This is the hour of lead
Remembered if outlived,
As freezing persons recollect the snow--
First chill, then stupor, then the letting go.
-- From Emily Dickinson’s "After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes"
Tonight, we mark the passing of three more brave spirits: Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn.; Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley, 29, of Austell, Ga.; and Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, of Los Angeles, Calif. About two of them, we know very little. We do know that they were all loved, and that the hour of lead has begun for their families and friends.
Please join me in honoring these fallen service members, and offering condolences to all who mourn their loss.
This tribute was written by Sandy on Signal.
DoD Announces Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Cpl. Xhacob Latorre, 21, of Waterbury, Conn., died Dec. 8 of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Cpl. Xhacob Lattore was known for making everyone laugh. His mother told the Connecticut Post:
When he was 7, a restaurant owner promised him a job if he could keep a table of 10 laughing for an hour, she said. He did. He was too young to be hired, but he got a fist full of cash from the patrons who gave him a dollar for every joke that made them laugh.
"You could be sad. You could be crying," his mom said, "but he would look for the way to make you laugh."
Four months ago, Cpl. Lattore was injured by an IED in the Helmand region of Afghanistan. The blast killed his partner and seriously wounded Lattore. Both of his legs were amputated, but he still had his fighting spirit and was able to talk and eat.
He was making progress at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, until an infection occurred.
His Aunt, Carrie LaSalle, told the Post: the " infection set in, and his condition worsened, LaSalle said. When he was conscious, he screamed in pain".
He was awarded a Purple Heart on Monday, December 7th. He passed away on Tuesday, December 8.
He would have been 22 on Saturday, December 12th. Cpl. Lattore is survived by a wife, Frances, and and 18 month old son, Javier; his mother; brother, Daniel; and other family members. His brother, Daniel, who is also a Marine, accompanied his brother's body home to Connecticut on Sunday. The funeral was today with the Patriot Guard Riders accompanying the family.
His mother told the Republican-American
"He was so proud when he learned he was going to be a father," LaSalle said. "I remember when he found out, he was like a little child. When the baby came, he said he'd give his life for him, and he did."
My deepest condolences to the Lattore family. My heart goes out to his son, wife, mother and brother.
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Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley, 29, of Austell, Ga. and of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., "died Dec. 11 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident," which is under investigation, says the Department of Defense.
"He was a typical man in his 20s and he was my best friend who I could talk to about anything." -- His father, Roger Pauley (Source)
An Indiana family is in mourning tonight for their son, lost to a bullet. The incident is under investigation and right now, there are no answers. "It bothers me (knowing the death is still being investigated), but whether it's a suicide or an accidental discharge of a gun, my son is still gone," (his father, Roger) Pauley said.
Like any parent with a child serving overseas, Pauley worried about his son, an ambulance driver on his first deployment. According to The Star Press,
... although the family was supportive of Jaiciae's decision to enlist in the Army, they were concerned about the dangers of combat, wondering whether they would see their loved one again.
"I was a protective parent," Roger said. "I personally didn't want him to go, because I was worried about the outcome. But I was supportive."
Family members miss the man they knew as loyal and fun, a man who enjoyed having philosophical discussions and who was always there to help family and friends.
Nothing will bring Jaiciae back, but memories of him will go on forever.
There is little else available about Pfc. Pauley. Please think of his father tonight, and of all of the moments they shared together, now ended. My condolences go out to all who knew and loved this man.
Godspeed, Pfc. Jaiciae L. Pauley.
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Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello, 29, of Los Angeles, Calif. and of the 3rd Aviation Support Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas "died Dec. 10 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident," which is being investigated, says the Department of Defense.
Again, there is little information available about Pvt. Tello; one who loved him remembers him here.
According to the El Paso Times, he is survived by his wife, Jennifer N. Tello; sons, Joshua, Christian & Giovannie; daughter, Asiah; parents, Freddy Tello & Nancy Ordonez; brothers, Jose & Omar. A funeral mass will be held at St. Raphael's Catholic Church. He will be buried at Ft. Bliss National Cemetery.
The Patriot Guard will be on hand to escort his casket and honor his service. May their presence support and strengthen the Tello family.
Godspeed, Pvt. Jhanner A. Tello.
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You can help.
This list is from noweasels and I reprint it here with thanks to her and to you. Here's what you can do:
You can send a care package. Please consider brightening the day of a soldier with a care package.
You can write letters.
You can send a cup of organic coffee.
You can find other ways to give at anysoldier.com or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, please see Fisher House’s Hero Miles program.
You can help the left-behind animal companions of our troops. See how here.
And don’t forget them when they get home! Read welcomebackveterans.org to learn what you can do. Visit VoteVets and IAVA.
You can also participate in Netroots for the Troops. Here's how.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, twilight falling, joyful, roses, Chacounne, JeNoCo, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma and True Blue Majority. Timroff created the IGTNT logo.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.