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-1'

Created on: 11/08/10 11:13 PM Views: 7329 Replies: 2
Fallen Hero Tributes
Posted Monday, November 8, 2010 06:13 PM


The Fallen Heroes Of C.H.S

Heroism feels and never reasons, and therefore is always right.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Private First Class Danny Everett Hyde

C.H.S. Class of 1964

Monday November 11, 2002

Good Friend

By: Ed Patillo

Relationship: We grew up together

Sleep well my friend and please look me up when I reach the other side. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You packed a wicked punch! God be with you 'till we meet again!

December 17, 2008

By: Jerry Byington, Son of a friend

Thank you

I don't really know what to say. My name is Jerry Byington I am the second oldest son of Larry Steven Byington. I don't know a lot about you but I have heard stories. One story I remember one day my dad got a letter with a piece of paper in it. He read the letter then opened the paper. It was your name from the wall. Someone had been there and did a chalk print of your name and sent it to my dad. That was the first time I ever saw my father cry so I know that you were someone special in his life. I have a younger brother Named Danny. He is named after you and he is a great man. Thank you for being a part of my father’s life. I know that you had a big impact on him. Thank you for your service in the war. I will always salute you.

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

 Sergeant William Glade Henderson

C.H.S. Class of 1965

­­­March 25, 2008---gopherfly:

Glade was not the type individual that I thought would become the friend he became to be. I met Glade at Ft. Douglas, Utah when we became drafted at the time of the War. I was somewhat more reserved than he. He was also much shorter and more of a bulldog stature. As it were, we were both sent to the same training centers for both Basic and AIT training. It was during this time we became close friends. I gave Glade the name "bulldog" since that was his nature and his stature. We went through many experiences together during the training. We spent time together during our "leaves". At the end of AIT training we both received assignments to Vietnam. He was assigned to the 25th Infantry and I to the 1st Infantry. The conclusion of AIT training was the last time I saw him as he was killed in action. Despite his "bulldog" appearance and nature, he was a kind and considerate individual. He was an aggressive individual and made a good soldier. I was informed by my family at home that he had been killed and it was quite some time before I could accept the fact of this loss. I remember him every time I think of the War. God bless you Glade for the valiant servant you are!

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

 Corporal Henry Orlando Vigil

C.H.S. Class of 1964

   06 Jan 2007

I served with Vigil in Vietnam and he was the best hair dresser turned machine gunner that I've ever known.

From a Marine Corps brother.

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

Private First Class Paul Elmer Parker

C.H.S. Class of 1965

  22 Mar 2006

From his wife:

The greatest husband, father, son and brother ever...

Paul Parker is a valiant and courageous trooper who did not return home. He made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for us, his fellow soldiers. He will always be in our memories. Posted by: John Moore
Relationship: Served in the same unit
Monday, July 17, 2006

 Rest in Peace old friend.  We all owe you for the things we have experienced since the day you left this life.  Thank you for all you were, and see you on the other side.

Ron Phillips, Class of 65

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

Specialist 4 Rodney Birdell Yardley

C.H.S. Class of 1963    

While stationed at Fort Ord, CA, I met 2 guys just back from 'Nam who served with Rodney Yardley. They said that he was a fierce machinegunner, with just a few weeks left before ETSing back home. I remember him as quiet and shy.

Jeff Watkins

SP4 Rodney Yardley was killed when his personnel carrier hit a mine on Highway 14 southeast of Dau Tieng.

Roger Cook

Good Friend, Missionary Comp. We Served in Vietnam the same year of 1968 and we were Missionary Companions in Owyhee Nevada on the Indian Reservation Rest In Peace My Friend You will never be forgotten
Mar 15, 2010

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

Specialist 4 Rodolfo Jose Archuleta

C.H.S. Class of 1966

Rodolpho served, with Bravo, Company, 1st, Battalion, 5th, US., Cavalry, 1st, Cavalry Division. His name can be found, on the Bravo, 1-5, Memorial, at www.ranger25.com. He, is not forgotten
Friday, June 07, 2002
www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

 

Private First Class Larry Don Garner

C.H.S. Class of 1968

  Larry served, with Delta, Company, 2nd, Battalion, 5th, U.S. Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division.

 His name can be found, on the D, Company, 2-5, Memorial, at www.ranger25.com. He is not forgotten.

