DuPage County Fallen Heros – DuPage County Veterans' Memorial

DuPage County Veterans' Memorial


They Gave Their Tomorrows For Your Today

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DuPage County Fallen Heros

United States Navy Commander

Dan Shanower

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 40 Years Old
Died: September 11, 2001
Unit: Naval Intelligence
Incident: Killed in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon

United States Army Staff Sergeant

Andrew R. Pokorny

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 30 Years Old
Died: June 13, 2003 in Operations Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 3rd Air Defense Artillery, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo
Incident: On the way back from patrol, Pokorny’s M113 armored personnel carrier, threw a track causing the vehicle to roll over near Al Asad.

United States Army Private First Class

Shawn Edwards

Hometown: Bensenville, Illinois, USA
Age: 20 Years Old
Died: April 23 2004, in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 121st Signal Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, Kitzingen, Germany
Incident: Killed when his convoy was hit by a makeshift bomb (IED) in Samarra.

United States Army Sergeant

Jack T. Hennessy

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 21 Years Old
Died: October 1, 2004 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Tex
Incident: Killed at his checkpoint in Baghdad by small-arms fire

United States Marine Corps Sergeant

David M. Caruso

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 25 Years Old
Died: November 9, 2004 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Marines, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Killed during the U.S. assault on Fallujah.

United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal

Nicholas Larson

Hometown: Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Age: 19 Years Old
Died: November 9, 2004 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Marines, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Incident: Killed during the U.S. assault on Fallujah.

United States Army Corporal

Jeffrey A. Williams

Hometown: Warrenville, Illinois, USA
Age: 20 Years Old
Died: September 5, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb (IED) detonated near his combat patrol in Tal Afar near Mosul.

United States Army Private

Christopher M. Alcozer

Hometown: Villa Park, Illinois, USA
Age: 21 Years Old
Died: November 19, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Incident: Killed when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire and grenades in Mosul.

United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal

Adam W. Kaiser

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 19 Years Old
Died: December 1, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb (IED) while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Fallujah.

United States Marine Corps Private First Class

Sean T. Cardelli

Hometown: Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
Age: 20 Years Old
Died: February 1, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Marines, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Incident: Killed by enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations near Fallujah.

United States Army Staff Sergeant

Mario J. Bievre

Hometown: Glendale Heights, Illinois, USA
Age: 34 Years Old
Died: June 23, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad.

United States Army Sergeant

Bradley H. Beste

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 22 Years Old
Died: August 4, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 1st Calvary Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany
Incident: Killed during small arms fire when a makeshift bomb (IED) exploded near his Humvee while conducting combat operations in Ramadi

United States Marine Corps Sergeant

Thomas M. Gilbert

Hometown: Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
Age: 24 Years Old
Died: October 25, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Marine Reserves, Marine Forces Reserve’s 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Incident: Killed while conducting combat operations in Fallujah

United States Army Captain

Kevin C. Landeck

Hometown: Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Age: 26 Years Old
Died: February 2, 2007 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb (IED) detonated near his vehicle south of Baghdad.

United States Army Staff Sergeant

Paul M. Latourney

Hometown: Roselle, Illinois, USA
Age: 28 Years Old
Died: March 2, 2007 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Tex.
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb (IED) exploded near his vehicle while on combat patrol northwest of Baghdad.

United States Army Sergeant

Joseph M. Vanek

Hometown: Elmhurst, Illinois, USA
Age: 22 Years Old
Died: November 12, 2007 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
Incident: Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq

United States Army Staff Sergeant

Robert J. Miller MOH

Hometown: Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Age: 24 Years Old
Died: January 25, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Unit: Army, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC
Incident: Died of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Barikowt, Afghanistan.

United States Marine Corps Private First Class

Dawid Pietrek

Hometown: Bensenville, Illinois, USA
Age: 24 Years Old
Died: June 14, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb (IED) targeted his military vehicle in Farah Province in Afghanistan.

United States Army Corporal

James M. Hale

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 23 Years Old
Died: August 13, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army, 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Incident: Died of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device (IED) in Baghdad.

United States Marine Corps Corporal

Anthony G. Mihalo

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 23 Years Old
Died: August 14, 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Unit: Marines, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb (IED) while on foot patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

United States Army Private First Class

Leonard J. Gulczynski II

Hometown: Carol Stream, Illinois, USA
Age: 19 Years Old
Died: September 17, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: 610th Engineer Support Company, 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, Fort Lewis, WA
Incident: Died of injuries sustained from a head-on collision with a civilian vehicle while serving as a turret gunner in a Humvee in a convoy.

Illinois Army National Guard Staff Sergeant

Kevin D. Grieco

Hometown: Carol Stream, Illinois, USA
Age: 19 Years Old
Died: September 17, 2008 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: 610th Engineer Support Company, 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, Fort Lewis, WA
Incident: Died of injuries sustained from a head-on collision with a civilian vehicle while serving as a turret gunner in a Humvee in a convoy.

United States Army Staff Sergeant

Jeremy E. Bessa

Hometown: Woodridge, Illinois, USA
Age: 26 Years Old
Died: February 20, 2009 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Unit: Army, Company B – Alpha Team, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC
Incident: Died of injuries sustained when his military vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device followed by small arms attack by enemy forces in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

United States Army Private First Class

Gunnar Hotchkin

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois, USA
Age: 31 Years Old
Died: June 16, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Unit: 161st Engineer Support Company, 27th Engineer Battalion, (Combat)(Airborne) 20th Engineer Brigade, 18th Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Incident: Died of injuries sustained when Insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device (IED) north of Kunduz, Afghanistan

United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal

Kevin E. Oratowski

Hometown: Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Age: 23 Years Old
Died: August 18, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Unit: Marines, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Cam Pendleton, CA
Incident: Killed by a makeshift bomb (IED) while conducting mounted combat operations against enemy forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

United States Army Specialist

Samuel T. Watts

Hometown:Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Age: 20 Years Old
Died: May 19, 2012 in Bethesda, Maryland from wounds sustained April 25, 2012 in Operation Enduring Freedom
Unit: Army, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
Incident: Died of injuries sustained when he was attacked with an enemy improvised device (IED) in Zharay, Afghanistan.


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