David Nick Crombie – Private First Class, United States Army

NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense
No. 528-06 IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.  They died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on June 7, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations.  Both soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, Baumholder, Germany.

Killed were:

First Lieuenant Scott M. Love, 32, of Knoxville, Tennessee
Private First Class David N. Crombie, 19, of Winnemucca, Nevada

Another of Arizona's bravest has fallen victim in Iraq.

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David Crombie, 19, from Yuma, Arizona, died after a homemade bomb detonated near his convoy on Wednesday.

David, the 73rd soldier to die from Arizona was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee during combat operations on Wednesday, June 7, 2006, according to the Department of Defense web site.

The 19-year-old who was known to his friends and family as Nick was born in Yuma, Arizona.

His family said he joined the Army after attending Northern Arizona University.

Crombie's brother, Dan, said his brother was proud of serving in the U.S. Military.

“Everybody over there was worth saving. That's why he was there,” Dan Crombie said.

Crombie, a combat medic, had recently saved the life of an Iraqi soldier.

“He was going to bleed to death and Nick saved his life. The thing he was most proud of before he died was that,” Dan said.

Crombie and another soldier were killed. They were both assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment in Baumholder, Germany.

Dan said, “I think if he had a choice, he would choose to die over somebody else. That's the type of person he was.”

Friends and family say Crombie wrote home frequently.

Kim Youngs said, “I kind of expect him to walk through that door and put down his bag and say that he's home, but that's not going to happen.”

Dan said, “He was suddenly this great, great person that I idolize now. I'll never forget him. I was so proud of him.”

A memorial service is planned for Crombie in Yuma and he will be buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Yuma GI killed by bomb in Iraq

A 2004 Cibola High School graduate killed Wednesday in a bomb attack in Iraq was destined to be a soldier, according to his mother.

Private First Class David N. Crombie, 19, an Army combat medic, was killed along with another soldier when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Ar Ramadi, according to the Department of Defense.

“He was young. He was 19, but he was determined to live life to the fullest. And we take the stance that he did,” said Crombie's mother, Jennifer Laybourn, of Winnemucca, Nevada.

Crombie, who went by “Nick,” had lived in Yuma since he was 2 or 3 years old, according to his stepfather, Dennis Laybourn of Winnemucca.

After high school, Crombie spent a semester at Northern Arizona University and decided it was time to achieve a lifelong dream of being in the Army. He started basic training about a year ago at Fort Benning, Georgia, and then completed medic training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

Dennis Laybourn said his family saw him about six weeks ago, before he left for Germany to join the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Infantry Regiment, which is based in Baumholder. A month ago, he was shipped to Kuwait and soon after was sent into Iraq.

Jennifer Laybourn said her son was assigned to a task force that went into areas of Iraq where the danger of IED's was very high. During that time, Crombie sent a letter home to his mother explaining how he had saved the life of an Iraqi soldier who had been shot.

“He admitted he was scared, but it didn't stop him,” Jennifer Laybourn said.

Memorial services will be held in Yuma. No dates have been set.

Crombie will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Crombie's maternal grandparents, Lannes and Mary Brock, still live in Yuma. He has two brothers: Dan Crombie, 23, of Tucson, and Jason Laybourn, 13, of Winnemucca.


Blast kills Winnemucca soldier in Iraq

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A 19-year-old Winnemucca soldier was killed Wednesday in Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations, officials said Thursday.

Army Private First Class David N. Crombie, a 2004 graduate of Cibola High School in Yuma, Arizona, was a combat medic in the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, based in Baumholder, Germany.

Family members, notified Thursday, said Crombie had been deployed to Kuwait for about a month and was part of a convoy when he was killed.

Also killed in the explosion in Ar Ramadi was First Lieutenant Scott M. Love, 32, of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Crombie's stepfather, Dennis Laybourn, and mother Jennifer Laybourn, both of Winnemucca, said Crombie always wanted to join the military.

“He went for a short time to college at Northern Arizona University, but then he joined the Army after that,” Dennis Laybourn said. “It was just something he wanted to do. He always wanted to join the Army.”

He left June 15, 2005, for basic training.

Crombie, a drummer, studied music for one semester at NAU, played the snare drum in his high school marching band and formed several garage bands with friends during his teens.

“I don't know if he really knew what he wanted to do once this Army thing was over,” said Dennis Laybourn, who fought back tears as he talked.

An avid hunter since childhood, the soldier sent weekly letters to his mother and stepfather and communicated through e-mail.

Laybourn said Crombie moved to Winnemucca after graduating from high school and lived there for about six months.

