Senator Doug Mastriano Veteran Page, Harrisburg, PA (2026)

08/14/2026

Today we honor Army Spc. Gary L. Reese Jr. who was KIA on this day in 2005, Iraq. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-spc-gary.../1035172

Gary L. Reese always found ways to have fun, even while bagging groceries.

“There were certain customers who would come every week. He’d mess with them and hide their carts, as a joke,” said Sam Waldron, who worked with him in high school. “He was kind of a prankster, but always in a good way. He could make a bad situation better.”

Reese, 22, died Aug. 14 from wounds sustained the previous day in Tuz.

Reese was an only child who joined the National Guard about a month after graduating high school in 2001.

“He came out of nowhere with it and wanted to join. I think it was a good thing for him. I think it helped him to grow and blossom into a fine young man,” said his father, Gary.

Retired 1st Sgt. Charles Douglas said Reese turned out to be one of the best recruits, “young and full of vinegar.”

He is also survived by his mother, Cathy. “He lived life to the fullest while he was here,” said his Spanish teacher, Jean Hill. “I just think he had an unlimited future, and it saddens me that it was cut short.”

Source: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com

08/13/2026

Today, we honor Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas B. Morrison of Carlisle, PA. who was KIA on this day in 2004. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/marine-lance-cpl-nicholas-b-morrison/307071

Lance Cpl. Nicholas B. Morrison, 23, of Carlisle, Pa., died Friday during hostile action in Iraq’s Anbar province.

He joined the Marine Corps 16 months ago and planned to eventually become a state trooper, said his mother, Peggy Morrison, of West Pennsboro Township in Cumberland County.

“He cared about what he was doing,” Peggy Morrison said. “He believed in the war. He was afraid, but not afraid to do what was right.”

Morrison died when an explosive hit the Humvee in which he was riding, his mother said.

“They were on a scouting mission or something,” said Morrison, adding that she expected more detailed information from military officials Monday.

Morrison was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

“We sent him a digital camera and he’d take pictures during a gunfight,” Peggy Morrison said. “We’d holler and he’d say, ‘It’s not that bad.’ I think he tried to downplay it.”

Morrison was a 2000 graduate of Big Spring High School, where he was a linebacker on the football team and had many close friends, said schoolmate Matt Swanger, 22.

“He was the glue. When he would come home we would all make an effort to go out,” Swanger said. “He would still make us laugh about stories from when we were growing up. I was really looking forward to when he came home.”

Source: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com

08/12/2026

Today we honor Army Pfc. Timmy R. Brown of Conway, PA. who was KIA on this day in 2003. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-pfc-timmy.../256733

A 21-year-old soldier killed in Iraq will receive the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and other honors posthumously, the Army announced.

The medals will be sent in time for the Aug. 20 funeral of Army Pfc. Timothy R. Brown Jr., according to Maj. Steven Chung, deputy provost marshal for the 99th Regional Readiness Command in Moon Township.

Brown, a native of Conway, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was assigned to D Company, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was killed by an explosive device while traveling in a convoy Aug. 12 just north of Baghdad.

On Aug. 17, more than 250 people gathered at the Conway War Memorial to pay tribute to Brown. Candles were passed through the crowd and friends and families left flowers on the memorial. Some held American flags and a bell was struck to honor Brown.

Brown’s father, Timothy Brown Sr., and his stepmother, Pam Brown, were presented with a flag.

“He was a spectacular human being,” said Bryan Revelant, 19, one of Brown’s friend. “He would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him to.”

Source: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com

08/11/2026

Today we honor Army Sgt. Christopher N. Karch who was KIA on this day in 2010. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-sgt.../4750352

The father of the 2005 Lawrence Central High School graduate killed this week in Afghanistan said he guided his son into the Army to get “a good start in life.”

“He loved it, he was gung-ho over there,” said Patrick Karch, who served in the Army himself for three years.

