Tonight, we remember three soldiers and a sailor. The soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on December 27th. Two had only been in Afghanistan three weeks, when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb. They were based along the Pakistan border, in a dangerous area known as Gardez.
Since 2001, there have been 1863 American troops killed in Afghanistan. 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 Casualties
They died Dec. 27, in Paktia, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
Killed were:
Sgt. Noah M. Korte, 29, of Lake Elsinore, Calif.,
Spc. Kurt W. Kern, 24, of McAllen, Texas, and
Pfc. Justin M. Whitmire, 20, of Easley, S.C.
From Sgt. Noah Korte's facebook page, he wrote:
To my beautiful wife and kids, daddy loves you very much, so be good and take care of mommy while I'm away.
Sgt. Noah Korte was a 2000 graduate of California Lutheran High School in Wildomar, California. He played football for the high school team. His high school football coach, Dave Peter, remembered him well. He spoke with the
Press-Enterprise:
“There was always a big presence among the kids thinking about getting into the military, and I know he for one saw it as a noble occupation,” Peter said.
Sanctuary of Mary:
Friends describe Noah as a good and loyal friend, who was always there for you, never asking for anything in return.
Sgt. Korte is survived by his wife, Kristi, together they had two children. He also leaves behind his parents and a brother. Korte was a Military Police Officer. He joined the Army in 2003 and served three previous deployments in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan in early December, 2011.
Sgt. Korte earned the following awards and decorations: four Army Commendation Medals, two Good Conduct Metals, Army Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medals with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism with Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 2, Driver and Mechanics Badge, and a National Defense Service Medal among others.
Rest in peace, Sgt. Noah Korte.
Spc. Kurt Kern's family asked for privacy at this time. They released the following statement to the media, from Valley Central:
In a statement from one of the brothers, the family said Spc. Kern “dream since childhood was to serve and defend our country, and he was proud to be a soldier in the United States Army.”
They added that his dedication to the country was evident, “His bravery shined bright when after his original deployment was canceled, he volunteered to deploy with another unit.”
Spc. Kurt Kern graduated McAllen Memorial High School in 2006. He played football and enjoyed a variety of sports. In September 2009, Kern joined the Army. Spc. Kern earned the following awards and decorations: the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Rest in peace, Spc. Kurt Kern.
Pfc. Justin Whitmire always wanted to be in the Army. After graduating from Hillcrest High School in Greenville, SC, he had a decision to make: go to Harvard or join the Army. He chose the latter. He wanted to be a combat medic.
Whitmire had only been in Afghanistan three weeks, when he was killed by a roadside bomb.
Jennifer Whitmire of Justin, told the WYFF4.Com TV Station
"(Justin) was so excited to get to go. That was all he ever wanted to do. He was so smart he could have chosen any college he wanted to go to, but this is the route he wanted to go," said Jennifer Whitmire, Justin's mother. "Last night, I was distraught. Right now, I feel like I'm just in a bad dream and I need to wake up."
Lorie Whitmire, grandmother of Justin, told her facebook friends:
“To all my Facebook friends. Please remember our family in prayer. Our grandson, Justin Whitmire, was killed in Afghanistan today. He was supposed to be in a safe location. But it appears that it is not safe anywhere over there. He was only 20 years old and had been over there three weeks. Thank you for your prayers.”
Donnie Whitmire, father of Justin, told the TV station:
"Never in a million years thought we'd see that car pull up in that driveway," said Donnie Whitmire. "You don't know whether to hurt, be mad. It's just a million emotions running through your head right now."
Funeral arrangements are pending. Prayers for the Whitmire family.
Rest in peace, Pfc. Justin Whitmire.
DoD Announces Army Casualty
Petty Officer Stacy O. Johnson, 35, of Rolling Fork, Miss., died July 18, while supporting operations in Bahrain. Johnson was a master-at-arms assigned to Naval Security Force Bahrain.
Statement from
Navy Times:
The Navy has reclassified the death of a sailor who died in a motorcycle accident in July to reflect that he was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Master-at-Arms 1st Class (AW) Stacy Johnson was killed July 18 in an accident 18 miles southwest of Naval Support Activity Bahrain. He had been assigned to Naval Security Force Bahrain.
Originally his death was listed as “other” but was subsequently changed to show his role in OEF.
The reclassification caused the Navy to announce his death Thursday, more than five months after he died. An ongoing review eventually determined that Johnson played a direct role supporting the operation, said Jen Stride, a Navy spokeswoman in Bahrain.
Johnson, 36, of Rolling Fork, Miss., reported for recruit training in November 1993, according to personnel records. He served on the amphibious ships Ogden and Peleliu, and the carrier Nimitz. He also served in Texas and Hawaii, but spent most of his career in San Diego.
He reported to Naval Security Force Bahrain in September 2010 after spending a year at Region Southwest Security Detachment San Diego.
When more information becomes available, we will update this. Rest in peace, Master At Arms, 1st Class Stacy 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, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, TheFatLadySings, Ekaterina, 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.