507th Maintenance Company

The 507th Maintenance Company provided maintenance support to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery (ADA) (PATRIOT), based at Fort Bliss, Texas.

A trail vehicle convoy element of this unit was ambushed during the rapid advance towards Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 23, 2003. The 507th was last in a march column of over 600 vehicles from the 3rd Infantry Division. This element which included the heavier, slower vehicles of the 507th, made a wrong turn into Nasiriyah, a major crossing point over the Euphrates River northwest of Basra.

A U.S. Army investigation concluded that this wrong turn was the result of a navigational error compounded by a lack of rest, limited communications and human error.

In the summer of 2005, the 507th was disbanded and re-formed as E Company, 5/52 ADA BN. As of fall, 2007, they are now F Company. A monument was placed at the battalion's area on Fort Bliss.cite web |url=http://www.lavenpublishing.com/monitor/2006/06%20June/060106%20/060106honor.html |title=Honoring those who have come before |publisher=Laven Publishing/US Army |accessdate= 2006-06-01]

Killed in Action

The following soldiers of the 507th were killed in action (KIA):
*Specialist Jamal R. Addison, 22, Roswell, Georgia
*Master Sergeant Robert J. Dowdy, 38, of Cleveland, Ohio, who was the Company First Sergeant.
*Private Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, of El Paso, Texas.
*Private First Class Howard Johnson II, 21, of Mobile, Alabama. He was the first casualty from Alabama during Operation Iraqi Freedom. A graduate of LeFlore High School in Mobile, Alabama, Johnson enlisted two weeks after graduating from high school and according to a CNN Newsnight desired a career in the Army hoping that someday he would rise to the rank of Sergeant Major. [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0504/14/asb.01.html] Johnson was the son of Rev. Howard Johnson, pastor of Truevine Baptist Church. His funeral service was held on 5 April 2003, at Truevine Baptist Church and buried in Gethsemane Cemetery, Mobile, AL. Among the politicians present were Gov. Bob Riley, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, and Mayor Mike Dow. U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, served as the funeral's master of ceremonies. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. [http://www.militarycity.com/valor/256501.html]
*Specialist James M. Kiehl, 22, of Comfort, Texas
*Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, of Pecos, Texas.
*Private First Class Lori Piestewa, 23, of Tuba City, Arizona, first female soldier killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Prisoner of War Medal.
*Private Brandon Sloan, 19, of Bedford Heights, Ohio.
*Sergeant Donald Walters, 33, of Kansas City, Missouri. He was posthumously awarded a Silver Star (upgraded from a Bronze Star) for gallantry with marked distinction, and a Purple Heart.

The following were assigned to the 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division Fort Stewart, Georgia and had fallen back in the march column to assist the 507th in vehicle recovery:
*Specialist Edward J. Anguiano, 24, of Brownsville, Texas.
*Sergeant George Edward Buggs, 31, of Barnwell, South Carolina.

Prisoners of War

The following 507th soldiers were captured and held as prisoners of war (POWs):
*Specialist Edgar Hernandez, 21, Mission, Texas. (Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal)
*Specialist Joseph Hudson, 23, Alamogordo, New Mexico. (Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal)
*Specialist Shoshana Johnson, 30, El Paso, Texas. (Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal)
*Private First Class Jessica Lynch, 19, of Palestine, West Virginia. (Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal)
*Private First Class Patrick Miller, 23, Wichita, Kansas. (Silver Star, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal)
*Sergeant James Riley, 31, Pennsauken, New Jersey. (Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal)

Wounded in Action

The following 507th soldiers were listed as wounded in action (WIA) by media accounts:
*Sergeant Curtis Campbell, Brooklyn, New York (Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart)
*Corporal Francis Carista (Purple Heart)
*Specialist James Grubb, Manchester, Kentucky. (Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart)
*Staff Sergeant Tarik Jackson (Purple Heart)
*Corporal Damien Luten (Purple Heart)

Others

Other 507th soldiers who escaped capture as reported by media accounts:
*Private First Class Adam Elliott
*Captain Troy Kent King, Company Commander
*Sergeant Matthew Rose, Salem, Oregon (awarded the Bronze Star with V Device for valor)
*Private First Class Dale Nace III, Captain King's driver.
*Specialist Nicholas Peterson, Rockwall, Texas (awarded the Bronze Star )

Media coverage

The most famous member of the unit became Private First Class Jessica Lynch whose dramatic rescue from an Iraqi hospital received world wide media coverage. This media interest in Jessica Lynch has largely overshadowed the sacrifice and valor displayed by other members of the unit. For example, Sergeant Donald Walters and Private First Class Patrick Miller were awarded the Silver Star for valor.

Notes

References

*The Oregonian, "Left Behind", April, 13, 2003.
*Texas Senate Resolution 50, recognizing 13 members of the 507th Maintenance Company