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 were created by llbear.
Since 2003 there have been 4454 US casualties in Iraq and since 2001 there have been 1595 US casualties in Afghanistan. Source.
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Chief Warrant Officer Christopher R. Thibodeau, 28, of Chesterland, Ohio, died May 26 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when his helicopter crashed during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
The airmen died May 26 in the Shorabak district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.
Killed were:
Tech. Sgt. Kristoffer M. Solesbee, 32, of Citrus Heights, Calif. He was assigned to the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Hamski, 28, of Ottumwa, Iowa. He was assigned to the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
Many thanks to JaxDem for researching the information found in this tribute to these three fine men.
Chief Warrant Officer Christopher R. Thibodeau:
A family friend said Thibodeau was living his dream of making a career in the Army and flying an Apache helicopter.
"Ever since Chris was a small child, he wanted to fly in the service of his country. The Army gave him the opportunity to live his dream. His is a life cut short way too soon, as are so many of our heroes," friend Jennifer Hamre said.
Thibodeau's awards and decorations include an Air Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon and Army Service Ribbon.
Source
Chief Warrant Officer Thibodeau was deployed last July, just a few weeks after marrying his wife, LeeSandra. He first met his future wife in Florida, and proposed to her in Texas, while they were exploring a cave. He was finally able to take LeeSandra on a honeymoon in Mexico earlier this year, after being deployed for nine months and 13 days.
Thibodeau was the oldest of three children, including sister Nicole and brother Michael, but their mother said that even her friends' children called him "Big Brother."
Thibodeau loved to brew beer, loved sports, woodworking, camping and hiking. He also loved his Akita, Nolan, and his wife's Yorkie, Moony. "They had a blended family," Doreen said of the couple's dogs.
Doreen Thibodeau said her son wanted to serve in the military so that his family would be safe. "He knew the risk. I knew the risk," she said. "He told me that, 'If I die in Afghanistan, I want you to remember that I loved to fly and that you have to promise that under no circumstances that you will be mad. I died doing what I loved to do.'"
Source
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Tech. Sgt. Kristoffer M. Solesbee:
At a press conference held Friday evening at Hill Air Force base, Solesbee's supervisor Sgt. Steve Hellenbeck said he was very saddened and described Solesbee as energetic and quick-witted.
"He will be very missed," Hallenbeck said.
Col. Patrick Higby said Solesbee had been in Afghanistan since January. It was Solesbee's second combat tour since being stationed at Hill in 2008.
"We're not at liberty to discuss the details of his mission," Higby said. "What I can tell you is he was on an operation to clear a weapons cache."
"His sacrifice and service are not forgotten and he will be greatly missed," Higby said.
Higby praised the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, saying that it is one of the most dangerous assignments, but also saves many lives."I'm extremely proud of our EOD flight here," Higby said. "They've really gone through some tough times. They're resilient. They're very proud of their mission and again, every day they serve with the mindset of 'we are here to save lives.' When they get hit by an (improvised explosive device), the first thing they want to do is get right back in the fight to keep saving lives."
Source
As a young boy, Kristoffer Solesbee, loved helping people. The 31-year-old Airforce Tech Sgt. grew up in Citrus Heights with his father and older sister. He could often be found next door at his grandparents’ home or across the street helping his elderly neighbor, Mr. Bud. “He used to come over and follow me around, as he grew into a teenager he would help me with yard work, he was such a pleasant boy to be around,” Bud says.
“His father called and told me. I was just shocked, it hurts,” says Cleo Reit, the airman’s grandmother. He had been there since January. His grandmother says he was set to come home in August and was looking forward to reuniting with his wife.
Source
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Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Hamski:
Posted: Saturday, May 28, 2011 8:04 am | Updated: 11:08 pm, Sat May 28, 2011.
By Gabriel Stoffa, gabriel.stoffa@iowastatedaily.com
It never hurts as much until it's someone you know.
Joe was my friend as we were growing up in Ottumwa. We went to the same high school, had the same group of friends and even worked at the same movie theater for a time.
He never quite settled into the average life, as most people would term it. Joe had too much going on in his head to work a nine-to-five job, so he joined the Air Force.
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Now his story is over. He was married not long ago to Air Force Staff Sgt. Maria Christina Hamski. Joe's love life had been another source of entertaining stories through the years, and now it is over. He can't tell us any more of his stories, and we can't pass the night away reminiscing and bullshitting.
It just isn't right.
snip
Another brave life was lost. Another close friend fell before his time. Twenty-eight is far too young an age to die. Here's to you Joe, you were the best of us. It's a worse world without you, but you will never be forgotten for what you gave.
Source
Hamski graduated from Ottumwa High School in 2001. He briefly attended Iowa State University before joining the Air Force, said his grandfather, Ray Hamski, 83, of Duluth, Minn.
“He really found himself in the Air Force — he just blossomed into a super young man,” Ray Hamski said. “He was kind of a free spirit in high school and he just wasn’t a college man. But he really shaped up in the Air Force. It’s a devastating loss.” “We just sorry he was gone so soon,” said Jennifer Hensley, Hamski's sister.
Hamski was the 82nd person with ties to Iowa to have died in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere from combat, illness or accident since the Iraq war began in March 2003.
Hamski is survived by his wife, Air Force Staff Sgt. Maria Christina Hamski, Spangdahlem, Germany; mother, Mary Ellen Winston, a sixth-grade teacher in Ottumwa; sisters Jennifer Hensley of Shakopee, Minn., and Nicole Friedman of Blakesburg; and his brother Thomas Hamski of Nevada.
Source
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Click here to read the series 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.