Spec. Yari Mokri

Hometown: Pflugerville, Texas, U.S.
Age: 26 years old
Died: December 6, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Unit: Army, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division
Incident: Killed when a makeshift bomb exploded near his vehicle while on patrol in Hawija.

Yari Mokri Yari Mokri, 26-year old Pflugerville resident, was killed in action in Hawijah, Iraq on Wednesday, December 6, 2006. He was born in Grenada Hills, California on June 11, 1980 to Mohammad and Donna Mokri and is the second of three children. His family moved to Austin in 1983, where Yari attended school in Austin ISD, and later in Pflugerville ISD. Yari graduated from Pflugerville High School in 1988, where he was a dedicated varsity soccer player, cross-country runner, and member of the German Club. Upon high school graduation, Yari attended Texas State University and graduated in May 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. One month later, he joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training. Yari chose counter-intelligence as his MOS and received advanced training in this field at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. In January 2006, he was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. He deployed in August and began an elite training program in Germany before arriving in Kirkuk Province, Iraq in September. Yari was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. One of Yari's life passions was the sport of soccer. He began playing as a small child, and never put the ball down. After high school, he joined the Austin Indoor Soccer League, where he played for several years. As an American Soldier in Iraq, Yari enjoyed playing soccer with Iraqi Soldiers. Yari told his family that his teammates in Iraq played barefoot, and that one day he planned to give his own shoes to one of them. In addition to his love for soccer, Yari had an appreciation for music of all kinds. He played the trumpet in the junior high band, and quickly developed an interest in a wide range of instruments, including guitar, drums, and keyboard. Yari filled up two bedrooms in his parent's home with his collection of musical instruments, and could frequently be heard strumming an electric guitar or drumming his trap set. Yari discovered early that he wanted to work in law enforcement, either at the local of federal level. He spent several years as an intern in the Austin Police Department Homicide Unit. This experience led him to pursue his career goals, and his decision to join the U.S. Army in its counter-intelligence division was the first step down this path. Yari was simply contagious. He had a positive attitude that rubbed off on others, even in the most trying of times. In Iraq, he recently told one of his commanders, "Sir, I hope you have a great day because it's a great day today." Yari's smile was the sunshine on a cloudy day. He was known for his humor and was never afraid to express himself through SNL cast impersonations and could carry on a conversation in movie quotes alone. Yari's loved ones include his wife Andrea, who he recently married in a private ceremony before his deployment, and her two children, Trey and Abby; his parents Mohammad and Donna; his brother and sister-in-law, Maziar and Christine along with his niece, Kaeli and nephew, Maziar; his sister, Desiree; his maternal grandparents, Franklin and Elisabeth Bowman of Carthage Missouri; his paternal grandmother, Zahra Mokri of Kermanshah, Iran; and a loving network of extended family and friends.

Published in the Austin American-Statesman on 12/13/2006.

For a complete listing of all soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, please visit this link: The Washington Post