The Cool Blue Blog

Sgt. Adam P. Kennedy

Army Sgt. Adam P. Kennedy

 

25, of Norfolk, Mass.; assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died April 8 in Diwaniyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered with his unit came in contact with enemy forces using indirect fire.

Sgt. Kennedy was an alumni or Norwich University

From the Associated Press

"We don't forget our heroes," Norwich President Richard Schneider said during Palermo's service. "Anthony was a hero."

Kennedy's father, David Kennedy, of Norfolk, Mass., said his son faced mortal danger every day he was in Iraq.

"To go and do his duty in the face of this danger took a courage I am incapable of," David Kennedy said. "Was he afraid? Hell yes, yet his honor demanded he continue his mission."

Norwich, founded in 1819, is the nation's oldest private military college. The school remembers its graduates and former students who give their lives for their country. Every name is noted somewhere in the college chapel, Schneider said.

In addition to the daytime memorials, Norwich's Corps of Cadets was due to assemble Thursday night for school-wide remembrance ritual called "Echo Taps."

...Some of the upperclassmen at Norwich remember Kennedy from when they first arrived. He helped prepare many of the young students for life as a member of Norwich's Corps of Cadets, many of whom attended Kennedy's funeral service in Massachusetts.

"Adam lives on in the hearts of those who loved him," Schneider said.

David Kennedy said his son lived with a code of honor.

"Adam had a personal code of honor that I still do not understand. He would disclose information about himself when it was clearly not in his best interest because his sense of honor required him to do so," Kennedy said. "It was this exquistite sense that enabled him to fully live up to the (Norwich) motto 'I will try.'"

From the Burlington Free Press

Norwich University President Richard Schneider said Monday that Kennedy -- in his first tour of duty in Iraq -- was a highly visible student on campus during his years at the Northfield school. A four-year, work-study student in the admissions department and a recent graduate, many upperclassmen at Norwich knew the Massachusetts native.

"Certainly the mood on campus is very sad and solemn and somber, but our students are that much more committed," Schneider said Monday. "They all knew there's a war going on and they're prepared to go if they need to go.

"These students, ever since Sept. 11, have known that they're heading into harm's way," Schneider continued. "They do so voluntarily. They are committed and they want to do what's right for the country. But this makes us more fightin' mad."

Kennedy, who graduated from Norwich with a major in computer science, called his father Thursday and said that he would be on special duty for about a month, David Kennedy said Monday. A member of the Alaska-based 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Kennedy was part of a unit that provided security for an Army colonel and ensured safe passage for convoys, his father said.

"He was obviously subdued, and changed by the danger," said David Kennedy, a resident of Norfolk, Mass. In December, however, the military man committed to another six years in the Army.

We honor his service and his life on Memorial Day and always. 

 

Cpl. Christopher Degiovine

Marine Cpl. Christopher Degiovine

25, of Lone Tree, Colo.; assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died April 26 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

From the Associated Press

"He's going to be tremendously missed by all of us," his father said.

Johnson, who had dinner with Degiovine and his father three weeks ago before his deployment to Iraq, said Degiovine was thrilled to be serving his country.

"He was full of life, enthusiastic. He was excited to be in the Marines," said Johnson.

...[Pam Borden, 34, who has lived next door to the Degiovines for five years] called Degiovine a "wonderful kid."

"We just knew him from across the fence, but he was always friendly, always said hello, not your typical teenager. He loved his Dad, and he was his Dad's whole life."

More from the AP

Cpl. Christopher DeGiovine joined the Marines as a way to serve his country and show his love for his family, a clergyman said Saturday at his funeral.

DeGiovine, 26, ended up giving his life for his country. He was killed by a roadside bomb April 26 in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, three weeks after he arrived in Iraq.

"Chris wanted to serve his country," said the Rev. Brian Cummings, the director of the campus ministry at St. Michael's College in Colchester. He led DeGiovine's funeral Mass in the college chapel. "He wanted to make a difference."

DeGiovine grew up in Essex Junction, graduated from Essex High School and Champlain College, but he had left Vermont. The military listed his home as Lone Tree, Colo.

He joined the Marines in December 2005, at least partly in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Cummings said.

"It was out of love that Chris joined the Corps," Cummings said. "We cannot lose sight of this hopeful vision for our world."

DeGiovine's Marine commander, Lt. Col. Michael Kuhn, said DeGiovine joined a long line of Marines who, for more than 225 years, have committed their lives to their country.

