Soldier's Family Reacts to His Death

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The family of Army Capt. Brian Freeman is preparing to bury their son but remember him as a quiet and confident young man. Freeman was born in Bakersfield but lived in Temecula with his wife Charlotte and two young children Gunner and Ingrid.

Freeman was killed Saturday in Karbala, Iraq when his Civil Affairs unit was ambushed by Iraqi insurgents disguised as U.S. troops.

Five soldiers were killed in that attack, on a day where 27 U.S. troops lost their lives.

Robert Freeman lives in Bakersfield and has just returned from visiting his son's widow in Temecula. Freeman said his son was a super person and that they're proud of his service to his country. The Freemans received a letter of recommendation from the governor of Karbala commending Brian Freeman for all the work he had done for the Iraqi people and specifically the people of Karbala.

Karbala has been one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq and is a holy city for Shiites. Robert Freeman said, " The world is a little worse off without Brian."

Brian Freeman attended West Point Academy in New York and graduated in 1999. He served as a tank commander before getting involved in the World Class Athletes program where he went to Lake Placid, N.Y., and worked with the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton teams.

Brian Freeman was an Army reserve and was recalled to serve in Iraq. Brian Freeman's family has established the Brian Freeman Memorial Fund at Washington Mutual, account # 9340239478. The public may also send flowers to Freeman's widow at 4033 Logan Court, Temecula, CA 92592. All the money will go to Brian Freeman's children's college funds.

Copyright 2007 by TurnTo23.com.

Military releases details of Temecula soldier's death

By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer

TEMECULA ---- An Army reserve captain from Temecula was one of five U.S. soldiers killed when an armed militia group attacked a provincial security meeting Saturday in Karbala, Iraq, Defense Department officials confirmed Tuesday.

Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, was among 25 troops killed Saturday around the country in the third deadliest day for U.S. forces since the war began.

On Tuesday, the Department of Defense confirmed Freeman died in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, from wounds suffered when the area in which he was involved in a security meeting came under attack from mortar and small arms fire.

Freeman was a trained civil affairs officer assigned to the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion, based in Whitehall, Ohio. He leaves behind a wife and two children, ages 3 and 1, who live in Temecula.

Freeman was deployed to Iraq in May 2006 ---- his first tour of duty there, his father, Randy Freeman, said this week. After more than six months there, Freeman returned home for Christmas and headed back to Iraq on Jan. 6, his father added. Family members declined to comment further on Tuesday.

In the Karbala attack, the military said in a written statement that "an illegally armed militia group" attacked the provincial headquarters building with grenades, small arms and "indirect fire," which usually means mortars or rockets. The statement said three soldiers were also wounded repelling the attack.

"A meeting was taking place at the time of the attack to ensure the security of Shiite pilgrims participating in the Ashoura commemorations," said Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks.

Karbala is 50 miles southwest of Baghdad and thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims have been flocking to the city for 10 days of festivities commemorating the death of one of the Shiite sect's most sacred saints, Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

Freeman began his Army career in 1995 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He graduated in 1999 with a degree in economics and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, according to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs.

He later served as an armored scout platoon leader assigned to Fort Knox, Ky. In 2002, he was accepted into the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program where he trained with other Olympic hopefuls from the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. Freeman left active duty in May 2004 and joined the Inactive Ready Reserve, according to the Army.

Freeman moved to Temecula with his wife, Charlotte, in 2004, where he began work with KB Home as a project manager.

Kenneth Ray, a former Temecula Valley Unified School District board member, remembers meeting Freeman in 2005 when Freeman was applying to fill a vacant seat on the school board.

"He stood out immediately," Ray recalled in a voice choking with tears. "I had coffee with him and told him to stay involved with the district because he had really impressed the entire school board. He had very young children at the time, but as they reached kindergarten age ---- which would have been around the next election ---- I encouraged him to run for the board."

Ray had continued to stay in contact with Freeman after his deployment through e-mails.

"I can't believe he's not coming back," Ray said.

Freeman's military awards include two Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Reserve Medal with "M" device, Army Service Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and an Air Assault Badge.

Freeman is survived by his wife, Charlotte, and his two children, Gunnar and Ingrid. He is also survived by his father Randy Freeman of Bakersfield and mother, Kathy Snyder, of Mendon, Utah.

-- The Associated Press Contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.

Army Reserve captain killed in Iraq

TEMECULA: A graduate of West Point dies after receiving fire from insurgents in Karbala.

10:44 AM PST on Wednesday, January 24, 2007

By SARAH BURGE
The Press-Enterprise

TEMECULA - A 31-year-old U.S. Army Reserve captain from Temecula was killed Saturday in Iraq, family and Department of Defense officials said.

Brian S. Freeman, a civil affairs officer, died from wounds suffered when his team came under fire in Karbala.

Freeman moved to Temecula in 2004, where he lived with his wife, Charlotte, and two children, Gunnar, 2, and Ingrid, 1, and worked as a project manager for KB Home, said his mother, Kathleen Snyder.

