A military funeral is awarded any member of the armed forces who dies in battle. One element of the military funeral is the folding of the flag which had been draped over the coffin and the presentation of that flag by a member of the military honor guard to the next of kin. The presentation of the flag often provides an important sense of closure to the surviving family members. The presentation procedure involves the honor guard member kneeling in front of the recipient, holding the folded flag waist high with the straight edge facing the recipient and while leaning toward the recipient the Honor Guard for the United States Army would say:
"On behalf of the President of the United States and the people of a grateful nation, may I present this flag as a token of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service your loved one rendered this nation."
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which began in April of 2004 making it one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
Honoring and Remembering:
Sgt. Ken K. Hermogino
This video, demonstrating the proper protocol for folding a flag, was produced by the Arlington National Cemetery and is narrated by Tom Sherlock, Arlington Historian.
At the end of the day, those soldiers honored the flag and here at Arlington that flag honors them.
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Since 2003 we have suffered the loss of 4452 American lives and a total of 4770 Coalition Forces in Iraq.
Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of 1571 American lives and a total of 2448 Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Ken K. Hermogino, 30, of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., died May 9 in Herat province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related vehicle accident. He was assigned to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. ~ DoD News Release
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Sgt. Ken K. Hermogino, 30, of Edwards Air Force Base, California
Ken Hermogino joined the Air Force two months following the 9-11 attacks. In November 2001 he joined the Army. Sgt Hermogino deployed to Afghanistan in June of 2010 and joined his current unit in July, 2010.
Sgt Hermogino married his high school sweetheart, Monica who also enlisted in the military, but left when she had their son.
Hermogino's sister-in-law, Teresa Bruss said:
He was very sweet and… very talkative and fun and full of life. He truly enjoyed being in the military. He was very happy that he was on a great team and a great unit and serving his country. He was very proud about that.
Teresa said this about her sister, Monica:
She looks like a Barbie doll, so they used to call them Ken and Barbie.
He often practiced martial arts with his 5-year-old son, Bruss said, and was known to go off-roading in his spare time.
Ken was due to finish his tour and return home in just a few weeks.
Sgt Ken K. Hermogino's many awards include:
Army Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Air Force Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal - w/Campaign Star - 2
Global War on Terrorism Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Air Force Longevity Service Award
Air Force Training Ribbon
NATO Medal - 2
Combat Action Badge
Driver and Mechanic Badge with Driver - Wheeled Vehicles
Sgt. Ken K. Hermogino is survived by his wife, Monica and 5 year old son.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, racheltracks, Kestrel9000 and me, JaxDem. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diarized two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner.
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POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq
Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of December 1, 2009.
Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie 41
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Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl 23
Never forgotten - please keep good thoughts and prayers for these two men.
On December 8, 2010 new photos were published of Pfc Bowe R. Bergdahl in captivity. The article and images can be seen here.
The father of Bowe R. Bergdahl released this video on May 6, 2011 in which he appeals for the release of his son.
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.