Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Airman 1st Class Phillip Ovalle
I came across this photo of A1C Phillip Ovalle handing out candy in Iraq. It stood out because most photos of troops playing with kids are of Soldiers or Marines because they typically get to interact with the locals more often than the Airmen do.
Sadly, as I read further down the page I realized that this young Airman had been killed. No, he wasn't killed in Iraq, he was killed in Galveston Texas. Airman 1st Class Phillip Ovalle was shot and killed while on post-deployment leave from Iraq. According to authorities Ovalle's childhood friend, Lance Cpl. Michael Anthony Torres, accidentally shot him after he mishandled a weapon while showing it off. (Stories here and here)
I'm curious as to whether or not anyone is keeping tabs on how many Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have been killed after deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan. If the numbers are being tracked, what are the links? Is it alcohol, drugs, PTSD, gang violence, bad luck, etc? I know the Army started paying more attention to the psychological welfare of its troops returning home after the rash of spousel murders that took place at Fort Bragg back in 2002, but has anyone tracked non-marraige related deaths since then?
If the DoD could find a common link between most of these post-deployment deaths they might be able to better prepare or educate the troops about what to watch out for before they return home.
posted by El Capitan at 8:49 AM
31 Comments:
Allison said...
You bring up a very good point. It makes me wonder too.
It's really tragic that Airmen was killed due to negligence like that. His friend must feel horrible. What a sad story.
Patrick (gryph) said...
Here in Southern California it seems like I read a story of a Marine or other servicemember who recently served in Iraq getting killed in a car or motorcycle accident every few weeks.
The freeway's here are bad, but we don't have any IED's. Yet. So please, when you get home. Slow the Fuck Down!
said...
My brother was a loving, caring, person. This was not an accident in my opinion, Mike Torres was a Marine and he knew better. My family will get justice and he will pay for taking away something precious from us.The Air Force has been great to my family, but please don't say it was an accidental shooting the killer says that it was accidental but from what I saw it was no acciden;He tried to cover by saying my brother did it to himself which was impossible since the bullet entrance was in the back of my brothers head. You don't accidentally shoot somebody in the back of the head. Something needs to be done with these young boys go into the military and come out with major psychological problems, some can't handle it because they are weak like Mike and he will not get away with murder.
In loving memory of my courageous brother who served his country Phillip Oscar Ovalle-You will always be in our hearts
said...
What a tragic thing to happen to such a heroic young man, who put his life on the line in Iraq and to come home to such a tragedy to die. I pray that justice will prevail. It is so sad that Phillip's best friend, Mike's family did not see any of this coming. This could have been prevented, if people took a good look around to the one's they "LOVE." That is what is wrong with the people today, no one seems to give a damn anymore. Kids are born and put out in a world with more hate than love and they grow up to be angry young men and women.
"HELP THE YOUNG BEFORE THEY ARE TAKEN FROM YOU SO TRAGICALLY!"
ANGEL EYES
said...
phillip,, flew into houston,,, the day before,,, the evcuation,,,, for hurricane RITA,,,headin for galveston,, gulf coast area,,,so he was leavin the island ,,couldnt believe,,, he was comin home to this,, he travel for about 10 hrs,,on the bumper to bumper traffic,,,went to s.a. air base,, headed to laredo,, next day to stay with relatives,,im am so gratful,, i got to spend his last days with him,, i hadnt seen him about a yr,,,,it was like a vacation,,,,,i never forget,,, and when left laredo,,, that was the last time i saw him alive,,,, i miss him so much,,,such a sad lost,, he had big plans,,, was ready to some home ,,, start his life over again,,, we never know when ,,so love yur children ,,be there for them,,, thxs for comments,,, GOD BLESS ALL....
7:34 PM said...
phillip,, flew into houston,,, the day before,,, the evcuation,,,, for hurricane RITA,,,headin for galveston,, gulf coast area,,,so he was leavin the island ,,couldnt believe,,, he was comin home to this,, he travel for about 10 hrs,,on the bumper to bumper traffic,,,went to s.a. air base,, headed to laredo,, next day to stay with relatives,,im am so gratful,, i got to spend his last days with him,, i hadnt seen him about a yr,,,,it was like a vacation,,,,,i never forget,,, and when left laredo,,, that was the last time i saw him alive,,,, i miss him so much,,,such a sad lost,, he had big plans,,, was ready to some home ,,, start his life over again,,, we never know when ,,so love yur children ,,be there for them,,, thxs for comments,,, GOD BLESS ALL....
