Sgt. Joel A. Dahl
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Joel A. Dahl, 21, of Los Lunas, N.M., died June 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Joel Dahl's life wasn't an easy one.
Coming from a broken home was one of the main obstacles. Joel took care of his sisters - Crystal, 19, Angel, 13, and Patty 5 - and brother, Nick 14, from an early age.
Eventually Joel and Nick came to live with Patty Harris-Thompson and Jerry Thompson of Los Lunas.
"Joel was the patriarch of those kids," says Patty Harris. "... He missed a lot of school to take care of them. They really looked up to him."
Natalie Brown, owner of Little Blessings Day Care, where Joel worked before joining the Army, says Joel was "great with the kids." (source here)
But the hardship of his early years made him a strong, loving young man, one who made people laugh, made people happy.
He wanted to serve his country.
Major Mike Lloyd, senior instructor for the JROTC program at Los Lunas High School, said Joel was in his class for three years and they'd kept in contact since Joel's graduation.
"On the outside, Joel was a very fun-loving individual," Lloyd says. "He always had a light-hearted remark for everyone and saw the humor in everything. But on the inside, he was a deep thinker."
Lloyd said Joel thrived on the hands-on, action part of the ROTC program at LLHS and loved going out and doing things outside the classroom.
"Hands down, this is what the guy lived for," he says. "It was his calling to do this."
He was looking forward to becoming a father more than anything.
Joel Dahl was ready to become a father, says his wife Alia.
"I've been so anxious for this date, and so has he," she says, sifting through marriage photos as she talks, eyes cast down. "He'd been calling me every night, saying, 'How's my little sport? How's the baby? Is my son here yet?' He'd call every night asking about the baby."
Joel Dahl, a corporal in the 4th Stryker Brigade of the 2nd infantry Division, was due to return to New Mexico from his first tour of Iraq July 2 to see his newborn son.
But the 21-year old Los Lunas resident and Los Lunas High School graduate was killed Saturday, June 23, when his unit came under small-arms fire while on patrol in south Baghdad — one of seven U. S. soldiers to die that Saturday.
After a deep breath, Alia Dahl, 19, says the last time she talked to Joel was Friday night - the night before he died.
"He asked me to get him an X-Box so he could stay up all night playing it," she says chuckling. "I said 'Well if I buy that, then you won't have any time for me.' He said, 'No ... I'll stay up all night playing X-Box, then I'll hang out with you and the baby all day.'"
They joked about him taking the 2 a.m. feeding and changing late night diapers for Kaiden, his unborn son.
Alia says she's worried about explaining Joel's death to Kaiden, but knows what she'll say.
"I was terrified of thinking about Kaiden coming home from kindergarten and saying 'All the other kids have dads and I don't,'" she says. "And I want to tell him 'Your dad's in heaven and he's in a better place.
"But he died serving his country and he loved you."
This world is a better place because Sgt. Joel A. Dahl was a part of it. He loved and he was loved.
Cpl. Derek C. Dixon
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Derek C. Dixon, 20, of Riverside, Ohio, died June 26 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Derek Dixon was a very popular young man. From the guestbook at
Legacy.com:
I have started this entry over and over trying to put the words just right. It is hard to say goodbye to a fallen comrade, expecially one like Dixon.
I met Dixon when he first joined 2d AABN. I worked down the hall in another office but often bumped into him on a daily basis. Dixon was an awesome Marine. Soon after he joined our Unit I was moved to another section. I then only saw Dixon every once in a while.
I still remember him coming by to fix our computers. It bothers me that someone as kindhearted, motivated, and so full of promise could be taken.
Dixon, it was a pleasure to have met you. Thank you for everything. Untill we bump into eachother agian.
To the family of Cpl Dixon: I deeply regret your loss.
Jonathan Gies (Jacksonville, NC)
From the Dayton Daily News:
"It's a terrible loss," said Will Couts, who taught Dixon at the Military Careers Academy, which is part of the Mound Street Academies charter school in Dayton.
