Fort Hood...

I'm too riled about that subject to post anything right now. I'll be getting back to the topic in a few days.

R.I.P. Pfc. Brandon M. Styer

Name: Army Pfc. Brandon M. Styer

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Age: 19

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From: Lancaster, Pa.

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Assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Incident: Army Pfc. Brandon M. Styer died Oct. 15 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed were Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr., Spc. Daniel C. Lawson and Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr.

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Died: October 15, 2009


(Taken from lancasteronline.com)
Nineteen-year-old Brandon Styer died alongside his Army buddies in the hard countryside of Afghanistan.

Styer was buried this weekend in the softer land of Lancaster.

Loved ones surrounded him here, too.

Hundreds gathered for his "Life Celebration" funeral service Saturday morning at First United Methodist Church, 29 E. Walnut St.

Styer's American flag-draped casket was wheeled up the aisle and placed in the front of the pews.

Photos of Styer and his loved ones shingled several memory boards in the vestibule.

So many people filed into the sanctuary that some were directed to an upstairs auditorium to watch the ceremony via live video feed.

Mourners included family, friends and numerous classmates from Conestoga Valley High School, from which Styer graduated last year.

A poem was read. A duet was sung, along with "Amazing Grace."

Emotions ran high. Some loved ones cried and dabbed away tears as they remembered the energetic young man known for his flashing eyes and perennial grin.

These are "hard days" indeed, said the Rev. David T. Ryan in his eulogy.

"You are filled with all kinds of emotions." Sorrow. A sense of love. "Anger at those in faraway countries. We don't know their names, we don't know their faces."

And yet, Ryan said, it was oppressed strangers that this "true American hero" was trying to help.

That gesture counted, said Ryan, who added that Styer is still not alone.

"Brandon is seeing God face to face. Those eyes, now closed to us... are shining brightly in God's presence."

Styer, a Lancaster native, was the son of Jill M., wife of Scott A. Myers, Fayetteville, and Terry D. and Diane K. Styer, Lancaster, and the stepson of Dr. John A. Hall, Lancaster.

He is also survived by his twin sister, Alyssa M. Styer, of Fayettville, and sisters Angela, wife of Gabriel Bauza, Lancaster, and Tracy, wife of Rick Bowling, Willow Street.

His maternal grandmother, aunt, four nieces and a nephew also survive.

Pfc. Brandon M. "B-Sty" Styer enlisted in the military when he was still in high school, trained at Fort Carson, Colo., and went on to defuse roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the devices exploded Oct. 15 as he was patrolling in a vehicle in Kandahar Province, southern Afghanistan.

Styer and three other men in the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, were killed. Overall, according to the Denver Post, at least 28 Fort Carson trainees have died in Afghanistan.

Ryan asked the congregation to remember that other families are also grieving.

But Ryan, who knew Styer since childhood and kept in touch with him on Facebook, urged people to focus as well on joy.

Ryan is pastor of Hopeland United Methodist Church, and formerly led Leola United Methodist Church, where Styer worshipped.

Ryan recalled how young Styer tapped his considerable "personal charisma" to wiggle out of boyhood scrapes.

"Brandon was not perfect," Ryan continued. "None of us are. Brandon went through his own tough times."

Nevertheless, Ryan said, "he loved life."

Styer's enthusiasms included family, friends, animals and the blue Mazda RX-8 he'd recently restored. The Washington Redskins. The Phillies.

Styer also loved God, said Ryan, who read aloud the confirmation statement that Styer composed six years ago:

" 'I believe that God is very amazing. I also think that he will be even more amazing than I can imagine when I meet Him in Heaven some day.'

"I knew from conversations with Brandon that he still honored his faith," Ryan added, "that he was proud of who he was and what he was doing."

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey J. Snow, seconded that idea.

Some say this generation is spoiled, said the commander of the Army's 20th Support Group. "You and I know this is not true."

Soldiers such as Styer are proof, Snow said.

The Lancaster recruit was "a friend to everyone in the platoon," Snow said.

"He was a gifted young man" who could have done anything he wanted, Snow added, but "he had the courage of fortitude. He chose to serve his country. ... He dedicated his life to the protection of others."

Snow, holding his hat in his hand, stepped down from the microphone and walked solemnly to his seat.

Styer was interred with full military honors at Conestoga Memorial Park.

A low rumble announced the approach of the motorcycles at the head of the funeral procession.

A sizable group gathered in the cemetery as a powerful wind whistled through yellow maple leaves.

Seven rifles sounded a three-volley salute fired by Pennsylvania National Guard troops from the 328th Brigade Support Battalion, Lancaster.

Sgt. 1st Class Mark Carper, of the 28th Division Band, Holidaysburg, played taps.

Inside the mind of an abortionist...

This is macbre. He knows he's killing a human, he prays about it, he thinks it's necessary. Found at www.dfwcatholic.org;

DALLAS - Dr. Curtis Boyd is no stranger to controversy. In 1973, Boyd opened the Fairmount Center, which was the first abortion clinic in Texas.

Boyd is the only doctor in North Texas who will perform late-term abortions to women up to six months pregnant.

"We see patients from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and across Texas," he said.

Now, the doctor has made a jarring admission.

"Am I killing?" Boyd said. "Yes, I am. I know that."

Boyd said he is an ordained Baptist minister who has now turned Unitarian. He said he prays often.

"I'll ask that the spirit of this pregnancy be returned to God with love and understanding," he said.

Those prayers are vastly different than the ones that are made by members of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee who gather outside his office in hopes to sway women seeking abortions.

"Well, we're certainly disappointed to hear any unborn child will be killed by abortion," said Karen Garnett, with the Catholic Pro-Life Committee. "But, to hear it's a late-term abortion in Dallas, once again, it's particularly devastating."

