The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross
This image is known as the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross or Battle Cross or simply, Helmet Rifle Boots.
It is made up of the fallen soldier's rifle with bayonet attached and stuck into the ground with the soldier's dog tags hanging, helmet on top of the rifle and the boots of the fallen soldier beneath.
This traditon began during the American Civil War as a means of identifying the bodies on the battlefield. Today it is used to show respect for the fallen and as a means to allow fellow troop members to mourn as attending a funeral or memorial service is not always possible for soldiers still engaged in battle.
Honoring and Remembering:
1st Lt Omar J. Vazquez
Staff Sgt James A. Justice
Sgt John P. Castro
Pfc Antonio G. Stiggins
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) which began in April of 2004, making it one of 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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Since 2003 we have suffered the loss of 4450 American lives and a total of 4768 Coalition Forces in Iraq.
Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of 1553 American lives and a total of 2425 Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.
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1st Lt. Omar J. Vazquez, 25, of Hamilton, New Jersey
1st Lt. Omar J. Vazquez died of wounds suffered April 22, in Numaniyah, Iraq when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas. ~ DoD News Release
Omar Vazquez was a 2003 graduate of the local Catholic school McCorristin High, which is now known as Trenton Catholic Academy and he graduated from Rider University in 2007, earning a degree in history, and then earned a master's degree in liberal studies from Rutgers-Camden University in 2009.
Marisal Vazquez said her brother was a natural leader and passionate reader who espcially enjoyed books on history and social sciences.
He was such a great man and always wanted to fight for his country. He was very proud to be in the Army, it was what he wanted ever since he played with G.I. Joe soldiers when he was 3 or 4 years old. But it was when the Sept. 11 attacks happened, he really committed to serving his country.
His family says since Omar was little he wanted to be a soldier. He joined the ROTC at 11-years-old and loved to dress up in uniform so much that his father's coworkers used to call him Barracks Boy.
Joseph Gowaskie, a veteran of the Vietnam War and history professor at Rider who had Vazquez as a student, said he was "distraught" over the loss of a brilliant mind.
We talked about some of the dangers of being in the military," Gowaskie said. "But he said this is what he wanted to do.
Vazquez's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbons and Combat Action Badge
Omar J. Vazquez is survived by his father, Pablo; his mother, Maria and three siblings.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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Staff Sgt. James, A. Justice, 32, of Grimes, Iowa
James A. Justice was born June 30, 1978 in Manning, Iowa and graduated from Irwin-Kirkman-Manilla High School in 1997.
Staff Sgt Justice enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in September 1998. He previously deployed to Operation Desert Spring (Kuwait) in 2001, the Multinational Force Observer peacekeeping mission (Sinai Peninsula, Egypt) in 2003-2004, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005-2006.
Justice made the ultimate sacrifice helping his buddies. The Iowa National Guard says the 32 year-old was killed by enemy fire while trying to rescue an Army helicopter crew that had crash-landed.
The family of Staff Sgt. James A. Justice issued the following statement:
"James Alan Justice meant many things to every person he encountered. He was the funny best friend named "Juice" that could be counted on when needing to be cheered up; the uncle who always knew just what to say and when to hand out hugs; the son who was his parents' pride and joy; the father who loved his little girl more than anything in the world and couldn't wait to have more children; and the husband who loved to put a smile on his wife's face. One thing James was to everyone was the ultimate soldier. He loved the military and he looked forward to every deployment. While we were stunned and extremely saddened to learn of his tragic death, we all take solace knowing that James died doing what he loved best: serving his country beside the men and women he revered and trusted.
Through his four tours of duty, James had many accomplishments but above all, he made life-long friendships. The outpouring of support and prayers during this time from friends, fellow Soldiers and strangers alike has been astonishing, but proved what we all knew: that James was a one-of-a-kind guy and deeply loved by all who had the opportunity to know him and serve with him. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Iowa National Guard for the opportunities they have provided to James over the past 13 years. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge all of his fellow Iowa National Guard Soldiers both at home and serving overseas. May God be with you always.
We are sure that you can understand and will honor our request for family privacy at this time, as we are focused on working with military officials to return James' body home for military service and burial. We thank you for your thoughts, prayers and kindness at this extremely difficult time. We are deeply saddened by our loss, but extremely proud of the honorable way he served America as a leader in the U.S. Army. We will remember him, his strength, his infectious sense of humor, his faith in God, and his love for his family, friends and country with great pride."
Justice is survived by his wife, Amanda Jo, and daughter, Caydence Lillian, of Grimes; his father and mother, Larry and Lillian Justice, brother Kenny Justice, sisters Denise Christensen and Christy (Kevin) Lingle, nieces Stephanie (Justin) Ahrenholtz, Jessica Lingle, Katie Lingle and Becca Lingle, all of Manilla; nephew Doug (Sarah) Ridgley and great-nieces, Emiry and Elli Ridgley, all of Omaha; his dog, Kinnick; and a myriad of friends and family.
Justice was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Maynard and Nora Gunnlaugsson; paternal grandparents, Kenneth and Katie Justice; and his best buddy, his dog Kado.
Funeral services are pending.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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Sgt. John P. Castro, 25, of Andrews, Texas
Sgt. John P. Castro died April 22 at Paktika province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small arms fire. He was assigned to1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. ~DoD News Release
Castro joined the military in October 2004 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2006.
Sgt. John P. Castro received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal with Valor device; Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; North Atlantic Treaty Organization medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear ordered that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day of Sgt. Castro’s interment for which arrangements are still pending.
Castro is survived by his wife, Delia Castro of Clarksville, Tenn.; daughter, Natalia Castro of Fort Benning, Ga. and step-son, Kamren Buchholz of Clarksville, Tenn. He is also survived by his mother, Carmen Castro of Andrews, Texas and father, David Castro of Odessa, Texas.
A memorial service will be held for Sgt. Castro in Afghanistan. Fort Campbell holds a monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony to honor fallen Screaming Eagles. The next ceremony will be held May 11 at 4 p.m.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
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Pfc. Antonio G. Stiggins, 25, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Pfc Antonio G. Stiggins died of wounds suffered April 22, in Numaniyah, Iraq when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas. ~ DoD News Release
Antonio Stiggis was a 2004 graduate of Mayfield High School.
Antonio joined the military in January 2010 as a cavalry scout was assigned to Troop F, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He arrived at Fort Hood May 2010.
Pfc Stiggins deployed in support of Operation New Dawn in September 2010.
Spc David Hughes who is the medic in Pfc Stiggins' platoon described his friend:
He was the kind of guy everyone wanted to be around and I can still hear him laughing. He'll never be forgotton at all. He's just one of those guys that you will never forget. If we had to pick two people to watch down on us, he would definitely be one of the ones. I just want to thank him for who he was and what he brought to me and to the rest of the platoon.
Pfc Antonio G.Stiggins' awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbons and Combat Action Badge.
Thursday there will be a service in Iraq for Pfc Stiggins which will feature a battlefield cross and a 21 gun salute.
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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, kestrel9000 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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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.