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.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)
Spc. Christopher J. Coffland
From the Department of Defense:
Spc. Christopher J. Coffland, 43, of Baltimore, Md., died Nov. 13 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Meade, Md.
The Baltimore Sun reports that Spc. Coffland joined the Army Reserves just before his 42nd birthday (the enlistment age limit). He had worked at a number of different jobs and traveled around the world before he enlisted.
Many of his Gilman friends drove in a caravan to Delaware to support the family after they received Coffland's body.
Willie Franklin, who was among them, said Coffland was a "selfless person who wanted to serve his country."
"He knew the dangers involved," he said. "But he was a very courageous person. He was absolutely the kind of guy, who, when the going gets tough, you want him on your side."
...
Franklin, his high school classmate, met Coffland for lunch in Washington last month, just before he was deployed.
"He was confident and ready to go," Franklin said. "He seemed fearless."
For all his career changes, Kroupasaid, Coffland had "found a place where he could do something meaningful."
Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner
From the Department of Defense:
Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner, 22, of Hico, Texas, died Nov. 13 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
From Fox Dallas-Fort Worth:
Hefner's immediate family has traveled to the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to recover the body. Funeral plans have not been announced.
Friends of the family say Hefner had recently been promoted to Lance Corporal and was scheduled to return home to Texas to visit family in two weeks.
follow this link to view a video of an interview with Lance Cpl. Hefner's parents.
Staff Sgt. Stephen L. Murphy
From the Department of Defense:
Staff Sgt. Stephen L. Murphy, 36, of Jaffery, N.H., died Nov. 9 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
From The Union Leader:
"He was the kind of guy that you wished was your brother and not just your friend," said childhood friend John Covey.
"He had a tough upbringing," Mark Shackett said. "But you know, he would always put a positive spin on everything. . . .He grew up with a single mom and that's the way things were. He didn't really have anybody, except us. I think it forced him to grow up faster than the rest of us."
Murphy's father left when he was young. Covey said no one's sure how much time Murphy ever got to spend with his sister.
"We really leaned on each other," Shackett said. "We'd spend weeks together, just hanging out as friends. You can't put a value on those times."
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(big thanks to timroff for the beautiful logo)
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
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.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, Ministry of Truth, and CalNM. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died, and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them.
If you are interested in volunteering for the series please contact me, a girl in MI, at a_girl_in_mi_101 AT yahoo DOT com
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. We treat these diaries as a place to remember and reflect. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.