We gather again tonight to remember some of our military personnel - to put faces on the numbers coming from the Department of Defense. There are five more recent losses from the war in Afghanistan who come from towns all across the US.
- Lance Corporal Daniel G. Raney from Tennessee
- Private First Class Nathaniel D. Garvin from Kentucky
- Specialist Carlos J. Negron from Florida
- Lance Corporal Tyler A. Roads from California
- Staff Sergeant Christopher J. Antonik from Illinois
Marine Lance Corporal Daniel G. "Gabe" Raney
Daniel G. Raney, was from Pleasant View, Tennessee. Known as "Gabe," he was a 2007 graduate of Sycamore High School in Pleasant View. He was a second-year microbiology major at Austin Peay State University when he decided to join the Marine Corps in October of 2008.
Raney was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. The 2nd Marine Corps Division is based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
According to the News Net 5 site, Gabe helped out a fellow Marine, Timothy Conner, who was injured just weeks ago:
...Sasz said that three out of the four men on Tim's team were injured in the blast.
"One of them were released from Bethesda just days before our visit, and the third was treated in Afghanistan. The fourth team member, LCpl "Gabe" Raney, from Pleasant View, Tenn. stabilized Tim and helped to keep Tim from going into shock," said Sasz.
OVMP members were saddened to hear that LCpl Gabe Raney was later killed by a separate IED attack on July 10-- the same day that members were visiting Conner.
On July 9th, Lance Corporal Daniel G. Raney was in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Raney was participating in combat operations when he was killed. He was 21 years old. The Department of Defense has released no further details about how Raney died. His remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base on Sunday, the 11th.
Among those left behind by the death of Lance Corporal Daniel G. Raney, is Gabe’s mother, Penny Riley, a young brother, two stepbrothers and a stepsister.
A transfer military service will be held for Raney on Friday morning. The Patriot Guard will escort Raney and his family to the Greg Hancock Funeral Home in Georgia. Burial will be Saturday at the Andersonville National Historic Site in Andersonville, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Gabriel Raney's name to the American Red Cross, USO or Operation Pal.
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Army Private First Class Nathaniel D. Garvin
Nathaniel D. Garvin was a native of Radcliff, Kentucky. He had been a student at John Hardin High School. He joined the Army and was assigned to the 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), which was based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Garvin repaired armament, electrical and avionics systems during his enlistment.
On July 12th, Private First Class Nathaniel D. Garvin was at Forward Operating Base Frontenac in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He died from "non-combat related injuries" in Kandahar. No further details have been released about the incident. He was 20 years old.
Garvin had received the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with arrowhead, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal and a weapons qualification of M4, expert.
Garvin is survived by his wife, Brittany P. Garvin, two children, and his parents, Clifton W. and Melanie S. Garvin.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced. A news release from the office of Governor Steve Beshear said flags will fly at half-staff on the day of Garvin’s interment.
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Army Specialist Carlos J. Negron
Carlos J. Negron was from Fort Meyers, Florida. He joined the Army in June of 2008 and was assigned to 426th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), which is based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He arrived at Fort Campbell in March 2009 and served as a combat medic.
Specialist Carlos J. Negron died July 10th at Asadabad, Afghanistan. He had been wounded at Konar, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with rifle and small arms fire. Few other details have been released by the military about the incident. Negron was 40 years old.
Negron’s awards and decorations include: Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with arrowhead, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; and Weapons Qualification: M4, expert.
Negron is survived by his wife, Arlin A. Negron and sons Carlos J. Jr., Carlos M. and Angel G. of Lakewood, NJ; father, Gabriel Negron and mother, Marta Torres-Figueroa of Lakewood, New Jersey.
A memorial ceremony will be held for Specialist Carlos J. Negron in Afghanistan.
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Marine Lance Corporal Tyler A. Roads
Tyler Roads was a small-town boy who graduated from Mountain View High School in Burney, California in 2007. Roads lived in Burney with his grandparents Greg and Olivia Stevenson before joining the military.
After joining the Marine Corps, Tyler was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Roads’ tour was nearly over and he was due home within the month.
Lance Corporal Tyler A. Roads was shot and killed July 10th while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The incident is under military investigation, so few details have been released.
Burney, California residents are mourning the loss of one of their own, according to the KHSL TVsite:
Burney High School Vice Principal Peggy Snelling says the death is a blow not just to family and friends but the whole town.
"This has really hit heart of the community to lose a young man like this.
Lance corporal Roads died just three days before his 21st birthday. Roads’ body arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday, the 11th.
Lance Corporal Tyler A. Roads is survived by his parents Sonia and Travis, his grandparents and. Roads’ sister, Taylor.
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Marine Staff Sergeant Christopher J. Antonik
Chistopher Antonik was from Crystal Lake, Illinois. He graduated from Prairie Ridge High School in 2000 and joined the Marine Corps in May of 2001. As a reconnaissance specialist, he had served two tours in Iraq.
He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in February of 2009 and joined the Marine Corps Special Forces Operations Command later that year.
Antonik was assigned to the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command based at Camp Pendleton. Seven months ago, he had married his wife, Erin. The couple was living in San Clemente, California, where Antonik was stationed prior to being deployed to Afghanistan.
Staff Sergeant Christopher J. Antonik died July 11th while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He was 29 years old. According to the Northwest Herald site:
CRYSTAL LAKE – The Antoniks had come home from church Sunday and were getting ready to go out to eat when the doorbell rang.
Three men were there to tell them that their son had been killed while serving in Afghanistan.
"My son had gone to open the door, and there stood three men in their uniforms and medals," she said. "They said they wanted to see his mother, too, and John called his wife to come down. It was just a shock."..."We just cried and cried," Antonik's grandmother said. "It was a hard thing to take."
The Staff Sergeant's decorations included a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, three Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, a Combat Action Ribbon, four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Iraq Campaign Medals, the National Defense Service Medal and two Navy Unit Commendations.
Antonik is survived by his wife, Erin Antonik, his parents, his sister, Jennifer, and his grandmother, Florence.
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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 US Troop Care Package 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 here. Also, you could visit:
When our veterans come back home, they need jobs. Look at the programs of Hire Heroes USA and Welcome Back Veterans to see if you can help out. The new KINship Project has also been of help to our veterans and other Kossacks In Need.
About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, Ministry of Truth, CalNM, and Wide Awake in KY. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.