Iraqi War
Soldier Obituaries
Times and
Democrat, The (Orangeburg, SC) -
February 26, 2005 St. Mark United Methodist Church was
filing at least an hour before the scheduled service. As people
entered, they filed past the coffin, pausing to look, remember and
to mourn. They were attending the Saturday afternoon funeral for
United States Army Specialist Katrina Lani Johnson Bell. The 32-year-old Bell was killed
Wednesday, Feb. 16, in Baghdad, Iraq, when she was riding in a
convoy delivering goods for the Army when the truck in which she was
riding flipped over and came to rest on top of her. She was killed
instantly. A Columbia native, Bell was the daughter
of Charles Williams Johnson and Mrs. Vivian Ann Johnson Huffman. She
attended Midlands Technical College, where she earned her
qualifications to become an operating room technician. She worked at
several hospitals, most recently The Regional Medical Center of
Orangeburg & Calhoun Counties. Nicole Johnson, Bell's sister, recalled
that she enlisted in the Army approximately eight years ago. She was
assigned to the 418th Transportation H Platoon based out of Killeen,
Texas. Bell had been posted in Korea, Kuwait, Germany, Missouri,
Mississippi, Atlanta and, finally, Iraq. She was married little more than a year
ago in Texas to Lawrence Bell of Fort Hood, Texas. She gave birth to
their daughter Gabrielle Dana Bell a year ago and was deployed to
Iraq when her daughter was only two months old. She was allowed to come home for six
months and was re-deployed to Iraq just before Christmas.
Her "homegoing celebration," as stated on
the obituary handed out at the service, was one befitting a
daughter, mother, sister, loved one and soldier -- all the things
she was. Her family conducted themselves during the service with
dignity and courage. The tributes to Bell at the service were
filled with statements of her courage, determination, dedication to
God and church and her great love for her family and friends.
"I love her and cherish the time I had
with her," a friend, Audrey Dubose, said. "What a good friend she
was." "I thank the Lord for Katrina," another
friend, Jerry Stroman, said. "She gave her all to the people she
loved. And in the end, she gave all she had for her country. I know
that she is at peace with God." Deacon Billery Koger of Chapel Hill
Baptist Church, Bell's home church, said, "Many tears have been shed
over the past few days from the shocking news of Trina's death. But
almost all of her life, she was very much alive and active in the
church and I'm so glad that Trina knew someone who stands above time
and space." In his words of comfort the Bell's
family, the Rev. Ivery Burnette of Chapel Hill Baptist Church said,
"We understand what you're going through. We've all been where you
are now. But take comfort in the fact that the blessings we receive
in this world are only a foretaste of the blessings yet to come.
"Jesus Christ promised those who love
him, rest and joy," Burnette said. "You see, the best is yet to
come. Katrina has left us. She can't come back to us, but we can go
to her. We're making our reservations every day for where we will
spend eternity." The military presence at the ceremony was
made more evident as the coffin containing Bell's body was carried
from the church by members of the United States Army in full-dress
uniform, giving their final honors to a fallen comrade. Among those representing the Army at the
service, Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Abraham Turner was
present. He would not venture to quote the number of military
funerals he has attended, but said that in his time in the military,
it has been many. "My heart always goes out to the
families," Turner said. "There is really nothing you can say to them
that will give them any comfort. There is no comfort for losing a
child but God and time. So, with this family, I have done what I
always try to do -- whatever the circumstances demand of me. I have
cried with them, I have hugged them and I have told them their
daughter was a great soldier with great courage. In this, as always,
I hope that what I've said and done made their burden a little
lighter and strengthened them for the days to come." Specialist Bell is the fourth casualty of
the Iraq War from the Orangeburg area and the seventh casualty in
The T&D Region. Funeral services for Mr. Darius T. Jennings, 22, of
127 Podium Road, Cordova, will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15 2003,
at Edisto High School in Cordova with Presidential Candidate Rev. Al
Sharpton and Rev. George Randolf officiating. Burial will be in
Heavenly Rest Memorial Park Cemetery, Cordova. The casket will be placed in the high school at noon.
Mr. Jennings died Sunday, Nov. 2, in Iraq, while serving his
country. Mr. Jennings was the son of Terry Ford and Harriet
Elaine Johnson. He was born in Orangeburg County on Nov. 13, 1980.
At an early age, he joined Macedonia AME Church in Cope. He was
educated at Edisto High School and graduated from
Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in 2000. He leaves to cherish fond memories, his wife, Ari
Young, of Sheppard AFB, Texas; his parents, Harriet Elaine (John A.)
