Tonight we remember the life and honor the service of Sgt. Sean Michael Durkin, 24, of Aurora, Colorado. Durkin was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, Fort Carson.
Sgt. Durkin was wounded when enemy forces in Kandahar province attacked his vehicle with an IED; he died on April 9 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as a result of those wounds.
His mission is ended and he has earned his rest.
Please join us in remembering the life and honoring the service of this young man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
Sources: Denver Post, The Morning Call, KRDO.com, The Greeley Tribune, Colorado Springs Gazette, LehighValleyLive.com, DavidMixner.com, Express-Times, KKTV.com
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Sean Durkin grew up in Pennsylvania. He was born in Easton and also spent some time living in Bethlehem Township. His father was a Vietnam veteran, and Sean always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Everyone who knew Durkin as a child said that he pointed his life toward military service from a very young age and was destined to become a soldier. Joseph Anastasi met Durkin when they were both young boys and recalled playing war games with Durkin in the South Side Easton neighborhood where they lived. Others remembered that Sean often chose military topics when given writing assignments in school, and enjoyed building model airplanes and ships. "Whenever he drew or did anything for school when he was a child, it was always about the Army," said Mary Ann Durkin of her late son. "That's just who he was." "He always wanted to be in the Army since he was a little kid," said Michael Yount, pastor of Phillipsburg Alliance Church, where the Durkin family was active before moving to Colorado in 2003.
Durkin completed his senior year at Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, CO in 2004. Even after moving to Colorado, he continued to root for the Philadelphia Eagles. After graduating from high school, Sean attended Denver Auto Diesel College. He loved driving and fixing up cars and owned two Honda Civic hatchbacks that he worked on all the time.
Fort Carson officials say Durkin joined the Army Feb. 16, 2006. "He couldn't have done anything else," Mary Ann Durkin said about her son's decision to join the military. Durkin had to repeat basic training because he broke his foot during his first effort. Then, at the end of his second go-around, he broke it again. Those injuries never quenched his military ambition. Durkin served a tour in Iraq from March 2007 to November of 2007, was assigned to his current unit July 24, 2009, and was deployed to Afghanistan August 15, 2009.
The day before he was injured, Sean sent his mother a message on Facebook about a mission he could not elaborate on: "He said, 'We'll be out for a week and a half'", his mother recalled, "'and when I get back, I'll tell you when I'm coming home.' "
On March 27, Durkin's convoy was rocked by an initial blast near Forward Operating Base Wilson. When Durkin and two other soldiers got out of their vehicle to inspect the damage, a second bomb went off and all three soldiers were wounded. Durkin lost two fingers and severely injured both of his legs, which had to be amputated. "He told me about what happened to him," said Mary Ann Durkin, now living in Arizona. After he found out that he lost his legs, "the first thing he asked was whether he would still be able to drive his car," she recalled.
The following day, President Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan, and as part of that trip the President visited with Sean Durkin and other soldiers in a hospital in Kabul. According to Major T.J. Taylor, a spokesman for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, President Obama personally presented Sgt. Durkin with the Purple Heart as part of that March 28 visit. Other military honors earned by Sean M. Durkin include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal—Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal—Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Expert Infantry Badge, Driver Mechanic Badge, and Parachutist Badge.
After his double amputation, Durkin continued his recuperation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Family and friends were cautiously optimistic about his recovery. The other two soldiers injured with him survived the attack, and Sean's mother said at first it appeared as though her son was doing so well that he would survive his injuries also. Doctors were cautiously optimistic about his recovery throughout several surgeries, but also warned his mother that injuries as serious as her son's often led to a bad outcome.
Pastor Yount traveled to D.C. to visit Sgt. Durkin right after Easter, and believed Durkin would survive right until the day before he died. "Up until Thursday, it looked like he was going to make it," the pastor said. But Durkin's condition took a turn for the worse as a fungal infection spread throughout his system. His mother was by his side when he died at about 10:30 on the morning of Friday, April 9.
Childhood friend Joseph Anastasi honored Sean's sacrifice in this way: "He was a very strong person. He died doing what he wanted to do. He fought and died defending his country."
And this poignant tribute was posted at KKTV.com: "I'm so sorry that this happened to your son. I can truly feel your pain as I lost my brother just seven short months ago who served with Sean during his first deployment. It never gets easier but you do get used to it, you learn to live with a hole in your heart, soul, and mind."
Pastor Yount said his church will hold a memorial service in about 30 days. The service hasn't yet been scheduled because Sean's sister Megan is expecting a baby soon. Funeral arrangements are still pending, but his mother stated that Sean Durkin will be buried alongside his father, Vietnam War veteran William Durkin, in Hays Cemetery on South Side Easton after the services at the Phillipsburg Alliance Church.
Megan Rowlands, Sean's sister, is the mother of two sons, with a third son on the way. Megan lives in Surprise, Arizona with her husband and Mary Ann Durkin. Megan described her brother as "funny and witty" and talked of how much he loved his nephews. "He was very caring," she said. "He was the best uncle."
"He said he was going over there so that his nephews wouldn't have to someday."
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remember. Its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
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