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.
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~Our beautiful logo was created by Timroff.
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Honoring and Remembering:
Pfc. Andrew M. Harper
Pfc. Arturo E. Rodriguez
Since 2003 we have suffered the loss of 4439 American lives and a total of 4757 Coalition Forces in Iraq.
Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of 1503 American lives and a total of 2367 Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.
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~ This loving tribute to Pfc Andrew M. Harper was written by blue jersey mom
On Sunday, the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Andrew M. Harper, 19, of Maidsville, W. Va., died March 11, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
There is very little biographical information available on Pfc. Harper, but the posts on Facebook and memorial sites indicate that he was loved by his family, his high school classmates, and his fellow troops.
His cousin, Michael Harper, wrote the following on Facebook:
RIP Bo, Andrew "Bo" Harper, my cousin was killed in Afghanistan today, he was the son of my Uncle, Steve Harper. Our family is devastated. He was a good boy, good cousin, but most of all, a Great American Soldier who we are very proud of. We love you.
His Facebook page also includes a lovely slideshow tribute to Pfc. Harper.
One of Pfc. Harper's high school classmates wrote the following on a memorial board:
I went to high school with this soldier and I must say he was one hell of a great guy; His presence could light up a room. When the news first hit me I was completely shocked, But I can rest assured that he is in a better place now alongside his sweetheart Alexa looking down upon his friends and family. Though I regret not getting to know him as well as I should have; I can say that he nobly and courageously gave May his soul peacefully meld with the ebb and flow of all time for the rest of eternity. You will be greatly missed.
Here is another tribute from the same board:
andrew was such-there is no word to describe what andrew was. He was more than amazing, more than honorable, more than a soldier. he was a TRUE hero, a real man, he was the life of the party called life. He made everyones life just a little bit better just by being present in it. many tears will fall for him day after day many hearts are broken nd many smiles will fade, but we are so lucky to have a guardian angel like him looking over us now. i love you andrew and you will be in my thoughts and prayers everyday sweetie.
A memorial service will be held in Pfc. Harper's honor on Thursday at the Rose Barracks Cavalry Chapel.
Thank you, Pfc. Andrew Harper, for your selfless service to our country.
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Pfc. Arturo E. Rodriguez, 19, of Bellflower, California
Pfc. Arturo E. Rodriguez, 19, of Bellflower, Calif., died March, 12 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
~ Source
Pfc Rodriguez joined the Army in February 2010 and arrived at Fort Campbell in July 2010.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, Parachutist Badge and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky has ordered the flags to be lowered to half-staff on the day of Pfc Rodriguez's funeral.
A memorial service will be held for Pfc. Rodriguez in Afghanistan. Fort Campbell holds a monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony to honor fallen Screaming Eagles. The next ceremony will be at 4 p.m. April 6.
Arturo's body will be flown to Mexico for burial.
Pfc. Arturo E. Rodriguez is survived by his father, Arturo Rodriguez Segura, and mother, Rosa Jimenez Davila, both of Mexico. He is also survived by his aunt, Maria Lopez of Bellflower, California.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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There was scant information about Pfc Rodriguez, but the list of his awards and decorations achieved in just over a year of service attests to the fact that he embodied the gritty and courageous makeup of the venerable 101st Screaming Eagles - the "Band of Brothers".
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The 101st Airborne Division has a 68 year old proud and distinguished history unmatched by any other unit. Activated in August of 1942 at Camp Clairborne, Louisiana, it’s first Commanding General, Major General William C. Lee noted that the 101st had a “rendezvous with destiny” which has proven true time and time again.
The “Screaming Eagles” parachuted into the Contenntin Peninsula on June 6, 1944 becoming the first Allied Soldiers to set foot unto occupied France. The 101st participated in the Utah and Omaha beach landings, Operation Market Garden – which involved a 72 day fight against heavy odds, Aredennes Forest, Bastogne – where strong enemy (German) forces demanded immediate surrender and to which Brigadier Anthony C. McAuliffe made history with his famous one word reply…”Nuts!” . They concluded their remarkable contributions to WWII with the liberation of the Landsberg concentration camp and Hitler’s mountaintop retreat in Bertchtesgaden.
In September 1956 elements of the 101st Airborne escorted the first nine African American students – the “Little Rock Nine” – as they attended classes at Little Rock Central High School.
In 1965 they entered the Vietnam operations which began their first use of helicopters and the designation of Airmobile which was re-designated in 1974 to its current Air Assault.
March 1982 brought the heartbreaking loss of 248 Screaming Eagles in a charter airplane crash near Gander, Newfoundland.
They have seen action in Desert Shield and Desert Storm and fired the first shots in the Liberation of Kuwait as well as conducting the longest and largest air assault operations to date when they secured Iraqi territory in the Euphrates River Valley.
The ‘90s saw deployments in support of operations in Somalia, Haiti, the Sinai Peninsual, Central and South America, Bosnia and Kosovo and their involvement in the efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq began in 2001 and 2003 respectively.
The Screaming Eagles have thrived in their roles as both Soldier/Diplomats and Warriors.
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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
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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.
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.