Russell G. Culbertson III

Oct 18, 2006 11:39 pm US/Eastern

Pa. Soldier Killed By Roadside Bomb Near Baghdad
(KDKA/AP) WASHINGTON Another Pennsylvania soldier has been killed in action in Iraq.

Army Spc. Russell Culbertson Jr., 22, of Lone Pine, Pa., was killed Tuesday when the truck he was riding in struck a roadside bomb outside Baghdad,
the soldier's family said Wednesday.

Culbertson, a tank gunner in the 4th Infantry Division, was one of four soldiers killed near Abu Ghraib prison, the family said.

A military liaison has told the family it will be several days before Culbertson's body is flown to Pittsburgh. The Department of Defense had not issued
an official release confirming Culbertson's death as of Wednesday night.

A 2003 graduate of Trinity High School, Culbertson loved fast cars, his mother, Denise Culbertson, told the Washington
Observer-Reporter. She said the family last spoke with him by telephone on Sunday.

"He was doing what he wanted to do, and we supported him," his father, Russell Culbertson Sr., told the newspaper.

http://kdka.com

Oct 27, 2006 7:10 pm US/Eastern

Local Soldier Killed In Iraq Laid To Rest
(KDKA) BRIDGEVILLE A local soldier killed in Iraq was laid to rest today.

Twenty-two year-old Army Specialist Russell Culbertson Jr. was one of four soldiers killed by a road-side bomb on Tuesday.

Today, loved ones said their final good-byes in Bridgeville.

Culbertson joined the Army in 2004 after graduating from Trinity High School in Washington County.

He was buried not far from the area where he grew up.

Culbertson was killed when a road-side bomb detonated near the Humvee he was riding in.

"The message was one of dedication and service to the country," said Roy Buford of the Bethany Presbyterian Church.
"It certainly was a service about the young man who was killed and his life and his story."

Culbertson was a tank gunner with the Fourth Infantry Division.

He had been in Iraq since December 15.

While the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville was filled with people who knew and loved Culbertson,
it was clear that those who were outside were touched by him also.

"I don't know what to say to a mother who has lost a son other than to say I'm sorry," said Annette Savtavicco of Bridgeville.
"He is in God's hands now. He is safe. He is healthy and she will see her son again."

Members of the Patriot Guard joined the procession.

For these men and women, the goal is quite simple.

"We want people to know that we honor the sacrifices of these we consider heroes," said Donald Bright, one of the Patriot Riders.

Even some of the youngest in the community felt the same way.

Many came out today to show honor to those considered heroes as well.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

KDKA

http://kdka.com

In a November 16, 2006 memorial service held at Ft Hood, CPT Dennis Ceder had the following to say:
"Cpl. Russell G. Culbertson III, 22, loved fast cars, and his best friend was his sister."

"Russell was the kind of Soldier who could turn the most mundane of chores into something comical.
He brought laughter and smiles to all those who had contact with him and he will be sorely missed by many."
-------CSM Richard A. Beal

A final farewell to Washington County soldier killed in Iraq
Saturday, October 28, 2006

Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette
Funeral services for Army Spc. Russell Culbertson yesterday.

At right, the flag-draped casket of Army Spc. Russell Culbertson was removed from a hearse shortly before a funeral at Bethany Presbyterian Church.
Spc. Culbertson received a final salute yesterday, 10 days after he was killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, Iraq. He was 22.

Soldiers carried his coffin into Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville. Vietnam veterans who assembled outside held U.S. flags.
One man, not a flag bearer, hunched over and cried.

Spc. Culbertson, of Lone Pine in Washington County, was a 2003 graduate of Trinity High School and a tank gunner with the 4th Infantry Division.

Three other soldiers were killed with him in the Oct. 17 explosion. They included a second man from Pennsylvania,
2nd Lt. Christopher E. Loudon, 23, of Brockport in Elk County.

http://www.post-gazette.com

Plaque for Russell G. Culbertson on the 4th Infantry Division Wall of Honor at Fort Hood, Texas.

Photo courtesy of Bob Babcock

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 915 Session of 2006

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INTRODUCED BY SOLOBAY, DeWEESE, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF, BEYER,
BISHOP, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CAUSER, COHEN,
CORRIGAN, COSTA, CRAHALLA, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, DONATUCCI,
EACHUS, D. EVANS, FAIRCHILD, FEESE, FICHTER, FLEAGLE,
FORCIER, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GILLESPIE, GODSHALL,
GOODMAN, GRELL, GRUCELA, HARHART, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY,
HICKERNELL, JAMES, W. KELLER, KOTIK, LEDERER, MAITLAND,
MAJOR, MANN, McGILL, MELIO, METCALFE, R. MILLER, MUSTIO,
NAILOR, PALLONE, PAYNE, PETRONE, RAMALEY, RAPP, ROEBUCK,
ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SATHER, SCAVELLO, SHANER,
B. SMITH, SONNEY, STEIL, R. STEVENSON, J. TAYLOR, THOMAS,
TIGUE, TRUE, YOUNGBLOOD, PETRI, BOYD, MILLARD, REED, STABACK
AND MAHER, NOVEMBER 14, 2006

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INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
NOVEMBER 14, 2006

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A RESOLUTION

1 Honoring the life and extending condolences for the supreme
2 sacrifice of Army Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III, a
3 member of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st
4 Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Hood, Texas, who
5 tragically lost his life on October 17, 2006, while on active
6 duty in Iraq.

7 WHEREAS, Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III was a resident of
8 Amity, Washington County, Pennsylvania, and was born on August
9 31, 1984; and
10 WHEREAS, Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III was a member of
11 Faith United Presbyterian Church, Washington, and a 2003
12 graduate of Trinity High School; and
13 WHEREAS, Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III enlisted in the
14 United States Army in May 2003; and

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1 WHEREAS, Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III began his service
2 in Iraq by driving a tank and worked his way up to tank gunner
3 with the 4th Infantry Division; and
4 WHEREAS, While serving his country, Corporal Russell G.
5 Culbertson III was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army
6 Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq
7 Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service
8 Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and the
9 Weapons Qualification Badge-Expert Rifle; and
10 WHEREAS, With six weeks remaining in his overseas service,
11 Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III lost his life, and three
12 other soldiers lost their lives, when an improvised explosive
13 device detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq; and
14 WHEREAS, Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III is survived by
15 his parents, Russell G. II and Denise King Culbertson, his
16 sister, Elizabeth, his brother, Will, his paternal grandparents,
17 Edward R. and Nellie Loring Culbertson, his maternal
18 grandparents, William and Mildred Wilson King, and his aunt,
19 Anna Marie King; and
20 WHEREAS, Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III bravely and
21 heroically volunteered for duty in Iraq so that he could protect
22 his family, friends and all Americans who cherish freedom, and
23 he made the ultimate sacrifice in that endeavor; therefore be it
24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives pay tribute to
25 and honor the memory of Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III, with
26 gratitude for his courage, leadership and selflessness in
27 fighting for freedom on behalf of the citizens of our nation and
28 this Commonwealth; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives extend its
30 deepest condolences to Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III's family and friends.