Robert Archer
Childhood Friend

Larry & I grew up together, in the sleepy little town of Sunset, Utah. I still cherish an old photo, of he and I and some other friends, taken, in his front yard on our very first day, of 1st grade. We played, together and laughed together. Somewhere, somehow, Larry grew up from a little boy, into a hero. A couple of years ago, the travelling, Wall Memorial, came here, to Indianapolis and I visited it. I touched, his name and cried, for my little friend. Although, our friendship was brief, as children, I'll never forget Larry. He'll always, be my friend and my hero. God bless you and thank you, for protecting my freedom. MSgt., Robert L. Archer, USAF., Ret.
 Thursday, June 07, 2001

Sandra Bateman Miles

I am grateful for your sacrifice, but bitterly weep because we lost you too soon.

Michael Werre

Went to school with Larry from second grade. I know exactly where his grave is. I put a flag on it when I'm there.

Susan Prout Bayne

I met Larry Garner at Sunset Elementary school when I moved to Sunset in the 4th grade. His mom and my future mother-in-law worked together for many years in the school lunch program at Sunset Elementary. Larry was shy and quiet but very nice to everyone. I really didn't realize that he was older than me until now. I remember hearing of his death from my mother-in-law while my husband and I were stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. We could not attend his funeral.

I talked with Larry's sister, Lynett, yesterday to make sure that his family was fine with our ideas to honor him. I found out that his father passed away 4 years ago and that his brother is in CA. Lynett and I shared tears in remembering Larry. She lived in CA when he deployed to Vietnam. His plane from Los Angeles to Vietnam was delayed so she had 2 extra hours to be with him before he left. She is so grateful for that time as he did not return. She told me that Larry knew that he would not survive Vietnam. He was so sure - that he cleaned out his bedroom, gave away all of his clothes and had his affairs in order when he left his parent's home.


Michael Hanks

The memorial for the war dead in Sunset has been approved and will be presented by the class of '68 from Clearfield High, in honor of our fallen classmate Larry D. Garner. It will be placed in front of City Hall, now located on 1300 N.
The memorial will be dedicated November 11, 2009
Veterans Day
Thank you for your service and sacrifice Larry.

...rest in peace.

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

Captain Phillip Harold Jacobs

C.H.S. Class of 1965    

Best friend we joined together

I made it back home, but part of me remains there with you.

14 June 2005

Phil Jacobs" was my best friend in high school and we began college together at Weber State in Ogden, Utah in the fall of 1965. After a poor attempt at academics we both decided to join the army together so off to Fort Ord, California we went. I went through infantry training and then airborne training. I was then assigned to the 101st Airborne in Vietnam. Phil qualified as officer candidate material and went off to school to become an infantry officer. I had already been in Vietnam for some time when Phil was sent over with an infantry unit. Not long after that, I heard he took 7 rounds from an automatic weapon, yet lived. He was sent back to the states where he found out his recent bride had cancer. Those two events would overwhelm most of us, but he reenlisted as a warrant officer and became a gunship pilot. The last letter I remember receiving from him was "I'm going to go back over there and kill everyone of those dirty son of a bitches!" That bitterness cost him his life.

Phil and I were the best of buddies. He had a chance to start a new life with his lovely bride Lynn McKay but he chose to go back to Vietnam. I cannot judge his actions. I did two voluntary tours myself. Sometimes I wonder if his parents are still alive. He was their only child. It must have been a super heart break.

We graduated from Clearfield High School together in 1965. This year Clearfield High is having its 40th class reunion. I don't think I'll go. If Phil was still around, I'm sure I'd feel differently but so much has changed. But one thing has remained the same. This country doesn't seem to have learned anything about the tragedy and the insanity of inflicting war.

God bless you, Phil. Better luck next time around.

Your friend,
Douglas Ericksen

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

Specialist 4 Allen Dawan Udink

C.H.S. Class of 1967

George Dickson
Sunset 2nd Ward and school friend

Many years ago when I heard of the circumstances of Allen's death, I felt sorrow but also gratitude for his paying the ultimate sacrifice for me and our country. I remember him each week at church and at school at Sunset Elementary, North Davis Jr, and Clearfield High School. I wish the best for his family. I remember his brother Robert also. God bless, George Dickson
Aug 21, 2007

Joe Willey
The Clearfield High Class of 1967 is holding its' 40th reunion on Aug 27, 2007. You have been and will always be remembered by your Falcon Classmates. You remain in the hearts and minds of fellow classmates who are graduates of the University of South Vietnam.