Johnson of Cordova, and Terry (Loretta) Ford of Bamberg; his
father-in-law and mother-in-law, Howard (Fontella) Young of
Portland, Ore., and Artis Brown, of Detroit, Mich.; a sister, La
Trese Shantell Jennings of Cordova; a stepsister, Katrina Boneparte;
two stepbrothers, Randal Boneparte and Terry Ford, both of Bamberg;
maternal grandmother, Emma R. Jennings of Cope; paternal
grandmothers, Armetter Ford of Bamberg and Clayrene Bookard of
Bowman; maternal great-grandmothers, Annette Ryant of Cope and
Eartha M. Cleckley of Orangeburg; a brother and sister-in-law;
godmother; godbrothers and a host of uncles, aunts, cousins and
other relatives. Friends may call the residence of his parents, Harriet
Elaine (John A.) Johnson, 127 Podium Road, Cordova, or at Simmons
Funeral Home of Orangeburg. (Times and Democrat, The (Orangeburg,
SC) - November 14, 2003) An Orangeburg son has been added to the list of
casualties in the Iraqi war. Pfc. Vorn J. Mack, 19, of 217 Camp
Road, died Saturday, Aug. 23, near the Hadithah Dam, west of Ar
Ramadi, Iraq. Officials report that Mack drowned in the Euphrates
River at approximately 8:30 p.m. during an attempt to rinse off
following a haircut. After a thorough search of the area, his body was
found and positively identified at approximately 11 a.m. Aug. 24.
The incident is currently under investigation. Mack was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters
Troop, 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fort Carson,
Colo. He is the 16th soldier from Fort Carson to die in the war.
The son of James and Cheryl Mack, Vorn was the middle
child of five and from a long line of military tradition. His father
is retired military and uncles and aunts have served in various
military capacities as well. Upon graduation from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School
in 2002, Mack enlisted in the Army in June. He underwent basic
training at Fort Jackson. From there, he went to Fort Gordon, Ga.,
for advanced infantry training in information systems management.
January arrived, and he was assigned to Fort Carson.
Three months later, he was deployed to Iraq. Aunt and family spokesperson Brinder Hicks described
Mack as an "ideal son" and an "angel." He frequently assisted his
mother, who suffers from paralysis. "He was a child with a large heart," Hicks said. "He
had a can-do attitude. He never met a task he could not handle."
Mack also brought this attitude to his schooling, she
said. "He was an honor roll student ... and a little guy,"
she said, pointing out that he was not in sports, though, "he ran
track for a little while." "He was a normal young man" who enjoyed swimming,
playing ball, running, and of course, computers, Hicks said. But most importantly, Mack was always one to care for
others and would always use humor in somber situations, Hicks said.
"He kept you laughing at his jokes," she said. "He is
gone but not forgotten." While Mack is the first Orangeburg soldier to lose his
life in Iraq, he is the third casualty in The T&D Region and
fifth in the state since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in
March. Army Sgt. George E. Buggs of Barnwell and Staff Sgt.
Orenthial Javon Smith of Allendale both were killed in combat
earlier this year. The news of Mack's death brought surprise and sorrow
to those who knew him. Brandon Darrow befriended Mack both in an outside the
classroom. The two shared 11 years of their academic lives
together from Sheridan Elementary to Clark Middle and then the final
walk across the stage at O-W last year. "I remember when we were kids, we used to hang out at
night at his house," he said. "I remember riding bikes and having
playground kickball games. He used to walk me home at night so I
would be safe." His concern for others, Darrow said, epitomized his
friend. "I always knew him to be the type of person who when
he said he would do something he always put his all into it," he
said. "He was not mean person, ... and I will always remember his
smile and his humor. I appreciate the time we have had with him. He
is really going to be missed." Sgt. Andre Boler, a friend who served with Mack in
Iraq until he returned to Fort Carson earlier this month, mourned
the loss. "I thought he was someone's little brother, he was so
young and little," Boler said. He identified Mack as mature beyond his age and his
rank, and a leader who always came through. "He was a great soldier," Boler said. Both Boler and Mack were part of a force guarding the
Hadithah Dam, which provides electricity to a large swath of Iraq
and is considered a target for anti-American forces. Mack made a point of cheering up a down soldier with a
cigarette or a story, Boler said. He loved computers, Japanese
animation and Marvel comics. The two would often wrestle for fun. It didn't seem to
matter to Mack that Boler had eight inches and 95 pounds on
him. They wrestled one last time before Mack left. "We wrestled to a standstill. It was the first time,"
Boler said. "He was like a little brother. I told him, 'Please be
careful and be safe.' Linda Coleman, Mack's guidance counselor for his four
years at the high school, recalled the day he informed her of his
desire to enlist in the military. The open communication and
friendship between the two -- "he would run into the office on a
daily basis to see how things were going" -- grew over the four
