Utah Deputy Cleared After Killing Veteran Nicholas McGehee

Sheriff’s deputy justified in shooting armed soldier in Tooele County
FOX 13 Salt Lake
BY ASHTON EDWARDS
JANUARY 16, 2015

“Task Force Marne commanding general, Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, shakes hands with, Spc. Nicholas McGehee, a native of Sanford, N.C. and “Golden Dragon” Soldier with 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, after pinning him with the military’s oldest award still given to servicemembers, The Purple Heart, during a ceremony on Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq, Oct. 7.”McGehee was shot and killed in an encounter with police in Tooele County on December 28. Image courtesy Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System.

TOOELE, Utah – The Department of Public Safety said the Tooele County deputy who shot and killed a man in Stansbury Park was justified in using deadly force.

Back on Dec. 28, Sgt. Eli Wayman shot 28-year-old Nicholas Ryan McGehee.

The incident started when McGehee’s wife Kathryn called authorities about her husband who was intoxicated, had stepped on some glass and needed help.

Deputies went to the home near Aberdeen Lane and Merion Dr. after Kathryn told the 911 dispatcher her husband was armed with a shotgun.

When Sgt. Wayman saw McGehee with the shotgun, he told him to put down the gun and talk.

At that point McGehee went back into the house and slammed the door.

During the altercation Sgt. Wayman told McGehee at least three times to drop his weapon but he didn’t listen.

Officials said McGehee ended up pointing his gun at Sgt. Wayman which forced him to shoot.
read more here

Utah Iraq Veteran Killed by Police

Schofield soldier dies in skydiving incident

Schofield soldier dies in skydiving incident
Associated Press
Jul. 28, 2013

HONOLULU — A Honolulu skydiver who died after losing consciousness while jumping from a plane was a decorated Army veteran.

Hawaii News Now reported Friday that 30-year-old Capt. Martin Monahan had been assigned to Schofield Barracks since 2010.

Monahan was practicing a maneuver when he attempted to jump over Dillingham Airfield on Tuesday.
read more here

PTSD Level Black

Special Report: One soldier's struggle with PTSD
(Pt.1)
Posted:May 20, 2013
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow)

They fight for our country, but the price they pay for protecting our freedoms is sometimes their peace of mind. According to the Army, 5 - 25% of all soldiers who have been deployed to combat zones develop post-traumatic stress disorder. But Army officials say only 8% of soldiers who were deployed between 2001 and 2011 have been diagnosed.

Studies have reported that perhaps as many as two-thirds of all soldiers suffering from PTSD are not getting any treatment.

One Schofield Barracks' soldier is breaking the silence, and hopefully stigma, of living with PTSD. Staff Sergeant Billy Caviness is a Purple Heart recipient, who has proudly served his country for 16 years and is now struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. He shared his story with Army videographer Staff Sergeant Robert Ham in the documentary

"Level Black: PTSD and the War at Home".

This is their story behind the story:

SSgt Billy Caviness says he couldn't shake the feeling something horrible was going to happen.

"I knew. I knew that morning when I walked out on the battlefield, on the COP, I knew it was coming and I did what I had to do," described SSgt Caviness. "Bottom line, I had a job to do."

It was SSgt Caviness' fourth, and ultimately final, tour of duty.
read more here

Police shooting of PTSD soldier captured on video

After reading this report I wasn't sure I wanted to watch the video. It turned out to be ok because the videographer was far enough away that it is not too horrible to watch until you hear the gunshots.

I believe it is important to watch for several reasons that are not talked about enough. The first one is, Gordon himself. He's an example of what is not working for their sake. His family now has to grieve over his death but so do all the police officers involved. We never really talk about them. His friends and all those he served with will grieve and so will their families because they will wonder if the same thing can happen to their own veteran. The list of people suffering residual traumas goes on but we don't talk about them because to tell the truth, most people in this country are not talking about the veterans at all.

The film captured of this shooting is from a distance, far above the chaos. That is the way most view what is happening to our veterans, yet when you are paying attention to all of this, from our point of view, it all spreads out pulling more into the center of their lives.

