I want to do something different...many of us here support our Armed Forces through and through. Many of us no doubt have felt the hurt either in our families, communities or as a nation when we lose a servicemen or women in combat. This is simple. The only posts I would love to see on this thread are the names of those people. Any and all who gave their lives in their service to this great country. May each post on this thread set "like" records.
Lets also remember the nameless. Why are they nameless? Mainly because the military is their family and way of life, they have no relatives and very few friends. Those that have sacrificed both their souls and lives above ground.
My Dad 36 years served. 3 brothers and myself all served. My brother, 82nd AB SFC Pelzer Jones is retiring Tuesday with 20 years. Much Love and Respect to ALL my brothers and sisters that served!!
Local Boy. Like many service members, he is a blue collar kid who grew up in the country. Went off to support his country and sacrificed his life. Rest in Peace Sean. The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.The following Marines died April 23 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:Sergeant Sean T. Callahan, 23, of Warrenton, Virginia
Gonna give some recognition to my grandpa and father as well. Grandpa was a fighter pilot in the US Air Force and flew in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. My dad fought in Vietnam and their service in the armed forces spanned over 50 straight years.
Birth name Patrick Daniel Tillman Died April 22, 2004 (aged 27) Sperah, Afghanistan Allegiance United States of America Service/branch United States Army Years of service 2002–04 Rank Army-USA-OR-04a-2015.svg Corporal (posthumously) Unit 2 Ranger Battalion Shoulder Sleeve Insignia.svg 2nd Ranger Battalion 75 Ranger Regiment Shoulder Sleeve Insignia.svg 75th Ranger Regiment Battles/wars: Global War on Terrorism Iraq War War in Afghanistan (KIA) Awards Silver Star ribbon.svg Silver Star Purple Heart BAR.svg Purple Heart Meritorious Service ribbon.svg Meritorious Service Medal
LCPL Michael Paul Bartelme PERSONAL DATA: Home of Record: Watertown, WI Date of birth: 08/24/1946 MILITARY DATA: Service Branch: United States Marine Corps Grade at loss: E3 Rank: Lance Corporal Promotion Note: None ID No: 2108965 MOS or Specialty: 0311: RIFLEMAN Length Service: 02 Unit: B CO, 1ST BN, 1ST MARINES, 1ST MARDIV, III MAF CASUALTY DATA: Start Tour: Not Recorded Incident Date: 05/02/1967 Casualty Date: 05/02/1967 Age at Loss: 20 Location: Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam Remains: Body recovered Casualty Type: Hostile, died outright Casualty Reason: Ground casualty Casualty Detail: Gun or small arms fire RIP Mike Bill
Airforce Senior Airman Bradley Smith Hometown: Troy, Illinois 10th Air Support Operations Squadron Died January 3, 2010 by a bomb blast near Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. R.I.P.
KENNETH D. BAILEY Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Marine Corps. Place and date: As Commanding Officer of Company C, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, during the enemy Japanese attack on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 12-13 September 1942. Born: 21 October 1910, Pawnee, Oklahoma. Appointed from: Illinois. Other Navy awards: Silver Star Medal. Completely reorganized following the severe engagement of the night before, Maj. Bailey's company, within an hour after taking its assigned position as reserve battalion between the main line and the coveted airport, was threatened on the right flank by the penetration of the enemy into a gap in the main line. In addition to repulsing this threat, while steadily improving his own desperately held position, he used every weapon at his command to cover the forced withdrawal of the main line before a hammering assault by superior enemy forces. After rendering invaluable service to the battalion commander in stemming the retreat, reorganizing the troops and extending the reverse position to the left, Maj. Bailey, despite a severe head wound, repeatedly led his troops in fierce hand-to-hand combat for a period of 10 hours. His great personal valor while exposed to constant and merciless enemy fire, and his indomitable fighting spirit inspired his troops to heights of heroic endeavor which enabled them to repulse the enemy and hold Henderson Field. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country. Congressional Medal of Honor Awarded Posthumously WILLIAM G. FOURNIER Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company M, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Mount Austen, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 10 January 1943. Entered service at: Winterport, Maine. Born: Norwich, Connecticut. G.O. No.: 28, 5 June 1943. As leader of a machinegun section charged with the protection of other battalion units, Sgt. Fournier's group was attacked by a superior number of Japanese, his gunner killed, his assistant gunner wounded, and an adjoining guncrew put out of action. Ordered to withdraw from this hazardous position, Sgt. Fournier refused to retire but rushed forward to the idle gun and, with the aid of another soldier who joined him, held up the machinegun by the tripod to increase its field action. They opened fire and inflicted heavy casualties upon the enemy. While so engaged both these gallant soldiers were killed, but their sturdy defensive was a decisive factor in the following success of the attacking battalion.
