We have another sad evening, where we come to honor four more fallen US Army soldiers. They will live in the aching hearts of those they have left behind.
To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.
~Thomas Campbell, "Hallowed Ground"
- Private First Class Clinton E. Springer who was from Maine
- Specialist John Carrillo, Jr. who was from California
- Private First Class Gebrah P. Noonan who was from Connecticut
- Specialist Marc C. Whisenant who was from Florida
Private First Class Clinton E. Springer
This tribute was written by maggiejean:
According to the Portland Press Herald, Pfc. Clinton E. Springer II, 21, of Sanford, Maine, died in Kabul on Friday. He was killed in a non-combat incident, according to a news release posted Monday on the Department of Defense's website. The cause remains under investigation.
His father, Clinton Springer, said Monday night that he had not been told by the Army how his son died.
"I'm very proud of him. I don't regret what he did (joining the Army). I just regret the outcome," said Springer, who had just returned home from Dover Air Force Base, Del., where his son's body was taken.
Springer joined the Army in March 2009. After completing training, he arrived at Fort Drum, N.Y., in July 2009.
He was an infantryman in the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, said Julie Cupernall, a spokeswoman for Fort Drum.
Springer's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
The Boston Herald reports that Springer's brother Eric Springer of Mashpee, 19, described his older brother as "the type of person who would do anything for anybody. He’s going to be missed like crazy."
According to his father, Springer graduated from Contoocook Valley Regional High School in Peterborough, N.H., in 2007, then lived with his father in Sanford for a couple of years. The elder Springer, a retired Navy veteran, has lived in Sanford for 13 years. He said his son researched all of the branches of the military before settling on the Army. "He told me he didn't want to live on a ship."
On a Facebook tribute page, Springer’s mother, Kathleen Lumsden of Mashpee, called him "my hero," saying "You have made me so proud. You may be gone from us, but no one can ever take away my memories of you."
Springer is survived by his father, Clinton Springer, his mother, Kathleen Lumsden, who lives on Cape Cod, and a 19-year-old brother, Eric Springer.
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Specialist John Carrillo, Jr.
John Carrillo, Jr. was from Stockton, California. He was 18 years old in 2008, when he entered the US Army.
Specialist John Carrillo, Jr was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Carrillo's mother was quoted at Recordnet.com:
She said her son had to grow up early, becoming a father at age 16. He was an avid reader, very smart and spent some years being home-schooled by his mother before earning a general-education degree and taking classes at San Joaquin Delta College. It was there he met an Army recruiter who encouraged him to follow his lifelong dream of joining the military.
"He thought this was going to help his family a little faster. It was a way to support his wife and his child. I was very proud of him when he decided to go into the military," Carrillo said.
Carrillo was last home in late June before deploying to Iraq. He was deployed to Iraq for the first time in July, shortly after his second child was born.
On September 23rd, Specialist John Carrillo was badly injured in "a non-combat related incident" in Iraq. He died September 24th in Fallujah, which is west of Baghdad. In honor of Carrillo, California Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff. He was 20 years old.
Also killed was Private First Class Gebrah P. Noonan. A third service member was injured. No further details of the shooting were released by United States Forces-Iraq. In a statement, officials said the incident is still under investigation.
The remains of Carrillo arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on September 25th and were greeted by family members.
Carrillo is survived by his wife, Reylene; two sons, a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old; his parents, John Sr. and Desiree Carrillo, three siblings ages 9, 7 and 5, and numerous other relatives in the Stockton area. Funeral plans have not been announced.
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Private First Class Gebrah P. Noonan
Gebrah P. Noonan was from Watertown, Connecticut. Gebrah graduated from Watertown High School in 2002. He spent a year at Manhattanville College, took a year off, and then attended Fordham University for a year.
An article in the Chicago Tribune states:
Noonan, who would introduce himself as "Gebrah rhymes with zebra," loved reading and was partial to Jack Kerouac and was a big movie buff. He also loved soul music and had more than 4,000 songs on his iPod. On senior dress-up day, he went to school dressed as Michael Jackson.
"One of the best things we'll always remember was his sense of humor," Jacques said. "He had a quick wit. It all comes from his intelligence."
He was patriotic, decisive and a huge football fan, although he would never settle for just one team.
Noonan, who was known for wearing a large Afro in high school, graduated in 2002.
Noonan enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Private First Class Gebrah P. Noonan died September 24th in Fallujah, Iraq, of injuries sustained September 23rd in "a non-combat related" incident. He was 26 years old. Also killed was Specialist John Carillo, Jr. A third service member was injured, but no further details of the shooting incident were released by United States Forces-Iraq. Military officials said the incident remains under investigation.
On Sunday, Governor M. Jodi Rell ordered U.S. and State of Connecticut flags lowered to half-staff in honor of U.S. Army PFC Gebrah P. Noonan. The flags will continue to be flown at half-staff until the internment for Noonan.
The remains of Private First Class Gebrah P. Noonan arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on September 25th and were greeted by family members. He leaves behind his parents, Ling and William, two brothers and a sister. Funeral plans have not been announced.
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Specialist Marc C. Whisenant
Marc Whisenant lived in Florida’s Volusia County, which is on the central eastern coast. The military listed his hometown as Holly Hill. Marc spent four years in the ROTC program at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange. Soon after graduating in 2005, he enlisted in the US Army.
Whisenan trained as a tank driver, and drove tanks for 18 months in Baghdad. He completed two tours in Iraq, was home for two years, and then he was recalled by the Army in February 2010.
When he returned to the Army, Specialist Marc C. Whisenant manned a gun atop a Humvee escorting convoys. He was attached to the Florida National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment based in Miami, Florida.
Specialist Whisenant had been home 10 days on leave, went to Kuwait and was scheduled to return to the states on December 1st. According to the MSNBC News site:
"Jerry Whisenant recalled small, cherished things through tears.
"He was the best. First off, he was a Boy Scout. And then, he was just a great all-around kid. He loved his car, a 2007 Chevy Cobalt SS. He just spent $800 on tires for it."
His father said Marc loved his 6-year-old niece Alexis and was looking forward to having another niece soon. Alexis' mother and Marc's sister, Michelle Lyttle, is eight months' pregnant with another girl.
Whisenant was killed on September 24th when the Humvee he was riding in rolled over during a training exercise in Kuwait. One of the other soldiers in the Humvee suffered a broken back in the incident, and a third soldier walked away from the crash. Specialist Marc C. Whisenant was 23 years old when he died, and was supporting Operation New Dawn.
Specialist Marc C. Whisenant is survived by his father, Jerry Whisenant; mother Elizabeth Cook and sisters, Michelle Lyttle, and Monica Whisenant. Funeral services are expected to be held in Florida on October 1st. The Patriot Guard Riders will be attending.
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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:
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Stop-loss pay is available for veterans. The deadline for this program is October 21. The compensation is also available to survivors.
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.