Robert Archer
Childhood Friend

Friday, June 08, 2001
All those years ago in grade school, in Sunset Elementary, I hurt your feelings. Your friend, Burlson, made me realize that. I know it was a small, kid thing, but I have always regretted that day and thought of you often. Now, as I searched this data base, I find that you gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of all of us. You are a hero to me and I'll never forget you, please forgive me. Robert L. Archer, MSgt, USAF, Ret.

 I knew Allen.  He was a good kid.  I lost track of him after high school, and was saddened when I heard on the news that he had been injured in Vietnam, then passed away at home.  Too many good men died for Vietnam, but I respect Allen for his character and for performing his duty.  I hope he and his family are at peace.

Larry Holmes

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

Sergeant Brian Paul Abercrombie

C.H.S. Class of 1998.

 Meet the deejay of the Lizard Lounge. That was Bryan P. Abercrombie — the Army sergeant — in his off-duty hours.

The 22-year-old spun CDs and tended bar at a club on his military base when he wasn’t working as a helicopter crew chief.

Bryan loved the action and challenge of the Army and hoped to be a pilot one day, say parents Peter and Diane Abercrombie of Clinton.

Their youngest child was a daredevil — “He had no fear,” his mother says.

Which explains why he used to rappel head first while with his Clearfield High Junior ROTC unit.

Or why he twice climbed to the top of Lagoon’s towering Rocket ride — with permission — when he worked at the Farmington amusement park.

Bryan died Dec. 11, 2002, when his Black Hawk helicopter crashed on its return to a Honduran air base after a routine night training mission. Four fellow soldiers perished with him.

The Clearfield High School graduate belonged to Joint Task Force Bravo, a military command that conducts humanitarian missions and anti-drug activities in Central and South America.

“It’s a different type of war,” says Peter, a fight removed from zones where “bullets are flying, bombs are dropping.”

Because of that, the couple say they have sometimes had to push for Bryan to be included in tributes or memorials to other soldiers in the current conflict — even though he was Utah’s first casualty.

“Anybody that died after 9-11 is considered part of the War on Terror,” Diane says, and she believes her son deserves recognition. After all, “He gave his life.”

No more cookies

Shortly before Bryan’s death, Diane e-mailed him to ask what kind of cookies he wanted when he came home for Christmas. “The peanut butter ones, with the Hershey’s kisses on top,” he wrote her back. It was his last message. On Dec. 20 — the day the family planned to welcome Bryan home for the holidays — they laid his body to rest in an Ohio cemetery. Now, four years later, the flag from Bryan’s casket sits in a triangular wooden case on the Abercrombie’s coffee table. A banner with a gold star hangs in their living room window, a symbol of a child who died in military service. Then there’s a more lighthearted memento: a pudgy Pillsbury Dough Boy ornament nestled among a collection of framed family photos. Bryan always liked the character, Diane says, and collected T-shirts and figurines with the likeness. “Every time you see the Pillsbury Dough Boy,” she says, “you think of him.”

Two sons, two stars

Bryan joined the Army at 19, after serving in Clearfield High School’s Junior ROTC. His parents weren’t surprised; other family members have logged military service, including Peter, who spent 22 years in the Air Force.

Bryan’s older brother Peter is now in the Air Force, stationed at Oklahoma’s Tinker Air Force Base. A veteran of Afghanistan, young Peter is the reason for the family’s second star in the window — a blue one, for a child currently in military service.

Bryan’s love for Junior ROTC prompted his parents to establish an annual $2,000 scholarship in his name.

Presenting the award can be “heartwrenching,” Peter says, adding, “Sometimes I break down.”

But, “What better way to preserve his memory?” Diane says.

Bryan’s stint in Honduras began on Sept. 11, 2001; he was flying to the post when terrorists attacked America.

More than a year later, his helicopter crashed while trying to avoid stormy weather, Peter says. The bodies of all five soldiers were found; Bryan was trapped in the copter and burned.

“So we didn’t even have the closure of seeing him at the end,” his mother says.

Hidden messages

Diane sheds tears as she talks about what her son might be doing now, were he still alive. Maybe he’d be married and even have children.

“His life was just really beginning; he was only 22,” she says.

Bryan’s parents say they still feel his presence. As Peter worked on the swamp cooler the first year after Bryan’s death, he was feeling blue because it was a job he and his son used to do together.

Then, oddly, a baby bird perched on the roof as Peter worked and stayed close, even letting Peter pet it.

The father also recalls a day he and Diane found 11 cents — a dime and a penny — twice in one day, on the floor of the same store.

The number is significant because Bryan joined the Army on that date, arrived in Honduras on that date and died on that date.

They’re all signals, Peter says: “He’s still around.”

 

M. ERICK HEINER

 

THANK YOU BRIAN

 

FOR

UR SERVICE AND MY FREEDOM

GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

 REST IN PEACE!!!

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

 

Staff Sergeant Nino Duque Livaudais

C.H.S. Class of 1997        

Army Staff Sgt. Nino D. Livaudais had been assigned to Afghanistan twice, and Iraq was his third combat tour in two years. "He had a purpose. He was doing his part as an American. I knew I never was going to get him behind a desk," said his wife, Jackie Livaudais, who is pregnant with their third child. "He wanted to make the world better and get the bad guys," she said. Livaudais, 23, of Ogden, Utah, was killed April 3 when a woman jumped from a car at a checkpoint and the vehicle exploded. Livaudais graduated from high school in Ogden, Utah, in 1997, joined the Army a year later and became a Ranger in 1999. He planned to make the military a career.

   

17 April 2003:

Utah Soldier Buried at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Virginia -- With a breeze off the Potomac River freshening the unseasonably warm noon, a group of 50 mourners solemnly watched as Army Staff Sgt. Nino Dugue Livaudais of Syracuse was buried Wednesday in Arlington National Cemetery.

The 23-year-old Army Airborne Ranger from the Davis County community was one of three soldiers killed April 3 at a   coalition checkpoint near Haditha Dam in western Iraq when they approached a vehicle while attempting to help a screaming pregnant woman. In an apparent suicide attack, a bomb in the vehicle detonated, killing the two female occupants along with Livaudais, 27-year-old Captain Russell B. Rippetoe, of Arvada, Colorado, and 21-year-old Specialist Ryan Long of Seaford, Delaware.

 

"I wish i got to see you one last time.
Cousin im very proud of you! I know deep inside of all the sadness i have, this is what you were meant to be a hero for america, and theres no doubt in our minds that you died in vain.
I know your in a better place and this is not the end of you. We love you! I LOVE you cousin. Rest In Peace."
Quinzhan Muya of Syracuse, Utah

 

"i remember one day in afaganastan, on the HLZ you were yelling at us to get all the * in the jeeps because we just got a resupply, it was so funny because when you started yelling at us, sfc bourdoue started yelling at you because you were yelling at his guys (2nd plt) and it was the first time i seen an NCO yell at another NCO, it was like you were on our level. well brother i miss you and i will never forget what you tought me when i first got to battalion, i love you bye"
cox

 

"Nino,
Miss you brotha. You were a good friend, and I was honored to have been amongst those who laid you to your final rest. You'll be in my heart always.
I was that which others could not be.
I went where others feared to go,
and did what others failed to do.
I asked nothing in return, and readily accepted the thought of eternal loneliness . . . Should I fail.
I have seen the face of terror;
felt the stinging cold of fear;
and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moments love.
I have cried, pained, and hoped . .
But most of all, I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.
At least I can say I am proud of what I am . . .
AN AIRBORNE RANGER"
Chris of Columbus, GA

 

"Uncle Nino I haven't seen you since I was little and you were in high school, I've never even met your family. I remember you as a great uncle and person. I will always remember you and what you did for the safety of this country. LOVE YOU ALWAYS!"
Amanda Livaudais of Temecula, CA

 

December 17, 2009

Justin, the girls, and I think of Nino often. We will never forget him and he will always be in our heart. 

Grace Siple,

Ft. Benning, Georgia

 

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

 http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oif/profiles/livaudaisninod.html

 

 Sergeant Michael Robert Lehmiller

C.H.S. Class of 2000

   August 23, 2010

 This is the 5th year Mike has been gone but never gone in my heart or my mind. I left him red, white and blue flowers on his grave in Tampa and a picture. Michael will never be forgotten. Love MOM

 Gail Michaels,

Anderson, South Carolina

 

"To Mike's family and loved ones: I have had the honor of serving with some of the bravest men in the world one that sticks out amongst the others is Mikey. That man was always in a good mood and had a magical way of infecting others with his great attitude, it was truely a blessing to be his friend. He had a big heart and was always reaching out to others especially new guys. He always made sure to make others feel welcome when others were to proud to let new people in their click. Mike was a great friend, soldier, and to some of us a brother. God bless you, and God bless Mikey."

