880th to die: Oct. 17, 2009 – Army Pfc. Michael Dahl, 23, of Moreno Valley, Calif., a 5th Stryker Brigade soldier from Fort Lewis, died in Argahndab, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. Dahl's friends remembered him as fun-loving but serious, humble yet proud of his work. Dahl "wouldn't trade his job for the world," wrote Spc. Peyton Cloninger, Dahl's friend, in a statement read at Dahl's memorial. "Not only was he a great friend, he was a good soldier," Cloninger added. Before deploying to Afghanistan, Dahl served for a year in Iraq, said his mother, Patricia Dahl. "I think my son's a hero," his father Michael Dahl Sr. said. "He died for what he believed in."
849th and 850th to die: Sept. 29, 2009 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Shaw, 37, of Natchez, Miss., and Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26, of Bethany, Okla. both Special Forces soldiers from Fort Lewis, died when a bomb exploded near their vehicle on Jolo Island in the Philippines. Officials said they were part of a task force helping to quell militants there. Shaw, married, with five children, was remembered as a onetime standout runner at Natchez High School. "I think he held the state record at one time," former classmate Kareem West said. "He was maybe one of the best track stars ever at the school." He earned a track and field scholarship at Texas Southern University, and signed up for active Army duty in 1995. "He was the best God could have put out here," said his mother, Camille Felton. Martin, the youngest of five children, was born in Iowa and grew up there and in Oklahoma. He played football and was an honors student at Bethany High School, graduating in 2001. He dreamed of working as an educator or finding another way to help people when his time in the military ended, his family said. He was helping resupply a school construction project in the Philippines when he was killed.
847th to die: Sept. 26, 2009 – Army Spc. Kevin J. Graham, 27, of Benton, Ky., died in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Lewis. Married, with a stepson, Graham always wanted to be a soldier, said his brother Sean, He dressed up in Army gear as a kid, playing Army games and eagerly listening to stories of World War II and Vietnam. He enlisted in 2007. Jonathan Goodman, the pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Benton, said Graham was proud to serve his country, adding that congregation often prayed for him after his parents would bring reports of his latest exploits.
843rd, 844th and 845th to die: Sept. 24, 2009 - Army Spc. Joseph V. White, 21, of Bellevue, Sgt. Titus R. Reynolds, 23, of Columbus, Ohio, and Sgt. Edward B. Smith, 30, of Homestead, Fla., all Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers, died in Omar Zai, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. White "was very protective of his teenage sisters," said his mother, Robyn. "Joseph White is our hero and will be greatly missed by many, many people." He was home schooled and attended Bellevue Community College before joining the Army in 2006. While on leave during the Christmas holiday, White proposed to his girlfriend and they married in May, a month and a half before his deployment. He was unhappy to leave his bride, said his mother, but "he went with a strong sense of duty and desire to maintain freedom and safety for others." Reynolds, said friend Emil Davitian, made his home the hotspot for get-togethers among friends. "We would get together and have video game tournaments," Davitian said. Others remembered Reynolds as the guy carrying someone's groceries or strumming an electric guitar and bass for his church band. "Titus would do anything for you," said neighbor Sheryl Sycks. "He was nice and mannerly, such a sweet kid." Smith, who joined the Army in search of a career, "was wonderful, there's nothing bad you can say about him," said his widow Jamie. "He just did everything in his power to try to make us happy. He was just that type of person." He loved talking about military technology and such, but worried about the risks of war, and coming home, said his sister, June Render. "'Thanks sis,'" she recalled him saying after she'd said a prayer for him, "'I needed to hear that.'"
832nd and 833rd to die: Sept. 14, 2009 – Army 1st Lt. David T. Wright II, 26, of Moore, Okla., and Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell, 24, of Carlisle, Pa., Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers, died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device in southern Afghanistan. Wright attended the University of Oklahoma on a track scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2006. After he enlisted, he become a platoon leader at Fort Benning, Ga. "It was 9/11 that did it for David," the Rev. Randy Nail said. "He wanted to do something about it, and he did." McConnell was the son of a military veteran; born in California, went to high school in Italy and attended Georgia Military College. His widow Sarah was expecting their first child when McConnell was killed. His sister Ashlee McConnell said her brother was married seven months before his death, but "they were seven months that made Andrew the happiest man in the world, and they were seven months that I know Andrew is thanking God for right now in Heaven."
