In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq:

Matthew T. Bolar, 24, of Montgomery, Ala.; specialist, Army. Bolar was killed Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near him in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

Brian A. Botello, 19, of Alta, Iowa; private first class, Army. Botello was among three soldiers killed April 29 when a roadside bomb exploded near them in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

William J. Callahan, 28, of South Easton, Mass.; sergeant, Marine Corps. Callahan was killed in combat April 27 in Iraq's Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Christopher Degiovine, 25, of Lone Tree, Colo.; corporal, Marine Corps. Degiovine was killed April 26 when his amphibious assault vehicle struck a roadside bomb that detonated in Iraq's Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

John D. Flores, 21, of Barrigada, Guam; private first class, Army. Flores was one of two soldiers killed Thursday when their unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Alexander J. Funcheon, 21, of Bel Aire, Kan.; sergeant, Army. Funcheon was among three soldiers killed April 29 when a roadside bomb exploded near them in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Felix G. Gonzalez-Iraheta, 25, of Sun Valley; sergeant, Army. Gonzalez-Iraheta was one of two soldiers killed Thursday when their unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Jeremy R. Greene, 24, of Springfield, Ohio; corporal, Army. Greene was killed April 28 at Forward Operating Base Tillman in Afghanistan's Paktika province, near the Pakistani border, when a group of soldiers was cleaning weapons and one discharged, striking him. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Joseph G. Harris, 19, of Sugar Land, Texas; private first class, Army. Harris died Thursday at Forward Operating Base Warrior in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul. His death is under investigation. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Glenn D. Hicks Jr. , 24, of College Station, Texas; sergeant, Army. Hicks was among three soldiers killed April 28 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee and they were attacked with small-arms fire in Salman Pak, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Michael R. Hullender, 29, of Little Falls, N.J.; sergeant, Army. Hullender was killed April 28 when a roadside bomb exploded near him while he was on foot patrol in Iskandariya, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

Ryan P. Jones, 23, of Westminster, Mass.; first lieutenant, Army. Jones was one of two soldiers killed Wednesday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb that detonated in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Johnathan E. Kirk, 25, of Belhaven, N.C.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Kirk died Tuesday of injuries suffered a day earlier when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Iraq's Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

David A. Kirkpatrick, 20, of Upland, Ind.; private first class, Army. Kirkpatrick was one of two soldiers killed April 27 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Fallouja, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Travis L. Manion, 26, of Doylestown, Pa.; first lieutenant, Marine Corps. Manion was killed by a sniper April 29 in Iraq's Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Jay E. Martin, 29, of Baltimore; staff sergeant, Army. Martin was among three soldiers killed April 29 when a roadside bomb exploded near them in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Daniel F. Mehringer, 20, of Morgantown, W.Va.; specialist, Army. Mehringer died of noncombat-related injuries April 27 in Bagram, Afghanistan, north of Kabul. He was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Ione, Calif.; private first class, Army. Ornsby-Adkins was among three soldiers killed April 28 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee and they were attacked with small-arms fire in Salman Pak, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Nicholas E. Riehl, 21, of Shiocton, Wis.; private first class, Army. Riehl was killed April 27 when a roadside bomb exploded near him in Fallouja, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Katie M. Soenksen, 19, of Davenport, Iowa; private first class, Army. Soenksen was killed Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near her vehicle in Baghdad. She was assigned to the 410th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Cole E. Spencer, 21, of Gays, Ill.; private, Army. Spencer was among three soldiers killed April 28 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee and their unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Salman Pak, Iraq, south of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Astor A. Sunsin-Pineda, 20, of Long Beach; specialist, Army. Sunsin-Pineda was one of two soldiers killed Wednesday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb that detonated in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Eddie D. Tamez, 21, of Galveston, Texas; specialist, Army. Tamez was one of two soldiers killed April 27 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Fallouja, Iraq, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Michael D. Thomas, 34, of Seffner, Fla.; staff sergeant, Army. Thomas was killed April 27 when his unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in Afghanistan's Herat province, near the Iranian border. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Norman L. Tollett, 30, of Elyria, Ohio; sergeant, Army. Tollett was killed April 28 when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Colby J. Umbrell, 26, of Doylestown, Pa.; first lieutenant, Army. Umbrell was killed Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Musayyib, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

Andrew R. Weiss, 28, of Lafayette, Ind.; specialist, Army. Weiss was killed Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Peter Woodall, 25, of Sarasota, Fla.; sergeant, Marine Corps. Woodall was killed April 27 while trying to defuse a roadside bomb when it exploded in Iraq's Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Comments

[KC]

This list is so long. Did you know they extended the tours of many of these guys by 3 months to make it a total of 15 months? That puts my husband back in the fray sometime this summer since he's changing jobs into one of those units that extended. :(

[scott]

This list is so long.

Yeah, I noticed that too. I counted three teenagers and another three twenty-year-olds.

Six people this week who died for their country...but weren't old enough to legally drink alcohol yet.

Did you know they extended the tours of many of these guys by 3 months to make it a total of 15 months? That puts my husband back in the fray sometime this summer since he's changing jobs into one of those units that extended. :(

I did know about the extended tours. I'm so sorry to hear it's going to be affecting you guys. :(

[scott]

These are the ages of those who died this week:

19
19
19
20
20
20
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
23
24
24
24
25
25
25
25
25
26
28
28
30
34

If my math is right, that adds up to:

3 teenagers
2 in their thirties and
22 in their twenties.

[KC]

Listing their ages that way really makes an impact.