Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today...
Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today....
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on...
What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye, 1971
Nearly 40 years ago, Marvin Gaye’s brother, Frankie, returned from Viet Nam and inspired the hit anti-war song, "What’s Going On." But those lyrics are just as true today as they were then. The Department of Defense reports that the total number of American deaths this year in Iraq is 856 thus far, making 2007 the deadliest year for our troops. The previous high was 850 in 2004.
Please join me over the fold as we say good-bye to four brave young soldiers who died together in Iraq. Although they are part of these statistics, they were so much more than numbers and they leaving behind grieving families, loving memories and dreams of what might have been.
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Nov. 5, in Tal Al-Dahab, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee during combat operations.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Carletta S. Davis, 34, of Anchorage, Alaska. She was assigned to the 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Staff Sgt. John D. Linde, 30, of New York, N.Y. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Sgt. Derek T. Stenroos, 24, of North Pole, Alaska. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Pfc. Adam J. Muller, 21, of Underhill, Vt. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Staff Sgt. Carletta Davis: "The type of person who always tried to do the right thing"
A devoted wife and mother of three beautiful boys. A top-notch Army medic and recipient of a Purple Heart. A cherished daughter who never failed to make her mother proud... Carletta Davis was all those things and so much more.
Her mother, Lavada Napier, describes her daughter as a kind-hearted person with an unforgettable smile. As she told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner:
Davis was the best-behaved of her children while growing up. An elementary school principal once called her to tell her that two of her younger children had been acting up, and was shocked to learn they were related to her older daughter because Davis was such a model student.
"She didn’t give anyone any trouble," Napier said. "She was the type of person who always tried to do the right thing."
Carletta graduated from East Anchorage High School in 1991, then enlisted in the Army in 1994, where she trained as a health-care specialist. She was assigned to the 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
In 1996, she deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, where she served from 1996 to 1997, and spent a year in South Korea. She was on her third tour in Iraq, the third time in less than five years.
Even before she left, says her mother, there were signs that this deployment was different. Carletta seemed to be more worried about going back than she had been on earlier deployments. She spent as much time with her husband and children as she could and visited people she didn’t normally see during leave.
"I think she was concerned particularly for her children," Napier said. "She knew the danger of going back a third time."
Source
Carletta’s aunt, Martha Trishell, told the Anchorage Daily News that her niece was happy to be able to help troops who were sick, injured or wounded. And her mother recalled a conversation they had about what it was really like in Iraq. (The source - the Anchorage Daily News- has a photograph of Carletta’s mother holding a portrait of her daughter with her three sons, Treyton, Theodore and Tyrique.)
She says it's like the Twilight Zone. It's like looking at a movie. Your emotions are so paralyzed once you see so much death. You just try to rescue who you can in the equipment you are in. She said that was the most hurtful thing -- so many people needing help.
Sadly, Carletta never had a chance to say good-bye to her husband and children before the latest deployment. Her unit departed a day before her family arrived in New York, after driving cross-country from Seattle. Her husband had just been awarded a degree as a physician’s assistant, something Carletta planned to do after her military service was completed.
Carletta Davis was one of approximately 23,000 women deployed to Iraq. She is the 85th woman to die there. Rest in peace, Carletta. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.
Staff Sgt John D. Linde: "The kind of soldier who stood out from the beginning..."
Sunday, November 11, is Veteran’s Day. It also would have been John Linde’s 31st birthday. John Linde was born in Secaucus, New Jersey, and graduated from Union Hill High School, where he was considered one of the top members of the wrestling team. He and his wife, Vilma, 29, met at Union Hill High, and married after graduation.
Following in the footsteps of other family members, including his father, John enlisted in the Army in October 1996. Previously, he had served in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and was awarded a Bronze Star during his first deployment to Iraq, and was later honored with a Purple Heart. On his second deployment, John served as a member of an elite military police unit.
In addition to being a devoted husband and father, John was a dedicated soldier, as his wife told nj.com (where you can see a photograph of John), who "enjoyed his military career and took seriously the responsibility of protecting the soldiers who served under him."
"He loved being there for his soldiers and just trying to do the most and best he could for them," she said.
(snip)
"He was my best friend," the wife said. "He was my daughter's best friend. They were buddies."
Source
John’s father, who also served in the Army, praised his son’s courage and commitment.
"He was among some of the best of the best. ... The kind of soldier who stood out from the beginning," said his father, John Linde of McDonough, N.Y, an Army veteran. "His vision for the future was in law enforcement."
Source
Just this past Saturday, John had called home and spoken to Vilma and Victoria. He told them he was leaving on a mission and that they shouldn’t worry because he would be careful.
"He was able to speak with his daughter," Vilma Linde said, recounting the conversation. "We were able to tell each other we loved each other."
(snip)
He also loved to laugh, Vilma Linde said, and always knew precisely what to say to get his wife and daughter giggling, even when they resisted.
"I think all the time about how funny he was," she said. "He made me laugh all the time."
Source
In addition to dealing with her own grief, Vilma Linde has had to share the terrible news with the couple’s little daughter, Victoria.
"She's trying to be tough because she was daddy's little trouper," Vilma Linde said. "In her heart, it makes her feel some sort of peace to know that daddy's in heaven."
