honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Tributes to the fallen Schofield 10

 •  Hawaii service held for 10 fallen soldiers

In Iraq, fellow soldiers paid their respects and offered the following remembrances for 10 Schofield Barracks soldiers who died when their Black Hawk crashed last week in Iraq.

Those killed were:

Cpl. Nathan C. Hubbard, Capt. Derek A. Dobogai, Spc. Jessy G. Pollard, Cpl. Jeremy Paul Bouffard, Cpl. Joshua S. Harmon, Spc. Michael A. Hook, Sgt. Garrett I. McLead, Cpl. Phillip J. Brodnick, Staff Sgt. Jason L. Paton and Spc. Tyler R. Seideman.

During the tribute ceremony, soldiers saluted their comrades and left behind unit coins, letters and words of remembrance.

Here are some of those remembrances compiled from fellow soldiers by the Army:

CPL. JEREMY P. BOUFFARD

He was an avid Red Sox fan and an all-around good person to be around.

Cpl. Bouffard and I had limited interaction, but the few times we talked, I could tell he was a cool guy. Whether a bunch of us were playing cards or just passing each other outside and giving a "what's up, man," he was a good person who tried to make your day a little better.

Cpl. Bouffard was a great young soldier with a lot of heart. Every time I saw him, he was smiling. His dedication to his men was evident every day.

CPL. PHILLIP J. BRODNICK

He always impressed me as a great soldier with a great sense of humor. ... He always struck me as a soldier with unlimited potential.

Cpl. Brodnick was an extremely honest leader with integrity. He could be trusted no matter what the circumstances were.

Cpl. Brodnick was a leader that other young junior noncommissioned officers could look up to. He always excelled at his job and never let his soldiers down.

CAPT. DEREK A. DOBOGAI

Capt. Dobogai was a great man. No matter the situation, he always made an effort to find a solution. At no time did I ever hear him say something negative about a fellow soldier. He was just easy to talk to, whatever subject, be it working out (his favorite) or just some random off-the-wall topic. There are so many things to say about a man like Capt. "D." He was smart, funny, energetic but most of all he was a friend to all. You will truly be missed.

Capt. Dobogai was an outstanding leader, officer, and human being. He was always more than willing to help soldiers, and no matter what the situation, he could always lighten your mood. He personally took time out of his day to help me with problems. ... It always felt like I could go to him with anything and he would give me honest advice.

Capt. Derek Dobogai was both a leader and friend who was mentally, physically and morally straight. We attended church together twice a week. One of his famous sayings was, "I'm a big fan of God, Johnny."

Capt. Dobogai not only cared about soldiers, but he took the time to talk to and hang out with each soldier that he knew.

Capt. Dobogai was a man of character. He was confident, yet humble and smart enough to prepare for everything he did. He could always tell instantly the difference between what was important and what to put on the back burner. I could go on forever about the countless memories of this outstanding leader of soldiers. I will never forget this outstanding leader, role model, friend and brother in arms.

I will always remember how Capt. Dobogai lived each day to its fullest. Nothing he ever did was half-hearted, because he always put all of himself into everything he did, even when he said he didn't. When we were working hard, he was sweating right there with us. When we were joking around, he was always laughing the hardest. When we struggled, he carried his share and then some. Capt. Dobogai never took himself too seriously, but knew when he had to be serious.

CPL. JOSHUA S. HARMON

Cpl. Harmon was a good guy who I really enjoyed talking to. Every time we passed, it was always cordial and pleasant. I know he was an outstanding medic and took his job very seriously. He cared a lot about his fellow soldiers.

Cpl. Harmon was a great soldier in every aspect. He was respected by every person who knew him.

Cpl. Harmon was a young junior noncommissioned officer who was full of life and always willing to learn more about his job. He never let his seniors, peers or subordinates down when he was in charge of any mission. Cpl. Harmon will be missed by those who knew him, his fellow NCOs and soldiers.

SPC. MICHAEL A. HOOK

Spc. Hook was a hard-working soldier and an excellent example of how other people should be. He was dedicated, and more than one of his buddies told me that he put himself through hell to lose weight and be a scout. He was a great person who sets his mind to something and makes sure it is accomplished.

Spc. Hook was very disciplined and strived to excel every day.

