 Courtesy Talbert family |
Remember...DeForest Lee Talbert
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Who was DeForest L. Talbert? What a great hero he was! His sacrifice made this country a better place, so his sacrifice shouldn`t go unnoticed, and he is a very important person.
| He was in the military. His rank was a sergeant. The war he was in is called the Iraq War. His branch was the Army and his service number was No.72304. He was born on January 24, 1982, in Alexandria, Virginia. DeForest L. Talbert died on July 27, 2004, in Baladruc, Iraq. The reason why he died is that he absorbed the brunt of the explosive device and was instantly killed. |  Sgt. Talbert in Iraq |
His brother's and sisters' names are James Talbert, Tawanna Talbert, and Latasha Talbert. His mother's and father's names are Gloria Nesbitt and Benjamin Dickens. Also, his long-term girlfriend's name is Frances Hamilett. Then, DeForest L. Talbert`s son's name is called Deontae and he was just three years old when DeForest L. Talbert die. Isn`t it sad?
DeForest L. Talbert's hobbies were football, listening to music, and dancing. He also loved to impersonate Jim Carrey, who was his favorite actor, and he loved to watch the Dallas Cowboys football team. When he was small, he used to skip class and also talk back to his teacher, so he got sent to alternative school. He entered the alternative education program at T.C. Williams High School. He did so well that by senior year, he was a star running back on the football team, known to teammates and fans as "Touchdown Talbert." He also became a mentor to children from low-income families at a nearby preschool.
 Bridge named for Sgt. Talbert |
DeForest L. Talbert was a college student at West Virginia State University, where he majored in communications. The West Virginia Department of Highways named a bridge in Putnam County in his memory, bridge number 40-35-9.68 northbound and bridge number 40-35-9.86 southbound on Route 35 crossing over 5 and 20 Creek Road, 117 miles north of CR 19, the "U.S. Army SGT DeForest Lee Talbert Memorial Bridge." |
| Therefore, DeForest L. Talbert should be on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial; it's such a shame. If he were still alive I would really want meet him, but if he was still alive he would be thirty-five years old. It's sometimes a little weird because his sacrifice is so important. Why do some people not know his name or recognize him? Also, if not because of that explosive device, he would not be dead at this time and I would have met him. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, close to his hometown. |  Headstone for Sgt. Talbert in Arlington National Cemetery |
All photos courtesy Talbert family
Article prepared by Carl Zhu; researched also by: Madison LaMaster and Braylin Roberts, Mrs. Edwards' Fourth Grade Class, Chamberlain Elementary School
2017
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
West Virginia Military Casualities non-Veterans Memorial
