Casualties

Fallen Cashion Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Stroud was to become a father
Friends and educators recall 20-year-old as a smart, caring man
By Bryan Painter | NewsOK

On July 4, Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Stroud penned a letter to fellow 2007 Cashion High School graduate Sam Boyd, the best man in his wedding last November.

Stroud, 20, was killed Thursday while serving in Afghanistan. On Friday, Boyd unfolded the letter and read it aloud:

"Hey guys I hope all is well. I should be back here pretty soon in about four-and-a-half months.

"It’s really hot here; we moved from the desert down to the river, and now it’s super hot and humid.

"It’s really pretty out here in its own way.

"It’s peaceful at night except when you hear the gunshots.

"Oh yeah, I don’t know if Lacie told you all yet, but she went to the doctor and they couldn’t tell the sex of the baby yet, but based off the speed of the heartbeat, it should be a girl.” Read more.

Michael Munk commented on the news article below:

Americans forget that Iraq turned out to be telling the truth when it insisted against US claims that it had no WMDs. Now, finally, another US claim turns out the be false and confirms Iraq was again telling the truth: The attacking US pilot was indeed killed when his plane was shot down and he was NOT held prisoner.

Remains of first U.S. Gulf War casualty found
By Jim Wolf | Reuters via Yahoo! News | August 3, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The remains of a U.S. Navy pilot have been found and positively identified, more than 18 years after he was shot down over Iraq and became the first U.S. casualty of the first Gulf War, the U.S. Defense Department said on Sunday.

The Pentagon's announcement resolved questions about the fate of Captain Michael Scott Speicher, who some believed had survived his shoot-down and been taken prisoner by Iraq.

Bone fragments and skeletal remains were recovered in the desert last week by U.S. Marines stationed in Iraq's Anbar province, thanks to a tip from an Iraqi citizen, the department said. It said they were identified as Speicher's by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

Speicher's F/A-18 Hornet fighter was shot down over west-central Iraq on January 17, 1991, the first night of the first Gulf War, which eventually drove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

An official Navy history identified Speicher as the first American casualty of the conflict. Some reports had emerged that Speicher, 33 when he was downed, might have survived and become a captive of Saddam.

On January 11, 2001, Speicher's status was changed from killed in action to missing in action.

The U.S. intelligence community had concluded that Baghdad could account for Speicher's fate but was concealing information, according to an unclassified summary of its findings released in March 2001.

Then-president George W. Bush, in a September 12, 2002, speech to the U.N. General Assembly, had cited Speicher's possible detention as part of his case for post-September 11 action against Iraq, along with allegations that Saddam was developing banned weapons of mass destruction and was sponsoring terrorism.

The Iraqi government had maintained from the start that Speicher died in the crash, although his remains had gone unrecovered, fueling conspiracy theories.

The Iraqi who told Marines about the remains said he knew of two Iraqi citizens who recalled a U.S. jet crashing in the desert. One said he had been present when Speicher was found dead at the site and buried there by Bedouin tribesmen. The Iraqis led the Marines to the crash site. Read more.

How Many Civilian Deaths Are Acceptable?
By Tom Hayden | Boston.com

In contrast, epidemiologists at Johns Hopkins employed active surveillance techniques, based on randomized household surveys typically used in war zones. By these measures, civilian casualties were at least three times higher than the numbers from the Iraq Body Count. The real numbers disappeared in a fog of war generated in part by the Pentagon and White House....To move forward, Kerry’s committee should release the Pentagon’s classified answer and, if necessary, press for further clarification.

It was a cryptic Pentagon answer to Senator John Kerry’s straightforward question, in notes from the Senate hearing on May 21:

Question. According to The New York Times July 20, 2003, Secretary Rumsfeld personally approved over 50 US airstrikes in Iraq which were expected to kill up to 50 innocent Iraqi civilians each. According to Pentagon policy at the time, any strikes expected to result in 50 or more civilian deaths as unavoidable collateral damage were to be approved personally by the Secretary. The media was informed of this policy in July 2003 when the chief US commander disclosed the sign-off policy. Does that policy continue today in Afghanistan, and, if so, in what form? Do White House or Pentagon officials sign off on bombing runs where civilian casualties are expected to be higher than 50? Which officials?

Answer. (DELETED)

Does the Obama administration, specifically the secretary of defense, know in advance how many innocent civilians are expected to die before bombing raids are approved in Afghanistan and Pakistan? This was the case with Donald Rumsfeld during the bombing of Iraq.

Now the administration insists on keeping the answers secret.

