Published February 05, 2015
Army Spc. Denis D. Kisseloff
Denis D. Kisseloff was a doting father who lived simply and doled out "big bear hugs," according to his sister, Marie Fe Ariss.
Kisseloff would have said he didn't deserve the accolades bestowed on him in death and would have told people to stop making a big deal about it, Ariss wrote in an online memorial, adding that she'd remember her brother for his genuine laugh.
Kisseloff, 45, of Saint Charles, Mo., died May 14 at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered in an attack involving rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. He was based in Kansas City, Mo., and had previously served in Iraq.
He was born in the Philippines and later moved with his family to the Chicago area, where he graduated from York High School in Elmhurst, Ill.
His military service began with the Marine Corps in 1981, followed by some time in the Marine Corps Reserves until 1988. He joined the National Guard in April 2007.
Survivors include his parents, Michael and Mila, and his two young children, Serena and Alexandr, whose mother had died earlier after an illness.
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Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II
Donald Lamar had to find things out for himself — even when he was a little boy and his mom warned him not to touch the hot stove.
"Donald was one of those kids who had to stick his hand in the frying pan" to find out just how hot it was, said his mother, Coleen. "That was Donald in a nutshell."
Lamar, 23, of Fredericksburg, Va., was killed May 12 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Marine sniper was assigned to Camp Lejeune and had served two previous tours in Iraq.
He graduated in 2004 from Stafford High School, where he excelled in wrestling and football. His father said he was a fierce competitor who "did everything 150 percent," a sentiment echoed by others.
"The thing that impressed me about Donald was that he was always willing to do what you asked him to do," said Roger Pierce, who coached the Stafford football team when Lamar played. "You knew he was going to go all out."
Lamar also was dedicated to the woman who would become his wife, Stephanie. She was taken by his eyes and smile, and the silly things he did to make her laugh. And he'd come home all the way from North Carolina to visit each weekend, staying until the wee hours.
Her response? "Oh, my God, that's love."
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Marine Cpl. Jacob C. Leicht
Jacob Leicht's life began and ended with patriotism. He was born on the Fourth of July, and he died May 27 as the 1,000th American serviceman killed in Afghanistan.
"He said he always wanted to die for his country and be remembered," said Jesse Leicht, his younger brother. "He didn't want to die having a heart attack or just being an old man."
He'd been born in a California Navy hospital and adopted by parents who raised him on a family ranch deep in the Texas Hill Country, where the homeschooled student hiked and chopped wood and grew to 6-foot-5, 200 pounds.
He was softhearted, sometimes watching "Dora the Explorer" with his brother's children, but he longed for the front lines and even threw away an ROTC college scholarship for fear of ending up in a desk job.
The 24-year-old from College Station, Texas, died after stepping on a land mine in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton and was on his second deployment.
During the first, a bomb hit his Humvee in Iraq, and he'd spent two years recovering from face and leg injuries while begging to return overseas.
He's also survived by his brother Jonathan.
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Marine Sgt. Kenneth B. May Jr.
At the memorial service for Kenneth May Jr., the musical selections included "Nothing Else Matters" by the metal band Metallica. It might be an usual choice for some, but not for the avid musician and guitarist.
"Only Kenny would have metal playing at his funeral and at his wedding," said Mike Brooks, the pastor of a church in San Clemente, Calif., near where May was based at Camp Pendleton. "I know he's smiling about all this."
May was married to Krystal Barton, who marked their second wedding anniversary the day before her husband's death.
The 26-year-old native of Kilgore, Texas, was killed by an explosive May 11 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He previously served two tours in Iraq.
He graduated in 2004 from Kilgore College, where he was in an international academic honor society and put his musical talents to use in the marching band and the chorale, a school spokesman said. May also enjoyed gaming and working with firearms.
The Rev. John Gradberg said May was a man of faith and humility, who would have told mourners "to save this accolade for a real hero."
Survivors include his wife; his parents, Kenneth and Karen; and a sister.
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Army Col. John M. McHugh
John McHugh's childhood friends knew he would have a distinguished career. They just didn't know what it would be because he was good at so many things.
He was smart, a good athlete and a born leader.
"He excelled in everything he did since kindergarten," said Kevin Morris, a lifelong friend.
