19-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN IRAQ SAW ARMY AS HIS 'NEXT TEAM'
By Fred Moreau

** HS coach: "He was a nice kid. He'd do whatever was asked of him." **

United for Peace of Pierce County
June 2, 2004

TACOMA (WA) --A 19-year-old Fort Lewis soldier died in Baghdad on Sunday, from wounds incurred in a mortar attack on his base in Mosul.[1, 2, 3]

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "thirty-six troops with ties to Washington state have died in Iraq or Afghanistan in the past 15 months. May was the bloodiest month for the state since the start of the second Gulf War, with the deaths of nine troops who were based here or who made their homes here."[4]

The latest soldier with Washington ties to die was a Stryker private out of Fort Lewis. Brad Coleman was a handsome high school athlete who looked at the Army as his "next team," according to his father, Don Coleman. He was from a town 35 miles NE of Pittsburgh -- Ford City, PA, which registered 3,451 inhabitants in the 2000 census.

Brad Coleman wrestled for his high school, Elderton High. He also played on the football team of a neighboring school, West Shamokin High, which had a co-op arrangement with Elderton High.

(Though Elderton is too small to have its own football team, Brad Coleman was the second Elderton graduate to die in Iraq. Twenty-four-year-old William R. Sturges Jr. was killed in checkpoint bombing in January.)

The West Shamokin High football coach recalled Brad Coleman. "He was a nice kid, I respected him a lot," said Randy Tira. "He was just a hard worker, a team player. He'd do whatever was asked of him."

Coleman had been in Iraq in Mosul since February. His father said that in fighing in Iraq his son had felt he was doing "a necessary job."

Part of Brad Coleman's assignment was to write up casualty reports, an assignment he requested in order to learn office skills that he hoped would be useful in a future career in finance, though high school coaching and the Army were also career possibilities he was considering.

"He was always interested in finance," his father said.

Military service has been a tradition in the Coleman family. Brad's father told a reporter he had joined the military because of a sense of duty stimulated by "tensions with Iran," and had spent time in the Persian Gulf during his 1977-1981 Navy service. (Memory plays strange tricks. The shah of Iran, an ally of the U.S., was overthrown only in 1979.)

His grandfather fought in the Korean War, his great-grandfather fought in the Philippines in World War II, and his great-great-grandfather saw service in Europe in World War I. "Brad is the only one of us who hasn't come home," his father said.

The Army was in a hurry to get Brad Coleman to Iraq. When he died he had been in the Army only eight months, including boot camp. He had been in Iraq since February.

Brad loved dogs. He raised German short-haired pointers, and adopted a stray dog at his base in Mosul. Brad Coleman took a camera instead of a rifle when he went on hunting trips with his father, because he didn't like to shoot animals.

He and his father were close. They were in daily contact through e-mail and online chat, and Don Coleman had a clock in his house set to Iraqi time to be able to track when his son's duties ended.

His father, brother, and sister regularly prepared care packages for him containing beef jerky and microwave soups. The last package was mailed the day before Brad Coleman died.

"Brad didn't get a lot of a chance," Don Coleman said.

1.

SLAIN STRYKER SOLDIER WAS 19, FROM PENNSYLVANIA
By Michael Gilbert

News Tribune (Tacoma, WA)
June 2, 2004

http://www.tribnet.com/news/iraq/stryker/story/5145610p-5075877c.html

The latest Stryker brigade soldier to be killed in Iraq was described Tuesday as a 19-year-old western Pennsylvanian who played football and sent e-mails to his family every day.

Pvt. Bradli N. Coleman died Sunday at an Army hospital in Baghdad, the day after his living quarters in Mosul were struck in a mortar attack.

Coleman is one of two 19-year-olds with Washington ties who died in Iraq over the weekend. A Lake Stevens man was identified Tuesday as a Marine killed Saturday during hostile action in Al Anbar Province.

