Please Remember Army Pfc. Brian J. Backus

Today we remember Army Pfc. Brian J. Backus, 21-years-old, killed June 18^th in Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.

Backus, from Saginaw Township, Michigan, was a combat medic assigned to the 2^nd Battalion, 87^th Infantry Regiment, 3^rd Brigade Combat Team, 10^th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

He joined the army in 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in March, earning the Combat Medical Badge while he was there.

“Brian was a beautiful young man, and this is really hitting us hard,” said Rev. Paula M. Timm, pastor of Harbor Beach United Methodist Church, where Backus went to church.

“He was just in church a few months ago looking all handsome, and we sort of prayed over him and blessed him,” Timm said. “I call him a beautiful young man because he had a tender spirit, he was good-hearted and giving.”

“He had that twinkle in his eye and he was just a sweetheart. This is just breaking our hearts.”

Backus is survived by his 2-year-old son, Jack, his brother Paul, and his parents, Alan and Anne Backus.

Please Remember Lt. Demetrius Frison

Today please remember Lt. Demetrius Frison, 26-years-old, who died Tuesday, May 10th, 2011, while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, KY.


He was killed when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was serving his first combat tour in Afghanistan, where he had arrived on January 9th of this year. 


Frison was just promoted to 1st Lieutenant on April 10th, his birthday. He enlisted only two years ago.


He is survived by his wife of two years, MIkki, and their 6-month-old son, Christopher-Kenneth. Frison had been able to see his son before he was deployed to Afghanistan at the beginning of the year.


He was happy to hear the news the U.S. Force had killed Osama bin Laden, but he told his wife that he "still had a job to do."


Friends described Frison as a young man with a promising future. "He had so much love for what he did, and so much love for his family." "When I think of him, I think, 'This is an outstanding man'", friend Leslie Danielson said. 


"He loved what he did," his wife said. "He was very determined." He also was a man who loved God with all of his Heart.


"He knew exactly what was going on. Some of his last Facebook messages and some of his last emails showed great dignity, great pride, in what he was doing for his country," Demetrius' brother, Paul Frison, said.


Sgt. Roberto Brabham, who had been friends with Frison since high school days, said "He died loving serving his country. He died a very honorable and noble death and his family is very proud of him, I know I'm proud of him, and we encouraged his step into the military."


On his MySpace page, he listed his mother and his grandmothers as his heroes. He also posed a question about whom he'd like to meet,


His response: "Me in 25 years, to see where I am at and change what I don't like about myself before it's too late."


Thank you Lt. Frison. You have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for our freedom. God Bless you and your family. You will Never be forgotten!

Please Remember Air Force Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown

Please Remember Air Force Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33-years-old, who died April 27th, 2011, serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - Tara had deployed to Afghanistan in January of this year to train members of the Afghan Air Force in a computer course and networking skills at the Afghan Air Force Base.

On April 27th, a distressed Afghani pilot, Ahmad Gul, opened fire at the airport killing Sgt. Tara Brown and 7 other American Troops.

Tara was killed at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from gunfire from the Afghan military trainee.

She leaves behind her husband, 4 siblings, and her mother and father.

Her father says that Tara was never afraid. "She was very happy in what she was doing. She was trying to liberate somebody. She was always trying to help somebody and that's why she went over there. She was so excited about helping people."

When Tara was in high school, she sang in the church choir and aspired to become a pediatric nurse. But three weeks before graduation from Deltona High School in 1995, Brown told her father she was going into the Air Force.

Since then, Brown has worked her way up the ranks, becoming a master sergeant. Her latest deployment was on what her father called a "history-making mission."

Late last year, Brown and her longtime friend, Army Sgt. Ernest Brown, married at a New England courthouse. They celebrated with a party at their Maryland home. The couple did not have children.

We Will Never Forget you and your service, Sgt. Tara Brown!

Please Remember Marine Corp Sgt. David Day

Today remember Marine Corp Sgt. David Day, 26-years-old, of Gaylord, Mich. was killed by a roadside bomb on April 24, Easter Sunday, in Badghis province, Afghanistan.

Day was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

David, who completed bomb disposal training in 2009, graduated from Gaylord High School in 2003 and joined the Marine Corps soon after. He served two tours of duty in Iraq, before being deployed to Afghanistan in November.