"The Corps gives its thanks to Chris by giving him immortality," said Kuhn. "As long as we are on duty, his service will not be forgotten."

From the Burlington Free Press

During the summers, he worked for the Essex Police Department on the bike patrol and became a familiar face in town.

"A lot of kids from Essex will miss him," Gustafson said. "They'll be just as shocked as I am."

DeGiovine then headed to Denver, according to his father, Ray DeGiovine. He tried unsuccessfully to get a job with the police force there and grew impatient, his father said.

"He's always been interested in the military," Ray DeGiovine said. "He decided to join the Marines. He was a little bit ticked off with what happened on 9/11."

... DeGiovine was patrolling Thursday in the assault amphibian vehicle and was in the lead vehicle of a convoy.

"What I was told was that they used an existing water main that went across the road," Ray DeGiovine said. "They disconnected the water, filled the thing with explosives.... They detonated the thing while (the vehicle) was going across this pipe that was in the road."

The explosion flipped the vehicle, killing the Marine, Ray DeGiovine said.

Christopher DeGiovine will be remembered in his hometown as an "all-around great kid."

"That sounds like a cliche, but it's not," said Joe Gonillo, who teaches English at Essex High and coached DeGiovine on an unbeaten junior varsity soccer team. "He was happy, smiling, active -- I never really saw him down."

"He had a great sense of humor; never, ever lost his temper with anybody," said his father. "He also was a top marksman in boot camp, he shot expert in boot camp.

"He was a pretty good guy."

Gustafson said he has known DeGiovine for 22 years, as a "wonderful young man."

"He got along with everybody. He was one of those eighth-graders who danced with the sixth-graders at the dance. I keep picturing him as a 3-year-old playing on the hill with my son."

Gonillo said DeGiovine worked with him in the summers at Maple Street Recreation Center and remembers him talk about possibly serving in the military one day.

"He was extremely mature for his age," Gonillo said. "He had a plan, knew what he wanted."

Ray DeGiovine said the news of his son's death came as a "terrible shock."

"He loved to play golf," DeGiovine said. "He loved to be with his little dog, Lucy."

We honor his service and his life on Memorial Day and always.

Capt. Anthony Palermo

Army Capt. Anthony Palermo

26, of Brockton, Mass.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany; died April 6 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.

Capt. Palermo was an alumni or Norwich University

From the Associated Press

"We don't forget our heroes," Norwich President Richard Schneider said during Palermo's service. "Anthony was a hero."

Norwich, founded in 1819, is the nation's oldest private military college. The school remembers its graduates and former students who give their lives for their country. Every name is noted somewhere in the college chapel, Schneider said.

In addition to the daytime memorials, Norwich's Corps of Cadets was due to assemble Thursday night for school-wide remembrance ritual called "Echo Taps."

...Palermo, who attended Norwich from 1998-2002 but graduated elsewhere, was on his second tour in Iraq when he was killed April 6 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. Kennedy died April 8 when his unit came under attack in Diwaniyah, Iraq.

Palermo, 26, of Brockton, Mass., was revered by the soldiers he commanded, yet he still had a lighter side, said friend Gene Enriquez, of Chicago, a Norwich senior due to graduate next month who attended school with Palermo, but left Norwich to serve in the Army, including a tour in Iraq.

"Tony was the true embodiment of a warrior," said Enriquez.

Palermo had been due to leave Iraq later in April so he could be with his wife for the birth of their first child. That child, a son named Marcus Anthony, was born April 21, Enriquez said after the first service.

From the Boston Globe

Dozens of soldiers and Marines stood at attention yesterday morning inside St. Patrick's Church in Brockton as a brigadier general wearing white gloves handed a folded American flag to the wife of Anthony Palermo Jr., a 26-year-old Army captain who was killed in Iraq last month.

The general also handed flags to the soldier's mother, father, and the uncle who helped raise Palermo. About 400 people sat in silence and watched the solemn ceremony. Marcus Anthony Palermo, born two weeks after his father's death, slept through it all, snug in a relative's arms....

A gold-colored box on a table at the front of the church contained Palermo's ashes. On both sides of the table stood large photographs of the soldier. In one, he wore his dress uniform and bore no expression. In the other, he wore camouflage fatigues and smiled broadly. About a dozen bouquets of flowers were placed on the floor around the pictures and the table.

