• Home
  • :
  • :
  • Member Center
  • :
  • Make This Your Home Page

Five years in Iraq marked here and around the world

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
Susan Beaty is taken to a squad car by a Providence police officer after she and others refused to leave during a war protest by Providence Students for a Democratic Society. Mike Urso carries a sign at left.
8 arrested after protest against war at Guard office

PROVIDENCE -- About 25 people protested the war in Iraq today in front of an Army National Guard recruiting office next to the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Video: Five years later: View a retrospective

Your Turn: What have we accomplished in Iraq?

Sen. Whitehouse criticizes Bush on war's anniversary, march planned in Providence

Bob Kerr: Ask 'What if?' and prepare to hit something


N.Kingstown family copes with Iraq War loss

Extra: Our continuing report on Southern New Englanders who have died in Iraq

Post tributes to the troops


A look back

Frozen in Time
3.18.07
On the war's fourth anniversary, Journal staff writer Mark Arsenault looked back on the first Rhode Islander lost.

Gallery: As Greg Belanger's death recedes further into the past, his family has been forced to leave him behind in time, stuck at five days past 24. To help remember him, they keep photos and things he touched.

Message American troops overseas

Tribute to our Troops

Search for troops and read messages

Sign up and add a troop

 

Contact us

The news staff of projo.com and The Providence Journal welcome information about the status of local military personnel serving in conflict zones. Please e-mail pjnews@projo.com or call the newsroom at (401) 277-7303.
 

On the Local Front

U.S. ambassador says Iraqi security forces ready for U.S. withdrawal

WASHINGTON — A few Sundays ago in Baghdad, Christopher Hill threw a lacrosse ball on the U.S. Embassy grounds with Terry Barnich, an aging player from Georgetown University, vintage 1977, and talked up their scheme to organize a team of exiles in Iraq.

Full story...

Langevin foresees doubling troop effort in Afghanistan

R.I. congressional delegation assesses Iraq troop deadline

More stories ...

Our War Dead


Navy Lt. j.g. Francis L. Toner IV
Navy Lt. j.g. Francis L. Toner IV

3.27.09: Toner, 26, of Narragansett, who worked as a garrison engineer at Camp Shaheen in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, was shot and killed along with a Navy nurse by an insurgent.


Sailor with Rhode Island ties killed in Afghanistan

Video: The Toners talk about their son who was killed in Afghanistan


Army Sgt. Kyle J. Harrington
Army Sgt. Kyle J. Harrington

1.24.09: Harrington, 24, who grew up in Swansea, Mass., and was serving in the 542nd Maintenance Company, 80th Ordnance Battalion, 593rd Sustainment Brigade, out of Fort Lewis, Wash., died in Basra, Iraq, when someone in his unit backed over him with a forklift. That accident is under investigation.


Swansea soldier on duty in Iraq killed in accident

Family who lost son praying for soldiers • Post a tribute

Video: Elizabeth Harrington remembers her brother

Video: Harrington's body arrives in Swansea


Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke
Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke

8.12.08: Woonsocket-born Ferschke, 22, a team leader and radio operator in the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, was fatally wounded in a gun battle while conducting a house-to-house search in Fallujah.


R.I. native, 22, killed while serving in Iraq • Post a tribute


Special Agent Nathan J. Schuldheiss
Special Agent Nathan J. Schuldheiss
11.01.2007
Schuldheiss, 27, of Newport, a civilian working in for the U.S. military in Iraq, was killed along with two other special agents near the Balad Air Force Base when an improvised explosive device burst next to their military vehicle.

Dad recalls patriotism of fallen son • Post a tribute


Army Sgt. Michael P. Weidemann
Army Sgt. Michael P. Weidemann
10.31.2006
Weidemann, 23, of Newport and the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Rhode Island National Guard, was killed while driving a military vehicle on patrol in the Anbar Province west of Baghdad when his armored vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.

Army sergeant from Newport, 23, killed in Iraq

'He always put everyone before himself' • Post a tribute


Marine Lance Cpl. Eric P. Valdepeñas
Marine Lance Cpl. Eric P. Valdepeñas
9.4.2006
Valdepeñas, 21, of Seekonk and the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, weapons company, reserve unit, of Ayer., Mass., was killed while on patrol in Fallujah when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Iraq's Al Anbar province. He graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School in 2003.