The doctor opened the Southwestern Women's Surgery Center last week on Greenville Avenue. By law, Boyd must have a surgery center in order to abort a fetus more than 16 weeks along.

But, opposition to the late-term abortions doesn't just come from religious groups. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, whose district is where the surgery center resides, told News 8 he is troubled by the facility as well.

Boyd said he too has been troubled, but said his plight comes from the torment that drives patients to seek his services.

"The hardest ones are the young girls," he said.

Girls as young as nine and ten have come to his clinic, he said.

Death threats have become a norm in Boyd's life. He was a close friend of Dr. George Tiller, who was a Wichita, Kansas abortion doctor murdered in May.

"I don't want the fate that befell Dr. Tiller, but I'm not going to be deterred because what I'm doing is important," he said.

Boyd said he tries to make his phone numbers and address as private as possible and has heavy security.

I'd guess even in Sodom & Gomorrah there were folks who felt justified in what they did.

R.I.P. Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr.

Name: Army Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr.

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Age: 34

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From: Blairsville, Pa.

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Assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Incident: Army Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr. died Oct. 15 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed were Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr., Spc. Daniel C. Lawson and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer.

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Died: October 15, 2009


(Taken from www.pittsburglive.com)BLAIRSVILLE -- Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr. placed the welfare of the men in his Army unit above everything else, save that of his family.

True to form, the Blairsville native was leading a mission to assist fellow U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan Oct. 15 when his vehicle encountered a concealed explosive device, fatally injuring him and three other occupants.

Details of the ultimate sacrifice made by their 34-year-old son have been growing clearer in the days since a military officer arrived in Blairsville with the dread news for Glen Sr. and Jan Stivison.

Jan Stivison said Wednesday she was told her son's convoy of vehicles already was on the move when he decided they should alter their course to answer a distress call from a platoon that was under attack. The distressed platoon was "taking heavy fire, and one of their vehicles was hit," she related.

But, she said, her son and his fellow soldiers "weren't able to reach the people they were going to help before the explosion," along Highway 1 near Kandahar, Afghanistan. As was usual, she said, her son was in the lead vehicle of the convoy.

"My son's men loved him," she said, noting the mostly younger soldiers in his unit referred to him affectionately as "Papa Sti." Although, in terms of age, they were more like younger brothers, she said, "He referred to them as his kids."

"He told me his men would charge the gates of hell with nothing more than a spoon if he asked them to," she said. At the same time, "If they had to go out on a dangerous mission, they knew he'd be leading the charge."

A Department of Defense release Monday confirmed that Stivison was among four soldiers who died of wounds suffered when their vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Kandahar province. The others who perished were Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, of Lancaster, Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr., 28, of La Mirada, Calif., and Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, 33, of Deerfield Beach, Fla. They all were assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, based at Fort Carson, Colo.

The explosive device cut short the military career of Glen Stivison Jr., a 13-year Army veteran, husband and father of two boys. But his mother noted the combat engineer had completed the requirements for promotion to first sergeant and is expected to receive that recognition posthumously, along with the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

The latter honor, she said, stems from an incident when Glen Stivison Jr. was credited with saving the life of his own first sergeant in late July, after the other officer stepped on a hidden IED that blew away the lower part of his right leg.

She said her son quickly applied a tourniquet and called in assistance to have his first sergeant and friend promptly evacuated for medical treatment. "They say, because of my son's quick action, his very close friend is alive today," and recuperating at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Jan Stivison said.

Jan Stivison said her son had talked about joining the armed services while still a student at Blairsville High School. After he graduated in 1994, he initially pursued studies at Lock Haven University and Westmoreland County Community College.

When he was 21, he took a trip to Pittsburgh to take a military entrance test. His mother recalled cautioning him, "Don't sign any papers." But, at dinner that evening, he surprised his parents with the news that he'd enlisted in the Army.

Glen Stivison Jr. completed tours in Korea and Iraq before heading back to the Middle East in February. She said her son initially returned to Iraq but his unit was reassigned in May to Afghanistan to help clear explosives from roads.

Jan Stivison noted, when she became concerned about her son's safety on his latest mission, he replied simply, "I am a soldier. This is my job."

She said her son also reassured her: "He said, 'I'm Iron Man. Nothing's going to happen to me.'"

When Stivison's unit arrived in Afghanistan, he told his mother that the soldiers slept in tents but that cots were in short supply. Illustrating his regard for the men in his unit, she said, her son used his cot to stow his equipment and slept on the ground along with the other soldiers.

"He said, 'When my men have cots, I'll use a cot,'" she recalled. "It took them two months to get cots."

Stivison was able to return to his home in Colorado Springs, Colo., to see his wife, Eryn, and their children -- Andrew Wyatt, 6, and William Blaze, 8 -- during a leave in late September, before returning to duty in Afghanistan.

During such leaves, his mother said, "He spent as much time as he could with his kids. He went to school and ate lunch with them, and he went to their after-school activities. He took them to track practice and ran along with them."

Family members drove to Dover, Del., last Friday to witness the arrival back on U.S. soil of Stivison's remains. Jan Stivison said she planned to return today to Dover so she can accompany her son's body to Colorado Springs, where a visitation will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Shrine of Remembrance Funeral Home. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the Shrine of Remembrance "America the Beautiful" Chapel. Committal services with full military honors will follow.

Jan Stivison said a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date in Blairsville, at the First United Methodist Church.

Glen Stivison Jr. last returned to his hometown during a two-week break at Easter, during which he helped celebrate the 80 birthday of his maternal grandmother, Georgia Graham, who resides in the Aultman area.

Though he was known for his quiet demeanor as a youth, Stivison left a strong impression on those who knew him as he was growing up in Blairsville.

