Grieving families take heart in soldiers’ commitment, comfort from

Received by Newsfinder from APDec 24, 2004 19:08 Eastern Time * Photo Advisory CARIE103 FORT LEWIS, Wash. (AP) _ Grieving families, comforted on Christmas Eve by friends and relatives, mourned six soldiers from Fort Lewis’ Stryker Brigade who were among 14 U.S. troops killed in an apparent suicide bomber attack at a base near Mosul earlier in the week. In a statement released by Fort Lewis on Friday, the family of Staff Sgt. Julian S. Melo called him “a great father, loving brother, outstanding friend to many and a devoted husband.” “He was born to be a soldier, but never took anything too seriously,” the family said. “His love for his family, his country and his fellow soldiers was evident in everything he did.” The Defense Department on Friday released the names of soldiers killed in Tuesday’s attack. Melo, 47, was a supply specialist from Brooklyn, N.Y., but his family lives in the Fort Lewis area. Relatives of two other Fort Lewis soldiers _ Capt. William W. Jacobsen, Jr., 31, and Sgt. Darren VanKomen, 33 _ said they were grateful for the support they’ve gotten from the community since Tuesday’s blast, but declined to be interviewed. Jacobsen was an infantry officer and company commander from Charlotte, N.C. VanKomen was a supply specialist from Bluefield, W. Va. The others were identified as Staff Sgt. Robert S. Johnson, 23, a chemical operations specialist from Castro Valley, Calif.; Spc. Jonathan Castro, 21, a combat engineer from Corona, Calif., and Pfc. Lionel Ayro, 22, a combat engineer from Jeanerette, La. The Mosul blast _ claimed by the radical Ansar al-Sunnah Army _ killed 22 people, including 14 American military members and several civilians. It was the deadliest attack yet at a U.S. base in Iraq. Three of the soldiers killed were based in Virginia. Spc. David A. Ruhren, 20, of Stafford, and Spc. Nicholas “Nick” Mason, 20, of King George, were members of the National Guard’s 276th Engineer Battalion, based at West Point, Va., and Sgt. Maj. Robert D. O’Dell, 38, of Manassas, was assigned to the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir. The Pentagon promoted Ruhren to sergeant posthumously, said his mother, Sonja Ruhren. “David Alan has amazed me since birth,” she said of her only child. “My son didn’t have to go to Iraq for me to be proud of him. I was proud of him since the day he was born.” Ruhren joined the National Guard at age 17, so young that parental consent was required. His mother said she didn’t know she was the reason he’d signed until he told The Free Lance-Star last month. More than 150 friends and family gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor Mason, who served his community as a volunteer firefighter. Another soldier killed, Spc. Cory M. Hewitt, 26, of Stewart, Tenn., was remembered as a model student with many talents. He not only played football in high school, but traded his jersey and shoulder pads for a trombone at halftime to play in the band. “That was Cory. He did it all,” said Raymond Hewitt, his father. Spc. Hewitt was a member of the Fort Polk, La.-based 705th Ordnance Company.