"I had a bad feeling, so I hugged him extra hard. I was thinking, 'Don't go.'" |
WILLIAM G. BOWLING, died April 1, 2007, aged 24
Sgt. William G. Bowling of Beattyville was looking forward to coming home from Iraq on leave later this month, and was excited about seeing his new baby, who would be born by then.
He and his wife, Jennifer, exchanged Internet messages about their plans only last Friday.
Jennifer Bowling said by phone from Beattyville yesterday that she is still in shock over the news, and that her doctor has placed her on bed rest until her baby, due in about two weeks, is born. She doesn't know whether it will be a girl or a boy. The couple's first child, daughter Hannah, will turn 2 in August.
She said the two talked or exchanged e-mail messages almost every day while Bowling was overseas. Lately, they had talked a lot about his upcoming leave -- he was to fly home on April 29 -- and how their second child would be born and waiting when he got home.
On April 1, Bowling was one of four soldiers killed when the Humvee they were riding in struck a roadside bomb southwest of Baghdad. They were rushing to help fellow soldiers, who earlier had also encountered a bomb, when the explosion occurred, Army officials said.
"He loved his family, especially his daughter," said Jennifer.
The last picture of the three was taken on the day he left for Iraq last August.
William C. Bowling dies of injuries from I.E.D.
|
"When I saw the two of them at my door, I just thought it had to be something else. I just wanted them to tell me he was hurt and not gone. Anything. Anything to not be what it was." |
JASON R. ARNETTE, died April 1, 2007, aged 24
MIGUEL A. MARCIAL III, died April 1, 2007, aged 19
ROBERT M. McDOWELL, died April 1, 2007, aged 30
ERIC R. VICK, died April 1, 2007, aged 25
DAVID A. MEJIAS, died April 1, 2007, aged 26
BRIAN E. RITZBERG, died April 2, 2007, aged 24
BRADLEY D. KING, died April 2, 2007, aged 28
DANIEL R. OLSEN, died April 2, 2007, aged 20 |
"When I watched that little boy grow up, if I had to pick one way to describe him, it would be Dennis the Menace. He was one of those people, you couldn't help but love him. Even when you were most aggravated, you loved him." |
CURTIS R. SPIVEY, died April 2, 2007, aged 25
Army Spc. Curtis Spivey grew up in Chula Vista and married his high school sweetheart, Aida. The couple has a toddler, Marianna, who is now 2.
"She'll look at the pictures, or she'll go up to one of those pictures and talk to him -- say, 'Good morning,' or, 'Hi, Daddy, I love you,' and she'll start pointing up," said Aida.
Spivey served two tours of duty in Iraq with the Marine Corps, and then a third with the Army. His Humvee struck a bomb last September near Baghdad.
Spivey returned to the United States with a brain injury, a broken back and shattered legs. He was also paralyzed from the waist down.
"I was really shocked when I saw him, because he was all swollen," said Aida. "It was bad, really bad."
Spivey, 25, hated the thought of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
"He was not a happy camper when he came here," said Al Kovach, president of the Cal-Diego chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, who counseled Spivey during his recuperation at the VA Medical Center in La Jolla."He kept the lights off, the shades pulled. The only person he would talk to was his father."
Curtis Spivey never remembered the explosion. During rehabilitation, he frequently grew angry at his nurses and would refuse to eat or exercise. His wife said Mariana helped break him out of his depression.
Spivey's recovery was slow, but the soldier and his family never gave up hope.
"Once he was in the hospital, he told me he kept on going -- it was because of her and me, because we were his life, and every time he saw her, that was his medicine " said Aida, referring to herself and their daughter.
Spivey died April 2 when a blood vessel in his weakened brain burst, causing damage that doctors couldn't fix. His family removed him from life support Monday, and he slipped away soon after.
Curtis Spivey died barely one year after his 29-year-old brother, Joey – whom the soldier described in a MySpace.com entry as his hero – died of a congenital heart defect no one in the family knew about.
"It's been a hard road," said Curtis' widow, Aida Spivey, 24.
