Bobby R. West

Company B 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

KIA 05/30/06

Bobby R. West was born on 19 September 1982 in Beebe, Arkansas.
He entered the United States Army on 9 June 2003 and graduated from Basic Combat Training and
Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Upon graduation from AIT, CPL West was assigned
to 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, then later in 2005 assigned to
Bravo Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood Texas.

Cpl. Bobby R. West, 23, of Beebe, Ark., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 30, 2006,
of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted patrol operations.
West was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

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We lost Corporal Bobby West of B Company in the late afternoon of May 30^th
when an IED detonated near him as he and other Soldiers were walking nearby.
Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family in Arkansas as they grieve for his loss.
We will never forget Corporal West’s life, sacrifice, and service to the nation.

------------------ Lieutenant Colonel Craig A. Osborne, Commander 1-22 Infantry, June 15, 2006

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Our mission here has not been without severe costs and this month we bid a Soldier’s farewell to a fallen comrade,
Corporal Bobby R. West.
Bobby was well known throughout the battalion as a great Soldier, a young leader, and a friend to many.
Bobby was tragically killed in action this month while serving with the Regulars.
We are better Soldiers for having known and served with him and he will be sorely missed.
Our prayers go out to all of the West family.

------------------- Command Sergeant Major Richard Beal, CSM 1-22 Infantry, June 15, 2006

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CPL Bobby West

The past month has been a particularly difficult one for B Company.
We have mourned the loss of Specialist Ronald Gebur on May 13^th and Corporal Bobby West on May 30^th.
Specialist Gebur – of 2^nd Platoon – was from Delavan, Illinois and is survived by his wife Bethany, son Gage, and parents Debra and Larry.
Corporal West – of 3^rd Platoon – was originally from Beebe, Arkansas and is survived by his parents, Linda and Ricky West.

We gathered on May 19^th and June 6^th, respectively, to pay our final respects and share memories of our fallen comrades.
We feel their loss deeply, but we continue the mission they have left behind; we do so looking out for one another,
realizing the best way to thank our brothers in arms is to succeed in the mission they began with us
and return home to enjoy the comforts of the life for which they sacrificed their own.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with Specialist Gebur’s and Corporal West’s families.

-----------------Captain Matthew Weber, Commander Company B 1-22 Infantry, June 15, 2006

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Corporal Bobby West's decorations

Bobby West

Arkansas Soldier Dies In Iraq

Spc. Bobby West had the military on his mind at a very young age. At 17, he left Beebe High School and enlisted in the National Guard.

But after Sept. 11, he went full time and eventually landed in Iraq.

“8:30 night before last,” Marge Liddle says that's when the nightmare began for her family.

“The military, Army came to her door and she knew immediately. Her question to them was which one?” says Liddle.

Liddle's nephews both went to Iraq. Bobby was the one killed Tuesday. He and his brother, Patrick, were always close growing up.

The same goes for when they were in Iraq, serving 45 miles apart from each other. But their mom, Liddle's sister Linda,
is frantic not only because one son is dead, but because she hasn't heard from the other.

“That's why you're talking to me," explains Liddle. "We're still waiting for Patrick. We understand he's been informed."

The news of Bobby's death spread quickly through the town of 5,000, especially at Beebe High School.
Hal Crisco was an assistant principal when Bobby went to school there.

Crisco says, “I just found out this morning, it's just shock. You're never really prepared for that kind of news, especially one you consider your own.
For someone that young, it's just shock really."

At 23, Bobby was traveling the world, defending democracy and helping to create one. Yet, he was cut down in the prime of his life.

Liddle says, “It's something you probably thought of with two boys in the military, but you never expect to get the call and you have faith they get through.”

Bobby West is the second former Beebe High School student to lose his life in Iraq. Hal Crisco says last September, Steven Valdez was killed.

Todd Wilson, Reporter Created: 6/1/2006 8:54:48 PM Updated: 6/2/2006 10:33:40 AM

KHTV.com

CPL Bobby West

Editor's note:

Bobby's brother Patrick was serving in Iraq with the 101st AB Division at the time Bobby was killed.
Patrick was given leave by the Army and attended his brother's funeral.
At least 300 riders of the Patriot Guard also attended, to honor a fallen hero.

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At the 4th Infantry Division memorial service held on June 15, 2006,
CPT Warren Litherland spoke about Bobby West:

Cpl. Bobby R. West was fearless and confident, said Capt. Warren Litherland.
"He had that way about him that made you want to be on his side," Litherland said.

Plaque for Bobby R. West on the 4th Infantry Division Wall of Honor at Fort Hood, Texas.

Photo courtesy of Bob Babcock

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Burial:
Meadowbrook Memorial Garden
Beebe
White County
Arkansas

Grave marker for Bobby West

Photo by: Marilyn Hayes from the Find A Grave website

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SPC Bobby West

Bobby's Aunt Marcella has created a moving tribute to his memory.
To view that tribute click on the following link:

Tribute To An American Hero

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