It is time to stop this stupid, stupid war. We will slowly get decimated by people that do not want us there and that includes the whole country....
Two Arizona soldiers killed in Iraq
PHOENIX (AP) -- Two soldiers from Arizona were killed in Iraq after an explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, the U.S. Department of Defense says.
Spc. Justin B. Onwordi, 28, of Chandler, and Pfc. Harry N. Shondee, Jr., 19, of Ganado, were on patrol Monday when the device exploded.
Onwordi died Monday and Shondee died Tuesday, authorities said Wednesday.
Both men were assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 12th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and were stationed in Fort Hood, Texas.
Shondee was a member of the Navajo Nation.
"It's a sad day for the Navajo people and a sad day for his family," said Deana Jackson, a tribal spokeswoman.
Just a year ago, Shondee was worlds away from the conflict in Iraq, Jackson said. The young Navajo was graduating from Ganado High School and looking forward to a career in the U.S. military as a tank operator.
In honor of Shondee, the tribe will fly the Navajo and American flags at half-staff after his funeral next week.
About 100 of Shondee's family and friends gathered Wednesday night at the Ganado Chapter House to remember him.
They said he was a member of Ganado High's golf team and the National Honor Society.
Shondee was especially adept at technology and science and was the most skillful player in town when it came to military video games.
"His bedroom wall was full of plaques and medals and other things he had won," said his 61-year-old father, Harry Shondee Sr.
Shondee's aunt, Louise Denetso, said he wanted to major in architectural engineering at the University of Arizona.
"He wanted to use the money from the GI Bill to get an education. He didn't want to rely on his mom and dad for educational expenses," Denetso said.
Onwordi started his tour of duty in Iraq in January. He got two weeks' leave June 23 to visit his 25-year-old wife, Monique, who gave birth to a baby boy named Jonathan on July 7.
Onwordi was scheduled to return to Iraq on July 9 but was allowed to stay with his wife and child for four more days.
Onwordi's family said he came to the United States from Nigeria in July 2000 and started Army training in South Carolina six months later.
He met his wife when they both were in military training.
The 6-foot-4 Onwordi played soccer for fun, loved many kinds of music and "was almost always smiling," said his sister-in-law, Ramona Onwordi. "That's how I remember him."
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