Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality. ~Emily Dickinson
I Got the News Today (IGTNT) is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved oneI Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which began in April of 2004, is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos and provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
The beautiful forget-me-nots were created by llbear.
Since 2003 there have been 4486 US casualties in Iraq and since 2001 there have been 2259 US casualties in Afghanistan. Source.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died July 27, in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. They were assigned to the 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Killed were:
Sgt. Eric T. Lawson, 30, of Stockbridge, Ga., and
Spc. Caryn E. Nouv, 29, of Newport News, Va.
Sgt. Eric T. Lawson, 30, of Stockbridge, Ga. joined the Army in 2002 and received numerous awards during his decade of service as a cargo specialist. He was on his third deployment to Afghanistan.
Adding tragedy to an already tragic outcome, Sgt. Lawson's step daughter, a 13 year old recent runaway, may not know of his death.
The Sheriff's Office is asking for help to find a runaway girl who may not yet know that her stepfather, Sgt. Eric T. Lawson, was killed while serving in Afghanistan.
On Saturday, about 9:30 a.m. Le-Shanna M. Wortham ran away from her home in York County, according to a news release from the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office. A short time later, her mother was notified that her husband had died.
The Sheriff said in the news release that they are unsure the 13-year-old girl knows what happened to her stepfather. Le-Shanna's mother asked the Sheriff's Office to appeal to the public for help to find her daughter.
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Spc. Caryn E. Nouv, 29, of Newport News, Va. the mother of two young children, was killed July 27 in Afghanistan when enemy forces attacked her vehicle with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. Spc. Nouv joined the Army in 2009 and was on her first deployment to Afghanistan when she was killed. She served as a convoy escort drive.
Nouv grew up in Yorktown, graduating in 2002 from Tabb High School, where she played clarinet in the school band. She was the mother of two young children, according to a personal website. The site was decorated with photos of her smiling with her son and daughter.
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Grieving friends posted tributes on social media. One friend remarked: “She was very dear to me and we had tons of laughs … gone too soon … rest in peace mama.”
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It’s the second time in two months tragedy has struck the 359th Transportation Company, which deployed to Bagram Air Field in January. In June, Sgt. Justin R. Johnson, 25, was killed during a rocket attack on the air base.
The 359th has been serving as a convoy escort team – a dangerous job, often taking the soldiers outside the safety of the base.
Several soldiers from the unit replaced their Facebook profile pictures with smiling photos of their fallen comrades. Others posed emotional tributes.
“Words can’t even express the emotion that we’re going through!” Spc. Krag Bullis wrote Monday. He said he planned to buy a drink when the unit returns in September and toast the memory of his three friends. “Rest in Peace Sgt. Johnson, Sgt. Lawson and Spc. Nouv.”
Click here to read the series as begun by i dunno, and maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, Twilight Falling, Sis Two, Spam Nunn, CalNM, Wide Awake in KY,
maggiejean, Jaxdem, Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, and Ekaterin
If you would like to contribute to the series, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal or noweasels.
To see what these tributes mean to those who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, please read Sandy on Signal’s story about meeting the father of a soldier at NN10.
The IGTNT logo was created by Timroff.
Sgt Bowe R. Bergdahl
The only known current Prisoner of War is Sgt. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 26 who was captured by the Taliban in June of 2009. Five propaganda videos featuring Bergdahl have been released by the Taliban. A website has been established with the most up-to-date information on Sgt. Bergdahl.
Latest news report from June 20, 2013 Afghan Taliban offers to swap captive U.S. solider Bowe Bergdahl for 5 Guantanamo detainees.
Please keep good thoughts and prayers for Sgt. Bowe R. Bergdahl.
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.