Las Vegas soldiers leave Korea for action in Iraq

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004 | 9:05 a.m.

At least five Las Vegas soldiers of 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army based in South Korea have deployed to Iraq.

Pvt. Calvin Gonzalez, Western High School class of 2003 and son of Eva Gaston; Pfc. Daniel Guastaferro, son of Carol Fabbri and Frank Guastaferro, both of Las Vegas; Sgt. Chad Parks, son of Debra Parks of Las Vegas; Cpl. Jorge Sanchez, Centennial High School class of 2001 and son of Rayo and Wayne Nash of Las Vegas; and Pfc. David Valdez, son of Teresa Williams of Las Vegas, are augmenting soldiers serving in country or replacing soldiers that have completed their tours of duty.

Commissaries offer scholarships

Applications are now available at the Nellis commissary and online for $1,500 academic scholarships for children of active-duty, Guard and Reserve servicemembers and retirees. The application window for the 2005 Scholarships for Military Children program closes Feb. 16. According to Defense Commissary Agency public affairs specialist Bonnie Powell, in an American Forces Press Service release, in five years the program has awarded more than $3 million through nearly 2,000 scholarships.

The goal is to give at least one scholarship at each commissary location, depending on the number of qualified applicants, officials said.

Eligibility requirements and other information is available at the program Web site at www.militaryscholar.org. Applications must include an essay on how the heightened awareness of terrorism has affected the student's life. Applicants must be planning to attend, or already be attending, an accredited college or university full-time in the fall term of 2005, or enrolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program.

In brief