 Noname
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Posted: 10/18/2008 2:22:01 PM
[Last Edit: 10/18/2008 2:27:31 PM by Noname]
www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081018-9999-1m18borjas.html |
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FireControlman
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Posted: 10/21/2008 5:07:11 PM
[Last Edit: 10/21/2008 5:07:46 PM by FireControlman]
www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081018-9999-1m18borjas.html]www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081018-9999-1m18borjas My wife works with his sister-in-law, he left behind a young daughter. He joined up in Honor of the death of his cousin in Iraq. Think about that. |
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convict27 
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Posted: 10/25/2008 12:09:18 AM
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties October 24, 2008
Lance Cpl. San Sim, 23, Santa Ana, Calif.; died Wednesday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan; assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. Rest Easy Marine. Your time in hell is done. Semper Fi |
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Noname
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Posted: 10/31/2008 3:24:21 AM
[Last Edit: 10/31/2008 3:27:37 AM by Noname]
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Navy names warship in honor of local hero USS Michael Monsoor is named after Garden Grove High School graduate who sacrificed his life to save others in Iraq. By DEEPA BHARATH The U.S. Navy's newest Zumwalt-class destroyer will be named after Garden Grove High graduate and Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor, who smothered a live grenade with his body to save his teammates during an intense September 2006 firefight in Ramadi, Iraq, Navy officials said today. The announcement about the USS Michael Monsoor was officially made Wednesday night by Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter at a Navy SEAL Warrior Fund Benefit Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Monsoor's family received a posthumous Medal of Honor from President Bush during a White House ceremony April 8. Winter, during Wednesday's speech, singled out Monsoor as a hero who truly represents what the Navy SEALS stand for. "Those who served with Michael Monsoor will remember him always as a consummate professional who faced terrorist enemies with aplomb and stoicism," he said. Monsoor's family members could not be reached today. The Zumwalt DDG-1000 is a "next generation multi-mission destroyer that will be used in land and shallow water attacks in coastal areas," said Capt. Beci Brenton, a spokeswoman for Winter. It will be built in Pascagoula, Miss. and is tentatively scheduled to be commissioned in 2015. All of the U.S. Navy's destroyers are named after naval heroes, and the Secretary of the Navy is the one with the authority to name these ships, Brenton said. When the Navy contracts ships to be built, the Secretary's office begins to research names, she said. "Secretary Winter believes that it is very important to honor today's heroes," Brenton said. This is the third ship named after a Medal of Honor recipient and one of only two to be named after a Navy SEAL – the other being Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, who was killed by enemy forces during a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan. Military rank is never a consideration when it comes to ship names, Brenton said. "The only things that matter are courage, heroism and the spirit of sacrifice," she said. The USS Michael Monsoor, the second Zumwalt-Class destroyer, will be 600 feet long, have an 80.7-foot beam and displace about 15,000 tons. The warship will have a crew of 148 officers and sailors and travel at a speed of more than 30 knots, according to the Navy. Dick Couch, a former Navy SEAL and author of The Sheriff of Ramadi, a newly released book about the SEALS' contribution to the U.S. Army's and Marine Corps' victory in the Al-Anbar province, said Monsoor is "very special among a few special people." "I always believed that what Monsoor did was very special because he had a way out and he chose not to escape," said Couch, a Vietnam War veteran who was embedded with the SEALs during the Battle of Ramadi. "He made a conscious decision to die and save his comrades." Couch said he wrote specifically about the Battle of Ramadi because it was the first time the SEALs worked so closely with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps and helped win the town back from insurgents and Al Qaeda. "Ramadi was special because we not only won the town, we won the people," he said. Monsoor's image graces the cover of Couch's book because his presence was felt among the SEALs and the Iraqi army even after his death. Couch describes in detail the events that led to Monsoor's ultimate sacrifice. He also interviewed John Seville, one of the Navy SEALS, whose life Monsoor saved that day. "He never took his eye off that grenade," Seville told Couch. "His only movement was down toward it. He undoubtedly saved my life…We owe him." Monsoor was an inspiration not only to his fellow SEALs, Couch said. "Iraqi army scouts kept Michael Monsoor's picture in their lockers," Couch said. "They really felt like they lost a brother." During his speech Wednesday in New York, Secretary Winter reiterated Monsoor's heroism and sacrifice. "Michael Monsoor's name will now be linked with one of our nation's most visible examples of military power, a U.S. Navy warship," he said. "His legacy will inspire the hearts of future sailors who serve on the ship that bears his name." http://www.ocregister.com/articles/monsoor-navy-couch-2211582-seals-michael |
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Noname
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Posted: 11/2/2008 1:05:01 AM
[Last Edit: 11/2/2008 1:08:20 AM by Noname]
Family keeps Marine in its heart
Services are held for Lance Cpl. San Sim, of Santa Ana, who was killed in Afghanistan. By DOUG IRVING NEWPORT BEACH – Lance Cpl. San Sim's wife made a quiet promise to him Saturday as she ran her hand over the white stars of the flag that covered his coffin. "He's always going to be in my heart," Karla Sim said. "And that of his son." Sim, 23, a U.S. Marine with a streak of good humor, died late last month in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. His parents and siblings, who had escaped the killing fields of Cambodia before he was born, dressed in white for his funeral Saturday to help his spirit find them. Along with his medals and a tightly folded flag, his family received a certificate from the government that finally made Sim a U.S. citizen, as of the day of his death. "He's always been a good person with a big heart," said his father, Sum Sim. "It's sad that he has to leave us so soon." Sim was born in a refugee camp in the Philippines, the youngest of 11 children in a family fleeing Cambodia. Later, when he started talking about joining the Marines, his