Since 2001, there have been 1321 American troops killed serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4424 American troops killed serving in Iraq.
The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) title is a reminder that nearly everyday, somebody gets the news that a friend, former classmate, or beloved family member will not be coming home from war.
Tonight we remember four more who lost their lives at war:
Pfc. Ryane G. Clark, 22, of New London, Minnesota
Pfc. Cody A. Board, 19, of McKinney, Texas
Sgt. Karl A. Campbell, 34, of Chiefland, Florida
Senior Airman Daniel J. Johnson, 23, of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
Please take a moment below to remember them.
The Department of Defense announced the death of an Airborne soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Ryane G. Clark, 22,
of New London, Minnesota
died October 4 in Shekhabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an attack on his vehicle with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades south of Kabul.
Pfc. Clark was assigned to the 27th Combat Engineer Battalion (Airborne), 20th Combat Engineer Brigade, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Ryane Clark grew up in Minnesota where he was a wrestler at New London-Spicer High School and an Eagle Scout with Troop 228. Clark graduated from NL-S in 2007, and studied law enforcement at Alexandria Technical and Community College.
Ryane Clark always wanted to be a soldier, and joined the Army National Guard as soon as he could.
WCCO reported
His father said Ryane talked about joining the military "all of his life,
since he was 5 years old."
He said his son first joined the National Guard and then was activated
into the Army one year ago Tuesday.
Pfc. Clark arrived in Afghanistan just after Christmas last year. This week the Clark family flew
to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, for a ceremony marking the return of his remains from war.
Among those Pfc. Clark leaves behind are his family, and his friends from the National Guard and his fellow Combat Engineers.
Pfc. Ryane Clark is missed. REST IN PEACE
Source West Central Tribune
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The Department of Defense announced the death of an infantryman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Cody A. Board, 19,
of McKinney, Texas
died October 4 at Mirwais, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device.
Pfc. Board was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.
Cody Board was born and raised in McKinney, Texas, near Dallas. At McKinney North High School, Board was a stand-out wrestler.
He enlisted in the Army after graduating high school in May 2009, and spent some time in Germany before his deployment to Afghanistan.
Pfc. Board was on a foot patrol with two other soldiers when an explosive device went off,
killing him a week before his 20th birthday. The two other soldiers survived.
According to CBS11TV
Cody's brother Aaaron said he looked up to his big brother, and despite the tragic loss, Aaron said he plans to follow in his brother's Army footsteps.
"He could always make me smile," Aaron said. "He was following his dreams.
Most kids dream about playing in the MLB, and he dreamed about being in the Army."
"He could've had any job in the Army, but he wanted to be an infantry man," said Cody's grandfather. "He wanted to be where the fighting was."
A number of candlelight vigils are set for tonight, at the elementary school, across from his house, and at the high school. The Bulldogs football team will wear stickers with Cody's initials during their Friday night game.
Among those Pfc. Board leaves behind are his parents, younger brother, and grandparents, and his friends from high school.
Pfc. Cody Board is missed. REST IN PEACE
sources: Pegasus News, MyFoxDFW
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The Department of Defense announced the death of an Army veteran and Calvary Scout who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Karl Andrew Campbell, 34,
of Chiefland, Florida
died October 4 in Babur, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he encountered an improvised explosive device while on a foot patrol.
Sgt. Campbell was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Karl Campbell grew up in Chiefland, Florida, where his parents still live.
Prior to his deployment with the 101st Airborne, Sgt. Campbell had already served in the Army.
He enlisted in 1995 as an Infantryman and completed his service in 2003.
Karl Campbell had a compelling desire to both help the troops and to provide for his family.
He reenlisted in November 2009 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2010, as a Calvary Scout.
Sgt. Karl Campbell was a highly decorated soldier whose medals included a Bronze Star
and a Purple Heart, amongst other decorations.
Among those Sgt. Campbell leaves behind are his wife, son, and stepson, all of Fort Campbell; a daughter, of Denver, Pennsylvania, a stepson, of Starke, Florida, and his parents.
Sgt. Karl Campbell is missed. REST IN PEACE
sources: News channel 5, 101st Airborne, Ocala.com, WSMV
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The Department of Defense announced the death of an Air Force bomb disposal specialist who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Senior Airman Daniel J. Johnson, 23,
of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
died October 5 of wounds suffered from an IED explosion in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Senior Airman Johnson was assigned to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team of the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron, based at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
Dan Johnson grew up in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. He was a popular student-athlete at Monona Grove High School, excelling on the football, swimming and track teams.
Senior Airman Johnson had been stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the past three years.
He served a year of duty in Iraq, before being deployed to Afghanistan in August.
NBC15.com reported:
Today some of those who knew him found out their worst fears were realized.
Dan Johnson graduated from Monona Grove in 2005; 5 years later, teachers say he is a student you never forget.
Flipping through a yearbook his photo is easy to find.
A three sport athlete, yearbook editor and member of the school play, he was about as involved as one could be.
Now those pictures are the only memory left at Monona Grove High School.
His former Government teacher Denise Peterson said,
"To lose him is very difficult for all of us."
"It was very difficult news because this young man was a truly
exceptional person. Dan's someone who exemplifies maturity, kindness,
responsibility; he was a very fun loving student, very fun loving kid,"
Ms. Peterson said in the Courier Life News.
Dan Johnson got married in June, before leaving for Afghanistan with Vandenberg's bomb squad.
Senior Airman Johnson was conducting explosive ordnance disposal operations when an improvised explosive device detonated. He was taken to the hospital, where died of his injuries.
Among those Senior Airman Johnson leaves behind are his wife, his father, his mother, and three brothers, and friends at Monona High School.
Senior Airman Daniel Johnson is missed. REST IN PEACE
sources: Journal-Sentinel, Courier Life News
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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, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, JaxDem, 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.