Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom

"Never forgotten Marine! Semper Fi
-GySgt Trevino"
Michael Anthony Trevino of Statesboro, GA

"To the family of CPL Joshua Ware I would just like to say that I am sorry for your loss and also that I am sorry this is so late. I was in Iraq with 2/1 H&S Co. when this happened we lost a lot of good men that day. Semper Fi"
Allan Johnson of Edmondl, Ok

"NDN: You were a great friend .. I can't believe you are gone . You were always there for me when I needed you .. To pick me up when I was down and make me laugh! We had some crazy times. It makes my heart hurt to know you gave your life for us. I know that your with God now and that makes me the selfish one to want my friend back. I love you and I miss you. Roland misses you."
Jen Pena of Roland, Ok

"To the family of:Joshua J. Ware
I am so sorry for the loss of your love one. My heart cries out for you in your grief and you have my thoughts and prayers. He died a hero defending freedom. May you have the peace and understanding that only comes from God. Prayerfully we will all 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 11677 Brown Bridge Rd., Covington, GA 30016. (770)787-1015.
Your friend in Jesus Christ, Polly Ballew Covington,Ga""

"Son, It's still hurts as if you just left this world, tomorrow will be 6 years, my heart is till broken, the tears still flow., I think of YOU all the time...... just wishing I could tell how much I love and miss you. But I know, your in Heaven watching over us. I'll NEVER GET OVER LOSING YOU SON. NEVER!!! UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, MAY GOD HOLD YOU CLOSE IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND......."
Mom of Apache

"Gone but not Forgotten. To all five I lost that day and to the two the days before.
Semper Fi!"
SgtMaj Orellano, (Former Co. 1stSgt, 2/1 Fox Co.) of Helmand, Afghanistan

"Drawing Fire: ‘Stay With Us’
By MICHAEL D. FAY
(As seen in The New York Times)
This is the third installment of a five-part series, starting on June 6, 2010. To read from the beginning, go to “Drawing Fire: Into Ubaydi.”

Part 3

Even as the last Iraqis were hustled off the stage, the curtain started to rise.

Between Second and Third Platoons, the first explosion shattered the air. A car bomb had detonated just 50 yards away, and thick, inky smoke curled up and over us from a dense bloom of orange flame. I was with Sergeant Duncan’s squad as we cut and peeled back chain link fencing to make a gap for our advance. From this point forward, knowing the insurgents had days of prep time, we needed to stay as clear as possible from normal routes through the homes and farms. Gates and paths were all suspect. The obvious, the regular and the predictable were now the enemy.
Home Fires: Drawing FireMicheal D. Fay Lance Corporal Dustin Barr’s Fire Team, Ubaydi.


As we advanced past the cut fencing I found myself studying and photographing the faces of the young warriors. They were timeless. They were the same faces that Ernie Pyle tried to describe in words in World War II and David Douglas Duncan in his Korean War photos. I pulled my digital camera out and started clicking just as the three squad leaders from Third Platoon drew out their maps and made final decisions in the face of the actual terrain laid out before them.

When I’m out on a patrol, or in actual combat, it’s very important that I don’t forget my primary mission as a Marine. Every jarhead is a rifleman, and there is no room to stop and sketch. Once, during my first trip as an artist to Afghanistan, I had paused to sketch, and when I looked around a moment later I found myself alone. Not a good move.
Home Fires
Drawing Fire

imageThe Marine combat artist Michael D. Fay’s account of Operation Steel Curtain in 2005.

* All “Drawing Fire” Posts »
* More From Home Fires »

We advanced into the farthest home on the right of the company line, and the 40 Marines of Third Platoon took up positions in and around the house. A well-used dirt road came up from our right and made a hard left across our immediate front, running parallel to the other two platoons’ positions. Two tanks stood idling at the sharp right-hand turn and beyond lay a water plant and open desert. Before us stretched an open run of about 200 yards to one of the largest farm compounds in Ubaydi. The locals said it was lousy with foreign fighters. The compound ran across Third Platoon’s front for a good 100 yards with walls, out buildings and main structures. It was formidable. Through binoculars and ACOG sights the Marines could see that the porch and window openings had been “sandbagged” with what was in all probability large sacks of rice, fertilizer and animal feed. The main building also had several second story structures with good command of the terrain we might have to cross under fire. Off to our immediate right, on the very fringe of town lay stack upon stack of dried sheaves of wheat, perfect for enfilading crossfire. Several of Staff Sergeant’s, V’s Marines raked them fore and aft at ground level with a hail of pre-emptive suppressive fire.

