Cynde and Brian Hoefener of Omaha sit outside their camper with their dog, Gunner, on Thursday at Branched Oak State Recreation Area.
Zoe Ritz, 7, pitches a ball to her brother Wyatt, 13, while their parents Tyson and Kristin set up for Memorial Day weekend Thursday at Branched Oak State Recreation Area.
Tents blow in the heavy winds on the shore of Branched Oak Lake on Thursday in advance of the Memorial Day weekend.
Ty Alcorn of Lincoln waxes his boat in hopes of boating weather over Memorial Day weekend on Thursday at the Branched Oak State Recreation Area.
Memorial Day weekend drew campers to Branched Oak Lake on Thursday.
Campers line the campground for Memorial Day weekend on Thursday at the South Shore Campground in Branched Oak State Recreation Area.
Americans will see the highest gas prices in seven years when millions of people hit the roads this Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer driving season, as fuel demand surges alongside coronavirus vaccination rates. This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.
Nebraskans are about to celebrate their first relatively normal Memorial Day in two years, but Mother Nature — and gas prices — threaten to put a damper on it.
AAA expects 37 million people nationally to travel at least 50 miles this weekend, up 60% from last year. Those who do so by automobile will face the highest Memorial Day gas prices in seven years.
As of Thursday, the average price of gas nationally was $3.04 a gallon, the highest it’s been at this time of year since 2014.
The average locally is lower, at $2.95 in Lincoln and $2.91 statewide, but those also are the highest prices since 2014. They’re also more than $1 more per gallon than they were last year at this time.
“With the increase in travel demand, gas prices are going to be expensive no matter where you fill up, so plan ahead,” said AAA spokeswoman Jeanette McGee.
For those hopping on a plane, there now is an additional option at the Lincoln Airport. Delta Air Lines brought back its flight to Minneapolis on Wednesday, after taking it off the schedule last July because of the drop in air travel because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Airport Executive Director David Haring said passenger interest in the restarted flight “is even better than we anticipated.”
And people who are flying out of Lincoln for the Memorial Day weekend are seeing more competitive prices, with Haring reporting that 91% of round-trip fares on United Airlines and 56% of fares on Delta Air Lines are within $100 of fares for the same flights out of Omaha.
For those staying closer to home, city pools are scheduled to open on time for the first time in three years. COVID-19 delayed their opening last year, and cool weather delayed the opening in 2019.
Lincoln is set to have much-cooler-than normal temperatures this weekend, with highs forecast to be only in the 60s, which would make it the coolest Memorial Day weekend since the mid-1990s, but Holly Lewis, assistant director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said pools will open as scheduled at 1 p.m. Saturday. Swim time could be short-lived, however.
Lewis said the pools could close for the day at 3 p.m. if the air temperature doesn’t reach at least 70 degrees.
“We will open at 1 p.m. to sell season passes, take pool rental requests, register for swim/dive team and swim lessons even if the weather is not favorable for swimming,” she said in an email.
Lewis said decisions on whether to open Sunday and Monday will be based on weather conditions.
The weather is not likely to put a damper on crowds at state parks, said Jim Swenson, parks administrator for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Swenson said reserved campground sites are pretty much full at most parks and he expects the first-come, first-served sites to fill up quickly as well.
While the cool, damp weather may cut down on the time people spend out on the lakes, it won’t discourage them from going camping, he said.
“Campers are very resilient,” Swenson said. “They’ll adjust.
“They just find alternate things to do.”
There’s plenty going on in Lincoln this weekend, perhaps.
The Haymarket likely will be crowded, with its weekly farmers market Saturday, Husker baseball games at noon Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Lincoln Saltdogs games each night and Lincoln Public Schools graduation ceremonies at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday night and throughout the day Saturday and Sunday.
Also taking place through Saturday are the men’s wrestling under-23 National Championships at the Devaney Sports Center.
Memorial Day: Remembering Nebraskans loved and lost
Harlow I. Brewer
Capt Harlow I Brewer, who was stationed in the Philippines at the start of WWII and died in the Cabanatuan POW camp, 1943. He was buried in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in 1949.
Christian W. Lyster
Lt. Christian W Lyster is on the left. This photo was taken in Berlin in 1945. He had entered Europe on Utah Beach in 1944. Dad died in 1991.
