Army Cpl. Sean R. Grilley, Age 24, of San Bernardino, Calif.; assigned to the 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed while attempting to negotiate with armed men who were congregating on a road near a mosque after curfew on Oct. 16, 2003 in Karbala, Iraq.
(www.militarycity.com)

* NOTE: Grilley had received his promotion to SGT on October 1, 2003, however, most news reports did not have that current information in the reports

 

Grilley, 24, of San Bernardino, Calif., was one of three MPs killed Oct. 16, 2003, after trying to negotiate with gunmen guarding the headquarters of a Shiite cleric after curfew in Karbala, Iraq. Grilley was a military police team leader with the 194th Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion.

Grilley started getting interested in police work while helping to rehabilitate buildings in a downtrodden neighborhood of San Bernardino, Calif. His father-in-law said he stood up to criminals on the streets, including a time when he was approached by would-be carjackers.

"We were trying to clean up the streets, and Sean was a part of that," Jeff Jacobson said. "He only lived in San Bernardino for a few months, but he really liked the idea of going after crime. That's when he began talking about federal police work, and the military was the easiest way to do that."

Grilley, joined the Army in 2001. He is survived by his wife, Lucy, who lives at Fort Campbell.