Tonight we are remembering the lives of five special people who were in Afghanistan working as mentors.
- Sergeant 1st Class Charles L. Adkins who was from Ohio
- Specialist Joseph Brian Cemper who was from Missouri
- Sergeant Linda Lamou Pierre who was from Florida
- Captain Charles E. Ridgley Jr. who was from Maryland
- Staff Sergeant Cynthia Renea Taylor who was from Georgia
The five US soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing, which happened during a routine meeting at a base in the Gamberi desert. The attacker, who wore an Afghan army uniform, threw several grenades. Also killed in the attack were four Afghan soldiers. Nine US and seven Afghan soldiers were wounded, along with seven interpreters.
May all who were hurt by this awful incident find comfort and strength.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense is investigating whether the suicide attacker was an insurgent disguised in a fake uniform, or a rogue member of the Afghan forces who turned on his colleagues and mentors.
The deaths and injuries occurred on April 16th at Forward Operating Base Gamberi in eastern Afghanistan. Forward Operating Base Gamberi is on the border of Laghman and Nangarhar Provinces and is near the border with Pakistan.
Sergeant 1st Class Charles L. Adkins
Charles Lewis Adkins grew up just outside Sandusky, Ohio and graduated from Margaretta High School in 1993.
Adkins joined the Army in November of 1995. He arrived at Fort Campbell in June of 2002 and was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade. He completed two year-long tours in Iraq and another year in Korea before he was sent to Afghanistan this past November.
Sergeant 1st Class Adkins was working as a maintenance supervisor with the 101st Airborne Division at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, which is located in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. He was one of the soldiers who died April 16th, when a man wearing an Afghan National Army uniform set off several grenades. Sergeant Adkins was 35 years old when he died.
Others with the 101st Airborne Division, who were killed were Staff Sergeant Cynthia Renea Taylor of Columbus, Georgia; Sergeant Linda L. Pierre of Immokalee, Florida; and Specialist Joseph B. Cemper of Warrensburg, Missouri. Captain Charles E. Ridgley Jr. of Baltimore was also killed in the attack. He was with the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
At the Norwalk Reflector site, it related how several people remembered "Chuck's" smile:
Indeed, a posting on Wade Adkins' Facebook page asking "everyone who knew my cousin Chuck Adkins to leave a comment about their fondest or funniest memory of him" was followed by numerous comments about Sergeant Adkins' smile.
"Like everybody else, I remember 'the smile,'" wrote one friend. "He ALWAYS had that smile on his face and that sparkle in his eyes. What I really loved about Chuck was how much respect he had for his parents and his friends, for everybody."
Mrs. Good said her son gave his all to the Army. He loved the Cleveland Browns, loved to play basketball, and enjoyed watching his own children play sports. He liked to fish and enjoyed golf so much he insisted on naming his youngest son, Gavin Mickelson, for pro golfer Phil Mickelson, she said.
The awards and decorations earned by Sergeant 1st Class Charles L. Adkins include: Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal; Combat Action Badge; Pathfinder Badge; Air Assault Badge and Driver and Mechanic Badge.
Adkins is survived by his wife, Sarah; and five children, all living in Clarksville, Tennessee. He is also survived by his parents, Charles E. Adkins of Milan, Ohio and Shelia Good of Hudson, Michigan.
Fort Campbell holds a monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony to honor fallen Screaming Eagles. The next ceremony will be held May 11th on the post. A memorial service will be held for the Soldiers in Afghanistan also.
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Specialist Joseph Brian Cemper
Joseph Brian Cemper grew up in Nebraska, attending school in Papillion, before moving to Missouri, He graduated from Warrensburg High School, Warrensburg, Missouri in 2008. Cemper joined the Army in September 2009 and arrived at Fort Campbell in February 2010.
Cemper was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade.
According to an article in the Omaha World Herald:
Cemper graduated from Warrensburg High School in 2008 and qualified for the state wrestling tournament as a senior, Schreimann said. He also was a two-year starter in football.
“He was the type of kid that always had a smile on his face — everybody’s friend,” he said.
Cemper and his high school sweetheart, Abbie Lynne Wernimont, are the parents of a son, Liam Jerome Cemper, born March 15. Wernimont and Cemper’s parents now live in North Richland Hills, Texas.
Specialist Joseph Brian Cemper was working as a transportation management coordinator at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. He had only been there a few weeks after being in the US to see his new-born son.
Cemper was one of the four 101st Airborne Division soldiers killed Saturday in Afghanistan. They died April 16th, of wounds suffered when an Afghan National Army soldier attacked them with multiple grenades. Specialist Cemper was 21 years old.
The other victims of the attack were Capt. Charles E. Ridgley Jr. of Baltimore, Md., Sgt. 1st Class Charles L. Adkins of Sandusky, Ohio, Staff Sgt. Cynthia R. Taylor of Columbus, Ga. and Sgt. Linda L. Pierre of Immokalee, Fla.
Cemper’s awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart 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; North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal and Combat Action Badge.
Cemper is survived by his son, Liam Cemper of North Richland Hills, Texas. and his parents, Eugene B. Cemper and Angela D. Cemper of North Richland Hills, Texas. He is also survived by his high school sweetheart. They were to be married in June.
The family plans to bring his body to the Omaha area for burial. Members of Nebraska's Patriot Guard Riders will escort Cemper's family and his remains for funeral services.
