Birth: August 1, 1971 - Eureka, California
Died: May 19, 2003 - Shatt Al Hillah Canal, Iraq
Capt La Mont was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron - 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, California. He died when his CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter went down shortly after takeoff. It had been on a resupply mission in support of civil military operations. Andrew was born at Andrews Air Force Base, where his father James, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was stationed. He was the youngest of nine children, and the only one to follow their father’s path into the military. For him, flying was a passion. Andrew was part of the helicopter detail that flew the first Marines into Afghanistan following the September 11 terrorist attacks. He was single and had served with the Marines since graduating from San Diego State University in 1994. Andrew served in Kosovo in 1999, helped in the rescue effort after an earthquake in Turkey last year and he also served in Afghanistan. He was known as “Sleepy” to his fellow soldiers. One said, “I don’t know exactly how he earned that call sign, but with his calm manner and laid-back attitude, it was quite fitting—not to mention he was as fond of logging rack-time as any of us. He had a great sense of humor and a quick wit.”
Burial: St. Bernard’s Catholic Cemetery, Eureka, California
Birth: November 16, 1983 - Massachusetts
Died: April 22, 2003 - near Al Kut, Iraq
Marine Lance Cpl. Lam was assigned to the 8th Communication Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was killed in a non-hostile accident with two other soldiers when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher they were firing for familiarization malfunctioned on a firing range near the city of Al Kut. Alan was a budding artist who enjoyed Shakespeare, wrote for his high school newspaper and liked to keep his friends and teachers laughing. Alan was very intelligent, funny and was a talented artist of detailed pen and ink drawings. He liked Shakespeare, loved Macbeth and did the scenes in class with the swords and the swashbuckling. As a senior project, he and a friend staged a demonstration of fitness techniques they would learn in basic training. Both later came back to school in their Marine uniforms. Neighbor Darlene Rios said Alan often helped her cut her lawn or plant flowers and when he was deployed to Iraq, he often sent greetings to her when he called home to his parents. He joined the Marines shortly after he graduated from Southern Alamance High School, Graham, North Carolina in 2001. Alan was the youngest of five children and the only son.
Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia - Section 60, Site 7969
Birth: April 18, 1979 - Sunnyville, California
Death: March 30, 2003 - Iraq
Sgt Lalush was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA)-169, Marine Air Craft Group-39, Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, California. He was killed in a UH-1N Huey helicopter crash. Michael graduated from Lord Botetourt High School in Lord Botetourt County, Virginia in 1997 where he played on the high school golf team and worked part-time at the Botetourt Country Club. He was a young man who enjoyed what he did, was proud to be a soldier and wanted to make a difference with skills he had – and he did. Over the years, Michael changed from a gangly youth to a mature, muscled young man, growing to 6 feet 4 inches and riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He liked to tinker. He could rebuild a lawn mower from a pile of bolts. He learned to weld and had a talent for woodworking. After he learned to drive, he rebuilt a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle so he’d have a car. But as good as Michael was with his hands, he was better with his heart. In a letter to home from Iraq, he was effusive about his work as a Huey helicopter crewmember helping evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield. “This is what it’s all about,” he wrote. “He was a wonderful child,” his mother, Becky Lalush, said. “He was going to be career military. He felt they were doing the right thing.” His mother, devastated by the death of her only child, said, “Right now, I can’t talk about him.”
Burial: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia - Section 60, Site 7866
Birth: December 2, 1981 - Poland
Died: May 12, 2003 - near Al Hillah, Iraq
Lance Cpl Kowalik was assigned to the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Force Service Support Group, based at Camp Pendleton, California where he worked as an amphibious assault vehicle mechanic. He was killed when the bunker he was working in caught fire and exploded. Jakub came to the United States from Poland in 1992 and was a permanent resident, though not yet a citizen. He enlisted in the Marines during his senior year at Maine East High School, Park Ridge, Illinois, just a few months before the September 11, 2001 attacks. Jakub played football in high school and loved to fish. He was a typical teenager who spent time on video games, fishing, football and parties. A warm, outgoing personality made him popular at school. He was a guy who didn’t care if a person was short, tall, skinny or fat; he was ready to be a friend. He’d talk to you whether you had something in common or not. But after boot camp, Jakub returned home to suburban Chicago standing straighter. His easy manner was now disciplined. He had a new focus.
Burial: Maryhill Cemetery, Niles, Illinois
Born Jan. 27, 1982 in Sioux City, Iowa
Died Jan. 26, 2005 near Ar Rutbah, Iraq
Nathan was a carefree young man who lived every day to its fullest, rarely letting anything bother him. He grew up in a town of just over 5,000 people, where his childhood friends were his friends from an early age on. Nathan was not the biggest kid in school, but his determination and strength helped him become a letter winner in football, basketball and baseball. In the spring of 2001 he graduated from high school and in the late summer he started his college courses at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. The 9-11-2001 Terrorist Attacks a short time later changed most people’s lives, Nathan’s included; it inspired him to enlist in the Marine Corps the next month. Nathan had that same attitude that so many American’s had at that time, what can I do? After basic training Nathan was stationed in Hawaii, assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii. He came home to Iowa in June 2004 for his last visit home; his father had died of a brain tumor and Nathan came home for the burial. In September he deployed to Iraq and participated in some of the bloodiest battles in the Fallujah area. One particular battle was hardest on Nathan. His unit was doing door-to-door searches for insurgents and he and seven other Marines raided a house. Four of them were shot and two later died. He told his family of many of the things he saw and was part of and while he was proud of his part in helping the Iraqi people and his military service, he was bothered seeing his friends die. In late January he talked to his mother on the phone; he was exited because he was set to come home on February 4th. After all he had saw and done in Iraq, he told her he was home free. Two days later he boarded a CH-53E helicopter to help carry out a security mission for the upcoming elections. The helicopter went down in a sand storm, killing Nathan and 30 other military personnel, one day shy of his 23rd birthday. His mother, bother and a sister survived Nathan.
