Tyler R. Seideman – Specialist, United States Army

by

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1039-07

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of 14 soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died August 22, 2007, in Multaka, Iraq, of injuries suffered when their helicopter crashed.

Killed were the following soldiers assigned to the 4th Squadron, 6th U.S. Air Cavalry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Washington:

Captain Corry P. Tyler, 29, of Georgia.
Chief Warrant Officer Paul J. Flynn, 28, of Whitsett, North Carolina
Sergeant Matthew L. Tallman, 30, of Groveland, California
Specialist Rickey L. Bell, 21, of Caruthersville, Missouri

Also killed were the following soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii:

Captain Derek A. Dobogai, 26, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Staff Sergeant Jason L. Paton, 25, of Poway, Califprnia
Sergeant Garrett I. McLead, 23, of Rockport, Texas
Corporal Jeremy P. Bouffard, 21, of Middlefield, Massachusetts
Corporal Phillip J. Brodnick, 25, of New Lenox, Illinois
Corporal Joshua S. Harmon, 20, of Mentor, Ohio
Corporal Nathan C. Hubbard, 21, of Clovis, California
Specialist Michael A. Hook, 25, of Altoona, Pennsylvania
Specialist Jessy G. Pollard, 22, of Springfield, Missouri
Speialist Tyler R. Seideman, 20, of Lincoln, Arkansas

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Group Burial Funeral Services: Friday, 24 October 2008: Arlington National Cemetery
RICKEY L BELL, Specialist, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
JEREMY P BOUFFARD, Corporal, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
PHILLIP BRODNICK, Corporal, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
DEREK A DOBOGAI, Captain, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
PAUL J FLYNN, Chief Warrant Officer 2, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
JOSHUA C HARMON, Corporal, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
MICHAEL A HOOK, Specialist, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
NATHAN A HUBBARD, Corporal, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
GARRETT I MCLEAD, Sergeant, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
JASON L PATON, Staff Sergeant, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
JESSY G POLLARD, Corporal, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
TYLER R SEIDEMAN, Specialist, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
MATTHEW L TALLMAN, Sergeant, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00
CORRY TYLER, Captain, USA POST CHAPEL 11:00

Honoring Fallen 14 With ‘Quiet Strength’
By Mark Berman
Courtesy of The Washington Post
Saturday, October 25, 2008

Four Black Hawk helicopters skimmed overhead against the backdrop of a gray, cloudy sky. Below, more than 150 people brought together by tragedy and united in grief gathered yesterday to pay tribute to 14 soldiers honored at Arlington National Cemetery.

The soldiers were killed August 22, 2007, in a helicopter crash in Multaka, Iraq. Each had been buried separately. But 14 months after the accident, which was caused by mechanical failure, family and friends bundled together on a chilly October morning for a group tribute.

The mourners followed a horse-drawn caisson bearing a single flag-cloaked silver coffin up Bradley Drive. The coffin was carried to Section 60 of the cemetery and placed amid a bevy of red, white and blue flowers.

As part of the service, folded flags were given to parents and siblings, widows and a best friend. Each flag was touched for a moment to the coffin before being handed to the loved ones of the fallen soldiers.

The soldiers were between the ages of 20 and 30 years old. They hailed from 11 states, spanning from California to Massachusetts.

Captain Corry P. Tyler, 29, of Woodbine, Georgia, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1999 and had deployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2006. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Paul J. Flynn, 28, of Whitsett, North Carolina, was a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot with a decade of service.

The eldest soldier, Sergeant Matthew L. Tallman, 30, of Groveland, California, was a tall, easygoing man and a devoted father, family members told the Los Angeles Times.

The youngest soldiers were Corporal Joshua S. Harmon, of Mentor, Ohio, and Specialist Tyler R. Seideman, of Lincoln, Arkansas, both 20. Harmon, a medic, had married his wife, Kristin, 84 days before his death, she told the News-Herald in Ohio. Seideman, who loved to joke, was a generous person who would “give you the shirt off his back if you needed it,” said his best friend, Jeremy Bolivear, at a memorial service honoring the soldier, according to the Morning News in Arkansas.

Specialist Rickey L. Bell, 21, of Caruthersville, Missouri, joined the military in 2005 after graduating from high school.

Tyler, Flynn, Tallman and Bell were assigned to the 4th Squadron, 6th U.S. Air Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Lewis, Washington.

Captain Derek A. Dobogai, 26, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, was selfless, kind and too modest to boast about his accomplishments, his family said in a statement last year. “Therefore, we will honor him with quiet strength,” relatives said.

