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Army Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Dill
FF Engine Co. 21 Buffalo, N.Y. F.D.nda, N
N.Y. reservist killed in Iraq

PLEASE NOTE:
While this section is not directly related to our mission at FirefighterCloseCalls.com, we felt strongly that there should be a spot somewhere on the "fire service" Internet where American Firefighters serving in our armed forces are honored...should they give their lives in the line of duty.

This section of our site will respectfully and simply list the firefighter name and his home fire department with any additional info as it is available.

....Remember Those Serving...and Remind Those Who Forget.

Ed Hanzel, former Chester fire chief, killed in Iraq

Friday, January 04, 2008
Patrick O'Donnell
Plain Dealer Reporter
Former Chester Township Fire Chief Ed Hanzel has been killed in Iraq while working for a private contractor.

Details of his death were unavailable Thursday, but township fire officials expect his body to be brought back to Cleveland Saturday for services on Tuesday.

Hanzel served as chief in the Geauga County township from 1998 through 2002 and served as a part-time firefighter for 32 years before retiring in 2005. He also was a full-time firefighter in Beachwood for 25 years. He left Beachwood in 2002.

He joined the private security firm Wackenhut Services Inc. in 2006. According to the firm's Web site, it provides fire services to 20 Department of Defense locations in Iraq.

Family members could not be reached Thursday. But according to earlier posts by his wife, Denise, on a firefighting Web site, Han zel joined WSI to earn extra money in re tirement.

When he was first sent to Iraq in November 2006, Denise Hanzel said in the posts that she was nervous and worried for his safety.

Though she has since moved to Michigan, their son Jason lives in the family's Chester Township home.

Arrangements will be handled by Gattozzi & Son Funeral Home in Chester Township.

Current Fire Chief John Wargelin said Hanzel was always a friendly person with an infectious smile who preferred that his men just call him "Eddie."

"He was almost embarrassed sometimes if you called him chief," Wargelin said.

Though details are still pending, Wargelin said he expects his department, joined by a color guard from the Beachwood Fire Department, will escort his body back to Chester Township on Saturday.

After calling hours on Monday, a memorial service is tentatively set for 11:30 a.m. at St. Anselm Catholic Church, 12969 Chillicothe Road (Ohio 306), Chester Township.
A Fort Bragg-based Special Forces soldier was killed in Afghanistan. Sgt. Timothy P. Padgett, 28, of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., died Tuesday in Tarin Kwot, Afghanistan. He suffered fatal wounds when his unit was attacked by enemy forces during combat patrol operations. Padgett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. Padgett was an Army Ranger Medic and a South Walton Fire District firefighter and paramedic.

It is with deep regret that I must inform our Sunny Point family of the death of Edward Kramer, MOTSU firefighter, while deployed in military status with the 1/120th Combat Aviation Brigade, North Carolina National Guard in Iraq, on 29 June. SSG Kramer was killed by an IED in Baghdad. Please keep Ed, his wife and two children, as well as his entire extended family in your prayers. SSgt Kramer was a Volunteer at Seagate VFD until getting a job with Wilmington Fire Dept NC. From there he was hired as a DOD civilian at Sunny Point Fire and Emergency Services.

Michigan Firefighter Killed In Iraq

Funeral Information In Bold Below

BISI ONILE-ERE
Courtesy of WJRTY

Courtesy of Swartz Creek Area Fire Department

Brandon Webb was both a firefighter and a Marine.

Courtesy of Swartz Creek Area Fire Department

SWARTZ CREEK - (06/20/06)-- A Mid-Michigan family is mourning the loss of a United States Marine killed in Iraq.

Lance Cpl. Brandon Webb, 20, of Swartz Creek, was killed early Tuesday morning. The vehicle he was riding in was struck by a roadside bomb just outside of Fallujah.

Tuesday night a mother was trying to come to grips with losing her youngest son.

"I wasn't expecting this. I don't think any parent does," said mother Ann Marie Christofferson.

Christofferson spoke to her son five days ago. It was the last time she would ever speak to him again alive.

"I always had the philosophy that as long as I didn't see the Marine Corps pull up in my driveway or get a call from Red Cross, I knew he was OK," she said.

The day she dreaded since her son became a Marine two years ago is here.

"(Tuesday) I sent him a huge package, and I came home to see the Marine Corps sitting in their truck, waiting for me," she said.

Webb and his unit were on road patrol in Fallujah when their vehicle was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device. The 20 year old died several hours after the blast.

Two others from his unit were also killed.

"That was my baby," Christofferson said. "He's always wanted to be a Marine -- ever since he was a kid for one, but then he wanted to fight for the country and make the country a better place."

Webb was to return home Aug. 2. His bedroom is just as he left it. He had plans to work alongside his mother as a firefighter at the Swartz Creek Fire Department like he had in the past.

"He was probably the best kid you would want to be around. He never met anybody that didn't think he was awesome," Christofferson said.

Now instead of preparing for his homecoming, this mother of two is mourning the loss of one son.

"You just hope that they come home safe," Christofferson said. "I think God wanted him more than he wanted him here."

