~Logo Credit to Timroff with gratitude
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which is the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a forum to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
Tonight we honor the life and service of one Airman who died from an improvised explosive device detonation in Kandaha, Afghanistan and four Sailors killed in a military helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan which is being reported as the deadliest crash in Afghanistan in four years. ~Source
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.
Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.
Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.
Peace, peace, and farewell
~anon
Let us honor our brothers who did their job and held the line:
Senior Airman Michael J. Buras
Lt. (SEAL) Brendan J. Looney
PO2 (SEAL) Adam O. Smith
PO3 (SEAL) Denis C. Miranda
Senior Chief David B. McLendon
Senior Airman Michael J. Buras, 23, of Fitzgerald, Ga
Michael was on his third combat deployment overseas. He had been in Iraq once and this was his second time in Afghanistan. During his first tour in Afghanistan he received a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained from a roadside bomb blast.
Michael's commander, Lt. Col. Mark McCloud, said this during a press briefing Wednesday at the main entrance to the Nellis Nevada Air Force Base:
"Airman Buras and his teammates are decorated war veterans. They are patriots, and they exemplify what it means to serve as part of our highly trained, tight-knit, elite team," McCloud said. "Their families and friends will be in our thoughts and prayers as we go through this difficult time."
~Source
"Michael Buras represented his fellow airman from Nellis with dignity by serving our country with honor," U.S. Sen Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement. "My thoughts go out Airman Buras' family, friends and fellow airmen during this difficult time."
~Source
Lt. (SEAL) Brendan J. Looney, 29 of Owings, MD
Brendan graduated from DeMatha Catholic High school in 1999 where he participated in football, baseball and lacrosse. He was a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy where he was All-American for the Navy lacrosse team. According to his fellow SEALS, Brendan was a skilled operator who led and motivated all around him.
"He was a joy to be around and a fine young man," said Tom Ponton, DeMatha's director of development. "He lived up to the school's motto of 'gentleman and scholar.' He had a pleasant demeanor and a smile on his face. People loved him."
~Source
Vice Adm. Michael H. Miller, superintendent of the Naval Academy, had this to say about Brendan:
Looney "serves to remind us all of the commitment we make to our country as leaders in the Naval Service,".
~ Source
He is survived by his wife Amy; his parents Keven and Maureen Looney; two brothers, Steve and Bill, both of whom are U.S. Naval Academy graduates as well; and three sisters Bridget, Erin and Kelly.
PO2 (SEAL) Adam O. Smith, 26. Hurland, MO
Smith entered the Navy in October 2004 and attended aviation technical training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Fla. In March of 2005, Smith was accepted to BUD/S. After SEAL qualification training, Smith was assigned to an east coast SEAL Team, where he excelled as a special warfare operator, making numerous deployments in support of overseas contingency operations. Smith was described by fellow SEALs as a highly decorated combat veteran and dedicated teammate. Smith is survived by his mother and father.
~Source
Sadly I was not able to find much personal information on Adam, but one need only to look at that beautiful smile and those sparkling eyes to know he had to have many friends and a family who cherished him. To Adam's family, friends and fellow shipmates I offer my deepest condolences.
UPDATE: our dearest exotrip provided the following personal information about Adam Smith in this comment:
Adam's sister is my best friend. They/We are absolutely devastated over his loss. Their grief is unimaginable. Along with my friend, he had 9 other siblings. His brother is in the Army. He just became an Uncle again for the 5th time. And one of his little sisters just got married. 26 is too young, he never got a chance to live, mature. Bless you Adam, we can never truly express our grief, or gratitude.
PO3 (SEAL) Denis C. Miranda, 24 of Toms River, NJ
Denis graduated from High School East in 2003 where he was a standout on the swim team.
"He was one of the guys that helped me out when I took over the swimming program," said Brian Carbone, High School East swim coach. "When I needed something done he would round up the kids. He was one of the more vocal swimmers."
Coach Carbone further added that he came to know Denis better after he enlisted when he would follow his younger brothers, Alan and Kevin, through their careers on the swim team.
~Source
Miranda entered the Navy in September 2003 and attended aviation technical training at NAS Pensacola, Fla. After technical school, Miranda was assigned to Patrol Squadron 8 in Jacksonville, Fla. where he worked as a maintenance technician until November, 2006. He was accepted to BUD/S in early 2007, and after SEAL qualification training, he was assigned to an east coast SEAL team. Teammates described him as a budding superstar with promise of a successful career as a Navy SEAL. Miranda is survived by his mother and father.
~Source
Senior Chief David B. McLendon, 30, Thomasville, GA
Blake McLendon graduated from Thomas County Central High School in 1998. According to Blake's former classmate Brad Smallwood, Thomasville has had so many military deaths that it's as if it is a military town without a base. Indeed the losses there have been so great in the last years that a facebook page has been devoted to the fallen.
"Coach" John Booth, a former TCCHS teacher said this about Blake:
"I think his folks would say he was doing what he wanted to do," says a teary-eyed Booth. "I'm proud of Blake. We're going to miss him. And we're going to miss the thousands of others just like him."
~Source
McLendon was a Navy cryptologic technician assigned to an east coast Naval Special Warfare unit. He entered the Navy in 1998 and was a graduate of Thomas County Central High School in Georgia. During his 12-year Navy career, McLendon served at various Navy commands in Norfolk, Pearl Harbor, and Brunswick, Maine. His fellow service members said they remember McLendon as a consummate Navy professional. McClendon is survived by his wife, parents and siblings.
~Source
His awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal; Navy Battle "E" Ribbon — two awards; Navy Good Conduct Medal — three awards; and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
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, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, 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.
Helping Our Troops
There would be no finer way to honor the fallen than to contribute to programs that assist our active duty military. Here are a few suggestions:
Fisher House - Provides a "home away from home" for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitilization for an illness, disease or injury.
Netroots For The Troops - raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of care packages to American military in war zones, and to provide assistance to military families in the United States.
Welcome Back Veterans - created to inspire Americans to give back to our returning veterans and their families and assist in particular with PTSD.
Books for Soldiers - purchases and ships books to our troops deployed in war zones.
Any Soldier - provides "contacts" for you to send greetings, care packages, etc. to any Soldier, Airman, Marine, Sailor or Coast Guardman.
Guardian Angels for Soldiers' Pets - establishing a network of foster families providing a loving and healthy home environment for the pet(s)of deployed military personnel until they can be reunited with their owner.