Since 2001, 1852 U.S. troops have died while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4483 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 remember three soldiers, each of them
married, who died together far from home:
Sgt. 1st Class Clark A. Corley Jr., 35, of Oxnard, California
Spc. Ryan M. Lumley, 21, of Lakeland, Florida
Spc. Thomas J. Mayberry, 21, of Springville, California
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have died in these wars.
The Department of Defense confirmed the deaths of three Infantry soldiers serving with the First Armored Division. The Army has awarded them Purple Heart medals posthumously.
Sgt. 1st Class Clark Corley Jr., Spc. Ryan Lumley, and Spc. Thomas Mayberry
died December 3, in Wardak province, Afghanistan, after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device. The men were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Sgt. 1st Class Clark A. Corley Jr., 35, of Oxnard, California
Sgt. 1st Class Corley was one of three soldiers killed by an IED on December 3 in Afghanistan. He entered the Army December 1995, after high school.
Sgt. Clark Corley was married, and the couple have a child.
The 16 year Army veteran had served overseas in Korea, as well as previous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Corley received many awards and decorations in his career. Some of these are the Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal-Fourth Award, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Expert Infantryman Badge.
Among those Sgt. 1st Class Corley leaves behind are his wife and child.
Sgt. 1st Class Clark A. Corley Jr. is missed. May he rest in Peace.
KTSM news
abclocal
Spc. Ryan M. Lumley, 21, of Lakeland, Florida
Spc. Lumley was killed by a roadside bomb December 3 in Afghanistan, along with two other soldiers.
Ryan Lumley was born in Greensboro, N.C., and grew up in Cedar Key in Levy County. Ryan graduated from Cedar Key High School in 2008. He moved to Lakeland, Florida a few years ago.
"He was a good kid … just a good kid," said his father, Mike Lumley, in Lakeland.
"He enjoyed helping others."
www2.tbo.com
Ryan Lumley joined the Army from Tampa, in March 2009. He was previously stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was serving his first tour of duty when he died.
Spc. Lumley's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal among others.
Ryan Lumley recently married, and his wife lives in El Paso, Texas, near Fort Bliss, where he was stationed. He will be buried at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, near his family.
Among those Spc. Lumley leaves behind are his wife and family.
Spc. Ryan Lumley is missed. May he rest in Peace.
KTSM news myfoxtampabay.com
Spc. Thomas J. Mayberry, 21, of Springville, California
Spc. Mayberry was killed along with two other soldiers by a roadside IED on December 3 in Wardak province, Afghanistan.
Thomas Mayberry attended school in Clovis, California from the 6th grade up until the middle of his sophomore year. He transferred to Porterville High School, then graduated from Citrus High in November 2008. He has family in Springville.
Family members and friends say Thomas Mayberry was a proud soldier who used the Army to make something of himself after a rough upbringing.
"He wasn't going to let anything in his past hold him back."
"He came from a rough road. The boys were having a rough time with just Grandma raising them," said a friend.
But what his aunt will remember is what changed him, the Army.
"He wanted to be deployed. He wanted to go fight for his country. He made something of himself and he was so proud of it," said Siefker.
"He is my hero. Absolutely my hero."
ksee24
Thomas Mayberry entered the Army from Oakland, California January 2009. He had previously served overseas in South Korea. He was on his first tour in the Middle East.
Spc. Mayberry's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
Spc. Mayberry was posthumously promoted to the rank of Specialist.
Tulare County Supervisors asked for all US Flags to be lowered to half staff in Spc. Mayberry's honor.
Among those Spc. Mayberry leaves behind are his wife and family in Oregon and California.
Spc. Thomas Mayberry is missed. May he rest in Peace.
Mayberry KTSM news
+ + + + * * * * + + + + * * * *
* * *
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.
+ * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * + * * * +
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.