The US Department of Defense confirmed the deaths of five service members who died while supporting war operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kenya:
Maj. Randell D. Voas, 43
Senior Master Sgt. James B. Lackey, 45
1st Lt. Robert W. Collins, 24
Pfc. William A. Blount, 21
Sgt. Roberto E. Diaz Borio, 47
Since 2001, there have been 1043 American troops killed in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4390 American troops killed in Iraq. The (IGTNT) "I Got The News Today" title is a reminder that each casualty had family and friends who received the heart-wrenching news that their loved one will not be coming home.
Please take a moment to remember them and their sacrifice, and to read about these five men.
The US Air Force has lost two decorated airmen in the crash of an CV-22 Osprey aircraft in southern Afghanistan.
Maj. Randell D. Voas and Senior Master Sgt. James B. Lackey died in an April 9th crash that also killed a U.S. soldier and a civilian employee, and injured several others.
The two Special Operations airmen were assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron out of Hurlburt Field, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. This is the first time the tilt-rotor Osprey has crashed in a combat zone. The cause of the crash is unknown and under investigation.
Maj. Randell "Randy" Voas, 43, of Lakeville, Minnesota was piloting a CV-22 Osprey carrying U.S. forces when it crashed about seven miles west of Qalat, the capital of Zabul province.
Major Voas lived in Shalimar, Florida, with his wife and two children. He had only been in Afghanistan for 10 days, deployed on his first tour.
Air Force Major Randy Voas began his military career in the Army where he reached the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and flew Apache helicopters. After receiving his Air Force commission in 1999 he was a pilot for Sikorsky MH-53 PAVE LOW helicopters until 2003, when he became a UH-1 flight instructor at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
In 2006, Maj. Voas began training the Osprey and had recorded over 160 combat hours, according to an Air Force Special Operations Command press release.
In a story by AP and TwinCities, Major Voas's father, Dwaine Voas, an Army and Army Reserves veteran, recalled his son as an honor student and cross-country runner at Eden Prairie High School, where he graduated in 1985. Voas then graduated from University of Minnesota with a biology degree and continued his love of long distance running over the years. After college, Voas decided to join the Army and attended warrant officer flight training.
Voas transferred to the Air Force in 1999, where he became a standout pilot. He earned an Air Force award in 2003 for his role in a combat air drop in northern Iraq that was the largest since the Vietnam War.
Major Voas was highly respected by his colleagues in the Air Force, according to the story.
"They'd always say he's an excellent pilot, they enjoyed working with him and serving with him, they liked the way he led his units," his father said. "He just had a zest for life."
Among those left behind are Major Randy Voas's wife and two children.
Major Randy Voas will be missed. May he rest in peace.
(story and photo source)
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Senior Master Sgt. James B. "J.B." Lackey, 45, of Green Cove Springs, Florida died in the same April 9th Osprey crash near Kandahar that took the life of Major Voas and two others.
Sergeant J.B. Lackey was a decorated flight engineer who received a Distinguished Flying Cross in 2002 for acts of heroism in combat.
J.B. Lackey enlisted in the Air Force in 1986 and became an aircraft maintenance crew chief. In 1992, he began MH-53 flight engineer training and flew on PAVE LOW helicopters for 14 years. He became a CV-22 Osprey flight engineer student in 2006, according to the Air Force Special Operations Command press release..
The 8th Special Operations Squadron is in its second Osprey deployment and left for Afghanistan last month. Its first deployment ended in November.
Sergeant J.B. Lackey lived in Fort Walton Beach with his wife and three sons, where he was active in his church. His pastor remarked in the story at Jacksonville.com,
"In every role that he had as a husband, father, son, young brother, he was loved by everyone in every capacity."
He described J.B. as "very attentive" to his family, and said he was "a person you would want to be with you in critical times."
Among those left behind are Major Lackey's wife and three sons.
Senior Master Sgt. J.B. Lackey will be missed. May he rest in peace.