sister would remind him that the family had come from war and had seen enough of war. His family moved to the United States when he was still a baby. He grew up in Santa Ana, loved to fish, wrestled for Santa Ana Valley High School. In old family videos shown during his funeral, he was the skinny boy showing off his dance moves or throwing his head back to laugh. He joined the Marines after high school. He told his family that he wanted to serve because of "the opportunity that the country has given to us, allowing us to start a life all over again," according to his sister Yasmine. He shipped out for Afghanistan in April, his third deployment to a war zone after two stints in Iraq. He and Karla had just had their first child, Donovan. One of the videos played at his funeral shows him in his camouflage, hugging his son to his chest. "It broke his heart when duty called … allowing him to know his son for only four months," his family wrote in a tribute. More than 50 Marines in dress-blue uniforms attended Sim's funeral. Many had served with him in Iraq or Afghanistan. They talked about how he could crack a joke or quote a movie, even in the worst situations. They knew him as Simba – a nickname that stuck after someone caught him watching "The Lion King" on his cot. "He was just a big ball of fun," said Lance Cpl. Dylan Morgan, who served with Sim in Iraq. "He was an all-around good guy." Sim was killed while on routine patrol in Afghanistan on Oct. 22. His unit was scheduled to return home later this month. His family buried him on Saturday, walking up a steep hill to his gravesite, throwing popcorn as they went to mark the path for his spirit. They passed a bouquet of fresh roses and six small flags that mark the grave of Navy Medic Marc Allen Retmier, killed in Afghanistan in June. Buddhist monks in orange robes chanted around Sim's coffin. Marines in white gloves gave him one last, crisp salute. His wife wore his dog tag on a chain around her neck. Her shoulders shook when Marines presented her with a folded flag. She ran her hand over his coffin before the burial and told him that she would always remember him and loved him very much. She promised that Donovan would grow up to know his father. "Thank you," she whispered, "for what you gave me." She buried him with a cigarette and a few dollar bills, a Buddhist tradition meant to ease his time in the afterlife, before his reincarnation. She placed a white rose on top of his coffin, along with a photograph of their son. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sim-family-marines-2214085-afghanistan-son |
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4xDawn
Go DUCKS!!!
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Posted: 1/5/2009 1:39:23 AM
[Last Edit: 1/5/2009 1:39:50 AM by 4xDawn]
Just a tag.
I just saw this thread, linked from another one. I held it together pretty well, until I got to the last story. God bless these men, and their families for the sacrifice.  |
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Paul
Self aware sack of star stuff
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Posted: 1/31/2009 12:30:19 AM
America and California specifically have paid a high price in this war.
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pieeater
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Posted: 2/1/2009 10:14:53 PM
Originally Posted By Noname:
Family keeps Marine in its heart
Services are held for Lance Cpl. San Sim, of Santa Ana, who was killed in Afghanistan. By DOUG IRVING NEWPORT BEACH – Lance Cpl. San Sim's wife made a quiet promise to him Saturday as she ran her hand over the white stars of the flag that covered his coffin. "He's always going to be in my heart," Karla Sim said. "And that of his son." Sim, 23, a U.S. Marine with a streak of good humor, died late last month in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan. His parents and siblings, who had escaped the killing fields of Cambodia before he was born, dressed in white for his funeral Saturday to help his spirit find them. Along with his medals and a tightly folded flag, his family received a certificate from the government that finally made Sim a U.S. citizen, as of the day of his death. "He's always been a good person with a big heart," said his father, Sum Sim. "It's sad that he has to leave us so soon." Sim was born in a refugee camp in the Philippines, the youngest of 11 children in a family fleeing Cambodia. Later, when he started talking about joining the Marines, his sister would remind him that the family had come from war and had seen enough of war. His family moved to the United States when he was still a baby. He grew up in Santa Ana, loved to fish, wrestled for Santa Ana Valley High School. In old family videos shown during his funeral, he was the skinny boy showing off his dance moves or throwing his head back to laugh. He joined the Marines after high school. He told his family that he wanted to serve because of "the opportunity that the country has given to us, allowing us to start a life all over again," according to his sister Yasmine. He shipped out for Afghanistan in April, his third deployment to a war zone after two stints in Iraq. He and Karla had just had their first child, Donovan. One of the videos played at his funeral shows him in his camouflage, hugging his son to his chest. "It broke his heart when duty called … allowing him to know his son for only four months," his family wrote in a tribute. More than 50 Marines in dress-blue uniforms attended Sim's funeral. Many had served with him in Iraq or Afghanistan. They talked about how he could crack a joke or quote a movie, even in the worst situations. They knew him as Simba – a nickname that stuck after someone caught him watching "The Lion King" on his cot. "He was just a big ball of fun," said Lance Cpl. Dylan Morgan, who served with Sim in Iraq. "He was an all-around good guy." Sim was killed while on routine patrol in Afghanistan on Oct. 22. His unit was scheduled to return home later this month. His family buried him on Saturday, walking up a steep hill to his gravesite, throwing popcorn as they went to mark the path for his spirit. They passed a bouquet of fresh roses and six small flags that mark the grave of Navy Medic Marc Allen Retmier, killed in Afghanistan in June. Buddhist monks in orange robes chanted around Sim's coffin. Marines in white gloves gave him one last, crisp salute. His wife wore his dog tag on a chain around her neck. Her shoulders shook when Marines presented her with a folded flag. She ran her hand over his coffin before the burial and told him that she would always remember him and loved him very much. She promised that Donovan would grow up to know his father. "Thank you," she whispered, "for what you gave me." She buried him with a cigarette and a few dollar bills, a Buddhist tradition meant to ease his time in the afterlife, before his reincarnation. She placed a white rose on top of his coffin, along with a photograph of their son. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sim-family-marines-2214085-afghanistan-son Damn.
