08-22-2005

By: BILL JONES/Staff Writer
Source: The Greeneville Sun

Lt. Col. Franklin McCauley, commanding officer of the 278th Regimental Combat Team’s 2nd Squadron, responded over the weekend to a Greeneville Sun inquiry about the death in Iraq last week of three of the unit’s soldiers.

Apologizing for a delay in responding to an electronic mail inquiry sent by the Sun last week, Lt. Col. McCauley wrote: "We’ve been busy tending to the needs of the devastated families and soldiers that were left behind."

In his electronic mail message, McCauley identified “the three brave soldiers” that were killed as Staff Sgt. Asbury Fred Hawn, II, Sgt. Shannon Delane Taylor, and Spec. Gary Lee Reese Jr.

"These men were attached to Troop E (Newport), Second Squadron, 278th Regimental Combat Team," he wrote, noting that they actually were members of the Third Squadron of the 278th RCT.

Responding to Rocket Attack

"They were part of a quick reaction force at Forward Operating Base Bernstein," McCauley wrote. "On Saturday night (Aug. 13), they responded to a rocket attack on FOB Bernstein and while en route were engaged by an improvised explosive device. "The gunner on the vehicle was thrown clear of the destroyed vehicle and is currently undergoing treatment at an Army hospital in the States for burns and bone fractures and is currently in critical condition."

Lt. Col. McCauley noted that a memorial service for these soldiers was conducted in Iraq on Tuesday, Aug. 16.

He said the service was attended by Major Gen. Joseph Tuluto, the 42nd Division’s commander; Brig. Gen. Paul Generaux, the 42nd Division assistant division commander; and Col. Dennis Adams, the 278th Regimental Commander, as well as all the squadron commanders of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

In Iraq, the 278th is part of a larger unit called Task Force Liberty that is led by the New York National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division.

"As hard as this has been, all the soldiers are coming together to take care of one another and are committed to see our mission through to its completion," McCauley wrote via electronic mail. "Our thoughts and prayers are for the families and loved ones of our brothers who were killed or wounded."

McCauley commands the 278th’s 2nd Squadron, which is based in Kingsport and includes Greeneville-based Troop G among its member units.

The 278th, which was called to active duty in June 2004, currently is scheduled to return home by this November.

Recent indications have been that the return of at least part of the 278th units could take place earlier than that.

Earlier Deaths

The three soldiers who died last week brought the total of National Guard soldiers from Tennessee who have died in Iraq to 11 since July 2003, according to Randy Harris, a Nashville-based spokesman for the Tennessee National Guard.

Harris said seven of the those who have died in Iraq have been members of the 278th RCT.

Prior to last week, the most recent area National Guardsman to die in Iraq was Staff Sgt. Mark Edwards, of Erwin, who died in his sleep of apparent natural causes in early June at FOB Bernstein.

The only 2nd Squadron member to be killed by hostile fire in Iraq before this weekend was Sgt. Paul W. Thomason III, a Sevier County native who lived in Jefferson City and was assigned to Greeneville-based Troop G when he was killed by the explosion of a roadside bomb in Iraq last March.

Two Knoxville-area 278th RCT soldiers also have been killed in Iraq since March.

Story Copyright to The Greeneville Sun