Holly McGeogh

Pfc. Holly J. McGeogh

Killed in Action January 31, 2004

PFC McGeogh was a member of Company A 4th Forward Support Battalion and was attached to 1-22 Infantry.
She was killed near Kirkuk, Iraq, when the convoy in which she was travelling was attacked
by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
Also killed in the blast were Cpl. Juan C. Cabralbanuelos, 25, of Emporia, Kan., and Sgt. Eliu Miersandoval, 27, of San Clemente, Calif.

Holly was 19 years old and her home town was listed as Taylor, Michigan.

She was a light-truck mechanic.

She was a 2002 graduate of Truman High School and a member of the school's ROTC program.

Her family released the following statement on Feb 2, 2004:

"Holly is another reminder that our freedom truly is not free.
Holly and her friends paid the ultimate price for all of us, without complaint or regret.
Please stand behind our soldiers and their families and show your support."

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Family mourns soldier's death

Mich. woman killed by roadside bomb in Iraq
February 3, 2004

BY MARISOL BELLO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Army Spec. Holly McGeogh's family thought they had lost her last October when a female soldier in her division was killed in Tikrit, Iraq, outside Saddam Hussein's palace gates.

The family lived a nightmare for two days.

But McGeogh called home to let them know that although she was OK, the soldier who died was her friend and roommate.

McGeogh told her family then that if she were killed in battle to remember she died for a reason and a cause she believed in.

Now, McGeogh's family must remember her words and take them to heart.

On Saturday, McGeogh of Taylor became Michigan's first female soldier killed in the conflict in Iraq when a homemade bomb exploded on the side of the road as her convoy drove past.

"Holly will always be remembered as a very brave solder, with the support of her family and friends," said a statement released Monday by her family.

McGeogh, 19, was one of three soldiers killed in the roadside explosion near Kirkuk, the Defense Department said Monday.

McGeogh was assigned to Company A, 4th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas.

The Defense Department identified the other two soldiers killed in the explosion as Cpl. Juan C. Cabralbanuelos, 25, of Emporia, Kan., and Sgt. Eliu Miersandoval, 27, of San Clemente, Calif.

The Pentagon said the incident was under investigation.

Kirkuk, a major oil producing area, is about 60 miles north of Tikrit, where the 4th Infantry Division is based.

McGeogh's family and friends learned of her death Saturday, said family friend Darlene Siemienski, who was serving as a family spokeswoman.

Siemienski and McGeogh's mother, Paula, met through Dearborn-based Michigan Military Moms, a support group. McGeogh's mother joined the group after her daughter, the oldest of her two children, enlisted.

McGeogh graduated from Truman High School in Taylor in 2002, where she was a cadet in the Junior ROTC for four years.

Her guidance counselor, William Teller, said McGeogh won numerous awards and recognition as a cadet.

"She was totally dedicated to going into the Army -- that was her destiny," Teller said.

McGeogh joined the Army immediately after graduation. McGeogh served almost a year in Iraq and was preparing to return home in March.

McGeogh is the 21st Michigan member of the armed forces killed in operations in Iraq.

Contact MARISOL BELLO at 734-432-1785 or bello@freepress.com.
Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/

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Military pallbearers carry the flag draped casket of Pfc. Holly J. McGeogh,
after a funeral at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wyandotte, Mich., Monday, Feb. 9, 2004.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) http://www.ap.org/index.html

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