A thread to honor those Californians that made the ultimate sacrifice we will list every single one of these heroes and their stories you are welcome to comment or add a name I will start it off. I did not know him but he lived a couple miles from me.









Phillip West
Sunday, November 21, 2004

By CARLOS VILLATORO
Register Staff Writer

A Marine from American Canyon has paid the ultimate price for the country he loved.

Lance Corporal Phillip G. West, 19, was killed Friday morning while on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq. The young infantryman had been in the war-torn country since June.

"My son is a hero," Ed West, Phillip's father, said Saturday. "He had a goal of fighting for his country. He had a goal of becoming a Marine."

Ed West said his son was on patrol and was hit with an improvised explosive device, a type of bomb used by insurgents in which they wait for an opposing soldier to walk by before detonating it.

Another Marine, Dimitrios Gavriell of New York, died in Fallujah the same day.

As an infantryman, West's job included guarding, patrolling, fighting and doing building sweeps. West was a 2003 graduate of Vintage High School, who loved and played football for the high school, Ed West said. He was also a lifeguard in American Canyon who taught many kids to swim.

Memorial services for West will be announced this week.

"He loved his country," Ed West said. "He loved the Marine Corps (and) ... was very patriotic."

More on the story will appear in Monday's Register.

I just hate reading these stories in the news. It makes me feel very very sad.

Originally Posted By warlord: I just hate reading these stories in the news. It makes me feel very very sad.

yeah me too im in san diego so there are bunch of local guys who have been lossed. Too many good men

Jared Hubbard , Jeremiah Baro

Valley Marines Killed in Iraq

They were close friends in high school and both chose to join the military. But, an explosion in Iraq has left two Valley marines dead and a local high school in shock.



Jared Hubbard and Jeremiah Baro were close friends at Buchanan High School and they were serving together overseas.

They were both well known in the Buchanan community and both graduated in 2001. Both were on the wrestling team, with Jared on the football team. Tragically, both died in Iraq on Wednesday.

The two Marines, best friends since childhood, joined up together. They were on their second tour of duty in Iraq as a sniper team.

Their families were notified Thursday morning that both were killed in an explosion in the city of Ramadi.

Some of their friends gathered together to share their sorrow and their friend Paul Facio spoke with Action News, "I know Jeremiah has two great little brothers, and they're just not going to have that older brother around anymore. That hurts me the most. Jared is really good, he made time to be with his friends and his family. He was always doing extra hobbies with his brother, his sister, and he always made time for everyone. They're losing a great brother and a great son."

Jared Hubbard was just 22-years-old. Jeremiah was 21-year-old and his birthday was next month.

The Defense Department has not released information about their deaths. The families were told there was an explosion. There was also mention of an accident.

The Defense Department is not expected to released details until Friday

Neil Roberts



family speaks out about there hero son

In the, snow-capped mountains of eastern Afghanistan, seven American soldiers were killed on Monday.




We are learning more about the northern California Navy Seal Officer who lost his life in Afghanistan. Neil Roberts grew up in Woodland and later moved to Virginia. As Charlotte Fadipe reports, his family is struggling to come to terms with his death.


Roberts' support mission ended up being a combated one that lasted 18 hours.


32-year-old Neil Roberts, a Navy Seal left behind a good-bye note to his wife. It read, "I loved being a seal, if I died doing something for the teams then I died doing what made me happy."

It may be some comfort to his grieving family in Woodland, but it does not shed light on how the first class petty officer was killed.

In the, snow-capped mountains of eastern Afghanistan, seven American soldiers were killed on Monday in the deadliest battle since the war on terrorism began in October. It appears Intelligence information seriously miscalculated how many enemy fighters were left in this region.

Roberts' support mission ended up being a combated one that lasted 18 hours.

President Bush: "As long as I am president of the United States, I will pursue those who hurt America."

It's believed Roberts fell to the ground after his chopper was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Some reports indicate that he may have been dragged away and shot by Al-Qaeda fighters.

Roberts is a twin who attended Woodland High School. As his family prepares for his burial, one brother told me on the telephone…



Roberts is a twin who attended Woodland High School.



Roberts' Brother: "He was grateful for the support the town of Woodland has shown his family at this difficult time."

Some local Woodland officers were doing some fundraising to pay for the entire Roberts family to go to Virginia for his burial. But it now appears that the Navy is taking care of the costs.

