Never Forgotten Fallen Soldiers

    Chief Warrant Officer 2, Lee M. Smith, 35, of Arlington, Texas, was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kntucky as an apache pilot. He passed away at Camp Taji, Iraq on November 11, 2017. Smith became a commercial pilot at Wexford County Airport after attending Cadillac High School.  "He was a very good pilot," Lee Sr. stated. "He liked the Apache. He thought it was an incredible aircraft. He was very proud of what he did in the Army." Smith was a rotary wing aviator and entered the Army in 2009. His numerous medals include:  Air Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge and Army Aviator Badge. Sources: https://arlingtonvoice.com/arlington/community/2017/11/13/army-officer-arlington-dies-over-weekend-iraq http://www.cadillacnews.com/news/cadillac-graduate-decorate...

Todd L "Bubba" Mcgurn, 20, of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, passed away in Baghdad, Iraq on November 27, 2017. He was stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas and was apart of Operation Inherent Resolve. Mr. Mcgurn hailed from Riverside, CA and was an Explorer Scout before joining the Army. He leaves behind two sisters, his father, and mother. Sources: https://www.patriotguard.org/showthread.php?450648-Todd-L-McGurn-Active-Duty-USA-WoT-Riverside-California-11-Dec-2017 http://www.kristv.com/story/36940741/pentagon-says-fort-bliss-soldier-dies-in-iraq

Avadon A. Chaves, 20, of the  1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, passed away in the Anbar province of Iraq. He was the youngest of five siblings and graduated from Pitman high school in 2015.  He recently married Tesa Chaves while he was stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas. Avadon she said wanted to be a police officer after retiring from the Army. Amores Marquez, Avadon's sister, said,  "He was a good man," Marquez said. "He was one of the good people out in the world. We were always joking and laughing, and he always was smiling." He was serving in Operation Inherent Resolve in support of the Iraqi security forces against ISIS. Governor Jerry Brown honored him and the state of California flew its flags at half mass in Avadon's honor.  Sources: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/spc-avadon-a-chaves/6568731 http://fox40.com/2017/12/22/soldier-from-turlock-killed-in-non-combat-related-incident-in-iraq/ http://www.modbee.c...

Javion Shavonte, 24, of the  Texas-based 16th Signal Company, 11th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade, died in a noncombat incident in the  Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was serving in Operation Inherent Resolve. In 2015 he joined the Army to make a better life and to serve his country. He leaves behind a wife and daughter. Javion was a star high school wrestler.  His wife, Raven, said,  "Jay was so devoted, headstrong and motivated. He kept his friends encouraged. He was a great father, friend, husband and soldier. There are so many words to explain him, and the love he had for what he was doing and the love he had for me and his daughter. He regretted nothing and made the best of everything." https://www.stripes.com/news/us-soldier-who-died-in-iraq-leaves-behind-love-of-his-life-3-year-old-daughter-1.505977 https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/01/10/soldier-from-fort-hood-dies-in-noncombat-incident-in-iraq/ http://www.wcnc.com/article/news/f...