DoD Identifies Army Casualties
November 24, 2003

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of six soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Two soldiers were killed when hostile forces attacked the vehicle they were in on Nov. 23 in Mosul, Iraq. Killed were:

Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry L. Wilson, 45, of Thomson, Ga.

Spc. Rel A. Ravago IV, 21, of Glendale, Calif.

Wilson and Ravago were assigned to 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.

Staff Sgt. Eddie E. Menyweather, 35, of Los Angeles, Calif., was killed on Nov. 23 in Baqubah, Iraq. Menyweather died of his injuries after an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle. Menyweather was assigned to Company C, 588th Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), based in Fort Hood, Texas.

Pfc. Damian S. Bushart, 22, of Waterford, Mich., was killed on Nov. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq. Bushart died of injuries sustained when a tank collided with his vehicle. Bushart was assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Armstrong Barracks, Germany.

Cpl. Gary B. Coleman, 24, of Pikeville, Ky., was killed on Nov. 21 in Balad, Iraq. Coleman was on patrol when the vehicle he was driving flipped over into a canal trapping him inside the vehicle. Coleman was assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), based in Fort Carson, Colo.

Capt. George A. Wood, 33, of New York, N.Y., was killed on Nov. 20 in Baqubah, Iraq. Wood was on patrol when his tank rolled over an improvised explosive device. Wood was assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), based in Fort Hood, Texas.

These incidents are under investigation.