Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Los Angeles Times
June 20, 2008 Comments posted on website honor the fallen and recount fond memories.
By Megan Garvey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
The death of a Navy hospitalman in a rocket attack Wednesday brings the number of Californians killed since the wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq to 500.
The death of Marc A. Retmier, 19, of Hemet was announced Thursday by the Department of Defense. Along with Petty Officer 1st Class Ross L. Toles III, 37, of Davison, Mich., Retmier died from wounds suffered during an attack in the northern Afghan province of Paktika.
He is one of seven Hemet residents who have been killed in the war. An athlete and motocross enthusiast, he described himself on a website devoted to motocross:
"I believe that if we don't have dreams then there is nothing to live for. Mine are in the making and to be accomplished in the time soon to come. Off to college in less then a year and into medicine to become a radiologist. I live for the nights I will never remember with the friends I will never forget. Playing sports & staying fit, keeping my mind alert and sharp for anything on the road ahead."
Over the last 6 1/2 years, hundreds of Times obituaries have chronicled the lives of troops who have died in support of the conflicts. On Memorial Day, a database of California's war dead was made available to the public at www.latimes.com/wardead.
Since then, more than 240 people have sent in remembrances and tributes to their friends and loved ones.
"He had the best heart of any person I have ever met in the military," said Naomi C Nicoletti in a June 13 post about her "old friend" Sgt. 1st Class Luis E. Gutierrez-Rosales, who was killed in Iraq in July 2007.
"He would sit in a chair in the barracks after marches, and all of us who were hurt would line up," she wrote. "He would fix blisters, bandage cuts and take the time to talk to each person one on one. He made every single person feel special and important. He was also the most playful person. On marches he would sneak off into the woods and then jump out and surprise people. He was always happy, always smiling, always singing."
On June 12, Dan Nevins wrote to his comrade Army National Guard Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey.
"We didn't talk much while serving together, but when we did, there was always substance, and the more I got to know who you were at your core, the more I respected you. I would have loved to have you in my squad as I am sure every squad leader would have," Nevins said.
McCaffrey, 34 of Tracy, Calif., and Army National Guard 1st Lt. Andre Tyson, 33, of Riverside were killed on patrol in June 2004 by purported Iraqi allies.
"You left too early to know, but on 10 Nov 2004, when another of our brothers (SFC Mike Ottolini) paid the ultimate sacrifice, I was severely injured in the same explosion. I lost my left leg in the explosion, and after 27 surgeries, after being evacuated to Walter Reed they were able to save my right leg. Now, three years later, I am back at Walter Reed having the right leg amputated. It was just too much pain to deal with daily, and the recurring bone infections were 'show stoppers.' Now that I have had the surgery on the 23rd of January '08, I feel much better, and hopefully I will be walking again soon."
PV2 Morales Cortez, W., posted about Aaron J. Ward, 19 of , who was killed in Iraq on May 6.
"Aaron J. Ward and I went to basic and AIT together. At first he seemed like an annoying private that liked to be 'Mr. know it all,' but as the time went by and I started talking to him, he was chill," he wrote June 8. " . . . He was also my roommate here at and was like my right-hand man. I never meet a soldier so dedicated to his job as PFC Ward. In the end I just want to show my respect to his family and let them know he was a hell of a soldier."
Ward's mother, Debbie, wrote on June 8 to the family of George Delgado, 21 of Palmdale, who was killed in Iraq in March.
"I just want to say sorry for your loss. I lost my son in Iraq 8 days after he turned 19. I thought I was going to die when the Army came to my door to let me know he had been killed. Thank God for his sister or I would be right there with Aaron. . . . Please write me some time." Debbie Pfc Aaron Joseph Ward 04-28-1989 Two 05-06-2008"
M Olivier Col USMCR, posted on June 8 about Marine Cpl. Salem Bachar, who was killed in April 2006 in Iraq.
"At his memorial service in Fallujah, not long after he was killed, I was struck at how deeply his death was felt. We honor all the dead, we miss them all. But in the words of one officer, he was special, he was truly a good kid, 'he was one of the good ones,' " he wrote.
Some never met the person they were honoring.
"My son Dalton Glen Barnes is buried right next to you, Blake," Glen Barnes posted on Blake H. Howey’s page June 11. "I salute you/him every time I visit my son. I thank you for your service. I gave some, you gave all. God bless you and your family, Lance Corporal Howey."
Howey, 20 of Glendora, was killed in Iraq in February 2007.
Some people have written of taking comfort in other people's words.
"It is coming up on 5 months now since my cousin David has been gone," posted Rhiannon McKee June 5, about Army Sgt. David J. Hart, 22 of Lake View Terrace. "It is so nice to see people still sharing their memories of David. There are so many, and I enjoy checking in frequently to see what others have to say, and to remember my own memories of David. Thank you to all of you who continue to keep David alive in your hearts.
Michala Buzzard, who was 12 when her father, Army Sgt. Jason Buzzard, 31, of Ukiah. Calif., was killed in Iraq in June 2006, wrote of one of her favorite memories.
"At one of my birthday parties the theme was the '60s, and all the parents dressed up, and I remember my dad hid on our roof with an ice chest full of water balloons and he threw them down at my friends and I and started a massive water fight!" she posted May 26. "I miss him always and love him very much!! He is my hero!!"
Note on data: The Times counted California troops based on reports from the Department of Defense, as well as interviews with family and friends of those killed. In some cases, such as that of Army Cpl. Patrick D. Tillman, someone with long ties to California was included in our database even if their hometown listed by the military was out of state. Tillman, who walked away from a three-year, $3.6-million contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals to become a Ranger, was raised in San Jose. He was killed by "friendly fire" in Afghanistan in April 2004.
