Honoring our fallen soldiers

Remembrances of troops who died in the past year, collected from news stories and memorial or funeral services. The Gazette honors all the area's slain troops online at www.gazette.com/interactives/fallen

FORT CARSON CASUALTIES

PFC. MATTHEW E. BAYLIS

Baylis, 20, of Oakdale, N.Y., died May 31, a day after he was wounded by small arms fire in Baghdad. "I stand behind him and his other family, which the U.S. Army has proved to be," his father, Richard E. Baylis, said.

SPC. JUSTIN A. VERDEJA

Verdeja, 20, of La Puente, Calif., died June 5 when he was hit by small arms fire in Baghdad.

"He was someone I would like everybody in the squad and the Army to be," his squad leader, Gabriel Salas, said.

SGT. ERIC L. SNELL

Snell, 35, of Trenton, N.J., died June 18 at a military hospital in Balad after he was shot earlier in the day when his patrol was ambushed in Baghdad, the Army said.

Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha described a time when he asked Snell why he chose to be a sergeant instead of an officer. "I want to be on the front line, not behind a desk hearing about it," Romesha was told.

PFC. JERIMIAH J. VEITCH

Veitch, 21, of Dibble, Okla., died June 21 in Baghdad after his vehicle was struck with a rocket-propelled grenade.

"When it came down to it, he was the guy that I always chose to have by my side," his squad leader, Sgt. Daniel Salazar, said. "Whenever we rolled out, whenever we did anything, I always made sure he was next to me. Cause if anything happened or anything went down, I knew that I would have somebody there that I knew that I could depend on."

SGT. WILLIAM E. BROWN

Brown, 25, of Phil Campbell, Ala., died June 23 after he was hit in a mortar attack in Taji, Iraq.

A friend, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Byrne, said Brown was everything you wanted in a soldier: An eager, rock-solid leader and an affable guy who was well-liked. "I know you hear that a lot," Byrne said. "But he was one of the good ones."

SGT. SHIN W. KIM

Kim, 23, of Fullerton, Calif., died June 28 when his patrol was hit by a roadside bomb.
Kim's forte was poker. He organized casino nights on the barracks rooftop and frequently collected other soldiers' paychecks. At 23, his goal was to become a pharmacist, said his friend, Spc. Eric Alvarado.

SGT. MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ

Martinez, 24, of Chula Vista, Calif., died June 28 when his patrol was hit by a roadside bomb. When Martinez told his parents of his plan to enlist, his father, a Vietnam veteran, tried to talk him out of it. "I've seen what war could do to young people," said Manuel Martinez. Nevertheless, he said, he was proud of all his son had done.

SGT. GIANN C. JOYA-MENDOZA

Joya-Mendoza, 27, of North Hollywood, Calif., died June 28 when his patrol was hit by a roadside bomb.

Joya had left the Army after getting into trouble with drugs, wrote Spc. Bryant Gill in a letter read at the sergeant's memorial service. Guilt-ridden because he wasn't serving after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he rejoined. "This time, he'd do it right," Gill wrote.

SPC. DUSTIN L. WORKMAN II

Workman, 19, of Greenwood, Neb., died June 28 when his patrol was hit by a roadside bomb.

Boisterous and proud, Workman got himself into a mountain of debt when he bought a car, Spc. Johnathan Smithers wrote in a letter read at Workman's service. But he also got himself out of it. "It took him eight months to pay me back but he did," Smithers wrote.

PFC. CORY F. HILTZ

Hiltz, 20, of La Verne, Calif., died June 28 when his patrol was hit by a roadside bomb. Hiltz was the kind of guy who didn't mind when other soldiers helped themselves to his stash of Cokes. In Iraq, he watched horror movies and ate, gaining weight and enduring jokes from friends who called him "Fatty."

STAFF SGT. ROBB L. ROLFING

Rolfing, 29, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died June 30 in Baghdad from small arms fire. Rolfing joined the military in 2003 and had served in Iraq previously. "He always read about and liked the thrill and adventure of the military," his father, Rex Rolfing, said. "After 9/11, he just kept feeling the draw and finally went in."

PFC. STEVEN A. DAVIS

Davis, 23, of Woodbridge, Va., died July 4 in Baghdad after his unit was attacked with grenades. Spc. Jordan Bloom said Davis was the best friend a guy could have. "If a person is judged by the company he holds, then I am a far better man having known Davis," Bloom said.

SGT. ERIC A. LILL

Lill, 28, of Chicago, died July 6 when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad.

Lill was on his second tour, helping to train Iraqi police . He was worried about the danger when he was deployed last fall, but once in Iraq, he told his family things were "boring" and they shouldn't worry. "I think it was ... scarier than what he led us to believe," said his father, Anthony Lill.