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Noname
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Posted: 3/16/2009 12:57:37 AM
[Last Edit: 3/16/2009 12:59:47 AM by Noname]
Mar 9, 2009 5:41 pm US/Pacific
Bomb Strikes Humvee, Kills Modesto Soldier In Iraq The Pentagon said a Modesto soldier was killed in Iraq when a bomb hit his vehicle. First Lt. Daniel B. Hyde died Saturday in Samarra from wounds sustained when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his Humvee. The 24-year-old was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team in the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Hyde, a platoon leader, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. His father, Brian Hyde, said his son was a student body president and played quarterback at Downey High School. http://cbs5.com/local/modesto.soldier.killed.2.954648.html |
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Noname
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Posted: 4/9/2009 9:13:22 PM
[Last Edit: 4/9/2009 9:15:02 PM by Noname]
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Paul
Self aware sack of star stuff
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Posted: 4/14/2009 12:43:28 AM
Total California troops killed as of April 12, 2009: 531
Most of them buried out here in Riverside. |
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Noname
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Posted: 4/16/2009 7:56:09 PM
[Last Edit: 4/16/2009 7:59:21 PM by Noname]
Soldier from Elk Grove killed In Iraq
Published Sunday, Apr. 12, 2009 Bryan Edward Hall of Elk Grove, a U.S. Army staff sergeant, was among five American soldiers killed Friday in Iraq when a suicide bomber in a dump truck attacked a Mosul police station, military officials disclosed Sunday. Hall, 32, had served in the military for 14 years and had been deployed in Iraq since September. Hall and four other soldiers from Fort Carson in Colorado were in their military vehicle when the blast occurred, Army officials said. The other soldiers were Staff Sgt. Gary L. Woods Jr., 24, of Kentucky, Sgt. Edward W. Forrest Jr., 25, of Missouri; Cpl. Jason G. Pautsch, 20, of Iowa and Pvt. Bryce E. Gautier, 22, of Cypress, California. All were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. Hall had received three Army Commendation Medals, according to military records, as well as several Army Achievement, Good Conduct, and War on Terrorism medals. The Friday attack caused the most American military deaths in any single incident in more than a year, the Washington Post reported. 
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1775046.html?mi_rss=Our%2520Region |
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Noname
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Posted: 4/16/2009 8:05:42 PM
[Last Edit: 4/16/2009 8:08:50 PM by Noname]
Monday, April 13, 2009
Brother: Cypress soldier who was killed 'wanted to help' Army medic from Cypress who dreamed of becoming a nurse was killed in suicide attack in Iraq. By DOUG IRVING and EUGENE FIELDS CYPRESS – Bryce Gautier was still living with his parents and working part-time when he sat down at his computer late one evening in 2007 and wrote that he was going to join the Army. “I am nervous and excited at the same time,” Gautier wrote in a blog post on his MySpace page. “This is a big step in my life. But I am ready to finally grow up.” He titled the post: “Becoming an adult.” Gautier, 22, was killed in Iraq last week when a suicide bomber detonated a truck loaded with explosives near a police station where he was. His body was returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday, along with the bodies of four other U.S. soldiers killed in the blast. Pvt. 2nd Class Gautier had detailed his Army experience in his blog posts. He wrote that he was a combat medic and had graduated from Airborne school in October. He wanted to become a nurse when he got out of the Army. “He always really wanted to help people,” said his brother, Evan, 24. “He was going to hopefully make a difference, saving lives.” Gautier had been in Iraq since January, according to Army documents. He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He graduated from Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove in 2005, school district spokesman Alan Trudell said. He was a captain on the water polo team his senior year and was voted “Most Dependable” of the senior class – “happy to help whenever needed,” according to the school’s 2005 yearbook. His brother Evan remembers him as a “goofy kid,” quick to laugh. And unlike Evan, he could stay calm in emergencies and never blanched at the sight of blood – one reason he set his sights on nursing. He decided to join the Army after long talks with his brother – and knowing that he would likely be sent to war. The danger didn’t seem to bother him. “He was willing to make that sacrifice,” Evan said. “”We never thought, of course… we never thought it would come to this.” Gautier explained his decision on his MySpace page: “I need a change, I need some structure, and I need a main (focus) in life… I want to be an adult. I want to have my family be proud of me for what and who I am.” He ended the post: “I am going to miss so much, but I know I will gain so much more by doing this.” His family last saw him during Christmas, right before he shipped out for Iraq. His mother and brother pooled their money to fly him home for the holidays from his base at Fort Carson, Colo. Once in Iraq, he told his family his job was to listen for calls for help to come over the radio, then jump into a Humvee and go. He also said he went out on patrols sometimes, although he couldn’t tell them specific details. Gautier was at a police station in Mosul, Iraq, on Friday when a suicide bomber drove up in a truck loaded with an estimated ton of explosives. The explosion killed him, the four other soldiers and two Iraqi policemen, and wounded 62 others, including an American soldier. Gautier’s father – whom he described as “my biggest hero ever” –– had died on April 10, 2008 – one year to the day before his death. The family was getting ready to go to a memorial service when they were notified of Gautier’s death in Iraq. The Department of Defense identified the other soldiers killed in the blast as Cpl. Jason G. Pautsch, 20, of Davenport, Iowa; Staff Sgt. Gary L. Woods Jr., 24, of Lebanon Junction, Ky.; Staff Sgt. Bryan E. Hall, 25, of Elk Grove; and Sgt. Edward W. Forrest Jr., 25, of St. Louis. In addition to his brother, Gautier is survived by his mother, Heidi Frankel; his sister-in-law, Nicole Gautier; and a close family friend, Karen Cox. The family is still making arrangements for a memorial service. 