Pfc. Cody S. Calavan, 19, was a machine gunner assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif. He joined the Marine Corps last June, and his personal awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Marines said.

Coleman lived at the Fort Lewis-based brigade's headquarters at the Mosul presidential palace compound and worked in the personnel section at the brigade tactical operations center, his father, Don, told his hometown newspaper, the Kittanning Leader Times.

Mortar and rocket attacks are a regular occurrence at the brigade's bases across northern Iraq. Insurgents typically fire just a few rounds before fleeing to avoid detection.

Coleman was the second Stryker soldier to be killed in a mortar attack. Spc. Isela Rubalcava, 25, of El Paso, Texas, died May 8 after she was hit at another forward operating base in Mosul.

"Brad and I had talked in the weeks before how the shelters were starting to be targeted," Don Coleman told the Leader Times. "There were a few close calls where soldiers had just walked out, and the quarters were destroyed by mortar rounds."

Most Stryker soldiers live in shelters that resemble cargo containers or mobile homes. Their thin metal walls and ceilings provide little protection against a direct hit or flying shrapnel.

Brigade officials and the Pentagon released no other details about Coleman's death.

The Times Leader said the soldier joined the brigade in February, three months after it deployed from Fort Lewis in November. He joined the Army after graduating from high school last spring. He played football and was on the wrestling team.

His father said he stayed in touch.

"Between e-mail and chat, I don't think we missed a day," said Don Coleman, who saved each message. He added that Brad was especially close to his younger brother, Nathan, who wrestled and played football with his big brother.

Coleman told the Times Leader his son wrote about riding on supply convoys back and forth from the Mosul airfield, and said the new soldier had a "nervous excitement" about being in the Army and deployed to Iraq.

"He'd talk about getting stuck in traffic," his father said. "You'd look around and see all these people, and start to feel like you were outnumbered five to 500."

Coleman last visited home in February before leaving for Iraq. He raised German short-hair pointers, and couldn't resist adopting a stray dog at his camp, his father told the newspaper. He asked his father to send worm pills and flea medication.

Vince Curren, principal at Elderton High School, told the Times Leader he last talked to Coleman during the winter.

"He really enjoyed what he was doing," Curren said. "He thoroughly enjoyed being in the service."

Coleman was the school's second graduate to die in Iraq. Army Spc. William R. Sturges Jr., 24, was killed in a checkpoint bombing in January.

Coleman also was the second Stryker soldier to die over the Memorial Day weekend. Spc. Michael J. Wiesemann, a scout in the brigade's 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, died of noncombat injuries Friday at the forward operating base in Qayyarah, about 25 miles south of Mosul. Wiesemann was from North Judson, Ind.

--Michael Gilbert: 253-597-8921, mike.gilbert@mail.tribnet.com

2.

'TEAM PLAYER' FROM ARMSTRONG KILLED BY MORTAR SHELL IN IRAQ
By Michael Miller

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PA) June 2, 2004

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/news/s_196852.html

Brad Coleman enjoyed the camaraderie of being a member of a team, whether while in high school competing in football and wrestling or with the Army fighting a war in Iraq.

The 19-year-old private, from Armstrong County, died over the weekend of injuries suffered when a mortar shell hit his living quarters near Mosul in northern Iraq, his father said Tuesday.

Brad Coleman, who grew up in Kittanning Township, was injured Saturday and died the next day, Don Coleman said.

"Brad and I had talked in the weeks before how the shelters were starting to be targeted. There were a few close calls where soldiers had just walked out and the quarters were destroyed by mortar rounds."

The elder Coleman said his son was dedicated to his military duties and felt he was doing "a necessary job" fighting in Iraq. He worked in the human resources department of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, part of the 1st Armored Division.

"It didn't surprise me at all that he picked the Army as his next team," his father said. "Brad felt he could lend a hand."

Coleman, a 2003 graduate of Elderton High School, was on the wrestling team at Elderton and played football at West Shamokin High School, which has a co-op arrangement with Elderton for football.

