Tonight, we honor four of our fallen who are very different, but alike in that they have gone into eternity together in service of their country. Two were fathers with three children each, another is a father of a young child, and the last is a young woman just starting her adult life.
• Commander Duane G. Wolfe who died May 25th near Fallujah, Iraq
• AM1 (AW) Joseph Wayne Richardson, USN who died May 12th in California
• Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Stratton II who died May 26 near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan
• Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman who died May 26 near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan
The two Navy men were attached to Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme in California. The two airmen were with Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.
Commander Duane G. Wolfe
Duane Wolfe lived in Los Osos, California with his wife and three children. He had enlisted in the Navy in 1972, and was a reservist for the past 31 years. He had served in various reserve units attached to Naval Operational Support Center, Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, since 1977. During his years in service, Wolfe also was a civilian deputy commander of the 30th Space Wing Mission Support Group at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Wolfe worked 24 years at Vandenberg Air Force Base and most recently was the 30th Mission Support Group deputy commander. In his civilian job at Vandenberg, he served as base liaison to the community. In that role, he often gave updates about the base to the Lompoc Unified School District Board of Education.
Duane G. Wolfe was named commander on Nov. 21, 2008, and was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region Division in Iraq, where he served as the Officer in Charge of the Al-Anbar Area Office.
Commander Wolfe was doing his Naval Reserve duty in Iraq, when his convoy was hit with an improvised explosive device (IED) southeast of Fallujah. Wolfe he died from his injuries. He was 54 years old. According to a story on KSBY news:
Commander Wolfe is the first member of Team Vandenberg to be killed in Iraq. He died on Memorial Day.
Those who knew him described Commander Wolfe as a man who loved his family, loved his job, and loved his country.
"He was a great person to be around, great person to work with and a good friend, and we're going to miss him dearly," said Colonel Rick Wright, the 30th Mission Support Group commander.
The Ventura County Star states:
"Duane’s death will leave a hole in the Mission Support Group that can never be filled," Col. Rick Wright, 30th Mission Support Group commander, said in a statement. "He was a great team member and an even greater friend. His 24 years of service at Vandenberg Air Force Base will be missed dearly."
Reid said a casualty assistance officer has been in contact with Wolfe’s family in Los Osos. Family and friends were at Wolfe’s home Wednesday, but declined to comment.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement: "Maria and I were saddened to learn of the death of Commander Duane G. Wolfe, which is a great loss for America. His bravery and willingness to put his life on the line to serve his country will forever be remembered. Our hearts go out to Duane’s family and friends as they deal with this terrible loss."
Commander Duane Wolfe leaves his wife, two daughters and a son in Los Osos.
In honor of Wolfe, California Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff. A memorial service is planned, however details about the funeral services have not been released.
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AM1 (AW) Joseph Wayne Richardson, USN
Joseph Wayne Richardson grew up in Lehigh, Iowa and graduated from Southeast Webster High School in 1993. He enlisted in the Navy in 1995. He was an aviation structural mechanic and deployed three times to the Arabian Gulf and once to the Pacific Rim to help with tsunami relief efforts.
Richardson spent most of his career with VFA-151 "The Vigilantes" (an F-18 squadron), where he was an outstanding performer and was twice named junior sailor of the year. As an AM, Richardson was most recently working on planes in Port Hueneme, California, that were doing strike and infantry support missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aviation Structural Mechanic (AM1) (AW) Joseph Wayne Richardson, USN died May 12, 2009 in Port Hueneme, California. The cause of his death is still under investigation, and has not been released. He was 34 years old.
According to the Ventura County Star:
Richardson grew up in Lehigh, Iowa, and graduated in 1993 from Southeast Webster High School, according to Iowa Gov. Chet Culver’s Web site. Richardson was based at Naval Air Station Lemoore and moved to Port Hueneme where he was supposed to report for duty on May 14, Reid said.
According to an obituary published in Fort Dodge, Iowa newspaper, The Messenger, Richardson loved spending time with his daughter, Madison, and with his family when he would return to Iowa on leave. He had many interests, including cars, camping and four-wheeling with his Jeep in the California hills and mountains.
