In addition to this

2008

Specialist James D. Gudridge









Hometown: Carthage, New York, U.S.

Age: 20 years old

Died: January 6, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd

Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Incident: Killed when his vehicle struck a makeshift bomb in Baghdad.

Spc. James D. Gudridge

Upstate Soldier dies in Iraq

Last Update: 1/08 10:44 am

CARTHAGE, N.Y. (AP) - The Pentagon says an Army soldier from upstate New York is

dead after his vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.



The Pentagon says Spc. James D. Gudridge, 20, of Carthage died Sunday. He was a 2005

graduate of Carthage High School.



'Gudridge was stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia and assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th

Armor Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division.



Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson says Gudridge joined the Army in September 2005

and arrived at Fort Stewart in 2006.



Gudridge was a chemical operations specialist and was trained to recognize nuclear,

biological and chemical attacks.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Bridge dedicated to two hometown men killed in Iraq

Updated: 05/26/2008 04:29 PM

By: Brian Dwyer









LEWIS COUNTY, N.Y. -- As taps played, hundreds of people gathered to remember two

Lewis County men who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their Country. Marine Corporal

Kelly "Matt" Cannan and Army Specialist James Gudridge were honored at a ceremony

in Lowville Monday.



"It's to commemorate their heroism and to all the ladies and gentlemen, sons and

daughters who are in Iraq right now," said Lewis County Board of Legislators Chairman

Jack Bush, who helped put on the event.



The families of both men attended the ceremony. Both were able to unveil road signs that

will be placed at each end of the Beeches Bridge on Route 26. "I don't think that my son

would have ever thought anything like this, but he died for the country and he was proud

to be a Marine," Matt Cannan's mother, Dianne, said.



Bridge dedicated to two hometown men killed in Iraq

It was a special Memorial Day for the families of two Lewis County men killed in Iraq.

Not only were they honored Monday, but their loved ones name will be forever linked to

a major bridge in Lowville. Our Brian Dwyer has more on the emotional ceremony.

"That was just the icing on the cake. To have those folks here made the ceremony very

very special," Bush said of the Cannan and Gudridge families.



The families say having so many people turn out for their sons is amazing. "It means a

lot. It means that people care. It means they're still remembering. It's good because these

are people that have become friends to me," Dianne Cannan said. About a half a mile

from the Beeches Bridge is the Beeches Bridge Cemetery. That's where both Matt

Cannan and James Gudridge are buried.



Matt Cannan died in April of 2005 in Iraq. James Gudridge was also in Iraq when he died

this past January.





Specialist John P. Sigsbee









Hometown: Waterville, New York

Age: 21 years old

Died: January 16, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-1st Squadron-32nd Cavalry Regiment-1st Brigade Combat Team- 101st

Airborne Division (Air Assault)-Fort Campbell-Kentucky

Incident: Killed in Balad when attacked by grenade and small arms fire during

combat operations.



January 25, 2008









The body of Army Cpl John Sigsbee is carried out of a Waterville church Friday.

Sigsbee was killed Jan. 16 in an attack north of Baghdad. (WSYR-TV)



Waterville, New York (WSYR-TV) - Hundreds of people turned out Friday as a small

Oneida County community said goodbye to one of its own, killed in Iraq.

21-year-old Army Specialist John Sigsbee and two other U.S. soldiers were killed Jan. 16

in an attack about 50 miles north of Baghdad. It was standing room only at the Waterville

Central School where the funeral services were held and where Sigsbee was a 2004

graduate.



Friends and family will tell you, John Sigsbee always wanted to be a soldier, but Friday

they had to deal with the sacrifice that so many soldiers are making in Iraq and

Afghanistan. The small community has come closer together as so many remember

Army Specialist John Sigsbee.



Frank Savino, a member of Sigsbee’s American Leagon, said, "He was just a great guy

and to think he volunteered to go back to Iraq was outstanding."



Sigsbee joined the Army in October 2005 and was based at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

On his first tour, Cpl. Sigsbee was badly hurt when two IED's exploded under him. He

was awarded the Purple Heart. Friday was a day so many people remembered their best

memories of John.



Savino said, “He always had a smile when he'd come into the post when he was home on

leave, but he always had that great smile, he was very quiet but had a great smile.”



Many of the hundreds who came out knew John Sigsbee, but others came out not

knowing him at all. Jean Saint-Amour said, “It’s something I just had to do, just had to do

this. I had to come and pay my respects, I just wanted to honor him.” “I'm a survivor of

the battle of the bulge and I just wanted to come and pay my respects,” said Stan

Fernalld.



Taking just a quick look around town and its pretty obvious just how much the

community thinks of what John Sigsbee did. On Thursday, an estimated 2,000 people

paid their final respects to Sigsbee during viewing hours at the high school, about a block

away from the Sigsbee home. Sigsbee was to be laid to rest in the Saratoga National

Cemetery, the site of an important revolutionary war battle.



January 20, 2008









Waterville, New York (WSYR-TV) - Hundreds of people lined the streets of Waterville Sunday

to bring home 21-year old Army Specialist John Sigsbee who was killed Wednesday in Iraq.

Family and friends say it was a celebration of his life.

Police cars and fire engines led the procession from former Grifiss Air Force Base into downtown

Waterville. Crowds of people touched by Sigsbee's story and sacrifice line the street.



“We're a very close knit community. I mean, it's one of our sons, too. This is a family

thing,” Mayor Jim Younes says. “I'm just really touched by the sacrifice this young man-

made and it's wonderful to see the village out here today supporting his sacrifice,”

resident Joanna Johnston says. A sacrifice he made not once, but twice. Sigsbee was

seriously injured in combat two years ago, earning him the Purple Heart. But he still went

back to serve his country on another tour.



“Like his mother said, he was a real hero and he was her hero, Sigsbee’s cousin Barbara

Stefenik says. To those who knew him, John Sigsbee wasn’t just a fallen hero. He was a

boy who loved the open land of the Mohawk valley and his family. “I think he's a local

hero and we're here for that. We shouldn't have to lose or bury our children,” Stefenik

says.



The Sigsbee family plans to bury their son in Saratoga National Cemetery. Services are

tentatively scheduled for Friday morning.

January 18, 2008









(WSYR-TV) Waterville, Oneida County (WSYR-TV) - Flags are flying at half staff tonight in the

Oneida County village of Waterville, lowered in memory of 21-year-old Army specialist John

Sigsbee.



Sigsbee was killed in Iraq on Wednesday. Saturday morning, a military motorcade will

accompany his body from the former Griffiss Air Force base to his hometown of

Waterville. The motorcade is expected to leave Griffiss around 10am. It will travel from

Griffiss through Deansboro along Broad Street in Oriskany Falls and then finally into

Waterville to the funeral home on Main Street. Sigsbee's family is asking anyone who

lives along the route to show support for the fallen soldier, by flying flags outside their

homes.



January 17, 2008



Waterville, Oneida Co. (WSYR-TV/AP) - An Oneida County family is preparing to say a

final goodbye to their son. 21-year-old Army Specialist John Sigsbee, who's from

Waterville, was killed Wednesday in Iraq.



The Army said Sigsbee, along with two others, were attacked by grenade and small arms

fire during combat operations. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry

Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).



Sigsbee joined the Army in October 2005, arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2006. His

awards include a Purple Heart. He was injured just outside Balad in July 2006, suffering

numerous burns when the tank he was in was damaged by a roadside bomb. The

following month, he celebrated his 20th birthday at a party at his hometown American

Legion hall.



Sigsbee is survived by his parents, James and Susan Sigsbee, of Waterville. Thursday

night, Susan spoke with NewsChannel 9 about her son, whom she had a fitting nickname

for. “He was my G.I. John,” said Susan.



John looked up to his grandfather, and followed in his footsteps from the time he could

walk. “On family day down here at the local reserve here, proud grandpa took the 3 boys

and myself and from the time he laid eyes on the helicopter on the lawn, it was pretty

much a given where he was going he was taken up with it.”



John was so taken up with being in the army that he was on his second tour. He was

badly injured in 2006, when two IEDs exploded under him. The Sigsbee’s still have the

vest he was wearing that day, and the Purple Heart he was awarded for making it through

it. “The not knowing, having gone through one bad phone call, you live day to day and

you begin to think, what gets you through is everyday you don't get a bad phone call, is a

day you go on.”



His proud mom will go on without her G.I. John, and she has one request to help her do

it. “Fly your flags. If nothing else comes out of it, fly your flags. There's not enough red

white and blue.”



The Sigsbee’s plan to bury their son at the Saratoga National Cemetery. No word yet on

when that will be.

Funeral held for Cpl. John Sigsbee









Nicole Estaphan



Story Created: Jan 25, 2008 at 10:50 AM EDT

Story Updated: Jan 27, 2008 at 12:24 AM EDT

WATERVILLE - From members of the military today, a definition of the word hero:

Multimedia



"In the army we define hero as a soldier who does his job...without fame and fortune.

Someone who works a hard day because it is what his country needs him to do."

Corporal John Sigsbee died doing what his country called on him to do and today those

who loved him said their goodbyes. Twenty-one-year-old John Sigsbee died an army

specialist, but was buried today as a corporal. However, this son, brother and friend will

best be remembered as the hero you just saw described.



Hundreds this morning flowed into the auditorium of the young corporal's alma mater -

Waterville High School - to say goodbye to a man who died while bravely fighting for his

country.



Those who knew him best spoke at the funeral today...all commenting on his infectious

laughter and kind spirit. The service opened with a song - the lyrics saying "I am putting

down my gun and hanging up my boots...lay me down." A song appropriate for a young

man's battle that has fallen silent. Sigsbee's former technology teacher spoke of John's

love for the field, and his grandfather, too overcome with emotion to speak, had the

military chaplain read his words in which he remembered John as a history buff. And the

former vet himself ended by thanking his grandson for his service.



Sigsbee's mother spoke of a time that they all might meet John again. She said he would

be standing with a Heinekin in one hand a steak on the grill, listening to The Eagles,

inviting all to join, and would quickly add smile and pass it on. And perhaps some of the

most moving words came from the men that were the last ones to see John alive - the last

ones to see his smile.



At a memorial service held just a few days ago in Iraq, some of the soldier's friends

remembered the man who fought by their side, and those words were shared today.

"He had a way of bringing out the best in the people around him... that was his God-given

gift. Siggs never had a negative outlook on things," one said. "John Sigsbee was more

than a good soldier. He was a man of quality," said another soldier. "John was my friend

and my brother and we will count the days until we meet again." After the ceremony,

Corporal Sigsbee's body was taken to the Saratoga National Cemetery for a military

burial service. Sigsbee received three badges of honor during the ceremony today - the

first, A Purple Heart, the second for the soldier who was previously injured during

combat in 2006 - a bronze star, and his corporal stripes.

HEATHER AINSWORTH / Observer-Dispatch

An American flag is draped over the windows of the United States Post Office in Waterville,

Friday, January 25, 2008. Army Cpl. John Sigsbee's funeral service took place at Waterville

Junior/Senior High School, and Sigsbee was laid to rest Saratoga National Cemetery, where was

buried with full military honors.





Staff Sergeant Justin R. Whiting









Hometown: Hancock, New York

Age: 27 years old

Died: January 19, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-3rd Battalion-5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)-Fort Campbell-

Kentucky

Incident: Killed in Mosul when his vehicle struck a makeshift bomb.

New York Soldier Killed in Iraq

By Special to the Sun

January 22, 2008

An American solider from Hancock, N.Y. was killed in an explosion in Mosul on

Saturday.

Staff Sergeant Justin R. Whiting, 27, was on his third tour in Iraq as a Green Beret with

the Third Battalion, Fifth Special Forces Group. He was killed when his vehicle struck an

explosive device while on patrol, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Whiting was born in Belton, Texas, and moved with his family to Hancock in 1983. He

joined the military two months after graduating from Hancock Central High School in

1999, his family said.



Whiting was an avid hunter and outdoorsman, his father, Randy Whiting, said.

"He was well-liked wherever he went," Mr. Whiting said. "He could be quite the center

of attention when telling the story of one of his exploits," he said. "Everything he did he

did with gusto." Whiting was stationed at Qayyarah Airfield West, south of Mosul,

according to Master Sergeant Brian Krebs, who served with Whiting. Whiting was

responsible for conducting foreign-internal defense operations, which included training

local police and military, Mr. Krebs said.



Area soldier killed in Iraq

By Patricia Breakey

Delhi News Bureau

A Hancock soldier who was killed in Iraq on Saturday had breakfast with his brother just

hours before he died. Staff Sgt. Justin R. Whiting, 27, was killed when his vehicle struck

an explosive device while on patrol south of Mosul.

He was on his third tour in Iraq, serving as a Green Beret with the Third Battalion, Fifth

Special Forces Group. He was a Special Forces medical sergeant who had two previous

combat tours to Iraq in 2004 and 2005. Nathan Whiting, 24, is also a Green Beret who

serves in the same battalion, in the alpha group. Justin Whiting was in the bravo group.

While the brothers were stationed at Fort Campbell in Tennessee, they worked in the

same building and lived together in a house Justin purchased, Nathan said Thursday.

When they were deployed to Iraq, the were stationed in the same area but only saw each

other every two to three weeks.



"I got to see him that morning only by chance," Nathan said Thursday. "We ate breakfast

and then gave each other a hearty handshake and said goodbye, although we didn't know

it was goodbye. He looked me in the eye and said “I'll see ya.' That's all, just “I'll see ya.'

"Justin was a very simple man," his brother said. "He didn't put up with much, and you

always knew how he felt. I never met anyone who was so determined."





Justin Whiting was born in Temple, Texas, on Sept. 24, 1980, and his brother, Nathan,

was born in March 1983. The family moved to Hancock in 1983. Justin graduated from

Hancock Central School in 1999. He volunteered for military service and enlisted in the

Army on Dec. 15, 1999. He earned the Green Beret in 2000.



Randy Whiting, Justin's father, said Justin was a highly trained Army medic. He had

gotten out of the service in the fall of 2006, but decided to re-enlist in April 2007.



"Justin was a great deer hunter, there was nothing he liked more," Randy Whiting said.

"Although he had gotten to be a pretty good guitar player, too. He loved country music,

particularly George Strait." Randy Whiting said that after Justin was discharged, he spent

six weeks hunting in Tennessee and then came home and went to work with his best

friend, Pauly Somers.



"Justin and Pauly were inseparable. They loved spending time together," Randy Whiting

said. "They were in school together and both played on Hancock's championship football

team in 1998." Randy Whiting said after about six months at home, Justin decided to

return to the Army. "He thought the best thing was to go back to Iraq," Randy Whiting

said. "And I thought it was best too, but he was the one that had to make that decision."



Randy Whiting said Justin was "quite a storyteller. When he and Nathan had breakfast,

he told him about a funny incident that had happened the day before. They got to share

that. "Justin was fun to hang out with," his father added. "He had a great sense of humor

and could see the humor in everything, even really serious things."



Randy Whiting said the streets of Hancock were lined with people Thursday when the

military procession escorting Justin's body came though the village. "Our pride is deeper

than our grief at this point," Randy Whiting said. "I admired who he was and how good

he was at being a medic and a soldier. "The outpouring from the community has been just

overwhelming," he added.



Military service runs in the Whiting family. Nathan said his father was in the Army

stationed in Texas when all three children were born. Randy Whiting said his daughter,

Amanda Stambach, 29, is a captain in the Army and her husband, John, is also a Green

Beret. They are stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington.



"My stepson, Greg Martin, just received his Green Beret in October, and he is at Fort

Campbell," Randy Whiting said.



On Wednesday, the Delaware County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in

memory of Justin Whiting that ended, "Now, therefore, let it be resolved that this board

expresses its gratitude for Staff Sgt. Justin R. Whiting's service to his country and its

condolences to is family."



Hancock Supervisor Sam Rowe said, "I didn't know Justin, but I know his dad real well.

Justin is a real American hero."

Board Chairman James Eisel added, "This was a terrible tragedy, but Justin Whiting is

truly an American and Delaware County hero and we honor him for that, but this is very,

very sad." Whiting is also survived by his mother, Estelline, of Colorado Springs, Colo.



Calling hours are from 1 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Emory United

Methodist Church in Hancock. A military memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday

in the Hancock Central School auditorium.





Private First Class Jack T. Sweet









Hometown: Alexandria Bay, New York

Age: 19 years old

Died: February 8, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-2nd Battalion-22nd Infantry Regiment-1st Brigade Combat Team- 10th

Mountain Division (Light Infantry)-Fort Drum-New York

Incident: Killed when his vehicle encountered a makeshift bomb in Jawwalah.



Soldier Given a Fond Farewell (Watertown Daily Times, N.Y., Feb. 17, 2008)

ALEX BAY FUNERAL: Family, friends recall life of man who stirred smiles

By Nancy Madsen

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2008

ALEXANDRIA BAY — Family and friends remember Pfc. Jack T. Sweet as the child

catching tadpoles and leeches in the creek, eating glue or crayons in elementary school or

defending a classmate from bullying. They gathered to celebrate his life and mourn his

death Saturday at Alexandria Bay United Methodist Church. "You can't talk about Jack

without smiling," family friend Patricia S. Wagoner said.



Pfc. Sweet and her daughter Gabrielle grew up together playing in a nearby creek. One

time Mrs. Wagoner asked Pfc. Sweet what he had caught: "He held up a frog and said,

'Dinner!'" The laughter from the congregation was mixed with tears. About 150 people

attended the funeral, packing the sanctuary. Pfc. Sweet was buried in Barnes Settlement

Cemetery with military honors.



Pfc. Sweet, 19, of 46489 County Route 1, died Feb. 8 of injuries suffered in a roadside

bombing near Jawwalah, Iraq. He joined the Army in April and served with Fort Drum's

1st Brigade Combat Team's 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry. He was deployed in September.

During the service, a slide show of Pfc. Sweet scrolled through pictures of him as a baby,

a child in a laundry basket or sticking out a blue tongue, a youth with ducks or fish he'd

caught and a young man in uniform.



Maj. Gen. Michael L. Oates, commander of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division,

presented Pfc. Sweet's parents, Theresa Nester and Glenn O. Sweet, with posthumous

awards of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Lt. Col. Michael D. Charles, the chief

chaplain for the 10th Mountain Division, led the congregation in reading Psalm 23.

"We know from the teaching in the Scriptures that Jack is walking with God now," he

said.



The church's pastor, the Rev. Helen M. Beck, said she was drawn to Matthew 5:9 in

preparing for the service: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children

of God." The Rev. Ms. Beck said that when Pfc. Sweet died "he was on a peacekeeping

mission," protecting innocent men, women and children. "Peace is not an absence of war

but the presence of justice," she said.

To the family, she said, "I pray that all the words you have heard from your family and

friends will serve to strengthen you." Pfc. Sweet's stepbrother, Navy Petty Officer 2nd

Class Christopher Hawley, said he was overwhelmed by the support of the community.

"As a fellow serviceman, I have never felt so much pride," he said. "Jack is treasured as a

grandson, a son, a friend, a brother, and most of all, as a hero," Mr. Hawley said.

Then he turned to the flag-draped coffin and said, "Thank you, Jack." According to a

Navy tradition, he added, "I wish you fair winds and following seas."









COLLEEN WHITE / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

Pfc. Jack T. Sweet's casket is placed back into a hearse by Fort Drum soldiers Saturday following

his funeral at Alexandria Bay United Methodist Church. Pfc. Sweet, 19, was killed Feb. 8 in a

roadside bombing in Iraq.



Bay Pays Tribute to Soldier

Watertown Daily Times, N.Y., Feb. 15, 2008









NIKO J. KALLIANIOTIS / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

Alexandria Central School students and staff members stand along the school's driveway

Thursday afternoon as the hearse carrying the body of Pfc. Jack T. Sweet, 19, passes by with the

rest of the motorcade. He was killed in Iraq last Friday.





Specialist Kevin S. Mowl









Hometown: Pittsford, New York, U.S.

Age: 22 years old

Died: February 25, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment-3rd Stryker Brigade Combat

Team-2nd Infantry Division-Fort Lewis Washington

Incident: Died Feb. 25 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of

wounds suffered in Baghdad, on Aug. 2, 2007, when the vehicle he was in

encountered an a makeshift bomb.



A somber goodbye for Army hero

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, N.Y., March 1, 2008

Hundreds gathered in Pittsford today to remember Army Cpl. Kevin Mowl, a 22-year-old

from Pittsford who died Monday in a military hospital.



Mowl was critically wounded six months ago when an explosive went off in a storm

drain and flipped his vehicle in Baghdad. He died at the National Naval Medical Center

in Bethesda, Md., after part of his feeding tube broke and perforated his intestines,

leading to a serious infection.



During services at Nazareth College this morning, family spoke of a intelligent and

mischievous young man who came home from the Army with a sense of maturity and

compassion.



“Anyone who knew Kevin knew he would give up his life in an instant, not just for his

Army, but for his friends, his family, and many worthy causes,” said Mowl’s cousin,

Anthony Mowl. “It is a somber fact that every single person in this room will eventually

die. But few of us will lay down our lives in sacrifice for another.”









WILL YURMAN staff photographer

Pallbearers wheel the flag-draped coffin from the chapel after the funeral service for Kevin Mowl

on Saturday, March 1, 2008, at Nazareth College. Cpl. Mowl died Monday at a military hospital

in Maryland as a result of injuries suffered on duty in Iraq.









WILL YURMAN staff photographer

Kevin Mowl's family, his mother Mary, left, father Harold and sister Carlene, watch as his coffin

is brought into Linehan Chapel at Nazareth College on Saturday morning.





Sergeant Dayne D. Dhanoolal









Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Age: 26 years old

Died: March 31, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-2nd Battalion-69th Armor Regiment-3rd Brigade Combat Team-3rd

Infantry Division-Fort Benning-Georgia

Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad.



Army Sgt. Dayne D. Dhanoolal On the day Dayne D. Dhanoolal died, his wife, Kynesha,

checked her e-mail and read the last message he would ever send. "He told me, ''Kynesha,

I’m OK, I’ve just been real busy.'' He said, ''I love you.'' It was the last thing he said.

Then three hours later, he died," she said. Dhanoolal, 26, of New York City, was killed

March 31 in Baghdad by a roadside bomb.



He was assigned to Fort Benning. "He was the type of person that left a happy memory

wherever he went. No matter the situation he always tried to make the best of it," said his

sister, Darlene Dhanoolal. "We will forever remember his gigantic grin." Dhanoolal

emigrated from Trinidad with his family when he was 15 and settled in Brooklyn, where

he played soccer and enjoyed his Xbox.



"He was the greatest person I ever met," said his wife. "To know him was to love him. He

didn''t have an enemy in the world. He was simply the light of my life." Kynesha

Dhanoolal said she and her husband spoke all the time about having children. Now she

hopes to conceive his child through artificial insemination. "Having kids is all we talked

about," Dhanoolal said.

‘Greatest person I ever met’

By NALINEE SEELAL Sunday, April 6 2008









Fallen Trini Soldier & his wife Kynesha in happier times….



Sergeant Dayne Dhanoolal the Trinidadian soldier who was killed in Iraq, when a bomb

ripped through the vehicle he was traveling in on March 31, was looking forward to

returning to Trinidad later this year to enjoy his grandmother’s sada roti and tomato

choka which were his favorite meals.



Dhanoolal’s grandmother Sita was close to tears yesterday at her Maracas Valley home

while reminiscing about the times she spent with her 26-year-old grandson. She is still

unable to come to terms with his death. According to Sita, Dhanoolal left Trinidad for the

US in 1987, and he spoke to her a few times. “He was such a sweet child, always smiling,

and in the company of a lot of friends at Acono Road,” she said.



The ailing grandmother who is afflicted with diabetes and high blood pressure said that

while growing up, Dhanoolal spent a lot of time at her home and demanded his favorite

meal of sada roti and tomato choka a few times per week.



“He would say to me, mama, I want plata roti, which was the name he coined for sada

and tomato choka, and I never turned down his request,” she said.



She said relatives refused to tell her that Dayne or “No rain” as she fondly called him had

died. “I only found out on Thursday, that my grandchild died, and I have not had a good

night’s rest since,” said Sita. She said her son Sylvan left for the United States yesterday

to attend the funeral. Dhanoolal’s other sister Natalie lives in the United States.



Dhanoolal was staying in Brooklyn before being posted in Iraq. He was just three weeks

shy of returning home to the wife he’d barely seen since their marriage when he

volunteered for a dangerous mission in a Baghdad hot zone.



The soldier, admired by his men for his courage, wanted to be with them in case anything

bad happened. It did. A roadside bomb ripped through the Bradley M3 he was riding in

last Monday and killed him.



Later that day, Dhanoolal’s wife Kynesha, 28, checked her e-mail and read the last

message he would ever send. “He told me, Kynesha, I’m okay, I’ve just been real busy.

He said, ‘I love you.’ It was the last thing he said. Then three hours later, he died,” she

said.



“He was the greatest person I ever met,” Kynesha said emotionally. “To know him was to

love him. He didn’t have an enemy in the world. He was simply the light of my life.”

Dhanoolal, she said, emigrated from Trinidad with his mother when he was 15 and settled

in Brooklyn, where he went to school and played soccer and enjoyed his Xbox. He joined

the Army and was a combat engineer with the 3rd Brigade, stationed at Fort Benning,

Georgia, when he met Kynesha in April 2006.





Sergeant Merlin German









Hometown: Manhattan, New York

Age: 22 years old

Died: April 11, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Marines-5th Battalion-11th Marine Regiment-1st Marine Division-1st Marine

Expeditionary Force-Camp Pendleton-California

Incident: Died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Tex., from

wounds he suffered while conducting combat operations in Anbar Province.



Related Links:

Sgt. Merlin German, Marine burned in Iraq, dies (Newsday, May 2, 2008)

IRAQ: Miracle man (Los Angeles Times)

Marine Sgt. Merlin German's loved ones recall his life (New York Daily News, May 3,

2008)



Sgt. Merlin German, Marine burned in Iraq, dies

BY LAURA RIVERA | laura.rivera@newsday.com

May 2, 2008



More than a year after Sgt. Merlin German nearly died in a roadside bombing in Iraq, his

hands burned into nubs and his body in a wheelchair, he resolved to walk into his San

Antonio church on his own two feet.



His mother, Lourdes German, who had been "his hands and feet" since that day in

February 2005, worried but knew it would be so. "Everything he did, he did himself,"

Lourdes German, 54, said. "That parish was just overjoyed. The pastor even stopped

preaching to welcome Merlin."



Her vigil over her son ended April 11, when German, 22, died unexpectedly in San

Antonio after a surgery to graft skin onto his lip. "Even with pain in my heart, I have to

keep putting one foot in front of the other," she said.



