Iraqi War
Soldier Obituaries
State, The (Columbia, SC)
- June 17, 2004 LEXINGTON - Funeral services for Army Spc. Thomas D.
Caughman, 20, of 286 Morgan Dr., Lexington, SC 29072, will be held
on Friday, June 18, 2004 at 2:00 PM at Red Bank Baptist Church, 120
Community Dr., Lexington. Burial, with full military honors, will
follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends on
Thursday, June 17, 2004 from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at Red Bank Baptist
Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: "Harry Hampton
Wildlife Fund" c/o SCDNR, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202-0167, with
funds designated to the "Take One Make One" program.
Thomas was an avid
outdoorsman, loving to hunt and fish. His desire would be for other
kids who may not ever have an opportunity to experience the
pleasures of the outdoors, as he did, to be able to do so through
this program. Spc. Caughman died
Wednesday, June 09, 2004, while serving his country in Operation
Iraqi Freedom. Thomas was the son of Hampton and Jane Caughman, Jr.,
of Lexington. He was a 2002 graduate of Lexington High School and
attended Midlands Technical College. Thomas joined the Army Reserves
in May, 2003 and was activated to duty in December 2003 and was
deployed to Iraq in February, 2004, serving with the 458th
Engineering Battalion. He was a lifelong member of Red Bank Baptist
Church, where his grandfather, the late Rev. Raymond Day, was pastor
for 36 years. Surviving, in addition to
his parents, are sister, Lisa Caughman of the home; paternal
grandparents Hampton and Betty Caughman of Lexington; maternal
grandmother, Betty Jo Day and the late Rev. Raymond Day of
Lexington; maternal great-grandmother, Addie Rae Jumper of Gilbert.
Also numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and many very close friends who
loved him, having in some way been touched by his great smile and
friendly, outgoing personality. Caughman-Harman Funeral
Home, Lexington Chapel is in charge of
arrangements. Almar L. Fitzgerald, 23, of Lexington, S.C.; second
lieutenant, Marine Corps. Fitzgerald died Tuesday at Landstuhl
Regional Medical Center in Germany of injuries suffered Feb. 18 when
an improvised explosive device detonated during combat in Iraq's Al
Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd
Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif. As part of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd
Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). State, The (Columbia, SC) - February 23,
2006 "It certainly is a sad day for the college," said Col.
Joe Trez, director of the president's support office. "It's like the
loss of a family member." Fitzgerald, a Lexington native, died Tuesday in a
military hospital in Germany where he had been treated for injuries
suffered in a bomb blast about a week ago. Fitzgerald was one of two Marines from South Carolina
whose deaths were announced Wednesday. Staff Sgt. Jay Collado, 31, of Columbia, was killed
Monday when the vehicle he was driving was struck by a bomb, the
Defense Department said. The deaths of Fitzgerald and Collado raised the number
of troops with S.C. ties to die in the war to 39. The 24-year-old Fitzgerald, who graduated in 2004, was
the 11th Citadel alum to die in the Iraq war, but the first who was
a native of South Carolina. Maj. Ken Boes, a tactical officer on The Citadel
staff, wrote a letter of recommendation that helped Fitzgerald gain
admission to Officer Candidate School and realize his dream to lead
Marines. "He felt like it was something he had always wanted to
do," Boes said. "He wanted to serve his country . . . and he wanted
to challenge himself." At the Charleston military college, Fitzgerald served
as executive officer of Company M, 3rd Battalion, during his senior
year, mentoring and leading cadets. He also worked as a supervisor for The Citadel
Foundation's Calling Center, which uses cadets to help recruit
donors to the college. "He had such a contagious personality," said Rachel
Meuser, assistant director of annual giving. "He genuinely cared
about people." Everyone who knew Fitzgerald remembers his smile, Boes
said. "He always was upbeat and positive. He lived life to the
fullest." Fitzgerald, whom Boes nicknamed "Fitz," led by
example. "He was always ready to help guys who were not doing well."
At 5-foot-8 and about 160 pounds, Fitzgerald was one
of the smallest players on the Lexington High School football team.
But Fitzgerald, a cornerback, never backed away from a challenge,
said Mark Cagle, who was the team's defensive coordinator. "He always trusted his technique and did what he
practiced," said Cagle, who is now head football coach at White
Knoll High School. "He always gave his best and expected his
teammates . . . to give their best for the team." Fitzgerald was an infantry officer based at Camp
Pendleton, Calif., friends said. He had been in Iraq about six
months and was scheduled to return home in March, Meuser said. Like all troops, Fitzgerald knew there was a chance he
would not return alive. In a documentary titled "Making of a Marine Officer,"
Fitzgerald talked about a table outside the officer school chow
hall, covered with pictures of fallen Marines. "The purpose of that is to be basically a reality
check," Fitzgerald told the interviewer. "This could be you in the
next couple of months - just a picture."
State, The (Columbia, SC) - March 23, 2005 Mr. Torrence died Monday, March 14, 2005. Born in
Wooster, OH, he was the son of Vernon (Buckeye) and Regina Torrence.
