Tear-Filled Memorial Honors Young Moss Point Soldier

Sergeant Terrance Smith never got a chance to meet his daughter Marshelle, now 18-months-old.

Sergeant Terrance Smith, a 25-year-old fallen soldier from Moss Point is remembered as a hard working, loveable and admirable young man. The National Guardsman was killed two years ago when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle outside of Baghdad. Monday, his family paused to remember the life of this young soldier. Keli Rabon has the story.

SunHerald.com : Mississippi soldier killed in Iraq

SunHerald.com : Mississippi soldier killed in Iraq: "JACKSON --
JACKSON - A Mississippi native serving in Iraq was killed by a roadside bomb Thursday.

The Department of Defense and the family of U.S. Army Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn confirmed his death Friday."

SunHerald.com : Miss. soldier back in states after being wounded in Iraq

SunHerald.com : Miss. soldier back in states after being wounded in Iraq: "CLARKSDALE --
A 22-year-old soldier from Lyon has been flown to Fort Lewis, Wash. for more treatment of wounds suffered when his Humvee was damaged by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Spec. Matthew Sanders was wounded April 22, while on patrol south of Baghdad, said his father, Marshall Sanders."

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Hundreds Of Seabees Return Home

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Hundreds Of Seabees Return Home: "Hundreds of Seabees are spending valuable quality time with their families. On Thursday morning, the last 200 of about 650 NMCB 74 members returned home from a mission that took them to several locations, including Southwest Asia. "

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Local Soldier Killed In Iraq, Says Family

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Local Soldier Killed In Iraq, Says Family: "An Army soldier from Picayune who had already received Purple Hearts or injuries he sustained in previous deployments has died in Iraq, according to his family. Army Staff Sgt. Jerry Clark Burge Jr., 39, was killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb, his family told The Picayune Item newspaper."

SunHerald.com : Nearly 850 Miss. Guard soldiers put on alert, could be mobilized

SunHerald.com : Nearly 850 Miss. Guard soldiers put on alert, could be mobilized: "JACKSON --
Members of at least six Mississippi Army National Guard units, including two from Gulfport, have been told they might be mobilized for duty in the Middle East, military leaders say.

'We've got about 850 soldiers that have been alerted in various units throughout the state,' said Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, Mississippi's adjutant general. 'The alert order means to get ready... It stabilizes the unit and gets them prepared to be mobilized.'"

The Sun Herald | 03/23/2007 | Quitman Marine killed in Iraq

The Sun Herald | 03/23/2007 | Quitman Marine killed in Iraq: "A 20-year-old Marine from Clarke County was killed Wednesday in Iraq.

The Department of Defense confirmed Cpl. Dustin J. Lee, 20, of Quitman, died Wednesday from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lee was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Logistics Base out of Albany, Ga."

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: News & Video

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: News & Video: "South Carolina Guard Trains For Afghanistan
The 218th Brigade from the South Carolina National Guard is busy training in South Mississippi. Some 1,600 soldiers are at Camp Shelby preparing for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. They're preparing to train soldiers and officers with the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. Steve Phillips joined the troops for a close up look at the training program."

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Gulfport Seabee Killed In Guam; Another Soldier Held For Questioning

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Gulfport Seabee Killed In Guam; Another Soldier Held For Questioning: "A Gulfport Seabee was shot and killed Thursday at Camp Covington on U.S. Naval Base Guam, and another sailor is being questioned.

Petty Officer Second Class Jared Krutke, 25, was a member of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74. Krutke was a native of Sheboygan, Wisconsin who joined the Navy in 2001. He reported to NMCB 74 in July 2006. The unit deployed in October 2006."

The Sun Herald | 03/08/2007 | Mississippi soldier dies in Iraq

The Sun Herald | 03/08/2007 | Mississippi soldier dies in Iraq: "ECRU - A 21-year-old U.S. Army private from north Mississippi has been killed in Iraq, his family said Wednesday.

'Everyone is very upset,' said Patricia Mayo of Myrtle, the grandmother of Pvt. Barry Mayo of Ecru."

Two Mississippi Soldiers Die In Iraq
A member of the Mississippi National Guard stationed in Iraq died of noncombat injuries Saturday in Baghdad. Sgt. 1st Class William C. Spillers, 39, of Terry, was assigned to the Guard's 230th Finance Detachment stationed in Jackson. Meanwhile, the family of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Terrence Dunn are still mourning their loss. The Pascagoula native was killed February 2nd by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. The 38-year-old graduated from Pascagoula High School in 1987.

gulflive.com: The Mississippi Press

gulflive.com: The Mississippi Press: "Former PHS grad killed in Iraq"

HOUSTON -- U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Terrence Dunn's sisters say he was a hero long before an improvised explosive device took his life in Baghdad on Feb. 2.

