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It is really hard to imagine your friends passing but as you reconnect with your fellow military members you find out things that are heartbreaking. Right now, I am dealing with an imminent loss and an unexpected death of one of my friends while in Germany. Last year it was SMSgt Floyd Parton (Lou Gehrigs Disease -ALS). What a decent man!!!
The other day I found out that TSgt Kimberly Reeb has also passed away to Cancer and she was probably in her early 50s. Still too young imho. Then I have a friend who was in Vietnam and a weather forecaster who is dying with Leukemia. He wants to remain anonymous name-wise, but I have been conversing with him for months. He also had four heart attacks but it appears Leukemia has it's own heartbreak.
I dreamed about him passing last night. The lonely loss of a military brother. Also lost a SSgt in a C-5A crash that took Randy's life. We played softball together at Volgelweh. Kaiserslautern.
Who do you know that has passed or is passing and give a shout out to the heroes that died before us?
The other day I found out that TSgt Kimberly Reeb has also passed away to Cancer and she was probably in her early 50s. Still too young imho. Then I have a friend who was in Vietnam and a weather forecaster who is dying with Leukemia. He wants to remain anonymous name-wise, but I have been conversing with him for months. He also had four heart attacks but it appears Leukemia has it's own heartbreak.
I dreamed about him passing last night. The lonely loss of a military brother. Also lost a SSgt in a C-5A crash that took Randy's life. We played softball together at Volgelweh. Kaiserslautern.
Who do you know that has passed or is passing and give a shout out to the heroes that died before us?
Edited 11 y ago
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 47
I have had the unfortunate honor of attending fallen friends and fellow Marines memorials and funirals as I'm sure most here have as well. One hit me the hardest and several years later I still break down over it. I had a good friend while on recruiting duty. After recruiting he went west I went east. We stayed in touch until I got a weird email then nothing after that. I looked for him for 3 years after that. One day my oldest daughter was helping me look and ran across his memorial page. After reading through the many posts and leaving one myself, I saw his father leave a post saying he forgives him for taking his own life.
Sean Healy 12-19-1973 to 5-13-2009 rest in piece brother. You are dearly missed.
http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Sean-Patrick-Healy-85909357
Sean Healy 12-19-1973 to 5-13-2009 rest in piece brother. You are dearly missed.
http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Sean-Patrick-Healy-85909357
Sean Healy Obituary - Centennial, Colorado - Tributes.com
Obituary, funeral and service information for Sean Patrick Healy from Centennial, Colorado.
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T/Sgt Donald Dennis Tribble, 3118th Signal Group, SHAEF. He passed away on February 3, 2015 from complications due to Alzheimer's Disease.
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SSgt (Join to see), it seems like so many of my high school classmates are with us no longer and here's another. James Edward McCall graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, Jacksonville, FL with me on June 4, 1967.
He joined the Army and became a helicopter pilot. CW3 McCall died while piloting an OH-58 which exploded in flight during a training mission and crashed into the woods near the town of Eschenbach in der Oberpfalz, in the district of Neustadt, Bavaria, Germany on 25AUG78. Two other service members also died in this crash. It was later determined that it was not pilot error that caused the crash.
He joined the Army and became a helicopter pilot. CW3 McCall died while piloting an OH-58 which exploded in flight during a training mission and crashed into the woods near the town of Eschenbach in der Oberpfalz, in the district of Neustadt, Bavaria, Germany on 25AUG78. Two other service members also died in this crash. It was later determined that it was not pilot error that caused the crash.
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SSgt (Join to see)
It is getting kind of creepy and almost surreal. Losing friends and usually there is a larger story. Like some malady or issue that cannot be reconciled. When my friend died not one month ago the lingering vacuum is the hardest thing to deal with.
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I have lost two friends in my short military career that were gone before their time. Our timing, but not God's time. Both were to a heart attack. Back in 1989 or 1990, Airnan 1st Class Craig Barnhart left us at 19 years old. Craig made us all smile and laugh at his antics on & off duty. He was a good kid liked by all and missed by all who knew him. Second was MSgt Joseph Butler. Unlike Craig, he was a seasoned mechanic, and knew the landig gear & skis on the LC-130H inside out. He passed away at one of the most remote places one could imagine, doing something he loved-teaching aircraft icecap recovery school at Dye2 in Greenland. The guys never gave up CPR on the flight back to Sondy that day. It was a sad day felt by all at our tiny base in upstate N.Y.
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MSgt Kevin Willoughby
No, it was Sondy (Sonderstrom Fijord/AB). Yes, we did fly out of Thule as well.
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SSgt (Join to see)
Cool MSgt Kevin Willoughby I forgot the spelling but as I get older that becomes more common.
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MSgt Kevin Willoughby
We all have spelling mistakes once in a while. Know it will be a long while until the next one.
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LTC Renne Cory along six other Americans lost their lives on 7 April 2001 when their helicopter crashed in Vietnam. LTC Cory was the Det Cmdr on a JTF-FA mission. I served with him at JTF-6. He was one of finest men I have had ever met. Every April 7th I always take a moment to remember his memory.
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When I was on the USS Mahan I would keep running into a fellow IC3 at various bases around WestPac. Saw his ship in Subic Bay and went to visit. He died in a flash fire in one of the fire rooms. It still spooks me 40 plus years later.
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