Pvt. Michael Baloga will never realize his goal of giving away his baby daughter, Isis, at her wedding. Maj. Thomas Bostick, Jr. will not get to see his girls accept their college diplomas. Spc. Daniel Leckel aspired to be a sports journalist. A knock on the door meant those and so many other dreams will never be fulfilled.
Please join me tonight in celebrating the lives and mourning the loss of five soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan while proudly serving their country.
From the DoD:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pvt. Michael A. Baloga, 21, of Everett, Wash., died July 26 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
"Soldier gave all for little girl"
That’s what the headlines said in announcing the death of Pvt. Michael Baloga, a young father from Everett, Washington, for he leaves behind a 1-1/2 year old daughter, Isis, who meant the world to him. According to multiple news reports, his Myspace page listed two of his biggest goals as watching Isis graduate and being able to give her away at her wedding.
He died while delivering medical supplies in Muqdadiyah, Iraq last week. After his military service was over he planned to go to college and embark on a career – all so that he could provide for Isis (he was in the process of an amicable divorce from Isis’ mother at the time of his death according to this article).
Pvt. Baloga’s sister Leah Valade told a reporter that she had lost her brother and best friend.
"I was really worried about him going into the military," she said. "I knew the risks that were involved, especially in going right now."
--snip--
"The most important thing in all his life was his family, and ... Isis," Valade said.
-- snip --
"The family fully supported him," Valade said. "Michael was a considerate person, the best friend you could possibly ask for."
According to the Seattle Times, in addition to his daughter Isis and sister Leah Pvt. Baloga is survived by his parents, Robert and Linda Baloga of Kamiah, Idaho; his brothers Jacob and Jeremiah of Everett; and sister Linnea of Everett and Valade.
Family and friends have been grieving for Pvt. Baloga on his Myspace page since they found out about his death. And as fate would have it, just about a month before he died Pvt. Baloga encouraged people to never look in the rear view mirror.
"The past is the past," he wrote. "It doesn't change. All you can do is trudge [through] it and keep on going."
You can see video and photos of Pvt. Baloga here. Our deepest sympathies are with his loved ones tonight.
From the DoD:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Daniel A. Leckel, 19, of Medford, Ore., died July 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
He always loved being a part of the team
Whether it was being the best team manager the Glendale Pirate football and baseball teams ever had or proudly serving with his brothers in his unit, Spc. Daniel Leckel loved being a part of a team effort.
So much so that he once walked 56 miles in driving rain to be a part of his team again. From the News Review:
Leckel had moved to Medford, where he was working and attending Rogue Community College and he didn't have a way to get back to Glendale. Instead of calling someone to drive down and pick him up, Leckel decided to walk the 56 miles from Medford to Glendale.
He set out the night before the game, spent three hours under a freeway overpass in Grants Pass to get out of a heavy rainstorm and get some sleep. By 8 o'clock the next morning, he arrived in Glendale, soaked from the continuing rain.
Bret Prock, who was a senior that year, 2006, remembered coming to school that day and being amazed that the game would mean so much to Leckel that he would walk that far. Leckel had served as the team manager for both the Pirate football team and the baseball team during his four years in high school and both teams were important to him.
"That was just Daniel. He was going to be there no matter what," said Prock, who played on the team, which won its game that night. "It showed how much he cared."
An aspiring sports journalist, Spc. Leckel, known to his friends as "Leck" or "DeLecktable" showed that same dedication when he decided to enlist in the Army two years ago to serve his country and earn money to pay for school.
Motives that his parents, stepfather Richard LeCrone and mother Cathy LeCrone supported, despite his stepfather’s misgivings as a disabled Vietnam vet. From Oregonlive.com:
At 9 p.m. Wednesday, when LeCrone and Leckel's mother, Cathy LeCrone, heard knocks on the door, their stomachs sank. An Army chaplain stood on the stoop. "We opened the door and saw him, and we knew," said Cathy LeCrone. "We just knew."
The chaplain told them Leckel, 19, had been killed in small-arms fire in southern Baghdad.
Spc. Leckel was very close to Bret Prock’s father Steven, the head of Glendale High’s athletic department and coach of the football and baseball teams. Again from Oregonlive.com:
"He just loved sports, but he didn't have a lick of talent," Prock said. But instead of giving up, Leckel volunteered to help manage the teams. "He acted more like a coach than a player," Prock said. "I would always joke that Daniel Leckel was the only one we couldn't replace."
