Casey M. LaWare, 19

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Ft. Irwin, Calif.

2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: April 9, 2005

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Redding

High School: Enterprise High (Redding)

Burial: Redding Memorial Park, Redding, Calif.

LaWare died at a hospital in Germany three days after being severely burned in a guard tower fire. He loved his family's annual traditions--gathering at his grandmother's house for Thanksgiving dinner and cutting down a Christmas tree the next weekend.

Anthony J. Davis Jr., 04/23/2005

Juan C. Venegas, 04/07/2005

Five memories of Casey M. LaWare

“

I was at checkpoint 17 the night of the fire. Myself and a few other Scouts were the ones that extinguished Casey and tried to save him. We talked Casey to the door of the tower so we could help him. As he lay at the base of the tower the fire began cooking off the ammunition in the tower. They told us that there were grenades in the tower so we carried him behind a bunker as the grenades blew. While others called for the medevac I stayed with Casey to render what aid I could and to keep him talking. Casey wanted to get up and walk it off, that's the amount of fight he had in him. I kept talking with him and telling him the bird was on the way. Once it arrived I helped carry him to the bird as they loaded him I slapped his boot and said it was going to be OK. I think of those words and that night often. I've worn a bracelet with Casey's name on it for a decade now and use it to tell people about him and the sacrifice that Casey and his family made to our country. He was such a good kid and soldier, and to this day he is memorialized by the members of our platoon on the anniversary and Memorial Day on social media each year. Casey, sorry we couldn't do more to save you brother. Never forgotten.

” — Matt Thompson, May 28, 2016 at 11:14 p.m.

Share a memory of Casey

Search by: Age, Base, Branch, Cemetery, Date of Death, Country of Birth, Gender, High School, Hometown, Marital Status, Name, Number of Children, Theater of Operation, Place of Death

Sources: Times research, Defense Department, iCasualties.org

Help us complete our database. Something missing or wrong? Want to share a photo?

Casey M. LaWare, 19

Related

Five memories of Casey M. LaWare

Share a memory of Casey