Mick Bekowsky



Concord Marine Dies In Iraq Suicide Bombing
Sept. 8 (BCN) — The grandmother of U.S. Marine Cpl. Mick R. Bekowsky said today that her grandson died in Iraq Monday while protecting the freedom of every single American.


"We want everyone to know, he died to protect your freedom, not just his mother's, not just his father's, everybody's," Cecile Bekowsky said today.

Bekowsky, 21, of Concord, was killed along with six other Marines in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

According to the department, Bekowsky was assigned to the Second Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton.

Bekowsky signed up with the Marines in June 2001, two months after he graduated from Concord High School and one month after he turned 18 years old, his grandmother said today.

"He's always wanted to be something having to do with macho soldiers," Cecile said.

He was doing what he loved and he was good at it, his father, Brian Bekowsky said today. He was a "patriot to the bone" and a leader, the elder Bekowsky said.

Bekowsky was called to duty shortly after Sept. 11, which was sooner than he expected, according to his family.

He had the option not to go, but he chose to anyway, Cecile said. "I told him this isn't what you signed up for," but he felt it was his patriotic duty to go, she said.

Cecile described her grandson as outdoorsy and said he liked to do all the typical "boy-type" things such as hunting, fishing, and riding dirt bikes. He was strong, she said, and a football player in high school.

Bekowsky's father described him as "your average kid," with an emphasis on the word "kid," and said he wants people to really understand that about his son.

"He was just like the kid who lives down the street from you or works in the supermarket.

"People forget that these men and women we send over there are not men and women, they are kids," Brian said.

Bekowsky died on his second tour in Iraq, a little over a month before he was due to come home, his grandmother said.

"The first time he came home, we had a big party," Cecile said.

In front of his family's Concord home stands a flagpole Bekowsky carved before he was first sent to Iraq. He raised a flap up it and told his family to leave it there until he returned, according to Cecile.


Today that flag flies at half-mast, as do many others around Contra Costa County, in honor of Bekowsky, his family said.

He father said in honor of his son and other fallen soldiers, he wants people to look at themselves and ask, "'what have done today to deserve to have someone dying for me?"'

Bekowsky is survived by his father, Brian, his mother, Joan, his grandmother Cecile and his 13-year-old sister, Haley.

The Bekowsky family is planning funeral services that will be open to the public, his father said.

Andres Perez


Capitola Marine Dies in Fallujah

Andres Perez was 21.


CBS5.com Staff

Another Marine from Northern California has been killed in Iraq.

The parents of 21-year-old Andres Perez learned Monday morning that their son died in combat in Fallujah. Perez was from Capitola, and joined the Marines shortly after graduating from Harbor High School in 2001.

Perez's 19-year-old sister Elvira is also in the Marines. She's been placed on non-deployment status to avoid the risk of another death in the family.

Erick Hodges


Hundreds paid their respects Friday to a Bay Area casualty of the war in Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Erick Hodges of Bay Point had just turned 21 when he died in a firefight in Fallujah. He was on his second tour of Iraq.

At the Salvation Army Community Church in Concord Friday, hundreds turned out to mourn the young Marine. Hodges' parents were presented with their son's Purple Heart medal.

Hodges was to be buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno with full military honors.

Oscar Jimenez


Marine from San Diego killed in Iraq

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — A 34-year-old Marine from San Diego was killed while fighting in the Anbar province of Iraq, military officials have announced.

Marine 1st Lt. Oscar Jimenez was killed by enemy fire on Sunday, the Department of Defense said Monday.

Jimenez was a logistics officer assigned to the Headquarters and Support Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Twentynine Palms.

Jimenez joined the Marines in August 2001 and was assigned to his current unit the following year.

He first deployed to Iraq in 2003 and was redeployed in February 2004.

Jimenez received the Combat Action Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal, the Navy/Marine Achievement Medal, the Navy Unit Commendation, the Presidential Unit Citation, Kuwait Liberation medals, two Southwest Asia Service Medals, the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.

Jimenez has been recommended for the Purple Heart.

He is survived by a wife and three children.

Bump for an excellent post.

pie is going to post all of them. maybe we can start some sort of a fund for these guys familys

Michael D. Anderson Jr.




Modesto Marine Killed in Iraq Honored for His Service
The first serviceman from Stanislaus County to die in combat in Iraq was laid to rest near Modesto on Monday.

