It has been a very difficult week for the US forces in Afghanistan. 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 Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Joshua R. Farris, 22, of La Grange, Texas, died July 9 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87thInfantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Please follow me below the fold to learn more about Spc. Farris
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Spc. Farris joined the military in March 2006 and arrived at Fort Drum in New York state in June of the same year. He was a member of the 10th Mountain Division, a storied unit that formed during World War II. The soldiers are trained to fight and survive under brutal mountain conditions. The 3rd Brigade Combat team of the Mountain Division was sent to eastern Afghanistan in January of this year.
Joshua Farris was a decorated soldier. His awards and commendations include:
the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge. ~source
Joshua Farris is survived by his father, his mother, and his step-father. His body, along with the remains of six other servicemembers, was returned to Dover AFB in Delaware on Friday.
A blue star dad posted the following tribute to Spc. Farris on the Patriot Guard Forums:
It is with the utmost respect that I offer my condolences to the family of a true American Hero. Joshua, may you rest in the knowledge that your duty was well done and you have the gratitude of an entire nation for your sacrifice and your service. I know that you will now be in the company of your fellow veterans who have gone before you and who will welcome you at the Gates upon your arrival. Stand down now and know that we will carry on your legacy of freedom for all our citizens. To your family and friends I ask that God comfort them now in their time of despair and remain with them as they adjust to their loss.
Spc. Farris is the most recent of 657 American who have lost their lives in Afghanistan and the surrounding regions since the US invasion in late 2001.
Poppies have been the universal symbols of remembrance since World War I. This poem, written by a Canadian physician, appears on the website of the Arlington National Cemetery
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
May we always remember and honor Spc. Farris's sacrifice, and may he rest in eternal peace.
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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.