1. Army 1st Lt. Jonathan Rozier, Class of 2001, died 7/19/2003 in Iraq
2. USMC Captain Ernesto M. Blanco, Class of 1998, died 12/28/2003 in Iraq
3. Army 1st Lt. Doyle M. Hufstedler III, Class of 2001, died 3/31/2004 in Iraq
4. Army Captain Sean Patrick Sims, Class of 1994, died 11/13/2004 in Iraq
5. Army Captain Todd Tyler Christmas, Class of 2000, died 11/29/2004, in McLennan County, Texas (see note below)
6. USMC Captain Lyle Gordon, Class of 1997, died 1/26/2005 in Iraq
7. Army Sgt. William Meeuswen, Class of 2003, died 11/23/2005 in Iraq
8. Army Chief Warrant Officer Richard Salter, Class of 1985, died 12/26/2005 in Iraq
9. Army Major Matthew Worrell, Class of 1994, died 5/14/2006 in Iraq
10. Army 1st Lt. Ryan Sanders, Class of 2001, died 6/5/2006 in Iraq
11. Army Captain Blake Russell, Class of 1998, died 7/22/2006 in Iraq
12. Army Sgt 1st Class Merideth Howard, Class of 1976, died 9/8/2006 in Afghanistan
13. USMC Lance Cpl Luke Yepsen, Class of 2008, died 12/14/2006 in Iraq
14. Army Captain Texas National Guard Sean Edward Lyerly, Class of 1998, died 1/20/2007 in Iraq
15. Army Specialist Daniel Gomez, Class of 2008, died 7/18/2007 in Iraq
16. Army Private First Class William Edwards, Class of 2006, died 8/11/2007 in Iraq
17. Army 2nd Lt. Peter Burks 2003 11/14/2007 Iraq
18. Army 1st Lt. Jeremy Ray 2004, Class of 2004, died 12/20/2007 in Iraq
19. Army Specialist Christopher West, Class of 2004, died 2/4/2008 in Iraq
20. USMC 1st Lt. Matthew R Vandegrift 2003 4/21/2008 Iraq
21. Army 1st Lt. Timothy W Cunningham 2004 4/23/2008 Iraq
Note: Capt. Todd Tyler Christmas, USA, is listed by Texas A&M as a casualty of the Iraq war despite the fact that he died when a helicopter in which he was riding as a passenger hit a broadcast tower’s guy wires in McLellan County, Texas. Neither the Department of Defense nor the web site, I-Casualties.org, lists him as a casualty of the Iraq theater. It is not clear why Texas A&M’s Association of Former Students, which compiles the list of Aggie casualties, cites his death as Iraq War related.
Regardless of how we commemorate our fallen, we will never truly honor them unless we regard the future generation . . .
. . . as more important than the demands of the wealthy and the powerful, whose dispatch our young to the world’s corners to do their bidding .
Killed in Afghanistan on Memorial Day: Lt. Col. Mark Stratton ’91. He was a member of Squadron 1 (huslin 1) and leaves behind a wife and three children. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetary.