You, whose forebodings have been all fulfilled,
You who have heard the bell, seen the boy stand
Holding the flimsy message in his hand
While through your heart the fiery question thrilled
"Wounded or killed, which, which?"--and it was "Killed--"
And in a kind of trance have read it, numb
But conscious that the dreaded hour was come,
No dream this dream wherewith your blood was chilled--
Oh brothers in calamity, unknown
Companions in the order of black loss,
Lift up your hearts, for you are not alone,
And let our sombre hosts together bring
Their sorrows to the shadow of the Cross
And learn the fellowship of suffering.
~ Henry Christopher Bradby
April 1918
Tonight we stand vigil for:
Sgt. Edward O. Philpot, 38, of Latta, South Carolina
Sgt. Philpot died Octorber 23rd in Afghanistan, from a non-combat related Humvee rollover accident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 263rd Armor Regiment, South Carolina National Guard, Dillon, S.C.
Families in the close-knit neighborhood where Philpot lived with his wife Stephanie, a school teacher at Latta High School, and their three daughters spent Wednesday gathering donations to help the Philpot family make the trip to Kentucky where his funeral will be held.
Local store owner Richard Kopituk said Philpot is originally from Kentucky and Michigan. The two met about eight years ago years in Kopituk’s store, RJK Frames and Things.
(snip)
"I treated him like a second son, and he told us he thought of us like second parents," Kopituk said. "Each time he came to the store, he brought those girls. He was fabulous father."
(snip)
No one from Philpot’s immediate family wanted to comment on his death Wednesday.
Source ~ News Channel 13
Sgt. Philpot’s community is in mourning:
Two days after the the death of of a S.C. National Guard Sgt. Edward O. Philpot, the small town of Latta in Dillon County where he lived with his family continues to mourn his loss.
(snip)
He graduated from Coastal Carolina University in Conway. . . .
(snip)
Close friends said he was very involved in the community and a dedicated member of Dillon Church of God.
(snip)
Close friends said Philpot spent his Saturday mornings taking his three daughters to Kopituk’s coffee shop for cookies.
"Well, you’re just kind of shocked at first. I think this is the first time the war has really been brought that close to us," said Neyette Williams, Philpot’s neighbor of eight years.
"It’s just a devastating thing. He’s the first one from here that we have lost, and of course it’s sad anytime you lose somebody," she said. "But, this hits very close to home because we look out that front door every day and realize he’s not gonna come back anymore."
(snip)
Dillon Church of God has established a memorial fund for the Philpot family. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 573 Dillon, SC 29536 in care of the church.
Philpot’s funeral will be held in Manchester, Ky., where most of his family lives, sometime next week. A representative from Rominger Funeral Home, which is handling the arrangements, said a time and date for services has not been announced.
Source ~ News Channel 13
Viewers of News Channel 13 were invited to leave comments for the family of Sgt. Philpot. These are a few of them:
SS, Leesville
My son just recently arrived in Afghanistan after volunteering to join up with the 218th. He was deeply honored to be chosen to be a part of the 21 gun salute for Sgt Philpot. God bless his wife and family and God bless all of our soldiers who have given so much for all of us.
SN, Elgin, SC
I am so sorry for your loss. My husband is also in Afghanistan with 218th and what has happened with your husband is a constant fear in my life...Please know that I am praying for you and your family during this horrible time. Your husband gave the ultimate sacrifice for this mission. God bless you...
Sgt. Philpot had been in the National Guard for nine years and was just two months away from going home. He had been promoted during his deployment. His brigade honored him in Afghanistan earlier this week.
For the first time since their brigade arrived here, S.C. National Guard soldiers Thursday mourned one of their own.
(snip)
Guard members gathered Thursday at one of their Afghan bases for a memorial service for (Sgt.) Philpot . . .
(snip)
"This is a hard loss," said (Lt. David) Baxley, who met Philpot in 2001. "I know it’s war and war is hard. Whenever there’s a death of someone you know, it really touches your heart."
Philpot was among 200 soldiers from the Mullins-based 1st Battalion, 263rd Armored Regiment. The unit’s 12-month tour will end in December.
(snip)
The Mullins battalion is part of the Guard’s 218th Brigade Combat Team, which took command of Task Force Phoenix in Afghanistan on May 28.
"Sgt. Philpot was a tough soldier," said Brig. Gen. Bob Livingston of Lexington County, commander of the 218th and Task Force Phoenix. "He served his country and his Afghan brothers to his last breath.
"His children will grow to know the difference their Daddy made — that difference that we already know."
(snip)
The task force, responsible for training the Afghan army and police, has more than 6,000 troops from about a dozen countries.
(snip)
Philpot was the ninth service member with S.C. ties to die in Afghanistan. Six of the nine have died in accidents, most in helicopter or airplane crashes.
The accident that killed Philpot happened about 7 a.m. Tuesday when a Humvee he was in went off the road and rolled over. A second service member, whose identity is being withheld, was injured.
