I Got The News Today (IGTNT) is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos. It is a way for our community to pay respect to those who have died as a result of war.
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We gather again this evening to share in remembering the lives of two more of our nation's sons lost to war.
Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis
Michael H. Ollis was from New Dorp, a neighborhood in Staten Island, which is one of the five bourghs of New York City. He graduated from Michael J. Petrides High School in 2006. While there, he was active in the ROTC Color Guard and coached youth soccer at Corporal Thompson Park in West Brighton.
Following in the footsteps of his Army veteran father and grandfather, Ollis joined the U.S. Army in August of 2006. After training at Fort Hamilton in New York and at Fort Benning in Georgia, he was assigned to Smith Barracks in Germany and to Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
Ollis had served in Iraq from April of 2008 for 14 months and then in Afghanistan starting in June of 2010. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light) and arrived at their base at Fort Drum in November of 2011. This past January, he was deployed overseas a third time.
Ollis was serving in the strategically important Ghazni province of Afghanistan. The province is in the eastern part of the country, between the capital, Kabul, and the country’s second largest city, Kandahar.
During a massive firefight on August 28, insurgents launched their most complex attack of the year. The effort involved multiple vehicle bombs. It was a failed attempt to overrun a NATO base, but did result in the deaths of two U.S. soldiers, the wounding of 10 Polish soldiers, and also injured dozens of Afghans. News of the attack and others that day was detailed in an AP story on Yahoo News. Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis, 24 years of age, was killed in the line of duty during the fighting.
An article in the New York Daily News tells of reactions to the news of Michael's death:
“We are so very proud of Michael,” his mother, Linda Ollis, told the Daily News Friday as the family waited for his flag-draped coffin to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
“He always wanted to be a soldier, and we were very supportive of him. He had just received the Bronze Star a few weeks ago.”
His father, Robert, earned the Bronze Star in Vietnam, but was not presented with the award until 2009. “Being a father, I was doing backflips when he mentioned it,” Robert Ollis said of the award. “I thought it was wonderful; he was the only squad leader to get one. But he didn’t get into any details. He just said, ‘Oh yeah, by the way. . .’ ”
Flags on state government buildings in New York will be flown at half-staff on Wednesday, September 4th, in honor of Staff Sergeant Ollis. In the evening of that same day, a candlelight vigil will be held for Ollis at the Great Kills Veterans Memorial, located outside Great Kills Staten Island Railway station.
Some of the honors earned by Staff Sergeant Ollis were the Bronze Star, four Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement medals, the Valorous Unit Award, the meritorious Unit Commendation, and two Army Good Conduct Medals.
Among those surviving Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis are his parents, Robert and Linda Ollis, who were on vacation in Europe when the sad news came about their son.
The following tribute was written by CalNM:
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of a soldier in the same attack that killed Staff Sergeant Ollis:
Sgt. 1st Class Ricardo D. Young, 34, of Rosston, Arkansas
Sgt. 1st Class Young died August 28, in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, after being wounded by small arms fire. Young was assigned to the 307th Engineer Battalion (Combat/ Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Rosston, Arkansas is a small community of close-knit families, many with military veterans, like the Youngs. News of a local war hero's passing has hit hard in this rural town. Over the weekend Flags were flown at half-staff throughout the State in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Ricardo Young, reports
arkansas matters.
Ricardo Young was a 1997 graduate of Nevada High School, according to the Magnolia Reporter. Soon afterward he joined the Army as an Infantryman. During his 16-year career, Sgt. 1st Class Young served many assignments, including two earlier combat tours in Iraq.
Ricardo Young was married. He was currently assigned to the 738th ESC as a Horizontal Construction Engineer.
Sgt. 1st Class Young's fateful tour in Afghanistan was expected to be completed next month.
His family says Sergeant First Class Young was shot and killed while trying to get his men to safety.
His family says he died doing what he loved.
The Department of Defense awarded the young sergeant the Purple Heart Medal.
"So many people are so grateful for what he's done for our country and we just, the loss is beyond measure," said relative Kristen Evans to ArkLaTex.
"It's just hard, and I mean he should always be remembered, everyone should remember him in a good way."
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His fellow Engineers remembered Young's leadership and humor, reported the Fort Bragg Patch.
“Sergeant First Class Ricardo Young leaves behind a legacy of intense camaraderie with his fellow Soldiers. He had a special sense of humor that endeared him to his fellow man,” said Col. James H. Raymer, 20th Engineer Brigade commander.
“Whether you were taking classes with him, or serving alongside him on a deployed mission, you could not help but think how worthy he was of professional emulation. Sergeant Young loved family, football, and the Army - a career he cultivated for 15 years with 2 tours to Iraq and 1 to Afghanistan, as well as several other overseas assignments. He will be missed,” Raymer said.
Family and friends told ArkLaTex they'll always remember Ricardo
as "fun, loving, and caring, ..... and always full of life."
"I just couldn't believe that he wasn't coming home anymore," said his Aunt, Nadine Quarles.
"I got up this morning and I wrote him a letter, a love letter because I want him
to know that we love him and he'll never be forgotten."
Among those Sgt. 1st Class Young leaves behind are his wife, parents, and family, and the men in his unit.
Sgt. 1st Class Ricardo Young is missed. May he Rest in Peace.
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Helping our troops:
If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider contributing to Fisher House. Donating to Netroots for the Troops provides care packages that make a real difference in a military person's life. To assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Also, you could visit:
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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 tag below to see previous diaries in the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by i dunno, Sandy on Signal, Monkeybiz, Noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Jax Dem, The Fat Lady Sings, Ekaterin, & Joy of Fishes. 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.