Family of soldier killed by police says he came home from war a ‘different person’
KITV News
Jan 17, 2013

HONOLULU —The young Hawaii-based soldier who was shot and killed by police in a hail of bullets early Tuesday morning suffered from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. That's the claim being made by a spokesperson on behalf of Pfc. Gregory Gordon's parents, Todd and Tracey Gordon.

Amateur video of a shooting in Waikiki Tuesday morning.

"He was a good person, and when he came back from the war he was not the same," said Amanda Cureton. "He came back a completely different person."

Cureton told KITV4 Gordon's PTSD was so bad, that he would often call relatives back home in Alabama in tears, and suffered frequent panic attacks.

"He'd come home on leave once and saw garbage bags on the side of the road, and had a literal panic attack because he thought they were bombs that were being placed," she said.

Gordon, 22, of Ashford, Alabama, was extremely drunk when he was shot and killed by police officers just before 4 a.m. Officers on foot patrol noticed Gordon driving erratically, which included traveling in the wrong direction down a one-way street.

Police say at one point Gordon attempted to run over a police officer on Kuhio Avenue, who then fired his weapon in self-defense. The soldier was eventually surrounded by several patrol cars on Ala Wai Boulevard, but amateur video shows him repeatedly ramming police vehicles in an apparent effort to get away.
read more here

Original report
Schofield Barracks Soldier Shot by Police

Also of interest
Navy Medic Iraq veteran with PTSD shot by police in Arizona

Schofield Barracks soldier was shot and killed by police

Honolulu police shoot, kill Schofield soldier
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 15, 2013

HONOLULU — A Schofield Barracks soldier was shot and killed by police early Tuesday after he repeatedly rammed multiple police cars with his truck in Waikiki. Several police officers were injured in the incident.

The 25th Infantry Division said in a statement it’s cooperating with the Honolulu Police Department as officers investigate. The unit won’t release the soldier’s name until his next of kin are notified.
read more here

Police investigate assault at Scofield Barracks

Police investigate alleged assault on Army base
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Oct 19, 2012

HONOLULU — The Honolulu Police Department is investigating a report that two boys were assaulted at an Army base in Wahiawa.

HawaiiNewsNow says the families of the boys say the assault occurred on military property at Schofield Barracks.
read more here

Schofield 4 tour AWOL soldier promised PTSD help finally

PTSD help for Schofield soldier vowed
Frustration over Army bureaucracy had led the man to go AWOL
By William Cole

Apr 10, 2012

A Schofield Barracks soldier and four-time Iraq War veteran who refused to report for duty because he said he wasn't receiving help for post-traumatic stress has been promised by the Army that he'll get medical treatment and other assistance.

"I feel good about what they said so far," said Sgt. Daniel McCarley, 28. "But until something actually happens, then I'll be good, because I've heard talk the whole time I've been trying to get treatment."
read more here

Crash kills Schofield Barracks soldier and injures 3 others

Crash kills Schofield Barracks soldier and injures 3 others


By Star-Advertiser staff
Nov 26, 2011
A crash at Schofield Barracks left one soldier dead and three others serious injured this morning, according to an Army statement.

Three injured soldiers, two men and one woman, all 19, went to the Queens Medical Center in serious condition, an Emergency Medical Services supervisor said. The fourth soldier died at the scene. All four soldiers were assigned to the 25th Infantry Division.
read more here

Schofield soldier sues Burger King after swallowing needles

Hawaii-based soldier sues Burger King
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Oct 14, 2011 14:42:55 EDT
HONOLULU — A Hawaii-based soldier who says he swallowed needles that were hidden in a Burger King hamburger is suing the fast food chain.

Army Staff Sgt. Clark Bartholomew filed the federal lawsuit in Honolulu this week. He says he bought a Triple Stacker burger at a Schofield Barracks Burger King in December and took it home to eat.
read more here

Army Pilot Program Allows Soldiers to Confidentially Enroll in Alcohol Treatment

Army Pilot Program Allows Soldiers to Confidentially Enroll in Alcohol Treatment

August 23rd, 2011
A pilot Army program allows soldiers at high risk for developing alcohol problems to enroll in a confidential treatment program that will not adversely impact their careers. The program, which started at three Army installations, is now at six posts.

