DARREN JAMES LABONTE; CIA

DOB/DOD: October 10, 1974 (Waterbury, CT) – December 30, 2009; 35 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Racheal Reilmann LaBonte (1979-)
CHILDREN: One daughter, Raina LaBonte (2007-)
LOCAL ADDRESS: Candlewood Lake Road; Brookfield, Connecticut

FAMILY: Born to David J. [former Navy SEAL] (1950-) and Camille A. DiDominzio LaBonte (1952-). Two brothers, David J. (1975-) and Dylan (1978-).

CIRCUMSTANCES: Killed by a suicide bomber at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Chapman, Khost Province, Afghanistan. The incident is part of the movie Zero Dark Thirty. Also killed in the incident:

Agent Harold E. Brown, Jr.; Bolton, Massachusetts
Agent Elizabeth Hanson; Rockford, Illinois
Agent Jennifer L. Matthews; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Agent Scott M. Roberson; born in Manchester, Ohio, and raised in Tolland, Connecticut
Security Contractor Dane C. Paresi; Portland, Oregon
Security Contractor Jeremy J. Wise; El Dorado, Arkansas
Al Shareef Ali bin Zeid; Jordan

OTHER: Darren LaBonte enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school, serving several years in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment’s Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment. After leaving the military, he became a police officer in the Libertyville Police Department in Illinois, then joined the United States Marshals Service, working in Chicago from 2003 to 2005. He then briefly worked in the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Against Exploited Children unit in New York City before joining the CIA in 2006.

From the Capital Gazette on January 10, 2010

LABONTE, DARREN J., killed in action while serving his country. Darren J. LaBonte, beloved husband of Racheal LaBonte. Devoted father of Raina LaBonte; the beloved son of David J. and Camille A. LaBonte; the loving brother of David LaBonte and Dylan LaBonte; dear grandson of Sanita LaBonte and Margaret DiDominzio. Friends may call at the family-owned Ruck Towson Funeral Home, Inc., 1050 York Road, Towson, MD. 21204 (Beltway exit 26A) Friday 3-9 PM. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, 10:00 AM, at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, 5200 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21210.

From The Record-Journal (Meriden, CT) on June 6, 2010
By Adam Goldman | Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A last photo shows Darren James LaBonte on an all-terrain vehicle in Khost, Afghanistan, days before his death. He’s smiling. “Athlete, soldier, husband, father — and determined CIA officer. LaBonte’s family had promised him they wouldn’t talk about his work. They kept that pledge as they mourned in private after he died along with six other CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence officer in the suicide bombing at a U.S. base in Afghanistan in late December. Even now, months after his burial, they won’t detail the dangerous work he did for the agency. “We made that promise to him,” said LaBonte’s parents, David and Camille. But his family did decide over Memorial Day to acknowledge that he was among the bombing victims — and they decided to tell the world a bit about the man behind the name. All but two of the CIA employees killed in the blast had previously been identified publicly. The seventh victim, the agency’s chief of base, a 45-year-old mother of three and an al-Qaida expert, remains anonymous. Indeed, anonymity is part of the trade-off for a career in intelligence. CIA families have grieved in silence for decades. “It’s hard to understand,” said Ted Gup, author of “The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives.” “It’s hard for our entire culture to grasp the nature of this sacrifice. We live in a culture of celebrity where what is not recognized doesn’t exist.” Spies, he added, “come out of a culture where what is recognized ceases to exist. The light is lethal.” The CIA won’t discuss LaBonte, but his parents and wife agreed to shed some light about his death. And over this past Memorial Day weekend, a historic B-17 plane dropped flowers over the Statue of Liberty in a tribute to the seven slain Americans. LaBonte was 35 years old when he died, ending a career that included service in the military and a series of law enforcement jobs. “He was a pretty talented guy,” said his father, who described the son as “intelligent, complex, and an incredible athlete.” LaBonte grew up in Connecticut. He played baseball and football at Brookfield High School. He turned down a shot at professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians when he graduated from high school in 1992 and opted for the Army, said his father, a former Navy SEAL, LaBonte earned the celebrated black and yellow Ranger patch and was assigned to First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, one of the toughest units. In 1999, LaBonte met his wife — Racheal — on a blind date to a Ranger ball in Savannah, Georgia, where he was stationed. The following year, they married, and he left the Army. But after the attacks of September 11, 2001, LaBonte wanted to get back into the fight. “He was hellbent on making this 9/11 thing right,” his father said. “That really affected him badly.” LaBonte decided not to reenlist in the Army, choosing to pursue an education and a career in law enforcement. He graduated from Columbia College of Missouri and received a master’s degree in May 2006 from Boston University, where he studied criminal justice. Along the way, he had worked as a police officer in Libertyville, Illinois, and as a U.S. marshal before joining the FBI. The family said LaBonte won a leadership and shooting award at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, then landed in the FBI’s New York field office. The CIA recruited him, and he resigned from the FBI in late 2006, moving with his wife to the Washington, D.C., area. His father had reservations about the CIA, but his son had always steered his own course. He was a “man determined to be a part of the solution to the unrest in our world,” his mother said. His parents declined to discuss what he did for the agency. But the elder LaBonte said his son had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Amman, Jordan, his last posting before he died in Afghanistan. Father and son talked about the perils of his job. “I don’t think he feared death,” David LaBonte said. “He faced it.” “He was a Spartan,” his wife said. “He had to do these things. I respected him and honored him.” Darren LaBonte’s parents, who live in Arnold, Maryland, said they had planned a Christmas trip to Italy about the time of the Khost bombing. Their son planned to meet them, along with his wife and daughter Raina, who turns 3 in November. LaBonte’s younger brother was also coming. On December 17, LaBonte left for Afghanistan, leaving his wife and daughter in Amman. “He was anxious but excited about the mission,” Racheal LaBonte said. His trip to Italy was suddenly delayed. The CIA believed it was on the verge of a major breakthrough in the hunt to kill Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida’s No. 2.

Memorialized with a bench at Brookfield Town Hall, 100 Pocono Road, Brookfield, Connecticut.

Agent LaBonte is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia; Section 40, Grave 96.

SERGEANT FIRST CLASS EDWARD “EDDY” CHESTER KRAMER; ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

DOB/DOD: March 1, 1970 (Southington, CT) – June 29, 2009; 39 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Vicki R. Kramer (1968-).
CHILDREN: Two daughters, Erica C. (1999-) and Megan E. (2001-).
ENLISTMENT: United States Marine Corps from 1988 to 1992 and then enlisted as an Infantryman in the North Carolina Army National Guard in 1994.
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 11B40; Infantryman
UNIT: Company A, 1st Battalion, 120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team; Whiteville, North Carolina

FAMILY: Born to Edward Mauser and Mary Ann Casey Kramer White (1949-). Eddy was adopted at 3 years old by Donald M. Kramer, Sr. (1951-). Stepmother, Sandy Kramer (-). Stepfather, Charles White (-). Two brothers, Burton (1971-) and Donald M., Jr. (1975-). Two sisters, BrenaLeAn (Kelly) Kramer (1973-) and Misty M. Carroll Durkee (1979-).

OTHER: From sister BrenaLeAn Kramer: Eddy planned to go into the Marines right after high school and succeeded. Our house, growing up, was a bit crazy. The majority of his younger years were spent living in Vermont. When I asked him why he chose to leave and serve in the military, he would always answer the same, “Better to have fighting happen overseas than on U.S. soil.” As I have gotten older, I can completely understand his words. Lately, politics has had us all thinking about the seriousness of war and fighting. He and I wrote letters when he enlisted and shipped out to Desert Storm. His whole vibe changed. He became more grounded, and what he experienced over there came out in the tone of his letters. His eyes reflected that as well once he came home. He changed with his marriage and the birth of his girls. I would go so far as to say it wasn’t just our family dynamics. I honestly feel it was a bit more of finding the Mayberry lifestyle of normalcy, running from our area to start a new, more normal life and not of war. But it always weighed on him, and he re-enlisted in the Army. He stayed away more then. Home life was chaotic, and he desperately searched to be more normal. Sadly, or maybe just being smart.

ADDITIONAL: Edward Kramer was a firefighter with the Seagate Fire Department, then the Camp Lejeune Fire Department, and then the City of Wilmington Fire Department. He had recently transferred to the Sunny Point Fire and Rescue.

DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal, U.S. Army Commendation Medal, U.S. Army Achievement Medal, North Carolina Meritorious Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary), Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

CIRCUMSTANCES: Sergeant First Class Kramer died from wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle on June 29 in Baghdad, Iraq. Also killed in the incident:

Army Sergeant Roger L. Adams Jr.; Jacksonville, North Carolina
Army Sergeant Juan C. Baldeosingh; Newport, North Carolina
Army Specialist Robert L. Bittiker; Jacksonville, North Carolina

**Photos contributed by sister BrenaLeAn Kramer.**

**Photo, two above from TogetherWeServed.com. The photo, just above, was contributed by the CTHM (Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial).**

From The Staten Island (NY) on Advance July 3, 2009

When Edward C. Kramer wasn’t on duty as a soldier or a firefighter, he enjoyed curling his toes in the sand and casting a fishing line into the surf. “He was really outgoing,” said Ryan Young, who worked with Kramer at the Wilmington Fire Department. “He was one of those special people when he walked in a room, you felt like you knew him.” Kramer, 39, of Wilmington, North Carolina, died June 29 in Baghdad after an improvised explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to Wilmington. He worked at the Wilmington department for nine years before taking a firefighting job in Brunswick County. Kramer began his firefighting career at the Seagate Fire Department and also worked with the Camp Lejeune Fire Department. He leaves behind his wife, Vicki, and two daughters, Erica, 9, and Megan, 7. Kramer was a veteran of Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1991. He joined the North Carolina Army National Guard in 1994 and served in Kuwait and Iraq from February 2004 to December 2004. When they weren’t fighting fires, Young said, he and Kramer would head for the coast. “He really enjoyed the fish and having his feet in the sand,” Young said.

From PortCityDaily.com on June 27, 2014
By Hilary Snow

Step Up for Soldiers to hold groundbreaking for new veteran housing

Tom Russell believes in helping those who are already working hard to better themselves.

To that end, Russell, founder and president of the local nonprofit Step Up for Soldiers, and a host of volunteer supporters, are gearing up to build a one-of-a-kind house for veterans to live in while pursuing their higher education.

Step Up for Soldiers will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new abode, named in honor of Sergeant First Class Edward Kramer, at noon this Sunday at the future site, 6060 Shiloh Drive, Wilmington.

Kramer, a North Carolina National Guard reservist and Sunny Point firefighter, was killed, along with three of his brothers in arms, by an improvised explosive device in 2009 while on patrol in Baghdad, Iraq. It was the North Carolina National Guard’s largest single combat loss since World War II.

Russell said the idea for the house emerged after Step Up for Soldiers received a plot of land in the Monkey Junction area.

With the help of architect Cory Thompson of CT Home Design, plans have already been drawn up for a 1,400-square-foot home. A host of area business owners have signed on to donate materials and their time to help get the Kramer House up.

“The house will be built along the lines of a Habitat for Humanity build–with hard work, sweat, and determination,” Russell said.