Before graduating from Blairsville High School, Stivison played for three years at offensive and defensive lineman for football coach Ab Dettorre.

Dettorre recalled Stivison as "a team kind of player" who enjoyed football. "He was a tough kid. He was ready to get in the dirt and play the game."

Off the field, he said, Stivison was mature and courteous. "He was a good kid. If he was your neighbor, and your mower broke, he'd cut your grass."

Stivison also wrestled in high school and enjoyed the outdoors, Dettorre said.

Dettorre called Stivison's death "a whole community loss. "

"I just feel so bad," the coach said. He was a gentleman. Unfortunately, he died way too young."

Jim Yohe, a retired Blairsville teacher who resides in Myrtle Beach, S.C., fondly remembered Stivison as a student in his U.S. history class.

"He was an extremely even-tempered person who was quiet and a hard worker," Yohe said. "He was just the kind of guy you'd like to have around."

Blairsville Elementary teacher Kathy Frola taught Stivison as a first-grader and helped organize an effort by students at the school to send letters and a Christmas care package to the soldier in 2003, when he was completing his first tour in Iraq. At the time, Stivison's younger brother, Ben, was a student in Frola's classroom and another brother, Billy, was a fourth-grader at the school.

"We were very proud of Glen," Frola said. "The first-graders considered him our hero."

"Our sympathy goes out to his family," she said. "He was a wonderful young man."

During last Friday's home football game at Blairsville, a moment of silence was observed in memory of Glen Stivison Jr. and the U.S. flag was flown at half-staff.

Tuesday, in a show of support for the Stivison family, faculty and staff at all buildings in the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District raised more than $1,000 that will be given to the family to help with travel expenses or other needs. Employees who dressed down in jeans that day paid $5 toward the fund drive while some participants donated more.

As the Stivisons struggle to cope with their loss, Jan said, "Blairsville has been wonderful. So many people are praying for us and have opened up their hearts and wallets to help us."

A listing of school children singing praise to B.O.

"This is about brainwashing our children into Leftist identity politics..."

IMHO that was the money quote from this article; http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/11/04/elementary-epidemic-11-uncovered-videos-show-school-children-performing-praises-to-obama/ which goes into great detail regarding videos of school children singing the praises of our Commander-in-Chief.

FWIW, to this point I've taken stories like this with a grain of salt. There are all sorts of idealistic idiots out there so whenever a tale came to light regarding anyone singing the praises of B.O. I'd shrug it off. "It's just a blip on the radar screen" was my thinking. After all, one of the two big reasons the man was elected was his skin color (the other being fairy tales spun about turning the economy around on a dime. Right.). That statement will get me branded as a racist, but when liberals of the Geraldine Ferarro level state the same thing during his campaign, I feel justified. Yet when I'd remember all this, tales of someone singing Hosannas regarding B.O. just made me shrug and move on.

But the listing of incidents in the linked article along with the steady demonizing of those holding traditional values, is starting to get my attention (some folk would probably say it's about time I woke up.).

The cult of personality fostered by the man's admirers is a recipe for disaster. Not so much because of B.O. himself, but because of the ease with which this mindset will become the norm. The norm for whoever might be in the Oval Office at any given time.

Look, we elect a Chief Executive. The man presents his resume for us, campaigns against competitors for the job, and if he seems competent enough we'll elect/hire him. Should he prove capable enough we'll give him an added four years of employment after the first term. After that he gets retired and we find another successful job applicant.

I don't see "god" in any of that. We're not choosing to follow a supposedly divinely designated monarch. Period. Hell, we decided to discontinue that practice back in the late 18th Century. Not looking for divinity in our leaders has served us well, all things considered.

But this mindless adulation is disturbing. While I doubt B.O. will prove competent enough for a second term in office, the habit of "hero worship" will continue on after he's gone. It could help our ultimate undoing.

To be fair, this sort of deification hasn't been something new or confined to any one political philosophy. Just look at the way the memories of JFK and Ronald Reagan are revered. Sorry to tell their worshippers, both of them were men like the rest of us. Their shit stank and they wore their trousers same as any other man.

But that type of adulation was reserved until AFTER they'd left office, even if via a form of martyrdom. Now it's starting during the campaign and continuing on. It's a mindset we should consciously discourage, no matter who the object is.

I cast my ballot for a human being, not a god.

Christmas comes early for a little girl...

The Return from Iraq - Click here for another funny movie.

(H/T Creative Minority Report)

R.I.P. Spc. Daniel C. Lawson

Name: Army Spc. Daniel C. Lawson

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Age: 33

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From: Deerfield Beach, Fla.

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Assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Incident: Army Spc. Daniel C. Lawson died Oct. 15 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed were Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr., Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr. and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer.

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Died: October 15, 2009

(Taken from www.palmbeachpost.com) DEERFIELD BEACH — A Deerfield Beach man is among four soldiers reported killed in Afghanistan last week when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province, the Department of Defense announced today.
Spc. Daniel Courtney Lawson, 33, was assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo. Also killed in the Oct. 15 attack were: Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr., 34, of Blairsville, Pa.; Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr., 28, of La Mirada, Calif; and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, of Lancaster, Pa.

Fort Carson spokesman Devin Fisher said Lawson joined the Army in January 2008 and was deployed to Iraq on Feb. 15, 2009. From there, he was sent to Afghanistan in May.

Lawson earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Campaign Star, and the Iraq Campaign Medal and Campaign Star.

His mother, Carolyn Lawson, said joining the Army was partly a financial decision for Lawson, who was born and raised in Deerfield Beach and graduated from Deerfield Beach High School in 1994.

"He was so full of life," his mother said. "Outgoing. Helpful. Kind. Considerate. A fun-loving, big kid."

