Tonight, we honor a vibrant, young soldier. Sgt. Creamer and her dog, Jofa, were clearing a route and building when a bomb exploded. Sgt. Zainah Creamer was killed in the blast, Jofa, survived.
Since 2001, there have been 1460 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4435 American troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 17 killed in Operation New Dawn. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
Please bear in mind that these 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.
DoD Announces Army Casualty
Sgt. Zainah C. Creamer, 28, of Texarkana, Texas, died Jan. 12, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device. She was assigned to the 212th Military Police Detachment, Headquaters Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Va.
Zainah Creamer worked as a dog handler for the Army. She loved the Army and she loved animals, so this was the a perfect fit. Her FaceBook post showed how highly she regarded her four legged friends:
TO NON-PET OWNERS who visit our homes & complain about our pets. 1) They live here, you don't. 2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it FUR-niture. 3) Chances are, I love my pets more than I like you. 4) To you, they are animals..To me, they are my babies & family...who are hairy, walk on all fours & don't talk back! Re-post if you love your pet.
January 7 at 4:51am
Sgt. Creamer was a University of Maryland graduate. In 2000, she graduated from a high school in Texarkana, where she has an aunt and extended family. Her mother and brother are in the Philippines. Her cousin, Samantha Creamer, told the Washington Post:
Samantha Creamer said that her cousin was often "smiling and laughing" and caring for others and that she rarely had a bad word for anybody. "Everybody that knew her loved her," the cousin said.
"'She touched a lot of people for the short amount of time she was on Earth," her cousin said. "That was her personality."
Congressman Mike Ross -D issued the following statement:
“America lost another truly great hero when Sergeant Zainah Creamer died in the line of duty. We are eternally grateful for her selfless sacrifice and bravery in serving this nation and she will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to her mother, aunt and the rest of her family and friends during this very difficult time. Sgt. Creamer’s passing is another reminder of what our men and women in uniform risk when they step up to answer the call of duty and that we should constantly thank our troops for their service to this great country.”
A memorial service will be held on January 22, 2011 at the First Presbyterian Church in Texarkana, AR. Patriot Guard Riders will flag line in her honor. Sgt. Zainah Creamer will be buried in the Philippines.
Rest in peace, Sgt. Zainah Creamer.
In Flanders Fields
by Lt. Col. John McRae, MD, (1872-1918)
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved,
and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. 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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags 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, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, racheltracks, csas, and me, Sandy on Signal.
Please bear in mind that these 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.