Army Sgt. Peter C. Neesley
Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Peter C. Neesley, 28, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.

Sgt. Neesley was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Dec. 25, 2007 in Baghdad of an undetermined cause in a non-combat environment.

The Detroit News -- A 28-year-old soldier from Grosse Pointe Farms was killed on Christmas Day in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense said Wednesday.

Sgt. Peter C. Neesley died of an undetermined cause in a noncombat environment in Baghdad.

Neesley was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga.

The military is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, according to the statement.

A family member who answered the phone at Neesley's home Wednesday said the family was not commenting on the death for the media at this time.

He added that there was no information about a funeral.

Kim Gerlach, a teacher at Pere Gabriel Richard Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Farms, met Neesley briefly last month when the soldier came to the school to visit students.

"He talked about the good soldiers in Iraq were doing, helping and protecting children over there," she said.

"He showed us pictures of an old shopping mall he stayed at for a while."

The visit was arranged through Neesley's sister, who has a son who attends school at Richard, Gerlach said. The soldier met with 70 or more students.

Gerlach said she received a call Wednesday from a co-worker about Neesley's death.

"He's a very nice, honest person," the teacher said. "He came in while he was on a five-day leave and talked to us."

February 19, 2008
On Christmas Day, Sgt. Peter Neesley of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., died in his sleep in his Army barracks in Baghdad. During his tour in Iraq, Neesley had started taking care of two dogs, a stray Labrador mix and her pup.

He named them Mama and Boris and even built them a doghouse just outside the military base. When Neesley died, his family decided to adopt the dogs and bring them to the United States.

His sister, Carey Neesley, tells Melissa Block that bringing the dogs home was one of her brother's wishes.

"He had said to us in numerous phone calls and e-mails that his intentions when his tour was ended in July [were] to find a way to bring them home," she says. "I have them here now and hold them. They're giving us exactly what they gave to Peter."

Neesley says her brother, whose death is still under investigation, loved the brown-and-white pup, Boris, and his mother very much.

To bring them to Michigan, Neesley says her family started by reaching out for help through the local media.

"Through that, we got a phone call from Rich at the Best Friends Animal Society, and they're an animal rescue group in Utah, so they kind of spearheaded the whole thing for us," she says. "We also got a call from ... the vice president of Gryphon Airlines — this is the only private airline that is allowed to fly in and out of Baghdad — and he called us and volunteered the services of his plane to transport them in and out of Baghdad. And certainly none of it would have been possible either without the help of our local government officials."

Neesley says both Mama and Boris are "very sweet and very mild-mannered dogs," but Mama is used to having to protect her pup, as well as her food and territory.

"So we're just kind of trying to ease her into the fact that she's safe and sound here, and nobody's going to hurt them," Neesley says.

The dogs also have to adjust to the Michigan winter.

"They're not used to the cold and especially not the snow," Neesley says. "I have to carry the puppy out in the snow; he will not go. He goes to the bathroom right away and wants right back in the house.

"I think they'll adjust. You know, right now, their coats are very thin because of the weather in Baghdad. And I think, you know, [once] their coats get a little bit warmer and they get used to it, they'll be OK, but I think right now it's a shock."

Neesley says the family is thankful for all the help they got with the dogs.

"They're tremendous dogs, and we are so fortunate to have them and so grateful to everyone who played a part, down to the soldiers who were caring for them on the base, you know, making sure they were safe and fed until we could get them," she says.

The family still keeps in contact with those soldiers, Neesley says.

"There are two in particular ... who were very concerned about the dogs' welfare, and were very close to Peter, and we exchange e-mails," she says. "I think part of what we've learned from all of this is that there are so many good, kind people in this world. There really are."

AustonT wrote:This is SGT Wil Burnett, he was one of my troopers for nearly three years. He grew from an impetuous hardhead to a solid and dependable NCO that I could lean on without a second thought. His body came back from Iraq but his mind remained. He ended his own life in April 2010.

sebster wrote:When I was in the US I went to Arlington, to the National Mall, and to Gettysburg, and I was very impressed with the respect shown to your fallen soldiers.