DUNCAN, OKLA.—A car-motorcycle collision took the life of retired 158th FA SFC Mike Kaiser Wednesday evening. Kaiser was part of the 158's mission during Desert Storm and returned to the Middle East in 2005 as the platoon sergeant for Second Platoon. His personality was as big as his 6'6", 270-pound frame, and he will be missed by many soldiers, friends, family, and church family.
0 Comments
This is a little late, but it's important. Our SECFOR brothers lost another one. On February 19, 2020, Aaron Helton died in Duncan. Helton was on the 2005-2006 mission and the 2008-2009 Ramadi deployment. At least 20 158th brothers were at Helton's funeral, and he received full military honors.
Helton lives on in the OIL through the Hard Targets, whose logo is based on the former First Platoon Hard Target. Rest in peace, brother. Every member of the OIL sends his condolences to 1st Sgt. (Ret.) Mark Braley and his family. Sgt. Braley's wife, Adrienne, passed away suddenly this week. Her funeral is at 1000 on Monday, June 29 at Havenbrook Funeral Home in Norman, Okla.
Members of the OIL knew Sgt. Braley as Sgt. 1st Class Braley during the 2006 SECFOR mission. He was First Platoon's Platoon Sergeant and spent most of that deployment at Camp Echo near ad Diwaniyah, Iraq. After our return, he was promoted to First Sergeant before retiring from military service. In 2014, he helped the OIL chronicle the 2006 mission as part of our ongoing oral history project. He's liked and respected by many, and we can't express enough how heartbroken we are for him and his children. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. The OIL is mourning the loss of one of our own this week. SSG Michael "Ten Man" Tenequer died on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. He was too young. Those who served with him during the 2005 SECFOR mission in Iraq that begat the OIL and those who served with him during the 158's 2008 mission in Iraq remember him as a soft-spoken, easy-going soldier with a dry sense of humor. The members of the OIL were just laughing about "Ten Man's" sense of humor at the 2014 draft. Here he is wishing his family a merry Christmas from Ramadi in 2008: The OIL and its members send their condolences to the Tenequer family.
It is hard to believe that we just finished the eighth season of OklahomIraqis football, but it's true. 2013 was a big year for the OIL in both positive and negative ways. Here is a sampling of the 2013 OIL year in review: In 2013, we updated our web site, road-tripped to an NFL game together, crowned a new champion, helped a league member regroup after losing his house to a tornado, gave up the DBFA trophy earned in 2012, had children, moved out-of-state, toured Lambeau Field, got a new license plate, established our 2014 draft order, saw one of our own get promoted to First Sergeant, and lost two friends and brothers-in-arms: Brandon Landrum and Joseph Killman. Congratulations to Aaron Cobb, whose "Dogs of War" won their first OIL championship. The Harrington Trophy now resides in Fort Smith with Cobb, who was in Baghdad with the original OIL members in 2006 and joined the league in 2007. He defeated Cliburn, who tried and failed to be the first back-to-back champion in the OIL. Unfortunately, Cobb could not win the World War, so the OIL lost the DBFA's Trophy of Versailles. But the team Cobb had in week 17 wasn't the same one that dominated much of the season, though. By that time, Cobb was without Arian Foster, Wes Welker, Jermichael Finley, and Steve Smith. Still, he is happy just winning the OIL. Co-commissioner Adam Duffy claimed the number one seed but fell flat in the semifinals. And then Justin Finch beat him in the third-place game. Tough break. In May, two-time OIL champion Jack Bruesch lost his house in the Moore tornado that gained worldwide attention. Fortunately, he and his family were uninjured. OIL members and more came together to help in any way we could. He now lives in Norman and is grateful that his family is okay. On a lighter note, it is a good thing that Cliburn won the OIL and DBFA trophies back from Bruesch in 2012. Otherwise, those trophies would have been lost in the tornado rubble. The OIL site sold "Oklahoma Original" hats for tornado relief after the storms and raised money for the American Red Cross. The hats were modeled after the original Oklahoma state flag. Some hats are still available for purchase. In November, Yancy Baldwin, Justin Finch, Aaron Cobb, and Justin Cliburn went to the Cowboys-Vikings game together. It was the second straight year for an NFL trip among the guys, and they had a great time. Even sitting in the "nosebleed" section, the experience was fantastic. There really are no bad seats at "JerryWorld." Start thinking now about which game we should attend for our next NFL excursion. The Cowboys play the usual NFC East opponents at home next season, plus Arizona, San Francisco, Houston, Indianapolis, and New Orleans. Perhaps in future seasons we can expand our footprint and go to a different stadium, but Dallas is closest to most of the league. And the OIL family grew when 28.5% of the league had a baby in the last 53 weeks. Three league members' new babies were born in 2013 and one member had a son born just before 2013 began. Colt James Baldwin was born on Dec. 22, 2012. While his birth did not technically happen in 2013, it did occur between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Colt just turned one and lives in Stratford with Yancy and his family. Jessen's daughter (left) was born in Duncan and has been sporting her favorite outfit since day one: her DominationStation onesie (it's unclear if Mrs. Jessen shares the love for fantasy football-themed infant clothing). Cali's quickly becoming Jessen's biggest fan. The other new additions to the OIL family were born far away from Oklahoma [insert your own opinion as to whether that is a good thing or a bad thing here].
