Freedom Remembered

Born April 10, 1984 in the USA

Died March 9, 2010 in Khowst province, Afghanistan

Jason Kropat grew up in Smallwood, New York, and was an active outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish, one time catching a 22″ trout, which earned him a photograph in the local paper. In November 2008 he enlisted in the Army, because besides his family, his country meant the world to him. He was assigned to Fort Campbell in March of 2009 and in January of 2010 he deployed as an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He had made time before he left to visit his parent’s homes in Texas. Jason was killed along with Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson on March 9 when insurgents attacked their unit using small-arms, indirect and rocket-propelled grenade fires. His awards and decorations include: the Army Commendation Medal; an Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert. Besides his parents, Jason is survived by three sisters.

Died: March 7, 2010 in Konar province, Afghanistan

Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook of Hungry Horse, Montana graduated early from Columbia Falls High School in 2008. Nick was scheduled to come home for a visit in just two weeks and had plans to go to Alaska to snowboard for a few days. Snowboarding was his life. That and the Army. He first became interested in the military just after high school and decided to join for the opportunity to travel and gain experience in life. Nick died at age 19 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.
Army
2nd Battalion
503rd Infantry Regiment
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
Camp Ederle, Italy

To be updated…

Died: March 8, 2010 in Al Kut, Iraq

Sgt. Aaron M. Arthur of Lake City, South Carolina attended Lake City High School graduating in 2003. He joined the Army in November of 2003 and was currently serving as a transport operator. His Awards and Decorations include, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Army Good Conduct Medal. Aaron died at age 25 north of Al Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.
Army
203rd Brigade Support Battalion
attached to the
1st Battalion
10th Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Brigade Combat Team
3rd Infantry Division
Fort Benning, Georgia

To be updated…

Died: March, 8, 2010 in Al Kut, Iraq

Spc. Lakeshia M. Bailey, 23, of Columbus, Georgia joined the Army in February 0f 2006 and was currently serving as a transport operator. Her Awards and Decorations include, the Army Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Army Good Conduct Medal. She died March 8 north of Al Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over.
Army
203rd Brigade Support Battalion
attached to the 1st Battalion
10th Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Brigade Combat Team
3rd Infantry Division
Fort Benning, Georgia

To be updated…

Birth: April 14, 1986 – Thailand
Died: November 5, 2009 – Fort Hood, Texas

Chor Xiong and his father Xia Soua Siong fought bravely against the Vietnamese Communist Forces, with the support of the CIA, in Laos during the Vietnam War. As a result of these actions they were forced to flee their homeland after US military forces withdrew from Southeast Asia in 1975. Kham Xiong came to the US as a toddler but even at a young age, he realized the commitment and sacrifices that his father and grandfather had made for their families and their people. Growing up, Kham told his father and grandfather about his desire to follow in their footsteps and serve his country. As he finished high school, married his high school sweetheart, and became a proud father; his desire to serve his country continued to burn. After talking to his younger brother Nelson, who was already serving in the Marines, Kham decided the time was right for him to enlist. Kham saw the military as a way to give back to his country, to help his family have a better life and to continue the legacy and tradition that started with his beloved father and grandfather’s commitment to freedom. Any short term suffering and separation from his family would be offset by the numerous opportunities that would open up as a result of his military service. On the day a disgruntled U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others before he was brought down, Kham was filling out paperwork to prepare for a deployment in Iraq around New Year’s. He was in line for a physical when the shooting broke out. Only moments before, his wife sent him a text message, telling him to come home for lunch and go back later. But Kham texted back, “No, I’ll stay. It’s almost my turn.”

Burial: Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota – Section V, Site 2095

Birth: March 21, 1981 - Kenbridge, Virginia
Died: July 31, 2003 - Baghdad, Iraq

Spc Lambert was assigned to 407th Combat Support Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as an ammunitions specialist. He was struck by a stray bullet fired during what was believed to be a celebratory event by local nationals. James graduated from Leesville Road High School in Raleigh in 1999 and joined the Army in August 2000. He was fun loving and happy and made a lot of people laugh. James wanted to serve his four years in the Army to prove a small-town guy could make something of his life. He then planned to start college at North Carolina State University next year and have a real wedding with his new bride. James was buried next to his mother and father.