German, a Marine who grew up in Washington Heights, had become a guiding light to

the rest of the service members in the burn unit at the Brooke Army Medical Center,

where he spent 17 months as an inpatient and underwent more than 100 surgeries, his

family said.

"This kid was not going to go down easy," said Norma Guerra, the hospital's deputy chief

of public affairs, who said German called her "his Texas mom." "He was a fighter. And

he used to motivate everybody else."



With his quick wit and dapper New York Yankees caps and jacket, German charmed

reticent new patients and, in time, drew visitors like President George W. Bush, Dennis

Miller and David Blaine, Guerra said. "He used to say, 'I'm going to look good every day

because I don't know if I'm going to be here tomorrow,'" she said.



Though his grandfather was a member of the military in the Dominican Republic, Merlin

was prohibited from playing with toy guns as a child, Lourdes said. Yet from age 11, he

was telling his brother, Ariel, he would become a Marine. "Part of me thought that he

would, but part of me didn't want him to," said Ariel, 25, of Orlando, Fla.



In 2001, when Lourdes retired from a job assembling dolls at a factory and her husband,

Hemery, retired as a carpenter, the couple moved to the Dominican Republic, but Merlin

and Ariel insisted on staying. Merlin graduated from Woodlands High School in

Westchester County in 2003 and enlisted in the Marine Corps that fall, at age 17.



He was deployed to Iraq in 2004. In February 2005, his convoy was hit by a makeshift

bomb in Anbar province, according to the Defense Department and family. German was

burned over 97 percent of his body - everywhere but the top of his head and the soles of

his feet.



In December 2006, during the hospital's annual holiday ball, he surprised Lourdes and

brought the crowd to tears when he asked her to dance. It was the first time Lourdes saw

him in dress blues. "He was real handsome ... with so many medals."



After his service, for which he received a Purple Heart, Merlin wanted to become an FBI

agent, his mother said. He also planned to establish a foundation to help child burn

victims. Donations can be mailed to an address on the foundation's Web site,

merlinsmiracles.com.









IRAQ: Miracle man









When Marine Sgt. Merlin German was burned over 97% of his body by a roadside bomb

explosion beneath a Humvee, military doctors -- who have learned to be realistic about

war zone injuries -- gave him only a 3% chance of survival.



But German was determined to prove them wrong. During 17 months as an inpatient at

Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, he underwent dozens of surgical

procedures. He spent another year as an outpatient.



Through it all, his indomitable spirit became an inspiration to other wounded and burned

military personnel. He was dubbed the "Miracle Man" and succeeded in not only learning

to walk but to dance. His laugh and high spirits became legend.

The Pentagon announced this week that German, 22, died in April during what had been

expected to be a routine surgery.

He was attached to the 5th battalion, 11th Regiment, part of the Camp Pendleton-based

1st Marine Expeditionary Force, when he was injured on Feb. 22, 2005, just outside

Ramadi. He was two weeks from coming home.



"If Merlin were here today, there is no doubt what he would say: Fight through, stay

strong and overcome _ because we are warriors," Army Brig. Gen. James Gilman,

commander of the Brooke center, told the San Antonio Express-News after German's

death.



Gilman's words were taken from a T-shirt that German wore as he encouraged other

patients to never give up.

—Tony Perry, in San Diego

Photo: Marine Sgt. Merlin German. Photo Credit: Associated Press

Marine Sgt. Merlin German's loved ones recall his life

BY JOE GOULD and LEO STANDORA

DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Saturday, May 3rd 2008, 4:00 AM



German was badly burned in the attack. There was a heartbreaking high school reunion in

Westchester Friday night - because the class hero couldn't make it. Friends and former

classmates of Marine Sgt. Merlin German swapped stories and shared memories of the

Iraq War veteran, who was horribly burned by a roadside bomb and lost his valiant three-

year fight for life last month.



Among more than 100 friends and relatives gathered in the Woodlands High School

auditorium in Hartsdale was school counselor Joe Foy, who said, "We're here to honor

Merlin's spirit and let everyone know we honor him for his service and legacy."

"Personally, in 17 years, I've never seen one student make such impact on the student

body," said Foy, adding that German was known for his humor, confidence and an oddly

endearing touch of arrogance.



"He didn't have a date for the senior prom," Foy said with a smile, "but he said it was

okay because, 'I'll dance with someone else's date.' And you know, he didn't dance alone

all night."



Dubbed "Miracle Man" because he survived burns to 97% of his body, German endured

150 operations only to die at age 22 after a procedure to replace skin under his lip.

Friday night, the school auditorium was filled with pictures of German, who was born in

Washington Heights and moved to Hartsdale as a teen, at various stages of his life.



Longtime buddy Jedd Chesterson remembered German as a man always concerned about

the welfare of his friends. "I visited him in the hospital in Texas," said Chesterson. "There

was this guy burned all over his body, and all he could talk about was problems I had

with my girlfriend."



German was wounded in February 2005 when Iraqi insurgents blew up his Humvee.

Although given just a 3% chance of survival, German astounded his doctors by fighting

back and recovering to the point that he was able to leave intensive care and walk on his

own.



He was awarded a Purple Heart and became an inspiration to other wounded warriors and

a beloved figure at the Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas.

Wearing his Yankee hat, German made wisecracks and blared hip-hop music to cheer up

the other patients, and started a foundation called Merlin's Miracles to help burned

children.



Information on the charity can be found at www.merlinsmiracles.com.

Lance Corporal Jordan C. Haerter









Hometown: Sag Harbor, New York

Age: 9 years old

Died: April 22, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Marines-1st Battalion-9th Marine Regiment-2nd Marine Division-II Marine

Expeditionary Force-Camp Lejeune-N.C.

Incident: Killed while conducting combat operations in Anbar Province.





Sag Harbor Mourns A Marine

East Hampton Star, N.Y., May 1, 2008



Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter, 19, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., died April 22 from wounds

suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Haerter was

assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine

Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Jordan was born July 30, 1988 in

Southampton, NY.



He was the only child of, and is survived by his parents JoAnn Lyles and Christian

Haerter of Sag Harbor, NY. He attended school in Sag Harbor and graduated from

Pierson High School along with his beloved Class of 2006. Jordan entered the Marine

Corps directly after high school. In Boot Camp he earned the qualification as Platoon

High Shooter in his Alpha Company. He was a member of the Fiercely Proud and Storied

1st Battalion, 9th Marines also known as "The Walking Dead".



He has been awarded the Purple Heart for his actions in Iraq along with the Combat

Action Ribbon, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National

Defense Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Along with his Military

Honors, Jordan was presented with with a Southhampton Town Police Department

Badge, and a Sag Harbor Police Department Gold Badge. He had a wide circle of friends

in Sag Harbor who remember him for his infectious smile, quick-witted humor with dry

delivery and his kind and gentle demeanor. He took flying lessons and soloed at age 16

prior to obtaining his driver's license.



Sag Harbor, NY - United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jordan Christian Haerter,

age 19, was killed in action April 22, 2008, in Ramadi, Iraq, by a suicide bomber intent

on killing the 33 Marines in the compound that he was protecting. Also killed was Marine

Corporal Jonathan Yale, 21.



Jordan was born July 30, 1988 in Southampton, NY. He was the only child of, and is

survived by his parents JoAnn Lyles and Christian Haerter of Sag Harbor, NY. He

attended school in Sag Harbor and graduated from Pierson High School along with his

beloved Class of 2006.



Jordan entered the Marine Corps directly after high school. In boot camp he earned the

qualification as Platoon High Shooter in his Alpha Company. He was a member of the

fiercely proud and storied 1st Battalion, 9th Marines also known as the "The Walking

Dead". He has been awarded the Purple Heart for his actions in Iraq along with the

Combat Action Ribbon, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the

National Defense Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.



Along with his military honors, Jordan was presented with with a Southampton Town

Police Department Badge, and a Sag Harbor Police Department Gold Badge.

He had a wide circle of friends in Sag Harbor who remember him for his infectious smile,

quick-witted humor with dry delivery and his kind and gentle demeanor. He took flying

lessons and soloed at age 16 prior to obtaining his driver's license.



He is survived by his grandparents, Oma Lilly Haerter of Sag Harbor; Grandma Eleanor

Lyles and Grampa John Lyles of Fort Mill, SC. He is also survived by 15 aunts and

uncles: Donna and Tom Bottle, Greene, NY; Gail and Bubi Tello, Athens, GA; Kenneth

Lyles, Patchogue, NY; Karl and Candace Lyles; Rock Hill, SC, Sonja and Jon Coleman,

Lansing, MI; Karin Haerter, Brooklyn, NY; Steven Haerter, Jacksonville Beach, FL;

Martin and Barbara Haerter, East Northport, NY; Ursula Haerter and Michael Gamache,

Tolland, CT; and 13 cousins: T.J. Bottle, Cortland, NY; Kyle Sanders, Greene, NY;

Amanda Bottle, Nyack, NY; Kelly Sanders, Buffalo, NY; Emily Bottle, Greene, NY;

Jennifer Tello, Newark, NJ; Katie and Anna Tello, Athens, GA; Sydney Lyles,

Lexington, SC and Gretchen Simon, Rock Hill, SC. Jessica, Max and Freida Haerter;

East Northport, NY.



Yardley & Pino Funeral Directors, Sag Harbor, NY, has charge of the arrangements.





Spc. Anthony L. Mangano



Hometown: Greenlawn, New York

Age: 36 years old

Died: June 21, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Unit: Army National Guard-2nd Squadron-101st Cavalry

Incident: Killed when his vehicle encountered a makeshift bomb and small arms fire

in Kandahar City.



Greenlawn, Queens soldiers killed in Afghanistan attack

BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO | alfonso.castillo@newsday.com

11:27 AM EDT, June 25, 2008









Spc. Anthony L. Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn,

with two children in Afghanistan.



A New York Army National Guard soldier from Greenlawn who had chosen to re-enlist

and another from Queens were among four U.S. troops killed in an attack in Afghanistan

on Saturday, Defense Department officials said Tuesday.



Spc. Anthony L. Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn, and Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of South

Ozone Park, died after their vehicle was hit by a bomb and came under small-arms fire,

according to a U.S. Department of Defense statement released Tuesday.



"He loved his country more than anything, and he wanted to do something to make it

safer," Mangano's mother, Constance, said last night outside the Irving Place home she

shared with Anthony, across the street from her other son, Michael.



Also killed were Sgt. Nelson D. Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, of Revere, Mass., and Lt. Col.

James J. Walton, 41, of Rockville, Md.

Mangano, Seabrooks and Rodriguez Ramirez were all members of 2nd Squadron, 101st

Cavalry of the New York National Guard, based in upstate Geneva.



Constance Mangano said she last spoke with her son Friday, hours before he was killed.

She said her son looked forward to visiting his wife, Tatiana, in Brazil during a leave next

month. The two married in December after dating for several years.



Constance Mangano said her son worked in construction and had been an officer in the

upstate Cairo Police Department when her family lived in the Catskills. He looked

forward to returning to a law enforcement career in Florida, she said.



Anthony Mangano, who has an associate degree from upstate Columbia-Greene

Community College, first served in the National Guard in 1991 and chose to re-enlist last

year for another three-year tour.



Mangano was posthumously promoted to sergeant, his mother said. He is also survived

by his sister, Jeanne Renneberg, 45. His father, Leonard, died in 2002.



Seabrooks' relatives could not be reached Tuesday night.



As of Tuesday, at least 461 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan,

Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001,

according to the Defense Department.



DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were

supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died June 21 in Kandahar City,

Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive

device and small arms fire.

Killed were:

Lt. Col. James J. Walton, 41, of Rockville, Md., who was assigned to a Military

Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Spc. Anthony L. Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn, N.Y., who was assigned to 2nd Squadron,

101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army

National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.



Sgt. Nelson D. Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, of Revere, Mass., who was assigned to 2nd

Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New

York Army National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.



Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of Queens, N.Y., who was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 101st

Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army

National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.



For more information on Walton, media may contact the Fort Riley public affairs office

at (785) 239-3410. For more information on Mangano, Rodriguez Ramirez and

Seabrooks, media may contact the New York National Guard public affairs office at

(518) 786-4581.



Greenlawn soldier would not be denied chance to serve

BY MARTIN C. EVANS | martin.evans@newsday.com

June 26, 2008



When Spc. Anthony Mangano rejoined the New York Army National Guard last year,

signing on with the "Fighting 69th" Infantry Division, the storied unit had already filled

all its slots for its planned deployment to Afghanistan. But Mangano, of Greenlawn, was

not to be denied.



So Mangano searched for other units still needing war volunteers, transferred to the

Guard's 101st Cavalry and deployed with them in April.

Mangano, who originally served with the 69th Infantry's "C" company, was serving with

the 101st Cavalry when he and three other U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush in

Afghanistan Saturday. He became the 36th Long Islander killed in action in Afghanistan

or Iraq. [CORRECTIONS: Spc. Anthony Mangano, who was killed in an ambush

Saturday in Afghanistan, rejoined the New York Army National Guard last year, signing

on with the 69th Infantry Regiment. The unit was incorrect in a story yesterday. (A13

ALL 6/27/2008)]



"He easily could have sat back and said, 'I'll let someone else go,'" said Sgt. Paul

Hoovler, of upstate Cairo, who served as Mangano's team leader until last year, while the

four-to-five member team was in training. "But he manned up and volunteered to go

himself, and that is how he will be remembered."



Also killed were Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks of South Ozone Park; and Sgt. Nelson

Rodriguez-Ramirez of Revere, Mass.



The fourth U.S. troop fatality was Lt. Col James Walton; of Rockville, Md. Walton

served with the 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley in Kansas.



Hoovler said he last saw Mangano at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, in April, days before

he left for Afghanistan. Mangano, 36, was with his wife, Tatiana, who had come from her

home in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to say goodbye.



Mangano's mother, Constance Mangano, said her son spoke of his affection for

Afghanistan's children, and that he often would treat them to candy bars and lollipops.



She said the U.S. military has provided only scant information to her regarding the details

of his military service.



More than 6,500 members of the New York Army National Guard have served in Iraq

and Afghanistan and 26 guardsmen had been killed, all of them in Iraq until Saturday's

deaths. A Guard spokesman said an earlier statement that Mangano was posthumously

promoted was in error.



Hoovler described Mangano, 36, as a confident, outspoken jujitsu expert known for a

thick Long Island accent, who put aside a solid construction business to rejoin the Guard.

"It was just him wanting to do his part and serve his country," Hoovler said. "In his mind,

he could do anything."



Three NY-based soldiers die in Afghanistan

by staff

Tuesday June 24, 2008, 5:06 PM



Three New York National Guard soldiers from beyond Central New York were killed in

Afghanistan Saturday, the Pentagon announced today. They were among four soldiers

who died in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle hit an

improvised explosive device and from small arms fire.



Killed were:



Spc. Anthony L. Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn in Suffolk County, who was assigned to

2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition),

New York Army National Guard, Geneva.



Sgt. Nelson D. Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, of Revere, Mass., from the same unit.



Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of Queens, N.Y., from the same unit.

Lt. Col. James J. Walton, 41, of Rockville, Md., who was assigned to a Military

Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.



Two New York National Guardsmen killed in ambush in Afghanistan

BY EDGAR SANDOVAL and LEO STANDORA

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Updated Wednesday, June 25th 2008, 7:33 AM









Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks Sgt. Anthony Mangano



Insurgents ambushed and killed two New York National Guardsmen as they headed to

train police officers in southern Afghanistan, Defense Department officials said Tuesday.

A roadside bomb ripped apart an armored vehicle carrying Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks of

Queens and Sgt. Anthony Mangano of Long Island on the outskirts of Kandahar

Saturday, the military said.



The insurgents then riddled the vehicle with small arms fire. Two other Guardsmen were

killed in the attack. The solders were with A Troop, Second Squadron, 101st Cavalry,

based in Geneva, Ontario County. They were part of Combined Joint Task Force

Phoenix, a multinational force of more than 8,000 U.S. and NATO service personnel

training the Afghan Army and police.



"We in the military understand that we may be called upon to pay the ultimate sacrifice,"

said Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, commander of the New York Army National Guard.

"These three members of the Army National Guard died carrying out an important

mission: training the Afghan forces to stand against elements that would return their

country to the dark ages.



We are proud of them, and we will never forget them." Seabrooks, 36, joined the New

York Army National Guard in March 1994 and was assigned to Company G of the 427th

Brigade Support Battalion in Jamaica, Queens, before deployment to Afghanistan last

year. His widow and two of his children live in Newport News,Va. Seabrooks' friend

Glory Hedges, 22, said he did a tour in Iraq and volunteered in January to go to

Afghanistan to save his family's home in South Ozone Park from foreclosure with his

pay. Hedges, her son with Seabrooks, Xavier, 4, Seabrook's older sister Melissa, brothers

Jeffrey and Willie, and another son Andrew, 15, all live in the house.



"He wanted to secure a home for his children," said Hedges, who vowed to do everything

she can to keep the house. "It was his wish. I can't let it go." "I've lost my best friend and

my son lost his father," she said, her eyes misting. "But he's not going anywhere. He's

still here in my heart and in my mind." Andrew Seabrooks said his dad was a role model

who made sure he and his friends walked the straight and narrow.



One of his favorite memories is of playing handball with his father. "He loved that

game," the teen said, "He was a great father. He was a wonderful guy." Neighbors also

remembered Seabrooks, known on the block as Drew, as a friendly, family-oriented man

who loved to tinker with the five Volkswagens he owned. "We all kind of groaned when

he went to Afghanistan, but not Drew," said his friend Kelvin Willks, 48. "He loved what

he was doing."



Jacqueline Small, 79, said Seabrooks was devoted to sister Melissa, who has Down

syndrome. Mangano, 36, joined the New York Army National Guard in August 1991 and

subsequently reenlisted. His mother, Constance, 67, said her son, who owns a

construction company in Greene County, was due to leave the service in December and

"was looking forward to a normal life" with his wife of just six months, Tatiana, 34.

Speaking in the living room of her Greenlawn home, the mother opened a letter her son

left behind. "This explains better than I can why he was there," she said. It read in part:

"The most important to understand is this was my choice to go fight and die in the name

of the United States of America, to defend the greatest country in the world."



"He was brave. He had a good heart. He worked hard and honestly I feel like he's a

hero. I'm going to miss him so much," his mother said. A brother and a stepsister also

survive Mangano.



His wife, whom he met on a vacation to South America three years ago and planned to

settle down with in Florida, lives in Brazil. Mangano's mom said she was "hysterical"

over the death. Mangano was promoted posthumously from specialist to sergeant.

esandoval@nydailynews.com





New York National Guard Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan

One Soldier from Queens, One from Long Island

Last Edited: Wednesday, 25 Jun 2008, 6:44 PM EDT

Created: Wednesday, 25 Jun 2008, 5:38 PM EDT

By Arun Kristian Das

MyFox New York



MYFOXNY.COM -- Three soldiers from the New York Army National Guard were

among four troops killed in an attack in Afghanistan on June 21, the Pentagon said.

Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of South Ozone Park, Queens; Spc. Anthony Mangano, 36,

of Greenlawn, Long Island; Spc. Nelson Rodriguez-Ramirez, 22, of Revere, Mass.; and

Lt. Col. James Walton, 41, of Rockville, Md., died outside Kandahar when their vehicle

hit an improvised explosive device and they came under enemy fire.



Seabrooks, Mangano, and Rodriguez-Ramirez were assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 101st

Cavalry of the New York Army National Guard, based out of Geneva, N.Y. Gov. David

Paterson ordered flags at all state buildings lowered to half staff on June 27 in their

honor. Walton was assigned to the Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry

Division, based out of Fort Riley, Kan.



"On behalf of the citizens of New York I want to express my deepest regret at the loss of

these three members of the New York Army National Guard," Governor Paterson said in

a statement. "These brave soldiers fought to protect their State and Nation and it is with

terrible sadness but also tremendous pride that we remember their sacrifice. Our hearts go

out to their families and their fellow soldiers."



Seabrooks, a father of six, had signed up for another tour of combat duty to help save his

childhood home, which was in foreclosure, according to a New York Post report.

"I didn't want him to go, but he was a very strong man," Danisha Frazier, 34, the mother

of his eldest son, told the Post.



"Sgt. Seabrooks was a brave man who fought for his country and his family at home,"

said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, in a statement. "Like so many members

of the armed forces from Queens who have died in the line of duty, he has left us with a

debt that we can never repay."



Meantime, Mangano's family in Suffolk County mourned the loss of their loved one.

"He loved his country more than anything, and he wanted to do something to make it

safer," Mangano's mother, Constance, told Newsday. Mangano had served in the National

Guard in 1991 and chose to re-enlist last year for another three-year tour.



The soldiers were part of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix, a multinational force of

more than 8,000 U.S. and NATO service personnel training the Afghan National Army

and Police, according to the governor's office. They were on their way to a training

location when insurgents ambushed them.

Spc. Anthony Mangano Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks of Queens was killed in

(courtesy Newsday) Afghanistan.





Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks



Hometown: Queens, New York

Age: 36 years old

Died: June 21, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Unit: Army National Guard-2nd Squadron-101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance,

Surveillance and Target Acquisition)-New York Army National Guard- Geneva-

New York

Incident: Killed when his vehicle encountered a makeshift bomb and small arms fire

in Kandahar City.



Slain soldier from Queens was 'man of the house'

BY CARL MACGOWAN | carl.macgowan@newsday.com

June 26, 2008









Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of South Ozone Park, was killed with three other soldiers in

Afghanistan on Saturday, June 21. (Courtesy: Department of Defense)



As the son of a single mother, Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks of South Ozone Park was the man

of the house from a young age and a surrogate dad to his siblings, including a sister with

Down syndrome.



Seabrooks, 36, an Army National Guard mechanic who was killed by a roadside bomb

and small-arms fire Saturday in Kandahar, Afghanistan, volunteered to serve in Iraq four

years ago to earn extra money when the family's home on 133rd Street faced foreclosure,

family members said Wednesday. "His words were, 'If I were to die in Iraq, please take

care of my sister and save the house,'" said a cousin, Clintso Armstrong, 28, of South

Ozone Park.



Seabrooks had been in Afghanistan about six months and was about to come home for a

week next month, they said. Seabrooks, a member of the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry of

the New York National Guard, based in upstate Geneva, was killed with three other

troopers when their vehicle came under attack, Defense Department officials said

Tuesday. Also killed were Sgt. Anthony Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn; Sgt. Nelson

Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, of Revere, Mass.; and Lt. Col. James Walton, 41, of Rockville,

Md.



Seabrooks called home Friday night, just hours before he died. "He told me he was

coming home," said a friend, Gloria Hedges, 22, who lives at Seabrooks' home. "That

was the last time I talked to him." In civilian life, Seabrooks worked as a mechanic at his

home and drove an independent cab, family members said.



After learning of his death on Sunday, Hedges and Seabrooks' family set up a makeshift

memorial with candles, flowers and handwritten messages on his favorite handball court

at a nearby playground. Yesterday, Hedges and Armstrong wore T-shirts they had made

in Seabrooks' honor.



Seabrooks was the father of six children, two of whom live with Seabrooks' estranged

wife, Kim, in Virginia. Attempts to reach her yesterday were unsuccessful. His youngest,

Xavier, 4, lived with him, while his other children, ranging in age to 16, lived elsewhere

in the city. Neighbors said Seabrooks was well-liked and generous.



"He was always helping people," said Vin Chen, 48, who lives across the street. "I can't

say anything bad about him." Seabrooks joined the Army 17 years ago and served as

head of the household after his mother died in 2005, family members said. Armstrong

said Seabrooks' death was devastating.



"You watch TV every day and see things and you just want the war to stop," he said.

"You lost a family man, a good guy." Hedges said she and Seabrooks mostly discussed

family issues and news from home when he called. She said they rarely discussed the

war. "You already know it's a horror," she said.



Hedges had hoped to see him on her birthday, July 4, she said. She described Seabrooks

as "genuine." "I just can't wait to bury him so I know he's at peace," she said.



Queens Soldier Killed In Action In Afghanistan

by Lee Landor, Assistant Editor

06/26/2008



A South Ozone Park soldier was one of three New York Army National Guardsmen

killed in Afghanistan on June 21 during an ambush by insurgents, Defense Department

officials said.



Sgt. Andrew (Drew) Seabrooks, Sgt. Anthony Magnano of Long Island and Specialist

Nelson Rodriguez-Ramirez of Revere, Mass., were killed en route to southern

Afghanistan to train officers when a roadside bomb exploded and destroyed their armored

vehicle, which was then attacked by insurgents using small arms fire. A fourth man, Lt.

Col. James Walton of the 1st Infantry Division — which was part of a task force on a

training mission in the area — was riding in the vehicle and was also killed.



The soldiers were assigned to A Troop, Second Squadron, 101st Cavalry based in

Geneva, Ontario County. They were part of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix, a multi-

national force of more than 8,000 U.S. and NATO service personnel training the Afghan

National Army and Police. “We in the military understand that we may be called upon to

pay the ultimate sacrifice, but we are always saddened when comrades in arms make

those sacrifices,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, commander of the New York Army

National Guard. “These three members of the Army National Guard died carrying out an

important mission: training the Afghan forces to stand against the elements that would

return their country to the dark ages. We are proud of them and we will never forget

them.”



Seabrooks, 36, joined the New York Army National Guard in March 1994 and was

assigned to Company G of the 427th Brigade Support Battalion in Jamaica, Queens

before his deployment to Afghanistan in January. He is survived by his wife and two

children who live in Newport News, Va., and two sons, two brothers and a sister who live

in Queens. Seabrooks lived with his friend Gloria Hedges, 22, their 4-year-old son,

Xavier, and his older sister, Melissa, in a house on 133rd Street in South Ozone Park.

The family was in danger of losing the home to foreclosure, but Seabrooks volunteered in

January to go to Afghanistan and use his pay to save the house in which he was born and

raised, Hedges said. “He wanted to keep our family together. He was a loyal man.

Whatever he did, he was loyal to it.” A family friend agreed. “There’s only one Drew,”

he said. “If you needed him, he was there.” Now that he’s gone, “the community is

devastated.”



As reporters and news vans swarmed the house Wednesday, Hedges remained calm and

tried to devote several minutes to everyone. “I love the fact that people want to know

about him and the press wants to put it out there, so they know the type of man he was,”

she said. “I want everyone to know he was a hero. He was a family person, that he was

into taking care of his responsibilities.”



In addition to this, Hedges wants to spread the message that “this war that we have going

on ... is breaking apart a lot of families. It’s basically a bunch of nonsense that needs to be

fixed before someone else has to suffer from losing a loved one.”



