Despite the legendary battle cry, there is never a good day to die. There are especially bad days to die, however: those days that are the most meaningful and special to you, because any day that comes with the news that your loved one has perished is forevermore a horrible day.
This year, two US soldiers—Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez and Spc. Jason M. Johnston—died in service to their country on or around the Christmas holiday that their families used to celebrate. It is now a day of mourning for them, and for all of us for whom these two men gave their lives to serve.
Please follow me over the jump to remember these two exceptional men.
Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35
The Department of Defense reports:
Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, of San Francisco, Ca., died Dec. 25 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
David Gutierrez grew up in San Jose, California. After graduating from San Jose City College in 1996, he met his soulmate, Patty. They were married later that year, and their first child was born the following year.
David was an exceptional cook and contemplated opening a restaurant someday. But he also yearned to serve his country, following in the footsteps of his father, who served in Vietnam. And so, in October 1998, he enlisted in the Army. He moved around fairly often, serving in Georgia, Kentucky, Korea, Hawaii, Thailand, and finally, Fort Lewis, Washington.
David did very well in the Army and steadily climbed the ranks of non-commissioned officers. And despite the difficulty of a military life, David and Patty were happy. Their second child was born in 2003. A month later, David was deployed to Iraq for 13 months. While he was gone, his third child was born. He was also promoted to Staff Sergeant. And when he was home in Washington, he played a mean game of football.
Away from combat, Gutierrez was someone to be reckoned with on the football field. He joined a community league near his base in Washington state, called the South Sound Shockers football team.
His coach, Stephen Matychowiak, praised Gutierrez, a fullback, as a "great teammate and a good person."
"I know people always say what a wonderful guy someone is once they die," he said in a phone interview. "But this guy, I can say that and really mean it. He always brought a smile and his upbeat personality with him. He would get down to business on the football field, but he was a real family man. He was completely in love with his wife."
And his wife was completely in love with him. Despite the fact that her husband was off for many weeks each year, she felt blessed that she saw him most months before his deployment to Afghanistan. She said while her friends credit her for being a good mother, it was her husband who "made me such a good woman."
"He had his life in the uniform," she said. "But when he came home, he was the patient one, my go-to guy."
~ Source: San Jose Mercury News
David, the "go-to guy," never tired of serving his country. He was deployed to Afghanistan in July, and, while he was gone, he reenlisted in the Army for six more years, which would have totaled 20 years.
Then Patty got the worst news of all.
Patty Gutierrez was enjoying Christmas breakfast with her three boys when two Army chaplains knocked on her door. Her husband of 13 years had been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan. Instead of returning to her in three weeks as planned, Staff Sgt. David Gutierrez, a San Jose native, was never coming home again.
"I woke up Christmas morning," Patty Gutierrez said by phone from her home in Fort Lewis, Wash. "But when the knock came, it wasn't Christmas anymore."
...
The boys had last seen their father on Christmas Eve on a Webcam, opening presents via computer. The family tried to connect every day online.
~ Source: San Jose Mercury News
Prior to his death, David had earned the Black Lion Award by his football team, the Shockers, for being the epitome of "leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self-sacrifice, and - above all - an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself."
David is a supporter of various military charities, as well as the Soldier's Blood Bank. A dedicated family man whose sons could be seen roaming the sidelines of Shocker football games along with his wife who became the teams photographer, David epitomizes the "Duty, Honor, Country" of the US Army, and he incorporates that pledge to his family and to his Shockers football team.
It should be noted that not only is David deserving of the Black Lion Award, but so is his loving and loyal wife Patty who has been a rock through his entire military career.
Head Coach Steve Matychowiak on David: "I wish I had an entire team of Gutie's. I have never heard him complain about playing time, he's always working hard at practice, he recruits new players for us, even if it diminishes his own playing time and he does anything we ask him to do. He is what the Shockers are all about. Team before the individual."
David earned the award in October and was set to be presented his plaque while on leave in January 2010. SSG David Hector Gutierrez died Christmas Day 2009 in Afghanistan. Rest in peace our Shocker brother.
~Source: Shockers web site
Patty is not yet sure when David will arrive home for the last time. But she does know that he will be laid to rest next to the grave of their infant daughter, who passed away in 2008.
Rest in peace, David Gutierrez. May your brave, loyal, and beautiful spirit soar free and be at peace forever, and may your memory be a blessing to all those whose lives you protected and made better.
Other sources:
Spc. Jason M. Johnston, 24
The Department of Defense reports:
Spc. Jason M. Johnston, 24, of Albion, N.Y., died Dec. 26 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
I’m going to let Jason introduce himself:
I'm that kind of person that will go way out of my way for my friends. My best friends are family, and I would do anything for them. Thats part of the reason I joined the army. I believe in telling the truth, unless it involves who took the last piece of pizza, or cake. Can ya blame me though? I love to have fun, party, travel.
