I just spent the last 3 hours in the garage working on my motorcycle—getting it ready for an important mission tomorrow.

First, I changed the oil and did some other routine maintenance checks (tire pressure, a quick check of all bolts to make sure none have started to wiggle loose, etc.). Then I washed and hand-waxed her. Then I spent another hour and a half polishing all of her chrome.

I want to make sure she looks her very best, because tomorrow morning we’ll be riding with the Patriot Guard Riders to escort 23 year-old Sgt. Jeffrey S. Wiekamp of Utopia, TX. to his final resting place.

No. 424-06 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2006 Media Contact: Army Public Affairs - (703) 692-2000
Public/Industry(703)428-0711

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of 10 soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died east of Abad, Afghanistan, in the Kunar province, on May 5, when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed during combat operations.

Killed were:

Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty, 41, of Fla.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric W. Totten, 34, of Texas.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher B. Donaldson, 28, of Ill.

Staff Sgt. Christopher T. Howick, 34, of Hamburg, N.Y.

Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster, 24, of Fontana, Calif.

Sgt. John C. Griffith, 33, of Las Vegas, Nev.

Sgt. Jeffery S. Wiekamp, 23, of Utopia, Texas.

Spc. Justin L. O’Donohoe, 27, of San Diego, Calif.

Spc. David N. Timmons Jr., 23, of Lewisville, N.C.

Pfc. Brian M. Moquin Jr., 19, of Worcester, Mass.

All those killed were assigned to the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum N.Y. Fenty, O’Donohoe, Timmons and Moquin were part of the 71st Cavalry Regiment. Totten, Donaldson, Howick, Brewster, Griffith, and Wiekamp were part of the 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment.

Posted by Robbie Cooper on Wednesday, May 17th, 2006 | Trackback |