Up and down the line of advance, the distinctive whip-like snap of M-16s was suddenly overwhelmed by a violent explosion, followed by the deep-throated cracks of insurgent AK-47s firing at full auto. Death was now dancing from partner to partner to our direct left and front. Rounds flew everywhere, kicking up clouds of the talc-like dust. The orange flash points of AKs punctuated the compound to our direct front. Even I found it necessary to put down my camera and shoulder my rifle. We were in it now.

The Marines of Third Platoon, along with our Iraqi jundi, poured out onto the porch of the house and from prone positions, standing in doorways, from behind pillars and from the roof, unleashed a furious wall of lead to our direct front. During all this there was bizarre comic relief: snow-white chickens, despite the roar of rifle fire and exploding grenades, plucked and pecked at the ground not three feet away. They had sauntered across a small dirt road that ran perpendicular to our position to feed just inches below the deadly cone of fire. Above the deafening firefight someone shouted, “Hey, quick, find out why that chicken crossed the road!”

From my position behind a house pillar, I had emptied a full magazine at muzzle flashes in an opening of one of the second story structures at the center of the compound stretching across our front. I removed the spent mag and inserted a full one. Taking advantage of a momentary relaxing of fire, I retrieved my camera and wormed myself down alongside a small red pickup truck parked in the front yard. From this semi-exposed vantage point I could get shots of Staff Sergeant V, one of his squad leaders, Corporal Koppes, and several other Marines and Iraqis lying shoulder to shoulder.
Home Fires: Drawing FireMicheal D. Fay The firefight begins.

Ventrone was studying the ground in front of us with his binoculars and talking on the radio with Lieutenant McGlothlin over to our left when all hell broke loose again. The Abrams tanks, positioned slightly to our right, had been throwing rounds into the buildings and date palm groves, but now, suddenly, one belched a plume of exhaust, thundered to life and dashed directly across our field of fire towards Second Platoon’s position. For a few moments it stopped a little to our left, rotated its turret and blasted the long primary building in the sandbagged compound. A small five-man security detail, lead by Corporal Alvarez, was assigned to them. Using the cover of the tanks’ engine area, they were firing to the front as well. Again the tank sprinted towards Second Platoon with Alvarez, grasping a handset attached to the tank’s hindquarters, wildly running with his Marines in tow, desperately trying to keep up. Staff Sergeant V yelled out over the mind numbing staccato of rifle fire and explosions that Second had taken two K.I.A.s. A moment later he lost comm with Lieutenant McGlothlin. Something bad, something very bad, was happening to Second Platoon.

Within moments Ventrone conferred with Lieutenant Voda about the dire situation unfolding off to our left. A decision was made in seconds. Staff Sergeant V’s shout of “Everyone up? Everyone up?” was echoed over the rising din of the firefight by squad and fire team leaders. Our dash to Lieutenant McGlothlin’s position began. Under fire and across an expanse of over 100 yards, the Marines of Third Platoon ran to the aid of their beleaguered buddies. “Good dispersion, good dispersion!” was screamed over and over by squad and fire team leaders. Furiously snapping pictures and fumbling with my audio recorder, I found myself bringing up the rear as we crossed a corduroy-furrowed field at a full gallop. No one tripped and no one stopped. Marine training had imbued us with one thing for certain: run towards the sound of gunfire.

The closer we got the louder the firing grew. We poured through an opening in a low stone wall, into the center courtyard of the tallest building. The cream colored main house was three stories high with multiple roof terraces. A new sound was heard above the explosions and rifle fire . . . the screams of the wounded. Last Days were everywhere around us.

Lieutenant Voda and Staff Sergeant V quickly deployed their Marines into a hasty 360, securing the immediate casualty evacuation point in the small courtyard. The company’s mortar platoon poured up the front steps and into the dark belly of the house on their way to the roof. Captain Parrish was already topside waiting for them with his little command group of radio men. This was not the house where Second got ambushed. That home was off 25 yards to our right and a furious fire fight was still ensuing as the mortar men rapidly started laying in their 60s on the second floor’s open terrace.

The scene below in the dusty courtyard was singularly awful. Bodies lay everywhere. A flurry commenced as Third Platoon secured the position and began administering aid to stricken comrades. Training was trumping thinking. One Marine, Lance Corporal Cooper, was screaming from the pain of a nearly amputated lower leg. Fellow jarheads held him as a single Navy corpsman worked feverishly to staunch the bleeding. The booted foot of his mangled leg was still attached, and twisted grotesquely to the rear as he writhed on the ground screaming “It hurts, it hurts!” Calming voices tried to reassure him that he was going to be O.K.: “Pain is good; pain lets you know you’re still alive!” There were several figures very close by that neither moved nor made a sound. Their pain was over.

