Soldiers with the 256th Brigade Combat Team remembered Sgt. First Class Peter Hahn on Saturday at a military chapel on Camp Tigerland. Hahn, 31, of Kenner, was the ninth member of his company, a group of Louisiana National Guardsmen, to die since they arrived in Iraq in October. Teri Weaver / S&S
Soldiers in Baghdad honor brethren
Camp Tigerland all too familiar with memorial services
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, May 30, 2005
Two soldiers pay respects Saturday to Sgt. 1st Class Peter Hahn, who died earlier in the week after a drive-by shooting in Baghdad. Teri Weaver / S&S
CAMP TIGERLAND, Iraq — Sgt. 1st Class Peter J. Hahn’s memorial in Baghdad was two days before today’s mix back home of parades, barbecues and summertime celebrations.
Hahn, a 31-year-old with the Louisiana National Guard, died May 24 during a drive-by shooting on a street in Iraq.
He was standing in the turret of a Bradley armored vehicle, according to a spokeswoman from the 256th Brigade Combat Team’s public affairs office. Spc. Jack Venable, Hahn’s gunner, was next to him. The bullet went through a notch in Hahn’s protective vest in the chest, Venable said Saturday after delivering a eulogy for his friend.
“I think he saw them first,” Venable said, “’cause he fired the first shot. I was sitting. He was standing.”
The chapel at Tigerland, part of the U.S. military’s massive Camp Victory base near Baghdad Airport, has had 30 memorials since the brigade arrived in Iraq in late October, said Lt. Col. Robert Baker, the head chaplain.
“This is the third one we’ve done in a week,” he said after Saturday’s service.
Hahn’s company, Company C, falls under an infantry battalion made up of guard members from both Louisiana and New York, Hahn’s home state. That company of about 100 people has been hit hardest. Nine have died in seven months, according to Baker.
One memorial in January was for seven men, he said. A Bradley was hit by a massive roadside bomb and six men from Louisiana and one from New York were killed. Four were from Houma, La.
On May 23, the memorial was for two men from another infantry battalion, the 1st Battalion, 156th Armor Regiment. Spc. Bernard L. Sembly, 25, of Bossier City, La., and Sgt. Robin V. Fell, 22, of Shreveport, La., were shot while on foot patrol in Baghdad.
The crowd at the service, like Hahn’s on Saturday, was standing-room only, said Staff Sgt. Josh Robert, 25, of Breaux Bridge, La.
“We’ve only got about 100 people in the company, so you know everyone,” Robert said. Another soldier from their company, Cpl. Eric Broussard had become good friends with Sembly.
“We got pretty tight,” Broussard, 23, said while on patrol Friday afternoon in Baghdad. “It touched me pretty deeply. It had happened to other companies. But you don’t really feel the effects of it.”
Both Robert and Broussard didn’t tell anyone at home about it. They expected their mothers would have heard on the local news, but these soldiers were from Shreveport, more than 200 miles away from Robert and Broussard’s Breaux Bridge home.
“Nobody really heard of it,” Broussard said. “My mom, she’s already worried enough.”
Venable also said he didn’t tell anyone at home about Hahn’s death. “I don’t call home ’cause they’ll think I’m in danger,” he said.
Spc. Rebecca Courville called her mother on May 23. Earlier in the day, she had been with Staff Sgt. Russell J. Verdugo, 34, of Phoenix, who was called to a street in Baghdad to help disarm a homemade bomb. A second, still-hidden bomb exploded instead, killing Verdugo and injuring three members of Courville’s platoon with the 1088th Engineers Battalion.
“I called and talked to my mom to let her know it was OK, before word got out,” the 21-year-old Louisiana National Guard member said.
Courville said her family really never celebrated Memorial Day back home.
Another soldier, Sgt. Robert Castille, 23, of Opelousas, La., said his family treated the holiday about the same as any other.
Today, in Iraq, Castille said, he didn’t expect to spend much time reflecting.
“Every day looks the same,” he said.
In memoriam
Posted on Mon, May. 30, 2005
TROOPS ACROSS TEXAS KILLED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
Marine Capt. Paul C. Alaniz, 32, Corpus Christi. One of 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in a CH-53E helicopter crash near Rutbah, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Nickalous N. Aldrich, 21, Austin. Died Aug. 27, 2004, in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Daniel R. Amaya, 22, Odessa. Killed April 11, 2005, by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Cpl. William M. Amundson Jr., 21, The Woodlands. Killed Oct. 18, 2004, during ground assault force infiltration in eastern Afghanistan when his vehicle rolled over.
Army Pfc. Danny L. Anderson, 29, Corpus Christi. Died Feb. 27, 2005, of injuries from small-arms fire in Baghdad.
Army Sgt. Edward J. Anguiano, 24, Brownsville. Killed March 23, 2003, when his six-vehicle convoy was ambushed near Nasiriyah, Iraq.
