{"id":457938,"date":"2025-05-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=457938"},"modified":"2025-05-25T13:39:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T13:39:53","slug":"nine-sky-soldiers-remembered-a-brotherhood-carried-home-from-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=457938","title":{"rendered":"Nine Sky Soldiers Remembered: A Brotherhood Carried Home From Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n 1st Lt. David Bernstein, 24, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of his high school and fifth in his class at West Point. Killed in an ambush on Oct. 18 near Taza, Iraq, he was remembered by his father as \u201can athlete and a scholar\u201d who chose to lead from the front.
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\n Pfc. Jacob Fletcher, 28, of Bay Shore, New York, joined the Army after 9\/11 in honor of a family friend lost in the World Trade Center. He was killed Nov. 13 when an IED struck a bus in Samara. \u201cHe was my beloved son and he was a hero,\u201d said his father.
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\n Spc. Justin Hebert, 20, of Silvana, Washington, was killed Aug. 1, 2003, by a rocket-propelled grenade near Kirkuk. More than 200 mourners packed his former middle school gym to honor him. \u201cI am proud to be the one who brought Justin home,\u201d said Sgt. Nicholas Lewis, who escorted his body back. \u201cI ask God to protect him, to keep his music loud and his steaks well-done.\u201d
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\n Spc. Kyle Thomas, 23, of Topeka, Kansas, was a professional ballet dancer who felt called by faith to serve after the Sept. 11 attacks. Killed by an improvised explosive device on Sept. 25 in Tikrit, he was remembered as a \u201crenaissance man\u201d whose talents ranged from stagecraft to sharpshooting.
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\n Sgt. Michael Yashinski, 24, of Monument, Colorado, was electrocuted while laying communication wire in Kirkuk on Dec. 24, 2003. Born on a Marine Corps base, he was a reenactor, black powder enthusiast, and beloved teammate in wrestling and football.
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\n Spc. Craig Ivory, 26, of Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, suffered a fatal stroke on Aug. 17 after being medically evacuated from Iraq. A former mechanic who re-enlisted to become a medic, he hoped to become a physician assistant after his Army service.
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\n Sgt. Sean Reynolds, 25, of East Lansing, Michigan, a former Army Ranger, died May 3, 2003, in a training accident when he fell from a ladder and his weapon discharged. His brother said he believed in fighting for justice, no matter the politics.
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\n Sgt. Joseph Minucci II, 23, of Richeyville, Pennsylvania, died in the same attack as Fletcher. He joined the National Guard at 17 and later earned his airborne wings. \u201cHe was a proud soldier,\u201d said his mother. \u201cHe felt he was keeping his family safe.\u201d
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\n Pfc. John Hart, 20, of Bedford, Massachusetts, was killed in the same attack. His father, Brian Hart, called him a natural counselor and said his death united an entire town in sorrow. \u201cYou dreamed of being a soldier,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you lived your dream.\u201d
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VICENZA, Italy\u2013They came from quiet towns, bustling cities, and military families. Some joined the Army for college money, others to answer a deeper calling after 9\/11. They were medics, riflemen, dancers and dreamers. And they were all Sky Soldiers\u2014paratroopers of the U.S. Army\u2019s 173rd Airborne Brigade<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nine of them gave their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving with courage in some of the earliest and most dangerous months of the war. The youngest was 20. The oldest, 28. All jumped into northern Iraq in March 2003, part of the Army\u2019s first combat parachute assault since Vietnam.<\/a><\/p>\n

Their stories remain etched in gold on brigade plaques and in the hearts of those they left behind.<\/p>\n

Spc. Justin Hebert<\/a>, 20, of Silvana, Washington, was killed Aug. 1, 2003, by a rocket-propelled grenade near Kirkuk. More than 200 mourners packed his former middle school gym to honor him. \u201cI am proud to be the one who brought Justin home,\u201d said Sgt. Nicholas Lewis, who escorted his body back. \u201cI ask God to protect him, to keep his music loud and his steaks well-done.\u201d<\/p>\n

1st Lt. David Bernstein<\/a>, 24, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of his high school and fifth in his class at West Point. Killed in an ambush on Oct. 18 near Taza, Iraq, he was remembered by his father as \u201can athlete and a scholar\u201d who chose to lead from the front.<\/p>\n

Pfc. John Hart<\/a>, 20, of Bedford, Massachusetts, was killed in the same attack. His father, Brian Hart, called him a natural counselor and said his death united an entire town in sorrow. \u201cYou dreamed of being a soldier,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you lived your dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sgt. Sean Reynolds<\/a>, 25, of East Lansing, Michigan, a former Army Ranger, died May 3, 2003, in a training accident when he fell from a ladder and his weapon discharged. His brother said he believed in fighting for justice, no matter the politics.<\/p>\n

Spc. Kyle Thomas<\/a>, 23, of Topeka, Kansas, was a professional ballet dancer who felt called by faith to serve after the Sept. 11 attacks. Killed by an improvised explosive device on Sept. 25 in Tikrit, he was remembered as a \u201crenaissance man\u201d whose talents ranged from stagecraft to sharpshooting.<\/p>\n

Sgt. Michael Yashinski<\/a>, 24, of Monument, Colorado, was electrocuted while laying communication wire in Kirkuk on Dec. 24, 2003. Born on a Marine Corps base, he was a reenactor, black powder enthusiast, and beloved teammate in wrestling and football.<\/p>\n

Pfc. Jacob Fletcher<\/a>, 28, of Bay Shore, New York, joined the Army after 9\/11 in honor of a family friend lost in the World Trade Center. He was killed Nov. 13 when an IED struck a bus in Samara. \u201cHe was my beloved son and he was a hero,\u201d said his father.<\/p>\n

Sgt. Joseph Minucci II<\/a>, 23, of Richeyville, Pennsylvania, died in the same attack as Fletcher. He joined the National Guard at 17 and later earned his airborne wings. \u201cHe was a proud soldier,\u201d said his mother. \u201cHe felt he was keeping his family safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spc. Craig Ivory<\/a>, 26, of Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, suffered a fatal stroke on Aug. 17 after being medically evacuated from Iraq. A former mechanic who re-enlisted to become a medic, he hoped to become a physician assistant after his Army service.<\/p>\n

On Memorial Day and every day, they are remembered\u2014not as statistics, but as sons, brothers, and warriors.<\/p>\n

U.S. Army photos courtesy <\/em>Honor the Fallen<\/a><\/em>: Honoring those who fought and died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.<\/em><\/p>\n

About 173rd Airborne Brigade<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army\u2019s Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of rapidly deploying forces across U.S. European, Central, and Africa Commands. The brigade is based in Vicenza, Italy, with a forward presence in Germany.<\/p>\n

About SETAF-AF<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa<\/a> and U.S. Africa Command<\/a> campaign objectives.<\/p>\n

Follow SETAF-AF on: <\/strong>Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> & DVIDS<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 9 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 1st Lt. David Bernstein, 24, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of his high school and fifth in his class at West Point. Killed in an ambush on Oct. 18 near Taza, Iraq, he was remembered by his father as \u201can athlete and a scholar\u201d who chose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457940,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-457938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=457938"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":457950,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457938\/revisions\/457950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/457940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=457938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=457938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=457938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}