Go with God Marines, rest in Peace.....

Semper Fi......

Marine from Indianapolis killed in Iraq

04/08/2004
Associated Press

A Marine from Indianapolis who joined the military less than a year ago was shot and killed in Iraq during a firefight with insurgents, military officials said.

Pfc. Deryk L. Hallal, 24, died after he was shot Tuesday during hostile fire in the al-Anbar province west of Baghdad, where Marines have fought heavily for several days.

Hallal was a member of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Marines, stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He graduated from North Central High School in 1998.

"He was a fun-loving, wonderful child who brought me more joy in my life than I can say," said Hallal's mother, Pam Hallal.

He was the second Hoosier to die in the war this week. On Sunday, 20-year-old Army Pfc. John D. Amos II, who grew up in Griffith and Valparaiso, died after an explosive struck his vehicle in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Hallal was the 22nd person from Indiana to have died in the Mideast during the war in Iraq.

Pam Hallal, 43, and her husband, Jeff, 46, were notified Tuesday of their son's death. He joined the Marines last May and arrived in Iraq in late February, his father said.

"He was glad to be there," Jeff Hallal said. "He believed so strongly in the freedoms of America. ... When someone signs up in the times we've had since 9/11, you can't deny that philosophic feeling is there."

###

Thu, Apr. 08, 2004
Derek Neas
Duluth News Tribune

MOOSE LAKE - Pfc. Moises Langhorst, a Marine from Moose Lake reportedly killed in combat west of Baghdad on Monday, was known in his hometown as much for his intellect as for his desire to be a soldier.

``As long as I can remember knowing Moi, he was talking about being a Marine,'' said Dave Waechter, coach of Moose Lake High School's Knowledge Bowl team, which Langhorst joined in seventh grade. ``He was wearing fatigues when he was in diapers, practically,'' Waechter said of Langhorst's penchant for wearing green camouflage.

Teachers and students at Moose Lake High School learned of the 19-year-old's death Wednesday morning. Shocked faculty read a brief statement to students: ``Moi Langhorst was killed in action in Iraq,'' it read, explaining that counselors were available. ``Our sympathy is with the family.''

George Langhorst declined to be interviewed Wednesday about his son, who graduated from Moose Lake High School in 2003.

``We'd like three or four more days to grieve, then maybe we'll talk,'' he told the Associated Press.

Langhorst, an enthusiastic and bright student, and his friend Colt Edin quizzed for Knowledge Bowl meets during the lunch hour in Waechter's classroom, the math teacher said.

``I still can't picture Moi as anything but full of life,'' Waechter said. ``I'm going to have trouble dealing with the loss of him.''

No confirmation of Langhorst's death was released Wednesday evening by officials at the Pentagon or the Marine Corps public affairs office in Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he previously was stationed as a member of the 1st Marine Division, 4th Marine Regiment, Second Battalion G Company.

But Rev. Larry La Dassor, pastor of St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Moose Lake, said Langhorst's family learned Tuesday that he died near Ramadi and Fallujah. The area is a Sunni Muslim stronghold where heavy fighting has killed at least 15 Marines since Monday.

Fallujah is where militants killed four American civilians on March 31, hanging two of the bodies from a bridge.

Flags in Moose Lake flew at half-staff Wednesday. Langhorst is the second Moose Lake-area Marine to die in about a month. Matt Milczark, 18, of Kettle River, was found dead March 7 inside a chapel in Kuwait. Family members were told he died of a gunshot wound.

Tim Caroline, superintendent of Moose Lake's schools, said Langhorst and Milczark were ``buddies'' who enlisted together.

``It's just been very, very difficult,'' he said. ``It just seems like this can't be really true, that it has claimed two of our own.''

On a banner along a school hallway, Moose Lake students scrawled ``Heroes of Moose Lake,'' ``Matt and Moy God Bless You'' and ``We miss and love you both.''

Both Langhorst and Milczark were active in school activities.

Milczark played baseball, football and hockey and was crowned homecoming king in 2002. In addition to the highly successful Knowledge Bowl team, Langhorst participated in the school's math league, stage band and theater, and he played football and track.

``He was just one of the most intelligent kids you'd ever meet,'' Caroline said.

Langhorst also served as an usher in his church and was a member of its Bible Bowl team.

``He wasn't one to wear his Sunday suit just on Sunday. He wore his Christian faith all week long,'' La Dassor said.