McHugh, also known as "Johnny Mac," settled on an Army career and rose to the rank of colonel.
Along the way, the West Caldwell, N.J., native graduated from West Point and earned two master's degrees — one in administration from American Public University and the other in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
His most recent job during his 24-year career was chief of operations with the Battle Command Training Program at Fort Leavenworth.
"He could have been the CEO of a company, but he had this need to serve," said Gerald Giannetti, another childhood friend.
McHugh flew helicopters in Desert Storm in 1990 and went to Afghanistan last month on a training mission. He was killed May 18 in Kabul when a suicide bomber drove into a NATO convoy.
McHugh, 46, leaves behind his wife, Connie; five children; and a granddaughter.
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Marine Cpl. Nicolas Parada-Rodriguez
Nicolas Parada-Rodriguez didn't have any kids of his own, but he loved to sit with his nieces and nephews to tell them tales from the battlefield.
He also encouraged them to do positive things with their own lives. The Marine was a native of El Salvador who came to the U.S. 19 years ago with his family, his sister said.
"He said he just liked defending his country," said his sister Norma. "He wanted to do something that people would remember him for."
Parada-Rodriguez, 29, of Stafford, Va., was killed May 16 during combat in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune. He had served previously with the Navy and did a tour in Afghanistan during that time.
He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, where he was a protector of sorts for his friends — "being their leader ... defending people ... always looking out for people," his sister said.
Norma also said her brother couldn't wait for the weekends, when he would make the long drive from Camp Lejeune to be with his family.
Parada-Rodriguez also is survived by his mother, Luisa; brother, Lisandro; and sister Maria.
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Marine Lance Cpl. Richard R. Penny
Richard R. Penny seemed to get along with everyone, his friends said. He had their backs and vice versa.
"Richard was that guy," friend Daniel White said. "He just showed up to every party, every event we had."
White, who's in the Army, said he tried to talk Penny out of joining the Marines and into a potentially safer job, to no avail.
"Everything he did was just 100 percent, you know, he wanted to be there in it," he said.
Childhood friend Michael Hurshman said Penny "respected the flag more than most."
"If he were here right now, he'd say he was doing what he wanted," Hurshman said. "It was something he talked about since he was a kid."
The military said only that Penny, 21, of Fayetteville, Ark., died May 6 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
He had an adventurous spirit, enjoyed riding motorcycles and sometimes sang Willie Nelson songs to his friends, they said. He was a football player and graduate of Greenland High School, where mourners hope to put up a memorial in his honor.
Survivors include his parents, Merv and Sharon Easterly Messender; his brother, Jon; and his sister, Jennifer.
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Marine Staff Sgt. Adam L. Perkins
Before he left for Afghanistan, Adam Perkins read books on video to his 9-month-old son so he wouldn't forget him.
Perkins, a bomb technician, knew his job was dangerous, but he wanted a challenge, his mother said.
"He was very big on safety. Don't think for a minute he was not cautious," said his mother, Laureen Myers.
Perkins, 27, of Antelope, Calif., was killed May 17 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.
"He was defusing a roadside bomb, and there was a second detonation," Myers said, her voice shaking as she told the Modesto (Calif.) Bee it wasn't a mistake that caused her son's death.
Myers said Perkins, of Antelope, Calif., most enjoyed being with his wife and son. He was seen as a serious man, but his son made him smile, Myers said.
"Adam was a hero," said his stepfather, Bill Myers. "What he did saved countless lives, both military and civilian."
Perkins attended Center High School in Antelope. He enlisted in the Marines a week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In a nine-year military career, he earned a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal, and other commendations.
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Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel
When relatives think of Christopher Rangel, a song sometimes comes to mind. It's one from the children's TV show "Caillou," the one he used to dance to for his nieces and nephews and cousins.
"He had a blast," his uncle Robert Rangel said. "We would walk in before and we would find him singing it at the top of his lungs, like there was no tomorrow."
Rangel, 22, of San Antonio, Texas, died May 6 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, when he was shot by a sniper. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune and had previously served in Iraq.
He knew as a youngster that he wanted to become a Marine and couldn't be talked out of it. He had played linebacker, No. 35, on the football team at South San Antonio West Campus High School, where he graduated in 2006.
He had a big appetite — it earned him the nickname "Mi Piggy" at home — to match a big heart, relatives said.
