Remembering SSGT Edmond Lo ~ NH Hero

Remembering SSGT Edmond Lo – KIA on June 13, 2009 – He was killed when an improvised explosive device he was acting to neutralize detonated in Samarra City, Iraq.
He was assigned to the 797th Ordnance Company, 79th Ordnance Battalion, Ft Hood, TX

Edmond grew up in Salem, NH and graduated from Salem High School in 2004. Although he was quiet, he had a wonderful sense of humor and was an extremely kind-hearted and sincere person. His many hobbies included playing on his computer, teaching himself how to play piano and guitar, origami, and puzzles.

He was a member of the Air Force JROTC program and was the operations squadron, color guard commander and a drill team commander. He was on the first drill team from Salem High to compete in the National Drill Team Championship and the team earned second place. He loved learning and was always willing to help tutor students. He was a talented musician and played several instruments. After graduation, he turned down scholarships to colleges so he could pursue his passion of serving our country.

He was well liked and people were drawn to him because of his personality, commitment and loyalty. He was a leader who was respected by many and will be greatly missed. His death let a void in the hearts of his parents, 3 sisters, 2 brothers, niece, and nephew.

TO REMEMBER IS TO HONOR…

Remembering SGT Russell M. Durgin ~ NH Hero

Remembering SGT Russell M. Durgin, HHC Co., 1st Battalion, 1-32 Infantry, Task Force Spartan, 10th Mtn Div
Born 7-2-1982 Concord
KIA 6-13-2006 Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom

Jean, his mom, shared the following with many a few years ago….

“My son, Russell M Durgin, “Russ” enlisted in the US Army Reserves at the age of 17 while a junior in high school. He received training at Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri then returned to his senior year at John Stark Regional High School. On Sept 11, 2001, he was activated and served as an MP at Ft Devons, MA. After 2 months, he decided to re-enlist in full-time Army and was sent to
Ft Benning, Georgia for infantry training. He was sent to the DMZ Korea 2002 and served a year. Upon return to the US, he reported to Ft Drum, NH and within 2 weeks was enroute to Iraq. After a year of intense service, losing friends and experiencing near death experiences, he returned home. He was assigned to the Snipers and Scouts unit and trained in California, Ft Bragg and Montana. He deployed to Afghanistan in March 2006 as a sniper leader. On June 13th, while under attack, Russ diverted fire from his men. It was there that he lost his life.

He left a fiancée, parents, his twin, brothers, a sister, nieces, friends and community to grieve the loss of a wonderful young man. Although we are all proud of his six years of service to us, America, we miss him greatly. Many testimonials were spoken from his men and from his leaders. Lt Col Chris Cavoli, 1-32 Commander said of Russ “Sgt Durgin lived the Warrior Ethos, he never quit and he always put the mission first, in what is probably the most difficult part of our area, he routinely performed acts of bravery while hunting down the enemy. He fought like a tiger and died like a man.”

Sgt Major Jimmy Carabello said “there are American Soldiers still alive in the Chosin Battalion because of his bravery and heroism on the battlefield in the Korengal Valley, there should be a picture of Sgt Durgin to the NCO Creed.”

Never forget….To Remember is to Honor

Honoring and Remembering SGT Daniel Gionet – NH Hero

Remembering SGT Daniel Gionet – he died on June 4, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A2 tank during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

After the bomb shattered the tank he was riding in, Dan tended to the wounded around him, ignoring his serious injuries. When a medic unit finally arrived, he made his last decision. Dan said, “Don’t deal with me. Go help the lieutenant. He’s in greater danger than me”.

He attended Pelham High School where he was a three-season athlete. He was on the football team, baseball team, and was one of the students who helped turn the school’s wrestling club into an official school team. He received the school’s sportsmanship award. When he graduated from high school in 2001, he enlisted in the Army. By 2004, Daniel was serving as a cook for U.S. and Romanian soldiers at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan but he never really got around to cooking. Enemy fire occupied so much of the time that he had to be an infantryman and fight like the rest of the unit. By May 2004, Daniel’s desire to help others led him to re-enlist and to retrain as a medic. He was deployed to Iraq last December, just before Christmas. In Nov, before his deployment, he married Katrina, the love of his life. How much did he love her? Here is the message on his cell phone: “If this is Katrina, you are the love of my life. – PAUSE – If it’s not Katrina, you know who you called. Leave a message”. There are many things to know about Daniel – he could make you laugh on the worst day of your life, he loved to fish, loved healthy fruit bars (but hated MREs), loved beef jerky and tollhouse cookies. He planned to study culinary arts after completing his service in 2008 and become a professional cook. He didn’t want his family to worry about him so he told them he was safe and his patrol time had been cut from 36-hour shifts to 12-hour stretches. He also told them, “I’m safe. I’m in a tank where nothing can penetrate”. Daniel’s bride Katrina received his Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Remembering CPT Douglas DiCenzo ~ NH Hero

