Please come together tonight to celebrate the life and to mourn the passing of Spc. Robert M. Friese of Harrison, Michigan. The Department of Defense announced Sunday the death of Spc. Robert M. Friese, who was supporting Operation New Dawn. Spc. Friese, 21 died April 29 in Qadisiyah province, Iraq, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with a rocket propelled grenade. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.
"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother." (W. Shakespeare) Rest in peace my brothers, you have not been forgotten.
Spc. Friese graduated from Harrison High School in 2007, where he was a member of the Army ROTC program. He joined the military in May 2009 as an M1 armour crewman and deployed in support of Operation New Dawn in September 2010. Pfc. Friese had been station at Fort Hood in Texas.
The community is lowering flags to half staff, hanging ribbons in his honor, and is making plans to line the streets when his body returns home. The family is still working on the funeral.
Since 2003 there have been 4452 US casualties in Iraq and since 2001 there have been 1567 US casualties in Afghanistan. Source.
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