(snip)
The Humvee was part of a convoy that was moving soldiers and gear through a mountainous area to a new base near Tarin Kowt, the capital of remote Uruzgan province.
"It’s tough," said Spc. Robert Berry, who lived a block away from Philpot in Latta. "It’s really tough.
"We spent three months together at Camp Shelby. We were together the first six to seven months here at (Camp) Phoenix," said Berry, who attended Thursday’s memorial service. "It’s really hard to have to be right here."
(snip)
Philpot’s friends said he was a quiet, devout man who never swore, kept a cool head and always had a smile.
(snip)
He loved being a soldier, said Sgt. Kenneth Page of Dillon.
(snip)
There was one thing about Philpot that made him a little different, Staff Sgt. Robert Legette said with a smile.
"During PT (physical training), he’d be the one wearing bright yellow tennis shoes," said Legette, who, like Philpot, is from Latta.
(snip)
Spc. Kyle Kimbro of Florence recalled Philpot was the first soldier to welcome him to the Mullins unit’s scout platoon.
But, Kimbro added, what he remembers most was Philpot’s love of his family.
"I remember when we deployed to Camp Shelby and seeing him with his wife and three little girls," Kimbro said. "He was holding the baby, who was probably no more than 2 months old at the time. He talked about his family all the time."
Source ~ thestate.com
Photos and video of the Memorial Service for Sgt. Philpot in Kabul, Afghanistan
(From testvet6778 in the comments: Chuck Crumbo, the reporter who wrote this story and shot this video went to training with this unit in Mississippi and is spending their entire deployment with them.)
Sgt. Philpot is being mourned by the South Carolina National Guard.
"He was deeply committed to the cause of freedom and this belief led him to serve his state and country with honor and with distinction," (Adjutant General Stanhope) Spears said in a written statement. "The South Carolina Army National Guard will sorely miss this great American and we join his family and friends in mourning his passing."
Source ~ wtlx
Most of all, Sgt. Philpot is remembered for his love of his family.
Sergeant Philpot's friends and acquaintances in Latta all said the same thing about him: he was a loving husband, and a gentle, caring father.
"I knew that Ed was a good father," said neighbor Netty Williams. "I watched him play in the yard with his children, play tag with them, run around the tree, pull them in the wagon, take them for walks."
Local business owner Shirley Kopituk has similar memories, saying "(His) girls would climb over him, and kiss him on the cheeks and the back of the neck, and he would just smile and continue his conversation with other people. He was really an exceptional young man."
Source ~ wtlx
Photo and video
Though a native of Michigan, Sgt. Philpot will be buried in Manchester, Kentucky.
The son of a London (Kentucky) couple has died while serving with the South Carolina National Guard in Afghanistan.
(snip)
Philpot’s aunt Lois Hayes says her nephew left for Afghanistan in January and served as a military scout. She says he was highly regarded as a father and a citizen of his local community.
Philpot will be buried in Manchester, where he lived a few years after graduating from University of South Carolina, said his father Ottas Philpot of London.
(snip)
"His grandparents lived in Kentucky, and he was close to his grandparents," Ottas Philpot said.
Source ~ Lexington Herald-Leader
Sgt. Philpot is survived by his wife of 13 years, Stephanie, their three daughters (ages 9, 5 and 1), and his parents, Ottas and Willa Philpot.
Bless Sgt. Edward O. Philpot. His mission is done.
Grim News Iraqi police say a bomb blast has killed eight people and wounded 13 in an area southeast of Baghdad. Officials say two policemen were among those wounded in the blast, which targeted an area of restaurants. Source ~ Voice of America
To date, 3838 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Iraq. Of these, 96 have been women. The death toll thus far for October is 32. More than 30,000 men and women have been wounded, and 128 have taken their own lives. All of the fatalities can be seen here. The Department of Defense Press Releases, from which the information at the start of this diary was drawn, can be seen here. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown, but is at least in the tens of thousands.
To date, 453 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The death toll thus far for 2007 is 96. 260 members of the military from other countries have also lost their lives.
Other sites have stories, video, pictures and remembrances, including: Honor the Fallen.
If you want to do something to assist our military and their families, please visit anysoldier.com or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, please see Fisher House’s Hero Miles program. Finally, if you would like to assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here.
(From the comments: Please consider a donation to IAVA's and Major League Baseball Charities' new fund: Welcome Back Veterans. h/t llbear)
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 is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes, MsWings, greenies, American Daughter, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, Wee Mama, twilight falling, labwitchy, moneysmith, joyful, roses, SisTwo and me, noweasels. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them. If you would like to volunteer, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes or me, noweasels.
As you read this diary, please consider that the families and friends of those profiled here also may read it. As the very proud daughter of a Navy pilot, and the granddaughter of a Marine pilot and a submariner, I hope that the comments tonight will demonstrate our respect for the sacrifices of our fallen military and their families, whatever our feelings about the war and occupation.