Samuel D Stone

Port Orchard, Washington

May 30, 2009

 Died died May 30 in Tallil, Iraq, of injuries suffered during a non-combat related vehicle roll-over.

For Memorial Service Snapshots, Click Photo below:

June 10, 2009

PFC Samuel Stone was a very good friend of mine for 3years. 
We are both from 66th aviation based on Ft. Lewis, Washinton
We volunteered to deploy with C TRP 1-303rd CAV 81st Brigade
I miss him very much and I will never forget him. 
He was like a brother to me.

SPC Jacquelynn Gonzales

Soldier from Port Orchard killed in Iraq

Samuel Stone, a 20-year-old Washington National Guard soldier from Port Orchard, died early Sunday in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

By Hal Bernton

Seattle Times staff reporter

Samuel Stone, a 20-year-old Washington National Guard soldier from Port Orchard, died early Sunday in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

Stone served with the 81st Brigade Combat Team, which has sent some 2,400 soldiers to Iraq for a tour of duty scheduled to end later this summer.

Stone is the first soldier from the brigade to die on this deployment to Iraq. His death was considered to be noncombat accident and is now under investigation.

"The entire Washington National Guard is deeply saddened by the loss of Specialist Stone. The memory of his service and dedication will live on with our citizen soldiers and airmen forever. We stand firm in support of the Stone family and will do all we can to assist them during this difficult time," said Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, the adjutant general of the Washington National Guard.

Port Orchard Soldier Killed in Iraq

Kitsap Sun staff
Monday, June 1, 2009
Spc. Samuel D. Stone

A 20-year-old Port Orchard man who was deployed in Iraq with the Washington Army National Guard’s 81st Brigade Combat Team died when his armored security vehicle rolled over early Sunday.

Spc. Samuel D. Stone, assigned to the Bremerton-based C Company, 1st Battalion, 303rd Cavalry, was in Tallil, Iraq, when the accident happened, according to the Washington Army National Guard. The incident was not a result of combat and an investigation, which is standard procedure, is under way.

Tallil, where the unit is providing security, is about 190 miles southeast of Baghdad in southern Iraq.

One of Stone’s friends in Iraq said in an e-mail that the accident was mission-related, but that details aren’t available yet.

Stone’s family lives in Port Orchard, according to the friend, who asked not to be named. He has two brothers and one sister.

Stone, who was single, was the first Washington National Guardsman killed in Iraq since the 81st Brigade — which includes Stone’s unit and Bremerton-based C Company, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry — deployed last August. They are scheduled to return in August. Ten brigade soldiers were killed during the last deployment in 2004-05, including four from Washington.

“The entire Washington National Guard is deeply saddened by the loss of Spc. Stone,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Lowenberg, the adjutant general. “The memory of his service and dedication will live on with our citizen soldiers and airmen forever. We stand firm in support of the Stone family and will do all we can to assist them during this difficult time.”

According to South Kitsap High School, Stone attended during the 2004-05 school year, but withdrew in August 2005. Stone’s MySpace page says he graduated from Wellpinit-Fort Semco High School in Yakima County in 2006.

The friend said he worked with Stone for almost a year.

“He has been a great friend to have,” he wrote. “He was like my own brothers. He worked hard at all he did. There was no stopping him. He loved his job, and was a valuable asset.”

Arrangements are being made for a memorial service.