Army - Goose Creek, SC - June 4, 2010

Sgt. Steven Martin Theobald, US Army, of Goose Creek, SC, died June 4, 2010, near Kuwait City, Kuwait, of injuries sustained in a military vehicle roll-over. 


Born September 10, 1956, in Pensacola, FL, he was one of four children of the late Martin MacHale Theobald and Geraldine Gullette Rabon.

Sgt. Theobald's active duty assignments included service in Fort Bragg, NC, Troy, Alabama, Fort Sill, OK, and Fort Sam Houston, TX. From December of 2003 until December of 2004 Sgt. Theobald served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn in Iraq.

He was on active duty and was assigned to the 287th Transportation Co. located in Livingston, AL. At the time of his death, he was serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and was based in Kuwait.

He is survived by his wife, Heike Braun Theobald of Wetzlar, Germany; daughter, Jessica Theobald; two sons, Christopher and Daniel Theobald all of Wetzlar, Germany; mother and step-father, Geraldine and Joseph Rabon of Goose Creek, SC; three sisters, Kathryn Risher and husband Douglas of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Susan Rufty and husband Brad of Waxhaw, NC and Jennifer Martin and husband Chip of Charleston, SC; five brothers: Wayne Theobald and wife Lorrie of Ronkonkoma, NY, Lance Rabon of Norfolk, VA, Scott Theobald and wife Rachelle, Brad Theobald and Jonathan Theobald and wife Jessica all of Charleston, SC. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father.

Army - Campobello, SC - December 9, 2004

Andrew Carl Shields was born in 1979 in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, to Donald and Emily Burnett Shields of Campobello. He grew up in Campobello and was a devoted Christian, attending New Prospect Baptist Church. Shields graduated from Wofford College with a degree in chemistry and shared a close bond with his twin brother, Philip, who also pursued aviation in the South Carolina National Guard. 

Shields served as a platoon leader in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment of the South Carolina Army National Guard, based in Columbia, South Carolina. He was a skilled pilot and a member of the Civil Air Patrol and the Army Warfighting Team (AWT), demonstrating both leadership and dedication to service. 

On December 9, 2004, 1st Lt. Shields was killed in an Apache helicopter accident in Mosul, Iraq, alongside fellow Guard pilot Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Leach. He was 25 years old at the time of his death. His passing was widely mourned, and he was remembered as a hero who gave his life in service to his country. 

Army - Mauldin, SC - March 21, 2007

Sgt. Adrian J. Lewis of Mauldin, South Carolina had already served two previous tours of duty each lasting a year. He left Jan. 15 and was due home for two weeks of leave in July. He and his wife Amanda had planned to go on a cruise. Neither of them had ever been on one. He was 30.

Sgt. Lewis died in Ramadi of wounds suffered when his unit fought enemy forces using small-arms fire during combat operations, according to a news release from the Defense Department.

He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Stewart, Ga.

Army - Rock Hill, SC - December 9, 2004

Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Daniel Leach, 39, of Rock Hill, SC, died while serving his country. He was the son of Bruce Victor and Grace Ellen Leach. He served in the U.S. Army as an Apache helicopter pilot from 1986-1992. He was an Army Nation Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4th Grade and was deployed to Iraq in late October where he was a member of A Company, First Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment.

Prior to active duty, he was an airline pilot and Regional Jet Captain with Mesa Airlines - US Airways Express. He was a graduate of Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Florida and received his B.A. Degree in Professional Aeronautics in 1992. Chief Warrant Officer Leach was a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol in York County and attended First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. 

In addition to his parents, Chief Warrant Officer Leach is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Brice Leach; four sons, Carl Justin Leach and Brandon Jay Leach, both of Federal Way, WA, and Grafton Ward Leach and Miller Bruce Leach; his daughter, Juliet Grace Leach; and his brother Bruce Victor Leach Jr. of Vancouver, WA.

Marine Corps - Boiling Springs, SC - March 23, 2003

U.S. Marine Corps PVT Nolen Ryan Hutchings, 20, of Boiling Springs, SC, died on March 23, 2003, near the city of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, after originally being listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown.

Hutchings was killed by friendly fire in action while traveling with his armored vehicle unit in an attempt to secure a bridge and help wounded soldiers, making him South Carolina’s second reported causality in the war against Iraq. Hutchings was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade at Camp Lejeune, NC.

He graduated from Boiling Springs High School in 2000.