The transitional housing is aimed specifically at veterans with spouses and families to provide affordable housing while they are going back to school at either Cape Fear Community College or UNC-Wilmington.

“The idea is to get a married couple, make it a little bit easier for them while they attend full-time college,” Russell told Port City Radio morning host Aimee Bowen. “The idea is to just keep you working, keep you married, keep you advancing.”

Veterans living in the Kramer House will have to pay rent, Russell said, but it will be based on income.

“I think people should pay rent. I believe the more you work, the better you become. But this helps you get your education and get back in the real world,” he noted.

Upon leaving the home, couples will receive back a percentage of their paid rent. How much, Russell said, depends on how long they stay.

“The shorter the stay, the higher the percentage you get back,” he said.

A family that lives in the Kramer House for four years, for example, would receive half of the total rent paid over that time period.

“And we’ll give it back to you as a gift, so it is not taxed. It’ll just be money to help you start your new life,” Russell said.

A core of dedicated volunteers is handling construction work, and Russell has enlisted the help of approximately 15 general contractors, as well.

And, he added, the organization could always use some additional helping hands. “If you are a church group or a community group or a youth group, you can contact us, and if you want to come out for a day of work, we can always use your help every Saturday out there,” Russell said.

From DVIDShub.net on October 2, 2021
By Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Handley, North Carolina National Guard

North Carolina Army National Guard Dedicates New Readiness Center

Wilmington – Pleasant temperatures, bright sun, and a light breeze set the stage for the dedication and official opening of the North Carolina Army National Guard’s new Wilmington Readiness Center, the headquarters for the 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment. Located on the familiar grounds of the old facility, just outside the Wilmington International Airport, the pristine 57,000 square foot two-story building had waited for its ribbon cutting for just the right moment. Saturday, the timing, and the atmosphere could not have been better. With nearly two hundred fellow Soldiers, Firefighters, friends, family, and North Carolina National Guard leadership past and present in attendance, the backdrop of flags, firetrucks, and the occasional flight noise from the nearby airport, the mood was one part reunion, one part celebration with an undercurrent of sadness, like the missing of a best friend. The highlight of the afternoon was the unveiling of the official sign bearing the name of a North Carolina Army National Guard fallen Soldier, Sergeant First Class Edward C. Kramer. To properly honor Sergeant First Class Kramer, those who knew him best took to the podium. They led the audience through a collective reflection on the meaning, sacrifice, and the kind of man that Sergeant First Class Kramer was. Having served as his Company Commander during the 2004 deployment to Iraq, Colonel Wes Morrison, currently the commander of the 30th Armor Brigade Combat Team, said he had all the hallmarks of a great NCO. “He told you what he thought; he took care of his Soldiers, and he got the job done.”

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Padgett was Sergeant First Class Kramer’s commander in 2009, and his heartfelt comments spoke to the hurt, the healing, and who Sergeant First Class was to his Soldiers and him. He emphasized the statement that we will never forget the fallen and reminded everyone “That if we really mean never to forget, then we need to understand and remember the person. What a person did and not what happened to them.” He said Kramer was “Always willing to do more than his share.” With grace and composure, Mrs. Kramer shared how they met and what the National Guard and being a firefighter meant to Sergeant First Class Kramer, but also how, as a father, his caring and love for his family was central to who he was. “Being a Soldier was in his blood,” she said. According to Mrs. Kramer, when he reenlisted before the 2009 deployment, his soldiers were at the forefront of his mind. Mrs. Kramer said that he was the kind of man who “Always was thinking about others before himself.” She also thanked those friends who were there for him after his experiences from the 2004 deployment.

Sergeant First Class Kramer was killed in an improvised explosive device attack on June 29, 2009. Originally from Connecticut, he served in the United States Marine Corps from 1988 to 1992 and then enlisted as an infantryman in the North Carolina Army National Guard in 1994. Sergeant First Class Kramer served as squad leader and in other positions within the 1st Battalion 120th Infantry Regiment. In addition to his two deployments to Iraq, he also served the citizens of North Carolina during hurricanes Fran and Floyd in 1996 and 1999, respectively. When not serving with his fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Kramer was a professional firefighter, serving both with the Wilmington Fire Department and Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point.

The new readiness center, under construction for twenty-two months, is fully equipped with modern amenities for classroom training, operational planning, and the myriad of requirements for a battalion headquarters. Its impressive profile of solid block construction is not drab. The coated floors and solid doors give it a feeling of durability. All that strength is topped off with an open foyer featuring the 30th brigade patch and the battalion crest with lots of ambient light. The previous headquarters was over fifty years old when it was demolished, and with the looks of it, the new headquarters will be here twice as long. With his name and image prominent, Sergeant First Class Kramer, as he was in life, will continue to watch over the Soldiers and Officers of the 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, North Carolina Army National Guard.

From AndrewsMortuary.com

My heart had been comforted by the loss of my mentor, leader, and friend. I served with Sergeant First Class Kramer in Wilmington, and my first memory was of SFC Kramer asking who the medic was. I was hesitant, thinking someone else would respond to his calling, but I was the only medic in the group. The rest of the soldiers were Infantry, and he put me in charge of leading the element. Having no experience in leading Infantry Soldiers, Sergeant First Class Kramer guided me through each drill. Throughout my time with the unit, Sergeant First Class Kramer became a person I admired, honored, and looked to for guidance. He is the first soldier that I knew from the beginning of my career to the end of his. My heart hurts daily, but I was privileged to know him, and I can still hear him saying, “Don’t worry about this, I’ve got it!” His dependability is something instilled within me that I will continue to carry on in my life. His example was honest and strong. It wasn’t ‘til I got back to the States after my injuries that I found out he, too, was a paramedic. General Patton said it well when he said, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.” I thank God that Sergeant First Class Kramer lived and that I got to be a part of his life. My thoughts and prayers are with you all daily. Love y’all.

— Specialist Jason Scarborough; Somerville, Alabama

Sergeant First Class Kramer is buried in Wilmington National Cemetery, 2011 Market Street, Wilmington, North Carolina; Section 2, Site 2419.

**Photo from FindAGrave.com and contributor Gloria Shirley.**

GUNNERY SERGEANT PHILLIP ANDREW JORDAN; MARINE CORPS

DOB/DOD: April 20, 1960 (Brazoria, TX) – March 23, 2003; 42 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Amanda L. Marcroft (1968-2015) on March 19, 1994, in Clark, Nevada
CHILDREN: One son, Tyler Reece “TJ” Jordan (1996-)
LOCAL ADDRESS: Windmill Road; Enfield
ENLISTMENT: December 16, 1987
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0369; Infantry Unit Leader

UNIT: Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

FAMILY: Born to Sammy R. (1934-1977) and Lura L. Williams Jordan Reynolds (1938-2002). Stepfather, Harold C. Reynolds (1941-2006). One brother, Bruce W. Jordan (1959-).

DECORATIONS: Awarded the Silver Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Gold Star, Coast Guard Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) Medal – Afghanistan, Humanitarian Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Southwest Asia Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and Navy Unit Commendation.

CIRCUMSTANCES: Gunnery Sergeant Jordan was killed when his unit was ambushed by Iraqi troops pretending to surrender near An Nasiriyah, Iraq. Also killed in the incident:

Marine First Lieutenant Frederick E. Pokorney, Jr.; Tonopah, Nevada
Marine Sergeant Michel E. Bitz; Ventura, California
Marine Corporal Jose A. Garibay; Orange, California
Marine Corporal Jorge A. Gonzalez; Los Angeles, California
Marine Corporal Randal K. Rosacker; San Diego, California
Marine Lance Corporal Brian R. Buesing; Cedar Key, Florida
Marine Lance Corporal David K. Fribley; Lee, Florida
Marine Lance Corporal Thomas J. Slocum; Thornton, Colorado
Marine Lane Corporal Michael J. Williams; Phoenix, Arizona
Marine Private Jonathan L. Gifford; Macon, Illinois
Army Specialist Jamaal R. Addison; Lithonia, Georgia
Army Private First Class Howard Johnson II; Mobile, Alabama

Citation to accompany the award of the Silver Star Medal

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously)

Gunnery Sergeant Phillip A. Jordan
United States Marine Corps

FOR

Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Weapons Platoon Sergeant, Company C, First Battalion, Second Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2. On 23 March, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan’s platoon was tasked to conduct to attack north through the city of An Nasiriyah to secure a critical bridgehead on the north side of the city. As he led his mechanized platoon through the dense urban battlefield, he directed lethally accurate fire onto numerous enemy positions lining the route. Upon reaching the north side of the Saddam Canal Bridge, he instinctively left the safety of his armored vehicle amid a hail of direct and indirect fire; realizing the immediate requirement for the indirect fires to counter enemy mortars, he immediately rallied the company’s mortar section. As the mortar section dispersed to engage multiple targets simultaneously, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan realized the critical requirement to keep each gun resupplied with ammunition. Taking this mission personally, he repeatedly traversed a perilous four-lane highway. He courageously made three trips and dashed through a steel curtain of machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire with eighty pounds to two separate mortar positions eighty meters apart. At one point, he paused to direct a machine gun team onto an entrenched Iraqi position to provide covering fire for the fellow Marines of the company to maneuver. Upon returning to each mortar squad, he shouted words of encouragement despite the overwhelming enemy fire. His action dramatically boosted the morale of the Marines at his position and rapidly destroyed several determined enemy positions. After making his final ammunition resupply run under a bombardment of severe mortar and artillery fire, he fell mortally wounded. By his zealous initiative, courageous actions, and exceptional dedication to duty, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Jordan Hall was dedicated on September 20, 2006, at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico in honor of Gunnery Sergeant Jordan. Jordan Hall is a newly constructed enlisted quarters that will be used by Senior NCOs attending the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer’s Academy. Jordan Hall can be found on Broadway Avenue, Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Clear Creek High School, League, Texas, Class of 1978

As has been reported from several sources, Gunnery Sergeant Jordan graduated from Clear Creek High School in 1978. When the school was contacted, they said, “There were not any photos we could locate of him. I am sorry. They looked through the other books where he should have been there.”

**Photo from Marines.TogetherWeServed.com**

From The Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram on March 30, 2003
By Robert D. McFadden | New York Times

SOLDIERS’ LAST MESSAGES ARE FULL OF LIFE, FREE OF FEAR

… excerpt

The last time Amanda Jordan talked to her husband, Staff Sergeant Phillip A. Jordan, 42, he wished her a happy anniversary, although it was a week early. Then they had “words,” as Jordan put it, the pro forma talk about life insurance “if anything happened.” Code words for death were hardly necessary. When Phillip Jordan shipped out to Kuwait, Amanda Jordan, 34, a paralegal who had moved to Enfield, Connecticut, from Parris Island, South Carolina, last year when her husband was posted to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was not deeply worried. Phillip Jordan was a professional Marine. He served in the 1991 Gulf War and on the battlefields of Kosovo and Afghanistan. He beat Hodgkin’s disease as a young man, and his confidence was contagious. “He had been there before and knew the terrain,” Amanda Jordan said. But, she confided, she began to have a premonition as the war got underway. The TV reports were increasingly grim. She was unable to sleep. She kept vomiting. Phillip Jordan’s platoon was ambushed south of Nasiriyah on March 23. She knew it, somehow, even before she saw the Marines and her mother approaching as she walked to her car the next day. “I just absolutely already knew before anybody told me,” she said.

