New England Casualties of War: Connecticut

Soldiers with ties to New England who have been killed in the War in Iraq. -By Associated Press

Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, 22, Marines
	Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse enlisted shortly after graduating from Waterford (Conn.) High School in 1999 over the objections of his mother, Tan Patchem. "He understood it was dangerous, and he was proud of doing it," she said. Chanawongse died after his unit came under attack while attempting to secure a bridge. He had been listed as missing until April 16. Chanawongse, who came to the United States from Thailand at age 9, played youth soccer and planned from a young age to join the military. His grandfather is a veteran of the Thai air force. He was known to members of his unit as "Chuckles" for his sense of humor, and one friend said the avid snowboarder was talkative and outgoing: "Every time you turn around, he's gone talking to somebody," said Steve Cava, 22. But he also had a strong sense of duty, his parents said, and had a Marines tattoo on his arm: "U.S. Marine, made in Parris Island." "He did it without fear and without delay, even one minute," said his stepfather, Paul Patchem.
Pfc. Anthony D. D'Agostino, 20, Army
	In letters and e-mails from Iraq, Pfc. Anthony D'Agostino asked his family for Kool-Aid to flavor his water, pictures of his cousins, crossword puzzles and books to help him learn Spanish. "He was always looking for ways to better himself," said his aunt, Beth Santos. "He wanted to make good use of his time over there." D'Agostino was among 16 soldiers who died in the Nov. 2 downing of an Army helicopter carrying troops from Iraq on leave. Stationed at Fort Hood, he would have turned 21 on Nov. 6. Born at Fort Gordon, Ga., while his father was in the military, D'Agostino graduated from high school in Waterbury, Conn., with a specialty in electricity. D'Agostino joined the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, looking for an education, career and a place to belong, Santos said. He hoped to go to the U.S. Military Academy. When he wrote letters or e-mails to home from Iraq, he talked about the hot weather and how uncomfortable the situation was, Santos said. He was proud to be serving in Iraq, family members said. But his family was nervous. "You never stop worrying," said his aunt, Beth Santos.
Staff Sgt. Richard S. Eaton Jr., 37, Army
	As a high school student, Staff Sgt. Richard S. Eaton Jr. had his heart set on a joining the Army but took a car trip to a college campuses to please his parents and talked of majoring in botany or engineering. After the trip, his father told him he had to make his own decision. Eaton Jr. brought home a recruiter to meet his parents. "He said, `He's old enough to enlist himself at 18, but he really wants your approval,'" the elder Eaton said. "Then he explained that they could give him the best work that the military had to offer." An Army counterintelligence analyst, Eaton Jr. spent 10 years in South Korea and had appointments in Honduras, Panama and El Salvador. Eaton Jr., 37, died in his sleep Aug. 12 in Iraq from what was believed to be fluid buildup in his lungs. He was in the Army Reserves and deployed to Iraq in March.
David Travis Friedrich Sgt., 26, Army
	Sgt. David Travis Friedrich was a natural leader. He was co-captain of his college cross country team and was an ace recruiter of fellow distance runners in high school. "Kids joined the cross country team because he made it fun," said his mother, Beth Friedrich. "He had that kind of personality. He was that kind of leader. He could get people to do things." Friedrich, 26, of Naugatuck, Conn., was killed Sept. 20 when mortars hit a U.S. base outside Baghdad. Friedrich enlisted in the reserves to help pay for graduate school, his mother said. He studied criminal justice and chemistry as an undergraduate at Brockport (N.Y.) State College and was working on a master's degree in forensic science at the University of New Haven. He also had a full-time job at a factory. Beth Friedrich said her son often surprised her with his intelligence. "I just thought of him as my little boy," she said.
Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Marines
	Marine Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, originally from the Houston area, joined the Marines 15 years ago, his wife Amanda said. Jordan, who had served in Operation Desert Storm, was killed in action in Iraq March 23. Amanda Jordan said she met her husband while he was moonlighting as a bouncer at a bar. They dated only a few weeks before they got married in a little chapel in Las Vegas. "We tried to even go through that drive-through chapel, but the line of cars was so long we didn't want to wait," she said. The Jordans moved to Enfield, Conn., before he was deployed so his wife could be near her family. He sent his 6-year-son Tyler many letters, one of which included a map of the world for the boy to track his father's trip.
Spc. Wilfredo Perez Jr., 24, Army
	Months before deploying to Iraq, Spc. Wilfredo Perez Jr. returned to his hometown high school beaming with pride in his Army uniform. Perez, who did not graduate from the school but passed a GED exam, spoke with students about overcoming mistakes they make. "He was looking very sharp and very proud, very pleased with himself," said Robin Beavers, head of security at the school. "You could see it all over his face when he came here _ the chest was sticking out, he'd look you straight in the eye when he was talking to you. He had that confidence." Perez, 24, of Norwalk, Conn., was among three soldiers killed July 26 in a grenade attack as they guarded a hospital in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Hood. Perez's 25-year-old sister, Lisa Perez, said her brother went into the military seeking a positive direction in his life. But he was looking forward to coming home from Iraq. "He said he missed everybody. It was crazy. People were just coming out of nowhere. You don't know who's trying to hurt you," she said, recounting her brother's descriptions.