Posted by
Don on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 6:12:05 AM
David We Will Miss You, Thank You for Your Friendship and I Wish You Were Here Again!
Current mood: 
morose
Category: Life
Iraq blast kills Reno soldier
SUSAN VOYLES RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL ..PUBLICATION GOES HERE
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Posted: 1/11/2008
Modified: 1/11/2008
Army
Sgt. Sean M. Gaul, 29, of Reno, and five other soldiers were killed
Wednesday in Sinsil, Iraq, when their vehicle was struck by a homemade
bomb during combat operations.
Gaul was the second soldier from
Reno to die this week. Army Sgt. David J. Drakulich, 22, of Reno, was
killed Wednesday when his vehicle struck a mine near Chagali,
Afghanistan.
Gaul was in his fifth deployment, serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan, after enlisting in the Army in late 1999. He was killed
while on patrol in Diyala province.
"Sean loved his job. Knowing
the risks, he re-enlisted during his fifth deployment," his wife,
Jessica Gaul, said in a statement. "It seemed Sean was a lifer for
sure. He did not waver from his responsibility. He always trained hard
as he led the way by example. He was focused and determined as he
sought out more Special Forces training.
"Sean was a very good man, loving husband, father and true friend," she said.
Gaul was the 57th soldier from Nevada to have died in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere in the Middle East since Sept. 11, 2001.
Gaul
attended Reed High School, where he was a member of the JROTC and
earned a general equivalency diploma in 1997. He enjoyed martial arts,
scuba diving, triathlon racing and fly fishing, his family said.
Gaul leaves behind his wife, daughter, mother, father and four sisters, as well as other family.
Members of the Gaul family said they want to "extend warm and burdened hearts" to the Drakulich family.
Funeral services for the soldiers have not yet been set.
Nevada
Gov. Jim Gibbons, who had flags flown at half-staff at the Capitol on
Friday for Drakulich, will do the same for Gaul on Monday.
"Staff
Sgt. Gaul was an extraordinary and dedicated soldier who made the
ultimate sacrifice for his country while serving his fifth tour of duty
in support of the global war on terror," Gibbons said. "It is with
profound gratitude that we honor his devotion and his service to our
nation."
The others killed with Gaul were Spc. Todd E. Davis, 22,
of Raymore, Mo.; Staff Sgt. Jonathan K. Dozier, 30, of Rutherford,
Tenn.; Sgt. Zachary W. McBride, 20, of Bend, Ore.; Sgt. 1st Class
Matthew I. Pionk, 30, of Superior, Wis.; and Sgt. Christopher A.
Sanders, 22, of Roswell, N.M.
The soldiers were assigned to the
3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat
Team, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany.
Gaul initially served
with B Co., 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne
Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. and was first deployed to Afghanistan soon
after the Sept. 11 attack.
He then was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq.
In September 2003, he was sent to Afghanistan with a coalition security
forces team to help guarantee free elections. He then transferred to a
Stryker brigade at Fort Lewis, Wash., and was deployed to Ramadi and
Mosul, Iraq.
After graduating from the Army Ranger school, Gaul
returned to his unit, which had transferred to Vilseck, Germany. He
then completed the U.S. Army's sniper school before deploying again.
.. I've run rgj_columnist_tag.pbo -->
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/NEWS18/80111079&oaso=news.rgj.com%2Fbreakingnews
Posted: 1/10/2008
Modified: 1/10/2008
In
honor of Sgt. David J. Drakulich, flags at the Nevada State Capitol
will be flown at half-staff today, Gov. Jim Gibbons said today.
"Dawn
and I are deeply saddened by the news of Sgt. Drakulich's death," the
governor said in a statement Thursday. "Our thoughts and prayers are
with the Drakulich family as they mourn the loss of one of our nation's
true heroes."
"We have lost one of Nevada's finest and will remember
him for his honorable service to our country and for the many
sacrifices he made in the name of democracy so that we may live in a
safer world," the governor said. "I extend my deepest sympathy to those
mourning the loss of this exceptional young man."
Drakulich is the
13th soldier from Washoe County and at least the 51st soldier with
Nevada links to have died in Afghanistan, Iraq or other parts of the
Middle East since Sept. 11, 2001.
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NEWS18/80110066