The Confidential Alcohol Treatment and Education Project (CATEP) is aimed at helping soldiers who abuse alcohol, before more serious substance abuse problems develop that could harmfully impact their finances, health, relationships and military career.

Soldiers are overwhelmingly young males, who have higher rates of drinking than the general population, according to Colonel Charles S. Milliken, MD, of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In addition to drawing from this demographic, soldiers have specific reasons for abusing alcohol, including “self-medicating” sleep problems and irritability. These reasons are common in not just those with post-traumatic stress disorder, but in many soldiers first returning from war.


One study found that an estimated 27 percent of soldiers reported alcohol misuse three months after redeploying from Iraq, Col. Milliken says. “Soldiers who drink too much are at high risk of behaviors that put themselves and others at risk, including drinking and driving or riding with a drunk driver.”

Traditionally, when a soldier enrolls in the Army’s substance abuse treatment program, known as ASAP, his or her Commanding Officer is automatically notified. Soldiers who fail to comply with or respond successfully to treatment are processed for administrative separation from military service.

The project initially started in 2009 at three sites: Schofield Barracks Army Health Clinic in Hawaii, Fort Lewis in Washington and Fort Richardson in Alaska. In April 2010, the program was expanded to include Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Carson in Colorado and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Col. Milliken estimates that the program now covers about 25 percent of those on active duty in the Army.

read more here

Vietnam War: A Company held them off, but at the cost of 24 killed and 54 wounded

Soldiers' valor lauded 45 years later
A citation is awarded to nine vets for their efforts during a 1966 gunbattle in Vietnam

By Lynn Nakagawa
Jul 09, 2011

Howard Lavy remembers the day in 1966 when waves of North Vietnamese army soldiers attacked his Hawaii-based Army company in Ho Bo Woods.

"If it hadn't been for the aviation company (airlifting the soldiers out), we would have been overrun finally because we had run out of ammunition," said Lavy, a retired lieutenant colonel.

Nearly 45 years after that battle, Lavy and eight fellow soldiers returned to Schofield Barracks Friday to receive a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions that day.

The soldiers were members of Schofield's A Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. A larger NVA force charged their position three times on July 19, 1966, pouring machine gun and mortar fire on the Americans during a 3-hour battle. A Company held them off, but at the cost of 24 killed and 54 wounded, Lavy said.

A recommendation for a Presidential Unit Citation was prepared in September 1966, but a platoon leader inadvertently packed it with his belongings and shipped it to his father in California, Lavy said. The paperwork was discovered in 2004 when a family member opened the long-forgotten box.
read more here
Soldiers valor lauded 45 years later

Schofield soldier shoots self, Army says

Schofield soldier shoots self, Army says
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 6, 2011 9:16:55 EST
HONOLULU — A soldier who was brandishing a weapon at Schofield Barracks has died after suffering what an Army spokesman described as a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound.

Spokesman Dennis Drake said the soldier, whose name has not been released, died in a hospital about 7:45 p.m. Friday.
read more here
Schofield soldier shoots self, Army says

Schofield Soldier Dead After Self-Inflicted Gun Shot After Standoff

Schofield Soldier Dead After Self-Inflicted Gun Shot

Unidentified Soldier Shot Themself After Standoff With Authorities

POSTED: 12:33 pm HST March 5, 2011


According to military officials, an unidentified soldier died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound at Schofield Barracks Friday evening.
read more here
http://www.kitv.com/news/27092777/detail.html

Schofield work halted after human remains found

Schofield work halted after human remains found

By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 8:43:09 EDT

HONOLULU — The Army said Tuesday that archaeological and cultural monitors have discovered human remains at a Schofield Barracks construction site.

The Army hasn’t said whether the remains are Hawaiian.
go here for more
Schofield work halted after human remains found

Spc. Kenneth Jacobs death a year ago and tragedy goes on

Soldier from Holly Springs dies
Wednesday, June 25, 2008

HOLLY SPRINGS (WTVD) -- The Army is investigating the death of a Schofield Barracks soldier from North Carolina found dead on base earlier this week.

