Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, U.S. Army 18, El Paso, Texas A recent high-school graduate, Estrella-Soto had been in the Army just seven months. At first his father didn’t want him to enlist, but Estrella-Soto hoped to study engineering and looked to the Army to help pay for his education. He “had a lot of desire to do something with his life,” his father said.
Pfc. Lori Piestewa, U.S. Army 23, Tuba City, Ariz. A gifted softball player, Piestewa grew up on a Hopi reservation and was proud to be one of 48 Hopis serving in Iraq. The divorced mother of a 4-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl, she is the first American woman soldier lost in the war. “We are very proud of Lori,” her brother Wayland said. “We know she’s our hero.”
M/Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, U.S. Army 38, Cleveland, Ohio A soldier for 18 years, Dowdy was just two years away from retirement. Married, with a teenage daughter, he grew up the third of four children in a working-class Cleveland neighborhood. “He was dedicated, of course, to the military,” his brother Jack told the Associated Press. “Wherever they sent him, he automatically went.”
Sgt. George E. Buggs, U.S. Army 31, Barnwell, S.C. Buggs was an avid cook–pasta was a favorite–and he was a stickler for his looks. “He loved to primp,” his grandmother joked. He joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1990, where he’d played tuba in the marching band. His wife, Wanda, said their 12-year-old son is worried “about his dad not seeing him grow up.”
Specialist James Kiehl, U.S. Army 22, Comfort, Texas When their son disappeared, Randy and Janie Kiehl kept in close touch with the military, to keep officials focused on the missing. James’s pregnant wife, Jill, is due this month, and he wanted to help make the country safer for his family. “I do not want to raise my son in a world of terrorism,” he had told his father.
Sgt. Donald R. Walters, U.S. Army 33, Kansas, Mo. A veteran of the first gulf war, Walters loved the outdoors, especially camping and fishing. The divorced and remarried father of three was searching for a new calling in life when he signed up again last summer. “He re-enlisted for the stability,” said his father, Norman Walters. “And because he needed to provide for his family.”
Pvt. Brandon U. Sloan, U.S. Army 19, Bedford Heights, Ohio “He was very much committed to the cause of country,” said Sloan’s father, Rev. Tandy Sloan. He joined the Army just last year, hoping to help his country while improving himself. Quick with a smile and an easy laugh, he was a “fun-loving, good kid,” recalls Frank Weglicki, his former football coach.
Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, U.S. Army 35, Pecos, Texas The small desert town where Mata lived with his wife and children was 200 miles from Fort Bliss, where the 507th was based. He grew up in Pecos, and played high-school football. His family had been “hoping and praying for the best,” his cousin Javier Contreras said. The news was “very hard” to take.
Portraits of eight American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice
Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, U.S. Army, 18, El Paso, Texas. A recent high-school graduate, Estrella-Soto had been in the Army just seven months. At first his father didn’t want him to enlist, but Estrella-Soto hoped to study engineering and looked to the Army to help pay for his education. He “had a lot of desire to do something with his life,” his father said.
Pfc. Lori Piestewa, U.S. Army, 23, Tuba City, Ariz. A gifted softball player, Piestewa grew up on a Hopi reservation and was proud to be one of 48 Hopis serving in Iraq. The divorced mother of a 4-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl, she is the first American woman soldier lost in the war. “We are very proud of Lori,” her brother Wayland said. “We know she’s our hero.”
M/Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, U.S. Army, 38, Cleveland, Ohio. A soldier for 18 years, Dowdy was just two years away from retirement. Married, with a teenage daughter, he grew up the third of four children in a working-class Cleveland neighborhood. “He was dedicated, of course, to the military,” his brother Jack told the Associated Press. “Wherever they sent him, he automatically went.”
Sgt. George E. Buggs, U.S. Army, 31, Barnwell, S.C. Buggs was an avid cook–pasta was a favorite–and he was a stickler for his looks. “He loved to primp,” his grandmother joked. He joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1990, where he’d played tuba in the marching band. His wife, Wanda, said their 12-year-old son is worried “about his dad not seeing him grow up.”
Specialist James Kiehl, U.S. Army, 22, Comfort, Texas. When their son disappeared, Randy and Janie Kiehl kept in close touch with the military, to keep officials focused on the missing. James’s pregnant wife, Jill, is due this month, and he wanted to help make the country safer for his family. “I do not want to raise my son in a world of terrorism,” he had told his father.
Sgt. Donald R. Walters, U.S. Army, 33, Kansas, Mo. A veteran of the first gulf war, Walters loved the outdoors, especially camping and fishing. The divorced and remarried father of three was searching for a new calling in life when he signed up again last summer. “He re-enlisted for the stability,” said his father, Norman Walters. “And because he needed to provide for his family.”
Pvt. Brandon U. Sloan, U.S. Army, 19, Bedford Heights, Ohio. “He was very much committed to the cause of country,” said Sloan’s father, Rev. Tandy Sloan. He joined the Army just last year, hoping to help his country while improving himself. Quick with a smile and an easy laugh, he was a “fun-loving, good kid,” recalls Frank Weglicki, his former football coach.
Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, U.S. Army, 35, Pecos, Texas. The small desert town where Mata lived with his wife and children was 200 miles from Fort Bliss, where the 507th was based. He grew up in Pecos, and played high-school football. His family had been “hoping and praying for the best,” his cousin Javier Contreras said. The news was “very hard” to take.
