Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom

"Every once in a while life takes me to Corpus Christi, TX. Even 20 years later I can feel your presence so strong here. You loved your home so much and you were the proudest Texan I’ve ever met. As I sit here feeling the warm sea breeze, it hits me like it’s your arms wrapped around me telling me that you’re ok. You are still so loved and so missed by many. I will always cherish the brief moment in time we had together and a part of my heart will always and forever be yours."
Salena of Greeley, Colorado

"I remember the girls, Dan and you playing in the Alameda Naval housing playground while sitting nearby, your Mom and Miss Lori gabbed away about life.
Thank you for you service to our country. SemperFi, Marine!"
Rick Brooks, RMC(SW) Ret. of Virginia Beach, Va.

"damn near every day I think of you and some days I blame myself for leaving you guys. Still to this day, I can't get over the fact that what if I didn't leave country and you didn't take over my fireteam. Would this had ever happened? I have had a lot of blame in my heart and still took some time to understand things are out of my control. I miss you brother and I hope someday we will enjoy a drink together. 719-246-2198"
Steven D'Agostino of Colorado Springs, CO

"Thinking of you today on what would have been your 30th birthday. I know that you are in a place where pain and fear and all the other evils of this earth don't exist, but I can't help but wonder what kind of man you would be today if you had come home. What kind of world would this be with one more bright beautiful light in it?"

"Hey Paul its ben 7 years scince you been gone. But u still live in my heart brother. I remember you and me were on the same gun scince we got to Sierra Btry. GUN 3 JENNA J."
CPL. De La Cruz Ret. "DC" of Dallas, TX.

"Your son was a great Marine and even more importantly a very good man. Not a day goes by that I don't remember him nor the other Marines we eventually lost due to actions during this deployment. I'd like to say how sorry I am for his being gone. He and your family will always be in my prayers, thank you."
SSgt Joel Martinez of Escondido, Ca

"I hardly got to know you, but we were Marines with a mission, I will be remembering you, as always brother"
Sgt Jason St.Pierre of Los Angeles

"I would like to thank all the people who post on this page. I am CPL Holters mom and it means so much to my family and I to see how Paul touched so many lives. He was a wonderful young man and I am so proud to have been his MOM. If anyone has any pictures of Paul we would love to see them. You can email me at feline3@earthlink.net. Again thank you for all your wonderful messages."
Tina Holter of Corpus Christi, Texas

"Just thinking of u once again paul..semper fi."
pio of deming, nm

"I will miss you brother. my wife and still remeber the good times in santa clarita. You were a good friend and a good marine, you will never be forgotten brother. SEMPER FI"
SGT HILLS, DAVID P of Scottsburg Indiana

"Holter,
Oh man. Till this day...it's still hard to believe you are gone. I will never forget the long trip we made from Pendleton to South San Francisco. You were coming up to see your girlfriend and I was coming up to see mine. I had (and still do) great respect towards you. I remember when we used to talk outside our hooch’s, and we would talk about a lot of subjects....man..Damn...I was amaze how smart you were, I always thought you belong in an Ivy League school. I remember when you were talking to me of how you were thinking of proposing to your girlfriend when you came home. Holter, you give me strength. I push my self harder each day i live because you...i learned to be the Best Marine that i could be because of you...I learned so much from you..I will never forget you.

Your memory gives me strength,"
Sgt. Martinez, Randolph of San Francisco, CA

"Hey bro never have forgotten about you. it has been a pleasure and an honor, you have been my inspiration you was always there for me.all these years still think about you, thank you, you were the only one who understood me.thank you, noone will ever forget you my fallen hero."
Lcpl hector castro of San antonio,tx

"Paul,

I remember the countless hours we spent (On the USS Duluth) talking about whether or not there was a God or not. Those deep and meaningful conversations that we had will stay with me forever. I know you're in a better place looking down on myself and other people who you've impacted so tremendously. I can see you in heaven tossing me one of your infamous "one liners" that make everyone crack up laughing! I have not forgotten you brother. I wear your "hero" bracelet in your honor to this day. And I have taken up a profession that you told me you wanted to start after the Corps.... My time in the academy was spent striving for success in your honor. That one was for you! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you... This will remain true until the day that I join you in heaven.

