4 isle soldiers killed

The Schofield men died Friday in Iraq in a roadside bombing that an Army official calls a "signature of al-Qaida"

Four 25th Infantry Division soldiers were killed Friday when their vehicle was ripped apart by a deeply planted roadside bomb in Iraq -- the Stryker Brigade's second fatal attack and the largest loss of life for Schofield Barracks since 10 died last year in a helicopter crash.

Lt. Col. Steven Stover said in an interview with Agence France-Presse: "It was a deeply buried (improvised explosive device). This is the signature of al-Qaida."

Killed on Friday in Taji were:

» Spc. Michael T. Manibog, 31, of Alameda, Calif.

» Sgt. Timothy P. Martin, 27, of Pixley, Calif.

» Staff Sgt. Jerald A. Whisenhunt, 32, of Orrick, Mo.

» Sgt. Gary D. Willett, 34, of Alamogordo, N.M.

Words of support were left on Manibog's MySpace Web page since Saturday. "Rest in peace, Mike," said a MySpace user identifying herself as Audrey. "No more fighting. No more chaos. No more war."

The Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in November and December with 4,000 soldiers and about 328 eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles.

The unit's first combat fatality was Spc. Jon Michael Schoolcraft III, 26, of Wapakoneta, Ohio, who died Jan. 19 when his Stryker vehicle struck a homemade bomb.

On Aug. 22, 2007, 10 Schofield Barracks soldiers were killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in northern Iraq.

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Four Hawaii-based soldiers died Friday after their Stryker vehicle was ripped apart in Taji, Iraq.

It was the second fatal attack involving soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade.

Friday's death toll was the largest loss of life for Schofield Barracks since 10 soldiers were killed in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash in northern Iraq on Aug. 22, 2007.

The soldiers killed Friday were from the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which began a 15-month Iraqi deployment on Jan. 15 at Camp Taji.

The Stryker Team deployed to Iraq in November and December with 4,000 soldiers and about 328 eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles.

The Stryker vehicle hit a roadside bomb Friday while on patrol near Taji, which is north of Baghdad, Lt. Col. Steven Stover said in an interview with Agence France-Presse.

"It was a deeply buried (improvised explosive device)," Stover told the news service. "This is the signature of al-Qaida."

The four who died are:

» Spc. Michael T. Manibog, 31, of Alameda, Calif., who was assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. He joined the Army in August 2005 and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in October 2006.

Words of support were left on Manibog's MySpace Web page since Saturday.

His profile listed him as a 1996 graduate of San Leandro High School.

"Rest in peace, Mike," said a MySpace user identifying herself as Audrey. "No more fighting. No more chaos. No more war."

» Sgt. Timothy P. Martin, 27, of Pixley, Calif., who was assigned to 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment. He joined the Army in April 2005 and was assigned to Schofield in March last year.

» Staff Sgt. Jerald A. Whisenhunt, 32, of Orrick, Mo., who was assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. He joined the Army in October 2000 and was assigned to Schofield in May last year.

» Sgt. Gary D. Willett, 34, of Alamogordo, N.M., who was assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. He joined the Army in February 1995 and was assigned to Schofield in October 2006.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye expressed condolences after the soldiers were identified.

"Although they were from the mainland, they were part of our island ohana, and we share the pain, sadness and grief of their family and friends," Inouye said.

"I salute these brave soldiers for their service and sacrifice in a dangerous place far from home. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid."

The Stryker Brigade's first combat fatality was Spc. Jon Michael Schoolcraft III, 26, of Wapakoneta, Ohio, who died Jan. 19 when his Stryker vehicle struck a homemade bomb.

He, too, was killed in Taji days after the brigade took over the area northwest of Baghdad.

Since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, 80 soldiers, four sailors, 80 Marines, two Air Force personnel and one civilian with Hawaii ties have been killed there.