Stephan Mace

By Rachel Streitfeld

Spc. Stephan Mace was killed along with seven other soldiers in fierce fighting on October 3.

PURCELLVILLE, Virginia (CNN) — When the Army flew home the body of Spc. Stephan Mace from Afghanistan, his mother climbed aboard a small jet with the flag-draped coffin for the last leg of his trip. Spc. Stephan Mace was killed along with seven other soldiers in fierce fighting on October 3. Spc. Stephan Mace was killed along with seven other soldiers in fierce fighting on October 3. Click to view previous image 2 of 3 Click to view next image Vanessa Adelson would not let her 21-year-old son make his final journey home alone. “I brought him into this world, and he was my baby,” she said. “I thought it was my responsibility as a mother to bring him home.” Mace and seven other soldiers were killed this month in a Taliban attack on their remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan, making it the deadliest battle for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since July 2008. Video Watch mother prepare to bury son » All eight were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colorado. The October 3 battle saw Taliban insurgents at one point surging past the outer perimeter of Forward Operating Base Keating in Afghanistan’s Kamdesh District. The battle lasted about 12 hours, with the most ferocious fighting raging for about seven hours. The base, in a valley, is surrounded by ridge lines where the insurgents were able to fire down at U.S. and Afghan troops. The facility had been scheduled to be closed within days, CNN later learned. Three days after the deadly fight, Mace’s mother attended the Dignified Transfer of her son, then returned home with him from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Since May, Mace had been on his first deployment in Afghanistan, following a childhood dream of joining the Army. He planned to continue his career in service after his Army stint by joining the Department of Homeland Security or the CIA, his mother said. Instead, he will be buried Monday in Arlington National Cemetery. Don’t Miss * Fallen soldiers remembered * Soldiers recount fierce battle on Facebook * 8 U.S. troops killed in battle Back in Mace’s small, tight-knit community in Purcellville, Virginia, many found it hard to believe the solemn military procession through the center of town earlier this month was the last they would ever see of their friend. “If I could describe Stephan, I would picture him flying through the air on a dirt bike living his life on the edge,” said Sam Chapman, childhood friend and football buddy. “If more people in this country had the passion and the determination and the courage that Stephan had, it would without a doubt be a better place. He was just a great guy.” Video Watch friends remember him as gridiron tough » Mace, described as a Moto Cross champion, football player, hunter and all around fun-loving, loyal friend, was the kind of child that coaches and teachers remember. And when his body was brought back to Purcellville, the community turned out in support. Hundreds of people lined the streets, saluting and waving flags as Mace’s family brought him home. “It was great to the see the kids and the families stand there and when the motorcade crossed the crest of the hill [into town] it was just silence…. It was holy,” said Purcellville Mayor Robert Lazaro. “I think we wanted to say to the Mace family, ‘Thank you. We respect what your son has done for us.’ ” Mace was awarded six medals for his service, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. But for his mother, the most precious is the medal of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, that her son wore into battle. She gave him the medal when he was 15 and preparing for a trip to South Africa. Now, after speaking to one of Mace’s friends who survived the outpost attack, Adelson knows her son reached for that medal in his last moments. She was told that in his last moments alive, Mace took off his medal and gave it to his fellow soldiers. “That’s how Stephan was,” Adelson said. “Here this kid is dying, and he was more worried about the other soldiers that he took his St. Christopher off and gave it to them.” advertisement She has also learned her son lived for about half an hour after sustaining wounds to the chest and leg. Adelson finds this detail comforting. “I’m glad Stephan didn’t die right away because he was allowed to give that one gift to his unit and give them the St. Christopher and that he also was able to feel God come to him and take him away,” she said. “That he was able to ponder and have a last chance, a last moment, to think about his family and have God take him.”

Mace’s flag-draped coffin is carried by soldiers on the return to the United States.

Timothy Olsovsky

Sergeant Timothy Olsovsky
Victoria County Sheriff’s Office
Texas
End of Watch: Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Biographical Info
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 24 years
Badge Number: 221

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Date of Incident: Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Sergeant Tim Olsovsky suffered a fatal heart attack while conducting night qualifications at the department’s shooting range. He had just finished his second relay of shooting when he began to feel ill. A short time later he became unresponsive and EMS was called to the scene.

He was transported to Citizens Medical Center where he passed away.

Sergeant Olsovsky had served with the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office for 13 years and had previously served with the Hallettsville Police Department for 11 years. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Agency Contact Information
Victoria County Sheriff’s Office
101 N Glass Street
Victoria, TX 77901

Phone: (361) 574-8002

Milburn (Millie) Beitel III

Police Officer Milburn (Millie) Beitel III Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Nevada End of Watch: Thursday, October 8, 2009 Biographical Info Age: 30 Tour of Duty: 5 years Badge Number: Not available Incident Details Cause of Death: Automobile accident Date of Incident: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Weapon Used: Not available Suspect Info: Not available Officer Millie Beitel succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day in a single vehicle accident. He and his partner were traveling through an intersection when another vehicle pulled into their path. The driver of the patrol car took evasive actions, but the vehicle went out of control and crashed. Both officers were transported to University Medical Center in serious condition. Officer Beitel succumbed to his wounds several hours later. Officer Beitel had served with the agency for five years. Agency Contact Information Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 400 Stewart Avenue Las Vegas, NV 89101 Phone: (702) 828-3394

Francis David Blake

Deputy Sheriff Francis David Blake
Burnet County Sheriff’s Department
Texas
End of Watch: Saturday, October 3, 2009

Biographical Info
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Saturday, October 3, 2009
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Deputy Francis Blake was killed in an automobile shortly after 1:00 am when his patrol car struck a deer on Highway 29. He was responding to a major accident at the time. The patrol car went out of control and struck a tree after colliding with the deer.

Deputy Blake had served with the Burnet County Sheriff’s Department for five years. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Agency Contact Information
Burnet County Sheriff’s Department
1601 E Polk Street
Burnet, TX 78611

Phone: (512) 756-8080

James Anderson

DEPUTY JAMES ANDERSON Funeral arrangements for Deputy James Anderson, 39, of Salem, Alabama are incomplete at this time, and will be announced at a later date by Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home.

SMITHS STATION, AL (WSFA) – A Lee County Sheriff’s deputy has died of injuries suffered in the line of duty. He is identified as 39-year-old Deputy James Anderson, a three-year veteran to the department.

Anderson was rushed to Columbus Medical Center around 1:00pm Thursday in critical condition. He died a short time later.

The man accused of running him down with a car, 31-year-old Gregory Lance Henderson of Columbus, Georgia is being held in the Russell County Jail. He now faces one count of Capital Murder.

The officer’s death came after a routine traffic stop on Lee Road 240 just inside Smiths Station. Investigators say Anderson and another deputy followed Henderson’s vehicle into a residential driveway.

When Anderson attempted to make contact with the driver, the suspect stepped on the gas and pinned the officer under his car. The other officer, uninjured, pulled Henderson from his car and arrested him on the spot.

Medics and other law enforcement officers arrived on the scene within minutes and worked to free the trapped officer.

Deputy James Anderson is survived by a wife, daughter and son. He’s also being mourned by 150 members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

A motive is unknown in this case. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case at the request of the LCSO.

WSFA 12 News and our sister station, WTVM, continue to follow this developing story. We’ll bring you the latest information as it becomes available.

Tyler Parten

Mourners gather in Marianna to remember Arkansas soldier killed in Afghanistan

MARIANNA, Ark. (AP) — Mourners gathered in Marianna on Thursday to remember a 24-year-old soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Department of Defense says that 1st Lt. Tyler Parten died Sept. 10 in the Kunar province after insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.

His mother, Lona Parten of Jonesboro, says her son is now having “the greatest adventure of his life.” She says the nation has lost a great man.

Mourners packed the courthouse square in downtown Marianna for the memorial Thursday.

Robert D. Gordon

A Covington County soldier serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan died Wednesday as a result of an illness.

Covington County soldier dies of illness contracted in Afghanistan

Sgt. Robert D. Gordon II, 22, of River Falls, died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. According to the Department of Defense,

Gordon became ill on Sept. 11 in southern Afghanistan. Gordon served in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, Wash.