Marine Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Todd Arnold, 30, Spring. One of three Marines killed near Kut, Iraq, on April 22, 2003, when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher malfunctioned.
Army Spc. Richard Arriaga, 20, Ganado. One of three soldiers killed Sept. 18, 2003, in a small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade ambush on their Humvee near Tikrit, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Trevor D. Aston, 32, Austin, reservist. Died Feb. 22, 2005, in a vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron C. Austin, 21, Sunray. Killed by hostile fire April 26, 2004, in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Spc. Travis A. Babbitt, 24, Uvalde. Killed Nov. 9, 2004, in Baghdad when his patrol was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire.
Marine Pfc. Chad E. Bales, 20, Coahoma. Died April 3, 2003, in a non-hostile vehicle accident during combat operations near Ash Shahin, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Michael Paul Barrera, 26, Von Ormy. Killed Oct. 28, 2003, when his tank was hit by explosives in Baqouba, Iraq.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Battles Sr., 38, San Antonio. Killed Oct. 28, 2004, in Baghdad when a car bomb exploded near his checkpoint.
Army Capt. Ernesto M. Blanco, 28, San Antonio. Killed Dec. 28, 2003, when an explosive hit his vehicle during a support mission in Qaryat Ash Shababi, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Todd J. Bolding, 23, Manvel. Died June 3, 2004, of wounds suffered in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Capt. Orlando A. Bonilla, 27, Killeen. Died Jan. 28, 2005, in a helicopter accident in Baghdad.
Marine Lance Cpl. Dominic C. Brown, 19, Austin. Died Sept. 13, 2004, in a non-combat-related incident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Spc. Taylor J. Burk, 21, Amarillo. Killed Jan. 26, 2005, when an explosive hit his vehicle in Baghdad.
Marine Sgt. Juan Calderon Jr., 26, Weslaco. Killed Aug. 2, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Wesley J. Canning, 21, Friendswood. Killed Nov. 10, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Spc. Adolf C. Carballo, 20, Houston. Killed April 10, 2004, when struck by shrapnel in Baghdad.
Marine Lance Cpl. James Casper, 20, Coolidge. Died March 25, 2004, in a non-combat-related incident in Asad, Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Samuel T. Castle, 26, Naples. Died May 11, 2005, of injuries from an explosive device in Asad, Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Roland L. Castro, 26, San Antonio. Died Jan. 16, 2004, of a non-hostile gunshot wound at Camp Cedar II, Iraq.
Marine Sgt. Aaron N. Cepeda Sr., 22, San Antonio, reservist. Killed May 7, 2005, in an explosion while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, 36, Waco. Killed March 4, 2002, trying to rescue a Navy SEAL in southern Afghanistan.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman, 31, San Antonio. Killed Jan. 4, 2002, during an ambush near Khost, Afghanistan.
Marine Lance Cpl. Julio C. Cisneros-Alvarez, 22, Pharr. Killed Jan. 6, 2005, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Gary L. Collins, 32, Hardin. Killed Nov. 8, 2003, riding in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle when it hit an improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq.
Army Spc. Zeferino E. Colunga, 20, Bellville. Died of acute leukemia Aug. 6, 2003, at Homburg University Hospital, Homburg, Germany.
Marine Lance Cpl. Pedro Contreras, 27, Harris. Killed June 21, 2004, by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Brian T. Craig, 27, Houston. Killed April 15, 2002, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when rockets he was trying to destroy accidentally detonated.
Army Pvt. Rey D. Cuervo, 24, Laguna Vista. Killed Dec. 28, 2003, when an explosive hit his vehicle in Baghdad.
Air Force Capt. Eric B. Das, 30, Amarillo. Killed April 7, 2003, when F-15E he was piloting went down during a combat mission in Iraq.
Army Spc. Lauro G. DeLeon Jr., 20, Floresville, reservist. Killed Sept. 8, 2004, when an explosive detonated near his convoy in Balad, Iraq.
Army Spc. Isaac E. Diaz, 26, Rio Hondo. Died Dec. 1, 2004, in Sharona, Afghanistan, when his vehicle rolled over during patrol.
Army Staff Sgt. Joe L. Dunigan Jr., 37, Belton. Killed March 11, 2004, when his vehicle was hit by an explosive in Fallujah, Iraq.
Army Sgt. William C. Eckhart, 25, Rocksprings. Killed April 10, 2004, by an explosion in Baqouba, Iraq.
Army Pfc. Analaura Esparza-Gutierrez, 21, Houston. Killed Oct. 1, 2003, when her convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device and rocket-propelled grenades in Tikrit, Iraq.
Army Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso. Killed March 23, 2003, in attack after convoy made a wrong turn near Nasiriyah, Iraq.
