Semper Fi. Tonight we honor a young Marine, who followed in his father's footsteps to serve his country. His father is Lt. General John Kelly, top Marine General in Iraq in 2008.
Since 2001, there have been 1371 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4427 American troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 9 killed in Operation New Dawn. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
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.
In Flanders Fields
by Lt. Col. John McRae, MD, (1872-1918)
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved,
and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
DoD Announces Marine Casualty.
2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly, 29, of Tallahassee, Fla., died Nov. 9 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
2nd Lt. Robert Kelly was on his third tour of duty. He enlisted in the Marines in 2003. He was commissioned in the Marine Corps in December of 2008.
After he graduated Florida State University, he joined the Marines and looked forward to a long military career. He was born at Bethesda Naval Hospital and spent his childhood years living on military bases. His father is Lt. General John Kelley, commander of the Marine Forces Reserves and Marine Forces North. His brother is also in the Marines.
Kelly's college friend, Matthew Roland, told the Tallahassee.com :
Growing up in a military family, he had a sense of duty,” said Matthew Rowland, who met Kelly in 2000 when they were freshmen at FSU. “I think he always knew he was going into the military. When we were in school, he studied a lot of military history — he was a big reader and a history buff.”
Rowland introduced Kelly to his cousin, and the two hit it off and eventually married. From the Tallahassee.com
He kept saying set us up — let’s go out on a double date,” Rowland recalled. “Eventually, we went out on a double date. And they did hit it off. They were pretty much inseparable.”
The two were married June 30, 2007 and moved to Oceanside, California.
From ABC News:
Robert Kelly, 29, was serving with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, which has seen 14 of its troops killed during its short five-to six-week combat deployment in Afghanistan. If its casualty rate continues at this pace, it will be the combat battalion with the highest number of casualties ever in the war in Afghanistan. The current top number is 27 killed during a 15-month span.
Kelly's awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Kelly is survived by his wife, Heather, parents, Lt. General John Kelley and Karen Kelly, and brother John.
Rest in Peace, 2nd Lt. Robert Kelly.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. 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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, racheltracks, csas, and me, Sandy on Signal.
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.