HALL OF HEROES ... A Tribute to those who have paid the price for freedom!

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 Army Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats 32, of Fredericksburg, Texas.  



Army Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats 32, of Fredericksburg, Texas; assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin, Texas; died Oct. 16 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed was Spc. Anthony G. Green.

Staff Sgt. Chris Staats joined the Texas National Guard after graduating from Fredericksburg High School in 1996.  In 2002, he  graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in renewable natural resources.  Staats served in Kosovo and Afghanistan.  Staats  was one of only 12 people selected to be on a agribusiness team to help the  Afghani farmers grow profitable crops other than poppies. 

His wife, Monteigne Staats, told the My San Antonio.com:

“Chris' entire goal was to help the Afghan people become self-sufficient,” Monteigne Staats said Sunday of her husband. “I'm so proud of Chris for his hard work, his dedication, his service and belief in helping others.”
 
He is being remembered as a brave and compassionate leader.  A former high school teacher,  Rick Carrol,  reflected on Chris Staats:   “He felt an obligation to serve his country, and be brought honor to his country, his community and his family,” Carroll told the Daily Times.

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 Army Staff Sgt. Bradley Espinoza 26, of Mission, Texas.  



Army Staff Sgt. Bradley Espinoza 26, of Mission, Texas; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, died Oct. 19 in Qwest, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Texas soldier dies in attack in Iraq

WASHINGTON — A 26-year-old Fort Hood soldier from South Texas has died of wounds from the explosion of an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

The Pentagon says Staff Sgt. Bradley Espinoza of Mission died Monday in Qwest, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was attacked by enemy forces.

His uncle, Ralph Solis, tells The Monitor of McAllen that Army representatives told the family that Espinoza died while trying to disarm the bomb.

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 Army Staff Sgt. Shawn H. McNabb 24, of Terrell, Texas.  



Army Staff Sgt. Shawn H. McNabb 24, of Terrell, Texas; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. died Oct. 26 of wounds suffered when the MH-47 helicopter he was aboard crashed in Darreh-ye Bum, Afghanistan. Also killed were Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael P. Montgomery, Sgt. 1st Class David E. Metzger, Staff Sgt. Keith R. Bishop, Chief Warrant Officer Niall Lyons, Sgt. Josue E. Hernandez Chavez and Sgt. Nickolas A. Mueller.

DoD IDs soldiers killed in Afghanistan crash

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department has identified the seven special operations soldiers killed Oct. 26 when their MH-47 helicopter crashed in Badghis province in western Afghanistan.

Two of the soldiers were from 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group of Fort Bragg, N.C., and five were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment of Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

Also killed in the crash were three agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Low visibility has been blamed for the crash, which happened about 3:30 a.m. when the soldiers and federal agents lifted off in the helicopter after an operation to disrupt arms smuggling and drug trafficking in the Darreh-ye Bum Village in Qadis District, according to information from the International Security Assistance Force.

Thick dust stirred up from the initial takeoff overwhelmed the visibility of the crew, according to ISAF. When the crew tried to correct the aircraft’s movement, it struck a tall structure and crashed.

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 Army Sgt. Fernando Delarosa 24, of Alamo, Texas.  



Army Sgt. Fernando Delarosa 24, of Alamo, Texas; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Oct. 27 in Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed were Army Staff Sgt. Luis M. Gonzalez, Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, Army Sgt. Issac B. Jackson, Army Spc. Jared D. Stanker, Army Pfc. Christopher I. Walz and Army Sgt. Patrick O. Williamson.

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 Marine Lance Cpl. Cody R. Stanley 21, of Rosanky, Texas.



Marine Lance Cpl. Cody R. Stanley 21, of Rosanky, Texas; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died Oct. 28 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

War on Terror claims Caldwell County Marine

By Kathi Bliss
Editor/POST-REGISTER

The War on Terror claimed a third victim from Caldwell County this week.
According to a statement released by the Department of Defense on Thursday, Lance Corporal Cody R. Stanley, USMC, 21, died on Oct. 28 while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Stanley was on a dismounted patrol when he was killed, according to a prepared statement given by 2nd Lt. Joshua Benson, a spokesman for Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Stanley, a former student of the of the Lockhart ISD, but a graduate of Smithville High, enlisted in the Marine Corps shortly after his graduation from high school in 2006.

He was a rifleman and served with the Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. The unit is based at the Marine Air-Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif. The unit was deployed to the Middle East in stages, in late September and early October. It was Lance Cpl. Stanley's second deployment to the Middle East - he served in Iraq from February - September 2008.

In September, the Lance Corporal spent time at his family's Rosanky ranch during his pre-deployment leave, before journeying to Afghanistan.

During his military career, Stanley earned several honors, including the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment ribbon.

The family of Lance Cpl. Stanley announced Tuesday that funeral services for the Marine will be held on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, at 10 a.m. at the Smithville Baptist Church in Smithville, Texas.

However, the family will receive friends from 4 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, at McCurdy Funeral Home, 105 E. Pecan St., Lockhart, Texas.

