Russell M. Makowski

Battery B 4-42 Artillery 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

KIA 09/14/2006

Rank: Corporal

Age: 23

Hometown: Union, Missouri

Died Sept. 14, 2006, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device
detonated near his dismounted patrol during combat operations in Taji, Iraq.

St Louis Today -- A soldier from Union was killed Thursday by an improvised bomb while on patrol in Taji, just north of Baghdad, his family says.
Army Spc. Russell Makowski, 23, had been in Iraq since December and was home on leave for two weeks in August.
Mark Makowski, his father, said Army personnel notified the family Thursday night.

"Since he was a kid, he always wanted to be a soldier," his father said. "He was proud to be a soldier and proud to be over there.
He told me when he was home, 'We need to be there, we do need to take care of those people.'"

Mark Makowski said his son was making plans to return for a 30-day leave in December and January.
"He said he would be home by Christmas," his father said.

Russell Makowski grew up in the St. Charles Hills area of St. Charles County. His family moved to Union six years ago,
and he graduated from Union High School in 2002, his father said.

Mark Makowski said he and his wife, Pam, have another son, Matt, 15, who is a student at Union High. Mark Makowski said
Matt "was always very proud of his brother, and always was saying that his brother was a hero for what he did."

Russell Makowski was assigned to an field artillery unit from Fort Hood, Texas. His unit is based at Camp Taji,
about 15 miles north of Baghdad, his father said.

He said his son had told him shortly before heading back to Iraq that his unit would be engaging in vehicle and foot patrols through the Taji market.

from STL St Louis Today

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SINCE HE WAS A KID, Russell Makowski wanted to be a soldier. He was proud of his country, proud to wear its military uniform
and proud to serve in Iraq. On Sept. 14, 2006, Cpl. Russell M. Makowski of the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division
died a soldier in Taji, just north of Baghdad. We are proud of Cpl. Makowski and his service to America, and we mourn his loss
as a member of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler family as well as our country’s armed services.

The 23-year-old graduate of Union High School in St. Charles County, Mo., was the son of Mark Makowski, a UAW Local 110 member
and millwright at St. Louis South Assembly. Cpl. Makowski, who enlisted in 2004, died of injuries suffered when a roadside bomb exploded
while he was on patrol in Taji. His death is a sobering reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by many men and women
who have donned their country’s uniform in Iraq and in past wars.

Our eighth annual Veterans Day Special Issue of Tomorrow salutes Cpl. Makowski and other DaimlerChrysler employees, family members
and retirees called to duty in the various military branches, including the National Guard and Reserves. Recognizing they had “A Job to Do,”
they are representative of all UAW and management employees who have advanced freedom’s cause and defended America.

For the Makowski family, their oldest son’s death on the battlefield was especially painful because it occurred less than a month
after he had been home on leave. Their anguish is tempered by the fact that Russell loved his job as much as he loved his country.
“The Army was his calling — it was what he wanted to do with his life,” says Mark. “He told me, ‘Dad, I’ve got to go back
to be with my buddies and take care of business over there.’ I’m proud of my son and what he did.”

The family’s pain also has been eased by an outpouring of love and solidarity from the Local 110 Veterans Committee and its counterpart
from UAW Local 136 at St. Louis North Assembly. Mark Makowski, who is not a veteran, was overwhelmed
by co-workers’ support at the funeral and burial Sept. 27 in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, and in many other ways.
“You don’t even know those committees are there,” he says, “but when you need them most, your union is standing right next to you.”
We join you, Mark, in recognizing our Veterans Committees and other Daimler- Chrysler employees who also have “A Job to Do”
in supporting our troops and their families, and who perform it with pride, respect and patriotism.

From: TOMORROW Special Veterans Day Issue November 11, 2006
published by
UAW-DAIMLERCHRYSLER
NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER

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Thanks to Jim Spofford, Veteran of 1-22 Infantry and 4-42 Field Artillery, for submitting the above

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