"He was a nice kid. I respected him a lot," West Shamokin football coach Randy Tira said. "He was just a hard worker, a team player. He'd do whatever was asked of him."

Coleman was deployed to Iraq in February, and his duties included writing casualty reports.

Don Coleman said his son asked for the human resources assignment to learn office skills for a future career in finance.

"He was always interested in finance," his father said.

Brad Coleman was the latest in a long line of family members to serve his country, dating back to his great-great-grandfather, who served in World War I, according to Don Coleman.

Don Coleman served with the Navy in the Persian Gulf between 1977 and 1981.

The elder Coleman said he joined the military because of tensions with Iran. He said his son felt a similar calling when fighting erupted in Iraq.

"The sense of duty was with me, and I know that it was with Brad," he said.

They were able to communicate electronically almost every day.

"Between e-mail and chat, I don't think we missed a day," said Don Coleman, who saved all of the messages on his computer.

Brad Coleman was close to his younger brother, Nathan, who wrestled and played football with his big brother.

The soldier wrote to his father about tense moments riding on convoys to get supplies but overall had a "nervous excitement" about serving his country.

"He'd talk about getting stuck in traffic," his father said. "You'd look around and see all these people and start to feel like you were outnumbered five to 500."

Brad Coleman loved animals.

"In Iraq, he had adopted a stray dog on the base," his father said. His son often brought the dog leftovers from the mess hall and asked family members to send worm pills and flea medication.

Coleman is the second graduate of Elderton to be killed in Iraq. Army Spc. William R. Sturges Jr., 24, of Spring Church, was killed in a checkpoint bombing on Jan. 24.

--Michael Miller can be reached at mmiller@tribweb.com or (724) 543-1303 ext 219.

3.

ELDERTON HIGH GRAD KILLED IN MORTAR ATTACK
Associated Press

Indiana Gazette (Indiana, PA)
June 2, 2004

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11839671&BRD=1078&PAG=461&dept_id=151025&rfi=6

[PHOTO CAPTION] Coleman

FORD CITY, Pa. -- A 19-year-old soldier from western Pennsylvania who had only been in the Army for eight months died Sunday from wounds sustained in a mortar attack Saturday in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, defense officials said.

Pvt. Brad Coleman, from Ford City, was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash., according to defense officials. Coleman, who worked nights, was apparently asleep in his barracks when the mortar hit, said his father, Donald Coleman.

"He was in for eight months total, including boot camp. Brad didn't get a lot of a chance," Donald Coleman said.

The oldest of three children, Brad Coleman continued what had become a family tradition of military service, his father said. Donald Coleman served in the Navy and his father had been in the Navy during the Korean War. Brad Coleman's great-grandfather fought in the Philippines during World War II, and his great-great-grandfather fought in Europe during World War I, his father said.

"Brad is the only one of us who hasn't come home," he said.

The father and son sent e-mails to one another almost daily; Donald Coleman had his clock set to Iraqi time so he could talk to his son when his duties ended. His family routinely sent care packages with beef jerky and microwave soups. The last package was mailed Friday.

Brad Coleman had recently adopted a dog he found wandering the streets in Iraq, a companion like the three German short-haired pointers he left behind stateside, his father said.

Unlike his father, he took a camera rather than a rifle on hunting trips because he didn't like to shoot animals. He joined the Army hoping to be trained in office management and finances and worked in the tactical operations center in Mosul, Donald Coleman said.

Brad Coleman had talked about making a career of the military but also mentioned becoming a college football coach, his father said.

"As kids go, Brad was very personable, well-liked. He played football and wrestled for a time," said Vincent Curren, principal of Elderton High School, where Coleman graduated last year.

"He had found himself and really seemed to be excited to be doing what he was doing," Curren said.

He is survived by his father, his brother and a sister.

4.

