John Tully, father of fallen Green Beret Sgt. 1st Class Michael Tully, said it better than I ever could:
"I want to make sure that my son is remembered," he said. "These young boys and girls are giving their all for our country, for you and for me, and people shouldn’t forget that." (source)
Follow me below the fold to honor the lives of three heroes who died while serving their country:
Sgt 1st Class Michael J. Tully and Sgt. 1st Class Adrian M. Elizalde, who died August 23 in Baghdad of wounds from an IED, and Sgt. 1st Class David A. Heringes , who died August 24 near Tikrit, also from wounds from an IED.
Sgt. David A. Heringes will not be coming home as scheduled
From Tampa Bay Online:
David Heringes had served in Iraq for one year. He had been scheduled to return to the United States this month, but four months ago he learned his tour was extended until November
From the DoD:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class David A. Heringes, 36, of Tampa, Fla., died Aug. 24 near Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations in Bayji, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Pictures of Sgt. 1st Class Heringes can be seen here and here.
At the age of 20, after working as an auto mechanic, Sgt. David A. Heringes enlisted in the Army. He was making a career of the Army and planned to serve for at least 20 years. Assigned to the 82nd Airborne division in Fort Bragg, NC, Sgt. Heringes was happy to go wherever the Army sent him; it was a part of his job.
A paratrooper and Army mechanic, Sgt. Heringes had served six weeks in Afghanistan during elections, two years in South Korea, and had been serving in Iraq for one year.
Sgt. Heringes leaves behind his father, Ron Heringes, his mother Joyce Heringes, his sister, Melissa Rhone, his wife, Shannan Heringes, his 5-year-old son Logan and 9-year-old stepdaughter Cheyenne.
Heringes' family hopes he will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in a full military funeral service. It could take up to a month for the service to happen, Ronald Heringes said, because of a backlog of veteran and soldier funerals. The Army has an honor guard of Harley-Davidson riders whom the family hopes will escort the casket after it arrives in the United States.
"Our main concern was for our grandchildren" who live with their mother in Fayetteville, Ronald Heringes said. "Logan knows his dad is gone, but how do you explain death to a 5-year-old? He won't take off his little military fatigues."
Sgt. Heringes was well loved and well respected.
"[Heringes] represented everything good about our paratroopers," said Capt. Desmond Jack. "He always strived to be the best at everything he did."
...
"His willingness to serve his country and lead great soldiers is just two examples of the type of soldier Heringes was. [He] will be sorely missed by all those who had the honor of serving with him. His family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers," Jack said.
The unit will hold a memorial service in Iraq.
Sources here, here, and here.
Family and friends described both men Saturday as deeply patriotic and dedicated soldiers who worked hard to ear the Green Berets they wore. (source)
From the DoD:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Aug. 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Killed were:
Sgt. 1st Class Adrian M. Elizalde, 30, of North Bend, Ind.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Tully, 33, of Falls Creek, Penn.
Sgt. 1st Class Adrian M. Elizalde was from California, according to The Indy Channel.
I regret that there is not currently much information about Sgt. Elizalde was available at the time of this posting. What we do know comes from The News Tribune:
Elizalde, a Special Forces engineer, was assigned to Fort Lewis in March 2006. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, a family friend said.
Elizalde’s parents, Jorge and Teresa Elizalde, and sister, Rachel Elizalde, live in Renton. He also leaves behind a six-year-old daughter.
....
Elizalde was a "phenomenal wrestler" who joined the Army a decade ago and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, said a friend and fellow soldier who spoke for the family but asked that his name not be published.
"He was one of those guys where when it was time to work, he would work. And when it was time to cut up, he would cut up," the friend said. "He had a little girl, who is 6, and she and his family were pretty much everything to him."
Sgt. Elizalde was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Tully, an Army medic, deployed to Iraq only about six weeks ago, said his father, John "Jack" Tully of Falls Creek, Pa.
"We knew Michael was going to be a soldier all his life from the time he was little," John Tully said.
The young Michael Tully and his brother loved to stage battles in the Pennsylvania woods, often plucking leaves and branches off trees and bushes for camouflage.
...
Tully served four years in the [Marine] Corps as an underwater reconnaissance diver. About a year after his discharge, he "wanted another challenge in his life," so he joined the Army, John Tully said.
He was an infantryman in Company E, 313th Military Intelligence Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg before his selection for Special Forces training, the Army said.
We learn more about Sgt. Tully from The Post Gazette:
Sgt. Tully was on his second tour in Iraq, where he was serving as a combat medic. He had been in Iraq for about six weeks, his father said.
John Tully said his older son, Sgt. 1st Class John R. Tully, 36, is also serving in Iraq and will accompany his brother's body home.
Sgt. Michael Tully is survived by his father, John Tully, his mother, Dolores Newman of Glendale, Arizona, his brother, Sgt. 1st Class John R. Tully, and his 12-year-old son Slade, who lives in Florida.
More Than Numbers
Iraq Coalition Casualties lists 3728 American military casualties, including 1 whose names has not yet been released. That's not a number; it represents 3728 real people who had family, friends, hopes and dreams. They left the comfort and safety of their homes, the companionship of their loved ones, because they believed in service to their country. Forget for a moment the politics of the day, the politics of the Iraq occupation, and think of the grandparents, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends and others whose lives are forever changed.
For More Information:
The DoD news releases are here.
See also Honor the Fallen and Spread the Word: Iraq-Nam, as well as the Iraq Veterans Memorial for a moving look at how a few of their survivors remember them.
Please visit anysoldier.com, Operation Helmet, and/or Fisher House.
IGTNT, which stands for "I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by blue jersey mom, Chacounne, greenies, joyful, labwitchy, moneysmith, Monkeybiz, noweasels, roses, Sandy on Signal, sheddhead, silvercedes, sistwo, twilight falling, Wee Mama, and me, MsWings.
If you would like to help out with IGTNT -- even once a month -- please get in touch with silvercedes, Sandy on Signal, noweasels or monkeybiz.
In case you missed it yesterday
a beautiful three-part series, IGTNT: Flights of Angels, was published yesterday (Part 1 by Sandy on Signal, Part 2 by noweasels, and Part 3 by joyful)
I'll end this diary as I started it, with an important quote from John Tully (source):
There are boys out there dying, and girls dying, and they need to be supported wholeheartedly and not just because you feel it for the moment.