Freedom Remembered

Born: August 8, 2024 in Hammond, Indiana
Died: September 8, 2024 in Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul of The Dalles, Oregon served in Iraq, and in the Peace Corps. Bob was originally from the Chicago area. But in 1998 he moved to Oregon to become an urban planner for Wasco County. He joined the Army Reserve in 1997, two years after receiving a master’s degree in planning and economic development from the University of Maryland. He was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He is the son of Esther Perez Paul and Sheldon Paul, fond former husband of Bonnie Paul, father of Ilena Paul, dear brother of Monica and Debra Paul. He was 43. Also killed in the attack was SFC Merideth L. Howard.
Army
Reserve
405th Civil Affairs Battalion
Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Burial information is unknown at this time.

Born: December 29, 2023
Died: August 25, 2024 in Iraq

Spc. Charles L. Neeley, 19, of Mattoon, Ill.; was assigned to the 454th Transportation Company, Army Reserve, Columbus, Ohio. Chuck was killed Aug. 25 when his tractor-trailer rolled over as he attempted to cross a pontoon bridge in Tikrit, Iraq.

Burial is at Dodge Grove Cemetery in Mattoon, Illinois

To be updated…

Born: January 5, 2024 in Bexar County, Texas
Died: September 8, 2024 in Bald, Iraq

Spc. Lauro G. DeLeon Jr of Floresville, Texas was assigned to the 644th Transportation Company, Army Reserve, Beaumont, Texas; killed at age 20 when improvised explosive devices detonated near his convoy in Balad, Iraq. DeLeon, a 2003 graduate of Floresville High School, enlisted shortly after completing his education. He leaves his mother and stepfather, Grace Lopez and Jimmy, his father and stepmother, Lauro S. De Leon, Jr. and Virginia, brothers and sisters, Ruben and Jo Ann Garcia, Jimmy Lopez, Jr., Nina Ruiz, Lillie Villanueva, Linda Lopez, Carrie De Leon and Christopher De Leon.

Burial is at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas - Sec 25 Site 744

To be updated…

On Feb. 25, the armed forces positively identified the remains of Staff Sgt. Ahmed K. Altaie, of Ann Arbor, Mich. He was assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team, Divisional Training Center, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Altaie was kidnapped at gunpoint in October 2006 when he sneaked off base on a motorcycle to visit his Iraqi wife in central Baghdad. On Dec. 11, 2006, a casualty review board declared Altaie “missing – captured” after his disappearance in Baghdad, Iraq on Oct. 23, 2006. Altaie was the final missing soldier and casualty to be recovered from the Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn mission.

To be updated…

Born: July 23, 2024 in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil
Died: July 16, 2024 in Kunar, Afghanistan

Cpl. Raphael R. Arruda of Ogden, Utah died at age 21 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 416th Theater Engineer Command, Ogden, Utah. He is a 2008 graduate of Bonneville High School. Raphael completed his basic and advanced training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri in 2008. His job was to clear Afghan roads of improvised explosive devices and he had only a couple more missions to complete. Cpl Arruda had expected to finish those missions and then attend classes and debriefings before returning to Utah.

Burial is at Washington Heights Memorial Park in Ogden, Utah

To be updated…

Born: July 18, 2024
Died: July 15, 2024 in Basra, Iraq

Spc. Daniel L. Elliott of Youngsville, North Carolina died at age 21 in Basra, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 290th Military Police Brigade, 200th Military Police Command, Cary, N.C. He leaves his wife, Trisha, his parents, Patti Elliott and Ed Elliott, and a brother, Brad Elliott.

Burial is at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia - Sec 60 Site 9723

To be updated…

Born: August 10, 2024 in Springfield, Illinois
Died: November 3, 2024 in Kandahar, Afghanistan

Cpl. James C. Young of Rochester, Illinois is a 2003 graduate of Glenwood High School. Standing a lanky 6’4”, he had a great sense of humor, a playful personality, and sense of style all his own with his cut offs and piercings. Best known as, Chad, he joined the Army in 2004 and served in Korea. He returned home from his first tour in 2007. He began his second deployment to Afghanistan in June of 2010. He was last home on leave in late October 2010. He was trained as a combat engineer and parts of his deployments were spent in a special route-clearance vehicle called a Husky that would travel in front of a convoy and detonate or defuse land mines, explosives or other obstructions in the road. He leaves his parents, Jerry and Brett Ann Bowen Young, his sister, Katie, a brother, Steven Baptist, and a girlfriend, Maria Millburg. He died at age 25 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Army
863rd Engineer Battalion
Darien, Illinois

