Since 2001, there have been 1244 American troops killed in Afghanistan, and since 2003,
4417 American troops killed in Iraq. The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) title is a reminder that nearly everyday, somebody gets the heartbreaking news that a friend, former classmate, or beloved family member will not be coming home from war.
Tonight we remember four more soldiers killed in Afghanistan,
lost to all who love them:
Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio, 25, of South Glastonbury, Connecticut
Sgt. Tristan H. Southworth, 21, of West Danville, Vermont
Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche, 20, of Elizabeth, New Jersey
Pfc. Justin B. Shoecraft, 28, of Elkhart, Indiana
Please take a moment below to remember them.
The Department of Defense confirmed the deaths of two soldiers with the Vermont Army National Guard who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio and Sgt. Tristan H. Southworth died August 22, 2010 at Paktika, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire in a prolonged battle. The men were assigned to the 172nd Infantry, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in Jericho, Vermont.
The troops were out on a patrol in a mountainous area in Paktia province near the Pakistan border, when they were ambushed. The unit was due home in less than a month, after a year and a half-long deployment. Nearly 1,500 Vermonters in Afghanistan are a part of the deployment, the Vermont Guard’s largest since World War II.
Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio, 25
of South Glastonbury, Connecticut, died August 22,
in Afghanistan.
Steven's father Mark DeLuzio said that both Steven and his older brother Scott were touched by the impact of the events of 9/11 and signed up for the military. Although he was from Conneticut, Steven was a student at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, and joined the Vermont National Guard.
His brother, Staff Sergeant Scott DeLuzio, joined the Connecticut National Guard, and is currently serving in Afghanistan also as a member of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Scott was allowed to return home this week to grieve with his family.
"Steven and Scott are the best sons a father could ask for," said Mark DeLuzio, his voice breaking.
"He always took the most dangerous assignments," Mark DeLuzio said.
"He could have come home, but he re-upped because he didn't want to leave
the guys under his command."
Steven DeLuzio was a 2003 graduate of Glastonbury High School, in Vermont where he was a member of the ice hockey team and freshman class president. DeLuzio joined the National Guard in 2004, and served in Ramadi, Iraq in 2006 as part of Task Force Saber. He was awarded the Iraq Campaign Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Sgt. DeLuzio deployed with the Vermont National Guard to Afghanistan in March 2010. He was supposed to come home for good at the end of the year, and return to his job as an accountant.
He was going to marry his high school sweetheart from South Glastonbury, Connecticut in September 2011.
The final entry on DeLuzio's Facebook page was made hours before he was killed. He wrote;
"20 days until I'm outta here... a lot to look forward to once I get home, can't wait."
Among those Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio, leaves behind, are his fiancee, parents, and his brother.
Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio is missed. REST IN PEACE.
(story and photo sources used: The Hartford Courant, wtnh 8 news, Burlington Free Press )
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The Vermont National Guard says a soldier from Walden killed in Afghanistan was trying to rescue a fellow soldier when he died.
Sgt. Tristan H. Southworth, 21
of West Danville, Vermont, was killed along with Sgt. DeLuzio on August 22 during a two-hour gunbattle after thier unit was attacked by insurgents in an area just west of the border with Pakistan.
An Afghan soldier was also killed, and another Vermont soldier was wounded. The wounded soldier is expected to return to duty.
Tristan Southworth was the oldest of three brothers in the family, and was a four-sport athlete and popular classmate at Hazen Union High School in Hardwick, Vermont. He graduated in 2007, a year after he joined the National Guard. He spent a year in college in Colorado, then returned to Vermont before his deployment.
"Sgt. Southworth, it is reported, was trying to extricate another soldier when he was mortally wounded," said Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie of the Vermont National Guard.
"There are preliminary reports of actions including Sgt. Southworth that reflect great credit on himself and the unit for courage under fire."
To honor his valor, the U.S. Army posthumously promoted Southworth from specialist to sergeant.
Southworth planned to resume his college career after the mobilization concludes around the end of the year, and he hoped to play baseball at the college level.
Southworth's former baseball and basketball coaches recalled him as an exceptional athlete and person.
"This is a huge loss to not just the family and friends, but the world in general," said Dan Hill, Hazen Union’s baseball coach.
"He’s what you’d want your kid to be."
Among those Sgt. Tristan Southworth leaves behind, are his parents and two younger brothers.
Sgt. Tristan Southworth is missed. REST IN PEACE
(story and photo sources used: Vermont Public Radio, Burlington Free Press )
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In the southern part of Afghanistan, a soldier from New Jersey was killed in an explosion just three days into his first deployment.
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a Fort Carson soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche, 20
of Elizabeth, New Jersey, died August 22 at Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.
Spc. Millet was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based in Fort Carson, Colorado.
Pedro Millet is a native of Puerto Rico who came to the United States as a child and started as a third-grader at George Washington School No. 1 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He graduated from Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Academy, a campus of Elizabeth High School, in 2008.
Educators and students remembered Pedro as a "kind and thoughtful person" who played baseball and excelled at vocational programs such as construction technology.
Millet's family said he was an exemplary student, son, and older brother who enlisted in the Army to pay for college and a better future. His loved ones are reeling from the sudden turn of events, and had talked with Pedro just days before he died, when he first arrived in Afghanistan.
Among those Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche leaves behind, are his mother,
stepfather, and three younger sisters.
Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche is missed. REST IN PEACE
(story and photo sources used: The Colorado Springs Gazette, kdro news , Star-Ledger, Star-Ledger )
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And also lost in Afghanistan this week:
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a soldier from Indiana who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Justin B. Shoecraft, 28
of Elkhart, Indiana, died August 24 at Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device at Kakarak, Afghanistan.
Pfc. Shoecraft was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.
The 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment (2SCR) aka the 2nd Dragoons, can trace its lineage back to the early part of the 19th century. 2SCR has the distinction of being the longest continuously serving Regiment in the United States Army.
Justin Shoecraft is a 2000 graduate of Elkhart Memorial High School and worked for the Postal Service for seven years before joining the Army.
He was married, and lived with his wife in Germany.
Mayor Dick Moore said flags throughout Elkhart will be lowered to half-staff from the time Shoecraft's remains return home until he is buried.
"Justin takes his place in a very long list of great Americans," Moore said, "who have often had to stand in harms' way, so that we wouldn't."
In a statement issued through the city, Donna Shoecraft said the family is grateful for the prayers, well-wishes and sympathy extended by the community.
"I have had such an outpouring from Elkhart," his mother said.
"We are so grateful."
Among those Pfc. Shoecraft leaves behind, are his wife, mother, father, sister, and half brother.
Pfc. Justin Shoecraft is missed. REST IN PEACE
(story and photo sources used: wane.com, wikipedia, etruth )
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Photos Uploaded with ImageShack.us
(Other Photos by CalNM; Thanks to Timroff for our faithful lighted candle IGTNT logo; and Thanks to llbear for our beautiful forget-me-nots IGTNT logo.)
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.
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About the IGTNT series: I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each casualty has family and friends who received the terrible news that their loved one has died at war.
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. The US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. Published AP photos of the returning war fatalities are found on the Dover AFB page.
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, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, 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.