Curtis R. Spivey dies in San Diego following September I.E.D. injuries
Curtis Spivey laid to rest |
"We are soldiers. The politics aren't our concern. He had a job to do, and did it -- no questions asked. And he did it well." |
GABRIEL J. FIGUEROA, died April 3, 2007, aged 20
SHANE R. BECKER, died April 3, 2007, aged 35
WALTER FREEMAN JR., died April 4, 2007, aged 20
DEREK A. GIBSON, died April 4, 2007, aged 20
JOSEPH A. CANTRELL IV, died April 4, 2007, aged 23
JEREMEY C. BURGE, died April 4, 2007, aged 39
JAMES J. COON, died April 4, 2007, aged 22
FORREST D. CAUTHORN, died April 5, 2007, aged 22
JASON A. SHAFFER, died April 5, 2007, aged 28 |
"If you were in a room with him, and he laughed, you couldn't help but laugh." |
DAMIAN LOPEZ RODRIGUEZ, died April 6, 2007, aged 19
To his teachers at Pueblo Magnet High School, Damian Lopez Rodriguez was a picture of happiness, especially after joining the Army.
To students — in particular, fellow drummers on his high school drum line — he was a king of comedy, a master of wisecracks and wacky antics.
And at home, Rodriguez, the baby of his family, was said to be devoted to his mother.
All were left reeling when they learned the exuberant young infantryman had been killed in action in Iraq at age 19.
"It's just crushing," said Nora Ford, Pueblo's band director during Rodriguez's senior year. Ford spent much of Tuesday comforting shaken students.
Rodriguez, a 2005 Pueblo graduate and an Army private, was one of three soldiers who died in Baghdad on Good Friday when a homemade bomb went off under their Humvee.
Friends said he joined the military for college money and was fiercely proud of his decision to enlist.
Pueblo drum line members spent several hours Tuesday trading funny stories about their friend.
There was the time when Rodriguez threw one of them in the lake at Kennedy Park during a band picnic, the time he launched a shaving-cream fight, and all the times they caught him in the band room watching Disney's "Aladdin," his favorite movie.
"I asked him why he was going to Iraq, and he said, 'So I can put lowrider rims on the tanks,' " said drummer Vicente Samaniego, 16, a Pueblo junior. "He was confident he would come back alive."
Nearly two weeks after he was killed in action in Iraq, Tucson soldier Damian Lopez Rodriguez was declared a U.S. citizen.
The 19-year-old private first class, a native of Mexico and a 2005 graduate of Pueblo Magnet High School, was awarded a certificate of citizenship on Thursday.
It was presented to the late soldier's mother by officials from Fort Huachuca and the U.S. Office of Citizenship and Immigration.
Damian Lopez Rodriguez dies of injuries from I.E.D.
Damian Lopez Rodriguez remembered
Damian Lopez Rodriguez laid to rest
Damian Lopez Rodriguez granted posthumous citizenship |
"He wouldn’t put anyone in a situation he would not be in himself first. You would never know if he was worried or if he was scared. He was concrete, so strong -- maybe to put us at ease. That was his way of protecting us. |
ANTHONY PALERMO JR., died April 6, 2007, aged 27
RYAN S. DALLAM, died April 6, 2007, aged 24
DANIEL A. FUENTES, died April 6, 2007, aged 19
JOSEPH C. SCHWEDLER, died April 6, 2007, aged 27
JAY S. CAJIMAT, died April 6, 2007, aged 20
GREGORY J. BILLITER, died April 6, 2007, aged 36
CURTS R. HALL, died April 6, 2007, aged 24
ADAM (JOSEPH A.) McSWEEN, died April 6, 2007, aged 26 |
"He was the kind of soldier who when I’d open my window and yell, ‘I need three soldiers for a terrible detail,’ he’d come running anyway and with a smile on his face." |
JONATHAN D. GRASSBAUGH, died April 7, 2007, aged 25
When his soldiers were cold and wet, mired in the ninth day of a battle meant to last five, Capt. Jonathan Grassbaugh took two helicopters to an air base in Balad, picked up pizzas and brought them to the men in the field.
"That single act raised the entire Squadron's morale and made up for us missing Thanksgiving and Christmas," wrote Ray Edgar, a squadron command sergeant major, in a remembrance piece.
