Family mourns Schofield soldier, 21

The specialist met his baby son weeks before he was killed

A 21-year-old Louisiana man who was among five Schofield Barracks soldiers killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb last week was able to meet his first child less than a month ago, his father said yesterday.

Spc. Joshua Madden of Sibley, La., was given a break from combat operations to spend a few days with family members and his 3-month-old son, Jaxon Levi, in mid-November, said Jerry Madden, 56.

"He was only a daddy for two weeks," he said in a telephone interview. "He was a true friend, a great son."

Just days after he returned to Iraq, Madden died with a group of four other soldiers Wednesday when a homemade bomb exploded by their Humvee in Hawijah, according to the Pentagon.

The other victims, all with the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, have been identified as Sgt. Jesse J.J. Castro, 22, of Chalan Pago, Guam; Spc. Jason I. Huffman, 32, of Conover, N.C.; Pfc. Travis C. Krege, 24, of Cheektowaga, N.Y.; and Spc. Yari Mokri, 26, of Pflugerville, Texas. It was the highest one-day loss for the 25th Infantry Division since it deployed to Iraq in 2004.

Madden, the youngest of four children, graduated in 2003 from Minden High School, where his interest for the military was apparent when he joined the Honor Guard. Jerry Madden and his wife, Cindy, who turns 55 today, tried to persuade their son to enroll in college, but Madden said he wanted to first serve his country so he could pursue a career as a respected lieutenant.

"There were members of my family, included myself, that were in the military," his father said. "He felt that he was obligated to serve, to do his part, then have a family and go on with his life."

Madden married 21-year-old Aimee Danielle "Dani" Madden on Oct. 5, 2005, before leaving for his second Iraq tour on Aug. 4. He was to return in August 2007. In the wake of his death, which marked the first Iraq casualty in Madden's hometown of some 15,000 people, the community has set up high school scholarships in his name and an educational fund for his son, his father said.

"We are not forcing all of this. It has just happened," Jerry Madden said of the outpouring of support. "There are people that are living today who are going to miss a fine fellow. He would've made a difference. "

Castro was a known mixed martial arts competitor in Guam, and recently became a father. His wife, Theresa, had given birth to their son two weeks ago. Testimonials from the couple's profile on the island's social networking Web site, PeoplefromGuam.com, describe Castro as a true family man.

Guam's Democratic delegate to Congress, Madeleine Bordallo, expressed her condolences to the family after learning of Castro's death.

"I pray every day for the safe return of our men and women who are deployed in harm's way for our freedom," Bordallo said. "God bless Jesse Castro and his family."

Krege, who graduated from Maryvale High School in 2000, had been in Iraq since August 2005. He is survived by his parents and a younger sister, said Krege's father, Michael.

"He was a happy-go-lucky guy," Michael Krege said about his son in a brief telephone interview yesterday.

Mokri graduated in 1998 from Pflugerville High School and joined the Army 18 months ago, KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas, reported. Huffman, who enlisted in the Army in 2003, served his first tour in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

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