Under the Flag – SGT Joseph Andrew “Drew” Rahaim

“Bound by duty, united in brotherhood, and never forgotten. We live to honor the legacy of those who gave everything.”

Army Veteran Phillip Evans Remembers Drew Rahaim: A Reminder to “Never Forget”

• https://www.ng.ms.gov/fallen-soldiers Sergeant
  Joseph A. Rahaim was deployed to Iraq with Detachment 1, Company A, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment on February 16, 2005, when the roadway beneath his M-998 HMMWV (Humvee) collapsed while conducting combat operations. The Humvee rolled over, resulting in his death.
• https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2015/04/11/camp-shelby-honors-soldiers/25658245/ Four barracks in the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center Operational Readiness Training Complex were dedicated Saturday to soldiers who died overseas in the line of duty. Building 3235 was dedicated to Sgt. Audrey D. Lunsford of Sardis; Building 3236 to Capt. Lowell T. Miller of Flint Township, Michigan; Building 3335 to Sgt. Joseph A. Rahaim of Laurel; and Building 3336 to Sgt. 1st Class Christopher L. Robinson of Brandon. Each building will bear a plaque with the soldier’s picture and a brief inscription. “When we (joined military service), we made a promise,” said Maj. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, adjutant general of Mississippi. “We raised our hands, signed our names, and promised that we would never allow this country to fall victim (to our enemies), and that we would do everything in our power to prevent that from happening. “So what do you call people who are like that? Well, I’ll tell you what you call them: You call them heroes. And today we are honored to recognize these four men.” Lunsford, Miller and Rahaim were killed in action in Iraq in 2005, while Robinson was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2006. “This occasion is especially close to my heart because I had the honor of serving with (Capt.) Miller, Sgt. Lunsford and Sgt. Rahaim while we were deployed to Iraq … in 2004-2005,” said Col. Gregory Scott Michel, who on Saturday assumed control of Camp Shelby. “All four of these men served with honor and dignity, and we honor them here today.” The barracks were constructed with federal funds at a cost of $42 million and will house two battalion-size units, or approximately 1,300 soldiers. They are designed to consolidate soldiers into one central complex, which is a new Army requirement for training installations and mobilization centers. Each building is self-contained and features 336 beds, showers, restrooms, elevators and laundry facilities. “There is no greater honor than to swear an allegiance to the American people and to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our loved ones at home,” said Congressman Steven Palazzo, R-Miss. “We as a nation owe it to our soldiers and Guardsmen to provide the best equipment, the best training and the best facilities we can.”
• https://www.wdam.com/story/2989251/funerals-set-for-2-iraq-casualties/ Funeral services for two Mississippi National Guard soldiers who died in Iraq have been scheduled for this week. Sgt. Timothy Osbey and Spc. Joseph Andrew “Drew” Rahaim died last week when their vehicle rolled over into a canal after a section of roadway collapsed, Guard officials said. Both soldiers were members of the 155th Brigade Combat Team, which is made up of 3,500 Mississippi soldiers and other troops from Vermont and Arkansas. Rahaim, 22, of Laurel was assigned to Detachment 1, Company A, 155th Infantry in Mendenhall. Rahaim had served three years with the Army before returning to Mississippi and signing on with the Guard. Rahaim’s family has described him as a dedicated soldier who loved his dog and spending time in the outdoors. Osbey, 29, of Magnolia was assigned to Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry in McComb. Osbey’s family has said the soldier “kept a smile on his face regardless of what was going on ” and had married shortly before leaving for Iraq. He was the father of a 9-year-old daughter. The deaths of Osbey and Rahaim bring to four the total number of soldiers in the 155th who have died this month. Spc. Robert Allen McNail died Feb. 11 in a vehicle accident and Sgt. 1st Class Sean Michael Cooley was killed Feb. 3, 2005 when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle. The 155th is conducting security and stability operations in the Babil, Karbala and Najaf provinces, unit officials have said. A total of eight Mississippi Guard soldiers have died serving in Iraq and 24 soldiers with Mississippi ties have given their lives overseas since the 9/11 attacks.
• https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/atlanta/name/joseph-rahaim-obituary?id=6885998
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13851320/joseph_andrew-rahaim/flower
• By Ed Shearer Associated Press SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Spc. Joseph Andrew “Drew” Rahaim, a Mississippi National Guardsman who died in a vehicle accident last week in Iraq, was awarded the Bronze Star and the Mississippi Medal of Valor posthumously during his funeral on Thursday. Maj. Gen. Harold Cross, adjutant of Mississippi, presented the citations and medals he called “two of our nation’s highest awards” during the service at Wages Snellville Chapel, with about 200 people in attendance. A lone bagpiper began the service, marching into the chapel playing “Dixie” and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and ended the 50-minute service playing “Amazing Grace” as military pallbearers escorted the flag-draped coffin to the hearse for a 120-mile drive to Rahaim’s final resting place, the Fort Benning National Cemetery. Rahaim and Sgt. Timothy Osbey were killed last week when their vehicle rolled over into a canal when the roadway they were driving on collapsed, Mississippi Guard officials said. The 22-year-old was known as a storyteller, frequently entertaining family and friends with humorous tales and adventuresome events. His fellow soldiers in his unit in Iraq will believe their “guardian angel will be tied up listening to some of Drew’s tall tales,” said the Rev. Jeff McCammon of the First Baptist Church in Lithonia. McCammon, Rahaim’s cousin, said if he were around “I’m sure he would have some one-liners for us right now.” He said the family thought Drew would find a place for himself in the Army. Instead, McCammon said, “It was a place for the world to find Drew.” Rahaim, who formerly lived in Jackson, Miss., was on his mission to Iraq with the 155th Mechanized Infantry from Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss. He had attended Terry High School in Mississippi. In his eulogy, the Rev. Phil McMinn of the Brookwood Baptist Church in Lawrenceville said Rahaim was destined to be a soldier from childhood. “His GI Joe was never far away, and Ken and Barbie had to deal with that,” McMinn said.
• https://bootcampaign.org/memorial-bracelets-keep-bravery-valiant-efforts-fallen-comrades-top-mind-homeland-may-17/#:~:text=It%20is%20his%20first%20military,day%20with%20a%20memorial%20bracelet.
• https://freedomquilts.org/heroes-honored/joseph-rahaim/#:~:text=Freedom%20Quilts%20Heroes,Forward%20Operating%20Base%20Iskandariyah%2C%20Iraq
• https://www.congress.gov/115/crec/2017/02/15/CREC-2017-02-15-pt1-PgE198-3.pdf
• https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2005/pdf/SC/SC0571SG.pdf#:~:text=Specialist%20Joseph%20Andrew%20%22Drew%22%20Rahaim,the%20Legislature%20to%20his%20family