghraib region of western Baghdad on Friday when, according to the Department of Defense, an improvised explosive device hidden in a vehicle detonated near where he was performing unspecified combat operations.
Story Photo

OROSCO

Sgt. Orosco was an infantryman with the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, and was from Corcoran.

Elizabeth Orosco said more than once on Tuesday that her husband had been a great father to their three kids, Adrian, 8, Andrew, 6, and Isabelle, 2.

"He joined the military to make a better life for us," she said.

She recounted days that her husband had spent playing video games with their sons, and sitting in their living room picking the M&M's out of trail mix with Isabelle.

"I need to be strong for my kids," she said. "My son said, 'Daddy died a hero, huh, Mom?' He was weeping. He said, 'I was proud of him, Mom.' I see him every day when I look at my children."

Orosco last saw her husband in April when he came home on leave. He was scheduled to return home again in January.

"He sent me an e-mail that he was counting the days till he could hold me," she said. "It's kind of like the trip on the finish line."

But Orosco is not always tearful when she speaks about her husband.

"He was a Ford man," she said, half-laughing. "He was a quarter Mexican, a quarter Puerto Rican, a quarter Hopi Indian and a quarter Ford. He could take things apart and put them back together with his eyes closed."

The self-taught mechanic shared his passion for cars with his wife. Before he died, she had fixed their car, replacing the starter, the alternator and the exhaust, but she never got to tell him.

"His passion was my passion -- getting greasy. He never got the e-mail that said the car's a go," she said. "I just wanted him to be proud of me."

Elizabeth Orosco might be devastated by her husband's death, but she said she's trying to be strong. She's been helped along by friends and neighbors in her family readiness group, which has brought support, meals, and strength.

"It's been good," she said of the help she's received.

"When people talk about the Army family, this is when it shows itself in its purest form," said Lt. Col. Frank Wenzel, Squadron Commander for the Regimental Support Squadron, 11th ACR, at Fort Irwin. "That support continues for days, weeks and months after."

Wenzel is the officer at Fort Irwin responsible for notifying families when their loved ones die serving their country.

"We go to extreme lengths to make sure that it's done right, because a mistake at that point is unthinkable," Wenzel said. "This isn't something that's thrown together."

Family readiness groups are there to take over after Wenzel's done all he can, he said. They offer the personal support that Wenzel said he knows he can't always give families. Ideally, the groups have created the friendships and bonds before the devastation of death hits.

The Army also provides the families with a casualty assistance officer -- an individual trained to take care of all the details that a family might not know how to deal with at the time of the soldier's death, such as legal issues and any benefits and questions about housing.

Wenzel said his job is a difficult one sometimes. In the past, family reactions have ranged from anger to stoicism. From the moment he is notified of a soldiers death, he said he wishes he didn't have to tell the family, but that he wouldn't want anyone else to do it, either.

"I know from the time I get that middle-of-the-night phone call what has to happen," he said. "It's something that you can't describe the emotional nature of it."

In the meantime, Elizabeth Orosco is planning to stay at Fort Irwin to put the pieces back together and wait for the rest of the unit to return home.

"I'm going to be here with them when they come back," she said. "I am proud of them. It's not their fault, it's God's will. I want them to come home safe -- and I'll be waiting for them."

Contact the writer: (760) 256-4122 or [email protected]

Army Sgt. Regina C. Reali

25, of Freso, Calif.; assigned to the 351st Civil Affairs Command, Army Reserve, Mountain View, Calif.; killed Dec. 23 when an improvised explosive device detonated near her Humvee in Baghdad. Also killed was Spc. Cheyenne C. Willey.

Army Spc. Cheyenne C. Willey

36, of Fremont, Calif.; assigned to the 351st Civil Affairs Command, Army Reserve, Mountain View, Calif.; killed Dec. 23 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad. Also killed was Sgt. Regina C. Reali.

Army Spc. Sergio Gudino

22, of Pomona, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed Dec. 25 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A1 tank during combat operations in Baghdad.

Army Spc. Marcelino R. Corniel

23, of La Puente, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, Fullerton, Calif.; killed Dec. 31 when an enemy mortar attack occurred in the vicinity of his observation post in Baghdad.

Stockton Soldier Killed by Explosion in Iraq A Stockton soldier is among the latest U.S. military casualties in Iraq. Army Pfc. Robbie Mariano, 21, died Thursday, one of five soldiers killed when an improvised explosive detonated during convoy operations north of Najaf, Iraq. The soldiers were all assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Mariano graduated from Stagg High School in 2003 before joining the Army in November 2004. He was deployed to Iraq only two months ago. Mariano's father, Bob Mariano, is a sergeant with the Stockton Police Department. "I want people to remember that Robbie was a decent person, that he did what he believed in," Bob Mariano said. "He believed in the mission in Iraq and he died fighting for this country so that people can have the rights they have today."

www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=15206

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Rex C. Kenyon

34, of El Segundo, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment (Attack), Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed Jan. 16 when his AH64D Apache helicoptor was shot down while he was conducting an aerial patrol in Baghdad. Also killed was Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ruel M. Garcia.

Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Dewey

20, of San Joaquin, Calif.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed Jan. 20 by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while he was conducting combat operations in Haqlaniyah, Iraq. Also killed was Cpl. Carlos Arrelano-Pandura.

Marine Cpl. Carlos Arrelano-Pandura

, 22, of Los Angeles; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed Jan. 20 by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while he was conducting combat operations in Haqlaniyah, Iraq. Also killed was Lance Cpl. Brandon Dewey.

Army Sgt. David L. Herrera, 26, of Oceanside, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Jan. 28 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad.

Slain Tracy Marine Remembered at Funeral On Monday afternoon family and friends said their final goodbyes to a Tracy Marine killed by a suicide bomber in the war in Iraq. Twenty-year-old Lance Cpl. Brandon Dewey was kiled when a car full of explosives was detonated in the Al-Anbar Province, about 150 miles from Baghdad, on January 20. Between 300 and 400 mourners attended the funeral at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Tracy. Dewey had plans to become a police officer after leaving the Marines. To honor him, the Union City Police Department made him an honorary member of their force. Dewey's parents both worked in the police department. His mother is still emplyed as a dispatcher there. "May Brandon continue to rest in peace, knowing his dream of becoming a police officer after he came home, has come true," said Union City Police Chief Randy Ulibarri, speaking at the service. The young Marine was serving his second tour in Iraq and was slated to return home in April. He'd already received a Purple Heart for being wounded in Fallujah, during some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Dewey is the fifth serviceman from the Tracy area to be killed in the war. Created: 1/30/2006 3:35:29 PM Updated: 1/30/2006 10:53:17 PM

www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=15638

Quoted: Slain Tracy Marine Remembered at Funeral On Monday afternoon family and friends said their final goodbyes to a Tracy Marine killed by a suicide bomber in the war in Iraq. Twenty-year-old Lance Cpl. Brandon Dewey was kiled when a car full of explosives was detonated in the Al-Anbar Province, about 150 miles from Baghdad, on January 20. Between 300 and 400 mourners attended the funeral at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Tracy. Dewey had plans to become a police officer after leaving the Marines. To honor him, the Union City Police Department made him an honorary member of their force. Dewey's parents both worked in the police department. His mother is still emplyed as a dispatcher there. "May Brandon continue to rest in peace, knowing his dream of becoming a police officer after he came home, has come true," said Union City Police Chief Randy Ulibarri, speaking at the service. The young Marine was serving his second tour in Iraq and was slated to return home in April. He'd already received a Purple Heart for being wounded in Fallujah, during some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Dewey is the fifth serviceman from the Tracy area to be killed in the war. Created: 1/30/2006 3:35:29 PM Updated: 1/30/2006 10:53:17 PM www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=15638

Damn! Thats sad.

Army Pfc. Caesar S. Viglienzone, 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Feb. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad. Also killed were 1st Lt. Garrison C. Avery and Spc. Marlon A. Bustamante.

Marine Lance Cpl. Hugo R. Lopez-Lopez, 20, of La Habra, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, (Forward); died Jan. 27 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, of wounds sustained Nov. 20 when an improvised explosive device denoted while he was conducting combat operations in Rawah, Iraq.