Original
story
On
Tuesday, May 15, 2007, the Pentagon identified Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, a soldier serving
with the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade
Combat Team- as one of seven soldiers who are either missing or confirmed dead after a
weekend ambush south of Baghdad.
Four soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter were killed during a predawn ambush Saturday near
Mahmoudiya, in a Sunni stronghold 20 miles south of Baghdad. Four soldiers were killed and
three are missing and possibly abducted by al-Qaeda. The Pentagon has identified three of
those killed, but is waiting for more testing before the identity of the fourth dead
soldier can be confirmed.
Gordon 'Gordy'
Dibler, brother of former lead singer, Matt Dibler, is Byron's stepfather. He has been
unable to describe his emotions since learning from the military over the weekend that the
teenager was unaccounted for.
"I don't know how to put words to it".
In speaking with
the family, we also learned that Byron's sister, Sarah, age 15, is devastated. Sarah had
always looked up to her brother as a role model. We couldn't agree more. Byron is a true
hero.
Family members
recalled that Byron was fond of 'playing' with model cars and was an energetic child who
loved to laugh.
Byron attended
Walled Lake Central High School in Waterford Township, Michigan, graduating in 2006.
According to his page on MySpace.com, dated April 12, 2007, Byron joined the U.S. Army in
June, 2006. After boot camp, he was assigned to operations in Iraq.
According to Fox
news -and other news sources- massive numbers of U.S. troops (4,000 plus) have questioned
hundreds of people in the quest to find the missing American soldiers.
An email from Byron
contained the following thought:
"We're here for the right reason, and we're doing the right thing.
America just doesn't know what's going on."
To read the original
story as reported by Byron's home county news,
click on the following link:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/051607/loc_20070516111.shtml
Captured soldiers previously confirmed dead were: Pfc. Daniel W. Courneya, 19, of
Vermontville; Sgt. 1st Class James D. Connell Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tennessee; Pfc.
Christopher E. Murphy, 21, of Lynchburg, and most recently, Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr., 20,
of Torrance, California. |