He was graduated from White Knoll High School and was very active in
the schools football program. He was a member of the third South
Carolina volunteer infantry Civil War re-enactors and an avid four
wheel drive enthusiast. He is survived by his parents of Lexington; sisters,
Vanessa and Raquel Torrence of Lexington; maternal grandparents,
David and Clara Schlabach of Mt. Eaton, OH; paternal grandmother,
Patricia Carr of Wooster, OH, paternal grandfather and
stepgrandmother, Louis F. and Bonnie Torrence of Wooster, OH;
Girlfriend, Jennifer Lundy of Lexington; and many aunts and uncles.
He was preceded in death by his stepgrandfather,
Arthur C. Carr. caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com
State, The (Columbia, SC) - August 29, 2006
The Marine and Irmo native was on patrol in Al Anbar
province, nearly 45 days into his second tour of duty in Iraq as an
assault man. This tour was to be his last before the Marine was to
return home in February and study law, his father, Terry Weimortz,
said. David Weimortz is the 41st member of the U.S. military
with S.C. ties to die in the Iraq war and the second this month.
Saturday, 29-year-old Marine Sgt. John Paul Phillips
was buried in Moncks Corner. He died Aug. 16 in a Texas military
hospital of injuries suffered in March near Fallujah. Weimortz graduated as a golf standout from Dutch Fork
High School and then from the University of South Carolina, where he
majored in history. Weimortz was stationed at Camp LeJeune, N.C., but kept
a room at his sister Kelly Weimortz's house in Columbia, his father
said Monday from his home in Crestview, Fla. Before leaving for Iraq in mid-July, Weimortz visited
family and friends, including playing a round of golf with his
father. "I kissed him, gave him a hug and that's the last time
I saw him," Terry Weimortz said. "He died like a man. He's a hero as
far as I'm concerned." Weimortz said that though his son claimed his
Christian faith had prepared him for death, he was still scared of
the upcoming mission in Iraq where he was trained to fire heavy
weapons that can destroy tanks and bunkers. "What was so eerie was that he started giving me
things," Terry Weimortz said, listing a pair of sunglasses, a Tommy
Bahama shirt and a uniform. As a boy, he played many sports, his father said, and
his first word was "ball." "He was 6 feet 6 inches, 225 pounds - solid man,"
Terry Weimortz said. After college, he worked for a publisher in Raleigh,
for a car dealer in Charleston, and modeled products at NASCAR races
before enlisting. Weimortz joined the Marines in March 2003 and
graduated from boot camp at Parris Island. His commendations
included the Iraqi Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism
Medal, said Marine spokesman Lt. Barry Edwards. In June 2005, Weimortz was attached to the
headquarters section of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, and
participated in Operation Sword. The operation aimed to drive out insurgent fighters in
Hit, located along the Euphrates River in the Al Anbar province.
A story published by Infoline Marine, an online
service of Marine Corps public affairs, quoted Weimortz as saying
the troops also tried to connect with the local citizens and show
they were liberators, not conquerors. The publication featured a photo of Weimortz
exchanging a handshake with a local child outside Camp Ripper in
Iraq. "We not only flushed out insurgents, but we also
helped the people so they can build the infrastructure of their
society," Weimortz said in the story. Fighting in Iraq's most volatile province helped him
put life at home in perspective, he said. "From the simplest things such as getting milk, to
being stuck in traffic, or even going to college football games, it
all comes to the surface and you realize how fortunate you are,"
Weimortz said. Weimortz also believed his efforts would help the
Iraqis. "This entire operation reminds me of a Boy Scout
saying, 'Leave your camp better than you found it,'" Weimortz told
the publication. "Not only will I leave this base in better shape
and more secure, but we will have left this country in a greater
shape for their future." Weimortz joined the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine
Regiment, 2nd Marine Division in June. Terry Weimortz said his son warned him before his
redeployment not to expect as many e-mails during this campaign
because of his remote location. Terry Weimortz also didn't expect the hysterical call
from his daughter on Saturday telling him of David's death. "She's suffering, I'm suffering his mother's
suffering. It's just unbelievable." Weimortz is also survived by his mother, Fran Fellers
of Irmo, a stepbrother, Jody Weimortz Harley of Lexington, and a
grandmother, Helen Asbill of Aiken. Staff writer Chuck Crumbo contributed to this
report.
Lexington County, South Carolina
Genealogy Trails
Thomas Caughman
Los
Angeles Times (CA) - February 26,
2006
Almar L.
Fitzgerald
Lt. Almar Fitzgerald
MARINE'S
DEATH STUNS CITADEL
Lance Cpl. Joshua Torrence
Cpl. David G. Weimortz:
MARINE FROM IRMO DIES IN
IRAQ
Cpl. David G. Weimortz was killed in Iraq on
Saturday, just days short of his 29th birthday, when a roadside bomb
went off while he traveled in his Humvee.
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