A friend of Seabrooks for about eight or nine years, Hedges was very close to Drew, as

friends and family members called him. She can’t bring herself to telling Xavier that his

father is gone. “It’s a painful thing,” she said. “It’s a terrible situation for any family to go

through. It’s a horror.”



Gov. David Paterson has directed that flags on state government buildings throughout

New York be flown at half-staff Friday, June 27, in honor of the soldiers. “I want to

express my deepest regret at the loss of these three members of the New York Army

National Guard,” Paterson said.



“These brave soldiers fought to protect their state and nation and it is with terrible

sadness, but also tremendous pride, that we remember their sacrifice. Our hearts go out to

their families and their fellow soldiers.”



The governor awarded all three soldiers the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross,

which recognizes honorable wartime service. Magnano was promoted posthumously to

sergeant from specialist.



More than 6,500 members of the New York Army National Guard have served in Iraq

and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. Since then, 23 have been killed in action in Iraq

and three in Afghanistan.



Army Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks

36, of Queens, N.Y.; assigned to 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance,

Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.;

died June 21 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle

encountered an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. Also killed were Lt.

Col. James J. Walton, Spc. Anthony L. Mangano and Sgt. Nelson D. Ramirez Rodriguez.



The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were

supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died June 21 in Kandahar City,

Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive

device and small arms fire.



Killed were:

Lt. Col. James J. Walton, 41, of Rockville, Md., who was assigned to a Military

Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.



Spc. Anthony L. Mangano, 36, of Greenlawn, N.Y., who was assigned to 2nd Squadron,

101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army

National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.

Sgt. Nelson D. Rodriguez Ramirez, 22, of Revere, Mass., who was assigned to 2nd

Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New

York Army National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.



Sgt. Andrew Seabrooks, 36, of Queens, N.Y., who was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 101st

Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New York Army

National Guard, Geneva, N.Y.



For more information on Walton, media may contact the Fort Riley public affairs office

at (785) 239-3410.



For more information on Mangano, Rodriguez Ramirez and Seabrooks, media may

contact the New York National Guard public affairs office at (518) 786-4581



Fallen Soldier Remembered By Friends, Family In Queens

June 25, 2008

Governor David Paterson ordered flags across the state to be flown at half staff this

Friday in honor of three New York Army national guardsmen killed in action in

Afghanistan.



One of the guardsmen, Sergeant Andrew Seabrooks of South Ozone Park Queens, put

himself in harm's way hoping to save his family home.



At the court where Andrew Seabrooks spent countless hours playing handball, candles

burned Wednesday in his honor. Friends and family stopped by to write him a final

goodbye.



"A great human being, never started no trouble, if I needed help, he was there," said

friend James Frazier. "He was a team player regardless of whatever the situation was, and

he was down for his kids," said Gloria Hedges, his niece. "His kids were his world."



Seabrooks, a father of five, died last Friday in Afghanistan when the humvee he was

driving hit a roadside bomb. Relatives say he was not keen on going into the war zone,

but volunteered to help stop the South Ozone Park home, where he lived with several

relatives, from going into foreclosure. He planned to come home for a week for the

Fourth of July and had just been home in April to spend time with his family.



"He didn't really want to go back and he knew he had to because he had to finish out his

term," said his cousin Clintson Armstrong. "He's not home now, so it's sad." Seabrooks

had a passion for cars. His six Volkswagens sit in his driveway. "He liked customizing

cars," said friend Carlos Vega. "We did it all day. We just finished his car."



When Vega started his own business, he gave Seabrooks a job installing stereos and

alarms. He remembers the last time they saw each other.



"We took pictures the day he left," recalled Vega. "He said, 'Carlos I'm coming home.' I

said 'Promise you come home.' He said 'As long as I have enough bullets and ammo, I'm

coming home.'"



Family members say Seabrooks will likely be buried in Virginia, where his widow and

two of his children live. In the meantime, they're working to save the home that he died

fighting for.



- Anthony Pascale

Specialist Mark C. Palmateer









Hometown: Poughkeepsie, New York

Age: 38 years old

Died: June 26, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Unit: Army National Guard-2nd Squadron-101st Cavalry Regiment

(Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition)-NY Army National Guard

Incident: Killed when the convoy he was riding in encountered makeshift bombs,

small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.



Local soldier honored in Dutchess, Afghanistan

'He's my hero,' daughter says of father killed in Afghanistan









Spc. Mark Palmateer, right, with Sgt. 1st Class Joseph McKay, 51, of Queens,

were friends who died together. (Courtesy photo)



Today, Dutchess County Executive William R. Steinhaus directed all Dutchess County

Government facility flags shall be set at half mast to honor Spc. Mark C. Palmateer, who

was killed in Afghanistan Thursday.



“Our prayers and condolences are with the family of the Specialist Palmateer,” Steinhaus

said in a press release. “We will be forever grateful for his service to our country.” Flags

will remain at half-mast until his funeral service has concluded. Funeral plans have not

yet been finalized.



A memorial ceremony was held on Monday for four U.S. service members assigned to

Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix who were killed last week as a result of combat

operations in Afghanistan.



Spc. Mark C. Palmateer, 38, of Poughkeepsie, who was assigned to the 2nd Squadron,

101st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition), New

York Army National Guard, Jamestown, was among those honored.



“What links these four men together – Marine and soldiers – is their devotion to duty and

the ideal of a greater good,” said Col. Brian K. Balfe, commander, Combined Joint Task

Force Phoenix, to more than 200 U.S. and coalition service members and distinguished

guests in attendance.



“They each pursued the accomplishment of mission despite the danger that lay in front of

them. Each spoke to us with their actions, which for these four honorable men clearly

speak louder than any words. They truly cleared the way for all of us here today,” said

Balfe. Representatives of the Afghan National Army and the Camp Phoenix-based

French and Romanian detachments were present.



As Stephanie Palmateer turns 20 today, her thoughts will not be on the milestone of her

young life, but of the sudden loss of her father, Spc. Mark Palmateer, killed in an attack

in Afghanistan. "It's going to be hard," said Stephanie Palmateer, of North Creek, Warren

County. "I'm going to try to think of all the good memories I have of him." The

Hughsonville native was killed in Afghanistan Thursday. The 38-year-old was the first

Dutchess County man to be killed in action in that country.



Stephanie Palmateer said her father was a really happy-go-lucky person.

"He made the best out of every situation," she said. "I just thought about how much he

loved me and loved his family and everybody around him."

He also had eight brothers and sisters, many nieces and nephews dealing with the tragic

loss. "He was 'Uncle Mark' to all the kids," his daughter said. Mark Palmateer was always

there for everybody, his daughter said. Mark Palmateer and his father had a close

relationship, just as Stephanie Palmateer had with her father, she said. "The distance

didn't come into our relationship," she recalled.



Others remember him for his dedication to his family and country. In a phone interview

from her home in Denham Springs, La., Mark Palmateer's sister, Cathy Roule, recalled

how he had talked for a while about joining the National Guard, then made a final

decision shortly before he enlisted at age 33. "When he told everybody, we were just so

proud of him," she said. "He's my hero."



He and two other soldiers died from wounds suffered near Forward Operating Base

Shank in the rural Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan, when their convoy was hit with

improvised explosive devices, small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, according

to a release from the U.S. Department of Defense. It reached 95 degrees that day in the

area known for farming.



Gov. David Paterson directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-

staff Thursday in honor of Mark Palmateer, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph McKay, 51, of Cambria

Heights, Queens, and a Monroe County Marine who was killed in Iraq. McKay was the

other New York soldier who was killed alongside Palmateer. Mark Palmateer was

assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance

and Target Acquisition), New York Army National Guard, Jamestown, Chautauqua

County.



Motivated by 9/11

Sgt. Patrick Donovan said he and Palmateer became friends in the National Guard in

2004. He said he was struck by Palmateer's decision to join the National Guard in

response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "He just wanted to do his part," Donovan said.

"He wasn't eager to go to war, but he said, 'If they need me, I'll go.' " Donovan said he

and Palmateer shared a bond because they were much older than the other recruits.

"It was always a dream of his to join the Army," Donovan said.



Donovan called Palmateer's daughter, Stephanie, "his biggest motivation." "He was just

always very proud of her," Donovan said. "He talked about her all the time." Roule said

the family hopes to hold funeral arrangements July 10 or 11 in Wappingers Falls or

Poughkeepsie, but won't be able to set firm plans yet.

Reach Jenny Lee at leeja@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4835. Reach Greg

Marano at gmarano@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4809.



Afghanistan war reality hits home

Soldier with local ties among 5 state Guard troops killed recently

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer

First published: Tuesday, July 1, 2008

In an e-mail from Afghanistan, National Guard Spc. Mark C. Palmateer confided to his

daughter, Stephanie, that he was about to embark on a dangerous convoy mission to Kabul.

"He just kept telling her things were getting real bad over there," Palmateer's ex-wife,

Kimberly Smith, said Monday from North Creek, Warren County.



As Smith spoke, Stephanie Palmateer, who turns 20 today, was driving from North Creek

to the Poughkeepsie area to grieve her father's death with relatives. Mark Palmateer, 38,

of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County, was one of three National Guardsmen killed

Thursday by an improvised explosive device, small arms fire and rocket-propelled

grenades in eastern Afghanistan.









This undated photo displayed on National

Guard Spc. Mark C. Palmateer's MySpace

page shows Palmateer with a local police

chief in Afghanistan. (Times Union)



The killings are part of an escalation of violence in Afghanistan, where at least 45

coalition troops were killed in June, including the first five New York Army National

Guard soldiers to die in the 7-year conflict. June also marked the second consecutive

month in which militants killed more U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan than in

Iraq, a grim milestone that analysts say underscores the Taliban's growing strength.



Also killed in last week's attack near Forward Operating Base Shank in Logar Province

was Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. McKay, 51, of Queens, and Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Hilton,

37, of Michigan, who served in that state's National Guard.



The state Division of Military and Naval Affairs announced the casualties Sunday.

The three deaths followed an enemy ambush on June 21 outside Kandahar that killed

three New York Army National Guard soldiers, including Spc. Anthony Mangano, who

trained the last two years in Leeds, Greene County. Services for Mangano were held

Monday in Suffolk County, where he grew up.



"Once again the members of the New York Army National Guard are mourning the loss

of brave soldiers who died defending their country and trying to help the people of

Afghanistan," said Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, state adjutant general and commander of the

New York National Guard.



More than 1,700 New York National Guard members, including about 200 Capital

Region soldiers, have been training the Afghan army and police since April.

There are 32,000 U.S. troops in the country, including 14,000 serving with NATO forces

and another 18,000 conducting training and counterinsurgency.



Since the beginning of the year, 62 American troops have been killed in Afghanistan,

more than the number killed in each of the first four years of the war. The figure is on

target to top last year's toll of 117 U.S. service members killed.



In Iraq, at least 31 international soldiers died in June: 29 U.S. troops and one each from

the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan. There are 144,000 U.S. troops in

Iraq and 4,000 British forces and small contingents from other nations, according to The

Associated Press.



United Nations figures indicate that civilian deaths in Afghanistan have surged more than

60 percent this year, with 698 deaths in the first six months, compared to 430 in the same

time period in 2007, The Associated Press reported Monday. And a Pentagon report

released Friday said Taliban forces have regrouped since being forced from power in

Afghanistan, and attacks are likely to increase this year. The report stated that the training

of the Afghan army and police was progressing slowly.



The recent increase in coalition deaths could be the result of progress in a country that

has been home to the Taliban, al-Qaida and other Muslim extremist groups, coalition

spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Fanning said by phone from Kabul. Newly trained Afghan army

and national police units are increasingly rooting out enemy strongholds with American

forces, and they sometimes encounter resistance, he said.

"It's dangerous over here," Fanning said. "That's really the bottom line."

According to the Pentagon, Palmateer and McKay were members of B Troop, 2nd

Squadron, 101st Cavalry based in Chautauqua County. McKay was born on the Fourth of

July and is survived by a wife, a daughter and two sons. He had also served in Iraq.

Palmateer was posthumously promoted to sergeant. He moved back to Wappingers Falls

from North Creek around 1994 and joined the National Guard in 2003. He will be buried

next Friday in Wappingers Falls.



"He was just an amazing person, really funny, a jokester," Stephanie Palmateer said in a

phone interview. "He made the absolute best out of every situation." She recalled that her

father made videos of himself dancing with local Afghans. "If I could give any advice to

kids, I would say that if you have a parent over there, keep in the best touch you can.

Because I'm really thankful I was able to keep in touch with him every day."

Yusko can be reached at 454-5353 or by e-mail at dyusko@timesunion.com.



Poughkeepsie guardsman killed in Afghanistan

By Patricia Doxsey, Freeman staff

06/29/2008



Mark Palmateer was a kind-hearted man who had a lifelong desire to serve his country.

On Thursday, the Poughkeepsie resident was among three Army National Guard soldiers

killed Thursday in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan.



The Department of Defense announced Sunday that Palmateer, 38, a specialist with the

New York Army National Guard, New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Joseph

A. McKay, 51, of Cambria Heights, Queens, and Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. 1st

Class Matthew Hilton, 37, of Livonia, Mich., were killed shortly after 1 p.m. Afghan

time, when their Humvee was struck by an improvised explosive device, small arms fire,

and rocket-propelled grenades.



According to a press release issued Sunday by the New York state Division of Military

and Naval Affairs, the attack took place near Forward Operating Base Shank, in Logar

Province, in eastern Afghanistan.



