As the number of war casualties grows and war receives less media coverage, those with someone deployed overseas are riveted to every news bite, willing and praying for their loved one to return home safely.
The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) title is a reminder that nearly every day, somebody receives word that a friend, former school mate, or family member will not be coming home from war.
Tonight we learn about three more Americans who died while serving far from home, in combat and in an accident:
Pfc. Jake W. Suter, 18, of Stevenson Ranch, California
Pfc. Alvaro R. Regalado Sessarego, 37, of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Sgt. Jonathan K. Peney, 22, of Marietta, Georgia
Please take a moment below to remember them.
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The Department of Defense identified a young Marine killed in action while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
Pfc. Jake W. Suter, 18, died May 29 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Pfc. Suter was an assaultman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Jake Suter was an only child who lived in Stevenson Ranch, California, according to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Suter was a life-long Boy Scout who graduated in 2009 from West Ranch High School, where he was a member of the football team.
Suter realized his dream of serving his country when he joined the Marines in June 2009, at the young age of seventeen. He hoped that success in the military might help with his long-term goal of a career in politics and public service.
After going through boot camp and infantry school, Suter was stationed at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay where he joined the 3rd Battalion with Lima Compnay. His unit deployed to Afghanistan May 13 to conduct counterinsurgency operations partnered with Afghan National Security Forces.
Pfc. Jake Suter was killed during combat just a week after arriving in Afghanistan for his first deployment.
As reported in the Honolulu Advertisor,
An active member of the Mormon Church, Jake Suter had dedicated his life to service and looked forward to his role assisting the people in war-torn Afghanistan.
A friend told KHTS Radio that Suter studied Afghanistan before he deployed and had come to love the country and its people "before he even got there."
"For him, it was about bringing peace to that region, and to those people, more than anything else."
photo album from vigil
Pfc. Suter leaves behind his parents and other family and friends in Southern California.
Jake W. Suter is missed. REST IN PEACE
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The Department of Defense identified a soldier and recently naturalized US citizen who died while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom:
Pfc. Alvaro R. Regalado Sessarego, 37, died May 30 at Brooke Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, of injuries sustained in an April 18 non-combat related accident at the US military base in Dahuk, Iraq. Regalado Sessarego was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Pfc. Regalado Sessarego was critically burned in a mess hall fire in April, four months into his tour of Iraq. He was flown to the burn unit of Brooke Army Medical Center for treatment. There he went through painful surgeries and rehabilitation but eventually died from his severe wounds.
Alvaro Regalado Sessarego was a native of Peru who had spent years as a sailor in the Peruvian Navy. He relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and met his future wife and her family, who all quickly grew to admire him. Regalado Sessarego lived in Virginia Beach with his wife Theresa and her three teenage boys.
His stepson said he was "the father they've always wanted."
"He was a great man, a great father to me, my younger brother and
my older brother," he said.
Regalado Sessarego was not yet an American citizen when he enlisted in the Army last year at the age of 36, in order to "give back to America." He was naturalized as a US citizen just before his deployment.
"It was his goal to give back to this country that was doing so much for him," said his mother-in-law. "He saw it as way to take care of his family."
Among those Pfc. Alvaro Regalado Sessaregois leaves behind are his wife and three step-sons, a daughter, and his family and friends in Peru and the USA.
Alvaro Regalado Sessarego is missed. REST IN PEACE.
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The Department of Defense identified a combat medic with the 75th Ranger Regiment who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Jonathan K. Peney, 22, of Marietta, Georgia, died June 1 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he was shot by enemy forces. Peney was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.
Jonathon Peney was an avid rock climber who enlisted in the Army in 2005. He served as a combat medic for more than two years. He was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan and served in the Army at the rank of Specialist.
On June 4, 2010, Spc. Peney was posthumously promoted to Sergeant. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal.
According to a story in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
The 22-year-old Ranger and highly-trained medic was shot and killed while heroically trying to give medical aid to a fellow soldier who had been wounded in on the battlefield.
"Spc. Peney was the epitome of our Ranger medics -- warrior first, expert in advanced medical treatment, and selflessly dedicated to the care of others," Col. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, said in a statement released by the Army.
"Spc. Peney did not hesitate to move under heavy fire to the care of another wounded Ranger," Kurilla said. "He is a hero to our nation, the 75th Ranger Regiment and his family."
In between his military deployments, Peney found time to meet his future wife in Savannah. The young couple got married in Greece last summer, shortly before he deployed, reported 11 alive.
Among those that Sgt. Peney leaves behind are his wife, father, mother, and his comrades at the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Jonathan K. Peney is missed. REST IN PEACE.
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Since 2001, there have been 1089 American troops killed in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4402 American troops killed in Iraq.
Photos Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Thanks to Timroff for our faithfully lighted candle IGTNT logo;
and Thanks to llbear for our beautiful forget-me-nots IGTNT logo.
(Other Photos by CalNM)
Helping our troops: If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or Fisher House. Sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com can provide letters or care packages that make a real difference in a military person's life. To assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available at guardian angels for soldierspet.
When our veterans come back home, they need jobs. Look at the programs of Veterans Green Jobs and Welcome Back Veterans. Encourage a Vet, and see if you can help out.
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About the IGTNT series: I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each casualty has family and friends who received the terrible news that their loved one has died at war.
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. The US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. Published AP photos of the returning war fatalities are found on the Dover AFB page.
Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries in the series which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, Sandy on Signal, Wide Awake in Kentucky, and me, CalNM. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for our fallen brothers and sisters.
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.