Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality. ~Emily Dickinson
I Got the News Today (IGTNT) is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
The beautiful forget-me-nots were created by llbear.
Since 2003 there have been 4486 US casualties in Iraq and since 2001 there have been 1909 US casualties in Afghanistan. Source.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Cpl. Conner T. Lowry, 24, of Chicago, Ill., died March 1 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
This incident is under investigation.
Click here for video. The last time Grace Lavin, age 17, saw her brother it was via an Internet video call in January. From somewhere in Afghanistan, he teared up as they talked, looking very much like he missed home, she said.
Levin also said, "My brother wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to come home. I thought it was always a myth that people died when they went to Afghanistan. I didn't think myths were supposed to come true. But this one did."
At Cpl. Lowry's home family and friends gathered to share memories and thoughts.
"He was awesome, and a great Marine," his mother said. "He loved his friends. He had 100 best friends."
Lowry had been in Afghanistan since October and was scheduled to return to the United States around June, two months before his enlistment was up, said his brother, Brian Lavin, 33.
Like many Chicagoans his age, Lowry grew up idolizing Michael Jordan, his family said. His brother said Lowry was an "absolute sports fanatic" who owned an extensive collection of sports jerseys and loved Notre Dame.
Here is a link to Lowry's facebook page where you can see pictures uploaded by him.
Lowry is is survived by his mother, two sisters and two brothers. Source
Here is a YouTube video about Cpl. Lowry
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To see what these tributes mean to those who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, please read Sandy on Signal’s story about meeting the father of a soldier at NN10.
The IGTNT logo was created by Timroff.
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.