Spc. Kenneth Jacobs, a 22-year-old from Holly Springs, N.C., was found unconscious and not breathing Monday.

Paramedics tried to revive him but were unsuccessful and declared him dead at the scene.
Jacobs was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He moved to Hawaii in 2006. He returned in October from a deployment to Iraq.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6228338

I receive a lot of emails, heart tugging emails, and once in a while the sender is begging for help. They feel they are out of hope and out of help. This is one of them. I was asked to post this and I'm doing it praying someone out there can help this widow get the justice denied her husband.

Huffing deaths are not suicide. They are doing it to seek relief. Spc. Jacobs was put on Zoloft and we all know there are problems with this. You can't give them medication this strong and simply hope for the best without any kind of therapy. Yet when Spc. Jacobs was found dead in the barracks, that was the end of it. There were no more follow up stories of yet one more non-combat death not counted. Not one more headline grabbing story of a young soldier's death following PTSD and not treated properly. Above all of this no story of the young widow and her children left behind with no income, no death insurance and no help from the military under survivors benefits. Read her story and if you can help her, contact me and I'll give you her contact information. There has to be help for her out there somewhere. My God! Do we really support the troops and honor military families or don't we?

I’m writing to you to tell you about my husband, SPC. Kenneth Robert Jacobs who passed away on June 23rd 2008.



Ken graduated basic training from Ft. Benning GA , in August 2006 and was stationed at Schoffield Barracks in Hawaii. The unit that he was assigned to was already in Iraq and he joined them there in Nov. 2006. Ken’s duties in Iraq included house to house searches, guard duty, tower duty, and gunner on Humvees. During Ken’s 1 year deployment his hummer had been hit by 4 IED’s. He never complained about being there and said he knew they were helping the Iraqi people. Ken was the only one in his unit that received The Leader of The Pack award twice while deployed.



His deployment ended in Nov. 2007 and Ken said they all had to have a physical and debriefing before they could come home. He said they were told how to answer any questions asked, if they wanted to go home right away and not to stay for more evaluation. They were told that nightmares were normal and would go away in time, and not to mention anything they had to do over there to anyone. He was also told “anyone who had been hit with an IED go stand in that line” which he did. Then they were all asked as a group “who wants more testing done?” and no one raised their hands. Ken said he “didn’t want to look like a loser in front of the other guys” so he didn’t raise his hand.



Because Ken had answered all of the questions “correctly” he got to come home on leave for 4 weeks. After his leave him and I flew back to Hawaii and got married. Myself and my 3 year old daughter moved to Hawaii in Feb. 2008.

At this time I noticed that Ken became very angry easily. His drinking was out of control and he would have terrible nightmares, thrashing around in bed. We were getting into terrible fights and one night the MP’s were called. Ken had to see a Psychiatrist and told him about some of the things he had to do and things he saw in Iraq . The doctor told him “No wonder you’re messed up!” This doctor diagnosed him with PTSD and put him on Zoloft. I believe this was in March of 2008. After this he really wasn’t getting any better. In May of 2008 I was out on the porch and heard Ken yelling at my 3 year old to go out the window. He was screaming “Go! Go! Go!” Then fell to the floor and started to have some type of seizure. When it was over, he got up and sat in a chair and started typing on the computer. I asked Kenny “What just happen?” and he didn’t remember any of it. I told him he needed go back to the doctor. He went back to the doctor and told him what happen and he increased his Zoloft.

That’s it! No counseling for him or I to understand what was going on, nothing.

The two of us were still fighting horribly and after another blowout he decided to spend the night at the barracks with his buddies on June 22, 2008. Ken went to his detail the next morning and we made up. We had an OBGYN appointment that morning, because I was 4 months pregnant, and Ken was going to meet me there. He asked his friend if he could take a nap in his room until the appointment and his friend said yes. That was around 9:00am. His friend came back to his room at 1:00pm and found Kenny lying in bed not moving. He rolled him over to find Ken had passed away in his sleep.