A town of Wappinger native who was posthumously promoted to sergeant by the military

Palmateer was remembered Sunday by his family as an affable man and patriot.

He was very popular, said his father, Charles, of Wappinger Falls. "When we had his

going away party more than 200 people came."



"Anyone who met him instantly became his friend," said Gary Palmateer, one of Mark

Palmateer's eight siblings. "He was just a likable guy." Charles Palmateer said his son had

always wanted to join the military. He decided to join the Army National Guard after the

Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center and enlisted in August 2003, just before

his 35th birthday. "He wanted to serve his country all his life, he always wanted to serve

his country," said Charles Palmateer.



According to the Department of Defense, Palmateer and McKay were members of B

Troop 2nd Squadron 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target

Acquisition), based in Jamestown. Their unit was assigned to Afghan Regional Security

Integration Command-East, which is part of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix, a

multinational force of more than 8,000 U.S. and NATO service personnel training the

Afghan National Army and police. Palmateer, McKay and Hilton were assigned to a unit

responsible for training the Afghan National Army in eastern Afghanistan.

Prior to joining B Troop, Palmateer was assigned to Company C 1-69th Infantry.

"Once again, the members of the New York Army National Guard are mourning the loss

of brave soldiers who died defending their country and trying to help the people of

Afghanistan," said Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, the adjutant general of New York and

commander of the New York National Guard, in the press release. "We will mourn with

their families and do everything within our power to help them."



Palmateer was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action

Badge. He was previously awarded the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal,

the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal the

National Defense Service Medal and the New York State Aid to Civil Authorities.

In addition to his father, Palmateer is survived by a daughter, Stephanie, of North Creek,

as well as four brothers, Charles, Gary, Chris, and Mike, and four sisters, Cathy Roule,

Susan Spinner, Cindy Sumner, and Margie Vail.



More than 6,500 members of the New York Army National Guard have served in Iraq

and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. Currently, 1,700 members of the New York Army

National Guard are serving in Afghanistan and about 150 are serving in Iraq. Another

300 soldiers will deploy to Iraq later this year, the Department of Defense said.



According to Associated Press reports, as of June 28, just over 500 U.S. troops have died

in Afghanistan since October 2001, including more than 313 killed in action. The June

death toll of the U.S. led coalition in Afghanistan was 40. In Iraq as of June 28, the

Associated Press reported that at least 4,113 members of the U.S. military have died since

war began in March 2003. At least 3,350 died as a result of hostile action. The U.S.

military death toll in Iraq for the month of June stood at 29.





Captain Philip J. Dykeman









Hometown: Brockport, New York

Age: 38 years old

Died: June 26, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Marines-2d Battalion-3d Marines-3rd Marine Division

Incident: Killed while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar Province.



Suicide bomber kills 3 Hawaii Marines

Battalion commander among suicide bomber's victims

By Mary Vorsino

Advertiser Staff Writer

The commanding officer of a Hawai'i-based battalion of more than 1,000 Marines and

sailors died Thursday in Iraq in an attack that also killed two other Kane'ohe Marines, the

military said yesterday.



Lt. Col. Max A. Galeai, 42, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines at Kane'ohe's

Marine Corps Base Hawai'i, is believed to have been killed in the town of Karmah in

Anbar province, about 30 miles west of Baghdad, in a suicide bomb attack. Also killed in

the attack were Capt. Phil Dykeman, 38, of New York, the leader of the battalion's Fox

Company, and 23-year-old Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme, of North Miami Beach, Fla.



A member of an extremist cell believed to be behind the suicide attack has been arrested,

the U.S. military said yesterday. U.S. spokesmen said it was unclear if the suspect, who

was not identified, was directly involved in planning Thursday's attack, according to a

report by The Associated Press.

A suicide bomber reportedly dressed in a police uniform detonated an explosive belt

during a meeting of tribal sheiks opposed to al-Qaida in Iraq. In addition to the three

Marines, two Iraqi interpreters, the local mayor and several key tribal figures were killed.

Kane'ohe Marine Corps Base officials would only confirm that the three were killed in

Anbar.



The bombing occurred just two days before U.S. officials planned to formally hand over

security responsibility for Anbar to the Iraqis, marking a major milestone in the

transformation of a province that had been the most violent in Iraq.



The handover was postponed yesterday — but due to weather, not the attack, officials

said. Weather forecasts called for high winds and sandstorms, which would ground

aircraft and make it impossible for dignitaries to attend, officials said.



Anbar, which extends from the western outskirts of Baghdad to the borders of Jordan,

Syria and Saudi Arabia, will be the 10th of Iraq's 18 provinces to return to Iraqi security

control. The other nine provinces are dominated by Shiites or Kurds.



Galeai and the other two Marines are the first fatalities of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines

in this deployment, which started in February. The battalion is set to return in August.

Since the war started, 84 Hawai'i-based Marines and sailors have died in Iraq.





A Leader, caring buddy

Friends yesterday remembered Galeai, of Pago Pago, American Samoa, as a dedicated

family man, a natural leader and a caring buddy who would never burden others with his

problems. Just last week, in the midst of his deployment in Iraq, he sent e-mails to friends

with jokes about the hot weather and friendly queries about how they were doing.

"I'm trying to cope with the fact that he's no longer with us," said Marine Master Gunnery

Sgt. Taumaoe Gaoteote, of California, a longtime friend. "I didn't know how to react

when I heard. I never thought it would actually happen to him."



In a newsletter for families of Kane'ohe-based Marines, Galeai wrote in February that

during the deployment, battalion members would be "working with Iraqi police, Iraqi

army and other(s) ... as we help the Iraqi people establish the conditions necessary for

them to assume responsibility for their own security and local governance." One of

Galeai's friends, Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Paul Moniz, of New York, said he heard

from Galeai about a week ago in an e-mail. Galeai didn't talk much about what he was

doing in Iraq, but made sure to ask Moniz about how he was holding up.



"He was a friend, mentor, bigger than life, extremely bright, just one of those guys,"

Moniz said. Moniz, who used to work under Galeai, said the officer always "sunk his

teeth into his work" and expected a lot from people, but also praised them when they

delivered. "He was definitely an inspirational guy. He was caring, compassionate."

Master Sgt. Brett W. Beard, of California, also used to work under Galeai and quickly

befriended him. "He just made it super easy to go out there to work day after day," Galeai

said. "His first love was always leading Marines."



Purple heart recipients

This was Galeai's second deployment to Iraq.

Galeai graduated from Oregon State University in 1988, and joined the Marines out of

college.



Before coming to the Islands in 2007, he served in Virginia, California, Okinawa and

elsewhere. His service awards include two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart and five

Meritorious Service Medals.



Gaoteote said Galeai is survived by his wife, Evelyn, and four children.

Dykeman, the leader of Fox Company, joined the Marines in June 1991 and came to

Hawai'i in May 2007. He has been awarded a host of medals, including the Purple Heart.

Preudhomme joined the Marines in 2005, and was sent to Hawai'i the same year.

His awards include the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon, the Marines said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Brockport Marine dies in suicide blast in Iraq









A decorated Marine from Brockport was killed Thursday in Iraq, according to the U.S.

Department of Defense.



Capt. Philip J. Dykeman, 38, was the leader of Fox Company in the 2nd Battalion, 3rd

Marines at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.



His dozens of awards include the Purple Heart Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps

Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Joint

Meritorious Unit Award, the Navy Unit Commendation Medal, the Coast Guard

Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal and two National Defense Service Medals.

Along with his commanding officer and another Marine, Dykeman died during a suicide

attack in Anbar province, the military said.



Also killed were Lt. Col. Max A. Galeai, 42, of Pago Pago, American Samoa, the

commanding officer of the Hawaii-based battalion of more than 1,000 Marines and

sailors; and 23-year-old Sgt. Marcus Preudhomme of North Miami Beach, Fla., an

administrative clerk with the battalion. More than 17 Iraqis also died in the attack.



The three were killed in the town of Karmah, about 30 miles west of Baghdad in a suicide

bomb attack. A man dressed in a police uniform reportedly detonated an explosive belt

during a meeting of tribal sheiks and community leaders opposed to al-Qaeda in Iraq, The

Associated Press said.



The bombing occurred just two days before U.S. officials planned to formally hand over

security responsibility for Anbar to the Iraqis, marking a major milestone in the

transformation of a province that had been the most violent in Iraq.



The handover was postponed Saturday — but because of weather, not the attack, officials

said. Dykeman and the other two Marines are the battalion's first fatalities in this

deployment, which started in February. The battalion is set to return in August.

Dykeman joined the Marines in June 1991 and came to Hawaii in May 2007. He was

apparently not affiliated with Brockport veteran's groups, but area veterans expressed

their sadness at hearing of his death. "I hate to see anybody killed in Iraq," said Roy

McCloud, commander of the Brockport Area Veteran's Club.



According to a posting on the U.S. Central Command Web site, he was a native of

Central Square in Oswego County. This was Galeai's second deployment to Iraq. Galeai

graduated from Oregon State University in 1988, and joined the Marines out of college.

Earlier, he served in Virginia, California, Okinawa and elsewhere.





His service awards include two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart and five Meritorious

Service Medals. Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Taumaoe Gaoteote said Galeai is survived

by his wife, Evelyn, and four children. Preudhomme joined the Marines in 2005, and was

sent to Hawaii the same year. Preudhomme's awards include the Purple Heart and the

Combat Action Ribbon, the Marines said.

Includes reporting by staff writer Justina Wang and Honolulu Advertiser staff writer

Mary Vorsino.





Sergeant First Class Joseph A. McKay









Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Age: 51 years old

Died: June 26, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Unit: Army National Guard-2nd Squadron-101st Cavalry Regiment

(Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition)

Incident: Killed when the convoy he was riding in encountered makeshift bombs,

small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.









5 deaths shake National Guard's core

Monday, June 30th 2008, 10:32 PM









Slain sergeant Joseph McKay shared July 4 birthday with his nation.



As hot dogs and burgers cook on the grill and the fireworks burst in the night sky, the

family of the Queens sergeant who was born on the Fourth of July will be preparing for

his funeral.



The families of the four other New York Army National Guardsmen killed in five days

will be deep in their grief. And the families of the 1,700 New York Guard members who

served with the fallen five will be praying that no more names join the casualty list.

"I've never felt like this before," said the wife of one soldier, both dear friends of mine.

Until the shock of five deaths in five days, she had always sounded superhumanly upbeat.

"Great!" she would tell me when I asked how she was faring in the three months since

her husband was deployed.



She sent out a steady flow of patriotic and inspirational e-mails, along with reports of a

school the unit was building as they trained Afghan security forces. She reported that the

soldiers' families back home had pitched in to help. "Books, pads, pencils," she said.

E-mails from other friends in the Guard have sounded equally upbeat. One detachment

was attacked with a big roadside bomb in early May, but there were no casualties.

"It's definitely a difficult situation knowing you were watched, targeted and hit by an

enemy who blends back into the very population you are trying to help," one soldier's e-

mail noted.



The soldiers still did not hesitate to help on the way back from a reconnaissance mission

later in that same May week, when they learned a young boy had been struck by a hit-

and-run civilian driver.



"[The boy] was in bad shape," a soldier wrote in an e-mail. "I don't know his name. He

was no more than 5 or 6. He couldn't weigh more than 35 or 40 lbs. He was real small

and the impact broke his femur. ... He had considerable head trauma and possible spinal

injuries. His eyes were all glassed over and tearing. I can't imagine how afraid he must

have been."



A growing crowd of Afghans watched the soldier set to saving the boy. "Stabilized his

neck and splinted the leg," the e-mail reported. "Really got the kid treated fast. Everyone

knew their job and did their job." In exactly four and a half minutes, the soldiers

stabilized the child, got an IV line going, loaded him into the back of a truck and sped off

to a hospital estimated to be about an hour away. "We made that trip in less than 30

minutes," the e-mail noted.



The boy underwent emergency surgery and was said to be holding his own.

"I hope that he will make it," the e-mail says. "Maybe say a prayer or do whatever it is

you do that the little guy makes it thru this."



A week that had begun with an IED attack had ended with the soldiers saving a boy.

"Tomorrow starts another day and another week for us," the e-mail noted. On June 21,

New York National Guard soldiers were hit with another IED, and this time three were

killed. Two more were killed by an IED on June 26, among them Sgt. 1st Class Joseph

McKay, who was born on the Fourth of July. His remains are expected to be returned by

the birthday he shares with his nation.



And, as the families of the fallen grieve, their comrades' families wait and pray. My

friend reports that she was in church when the Mass came to the Sign of Peace. Her

young son saw another boy shake hands with his father and burst into tears.

"Right now, everybody's really feeling it," my friend said.



Queens family mourns immigrant's death in Afghanistan

BY MARTIN C. EVANS | martin.evans@newsday.com

July 2, 2008



He joined the U.S. Army shortly after emigrating from Guyana, then reached back to help

his mother and siblings join him in America. Years later, he rejoined the military after the

9/11 terror attacks, leaving a butcher's job to help make his adopted America safe.



Yesterday, at a home in Hollis, Queens, family members who arrived from as far away

as London and Iraq remembered Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. McKay, who would have

turned 52 on the Fourth of July, as a calm, caring man, who called home almost daily to

inquire after loved ones.



McKay, of the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, N.Y. Army National Guard, died

from wounds suffered when his convoy was ambushed on Thursday in Afghanistan.

Family members, who yesterday afternoon seemed to share more smiles than tears, said

McKay first joined the Army in 1977; one year after his father sponsored his immigration

to the United States. With the exception of a brief return to civilian life, McKay spent

most of the past 31 years in the military.



