I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway sun,
I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift it in lacy jags.
I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,
If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.
You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.
Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.
~ From Song of Myself
By Walt Whitman
Tonight we grieve for four courageous American soldiers. Three of them were killed together Tuesday while on foot patrol. Two of them were on their final mission; they were to leave Iraq for home tomorrow after a 15-month deployment. The third, age 24, had served a tour of duty in Afghanistan and was on his second deployment to Iraq. The fourth was an unmarried National Guardsman who came out of retirement to serve again in order to give "another guy" with a wife and family "a break."
Spc. Miguel A. Baez, III, 32, of Bonaire, Georgia
Spc. Baez died Feb. 5 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Al Muqdadiyah when he encountered an improvised explosive device during combat operations. He was was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Spc. Baez was the "best kind of soldier."
Spc. Baez, an assistant machine gunner with 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, deployed to Iraq in December of 2006 after joining the Army in May of 2005.
Baez's company first sergeant, Kevin Spooner, described Baez as the "best kind of soldier."
"He was a clown, a loving father and a wonderful husband," Spooner is quoted in an 82nd Airborne Division news release. "He always volunteered and never hesitated to help out a brother. He'll be greatly missed."
Source ~ Macon Telegraph
A childhood friend said the news of Spc. Baez’s death was "the worst news that I could have ever gotten."
Baez's childhood friend Stephanie Sharber says, "When we got the news that he got killed, it just tore my heart up, because he was a loving person, loving person."
Sharber, lived next door to her good friend Miguel Baez III. She heard the news about his death on Tuesday.
(snip)
Hearing the news brought back a painful memory Miguel Baez helped her get through.
"Last time I seen Michael was in June, when my step son got killed, and he came over here. He cried and I cried, because we were one big happy family, this right here is like bringing back memories losing a loved one that was real dear to me."
Baez's aunt Elise Marquez said he always knew what he wanted to do.
"As a kid, he would collect G.I. Joes. He would put soliders in combat, he would always talk about the military, that's what he wanted to do."
"I just can't believe he's gone," said Marquez.
Source ~ WMAZ
The parents of two of Spc. Baez’s fellow soldiers write blogs about their sons; they had this to say:
Miguel Baez and Mark attended basic training together at Ft. Benning, went to airborne school together. There were five of them that went from basic to the 82nd Airborne Division together. Now there are four.
Source ~ Airbornedad
My son's squad went out for there last mission of the deployment on Sunday. They had one casualty the first day and had to notify his parents in Texas. Tuesday another and it was a close friend of my son’s. The young man had a wife and 4 children ranging from 20 months to 8 yrs old that was decorating their home to welcome him back, and got a call he would not be coming home. I CAN NOT IMAGINE... So please, please keep these families in your prayers.
(snip)
As some of you have read, my son's squad went out on their last mission Sunday and on Tuesday a dear friend of his was killed. I did finally get the info and he is from Georgia. He was married with 4 children, ranging in ages from 20 months to 8 yrs old. They are due to leave for Kuwait on Sunday to return to Ft Bragg after being deployed for 15 months. So hopefully my son will be back on American soil by Wednesday. We will be driving to NC on Sunday to be there with his wife and children so that this momma can hug her son... Please keep these families in your prayers.
Source ~ Paulding.com
Video WMAZ
Guestbook.
Spc. Baez joined the Army in May 2005. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the Purple Heart. He completed infantry training and the basic airborne course at Fort Benning in October 2005 before joining the 82nd Airborne. He earned the combat infantryman's badge, expert infantryman's badge and the parachutist's badge.
Spc. Baez is survived by his wife, Elena Deer-Baez, and four children, Selena, Miguel, Aaliyah and Breanna, all of Fort Bragg, N.C., and his parents, Miguel and Ramona Baez of Byron, Georgia.
Thank you, Spc. Baez. Your mission is done.
Sgt. John C. Osmolski, 23, of Eustis, Florida
Sgt. Osmolski died Feb. 5 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Al Muqdadiyah when he encountered an improvised explosive device during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Sgt. Osmolski had always wanted to serve his country, but after fifteen months in Iraq, he was ready to come home.
The date was set: This coming Wednesday, Osmolski would be back in Eustis, playing with his nephew John Micheal and tinkering with his Jeep with his brother Daniel.
He never made it home.
(snip)
"He was just doing his job," Daniel Osmolski said Thursday as he sat with his wife, Heather, in his living room in Eustis. "His goal was always to go into the Army and serve his country."
Osmolski grew up in Eustis, where he lived until he left for boot camp in January 2005. He attended Circle Christian School in Orlando, where he was a forward on the soccer team.
As a teenager, he was active in the youth groups at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Eustis and at nearby Bay Street Baptist Church. David Kelly, the youth director at New Hope, went on several mission trips with Osmolski and his twin sister, Julia, to Peru, where the church ran a ministry for street children.
(snip)
"John was passionate about whatever he did, and he poured his whole heart into those children," Kelly said. "He didn't let any of that bother him, the fact that they were dirty or poor. He just opened up his arms and let them come to him."
