The young dead soldiers do not speak.
Nevertheless, they are heard in the still houses:
who has not heard them?
They have a silence that speaks for them at night
and when the clock counts.
They say: We were young. We have died.
Remember us.
They say: We have done what we could
but until it is finished it is not done.
They say: We have given our lives but until it is finished
no one can know what our lives gave.
They say: Our deaths are not ours: they are yours,
they will mean what you make them.
They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for
peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say,
it is you who must say this.
We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning.
We were young, they say. We have died; remember us.
~ Archibald MacLeish
Tonight we honor and mourn two valiant soldiers who died while in service to their country. Let us remember them.
Sgt. Corey E. Spates, 21, of LaGrange, Georgia
Sgt. Spates died Feb. 10 in Diyala Province, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.
On Tuesday, February 5, the week of their first wedding anniversary, Sgt. Spates’ 19-year-old wife, Celeste, left a message for him on his MySpace page.
Have I ever told you that you are winderful and I love you so very very much.
On Wednesday, February 6, Sgt. Spates wrote back:
As a matter of fact, you have never told me I am winderful. But if you say I am winderful, then I am proud to be it! I love you honey, more than anything. Have a good day.
Source ~ MySpace
On Sunday, February 10, Sgt. Spates was killed.
Sgt. Spates, recently, in his own words:
I'm 21 Years old, (s)tationed at Ft. Hood, Texas. I've been in the Army for over three years, I am looking forward to getting out after this deployment, but it has been good to me. I am from Lagrange, Georgia. It's a little hick town that everyone wants to leave when they are young, but most (including me) can't wait to get back to one day. I have spent a year in Iraq (2005), and am now back for my second and final tour of destruction. (snip) I have been married almost a year and am looking forward to starting a family of my own when I get out of here, so i wouldn't mind if the war ended tomorrow. My wife is incredible, She is everything to me, and I am very grateful to have someone like her.
Source ~ MySpace
Sgt. Spates, who attended Troup High School in LaGrange, left for his second deployment in November.
His hometown is in mourning:
Troup County is united in mourning the death of Sergeant Corey Spates, 21, the first local soldier to make the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq. This brave young American was killed by a roadside bomb Sunday in Diyala province.
We mourn him, too, as a soldier committed to his country and a caring man committed to his family, friends and hometown. We mourn a young husband, gone days after his first anniversary. We mourn a young man with a gift for making people laugh and a habit of saying thank you for the support he got during two tours in Iraq.
Just over a year and a half ago, Corey Spates wrote a letter to this newspaper, describing the toil and fear, the discomfort and satisfaction of a soldier’s life in Iraq.
(snip)
Read now the words of a hero:
"Well, as far as today (Friday, July 29, 2005) goes, it’s been about normal. Wake up early and run missions till there are no more. The weather wasn’t that bad either, about 125 degrees in the shade.
"I’m Pfc Corey Spates with the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, stationed at forward operating base Gabe, northeast of Baghdad. Being in a tank battalion, there isn’t a lot of us here, maybe 500, but we do it all - route recon and clearance, search houses, set up traffic checkpoints, even guard a television transmission tower in our sector.
(snip)
"I’ve been in-country since January, so I’m pretty much accustomed to the place. After a while, the days start to mesh together, then the weeks, and before you know it another month is gone.
"The day is a lot better though when you get a letter, or have an e-mail from someone at home. There are phones and computers here for us to talk to folks at home. I haven’t used a phone since I left America though. That would just make things harder for me, I think.
(snip)
We had a guy get killed on a mission I was on, on the 4th of July, and I’ve got to say that was one of the worst days of my life.
"We figure that we’re around the halfway point with our deployment, so just maybe, I’ll be able to make it back to LaGrange before the end of January, the would be great.
"Well, it’s about midnight here and I have a mission in three hours, so I’m going to close. I’ll write again soon."
Every soldier killed is one too many. But in Troup County, the loss of Corey Spates feels very personal, even to those who never met him. He walked the same streets we walk, lived, loved, worked and worshiped among us.
He was ours.
Source ~ LaGrange Daily News
Sgt. Spates was known to his military buddies as "Spaces." One of them left this sad note on his MySpace page:
hay spaces what do i say it has been a long ride together and you always made it fun. you were my battle buddy, my friend and most of all you were my brother. theres no where that i would not follow you to. i miss you and it and it hurts so bad. i am sorry for braken my promise to you , i am so sorry. wish you would wake me up and say lets go eat or some thing and this all would of been a dream. i am so so sorry spaces. please forgive me. i love and miss you dearly my brother
Source ~ MySpace
Sgt. Spates joined the military in May 2004 as an armor crewman and was assigned to the 2nd Squadron since August 2006. He deployed in November 2007.
Sgt. Spates' decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge, Driver Mechanic Badge and Driver Wheeled Vehicle.
Sgt. Spates is survived by his wife, Celeste, and his parents, Steve Spates and Joy Thomas. They got the news on Sunday. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Guestbook
Thank you, Sgt. Spates. Your mission is done.
Staff Sgt. Javares J. Washington, 27, of Pensacola, Florida
Staff Sgt. Washington died Feb. 11 at Camp Buehring in Kuwait City, Kuwait, from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. He was assigned to the 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Staff Sgt. Washington is remembered by those who knew and loved him as a "standout high school athlete, loyal son and family man."
The family of a Pensacola man who died serving in Kuwait remembered him Tuesday as a standout high school athlete, loyal son and family man.
(snip)
(Army Staff Sgt.) Washington was best known locally for his days at Escambia High School, where he played football and was also on the track team.
The former running back graduated in 1999 and left Pensacola for Flagstaff, Ariz., to play football on a full scholarship at Northern Arizona University.
He left the university the following season because his scholarship was cut, Washington’s mother, Felicia Smith, said.
(snip)
"It’s been real tough," (Escambia High’s former football coach Ronnie) Gilliland said of Washington’s death. "My wife was real close to him. He was just a real likeable young man."
Washington decided to join the military after leaving college, following in the footsteps of his brother.
"He enjoyed it," Washington’s stepfather, Roy Smith said. "It showed and taught him a lot of things. It gave him independence."
Washington, who was stationed in Kentucky, left for Kuwait Sept. 7.
"He went by and visited everybody he knew because he knew he was coming home, but it wasn’t going to be any time soon," his stepfather said. "We definitely didn’t expect him not to come home at all."
(snip)
"I want to remember Javares when he was home, before he went to Kuwait," Felicia Smith said.
Source ~ Pensacola News Journal
Staff Sgt. Washington is being honored by the Commonwealth of Kentucky this week.
Governor Steve Beshear has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of Staff Sgt. Washington.
Flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of the funeral, for which arrangements are incomplete.
Individuals, businesses, organizations and government agencies are encouraged to join in this tribute by lowering flags to half-staff.
Source ~ WNKY
Staff Sgt. Washington joined the Army in 2001 and arrived at Fort Campbell in April 2007. During his service, he received several awards and decorations, including the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.
Staff Sgt. Washington is survived by his wife, Letrica, 28, his son, Jayden, 6, his daughter, Tristyne, 9 months, and his stepson, Mekhi, 7; his mother, Felicia Smith, his father, Willie Matthews, and four siblings, including two stepbrothers. They got the news on Monday.
Guestbook
Thank you, Staff Sgt. Washington. Your mission is done.
A brief further note:
Army Sgt. John C. Osmolski, who was profiled here last week was buried yesterday at Arlington Cemetery. The photo accompanying the story in this morning’s Washington Post was just heartbreaking.
________________________________________________________________________
To date, 3960 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 16. 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. 283 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, a girl in MI 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, or me, noweasels.
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 our compassion for their families, whatever our personal feelings about the war and occupation happen to be.