The Army continues to investigate the incident.

Gordon’s aunt, Ruby Brown, said the family was informed that Gordon was bitten by a tick and became sick afterward. Brown said the Army had requested that Gordon’s body be donated for research, but the family only agreed to the donation of his vital organs.

Brown said the family still has many questions about Gordon’s death, and wants the Army to work to ensure more deaths like Gordon’s are prevented.

Jared Monti

Slain Soldier Receives Top Military Honor

• 
  President Obama honors Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti, who died in 2006. Monti’s parents, at left, accepted the medal in a ceremony at the White House. (CBS)

(CBS/AP) President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor – the nation’s top military decoration – to the family of a Massachusetts soldier who died saving the life of a wounded comrade in Afghanistan.

Mr. Obama honored Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti of Rayham, Mass. during an East Room ceremony at the White House Thursday. Standing with Monti’s parents, Janet and Paul, Obama said Monti personified the values of duty, honor, sacrifice and heroism.

Americans often toss around such words too freely, the president said.

“Do we really grasp the meanings of these values?” he asked.

Jared Monti of Raynham, Mass. died during a firefight with insurgents in Gowardesh, Afghanistan in June 2006. He helped his troop set up a defensive position following an ambush, called in air support, and then directly engaged the enemy with his rifle and a grenade – thwarting an attempt to flank the troop.

The 30-year-old Monti showed “conspicuous gallantry,” the White House declared when announcing he would win the Medal of Honor for his role in the fight along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The award came as the administration is wrestling with its next move in Afghanistan. Obama has held off sending more troops to the country where the Sept. 11,2001 terrorist attacks were launched. He already has sent 17,000 additional combat troops to Afghanistan and is weighing sending even more to stabilize that nation.

Democrats, however, want specific benchmarks there before Obama goes forward with more combat troops for the region.

The Medals of Honor awarded by Congress are the highest award for military valor, typically reserved for members of the military who risk their lives with gallantry beyond the call of duty.

Terry Sharon

Firefighter Dies On Way To Accident

OWEN COUNTY, Ky. — An investigation is underway after a firefighter died while responding to an accident in Owen County on Sunday. Terry Sharon was driving the fire truck when he lost control, went off Sawdridge Creek Road and hit an unoccupied camper 150 feet off the road. No one else was injured in the accident. Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Shannon M. Smith and Zachary T. Myers

Army Staff Sgt. Shannon M. Smith (left) and Army Pfc. Zachary T. Myers (right)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Department of Defense confirmed Thursday that two soldiers from central Ohio were killed in Iraq earlier this week when an explosive hit their armored vehicle. Army Staff Sgt. Shannon M. Smith, 31 of Marion, and Army Pfc. Zachary T. Myers, 21 of Delaware, died Tuesday in Baji, Iraq, the Pentagon said. A third U.S. soldier was also killed in the attack. The soldiers were assigned to the 545th Military Police Company, Arctic Military Police Battalion, U.S. Army, Alaska, Fort Richardson, Alaska. Myers and Shannon grew up not far from one another, but their families said the men did not meet until both began their service in Iraq, 10TV’s Glenn McEntyre reported. Tonya Latto, Myers’ mother, said she was talking to her son over the phone when he told her about meeting Smith. “He called me one day and he said, ‘Mom, this is just the most amazing thing. Here I am all the way over in Iraq, and guess who my supervisor is?’” Latto said. Latto called her son a straight “F” student who straightened himself out by joining the Army. Smith helped shape him, from a wayward young man into the soldier he became. “He just really enjoyed being with him and tried to learn everything he could from him,” Latto said. Smith’s widow, Carrie, said her husband found great joy in mentoring young soldiers, like Myers. She said he was on his second tour in Iraq, with plans for a long career in the military. “This is what he was meant to do,” Carrie said. “He wouldn’t have it any other way.” Smith’s parents said they encouraged him to enlist; a decision they said they would never take back. “He was doing something to help this country,” said Smith’s mother, Debbie. “He wasn’t out goofing around. He didn’t die for nothing.” The soldiers’ bodies arrived back in the United States on Thursday. Funeral arrangements were pending. Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for more information. ©2009 by 10TV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.