Rememberance

Shinto

A thread for the rememberance of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I've made these in the past, with rules and formats and whatnot. Maybe that was a mistake. People can remember however they want. I choose to write little obituaries myself.

Chad Domino was from Ennis, Texas just south of Dallas. He joined the army in 2002 after finishing high school. He tested extremely well in the entrance examinations and was deployed to Iraq, serving as administrative support. The guy loved to eat. He loved his mom's cooking and he loved pushing food on his friends at his favorite restaurants. Chad was highly decorated. He returned for a second tour in 2006 despite being wounded on his first, and served with the Stryker brigade now stationed in Baghdad. He and was killed last saturday at the age of 23 by small arms fire while on foot patrol.

DiscGrace

Sgt. Tyler Kritz was a good Wisconsin boy from Eagle River. He is the 75th member of the military from Wisconsin to die in the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. He played as a second-string defensive back on the Northland Pines School District football team when he was a senior, and was consider to be a bright young man with a sense of humor in the alternative high school program he attended. Joe Foster, who worked with Tyler at the local alternative high school, said of him: "He wanted to be away at something different. He tried this life and now he wanted to go see what else there was to see." He was 21 years old.

Shinto

Alexandre A. Alexeev “had an uncanny way of being able to communicate with the Iraqi people.” Wherever he went, Iraqis would flock to him, drawn to the 23-year-old Russian immigrant’s booming voice and obvious empathy.

Zachary D. Baker, “was one of the most enthusiastic troopers in his troop.” The 25-year-old native of Vilonia, Ark., “would not complain about any task or detail, he would just make sure that it got done. His enthusiasm rubbed off on those around him, and it made his troop a better place.”

James E. Summers III “was a hard worker that his peers and leaders could always count on to accomplish a task or mission.” The 21-year-old trooper from Bourbon, Mo., loved the Army, and often spent time talking about how happy his wife made him.

Anthony D. Ewing “was a guy you could always count on to pick you up.” The 22-year-old native of the Philippines “was an outstanding motivator that could make you feel better with nothing but his signature smile and a wisecrack.”

Jonathan A. Markham had “an internal drive to be the best, and his competitive spirit was unmatched.” The 22-year-old from Dallas was “an unrelenting force … leading his soldiers, establishing security and conducting recovery operations."

Kile G. West “was an incredible officer and leader of soldiers.” He was 23-years old, from Hutto, Texas.

Last saturday in Abu Sayda, Iraq West, Alexeev, Baker, Summers and Ewing were part of a rapid reaction force sent to aid two survivors of a helicopter crash. As they neared the scene in their Bradley ran over a buried IED with a pressure sensitive trip wire and the five were killed in the resulting explosion.

Markham was a part of an engineer squad that identifies and removes IEDs who were called out in response to the explosion of the vehicle that carried West, Alexeev, Baker, Summers and Ewing. Unable to find any further explosives in the area, Markham's squad was leaving when a second bomb, buried too deeply to be detected, exploded and killed him.