Tonight we honor the memories of three soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan and whose deaths were announced by the Department of Defense on Sunday. They are Staff Sgt. Wyatt A. Goldsmith from Colville, Washington, Sgt. Lex L. Lewis from Rapid City, South Dakota, and Spc. Frank R. Gross from Oldsmar, Florida. Please follow me below the squiggle to learn more about their lives and the sacrifices that they made for our country.
On Sunday, the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
Staff Sgt. Wyatt A. Goldsmith, 28, of Colville, Wash., died July 15 at Camp Bastion Hospital, Afghanistan of injuries suffered July 15 when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenade fire in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Staff Sgt. Goldsmith was a graduate of Colville High School where he played on the soccer team.
"It was a pleasure to have known him,” said Ryan Egland, a high school friend and teammate....
“All of the great things he did in high school were amplified as an adult -- his service to his country, fighting for a lot of things we take for granted,” said David Rarrick, Goldsmith’s former soccer coach.~source
Goldsmith joined the Army in 2004 as a Special Forces recruit. He completed Basic Training in October, 2004 at Fort Benning, and he went on to complete his training as a medical sergeant in the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2008.
Staff Sgt. Goldsmith was serving his third deployment at the time of his death. He was treating an Afghan commando at the time of the attack.
Goldsmith was a heavily decorated Green Beret. He received his first Purple Heart in 2010 when he was shot in the foot by insurgents. He ignored the wound and continued to treat other soldiers. His other awards include the:
Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal (2nd Award), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal with one campaign star, Iraqi Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Parachutist Badge, Military Freefall Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Tab and Combat Infantryman Badge. ~source
He was awarded a second Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and a Meritorious Service Medal posthumously.
He is survived by his parents and a sister, Nicole.
Thank you, Staff Sgt. Goldsmith, for your selfless service to our country and to your fellow soldiers.
On Sunday, the Department of Defense also announced that:
Sgt. Lex L. Lewis, 40, of Rapid City, S.D., died July 15 after injuries suffered July 15 when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Lex Lewis had wanted to join the Army since he was a small child and played soldier. He had previously served in the Navy, and he served as a member of the South Dakota National Guard from 2006-07. He then decided to return to an active duty assignment in the Army. He had already completed two deployments to Iraq, and he was one month into his first our of duty in Afghanistan at the time of his death.
During his long career in the military, Sgt. Lewis earned many awards and commendations including:
two Army Commendation medals, five Army Achievement medal, two Meritorious Unit Citations, two Army Good Conduct medals, one Navy Good Conduct medal, National Defense service medal, Southwest Asia Service medal, Afghanistan Campaign medal, Iraq Campaign medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism expeditionary medal, Global War on Terrorism service medal, Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development, Army Service ribbon, two Overseas Service ribbons, Navy Sea Service Deployment ribbon, Navy Sea Service Deployment ribbon, NATO medal, Air Assault badge and Driver's badge. ~source
His fellow guardsmen remember him fondly.
“He was a good soldier for us, and he did anything we needed done. He was always on time and professional,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kurt Gross, who supervised Lewis during his time with the 935th Aviation Support Battalion in Rapid City. ~source
On learning of Sgt. Lewis' death, SD governor, Dennis Daugaard, made the following announcement:
"It is a tragedy to lose Sgt. Lewis, and my deepest sympathies go out to his loved ones. Many brave men and women risk their lives, every day, to protect our freedoms, and we grieve each time one of these heroes makes the ultimate sacrifice. Linda and I are praying for Sgt. Lewis' family, and for the safe return of all those who serve our nation overseas." ~source
Sgt. Lewis is survived by his wife.
Thank you, Sgt. Lewis, for your long and faithful service to our nation.
On Sunday, the Department of Defense also announced that:
Spc. Frank R. Gross, 25, of Oldsmar, Fla., died July 16 at Kandahar province, Afghanistan of wounds sustained at Khowst province, Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device caused a military vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
Frank Gross was a talented baseball player, an artist, and a business man. He was home schooled through the 8th grade, and then he attended Indian Rocks Christian High School where he was a star pitcher and baseball player. In 1998, when his baseball team played at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, he hit a home run.
"We lived, ate and drank baseball," he wrote in an account then for the St. Petersburg Times.~source
He graduated from high school in 2003 and received a baseball scholarship to Trinity University in Illinois. He then transferred to Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, where he was also on the baseball team. Gross decided that his chances of making the big leagues were slim, so he transferred to Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida where he received his undergraduate degree in digital arts in 2008 and his master's in entertainment business in 2009.
In May of 2010, Gross enlisted in the Army, following in the footsteps of his grandfathers who had served in the Army and the Navy. He was deployed to Afghanistan in June 28th of this year.
Spc. Gross was an avid photographer, guitarist, and surfer. He is survived by his parents, Antonia and Craig Gross.
Thank you, Spc. Gross, for your willingness to volunteer for service in the Army. Our prayers are for your parents and friends.
Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance. May we never forget the sacrifices that these three men made for our country.
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.