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MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. (May 30, 2011) – Fallen soldiers of two
California-based U.S. Army Reserve units were memorialized at a
dedication ceremony earlier this morning, at the Armed Forces Reserve
Center, located near Moffett Federal Air Field.
Among the over
130 attendees were family, friends and fellow soldiers of the 17 fallen
soldiers of the 351st Civil Affairs Command, 7th Psychological
Operations Group and their subordinate units. The 351st CACOM and 7th
POG serve as higher headquarters of many subordinate units distributed
across the western United States.
Hosting the event were the
351st CACOM Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Gary A. Medvigy and the 7th
POG Commander, Col. Wayne A. Tasler. The event invited the families of
the fallen soldiers, soldiers of the affected units and friends of the
fallen soldiers to attend the memorialization and dedication of a Wall
of Honor.
“It [Memorial Day] is not just a long weekend to those
in attendance today. We understand that the joys of liberty are
purchased by the sacrifices of those who serve as cause greater than
themselves,” said Medvigy.
The memorialization ceremony is a
solemn ceremony, where the names of fallen soldiers, who died as the
result of combat are read, along with the unit of assignment and the
date they died. After reading the names of the fallen soldiers, Medvigy
and Tasler dedicated a Wall of Honor to the fallen soldiers, where a
bronze plaque for each memorialized soldier was mounted.
“Let's
remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country
and those who continue to fight for our freedoms around the world,” said
Tasler.
The names of the 17 fallen soldiers are:
Spc. Adam
G. Kinser, a 21-year-old, of Rio Vista, Calif., died on Jan. 29, 2004.
Kinser died west of Ghazni, Afghanistan, when a weapons cache
prematurely exploded. He was assigned to the 304th Psychological
Operations Company, based in Sacramento, Calif.
Spc. Joseph A.
Jeffries, a 21-year-old, of Beaverton, Ore., died on May 29, 2004.
Jeffries died in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when his vehicle hit a land
mine. He was assigned to the 320th Psychological Operations Co., Camp
Withycombe, Ore.
Maj. Charles R. Soltes, Jr., a 36-year-old, of
Irvine, Calif., died on Oct. 13, 2004.
Soltes died in Mosul,
Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He
was assigned to the 426th Civil Affairs Bn., Upland, Calif.
Maj.
Gregory J. Fester, a 41-year-old, of Grand Rapids, Mich., died on Aug.
30, 2005.
Fester died in Iskandariyah, Iraq, when an improvised
explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol. He was assigned
to the 490th Civil Affairs Bn., Grand Prairie, Texas.
Sgt. 1st
Class Lawrence E. Morrison, a 45-year-old, of Yakima, Wash., died on
Sept. 19, 2005.
Morrison died in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries
sustained earlier that day in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive
device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 490th Civil
Affairs Bn., Grand Prairie, Texas.
Sgt. Regina C. Reali, a
25-year-old, of Fresno, Calif., died on Dec. 23, 2005.
Reali died
in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near her
Humvee. She was assigned to the 448th Civil Affairs Bn., Fort Lewis,
Wash.
Sgt. Cheyenne C. Willey, a 36-year-old, of Fremont,
Calif., died on Dec. 23, 2005.
Willey died in Baghdad, Iraq, when
an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee. He was
assigned to the 448th Civil Affairs Bn., Fort Lewis, Wash.
1st
Sgt. Tobias C. Meister, a 30-year-old, of Jenks, Okla., died on Dec. 28,
2005.
Meister died south of Asadabad, Afghanistan, when an
improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat
patrol operations. He was assigned to the 321st Civil Affairs Bde., San
Antonio, Texas.
Staff Sgt. Clinton T. Newman, a 26-year-old, of
San Antonio, Texas, died on Feb. 13, 2006.
Newman died north of
Deh Rawod, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device detonated
near his Humvee during combat operations. He was assigned to the 492nd
Civil Affairs Bn., Phoenix, Ariz.
1st Sgt. Carlos N. Saenz, a
46-year-old, of Las Vegas, Nev., died on May 5, 2006.
Saenz died
in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his
Humvee during combat operations. He was assigned to the 490th Civil
Affairs Bn., Abilene, Texas.
Spc. Teodoro Torres, a 29-year-old,
of Las Vegas, Nev., died on May 5, 2006.
Torres died in Baghdad,
Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee
during combat operations. He was assigned to the 490th Civil Affairs
Bn., Abilene, Texas.
Sgt. 1st Class Merideth L. Howard, a
52-year-old, of Alameda, Calif., died on Sept. 8, 2006.
Howard
died in Kabul, Afghanistan, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive
device detonated near her Humvee. She was assigned to the 364th Civil
Affairs Bde., Portland, Ore.
Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul, a
43-year-old, of Dalles, Ore., died on Sept. 8, 2006.
Paul died in
Kabul, Afghanistan, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device
detonated near his Humvee. He was assigned to the 364th Civil Affairs
Bde., Portland, Ore.
Sgt. Charles B. Kitowski III, a 31-year-old,
of Farmers Branch, Texas, died on Aug. 12, 2007.
Kitowski died in
Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised
explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the
345th Psychological Operations Company (Airborne), Dallas, Texas.
Maj. Scott A. Hagerty, a 41-year-old, of Stillwater, Okla., died on
June 3, 2008.
Hagerty died in Zormat, Afghanistan of wounds
suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He
was assigned to the 451st Civil Affairs Bn., Pasadena, Texas.
Sgt. Federico G. Borjas, a 33-year-old, of San Diego, Calif., died on
Oct. 16, 2008.
Borjas died in Bermal District Center,
Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from small arms fire during a dismounted
patrol. He was assigned to the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, San Diego,
Calif.
1st Sgt. Blue C. Rowe, a 33-year-old, of Summers, Ark.,
died on May 26, 2009.
Rowe died in Panjshir province,
Afghanistan, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He was
assigned to the 426th Civil Affairs Bn., Upland, Calif.
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