Two Army Sergeants who were due to come home on leave are now coming home on a flight to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. It is a sad time for those who loved them.
These soldiers were:
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Sergeant Timothy A. David was from Michigan
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Sergeant Terry J. Lynch was from Montana
Sergeant Timothy A. David
Timothy David was from Gladwin county, which is in central Michigan north of Lansing. Nine days after he graduated from Beaverton High School in 1999, he joined the Army and became a ranger.
He later became a sniper and in 2006, was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division which is based at Fort Hood, Texas.
According to the 9 & 10 News site, David's father said his son had served 6 tours of duty in two war zones. He had 4 tours of duty in Iraq and 2 in Afghanistan. He was hoping to be home for the 4th of July, but his homecoming was pulled back to August. Sergeant David was hoping to come home in October to celebrate his 29th birthday.
According to the Midland Daily News site:
He said his son was scheduled to leave Iraq in February, but the Army extended his tour. He had been in the Army for 10 years.
"This was his last year. He was getting out of the military," he said. "Enough was enough."
David said his son was planning to return to college, and also had a rather unusual business idea.
Believe it or not, he was going to buy a couple of buses, transport people from Fort Hood to Austin, Texas," he said. "He was going to get a liquor license and make a bar bus."
The Sergeant deployed to Iraq in December of 2008. He was badly injured in Sadr City, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up near his vehicle. Sergeant Timothy A. David died on June 28th in Baghdad. He was 28 years old.
David is the 170th serviceman with known Michigan ties to have died in the war in Iraq. News of his death came on the day that US troops were withdrawing from Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.
Michael David was planning a final farewell for his son, Timothy, while his wife and younger son went to Dover, Delaware to meet the flight which brought home the remains of Sergeant David. A funeral is expected to take place next week. The Patriot Guard Riders will be there for escort and to present a flagline.
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Sergeant Terry J. Lynch
Terry Lynch was from Shepherd, Montana. He joined the US Army in 2005. According to the Missoulian News site:
Lynch was quoted in a July 2005 Billings Gazette story when he and other Army recruits were sworn in by Army Gen. Peter Schoomaker.
Then 18, Lynch said it made him feel proud to take part in the Fourth of July ceremony in Cody, Wyo. He was about to leave for basic training.
"I wanted to give back to my country," he said.
Lynch was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade combat team of the 10th Mountain Division stationed in Fort Drum, New York. He arrived at Fort Drum in November of 2005 was serving as a cavalry scout during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan on June 29th when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his vehicle. The incident occurred in the Wardak Province in Afghanistan, He died from those wounds. He was 22 years old.
Four months ago, Lynch posted on a forum about his plans for the tuture:
I leave the army april 14th 2010. I am now starting my research and preperation in the x-ray tech field.
Sergeant Lynch was preceded in death by his mother, Robyn, and brother, David. According to KILR News, the Montana solider was set to come home this month on leave:
The pain suffered by his father Charles cannot be imagined when you consider his oldest son, seen here on the left, was killed at the age of 16 in a car accident. Just a few years later his wife lost her life to a cancerous tumor at the age of 59.
Lynch's father, who is retired airline employee, says he learned of Terry's death Monday from an army chaplain who he saw walking up the front steps to his home.
Sergeant Lynch's awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, and Combat Action Badge.
The Sergeant is survived by his father and sister, Kristin. Plans are being made for a funeral Mass at St. Bernard's Parish in Montana to honor Sergeant Terry J. Lynch.
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