When his soldiers developed a sudden fascination with "Wild Tiger" energy drink, he bought, begged and bartered for more. And when he suggested a movie night as a break for the staff, he wasn't satisfied with the "theater" until he'd painted the yellow wall white and the windows black, to block out the lights shining at camp.
Friends and fellow soldiers said Grassbaugh took time to listen to and understand the needs of every soldier, from a private to a general. To Grassbaugh, everyone mattered. His commanders respected him and depended on him. His men loved him. Despite a career that often took him overseas, his family didn't feel forgotten.
"He cared about people, and that's what made him good at what he did," said 1st Lt. William Kimmins, a soldier with the 82nd Airborne who also attended John Hopkins University with Grassbaugh.
In college, Grassbaugh would ace tests without studying much, which gave him plenty of time to help others study or unwind, Kimmins said.
Once, when Kimmins was stressed about finals and studying in Grassbaugh's basement, Grassbaugh entered the room with a bicycle helmet and told Kimmins to put it on. Kimmins resisted, but Grassbaugh was adamant. Kimmins put on the helmet, and Grassbaugh proceeded to pelt him with whatever object he could find, with Kimmins screaming at him the whole time. Kimmins couldn't help laughing, and Grassbaugh asked him, "How did the helmet work?"
Before his second Iraq deployment, Grassbaugh married Jenna Parkinson, 22, an Army second lieutenant and a first-year law student at the College of William & Mary. They met at Grassbaugh's senior military ball at John Hopkins, where she was a freshman cadet. Grassbaugh knew early on that he'd found the woman he wanted to marry. Every time he said her name, he smiled, said his brother, Army Capt. Jason Grassbaugh, a doctor stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington.
When he decided to propose, Grassbaugh took his father with him to a jewelry store. He examined the store's selection, waiting until he'd seen every ring to choose one. Then he went to Jenna's parents' home to tell them his plans.
In preparing for the wedding, the couple filled out questionnaires to help the person who would marry them make the ceremony more personal. When asked about his motto, he said, "Non-Sibi: Not for Oneself."
Jonathan D. Grassbaugh dies of injuries from I.E.D.
Jonathan Grassbaugh remembered
Jonathan Grassbaugh has services ahead of burial in Arlington |
"I'd ask about Iraq. The only thing he told me was, 'Daddy, I don't want to talk about it... but I will tell you this: the things you see on TV, those are the good parts.'" |
PHILIP A. MURPHY-SWEET, died April 7, 2007, aged 42
RODNEY L. McCANDLESS, died April 7, 2007, aged 21
LEVI K. HOOVER, died April 7, 2007, aged 23
EBE F. EMOLO, died April 7, 2007, aged 33
PHILLIP I. NEEL, died April 8, 2007, aged 27
TODD A. SINGLETON, died April 8, 2007, aged 24
HARRISON 'DUCK' BROWN, died April 8, 2007, aged 31
DAVID N. SIMMONS, died April 8, 2007, aged 20
JESSE L. WILLIAMS, died April 8, 2007, aged 25
ADAM P. KENNEDY, died April 8, 2007, aged 25
CLIFFORD A. SPOHN III, died April 9, 2007, aged 21
BRETT A. WALTON, died April 9, 2007, aged 37
ISMAEL SOLORIO, died April 9, 2007, aged 21
BRIAN L. HOLDEN, died April 9, 2007, aged 20
KYLE G. BOHRNSEN, died April 10, 2007, aged 22
RAYMOND S. SEVAAETASI, died April 11, 2007, aged 29
GWILYM J. NEWMAN, died April 12, 2007, aged 24
JASON J. BEADLES, died April 12, 2007, aged 22
JAMES T. LINDSEY, died April 12, 2007, aged 20
JOHN G. BORBONUS, died April 12, 2007, aged 19
CODY A. PUTNAM, died April 12, 2007, aged 22
LARRY R. BOWMAN, died April 13, 2007, aged 29 |
"My heart is broken. My future is gone. There is such a void in my life. This is something I will never get over." |
BRANDON L. WALLACE, died April 14, 2007, aged 27
Sgt. Brandon Wallace knew this was going to happen.