Burial: Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Kenbridge, Virginia

Birth: April 25, 1963 – Vallejo, California
Died: April 23, 2004 - Iraq

Sgt Krause was assigned to 724th Transportation Company, Army Reserve, Bartonville, Illinois. He was unaccounted for in Iraq from April 9, following an ambush on his convoy with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire until April 23 when he was found in a shallow grave with four other men. While growing up, Elmer spent a lot of time with his great-aunt and great-grandmother. He was the neighborhood redheaded daredevil who would tear down the Virginia Street hill on his Big Wheel, wear out a pair of tennis shoes the same day he got them, and later skipped high school but earned his GED so he could join the Navy. The military was the defining factor in his life – it gave him discipline, direction and honor. After seven years in the Navy, Elmer got out and in February 1987 he enlisted in the Reserves. As a civilian, he worked as a painter and was living in North Carolina. He had repeatedly asked to serve in Iraq because of the desire to serve his country and so that someone else could come back home. Elmer was divorced but the greatest love of his life was his nine year old son. Shortly before entering Iraq, he had made sure his finances were in order so that his son would receive support all the way through. He loved the San Francisco Giants, Jeff Gordon winning a race, sitting by the ocean, thick chocolate milkshakes, Bob Marley and eating at Cracker Barrel. The young redheaded daredevil who grew into a humble, friendly man dedicated to military service would have been surprised at the number of people around the country who have supported his family and friends.

Burial: Skyview Memorial Lawn, Vallejo, California

Birth: May 19, 1974 - Scott, Iowa
Died: March 24, 2003 - Iraq

Sgt Korthaus was assigned to Engineering Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Peoria, Illinois. He drowned while attempting to cross the canal - ordered into water with full gear on by his Major. His body was recovered on March 25. He and another Marine were trying to set up weapons on the opposite bank to protect a water-purification team. Concerns about the incident also have been sparked in Korthaus’ hometown by an account of the incident from a Washington Times photographer embedded with his unit, who said the Marines tried to swim across weighed down by heavy equipment. “These two guys went into the water with full camouflage gear and rifles and sank to the bottom like a rock,” the photographer, J.M. Eddins, told his newspaper from Iraq. “Everyone is really … [angry] about this. It was just a needless, tragic accident.” Brad wanted to be a Marine since he was 10. He graduated in 1992 from Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa where he played football, soccer, tennis and was on the wresting team. He also played three band instruments. Brad picked up the nickname “Cruiser” because of an old ‘65 Dodge Dart. The vintage coupe was his first car. Other kids would come to school in their mom and dad’s Jags and Beemers, but they wanted to go cruising with Brad in that Dart. After graduation, he joined the Marines and served four years. He was stationed in various parts of the world including Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. Once he returned home, he missed the military and joined the Reserves. Brad was a special guy; he believed as a bachelor that it was his duty to risk his life before men with families.

Burial: Rock Island Arsenal National Cemetery, Davenport, Iowa - Section U, Site 319

Birth: October 19, 1971 - Savannah, Georgia
Died: April 3, 2003 - 15 miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraq

Capt Korn was assigned to the 64th Armor, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. He was killed as he investigated the wreckage of an Iraqi T-72 tank destroyed by his unit in central Iraq. Edward came to live at the Bethesda Home for Boys at Christmas 1984, as a troubled 12-year-old suffering through his father’s second divorce. The rambunctious youth spent five years attending school and working the farm on Bethesda’s 500-acre campus overlooking the Moon River, and grew up to be an athletic 6′ 3″ Army captain. While at school, teachers remember him as a hard worker and a good boy who always wanted to help somebody. They weren’t surprised when Edward enlisted in the Army at 17 and made it a career – he liked the discipline. He campaigned to defer his officer training at Fort Knox and get a position with Central Command. He wanted to get to the front lines of the war in Iraq. “He’d come to me and say, ‘Sir, you’ve got to know someone, can you call someone?’ because he wanted to join the war effort,” said Maj. John R. Zsido, his supervisor at Fort Knox. He knew if he could get to Central Command, that he could work his way into a unit and work his way to the front, which is exactly what he did. Edward took the bull by the horns and accepted every mission he was given - he would have been a great battlefield commander. He earned a Bronze Star while serving in the Persian Gulf War. Somewhere in Iraq, a U.S. Army major and his unit are tormented by memories of gunning down one of their own after mistaking him for an Iraqi fighter. Edward was killed as his unit and others were attacking Iraqi positions on a two-lane road about 15 miles southeast of Baghdad. The convoy of American tanks and armored vehicles was stopped on the road when they spotted an Iraqi tank, a Russian-made T-72. They fired and the enemy tank exploded. As the vehicle burned, Edward and a sergeant apparently dismounted and walked to the tree line near the tank, searching for Iraqi positions said Major Kent Rideout, the senior officer on the scene. At some point, Edward spotted a second tank and sent the sergeant back for an antitank rocket before going on alone. He was wearing a brown T-shirt, a flak vest that was left open and no helmet, according to Rideout, who was scanning the tree line for more Iraqi positions. “Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw behind the tank what looked to be an old campfire,” Rideout said. “I could see tea or coffee steaming, sleeping bags, chickens. It had all the hallmarks of a place where people were living. I put 2 and 2 together that this was a place a tank crew was living. All of a sudden, we saw movement. Someone dropped down, like he was going to fire, and then stood up and got behind another T-72.” Rideout’s driver also indicated he saw an enemy. He leveled his M-16 and the major ordered him to fire. “He fired one shot,” Rideout recalled. “I’ll never get over it. It was 200 to 250 yards away. He dropped him. I slapped him [the driver] on the head and said, ‘That’s the greatest shot I’ve ever seen.’ “The shot had hit Edward, a Desert Storm veteran and Bronze Star recipient who had left Fort Knox, Kentucky, to volunteer for war duty in March. A Bradley fighting vehicle from his unit also opened fire on the second Iraqi tank, some of its 25-millimeter rounds striking the fallen soldier.

Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia – Section 60, Site 7872

Birth: September 28, 1980 – Iowa
Died: February 5, 2004 – Baghdad, Iraq

Spc Knowles was assigned to the 1133rd Transportation Company, Army National Guard, Mason City, Iowa. He was in a military cargo truck when the convoy came under mortar attack at a military checkpoint outside the Baghdad International Airport – his vehicle sustained a direct hit by a mortar round. Joshua graduated in 1999 from Sheffield-Chapin-Meservey-Thornton High School in Sheffield, Iowa where he participated in football and track. Shortly after graduation, he decided to join the National Guard for financial reasons. But once in the Guard, he discovered that he had found his calling in the military and was proud to be a soldier serving his country. Joshua was studying criminal justice at a community college and working as a woodworker before he was called up. His unit arrived in Kuwait in April 2003 and spent four months there before moving to Iraq, mostly transporting equipment and supplies. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Good Conduct Medal. Joshua was one of the funniest people you could hope to meet. For one 4th of July parade, he dyed his hair blue and red and another time he ate 64 ounces of ketchup in two days with potato chips. He would also butcher the song “Friends in Low Places” when singing karaoke. Joshua enjoyed golfing, snowboarding, playing paintball, playing pool, throwing darts and spending time with his friends. He was full of life and lived it to the fullest. He packed more living in his short 23 years than a lot of people do in a lifetime. Joshua once sent his family a shirt that said, “U.S. Soldiers Never Die – They Just Take Cover Until the Next Mission.”

Burial: Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, North Rockwell, Iowa