Tonight, we gather to pay tribute to three young men who recently crossed over the river Jordan in service of their country - Sgt. Daniel L. Hansen, Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Munden and Staff Sgt. Roberto Andrade Jr. The lyrics of this song, by Julie Lee, seemed particulary appropriate. May their pictures on the walls of their families and loved ones help them remember the good times.
Away Down the River
Baby dry your eyes
There's no need to cry
Cause I'll see you again
It might be a while
Before you understand
I'm just away down the river
A hundred miles or more
Crossing over Jordan
To the other shore
I'll be standing waiting
With all who've gone before
I'm just away down the river
A hundred miles or more
Now the pictures on the wall
Will help you to recall
They're not there
To make you sad
But to remember
All the good times we had
When it's time to leave
You're gonna feel the mountain breeze
And the snow will fill the stream
And carry you to me
- Julie Lee
Sgt. Daniel L. Hansen
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Marine Sgt. Daniel L. Hansen 24, of Tracy, Calif.; assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Air Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Iwakuni, Japan; died Feb. 14 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan.
http://www.defenselink.mil/...
Hansen, who was engaged to be married, was tasked with defusing bombs, his brother said. Matthew Hansen, stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., also told the newspaper that his brother was posthumously promoted to E-6. The Hansen brothers joined the Corps a week apart in 2002, after graduating from high school, the newspaper reported. Daniel Hansen was eventually chosen to serve as a guard for George W. Bush at the presidential retreat Camp David, his brother said. Later, Hansen was picked to guard Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer, who took Hansen with him to Iraq.
"I had asked my brother after he told me of his upcoming deployment if he wanted to go," Matthew Hansen wrote their father this week, the newspaper reported. "He said: ‘It doesn’t matter if I wanna go or not. If I don’t, they will send another Marine; and I would never be able to hold my head up if something happened to him in my place.’ "
http://www.militarycity.com/...
Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Munden
Sgt. 1st Class Raymond J. Munden, 35, of Mesquite, Texas, died Feb. 16 at Forward Operating Base Tillman in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
http://www.defenselink.mil/...
Sgt. Munden, was on his fourth tour, having done two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan. Sgt. Munden's tour was scheduled to end in March, after which he was to begin a new phase of his career as an instructor at West Point.
About 10 years ago, when Munden was assigned to Fort Drum, he was sent to Western New York to work at the Thruway Lanes recruiting station. He was set up on a blind date with Kelly Koshofer, of Cheektowaga, and the two hit it off. They were married in September 2000. Over the years, they had two daughters: Sydney, now 6, and Kailey, who is 2. [snip]
Munden was devoted to his family and the Army, his father-in-law Henry Koshofer said.
"He was a gung-ho soldier," Koshofer said. "He loved it. The loves of his life were his children and wife and the Army." However, with deployment after deployment, Munden was growing weary of war. "He ended up getting really frustrated with the multiple deployments," Koshofer said. In November, Munden learned about his transfer to West Point and was looking forward to beginning the new stateside assignment. Munden was last in the U. S. on leave for Thanksgiving. "It was a great time," Koshofer said, noting that Munden became a godfather to his sister-in-law’s son during the trip. "The last time I saw him I told him that I loved him and to not be a hero, it’s almost over," Koshofer said. " ‘Come on back.’ "
http://www.buffalonews.com/...
Ray Munden had three loves in his life -- his wife Kelly, his two little girls, and his country. [snip] Kelly and Ray fell in love and married in 2000.
"Their relationship was wonderful, they were totally in love with each other," said Kelly's father, Henry Koshofer. "He would be the type of son-in-law everyone would want, and the perfect husband for their daughter." [snip] "He loved his family tremendously, they meant everything to him," said Henry Koshofer.
http://www.wgrz.com/...
In addition to his his wife and daughters, Sgt. Munden s survived by two sons, Gaven and Garrett; his father, Ralph; and his mother, Billie Clark.
Staff Sgt. Roberto Andrade,Jr.
Staff Sgt. Roberto Andrade Jr., 26, of Chicago, Ill., died Jan. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
http://www.defenselink.mil/...
Roberto Andrade Jr. joined the Army in 2001 and was finishing his third tour in Iraq. His grandmother said he was hard to miss. "If people asked you which one was he, you would say, ‘He was the one with the smile.’ He was very soft spoken, but he could command with that smile," Vicky Munari said.
Andrade, 26, of Chicago, died Jan. 18 in Baghdad when an explosive struck his vehicle. He was assigned to Fort Hood and enjoyed playing soccer, football and basketball.
"His dedication to his job and soldiers were unmatched, and he had a quiet strength about him," said Lt. Col. Scott McKean, Andrade’s battalion commander. "Staff Sgt. Andrade embodied perseverance, courage and devotion to duty." "He always led by example in everything, and he strived to be the best and expected nothing less from his soldiers," said Capt. William Hollbrook, Andrade’s company commander. "He was inspiring and his memory will live on with us for the rest of our lives."
http://www.militarycity.com/...
Sgt. Andrade was well loved by his brothers in arms. One of them left this message in an on-line memorial:
To the family of SSG Andrade--I met your son in late December when he was my troop commander for a convoy. He had a smile on his face the entire time and took great care of me while riding in his vehicle. His Soldiers were disciplined and well trained due to his leadership. I was saddened to hear the news of this fine gentlemen. He is a true hero!! I am proud to have served with him and know he will be missed by many. Every time I saw him after that he always said hello with the biggest smile on his face. He was a man of honor! Rest in peace SSG Andrade.
http://heroesmemorial.blogspot.com/...
Sgt. Andrade is survived by his mother, Sandra Valencia; his father, Roberto Andrade Sr.; and his stepmother, Veronica Andrade.
It may be a while before the tears of the families and loved ones of these brave men fall less often. Pray with us, that they find the strength to carry on until they are all together again.
HTML gremlins kept me from embedding the video for this song, but you can listen to it here, if you you don't mind crying.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/...
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.
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