On field of his dreams, a Marine remembered

Family remembers Marine killed in Iraq • Gallery

More about his unit • Post a tribute


Army Sgt. Moises Jazmin
Army Sgt. Moises Jazmin
8.27.2006
Jazmin, 25, of Providence and the Army's 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, died Aug. 27 in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A3 Bradley Vehicle during combat operations.

Post a tribute


Staff Sgt. Dale James Kelly Jr.
Staff Sgt. Dale James Kelly Jr.
5.6.2006
Kelly, 48, of Richmond, Maine, and the 3-172 Mountain Infantry Unit of the Maine Army National Guard, died Saturday, May 13, in Iraq from a roadside bomb that hit the truck in which he was riding. He grew up in Cranston.

Post a tribute


Marine Cpl. Brian St. Germain
Marine Cpl. Brian St. Germain
4.2.2006
St. Germain, 22, of West Warwick and 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif., was killed when the seven-ton truck he was riding in rolled over in a flash flood near Asad.

Post a tribute


Army Sgt. Dennis J. Flanagan
Army Sgt. Dennis J. Flanagan
1.20.2006
Flanagan, 22, of Inverness, Fla., and the Army's 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky., died Jan. 20, in Al Huwijah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations. He lived in Exeter as a child.

Gallery: To view a photo tribute by Kristin Kenney, click here, then scroll to Sgt. Flanagan's name • Post a tribute


Marine Lance Cpl. Nickolas D. Schiavoni
Marine Lance Cpl. Nickolas D. Schiavoni
11.15.2005
Schiavoni, 26, of Haverhill, Mass., and the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C., died Nov. 15 from a suicide-vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Al Karmah, Iraq. His mother lives in Westerly.

Post a tribute


Army 2nd Lt. Matthew S. Coutu
Army 2nd Lt. Matthew S. Coutu
6.27.2005
Coutu, 23, of North Kingstown and the 64th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, died in Baghdad, where enemy forces engaged his convoy with small-arms fire.

Sniper kills 'superior' soldier • Post a tribute


Marine Lance Cpl. Holly A. Charette
Marine Lance Cpl. Holly A. Charette
6.23.2005
Charette, 21, of Cranston and the Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C., was killed in a suicide bombing with at least three other Marines in an attack near Fallujah.

'All I can think of is that I hope you felt no pain' • Post a tribute


Marine Lance Cpl. Dimitrios Gavriel
Marine Lance Cpl. Dimitrios Gavriel
11.19.2004
Gavriel, 29, of New York, N.Y., and the Marines 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C., died Nov. 19 as result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He graduated from Brown University.

Post a tribute


Rhode Island Army Reserve Spc. Bryan L. Freeman
R.I. Army Reserve Spc. Bryan L. Freeman
11.8.2004
An Army Reserve civil affairs soldier, Freeman, 31, died in Baghdad, Iraq, from wounds sustained earlier that day when he came under small arms fire while conducting a vehicle search. He was a civil affairs specialist assigned to the 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve special operations unit based in Warwick.

Post a tribute


Sgt. Christopher S. Potts
Sgt. Christopher S. Potts
10.3.2004
Potts, 38, of Tiverton and the A Battery, 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery of the Rhode Island National Guard, was killed at a traffic checkpoint in Taji, a dozen miles north of Baghdad, when the soldiers came under fire from insurgents.

Guardsman killed in Iraq • Post a tribute


Marine Lance Cpl. John James VanGyzen IV
Marine Lance Cpl. John J. VanGyzen IV
7.5.2004
VanGyzen, 21, of Dighton and the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, a rifleman and lance corporal, died as a result of "enemy action" in the Al Anbar province near Syria. He lived in West Warwick as a child.

Dighton Marine killed in Iraq near Syria border • Post a tribute


Army Capt. Christopher S. Cash
Army Capt. Christopher S. Cash
6.24.2004
Cash, 36, of Tracy, Calif., and the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry, Jacksonville, N.C., died June 24 in Baqubah, Iraq, when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle came under attack by enemy forces using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. He was a native of Pawtucket.

