Tonight, we honor three Marines and one Soldier killed in Afghanistan. Since 2001, there have been 1037 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4390 American troops killed in Iraq. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
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DoD Announces Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Scott W. Brunkhorst, 25, Fayetteville, N.C., died March 30 in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
It was Krystal Brunkhorst's 25th birthday, when she heard a knock at the door. She knew it had to be flowers from her husband. She had spoken to him on March 29th when he called to wish her an early birthday before he left for his mission in the Arghandab Valley. Her husband was a kind and romantic man. She opened the door and saw two Soldiers, they gave her the dreaded news.
Krystal told the Fatyetteville Observer
"If I could dream up a guy, it would be him," she said. "He knew everything about everything."
For Brunkhorst's wife, Krystal, it was love at first sight. All it took was a phone number and 11 days before she said yes to his marriage proposal.
"The last time he was home, he took us to the mountains skiing and showed me a DVD slide show he made for me," she said.
Brunkhorst was a family man and true patriot. His Facebook page gives many entries similar to this one:
Hating how lonely and depressed being in a 3rd world country can make you feel...I miss my family...being 7614 miles from home is tougher then imaginable...can't wait for this to be over.....
January 25 at 7:30pm
He produced a video and it is up on his facebook page, it shows what it is like in the Arghandab, let's just say it isn't pretty. One may watch it at his facebook page. Scott Brunkhorst enlisted in the Army after high school graduation. He was an excellent soldier and earned many decorations. His position was weapons squad leader. Krystal Brunkhorst told the Fayettville Observer her husband "pursued a terrorist and forced him to detonate his bomb so he couldn't hurt his men," she said. Brunkhorst's military awards include the Army Commendation medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Good Conduct Medal among others.
His mother, Linda Brunkhorst, told the My Central Jersey.com:
"If someone needed a dollar, he would give away his lunch money,'' she said. "That's the person he was.''
When Scott was a school child, she packed an extra sandwich in his lunch each day because he so often gave away his sandwich to others who forgot to bring a lunch. He remembered and cared deeply about many.
From his Facebook :
More good men die everyday...for people that don't know they are even fighting for them...the selflessness of others makes me proud to do what I do everyday.
January 20 at 7:10am
Staff Sgt. Scott Brunkhorst is survived by his wife, Krystal, daughter, Kendall, 3, his mother and step father.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
The following Marines died April 1 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:
Lance Cpl. Tyler O. Griffin, 19, of Voluntown, Conn.
Sgt. Frank J. World, 25, of Buffalo, N.Y.
Griffin was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
World was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Lance Corporal Tyler Griffin always wanted to be a Marine. As a teenager, he prepared and trained to join the Marines after high school. Sadly, the young Marine had only been in Afghanistan for a month when he was killed by an IED.
Governor Jodi Rell ordered all flags at public buildings to be at half-staff in honor of Lance Corporal Tyler Griffin. She issued the following statement at her site:
“Tonight, all of Connecticut mourns a brave and patriotic young man who has given his life for his country and our freedom,” Governor Rell said. “We cannot help but be inspired by the example Lance Corporal Griffin set, even as we join his family and friends in grieving for him. His service will never be forgotten.”
Flags will remain at half-staff until sundown on the day of Lance Corporal Griffin’s burial. Funeral details are pending.
The small town where he was born and raised filled with grief over the death of Tyler. He was known and loved by everyone that knew him. The The Day.com spoke to Michael Delameter, 14, a neighbor who Griffin used to spend time with even though he was five years older. Delameter was devasted to hear Griffin had been killed, but expressed how this was Tyler's dream.
"He always talked about being a Marine."
Voluntown First Selectman Ronald J Millovitsch issued the following statement:
"There's only 2,600 people in the town and this is devastating. There are no words to describe how I or the town feels. If there is anything we, as the town, can do to make this time easier for the family, we will most definitely do so. Our hearts are with the family during this difficult time.
Sgt. Frank World never met his baby daughter, Lily Bear, as he affectionately called her. Lily was born two weeks after Sgt. World was deployed for Afghanistan. Sgt. World looked forward to coming home and meeting his daughter. She is now three months old. Her mother Beth World, told the Buffalo News that she has shown Lily his picture every day. Beth feels his spirit is protecting them.
"It's really strange, but I think she knows that's her daddy. There are other pictures in the house, but that's the only one she stares at," Beth World said.
Frank and Beth met at a party and married in 2006. They moved to Camp Lejeune with their son, Jacob, who is now 3. When Beth was pregnant with Lily, she moved back to Buffalo to be near family while her husband was deployed. Sgt. World was a seasoned Marine. He served two tours of duty in Iraq, and was on his first tour in Afghanistan when he was killed by an IED. Sgt. World was due home in May.
Beth World told the Buffalo News her husband was proud to serve in the Marines. The tours in Iraq left him emotionally scarred with PTSD, but he did not hesitate to go when called upon to serve his country.
Rest in Peace, Sgt. Frank World.
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Curtis M. Swenson, 20, of Rochester, Minn., died April 2 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Nine days after graduating high school, Curtis Swenson enlisted with the Marines. He was a mortar man with the 3rd Marine Division. His unit was sent out in November to work on counterinsurgency operations with the Afghan forces. He was the fifth from his unit, the Lava Dogs, killed since the arrival in November.
Swenson's sister, Emily, has set up a facebook page in honor our her brother. She also set up a page requesting Baloons for Curtis in which she asks:
Please join me in Thanking, saying goodbye for now.
Get a ballon - tie your message to Curtis to it - release this to him on Friday 4-9 at 2:30.
RIP LCPL Curtis Michael Swenson
Curtis Swenson enjoyed skiing, hunting, fishing and being with family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Katie, parents, and sister, Emily.
My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lance Corporal Curtis Swenson.
We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We Remember Them.
In the bowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember Them.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring.
We Remember Them.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember Them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn.
We Remember Them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember Them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember Them.
When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember Them.
When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share,
We Remember Them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us.
We Remember Them.
~From the Jewish Book Of Prayer~
I Got the News Today is a diary series 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. 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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags to see 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, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, and me, Sandy on Signal.
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.