Pvt. Benjamin L. Freeman
Age: 19
Hometown: Valdosta, GA
Date of Death: 10/13/2003
Incident Location: Near Asad, Iraq
Branch of Military: Army
Rank: Pvt.
Unit: K Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
Unit's Base: Fort Carson, Colo.
Three days before he left for Iraq, Pvt. Benjamin L. Freeman was married in Colorado. "He looked forward to being a wonderful husband to his wife, April, and having children of his own," said his mother, Vicki Freeman. Freeman, 19, of Valdosta, Ga., drowned on Oct. 13 in the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad. He had joined the Army earlier this year and was based at Fort Carson. "He was only 19, but he was no longer just a teenager. He had become a determined young man, clear thinking and motivated," said his uncle, Lee Freeman. "He knew that we all recognized this, and he knew how proud we all were of him." Freeman was an accomplished guitarist who wrote his own music. A recording of one of his songs was played at the funeral.
Staff Sgt. Bobby C. Franklin
Age: 38
Hometown: Mineral Bluff, GA
Date of Death: 8/20/2003
Incident Location: Baghdad
Branch of Military: Army
Rank: Staff Sgt.
Unit: 210th Military Police Company
Unit's Base: Murphy, N.C.
After Bobby Franklin was called up by the North Carolina National Guard, his colleagues at the Carlton Colwell Probation and Detention Center made sure he periodically received care packages filled with comforts from home. Franklin supervised inmates working on construction projects in the community. The 38-year-old Franklin of Murphy, N.C., was killed Aug. 20 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Iraq. Family members had tried to talk the longtime reservist into calling it quits last year. "He was within a year of retirement," said Tim Nicholson, his brother-in-law. "That's why he went back this time." Franklin is survived by his wife, Brenda, and two children.
Source: Associated Press
