Charles Yi Barnett

Bel Air, Maryland

November 20, 2008

 Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Tallil, Iraq.

Pvt. Charles Yi Barnett of Bel Air, Maryland was from a family whose service to the the country was a family heritage. His father was an Army staff sergeant, as was his grandfather whom Charles was named after. His brother Jason is in the Air Force, stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. His mother was from Seoul and his parents met when his father was stationed in South Korea. And Charles wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves especially since he came from a long line of military servicemen. So he enlisted in the United States Army, just as his father and grandfather had. He was the kind of son that any father could be proud of and was a caring son and brother who had many friends, especially in Sykesville, Maryland where he was raised by his mother and spent most of his life. Charles was also a talented artist who loved to draw, including comic book-type characters and superheroes, as well as self-portraits and abstract portraits of friends, although he had no formal training. He also loved to play video games. In Iraq, among other duties, he was assigned to clear roads of mines and other explosive devices so fellow troops and Iraqi civilians had safe passage. Charles died at age 19 of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Tallil, Iraq. 

Bel Air teen killed after year in Iraq
At 19, 'he's too young to die'; death in Tallil not from combat

By Julie Scharper | julie.scharper@baltsun.com

November 23, 2008

Soon after he turned 18, Charles Yi Barnett told his mother he wanted to join the Army.

"I said 'No, you're not going anywhere,'" said his mother, Ipun "Yvonne" Dashiell. She forced one military recruiter to leave her home, but the teenager was determined to enlist. He left for basic training almost exactly a year ago, and in May he was sent to Iraq.

Late Thursday, military officials went to his mother and stepfather's Bel Air home with grim news: The 19-year-old had died that day of injuries he received in Tallil in a noncombat incident.

"I knew Jesus was holding his hand," his mother said. "I knew he would be OK. I prayed for him. I never, ever thought two soldiers would be knocking on my door in the middle of the night."

Barnett was the youngest of three sons born to his Korean-born mother and American father. His parents divorced when the boys were young, and the three boys grew up very close in their mother's Sykesville home, said his eldest brother, Jason Barnett, 22, of Cheyenne, Wyo.

As a boy, Barnett loved drawing complicated scenes of fantasy characters and comic book heroes. He was an excellent student and often helped his older brothers with their homework, his mother recalled.

"He was such a sweet boy. He was always a mama's boy," his mother said, adding that he often crawled in bed with her when he was scared as a child.

He attended Liberty High School in Sykesville and, after his mother remarried, Bel Air High School, before obtaining a GED. He wanted to serve in the Army for a few years and then attend college, his stepfather, Walter "Mike" Dashiell, said.

"He was really trying to better himself," his brother said.

Just before he was sent to Iraq, Barnett visited his family around Mother's Day. He had filled out and developed muscles in the Army, his mother recalled, and his voice had deepened.

The Department of Defense has not released specific information about the circumstances of Barnett's death. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, according to the Department of Defense.

His body arrived back in the country yesterday, his stepfather said.

His mother said that it was hard to accept her youngest son had died. "I'll have to see him, and then I'll believe it," she said. "He's too young to die."

In addition to his mother, stepfather and brother, Barnett is survived by his father, Kenneth Barnett of New Jersey, another brother, Jonathan Barnett of Bel Air, a stepsister, Lauren Dashiell of Bel Air, and a stepbrother, Walter Michael Dashiell Jr. of Bel Air. Funeral arrangements are pending.

TRENTON – In honor of United States Army Private Charles Yi Barnett, Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed the following Executive Order calling for the United States and New Jersey flags to fly at half-staff on Wednesday, December 3, 2008.
The full text of the executive order is below.
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 127
WHEREAS, United States Army Private Charles Yi Barnett was raised in Sykesville, Maryland, and his father has resided in Elizabeth, New Jersey, for many years; and
WHEREAS, Private Barnett enlisted in the United States Army after attending Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Maryland; and
WHEREAS, Private Barnett was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Private Barnett was a dedicated soldier as well as a loving son, step-son, brother, and friend, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family and fellow soldiers; and
WHEREAS, Private Barnett died near Baghdad, Iraq, during a time of war while serving as a member of the United States Army; and
WHEREAS, Private Barnett’s love for his family and friends, his patriotism, and dedicated service to his country and his fellow soldiers make it appropriate and fitting for the State of New Jersey to mourn and remember him, to mark his passing, and to honor his memory;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JON S. CORZINE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of the State of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Wednesday, December 3, 2008, in recognition and mourning for a son of New Jersey and a brave and loyal American, United States Army Private Charles Yi Barnett.
2. This Order shall take effect immediately.