One of the most highly decorated Marines during the war in Iraq had to drink to fall asleep. He once tried to kill himself.

This was after Jeremiah Workman’s tour in Fallujah, where on Dec. 23, 2004, he demonstrated such extraordinary heroism that he was awarded the Navy Cross, an award for valor second only to the Medal of Honor.

He led three assaults into a house where insurgents had trapped other Marines. Injured by grenade shrapnel, he helped save many of those Marines and kill 24 insurgents.

Retired Staff Sgt. Workman, now 27, originally is from Richwood, Ohio, and was a high-school football player. He tells these biographical details to current and retired Marines, including the ones he has spoken with in Ohio over the past few days.

“I wasn’t broken before I went in,” he tells them. “I’m you.”

He still goes to counseling, he says, and he still takes medicine for post-traumatic stress disorder. If a football player from Richwood High School, not to mention a Navy Cross recipient, admits that he needed help after a deployment, maybe other Marines will admit it, too.

To read more visit:
Hero helps ‘broken’ troops
Thursday, September 2, 2010  02:59 AM
By Jeb Phillips
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Patriot Guard Riders are coming to Killeen, TX not to do their usual work, but to celebrate, exchange ideas, pass on successes. This is a great opportunity for the Ft Hood community to meet and join in on this national event.

As with any meeting or gathering of motorcycle riders there will be a diverse set of people from all over the country.  The PGR invites you to join them for three days of fun, entertainment, and pay tribute to our military and their families.

Come for The American Traveling Tribute, an 80% replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in DC, will be on display for the entire event.  Several tributes and ceremonies will be held to remember our fallen warriors and their families, the victims of the Fort Hood tragedy, 9/11 victims and pay tribute to the men and women of our armed forces. 

Come for the Field of Honor, a display of American flags with dog tags with names of veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice at the altar of freedom.

Come for the vendors who will provide information, resources and goods. Food and soft drinks will be available by local vendors.

Come for the entertainment and experience the Freedom Rocks concert, you’ll be impressed with this patriotic extravaganza.  This year’s headliner is Jeff Senour and CTS Band, who won the Branson Stars and Stripes music award with “Way Back Home”.   Urban Quartet will open the show with a unique talented musical group. A local High School orchestra has been invited to provide an added element of community.   Local bands will entertain the crowds throughout the day.

For more information:
Visit our National GOTG 2010 page

Specialist 2nd Class Jarod Newlove

Logar provincial police chief Ghulam Mustafa told Reuters that his captors had probably dumped the body after the sailor died from wounds received in the incident that led to his capture.

“The body was spotted by villagers,” he said.

A U.S. defense official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier also reported the recovery and it comes two days after officials announced they had the remains of the first sailor.

The two U.S. Navy service members went missing on Friday after failing to return in a vehicle they had taken from their compound in Kabul, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Saturday.

The alliance had no immediate comment on the latest report.

On Sunday, the Taliban said they were holding prisoner one of the two sailors, who had strayed into territory controlled by the insurgents just south of the capital, and that the other had been killed.

ISAF scrambled helicopters and planes to look for the pair after they went missing, but officials have declined to give anything but scant details since, prompting speculation that the two had been acting outside the chain of command.

Leaflets depicting photos of the men were distributed in Logar province where the two went missing, less than 100 km (60 miles) south of Kabul and announcements on local radio stations offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to a rescue.

On Sunday, a spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location that the group’s leadership would decide later on the fate of the second sailor.

Resource: AP

2nd Class Justin McNeley

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor and the identity of another sailor listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN). The announcement resulted from a July 23 incident in Logar province, Afghanistan, while the sailors were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley, 30, of Wheatridge, Colo., died from wounds sustained from the July 23 incident. Coalition Forces recovered his body July 25 after an extensive search. He was assigned to Assault Craft Unit One (ACU-1), San Diego.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, 25, of Renton, Wash., is listed as DUSTWUN from the July 23 incident. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, and the incident is under investigation.

Specialist 2nd Class Jarod Newlove

ENCINITAS – One of two U.S. sailors missing in Afghanistan is the son of an Encinitas deputy fire marshal.

Deputy Fire Marshal George McNeley sent an e-mail to city workers and fire officials today saying his son, Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley, was killed in action, Encinitas Mayor Dan Dalager told the San Diego Union- Tribune.

The Taliban has claimed they killed a U.S. sailor and kidnapped another on Friday. A massive manhunt has been underway since the sailors went missing.

“People are just pretty much in shock,” Dalager said. “I know our firefighters are already working on some things to help the family.”

George McNeley has worked for the Encinitas Fire Department for five years, Dalager said.

Justin McNeley, was stationed in San Diego before his deployment, but served with a different unit in Afghanistan.

