Tonight we honor the memories of two soldiers who lost their lives during the holiday season. Spc. Mikayla A. Bragg died on December 21st in Khowst Province, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann was killed early on Christmas morning in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. 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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind.
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Late last week the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
Spc. Mikayla A. Bragg, 21, of Longview, Wash., died Dec. 21 in Khowst province, Afghanistan. She was assigned to the 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.
Spc. Bragg was a 2008 graduate of Mark Morris High School in Washington state, and she joined the army shortly after graduation. She had hoped to earn money for college, and she planned to become a veterinarian. Mikayla Bragg completed her basic training at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. She was classified as a sharpshooter because of her skill and accuracy with a rifle. In Afghanistan, her primary duties were as a motor transport operator. She has been scheduled to leave Afghanistan around Christmas and return to the US around the 6th of January.
"She's always been a kind-hearted person," [her stepmother] Amber Bragg told The Daily News. "She's always gone out of her way to help out other people in whatever way she could."
Friends said she had a knack for making people smile.
"She made everybody laugh," Bragg's best friend, 21-year-old Tiffany Holst, told the newspaper. "She was sweet and caring." ~source
During her service in the army, Spc. Bragg earned a number of military decorations including:
the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. ~source
Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered the flags across Washington to be flown at half-staff in Kayla's honor. Mikayla Bragg is survived by her father and stepmother, Steven and Amber Bragg, her mother, Sheyanne Baker, a sister, Kandyce, and several half-siblings.
Rest in peace, Spc. Mikayla Bragg, and thank you for your selfless service to our nation.
Late on Christmas evening, the Altmann family received the news that every military family fears most. Staff Sgt. Joseph Altman had been killed early on Christmas day in Afghanistan.
"Christmas will never be the same in the Altmann home," his father said. "He will be sadly missed."
The family is "devastated," even though they knew the risks Altmann faced by re-enlisting, his mother, Janice, said. ~source
On Tuesday, the Department of Defense announced that:
Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann, 27, of Marshfield, Wis., died Dec. 25, in Kunar province Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
S Sgt. Altman was a 2003 graduate of Columbus Catholic High School. Although he was never a star, Joseph Altmann played on the school's football and baseball teams. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County for a year, and he developed an interest in the medical field. While he was in college, he met an Army recruiter who suggested that his interests would be well served by joining the Army and becoming a medic.
Joseph Altmann found his calling as an army medic. He served two tours of duty in Iraq, and he had recently re-enlisted in the Army for another four years. He was scheduled to return from Afghanistan in February or March of 2012.
“He was really good at what he did. We’re so proud of him. He was doing what he enjoyed,” John Altmann said. As parents, he and Janice understood the risks inherent to serving in the military, John Altmann said, but they supported his career choice. Neither of them served in the military. ~source
S Sgt. Altmann married his wife, Nikki in February. They had hoped to start a family when he returned from Afghanistan. Joseph's parents, his wife and her parents, and his brother and sister witnessed the transfer of his body in Dover, Delaware. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Thank you Staff Sgt. Joseph Altmann for your service to our nation and to your fellow soldiers. Rest in peace.
Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance. May we always honor the service and sacrifice of Spc. Mikayla A. Bragg and Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann.