|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Military.com Forums Marine Corps Discussions Marine Open Discussion Forum Somber photo...|
Go
|
New
|
Find
|
Notify
|
Tools
|
Reply
|
|
LCpl Supreme |
RIP SGT Cariaga 29th BCT HIARNG
  Sgt. Deyson K. Cariaga, a 20-year-old Hawai'i National Guard soldier, was killed Friday in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded near the Humvee he was driving back to base. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jul/09/ln/507090337.html Hawai'i loses its first citizen-soldier in Iraq By Mike Gordon, David Waite and William Cole Advertiser Staff Writers A soldier with the Hawai'i Army National Guard became the state's first citizen-soldier killed in Iraq, the Army said. Spc. Deyson Cariaga, 20, of Kamehameha Heights, was assigned to the 29th Brigade Combat Team, 229th Military Intelligence Company. The 29th BCT began a 12-month deployment to Iraq in January. Cariaga was killed — and three other soldiers injured — when a bomb detonated near their vehicle about 1 p.m. yesterday, the Army said. The soldiers were on patrol near Balad. None of the wounded soldiers is from Hawai'i. They were taken to a medical facility. Cariaga was identified by a military source and a family friend, both of whom did not want to be named because they had not been authorized to release information. A neighbor said Cariaga is a recent graduate of Farrington High School. His family was notified yesterday morning and declined comment. His mother is a civilian employee with the Honolulu Police Department. A spokesman for the Hawai'i National Guard said no official statement would be made until 24 hours after the family was notified. Gov. Linda Lingle, speaking to military officials at a change of command ceremony yesterday, said she was told of the casualty by Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, head of the Hawai'i National Guard. "I stood in Aloha Stadium in October of last year when all the members of our guard gathered, their families gathered in the stands, and I dreaded the thought that I knew this day would come, that it was unlikely that the 29th would be able to make it through more than a year of deployment and not have anybody lose their lives," Lingle said. "It's a very sad day for the family, it's a very sad day for Hawai'i." Cariaga was interviewed at that October send-off by the Associated Press. "We're going to get a lot of training in Texas that's going to prepare us more, but I feel that, overall, we are prepared as a brigade," he said before leaving for Fort Bliss, Texas. In a statement, U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, said he was deeply saddened. "In Hawai'i, we are 'ohana, and the death of this 20-year-old local soldier is like a death in each of our own families," Inouye said. "While Americans may have different opinions regarding our presence in Iraq, I believe we are all united in support of our troops, who, without hesitation or fear, willingly serve in harm's way. Roadside bombs are the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq, and the devices have been getting more sophisticated. Two soldiers killed in Iraq were with the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry out of California, a unit attached to the Brigade. About 3,700 soldiers are part of the brigade, and more than 2,200 are from the Hawai'i Army National Guard and Army Reserve's 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. Its units are in Kuwait, Baghdad and LSA Anaconda, an air base about 50 miles north of Baghdad. The Iraq duty represents the first time the 29th Brigade has been sent to war since the Vietnam War. About 4,000 soldiers were mobilized at Schofield Barracks in 1968-69. Of those, about 1,100 were sent to Vietnam to be inserted into active-duty units. Twenty soldiers with the Hawai'i Army National Guard and nine reservists with the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, were killed in Vietnam, Hawai'i Guard officials said. |
|||
|
|
LCpl Supreme |
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jul/10/ln/507100352.html
