Rochester infantryman recalled as 'always happy' by former co-worker

By Christian Hill | The Olympian • Published November 21, 2007

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Thirty-three assigned to the brigade have died in Iraq since it deployed in April. The brigade is expected to return home this summer.

Casualties with local ties

* Army Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, of Rochester died Sunday in Diyala province when a suicide bomber detonated explosives. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis.

* Army Pfc. Michael Pursel, 19, formerly of Lacey died May 6 in Diyala province when a roadside bomb destroyed his vehicle. Pursel was assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis.

* Army Pfc. Jerome J. Potter, 24, of Yelm died May 3 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Potter was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Hood, Texas.

* Sgt. Mickel D. Garrigus, 24, of Elma died Jan. 27 in Taji when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat patrol. Garrigus was assigned to the 543rd Military Police Company, based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

* Army Sgt. Justin Norton, 21, of Rainier was killed June 24, 2006 when an improvised explosive device exploded near Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood.

* Marine Staff Sgt. Abraham George Twitchell, 28, of Yelm was killed April 2, 2006, in Iraq when the truck he was riding in rolled over in a flash flood. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Logistics Group, Combat Service Support Group 1, I Marine Expeditionary Force, in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

* Marine Cpl. Joseph Bier, 22, of Centralia died Dec. 7, 2005, from an improvised explosive device in Ar Ramadi. He was assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force based at Twentynine Palms.

* Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Regina Clark, 43, of Centralia was killed June 23, 2005, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device exploded near her vehicle in Fallujah. She was temporarily assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

* Air Force Master Sgt. Steven E. Auchman, 37, who was living in Lacey while stationed at Fort Lewis, was killed during a mortar attack in Mosul on Nov. 9, 2004. He was assigned to the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Lewis.

* Marine Corps Capt. Gregory Ratzlaff, 36, whose parents live in Olympia, died Aug. 3, 2004, from a noncombat-related incident. He was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

* Army Command Sgt. Maj. Cornell Gilmore, 45, formerly of Lacey died Nov. 7, 2003, when his helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the Judge Advocate General Office at the Pentagon.

One-hundred and seventy-four soldiers assigned to Fort Lewis have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003.

Ferrero joined the Army in February. He reported to Fort Lewis this summer, joining one of its other Stryker brigades before transferring to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team two months later.

He was posthumously promoted from private.

His deployment didn't keep him from enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner. At his request, Ferrero, his mother and his brother sat down for a feast of turkey, ham and cranberry sauce a few weeks before he died, according to The Miami Herald.

"He wanted us to give him a Thanksgiving dinner, and it seemed like it was a farewell," Maribel Rita Ferrero, his mother, told the newspaper. "Sometimes you get a feeling."

Lee joined the Army in May 2005 and reported to Fort Lewis the following year.

Lee enlisted with plans to become a paratrooper, but an injury prompted him to become an infantryman, Thomas Lee, his father, told The Grand Rapids Press.

"He said, 'I am big. I am strong. It's my calling, Dad,' " he told the newspaper. "If it's not me, who else is it going to be?"

During a phone conversation last week, Thomas Lee recalled his son saying, "Dad, I'm making a difference."

All three soldiers have received the National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon. Nelson received the combat infantry badge, presented to infantrymen who participate in active ground combat.

Fort Lewis has scheduled a Nov. 28 memorial service for three soldiers killed by insurgents in two earlier attacks. Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan., and Cpl. Peter W. Schmidt, 30, of Eureka, Calif., died Nov. 13. Sgt. Kenneth Raymond Booker, 25, of Vevay, Ind., died the following day.

Christian Hill covers the city of Lacey and military for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5427 or chill@theolympian.com.

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