Army Spc. Robert A. McNail

Died February 11, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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30, of Meridian, Miss.; assigned to the 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, Quitman, Miss., killed Feb. 11 when his Humvee struck another military vehicle in Iskandariyah, Iraq.

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Mississippi National Guard soldier killed in Iraq

By Holbrook Mohr

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — Spc. Robert Allen McNail, a Mississippi National Guard soldier who died in Iraq this week, was an outgoing “young man who found a way to enjoy whatever he was doing,” his father said.

Marvin McNail told The Associated Press on Saturday night that his son joined the National Guard after serving in the Army because he could not resist the urge “to make a difference.”

Robert McNail died in Iraq Friday in a vehicle accident, Guard officials said. The military is investigating the accident.

McNail was member of Detachment 1, Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, out of Quitman, and news of his death came shortly after the funeral of another Guard soldier.

Sgt. 1st Class Sean Michael Cooley, 35, was killed in Iraq last week when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle. He was buried Saturday in Benndale.

Both soldiers were members of the 150th, which is attached to the 155th Brigade Combat Team. The combat team includes 3,500 soldiers from Mississippi and others from Vermont and Arkansas. The brigade underwent training at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg and left for the Middle East last month.

McNail, a 31-year-old Meridian resident, is the sixth Mississippi National Guard soldier to give his life in Iraq and the second to die this year.

His father, Marvin McNail, said at least 16 members of his family had served in the military since World War II but “Robert was the first one to pay the ultimate sacrifice.”

He leaves behind a 3-year-old son named Edward. Robert McNail was born in Meridian but attended Silverdale High School in Washington state while his father was stationed there in the Navy.

Marvin McNail said despite the pain of losing a son, his heart is with the soldiers still in Iraq, particularly those in his son’s unit.

“I’m very proud of my son,” Marvin McNail said. “He did what he thought had to be done. I’ll miss him but I’m a career military person and I’m proud that both my sons saw fit to serve their country.”

Officials in Mississippi said their hearts are with the McNail family.

“We deeply regret losing another Mississippi son in Iraq,” Gov. Haley Barbour said in a prepared statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go our to the McNail family and the other soldiers in his unit.”

Harold Cross, Mississippi’s adjutant general, said McNail died serving his country.

“Another Mississippi hero has paid the ultimate price,” he said. “I pray for his family and the other soldiers that remain in harm’s way in the Middle East.”

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Fallen soldier’s family says state support is overwhelming

JACKSON, Miss. — The father of the most recent Mississippi National Guard soldier to die in Iraq says his family has been overwhelmed by the support of people from across the state.

Spc. Robert Allen McNail, 30, was killed last Friday in a vehicle accident, Guard officials said.

“You can’t believe the outpouring of support we’ve gotten from the state,” Marvin McNail said Tuesday. “People call and say, ‘Hello, you don’t know me but I’m sorry about your son.’ And that’s the conversation. It’s amazing.”

Harold Cross, Mississippi’s adjutant general, said the community support is not surprising.

“The outpouring of grief for the family and the soldier is readily apparent,” Cross said. “The community knows the sacrifice these soldiers make. When you call on the National Guard, you call on America.”

Marvin McNail said his son was an outgoing young man who was studying to be a nurse at Meridian Community College and worked in a civilian role at Naval Air Station Meridian before being deployed. Flags at the Navy base are flying at half-staff in his honor.

McNail, a Meridian native, is the sixth Mississippi National Guard soldier to give his life in Iraq and the second to die this year. He was engaged to be married and leaves behind a 3-year-old son.

Marvin McNail got an e-mail from his son just before the family was notified of his death. In the e-mail, Robert McNail spoke of the troops’ first mortar attack and listed the 22 members of his unit in hopes that a church back home would “adopt” the unit. He put his name 12th on the list.

“He was putting other people first all the time,” Marvin McNail said. “If you ever met my son, you’d never forget him.”

McNail was a member of Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, out of Quitman. He is the second member of the unit to die in Iraq. He is the 22nd soldier with Mississippi ties to die in the war on terror.

Sgt. 1st Class Sean Michael Cooley, 35, was killed in Iraq on Feb. 3 when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle.

Both McNail and Cooley were members of the 150th, which is attached to the 155th Brigade Combat Team. The combat team includes 3,500 soldiers from Mississippi and others from Vermont and Arkansas. The brigade underwent training at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg and left for the Middle East last month.

Cross said the 155th is made up of soldiers from 49 communities in the state.

“Everybody in Mississippi is directly or indirectly connected to the 155th,” he said. “We all are hurt by the death of a soldier.”

— Associated Press

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Meridian soldier remembered at funeral

MERIDIAN, Miss. — Family and friends remembered Spc. Robert Allen McNail for his openness about his faith and his willingness to give his life for his country.

Services were held Saturday at Barham Funeral Home for McNail, who died Feb. 11 in a vehicle accident.