Moose Lake school counselor Don Stebbins said students struggled to deal with anger, grief and confusion.

``The biggest question is a three-letter one: Why?'' Stebbins said. ``That's an impossible question to answer.''

Eight counselors spent the day with students. Moose Lake churches organized a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening at a local church.

``We're just reeling from this,'' said Jackee Ninefeldt, a Moose Lake High School English teacher. ``It's just more than a community should bear. We just lost two really, really fine young men.''

News of Langhorst's death came the day after the Defense Department announced that Marine Cpl. Tyler R. Fey, 22, of Eden Prairie, had been killed Sunday after attacks in Anbar province Iraq.

``He was a kind and sweet kid. He was proud of his decision to be in the service and serve as a combat engineer,'' said his cousin, Char Loving.

Fey was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, also out of Camp Pendleton.

Including Langhorst and Fey, six Minnesota soldiers have been killed in combat in Iraq.

Meanwhile, two Marines from Wisconsin who had been in Iraq for no more than four weeks were killed as fighting escalated there, bringing to 15 the number of soldiers from Wisconsin killed in the country.

Cpl. Jesse Thiry, 23, of Casco, Wis., was killed Tuesday morning in fighting in Fallujah, family members said.

Pfc. Ryan Jerabek, 18, of Hobart, Wis., died Tuesday. His family knew little else about what happened.

Since Sunday, 34 Americans, two other coalition soldiers and more than 190 Iraqis have been killed in fighting across the country.

The Associated Press and News Tribune staff writer Steve Kuchera contributed to this story.

###

San Ramon Mourns Slain Marine
POSTED: 6:38 am PDT April 8, 2004

SAN RAMON, Calif. -- When Kyle Crowley decided to join the Marines and head off to Iraq, his father feared for his son's safety.

Those fears proved prescient when the 18-year old from San Ramon was killed Tuesday in a gun battle in Iraq.

"I'm just really proud of Kyle and his achievements," his father, Mark Crowley, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm really saddened by the loss of his young life and that his blood was spilled on foreign soil."

Crowley is one of three San Francisco Bay area residents killed in Iraq this week. Marine Lance Cpl. Travis J. Layfield, 19, of Fremont, was also killed Tuesday, and Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, of Vacaville, died earlier this week.

Crowley was mourned at California High School, which he attended for 3-1/2 years before graduating from alternative Del Amigo High School last spring.

"He was proud to wear his uniform and so excited about being a Marine," California High principal Mark Corti said. "I saw the growth in him, the maturity, the self-confidence, self-esteem. He was just a new young man. He was so proud that he had gone through that training."

Mark Crowley served in the U.S. Army and was opposed to his son's decision to enter the military even though he admits it helped his son mature.

"I was pretty much against Kyle joining. I was fearful of his safety," Mark Crowley said.

A memorial at California High School was scheduled for Thursday and a candlelight vigil will be held in San Ramon on Friday night.

Kyle's friend Gray Kaempf was stunned when he heard the news.

"My heart was in my stomach when Kyle's dad called me," Kaempf told the Contra Costa Times. "I was thinking about Kyle, wondering where he was and how he was doing.

"To be a Marine was the dream he wanted. He was very brave. He went over there and gave everything he had for his country. His death makes the war so real I might be fighting over there, too."

Kyle Crowley is survived by his father, his mother, Mary, and sister, Nichole, 20.

Sheehan was killed Sunday in a fire-fight outside Baghdad. Sheehan's family members said his sergeant told them he and Jostes volunteered to be part of a quick response team when rioting started in Baghdad.

"He didn't have to go," said Sheehan's 23-year-old sister, Carly. "He would do anything for anybody. He'd give you the shirt off his back. He was just a loving and caring person."

Carly Sheehan said her brother was active in his Catholic church, spending 10 years as an altar server and serving in the youth ministry.

"That's all he wanted to do was serve God and his country his whole life," Carly Sheehan said. "He was a boy scout from age 6 or 7 and an Eagle Scout. It was kind of a natural progression to go into the military from that. He said he was enjoying the military because it was just like the boy scouts but they got guns."

###

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Marcus M. Cherry, 18, of Imperial, Calif.

Pfc. Benjamin R. Carman, 20, of Jefferson, Iowa.

Both died April 6, due to hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Your posts are becoming quite hard to read Mark. Each time I see a new post by you to this thread, I have to prepare myself.

Rest in peace, brothers. Your time on Earth is through, but know this. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. My prayers are with all your families.

