ALLEN REMEMBERED AT PALMDALE HIGH.Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer PALMDALE -- Slain Army Sgt. John E. Allen of Palmdale High School's Class of 1999 was remembered Friday at his alma mater as a kid who loved life. In a ceremony held at the school's flagpole, the school choir that Allen had sung with performed, and a memorial plaque was presented to his parents. "I think it's wonderful that they did this for John and us," said Allen's mother, Kellie Allen, after the event. "It's a very special day." Other family members present were Allen's father, Richard; his twin sister, Amanda Braxton; and his wife, Aspen, his high school sweetheart whom he married in July. Allen also has a younger brother Wiki is aware of the following uses of "'Younger Brother":
"This is what John would have wanted. He loved to be the center of attention," said Braxton, who now lives in Redlands. "We were total opposites. I'm serious. He loved life too much." Allen, 25, and three other soldiers died when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle March 17. All four soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branched maneuver brigade, and its attached support and fire units. , 1st Cavalry Division, in Fort Bliss Fort Bliss, U.S. army post, 1,122,500 acres (454,300 hectares), W Tex., E of El Paso; est. 1849 and named for Col. William Bliss, Gen. Zachary Taylor's adjutant in the Mexican War. Originally strategically located near the only ice-free pass through the Rocky Mts. , Texas. A second plaque with Allen's name on it will eventually be mounted in the cafeteria next to an 8-by-4-foot stained-glass artwork made in the 1970s by students to honor 11 alumni who died in the Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. . "Today we ensure his name will be remembered by his alma mater and the community for all time," Principal Eric Riegert said. The school plaque has blank plates on it should others die serving their country. "We are hopeful the rest of the boxes won't be filled," Riegert said. Choir director Michael McCullough said Allen was a member of the school singing ensemble. His favorite song was Anton Bruckner's "Ave Maria Ave Maria (ä`vā märē`ä) [Lat.,=hail, Mary], prayer to the Virgin Mary universal among Roman Catholics, also called the Ave, the Hail Mary, and the Angelic Salutation. ." Before leading the choir in a song about freedom and peace, McCullough said, "John always felt he could do what it took to get a job done. He felt it would always get better." Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford also spoke, urging residents to do all they can to support Allen's family. "As a community, we are here to say we share in your sorrow, hurt and loss, and we are here to show support and pay our regrets," Ledford said. Allen was a health care specialist who joined the Army in July 2005 and was doing his first tour in Iraq. Allen was buried at Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery, 420 acres (170 hectares), N Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.; est. 1864. More than 60,000 American war dead, as well as notables including Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, Gen. John J. , eight plots away from where his grandfather, an Army master sergeant with whom Allen shares his name, is buried. Allen's parents recalled their son as a daredevil who loved the outdoors, a musician who taught himself to play the piano and an artist whose work graces the walls of their home. Allen went into the Navy right after high school and served from 1999 to 2003; he enlisted in the Army in 2005. Allen's military awards and decorations include a Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. This commendation is awarded by the Secretary to any ship, aircraft, detachment, or other unit of the United States Navy Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Created in 1953, the National Defense Service Medal was intended to be a “blanket campaign medal” awarded to any member , and a Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Army officials said. Allen and the other three soldiers Three Soldiers is a 1920[1] novel by the American writer and critic John Dos Passos. It is one of the key American war novels of the First World War, and remains a classic of the realist war novel genre. H.L. were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Bronze Star n. A U.S. military decoration awarded either for heroism or for meritorious achievement in ground combat. Noun 1. and the Purple Heart. karen.maeshiro@dailynews.com (661) 267-5744 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) SGT. JOHN E. ALLEN |
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