A military funeral is awarded any member of the armed forces who dies in battle. One element of the military funeral is the folding of the flag which had been draped over the coffin and the presentation of that flag by a member of the military honor guard to the next of kin. The presentation of the flag often provides an important sense of closure to the surviving family members. The presentation procedure involves the honor guard member kneeling in front of the recipient, holding the folded flag waist high with the straight edge facing the recipient and while leaning toward the recipient the Honor Guard for the United States Army would say:
"On behalf of the President of the United States and the people of a grateful nation, may I present this flag as a token of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service your loved one rendered this nation."
The Honor Guard for the United States Marine Corps would say:
"On behalf of the President of the United States, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's service to Country and Corps."
The Honor Guard for the United States Navy would say:
"On behalf of the President of the United States and the Chief of Naval Operations, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one's service to this Country and a grateful Navy."
Honoring and Remembering:
Staff Sgt. Jerry D. Reed II
Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which began in April of 2004 making it one of 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.
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Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of
1897 American lives and a total of 2892 Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.
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This video, demonstrating the proper protocol for folding a flag, was produced by the Arlington National Cemetery and is narrated by Tom Sherlock, Arlington Historian.
At the end of the day, those soldiers honored the flag and here at Arlington that flag honors them.
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Staff Sgt. Jerry D. Reed II, 30, of Russellville, Arkansas
Sgt. Jerry D. Reed II, 30, of Russellville, Ark., died Feb. 16, in Paktika province, Afghanistan.
Reed was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany. ~ DoD News Release
* This DoD news release reflects Reed as a Sergeant. His Brigade Commander refers to him as a Staff Sergeant. I have chosen to leave this DoD release as it appears, but I refer to Reed elsewhere as Staff Sergeant.
COL Edward T. Bohnemann, Commander
172nd Separate Infantry Brigade
released this statement on the 172nd Infantry Bridage, Blackhawk Facebook Page:
It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that the brigade mourns the loss of another member of Task Force Blackhawk. Staff Segreant Jerry Reed, an Infantry Team Leader assigned to Alpha Company 2-28, Task Force 3-66, died on February 16th.
SSG Reed was a superb non-commissioned officer, always leading from the front and demonstrating the greatest level of care for all his soldiers.
SSG Reed was a dedicated Soldier, always striving to be the best that he could be. He often spent hours each day at the gym, ensuring that he and his fellow Soldiers were physically fit and prepared for the rigors of each mission that faced them. He aggressively lead dozens of mounted and dismounted patrols in western Paktika Province, greatly contributing to the success of the TF Blackhawks.
That loss, like that of our previous Fallen Heroes, affects this entire brigade. SSG Reed is survived by his mother and two sons. Our thoughts and prayers are with SSG Reed's family. ~ Facebook
There has been no other information released regarding the cause of death nor any personal information about Staff Sgt Jerry D. Reed II. May he rest in Eternal Peace.
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~ Many thanks to CalNM for this moving write up.
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a Navy hospital corpsman who was supporting a Marine unit deployed to Afghanistan:
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Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada, 21, of Maricopa, Arizona
Petty Officer 3rd Class Estrada died February 14 as a result of a non-combat related wound in Djibouti. PO3 Estrada was a Fleet Marine Force sailor serving with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1 as a medic aka "Devil Doc." The landing team is the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton, California. The unit deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group to the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility.
Kyler Estrada grew up in Maricopa County, Arizona, where he graduated from Queen Creek High School, southeast of Phoenix. He joined the Navy and moved to Oceanside, California, near the Naval Base in San Diego. He got engaged to his future wife, Alyssa, in December 2010, and they married a year ago.
On his facebook page, Doc Estrada described his job as "fix broken Marines." The 21 year-old died during a live-fire training exercise in Djibouti on Valentine’s Day. The Marine unit had stopped in Africa during a tour of the Arabian Sea in support of the war in Afghanistan.
The Marines' love and respect for their Doc was apparent in a February 17 memorial service held aboard USS Makin Island, according to DVIDS:
All hands celebrated the life and service of Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada.... A display of more than 700 men and women pressed shoulder to shoulder and filled the ship’s aircraft hangar with heavy hearts.
“Doc died in the company of his brothers – brothers who trained and sweat with him, brothers who rushed to his side and would not give up on him after he fell,” said Capt. Matthew McGirr, commanding officer of India Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, Estrada’s company.
Eleventh MEU chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Jon Conroe said Estrada was “a young man full of life and humor and devotion to his family, to his fellow sailors and Marines, to his country and to his god.”
“Doc Estrada’s presence in our life was truly a gift – a gift with which we will be forever blessed,” said Conroe.
Photo: A detail of seven Marines who served with Estrada fired rifle volleys in his honor and a Navy bugler sounded taps. Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn.
Estrada's wife Alyssa, also wrote about "her soul mate" and the love of her life on facebook, as reported in
U-T San Diego:
"Kyler Estrada is now and always will be the one love of my life. Thank you baby for giving me enough happiness in one year to last me the rest of forever. I will never forget you my love."
Thanking family and friends for the outpouring of condolences, she said: "Kyler was so blessed to have so many people who cared about him, and always will."
Among those Petty Officer 3rd Class Estrada leaves behind are his wife, his parents and other family, and his Marines.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler Estrada is missed. May he rest in peace.
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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.
USA Together - "It's like craigslist for Wounded Warriors". Brings together injured service members who need assistance as they recover, with the people who want to help them.
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.