Staff Sergeant Jason L. Paton, 25, of Poway, California, was to be married November 18, 2007, family members told the Los Angeles Times. He had deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq before, and his second deployment to Iraq was scheduled to end three weeks after the helicopter crash.

Sergeant Garrett I. McLead, 23, of Rockport, Texas, liked surfing, skateboarding and playing soccer. He enlisted shortly after his birthday in May 2002 because of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, according to the Rockport Pilot.

Corporal Jeremy P. Bouffard, 21, of Middlefield, Massachusetts, was a jokester and a loyal, dedicated man who loved his wife Amanda, son Caleb and the Boston Red Sox. Nearly 1,000 mourners attended his funeral last year, according to the Boston Globe.

Corporal Phillip J. Brodnick, 25, of New Lenox, Illinois, was “the life of the party,” a friend wrote on the guest book of a Web site dedicated to his memory.

Corporal Nathan C. Hubbard, 21, of Clovis, California, was one of three brothers serving in Iraq. Marine Lance Corporal Jared Hubbard was killed in 2004, so Nathan and Jason Hubbard enlisted to honor their brother’s sacrifice. Jason Hubbard was in the same platoon as Nathan and in a helicopter ordered to secure the crash site, according to CNN.

Specialist Michael A. Hook, 25, of Altoona, Pennsylvania, was excited to come home because his fiancee, Susan Fetterman, was pregnant, according to the Altoona Mirror. Mere weeks after the crash, she gave birth to their son, Mason.

Corporal Jessy G. Pollard, 22, of Springfield, Missouri, embraced and believed in what he was doing and would tell family members about jumping out of planes at night, they told the Associated Press.

Dobogai, Paton, McLead, Bouffard, Brodnick, Harmon, Hubbard, Hook, Pollard and Seideman were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Yesterday’s burial brought to 447 the number of Iraq war casualties buried, memorialized or inurned at Arlington National Cemetery.

LINCOLN, Arkansas — Family and friends remembered Specialist Tyler R. Seideman as a fun-loving, caring person.

trseideman-photo-01

The Lincoln High School graduate was only 20 years old when he was killed in the August 22, 2007, crash of an Army Black Hawk helicopter in northern Iraq, along with 13 other U.S. soldiers.

Before his burial in the National Cemetery in Fayetteville, hundreds gathered September 1 at a high school auditorium to pay tribute to him. They sang religious songs. Some wept silently during a video that included family pictures.

Marisa Frye, 19, remembered Seideman as playful. Others spoke of how much he enjoyed camping, hiking, canoeing, swimming and jumping off bluffs.

“He was always joking around, always showing his biceps and teasing everybody,” Frye said.

Jeremy Bolivear, 21, said Seideman was a good friend.

“He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it,” Bolivear said. “I knew that if I needed help I always would count on him.”

The two shared games, barbecues and spent many weekends together.

“It’s hard to losing him,” Bolivear said.

Seideman graduated from Lincoln High School in 2004. He served in the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

An Arkansas soldier was among the 14 dead from that Black Hawk helicopter crash in northern Iraq.

Specialist Tyler R. Seideman, 20, of Lincoln was killed when the helicopter went down August 22, 2007, due to apparent mechanical problems. No one aboard survived.

Family friend Gail True told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Seideman had been in Iraq for about a year. She said Seideman graduated from Lincoln High School and attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville before enlisting in the Army.

The town of Lincoln was quiet Saturday morning. Every vehicle on the street was heading to the high school, and a sign next to a gas station explained it all: “Tyler Seideman, our fallen hero.”

The 20-year-old Lincoln man was among 14 U. S. soldiers killed Wednesday when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in northern Iraq. His memorial service was held in a packed Lincoln High School auditorium.

An American flag-draped coffin sat in the front, a picture of a happy Seideman projected on a screen right above it as Berry Kercheville, a speaker at the funeral, gave the group some words of encouragement to help cope with the man’s death.

“Tyler wanted to serve, and he died serving,” Kercheville said. “He now serves before that great throne forever and ever.”

Kyle Maddox, a high school friend of Seideman, said he’s already felt the loss of his friend.

“Tyler was a character,” he said. “It’s almost like the energy of the group has been lowered without him.”

The service went on as tears flowed from the eyes of those who knew and had been touched by Seideman.

Kercheville read a letter written by Seideman’s father, Bill Seideman. It painted his son as an energetic man who loved life and all it had to offer.

“He proudly wore his Lincoln (High School ) football training shirt that said’Respect is earned, not given, ‘”Bill Seideman wrote in the letter as he went over fond memories of his son. “He even played Daddy Warbucks in his high school musical, ‘ Annie. .”

The audience laughed at the last part when the dad also noted that one of Tyler’s younger sister’s told him after the performance that he did pretty good, despite the fact that he couldn’t sing.

The final memory was of a goal Seideman had set for himself when he returned from Iraq. He wanted to build a log cabin with his best friend, Logan Biswell, who graduated with Seideman in 2004 from Lincoln High School and is also serving in the army.

“Tyler did not get to build his log cabin, but we hope and pray that God has something better for him,” Bill Seideman’s letter ended.

A slide show at the end of the service displayed the story of Seideman’s life from a giggling baby to a strapping young man. Every one of the pictures contained a smiling guy who was usually surrounded by smiling friends and family. The slide show gave a face and a personality to the fallen solider.

“He was a gentleman and a great role model,” Isaac West, another one of Seideman’s high school friends, said.

Seideman was honored even more on his journey from Lincoln to his final resting place at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville. The hearse was escorted by about 100 motorcycling “Patriot Patrollers”as well as a lengthy procession. Along the way locals welcomed the group with American flags and crosses to honor the fallen soldier.

At the cemetery, an honor guard saluted Seideman’s sacrifice with rifle shots, followed by a solemn playing of “Taps. “U. S. Congressman John Boozman attended the funeral and said he did so as a friend of the family as well as to demonstrate how important Seideman’s sacrifice was to his country.

“It’s a tragedy,” Boozman said. “This guy was the cream of the crop. He’s the kind of kid we’d all like to have.”

Boozman, who just returned from Iraq, said it hits close to home for him.

“You’re over there, and you realize we have so many men and women working so hard, and it’s a dangerous place, ” he said. “We’re all proud of (Seideman’s ) sacrifice.

LINCOLN — Tyler R. Seideman is remembered by friends for his jokes and generosity.

“He would give you the shirt of his back if you needed it. I knew that if I needed help I always would count on him,” said his best friend, Jeremy Bolivear, 21.

Seideman, 20, was killed Aug. 22 in a helicopter accident while serving with the U.S. Army near Multaka, Iraq.

Bolivear was one of the hundreds of Lincoln residents who got together Saturday morning at the Holman High School in Lincoln and paid tribute to Seideman.

With Seideman, Bolivear shared games, barbecues and he also used to spend weekends at his house. He said that he was a good friend, but an even better brother and son.

“He used to take care of his sisters… It’s hard to losing him,” Bolivear said.

Milton Copeland, who gave Seideman’s eulogy at the high school auditorium, said that Seidman was a person who loved sports, “Bad things happen to good people, but God give us free will to select the right choices.”

“He enjoyed camping, hiking, canoeing, swimming and bluff jumping,” said Copeland.

Marisa Frye, 19, who started crying when asked about Seidman, said that in December she was going to cook for him, but she became ill and she couldn’t do it. She said she remembers him always joking around and telling her that he jumped into a river in December.

“He was always joking around, always showing his biceps and teasing everybody,” said Frye.

During the tribute, hundreds of people sang religious songs and sobbed and wept in silence during a video showing family pictures.

John Randolph, 57, high school bus driver, said that Seideman has a great family.

“He always made me smile,” said Randolph.

The Patriot Guard Riders, a group that goes to funerals to protect and honor fallen soldiers attended the funeral.

A burial followed in National Cemetery in Fayetteville with military honors.

Seideman graduated from Lincoln High School in 2004. He served in the Army’s 2nd Battallion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Seideman was among 14 U.S. soldiers aboard an Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in northern Iraq.

trseideman-arkansas-funeral-services-photo-01

Soldiers with the Arkansas Army National Guard stand with members of the Patriot Guard and the Ghost Riders who lined the area entering Lincoln High School for the funeral service for Specialist Tyler Ross Seidman on Saturday, September 1, 2007. Seidman, 20, died Aug. 22, 2007, in a helicopter accident while in service with the United States Army in Multaka, Iraq.

trseideman-arkansas-funeral-services-photo-02

Members of the Northwest Arkansas Honor Guard, of Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, unload the casket of Specialist
Tyler Ross Seideman at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville on Saturday, September 1, 2007.

trseideman-arkansas-funeral-services-photo-03

Major General Thomas P. Bostick, Commanding General for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command of Fort Knox, Kentucky, presents Lee Ann Butler Seidman
with a flag during a service for her son, Specialist Tyler Ross Seideman, at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville on Saturday, September 1, 2007.

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