1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, out of Fort Bragg, NC
He was a gunner and was killed when his patrol encountered enemy forces small arms fire during combat operations south of Baghdad. He attended Wooten High School, Rockville, MD, where he was remembered as a quiet and reserved kid. As he grew older, he opened up more and was the one who had everyone laughing. The neighbors remember him as a kind-hearted kid who cared about people. He was also very talented as an artistic and prolific writer. He enlisted in the US Army in October 2004 and while in boot camp, he designed a T-shirt for his unit that the participants could get when they graduated. He reported to the 82nd Airborne Division in February 2005 and later that year he deployed to Afghanistan to support the national elections. He had been a volunteer emergency medical technician with Rockville Fire Department for a year and his training as a paramedic helped him on his year's tour in Afghanistan. He carried a first aid kit and often treated other soldiers. His unit was deployed to Iraq again in mid-2006. When his patrol came under attack, he went down fighting and took out the insurgents who shot him. He was credited with saving the life of a sergeant when two insurgents fired at them as they turned a corner. He had his finger on the trigger and fired after being hit. Now his vintage silver Ford Mustang sits in the driveway of his parents home. He loved that car and spent many hours restoring it and even more time proudly driving it. No one drove it but him.
Interment on August 31, 2006.
1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, out of Fort Bragg, NC
He was a gunner and was killed when his patrol encountered enemy forces small arms fire during combat operations south of Baghdad. He attended Wooten High School, Rockville, MD, where he was remembered as a quiet and reserved kid. As he grew older, he opened up more and was the one who had everyone laughing. The neighbors remember him as a kind-hearted kid who cared about people. He was also very talented as an artistic and prolific writer. He enlisted in the US Army in October 2004 and while in boot camp, he designed a T-shirt for his unit that the participants could get when they graduated. He reported to the 82nd Airborne Division in February 2005 and later that year he deployed to Afghanistan to support the national elections. He had been a volunteer emergency medical technician with Rockville Fire Department for a year and his training as a paramedic helped him on his year's tour in Afghanistan. He carried a first aid kit and often treated other soldiers. His unit was deployed to Iraq again in mid-2006. When his patrol came under attack, he went down fighting and took out the insurgents who shot him. He was credited with saving the life of a sergeant when two insurgents fired at them as they turned a corner. He had his finger on the trigger and fired after being hit. Now his vintage silver Ford Mustang sits in the driveway of his parents home. He loved that car and spent many hours restoring it and even more time proudly driving it. No one drove it but him.
Interment on August 31, 2006.