Tonight we honor the memories of three young members of the National Guard from Minnesota--Spc. Carlos Wilcox, 27, of Cottage Grove; Spc. Daniel Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury; and Spc. James Wertish, 20, of Olivia. All three men were assigned to the Contingency Operating Base Basra, or COBB, located in the south of Iraq.
On Saturday the made the following announcement:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died July16 in Basra of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using indirect fire.
Killed were: Spc. Daniel P. Drevnick, 22, of Woodbury, Minn.; Spc. James D. Wertish, 20, of Olivia, Minn.; and Spc. Carlos E. Wilcox IV, 27, of Cottage Grove, Minn.
All three soldiers were assigned to the 34th Military Police Company, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard, Stillwater, Minn.
Please follow me below the fold to learn more about the lives of these three men.
Since the announcement on Saturday, a number of additional details about the attack have been made available. The COBB base received a mortar or missile attack around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday. It was one of a number of attacks that occurred throughout Iraq on Thursday and Friday which killed more that 45 people. A fourth guardsman was injured in the attack that killed Drevnick, Wertish, and Wilcox, and he is now in stable condition. The men were members of the 34th Military Police company of the "Red Bull" Infantry division. They had deployed to Iraq in April and were scheduled to return home next February.
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Spc. Carlos Wilcox IV graduated from Tartan High School in Oakdale, MN. He attended Arizona State University and studied abroad in Granada, Spain. He was fluent in Spanish. He transferred to Inver Hills Community college in Minnesota, and he received his undergraduate degree in biology from Metropolitan State University in the Twin Cities. He had hoped to attend the Army's medical school, and he planned to make the Army his career.
Spc. Wilcox's mother, Charlene, said that:
I just cannot tell you how proud I am of my son. And how much he loved what he was doing and where he was. He wanted to be part of fighting for freedom....I have no regrets at all. I'm very proud of my child.
~snip
He was a man of God and loved his family. ~source
Carlos's father, Charles Wilcox, died when he was seven years old. In addition to his mother, Charlene, he is survived by two sisters and a brother.
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Daniel Drevnick planed to become a police office, but high performance muscle cars were his passion. He graduated from Woodbury High School in Woodbury, MN, and he worked two jobs while he was in school so that he could restore his muscle car.
Drevnick joined the National Guard in a time of war knowing that he would be deployed. His father, Kenneth Drevnick, a retired Minnesota state patrolman, said:
He never once complained...He thought it was great. He took great pride in it, and we took great pride in him. We were very proud that he volunteered to make his country a better place to live. ~source
His brother, Bob, left the following message on his Facebook page:
You will always be loved, you will (be) missed, you will always be with me. You changed my life and opened my eyes in many more ways then I will ever know. Rest in peace my Brother, my hero. http://www.twincities.com/...
Drevnick was a highly decorated soldier. His decorations and awards include:
the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Badge. ~source
In addition to his father and brother, Daniel is survived by his mother, Roberta, and two sisters.
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James Wertish was a 2007 graduate of B. O. L. D High School in Olivia, MN. He joined the National Guard in 2006 while he was still in high school.
Wertish's parents declined to speak to the media, but his pastor, Rev. George Schmit, released the following statement:
Please keep James and every fallen and injured soldier and their family members in your prayers. ... We have lost one son and a brother. There are still two other families who have lost a loved one. There are service members right now serving our country in harm's way and we ask that you continue to support them. ~source
Wertish enjoyed riding snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles and helping on the family farm. His fellow soldiers said that Wertish would give give you the shirt off his back.
His military honors include:
the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Badge. ~source
His is survived by his parents, two sisters, and a brother.
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Tributes to these three men have poured in from throughout the state and the country.
Senator Amy Klobuchar said:
They made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and for that we are forever grateful. ~source
Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, said:
We mourn the loss of these three soldiers....They were truly part of our National Guard family. ~source
Last night a vigil was held in their honor at 6 pm at the Stillwater, MN veterans' memorial.
State Rep. Phil Sterner, DFL-Rosemount, where the Red Bull division has its headquarters, said in a statement that the three guardsmen “exemplify the best of our state and of public service.” ~source
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Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance. May we never forget the sacrifices that Daniel Drevnick, James Wertish, and Carlos Wilcox made. Our prayers are for the families and friends that they left behind. May they rest in eternal peace.
If you would like to help make the lives of our servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan a bit easier, please consider making a donation to Netroots for the Troops (NFTT). You can learn more here.
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, greenies, blue jersey mom, chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, MediaProf, and rb137.
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.