We Shall Keep the Faith
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
by Moina Michael
From the Department of Defense:
The Department of Defense announced the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Sept. 12 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised-explosive device and small arms fire. The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Nekl B. Allen, 29, of Rochester N.Y.
Spc. Daniel L. Cox, 23, of Parsons, Kan.
Staff Sgt. Nekl B. Allen
From WWNY TV:
Staff Sgt. Allen joined the Army in May 2002 and arrived to Fort Drum inMay 2008.
This was Allen's 3rd deployment.
Staff Sgt. Allen is survived by his wife, three children and parents.
Staff Sgt. Allen's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Air Assault Badge.
From The Democrat and Chronicle:
He always put others before himself," said Allen’s sister, Rana Allen, 27, of Gates. "He was the most lovable person I know. He was a people person and could always make friends anywhere he went."
...
In his spare time, Sgt. Allen loved fishing, bow-hunting and paintball. But above all, he loved spending time with his three children, Christopher, 10, Michael, 7 and Grace, 5.
Although they lived miles apart, Rana Allen said she and her brother had grown quite close as adults and chatted online often.
"I was getting a package ready to send to him, and I am still going to send it, but to his friends instead," she said.
**********************************************
Spc. Daniel L. Cox
From freedomremembered.com:
Spc Daniel Cox of Parsons, Kansas graduated from Parsons High School in 2005. Prior to that he had attended school in Winfield before moving to Parsons in the fifth grade. Though he struggled in school he did enjoy woodworking and even made his grandmother a coffee table. Daniel joined the Army in June 2005 and arrived to Fort Drum in October 2005 and was serving his 2nd deployment. He met a girl while stationed in New York and the couple planned to marry in the summer of 2010 when he left the service.
***************************************************
Pfc. Matthew M. Martinek
From the Department of Defense:
Pfc. Matthew M. Martinek, 20, of DeKalb, Ill., died Sept. 11 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 4 when enemy attacked his vehicle with an improvised-explosive device followed by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
From The Daily-Chronicle:
Clayton Greenlee, 20, also of Genoa, reminisced Monday about playing little league baseball with Martinek. The two were friends in grade school and kept in touch after Martinek moved to Bartlett. Greenlee said Martinek moved back to the DeKalb area after high school and worked at a tire store in Sycamore.
"Even when he moved away, he still kept in contact with me and our other friends," Greenlee said Monday during a phone interview. "He was a great person."
He described Martinek as someone with a good heart who made time for his friends and family. His hobbies included many outdoor activities, like camping, biking and riding all-terrain vehicles.
"He always made sure that you were in a good mood and if you were sad or distressed he tried to help in any way he could," Greenlee said. "He will be missed dearly by all of his friends
From the Chicago Tribune:
"He tried not to talk too much about what he was doing, but he said he liked helping people," said his brother Travis Wright.
Martinek graduated from Bartlett High School in 2007, his Facebook page stated. He played on the football team and was known for his outgoing personality, Wright said. "He could always make someone laugh," Wright said.
***************************************************
Sgt. 1st Class Duane A. Thornsbury
From the Department of Defense:
Sgt. 1st Class Duane A. Thornsbury, 30, of Bridgeport, W. Va., died Sept.12 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Fort Carson, Colo.
From Freedom Remembered.com:
Sgt. 1st Class Duane A. Thornsbury of Bridgeport, West Virginia attended Grafton High School where he was involved in wrestling and was considered a bright student. He enlisted in the United States Army Reserves back in April 1996 and came onto active duty service in September 2002. He later attended the Special Forces Qualification Course, earning his Green Beret in 2006, as a Weapons Sergeant. He was on his third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
...
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, NATO Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Senior Parachutists Badge, Parachutists Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
*******************************************
Sgt. Tyler A. Juden
From the Department of Defense:
Sgt. Tyler A. Juden, 23, of Winfield, Kan., died Sept. 12 in Turan, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fires. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
From Kansascity.com:
Juden's family in Arkansas City, in south central Kansas, said the soldier was known in and out of the military for his shooting ability. His father, Bob Juden, told the Arkansas City Traveler that his son was selected to be a sniper and was a squad leader in Afghanistan.
"Tyler was a great, dedicated young man. He was an all-American kid," Bob Juden said Monday. "He was passionate; he was passionate with his friends, his family and the things he loved. He loved the things he loved and hated the things he hated.
"There wasn't much middle ground."
...
Bob Juden said that while his son was athletic, including starting as a freshman on the Arkansas City High School football team as a kicker, it was shooting that was his passion and where he excelled.
"When he was 13 years old, he attended a shooting camp in Raton, New Mexico. They asked him to return the following year and be a camp counselor. He did so well he came back an instructor when he was only 14 years old," Bob Juden said.
******************************************************************************
What You Can Do
There are a number of wonderful organizations out there which could use your help:
* Anysoldier.com
* Operation Helmet
* Fisher House
* Books for Soldiers
* Operation Ensuring Christmas
(big thanks to timroff for the beautiful logo)
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.; 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, JeNoCo, mediaprof, rb137, True Blue Majority, and me, a girl in MI. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died, and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them.
If you are interested in volunteering for the series please contact me, a girl in MI, at a_girl_in_mi_101 AT yahoo DOT com
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. We treat these diaries as a place to remember and reflect. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.