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sgt-bomber-mosul-2362333-army-killed# |
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Noname
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Posted: 6/4/2009 10:33:51 AM
[Last Edit: 6/4/2009 10:40:36 AM by Noname]
Army Sgt. Raul Moncada, 29, Madera; killed by roadside bomb near Baghdad
Raul Moncada, a 10-year military veteran who earlier served in the Marine Corps for six years, was an Army military policeman who was helping to train Iraqi police. The 10-year military veteran, who joined the Marine Corps at age 17 and served for six years, later joined the Army's military police program and was helping to train Iraqi police. By Esmeralda Bermudez May 31, 2009 Reminders of his death fill the house: yellow ribbons, wilting flowers, sympathy cards and an American flag, neatly creased into 13 triangular folds. Still, Obdulia Moncada waits for her son to call. For him to show up at the front door any minute with his dimpled smile. She expects this most every Monday afternoon, the day and time that Army officials appeared on her doorstep to tell her that her third oldest, 29-year-old Raul Moncada, was dead. A sergeant, Moncada was killed April 13 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle near Baghdad. He was assigned to the 563rd Military Police Company, 91st Military Police Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Drum, N.Y. A graduate of in California's Central Valley, Madera High School he was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. After a 10-year military career, he had planned to return in July to Madera, where he hoped to buy a home and settle down with his girlfriend, Tina, who is due to give birth that month to a daughter to be named Mia, his family said. Another daughter, Priscila, 6, from a previous relationship, lives with her mother in the Bay Area. "I feel that he is not dead," Obdulia Moncada said, choking back tears as she spoke by phone from her Madera home. "That he is here and I can say, 'Look my love, look at all the beautiful flowers they brought us. Look how much they love you.' " Raul Moncada's death brought together Madera, a small, agricultural town north of Fresno where Moncada's family moved in the late 1990s. For weeks, well-wishers, most of them strangers, have flooded the Moncadas' home with food, cards, money and hugs. Condolences arrived from New York, where his girlfriend lives and he was stationed, and from such places as Florida, Massachusetts and Ohio. The bashful boy with big brown eyes, who was so quiet that his mother would sometimes forget to feed him, grew up to enroll in the Marines at age 17, less than a week after graduating from high school. His mother said she opposed the idea but relented after seeing his determination. Moncada served in the Marines for six years, then took a one-year break, later returning to enroll in the Army’s military police program. His job was to train the Iraqi police. Though far away, he continued to support his family in every way, said his sister, Miriam Moncada, 25. "You could talk to him about anything," she said. "Money, advice. It didn't matter. He was always generous." Growing up in a family of four brothers and three sisters, Raul Moncada was known as the peacekeeper. He also was a bit of a neat freak who would help his sisters clean the family's four-bedroom home and sometimes bought toys only to decide to keep them sealed to avoid damage. He was a fan of the Seattle Mariners and had a vast collection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, family members said. No one is certain what drove Moncada to join the military, but once he did, his presence was felt by many. Sgt. Emmanuel Becerra, 26, was just starting out in 2001 as a rookie Marine reservist when he met Moncada. Instantly, the corporal stood out from the rest, he said. Moncada stayed after class, patiently teaching beginners how to operate the radios, and often offering them rides and trying to help with personal problems. "He taught me how to be a better Marine," Becerra said. "There are some leaders who you just can't approach, but he was nothing like that." While rummaging through her things recently, Moncada's mother found an old Christmas card from her son. Inside, a simple message: Mom, I hope you're proud of me. "That's one thing I never told him," she said. " 'I'm proud.' It saddens me when I think about it, because I want to say, 'Raulito, my son, you have no idea how proud I am of you.' " http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-moncada31-2009may31,0,449496.story |
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Noname
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Posted: 7/6/2009 9:13:25 PM
[Last Edit: 7/6/2009 9:27:48 PM by Noname]
Sigh...
Soldier from Dunnigan killed while serving in Afghanistan
Published Monday, Jul. 06, 2009 A U.S. Soldier from Dunnigan was killed July 4 while serving in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Monday. He was one of two soldiers killed in an attack on Combat Outpost Zerok. Pfc. Justin Aaron Casillas, 19, died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked the outpost using small arms and indirect fires, according to the Defense Department. He and Pfc. Aaron E. Fairbairn, 20, of Aberdeen, Wash., were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. News agencies reported that the attack came two days after a major operation against the Taliban was launched in the south. The Associated Press reported that rocket and mortar fire peppered the base, which houses both U.S. and Afghan troops. In addition to killing Casillas and Fairbairn, the attack wounded seven others U.S. soldiers. http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2004514.html Dunnigan Solider Killed On Fourth Of July
Truck Bomb Killed 2 Soldiers In Afghanistan POSTED: 3:59 pm PDT July 6, 2009 UPDATED: 5:08 pm PDT July 6, 2009 SACRAMENTO, Calif. –– A Yolo County soldier was killed on the Fourth of July while fighting in Afghanistan. Pfc. Justin A. Casillas, 19, and another soldier were killed when a truck bomb exploded near their military checkpoint. Casillas was a paratrooper with the 509th airborne unit out of Alaska and had been deployed only four months. The Dunnigan resident graduated from Pierce High School in Arbuckle last year. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a statement Monday on Casillas' death. "California lost a great soldier in Private First Class Justin A. Casillas. He was a dedicated soldier who served his country with honor and bravery. Maria and I are deeply saddened to learn of Justin’s passing. We send our condolences to his family, friends and fellow soldiers as they mourn this terrible loss," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. Flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in Casillas' honor. http://www.kcra.com/news/19971906/detail.html |
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tunafingers
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Posted: 8/10/2009 1:24:45 AM
[Last Edit: 8/10/2009 1:26:13 AM by tunafingers]
I didn't see my cousin on the list, but on this day we celebrate your anniversary and continue to celebrate your life.
