Staff Sgt. Eric D. Cottrell, 39, of Pittsview, Alabama
Staff Sgt. Cottrell died Aug. 13 in Qayyarah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Staff Sgt. Eric D. Cottrell of Pittsview, Alabama . . . . was a medic who re-entered the Army in 2004 after a break in service. He was previously stationed at Fort Benning.
He is survived by his wife, Sherri, and four children. The family lives in El Paso.
Family members said Friday that they were not prepared to talk about Cottrell's death.
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The 4th Brigade deployed to Iraq in late October 2006 to provide stability and security operations.
Source ~ Ledger-Enquirer
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On Staff Sgt. Cottrell's legacy.com page, a friend wrote this:
Eric was my brother and he will be missed by many and especially by me. This world seems empty without him in it, but we must be strong and know that he did what he loved to do. many people have offered there thoughts and prayers to our family and sometimes i wish that the prayers would just bring him back to us.... for those of you who have offered your prayers thank you on behalf of Eric and our family, may god bless you all.
Guestbook
Staff Sgt. Cottrell’s military awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Meritorious Unit Commendation. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously.
Pfc. Juan M. Lopez Jr., 23, of San Antonio, Texas
Pfc. Lopez died Aug. 13 in Qayyarah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Cassandra Lopez never imagined her chat with her brother, Juan Lopez, on MySpace last week, would be their last. "We were writing on my space and I told him happy birthday and that I loved him and I missed him," Lopez told NewsChannel 15.
Four days after his 23rd birthday, Juan's family got a call that he had been killed in Iraq.
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Juan's family says he went to high school at South Florence High and was a part of the R.O.T.C. It was always his dream to join the army.
They will miss their beloved Juan, but believe someday they'll meet again.
"He just got called a little bit earlier than we did, and we will see him again," said Cassandra.
The family tells us that Juan had a free spirit and loved to make people laugh.
Source ~ WPDE News Channel 15
Funeral services for (Pfc.) Lopez are scheduled for noon Monday at Greater Gethsemane Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Florence.
Burial will follow with full military honors at Florence National Cemetery, directed by Ideal Funeral Parlor of Florence.
(snip)
Lopez’s mother, Tina Criss, said in an interview with the (Florence, S.C.) Morning News on Wednesday she received the news of his death about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday during a business trip in Greenville, S.C.
She said she heard from her son just two days before his death.
"He told my daughter he would see us in December; he said he would be home for Christmas," she said.
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"He gave his life for his country," said Lopez’s maternal grandmother, Bertha Gamble. "We’re very proud of him."
Lopez attended South Florence High School and graduated from Poynor Adult/Community Education Center in 2005.
Source ~ Morning News
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Pfc. Lopez was a field artillery automated tactical data system specialist. He joined the Army in February 2006. Pfc. Lopez was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star posthumously.
Pfc. Paulomarko U. Pacificador, 24, of Shirley, New York
Pfc. Pacificador died Aug. 13 in Qayyarah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Paulomarko U. Pacificador joined the military to carry on the legacy of his father and grandfather, both former soldiers in the Philippines.
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"It was something he had to do traditionwise, because my dad and my dad's dad and my dad's grandfather were all in the military," said his youngest brother, Rey Patrick Pacificador, 21. "Since I knew I wasn't going and my other brother wasn't going, he decided to keep up the tradition."
Paulo Marko Pacificador was born in 1982 in Buguey, Cagayan, in the Philippines.
(snip)
Pacificador attended Hillcrest High School in Queens and graduated from William Floyd High School, where he spent one year, his family said.
An automotive enthusiast, Pacificador spent umpteen hours working in the garage on his 2003 Toyota Celica, his brother said.
"He did it 24-7," he said. "He modded it out."
(snip)
Pacificador left for basic training in Oklahoma in January 2006, said his mother, Elsie Pacificador, 50. He was sent to Iraq less than a year later, on Oct. 30.
"There were balloons all over the place at home, and he says, 'I'm going,' and I said 'I'll miss you,'" she said. "It was my 50th birthday, and my son was being deployed in Iraq."
