Army Spc. Toccara R. Green

Died August 14, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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23, of Rosedale, Md.; assigned to the 57th Transportation Company, 548th Corps Support Battalion, Fort Drum, N.Y.; killed Aug. 14 when multiple improvised explosive devices detonated near her unit during convoy operations in Asad, Iraq.

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A soldier’s devotion to her country

Associated Press

Toccara Green’s desire to be in the military was evident early: for four years in high school she got up early and stayed late to participate in her campus ROTC.

Family and friends say her devotion to her country is what inspired her.

“The only thing that puts my mind at ease is that she died for what she believed in,” said Garry Green Jr., her brother. “She said her ideal situation: go out fighting for our country.”

Green, 23, of Rosedale, Md., died Aug. 14 when several bombs detonated near her unit in Al Asad. She was assigned to Fort Drum and is believed to be Maryland’s first woman soldier killed in combat in Iraq.

Spc. Nicole Coleman met Green during basic training in 2003 and became fast friends. They referred to themselves as “Batman and Robin” or “Pinky and the Brain.”

Green graduated from high school in 2000 and attended Norfolk State University in Virginia, where she studied telecommunications and broadcasting. She loved roller skating and working on cars.

She is survived by her father Garry Green Sr. and mother, Yvonne.