The Department of Defense recently announced an Army casualty:
Sgt. Edward S. Grace, 39, of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
Sgt. Grace was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Massachusetts National Guard, Braintree, MA. He died while serving his country.
Please participate in this diary to pay your respects to a fine man who is loved and missed by a large and loving group of family and friends.
His brothers have asked to be included as pall bearers
Edward Grace joined the National Guard in 2006 and deployed to Afghanistan in March of this year. The 182nd Infantry Regiment mobilized in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2011 for a year-long deployment. Soldiers from the 182nd are providing security to Provincial Reconstruction Teams located in Eastern, Western and Southern Afghanistan.
Sgt. Grace was flown from Afghanistan to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of a non-combat illness, and died Oct. 23 in Silver Spring, Maryland, from an undisclosed medical condition.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Grace family during this very difficult time. We hope the Grace family will find some consolation knowing that Sergeant Grace gave his life while defending our commonwealth and nation,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Carter, The Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard.
Sgt. Grace will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery and plans are also being made for a separate memorial service in Massachusetts.
His family has asked for as much privacy as possible from the media.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remember. Its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
Each of these lives is precious. They all have loved ones, families and friends. Please rec and comment in these diaries to pay your respects.
Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released by the DoD, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
Click the IGTNT tag to see other entries in 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, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Jax Dem, Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, and me, TrueBlueMajority.
If you're willing to write a diary for this series, even once every other month, please leave a message in this diary and contact Sandy on Signal at sandy3660 AT comcast DOT net.
PLEASE note that these comments may be read by friends and family who are overcome with raw grief. It is our custom here to leave politics aside as we offer our remembrance tributes with respect and compassion.