Since 2001, 1534 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4460 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 five soldiers who died far from home in Iraq:
Spc. Emilio J. Campo Jr., 20, of Madelia, Minnesota
Spc. Robert P. Hartwick, 20, of Rockbridge, Ohio
Spc. Michael B. Cook Jr., 27, of Middletown, Ohio
Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck, 24, of Victorville, California
Pfc. Michael C. Olivieri, 26, Chicago, Illinois
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The U.S. currently has roughly 46,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, down from a one-time high of roughly 170,000. The American military officially ended its combat operations in Iraq last August and reduced its forces to less than 50,000 troops.
The remaining forces are focused on training and assisting Iraqi security personnel, and are not supposed to be actively engaged in combat operations.
However, American forces still come under almost daily attack by rockets and mortars in their bases and get shot at and targeted by roadside bombs when they move outside of their bases.
On June 6, five soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division died when their base in eastern Baghdad was targeted by a barrage of rocket fire. It was the single largest loss of life for the U.S. in Iraq in more than two years.
The rocket attack hit a joint military base that housed the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, of the 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kansas, known as "Big Red One."
The five soldiers deployed to Iraq in November 2010. Two of those who lost their lives were combat medics, three were field artillery tactical data systems operators.
Each of the soldiers had served less than two years with the army. Each was on his first deployment. The unit was scheduled to return in September.
Tonight we honor and remember those killed in the June 6 attack in Baghdad:
Spc. Emilio J. Campo Jr.; Spc. Michael B. Cook Jr.;
Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck; Spc. Robert P. Hartwick; Pfc. Michael C. Olivieri
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Spc. Emilio J. Campo Jr., 20, of Madelia, Minnesota
Spc. "Doc" Campo was a combat medic who joined the U.S. Army to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.
Emilio "Junior" Campo grew up in Madelia, a small town of 2,400 people about 100 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Emilio played basketball as his main sport at Madelia High School, but also participated in track, football and choir. Emilio was Prom King there in 2009. His younger brother, Hugo, will be a senior at Madelia High School next fall.
Emilio graduated from Madelia High School in 2009. In August of that year, Emilio followed his older brother, Hector, into the military.
Emilio's cousin said Emilio wanted a career in medicine and thought the Army was his best opportunity for that.
"He thought he wanted to be a doctor, but he told his mom, 'I've got to be realistic because we can't pay for college.'"
Five of his classmates stopped by the school to share their grief and their memories. Spc. Campo's death was the first war loss for Madelia since Vietnam.
"He was a real credit to his family, his school and his community. Every time he was home on leave, he'd come to visit with schoolmates, teachers and staff. He was very proud of what he was doing," the principal said.
Among those Spc. Campo leaves behind are his parents and brothers, and friends in Madelia.
Spc. Emilio J. Campo Jr. is missed. May he rest in peace.
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“As a combat medic he operates like a paramedic, only he doesn’t sit at the base and respond to incidents. He goes out on patrol with units,” said the 1st Infantry Division’s Public Affairs office. “Their role is to keep the injured soldiers alive until they can get them to a hospital or aide station.”
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Spc. Robert P. Hartwick, 20, of Rockbridge, Ohio
The Army was Robert Hartwick's chosen career path because he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He enlisted when he was 17 and had to wait until he turned 18 to begin basic training.
Spc. Robert "Doc" Hartwick, also a combat medic, joined the Army in June 2009, right after graduating from Logan high school.
Robert had grown up in Rockbridge, Hocking County were he loved the outdoor activities like riding his four-wheeler and motorcycle, rock climbing, fishing and canoeing.
At 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds, Hartwick looked like a soldier. But his mother, Linda Hartwick, recalled his tender side yesterday. She remembers him as a giving person who had a "good, strong Christian faith."
When he would contact his family and friends from Iraq, she said, he would want to hear about what was going on at home rather than talk about himself.
Logan high school Principal Jim Robinson expressed sorrow at the death of one of his former students.
"Him and his dad were very close. It was something they talked about," his mother said. "He wanted to go serve his country and see the world and step out on his own."
