One of the five Army men we honor tonight had a quotation on his Facebook site which reads:
" Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today"
- James Dean
May these five fallen live forever in the hearts of their countrymen, and may their dreams be fulfilled by those of us who continue on without them.
Tonight we remember:
* Specialist Michael A. Dahl Jr. from California
* Staff Sergeant Glen H. Stivison, Jr. from Colorado
* Specialist Jesus O. Flores, Jr. from California
* Specialist Daniel C. Lawson from Florida
* Private First Class Brandon M. Styer from Pennsylvania
Specialist Michael A. Dahl Jr.
Michael A. Dahl was a native Californian from the Moreno Valley. He enlisted in the US Army in January of 2007, and trained as an armor crewman on the M1 Abrams tank. Dahl was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and arrived at Fort Lewis in July 2008.
Dahl was deployed last July to Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment as a armor crewman for a Stryker brigade. The unit is part of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division which is headquartered in Fort Lewis, Washington.
So far, the 5th Brigade’s yearlong deployment has been hazardous. The Arghandab Valley is a Taliban stronghold, where roads often have bombs buried or hidden inside culverts. Stryker vehicles often drive off-road in an effort to avoid hitting one of these bombs. Seventeen soldiers from the Stryker brigade have died since the unit deployed to southern Afghanistan in July.
On October 17th, 23 year-old Specialist Dahl was riding in a vehicle which was struck a bomb. He died in Arghandab, Afghanistan, near Kandahar from his wounds. Two other soldiers were wounded in the attack by insurgents.
This quote is from The News tribune site:
"I think my son’s a hero," Michael Dahl Sr. told The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif. "He died for what he believed in."
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered that Capitol flags be flown at half-staff on the 21st in Dahl’s honor.
A candlelight vigil was held Monday evening in Beaumont, where flags were lowered to half-staff in Dahl's honor. Dahl's family is planning to bury him at Riverside National Cemetery, in accordance with his wishes. The Patriot Guard Riders will be in attendance.
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Staff Sergeant Glen H. Stivison, Jr.
Growing up in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, Glen Stivison was known as a prankster and called "Stivey" by family and friends. He excelled at football and wrestling and graduated from Blairsville High School in 1994. He joined the Army shortly after high school After training in Missouri, he was stationed in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was at Colorado Springs where he met his wife Eryn.
Missions took him to Kuwait, South Korea, and to Iraq, where he worked combing mine fields, disarming bombs, and setting up coordinated explosives to blow up bridges. The 13-year Army veteran, who worked as a combat engineer, was assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado. He was sent to Iraq in February before the unit was transferred to Afghanistan in May. He was stationed about 10 miles south of Kandahar and was charged with clearing the roads of IEDs.
According to the Post-Gazette site:
But Sgt. Stivison had no plans to leave the military, even though it meant time away from his wife, whom he met while he was stationed at Colorado Springs, and two sons.
His mother said it was because he was deeply committed to the men he was in charge of, who affectionately called him "Papa Sti" and hosted some of the men at his home in Colorado for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners when they couldn't make it home. Last week, Mrs. Stivison was busy putting together trick-or-treat bags filled with candy for the men.
"To be very honest, other than his family, he loved the Army and he loved his soldiers more than anything," his mother said. "He said 'If I can't be home, then I need to be with my soldiers.' "
October 15th, the Staff Sergeant was riding in the lead vehicle of a convoy on a road outside Kandahar, Afghanistan, when it hit an improvised explosive device (IED), killing him instantaneously. He was 34 years old at the time. Three other soldiers were also fatally injured in the incident.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife, Eryn, and two sons William Blaze, 8, and Andrew Wyatt, 6.
Funeral services will be in Colorado Springs. A memorial service will be held at a later date in the home of his youth, Blairsville. The Patriot Guard Riders will be accompanying the Staff Sergeant on his journey to his final resting place in Colorado.
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Specialist Jesus O. Flores, Jr.