Marine Corporal Michael D. Anderson Jr. was remembered as a hero by family and friends at during a funeral service at Calvary Temple. "Freedom is not free," said Michael Anderson Sr., the Marine's father. "There's a price to be paid. My son paid it. Let us pray it's not in vain."

Another Modesto Marine who witnessed the younger Anderson's death wrote to his family that the corporal was fatally shot while conducting a house-to-house search for insurgents in Fallujah on December 14.

Anderson had served in the Marine Corps for three years as a member of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The unit is based in Camp Pendleton. The 21-year-old Anderson was deployed to Iraq three months ago.

Anderson's family chose Lakewood Cemetery east of Modesto for the Marine's burial. The service included a police escort and sheriff helicopter flying overhead. Anderson had wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement following his military service.

Edwin W. Roodhouse





A computer engineer who once lived in the Bay Area and joined the Army in response to Sept. 11 was killed Dec. 5 by a roadway bomb in Iraq, the Pentagon said Monday.

Army Spc. Edwin W. Roodhouse, 36, was killed in his humvee by the blast in Habbaniyah, the Pentagon said. Roodhouse joined the Army two years ago, said Marcia Williams, an acquaintance of his family.

"After 9/11, he wanted to serve the country," she said.

A native of Lemoore (Kings County), he spent part of his teen years in the Bay Area and he also worked in the Bay Area for about 10 years as a computer networking engineer, she said. Part of the time, he lived in Marin County.

He was unmarried and without children, Williams said.

"Ed was a marvelous man," said a statement from Roodhouse's father, commercial real estate developer Alan Roodhouse, and his stepmother, Donna, both of McMinnville, Ore.

"Ed was unique -- he was a trained computer network engineer who worked for various companies,'' the statement said. "He also loved to write and tell stories, and he enjoyed literature."

After enlisting, Edwin Roodhouse was "first deployed to Korea, where he was attached to (a headquarters unit) and drove staff officers around and performed administrative duties consistent with his age and civilian skills," the family statement said.

In South Korea, his father and stepmother said, "he requested transfer to a different company so that he could be in the infantry and use the training he had received as an infantryman. That is how he ended up in Iraq. The last time he was home was June, between assignments."

The family learned of his death last Tuesday.

The area where he was killed has witnessed many insurgent attacks against U.S. forces. It lies between Ramadi and Fallujah, which recently have been targeted by American military counteroffensives.

Because of his interest in writing and storytelling, his family has established a scholarship in his name for seniors in English at Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Mich., where his 24-year-old brother Ben recently graduated and where his 18-year-old sister Kate is enrolled.

Contributions may be made to the Edwin William Roodhouse Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o John Cervini, Hillsdale College, 33 College St., Hillsdale, MI 49242.

He has two other brothers, Eric, 34, and Alex, 22, who is in the Navy. Alex is on emergency leave from his deployment with the Milius, a guided- missile destroyer.

A Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. James Catholic Church in McMinnville, followed by a 3 p.m. military burial at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore.

Killed with Roodhouse was Staff Sgt. Marvin L. Trost, 28, of Goshen, Ind. Both were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division from Camp Greaves in South Korea, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon earlier reported that another soldier from the same division, Staff Sgt. Kyle A. Eggers, 27, of Euless, Texas, died Dec. 5 when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Habbaniyah. The McMinnville News-Register said Eggers was in the same humvee with Roodhouse.

A total of 1,294 U.S. military deaths have been reported in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003, the Pentagon said.

E-mail Charles Burress

Kyle Crowley





Marine dies in Iraq



SAN RAMON, Calif. — When Kyle Crowley decided to join the Marines and head off to Iraq, his father feared for his son’s safety.

Those fears proved prescient when the 18-year old from San Ramon was killed April 6 in a gun battle in Iraq.

“I’m just really proud of Kyle and his achievements,” his father, Mark Crowley, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’m really saddened by the loss of his young life and that his blood was spilled on foreign soil.”

Crowley is one of three San Francisco Bay area residents killed in Iraq this week. Marine Lance Cpl. Travis J. Layfield, 19, of Fremont, was also killed the same day, and Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, of Vacaville, died earlier that week.

Crowley was mourned at California High School, which he attended for 3½ years before graduating from alternative Del Amigo High School last spring.

“He was proud to wear his uniform and so excited about being a Marine,” California High principal Mark Corti said. “I saw the growth in him, the maturity, the self-confidence, self-esteem. He was just a new young man. He was so proud that he had gone through that training.”

