Since 2001, 1680 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4475 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 a sailor and
a soldier who died while serving their country:
Cmdr. James K. Crawford, 50, of East Concord, New York
Spc. Kevin R. Shumaker, 24, of Livermore, California
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The Department of Defense announced the death of a sailor in the Navy Reserves who was supporting the war in Iraq.
Cmdr. James K. Crawford, 50, of East Concord, New York
Commander Jim Crawford died September 7, as a result of a non-combat related incident in Manama, Bahrain. Cmdr. Crawford was assigned to an Intelligence unit at Fifth Fleet Headquarters at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, supporting operations at the Combined Maritime Forces Coalition Coordination Center at Naval Support Activity, Bahrain.
Commander Crawford was a 22 year Navy reservist and a 1991 veteran of Desert Storm. In a story by WGRZ, his brother said he suffered a fatal heart attack while exercising at the gym in Bahrain, where he was stationed.
According to the Navy Times, Cmdr. Crawford was serving as chief of the Coalition Coordination Center and oversaw the performance of five departments in support of 165 personnel when he passed away.
Crawford was commissioned in 1988, served with various reserve commands, and in the Gulf War. He was promoted to O-5 last year, and started work in Bahrain in March 2010.
In civilian life Jim Crawford was an agent with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency of the Homeland Security Department. He had a wife named Cindy their family lived in the Springville-area of western New York.
The Navy Times reports that Cmdr. Crawford "is the sixth Navy commander to die while serving in or supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One other Navy O-5 died in Bahrain, one in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and three in Iraq."
Cmdr. Crawford leaves behind his wife and family, and his sailors at Fifth Fleet.
Cmdr. Jim Crawford is missed. May he rest in Peace.
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The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who recently served in Afghanistan.
Spc. Kevin R. Shumaker, 24, of Livermore, California
Spc. Shumaker died August 31 in a US hospital of a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Drum, New York.
A Fort Drum press release reported that Spc. Shumaker died of rabies believed to have been contracted during service overseas.
Kevin Shumaker joined the Army in February 2009 and was stationed in Grafenwoer, Germany in August of that year. He worked as an Army cook. Spc. Shumaker was deployed with the 615th Military Police Company in Afghanistan for a year that ended in May 2011. He arrived at Fort Drum, New York, last month.
Exactly how and where he contracted the illness is under investigation. The Watertown Daily Times reported that Spc. Shumaker had been bitten by a dog in Afghanistan.
Spc. Shumaker was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Among those Spc. Shumaker leaves behind are his mother and stepfather, and other family and friends.
Spc. Kevin Shumaker 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.