Semper Fi,
Wayne

Posted on Thu, Apr. 08, 2004
Marine from Imperial is killed in Iraq
Associated Press

IMPERIAL, Calif. - An 18-year-old Marine from Imperial was among several Camp Pendleton-based servicemen to be killed this week in Iraq, the Marine Corps announced Thursday.

Lance Cpl. Marcus M. Cherry, a rifleman, died Tuesday in the Anbar province, which has seen an outburst of violence between insurgents and U.S. troops.

His mother, Genevieve King, told the Imperial Valley Press that her son was among 12 Marines killed in combat in the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

Cherry graduated from Imperial High School last year, after having played on the varsity football team.

He joined the Marine Corps on June 9 and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Echo Co. His stepfather, James Tyler, said Cherry was an infantryman and a fire team leader.

His personal awards include the National Defense Service Medal.

Cherry's brother, Andre, was also deployed to Iraq, Tyler said. Andre Cherry was en route home to Imperial following the death of his brother, he said.

###

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Shane L. Goldman, 20, of Orange, Texas, died April 5 due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

###

Associated Press
4/8/2004

DES MOINES, Iowa - An Iowa Marine based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., was among the American soldiers killed in this week's heavy fighting in Iraq, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

Lance Cpl. Benjamin R. Carman, 20, of Jefferson, died Tuesday, due to hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, according to the DOD's web site.

Carman was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Carman, a 2002 graduate of Jefferson-Scranton High School, had been in Iraq less than two months. According to Carman's mother, Marie, he was shot in what essentially amounted to "hand-to-hand combat," said Karen Younie, the school's principal.

Marie and Nelson Carman, of rural Jefferson, were notified of their son's death early Wednesday by Marine Corps officials from Omaha, Neb.

"Right now, I'd like to be quiet," Nelson Carman, said Thursday.

His son's body was to arrive at Dover Air Force Base, Del., later Thursday, said Sgt. Major Eric Smith, of the Marines office in Omaha. Funeral arrangements were pending.

"The only thing I can tell you about the incident is what I told the family: He was killed by hostile fire during a battle," Smith said.

Two of Ben Carman's three siblings were home, but his younger sister - a Jefferson-Scranton senior - was studying in Mexico. Arrangements were being made to fly her home and provide counseling in the meantime, Younie said.

The Rev. Rod Block, pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Jefferson, said Ben Carman returned home and attended services with his family in February before he left for Iraq.

Carman, whose late grandfather was a prisoner of war during World War II, and his family were proud that day, said Block, who met with Carman's family Wednesday.

"He was nervous, knowing where he was going, but he was not hesitant to go," Block said. "He believed in what he was going to be doing and his family still does."

Carman was the 11th Iowan to be killed in Iraq.

###

Associated Press

McKENZIE, Tenn. - A Tennessee native was among Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based Marines killed in fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, this week, a relative said Thursday.

Capt. Brent Morel, 33, grew up in Memphis and his parents, Mike and Molly Morel live in McKenzie, 110 miles northeast of Memphis, Vickie Smith said. Smith's husband, Herman, is Morel's uncle.

Morel was killed while on a reconnaissance mission in Fallujah, Smith said. The family was told of his death Thursday.

Smith said military officials said several other Marines were wounded in the attack.

Morel attended the University of Tennessee-Martin before enlisting in the Marines.

He was stationed at Camp Pendleton, where his wife, Amy, lives. The couple have no children.

He also is survived by his grandparents, Paul and Georgette Smith of Martin.

###

LCpl Marcus M. Cherry LCpl Marcus M. Cherry

His personal awards include the National Defense Service Medal.


And the Purple Heart,Combat Action Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

Semper Fidelis

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

2nd Lt. John T. Wroblewski, 25, of Oak Ridge, N.J., died April 6 due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

###

Age 18

Just before shipping out to Iraq, Lance Cpl. Anthony P. Roberts proudly stood in front of his former classmates at Middletown High School in Delaware to talk about the honor of being a Marine and his commitment to his country.

"He was such an inspiration," said an assistant principal at the school, Felecia Duggins. Roberts was killed in action Tuesday in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq.

He had been peppered with questions about whether he was afraid of going to Iraq, Duggins said.

"He said he wasn't," Duggins said. "But he wasn't just saying that. You could tell he was facing what was ahead with courage."

Roberts joined the Air Force Junior ROTC program when he was a sophomore at Middletown and set his sights on a career in the military, Duggins said. He was committed to the discipline.

