I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which is among the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue 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.
~ Image Credit to llbear with gratitude
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Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of Heaven,
Blossom the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Evangeline
Honoring and Remembering:
Cpl Lucas T. Pyeatt
US Marine Corps
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Since 2003 we have suffered the loss of 4436 American lives and a total of 4754 Coalition Forces in Iraq.
Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of 1474 American lives and a total of 2321 Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.
In My Life
~Songwriters Paul McCartney and John Lennon
~Performed by Dave Matthews
There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more
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Cpl Lucas T. Pyeatt, 24, West Chester, Ohio
Cpl. Lucas T. Pyeatt died Feb. 5 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Radio Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
~ DoD New Release
Pyeatt was born in 1986 in England, where his father, Lon Scott, was stationed with the Air Force. He moved with his parents and older sister to Newport News in 1995 when his father was reassigned to Langley Air Force Base.
Lucas was a 2004 graduate of Woodside High School, he briefly attended Old Dominion University before his father retired from the Air Force and the family left for Ohio. Soon afterward, Pyeatt applied to go on a mission through the Mormon Church. He was sent to St. Petersburg, Russia, but was forced to come home early for medical reasons, his family said.
Lucas enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2007. Pyeatt planned to stay in the Marine Corps for five years and had set his sights on being a Navy SEAL.
Lance Cpl. Lindsay Radisek of Cleveland, another linguist with the 2nd Radio Battalion said:
Everyone was his best friend and I’m not lying when I tell you that. Ninety percent of my friends (in the military) I met through him.
Cpl. Thea Smuckler, a friend and colleague in the 2nd Radio Battalion, said Pyeatt started boot camp in April 2007 with plans to be in infantry, but was injured in training and reassigned to the intelligence section, where he excelled in linguistics at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, Calif.
He got a perfect score on his final Russian exam – which is ridiculously hard.
Pyeatt was the most kind, generous person. He was so unassuming.
And in a note she shared on Facebook, Thea said:
He told me that when he died he hoped it was protecting those he loved. I never thought that would come to be ... I cannot help being overcome by tears whenever I am reminded of the reality of it all. I still can’t believe that he’s gone. To have him taken so soon is nothing short of a tragedy.
Lucas' mother, Cindy Pyeatt said:
When I tell you he meant everything to us – I know parents say that all the time, but it's so hard to believe he's not here anymore. To say that he left a hole in our family doesn't even touch it. We are so broken inside.
Emily Smalley, Pyeatt's sister told reporters:
Lucas was a self-taught musician who played in the orchestra, he loved classical music as well as guitarist Dave Matthews. In middle school, he taught himself sign language to communicate with a deaf classmate, who was his close friend.
He always stood up for the underdog. He cared about people. He was always willing to help out when anyone needed him.
Lucas was also an Eagle Scout and a Civil War buff.
Cpl Lucas T. Pyeatt earned the following awards: Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Purple Heart, Afghan Campaign Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
(Photo Credit: USAF/Roland Balik)
Pyeatt’s body arrived Monday night at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. His family plans to hold a memorial service later this month in Ohio. Pyeatt will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Lucas is survived by his parents, Lon "Scott" Pyeatt and Cindy Pyeatt; and his sister, Emily Smalley, her husband and children.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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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, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, racheltracks, and me, JaxDem. 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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POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq
Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of December 1, 2009.
Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie 41
and
Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl 23
Never forgotten - please keep good thoughts and prayers for these two men.
On December 8th new photos were published of Pfc Bowe R. Bergdahl in captivity. The article and images can be seen here.
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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:
Evan Ashcraft Foundation - This foundation was established to assist soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan to adjust to civilian life. In particular this foundation's emphasis is on PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
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.
Homes For Our Troops - Build special adapted homes for severely injured veterans at no cost to the veterans they serve.
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.
Veterans Green Jobs - Our recently returned veterans need jobs and VGJ is now hiring for positions and filling training sessions. VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in natural resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas.
Welcome Back Veterans - created to inspire Americans to give back to our returning veterans and their families and assist in particular with PTSD.
Wounded Warrior Project - To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service service members, to help injured service members aid and assist each other and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.
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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.