Charles L Neeley
Profile
Age: 19
From: Mattoon, Ill.
Assigned to the 454th Transportation Company, Army Reserve, Columbus, Ohio
Incident: Army Spc. Charles L. Neeley was killed Aug. 25 when his tractor-trailer rolled over as he attempted to cross a pontoon bridge in Tikrit, Iraq.
Died: August 25, 2004
Charles Neeley signed up for the Army reserves before he even graduated from high school. "He wanted to go on to college," said his father, Charles Larrew. "He had signed up at Lake Land College and then he was called up in December and never had a chance to go. In February, he was shipped to Iraq." Neeley, 19, of Mattoon, Ill., died Aug. 25 in Tikrit, Iraq, when his tractor-trailer rolled over. He was assigned to a unit in Columbus, Ohio. Larrew said his son, known as Chuck, loved board games, paint ball and cars, so much so that he would spend hours at used car lots just looking at them. He joined the junior ROTC in high school and learned to play the saxophone so he could join the band. Friends at his high school signed two huge poster boards with...