Since 2001, 1920 U.S. troops have died while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4486 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 a Marine and an Air Force
fighter pilot who died while serving in the Afghanistan war:
Staff Sgt. Joseph D’Augustine, 29, of Waldwick, New Jersey
Capt. Francis D. Imlay, 31, of Vacaville, California
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a Marine during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:
Staff Sgt. Joseph D’Augustine, 29, of Waldwick, New Jersey
Staff Sgt. Joe D’Augustine died March 27 on his fourth combat tour. He was an explosives disposal specialist assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Joe D'Augustine grew up in tight-knit North Jersey suburb of Waldwick. He had a brother and sisters and was the son of a detective, and inspired to serve his country. Joe graduated from Waldwick High School in 2001, where he was a star wrestler and offensive and defensive player in football. His athletic versatility helped him earn honorable mention on the newspaper's 2000 All-Bergen County defensive team.
Friends say Joe "grew up wanting to be a US Marine, and in the end, it was a dream that he died for." The 29-year-old was a specialist trained to dismantle bombs and land mines as part of a ordnance disposal unit.
Just two weeks before coming home, Staff Sgt. D'Augustine died performing his duty diffusing explosives to protect other Marines. He was due to come home in 15 days to attend the May wedding of a sister.
“It’s a hell of a thing, you know, it hurts,” neighbor Anthony Scicchitano said on CBS NY.
Scicchitano watched from his house across the street as decorated military officers delivered the devastating news to D’Augustine’s mother on Tuesday.
“After they left I went across the street and said, ‘Patti, it can’t be’ and she said, ‘I lost my son,’” Scicchitano said.
“That’s what took Joey’s life; he was diffusing a bomb,” Scicchitano said. “Somebody’s gotta do the job and unfortunately Joey picked the wrong card.”
“His sister spoke to him Monday night before she went to bed and this happened the day after,” Scicchitano said. “She would have loved him to be here for the wedding; everybody would have loved him to be here.”
Staff Sgt. D’Augustine had already served two tours in Iraq and was on his second tour in Afghanistan. On his last tour, D’Augustine didn’t have much time for phone calls. He kept in touch with family through emails.
“Every time he left, we would hold our breath,” said a sister. "Afghanistan was rough duty. “He said it was really bad over there."
“We are very proud of him. He was the best brother and son, and uncle.”
“He loved life,” said Waldwick Mayor Thomas Giordano in NorthJersey.com The Record.“He was a very friendly, outgoing man who had tons of friends. He’s going to be missed a lot.”
This week, an entire town will welcome D’Augustine home. On Wednesday, flags in Waldwick were at half-staff. The family is planning a procession through town as it returns home from Delaware with D’Augustine’s body.
“We’re like family in Waldwick,” Giordano said. “We will pull together for him.
We’re waiting for him to come home.”
Among those Staff Sgt. D’Augustine leaves behind are his parents, sisters and brother, and his fellow Marines.
Staff Sgt. Joe D’Augustine is missed. May he rest in peace.
NBC NY
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of an airman who was supporting the war in Afghanistan.
Capt. Francis D. Imlay, 31, of Vacaville, California
Capt. Francis "Dee" Imlay died March 28 from injuries received in the crash of his F-15 aircraft near a base in Southwest Asia. He was assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron, Air Force 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
Capt. Imlay was an airman with the the "Bold Tigers" and his call sign was "Piston" as part of the Gunfighter wing. Another crew member was injured in Wednesday's crash and treated for minor injuries. The crew member’s name has not been released.
Dee Imaly was born into a military family and lived overseas growing up. He graduated 1998 from Lakenheath HS in Englad. He enlisted in the ROTC program in Auburn University Alabama and graduated in 2004. Dee completed his pilot training at Shepard AFB in Texas and worked as a pilot instructor.
Capt. Imlay excelled at his career and was considered a stellar fighter pilot with over 2,500 flight hours.
Dee Imlay and his wife moved Southwest Idaho desert to Mountain Home AFB in October 2010. The couple had started a family and had two young children, aged 2 and 4. His friends called him a "dedicated family man and father, and a joy to be around," in the Idaho Statesman.
More than 300 Mountain Home AFB Airmen remain deployed overseas in support F-15E contingency missions designed to deliver combat air power for joint operations and to meet ground commander requirements, according to NWCN
“It is with a heavy heart I inform you we lost a valued member of the Gunfighter family yesterday,” MHAFB Commander Col. Ron Buckley said. “Today we mourn the loss of one of our warriors, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and coworkers during this time. He was a true professional and his dedication to the Gunfighter family will not soon be forgotten.”
Among those Capt. Imlay leaves behind are his wife and two children, and MHAFB family.
Capt. Francis Dee Imlay is missed. May he rest in peace.
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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.
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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, JaxDem, theFatLadySings, Ekaterin, 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.