IGTNT: He Never Got to Hold His Baby Boy

Death from "injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident" can cover a lot of ground, but tonight the phrase seems inadequate to describe what happened to 22-year-old Army Sgt. Kyle Dayton, of El Dorado Hills, Calif.:

(H)is grandmother told News10 that Dayton died when he was checking on a dead body in a vehicle. Eleanor Miller of El Dorado Hills said the body was "booby trapped" and exploded, killing her grandson instantly. His commander suffered severe burns in the incident.

Sgt. Dayton died Dec. 3 in Ashwah, Iraq without ever having seen his 3-month-old son, Sean.

Please join me this evening in remembering him.

This is Sgt. Kyle Dayton.

James Banuelos lived a few houses away from Dayton, and got to know him during their junior year at Oak Ridge High School, in El Dorado Hills, Calif., according to the Sacramento Bee. Best friends, they played football for the Trojans and were part of the school’s track team. The newspaper doesn’t say, but I bet they spent their share of days ragging each other about the game, watching girls and hanging out – performing all the little rituals of friendship. It wasn’t all that long ago, for them.

October, 2003 found the friends separated – Banuelos to the University of California, Riverside, and Dayton to the military. Banuelos told the Bee that his friend dreamed of becoming a police officer, but didn’t feel ready for college. So he joined the Army. They kept in touch via email, right up until a few days before Sgt. Dayton died. Banuelos remembers his friend as "the most loyal person I ever met – stubborn as hell, but loyal.... When he thought he was right, he would fight to the death to make sure people knew he was right."

In 2004, Dayton met the woman who would become his wife. He and Nicole had attended high school together, says the Bee, but didn’t get to know each other until after his graduation. "If a friend was ever in need, Kyle would be the first one by their side," she said. "From the first conversation we had, I knew I wanted to be part of his life."

Nicole Dayton also told the Bee about her husband’s loyal nature:

"What I'll remember most about Kyle was his laugh, and his amazing ability to make me laugh when I needed it and his unfailing selfless nature.... When I was pregnant, Kyle went out at 11 p.m. and used his last two dollars to get me the Dairy Queen hot dogs I just couldn't live without."

They had endured a separation when Dayton, then an infantryman with the 82nd Airborne’s 2nd Bn., 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, deployed to Afghanistan in April 2005. His tour ended in March 2006. She must have missed him dearly. Shortly after he got back to North Carolina, she packed her bags to be with him; they were married soon after, says the Bee.

When the news came that he was going to Iraq, she was three months away from giving birth to their son. "Before he left, he told me he didn't think that he was gonna be coming (back)," said Nicole Dayton..."I just thought he was being paranoid. I always thought of it in my head as a terrible thing that you see on the news, but it doesn't actually happen to you, you know."

Sean was born while his father was serving in Iraq. Sgt. Dayton saw pictures. But he never got to hold his baby boy.

"The one thing I really wish he could have done was hold our son Sean just once," (Nicole Dayton) said. "He was so excited about becoming a daddy."

Those who worked alongside him also mourn his loss. From Fort Bragg:

"Sgt. Kyle Dayton was more than just a leader, or a soldier, or a friend," said Staff Sgt. Geoffrey Creel, a squad leader in the same company as Dayton. "Dayton's personality, professionalism, and approach to leadership was a part of the soul of this company and of this battalion; and just as it is with everything lost, you only realize how important that part was once it is gone. Dayton was a large part of us; of our family."

(snip)

"Dayton was a brother to us all, the bravery and courage he possessed will always be with the men of Bravo Company," said 1st Lt. Robert J. Hanratty, Bravo Co. Executive Officer.

Dayton's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two gold loops, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon with the numeral 2, the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Parachutist's Badge.

There should be a Dairy Queen medal -- a recognition of goodness, in praise of a man who would get up in the middle of the night, drive to the DQ and spend his last few dollars to make his pregnant wife happy. An award for being a good guy.

"He's the love of my life and I'll never forget him," said Nicole Dayton. "I'm gonna make sure that Sean knows everything he can possibly know about his dad."

A memorial service was planned for Dayton in Iraq; his body is scheduled to arrive home in California on Sunday. Capitol flags are at half-staff in his honor. Along with his wife and son, his survivors include his mother, Linda McLaurin of Tracy, Calif. and his grandparents, Eleanor and Jim Miller of El Dorado Hills.

Godspeed, Sgt. Kyle Dayton.

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The Department of Defense has confirmed 3,886 deaths, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here. The DoD news releases are here.

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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. 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.

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, chacounne, Wee Mama, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Avila and me, monkeybiz.

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.