IGTNT: A Hole in Hearts that Can Never Be Filled

Doc, that name summons the image of someone solid, dependable, there when you most need them. That’s who Petty Officer First Class Mark Cannon was. That’s who his "guys" will miss the most. When they call, it won’t be he who answers.

Mark summons the image of a guy with an easy, warm laugh, a good buddy, a good son. That’s who Mark Cannon was. That’s who his father will miss the most.

            DoD Identifies Navy Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Petty Officer Third Class Mark R. Cannon, 31, of Lubbock, Texas died Oct. 2 while conducting combat operations in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.  Cannon was a hospital corpsman assigned to 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Petty Officer Third Class Mark R. Cannon, 31, Lubbock, Texas

"He had a real tender, soft side to him which went well with his interest in the medical field. He had that manner that could make people feel good," Mark Cannon’s father said, of his 6’5", 250 lb son, who loved Texas barbecue and Mexican food.

Petty Officer Third Class Mark Russell Cannon, 31, was shot in the chest Tuesday, while on ground patrol in Afghanistan.  

Tom Cannon says 9-11 really impacted Mark and he decided to leave his career as a nurse's aid at Covenant Medical Center and join the Navy.

Petty Officer Cannon was stationed in Hawaii and served in Iraq for seven months as a medic. He then volunteered to be a part of this special operation in Afghanistan. He had only been there since mid- July. Although Cannon served in the Navy, he had been reassigned to the Marines as a medic.

His dad says public service was in Mark's blood. Thomas Cannon is a former court at law judge and his mom, Becky Cannon, who passed away after a brave fight against cancer in 2006, was the executive director of the Lubbock Rape Crisis Center in Lubbock for 30 years. Mark was their only child. Six days after his mom died, Petty Officer Cannon left for Iraq.

Last Christmas, his father, a new widower, went to Hawaii to visit his only child. Bits of his son's tour in Iraq were captured on a video, which he watched.

"(Someone in the video said) 'Here comes Doc. He's as big as an ox and half as smart.' They kidded everyone, but they also had this camaraderie and they all protected their 'docs' because they were so important to their unit. They were the ones with the ability to care for the wounded. That's what he did. And not just for American soldiers, but for Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi police," said Tom Cannon, as the American flag on his lawn blew back and forth in the wind. Cannon had taken the flag down due to high winds, but put it back up after he was told of his son’s death.

Petty Officer Cannon spent most of his time in Afganistan caring for Afghani children who had been wounded in shrapnel and mortar attacks, he told his father.

Family friend Kelly Whitman watched Mark grow from a tall, skinny boy who couldn't play high school sports because of a knee injury, to a proud warrior.

"I would tell him all the time, 'It's an honor to know you,' " she said.

"He grew up to be very serious about his job. He cared so very much about his guys. He was their leader. ... His guys in Afghanistan - I feel worse for them than I do for us because they lost their doc," Whitman said.

Cannon joined the Navy in 2003, his record shows, and he had advanced to third class in this year’s spring cycle. His awards included a Purple Heart, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

His dad says the thing he will miss most is his son's laugh and love for life.

About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT) I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.

Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, silvercedes, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Wee Mama, twilight falling, moneysmith, sheddhead, labwitchy, joyful, roses, monkeybiz, and me, chacounne

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.