From The Hartford Courant on March 31, 2003

Gunnery Sergeant Phillip Andrew Jordan, USMC, 42, of Enfield, beloved husband of Amanda (Marcroft) Jordan and father of Tyler Reece Jordan, was killed in action in An Nasariyah, Iraq, Sunday (March 23, 2003) while performing his duties during Operation Enduring Freedom. Gunny Jordan was attached to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, and 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Born on April 20, 1960, in Brazoria, Texas, his military career had given him a tour of the world. His travels included Guam, Japan, Korea, Greece, Malta, Somalia, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, Okinawa, and Kuwait. In many of these countries, he trained with their own military. Gunny Jordan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 1987. He served as an Instructor at Marine Corps Base in Camp Pendleton, CA, and most recently, he completed a tour as a Drill Instructor in Parris Island, South Carolina. His tours of duty included Desert Storm, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. He was known as a Marine’s Marine and was promoted to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant posthumously. His list of awards includes the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Gold Star, Coast Guard Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, NATO Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Southwest Asia Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Navy Unit Commendation, Certificates of Commendation, Meritorious Masts and Letters of Appreciation. Phil easily established long-lasting relationships with his friends. Affectionately called “Forrest” or “Gump” because of his eternal optimism and love for people, he had a heart as big as the outdoors and would help anyone at any time. Phil was also called PJ by many of his fellow Marines. His interests included golf, fishing, bowling, and cooking. Phil’s greatest joy was spending time with his son, Tyler, and wife, Amanda. Phil is survived by his beloved wife, Amanda; cherished son, Tyler Reece; mothers-in-law, Gretchen Marcroft and Sharen Brodeur; fathers-in-law, Jay Paretzky and Frank Marcroft; brothers-in-law, Kyle Marcroft, Jared Brodeur, Seth Brodeur, and a host of friends and fellow Marines. Relatives and friends may attend the Liturgy of Christian Burial on Wednesday, April 2, at 1 p.m. in Holy Family Church, 23 Simon Road, Enfield, accompanied by full U.S. Marine Corps honors, followed by burial in St. Patrick King Street Cemetery, Enfield. His family will receive friends at Leete-Stevens Enfield Chapels, 61 South Road, Enfield, on Tuesday, April 1, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.

From FallenHeroesMemorial.com

“To Mrs. Jordan and Tyler, you have my heartfelt condolences. Staff Sergeant Jordan was the supreme Drill Instructor and the finest Marine I have ever met. There are so many stories I tell about him. Here are a couple of quick ones. When he had us run for PT on Parris Island, he would shout, “Your lungs are going to tell you that you need air – WELL, IGNORE THAT %@#*!” When 3058 stepped off for our Crucible in the middle of the night, the downpour commenced, and Staff Sergeant Jordan immediately barked, “It doesn’t rain on Marines; it rains FOR Marines!”

— Lance Corporal Ladner of Woburn, MA

“Big Man, I was attached to 1FSSG as their SATCOM link in IRAQ when I heard the news about you. It took me a while to be able to come to terms with it because all I could see was your happy face and upbeat spirit from our days in Lima Company 3rd RTBN. I truly miss you, brother, and I pray that your family finds the strength to carry on. I’m so proud to have known you as a fellow “HAT” Marine and friend. The beauty, if any, is that Tyler will be able to carry on his dad’s name. One day, I pray that he knows and understands completely what a great man his father was. Rest in peace, brother, and Semper Fi.”

— Gunnery Sergeant Rodney Harris of AMOI The Ohio State University

Memorialized on a monument in front of Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut.

Gunnery Sergeant Jordan is buried in New Saint Patrick’s Cemetery, 1558 King Street, Enfield, Connecticut; Section 8, Lot 112, Row A.

LANCE CORPORAL PHILIP ALEXANDER JOHNSON; MARINE CORPS

DOB/DOD:April 29, 1987 (Hartford, CT) – September 3, 2006; 19 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: Frew Terrace; Enfield
ENLISTMENT: 2004
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0317; Scout-Sniper; supplies
UNIT: Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment (Regional Combat Team 5), 2nd Marine Division; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

FAMILY: Born to Louis A. (1959-2018) and Katherine J. Titus Johnson (1964-). One half-sister, Jessica L. Titus Goodwin (1981-).

DECORATIONS: Awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Iraqi Campaign Medal with device, Navy Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the National Defense Service Medal.

CIRCUMSTANCES: Lance Corporal Johnson died while conducting combat operations in Habbaniyah (near Ramadi), Iraq. He was killed on the same date as fellow Connecticut native Army Private First Class Nicholas A. Madaras.

Enfield High School; Class of 2005

**Photo contributed by the CTHM (Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial).**

From The Republican (Springfield, MA) on September 6, 2006

ENFIELD MARINE KILLED IN IRAQ

ENFIELD – A 19-year-old Marine from Enfield was killed in Iraq over the weekend, a family friend confirmed last night. Lance Corporal Philip Alexander Johnson died Sunday morning with one other Marine as his unit was traveling from Ramadi, family spokesman Ron Jackman said. Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, is considered one of Iraq’s most dangerous cities and is patrolled by hundreds of Marines. The Marines are confined to bases during the day and return to the streets at night. His parents, Louis and Kathy Johnson, were notified by the military Sunday night, Jackman said. Jackman said Johnson apparently was killed in a roadside attack. A Pentagon spokesman said more information on the details of his death would be released today. The Department of Defense policy is to make details available 24 hours after the family has been notified. Johnson is the second Marine from Connecticut to die in Iraq in just over a week. Corporal Jordan Pierson, 21, of Milford, was killed on August 25. A memorial service for Pierson was held yesterday. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A 2005 graduate of Enfield High School, Johnson was fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a Marine, said those who knew him. He joined the Westover Young Marines when he was 11 and remained with the unit through high school. Once he joined the Marines after high school, Johnson moved through the ranks quickly. He received his basic training in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, then trained with a scout sniper unit. He arrived in Iraq on July 14. “To attain Lance Corporal, that takes some doing,” Jackman said. “He made an impression. He was excited to go to Iraq.” Funeral services are pending. There have been 33 servicemen and civilians with Connecticut ties who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. Johnson is the second serviceman from Enfield to die in the war. As news of his death spread, friends gathered to remember a young man with goals and a drive to help people.

From The Republican (Springfield, MA) on September 7, 2006

VICTIM LOVED BEING A MARINE

ENFIELD – From the time he was a boy, Philip Alexander Johnson dreamed of being a Marine, and when he was old enough, he wasted little time before enlisting, friends recalled. Less than two months after he arrived in Iraq, the 19-year-old Enfield man died a Marine near one of the most dangerous cities in that war-torn country. Lance Corporal Johnson was killed Sunday morning with one other Marine as his unit was traveling from Ramadi, said family spokesman Ron Jackman of Longmeadow. Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, is patrolled by hundreds of Marines. The Marines are confined to bases during the day and return to the streets at night. Daytime foot patrols are limited because of the threat of skilled snipers or roadside bombs. Jackman said Johnson apparently was killed in a roadside attack. His parents, Louis and Kathy Johnson, were notified by the military Sunday night. Johnson was the younger of their two children. His 25-year-old sister is a member of the Army Reserves, Jackman said. Many friends and neighbors of Johnson’s received notice of his death during a prayer circle Monday at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, where the Johnson family worships. The Rev. Michael J. Coons, the pastor of the church who baptized and confirmed Johnson in the Christian faith, recalled the Marine as an active member of the church who was committed to his faith. “We always enjoyed talking about our Lord and savior,” Coons said. He was remembered by others as a young man with goals and a drive to help people. “All he wanted to do was be in the Marine Corps,” childhood friend Jordan Meyer said. “I’m really proud of him. He’s one person who actually did what they said they were going to do in life.” Johnson is the second Marine from Connecticut to die in Iraq in just over a week. Corporal Jordan Pierson, 21, of Milford, was killed on August 25. A memorial service for Pierson was held Monday. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery later this week. A 2005 graduate of Enfield High School, Johnson joined the Westover Young Marines, a youth education and service program, when he was 11 and remained with the unit through high school. Edward C. Mitrook, commanding officer of the Westover Young Marines detachment and a retired Marine Corps sergeant major, said Johnson touched a lot of lives during his short tenure as a Marine. “He probably thought he didn’t, but he did,” Mitrook said. Once he joined the Marines, Johnson moved through the ranks quickly. He received his basic training in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, then trained with a scout sniper unit. He arrived in Iraq on July 14. “To attain lance corporal, that takes some doing,” Jackman said. “He made an impression. He was excited to go to Iraq.” Funeral services are pending.

From The Hartford Courant on September 17, 2006
By Rachana Rathi | Courant Staff Writer

A FALLEN MARINE AT REST
Hundreds In Enfield Honor A Slain Lance Corporal From The Close-Knit Town
Philip A. Johnson’s Boyhood Friends Are The Last To Leave The Cemetery

ENFIELD – It was a silent goodbye until the end. Silence as hundreds of people gathered under an overcast sky to watch the casket of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson arrives at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Enfield. Silence as the casket, draped with an American flag, was carried out of the church by fellow Marines and laid upon a horse-drawn hearse. Silence as the procession of family and friends, neighbors, and strangers walked a quarter-mile down North Street to Hazardville Cemetery, past the tombstones to the blue canopy covering the burial plot. Then, after the afternoon ceremony was over and the hundreds of mourners had shuffled back to their cars, came the sobs. It was like a collective recognition among Johnson’s oldest and closest friends — this was their final goodbye to the 19-year-old gentleman with one brown eye and one blue eye who could make anyone laugh, the one who achieved his childhood dream of becoming a Marine. “The last thing he said to me, I remember: It was, ‘I can’t wait to go to Iraq and fight for my country,’” said Justin Gelgat, an 18-year-old aspiring Marine, whom Johnson mentored when the two served in a Young Marines detachment at Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts. Before he left for Iraq, Johnson prepared a list — just in case. In it, he asked seven childhood friends to do something that would represent the bond they shared. They chose to make armbands out of his Young Marines uniform. Johnson served with a weapons company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He died on September 2 when a roadside bomb detonated as his unit traveled from Ramadi to Habbaniyah. He became the second Enfield serviceman and second Enfield Marine to die in Iraq. He didn’t want his friends to worry about his deployment, and during the last day they spent together in Enfield, he got a tattoo, and they all reminisced about the good times. This week, two of those friends got tattoos of Johnson in uniform — one brown eye, one blue — and the buddies reminisced again. They visited his parents, Louis and Kathy Johnson, at their Frew Street home and told them about the mischief that they had gotten away with — silly pranks like turning off or changing the channels and the unsuspecting and perplexed neighbors, and even more serious capers. “He said he had a lot of stories to tell me,” recalled Jordan Meyer about what his close friend said to him in a five-minute phone conversation from Iraq. “Never get to hear them now.” Earlier this week, the community said its goodbyes after a motorcade brought Johnson’s remains from the airport to his alma mater, Enfield High School, past the family’s home, and to the funeral chapel for a six-hour wake. But his close friends said their goodbyes last. They lingered at the cemetery near the casket until they were asked to leave.

