Army Sgt. Cory M. Endlich

Died June 9, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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23, of Massillon, Ohio, died June 9 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small-arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.

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Northeast Ohio soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

MASSILLON, Ohio — A soldier from northeast Ohio was shot and killed in Iraq during the weekend while on patrol north of Baghdad, his family said June 11.

“He felt the war was justified and wanted to be there,” said Randy Endlich, father of Sgt. Cory Endlich, 23, a 2003 graduate of Massillon’s Washington High school.

“I am very proud of him and the job he was doing. He was a giver. He would do anything for just about anybody. Anyone would be proud to call him a son. [No one] knows how much he will be missed.”

Endlich left Fort Lewis, Wash., for duty in Iraq on April 9.

In high school, Endlich performed with the Massillon Tiger Swing Band and ran cross country. He worked at a Massillon Dairy Queen, where the message board outside the restaurant was changed to “CORY ENDLICH, OUR HERO, YOU WILL BE MISSED.”

The family said funeral services were pending.

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Family, friends remember soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

Army Sgt. Cory M. Endlich’s sister-in-law, Stephanie, says every time he came home on leave he was ready to help with a project.

“One year, it was the roof, one year it was the patio. He would say, ‘What have you guys got for me this year?’ He was always up for an adventure. He always had to be doing something.”

Endlich, 23, of Massillon, Ohio, was killed June 9 in Taji, Iraq, by small-arms fire. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.

“When he was younger, he would always climb up the tree in the backyard and hide from me,” said his mother, Cathi. “He was a great kid. He may not have been the best at everything he did, but he always tried his hardest.”

He was a four-year swing band member, marched and played the tuba. He was also in the concert band, where he played the baritone. He also ran cross country for two years.

He and his younger brother, Kevin, both worked at a Dairy Queen.

“Cory was fun,” said owner Jeanette Harig. “He always had fun flipping burgers and plotting with his brother.”

He also is survived by his father, Randy.