Because Ken was found alone in the room there was a criminal investigation. They determined there was no foul play and ruled his death accidental. The initial autopsy report did not show anything so all of Ken’s reports and test were sent to DC to be analyzed to determine cause of death. After waiting for 4 months the doctor who wrote the autopsy report said there were no drugs or alcohol in Ken’s system. They also didn’t find any Zoloft which I knew he took every day. The only thing they could find was a trace of difluoroethane which is a common ingredient in “dust-off” So in his opinion, this was probably Ken’s cause of death.



The investigators did find one can of dust-off in the room behind the T.V. on the opposite side of the room where Ken was found. According to the National Institute on Drug abuse the key danger of inhalant abuse is Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. This is when a huffer dies within seconds of taking a hit of the inhalant, usually from heart failure. Since the only can of dust-off was found on the other side of the room on a shelf behind a T.V, wouldn’t this cause of death be unlikely? I may never know how my husband died, and nothing will bring him back. But I do know the Army did not provide him or I with counseling for his diagnosed PTSD. He was given medication and told that would solve all of his problems. Ken was scheduled for deployment again in Nov. 2008



Why isn’t there a program in place for these soldiers to get the help they need when returning home from deployment? Why are these kids given a choice to get counseling, and make it seem like punishment, or an embarrassment? Scheduled counseling should be mandatory when a soldier is put on any anti-depressant or antipsychotic medication. More intense screening should be done to determine brain injury for soldiers who had been hit with IED’s. Sgt. Sipes (kens team leader) told me that “one of the IED’s that they hit was so bad that Kenny was bleeding from his ears. He and Ken were taken to a Med Aide station to be observed for 48 hours but no tests were done.

He said Ken was never the same after that. He was always the comic relief guy, he said. Ken would make light of any situation they were in, and always had a smile on his face. He told me after that day his personality changed. He kept to himself and the sgt. knew that there was something wrong with him. They came home shortly after that. Sgt. Sipes was one of the soldiers who found Ken that terrible day and tried to revive him.



My husband was 21 years old. He left behind a wife, stepdaughter, mother, 2 younger brothers, sister, grandparents, many friends, and a son who he will never get to see.

Please don’t let this happen to another soldier, or family. Better screening of Traumatic Brain Injuries and mandatory counseling for returning solders’ who are prescribed anti depressants or anti psychotic medication should be our governments’ top priority.



Because of the autopsy determination myself and my children have been denied the VA's DIC benefits. My husband had not changed his beneficiary from his mother to me after our marriage of which he was supposed to be counseled on and never was after our marriage. My mother in-law has received the insurance money. She does not help me out. I am on SSI and live with my mother, daughter, son, brother, sister and nephew. Why am I and my family being punished for what the military has "determined" to be my husband’s cause of death? Why didn't my husband receive the help he needed instead of the medications handed out like candy. If my husband had been receiving help for his diagnosed PTSD this would never have happened. Now, I am without my husband. My children without a father. How are families of soldiers that commit suicide awarded the benefits and not mine? Isn’t it time the military supported it's soldiers and their families? Please help me to receive the DIC benefits that my husband's family deserves for his service to our country.



It is time the military stands behind its families of the soldiers that have served our country. Death should not be discriminated and families should not suffer any more then they have. If a soldier gives up and commits suicide the family is taken care of. These families have a right to know that if what the servicemen and women are asked to do and if what they have seen affects them mentally, their service to our country is forgotten and the surviving family’s will also be forgotten.



We have also been in contact with Mrs.XXXXX. Her husband passed away days after Kenny from the same circumstances. She was told before she received the death certificate that the cause of death would need to be changed in order for her to receive her benefits (which read the same on my husband’s certificate). She did so before applying and has received the benefits. We were not told this. Also, her husband did not receive the help he also deserved to prevent his death from happening. We are not alone and unfortunately unless mandatory counseling is given to these soldiers no mater the rank, there will be more of us. Please help us with our fight for our survivor benefits, to reclassify my husband’s death, and to enforce counseling for these soldiers to prevent this from happening. My husband did not die from huffing, an overdose or suicide. My husband’s death was clearly service related and he never came home from Iraq.

How can this be ignored?