From The Hartford Courant on September 12, 2006

Lance Corporal Philip Alexander Johnson, 19, departed his earthly life on Sunday (September 3, 2006) while on active duty serving his country honorably in Iraq since July 14, 2006. He was born on April 29, 1987, in Hartford, the beloved son of Louis and Kathy (Titus) Johnson. Philip was a graduate of Enfield High School Class of 2005. He was involved with the wrestling team during his Junior year. He was a member of Voices Incorporated, a choral program that integrated both Enfield High Schools. He enjoyed music tremendously and played several instruments, including saxophone, drums, keyboards, and bass guitar. His musical idol was Paul McCartney, who he got to see in concert. Philip’s love for his country was strong and true. He wanted nothing more than to be a Marine from the time he knew what a Marine was. There is a certain pride in a Marine’s eye very early on in life, and he had that pride. Philip was heavily involved with the Westover Young Marines. He joined in 1998, achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant, and was honorably discharged in July 2005. He took his duties very seriously. Philip left for Parris Island in August 2005. During boot camp, he achieved the position of Squad Leader and Platoon Guide. He graduated from Parris Island on October 17, 2005, with the rank of Private First Class and quickly earned the rank of Lance Corporal. He was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he trained with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, Scout Sniper Weapons Unit. Shortly after arriving in Iraq, he transferred to Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines. Lance Corporal Johnson’s personal awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and National Defense Medal. Besides his parents, Philip is survived by his loving family; a sister, Jessica Titus of Vernon; maternal grandmother, Beverly (Robidoux) Titus; maternal great-grandmother, Doris (Riendeau) Robidoux, both of South Windsor; uncle, Bill Johnson of E. Windsor and aunt Josephine Johnson both of East Windsor; cousins Mary Margaret and Dana Medling both of Waterford, cousin Seaman William Johnson and his wife, Missy stationed in Kings Bay, GA, auntie Anne Titus Honn and uncle Rick Honn and two cousins Jacob and Andrew of Silver Spring, MD, uncle Paul Titus of East Windsor and cousin Jimanie Titus of Enfield, uncle Andy Titus and auntie Lori and two cousins, Joe and Jonathan of East Windsor, many, many friends and of course his Marine Brothers. Philip was predeceased by his maternal grandfather, Richard J. Titus, and paternal grandparents, William L. and Helen (Plona) Johnson. Funeral services for Philip will be held on Friday, September 15, at 2 p.m. in the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, 20 North Street, Enfield, with Pastor Michael Coons officiating. Interment with full military honors will take place in the Hazardville Cemetery, Enfield. Philip’s family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, September 14, from 2-8 p.m. at Browne Memorial Funeral Chapels, 43 Shaker Road, Enfield. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial donations be made to Westover Young Marines (co) Edward Mitrook, 51 Terry Ln, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. All donations should be made out to: “LCpl Philip Johnson Memorial Fund.”

Memorialized on a monument in front of Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut.

Lance Corporal Johnson is buried in New Hazardville Cemetery, Martin Terrace, Hazardville, Connecticut; Section D, Lot 267.

STAFF SERGEANT HENRY EDISON IRIZARRY, JR.; ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

DOB/DOD: June 5, 1966 (Lajas, Puerto Rico) – December 3, 2004; 38 years old
CHILDREN: Three sons, Alex (1989-), Danny (1989), and Jacob Irizarry (1999-). One daughter, Melissa (1986-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: Vista Place; Waterbury
ENLISTMENT: August 1984
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 19D30; Cavalry Scout
UNIT: Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division; New York, NY

FAMILY: Father Henry E. Irizarry, Sr. [Army veteran of the 65th Infantry Regiment “The Borinquineers” from Puerto Rico] (1933-2023) and Maria Muñiz (1945-). One sister, Brenda Irizarry Saltachin (1967-). Four brothers, Oscar Velez (1960-), Raul Arroyo (1962-), Jose Irizarry (1963-) and Harry Feliciano (1969-).

DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Commendation Medal with device, National Defense Service Medal with device, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary), Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Armed Forces Reserve Medal with ‘X’ and ‘M’ devices, Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon with ‘2’ device, Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Overseas Service Ribbon.

CIRCUMSTANCES: Staff Sergeant Irizarry was killed on December 3, 2004, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee while his unit was on patrol in Taji, Iraq.

OTHER: His family shared that they always knew he would go in the Army because he played with the small, green, plastic Army figures when he was young. They also shared that Henry worked at the scene of the World Trade Center and at the scene of American Airlines Flight 587 on November 12, 2001, in Queens, New York. Also, he was one month from retirement when his retirement was canceled so he could deploy to Iraq.

**Photos contributed by the Irizarry family.**

From The Record-Journal (Meriden, CT) on December 7, 2004
By Matt Apuzzo | Associated Press

WATERBURY SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ

HARTFORD — In his final letter from Iraq, Staff Sergeant Henry E. Irizarry told his wife to make plans for a

family Christmas because he was coming home on leave. Instead. Jessica Irizarry is making funeral arrangements. Her husband died December 3rd when a bomb went off near his vehicle in Taji, Iraq, Army officials said Monday. Irizarry, 38, left his Waterbury home in October, his wife said. A 20-year Army veteran, he was looking forward to retirement but reassured Jessica and their children that he’d be home soon. “I worried, of course, but he said nothing was going to happen,” she said Monday. “He was going to come back. Everything was going to be OK.” Born in Puerto Rico, Irizarry moved to the Bronx with his family when he was 13, his wife said. Jessica and Henry met briefly through a mutual trend. When they parted, Henry pestered the friend for weeks to get them together again. Finally, Jessica’s friend passed on Henry’s number, and she agreed to dinner. She immediately noticed his brown eyes, her favorite feature of her husband-to-be. “When he met his wife, he changed his ways a bit and became a family man,” said Sergeant 1st Class Raul Colon Jr., who knew Irizarry for 15 years and remembers catching baseball games and parties early in their friendship. “He loved his wife. He loved his kids.” The family moved to Connecticut in 1997 in search of an easier life, Jessica Irizarry said. They were married for seven years. He had four children and a stepdaughter, family members said. Three of the children live in Connecticut, one in New York, and one in Bridgeport. A factory worker, he loved movies and family vacations to Walt Disney World. Irizarry was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, based in New York City. “It is so sad to hear of the death of another soldier from Connecticut.” Governor M. Jodi Rell said. “We are seeing once again that war is taking a heavy toll on our nation’s service men and women, as well as their families and friends.” Henry Irizarry’s mother lives in Waterbury and his father in Puerto Rico. “Staff Sergeant Irizarry bravely answered the call to duty in Iraq, risking his life to spread the cause of freedom and to make our world safe from threats of terror,” New York Governor George E. Pataki said. The Connecticut flag is already at half-staff in honor of Army Lieutenant Michael J. McMahon, who died November 27 in a plane crash in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Rell has ordered state flags to remain at half-staff until both soldiers are buried.

From The New York Daily News December 7, 2004
By Kerry Burke, Albor Ruiz, and Dave Goldiner | Daily News Staff Writers

BLAST IN IRAQ CLAIMS ANOTHER SON OF THE CITY

New York wept again yesterday for a fallen hero as yet another soldier from a Manhattan-based reserve unit was killed in Iraq. As funerals were being planned for two soldiers, the military announced that Staff Sergeant Henry Irizarry, a son of the Bronx, was killed when his Humvee hit a roadside bomb outside Baghdad. “He loved being a soldier,” said Brenda Irizarry, the slain man’s sister, in her Brooklyn apartment. “Ever since he was little, he wanted to be one.” Irizarry, 38, father of four and a devout born-again Christian, had told his wife in his last letter he hoped to be home for Christmas. Instead, he became the third soldier from Manhattan’s 69th Infantry Regiment of the Army National Guard to die in Iraq in recent days. “Staff Sergeant Irizarry risked his life to spread the cause of freedom and to make our world safe from threats of terror,” Governor Pataki said. Last week, Bronx firefighter Christian Engeldrum and Long Island security guard Wilfredo Urbina were killed when their Humvee drove over a similar roadside bomb near Fallujah. On a windy, rain-swept day, the flags flew at half-staff for all three slain soldiers at the unit’s headquarters on Lexington Avenue and E. 26th Street. “He had been in Iraq only one month,” said Irizarry’s widow, Jessica. “He was a good man.” Even Irizarry’s youngest son knew something was terribly wrong when military officers in full dress uniform came to knock on the door of the family’s home Saturday. Jacob Irizarry, 5, started sobbing when the soldiers started to tell his mom that his dad had been killed in Iraq Friday. “He overheard what the men said and began to cry,” said Henry Irizarry was killed when insurgents set off a remote-control bomb, blowing him out of the right side of his military vehicle, authorities said. Three other men in the Humvee survived the attack near the town of Taji, 30 miles north of Baghdad. Born in Puerto Rico, Irizarry moved with his family to the Bronx as a teenager and graduated from William H. Taft High School. He grew up idolizing his father, who joined the Army and fought in the Korean War. “He wanted to be brave, like him,” Brenda Irizarry said. Irizarry’s wife met him at a party and later cajoled a friend into handing over his phone number. He agreed to a dinner date, and it changed their lives. Irizarry has three sons and a daughter, ranging in age from 5 to 18. Looking for a better life, he moved a few years ago to Waterbury, Connecticut. He joined the Army Reserves when he was 18 but had never been sent abroad until this year. Even though his unit saw plenty of action, Irizarry told his wife not to worry when he called home. “He said, so far, he was okay,” she recalled, choking back tears. Just days before he died, Irizarry called his sister to tell her he was being sent to a more dangerous area of Iraq. “The last thing he said was he didn’t know when he was going to talk to us again,” said Brenda Irizarry. “Then he said, ‘God bless you.’ He always said that. He was a very spiritual person.” The grieving widow said her husband did not agree with the decision to invade Iraq — but believed it was not his role to question his commanders. “I don’t see any clear reason for this war, but what can you do?” she asked. “He was a soldier and had to fulfill his duty.” Brenda Irizarry is happy her brother will be buried with the highest military honors, even though it will not help his four children grow up without their father. “It’s good they’re honoring him. It shows they know what a good soldier they lost,” she said, clutching his Army photographs. “But we’d rather have him home.”