PFC. CHRISTOPHER D. KUBE

Kube, 18, of Sterling Heights, Mich., died July 14 in a Baghdad bombing.
Kube joined the Army in 2005 after getting his parents' permission to enlist as a minor. In Iraq, the trained truck driver also pulled guard duty and went on combat patrols. "He volunteered for everything," said Sgt. Genaro Chavez, who checked Kube's identification when he met him because "I thought he was a little boy running around."

SPC. ROBERT D. VARGA

Varga, 24, of Monroe City, Mo., died July 15 in Baghdad after suffering a noncombat injury.

"He was trying to get his ducks in a row and figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life," his mother, Cecilia Varga, told the Rocky Mountain News. "He thought (being) an MP would give him different opportunities in careers if he chose not to be in the military."

SPC. JUSTIN R. BLACKWELL

Blackwell, 27, of Paris, Tenn., died Aug. 5 in Baghdad of wounds suffered from a mortar or rocket attack.

"He thrived in the field and when deployed," said his commander, Capt. Elizabeth Cain, who noted Blackwell volunteered for a second trip to Iraq. "He was the person who would get knocked down but would never fail to get back up."

PFC. JEREMY S. BOHANNON

Bohannon, 18, of Bon Aqua, Tenn., died Aug. 5 in Baghdad of wounds suffered from a mortar or rocket attack. Lt. Col. Chad McCree said Bohannon's talents were evident. "He was one of those soldiers you saw all the potential in the world in," he said.

STAFF SGT. ROBERT R. PIRELLI

Pirelli, 29, of Franklin, Mass., died Aug. 15 after his patrol came under small arms fire in Diyala province, Iraq.

A public service in his hometown drew 500 mourners, including Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

SGT. EDMUND J. JEFFERS

Jeffers, 23, of Daleville, Ala., died Sept. 19 in Taqqadum, Iraq, of injuries from a noncombat accident. In an essay distributed widely online, the young soldier weighed the importance of his mission against what he said was an ungrateful U.S. public. "America has lost its will to fight," Jeffers wrote. "It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world."

STAFF SGT. ERIC T. DUCKWORTH

Duckworth, 26, of Plano, Texas, died Oct. 10 in a Baghdad bombing. An infectious smile always seemed to adorn the face of Duckworth, fellow soldiers said. "I loved Eric and am devastated by his loss," Capt. Mike Ducharme said. "He is one of the most respected soldiers any of us have ever met."

SPC. KENNETH J. IWASINSKI

Iwasinski, 22, of West Springfield, Mass., died Oct. 14 when his vehicle was hit by a bomb in Baghdad. Iwasinski, who his friends called "Ski," was smart, funny and outgoing, Pfc. William Goodman III said in a letter read at the memorial service. "Ski loved to talk to anybody, and boy, he would even talk in his sleep," Goodman wrote.

STAFF SGT. JARRED S. FONTENOT

Fontenot, 35, of Port Barre, La., died Oct. 18, when his patrol was attacked with a bomb and rifle fire.

Fontenot was a jack-of-all trades, Staff Sgt. Richard Signorelli said, acting as electrician, mechanic, carpenter - and sometimes as counselor to soldiers needing a sympathetic ear. "He didn't even have to know you and he would offer you the shirt off his back," Signorelli said.

SGT. DANIEL J. SHAW

Shaw, 23, of West Seneca, N.Y., died Nov. 5 in an explosion at Camp Taji, Iraq.
"I liked him from the beginning," said Cpl. Jon Vance, a friend of Shaw. "He was quiet, but he always had some smart remark. If you were in a bad mood, you knew he was always going to put his arm around you and ask if something was wrong."

SPC. BRYNN J. NAYLOR

Naylor, 21, of Roswell, N.M., died Dec. 13 in Baghdad after his unit was attacked by small arms fire.

Sgt. 1st Class Tracey Koontz, his platoon leader, recalled when Naylor came to his unit as a "shy, soft-spoken kid." Koontz gave him the job of policing their formations and helped him work up the nerve to tell a sergeant to take his hands out of his pockets while at parade rest.

"Naylor had a big smile on his face, even though it was drained of all color," Koontz said.

SGT. MIKEAL W. MILLER

Miller, 22, of Albany, Ore., died Jan. 27 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of wounds suffered in Baghdad, on July 9, 2007, when the vehicle he was in was bombed.

"He was hard - physically and mentally," said Sgt. Jeffrey Sanders, who was there when shrapnel tore through the vehicle Miller was riding in. "You weren't gonna beat that guy. But if you did, he was gonna come at you again and again."

SGT. JAMES E. CRAIG

Craig, 26, of Hollywood, S.C., died Jan. 28 when his Humvee was bombed in Mosul, Iraq.