Sgt. Michael E. Tayaotao USMC Poway/San Jose, CA KIA 09 August 2007 Al Anbar, Iraq |
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cointelpro
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Posted: 8/10/2009 10:12:24 PM
Army Pfc. Grant A. Cotting 19, of Corona, Calif.; assigned to the 515th Sapper Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; died Jan. 24 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. Soldier was based at Wood The Associated Press FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The Department of Defense says a 19-year-old California soldier has died from injuries from a non-combat related incident in Kut, Iraq. The department announced Jan. 27 that Pvt. Grant A. Cotting of Corona died Jan. 24. He was assigned to the 515th Sapper Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Cotting enjoyed video, role-playing games The Associated Press Grant A. Cotting’s former classmate and neighbor, Ryan McQuilkin, said Cotting was like a brother to him for about 10 years. Cotting had talked about a military career for years and enlisted about a year ago, shortly after graduation. “I’m really proud of him,” McQuilkin said. “He did what he wanted to do.” He described his friend as “geeky” and said Cotting liked to play video games and Dungeons and Dragons, which they played every weekend for almost five years. Cotting, 19, of Corona, Calif., died Jan. 24 in Kut, Iraq, of wounds from non-combat causes. He was assigned to Fort Leonard Wood. Cotting’s high school counselor, Martha Santos, called him respectful and inspirational. “He was a quiet student and mostly kept to himself,” she said. “He seemed like the type who was very loyal.” Pollard Principal Mike Ridgway said Cotting was in ROTC his senior year of high school and planning on a military career. “We are all saddened by his loss,” Ridgway said. Cotting is survived by his parents, Craig and Amanda. “He will really be missed,” Amanda Cotting said. “Don’t take anyone for granted.” Died: January 24, 2009 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Amanda lived next door to my grand parents house when I was younger. I still talk to her dad on a regular basis. So sorry for their lost and all the others. God Bless you Craig and Amanda. Ken |
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Noname
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Posted: 8/28/2009 1:54:22 PM
[Last Edit: 8/28/2009 1:57:45 PM by Noname]
Concord soldier dies in Afghanistan blast
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, August 28, 2009 (08-28) 08:19 PDT CONCORD –– A Concord soldier was among four members of a brigade who died when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said. Capt. John Hallett III, 30, died Monday in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, officials said. Also killed were Capt. Cory Jenkins, 30, of Arizona; Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, Mo. and Pfc. Dennis Williams, 24, of Federal Way, Wash. They four were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in Fort Lewis, Wash. Hallett joined the Army in 2001. He deployed to Iraq in 2005 and served 13 months. His unit was sent to Afghanistan in July. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/28/BA3719F660.DTL |
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Noname
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Posted: 9/11/2009 12:05:22 AM
[Last Edit: 9/11/2009 12:10:35 AM by Noname]
Posted on Thu, Sep. 10, 2009 Navy medical corpsman from Riverbank killed in Afghanistan By Jonathan S. Landay McClatchy Newspapers Petty Officer 3rd Class James R. Layton, Navy Corpsman, was was among four Americans killed Tuesday in an ambush in a rugged section of Afghanistan. September 10, 2009 - Modesto Bee - Bart Ah You KABUL, Afghanistan — Navy medical corpsman James Layton of Riverbank, who was identified today as one of those killed Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, had been ministering to a wounded U.S. Marine when they came under a volley of insurgent bullets killing them and two more Marines, according to their comrades. All four men were at the front of a column heading on foot into the small village of Ganjigal in eastern Kunar Province, close to the Pakistani border. They were on a training mission with Afghan forces who were to search the village for weapons and then meet village elders under an agreement to establish government authority there. Insurgent forces had set up positions in the village and in the mountains on either side and apparently attacked as the men reached the first compound. Nine Afghans, eight of them security forces and one an interpreter for the Marine commander, were killed. Three Americans and 19 Afghans were wounded. Layton, 22, who was a petty officer III class, apparently had been applying medical aid when he and the wounded Marine — not yet identified by the Department of Defense — came under fierce attack, Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer, 21, of Greensburg, Ky., told McClatchy Newspapers. He and others said they found wrappings of bandages and other medical gear strewn around Layton and the wounded Marine. A McClatchy reporter, embedded with the Marine unit, was farther back in the column, about 250 yards from the front when the ambush began. In Sacramento, Gov. Schwarzenegger issued a statement of condolence on Layton's death and said flags at the Capitol would be flown at half-staff in his memory. Layton is the 28th soldier or Marine from the Northern San Joaquin Valley and foothills killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the first from Riverbank. He was a graduate of Sierra View Independent Study in Escalon. http://www.modbee.com/local/story/848962.html |
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Noname
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Posted: 10/21/2009 9:36:38 AM
[Last Edit: 10/21/2009 9:38:28 AM by Noname]
La Mirada soldier among four killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan
October 19, 2009 | 7:10 pm Army Spc. Jesus O. Flores, 28, of La Mirada, was killed last week in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when the vehicle he was riding in was attacked with a roadside bomb, military officials announced today. Three other soldiers, Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison, Jr., 34, of Blairsville, Pa.; Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, 33, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, of Lancaster, Pa., also lost their lives in the Oct. 15 blast. All four men were assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion at Ft. Carson, Colo. Share a memory of Flores on his memorial page in The Times' California's War Dead database. Since late 2001, The Times has chronicled the lives of military personnel who have died while serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their stories, photos, personal websites and additional material have been collected in the database and readers are invited to leave memories of their loved ones and colleagues. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/jesus-flores-killed-in-afghanistan.html |
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Noname
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Posted: 10/21/2009 9:41:00 AM
[Last Edit: 10/21/2009 9:45:52 AM by Noname]
Army Spc. Tyler R. Walshe, 21, Shasta Lake; killed by roadside bomb
The machine gunner was just weeks into his first combat tour in Afghanistan. 