"That picture, that says it all because the smile is pure Tony," said Robert Tripp, director of the Army JROTC program at Brockton High School, which Palermo attended. "Tony was in the program since he was a freshman. I really saw him develop into a leader. By the time he was a senior, there was no question where he was going," he said, referring to Palermo's long-held dream of entering the Army....

Palermo was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

Ortiz, who is a sergeant in the Army himself, placed the box containing his nephew's ashes into a larger wooden box, and then placed Palermo's black beret on top of the box. He then handed the box to Palermo's brother-in law Jeff Boots, also in uniform, and the two marched in unison out the front door, where two other soldiers snapped to attention and saluted under drizzly skies.

We honor his service and his life on Memorial Day and always.

Lance Cpl. Kurt E. Dechen

Marine Lance Cpl. Kurt E. Dechen

24, of Springfield, Vt.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, while attached to Regimental Combat Team 5, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Aug. 3 of wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

From the Burlington Free Press

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kurt Dechen fulfilled his last obligation to his country Friday, coming home to a hero's funeral before being laid to rest in the shade of a maple tree, far from the dusty streets of Iraq where he died.

A Marine Corps honor squad fired 21 shots into the summer air and a bugler played taps before the American flag was removed from his coffin, precisely folded and presented to Dechen's parents, Richard and Dale Dechen, by a fellow Marine who expressed the thanks of a grateful nation.

Dechen was killed by small arms fire Aug. 3 -- his 24th birthday -- while on foot patrol in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

Hundreds of mourners packed the First Congregational Church to pay their respects, some listening in tears as Dechen was described as a man who loved people, Corvettes and sports but embraced his obligation as a Marine to the country and the world.

"He had the demeanor of a man dedicated to a duty that he knew would take him into the heart of danger," said the Rev. William Nelson. "But those who knew him knew that beneath the very real dignity and the very real presence of this man was another man filled with fun, with warmth and friendly gestures toward all he met," Nelson said...

The hourlong service also featured the reading -- at Dechen's parents' request -- of a letter written last month by a fellow Marine who served with Dechen in Iraq.

The letter, which was read by Marine Sgt. Zachary Britt, spoke of the duty felt by Marines and other warriors who have undertaken the job of protecting their nation.

"It's a chore that can't be understood by those who don't do it. Some of you may think you do, but believe me, you never will. For any veteran can look in the eyes of another and see it. No words need be spoken," Britt said, reading the letter to a hushed congregation in the white-steepled church.

"Kurt was one of these," Nelson said later. "And we remember him this day."

But he was more than a warrior, Nelson said.

"One could not know Kurt for long without being struck, I believe, by his care for others and his thoroughness, his ability to notice people and to show that," Nelson said. "He noticed those who were great, and he never lost sight of the whole, which included lesser mortals than the great."

We honor his service and his life on Memorial Day and always.

Sgt Carlton Clark

Army Sgt Carlton Clark

22, of South Royalton, Vermont. Clark died in Baghdad, Iraq on Aug. 6, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV while conducting a combat operations. Clark was assigned to the Army's 2nd Brigade Troop Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Died on August 6, 2006.

From the Burlington Free Press

"He didn't like crowds," said the Rev. Rebecca Delzell, who went on to wonder aloud what Clark would have made of Friday's turnout. She described him as a man of few words, sweet-natured, who "gave the best hugs in the world."

"Carl did not shy away from being a friend," she said. "He was always willing to help out."

His take on friendship was embodied in a poem he wrote in high school, read aloud during the service by Bryana Fisk, in a voice full of emotion.

"True friends will never part.

They battle as one,

And come out strong.

Here and there it's always done."

The service was broadcast by loudspeaker and closed-circuit TV to the throng outside. For more than an hour, the church, the tent and the green were an oasis of grief, prayer and reflection...

Gov. Jim Douglas, who delivered an opening eulogy, lauded Clark for defending freedoms that many Americans take for granted, and doing so with his "whole heart" in a conflicted part of the world.

"He did not die in vain," Douglas said.

For Adjutant General Michael Dubie of the Vermont National Guard, Clark exemplified one of Vermont's most honorable traditions: service to others. Army Chaplain James MacIntyre put it this way: "Carl made a conscious decision to serve our country. To uphold liberty is an act of citizenship of the highest order."

After the service, Alan and Kathleen Clark sat in the gazebo and received, on their son's behalf, a series of military honors, among them: the Gold Star Banner, presented by the American Legion; The Green Mountain Boy Flag, by Dubie; the Vermont Veterans Medal and the Vermont Distinguished Service Medal, by Douglas.

An honor guard from the 101st Airborne Division fired three rounds. Taps sounded.

At 2:15, the Clarks rose and stepped down onto the green, into the brilliant sunshine.

We honor his service and his life on Memorial Day and always.

Medal of Honor

Jason Dunham's parents were presented today with their son's Medal of Honor by President Bush in a ceremony at the White House. Here are the President's remarks in full

Welcome to the White House.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor a President can bestow.  The Medal is given for gallantry in the face of an enemy attack that is above and beyond the call of duty.  The Medal is part of a cherished American tradition that began in this house with the signature of President Abraham Lincoln.

Since World War II, more than half of those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor have lost their lives in the action that earned it. Corporal Jason Dunham belongs to this select group.  On a dusty road in western Iraq, Corporal Dunham gave his own life so that the men under his command might live.  This morning it's my privilege to recognize Corporal Dunham's devotion to the Corps and country -- and to present his family with the Medal of Honor.

I welcome the Vice President's presence, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, Senator Ted Stevens, Senator John McCain, Senator Craig Thomas -- I don't know if you say former Marine, or Marine.  Marine.  Congressman Bill Young and his wife, Beverly; Congressman Duncan Hunter; Congressman John Kline, Marine; Congressman Randy Kuhl, Corporal Dunham's family's United States Congressman is with us.  Secretary Don Winter; General Pete Pace; General Jim Conway and Annette; Sergeant Major John Estrada, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.

I appreciate the Medal of Honor recipients who have joined us: Barney Barnum, Bob Foley, Bob Howard, Gary Littrell, Al Rascon, Brian Thacker.  Thanks for joining us.

I appreciate the Dunhams who have joined us, and will soon join me on this platform to receive the honor on behalf of their son:  Dan and Deb Dunham; Justin Dunham and Kyle Dunham, brothers; Katie Dunham, sister; and a lot of other family members who have joined us today.

I appreciate the Chaplain for the Navy -- excuse me, for the Marine Corps. I didn't mean to insult you.

I thank Major Trent Gibson -- he was Jason Dunham's commander -- company commander; First Lieutenant Brian Robinson, who was his platoon commander.  I welcome all the Marines from "Kilo-3-7" -- thanks for coming, and thanks for serving.

Long before he earned our nation's highest Medal Jason Dunham made himself -- made a name for himself among his friends and neighbors.  He was born in a small town in upstate New York.  He was a normal kind of fellow, he loved sports.  He went to Scio Central School, and he starred on the Tiger basketball, soccer, and baseball teams.  And by the way, he still holds the record for the highest batting average in a single season at .414.  He was popular with his teammates, and that could be a problem for his mom.  You see, she never quite knew how many people would be showing up for dinner, whether it be her family, or the entire basketball team.

He grew up with the riches far more important than money:  He had a dad who loved to take his boys on a ride with him when he made his rounds on the dairy farm where he worked.  His mom was a school teacher. She figured out the best way to improve her son's spelling was to combine his love for sports with her ability to educate.  And so she taught him the words from his reading list when they played the basketball game of "horse."  He had two brothers and a sister who adored him.

He had a natural gift for leadership, and a compassion that led him to take others under his wing. The Marine Corps took the best of this young man, and made it better. As a Marine, he was taught that honor, courage and commitment are not just words.  They're core values for a way of life that elevates service above self.  As a Marine, Jason was taught that leaders put the needs of their men before their own.  He was taught that while America's founding truths are self-evident, they also need to be defended by good men and women willing to stand up to determined enemies.

As a leader of a rifle squad in Iraq, Corporal Dunham lived by the values he had been taught.  He was a guy everybody looked up to.  He was a Marine's Marine who led by example.  He was the kind of person who would stop patrols to play street soccer with the Iraqi schoolchildren. He was the guy who signed on for an extra two months in Iraq so he could stay with his squad.  As he explained it, he wanted to "make sure that everyone makes it home alive." Corporal Dunham took that promise seriously and would give his own life to make it good.

In April 2004, during an attack near Iraq's Syrian border, Corporal Dunham was assaulted by an insurgent who jumped out of a vehicle that was about to be searched.  As Corporal Dunham wrestled the man to the ground, the insurgent rolled out a grenade he had been hiding. Corporal Dunham did not hesitate.  He jumped on the grenade, using his helmet and body to absorb the blast.  Although he survived the initial explosion, he did not survive his wounds. But by his selflessness, Corporal Dunham saved the lives of two of his men, and showed the world what it means to be a Marine.