Married since 1998, Lawson and his wife, Latoria, have three children. His oldest daughter, Kiara, is 10. Kourtney, also a girl, is 8. And their youngest child, a 5-year-old boy, is named Kevon.

Lawson earned an associate's degree in computer programming from ITT Technical Career Institute and worked as a teacher's assistant in the Broward County school system. But he joined the military for a more stable financial future for his family, she said.

"Each day, I'm accepting it a little bit more," Carolyn Lawson said of losing her son. "My faith in God is that He knows what is best. That's where my strength comes from."

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Lawson was the first serviceman from Broward to be killed in action this year, and the fourth from South Florida.

R.I.P. Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr.

Name: Army Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr.

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Age: 28

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From: La Mirada, Calif.

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Assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Incident: Army Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr. died Oct. 15 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed were Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr. and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer.

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Died: October 15, 2009


(Taken from www.whittierdailynews.com) LA MIRADA - A La Mirada man was one of four Army soldiers killed Thursday in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan after enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

All were assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr., 28, of La Mirada was among the dead.

Flores Jr., who joined the Army in December 2003, was a decorated soldier.

He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

There are no services planned at the base, officials said.

"There is no statement from command about the deaths at this time," said Garrison Public Information Officer Lori Walters.

"Specialist Jesus Flores will be forever remembered for his courage and strength while protecting our country's freedom," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement Tuesday. "Jesus' bravery is an example of the commitment and passion of our troops and we are forever indebted to his service."

Schwarzenegger sent his prayers and condolences to the Flores family, their friends and fellow soldiers.

His family could not be reached for further details about Flores' life on Tuesday.

The combat specialist was deployed to Iraq from February to May 2009 and was in Afghanistan since May.

Flores joined his unit in July 2008.

B.O. unmasked...

(Cheerfully stolen from Creative Minority Report)

Planned Parenthood shocked: Catholics act like Catholics!

WARNING: Anyone not familiar with toddler temper tantrums may want to skip this story.

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The president of Planned Parenthood has a bone to pick with the nation's Catholic bishops: she is upset they would urge Catholics to oppose the House health care reform bill because it includes abortion funding. (How dare they act on their religious convictions! The nerve!) Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood essentially admits that abortion funding is in the bill. (And the sun rises in the east.)

In two emails to supporters in recent days, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards admits that the bills in Congress all contain taxpayer funding of abortions.

"Because of relentless pressure from dedicated supporters like you, every version of the bills out there right now is free of the dangerous amendments anti-choice members of Congress tried to attach to health care reform," she says. "We've worked closely with pro-choice lawmakers to defeat dozens of proposed amendments." (Hmm. Doesn't this directly contradict what Pelosi & Co. have been saying? Naw, politicians wouldn't lie, would they?)

She said as many as 220,000 abortion advocates wrote to Congress based on action alerts in its emails urging for abortion funding to remain in the bills. Congressional offices also received another 18,000 phone calls from the Planned Parenthood system for abortion funding.

However, after learning that the nation's Catholics bishops are making good on their promise to wage an all-out campaign against the bills because they fund abortions, Richards is hopping mad.

"A few days ago, it felt as if we were holding strong in achieving health care reform" with abortion funding, she wrote in a follow-up email, "and then I received a copy of a memo that the Catholic bishops sent to their congregations."

"As I write this, the bishops have asked all the Catholics in the country to contact their legislators, asking them to alter current health care legislation to include anti-choice amendments. The bishops have inserted letters into church bulletins and asked priests to include their call to action in their sermons — and even in their prayers — during Sunday services," she complains. (Wah! This has the same tone as one of my daughter's hissyfits. She's all of two by the way.)

"It's clear that every group opposed to a woman's right to choose is pulling out all the stops this week to bring all the progress we've made on health care reform to a grinding halt," she continued.

Richards says the results "could be devastating to everyone who" is a Planned Parenthood customer. "Once again, we urgently need your help."

Her letter even encourages Catholics to defy the Church's pro-life teachings. (Yep, why worry about a little thing like eternity in Hell when the future of publicly funded babykilling is in jeopardy?)

"If you're Catholic and you disagree with the bishops, please let your legislators know when you send your message. Your voice as a pro-choice Catholic needs to be heard NOW," she says.

In an extraordinary call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United Sates Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts to almost 19,000 Catholic churches across the country. (It was extraordinary, I've not seen anything like it in 57 years.)

"Health care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them," the insert states. It urges readers to contact congressional leaders so they support efforts to "incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights" in health reform legislation.

"If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed," it adds. (I sent my email in, wonder if I've made a list of potential rightwing extremists by doing that?)

R.I.P. Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats

Name: Army Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats

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Age: 32

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From: Fredericksburg, Texas

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Assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin, Texas

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Incident: Army Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats died Oct. 16 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed was Spc. Anthony G. Green.

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Died: October 16, 2009


(Taken from mysanantonio.com)Fredericksburg native Christopher Staats, sent to Afghanistan in March to help farmers, was one of two Texas National Guardsmen killed when an improvised explosive device hit their vehicle Friday.

“Chris' entire goal was to help the Afghan people become self-sufficient,” Monteigne Staats said Sunday of her husband. “I'm so proud of Chris for his hard work, his dedication, his service and belief in helping others.”

Spc. Anthony G. Green, 28, of Yorktown, also died in the attack in Wardak province, which wounded two other soldiers. He and Staats, a 32-year-old staff sergeant, were assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment in Austin. They were the 11th and 12th Texas National Guardsmen to die in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001.

Staats lived in Boerne and worked at Halff Associates, a San Antonio engineering firm.

He and his wife, who teaches fifth grade in Harlandale Independent School District, were married in 2005, eight days before he left on a yearlong peacekeeping mission to Kosovo. They have no children.