Nathan is buried next to his father in Galva Township East Cemetery in Galva, Iowa.
Birth: June 6, 1983 - Irvington, Illinois
Died: May 13, 2003 - near Al Hillah, Iraq
Lance Cpl Kleiboeker was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was killed when the munitions bunker he was working in caught fire and exploded while loading ammunition into a vehicle. Nicholas had wanted to join the military for years - ever since he was 15 it’s all he ever talked about. He was also the kind of guy who would go out of his way for anybody and never had anything bad to say about anyone. Nicholas was always asking people if there was anything he could do to help them.
Burial: Bell Cemetery, Iuka, Illinois
Died: March 4, 2010 in Helmand, Afghanistan
Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen of Orem, Utah attended Mountain View High School graduating in 2007 and later pursued some classes at Utah Valley University. As early as age three, Nigel already knew he wanted to serve in the military. After graduation from high school he realized that lifelong dream of joining the Marines. His only complaint was that once he was in the war zone, he wasn’t involved in as much of the combat as he would have preferred. It turned out that he would ultimately be right smack in the middle of battle. At home, he enjoyed playing his Xbox and sunday dinners at his mom’s house. Nigel also had a deep love for his country and a passion for reading, especially history books, often getting his reading material at the library. He died at age 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marines
4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve
Camp Pendleton, California
To be updated…
Born Nov. 7, 1984 in Harris Co. TX
Died Jan. 26, 2005 near Ar Rutbah, Iraq
When Fred was a baby, his birth parents decided to take a trip to Las Vegas, leaving Fred with another woman to care for him. His parents never came back from their trip for reasons unknown. Patsy Maciel saw Fred was not being taken care of properly in his new home. So she took Fred into her home to raise him. Patsy had another son, Carlos, who was 8 years old at the time and Fred and Carlos became instant friends and held the bond of brothers forever more. At the age of eight, the Maciel family officially adopted Fred. When the judge asked him what surname he wished to have, Fred stood there with a big smile on his face and with no hesitation said, “I want my brother’s last name!” And so it was. When introduced as brothers, people would look at Fred and Carlos with questionable eyes. Fred stood six feet tall, with blue eyes and blond hair. Carlos was five feet tall, black hair, and brown eyes. Brothers? They’d just laugh; they knew they were indeed brothers. Fred graduated from Spring Green High School in 2003 where he was a natural athlete, excelling at basketball and football, and a leader in the Naval Junior ROTC program. In September of 2003 he enlisted in the Marine Corps, because he wanted to protect Texas and Americans from terrorists. After basic training and infantry school, Fred reported to Hawaii, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, 1st Marine Division. In September of 2004 he deployed with his unit to Iraq and was part of the Marine Corps units that secured the area of Fallujah and captured insurgents in preparation for the elections that were to take place on January 30. Fred’s courage, commitment and character shinned during his deployment. On January 26, Fred was one of the military personnel killed when the CH-53E helicopter they were onboard crashed near Ar Rutbah. Fred was set to come home in February, marry his fiancée and eventually wished to become a Texas State Trooper, continuing his commitment to protecting and serving his fellow man. Fred was survived by his mother, Patsy; stepfather Richard Garza; his brother Carlos and several other relatives.
Burial: Calvary Hill Cemetery in Harris County, Texas
Birth: April 20, 1960 - Brazoria, Texas
Death: March 23, 2003 - An Nasiriyah, Iraq
Sgt Jordan was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Jordan grew up near Houston and claimed Brazoria, Texas, as his hometown. But he didn’t have much of a childhood. His mother was killed by a drunken driver when he was a toddler and his father died of heart failure when he was 13. At 6-3 and a buff 230 pounds, Jordan was a standout high school football player. He remained avid about sports and was a good enough bowler that he talked about turning pro after leaving the Marines. Jordan joined the Marines when he was 27, after a battle with Hodgkin’s disease. “He loved the Marines. He said that’s what made him what he is,” said his wife, Amanda. “If he were here, he’d say he died doing what he was supposed to be doing.” Phillip was a professional Marine who served in the 1991 Gulf war, and on the battlefields of Kosovo and Afghanistan. His confidence was so contagious that his buddies called him “Gump.” Phillip was so nice to so many people that his pals couldn’t resist comparing him to the movie character, Forrest Gump. He was the kind of guy who really did help little old ladies across the street. The Jordans marked their ninth wedding anniversary last Wednesday. Amanda said she last spoke to her husband 10 days ago in a phone call from Kuwait. He said he called because he knew that the onset of war would keep him from calling on the actual date. Phillip and Amanda have a 6-year-old son. “He’s having a really tough time with this,” she said.
Burial: Saint Patrick’s Cemetery, Enfield, Connecticut
Lance Cpl. Eric L. Ward, 19, of Redmond, Wash., died Feb. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
to be updated….