"He joined because it was instrumental in getting the rest of the family here," said Army

Staff Sgt. Roy Smith, one of McKay's 16 siblings. "He got my mom here and she got the

rest of us."



Military service runs in McKay's family. Smith, who flew home to grieve with relatives,

is serving a second tour in Iraq. McKay's daughter, Tiffany, returned a few months ago

from her own second tour there. A nephew serves in the Marines.



"The military was his life," said another brother, Trevor Bascom, of Hollis, who hosted

yesterday's informal family gathering.



McKay had been a bicycling enthusiast since his youth in Guyana, once riding 120 miles

from Prospect Park to Montauk Point. Last night, fellow cyclists shared memories of

McKay at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, where he frequently competed in Tuesday

night races.



At the house in Hollis, which was mournfully festooned with purple and black bunting,

people who knew him described him as a gentle soul, someone they can't recall as having

ever raised his voice in anger.



"He'd say 'life's too short for that,'" said Waveney Hohenkirk-McLeod, a sister who lives

in Flatbush.



Newton Baptiste, who described McKay as his best friend, said McKay had become

concerned by rising violence in Afghanistan, and had confided that he intended to leave

the service when his deployment was over.



At least 27 U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan in June, the deadliest month there since

the U.S. invaded to topple the Taliban in 2001. For the second consecutive month, more

U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq.



"He called me Wednesday and said, 'Baptiste, these boys are stepping up the action

here,'" Baptiste said. "'They are sending me to an area that is really, really bad.'" McKay's

mother, Sheila Smith-Bascom, also got a call from McKay that day. "He said, 'When you

hear from Roy, tell him to be careful. It's rough out there,'" Smith-Bascom said. "The last

thing I said to him was 'Joseph, be careful. Mommy loves you'" she said. "And he said 'I

love you too, Mommy.' That was the last."



Queens soldier killed in Afghanistan

By OREN YANIV and STEPHANIE GASKELL

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Monday, June 30th 2008, 1:18 AM



Sgt. 1st Class Joseph McKay would have celebrated his 52nd birthday on the Fourth of

July. Instead, heartbroken relatives will be planning to bury the Queens soldier after he

was killed in Afghanistan, Defense Department officials said Sunday. "I told him, 'Try to

get back home. Don't be a hero,' " said McKay's best friend, Newton Baptiste, 58.

Baptiste said his buddy loved celebrating his birthday on Independence Day.



"He always said, on his birthday, everybody celebrates," Baptiste said outside McKay's

home in Cambria Heights. "The last Fourth of July I enjoyed here with him."

McKay, who leaves behind a wife, a daughter and two sons, was due home on leave next

month."Everybody is saying it can't be true," said McKay's sister-in-law Diana Coleman.

"Nobody can accept it."



McKay and Spec. Mark Palmateer, 38, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., were killed when a

roadside bomb hit their convoy on Thursday.



Their convoy was also hit with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire, military

officials said. Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Hilton, 37, of Livonia, Mich., was also killed in

the attack.



The men were serving with B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry, based in

Jamestown, N.Y., which is helping train the Afghan Army. Five New Yorkers have

now been killed in Afghanistan in a week. Just days ago, three New York National

Guardsmen died.

McKay, who joined the New York Army National Guard in 1977, signed up full-time

after Sept. 11. He guarded Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station in the days

following the attack, earning a New York State Defense of Liberty Medal.



Coleman said her brother-in-law would give his Army meals to homeless people in the

rail stations, prompting one homeless man to send him a Christmas card.

"It was truly heartrending," Coleman said. Palmateer's only daughter, Stephanie, 19, told

the Daily News on Sunday that her dad was known as Uncle Mark to the kids in his

neighborhood.



"There were so many people that loved him," she said. "He made friends everywhere he

went. He was really outgoing. He would do anything for anybody."

Palmateer joined the Guard in 2003. He is also survived by his father. "I want to thank

the troops 100%, and I support them," Stephanie Palmateer said.

sgaskell@nydailynews.com







1st Lt. Daniel Farkas









Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Age: 42 years old

Died: July 4, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Unit: Army-27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team-Syracuse-New York

Incident: Died July 4 after a non-hostile incident at Camp Phoenix in Kabul,

Afghanistan





The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting

Operation Enduring Freedom.



1st Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died on July 4 of injuries suffered from a

non-hostile incident in Kabul, Afghanistan (Camp Phoenix). He was assigned to the 27th

Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Syracuse, N.Y.

The incident is under investigation.



Related Links:

Queens cop is dead in Afghanistan (New York Daily News, July 5, 2008)

NYPD officer serving as guardsman in Afghanistan dies (Newsday, July 6, 2008)

Forest Hills cop dies in Afghanistan (The Queens Courier, July 10, 2008 )

Flags To Fly At Half-Staff For Fallen NYPD Officer In National Guard (NY1 News,

July 14, 2008)

Fellow GIs mourn NYPD Guardsman who died in Afghanistan (New York Daily

News, July 14, 2008)

Queens cop is dead in Afghanistan

BY RICHARD SISK in Washington and JONATHAN LEMIRE in New York

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Saturday, July 5th 2008, 10:17 PM

An NYPD lieutenant serving his country in the National Guard has died in Afghanistan,

officials said Saturday.



Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, was a 20-year-veteran of the NYPD assigned to the 112th Precinct

in Forest Hills, Queens, police said. "He was very well-liked by his peers and his

subordinates," said a cop at the 112th Precinct, who said he was not permitted to give his

name. "He was definitely extraordinary," the cop said. "Everybody here is very sad."

The circumstances of Farkas' death are not yet known.

The New York branch of the National Guard deferred questions to the Department of

Defense, but a spokesman for the military declined comment, citing a policy of not

speaking publicly until 24 hours after the casualty's family was notified.



A Defense Department source told the Daily News the death did not occur in combat.

Farkas lived in a brownstone on a leafy street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with his mother,

two sisters and two nieces, neighbors said. His relatives did not talk to reporters Saturday.

Farkas, who was remembered by fellow cops and neighbors as a good athlete and

dedicated officer, was honored for helping arrest a serial arsonist in Middle Village last

year and subduing a rowdy passenger on a flight to New Orleans in 2003. "I'm so upset,"

said neighbor Jannie Lui, 38, a clothing designer. "I can't believe this, it's terrible."

Farkas' death comes as the U.S.-led coalition has struggled to beat back a resurgent

Taliban allied with Al Qaeda.



Last week, the Pentagon ordered the 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan to extend their stay

from October to November, and Adm. Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, warned

that he lacked the extra troops requested by ground commanders because of existing

commitments in Iraq.



In 2005, NYPD Transit Bureau cop James McNaughton serving in the Army Reserve was

killed by sniper fire while guarding an Iraqi prison camp.

jlemire@nydailynews.com



NYPD officer serving as guardsman in Afghanistan dies

BY SOPHIA CHANG | sophia.chang@newsday.com; Daniel Edward Rosen

July 6, 2008

A New York City police lieutenant serving as a National Guardsman has died in

Afghanistan, police said yesterday.



Lt. Daniel Farkas, 42, of Brooklyn, who joined the NYPD in 1988, was assigned to the

112th Precinct in Forest Hills, police said.



The date and details of Farkas' death were not available yesterday afternoon. A police

spokesman said the military informed the department of Farkas' death on Friday.



A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment yesterday,

citing a policy of waiting 24 hours after family notification to release names of casualties.

The New York National Guard did not return a call for comment.



"He is greatly missed," said a sergeant at the 112th Precinct, who would not give his full

name. "He was well liked." Family members at Farkas' home declined to comment

yesterday. In late 2006 and early 2007, Farkas was among the officers investigating a

series of arsons in the Elmhurst, Maspeth and Rego Park neighborhoods.



In January 2007, an Elmhurst man was accused of being the serial firebug responsible for

setting 18 fires and causing millions of dollars in property damage.



In March 2003, Farkas was one of three city officers who helped a federal air marshal

subdue an unruly passenger from Bay Shore on a US Airways flight from LaGuardia

Airport to New Orleans.



At that time, according to a news report about the incident, Farkas was assigned to the

police academy.



Daniel Edward Rosen contributed to this story.

Forest Hills cop dies in Afghanistan

BY TONIA N. CIMINO

Thursday, July 10, 2008 9:48 AM EDT

As the nation celebrated Independence Day, yet another soldier laid down his life for his

country.



First Lieutenant Daniel Farkas, 42, died on July 4 of injuries suffered from a non-hostile

incident at Camp Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan.



He is the third to die in only two weeks: Sergeant Andrew Seabrooks, of South Ozone

Park, and Sergeant First Class Joseph A. McKay, of Cambria Heights, perished on June

21 and 26, respectively.



Farkas, who lived in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, was a 20-year veteran of the New York

Police Department (NYPD). He served as Lieutenant in the 112th Precinct in Forest

Hills.



NYPD officials declined to comment.



In his honor, Governor David A. Paterson has directed that flags on state government

buildings across New York be flown at half-staff on July 11.



Farkas joined the New York Army National Guard in August 1992. Prior to deploying to

Afghanistan in late March, he was assigned to Battery B, 1st Battalion 258th Field

Artillery, which is based in the Bronx.



Farkas’ awards for service include the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on

Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Armed

Forces Reserve Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the National Defense Service

Medal.



He was awarded the New York State Defense of Liberty Medal for his service in

Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center, and also holds the New

York State Physical Fitness Ribbon and New York State Aid to Civil Authorities Medal.



He has been awarded Army Commendation Medal and the New York State Medal for

Merit posthumously.



Farkas is survived by his mother, who declined to speak to the media.



“All members of the New York National Guard regret the death of this officer,” said

Major General Joseph Taluto, the Adjutant General and commander of the New York

National Guard. “The National Guard will do everything it can to aid Lieutenant Farkas'

family in their hour of need.”



Flags To Fly At

Half-Staff For Fallen

NYPD Officer In

National Guard





Flags flied Tuesday at half-staff at the 112th Precinct Stationhouse in Forest Hills,

Queens, where 42-year-old Daniel Farkas, a city soldier killed in Afghanistan, previously

served as an NYPD lieutenant. That same day, Governor David Paterson directed

government buildings to fly flags at half-staff on Friday in honor of Farkas.



Farkas was killed on July 4 in Kabul in what is being called a non-hostile incident.



"Obviously, our hearts go out to his mother,” said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "He

was a very well-respected officer, lieutenant in the department and we don't have all the

details yet as to precisely what happened." As of Tuesday, Farkas's death remains under

investigation.



A lieutenant in the Army National Guard, Farkas joined the service in 1992 and was a

member of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.





Fellow GIs mourn NYPD Guardsman who died in Afghanistan

BY JAMES GORDON MEEK

DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Updated Monday, July 14th 2008, 11:07 AM



New York National Guard 1st Lt. (and NYPD Lt.) Daniel Farkas of Brooklyn

WASHINGTON — He was a fellow New York cop and a fellow soldier — but most of

all, he was their buddy. When New York National Guard 1st Lt. Daniel Farkas of

Brooklyn — an NYPD lieutenant — died in Afghanistan on July 4, his fellow cops

serving with him in that violent war zone were devastated that "Danny" was gone.

Speaking by phone from Kabul, Army Sgt. Edwin Mateo of Astoria, Queens, said, "I'm

still dumbfounded by it."



Mateo, a New York City police detective in the Emergency Service Unit, said Farkas

took care of him back home when he was detailed to Queens' 112th Precinct, where

Farkas was assigned. In the Army, Farkas promoted his fellow cop and pinned on his

sergeant's stripes.



"It was pure disbelief to hear what had happened to a friend of mine," added Army Sgt.

Wellington Jimenez of East New York, Brooklyn, a Sing Sing correction officer. "From

day one, we became the best of friends." Jimenez said Farkas was an officer whose

"prime concern was his soldiers."



At the time of his death, Farkas was based at a desolate camp near the Afghan-Pakistan

border. He was not killed in combat, and the military is investigating his death.

Although saddened by his friend's death, Capt. Gurpreet Singh of Jamaica, Queens — an

NYPD counterterrorism detective — joshed that the fact Farkas outranked him as a cop

but not as an Army officer was the source of a running gag.



Singh recalled greeting Farkas as "Sir" when he was still in training to receive his Army

commission. Fellow officers asked him why he gave a lowly cadet such respect, and

Singh laughed, explaining, "That's my boss in the NYPD!"



Farkas was also a gym rat who encouraged overweight soldiers to drop the pounds.

On long runs, he would always be one of the first to finish — and then double back to

cheer on the stragglers, said another heartbroken friend, Spec. Jose Miranda.



"There was one time I fell behind and he ran with me," the Bronx soldier said. "I wanted

to give up, but he wouldn't let me." Farkas' funeral is set for noon Monday at the East

Midwood Jewish Center in Brooklyn. His family has declined to comment

jmeek@nydailynews.com



Specialist Andre D. Mitchell



Hometown: Elmont, New York

Age: 25 years old

Died: July 31, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-2nd Battalion-3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment-Fort Hood-Texas

Incident: Died in Mosul of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.

Soldier from LI killed in Iraq

BY KEITH HERBERT

August 3, 2008



From the time he was a teenager, Andre Darnell Mitchell wanted to be a soldier. He told

his mother, Yasmin Patterson, of Elmont, that he was bored working in audiovisual

services at the Marriott Hotel in Uniondale and for a caterer in Queens Village on

weekends. So on Valentine's Day 2006, he joined the Army.



