Army Sgt. Princess C. Samuels, 22, of Mitchellville, Md.; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Aug. 15 in Taji, Iraq, when the enemy attacked using indirect fire.
SHE LIVED UP TO HER NAME
Samuels, who had served in the U.S. Army since 2004, was a graduate of Charles Flowers High School in Springdale, where she served in the ROTC.
‘‘She was very unique,” said Victor Jones, Samuels’ husband of one year. ‘‘She was a great person with a big heart who everybody loved.”
The couple, who met in high school, married in April 2006.
Nicknamed ‘‘Noodle” because of her thin frame, Samuels joined the Army in 2004, following in Jones’ footsteps. She had been assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas, where she worked with the U.S. Border Patrol before being stationed in Iraq, her husband said. She later became an imagery specialist in military intelligence.
Off-duty, Samuels lived up to her first name. Friends and family said the 22-year-old sported a wardrobe full of pink clothing and had a pet poodle in Texas whose ears she dyed pink.
A Department of Defense statement reported that Samuels was killed by ‘‘indirect” enemy fire. Officials would not elaborate.
Former friends joined together online this week, where a group was formed on the social networking Web site Facebook.com to honor her memory.
‘‘What’s a prince, with no Princess Samuels?” was the title Jones chose for the group. He said friends have come together to support each other.
‘‘I know I miss her, but I am never going to forget about her,” Jones said this week. ‘‘I’ve lost her. But I have her at the same time, because she’ll always be with me.”
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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