Baghdad bomb kills Maine soldier

By MARK PETERS, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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photo Joshua Humble, from the 2002 Camden Hills Regional High School yearbook.

MAINERS KILLED IN IRAQ WAR 2003 Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, grew up in Skowhegan, U.S. Marine Corps, died in a helicopter crash in Kuwait, March 21. Spc. Daniel Francis J. Cunningham, 33, Lewiston, U.S. Army, died when his vehicle crashed into a ravine under artillery fire, April 4. 1st Sgt. Christopher Coffin, 51, Kennebunk, 352nd Civil Affairs Command, U.S. Army Reserves, died after his Humvee ran into a ditch, July 1. 2004 Sgt. Jeremiah Holmes, 27, North Berwick, Army National Guard 744th Transportation Company of Hillsboro, N.H., died when his truck was hit by a bomb, March 29. Spc. Christopher D. Gelineau, 23, Portland, 133rd Engineer Battalion, Maine Army National Guard, died in an ambush on a military convoy in Mosul, April 20. Sgt. Lawrence Roukey, 33, Westbrook, 3rd Battalion, 304th Regiment Army Reserve, believed killed in an explosion at a Baghdad warehouse, April 26. Army Spc. Beau Ramsey Beaulieu, 20, Lisbon, 27th Main Support Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division, died of injuries from a mortar attack near Taji, May 24. Capt. Christopher S. Cash, 36, native of Old Orchard Beach before moving to North Carolina, North Carolina Army National Guard's 30th Heavy Separate Brigade, died June 24 in a small-arms attack in Baquba. Sgt. Lynn Robert Poulin Sr., 47, of Freedom, metal worker with 133rd Engineer Battalion, died in a suicide bombing at a military dining hall in Mosul, Dec. 21. Spc. Thomas John Dostie, 20, of Somerville, mechanic with 133rd Engineer Battalion, died in a suicide bombing at a military dining hall in Mosul, Dec. 21. 2005 Army 2nd Lt. Matthew Coutu, 23, a 2004 University of Maine graduate, died in small-arms attack while assigned to a military police unit in Baghdad, June 27. Army Spc. Joseph Alan Lucas, 23, a native of Bath before moving to Georgia, fatally wounded while serving with an armored squadron of the 3rd Infantry Division in Balad, about 40 miles north of Baghdad, Dec. 15. 2006 Army Spc. Joshua Humble, 21, Appleton, died in Baghdad when a roadside bomb detonated near his military vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Drum, N.Y., Feb. 26. - Compiled by staff researchers Susan Butler, Julia McCue and Beth Murphy To top of story

A soldier from Appleton died in Iraq this week when a bomb exploded near his military vehicle.

U.S. Army officials said Spc. Joshua Humble, 21, died Sunday during a security patrol in Baghdad. The bomb - commonly called an improvised explosive device - killed a second soldier and injured a third, according to a military press release.

Humble attended Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport from 1999 to 2002. He enlisted in the Army in Portland in January 2004.

Trained as a cavalry scout, Humble became a member of the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y., in May.

Three months later, his unit was deployed to Iraq to support military operations in the Baghdad area.

Humble's decorations include a Purple Heart and an Army Achievement Medal, according to the release.

More than a dozen soldiers with ties to Maine have died since the military invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Humble's death came during a time of heightened violence in Iraq. The bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra last week triggered a wave of reprisal attacks on Sunni mosques and clerics, pushing Iraq toward civil war.

Judy Ottmann, Humble's school counselor at Camden Hills, remembered him as a quiet student and a "gentle soul." He wasn't heavily involved in school but was a pleasant and intelligent teenager, she said.

Ottmann said Humble's older sister also attended Camden Hills. According to the military press release, Humble is survived by his father, Richard Shannon, and his mother, Vivian Shannon; a brother, Ben Truong; and a sister, Naomi Humble.

Humble's family in Appleton referred all questions to the Maine Army National Guard when contacted Wednesday.

The Guard informed the family of Humble's death soon after the explosion and is helping them during this difficult time, said Maj. Michael Backus, Guard spokesman.

The family asked the Guard not to release further information about Humble. No funeral arrangements were available, Backus said.

Also on Wednesday, the military reported the death of Spc. Clay Farr, 21, of Bakersfield, Calif., who died in the same explosion.

Members of Maine's congressional delegation expressed their condolences after learning of Humble's death.

"We cannot adequately ex- press our gratitude for his sacrifice and that of his family, but his courage will forever be remembered," U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said in a written statement.

U.S. Rep. Tom Allen said in a statement: "We all owe a tremendous debt to the men and women who have fought, suffered crippling wounds or given their lives in service to our nation. The greatest and most important step we can take to honor them is to redouble our efforts to disengage our forces from Iraq as swiftly and safely as possible."

- The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Staff Writer Mark Peters can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:

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