Tonight we mourn the loss of two soldiers:
Sgt. Matthew F. Straughter, 27, of St. Charles, Mo.
Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett, 35, of Saltville, Va.
The title of this diary comes from a quote from Linda Helton, the mother of Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett, but I believe it also speaks to how many of us feel each and every time we learn of another death in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Sgt. Matthew F. Straughter
Sgt. Matthew F. Straughter, originally from Belleville, Ill., died on January 31 after his vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade. He was a member of the 1138th Engineer Company, 35th Engineer Brigade, of the Missouri National Guard based out of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He died the day before what would have been his 28th birthday.
The Park Hills Daily Journal reports that:
Straughter joined the Missouri Army National Guard as a combat engineer in December 2005. He was mobilized in July 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 1138th Engineer Company (Sapper) has been conducting Route Clearance Operations while in Iraq. The unit attempts to locate and defeat Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and maintain traffic flow along military supply routes.
Straughter served on Operation Jump Start, the border security mission in Arizona, from November 2006 to June 2007. During that assignment he assisted in patrols and basic border protection.
His military awards include: the National Defense Service Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal with mobilization device; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; Missouri Basic Training Ribbon and the Arizona Community Service Ribbon.
One of the comments left to this article was by someone who knew Sgt. Straughter personally. She wrote:
My nephew was over there with Matt. We all really liked Matt. We will keep you in our prayers. I want you to know that Matt was a great guy, and we always had a lot of fun when he was around. The day the deployed he assured me that my nephew would come back safely. Matt know I really needed to hear that. I will miss him. I am so sorry.
Sgt. Straughter is survived by his wife Renee and their five children.
legacy.com has a guest book where many people have left moving comments in memory of Sgt. Straughter. Many of the entries in the guest book are from people who know Sgt. Straughter personally. One solder who served with Sgt. Straugther wrote:
I have no words to express my sorrow. Matt is a good friend of mine and I will miss him much. His easy smile and winning personality made the last several months all the more bearable. I am so very sorry, I promised Matt that I wouldn't let this happen, yet here we are. I do take some solace in the knowledge that Matt is on overwatch, caring for us all. My thoughts and prayers and those of my family are with my friend Matt and his family.
Thank you Sgt. Staughter for your service. May you rest in peace and may your friends and family find comfort.
Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett
Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett died of massive heart failure on February 2 while serving in Mosul, Iraq. He served with the 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division based out of Fort Carson, Colorado.
His mother was quoted by the Richmond-Times Dispatch
"We are very proud of him, and this has broken our hearts," said his mother, Linda Helton of Gray, Tenn. "His grandfather fought in World War II and received the Purple Heart, and Chad and his cousins and brother were all in the military. Chad wanted to make a career of it.
"He was my youngest son."
Helton said her son, based in Mosul, was a gunner assigned to protect supply convoys. On his second tour, she said, his unit was hit 42 times. Barrett developed health problems stemming from the attacks. On his third tour, Barrett was confined to his base while his health improved, Helton said.
"He wanted to go to Iraq, but he went later than his unit, and I'm sure he was trying to play catch-up and adjust to everything, because he was worried about his unit," she said. "He stayed in touch, and we knew he was under stress."
SWVAToday has more touching comments from his mother:
"He was a good old country boy who never met a stranger," said Helton.
"In school he was a joker and prankster who knew how to snow his teachers," she laughed. "He loved anything to do with the outside. Most of his old buddies joined the service too"...
"Chad also loved the men he led and always tried to remember what life as a private was like," said Helton. "He was good at making everyone feel comfortable."
The article reports that Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett is survived by his wife Michelle Barrett as well as his sons Guston Thomas Robinson, 13, and Zachary Allen Barrett, 12.
legacy.com has a guest book where many people have left moving comments in memory of Staff Sgt. Barrett. The wife of a soldier who served with Staff Sgt. Barrett wrote:
Chad, you will be greatly missed by all who were lucky enough to truly know you. You were always the jokester but knew how to get down to buisness when the job called for it. I know you brought my husband back to me in one piece from the last deployment. He loved working with you on a daily basis, and he is picky about who he has in his HumVee. You were a great friend to him and I know he is still in shock over losing you as a coworker and a friend. We will miss you so very much! I know you will still be watching over the rest of your guys over there. Thank You for being such a great friend. We will have some wonderful memories to get us through. Again, Thank You for your service and friendship!!
Thank you Staff Sgt. Barrett for your service. May you rest in peace and may your friends and family find comfort.
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What You Can Do
More than 30,000 service members have been wounded and soldier suicides are at a record level. Those currently serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would also be grateful for support, even if it's only a letter or a small care package.
Go visit:
* Anysoldier.com and Ninepatch’s diary on sending care packages
* Operation Helmet
* Fisher House
* Greenies’ diary, "Random Acts of Remembrance and Other Ways to Support the Troops"
* Noweasels’ diary, "Top Comments: In Honor of Major Edition"
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About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a
reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. 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.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn and AGirlinMI. 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.
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.