June 20, 2008 Comments posted on website honor the fallen and recount fond memories.
By Megan Garvey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
The death of a Navy hospitalman in a rocket attack Wednesday brings the number of Californians killed since the wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq to 500.
The death of Marc A. Retmier, 19, of Hemet was announced Thursday by the Department of Defense. Along with Petty Officer 1st Class Ross L. Toles III, 37, of Davison, Mich., Retmier died from wounds suffered during an attack in the northern Afghan province of Paktika.
He is one of seven Hemet residents who have been killed in the war. An athlete and motocross enthusiast, he described himself on a website devoted to motocross:
"I believe that if we don't have dreams then there is nothing to live for. Mine are in the making and to be accomplished in the time soon to come. Off to college in less then a year and into medicine to become a radiologist. I live for the nights I will never remember with the friends I will never forget. Playing sports & staying fit, keeping my mind alert and sharp for anything on the road ahead."
Over the last 6 1/2 years, hundreds of Times obituaries have chronicled the lives of troops who have died in support of the conflicts. On Memorial Day, a database of California's war dead was made available to the public at www.latimes.com/wardead.
Since then, more than 240 people have sent in remembrances and tributes to their friends and loved ones.
"He had the best heart of any person I have ever met in the military," said Naomi C Nicoletti in a June 13 post about her "old friend" Sgt. 1st Class Luis E. Gutierrez-Rosales, who was killed in Iraq in July 2007.
"He would sit in a chair in the barracks after marches, and all of us who were hurt would line up," she wrote. "He would fix blisters, bandage cuts and take the time to talk to each person one on one. He made every single person feel special and important. He was also the most playful person. On marches he would sneak off into the woods and then jump out and surprise people. He was always happy, always smiling, always singing."
On June 12, Dan Nevins wrote to his comrade Army National Guard Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey.
"We didn't talk much while serving together, but when we did, there was always substance, and the more I got to know who you were at your core, the more I respected you. I would have loved to have you in my squad as I am sure every squad leader would have," Nevins said.
McCaffrey, 34 of Tracy, Calif., and Army National Guard 1st Lt. Andre Tyson, 33, of Riverside were killed on patrol in June 2004 by purported Iraqi allies.
"You left too early to know, but on 10 Nov 2004, when another of our brothers (SFC Mike Ottolini) paid the ultimate sacrifice, I was severely injured in the same explosion. I lost my left leg in the explosion, and after 27 surgeries, after being evacuated to Walter Reed they were able to save my right leg. Now, three years later, I am back at Walter Reed having the right leg amputated. It was just too much pain to deal with daily, and the recurring bone infections were 'show stoppers.' Now that I have had the surgery on the 23rd of January '08, I feel much better, and hopefully I will be walking again soon."
PV2 Morales Cortez, W., posted about Aaron J. Ward, 19 of , who was killed in Iraq on May 6.
"Aaron J. Ward and I went to basic and AIT together. At first he seemed like an annoying private that liked to be 'Mr. know it all,' but as the time went by and I started talking to him, he was chill," he wrote June 8. " . . . He was also my roommate here at and was like my right-hand man. I never meet a soldier so dedicated to his job as PFC Ward. In the end I just want to show my respect to his family and let them know he was a hell of a soldier."
Ward's mother, Debbie, wrote on June 8 to the family of George Delgado, 21 of Palmdale, who was killed in Iraq in March.
"I just want to say sorry for your loss. I lost my son in Iraq 8 days after he turned 19. I thought I was going to die when the Army came to my door to let me know he had been killed. Thank God for his sister or I would be right there with Aaron. . . . Please write me some time." Debbie Pfc Aaron Joseph Ward 04-28-1989 Two 05-06-2008"
M Olivier Col USMCR, posted on June 8 about Marine Cpl. Salem Bachar, who was killed in April 2006 in Iraq.
"At his memorial service in Fallujah, not long after he was killed, I was struck at how deeply his death was felt. We honor all the dead, we miss them all. But in the words of one officer, he was special, he was truly a good kid, 'he was one of the good ones,' " he wrote.
Some never met the person they were honoring.
"My son Dalton Glen Barnes is buried right next to you, Blake," Glen Barnes posted on Blake H. Howey’s page June 11. "I salute you/him every time I visit my son. I thank you for your service. I gave some, you gave all. God bless you and your family, Lance Corporal Howey."
Howey, 20 of Glendora, was killed in Iraq in February 2007.
Some people have written of taking comfort in other people's words.
"It is coming up on 5 months now since my cousin David has been gone," posted Rhiannon McKee June 5, about Army Sgt. David J. Hart, 22 of Lake View Terrace. "It is so nice to see people still sharing their memories of David. There are so many, and I enjoy checking in frequently to see what others have to say, and to remember my own memories of David. Thank you to all of you who continue to keep David alive in your hearts.
Michala Buzzard, who was 12 when her father, Army Sgt. Jason Buzzard, 31, of Ukiah. Calif., was killed in Iraq in June 2006, wrote of one of her favorite memories.
"At one of my birthday parties the theme was the '60s, and all the parents dressed up, and I remember my dad hid on our roof with an ice chest full of water balloons and he threw them down at my friends and I and started a massive water fight!" she posted May 26. "I miss him always and love him very much!! He is my hero!!"
Note on data: The Times counted California troops based on reports from the Department of Defense, as well as interviews with family and friends of those killed. In some cases, such as that of Army Cpl. Patrick D. Tillman, someone with long ties to California was included in our database even if their hometown listed by the military was out of state. Tillman, who walked away from a three-year, $3.6-million contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals to become a Ranger, was raised in San Jose. He was killed by "friendly fire" in Afghanistan in April 2004.