| Staff Sgt. Kristofer R. Ciraso United States Army KIA 7 December 2006, Iraq |
SIGN GUESTBOOK
Soldier from Bangor killed
By Dawn Gagnon
Monday, December 11, 2006 - Bangor Daily New
A 1999 Bangor High School graduate who was a member of the school’s
Junior ROTC program became the latest Iraq war casualty from Maine late
last week when he was killed by a roadside bomb.
Army Staff Sgt. James Kristofer Ciraso, 26, was killed Thursday while serving in Iraq,
the Department of Defense announced Sunday.
Ciraso, formerly of Bangor and Waltham, Mass., died from injuries he suffered
when an improvised explosive device exploded near his military vehicle in
Baghdad, according to media reports.
Ciraso was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, where he was leader of a
unit known as the Black Knights.
The unit recently had undergone special training in Military Operations in
Urbanized Training, or MOUT, according to a unit newsletter.
Ciraso was the second service member from Maine to be killed in less than a week.
Marine Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, 22, of Castle Hill was killed Wednesday in a firefight while manning a
machine gun on top of a building in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Ramadi has seen some of
the bloodiest street battles of the war.
The details of Ciraso’s death remained sketchy Sunday night. Attempts to contact members of his
family were unsuccessful.
A member of the Junior ROTC program for all four of his high school years in Bangor, Ciraso was
accepted into the Maine Army National Guard’s Company B 3rd Battalion while still a junior.
On Sunday, Col. Jackson Kurtzman, who was Ciraso’s Junior ROTC adviser, remembered the slain
soldier as a conscientious and capable cadet.
"He was conscientious and really interested in the military," Kurtzman said Sunday night when
contacted at home.
"He had a very positive attitude and earned merits every week. And he was a leader as far as
setting an example for his peers," he said. "He definitely had a propensity for military service."
In statements issued Sunday, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and 2nd District U.S. Rep.
Michael Michaud expressed sadness about Ciraso’s death.
"Kristofer Ciraso’s service to the United States will never be forgotten and his sacrifice in defense
of his nation forever remembered," Snowe said.
"We owe an unpayable debt of gratitude to the brave men and women in uniform like Staff Sergeant
Ciraso, whose courage is an inspiration to us all. My condolences and my prayers are with his
friends and family."
Said Collins: "My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of Staff Sgt. James Kristofer Ciraso. I
join the Bangor community in mourning his passing. His service to our nation was noble and
honorable, and I know that he will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers will be with those
who knew him."
In his statement, Michaud said: "I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of
Sgt. Ciraso. We honor his life and his ultimate sacrifice. Too many of our best and brightest have
given their lives in Iraq. My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones
and with our men and women still in harm’s way."
By Dawn Gagnon
Monday, December 11, 2006 - Bangor Daily New
A 1999 Bangor High School graduate who was a member of the school’s
Junior ROTC program became the latest Iraq war casualty from Maine late
last week when he was killed by a roadside bomb.
Army Staff Sgt. James Kristofer Ciraso, 26, was killed Thursday while serving in Iraq,
the Department of Defense announced Sunday.
Ciraso, formerly of Bangor and Waltham, Mass., died from injuries he suffered
when an improvised explosive device exploded near his military vehicle in
Baghdad, according to media reports.
Ciraso was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, where he was leader of a
unit known as the Black Knights.
The unit recently had undergone special training in Military Operations in
Urbanized Training, or MOUT, according to a unit newsletter.
Ciraso was the second service member from Maine to be killed in less than a week.
Marine Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, 22, of Castle Hill was killed Wednesday in a firefight while manning a
machine gun on top of a building in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Ramadi has seen some of
the bloodiest street battles of the war.
The details of Ciraso’s death remained sketchy Sunday night. Attempts to contact members of his
family were unsuccessful.
A member of the Junior ROTC program for all four of his high school years in Bangor, Ciraso was
accepted into the Maine Army National Guard’s Company B 3rd Battalion while still a junior.
On Sunday, Col. Jackson Kurtzman, who was Ciraso’s Junior ROTC adviser, remembered the slain
soldier as a conscientious and capable cadet.
"He was conscientious and really interested in the military," Kurtzman said Sunday night when
contacted at home.
"He had a very positive attitude and earned merits every week. And he was a leader as far as
setting an example for his peers," he said. "He definitely had a propensity for military service."
In statements issued Sunday, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and 2nd District U.S. Rep.
Michael Michaud expressed sadness about Ciraso’s death.
"Kristofer Ciraso’s service to the United States will never be forgotten and his sacrifice in defense
of his nation forever remembered," Snowe said.
"We owe an unpayable debt of gratitude to the brave men and women in uniform like Staff Sergeant
Ciraso, whose courage is an inspiration to us all. My condolences and my prayers are with his
friends and family."
Said Collins: "My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of Staff Sgt. James Kristofer Ciraso. I
join the Bangor community in mourning his passing. His service to our nation was noble and
honorable, and I know that he will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers will be with those
who knew him."
In his statement, Michaud said: "I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of
Sgt. Ciraso. We honor his life and his ultimate sacrifice. Too many of our best and brightest have
given their lives in Iraq. My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones
and with our men and women still in harm’s way."
| Tributes June 26, 2007 Kenneth Huggins In Honor Of Staff Sgt. James Kristofer Ciraso God Bless December 28 2006 From Lynn Gilbert I remember Kristofer always hanging out with Dave Powers and helping the junior class mates in JROTC. He will be missed by all members of JROTC. |