We come here for another sad evening of remembering lives lost. Four more have died while in the service of our nation.
- Marine Corporal Nicholas S. Ott who was from New Jersey
- Army Master Sergeant Charles L. Price III who was from Texas
- Army Sergeant Matthew A. Harmon who was from Minnesota
- Army Corporal Joseph A. VanDreumel who was from Michigan
• Corporal Nicholas S. Ott
Nicholas S. Ott grew up in the Manchester township in New Jersey. He was a 2006 graduate of Manchester High School, where he played football and wrestled in the heavyweight division. After graduating high school, Ott enrolled at Ocean County College, but joined the Marine Corps a year later, fulfilling a childhood dream. According to Principal Alex George in the Asbury Park Press:
"He always gave 150 percent no matter what it was,'' George recalled Friday. "Nick was always about the team, never about himself. It was no surprise that he would go on to serve his country.''
George said he found out about the death Thursday when word spread throughout the town that the Marines were at the Ott family's home...
"No matter what the situation, he always had a contagious smile on his face,'' George said. "It was always about the bigger picture with Nick. He always did what was best for the team."
"I was lucky to know Nick,'' George added. "He is a kid that is going to missed.''
Ott joined the Marine Corps in September 2007 as an infantryman. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force in 2010. The unit is based at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Classmates of the Marine are quoted at the
NJ.com site:
Every time Ott returned home to New Jersey, he would make sure to visit his high school friends. We’d all get together and have a party for him," she said. "He was just such a fun-loving guy, a lovable guy. He was big teddy bear."
This past April, Ott's battalion deployed to Afghanistan and was assigned to Garmsir District. The Marines were there helping maintain roads and bridges, and also helped with school and soccer field construction.
The Department of Defense reports that Corporal Nicholas S. Ott died August 10th "while conducting combat operations" in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He was 23 years old.
The final homecoming for Nick Ott was described by an
ABC News site:
The procession from Dover Air Force Base arrived in Manchester Wednesday afternoon, the silver hearse escorted by state and local police and the Patriot Riders bearing the remains of 23 year old Marine Cpl. Nick Ott, a squad leader who was killed in action in Afghanistan last week.
"When I heard it, everything just stopped," said Lenny Lawson. "Tears just started rolling down my eyes."
"I just remember Nick as a real happy, smiley kid. I know him from baseball for about 18 years," said Rachel Ward.
As bagpipes wailed the Marine anthem and an honor guard saluted, Ott's casket was brought in to the Anderson & Campbell Funeral home.
During Ott’s time in the military, he received awards including two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
A viewing for Corporal Ott is set to be held in his hometown today. His funeral will be Friday.
• Master Sergeant Charles L. Price III
Charles L. Price III was from Milam in Texas. He was a 1989 graduate of Cameron Yoe High School and joined the US Army right after graduation.
He had been on five deployments to Iraq, Kosovo, Kuwait, the Balkans and Saudi Arabia. He was a veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Price was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado, when he was sent to Afghanistan.
The Cameron Herald states:
A former drill sergeant, Price, 40, was assigned to the 2nd Brigade headquarters last November and deployed to Afghanistan June 1. It was the sixth deployment in a long, distinguished military career.
He joined the Army in August 1989, shortly after graduating from Yoe High School, where he played varsity football and was active in extracurricular activities.
A veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he also fought in Kosovo and served in Iraq in 2008. His other deployments were to the Balkans in 1996 and Kuwait in 2001.
Price died August 12th in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan from wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device (IED). He was 40 years old.
During his 22 years of service, Price earned many honors, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. He earned the Army Commendation medal five times and the Army Achievement Medal nine times, as well as more than 25 other decorations and medals.
He’s survived by his mother, his wife, who is also in the Army, and seven children. The youngest is 3 years of age.
Services by Dorsey Keatts Funeral Home of Cameron are tentatively scheduled for August 27th at the First Baptist Church in Cameron, Texas.
• Sergeant Matthew A. Harmon
Matthew A. Harmon was a native of Lengby, Minnesota. Harmon was a 2000 graduate of Fosston High School in northern Minnesota. He was in football, cross country, track and field, and he was an artist.
In 1999, when Matthew was a senior, he enlisted in the National Guard. After graduation, he moved to Grand Forks, to attend the University of North Dakota. Harmon's wife Nicole is originally from that area. The two met at the university. He was studying stage setup for the performing arts.
Minnesota Public Radio quoted Matt’s former teammate:
"He was always a positive guy; always in a good mood. And as far as track goes, he worked as hard as anyone on the team. So, he definitely put forth the effort."
Tom Harmon suspects that same work ethic is what made his son such a dedicated soldier. He had no spoken to his son since July before his deployment to Afghanistan.