Carl Breed
Carl Beed- Army Vietnam 1971-1975
Carl Davison
Carl Davison Navy Signal
Frank Atwater
Frank Atwater, Greeley, Nebraska. Served in the South Pacific
Johnny Vlcek
Johnny Vlcek
4/9/35 – 8/24/14
George K. Hansen
George K. Hansen (above left), 134th Inf Regt, European Theater,WWII. Also served in Korea, and Vietnam (504th MP Bn). Later served as Chief of Police in Lincoln.
Private Kenneth Pirnie and 2nd Lt. Leo Cooksley 1941-42
Kenneth Pirnie was KIA in the Philippines during WW II. Leo Cooksley passed away in 1994
Leroy H. Luth
Leroy H. Luth, WWII, Technician Fourth Grade, 134th Infantry, May 6th 1922 – March 12th 1994
Philip A Luckert
Philip A Luckert from Plainview, Nebraska Master SGT 331 AAF Bomb Squad World War II killed February 26 1944
Ensign John Parle
Ensign John Parle died in the Sicily invasion in World War II. He was from Omaha, and his name is on the War Memorial in Omaha. He was awarded, posthumously, the Congressional Medal of Honor for his brave action. A destroyer escort was named after him, the U.S.S. Parle. I met John one day when I was a little boy of about 3. He took me and my brother to play in a park. I only new him for a day, but I have never forgotten him. (Richard Terrell, Lincoln)
Gaylord L. Blanc
Gaylord L. Blanc, 17th Airborne, 82nd Airborne, WWII European Theater. Passed 12-16-1996.
Veteran
Edward E. Kimm
GySgt. Edward E. Kimm died alongside of 241 fellow brothers in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 23, 1983.
William E. Phalen
William E. Phalen served in World War II. He passed away in 2001.
Kenneth H. Carnicle
Kenneth H. Carnicle served in World War II. He was killed in action on May 4, 1945.
Richard L. Monnier
Richard L. Monnier served in the Korean War. He passed away on June 28, 2017.
Veteran
PFC Franklin W. Ritter
PFC Franklin W. Ritter, U.S. Army, Neligh, NE. KIA Luzon, Philippines, January 26, 1945. Buried in Manila American Cemetery, Philippines.
Pvt. James Svec
Pvt. James Svec, U.S. Army, Milligan, NE. KIA France September 29, 1918. Buried in Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, France. Pictured in 2005 with his niece, then 100-year old Marie Sysel.
William G. Rockel
William G. Rockel fought in World War II. He passed away on April 16, 2017.
Leslie Clymer and Milton Clymer
Leslie Clymer of Lincoln served in World War I and Milton Clymer of Lincoln served in World War II.
Fritz Grant Minder
Fritz Grant Minder
Lt. James Edwin Kelley
Lt. James Edwin Kelley, Beatrice, graduated from Marianna Army Air Field in Florida. On April 14, 1944, he was the co-pilot on a B-25C (S/N: 42-64559) on a mission to the Viterbo Airdrome in Italy. The plane was hit by flak and went into a steep dive, then leveled off, then flew inverted and finally crashed. He was killed.
Jeffrey Alan Alexander
Jeffrey Alan Alexander, who served two tours in Iraq.
Robert Schenaman
Robert Schenaman of the 143rd 155th fighter, bomber wing. Member of the Hustlin Huskers. Photo was taken at Dow AFB in Bangor Maine.
E.W. Stevens
World War II pic of E.W. Stevens CAG-80 ARM 2nd Class USN – Round Trip
Cory R. Mracek
KIA Iskandaryiah, Iraq 1/27/04
Frank Stuart Lomax
Harry Perkinton
SSGT Henry C. Perkinton, Nebraska 134th, WWII veteran
Claude A. Fiedler
Mike Doheny
This is (former) Marine Staff Sgt Michael Doheny of Broken Bow. He was killed by an IED in Iraq in December 2007. He was a civilian security contractor at the time of his death.
Lawrence Wilcox
Lawrence Wilcox, KIA
Wilfred M. Schutz
Wilfred M. Schutz served in Korea in the Special Category Army with the Air Force (SCARWAF), a unit of the 934th Engineering Aviation Group attached to the 8th Air Force Fighter Bomber Wing in 1952-1953.