Dixon graduated from there in 2005 and made a point of dropping by the school in March while he was home on leave.
"He was getting ready to go" to Iraq, Superintendent Anne Beane recalled. Often when former students stop by, they chat with her for five or 10 minutes.
"I talked to him for an hour. He was such a nice young man," she said, describing him as very polite and goal-oriented.
"He loved being in the military," Beane said.
Dixon transferred from Stebbins High School to the Mound Street Academies in February 2004.
Couts — who would often talk to Dixon for hours after school about everything from computers to MP3 players — called him a young man who "could have gone either way" when he was a teen but "found himself and got on the right track."
In November 2004, Dixon and another student put together a presentation on Veterans Day for the school.
Dixon spoke about the history of the Marine Corps.
"He really believed in it and wanted to serve his country," Couts said. "He found his niche there."
Dixon's grandmother, Glenda Brightman of Riverside, said he will be buried with full military honors.
"He was so proud of what he did," she said.
Derek C. Dixon will be missed. His sacrifice does not go unnoticed.
Sgt. 1st Class Nathan L. Winder
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Nathan L. Winder, 32, of Blanding, Utah, died June 26 in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Nathan L. Winder had a rough start in life.
Born in Seoul, Korea, Winder was adopted at the age of 2 and raised in Blanding, where his parents still reside. In all, the Winders have adopted eight children, some of them with special needs.
"The fact that he was abandoned at such an early age affected him all his life," Terri Winder said. "He was very tender, even though he had created a hard shell on the outside. And he laughed a lot."
Terri Winder remembers her son as a soft-hearted man with a tough shell who was loyal to friends and family and loved children.
"He cared about other people," the Blanding mother said of her son, Nathan, who died Tuesday serving in the U.S. military in Iraq. "He loved the children in Iraq and carried teddy bears and things to give them. He was trying to help two Iraqi children come to the states for medical attention."
Sgt. 1st Class Nathan L. Winder, 32, a Special Forces medic assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group in Ft. Lewis, Wash., died from wounds sustained during combat outside of Diwaniyah, Iraq, according to the U.S. Army Special Forces Command in Fort Bragg, N.C.
(source here)
Two of his brothers have also served in Iraq.
He is the third son of Terri and Tom Winder to serve in Iraq, Terri Winder said.
"When the other two were in Iraq, Nathan had a hard time with that," she said. "He didn't like it that his brothers were serving in the war and he was here at home. He wanted to be over there serving his country. Then his turn came."
Terri Winder said the family received news of her son's death from his wife, Mechelle, and were visited by military officials Wednesday morning.
She says Nathan and his other two brothers who served in Iraq were "proud of the work they did," and the Winder family stood firmly behind them and the Iraq military effort.
"All of my sons feel good about what they did in Iraq," she said. "None of them feel the press represents the good things that happen there. [Nathan] felt like they were making a difference. He said, 'They don't know what we're offering them. They've never tasted freedom before.' "
Nathan Winder is survived by his wife, his 11-year-old son by a previous marriage, Logan, of Herkimer, N.Y., his parents and siblings.
The Winder family will never be the same.
Pfc. Andre Craig Jr.
Pfc. Andre Craig Jr., 24, of New Haven, Conn., died June 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
Pfc. Andre Craig was a hero to his company. From the guestbook at Legacy.com
Dear Craig family. I was Andre's Platoon Sergeant Prior to our deployment to Iraq. I am feeling Dre's loss. I miss him terribly. He was a great man who did his duty without complaining. He set an example for all of us in this company. The last thing Dre said to me was TOP FLIGHT SARGE I GOT THIS. Please know that the thoughts and prayers of all of us are with you and Dre. HE IS OUR HERO AND WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!!!
