Where are these men? Asleep beneath their grounds:
And strangers, fond as they, their furrows plough.
Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys
Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs;
Who steer the plough, but cannot steer their feet
Clear of the grave.
They added ridge to valley, brook to pond,
And sighed for all that bounded their domain;
'This suits me for a pasture; that's my park.
- Emerson
Tonight, we gather to pay tribute to Lance Corporal Nigel K. Olsen, who gave his last full measure for his country this week. Orem, Utah lost two of its sons this week. The other brave hero was Lance Cpl. Carlos A. Aragon, a high school classmate of Nigel Olsen. Nigel Olsen and Carlos Aragon now give themselves to the ridges, valleys, brooks and ponds of Utah. Pray for them, and for those who love them.
Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen
Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen, 21, of Orem, Utah, died March 4 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
http://www.defense.gov/...
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Nigel Olsen, in happier times
The picture of the 6-year-old boy on the beach standing at attention and giving the camera a smart salute tells you everything you need to know about Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen, said his sister, Stacy Hansen. "At the age of 3, he knew what he wanted to do," Hansen said. "He wanted to serve his country."
Outside of her Orem home, a stone's throw from the home where Hansen and her brother grew up, neighbors are placing a row of U.S. flags and tying yellow ribbons around the flagpole to honor 21-year-old Olsen, who was killed Thursday fighting in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Olsen moved to Salem two years ago with his parents, Todd and Kim Olsen, and lived there when he wasn't on training exercises. He also took classes at Utah Valley University. Hansen said her brother joined the Marine Reserve after his high school graduation, but his interest in the military was a lifelong passion. "He would run around the neighborhood in his camos, playing war with the neighborhood kids," she said. "He was a great brother."
During a recent telephone call, Hansen said Olsen had complained about not being as involved in some of the fighting as he would have liked. "The last time my mom talked to him, he was upset because they were not able to be in a gunbattle," she said. "They ended up being in the thick of it." In his spare time, he liked playing Xbox and spending time with his family. "He loved Sunday dinners at my mom's house and playing with all of his nieces and nephews," she said.
http://www.deseretnews.com/...
Nigel Olsen and his family
A United States Marine carry team bears Nigel Olsen home.
What is excellent,
as God lives, is permanent.
Hearts turn to dust,
hearts love remains.
Hearts love will meet the again.
- Emerson
God Bless Nigel Olsen, and those loved ones he leaves behind.
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. The series, which was begun by i dunno, is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma and CalNM.
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.
If that's not clear, read this: http://www.dailykos.com/...