Farewell, and Walk with God

The Department of Defense announced the death of six soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Jan. 9 in Sinsil, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations. They were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany.

Killed were:

Spc. Todd E. Davis, 22, of Raymore, Mo.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan K. Dozier, 30, of Rutherford, Tenn.

Staff Sgt. Sean M. Gaul, 29, of Reno, Nev.

Sgt. Zachary W. McBride, 20, of Bend, Ore.

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Pionk, 30, of Superior, Wis.

Sgt. Christopher A. Sanders, 22, of Roswell, N.M.

Whenever a group of soldiers are lost at the same time, the magnitude of the loss makes it seem so much more severe. For us, it is compounded by the loss of a young man from our town. Five other towns are experiencing the same loss. Six families are dealing with the hardest of all losses. Four soldiers were wounded in this explosion. Four families are facing difficulties the rest of us can only imagine. I hope that you will sent a prayer or a kind thought to these families, to the wounded and to the members of the 3/2 who are grieving the loss of their friends. I will bring you their stories as I can. They are worth knowing - they gave everything for us.