We had the autumn. We had an hour
of massacre and then the wintertime.
From The Massacre of the Innocents by Donald Revell (1992)
(Candelight Vigil at Fort Hood, Nov. 6, 2009 ~ US Army Photo)
We come together filled with sorrow for the thirteen Americans that we have lost; with gratitude for the lives that they led; and with a determination to honor them through the work we carry on. ~ President Barack Obama, November 10, 2009
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Grant Cahill (Ret.), Cameron, Texas
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Grant Cahill was a 62-year-old physician assistant. He commuted 60 miles from Cameron Texas to help treat soldiers returning from tours of duty or preparing for deployment. Cahill was born in Spokane, Washington. He had worked as a civilian contractor at Fort Hood for about four years. Although a civilian at the time, he had served in the National Guard. He was still recovering from a heart attack when he returned to the base after taking just one week off for recovery. Two weeks after that, his family heard of the tragedy at Fort Hood, and were calling every phone number they could think of for news. Late at night, a knock was heard at the door and they were told that Chahill was dead. He and his wife, Joleen, had been married 37 years. They had 3 children and 1 grandchild. More information about him can be found here and here. --SisTwo
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Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, Woodbridge, Virginia
Major L. Eduardo Caraveo, 52, was an Army psychologist from Woodbridge, Va. Maj. Caraveo, a native of Mexico, grew up selling newspapers to help support his family, and, after coming to the United States, speaking very little English, graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso and earned a graduate degree from the University of Arizona. He joined the Army Medical Corps of the Army Reserve ten years ago. After years running seminars in Virginia and throughout the United States for troubled couples, and counseling prison inmates, Major Caraveo arrived at Fort Hunt on Tuesday, November 4 on his way to Afghanistan to counsel soldiers suffering from combat stress. He was, one of his sons said, an inspiration: “He wanted us to get the message that nothing was impossible.” Major Caraveo is survived by his wife, by three sons (the youngest of whom is 3) and by two daughters. You can read more about Maj. Caraveo in The Washington Post. ~ noweasels
Thank you, Major Caraveo. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
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Army Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow, Plymouth, Indiana
“He was on a base,” his wife, MaryKay DeCrow, said in a telephone interview from the couple’s home at Fort Gordon, Ga. Evans, Ga., where she hoped to be reunited with her husband once he finished his work at Fort Hood. “They should be safe there. They should be safe.”
Mary Kay told the WSJ.com DeCrow joined the Army just months after getting married in 1996. “We enjoyed 14 years of a wonderful marriage,” said his wife, Marikay, adding that he loved his family. “His infectious charm and wit always put others at ease. He will be greatly missed.”DeCrow, a satellite communications operator-maintainer, his wife and their 13 year old daughter, Kylah, lived in Evans, Gs., northwest of Augusta. Mary Kay DeCrow told the Atlanta Journal Constitution His father, Daniel DeCrow, of Fulton, Ind., said he talked to his son last week. He said he carries in his heart pride for his son. “As usual, the last words out of my mouth to him were that I was proud of him," he told the AP. "That's what I said to him every time — that I loved him and I was proud of what he was doing.”
