Sunday, September 02, 2007

Our Latest American Hero #96


tylerrseideman
Originally uploaded by Randuwa
With the rush of a new school year, I've let this strand on my blog slide with regrets. So to catch-up with this sampling I offer you OLAH's #96 & 97. May light perpetual shine upon both of these young men.

Army Spc. Tyler R. Seideman, 20, of Lincoln, Ark.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died Aug. 22 in Multaka, Iraq, of injuries sustained when his helicopter crashed. Also killed were Capt. Corry P. Tyler, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Paul J. Flynn, Sgt. Matthew L. Tallman, Spc. Rickey L. Bell, Capt. Derek A. Dobogai, Staff Sgt. Jason L. Paton, Sgt. Garrett I. McLead, Cpl. Jeremy P. Bouffard, Cpl. Phillip J. Brodnick, Cpl. Joshua S. Harmon, Cpl. Nathan C. Hubbard, Spc. Michael A. Hook and Spc. Jessy G. Pollard.

“Lincoln Soldier Among Those Killed On The CH-53”

Spc. Tyler R. Seideman, a 20-year-old former Lincoln High School student, died Wednesday in Iraq.

Seideman was among 14 U.S. soldiers aboard a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in northern Iraq.

Seideman graduated from Lincoln in 2004.

"He was very outgoing ... active ... athletic," said Gail True, whose son, Logan Biswell, was Seideman's best friend in high school and served with him in Iraq. "If there was a choice between sitting around playing video games or going hunting and fishing, you wouldn't find him sitting around."

Seideman described himself and his interests on a MySpace page. "I am a small town country boy from Arkansas. I love to go camping, fishing, and bluff jumping back home on the lake and at the creek, with my best friend Logan. I joined the Army in 2005 and am currently in Iraq," he wrote.

True said her son, despite being in Iraq, was one of the last to know of his friend's death.

"They were both in different outfits," True said. "I just talked to my son (on Friday) and he'd just heard about it. He was still in shock. We all are."

True said her family is working with the Red Cross and senators trying to get Biswell home for his best friend's funeral.

The helicopter carrying Seideman was one of two helicopters on a nighttime operation. The four crew members and 10 passengers killed were assigned to Task Force Lightning, the military said.

Military officials said initial indications showed the UH-60 helicopter experienced a mechanical problem and was not brought down by hostile fire, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Wednesday's crash was the deadliest helicopter crash since Jan. 26, 2005, when a CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter went down in a sandstorm in western Iraq, killing 31 U.S. troops.

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