At Freeman's house in the Harveston area Tuesday, Snyder said her son felt that serving in Iraq was part of the obligation he signed up for. She said Freeman told his family: "If I have to go there, I'm going to go and try to make a difference."

His family said Freeman was helping the people in the province of Karbala to become independent and that he was pleased to be doing work to improve conditions for civilians, rather than serving in a traditional combat role.

Freeman's family said he did a lot of work in Iraq that went beyond his official duties. His grandmother, Irene Pound, of Solana Beach, recalled a photograph her grandson sent the family of an Iraqi girl posing with food from a care package they sent. He would regularly share those packages with Iraqi civilians, Pound said. He also helped make arrangements for the young son of a Karbala police officer to travel to the United States for heart surgery, Snyder said.

"He makes such an impression on your life," said his mother-in-law, Ginny Mills. "You just don't forget him."

Freeman expected to return from Iraq in April and was collecting letters of recommendation for his applications to graduate school programs, his family said. In one of those letters, the governor of Karbala described how Freeman worked as a liaison between the local government and coalition forces, helping the Iraqi security forces obtain more equipment and training and additional funding for reconstruction projects in the province.

"Freeman has assisted in forming a warmer relationship with the Army ... I think Capt. Freeman genuinely cares about what happens to Karbala and its people," the governor wrote, adding that the captain helped secure death benefits for one of his interpreters killed in action, as well as condolence payments for civilians previously turned down by the Army.

"His experience was as a solider and a statesman," the governor wrote.

Freeman was born in Bakersfield and moved to the San Diego area in 1981, his mother said. He was a 1993 graduate of Torrey Pines High School, and he attended Washington State University for two years, where he was a member of the ROTC. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999, Snyder said.

Freeman served on active duty five years, assigned first as an armored scout platoon leader at Fort Knox, Ky. He later transferred to Fort Carson, Colo. In 2002, he was accepted into the Army's World Class Athlete Program and assigned to Lake Placid, N.Y., where he trained with Olympic hopefuls from the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, a Department of Defense news release said.

"He had never done anything like that before," his mother said. But after he saw the bobsledders at the Salt Lake City Olympics, "he said, 'I've got to do that!' " Snyder said.

Freeman started on the America's Cup Bobsledding Team and the next year began competing in skeleton -- a one-person, headfirst luge. He won third place in the America's Cup for Bobsledding at Lake Placid.

He had been a member of the Reserve since spring 2004.

Among the numerous awards he received during his military career are two Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, a National Defense Service Medal and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Freeman began mobilizing for Iraq in September 2005 and was assigned to the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion from Whitehall, Ohio, a unit of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, the release said.

He was home for two weeks over Christmas and had just returned to Iraq this month.

Charlotte Freeman said her husband had always been interested in community service and had planned to pursue a seat on the local school board before he was called up. She was eight months pregnant when her husband learned that he was being sent to Iraq, but he was granted a three-month deferral to spend a couple of months with his baby daughter. He left for training in January 2006 and went to Iraq in April.

"He's the most genuine man that I've ever met," Charlotte Freeman said. "He was just an amazing guy, and he genuinely cared about others."

Reach Sarah Burge at 951-375-3736 or sburge@PE.com

Family mourns local soldier killed in Iraq

By Jason Sloss
NewsChannel 3

As the US prepares to send more troops to Iraq, the number of American casualties continues to climb. Last Saturday, more than two dozen troops were killed in what was the deadliest day in two years for US forces in Iraq.

Among those killed was an Army reserve civil affairs soldier named Brian Freeman, who was also a Temecula resident. NewsChannel 3 has more on his story.

Captain Brian Freeman was just 31-years-old when he was killed January 20th in mortar and small arms fire near Karbala. His family describes him as . . .

"Very funny, intelligent, caring, very involved. Handsome. Just all around wonderful."

Charlotte Freeman fights back the tears as she remembers her husband, Brian.

"Always felt a need to give back to society and make it a better place."

That's exactly what Captain Brian Freeman was doing in Iraq, working as a liaison between the government of Karbala and coalition forces. The civil affairs soldier was trying to help Karbala rebuild and be safer.

He made a difference. The governor of Karbala wrote a recommendation letter for Brian to send to some of the top universities in the US, where Brian was applying to go to graduate school.

Freeman's military career started at West Point.

"When he got there, there was a bet in the math department they could fail him. He took that as a challenge and graduated."

After Freeman graduated in 1999, he served a 5-year tour of duty. During that time, he joined the Army's world class athlete program. He became an avid bobsledder, helping his team come in 3rd place at the 2002 America's cup.

Freeman joined the inactive ready reserve in 2004. He was called to serve in Iraq in the spring of 2006. Last month, he was able to come home and spend Christmas with his wife and two small children.

