Tonight, we have five Marines to remember. Almost all of them had been in Afghanistan less than three weeks. Their families and friends are stunned and heartbroken. Please remember and honor them.
Since 2001, there have been 1329 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4424 troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 7 in Operation New Dawn. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
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.
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Raymon L. A. Johnson, 22, of Midland, Ga., died Oct. 13 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His dream was to be a Marine.
Mrs. Johnson had just been released from an Atlanta hospital from surgery, when she heard a knock on the door and was given the devastating news about her son, Raymon. The family is shocked since he had only been in Afghanistan three weeks when he was killed. The family hadn't even sent his care package when the horrible news came to them. His father, Greg Johnson, told the Columbus Ledger Enquirer:
“The last time she had spoken with Raymon, she told him to come home safe, and he promised her he would,” said Smith. “When we talked to him, he said everything was fine,” said his father. “My son was a good young man. He wanted to serve his country.”
LCPL Johnson came from a military background: his uncle was a Captain in the USMC and his twin brother is a soldier in the Army. His father told the Columbus Ledger- Enquirer: “
He was the point man on a security patrol and stepped on an improvised explosive device,” said his father Greg Johnson, Thursday, as he prepared to leave for Dover, Delaware to get his son’s body.
Ever since he was a little boy, Johnson wanted to serve in the military. His cousin Monique Smith told the Columbus Ledger Enquirer, he would play war games on the computer. Smith said he looked up to his uncle, who was a Marine Captain, and wanted to follow his footsteps. Please watch the video:
Rest in peace, Lance Corporal Raymon Johnson.
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
The following Marines died Oct. 13 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:
Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, Wis.
Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, of Saint Charles, Mo.
Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, Ore.
Pfc. Victor A. Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, Calif.
All four Marines were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Remembered for being a "great guy. "
Cpl. Justin Cain had only been in Afghanistan two weeks, when he and three other Marines were killed when the vehicle they were riding in struck an IED. Cain was a 2007 graduate of Lincoln High School. His classmates told the HTRW News :
"He's a great guy and would do anything for you," said Kara Raduenz, who went to the prom with Cain and is in the Air Force, stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
and
"He talked about his plane ride over to Afghanistan," Raduenz said. "(Justin) had just gotten there. In the letter it didn't seem like he's scared."
and from another friend and fellow Marine:
"He was the nicest guy you could ever imagine," said Mike Luther, Lincoln class of 2007 and a Marine Corps mechanic currently stationed at the mammoth Marine base in San Diego County and awaiting his own overseas deployment.
snip
"If you had a problem, Justin would listen when nobody else would," Luther said. "Every Marine wants to go to, at least, one combat mission before he gets out. He transferred units so he could deploy."
Friends and community are in mourning. His parents, James Cain and Judy and Tim Stock, were in Delaware to meet the body. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Rest in Peace, Cpl. Justin Cain.
"I'll love you for infinity and beyond" those were the last words Phillip Vinnedge wrote to his fiance Shelby Bradshaw just a day before he died. The young woman expressed her sorrow and love for the young Marine on her facebook page.
Lance Cpl. Vinnedge arrived in Afghanistan during the last week in September. He was in Afghanistan about two weeks before he was killed along with three other Marines. His friends recall his desire to be a Marine from an early age. Zachary Will told the St. Louis Today:
"He had his goals set," Will said Friday. "Whenever he wanted to do something, he just went out and did it, no matter what people said."
Vinnedge was a 2009 graduate of Frances Howell Central High School. He was a Boy Scout. Friends remember him as someone who always helped anyone.
Vinnedge's family released the following statement to the St. Louis Today:
David and Julie Vinnedge released a statement Friday evening that said their son asked to be in the infantry "because he wanted to go where he could have the most immediate impact."
"We ask that you remember Phillip as a fun-loving and generous young man who was always seeking and assuming leadership roles and was actively involved in helping the youth in our community," the statement said.
Lance Cpl. Phillip Vinnedge, 19 years old.
Rest in Peace, Lance Cpl. Phillip Vinnedge.
A better life.
Joseph Rodewald's father, John Rodewald spoke to the The Oregonian:
"Millions of people are in the same boat as our family," he said. "Large family, limited income, economy in the toilet, grades aren't the best. What are your options? Community college? Washing dishes? And the military comes in and says, 'Hey, we've got a deal for you.'
"But I don't think it was that for him," the father continued. "If I had won the lottery and could afford to help my kids out with college, would it have been different? I don't know with Joseph, because he was a patriot, and he wanted to serve his country."
His father continued speaking about his son to the Oregonian:
"He was a very strong-willed person, very confident," John Rodewald said, surrounded by supporters at the family's Albany home. "I had no doubts that he was going to go and defend our freedoms, and come home and start a normal life."
Lance Cpl. Rodewald was a machine gunner in the Marine Corps. He was a 2007 graduate of South Albany High School. The school held a memorial gathering at the football stadium last night for Rodewald. Over 200 attended to honor and remember him. Photos and stories are here.
Joseph's mother told the Democrat Herald:
"As you all may know, Joe was killed in Afghanistan by an IED on 10/13/10 at 9:35 p.m. Afghani time," his mother wrote. "He was an amazing son and I will ever be so proud of him. I know we all loved him so much. I will let you all know about his service when I know more."
Joseph had many friends and planned to marry Kandi Hargett, when his tour ended. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Rest in peace, Lance Cpl. Joseph Rodewald
A family in shock.
Mark Soto, a neighbor of the Dew family, told the Granite Bay Point.com the family of Pfc. Victor Dew is too in shock after having two Marines visit them with the devastating news. Soto spoke of the father and told the paper:
“He’s not good,” Soto said. “Obviously, he’s still in shock. We were crying. My boy is in the same unit as his son. We haven’t heard from him since (last week).”
Pfc. Dew was engaged to marry Courtney Gold. He was a 2008 graduate of Granite Bay High School. Dew wanted to be an emergency room nurse or medical technician after his commitment to the Marines.
Rest in Peace, Pfc. Victor Dew
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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, and me, Sandy on Signal.
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.