Our Fallen

In honor of our fallen men and women in the War on Terror, the Heretics wish to extend our most heartfelt gratitude to these brave and patriotic soldiers, whose lives were cut short in defense of our freedom and liberty. I encourage everyone to submit the names of their fallen from their state, in order that their lives and sacrifices be remembered throughout history, and not be forgotten as time passes. We will never forget.

Nevada :

2011:

  Army Sgt. Ken Hermogino, 30. of Henderson, NV died May 9, 2011 in Afghanistan, after an all terrain vehicle he was riding in rolled over, where Sgt. Hermogino was pinned in the gun turret. He began his military career in the Air Force, two months after September 11, 2001, to avenge his country, before enlisting in the Army in 2009. He was proud to have lived to see Osama bin Laden killed. "He wore the Air Force Blue, the Army green, and camouflage in between." It's with great sadness we observe his passing.

  Army Spc. Brian Tabada 21, of Las Vegas, was killed in action on February 27, 2011 in Afghanistan. Insurgents ambushed his mounted patrol using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, U.S. military officials said. Spc. Tabada was a fire-support specialist, or "fister," trained in calling in aircraft and artillery to quell attacks on NATO troops. He attended school in Las Vegas from elementary through his graduation from Arbor View High School. Flags will be flown at half staff in his honor. Spc. Tabada is the first Nevada soldier to lose his life this year. God bless him.

2010:

Spc. Matthew R. Hennigan, 20, Las Vegas. Killed in action June 30, 2010 in Afghanistan. He died of wounds suffered during a battle in Tangi Valley. Spc. Hennigan was assigned to 173rd Special Troops Battalian, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany.

2009

Army PFC. Kevin Christopher Thomson, 22, Fernley, died October 3, 2009, after an ambush attack by enemy combatants outside COP Keating, Afghanistan. He was a 20 year resident of Reno, graduating from Wooster High School. God bless him.

Army Specialist Ezra Dawson,  31, of Las Vegas, died January 17, 2009. in Afghanistan. The son of an Oklahoma preacher, he was a part time rapper/stand up comedian who joined the Army to better his life and that of his future family. God bless him.

Army Sgt. Josue Hernandez-Chavez. 23, was killed in Afghanistan in an MH47 Chinook Helicopter crash due to low visibility, following an operation to end arms and drug smuggling. A flight engineer and native Las Vegan, Josue was with the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. God bless him.

Pfc. Thomas Lyons, was killed September 8, 2009 in Iraq, when his truck was bombed. Thomas grew up in Fernley and Carson City, NV and is survived by his wife Delvin, and active duty soldier, Eric his three month old son at the time, and his mother and stepfather. God bless him.

Pfc. Kimble Han, 30,PFC Han, a combat engineer, was killed when the vehicle he was riding in hit an IED. Han was born in Oregon and attended Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas. He entered the service in January 2008, and served in Iraq the first half of 2009 before he was transferred to Afghanistan. Han was promoted posthumously to rank of Specialist.

2008

  Army Staff Sergeant Sean Gaul, 29, of Reno attended Reed High School. He was on his fifth tour of Iraq and Afghanistan after enlisting in the Army in 1999. He was with the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. "Sean loved his job, knowing the risks he re-enlisted during his fifth deployment," his wife, Jessica. "It seemed Sean was a lifer for sure. He did not waiver from his responsibility. He always trained hard and he led the way by example." Gaul loved martial arts and many outdoor activities, including fishing, scuba diving and training for triathlons. God bless him.

Army Sergeant David Joseph Drakulich , 22, of Reno died January 9, 2008. Army Sgt. David Joseph Drakulich graduated from Hug High School in 2003 and attended Truckee Meadows Community College for two semesters before enlisting. Drakulich was an avid artist and in his honor an art scholarship has been made in his name. Drakulich planned on returning to college when he returned from Afghanistan. Before passing, Drakulich helped save his unit by calling in an air strike. He was on his 3rd tour in Iraq, a "high speed soldier" combat parachutist and expert marksman. "He loved his country, and joined in order to serve," said his mother, Tina.. "We loved him very much." God bless him.

