There is a rather unusual song by Neil Diamond that starts out with a long list of famous people who have died. The song ends:
They have sweated beneath the same sun,
Looked up in wonder at the same moon,
And wept when it was all done...
For bein’ done too soon,
For bein' done...
Tonight we honor three lives that were done too soon, and offer condolences to those they have left behind.
- Army Specialist Timothy L. Johnson
- Army Major Paul D. Carron
- Marine Private First Class Joshua S. Ose
Army Specialist Timothy L. Johnson
Timothy L. Johnson grew up in Los Angeles, California. He joined the Army in November 2007. The Defense Department listed his hometown as Randolph, N.Y. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson in Colorado.
Johnson served a deployment in Iraq that ended in March 2009. His wife, Brittany, will never forget the more recent day he that deployed to Afghanistan, even if it didn't happen to be her birthday.
On August 30th, a roadside bombing claimed the lives of five in the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. Johnson was passing through that same area in the Arghandab River Valley in southern Afghanistan, on September 16th, when an attack by insurgents severely injured him. Specialist Timothy L. Johnson was pronounced dead at a hospital in Kandahar only hours after the attack. That day was the first anniversary of his wedding and he was 24 years old.
Johnson's wife is quoted in an article in the Colorado Springs The Gazette:
Johnson and his wife, both creative writers, met through a blogging website. Their story began with mutal admiration, with each commenting on the other's thoughts and poems, then blossomed into what Brittany Johnson called "a true love story."
Brittany Johnson said she was struck by how Johnson's writing explored weighty topics - the nature of love, the meaning of death - yet in person he was joyful and laid back.
"When I think of him, all I can think of is how happy he was, and how happy he made others around him," she said. "I was in heaven with him. I still am. Even though he's gone, he's still with me. That will never go away."
Decorations earned by Army Specialist Timothy L. Johnson included the Army Commendation Medal. Johnson is survived by his wife, his mother, Cheryl Johnson of Los Angeles, and two older siblings, Tanisha and Thomas.
Funeral services in California for Specialist Timothy L. Johnson will be attended by the Patriot Guard Riders.
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Army Major Paul D. Carron
Paul D. Carron was born on September 15, 1977. The military lists his home state as Missouri. He graduated from West Point in 1999.
In a letter to the editor, which was published in the Washington Times, the then Captain Paul Carron, stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, wrote:
When I was younger, my father made me read a book by James Michener, "The Bridges at Toko-Ri." When I finished, I told him the book was about naval aviators during the Korean War. He looked at me a little disappointed and told me I had missed the point. The book to him was not about pilots or the Korean War — it was about the bravery of men. At the end of the book, the captain of an aircraft carrier is watching his men suit up for yet another mission when he asks himself out loud, "Where do we get such men?
...They [the pundits] should see a 22-year-old spend two hours sitting on a hard concrete floor negotiating an electricity contract or generator plan only to hit an improvised explosive device emplaced by the very people he seeks to help; a 19-year-old female medic advise a 19-year-old Iraqi mother on how to treat her child's ear infection; or men still dazed from a bomb blast that killed a friend and wounded seven others return from a mission and roll up their sleeves to give blood for the wounded, then clean the blood out of their vehicle to do a night patrol.
They do it without ceremony or formality; they do it because it is their job and they are driven by sense of purpose few in other professions can understand.
"Where do we get such men?" From all over — not just America, but from many other countries, but I know for sure the dedication required to do what they do every day is equal to the demands of any "real job."
Major Carron died September 18, 2010, just 3 days after his 33rd birthday. According to the DOD, the Army Ranger died at Qalat, Afghanistan, of "injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident."
Carron was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany. A man who served with him in the same battalion wrote this tribute to him:
I served in the same battalion as Paul when we were LTs. His family should know that very few officers could match Paul's proficiency as an infantry officer. But, more importantly, Paul's family should know that Paul stood up for his men. Even though I was in another company, I remember Paul's reputation as someone who held nothing back when it came to taking care of those under his charge or when completing his duties. Paul placed the interests of his men well in front of his own personal interests. He was one of the best our Nation could produce and we will miss him dearly.
Original picture of the Carron family is from North Carolina's WBTV
Major Paul Carron is survived by his wife, Susan; a 2 year old daughter; and a child (a son) due in a few weeks. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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Marine Private First Class Joshua S. Ose
Joshua S. Ose came from the small town of Hernando in Mississippi. He grew up as an only child who was determined to become a Marine. The Ose family has a history of military service, with a paternal forefather who fought in the Civil War. Josh begin his boot camp training just a few weeks after his 2009 graduation from Hernando High School.
Joshua Ose was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, which is based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
On September 20th, just two weeks after starting his tour of duty in Afghanistan, Ose was in the Helmand province. He was on foot, patrolling Musa-qala, a city over which American forces had just been given control by British forces this past weekend. He was mortally wounded by small arms fire. Josh was being rushed to a field hospital by helicopter when he died en route. Josh would have turned 20 next month.
Rev. Robert A. "Chip" Hatcher, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hernando talked with a reporter from the DeSoto Times Tribune:
With a knock on the door, two U.S. Marines delivered the news to Ose's mother Sissy on Tuesday.
Josh Ose, an expert marksman like his father Ross, was just 19 years old, soon to turn 20 on Oct. 27.
Friends and church members describe Josh Ose as a polite young man who was a little on the mischievous side as a boy.
"He was a striking figure in his dress blues," Hatcher said. Josh Ose was the very first child Hatcher baptized when he became pastor in this North Mississippi town of about 15,000.
Marine Private First Class Joshua S. Ose is survived by his parents, Ross and Sissy Ose. Funeral arrangements for PFC Josh Ose have not been finalized, however they will be held in Mississippi, and the Patriot Guard Riders will be present to help honor him.
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Helping our troops:
If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or Fisher House. Donating to Netroots for the Troops provides 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 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, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, JaxDem, and kestrel9000. 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 diarized 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.