Most of Second Platoon’s “docs” had already been wounded, so all Third Platoon Marines could do was administer the basic first aid learned in boot camp, until more help arrived from battalion. In an area no bigger than a kiddie pool lay 11 wounded and 5 dead. The medical training they had was enough for most, but not all. Corporal Deeds, a machine gunner, lay splayed out in the arms of a Marine like Michelangelo’s Pieta. His gear had been removed and cammie blouse torn open. Blood was everywhere. Just two days before I‘d taken a picture of him on a rooftop in New Ubaydi, manning a Gulf 240 machine gun with his best friend Lance Corporal Leary. Deeds, a Mississippi native, always sported a dark pair of Gargoyle sunglasses. The glasses were missing. His blue eyes were fixed in bruised, swollen eye sockets. While one of Third Platoons docs frantically worked on him, buddies were talking with urgent encouragement. “Hang in there, hang in there, keep breathing. Stay with us!” The desperate inertia of camaraderie kept his friends going, reciting over and over the mantra of you’re O.K., you’re O.K., you’re O.K. A grim-faced doc, HM3 Cordova, informed them “he’s dead, stop, he ain’t coming back, find someone else to help.” And so they did.
Home Fires: Drawing FireMicheal D. Fay Lance Corporal Leary and Corporal Deeds, Ubaydi.

Two of the K.I.A. were wrapped in their poncho liners. Beside them lay bloody gear and bandages, abandoned rifles and helmets. I lifted back one corner to see who it was. Beneath lay Corporal Ware, a Native American from Oklahoma. I later learned he was the first to go down. Ware always led his fire team from the front.

My attention was quickly drawn to another group of Marines gathered around a prone figure. One was kneeling, cradling the fallen man’s head. Several others were leaning in and talking to the motionless Marine. You’re going to be O.K., lieutenant. You’re going to make it. This time it was Lieutenant Ryan McGlothlin. Ryan’s flak jacket was off and his blouse open, and from the waist down he was drenched in blood. His eyes were fixed, milky and filled with dirt. I almost didn’t recognize his ashen, drawn face. He had been wounded low, hit in one if not both femoral arteries and probably bled out quickly as his adrenaline-drenched heart pumped furiously in his final seconds.

Col. Bob Oltman, the C.O. of 2/1, told me later that almost all of Second platoon’s dead and wounded were shot this way. The insurgents had well prepared interlocking spider holes in the walls of the “death house.” The enemy knew where the Marines were the most vulnerable and placed firing apertures low, so their rounds would angle up and hit in the unprotected femoral artery area of the upper thigh. At close quarters nothing can compare with the wounding potential of an AK-47 round. They knew their weapons and how to employ them, even when making a last stand. The mujh weren’t stupid, nor were they cowardly when fighting toe-to-toe. They didn’t give quarter. They didn’t ask for mercy.

Next, part 4: “Drawing Fire: Reckoning”
Michael D. Fay

Michael D. Fay held the the position of combat artist for the United States Marine Corps from 2000 through January 2010. He was deployed several times to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is currently in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan working as a war correspondent embedded with Marine units. His blog is Fire and Ice."
Joel Pennie of Stillwater, OK

"Lo, I have stood my watch this day
I have kept our enemies at bay,
God and country, I serve, so I swore
For peace today and evermore.
A new watch I proudly stand,
So glorious and bold as God took my
hand.
With shield and armor. I now bare a
sword,
My comrades and I stand tall with the
Lord.
My eyes are fixed. My path is sure,
My heart and mind so blessed and pure
As my God now dwells with me,
My spirit with you, will always be.

Son, Thank you for your service to God
and country!
Remembering You Always"
your family of Apache, Okla.

"Still missing you every minute, of every
single day. LOVING YOU ALWAYS, FORGETTING YOU NEVER!! "FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS""
Momma of Apache

"It's been almost 5 years now and some time I still find myself looking at a uniform and it still hurts. We miss u so much. Everyday u will remain in our hearts. We love you Josh! Always our hero!"
Tish of Lawton ok

"My brother, how can i miss you when i have you in my heart every day?!
I can only become a better man for serving with you and having you as an example in my life every single day!

Orahh my brother!
we love you, your family misses you, but we all know that you been promoted to the ranks of GOD!
SEMPER FI BROTHER!"
SGT GONZALO LEON of 2/1 WPNS CO.

"There is always a face before us,
A voice we would love to hear,
A smile we will always remember,
of a brother we loved SO dear,
Deep in our hearts lies a picture,
More precious than silver or gold,
Of our brother, that will never grow old.

