War comes home: Day by day, services honor fallen

August 18, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

Day after day, the war in Afghanistan comes home.

The ritual has grown agonizingly familiar: The transfer of the fallen at Dover Air Force Base, then the journey to a final resting place. Some families have been mourning privately; others have found comfort in the public embrace of their neighbors.

Last month, the nation marked a milestone in Afghanistan: The loss of 66 U.S. troops made July the deadliest month in the nearly 9-year-old war. Many were killed by roadside bombs.

That spike in violence stirred new debate about the war — but for 66 families, it was no time for punditry or political debate.

More than 450 weeks have passed since the fighting in Afghanistan began.

This is a glimpse at how goodbye was said in one painful week in August.

The candles flickered as the sun was setting in a west Seattle baseball park one recent Tuesday as 200 people crowded around the infield to honor 25-year-old Jarod Newlove. He was killed with a second sailor after they disappeared miles from their base in a dangerous area of Afghanistan known to be a Taliban stronghold.

On this same night, there was another gathering in a California home. Friends and family of Staff Sgt. Kyle Warren shared stories about the 28-year-old member of the Army’s Special Forces.

Yellow roses awaited the return of Capt. Jason Holbrook.

On a blistering Friday, hundreds of folks from the Burnet, Texas, area stood along the highway, holding flowers with streamers and small American flags.

Holbrook, a West Point grad and member of the Army’s Special Forces, was killed with Kyle Warren. He, too, was 28.

In Williamsport, Pa., mourners said farewell to Lance Cpl. Abram LaRue Howard, 21. About 1,000 mourners filled St. Joseph the Worker Parish Annunciation Church; another 500 watched on video from a chapel next door.

Howard was on patrol with Afghan police trainees when he left his vehicle after hearing reports of Taliban activity in the area. He was hit by a roadside bomb, according to family.

His father, Bart, had helped his son buy top-of-the-line body armor, but Howard was apparently struck in an unprotected area of the upper torso.

In Ohio, yellow ribbons tied around light poles marked the path home for Army Spc. Joseph Bauer.

On a Saturday afternoon, Bauer’s widow, Misty, stood in a Cincinnati funeral home next to a display of photos, several featuring her husband in a Cincinnati Bengals jersey; another in a prized Ken Griffey Jr. Reds’ jersey in Army camouflage pattern.

Bauer, 27, was deployed to Afghanistan last October. His barracks were decorated with Bengals paraphernalia.

When he was in remote areas and had limited time to talk, Misty recalled, he’d say two things: “I love you” and “Tell me the Bengals’ score!”

Bauer had recently re- enlisted. He planned to make the Army his career.