Deepest condolences to the DeCrow Family. --Sandy on Signal
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Capt. John Gaffaney, San Diego, California
Major John D. Gaffaney, 54, was born in Williston, N.D and earned nursing degrees in San Diego. He enlisted in the Navy in 1973 and served for five years. In 1984, missing military life, he joined the 40th Infantry Division of the California National Guard and eventually retired as a major in 1999. Major Gaffaney had already received his 20-year service award in the San Diego county government as a supervisor in a program that helps elderly people through abuse and mental health crises, but, having trained as a psychiatric nurse, he longed to return to active duty in the National Guard. After a three-year battle, the Guard relented. Major Gaffaney reported to Fort Hood on November 1. Major Gaffaney is survived by his wife and son. You can read more about Major Gaffaney in The Washington Post Washington Post
and in the San Diego Union-Tribune.--noweasels
Thank you, Major Gaffaney. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
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Spc. Frederick Greene, Mountain City, Tennessee
Specialist Frederick Greene was a native of Tennessee. Greene's mother died when he was young, and he was raised by his aunt and uncle, Karen and Rob Nourse. The 29-year-old enlisted in the Army six months after getting married, not quite 2 years ago. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion. It was said that he was so quiet and calm that he earned the nickname "Silent Soldier" at Fort Hood where he was preparing to go overseas. He had hoped to spend the time before his deployment to Afghanistan with his wife. She was leaving their home in Mountain City next week to move to Fort Hood until January, when Greene was to ship out. Greene's family released a statement Sunday calling him a loving son, husband, and father who often acted as the family's protector:
"Even before joining the Army, he exemplified the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage"
More information can be seen about him here andhere. --SisTwo
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Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, Tipton, Oklahoma
Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, graduated from Tipton High School in Frederick, Oklahoma in 2005. There, where the flags fly at half-staff, a family friend remembered him as “very kind, loving.“ Spc. Hunt recently completed a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq and, two months ago, got married. His sister, Leila Hunt Willingham, said: “He always wanted to be a hero. . . . He said he would die for a stranger, (that) he would jump in front of a bullet for one (his) fellow soldiers.” Originally stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia, Spc. Hunt had transferred to Fort Hunt to be closer to his family. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer Hunt, by his parents, Gale Hunt and Gary Hunt, by his sister, and by a niece and nephew. You can read more about Spc. Hunt in The Washington Post, and News Channel 6. New Channel 6--noweasels
Thank you, Spc. Hunt. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
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Sgt. Amy Krueger, Kiel, Wisconsin
When the rest of the world was still in shock about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Amy Krueger knew what she had to do. The day after the towers fell, she and her friend Kristen Thayer walked into a recruiter's office and began the enlistment process, as her mother, Jeri Krueger, told the (Manitowoc, Wisc.) Herald Times Reporter. “She wanted to serve. She was excited about it. She wanted to help people,” Thayer told the Reporter.
Before her death at age 29, she served as a reservist, deployed to Afghanistan to help run a hospital, and became a staff sergeant with the Madison-based 467th Medical Detachment. She was at Fort Hood readying to return to Afghanistan; on Tuesday, she had called her mother to tell her that she had arrived safely at the base. A few days later, her mother got the news no parent wants to hear. “Why this way,” Jeri Krueger said. “Not that any way’s good, but my gosh.”
Godspeed, Amy Krueger, army of one. --monkeybiz
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Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, West Jordan, Utah
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, was a 2008 graduate of West Jordan High School in Utah, was an Eagle Scout and loved skateboarding. He was scheduled to be deployed in January, and had told his family that he planned to propose to his long-time girlfriend in December. He was one of the first to be shot on November 5, and died instantly. His parents, Michael and Teena Nemelka, said they were “so proud to have (Aaron) serve our country in the military,” and called him “the most kind and loving son, brother, nephew, cousin and favorite uncle.” His Aunt, Alesa Forrest, said that Pfc. Nemelka’s “family was everything to him. . . . We're devastated. It's just devastation. What else can you say?” Pfc. Nemelka is survived by his parents, by four siblings, and by his fiancée. You can read more about Pfc. Nemelka at The Deseret News.--noweasels
Thank you, Pfc. Nemelka. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
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Pfc. Michael Pearson, Bolingbrook, Illinois
Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, was a graduate of Bolingbrook High School. His passion was music, and he enjoyed guitar improvisation. He was working at a furniture store when he chose to enlist in the Army over a year ago. He wanted a chance to serve his country and the opportunity for further education. In the military, Pearson was taught to deactivate bombs. He was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan at the time of his death. He is survived by his parents, Jeff and Sheryll Pearson and by his older brother, Christopher Craig, who also served in the military. You can read more about Pfc. Pearson here and here.--blue jersey mom
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Capt. Russell Seager, Racine, Wisconsin
So much has been lost with the death of Capt. Russell Seager, 51, of Racine, Wis.. Last August, Milwaukee public radio station WUVM ran a profile of Seager, soldier and healer. He worked at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee as a leader of a mental health team that helps counsel veterans with post traumatic stress disorder. He understood:
“A term that soldiers like to use is, they ‘own the road’ when they’re deployed. And it’s very difficult to come back here and need to do the speed limit and deal with people that don’t show you the respect that you had just a few weeks or a few months ago. It’s very hard for soldiers to come back and not have their weapon, they feel very uncomfortable because they don’t have that sense of security and that sense of purpose,” Seager says.
