Freedom Remembered

Born September 15, 1977
Died: September 18, 2010 in Qalat, Afghanistan

Maj. Paul D. Carron of North Carolina, and Missouri, grew up in Fort Bragg area. Graduating from West Point Military Academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in infantry in 1999 and has served in a variety of assignments to include platoon leader for the 82nd Airborne Division; platoon leader and XO for the 3/75 Ranger Regiment; company commander for the 25th Infantry Division; company commander for the 5th Ranger Training Brigade; S-3 and executive officer for the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Stryker Regiment. Paul was an avid outdoors sportsman, devoted friend, and dedicated officer and soldier, who devoted his life to his family, the United States Army and to the interests of the United States of America. He was deployed to Afghanistan in June of 2010. His dedication and commitment to the United States Army has never wavered over the many years of his service. He leaves his wife, Susan, a daughter, Madeline, his parents, Doug and Myong Carron and a sister, Michelle. He and his wife were also expecting the birth of a son, Luke. He died at age 33 at Qalat, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.
Army
2nd Squadron
2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment
Vilseck, Germany

Burial is at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia – Sec 60 Site 9475

Born: December 26, 1977, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
Died: August 29, 1010 in Hyderabad, Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. James R. Ide of Festus, Missouri is a 1997 graduate of DeSoto High School, and knew right away that he wanted to enlist in the United States Army. He served as a dog handler, who trained dogs for bomb sniffing. He was currently working with Daphne, a bomb sniffing dog. Jimmy hailed from a military family, his father was retired Air Force and knew the risk associated with his son’s job. Jimmy was a thirteen year military man, who loved his job and being in the military. He constantly spoke about how much he loved the work he was doing for his country. During his career, he served a tour in Korea and two tours in Iraq, before going to Afghanistan. He died at age 32 at Hyderabad, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He leaves his wife, Mandy, his children, James and Trinity, his parents, James R. and Colleen Ide, a brother, Jason and a sister, Christine.
Army
230th Military Police Company
95th Military Police Battalion
18th Military Police Brigade
21st Theater Sustainment Command
Sembach, Germany

Burial is at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St Louis, Missouri – Sec QQ Site 215

To be updated…

Born: July 22, 1986 in Kirksville, Missouri
Died: August 22, 2010 in Basrah, Iraq

Sgt. Brandon E. Maggart of Kirksville, Missouri is a 2005 graduate of Kirksville High School. He joined the Army in 2006 and served with the Fort Lewis based regiment for his entire military career. Brandon made great strides in becoming a mature young man, being a husband, father and soldier had suited him. He was looking forward to teaching his son the fundamentals of hunting and fishing and all the things that fatherhood brings. The avid St. Louis Cardinals and University of Missouri ‘Mizzou’ sports enthusiast never wavered as a loyal fan. Brandon enlisted in the Army on June 8, 2006 and reported to Fort Bliss, Texas, for basic training and advanced training in his military occupational specialty, 14S – Avenger crewmember. He reported to Joint Base Lewis-McChord on November 9, 2006, and was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. The battalion was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in January 2010. This was his second deployment with the unit to Iraq. He previously deployed from March 2007 to May 2008. His Awards and Decorations include, the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2 awards), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal (2 awards), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon, Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge, and the Combat and Special Skill Badge Basic Marksmanship Qual Badge. He leaves his wife, Teresa, his son, Blake, his parents Teddy and Beth Maggart, a brother, Joshua and a sister, Ashley. He died at age 24 at Basrah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire.
Army
5th Battalion
5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

Burial is at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, Missouri

To be updated…

Born: August 15, 1974 in St. Louis, Missouri
Died: December 6, 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq

Capt. Travis L. Patriquin of St. Louis, Missouri moved with his family near Chicago at age eleven when his father accepted a job in the area. Travis clearly wasn’t happy after the move, and after some time he moved back to Missouri to stay with an aunt and uncle. He graduated in 1992 from Francis Howell North High School, earning letters in track and football. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Army. It was clear even during his basic training that he had a great deal of potential. As a result, he went into the special forces. He spoke Arabic, Spanish, two Central American Indian dialects and Portuguese. He sharpened his linguistic skills at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, California and earned a degree from Campbell University in North Carolina. Travis was well rounded in his interest. He could talk about history, politics, and archaelogy, and he used his people skills to converse with many people in their native language. His Army achievements included service in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and Germany and numerous Special Forces missions and the ability to speak multiple languages. He leaves his wife, Amy, three children, Emily, Harmon and Logan, his parents, Gary and Connie Patriquin, two brothers, Daniel and Steven, and a sister, Karrie, and his aunt and uncle, Reta and Bill Jenkins. He died at age 32 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed was Spc. Vincent J. Pomante III.
Army
2nd Battalion
3rd Field Artillery Regiment
1st Brigade Combat Team
1st Armored Division
Giessen, Germany

Burial is at Carty Cemetery in Salem, Missouri

Born: October 8, 1977 in Hume, Missouri
Died: October 26, 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq

Staff Sgt. Jamie L. Huggins of Hume, Missouri joined the United States Army in May of 1997 to earn money for college and see the world in addition to making a better life for himself. He earned his Ranger tab in January of 2002 and his Combat Infantryman Badge while serving in Iraq. He left for a deployment to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne the same week his first child was born in March. It would be the only time he’d ever see his daughter. He was a family man, dedicated to his wife and his new baby girl. He was proud to be a soldier and part of him wanted to go over to Iraq to help, but part of him didn’t want to leave his family. He was killed at age 26 while on patrol when his vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device in Baghdad. He leaves his wife, Marissa ‘Danielle’ Huggins and their daughter, Mallory. His wife, Danielle died in 2007. Jamie was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Army
C Company
2nd Battalion
325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
82nd Airborne Division
Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Burial is at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia – Sec 60 Site 7893

Born: November 2, 1985
Died: July 14, 2010 in Zabul, Afghanistan

Sgt. Zachary M. Fisher of Ballwin, Missouri graduated in 2004 from Marquette High School where he was already learning the value of Patriotism. He had known for quite some time that he wanted to serve his country and enlisted in the Army in 2006 where he served as an engineer equipment operator and team leader during route clearance operations. Zach had previously deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His Awards and Decorations include, the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge and Driver Badge with Driver Wheeled Vehicles. Zach had been married for two years and was eager to get back to the states to see his wife. His commitment to the Army would have been up in just a few months, and Zach had been considering a future career in the medical field. He leaves his wife, Jessica, his mother and stepfather, Susan and James Jacobs, His father and stepmother, Bob and Alicia Fisher, his siblings, Andrew, Clayton, Emily, Alexander and Zoe. He died at age 24 at Zabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their military vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Army
27th Engineer Battalion (Combat Airborne)
20th Engineer Brigade (Combat)
Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Burial is Private

Born: December 13, 1977 in Kansas City, Missouri
Died: July 10, 2010 in Konar, Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Shaun M. Mittler of Austin, Texas grew up in Gladstone, Missouri, attending Oak Park High School. In 1998 in joined the United States Army, before joining the Kansas National Guard. After the events of 9-11, Shaun returned to active duty. With twelve years of military under his belt, he had previously served two tours of duty in Iraq before deploying to Afghanistan. Back in the states he had been stationed at Fort Hood and Hawaii before relocating to Fort Campbell. He had also been stationed in Korea for a year. His Awards and Decorations include, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Air Assault Badge, Driver/Mechanic Badge, and Weapons Qualification: M4, expert. He leaves his wife, Maricel and a daughter, Cristine, a stepson John Barcel, his father and stepmother, Terry and Lisa Mittler, his mother and stepfather, Joyce and Lance Turner, a sister, Misty and a brother, Alexander. Shaun died at age 32 in Konar, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fires.
Army
1st Battalion
327th Infantry Regiment
1st Brigade Combat Team
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Burial is at White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Gladstone, Missouri

Born: April 28, 1968 in Victorville, California
Died: July 10, 2010 in Paktika, Afghanistan

Sgt. Robert W. Crow of Kansas City, Missouri is the son of the late, Helen Cyr and Robert W. Crow, Sr., and grew up in California. In 2004, he relocated to Missouri where he worked at Heartland Midwest before his employment with Missouri Gas Energy. Wayne joined the Missouri National Guard in December of 2005 and in 2007, he was deployed to Iraq. His Awards and Decorations include, Army Commendation Medal, Combat Action Badge, Iraq Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Mobilization Device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Meritorious Unit Citation. He leaves his wife, Beverly, his children, Robert, III, David, Larry Kern, James Kern, Craig Kern and Meredith Kern, his father, Robert W. Crow, Sr., a sister, Brenda Lopez, a brother, Norman, twelve grandchildren, and a 13th grandchild due in November of 2010. He died at age 42 in Paktika, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Army
National Guard
203rd Engineer Battalion
Joplin, Missouri

Burial information is unknown at this time

Born: May 22, 1983 in Montreal, Missouri
Died: July 12, 2003 in Homburg Hospital, Germany

Spc. Joshua M. Neusche of Montreal, Missouri attended Camdenton High School where he served as Prom King, played the trombone and excelled in mathematics. With his math skills, he helped others by tutoring younger children. The outgoing young man was also a cross-country runner. While still in high school he joined the National Guard. His unit was activated in March of 2003. At that time Josh was a freshman taking general education classes at Southwest Missouri State University. He died at age 20 from a noncombat related cause in Homburg Hospital, Germany from what was diagnosed as pneumonia contracted earlier in Iraq. He leaves his parents, Mark and Cindy Neusche and a brother, Jacob Neusche, among others.
Army
National Guard
203rd Engineer Battalion
Joplin, Missouri

Burial is at Buffalo Prairie Cemetery in Montreal, Missouri

Born: November 13, 1980
Died: June 16, 2010 in Helmand, Afghanistan

Cpl. Michael C. Bailey of Leadwood, Missouri graduated in 1999 from West County High School. Following high school, Michael enlisted in the United States Navy where he served for eight years before making a change over to the Marine Corps in 2008. Over the years, Mike made periodic visits to his old high school to talk to the staff, and always connected with old friends he hadn’t seen in while. They all thought the world of him, and looked forward to seeing him come home on leave. He was also very active with the Leadwood Fire Protection District before he joined the Navy. Mike deployed to Afghanistan in February 2010. He died at age 29 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. His Awards and Decorations include, the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy “E” Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Marines
3rd Battalion
7th Marine Regiment
1st Marine Division
I Marine Expeditionary Force
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center
Twentynine Palms, California

Burial is at Adams Cemetery in Frankclay, Missouri