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Trooper killed in Iraq praised for valor

This is my tribute to a fallen South Orange  neighbor – May have met him as we walk and talk in our town, but none the less , it is sad to see a life lost like this. Here’s to you and we will say prayers for you and your family.

Greg Burrus

 

Thursday, June 26, 2008 -BY MICHAEL J. FEENEY AND JASON TSAI -STAFF WRITERS

A veteran state trooper from Essex County and an army captain from South Jersey were killed in separate attacks in Iraq this week, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Detective Sgt. Dwayne M. Kelley, 48, a 20-year state police veteran serving with the Army Reserves, was among nine people — and one of three Americans — killed in a bomb attack in an office building in Sadr City on Tuesday.

Capt. Gregory T. Dalessio, 30, of Cherry Hill died Monday in Baghdad from wounds he suffered in a gunbattle in Salman Pak, Iraq. Dalessio was assigned to the 2nd Batallion, 6th Infantry Regiment, based at Baumholder, Germany.

Few details were available about Dalessio on Wednesday night.

Kelly, of South Orange, was a major with the civil affairs unit of the Army Reserves.

He was a member of the counterterrorism bureau and was working to restore local government in Sadr City, a former Shiite militia stronghold, officials said.

“This was his third deployment to Iraq,” said Capt. Al Della Fave, a state police spokesman. “He was there to help reconstruct the government and help build the communities.”

News of Kelley’s and Dalessio’s deaths came the same day that members of a New Jersey National Guard Unit left the Teaneck Armory for Fort Bliss, Texas, where they will begin two months of desert training before leaving for Iraq in September.

Kelley is survived by a wife and two daughters. Relatives gathered at Kelley’s South Orange home on Wednesday afternoon. A state trooper posted at the apartment complex said family members did not want to comment.

Kelley, who became a trooper in 1988, served on the state police terrorism task force, Della Fave said. Kelley began his work overseas in November, the captain said.

Della Fave said Kelley was a “tremendous tool” in Iraq, most notably because he spoke Arabic.

A rabid basketball fan, Kelley often joked that he could have played for the New York Knicks, said neighbor Shan Atkinson, 62, who had known him the past four years.

Kelley’s grandparents were full-blooded Cherokee, Atkinson said, and she often made him traditional American Indian food. He also liked Arabic food, she said, noting that she’d made grape leaves for Kelley the last time she saw him.

Atkinson said that whenever she ran into Kelley in the laundry room of the complex, he would playfully ask, “What did you cook for me today?”

“He was very nice, very friendly, always smiling,” she said.

Kelley received a valor award for his work in Guantanamo Bay assisting the FBI terrorism task force by interviewing detainees, Della Fave said. Kelley was also commended for his work in the state police’s auto theft unit.

At least 25 service members have died this month, with eight deaths coming since Friday. May’s death tally of 19 was the lowest monthly toll of the Iraq conflict.

Sadr City is a stronghold of the Mahdi Army of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and has been plagued by power struggles between rival Shiite factions — some with close ties to the Shiite-led national government.

Internal Shiite rivalries may have been behind Tuesday’s blast inside the district council building in Sadr City. The bomb went off inside a councilman’s office ahead of an election to choose a new chairman of the council.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman suggested that Iraqi council members — and not the Americans — were the targets of the bombing.

“The presence of the American forces and embassy employees was by chance,” Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari said. “Chance played a role in the casualties among the Americans.”

American soldiers using trained dogs sifted through the wreckage of the office on Wednesday. A dozen people were detained for questioning, including 10 security guards.