Guardsman loved mission, kids  Sgt. Deyson K. Cariaga, a 20-year-old Hawai'i National Guard soldier, was killed Friday in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded near the Humvee he was driving back to base. By William Cole Advertiser Military Writer LSA ANACONDA, Iraq — The purple backpack and the extra large medical pack were with Deyson K. Cariaga on his final patrol. Inside one he would have stuffed animals, pencils and coloring books for Iraqi kids. In the other would be 100 pounds of medical supplies — more than was usually needed. He belonged to an intelligence team, and part of his job was finding out who was firing mortars at Logistical Support Area Anaconda or placing roadside bombs, but he was good at it all. Cariaga, 20, was killed Friday when a bomb exploded near a Humvee he was driving back to the base on a beat-up road that the Army calls Route Heather. Cariaga, a lanky 5-foot-10 Hawai'i National Guard soldier with an infectious smile, loved the excitement of going on missions, and was thinking of joining Special Forces when this deployment was over. "He really wanted to be there ... when the bullets started flying," said his roommate and team leader, Sgt. Jared Chong, 25, a member of the Guard's counter-drug task force back in Hawai'i. He also liked giving toys to children. In Iraq, bring out one toy and you get swarmed, but Cariaga didn't mind. "If you put yourself in that position, you genuinely want to do something (to help)," said Staff Sgt. Eric Shimodoi, 29, from Pearl City. Cariaga, known as "Dice" to his friends, was a Roosevelt High grad who lived in Kalihi and loved to surf. He was part of the 229th Military Intelligence Company, a unit of several dozen soldiers. Three other U.S. service members, none from Hawai'i, were injured in the blast. Cariaga's death was the first Hawai'i loss for the National Guard's 29th Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. A memorial at which Cariaga's desert boots will be placed next to his upturned M-16 rifle topped by his helmet will be held Tuesday at LSA Anaconda. Cariaga's death was still sinking in yesterday, and there was a new reflection on the year-long deployment to Iraq five months through. "I honestly don't know what to say. I'm still in shock," said Pfc. Sheldon Fujiwara, 19, of Salt Lake, a Guard soldier with a medical unit who was two years behind Cariaga at Roosevelt. The two were friends, and Cariaga practically became part of Fujiwara's family. "He was such a great person, such a great friend, I can't believe that he's ..." Fujiwara said, unable to finish the thought. "I feel for his parents, his mom and grandparents," Chong said. "It's a hard time for everyone." Spc. Cariaga has been posthumously promoted to sergeant, the National Guard said. Hawai'i National Guard and Reserve soldiers for the most part are based at Camp Victory near Baghdad International Airport; at LSA Anaconda, 50 miles north of Baghdad; and in Kuwait. Roadside bombs are the No. 1 killer of U.S. forces in Iraq, and Hawai'i soldiers have had more than their share of close calls. The 100th Battalion, 442 Infantry at LSA Anaconda has awarded or has pending 21 Purple Hearts, most from roadside bombs. The 229th Military Intelligence Company had "improvised explosive devices," or IEDs, go off twice near patrols about a month ago. A turret gunner with the 100th Battalion was injured in one blast. But the death of a soldier is something new. "I think there's a lot of anger from the soldiers. Also, disbelief that one of their own is gone," said Capt. Mike Desmond, who commands the 229th. The unit flies small Raven unmanned aerial vehicles, has the "tactical human intelligence" mission, and also runs a Joint Intelligence Center. Desmond said he told the soldiers "that we're here for a mission, that Spc. Cariaga believed in that mission, and he would want us to work harder to decrease the threats for other soldiers." Cariaga, who would have turned 21 on July 28, was single. He lived with his grandparents, older brother and mother, fellow soldiers said. He wanted to join the National Guard to be a combat engineer, but his mom wouldn't sign for him to do so as a minor, Fujiwara said. So instead, he joined the military intelligence unit. His friends say Cariaga always excelled at physical activities, liked to run, was a longboard surfer who favored the Diamond Head side, and swam at an outdoor pool at LSA Anaconda to keep in shape. "One of his goals was to get better in surfing. He really loved to surf," said Chong, who lives in Kailua. On patrols, Cariaga, who was a combat lifesaver, carried a heavier-than-normal pack with extra medical supplies like IVs, just in case soldiers needed them, and often treated Iraqi children who had cuts, scratches and blisters. "Being a medic out there, every day you are bound to fix someone," Chong said. "He was all right with that." Desmond said Cariaga had a role in the unit of finding more than 60 mortars a few days before his death. "He was the epitome of what I would consider a good soldier," said Shimodoi, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the intelligence team. Chong said Cariaga "loved what he did," but for everyone who goes outside the protection of the air base, "you know that shadow (of roadside bombs) is lurking over you." |
|||
|
|
Experienced Member |
12 pages, WOW, LOOK AT THESE in http://www.military.com.