Army Master Sgt. George A. Fernandez, 36, El Paso. Killed April 2, 2003, by gunfire in northern Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Joseph E. Fite, 23, Round Rock, reservist. Killed Jan. 9, 2005, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Sgt. Timothy Folmar, 21, Sonora. Killed Sept. 24, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Wesley C. Fortenberry, 38, Woodville. Killed April 11, 2004, when his helicopter was shot down in Baghdad.
Army Pvt. Robert L. Frantz, 19, San Antonio. Killed June 17, 2003, in grenade attack while on guard duty in Baghdad.
Army Spc. Tomas Garces, 19, Weslaco. Killed Sept. 6, 2004, when his convoy was attacked with explosives in Baghdad.
Army Spc. Israel Garza, 25, Lubbock. Killed April 4, 2004, when his unit was hit by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in Baghdad.
Army 1st Sgt. Joe J. Garza, 43, Robstown. Killed April 28, 2003, in traffic accident in Baghdad.
Army Spc. Clinton R. Gertson, 26, Eagle Lake. Died Feb. 19, 2005, of injuries from small-arms fire in Mosul, Iraq.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Todd C. Gibbs, 37, Lufkin. Killed Dec. 7, 2004, by an explosive while on patrol in Khalidiyah, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Shane L. Goldman, 20, Orange. Died April 5, 2004, of injuries from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Rodrigo Gonzalez-Garza, 26, San Antonio. Killed Feb. 25, 2003, when his UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a nighttime training mission near Camp New Jersey, Kuwait.
Marine Lance Cpl. Lance T. Graham, 26, San Antonio, reservist. Killed in an explosion while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Jose Guereca Jr., 24, Missouri City. Killed Nov. 30, 2004, when an explosive went off near his vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq.
Army Pfc. Adam J. Harris, 21, Abilene. Killed by a sniper while on patrol Sept. 22, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq.
Army Pfc. Clayton W. Henson, 20, Stanton. Killed April 17, 2004, when his convoy was ambushed in Diwaniyah, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Tony L. Hernandez, 22, Canyon Lake. One of 31 killed in the crash of a CH-53E helicopter Jan. 26, 2005, near Rutbah, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew W. Holloway, 21, Fulton. Reservist died of injuries from hostile action Jan. 13, 2005, in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Paul C. Holter, III, 21, Corpus Christi. Died Jan. 14, 2005, in a non-combat-related accident at Camp Ramadi, Iraq.
Army Capt. Andrew R. Houghton, 25, Houston. Died Aug. 9, 2004, following injury in action July 10, 2004, in Dhuha, Iraq.
Army Pvt. Aaron M. Hudson, 20, Highland Village. Died April 16, 2005, of injuries suffered April 15, 2005, in an explosion at Camp Taji, Iraq.
Army 1st Lt. Doyle M. Hufstedler, 25, Abilene. One of five soldiers killed March 31, 2004, when an improvised explosive device hit their armored personnel carrier in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Seth Huston, 19, Perryton. Killed Aug. 21, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Pfc. Ray J. Hutchinson, 20, League City. Killed Dec. 7, 2003, when an explosive hit his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.
Army Pfc. John P. Johnson, 24, Houston. Died Oct. 22, 2003, of non-combat-related injuries in Baghdad.
Marine Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Brazoria. Killed March 23, 2003, in action near Nasiriyah, Iraq.
Army Spc. Michael G. Karr Jr., 23, San Antonio. One of five soldiers killed March 31, 2004, when an improvised explosive device hit their armored personnel carrier in Habbaniyah, Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, Houston. Killed March 21, 2003, in a CH-46E helicopter crash in Kuwait.
Army Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort. Killed March 23, 2003, in a pre-dawn ambush near Nasiriyah, Iraq.
Marine Staff Sgt. Dexter S. Kimble, 30, Houston. One of 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in a CH-53E helicopter crash near Rutbah, Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Zachary A. Kolda, 23, Corpus Christi, reservist. Killed Dec. 1, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Spc. Scott Q. Larson Jr., 22, Houston. Killed April 5, 2004, after his convoy was ambushed in Baghdad.
Army Staff Sgt. Rene Ledesma, 34, Abilene. Killed May 15, 2004, when an explosive went off near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Baghdad.
Army Pfc. Jesus A. Leon-Perez, 20, Houston. One of five soldiers killed Jan. 24, 2005, when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle overturned in Mohammed Sacran, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Hilario F. Lopez, 22, Ingleside. Killed Dec. 12, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Raymond Losano, 24, Del Rio. Died from wounds in a firefight April 25, 2003, in eastern Afghanistan.
Marine Lance Cpl. Fred L. Maciel, 20, Spring. One of 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in crash of their CH-53E helicopter near Rutbah, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Javier Marin Jr., 29, Mission. One of five soldiers killed Jan. 24, 2005, when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle overturned in Mohammed Sacran, Iraq.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, El Paso. Killed by Iraqi soldiers March 23, 2003, after convoy made a wrong turn near Nasiriyah, Iraq.