October 18, 2009 Tyler R. Walshe joined the Army to make his parents proud, fight America's enemies and make a career in the military. After he arrived in Afghanistan on his first combat tour in July –– weeks after he turned 21 –– he told his wife that he had discovered a new reason for fighting. "You realize you're fighting for the guys next to you, so you can all come home," his 20-year-old wife, Kirsten, recalled him saying. "We talked about that a lot of times." On Aug. 31, just weeks into his first tour, the Army specialist from the Northern California community of Shasta Lake was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near him in southern Afghanistan. A machine gunner, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash. Two other soldiers from the brigade –– , 19, of Yorba Linda and Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu, 20, of Cumberland, Maine –– were killed in a separate attack the same day. Walshe was born in Sacramento and attended Central Valley High School in Shasta Lake, graduating in 2006. He joined the Army later that year and was assigned to Ft. Lewis in early 2007. Soon after, mutual friends set him up with his future wife. He met her at the Subway sandwich shop where she was working. As he leaned over the counter, he said his first words to her: "So, what are you making me?" Walshe loved tattoos, and covered his arms with them. One depicted Michael Myers, the slasher from the Halloween films. In late 2007, soon after marrying, he had this message tattooed on his chest: "Kirsten, I promise you the rest of my life." When their daughter Karsyn was born last November, Kirsten said, "He would not let go of her. That little girl was Tyler's life. Everything about him changed. He wasn't living for himself anymore." Walshe liked Army life and recently had reenlisted. On weekends, he was quarterback for the semipro Tacoma Invaders football team, a role he kept until right before his deployment. Originally, the Army had informed him that he would be sent to Iraq, and he went to language school to study Arabic. Then came orders to go to Afghanistan. Walshe, who received the National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Combat Infantry Badge, wrote his wife regularly from the war zone. Two of his letters arrived after he died, as well as a postcard he had addressed to his daughter. "He had a love for life that I never saw in anybody," his wife said. "It didn't matter if he was taking out the garbage –– he was happy to do it." In addition to his wife and daughter, Walshe is survived by his mother and stepfather, Dawn and Paul Vietti; and three teenage brothers. The young man had grown up using Vietti as his last name, but Walshe was his legal name and the one he used in the Army, his stepfather said. Sgt. Evan Lunt, who served with Walshe in the 17th Infantry Regiment, escorted Walshe's cremated remains to his parents. Paul Vietti said a memorial service was held for his stepson on the baseball field at Central Valley High, where he once had pitched for the school team. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-walshe18-2009oct18,0,1595962.story |
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Paul
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Posted: 11/8/2009 10:33:41 AM
At least 88 military service members from the Inland area have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.
2003 Marine Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, of Rialto, died March 23. Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr., 31, of Twentynine Palms, died March 25. Marine Capt. Aaron J. Contreras, 31, of Temecula, died March 30. Marine Cpl. Jesus "Hugo" A. Gonzalez, 22, of Indio, died April 12. Army Sgt. Troy D. Jenkins, 25, of Twentynine Palms, died April 24. Marine Cpl. Douglas J. Marenco Reyes, 28, of Ontario, died May 18. Marine Lance Cpl. Jason A. Tetrault, 20, of Moreno Valley, died July 9. Army Pfc. Daniel R. Parker, 18, of Lake Elsinore, died Aug. 12. Army Cpl. Sean R. Grilley, 24, of San Bernardino, died Oct. 16. Army 1st Lt. Todd J. Bryant, 23, of Riverside, died Oct. 31. Army Sgt. Ryan C. Young, 21, of Corona, died Dec. 2. 2004 Army Spc. Jason K. Chappell, 22, of Hemet, died Jan. 24. Marine Lance Cpl. William J. Wiscowiche, 20, of Victorville, died March 30. Marine 1st Lt. Joshua Michael Palmer, 25, of Banning, died April 8. Marine Pfc. Brian Kenneth Cutter, 19, of Riverside, died May 13. Army Spc. Marcos Omar Nolasco, 34, of Chino, died May 18. Marine Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Molina Bautista, 37, of Sun City, died May 23. Marine Lance Cpl. Rafael Reynosa, 28, of Riverside, died May 29. Army 1st Lt. Andre D. Tyson, 33, of Riverside, died June 22. Marine Lance Cpl. Justin T. Hunt, 22, of Lake Elsinore, died July 6. Army Spc. Armando Hernandez, 22, of Hesperia, died Aug. 1. Marine Pfc. Fernando B. Hannon, 19, of Wildomar, died August 15. Marine Cpl. Nicanor A. Alvarez, 22, of Highland, died Aug. 21. Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Wilt, 23, of Twentynine Palms, died Sept. 3. Marine Maj. Alan Rowe, 35, of Yucca Valley, died Sept. 3. Marine Lt. Col. Kevin M. Shea, 38, of Temecula, died Sept. 14. Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron R. Boyles, 24, of Twentynine Palms, died Sept. 24. Army Cpl. Billy Gomez, 25, of Perris, died Oct. 27. Marine Pfc. Kenneth L. Sickels, 20, of Apple Valley, died Sept. 27. Marine Lance Cpl. Abraham Simpson, 19, of Chino, died Nov. 9. Army Cpl. Dale E. Fracker Jr., 23, of Apple Valley, died Nov. 24. Army Spc. Jonathan Castro, 21, of Corona, died Dec. 21. 2005 Marine Sgt. Zachariah S. Davis, 25, of Twentynine Palms, died Jan. 6. Marine Staff Sgt. Dexter S. Kimble, 30, of Murrieta, died Jan. 21. Army Cpl. William D. Richardson, 23, of Moreno Valley, died April 3. Army Sgt. Stephen P. Saxton, 24, of Temecula, died May 3. Air Force Maj. Duane W. Dively, 43, of Rancho California, died June 22. Army Sgt. Nathan K. Bouchard, 24, of Wildomar, died Aug. 8. Army Spc. Timothy D. Watkins, 24, of Yucca Valley, died Oct. 15. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Allan M. Cundanga Espiritu, 28, of Menifee, died Nov. 1. Army Sgt. 1st Class James F. Hayes, 48, of Barstow, died Nov. 6. Marine Lance Cpl. Scott A. Zumbowski, 20, of Twentynine Palms, died Nov. 12. Army Spc. Vernon R. Widner, 34, of Redlands, died Nov. 17. 2006 Army Cpl. Joseph A. Blanco, 25, of Bloomington, died April 11. Army Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster, 24, of Fontana, died May 5. Army Cpl. Luis D. Santos, 20, of Rialto, died June 8. Marine Cpl. Michael A. Estrella, 20, of Hemet, died June 14. Marine Cpl. Jason W. Morrow, 27, of Riverside, died June 27. Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28, of Rancho Cucamonga, died Aug. 1. Army Pfc. Hannah L. Gunterman, 20, of Redlands, died Sept. 4. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Isshak, 25, of Rancho Cucamonga, died Oct. 3. Army Pfc. Kenny F. Stanton Jr., 20, of Hemet, died Oct. 13. Army Capt. Mark C. Paine, 32, of Rancho Cucamonga, died Oct. 15. Army Spc. Jose R. Perez, 21, of Ontario, died Oct. 18. Army Sgt. Norman R. Taylor III, 21, of Blythe, died Oct. 17. Navy Seaman Charles O. Sare, 23, of Hemet, died Oct. 23. Marine Pfc. Jason Franco, 18, of Corona, died Oct. 31. Army Pfc. Alex Oceguera, 19, of San Bernardino, died Oct. 31. Army Sgt. 1st Class Rudy A. Salcido, 31, of Ontario, died Nov.9. Marine Lance Cpl. Jeromy D. West, 20, of Aguanga, died Nov. 25. Army Spc. Jeffrey G. Roberson, 22, of Phelan, died Nov.28. Marine Lance Cpl. Fernando S. Tamayo, 19, of Fontana, died Dec. 21. Army Sgt, Lawrence J. Carter, 25, of Rancho Cucamonga, died Dec. 29. 2007 Army Pfc. Ming Sun, 20, of Cathedral City, died Jan. 9. Army Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, of Temecula, died Jan.20. Army Chief Warrant Officer Keith Yoakum, 41, of Hemet, died Feb. 2. Marine 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, 25, of Big Bear City, died Feb.7. Marine Sgt. Travis D. Pfister, 27, of Hemet, died Feb. 7. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Webb, 28, of Winchester, died March 7. Army Spc. Agustin Gutierrez, 19, of San Jacinto, died March 29. Army Pfc. William A. Farrar Jr., 20, of Redlands, died May 11. Army Sgt. Rhys W. Klasno, 20, of Riverside, died May 13. Army Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn II, 22, of Moreno Valley, died May 26. Army Pfc. Cameron K. Payne, 22, of Corona died June 11. Army Spc. Victor A. Garcia, 22, of Rialto, died July 1. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Steven P. Daugherty, 28, of Barstow, died July 6. Air Force Staff Sgt Alejandro Ayala, 26, of Riverside, died Nov. 18. 2008 Army Sgt James Healy, 25, of Hesperia, died Jan. 7. Army Pfc. Aaron J. Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, died May 6. Army Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen, 20 of Temecula, died May 9. Army Staff Sgt. Bryan E. Bolander, 26, of Hemet, died April 29. Navy Corpsman Marc Retmier, 18, of Hemet, was killed June 18. Army Spc. Armando De La Paz, 21, or Riverside, died Nov. 13. 2009 Marine Sgt. Marquis R. Porter, 28, of Hemet, died Jan 11. Army Pvt. Grant A. Cotting, 19, of Corona, died Jan 24. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jacob I. Ramsey, 20, of Hesperia, died April 10. Army Pfc. Nicolas H. J. Gideon, 20, of Murrieta, died July 6. Army Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr., 23, of Moreno Valley, died Oct. 17. |
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Paul
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Posted: 11/25/2009 4:57:27 PM
California soldier killed in Afghanistan
A Moreno Valley paratrooper was killed Sunday in Afghanistan, Department of Defense officials announced Tuesday. U.S. Army Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes, 19, was killed in Zabul Province, along with Sgt. James M. Nolen, 25, of Alvin, Texas, when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense said. Tynes graduated in 2008 from Valley View High School in Moreno Valley. He was a lineman for the Valley View Eagles football team. Tynes was deployed in January with the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered State Capitol flags to be flown at half-staff Tuesday in honor of Tynes' death. "The men and women in our armed forces are heroes and Marcus will forever be remembered for his courageous service in our country," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "We send our thoughts and prayers to all of Marcus' loved ones as they deal with this tragic loss." Tynes is the second Moreno Valley resident to be killed at war this year and the sixth casualty of the year from the Inland region. Army Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr., 23, of Moreno Valley, was killed by a roadside bomb Oct. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. |
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Noname
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Posted: 11/26/2009 8:06:07 PM
[Last Edit: 11/26/2009 8:17:11 PM by Noname]
Hero Who Led Last Bayonet Charge Dies