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Sergeant Linda Lamou Pierre
Linda Lamou Pierre was from Immokalee, Florida. Pierre, a 2001 Immokalee High School graduate, served in the Army since 2004. She joined at age 21, after attending Edison State College in Lee County for two years.
Pierre joined the Army in November 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in September 2009. She was a human resources specialist, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade.
Sergeant Linda Pierre was one of the four 101st Airborne Division soldiers killed in Afghanistan. They died April 16th at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an Afghan National Army soldier attacked them with multiple grenades. She was 28 years old.
According to the Marcon News site, those who knew Pierre described her as both kind and generous and a reliable and positive person. Selected quotes from the article show her loved ones reactions:
“She was my backbone. She was everything to me and my family,” Pierre’s sister, Cindy Watson, said.
“She brought the best in everyone,” said Marjorie Claude, a friend of 15 years, said.
Claude, of Lehigh Acres, said she is still having a hard time dealing with the news of her friend’s death.
“It is gut-wrenching,” she said.
Also killed with the 101st Airborne Division were Sergeant 1st Class Charles L. Adkins of Sandusky, Ohio; Staff Sergeant Cynthia Renea Taylor of Columbus, Georgia; and Specialist Joseph B. Cemper of Warrensburg, Missouri. Capt. Charles E. Ridgley Jr. of Baltimore was another killed in the attack. He was assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska.
Awards and decorations earned by Sergeant Linda Lamou Pierre include: Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart Medal; Army Commendation Medal; 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; North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal and Combat Action Badge.
Sergeant Pierre is survived by her father, Jean Lamour and mother, Elvina Pierre, both of Immokalee, Florida.
Plans are that Pierre will be buried with military honors at Lee Memorial Park Funeral Home & Cemetery in Fort Myers.
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Captain Charles E. Ridgley Jr.
Charles E. Ridgley Jr. lived for a time in Georgia. Later, he enrolled at what was then Walbrook Senior High School in Maryland and was in ROTC. Ridgley graduated in 1990 and joined the Army in November of that year.
He served several years, left the military for a while and then re-enlisted. He was commissioned a quartermaster officer in January 2007 and was assigned to Fort Richardson. While there, he earned his bachelor's degree in from the University of Alaska at Anchorage.
Captain Charles E. Ridgley Jr. was assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB), 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. He was working on his master's degree when he was deployed to Afghanistan about a year ago.
In two weeks, "Eddie" would have been home from Afghanistan, preparing to see his daughter graduate from high school. Instead, his family is preparing a final goodbye to the fallen Army captain, who was killed during his first overseas assignment. He was 40 years old. An article in the Baltimore Sun tells of his life:
"We were all looking forward to him being back and being done," said his cousin, Troy M. Ridgley, who lives in Forest Hill near Bel Air in Harford County. "We really didn't get to spend as much time as we all wanted with him."
Known as "Eddie" to his family, Captain Ridgley, 40, overcame a rough childhood, bouncing back and forth between relatives' homes in Baltimore, Aberdeen and Atlanta.
Inspired by his uncles' military service, he joined the Army after high school. At the time of his death, he was assigned to the 17th Combat Support Battalion, based in Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Capt. Charles E. Ridgley, a 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade soldier, died when a suicide bomber dressed as an Afghanistan National Army soldier set off explosives at a military base in the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan, according to military officials.
Also killed in the attack were members of the 101st Airborne Division - Sergeant 1st Class Charles L. Adkins of Sandusky, Ohio; Sergeant Linda L. Pierre of Immokalee, Florida; Staff Sergeant Cynthia Renea Taylor of Columbus, Georgia; and Specialist Joseph B. Cemper of Warrensburg, Missouri.
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Staff Sergeant Cynthia Renea Taylor
Cynthia Renea Taylor was from Columbus, Georgia. She joined the Army in November 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2004.
Taylor was with the 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She served as a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company with the 101st Airborne Division.
Staff Sergeant Cynthia Renea Taylor was one of four 101st Airborne Division soldiers killed in Afghanistan. They died April 16th at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, when an Afghan National Army soldier attacked them with multiple grenades.
Others killed with the 101st Airborne Division were Sergeant 1st Class Charles L. Adkins of Sandusky, Ohio; Sergeant Linda L. Pierre of Immokalee, Florida; and Specialist Joseph B. Cemper of Warrensburg, Missouri. Capt. Charles E. Ridgley Jr.of Baltimore, Maryland also was killed. He was assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, which is based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
Major General John F. Campbell was quoted in a speech, about Staff Sergeant Taylor, and her fellow soldiers, as saying:
“We will remember them as not only soldiers but as parents and spouses and siblings and coaches and mentors and friends, and most all here, as Screaming Eagles,”
Awards and decorations given to Staff Sergeant Taylor include: Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal; Combat Action Badge and Driver and Mechanic Badge.
Taylor is survived by a daughter, Maggie J. Taylor of Clarksville, Tenn.; a son, Joseph L. Goodwin of Oak Grove, Ky.; and her mother, Judy A. Hart of Clarksville, Tennessee.
A memorial service for Staff Sergeant Taylor and all the other "Screaming Eagle" soldiers killed in the attack was held in Afghanistan, and a remembrance ceremony will be held at Fort Campbell in May.
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