John Basilone (November 4, 1916 – February 19, 1945) was a United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant who received the nation's highest military award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for heroism during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. He was the only enlisted Marine to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross in World War II. He served three years in the United States Army with duty in the Philippines. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940 and was deployed to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and then to Guadalcanal where he held off 3,000 Japanese troops after his 15-member unit was reduced to two other men. On the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima, he was killed in action, after which he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism. He has received many honors including being the namesake for streets, military locations, and a United States Navy destroyer.
[h=1][FONT="][/FONT][FONT="]Good tribute to a local kid.[/FONT][FONT="] Dale City soccer field to be named for fallen Marine[/FONT][/h] It’s been more than 10 years since Marine Capt. Brian Letendre was killed while fighting in the Al Anbar province of Iraq on May 3, 2006. And it’s been even longer since Letendre and his brothers played on youth soccer teams with Prince William Soccer Inc. But soon, Letendre’s legacy will be remembered on the soccer field. On Saturday, a field at Howison Homestead Soccer Complex outside Dale City will be officially named for Letendre, who grew up in Woodbridge and often practiced on the field that will bear his name. “Growing up, soccer was huge in his life,” said Letendre’s brother Nick. “To have one of the fields we practiced on so much when we were kids dedicated to him, it’s just such a big deal.” As a kid, Letendre played on PWSI’s Prince William Magic team, his mother, June Letendre said. He later was the team captain and goalkeeper for the varsity soccer team at Potomac High School, where he graduated in 1996. He then played soccer at Milligan College in Tennessee. “Soccer was very important to Brian when he was growing up,” said his mother. “He trained with a lot of the boys who are now coaches in the league. It’s a very nice honor for them to do this for him.” The request to name a field for Letendre came from PWSI, said Brent Heavner, a spokesman for Prince William County’s parks and recreation department. The county government considers requests to name fields and other facilities for people when residents make such requests, he said. Steve Clegg, who coached Letendre’s PWSI team, said he and Adam Soos, a former teammate, thought it would be a fitting way to honor Letendre. “Obviously he loved soccer, and he was very good at it,” Clegg said. “He was one of the greatest goalkeepers I ever saw, and he just had a real love for the game. And this is one of the fields where we used to play all the time.” Clegg and others who knew Letendre remember him fondly, both for his skill at soccer, his love of the game and for the kind of person he was. “He was a great kid and just a fantastic soccer player,” Clegg said. “He is one of the kids I kept in touch with over the years.” It had been a while since Clegg had been in touch with Letendre when he ran into his mother at a soccer game in 2006, Clegg said. “Come to find out, one or two days later is when we got the news that he had been killed,” Clegg said. June Letendre said it’s hard to believe how much time has passed since then. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years,” she said. “We miss him a lot, of course.” In addition to his parents and two brothers, Letendre was survived by his wife, Autumn, and son Dillon, now 13. Howison Homestead Soccer Complex’s field No. 1 will be named for Letendre at a ceremony June 11 at 9 a.m.