Marine Cpl. Matthew E. Matula, 20, Spicewood. Killed April 9, 2004, by hostile fire in Iraq.
Army Sgt. Daniel K. Methvin, 22, Belton. One of three killed July 26, 2003, by a grenade thrown from a civilian hospital they were guarding in Baghdad.
Army Sgt. Barry K. Meza, 23, League City. Killed Dec. 19, 2004, after hit by a vehicle in Shuaybah, Kuwait.
Army Pfc. Anthony S. Miller, 19, San Antonio. Killed in combat April 7, 2003, in Iraq.
Rhonald D. Rairdan, 20, San Antonio. Was among 31 killed Jan. 26, 2005, in a CH-53E helicopter crash near Rutbah, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Christopher Ramirez, 34, McAllen. Killed April 14, 2004, during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Staff Sgt. Gene Ramirez, 28, San Antonio. Killed Nov. 10, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Ray Rangel, 29, San Antonio. Died Feb. 13, 2005, while performing a canal rescue mission in Balad, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Ariel Rico, 25, El Paso. Killed Nov. 28, 2003, in a mortar attack in Mosul, Iraq.
Army Pfc. Wesley R. Riggs, 19, Baytown. Died May 17, 2005, of injuries suffered in an explosion in Tikrit, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Juan R. Rodriguez, 23, El Cenizo. Reservist died Jan. 13, 2005, of injuries suffered in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army 2nd Lt. Jonathan D. Rozier, 25, Katy. Killed July 19, 2003, when fired on while providing security at a municipal building in Baghdad.
Army Spc. Isela Rubalcava, 25, El Paso. Killed May 8, 2004, when mortar round hit near her in Mosul, Iraq.
Army Sgt. John W. Russell, 26, Portland. Killed Nov. 15, 2003, in a crash of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in Mosul, Iraq.
Marine Pfc. Leroy Sandoval Jr., 21, Houston. Killed March 26, 2004, by hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Pfc. Dustin M. Sekula, 18, Edinburg. Killed April 1, 2004, of injuries suffered from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Capt. Sean P. Sims, 32, El Paso. Killed Nov. 13, 2004, by small-arms fire while clearing a building in Fallujah, Iraq.
Marine Staff Sgt. Russell L. Slay, 28, Humble. Killed Nov. 9, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Pfc. Armando Soriano, 20, Houston. Killed in a vehicle roll-over Feb. 1, 2004, in Haditha, Iraq.
Army Cpl. Tomas Sotelo Jr., 22, Houston. Killed June 27, 2003, when his convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Baghdad.
Army Spc. Joseph D. Suell, 24, Lufkin. Died June 16, 2003, of a non-combat-related cause in Todjie, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Franklin A. Sweger, 24, San Antonio. Killed Dec. 16, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Sgt. 1st Class John E. Taylor, 31, Wichita Falls. Died May 17, 2003, from a heart attack after completing physical training in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Juan M. Torres, 25, Houston, reservist. Died of non-combat-related injuries July 12, 2004, in Bagram, Afghanistan.
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael S. Torres, 21, El Paso. Killed July 5, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Elias Torrez III, 21, Veribest. Killed April 9, 2004, in hostile action in Iraq.
Army Sgt. John B. Trotter, 25, Marble Falls. Killed Nov. 9, 2004, when his patrol was attacked with small-arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Ruben Valdez Jr., 21, San Diego. Killed April 17, 2004, in hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Melissa Valles, 26, Eagle Pass. Died of a non-combat cause July 9, 2003, in Balad, Iraq.
Army Spc. Jose A. Velez, 23, Lubbock. Killed Nov. 13, 2004, when his unit came under fire while clearing a strongpoint in Fallujah, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael B. Wafford, 20, Spring. Died April 8, 2004, of injuries from hostile fire in Anbar province, Iraq.
Army Spc. Gary W. Walters Jr., 31, Victoria. Killed April 24, 2005, when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad.
Army Pfc. Stephen E. Wyatt, 19, Kilgore. Killed Oct. 13, 2003, when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire in Balad, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Henry Ybarra III, 32, Austin. Killed Sept. 11, 2003, in Balad, Iraq, when the tire he was changing exploded.
Army Spc. Viktar V. Yolkin, 24, Spring Branch. One of five soldiers killed when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle overturned Jan. 24, 2005, in Mohammed Sacran, Iraq.
Army Spc. Mark Anthony Zapata, 27, Edinburg. Killed in hostile action Aug. 15, 2004, in Najaf, Iraq.
Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Zapp, 20, Houston. Killed Nov. 8, 2004, in hostile action in Anbar province, Iraq.