I Got The News Today (IGTNT), which is the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
Capt. David I. Lyon
Capt. David I. Lyon, 28, of Sandpoint, Idaho, died on December 27, 2013 from wounds suffered when his vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Capt. David I. Lyon, as a 1st Lieutenant
Capt. Lyon was assigned to the 21st Logistics Readiness Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado and had been stationed there since January 2010. He was serving a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, where he was on a combat advisory mission while working with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan. He was scheduled to return to Peterson AFB in February.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Capt. Lyon. The loss of life pains our team deeply. We are poised to assist his family and friends in their time of need and have support services in place to facilitate those needs," said Col. John Shaw, 21st Space Wing commander.
Capt. Lyon was a 2008 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, where he was a three-year letter winner for the Falcons' track and field team. The team’s head coach Ralph Lindeman recalled:
My memories … are not of how far he threw or any honors he received … but of his character and leadership. A fearless and intense competitor, Dave was one of the nicest young men I can ever remember in my 24+ years coaching at USAFA. He cared deeply about his teammates and his team. Dave was the epitome of a "warrior and winner."
In addition, others who knew Capt. Lyon described him as an exceptional man: "an amazing person and friend," "one of the greatest leaders I served with," and "simply one of the best officers I have ever worked with."
Capt. Lyon’s wife, Dana Pounds-Lyon, is also a US Air Force Academy graduate deployed in Afghanistan, and she will accompany his body to Dover Air Force Base. Memorial services are expected to be held at the Air Force Academy.
Sources: Department of Defense, Peterson Air Force Base, Air Force Falcons, MWC Board, and Facebook.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. 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 DoD news releases are here, and all of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here. These men and women all had people who they loved and who loved them.
Click the IGTNT tags to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by i dunno, Monkeybiz, Noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, The Fat Lady Sings, Ekaterina, Sandy on Signal, and me, Joy of Fishes.
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.