Word spreads fast among soldiers when one of them is seriously injured or killed, be it on the battlefield or in an accident. Soldiers living and serving together become a family, and even if they do not personally know the deceased, the pain ripples across all units, because one of their own has passed.
Tonight we hear about the death of a young soldier in a vehicle accident in Baghdad, and about how it impacted his fellow soldiers:
Pvt. Francisco J. Guardado-Ramirez, 21,
of Sunland Park, New Mexico
Since 2001, there have been 1089 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4402 American troops killed in Iraq. They all had families and friends who received the terrible news a loved one will not be returning home from war.
Please take a moment below to remember them and Pvt. Guardado-Ramirez.
Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier from New Mexico who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pvt. Francisco J. Guardado-Ramirez, 21, of Sunland Park, New Mexico, died June 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related vehicle accident. Guardado-Ramirez was a field artillery soldier assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed in Fort Stewart, Georgia.
According to the Bryon County News, Pvt. Guardado-Ramirez, was riding in a heavily armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle when it hit a highway overpass in Baghdad, Iraq.
A cannon crewmember, Guardado-Ramirez joined the Army in June 2008 and arrived at Fort Stewart in November 2008. This was his first deployment.
Guardado-Ramirez is the 49th New Mexico soldier, Marine or airman to be killed in Iraq. Another 10 New Mexico residents have died during military operations in Afghanistan, reports the Alamogordo Daily News.
+ * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * +
Very little information was available on Pvt. Guardado-Ramirez. But I found an interesting piece written by one of his commanding officers in the 3rd Infantry Division, that explains what took place after the accident, and how it impacted those on base:
One of our family passed.
Maj. Mike "Sully" Sullivan, a Rockland County native who grew up in Bardonia, is the operations officer of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Forward Operating Base Falcon in Baghdad.
A vehicle accident
Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, June 3 — We lost a soldier last night. Just before we boarded a helicopter to return from a meeting, we got word of an accident involving one of the large Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.
By the time we landed at Forward Operating Base Falcon, the updates indicated one soldier was seriously injured in the accident and was being evacuated to the main surgical hospital at Baghdad International Airport. Reports were sketchy about what happened, and we waited for word on the soldier's condition.
Our flight section requested a helicopter to move our commander, command sergeant major and chaplain to the combat surgical hospital, so they could check on the injured soldier.
Just as the helicopters landed to pick them up, I got the message that the soldier had died. I notified my boss as he walked out into the heat of the night to board the helicopter. They flew to the hospital and said a prayer next to the fallen soldier.
At the time of this writing, I cannot release the soldier's name until our people back in the states notify his family. What I can tell you is it is a crushing feeling to know you've lost one of your own. When something like this happens, be it a serious injury or death, all the phones and Internet are shut down on the base. This is to prevent word getting back and rumors spreading until the family can be notified.
Everyone on the base knows something happened as soon as everything gets shut off, and the search for information starts. Word spreads quickly on a small base like Falcon, and immediately you can feel the pain ripple out across all units, regardless if you knew the soldier or not. A member of our tribe, one of our family passed. It hurts everyone.
Pvt. Francisco J. Guardado-Ramirez is missed. REST IN PEACE.
+ + + * * * + + + * * * + + + * * * + + + * * * + + + * * * + + + * * *
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.
+ * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * +
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.