Sincerely,

Chriscedia D. Jacobs

Sgt. Scott Kenyon, Hawaii-based soldier earns Silver Star

Hawaii-based soldier earns Silver Star

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday May 29, 2009 17:25:20 EDT

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — A Hawaii-based soldier is scheduled to receive the Silver Star for his actions in Iraq last year.

Sgt. Scott Kenyon is being honored with the Army's third highest wartime medal at a ceremony at Schofield Barracks on Friday.

Kenyon was leading a security team in the Anbar province when they encountered two Iraqis trying to plant an explosive device and came under fire. Despite being struck with bullets to his body armor and helmet, Kenyon continued fighting and leading his team.

He even engaged in a hand-to-hand battle before restraining one Iraqi.
Hawaii-based soldier earns Silver Star

Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Moore Jr. known for wisdom

Schofield soldier known for wisdom
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Moore Jr. was the senior enlisted man in his battalion in Iraq, and he was the "lifeline" of his large family back in Georgia, his sister said.

Moore, 43, an Army veteran of 26 years with service in South Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq, died Friday at Contingency Operating Base Speicher in northern Iraq of non combat related injuries, the Army said.

With Moore's death, three Schofield Barracks soldiers with the 3rd Brigade have died from non combat causes since the 3,500-soldier unit deployed in October and November. Three other soldiers with the brigade have died in combat.

Moore was the "baby" of the family of 10 sisters and five brothers, said one of those sisters, Teresa Brakes.

"He's the glue that held the family together when we used to go through crises and stuff," said Brakes, who lives in Waycross, Ga. "He was the one that we went to and he would sit down and put it to us in a way we could understand, and just give us good advice. And the advice that he gave us, it was usually the right thing to do."

He had served in Operations Desert Storm in 1991, she said. Moore earned 55 medals over his 26-year career, including a Bronze Star with Valor, the Army said.
go here for more
Schofield soldier known for wisdom

Command Sgt. Major Benjamin Moore Jr passes away in Iraq

Decorated Scofield soldier dies in Iraq

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 11:38:11 EDT

ALBANY, Ga. — A decorated Army soldier from south Georgia has died in Iraq.

The Department of Defense said Command Sgt. Major Benjamin Moore Jr. of Waycross died Friday of injuries that were not combat-related.

He was 43.

Moore was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Combat Brigade Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Scofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Moore earned 55 medals and had served in the Army since June 1983.

Funeral arrangements are pending.
Decorated Scofield soldier dies in Iraq

Double date celebration ends tragically for Schofield soldier

Car hits soldier walking along H-2
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Schofield Barracks soldier who was walking along H-2 Freeway in the dark following an argument was hit by a car and critically injured just after midnight yesterday, police said.


Pfc. Jesse Hart was on foot after getting out of a friend's car because of an argument, police said. He was walking along the freeway when a car traveling north hit him just before the Wahiawa off-ramp about 12:25 a.m., police said.

Hours earlier, Hart had celebrated his 21st birthday on a double date, said his grandmother, Linda Hart, in his hometown of Boyd, Texas.
go here for more
Car hits soldier walking along H-2

Spc. Michael J. Anaya was proud to be in service to the nation.

Soldier's 'life was meant for' service
Schofield-based man from Florida killed by roadside bomb in Iraq
A Salute to the Fallen
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

It's pretty clear from his MySpace page that Schofield Barracks soldier Spc. Michael J. Anaya was proud to be in service to the nation.

There's a reference to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a prayer entitled "God Bless Our Military" and a poster that reads "Support Those Supporting America," with a picture of four soldiers on patrol in the desert and an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank behind them.

The Pentagon yesterday said Anaya, 23, of Crestview, Fla., who joined the Army in 2006 and was assigned to Hawai'i in January 2008, died Sunday in Bayji, northwest of Baghdad, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Col. Walter Piatt and the 3rd Brigade of about 3,500 Schofield soldiers took over security responsibility in Salah ad Din province on Nov. 22. The soldiers are expected to be in Iraq for a year.

Anaya's family told the Northwest Florida Daily News that the truck he was driving ran over a roadside bomb. There was no word on whether others were injured.
go here for more
Soldier's 'life was meant for' service