Tonight, we honor three Soldiers who died in Iraq. Two of the men were just 23 years old and the other was a father to four children. Today, we mostly read in the news about Afghanistan, but Iraq is still a dangerous and unstable place.
Since 2003, there have been 4245 Americans killed in Iraq and 653 Americans killed in Afghanistan. According to the Iraq Casualties Count, there are over 100,000 estimated injured troops from the Iraq war. Please take a moment to honor and remember their sacrifice.
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. James M. Dorsey, 23, of Beardstown, Ill., died Feb. 8 in Kamaliyah, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Other than the usual DoD information, there was no personal information in the local newspapers on Sgt. James Dorsey that I could find. I will respect the family's privacy at this time. The Legacy Guest Book offered beautiful condolences from many who knew him from the small town of Beardstown, Illinois. My heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends and community of Sgt. James Dorsey.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Stephen S. Thompson, 23, of Tulsa, Okla., died Feb. 14 in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a gunshot wound. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Thompson's death is under investigation.
Stephen Thompson's father, Philip, told of his close relationship and his deep admiration for his son, in a heartbreaking email to the Tulsa World.
"I am so proud of my son. Stephen became a man the day he joined. This young man changed overnight. I remember when I went to his graduation from boot camp, I couldn't hardly believe who the person that was standing in front of me,"
"From the moment he arrived in Iraq he never faltered calling home. In fact I heard from him nearly everyday. I last spoke with him on Thursday the 12th, and he told me everything was going pretty well, just the usual stuff. He was extremely excited about coming home. All he could talk about was what he wanted to do when he got back.
"Stephen had many friends. He was the class clown. He was your go-to guy. If you needed anything, Stephen would be sure you had everything that you needed. He would give you the shirt off his back. He made sure you were good before any thought of himself."
Stephen's kindness, generosity, and beautiful smile will be missed in this world. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. Many beautiful condolences were left at the Tulsa World article. Stephen touched and made a difference in many lives.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Sean D. Diamond, 41, of Dublin, Calif., died Feb. 15 in As Salam, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 610th Engineer Support Company, 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Sgt. Sean Diamond was on his third tour of duty in Iraq. His family told the SF Gate he had served about 5 years in total in Iraq. He was expected home on February 27th to celebrate his wife's 42nd birthday. His sister in law, Ruth Viller, told the paper:
"He was a great father ... his kids were his life," Villar said.
snip
"When he would come home, he hoped he wouldn't have to be deployed again, but he viewed it as his job," she said. "It's what he had to do."
My deepest condolences to the Sean Diamond's widow, four children, Ruth Viller and all of his family members and friends. He will be missed.
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.
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.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Media Prof, 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.
Cross-posted at my siteSouthern Liberal Living.com