Staff Writer William Lamb contributed to this article, which includes material from The Associated Press. E-mail: feeney@northjersey.com and tsai@northjersey.com

Respect, Reflect and Remember’

This was an awesome event sponsored by the South Orange Middle School – People came from all over to help the students of the South Orange, New Jersey  Middle school- SOMS respect, reflect and remember.  TechOSS as part of its SOMSNOW initiative volunteered to develop the internet marketing communications website graphic display and mini graphic movie .  As speakers saw themselves profiled on the website MLK Cultural Club.org word spread and more speakers agreed to speak. The kids were really moved by this awesome event. – gregory burrus TechOSS.com Website Development

Newsrecord of South Orange Maplewood – June 26 2008 Page 12

SOMS Students ‘Respect, Reflect and Remember’ By Jenna Nierstedt Staff Writer While many South Orange Mid­dle School students were still a twinkle in their fathers’ eyes, Euge­nie Mukeshimana was running for her life from Rwandan political officials who wanted her dead. In early April 1994, Mukeshi­mana was a 23- year- old wife and soon- to- be mother when a mass genocide erupted in her native Rwanda. Mukeshimana was forced to separate from her husband and go into hiding, squeezing herself underneath a neighbor’s bed, where she was barely able to move, eat or shower for an entire month. Mukeshimana lived to tell her story, visiting South Orange Middle School students June 19 for the school’s first “ Respect, Reflect and Remember” event, designed to share with students personal narra­tives of individuals who have over­come great challenges and obstacles in their lives.
“ This is the most amazing pro­gram our school and town have ever seen,” said sixth- grade language arts teacher Melissa Williams. “ It brought the whole school together, with everyone wearing the same T­shirts, and there was a presence. It was so quiet during the presenta­tions, you could hear a pin drop.” Led by eighth- grade science teacher Louis Cicenia, the program featured 60 individual visitors, many of whom were from the local area, speaking on topics ranging from discrimination and war to physical disabilities and traumatic life experiences.
“ What I wanted them to take away from it was the motivation to go out and do something, to change the way they act and feel and to understand that they do have the ability to make a difference,” Cice­nia said. Noting feedback from students the following day of school, Cice­nia said many seemed both unaware and shocked by life outside their South Orange and Maplewood bor­ders. “ I wish there was a way to make them understand how they really are the luckiest,” Mukeshimana said amid tears following one of her presentations. “ Their teachers, par­ents, priests, rabbis — they’re not going to talk about how hard other people’s lives are. So I will, to let the kids know how blessed they are. It’s my small contribution.” Having lost her husband, father and sister to the genocide, Mukeshi­mana wanted to illuminate the gift of family. She also stressed educa­tion as an important and special privilege. Speakers at the event included a Title IX advocate from Costa Rica, Sept. 11 survivors, a homosexual businessman, a TIME Magazine senior reporter from Washington, D. C., a Doctors Without Borders volunteer and a victim of gang vio­lence from Irvington. “ I learned that, no matter what situation you’re in, you can help others learn from your own experi­ences,” said eighth- grader Hayley Livingston. Cicenia, who was inspired to bring the program to South Orange Middle School after seeing it in Montvale, said student volunteers played a big role in coordinating the program, taking ownership of the fundraising aspect. The program, which cost about $ 15,000, was funded by parent and local business donations, as well as an October 2007 “ Run for Charac­ter” fundraiser. “ They stepped up to a level of responsibility I don’t remember having as a middle school student,” Williams said, noting students arrived at 6: 45 a. m. the day of the event to help prepare. Eighth- grader Sammi Greene, events chairperson for the school’s Martin Luther King Jr. Club that sponsored the program, said she was happy to see the day run smoothly. “ For a program this big, the logistics can be impossible, but it ran with minimal confusion,” she said. “ It’s like my little baby.” As a student of the diverse South Orange- Maplewood School Dis­trict, eighth- grader Amber Alston said she felt students could learn most from the talks by striving to break down stereotypes and bound­aries. “ The program is teaching us to understand the challenges people have overcome to get to where they are today,” she said. “ A lot of kids don’t realize how what they say can hurt others.” The idea for “ Respect, Reflect and Remember” developed out of a New Jersey program established by Vernon middle school teacher Ver­noy Paolini. The original program, “ Peace Day,” was started eight years ago to teach students the importance of tolerance. “ This is the first time I think that students have gone home and told their parents about a full day of school and couldn’t shut up about it,” Cicenia said.