Mark Crowley served in the Army and was opposed to his son’s decision to enter the military even though he admits it helped his son mature.

“I was pretty much against Kyle joining. I was fearful of his safety,” Mark Crowley said.

A memorial at California High School was scheduled for April 8 and a candlelight vigil will be held in San Ramon the following night.

Kyle’s friend Gray Kaempf was stunned when he heard the news.

“My heart was in my stomach when Kyle’s dad called me,” Kaempf told the Contra Costa Times. “I was thinking about Kyle, wondering where he was and how he was doing.

“To be a Marine was the dream he wanted. He was very brave. He went over there and gave everything he had for his country. His death makes the war so real I might be fighting over there, too.”

Kyle Crowley is survived by his father, his mother, Mary, and sister, Nichole, 20.

Died:
April 06, 2004

Sean A. Silva




Flags lowered for Sacramento-area soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Capitol flags were lowered to half-staff Tuesday as Gov. Gray Davis expressed condolences over the death last week of a soldier from Roseville killed in Baghdad, Iraq.

Pvt. Sean A. Silva, 23, was one of two soldiers killed Thursday in what the U.S. military said was an ambush. He was assigned to 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Fort Polk, La.

Four other soldiers were wounded about 8 p.m. as they patrolled Sadr City, the largest Shiite Muslim enclave in Baghdad, the military said.

A military spokesman said the soldiers were coaxed from their vehicles by civilians who said they wanted to show them “something important.” They were then attacked with guns, rocket-propelled grenades and makeshift explosives, and were eventually rescued by an Army quick reaction force.

Shiite Muslims denied there was an ambush and said fighters loyal to a radical Shiite cleric engaged the patrol as it approached their leader’s headquarters, with the Americans firing first. Iraqis reported two Iraqis died and seven were wounded.

Davis, in a statement, called Silva “a courageous American soldier, who paid the ultimate price while serving his country. He will be sorely missed. As Californians, and as Americans, we are eternally grateful for his sacrifice.”

The Capitol flags will remain lowered through Thursday.

Killed with Silva was Christopher W. Swisher, 26, of Lincoln, Neb.

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cbs2.com/california/CA--IraqCasualty-Sanc-kn/resources_news_html

Infantryman from Modesto dies in Mosul
Saturday January 01, 2005

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) Pfc. Oscar Sanchez and his wife intended to go on a cruise when he returned from Iraq in February. Instead, Tiffany Sanchez has been making funeral arrangements.

An attack in Mosul killed the 19-year-old private first class on Dec. 29, two days before the couple's first wedding anniversary.

Sanchez went to Iraq in October as part of a Stryker unit from Fort Lewis, Wash. He was manning an observation outpost when insurgents launched a two-stage attack, said Dick Devlin, public information officer at Fort Lewis.

First, suicide bombers drove a truck into the Stryker outpost and detonated 1,500 pounds of explosives. As a patrol responded with aid, a second bomber blew up an explosives-filled car.

Of 15 injured soldiers, Sanchez was among nine who were rushed to treatment at an Army hospital at Mosul Airfield. He died the same day.

``When he came back, we wanted to buy a house, and last year we didn't have a honeymoon, so we were going to go on a cruise,'' Tiffany Sanchez, also 19, told The Modesto Bee. ``We thought probably the Bahamas or Hawaii, somewhere beachy. It really didn't matter, as long as we had a good time and we were together.''

Sanchez entered active duty in October 2003, Devlin said. He arrived at Fort Lewis on Feb. 15, 2004, after undergoing basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga.

He was assigned to Iraq as part of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team).

Family members said he joined the army because he wanted to get a good job and provide for his family.

``His hopes and dreams were always to take care of his brothers and of getting his things together,'' said a cousin, 30-year-old Stella Padilla. ``A home for his father. A home for his brother.''

Sanchez was a decorated hero. He had earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Posthumously, he was awarded the Bronze Star, which is given for valor or service; the Purple Heart; and the Good Conduct Medal, Devlin said.

The attack that killed Sanchez came two days after the funeral for Modesto Marine Cpl. Michael Anderson Jr., 21.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Daniel Paul Unger





National Guard Soldier Pays Ultimate Sacrifice in Iraq

by Lt. Col. Stan Zezotarski
16 June 2004


Spec. Daniel Paul Unger

A California National Guard soldier died Monday May 25th, and five others were wounded, as a result of hostile fire on their base near Kalsu, Iraq.