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"My son is full of life. He has lots of ambition," said his father, Jose Pacificador, a former soldier in the Philippines Air Force. "He has a dream to be somebody to someone."
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Pacificador returned from Iraq for two weeks in February.
"He was enjoying himself, eating, drinking with his friends," his mother said, adding that he helped out around the house, fixing a faucet and shower nozzle.
Her son was starting to grow up, she said. Now, she said, she feels only pain.
"Oh my Lord, I cannot describe it," she said. "It hurts so much."
Source ~ Newsday
On Pfc. Pacificador's legacy.com page, a fellow soldier wrote this:
WE ARE REALLY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. MY HUSBAND USED TO BE IN PACIFICADOR'S BATTERY BEFORE WE DEPLOYED AND HE ALWAYS HAD GREAT THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HIM AND THE FELLOW ISLANDERS, ALWAYS LAUGHING AND JOKING, SHARING THEIR ISLAND MUSIC AND ALWAYS JOYFUL SPIRIT WITH EVERYONE. HIS PASSING HAS CAUSED A HUGE VOID IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE THAT KNEW HIM. HE IS A HERO EVEN TO THOSE OF US WHO ARE ALSO SERVING OUT HERE AND HE'LL BE TRULY MISSED.
Guestbook
Pfc. Pacificador was a field artillery automated tactical data system specialist. Pacificador joined the Army in January 2006. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Spc. Alun R. Howells, 20, of Parlin, Colorado
Spc. Howells died Aug. 13 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy direct fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Spc. Alun R. Howells spent most of his teenage years as a goth in dark and gloomy clothes. He later grew into a strapping young man in Army fatigues.
Howells, 20, attended Gunnison Valley School, an alternative campus for about 35 students, as an angry teen clad black and painted with dark makeup, said Neil Coen, the school's program coordinator. But he found his niche.
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One day he shows up in khaki pants, a white shirt and tennis shoes, and I said, 'What's going on?' " Coen remembered. "He just said, 'Yup, I'm over it.' "
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"When he went off to the military, he would commit himself to this kind of excellence as a man," Coen said. "This was fully his choice to get out there and be tested and see what his skills were. It was a time of exploration and making these kinds of commitments which were good no matter what happened. It was a no-lose deal."
After Howells graduated from high school, his parents, Gwyn and Jaena Howells, left their Gunnison home and moved to Wisconsin.
(snip)
Alun Howells stayed behind in Gunnison, though he eventually would join his parents. Howells had dual citizenship from the U.S. and Great Britain. On his Web page at MySpace.com, Howells wrote about wanting to travel and eventually return to the United Kingdom. He also wrote about pursuing a career in physical therapy.
Source ~ Rocky Mountain News
"He showed up as kind of a boy and grew up into a young man," said Jonathan Houck, who taught Howells for several years at the school.
The Gunnison Valley School emphasizes experiential education, Houck said, and Howells embraced that, going on camping, climbing and skiing trips with classmates. Houck said Howells had diverse interests. He participated in 4-H when he was younger, Houck said, and loved to fish, camp and hike.
(snip)
On his MySpace.com page, Howells wrote of wanting to finish his military service and then enroll in college to get a degree in sports medicine. He said he wanted to travel, perhaps live in Great Britain for a while, maybe buy a home in Wisconsin and buy a BMW.
But his most detailed goal was perhaps the simplest.
"I would like to meet all my family and friends again in a nice pub that's NOT IN IRAQ and sit down and have a beer and some Fish 'n' Chips with them and be grateful for their presence and humor and all the other things I took for granted before I left," he wrote. "I miss you all! I hope you all know you're loved, and I can't wait to see you all again."
Source ~ The Denver Post
Guestbook
Photo (thank you, roses, for the link)
Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli, 29, of Franklin, Massachuetts
Staff Sgt. Pirelli died Aug. 15 in Iraq of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Carson, Colo.
Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli was remembered as a "good guy" and a team player in his home town and beyond as news of the former high school hockey player's death in Iraq sunk in.
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The 29-year-old Franklin High School graduate, an Army Special Forces engineer, and his fellow soldiers were fighting insurgents on the ground in the northwestern Iraqi province of Diyala when he was shot and killed by enemy fire, the Army said.