His deployment to the more dangerous conflict in Afghanistan led Monteigne Staats, 29, to go into “survival mode” and stop watching news.

“I knew there was a lot of fighting going on, and Chris couldn't tell me about it,” she said.

Her husband graduated from Texas A&M in 2002 with a degree in renewable natural resources.

“He was among 12 people selected from across the state to be on an agribusiness development team,” she said.

Since getting the news, Staats' friends and relatives have been consoling each other at the family homestead in Fredericksburg, where Staats will likely be laid to rest.

“The soldiers came here Friday night,” said Bobby Staats, Chris Staats' father. “They said he was in a vehicle and an IED went off, and really more than that I don't know.”

In joining the guard upon graduating from Fredericksburg High School in 1996, Chris Staats followed the lead of his father and his older brother, Garrett, 38.

Chris Staats was anxious about working in Afghanistan. But, his father said, “He said, ‘It is what it is.' That's what his job was.”

Staats' mother, Lorna Eckhardt, speaking for herself and her husband, Gary, said, “We're proud of him, and he'll be missed.”

Staats' widow draws strength from the words of her husband's comrades.

“They said ‘Chris was a man's man.' It's true,” said Monteigne Staats. “They were saying he really was the glue that held them together, and was pushing for a lot of things to help the people in Afghanistan.”

Director of Texan abortion center quits after viewing ultrasound...

Bryan, TX (LifeNews.com) -- The director of a Texas-based Planned Parenthood has resigned her position saying that she has had a change of heart on abortion. The development highlights the powerful results ultrasounds have in convincing people of the humanity of the unborn child and the need to oppose abortions. (So an advance in science, and it's ready availability, prove the humanity of the unborn. This runs counter to too many mindsets that seem to equate our relative technological advancement over "primitive" times as justification for devaluing human life. The mindset I refer to acknowledges, "Oh sure, back when mankind was ignorant of the finer biological nuances it was an accepted thing that a fetus was human. But we're so much more advanced/sophisticated than that.")

Abby Johnson had been the director of the Planned Parenthood center in this college town, that is home to Texas A&M University, until she turned in her resignation on October 6.

She tells KBTX that seeing an ultrasound instantaneously prompted her to quit.

"I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," she said.

In the interview, Johnson admitted that Planned Parenthood doesn't make its money on promoting contraception or family planning, but through abortion. (What a shocker! Next we'll hear that the Emperor has no clothes.)

"It seemed like maybe that's not what a lot of people were believing any more because that's not where the money was. The money wasn't in family planning, the money wasn't in prevention, the money was in abortion and so I had a problem with that," she admitted.

She also told KBTX she was told to bring in more women for abortions -- something that contradicted her Episcopalian upbringing. (Recruit more women for abortions? Isn't that contrary to the whole concept of "choice"? Seems a bit coercive to me.)

"I feel so pure in heart (since leaving). I don't have this guilt, I don't have this burden on me anymore that's how I know this conversion was a spiritual conversion," she said.

Johnson said she will now work with the Coalition For Life, the pro-life group that operates locally and has a building down the street from the abortion business. She has been meeting with the coalition's executive director, Shawn Carney, and been seen outside the Planned Parenthood helping women find alternatives. (So this isn't just a case of "burn out" in a stressful occupation, it's a conversion of heart.)

KBTX indicates Planned Parenthood officials have hit both Johnson and the pro-life group with restraining orders requiring them not to disclose information about the abortions done at its facility. (What sort of information?)

Rochelle Tafolla, a Planned Parenthood spokesperson, said, "We regret being forced to turn to the courts to protect the safety and confidentiality of our clients and staff, however, in this instance it is absolutely necessary." (Hmm. Isn't that safety and confidentiality already protected by laws on the books? When I worked at a bariatric treatment center a few years back we were formally trained on those things. Even building maintenance personnel like yours truly were required to keep our mouths shut. So what would NOT be covered by those laws? Is Lila Rose available for travel to Texas?)

That Johnson would admit that Planned Parenthood is more accurately described as an abortion business doesn't surprise pro-life advocates. (Or anyone with two brain cells working in series.)

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America released its annual report for fiscal year 2007-2008 and it showed the nation's largest abortion business is getting bigger. (Babykilling for fun and profit, especially profit. It's all about the Benjamins.)

According to Planned Parenthood's latest report, abortions increased to 305,310 abortions up from 289,750 in 2006.

That 5.3 percent increase came at a time when the Guttmacher Institute, it's former research arm, showed abortions were at near-historic lows. (Mark Twain said, "There are lies, damned lies and statistics.")

Looking at Planned Parenthood data from 1997 to the present, the increase in government funding corresponds with an increase in the number of abortions.

In 1997, Planned Parenthood did about 160,000 abortions and received approximately $160 million in total taxpayer funding from various levels of government. (And that taxpayer funding is all the justification needed for prolifers to be the "nosy busybodies" many proaborts accuse us of. Take away my tax dollars for killing your kid and then we'll talk about nosing into other people's affairs. Until then, STFU!) Both the number of abortions and the amount of money received from government, supposedly for family planning to reduce abortions, has doubled since then.

Planned Parenthood also says it helped just under 11,000 women in 2007 with prenatal care and pregnancy help services.

Yet, prenatal care and adoption referrals resulted for only 5 percent of the total services provided to women in 2007 while abortions accounted for 95 percent of the services that year, according to Planned Parenthood's own figures. (Dispensing the Pill isn't quite as lucrative as killing children.)

How the President lies...

Found this via Lucianne.com;

Obama Uses Semantics To Avoid Abortion Issue

By Susan Brinkmann, For The Bulletin

A pro-life Congressman is claiming that President Barack Obama told him in a phone conversation that when he addressed Congress on Sept. 9 and said “under our plan no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions” he was not talking about any of the bills currently pending on the Hill, but his own plan – which only exists theoretically.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D., Mich., told CNSNews.com that he confronted the president about this statement in a phone conversation, saying that abortion funding was indeed provided in all of the bills on the Hill. The President corrected him saying that when he addressed Congress, he said, “Under my plan” abortion funding would not be provided.

At this point, Rep. Stupak said, “With all due respect sir, you do not have a plan. The only plan we have out is the House plan’.”

The president offered no reply, saying only, “Go back and work with the people on your committee and get this matter worked out. Work with the Speaker. Work with us, would you?”

“So, I don’t know if it is a game of semantics or what,” Rep. Stupak concluded.

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, believes a game of semantics is exactly what the president is playing.

“Every time the President has spoken of not wanting to fund abortion in ‘his’ health care plan, no one has really known what measure he was talking about,” said Fr. Pavone. “Now, we know from his conversation with Congressman Stupak that the President’s ‘plan’ has never seen the light of day. Or, maybe, to paraphrase former President Bill Clinton, it depends on what the word ‘plan’ means.”

These semantic games were contemptible when Clinton used them to cover up games with an idiot young enough to be his daughter (Note: I felt he SHOULD NOT have faced impeachment, but thats material for another post). For the present occupant of the Oval Office to engage in them on an issue of this importance goes beyond that. It places him on the level of pond scum.

R.I.P. Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski

Name: Army Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski

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Age: 28

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From: Rantoul, Ill.

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Assigned to 293rd Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), Fort Stewart, Ga.

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Incident: Army Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski died Oct. 16 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED.

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Died: October 16, 2009


(Taken from www.chicagobreakingnews.com) An Army sergeant who was a native of Downstate Rantoul died Friday after he was wounded in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense said today.

Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski, 28, died near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. Rudzinski was assigned to a military police brigade based in Fort Stewart, Ga.

Three other soldiers were killed in the bombing, according to the Associated Press.

Rudzinski's death was the latest blow to his family, who dealt with the loss of his mother, Bonita, from cancer in 1993 and a tragic fall from a Florida nightclub balcony that killed his sister Jacqui in 2005, said Bill Scott, a neighbor of Rudzinski's father, Michael, in Rantoul.

"It's a story of loss of biblical proportions," Scott said.

Michael Rudzinski couldn't be reached for comment Sunday, but the veteran of the Iraq war in 2003 spoke about his son to the conservative magazine National Review in 2005 for a piece about fathers and sons serving in the military.

"I believe Chris joined because he loved his country and he loved his family and he wanted to do something for both," Michael Rudzinski told the magazine. "I'd like to think that my dad and I were an inspiration to Chris. After all, my dad was the inspiration for me to join."

Christopher Rudzinski, a 1999 graduate of Rantoul Township High School, is remembered as a well-liked member of the school band, who participated in school musicals.

"He made people laugh all the time. He was very fun, very positive," said Rudzinski's high school friend, Angela Erickson. "If you were down, he'd go out of his way just to make you smile," she said.

These attributes were on full display when his younger sister and Erickson's best friend Jacqui died.

"I hadn't talked to him in years and then I saw him at the funeral and the first thing he did was hug me and say 'Hey, it's going to be all right.' That's something that I won't forget ever," Erickson said.

"He was a very normal, happy-go-lucky kid. (He) didn't view life too seriously and enjoyed people," Scott added.

Scott said that while Michael Rudzinski is devastated by his son's death, he is inspired the help his daughter-in-law, Caroline, who his son met in Germany and the couple's infant son, Ryan.

"On one hand he's in complete and utter shock, but on the other hand he's got a strong desire to provide and protect for his grandson and his daughter-in-law," Scott said.

The sorrow is felt throughout the small town Rantoul, which served as a home for airmen for nearly 70 years at the now-shuttered Chanute Air Force Base. Rudzinski is the first Rantoul resident killed in action in Afghanistan, Mayor Neal Williams said.

"It really makes you think about family. I think it brings the community closer together. It's saddening and ... this is a former military community," Williams said.

Rudzinski's body will be escorted by local police and fire vehicles along a route lined by miniature American flags, the mayor added.

In addition to his father and stepmother, Rudzinski is survived by his wife, Caroline Rudzinski Gilch; his son, Ryan; his older sister, Annette; his stepmother, Natalie; two stepbrothers; and a younger brother.

R.I.P. Spc. Anthony G. Green

Name: Army Spc. Anthony G. Green

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Age: 28

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From: Matthews, N.C.

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Assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin, Texas

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Incident: Army Spc. Anthony G. Green died Oct. 16 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats.

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Died: October 16, 2009


(Taken from www.myvictoria.com) Flags fly at half staff across Yorktown.

"The soldiers came here Friday night about 9:30 and of course I happened to be the only one here, and when I saw them come up the sidewalk, I realized what happened." Spc. Anthony G. Green's grandmother, Dorothy Cleveland said.

Texas National Guard Spc. Anthony G. Green, known as Gabriel by his friends and family, died on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. The military reports Green and another soldier were killed when a road side bomb struck their unit.

Green, just 28 years old, was a graduate of Yorktown High School and lived in the small community most of his life before marrying his high school sweetheart and having two daughters.

"He was kind and generous and just loving, and he liked people and it seemed like they liked him too." Cleveland said.

Green's grandmother adds that during high school he talked of one day joining the military, but before enlisting, he worked briefly in North Carolina.

"He loved his country and felt like it was his duty to go and serve." Cleveland said.

But this was not Green's first go around serving our country. He served twice in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan and he was just weeks away from coming home to visit his loved ones.