Bubba there is not a day that goes by
that we don't miss you!!
LOVE, YOUR SISTER AND BROTHERS"
of Apache, Okla.

"It isn't what the eye can see
that brings a parent pride,
it's his gentle strength, his
laughter, the joy he always
gave. His honesty, kindness and
the thoughtful way he lived. Life
holds some spectacular blessings, and
one of their greatest, by far, was
having a son who turned out to be the
warm caring person you were.

WE MISS YOU JOSH
Your Mom"
of apache, Okla

"Your sacrifice and dedication to all of the important things in life: God, family, country, and the Marine Corps - will never be forgotten. Your service and sacrifice motivates and humbles me. Oorah and semper fidelis, devil dog. May God be with your family, rest in peace."
PFC Lodder of San Diego, California

"To one of the BEST Marines I have ever known. He was a great man."
Todd Luginbuhl of Fallujah Iraq

"Dear Family Of Cpl Ware. Cpl Ware was a Great Marine and Friend I wish the best for you and your Family I still wear the Cpl chevron your son gave to me the day I got promated to Honor Your Son as a Great Fighter and Friend."
Felix J Kamie Jr (Cpl)USMC of Macomb MI

"This is for my brother a hero and a friend. He was one of two true friends i had through out my life he will be missed. i miss u josh aka indian and i will see u again."
Mexican of Norfolk ,Va

"I found these pictures of Josh in case you haven't seen them

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=34564702&searchid=7f185d13-3c8b-40ca-a382-778b3229c45f"
Georgia of Roland,OK

"November 15, 2008
To the family of Cpl. Joshua J. Ware:
Joshua 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

"TO THE FAMILY OF CPL. JOSHUA J. WARE MY HEART CRIES OUT TO YOU ALL I SERVED WITH YOUR SON IN IRAQ ON BOTH TOURS WITH SECOND BATALLION FIRST MARINES HE WAS A TRUE WARRIOR AND THERE IS NOT A DAY THAT GOES BY THAT HE IS NOT ON MY MIND REMEMBERING ALL THOSE GOOD TIMES WE HAD. I ALONG WITH ALL HIS FREINDS WILL MISS HIM AND AS LONG AS THE SUN RAISES EVERY MORNING I WILL KEEP HIM IN MY HEART. SEMPER FI DEVIL DOG I MISS YOU DEVIL MAYBE ONE DAY WE CAN MEET UP IN THE GATES OF HEAVEN AND HAZE BOOTS LIKE WE USED TO!!!"
CPL. MANUEL RIVAS 2ND BATTALLION FIRST MARINES of AMARILLO, TX

"In Loving Memory
Cpl. JOSHUA J. WARE
May 25,1985-Nov.16.05

Two years have passed,we feel the pain
Your absence is heartfelt.
Your're in our hearts, not a day goes by
When your smile, your laughter,
Brings a tear to the eye.
Our loss bears pain, but the memories dear,
For we know that our angel is very near
We know we'll see you again someday,
We dearly love you more than words can say.
We Love and Miss You,

Dad, Mom, Dustin, Sky, Randi, Daniel, & Kiya."
momma of Apache,Okla

"The Bridge of Memory
The voice of someone beautiful is silent, and yet his presence seems so real and clear. The smile that always filled a room with sunsine at anytime, it seems, could reappear. With every thought of him, it seems the sadness becomes a wider, deeper stream of loss.
Yet memory builds a bridge of healing comfort from here to him, for loving hearts to cross.


Son, Our hearts can't contain the memories of you; Two years is nothing when life begins new. There's not enough sunrises to forget your face, There's not enough sunsets for someone to take your place. Now and Forever you are a part of me. Now and Forever I will always think of you Son, two years ago we lost you- ad still not a day goes by that we don't think of you.
A special smile, a special face
And in our hearts, a special place.
No words we speak can ever say
How much we miss you every day.
To hear your voice and see you smile,
To sit and talk with you awhile.
To be together in the same old way
Would be the dearest wish of ours today.
LOVING YOU ALWAYS...
FORGETTING YOU NEVER..."
Mother of Cpl. Joshua Ware of Apache, Okla

"semper fi soldier"
kevin of kenya

"Another day has passed without you and still my heart is sadden cause you are not here. As tears fall down my face, I know God called you and you had to go home. One day we will all see you again. And you will NEVER be FORGOTTEN. We love you Josh!!!"
LaTisha of Lawton, OK

"Much respect to Josh he will be forever loved and missed by all, a brave modern day warrior.."
Ekayah of Apache, Oklahoma

