Army Sgt. Thomas C. Rosenbaum

Died September 18, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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25, of Hope, Ark.; assigned to the 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed Sept. 18 when an improvised explosive device hit his convoy vehicle in Baghdad.

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Friend says Hope soldier’s family heartsick at his death

Associated Press

HOPE, Ark. — The family of Arkansas soldier Thomas Chad Rosenbaum, who died in the war in Iraq, is heartsick at his death, a family friend said Sept. 25.

“His daddy said that when they first called and told them, his heart knew, but you just couldn’t make yourself believe it,” said Sandra Rodgers, a former Arkansas representative and family friend. “He said that you just have to tell yourself that these things happen.”

Rodgers spoke to the news media on behalf of the family at the Herndon Funeral Home, which is handling the service for the military man. She said that she had no specifics on his death.

However, she did say that she knew that Rosenbaum joined the Army with a friend when he was a senior in high school.

Rosenbaum’s father Jackie Rosenbaum confirmed his son’s death Sept. 24 night but said he did not want to discuss his son’s military service or other aspects of his life.

The younger Rosenbaum was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas, and had been in Iraq since March, serving as a chemical specialist and training Iraqis in the use of firearms.

Rodgers said Rosenbaum, 25, was a gregarious young man whom she had known as a teen.

“He was fearless,” she said. “He had a peace about him that he wasn’t afraid of anything.”

Rosenbaum had returned to Iraq just two weeks ago from a 15-day leave he spent with family in Hope including his 4-year-old son, Ty.

“Chad never doubted his salvation; he always knew where he stood, and where he stood in life,” Rodgers said.

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Funeral services held for soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

HOPE, Ark. — About 600 mourners attended a Monday funeral service in Hope for Sgt. Thomas Chad Rosenbaum, who was killed in Iraq earlier this month when an explosive hit his vehicle in Baghdad.

Rosenbaum, 25, died Sept. 18 with another soldier. He was assigned to 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, based Fort Hood, Texas.

Maj. Gen. Kathryn Frost attended the service from Ft. Hood and presented Rosenbaum’s family with a posthumous Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service in Iraq, the Herndon Funeral Home in Hope said. Frost also praised Rosenbaum for his military accomplishments, saying he was highly decorated for his seven years of service.

A military burial followed the service at Betts Cemetery near Hope.

The military said Rosenbaum and another soldier were killed in an attack with an improvised explosive. The soldiers were on their way to the site of another explosion.

Rosenbaum entered the Army in May 1997. He had been assigned to Fort Hood since July 2001.

— Associated Press