Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence.
Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along,
and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
~ John Gillespie Magee, Jr
KIA, Battle of Britain, December 11, 1941
Senior Airman Mark Forester, 29, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Senior Airman Forester died Sept. 29 in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations in the area. He was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
A Patriot to the Core
Forester, a University of Alabama graduate and senior airman with the U.S. Air Force, was supposed to return home to Haleyville next month and had already made plans to attend the Iron Bowl in November with his family.
Instead, Forester, 29, died Wednesday in combat in Afghanistan.
His family described him as good brother and a gentle friend.
(snip)
(Forester’s older brother) Thad Forester, 33, said he was concerned when his little brother announced that he would be taking his finance degree not to Wall Street but to war.
“I supported him,” Thad Forester said. “I mean, somebody has got to do it — I’d just rather it not be my brother."
(snip)
Mark Forester found a way to work an item representing the Crimson Tide into his combat wardrobe on a regular basis, Thad Forester said.
Thad Forester said his little brother loved his job. “He loved shooting, he loved swimming and he loved jumping out of planes — it was just things that he loved,” he said. “And he was able to stay calm in extremely stressful situations.”
(snip)
Both the Foresters met Michael Andrew, a fellow UA student who became a professional photographer.
(snip)
Andrew said his friend was a devout Mormon who did not smoke or drink.
“When he was interviewed by the Air Force recruiter on why he wanted to enlist, he told him that he wanted the opportunity to kill terrorists,” Andrew said. “It was kind of unusual to find such a combination of a good person and a warrior all in one.”
It was the warrior part of him that led Mark Forester to choose one of the most grueling military disciplines available.
He signed up to be a combat controller, which put him on the battlefield.
(snip)
“He was just a patriot to the core.”
Source ~ Tuscaloosa News
“There’s nobody like him on the face of the planet.”
“Mark was a tremendous combat controller and an exceptional human being who set an example of selfless service that we would all do well to emulate,” said Lt. Col. Parks Hughes at Hurlburt. “His death is a devastating loss for his family, the entire special tactics community and the Air Force.”
(snip)
Staff Sgt. Dathan Nordheim, an airman with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, trained with Forester at Hurlburt and also in Texas, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina.
“He was a really, really good dude,” Nordheim said. “He was a strict Mormon. He didn’t drink or smoke. … He didn’t even swear. He was kind of like everybody’s conscience.
“He was straightforward. He wasn’t scared of anything.”
(snip)
Nordheim said he “was in disbelief” when he learned of Forester’s death.
(snip)
Forester grew up in Haleyville, about an hour from Tuscaloosa. His death marks the first combat casualty from the town since Vietnam, according to Harold Bearden, owner of a local television station.
Forester graduated from Haleyville High School and attended the University of Alabama, where he graduated with a degree in finance.
(snip)
“There’s nobody like him on the face of the planet,” (family friend Lauren) Tinker said. “When he went over there, we knew it was going to be dangerous. But for as long as I can remember, he was bound and determined that he’d be a soldier fighting for our country.”
(snip)
(Haleyville City School Superintendent Clint) Baggett was the principal of Haleyville High School when Forester graduated.
(snip)
“This is a historic loss for Haleyville,” he added. “We pride ourselves on raising children that are willing to give their all for their country, and that’s exactly what Mark did.”
Source ~ Destin Log
21 STS acting commander Major Edmund Loughran said of Forester "Mark believed with all his heart in serving his God, his country and his family. The unit mourns his loss, but we could not be more proud of his devotion to defending what he believed in most."
The 21 STS will hold a memorial service for Forester next week. A date and time has not been set.
Source ~ WKRG
Mark Forester’s friend from college, Andrew Morton, posted this memorial on his blog:
First let me say to those of you who read this blog who know Mark, I apologize to you if this is the first time you are hearing the bad news.
For the rest of you who never met him, Mark was one of my very best friends and was stationed at FOB Cobra in Afghanistan as an Air Force Combat Controller embedded with a Green Beret unit. I was able to see him immediately before he left for combat, and had the privilege to do a farewell shoot with his family before he left.
(snip)
This post is a tribute to Mark, as well as all of the other family members and friends we all have lost fighting for our country. I want everyone know what an absolutely amazing person he was and what a tremendous sacrifice he paid for the freedoms we enjoy. The price is paid with the very best blood our country has to offer and Mark is a perfect example of this.
Of all the people I know, I cannot think of a more kind, generous and well rounded person I have ever met. He was a true friend, slow to temper, always reliable and extremely fun to be around. We spent so much time playing Halo on Xbox that I am sure I will be in some kind of trouble when I stand before the judgment bar.
(snip)
Any person who does not have a friend like Mark was to me is really getting a raw deal in life.
(snip)
We had many talks about the dangers involved- Mark absolutely knew what he was getting into and that there was a chance he may not come back. He went anyway. Brave as hell. I have so much admiration and respect for him.
(snip)
Words cannot express how thankful I am to you Mark and I know I am better person for having known you.
Today, on September 29th, 2010- a great man named Mark Forester paid the ultimate price for you and me, defending and protecting the Great Country of America. Mark is, as so many others are, a True American Hero.
Rest in peace brother and God be with you till we meet again.
Source ~ michaelthemaven.com
Senior Airman Mark Forester is survived by his parents and by four older brothers and sisters. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Thank you, Senior Airman Forester. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Remember them. Honor their sacrifice.
To date, 4424 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Iraq. The death toll thus far in 2010 is 54.
To date, 1311 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The death toll thus far for 2010 is already 364. 812 members of the military from other countries have also lost their lives.
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About the IGTNT series:
(Our beautiful logo was created by kossack Timroff. Thank you, Timroff.)
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. It is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, 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, CalNM, Wide Awake in KY, maggiejean, racheltracks, JaxDem, ccasas and me, noweasels.
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As you read this diary, please consider that the families and friends of those profiled here also may read it and that many members of our community have served in Iraq or Afghanistan or have loved ones currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the very proud daughter of a Navy pilot, and the granddaughter of a Marine pilot and a submariner ~ all of whom rest beneath our nation‘s flag ~ I hope that the comments tonight will demonstrate our respect for the sacrifices of our fallen military and our compassion for their families. Please reserve political and other comments for appropriate diaries; this is not one of them.