Person Page - 6833

     Deirdre Christina Smith was buried at Catlett Methodist Cemetery, 3202 Catlett School Road, Catlett, Fauquier Co., Virginia.^2,3 Her Social Security Number was 228-02-8336.⁴ She was born on October 11, 1961 at Warrenton, Fauquier Co., Virginia.^{1,6,2,3,4,7,5} As of December 23, 1985,her married name was Lester.¹ She married Michael Timothy Lester, son of Alexander Lee "Alex" Lester and Delma Lee Bell, on December 23, 1985 at Bristerburg, Fauquier Co., Virginia.^1,6 Deirdre Christina Smith and Michael Timothy Lester were divorced on January 11, 1989 at Newport News, Virginia.⁶ Deirdre Christina Smith died on December 28, 1991 at Charlottesville, Virginia, at age 30.^2,3

     His Social Security Number was 231-43-0226.⁵ Kenneth Bartlett Gibson was buried at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, 2880 North Franklin Street, Christiansburg, Montgomery Co., Virginia.^6,7 He A Schofield Barracks soldier was killed in an explosion Sunday in Iraq, the Pentagon said yesterday. Sgt. Kenneth B. Gibson, 25, of Christiansburg, Va., died of wounds suffered in Tarmiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during a foot patrol, the Pentagon said. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Gibson, who was a member of Hawaii’s Stryker brigade, joined the Army in March 2002 and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in August 2002, officials in Hawaii said. A person who answered the phone at the family’s home in Virginia requested privacy. Multi-National Force-Iraq, a U.S. command in the country, said a U.S. soldier and four Iraqis were killed, and others were wounded, during a “complex attack” Sunday in the largely Sunni Arab town of Tarmiyah, about 15 miles north of Baghdad. The attack occurred about 2 p.m. Iraq time. After an initial improvised explosive device detonated, a team of soldiers was sent to investigate, the U.S. command said. Shortly after the team arrived, a suicide attack occurred and was followed by small-arms fire. The attacks also wounded two U.S. soldiers, 15 Iraqi civilians, three Iraqi policemen and three members of the “Sons of Iraq,” Sunni Arabs working with U.S. forces to maintain security. Witnesses and police said the bombers were a group of men disguised as members of the Awakening, another name for the Sons of Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reported. The men entered the house ostensibly to search it, but planted bombs. After the first blast, Iraqi and U.S. forces arrived, the Times said. The suicide bomber mingled with the crowd and detonated explosives worn in a vest. The police initially said the bomber was a woman but later reported that there was no confirmation of that, the newspaper said. The use of female suicide bombers is on the rise in Iraq. A female suicide bomber detonated explosives yesterday in Old Baqubah to the east of Tarmiyah, killing one Iraqi police officer, and injuring nine other police and four civilians. “The use of female suicide bombers is an example of the desperate and indiscriminate actions that al-Qaida in Iraq inflicts on the innocent Iraqi people,” said Maj. Jon Pendell, a 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment spokesman. More than 4,000 soldiers with the Hawaii-based Stryker brigade are serving a 15-month deployment in northern Baghdad and the region north of there. The soldiers left Hawaii in November and December. Eleven Hawaii-based soldiers have been killed in Iraq since then.⁸ He was born on August 1, 1983 at Blacksburg, Virginia.^6,7,2,4,5 He married Nikki Marie Davis, daughter of Richard Allen Davis and Lesa Gail Smith, on December 23, 2002 at Montgomery Co., Virginia.^1,7 Kenneth Bartlett Gibson died on August 10, 2008 at Balad, Iraq, at age 25.^6,7,8,2,3,5 He Sgt. Kenneth B. Gibson, nicknamed Kenny by all and Gibby by friends, 25, of Christiansburg, Va., died Sunday, August 10, 2008, after his unit responded to attacks in Iraq. Kenny was born August 1, 1983, in Blacksburg, Va. He was the only son of Robert and Athena Gibson. On December 23, 2002, Kenny married the love of his life, Nikki Gibson, formerly Davis. Kenny was a graduate of Christiansburg High School (2001), after which he joined the United States Army in March of 2002. He was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and that is where he resided for the past six years. Kenny was known for his outstanding personality. He truly cared for anyone he came in contact with. Whether you knew him for five minutes or from his birth, you couldn't resist his charm. Kenny is survived by his wife, Nikki Gibson, of Christiansburg, Va., and Waipahu, Hawaii; parents, Robert and Athena Gibson, of Christiansburg; paternal grandparents, Robert and Nadine Gibson, of Pfafftown, N.C; sister and brother-in-law, Jessica and Jayson Sage, and their son Isreal Sage, of Christiansburg; a very special aunt, Jody Gibson, of Wytheville; uncle and aunt, Gordon and Lou Gillie; also his mother-in-law and fatherin-law, Lesa and Rodney Smith, of Blacksburg; and last but not least, his very best friend, Jason Pettus, of Christiansburg. Kenny was predeceased by his maternal grandparents, Kennison and Barbara Gillie. Interment will follow in the Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Christiansburg. on August 21, 2008.⁷