Yesterday, President Obama reflected on his visit to honor the fallen Americans at Dover Air Force Base.
"It was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day, not only our troops but their families, as well,"
Tonight, we honor two more soldiers. Both men were from Illinois. One man was 19 years old and killed in Afghanistan; and, the other was a Major who died in Iraq.
Since 2001, there have been 908 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4353 American troops killed in Iraq. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
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Special thanks to Monkeybiz and Chacounne for their help with this diary.
From the DoD:
Pfc. Devin J. Michel, 19, of Stockton, Ill., died Oct. 24 in Zhari province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
The town of Stockton, Illinois is in mourning. This small community of 1,926 in northwestern Illinois is adorned in yellow ribbons to honor Pfc. Devin Michel. Deborah Fritz, owner of Fritz Nursery and Garden Center in Stockton, told the Journal-Standard :
“Our community is coming together to show the family that we care. Not only is the family hurting, but the whole community is feeling this,” Fritz said. “We’ve lost another young person. This is the second one now and it doesn’t matter if it’s one or 20, each one is special.”
Bill Hermann owns Hermann Funeral Homes and said Tuesday morning that arrangements are on hold until the family returns to Stockton. He added that Michel’s death was a tragic loss to the community.
“Our community is just devastated again,” Hermann said. “Another one of our young men has lost their life. Sometimes we take our everyday life and the freedoms that we have in this country for granted until something like this knocks on our door and lets us know that what we have comes at a cost. We are most grateful for the young men and women of this country that are willing to fight for our freedoms.”
Devin Michel graduated from Stockton High School in 2008. Soon after graduation, he enlisted in the Army and was based at Fort Carson. Pfc. Michel was with the First Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, Fourth Brigade Combat Team, Fourth Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Michel is survived by his wife, Anika, and his parents; Terry and Rebecca Michel.
Deepest condolences to the family, unit, friends and community of Stockton.
From the DoD:
Maj. David L. Audo, 35, of Saint Joseph, Ill., died Oct. 27 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 22nd Military Police Battalion, 6th Military Police Group, Fort Lewis, Wash.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Major David Audo was a 1992 graduate of St. Joseph-Ogden High School. He went on to college at the University of Illinois through an ROTC scholarshop. Audo earned a bachelor's degree in architure and a master's degree in business from Webster University in St. Louis. Major Audo married Rebecca K. Johnson in 1998. They have a son, Austin David, born in 1999, and a daughter, Ashley Marie Elizebeth, born in 2002.
A coach and teacher remembered Army Maj. David L. Audo, a University of Illinois graduate from St. Joseph who died Tuesday in Baghdad, as a great athlete and a better student. From the News-Gazette
Jim Acklin said that in his 31 years in education, he met more than 5,000 students, and Maj. Audo stood out, both on the St. Joseph-Ogden High School track team and in honors biology. "His sense of humor sticks out, and he was ornery in a good way," Acklin said Wednesday.
As of now, there is very little information on Major David Audo. I will update as further information becomes available. Audo had an extraordinary military career. He was on his fifth tour of duty with the military: two tours in Kosovo, Iraq (2003), Afghanisan (2005) a three year stint as a provost marshal in North Carolina, and back to Iraq.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The Patriot Guard has been invited to accompany the family.
Thanks to Heather for her help with research on Major David Audo.
My deepest sympathy for the family, friends and fellow soldiers of Major David Audo.
We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We Remember Them.
In the bowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember Them.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring.
We Remember Them.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember Them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn.
We Remember Them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember Them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember Them.
When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember Them.
When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share,
We Remember Them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us.
We Remember Them.
~From the Jewish Book Of Prayer~
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. 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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, and me, Sandy on Signal.
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.