He was also a teacher, and was much loved by his students at Bryant & Stratton College in Milwaukee. He was pursuing a doctorate in education--a goal he delayed with his decision to enlist. “I’ve always had a great deal of respect for the military and for service, and I just felt it was time that I stepped up and did it, actually, I mean it sounds corny and patriotic, but when you talk to people that decide to do this, the feelings are similar,” Seager told WUVM.
"He wanted to get in there and help the soldiers coming home and leaving," his uncle, Larry Seager, told the Journal Times.
He is survived by his wife and son. Godspeed, Capt. Russell Seager. --monkeybiz
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Pvt. Francheska Velez, Chicago, Illinois
Private Francheska Velez, 21, graduated from Kelvyn Park High School in 2006. In high school Velez had been a member of the dance team and ROTC. She joined the Army in February of 2007 because she wanted to travel, to get a degree, and to make something of herself. Velez had just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. She was three months pregnant and was expected to begin her maternity leave in Chicago next month. Velez is survived by her parents, Juan and Eileen Velez, and her two brothers, Juan and Andrew. You can read more about Pvt. Velez here and here.--blue jersey mom
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Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman, Havre De Grace, Maryland
Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55, grew up and went to high school in Pittsburgh and worked her way through the University of Pittsburgh. Most recently, she lived Havre de Grace, Maryland. The daughter of a career military man, Lt. Col. Warman was a nurse and, after joining the military, worked as a physician’s assistant. She was being deployed to Iraq for medical duty. Though excited to be going, according to her sister, Lt. Col. Warman had said she would miss her two daughters and six grandchildren. She had recently added this to her Facebook page: “I miss my girls and their beautiful children. It's so nice to come to Facebook to see them grow up even if it’s just in photographs. . . . So much to do. So many lives to touch. Just wish it didn't take me away from home so much.” You can read more about Lt. Col. Warman in the Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post. --noweasels
Thank you, Lt. Col. Warman. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
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Spc. Kham Xiong, St. Paul, Minnesota
PFC Kham Xiong grew up in California. His father and grandfather were both veterans. The Xiongs had immigrated from Thailand when Kham was 3 years old. Around 10 years ago, his family moved to St. Paul. He considered going to college but lacked the funds. One of his younger brothers was already serving in the Marines and encouraged him to join the military. Kham enlisted two years ago. He was stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky before being transferred to Fort Hood. Xiong had received orders to go to Afghanistan and was training to work with heavy artillery overseas. The 23-year-old soldier was due to ship out in January, and then on Thursday, he went for a flu shot and an eye test at the base's Soldier Readiness Center. Private Xiong was one of two soldiers from Minnesota who were caught in the shooting rampage. The other Minnesotan, Specialist Keara Bono Torkelson of Otsego was wounded in the attack. PFC Xiong is survived by his parents and 10 siblings. He also left behind his wife, Shoua Her, and their three children--a 4-year-old daughter, a 2-year-old son and a 10-month-old baby boy. You can read more about him here and here.--SisTwo
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The purpose of the I Got the News Today series is 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.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma and CalNM.
Special note:
Ordinarily, IGTNT diaries focus solely on those who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. We decided, as a group, to make an exception tonight. Our decision was based on feelings held, though not nearly as eloquently expressed, as those reflected in our President’s heartbreaking eulogy at yesterday’s memorial service at Fort Hood:
This is a time of war. And yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great American community. It is this fact that makes the tragedy even more painful and even more incomprehensible.
* * *
Neither this country – nor the values that we were founded upon – could exist without men and women like these thirteen Americans. And that is why we must pay tribute to their stories.
-- noweasels