Remembering CPT Douglas DiCenzo, husband, father, son, brother and friend, was killed in action on May 25th, 2006 serving during the War in Iraq. Doug was company commander for C Company in the 1st Armored Division 2nd Brigade based in Baumholder, Germany.

Doug was born and raised in Plymouth, NH. During his years at Plymouth Regional High School, Doug was a natural leader, excelling both in the classroom and on the athletic field. DiCenzo was president of the Plymouth Class of 1995, and captain of the football and wrestling teams. With the help of his younger brother Dan, he led the Bobcat football team to the state championship in his senior year. He also was a school board representative from the high school and was a member of the National Honor Society.

After high school, Doug attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, fulfilling a long time interest in the Army and service for his country. Upon graduation, Doug continued post-graduation training in Georgia, where we had the great fortune to meet a young woman from Tennessee named Nicole. It was love at first sight, and after a courtship that included moving to Fairbanks, Alaska together, Doug & Nicole were married.

Three years after arriving in Alaska, Doug and Nicole were on the move again, this time overseas to Germany. They soon picked up another member of the family when their son, Dakin Mark DiCenzo, was born in 2004. Doug, Nicole and Dak had a wonderful life together in Germany, often getting outside of the confines of the base to explore the outdoors in typical Doug style.

Throughout his life, Doug was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hiking, hunting and skiing. The Captain Douglas DiCenzo Camp Fund was established to help give others the opportunity to pursue the activities that Doug loved himself.

To Remember is to Honor…

Remembering PFC Nicholas Cournoyer ~ NH Hero

Remembering PFC Nicholas Cournoyer – KIA 5/18/06 when an IED detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad. Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

Before enlisting, he worked as a mason’s assistant in the Laconia, NH area. He bought a truck that he had fixed up and paid off. He planned to buy a Harley-Davidson after his tour ended.

Spc. David S. Stelmat 22 Mar 2008 ~ Iraq

Maryanne Rennell  with the Honor and Remember flag for her son, Spc. David S. Stelmat 22 Mar 2008 ~ Iraq

Presented April 27, 2014 NH Gold Star Mother Day

 

 

Remembering and Honoring LCpl “PJ” Sora ~ NH Hero

Remembering and honoring LCpl “PJ” Sora – Killed 5-4-04

Following is from his dad, Peter:

“PJ was a LCPL in the Marine Corps, and was tragically killed in a HUMVEE roll over at 29 Palms, California, while preparing for deployment to Iraq with his weapons company.
I not sure most Americans are aware of how many of our service members are killed each year as a result of training exercises or non hostile circumstances. I do know this… PJ was an exemplary Marine who had many options in life, but chose the Marine Corps, and volunteered for assignment to a weapons company 3/5 that was headed to Fallujah in the fall of 2004. Even though he never made it to Iraq, he gave his life at age 19 in the battle against terrorism just as surely as if Osama Bin Laden had shot him.
I miss him beyond words, and I promise him each week when I visit his gravesite (NH Vets Cemetery), that I will keep his memory alive as best I can.”

PJ loved all types of music. He was captain of the Londonderry High Wrestling Team. He was also a 1st degree Black Belt. Despite showing toughness as a wrestler and a Marine, he was a pensive and sensitive young man who loved his young nephews and nieces.

This is from his sister, Melissa “I am so grateful for the years we had, your wisdom, kindness, generous sole, the hero you were and so much more. Miss you every day PJ. So grateful for being blessed with you and to have you as my brother. Thank you for letting me know you are near through my kid’s eyes and actions every day. You are always with us! Love you!!

To remember is to honor….

 

Remembering and Honoring LCpl Robert Moscillo ~ NH Hero

Remembering and honoring LCpl Robert Moscillo, 21 he was KIA on 5-1-06 by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineers, 1st Marine Division, Bravo Company based at Camp Pendleton.

Bobby, to his family, was a 2003 Salem High School graduate and a member of the wrestling team who enjoyed staying as active as possible. He was a sports fanatic and kept a good grade point average and planned to go to college to become a pastor. His teachers remember him as “the kind of boy who tried hard all the time”.

He joined the Marines in 2005 to serve his country and was a machine gunner in his unit charged with detecting land mines. He had planned to make a career out of the military.

He was nicknamed “The Chaplin” at boot camp. He prayed with other Marines and sometimes persuaded them to go to church with him and his grandmother. He wanted to become a pastor and thought the Marines could help him afford seminary school.

Bobby was a son, brother, friend and most of all a father figure to his five siblings. He was close to his cousins and was known for always being protective of his siblings and cousins. Family members said he was not just the stern man seen in his Marine dress photo, but a likable, fun-loving character who served as a good role model to his younger relatives.

As a child Bobby liked G.I. Joe action figures, even dressing up like one for Halloween.

His family learned of Bobby’s death almost 30 years after the death of his uncle, Robert L. Moscillo, for whom he is named, who died returning home from Navy service during the Vietnam War in 1976.

TO REMEMBER IS TO HONOR…

Remembering and honoring Sgt Angelo Lozada, Jr ~ NH Hero

Remembering and honoring Sgt Angelo Lozada, Jr. – KIA 4/16/2005 – Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Te4am, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Hovey, Korea.

The last call from Angelo to his family was a happy one; he was headed home in 2 weeks. He wanted to surprise his mother for Mother’s Day and meet his first grandchild. He was killed in Ramadi, Iraq when his section’s M109 Paladin took a direct hit from a rocket while in the battery firing position.

Remembering Capt. Jonathan Grassbaugh ~ NH Hero

Honoring and remembering Army Captain Jonathan Grassbaugh KIA on April 7, 2007

On April 7, 2007 came the sad news that Exeter had lost its first alumnus in the Iraq war. Army Captain Jonathan Grassbaugh ’99, who was serving as an Army Ranger in Iraq, was killed by a roadside bomb. This was his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, and was a member of the 73rd Cavalry, 5th Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. He leaves his wife, Jenna, also an Army Ranger, whom he married the summer of 2006.

His older brother, Army Captain Dr. Jason Grassbaugh, spoke at a special assembly in Exeter. Here is his tribute….

“Twelve years ago, when I was sitting where you are, I dreamed of being asked come back and speak after I’d cured cancer, spread democracy or made millions of dollars. I never expected to be back under these circumstances, and I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to come here and speak. The Jon I remember observed little things and delighted in sharing them with all of us. One March night when I was home from college, Jon made our whole family go to Grainger Observatory at 1AM. We were all skeptical about this trip, but Jon delivered. He provided stunning views of Saturn’s rings, a full moon and the nebulas he’d been studying in astronomy. Jon delighted in finding beauty around him and then sharing it with all the people that he knew.

In Iraq, Jon was a supply officer for a battalion, a unit of about 1,000 people. Over the past two weeks I’ve learned how Jon had achieved minor celebrity status in Iraq by getting hot pizzas delivered to his guys who were out in the mud. His guys consumed cases of an Iraqi energy drink called Wild Tiger as fast Jon could find ways to acquire it. The skills he learned here—looking closely at the people around him and then doing whatever they needed, whether they asked for it or not—are what made Jon a good officer in the Army and a better person. Ultimately, Jon died on a supply mission going to check on some of his guys at an outpost, making sure they had all the construction equipment that they needed to stay safe.

Someone asked me if I was angry that a hate group had decided to protest Jon’s funeral. I am actually glad they are here, because it allows us to see the face of extremism and intolerance that we may be better prepared to identify and confront it in the future. You will all face hate and intolerance, and through those things people will be hurt and people will suffer. Ultimately, the tools that you will use to combat hate and intolerance will be your reason, your empathy and your compassion for other people. You already have all of these things. Just be sure to use them to make the world a better place for the people around you, one hot pizza at a time.

Jon didn’t think there were many true moral dilemmas. He felt that if you had such a dilemma, you probably knew what was right inside. You just had to find the courage to act on it. My friends, your decisions in the future will have the ability to change the world and make it a better place. My brother strove to do that every day, to try to make the world a better place for the people near him.

If you take anything from here today, remember that if you observe the world closely, you will see how you can make it better. Let that be Jon’s legacy to you: to make the world a better place.

 

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