Heroes

Our Nation has many heroes. We can read about them in our History Books. We, at FAFSOM believe we have many heroes that never receive much recognition. For that reason, we want to highlight as manyb local heroes as we can. Here are just a few of our local heroes. All of these either lived in or had close family and friends in or very near the area served by FAFSOM. Please visit our website, www.fafsom.org for more information about our local area.

The Honor Roll:

Army 1st Lt. Jonathan W. Edds24, of White Pigeon, Mich.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Aug. 17, 2007 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his vehicle using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire. On that very day FAFSOM was hosting its first dinner to Honor our Local Military Heroes.


Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson, 21, Union City, MI was killed in action on 12/1/2005 in Fallujah, Iraq. Craig's mom is now the owner and proprietor of the Magi Cafe in Colon, MI. Craig was a Marine with the rank of Lance Cpl. assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.

In August (2007), Major Douglas Sloan comforted his soldiers during an emotional funeral for three fallen men in Afghanistan.“Three of our comrades have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Sloan said. “We will mourn them but continue to take the fight to the enemy.”In an article in the “Fort Drum Blizzard,” he described the men as selfless in their service and irreplaceable.Nearly three months later the Charlevoix major joined his fallen men. Sloan was Company Commander of Battle Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry, 10th Mountain Division at the time of his death.
Sloan was killed instantly by an explosive device on Halloween. Sloan who was stationed at Camp Blessing in northeast Afghanistan's Pesch Valley was preparing for a relocation to Bagram. He was on a final trip showing the new captain the surrounding villages.

Staff Sgt. Brian L. Morris, 38, 360th Transportation Company, 68th Corps Support Battalion, 43rd Area Support Group from Centreville, Michigan. Brian was one of two soldiers killed when their M915A1 tractor pulling a 7,500-gallon tanker accidentally rolled over in Mosul, Iraq, on August 21, 2005.

Pfc. James L. Arnold, 21, 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division from Mattawan, Michigan. James was one of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 15, 2007 .


Tech. Sgt. Ryan A. Balmer, 33, Special Agent to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations
Mishawaka, Indiana. Ryan was one of two airmen killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, on June 5, 2007.


Lance Cpl. Brent E. Beeler, 22, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve from Jackson, Michigan. Brent was killed during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 7, 2006.


Sgt. 1st Class Craig A. Boling, 38, Company C, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment, Indiana Army National Guard, Elkhart, Indiana. Died of a non-combat related cause at Camp Wolf, Kuwait on July 8, 2003.


Lance Cpl. Luis J. Castillo, 20, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve from Lawton, Michigan. Luis died of wounds received during combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on January 20, 2007.


Spc. Jeffrey W. Corban, 30, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from Elkhart, Indiana. Jeffrey was one of five soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their M2A2 Bradley fighting vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on October 15, 2005.


Sgt. Gabriel G. DeRoo, 25, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Paw Paw, Michigan. Gabriel died of injuries suffered when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations in Mosul, Iraq, on August 20, 2006.


Staff Sgt. Michael A. Dickinson II, 26, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group, U.S. Army Special Operations Command from Battle Creek, Michigan. Michael was killed when his dismounted patrol encountered enemy forces small arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq, on July 17, 2006.


Pfc. Nicholas S. Hartge, 20, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Rome City, Indiana. Nicholas died of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using grenades and a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 14, 2007.


Sgt. Michael P. Hodshire, 25, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from North Adams, Michigan. Michael died of wounds sustained from the detonation of a roadside bomb during combat operations near Nasser Wa Salaam, Iraq, on October 29, 2005.


1st. Sgt. Aaron D. Jagger, 43, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division from
Hillsdale, Michigan. Aaron was one of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on August 9, 2006.


Lance Cpl. Jason T. Little, 20, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Climax, Michigan. Jason was killed when his tank was attacked with a homemade bomb during combat operations near Ferris, Iraq, on January 7, 2006.


Spc. Christopher T. Monroe, 19, 785th Military Police Battalion, Army Reserve from Kendallville, Indiana. Christopher was killed when his five-ton truck was involved in an automobile accident with a civilian vehicle in Basra, Iraq, on October 25, 2005.


Master Sgt. William L. Payne, 46, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division from Otsego, Michigan. Bill was killed on May 16, 2003, in Haswah, Iraq, when ordnance he was examining exploded.


Cpl. Aaron L. Seal, 23, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, from Elkhart, Indiana. Aaron died of injuries sustained due to enemy action in Anbar province, Iraq, on October 1, 2006.


Sgt. Matthew Soper, 25, 1461st Transportation Company (Combat Heavy Equipment), Michigan Army National Guard, from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Matthew died of wounds suffered from a roadside bomb in Bayji, Iraq, on June 6, 2007.


Staff Sgt. Vincent E. Summers, 38, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from South Haven, Michigan. Vincent was one of five soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their M2A2 Bradley fighting vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on October 15, 2005.


Staff Sgt. Marvin L. Trost III, 28, Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division from Goshen, Indiana. Marvin was killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Habbaniya, Iraq, on December 5, 2004.


Sgt. Matthew A. Webber, 23, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), Michigan Army National Guard from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Matthew died at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on April 27, 2006, of injuries sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Habbaniya, Iraq, on November 21, 2005.


Pfc. David A. Wilkey Jr. , 22, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division from Elkhart, Indiana. David died on June 18, 2007, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 17, 2007.