Since 2001, 1599 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4474 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Iraq.
The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) series is a reminder that nearly every day, somebody gets the heartbreaking news that a friend, former classmate, or beloved family member will not be coming home from war.
Tonight we remember three soldiers who died far from home:
Staff Sgt. James M. Christen, 29, of Loomis, California
Sgt. Jacob Molina, 27, of Houston, Texas
Sgt. Omar A. Jones, 28, of Maywood, Nebraska
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The Department of Defense announced two Infantry soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan:
Staff Sgt. James Christen and Sgt. Jacob Molina
They died July 19 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an IED attack. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Staff Sgt. James M. Christen, 29, of Loomis, California
Staff Sgt. Christen died July 19 in Kunar province, Afghanistan when his vehicle encountered a roadside bomb.
James Christen grew up in Placer County, California, in the small town of Loomis. As a senior at Del Oro High School, he received the Army College Fund Award. He graduated in 2000 and promptly enlisted in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman.
In 2006 Christen was stationed in Italy with the 173rd Airborne Unit as an air traffic controller.
This was Staff Sgt. Christen's third deployment to the Middle East. He previously served two tours in Iraq. Staff Sgt. Christen was married.
“He was really a stand-up guy – an all-around good person. He was the nicest guy,” his former Airborne unit mate Art Brown said.
Brown described Christen as the type of person “if you needed something, he’d give the shirt off his back.”
Brown also said Christen treated lower-ranked military members with respect.
“You respected him because he gave you respect. He wanted us to do well."
Staff Sgt. Christen's awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart (both posthumous), and Combat Infantryman Badge and the Parachutist Badge, among many other decorations.
Among those Staff Sgt. Christen leaves behind are his wife, troops, and friends.
Staff Sgt. James Christen is missed. May he rest in peace.
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Sgt. Jacob Molina, 27, of Houston, Texas
Sgt. Molina died in the same July 19th IED explosion that took the life of Staff Sgt. Christen.
Jacob Molina grew up in southeast Houston where he attended Eastwood High School and Houston Can! Academy. He was a big fan of football, rugby, mixed martial arts and action movies.
Jacob was also the eldest of six children, and helped his mother with the household chores. He was a leader and teacher to his younger siblings, and they emulated Jacob.
Inspired by uncles who had served, Jacob had talked about joining the military since becoming a teenager in middle school.
"We came from a strong military family, and he wanted to be part of something bigger than he was," his brother said. "He wanted to make a difference."
Sgt. Molina enlisted in the U.S. Army February 15, 2007 as an Infantryman.
This was his second deployment overseas, having previously served a tour in Iraq.
Jacob met his future wife Stephanie at Houston Can! Academy. The couple had started their own family, and have a son and daughter, Andrew, 6, and Kassandra, 8.
Earlier this week, two uniformed military officers came calling to bring the terrible news of the death of the family hero.
Despite the loss, his younger brother Javier is following in Sgt. Molina's footsteps to join the Army.
"What I like to tell them is it makes me more determined than ever," Ramirez said.
"He always wanted to make sure I grew up strong and brave like him.
He was everything I wanted to be. He was my hero."
Sgt. Molina's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (posthumous), Purple Heart (posthumous), Combat Infantryman Badge, and many others.
Among those Sgt. Molina leaves behind are his wife and two children, his mother, grandmother, brothers, sisters, stepfather, and his troops.
Sgt. Jacob Molina is missed. May he rest in peace.
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of an Army veteran and Nebraska Army National Guard soldier in Afghanistan:
Sgt. Omar A. Jones, 28, of Maywood, Nebraska
Sgt. Jones died of a non-combat injury on July 18, in Balkh province, Afghanistan. He was an electrician assigned to the 126th Chemical Battalion, 92nd Troop Command, Nebraska Army National Guard, based in Wahoo, Nebraska.
Omar Jones was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1982. When he was a small child, his family moved to Bogota, Columbia, where Omar lived until returning to the US at age 14. Eager to serve his country after 911, Omar enlisted as an Army infantryman in October 2001 at the age of 18.
Sgt. Jones completed his active duty tour, and afterward joined the Nebraska National Guard's 134th Infantry Detachment as an infantry scout in 2005. He wanted to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan so transferred through several Nebraska units, where he worked as a truck driver in National Guard Transportation companies. He deployed to Iraq in July 2006 for an 18-month tour.
Omar met his future wife Ava in 2001 after his brother married her sister.
Omar and Ava married in December 2008, and have two very young children — son Malachi, who is almost 2 years old, and daughter Airiana, 3.
Sgt. Jones served two tours in Iraq with the Nebraska National Guard, and loved being a soldier, according to his wife. He transferred to the 623rd Eng. Co. as an electrician in July 2010.
Sgt. Jones was on his third deployment when he died of injuries on the base at Balkh province, Afghanistan, at the age of 28.
"He was supposed to come home on leave on Friday," his wife said.
"Sgt. Omar Jones was a very caring person," said Capt. Chris Pelchat, 623rd Eng. Co., commander. "He would go out of his way to help anyone. His presence always brought a smile to all around him and his sense of humor kept the soldiers in high spirits. He truly was a great person to have in the 623rd Engineer Co. He always went above and beyond any task that was given to him."
Among those Sgt. Jones leaves behind are his wife and two young children, and his men in the Nebraska National Guard.
Sgt. Omar Jones is missed. May he rest in peace.
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Thanks to Timroff for our faithfully lighted candle IGTNT logo;
Other Photos by CalNM and linked Sources
Helping our troops: If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com. Fisher House provides housing for families of injured troops and veterans who are recovering in hospitals, and Guardian angels for soldierspet assists the animal companions of our deployed military.
When our veterans come back home, they can find support at Welcome Back Veterans. Our recently returned veterans need jobs, and Veterans Green Jobs is now hiring for positions and filling training sessions. VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in forest and resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas. Encourage a Veteran, and see if you can help out.
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About the IGTNT series: I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each casualty has family and friends who received the terrible news that their loved one has died at war.
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. The US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. Published AP photos of the returning war fatalities are found on the Dover AFB page. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries in 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, Proud Mom and Grandma, Sandy on Signal, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, ccasas, JaxDem, and me, CalNM. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for our fallen brothers and sisters.
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.