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     APACHE — Services for Corporal Joshua J. Ware, 20, of Apache will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Comanche Community Center in Apache, with the Rev, Sharon Gomez, the Rev. Kim Mammedaty and the Rev. George Daingkau officiating

     A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25 the Comanche Community Center in Apache.

     Cpl. Ware was born on May 25, 1985 at the Lawton Indian Hospital and was killed in action Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005 during Operation Steel Curtain in Ubaydi, Iraq

     He was preceded in death by his ma­ternal grandparents, Erwin and Jessie Ware and Vicki Tate; his grandpas, Al­bert and Defford Oyebi; his grand­mother, Lutie Cody; his aunts, Tommie Lee Cody and Pearl Cody-Ruiz, and a brother, Lester Parker Jr.

     He was assigned to Battalion Land­ing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., and attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (For­ward). He was on his second "Tour of Duty" in Iraq at the time of his death. He attended school in Apache and graduated from Roland High School in eastern Oklahoma May 22, 2003. Cpl. Ware participated in football, baseball, track and the Future Farmers of Amer­ica while in high school. He was a member of the United Methodist Church of Apache.

     He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps five days after graduating from high school. He graduated from the 13 week recruit training "Boot Camp" at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. After "Boot Camp," he completed the US Marine Corps 8 week "School of Infantry" at Camp Pendleton. His initial assignment was

     with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. They were deployed to Iraq and ar­rived on March 1, 2004.

     Their Forward Operation Base was Camp Bahria. He and his fellow Marines participated in the second ma­jor Battle of Fallujah. It was during this battle that Cpl. Ware and five oth­er Marines graced the pages TIME magazine, dated April 19, 2004, with a photo called "Streets of Fire." He and his unit returned to Camp Pendleton on Oct. 2, 2004 after spending 216 days in Iraq.

     He was redeployed aboard the USS Cleveland July 10, 2005. Their train­ing stops were in Hawaii, Australia and Egypt prior to landing in Kuwait on/about Oct. 16. Cpl. Ware was based at Camp Fallujah shortly thereafter. A New York Times news release said the following about the action that oc­curred on Nov. 16th: "Five Marines were killed and 11 wounded on Nov. 16th in an ambush at a farmhouse while hunting for insurgents. Testimo­ny by survivors of the ambush indicat­ed that a squad had just entered a farm­house when an explosion occurred, possibly from a hand grenade or a homemade bomb planted by the rebels. The blast inflicted at least one casualty and as squad members struggled to ex­tract the fallen Marine, insurgents hid­ing in the house attacked them with small arms and a lot of grenades. The dead and wounded were recovered from the farmhouse and 16 rebels in the house and its vicinity were killed during the gun battle." Cpl. Ware died from small arms fire.

     His decorations, medals, badges, ci­tations and campaign ribbons include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; the National De­fense Service Medal; the Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with/2 Bronze Service Stars; the Purple Heart Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon w/1 Gold Service Star. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Achievement and Commendation Medals are pending approval by the Department of the Navy.

     Cpl. Ware was an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe and also of Co­manche descent. He is the ninth Kiowa and 12th Comanche service member to die as a direct result of combat. Both tribes last lost a tribal member in 1968 during the Vietnam War.

     He is survived by his parents, Randy and Alicia Mammedaty of Apache; three brothers, Dustin, Sky and Daniel, all of Apache; two sisters, Randi of Apache and Libby Parker of Oklahoma City; two step-brothers, Randy Mammedaty Jr. of Mountain View and Kevin Mammedaty of Oklahoma City; two step-sisters, Dawn Cheri Autaubo and Melanie Pahcoddy, both of Anadarko; his paternal grandparents, Patrick and Nancy Oyebi of Tahlequah; his grandpa, Fred Oyebi of Crow Agency, Mont.; his adopted brother, Joseph Calvaruvias; his adopted sister, Kara Koassechony, and a special niece, Kiya Ware.

     Burial will be in the Rainy Mountain Indian Cemetery, located southwest of Mountain View under the direction of the Comanche Nation Funeral Home of Lawton.

     The 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines, 4th Marine Division from the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Oklahoma City will provide full military honors.

     Honorary pallbearers will be his brothers, Dustin, Sky, Daniel and Joseph, his uncles Montey, Frank, Tommy and Ralph Mammedaty, Jerico and Michael Ware and Michael Pewo.

     The Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society, Comanche Indian Veterans Association and Auxiliary, Native America Marine Corps Veterans, Southwest Chapter of Vietnam. Veter­ans, Kiowa War Mothers, Carnegie Victory Club will present traditional honors.

     The Oklahoma City Highlander Bagpipe Band and the United Methodists Church Choir of Apache will provide music at the prayer ser­vice.

     Memorial contributions on behalf of Cpl. Ware can be sent to Shamrock Bank of Apache where a special fund has been set up.

     Written by Lanny Asepermy, Kiowa/Comanche, Sgt Maj (Retired) US Army and Vietnam War Veteran.

     A meal will be provided by the United Methodist Church of Apache after the funeral services at the Co­manche Community Center.

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