7:34 PM said...
THXS,,, EL CAPTIAN,,, FOR THE PHOTO...OF PHILLIP....
7:38 PM said...
I grew up with Phillip and his family. I miss him so much. It was A great tragic losing someone who was the sweetest person in the world. He would help anyone who needed it. He will be missed by all. Love you Phillip
2:02 PM said...
I was a great friend not only to Phillip but, also Mike. When i heard what happened i was more than shocked not only because Phillip was shot but, by who he was shot bye. To anybody else who dosent know either one of these guys they were best friends growing up i mean hanging out everyday after school or after football practice i mean not only in middle school but all the way to highschool and from there they graduated.Phillip went to the Airforce ,Mike went to the marines.Before you know it they both were down on leave from the millitary somehow at the same time from there Liquer took place with a gun.So dont drink and play with a weapon .Now 2 best friends gone one in jail and PHILLIP is nolonger with us. Are prayers are with you PHILLIP
4:30 PM said...
I am an ex airman..And I was Phllips girlfriend. We both joined the AF together. Tragically I just found out that he had passed. We had broken before this happened. I am so saddened by this news. Yet I feel like it was bound to happen. Especially, since Mike is a complete idiot. Everytime I was near him he was constantly trying to start trouble. From starting fights with random people to one instance downtown..we were leaving a night club. I was driving and we happened to pull up to a red light. He opened my passenger door and stole this poor homeless guys sign. I made him give it back to the guy but ultimately it this would never change who Mike is. Mike was screwed up before he joined the marines and possibly made him even worse. Maybe the military should further investigate these soldiers before they are taught how to load a guy or better yet protect us. Ironically, I left the Airforce I no longer would like to be associated with something of this nature. And to Phillips family I only pray that possibly others will learn from this and Mike who of all people was probably better equiped with a gun esp. since he was a supply clerk--the one who gives us our uniforms and guns should have known better.
5:51 PM El Capitan said...
Thanks to all who have been thinking of and remembering Phillip Ovalle. It's amazing how many hearts he touched in his lifetime, both at home and abroad.
Never forget.
said...
i am the mother of phillip and i miss him everyday. When he entered the AF he became a very responsible young man and i was very proud of him. I was terrified for six months while he was in Iraq. I never thought he would come home to die. When he walked down the aisle at the airport i had this overwhelming feeling to hug him and never let go. Now i will never have that chance again. I am not a vindictive person and if anyone new how close mike and phillip were it would be the parents. But the one problem i have is i have not had a sorry or some kind of explanation from mike or his family for what happened to my son. No matter what legal issues there are and remain i want mike to take responsibility for his actions and his negligence because he dishonors his and phillip's friendship. And if this is a psychological problem on mike's part i hope he gets help because these young men that are going to war are just babies, most of them haven't even lived to know what it means to have to kill for their country. Our government takes it for granted that these men come back and can function in normal everyday living without checking their psyche. They are crying for help and no one is listening.
7:20 PM said...
I served out in Iraq with Mike. I was actually his roomate. We were great friends and hed goof off from time to time, but he always knew when to get down to business. Im not trying to defend him because i dont know what happened that night, but this isnt something that someone should be blamed for. Although the loss was tragic indeed, we need to learn from our mistakes and make change. Hopefully peace comes to both families becausse they both suffer.
6:56 PM said...
i served with torres in iraq, he is a good marine and always will be, accidents happen.
2:26 AM said...
It's true accidents do happen but you,(especially someone who is trained to handle guns), don't accidently put your gun to the head of a friend (best friend)and you don't accidently pull the trigger. You don't go up to the mother of the victim and say sorry-accidents happen. A "good marine" should have known better. I watched his mother go through the worst pain any parent could ever go through. The pain of losing a child. My prayers are always with her and her family and pray that they get justice for the loss of Phillip.
11:34 PM said...
i met phil at the mall when i was in training for the army and he was in training for the airforce. he was such a great guy. i cared for him a lot. i spent the weekend before his graduation with him. then when he went to his duty station and volunteered to go to iraq right away i was really sad. when he was deployed he called me very often and i would be so excited everytime. i had no idea this happened until recently. we were emailig back and forth when he was in germany on his way home. he said for me to email him my new number and he would call me when his cell was turned on. he never called and i never knew why. i found this by searching for him on the internet. i cant believe it. michael torres should have known better. they were good friends. i didnt know him but i knew they hung out alot over there in north carolina. marines should know how to handle weapons more than anyone. my prayers are with phil and his family.