Source
Linde is survived by his wife, their 8-year-old daughter, Victoria, a second young daughter from a previous relationship, and his father, John W. Linde.
Rest in peace, John. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.
Sgt. Derek T. Stenroos: "A good friend and a great son"
Derek Stenroos grew up in North Pole, Alaska, and attended North Pole High School, where he played on the school hockey team, was a member of three different choirs and performed in plays. The school’s activity director, Walt Armstrong, was so impressed by the teen-ager that he still has a photograph of Derek on his office wall.
"I remember saying 'This kid's going to be all right. He's going to be a success in life,' " he said.
Source
Derek graduated from high school in 2001, and joined the Army in January 2004. Less than a year later, he was serving in Iraq. He escaped with minor injuries after an IED explosion during that first deployment, but it didn’t let it affect his positive attitude. In fact, his father, Terrance Stenroos, says his son looked forward to a career in the military or with the Alaska State Troopers.
"He was very enthusiastic," said his father, Terrance Stenroos. "He believed he was doing a good job and he believed he was making a difference there."
Source
Derek’s friend, Yvonne Herzog, says she had received messages from him recently saying that he was eager to get back to the states and that this deployment was more dangerous than the previous one. Herzog had helped Derek create a page at MySpace, where his friends' shock and grief now fill the page.
Several weeks ago she added a small graphic to it that said, "If they don’t have hockey in heaven, I’m not going." At the time she didn’t think much of it, but that all changed on Monday.
"I told his mom they must have a good hockey team, because I’m sure he’s up there," Herzog said.
Source
Kenita Stenroos, Derek’s mother, described her son in only a few, well-chosen words:
"He was a good friend and a great son," she said.
Source
Stenroos is survived by his mother and father, and by his ex-wife, Holly Oehrig, who is also serving in the Army. Although the couple divorced earlier this year, North Pole High’s Walt Armstrong says they remained close.
"Both of them still loved each other immensely but couldn't figure out how to live together," Armstrong said.
Source
Rest in peace, Derek. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.
Pfc. Adam J. Muller: "He was always glad to serve his country"
A 2004 graduate of Mount Mansfield Union High School, Adam Muller studied to become a mechanic at Vermont Technical College. He planned to become a police officer one day, but in 2006 he enlisted in the Army. In August of this year, Adam was deployed to Iraq. Only weeks later, as his father, James, was wrapping up some special items for his son’s care package, a chaplain and a member of the Vermont National Guard came to his home to tell him Adam had died. A family spokesperson, Susan Wells, said the news has hit Adam’s parents hard and neither has spoken to the media about their son.
But his young widow, Michelle, 20, described her husband to the Burlington Free Press as:
... someone who always looked out for her and his friends, generously sharing the snacks she sent him, always asking her how she was doing, always willing to tell her he loved her, though she said his Army buddies ribbed him for it.
"He always knew what to say to me to make me feel better," she said.
She said they played on the same soccer team as first-graders and rode the same school bus. Their first date was to the Mount Mansfield Union High cabaret when she was in 10th grade, he in 11th. They were together ever since and married last Nov. 18.
Source
Described by those who knew him as "a sweet guy," Adam accepted the challenges and dangers of his work without complaining.
"He was always glad to serve his country," Michelle Muller, his wife of 11 months, said as she sobbed during an interview at her parents' Jonesville home Tuesday. "If he could make one little kid say, 'Remember when the Army was here and how good they were to us?'
Source
Although Adam’s parents have requested privacy, family friend Susan Wells spoke for the overwhelmed family and townspeople, when she told the Times Argus:
"He was loved by everyone," said Wells, whose son was best friends with Muller. "He was a very sweet young man. We're all devastated and angry at the same time. I think we're all angry about this war, that so many young men are dying needlessly."
Source
Rest in peace, Adam. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.
The Iraq Coalition Casualty Count reports that total number of US casualties confirmed by the Department of Defense is now 3858 in Iraq and 459 in Afghanistan, with 1 additional death pending notification of relatives. The DoD news releases can be found here. Other sites have stories, video, pictures and remembrances, including Honor the Fallen.
All these service people had friends and loved ones. Please visit the Iraq Veterans Memorial for a moving look at how a few of their survivors remember them. If you'd like to help our soldiers, consider sponsoring a soldier at TroopCarePackage.com or anysoldier.com. Kossack ninepatch also wrote a three-part series with everything you need to know about sending a troop care package here. Operation Helmet and Fisher Houseare also wonderful organizations that offer additional opportunity to help out American soldiers.
Finally, if you would like to assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Animal companions can provide such joy and comfort.
About the IGTNT series:
IGTNT stands for "I Got the News Today." The phrase most likely refers to the Beatles’ song, and it is meant to symbolize that terrible knock on the door that any number of families got today, bringing with it the news that a loved one has died. IGTNT is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes, MsWings, noweasels, blue jersey mom, chacounne, twilight falling, Wee Mama, greenies, labwitchy, roses, joyful, sistwo and me, moneysmith.
If you would like to help out with IGTNT -- even once a month -- please get in touch with silvercedes, Sandy on Signal, noweasels or monkeybiz.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. We ask that your remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics or personal opinions about the war.