vvvvvvvvvv http://forums.military.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=78919038&f...700001#7160067700001 |
|||
|
|
LCpl Supreme |
http://starbulletin.com/2005/07/19/news/index6.html
RIP SSG Tiai [size=18]Soldier in 442nd is killed in Iraq[/size] Frank Tiai is the first Army reservist of the 442nd to die in Iraq  Staff Sgt. Frank Tiai, 46, was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb in Iraq. He is survived by his wife; a son, 19; and a daughter, 6. Star-Bulletin staff Staff Sgt. Frank F. Tiai was scheduled to return home from Iraq to Pago Pago, American Samoa, on leave for rest and relaxation this week. But the 46-year-old Army reservist was killed Sunday morning by a roadside bomb in Iraq, becoming the first Army reservist of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, to die in combat In that country. Tiai, a member of Company C of the 100th Battalion, also became the fourth member of the 29th Brigade Combat Team to be killed in Iraq. Tiai was in the third vehicle of a convoy patrolling along "Route Raider outside Logistics Support Area Anaconda" when an improvised roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle. Army Reserve officials notified Tiai's family early Sunday morning. He is survived by his wife and two children, a son, 19, and a daughter, 6. Tiai's family in American Samoa declined comment. Funeral arrangements are pending. |
|||
|
|
LCpl Supreme |
http://starbulletin.com/2005/07/25/editorial/indexspecial.html
 The memorial service for Staff Sgt. Frank Tiai was held July 20 at LSA Anaconda, near Balad, Iraq. Above, members of Tiai's platoon rendered a traditional final salute. Hawaii-based squad hit hard by war Staff Sgt. Frank Tiai was a warrior whose quiet, gentle manner commanded respect By Capt. Kyle Yonemura Special to the Star-Bulletin LSA ANACONDA, Iraq » Staff Sgt. Frank Tiai served as an infantry squad leader with First Platoon, Company C, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. A year ago, he bid his wife, two children and his island home goodbye to answer his country's call to combat duty in Iraq. Born and raised in Pago Pago, American Samoa, he served 22 years as an Army reservist with the famed battalion. According to his friend, Chaplain Capt. Fouvale Asiata, "Frank was a very gentle man, but a disciplined soldier with the 'Go for Broke' spirit." Tiai was remembered at a memorial service held at 11 a.m. July 20 in Logistical Support Area Anaconda's post theater. He was killed in action at about 10:20 a.m. on July 17 while on a combat patrol North of LSA Anaconda, after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his Humvee. Tiai was remembered for his love of his family as well as his love of his men. "He had his family's photos on his wall and would talk to them every day," said Staff Sgt. Amone Moliga. "I sometimes thought someone was in the room with him, but it was only Frank talking to his wife's or his children's pictures." As Tiai's roommate, Moliga knew how hard Tiai took it when his men were wounded. "He had a soft heart," Moliga said. "He had tears in his eyes while he called for the Medevac (medical evacuation helicopter) for his men. Other guys don't show that kind of thing." At 45, Tiai was the oldest soldier in his platoon, and he took on a fatherly role for the soldiers in his squad. His even temper and maturity earned him the respect of his men. "I looked up to Staff Sgt. Tiai," said Spc. Siamu Utu, a member of Tiai's squad. "He was my role model; he was always there for us through good and bad. We miss him. He was like a father and always gave us advice." "Frank was a humble man, he never argued, but he always stood his ground. His calmness inspired calmness in those around him," said his platoon leader, 1st Lt. Tuliloa Tuliloa.  SSG Tiai on patrol in Iraq. Tiai's first squad had been hit hard in the past. In April, Spc. Nick Tuiolosega, an automatic rifleman with the first squad, was seriously injured by an IED that detonated near his Humvee. Then, in June, a report of a vehicle-borne IED in the area of LSA Anaconda came in to the command post; a patrol from first squad sped out to intercept it. Turret gunner Spc. Satuala Amoa was critically injured when his vehicle accidentally rolled over, pinning him beneath it. Making matters worse, Amoa was wedged under the solid steel gunner's shield mounted on the Humvee's turret, and the weight of the armored vehicle was crushing him. Seven burly Samoan soldiers from the first squad quickly positioned themselves along the edge of the vehicle and managed to lift the three-ton Humvee off of Amoa long enough for their medic and artillery observer to pull him free. Both Amoa and Tuiolosega are recovering from their injuries at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. "Company C has been hit hard, but especially that one squad, the first squad of First Platoon," said acting company commander Capt. John Ahrends. In a cruel twist of fate, First Squad leader Tiai was mortally wounded on his last scheduled patrol before returning home to his family on rest and recuperation (R&R) leave. The patrol was returning to base and was only a few kilometers from LSA Anaconda's gate when, according to the platoon sergeant, Sgt First Class Sofa Seumalo, "Staff Sgt. Tiai got on our platoon radio net. He thanked everyone in the platoon over the radio for their hard work. He encouraged them to keep up their good work, and he told them goodbye because he was going home on R&R." "The explosion was so powerful that it shook the ground," said Seumalo. "You could hear it and feel it. My ears were ringing." The IED had exploded the same