"Everyone was looking forward to him coming home, his wife and little girls were planning all kinds of things for him." Cleveland said.

But now, instead of planning a party, they're planning a funeral.

The last time a Yorktown soldier died while serving our county was back during the Vietnam War. The names of those soldiers are listed on a memorial in front of the Yorktown Public Library. In the near future, Spc. Green's name will be added to the list of Yorktown soldiers who have died in the line of duty.

While all of the family is grieving the loss of a beloved son, brother, grandson and husband, Cleveland worries most about his two young daughters who are three and six years old.

"It's going to be hard for the girls cause they really loved their Daddy, and he was really a good father, and he loved those little girls." Cleveland said.

Spc. Green will be buried in Yorktown. The family says the funeral is tentatively scheduled for this Saturday providing that Green's body is back in the states by then.

R.I.P.

KILLED IN ACTION: OCTOBER 11 - 17, 2009

Please pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who served our nation with honor, and remember also those who mourn their loss.

Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr., 23, CA
Spc. Anthony G. Green, 28, NC
Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski, 28, IL
Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats, 32, TX
Spc. Jesus O. Flores Jr., 28, CA
Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, 33, FL
1st Cpl. Maj. Rosario Ponziano, 25, Italy
Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr., 34, PA
Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, PA

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

R.I.P., Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr.

Name: Army Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr.

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Age: 23

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From: Moreno Valley, Calif.

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Assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

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Incident: Army Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr. died Oct. 17 in Argahndab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED.

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Died: October 17, 2009

(Taken from www.theolympian.com) The Fort Lewis community gathered Wednesday to remember Spc. Michael A. Dahl Jr. as a soft-spoken guy who never seemed to get rattled or upset.

The man who his fellow soldiers described as fun-loving and easy-going died Oct. 17 in Argahndab, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.
Dahl, 23, of Moreno Valley, Calif., belonged to the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – specifically, the hard-hit 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. His memorial was held the same day eight more soldiers from the 1-17 were confirmed dead, also by enemy bombs.

Honest. Humble. Caring. Those were the words of tribute written by Dahl’s friend Spc. Peyton Cloninger in Afghanistan. They were read Wednesday at the memorial by Spc. Benjamin Gerdsen.

Dahl never liked to sit idle, his friend said. While other soldiers back home may have been content to watch movies or play X-Box, Dahl would persuade them they needed a trip to Las Vegas.

But while Dahl liked to have fun, he also had a serious side.

He first served in Iraq as a member of the Army Reserve. When he returned from combat, he chose to sign up for active duty and was deployed to Afghanistan.

“He was an Army-oriented person who wouldn’t trade his job for the world,” Gerdsen said, reading from Cloninger’s tribute. “Not only was he a great friend, he was a good soldier.”

Chaplain Col. Kenneth Hegtvedt said Dahl embodied solid Army values.

“He gave his life for strangers... many of whom have never known the freedom we take for granted,” Hegtvedt said.

Dahl was the recipient of the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and other medals honoring his service in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is survived by his father, Mike, his mother, Patricia, and his brother Angel in California.

Members of the family did not attend Wednesday’s memorial. But the North Fort Chapel was filled with soldiers, their spouses and civilians who watched, wept and listened as a traditional military farewell played out. Two bag pipers offered hymns. Guns outside the chapel volleyed in salute. “Taps” was played.

Staff Sgt. Matthew Beaudette gave a last roll call of soldiers. Those who were present in the chapel responded.

But when Dahl’s name was called repeatedly, there was only silence.

After the ceremony ended, soldiers and other mourners approached the helmet, gun and boots that stood at the front of the chapel along with Dahl’s photograph. Two-by-two, they offered salutes or bowed heads.

Several soldiers left dog tags or coins imprinted with the name of Dahl’s unit. Several women left white roses. After everyone left, soldiers helped pack up the mementos to send to Dahl’s family.

Free speech taking a hit in Maine...

Found this on www.alliancedefensefund.org

AUGUSTA, Maine — A high school counselor who supports marriage between one man and one woman has been reported to a Maine licensing board because of his views. Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund represent Donald Mendell, the subject of a complaint filed with the Board of Social Worker Licensure by a co-worker because he expressed support for marriage and the "Vote Yes on One" campaign.

"No one should have their livelihood placed in jeopardy because they believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks. "This threat to Don, his family, and his career makes clear that those in favor of redefining marriage also want to penalize and silence those who don't agree with them. So, the definition of marriage is not the only thing at issue here. Free speech, freedom of conscience, and religious liberty are also in danger."

The complaint attacking Mendell, a licensed counselor at Nokomis Regional High School, accuses him of violating the state's code of ethics for social workers because of his expressed position on marriage.

The complaint cites his appearance in a "Vote Yes on One" television ad that encourages citizens to vote in favor of Ballot Question 1, which would allow Mainers to repeal a recent law that imposed a redefinition of marriage on the people. The complaint fails to mention that the ad was created in response to a "Vote No on One" ad that featured a Nokomis teacher encouraging a "no" vote on Question 1 from a classroom at the high school itself. The complaint is not critical of that ad or the teacher featured in it.

Mendell has 30 days from the date he received a copy of the complaint to respond to it.

So it appears that the Board of Social Worker Licensure doesn't really give a hoot if some fudgepacking adovcate who teaches high school makes a political statement, but the roof just might fall in on a believer in traditional morality & values.

All animals are equal, some are more equal than others.

Don't be late getting out of bed...

"Fuzzy language" and government funded abortions

(H/T to Cookie for this one)

Message from the Bishop of Dallas:

Urgent Message from Bishop Farrell:

Congress is preparing to debate health care reform legislation. The Catholic bishops of the United States strongly support genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all, from the moment of conception until natural death. However, all current bills are seriously deficient on abortion and conscience rights, and do not yet provide adequate access to health care for immigrants and the poor.