He saw it in his dreams.
He prepared for his own death in ways his family never knew until this week when they met for the first time the woman he planned to marry.
Just before his December 2005 graduation, the Individual Ready Reserve called him back to duty, and in January 2006, he reported to Fort Benning, Ga.
That's where he met Spc. Dawn Urbina, 25, of Macon, Ga.
"She's my Georgia Peach, mom," he told her. "She's 5 feet tall, she has beautiful brown curly hair, the prettiest big white teeth you ever did see."
While he shared his happiness about Urbina with his family, he kept the terror he faced each day from them. But Urbina was there through it all. She drove the Humvee that he rode in as a gunner.
In August, he told her about a dream he had in which he died. When he told her about it, she said she had the same dream. Urbina tried to say it was a symptom of stress, but Wallace believed it was true and started his preparation.
In a journal entry dated Aug. 4, Wallace wrote messages about his future wishes for his family.
When he came home for a two-week leave in December, he asked his sisters, Rachel Tucker and Sarah Beth Wallace, to help him search for a ring for Urbina.
In previous trips home, he stayed low key. This one, however, was different.
Wallace visited with friends he had not seen in years and even met with ex-girlfriends to right any wrongs he had left behind.
He drained his accounts, giving money to his grandmothers.
When it came time to say goodbye, Robin Wallace looked at her son and said, "Come back to your momma."
He ran from her in tears.
In January, he had another dream. This time, he saw how he would be thrown from the Humvee he was riding in after a roadside bomb exploded.
Again, he told Urbina.
And just weeks before Wallace and Urbina were set to return to the United States, Wallace had a third dream. This time, he saw his mother weeping after learning that he had been killed.
Again, he told Urbina.
He stopped accepting phone calls from his family. Stopped responding to their letters. And as the rest of the soldiers in his unit packed their belongings to head home, Urbina asked him why he threw his away.
"He said he wouldn't need them anymore," Urbina said.
And before he left for what would be his final mission, he offered her money to spend on a trip to Disney World with her son, a trip the couple had talked about taking together.
Brandon Wallace reported killed in Iraq
Brandon Wallace remembered
Brandon Wallace laid to rest |
"I don't think he thought a lot about the politics of it. He enjoyed being part of the group. Part of the Marines is to obey and respect. That worked for him. He didn't have to make a lot of his own decisions. He definitely loved his group of guys." |
RYAN A. BISHOP, died April 14, 2007, aged 32
ROBERT J. BASHAM, died April 14, 2007, aged 22
DANIEL J. SANTEE, died April 14, 2007, aged 21
JOSHUA A. SCHMIT, died April 14, 2007, aged 26
STEVEN J. WALBERG, died April 15, 2007, aged 18
MARIO K. DE LEON, died April 16, 2007, aged 26
AARON M. GENEVIE, died April 16, 2007, aged 22
LUCAS V. STARCEVICH, died April 16, 2007, aged 25
DANIEL R. SCHERRY, died April 16, 2007, aged 20
JESSE D. DELATORRE, died April 16, 2007, aged 29
SHAUN M. BLUE, died April 16, 2007, aged 25
RICHARD P. LANGENBRUNNER, died April 17, 2007, aged 19 |
"I offered him $3,000 and a brand new car to stay. We even told him that Bush would be his boss if he joined. He wasn't too happy about that, but he still did it" |
WADE J. OGLESBY, died April 18, 2007, aged 27
Wade Oglesby spent his life putting others before himself. When he was a sophomore at Grand Junction High School, he dropped out to take care of his ill mother full-time.
He didn't learn to drive until he was 22 years old and delayed his education and career to look after his family, including his younger sister, Samantha.
At 6-foot-3, the 27-year-old U.S. Army corporal was tall and skinny. He was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division's Fourth"Stryker" Brigade.
His mom, Linda, died in September 2003 of heart failure and, after taking care of her for nearly 10 years, he moved in with his stepparents Gary, whom Oglesby called dad, and Sheila Decocq.