IN STANWOOD, FAMILY FACES ANOTHER TRAGEDY
By Mike Lewis

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
June 2, 2004

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/176019_iraqobit02.html

STANWOOD -- A Lake Stevens High School graduate who dreamed of serving in the Marine Corps died during combat in Iraq -- the second death his Stanwood family has endured in less than a year.

Pfc. Cody Calavan, a 2003 class alumnus, died Saturday in fighting in the Al Anbar province. The machine-gunner was 19. Nine months ago, Calavan's younger brother, Joey Jay Calavan, 15, was killed by a drunken driver.

The boys were the only sons of David Calavan, a Stanwood man who also lost his first wife six years ago to breast cancer.

Unsuccessfully fighting back tears and sitting behind his house on wooded acreage outside Stanwood, David Calavan said yesterday the losses are "a bit overwhelming."

His elder son, he said, was proud of the fact that he came from a military family: Cody's cousin was a Marine, his uncle Tim served in Desert Storm, his grandfather was an Air Force colonel.

"There's always been a lot of pride in the family that they did a job that needed to be done," said Pamela Calavan, Cody's stepmother.

He had been assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., at the time of his death. The Marines reported that an enemy bomb hit Calavan's convoy.

Cody Calavan had received the National Defense Service Medal in his brief time in the Marines, which he entered nearly one year ago, on June 16, 2003, shortly after his high school graduation.

"His goal was to be in the Marines," said Arlene Hulten, who works in the community services office of Lake Stevens High School. "He was a good kid, a bright kid and kindhearted."

While Pamela Calavan understood Cody's pride in his military family, she initially put the brakes on his career as a Marine. A mom "to the bone," she refused to see her children driving without seat belts, much less involved in combat.

"But this is what Cody wanted to do," she said.

Cody made it home three times since he enlisted. He skipped his boot camp graduation to attend his younger brother's funeral.

Brent Barnes, Calavan's physical education teacher for three years, said the young man supported the war and worked during his senior year in weight training and physical education classes to get as fit as possible before entering the service.

Calavan wasn't a kid who spent time in cliques, Hulten added, but instead was nice to all students -- including giving his yearbook to a student after someone stole hers. After his brother died, Calavan's status as an only son allowed him to petition to return home. He declined.

"He felt what they were doing was worthwhile," Barnes said.

Two weeks ago, Jina Marie Milius, 19, of Stanwood, was charged with vehicular homicide in the August death of the younger Calavan. On Aug. 29, 2003, Milius was driving a 1992 Pontiac Grand Am with Joey as a passenger.

According to Snohomish County authorities, the woman's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit when she began to swerve the car, asking Calavan if he was "scared."

At 50 mph, she lost control of the car and it rolled.

After the accident, Milius allegedly walked away from the wreckage and went to a friend's house. She had borrowed the car without permission, she didn't have a valid license and she didn't call for help, authorities said.

After the death of his first wife, Kathy, in 1998, David Calavan married Pamela, and along with his two sons, helped to raise two stepchildren. Pamela and Kathy, had been best friends and worked together as nurses. When Kathy was dying, she asked that David and Pamela become a couple after her death.

Thirty-six troops with ties to Washington state have died in Iraq or Afghanistan in the past 15 months.

May was the bloodiest month for the state since the start of the second Gulf War, with the deaths of nine troops who were based here or who made their homes here.

Army Pvt. Brad Coleman of Ford City, Pa., 19, of Fort Lewis' 2nd Infantry Division Stryker brigade, became the ninth casualty Sunday when he died of wounds suffered a day earlier during a mortar attack in Mosul.

On Saturday, another Stryker soldier, Spc. Michael J. Weismann, 20, of Indiana, died of non-combat-related injuries in Iraq.

--P-I reporters Mike Barber and Sam Skolnik contributed to this report. P-I reporter Mike Lewis can be reached at 206-448-8140 or mikelewis@seattlepi.com.