I Got The News Today (IGTNT) is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos. It is a way for our community to pay respect to those who have died while in service to our nation.
PFC Michael A. Thomason
Military records indicate that Michael A. Thomason was from Lincoln Park, Michigan. Thomason had enlisted in the US Army in December of 2017 and he was promoted to the rank of private first class in December of 2018. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, which was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. He was sent overseas to Syria four months ago for his first deployment.
PFC Thomason died on April 29th in Kobani, Syria. Few details have been released since the incident is still under investigation, but it was described as a non-combat shooting.
His youngest sister, Amber Martinez, told WJBK-TV that her brother joined the Army so he could “help people” and to “protect people who can’t protect themselves.”
...Two days ago Martinez spoke to her brother for the last time.
"He seemed like he was happy," she said. "He was asking about my parents, my kids, his kids, how's everyone over here."
On Sunday night at about 10:35 p.m. she says the Army knocked on her parents' door informing them that Michael had been killed in what she describes as a non-combat shooting, but offered little else in terms of the details of his death.
Yesterday evening, the last day of April 2019, friends and family gathered in the neighborhood where Michael had grown up. According to a story in the Detroit News, they celebrated the life of the man they had loved.
In the southwest Detroit neighborhood where Pfc. Michael Thomason grew up, dozens of friends, relatives and supporters hoisted candles to the darkening sky Tuesday and shouted, "We love you Mikey!"
The vigil was a fitting tribute for the 28-year-old Lincoln Park soldier, who died a day earlier of wounds sustained in a noncombat incident in Syria, military officials said.
His sister, Amber Martinez, took comfort in the many mourners who braved chilly temperatures and heavy rain to honor his memory.
"It just shows how many lives he impacted," she said.
Thomason's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with 'C' (or Combat) Device, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal.
Nine Americans have died while serving in support of Inherent Resolve in Syria this year, which includes four combat deaths from a suicide bombing in northern Syria in January. In that incident, two service members, a Defense Department civilian and a contractor were killed.
About the IGTNT series
”I Got the News Today” is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each casualty has family and friends who received the terrible news that their loved one has died. US service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diarized two days or so after the official announcement on the DoD website.This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner. Click the #IGTNT tag to see previous diaries in the series,which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, Noweasels,Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True BlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Jax Dem, Ekaterin, SARBill & Joy of Fishes. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but show our community’s respect for those who have died.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.