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‘Brothers in arms’ join Iraq dead
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The East Valley’s two latest war casualties were not only from the same city, but from the same Arizona Army National Guard unit.
Cpl. Jeremiah W. Robinson, 20, who was killed Wednesday, and Sgt. Howard "Paul" Allen, 31, both of Mesa, left for Iraq on the same day in March, and both were killed by roadside bombs only 10 days apart from one another.
The tragic deaths are a double blow to the soldiers of the 860th Military Police Company, based in Phoenix.
"Any loss is difficult. We are brothers in arms, so yes, it is tragic," said guard spokesman Capt. Paul Aguirre. "But it doesn’t deter the patriots over there serving in Iraq and the fulfilling of missions."
Robinson, son of Chandler police Sgt. Burt Robinson, was killed when an improvised explosive device blew up near his vehicle during convoy operations, the U.S. Department of Defense said Friday.
Allen died the same way Sept. 26.
In a prepared statement, Robinson’s family described the Skyline High School graduate as a "patriot who stood tall."
"He would want the country to support the troops and stand behind each soldier," the family wrote. "He would also want the world to know that he knew what he was getting into and did it so we could have freedom and walk safely through the streets."
Football fans at Friday’s game between Skyline and Mesa rival Mountain View High School honored Robinson with a moment of silence. Robinson’s younger brother Jake, a Skyline quarterback, played in the game.
Robinson was promoted to corporal posthumously. He is the 61st soldier with Arizona ties to die in the war on terrorism.
Last week in an online journal, Allen’s wife, Patience, wrote about the possibility of another Guardsman dying.
"I keep my promise to Paul. ‘Stay strong’ he said. So stay strong I shall . . . I ask that you continue to support and keep the 860th in your thoughts and prayers," she wrote.
"I’m strong now . . . but I can’t keep that promise if something happens to another one of them."
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