(snip)
Osmolski had wanted to join the military ever since he was a kid playing with G.I. Joe dolls, his brother said. He thought he would attend college first, and after he graduated from high school, he spent a couple of semesters at Valencia Community College. Then he got impatient.
"He got tired of waiting — that's why he enlisted," Daniel Osmolski said.
(snip)
Osmolski . . . . spent six months in Afghanistan in 2005 and was deployed to Iraq at the end of 2006.
"He did have a rough time, but he still believed in what he was doing," Daniel Osmolski said. "He always said, 'I'm doing great things over here.'"
Osmolski was scheduled to be discharged in May, and he did not plan to re-enlist. He wanted to start a family and finish college . . . .
(snip)
He planned to take the summer off and spend time with his family, work on his car and play with the dog named Ophelia that he had brought home on a whim as a teenager.
(snip)
Osmolski's MySpace page, which his girlfriend, Lindsey Cruz, is maintaining in the wake of his death, lists Metallica as one of his favorite bands, and Jesus Christ as his personal hero. The page is listed under Osmolski's nickname, Squirrell, which Daniel Osmolski said his brother's friends have been calling him since he was a teenager.
(snip)
Daniel Osmolski said John Osmolski was extraordinarily close to his family, especially with his twin sister, Julia, who was born a minute after him.
"The joke was always that she kicked him out," he said. "They did everything together."
(snip)
"He was always doing what he could to make others laugh," Daniel Osmolski said. "He brought joy to all of us when he was around."
(snip)
Daniel Osmolski said his brother often warned his family that he might die in Iraq. But John Osmolski's Christian faith helped him make peace with that possibility.
"Someone's got to do it," he told his brother. "And who would be better than someone who knows where their eternity lies?"
"That was John," Daniel Osmolski said. "Trying to comfort us."
Source ~ The Orlando Sentinel
Guestbook.
Sgt. Osmolski joined the Army in January 2005. He had a previous combat deployment from July to November 2005.
Sgt. Osmolski is survived by his mother, Ruth E. Osmolski, of Powhatan, Virginia, his twin sister, Jullia, another sister, Ruth Janna Wheat, his brother, Daniel, a sister-in-law, Heather, a nephew, John, and his girlfriend, Lindsay Cruz.
He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Thank you, Sgt. Osmolski. Your mission is done.
Sgt. Timothy R. Van Orman, 24, of Port Matilda, Pennsylvania
Sgt. Van Orman died Feb. 5 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Al Muqdadiyah when he encountered an improvised explosive device during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Sgt. Van Orman was known from childhood as the sort of person who poured "his whole heart and soul into everything he did."
Across fields, down streets, Timothy Van Orman would march in his uniform — years before going to war.
He played trombone, a dedicated Bald Eagle Area High School band member from Port Matilda sounding the music for a Friday night football game or a parade.
"Tim was the kind of student who really poured his whole heart and soul into everything he did," said Scott Sheehan, his former music director who now runs the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School music program.
(snip)
A year after his 2002 graduation, Van Orman enlisted in the Army.
(snip)
"He was very dedicated and believed in what he was doing," his mother, Kelly Van Orman, told the Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times on Thursday. "He thought he was making a difference."
After basic and advanced training at Fort Benning, Ga., Sgt. Van Orman served in Afghanistan from August 2003 to May 2005. He then deployed to Iraq for a year. By the time of his death during his second tour, he had become a decorated fire team leader with the 2nd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry Regiment.
But Karen Morse knew a different Van Orman, a slender, bespectacled "solid student" with sandy brown hair.
"He was sort of the backbone of America type of kid, hard working, smiles, very polite," said Morse, a school counselor at Bald Eagle Area High School.
Sheehan recalled Van Orman’s zest for playing in the jazz, concert and marching bands.
(snip)
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, his marching band took part in a patriotic rally at Penn State. Talking with Sheehan about the world, Van Orman declared his wish to join the military and defend his country.
"He was very proud to be going into the service, and it definitely meant a lot to him," Sheehan said.
(snip)
"He was like the epitome of a good citizen," Sheehan said. "He was really the kind of young adult who you’d want to have contribute in society to make a difference. I’m sure, while he was in the service, he made one."
Source ~ Centre Daily Times
Sgt. Van Orman’s hometown is in mourning. Again.
For the second time in two days, word has reached the Centre Daily Times of the death of a local man in Iraq.
Kelly Van Orman, mother of Spc. Timothy Van Orman, informed us last night that Timothy, who grew up in Port Matilda and in recent years lived with his wife and daughter in Fort Drum, N.Y., has been killed in Iraq.
(snip)
The news from Mrs. Van Orman came just a day after the military confirmed that Chief Petty Officer Michael Koch, whose father lives in Jersey Shore and show lived in State College for a time while attending Penn State, had died of wounds from small arms fire in Iraq. Koch was a Navy Seal who had also served in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Our sympathies are with both families.
Source ~ Centre Daily Times
Video ~ A high school remembers. WJAC-TV
Guestbook.
Sgt. Van Orman is survived by his wife, Cadie, and their daughter, Halie, his mother and father, Kelly and Randy Van Orman, two sisters and a brother.
