ADA -- Just days after she received a "Happy Birthday" letter
from her son, Erma Pennanen
learned that he was one of six Fort
Sill soldiers killed Sunday when a
Chinook helicopter was shot down
over Iraq.
The Department of Defense confirmed Monday that Sgt. Ross A.
Pennanen, 36, was among the casualties.
The Ada woman had received the
birthday letter Saturday, said Freda
Horn, her sister.
"It was a short letter, but it was a
good letter," she said.
"He had a four-wheeler and liked
to spend time with his 7-year-old
son," who lives in Lawton, said
Horn, who relayed statements from
her sister during a telephone call.
She said the soldier's father, Richard, lives in Oklahoma City.
Sgt. Pennanen was born in Tulsa,
was a graduate of McLoud High
School in Pottawatomie County and
had worked at a factory in Shawnee,
Horn said.
He joined the Army in February
2001, she said.
The Defense Department said
Pennanen was assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, at Fort Sill.
Having received the birthday wishes letter Saturday, the Pennanen family at first had doubts that he was on
the transport helicopter that crashed
in flames near Fallujah, Iraq.
The letter was dated Oct. 19, Horn
said.
Pennanen served on a tank and only recently had been promoted to be
its chief gunner, she said.
Although he sometimes complained
about the living conditions, he was
happy serving in the Army, she said.
"That was his
choice. He was serving his country, and that is what he
wanted to do," she said.
Erma Pennanen is retired from a
plastic fittings business in Shawnee,
Horn said.
The attack Sunday killed 16 soldiers and injured 20. Brig. Gen. Richard P. Formica, the commander of
the 3rd Artillery Corps at Fort Sill,
said 10 soldiers from there were
aboard the helicopter.
"We are deeply saddened by this
tragic incident and extend our sincere condolences to the family,
friends and units of those who have
been killed and injured. We are once
again reminded that our soldiers
place their lives at risk each and every day," he said.
The Department of Defense identified Monday eight soldiers who were
killed in the attack.
They included three other Fort Sill
soldiers, Sgt. Keelan L. Moss, 23, of
Houston; Staff Sgt. Joe N. Wilson, 30,
of Crystal Springs, Miss., both of
whom were also in the 2nd Battalion,
5th Field Artillery Regiment; and Sgt.
Steven D. Conover, 21, of Wilmington, Ohio, who was identified as a
specialist in field training.
The Pentagon also said Staff Sgt.
Paul A. Velazquez, 29, of San Diego,
who was assigned to a unit of the
3rd Artillery Corps, was among the
six from Fort Sill, according to news
service reports.
Fort Sill officials said the strike
was the deadliest for its troops since
the start of the war.
Formica said many on board the
CH-47 Chinook helicopter were on
their way home for rest and recuperation leave.
The names of the injured were not
released, although their families had
been notified, base officials said. The
injuries were compression injuries, including broken bones, a Fort Sill
spokesman said.
Some of the Fort Sill soldiers had
been in the Iraq theater since April,
said Col. Al Schneider, the commander of the 212th Field Artillery Brigade. He said the Fort Sill and Lawton community would pull together in
the wake of the tragedy.
"They take care of themselves," he
said. "They take care of each other.
They are tough, compassionate and
caring families."
Rob Martindale 581-8367
rob.martindale@tulsaworld.com
Other soldiers killed in Iraq crash
Associated Press
Other U.S. soldiers killed Sunday in
an attack on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Fallujah, Iraq, according to information released Monday by the Pentagon and families of the victims:
- Sgt. Ernest G. Bucklew, 33, of Enon Valley, Pa. Assigned to Support
Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
- Pfc. Anthony D. D'Agostino, 20, of
Waterbury, Conn. Assigned to the 16th
Signal Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
- Spc. Darius T. Jennings, 22, of
Cordova, S.C. Assigned to 2nd Squad
ron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment,
Fort Carson, Colo.
- Pfc. Karina S. Lau, 20, of Livingston, Calif. Assigned to the 16th Signal
Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
- 1st Lt. Brian D. Slavenas, 30, of
Genoa, Ill. Assigned to F Company,
106th Aviation Battalion, Army National
Guard, Peoria, Ill.
- Spc. Frances M. Vega, 20, of Fort
Buchanan, Puerto Rico. Assigned to
the 151st Adjutant General Postal Detachment 3, Fort Hood, Texas.
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