"He was one of the most unbelievably nurturing men I'd ever met," Sheila said."I don't think he ever once thought, 'Well gee, I don't get to do this, or I don't get to do that.' "
Oglesby called home a week ago, and he and Sheila were afforded an hour to talk, which is unusual because there are usually other soldiers waiting to use the phone, she said.
"His first questions were always, 'How's Gary, how's grandpa, how's everybody doing?' " Sheila said."Wade's first thoughts were always, 'How's everybody else doing?' "
Spending most of his teenage years caring for his mother left Oglesby somewhat socially awkward. Sheila said he was painfully shy to the point where he wouldn't look strangers in the eye when talking to them.
Gary said Oglesby finally decided to take a chance and choose a direction in his life after his mom died. They encouraged him to join the Air Force, but, after speaking with a recruiter, Oglesby joined the Army.
Oglesby called home as often as he could during basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., but eventually made friends and gained confidence in the Army, Sheila said.
"He really came into his own," she said.
While he trained for artillery, he was assigned to infantry in Iraq. One of Oglesby's first assignments was driving officials in Mosul, northern Iraq. He was able to jump curbs and run red lights during those missions.
"He got a kick out of legally disobeying traffic laws," Sheila said.
She said he recently had been assigned to security details and had been conducting raids around Baghdad.
Gary said Oglesby wanted to become a cop after he was discharged from the Army. During his last leave he looked into some of the local police academies.
He had the patience of Job and was a kind, serene person, which would have made him a good cop, Sheila said.
On Wednesday, Oglesby was killed instantly when the Humvee he was driving rolled over an improvised explosive device north of Baghdad.
"We were hoping to meet him at the airport," she said."I guess we still will, but in a different way."
Wade J. Oglesby dies of injuries from I.E.D.
Wade Oglesby laid to rest |
"They told us he was shot in the back with small-arms fire." |
MICHAEL M. ROJAS, died April 18, 2007, aged 21
JASON M. MORALES, died April 18, 2007, aged 20
DWAYNE L. MOORE, died April 19, 2007, aged 31
JEFFREY A. BISHOP, died April 20, 2007, aged 23
RAY M. BEVEL, died April 21, 2007, aged 22
CHRISTOPHER M. NORTH, died April 21, 2007, aged 21
STEVEN R. TUDOR, died April 21, 2007, aged 36
WILLIAM W. BUSHNELL, died April 21, 2007, aged 24
MICHAEL J. SLATER, died April 21, 2007, aged 19
MARLON B. HARPER, died April 21, 2007, aged 34 |
"We all told him we would pray for him and to be careful. And that's the last time we saw him." |
MICHAEL L. VAUGHAN, died April 23, 2007, aged 20
"He was a very proud and courageous man."
That's what George Vaughan wants others to know about his son, U.S. Army Sgt. Mike Vaughan, just days following Mike's death in a suicide truck bombing in Iraq.
"He always had a lot of courage ... when it came to whatever he was doing," Vaughan's grandfather, Bill Vaughan, recalled.
Though not a large person - he wrestled at 119 pounds in his senior year - Mike Vaughan had a big personality that left an impact.
"The kids who are seniors this year were freshmen when Mike was a senior. They're all really, really sad - and for Mike to have made that kind of impression says a lot," Diana Elroy, Taft High School records clerk, said.
Mike Vaughan was eight months into his first tour of duty in Iraq, and had just been home on a two-week leave, prior to his death. His parents took him to Portland, for his return to Iraq, the morning of April 10.
Because his 20-year-old son was an only child, George Vaughan said Mike was not required to return to combat. "But he had made a commitment, and said they were counting on him ..." George said.
Mike Vaughan had always wanted to be a soldier, to follow in the footsteps of his father, a disabled army veteran who had served in the first Gulf War. Mike's mother, Deborah, is also an army veteran; in fact the couple met while attending intelligence school at Fort Devens, Mass.
In Iraq, Mike's "main mission was to stop insurgents and quell any problems," George continued. This involved "a lot of door-to-door, and working with indigenous forces ... and Mike struggled with that a great deal because they weren't into it. You know the saying, 'You can lead a horse to water ...'"
