Names, Stories, and Pictures of the Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Wire Reports | 3/22/03 | Wire Reports

[Diddle E. Squat]

Names of the four US Marines who died in yesterday's helicopter crash:

Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine

Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill.

Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas

Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Watersbey, 29, of Baltimore, Md.

The Pentagon has just released the names of two more US Marines who were killed in Iraq. I'll post as soon as I find that.

[Diddle E. Squat]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/international/worldspecial/23CASU.html?ex=1049000400&en=a611f5b8b1d4a40e&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

Portraits Are Emerging of 2 Marines Killed in Iraq
By DAVID W. CHEN


Therrel S. Childers, it seemed, was always on the move.

As a child, he moved around the world with his father, Joseph, who was a Navy Seabee. At times, the experience was harrowing: he lived in Tehran during the American hostage crisis, but his family managed to get out.

As a young man, he enlisted in the Marines, and did so well that the Marine Corps sent him to the Citadel, where he made the dean's list. But whenever he visited his parents in Wyoming, he could not sit still, either: he was always training for marathons, it seemed, or doing 100-mile bicycle rides, or camping and hiking in the snow, or running up steep hills.

As a marine, he lived an itinerant life, too, with a passport that would have been the envy of National Geographic. He fought in the Persian Gulf, during Desert Storm. He spent time in Africa, in Geneva, and most recently, in southern Iraq.

On Friday, Second Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, was one of two marines who were killed in Iraq, both of whom were assigned to Camp Pendleton in California. The other Marine who died was Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez. As of yesterday afternoon, little information was available about Corporal Gutierrez, other than the fact that he was 22, originally from Los Angeles, and was assigned to the 2nd battalion, of the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.

But by early afternoon, a clearer portrait was emerging of Lieutenant Childers from friends and relatives, who called him Shane, his middle name, and spoke in unison about how decent and generous and capable he was.

Lieutenant Childers was the middle of three children in a family with deep, and proud, military roots. In addition to his father, who served in Vietnam, Lieutenant Childers's younger brother, Sam, served in the military, as did their grandfather, said John Van Valin, a close friend and neighbor of the family.

A cousin that Lieutenant Childers was close to may now be aboard an aircraft carrier near the Korean peninsula, said Jackie Brown, who is the mother-in-law of Lieutenant Childers's sister, Sandra. And Sandra's husband, Richard Brown, is in the Army. In fact, he is now at Fort Hood, in Texas, and is scheduled to be deployed to the Iraq region any day, according to Ms. Brown.

According to the Department of Defense, Lieutenant Childers's hometown was Harrison County, Miss. And while he graduated from high school there, according to family and friends, it is not clear how much time he spent there, or what kind of attachment he had to that place.

There were many places around the world that the Childers family called home, but there were probably few years more trying than the ones they spent in Iran.

During the turbulent time of the shah's last days in power, Lieutenant Childers's father was initially taken captive by Iranian militants, according to Mr. Van Valin, but then released. And whenever the children ventured outside, their mother had to change their appearances.

"The boys were blond-headed, so she had to dye their hair," he said.

Neither Ms. Brown nor Mr. Van Valin was sure of what Lieutenant Childers specialized in as a marine. But Mr. Van Valin said that he did serve as a marine security guard at one point.

Lieutenant Childers was single. And he loved to exercise. He was an accomplished runner, competing in several races around the country. He had climbed Mount Hood, in Oregon, with some marine buddies. When he visited his parents, in Powell, Wyo., he like to keep fit by running up a steep hill that local residents called "the Bench."

"For a normal guy like me, it would be torture," said Mr. Van Valin. "But it was fun to him."

Lieutenant Childers had his flair for renaissance living, too. He loved to read, particularly anything on the history of the Marine Corps. He also wanted to train horses someday, not for rodeos or racing, but just as all-purpose animals that could be used on rugged trails.

Then there was the cooking. One time, Mr. Van Valin said, Lieutenant Childers prepared an unusual dinner: goose.

"He had his cookbooks out, and how he prepared this thing, I don't know," Mr. Van Valin said. "But it was excellent. I've eaten goose before, and it didn't thrill me, but this was excellent."

[freepersup]

Helicopter crash

Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine.
Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill.
Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas.
Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Watersbey, 29, of Baltimore, Md.

