PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ADAM D. FROEHLICH was killed in action while serving in Iraq on March 25, 2004.

Pine Hill soldier dies in roadside blast in Iraq

Adam Froehlich `loved his family, loved his country'

By JIM WALSH

A borough man who joined the Army in response to the 9/11 terror attacks has died in a roadside explosion in Iraq, military officials said Friday.

Pfc. Adam Froehlich, 21, arrived in Iraq about three weeks ago with a unit of the 1st Infantry Division, according to a family member.

"He was just a great person who loved his family, loved his country and believed in what he was fighting for," said Jeff Froehlich, the soldier's brother, as he stood outside the family's East 8th Street home on Friday night. Adam Froehlich, an easygoing man whose nickname was "Happy," died Thursday in Baqubah, part of Iraq's restive Sunni Triangle.

A statement from the Pentagon said one soldier died and two others were wounded in the central Iraq city when they went to the scene of an "improvised explosive device," or homemade bomb, found by the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.

"As the soldiers investigated, it exploded," the statement said.

Grieving friends and relatives filled the Froehlichs' home on Friday night. Occasionally, young people gathered outside the house, where they sobbed and embraced. Some wore T-shirts decorated with photographs of the soldier.

Jeff Froehlich said his brother enlisted in the Army two years ago after graduation from Overbrook High School in Pine Hill. He said Adam Froehlich had been deeply moved by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

"That was just really emotional for us," he said of the attacks. "My brother loved his country."

By JASON NARK

The body of a 21-year-old borough man killed in a roadside explosion in Iraq could be returned to the United States by the end of the week, a family member said Saturday.

Funeral arrangements for Pfc. Adam Froehlich, of the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, the 1st Infantry Division, have been tentatively scheduled for Friday or Saturday at St. Edward's Roman Catholic Church, said Froehlich's father, Stephen.

"He will be buried with full military honors," said Froehlich, who declined to comment further.

A representative from the Ora L. Wooster funeral home in Clementon confirmed that arrangements are pending.

The casualty assistance office at Fort Dix in Burlington County is working with the family, said Army spokeswoman Carolee Nisbet.

She said she does not know yet when the soldier's body will be returned to the United States.

Froehlich, a 2001 graduate of Overbrook Regional High School, joined the Army in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. He had been stationed in Bamberg, Germany, before arriving in Iraq only three weeks ago.

On Thursday at approximately 8:20 a.m., a roadside bomb killed the former high school wrestler while on patrol with his unit in Baqouba, part of Iraq's restive Sunni Triangle about 30 miles north of Baghdad.

A plaque for Froehlich has already been ordered and will be placed in the Veterans' Memorial Park in Pine Hill, less than a mile from the family's home, said Mayor Fred Costantino.

Costantino said the borough also will plant a tree in the park and awaits word from the family regarding any memorial service.

"When it happens, we will close the borough hall and allow all police officers to attend," he said.

On Saturday, a sign dedicated to Froehlich was spiked into the ground beneath a World War II monument

 Philadelphia Inquirer - March 28, 2004

Mourning Young Soldier's Death
Friends, family and strangers gathered to honor a Pine Hill man, 21.

By Toni Callas

PINE HILL - Here, in this Camden County working-class town where Boy Scouts sell hoagies on the roadside, children play on dirt sidewalks, and neighbors embrace one another for comfort and strength, U.S. Army Spec. Adam "Private Happy" Froehlich spent much of his young life.

It is the last place the upbeat 21-year-old called home. On Thursday morning, Froehlich was killed as he and two others inspected a homemade bomb that exploded in Baqubah, Iraq, about 30 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Froehlich, a 2001 Overbrook High School graduate, enlisted in August 2002. Stationed at the Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany, with the First Battalion, Sixth Field Artillery, Froehlich had been in Iraq only three weeks when he died.

He was the 13th soldier from New Jersey to die during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As of Friday, nearly 600 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq a year ago, according to the Department of Defense.

Yesterday, two days after an Army chaplain delivered the news to Froehlich's parents' East Eighth Avenue home, the doorway of their red, bi-level house filled with friends, neighbors and even strangers who came to give their condolences.

Firefighters dressed in formal uniforms from the Pine Hill Fire Department arrived in a fire truck. They brought a food tray and flowers to the Froehlichs' doorstep.

"We didn't know him," Fire Capt. John Zuggi said. "But we wanted to do something because he was a resident of the town. It's the first time we've had to do this."

Rich and Debbie Redrow live across the street from the Froehlichs. Their children used to play together and were very close.

"I'm so, so sorry," Rich Redrow sobbed as he tightly embraced Adam's father, Stephen Froehlich, as they stood in the doorway.

"I know. Thank you. It's all right," Froehlich said, staring ahead, his voice and tears caught in the curve of Redrow's shuddering shoulder.

Stephen Froehlich said he was "dead against" his son's joining the armed forces because he feared losing his youngest child. Adam had two brothers and a sister.

Even so, he never believed that his fears would come true. So once Adam enlisted, his father and his mother, Rosemarie, supported him. Besides, Stephen Froehlich said, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he couldn't stop him.

"My son wanted to be a soldier," Froehlich said, his eyes tearing. "He loved this country, supported the war. I support the war, too."

About a week before his death, Froehlich said, he spoke to his son, who seemed to be adjusting to the environment. He spoke of home and when he would get to see his family - "maybe Labor Day," he had speculated, his father said.

"We just thought he would come back," Froehlich said.

Adam Froehlich thought he would return to New Jersey someday, too. After his four-year tour, he planned to go to college, then teach physical education and history. Very physically active - wrestling in high school and often playing basketball - Adam was a fan of the Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Peter Warrick, and Allen Iverson (a jersey hangs on his bedroom wall), his father said.