When his active duty was up, Hartwick had planned to enroll in college and stay in the Army Reserve for four years. He then wanted to return to the service as an officer.
Among those Spc. Hartwick leaves behind are his parents and two older sisters, and friends back home in Rockbridge.
Spc. Robert Hartwick is missed. May he rest in peace.
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Spc. Michael B. Cook Jr., 27, of Middletown, Ohio
Spc. Michael Cook was living with his wife and two children at Fort Riley, Kansas before he deployed to Iraq. The day of the attack was Spc. Cook's 27th birthday.
Michael Cook and his young family lived in Middletown, Ohio, and they still has family living there. His parents live in Salem, New Hampshire, where Michael graduated from Salem high school in 2003, and his younger brother is a sophomore. He has a younger sister at Woodbury Middle School.
Michael Cook enlisted in the Army in October 2009 and served as a field artillery tactical data systems operator. Spc. Cook was the third from the Class of 2003 Salem High School to die in the line of duty.
Spc. Cook was remembered by his friends and former teachers as a bright, charismatic, intelligent man who was always volunteered to help others, especially young students at school.
"He always had a smile and was always positive," said Cook's computer science teacher at Salem High School.
“There was just this certain spark about him,” said a friend in Cook’s wedding party in 2004. “You couldn’t quite put a finger on it. It’s hitting me pretty hard right now.”
Michael Cook and his wife, Samantha, have two young children, Hailee and Michael III.
“Mike left behind a lot,” said Susan Bahrakis, the wife of a cousin of Cook’s father. “He was a very devoted father and a loving brother and he loved his parents so much.”
Cook has been posthumously promoted to the rank of specialist from private.
Among those Spc. Cook leaves behind are his wife, son and daughter; and his parents, brother, and sister, and other family.
Spc. Michael B. Cook Jr. is missed. May he rest in peace.
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Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck, 24, of Victorville, California
Spc. Fishbeck was married and he and his wife shared many plans together for when he returned from war. He is described as being attentive and supportive of his wife and family even while he was in Iraq.
Chris Fishbeck grew up in southern California. He enjoyed surfing, the beach, and spending time with friends. Christopher graduated in 2005 from Kennedy High in the Orange County city of La Palma. His parents live in Victorville.
Spc. Fishbeck joined the Army in October 2009. He graduated from the Field Artillery Automated Tactical Data Systems Specialist Advanced Individual Training course at Fort Sill, Lawton, OK. These computer specialists support infantry and tank units in combat.
Spc. Fishbeck was a member of the field artillery team and was trained to operate advanced field tactical data systems for cannon and multiple launch rocket systems. He has been posthumously promoted to the rank of specialist.
His family set up a website to honor Spc. Fishbeck, where people can leave condolences and donations for a memorial in his honor.
Among those Spc. Fishbeck leaves behind are his wife, brother-in-law, and family and friends back home.
Spc. Christopher Fishbeck is missed. May he rest in peace.
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Pfc. Michael C. Olivieri, 26, Chicago, Illinois
Pfc. Olivieri was due home on leave next week to celebrate his first wedding anniversary, and to celebrate his sister's upcoming wedding.
Michael Olivieri grew up in southwest suburban Homer Glen, near Chicago.
He graduated from Lockport High School in 2002.
Pfc. Olivieri was a computer specialist and field artillery tactical data systems operator who joined the Army in January 2010.
His wife Sharon got the terrible, shocking news with a knock on the door. She called Michael's parents who came over right away.
They had all just talked to Michael by telephone from Iraq several days before his death. They said he was excited about coming home for a visit.
Pfc. Olivieri's family is directing donations toward the Homer Township Public Library which is expanding. The family's dream is to have a silent reading room dedicated in Michael's name.
Among those Pfc. Olivieri leaves behind are his wife, his mother and father, and his sister and other family.
Pfc. Michael Olivieri is missed. May he rest in peace.
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“We are deeply saddened by the loss of these young heroes and our thoughts and prayers go out to their families,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Gainey, the soldiers’ battalion commander.
“They were all outstanding soldiers, outstanding people, and most importantly, our good friends.”
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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 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.