Tonight we remember three servicemen killed at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, a marine and two soldiers:
Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Rivers Jr., 22,
of Birmingham, Alabama
Sgt. Grant A. Wichmann, 27, of Golden, Colorado
Sgt. Keith A. Coe, 30, of Auburndale, Florida
Since 2001, there have been 1053 American troops killed in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4394 American troops killed in Iraq.
The (IGTNT) "I Got The News Today" title is a reminder that each casualty has family and friends
who received the heart-wrenching news that their loved one will not be coming home.
Please take a moment below to remember them.
A Marine serving his second tour of duty in the Middle East was killed in action supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Rivers Jr., 22, died April 28 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Rivers, Jr was a rifleman assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Thomas Rivers, Jr. grew up in Hoover, Alabama where he and his family were members of the Briarwood Presbyterian Church. Rivers wanted to be a Marine all his life and enlisted in June 2007 after graduating from Briarwood Christian School.
This was Lance Cpl. Rivers, Jr. second deployment. He served in Iraq from July 2008 until February 2009, and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2010.
The Rev. Dave Lewis of Briarwood Presbyterian Church,
minister to Rivers' family, told nbc.13:
"Thomas had always wanted to be a Marine and God meant his life to be short, obviously. But Thomas was one of those young men, he always knew he wanted to be a Marine and he went and he did a job and I’m proud of him."
Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Rivers Jr. leaves behind his family, friends and church community.
He will be missed.
REST IN PEACE.
Photo and Story Sources: www2.nbc13 news,cbs2.com, WARL news
All Photos Uploaded with ImageShack.us
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A Fort Carson, Colorado soldier died April 24 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., after being mortally wounded in Afghanistan six weeks ago:
Sgt. Grant A. Wichmann, 27, was critically injured by small arms fire when enemy forces attacked his unit at Out Post Bari Alai on March 12.
Sgt. Wichmann was an infantryman assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Grant A. Wichmann grew up in Golden, Colorado. A high school friend remembered Grant as, "a very kind, friendly, and funny person."
Grant fought for his life for six weeks, but finally could not recover from his severe injuries.
His uncle commented at KKTV.com,
"I thank all in his unit who helped him, and all the doctors at Walter Reed. Our family will carry on. I will miss my nephew."
Sgt. Wichmann joined the U.S. Army in September 2007 and his current unit in January 2008. He deployed to Afghanistan May 2009 on his first tour of duty.
Sgt. Wichmann is the 48th Fort Carson soldier to die in Afghanistan.
Two hundred and fifty six Fort Carson soldiers have died in Iraq.
Sgt. Grant A. Wichmann leaves behind many family and friends. He will be missed.
REST IN PEACE
Story and Photo Sources: KRDO, KKTV.com, Colorado Connection, Colorado Springs Gazette
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A US Army soldier stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, was killed while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom:
Sgt. Keith A. Coe, 30, died April 27 in Khalis, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an explosive device.
Sgt. Coe worked as an artilleryman with the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Keith Adam Coe grew up between Fulton, New York and Winter Haven, Florida, according to the Syracuse news (AP Photos and story). Keith had a troubled youth and had difficulty getting into the military due to his past record, but he proved himself in order to serve the country and make something of his life.
Coe enlisted in the Army in 2007 and reported to Fort Lewis, Washington (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord) in March 2008. At 26, Coe was quite a bit older than the other 18 and 19-year old enlisted men, and they nicknamed him "Coe Daddy."
Sgt. Coe's other civilian and military accomplishments include a high school diploma, and the Emergency Medical Technician - Ambulance Course (2008), and Combat Lifesaver's Course (2007).
"Keith was a dedicated, loving husband and father who leaves behind his wife and four children," according to a tribute on facebook, where his family and friends have posted photos and messages in honor of Sgt. Coe and his family.
Sgt. Coe deployed to Iraq with the Stryker brigade in September 2009, on his first deployment.
Sgt. Keith Adam Coe leaves behind his wife and three young children, a daughter from a
previous relationship, his family, troops, and friends. He will be missed.
REST IN PEACE
Story and Photo Sources: wtsp.com, Syracuse news, the news tribune
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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. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. The US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Published photos of the returning war 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.
(Other Photos by CalNM; Thanks to Timroff for our lighted candle IGTNT logo;
Thanks to llbear for our beautiful forget-me-nots 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, Wide Awake in Kentucky, 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.