Since 2001, 1452 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4447 U.S. troops have lost their lives 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 a soldier from the Iowa National Guard who died far from home while serving in wartime:
Spc. Donald L. Nichols, 21, of Shell Rock, Iowa
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
Spc. Donald L. Nichols, 21, of Shell Rock, Iowa
Spc. Nichols died April 13, in Laghman province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an IED attack. Spc. Nichols was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Iowa Army National Guard, based in Waterloo, Iowa.
Don Nichols was born in Waterloo, Iowa, where neighbors recall Don and his brother Joe riding four-wheelers in the family yard. Teachers and students at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School are shocked and grief-stricken over the sudden loss of the 2009 graduate who always had a smile on his face. According to his former home-room teacher, a lot of students looked up to Don and enjoyed his sense of humor.
Spc. Nichols is the second Iowa Guard member to die in a week, after the Iowa Guard units had gone though half their deployment with no deaths. Iowa Guardsmen Sgt. Brent Maher was killed April 12 by a roadside bomb in Paktya Province in Afghanistan; three other soldiers from the same unit were seriously injured. Our prayers are for recovery for the soldiers inured in the attacks.
The Iowa National Guard units were combined into the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Red Bulls Infantry Division — a 2,800-member deployment, the state's largest since World War II. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team shipped to Afghanistan in November and are stationed in six eastern provinces. About 350 Nebraska National Guardsmen are attached to the Iowa combat team; most of the Nebraskans are stationed in and around Kabul.
Spc. Nichols was in the second half of his tour of duty when he died. Don Nichols had always wanted to serve in the Army, and completed his military training prior to graduating from high school. According to friends, Don was very studious, but he also loved to play poker with his buddies all night long.
Cadet Andrew Brown, who trained with Nichols in Waterloo, said Nichols was a great soldier who would have gone far in life.
"He wasn't cocky and he didn't act like he knew everything," Brown said. "He was real quiet, always had his notebook out and was always eager to learn."
"After drills he was always like ‘let's go play poker.' So we'd go to my place or one of our friends' and we'd play poker until we had drill the next morning."
Brown said he'll miss Nichols' smile, which he said brought light to his platoon.
"He's going to be missed greatly," Brown said. "He was so proud of being in the scout platoon."
Spc. Nichols was riding in a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (M-ATV) as part of a convoy on a routine combat patrol on April 13. The unit was hit by a roadside bomb in the Mehtar Lam District of Laghman Province. Another soldier from the same unit, Spc. Timothy Gourd, 24, was injured in the attack.
Nichols' family released a statement saying they were deeply saddened but proud of his accomplishments. His brother, Joe Nichols, is also in Afghanistan.
"Don died doing what he loved, serving his country," his family said.
"We will remember him, his sense of humor, his ‘snarky' attitude, and his love for his family, friends and his country, with great pride."
Among those Spc. Nichols leaves behind, are his mother, his father, his brother, and his friends and poker buddies from Waverly and the Iowa National Guard.
Spc. Donald Nichols is missed. May He Rest in Peace.
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Thanks to Timroff for our faithfully lighted candle IGTNT logo;
Other Photos by CalNM and linked Sources
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 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.