Army Spc. Michael T. Gleason
Gleason, 25, was with the Army 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C. He died May 30, 2003 between Mosul and Tikrit, Iraq. Gleason was in a three-vehicle convoy traveling from Mosul to Tikrit during a storm when a civilian vehicle dodged a pothole and caused two Humvees to swerve and his light medium tactical vehicle to turn sharply and turn over.
May God take every one of these soldiers into his house so that they may rest in peace. We Salute you the men and women who served so proudly
Army Sgt. Keman Mitchell
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:PA2lSsmO_BcJ:www.gazette.com/war/0605war.html++iraq+keman+mitchell&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Church group, trip to capital set soldier’s sights on Army
By JOSIE LOZA THE GAZETTE
A family vacation to Washington, D.C., and involvement in a church group might have shaped Sgt. Keman Mitchell’s career choice.
"I honestly believe it was the visit and the Boys Brigade that sparked his interest in the Army," said his father, Steven Mitchell of Fernandina Beach, Fla.
Keman Mitchell, 24, of Nassau County, Fla., drowned May 26 in an aqueduct south of Kirkuk, Iraq. His death is under investigation.
Mitchell served in the 4 th Engineer Battalion of the 3 rd Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Carson.
Steven Mitchell described his son as a quiet and shy child. When he learned his son was joining the Army, he said he was filled with joy.
"I think the Army was good for him," he said.
"He was able to get out and travel."
Mitchell’s fondness for the Army came from the time he spent with the Boys Brigade, a youth group that uses military training methods to teach teens how to be leaders.
Mitchell was born in 1978 and was raised in Fernandina Beach, near Jacksonville.
He graduated from Fernandina Beach High School in 1997. He served six years in the Army.
"He was the only one in the family that went in the service," his father said.
Marilyn Jordan, Mitchell’s mother, said he was the oldest of her four sons.
"He was a giving person," she said. "He was always willing to help others, especially his brothers."
Steven Mitchell received a letter from his son the day he died. He complained about the heat and said his soldiers were retrieving weapons and helping to establish a police force.
A funeral service is planned for Saturday in Fernandina Beach.