10:48 AM said...
it has been 10 mths since phil left us and there is not a day that goes by that I don;t think of this exceptional young man that was with us for too short a time. poppies will always be with us in our memories and in our heart this mr torres you will never be able to take from us. i have often been told that paybacks are hell...so when your day comes remember you only have yourself to blame
1:16 AM said...
I was fortunate enough to grow up with Poppies and know what a great person he was. When I found out about my little cousin I was shocked and just didn’t believe what happened. I was even more shocked the way I found out it happened and who did it. At first I would always think to myself what if my family and I could have evacuated to Laredo, what if I would have called him that night him and the two cowards in the car where with him WHAT IF? But, I know I cannot do this to myself and nor should anyone else. I know that Poppies is watching over all of us and he knows the truth. Justice will be served and to the person or persons who wrote about this just being an accident BULL SHIT! This poor excuse for a marine, son and now father is going to live with this for the rest of his life. Yes, this idiot is still walking the streets and even able to have kids something Poppies never had the chance to do. So again to the person that said accidents happen I suggest you never DRINK with MIKE TORRES and do not have any kind of weapons with you because accidents do happen. And to all of my family and Poppies friends stay strong and think about all the good times we had with Poppies. We are all very lucky to have known this young man. Justice will be served I do believe this is very true………
2:15 PM said...
Phillip Ovalle was an extraordinary young man and he would give u the shirt off his back if u needed it. U just don't know how his death has affected his family especially his mother. They say u lose the goods first and that was true about Phillip. He turned his life around only for it to be taken away. Pray for the Ovalle family it is coming on the first year of Phillip's death and his family is still suffering. All i can say about Michael Torres is that he made a horrible judgement that fatal night and he should admit his fault.
12:48 AM said...
Its been a year and i still miss Phillip because he was a special person. He will always be remembered,loved and appreciated for the time we had with him. I have his laugh and sense of humor stuck in my head that will stay with me forever.
5:25 AM said...
Well its been a year and so the family gathered together so that my sister would not feel so alone today. A page in todays paper illustrated the void and emptiness she feels since Poppies death. I am greatful that she has her other 2 children and her grandson to keep her focused. We will all need strength in the upcoming months with the trial coming up. The family will be tested and I can only hope that justice will prevail, because if not their will never be closure. Poppies always was considerate of the other person. I remember him telling me the last time I saw him that he had brought me back an elephant from Iraq but he had left it at the base but when he got back he would ship it to me...he is half way around the world and he remembers I like to collect them...this is how he was. Poppies I know you are watching over us and I want you to know we loved you then we love you now we will love you always.
LOVE TITA
Blogger said...
I had a whole page printed and I had to sign up for this blogger to post. (I don't know his middle name, his mom worked at UTMB?)Philip Ovalle and I were somewhat dating and really liked each other before he left the airforce. I went looking for him online googled his name in hopes of a myspace account of the sort to find and old friend and see how he's doing, ::sigh:: and I find this article... My heart sank..Maybe it's a different Philip Ovalle, But the Philip I knew was a few years younger than me, entered the airforce about 2 years ago, is dark like the pictures shown, and lived in Galveston. ::Sigh:: So more than likely this is my old dear friend. my searching ends here. He was a very handsome young man, very in shape, loved his mother dearly, loved his family, a true gentelman. The only guy that has ever doodled on a napking our names with hearts. :-) I thought that was a light memory of him, shows how much of a sweet heart he was. He got too attatched too fast and got scared and pushed himself away from me, i got mad and never heard from him again. He sent me an IM Flip Rip 03 once saying," i'm leaving for the ariforce soon" chatted some and he logged off. That was the end of that. I wish we would have still kept in touch. This is a shock to me. My condolences to his family. To his mom: If there is anything you ever need, a friend, and helping hand feel free to contact me at maritzarez@hotmail.com To Philip: you were a great man and had strong ambition, we will miss you, you will be remembered...
Sincerely,
Maritza
Blogger said...