E.W. Stevens
E.W. Stevens ARM 2nd Class CAG-80 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga CV-14 WWII, 1944–1945.
Joseph A. Gilmore
Joseph A Gilmore was born and raised in Omaha. He retired as a sergeant major after serving in Korea, Vietnam and Europe primarily in Airborne Infantry units. He retired after more than 20 years of service. He passed away on Oct. 22, 2014.
Melvin Leroy Fertig
Melvin Leroy Fertig, U.S. Air Force 1952 Korean War veteran.
Jay Dana Morse
Jay Dana Morse served in the Civil War as a Private in the 2nd Vermont Light Artillery Battery. He saw action at the siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana. He was discharged in 1865 for injuries received in that battle. He settled in Holbrooke and passed away in 1925.
Harvey Hubka
Harvey Hubka
Hank Krass
Hank Krass, left, served as a technical sergeant in the 445th Bomb Squadron in the U.S. Army.
Clair Geiger
Clair Geiger died while serving on the USS De Haven, which was sunk on February 1, 1943.
Sgt. Jed Marsh
Sgt. Jed Marsh served in Afghanistan in 2010 with the Air Force and Marine Corps. Marsh is a 1993 Lincoln High School graduate.
Chuck van Rossum
Charles F. van Rossum, captain, U.S. Air Force (retired).
Kenneth W. Wright
Kenneth W. Wright was a first sergeant in the 110th Field Signal Battalion, 35th Infantry Division, in France in World War 1.
Miguel Beltran
Miguel Beltran, U.S. Marine.
Dean Wright
Dean Wright served as a sergeant in the 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, during the Cold War in Germany.
Staff Sgt. Patrick Hamburger
Staff Sgt. Patrick Hamburger with his daughter, Payton. Hamburger was killed in action on Aug. 6, 2011.
Sgt. Jason T. Palmerton
Sgt. Jason T. Palmerton
Pauley, Betty J.
Betty J. Pauley
Thompson, William Bill
William Bill Thompson
Rollin Fritch
Rollin Fritch
Wittrock, Raymond R. “Red” “Woody”
Raymond R. Red Woody Wittrock
Bopp, Walter D.
Walter D. Bopp
Blum, Harry J.
Harry J. Blum
Benjamin G. Prange
Staff Sgt. Benjamin G. Prange
Robert Woody
Myron Woody carries this portrait, a photo of a painting of his father, Robert Woody, in his wallet.
Donald K Schwab
1st Lt. Donald K. Schwab.
Wachtel, C.L. “Vern”
C.L. Vern Wachtel
Rex Fuller
Rex Fuller, a veteran airman of World War II and the Korean War, poses beside a Boeing Stearman he flew. Fuller died in 2013.
Jess Hartsell
Jess Hartsell flew his first combat mission in November 1943, then 68 more with the 449th Bomb Squadron, 322nd Bombardment Group, nicknamed the “Annihilators.” This picture was taken when he was in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for armament training before the war.
Martin, Eugene R.
Eugene R. Martin
Gayle Eyler
Omaha contractor and World World II veteran Gayle Eyler may have been the reason Nebraska’s largest city had a D-Day invasion beach named after it.
Sage brothers
Sage brothers of Niobrara who lost their lives during the Vietnam War when the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans was struck and cut in two by an Australian aircraft carrier in a 1969 training exercise in the South China Sea.
Hoppe, Frank Henry
Frank Henry Hoppe
Doran, Ivan E.
Ivan E. Doran
Jack Allsman
Karen Allsman is reflected in the glass frame of a portrait of her husband Jack, who was a combat soldier in the European theater during World War II.
Hunter Hogan
Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan died June 23 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. (United States Marine Corps photo)
‘Searching for Stanley’
Stanley Dwyer’s B-17 was shot down on May 10, 1944, in a forest near Vostenhof, near Neunkirchen, Austria. (Courtesy Kay Hughes)
Linda Tarango-Griess
Sgt. 1st Class Linda Tarango-Griess.
