Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality. ~Emily Dickinson
I Got the News Today (IGTNT) is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved oneI Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which began in April of 2004, is one of 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.
The beautiful forget-me-nots were created by llbear.
Since 2003 there have been 4486 US casualties in Iraq and since 2001 there have been 2203 US casualties in Afghanistan. Source.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died April 23, in Pul-E-Alam, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from enemy indirect fire. The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
Killed were: Capt. Aaron R. Blanchard, 32, of Selah, Wash. and 1st Lt. Robert J. Hess, 26, of Fairfax, Va.
Capt. Aaron R. Blanchard died April 23 after being wounded by enemy indirect fire. Captain Blanchard was married and was the father of two. He was an Apache helicopter pilot with the Army since 2009 but who initially joined the Marines in 2000. He served two tours in Iraq as a Marine.
After his two tours he joined the ROTC and graduated from Central Washington University. After he separated from the Marines he was commissioned into the army in June 2009. He went to Afghanistan in April 2013 so was in Afghanistan for a very short time before being killed.
Capt. Blanchard's awards are many and they include: The Purple Heart, Bronze Star, NATO Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Combat Action Badge, Army Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Aviator Badge, Navy Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, four Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and two Rifle Expert Badges.
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First Lt. Robert J. Hess followed in his father’s footsteps in joining the Army. Col. Robert Hess piloted Black Hawk helicopters, and so did his son.
1st Lt. Robert J. Hess died April 23 after being wounded by enemy indirect fire. He was a Black Hawk pilot and was commissioned into the Army in November 2010. He arrived in Afghanistan in April 2013.
“He was a natural leader and great officer,” Hess’s family said in a statement. “He loved the Army. He got to die living his dream.”
“He had a lot of friends. When he was killed and we notified everybody, the phone was just ringing off the hook,” said Ruth Phillips, his grandmother. “He had such a nice personality and was very helpful.”
His awards include: The Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the NATO Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Aviator Badge.
1st Lt. Hess is survived by his mother, father and brother.
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Click here to read the series as begun by i dunno, and maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, Twilight Falling, Sis Two, Spam Nunn, CalNM, Wide Awake in KY,
maggiejean, Jaxdem, Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, and Ekaterin
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To see what these tributes mean to those who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, please read Sandy on Signal’s story about meeting the father of a soldier at NN10.
The IGTNT logo was created by Timroff.
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.