Today is a day of heavy tolls. Five more have fallen.
Five more beautiful young men who have friends, fellow soldiers, and families that love them eternally, and who are grieving endlessly.
This is my first IGTNT Diary – and I am humbled to be a part of this wonderful series. My brother is an infantry Marine who recently got back from Iraq. I am aware every day of the families who are grieving, and as we at IGTNT learn of the friends and loved ones of our fallen, little pieces of their lives sear into our soul and we try the best we can to honor and remember them here.
So, it is with genuine sadness that I bring you the following – the snippets of what we can find in the press – but I know that they are so much more. For those that knew them and love them, please accept this as our tribute to the amazing individuals that I know they are. I am so proud of them, and those who served with them – and am grateful to be able to help remember them.
June 20, 2007 Edition:
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1st Lt. Frank B. Walkup, IV, 23, of Woodbury, Tenn., died June 16 in Kirkuk, Iraq, from injuries sustained in Rashaad Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during dismounted operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Frank Walkup scans his area on route Clemson in Iraq March 30, 2007, prior to setting up a tactical check point to search vehicles for items of interest. Walkup is assigned to 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway) (Released) (Released to Public)
DOD Photo Source
The Christian Science Monitor wrote an in depth article published May 30, 2007 that covers the conditions Lt. Walkup and his fellow soldiers live in, as well as a close call with an explosive:
Life in a remote US Army outpost in Iraq: IEDs, DVDs, and A/C
(little excerpt) A three-hour tour of a few villages stretches into a seven-hour patrol after an IED misfires beneath the middle truck of the convoy. No one is hurt, no visible damage is done, and the initial assessment is that it was a small device. But the tension is suddenly palpable after an explosives disposal team arrives and reveals the IED was in fact a large, multiheaded device buried within many pounds of fuel and accelerant. It simply failed to function as designed.
"Once again, we missed our ticket home," jokes 1st Lt. Frank Walkup of Woodbury, Tenn., the patrol leader, initiating a round of tension-releasing black humor among his crew
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Frank Walkup briefs his platoon on Forward Operating Base Warrior, Iraq, April 1, 2007, about an Iraqi police-led mission they will be conducting. The Soldiers are assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway) (Released) (Released to Public)DOD Picture Source
Lt. Walkup is survived by a large family: his wife Sabita, father Frank, stepmother Mitzi, eight brothers and sisters who live in Woodbury, and his mother, Melissa Oaks of Memphis.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. David A. Wilkey Jr., 22, of Elkhart, Ind., died June 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit June 17 in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
A U.S. Army Soldier pays his respect at a memorial ceremony in Hit, Iraq, Dec. 3, 2006, for Spc. Jon-Erik Loney. Loney, attached to Task Force 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, died Nov. 28 from injuries after a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle during a combat patrol in Hit, Iraq. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana) (Released to Public) DOD Photo Source
Photo & Source
David Wilkey Sr. says, "He was a very good son, a very good friend to many and a good father to his kids and husband to his wife." It's how...he will remember his son...who died in Iraq doing a job he took for his wife and two young children.
Margaret Wilkey says, "He wasn't gung-ho for war. He loved his family and wanted to support them. He was very involved with his children, spending quality time with them, taking them fishing."
All activities and skills that were passed onto him by his father. But that isn't what David says he will miss the most about his son. David Wilkey Sr. says, "Being able to hug him. Telling him that you love him."
Margaret Wilkey says, "Long conversations, they'd get on the phone together and yack, yack, yack."
Before graduating from high school in 2003, David Wilkey Jr. played football and wrestled... He joined the Army in January 2006 after being laid off from Plastic Components and was planning to attend college, David Wilkey Sr. said.
"He was a real upbeat, fun-loving person," his father said. "He made friends easily with everybody."
David Wilkey Jr. will be missed dearly by his wife Melinda, his two children; 4-year-old stepson Christian and 1-year-old son Blayke, siblings Valerie, Dannielle and Danny, his mother Cindy, father David Sr. and stepmother Margaret. David and Melinda have another child due in October.
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died June 17 in Panjway, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.
Killed were:
Capt. Joshua E. Steele, 26, of North Henderson, Ill. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Transition Team), Fort Riley, Kan.
Photo & Source
Capt. Justin Wilkerson, casualty assistance officer, said this morning, "The family is grieving right now and they loved him very much. He will be missed by his family and by his unit.
"He was an engineer and very bright and made captain very quickly," Wilkerson said. "He was thought of highly by his peers."
This was Capt. Steele's second tour of duty in the region, having previously been deployed to Iraq.
Capt. Steele will be deeply missed by his mom Paula and dad Phil.
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Henderson, 35, of Hillsboro, Ore. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Transition Team), Fort Riley, Kan.
Jennifer Henderson said her husband was a "very good husband and a very good father. He loved his job completely and was a hero to a number of people. Chris always had a smile on his face and never really had enemies because of this."
Sgt. Henderson will be missed by his wife Jennifer, daughter 8-year-old Kayley, mother Cindy, twin sister Athena, and father Jim.
Sgt. 1st Class John M. Hennen, 26, of Vinton, La. He was assigned to the Louisiana National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, Lake Charles, La.
"We’re not going to Afghanistan as combatants, we’re going as trainers for the Afghan Army, so it’s a whole different ball game," he said in an interview given before he deployed.
Hennen was looking forward to this mission and said the relationships he and his fellow soldiers created with the Afghans during training indicated a great diversity between the people of Afghanistan and the people of Iraq.
"There’s a big difference between the two cultures," he said in his interview. "We became good friends with the Afghan soldiers we’ve been working with over the weeks. "They cooked for us, we cooked for them; they’re very good people." Source
"I was visiting my daddy's grave in Nederland (Texas) when I got a call that the Army was looking for me," Moreno (John's mom) told The American-Press of Lake Charles. "They wouldn't tell me anything until I got home." Source
At this time, it appears that Sgt. Hennen is survived by his mother Susan Moreno, and a son.
A memorial stand is ready prior to a memorial ceremony March 10, 2007, at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora, Iraq, honoring the memory of six U.S. Army Soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment who died in the line of duty. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Molly Dzitko) (Released) (Released to Public) DOD Photo Source
***
The Department of Defense has confirmed 3,525 deaths and the announcement of six more deaths is expected, pending notification of the next of kin, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here.
The DoD news releases are here.
You can read more about each service member at Honor the Fallen and Spread the Word: Iraq-Nam, which is written by our own spread the word IRAQ NAM. Please visit the Iraq Veterans Memorial for a stirring look at how a few of their survivors remember them. It will break your heart.
If you are moved by the continual losses, not to mention those who are wounded physically and mentally by serving - often again and again - please visit anysoldier.com, Operation Helmet, Fisher House and/or my personal favorite: Soldier’s Angels They have an amazing assortment of things you can do – from writing letters to the wounded, to sewing blankets that go in the first response backpacks our soldiers get when they are wounded, to adopting a soldier. Check out their website if you’d like to lend a hand!
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Monkeybiz, Sandy on Signal, silvercedes, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, American Daughter, blue jersey mom, chacounne, BeninSC, Wee Mama, Just the Facts, and me, worried dem.
If you would like to help out with IGTNT -- even once a month -- please get in touch with silvercedes, Sandy on Signal, noweasels or monkeybiz.
Thank you so much for being here, and for honoring our fallen by remembering them.