Deb Dunham calls the Marine Corps her son's second family and she means that literally.  Deb describes her son's relationship to his men this way:  "Jay was part guardian angel, part big brother, and all Marine."  She remembers her son calling from the barracks, and then passing the phone to one of his Marines, saying, "I've got a guy here who just needs to talk to a mom."  Now it's the Marines who comfort her. On special days, like Christmas or Mother's Day or her birthday, Deb has learned the day will not pass without one of Jason's fellow Marines calling to check on her.

With this Medal we pay tribute to the courage and leadership of a man who represents the best of young Americans.  With this Medal we ask the God who commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves to wrap his arms around the family of Corporal Jason Dunham, a Marine who is not here today because he lived that commandment to the fullest.

I now invite the Dunhams to join me on the stage.  And, Colonel, please read the citation.

McGinnis' Silver Star

Dec. 12, 2006

Silver Star Hero sacrifices himself saving fellow Soldiers
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis packed only 136 pounds into his 6-foot frame, but few have ever matched his inner strength.   

McGinnis sacrificed himself in an act of supreme bravery on Dec. 4, belying his status as the youngest Soldier in Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd  Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.          
The 19-year-old amateur mechanic from Knox, Pa., who enjoyed poker and loud music, likely saved the lives of four Soldiers riding with him on a mission in Baghdad.         

McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. It flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio.

His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas of Longview, Texas, recalled what happened next.      

“Pfc. McGinnis yelled ‘Grenade…It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.”

McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped.      

“He had time to jump out of the truck,” Thomas said. “He chose not to.”

Thomas remembered McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. McGinnis said then he didn’t know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered.    

“He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant,” Thomas said. “He’s a hero. He’s a professional. He was just an awesome guy.”

Three of the Soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany.

For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star, posthumously.  His unit paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11.
McGinnis was born June 14, 1987, and joined the Army right after graduating high school in 2005. He had been in the Army 18 months and made his mark even before his heroic deed.

“He was a good kid,” said C Company’s senior enlisted Soldier, 1st Sgt. Kenneth J. Hendrix. “He had just gotten approved for a waiver to be promoted to specialist.”
He also appeared on the Nov. 30 cover of Stars & Stripes, manning his turret.
Besides his military accomplishments, McGinnis leaves his friends and family with memories of a fun-loving, loyal man.

Read more here

UPDATE: Spc. Ross A. McGinnis has been nominated by his commanders for the Medal of Honor, said Maj. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

Jason Dunham Update

It was announced today that Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham is officially a Medal of Honor winner.

President Bush announced on Friday that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, will be awarded posthumously to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham.

In April 2004, Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border when the patrol stopped a convoy of cars leaving the scene of an attack on a Marine convoy, according to military and media accounts of the action.

An occupant of one of the cars attacked Dunham and the two fought hand to hand. As they fought, Dunham yelled to fellow Marines, "No, no watch his hand." The attacker then dropped a grenade and Dunham hurled himself on top of it, using his helmet to try to blunt the force of the blast.

Still, Dunham was critically wounded in the explosion and died eight days later at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.

More on Jason Dunham here and here

Honoring the heros

"It's our job to remember our heroes"

According to the Burlington Free Press, the coach and former players of Marine Cpl. Mark A. Evnin, who died in combat in Iraq in 2003, will unveil a plaque honoring his life and death.

former and current football players, friends and family will gather to remember him at the Pride Rock at Jaycee Park.

In addition to his name, rank and date of death, the plaque will read, "He freely gave his life for something larger than himself," a quote from his mother, Mindy.

 

 

Remembering our heros used to be commonplace in America.

2nd Lt. Mark J. Procopio

28, of Stowe, Vermont.
Procopio died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment, Jericho, Vermont. Died on November 2, 2005.

From FallenHerosMemorial.com

"Dear family and friends of Lt. Procopio. My name is Chuck Nelson. Mark died while rushing to the scene of a shot down Cobra helicopter. That helicopter was piloted by my brother in law, Cpt. Michael Martino. The entire Martino family is very, very appreciative of Mark's efforts to reach the crash site and protect Michael's and his co-pilot, Maj. Bloomfield's remains from desecration. Please know that we have thought of Mark often and understand what your family is going through. It is a horrible thing that both our family members died in such manners, but their actions were of the highest valor. Thank you to Mark and God bless your family."

Chuck Nelson of Virginia

We honor his service and his life on Memorial Day and always.