From The Hartford Courant June 30, 2005
By Jonathan Finer and Andy Mosher | Washington Post

TROOPS AVENGE SOLDIER – IN COURT
Connecticut Sergeant’s Platoon Helped Make Case Against Iraqi Roadside Bomber

BAGHDAD, Iraq — As Staff Sergeant Henry E. Irizarry of Waterbury, Connecticut, lay dying last December after a roadside bomb tore apart his Humvee, his platoon fanned out like seasoned homicide detectives. Combing a nearby stretch of pasture in the town of Taji north of Baghdad, soldiers found a wire leading from the charred blast site to a field, where someone saw a head peeking out above scraggly reeds. The man ignored a warning shot, and gunfire directed at him missed. Soldiers gave chase and cornered him in a nearby house, where they took him into detention. They swabbed his hands with a kit designed to detect explosive residue. He tested positive. As a result of their efforts and the work of a team of Army lawyers assigned to the case, the Central Criminal Court of Iraq on May 25 sentenced Ziyad Hassan to 15 years in prison for the death of Irizarry, a father of four from the Bronx who had recently resettled in Connecticut. It was just the second time that an Iraqi court has found an insurgent guilty of murder in the killing of a U.S. soldier and the first conviction of a roadside bomber. “It is very, very rare to catch one of these guys and have what we need to nail him,” said Lieutenant John Dunlap, a staff judge advocate with the 256th Brigade Combat Team, which built the case against Hassan, including evidence from Irizarry’s widow. “They had testimony from coalition witnesses and people who got injured who complained against the one who did the crime,” an Iraqi judge who served on the panel that decided the case said on condition of anonymity. Judges have been frequent targets of insurgent attacks. “There were photographs and sketches in the file and also medical reports. There was lots of evidence, and they are getting better and more experienced at presenting it,” he said. Hassan’s conviction was a breakthrough in the military’s increasingly successful effort to prosecute those who target its troops, Army lawyers in Iraq said. Since March 30, 18 people have received life sentences from the court for crimes related to attacks against coalition forces, said Major J. Ed Christiansen of Task Force 134, which processes detainees and their legal cases. Before that date, the longest sentence handed down had been 15 years. The Hassan case has helped bring about more comprehensive training for front-line soldiers in gathering crime-scene evidence and highlights the challenges facing military lawyers in Iraq’s legal system, which they are still working to understand. For example, before Hassan was convicted, the Iraqi prosecutor on the case sought to have it dismissed, citing an alibi the defendant had offered. In recent weeks, lawyers with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division — to which Irizarry was assigned — began providing counterinsurgency units with kits containing cameras, explosive detection devices, and pens and paper for sketching diagrams of the events. A slideshow prepared by judge advocates shows soldiers how to photograph crime scenes and place evidence in plastic bags without smearing fingerprints. “Hopefully, you are going to see more of these convictions as our lawyers get a better handle on the justice system and our soldiers get more comfortable with how to gather evidence,” said Colonel William Hudson, staff judge advocate for the 3rd Infantry Division. “People who commit crimes against us and against Iraqi society should be held accountable.” The attack that killed Irizarry, 38, came on the afternoon of December 3 as four Humvees carrying soldiers from the Manhattan-based 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, rumbled along a dirt road near Taji, 35 miles north of Baghdad. “The mood was light-hearted and joking,” according to an April 28 affidavit signed by John L. Cushman, a medic who was traveling with Irizarry in the convoy’s rear vehicle. “We were all talking of leave plans and making jokes and picking on each other.” The calm was broken by a thunderous crack that lifted the armored vehicle off the ground. A rush of shrapnel and hot smoke came shooting up through the floor, killing Irizarry and wounding Sergeant Adrian Melendez and Specialist Todd Reed. The legal follow-up to the attack took place just outside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, in a round, bullet-riddled building that once housed President Saddam Hussein’s art collection and other valuables. The court hearing the case was created by the U.S.-led occupation authority in 2008 to handle Iraq’s most serious criminal cases. Of the 490 U.S.-held detainees brought before the court, roughly two-thirds have been convicted, according to military data. Most convictions were for relatively minor charges such as illegal weapons possession or illegally crossing into Iraq from other countries. Prosecutions unfold in two distinct phases: an investigative hearing in the chambers of one judge and a trial in one of the building’s cavernous courtrooms, where a panel of three judges determines guilt or innocence. Hassan’s trial began on March 15. Five U.S. soldiers testified, and the judge charged him — along with a brother who was also detained at the scene of the attack — with terrorism. But a month later, one day before the final phase was to begin, the Iraqi prosecutor told Dunlap, the staff judge advocate, he would seek to have the case dismissed. Three of Hassan’s co-workers had come forward to testify that he had been at work when the bombing took place, and the prosecutor said he found their statements credible. “We definitely lacked an appreciation for some of the subtleties of Iraqi law because we didn’t even know when and how they got that testimony in,” Dunlap said. “We were jumping out of our skin, but there was nothing we could do. All of a sudden, we thought the thing was over.” The investigative judge rejected the prosecutor’s move to dismiss the case but changed the charge from terrorism to the more specific offenses of murder and assault and scheduled a new trial for May 25. With more time to gather evidence, Army lawyers collected sworn statements from Cushman, Melendez, and Reed, who were recuperating in hospitals in the United States, and from Irizarry’s widow. Lawyers submitted a DVD of photographs set to the song “Wish You Were Here” by the British rock band Pink Floyd. Pictures of a uniformed Irizarry in Iraq are interposed with shots of his ravaged Humvee and his 5-year-old son, Jacob, standing by a flag-draped casket at his father’s funeral. “We had no idea if this would help or not or if the judge would watch it,” Dunlap said. “But we thought it was a powerful message.” When the trial ended, the prosecutor again argued that the case should be dismissed, citing the alibi the defendant had offered. But the three-judge panel sentenced Hassan to 15 years. His brother was acquitted because of a precedent in Iraqi law that absolves people who help family members conceal crimes after they occur, Dunlap said. “We listened carefully to what the [defendant] said and compared it to all the other witnesses to decide if he was honest,” the trial judge said. “We did not believe the guy. We knew he was lying.” Dunlap and other lawyers involved in the case called it an important victory that would embolden their efforts to prosecute insurgents and a demonstration for troops that attackers they detain will not simply end up back on the streets. But the conviction was of no consequence to Irizarry’s widow, Jessica Irizarry, 26, of Waterbury. “I’m no one to judge anyone,” she said Wednesday. “It doesn’t matter how many years they give him; it’s not going to bring my husband back. God is in charge of justice.” She said adjusting to life without Henry Irizarry has been difficult, especially when she looks at the son they had together. “It’s something I can’t explain to him,” Irizarry said. “He doesn’t understand.” In Baghdad, soldiers from her husband’s unit said the conviction gave them little consolation either. Posted in the entryway of their Baghdad barracks are photos of 17 soldiers killed since they arrived in Iraq. “You lose a friend, and that’s it, he’s not coming back,” said Sergeant Jason Olmo, 30, of Merrick, New York, who was riding in a Humvee two vehicles ahead of Irizarry’s on the day of the attack. “I’d rather kill the guy who did this myself. He’s lucky we didn’t get to take him home that day.”

Honored on the City of Waterbury (CT) Global War On Terrorism Memorial

Memorialized on the Monumento a los Soldados Caidos in Lajas, Puerto Rico.

**Photos contributed by Vernon Shirley, Lajas, PR.** **The Irizarry family shared that the other name in the photo above, Yull Estrada-Rodriguez, was a friend of the family.**

SSG Irizarry is also memorialized on the El Monumento de la Recordacion (The Monument of Remembrance) in San Juan, Puerto Rico

**Photo credit to U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II. Public domain.**

Staff Sergeant Irizarry is buried in Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery, 317 Bow Lane, Middletown, Connecticut; Section 70G, Site 22.

SPECIALIST ROBERT WILLIAM HOYT; ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

DOB/DOD: July 4, 1983 (Manchester, CT) – December 11, 2004; 21 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: Varga Road; Ashford
ENLISTMENT: July 26, 2002
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 11B; Infantryman
UNIT: C Company, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division; Bristol, Connecticut

FAMILY: Born to Thomas D. Sr. (1960-) and Kathleen S. Zwick Hoyt Ouelette (1962-). One brother, Thomas Jr. (1980-). Two sisters, Amber M. (1987-) and Ginger (1988-).

DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary), Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Armed Forces Reserve Medal with ‘M’ device, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, Rifle Marksman Badge, and the Combat Infantryman Badge (1st award).

CIRCUMSTANCES: Specialist Hoyt was killed when his armored vehicle struck a bomb in Baghdad. The bomb, planted in the road south of Camp Taji, detonated beneath Hoyt’s Humvee. The blast blew an armored door off and threw him to the road. His platoon was escorting tractor-trailer trucks loaded with confiscated Iraqi ammunition from Camp Taji to another base for destruction.

Graduated from Edwin O. Smith High School; Storrs, Connecticut; Class of 2001.

**Photos contributed by Jen Larkin, Librarian, E.O. Smith High School. Played football only in his sophomore year.**

From FallenHeroesMemorial.com

“Robby, you will always be loved & missed by everyone who knew you! I made a scrapbook of you ever since you died, and to this day, I still add to it. It is filled with articles, stories, and pictures. You have no idea how badly I miss you even though I accept your death. I hope you are proud of me and all that I’ve done. I miss presenting and talking about you all the time, but hopefully, someday soon, I can continue my presentations! You are my forever hero, and no one can change that. I miss going to your grave and talking to you, I cannot wait to go home next from college. Love you forever & always <3”

— Amber Hoyt

“I had been feeling sorry for myself because of the fact I may lose my “dream job” with one of the biggest companies in the world. Then I ran into Robert’s Mom in a Starbucks who I graduated high school with some 27 years ago. I had seen her one other time in those years, and of course, she told me of her Hero son Robert. I had read all the stories about him when he passed but never made the connection to his Mom. What a fool I felt like to be worrying about something as insignificant as a job. Her heart was broken; I could just tell. Now, reading this website, I can see his whole family is heartbroken. When it all comes down to it, this is the reality of war. People are never the same. My message to everyone is don’t ever take for granted what sacrifice families make when we send their boys and girls to go fight for our way of life, our freedom to do and live as we please. It is easy to get into “we should or shouldn’t” be somewhere or who is right or wrong argument. If it brings any comfort to Robert’s Mom and family, there are many people who consider your son or brother the ultimate Hero, and all I can say is thank you.”

— Mark of Vernon CT USA

“My heart goes out to Rob’s family and friends — still — two years since he died. He was quiet, strong, independent, and had a formidable intelligence. He also had a fantastic sense of humor. I loved his senior English class, but he was the star. We read the Vietnam War novel The Things They Carried, and he had great insights about courage, about the causes of war, and about the use and abuse of power. He left this world too soon, but not before inspiring us, I think, to do the best we can by each other.”

