Last week, 14 American service members lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tonight we come together to honor the lives and sacrifices of three of these men--Army Spc. Christopher M. Kurth, Marine Lance Cpl. Robert D. Ulmer, and Army Spc. Roberto A. Hernandez.
Please follow noweasels and me below the fold to learn more about the lives of these three young men and the sacrifices they made for our country.
From noweasels:
Spc. Roberto A. Hernandez, 21, of Far Rockaway, New York
Spc. Hernandez died June 2 in Paktya, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his mounted patrol was attacked with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 549th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), Fort Stewart, Ga.
"He left so many broken hearts," his uncle, Rick Tomlinson, said.
The family of Roberto Hernandez, a third-generation military man, braced for the worst as an Army chaplain approached the young soldier's Queens home.
"When the chaplain comes, they don't tell you he got shot in the leg," said his uncle, 15-year Army veteran Alejandro Tomlinson. "I knew. ... They did not have to say the words."
(snip)
"He wanted to come home," said his inconsolable mother, Paulina Richards, drying her tears Thursday. "He was my only child."
(snip)
At the family home in Far Rockaway, relatives hugged amid pictures of the young soldier in his uniform.
The August Martin High School graduate had followed his grandfather, mother, two uncles and an aunt into the service.
The family came to the U.S. after Hernandez's grandfather, Alfonso Tomlinson, joined the Army in 1969. Over time, using his military paycheck, he brought other family members over from their native Panama.
"The military brought us to this country," said Virginia Tomlinson, his aunt and an Army veteran. "He [Roberto] paid our debt."
(snip)
"He would tell me, 'It's going to be all right,'" his mom said. Hernandez hoped to use his Army career as a springboard to become a private investigator, family members said.
Source ~ Daily News
"My son is a hero," his mother said.
His mother, Paulina Campbell-Richards, described Spc. Hernandez "a religious man who put his family first."
"He loved God and everything he did, he knew was his choice. No one ever forces me to do anything," said Campbell-Richards. "I told him to live your life to the fullest and so there is no regret as to what happened."
(snip)
"I just couldn't believe it because it was just only a month left, only a month left to come back. He only had a month left to come back home," said Campbell-Richards.
(snip)
Campbell-Richards says she'll miss her son's smile, sense of humor, and his loving ways. She says she hopes he is remembered fondly for the ultimate sacrifice he made: putting his life on the line to protect the country he loved.
"Of course he is a hero," she said. "My son volunteered his life to serve this country. He is definitely a hero. They are all heroes, the men who are serving in this war."
Source ~ NY1
Video
Spc. Hernandez was born on January 25, 1988, and graduated from August Martin High School in 2006. In 2007, while a student at Tuskegee University in Alabama, he joined the military. He volunteered for Afghanistan immediately after basic training.
Source ~ Freedom Remembered.
A family member posted this heartbreaking comment on the Patriot Guard website:
RIP Roberto: this is "MA" i know we just spoke Saturday night matter of fact you called me at exactly 12 midnight....my heartaches because I will never here you call me "MA" again. I cry for you but I cry knowing GOD knows best. Roberto we laughed and joked we had a good conversation talked about you coming to see me when you came home. I cried all day knowing that you are no longer of this earth but you will always be with me in spirit. I LUV U SON and my love for you will never fade I can still hear you laughing and us talking about all the things we were going to do like driving to go see your mom. SON GOD SPEED, GOD BLESS GOD WILL CONTINUE TO PROTECT THOSE THAT YOU LOVE AND WE ALL HAVE A ANOTHER ANGEL IN HEAVEN.
LUV!!!
"MA"
Source ~ Patriot Guard
Spc. Hernandez is survived by his mother, an aunt, and two uncles. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Thank you, Spc. Hernandez. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
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From bjm:
On Saturday the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Christopher M. Kurth, 23, of Alamogordo, N.M., died June 4 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2ndBrigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Spc. Christopher Kurth graduated from the Academy del Sol High School in New Mexico in May of 2005. He is described by his friends as someone who always looked out for the welfare of others.
On his MySpace page, Chris wrote "My heroes are my fellow soldiers who are out there and my babe Robin". A relative of his left this comment, "dam cuz i cant understand it. i just talked to u. we love u and already miss u. ur a true hero." ~source
Kurth's high school social studies teacher, Glennon Cates, said that Kurth had returned to his high school twice since his deployment to Iraq. Kurth served as a turret gunner, escorting convoys in Iraq. He brough back videos for the Academy del Sol students to watch.
"Every time he came back from Iraq, he would show photos, talk to the kids about what it was like," Cates said. "He really, really gave back to the community. He really believed in what he was doing." ~source
The principal of Academy del Sol High School, Linda Carr, reported that Kurth had recently recovered from a bullet to the neck. He received a Purple Heart for his injury.
"He was an outstanding young man," Carr said. "He was honorable worked hard. He was such a delight and when he would come back, he was the highlight of our year."
~snip
"He served his country well," Carr said. "He was a bright spot." ~source
In addition to his wife, Robin, Spc. Kurth is survived by his father who raised him and his two sisters, Ashley and Amber.
An Army carry team carries the transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army Spc. Christopher M. Kurth, 23, of Alamogordo, N.M. ~Photo source
Thank you, Spc. Kurth. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
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On June 6th, the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Robert D. Ulmer, 22, of Landisville, Pa., died June 5 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune N.C.
There is little information available about Lance Cpl. Ulmer, and I will update this diary as more information becomes available. Although the Marines list Landisville, PA as Ulmer's home address, Pennsylvania neighbors say that the family moved to Arizona about a year ago.
Lance Cpl. Ulmer graduated from Hempfield High School in 2006. In 2006 he also earned a certificate in RV and Outdoor Power Equipment at the Willow Street Campus of the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center.
Ulmer joined the Marines on July 31, 2006, the summer he graduated from high school. He had been an infantryman.
He was first deployed to Iraq from September 2007 to April 2008, and was sent back with his unit for the second time in March.
~snip
During his brief time in the Marines, Ulmer was awarded the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. ~source
Robert Ulmer is survived by his parents, Douglas and Kim Ulmer, and his wife, Rebecca.
Thank you, Lance Cpl. Ulmer. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
May all three men rest in eternal peace. Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance.
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If you would like to do something to support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, please consider donating to NFTT (Netroots for the Troops). Here is the information:
Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
- Please contact Donnamarie or VeloVixen if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
- We are accepting cash from individuals and
beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact politik if you are interested in posting a diary.
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanic's gloves
- Language translation books or CDs (Rosetta Stone as an example)
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers (more info on this item coming soon)
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own Stormbear and is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time.
Thank you.
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.
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.
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.