Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality. ~Emily Dickinson
I Got the News Today (IGTNT) is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
The beautiful forget me nots created by llbear.
Since 2003 there have been 4447 US casualties in Iraq and since 2001 there have been 1534 US casualties in Afghanistan. Source.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Joseph A. Kennedy, 25, of St. Paul, Minn. died April 15, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.
He was a wrestler.
The attributes that U.S. Army Spc. Joseph A. Kennedy brought to the wrestling mat -- discipline, hard work and being a team player -- made for a good soldier, his wrestling coach said Saturday.
"A couple of things about Joe as a wrestler: Joe was a hardworking guy. He always was. He worked hard," said Will Short, wrestling coach at Simley High School. "He was one of those guys you just liked having around. He was a hard worker and a good teammate, which made for a great soldier."
One of his high school teachers, Thom Fisher, said Kennedy would often stop by the high school when he was on leave. "He was a great student -- really good at welding," said Fisher, an industrial technology instructor who taught Kennedy for three years. "He was very respectful and polite to me at all times. He helped me out as needed. He was a great kid and came back quite often to just chat."
Kennedy is survived by his parents, Valerie and Jim, and his brother, Casey.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Kennedy's family asked for privacy, but his mother, Valerie, released a statement through the military.
She says that Kennedy "lived life with the volume turned up full blast" and that they were extremely proud of him and his military service.
Source
Click here to see the series, which w http://www.dailykos.com/... as begun by i dunno, and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, 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, CalNM, Wide Awake in KY, maggiejean, racheltracks, kestrel 9000, JaxDem, and Cathy.
If you would like to contribute to the series, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal or noweasels.
To see what these tributes mean to those who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, please read Sandy on Signal’s story about meeting the father of a soldier at NN10.
The IGTNT logo was created by Timroff.
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.