We gather again for another sad evening remembering two more who have died while in service of our nation:
- Staff Sergeant James R. Leep Jr. who was from Virginia
- Specialist Michael D. Elm who was from Arizona
Specialist Michael D. Elm
Michael D. Elm grew up in the metropolitan area around Phoenix, Arizona, often referred to as The Valley of the Sun. He enjoyed many school activities, participating in government, speech and debate, DECA, soccer, drama, and improv. He graduated from Phoenix's Greenway High School in 2004.
Elm began his military service in February of 2009. He graduated from basic training as the honor cadet, first in his class. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Knox. In June of 2009, he moved to Fort Knox in Kentucky.
Specialist Elm was sent on his first deployment to Afghanistan. He kept in touch with friends with Facebook. According to a writer for The Arizona Republic:
Throughout his first months in Afghanistan with the 1st Infantry Division, Elm continuously updated an online photo album depicting a stuffed toy lobster named Red going through the trials of war.
"Red, feeling anxious and excited simultaneously, awaits the day when he will ship off to war and travel to Afghanistan to defeat our enemies abroad," the caption to one picture read. "Red is very brave, considering he has no spine."
"He was always in the middle of creating fun," Samson said. "His sergeant sent us a letter and said if a practical joke was going to be played on somebody or if there was something humorous happening, Michael was involved somehow."
Elm's unit was involved in Operation Steel Rain, which has a mission to disrupt a militant organization, known as the Haqqani network, in the Tirzaye district of Khost. Haqqani insurgents have been blamed for recent attacks that have claimed the lives of Afghans and NATO forces.
Specialist Michael D. Elm died October 14th in Khowst, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was 25 years old.
Elm's awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terror Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. He also was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart posthumously.
Fort Knox will hold a memorial service in Elm’s honor at a time to be determined. A memorial service is also scheduled to be held by his unit in Afghanistan. The Governor will order that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day of Spec. Elm’s interment for which arrangements are still pending.
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Staff Sergeant James R. Leep Jr.
James R. Leep Jr. was from Davenport, Virginia. He first joined the Virginia National Guard in April 1986 and served on active duty from December 1987 to August 1995 as a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic. He rejoined the Guard in January 1996 and began working as a combat engineer and construction equipment supervisor.
Leep had deployed to Bosnia from September 2001 to April 2002, and served on a Southwest US border patrol security mission from June to August 2006. He deployed twice with the 276th Engineer Battalion, first to Iraq from December 2003 to March 2005 and then to Afghanistan from November 2008 to January 2010. When he wasn't deployed, he worked back home in Virginia as a maintenance technician.
His most recent assignment was to Iraq with the 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th Brigade Combat Team, which is based at Portsmouth, Virginia. The unit deployed June 1st and is expected to return in December or January.
On October 17th, in the Babil province of Iraq, Staff Sergeant James R. Leep Jr. died while serving with the 183rd Cavalry Regiment, as commander of an escort team that was providing security for supply convoys. He was 44 years old. Guard spokesman Cotton Puryear said the death is under investigation and no details will be made public until the inquiry is done.
According to the
WCYB News site:
BUCHANAN COUNTY, Va. -- "With us being tight and being close knit, as close as family, it really hit hard, it did. I'll be the first to tell you I had a rough day yesterday." Sargent Gregory Newberry lost his friend of 15 years when Sargent James R. Leep Jr died Monday while serving our country in Iraq.
He was a member of the 1033rd in Cedar Bluff, Virginia.
Sargent Leep was a combat engineer but was serving this tour as a commander for a convoy escort team. Convoy escort teams help military and civilian vehicles get from one region to another while providing safe passage from insurgents.
Sargent Timothy Bayless knew Leep for ten years and served alongside him in Afghanistan. "It is a hard time. This isn't our first one here in the unit. We've dealt with it before. But every time it's different, every time it's unique. It doesn't get any easier," he said.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a sister.
The unit was scheduled to hold a memorial service for the Soldier today, October 20th, at 4 p.m. Iraqi time.
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Helping our troops:
If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider contributing to Fisher House. Donating to Netroots for the Troops provides care packages that make a real difference in a military person's life. To assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Also, you could visit:
When our veterans come back home, they need jobs. Look at the programs of Hire Heroes USA and Welcome Back Veterans to see if you can help out.
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.