“There is nothing more honorable than giving of yourself,” said the Rev. Glen Edmondson. “He laid down his life for all of us the day he enlisted.”

McNail, a Meridian native, was the sixth Mississippi National Guard soldier killed in Iraq and the second to die this year.

Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, the state’s adjutant general, called McNail a hero and awarded him with the Bronze Star and the Mississippi Medal of Valor.

McNail was engaged and left behind a 3-year-old son.

Marvin McNail describes his son an outgoing young man who was studying to be a nurse at Meridian Community College and worked in a civilian role at Naval Air Station Meridian before being deployed.

McNail was a member of Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion out of Quitman.

Randy Ladd, father of Sgt. Joshua Ladd, who died on May 1 in Iraq, attended the funeral to show support of McNail’s family. Joshua Ladd, 20, was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle near Mosul. He was a member of the 367th Maintenance Company.

Randy Ladd said that time helps raw emotions heal. He said it is important for him to try to attend other military funerals to support other families who are grieving.

“It helps the healing,” he said. “That helped us when people were coming and offering us support.”

Since McNail’s death, two other Mississippi soldiers have died.

Sgt. Timothy Osbey, 29, of Magnolia and Spc. Joseph Andrew “Drew” Rahaim, 22, of Laurel died Feb. 16 in Iraq when the road they were traveling on collapsed. Their vehicle rolled into a canal.

Sgt. 1st Class Sean Michael Cooley, 35, was killed in Iraq on Feb. 3 when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle.

All four were in the same unit.

A total of eight Mississippi National Guard members have been killed in Iraq. A total of 23 soldiers from Mississippi or with ties to the state have died.

— Associated Press

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Armories to be named for fallen Miss. Guard soldiers

By Holbrook Mohr

The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — One of the fallen Mississippi Army National Guard soldiers came from a family with a long legacy of military service. Another became the most highly decorated man in his brigade.

Spc. Robert Allen McNail and Sgt. Robert Shane Pugh both lost their lives in Iraq, and military leaders want to make sure their sacrifices are not forgotten. Officials planned ceremonies this weekend to rename armories in Quitman and Morton for the soldiers.

With the dedication of the facilities, 10 Guard buildings in Mississippi will have been named for soldiers who died in the line of duty in recent years. Most are named for soldiers killed in Iraq. One was named for Staff Sgt. Christopher L. Robinson, who died in March 2006 in Afghanistan, and officials plan to dedicate one for Sgt. Josh E. Russell, who died on storm duty during Hurricane Katrina.

Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, Mississippi’s adjutant general, wants to dedicate military facilities throughout the state for Guard soldiers who “paid the ultimate sacrifice,” said Tim Powell, a Guard spokesman.

The National Guard Readiness Center in Morton will be named for Pugh during a ceremony April 15. A similar ceremony was planned April 14 to rename the Readiness Center in Quitman for McNail.

Pugh, a 25-year-old medic from Meridian, was mortally wounded by a roadside bomb March 2, 2005. Despite serious injuries, he was able to instruct a group of primarily combat engineers to care for and stabilize a severely wounded comrade, Sgt. 1st Class Ellis Ray Martin.

Martin, who had a piece of shrapnel in his stomach, survived. Pugh died later that day. For his selfless actions, Pugh was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest military honor, as well as the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Mississippi Medal of Valor.

McNail, 31, of Meridian, followed a family tradition of service, with at least 16 relatives wearing a military uniform since World War II, his family says. He was one of the first in his military family to give his life when he died Feb. 11, 2005, in a Humvee accident near Iskandariyah, Iraq.

His mother, Linda McNail, said naming the facility for McNail will help his young son Edward “know how much his daddy meant to people.”

“He left a son. He’s 5 years old now. He looks just like his daddy. It’s like we have a little piece of Robert,” Linda McNail said. “Because they are doing this, his son will have something to know how well his daddy was thought of.”

McNail joined the Guard after serving in the Army. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Mississippi Medal of Valor. He was studying to be a nurse and worked in a civilian job at Naval Air Station Meridian before being deployed. He was engaged to be married and loved camping and fishing, his mother said.

Pugh was a licensed paramedic and worked as a phlebotomist for United Blood Services in Meridian. The soldier enjoyed playing his PlayStation and watching football, but his favorite things were NASCAR and wrestling, his family says. Friends say he could always make them laugh.

Pugh transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 155th Infantry before deploying. He had served in the 204th Air Defense Artillery unit that has a battery in Morton. McNail was a member of the Detachment 1, Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, out of Quitman.

Both men deployed to Iraq with the 155th Brigade Combat Team, made up of nearly 3,500 Mississippi soldiers. The brigade spent most of 2005 in Iraq.

The 155th was credited with capturing 1,500 suspected insurgents, uncovering massive weapons caches and providing security during Iraq’s first free elections. Fourteen of the men in the brigade lost their lives.

At least 53 soldiers and Marines from Mississippi or with strong ties to the state have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an unofficial count by The Associated Press.