Hero Stories for California

Spc. Jeremiah P. McCleery, 24, of Portola, California, died from wounds sustained after he was shot by enemy forces in Mosul, Iraq, on May 2, 2009. Spc. McCleery was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. </d

Sgt. Raul Moncada, 29, of Madera, California, died April 13, 2009, near Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Sgt. Moncada was assigned to the 563rd Military Police Company, 91st Military Police Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York. </d

Airman 1st Class Jacob I. Ramsey, 20, of Hesperia, California, died April 10, 2009, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Kabul, Afghanistan. Airman 1st Class Ramsey was assigned to the 712th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Hood, Texas. </d

Sgt. 1st Class Bryan E. Hall, 32, of Elk Grove, California, died April 10, 2009, when his military vehicle was struck by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in Mosul, Iraq. Sgt. 1st Class Hall was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. </d

Pfc. Bryce E. Gautier, 22, of Cypress, California, died April 10, 2009, when his military vehicle was struck by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in Mosul, Iraq. Pfc. Gautier assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. </d

Lt. Florence B. Choe, 35, of El Cajon, California, died March 27, 2009, when an Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on personnel assigned to Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan at Camp Shaheen, Mazar-E-Sharif, Afghanistan. </d

1st Lt. Daniel B. Hyde, 24, of Modesto, California, died March 7, 2009, in Samarra, Iraq, of wounds sustained in Tikrit when an explosive device struck his unit vehicle. 1st Lt. Hyde was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.<