He is survived by his parents, Bob and Wendi Stanley; his brother, Cade; grandparents Anne Stanley and David and Kitty Braley; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

kathibliss@post-register.com

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 Marine Sgt. Cesar B. Ruiz 26, of San Antonio, Texas.



Marine Sgt. Cesar B. Ruiz 26, of San Antonio; assigned to Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans; died Oct. 31 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

KENS5 news:

Cesar Ruiz was born in Nava Coahuila, Mexico, and raised in San Antonio. He graduated from Taft High School in Texas. Ruiz joined the Marine Corps in 2002 and married Kimberly the next year. They moved to Hawaii, which was his first duty station.

He served a tour of duty in Afghanistan where he detonated enemy weapons caches. After four years as a Marine, Ruiz decided to leave the military. He and his wife moved back to San Antonio where he worked for his father as a mason. The couple had a son last year and shortly after that, Ruiz was reactivated into the Marine Corps Reserve in New Orleans.

Sergeant Cesar B. Ruiz died October 31st while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Later that same day, two Marines knocked on Kimberly Ruiz’s front door, delivering the news that her 26-year-old husband was dead. Cesar’s mother, Maria Ruiz, was celebrating her birthday when she learned that her son had been killed that same day in a roadside bombing.

Sergeant Cesar Ruiz is survived by his wife and son, his mother and father, and a large extended family. The funeral is still being planned, but it is known that the Patriot Guard Riders will be attending.

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 Marine Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner 22, of Hico, Texas.



Marine Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner 22, of Hico, Texas; assigned to 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Nov. 13 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

DALLAS NEWS.COM

Shawn Patrick Hefner was promoted to be a Marine lance corporal on Nov. 1 and scheduled to return to his home base at Camp Lejeune, N.C., sometime next week.

After a state-side debriefing about his duty in Afghanistan, he planned to return home to Central Texas on Dec. 10, less than a week after celebrating his 23rd birthday. He was to be on leave until early January.

But Lance Cpl. Hefner was killed by an improvised bomb last Friday while supporting combat operations in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.

His body was returned home Thursday to Hico, Texas, where services will be at 2 p.m. today at First Baptist Church. He will be buried in Hico Cemetery.

Cpl. Hefner was fun-loving and fearless, said his father, Patrick Hefner of Hico.

"He was outdoors," said his father, a former Marine. "He loved to fish and camp. If it could be done outdoors, that's where he wanted to be."

Cpl. Hefner was born Dec. 4, 1986, in Kansas City, Mo., and moved with his family to Hico in 1991. He was a 2006 graduate of Hico High School.

He joined the Marines in January 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan in June . Almost immediately, he demonstrated his toughness, when he received a concussion after his Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle was rocked by an explosion.

His mother, Robin Hefner of Hico, had instructed her son to document his tour of duty with photographs. Cpl. Hefner faithfully carried out his mother's request – even after that attack.

"They were carting him off in helicopters, and he was lying on his back taking pictures of his buddies up in front of him," his father said.

Cpl. Hefner was assigned to the 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune.

In addition to his mother and father, Cpl. Hefner is survived by a brother, Brandon Hefner of Mesquite; a sister, Jessica Megan Hefner of Hico; a grandfather, Raymond Hefner of Hico; and a grandmother, Lynn Schroff of Mesquite

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 Army Spc. Joseph M. Lewis 26, of Terrell, Texas.  



Army Spc. Joseph M. Lewis 26, of Terrell, Texas; assigned to the 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Texas soldier dies in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The Defense Department says a Fort Lewis soldier was killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Twenty-six-year-old Spc. Joseph M. Lewis of Terrell, Texas, was a member of the 5th Stryker brigade.

The News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., reports he was the 29th member of the brigade to die since it deployed in July.

Lewis previously served a 12-month tour in Korea and was on his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Lewis leaves behind a wife, Theresa, and an infant daughter, Abigail, according to the Terrell Tribune.

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 Army Sgt. James M. Nolen 25, of Alvin, Texas.  



Army Sgt. James M. Nolen 25, of Alvin, Texas; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Nov. 22 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes.


From www.alvinsun.net

Sgt. James Michael Nolen, age 25, of Alvin passed away Sunday, November 22, 2009 in Zabul province, Afghanistan. Sgt. Nolen was born on March 31, 1984 in Webster, Texas and was a lifetime resident of Alvin. He was a graduate of Friendswood Christian School. He served with the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Sgt. Nolen was preceded in death by his grandfather, Harmon Roberts.

Sgt. Nolen is survived by his wife, Rachel Nolen of Alvin, Texas; mother, Kim Roberts of Alvin, Texas; father, Scott Nolen of Utah; grandmother, Carol Roberts of Friendswood, Texas; grandparents, William and Doris Nolen of El Campo; son, William Flathmann of North Carolina; brothers, Jeremy Nolen and wife, Rebecca of Georgetown, Texas, and Jonathan Nolen of Alvin, Texas; niece, Sydney; nephew, Jack; and numerous other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, December 3, 2009 at Scott Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m., Friday, December 4, 2009 at Friendswood United Methodist Church, 110 N. Friendswood Dr., Friendswood, Texas. Interment followed at Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas.