— Jon Andersen of Storrs, CT USA

From The Hartford Courant on December 19, 2004

Robert William Hoyt, 21, a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, friend, warrior, combat veteran, and Hero, died Saturday, (December 11, 2004) in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV while conducting convoy operations. Hoyt was assigned to the Army National Guard’s C Company, 1st Battalion 102nd Infantry, Bristol. Robert Hoyt was born in Manchester to Kathleen and Thomas D. Hoyt, Sr. He grew up in Mansfield, was a 2001 graduate of Edwin O. Smith High School, and enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard in 2002. Hoyt had a love for sports and music. He played football and ran track in high school. He also coached football for the Mansfield Youth League. He was an employee of Wing Foot Commercial Tire. Soldiering is an affair of the heart, and it is that spirit, that fundamental commitment to volunteer, to place the Nation’s needs above one’s own, that makes Robert Hoyt one of the best Soldiers in the world today. Robert Hoyt was a great soldier who voluntarily answered the call to duty. He was a true hero. He was predeceased by his grandmother, Etta Zwick, and his grandfather, Ross Russell. Survivors include mother, Kathleen Hoyt of Storrs; father, Thomas Hoyt of Ashford; his brother, Thomas Hoyt, Jr.; two sisters, Ginger and Amber Hoyt; grandmothers, Clara Russell and Nancy Cunningham; grandfathers, Samuel Zwick and Paul Cunningham; 26 aunts and uncles; many cousins and countless friends. A Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, December 21, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary Church, 1600 Main St., Rt. 31, Coventry, with the Reverend Dr. Bruce Johnson officiating. Burial will be in Mansfield Center Cemetery. Calling hours will be held today, December 19, from 3-9 p.m. at St. Mary Church, 1600 Main St., Coventry. Memorial contributions may be made in Robert’s name to the Robert W. Hoyt Memorial Scholarship, c/o Deborah McCracken, New Alliance Bank, 6 Storrs Rd., Willimantic, CT 06226.

Memorialized at Camp Nett, 38 Smith Street, Niantic, Connecticut. The memorial brick with his name is on the left in the 2nd row of printed bricks.

Memorialized on the 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Monument, Long Wharf Drive, and Sargent Drive, New Haven, Connecticut.

Memorialized on Bridge #05869 over the Mount Hope River in Ashford, Connecticut.

Specialist Hoyt is buried in New Mansfield Center Cemetery, 31 Cemetery Road, Mansfield Center, Connecticut; Section D, Row A, Plot 260.

INSCRIPTION ON THE BACK

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
The rains fall soft upon your fields and
Until we meet again, may God hold
You in the palm of his hand.

WEBMASTER NOTE: The inscription is an Irish blessing that has been passed down through generations. It is a traditional way of wishing someone good luck and fortune on their journey through life. This blessing has a simple yet powerful message that has resonated with people all over the world. Originally written in the Irish language, the prayer — the author is unknown. It has three main images, namely wind, sun, and rain. Fittingly for something written so long ago, the ancient Irish’s deep connection to nature and Ireland’s ever-changing elements shine through. The reference to the wind is thought to be a reference to the Holy Spirit, who came as a “mighty wind” at Pentecost. The sun’s warmth alludes to God’s mercy, which the New Testament (Luke 1:78, NIV) tells us, “By which the rising sun will come to us from heaven.” The mention of rain is thought to be symbolic of God’s provision – nothing will grow without rain.

SPECIALIST CHRISTOPHER LEE HOSKINS; ARMY

DOB/DOD: August 7, 1983 (New London, CT) – June 21, 2005; 21 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: Westcott Road; Danielson
ENLISTMENT: January 15, 2003
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 11B10; Infantryman
UNIT: Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division; Fort Carson, Colorado

FAMILY: Born to Richard P. (1952-2023) and Claudia Schiele Hoskins (1955-). Two sisters, Kristin Hoskins Mayo (1981-), and Erin R. Hoskins Witthoft (1986-). One brother, Sean P. (1989-).

DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with device, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary), Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Army Overseas Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, and the Combat Infantryman Badge (1st award).

CIRCUMSTANCES: Died from wounds sustained in a small arms attack on his unit.

Killingly High School; Class of 2001

**The photo was contributed by CTHM (Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial).**

From The Day (New London, CT) on June 26, 2005

KILLINGLY — Army Specialist Christopher Lee Hoskins, 21, of 50 Westcott Road, Danielson, died Tuesday, June 21, 2005, in Ramadi, Iraq, while serving his country. He was born in New London on August 7, 1983, the son of Richard Hoskins of Danielson and Claudia (Schiele) Hoskins of Danielson. Mr. Hoskins graduated from Killingly High School in 2001, where he was a member of the wrestling team and was interested in graphic arts. He was a member of American Legion Post #21 in Danielson. His previous employment included Giant Pizza and Big Y of Danielson and as a security guard at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Prior to his enlistment, he worked at Staples in Plainfield. Besides his parents, he is survived by two sisters, Kristin Mayo and Erin Hoskins, and a brother, Sean Hoskins, all of Danielson, and his maternal grandparents. Louis and Irene Schiele of Kent, Ohio; his paternal grandparents, Bill and Alice Hoskins of Randolph, Ohio; and a niece, Allyssa Mayo. He is also survived by several aunts, uncles, and cousins. A visitation will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 2, 2005, with a memorial service following at 3 p.m. at Killingly High School Auditorium, 79 Westfield Ave., Danielson. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Killingly public schools to either of the following funds: the Art Department or to the Assistive Technology for Special Education Students within the Killingly School District, 369 Main Street, Danielson, CT 06239. Please specify the fund of choice on the memo line of the check. The Tillinghast Funeral Home, 433 Main Street Danielson, is in charge of arrangements.

From The Sun-Journal (Lewiston, ME) July 3, 2005

CONNECTICUT SOLDIER MOURNED

KILLINGLY, Connecticut (AP) — Nearly 300 people celebrated Army Specialist Christopher Lee Hoskins’s life Saturday, filling the Killingly High School auditorium with song, poetry, prayer, laughter, and applause. Hoskins’ father and sisters were among more than a dozen people who spoke about the 21-year-old killed June 21 in Ramadi, Iraq, when his unit came under small arms fire. Other speakers included U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, D-Connecticut, U.S. Rep. Robert Simmons, R-Connecticut, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and Comptroller Nancy Wyman. Hoskins became the 27th serviceman or civilian with Connecticut ties to die in Iraq or Afghanistan since March 2002. Last Tuesday, Army Major Steve Reich, a Washington, Connecticut, native, became the 28th, killed with 15 others on a U.S. helicopter shot down in Afghanistan. “Christopher would be at once embarrassed by the remarks of today and swollen with pride inside,” his father, Richard, an English teacher at the high school, told the audience in a speech of more than 10 minutes. The service lasted two hours. His voice breaking at times, Richard Hoskins told of his son’s childhood, his relationships with his sisters and younger brother, his struggle with Tourette’s Syndrome, and his embracing of his Army brethren as his second family. The remembrances, he said, were “things to let you know he didn’t become a hero by his death; he was always becoming a hero by his life.” John Fuleo, who had the 2001 graduate as a student in two English classes, said he and Richard Hoskins telephoned each other regularly about snow days and Board of Education meeting topics. Shortly before 6 a.m. on June 21, he recalled, his home phone rang. He answered with, “Good morning, sunshine, and how are you today?” expecting his colleague. “And I heard a man’s tears on the other end of the phone. And all he could say was, ‘John, it’s Chris.”” Dodd said Hoskins answered a call in enlisting in the Army in 2008 and in recently signing up for another four-year tour. “We will not forget this young man,” Dodd said. “… We will keep this young man in our hearts and our minds.” “Please know that the service and sacrifice that Christopher has offered in the cause of freedom and democracy is a noble undertaking for which we all are grateful,” Simmons, a Vietnam War veteran, told the family. Blumenthal quoted Robert Frost’s “The Gift Outright” in his eulogy, including its line, “Our gift to our nation is the gift of war.”

From The Day (New London, CT) on July 3, 2005
By Richard Raney

KILLINGLY MOURNS SOLIDER
Hoskins Killed In Skirmish June 21 In Ramadi, Iraq

KILLINGLY – Signs of loss surrounded Killingly High School on Saturday. An expanded photo in a trophy case. A flag at half-staff. Black paper panels in the hall steadily filling with condolences penned in ash-colored ink. A car in the parking lot, its rear window displaying dates that book-ended a young man’s life. A family is inside the school’s entrance, accepting hugs from fellow mourners. Still, some of those who best knew Army Specialist Christopher Hoskins did not want to believe the finality conveyed by these omens. “We’re just wishing to find out it’s a mistake,” said Paula Boss. Nicole Stamper expected the 21-year-old to jump out at any moment and say, “I just wanted all of you in the same place.” “It’s hard to face the reality that Chris is gone,” she said. The two 19-year-olds had come to the high school in the glaring July sun to join his family, former classmates, friends, and town residents in a memorial service for Hoskins, who was killed on June 21 in Iraq after his unit came under small arms fire in the city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The death of the Killingly native, a member of the Army’s 1st Battalion. 9th Infantry Regiment. 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. marked the 25th death of a Connecticut soldier in the conflicts in Afghanistan and the Middle East, according to Lieutenant Colonel John Whitford of the Connecticut National Guard. Stamper had a special interest in saying farewell to Hoskins Saturday: She said she was his first girlfriend. Their relationship started in her first-year English class. Teacher Richard Hoskins, Christopher’s father, was instructing the class when a tall, lanky senior with a faint mustache strolled in. “I thought he was just gorgeous.” Stamper said. The two teenagers dated for two years, she said. Stamper, now a receptionist for the Norwich Bulletin, learned of Hoskins’s death the hard way. “When I got to work and saw it on the front page … [didn’t get any work done,” she said. Wiping away tears, their backs against Paula Boss’ painted car, Stamper and Boss expressed frustration at the loss of Hoskins. This emotion devolved into a diatribe about the conflict in Iraq. “They should not be over there,” Boss said, adding later, “When he went into the Army, he wasn’t old enough to drink, but he was old enough to go over (to Iraq).” “They need to bring (the troops) home,” Stamper said. Not all who came to Saturday’s service agreed with Stamper and Boss that Hoskins’s death was senseless. “I think his life was a wonderful sacrifice,” said Sherri Vougt of Killingly, who said she had met her husband in Germany while in the service. She had not known Hoskins or his family but felt it necessary to bring her three children to the memorial service to pay their respects. “I think (Hoskins’ life) might motivate others into service,” she said. Saturday’s ceremony witnessed a few hundred people enter the high school’s sloping auditorium for the 3 pm. service. Some came from as near as the next block, from as far as below the Mason-Dixon line. Inside, a panoply of flowers, full bouquets, and a wreath-like, red-and-white K filled the stage. While Hoskins’ body was not present — he had requested to be cremated, according to Lieutenant Colonel Whitford — the memories of those who knew him gave shape to a life cut short. Hoskins’s leap into the military at 19 took many by surprise. “I just didn’t see him in combat,” Jeremy Deloge said. “He was kind of a peaceful guy.” Hoskins was an odd kid, friends said, one who straddled two of those perennial high-school cliques: The preppy kids in their polo shirts and the Goths with their signature black ensembles. “Different” was how Deloge described him. Deloge said he had known Hoskins since both were in the fifth grade. The two were teammates on Killingly’s wrestling team. Hoskins, with his rangy arms and legs, was not the best grappler, Deloge said, but “we always had fun.” Hoskins’s interests were as diverse as his social circles, friends said. He played chess and had an affinity for medieval swords. He worked the cameras at school plays. He loved listening to Metallica. He painted, sculpted, and wrote poetry. On the back of the memorial’s pamphlet was a poem Hoskins had written for Eric Tucker, a friend who had been killed by a passing train in 2001, according to Stamper. But Hoskins’ politeness and generosity were the themes to which many returned. “No matter who he was with, he always said hi,” said Matthew Perez, who had traveled from South Carolina to attend. Boss recalled a lazy afternoon when Hoskins gave her and a friend $500 each to go on a shopping spree. She said he had told them he did nothing with his money but let it sit in the bank. She said Hoskins told them, “Everybody deserves to be pampered once in their life.” During Saturday’s ceremony. the Army presented Hoskins’ parents with commendation medals signifying Hoskins’ outstanding performance in his duties. On July 14, his ashes will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery overlooking Washington, D.C. There, he will posthumously receive a Purple Heart for his wounds and a Bronze Star for his valor, Whitford said.

