~ Photo Credit llbear
As of today, 1,828 American soldiers have been killed in or near Afghanistan. 4,482 have died in Iraq.
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 to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, Monkeybiz, Noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, Twilight Falling, Joyful, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, Ekaterin and me, TheFatLadySings.
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.
Army Staff Sgt. John Lyons was scheduled to arrive home in December, just three days short of his 27th birthday, according to his aunt, Beth Merle, who stood outside his mother’s New Jersey home to speak with reporters yesterday.
He died of wounds caused by small arms fire when his unit was attacked by insurgents in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
In high school, Lyons was skeptical about the need for a war in Iraq, remembers his teacher, Joseph Winkelried.
"He had opinions, very strong opinions at times,” said Winkelried, who taught Lyons a course on law and politics at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township.
But Winkelried said his student was always willing to hear the other side of an argument, to listen to discussion. So when Lyons joined the Army after college, Winkelried was not surprised.
“That was the kind of kid he was. He was never going to be stuck in one thought, or be closed minded,” Winkelried said. “He saw some of the contradictions that other students didn’t see.
“He was very, very intelligent.” nj.com
Lyons was a graduate of Rutgers University where he majored in Latin and Political Science. He enlisted for a three year tour in the army in February, 2009, and was assigned in June, 2009, to the 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas. He was serving his first tour in Afghanistan after being deployed last December.
Lyons’ death occurred a week before the scheduled announcement next Wednesday by Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai of a plan for Afghan troops to take over all or parts of 17 of 34 provinces — among them the capital of Ghazni. The move — to take place in December or January — is the second step in a transition that Karzai hopes will leave his forces in control of the entire nation by the end of 2014. app.com
Winkelried remembered Lyons as a member of a mock trial team, which Winkelried coached. “He was great,” reminisced his teacher. “He explored a lot of things. He was very interested in learning.”
“He would have succeeded in anything,” he added. “He was so teachable and trainable. I bet he influenced a lot of young people.”
Lyons' awardsinclude the NATO Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and Combat Action Badge.
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Marine Staff Sgt Stephen Dunning, 31, joined up in order to save the lives of others. His desire to "lead a selfless life" inspired him to specialize in bomb removal for an Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit.
He was killed in Helmand Province on October 27th dismantling an IED, or Improvised Explosive Device. At least part of Helmand Province is among the 17 provinces slated to be transferred to Afghani control in the near future.
"He was originally in the high-tech field," said his father, Robert Dunning. "But that wasn't what he wanted. When he got into EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), he absolutely loved it. He thought that by taking bombs apart, he was saving the lives of others."
Dunning was a career Marine following in the footsteps of his father, who had served the Marines as a pilot. Stephen signed up in 1998. He was serving his 13th year and his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.
His parents, Robert and Tomoe, had spoken to him by phone a few days before his death.
"We were walking out of Starbucks when they called," his father said. "At first, I thought maybe they just wanted us to donate to the military. He was joking around, he was in great spirits," father said of their last phone call. "He was talking about the mud hut he was living in and a villager's donkey they had made friends with.""
Stephen's photo appeared in Vanity Fair Magazine in a July 2010 article about the war. Stephen never talked about being afraid or worried about risk. He felt so strongly about his convictions that he left a note on his brother's bulletin board at home: "Lead a selfless life."
His parents tried not to worry either but "prayed for him all the time. We just knew he'd be home in seven months," his father said. "He planned to put in 20 years and retire."
As his family copes with the death of Stephen Dunning, they are receiving emails from some of the men he served with in Afghanistan.
"Steve preferred going to Iraq and letting the married guys stay back," one of them wrote. "He was such a great friend and was always there when I needed him."
Dunning was an OED team leader assigned to the Third Marine Expeditionary Force in Japan. He was dispatched to different locations as needed. He was attached to a Marine infantry battalion in Afghanistan and would be called to the frontlines to explode or dismantle IEDs as they were discovered.
Dunning has been awarded a posthumous Purple Heart.
During his career, he collected many other service awards including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan. He also received two letters of appreciation and a certificate of commendation, individual award.
Stephen's sister in Seattle is expecting a child in the days to come. Stephen's parents will welcome their new grandchild with stories of the uncle s/he never met.
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.