(story and photo source)
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The Department of Defense also confirmed the deaths of two young Fort Stewart, Georgia soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1st Lt. Robert W. Collins and Pfc. William A. Blount were killed by a roadside bomb during a patrol on April 7th near Mosul, Iraq. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Platoon Commander and 1st Lt. Robert W. Collins, 24, died in Mosul, Iraq, after enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Robert Collins grew up in Tyrone, Georgia where he graduated from Sandy Creek High School in 2004. He wanted to be a military officer so he attended West Point Military Academy, graduating in 2008.
Lt. Collins was engaged to be married, according to the Fayette County Citizen.
Little information has been made public about Lt. Collins.
His family has asked for privacy during this difficult time.
Lt. Robert Collins will be missed by his family, friends, and unit.
May he rest in peace.
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Pfc. William "Anthony" Blount, 21, of Petal, Mississippi had always wanted to serve in the military and joined the Army less than two years ago. He was driving the vehicle damaged in the same April 7th explosion that also killed 1st Lt. Collins while they were on patrol in northern Iraq.
Anthony Blount was a 2007 graduate of Petal High School, where he was remembered as a hard-working and conscientious student, and an amazing self-taught guitar player who was popular and outgoing, and known to stand up for his faith.
Pfc. Blount was married and his wife is eight months pregnant. He had planned a short leave in three weeks to be present at the birth of his daughter, as reported in the Clarion Ledger. Sadly, Blount's widow Amanda traveled instead to Dover AFB in Delaware to meet the plane carrying his body.
"He was a really great spirit. And he was the last boy that could carry on his grandparents’ name."
"He’s extremely honorable," his brother-in-law Nate McRae said in a story at Sun Herald.
"All of his commanding officers said he was just an amazing soldier.
It’s a tremendous loss."
Pfc. Anthony Blount will be missed by all the family and friends he leaves behind,
including his wife and daughter. May he rest in peace.
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Special thanks to SisTwo who wrote the following tribute:
Sergeant Roberto E. Diaz Boria, 47
Roberto E. Diaz Boria, from San Juan, Puerto Rico enlisted in the Air
Force in 1988, and also served in the Navy Reserve. He later joined
the Army and became a member of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard in
February 2009.
Sergeant Roberto Diaz Boria was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 65th
Infantry Regiment, 92nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, which is based
at Cayay, Puerto Rico. His group, of about 400 soldiers, participated
in military operations in the Horn of Africa. For the past 10 months,
they worked at training the military of nine countries. He was
expected to return to the Island in June of this year.
Sergeant Roberto Diaz Boria died on April 8th, while stationed in
Mombasa, Kenya. Sergeant Díaz was 47. The cause of his death is under
investigation, so few details were released to the public.
An entry at the
Madrescontralaguerra.com site suggests that the death might have
been due to natural causes. It also quotes Paul Dahlen, an official
from the National Guard, who expressed his condolences to the family:
"Es un día triste para nosotros en la Guardia Nacional.
Nuestras condolencias para la familia del sargento"
A memorial service was held on April 11th at Camp Lemonnier in
Djibouti, Africa. According to an article published at the Combined
Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa news site, the service was packed and
many shared remembrances:
"He loved to be surrounded by people and friends. He was
the spark of any activity and enjoyed making friends," said Irizarry.
"We will miss you."
Fellow Solder Sergeant Robert Creighton spoke of Diaz as a top shelf
NCO, a wise man and a good friend.
"I will always remember 'D' as caring, generous and super friendly,"
said Creighton." [He was] always up for a challenge and eager to lead
the way."
Among those left behind by Sergeant Roberto Diaz Boria are a wife and
daughters. Les deseamos paz.
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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.
About the IGTNT series: I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each of the fallen has loved ones left behind. All of the casualties can be found at icasualties, and the DoD news releases at defense gov/releases. 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 1043 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4390 American troops killed in Iraq.
(photos by CalNM; Thanks to Timroff for our IGTNT logo.)
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.