Gallery: To view a photo tribute by Nancy L. Kelley, click here, then scroll to Capt. Cash's name

Video: A dedication ceremony in honor of Capt. Cash


Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew K. Serio
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew K. Serio
4.5.2004
Serio, 21, of North Providence and the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, was killed near Fallujah, Iraq, after his unit arrived to help quell an uprising.

North Providence Marine killed in Iraq

Post a tribute



Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Richard L. Ferguson
Master Sgt. Richard L. Ferguson
3.30.2004
Ferguson, 46, of Fort Carson, Colo., a career military man and member of the Army's 10th Special Forces, was killed in Samarra, Iraq, after the Humvee he was riding in flipped over in an incident that was characterized as "non-hostile." He grew up in Coventry.

Career soldier killed in non-hostile crash in Iraq • Post a tribute


Pastor John L. Kelley
Pastor John L. Kelley
2.14.2004
The pastor of Curtis Corner Baptist Church for 19 years, Kelley, 48, of South Kingstown, had been traveling with the Global Resource Group trying to establish a Baptist church in Baghdad when the taxi they were riding in was attacked by gunmen.


Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Curtis Mancini
Sgt. 1st Class Curtis Mancini
1.29.2004
Mancini, 43, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the Army's 486th Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve, based in Broken Arrow, Okla., was killed with six other soldiers when a weapons cache exploded west of Ghazni, Afghanistan. He graduated from Lincoln High School.

Lincoln High grad killed in weapons explosion • Post a tribute


Army Capt. Matthew August
Army Capt. Matthew August
1.27.2004
August, 28, of North Kingstown and a commander of B Company, 1st Engineer Battalion out of Fort Riley, Kan., was killed by a homemade bomb in a roadside attack in Khaldiyah.

Final honors for 'a true patriot and a true hero'

Soldier from N. Kingstown killed in Iraq • Post a tribute


Army Chief Warrant Officer Sharon T. Swartworth
Chief Warrant Officer Sharon Swartworth
11.7.2003
Swartworth, 44, of Virginia and an Army chief warrant officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, was among the six people killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Iraq. She graduated from Pilgrim High School, in Warwick.

JAG officer dies in Black Hawk crash • Post a tribute


Spc. Michael Andrade
Spc. Michael Andrade
9.24.2003
Andrade, 28, of Bristol and the Rhode Island National Guard's 115th Military Police Company, died in Iraq when the Humvee he was riding in collided with a fuel truck on a road north of Baghdad.

Town salutes a fallen soldier • Post a tribute

Street sign salutes fallen Bristol soldier


Army Sgt. Gregory A. Belanger
Army Sgt. Gregory A. Belanger
8.27.2003
Belanger, 24, of Narragansett and the Headquarters Service Company, 325th Military Intelligence Battalion, U.S. Army Reserves, based at Ayer, Mass., died in Al Hallia, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle.

Frozen in Time: Five days after his 24th birthday, Sgt. Gregory A. Belanger became the first Rhode Islander killed in Iraq.

Farewell to an R.I. soldier • Post a tribute


Sgt. Charles Todd Caldwell
Sgt. Charles Todd Caldwell
9.1.2003
Caldwell, 38, of Attleboro, was one of two soldiers in Rhode Island National Guard's 115th Military Police Company who were killed when their Humvee struck a land mine on a main supply road outside Baghdad.

Married just 8 days before shipping out • Post a tribute

In the combat zone


Sgt. Joseph Camara
Sgt. Joseph Camara
9.1.2003
Camara, 40, of New Bedford, was one of two soldiers assigned to the 115th Military Police Company of the Rhode Island National Guard who were killed when their Humvee struck a land mine on a main supply road outside Baghdad.

A devoted family man • Post a tribute


Capt. Benjamin W. Sammis
Capt. Benjamin W. Sammis
4.4.2003
Sammis, 29, of Rehoboth and the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, Calif., was killed in action when his AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed during combat operations near Ali Aziziyal, Iraq.

Distance war 'hits right at your doorstep' • Post a tribute


Marine 1st Lt. Brian McPhillips
Marine 1st Lt. Brian McPhillips
4.4.2003
McPhillips, 25, of Pembroke, Mass., and the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C.., was killed during a firefight in central Iraq. He graduated from Providence College.

Gallery: View Providence College's slideshow of photos from a golf tournament held in McPhillips memory on Sept. 19, 2005, at the Woodland Golf Club in Auburndale, Mass.