Soldiers lose belongings in fire

A McCook mother who would want someone to help her son if he were in the same situation wants to send "care packages" to a team of American Army Reserve soldiers who lost all their belongings in a tent fire in the deserts of Iraq.

Sue Beebe's son, Jeromy, serves with the soldiers victimized by the fire in early September, and her heart goes out to the soldiers thousands of miles from home, sifting through the smoldering remains of the rifles and body armor that protected them from the enemy and the personal belongings that connected them to life back home.

Team members include Sgt. Matt Roth of McCook and SPC Tanner Kirchner of the North Platte Reserve detachment. Roth's wife, Shawna, lives in McCook with their children, Emmerie, 4 1/2, and Landyn, 1. Matt is the son of Sue Doak and Mike Roth of McCook.

Sue Beebe said the team is normally stationed at Camp Adder in south- central Iraq, but had been sent "up north," and families and friends believe that location is about 30 miles from Baghdad.

No one was injured in the fire, according to e-mail messages to Sue from the wife of the soldiers' platoon sergeant. "They lost everything," Sue said. "Tennis shoes, family pictures, CD players."

The Army will replace their guns, body armor, helmets, boots and cots within a couple weeks, she said, and the PX has donated personal items needed immediately.

Melissa Walkowski, the platoon sergeant's wife, told Sue the men lost and could definitely use basic comfort items: snacks, razor blades or disposal razors, magazines, books, games, aspirin, hand wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, gum, lip balm, alarm clocks, cards, hand- held fans, Band-Aids, tissues and powdered drink mixes.

Also on the list, Sue said, is plastic zipper storage bags to keep things fresh and away from the bugs.

"Oh, speaking of bugs," Sue said, they could use bug sprays, fly strips, flea collars and mouse traps too.

The fire is believed to have been caused by something electrical in the tent, Sue said. It occurred while the soldiers were out on maneuvers and no one was in the tent.

Soldiers who called the tent in the desert "home," are: Roth and Kirchner, SSG Wilson, SSG King, SPC Villalba, SPC McRoberts, SPC Brooks, PFC Wood and PVT Dunn.

Roth was deployed Jan. 21, the same time as other Reservist volunteers from McCook -- Steve Towery, Eric Foster, Nicole Anderson and Jeromy Beebe. The group met up with other units in South Bend, Ind., and then shipped to Fort McCoy, Wisc. They flew to Iraq the Friday before Easter in April, Sue said.

Sue encourages anyone wishing to donate to the care packages to drop items off at her office at the Family Resource Center, 704 E. Third.