"Rest Marine""
Jake Hubby of Marysville, WA, USA

"I miss you paul"
Brian McCarthy of Boston,MA

"”Honor and Remember” - “Project Compassion” We love our Soldiers! We love our country and we cannot express enough love and compassion to the families of our fallen heroes. War does not discriminate – It breaks our hearts to see the faces of the fallen. We want to give this gift to you. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization! Over 1,600 portraits have been completed and shipped to the parents and or spouse - at no cost as this is a gift from one American to another!
Contact us directly at Projectcompassion@manti.com or go to www.heropaintings.com . If you have already had a portrait completed, we pray that you are enjoying the portrait and God Bless You.
Sincerely and Respectfully,
Kenna"
Project Compassion Kenna of Manti, Utah USA

"May God Bless you all. I am so sorry for your loss."
Leila Shipman of Texas

"Cpl Holter,

I think of you more and more as the years go by. P3, I am honored to have fought by yourside and proud to say you were one of my Marines. Rest Marine

Holter Family as well I think of you more and more. I pray for your peace. God Bless you."
Faustino Lopez Jr. USMC/Ret of San Diego, CA USA

"Rest In Peace Brother."
Eric Sheppler of Victorville CA

"4 years later and not a day goes by that I don't think of you. Still loving and missing you...."
Salena of Loveland, CO

"January 10, 2008
To the family of Cpl. Paul C. Holter, III:
Paul gave the ultimate sacrifice and will be held in the hearts of Americans forever. I cannot and will not let our fallen heroes be forgotten. My deepest sympathy to you. "Some gave all."
Peggy Childers
"Don't Let The Memory Of Them Drift Away"
www.IraqWarHeroes.org"
Peggy Childers of Carson City, NV

"Cpl Holter will never be forgotten and will always be honored. My condolences go out to his family and friends. I was blessed to have known him."
Cpl Pioquinto 5/11 1st MARDIV Retired of Deming, NM

"Rest Marine."
Faustino Lopez Jr MSgt/USMC/Ret of San Diego, CA/USA

"Holter Family,
I am so sad for your loss. I know it is very late for this message, but late is always better than never. Paul was one of my best friends in school and I still can not believe he is gone. The loss of a Marine such as he is a constant reminder for me to do my job with the highest possible awareness. I will miss him always, and may his memory never die."
IS2(AW) Matthew Griffin USN of Pearl Harbor, HI

"Dear Holter Family,
I want to say how sorry I am for your loss. Paulie was a great guy and an awesome friend. I went to high school with him and we also spent a little time on the drill team together. He is the one who convinced me to become a Marine! I am sorry I could not make it to the memorial but we were on stand-by for our deployment. Paulies death was not in vein. While we were deployed, I spent countless hours with Marines discussing the importance of weapons safety. Paul was in my mind the entire time I was out there and I think about him alot during the Marine Corps birthday. I know the corps was his life and he loved being a Marine! He will forever be in our thoughts!!! God bless you.

P.S. I am the one that brought you the flag with the certificate from Iraq."
Christopher Sherman Cpl/usmc of Camp Lejeune NC

"To the holter family,

I went to high school with Paul and I remember him well. He died doing what he loved, protection our country. I want you to know you guys are in my prayers.
1930 Musket Rd APTF
Newport News Va 23603"
IT3(SW) Christopher Coon USN of Norfolk, VA

"I still think about you and your family almost daily. You were part of the happiest times of my life. I cherish every day that you, Tanya, Donnie, and I got to spend together. I miss you so much! You will not be forgotten!"
Jessica Vieira of San Luis Obispo, CA USA

"Hi, this is Team Robinson. I lived next to Holter. Room 317. I always busted his balls on everything. I am a police officer now and I heard about everything that went down. I wish that i could had a last word with you. Well I miss you, I take that back I miss all of you. If you are reading this and you are one of us then you know. I just wanted to say that I know about what happened and i am sorry.