Justin M. Shobe of Hope Mills, North Carolina/ USA

 

Posted: 25 August 2005

"Nobody ever thought we'd lose Mike," said Robert Lehmiller, Michael's father, a Clearfield resident. "It would have to take an improvised explosive device to take him out because you're not going to be able to take him in a firefight — ask anyone who knew him. He was too good."

Michael Lehmiller attended Clearfield High School during his senior year and enlisted in the Army in 1999, three days after earning a degree at ITT Technical Institute in Greenville, South Carolina, where his mother lives. Not long after that, he was sent to Iraq for an 11-month tour of duty. When he returned, he immediately re-enlisted and was sent to Afghanistan.

He told family members, on more than one occasion, that serving his country was where he belonged, his father said.

"He liked to live life on the edge," Robert Lehmiller said. "He loved the military, he loved what he did, and he wanted to continue doing it." He said his son "believed in the reasons for being there" and continually saw improvements but did think that guarding convoys was boring.

Michael Lehmiller told his father that when he was finished with his second tour in the Middle East, he would try his hand at becoming a Ranger.

"He wanted action," his father said.

The soldier once called his father while on a rooftop in Baghdad in the middle of a firefight and another time just before jumping out of a Chinook helicopter. Those phone calls are what Robert Lehmiller said he will miss most about his son, always exciting and always at random times.

In September, Michael Lehmiller was due for a two-week visit home, during which he had planned on attending a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game with his father and sisters. He was a big-time sports fan, having played nearly every sport most of his life.

"We were just going to pal around in Florida. You know, 'guy time,' " his father said.

Robert Lehmiller said his son didn't want to be maimed while fighting in the war or be forced to return home "in a shell of a person."

"I would take him back in any shape, but I guess he got his wish," he said.

Lehmiller's family is still working on funeral arrangements; however, his wishes were to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, an honor his father said is "huge."

"It's special there," Robert Lehmiller said. "It's only filled with heroes."

 

By KEVIN GRAHAM ST.  PETERSBURG TIMES
Published September 1, 2005TAMPA - Michael Lehmiller's funeral instructions captured a bit of his sense of humor, tinged with the grim bravado that comes with life in a combat zone. They'd laughed about it, his father said, this joking last request that if he died they should bury him with a bottle of Crown Royal whiskey. More than one person showed up at the 23-year-old Army sergeant's funeral Wednesday morning, prepared to honor his wish.

 

To honor his son, Bob Lehmiller created Mike's Guardian Eagle Foundation. The Foundation gives financial assistance to military families who need extra help when their loved ones deploy or if they're wounded or killed on the field of battle.

 

"I commanded your son in the 82nd during Operation Iraq Freedom, and would to send my condolences for you loss. Your son was an outstanding soldier and young man. I knew that if I ever needed to see a smile from one of my soldiers it was going to be from him. He truly lifted everyone one up who was around him. Again I am very sorry for you loss and am thankful for being able to have known your son and to have commanded him.
Sincerely,
Major Rob Boone
Former Commander of Delta Company
1st Battalion 325th AIR"
Rob Boone of Orlando, Florida

 

"Mikey all those times we partied together and all the trobule we got in to I always had your back and you had mine. Love you like a Brother."

 

October 08, 2009

I miss you bro.
Think about you all the time. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. You were the best Barraks roomate a guy could have.
SSG Ricketts

Justin Ricketts,

Electra, Texas

 www.clearfieldalumni.org/class_profile.cfm

 

http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oef/profiles/lehmillermichaelr.html

 

 
Edited 11/12/10 08:59 PM
RE: -1'
Posted Saturday, November 3, 2012 12:24 PM

Veterens Day will be observed on monday Nov 12 this year and I just finished looking over Larry Anderson post on our fallen heroes. It is very sad and yet very inspiring. I just want to take the time to thank Larry for his efforts and suggest you look at the post too. A link is located on the left side of the home page. Last and most importantly I want to thank our fallen heroes and their families for their sacrifice...Mike Hanks

 
RE: Fallen Hero Tributes
Posted Sunday, March 24, 2013 05:37 PM

A very fitting tribute to those from CHS that have served and paid the ultimate price. Thank you for your work and efforts to put that together.