Though he initially thought about making the military his career, George said his son began talking about attending school - Virginia Tech, ironically, in particular - to pursue a career in law enforcement, instead.
His experiences in Iraq, Mike's grandfather and father feel, may have led to Mike's change of mind. Bill Vaughan said, "He was so patriotic, so positive. But when he came back (on leave) he related a few things that were going on over there, and he said, 'Nobody there likes us, nobody wants us there, everybody's shooting at us.'
"I asked him how his friends felt, and he said, 'We all feel the same. We wonder what the hell we're doing there.'
"Mike said, 'I don't want to go back, but my buddies are there.' He no sooner got back, and he was killed," Bill Vaughan added.
Vaughan was among nine paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina who were killed in Monday's attack.
Michael L. Vaughan dies of 'wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his location'
Mike Vaughan remembered
Michael Vaughan laid to rest |
"God knew the number of his days before he was born." |
JEFFREY A. AVERY, died April 23, 2007, aged 19
KEVEN GASPERS, died April 23, 2007, aged 26
CLINT (WILLIAM C.) MOORE, died April 23, 2007, aged 27
MICHAEL J. RODRIGUEZ, died April 23, 2007, aged 20
KENNETH E. LOCKER JR., died April 23, 2007, aged 28
RYEN (JERRY R.) KING, died April 23, 2007, aged 19
RANDELL T. MARSHALL, died April 23, 2007, aged 22
BRICE A. PEARSON, died April 23, 2007, aged 32
DALE G. PETERSON, died April 23, 2007, aged 20
JEREMY E. MARESH, died April 24, 2007, aged 24
ADAM LOGGINS, died April 26, 2007, aged 27
WILLIE P. CELESTINE JR., died April 26, 2007, aged 21
CHRISTOPHER DEGIOVINE, died April 26, 2007, aged 25 |
"I told him I was pregnant with twins and asked him to be the godfather. He said he would be honored." |
DAVID A. KIRKPATRICK, died April 27, 2007, aged 20
IN LOVING MEMORY of Pfc. David Austin Kirkpatrick, beloved grandson of Austin and Norma Staines, Anderson, who was killed during active duty in Iraq while serving as a light vehicle mechanic with the U.S. Army 5-7th Cavalry 3rd Infantry Division based out of Fort Stewart, Ga. on Friday as a result of injuries suffered while manning the machine gun of a Humvee that was a target of an improvised explosive device.
Born Feb. 1, 1987, in Muncie, he was a 2006 graduate of Eastbrook High School. He also attended Tucker Career & Technology Center taking classes in automotive.
Pfc. Kirkpatrick lived out his lifelong goal of serving his country in the Army. As a student, his favorite classroom was outside, the woods, exploring and enjoying the adventure of discovery. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends and was affectionately called"Petey Jon" during his younger years.
Survivors include his parents, Kenny and Rhonda (Staines) Kirkpatrick; four sisters, Carrie of Greenwood, Jennie of Anderson, Nettie (Jason) Greulich of Indianapolis, and Emily, at home; maternal grandparents, Austin (Norma) Staines of Anderson; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by paternal grandparents, Louie and Mary Scott, and Walter (Dorothy) Kirkpatrick; maternal grandmother, Betty Staines; and maternal great-grandmother, Margaret Curts.
David A. Kirkpatrick dies of injuries from I.E.D.
David Kirkpatrick remembered
David Kirkpatrick laid to rest |
"He didn't say whether the war was wrong or right; he just did what he had to do,He was proud to serve his country." |
NIC (NICHOLAS E.) RIEHL, died April 27, 2007, aged 21
SHIOCTON, Wis. Months before Army soldier Nicholas Riehl (REEL) died in Iraq, he wrote and recorded a song called, "Standing at the Black Gate."
At his funeral this afternoon at Shiocton High School, more than 900 mourners heard his voice one more time as he sang, "They stole my life now. I've lost what's real."
Evan Riehl, says the prophetic song seems to tell the story of his brother's death. He says he figured people would want to hear Nic's words.
Nic (Nicholas E.) Riehl dies of injuries from I.E.D.
