I Got The News Today (IGTNT) is among the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos and 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.
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For the Fallen
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
~ Laurence Binyon (1869 - 1943)
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Honoring and Remembering:
Cmdr. Joel Del Mundo Tiu
Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard
Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson
Since 2001 we have lost 2141 American troops in Afghanistan and a total of 3206 American and coalition forces.
Amazing Grace and Taps
Performed at Arlington National Cemetery
Day is done...Gone the sun
From the lake...
From the hills...
From the sky.
All is well...Safely rest
God is nigh.
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Cmdr. Joel Del Mundo Tiu, 49, of Manila, Philippines
Cmdr. Joel Del Mundo Tiu, 49, of Manila, Philippines died Oct. 12 as a result of non-combat related injuries. He was assigned to Logistics Forces, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, Manama, Bahrain. ~ DoD News Release
Commander Tiu served in the US Navy for 28 years. No details of his death were released other than it was non-combat related.
There is very little personal information available other than this Memorial to Joel Tiu. All the following information has been pulled from that memorial site.
A formation of approximately 35 personnel were present in order to honor and pay their final respects to CDR Tiu upon his send off in Bahrain, October 14, 2012.
I saw CDR Tiu a couple of times at Camp Liberty dining facility and he was always so positive and so nice to talk to. I remember CDR Tiu as a very professional Naval Officer, always offering to help out, with a positive attitude and a ready smile on his face. We had a couple of Supply Corps functions while in Iraq and CDR Tiu was always the first to volunteer to help out. We had a few conversations about previous tours and I was impressed at his willingness to take on the hard and challenging assignments.
The Supply Corps and the U.S. Navy lost a gallant and dedicated Naval Officer. I lost a comrade and a friend.
My family's thoughts and prayers are with CDR Tiu's wife, children and family. I am blessed to have had the chance to cross paths with Joel.
Sincerely,
Romeo O. Bautista
LCDR, SC, USN
I worked directly for CDR Tiu in CTF-53. He was like my father, teacher, mentor, and friend. He taught me how to become a better naval officer through words and action and he always had a sea story to share in our morning quarters while continuosly ruffling his hair back and forth. I will never forget his invaluable teachings. He always listened to classical music in his cube and always talked about the instruments his children played. He was the most down to earth person I have ever met.
My deepest condolences to CDR Tiu's family. He will be sorely missed by many of us.
v/r,
LT Gilbert Uy
A Funeral Mass will be held Monday, October 22nd at 10 am at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church in Temecula, CA.
Interment with Full Military Honors immediately following at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA
Commander Joel Del Mundo Tiu is survived by his wife, Vida; son Joel; daughter Justine; three brothers: Jerome, Jennies, and Jun; and two sisters Jemelle and Jocelyn.
~ Source
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Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard, 29, of Sierra Vista, Arizona
Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard, 29, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., died Oct. 13, in Khanabad District, Afghanistan, from small arms fire while on patrol during combat operations. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N. C. ~ DoD News Release
Ryan J. Savard was born in Salt Lake City, Utah into a military family. He lived in Jefferson, New Hampshire and attended White Mountain Regional High School in Whitefield, graduating in 2001 from Buena High School in Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Sgt 1st Class Savard enlisted into the Army in August of 2001 as a helicopter repairer and in June 2004, Savard attended and graduated from the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School to become a Special Forces weapons sergeant.
Savard, a ten year veteran Green Beret, served one deployment to Iraq and this was his fifth deployment to Afghanistan. His body was escorted back to the United States by his brother-in-law.
Savard's father, Sgt. Maj. Garett Savard, said his son understood the meaning of hard work.
Raising Ryan was easy. He was a special soul that needed only to be told one time, and he understood.
He became a great American and a warrior for freedom and liberty, and we will miss him every day.
The family reported that Ryan was a patriot, a warrior and a son who constantly challenged himself. He was on the promotion list for Master Sergeant at the time of his death.