Arrangements under the direction of the Scott Family.

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 Marine Lance Cpl. Mark D. Juarez 23, of San Antonio, Texas.



Marine Lance Cpl. Mark D. Juarez 23, of San Antonio, Texas; died January 09, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.  He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; died Jan. 9 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Hawaii-based Marines killed in Afghanistan

By William Cole

Honolulu Advertiser via Gannett News Service

Two Kaneohe Bay-based Marines were killed over the weekend in separate incidents in southern Afghanistan, the first fatalities in a seven-month deployment by the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, which left Hawaii in November.

Lance Cpl. Mark D. Juarez, 23, of San Antonio died Jan. 9 when a roadside bomb blast hit his vehicle in Helmand province, officials said.

The Pentagon also said Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Meinert, 20, of Fort Atkinson, Wis., died Jan. 10 “while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.”

Juarez was killed in the blast along with Sunday Mirror reporter Rupert Hamer, Marine Corps officials said. Hamer was the first British journalist to die in Afghanistan.

The newspaper said its photographer and five other U.S. military people were wounded in the blast northwest of the town of Nawa, where the battalion of 1,000 Hawaii Marines and sailors is located.

“I told him, ‘Don’t go. It’s too dangerous over there,’ ” Juarez’s grandmother, Elida Flores, told a San Antonio TV station.

“He said, ‘Grandma, I want to go. I volunteered to go. And I’ll come back very soon.’ ”

Juarez leaves behind a 1-year-old son.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Meinert died in a bomb blast.

The Marine, whose nickname in his company was “Slim,” had played in his high school’s pep band. Meinert was a “very nice young man. Probably where he was involved the most was in the jazz band here at school,” Fort Atkinson High School principal Jeff Zaspel told the newspaper. Meinert participated in the concert, marching and jazz bands and was a member of the school’s chess club, the newspaper said.

According to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Meinert was a radio telephone operator assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Meinert joined the Marine Corps in July 2007, and reported to 1st Battalion in January 2008. He had previously deployed with the same battalion to Iraq, returning to Hawaii in March 2009.

Juarez was a small-arms repairman and technician, according to base officials. He joined the Corps in March 2007 and reported to the 1st Battalion in November 2007. He, too, had previously deployed with the 1st Battalion to Iraq.

The 1st Battalion Marines are in and around Nawa district farther south in Helmand province, which is a major poppy-producing region and in the heart of the Taliban insurgency. The Marines hope to choke off the opium trade that funds that insurgency.

The Pentagon announcement that two Hawaii Marines had been killed came with a correction. The Defense Department originally identified Lance Cpl. Mark A. Juarez of Bakersfield, Calif., as being killed. The Pentagon subsequently corrected the name, attributing the mistake to a “clerical error,” and said the correct family had been notified by Marine Corps officials.

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 Army Capt. Paul W. Pena, 27, of San Marcos, Texas.  



Army Capt. Paul W. Pena, 27, of San Marcos, Texas;  assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Jan. 19 in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.


From the San Marcos Daily Record

Capt. Paul W. Peña, 27, of San Marcos, passed away Jan. 19, 2010 in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was born July 8, 1982 in San Antonio.

Paul is preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Beatriz (Calderon) Peña.

He is survived by his mother, Cecilia Peña of San Marcos; aunts, Carmen Peña Giombetti and husband, Vince, Celeste Calderon; uncles, John Peña and wife, Linda and Paul A. Peña; cousins, Cristina Pinto, Joanna White, Bridget Calderon, John F. Peña, Cate Peña, Luke Peña, Patrick Peña and Alicia Peña. He will be greatly missed by a host of friends and his Army family.

He was a member of the Junior ROTC at the San Marcos Baptist Academy where he was named "best all around student" by his school's National Honor Society chapter, and was voted most likely to succeed by his classmates. He created a disc golf course at the school for his Eagle Scout project.

Peña graduated from the San Marcos Baptist Academy in 2000 and entered the U.S. Military Academy as a member of the class of 2004. Following graduation, he attended Infantry Officers Basic Course, Basic Airborne School and Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga. Upon completion of his training, Peña reported to Fort Richardson, Alaska, with the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne). He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Peña's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf clusters, the Valorous Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutists Badge and the Ranger Tab. He had previously been awarded the Bronze Star for heroic or meritorious achievement or service during his previous deployments.

Brig. Gen. Daniel Menard called Peña a "recognized leader" among his peers. He further stated "Peña was a quiet professional; he always had a smile on his face and was admired by his soldiers".

Memorial contributions in Paul’s memory may be made to the San Marcos Baptist Academy, Captain Paul W. Peña Memorial Scholarship Fund, 2801 Ranch Road 12, San Marcos, Texas 78666, or West Point Fund, Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, N.Y. 10996 or to the charity of choice.

Family will receive friends from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 at the San Marcos Baptist Academy with a memorial service at 7 p.m. with the Reverend Dr. Mark Miller officiating.

Family will receive friends at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 at St. John’s the Evangelist, 128 S. Audubon Dr., San Antonio, with a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 11 a.m. with Father Stuart Juleen officiating. Interment to follow in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio.