In Memoriam

[Grace]

9 November 2011

20-year-old US Army Private 1st Class Cody R. Norris, from Houston, Texas, was killed in action in Kandahar province on 9th November 2011 during a contact with enemy forces who had attacked his unit with small arms fire.

Pfc. Norris was serving with the Fort Riley, Kansas based 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

[Grace]

11 November 2011

US Army Private 1st Class Theodore B. Rushing was killed in action on 11th November 2011 in Kandahar province when an insurgent bomb detonated beside his patrol unit.

25-year-old Pfc. Rushing, from Longwood, Florida, served with the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light), based at Fort Drum, New York.

Pfc. Rushing joined the army in March this year and deployed to Afghanistan in August. Among his awards and decorations are the Purple Heart, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Combat Action Badge, according to Fort Drum officials.

He leaves behind his parents.

[Grace]

13 November 2011

Alaska-based US Army Sgt. 1st Class Johnathan B. McCain, from Arizona, was killed in action on 13th November 2011 in Kandahar province, when an insurgent bomb exploded beside his patrol vehicle.

38-year-old Sgt. McCain served with the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Wainwright. He joined the army in 1992 and was stationed at Fort Wainwright from 2000. Prior to this deployment, he had served two combat tours in Iraq.

His death happened a day after another Fort Wainwright soldier, Spc. Calvin Pereda, was killed by a bomb while on foot patrol in Kandahar.

[Grace]

12 November 2011

21-year-old US Army Specialist Calvin Evangelista Pereda, originally from Guam, was killed in action in Kandahar province on 12th November 2011 when an insurgent bomb exploded whilst his unit was conducting a foot patrol.

Spc. Pereda served with the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He joined the Army in March 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year.

His mother, Rosario Evangelista Pereda, moved to the Fayetteville area from Guam in 2000 with her sons. She was a single mother and wanted to start a better life for her boys, his cousin, Emerald Evangelista Salas said in a statement to press.

[Grace]

14 November 2011

Serbian Legionnaire 1st Class Goran Franjkovic, age 25, was killed in action on 14th November 2011 during combat operations near Tagab, Afghanistan. He was serving with the 2nd Foreign Regiment of Engineers (2e REG), French Foreign Legion.

His unit was involved in checking and clearing land mines and homemade bombs on a road. During the operation, they were attacked by enemy forces and Legionnaire Franjkovic was fatally wounded.

Legionnaire Franjkovic, originally from Serbia, was a combat engineer and bomb-disposal technician in the regiment. He joined the French Foreign Legion in March 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in September this year. It was his first overseas combat deployment.

[Grace]

14 November 2011

A Fort Bragg-based soldier has been killed in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday night.

Spc. David E. Hickman, 23, of Greensboro, was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday in Baghdad, the Pentagon said.

He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

Veronica Hickman, Spc. Hickman's mother, told the News & Record of Greensboro that her son was a good student and star athlete at Northeast Guilford High School in Greensboro, where he played football and ran track. He also did Taekwondo and rock climbing, Veronica Hickman said.

"David was always an adventurous person," she told the News & Record. "He was never afraid to try things. He always tried dangerous things. It would make me so mad."

Hickman enlisted in the Army in 2009, going to basic training around Thanksgiving of that year, Veronica Hickman told the newspaper. He deployed to Iraq around Memorial Day this year.

David Eugene Hickman, Spc. Hickman's father, told the newspaper that he tried to persuade his son to be in the Air Force, like him, in air traffic control.

"But he wanted to do the crazy stuff," the elder Hickman said. "He wanted to be in the air, shooting and stuff."

On Friday - Veterans Day - Veronica Hickman told her son and other veterans that she was proud of their service.

"I was telling him, 'Good job,' " she told the News & Record.

[Grace]

11 November 2011

US Army Specialist James Edward "Jimmy" Hall Jr died in his sleep in Miamisburg, Ohio on 11th November 2011. He had been severely injured by a bomb blast in Afghanistan in May 2011 and was evacuated to the USA to recover.

27-year-old Spc. Hall had suffered facial burns, chest injuries and a traumatic brain injury and was evacuated first to Germany and then to the US. Four days before he was injured, his wife Laura gave birth to the couple's son, Aiden James Hall.

He joined the Army about five years ago and served in Iraq for a year.

[Scooter's Mom]

9 November 2011

Several of my friends in Houston knew this young man. They buried him today.

[Grace]

18 November 2011

US Marine Lance Corporal Joshua D. Corral was killed in action during combat operations in Helmand on 18th November 2011.

19-year-old L-Cpl. Corral, from Danville, California, was a machine-gunner serving with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, based at Twentynine Palms, California.

He joined the Marine Corps in July 2010 and deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion on his first overseas tour of duty. His awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

[Grace]

England

British Army Private Thomas Christopher Lake, from 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, was killed in action during a patrol in the Jamal Kowi area of Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand on Sunday 20th November 2011. He was caught in the blast of an insurgent bomb and was airlifted to a field hospital. Sadly, he was declared killed in action.

29-year-old Private Lake, from Watford, joined the Army in November 2009 and passed out of training in May 2010, joining 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (1 PWRR), known as 'The Tigers', in Germany shortly afterwards.

He deployed to Canada with B Company, 4 Platoon in July 2010 and stayed with that platoon for the rest of his training and deployment to Afghanistan.

Lieutenant Colonel James Coote, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, said: "Private Tom Lake epitomised the very best qualities of the British infantryman; he was a true Tiger - ever professional and totally committed to his mates and his battalion, he had an irrepressible smile and an understated manner that together made him hugely respected by all those that had the privilege to serve with him."

Private Lake leaves behind his mother Carol among other family and friends.

[Grace]

21 November 2011

US Marine Corporal Zachary C. Reiff died on Monday 21st November 2011 at a German hospital from injuries he received in a bomb explosion while on patrol in Helmand province three days previously.

22-year-old Cpl. Reiff, from Preston, Iowa, served with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, in California. He joined the Marine Corps in December 2008. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan.

His personal service awards include the Purple Heart with gold star device, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with bronze star device.

[Grace]

21 November 2011

20-year-old US Army 10th Mountain Division Private Jackie L. Diener II, was killed in action on 21st November 2011 in Kandahar province during an exchange of fire with enemy forces.

Pvt. Diener, from Boyne City, Michigan, served with the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment. He joined the Army in March this year and transferred to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, in July. He deployed to Afghanistan in September.

Pvt. Diener's grandmother, Donna Diener, told reporters that he was eager to join the military. "This is something he chose. He wanted to do it. He wanted to serve his country."

His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Army Combat Action Badge.

[Grace]

26 November 2011

US Marine Corporal Adam J. Buyes died on 26th November 2011 in Helmand province during combat operations.

21-year-old Cpl Buyes, from Salem, Oregon, was serving with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, based at Okinawa, Japan. The US Department of Defense announced that the incident leading to his death is being investigated.

Article from local paper.