Pfc. Timothy R. Hanson
Hometown: Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.

Age: 23 years old

Died: January 7, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.

Incident: Killed by small arms fire in Salmon Pak.

Pfc. Timothy R. Hanson | Faces of the Fallen | washingtonpost.com

Sgt. Christopher A. Sanders
Hometown: Roswell, New Mexico, U.S.

Age: 22 years old

Died: January 9, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany

Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb detonated during combat operations in Sinsil.

Sgt. Christopher A. Sanders | Faces of the Fallen | washingtonpost.com

Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett
Hometown: Saltville, Virginia, U.S.

Age: 35 years old

Died: February 2, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett | Faces of the Fallen | washingtonpost.com

Spec. Christopher J. West
Hometown: Arlington, Texas, U.S.

Age: 26 years old

Died: February 4, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Incident: Died Feb. 4 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered on Feb. 3 in Muqdadiyah, when a makeshift bomb detonated during combat operations.

Chief Petty Officer Nathan H. Hardy
Hometown: Durham, New Hampshire, U.S.

Age: 29 years old

Died: February 4, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Navy, East Coast-based SEAL team

Incident: Killed by small arms fire during combat operations

Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch
Hometown: State College, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Age: 29 years old

Died: February 4, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Navy, East Coast-based SEAL team

Incident: Killed by small arms fire during combat operations.

Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch | Faces of the Fallen | washingtonpost.com

Sgt. Timothy R. Van Orman
Hometown: Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Age: 24 years old

Died: February 5, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Incident: Died Feb. 5 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Al Muqdadiyah when he encountered a makeshift bomb during combat operations.

Fallen hero awarded Silver Star



Foothills family accepts honor for Sean Stokes

By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Journal Staff Writer

Auburn Journal : Top Stories


Wednesday, February 6, 2008


U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Sean Stokes, a 2001 Bear River High graduate who died in July while on his third tour of duty in Iraq, has posthumously been awarded the Silver Star Medal. Courtesy photoWednesday might have been Sean Stokes' birthday, but it was his family and friends who received a gift.

On what would have been his 25th birthday, the fallen Marine and former Lake of the Pines resident was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal in a ceremony at Camp Pendleton.

"We're celebrating his birthday today. It's awesome," Gary Stokes, Sean's father, said after Wednesday's ceremony. "We got this awesome birthday present, even if he's not here."

What makes the honor all the more special, Stokes said, is that his son is the first Marine Private since the Vietnam War to earn the Silver Star Medal, according to Stokes' research, which he said has yet to be contested. The Silver Star is the third highest American military award when designated solely for heroism and valor in combat, Stokes said.

"I searched every Web site I could find, and I searched back as far as the Vietnam War," he said.

Only three times in the last 40 years has a Marine with the rank of Private earned such a high honor, according to Stokes' research.

Sean Stokes died July 30, 2007, at the age of 24, while on his third tour of duty in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Stokes was killed after stepping on an improvised explosive device. The 2001 Bear River High graduate found a calling with the Marine Corps following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, according to prior Journal reports. He enlisted in 2002.

Military historian Patrick O'Donnell wrote about Stokes in his 2006 book, "We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder With the Marines Who Took Fallujah." O'Donnell got to know Stokes during his time embedded in the 1st Platoon of Lima Company, 1st Marine Regiment, and recommended Stokes for the Silver Star. O'Donnell came out to California from Arlington, Va., for Wednesday's ceremony.

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Sgt. Rafael Alicearivera
Hometown: Bayamon, Puerto Rico, U.S.

Age: 30 years old

Died: February 5, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Incident: Died in a non-combat related incident in Tallil.

Sgt. Rafael Alicearivera | Faces of the Fallen | washingtonpost.com

Cpt. Michael A. Norman
Hometown: Killeen, Texas, U.S.

Age: 36 years old

Died: January 31, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Unit: Army, Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Incident: Killed when his vehicle encountered a makeshift bomb in Baghdad.

Cpt. Michael A. Norman | Faces of the Fallen | washingtonpost.com