2013 was the first season Duffy spent in his new home. After living in Lawton-Fort Sill for 20+ years, Duff moved to his family's hometown in Wisconsin. The Commish and Mrs. Commish visited the Duffies' new home in July. The Commish, Duffy, and Duffy's father and brothers toured Lambeau Field and watched the Packers practice. It was the first time the Commish went to an NFL training camp. It also marked the first time that he had to wear a hoodie in July. Not cool, Wisconsin. On a more somber note, 2013 was also the year that we buried friends and brothers-in-arms. 1LT Brandon Landrum died in May from an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Members of the OIL knew him as SPC Landrum. He was a medic and spent 2008 in Iraq with the 158. He went to the same high school and college as the commissioner and was active duty when he died. He trained with co-commissioner Adam Duffy at a "war fighter" exercise. He made us laugh at Camp Gruber. He'll be missed. Joseph Killman died in December. He was in the 158 with all of us. He was in Jack Bruesch's and Cliburn's squad during the tour that gave birth to the OIL. He was funny, tough, and reliable. His death reminded us all how much we care about and miss each other. Even in death, Killman brought us together. At least 50 members of the 158, both past and present, attended his funeral. It was great seeing everyone that day, but the circumstances were awful. We shared stories about him and laughed and smiled. LT (now CPT) Ponder created a Facebook group for guys on that 1-158 SECFOR mission. Hopefully, we keep that group going and see each other again without someone dying. It's a shame we don't see each other more often. This league is how most of us keep in touch with each other. I hope that going forward we can organize more NFL game trips together and get more managers at our draft parties. We owe it to ourselves and to each other to stay in touch. Let's do that. Just before the new year, OklahomIraqi Jack Bruesch was promoted to First Sergeant. He was Cliburn's squad leader in Iraq in 2006. Congratulations to the two-time OIL champion, good guy, and great NCO. We're proud of him. In the last year, we also added names to our membership's waiting list. Adam Schuster remains at the top of that list. If someone should leave the league, he is next in line for OIL membership. He was in Iraq with the 158 during the 2006 season, and he spent 2008 in Iraq with the 158 as well. Next in line is Stephen Brosh, who was Cliburn's roommate in Baghdad and who was also in Bruesch's squad that year. Nick Reed has thrown his hat in the ring as well. He was also on the 2006 mission with the original 10. They are all deserving candidates, but they'll have to wait their turn. As of right now, they're "on deck." After eight seasons, our league settings are pretty well-settled. But there is always room for improvement. Beginning in 2014, the OIL will re-seed its playoff teams after the first round. Our league has always said that we reward success. In that vein, the number one seed should play the lowest-seeded team in the semifinals no matter what. The number one seed in our league receives a first-round bye and now will also be guaranteed a matchup with the lowest-seeded team in the semifinals, giving that team the easiest road to the championship. Our league is special. I know that every fantasy football player thinks his or her league is the best, but ours really is different. You know why. Our league was born in Baghdad. It represents more than fake football. All 14 members of our league were in the Army. All but one served in the 1st Bn. 158 FA. Twelve of us were in Iraq together in 2006. The two that were not on that mission with us have been valuable members of the OIL. Few realize that Trovillo was responsible for creating the first OIL web site via the Weebly platform. That platform is still in use and has evolved to the site you see today. He was instrumental behind the scenes turning the OIL into a true community, and he has a great team name and logo too. Rogers is always involved, has one of the best team names and logos in the league, and maintains a fierce rivalry with Jessen. We have a website, a Twitter (@okiraqi), a Facebook group, a traveling trophy, a rivalry week, a league store, and a bond bigger than football. I enjoy serving as your commissioner, and I look forward to 2014. Happy new year, guys. Hopefully this year won't be nearly as eventful. Cliburn. SPC Killman served in Baghdad in 2006 with the rest of the OklahomIraqis. He was in the same squad as OIL members Bruesch and Cliburn. He was funny, tough, and reliable. He died of a gunshot wound originally suffered at his home on Dec. 23. His funeral is on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at Bible Baptist Church in Chickasha. Tragically, he was just married in November. His family is taking donations to help pay for his funeral expenses. You can donate at the funeral or by mailing a donation to the funeral home: Killman Donation c/o Seviers Funeral Home 702 W Chickasha Avenue Chickasha, OK 73018 Phone Number: (405) 224-4266 http://m.chickashanews.com/chickashanews/pm_113561/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=eW8dnQjv Joseph Carl “Jody” Killman Rep. Tom Cole Mourns Death of Soldier from Lawton Brandon J. LandrumRep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, issued the following statement on Wednesday about the death of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Brandon J. Landrum, who was one of five soldiers killed Saturday by a roadside bomb in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. Landrum is survived by his parents, wife and children. Landrum was not with the 158 during the Iraq mission in 2006 that started the OklahomIraqis League. But he was an Oklahoma soldier, and he later spent a year in Iraq with the 158th FA in 2008. After receiving his commission, he went active duty. He was killed in Afghanistan this week. I won't further the party line that he died for freedom (his or ours) because I don't have to. He was one of us. We have all been in that position, and that's all that matters. I don't know what exists for us after the fade to black, but I hope that Landrum and the rest of our soldiers find peace.
The Commish. |
January 2024
All
|
|
|