As of today, 1,974 US military personnel have been killed in or near Afghanistan. Staff Sargaent Brian L. Walker, 25, and Pfc. Richard L. McNulty III, 22, died together in Bowri Tana, Afghanistan, on Mothers' Day, May 13, 2012 when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
~ Photo Credit llbear
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which is among the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
Pfc. Richard Lewis McNulty III,22, was a high school soccer star. He graduated from Rolla High School in Rolla, MO, and joined the military after one year of college. He was married in February of 2010. His wife, Hannah, is expecting their first child, a daughter named Ella, in June. McNulty was deployed to Afghanistan in December, and was to have returned home in three weeks.
McNulty was killed when the vehicle he was driving while on patrol in Bowri Tana was attacked with an improvised explosive device. Another soldier, Sgt. Brian L. Walker, 25, of Lucerne Valley, California, was also killed in the incident, and three other soldiers were wounded. Both men were military police assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
McNulty joined the military in August of 2010, and was assigned to Elmendorf in December, 2010. His recruiter remembers him as having an upbeat nature.
"Out of the 250 people I've dealt with during my recruiting time, he was one of my favorites," Sgt. Terry Ford said. ~The Rolla Daily News
“He was a really outgoing person,” said his brother, Shaun McNulty, also according to the
Rolla Daily News. “He’d do anything to make you laugh. He was there if you ever needed anything.”McNulty is survived by his wife, Hannah, his parents, Edward McNulty and Debbie Leach, his brother, Shaun McNulty, and his sisters, Amy Cormier, Shannon McNulty, Lisa McNulty and Katy McNulty.
Sgt. Brian L. Walker, 25, was in command of the vehicle, and was also killed in the attack.
Walker attended Lucerne Valley High School, in Lucerne Valley, California, where he was an officer in Future Farmers of America.
LVHS agriculture teacher Troy Van Bavel said Walker was “a really nice kid” who had a lot of friends and worked hard to show his FFA projects at the San Bernardino County Fair during his three years with the program. ~Lucerne Valley Leader
He visited London with his high school in the 2004-2005 school year. Karen Thompson, a staff member who accompanied him, remembers his energy and sense of humor.
“He had a great sense of humor and he was very kind,” Thompson said. “He made jokes and he was just a happy-go-lucky guy.” ~Lucerne Valley Leader
Walker joined the army in July, 2007. According to the
Kingman Daily Miner, he is married to 2008 Kingman (AZ) High School graduate Ashley Caswell-Walker, who is a U.S. Army Corporal. At the time of their wedding in Dec. 2010, the couple was living in Fayetteville, N.C., where they were both serving at Fort Bragg. He was serving his second deployment in Afghanistan when he was killed.
John Cosato, a Navy veteran, displays pictures of local military members on the wall of his Lucerne Valley Barber Shop; among them is a snapshot of Walker in his Army fatigues, flashing the bright smile he was known for.
“He was one of the best kids we had in this town,” said Cosato, who had cut Walker’s hair since Walker was in elementary school. “Everybody has an enemy, but I didn’t know anyone who didn’t like Brian. ... It’s always sad when we lose someone over there, but it hits a lot harder when it’s someone you know.” ~Lucerne Valley Leader
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.