Hostile fire

2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, of Harrison, Miss.

Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, of Los Angeles.

Helicopter collision

Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, of La Mesa, Calif.

[Samwise]

All humanity is of one Author, and is one volume; when one dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated; God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God’s hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another.

-- JOHN DONNE (1572–1631)

[freepersup]

Reporting- ABC radio news- one US Army soldier from the 101st ABN DIV- attacked by US soldier- now being reported as killed (murdered)- attacker in custody

[Diddle E. Squat]

Have you found any articles with the British names? Sunday London papers are out, but still nothing coming up in Google News.

Hopefully there will be hometown articles on Thomas Adams and Jose Gutierrez(almost no info so far) with pictures in the morning.

Thanks for your contributions.

[freepersup]

Reporting- ABC radio news- US casualty- Humvee accident resulting in death of soldier near Al Nasira (sic ?)

[freepersup]

Did some searching at the BBC news website. No luck in finding names of any UK KIA.

[VOA]

Ryan Beaupre of St. Anne died a local hero at age 30.

I saw a short report on TV about Beaupre's home and family.
They said that he'd written three letters home since being deployed...but had not
phoned home.
He explained in his letters that the waiting lines for the phones were long and
that the phone calls should go to the troops who had "spouses and children to talk
to back home".

Sounds like the military truly lost an "Officer And A Gentleman".

[VOA]

Could we add the names of all of the fallen heroes. I don't feel right excluding
the names of the Brits and the Aussie.

This was the first thing that came to mind after I heard about the loss
of the 4 US and 8 UK personnel in the helicopter crash.

From this day to the ending of the world
But we in it shall be remembered,
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition.
And gentlemen in England FRANCE now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here

(apologies to The Bard...)

[freepersup]

Having a bit of difficulty in locating UK casualties (by name)- by all means locate them and post them here

[freepersup]

Reporting- ABC radio news- RAF aircraft presumed lost by possible friendly fire- unknown if aircraft piloted by one or two personnel- Patriot battery may have fired on inbound aircraft near Kuwaiti border in close proximity to US camp Pennsylvania- speculation is that shoot down took place following fragging by US soldier of US officers of the 101st ABN DIV

[Diddle E. Squat]

Navy Lt. Thomas M. Adams

[Diddle E. Squat]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030323-9999_1n23dead.html

Killed Navy officer described as 'bright, funny and kind'

By Susan Gembrowski
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

March 23, 2003

Navy Lt. Thomas M. Adams Adams, who was killed in the crash of two British helicpopters, was described by his aunt as "one of these amazingly clean-cut, all-American kids." A descendant of two presidents and a member of a prominent La Mesa family was the first Navy officer to die in the war against Iraq.

Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, was aboard one of two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters that collided about 4:30 a.m. yesterday (Iraq time) just after takeoff from a ship in the Persian Gulf, officials said. Six British troops, three in each helicopter, also were killed.

Adams had been an exchange officer with the Royal Navy's 849 Squadron since October 2002.

His family learned of his death early yesterday morning.

"He's one of these amazingly clean-cut, all-American kids," said his aunt, Elizabeth Hansen of La Jolla. "He's the kind of kid that if you had a very special daughter, you would hope that she could snag him. He was just amazingly bright, funny and kind."

Adams' lineage can be traced to Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, his aunt said.

Officials also identified two Camp Pendleton Marines who were killed in battle Friday as Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, of Los Angeles; and 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, of Saucier, Miss. Both were with the 1st Marine Division.

News of Adams' death rocked the small La Mesa community of Mount Helix, where his family lives.

His parents, John and Marilyn Adams, were in Germany visiting Adams' younger sister, Cari, who is attending the University of Heidelberg. Neighbors Dianne and Pete Micklish called the Adamses after two Navy chaplains came to their door at 6:15 a.m. yesterday.

The Adamses "asked if we were OK," Dianne Micklish said. "We're calling them and telling them the worst news. That's the kind of people they are.

"It's not supposed to happen," she said. "You know in your heart it's possible, but you can't let that in."

Adams graduated from Grossmont High School in 1993, his aunt said. News of his death so traumatized a former chemistry teacher and the mother of a close high school friend that neither could speak about him last night.

Adams graduated from the Naval Academy and was a decorated naval flight officer who trained in Pensacola. He was commissioned in 1997 and achieved the rank of lieutenant two years ago.