Memorialized in Davis Park, Main Street and Broad Street, Killingly, Connecticut

IN MEMORIAM

CHRISTOPHER LEE HOSKINS
SPC, U.S. ARMY

Killingly resident, killed while serving his country in Ramadi, Iraq, June 21, 2005

“The roots of a soldier are nurtured by the soil
of the family, friends, community
Until the call of country demands
They grow straight and tall.
When you hear the rustle of leaves in the wind
You know the spirits of the fallen is alive.

— Richard P. Hoskins

This crimson maple is his living memorial.
Dedicated Memorial Day, 2013

From FallenHeroesMemorial.org

“I was in 1/9 with SPC Hoskins. I was the one who reenlisted him to continue his service in the Army. He loved what he did, and he was good at it. He will be missed always by his fellow Manchus. I hope that he knows that, and we know he is in a better place. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

— Staff Sergeant McMillen

“While I wasn’t there on the ground with you, I helped coordinate the after-action on the radio. You were one of the rocks in Blue Platoon. I miss you Bubba.”

— Captain Robert E Ritz III

Specialist Hoskins is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia; Section 60, Site 8116.

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS MELISSA JENNIFER HOBART; ARMY

DOB/DOD: October 25, 1981 (Dunoon, Scotland) – June 6, 2004; 22 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
CHILDREN: One daughter, Alexis McCabe (2001-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: Rose Street Extension; East Haven, CT
ENLISTMENT: May 7, 2003
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 91W; Health Care Specialist
UNIT: Company E, 215th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division; Fort Hood, Texas

FAMILY: Born to Gary (1959-) and Constance M. Osborne Hobart (1960-2007). Stepfather, Edward Dziamalek (1961-). Two brothers, Gary E. (1978-) and Steven (1990-).

CIRCUMSTANCES: Died while on guard duty in Baghdad, Iraq. The cause of death is inconclusive.

From The Greenville News (South Carolina) on June 11, 2004

SOLDIER-MOM WHO DIED IN IRAQ MOURNED
22-year-old Collapsed While On Guard Duty

SUMMERVILLE — More than 100 people on Thursday remembered Army Private First Class Melissa Jennifer Hobart as a hero to her family and friends. Hobart, 22, of Ladson, was on guard duty near Baghdad on Sunday morning when she collapsed and died a short time later, according to the Army. No reason for her collapse was given. Hobart’s life was honored during a memorial service at Summerville Presbyterian Church. “She graduated tops in her class as a medic in the Army,” said Bethany Villavicencio, a friend who once worked with Hobart before she joined the military. “She wanted to be a nurse and make a difference.” The Rev. Edward Skiba, chaplain for the Dorchester County Emergency Medical Service and the Civil Air Patrol, told mourners he knew Hobart was now in God’s care. “She knew who she was, and she knew what she was doing. She served her country. She threw out a challenge to everyone here,” Rev. Skiba said. Hobart’s brother, Gary Hobart, is an emergency medical technician with Dorchester County. He said his sister knew the risks when she joined the military 14 months ago. “She didn’t try to hide,” he said. “She knew it was possible she would not return. She joined the service so her daughter wouldn’t have to face the hardships we faced as younger persons.” Later Thursday, Army spokeswoman Jill Mueller said the cause of Hobart’s death was still under investigation.

From The Dayton (OH) Daily News on December 12, 2004

WAR’S OTHER DEATHS
Non-combat fatalities difficult for victims’ families to accept

Excerpt from the article:

The family of 22-year-old Army Specialist Melissa Jennifer Hobart of Ladson, South Carolina, was told she collapsed and died on June 6, 2004, while on guard duty. Though her spirits were low and traces of an antidepressant were found in her system, an autopsy report provided to the family found no lethal doses of any drugs, heart defects, or other physical problems that would explain the death. The report called arrhythmia “the most common cause” in such deaths, but it did not say she had a heart arrhythmia. The otherwise healthy woman died of an “undetermined cause,” according to the report. “She didn’t die of any illness that they could find,” said her mother, Constance Hobart. “She was on guard duty and just dropped. First, they told me that she had a heart attack. I don’t trust them at all anymore.”

From FallenHeroesMemorial.com

“My sister, to come so far on a most difficult journey through life was made more easy by traveling with you. And though I’ve cried a river of tears because you are no longer at my side, I’m so grateful and honored to have been your big brother. June 6th 2004, was the most difficult day of my life, but if I had the choice to not have you as a sister and not have to deal with the pain or to do it all over again the same way, without thinking twice, I would do it again because what you left behind outweighs what you took with you, a piece of me, when you died. But I know you really didn’t die, and I know I will see you again one day. I love you, Melissa. You were my hero before you went away. I promise you I will not forget you. I wish you could have been here to meet your first niece. We have picked out a name. Regan Elizabeth. I hope you like it. She will grow up to know what a wonderful aunt she had. What a hero you were, and how you sacrificed so much so that others may pursue their own dreams. She may not meet you in this life, but she will know you. To everyone who posted messages, thank you so much. There is great comfort in knowing that people do care and that so many people are grateful. God bless you all and your families.”

— Gary E. Hobart of South Carolina

“My sincerest respects and condolences to the family of Private First Class Melissa J. Hobart. She was such an amazing young woman. I cry when I think of each conversation I had with her both at Fort Hood, Texas, and while in Baghdad, Iraq. She is so amazing, even still to me. Not one single Memorial Day goes by that I don’t think of her. There is so much I can say. Nights where I would be right next to her, fixing a tactical piece of communications equipment, as she would call her young daughter from a tactical phone in the CP (Command post) of Charlie Company 215th FSB. Unable to keep from overhearing some of her conversations with her real young child (at that time), I would tear up. She was just such a loving Mother. I was there AT her actual memorial service in Baghdad. I was a wreck because, just days earlier, I had a conversation with her in the stairwell on her FOB, and she was healthy. Just me and her reassuring each other, and she was SO positive. Just the kindest heart. Unaware of the truth, I asked how she perished just hours after. I was told the desert heat, dehydration, and certain medications while on guard duty, but I still don’t know what exactly occurred while she was on guard duty that day or if that was exactly true. She was a friend of mine. I miss her also. May God bless her family and daughter forever. RIP, PFC Melissa Hobart. I know you will always be watching over your daughter and family. I salute you and miss you.”

— Sergeant Nolan Rowley (Veteran) of Birmingham, AL

From IraqWarHeroes.org

I lost my best friend, Melissa, a little over a year ago. It was the hardest thing I ever had to deal with in life. She was the sweetest person in the world. Her passion was to help people, so that’s why she decided to go to Iraq. I begged her not to, but she went anyway. She left behind a daughter who will proudly tell you how great her mommy is, and she also left behind the most loving family I’ve ever known, a now hurt family. It really sucks when you feel helpless, I wish I knew the words to heal their broken hearts, but I guess I should try to fix mine first.

— Anna Casanova

Private First Class Hobart is buried in Beaverdale Memorial Park, 90 Pine Rock Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut; Section M, Lot 131, Grave 1.

WEBMASTER NOTE: This gravesite was unkempt. I was assured by cemetery staff that I was in the right place on the day I visited the cemetery. It was only after I stomped around on the ground that I finally found this footstone. Cemeteries have a thankless and daunting task. They are the ‘keepers’ of veterans’ gravesites and, with that, have a responsibility to maintain them in perpetuity on behalf of the family and the veteran community.

FIRST LIEUTENANT KEITH NEAL HEIDTMAN; ARMY

DOB/DOD: September 2, 1982 (Norwich, CT) – May 28, 2007; 24 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Engaged to be married to Meghan Lenehan (1982-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: Scotland Road; Norwich
ENLISTMENT: Commissioned May 2005
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 15A; Aviation, General

UNIT: Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

FAMILY: Born to Kerry S. (1953-) and Maureen A. O’Brien Heidtman Robidoux (1953-). Stepfather, Arthur A. Robidoux (1954-). One sister, Keely J. Heidtman LaPointe (1980-).

CIRCUMSTANCES: Died from wounds sustained when his OH-58D Kiowa helicopter crashed after receiving heavy enemy fire during combat operations. Also killed in the incident:

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Theodore U. “Tuc” Church; Hazard, Kentucky

Norwich Free Academy; Class of 2001. Photos are from the 1999 yearbook.

University of Connecticut, Class of 2005. Keith was an ROTC cadet and a Distinguished Military Graduate.

**Photo contributed by Jonathan Bartolotta, Program Coordinator, Army ROTC/Military Science, UConn.**

**Photo from FindAGrave.com and contributor Elizabeth Reed**

From The Associated Press

Norwich soldier dies in helicopter crash in Iraq

NORWICH, Connecticut — A helicopter crash in Iraq on Memorial Day claimed the life of a Norwich soldier, the governor’s office said on May 29. Army 1st Lieutenant Keith Heidtman, 24, was the 37th military member with Connecticut ties to die since the war began in 2002. Two Connecticut civilians have also been killed. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered all state and U.S. flags lowered to half-staff in Heidtman’s honor. “Lieutenant Heidtman made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, and he did so to protect the freedom that we so often take for granted,” Rell said in a statement. “To have given his life on Memorial Day is especially poignant.” Heidtman was one of 10 U.S. soldiers who died in roadside bombings and the helicopter crash on May 28, the military reported, making May the deadliest month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq. The American deaths raised the number of U.S. forces killed this month to at least 112, according to an Associated Press count assembled from U.S. military statements. Eight of the soldiers were from Task Force Lightning — six were killed when explosions hit near their vehicles, and two died in a helicopter crash. The military did not say if the helicopter was shot down or had mechanical problems. Heidtman was a 2001 graduate of Norwich Free Academy and a graduate of the University of Connecticut. His parents were notified on May 29. He was the son of Kerry Heidtman and Maureen Robidoux. His stepfather is Art Robidoux. A phone message from the Associated Press was left at his family’s home. “If you had to pick your son, this is who you would pick. He was handsome, he was bright,” Kerry Heidtman told The Day of New London. Heidtman arrived in Iraq in December and was scheduled to come home for leave in July. “We’re sending our finest, and we’re losing them,” Kerry Heidtman said.

