Since 2001, 1814 U.S. troops have died while serving in Afghanistan,
and since 2003, 4479 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 a soldier and a sailor
who lost their lives serving in Afghanistan:
Staff Sgt. Jorge M. Oliveira, 33,
of Newark, New Jersey
Chief Petty Officer Raymond J. Border, 31,
of West Lafayette, Ohio
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have died in these wars.
In Patika province Afghanistan, an Army National Guardsman and a Navy Seabee lost their lives to a roadside bomb on October 19. Staff Sgt. Jorge Oliveira and Chief Petty Officer Raymond Border were conducting road reconnaissance for a convoy to pass through when an explosive device detonated. Both men were Iraq war veterans, and each had served previous tours around the world.
Staff Sgt. Jorge M. Oliveira, 33, of Newark, New Jersey
Staff Sgt. Oliveira died October 19 in Paktika province, Afghanistan. He was a member of the New Jersey National Guard assigned to the Security Forces Platoon of the 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, 50th Brigade Combat Team, based in Riverdale, New Jersey.
Source
Jorge Oliveira is a native of Bairrada, Portugal. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey and went on to serve his community and his adopted country.
After graduating from East Side High School in Newark in 1996, Jorge enlisted and served three years on Army active duty from 1997. He returned to Newark to serve as an officer with the Essex County Sheriff's department beginning in 2000.
Jorge Oliveria joined the New Jersey National Guard in 2003 so that others with families might not have to go to war.
Staff Sgt. Oliveria's unit deployed to Afghanistan in June and was assigned to a provincial reconstruction team. He was described as one of the most seasoned non-commissioned officers on the deployment. Oliveira had served on a detainee operations mission to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2004, went to New Orleans in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and served a year-long combat tour in Iraq in 2008-2009.
Source Source
At the time of his death, Oliveira was a detective assigned to the fugitive squad at Essex County Sheriff's. Sheriff Armando Fontoura praised Oliveira's 11-year service to the department.
"He was the one everyone wanted as a partner," Fontoura said outside Oliveira's family home in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood. "He was respected and loved. Everyone was in tears this morning."
Oliveira never missed a day of work, "He would even volunteer to work holidays because he was single."
Source
Among those Staff Sgt. Oliveira leaves behind are his mother and father, a brother and sister, his troops at the NJNG, and his fellow officers in Essex County.
Staff Sgt. Jorge Oliveira is missed. May he rest in peace.
Chief Petty Officer Raymond J. Border, 31, of West Lafayette, Ohio
Chief Petty Officer Border died October 19 in Paktika province, Afghanistan. CPO Border was a Navy Seabee assigned to a provincial reconstruction team in Paktika province, Afghanistan. His home unit was Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 74 based in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Source
Chief Petty Officer Border died along with Staff Sgt. Oliveira, when he stepped out of a vehicle and an IED detonated, said his mother, Julie Border.
“We lost two good men,” his mother said.
Raymond Border grew up the oldest of three children in West Lafayette, Ohio. He graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1999, where he was a two-time state qualifier in wrestling and a Boy Scout.
His family said “He liked building things all his life.” Raymond used those skills when he joined a Navy Construction Battalion, called the Seabees, and built roads, runways, officers’ huts and bridges. Raymond enjoyed traveling the world. His work took him to Japan, Guam, the Philippines and Spain.
This was CPO Border's second tour of duty in Afghanistan, and he’d also been deployed to Iraq.
CPO Border was stationed in Gulfport, Mississippi for almost 12 years with the Seabees. He had two children and his fiancée, Terrence Boyd, and her three children, who he was helping raise, in Gulfport. His ex-wife also lives in Gulfport.
“He was a wonderful person, always had a smile on his face,” his father said.
“He enjoyed his family.”
Among those Chief Petty Officer Border leaves behind are his fiancée, children, and stepchildren in Gulfport, his parents and siblings in Ohio, and his Navy family.
Chief Petty Officer Raymond Border is missed. May he rest in peace.
Source Source
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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.