"Josh, you know that I have not forgotten you and never will. It has been hard to deal with the fact you are no longer here with us, but I know that we will see eachother once again. Miss you and love you. Joy*"
Joanna of Coachella, Ca

"Hey Jerald, just wanted to say I love you and miss you very much. I can't believe its been over a year and i haven't heard your voice. Well I will stop by and say hi again, and you are always on my mind Love you"
Scarlett of Coolidge, AZ

"Josh, my friend and my brother, I love you and I miss you. You have made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us and you will never be forgotten. I am so thankful to have been able to know you and to call you my friend. You changed my life and everyone's life that you were ever around for the good. You are missed and thought about every single day that goes by. I know you wouldn't want any of us to be sad because I know how proud you were for what you did and you should be it was such an honorable job. Because of you and people like you, we are safe here at home ,but I miss you and I will never stop."
Erin Williamson of Roland, Oklahoma

"Josh we miss you and we will always LOVE you. Thank you for all that you have done, you will always be in my thoughts and memories. We can't help but to miss you and the pain may never go away but we do know that you are in a better place. You will always and forever be a Hero to me and this country. Always remembering and never forgetting. Semper Fi"
Thotes of Apache, OK

"Josh was loved by many. As his friend I miss him everyday. As hard as it is to go on without him. I wipe away my tears and know he would not want us to cry. He'd want us to smile, he was always making us laugh. A hero to many! I'm thankful to my friend and others. Joshua is a heros name. I named my son after that hero "Joshua"."
Tisha of Lawton OK

"A MESSAGE FOR THE FAMILY OF THIS MARINE WARRIOR. GOD BLESS THIS MARINE AND WHAT HE DID FOR THIS COUNTRY. GOD BLESS THE FAMILY FOR THEIR LOSS."
AKIMEL O'ODHAM TRIBE/ LCPL JOHNSON II, ANTHONY C of BLT 2/4 FOX CO. USMC

"To the Ware Family, I am so sorry for your loss. What a hero you are Joshua. You will always be remembered and honored as one. May God bless you all, and God Bless you Joshua."
Mary Ghaney of Brooklyn, New York

"Joshua J. Ware, You are a true HERO, without a doubt. You were such a joy to all those who knew you. It only seems right that you would give your all for what you believe to be the right thing to do. You were always the one who stood up for what you believed in. Thank you so very much for your sacrifice, you will always be remembered in our hearts and in our shared memories. I miss you so very much!! John Boy is coming home today and I can't help but cry when I think you won't be with him this trip home. I know you're already here, I feel you everyday and I know that you're watching over all of us. Joshua, I love you and miss your smile and I miss you. You were a very special blessing in my life. Sempe Fi Sissy"
Sissy Nichols of Roland , OK USA

"As I prayed for you today

I asked the Lord to bless you
As I prayed for you today,
To guide you and protect you
As you go along your way...

His love is always with you
His promises are true,
And when we give Him all our faith
He's sure to see us through.

So when the road you're traveling on
Seems difficult at best...
Just remember I'm here praying
And God will do the rest.

We are never prepared for the loss of a loved one,
But God is always prepared to help us through that loss.
May his presence begin the healing in your heart and soul,
And may His love surround you with the comfort only He can give.

Gone but never forgotten.
Proud mother of USMC Lcpl Alex, currently serving in Iraq"
Patricia of Bishop, CA

"Joshua,
I would like to say thank you to you and the five other Marines from your unit(2/1) for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.

Semper Fi Devil Dog!"

"To the family and friends of Corporal Joshua J. Ware,

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. If you're not certain that your loved one's next of kin is registered, please use our link and register them for a quilt so we can send our "Love Stitched Together."

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

"sorry this is so late but its been kinda hard latety. i want to thank everybody for you kind words and support and give you all a big thankyou
from all of our family"
dustin l. ware (brother) of apache ok.

"JOSHUA THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY. MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR BEING A MILITARY BROTHER TO OUR SON. YOU ARE SOMEONE'S SOMEONE AND SOMEONE TO OUR FAMILY. MY HEART AND PRAYS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. YOU HAVE NOT DIED IN VAIN! YOU ARE AN AMERICAN HERO! THANK YOU FOR FIGHTING OFF TERRORISM AND GIVEN THE IRAQI PEOPLE HOPE AND FREEDOM. GOD BLESS!"
leonard wahl of valley stream ny

"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.
Our nations HERO, Joshua will be remembered by name.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Pat & Sandi Breckenridge / Montana God Bless you ALWAYS. "

"Thank you Joshua Ware, 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. Joshua Ware:
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 Joshua 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. Joshua Ware:
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 Joshua, who continues to live on in your heart."
Tim Rivera of Powder Springs, Georgia