Army Spc. Philip I. Spakosky

Died May 14, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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25, of Browns Mill, N.J.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany; died May 14 in Baghdad of injuries sustained on May 13 when he was shot by a suspected sniper in Karbala, Iraq.

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N.J. soldier dies in Iraq

Associated Press

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A Pemberton Township resident died Friday after being wounded by a suspected sniper one day earlier, Pentagon officials said Monday.

Army Spc. Philip I. Spakosky, 25, was shot during fighting in Karbala, the site of an uprising by a Shiite militia, authorities told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill.

Spakosky is the second soldier from Pemberton Township to lose his life in Iraq. Army Spc. Ryan Travis Baker died Nov. 15 in a helicopter collision in northern Iraq.

Pemberton Township is close to both Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base.

Pemberton Township High School — where both Spakosky and Baker graduated in 1997 — is planning a moment of silence Tuesday.

Spakosky’s former teachers at the school remember him as “a very cooperative student,” school spokesman Tom Bauer told the newspaper.

“He was above average,” Bauer said.

As a senior, Spakosky worked afternoons for the township’s police department, helping in its records department.

Spakosky was assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 37th Armor, 1st Armored Division, based in Germany.

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N.J. town mourns another fallen son

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Residents of this town adjacent to Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base are mourning the second member of the Pemberton Township High School class of 1997 to die in Iraq.

Spc. Philip I. Spakosky, 25, an Army tank crewman, was killed by a sniper’s bullet during fighting in Karbala, the site of an uprising by a Shiite militia, the Pentagon said. Spakosky was shot Thursday and died from his wound a day later.

Fellow 1997 Pemberton graduate Spc. Ryan Travis Baker, an Army helicopter crew chief, died in November when two Black Hawk helicopters collided over Mosul in northern Iraq.

“They are our children over there and it’s a shame we have to lose someone so close to home,” said Barbara Craddock, who lives next door to Spakosky’s mother, Lisa Good. “When I heard about (Philip), I just cried. It was like I lost one of my own children.”

Pemberton High spokesman Tom Bauer said about 15 percent of the high school’s graduates enter the military each year. The school planned a moment of silence Tuesday.

“This makes us focus on what’s going on over there and escalation in the deaths,” Bauer said. “We are surrounded by Fort Dix and McGuire and are deeply saddened by this and the number of our students from our school that are over there.

“This is the second time this (school) year this has happened. It’s a tragedy.”

Friends and colleagues remembered Spakosky, who resided in the township’s Browns Mills section, as a quiet, cooperative young man who participated in the school’s business co-op program during his senior year, attending classes during the morning and working at the Pemberton Township Police Department in the afternoon.

“He was very dependable,” said Lt. Robert Lewandowski. “Sometimes you get kids that tend to talk a lot and not do the work. He was a very good kid.”

Spakosky was assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 37th Armor, 1st Armored Division, based in Friedberg, Germany. The division began its service in Iraq a little over a year ago.

He enlisted in the Army in January 2002 and completed basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., the Pentagon said.

— Associated Press

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Family, friends salute N.J. soldier killed in Iraq

NORTH HANOVER, N.J. — Funeral services were held this week for a New Jersey soldier killed by a sniper in Iraq earlier this month.

Army Spc. Philip I. Spakosky, 25, was wounded May 13 during fighting in Karbala, the site of an uprising by a Shiite militia, and died the next day.

A tank crewman in the 1st Armored Division, he initially was due to return from Iraq this month, but family members said his tour of duty had been extended for at least three months because of the ongoing violence.

Approximately 300 people attended the Wednesday services for Spakosky at a Hainesport church and a subsequent memorial service at the Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in North Hanover. He was recalled as a quiet, cheerful man who was very likable.

“I just want to say, hey bro, you didn’t put us to shame. You didn’t let enemies triumph over you,” fellow soldier James Horvach wrote in a letter read by one of Spakosky’s friends.

Spakosky is survived by his wife, a 3-year-old daughter and two stepchildren. During the services, his family was presented with several military decorations he was awarded posthumously, including a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and National Defense Service Medal.

Spakosky was the second member of Pemberton Township High School’s class of 1997 to die in Iraq. Army Spc. Ryan Travis Baker was killed Nov. 15 in a helicopter collision in northern Iraq.

Spakosky’s younger brother, Jeff, is serving in Iraq with the Marine Corps, and family members have asked that he be reassigned to non-combat duty. It was not known when or if a decision would be made on the request.

— Associated Press