Sgt. 1st Class Richard J. Herrema, 27, of Hudsonville, Mich., died April 25, 2006
A Fort Bragg soldier with one of the Army's most elite units was killed in a helicopter assault in Baghdad.
He placed only God above his family and loved life, and was a thoughtful man, doing things such as hiring a limo for his younger sisters prom.
He entered the Army in January 1999, and was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There he quickly moved up the ladder with his strive for being the best one could be.
The News & Observer report, described his last assignment as "a team member assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command." Herrema, who in 2003 was made a Special Forces instructor after just four years in the Army, had a long list of qualifications, even by Special Operations standards.
Instead of the usual two-man notification team from a local base, six soldiers from Fort Bragg, including some of Herrema's friends, came to Michigan to break the bad news Tuesday, he said.
Herrema was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star Medal for valor, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart.
Rick we miss you and thank you for your services.
Please stop by and sign the families Guest Book for Rick.
Edit: One of the points I missed earlier when I wrote this was how God works in mysterious ways. My wife's sisters son Daryl, was a medic in Iraq and when Rick was transferred in to his unit, Daryl was there to take care of and process Rick when he noticed the name that was coming in. Daryl was able to comfort the family with the fact that Rick did not suffer in his passing.
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Wow...what a great hero...way too many stories like this...but it makes me proud to be an American.