Army Pfc. Thomas R. Leemhuis

Died June 21, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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23, of Binger, Okla.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany; died June 21 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Sgt. Alphonso J. Montenegro II, Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, Pfc. Daniel J. Agami and Pfc. Anthony D. Hebert.

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Soldiers from Anadarko, Oklahoma City die in Iraq

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Two Army soldiers from Oklahoma were killed on the same day last week in separate attacks in Iraq.

Pfc. Thomas Ray Leemhuis, 23, of Anadarko, and Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, 22, of Oklahoma City, both were killed June 21 in Baghdad. As of June 23, the Defense Department had not confirmed their deaths.

Leemhuis attended Binger-Oney High School in Caddo County before moving to nearby Anadarko after he graduated in 2002, said Tammy Smith, the mother of one of the soldier’s high school friends, Ashlie Smith.

Ashlie Smith said Leemhuis played basketball at Binger-Oney and was called “Tom” by his friends.

“He was real outgoing,” Ashlie Smith said. “He was real goofy. He was just real fun to be around.”

Funeral services are pending for Leemhuis, according to the Binger Funeral Home.

Wood, a member of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, 26th Battalion, Charlie Company, was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. He and four other soldiers died when the vehicle in which they were riding hit a bomb in northeast Baghdad.

“During the first tour of duty he was extremely proud to be there; he believed in what he was doing and why we were there,” said Wood’s stepfather, Scott Vincent.

But “he did not have a good feeling about this tour,” Vincent said.

Vincent said Wood was an artist who had received an acceptance letter from the University of Central Oklahoma just before he died.

Wood had had the names of two other soldiers who died in combat tattooed on his chest. His stepfather said he hoped Wood’s death will remind others that American soldiers are dying for their country in Iraq.

“The majority of them are proud to be there,” Vincent said. “They don’t want to be forgotten. They want to have the tools to do their job.”

Funeral services also are pending for Wood.

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Soldier killed in Iraq dreamed of becoming a cop

The Associated Press

Army Pfc. Thomas R. Leemhuis’s mother, Patty Leemhuis, said he was a fun-loving young man who enjoyed cracking jokes and playing video games.

“His No. 1 football team was the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and he loved to wear his Nebraska hat around the University of Oklahoma,” she said. “He loved to push it to the limit.”

Leemhuis, 23, of Binger, Okla., was killed June 21 by an explosive in Baghdad. He was assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.

His mother said Leemhuis had dreams of becoming a cop. She said at first he had thought of becoming a teacher and basketball coach, but then turned his thoughts to becoming a police officer “because he hated drugs.”

The last contact she had with him was through an e-mail June 18, she said. “He wrote that he loved me, and that he would be home soon. He also told me to stay strong,” she said.

She said her son was inspired to join the Army in 2005 after the death of his uncle, Melvin Jody Stevens, a Vietnam veteran. Her son also is survived by his father, Paul Whitehorn.

“He will always be remembered and loved,” said Tom Worcester, a relative.

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Binger soldier laid to rest

The Associated Press

BINGER, Okla. — A 23-year-old Binger soldier killed in Iraq was remembered as a fun-loving, outgoing man during a memorial service at the high school auditorium where he once played basketball.

About 500 friends, relatives and fellow soldiers attended the service Saturday at Binger-Oney High School Auditorium for Pfc. Thomas Ray Leemhuis, who was killed June 21 in Baghdad.

“Freedom does not come cheap,” Rev. Amos Harjo said during the service. “There is a price to pay. There is a cost to defend freedom.”

Leemhuis and Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, 22, of Oklahoma City were among five soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Bradley fighting vehicle.

They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division based at Schweinfurt, Germany, according to the Defense Department.

Leemhuis has been remembered by friends as a fun-loving, outgoing man who would do anything to make them smile. He played basketball for Binger-Oney High School, where he graduated in 2002.

For 10 minutes during the service, photos of Leemhuis’ life flashed on a screen accompanied by a song with the words, “I’m going home to the place where I belong.” In one picture, as a boy, Leemhuis smiled while wearing a blue shirt with a panda on it. In another he wore a red cap and gown for high school graduation.

In others, he’s surrounded by family or friends, grinning ear to ear. It ended with Leemhuis’ military photo.

Leemhuis was born in Lawton, wanted to make a difference in Binger when he left the Army and was extremely proud of the military and being a Native American, those at the funeral said.

Tom Worcester, a relative, told mourners there was a great love but also a great feeling of sadness in the auditorium. He said he wanted his cousin to know that Leemhuis is in heaven.

“He is not gone and he is not forgotten,” he said. “He will always be remembered, and he will always be loved.”

Leemhuis’ family was given the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.