In Memoriam

[Grace]

Vietnam

Missing Vietnam War Airman Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Air Force Capt. Darrell J. Spinler of Browns Valley, Minn., will be buried on June 18 near his hometown. On June 21, 1967, Spinler was aboard an A-1E Skyraider aircraft attacking enemy targets along the Xekong River in Laos when villagers reported hearing an explosion before his aircraft crashed. The pilot of another A-1E remained in the area for more than two hours but saw no sign of Spinler.

In 1993, a joint U.S.-Laos People’s Democratic Republic team, led by Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), interviewed villagers who witnessed the crash. They claimed Spinler’s body was on the river bank after the crash but likely washed away during the ensuing rainy season. The team surveyed the location and found wreckage consistent with Spinler’s aircraft.

In 1995, the U.S. government evaluated Spinler’s case and determined his remains unrecoverable based on witness statements and available evidence. Teams working in the area revisited the location in 1999 and 2003 and confirmed Spinler’s remains had likely been carried away by the Xekong River. However, in 2010, JPAC conducted a full excavation of the location and recovered aircraft wreckage, human remains, crew-related equipment and personal effects.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental x-rays in the identification of Spinler’s remains.

With the accounting of this airman, 1,689 service members still remain missing from the conflict.

[Grace]

Australia

Sapper Rowan Jaie Robinson

From: Wahroonga, New South Wales
Age: 23
Unit: Combat engineer, Incident Response Regiment, attached to the Australian Special Operations Task Group
Died: June 6, 2011

Robinson was part of an Australian Special Operations Task Group patrol that had uncovered a large cache of explosives and was moving to another area of interest when the patrol came under fire from Taliban insurgents in northern Helmand province, Afghanistan.

[Grace]

5 June 2011

Chief Warrant Officer Kenneth R. White

From: Fort Collins, Colorado
Age: 35
Unit: 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division


Chief Warrant Officer Bradley J. Gaudet

From: Gladewater, Texas
Age: 31
Unit: 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division


Two soldiers killed when their OH-58D Kiowa helicopter crashed in the Sabari district of Khost province, Afghanistan.

[Grace]

7 June 2011

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

Cpl. William J. Woitowicz, 23, of Middlesex, Mass., died June 7 while conducting combat operations in Badghis province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

[Grace]

In Iraq - at 0530, while they were sleeping - 6 June 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of five soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn.

They died June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire. They were assigned to the1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Killed were:

Spc. Emilio J. Campo Jr., 20, of Madelia, Minn.;

Spc. Michael B. Cook Jr., 27, of Middletown, Ohio;

Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck, 24, of Victorville, Calif.;

Spc. Robert P. Hartwick, 20, of Rockbridge, Ohio; and

Pfc. Michael C. Olivieri, 26, Chicago, Ill.

[Grace]

9 June 2011

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

Cpl. Matthew T. Richard, 21, of Acadia, La., died June 9 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

[Grace]

8 June 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

Pfc. Matthew J. England, 22, of Gainesville, Mo., died June 8, in An Najaf province, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.

[cassiesmom]

In Iraq - at 0530, while they were sleeping - 6 June 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of five soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn.

They died June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire. They were assigned to the1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Killed were:

Spc. Emilio J. Campo Jr., 20, of Madelia, Minn.;

Spc. Michael B. Cook Jr., 27, of Middletown, Ohio;

Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck, 24, of Victorville, Calif.;

Spc. Robert P. Hartwick, 20, of Rockbridge, Ohio; and

Pfc. Michael C. Olivieri, 26, Chicago, Ill.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Help honor fallen Homer Glen soldier
Flags for Pfc. Olivieri

HOMER GLEN — Residents can help honor Pfc. Michael Olivieri and his family by lining the streets of Bell Road between 143rd and 159th, and 159th Street, between Bell and Gougar, during his funeral procession Thursday to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

Flags can be picked up at the village offices, on the west side of the building, 14933 S. Founders Crossing (Bell Road and 149th), until 4:30 p.m. daily and at the Homer Township Library, 14320 151st St., from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Flags also can be picked up at Dominick’s on Bell Road; Animal Care Clinic, 13061 W. 143rd St.; Sears, Bell Road and 159th; and Blueberry Hill Restaurant.

The funeral procession will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday from Modell Funeral Home, 12641 W. 143rd St.

[Grace]

England

British Army WO2 Grant Armstrong of the Light Dragoons died on 4th June 2011 from cancer after being diagnosed with a brain tumour last year.

WO2 Armstrong had served two tours of duty in Afghanistan as well as a tour in Iraq and four tours in Bosnia. After surviving Taliban bullets and bombs, he prepared for a battle with cancer.

WO2 Armstrong was buried on 14th June 2011 with full military honours at Swanton Morley Cemetery in Norfolk, England.

His funeral was held on what would have been his eighth wedding anniversary. His wife Donna, released a white dove as a symbol of hope and freedom.

Soil from the soldier's birthplace in Northumberland was specially brought in to cover his grave.

Note: we have included WO2 Armstrong on this website as a tribute to a soldier who served in Afghanistan. May he rest in peace.