Executive Mansion
Washington, D.C.
November 21, 1864
Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom.
Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln
In the absence of much substantive information about the service members mentioned in tonight's diary, I ask you to read President Abraham Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby and to consider how costly a sacrifice has been made. My condolences go out to all whose lives were touched by these men, and especially to their families, friends and comrades.
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Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi, 25, of Cordova, Tenn. "died Jan. 23, while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan," according to the Department of Defense. Qi, a Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class, was assigned to Fourth Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan.
Details are scarce. Maj. Paul Greenberg, the media officer for the Marine Forces Reserve Public Affairs Office in New Orleans, told the (Memphis, Tenn.) Commercial Appeal that "All we know is that he was out on patrol and was killed ... We really don't like to say too much about the location." A post at Corpsman.com adds "He was on foot patrol in Helmand Province when a suicide bomber attacked. Didn’t make it to MTF." (This might mean "medical transport facility.")
Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane, 22, of Cherry Hill, N.J. was also killed in the attack.
Qi's family has spoken very little, if at all, to the press. When a reporter for the Commercial Appeal knocked on their door, a friend of the family answered and said only "Right now, they just want to keep quiet ... It's really hard for them. We hope you understand."
The Frederick (Md.) News-Post says that
Qi was a Navy Hospital Corpsman who did not train with Frederick 's 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Company B, but he was attached to the company during its six-month deployment to Afghanistan's Helmand province, said Company B's 1st Sgt. Mike Mains.
Qi joined the Navy on June 8, 2006, and was serving his first deployment in Afghanistan. He earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal earlier in his career, according to a Department of Defense press release.
Godspeed, Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi.
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Anton R. Phillips, 31, of Inglewood, Calif., died Dec. 31, 2009, at Forward Operating Base Methar Lam, Afghanistan. He was assigned to G Forward Support Company, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Task Force Wildhorse, Forward Operating Base Methar Lam, Afghanistan.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Stars & Stripes notes that the "DOD announced Phillips’ death only this week, offering no explanation as to why there was such a delay in releasing the information."
Very little information is available about Staff Sgt. Phillips. This post appeared on the 82nd Sustainment Brigade's blog, The Provider:
Mourning Staff Sgt. Anton R. Phillips
By MC1 Krishna Jackson
BAGRAM, Afghanistan – As the morning sun warmed the chill in the air around Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, Soldiers gathered together to remember a fallen brother in arms. A memorial in honor of Army Staff Sgt. Anton R. Phillips was held Jan. 3 so those who served with him could say goodbye.
The 31 year old Los Angeles native started his career in June 1998 as a 63H Track Vehicle Repair Mechanic. Since October 2003, he had been assigned to 5th Maintenance Company (MC) out of Kaiserslautern, Germany. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan but the third deployment during his career including a tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving with 5th MC, Phillips won the hearts of his leadership, peers and his Soldiers.
"Phillips took care of his Soldiers like family. He rallied them to do their jobs to the best of their ability and he lead by example," said Capt. Alexis Jackson, 82nd Combined Logistics Team OIC who also served with Phillips as the 5th MC executive officer.
More than 200 Soldiers came to pay their respects to Phillips and leave behind a little piece of themselves at the foot of his memorial stand, a ceremonial display where his helmet, rifle, boots and dog tags were assembled in his honor. Many touched his boots or tags as they remembered how he had touched their lives.
"SGT Phillips was beyond reliable. We constantly gave him tough assignments and he always managed to get them done in time. More importantly, though, he earned the respect of his Soldiers. He was more than just a team leader, he was a friend and his door was always open to anyone, day or night. He will be dearly missed," said 1st Lt. Craig A. Long, 5th MC platoon leader.
During his time in service, Phillips earned two Army Commendation medals, six Army Achievement medals, multiple Army Good Conduct medals, the National Defense Service medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary medal, the Global War on Terrorism medal, the Army Service ribbon, the Overseas Service ribbon, the NATO medal, Afghanistan Campaign medal, Army Vehicle Drive Badge and the Mechanics Badge.
Born Jan. 12, 1978, Phillips is survived by his three daughters Lexus 13, Antoneth 8 and Alina 5.
Godspeed, Staff Sgt. Anton R. Phillips.
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You can help.
This list is from noweasels and I reprint it here with thanks to her and to you. Here's what you can do:
You can send a care package. Please consider brightening the day of a soldier with a care package.
You can write letters.
You can send a cup of organic coffee.
You can find other ways to give at anysoldier.com or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, please see Fisher House’s Hero Miles program.
You can help the left-behind animal companions of our troops. See how here.
And don’t forget them when they get home! Read welcomebackveterans.org to learn what you can do. Visit VoteVets and IAVA.
You can also participate in Netroots for the Troops. Here's how.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; 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.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, twilight falling, joyful, roses, Chacounne, JeNoCo, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma and True Blue Majority. Timroff created the IGTNT logo.
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.