Thank you, Sgt. Van Orman. Your mission is done.
Sgt. Bradley J. Skelton, 40, of Gordonville, Missouri
Sgt. Skelton died Feb. 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1138th Engineer Company, 35th Engineer Brigade, Missouri Army National Guard, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Two years after retiring from the Missouri Army National Guard, Sgt. Skelton volunteered to go to Iraq again last July, "to give someone else a break who was married and had a family."
Bradley Skelton had already served one dangerous tour in Iraq in 2004 and part of 2005, then retired from the Missouri Army National Guard after a 23-year career. But last year he volunteered to go again because he thought someone with more to lose might be better off staying home.
"He told me he wanted to give someone else a break who was married and had a family," said his uncle, Charles Skelton.
Sgt. Bradley Skelton, 40, of Gordonville was killed in Iraq on Wednesday when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device, the Missouri National Guard said.
(snip)
(His unit was) assigned to clear roads of IEDs and to maintain traffic flow. "He was running the roads," his uncle said. "You know what that means."
(snip)
Skelton grew up in Gordonville and graduated from Jackson High School.
(snip)
He was a hunter and fisherman who collected arrowheads and loved the military. "Rambrad" was one of his nicknames. "God bless him," said longtime friend Brian McCallister. "He died doing exactly what he wanted to do."
McCallister has known Skelton for 38 years. As young boys they lived down the street from each other in Gordonville.
(snip)
Telling his three daughters about his friend's death was difficult, he said. "It's been pretty rough no matter who I told, the way he touched people. You just can't find anyone to speak an ill word about him."
Skelton joined the Missouri Army National Guard while a senior in high school in 1984. He came out of retirement because he wanted to serve with close friends returning for a second tour, the Guard said.
(snip)
Charles Skelton said his nephew was planning a trip to Australia on his next leave and expected his tour to end later this year. He had worked for a water softener company and more recently at the Elfrink Transportation terminal.
(snip)
He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Gordonville and the Gordonville Fire Department.
(snip)
In 1999 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Gordonville Board of Trustees.
When in town, Skelton was a regular at the Gordonville Grill. "He was a part of this community, and we are a small community," co-owner Amy Hancock said. "It impacted everyone a lot."
Skelton was a happy man who was always joking, Hancock said. Wednesday night, a photo album containing photos of his last tour was passed around the restaurant. "We must have had 20 to 30 people in here drinking Stag," Hancock said. "He loved Stag."
Kent Koch, another friend since boyhood, said he, McCallister and other friends were just finishing a remodeling job on Skelton's house in anticipation of his return from Iraq.
"I'm really going to miss him," Koch said. "He was like a brother to me."
Source ~ Daily Dunklin Democrat
Sgt. Skelton’s Guard Unit is in mourning.
"I am saddened beyond words about the loss of Sgt. Skelton, I knew him personally and was very proud of his decision to rejoin the Missouri National Guard for this deployment," said Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard. "I ask everyone to pray for the 1138th Engineer Company as they struggle with their second Soldier death in less than one week."
In an interview before his deployment, Skelton said, "I decided to come out of retirement because I have a lot of close friends going back for a second time and want to serve with them again," Skelton said in July 2007. "I hope that my previous experiences can help protect the new Soldiers as well."
(snip)
Skelton is the eighth Missouri National Guard Soldier to have lost his or her life during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
Source ~ Southeast Missourian
Guestbook.
Sgt. Skelton received numerous awards and decorations during his two decades of service. These included: the Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, third award; National Defense Service Medal, second award; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal with mobilization device, second award; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon; Missouri Commendation Medal, second award; Missouri Basic Training Ribbon; Missouri 15 Years Long Service Ribbon; and Utah National Guard 2002 Olympic Winter Games Ribbon.
Sgt. Skelton is survived by his sister, Carmen Robinson, of Sikeston, Missouri, a brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Carrie Skelton, of Gordonville, and an aunt, Evelyn Drake, of Jackson, Missouri. His parents, Harold and Dorothy Skelton, are deceased.
Thank you, Sgt. Skelton. Your mission is done.
________________________________________________________________________
To date, 3957 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Iraq. Of these, 101 have been women. The death toll for February is already 13. More than 30,000 men and women have been wounded, and 135 have taken their own lives while on active duty. All of the fatalities can be seen here. The Department of Defense Press Releases, from which the information at the start of each entry in this diary was drawn, can be seen here. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown, but is at least 100,000.
To date, 483 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The death toll thus far for 2008 is 8. 281 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.
Sending a care package to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan is easy. Read how in this great series by Ninepatch. Brighten the day of a soldier in 2008.
And don’t forget them when they get home! Read welcomebackveterans.org to learn what you can do.
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, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, Wee Mama, twilight falling, labwitchy, moneysmith, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Avila, SpamNunn 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.
A special welcome tonight to new IGTNT team member a girl in MI, who will be posting her first diary tomorrow.
As you read this diary, please consider that the families and friends of those profiled here also may read it and that many members of our community have served in Iraq or Afghanistan or have loved ones currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. 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 personal feelings about the war and occupation happen to be.