Jesus Flores was from La Mirada, California. Flores joined the Army in December 2003. The combat specialist was deployed to Iraq from February to May 2009 and was in Afghanistan since May. He was assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado in July 2008.
Flores was one of the four Fort Carson combat engineers clearing roadside bombs on October 15th.Their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device outside Kandahar, Afghanistan, where U.S. troops have been battling Taliban fighters. The Army Specialist was 28 years old at the time. Also killed were Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr.; Spc. Daniel C. Lawson; and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer.
California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sent his prayers and condolences to the Flores family, their friends and fellow soldiers, and ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Specialist Flores.
There are several caring messages to the Flores family at the LA Times memorial site. Here is just one:
"Farewell Brave Soldier! Malaybalay Bukidnon is proud to have a Hero! Condolence to the Flores Family."
Specialist Jesus O. Flores received the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
The Army Specialist is survived by his wife. Funeral service plans have not been announced.
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Specialist Daniel C. Lawson
Daniel C. Lawson was born and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He graduated from Deerfield Beach High School in 1994.
Married since 1998, Lawson and his wife, Latoria, have three children. His oldest daughter, Kiara, is 10. Kourtney, also a girl, is 8. And their youngest child, a 5-year-old boy, is named Kevon.
Lawson’s mother is quoted by the Palm Beach Post site:
Lawson earned an associate's degree in computer programming from ITT Technical Career Institute and worked as a teacher's assistant in the Broward County school system. But he joined the military for a more stable financial future for his family, she said.
"Each day, I'm accepting it a little bit more," Carolyn Lawson said of losing her son. "My faith in God is that He knows what is best. That's where my strength comes from."
Lawson joined the Army in January of 2008 and was assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion which is based at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was trained as a combat engineer. His unit was deployed to Iraq in February of 2009. He was then sent to Afghanistan in May.
On October 15th, a roadside bomb killed four U.S. military personnel in southern Afghanistan. Lawson was one of the four Fort Carson combat engineers clearing roadside bombs who died when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) outside Kandahar, Afghanistan. Lawson was 33 years of age when the incident took his life. Also killed in the attack were Sgt. Glen Stivison Jr., Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr. and Pfc. Brandon M. Styer.
Lawson earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Campaign Star, and the Iraq Campaign Medal and Campaign Star.
The Army Specialist is survived by his wife and three children. Funeral service plans have not been announced.
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Private First Class Brandon M. Styer
Brandon Styer was from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was on the high school wrestling and baseball teams during his years at Conestoga Valley High School. Brandon and his twin sister, Alyssa, were the youngest siblings who lived with his dad, Terry and stepmom, Diane. Styer graduated in 2008 and immediately joined the Army.
Private Styer did his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and then went to Fort Carson in Colorado for additional training. In March, he shipped to Iraq, where he spent seven weeks before being transferred to Afghanistan. In both countries, he worked from an armored vehicle called a Buffalo, clearing roads of improvised explosive devices, or homemade bombs.
Styer was home for a few weeks in September. He returned to the high school to visit with some of his former teachers. The Private called home regularly. The Pennsylvania Live News reported a call from last week:
"We're loading up," Styer told his dad, Terry. "We're rolling out on a 15-day mission. I'll see you.
"I love you, Pops."
Terry Styer said, "Me too, pal."
A few hours later, Brandon Styer was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.
On October 15th, a roadside bomb killed four U.S. military personnel in southern Afghanistan. The 19-year-old U.S. Army combat engineer was one of four Fort Carson combat engineers clearing roadside bombs on October 15th. That day, their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) outside Kandahar, Afghanistan. U.S. troops have been battling Taliban fighters there.
Also killed in the attack were Sgt. Glen Stivison Jr., Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr., and Spc. Daniel C. Lawson. The four were serving with the 4th Engineer Battalion.
Private First Class Brandon M. Styer is survived by his parents and siblings. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
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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, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, and Ministry of Truth. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner
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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.