Since 2001, 1713 U.S. troops have died while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4477 U.S. troops have died 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 two Marines and
two Soldiers who lost their lives far from home:
1st Lt. Ryan K. Iannelli, 27, of Clarksboro, New Jersey
Lance Cpl. John R. Wimpey Cagle, 19, of Tucker, Georgia
Spc. Garrett A. Fant, 21, of American Canyon, California
Sgt. Mycal L. Prince, 28, of Minco, Oklahoma
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
1st Lt. Ryan K. Iannelli, 27, of Clarksboro, New Jersey
1st Lt. Iannelli died September 28 when the helicopter he was flying crashed during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a pilot assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, Marine Air Group 29, 2nd Marine Air Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station in New River, North Carolina.
Source
Ryan Iannelli dreamed of being a professional baseball player and went far in his competitive amateur career. He also dreamed of being a Marine helicopter pilot if his baseball career didn't pan out. The Clarksboro, New Jersey native was an avid baseball player and fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers.
In high school, Ryan was captain of the Kingsway Regional High School baseball team in Woolwich, where he played outfield and second base, and was a member of the wrestling and cross country teams. He also served as the student body president and was a member of the National Honor Society.
Ryan graduated Kingsway in 2002 and attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, where he played baseball all four years as an outfielder and a pinch runner. Ryan Iannelli graduated from ORU in 2006 with a degree in public relations and advertising. He also received an MBA from Felician College in Lodi, Bergen County. His family and friends said he was deeply religious, attending the Assemblies of God Church.
Ryan fought testicular cancer at the age of 21, at the same time he was pursuing his dream of playing baseball. He spent the summer of 2005 playing in the Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League in South Jersey. He was coaching an American Legion baseball team in Williamstown until 2007. Then Ryan Iannelli joined the Marine Corps in 2009.
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His high school coach, Jim Ambrosius recalled,
"Anyone who came across Ryan knew what a special kid he was. He was a special kid who turned into a special man."
"I never saw any reluctance or fear in him," Ambrosius said. "He was just a person of tremendous character.
"The most touching thing about him was that when he put his mind to something, it was total commitment. Ryan was the ultimate achiever. He loved baseball, but he always said if things didn't work out on the baseball field, he'd follow in his grandfather's footsteps and join the military."
Source
On his facebook page, Ryan had a favorite quote,
credited to an unknown Marine during the Vietnam War:
Courage is endurance for one moment more.
Among those 1st Lt. Iannelli leaves behind are his family and friends from baseball and the Marines.
1st Lt. Ryan K. Iannelli is missed. May he rest in peace.
Lance Cpl. John R. Wimpey Cagle, 19, of Tucker, Georgia
Lance Cpl. Cagle died September 28 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was a light armor crewman assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Source
John Cagle comes from the small town of Tucker, about 15 miles northeast of Atlanta. He recently graduated from Chamblee Charter High School in DeKalb County.
John had long dreamed of serving his country in the Marines, and participated in JROTC while in high school. He joined the Marines right after graduation in June 2010.
John Cagle was promoted to Lance Corporal in March, 2011, and deployed to Afghanistan the same month for his first tour of duty.
Source
His former youth pastor said that as a child, John was "full of energy and extremely loyal." That fierce loyalty to family and friends made him an ideal candidate for the Marines.
Since learning of his death, many friends have posted stories honoring Cagle on his Facebook page.
One friend told the AJC that Cagle "died living his dream."
Source
Among those Lance Cpl. Wimpey Cagle leaves behind are his family and friends back home and in the Marines.
Lance Cpl. John Wimpey Cagle is missed. May he rest in peace.
Taps
written by Horace Lorenzo Trim
Fading light dims the sight
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar drawing nigh,
Falls the night.
Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the run
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh.
Then goodnight, peaceful night;
Till the light of the dawn shineth bright.
God is near, do not fear,
Friend, goodnight.
Spc. Garrett A. Fant, 21, of American Canyon, California
Spc. Fant died September 26 of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device detonation in southern Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kansas.
Source
Garrett Fant first came to live in American Canyon when he was 2 years old. Growing up he attended Valley Oaks High School nearby in Napa. His father is a truck driver. Garrett moved with his mother to South Lake Tahoe and graduated from South Tahoe High School in 2008.
Garrett had always wanted to serve his country and joined the Army in March of 2009. This was his first deployment. Garrett had wanted to become a teacher after staying with the Army until he turned 40, his family said.
“He was proud of his uniform. He was dedicated,” his grandfather said.
“He was a very deep thinker, very mature for his age,” said the principal of Valley Oaks High School. “He was a very serious young man, a stand-up young man. He was quite the intellectual. He stayed after school to talk to teachers. He was passionate about serving his country.”
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Garrett kept in touch with friends and family on facebook. His last posting said he was looking forward to coming home to Lake Tahoe in February, and "spending time with everyone.”
Specialist Fant was on patrol when his infantry unit was attacked with an IED. Spc. Fant died of his wounds after he was taken to Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.
Source
“He was just a really sweet kid,” his mother's friend said. “He was a very gentle, soft-spoken person.”
Garrett Fant was “real close” to his family, and he was perpetually worried about an sick grandmother.
Tributes to Garrett began pouring into his Facebook page after his sudden death.
One friend said Fant always put him in a good mood and “had one of the biggest hearts out of anyone I knew.”
Source
Among those Spc. Fant leaves behind are his family and friends in American Canyon and South Shore.
Spc. Garrett Fant is missed. May he rest in peace.
Sgt. Mycal L. Prince, 28, of Minco, Oklahoma
Sgt. Prince died September 15 in Laghman province, Afghanistan due to combat injuries after his infantry unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. Sgt. Prince was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Source
Mycal Prince grew up in the small town of Minco and graduated from Ninnekah High School in 1997. He joined the Oklahoma National Guard at the young age of 17. Company A, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry, is an Edmond-based unit that is part of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Prince worked with his unit after Hurricane Katrina and deployed to Iraq in 2008 for a combat tour.
Sgt. Mycal was serving his hometown community as a K-9 police officer with the Minco Police Department when his Oklahoma National Guard unit was called up to deploy to Afghanistan earlier this summer.
Minco Police Chief Phil Blevins said Prince had been on the force for 2 1/2 years.
"He was one of the most professional and squared-away young men I've ever met," Blevins said. "He had things together in his family life, in his professional life. It's unbelievable for a man who is 28 how mature he was in all areas of his life."
Prince served as a Minco K-9 officer, and with his dog, Bayca, he helped with drug interdiction in the town.
"He always did his job thoroughly. He was so good and so professional. I've been counting the days down for him to get back, and I'm just heartbroken over this."
Source
Sgt. Prince died in the Saygal Valley in Laghman Province, Afghanistan while on a dismounted patrol with his infantry unit.
Sgt. Prince's death brings the number of Oklahoma National Guard soldiers killed in action in the last two weeks to five. Twelve soldiers from the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have died in Afghanistan since July 29.
Source
“Sgt. Prince served his nation and this great state for more than a decade with honor and distinction,” said Maj. Gen. Myles L. Deering, adjutant general for Oklahoma.
“He joined the Guard five days after his 17th birthday. I think that says a lot about the kind of man Sgt. Prince was. He deployed to help the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and went to Iraq in 2008. He could have gotten out of the service, but he chose to stay and serve his country.”
Source
Among those Sgt. Prince leaves behind are his family, his dog Bayca, and his friends in the Oklahoma National Guard and Minco Police Department.
Sgt. Mycal L. Prince 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.