In Honor of:

5 Fallen Blackwater Heros Military Bracelets

Ron Johnson, Arthur Laguna, Casey Casavant, Shane Stanfield, Steve Gernet
Ron "Cat Daddy" Johnson, Arthur "Art" Laguna, Casey "Rooster" Casavant,
Shane "War Baby" Stanfield, Steve "G-man" Gernet
Blackwater Solid Brass Tye Band " B/W Wings " Insignia / Logo ( shown left )
Blackwater White Porcelain / Enamel Tye TAG " Color " Insignia / Logo ( shown center )Blackwater Solid Brass Tye Band " Color " Insignia / Logo ( shown right )

Ron "Cat Daddy" Johnson
Arthur "Art" Laguna
Casey "Rooster" Casavant
Shane "War Baby" Stanfield
Steve "G-man" Gernet

All were Killed on the 23rd of January 2007 - Baghdad, Iraq

When ordering, simply put Blackwater in the description field and type
of metal ( silver aluminum, white enamel or Solid Brass.
Also please specify if you want a Tye Band or a Tye TAG.
To Order ... Click... HERE

To see The Art Laguna Tye Band memorial bracelet Click HERE

Arthur Laguna

(August 10 1954 - January 23 2007)

LAGUNA, ARTHUR, “Our Hero”, born to Daniel and Lydia in 1954. Died Jan. 23,
2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. Art died as he lived in service to his country while
protecting the life of another. He is survived by his wife Marybeth and
daughters Sheri, Tami, Sarah and Erin, 6 grandchildren, 3 brothers, 3
sisters, numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and countless
friends. Sacrmentto, CA

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Casey "Rooster" Casavant

36 Army SSG Army Ranger, Fort Lewis, Washington

Blackwater USA

The Shelton man was generous, big-hearted and always smiling, friends said Saturday at a memorial for Casavant, a civilian contractor killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq last month.

About 75 friends, many of whom met Casavant through his favorite pastime - penning - gathered Saturday at the Flying M Stables near Littlerock for a potluck.

"We're going to celebrate the cowboy in him," said Casavant's fiancee, Kim Wegner.

Casavant, 36, was employed by Blackwater USA, a private security firm that operates in Iraq. He was assigned to Baghdad to protect diplomats on the ground and in the air, Wegner said.

Casavant was one of four people who died when the helicopter they were in was shot down Jan. 23, she said.

Twenty-three Marines and soldiers have died in helicopter crashes in Iraq since Jan. 20, and most are thought to have been shot down. Casavant's death highlights the fact that contractors, like soldiers, encounter dangerous situations. Iraq Coalition Casualties reports that 154 contract workers have died since April 2003. Wegner, of Shelton, met her fiance through the Westside Team Penning Club, where Casavant had many friends. Penning is an equestrian sport that involves driving cattle into pens.

Wegner said the pair connected right away but didn't begin dating until he was out of the military in 2004. Casavant was an Army Ranger based out of Fort Lewis for six years; he had served in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2005, he approached Wagner and said he wanted to return to Iraq as a civilian contractor. She said he thought he could make a difference in Iraq.

"I told him if it was really what he believed he wanted to do, I would stand there beside him," she said.

At the memorial, several dozen members of the Patriot Guard - a national group of motorcycle riders and veterans who attend military funerals - lined the entrance to the stables, carrying U.S. flags.

Friends hugged Wegner and offered support. They gathered around a campfire, swapping stories about Casavant.

Casavant grew up participating in rodeos in Montana, where his family lives and where he was buried.

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Shane "War Baby" Stanfield

A Wyoming native who was among five people killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq while working for a North Carolina company was remembered at his funeral as a ``gentle soul.''

Shane Stanfield, 25, was an independent contractor for Blackwater USA, a private security agency based in Moyock, N.C., when he was killed Jan. 23. He took the job after serving four years in the Marines, including military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

``All of us were grateful for the time we spent with Shane,'' Stanfield's father, Mike Stanfield, said during the funeral service Monday in Cheyenne.

He recalled his son's sense of adventure and joked about his messy room. He talked about how Shane used to run around in Spiderman pajamas, shooting imaginary webs from his wrists.

Stanfield's wife, Cassidy, said her husband was her best friend.

``There wasn't anything that I couldn't tell him or that he couldn't tell me,'' she said. ``He brought out strength in me that I never thought was there,'' she said.

Charlene Lamb, with the State Department, said she'd spent the last week getting to know Stanfield from his friends in Iraq. ``He had a gentle soul,'' she said. ``Shane will not be forgotten, nor will his sacrifice to his country.''

Stanfield was given full military honors.

Stanfield and four other Blackwater consultants were killed as they attempted to protect a U.S. Embassy ground convoy that had come under heavy fire in a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad.

The helicopter apparently clipped some electrical wires before it crashed. It was not clear if the helicopter was shot down, or crashed because it hit the power lines during an evasive maneuver.

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Steve Gernet, 42, died Jan. 23 when the helicopter in which he was riding was fired on and crashed in central Baghdad as it provided air support for U.S. personnel on the ground, Gernet’s wife, Colleen Head, said.

The helicopter crashed after flying into electrical lines, but U.S. officials said it wasn’t clear if the helicopter was shot down or swooped into the lines while evading enemy fire. Blackwater USA said five of its employees died either from gunfire or the crash. Head said Gernet was among them.

Gernet had worked as a private contractor for Blackwater in Iraq for 1½ years, Head said.

Gernet, who retired from the Army after 20 years, was working in Iraq out of a sense of duty and patriotism, Head said.

“He had gained a lot of specialized skills in his work in the Army,” she

said. “His skills were more geared toward protecting people and defending people. “He was who he was and just so believed in what he was doing.”

Gernet was scheduled to return home Sunday, Head said. He typically worked for three months and then came home for a month, she said.

His last visit was in October, she said, but the couple talked on the phone every day.

Gernet and Head were married for four years. They met at a Halloween party. Gernet enjoyed the outdoors.

“He loved to hike and ski and camp,” Head said.

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