Soldiers honor 6 fallen comrades

[babylonsister]

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=46476

Soldiers honor 6 fallen comrades


By Drew Brown, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, June 7, 2007



Drew Brown / S&S


FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq

Spc. 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, said Capt. Mike A. Punaro, commander of Apache Troop, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment.

Alexeev and five other soldiers were killed on Memorial Day by two roadside bombs as they tried to recover the remains of two OH-58 Kiowa helicopter pilots shot down by insurgents near Muqdadiyah, in Iraq’s volatile Diyala province.

The two pilots, 1st Lt. Keith Heidtman and Chief Warrant Officer Theodore “Tuc” Church, died in the crash.

Cpl. Zachary D. Baker, killed in the bomb attacks, “was one of the most enthusiastic troopers in Apache,” Punaro recalled. 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 our troop a better place.”

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

Sgt. Anthony D. Ewing “was a guy you could always count on to pick you up,” Punaro said. 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.”

Sgt. Jonathan A. Markham had “an internal drive to be the best, and his competitive spirit was unmatched,” Punaro said. On the night he died, the 22-year-old from Dallas was “an unrelenting force … leading his soldiers, establishing security and conducting recovery operations” before a hidden bomb took his life.

First Lt. Kile G. West “was an incredible officer and leader of soldiers,” Punaro recalled. The 23-year-old from Hutto, Texas, “could be counted on to accomplish any task,” and he “loved leading American soldiers,” which was “exactly what he was doing the night he died.”

more...

[Spinzonner]

1. More lives and future leaders wasted by a moron

and his band of neocons