Prock said Leckel had an easy way about him, and that he never complained. "I took him home every night after practice," Prock said. "I looked forward to ending my day with him because he had a pretty good outlook."
As challenging as serving in Iraq was, Spc. Leckel loved his unit and the Iraqi children. His MySpace page has a photo of Iraqi children waving. Once more from Oregonlive.com:
And recently he asked his parents to send him candy to hand out to Iraqi kids. The LeCrones shipped 6 pounds of sweets to Baghdad.
Richard LeCrone said Leckel told his family that he loved the brotherhood of his unit. "He always liked being part of a team," LeCrone said. "And those squads are teams."
The LeCrones are trying to heal, but they're plagued by near-constant regret. Richard LeCrone remembers one of Leckel's dreams that now will never be realized. "He loved the Atlanta Braves and he always wanted to get back there to see one of their games," LeCrone said, his voice trailing off.
"He was a great kid," he said. "He deserved better than this."
We offer our deepest condolences tonight to the LeCrones, the community of Glendale and the friends and Army brethren of Spc. Leckel. May he rest in peace.
From the DoD:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Cody C. Grater, 20, of Spring Hill, Fla., died July 29 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy direct fire. He was assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
"He always went the extra mile to help out his comrades."
"Our son died doing what he was proud of," Larry L. Decker and Anita D. Lewis, his stepfather and mother, said in a statement. "It was his goal to make the Army his career, which he loved. He was proud of serving his country."
"He served his country honorably and will long be remembered by his leaders and fellow paratroopers. "He was eager to learn and excelled at all aspects of his chosen profession. Pfc. Grater always went the extra mile to help out his comrades."
It’s hard to imagine finer tributes than those paid to Pfc. Cody Grater. And to commemorate his service to his country, Pfc. Grater has received the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Badge.
Pfc. Grater met his good friend Jessi Tenaro at Springstead High. And they made a pact to marry each other if they turned 40 and both were single. Jessi has created a MySpace page where Pfc. Grater’s loved ones can mourn and reflect on his life.
His mom, Anita Lewis, said that her son had an interest in the military from a very young age. From the St. Petersburg Times:
"You remember those toys called Micro Machines?" Lewis asked, wiping away tears. "He had all the military ones."
Sitting on her living room couch, she greeted a steady stream of family and friends who came through the rain to console her. Each passed two stickers on the front door that read, "I am the proud parent of a soldier."
When Pfc. Grater was 3, his mom married Larry Decker who always treated Cody as if he were his biological son. Again from the St. Petersburg Times:
"He was a good kid," Larry Decker said. "He was proud to be a solider fighting for his country."
And he was someone who was always there to help.
That’s what is 14 year old sister Cheyanne Decker remembers about him. As soon as she got the news about her brother she had a gold photo-engraved pendant made to remember him. Again from the St. Petersburg Times:
While her parents sat at their kitchen table with an Army officer Tuesday afternoon to work out the funeral arrangements for their 20-year-old son, she went to a mall with a friend to get more necklaces engraved.
"This photo was taken on July 15," she said, holding up the heart-shaped pendant. She and her brother's faces in the image are cheek to cheek, etched into the metal with thin lines.
"It's just so much to think about," the 14-year-old said sadly. "He was just here."
May Cheyanne, the rest of his family, his friends, community and unit always feel the spirit of Pfc. Cody Grater in their hearts.
From the DoD:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died July 27 near Kamu, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when their unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. They were assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.
Killed were:
Maj. Thomas G. Bostick Jr., 37, of Llano, Texas, and
Staff Sgt. William R. Fritsche, 23, of Martinsville, Ind.
He took care of his soldiers.
Maj. Thomas Bostick, Jr. was company commander of B Troop 1-91 Cavalry, 173rd Airborne Brigade serving in Afghanistan while his younger brother, Bobby is serving in Iraq. So when the uniformed men showed up at her door over the weekend their mother Brenda Richardson knew one of them was gone. It was Tom Jr.
"He wanted to be a teacher," she said. "He wanted to come back to Llano and help younger children succeed."
According to the Austin American Statesman, Bobby flew home from Iraq on Monday after hearing of his brother's death.
He said he called his older brother Big Bubba and looked to him for guidance and strength after he joined the military.
"He took care of his soldiers," Bobby said. "He was definitely a good mentor and was one of the top captains in the Army."
