Last Suday, the Department of Defense announced that:
Pfc. James A. Waters, 21, of Cloverdale, Ind., died July 1 at Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
Pfc. Waters was a 2008 graduate of Whiteland Community High School. Shortly after graduation, his family moved to Cloverdale. The athletic director of Whiteland High School, Butch Zike, remembers Jimmy as a great leader. On learning of Pfc. Waters' death he said:
“I think it puts everything in perspective about what is important in life...
“We have an immense amount of pride that he was willing to fight for our freedoms and allow us to live the life we choose. We owe much to Jimmy..."
Pfc. Waters joined the Army in September of 2009, and completed his basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. He was sent to Fort Drum in January of 2010, and he was deployed to Afghanistan in March of this year.
Jimmy Waters inspired two of his brothers to join the military. His younger brother, Andy, is currently in boot camp training for the Indiana National Guard. His brother, Anthony, 22, is a medic who is currently stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado.
...Anthony is set to deploy next year and says he has no second thoughts.
"No, no sir," he said. "More motivated to be like him." ~source
James Waters is survived by his parents, Garry and Valerie Waters, another brother and a sister, and his fiancee. His dad spoke to Jimmy the day before he died.
He's thankful that he told him how he felt.
"I told him I loved him."~source
Pfc. Waters received the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal for his service in Afghanistan.
Today the flags at all the state buildings in New York were flown at half-staff in Pfc. Waters' honor. Governor Andrew Cuomo released the following statement:
"I join with the family, friends, and fellow soldiers of Private 1st Class Waters in mourning his passing," Cuomo said. "Private 1st Class Waters made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. We will honor his memory and continue to hold the brave men and women based at Fort Drum in the highest regard for their dedication to keeping America safe and protecting freedom around the world." ~source
Thank you, Pfc. James A. Waters, for your selfless service to our nation. Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance. May we always remember the sacrifices that you and your brothers have made for our country. Rest in peace.
The purpose of the I Got the News Today series is to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in KY, maggiejean, racheltracks, and Jax Dem.
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.