Since 2001, 2017 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 three South Carolina
Guardsmen who died while serving in Afghanistan:
1st Lt. Ryan D. Rawl, 30, Lexington
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew B. Thomas, 30, Travelers Rest
Spc. John D. Meador II, 36, Columbia
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The Department of Defense identified three National Guard soldiers killed in an attack in Afghanistan:
1st Lt. Ryan D. Rawl, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew B. Thomas, and Spc. John D. Meador II
The three MPs died June 20 of wounds suffered in an attack with small arms fire and an improvised explosive. A bomber detonated an IED at their traffic control post near a crowded marketplace in Khowst province, Afghanistan. The attack killed 21 people and wounded five other SCNG soldiers.
The South Carolina Guardsmen were assigned to the 51st Military Police Battalion, based in Florence. They were MPs with the 133rd Military Police Company from Timmonsville, nicknamed the “Palmetto Regulators.”
Their military police company deployed to Afghanistan in November 2011 to train members of the Afghan Uniformed Police. The unit was due to return home in August, according to The State.
1st Lt. Ryan D. Rawl, 30, Lexington, South Carolina
Ryan Rawl had graduated from The Citadel in 2004 and served as a 1st lieutenant. He joined the local sheriff's department in 2005 according to Sheriff Leon Lott, and worked as a road deputy until early 2011.
A father of two children, Rawl said on his facebook page he was looking forward to coming home soon to see his kids.
1st Lt. Rawl became a school resource officer at Crayton Middle School in 2011.
“He wanted to work with kids; it takes a very unique person to be a school resource officer. Not everyone is able to do that,” Sheriff Lott said.
Crayton Middle School Principal Susan Childs said Thursday Rawl had “a major positive effect on our students and on our faculty.”
“We're all just kind in disbelief and devastated,” Childs said.
Rawl connected especially well with young people at the Richland 1 school, sometimes by cutting up with them, "and then by that relationship with them, he could pull them into serious conversations about their future and what choices they would have to make, and he would tell them they could do great things," Childs said in The State.
Among those 1st Lt. Rawl leaves behind are his children, and his kids at Crayton Middle School.
1st Lt. Ryan D. Rawl is missed. May he rest in peace.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew "Brad" Thomas, 30, Travelers Rest, South Carolina
Matthew Bradford Thomas was known to family and friends at Traveler's Rest High School by his middle name, "Brad." He joined the SCNG shortly after 9-11.
The 30-year old was married and the couple lived in Easley with their young son named Cayden, who turns three in September. Thomas planned to be home in time for the birthday celebration.
The family is grateful for the family photos they took when Sgt. 1st Class Thomas came home on leave in May.
"We thank everybody for their thoughts and prayers and concerns. Brad was very well-loved, and he's going to be very missed. He was a wonderful father and husband and son and a dedicated soldier," said his mother-in-law Tami Howell in a statement to News 4.
Tribune
Among those Sgt. 1st Class Thomas leaves behind are his wife and son, and the men in his company.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Brad Thomas is missed. May he rest in peace.
Spc. John D. Meador II, 36, Columbia, South Carolina
There is little information available on the 1994 Lexington High School graduate. Spc. Meador's family has asked for privacy from the media in this difficult time.
In a statement Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston, the state’s adjutant general, expressed condolences to all of their families in a statement reprinted in Military Times:
“These men died serving their country and I want to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to their families, who are the unsung heroes of our war effort,” Livingston said in a statement. “These deaths are grim reminders that our military, to include our South Carolina National Guard, is still in active defense of our country. We are privileged to have such heroes in our midst.”
Among those Spc. Meador leaves behind are his loved ones and friends in his military police unit.
Spc. John D. Meador II 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.