Since 2001, 2073 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4486 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Iraq.
The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) series is a reminder that nearly every day, somebody gets the heartbreaking news that a friend, former classmate, or beloved family member will not be coming home from war.
Tonight we remember a Marine and
a Soldier killed in action far from home:
Lance Cpl. Curtis J. Duarte, 22, of Covina, California
Sgt. Kyle B. McClain, 25, of Rochester Hills, Michigan
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a Marine:
Lance Cpl. Curtis J. Duarte, 22, of Covina, California
Lance Cpl. Duarte was killed in combat on August 1 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a Rifleman assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms, California.
Curtis Duarte grew up in southern California and graduated from Covina High School in 2008 where he played baseball.
Covina High School Principal Claudia Karnoski said staff members described Duarte as a "great kid who liked to make people laugh and put a smile on their face."
"He will be remembered for his contribution to our campus and country," Karnoski said. "We send our prayers and support to his family and friends."
Pasadena Star News
Sources
KPBS and
Press Enterprise
Curtis attended San Diego State University before he joined the Marines in 2008. His brother Brad is also serving in the Marines.
This was Lance Cpl. Duarte's first deployment to Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Duarte's awards include a Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon and other decorations.
Among those Lance Cpl. Duarte leaves behind are his mother, brothers, cousins and other family and friends, and his buddies in First Team Marines.
Lance Cpl. Curtis J. Duarte is missed. May he rest in peace.
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a Michigan National Guard Soldier:
Sgt. Kyle B. McClain, 25, of Rochester Hills, Michigan
Sgt. McClain was killed in an August 1 IED explosion in Salim Aka, Afghanistan. McClain was an engineer assigned to 1433rd Engineer Company, 507th Engineer Battalion, 177th Military Police Brigade, based Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Kyle McClain comes from Shelby Township in suburban Detroit. He graduated from Rochester High School in 2005. He met his wife Lisa when they were teenagers together in the high school marching band.
Kyle went to Ferris State University for two years before enlisting in the army.
He previously served a tour to South Korea and a tour in Iraq, and joined a National Guard unit after active duty.
Sgt. McClain was only in Afghanistan for about six weeks when he was killed by a roadside bomb during a mine-sweeping foot patrol.
The IED detonation seriously injured four other Michigan National Guardsmen with the 1433rd Engineer Company: 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Robert Drebenstedt of Charlevoix, 24-year-old Spec. William Barnett of Ypsilanti, Spec. 26-year-old Steven Nelson of Dollar Bay and 20-year-old Pvt. Joshua Colon of Grand Rapids. The injured soldiers were transported to military medical facilities at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
McClain was promoted from specialist to sergeant posthumously.
Sources The Oakland Press and Daily Tribune
His cousin Alex Wargo said he received a devastating call from McClain's wife, Lisa, early Thursday morning.
"She said, 'Kyle’s not coming home from Afghanistan.
I just got a visit from two uniformed men,'" remembered Wargo in a WXYZ story.
The The Oakland Press and Daily Tribune reported:
Lisa McClain, 26, received a knock at her door at sundown earlier this week — an army chaplain informing her that her husband Sgt. Kyle B. McClain was killed in Afghanistan in an explosion.
“I didn’t think it was real. I thought it was some kind of sick joke. I thought maybe they were going to call me the next day and say they had the wrong person,” Lisa said through tears.
“Twenty-five years old is too young,” Lisa said through tears.
“I miss the way he makes me laugh, the way he was able to just look at me and tell me everything was going to be okay. He was such a strong person. He was my rock. And we were such a good team.”
Among those Sgt. McClain leaves behind are his wife and other family and friends in Rochestor Hills.
Sgt. Kyle B. McClain is missed. May he rest in peace.
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Thanks to Timroff for our faithfully lighted candle IGTNT logo;
Other Photos by CalNM and linked Sources
Helping our troops: If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com. Fisher House provides housing for families of injured troops and veterans who are recovering in hospitals, and Guardian angels for soldierspet assists the animal companions of our deployed military.
When our veterans come back home, they can find support at Welcome Back Veterans. Our recently returned veterans need jobs, and Veterans Green Jobs is now hiring for positions and filling training sessions. VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in forest and resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas. Encourage a Veteran, and see if you can help out.
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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, Ms Wings, maggiejean, JaxDem, 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.