Who do you remember? Fallen and Deceased

I think, in everyone's life, there is that one moment, when you realize that you aren't 'bullet-proof' and that bad things can and do happen to those you know, and to yourself.
That moment, for me, came on October 23, 1983, when I woke up to find that my view of life and my casual attitude towards friends had changed forever.
In one moment, we lost 241 Marines in Beiruit. Loosing all those people would have been hard on any service, but you see, all those Marines came from a single base. Their wives shopped at the same store, their children all went to the same schools, and that was so painful.
We didn't have the chance to deal with it, and move on. For days, news cameras were shoved into our faces each time we stepped off base... and every family that had a Marine in Beiruit felt as if it was living on borrowed time. No one knew who was alive and who was dead... letters kept coming, no one had any names of those who lived or died, so the entire base and the housing areas near it, were in limbo for weeks, waiting...praying... and hating themselves as they prayed it was someone elses' Marine, not theirs.
You asked about who I remembered? Those are the ones I remember, because that was the event that made me realize how incredibly fragile we are, and how great a gift life is.

SSgt (Join to see), I also like to remember Capt Raymond "Ray" Charles Spaulding, USAF. We graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, Jacksonville, FL, together in 1967.
Capt Raymond Charles Spaulding's death occurred on December 19, 1979. At the time of the accident, Capt Spaulding was flying as Weapon Systems Officer in the variable-sweep wing, Mach 2 capable F-111E "Aardvark" [tail number 68-0003 (although some records incorrectly show 68-0803)]. Assigned to the 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), USAF, and operating out of RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England, Capt Spaulding and pilot, Capt Richard A. Hetzner had been conducting practice bombing missions at Jurby, Isle of Man. They proceeded thereafter to practice low level flying when the aircraft crashed in the Galloway Hills at Craignaw, Scotland. As this aircraft employed a dual seat ejection capsule, neither Capt Raymond Charles Spaulding, USAF nor Capt Richard A. Hetzner, USAF was able to eject and both died in this tragic accident.
Requiescat in pace.

1LT L S SGT Mark Anderson CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025

Thanks for starting this topic.

Washington, Sept. 4, 1960 - U.S. soldiers killed when a howitzer shell exploded on impact in Grafenwoehr, Germany.. All were from the 3rd Reconnaissance Squadron, 12th Calvary, 3rd Armored Division.
My buddy under the “buddy enlistment” plan. We entered service in June of 1959. He will always be just 19 years old.  
BAROFALDI, Pfc. Robert E.,
Rio Vista, Calif.
LtCol Vember D Taylor USAF Served from June 1928 to June 1956. Saw service in SW Pacific WWII and Korea. My dad. Died Sept 1988.

In Memory Of:

Cpl Michael Nolen 6/27/11 KIA Afghanistan
SSgt Eric Summers 11/13/13 Killed in an accident
Cpl Eric Herring 2/2/14 Killed in an accident
Sgt Robert Richards (Ret) 8/13/14 Died from bad drugs administered by the VA

RIP Marines

I was at Dye 2 that day, our final day of Ice School, we were to have a wake up at 0500, at 0520, I radioed the CP to find out the hold up, was told someone would come down to let us know what was going on. Joe was a great trainer and expected you to give direct answers to his questions, no bullshit. I often think of him and also Major Leroy Kinlocke. I often flew with him on my trips to/from Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo. I crewed a few TDY trips with him and he was always diligent in his treatment of the enlisted personnel. Both of them have left us too early and will always be remembered.

During my Army days and the Gulf War, I remember a young driver from the unit I was attached to being killed in an unnecessary Humvee/Saudi vehicle accident during the early days of our air strikes into Iraq. I never knew him personally, but one of 168 killed during that war by accident. A tragic way to lose a young person.

SPC. Matthew Pollini, MAARNG, KIA Al Kut, Iraq, 2009
SFC. Victor Cervantes, 7th SFG, KIA Orgun-E, Afghanistan, 2005
SGT. Marquees Quick, 1-1 Cav, Ar Ramadi, Iraq, 2006

20SEP2009: SPC Damon Winkleman, medic, as part of the 82nd AD was injured beyond the local assets ability to treat when he was ejected from the HMMWV during a rollover in Afghanistan. Every memorial march I go on is in his honor and memory.

Army Pfc. Nathaniel E. Detample
Died August 9, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom
19, of Morrisville, Pa.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Philadelphia; killed Aug. 9 when a mine exploded and enemy forces attacked using small-arms fire as he was investigating a rocket-propelled grenade incident in Bayji, Iraq. Also killed were Spc. John Kulick, Spc. Gennaro Pellegrini Jr. and Sgt. Francis J. Straub Jr.

Soldier killed in explosion in Iraq

Associated Press

Nathaniel E. DeTample may have been small in stature, but not in courage.

“All 130 pounds of Nate were always ready to stand tall and take on someone twice his size,” said the Rev. David Farina, pastor of the Calvary Full Gospel Church.

DeTample, 19, of Morrisville, Pa., died Aug. 9 in Bayji after coming under attack. He was based in Philadelphia.

A wrestler, an Eagle Scout and a criminal justice major at Shippensburg University, DeTample impressed all with a dogged willingness to serve.

“He led the charge since the day I met him. He was always the guy who said, ‘Follow me,”’ said Vince Paulauskas, committee chairman for DeTample’s Boy Scout troop.

DeTample looked substantially younger than he was, earning him the nickname of “Baby Boy.” He also loved the Phillies, and for a while in high school, he became fanatical about wearing orange.

“We all thought that he looked like a traffic cone,” said his uncle Steve Pursel.

He is survived by his parents, Glenn and Kimberly.

“We may have lost the finest example of a human being on Earth,” Darrell DeTample said of his cousin.

Taken from: http://projects.militarytimes.com/valor/army-pfc-nathaniel-e-detample/1029984

Nate was the first personal friend I had that died while serving. We were in ROTC together and he got the call, decided to go on his deployment instead of contracting, and was killed the summer before our Sophmore year. He was always a character and would constantly get himself in trouble and was generally given extra PT and duties to make up for it. Mostly due to his silliness.

He will be missed.

This is the ill-fated crash that took a friend...