"He always had a helping hand if you need it," Robert Rangel said.
The Marine married his wife, Linda, a petty officer in the Navy, on Jan. 2, 2009. Other survivors include his parents, Roland and Lisa Ann; seven brothers and two sisters; and the grandparents who raised him, Gloria and Alfredo Rangel.
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Army Sgt. Edwin Rivera
When Edwin Rivera broke the news to his family that he was returning to Afghanistan for a second tour with the Connecticut National Guard in Norwalk, he had one reason: the Afghan children.
"When the U.S. soldiers drive by," Rivera, 28, told his mother Gladys, "the children will scramble like mad in the dust just to get thrown a simple pencil from us. They don't even have pencils."
This time, Rivera didn't make it home.
He died May 25 after being wounded during an attack five days earlier in Afghanistan's Laghman province.
When home in Waterford, Conn., Rivera worked the evening shift as a security guard at a nuclear power plant. While his wife, Yesenia, worked days in a dental office, Rivera cared for their sons, Rolando and Lorenzo, making sure they ate and made it to and from school safely.
Rivera was a 2000 Waterford High School graduate. Friends remember him as a cheerful, giving person.
"He would go out of his way to greet you and ask how you were doing," Ed Discola posted on an online memorial site. "It was impossible to have a conversation with him and not come out of it smiling."
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Marine Cpl. Kurt S. Shea
Kurt Shea was used to being a protector. Being a boss, though, was new territory for him.
He would ask for advice after being promoted to corporal, said his mother, Linda Shea. He was more firm when it came to the boys who started noticing his little sister, Olivia, who is in high school.
"Kurt reminded her to remind them that her brother's a Marine," Linda Shea said.
The 21-year-old Marine from Frederick, Md., was killed May 10 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The radio operator was assigned to Camp Lejeune. He graduated from Frederick High School.
Shea liked to have a little taste of home overseas, asking his family to send him Girl Scout peanut butter cookies and Hostess banana cupcakes.
Even as a young boy, Shea would scrawl pictures of Army men with his crayons, his mother said. When he grew up, he was still attracted to the military — now for its discipline.
"He was always respectful, he became more respectful" when he joined, his mother said. "He was always mature, he became more mature."
Shea had hoped to study kung fu when he came home, said friend Jonathan Adler. After the service, he hoped to pursue a career in law enforcement or criminal justice.
"He wanted to protect," Linda Shea said. "He's a big brother."
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Army Spc. Wade A. Slack
Friends and family members knew they could turn to Wade Slack if they were down. He always seemed to be cheerful and knew how to spread that to others.
"He made people feel special and loved," said his sister, Meghan Slack.
Slack, of Waterville, Maine, brought that spirit to his work in the Army. He specialized in disarming explosives, one of the most dangerous jobs in combat.
"I don't think I ever once heard him complain about the job," said Sgt. James Cribbett. "He was always there to brighten our day, every day."
Slack, 21, was killed May 6 when his unit came under fire in Jaghatu, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
He graduated from Waterville Senior High School as an honor student in 2007. He enjoyed music, video games, movies and shooting.
His father said Slack had been preparing for military service since age 14.
"He was a great young man," said Alan Slack. "He was focused and knew what he wanted in life."
Slack also is survived by his mother, Mary Slack, stepmother, Rose Slack, and siblings Jonathan, Andrew, Jesse and Lauren.
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Marine Pfc. Jake W. Suter
Jake Suter's father says the 18-year-old may have been an average student at his Southern California high school, but he had a way with words.
"He could write essays and compositions and was an avid reader," Suter's father, Chris Unthank, told the Signal newspaper.
A 15-page essay Suter wrote so impressed officials at Brown University that he was accepted into the top school, his father said.
But Suter, a history buff who long had his sights set on joining the military, became a Marine, and he was excited about serving in Afghanistan.
"He loved the language and the culture, and was very excited to go over and help," his father said. "He knew he was going into a war zone but also felt like he was on a mission of peace — not to just go in there as military but also to help the Afghan people do what they needed to do."
Suter, of Los Angeles, died May 29 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province. His death came less than two weeks after he left Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where he was based, his father said.
"Anyone who did get a chance to know him, they were privileged to do so," Unthank said.