"At 15, 16, that's what he wanted to do," Patterson said last night. On Thursday,

Mitchell, 25, was killed when the Humvee he was riding in overturned in Mosul, Iraq.

Patterson said the Army told her the Humvee overturned on a sharp curve.

Mitchell's body was scheduled to be flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last

night.



"I said, 'Please go to college, and after that, you can do what you want to do,'" Patterson

said. Mitchell was a 2003 graduate of Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park and a 2005

graduate of Nassau Community College. It appears Mitchell couldn't wait to enlist. First,

he talked to Air Force recruiters before meeting with an Army representative. When the

Army said it could take him sooner, he signed up, his mother said.



Mitchell trained for 14 months at Fort Hood, Texas, and deployed to Iraq in November.

Patterson called her son a leader and said he was dogged in pursuing his dreams. His goal

was to secure a job working for the federal government in Washington, D.C. Besides his

mother, he is survived by a brother, Malique Patterson, 12.



"I'll always remember his love for his mom and his brother," Patterson said. "He was a

great human being. Besides his country, he'd die for his family."



L.I. soldier killed in Iraq Humvee crash

By Wil Cruz and Stephanie Gaskell

Daily News Staff Writers

Monday, August 4th 2008, 11:57 PM



A Long Island soldier was killed in Iraq when his Humvee accidentally rolled over on

patrol last week, military officials said. Spec. Andre Darnell Mitchell, 25, of Elmont died

July 31. Mitchell was killed in the northern city of Mosul when his Humvee flipped as it

tried to negotiate a sharp curve, military officials said Monday.



His mom, Yasmin Patterson, said her son joined the Army on Valentine's Day 2006 and

was sent to Iraq in November. Before he left, he had bravely warned her that one day

she'd get a knock on the door. "He prepared me for this day. Because of his strength, I'm

able to deal with this," she said.



Mitchell graduated from Sewanhaka High School in 2003 and Nassau Community

College in 2005. He was working at the Marriott Hotel in Uniondale, L.I., and as a

caterer in Queens when he decided it was time for a change. "He loved what he was

doing" in the Army, said Patterson. "He didn't do it for the money." "He's truly a hero,"

she said. Mitchell is survived by his mother and 12-year-old brother, Malique Patterson.



This month, Army officials have announced the deaths of seven soldiers in Iraq and

Afghanistan. Five soldiers were killed by roadside bombs Friday in Afghanistan, and

two soldiers died Saturday in Iraq in non-combat-related incidents.

Sergeant Jose E. Ulloa









Hometown: New York, New York

Age: 23 years old

Died: August 9, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-515th Transportation Company-28th Transportation Battalion-

Mannheim- Germany

Incident: Killed when his vehicle encountered a makeshift bomb while on duty in

Sadr City, Baghdad.



Washington Heights G.I. killed in Iraq blast

BY KERRY BURKE and LEO STANDORA

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Monday, August 11th 2008, 11:48 PM









Sgt. Jose (Ricky) Ulloa

An army sergeant from Washington Heights who told his family "I love being a soldier"

died when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle in Baghdad. Sgt. Jose (Ricky) Ulloa, 23,

was training two soldiers when the bomb exploded Saturday afternoon near a Sadr City

market, military officials said. The death of Ulloa, who lost his mother just three months

ago, has plunged his family into despair, the eldest of his two sisters said. "His wife said

she no longer wants to live," said Miriam Marmol, 43, who raised Ulloa from age 5.

"And my brother's son - he's only 6 months old - doesn't have a father anymore."

Marmol said her brother came from the Dominican Republic to live with her after their

mother took ill.



Ulloa grew up to be happy and a "great kid" who loved "music, dancing, driving - and

pulling pranks." "He was a joker, the real trouble-maker in our family," she said sadly.

Even before he graduated from Washington Irving High School, Ulloa wanted to join the

service. His relatives urged him to wait, but he convinced them he knew best.

"We all wanted him to go to college, to become a professional person," Marmol said.

"But he looked me in the eye and said 'Okay, I'll wait until I can join on my own,' and

that's what he did." Marmol said her brother reenlisted just a few months ago.

He called her and their father every week, especially after his mother died. "We're all so

sad," she said. "There are so many questions in our minds. I don't see any good coming

from this war. We just lose more and more people."



Ulloa was assigned to the Army's 515th Transportation Company, 28th Transportation

Battalion, based in Mannheim, Germany, where his wife and child live. Sadr City, a slum

of 2 million, had been a hotbed of bombings and fighting between U.S. forces and the

Mahdi Army for years until a ceasefire was called in May by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-

Sadr, who created the paramilitary force. Iraqi security forces backed by U.S. troops now

patrol the streets there.



As of Monday, at least 4,139 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war

since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

lstandora@nydailynews.com

Mannheim servicemember killed in

Baghdad

By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Wednesday, August 13, 2008



KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A Mannheim-based

soldier died Saturday in Iraq after his vehicle was struck

by a roadside bomb.



Sgt. José Enrique Ulloa, 23, of New York City, died in

Baghdad’s Sadr City during a routine convoy security

operation Friday, according to military news releases.

Ulloa, a truck driver, was assigned to the 515th

Transportation Company, 28th Transportation Battalion

in Mannheim, Germany. Two other soldiers were

wounded in the attack, officials said.



A memorial ceremony has been scheduled for Thursday

at the Benjamin Franklin Village Chapel, but the time

Sgt. José Enrique Ulloa, 23, of

has yet to be determined, said Capt. Bryan Woods, a New York City.

21st Theater Sustainment Command spokesman.

Ulloa graduated from Washington Irving High School in

New York City, and soon thereafter joined the Army, according to a 21st TSC press

release.



In 2005, while Ulloa was assigned to the 71st Ordnance Company in Hanau, Germany,

another unit heading for Iraq was short-handed, and they asked for volunteers from the

71st. Ulloa, who was a private at the time, was the only one who raised his hand to

deploy, according to the 21st TSC release.



Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Harvey, the command sergeant major of the 165th Combat

Service Sustainment Battalion, was quoted in the news release as saying: "I know that

there will be people beating themselves up over what happened, but now is the time for

us to come together as a family and comfort them."The bottom line is that everyone

involved did one hell of a job."



On Ulloa’s MySpace page, the soldier has a picture of himself wearing a helmet, body

armor and battle dress uniform and holding a machine gun. He last logged on to the site

in July 2006. Ulloa is survived by his wife and 7-month-old son, according to the press

release.





Slain soldier’s life is portrayed in images,

memories

By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes

European edition, Friday, August 15, 2008



MANNHEIM, Germany — As hundreds of soldiers and civilians awaited the start of

Thursday afternoon’s memorial ceremony for Sgt. Jose Enrique Ulloa, they caught

glimpses of the 23-year-old’s life.



A projector beamed pictures of the young husband and father onto a wall at Benjamin

Franklin Village Chapel: Ulloa bedside at the hospital, kissing the forehead of his

newborn son, Steven. Ulloa with a sleeping Steven cuddled on his chest. Ulloa flexing his

muscles with his shirt off. Ulloa stoically posed in his Army uniform. Ulloa kissing his

wife, Melanie Nieves Atzmann. Ulloa smiling.



Ulloa died Aug. 8 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Sadr City, Iraq. He

was serving as a heavy wheeled vehicle driver with the 3rd platoon, 515th Transportation

Company of Mannheim. The Dominican Republic native, who graduated high school in

New York City, deployed with the 515th Transportation Company "High Rollers" to Iraq

in July 2007. It was his second deployment to Iraq.



Ulloa joined the Army in March 2005. He achieved the rank of sergeant in 2½ years and

spent half his Army career deployed to Iraq. Staff Sgt. Ruben Burgos gave his remarks

about Ulloa in Spanish, but a translation was provided in the ceremony’s program. Ulloa

asked Burgos only the one small favor of watching over his family while he was gone. "I

will never forget you," Burgos said. "I will keep you in my heart, and I will keep my

promise to watch over your family." Last year while preparing to deploy to Iraq, Ulloa

had a lengthy conversation with Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Hampton about his life

goals.



"He said, ‘Sir, I want to be an NCO so I can take care of and lead soldiers,’ " Hampton

said. "Little did he know that he already modeled the character and the qualities of an

NCO. Five months later, he reached his goal." Capt. Roland Foss, 515th Transportation

Company rear detachment commander, described Ulloa as an intense, loud, always

motivated and always happy soldier who sought responsibility. Foss said he does not

hesitate to encourage young soldiers to use Ulloa’s example of service as a template for

their professional lives. "He died the most honorable death, but in life he exemplified the

best qualities of the American soldier," Foss said. Ulloa will be posthumously awarded

the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal and the Combat

Action Badge. He is survived by his wife and his 6-month-old son.





Private First Class Patrick W. May





Hometown: Jamestown, New York

Age: 22 years old

Died: September 2, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army-Division Special Troops Battalion-10th Mountain Division (Light

Infantry)-Fort Drum-New York

Incident: Died in Baghdad of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident.



May Was Job Corps Student

Residents Mourn Loss Of Soldier Killed In Iraq Tuesday

By Robert Rizzuto/John Whittaker rrizzuto@post-journal.com



Area residents are mourning the death of a former Cassadaga Job Corps Academy student

who was killed Tuesday in a non-combat incident in Baghdad, Iraq. The U.S. Department

of Defense announced the Tuesday death of Pfc. Patrick W. May on Thursday of a non-

combat injury while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Details have not been released.

According to Julie Cupernall, media relations officer at Fort Drum, an investigation is

ongoing and a standard part of procedure.



''Just like in the private sector, we can't comment on ongoing investigations because it

might pollute the investigation,'' she said. ''But for every death that occurs, there is an

investigation. So this one shouldn't be viewed as any more or less suspicious. It is

standard procedure and done for the soldier and the soldier's family.''



May joined the military in June 2006, attending his basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C.,

where 50 percent of all soldiers entering the Army receive their training. Upon

graduation, he went to Fort Huachuca, Ariz, where he received advanced training. May

then moved on to Fort Drum, N.Y., where he trained to become an intelligence analyst.

He deployed to Iraq in July, assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 10th

Mountain Division.



May's mother lives in Sulpher Springs, Texas, and his father lives in Holland Patent,

which is in central New York. Although May's family couldn't be located for comment,

public figures shared their gratitude about his service and offered their condolences.

''The tragedies of war really hit home when it's someone from your own community,''

said Mayor Sam Teresi. '' I didn't know the young man personally, but he must truly be

an outstanding human being if he's willing to put it all on the line for his country. Our

hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to his family and all of the other servicemen and

women serving overseas and their families at this time.''

Gov. David A. Paterson has directed that flags on State government buildings be flown at

half-staff on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in honor of Pfc. May.



''On behalf of the citizens of New York I wish to extend our condolences to the family of

Private First Class May, and to his fellow soldiers from the Army's 10th Mountain

Division serving at home and overseas,'' said Gov. Paterson. ''Private First Class May's

service to our nation will never be forgotten.''









Flags in the city were flown at half mast Friday in honor of 22-year-old Pfc. Patrick May, a

former Cassadaga Job Corps student who died in a non-combat incident Tuesday in Iraq.

P-J photo by Robert Rizzuto





Soldier dies in Iraq

BY ROBB FREDERICK

robb.frederick@timesnews.com





A soldier from Jamestown, N.Y., died in Iraq on Tuesday while serving with the Army's 10th

Mountain Division.



Pfc. Patrick W. May, 22, died in Baghdad after a noncombat incident, the U.S. Department of

Defense said.



May was an intelligence analyst for the Division Special Troops Battalion of the 10th

Mountain Division, a light-infantry unit based in Fort Drum, N.Y. He was the first

member of the battalion to die in Iraq.



Division officials would not discuss the incident Friday.



May joined the Army in June 2007. He trained at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and had

additional training at Fort Huachuca in Arizona.





He arrived at Fort Drum in May and deployed with the unit in July. He was due home in

the spring of 2009.



May's father lives in Holland Patent, N.Y. His mother lives in Texas.



May was the third serviceman from Chautauqua County to die in Iraq. Pvt. Charles S.

Cooper Jr., 19, died on April 29, 2005, when a bomb detonated near his foot patrol in

Baghdad. He also served with the 10th Mountain Division.



Sgt. James Matteson, 23, died Nov. 12, 2004, when a grenade struck his Bradley Fighting

Vehicle in Fallujah. He served with the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, part

of the 1st Infantry Division.



Flags at New York state buildings hung at half-staff Friday. Gov. David Patterson had

ordered that to honor two soldiers from the New York City borough of Queens who died

in Iraq on Aug. 28. Patterson ordered that the same flags be lowered Sept. 10 to honor

May.



Patrick W. May

MAY - Patrick W., PFC U.S. Army September 2, 2008, of Holland, NY, in Bagdad, Iraq,

beloved son of Rieca and Gary Littrell and George II and Olga May; dear brother of

Jennifer and George III (Tricia) May, Laura (Jamie) Foster and Erick Lucio; grandson of

Barbara and the late George May; also survived by aunts, nieces and nephews. Friends

may call Friday 7-9 PM and Saturday 2:30-4:30 PM at the WOOD FUNERAL HOME,

784 Main St., East Aurora, NY where funeral services will be held following the

visitation at 4:30 PM. Military Honors will be bestowed at Oakwood Cemetery, East

Aurora, NY. Patrick was assigned to the Division of Special Troops Battalion with the

10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, NY. Online registry available at woodfh.com