The Department of Defense identified four American soldiers killed supporting US war efforts, two in Afghanistan and two in Iraq:
Staff Sgt. William S. Ricketts, 27
Sgt. William C. Spencer, 40
Cpl. Daniel T. O’Leary, 23
Sgt. Vincent L.C. Owens, 21
The men remembered tonight come from towns in Oklahoma, Mississippi, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Washington. Since 2001, there have been 1014 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4380 American troops killed in Iraq. They all had loved ones, families, and friends, who have just gotten the terrible news that their soldier will not be coming home. Please take a moment to remember them and their sacrifice.
Special Thanks to Sandy on Signal who wrote the first three tributes posted here:
DoD Announces Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. William S. Ricketts, 27, of Corinth, MS died Feb 27 at Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Yellow ribbons adorned the town of Corinth, Mississippi out of respect for Staff Sgt. William "Seth" Ricketts. Two Veterans, Bobby McDaniel and Gentry Parker, wanted to honor Seth Ricketts when his casket returned to Corinth on Friday. The ribbons were donated by local florists and sold for $5.00 each with all the money collected going to Rickett's wife, Rose, and two young sons. The Ricketts are expecting another child in September. Bobby McDaniel told the Daily Corinthian:
"The idea is to have yellow bows —the traditional ‘welcome home’ sign — hanging everywhere. We want to show the family our support and we want to have as many yellow bows as possible all over town — on businesses, on houses ... on cars," said Parker, a veteran of the first Gulf war.
His father told the Daily Corinthian:
"He was knee-high to an ant and already knew he wanted to be a soldier," his father remembers. "He loved his country and he wanted it to be his job to defend it. There was never any question about it."
Deepest condolences to the family, community and unit of Staff Sgt. William "Seth" Ricketts.
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DoD Announces Army Casualty
Sgt. William C. Spencer, 40, of Tacoma, WA died Feb. 25 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained Feb. 20 while supporting combat operations at Combat Outpost Marez, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment, Olympia, Wash.
Sgt. William Spencer chose to stay in Iraq after his unit returned home. On February 25, the Tacoma man died at Landstuhl base in Germany from his wounds. His family is not available for comment.
Governor Christine Gregoire ordered flags to fly at half-mast in Washington on March 2nd to honor Sgt. William Spencer. The Governor issued the following statement:
"I stand with all Washingtonians today as we mourn the loss of Sergeant William Spencer. Sergeant Spencer was a proud member of the 81st – and chose to stay in Iraq with the Mississippi Army National Guard when his unit came home. He is a true hero who sacrificed his life to protect our freedoms, and provide a better life for those living in the Middle East.
"I extend my deepest condolences to Sergeant Spencer’s friends, family and loved ones. My family will certainly keep them in our thoughts and prayers."
Rest in Peace, Sgt. William Spencer.
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DoD Announces Army Casualty
Cpl. Daniel T. O’Leary, 23, of Youngsville, NC died Feb. 23 in Fallujah, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to the 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
Cpl. O'Leary planned on becoming an electrical engineer when he finished his service. His father told the The Herald Sun that his son was all about being energy efficient. Daniel loved the Army and was proud to serve his country. His father told the paper how it was in Daniel's blood to be a soldier:
"If he didn’t have a plastic gun, he made one out of a stick," he said. "He played soccer and wrestled, was a prankster but, most of all, he made people feel special."
Daniel was well liked and had lots of friends. His father told the paper:
"When he was stateside, he and his buddies would visit us. There would be 10 or 15 of them raiding our refrigerator." he said.
After a pause, and with emotion very evident in his voice, he added, "I hate their pain."
Cpl. O’Leary was awarded the Bronze Star, the nation’s fourth highest award for bravery; U.S. Army Commendation Medal; U.S. Army Achievement Medal; Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal with two stars; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Deepest condolences to the family, friends and unit of Cpl. Daniel O'Leary
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Written by CalNM:
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a Fort Smith, Arkansas soldier from the 101st Airborne Division who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sergeant Vincent L.C. Owens, 21, died March 1, 2010, at Forward Operating Base Sharana, of wounds suffered when his unit came under direct fire in Yosuf Khe, Afghanistan, according to the Fort Campbell Courier.
Sgt. Owens was a Rakkasan motor transport operator assigned to Forward Support Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He joined the Army in August 2007 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2008. Owens served a tour in Iraq and had returned home in the fall of last year.
Tulsa World reports that Vincent Owens was the oldest of five children and grew up in the Sprio-Keota area of northern LeFlore County in eastern Oklahoma, where he attended Pocola schools. Most of his family still lives in LeFlore County. He joined he Army out of a sense of patriotism, and desire to work up the military career ladder. The paper said Sgt. Owens had been in Afghanistan just two weeks when his family received the grim news of his death.
Owens had only been married for a few weeks. Sgt. Owens had left for Afghanistan for his second tour on Valentine’s Day, and exchanged vows with his wife shortly before he shipped out. They were planning to have a big wedding when he came back, according to a story in the Times Record Online.
Sgt. Owens received over a dozen awards and decorations, and although he served as a specialist, he was posthumously promoted to sergeant. Deepest condolences to his loved ones. He is survived by his wife, mother, and father, sister, two brothers, and half-brother.
Sergeant Vincent L.C. Owens will be missed. REST IN PEACE.
source and photo credit
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[Logo by TimRoff.] About the IGTNT series: I Got the News Today is 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. All of the U.S. casualties can be seen here. The DoD news releases are found here. Published photos of the returning fatalities are found on the Dover AFB page. 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. Since 2001, there have been 1014 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4380 American troops killed in Iraq.
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, 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.