~ Source: Jason’s MySpace page
Jason was one of those rare people who realized early that his life wasn’t going the way he wanted, and he took positive action to change it. He obtained his GED, then followed a lifelong desire to join the Army in 2006, and his family said it turned his life around.
His parents said Johnston always wanted to be in the military.
"He said he felt a strong sense of duty to serve," they said. "He had been planning to apply to Syracuse University after his term in the Army."
~ Source: Niagara Gazette
"When he went to boot camp, he said he was the oldest one there ... kind of stood out like a sore thumb," [his friend, Deborah Kinsey] recalled. "He had always said that he wanted to join the military. I thought he was going to make a career of it."
<snip>
"He had the same dreams as anybody else: wife, kids," Johnston’s father said, but added that his son was focused for now on his deployment.
"He was really trying to build on a career here."
~ Source: RocNow
Indeed, Jason did seem to love the Army. He was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, and he wrote on his Facebook page, "I jump outta planes ‘shrug’ and go in and do the job that needs doing." This sentiment was echoed by his company commander, Captain Adam Armstrong, who said in a statement, "Johnston was the type of guy that did the job with little complaint, comment or fanfare — but always did the job well." (Source: RocNow) It was, perhaps, not terribly surprising that Jason would have taken so well to a life of service to others; his parents both served their community in its fire department, and both his grandfathers served our country in the Army.
True to his own description of himself, Jason wrote about his excitement over having traveled in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Ireland, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, although he did not have the opportunity to spend much time anywhere except Afghanistan, where he was deployed for 13 months before returning home. A few months ago, he received new orders.
He got his orders to deploy to Iraq next, [his friend, Deborah] Kinsey said, but those were held up as President Barack Obama deliberated on the United States’ Afghanistan strategy. Ultimately, the orders changed, sending Johnston back to Afghanistan, she said.
Johnston arrived in October and would have finished his tour in September 2010, Kinsey said.
~ Source: Rochester Now
Just two weeks ago, Jason turned 24 while in Afghanistan. The day after Christmas, his family received the devastating news of his death.
His parents, both of Albion, were told of their son’s death Saturday night, family friend Debra O’Mara said.
"They were notified last night by a military chaplain," she said. "He went to Jenny’s house and they called Brad to come over and he knew right away."
The Johnstons are divorced. Jason has three sisters, Holly, Heather and Carrie.
The Johnstons left Sunday for Buffalo, by military escort, and were to be flown to Dover, Del., to identify their son’s body. O’Mara said they expected to return home late tonight or Tuesday.
~ Source: Daily News Online
Jason’s hometown of Albion, NY is celebrating Jason's life, while they try to come to terms with the loss of this well-loved man and their first casualty in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Members of the Fire Department gathered at the fire hall Saturday night and on Sunday drove equipment to Mt. Albion Cemetery to lower the flag at the Firemen’s Memorial to half-staff, Chief Eric Bradshaw said.
<snip>
Fire department members also visited local businesses and asked that their flags be flown at half-staff.
Bradshaw said he expects the department will help with any services the Johnston family requests when the time comes.
"Whatever the family wants," he said. "We’re a family here and we’ve got to do what they request. Jason’s a local hero and it hits everyone hard here because they either knew him or know Brad and Jenny."
~ Source: Daily News Online
As a tribute to Johnston, in a private meeting Monday, the Albion Fire Department named the fallen hero an honorary member. Fire Department President Stanley Farone said the title gives Johnston the rights of a firefighter.
"We feel it is appropriate to make him an honorary member," Farone said. "It also gives us an opportunity to do something for the family because they’ve been firefighters all these years. We think it’s right."
~ Source: Niagara Gazette
Jason’s family is reeling.
In a written statement Monday, Johnston’s parents said they are very proud of their son and his love and devotion to his country.
"We want people to know our son was more than just another soldier that died in Afghanistan," they said. "He was a nephew, cousin, uncle, grandson, friend, brother and our only son."
~ Source: Niagara Gazette
"My heart is broken I don't know what to do because I've lived everyday for when Jason gets home," said Kinsey.
~ Source: WHEC News
Fighting back tears, his oldest sister, Carrie, said of her brother: "He was the best person in the whole wide world."
~ Source: RocNow
Rest in peace, Jason Johnston. May your brave, loyal, and beautiful spirit soar free and be at peace forever, and may your memory and your joyous love of life be a blessing to all of us whom you served and all those whose lives you so enriched.
According to icasualties.org, 941 US service members have fallen in Afghanistan, and 4,371 have perished in Iraq.
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, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, true blue majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, janosnation, and CalNM. If you would like to participate in writing these tributes, please contact 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.