Tonight, we honor two soldiers who died this past week in Iraq. One was a 20 year old soldier from Georgia, who died on New Year's Day. The second soldier was from Florida and due home this month after a year long tour in Iraq.
Since 2001, there have been 952 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4373 American troops killed in Iraq. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
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DoD Announces Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Brushaun X. Anderson, 20, of Columbus, Ga., died Jan. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Unfortunately, there is very little information in the newspapers; however, there was some information from friends of Brushaun on the social networks. Spc. Brushaun Anderson referred to himself as the King of Being SOL on his My Space page. His friend remembered him as a great guy, who loved playing video games and they stayed in touch while he was stationed in Iraq via X-Box Live. His friend told how proud Spc. Anderson was to serve his country:
I can tell you now that he died doing something he loved. It was for a cause and nobody can take that away from him. It's hard to believe you're gone. I'm going to miss you so much man. I can't thank you enough for serving and protecting our country. You've motivated me to wanna strive better in life. Your courage, inspiration and passion will always be remembered. : (
New York Gov. David Patterson ordered flags to fly at half-staff in honor of Spc. Brushaun Anderson. Anderson was based at Fort Drum. Gov. Patterson issued the following statement:
“On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to express my sympathy to the friends, family, and fellow soldiers of Specialist Anderson,” Governor Paterson said. “While he was not a native New Yorker, we consider all members of the 10th Mountain Division to be honorary sons and daughters of the Empire State. We regret his death, but we will honor his service.”
Funeral arrangements are pending, the Patriot Guard Riders have confirmed they will be escorting the body for final burial. Check for updates on the arrangements here.
Rest in Peace, Spc. Brushaun Anderson. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
DoD Announces Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. David A. Croft Jr., 22, of Plant City, Fla., died Jan. 5 in Baghdad, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Family photo from left to right: little brother Tyler, David, sister Robin, who is an Air Force Reservist. Photo given to St. Petersburg Tribune from family.
Yesterday, would have been Spc. Croft's 23rd birthday, he was due home in a few weeks, after completing two tours of duty in Iraq.
Spc. David Croft was admired by his community and family. Drugs and crime are pervasive in his town, but Croft resisted and joined the military for a better life. His mother told the St. Petersburg Tribune:
"He loved his job," Vicki Croft said. "He took great pride in being a soldier."
Sawyer, Croft's uncle who still lives in the soldier's old neighborhood off Fortner Road, said his nephew was one of the few kids from the area to stay out of trouble and away from drugs.
"Little David didn't have time for that," Sawyer said. "He was the best person you ever wanted to be around. He wasn't a person to go out and cause trouble. He would laugh, joke, had a great sense of humor."
Elderly neighbors told the paper how Croft visited with them often to check in on them, One neighbor added:
"He's about as fine a young man as I've ever seen," said Gary Hogue, 77. "We thought of him as our own son."
He was fondly remembered by many in Plant City, Florida. He left an impression on many people from catching a 5 to 6 pound bass in a pond near Wal-Mart to keeping his family and neighborhood safe. Spc. David Croft will always be remembered. Besides his mother, sister, and brother; he leaves behind a fiancee, Susie Clark. Croft's father, David Croft, Sr., died two years ago from heart failure, his ashes will be buried with his son. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Rest in Peace, Spc. David Croft, Jr. My deepest sympathy to the family.
We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We Remember Them.
In the bowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember Them.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring.
We Remember Them.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember Them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn.
We Remember Them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember Them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember Them.
When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember Them.
When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share,
We Remember Them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us.
We Remember Them.
~From the Jewish Book Of Prayer~
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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags to see 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, CalNM, and me, Sandy on Signal.
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.