Staff Sgt. Lillian Clamens
This undated handout provided by the family shows Army Staff Sgt. Lillian Clamens, 35, of Lawton, Okla. Clamens died Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007, in wounds suffered from rockets fired on Camp Victory in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Family)
Special Agent Nathan J. Schuldheiss
Special Agent Nathan J. Schuldheiss, 27, of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations died Nov. 1, 2007, of wounds from an improvised explosive near Balad Air Base. He was assigned to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and and was a civilian counterintelligence specialist from Newport, R.I
Spc. Nathaniel A. Caldwell
Spc. Nathaniel A. Caldwell, 27, of Omaha, was killed May 21, 2003, when his vehicle rolled over in Baghdad. He was a tank mechanic assigned to the Army’s 404th Air Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. Caldwell was born in Germany but had made his home in Nebraska. He got married just six months before his death and had a son and a daughter.
Pfc. Eric Paul Woods
U.S. Army Pfc. Eric Paul Woods, 26, of Omaha was killed by an explosion on July 9, 2005, in Iraq when he stopped to help a wounded soldier on the side of a road. Woods was a medic assigned to G Troop, 2nd Squadron of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based out of Fort Carson, Colo. Woods graduated from Urbandale (Iowa) High School in 1997 and had a 3-year-old son.
Staff Sgt. Jason Fegler
Army Staff Sgt. Jason Fegler, 24, of Harrison, was killed Nov. 4, 2005, while serving with the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell, Ky. He was a 1999 graduate of Banner County High School, where he excelled in basketball and was remembered an amazing soldier who loved to make people laugh.
Spc. Dustin L. Workman II
Spc. Dustin L. Workman II, 19, of Greenwood, was one of five soldiers from his unit killed by improvised explosive devices in Baghdad on June 28, 2007. He man was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division based at Fort Carson, Colo. Workman graduated from Ashland-Greenwood High in 2005 and was described as creative and a rebel with a zest for life.
Capt. Matthew Nielson
Army Capt. Matthew Nielson, 27, of Jefferson, Iowa, died June 29, 2011, in Badrah, Iraq, during a fire attack by insurgents. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas. Nielson was born in Omaha and lived in Lincoln before moving with his family to Iowa. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa and was one of seven children.
Capt. Travis A. Ford
Marine Capt. Travis A. Ford
Petty Officer 3rd Class David J. Moreno
Petty Officer 3rd Class David J. Moreno, 26, of Gering, formerly of Lincoln, died July 17, 2003, in Al Hamishiyah, Iraq, from an accidental gunshot wound. He was a Navy medic assigned to the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, 4th Marine Division Detachment. Moreno went by the nickname D.J. and was a 1995 graduate of Lincoln Southeast High School.
Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Swisher
Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Swisher, 26, of Lincoln, was one of two soldiers killed when their patrol was ambushed and hit by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades on Oct. 9, 2003, in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Fort Polk, La. Swisher graduated from Lincoln Northeast High School in 1995 and loved the military so much he dressed in camouflage most of his senior year.
Staff Sgt. Daniel Bader
Staff Sgt. Daniel Bader, 28, of York, was one of 15 U.S. soldiers killed Nov. 2, 2003, in a missile attack on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to Tiger Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Carson. Bader joined grew up in York and had one daughter. He was remembered as an All-American good kid.
Spc. James R. Wolf
Spc. James R. Wolf, 21, of Scottsbluff, was killed Nov. 6, 2003, when a homemade bomb exploded near his convoy in Mosul, Iraq. He was an engineer assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 52nd Engineer Battalion of the 43rd Area Support Group, based in Fort Carson. Wolf had already committed himself to serving his country when he graduated from Scottsbluff High School in 2000.
Sgt. Dennis A. Corral
Sgt. Dennis A. Corral, 33, of Kearney, died Jan. 1, 2004, when the his vehicle traveling in a convoy to Baghdad International Airport rolled over. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley. Born in San Diego, Corral moved to Kearney in 1994 and joined the Army for the second time in 1997.
Sgt. Cory Mracek
Sgt. Cory R. Mracek, 26, of Hay Springs, was killed Jan. 27, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded near Iskandariyah, Iraq. He was a paratrooper assigned to 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery, Fort Bragg. Mracek was born in Chadron and grew up in Hay Springs. He had been in Iraq just eight days.
