1.

THREE STRYKER SOLDIERS DIE IN IRAQ
By Michael Gilbert

News Tribune (Tacoma, WA)
August 4, 2007

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/military/story/125527.html

Three Fort Lewis soldiers were killed Tuesday when insurgents in Baghdad bombed their vehicle, the military said Friday.

Six other soldiers were wounded in the blast in the eastern section of the capital, according to news releases issued at the Pentagon and by military authorities in Iraq.

The Department of Defense identified the three Stryker brigade soldiers as:

• Spc. Zachariah J. Gonzalez, 23, of the Indianapolis area.

• Pfc. Charles T. Heinlein Jr., 23, of Hemlock, Mich.

• Pfc. Alfred H. Jairala, 29, of Hialeah, Fla.

All three were assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division -- the Fort Lewis Stryker brigade now in its second straight summer of fighting in Iraq. They belonged to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment.

U.S. military officials in Baghdad said the patrol was attacked with a bomb outfitted with an “explosively formed penetrator,” or EFP, a modification that officials say has been used with greater frequency against U.S. troops over the past several months.

EFPs are copper or other metal spheres placed over an explosive that, when detonated, form superheated projectiles capable of piercing deep into protective armor.

U.S. military officials in Iraq for months now have accused Iran of supplying Iraqi insurgents with large numbers of manufactured EFPs.

As recently as Wednesday, 3rd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told Pentagon reporters that his units south of Baghdad have been attacked with EFPs some 40 times, “and all those are directly traceable back to Iran.”

It couldn’t be determined Friday how many times Fort Lewis Strykers have been attacked with EFPs or if the Fort Lewis units are seeing the same alleged Iranian influence in their areas of operation.

Some units are in the capital, while others are operating to the north, in Diyala and Salah-ad-Din provinces.

All three soldiers killed Tuesday were on their first tours of Iraq.

Gonzalez graduated high school in Fishers, Ind., in 2002. He enlisted in the Army in April 2004 in Indianapolis. He did his basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., in August that year, then reported to Fort Lewis in December 2004.

Heinlein enlisted in September 2005 at Lansing, Mich., and reported to Fort Benning that October. He came to Fort Lewis in February 2006.

Jairala enlisted in September 2004 in Miami, trained at Fort Benning the same month and was assigned to Fort Lewis in January 2005.

Third Brigade has lost 40 soldiers in its second deployment to Iraq -- twice as many as it lost in its first trip.

The brigade is 14 months into its second tour and due to return home next month.

--Michael Gilbert: 253-597-8921 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. blogs.thenewstribune.com/military

--Staff writer Matt Misterek contributed to this report.

2.

HIALEAH SOLDIER AND 2 OTHERS KILLED IN IRAQ

Associated Press
August 4, 2007

http://www.miamiherald.com/775/story/192806.html
or
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Dead_Soldiers.html (headline: 3 FORT LEWS SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ)

HIALEAH, Fla. -- A soldier from here and two others have been killed in Iraq, the Department of Defense said.

Pfc. Alfred H. Jairala, 29, of Hialeah, and the two other soldiers died Tuesday in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle, the department said.

They were assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.

The other two soldiers killed were Spc. Zachariah J. Gonzalez, 23, of Indiana, and Pfc. Charles T. Heinlein Jr., 23, of Hemlock, Mich.

The brigade went to Iraq in June 2006.

Gonzalez enlisted in the Army on April 20, 2004, at Indianapolis.

Heinlein enlisted on Sept. 28, 2005, at Lansing, Mich., and Jairala enlisted on Sept. 9, 2004, at Miami, Fla.

All three got their initial training at Fort Benning, Ga.

3.

MICHIGAN SOLDIER, TWO OTHERS KILLED IN IRAQ
By Doug Guthrie

Detroit News
August 3, 2007

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070803/UPDATE/708030449/1003/METRO

HEMLOCK, Mich. -- A Michigan soldier and two others from his Fort Lewis, Wash. based Army unit have been killed in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced on Friday.

Pfc. Charles T. Heinlein Jr., 23, Spc. Zachariah J. Gonzalez, 23, of Indiana, and Pfc. Alfred H. Jairala, 29, of Hialeah, FL., died Tuesday in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Stryker armored vehicle.