Dunn, 38, graduated from Pascagoula High School in 1987, where he was a member of the school's ROTC program. He entered the army three years later and served tours in Bosnia, Africa, Korea and was in the middle of his second tour of duty in Iraq.

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: News & Video

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: News & Video: "Soldier With Mississippi Ties Reported Killed In Iraq
U.S. Army Sgt. Carl Leonard Seigart, whose wife and four stepchildren live in Picayune, was killed in Iraq on Valentine's Day as he participated in a tank recovery mission, his family said. Jessica Moeller, the soldier's stepdaughter, said Seigart was a tank mechanic with the 1st Cavalry, 3rd Battalion out of Fort Hood, Texas."

100 Seabees deploy
NMCB 133 members spread over 16 nations
More than 100 service members of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 left Gulfport on Wednesday as the final phase of one of the largest Seabee deployment operations.
( By LEIGH COLEMAN, SUN HERALD, 02/15/2007 03:01 AM CST)

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Your Hometown News - Ocean Springs/St Martin

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Your Hometown News - Ocean Springs/St Martin: "Nursing Scholarship Named For Fallen Jackson County Soldier
A Jackson County soldier who died fighting for his country is being honored with a scholarship in his name. Sergeant Sean M. Cooley was a member of The Army National Guard when he was killed in Iraq. As Patrice Clark reports, friends and family are now committed to keeping his memory alive by continuing his legacy of giving."

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Your Hometown News - Biloxi

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Your Hometown News - Biloxi: "Camp Shelby Volunteers Help Rebuild A Biloxi Home
Soldiers from Camp Shelby are wrapping up another successful mission of helping South Mississippi rebuild. But the Shelby detachment is just part of a larger army that's been working to bring Mary Clark back home to east Biloxi."

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Seabees Deploy Overseas

WLOX-TV - The News for South Mississippi: Seabees Deploy Overseas: "'First platoon reports all present,' the officer in charge yelled, as several hundred Seabees prepared to board buses Monday morning.

They are mission-ready after months of training. Based in Gulfport, these Seabees come from all over America.

'Long Island, New York,' said Victoria McReynolds, in a strong New Yorker accent.

She's not the least bit nervous about the mission. This mother will be serving alongside Seabees who aren't much older than her 15 year old son.

'This is going to be my second deployment. And I like it. Seabees are awesome. I like the work we do. It's good,' she said, smiling."

Wounded Seabee home for the holidays

A grave but fortunate wound

By JOSHUA NORMAN

jdnorman@sunherald.com

One Gulfport-based Seabee's fortune changed in a flash about three weeks ago.

One minute, Chief William Bell, 34, was working with a crew on some wiring for a Marine outpost in Anbar province, Iraq.

The next minute the Seabee from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 and three others were thrown against a building after a mortar landed just a few feet away.

Despite the pain, fear and sadness - two corpsmen died from the blast and Bell was lucky to be saved - a bit of positive energy came from that explosion.

Bell arrives in Gulfport today to spend Christmas in his home with his wife, Tamara, and 9-year-old daughter, Brooke.

Bell insists, however, he would head back to Iraq in a second if his wounds allowed it.

"I'm ready to rock and roll," Bell said. "But I don't mind a little break, spending a little time home with family."

Funeral held Wednesday for soldier with Miss. ties

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Army Staff Sgt. Robert L. Love Jr. of Livingston, Ala., was buried Wednesday in the tiny east Mississippi town of Russell.

At least 75 people, including family members, friends and a military contingent, attended a memorial service for Love earlier Wednesday in Meridian. Love was killed in Iraq on Dec. 1 when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

"There will be heartache and tears, but if you can trust in the Lord, He will wipe away the tears. You might not see it right now, but He will wipe them away," eulogist Keith Tisdale said in the Meridian Star.

"This is a sad occasion, when someone loses a loved one, but we thank God anyway, because with Him all things are possible."

Love's wife, Staff Sgt. Brianna K. Love, and his parents were presented with the soldier's medals and commendations, including the Bronze Star awarded posthumously.

Love was a 1996 graduate of Livingston High School in west Alabama. Some of his relatives live in the Meridian area.

The 28-year-old soldier was assigned to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division based in Giessen, Germany. He died Dec. 1 in the explosion at Ar Ramadi.

Love's mother, Mary Love, said earlier that her son and his wife met when they were transferred to Germany at the same time.

Mary Love said her son, one of five children, played in the band at Livingston High. She said he immediately enlisted in the Army after graduation and served eight years.

"He was quiet, but he got along with everyone, and everyone with him. He was a very serious person, but still very loving," Mary Love said in Tuesday's Meridian Star.

Among other survivors is the soldier's father, Robert Love Sr., and his daughters, Brianna and Tenessa.

Wreaths Across America Presents Holiday Salute
The service and sacrifice of military men and women were honored in Biloxi Thursday morning. A program called "Wreaths Across America" visited the Biloxi National Cemetery. Steve Phillips has more on a special holiday season salute.