John G. Doles
Profile
Age: 29
From: Claremore, Okla.
Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, Vicenza, Italy,
Incident: Army Staff Sgt. John G. Doles was killed Sep. 30 during patrol operations when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire in Shah Wali, Afghanistan.
Died: September 30, 2005
Town remembers slain soldier, faces down protesters
By Kelly Kurt
Associated Press
CHELSEA, Okla. — People who knew Army Staff Sgt. John Doles and many who didn’t took up U.S. flags Tuesday in his hometown to honor his sacrifice and defy an outside group that sought to turn the slain soldier’s funeral into a stage for its message of hate.
As Doles’ funeral procession rolled past the brick buildings of the small town where he grew up, men, women and children stood with tears in their eyes and hands on their hearts.
“Respect,” said 73-year-old Betty Benson, explaining why she waved a flag for the 29-year-old she never knew. “I think he deserves that.”
Doles died Sept. 30 in an ambush in southern Afghanistan. He was squad leader in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, where he lived with his wife, Heather, and their 12-year-old son and 9-year-old...