Flags were lowered this week in Iowa to honor the Navy serviceman Joseph Richardson. Funeral services were held for Richardson on May 28th in Lehigh, just southeast of Fort Dodge. He leaves behind a young daughter and a grieving family.
The Patriot Guard Riders assisted with the funeral and had these details about Richardson on their website:
AM1 (AW) Joseph Richardson was raised in Lehigh, IA and joined the Navy in 1995. He spent his entire career with VFA-151 "The Vigilantes" (an F-18 squadron). where he was an outstanding performer and was junior Sailor of the year (in a squadron of over 300) twice and AIMD NAS Lemoore CA. He has 4 NAMS, 4 Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, the GWOT expeditionary medal, and the Humanitarian service medal. He's assisted with the tsunami in the pacific rim that occurred a few years ago and the other 3 deployments have been to the Arabian Gulf. As an AM, he was working on the planes that were doing strike and infantry support missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, thus the GWOT expeditionary medal. He wasn't married, but does leave behind a daughter who isn't even 1 yet. He's been on active duty since 1995 and died in Port Hueneme California. The investigation is not complete, so I cannot comment on how he died.
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Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Stratton II
Mark Stratton moved to Foley, Alabama when he was 8 and graduated from Foley High School in 1987. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1991. He received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1992.
A senior navigator for the RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, Stratton had previously served on the staff at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Stratton II was assigned to the Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He had deployed to Afghanistan in November as commander of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team,
There was a recent article about Statton on the Defense Department site, and this picture was included:
[U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.]
It shows "Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Stratton, commander of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, talks to villagers about a micro-hydro pump in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley in March 2009. The pump uses water to create power for the village."
The Air Force officer died May 26th, in Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded amidst his convoy. Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Stratton II died from injuries suffered in the bomb blast. He was 39 years old.
There is a video and pictures of Stratton in a WKRG news story which quotes his step-father Buddy York:
"Mark was just an all around wonderful person," says York. "The three things that were more important to him were God, his family and the military."
The Foley High School graduate, husband and father of three was killed in Afghanistan on Memorial Day while leading a convoy from a U-S command center to a remote air base miles away.
"I just talked to his wife, Jennifer and she's heart-broken. She just lost a husband and a father."
Commendations earned by Lieutenant Colonel Stratton include a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
Lieutenant Colonel Stratton was survived by his wife and children. Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Stratton II will be buried in Arlington Cemetery, but no time nor date has been announced.
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Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman
Ashton Goodman attended Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. After graduation she enlisted in 2006 and worked as a vehicle operator in the US Air Force. She was assigned to the 43rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina.
The Department of Defense said that Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman died May 26th, after an improvised explosive device blew up. She was killed near Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. The 21-year-old is the fourth airman based at Pope Air Force Base killed in action since September 11th, 2001.
There are several pictures of the Airman shown in a story about her posted by WTHR. Also, there is a touching tribute to Senior Airman Goodman in the Air Force Print News Today:
Over the past month, Airman Goodman, an aspiring writer and photographer, volunteered to work alongside me in public affairs. Eager to tell our team's story, she penned her first news story and quickly found herself published on the Air Force Web site. She also channeled her passion and creativity every day for two weeks into producing the team's yearbook. Within days of launching an impressive advertising campaign, she had books sold to nearly everyone she came into contact with.
As a 21-year-old young woman, Airman Goodman also found herself in a unique position mentoring the province's female Afghan leadership. During weekly meetings with the Director of Women's Affairs, she advanced the economic and social development of women in Panjshir.
On May 18, she led the tremendous undertaking to deliver much-needed food and house supplies to more than 100 poor women. As we drove up the narrow, steep, winding road to the village, she beamed with excitement over the chance to personally help these women.
Details about the funeral for Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman have yet to be announced.
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About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo and Mediaprof. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but an important service to those Americans who have died and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them. If you would like to volunteer, even once a month, please contact me, Sis.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.