It has been a very difficult two weeks for US servicemembers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Wednesday, the Department of Defense announced four more casualties. Spc. Christopher T. Fox was killed by small arms fire in Iraq on September 29th, and three members of the Special Forces, Capt. Richard G. Cliffs, Jr., Sgt. 1st Class Jamie S. Nicholas, and Sgt. 1st Class Gary J. Vasquez, were killed in Afghanistan on the same day when their vehicle encountered an IED. Please follow me below the fold to learn more about the lives of these four men and the families they leave behind.
On Wednesday, the Department of Defense announced the following:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Christopher T. Fox, 21, of Memphis, Tenn., died Sept. 29 in Adhamiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire while on patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Life was never easy for Spc. Fox. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and attended Hamilton High School. He was a high school football player, but he never graduated. His mother passed away three years ago. In order to better his life and to be able to join the military, he attended the Banjamin Hooks Job Center where he earned his GED in 2005.
Spc. Fox joined the Army in 2005 and served two tours of duty in Iraq as an infantryman. While serving in the Army, Fox earned many honors and commendations including the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal. He earned his Purple Heart after a device exploded on him several months ago in Iraq.
Christopher Fox had great plans to improve his life. He expected to be discharged from the Army in July, and he planned to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville next fall. His next-of-kin, Amy Frost said that he hoped to study criminal justice and possibly play football at UT.
Frost, who had served as Spc. Fox's legal guardian, said that:
He loved the people he worked with, comrades in arms. He died over there fighting for something. --snip--
He was a hero. He deserves to be recognized as such, whether people agreed with the war or not. They're over there doing something that most of us wouldn't do on our best day.
~source
Fox's former Job Corps instructor, Cloise Townsend III, said that:
He did what he was supposed to do. He did what he did for his country.
~source
Spc. Christopher T. Fox will be buried in Memphis.
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On Wednesday, the Department of Defense also announced the following:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Sept. 29 in Yakhchal, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device during mounted operations. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Killed were:
Capt. Richard G. Cliff Jr., 29, of Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Sgt. 1st Class Jamie S. Nicholas, 32, of Maysel, W.Va.
Sgt. 1st Class Gary J. Vasquez, 33, of Round Lake, Ill.
Captain Richard G. Cliff, Jr. was a southerner from the South Carolina Low Country. He was an accomplished high school wrestler and chose to attend Appalachian State University in North Carolina because of its wrestling program. He took an elective ROTC course to get a taste of the military life, and he was offered a four-year scholarship. After that, he never looked back.
After his college graduation in 2002, Cliff was commissioned as an officer in the Army and sent to train in Washington State. He was first sent to Iraq in 2003, and his family arranged a wedding for Cliff and his girlfriend, Julie, before his deployment.
Capt. Cliff served two tours of duty in Iraq. His military biography indicates that he earned four Army Commendation Medals, including one for valor, as well as the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and many other honors. He earned his "Green Beret" in 2007.
After he completed his Special Forces training, Capt. Cliffs was allowed to remain at home to witness the birth of his son, Richard. A week after the birth of his son, Capt. Cliffs shipped out to Afghanistan.
Cliffs' Brother, Eddie, said:
It hurt him a lot to leave that baby, but he knew it was his duty, and he was proud of it.
~source
Richard Cliffs will be buried in Charleston. In addition to his brother, Eddie Cliffs, he leaves behind a wife and son, Stacy and Richard Cliffs of Sanford NC, and his parents, Julie and Richard Cliffs, Sr., of Mount Pleasant, SC.
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Sgt. 1st Class Jamie S. Nicholas is a native of Maysel, West Virginia and graduated from Clay county High School. His military biography indicates that he volunteered for the Army in August of 1994. He served as a recruiting officer and a squad leader, and he received his "Green Beret" in 2006. After receiving his Green Beret, he was assigned to the 1st Batallion, 7th Special Forces Group(A) at Fort Bragg as a weapons sergeant.
Nicholas was a highly decorated member of our Armed Forces. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, three Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Awards, the National Defense Service medal, and many others. Jamie Nicholas was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan at the time of his death.
Although Sgt. Nicholas was apprehensive about his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, his mother, Karen Nicholas, says that:
Jamie died doing what he wanted to do. --snip--He wanted to be in Special Forces and said 'We're doing good here'.
~source
Jamie's brother is serving in Iraq. He is also survived by his wife, Michelle, and his stepchildren, Sharisse and Brenton Troup, of Hope Mills, NC, and his parents, Karen and Burke Nicholas, of Wallback, WV. Sgt. Nicholas will be buried in his family cemetery on a remote hillside near Wallback.
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Sgt. 1st Class Gary J. Vasquez was an illinois Native. He graduated from Highland High School in 1992 and went on to earn a degree in theater from Illinois State University. His
military biography states that he enlisted in the Army in January of 2000 as a cavalry scout and that he earned his "Green Beret" in 2004.
Sgt. Vasquez's honors and decorations include two Bronze Stars, two Army Commendation Medals, and two Army Achievement Medals. He was on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan at the time of his death.
Gary's brother, Barry Du Hasek, said that Gary enjoyed spending time with his dogs, Medea and Smash.
"His personality was larger than life," DuHasek said. "He was probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. He was my best friend and my brother."
~source
In addition to his brother, Sgt. Vasquez is survived by his wife, Sarah Vasquez, his mother, Margaret DuHasek, and his sister, Keely Vasquez. His late father, Frank Vasquez, was a Lieutenant Colonel who served in the Vietnam War.
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May these four soldiers rest in eternal peace, and may their families and friends find some solace. Thank you for your service to our country.
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.
The series was begun by i dunno and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, AGirlinMI, JeNoCo, mediaprof and Pager.
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.