McNeley is believed to have driven into Taliban territory Friday along with Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale.

The two Navy personnel were in the eastern province of Logar, after an armored sport utility vehicle was seen driving into a Taliban-held area. NATO officials were unable to say what they were doing in such a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan.

The Taliban have said previously that they killed one of the two men in a firefight and captured the other.

Jim Kerr, a Colorado legislator, said the sailor killed was his wife’s nephew, Justin McNeley, 30. He said the family learned of his death Monday. He said McNeley’s mother is in Kingman, Arizona, but declined to give her name.

Kerr told The Denver Post that McNeley, a noncommissioned officer and father of two sons, was due to return to the U.S. in August.

The Taliban have said the captured sailor is in a “safe place” where he will not be found.

In a statement, the NATO-led command said the body was recovered Sunday after an extensive search and that the coalition “holds the captors accountable for the safety and proper treatment of our missing service member.”

Hundreds of fliers, with reprinted photos of the two sailors, have been distributed throughout Logar province where NATO troops were stopping vehicles, searching them and those inside. NATO has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the surviving sailor’s location.

In another incident, a soldier from San Diego was among those killed Saturday by a roadside bomb attack on their vehicle in Afghanistan.

They are identified as 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Conrad A. Mora of San Diego, Calif.; 23-year-old Sgt. Daniel Lim of Cypress, Calif.; 27-year-old Spc. Joseph A. Bauer, 27, of Cincinnati, Ohio; and 25-year-old Pfc. Andrew L. Hand of Enterprise, Ala.

The four were assigned to 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade at the Army base near Tacoma, Wash.

The Pentagon also released the names Monday of two high-ranking Camp Pendleton-based Marines killed in combat last week in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Mario D. Carazo, 41, of Springfield, Ohio, and Maj. James M. Weis, 37, of Toms River, N.J., were killed Thursday in Helmand Province, according to the Department of Defense.

They were members of Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the servicemen’s deaths “tragic losses for this country.”

“They devoted themselves to serving our nation with honor and integrity, and their selfless sacrifices will never be forgotten,” the governor said.

Resource: sandiego6.com

Dignified transfer

Week ending Jul 02, 2010 the US Department of Defense released the names of 15 military personnel who died, while serving in the United States armed forces.  The DoD also announced the return 7 WWII and 1 Korean War MIA. This episode also includes a courtesy update for a soldier previously reported on.

Welcome viewers. These weekly episodes pay tribute to brave men and women who answered the call of our country and died while supporting our nation’s wars.   We focus on the warrior as a human whose lives have impacted families, friends, and our neighbors around the world.  Your respectful comments are welcomed and serve as memorial tributes to our fallen soldiers. Political opinions and debates are best suited elsewhere.

Fallen Description Below:

Fallen Description:

Air Force

US Army Air Corp, 4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 60th Troop Carrier Group,

Army Capt. Joseph M. Olbinski, Chicago;

1st Lt. Joseph J. Auld, Floral Park, N.Y.;

1st Lt. Robert M. Anderson, Millen, Ga.;

Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Frantz, Tyrone, Penn.;

Pfc. Richard M. Dawson, Haynesville, Va.;

Pvt. Robert L. Crane, Sacramento, Calif.;

Pvt. Fred G. Fagan, Piedmont, Ala.,

Marines

Sgt. Joseph D. Caskey, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pa., 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Cpl. Daane A. Deboer, 24, of Ludington, Mich., 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Cpl. Larry D. Harris Jr., 24, of Thornton, Colo., 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Lance Cpl. William T. Richards, 20, of Trenton, Ga., 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Army

Pfc. Bryant J. Haynes, 21, of Epps, La., 199th Support Battalion, Louisiana Army National Guard, Alexandria, La.

Spc. Matthew R. Hennigan, 20, of Las Vegas, Nev., 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany.

Sgt. David A. Holmes, 34, of Tennille, Ga., 810th Engineer Company, Swainsboro, Ga.

Spc. Joseph D. Johnson, 24, of Flint, Mich., 161st Engineer Support Company, 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade, 18th Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Edwardo Loredo, 34, of Houston, Texas, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Spc. Jared C. Plunk, 27, of Stillwater, Okla., 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Pfc. Robert K. L. Repkie, 20, of Knoxville, Tenn., 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Sgt. John M. Rogers, 26, of Scottsdale, Ariz., 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Staff Sgt. Eric Shaw 31, of Exeter, Maine; 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Sgt. David W. Thomas, 40, of St. Petersburg, Fla. 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY.

Spc. Blair D. Thompson, 19, of Rome, N.Y., 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Navy

U.S. Navy Ensign Robert W. Langwell, of Columbus, Ind., Korean War MIA