From The Day (New London, CT) on June 9, 2007
By Julie Wernau and Claire Bessette | Day Staff Writers

1ST LT KEITH HEIDTMAN HONORED IN HUSHED RESPECT

NORWICH — It was a scene marked by silence. Mourners, civilian and military alike, walked wordlessly along the sidewalks at St. Patrick Cathedral Friday, filing into the funeral service for 24-year-old 1st Lieutenant Keith Neal Heidtman, who died on Memorial Day when enemy fire downed his helicopter in Iraq. Representatives of all branches of the military stood at attention before the cathedral, and as the funeral procession idled in front of the church, police officers silently saluted Heidtman’s family. With only the sound of their footsteps to be heard, Connecticut soldiers of the Army National Guard carried Heidtman’s flag-draped coffin into the cathedral. Leather-clad bikers and veterans lined both sides of the street, holding American flags in a prolonged, silent show of support. Most notable was the silence of the Westboro Baptist Church, whose anti-gay members were absent. The Kansas group had vowed to protest at the service in order to spread its message that God is killing U.S. soldiers abroad in response to America’s tolerance of homosexuality. In anticipation of Friday’s funeral, the Connecticut legislature moved up the effective date of a new law restricting protests at funerals and memorial services. The law went into effect this week and forces protesters to stand at least 150 feet away from the entrance or boundary of a church or cemetery from an hour before to an hour after a funeral service. The funeral Mass was scheduled to begin at 10 but started about 15 minutes late. Reporters and photographers were not allowed inside the cathedral, but military officials provided a copy of the homily delivered by Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Kevin P. Cavanaugh. “Although we can no longer see or touch him on this earth, we believe that we will meet Keith again when we are reunited with him in heaven,” he said. “The death of someone dear is always difficult for their friends to bear. But to lose a child, a grandson, a younger brother, a nephew, a boyfriend — that brings especially great pain. It’s not in the normal order of things.” Heidtman’s friends from military and civilian life contributed remarks and memories that the chaplain included in the homily. Cavanaugh told the family members that their support of Heidtman in his military career was “a selfless act.” The family and more than 100 mourners arrived at St. Joseph’s Cemetery at 12:45, but people had been gathering for more than two hours to pay their respects and show support. By 11 a.m., a procession of more than 200 motorcycles, most bearing American flags, lined both sides of the road where the hearse would arrive. Joining the Patriot Guard Riders were the Connecticut Rolling Flags, the New London County Motorcycle Club, the American Legion Riders, the Star Veteran Riders, and other clubs. Heidtman was an Army helicopter pilot. He was co-piloting an observation helicopter north of Baghdad when it was shot down on May 25. Helicopter tributes were many. Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John Coffindaffer of Oxford, a helicopter pilot and president of the Sikorsky Veterans’ Association, brought a flag that had draped the casket of a World War II veteran. The flag bearers stood at attention as bagpiper Robert Scent of Gales Ferry played. All else fell silent as the flag bearers moved into position to ring the gravesite ceremony. Chaplain Cavanaugh presided over a brief ceremony, and a Connecticut National Guard rifle team fired a salute. Trumpeter Chief Warrant Officer Mark Cummings played Taps, his notes carrying far on the warm, sunny afternoon. Two Connecticut National Guard Blackhawk helicopters flew over the cemetery at low altitude. As they disappeared and the noise faded, Scent struck up “Amazing Grace” to conclude the ceremony. As flags were furled and military groups marched away, family members and close friends lingered in the shady area that surrounded Heidtman’s grave a while longer, hugging one another and shedding tears.

Monument at the intersection of Washington Street and Williams Street, Norwich, Connecticut.

**Front (left) and back (right) of the monument. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.**

Lieutenant Heidtman is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, 815 Boswell Avenue, Norwich, Connecticut; Section P, Lot 141, Grave 1.

BARBARA CAROL HEALD; DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY CIVILIAN

DOB/DOD: May 17, 1944 (Stamford, CT) – January 29, 2005; 60 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Jack L. Heald [U.S. Army veteran] (1937-1996)
ENLISTMENT: January 4, 1974 [Air Force]
DISCHARGE DATE: March 1, 1981

FAMILY: Born to Edward W. (1915-1981) and Katherine E. Boyer Geis (1910-1970). One sister, Margaret Geis Wright (1949-). Two brothers, Eric R. (1945-2015) and John L. (1947-). One stepbrother, James A. Milliff (1944-2009). One stepsister, Marilyn R. Milliff Parkhurst (1941-1982).

CIRCUMSTANCES: Barbara Heald was killed on the eve of the Iraqi national elections when a mortar round crashed through the roof of the Republican National Palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Also killed in the incident:

Navy Lieutenant Commander Keith E. Taylor; Irvine, CA

OTHER: Barbara Heald was a Department of Defense civilian employee who was a contract negotiator, working predominately in the oil sector. She served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s. After retiring from a career in government service, she volunteered three different times to go to Iraq to help in the country’s rebuilding. She is the namesake of the Barbara C. Heald Deployed Civilian Award. The award recognizes the professional whose outstanding contributions and achievements support the Army Contracting Enterprise and merits special recognition.

From The Hartford Courant on February 3, 2005

STAMFORD NATIVE KILLED IN BAGHDAD

A Stamford native who was working as a civilian employee for the U.S. Army in Iraq was killed in a mortar attack last weekend, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday. Barbara Heald, 60, died when a mortar hit the Republic National Palace in Baghdad on Saturday, the agency said. She had been working for the Project and Contracting Office, which is involved in rebuilding Iraq’s public works. Heald, of Falls Church, Virginia, volunteered to serve in Iraq after retiring from the Department of Agriculture, said her sister, Margaret Geis of Yuma, Arizona. “She had a very strong sense of patriotism,” Geis told The Sun of Yuma. “She had a tremendous curiosity. What she didn’t know when she got over there, she made it her business to find out.” A friend of five years remembered Heald as someone who headed to Iraq to help make history. “I was very surprised she was going there, but she really believed in trying to rebuild Iraq,” Gabriele Mecca of Odenton, Maryland, said Wednesday. “She felt reasonably safe in that environment, but everyone knew how dangerous it was. She wanted to be a part of history.” In a statement Wednesday, Governor Jodi Rell said, “Once again, we mourn someone from Connecticut who has paid the ultimate price to help bring freedom and democracy to the world. We honor her memory and rededicate ourselves to the ideals she served.”

From The Washington Post on April 1, 2005
By Rosalind S. Helderman

Honoring a Woman Who Returned to Serve
Ex-Captain Died in Iraq as a Civilian

Barbara C. Heald qualified twice over for the interment ceremony she received at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday.

Heald, 60, had served as a captain in the Air Force in the 1970s, and her husband, who died in 1996, served in the Army and was interred there. But for her family, the longtime Falls Church area resident deserved a place at the nation’s sacred military cemetery for a third reason as well: After retiring from a career in government service, she volunteered to go to Iraq to help in the country’s rebuilding, not once, but three times.

A civilian who worked for the Army’s Project and Contracting Office, Heald was killed on January 29, on the eve of the Iraqi national elections, when a mortar round crashed through the roof of the Republican National Palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Also killed in the attack was Navy Lieutenant Commander Keith E. Taylor, 47, of Irvine, Calif. The two were reportedly at their desks in makeshift offices in the ballroom of the palace, which serves as the U.S. Embassy.

Heald’s plaque at Arlington will bear the abbreviations KIA OIF- killed in action, Operation Iraqi Freedom- a rare distinction for a civilian.

“We believe she deserved that, given how she died,” said Margaret Geis, Heald’s sister. “She was one of the good guys. She was trying to rebuild.”

Heald was honored by the Air Force yesterday, with a line of airmen in their deep blue uniforms winding along the cemetery’s paths ahead of the caisson bearing her remains. She worked for the Army in Iraq, however, and she was embraced by that service as well. Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey attended the ceremony under a slate gray sky and within sight of the Pentagon.

“People should know how and why our sister fell in the nation’s service,” said her brother John Geis, who said she has been honored as well as any fallen soldier.

Heald, a Stamford, Connecticut native, had lived in the Washington area since 1987 and worked as a contract negotiator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She took early retirement, traveling the world and spending time at a home in the Shenandoah Valley. There, she met Gabriele Mecca, who yesterday remembered Heald’s adventurous and playful spirit. The two became close during a church trip to Ireland, where Mecca recalled that her friend was unfailingly curious.

Heald decided to come out of retirement when she realized that her skills could be useful in Iraq, Mecca said. She arrived for her first tour in 2003 and had just returned to Iraq from a break in early January.

“I think she’s an inspiration to people who are older, who have retired, but who still have so much to give in terms of knowledge and wisdom and education,” Mecca said.

Heald’s sister said she believed deeply in her mission in Iraq and became close to civilians there. One Iraqi translator invited Heald to have dinner at his Baghdad home. Later, she spent a week with his family in Jordan after he left the country to escape death threats.

“For her to be invited to stay in their home for that much time, there was so much mutual respect there,” said Geis, who lives in Yuma, Ariz.

Heald also became close to her American co-workers. In lieu of flowers, her family asked friends to donate to a scholarship fund set up for Taylor’s children. Heald is survived by three grown stepchildren and three siblings.

In Iraq, Heald maintained her good humor even as she worked long days and weeks, her sister said. Geis said Heald was never the strongest swimmer, but she e-mailed a picture of herself performing her first-ever dive from a high board- into Saddam Hussein’s swimming pool.

An avid knitter, Heald also sent a photo of herself in front of a famous statue in Baghdad, clad in a floppy desert hat and a thick bulletproof vest and holding up a copy of Knitter’s Magazine.

Her love of the craft was so profound that her sister said the family decided to inter a ball of yarn and knitting needles along with her ashes. “That way,” Geis said, “she’ll have something to do.”

The U.S. flag is folded over the remains of Barbara C. Heald of the Falls Church area, a retired Air Force captain who died while serving as a civilian in Baghdad. Margaret Geis receives the flag in honor of her sister at the interment ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.

From FallenHeroesMemorial.com

“I was Barbara’s roommate at Officer Training School OTS at Medina AFB, TX, from January 1974 to our Commissioning on 2 April 1974. I was also stationed with her at Squadron Officer School at Maxwell AFB, AL, from September to December 1976. We were both 1Lts [First Lieutenants]. I was so sorry to hear about her death, but I knew that she was serving her country. I am proud to have known Barbara. My husband was also at OTS with Barbara. Our son, a West Point graduate, was KIA on 31 Oct. 2003 in Iraq. I know the pain her family is suffering. In April 2006, I will be attending the Women Officer’s Association conference in TX., and Barbara will be remembered.”

— Linda L. Bryant of Riverside, CA

“I had the honor of working closely with Barbara at the Army Project and Contracting Office in Baghdad in the summer of 2004. I was the director of facilities & life support, and Barbara worked in the contracting office. We ate lunch together regularly in the Republican Presidential Palace cafeteria. Barbara had a great sense of humor and managed to keep a positive attitude in a hellish place. She was an expert contracting officer and kept me on the straight & narrow through several procurement actions. What a classy, wonderful lady!”

— Lieutenant Colonel Richard E. Lawrence, Jr.

I knew Barbara in Iraq. I was the network manager at the Baghdad Convention Center and saw Barbara every day from October 2003 until January 2004. What a lovely woman! Barbara was killed after I left, yet I can’t recall who gave me that sad news. Finally, after all these years later, I find this site where I can say a few kind words about this sweet and very charming, energetic woman… We all loved Barbara… She could light up a room with her smile and her warmth… God bless you always, Barbara.

— Giovanni

Barbara Heald is inurned in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, Virginia; Columbarium Court 4-K, Column 10, Niche 3.

DARREN JAMES LABONTE; CIA

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