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I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which is among the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
~ IGTNT Candle logo created by Timroff
Honoring and Remembering:
Sgt 1st Class Dennis R. Murray
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which is among the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
Since 2003 we have suffered the loss of 4483 American lives and a total of 4801 Coalition Forces in Iraq. Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of 1848 American lives and a total of 2820 Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.
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Sgt 1st Class Dennis R. Murray, 38 of Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee
Sgt. 1st Class Dennis R. Murray, 38, of Red Boiling Springs, Tenn., died Nov. 21 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. ~ DoD News Release
Dennis Ray Murray was a 1991 graduate of Hermitage Springs High School who has proudly served his country since his graduation.
Sgt 1st Class Murray's mother, Wanda Maxy said she couldn't help but think about her brother's death in Vietnam when her son Dennis enlisted in the Army at the age of 18. She had her worries about him, but said that Dennis genuinely loved the Army life.
Murray arrived at Fort Riley in February of this year and this was his first deployment.
Susy Raybon covers the military community for the online news site "examiner" and writes of having visited Red Boiling Springs, which is located in Macon County, the north central portion of Tennessee bordering Kentucky. She reports that it is a small community of 1,000 who will be greatly impacted by this death.
Tennesseans will do what they do best in honoring the fallen. They will line the streets and county roads. They will hoist American flags. Cars will turn on their lights and pull over in respect. Private citizens will open their doors and place their hands over their heart on their own front porches as Sgt. 1st Class Dennis Murray returns home---the way no Soldier should have to. ~ Source
Mother, Wanda Maxy:
He was always good to people and he was a very loving, caring father to his children. He was a good son, and I am very proud of him. He will be missed by all of us… I miss him all of the time.
Sgt 1st Class Dennis R. Murray's awards and decorations include, Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Korea Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.
Sgt Murray is survived by his mother Wanda Maxy; his wife, Shelee Murray and two children, 14 and 11.
A memorial service is set for December 5th in North Carolina. This is a confirmed mission for the Patriot Guard Riders.
~ Source ~ Source
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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 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, Ekaterin and me, JaxDem. 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.
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Any Soldier – (Marine, Sailor, Airman or CoastGuardsman) Provides detailed information on sending care packages or cards and letters to deployed service members.
Books For Soldiers - View requests for and send troops books, DVDs, games and relief supplies.
Fisher House – Provides a “home away from home” for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.
Homes For Our Troops – Building specially adapted homes for our severely injured veterans at no cost to the veterans.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans – The VA estimates 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. There are ways to get involved or donate at the link.
Netroots for the Troops (NFTT) – This non-profit raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of care packages to American military in war zones.
Special Operations Warrior Foundation - Provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.
Veterans Green Jobs - Helps transition veterans into their communities and find career opportunities in environment sustainable sectors of our economy.
Welcome Back Veterans - Committed to providing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment to our veterans and their families in a public/private partnership
Wounded Warrior Project - Their vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation's history.
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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.