Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality. ~Emily Dickinson
I Got the News Today (IGTNT) is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
I Got The News Today (IGTNT), which began in April of 2004, is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos and 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 beautiful forget-me-nots were created by llbear.
Since 2003 there have been 4489 US casualties in Iraq and since 2001 there have been 2357 US casualties in Afghanistan. Source.
Spc. John M. Dawson, 22
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
Spc. John M. Dawson, 22, of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, died April 8, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was attacked by small arms fire while he was on an escort mission.
He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 33 Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Dawson joined the Army in 2012.
The gunman was an Afghan National Army soldier who “turned traitor” on his American allies, said Army Sergeant Paul Reis, who was assigned as a liaison to the Dawson family after Dawson’s death. He said other soldiers were wounded in the attack.
Dawson’s cousin, James F. Baxendale, said Dawson was a proud soldier and “the kind of kid anyone would be proud to have as a son.”
The tragic news spread quickly in Dawson's hometown of Whitinsville. Neighbor Steve Falconer tied a yellow ribbon around a tree. Veterans' groups began handing out American flags to honor him.
Vietnam veteran Ken Trajanowski tells The Boston Globe the service groups had thousands of flags for funeral services and decided to “paint the town red, white and blue” Saturday for Dawson.
It's a punch to the gut," Falconer said. "Someone in your neighborhood and in your town, and it's an American fighting for you. When you can make a personal connection to it, it gives you a feeling you don't otherwise experience very often with news.
Dawson’s awards include the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
Dawson is survived by his parents, Rhonda Dawson and Michael Dawson, both of Whitinsville, Mass., and a sister, Ashley.
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To see what these tributes mean to those who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, please read Sandy on Signal’s story about meeting the father of a soldier at NN10.
The IGTNT logo was created by Timroff.
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.