He is survived by his father and mother, Michelle Suter Unthank.
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Army Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman
The military always was an integral part of Richard Tieman's life.
He was born and raised on Army bases around the country during his father's long military career. He enlisted in the Army just after graduation from Waynesboro Area Senior High School in 2000.
He married a fellow staff sergeant, Paulina Tieman, earlier this the year while on leave from his base in Heidelberg, Germany. And he planned to continue his military career by becoming a drill sergeant this summer at Fort Jackson.
Tieman, of Waynesboro, Pa., died May 18 in Kabul when a NATO convoy was bombed. It was his third tour of duty after serving twice in Iraq.
"He was an all-around great guy," said Toby Ditch, Tieman's best friend. "Anytime I'd call, he'd be there for me. No matter what we did, we had fun. He lived his life. There was never a dull moment."
Tieman loved playing football, lifting weights, fishing with his dad and brother, socializing with friends, playing the Guitar Hero video game and rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Survivors also include his parents, Richard and Diane Tieman, and his younger brother, Tyler.
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Army Sgt. Joshua A. Tomlinson
Joshua Tomlinson loved to hunt deer — the tricky part was making sure he didn't scare off his prey.
"You could hear those size 12s from a mile away," said his cousin, the Rev. Jimbo Yocom. "I think he could make a mime laugh."
The 24-year-old from Dubberly, La., was killed May 18 in Kabul when a car bomb exploded. He was assigned to Heidelberg, Germany. He graduated from Lakeside High School in Sibley, La., in 2004.
George Thornton, Tomlinson's friend since sixth grade, said the soldier was "someone who always had a smile on his face, and if you didn't have one on yours he'd make sure you got a smile."
Teachers recalled Tomlinson as a bright and creative student. Counselor Ann Holoman, who taught math when Tomlinson was in high school, said the young man was smart and talented, winning several top student honors including student of the month.
"Josh was a young man who was always happy, always smiling, with just a great sense of humor," she said.
Tomlinson also was a gifted musician who enjoyed fishing with his father, said his brother Carl.
Among others surviving Tomlinson are his wife, Rowena; father, Carl; mother, Rebecca Jobe; two sisters; two brothers; and numerous other relatives.
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Navy Petty Officer Zarian Wood
Zarian Wood was, by nature, a caretaker who looked out for others.
The one-time wrestler graduated from South Houston High School in Texas in 1999 and then spent some time working as a youth pastor and tutor for troubled kids in Houston. He enlisted in 2006, did a tour in Iraq and volunteered for another round, serving as a hospital corpsman in Afghanistan alongside troops from Camp Pendleton.
The 29-year-old, nicknamed "Z," had shared steaks and video game time with his father and brother in April before deploying.
"Just before he left, he told me, 'Dad, take care of yourself and everything, and I'll be back,'" Daniel Wood said of his son, who died May 16 in Helmand province after being hit by an explosive while on patrol.
Wood was outgoing and meticulous about maintaining his good looks and working out daily. He could also be brutally honest, relatives said.
"He'd tell you in a flat minute if you were wrong," his father said. "Then again, he'd stand up for you in a flat minute if you were right."
He said Wood had hoped to go back to school to be a dentist.
Other survivors include Wood's fiancee, Carolina Gonzalez, and five siblings.
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Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick Xavier Jr.
Patrick Xavier loved to read books about psychology and philosophy as he tried to gain a better perspective on the world around him.
The most recent additions to his library in Afghanistan? Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" and Gen. Omar Bradley's memoir, "A Soldier's Story." His father, Patrick Xavier-Kemp, had sent the book to him a few weeks before he died.
The Marine was a private person, but he enjoyed playing basketball with his 18- and 22-year-old brothers. He also hoped to go to medical school one day.
But Xavier, 24, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., was killed in a firefight May 18 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, his family said.
Xavier was born to Haitian immigrants in Queens, N.Y., and moved with his family to Florida more than a decade ago, his father said. He graduated from Miramar High School in 2003 and worked a couple of different jobs before joining the Marines. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
His father said he called home to talk to his mother just hours before he was killed.
Xavier had "a child's smile, a smile that you can read his heart through," his father said. "He was a true person, honest, very dedicated."
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/us-troops-who-have-died-while-serving-in-afghanistan-and-the-horn-of-africa