May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
Surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever young, forever young
From "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart
Tonight we remember Pvt. Corey L. Hicks, a brave soldier who worked to find and destroy improvised explosive devices, saving a countless number of lives
From the Department of Defense:
Pvt. Corey L. Hicks, 22, of Glendale, Ariz., died May 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports that:
Army Pvt. Corey L. Hicks , 22, was an outgoing, talkative man whose job in the Army was to shoot road-side bombs, his stepfather, Timothy Settle, said from his home in Arizona.
He joined the Army less than a year ago, ready to fulfill a dream, Settle said.
"We talked to his commanding officer and he told us that the day he died he personally destroyed five IED's himself," Settle said. "That means he saved up to 40 lives, since each one kills about four or five people."
The article goes on to say that:
His father described Corey Hicks as a young man with a "passion for animals, the rodeo and outside activities."
"He loved horses, and there were a couple that were his favorite," Russel Hicks said. "One that his godparents had in Montana, Smoky, and one that was mine in Arizona called Country."
AZ Central.com reports that Prv. Hicks graduated from Cortez High School in 2004.
Karen Kattau, a social worker at Cortez, said she knew Hicks when he attended school there and remembers him as "an awesome young man."
"He was very outgoing and very friendly, a very fun kid," Kattau said. "He was a good kid. When he went after something, Corey really went after it."
...
Settle and Hicks' mother, Dawn, had planned to send a package Saturday filled with items he had requested, including Twizzlers, sunflower seeds and his favorite CDs.
A cousin, Krystal Michaelson of Glendale, said Hicks has "certainly made this family proud."
At legacy.com there is a guest book for Pvt. Hicks.
His brother Tim left the following message:
I don't even know where to start, except to say you were an amazing big brother and an amazing person. I can't stop thinking of all the memories we have together. From our days as ten year olds causing mischeif to everyone in our neighborhood, to our days as 21 year olds just hangin out. I will never forget the cross country trip us three brothers planned to go on after we graduated, i will never forget sneakin out all the time just to go on random bike rides at 2 a.m. just to prove how cool we were, or working our tails off every weekend mowing a bunch of yards(or making russ work his tail off i mean) making $200 or so then going and blowing it all on tokens and pizza at Chucky Cheeses...
Corey you truly are an amazing person and I will always look up to you, not just for being in the army but for being the great big brother you always were to me.
His cousin left this heartbreaking message:
This is one of the few times in my life that I don't know what to say. I was extremely sad when I heard that Corey died. I remembered my cousin that I loved, my cousin that made me laugh all the time when he used to take me on walks down to the wash or just down the street.
I don't know what I could say or do to make that pain in my heart go away. I wake up in the morning and I can't believe that its true that he's actually gone.
I think that one day he's just going to come home then I remember.......
I don't think its fair that he didn't get a chance to live life to its fullest but I know that he died doing what he loved to do and he died fighting for our country.
A funeral for Pvt. Hicks will be held on Wednesday in Glendale, Arizona. The Patriot Guard have confirmed that they will be riding in honor of Pvt. Hicks.
Pvt. Hicks is survived by his mother, father, and step father, as well as by his brother, sister, step-brother, and step-sister.
Rest in peace Pvt. Corey L. Hicks. Thank you for your service and for your bravery. May your loved ones find peace and comfort during this difficult time.
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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"
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 me, a girl in MI. 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.