Before his assignment with the Royal Navy's 849 Squadron, based in Helston, England, he served on the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron at bases in Japan and Virginia. He earned two National Defense Service Medals and three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons along with other awards and decorations.

He also was passionate about soccer. He joined a local team in England, his family said. Adams was so enamored with the sport that he volunteered to go with the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk to Japan when he knew the World Cup finals would be there.

Adams' late grandfather, Richard Croxton Adams, helped found Grossmont Bank and Heartland Savings and Loan. His grandfather, who moved to San Diego from Cleveland in 1948, helped rebuild the Old Globe Theatre and the Aerospace Museum after they were destroyed by arson.

Adams' family said he especially enjoyed his work with the Royal Navy for two reasons: Each ship had a pub on board, and he was allowed weekly 20-minute phone calls home.

"Both of their kids tried to call home once a week from anywhere they were in the world," said his uncle, Richard Adams of La Jolla.

Adams' father, an architect, was able to join his son on a Tiger cruise from Guam to Japan last year, the family said.

Both Adams' grandmothers live in La Mesa, and he also has an aunt and two cousins in Kensington. Family includes relatives in Pebble Beach and Riverside, and in Michigan, Ohio, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

"This is an extremely close family, and none of us will ever be the same," said Hansen, his aunt. "All of us just remember him as a fun-loving guy with a wry sense of humor and we can't imagine going forward without him."

The Marines, too, were mourning the loss of Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez and 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers.

The only information officials would release is that one was killed while leading his infantry platoon in a firefight to secure an oil pumping station in southern Iraq, the U.S. Central Command said. The other died while fighting enemy forces near the port of Umm Qasr, according to wire service reports.

Their deaths bring to six the number of Camp Pendleton-affiliated troops killed in Iraq.

"To all those who have lost someone in this conflict, our hearts are with you," Maj. Curtis Hill, a Camp Pendleton spokesman, said in a written statement. "We are very grateful for your sacrifice and the sacrifice your loved ones have made."

Childers was with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. He graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., in June 2001 with a major in French. According to the military college's Web site, Childers was a dean's list student and active in the Marine Raiders. His parents, Joseph and Judy Childers, could not be reached for comment.

A Citadel representative told The Associated Press that Childers liked the outdoors and was an active runner. He returned to college under a program that allows active duty military to complete their education and become officers. He was known by his middle name, Shane, according to a family friend, John Van Valin. Van Valin told the AP that Childers enjoyed riding horses.

Van Valin said Childers' parents were in Texas, at Fort Hood, where their son-in-law is in the Army and preparing for war duty.

Gutierrez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. He was born in Guatemala and moved to the United States as a child with his parents, said Fernando Castillo, the Guatemalan consul general in Los Angeles. Castillo said he was in contact with the Marine Corps but had no further information about Gutierrez or his family. Attempts to reach them last night were unsuccessful.

[fml]

Thanks for the post. Good thread.

[Diddle E. Squat]

From http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=War%20Casualties

"Gutierrez was born in Guatemala and moved to the United States as a child with his parents, said Fernando Castillo, the Guatemalan consul general in Los Angeles. Castillo said he was in contact with the Marine Corps but had no further information about Gutierrez or his family."

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God bless this patriot who came here and then made the ultimate sacrifice of gratitude to our country.

[Lauratealeaf]

We can't forget Captain Christopher Scott Seifert, 27 years old.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Army Captain Christopher Scott Seifert



http://www.wtvw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1194570&nav=7CPEElxD

Fort Campbell, KY March 23 -- Defense department officials have identified the soldier killed during an attack at the 101st encampment in Kuwait.

Twenty-seven-year-old Army Captain Christopher Scott Seifert of Eastern Pennsylvania had been assigned to the Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division.

The attack in Camp Pennsylvania in the Kuwaiti desert also wounded 15 soldiers, three of them seriously.

A soldier with the division was taken into custody after the grenade attack. A Fort Campbell spokesman identified that soldier as Sergeant Asan Akbar.

No other information about him was given except that he is a member of the 326th Engineer Battalion.

[Lauratealeaf]

Thanks for posting this.

[amom]

V and remembering the Fallen.

[Salvation]

Prayers for all those who have died in this war and their familieis and loved ones.