If the previous policy has been discontinued, that means the White House is delegating the projected body counts to lower field commanders, an unlikely abdication of sensitive decisions.

If the policy continues, does Secretary of Defense Robert Gates personally approve? Is the president in the loop? Do they believe there is an acceptable level of unavoidable civilian casualties, and, if so, what is that level and who sets it? Read more.

When: October 24, 2009, 2 PM - 7 PM

Where: School of Visual Arts
209 E 23rd St
New York, NY 10010-3994

What: As part of the Humanities and Sciences’ Conference, “Visions of War; the arts represent conflict”, on Saturday, October 24, 2009, The Film and Animation Department will screen a series of films addressing the spiritual, emotional, and psychological wounds of war from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the SVA Theater.

Traffic jams at Arlington Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery Plans to Move Beyond Its Borders As More WWII Veterans Die and Are Joined by Iraq Casualties
By Michael E. Ruane | Washington Post

At Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, there were four funerals scheduled at 9 a.m., three at 10 a.m., six at 11 a.m., and 15 between 1 and 3 p.m.

The nation's shrine to its military dead had 6,785 funerals in the just-concluded fiscal year, an all-time record. Now, as the dying of the World War II generation peaks, the cemetery is so busy that despite careful choreography, people attending one funeral can hear the bugle and rifle salutes echoing from another.

As a result, the cemetery is about to begin a $35 million expansion that would push the ordered ranks of tombstones beyond its borders for the first time since the 1960s. Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,408
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered eight combat casualties in the six days ending July 28, 2009 as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 72,408. The total includes 34,918 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,490 dead and medically evacuated (out of date: last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, IC names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***

52 percent of U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq, Afghanistan diagnosed with TBI | Mainichi Daily News

Some 52 percent of soldiers severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan who have come to the U.S. Army's largest hospital for treatment have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), an internal study has found.

The results of the study, carried out by Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, also showed a steep increase -- from 33 percent -- in TBI cases since the end of 2008.

Diagnoses of TBI are rising steadily as arrangements for TBI checks improve, while at the same time improvised explosive device (IED) attacks -- the primary cause of TBI -- in Afghanistan are intensifying, with 46 U.S. soldiers killed by the homemade bombs so far this year. Casualties from these attacks flow into Walter Reed, which provides treatment to badly wounded soldiers unavailable anywhere else. Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,400
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 19 combat casualties in the eight days ending July 22, 2009, as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 72,380. The total includes 34,910 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,490 dead and medically evacuated (out of date: last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, the Iraq Coalition Casualty Report names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***

North Fort Myers Marine was born leader
North Fort Myers sergeant was a week from end of his final tour
By Dave Breitenstein | News Press

Soldiers aren’t made; they’re born.

That was evident when Michael C. Roy was growing up in North Fort Myers.

“He knew he wanted to be in the military since a very early age,” said his father, Sgt. Michael Roy of Punta Gorda. “His older brother was in the Gulf War, in the Army.”

The younger Roy, a 25-year-old Marine, was killed Wednesday by a sniper in Afghanistan, joining more than 5,000 soldiers who have died in the Middle East since 2001. Fifteen of those are from Lee County, including 13 Army veterans and two Marines.

Roy was on his third tour of duty, a week from returning to Camp Lejeune, N.C., for good.

He enlisted Sept. 25, 2001, two weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and often talked about stopping terrorism, al-Qaida and Osama Bin Laden.

“He wanted to protect his country and wanted his children to grow up without war,” said Julie England, a longtime neighbor whose children befriended Roy. England also served as Roy’s home-school teacher for ninth grade. Read more.

World's Oldest Man, WWI Veteran Dies
World's oldest man, WWI veteran Henry Allingham, dies aged 113 in southern England
By Danica Kirka, Associated Press Writer | ABCNews

Allingham remained outspoken until his death, pleading for peace and begging anyone who would listen to remember those who died.

"I think we need to make people aware that a few men gave all they had to give so that you could have a better world to live in," he said. "We have to pray it never happens again."

The world's oldest man, 113-year-old World War I veteran Henry Allingham, died Saturday after spending his final years reminding Britain about the 9 million soldiers killed during the conflict.

Allingham was the last surviving original member of the Royal Air Force, which was formed in 1918. He made it a personal crusade to talk about a conflict that wiped out much of a generation. Though nearly blind, he would take the outstretched hands of visitors in both of his, gaze into the eyes of children, veterans and journalists and deliver a message he wanted them all to remember.

"I want everyone to know," he told The Associated Press during an interview in November. "They died for us." Read more.

