I Got The News Today (IGTNT) is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos. These diaries are a way for our community to pay its respects to those who have died as a result of war.
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Yesterday, many flags were lowered across more than one great nation, to honor a US Marine killed in Afghanistan. We gather tonight, as we have all too many nights before, to remember a life lost. This Marine from Arizona,
Staff Sergeant Jonathan D. Davis, is mourned by many.
Staff Sergeant Jonathan D. Davis
Jonathan D. Davis was a member of the Navajo Nation, and lived in Kayenta, Arizona. He had enlisted in the Marines in October of 1997. As a career officer, Davis had combat experience in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
He was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 32nd Georgian Liaison Team, Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, which is based at Camp Pendleton in California.
Marines have partnered with the Georgians while stationed in the Helmand province of Afghanistan for the last several years. Davis was serving as a motor transport operations chief and also acted as a liaison to the Georgian military as part of the Marine Corps’ Regimental Combat Team 7.
Staff Sergeant Jonathan D. Davis was killed in Afghanistan on February 22nd. He died while conducting combat operations in Helmand province. Details about the incident have not been released. He was 34 years of age.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer ordered that flags at all Arizona state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on February 26th in honor of Davis. Arizona state flags will again be lowered on the day of his interment, for which services are pending.
The flag of the Navajo Nation has also been lowered out of respect for those mourning the loss of Staff Sergeant Jonathan Davis.
Awards earned by Staff Sergeant Davis include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal.
An article in the
Orange County Register has some nice pictures and this quote:
Davis' death prompted all flags at state offices in Arizona to be flown at half-staff on Feb. 26. Flags are also being flown at half-staff on the Navajo Nation and at Fort McDowell on the Yavapei Nation.
"The Navajo Nation mourns the loss of a warrior who gave his life defending freedom. We are saddened by the loss of our warrior and we offer our prayers to the family during this difficult time," Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly said Monday posting the news to Facebook.
According to The Daily Times in Farmington, N. Mex., Davis was known for helping take the Navajo community to two state high school basketball championships in the late 1990s. The paper also reported that Davis was the 14th Navajo member of the armed forces to lose his life during Operation Enduring Freedom.
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About the IGTNT series:
”I Got the News Today” is a diary series 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. US service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diarized two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner. Click the IGTNT tags below to see previous diaries in the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, Monkeybiz, Noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, Twilight Falling, Joyful, Roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggiejean, JaxDem, TheFatLadySings & Ekaterin. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but show our community’s respect for those who have died.
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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.