Funeral arrangement were not yet complete, nor were plans for the community to say goodbye to the slain soldier. Mayor Fred Costantino said yesterday that he and members of the American Legion want to plant a tree and place a bronze plaque in Veterans Park for Froehlich, alongside other veterans. Costantino added that flags on municipal buildings and schools would remain at half-staff for 30 days.

As for the Froehlich family, members say they are heartbroken by the loss. But pride in their son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin will fuel them.

"We will go on," Stephen Froehlich said. "We'll go on."

FROEHLICH, ADAM D.
Suddenly on March 25, 2004, Specialist Adam M. Froehlich of Pine Hill, age 21 yrs. Funeral arrangements will be finalized at a future date. Arr. by the ORA L. WOOSTER FUNERAL HOME, 51 Park Blvd, Clementon.

FROEHLICH, ADAM D.
Suddenly on March 25, 2004. Specialist Adam D. Froehlich of Pine Hill, NJ, age 21.
Beloved son of Stephen and Rosemarie (nee Dalrymple) Froehlich of Pine Hill. Also survived by brothers Steve (Jaime) Froehlich of Erial, Jeff (Crystal) Froehlich of Williams-town, sister April Froehlich of Pine Hill, grandfather John Froehlich of Pine Hill, nephew Andrew Froehlich of Erial, many loving aunts, uncles, cousins & friends.
Adam was serving in the US Army with the 2nd Platoon, Charlie Battery, in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the visitation with the family on Friday evening 6-9 pm at the ORA L. WOOSTER FUNERAL HOME 51 Park Blvd. Clementon, NJ. On Saturday the family and friends will meet at 9:30 am at St. Edwards Church 500 Erial Rd. Pine Hill where the Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am. Interment Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Berlin. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial donations be made to American Legion Post #286 Erial Rd., Pine Hill, NJ 08021..

March 28, 2004

Overbrook High School students (from left) Laroya Kearse, Annelle Saberon, Katie Szmidt, Keirsten DeWitt and Nicole Lunceford wear red, white, and blue in honor of fallen former graduate Specialist Adam Froehilich. Froehlich was killed while serving in Iraq. He graduated in 2001.

By JASON NARK

Hundreds of American flags lined the streets here Saturday morning, a vivid contrast to the fat, gray clouds that lingered in the sky. Flags waved in the hands of toddlers and their tearful parents, while some remained still in the weathered hands of elderly veterans. One large, bright flag was draped over a wooden casket. A soldier had returned home for his last goodbye to 1,000 mourners and supporters who filled St. Edward's Church and lined the roadway in Pine Hill, Clementon, Lindenwold and Berlin Borough.

Army Spc. Adam Froehlich, 21, was killed and two other soldiers were injured on March 25 by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Baqouba, part of Iraq's restive Sunni Triangle about 30 miles north of Baghdad. He was the 600th U.S. soldier killed since May 1 in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Froehlich, a former varsity wrestler at Overbrook Regional High School, joined the Army in 2002 and had been in Iraq for three weeks before being killed. He was a member of the Army's 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Division out of Bamberg, Germany.

As the church quickly filled with family, friends and military personnel, many borough residents stood in the cold, damp air to honor Froehlich. "I didn't know him at all," said resident Bill Highland, 40, "but I will be out waving my flag when he comes by my house."

Lester Woeppel, 56, stood in a parking lot, using a cane to brace the legs he injured in Vietnam, where he served for 13 months. "He's a fellow brother," said Woeppel, who served in both the Army and the Marine Corps. "It hits home when it's a local soldier."

Several blocks up on Erial Road, about 50 people waited outside a small pub for Froehlich's hearse to pass. "We didn't know him personally, but we came out here to pay our respects to him and his family," said Tom Mangini, 56.

A Navy veteran and member of the borough's American Legion, Woody Harris handed out flags to those lining the streets. "It's our job as Legionnaires, as Americans, to remember this man and always honor him," said Harris, 71. "It's the least we can do."

Entire fire companies in Pine Hill and Clementon stood at attention, while on the White Horse Pike the monotony of fast-food stores and shopping centers was broken up by the red, white and blue. At the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Berlin Borough, nearly two dozen leather-clad members of the Rolling Thunder Veteran's club welcomed Froehlich's hearse with large flags. Hundreds of mourners formed a tight circle around the burial site as a bugler playing a mournful "Taps" was contrasted by the startling reminder of riflemen firing an honorary salute.

After a short prayer, a funeral detail made up of activated reservists at Fort Dix methodically folded the flag that adorned Froehlich's casket. As it was passed off in succession to higher-ranking soldiers, each folded the flag taut until finally it was placed in a wooden display case and given to Brig. Gen. Paul Izzo of the Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County.

"It's always hard to bury one of our soldiers," said Izzo, who said he has attended several military funerals recently. "When we lose a soldier, everyone hurts."

After sealing the display case, Izzo handed it to Froehlich's father, Stephen. In perhaps a culmination of the family's grief, Froehlich's mother, Rosemarie, let out a cry and buckled before Izzo's embrace helped her stand. As mourners laid flowers on the casket, Stephen Froehlich grasped the flag case close to his body, sobbing with his eyes closed.

April 4, 2004

Stephen Froehlich holds tight to the flag that draped his son's casket at Gate of Heaven Cemetery

Above: Stephen and Rosemarie Froehlich walk behind their son's flag draped casket as reservists carry it to the grave Saturday at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Mourners place flowers on the casket as others (above, right) hold flags and pictures of Army Specialist Adam Froehlich.

About 1,.000 people attended services at St. Edward's Church, and hundreds followed to the cemetery. Other neighbors lined the procession route to pay there respects

Right: A sign salutes Adam Froehlich, an Overbrook High School graduate who was killed in Iraq on March 25, 2004.