Nic (Nicholas E.) Riehl laid to rest |
"He did mention a whole bunch of times that he only had a couple of hours to sleep and then he needed to go back in the field. The last couple of times I talked to him he was actually really tired. He sounded exhausted." |
EDDIE D. TAMEZ, died April 27, 2007, aged 21
PETER WOODALL, died April 27, 2007, aged 25
WILLIAM J. CALLAHAN, died April 27, 2007, aged 28
MICHAEL R. HULLENDER, died April 28, 2007, aged 29
COLE E. SPENCER, died April 28, 2007, aged 21
JAY-D ORNSBY-ADKINS, died April 28, 2007, aged 21
GLENN D. HICKS JR., died April 28, 2007, aged 24
LANE (NORMAN L.) TOLLETT, died April 28, 2007, aged 30
BRIAN A. BOTELLO, died April 29, 2007, aged 19
ALEXANDER J. FUNCHEON, died April 29, 2007, aged 21
TRAVIS L. MANION, died April 29, 2007, aged 26 |
"I try not to be bitter, but I am. Not just for my grandson, but for mothers and wives and little children who will grow up without their parent, and the wives having to take on the burden of rearing their children. It's just hard not to be bitter." |
JAY E. MARTIN, died April 29, 2007, aged 29
The two Army officers, sharp in their uniforms, arrived Sunday afternoon at Dwight Martin's home in a quiet, leafy neighborhood in West Baltimore.
Mr. Martin was blocks away, at a neighbor's house, cutting grass as a favor when his niece called his cell phone. He knew.
"She said there were two and dressed in full uniform," Mr. Martin said. "It was a parent's worst nightmare. They don't come unless there's a death."
"When the city is just full of so much sadness, he was just a shining star," said one of Sergeant Martin's sisters, Lark Adams, 25, of Reservoir Hill. "He followed the rules. He did what he was supposed to. He was an example to everyone."
"Jay was always ... positive, ambitious, militant," said Mr. Taylor- Peay, 28, of York, Pa. "He was always your good conscience. Just fooling around, playing a prank on somebody that went too far, Jay was always the civilized one. He had a good sense of humor, but at the same time he was serious. He was about his business."
From about 7, he dreamed of being a pilot and joining the military, his family said. About a year later, his mother, Robin Adams, a local model and avid Prince fan, died of complications from an asthma attack, the family said. The boy went to live with his father, who worked for UPS.
One of his aunts, Lori Martin- Graham, who lives in Woodlawn, became a second mother to him. He vacationed with her every year at her time-share in Florida and would talk about military service for hours with her husband, James Graham, who served in the Navy from 1985 to 1994.
Sergeant Martin visited home when he could, his family said, attending family reunions in Virginia Beach, Va., and Florida. He took great pride in his car, a Dodge Stratus RT. An avid runner, he ran eight miles three or four times a week. After the military, he wanted to become a Los Angeles police officer.
He soon grew bored with recruiting and wanted to go to Baghdad, telling Mr. Taylor-Peay, "I'm supposed to be fighting for my country, I can't sit in an office."
It was a decision that didn't please his father.
"You don't want your child in harm's way," Dwight Martin, 57, said. "You protect them all your life. I said, 'Don't. Definitely don't.' If it was protecting your family or your country was invaded, then that's one thing, but to go into a country that people have lied about and kill thousands of people basically for greed."
His aunt added, "He was excited to go. He said he was going to fight for his country."
Sergeant Martin worked reconnaissance and was often on the go, his family said, able to call or e-mail only a few times since he left for Iraq in October. In an e-mail to Mrs. Martin-Graham, he told his aunt, "I don't stay in one spot too long, we're on top of buildings setting up."
His sister, Lark Adams, recalls him sharing how much violence he saw in Iraq. "He told me that this is the most gunfire I've ever seen in my life. He just kept on saying, 'I've never seen anything like this. I've never seen anything like this.' But he said, 'We're catching the bad guys.'"
Sergeant Martin had been scheduled for a two-week break from Iraq in April, but -- in a move typical of his nature -- his family said he allowed a fellow soldier whose wife just had a baby to take his place.
Jay E. Martin dies of injuries from I.E.D. |
"He said he was following the people who went before him." |