The Corpse Factory
By Bruce E. Jones | Extract from book, Kill War, Save Vets

“The Corpse Factory” was the title of a military expose written by Lord Arthur Ponsonby after WWI.

The corpse factory is war, but mostly it is the mindset that causes war.

To put that final nail in the coffin of the war mindset, to lock down that corpse factory, think about the “drums and guns and drums and guns, hurroo” … and the flags and the parades and the bands, and the bunting and the Support The Troops stickers, the uniformed men and women marching in spit-polish patriotism. The young men and women, heads held high, hearts beating like the drums before them, as they loyally follow orders aiming them into the darkness of the corpse factory.

Lethal Warriors
By James Starowicz | 'Imagine' A World Of Peace,Understanding,Tolerance

Not a good report, but with the stress levels of multiple tours and possibly in two theaters, longer tours for much of the time our soldiers have been in both theaters, stress of conflict, family, experiences and much more, this does not surprise! Nor will it when it doesn't get the coverage it should among our talking heads and politicians, let alone a country that has pretty much forgotten both occupations.

Army: Soldiers in slayings faced intense combat

Soldiers from a Colorado unit accused in nearly a dozen slayings since returning home - including a couple gunned down as they put up a garage sale sign - could be showing hostility fueled by intense combat in Iraq, where the troops suffered heavy losses and told of witnessing war crimes, the military said Wednesday.

In what was billed as its most comprehensive study to date of violent crimes and combat exposure, the Army looked at soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division - nicknamed the Lethal Warriors - who were accused in a spate of five killings around Colorado Springs, home to Fort Carson, in 2007 and 2008.

Six other slayings involving unit soldiers occurred in Colorado and other states since 2005.

We've been hearing about a number of incidents, that is by 'we' those who use multiple mostly online sources and either accidentally find them or use the right search words. The MSM is virtually silent except when one or two who get it are brave enough to fight to get the reports aired!!Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,380
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered three combat casualties in the week ending July 14 as the official total rose to at least 72,380. The total includes 34,891 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,489 dead and medically evacuated (last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.**

Whittier soldier killed serving in Afghanistan after exactly 15 years in the Army
By Bethania Palma Markus | Whittier Daily News

To his fellow soldiers, he was known as First Sgt. Blue C. Rowe. But to his nieces and nephews, he was known affectionately as "Uncle Blue."

Rowe, a noncommissioned officer for the U.S. Army, was serving his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was on his way home to Whittier when he was killed May 26 by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Panjshir, Afghanistan, on his 15th anniversary in the military, his family said. He was 33.

"He was a Southern gentleman," said his wife, Cindy Rowe, 37. "He was good to me, good to our son, good to the family."

The couple met 13 years ago while serving in Croatia, when Cindy was a medic for Rowe's unit, she said. They married after two years. Rowe then moved from his native Arkansas to join Cindy and the rest of her family in Southern California.

"He was a big-hearted person," said sister-in-law Mindy Morales. "He was the funniest guy."

Morales said Rowe and his wife had just bought a home in Whittier. Rowe only had the chance to spend a few days there before he was killed, she said.

Rowe was a loving father to his 7-year-old son Andrew, his relatives said. He was also known as a doting, adventurous uncle to seven nieces and nephews. Read more.

IORIO, BRADLEY W. 19 - of Galloway, died on May 29, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany from a non-combat related injury suffered on May 27, 2009, six days after arriving in Tallil, Iraq. The Army saw to it that his parents and brothers were there with him. Born in Freehold Township, he moved to Smithville in 1996 and graduated from Absegami High School in 2008. PV2 Iorio enlisted in August. Bradley loved his Legos, cub scouts, video and computer games (playing with his brother Rick), soccer, hockey, the Emanon Players, his youth group, camping with his brother Vinnie at Creation, haunting the Village on Halloween, and one day owning his dream Mustang. With the Emanon Players he traveled to England and Scotland, received National Honor Thespian, The McGyver Award, The Door Knob Award, The Emanon Players Backstage Award twice and Absegami's Best Thespian. His Friends and those his life touched, will miss him. Quiet by nature, Brad never sat silently when a Friend was in need. He had the ability to lighten a serious moment with his amazing sense of humor. Read more.

STOP THE CARNAGE IN AFGHANISTAN - PROTEST AT DOWNING STREET

176 British soldiers have now died in Afghanistan, only three short of the total number of British fatalities in Iraq. On Monday US forces had their worst day in Afghanistan since 2001 with seven dead. The US and British troop “surge” in Helmand province was meant to show that “the good war” in Afghanistan war was winnable. Within days reality knocked the wheels off the propaganda wagon, as the invading armies became bogged down in fierce fighting.

The number of Afghans dead and wounded is not even recorded, but the scale of destruction caused by such open warfare must be immense. The comparison with the Iraq disaster is all too obvious.

Even the usually pro-war Observer newspaper now says “what is needed is a serious debate about what we are doing in Afghanistan", without which, it concludes, "the war in Afghanistan can only drag on, with deaths on all sides".

On the day the British deaths reach 179 – the number of British soldiers killed in Iraq - Stop the War will be assembling at Downing Street at 5pm to demand our politicians end this terrible waste of life and pull the troops out.

If the announcement happens on the weekend we will protest on Monday at 5pm. Click on this link to view the Stop the War event on Facebook.

Paratroopers Honor Fallen Hero Sgt. Justin Duffy
By Alan Gray | ThankYouForYourService.US

Sgt. Justin Duffy, a 31-year-old infantryman from Cozad, Neb., was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. He was killed in action when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle during combat operations, June 2, in the 9 Nissan district of eastern Baghdad. Duffy was serving his first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Col. Timothy McGuire, commander of the 3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div., spoke about Sgt Duffy's selfless service and devotion to duty.

"Today we gather to honor a modern day Paratrooper who paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure we win our generation's struggle," he said. "Sgt. Duffy was tough, loyal and dependable. You always knew Justin had your back and could be counted on."

"He was willing to put himself in harm's way to protect the people of Baghdad, build Iraqi capacity and defend our fellow Americans back home," he added.

His fellow Paratroopers remembered a man who was caring and dedicated to his work and his fellow comrades.

"Sgt. Duffy was a hard-charging professional who wanted to master his equipment and himself," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Smith, who served as Sgt. Duffy's platoon sergeant for the company's personnel security detachment. "Sgt. Duffy was my go to guy because I knew if I gave him the hard jobs he would accomplish them. He cared about troopers and their families, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family. He will never be forgotten."

Duffy enlisted in the Army in June 2007 as an infantryman. He completed his one-unit station training and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal with bronze service star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Parachute Badge.

He is survived by his parents, Joseph and Janet Duffy, and two sisters.

Pursued Peace, Equality
By Casey Parks | The Oregonian | Friday July 03, 2009

Above everything, friends say Bonnie Tinker wanted equality. They say Tinker, 61, was controversial, but she was a catalyst. They also say she worked for justice until the day she died.

Tinker was killed Thursday in Virginia, where she was attending a Quaker conference, when a Mack truck turned in front of the bicycle she was riding. Tinker hit the truck then was run over by it. She died at the scene.

Tinker was a leader in Portland activism circles. She was a leader in the anti-war group Seriously P.O.'d Grannies and director of Love Makes a Family, which supports nontraditional families, including those led by same-sex parents. Since the 1970s, she has been involved in hundreds of other activist events, friends say.

"If there was a demonstration and something she could get arrested about, she was there," said Susie Shepherd, a local lesbian activist who knew Tinker for decades. "Bonnie never knew a sideline to sit on. She only knew sidelines as something to step over, pulling someone with her, to do something about injustice. That was an absolutely righteous part of her."

Tinker led efforts that included banning military recruiters from Portland schools and advocating nontraditional as well as transracial families. She got her start as a teenager, during one of the most significant high school lawsuits ever. Tinker had graduated from high school when two of her siblings were suspended for wearing black arm bands to school to protest the Vietnam war.

In Tinker v. Des Moines, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of students to wear black arm bands and make other free-speech displays in public schools.

"That set the tone for the rest of her life," longtime friend Kristan Knapp said. "She was a leader. She wasn't afraid to speak out." Read more.

KABUL (AP) - Bombs and bullets killed seven American troops on Monday, the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in nearly a year—and a sign that the war being fought in the Taliban heartland of the south and east could now be expanding north.

Separately, Taliban militants claimed on a militant Web site that they were holding an American soldier whom the U.S. military says insurgents might have captured last week. The Taliban statement, however, did not include any proof, such as a picture or the soldier's name.

Four of the deaths Monday came in an attack on a team of U.S. military trainers in the relatively peaceful north, bringing into focus the question of whether the U.S. is committing enough troops to secure a country larger than Iraq in both population and land mass.

Kelly's Book of Secrets | Daily Express

Weapons inspector David Kelly was writing a book exposing highly damaging government secrets before his ­mysterious death.

He was intending to reveal that he warned Prime Minister Tony Blair there were no weapons of mass destruction anywhere in Iraq weeks before the ­British and American invasion.

He had several discussions with a publisher in Oxford and was seeking advice on how far he could go without breaking the law on secrets.

Following his death, his computers were seized and it is still not known if any rough draft was discovered by investigators and, if so, what happened to the material.

Dr Kelly was also intending to lift the lid on a potentially bigger scandal, his own secret dealings in germ warfare with the apartheid regime in South Africa.

US television investigators have spent four years preparing a 90-minute documentary, Anthrax War, suggesting there is a global black market in anthrax and exposing the mystery “suicides” of five government germ warfare scientists from around the world.

Director Bob Coen said: ‘‘The deeper you look into the murky world of governments and germ warfare, the more worrying it becomes...." Read more.

Floyd County GA Family Mourning Loss of Soldier Killed in Afghanistan; Body Returned to the United States
By Jim Alred | Rome News Tribune

“I had a lot to do with him joining the Army,” his grandfather, Clarence White, said. “It was tough because there just aren’t that many good jobs around here. But he wanted to do it to be able to provide for his family.”

Spc. Jeffrey Jordan died in Afghanistan on Thursday a world away from his loved ones. On Saturday, his family huddled together at his grandparents’ house in Armuchee remembering the grandson, son, husband and father who touched so many lives.

“People need to know Jeffrey was a good man. I just want to make sure they know how good a man he was and how proud we all are of him,” his mother, Mary Lou Dowdy, said.

The family members, including his widow, Lacey, took turns holding the couple’s 1-year-old son, Tailor, as they recalled fond memories of someone who always cared for others, especially his family.

“Even though he was over there (Afghanistan), he was always worried about us,” Lacey said. “He cared so much for us. He didn’t care what happened to him, as long as his family was taken care of.”

His sense of protection and wanting to provide for his family led Jeffrey, 21, to join the Georgia National Guard. Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,351
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 41 combat casualties in the week ending June 30, 2009 as the official total rose to at least 72,351. The total includes 34,864 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,487 dead and medically evacuated (last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.**

Family and friends remember Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Alan Hall
Posted by Patricia C. McCarter | Huntsville Times

He was a toddler who loved wearing camouflage.

When he got just a little bit older, Jeffrey Alan Hall frequently coerced his parents into playing Army with him.

"He was the sergeant, and I was the cook," said Hall's mom, Annette.

"And I was the private," added his father, Charles.

He attached handmade parachutes to his pet hamster and dropped them off his bunk bed, playing out his dream of being an Army Ranger.

"But he dropped them on a pillow," his father quickly added. "Nobody got hurt, but they were probably surprised."

Always, always, always, Hall wanted to be in the Army. In 2000, he made it. After a few tries, he even accomplished the feat of becoming a Ranger.

And Monday, on a roadside in Afghanistan, he died doing what he was called to do. Read more.

Plantersville soldier killed in Afghanistan
By Leesha Faulkner | Selma Times-Journal

Everybody knew him as “Mojo.” But officially, he was known as U.S. Army Sgt. Ricky Dewayne Jones.

Jones, 26, died Sunday after a rocket attack at Bagram, a U.S. base in Afghanistan about 25 miles northeast of Kabul. Another soldier died in the attack and six Americans — four military and two civilians — were wounded. The Department of Defense released a statement acknowledging the fatality.

“I don't know how he got the name Mojo,” said his mother, Shelia McCrary. “I was young when I had him. His grandmother and grandfather must have given him that name. Maybe because he moved so fast.” Read more.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Fallen Port Orchard Soldier Sought Career in Architecture
By Ed Friedrich | Kitsap Sun

Nancy Stone named her youngest child after the prophet Samuel because, as in the Bible, she prayed to God for a son and, in return, vowed to devote him to the Lord.

Spc. Samuel Stone, a Washington Army National Guardsman assigned to the Bremerton-based C Company, 1st Battalion, 303rd Cavalry, was killed in Iraq early Sunday morning when his armored security vehicle rolled over while he was on a convoy security mission.

“I didn’t expect to have to give him back (to God) this soon,” said Nancy, of Port Orchard.

Samuel, 20, was born in Bremerton and grew up on Long Lake Road. The youngest of four children — following Todd, Jay and Sara — he attended Hidden Creek Elementary, Marcus Whitman Junior High and spent a year at South Kitsap High.

“He was brilliant. Very, very smart,” Nancy said. “But he didn’t do education the way they did.” Read more.