Tonight, we honor a soldier from Mississippi and an Airman from Pennsylvania. One was killed in Iraq and the other died in Afghanistan.
Since 2001, there have been 1055 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4397 American troops killed in Iraq. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Anthony O. Magee, 29, of Hattiesburg, Miss., died April 27 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, of wounds sustained April 24 when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire at Contingency Operating Base Kalsu, Iskandariyah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Sgt. Anthony Magee was critically injured on April 23rd. His grandmother, Cara Magee, told the Hattiesburg American:
"All we know is he and some of his buddies were asleep and the missile hit them where they were resting," Cara Magee said.
Magee was transferred to Landstuhl, Germany and was put on life support. His family was in a race against time to see him once more. The army handled the quick processing of passports and arranged the airline tickets for them to be with him.
Magee passed away on Tuesday, April, 27th with his family by his side. His father released the following statement to the press:
“We have lost a son, a father and a hero today who dedicated his life to the service of our nation,” the statement read. “His family would like to thank the entire community and nation for their thoughts and prayers.”
Sgt. Anthony Magee was highly respected by his unit. Several comments in the Hattiesburg American were from fellow soldiers in Iraq who knew him. Here is one:
`I'm am here in Iraq where SPC Magee is serving and I'm also from Hattiesburg, MS. I would like to let his family know that he is well thought of and we all have him in our prayers. I speak on behalf of all the service members of the 3rd Brigade,3 Infantry Division. May God Bless and keep you. Your brothers and sisters with whom you serve will continue the mission in your honor.
4/29/2010 3:45:17 PM
His body arrived in Dover on Tuesday. Tonight, a candlelight vigil will take place to honor Sgt.. Anthony Magee. In an email sent out to the Hattiesburg American
"Everyone is invited to come and show Anthony our love and show how much we appreciate his efforts and how much he will be missed," LaRon Magee said in an e-mail.
Rest in Peace, Sgt. Anthony Magee.
DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Airman First Class Austin H. Gates- Benson, 19, of Hellertown, Pa., died May 3 of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident near Khyber, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
As a single mother, Joie Gates, doted on her only child. He meant everything to her and she did her best to give him a wonderful life. Gates- Benson's speed skating coach, Bob Albanese, spoke to the The Morning Call about Joie Gates:
''This woman wrapped her whole life around this boy,'' he said. ''She was so proud of him.''
Coach Albanese credited his mother for raising a fine, caring young man: '
He always stood up for what was right,'' Albanese said. ''He'd make his point clearly, quietly, his response well thought out. He was well-spoken, much like his mother.''
This was Airman First Class Austin Gates-Benson's first tour of duty. His mother said he volunteered to go to Afghanistan.
"He was really proud to serve his country,"
Joie Gates told the Lehigh Valley Live.com
The last time his mother spoke to her son was in late April. He told her what it was like in Afghanistan and how poor the Afghanis are. His mother told the Lehigh Valley paper:
"He said, 'Mom, I will come back and always be grateful for everything we have because these people have nothing,'" she said.
Gates-Benson is remembered for being a fighter and advocate for many. He enjoyed a good debate and was a great debater. According to his Assistant Principal, David Laboski'
He was always there as the voice of the students, the voice of the class and he would be their champion,'' said Assistant Principal David Laboski. ''I'd go to him to get his opinion and feedback on the pulse of the students and he was quick to tell me.''
Laboski added;
''I'm very proud of him,'' Laboski said. ''To me he is a hero. He did exactly what he set his sights on doing.''
Gates- Benson was a 2008 graduate of Saucon Valley High School. A memorial scholarship fund has been established in honor of him. He was the 29th person from the Lehigh Valley to die in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Rest in Peace, Airman First Class Austin H. Gates- Benson
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.