Six pairs of boots, dog tags, rifles and helmets stand in silent memory of soldiers killed on Memorial Day while trying to recover the remains of two pilots who were shot down. (Drew Brown / S&S)
Six pairs of boots, dog tags, rifles and helmets stand in silent memory of soldiers killed on Memorial Day while trying to recover the remains of two pilots who were shot down. (Drew Brown / S&S)
Sgt. Leonard Trevino, 24, of San Diego, Calif., fights back tears as he holds the dog tags of a friend from Apache Troop, 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron who was killed during a rescue mission. (Drew Brown / S&S)
Two soldiers kneel in prayer as they remember six friends from Apache Troop, 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron who were killed on Memorial Day. (Drew Brown / S&S)
Mideast edition, Thursday, June 7, 2007
FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq
Spc. Alexandre A. Alexeev “had an uncanny way of being able to communicate with the Iraqi people.”
Wherever he went, Iraqis would flock to him, drawn to the 23-year-old Russian immigrant’s booming voice and obvious empathy, said Capt. Mike A. Punaro, commander of Apache Troop, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment.
Alexeev and five other soldiers were killed on Memorial Day by two roadside bombs as they tried to recover the remains of two OH-58 Kiowa helicopter pilots shot down by insurgents near Muqdadiyah, in Iraq’s volatile Diyala province.
The two pilots, 1st Lt. Keith Heidtman and Chief Warrant Officer Theodore “Tuc” Church, died in the crash.
Cpl. Zachary D. Baker, killed in the bomb attacks, “was one of the most enthusiastic troopers in Apache,” Punaro recalled. The 25-year-old native of Vilonia, Ark., “would not complain about any task or detail, he would just make sure that it got done. His enthusiasm rubbed off on those around him, and it made our troop a better place.”
Cpl. James E. Summers III “was a hard worker that his peers and leaders could always count on to accomplish a task or mission,” Punaro said. The 21-year-old trooper from Bourbon, Mo., loved the Army, and often spent time talking about how happy his wife made him.
Sgt. Anthony D. Ewing “was a guy you could always count on to pick you up,” Punaro said. The 22-year-old native of the Philippines “was an outstanding motivator that could make you feel better with nothing but his signature smile and a wisecrack.”
Sgt. Jonathan A. Markham had “an internal drive to be the best, and his competitive spirit was unmatched,” Punaro said. On the night he died, the 22-year-old from Dallas was “an unrelenting force … leading his soldiers, establishing security and conducting recovery operations” before a hidden bomb took his life.
First Lt. Kile G. West “was an incredible officer and leader of soldiers,” Punaro recalled. The 23-year-old from Hutto, Texas, “could be counted on to accomplish any task,” and he “loved leading American soldiers,” which was “exactly what he was doing the night he died.”
Their deaths mark the worst day so far during this deployment for the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment. Three other soldiers have been killed in action since the regiment deployed to Iraq last October.
“Words are not adequate to describe the depths of our sorrow and the pain we feel at their loss,” said Lt. Col. Keith M. Gogas, 6th Squadron commander.
Punaro said that even as they died, all six troopers “would not have wanted to be anywhere else.”
“Our troopers displayed all that is right and proper about what we soldiers do by moving immediately to the sound of the guns and moving immediately to a place where Americans were in trouble,” he said.
The soldiers were part of a quick-reaction force when they received word around 7 p.m. that a helicopter had gone down.
“They were in their bunks, on their computers, in the dining facility when the call came,” Punaro recalled. “They immediately jumped up and readied themselves. ... There were two Americans in trouble.”
But as the soldiers arrived near the crash site, one of their Bradleys was struck by a bomb buried deep in the ground and wired to a pressure device. Five soldiers — Alexeev, Baker, Ewing, Summers and West — were killed and another soldier was wounded.
Engineers were called in to look for additional explosives, but the second bomb was buried so deeply that it lay undetected. It exploded as Apache troopers were leaving the area, killing Markham.
The soldiers never reached the downed aircraft. Another quick-reaction force was airlifted in to recover the remains of the two pilots.
Four of the men served under Sgt. Leonard Trevino, 24, a section chief from San Diego. Restricted to base at the time, Trevino described how he tried to go on the mission but Ewing stopped him. His friend’s action, he said, saved his life.
“I figured that they called for all of the dismounts we could provide, so I had to go,” Trevino said, now talking to his friend. “You threw me out of the Bradley though, and basically told me, ‘No, stay here, I’ll be back later,’ and I watched the ramp go up while you gave your trademark wave.”
“I’m still waiting,” he said. “Waiting for you to come back so I can say thank you for saving my life.”