"We did all the family things packed into two weeks.. It was wonderful. We had a picture perfect family and the two weeks were perfect."

It was the last time they saw Brian. Last Sunday, Charlotte received the call telling her Brian was killed.

Her 3-year-old son, Gunnar, was there for support.

"He didn't know what the call was about and he put his arms around me and said, ‘Daddy's coming home soon,' having no idea. I tried to explain. He still says, ‘he's not gone.'"

Charlotte say her son and three-month-old daughter, Ingrid, will be the ones to help her deal with her grief.

"My son has been amazing. He's my rock. My daughter makes me smile. I see Brian in them. The biggest thing that helps me move on."

Another one bites the dust. He was a good man, on a fool's errand. Make Iraq secure, yeah right.

Here's an analogy:

President Bush is like a wife-beater, and the Congress and the People of the USA are like the wife who takes the brutalization and keeps coming back for more, never standing up for our own rights and calling a spade a spade.

Bush should have been impeached long ago, the WMD lie is a good place to start as any.

First it was WMD.

Then it was WMD "Programs"

Then it was WMD-Releated-Program-Activities

Then it was Iraqi Elections

Then it was more Iraqi Elections

Then it was "clear and hold"

Then it was "surge"

etc.

NOW and forever more, it will be "We CAN'T LEAVE NOW. THERE WILL BE CHAOS IF WE LEAVE"

The lies pile up and the liar is running this country into the ground. Iraq will be the next president's problem and it will be Bush's legacy bastard-child gift to this country and the world, spewing death and hatred in Iraq and elsewhere, for long after he leaves office.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TURN OFF YOUR TV SETS AND TAKE ACTION BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.

We still have plans for you in Iran.

You will leave Iraq when we say you can and not until.

Occupied Jerusalem: 3 October, 2001 (IAP) -- According to Israel radio (in Hebrew) Kol Yisrael, [Shimon] Peres warned [Ariel] Sharon Wednesday that refusing to heed incessant American requests for a cease-fire with the Palestinians would endanger Israeli interests and "turn the US against us."
At this point, a furious Sharon reportedly turned toward Peres, saying "every time we do something you tell me Americans will do this and will do that. I want to tell you something very clear, don't worry about American pressure on Israel, we, the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it."
The radio said Peres and other cabinet ministers warned Sharon against saying what he said in public because "it would cause us a public relations disaster."

There's more to this story than the DoD whats you to know.

I believe this man and his fellow troops where killed by military contractors. Reports coming from the wires today say that the leader of the "insurgents" was a blond man. There are not too many blond Sunni and Shias out there in Iraq.

Also, the convoy that was waved in to the compound by guards who believed they were American. They were all dressed in new U.S. Army issue uniforms, spoke English and were driving black GMC Suburbans. Iraqis, Sunni and Shia, do not drive these vehicles, only military contractors.

Maybe Freeman knew too much about what is really going on in Iraq. I believe the death squads are a strategy by the contractors to create more sectarian violence. Better to have the Sunnis and Shias kill each other than come after them. And since they are above the law they can get away with virtually anything. Killing bothersome GI's might by their undoing however. If it were only so.

More about the mercenary killing of GIs from Yahoo news:

"The brazen assault, 50 miles south of Baghdad, was conducted by nine to 12 gunmen posing as an American security team, the military confirmed. The attackers traveled in black GMC Suburban vehicles (the type used by U.S. government convoys), had American weapons, wore new U.S. military combat fatigues, and spoke English, according to two senior U.S. military officials as well as Iraqi officials.

None of the American or Iraqi officials would allow use of their names because of the sensitive nature of the information.

The confirmation came after nearly a week of inquiries. The U.S. military in Baghdad initially did not respond to repeated requests for comment on reports that began emerging from Iraqi government and military officials on the abduction and a major breakdown in security at the Karbala site.

Within hours of the AP report that four of the five dead soldiers had been abducted and found dead or dying about 25 miles east of Karbala, the military issued a long account of what took place.

"The precision of the attack, the equipment used and the possible use of explosives to destroy the military vehicles in the compound suggests that the attack was well rehearsed prior to execution," said Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, spokesman for Multi-National Division-Baghdad.

"The attackers went straight to where Americans were located in the provincial government facility, bypassing the Iraqi police in the compound," he said. "We are looking at all the evidence to determine who or what was responsible for the breakdown in security at the compound and the perpetration of the assault."

The Karbala raid, as explained by the Iraqi and American officials, began after nightfall on Jan. 20, while American military officers were meeting with their Iraqi counterparts on the main floor of the Provisional Joint Coordination Center in Karbala.

Iraqi officials said the approaching convoy of black GMC Suburbans was waved through an Iraqi checkpoint at the edge of the city. The Iraqi soldiers believed it to be American because of the type of vehicles, the distinctive camouflage American uniforms and the fact that they spoke English. One Iraqi official said the leader of the assault team was blond, but no other official confirmed that."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_sneak_attack