[snopes]

Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star when he gave his life to save three buddies.

I've never been married, so it's only been Reggie and me for his whole life.

"See, my parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've left Tank with."

First of all, there's no listing for someone named "Paul Mallory" as having been killed in Iraq (or Afghanistan).

Second, it was a sobering task, but I meticulously went through the listings at http://www.homeofheroes.com/valor/08...T/01_main.html and looked up the obituaries of every single member from any of the four service branches who was listed as having posthumously received a Silver Star after being killed in Iraq. Every single one of them left behind some combination of parents, siblings, wives, fiancees, and children -- not one of them was unmarried with no living parents or siblings:

Thomas Joseph Barbieri II
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/tjbarbieri.htm

Shane Becker:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...611854,00.html

David Bernstein:
http://dsf.chesco.org/heroes/Bernstein/bernstein.htm

John Borbonus:
http://www.idahopress.com/articles/2...news/news5.txt

Jacob Butler:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/jun/05/iraq21

Alwyn Cashe:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/led...y&pid=15737118

Cornell Chao:
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2007/01/192547.php

Russell Collier:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/389583.html

Jerry Durbin:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/1496816.html

Justin Estes:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/2610357.html

Ray Fuhrmann:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/1052017.html

Jason Harkins:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/2749188.html

Jeffrey Kaylor:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jeffrey-kaylor.htm

John Marshall:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jwmarshall.htm

James Matteson:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...51C1A9629C8B63

Michael McLaughlin:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/1456380.html

Michael McMullen:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/mjmcmullen.htm

Harrison Meyer:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20041130082222636

Johnathon Millican:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/0...erstar_070705/

William Moore:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/new...y&pid=87713974

Andrew Perkins:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/2610388.html

Terry Prater:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kno...y&pid=86896439

Joseph Proctor:
http://www.ng.mil/features/silverstar/Proctor.aspx

Robert Pugh:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/PughRobertShane

Mark Resh:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/ReshMarkT

Benjamin Sebban:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/blsebban.htm

Wentz Shanaberger III:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/2004033008091796

Sean Sims:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20041118082848523

Michael Stack:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/mbstack.htm

Robert Stever:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/256645.html

Patrick Tanish:
http://bearcreekledger.com/2009/02/1...hero-02112009/

Michael Tarlavsky:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/mytarlavsky.htm

Jose Velez:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20041118082240925

Thomas E. Vitagliano:
http://www.courant.com/news/custom/n...,1534359.story

Donald Walters:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/2003040710550094

James Witkowski:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/1220880.html

Matthew Worrell:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6168675.html

Anthony Yost:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/YostAnthony

Marc Lee:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/2011760.html

Michael Monsoor:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,220757,00.html

Aaron Austin:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/257251.html

Michael Bitz:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20030327121336585

Jeffrey Bohr:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/256622.html

Dale Burger:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20041119080821680

Richard Gannon:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20040423081039870

Theodore Holder:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/news/i...er&listoffset=

Phillip Jordan:
http://www.courant.com/news/custom/n...,7702726.story

Jeffrey Kirk:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/the...ry&pid=2944844

John McKenna:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/McKennaJohnJ

Frederick Pokorney:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/fepokorney.htm

Patrick Rapicault
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/pmmrapicault.htm

Yadir Reynoso:
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20040810082513495

Sean Stokes:
http://www.auburnbuzz.com/content/view/332/67/

Riayan A. Tejeda
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/256646.html

David Wimberg:
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=3398359

Douglas Zembiec:
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/2758555.html