"It's what he wanted," she said. "And he worked hard to get it. He was always so focused."

Roberts went from cadet to flight commander in charge of his own group of cadets at the high school.

"He was always motivated to succeed," Duggins said.

Roberts was a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division from Camp Pendleton.

He joined the Marine Corps a few weeks after graduation.

Roberts made an amazing transformation from a high school student to a Marine heading to war.

When he returned to the school he had been a Marine for just a few months, but the time had made a lifetime of difference, Duggins said.

"He had such confidence," she said. "We were so proud of him."

– David Hasemyer

Age 23

As a child, Jesse Thiry milked and fed cows and used his hands however he could to help with the family farm in Wisconsin. As a man, he insisted on the same hands-on role in helping restore order in Iraq.

So he volunteered for duty there and let someone else train officers in Quantico, Va., to handle their weapons.

"It wasn't his calling, he felt, to teach weapons to other people," his stepmother, Sue Thiry, said in a phone interview. "It was his calling to be there."

Cpl. Jesse Thiry was killed in action in Al Anbar Province on Monday, one month after leaving Okinawa, Japan. It was his second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The native of Casco, Wis., was 23.

He was an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division from Camp Pendleton. He joined the Marines in November 2000.

"Jesse was fun-loving, easygoing, very family oriented," Sue Thiry said. "He was very proud to be a Marine. He was trying to find his path in life."

Jesse had three sisters and four brothers. He was engaged to be married in May 2005.

His stepmother described him as a typical teenager who liked to have fun. He wrestled and played football in high school, then chose the Marines over the several branches of the military that were trying to recruit him.

On Sept. 11, 2001, he was stationed in Quantico. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, he was sent to the Pentagon to help clean up the damage.

The sight, so different than it appeared on television, and the smell stirred a new resolve within him.

"It really affected him," Thiry said. "When Iraq came around, he was bound and determined that it wasn't going to happen again."

– Matthew T. Hall

Seventh serviceman from Minnesota dies in Iraq war
Updated: 04-09-2004 08:03:02 AM

CLOQUET, Minn. (AP) - A 20-year-old Marine from this northeastern Minnesota town became the seventh Minnesota serviceman to die in Iraq, his grandmother said Friday.

Levi Angell was killed earlier this week when his Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, said Lila Angell, also of Cloquet.

The military would not comment on the report Friday. Angell was not listed on the official list of military casualties posted on the Web by the Department of Defense. Casualties are typically made public well after the family is notified.

Lila Angell said her grandson joined the Marines shortly after graduating from Cloquet High School in 2002.

Including Angell, three Marines from Minnesota have died in Iraq this week.

###

Community mourns Marine

By Erin Breznikar, STAFF WRITER
ArgusOnline

FREMONT -- Diane Layfield only spoke with her son three times while he was deployed in Iraq.

"The last thing he told me was, 'I don't want to die a hero. I just want to come home,'" she said Thursday, one day after learning of his death.

Marine Lance Cpl. Travis Layfield, 19, was killed during a firefight in the Anbar province of Western Iraq on Tuesday.

Now, the 2003 graduate of Washington High School has become a hero to his friends and family for his service with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton in Southern California.

Diane Layfield's Glenmoor home teemed with well-wishers on Thursday. Flowers, photos and teary-eyed friends and family filled her living room and kitchen.

"You can't prepare for this," Layfield said. "You just pray that you don't get that call or see that Marine coming."

Layfield, 50, saw that Marine heading toward her on Wednesday afternoon after returning home from her grandson's T-ball game in Sunnyvale.

"I thought I was going to die," she said.

Her son left for the Middle East in February 2003, first heading to Kuwait and later Iraq. He is the first soldier to die from the Tri-City area since the start of the war in Iraq last year.

The Anbar province, west of Bagh-

dad, has been rife with fighting in recent days. Layfield was one of nearly a dozen soldiers killed in the area on Tuesday.

The area is 18 miles from Fallujah, where four civilian contractors were killed and mutilated last week. The region is a stronghold for Sunni Muslim insurgents.

Last year, Layfield completed 12 weeks of basic training at the Marine Corps recruit depot in San Diego. He had enlisted through the local recruiting office on State Street.

Layfield said her son entered ROTC while in junior high.

"He was not afraid to go" to Iraq, she said. "Whether it was war or not, he wanted to be a Marine."