Whenever I saw Spc. Hook he always was in a good mood with a smile on his face. His personality and presence was contagious to everyone around him. A great soldier and a great friend to his fellow soldiers, everyone could count on him to be there when needed without gripe. A true patriot, a great person.

Spc. Hook was a hard-working soldier and a good friend. He was about to become a father soon. I remember talking to him on several occasions about his fiancee and when they were going to get married. He was so happy about getting married and becoming a father.

I also remember talking to him about things we both missed having from Pennsylvania. The number one thing we both missed was Yuengling beer. We would talk for at least an hour trading stories of drinking Yuengling beer and the trouble we got in because of it. I will always remember Spc. Hook as a good soldier, a friend and a fellow Pennsylvanian.

CPL. NATHAN C. HUBBARD

Cpl. Hubbard was an extremely brave soldier who went through loss and still decided to fight. His character is unmatched. He was an outstanding guy.

Cpl. Hubbard was very loyal to his family and to his unit. He always strived for excellence.

Cpl. Hubbard was one of the most motivated soldiers I've had the honor of knowing. Where you found Nathan, you could always find his brother Jason. The two of them always pushed each other to only be that much better.

Cpl. Hubbard was a soldier that any noncommissioned officer or officer would be proud to serve with. He was willing to go the distance to complete any mission or task that was given to him.

STAFF SGT. JASON L. PATON

He was one hilarious individual and always knew how to make you laugh. He was serious when he needed to be and extremely dependable. He constantly mentored his soldiers, and they looked up to him as an older brother.

Staff Sgt. Paton was an awesome NCO who I always felt connected with us lower enlisted guys because of his age and general likes/dislikes. He was a great guy, and I always enjoyed listening to his crazy stories.

Staff Sgt. Paton was a proven combat leader with great compassion for his men. I spoke to him almost daily, and every time we spoke, he lifted me up with motivation. He was both tactically and technically proficient at his job, and took the time to teach soldiers what he knew.

He was confident, but it wasn't below him to ask questions about things he didn't know. I will always have the utmost respect for this professional NCO.

Staff Sgt. Paton was a very professional NCO who instantly won the respect of those he was in the presence of.

CPL. JESSY G. POLLARD

He was a man of faith and always took his Bible studies to heart. You could always tell Pollard was in the Tactical Operations Center because he had a loud and bright voice that matched his personality.

He was a "gym fanatic" in every sense of the phrase, always asking about ways to gain muscle and about fitness in general. I admired the fact that he was really into working out and believed in what he was doing. He reminded me of when I first started working out.

Cpl. Pollard had to have been the most excitable person I have ever met. Whenever there was something going, no matter how drab or boring, he just made the situation interesting. He had that ability to just draw a crowd, not always in a good way, but that was him. Jessy had so much drive and determination to succeed. When he put his mind to something, he got it done, regardless of the task or the situation surrounding it. See you again.

He had an outstanding personality who was one of the most dedicated people I have ever met in my life. I always enjoyed the times we talked about our training workouts. He was extremely motivated and hardworking toward his goals.

Cpl. Pollard was exceptionally motivated to be the best at everything he set his mind to. I remember talking to him about Ranger School on numerous occasions. His dream was to be a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces. He was well on his way to Ranger School after becoming a member of the Scout Platoon.

SGT. GARRETT I. MCLEAD

He was a sharp soldier who was there for other soldiers.

He was helpful, friendly and an overall good guy that I always made sure I would talk to when we were around each other. On the day of a "mock board," he went out of his way to help me with a subject I was struggling with, even though he was going to the same board and it took away from his studying time. He was just an overall great person.

McLead was a hard-working soldier who cared deeply about his men. He was respected by each and every member of his platoon.

Sgt. McLead was a hard-working NCO. He was always looking for ways to excel at his job. He never let his soldiers down. He always led by example by taking the hard right instead of the easy wrong.

SPC. TYLER R. SEIDEMAN

He was always looking to better himself.

Spc. Seideman was a dedicated and motivated soldier.

Spc. Seideman was highly motivated to accomplish any mission. He was looked up to by his peers and subordinates alike.

He was a fine example for any soldier to look up to and strive to be like.

Great friend and soldier to those in the scout platoon. Excellent soldier.

Spc. Seideman was a disciplined soldier who would always put 110 percent into every task or detail that was given to him.