Good evening, dear ones. Will you please join me and the IGTNT team as we honor Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk of Oceanside, California. 24-year-old LCPL Boelk died October 15 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Will you dear Kossacks kindly take a moment to send a warm thought or prayer to the hundreds of thousands of forgotten or unnoticed souls who have suffered, and continue to suffer, from the insanity of war? This is not their diary but still, we all feel and grieve the pain of a broken human spirit.
Blessings and Light to all who share our world.
As you read this diary, please remember that friends and loved ones of the soldiers honored here may read your comments. Please, whatever our personal feelings about the war may be, may our comments only reflect compassion for their grief and loss. Thank you.
Lance Corporal James D. Boelk
Allyssia Boelk remembers her brother as, "...my best friend and my backbone."
Lance Corporal James Boelk died October 15th while out on foot patrol in Afghanistan. It was his first tour of duty.
There is a news video available at NBC San Diego.com but the DailyKos HTML editor will not allow me to embed it.
James Boelk knew from an early age that he would serve his country in the military. Ms. Boelk remembered how her brother "would always dress up in uniform," even as a youngster. This desire came to him through his DNA, perhaps, since the Boelks were a military family.
James Boelk enlisted in the Marines in 2009. Ms. Bolek remembers watching her father "beaming with pride."
"He [their father] was very, very proud. I've never seen him more proud, actually," Ms. Boelk said.
LCPL Boelk was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California. Bolek was the eighth Marine from the 3rd Battalion to die in combat in the past week.
Allyssia Boelk recalled saying goodbye to her brother, "I could tell a week or two before he was leaving [for this recent deployment that] he was excited and extremely scared."
The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have LCPL Boelk on their Watch List, where the Riders are posting messages of love and support for the Boelk family.
Although his military career was a short one, LCPL James Boelk received several awards and honors, including a Purple Heart and the National Defense Service medal.
"He was always there. He would always be there for me," Allyssia Boelk said. "I will always remember his dependability and his smile."
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved James Boelk. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
Our forget-me-nots were a gift to the IGTNT team from dear llbear.
I can't think of a better way to honor the fallen than to contribute to the well-being of their fellow soldiers still on active duty.
The following fine organizations could sure use your support and your donations: AnySoldier.com, Books for Soldiers, Fisher House, the Military Pets Foster Project, Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets, Operation Baghdad Pups, Operation Enduring Christmas, an organization that sends holiday presents to the children of our fallen troops, and Helping Udders, an organization that sends cooling vests to the Military Working Dogs stationed with their handlers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here to see other IGTNT diaries, a series which was begun by i dunno and which is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, noweasels, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, JaxDem, and racheltracks.
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. Fallen soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and National Guard whose names have been released by the Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each fallen service member more fully, but still in a timely manner.
PEACE AND BLESSINGS