IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN: 500 Californians dead in conflicts

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The death of a Navy hospitalman in a rocket attack Wednesday brought the number of Californians killed since the wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq to 500.

The death of Marc A. Retmier, 19, of Hemet was announced Thursday by the Department of Defense. Along with Petty Officer First 1st Class Ross L. Toles III, 37, of Davison, Mich., Retmier died from wounds suffered during an attack in the northern Afghan province of Paktika.

He is one of seven Hemet residents who have been killed in the war. An athlete and motocross enthusiast, he described himself on a website devoted to motocross: “I believe that if we don’t have dreams then there is nothing to live for. Mine are in the making and to be accomplished in the time soon to come. Off to college in less then a year and into medicine to become a radiologist. I live for the nights I will never remember with the friends I will never forget. Playing sports & staying fit, keeping my mind alert and sharp for anything on the road ahead.”

Over the past 6 1/2 years, hundreds of Times obituaries have chronicled the lives of troops who have died in support of the conflicts. On Memorial Day, a database of California’s war dead was made available to the public, allowing people to search by name, hometown, high school and other facts.

Since then, more than 240 people have sent in remembrances and tributes to their friends and loved ones.
“He had the best heart of any person I have ever met in the military,” posted said Naomi C Nicoletti on in a June 13 post about of her “old friend” Sgt. 1st Class Luis E. Gutierrez-Rosales, who was killed in Iraq in July 2007.

“He would sit in a chair in the barracks after marches, and all of us who were hurt would line up,” she wrote. “He would fix blisters, bandage cuts and take the time to talk to each person one on one. He made every single person feel special and important. He was also the most playful person. On marches he would sneak off into the woods and then jump out and surprise people. He was always happy, always smiling, always singing.”

On June 12, Dan Nevins wrote to his comrade Army National Guard Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey:

‘We didn’t talk much while serving together, but when we did, there was always substance, and the more I got to know who you were at your core, the more I respected you. I would have loved to have you in my squad as I am sure every squad leader would have,’ Nevins said.

McCaffrey, 34 of Tracy, Calif., and Army National Guard First 1st Lt. Andre Tyson were killed on patrol in June 2004 by purported Iraqi allies.

PV2 Morales Cortez, W., posted about Aaron J. Ward of San Jacinto, who was killed in Iraq on May 6:

‘Aaron J. Ward and I went to basic and AIT together. At first he seemed like an annoying private that liked to be ‘Mr. know it all,’ but as the time went by and I started talking to him, he was chill,’ he wrote on June 8. ‘ .. .. . He was also my roommate here at Ft. Lewis and was like my right-hand man. I never meet a soldier so dedicated to his job as PFC Ward. In the end I just want to show my respect to his family and let them know he was a hell of a soldier...’

Ward’s mother, Debbie, wrote on June 8 to the family of George Delgado, 21, of Palmdale, who was killed in Iraq in March:

‘I just want to say sorry for your loss. I lost my son in Iraq 8 days after he turned 19. I thought I was going to die when the Army came to my door to let me know he had been killed. Thank God for his sister or I would be right there with Aaron.. .. .. . Please write me sometime.’

Some never met the person they were honoring.

‘My son Dalton Glen Barnes is buried right next to you, Blake,’ Glen Barnes posted on Blake H. Howey’s page on June 11. ‘I salute you/him every time I visit my son. I thank you for your service. I gave some, you gave all. God bless you and your family, Lance Corporal Howey.’

Howey, 20 of Glendora, was killed in Iraq in February 2007.

Some people have written of taking comfort in other people’s words.

‘It is coming up on 5 months now since my cousin David has been gone,’ posted Rhiannon McKee June 5, about Army Sgt. David J. Hart, 22, of Lake View Terracehttp://project. ‘It is so nice to see people still sharing their memories of David. There are so many, and I enjoy checking in frequently to see what others have to say, and to remember my own memories of David. Thank you to all of you who continue to keep David alive in your hearts.’

Read the whole story by Times Staff Writer Megan Garvey here.

Note on data: The Times counted California troops based on reports from the Department of Defense, as well as interviews with family and friends of those killed. In some cases, such as that of Army Cpl. Patrick D. Tillman, someone with long ties to California was included in our database even if their hometown listed by the military was out of state. Tillman, who walked away from a three-year, $3.6-million contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals to become a Ranger, was raised in San Jose. He was killed by ‘friendly fire’ in Afghanistan in April 2004.