Washington High School students and administrators spent Thursday planning a candlelight vigil in Layfield's honor.

The family requested that an evening service be held for the Marine who enjoyed music and working on cars, including his 1964 Ford Galaxy 500.

Milt Werner, Washington's principal, said the campus was "somber" Thursday -- the last day of school before spring break.

"I think that's very appropriate," he said. "Teenagers aren't often given the credit they deserve. They really understand and now have a better understanding of what's going on right now in the world."

For the second day, grief counselors were at the school to speak with students and faculty, he said.

The campus, off Fremont Boulevard, was filled with reminders of Layfield's death -- television crews came and went, while Layfield's name was displayed on the marquis at the front of campus.

Flags around campus were lowered to half-staff. Bouquets of flowers were laid around a flagpole that commemorates the soldiers with a flag that reads "we honor those who serve."

School administration and students wore yellow lapel pins in memory of Layfield.

Teachers and students described the 2,000-student school as a "tight-knit" community and said the loss of a fellow student hit close to home.

Abra Motta, an English teacher who taught Layfield during his freshman and junior years, said having students die so young is her "worst nightmare."

"He was an amazingly friendly kid," she said Wednesday. "He was just kind to everybody. He was just charming and kind and wonderful."

Mat Goebel, a Washington senior and member of the student government helping plan the service, said thinking about the war was secondary while the school mourned Layfield's death.

"Shock comes first," he said. "Thinking about any other implications of (the war) right now is second. The loss of the person comes first."

Maricela Revuelta visited Washington today to pay tribute to Layfield. She said she plans to attend the vigil today because she has two sons serving in the Air Force.

With the war in Iraq, she said the tension for them is high.

"It's incredible how many kids from this area are serving and this is how we find out," the 45-year-old Fremont resident said.

"For the kids who want to enter the service, it's so easy to say yes because of so much the service offers," she said. "But we never had any idea they would go to fight, or what would go on over there.

"This is what every parent dreads."

In addition to his mother, Layfield is survived by his father, John Layfield of Fremont; brothers, Tyler Layfield of Fremont and Todd Bolton of Arkansas; a sister, Tiffani Bolton of Sunnyvale; grandmother, Dorothy Morse of Marysville; and other family members.

A candlelight vigil will be held at 7 tonight at the main flagpole in front of Washington High School, 38442 Fremont Blvd. Information: (510) 505-7300.

###

04/09/2004
By MURRAY EVANS / Associated Press

A 21-year-old Marine corporal from Lexington, Kentucky died Thursday while serving in Iraq, his father said Friday.

Nicholas Dieruf of Lexington died as the result of an explosion, said his father, Charles Dieruf.

The father said he was told of his son's death at 1:20 a.m. EDT Friday by two Marines who knocked on the door of his Lexington home. He said the Marines told him the explosion occurred about 9 p.m. Thursday.

"I'm pretty upset right now," Charles Dieruf said by telephone, his voice breaking. "Nicholas was a good boy. He never got into trouble. Everybody loved him. When I asked him personally what he thought about all the people badmouthing our country for doing this, his only response was that he was fighting so they had the right to say what they wanted to say."

Nicholas Dieruf graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington and would have finished a four-year stint with the Marines in October, his father said. After an earlier stint in Iraq, Nicholas returned to Lexington and was married in January to Emily Jane Duncan before returning to Iraq in February.

"He had time to get married and have a honeymoon," Charles Dieruf said.

Charles Dieruf said he had four sons, of which Nicholas was the youngest. Another son, Matthew, is in the Air Force and recently graduated from basic training.

Nicholas Dieruf was in the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, a unit in the 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Charles Dieruf said the family had not yet made funeral arrangements.

The Marines have not officially announced Dieruf's death. The military delays official announcements until at least 24 hours after family members are notified.

At least 15 marines have died in hostile fire in Iraq since Monday, nine of them from Camp Pendleton.

Maj. Gen. Keith Stalder at Camp Pendleton said Thursday he would tell families of the dead Marines "how deeply saddened we are by the loss of this fine young man or woman and reassure them that the cause that they made the sacrifice for was a worthy cause."

###

Twenty-one-year-old Lance Cpl. Christopher Wasser was killed in combat in Al-Anbar province on Thursday, his family said.

Wasser's father, Scott, said that his son recently e-mailed his girlfriend and sister, reporting that there had been skirmishes in the area where he was serving.

###

will be available for viewing here!

Semper Fi,
fontman