In Flanders Fields
by Lt. Col. John McRae, MD, (1872-1918)
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved,
and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Cathcart, 31, of Bay City, Michigan, died Nov. 14, in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, of wounds received from small arms fire while on dismounted combat operations.
He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Cathcart, Green Beret
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Cathcart was a Special Forces Green Beret soldier, who served two tours of duty in Iraq (2003, 2005) with the 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) and served in Afghanistan with the Third Battalion, Third Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, NC. He joined the Third Special Forces in 2009 and was an engineer.
Cathcart grew up in Michigan and graduated in 2001 from Bay City Central High School. His mother, Jeanne Cathcart, was a single-mom, who raised both Michael and his sister, Trisha. Marlo Leveling, Cathcart's cousin, told mlive.com:
"He was the rock for the family," Leveling said. "The oldest tends to take on more responsibility, and with a single mom, he did just that. He loved her so much and she was so proud of him."
Last year, while recovering at Fort Bragg from injuries in Afghanistan, he was invited to practice with the Carolina Hurricanes. From the
Detroit Free Press:
"When hearing about Sgt. Mike, it was tough to hear, obviously," Carolina captain Eric Staal says on the video. "You talk about heroes, but for us, we got to experience one firsthand. It was a phenomenal day. It was something that every one of my teammates and I are going to remember for a long time."
Defenseman John-Michael Liles, who went to Michigan State, said: "It's terrible news, always tragic. We absolutely had an amazing time with him. ... Really enjoyed meeting him and spending time with him and having him on the ice with us. He was a special individual. All thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his brothers-in-arms."
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Cathcart was awarded the following medals and decorations: Three Bronze Medals, the Purple Heart Medal, and four Army Commendation Medals. Funeral arrangements are pending. There will be a memorial service at Fort Bragg, with an additional service at his home in Bay City, Michigan.
Rest in Peace, Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Cathcart.
Sources: Freep.com,Stripes.com,mlive.com,
Since 2001, there have been 2350 American troops killed in Afghanistan.
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.
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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
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, Joy of Fishes, and me, Sandy on Signal.
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.