2007

Marine Lance Corporal Raul Bravo Jr., 21, of Elko died March3, 2007.Marine Lance Cpl. Raul Bravo Jr. had two chances to join the Marine Corps and work in the White House. He turned down both chances and instead served in Iraq. At first it was because of his loyalty to fellow Marines, later it was because he believed in helping the children of Iraq. "He learned the Iraqi language," his grandmother, Lillian Marsico told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Some Iraqis were embedded with his unit. He loved the Iraqi children." Bravo Jr. was a 2004 graduate of Elko High School who served two tours in Iraq. God bless him.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Rodgers, 21, of Carson City, died May 30, 2007 in Afghanistan."When Joshua was away at basic training, most of his letters to me were about how important family was and how much he appreciated his family life," his mother, Debbie Walker told the Nevada Appeal. "Whenever he came home, he always wanted to get the family all together." A child development center in Fort Bragg has been named in his honor. He leaves behind his wife, Casey and three daughters, Madison, Autumn, and Ashlyn. God bless them all.

Army Private First Class Alejandro Varela, 21 of Fernley, died May 7, 2007 in Iraq. He was killed in action while searching for three missing comrades in hostile enemy territory. He had worked hard to earn his GED to be eligible for service."He was very proud to join the military," Kathleen Jameson, program coordinator of the Fernley Adult Educations Center. God bless him.

  Army Sergeant Alfred Garcia Paredez Jr., 32, died November 20, 2007 in Iraq. A helicopter mechanic, it was said he could repair anything."In my experience," Sgt. 1st Class John Shatto told the Killeen Daily-Herald, "there was nothing that Sgt. Paredez could not fix." A Las Vegas native, he trained new soldiers. Paredez was with the 1st Battalion, 8th Calvary Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. God bless him.

Army Reserve Staff Sergeant Coby Schwab, 25, died May 3, 2007 in Iraq.When Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Coby Schwab was supposed to be receiving medals after his first tour in Iraq, he was nowhere to be found. Instead of accepting the honor, Schwab was setting up a training exercise to help new soldiers prepare for situations he'd already seen. "I never got the chance to present (the honors) to him," Maj. Gen. Lawrence J. Johnson told the Las Vegas Review Journal. "He saw that reserve soldiers had little, if any, combat experience. He wanted to take his experience and use it to shape their experience." Schwab moved to Las Vegas in 1988 and graduated with honors from Clark County magnet high school, the Advanced Technologies Academy. Assigned to Bravo Company of the Army Reserve's 321st Engineer Battalion, he died while trying to recover a Humvee that had been hit by a roadside bomb. God bless him.

Army Private First Class Joshua Modglin, 22, died June 19, 2007 in Iraq.All Josh wanted was to finish serving his country, go home to attend college in the automotive field and eventually open an automotive shop with his brother Christopher," his grandmother, Karen Nelson, told the Pahrump Valley Times." He served with the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Comabt Team 3rd Infantry Division. It was his first tour. God bless him.

Army Staff Sergeant Michael L. Towne,  29, of Las Vegas, was killed in Iraq September 16, 2007. Joining the Army in 1999 to become a wheeled vehicle mechanic, he deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division in September, 2006. Stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, the Nellis family lost a special member when Townes was killed. God bless him.

Army Sergeant Anthony J. Schober , 23 of Carson City was killed In Iraq May 12, 2007. An avid Halo player, he was moved to serve his country after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Anthony was so well-liked by family and friends because he would go far out of his way to make sure everyone was happy. He was with the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). God bless him.

Army Specialist Travis Virgadamo, 19, of Las Vegas, was killed in Iraq August 30, 2007. Travis knew by age 4 he wanted to be a soldier or a police officer. As a teenager working as a box boy at a local grocery store, he joined the Nellis Cadet Squadron. He was a Calvary Scout with the 3rd Squadron, 7th Calvary Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. God bless him.