"We realize he's gone and we realize that nobody forced him to do what he was doing. So we don't hold any ill-will," Harmon said. "We're mostly concerned with the children. Now they've lost their father, and it's going to be tough with them."
Tom Harmon said it is likely that his daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, ages 8, 5 and 3 will now move back to the area.
In 2004, Harmon decided to enlist full time in the Army. He had survived two tours in Iraq, including a mortar attack that seriously injured a nearby soldier.
He was with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade based in Grafenwoehr, Germany when he went into his first tour in Afghanistan last month. Tom Harmon, Matt's father, talked about his son in an article on the
Detroit Lakes site:
Tom said Matthew enjoyed being in the Army and he wanted to make a contribution. His first tour in Iraq was “tough,” Tom said, and, toward the end, Matthew had a close call when a mortar hit the barracks in which he was sleeping. Another soldier in the same barracks was seriously injured, Tom said, but Matthew only got a scratch.
Matthew rarely talked about the war, Tom said, but he believes the second tour in Iraq was better than the first.
Tom said he worries most for Matthew’s children and wife, who live in Germany, where Matthew was stationed. The family is trying to get them settled somewhere where the trauma won’t be too much for them, he said.
For the past six years, Harmon had lived in Germany on U.S. military bases with his wife, Nicole, and their three children. Two of the children were born in Germany.
On August 14th, Matthew went out with a crew to recover a vehicle damaged by a roadside bomb in Paktika province near the Pakistani border. While hauling the vehicle, they encountered another IED. Sergeant Harmon was 29 years old when he died in the explosion.
Also killed in the explosion was 32-year-old Army Spec. Joseph A. VanDreumel, of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Sergeant Matthew A. Harmon leaves behind his wife, Nicole; three children, Danika, 8, Vincent, 5, and Elsie, 3; his father, Tom; his mother, Irene; and siblings Melissa, Dean and Mark. Matthew was the oldest of the four children.
A memorial ceremony is scheduled for both men at the Grafenwöhr theater in Germany on August 24th. Funeral arrangements here in the states are pending, but it is expected that the family will bury Sergeant Matthew A. Harmon in Lengby where he grew up.
• Corporal Joseph A. VanDreumel
Joseph A. VanDreumel was from Michigan. He graduated from Jenison High School in 1997. For years, the Standale resident had thought he might want to join the military. His father was a 24-year veteran of the US Navy. When Joseph was laid off and had trouble finding a good job, he joined the Army.
He was with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade based in Grafenwoehr, Germany when he went into his first tour in Afghanistan last month.
According to the Grand Rapids Press:
Apart from the military, Dennis VanDreumel said his son enjoyed a couple other passions: Fishing and tearing apart a car and putting it back together.
“He liked to tear things down. He was going to tear out the engine of his Bonneville when he got back. Nothing scared him about cars.”
VanDreumel said the waters off Ludington were his son’s “second home” during salmon season.
“He would go salmon fishing anytime he possibly could,” he said.
VanDreumel’s father-in-law, Standale resident Allen Greiner, said his daughter was understandably distraught over her husband’s death.
It was particularly hard because Sgt. Harmon was “Joe’s close friend,” he said.
VanDreumel had joined the Army in January 2010 and was deployed to Germany in August that same year. His wife and children had joined him in Germany this January. He was dispatched to Afghanistan as a specialist about six weeks ago.
On August 14th, the Specialist went out with a crew to recover a vehicle damaged by a roadside bomb in Paktika province near the Pakistani border. While hauling the vehicle, they encountered another IED. VanDreumel was 32 years old when he died in the explosion.
Also killed in the explosion was 29-year-old Army Sergeant Matthew A. Harmon, from Minnesota.
In a statement, Capt. Mark Gerasimas described the pair as “dedicated soldiers. ... Both of these men worked tirelessly at all hours to fill the requirements the company placed on them. Even when solicited for honest feedback, I never once heard either of these soldiers complain about a tasking or workload.”
Gerasimas said the pair “gave of themselves to the end” as they executed the vehicle recovery mission.
VanDreumel was posthumously promoted from the rank of specialist to corporal. Among other awards, VanDreumel is to be granted the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Corporal Joseph VanDreumel is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Angel, 10, and Skyler, 8.
A memorial ceremony is scheduled for both men, killed in the incident, to be held at the Grafenwöhr theater in Germany on August 24th. Services in the US for Corporal VanDreumel are tentatively scheduled for Holy Spirit Church in Grand Rapids pending arrival of his remains.
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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 is maintained by Sandy on Signal, Monkeybiz, Noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, Twilight Falling, Joyful, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, & TheFatLadySings. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but show our community’s respect for those who have died.
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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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.