Fallen soldiers A. Co. 1-18, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st I.D.
These are the soldiers that 1SG Hatley lost in Baghdad, Iraq for OIF-06-08
SSG Karl O. Soto – Pinedo
Feb 27, 2007
22, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1st Battalion,
18th Infantry Regiment
Killed Feb. 27 in Baghdad by small-arms fire while on patrol. The largest man in his company, one fellow soldier said he looked like “one of those marble statues of an ancient Greek warrior.” A humble and caring husband, Soto-Pinedo died doing what he loved.
SPC Marieo Guerrero
March 17, 2007
30, Fort Worth, Texas, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment
Killed March 17 in Baghdad when a bomb detonated near the vehicle he was driving. His sisters, brother and wife of seven months would always look to him in times of trouble. “When something happened, we always ran to Marieo,” Guerrero’s sister told the Dallas Morning News.
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SGT Mario K. De Leon
April 16, 2007
Sgt. Mario Kawika De Leon
26, San Francisco, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment
Killed April 16 in Baghdad, the victim of small-arms fire. A proud husband and the father of a 2-year-old son, De Leon had previously served in Afghanistan. When he was done with his enlistment in 2010, he wanted to become a firefighter, his wife told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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SPC Clinton C. Blodgett
May 26, 2007
19, Pekin, Ind.,
1st Battalion,
18th Infantry Regiment
Killed May 26 in Baghdad when his truck was hit by a roadside bomb. “He always liked guns, hunting, driving four-wheelers. Over there, he was shooting guns and driving Humvees. He was doing all the things he loved to do,” Blodgett’s father told The Oklahoman.
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SGT Shawn E. Dressler
June 2, 2007
Sgt. Shawn E. Dressler
22, Santa Maria, Calif., 1st Battalion,
18th Infantry Regiment
Killed June 2 in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an explosive. On his second Iraq tour, Dressler died three weeks before his first wedding anniversary. A third-generation servicemember, he and his wife had just bought a house in Georgia near her hometown.
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PFC Joshua D. Brown
June 2, 2007
26, Tampa, Fla.,
1st Battalion,
18th Infantry Regiment
Killed June 2 in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an explosive. Feeling that the Iraqi people had lived under a dictator for too long and that he was helping them, the recently married Brown was glad to be serving. “He wanted to help, and that’s why he was over there,” Brown’s father told the St. Petersburg Times.
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(The Brigade lost 109 soldiers total.)
(The wounded, were many.)
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On behalf of another beloved soldier of John’s, who had deployed once again and was KIA a week prior to John’s trial:
Specialist Israel Candelaria Mejias
KIA – April 5, 2009 Iraq
“I’ve always wanted a blue pony…” he would joke. He was extremely funny. This photo was taken (in our living room in our house in Germany) months prior to Israel deploying again and John was busy preparing for his upcoming trial. The woman is Maria, Israel’s mother. Israel’s mother happened to be in Germany, visiting Angela and unfortunately, they were both given the tragic news at the same time, of the loss of Israel……
[Although John was no longer Candelaria's First Sergeant, John reached
out and called his widow, Angela to comfort her.]
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“One day, down the road from now, I will share more details of what went on behind the scenes of the memorial service that was held at Grafenwhoer Chapel, in Germany…….”
“Please approach soldiers when you see them and look them in their eyes, shake their hand firmly and tell them what’s on your mind. Tell them. Just do it. Tell them how much you thank them for their service and……………..sacrifices.”
~ Mrs. Kim Hatley
