Fallen but not forgotten: no Christmas
Posted: Thursday, December 27, 2007 6:58 AM by Daily Nightly Contributor
Filed Under:
John Rutherford
By John Rutherford, NBC News Producer, Washington
The Pentagon said three American soldiers died last week in Iraq, bringing the total U.S. casualties to 3,894 in Iraq and 469 in Afghanistan.
1. Army Pfc. Juctin McDaniel, 19, of Andover, N.H., liked helping his stepfather in the garden and playing basketball with his brothers and sisters. "Kinda quiet, but always ready to wave and say 'Hello,'" a neighbor told the Honolulu Advertiser. "He found a lot of direction having joined the military." McDaniel deployed to Iraq last month for a 15-month tour as a power generation equipment repairer. His Dec. 17 death in Baghdad in a non-combat incident was under investigation.
2. Army 1st Lt. Jeremy Ray, 26, of Houston loved guitars, classic cars, and motorcycles. He was an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Texas A&M University. He deployed to Iraq Nov. 8 with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and was killed Dec. 20 by a suicide bomber in Kanaan. "He probably never felt it," his father told Fox26. "It was just that quick." Ray's family has had a hard time coping with his death. "I woke up this morning thinking it was a nightmare," Ray's father told Fox26.
3. Army Pfc. George Howell, 24, of Salinas, Calif., enlisted six months ago because he couldn't find a job. "Georgie could not find anything, so he went into the service," his uncle told the Salinas Californian. "When he came home, he looked sharp. He straightened out, and you could tell he was proud of it." Howell, with the 10th Mountain Division, was killed Dec. 21 by a roadside bomb in Riyadh, Iraq. He leaves his pregnant wife, Kirsten, daughter, Niya, 5, and son, Raiden, 2.
Washington Producer John Rutherford is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He posts a weekly tribute to service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan
