Fallen but not forgotten: 9 more deaths
Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2007 9:01 AM by Daily Nightly Contributor
Filed Under:
John Rutherford
By John Rutherford, NBC News Producer, Washington
Eight soldiers and one Marine died last week in Iraq, bringing the number of American deaths to 3,827 through Oct. 21. Another 446 service members have died in Afghanistan.
1. Army Sgt. 1st Class Justin Monschke, 28, of Krum, Texas, a Green Beret, died Oct. 14 when he got out of a vehicle in Arab Jabour, Iraq, and stepped on a roadside bomb. His brother, Jarett, had to break the news to their mother. "Jarett came to me, and he couldn't get it out," their mother told WFAA. "I knew from his face, and I just started screaming." Monschke leaves his widow, Melissa, and their children, Ashley, Ryan, and Dylan.
2. Army Pfc. Kenneth Iwasinski, 22, and his father were going to work on a car together and catch up when he returned home from Iraq to West Springfield, Mass., in January. But he was killed Oct. 14 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, while on patrol with the 2nd Infantry Division. "I talked to him 20 minutes before he went out on that mission," his father told the Springfield Republican. "He was coming to the end of his tour. I wanted to make sure that he stayed focused."
3. Army 1st Lt. Thomas Martin, 27, of Ward, Ark., was the son of career military parents. A graduate of West Point, he was a cavalry scout officer with the 25th Infantry Division. Martin was killed Oct. 14 by small arms fire in Al Busayiki, Iraq. "It was just devastating," his high school physics teacher told KATV. "It's the news that hits you in the gut and makes you want to sit down and cry when you hear it." Martin was due home in a few weeks.
4. Army Spc. Jason Koutroubas, 21, of Dunnellon, Fla., was remembered as a quiet, unassuming kid who always wanted to be in the military. He was a ground station analyst with the 1st Cavalry Division in Tal Afar, Iraq. "He said there were a lot of sandstorms, and he missed trees," a friend told the Ocala Star-Banner. Koutroubas, who looked forward to going to college, died Oct. 14 in a non-combat incident. He leaves a widow and infant daughter.
5. Army Spc. Micheal Brown of Williamsburg, Kan., joined the Army in 2005. Although only 20 years old, he was on his second tour in Iraq when he died Oct. 16 of an undisclosed illness at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. He had been transported from Tikrit, Iraq, the day before. Brown was an aviation operations specialist with the 1st Infantry Division. "He was a very funny, witty, and outgoing guy," a friend wrote in legacy.com.
6. Army Spc. Vincent Madero, 22, of Port Hueneme, Calif., was with the 1st Cavalry Division. In June, six months after returning from his first tour in Iraq, he married his wife, Ellen. In August, he returned to Iraq for another tour. "He wanted to go back so he could help the younger guys," his sister told the Ventura County Star. On Oct. 17, he was killed by a roadside bomb in Balad. Besides Ellen, he leaves her baby son from another relationship.
7. Army Staff Sgt. Jarred Fontenot, 35, of Port Barre, La., and his sister were raised by their grandparents after their father died when Fontenot was 9 and their mother died three years later. Fontenot died Oct. 18 of injuries suffered in a fire fight in Baghdad. "I was numb," his grandfather told the Colorado Springs Gazette. "I wanted to cry." Fontenot, with the 2nd Infantry Division, is survived by his widow and four children, two of whom are autistic.
8. Army Spc. Wayne Geiger, 23, of Lone Pine, Calif., graduated from high school in 2003, joined the Army in 2005, and deployed to Iraq in 2007. Less than two months into his tour, on Oct. 18, he was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. Geiger, with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, is survived by his parents and sister. "Our family's sorrow is so deep there are no words for it," a cousin wrote in sierrawave.net.
9. Marine Cpl. Erik Garoutte, 22, of Santee, Calif., was assigned to an anti-terrorism security team. He died Oct. 19 at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. He collapsed while exercising and never regained consciousness. His mother had a heart attack when she heard of his death. "The doctor said that literally a piece of her heart died with him," a family friend told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Besides his mother, who is recovering, Garoutte is survived by his father and four siblings.
Washington Producer John Rutherford is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He posts a weekly tribute to service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