Funeral arrangements have not yet been set. The Pentagon says it plans to send more troops into Iraq. Another 21,000 U.S. troops will apparently be deployed by the end of the year.

The Swartz Creek Area Fire Department's memorial website laments the following:

"Although you were with us only a short time, you touched us in a way that will not be forgotten.

"Thank you Brandon for being a part of the SCAFD and serving your country so honorably."

The following funeral information is posted on the Swartz Creek Area Fire Department's website:

Swartz Funeral Home, G1225 W. Hill Rd., Flint, MI 810-235-2345 Visitation will be Wednesday, June 28, 1700 to 2000 Thursday, June 29, 1400 to 1600 and 1800 to 2000 Friday, June 30, 1400 to 1600. Funeral services will start at 1600.

All emergency personnel and apparatus will muster at the Home Depot parking lot across the street from Swartz Funeral Home by 1500. At 1530, a procession will start that will circle the funeral home. A group of apparatus may be parked on the north side of Hill Rd. to block anticipated protestors. This aspect and the number of apparatus needed will be determined by the number of apparatus that show up for the funeral. Following the procession, uniform personnel will line up outside the funeral home entrance. A filing past the casket will commence just before the funeral, after which uniform personnel will be seated in a designated area. Communication will be held on the 800 MHZ radio system. The specific talk group will be announced by Genesee Central Dispatch just prior to the June 30, 1500 muster.

SWARTZ CREEK, MI - It's a dark kind of deja vu for this community.

Tuesday's death of Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Webb, 20, means the community is mourning yet another soldier. Webb is the fourth serviceman with ties to Swartz Creek to die in Iraq. Details of his death remain undisclosed.

Webb was a Swartz Creek firefighter before joining the Marines. Fire Lt. Mike Treiger said word of his death slowly spread among firefighters Tuesday after military representatives stopped by looking for Webb's mother, Ann Christofferson, who also is a Swartz Creek firefighter.

"It was devastating," he said quietly, his voice cracking.

Hundreds attend service for FireFighter/Soldier Jeremy Loveless

There is also a memorial for Jeremy at: www.estacadafire.org

June 9, 2006

- BORING, Ore. - A funeral was held Friday for U.S. Army field medic Jeremy Loveless, who was killed in Iraq, near Mosul, in late May.

The 25-year-old's funeral was held in Boring at the Good Shepherd Community Church at 1 p.m.

Loveless was training to become a paramedic in civilian life when he was killed.

Loveless leaves a wife, Melissa, and a 4-year-old daughter, Chloe.

Family members say Loveless had been in the Army for about two years.

According to Governor Kulongoski's office, Loveless was the 61st person from Oregon or with close ties to the state to die in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Loveless was reportedly shot by a sniper when he exited a

I want to tell you about a friend of mine who deserves to be added to your memorial to Firefighters who died in war. His name is HM2 Jeff Wiener. He and I served together as Navy reserve Hospital Corpsmen assigned to the the 3rd Bat. 25th Reg. Marines serving in Iraq last year (2005). He was killed in Haditha during a battle with insurgents on May 7, 2005. I would like to paste here below info from his obituary:

Beloved husband. Devoted father. Dedicated firefighter. Faithful
friend. All these words - and more - have been used to describe Jeffrey L.
Wiener, who on May 7 gave his life serving the in U.S. Navy in Iraq.

Wiener, a former resident of both Lynbrook and Valley Stream, and an
11-year veteran and ex-captain of Lynbrook's Tally-Ho Engine Company No.
3, was killed in what Pentagon officials described as a "combat-related
incident." Subsequent reports indicate that Wiener was killed during a
four-hour firefight that erupted after insurgents used a suicide bomb
to level a civilian hospital.
Wiener was buried in Calverton National Cemetery on Monday after
a heartfelt wake and ceremony at O.B. Davis Funeral Home in Miller
Place. Ten ladder trucks dotted the entrance to the cemetery, with American
flags hanging between two extended ladders forming a fitting archway
for a fallen hero. Local firefighters and EMS personnel, as well as
representatives from Wiener's Louisville, Ky., neighborhood attended the
funeral to pay their respects.
Wiener leaves behind his wife and high-school sweetheart, Maria,
as well as their two daughters, Mikayla Lynn, 5, and Theodora Rose, 2.
On May 15, the Tally-Ho Company and the Lynbrook Fire Department
held a memorial service in Wiener's honor. Josh Felix, captain of
Tally-Ho, offered a glimpse into the man who meant so much to so many.
Wiener was born on May 26, 1973, and grew up in Hutcheson Place
in Lynbrook. He displayed a passion for volunteer work at age 14, when
he joined the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department. In 1991, shortly after
turning 18 and graduating from Lynbrook High School, Wiener joined
Tally-Ho.
His dedication took him up through the ranks quickly, and he was
elected second lieutenant of Tally-Ho in April of 1997 and captain in
2000.
Felix said that Wiener was so affected by the events of Sept. 11,
2001, that he joined the Navy and became a corpsman. In the Navy,
Wiener showed the same dedication he displayed as a firefighter. "Jeff and
his family always knew there was a possible chance of injury or death in
joining the military, and a chance he would be sent to war," Felix
said. "But Jeff was never one to shy away from his duties or his dreams.
"Whether it was with Tally-Ho, leading the members in fighting a
fire, or directing the extrication of an injured person from a car
wreck - or later saving lives in war - Jeff was dedicated to every job or
assignment that he took on."