Sgt. Christopher Karch, 23, who joined the Army about two months after his high school graduation, was about a month away from coming home from his second tour from Afghanistan. He was killed Wednesday in a firefight in the Arghandab Valley when insurgents attacked Karch’s unit with small-arms fire, according to the Department of Defense website. He was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, which is based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

He was only 20 days from coming back home.

Patrick Karch was in Dover, Del, to receive his son’s body today at 2 p.m.

He could hardly talk about his son, saying he called a good kid and said always had a smile on his face.

“I really thought he was just going to come back and nothing (would happen),” he said.

Source: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com

08/10/2026

Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce E. Ferrell

21, of Perdido, Ala.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Aug. 10 while supporting combat operations in Garmsir, Afghanistan. We will never forget you, brother.

MOBILE — A 21-year-old Marine from Perdido in north Baldwin County was killed in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb exploded during a routine foot patrol near Kandahar, family members said.

Lance Cpl. Bruce “Bubba” Ferrell Jr. was reported killed Sunday after stepping on an explosive.

Bruce Ferrell Sr. told the Press-Register that his son had recently become a Marine and began his first deployment in May.

He said the family last heard from him Saturday.

“We got to talk to him for 10 or 15 minutes, and we feel very lucky about that, because it happened the next evening,” Bruce Ferrell Sr. said.

Bubba Ferrell’s older sister, Danielle Denise Whatley, died in a car accident in 2006.

Hundreds remember fallen Marine

The Associated Press

BAY MINETTE, Ala. — A Marine who was killed in Afghanistan is being remembered in south Alabama.

A funeral was set for Monday for Marine Lance Cpl. Bruce Earnest “Bubba” Ferrell Jr. of Perdido. The 21-year-old Marine was killed by an improvised explosive while on patrol in Afghanistan on Aug. 10.

On Aug. 16, crowds of people with American flags and signs turned out in Bay Minette to remember Ferrell as a hearse carrying his body rolled through town.

Ferrell graduated from Baldwin County High School in 2006 and joined the Marines the next year. He had been in Afghanistan since May.

https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/marine-lance-cpl-bruce-e-ferrell/4233898

08/10/2026

Today we honor Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Benson who was KIA on this day in 2005. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-sgt-1st.../1029986

During his two decades in the Army, Michael A. Benson would often come home and tell stories about traveling all over the world. Few of those locations were vacations.

“He used to rattle off a long list of names of places and then we would realize those were all places where bad things were happening,” said his mother, Norma Benson.
Benson, 40, of Winona, Minn., died Aug. 10 at a Maryland hospital of injuries he sustained Aug. 2 in Baghdad when a bomb struck his convoy. He was based at Fort Drum.

Benson graduated high school in 1983 and joined the Army two years later, hoping to make a career out of it. He earned a host of decorations, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Over his Army career, Benson mastered the intricacies of infantry weapons, the life of a paratrooper and he served for years as an Army recruiter.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth.

08/09/2026

Today we honor Army Sgt. Francis J. Straub Jr. of Philadelphia, PA. who was KIA on this day in 2005. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from http://www.legacy.com/soldier/story.aspx?personid=14851765

On his last trip home, Francis J. Straub Jr. showed his family pictures of him with Iraqi kids playing baseball and having fun. He had also helped steer them donations of candy and flip-flops. "Frankie had the biggest heart in the world," said his father, Francis J. Straub Sr. "I love all my sons, but there's a special place in my heart for Frankie." Straub Jr., 24, of Philadelphia, died Aug. 9 during an ambush in Beiji. He was based in Philadelphia. He was "a completely selfless individual, always looking out for anyone," said a cousin, Melissa Leyland, and "always interested in what was going on in my life." Straub joined the National Guard right after graduating from high school in 1998; in civilian life, he worked for UPS at Philadelphia International Airport and at a Pep Boys. "He was a hard worker" and he took care of the family, said his brother, Brian. He loved hockey and wanted to become a police officer. He also is survived by his mother, Linda. "He would want to make things right for the world," said Kathy Tunney, a neighbor and longtime friend. "He would want to make things better."

