The two young men we remember tonight died because of the always-dangerous business of military service. One died in Iraq, suddenly and without warning. The other died in Texas, after months of treatment following a severe injury in Iraq.
Please follow beneath the fold, where SisTwo and I would like to tell you more about these two men, and the families who mourn them tonight.
US Army Sergeant Ryan J. Hopkins
Ryan J. Hopkins was born in Livermore, California on August 13, 1988.
He was the youngest, with 2 older brothers and an older sister. Ryan
attended Livermore High School, and shortly after graduating, he
joined the US Army. His basic training was at Fort Leonard Wood in
Missouri.
Hopkins was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado where he met his
wife, Kathryn ("Kitty") in their unit: 3-29FA, 3BCT/4ID. They were
married in September of 2007. Ryan and Kitty were deployed to Iraq 3
months later. Hopkins dove an armored escort vehicle while in
Baghdad.
In October of 2008, Ryan was horribly injured and suffered 2nd and 3rd
degree burns to over 55% of his body. He spent almost 4 months in the
ICU at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas recovering
from burns. Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston is home to
the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) Burn Center.
Ryan’s dad, David, was
working at the National Ignition Facility, (NIF) at the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory at Livermore, California in 2008. In
November of that year, a fundraiser for the lab’s scholarship fund for
veterans signed get well cards for (the then) Corporal Ryan Hopkins.
Original picture of that on left is of Ryan and Kitty from
Facebook and above is a photo from the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory newsletter.
Hopkins was expected to survive, but with five years of treatment to
endure. The couple bought a house in Converse, Texas, so he could be
near Fort Sam Houston, where he was assigned to the Warrior Transition
Unit. The soldier had been steadily improving and had undergone a
couple dozen surgeries. According to Kitty Hopkins in an article at
the All Business News site:
Kitty said her husband was burned while using a cigarette
lighter to check fuel levels, a mistake she said came from the
complacency of a job done many times.
He had second- and third-degree burns from the waist up and injuries
from inhaling the fire. He was in a medically induced coma for two
weeks, and intensive care for four months following the Oct. 7, 2008
accident.
He had stopped using a breathing tube, had learned to stand and
regained the use of his hands -- the fire also caused him to lose a
pinkie finger.
"He had to build himself back," Kitty Hopkins said. There were also
other issues. "He had to deal with people staring, which isn't easy."</
blockquote>
On January 8, 2010, the 21-year-old died unexpectedly in Brooke Army
Medical Center after undergoing one of his many reconstructive
surgeries done in the past year. A cause of death had not been
determined immediately, the surgery was supposed to be routine, and he
was awake by the evening after the procedure. Recently, the military
determined that the death of Sergeant Ryan Hopkins would be counted as
a war casualty.
The Department of Defense announced his death in September of 2010, as
a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The press
release stated, he died "of injuries sustained in a motor pool
accident in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 4, 2008. At the time of the
incident, he was assigned to the 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd
Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson..."
Ryan is survived by his wife Kathryn; his parents David and Janet;
brothers Aaron and Chad; and sister Leda. Ryan was a member of the
American Legion Iroquois Post 1587 in Gowanda, New York.
The funeral service for US Army Sergeant Ryan J. Hopkins was held at
Callaghan Mortuary on January 16th with interment at Roselawn Cemetery
in Livermore, California. Family said more than 200 people attended
when Ryan Hopkins was laid to rest in his hometown.
The preceding tribute was written by SisTwo.
+++++++++++
The Department of Defense has announced that our nation has lost Senior Airman James A. Hansen, 25, of Athens, Michigan. James died of wounds suffered during a controlled detonation at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
Jimmy Hansen was a young man from Athens, Michigan. Athens is a town of about a thousand people, nestled in the southwestern quarter of the state. If you hold up the back of your left hand, the way Michiganders do, Athens isn’t far above your wrist.
Jimmy was a drummer, and he loved to run. His brother, Rich, said of him
"He had a live-by-the-moment, make the most out of each day personality."
Together the brothers went to Central Michigan University, sharing an apartment and studying together. Their father had recently retired from the Air National Guard, and Jimmy decided to join the Air Force to see the world. He was close to his undergraduate degree, in public administration, which he was finishing online.
With the Air Force he was stationed at Eglin AF Base, Florida, and from there he deployed to Iraq. In Iraq, he continued his studies and his hobbies: he completed a half-marathon only last week.
Jimmy was in Airfield Management. Last week he went to help a soldier who was engaged in controlled demolition of explosives.
Controlled demolition is important work, but it is also good work. When explosive ordinance specialists blow up found munitions, those munitions will no longer lurk, waiting for innocents, often children, to harm. The plume of smoke that arises from the controlled site is a harbinger of hope.
But if it is good work, it is also dangerous work. Sometimes things go wrong. Something went wrong in the demolition at Joint Base Balad last week, and Jimmy Hanson has left us.
Asked how he felt upon receiving the news, his father replied:
"Numb."
James is mourned, remembered, and loved by many, including his parents, Richard and Emily, his brother, Rich Jr., and his grandmother, Maria.
Merciful and compassionate God,
we bring you our grief in the loss of Jimmy Hansen
and ask for courage to bear it.
A tribute from TV8 tells of how the town of Athens is reacting to Jimmy’s loss.
A Facebook Page was set up to organize the town homecoming, groups of people to line the streets when his family returns from Dover.
Material for this diary from, inter alia, The Detroit Free Press, The Battle Creek Enquirer, and Central Michigan Life.
Helping Our Troops
If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, which makes helmets safer, or Fisher House, which provides comfort homes for families near the treatment centers for our wounded veterans. Sponsoring a deployed service member at USTroopCarePackage 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.
When our veterans come home, many will need jobs. Please look at the programs of Veterans Green Jobs and Welcome Back Veterans to see if you can help out.
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 U.S. troops. Click here 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, Proud Mom and Grandma, Sandy on Signal, CalNM, maggiejean, racheltracks, 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.
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.