Ryan James Savard protected our country with bravery and honor and that is how we will always remember him. This is a tragic loss and my heartfelt condolences go out to his friends and family. ~ U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of one of New Hampshire's finest, SFC Ryan Savard of Jefferson. We owe SFC Savard a tremendous debt of gratitude for his selfless service to our nation, and his tragic loss reminds us of the sacrifice and commitment of the men and women in our armed forces who risk their lives every day for the cause of freedom. ~ Second District Congressman Charles F. Bass
Sgt 1st Class Ryan J. Savard's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (2nd Award), Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal (3rd Award), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), and five Overseas Service Bars. Savard has been posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal (3rd Award), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Purple Heart.
No funeral arrangements have been announced.
Savard is survived by his spouse, Kayla Savard and his parents, Garett and Marie Savard.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson, 26, of Long Beach, California
Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson, 26, of Long Beach, Calif., died Oct. 12, in Andar District, Afghanistan, from small arms fire while on patrol during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. ~ DoD News Release
Thomas "Tommy" MacPherson in Long Beach, Calif. and graduated from Los Alamitos High School.
MacPherson enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 2007 and graduated from the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program in December of that year. His military education included the Basic Airborne Course, Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, U.S. Army Ranger School, Infantry Mortar Leader’s Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course (SERE), and the Warrior Leader Course.
Sgt MacPherson served a deployment to Iraq and was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan when he died.
From this Ranger tumblr page:
As a Ranger, Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson selflessly lived his life for others and distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier direct action raid force and fought valiantly as he served his fellow Rangers and our great Nation.
Rangers Lead The Way!
Lt. Col. Gregory Anderson, Commander of 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment:
Sgt. Tom MacPherson lost his life courageously leading his Rangers into a close quarters fight with the enemy.. Tommy MacPherson never backed away from the dangers of combat, and his warrior spirit, personal example, and zeal for life continue to inspire all who knew him. We will honor his service to our Nation and the heroic example he set for all Rangers. Our thoughts and prayers are with the MacPherson Family.
Col. Mark W. Odom, Commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment:
Sgt. Thomas MacPherson personified the traits of the consummate Ranger: commitment and courage. He deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq multiple times and always seemed to be at the critical points on the battlefield.
Tommy's family remembers him as a Ray-Bans-and-shorts Californian, a new dad who loved movies, guns, "Seinfeld" and the beach.
At his sister's wedding on June 16, even though he was donning a brand new suit, Thomas stayed true to his California style by keeping his Ray-Ban sunglasses on.
His wife, Claudia said this about that wedding service:
It's nice to have that memory of him, and to share that with him and his baby sister -- it being our wedding anniversary, too. It's nice to know that his extended family, their last memory of Tommy was him walking his mom and grandmother down the aisle.
Claudia continued with these comments:
He wanted to serve his country. That's what he wanted to do. It was something that he was very, very passionate about.
He was very loving to Brayden and I, always. That's the one thing that's very comforting to me, just knowing there's no doubt in my mind that he loved us… we were his world.
He loved us and he was a kind person and he was willing to be brave enough to defend that which he cared about. He was a man of few words a lot of the time. He was hard to read. A lot of people, I feel, didn't know the kind and gentle side of Tommy … once you got to know him, he was very patient -- very, very patient.
To his fellow soldiers, Thomas was known as "the laid-back boy from California," said his wife.
He always said he wanted to come back to the beaches of California. We enjoyed the ocean, whether it was a walk on the pier or a walk on the sand.
Tommy was obviously young at 26 when he passed. …As a mother, it's great for me to know that his mom and dad saw him grow up to be a man, a husband and beyond that, a father -- things you don't really understand until you experience it.
Sgt Thomas R. MacPherson's awards and decorations include the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the U.S. Army Expert Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Badge, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service and Purple Heart.
No funeral services were announced.
Sgt Thomas R. MacPherson is survived by his wife, Claudia MacPherson, and their son, Brayden of Tacoma, Wash., and his parents, Troy and Diona MacPherson of Long Beach, Calif.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, Ekaterin and me, JaxDem.
These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them. 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.
Sgt Bowe R. Bergdahl
The only known current Prisoner of War is Sgt. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 26 who was captured by the Taliban in June of 2009. Five propaganda videos featuring Bergdahl have been released by the Taliban. A website has been established with the most up-to-date information on Sgt. Bergdahl.
Please keep good thoughts and prayers for Sgt. Bowe R. Bergdahl.
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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.