It has been a very difficult few months for American and NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yesterday the Department of Defense announced the death of eight US servicemembers from Fort Carson in a remote outpost in Afghanistan. These men will be honored in tomorrow's IGTNT. Tonight we are here to remember two additional servicemen whose deaths were announced yesterday. Spc. Kevin Hill of New York lost his life in Afghanistan last Sunday, and Maj. Tad Hervas of Minnesota died in a non-combat incident in Iraq on Tuesday.
Please follow me below the fold to learn more about the lives of these two American heroes.
Yesterday the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
Spc. Kevin O. Hill, 23, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Oct. 4 at Contingency Outpost Dehanna, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and indirect fires. He was assigned to the 576th Mobility Augmentation Company, Fort Carson, Colo.
Although Spc. Hill was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, his parents moved to the Bushwick section of Brooklyn when he was five years old. Kevin Hill grew up in Brooklyn and graduated from John Dewey High School. He went on her earn his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Monroe College.
Spc. Hill comes from a military family. His father, Olsen, served in Desert Storm during the first Gulf War in 1991. Kevin Hill joined the Army in September of 2008. He was deployed to Iraq last February, and then his unit was relocated to Afghanistan in April.
Spc. Hill was one of our best and brightest:
Hill was quiet, enjoyed playing video games and visiting museums, his favorite being the Brooklyn Museum , his sister [Chineye] said.
"He was really determined and goal-focused," she said, adding that he had aspirations of moving up in the military.~source
His sister told CBS2 News that her favorite picture of Kevin was the one of him in his graduation cap and gown.
Spc. Hill was due home in February. He had planned to visit New Orleans and Jamaica after he returned home, and he had even asked his mother to fill out his passport application.
Kevin his is survived by his parents, Mahalia and Olsen Hill, and his sisters, Chinyere and Shantel.
Thank you, Spc. Hill, for your selfless service to our country.
*******************************************************
Yesterday, the Department of Defense also announced the following:
Maj. Tad T. Hervas, 48, of Coon Rapids, Minn., died Oct. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 34th Infantry Division, Rosemont, Minn.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Tad Hervas was a native of Wisconsin who graduated from Coon Rapids High School in Minnesota in 1979. He played footfall in high school, and, as the quarterback, led his team to the state tournament during his senior year. He went on to attend the University of Minnesota, Duluth, where he joined the Air Force ROTC. He entered in the Air Force right after college graduation.
During the first Gulf War in 1991, Maj. Hervas served as a navigator on the refueling tanker planes.
"On his birthday, January 16th, the war began and he was in the air all night refueling fighter jets and other planes," his father recalled. ~source
Maj. Hervas returned in civilian life in 1991. He decided to re-enlist after the 9/11 attacks and joined the National Guard. During his first tour of duty as a guardsman, he served with the Red Bulls (34th Infantry) in Baghdad.
Tad Hervas was re-deployed to Iraq last February. He served as a military intelligence officer.
He was stationed at the U.S. Command Center in Iraq, where he monitored patrols in the area.
"They'd patrol the area and talk to the locals, it was not a rich area, it was poor neighborhoods. They'd give them water and candy," Ned [his father] said about his son's time in Iraq. ~source
Tad's parents display a blue star in the window of their home.
"Good solider, good soldier and a fine person," Ned said about his son.
He and his wife will continue to display their Blue Star flag in their home, but the Blue Star will soon turn to gold to symbolize Tad's death.~source
Major Hervas is survived by his parents.
Thank you, Maj. Tad Hervas, for your willingness to serve your country both during the first Gulf War and after 9/11.
********************************************************
Spc. Kevin Hill and Maj. Tad Hervas were two of America's best and brightest. Their loss is a tragic loss for our entire nation. Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance. May we never forget the selfless sacrifices that these two men made for our country.
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, greenies, blue jersey mom, chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, MediaProf, rb137, and TrueBlueMajority.
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.