SGT US Army
3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Fort Richardson, AK

He died in Karmah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire. He was a 1997 graduate of Smokey Hill High School in Aurora, CO. Friends remember him as a stubborn person but after joining the Army, he became an absolutely amazing person, man, father and son - he found his niche. He grew from a kid who defied authority into a man who soldiers on the front lines could count on. He was an Army Ranger medic called "Doc Baum" and his comrades described him as the finest American soldier – talented, dedicated and proud. He was just a day away from a two-week leave so he could witness the birth of his first child, a daughter. But he volunteered for one last mission in Iraq because he didn't want to let his fellow soldiers down.

SGT US Army
3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Fort Richardson, AK

He died in Karmah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire. He was a 1997 graduate of Smokey Hill High School in Aurora, CO. Friends remember him as a stubborn person but after joining the Army, he became an absolutely amazing person, man, father and son - he found his niche. He grew from a kid who defied authority into a man who soldiers on the front lines could count on. He was an Army Ranger medic called "Doc Baum" and his comrades described him as the finest American soldier – talented, dedicated and proud. He was just a day away from a two-week leave so he could witness the birth of his first child, a daughter. But he volunteered for one last mission in Iraq because he didn't want to let his fellow soldiers down.