Since 2001, 1674 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4474 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 honor and remember three soldiers
and family men who lost their lives far from home:
Sgt. Devin J. Daniels, 22, of Kuna, Idaho
Sgt. Colby L. Richmond, 28, of Providence, North Carolina
Pfc. Alberto L. Obod Jr., 26, of Orlando, Florida
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
According to The Army Times, August has become the deadliest month yet for U.S. forces in the nearly 10-year-old war in Afghanistan.
The 66 U.S. service members lost this month eclipses the previous record of 65 casualties in July 2010. Nearly half the August deaths occurred in the August 6th crash of a Chinook helicopter that was shot down, killing 30 American troops.
Tonight's news is of two soldiers, Sgt. Devin Daniels and Sgt. Colby Richmond, who lost their lives to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan last week, and a third, Pfc. Alberto Obod Jr., who died in a vehicle accident there.
All three of the soldiers were married, with a wife and young child waiting for them to return home.
Sgt. Devin J. Daniels, 22, of Kuna, Idaho
Sgt. Daniels died of wounds suffered in an August 25th EID attack in Helmond province, Afghanistan. He was a vehicle driver assigned to the 546th Transportation Company, 82nd Sustainment Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Devin Daniel's family calls him the family's "pride and joy," in a statement released through the Idaho National Guard.
“Devin was our family’s pride and joy."
"Growing up, he was a wonderful young man who was a good student, good athlete and who was never in trouble. He lived by his motto, ‘Winners never quit and quitters never win.’"
"Devin also loved hunting in Idaho with his dad, and loved the outdoors in general."
Devin Daniels joined the Army in 2008 and went through intense training as an Army Ranger. He served at Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Bliss, Texas; and Fort Leonard-Wood, Missouri. He was assigned to the 546th Transportation Company and deployed to Afghanistan in August 2010.
In their statement, the family said Devin loved the military and found a home there. He had outstanding achievements in his short career, including becoming an US Army Ranger at a young age.
Sgt. Daniels was posthumously promoted to sergeant from the rank of corporal.
Devin Daniels and his wife Samantha welcomed their first child this year. He was able to meet and hold his daughter Olivia Lynn during a short break in his deployment.
“He loved his wife Samantha and their young daughter Olivia Lynn, who was born in January of this year," said the family statement.
When Devin was able to come home on leave for 17 days, being able to hold his daughter was a highlight of his life."
Among those Sgt. Daniels leaves behind are his wife and baby, and his mother and father and other family and friends.
Sgt. Devin Daniels is missed. May he Rest in Peace.
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Sgt. Colby L. Richmond, 28, of Providence, North Carolina
Sgt. Richmond died in the same August 25 roadside bomb attack that took the life of Sgt. Daniels in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a vehicle driver assigned to the 546th Transportation Company, 82nd Sustainment Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Cynthia Richmond said her only son Colby was a hard worker "who loved people" and had "the biggest smile."
Colby did not have any siblings but had an extended "family" of close friends.
"He really embraced people," his mother said. "He loved meeting people. Everyone became family."
Sgt. Richmond was married, and the couple have a 6 year old son.
The soldiers in Sgt. Colby's unit were scheduled to return home in mid-October.
With the deployment nearing an end, his mother said news of her only son's death came as a shock.
"I was devastated. Just very devastated," she said.
"It's like I'm numb. I can't believe it."
Colby Richmond joined the Army in 2006 and served at Fort Hood, Camp Casey, Korea; and Fort Leonard Wood. Richmond was assigned to the 546th Transportation Company in March 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in August.
Cynthia Richmond said she was angry about her son's death at first, but has calmed down in recent days.
"We all make choices, and we know the risks," she said.
"He wanted to serve his country, and he wanted to make a difference."
"I want people to remember him as my hero and their hero," she said.
"He was doing what he loved to do. He was trying to help his country."
Among those Sgt. Richmond leaves behind are his wife and son, his mother and other family and friends.
Sgt. Colby Richmond is missed. May he Rest in Peace.
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Pfc. Alberto L. Obod Jr., 26, of Orlando, Florida
Pfc. Obod Jr. died August 28 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered during a vehicle roll-over. He was a vehicle driver assigned to the 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Bamberg, Germany.
Alberto Obod Jr. comes from Caloocan City, a region in the north of Manila, Philippines. He moved to Orlando when he was 19, and joined the Army about two years ago. Alberto was inspired by one of his two younger brothers who joined the Navy and became a U.S. citizen.
Alberto Obod hoped citizenship would pave the way to bring his family to America. His wife and son remain in the Philippines.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services statistics, "more than 70,000 members of the military have become naturalized citizens since September 2001, almost 10,000 of them abroad."
In a naturalization ceremony in Kandahar Airfield this last April, Pfc. Alberto Obod, Jr. officially, and proudly, became an American citizen.
On August 25, U.S. Army Pfc. Alberto L. Obod Jr. lost his life while serving his nation in the Middle East.
His family recalled that while growing up, Alberto was very physical and athletic, with a natural talent for tumbling. He worked as a traveling acrobat before suffering an injury at age 17.
After coming to America, Obod worked at a hotel, sending the proceeds back to the Philippines for his wife and child.
"Whatever he made, he would send it," his stepfather said. "He was a great guy."
"He was the one that everyone liked — friendly, happy and compassionate."
"He was a big ball of joy."
His best friend in the Army, Michael Dua added:
"So he was my Army brother since the beginning. Ever since I knew PFC Obod, I never saw him mad at anything in this world.
He made sure that he smiled at everyone he saw, and he was a friend most of all.
He was the best friend I ever had, and he was also a great father to his son."
Pfc. Alberto Obod Jr. leaves behind are his wife and son, his brothers and family, and his friends in the Army.
Pfc. Odod is missed. May he Rest in peace.
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Thanks to Timroff for our faithfully lighted candle IGTNT logo;
Other Photos by CalNM and linked Sources
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, Ekaterin, TheFatLadySings, and me, 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.