Sadly the casualties continue in the Afghanistan war, now in its ninth year. Since 2001, there have been 1378 U.S. troops killed while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4432 U.S. troops killed while serving in Iraq.
The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) series is a reminder that nearly every day, somebody gets the heartbreaking news that a friend, former classmate, or beloved family member will not be coming home from war.
Tonight we remember three more who gave everything far away from home:
Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese, 24, of Winder, Georgia
Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Missouri
Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, Louisiana
Please take a moment below to remember them, and
all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The Marines from Camp Lejeune continue to suffer heavy combat casualties in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Joseph Ryan Giese, 24, of Winder, Georgia
Lance Cpl. Giese was killed by a hidden roadside bomb on January 7 in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Giese was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Ryan Giese spent his childhood in Lorain, Ohio where his dad was a police officer. At age ten he moved to Georgia with his mother and sisters, after his parents split.
His family said being a marine was something Ryan had always talked about. He told his father Larry that he wanted to be a marine just like his dad was during the Vietnam War. Ryan said if he didn’t stay in the military he would become a police officer, just like his dad.
When Ryan was 17, he asked his father to sign paperwork that would let him enlist. His father said no.
When Ryan turned 18, he enlisted in the Marines.
In less than 30 days, Lance Cpl. Giese was supposed to return back to his base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. His family was making travel plans to be there to meet him.
After his long deployment, Ryan and his wife Brittany in Atlanta were happily looking forward to celebrating their first wedding anniversary next month.
Instead Ryan's family flew to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to meet his returning casket.
LanceCpl. Giese was killed while on foot patrol after he stepped on an improvised explosive device.
Larry said Ryan liked to take point — or lead the troop. He wasn’t sure if Ryan was at point when he was killed.
"He was looking out for other people," Larry said of his son. "He said, ‘I know what I’m doing.’"
Larry Giese said the last time he spoke with his son was about three weeks ago.
"It was, God, I was really looking forward to seeing him," Larry Giese said.
"And that’s not going to happen anymore."
Among those Lance Cpl. Giese leaves behind are his wife, his mother, his father, and his three sisters.
Lance Cpl. Joseph Ryan Giese is missed. May He Rest In Peace.
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A roadside bomb also claimed the lives of two Army soldiers traveling in a convoy in Afghanistan:
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Pharris and Spc. Christian Romig.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Missouri
Sgt. 1st Class Pharris died January 5 of wounds suffered at Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan after his vehicle was hit with an IED. Pharris was assigned to the Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team IV, based in Jefferson City, Missouri.
A lifelong farmer and soldier, 48-year-old Robert Pharris came from a long line of farmers who served in the military. In Afghanistan, Sgt. 1st Class Pharris was an agriculture specialist and the first casualty for the Missouri National Guard's Agri-Business Development Team (ADT).
Sgt. 1st Class Pharris was working as a small ruminant (sheep and goat) specialist and a liaison officer with the Khogyani District ADT. He had been pulled off a deployment mission to Iraq and specially selected to help Afghan farmers as part of the ADT, due to his farming expertise. He had grazed sheep and goats on his 36-acre farm in Seymour. The team was trying to convince farmers to adopt more effective farming techniques such as using drip irrigation, like Pharris used back home in Missouri.
Robert Pharris was born in Mansfield, Missouri. He always knew he'd be in the army, as did everyone in his high school class. His father was a farmer and Marine who served in the time between Korea and Vietnam. His grandfather was a farmer and World War II soldier. His great-grandfather was also a farmer and World War I soldier.
Robert Pharris enlisted in the Army in 1981, and later in the Army National Guard. He carried out a variety of assignments in more than 14 years of service. He primarily served as an infantryman, and also worked as a drill sergeant and recruiter.
Sgt. Pharris left the military in 1997 and worked other jobs, as a truck driver and stone mason. But when his son enlisted in the Marines, Pharris re-joined the military in 2008 after he learned that an infantry unit was being formed at Missouri Army National Guard.
Sgt. Pharris' son Benjamin followed the family military tradition and enlisted. Marine Cpl. Benjamin Pharris is serving on his first deployment in Afghanistan, attached to a Mississippi Army National Guard unit.
When his son was entering the Marines in 2007, Pharris said he felt himself missing the military. He talked with the National Guard recruiter in Springfield, Missouri, and soon, at the age of 46, was back in uniform.
The last time father and son saw each other was at a surprise reunion in Afghanistan in November 2010, as shown in this photo from the story.
Among those Sgt. 1st Class Robert Pharris leaves behind are his son and his troops, and family and friends in Missouri. Sgt. 1st Class Pharris is missed. May He Rest In Peace.
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Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, Louisiana
Spc. Romig died January 5 of injuries suffered from a roadside bomb explosion at Khugyani district, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Spc. Romig was a Cavalry Scout, assigned to Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Christian Romig grew up in Kenner, Lousiana and had loved "everything Army" since he was little, according to his sister. Christian was on the wrestling team at Grace King High School, where he graduated in 2005.
Christian Romig joined the Army in May 2008, enlisting for three years. He arrived at Fort Campbell in November 2009, and deployed to Afghanistan last year.
His sister said his family last saw him when he visited in August, and he planned to visit again at the end of this month.
When she last spoke to him on the phone, "he was very proud to serve the Army, but he was ready to come home for a visit," she said.
His little brother was following in his footsteps, and Romig was reportedly really looking forward to seeing his brother take the state wrestling championship honors.
Spc. Romig was previously deployed to South Korea, where he was awarded an Army achievement medal last year. Spc. Romig was recently awarded a combat action badge after coming under enemy fire in Afghanistan.
Spc. Romig worked as a gunner on ground vehicles during convoy operations. He was killed in the same IED attack that killed Sgt. 1st Class Pharris. Romig was the first casualty of 2011 for the 101st Airborne Division.
Among those Spc. Romig leaves behind are his parents, sister, and brother in Kenner, Louisiana.
Spc. Christian Romig is missed. May He Rest In Peace.
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We Remember Them
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Photos Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Thanks to Timroff for our faithfully lighted candle IGTNT logo.
(Other non-Source Photos by CalNM)
Helping our troops:
If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com.
Fisher House provides housing for families of injured troops and veterans who are recovering in hospitals, and Guardian angels for soldierspet assists the animal companions of our deployed military.
When our veterans come back home, they can find support at Welcome Back Veterans.
Our recently returned veterans need jobs, and Veterans Green Jobs is now hiring for positions and filling training sessions. VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in forest and resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas. Encourage a Veteran, 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, ccasas, JaxDem, 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 memorial 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.