Remembering Newport County’s fallen on the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War
MIDDLETOWN – Twenty years ago, the United States conducted the first airstrikes of what would come to be known as Operation Iraqi Freedom. What started as shock and awe eventually gave way to a slogging occupation, and the prolonged US presence in Iraq took a heavy toll on Iraqi civilians and US servicemembers alike.
Brown University’s Costs of War project indicates around 200,000 Iraqi civilians perished in the conflict, along with over 45,000 Iraqi military and police personnel and 4,598 members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Three men from Newport County paid the ultimate price in service to the United States of America, but their names and the memory of their sacrifice will live on.
Sgt. Christopher S. Potts, US Army National Guard, age 38
Potts lived with his wife and two sons in Tiverton and had deep roots on Aquidneck Island. His father is from Portsmouth, and his mother hails from Middletown. He worked for years as a marine mechanic at New England Boatworks in Portsmouth before being deployed to Iraq, and served in the Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery of the Rhode Island National Guard for over 14 years. He died in a firefight on his 38th birthday.
His sacrifice is commemorated to this day with a sign at what has become known as Pottsy Field on West Main Road in Middletown. When Middletown’s Veterans War Memorial Committee raised the request to rename the local softball complex in memoriam for Potts, it also kickstarted the creation of the Middletown Veterans Memorial in Paradise Valley Park, which honors US veterans from all branches of service and was dedicated in November 2019.
Sgt. Michael R. Weidemann, US Army, age 23
Weidemann was born in Canada, but grew up in Newport. A 2001 graduate of Rogers High School, Weidemann was an honor student in the automotive technology program at the Newport Area Career and Technical Center and a member of the Rogers JROTC program. He enlisted in the Army the month after his high school graduation and was a member of the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, stationed in Giessen, Germany.
Some gave all:Honor those who served with a visit to war memorials across Newport County
Weidemann, who was the first Newport resident to lose his life in Iraq, received several posthumous medals including both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. In 2008, the city of Newport named a street after him; Sergeant Weidemann Lane is in Newport Heights, the neighborhood where he grew up.
Nathan J. Schuldheiss, US Air Force, age 27
Special Agent Nathan "Ned" Schuldheiss was a civilian counterintelligence specialist assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 204 at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Newport was his hometown, but he grew up in different places following his father’s postings as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. After graduating high school in New Mexico and completing his bachelor’s degree in Washington state, Schuldheiss returned to Rhode Island to study law before deciding to enlist.
The Iraq War:Looking back at the Iraq War 15 years later
In a 2007 speech on the floor of the US Congress, Rep. James Langevin said:
“Those that knew Special Agent Schuldheiss remember his sense of humor, his leadership, his loyalty, and his sense of adventure. Most importantly, he had a positive impact on those around him. His loss certainly causes us all to reflect on the bravery demonstrated by our men and women who carry out their obligations in the face of danger. When Special Agent Schuldheiss's Nation called him to duty to preserve freedom, liberty and security, he answered without hesitation. We will remember him as a patriot who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.”
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Iraq War 20th anniversary: Remembering those from Newport County
