Another three military men have lost their lives. Their hometowns span the width of our country and because of their passing, our nation is so much the poorer.
- Private First Class Steven F. Shapiro who was from California
- Lance Corporal Jason N. Barfield who was from Alabama
- Captain Shawn P. T. Charles who was from North Carolina
Private First Class Steven F. Shapiro
Private First Class Steven F. Shapiro was from Hidden Valley Lake, California. He entered active-duty service in March 2010 as an M1 armor (tank) crewman.
Shapiro had been assigned to the Texas-based 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, since July 2010.
Shapiro deployed to Iraq earlier this year and died October 21st in Tallil, Iraq. He was 29 years old. The cause of his death is under investigation, so details have not been announced as yet.
According to a story in the Sacramento Statehouse Examiner:
Above the historic State Capitol in Sacramento, California’s Bear flag lowered to half-staff to honor native son and resident of Hidden Valley Lake, the first U.S. casualty since President Barack Obama announced total troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Governor Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown, Jr. ordered the U.S. and California state flags to be lowered today in tribute to Private First Class Steven F. Shapiro, who was killed in Talil, Iraq October 21st. He was 29 years old.
Governor Brown and First Lady, Anne Gust Brown, extend their deepest condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
Awards and decorations earned by Private First Class Steven F. Shapiro include an Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
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Captain Shawn P. T. Charles
Shawn Patrick T. Charles was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 28, 1971. He was most recently from Hickory, North Carolina and he re-entered active-duty service in January 2009.
His hometown paper, the Hickory Daily Record stated:
Charles was a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University and earned his master’s at Appalachian State University. He was a former chairman of the Catawba County Republican Party.
“He was such a wonderful human being,” said current party Chairman Lee Shillito, “a warm and compassionate man. He did loads for all the people in Catawba County. We will miss him sorely.”
Shillito, Charles’ successor as the head of the county GOP, said Charles improved the party, and “I admire his service to his country, his party and the community.”
Captain Shawn P. T. Charles was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which is based at Fort Hood, Texas.
Charles deployed to Iraq in August 2011. He died October 23rd at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas after a brief illness. He was 40 years old.
Charles' awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal, two National Defense Service Medals, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" device, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Captain Shawn P. T. Charles is survived by his wife, of nine years, Melissa Johnson Charles and his children, Zoe and Max Charles.
Services for the Captain will be held tomorrow at Aloysius Catholic Church in Hickory, North Carolina and burial will be at the Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery in Morganton with military honors provided by the U.S. Army.
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Lance Corporal Jason N. Barfield
Jason Nicholas Barfield was from Ashford, Alabama and was a 2008 graduate of Ashford High School. Barfield enlisted January of 2010.
A combat engineer, he was assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, in California. Barfield was on his first Afghanistan deployment.
Marines from Twentynine Palms have in the northern part of the Helmand province of Afghanistan. A Marine-led offensive, Operation Eastern Storm, was launched earlier this month pushing north from Sangin into Kajaki, one of the last areas in the province where the Taliban remains entrenched.
An article in the Dothan Eagle tells of how Jason came home for a surprise visit last Christmas and how proud the Barfield family was of him:
“He was one of the most well-loved guys you’d ever meet, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son,” said Ray Barfield, Jason’s father. “He never met a stranger. Everywhere he went, everybody just took to him. He was always smiling and so outgoing.”
Jason’s mother said his smile was infectious.
“He’s like that all the time. He had one of those smiles that I don’t think it ever left his face,” said Kelli Barfield. “He was one of those people who, when you met him, you never forgot him. He had an impact on everyone. I just can’t say enough. I think he slept with a smile on his face, and he never gave in to idle gossip.”
Lance Corporal Jason N. Barfield died October 24th while conducting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He was 23 years old. The circumstances of his death are under investigation, so no details have been released.
Personal service awards earned by Lance Corporal Jason N. Barfield include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the NATO-ISAF Medal.
Lance Corporal Jason Barfield left behind his parents, six siblings and numerous friends and family members who will mourn him forever.
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Helping our troops:
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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.