Major Paul Voelke wrote a piece for Veteran's Day 2009 for the Hudson Valley Times Herald- Record: Why I Serve
The best part of my service has been, and continues to be, the people I get to interact with every day. A fellow soldier once said, "People join for the stuff they see on TV. They stay for the people."
What makes them so special? They are people who live selfless service. They endure separation from their families, austere environments, and in some cases they pass up lucrative jobs to serve. They ask their families to sacrifice — spouses who have to put down roots every few years in a new place, make new friends, learn new school systems and often do it alone.
Tonight, we remember three more selfless men, including Major Paul Voelke. Since 2001, there have been
2021 American troops killed in
Afghanistan. Since January 1, 2012 there have been
158 U.S. 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 Casualty
Maj. Paul C. Voelke, 36, of Monroe, N.Y., died Jun. 22 in Mazar E. Sharif, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Major Paul C. Voelke graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1998. He was born in 1976 in Monroe, New York and graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School in 1994. Voelke served four deployments: two in Iraq and was on his second in Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, Traci, and sons, Andrew, age 8, and Benjamin, age 6.
In his piece for the Times- Herald Record , he stated:
Serving to defend this nation has a special meaning for me. Like most of us, I remember exactly what I was doing on the morning of 9/11. I was taking part in a monthlong training exercise at Fort Polk, La. I remember the television images of the towers burning had a surreal quality.
But there was no feeling except reality when someone walked in and said that 300 firefighters had died. My heart started racing because my father was a firefighter. I soon learned that he wasn't at work that day — he was safe.
Maj. Paul Voelke was proud of his service to our country. He lived for helping others, keeping communities safe, and building a better world. As he stated, he'd "give anything to make sure no one flies an airplane into my sons' office building someday."
Major Paul Voelke will not be forgotten. Please remember and heed the last words on his op-ed piece:
I continue to serve because I believe in what I do, and I am honored to work with my fellow soldiers. This Veterans Day, thank a soldier, a veteran, or a family member.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice, Major Paul Voelke. We will be there for your family, friends and comrades.
Source: Herald-Record.com, Herald- Record
DoD Announces Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Hunter D. Hogan, 21, of Norman, Ind., died June 23 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan lived in rural southern Indiana and was a 2009 graduate of Brownstown Central High School. He loved to rodeo and work with horses. His best friend since 3rd grade, Chase Plummer, told
WHAS -TV he was "brave about everything. He was first to stand up and do it."
Chase urged Hogan to go into college, but Hogan wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and serve for four years in the USMC, then join the rodeo circuit. His family plans to honor him with a rodeo competition in August in Jackson County, Indiana.
Friends of his grandparents in Kinston, North Carolina remembered LCPL Hogan for the many summers he spent visiting there. Sun Journal The paper spoke with some:
Jamie Martin remembers the fallen soldier the way his wife does.
“He was just a good kid,” he said. “He was smart and liked to have fun.”
A public affairs officer at Camp Lejeune with knowledge of the circumstances of Hogan’s death was out of the office and unavailable for comment Tuesday.
As is often the case with deployed members of the military, news on Hogan came second or thirdhand.
“Betty had told us that Hunter had told his dad that he was in a scary spot,” Jamie Martin said. “He was fearful of where he was at. There were not good things.”
Along with his parents and grandparents, Lance Cpl. Hogan is survived by his wife, Brittney.
Source:New Bern Sun Journal, WHAS - TV
DoD Announces Marine Casualty
Pfc. Steven P. Stevens II, 23, of Tallahassee, Fla., died June 22 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Neighbors grew concerned when they saw four military personnel show up at the home of Lois Stevens in Detroit. From the
Detroit Free-Press:
Odis Pearrie Sr., who lives across the street from her, called Steven Stevens' father, Steve Stevens of Detroit, when he learned they were there.
The two men met on the block and waited for information. "We just had a feeling that something had happened to Steven," Pearrie said. "We just had to wait until his mother got home to actually find out just what happened."
Pfc. Steven Stevens deployed for Afghanistan just 8 days before his son was born. Stevens watched his baby grow and reach milestones via Skype. He was looking forward to seeing his son and wife in October, sadly he was killed by an RPG hit in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
"I'm sorry that he never got a chance to see his son," said his grandmother Dorothy Atkins, 85. "I wish he could have had that blessing."
Pfc. Stevens was an excellent swimmer. He had asthma as a child and doctors recommended he swim for a sport. Ten plus years later, the young child had earned a scholarship to Florida A & M University for swimming. After college, he enrolled in the United States Marine Corps. His grandmother told the
Detroit Free Press:
"He quit college in order to join," his grandmother said. "I guess he had the calling because he just went and joined."
The Rev. Louis Forsythe II, pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Detroit said:
"He was willing to give his all for his country," Forsythe said. "It speaks to his commitment."
Semper Fi. Always faithful. Amen.
Source:
Detroit Free Press
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, Ms. Wings, 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.