The U.S. continues combat operations well into the ninth year in Afghanistan, amidst reports of ongoing civilian losses and a struggling wartime government. Meanwhile, two more American families received the heart-wrenching news their sons died while serving far from home.
Tonight we remember two young Marine Sergeants, both 23 years old and from Camp Lejuene, North Carolina; who were killed in action in Helmand province, in southwestern Afghanistan:
Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, of Fredericksburg, Virginia
Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, of Ludlow, Massachusetts
Since 2001, there have been 1069 American troops killed in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4397 American troops killed in Iraq. I Got The New Today reminds us that everyday, somebody gets the news that a friend or family member will not be coming home from war.
Please take a moment below to remember them.
The Department of Defense announced the death of a Marine from Camp Lejuene who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23
was killed May 12 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Lamar worked as a sniper and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
According to myfoxdc reports, Sgt. Lamar had already served two tours in Iraq, and was serving in Afghanistan for his third combat tour.
In addition, "Lamar was recently promoted meritoriously to sergeant and had been meritoriously promoted to all ranks in the Corps."
As Rusty Dennen writes at fredericksburg.com (photo source),
Donald James Lamar was born in New York but grew up in Stafford, Virginia, where he was an "accomplished wrestler and a football player at Stafford High School." He graduated in 2004 and joined the Marines.
Even after graduating and enlisting in the military, Lamar stopped by wrestling practice to assist the high school team. His friends called him their "hero."
Donald Lamar also married, and became a father. He and his wife, Stephanie, have a 2 year old daughter named Madison.
When recalling Sgt. Lamar, a family friend shared,
"He was a Marine's Marine, a big, strapping kid -- tough,
a great sense of humor and a natural leader."
Among the family and friends that Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II leaves behind, are his wife and young daughter, his parents, and the high school students he inspired.
He will be missed. REST IN PEACE
Other Source: The Republican
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The Department of Defense announced the death of a Camp Lejuene Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, 23
was killed May 12 during a combat mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Desforges was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
Sgt. Desforges was serving in his second tour of duty in Afghanistan; he deployed for the first tour in September 2008.
Video clip, photos, and news from wwlp.com, report that:
Joshua Desforges was born and raised in Ludlow, where his family still lives. He always wanted to be a Marine and serve his country, and he started by serving in the Westover Young Marines program in East Longmeadow.
Desforges joined the Marines shortly after graduating from Ludlow High School in 2004.
Friends recalled Joshua Desforges as a "hero" and a "fun-loving kid"
who was looking forward to his 24th birthday next week.
wwlp.com reports that Sgt. Desforges' mother "works at Veterans Park Elementary School in Ludlow, where some students were working on a project communicating with Josh" while he was deployed overseas.
"A crisis team was at the school" last week to help those students who were having to deal with the sudden death of their honorary big brother and hero.
Among the family and friends Sgt. Joshua Desforges leaves behind are his parents and the elementary school children who looked up to him.
He will be missed. REST IN PEACE
Other Source: Boston Herald
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(Other Photos by CalNM; Thanks to Timroff for our faithful lighted candle IGTNT logo;
and Thanks to llbear for our beautiful forget-me-nots IGTNT logo.)
Helping our troops: If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or Fisher House. Sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com can provide letters or care packages that make a real difference in a military person's life. To assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available at guardian angels for soldierspet.
When our veterans come back home, they need jobs. Look at the programs of Veterans Green Jobs and Welcome Back Veterans. Encourage a Vet, and see if you can help out.
About the IGTNT series: I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each casualty has family and friends who received the terrible news that their loved one has died at war.
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 US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. Published AP photos of the returning war fatalities are found on the Dover AFB page.
Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries in the series which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by 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, Sandy on Signal, Wide Awake in Kentucky, and me, CalNM. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for our fallen brothers and sisters.
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.