"He would have been coming home in late June," Don Day, David’s father, said. "But now ... you can't help but wonder when you have a son overseas if he's going to make it home all right. He was happy with the group he was with (in Afghanistan). He was happy in the military serving his country. Whether or not he would have made it his career? I think he would," his father said.

A friend left this memorial for Dave yesterday:
“To those who've never met Dave, he is one of the most skilled young men I've ever had the joy of working with. He was one of the kindest friends I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. We had a lot of deep conversations over Chu-Hi's and taco rice, we had even more interesting times in our days together. Dave I'm going to miss your goofy smile and ripping on you for being from Gaylord. First Slope now you, we'll be drinking Chu-Hi's together again! Keep the rest of us safe! I love you buddy."

David leaves behind his wife, Nicole, to whom he was married in 2009.

*We would also like to recognize Army Sgt. 1st Class Bradley S. Hughes, and Marine Lance Cpl. Joe M. Jackson. Both were also killed on Easter Sunday.

These American Heroes will never be forgotten!

Please Remember Army Staff Sgt. James A. Justice

Today we remember Army Staff Sgt. James A. Justice, 32-years-old, assigned to the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment.

Justice died on Saturday, April 23, just one day shy of Easter Sunday in combat in the Kapisa province of Afghanistan.

His life ended while trying to rescue the crew of a downed helicopter in Afghanistan.
His unit returned from a patrol Saturday morning and found out two people aboard a reconnaissance and light attack helicopter had made a hard landing and needed help.

His Iowans' rescue team came under fire shortly after landing, and Justice was hit by small-arms fire about 10 a.m. Afghan time. Justice died at the scene.

Justice also had a passion for the Guard. Despite having served his fair share overseas, Justice always felt as though he was being left behind when he was in the states. So, when the 113th Cavalry was in need of an experienced NCO, Justice jumped at the opportunity. He volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan even though he was given an opportunity to stay behind.

Sgt. Kevin Schaefer described him as a charismatic, natural leader and an integral part of his unit’s community. Justice was always quick to make a joke.

“He had such a quick wit that he would insert a joke and it would take you two minutes before you realized he was making fun of you,” Schaefer said. “He was a rare breed.”

A close family friend said Sunday that Justice loved helping others and making them happy. Justice had a jovial spirit and often found it difficult to be serious because he loved making others laugh. He would have never thought for a moment about helping someone out, he would always just jump in.

“He was honorable — you know that from the way he died,” said Judy Erb, a friend of the Justice family. “He’s a hero, just like all those other boys over there.”

Justice, who was married with a 3-year-old daughter, is the third member of the Iowa Guard in Afghanistan to be killed this month.

Justice’s family issued this statement through the Guard:
“James Alan Justice meant many things to every person he encountered. He was the funny best friend named “Juice” that could be counted on when needing to be cheered up; the uncle who always knew just what to say and when to hand out hugs; the son who was his parents’ pride and joy; the father who loved his little girl more than anything in the world and couldn’t wait to have more children; and the husband who loved to put a smile on his wife’s face. One thing James was to everyone was the ultimate soldier. He loved the military and he looked forward to every deployment. While we were stunned and extremely saddened to learn of his tragic death, we all take solace knowing that James died doing what he loved best: serving his country beside the men and women he revered and trusted.

We thank you for your thoughts, prayers and kindness at this extremely difficult time. We are deeply saddened by our loss, but extremely proud of the honorable way he served America as a leader in the U.S. Army. We will remember him, his strength, his infectious sense of humor, his faith in God, and his love for his family, friends and country with great pride.”

Please Remember PFC Arturo E. Rodriguez

Please Remember PFC Arturo E. Rodriguez, 19-years-old, of Bellflower, CA who was killed March 12, 2011, in Paktika province of Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell KY.

Arturo was a very sweet and soft spoken person. He accomplished much in his short life by taking the initiative to serve America.

We salute this young man for his courage which he showed while fighting to insure the freedom of Americans. He will forever be remembered as a true American Hero.

Never Forget!

Please Remember Army Spc. Christopher G. Stark

Please Remember Army Spc. Christopher G. Stark, 22-years-old, of Monett, Missouri who was killed February 28, 2011, in the Wardak province of Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 63rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 20th Support Command, Fort Polk, La.

Christopher was an explosives ordnance disposal tech, also known as a bomb specialist.

He was en route to a site where an improvised explosive device had been spotted when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Christopher had spent one week in November at home in Monett, Missouri with friends and family for the last time before deployment.

God Bless his Soul. He will never be forgotten!