Pvt. Noah Lee Boye
Pvt. Noah Lee Boye, 21, of Grand Island, was killed April 13, 2004, when his Marine unit came under fire near Fallujah, Iraq. He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton. A graduate of Grand Island Senior High School, Boye was remembered as the life of the party.
Spc. Dennis Morgan
Spc. Dennis Morgan, 22, of Valentine, was killed April 17, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded south of Baghdad. He was a member of the 153rd Engineer Battalion of Winner, S.D. Morgan was a 2000 graduate of Winner High School and was the first casualty of he war involving the South Dakota National Guard.
Matthew Henderson
Marine Cpl. Matthew Henderson
Lance Cpl. Kyle Codner
Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Codner, 19, of Shelton, was killed along with two other Marines in Iraq’s Al Anbar province on May 26, 2004, while conducting security and stability operations. He was in the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton. Codner graduated from Shelton High School in 2003 and was remembered for his smile, humor and selflessness.
Sgt. Jeremy Fischer
Sgt. Jeremy Fischer, 26, of Lincoln, was killed July 11, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq. He was a mechanic with the Nebraska National Guard’s 267th Ordnance Company based in Lincoln. Fischer was a 1996 graduate of Harvard High School, joined the guard in 1999 and was remembered as a great soldier.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric L. Knott
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric L. Knott, 21, Grand Island, died Sept. 4, 2004, in an attack in Iraq. He was assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, Port Hueneme, Calif. He was on the Navy’s construction force and was building a gate at the time of the attack. Friends remembered Knott as a bright spot in sometimes dark times. He was a 2001 graduate of Grand Island Senior High School.
1st Lt. Edward Iwan
Army 1st Lt. Edward D. Iwan, 28, Albion, died Nov. 12, 2004, in Fallujah when a grenade hit his vehicle. He was assigned to the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Vilseck, Germany. Iwan joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1994 and served three years as an enlisted man and then studied criminal justice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He rejoined the Army in December 2001 as a second lieutenant.
Lance Cpl. Shane E. Kielion
Marine Lance Cpl. Shane E. Kielion, 23, of La Vista, died Nov. 15, 2004, in action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Division based in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Kielion was the starting quarterback at Omaha South High School and attended Peru State College for a short time on a football scholarship. He died not knowing that his son had been born just hours before.
Sgt. Nicholas Nolte
Marine Sgt. Nick Nolte, 25, a native of Falls City, died Nov. 24, 2004, at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., from injuries received when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb near Baghdad on Nov. 9. He served with the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, under Marine Air Control Group 28, part of the 2nd Marine Air Wing. Nolte enlisted in the Marines after graduating from Falls City Sacred Heart in 1998 and re-enlisted following his original four-year commitment. He had a 3-year-old daughter.
Staff Sgt. Tricia L. Jameson
Staff Sgt. Tricia L. Jameson, 34, of Omaha was killed July 14, 2005, near Trebil, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded near her ambulance as it approached wounded Marines. Jameson, a member of the 313th Medical Company of Lincoln, had been in Iraq for just three weeks. She was a 1989 graduate of Millard South High School and attended Central Community College in Columbus.
Spc. Darren Howe
Army Spc. Darren Howe, 21, of Beatrice died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2005, from injuries he suffered when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq on Oct. 17. Howe joined the Army Reserve during his junior year of high school, days before the Sept. 11 attacks, and wanted to make a career of the military. He graduated from Beatrice High School in May 2003 and had two small children.
Capt. Joel Cahill
Army Capt. Joel Cahill, 34, of La Vista, was serving his third stint in Iraq when he was killed by a roadside bomb Nov. 6, 2005. He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry from Fort Benning, Ga., and a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Creighton University and Papillion-La Vista High School. He was the father of two daughters.
1st Lt. Garrison Avery
Army 1st Lt. Garrison Avery, 23, of Lincoln was killed in Iraq on Feb. 1, 2006, when a roadside bomb exploded. He was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky., deployed in October and stationed south of Baghdad. Avery was a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and a 2000 graduate of Lincoln High School. He was remembered as a person with an analytical mind who was devoted to the military but sometimes frustrated by its procedures.
Sgt. Lonnie Calvin Allen Jr.
Army Sgt. Lonnie Calvin Allen, 26, of Bellevue was killed May 16, 2006, when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. The 1998 Bellevue East graduate was serving with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. He was remembered as a compassionate and courageous person who was lovable and gentle.
Lance Cpl. Brent Zoucha
Marine Lance Cpl. Brent Zoucha, 19, of Clarks, died June 9, 2006, after an explosion in Anbar province. He was an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, and worked with mortars. Zoucha graduated from High Plains Community High School in 2005; his brother Dyrek was serving with the same unit when the land mine exploded.
Pfc. Benjamin Slaven
Army Reserve Pfc. Benjamin Slaven, 22, of Plymouth was killed by a roadside bomb June 9, 2006, near Kirkuk. He was serving with the 308th Transportation Company of Lincoln and had been with the Reserves for 17 months. He had earned his GED and worked at a lawn mower factory in Beatrice. Slaven was remembered as a jokester who was generous and caring.
Spc. Jeremy Jones
Army Spc. Jeremy Jones, 25, of Omaha was killed in Iraq on June 27, 2006, by a roadside bomb. He was serving in Iskandariyah with the 1st Battalion of the 67th Armor Regiment based in Fort Hood, Texas, and had been in Iraq since November after re-enlisting in April. Jones graduated from Millard West High School in 1999 and was the father of two.
Spc. Joshua Ford
Spc. Joshua Ford, 20, of Pender died July 31, 2006, near An Numaniyah in south-central Iraq. He was a member of Nebraska Army National Guard’s 189th Transportation Company. Ford graduated in 2004 from Pender High School, joined the Nebraska National Guard as a heavy-vehicle driver while still in high school and finished basic training between his junior and senior years.
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey J. Hansen
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey J. Hansen, 31, of Cairo, died Aug. 27, 2006, from wounds suffered during a Humvee accident near Balad, Iraq, on Aug. 21, 2006. He was a member of the Fremont-based portion of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry Regiment. Hansen graduated from high school in 1993, earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1997 and was an an officer in the Kearney Police Department, 2001-03.
Spc. Germaine Debro
Army National Guard Spc. Germaine Debro, 33, of Omaha, was killed in a roadside bombing near Tikrit, Iraq, Sept. 4, 2006. He was serving with the 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry. Debro attended Benson High School for a year and graduated from high school in Arkansas in 1991. He joined the Army in 1994.
Staff Sgt. Scott E. Nisely
Staff Sgt. Scott E. Nisely, 48, of Marshalltown, Iowa, formerly of Syracuse, was killed Sept. 30, 2006, in a firefight while providing convoy security west of Baghdad. Nisely was a 1976 graduate of Syracuse High School and a former U.S. Postal Service employee. He was in the Marines for 22 years before joining the Iowa National Guard and was a member of the Iowa Falls-based Company C, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry.
Lance Cpl. Michael Scholl
Marine Lance Cpl. Mike Scholl, 21, of Lincoln, died Nov. 14, 2006, from injuries he suffered when a roadside bomb exploded in Al Anbar province in Iraq. Scholl was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii. He was a 2002 graduate of Lincoln High School and had a lifetime goal of becoming a Marine. He had an infant daughter.
Staff Sgt. Jeremy W. Mulhair
Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy W. Mulhair, 35, of Omaha, died Nov. 30, 2006, when a roadside bomb hit his vehicle in Taji, Iraq. He was a member of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood. Mulhair was born in Michigan but raised through high school in northwest Omaha. He had three children.
1st Lt. Jacob Fritz
Army 1st Lt. Jacob Fritz, 25, of Verdon, died Jan. 20, 2007, in combat operations in Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. Fritz was a 2000 graduate of Dawson-Verdon High School and a 2005 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. In high school, he was a three-sport athlete, baritone player in the honor band and active in anti-drug-abuse organizations.
Sgt. Randy Matheny
Army National Guard Sgt. Randy J. Matheny, 20, of McCook died Feb. 4, 2007, from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device was detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1074th Transportation Company based out of Sidney. Matheny graduated from high school in 2004 and was known as a mischievous, but trustworthy, friend.
Sgt. Wayne R. Cornell
Army Sgt. Wayne Cornell, 26, formerly of Holstein, died in Baghdad on March 19, 2007. He was based at Fort Riley, Kan., and was a member of the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Cornell graduated from Silver Lake High School in Roseland in 1999 and was the father of two children.
Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Adam McSween
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Adam McSween, 26, of Valdosta, Ga., died April 6, 2007, near Kirkuk in northern Iraq when a rocket hit his vehicle. He was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit 11 based at Whidbey Island. McSween graduated in 2001 from York College, where he met his wife. He was buried in York.
1st Lt. Kevin Gaspers
Army 1st Lt. Kevin Gaspers, 26, of Hastings, died in Iraq on April 23, 2007. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division and was stationed at Fort Bragg. He graduated from St. Cecilia Catholic High School in Hastings in 2000, and later attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was remembered as a humble man who had a great love for his country and the Army.
Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr.
Army Staff Sgt. Ken Locker Jr., 28, of Burwell, died in Iraq on April 23, 2007. He was with the 82nd Airborne Division and was stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C. He graduated from Burwell High School and enlisted in the Army while still in high school. He was injured by a land mine several months before his death and was awarded a Purple Heart.
Cpl. Matthew Alexander
Cpl. Matthew Alexander, 21, of Gretna, died in Iraq on May 6, 2007, with five other soldiers. He had been serving with the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, Wash. Alexander enlisted in the Army after graduating in 2004 from Gretna High School, where he a percussion section leader in the band. His family said he was proud of his military service.
Spc. William Bailey III
Spc. William Bailey III, 29, of Bellevue, died May 25, 2007, near Taji, Iraq. He had been serving with the 755th Chemical Company based in O’Neill and was providing security for a military convoy when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle. Bailey was a former firefighter who loved being a soldier and was a family man, with five children.
Spc. Adam G. Herold
Army Spc. Adam Herold, 23, of Omaha, died in Iraq on June 10, 2007, in an explosion. Herold enlisted in the Army in 2005. He attended Roncalli High School and was in the Job Corps in Utah learning a construction trade before enlisting in the Army in February 2005. Friends and family said he was known as a peacemaker.
Spc. Val John Borm
Spc. Val John Borm, 21, of Sidney, died in an explosion in Iraq during the week of June 10, 2007. Borm was serving as an infantryman in the Army’s B Company, 2nd Battalion with the 35th Infantry based at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Borm graduated from Sidney High in 2005 and enlisted in the Army a few months later. His father said Borm enjoyed his Army service.
Spc. Josiah W. Hollopeter
Spc. Josiah W. Hollopeter, 27, formerly of rural Valentine, died June 14, 2007, in Balad, Iraq, after his four-man sniper team was attacked in Al Muqdidiyah. He was part of the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas. Hollopeter graduated from Valentine Rural High School in 1998 and was described as a rebel with a willingness to mix it up but very loyal to his friends.
Sgt. Jacob Schmuecker
Sgt. Jacob Schmuecker, 27, of Norfolk, died July 21, 2007, in a roadside bomb explosion in Balad, Iraq. He was 10 months into his first tour of duty with the National Guard’s 755th Chemical Company based in O’Neill and graduated from West Holt High School in Atkinson in 1999. The father of three enjoyed hunting and fishing and was called an inspiration to others.
Sgt. Justin Duffy
Sgt. Justin Duffy, 31, of Cozad, died June 2, 2009, in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near the Humvee in which he was riding. He was serving with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army based in Fort Bragg, N.C. Family members said Duffy was “full of blarney” but kind and gentle. He was a Moline, Ill., native and his family moved to Cozad when he was in sixth grade.
Pfc. Michael Jarrett
Pfc. Michael Jarrett, 20, of North Platte, died Jan. 6, 2010, in Balad, Iraq, as a result of injuries suffered in a noncombat incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, based in Illesheim, Germany. Jarrett joined the Army in 2008 and repaired helicopters. He received posthumous awards including the Army Commendation medal and Good Conduct medal, as well as an Army Service Ribbon and the Basic Aviation Badge.
John Douangdara
Master at Arms, Class 1 John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City was among 30 American soldiers killed when a military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011. Douangdara, a 2003 graduate of South Sioux City High School, was a Navy SEAL and was known back home as a jokester who was always laughing and always put his family and friends first.
Jeffrey Chaney
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey L. Chaney, 35, of Bellevue was killed by a roadside bomb July 17, 2007, in Iraq’s Salah Ad Din Province.
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