It's with sorrow that once again I write to inform you of a loss in the
DEMON family. On the 12th of April, 1LT Gwilym Newman was shot and killed by a sniper while on patrol in Tarmiyah. LT Newman had been with the company
almost since its reactivation. He had been Red 1 for twenty months and
brought a level of experience and confidence to his men not enjoyed by other
platoons. During his time in Iraq, he led over 100 combat missions in and
around the town. When I say he led, that's what I mean. More often than not,
you would find him out front. As he was the day he was taken. He had an
especially close relationship to his Platoon Sergeant. You see, SFC Hankal
was also his AOB (Armor Officer Basic) instructor. They had been together
for most of Red 1's career. They had the normal relationship of Platoon
Sergeant and Platoon Leader, with good natured jokes and heated
disagreements. But as Red 4 put it, "he could drive me crazy but dammit he
was mine."

  He is survived at home by his wife Samantha. A formidable young woman
whose cheerful personality and kindness made each of her visits to the
company a treat for everyone. Even though her loss is terrible, her first
questions were about the men from Red Platoon.  She wanted to know that
everyone else was okay and to make sure they knew that she didn't blame
them. That she supports them now more than ever.

  Also, there is his 18 month old son Gwilym. Little Gwilym used to come
with his mom so they could bring dad his lunch. We would give him a football
that we used during PT, and he would crawl all over the place playing with
it. We are collecting stories now, from the soldiers of DEMON. In an effort
to ensure that this little boy will know his father, at least through our
eyes.

  No loss is easy, but this one has hit hard. As expected, the women of our
DEMON FRG are there with poise and grace, ready to support Samantha and
Gwilym in their time of need. They are an inspiration to us here and
sometimes we feel like they have much it harder than we do. I think it was
"Heartbreak Ridge" where the line used was "I guess there a lot of things
harder on a woman than getting shot at." I now understand what that means.
  Please ask the Skippers to remember LT Newman and ask them to keep
Samantha and Gwilym in their hearts and prayers. And as always, thank you
for your continued support for the soldiers of DEMON.

Very Respectfully,

1SG William Tramel
DEMON 9
Camp Taji, Iraq

Dco 2-8 CAV, 1BCT, 1CD
Unit 5910
APO, AE 09378