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PFC Ron J. Joshua, Jr. Killed In Action ~ 17 July 2007 ~ Iraq |
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There is contact information on file for the next of kin. |
PFC Ron J. Joshua, Jr., age 19, of Austin, Texas, PFC Brandon Keith Bobb, members of the 401st MP Company . PFC Joshua the driver in the M1114 Up-Armored Utility Truck Armament Carrier, was killed in action when an improvised explosive devise (IED) exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq at 1330 hours on Tuesday, 17 July 2007. |
PFC Bobb
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Shortly before Pfc. Ron J. Joshua Jr. shipped off for Iraq a few months ago, he drove his pickup from Austin to Donaldsonville, La. to visit family members and assure them that he'd be OK in the war zone, his godmother Warrine Joshua Lightfoot said. Joshua had been in the country for just over two months, Lightfoot said. "He wasn't but 19 years old," his grandmother Brenda Lawson said. "He hadn't even begun his life." During his visit just before he left, Joshua hung out with cousins, visited Lawson and Lightfoot and ate boiled crawfish, one of his favorite dishes. Lightfoot said some in his family were against him going to Iraq because they were afraid he wouldn't come back. But Joshua tried to put them at ease. "He kept saying, 'everything will be alright,' " she said. Lightfoot said Joshua, who had two sisters, grew up with parents in the military. His father, Ron Joshua Sr., is a master sergeant who also served in the current war in Iraq, and his mother, Ursula Joshua, formerly served in the Army, Lightfoot said. Joshua was born in Germany and spent much of his life moving around with his parents, Lightfoot said. He was a quiet child growing up, playing football in high school and always minding his manners around adults, Lightfoot said. "He was a jewel," Lightfoot said. "It was always 'yes, ma'am' and 'no, ma'am.' " Lightfoot said Joshua would frequently say he wasn't planning to join the Army like his parents. But he signed up for the Army as soon as he graduated from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville in 2006, relatives said. She said he never explained why he went into the military.
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A charter plane carrying Private First Class Ron Joshua Jr. arrived at Austin Bergstrom International Airport on Tuesday morning. Austin fire trucks provided a water cannon salute upon the plane's landing.
The Fort Hood soldier died a week ago in Baghdad when an explosive device went off near his vehicle. He was one of two soldiers killed in that attack. Austin police motorcycle officers and members of the Patriot Guard lined the tarmac to honor Joshua's return. "To honor the soldiers who are out there fighting for our freedom, to be here today, to be free in America, I thank them for doing that for us. It's all I can give back to them and so it's an honor to take this time off to do that," Patriot Guard rider Mark Clausen said. The Patriot Guard then escorted his casket from ABIA to a funeral home in Pflugerville. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday morning in at Beck Funeral Home at 1407 Priem Lane. Joshua will be buried at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen. Courtesy of News 8, Austin Staff |
Onituary of PFC. Ron J. Joshua Jr. "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid; nor be dismayed; for the Lord our God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 In honor of a fallen hero, PFC. Ron J. Joshua Jr., who died for his country in Baghdad, Iraq on July 17, 2007. A beloved son, grandson, brother and cousin of many, who will truly be missed; yet not forgotten. Ron served his country for only a short time yet he served his country with great pride in the footsteps of his father, Master Sergeant Ron J. Joshua Sr. Although Ron spent his life traveling all over the world with his military family, he considered Austin to be his home. As a graduate in 2006 of Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Ron had entered into the delayed entry program for the U.S. Army knowing that he would be serving his country one day in Iraq. His strength and courage reminds us daily of the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. Ron enjoyed many things in life including football, weightlifting, music, dancing and even learning to play the piano. His smile would light up any room and his silent presence would make you want to be around him. He was funny and loved to play jokes on his sister and cousins. Always a kid at heart, Ron was always up for a challenge or dare; he kept the spice in our lives. Ron had the privilege of using the internet while in Iraq and was able to communicate with his loving girlfriend, Michelle Pilent, who kept his spirits up and his heart warm during the most trying time of his life. She was his angel. Ron was preceded in death by his loving paternal great-grandparents Clarence and Marion Joshua and his maternal great-grandparents Joseph and Olive Dunkerley. Ron is survived by his father, Master Sergeant Ron J. Joshua Sr.; his mother, Ursula A. Joshua; step-mother, Rachel Joshua and her parents Randy and Denise Seifferlein; paternal grandparents, Brenda and John Lawson; maternal grandmother, Katherine Drew; adopted grandparents Joyce Matney and Bill Offutt; godfather/uncle, David Joshua Sr.; godmother/aunt, Warrine Lightfoot; sisters, Brittany Joshua and Krashona Broden; great-aunt, Lorraine Taylor; uncles, Damion Stewart, Brian Whittington, and Bruce Drew; aunts, Stacy Whittington, Rochelle Stewart, Ana Joshua, Tamara Phillips, Dawn Drew and Jennifer Drew; cousins, Denita and Tabius Anderson, Pvt. Christopher Crider, Kirsten Crider, Danielle Drew, Kristiana Drew, Joshua Ballard, Timothy Drew, Briannah Drew, Brooke Drew, Rashawn and Troyelle Stewart, Mia and David Joshua Jr., Cameron and D'Ryan Whittington, Theo and Thorn Taylor and loving friend Naivi Garcia and many more friends and relatives. Funeral services for Ron will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 26th at Beck Funeral Home, 1407 Priem Lane, Pflugerville Texas. Burial services will be held at Central Texas Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas. The family will also be holding a reception in Ron's honor following funeral services at Boulder Ridge Clubhouse at 3300 Killingsworth Lane, Pflugerville, Texas at 4:00 p.m. A memorial fund has been established for the family at Chase bank in the name of Ron's mother, Ursula Joshua. |
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PFC Bobb (left) PFC Joshua (right), Iraq, 2007. Courtesy of The Gauntlet Forward, 720th MP Battalion Newsletter.