Thanksgiving is the biggest family holiday of the year. As you sit down to your turkey dinner with friends and family, please say a prayer for the five families who lost a loved one this week. They will all have an empty chair at their Thanksgiving tables. Please join me in honoring the memories of Sgt. Briand T. Williams, Sgt. James M. Nolen, Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes, Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino, and Spc. Jason A. McLeod whose deaths were announced by the Department of Defense on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Briand T. Williams, 25, of Sparks, Ga., died Nov. 22, in Numaniyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Sgt. Williams was a native of Cook County, GA, and he joined the army right after graduating from Cook County High School in 2002. He had played sports and was well liked in high school.
Briand Williams became a member of Fort Benning's 3rd Brigade in September of 2007. He was on his fourth overseas deployment at the time of his death. He had been promoted to staff sergeant about two weeks ago.
His aunt remembers having a bad feeling when Sgt. Williams told her he was leaving for his fourth deployment.
"I just want y'all to know that I really love y'all, like, I don't know it just didn't sound right to me," said Yolanda Durden, his aunt. "It just didn't sound right to me. I just felt something bad for some reason." ~source
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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Tuesday the DoD also announced the following:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 22 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Killed were:
Sgt. James M. Nolen, 25, of Alvin, Texas; and
Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes, 19, of Moreno Valley, Calif.
The Journal-Spectator reports that Sgt. James Nolen was a graduate of the Bay Area Christian School. He is a member of a family with a strong military tradition. His father retired from the Air Force in 1974 after 21 years of service. His brother Jonathan, 22, is serving in the Navy on an aircraft carrier near Iran.
Sgt. Nolen was on his second tour in Afghanistan at the time of his death. He had served an initial 15-month tour, returned home for a year, and was re-deployed to the region about four months ago.
Sgt. Nolen and his wife, Rachel, have been married for a little over a year. She is expecting their first child in about three or four months. Sgt, Nolen was also the step-father for Rachel's son, William.
Rachel Nolen, and Sgt. Nolen's parents were flown to Dover AFB to participate in a memorial service for the returning war dead. In addition to his wife, parents, and brother Jonathan, Sgt. Nolen is also survived by an older brother, Jeremy, and his grandparents, Bill and Doris Nolen.
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Pfc. Marcus Tynes was a 2008 graduate of Valley View High School. In high school, Tynes had been a lineman for his school's football team, the Valley View Eagles. Although his years of football training kept him in good shape, Tynes still found basic training a challenge.
“Sometimes it was pretty horrible,” he recalled. ~source
Sgt. Tynes was deployed to Afghanistan in January.
California Governor Schwarzenneger issued the following statement on learning on Pfc. Tynes's death:
Maria and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Private First Class Marcus Tynes. The men and women in our armed forces are heroes and Marcus will forever be remembered for his courageous service to our country. We send our thoughts and prayers to all of Marcus’ loved ones as they deal with this tragic loss.
The flags at the state capitol will be flown at half-mast in his honor.
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On November 24th, the Department of Defense announced the following:
Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino, 34, of Cockeysville, Md., died Nov. 23 in Pashay Kala, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group of the Maryland Army National Guard in Glen Arm, Md.
Staff Sgt. Pucino was a native of Hudson, MA. He had enlisted in the Army in 2002 as a Special Forces candidate. He earned his Green Beret as an engineer sergeant. He was trained in military leadership; survival, evasion, resistance, and escape; and Special Forces intelligence.
Pucino served with the Fifth Special Forces group in Iraq before leaving active duty to join the Maryland Army National Guard. He was on his second overseas deployment at the time of his death.
Matthew Pucino was a heavily decorated soldier. His awards and decorations include:
a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, Army Commendation, and Global War on Terrorism Service medals. ~source
Staff Sergeant Pucino is survived by his wife, Crystal, his parents, Albert and Kathryn Pucino, and his sister, Lisa Haglof.
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Finally, on Tuesday, the DoD made the following announcement:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Jason A. McLeod, 22, of Crystal Lake, Ill., died Nov. 23, west of Pashmul, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with mortar fire. He was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Spc. McLeod first met his wife, Aimee, at day camp when they were about 9 years old. They lost touch with one another, but reconnected three years ago while Jason was on leave from his service in Iraq. They were married for over two years and are the parents of 15-month-old Jocelyn Elizabeth McLeod.
Jason McLeod was an 2006 graduate of of Crystal Lake Central High School in IL. After joining the military, he was initially deployed to Iraq in 2007. He was working as a mechanic in Afghanistan at the time of his death.
His mother-in-law, Julie Ghannam, said that:
He joined the Army as a steppingstone to what he wanted to do....He was trying to make himself a life. He was a great person. He grew up young. He was very caring. He loved his daughter. He loved my daughter. ~source
Robin Rogers, the mother of one of Jason's lifelong friends, said that:
All of our hearts are broken right now. This is just devastating. ~source
In addition to his wife and daughter, Jason McLeod is survived by his mother, Barbara.
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May all five men rest in eternal peace. Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance. May we never forget their courage and strength. Please say a prayer for their friends and families.
The purpose of the I Got the News Today series is 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.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, 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 CalNM.
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.