Tonight, we have two Marines to remember. So far in 2012, there have been 16 Americans killed in Afghanistan. Since 2001, there have been 1878 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 Marine Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Jan. 15 conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Killed were:
Cpl. Jon-Luke Bateman, 22, of Tulsa, Okla. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. For more information media may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.
Lance Cpl. Kenneth E. Cochran, 20, of Wilder, Idaho. He was assigned to the 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. For more information media may contact III Marine Expeditionary Force public affairs office at 011-81-90-6861-4397.
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - Cpl. Jon Luke Bateman wrote that this was his favorite quote. He lived and served faithful to those words. His step father, Tony Allen wrote:
He was not killed in a combat situation. Our son died coming to the aid of another Marine. He was killed trying save another life and sadly they both lost their lives. Thank You.
Cpl. Bateman was helping LCPL Cochran fix a broken generator when both men were electrocuted. Bateman was on his first deployment. He was a graduate of Pahrump Valley High School in 2007. He joined the Marines in 2008.
Family and friends remember Bateman as a strong man with a deep sense of loyalty for his country. The Pahrump Valley Times spoke with some of them. Close friend, Ben Waggoner remembered Cpl. Bateman:
“The last thing Jon wanted to do was stay in Afghanistan, but it was what he wanted to do,” he said. “No matter what you or anyone else said about this country, he would stand behind it.”
Waggoner last spoke with the fallen Marine a week before his passing.
“He was strong, one of those people no matter what he came up against he put his head down and ran right through it,” Waggoner said.
Cpl. Jon-Luke Bateman earned the following awards and decorations: the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and NATO Medal for International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan.
Bateman loved to ride his motorcycle. His friends are planning a ride in his honor. From Facebook:
“Jon-Luke loved to ride and at 6’6″ he made any bike look small. When he arrives NV in Nevada he will be escorted by the Vegas/Pahrump Chapter of the motorcycle club my Uncle Bill is with from Nellis AFB back to the mortuary in Pahrump, NV in remembrance of him and in his honor,”
All flags at public schools in Nye County, Nevada will be at half-staff to honor Cpl. Bateman on the day of his funeral. Visitation is scheduled for January 26th. Burial with full military honors will be January 27th.
Semper Fi, Corporal Jon Luke Bateman.
Lance Cpl. Kenneth Cochran came from a military family. His father served in the Marine Corps, his mother was an Army Captain, his sister is an Army Specialist and he has two other siblings. Cochran joined the Marines after graduating in 2010 from Parma High School in Parma, Idaho.
The family released the following statement to the the Idaho Statesman
“Kenneth was a very nice young man,” his family said in a statement. “He was well-liked and admired by his classmates and his fellow Marines. ... He and his bubbly personality will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”
Cochran earned the following awards and decorations: NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Semper Fi, Lance Cpl. Kenneth Cochran.
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.