Sources: http://www.legacy.com and https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/

08/08/2026

Today we honor Air Force Maj. Walter D. Gray who was KIA on this day in 2012. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://www.af.mil/.../step-by-step-tacp-family-traces.../

Gray’s journey to the TACP career field started early in his career, when he completed TACP training as a young enlisted Airman. He later commissioned, and waited patiently for the career field to open to officers. Heather said the day it opened, Gray came home with a big smile on his face.

TACPs primarily act as a vital link between ground forces and the aircraft that support them. They put themselves in harm’s way to ensure bombs are on target. Gray’s choice to rejoin the career field and participate in the rigorous training again at age 37 was “a hard sell” to his wife she said.

“He just kept saying ‘You don’t understand, it’s so different; it’s what I’m meant to do,’” Heather said. “(He said) ‘This is why I joined the Air Force.’”

The crew’s journey to honor Gray was made possible through a combination of permissive TDY from their commander, donations from the TACP Association and the public, and out-of-pocket expenses in the form of both money and ordinary leave.

“To be with (his fellow Airmen) is very special,” Heather said. “I don’t really have words to describe how much it means to me that they’re doing this. I love each and every one of them, and they truly are like having a family of older brothers. I’m very humbled and inspired by these guys, and I know that it’s a direct reflection of what kind of leader he was for them.”

Gray was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, and his sacrifice inspired Heather to start a foundation and scholarship in his honor. Heather joined the Airmen for the last leg of the journey, with all three Gray children making the final mile. She said when things get tough, she hears her husband’s voice reciting what has become a motto for her – “Finish strong.”

Sources: https://www.af.mil/ and https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/

08/07/2026

Today we honor Army Pfc. Seferino J. Reyna who was KIA on this day in 2005. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-pfc-seferino-j-reyna/1024263

Seferino J. Reyna was remembered as a quiet, hardworking family man who loved his kids and always tried to lift up his fellow soldiers.

“He would do anything for anybody,” said Jennifer Reyna, his wife.

Reyna, 20, of Phoenix, died Aug. 7 in Taji when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to Fort Riley. Reyna enlisted in the Army in August 2002. That fall, he and his wife enrolled in Pass Alternative High School in Kingman.

“They both worked very hard,” said school director Sandy McCoy. Both were top students, she said.

“They were motivated to be together and make a good life for themselves.”

Reyna graduated within a couple of months and cared for their daughter, 4-year-old Savannah, while his wife earned her diploma.

“He was a very kind and loving person,” McCoy said.

Reyna was a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, which occupies 2.8 million acres south and west of Tucson with an enrollment of nearly 26,000 members.

“He really liked the military and was thinking about a career in drug enforcement,” said his father-in-law, Randy Fort.

He also is survived by his 1-year-old son Aquilino.

Source: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/

08/06/2026

Today, we honor Air Force Tech Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe of York, PA. who was KIA on this day in 2001. We will never forget you, brother.

The following is from https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/air-force-tech-sgt-daniel-l-zerbe/6567930

Zerbe, 28, grew up in York, Pa., and played for Red Lion Area High School’s football and wrestling teams.

His coach, George Shue, told The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News that Zerbe was a team player. He said he saw Zerbe about three years ago, and though he didn’t talk a lot about what he did for the Air Force, he was proud of his job saving lives.

“He was proud of what he was doing,” Shue told The Patriot-News. “I know he was doing what he wanted to be doing. I hope something we taught him about being a team player carried on to his life’s mission.”

Zerbe’s friends and acquaintances took to Facebook to share memories.

One friend said Zerbe’s good attitude was infectious.

“I still remember the days of you goofing around,” the friend wrote. “The smile you had that lit up a room and how you always made people laugh. Dan you are a true hero: my hero.”

Others wrote about his ability to cheer up friends.
“Dan, you always made me laugh when I wanted to cry,” a friend wrote. “That, I’ll always remember. You were sweet, kind and absolutely funny.”

Source: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com

Senator Doug Mastriano Veteran Page

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