Burial is at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois - Sec D Site 589-C

Born: August 17, 2024 in Trinidad And Tobago
Died: October 19, 2024 in Tikrit, Iraq

Sgt. Kendell K. Frederick of Randallstown, Maryland was born in Trinidad and had been in the United States about six years. He graduated from Randallstown High School in 2004 where he was a model student, with strong academic skills, exemplary behavior and an athletic prowess that he displayed on the school soccer team. Over the years, Kendall matured into a focused and capable young man who was proud to wear his military uniform. Most were not surprised when he decided in his junior year to pursue a career in the military. He looked forward to joining the Army. But after 10 months in Iraq, he had lost some of his excitement. Just three weeks before his death he was home on leave and spent time with old friends and visited cadets at Randallstown’s Junior Navy ROTC program, where had been a platoon commander. He had matured into a thoughtful young man, a soldier who loved military life and leadership, but not war. He had come home from wrenching experiences in Iraq, including enduring the death of comrades. Although he was scared, he decided to return to Iraq because he loved the Army and believed in doing his duty. He was pursuing United States citizenship when he was killed at age 21 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during convoy operations Tikrit, Iraq. Upon his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Kendall was awarded American citizenship.
Army
Reserve’s
983rd Engineer Battalion
Monclova, Ohio

Burial is at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia - Sec 60 Site 8291

Born: September 10, 2024 in Pensacola, Florida
Died: June 4, 2024 in Kuwait

Sgt. Steven M. Theobald of Goose Creek, South Carolina enlisted in the regular Army on July 18, 2024 serving for three years. On April 26, 2024 he began serving in the Army Reserves throughout the next 26 years served his country with honor. Stationed at places such as Fort Sill, Fort Bragg and Fort Sam Houston, he always called South Carolina “home.” During his years of service he served in the 116th Engineer Company, 1/145th Field Artillery, 7th Infantry Division, and the 202nd Cavalry. His military awards include two Army Good Conduct Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, two National Defense Service Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, two Noncommissioned Officer Development Program Ribbons, two Army Overseas Ribbons, Overseas Service Bar and two Armed Forces Reserve Medals. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003-2004 with the 7th Infantry Division. On March 28, 2010, he began his second deployement in the Middle East, assigned to the 287th Convoy Security Company, 164th Transportation Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, based at Livingston, Alabama, as a transportation noncommissioned officer in Kuwait. On June 4 he was killed at the age of 53 in a military vehicle rollover north of Camp Arifjan in which two other soldiers were injured. He died doing what he loved and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Steve leaves his wife, Heike Braun Theobald, a daughter, Jessica Theobald, two sons, Christopher and Daniel Theobald, his mother and stepfather, Geraldine Gullette Rabon and Joseph Rabon, three sisters and five brothers. His father, Martin MacHale Theobald died in 2003.

Burial is at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia - Sec 60 Site 9467

Born: June 11, 2024 in Morris, Minnesota
Died: April 4, 2024 in Baghdad, Iraq

Sgt. Kurt Elmo Kruize grew up in Hancock, Minnesota, enjoying the opportunities that the lakes of the region offered, from fishing and hunting. He enlisted in the Army reserves while in high school, proudly wearing his uniform to the prom. He graduated in 1993 and went off to basic training. Kurt studied auto mechanics and for several years worked as a mechanic. In July of 1998 he married his wife Billie and they began their family. Kurt doted on his family, and although a very shy person, he was a ham for any camera. He enjoyed taking his daughters dress and “girlie” shopping, because he got to tell them how pretty they were. He and his family loved giving cookouts, with Kurt at the grill. His family always came first to Kurt, the military second. He served a tour of duty in Iraq for 11 months in 2003 where he was a fuel truck driver. He didn’t talk much about that time, other than to say he saw a lot of intense combat. Kurt left his job as a mechanic and became employed at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in St. Cloud, working as a forklift operator, which he loved. In January 2010, Kurt was called into service again and deployed to Iraq as a member of the 367th Engineer Battalion, based at St. Cloud, Minnesota, in March 2010. He was killed in an accident three weeks later on Easter Sunday. Kurt’s survivors include his wife; four children; parents Lyle and Beverly; his siblings and several other family members.

Burial is at Minnesota State Veteran’s Cemetery at Little Falls, MN - Sec 1 Site 269