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He is survived by his parents, Nancy and Robert, and two siblings, Stacey and Shawn. They were said to be in shock as a steady stream of visitors came to offer their condolences in Franklin.
Pirelli was on his first deployment to Iraq, where he arrived last March. He was due home in October. He joined the Army in December 2003, and after graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course in June 2006, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion at Colorado's Fort Carson.
(snip)
In Franklin, Pirelli was remembered as a good-natured young man, and a skilled hockey player. He played for the Franklin High Panthers for three seasons, graduating in 1996.
Pirelli went on to Northeastern University, where he studied criminal justice; friends said he wanted to become an F.B.I. agent. He continued his hockey career there, playing for the Northeastern Huskies.
Even out at Fort Carson, Pirelli found time to skate, and friends there were shocked to learn of his death. "He was a good guy, a good team player," said Brian Yingling, speaking by telephone from Colorado Springs, where he and Pirelli both played on a pro inline skating team.
Source ~ Sun Chronicle
News of Staff Sergeant Robert Pirelli's death in Iraq spread quickly through town yesterday, touching Franklin officials who never knew the 29-yearold Green Beret.
"It's a terrible tragedy," said Jeffrey D. Nutting, Franklin's town administrator, as he and other town employees answered calls from residents about Pirelli's death, including one from a local church member asking whether it was proper to lower the church's US flag to half-staff in the soldier's honor. Nutting said it was.
Source ~ Boston Globe
(James) Ginley (of the Ginley Funeral Home in Franklin) said the family is overwhelmed. "It’s such a shock," he said.
(snip)
Pirelli is the son of Nancy and Robert Pirelli, a play-by-play announcer of Franklin High School hockey games for local cable television.
The younger Pirelli was also involved with the team, playing right wing for three seasons before graduating in 1996. His teammates voted him the Most Improved Player his junior year and the Panthers’ Unsung Hero his senior year, according to then-assistant coach Bruce Bertoni.
"He was such a great kid," said Bertoni, adding that he was in tears when he got the news.
Pirelli, who went on to graduate with a criminal justice degree from Northeastern University, was one of two senior hockey players to be awarded a $500 scholarship by the Franklin High School Hockey Booster Club. The other was Matthew Wheeler.
"He was a great teammate," Wheeler said, describing Pirelli as hard-working and unselfish. "He never gave up."
Source ~ Sun-Chronicle
Staff Sgt. Pirelli had been on active duty for more than three years. During that time, he was awarded two Army Good Conduct Medals, a National Defense Service Medal, an Iraqi Campaign Medal, and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
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Grim News The humanitarian disaster in Iraq is being compounded by a mass exodus of their medical staff fleeing chronic violence and lawlessness. A report by Oxfam International shows the lack of doctors and nurses is fracturing a health system on the brink of collapse. Source ~ Belfast Telegraph
To date, 3706 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Iraq. Of these, 85 have been women. The death toll for August is already 48. More than 27,186 men and women have been wounded, and 118 have taken their own lives. All of the fatalities can be seen here. The Department of Defense Press Releases, from which the information at the start of each entry in this diary was drawn, can be seen here. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown, but is at least in the tens of thousands.
Other sites have stories, video, pictures and remembrances, including: Honor the Fallen and Spread the Word: Iraq-Nam, which is maintained by Kossack spread the word IRAQ NAM.
They all had friends and loved ones. Please visit the Iraq Veterans Memorial for a moving look at how a few of their survivors remember them. It will break your heart. If you want to do something more, please visit anysoldier.com, Operation Helmet or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, please see Fisher House’s Hero Miles program. Finally, if you would like to assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Animal companions can provide such solace and comfort.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Clickhere to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes, MsWings, greenies, American Daughter, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, Wee Mama, twilight falling, sheddhead, labwitchy, moneysmith and me, noweasels. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them. If you would like to volunteer, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes or me, noweasels.
We ask, when you read these diaries, that you remember that the families and friends of the courageous soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and National Guard profiled in them read them, too. These diaries are for remembrance, whatever our political feelings about the war and occupation.
