PAST HONOREES
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SGT Michael Meadors2022 HonoreeSGT Michael Meadors joined the Army just one month after a few assholes flew planes into the world trade center. Michael served in the Army from October 2001 to January 2006 because he was involuntarily extended for his second deployment to Iraq. Michael spent the first year of his enlistment going through the Explosive Ordnance Disposal school before becoming an EOD Technician. EOD Techs are commonly referred to as the Army's bomb squad. If you have seen the movie Hurt Locker, you have seen a Hollywood rendition of Michaels military occupation.
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ABE2 AW/S2 Dustin Beitzel2022 HonoreeABE2 AW/SW Dustin Beitzel joined the Navy July 2008, after graduating (surprisingly) from high school on time. In January 2011, he was on temporary duty aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which was deploying to the Persian Gulf. In February, they were playing battleship with pirates. During this time, they were conducting recovery operations for their fixed winged aircraft. Unfortunately, Dustin was running hooks at that moment. There happened to be a fuel spill when he ran out on deck, just after the jet had landed. Jet engine at full power, he’s running on an ice rink right behind it, and he ended up getting blown down the deck, a bit like a tumble weed in the Wild West. He managed to regain his footing and ran that operation to the end, ignoring the medical team standing on the sidelines. When the bench was warm and he finished taking care of business, he took a seat and got checked out.
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SSG Ryan Clement2022 HonoreeSSG Ryan Clement Joined the United States Army on August 21 of 1997 and Attended Basic training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort McClellan Alabama to be a Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Weapons Specialist (NBC- now CBERN) and further to Fort Benning Georgia for Basic Airborne Course where he graduated top of his class as one of the youngest in his class. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he was the unit NBC NCO (Noncommissioned Officer) Brigade Commanders Driver and Company Administrative Specialist. In August 2001, Ryan was reassigned to the National Training Center in the lovely and hot Mojave desert of Southern California where he learned shortly after arrival of the tragic events of 9-11-2001. He was immediately informed that the current training was going to drastically change in preparations for soldiers to become deployed in several conflicts throughout the Middle East and Afghanistan. On average, SSG Clement was in charge of providing Long Range Chemical Reconnaissance/Divisional Reconnaissance and he trained upwards of 250k soldiers in rotations all through a given year.
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SSG Michael Conners
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SSG Brian Schar
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2020 HonoreeSGT Carla Best served in the United States Army from 2000-2006. In July 2004, SGT Best deployed with the 659th Maintenance Company to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; at Logistics Base Seitz Annex within Camp Victory. On Oct. 9th, 2004, SGT Best and seven other soldiers accompanied several fuel tankers to FOB Ironhorse in Tikrit, Iraq. While on the road, the convoy was struck by a daisy-chain of IEDs. SGT Best and two of her soldiers were seriously injured in the blast. SGT Best fought through her healing process; battling infections, wound care, and the amputation of one of her legs.
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SGT Tim Johannsen2020 HonoreeSGT Tim Johannsen joined the United States Army in 2004 as an artilleryman. Tim’s first deployment was to Sadr City, Iraq from Jan 2005-2006 and was deployed there again a year later. On June 19th, 2007 SGT Johanssen’s Humvee drove over a pressure plate IED resulting in the amputation his left leg above the knee and right leg below.
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SSG Joseph Fowler 2019 HonoreeSSG. Joseph Fowler was deployed to Iraq with his military working dog, Dak. On December 11, 2005, en route to an assignment, the vehicle Joe was travelling in struck a buried anti-tank mine in the road. The vehicle exploded and ejected Joe from the vehicle on fire. Joe sustained third degree burns over 54% of his body, multiple fractures and a mild traumatic brain injury.
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SGT Nicole Gibson2019 HonoreeSGT Nicole Gibson, on her second deployment to Iraq, was wounded on December 15th, 2007 at COP Callahan. Nikki was dismounted from her vehicle when a mortar landed 5 feet away from her. She took shrapnel to both of her thighs and to her left hand and was later diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
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SPC Aaron Bugg2019 HonoreeSPC Aaron Bugg, 25th Infantry Division, was deployed to Northern Iraq to help local communities rebuild and to catch Al-Qaeda coming into this region of Iraq. On September 29th, 2004, after leaving the local police station, SPC Bugg’s Humvee was hit by an IED hidden under a wheelbarrow. After the explosion, he realized that he had been hit in all four limbs—with the left leg being the worst.
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LCPL Jason Hallett2019 HonoreeLCPL Jason Hallett was deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan, where Jason was severely wounded one month into deployment. While clearing a compound, his unit encountered around five IEDs in the back. Jason and his team leader were injured and had to be evacuated along with one other with a concussion. Later at the hospital Jason found out the main building had 78 IEDs daisy chained and waiting for the team. He then spent several months in the ICU from infections and pneumonia on multiple occasions. Over the course of two years he went from Bethesda, to Walter Reed, to Balboa in San Diego, CA. In September of 2013 Jason officially retired from the USMC.
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SSG Dennis E. Cline II 2018 HonoreeSSG. Dennis E. Cline II was wounded on September 11, 2006 in Afghanistan where he lost his left hand and forearm among other injuries relating to an RPG blast.
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Sgt. Matt Parker 2018 HonoreeSgt. Matt Parker was wounded on December 24th, 2006 while serving in Iraq with the 1/37 Armor as an Armor Crewman. While serving under Operation Iraqi Freedom the tank he was in was hit by an IED buried in the road which resulted in two broken arms, a fractured back, and the loss of both legs above the knee.
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LCpl. Kade Hinkhouse2017 honoreeLCpl. Kade Hinkhouse was wounded on October 8, 2005 while serving in Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, India Company. While patrolling on a late night mission, his convoy was hit by a dual stacked IED. The Humvee exploded, ejecting Kade and leaving him near death. His injuries included a depressed skull fracture, collapsed lungs, and a severe leg injury.
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Cpl. Tyler Wilson2016 HonoreeCpl. Tyler Wilson was wounded on May 3, 2005 while serving in Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. When Tyler was shot, the first bullet penetrated his spinal canal and remains lodged there to this day. Tyler’s injury is a T8 ASIA A Spinal Cord Injury; he is completely paralyzed from the waist down. He has no feeling or function below the 8th vertebrae in his Thoracic spine. The visible signs of his injury are his wheelchair.
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Sgt. Gabriel Martinez2015 HonoreeSgt. Gabriel Martinez was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in November of 2010 while deployed in Afghanistan serving with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. The explosion caused him to lose both legs requiring prosthesis.
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