His stepdad, Jim Richardson told the Statesman that the family was handling Maj. Bostick’s death by celebrating his life:
"He was such a good son," he said. "He's one of the good ones that died too young."
According to KXAN, Maj. Bostick is survived by his wife, Jennifer; two daughters, Jessica, 18, and Ashlie, 13; parents, Brenda and Jim Richardson of Llano, and Ann and Tommy Bostick Sr. of Midland; and grandparents Bob and Maudean Keeler of Lovington, N.M. He also has a brother, Bobby Bostick, and wife Tammy, stationed at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, but deployed in Iraq; half-sister, Shamaree Bostick of Midland; stepsisters, Sonya Richardson of Hobbs, N.M., Valorie Ruth of Weiser, Idaho, and stepbrother JW Richardson of Lubbock. He had many aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces.
Bostick will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia as a major, as he was posthumously promoted upon his death because of his honorable military service. May he rest in peace. Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, community of Llano and his company.
A rising star with a bright future
The community of Martinsville, Indiana is mourning the loss of a hero today. Staff Sgt. William Ryan Fritsche, known as "Ryan" suffered fatal injuries when his unit came under attack in Afghanistan last week. His teachers remember him fondly, according to TheIndyChannel.com:
"I think everybody in the community will feel a loss," said Sheldon Buskirk, a retired teacher. "The world was a better place because Ryan was in it. He'll be missed here."
Fritsche is the 16th person from Indiana to have died in Afghanistan or Pakistan since U.S. anti-terrorism operations began there in late 2001.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department, where SSgt Fritsche’s mother Volitta is a detective, issued this statement:
"The Fritsche family would like to thank the community for their outpouring of support, and we would request that you keep the Fritsche family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
And in other remarks a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department had this high praise for SSgt. Fritsche:
"(Ryan) comes from a good family, God fearing, hardworking - he was a good athlete and he was a rising star with a bright future," Hamilton said while answering questions once the prepared statement was read. "If this unfortunate situation wouldn't have occurred I could have seen Ryan serving in the military as a general."
According to the Indianapolis Star:
SSgt. Fritsche's death adds to the pain and loss the Fritsche family has felt recently. William Fritsche, his father, died in May after a battle with a terminal illness. One of SSgt. Fritsche’s grandmothers died recently, as well.
A 2002 Martinsville High School graduate, Fritsche played on the varsity basketball team before joining the Army at age 17 under the delayed-entry program. He already had a number of honors for such a young man. After being deployed to Africa in 2004, Fritsche was promoted to sergeant in April 2005, having received several commendations. He was chosen to serve in the Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, the Army's oldest active-duty infantry unit. He also marched in President Bush's inaugural procession in Washington, D.C., in 2005. Soon after, Fritsche volunteered to serve in Afghanistan.
In addition to his mother he is survived by his wife, Brandi, whom he married in September, and by his mother and his brother Thomas J. "T.J." Fritsche. He also is survived by his maternal grandparents and a paternal grandfather.
May SSgt. Fritsche rest in peace alongside his father and grandmother. Our condolences to all who loved and served with him.
Please take a moment to honor the memory of Pvt. Michael A. Baloga, Spc. Daniel A. Leckel, Pfc. Cody Grater, Maj. Thomas G. Bostick Jr. and Staff Sgt. William R. Fritsche, as well as too many others who have passed through this world much too quickly in service to their country.
You can do that by viewing the stories and remembrances of these heroes at sites such as Iraq Veterans Memorial, Honor the Fallen and Spread the Word: Iraq-Nam
Regarding Iraq, the Department of Defense has confirmed 3,650 deaths and the announcement of 7 more deaths is expected, pending notification of the next of kin, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. 420 American troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001, with more to be identified in the coming days.
To support our military service members and veterans, please visit AnySoldier.com and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
they will always be young
they will always be beautiful
they will be in our hearts
they have become part of our souls
we will carry them with us always
and meet in the fullness of time.
(thank you labwitchy)
About the IGTNT series:
IGTNT stands for "I Got the News Today." The phrase most likely refers to the Beatles song, and it is meant to symbolize that terrible knock on the door that any number of families got today, bringing with it the news that a loved one has died. IGTNT is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes, MsWings, blue jersey mom, chacounne, Worried Dem, twilight falling, Wee Mama, sheddhead, moneysmith, labwitchy and me, greenies.
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.