November 20, 2009 Army News Service Retired Col. Lewis L. Millett, who received the Medal of Honor during the Korean War for leading what was reportedly the last major American bayonet charge, died Nov 14. Millett, 88, died in Loma Linda, Calif., last weekend after serving for more than 15 years as the honorary colonel of the 27th Infantry Regiment Association. Millet received the Medal of Honor for his actions Feb. 7, 1951. He led Company E, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division in a bayonet charge up Hill 180 near Soam-Ni, Korea. A captain at the time, Millet was leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position when he noticed that a platoon was pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and antitank fire. Millett placed himself at the head of two other platoons, ordered fixed bayonets, and led an assault up the fire-swept hill. In the fierce charge, Millett bayoneted two enemy soldiers and continued on, throwing grenades, clubbing and bayoneting the enemy, while urging his men forward by shouting encouragement, according to his Medal of Honor citation. "Despite vicious opposing fire, the whirlwind hand-to-hand assault carried to the crest of the hill," the citation states. "His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder." During the attack, Millett was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation until the objective was firmly secured. He recovered, and after the war went to attend Ranger School. In the 1960s he ran the 101st Airborne Division Recondo School, for reconnaissance-commando training, at Fort Campbell, Ky. Then he served in a number of special operations advisory assignments in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He founded the Royal Thai Army Ranger School with help of the 46th Special Forces Company. This unit is reportedly the only one in the U.S.Army to ever simultaneously be designated as both Ranger and Special Forces. Millet retired from the Army in 1973. "I was very saddened to hear Col. Millett passed away," said Maj. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., the current commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. "He was a rare breed, a true patriot who never stopped serving his country. He was a role model for thousands of Soldiers and he will be missed." Millet was born in Maine and first enlisted in 1940 in the Army Air Corps and served as a gunner. Soon after, when it appeared that the U.S. would not enter World War II, he left and joined the Canadian Army. In 1942, while Millet was serving in London, the United States entered the war. Millet turned himself into the U.S. Embassy there. He was eventually assigned to the 1st Armored Division. As an antitank gunner in Tunisia, Millet earned the Silver Star after he jumped into a burning halftrack filled with ammunition, drove it away from allied soldiers and jumped to safety just before the vehicle exploded. He later shot down a German fighter plane with a vehicle-mounted machine gun. As a sergeant serving in Italy during the war, his desertion to join the Canadian forces caught up to him. He was court-martialed, fined $52 and denied leave. A few weeks later he was awarded a battlefield commission. After the war, he joined the 103rd Infantry of the Maine National Guard, and attended college, until he was called back to active duty in 1949. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Millett earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit and four Purple Hearts during his 35-year military career. After his retirement, he remained active in both national and local veterans groups from his Idyllwild, Calif., home. His son, Staff Sgt John Morton Millett, was a member of the 101st Airborne Division returning from duty in the Sinaii Dec. 12, 1985, when a charter plane crashed upon takeoff after stopping at Gander, Newfoundland. He was one of 256 Soldiers killed in the crash. On Feb. 7, 1994, retired Col. Millet was honored with a ceremony on Hill 180, now located on Osan Air Base, South Korea. The ceremony became an annual one and the road running up the hill was named "Millet Road." In June 2000, Millet returned to Seoul, South Korea, and served as keynote speaker at the Army's 225th Birthday Ball at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. All eight of the then-living Korean War Medal of Honor recipients attended the event. This year, Millet served as the grand marshal of a Salute to Veterans parade, April 21 in Riverside, Calif. He died Nov. 14 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Loma Linda, Calif., of congestive heart failure. A memorial service for Millet is scheduled for Dec. 5 at the National Medal of Honor Memorial, Riverside National Cemetery in California. http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/hero-who-led-last-bayonet-charge-dies.html?col=1186032325324 |
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Paul
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Posted: 12/25/2009 12:03:09 AM
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A 23-year-old Marine from Moreno Valley died of a noncombat injury in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the U.S. Defense Department announced. Lance Cpl. Omar G. Roebuck died in that country's Helmand province. The death is under investigation, according to 1st Lt. Barry Morris, a public affairs officer for the 2nd Marine Division headquarters in North Carolina. He did not disclose details. Lance Cpl. Roebuck was an engineer equipment mechanic assigned to the Mobile Assault Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Lance Cpl. Roebuck enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 2008 and was promoted to lance corporal June 2 of this year. His family could not be reached Thursday. Lance Cpl. Roebuck is the third service member from Moreno Valley killed in Afghanistan since October. Army Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes, 19, was killed Nov. 22, and Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr., 23, died Oct. 17. Both were in vehicles hit by roadside bombs. Three troops from Moreno Valley have also died in the Iraq war: Lance Cpl. Jason Andrew Tetrault, 20, in Kuwait in July 2003; Cpl. William Dean Richardson, 23, in April 2005; and Sgt. Clayton G. Dunn II, 22, in May 2007. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement Thursday saying he and his wife were praying for Roebuck's family and friends. "Omar was a courageous Marine who selflessly dedicated his life to protecting our country, and we join all Californians in remembering and honoring his service," Schwarzenegger said. Lance Cpl. Roebuck was a recipient of the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Morris wrote in an e-mail. |
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