I and my brother bishops in the U.S. Bishops Conference ask you to please contact your Representative and Senators immediately and urge them to fix these bills with pro-life amendments. Please click here for information and a web address that allows you to send an email message to Congress with a click of a button. Para español presione aqui. I along with all bishops in the USCCB ask for your swift action and the commitment of your prayers for this critical effort. Thank you for your help. We can help make sure that health care reform will be about saving lives, not destroying them.

Suggested Prayer of the Faithful:

That Congress will act to ensure that needed health care reform will truly protect the life, dignity and health care of all and that we will raise our voices to protect the unborn and the most vulnerable and to preserve our freedom of conscience. We pray to the Lord.

Plegaria de Intercesión Sugerida:

Que el Congreso actúe para asegurar que la reforma al sistema de salud proteja la vida, la dignidad y la salud de todos y que nosotros alcemos nuestras voces para proteger la vida de los niños por nacer y de los más vulnerables y para preservar nuestra libertad de conciencia. Roguemos al Señor.

When will B.O. & Co. support the military?

Found this via Lucianne.com on commentarymagazine.com:

The Price of Those Seminars

Posted By Jennifer Rubin On October 31, 2009 @ 9:15 AM

This sobering report comes from the Washington Post:

More than 1,000 American troops have been wounded in battle over the past three months in Afghanistan, accounting for one-fourth of all those injured in combat since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. The dramatic increase has filled military hospitals with more amputees and other seriously injured service members and comes as October marks the deadliest month for American troops in Afghanistan.

How many were killed or lost a limb, I wonder, while the president dithered and delayed implementing the recommendations of his hand-picked general? It is not an inconsequential question. The president acts as though there were no downside to the lethargic pace of his decision-making. He would have us believe that there is no price to be paid as he micromanages, province-by-province, the number of troops he’ll dispense. He seems content to entertain the recommendations of Gens. Joe Biden and John Kerry – drawing on their years of experience (in assessing nearly every national-security challenge incorrectly) while discarding that of the real experts.

What’s a few more weeks? Or months? Well, we know there is indeed a price to allowing our current approach to languish. There is a very real cost to delaying implementation of the new plan that is the best available to achieve victory as quickly as possible. The enemy is emboldened. More civilians die. The political and security situation in Pakistan worsens. And more brave Americans are asked to sacrifice themselves while Obama considers and reconsiders whether there isn’t any way to shave some money off the tab and reduce the number of troops his commanders say are needed. After all, health care is going to cost an awful lot.

The horrid reality of war is that parents send their children to die or to return in a condition they could not possibly have envisioned. But to sacrifice even a single American who was engaged in a fruitless exercise or an understaffed operation so the president can conduct a seminar and postpone a confrontation with his own party (which no longer can stomach the “good war”) is reprehensible.

Every damned one of the casualties is someones son, brother, husband, father or friend. They aren't all just names on a list. Lately I've started looking for more in depth information on the names I put up every week. It's sobering to say the least.

One man was leading efforts to provide water supplies in drought-stricken Africa before he went on active duty, yet another was a full-blooded Navajo active in tribal affairs, another hadn't seen his mother in seven years because of her antipathy towards his military service, many were fresh out of high school and looking to provide a meaningful contribution to their nation, it goes on and on...

They were all SOMEBODY, not just warm bodies wearing a uniform. The men and women serving deserve our support to the max, because they themselves may be giving their all sometime soon.

And the present Administration is contemptible in it's treatment of them.

R.I.P. Spc. Kevin O. Hill

Name: Army Spc. Kevin O. Hill

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Age: 23

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From: Brooklyn, N.Y.

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Assigned to the 576th Mobility Augmentation Company, Fort Carson, Colo.

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Incident: Army Spc. Kevin O. Hill died Oct. 4 at Contingency Outpost Dehanna, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and indirect fires.

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Died: October 04, 2009

(The following was taken from www.newsday.com)A 23-year-old Army soldier from Brooklyn died earlier this week in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

Spc. Kevin O. Hill, of East New York, died Sunday at Contingency Outpost Dehanna when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and indirect fires, the Department of Defense said in a news release. He was assigned to the 576th Mobility Augmentation Company, Fort Carson, Colo.

Hill enlisted in the Army last year to follow in his father's footsteps, his sister, Chinyere Hill, said Wednesday. Their father, Oslen Hill, 52, served in Operation Desert Storm during the 1991 Persian Gulf conflict, she said.

Kevin Hill was born in Fayetteville, N.C., and spent his early childhood at Fort Bragg, his sister said, until the family moved to Bushwick when he was 5.

He graduated from John Dewey High School and received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Monroe College, his sister said.

Last Friday, he called home and spoke to their mother, Mahalia Hill. "He said he was doing OK," recalled Chinyere Hill, 26, adding that he also expressed worry over friends who had died in the war.

"My mom said, 'Be focused and try not to think about it too much,' " his sister said.

Hill was quiet, enjoyed playing video games and visiting museums, his favorite being the Brooklyn Museum, his sister said.

"He was really determined and goal-focused," she said, adding that he had aspirations of moving up in the military.

Hill had been in Afghanistan only a few months, his sister said. Because he was a prison guard, his family hoped that would mean he would be safer, she said: "He told us he was going to be OK because he wouldn't be out in the field."

His tour was set to end in February, his sister said, and he had been home for two weeks in August.

"We're still in disbelief," his sister said. "We're hoping it's a mistake. We don't even know the details of what happened. It's surreal."

He is also survived by another sister, Shantel Hill, 17. Funeral arrangements are pending, his family said.