Since 2001, 1843 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4483 U.S. troops have lost their lives 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 beloved family member, friend, or former classmate will not be coming home from war.
~ Photo Credit Timroff
The Department of Defense has announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
Pfc. Adam E. Dobereiner, 21, of Moline, Ill., died Nov. 18 at Kandahar province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Please join me below for a remembrance of his life.
Pfc. Adam E. Dobereiner was killed Friday in Afghanistan after an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in the Arghandab Valley, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade based at Fort Hood, Texas. Two other soldiers were wounded in the explosion.
(Facebook photo)
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines (American and foreign) gathered in Kandahar to hold a ramp ceremony in honor of PFC Adam Dobereiner.
Dobereiner was a 2008 graduate of Moline High School, where he wrestled and was on the football team. He joined the Army in January 2011 as a combat engineer and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in June 2011.
(Facebook photo)
“He was a great kid,” Moline wrestling coach James Ealy said Saturday after hearing about the soldier’s death from a former teammate. He told the current wrestling team about the death at Saturday morning’s practice.
“I coached him my first two years there, his junior and senior year,” Ealy added. “He was an extremely hard worker, and what he lacked in athletic ability, he made up for in guts, hard work and determination. “His senior year, he missed a good part of the season with a concussion,” Ealy added. “He never backed up. He just kept moving forward, always fighting to the bitter end.“
“You always hear that question about the guy you’d want in a foxhole,” Ealy said. “It would be Adam Dobereiner.“
Dobereiner’s family has a history of military service, including a brother who was in the service and a sister who is still in the service. A flag was flown at half-staff outside his former high school, where Moline High School Principal, Dr. Bill Burrus, said:
"Such a quality kid and a nice, young man," said Burrus. "I would not begin to know the horror and the sadness that's going through the minds of the family."
Burrus remembers a quiet young man with a wry sense of humor and an infectious smile.
~source~
Another article describes wrestling Coach Ealy's last contact with Adam:
Ealy coached Dobereiner his junior and senior year at Moline. He says he was a good student and came from a family with two other siblings serving in the military. Ealy and Dobereiner were messaging each other online just over a week ago. He says Dobereiner asked if, when he got home next month, he could stop by practice and talk to the team. "We left it at, I'll see you in December stay safe. He said, 'okay coach I will,' and we get that news and it was pretty hard," said Ealy.....
"They say everybody dies, but not everybody lives. At 21 years Adam Dobereiner got a lot of life in. I'm going to do my part to make sure people remember him and what he did," added Ealy.
~source~
Dobereiner's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
~source~
Adam would have been 22 years old yesterday, November 21. He leaves behind a large family in the area. Adam's mother has set up a Facebook Memorial Page, and it includes this poignant photo with her son, taken in April:
(Facebook photo)
Rest in peace, Pfc. Adam E. Dobereiner. You have done your duty with honor.
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 which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, JaxDem, and me, Ekaterin. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
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 site. 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, CalNM, TheFatLadySings, and me, Ekaterin. 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.
If you would like to contribute to the series, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal.
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.