2006

1st Sergeant Carlos Saenz, 46, of Las Vegas died May 5, 2006 in Iraq. 1st Sgt. Carlos Saenz worked for the Nevada Test Site's security firm Wackenhut Security Inc. for 21 years aside from his time in the military. He was with the Nevada Guard 14 years; served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm and was with the Army Reserve 490th Civil Affairs Battalion; 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division when he died. His loyalty to the United States is immeasurable. "Carlos will be forever missed," his family said in a statement. "He was the epitome of a soldier and his sacrifice was made doing exactly what he wanted to do." Saenz married Nanette Saenz and had one child, Juan. God bless him.

Marine 1st Lieutenant Nathan Krissoff, 25, of Reno was killed December 9, 2006 in Iraq. Nathan Krissoff's dream was to be part of the CIA. He interviewed with that agency and was told he was too young. Instead of abandoning his goals, he joined the Marine Corp to serve his country in another capacity. God bless him. Krissoff was with Counterintelligence, Headquarters & Service Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Lance Corporal Jeremy Long, 18, of Sun Valley was killed August 10, 2006. A football player at Spanish Springs High School, he wasn't the largest of players, but made up for his size by being faster and determined. Long was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. God bless him.

Army Corporal Shawn Lasswell Jr., 21, of Las Vegas, was killed in action April 23, 2006. He attended Valley High School (same HS I went to). Shawn wanted to be on a SWAT team because he was a sharpshooter, but chose the Army instead. "When he said he was going to do something, he did it," Lasswell's stepfather Rob Zehren told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He was with the C Troop, 7-10th Cavalry Squadron, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. God bless him.

Army Staff Sergeant Emmanuel Legaspi, 38, of Las Vegas, was killed in Iraq May 7, 2006. Army Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Legaspi was always a fighter. Know as "Manny" to everyone he knew, Legaspi was a champion boxer who competed for the Philippines in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. When he moved to the United State, he proved he would fight for this country. "He was in America. He didn't want anyone to question his patriotism," his wife Shona Legaspi told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Legaspi lived in the United States for a year before enlisting. He worked as a slot machine technician and a lifeguard. He was with the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. God bless him.

Army Private First Class David "Nick" Crombie, 19, of Winnemucca, died June 7, 2006 in Iraq. Army Pfc. David "Nick" Crombie was 19 years old when he had completed what he set out to do. In Iraq, he called his mother to let her know what he had done. "He said, 'Mom, I saved an Iraqi soldier today it was so cool,'" his mother, Jen Laybourn told the Washington Post. "I put my training to effect: I saved someone. Not that many 19-year-old people can say they accomplished what they wanted in life." Crombie was a medic in the Army with the 2nd Battalion 6th Infantry Regiment. God bless him.

Army Private First Class Phillip Brandon Williams, 21, of Gardnerville was killed October 9, 2006 in Iraq. 

People of Douglas County felt the pain when Army Pfc. Phillip "Brandon" Williams died serving his country. A local 14-year-old girl, Alejah Miller, summed up the tightness of the community. "It's like he's everybody's son," Miller told the Record-Courier. Williams was a Douglas High graduate and was a military policeman. Over 1,000 people were in attendance to pay respect to Williams. He was with the 4th Brigade Troop Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne, Division. God bless him.

Army Sergeant Gordon Misner II,  23, of Sparks, died February 22, 2006 in Iraq. After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, many people were affected by them. Army Sgt. Gordon Misner was affected. That's why he joined the military two months after. "He was very patriotic. He loved his country, all the troops," his brother-in-law Jason Gillen told The Gazette, a Colorado Springs Newspaper. "I believe he died doing what he loved, protecting us and serving his country." Misner, who married Christine Misner and had three children, was part of Fort Carson's 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team.

  Senior Airman Michael J. Buras

It is with deep regret that another soldier stationed in Nevada has fallen in Afghanistan. Senior Airman Michael J. Buras was killed in action September 21, 2010 when an IED exploded in Kandahar. Originally from Fitzgerald, GA, he was assigned to the 99th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance team. He received a Purple Heart from a previous deployment. God Bless him for his sacrifice for his country.