moment Tiai completed his broadcast. Seumalo looked behind his vehicle to see Tiai's vehicle engulfed in smoke and flames. Tiai had been critically wounded, his squad rushed to his aid and removed him from the burning wreckage of the Humvee. They lay him on the ground and began administering first aid. Seumalo called in a report over the radio then ran to his friend's side. Tiai was on his back, conscious, watching the combat lifesavers working on him. "He held my hand, squeezed it and looked into my eyes," said Seumalo, almost breaking into tears as he recounted his friend's last moments. "Frank had tears in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. He knew." The quiet and humble warrior who had shed tears when his men had been wounded was now a casualty himself. Combat medics worked heroically to save his life as he was transported to the hospital. Chaplain Asiata was with him. "When I saw him at the hospital, he had a tear in his right eye as he breathed his last breath," Asiata said. "He had a final tear to shed, and I believe that it was a tear of concern for his family and for his men. That's the kind of man Frank was -- he always thought of the people he loved first." At Tiai's memorial service, a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace," then Tiai's fellow Samoan soldiers sang a traditional farewell song in their native language called "Mo'omo'oga Sa Molia i Talosaga," which Chaplain Asiata interpreted into English as, "A humble plea to be still together in life, but who can stop death!" The soldiers who attended the service also sang "Peace Like a River" and ended with the rousing regimental song of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry called "Go For Broke." "We will drive on with our mission, but we will always remember Staff Sgt. Tiai in our hearts," said 1st Lt. Tuliloa. "We will always 'Go For Broke!'" This message has been edited. Last edited by: jhb3043, |
|||
|
Member |
Reading through all this, and seeing the photos...I cried.
Good luck to all y'all Marines, from a Navy enlistee. |
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
Seeing all this touched me deep inside, i also cried.
I love and respect each one fo you Marines for what you guys do for us and what you give us!! |
|||
|
|
LCpl Supreme |
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/03/marines.profiles.ap/index.html
Wednesday, August 3, 2005; Posted: 10:42 p.m. EDT (02:42 GMT) (AP) -- Fourteen Marine reservists were killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb in Iraq -- one of the heaviest blows suffered by a single unit in the war. Two days earlier, six others from the same Ohio-based battalion were killed in an attack north of Baghdad. Members of 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, based in Brook Park, Ohio, a blue-collar Cleveland suburb with a population of 21,000, were activated in January and went to Iraq in March. The battalion also has units in Columbus, Akron, Moundsville, West Virginia, and Buffalo, New York. The following are profiles of some of the Marines killed this week.  Lance Cpl. Timothy Michael Bell Jr. When Lance Cpl. Timothy Michael Bell Jr.'s parents took him to Columbus, Ohio, in January to deploy for training, he had just one message for them, his stepmother said. "He just said, 'This is what I was born to do,"' Vivian Bell said. Bell, 22, of West Chester, Ohio, was killed Wednesday in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Always protective of his three younger sisters, Bell applied that same ethic to joining the military, his father said. "It's very important for me that everybody knows that he did this for them," Timothy Michael Bell Sr. said. The Lakota East High School graduate was a black-belt in judo and was hoping to buy a motorcycle when he returned home in September, his father said.  Cpl. Jeff Boskovitch Cpl. Jeff Boskovitch set a wedding date -- October 14, 2006 -- with his fiancee, Shelly Tevis, when they spoke Saturday on the phone. Days later, the 25-year-old Marine reservist from North Royalton, Ohio, was killed while on sniper duty in Iraq. An aspiring police officer, Boskovitch was a driven Marine and a role model for his 42 cousins, family members said. "He had the biggest heart in the world," said his uncle, Dan Boskovitch. "He was just a great kid." The members of the sniper unit were close, his uncle said. Boskovitch declined a promotion because he wanted to stay with the unit. Boskovitch, who graduated from Normandy High School in 1999, had completed the law enforcement program at Cuyahoga Community College and worked with the Geauga County sheriff, his uncle said.  Sgt. David Coullard Sgt. David Coullard had been sent around the world since joining the Marines as a reservist about 10 years ago. Still, he was determined to serve in combat. On Christmas Day, after waiting years for active duty, he told his family that he had volunteered to go to Iraq. "I personally think he just wanted to be in battle," said his stepfather, Greg Dziedzic. "I think he wanted to do what he was trained for." Coullard, 32, of Glastonbury, Connecticut, was killed Monday, also while on sniper duty north of Baghdad. Anita Dziedzic raised her only son as a single mother, and said she felt compelled to do things with him that a father would do. So she took him to target practice, and took a hunting course with him. He had talked about joining the Marines since was 9 years old. When her son's death becomes too much to handle, Anita Dziedzic said she remembers the words her son told her when her mother died years ago. "He said, 'Mom, you're going to be OK,"' she recalled. "So I guess I've told myself that all through this. That I'm going to be OK. I'm going to be OK."  Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin had turned 22 just two days before he was killed Monday. Deyarmin graduated in 2002 from Tallmadge High School, where he played football, said his sister Erica, 23. He hoped to open a rental property business when he returned from Iraq. Deyarmin enjoyed racing dirt bikes and four-wheelers through Tallmadge, east of Akron in northeastern Ohio. He also liked to restore cars, his sister said. "That was his favorite thing to do," she said. Before leaving for duty, Deyarmin was one of four Marines who spoke to students at a local middle school about serving in Iraq. "He believed in his country," Erica Deyarmin said. "He loved being a Marine."  Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery Before leaving in January, Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery hugged his father. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll be coming back home," Paul Montgomery recalled his son saying. But on Monday the 26-year-old died along other members of his sniper unit. His son, Alexander, turned 1 year old on Wednesday. Montgomery joined the Marine reserves in June 2002 and lived in Mentor, Ohio, with his wife and son. He served in the battalion with his 21-year-old brother, Eric, who planned to return for the funeral. Montgomery graduated from South High School in Willoughby in northeastern Ohio in 1998.  Sgt. Nathaniel Rock As a part-time police officer, Sgt. Nathaniel Rock displayed integrity and curiosity that would have suited him well in the profession. Rock, 26, joined the police department across the river from Wheeling, West Virginia, about a year ago and planned to continue as a full-time officer when he returned from Iraq. "I always saved a spot for him," said Barry Carpenter, the police chief in Martins Ferry who described Rock as a talented, proud officer with great potential. The Toronto, Ohio, native graduated in 1997 and served in the Marines for six years and then joined the reserves, said his mother, Adriana Rock. "It was a goal he'd always had and a goal he was able to achieve," Carpenter said. "It allowed him to serve his country, but ultimately it brought about his demise."  Lance Cpl. Edward Schroeder Rosemary Palmer wouldn't let her son play with guns when he was little, and she certainly didn't want him involved in the military. "He was persuaded that if he joined the Marines, he would get a new sense of purpose," said Palmer, who found out Wednesday that her 23-year-old son, Lance Cpl. Edward Schroeder, was among those killed in a roadside explosion. Schroeder spent his preschool years in China and then finished school in Maplewood, New Jersey. His family moved to Cleveland after he graduated from high school and started classes at Ohio State University. "It was always, 'What's out there? Let me try,"' Palmer said. "He wanted to experience life." Palmer said she was speaking Wednesday morning with her husband, Paul, about plans to attend services for the reservists killed Monday when two men came walking down her street toward her house. A relative who was there saw them coming and gave warning. "My sister-in-law saw them and screamed, 'Get down here!' So we knew. They didn't even get a chance to knock," Palmer said. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. |
|||
|
Basic Training |
God, I don't know what to say. It took me about 2 hrs to read this thread and my eyes were leaking. Thanks for sharing the photos. I am former Air Force myself and I have great respect for all the Marines here. I saw a connection from the Air Force board and I am glad that I came here. I will be back to visit. God Bless you guys/gals! Thank you.
|
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
The 22nd IS 70th IW, Ft. Meade MD salutes the Marines that gave the ultimate sacrifice. May God look after their families and friends, both state-side and on the field of battle. God Speed.
One of the serious problems in planning the fight against American doctrine, is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine... - From a Soviet Junior Lt's Notebook |
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
|
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
wow...this is reality slappin people in the face. i cant stop crying. god bless these men and women. also god bless all of our troops fighting for us.
|
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
To All whom have served & those serving now, and those whom have Fallin !
My heart and prayers will always be with you ! Semper Fi, My fellow Marines. Kevin S. Arlington,Tx. |
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
To my fallen brothers and sisters...
You will never be forgotten. Rest in peace.... |
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
manowars gift
gunny with much respect i post here i was on the cheyenne when we were the first to launch against bagdhdad in the 2nd gulf war...we as a submarine community salute you marines and hope this video brings you and the troops some hope ...eventhough i messed up my life and career larry freeman sends have courage marine i believe in you!!! semper fi...do or die..and i will not die.. |
|||
|
|
Basic Training |
be advised Sunday 25Sept.05 Navy Pier (thats the sovergn state of Chicago) 13.00x 34 Gold Star Mothers will be reciepients, in HONOR of My Marine CorpsKIA . We will be their an invite to all.For further info. check out Ill.Leathernecks Motorcycle Club web site. Swamp Fox SF
|
|||
|
|
ON WARNING for disruptive posting and attacking other posters |
|
