Tonight, we honor two more killed in Afghanistan: a Soldier and a Marine. The title comes from the words of a grandmother, who expressed her shock and sorrow, when two Soldiers showed up at her doorstep and gave her the dreaded news about her grandson.
Since 2001, there have been 1475 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4436 American troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 17 killed 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 Announces Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Patrick R. Carroll, 25, of Norwalk, Ohio, died Feb. 7 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 319th Military Intelligence Battalion, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.
"You could cut my heart out and it wouldn't go any deeper," said Virginia Fay Carroll. "You know it's just like he has been my soul from the day he was born."
Virginia Fay Carroll relayed to the television station Fox 8 about her grandson, Sgt. Patrick Carroll.
Patrick's father, James Carroll, tearfully told the television station:
"He did one thing I couldn't. I gave my heart and soul, he gave his life."
His grandmother, Virginia Fay Carroll, told the Morning Journal about the last time she saw her grandson.
Shortly after Christmas, just before boarding a plane to North Carolina, Sgt. Patrick Carroll, who had been visiting his grandmother in New London, began to cry.
Fay Carroll was stunned, “I said, ‘Pat, you haven’t cried since you were a baby,’” she recalled. “He said ‘Mammaw, I’ve never left so much behind.’”
She said she knew it was the last time she would ever speak to her grandson. The phone call she expected, and dreaded, came Tuesday.
Sgt. Patrick Carroll graduated high school in Kentucky. He attended college for a short period of time before joining the military and becoming an intelligence analyst. Carroll planned on getting engaged to Kimberly Thomas as soon as he returned from Afghanistan. He had a ring custom made for her.
Kimberly Thomas told the Sandusky Register:
"It's hard to name just one thing," Thomas said during a tearful phone interview Monday from their home in Fayetteville, N.C. "Patrick's the type you love all of him.
Thomas said she miscarried with their twins back in September. She told the paper:
"He and I were the opposite -- he was really quiet and reserved," said Thomas, 26. "But he loved everybody. He took in my children as his own."
Besides his fiance, Sgt. Patrick Carroll leaves behind his father, James (Tonia Henry) Carroll; mother, Amy (Snyder) Bolding; grandparents, Edgar and Virginia Fay Carroll, Norm and Bonnie Snyder and George and Livena (Dorothy) Schworm; brothers, Dustin Bolding of Aliquippa, Pa., and Dakota Bolding of Fayetteville, N.C.; sister, Sumer Roberts of Fayetteville; and his former wife, Sara (Covert) Carroll.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Rest in peace, Sgt. Patrick Carroll.
DoD Announces Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson, 21, of Jamestown, N.Y., died Feb. 7 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Buffalo, N.Y.
Lance Cpl. Aaron Swanson left for Afghanistan on August 12, 2010. His seven month tour was nearing completion with only a couple of weeks left, when he was killed in Helmand province. His mother told the Post Journal:
Ms. Swanson said Aaron was an "all-around, fun-loving kid," who grew to have a deep appreciation for the country and a devotion to serve. She cited his active participation in the Allegheny Highlands Council Troop 131 of the Boy Scouts, adding that he returned as a young adult to speak to the newer scouts, which included his brother.
Swanson's father, Gene, told the Cleveland.com:
"He was a real good kid," Swanson's father, Gene, said Thursday. "He loved our country. He said he wanted to keep everyone safe."
Lance Cpl. Aaron Swanson grew up in western New York. He was a 2007 graduate of Southwestern High School in Jamestown, New York. When he was a senior, he joined the football team. His coach, Jay Sirianni, said he was a great team player and was well liked. Sirianni told the Post Journal:
Swanson dropped a pass, and when he returned from his route he said something was wrong with his finger, Sirianni recalled.
''I looked at his finger, and it was pointing 90 degrees the other way. He wasn't complaining, he just said, 'What should I do?,''' Sirianni recalled. ''His dad came and got him, and he went to the hospital and got it reset. By the second practice, he was back on the field. And all those other guys who had been on the team and been playing for 10 years, they were like, 'Wow, this kid is tough and is sacrificing for the team.' They really accepted him after that. That was typical Aaron.''
The coach believed he was a good fit for the military because he was a team player.
''He didn't always shine on Friday nights - he didn't get a chance to - but during the week, he made his teammates better,'' Sirianni said. ''I really think that he has done that all his life, and I really believe that's how it was in the military. He was making people around him better.''
The town is in shock from the news. From the Boy Scouts to the American Legion, all knew and remembered Swanson for being a role model and hero. His alma mater, Southwestern High School, is working on a memorial to Lance Cpl. Aaron Swanson.
Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered flags to be at half-staff and issued the following statement:
"On behalf of all New Yorkers I extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, and fellow Marines of Lance Corporal Swanson," Governor Cuomo said. "This young Marine gave his life for our nation and we will honor and remember his service."
His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the NATO Medal - International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan.
Funeral arrangements are for February 13, 2011. Patriot Guard Riders will escort the family. If you live in western New York, please check here for information to attend.
Rest in peace, Lance Corporal Aaron Swanson. Semper Fidelis.
In Flanders Fields
by Lt. Col. John McRae, MD, (1872-1918)
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.
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, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, racheltracks, csas, 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.