Jeff was originally from New York, the departments identified in his early career (Tally-ho and Lynbrook) were in New York, he had moved to Kentucky just before our deployment to Iraq.

For his mother's birthday, Wilfredo F. Urbina sent fond wishes from Iraq. "He sent me the last postcard for my birthday and he said everything over there was OK," said Jeanette Urbina. "It said, 'Don't worry Momma, please take care of yourself.'" Urbina, 29, died on Nov. 29 when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He was based in New York and lived in Baldwin, N.Y., with his parents and younger sister directly behind the firehouse where he was a volunteer firefighter for six years. Firehouse Capt. Ed Colon said Urbina was always the first man dressed and ready to go in an emergency. "He took his duties real seriously and he did what he had to do," Colon said. "But he always made everybody laugh in the firehouse." Urbina's other passion was the military, and he served about four years in the Air Force before joining the National Guard around 1999. "He very much enjoyed the structure, that was my brother," said Urbina's younger sister, Jeanin. "Ever since he was young he loved helping out people." Urbina is also survived by his father, Agustin.

Baltimore firefighter dies in Iraq
Man was serving in National Guard

By Gina Davis
Sun Reporter
Originally published October 16, 2005

A Baltimore Fire Department lieutenant was killed in Iraq last
week while serving with the Maryland Army National Guard, city
Fire Department officials confirmed yesterday.

Fire Lt. Brian Conner, 32, of Baltimore was in Iraq with the
243rd Infantry Division when he was killed Thursday, said Fire
Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright. No further details
about Conner's death were available last night.

Conner, who joined the Fire Department in 1993, had been an
emergency vehicle driver before being promoted to lieutenant,
Cartwright said. His first assignment was as a firefighter recruit
with Truck Company 9.

Yesterday afternoon, outside the fire station in West Baltimore
where Conner worked, members of Engine Company 20 flew a
flag at half-staff in Conner's honor.

"He was an upbeat, jovial person. He liked to joke around,"
Cartwright said. "But when it came time to getting serious with
the job ... he kicked it into gear.

"He was tenacious," Cartwright said. "He would go in there and
confront the fire with no problem."

Late yesterday, Department of Defense officials had not
confirmed Conner's death, but Cartwright said Conner's family
had notified fire officials of the death Friday.

Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a spokesman with the Department of
Defense, said he could neither confirm the death nor provide
details about Conner's military service until the department
officially releases the information. He gave no date for when
that might happen.

Conner is survived by a daughter, Adrianna, 10, and his
mother, Cartwright said. He did not have the mother's name.
He said that a Fire Department commander had been
dispatched to assist the family.

Pickerington Marine Dustin Derga killed Sunday in
Iraq

May 12, 2005
By MACKENZIE FRY
ThisWeek Staff Writer

A Pickerington Marine who wrote recently in a Web
site posting that he was "so ready to come home"
was killed Sunday in Iraq. Cpl. Dustin A. Derga,
24, died in Ubaydi as the result of enemy fire,
the Department of Defense reported Monday. Derga,
a 1999 graduate of Pickerington High School, was
assigned to Marine Forces Reserves 3rd Battalion,
25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division.

Arkansas firefighter killed in Iraq bombing

The Associated Press May 8, 2005

A Russellville firefighter working for a contractor in Iraq was among two Americans killed when a bomb exploded in Baghdad, killing 22 people in all.

The contractor, CTU Consulting of Fayetteville, N.C., said Todd James Venette was killed in the Saturday bombing. Venette moved to Arkansas a number of years ago from his native Colorado because his mother had moved to the state, near White Hall, according to people who knew him.

Also killed was Brandon Thomas, CTU said, declining to release the hometown of either victim.

The Russellville Fire Department said Sunday that Venette had worked as a firefighter and built a reputation as an eager member of the team. The Pope County Sheriff's Department said Venette also worked for a time as a reserve deputy. Spokesmen for both agencies said people who knew Venette were feeling the loss.

Fire Capt. Richard Setian remembered Venette as a "gung ho" firefighter who approached his job and service in Iraq with enthusiasm.

Venette had served in the Marines, and took a leave from the department in 2003 to go to Baghdad as a marine reserve. After that stint, he returned to Russellville only to leave in March 2004 and return to Iraq as a contractor, Setian said.

"He knew the risk," Setian said. "The excitement that was portrayed, he liked that. He always liked things that were exciting."

Setian said members of the department would watch Venette's belongings for him while he was away, including his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Venette's mother requested a firefighter's funeral in Russellville, Setian said. The protocol for the service calls for Venette's body to be carried by the fire engine from his station and for a procession of firefighters.

There was no word Sunday on when that service would be.

Survivors include Venette's father, Paul Venette of Brighton, Colo.; mother Debby Casida and stepfather Dennis Casida of White Hall, Ark. Venette also had a brother and a set of grandparents in Russellville.