The family is planning a memorial service in Yuma. The stepfather said Crombie will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Crombie is also survived by brothers Dan Crombie, 23, of Tucson, Arizona, and Jason Laybourn, 13, of Winnemucca.

He is the 34th Nevadan and the first from Winnemucca killed in the war on terrorism.


David Crombie, 19, from Yuma, died after a homemade bomb detonated near his convoy on Wednesday.

David, the 73rd soldier to die from Arizona was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee during combat operations on Wednesday, June 7th, according to the Department of Defense web site.

The 19-year-old who was known to his friends and family as Nick was born in Yuma.

His family said he joined the Army after attending Northern Arizona University.

Crombie's brother, Dan, said his brother was proud of serving in the U.S. Military.

“Everybody over there was worth saving. That's why he was there,” Dan Crombie said.

Crombie, a combat medic, had recently saved the life of an Iraqi soldier.

“He was going to bleed to death and Nick saved his life. The thing he was most proud of before he died was that,” Dan said.

Crombie and another soldier were killed. They were both assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment in Baumholder, Germany.

Dan said, “I think if he had a choice, he would choose to die over somebody else. That's the type of person he was.”

Friends and family say Crombie wrote home frequently.

Kim Youngs said, “I kind of expect him to walk through that door and put down his bag and say that he's home, but that's not going to happen.”

Dan said, “He was suddenly this great, great person that I idolize now. I'll never forget him. I was so proud of him.”

A memorial service is planned for Crombie in Yuma and he will be buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.


Yuman killed in Iraq honored with plaque at park

 

The most recent Yuman to be killed in combat in the Middle East took his place among more than 1,500 other veterans Friday morning at Armed Forces Park.

A plaque commemorating the service of Private First Class David Nicholas “Nick” Crombie, a combat medic in the U.S. Army, was installed with the help of his grandmother Mary Brock, of Yuma.

Crombie, a 2004 Cibola High School graduate, was killed along with another soldier June 7 when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near their Humvee during combat operations in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

“It was wonderful to see the plaque go up today because every time we come here, we'll have a smile for Nick,” Brock said. “And the community has been so supportive of Nick and the armed services that when we see that, it makes our pride even greater.”

State House Rep. Russ Jones (R-Yuma) presented Brock with a proclamation signed by Speaker of the House Jim Weiers honoring Crombie's contributions. Also, Crombie posthumously received an Americanism Award from the National Association of Medics and Corps- men.

Verne Chism of NAMC presented the award and read a poem written by a retired corpsman titled “I'm the One Called Doc.” Crombie be- came a medic after receiving training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

In Iraq, Crombie was attached to Task Force 1-35 Armor of the 1st Armor Division serving with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, according to the proclamation. His family said this task force was one of the first military units to go into many unsettled areas of Iraq in which the threat of IEDs was extremely high. Crombie's funeral was June 17 in Yuma, and he will be buried Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery.

“This way (being buried in Arlington) he'll always be remembered as a soldier, and this will help, too, because he's on the wall of veterans,” Brock said. “So we're very proud of him and we'd give the world if he could come back, but he did keep the world a little bit safer.”

Crombie's plaque is on the east-facing wall just south of the middle entrance. His plaque is close to others with Yuma ties who have been killed as as result of the current conflict, including Air Force Capt. Jeremy Fresques, Army Pfc. Joseph Knott and Marine Corps Master Sgt. Kenneth Hunt Jr.

Also Friday morning, Ken Rosevear, executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, made a presentation of two large checks that were received to help pay for the next phase of construction at the park. The Fleet Reserve Association donated $5,000, and the Rough Riders Motorcycle Club gave $2,500.

“I just got the estimates this morning, and we've got enough money to go ahead and order the materials to move forward,” Rosevear said. The next phase will add a flagpole and two more walls to hold plaques. These walls will face Gila Street.

There are 1,574 plaques in the park, said Art Nottingham, chairman of the chamber of commerce's Armed Forces Park Committee.

Crombie is the son of Jennifer Laybourn, of Winnemucca, Nev., and stepfather Dennis Laybourn, also of Winnemucca. He played the drums and hoped to become a high school music teacher after his military service, according to his family.

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A military honor guard carries the remains, and an American flag of Army Private First Class
David N.Crombie, 19, Winnemucca, Nevada, during funeral services at Arlington
National Cemetery June 27, 2006

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Brigadier General Belinda Pinckney, right, presents an American flag to Jennifer Laybourn,
mother of Army Private First David N. Crombie, 19, Winnemucca, Nevada, during funeral services at
Arlington National Cemetery Tuesday, June 27, 2006. Laybourn's husband Dennis is at center

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