Army Sgt. Andrew C. Perkins

Died March 5, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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27, of Northglenn, Colo.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died March 5 in Samarra, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Justin M. Estes, Staff Sgt. Robert M. Stanley, Spc. Ryan M. Bell 21, Spc. Justin A. Rollins and Pfc. Cory C. Kosters.

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Coloradan among 6 paratroopers killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A sergeant from Northglenn, Colo., was among six soldiers killed when a bomb exploded near their vehicles March 5 in Iraq’s Salahuddin province, the 82nd Airborne Division said March 8.

The deaths were the largest loss of life in the past three years for the Fort Bragg-based airborne division.

The victims were identified as Spc. Ryan M. Bell, 21, of Colville, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Justin M. Estes, 26, of Sims, Ark.; Pfc. Cory C. Kosters, 19, of Woodlands, Texas; Sgt. Andrew C. Perkins, 27, of Northglenn, Colo.; Spc. Justin A. Rollins, 22, of Newport, N.H., and Staff Sgt. Robert M. Stanley, 27, of Spotsylvania, Va.

A memorial service was being scheduled by the brigade in Iraq. The men were members of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

Their company commander, Capt. Eugene Farris, called each of the soldiers a hero and said it was an honor to serve with them.

Perkins was an anti-armor specialist and had been in the Army since April 2004, when he joined the 82nd Airborne. He is survived by his father, Weldon Perkins; his mother, Kathy Perkins; and his stepmother, Elizabeth Lorton, all of Belen, N.M.

Bell was a rifleman who joined the Army in 2004, and came to the 82nd Airborne in January 2005. He is survived by his wife, Terri Bell; stepchildren, Jason and Tyler; his father, Delray Bell; his stepmother, Virginia Rhoads-Bell, all of Colville, Wash., and his mother Sheryl Vickery.

Estes joined the Army in January 2001, and served in South Korea before joining the 82nd Airborne in November 2005, where he was assigned as a fire team leader. He is survived by his father, Donald Estes; his mother, Diane Salyers; and his sister, Kelli Estes, all of Sims, Ark.

Kosters had been in the 82nd Airborne since May 2006. He is survived by his father, Marlon D. Kosters; his mother, Senta A. Kosters; and his brother, Kevin Kosters, all of Woodlands, Texas.

Stanley had been in the Army since 1999, and joined the 82nd Airborne in May 2000. He was a machine gunner before becoming a squad leader. Stanley is survived by his wife, Jayme Stanley of Spring Lake, N.C.; his father, Robert Stanley, of Fredricksburg, Va.; and his mother, Thelma Stanley, of Spotsylvania, Va.

Rollins was an assistant machine gunner; he joined the Army in February 2004, and came to the 82nd Airborne that year. He is survived by his father, Mitchell Rollins; his mother, Rhonda Rollins; and a brother, Jonathan Rollins, all of Newport, N.H.

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Soldier killed in Iraq to be buried in Roswell

The Associated Press

ROSWELL, N.M. — Services are set for March 17 in Roswell for an Army paratrooper killed earlier this month in Iraq.

Sgt. Andrew Perkins, 27, died March 5 while on patrol in Samarra, Iraq. Perkins, assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Battalion, out of Fort Bragg, N.C., was killed when an improvised bomb exploded.

He will be buried at Roswell’s South Park Cemetery with military honors.

Perkins never lived in New Mexico, but his parents and a sister moved to Belen in 2003, and his grandparents live in Roswell.

Perkins was born in Lubbock, Texas, and graduated in 1998 from Amarillo High School. He later moved to Tucson, Ariz.

His father, Weldon Perkins, said his son loved the military and wanted to make it his life. The younger Perkins joined the Army in 2004.

Gov. Bill Richardson ordered flags lowered to half-staff March 16 and 17 in Perkins’ honor.

Perkins is survived by his mother, Kathy Perkins; his father and stepmother, Weldon and Elizabeth Perkins; brothers Aaron Perkins, Alexander Perkins and Kelly Lorton, and sisters Audrey Jackson, Abigail Perkins, Melissa Beaty and Leslie Spence, according to the proclamation ordering flags to half-staff.

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Soldier killed in Iraq laid to rest in Roswell

The Associated Press

ROSWELL, N.M. — With regal military rites and the heart-wrenching sound of bagpipes in the background, slain Army Sgt. Andrew Perkins was honored as a “true American hero.”

Perkins, 27, was killed March 5 while on patrol in Samarra, Iraq, when an improvised bomb exploded. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Battalion, out of Fort Bragg, N.C.

Perkins never lived in New Mexico, but his parents and a sister moved to Belen in 2003, and his grandparents lived in Roswell, where he was buried March 17.

Perkins was bid farewell in a ceremony the former Boy Scout hardly could have imagined while growing up in Texas, family members and fellow soldiers said. He was honored as a man who tried to make life better for innocent people.

A horse-drawn carriage brought Perkins’ flag-draped casket to the grave site at South Park Cemetery after services at Calvary Baptist Church, where hundreds of people turned out to pay their last respects.

“I at least wanted you to know that he is a true American hero,” said a fellow paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne in a letter read by Perkins’ brother-in-law.

The letter, addressed to Perkins’ father, described the March 5 event that ended in tragedy.

While on patrol, the lead vehicle in Perkins’ unit hit an improvised explosive device and was destroyed. Perkins got out and attempted to save his comrade, who was injured and trapped inside the burning wreck. On his third attempt through the flames, Perkins died, the letter said.

For his actions, Perkins posthumously was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He also received an Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge.

During Saturday’s services, Weldon Perkins remained close to his son’s casket, stoic, yet visibly moved by the day’s events.

“I’m so proud to stand in front of you today and say that Andrew was my hero,” said Heather Grant, Perkins’ cousin. “But before Andrew became a hero, he had to have a hero, and that was his daddy.”

In a statement read at the service, Perkins’ mother said, “I’m not for or against war, but on the day you died, you helped us all to be free.”