Any day during which we lose men and women serving in Iraq or Afghanistan is a bad one and last Friday was no exception: The Department of Defense released the names of six men who died in service to our country. Please follow me below to spend a few minutes honoring their memories:
The Department of Defense announced Friday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Charles D. Parrish, 23, of Jasper, Ala., died June 4 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered earlier that day in Jalula, Iraq, when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade. He was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Spc. Charles D. Parrish
Spc. Charles (Dusty) Parrish was supposed to come home from Iraq in July – in fact, he had just one week left in that country – and, according to his mother, was looking forward to teaching his 4 year old son, Caden, the finer points of T-ball. Instead, he died last week while on a reconnaissance mission to clear land mines after coming under attack by a rocket propelled gun. He had been in Iraq for 14 months.
Spc. Parrish was an Army medic who had trained many of the medics who tried to same him after the attack.
According to his family, including wife Ashley, he was very athletic and was especially into weightlifting. He had even won some body building competition while in the Army. His mother said Parrish couldn’t wait to get home because it was his son’s first year to play t-ball. He was looking forward to teaching his son how to bat.
She said, “Dusty was the type of person who would make you laugh. He made you happy when you were sad.”
Rest in peace, Spc. Charles Parrish.
The Department of Defense announced Friday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Jarrett P. Griemel, 20, of La Porte, Texas, died June 3 at Forward Operating Base Gardez, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Spc. Jarrett P. Griemel
Trena Dorsett watched as the casket carrying her son, Spc. Jarrett Griemel, was placed into a white van at Dover Air Force Base Friday.
“I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” she told the Houston Chronicle.
The 20 year old was found dead in his bed last week after missing an appointment to meet up with friends. The cause of death is still under investigation.
Spc. Griemel joined the Army in June 2006 after graduating with honors from La Porte High School. His brother, Chase Shallert, said, “He wanted to travel and be adventurous.”
Growing up, Griemel went parachuting and cliff diving, but his favorite pastime was surfing. His sister, 14 year old Brianna Bearden said, “The beach was his favorite place.”
Family members say with his bright red hair and infectious smile, Griemel could light up the room with his personality and sense of humor. Married to his high school sweetheart, Candice, in February 2008, she now says, "In my mind, I know he’s gone, but in my heart he’s still coming home.”
Rest in peace, Spc. Jarrett Griemel.
The Department of Defense announced Friday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Jasper K. Obakrairur, 26, of Hilo, Hawaii, died June 1 in Nerkh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Sgt. Jasper K. Obakrairur
Sgt. Jasper Obakrairur, who was born and raised in Palau, Guam, joined the Army in March 2004 and had been stationed at Fort Drum, NY since August 2004. He had previously been deployed to Afghanistan from January 2006 to May 2007. He was a graduate of the Combat Life Savers Course and Warrior Leader Course and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations.
Sgt. Obakrairur had been a computer science student at the University of Hawaii-Hilo prior to his enlistment. His father told the Pacific Daily News that joining the Army was something his son had talked about for awhile. He was very proud of his son’s decision.
He said that what he would miss most about his son was his smile. “Every time you called his name, he smiled before he said anything. He was a friendly person and a comedian who joked about everything.”
Rest in peace, Sgt. Obakrairur.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died June 4 near Kapisa, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, Calhoun, Ga.
Killed were:
Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette, 37, of Lula, Ga.,
Sgt. 1st Class John C. Beale, 39, of Riverdale, Ga., and
Spc. Jeffrey W. Jordan, 21, of Rome, Ga
Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette
Three members of the Georgia National Guard died together last week when their convoy was struck by a roadside improvised explosive device and came uder small arms fire near Kapis, Afghanistan. They had been in Afghanistan for approximately three weeks and were there to train Afghan security force officers.
Maj. Kevin Jenrette was married with three young children. The pastor of his church, Timber Ridge Baptist Church, told the Gainesville Times, “I don’t know a better person than Kevin. He was exceptional."
Maj. Jenrette’s father, U.S. Army Col. Albert Jenrette told the that the family had received tremendous support from the community. Though the family wasn’t prepared to be interviewed yet, they released the following statement to WTVM:
“The family of Major Kevin Jenrette is deeply grateful for the prayers and support we have received since we learned of Kevin’s death. Kevin served his country with courage, honor and humility. We mourn not only a husband, father, son, brother and uncle, but a man who cherished his God, his family and his country."
Ssgt. John C. Beale
Staff Sgt. John Beale’s parents told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a military career was his life-long goal. His stepmother, Dolly Beale, said “He loved what he was doing for his country.”
John had served with the Army from 1991 to 1994 and joined the Georgia Guard in 2005. He was a veteran of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
His father, William Beale said John “had always gravitated to a career in the military. It was the only thing he ever wanted to do.”
Beale leaves his wife Crystal, a son and a daughter.
Spc. Jeffrey W. Jordan
Spc. Jeffrey Jordan enlisted in the Georgia Guard in 2006. This was his second tour of duty and according to his cousin, Bill Fortenberry, Jordan’s continued military service was part of his overall plan to excel in life and provide for his young family.
Fortenberry told the Rome News Tribune, “He wasn’t afraid to go. He was confident in his own skills and in the skills of those who would be working with him. He had this goofy smile – It was pretty cool to see.”
The family spent last Friday remembering the young man, who was both thoughtful and ambitious. He leaves his wife, Lacey, and their one year old son, Tailor.
Rest in peace Maj. Jenrette, SSgt Beale and Spc. Jordan.
We honor the sacrifice of these men and the families who are grieving for them.
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.
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, and JeNoCo.
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.