Since 2001, 2050 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 two Army Sergeants
who died while serving in Afghanistan:
Sgt. Daniel A. Rodriguez, 28, of Baltimore, Maryland
Sgt. Jose J. Reyes, 24, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
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 two 10th Mountain Division soldiers:
Sgt. Daniel A. Rodriguez and Sgt. Jose J. Reyes died July 18, in Ghazni City, Afghanistan, when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.
The soldiers were heavy vehicle drivers assigned to the 548th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Drum, New York.
Sgt. Daniel A. Rodriguez, 28, of Baltimore, Maryland
Daniel Rodriguez from Baltimore, Maryland joined the Army in July 2002.
Sgt. Rodriguez was a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He deployed to Afghanistan from October 2003 to October 2005. Then Sgt. Rodriguez served two tours of duty to Iraq from November 2005 to November 2006, and June 2008 to June 2009.
Daniel Rodriguez was married. He and his wife were raising three children.
Sgt. Rodriguez deployed with his unit to Afghanistan in April. He was on a mounted patrol along with Sgt. Reyes when their vehicle hit an IED.
A highly decorated leader, Sgt. Rodriguez’s awards and decorations include two Purple Hearts, the Army Commendation Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, the Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, and the Combat Action Badge, among other awards.
Fort Drum News Release
Watertown Daily Times WBALTV
Among those Sgt. Rodriguez leaves behind are his wife, three children and mother.
Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez is missed. May he rest in peace.
Sgt. Jose J. Reyes, 24, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
Jose Reyes is a native of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.
Jose joined the Army in February 2010, and was assigned to Fort Drum after his training.
Jose Reyes was married, and he and his wife had two small children.
Last April, Sgt. Reyes left on his first deployment with his unit to Afghanistan. His unit was on a mounted patrol when he died from the same roadside bomb explosion that killed Sgt. Rodriguez.
Sgt. Reyes was a highly decorated soldier and leader in his short career. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, the Combat Action Badge, and five Certificates of Achievement.
Fort Drum News Release
Watertown Daily Times
Among those Sgt. Reyes leaves behind are his wife, two children, and mother and father.
Sgt. Jose J. Reyes 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.