Carrie L French Fundraiser

Caldwell Veterans Organizations Memorialize a Local Fallen Hero
Caldwell Veterans groups recently commissioned a project to dedicate a statue to honor the first
female Army casualty of the Global War on Terrorism. To honor Corporal (CPL) Carrie L.
French, the Carrie L. French, Chapter 1, Disabled American Veterans and the Loren M. Trotter
American Legion Post #35 are committed to purchasing and installing a life-size bronze likeness of
CPL Carrie French in full battle dress, standing in an upright posture. The statue will be placed at
the Caldwell Veterans’ Memorial Hall. The statue pedestal will bear a granite plaque with her
name and credentials. Three sides of the statue pedestal are dedicated to the names of significant
contributors to this project.

The estimated cost of procuring and installing the statue is $100,000. In April, fundraising
efforts raised the $23,000 necessary to sign a contract with a statue company in Utah. The
Caldwell Veterans Council is accepting donations at the Caldwell Veterans Memorial Hall at
1101 Cleveland Blvd. Caldwell, ID 83605, https://www.cvmh-vets.org/, (QR code) or PO Box
1535 Caldwell, ID 83606.

Carrie Lee French, soon after graduating from Caldwell High School in 2004, attended Army
Basic Training and Ammunition Specialist training before being deployed to Forward Operating
Base Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, where she celebrated her nineteenth birthday.

Carrie French was the first US Army female casualty of the Global War on Terrorism. She was
assigned to the 145th Support Battalion -116th Brigade Combat Team in Kirkuk and participated
in a number of operations before succumbing to injuries resulting from an Improvised Explosive
Device detonation impacting the vehicle in which she was a passenger. She was returning from a
Combat Logistics Patrol at Forward Operating Base McHenry near Hawija, Iraq. She was
awarded nine awards during her service to include a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart. She
was posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal. She died on June 5 and was buried at
Canyon Hill Cemetery in Caldwell on June 15, 2005, only a year after graduating from Caldwell
High School.

Carrie, born in Caldwell, Idaho, on February 28, 1986, is survived by her father, Rick French, her
mother Paula Hylinski and her sisters Sarah Gillman and Mikala French.

Contact Terry Harrell, Caldwell Veterans Council Chairman, at (208)402-6590 or
caldwellveterans@gmail.com for additional information on this project.