Fil-Am soldier
is killed in Iraq

Another Filipino-American soldier was killed in Iraq when a homemade bomb exploded near a Humvee he was driving during a patrol in the town of Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, the Filipino Reporter has learned.

Army Specialist Deyson Ken “Dice” Cariaga, who would have turned 21 on July 28, was killed last July 8 as his team was returning to Logistical Support Area Anaconda.

The three passengers in the Humvee, all Air Force personnel were injured.

The 5’10 tall Fil-Am was the first member of the Hawaii Army National Guard killed in action in Iraq.

The National Guard posthumously promoted him to the rank of sergeant.

Cariaga, who belongs to the 29th Brigade Combat Team’s 229th Military Intelligence Company, was a member of a “tactical human intelligence team.”

The National Guard said Cariaga was working as part of Task Force 100-442 on an operation called “Cobra Strike,” which in the past had uncovered caches of weapons in the Balad area.

The task force involves members of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry — one of three combat brigades assigned to the 29th brigade.
Cariaga, single, is survived by his mother, Theresa Inouye, older brother, Lance Cariaga, and grandparents, who also helped raise him.

Cariaga’s mother works for the Honolulu Police Department, while his stepfather is a police officer.

The family issued a statement expressing gratitude for the concerns of many people and asking the public and the media to give them time to mourn privately.

“Our entire family is very grateful to our community and to all the people of Hawaii for their condolences,” the statement said. “Deyson was a good soldier and a wonderful son and brother. We are very proud of him and of his service to his country.”

“We know that Deyson touched many lives and was contributing to an important mission,” the family said. “However, this has been a difficult time for us and we still need time to heal.”

It was in October 2004 when Cariaga’s mother sent her son off to war. “I’m really, really proud of him, but real sad to see him having to go,” Theresa Inouye told reporters during a ceremony for departing soldiers.

Gov. Linda Lingle called Cariaga “an American hero fighting for his country.” She said his death has deeply affected many in the Islands. “But to the family of Spec. Cariaga, this is a tragic loss,” she said.

On patrols, Cariaga, who was a combat lifesaver, carried a heavier-than-normal pack with extra medical supplies like IVs in case soldiers needed them, and often treated Iraqi children who had cuts, scratches and blisters, colleagues said. He would also bring stuffed animals, pencils, coloring books and candies for Iraqi kids, they said.

Described by friends as a surfer “with an outgoing personality” and “infectious smile,” Cariaga was on Roosevelt High School’s (he graduated there in 2002) air rifle team and in the Junior ROTC program since his freshman year. 

Deyson revealed in an online diary the mixed emotions of a soldier in combat.

March 7, 2005, Deyson writes: “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I still miss Hawaii.”

April 20, 2005: “OK I’m tired. I think I can officially say that I am tired of playing army here in Iraq. It was fun and exciting at first, but now it’s boring and lonely.”

And his last, May 27, 2005, which starts: “What have I gotten myself into...”

“He did want to go, he wanted to support his country, and do his duty,” said close friend and Roosevelt classmate Kelly Tengan.

n Mother’s Day, Cariaga told readers to “make sure you tell all your mothers out there Happy Mother’s Day! If I could get to a phone right now, I would be telling my mom.”

Roadside bombs are the No. 1 killer of U.S. forces in Iraq.