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I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which is the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
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Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of 1359 Americans in Afghanistan.
Since 2003 we have suffered the loss of 4427 Americans in Iraq.
Tonight we join together to honor, respect and remember the service and sacrifice of two more who lost their lives in Afghanistan:
Sgt. Michael D. Kirspel Jr., U.S. Army
Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr., U. S. Marines
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Sgt. Michael D. Kirspel Jr., 23, of Hopatcong, New Jersey
(photo from Michael's MySpace page)
Sgt. Kirspel, was killed fighting for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Kirspel, who graduated from Hopatcong High School in 2006, had previously served two tours in Iraq from Oct. 2007 to November 2008. His four year Army enlistment was due to expire in March.
Michael's mother, Dawn Roberts said this about her son:
"He would always find a way to get to a phone as he was deployed, just to make sure everyone (at home) was all right. He was a guy you could always count on. He had an amazing moral standard. And he was so protective to his little brother (Samuel), who has cystic fibrosis. Now this world is now at a loss for not having him in it. We will never be the same."
~Source
Kirspel’s father could not immediately be reached, but on Michael Kirspel Sr.’s Facebook page, the following post was written:
"To my son, my Hero, always in our hearts forever. I have lost a son, my best friend. We will be together one day. You’re with God now. I am sure it’s a better place. You gave your all for your country, but left us here with heavy hearts. Always in my heart, Love, Dad."
"Krispy," as his friends called him, was known for his good nature and being an avid outdoorsman.
Jeanine Morris, one of his neighbors in Hopatcong said:
We always looked at him and thought, "What a future this kid has". He was just a stellar young man. He loved his family. He loved his country. He was ready to take on anything that was in front of him.
~Source
Sgt. Kirspel's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Action Badge, the Marksmanship Qualification Badge and the Driver Mechanic Badge.
The Patriot Guard Riders have confirmed an invitation to their mission to stand and honor SGT. Michael D. Kirspel on his final journey.
Michael is survived by his parents and two younger brothers.
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Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt Jr., 19, of Waldorf, Maryland
Lance Cpl. Honeycutt died Oct. 27 from wounds received Oct. 21 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Terry was a 2009 graduate of North Point High School and was a four year member of the ROTC program and was heavily involved in the color guard and drill programs as well as many community events sponsored by the program.
Retired Lt. Col. Jonathan Brown Sr., Air Force Junior ROTC instructor at North Point, said the first thing he remembers Honeycutt telling him the day they met was:
"I can't wait until I become a Marine."
~Source
Hours after Terry E. Honeycutt Jr. walked the stage with the first graduating class of North Point High School in Waldorf last year, he headed off to fulfill a dream he'd had since middle school. He went to boot camp.
The next day was his 18th birthday.
His mother, Christine Honeycutt, recalled:
The weekend before, we had a graduation/birthday/going-away-to-boot camp party for him.
Then, on graduation day, we came home, had some ice cream, some hugs and said our final good-byes. The recruiter picked him up a few hours later.
~Source
According to a posting on Facebook by Terry's mother, he was caught in the blast of an improvised explosive device Oct. 21 and suffered extensive tissue and muscle damage to his legs, both of which were amputated later on due to the extent of the injuries.
Honeycutt arrived at a hospital in Germany on Oct. 24 and died Oct. 27, according to information from his family.
His friends have been posting expressions of sympathy on his Facebook page:
Im speechless, I have been sence i heard the news.. I can still you see you in your blues for JROTC, i can still hear you calling out commends.. you will be missed deeply by so many people. semper fi, Terry Honeycutt ♥
~Source
Terry's aunt, Bonnie Shipley Honeycutt of Elkridge, said he loved life, music and playing the guitar and he also loved his family and the Marines.
"We just know he's our guardian angel."
~Source
The Patriot Guard Riders have Lance Cpl. Honeycutt on their pending missions watch list.
Lance Cpl. Honeycutt is survived by his mother, Christine Honeycutt; a brother Michael Clarke and a sister Dawn Clarke.
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About the IGTNT series:
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"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, and me, JaxDem. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diarized two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner.
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POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq
Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of December 1, 2009.
Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie 41
and
Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl 23
Never forgotten - please keep good thoughts and prayers for these two men.
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