The three were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and were deployed to Iraq in June 2006.

Heinlein had earned a general equivalency high school degree in 2004 and traveled from Hemlock, a town of about 1,600 on M-46 between Saginaw and Alma, to Lansing, where he enlisted in the Army on Sept. 28. He completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. in October of 2005. His first assignment was to the Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Lewis.

During his career, Heinlein earned the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Combat Infantryman Badge.

4.

Breaking news

INDIANAPOLIS INFANTRYMAN KILLED IN BAGHDAD

Associated Press
August 4, 2007

http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070804/NEWS09/70804002

INDIANAPOLIS -- A 23-year-old Army reservist from Indianapolis died in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device damaged the armored vehicle his combat unit was riding in, an Army spokesman said.

Zachariah Gonzalez' death Tuesday was the 88th for an Indiana soldier in Iraq.

At least two other soldiers in Gonzalez's unit also died in the attack, said Sgt. 1st Class Philip McCord, an Army spokesman.

"The only thing we know is that he was riding in a Stryker vehicle," McCord said. The vehicle "hit an IED that contained some type of penetrating device."

Gonzalez joined the Army Reserve after graduating from Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers in 2002. He began in the culinary division, because he was a great cook, according to his uncle, Manuel Gonzalez.

A short time later, he enlisted as an infantryman.

"He wanted to serve his country in a bigger way," his uncle said. "He wanted to be there in front and that was the decision he made."

Gonzalez had been in Iraq about 14 months.

He had spoken to his mother last week, telling her he was ready to come home and help her lay grass in the family's back yard, his uncle said.

"He'd call home all the time and tell his family to pray for the wounded soldiers," Manuel Gonzalez said. "He hoped to return home and begin working with his father in his landscaping business."

5.

HAMILTON CO. FAMILY MOURNS SON KILLED IN BAGHDAD
By Jennie Runevitch

WTHR 13 (Indianapolis, IN)
August 3, 2007

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6882741&nav=1VGl

[PHOTO]

[PHOTO]

HAMILTON COUNTY -- A graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School is the latest Hoosier casualty in Iraq. Army Reservist Zachariah Gonzalez, 23, died Tuesday when his armored vehicle ran over an explosive device. His family talked about his courage and their loss.

The Gonzalez family is very close, and derives strength from prayer. So with news that Zachariah Gonzalez died on active duty, they've had to lean on their faith more than ever. They describe him as a proud American soldier, a man of strong friendship and deep Catholic faith.

"Zach would often call home and ask his family to pray for the wounded and for those lost while he was in Iraq," said Manuel Gonzalez, Zach's uncle.

Now the prayers are for Zach himself. "Zach was a child, then a man, of vision and passion, always sure of where he was going and what he wanted," said his uncle.

Out of high school at Hamilton Southeastern, Zach wanted to join the Army. He enlisted in the Reserves and was assigned to the culinary division because of his cooking skills. But Zach wanted to serve his country in a bigger way.

"He wanted to be in the infantry and as Sergeant McCord has said, he wanted to be in the front," said Manuel Gonzalez.

That's where he was July 31st, the feast day for St. Ignatius of Loyola, the patron saint for warriors. Zach Gonzalez was on the front lines in Baghdad, riding in a Stryker on a mission. An improvised explosive device -- one that can penetrate armor -- went off under the vehicle. Zach and three of his fellow soldiers died in the attack.

"Zach was a combat infantryman, so he was . . . a hero," said Gonzalez.

Zach should have been home the day he died, but the Army extended his tour of duty. Now, Zach's cousin, also serving in Iraq and on extended duty, will reunite this family of faith.

"He said this morning to his mother in Houston, 'Mom, I now know why I was supposed to stay here. I was supposed to . .&nbps;. bring Zach home," said Gonzalez.

Zach's cousin will escort his body home to Indianapolis. Funeral arrangements are still pending, but the funeral Mass will likely be held next week at St. Monica's.

6.