years, said Coleman. "He was a fine young man who was always had
aspirations in serving his country," she said. "He had a pleasant
and nice personality ... and interacted very well with everyone in
O-W. He was a good student and very bright. I have sympathy for his
family. It is just a very unfortunate situation." A memorial service is scheduled for Sept. 5 at Fort
Carson. A burial service with full military honors likely will be
held in Orangeburg next week. Burial will be on the family plot at
Orangeburg's St. Stephens United Methodist Church. Friends and family will say farewell to U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Anthony Orlando Thompson later today, as the soldier will
be laid to rest at the Canaan Baptist Church and Cemetery in
Branchville. The service, complete with military honors, will begin
at 3:30 p.m. The Rev. Dr. H.S. Capers will officiate. The 187th
Platoon, 4th Training Brigade, out of Fort Jackson, will serve as
the military burial detail. The casket will be placed in the church
at 2:30 p.m. Thompson, 26, and two other soldiers were killed in an
ambush late Sept. 18 as they were inspecting a suspected weapons
site near Tikrit, Iraq, the U.S. Army announced Monday. All three were artillery fire support specialists with
the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry
Division, stationed at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas. Thompson is the second soldier from Orangeburg and the
fourth from The T&D Region to die during Operation Iraqi
Freedom. An Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School graduate in 1995,
Thompson joined the Army in 1996. After basic training, he was stationed in Germany
before being transferred to Fort Hood where he played
semiprofessional football with the Fort Hood Warriors. He married his high school sweetheart, the former
Valerie Green, in 1999. The couple has one son. Owens Funeral Home is in charge of
arrangements.
GREENVILLE -- The war in Iraq is a long way from
Furman University. But for linebacker Keito Whetstone, the conflict
he has studied as a political science major became more than an
academic exercise this fall. Whetstone's hometown is Orangeburg. The city has lost
three of its sons to the war since August. All three were in the
Army and graduates of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High, where Whetstone
earned all-area, all-region and all-Class AAAA honors in football as
a senior. "My mom told me about it. I knew all of them by seeing
them around school or knowing somebody they knew," he said. "She
doesn't tell me much about what's going on at home because she
doesn't want me worrying about it. But if I ask her about it, she
tells me." Pfc. Vorn J. Mack drowned in August near the Hadithah
Dam. Sgt. Anthony Thompson died in September in an ambush near
Tikrit. Spc. Darius T. Jennings was among 16 who died when their
helicopter went down the first weekend of November in Iraq. The
helicopter was carrying soldiers on leave. Jennings graduated a year after Whetstone. "He was just a cool guy," Whetstone said. "Every time
I saw him, he'd speak to me. And we got to know each other more and
more. Every time I saw him, he had a smile on his face." Maj. Frank Douglas, director of the Air Force Junior
ROTC program at Orangeburg-Wilkinson, said Mack's death in August,
the first of the three, jolted the student body. The 19-year-old soldier wasn't that far removed from
graduation, he said, so many knew him well or remembered him.
Counselors were available to work with the students, who had just
started a new school year. "They were surprised, saddened and shocked. They
didn't think it would happen to one of our own," he said. The Junior ROTC program has 10 percent of
Orangeburg-Wilkinson's 1,800 students enrolled. ROTC enrollment is
up 20 students from last year, according to Douglas. Douglas said the deaths of the hometown soldiers
haven't changed students' attitudes toward careers in the military.
"We informally do a tally on students when they first
come in to ascertain why they are in the program," he said. "Those
who came into it with the intent of going to the military, it hasn't
changed their minds. They are steadfast." "Those who came into it for other reasons and weren't
too sure, several of them have said they know the military now isn't
an option." Whetstone said he has studied the Iraqi situation in a
class on media and politics. "I keep up with it as much as I can, read the papers,
watch it on TV," he said. "It's strange to have it that close to me.
But I'm getting older and that's going to start happening. It's sad
for their families."
Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Genealogy Trails
Specialist Katrina
Lani Johnson Bell: A soldier's last ride: Young woman killed in Iraq
leaves many mourners
Spec. Darius T. Jennings -- Cordova
Pfc. Vorn J. Mack: 'Great soldier' and 'ideal son'
killed in freak accident
(Times
and Democrat, The (Orangeburg, SC) - August 26,
2003)
Staff Sgt. Anthony
Orlando Thompson: Funeral today for Orangeburg man killed in
Iraq
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
Times and
Democrat, The (Orangeburg, SC) - September 28, 2003
Times and Democrat, The (Orangeburg, SC) - November
19, 2003
Deceased Name: Pfc. Vorn J.
Mack, Sgt. Anthony Thompson and Spc. Darius T. Jennings: Furman
student feels pain from losses in Iraq
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