Travis
robinson380@hotmail.com"
travis of nashville tn

"To the family of:Paul C. Holter I am so sorry for the loss of your love one. He died a hero defending freedom. May you have the peace and understanding that only comes from God. Prayerfully, we will meet in Heaven one day where we will rest in the arms of Jesus. If you need prayer or need someone to talk to, please call or write my pastor, Rev. John Pearrell, Gateway Community Church, 11677 Brown Bridge Rd., Covington, GA 30016. (770)787-1015. Your friend in Jesus Chirst,"
Polly Ballew of Covington, Ga

"You were the first friend I ever had. I will never forget you. I love you and I miss you."
Donnie Vieira of San Luis Obispo CA

"To Paul's parents,
All of your friends at Notifier Tehcnical Support wish to offer our condolences. If there is anything any of us can do to help you, do not hesitate to ask."
Joe, Ray and John of Northford, CT

"To my angel...
Thank you for all you have done for me and for our country. You will forever be my hero and you will always be in my heart. I love you with everything that I am and will be forever grateful for the love that you gave me. I know I am not alone because you are now my personal angel watching over me from above. I'll see you when the day comes that we can be in eachother's arms once again."
Salena of Long Beach, CA

"To Paul's Family:
There are no words to express the sorrow we feel for your loss. May God bless you and help you through this time."
Dan and Meg Manninen of San Antonio, Texas

""I don’t believe that we understand all that you gave, or how your sacrifice will affect the future for our sons or daughters. I believe you confronted the evil that has enslaved mankind throughout history, the same evil that many American soldiers have confronted in many battles.

I will teach my son and daughter of your sacrifice and your heroism.

Proud Family of Pfc. Kohler serving in Ar Ramadi, Iraq""
Anderson Family of Montana

"02/01/05
Thank you brave Marine for standing up and defending the freedoms we all cherish. My family deeply appreciates what you did for us. Semper Fi and God Bless you and may He grant your loved ones peace. From a very grateful American family."
The Shaw family of Pasadena, Maryland

"02/01/05
Thank you brave Marine for standing up and defending the freedoms we all cherish. My family deeply appreciates what you did for us. Semper Fi and God Bless you and may He grant your loved ones peace. From a very grateful American family."
The Shaw family of Pasadena, Maryland

"To Paul's Family and Friends:

On behalf of the Blanco-Caldas family, we send our sincerest condolences. We share the same loss ... the same pain. Our prayers are with you in this most difficult time and we thank you for your hero's bravery and sacrifice as we mourn the loss of yet another of Texas' sons.

Sincerely,

Gloria Caldas
Proud Mother of Fallen Hero
Capt. Ernesto M. Blanco-Caldas
"The Big Ern"
82nd Airborne, KIA Iraq 12/28/2003.
San Antonio, Texas
gcaldas48@aol.com"

"To the family and friends of Paul Holter, you are in our prayers, and our deepest condolences for your loss. May the Lord embrace you and you may find comfort and strength in him. God bless you."
Emily, Sgt. Algarin-Mendoza's Mom of Wellington, Fl.

"We Will NEVER FORGET !"
Please KNOW so many people share your sadness, and we are remembering your family in your loss and your deep grief. Your HERO, Paul, will be remembered by name. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. God Bless you ALWAYS. Pat & Sandi Breckenridge from Montana "

"To the family and friends of Corporal Paul C. Holter III,

Those we hold most dear, never truly leave us. May you find comfort in love's everlasting connection.

In the Support section of this web site you will find links to many groups that support you at this crucial time. The Marine Comfort Quilt group would be honored to send a quilt to the next of kin. There are many, loving and caring Americans from all over the United States that will never forget the sacrifice that your loved one has made for our Freedom. Please use our link and register so we can send you our "Love Stitched Together."

Proud Marine Mom and Proud Member of Marine Comfort Quilts"
Sandra Moudy of Placentia, Ca USA

"Thank you Paul Holter III, you will not be forgotten. Your bravery goes beyond words. I want to express my deepest gratitude for your sacrifice. To the family and friends, my prayers and deep condolences in your loss. May God strengthen you from knowing that fellow Americans and people around the world care about you and grieve with you in your loss. God bless you all. A very appreciative fellow American,"
Leo Titus of Grayslake, Illinios

"To the family and friends of Cpl. Paul Holter III:
May God's grace be with you during your time of grief. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and we feel your loss and share in your sorrow. Bless Paul for the sacrifice he has made to make a better life for the rest of us."
The Ford Family of Wells, Nevada

"To the family and friends of Cpl. Paul Holter III:
I am saddened by the loss of your loved one. He will always be remembered as a hero for fighting for freedom. I hope that this website will be a source of comfort and encouragement for you during this difficult time, and in the future as you recall the memories of Paul, who continues to live on in your heart."
Tim Rivera of Powder Springs, Georgia