Tonight, we have two to remember. Since 2001, there have been 1598 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4454 American troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 36 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
Spc. Adam S. Hamilton, 22, of Kent, Ohio, died May 28 in Haji Ruf, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
On the eve before Spc. Hamilton was killed, he wrote on his Facebook page: “I hate sandstorms! hopefully a month till I get a break from this (expletive)..still praying an thanking god every morning an night before I go to bed to still let me be here an fight this fight...”
High School Principal Roger Sidoti told the Record Pub:
“He was one of those guys who is loyal to his school, his family and his country,” he said. “When he got focused on something, that’s what he was focused on. He was the type of kid who excited you out on the playing field.”
Principal Sidoti told of how Adam Hamilton always stood up for the underdogs.
Sidoti also said Hamilton would “speak his mind” if he saw something he thought was wrong.
“He definitely stood up if he saw an injustice,” he said.
Adam Hamilton attended Theodore Roosevelt High School where he excelled in hockey, football and lacrosse. He graduated in 2007, then enlisted in the Army. He told his father, Scott:
"He said, '[college] just wasn't for me,' " Scott Hamilton said. "We differed about it. He was a gifted athlete, he was a leader and he had things he could do in business. Adam told people that he wanted to join the Army for one reason: to be a part of that team and to be a leader in it."
Scott Hamilton also told the The Plain Dealer
"It was truly his calling," Hamilton said. "He truly wanted to serve his country. He really loved it."
"He was an adrenaline junkie, and he really loved it," his father said.
Adam's first entry into his Facebook when he arrived in Afghanistan gives insight into his kind and caring soul:
“Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life was 2 (hours) ago as I walked onto a plane with my family watching me walk away as I head to war ... wow ...”
Deepest condolences to his family and friends.
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DoD Announces Army Casualty
Pfc. John C. Johnson, 28, of Phoenix, Ariz., died May 27 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
He joined in order to take care of his family
Corey Johnson joined the Army in 2010. He left for his first deployment to Afghanistan in March. He was the father of two children and his wife is pregnant with their third.
Corey Johnson's step mother, Anita, told the Arizona Central:
"He wanted to make a better life for himself," Anita said in a phone interview from her home in Yuma. "He'd just gotten married again and had a daughter on the way. I can't imagine him gone. He's like a magnet. He's strong, honest and loving. He surely was one of a kind. I don't believe it."
Anita Johnson said Corey worked in a rock mine before joining the Army. He loved hunting and fishing.
She told the Arizona Central:
"He didn't really talk about the army. But he would say 'I'm tired of seeing my buddies go.' He would have been 29 next month. He sure was one hell of a man," she said.
Deepest condolences to the family and friends of Pfc. John Corey Johnson.
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.