Jason Smith (baghdad Iraq)
From the same guestbook:
You see, Andre and my son, Pfc. Christopher Johnson were in the same unit together, B/2/16. They were in different platoons, but Chris knew Andre and was his friend. I talked with Chris briefly and he is very saddened by the loss of Andre. They manned the same fighting positions, patrolled the same roads, performed the same duties, and worked together as members of a team. They shared their sweat, blood and tears for each other, as well as for the other members of their company. Andre gave his life protecting my son, and for that I am deeply grateful. Andre’s selfless service, dedication and sacrifice will forever be remembered.
To Andre: Rest in peace my friend. Know that your sacrifice did make a difference. You helped protect my son Know that I am forever in your debt. You are three times a HERO.
Stephen Johnson (Blaine, MN)
His family spoke with him shortly before he was killed. They blame exhaustion for his death. (Source)
Craig, whose nickname was Dre, called his family by cellphone Saturday to tell them he was on 24-hour security duty, said Erik Brown, his godfather and family spokesman. After that, Craig went out on a mission and was killed, he said.
"He was very tired; he was exhausted," Brown said yesterday. "Due to that exhaustion, we believe that's why we lost Andre. The soldiers are not getting rest. They're tired."
An Army spokeswoman at Fort Riley did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the family's assertions.
Brown and family members wore T-shirts with Craig's picture and the words, "Dre 2007 in God we trust."
Craig, 24, briefly returned to New Haven recently to celebrate his birthday and to meet his infant daughter, Taylor, who was born while he was in Iraq.
Another shattered family.
Craig lived with his 22-year-old brother, Jonathan.
Craig and his five siblings were close to their mother, a nurse's aide at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, said family friend Khabira Hill.
Craig's family plans to hold a funeral in New Haven and have him buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Jonathan Craig's eyes welled with tears as he recalled his brother's last visit with his daughter.
"The last words he said . . . to me in the living room were, 'Take care of my daughter as if you were a father to her until I come back,' " Jonathan Craig said
Another infant will never know her father.
Capt. Darrell C. Lewis
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Capt. Darrell C. Lewis, 31, of Washington, D.C., died June 23 in Vashir City, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by insurgents using rocket propelled grenades, mortars and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
Lewis was a mobilized Army Reserve air defense artillery officer serving on a transition team assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. His home of record is Washington D.C.
He entered the Army Reserve in June 2002 and deployed with the 1st Inf. Div. transition team in January 2007. This was his first deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
To date, 114 Fort Riley Soldiers have been killed while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Transition team training is a 60-day training cycle to prepare small teams of American Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors to advise, teach, mentor and coach their Iraqi or Afghan counterparts. (source
here)
Lewis enjoyed the military. (Source)
Darrell C. Lewis had long astounded his family. He navigated one of Southeast Washington's toughest neighborhoods before earning a scholarship to a private high school and another for college.
After graduating from Wittenberg University, he joined the Army as an officer, rising to captain. From the start, his mother knew he had made the right choice.
"You can't express it in words; it was in his face," Hannah Lewis said last night. "Being in the military was the happiest I've ever seen my child."
Lewis was a newlywed and father to an infant son as well as young daughter.
In Afghanistan, Lewis called home Sundays, often connecting his D.C. relatives with his new wife, Elizabeth, and infant son, Rashawn, who live in San Antonio. Lewis also had a 7-year-old daughter, Taylor.
Last night, Hannah Lewis recalled her son's wedding reception in San Antonio in December. Shortly before midnight, she embraced her son for what would be the last time.
"I knew he was going away, and I just remembered the hug," she said. "He loved being in the military. He was doing a lot with his life."
Lewis' death leaves a huge gap in so many lives.
Each of these young men leaves behind a history, dreams fulfilled and dreams they didn't live long enough to fulfill. They've left behind parents, wives, children, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, and companies whose lives will be forever enriched because they knew them, blessed because they loved them, and sadden because they were taken too soon.
For More Information:
The DoD news releases are here.
You can read more about each service member at Honor the Fallen and Spread the Word: Iraq-Nam. Please visit the Iraq Veterans Memorial for a moving look at how a few of their survivors remember them.
If you want to do something more, please visit anysoldier.com, Operation Helmet, and/or Fisher House.
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