Spec. Daniel Paul Unger, 19, Company A, 1st Battalion, 185th Armor Regiment was fatally wounded during a rocket attack in Kalsu, Iraq, on May 26th (PDST time), according to Army Casualty reports. Staff Sgt. Kenneth Jay Padilla, of Apple Valley, Spec. Brian Anthony Martinez, hometown unknown; Sgt Edward Martinez, Irvine; Maj. Steven Vaughn Harrell, of Menifee; and Pfc. Michael Leland Wareham, hometown unknown, sustained shrapnel injuries and are expected to recover.

“Specialist Unger possessed the character and Faith that are essential soldiering ingredients and so vital to sustain our nation,” said Major General Thomas Eres, the adjutant general, California National Guard. “Neither the best plan, the shrewdest strategy, nor the finest equipment have any value for a commander if he does not have soldiers with the character that Specialist Unger exemplified in his young life. The Nation and the California National Guard are greatly indebted to Specialist Unger and his family. I want to reassure his parents that their son’s name and sacrifice, as well as those who have died before him, will be kept alive in the annals of California National Guard tradition and history.”

Unger, a resident of Exeter, joined the California National Guard on the delayed entry program when he was 17-years-old, according to Sgt. 1st Class James Morrelli, readiness NCO for Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment. He had just completed his advanced individual training in October 2003 before he was, in essence, mobilized on his very first drill in November. He graduated from Exeter High School in the Spring of 2003. He had a black belt in Karate and was an excellent baseball player, according to family and friends. His father, Marc Unger also has a black belt and is a Karate instructor. The elder Unger is a Baptist Minister and visited the unit armory several times since his son was mobilized offering prayers and comfort to other soldiers and families whose loved ones were also deployed.

Local soldiers have fond memories of Unger who was also very involved in his Baptist Faith. Morelli said that Unger had always wanted to be in the military. Unger’s awards include Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. He will receive the Purple Heart posthumously.

Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment First Sergeant Sidney E. Whitt felt that Unger had unlimited career potential. The unit attempted to promote him to Specialist before he deployed based on his leadership potential and character, but was unable to do so until he completed basic requirements and time in grade necessary for the next step. Unger’s leadership qualities, however, caught up to him during the mobilization process when 185th Armor leadership successfully promoted him to Specialist.

“It’s a great loss to our unit,” Morelli said. “We recruited him and watched him grow before he transferred to the Armor Battalion. He is much, much more than an unknown 19-year-old. He was a very upfront and solid young man.”

Unger is survived by his father Marc, his mother Linda, a younger brother and two younger sisters.

Adam Estep








San Jose man Dies in Iraq

Adam Estep was 23.





Sgt. Adam Estep was killed Thursday outside of Baghdad, when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle.

Estep, 23, was supposed to come home April 12th, but his stay in Iraq was extended by 14 months. He came home for a two-day leave last month, where he married his high school sweetheart, who he met while attending Prospect High School in Saratoga.

"I know my son was a good man, and he was doing what he believed was right," said Ken Estep, Adam's father. "For that reason, I want it known he gave the ultimate committment."

Cole Larsen







policeman from Canyon Country killed in Iraq

SANTA CLARITA – Army Pfc. Cole W. Larsen loved the outdoors and spent weekends in the hills riding his motorized dirt bike and hunting with his father.

The 19-year-old military policeman put the same enthusiasm into making everyone he knew laugh and smile.

"The first time I ever met him, he came over to our house, and I remember he pushed me off my tricycle, and we were friends ever since," said a neighbor, 19-year-old Chad Whitaker, who graduated from high school with Larsen last year. "He used to play jokes on everyone. He always made people laugh."

Larsen was killed Saturday in a vehicle accident in Baghdad, Iraq, two weeks after he returned to the country for a second six-month tour of duty. He was assigned to 272nd Military Police Company, 21st Theater Support Command, and based in Mannheim, Germany.

During his two-week visit home to Canyon Country, just north of the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, Larsen took his 17-year-old sister Haley to her homecoming dance.

Larsen was good with his hands and could fix things, including a car engine, neighbors and family friends said.

They said Larsen always dreamed of joining the military, riding his bicycle to the local recruiting office when he was just 10 years old. He enlisted in the Army soon after graduating from high school.

"He wasn't afraid when he left here," neighbor Debby Artega said. "He looked right at me and told me he wanted to go back and be with his buddies."



Information from: (Los Angeles) Daily News, www.dailynews.com

Patrick R. McCaffrey Sr.

Patrick R. McCaffrey Sr.

34, of Tracy, Calif.; assigned to the 579th Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, Petaluma, Calif.; killed June 22 when enemy forces ambushed his ground patrol in Balad, Iraq.

TRACY, Calif. — Patrick McCaffrey joined the National Guard in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because, family members said, he wanted to make a difference.

But McCaffrey had become disillusioned with his mission before his death Tuesday in an ambush in Iraq.

McCaffrey and fellow Guard member 2nd Lt. Andre Tyson were killed near the city of Balad, located 85 miles north of Baghdad, according to a California National Guard news release Wednesday.

Both were in Alpha Company, 579th Engineer Battalion, based in Petaluma.

McCaffrey, a 34-year-old Army specialist from Tracy, was a manager with a collision repair company in the Silicon Valley when he enlisted in the National Guard.

McCaffrey’s family said he was training Iraqis to become military police before he died.

“I’m really proud of him,” his wife, Silvia McCaffrey, told the Tracy Press. “He was a hero to me, and I guess all my family.”

But his mother, Nadia McCaffrey, said he had lost faith in the U.S. mission after arriving in Iraq this spring.

“He was overwhelmed by the hatred there for Americans and Europeans,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “He was so ashamed by the prisoner abuse scandal. He even sent me an e-mail to tell me that not all the soldiers were like that. He said we had no business in Iraq and should not be there. Even so, he wanted to be a good soldier.”

McCaffrey was born in Santa Clara. He was married and had a son in Silicon Valley before moving away with his second wife about four years ago. His first son, Patrick Jr., lives with his mother.

McCaffrey also is survived by his father, Bob.

Jesse Mizener



Northern California soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

AUBURN, Calif. — A Northern California soldier died this week when a mortar round hit a Baghdad-area logistics base, officials said.

Pfc. Jesse D. Mizener, 24, died Jan. 7, the Department of Defense said.

In November, Mizener told The Auburn Journal newspaper that the mortar attacks were unsettling and all too common in Iraq.

“You miss home the most when you get mortared,” he told the newspaper. “It gets scary, especially when you see it land and see how close it is. That’s when you really think about home a lot.”

He is survived by his wife, Nicole, two daughters, ages 2 and 1, and a 2-month-old son, all of Auburn, Calif., about 35 miles east of Sacramento.

Mizener attended Bear Creek High School in Stockton, Calif., where his parents still live, said family spokeswoman Cindee DeGolia. The family declined to comment, but planned to hold a news conference in Stockton.

Mizener returned home in November in time for the birth of his son, his brother, Brian Mizener, told The Stockton Record newspaper. He was scheduled to come home for good soon, his brother said.

“We stopped worrying; his time was so short,” Brian Mizener told the newspaper.

Mizener, a construction equipment repairer, was assigned to the 542nd Maintenance Company, 44th Corps Support Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group based at Fort Lewis.

His unit provides direct support and maintenance of Humvees, weapons, communications equipment and generators, said Brendalyn Carpenter, a spokeswoman for Fort Lewis.

During this deployment in Iraq, Mizener’s unit was attached to the 541st Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Corps Support Command, Carpenter said.


Died:
January 07, 2004

Quoc Binh "Bo" Tran



IRVINE, Calif. — Spc. Quoc Binh “Bo” Tran always told his family he wasn’t in danger in Iraq.

When he spoke to his mother for the last time a week ago, he told her again that he was safe because he was in a support battalion, not on the front lines.

“Don’t worry,” said Tran, a member of the California Army National Guard.

Tran, 26, of Mission Viejo, died Nov. 7 after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad.

His father, Van Tran, was a former second lieutenant in the South Vietnamese army who says he was captured and placed in a “re-education camp” after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Van Tran said that as a young boy, Bo Tran had carried one sister on his shoulders and led the other by the hand as the family fled through the jungle in Vietnam.

Bo Tran had wanted to be a soldier since he was a little boy, his father said.

“I’m proud of Bo,” said Van Tran, an engineer in Irvine. “I’m proud he served his country.”

Tran was deployed with the 81st Brigade Combat team based at Camp Murray, Wash., about 30 miles south of Seattle.

He was a member of Detachment 3, Company B, 181st Support Battalion, which is located in San Bernardino. It is a unit of the Seattle-based 181st Support Battalion.