What a week it has been for me, Phillip's Birthday is tomorrow. It has been very tough... I just found out, I wish I would have known, I wish we would have kept in touch.. My friend comforted me in saying that maybe I had too many things going on last year It would have affected you in a way.. maybe you weren't ready to know... Well she was right, this time last year I graduated with my associates and was thrown to the wolves in learning my trade in ultrasound in hearts and also quickly cross trained into vascular, and taking my registry tests... I'd like everyone who comes to this page to check out my myspace page... I dedicated it to Phillip... I will leave it up for a month or two. In memory of him. www.myspace.com/sexytexmex thank you Eliza for the support. Thanks to all you who left your memories of him. He was an awesome guy that i miss very much.
Maritza
said...
its been over a year and i miss phillip because he was a good guy. he had a great sense of humor and thats what made him unique. i know phillip knows how much we love him but sometimes it helps just to say it. we lost a special person but we have the memories in our heart. and for mike u have changed the lives of many and not for the better but god will keep them (his family) strong because phillip is up there making sure.
9:07 PM said...
Did that mike guy ever go to trial? what happened to him? did he get sentenced?
2:40 PM said...
I was with Phillip when this picture was taken in Iraq in 2005. I remember him on this trip very clearly. It's such a shame he lost his life...and my prayers go out to his family :(
3:10 AM said...
Date of comment: March 5 2010.
Mike got probation for his crime... the day i found out my brother was dead... i went looking for mike ready to kill that motha..fxxker..
but sadly couldn't find him lol.. lucky a$sHole.
said...
Saw a man fixing my car. Looked just like Philip, Crooked Smile same facial features. I just wished with all my heart it WAS him and i could give him a big hug and say, "hey how have you been buddy?" But I couldn't because it was not him. I've had very few friends pass, and it's hard. I miss him. I googled him wondering what happend to Mike. I see he only got probation. That's not Justice.
10:22 AM said...
Its not his bday or the anniversary of his death.Im just sittin at wrk missing & thinking of my cousin. Im missing him, I have my aunt & cousins on my mind. I want him home w/us, I want our lil ones 2 know what a great person he was. He was full of LOVE, he wasnt mean, he wasnt ugly, he was Phillip our Poopies!Thanks everyone 4 ur prayers & understanding!
"Its kinda hard w/you not around, tho your in heaven smiling down, watchin us while we pray for you, everyday we pray for you, till the day we meet again, in my heart is were I keep you friend/Phil!" I couldnt help it, this song brought my cousin 2 mind this morning.
said...
so it's about to be five years since Phillip left with God. I just searched Phillip's name and I came accross this website. I truly miss him so much he was such a good friend to me, such a wonderful person that guy. He passed the day of my birthday... what a gift huh?! I didn't get to hear from him which I usually did on my birthday he was always the first one to say something, and that year I remember being so upset with him because I haven't heard from him since the 27th(which was the last time i got to hang out with him and talk to him, hug him, and laugh like crazy). I remember that day every year like it was yesterday, I remember while we were at dinner him recieving that call from his friends waiting for him to go out and find Mike. I told him not go.... So I found out 2 days later what had happend at work just looking at the daily newspaper and I didn't know what to do with myself, I cried hysterically, I was rushed to the ER because I couldn't control my breathing... I loved him he was my best friend and always will be in my heart forever... I miss him so much but I know that he's in a better place watching down on his family. One thing that kept me relieved about him being gone was that the night after his funeral I had a beautiful dream with Phillip, I saw him wearing the same thing he wore the last time I saw him which were his khaki shorts and white collar polo shirt; he had this beautiful angelic light behind him and he was smiling with his cheezy smile, I was trying to reach to him but I couldn't. All he did was wave, at that time I woke up crying and I prayed and thanked God for having him with him. I love you Phillip.. *muah*
3:20 AM Keylime240 said...
I still miss Phil to this very day :(. We came back from deployment together and we had plans to hang out in Texas. I'm from CA but wanted to hang out with him in TX for a while before our "time off" was up. He left before me, because he drove, but we kept in touch while he was stuck in traffic. I bought a ticket to TX, got there, got a hotel, received a phone call from base saying that someone who just got back from deployment was shot and they asked if I knew who it was, replied "no," called Phil, left a voice message saying "someone got killed after coming back from deployment...it better not be you dumbass lol call me back, and then I get a phone call later on from our other good friend saying it was Phil. I still remember everything and wish I could turn back time. I wish I could of stopped it somehow. I miss his arrogance, out-going personality, kindness, and loveable personality. Wish I could still talk to you Phil
11:26 PM