"He was by far the nicest guy I ever met in my life," said Sgt. James Luce, who served in Craig's platoon. "You could give him crap all day, and the minute you needed something, he was still there for you."

STAFF SGT. GARY W. JEFFRIES

Jeffries, 37, of Roscoe, Texas, died Jan. 28 when his Humvee was bombed in Mosul, Iraq.

Soldiers gave Jeffries a hard time about his age. They joked about finding his walker on a battlefield and accused him of being a Spanish-American War veteran. The slow-talking sergeant took it all in stride. "He kept us calm out there," Staff Sgt. Matthew Houser said.

CPL. EVAN A. MARSHALL

Marshall, 21, of Athens, Ga., died Jan. 28 when his Humvee was bombed in Mosul, Iraq. "He never wanted to quit," Sgt. Tyler Daly said. "If you beat him at anything he would say ‘One more time' or ‘Best two out of three.'"

SPC. BRANDON A. MEYER

Meyer, 20, of Orange, Calif., died Jan. 28 when his Humvee was bombed in Mosul, Iraq. Meyer was a newlywed and talked often about his wife, Caitlyn.His positive attitude and drive to excel made him popular in the platoon. "Everyone wanted to hang out with him," Sgt. Richard Augafa said.

PFC. JOSHUA A. R. YOUNG

Young, 21, of Riddle, Ore., died Jan. 28 when his Humvee was bombed in Mosul, Iraq. Choking back tears, Spc. Richard Jackson told the crowd at a memorial service in Mosul that Young's dream was to make a difference in the world. "That's what he did," Jackson said. "He made a difference where the fight is."

STAFF SGT. CHAD A. BARRETT

Barrett, 35, of Saltville, Va., took his own life Feb. 2 in Mosul, Iraq.

"We have shared some of the most important times of my life together," said eulogist Staff Sgt. Brian Schintgen, who was Barrett's roommate and best friend. Barrett went to Iraq in January on his third war deployment. Schintgen said the veteran had lobbied to go again. "He loved nothing more than to serve his country," Schintgen said.

STAFF SGT. MICHAEL D. ELLEDGE

Elledge, 41, of Brownsburg, Ind., died March 17 when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.

Elledge was considered an old man in his company. The two-tour Iraq veteran was a Marine as a teenager, left the military and joined the Army a month after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. "When 9/11 hit, he felt a real need to re-enlist," his sister, Marsha Johnson said. "He was a real patriot."

SGT. CHRISTOPHER C. SIMPSON

Simpson, 23, of Hampton, Va., died March 17 when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. Simpson joined the Army in 2004 and spent nearly all of 2006 in Iraq. "Everybody else came first, and he came second," said his mother, Kate McLaughlin. "He was adored by so many people."

MAJ. MARK E. ROSENBERG

Rosenberg, 32, of Miami Lakes, Fla., died April 8 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. "He started wearing camouflage at the age of 7," said his sister, Lori Sousa. He loved what he was doing in the Army and told family members his reasoning for going to Iraq for a second tour. "He firmly believed this is where he was supposed to be and this was what he was supposed to be doing," Sousa said.

SGT. 1ST CLASS LAWRENCE D. EZELL

Ezell, 30, of Portland, Texas, died April 30 in a Baghdad bombing. Ezell was an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. He was on his second tour in Iraq and had received the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and the Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge.

PIKES PEAK REGION CASUALTIES

SPC. DANE R. BALCON

Balcon, 19, of Colorado Springs died Sept. 5 in Balad, Iraq, in a bombing. Balcon, raised in an Army and Air Force extended family, wanted to carry on the military tradition from an early age. "He would let nothing or no one deter him from that," his grandfather, retired Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Thomas Jr., said in a tribute. "The last thing he said to me was, ‘Granddad, I'll be all right.'"

MAJ. ANDREW J. OLMSTED

Olmsted, 37, of Colorado Springs died Jan. 3 in an insurgent ambush near As Sadiyah, Iraq. Olmsted was a well-known blogger. His father, Wes Olmsted, told the Rocky Mountain News the major's final blog posting has been translated into several languages, including Hebrew, Farsi and Russian. "He touched a lot of people around the world."

CPL. BENJAMIN K. BROSH

Brosh, 22, of Colorado Springs died April 18 after his vehicle was bombed in Balad, Iraq. On his MySpace.com page, Brosh posted a blog about a college professor asking God to knock him down in front of a lecture hall. A student soldier goes to the stage, pushes the professor over and, when questioned why, said, "God was too busy today protecting America's soldiers ... so, He sent me."

SPC. RONALD J. TUCKER

Tucker, 21, of Fountain died April 30 in Baghdad after his vehicle was bombed. Samantha Tucker said that in the months before the bombing she was getting to know the man her brother had become. "He had fallen in love for the first time," she said. "He even sent his mother flowers on her birthday. He had grown up."