Metro & state

FAITHFUL LIFE, HERO'S DEATH
By RoNeisha Mullen and James A. Gillaspy

** Zachariah Gonzalez volunteered for front lines to serve in a big way **

Indianapolis Star
August 4, 2007

[PHOTO CAPTION: Tragedy: Sgt. 1st Class Philip McCord (left) and Staff Sgt. Les Newport (right) answered questions about Gonzalez on Friday.]

After 14 months in Iraq, Army infantryman Zachariah Jared Gonzalez was looking forward to a September homecoming and his little sister's wedding.

His plans, and his life, were cut short this week in an attack by insurgents in Baghdad.

Now, his family is planning to celebrate his life -- and a hero's death -- in a funeral Mass at St. Monica Catholic Church next week.

"His service in the Army was but one step in a life that was full of promise," his uncle Manuel Gonzalez said during a gathering at the church Friday to honor the young soldier.

The 23-year-old Gonzalez graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School in 2002 and enlisted in the Army Reserve soon after. He'd served as a military cook before his patriotism fueled his desire for a different role.

"He wanted to serve his country in a bigger way," his uncle said. "He wanted to there in the front, and that's the decision he made."

At 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Baghdad, Gonzalez and fellow soldiers of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team were on patrol in a Stryker personnel carrier when they were hit by an improvised explosive device that pierced the 45,000-pound vehicle's armor.

Staff Sgt. Les Newport, an Army spokesman, said the device is common.

"It's the weaponry of choice," Newport said. "There are a lot of people working very hard to figure out who's using them and how to neutralize them."

Gonzalez was one of three men killed in the explosion.

Gonzalez had spoken to his mother last week, telling her he was ready to come home and help her lay grass in the family's backyard, his uncle said.

"He'd call home all the time and tell his family to pray for the wounded soldiers," Manuel Gonzalez said. "He hoped to return home and begin working with his father in his landscaping business."

On the day he died, the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the patron saint of warriors, the family shared Zach's strong faith as a Catholic and his convictions as a defender of freedom.

"This is a family of great faith," said St. Monica's pastor, the Rev. Paul Koetter.

Gonzalez's body is expected to arrive Monday in Indianapolis. His cousin Gino Maldanado, who also serves in the Army, will escort the body from Iraq.

Gonzalez is the 93rd Hoosier to be killed in the war in Iraq.

Call Star reporter RoNeisha Mullen at (317) 444-6304.

7.

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN GRAD DIES IN IRAQ
By James A. Gillaspy

Indianapolis Star
August 2, 2007

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/LOCAL01/70802078/1015/LOCAL01

A 2002 graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School has been identified as one of the latest soldiers to die in the war in Iraq.

School officials said today that the family of Army reservist Zachariah Gonzalez had called Wednesday to report the news of his death this week.

“He was a well-liked student,” said guidance counselor Greg Davidson, who said Gonzalez had gone to Chatard High School in Indianapolis for three years before coming to Fishers as a senior.

He said a younger brother and sister have graduated from the school since then.

“Our prayers are with them and their family,” Davidson said.

8.

INDIANA SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ BY ROADSIDE BOMB

WISH-TV8 (Indianapolis)
August 3, 2007

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6871112

INDIANAPOLIS -- Funeral arrangements are pending for Army Specialist Zachariah Gonzalez. The 23-year-old Indiana native was killed in Baghdad Jul. 31.

Army officials say Gonzalez was riding in a Stryker armored vehicle when it hit a roadside bomb. The soldier and two of his buddies died in the attack.

"He was a hero. One of the brave guys trying to fight the bad guys in Baghdad," said Sfc. Philip McCord of the Indiana National Guard.

A 2002 graduate of Hamilton Southeastern, Gonzalez first joined the reserves to be a cook. But once in the army, he decided to join full time as an infantryman.

"Zachariah was a child and then a man of vision and passion, always sure of where he was going and what he wanted," said uncle Manuel Gonzalez.

While Army pictures show a young man who wore the uniform with great pride, family photos show a different side, a loving son and brother who cherished his family as they cherished him. Family members say Gonzalez last spoke to his mother one week before he was killed. During the conversation he talked about the future.

"He was ready to come home. To lay out in the grass in the back yard because he said there was no grass here and he couldn't wait to go home and lay down in the grass," his uncle said.

Gonzalez is coming home, but now the grass he so longed to touch will become his final resting place.