Army Specialist Chase Whitham, 21, left, was the first in his family to enter the military. An avid outdoorsman who loved people, Chase was deployed to both Korea and to Iraq during the two short years he was with the Army. He received a Bronze Star and several other accolades for his courage. On one occasion, he utilized a 50-caliber machine gun on top of vehicle, and covered all his buddies in an ambush. He saved them from almost certain death. He died on May 8, 2004. His mother, Laurie Whitham said, “Once he was deployed to Korea and Iraq, he really appreciated his country and realized what the U.S. was about. He knew that the Iraqi people did need help.”