Christopher Kenneth Hill




A soldier who rejoined the Army after a three-year absence so that he would have a hand in the war against terrorism was buried in Pineville, N.C., leaving behind a wife and their 14-month-old daughter.

More than 200 people came to Independent Bible Baptist Church on March 18 to remember Spc. Christopher Kenneth Hill, 26, of Moorpark, Calif.

Many of the mourners spoke from a pulpit surrounded by flowers and photo collages showing Hill from childhood to fatherhood. They recalled Hill as an outgoing man whose love of country was surpassed only by his love of family.

“He was a father. He was a son. He was a brother and a great friend,” said Jeremy McCarver, the pastor who married Hill and his wife, Cheryl.

Hill was to have seen the couple’s daughter, Cierra, for the first time in nearly a year on March 21, when he was scheduled to start a two-week leave.

A remote-controlled bomb ended that dream last week. Hill, a member of the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley, Kan., was riding in the lead vehicle of a convoy rolling through Fallujah, Iraq, on March 11 when an explosion killed him and Staff Sgt. Joe Dunigan Jr., 37.

This was Hill’s second time in the Army. He served four years in Korea and Virginia before leaving active duty and moving to Charlotte in July 2002 to be with Cheryl Hill. They married two months later.

He re-enlisted in April because he missed the Army and couldn’t stand not being a part of the war, his wife has said.

“He couldn’t let her (Cierra) grow up in a world where she didn’t feel safe,” said Clint Nawara, who served with Hill during his first stint in the Army.

Hill was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. The medals were presented Thursday to his widow.

Originally Posted By pieeater: Adam Estep San Jose man Dies in Iraq Adam Estep was 23. Sgt. Adam Estep was killed Thursday outside of Baghdad, when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle. Estep, 23, was supposed to come home April 12th, but his stay in Iraq was extended by 14 months. He came home for a two-day leave last month, where he married his high school sweetheart, who he met while attending Prospect High School in Saratoga. "I know my son was a good man, and he was doing what he believed was right," said Ken Estep, Adam's father. "For that reason, I want it known he gave the ultimate committment."

Adam was best friend of Arfcom's own mcwarrior (my son). This one hit really close to home.

Adam W. Estep

23, of Campbell, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed April 29 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his patrol in Baghdad.






California soldier killed in Iraq ‘never showed fear’

Associated Press

SARATOGA, Calif. — Sgt. Adam Estep was remembered Tuesday by friends and family as a soldier who never showed fear, even in the most violent battles.

Estep, a 23-year-old tank driver, died April 29 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack outside Baghdad.

“Every day he touched lives in ways that cannot be erased,” friend and Marine Sgt. Jason Steele said at the funeral. “We should all aspire to be like him. You all must rejoice in the memories we have of him and know that he will always be with you.”

Estep, who was active in ROTC in high school in San Jose, joined the Army in 2000 and drove tanks for the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment and 1st Cavalry Division.

He had been stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and served a six-month tour in Kuwait. In December, the Army extended his commitment for 14 months. He left for Iraq in March.

http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/12053973p-12924131c.html

Twentynine Palms Marine killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
Last Updated 4:39 am PST Sunday, January 16, 2005
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (AP) - When Zachariah S. Davis received orders to return to Iraq last summer, the 25-year-old Marine sergeant had just witnessed the birth of his second son and was worried about leaving his family.

"We talked about it and he said he had a bad feeling," said his father, Terry Davis. "But he's a Marine and he knew he had to go. He understood."

A vehicle commander based at Twentynine Palms, Davis was killed on Jan. 6 during enemy action in Iraq's volatile Anbar province. His family was told the cause was a roadside bomb.

The son of a career Marine, Davis enlisted after graduating from Twentynine Palms High School and was among the first U.S. troops to infiltrate Baghdad before the war. He worked for the San Bernardino County Fire Department and enjoyed the outdoors and Tom Clancy novels.

But much of his time was reserved for his family. Davis was so happy after learning of his wife's first pregnancy that he did cartwheels, he wife said. Later, he sang lullabies to his sons.

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

She said she would always treasure an electronic card he e-mailed her from Iraq days before his death. It read: "No matter what, I'll be falling in love with you over and over again, every day."

"He wasn't just my husband, he was my best friend," his wife said.

Davis was assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

During a funeral Friday, his casket was carried to the base's Protestant chapel on one of several fire engines that participated in the service. Besides his wife and sons, he is survived by his parents and siblings.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.co