I Got The News Today (IGTNT), which is one of 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 as well as serving in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of a DoD civilian who was supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan.
Krissie K. Davis, 54, of Talladega, Alabama, a member of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Anniston, Alabama, and deployed to DLA Disposition Services Bagram as part of the civilian expeditionary workforce, was killed June 8, during an indirect fire attack on Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan.
~ DoD News Release
Krissie K. Davis, 54, of Talladega, Alabama
Krissie K. Davis served her country for more than three decades as a career civil servant with an impeccable record. Krissie's service began with the Bureau of Prisons and Department of the Army and moved to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in Texarkana, followed by McAlester and finally with the Anniston disposition site. In 2010 Krissie deployed with DLA to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, and Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan as a Civilian Expeditionary Workforce volunteer. Ms Davis left for her current deployment as an environmental protection specialist to Bagram Airfield on April 25th.
The agency provides supplies and services to the U.S. military worldwide by destroying or repurposing weapons, armor, vehicles and other property to ensure they will not pose a threat to American lives by falling into enemy hands. Since the beginning of operations in Afghanistan, civilians like Ms. Davis have overseen the disposal of more than 1 billion pounds of unusable or broken equipment. Currently more than 40 DLA military and civilian members and 150 contract personnel remain in Afghanistan. Krissie K. Davis is the first deployed DLA Disposition Services civilian lost to combat-related injuries.
Davis' father, Leon Kissic who is an 11-year U.S. Army veteran, was distraught over the lack of details surrounding his daughter's death. Leon spoke to some of the things he remembered most about his daughter:
She loved other people, but her family came first. I had three major heart attacks. I’d call her and she would beat the ambulance there. She went to Birmingham after working all day and stayed all night with me. That was the kind of girl she was. We loved each other very much, and if there was anything wrong, she’d come to me, sit down and talk to me.
Krissie's brother, Curtis Kissic, lavished praise on his sister in particular for her encouragement during his tough times:
She just helped me through the hard times and picked me up when I was down. Any trouble I had, I could sit down and talk to her. Anything I needed, I could call on her to go get it. She kept me on the right track and told me just to do right and make something of myself.
First cousin, Gina Strickland said Krissie didn’t hesitate to deploy and assured her family she would be in "one of the safest places".
The whole time she was assuring us of things, she was smiling, and she was actually getting tickled at us because we were scared to death for her. She was explaining to us how beautiful the country is despite it being a war zone. She was telling us about she could see the snow on top of the mountains from afar. She continuously talked about how wonderful the people she worked with were. She absolutely loved her job, and she couldn’t brag about it enough. Her plans were to retire when she got back.
Last night, I honestly sat and was looking back over the years, and I cannot remember ever not seeing her smiling and laughing. Even if she was pitching a fit about something one of the family members had done, she was still laughing and smiling. It didn’t matter what the crisis was — it didn’t take the smile away.
Friends and neighbors in Talladega described Krissie as having a great sense of humor, an unshakeable devotion to her husband and daughter and an American patriot.
Mayor Larry Barton was friends with Davis and expressed his pride in her service and said the city would proudly honor her at their veterans park in the future.
It's a sad situation that's any time you have the loss of a loved one. It's sad. But when you have a citizen that's been in town all their life...know their mother and dad...it's just shock. You hear these things happening throughout the world but you never think it's going to come home to you.
Lifelong childhood friend, Shelia Garrett had known Krissie for more than 45 years and graduated together from Talladega High School as part of the Class of 1979.
The one big thing I’ll remember about Krissie is her smile and her laughter, and how she could turn a sad situation or a not-so-good situation into a happier situation, make you laugh and make you forget about what you were upset about. She never met a stranger. She was a friend to anybody and everybody.
Krissie was very dedicated to her family. She was helping take care of her parents now. She’s very dedicated to her job. She loved what she did. I don’t know if she had a lot of free time. She was a sweet, sweet soul.
Dale Bennett, DLA Disposition Services Mid-America Director knew Krissie well:
Krissie had a great sense humor, and as the region director I could always depend on her to give me the straight truth. She would sometimes use that sense of humor to help me understand operational issues or challenges that her site was experiencing.
Lt. Gen. Andy Busch, Agency Director:
Those of you that worked with Krissie or called her friend know the loss we are experiencing first hand. Her death is a terrible reminder that even as we draw down from the conflicts we've faced overseas, there are still DLA military personnel and civilians in harm's way and facing hardships every day.
In remembering a coworker who was always willing to help, Gail Haas said:
We'll always remember Krissie for her friendly personality and her infectious smile. If you needed to talk to someone about something or had a question, Krissie was there for you, willing to give you her ideas and her experiences along with a laugh.
Krissie knew no strangers. When she smiled at you with that big grin, you just had to smile back. Krissie’s strong southern drawl in the way she said, 'Hey, ya'll,' her conversations, laughter and her friendship will live deep in our memories for a long, long time.
Dignified Transfer at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware on June 10, 2015.
Krissie Kissic Davis is survived by her husband Mike, their daughter, Angela Mitchell, three grandchildren, and her parents, Leon and Grace Kissic.
No funeral arrangements have been announced as yet. The service will be announced by Usrey Funeral Home in Talladega, Alabama.
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About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno in 2004 and now is maintained by Sandy on Signal, i dunno, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Ekaterin, TheFatLadySings, Joy of Fishes, and me, JaxDem.
These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died and show our community’s respect for them. 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.
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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.