Goodbye, Katie: IGTNT, 5/4/07

Katie Soenksen was 19 years old. The Quad-City Times remembers the way she wanted a favorite teacher to think of her during her deployment:

Before Katie Soenksen joined the Army, she told a teacher that she was meant to enlist.

Then she instructed Sue Day:

"Don’t you dare be scared for me. Pray for me. Be happy for me. But don’t be scared for me."

She died in Baghdad on May 2. More below the fold.

From the Department of Defense:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Katie M. Soenksen, 19, of Davenport, Iowa, died May 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near her vehicle. She was assigned to the 410th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

The Sioux City Journal spoke with her father, Ronald Soenksen:

"She was determined in everything she did in her life," [he] told The Associated Press. "She was determined to make a difference."

...

Despite his loss, the father said he supports the mission in Iraq and never tried to discourage his daughter from joining the Army.

"She was on a mission," he said. "She wanted to go over there and keep (the war) on foreign soil. That was her main goal."

Katie Soenksen posted a note to Americasupportsyou.mil, a military site that posts messages from the troops. It reads, in part:

I want to take this time to say Thank You for the support. The support is what keeps us going. When times get rough and I don’t know what to do, I just look in my email and there’s an email from friends and family saying how much they are proud of me. Every day I go into the chow hall and on the wall is a big American flag that elementary students made with paint and their hand prints. Just the little things are what keep us going. So again THANK YOU for the support that we need!

If you've been meaning to send a package to a solider, sailor, or Marine, do it. In memory of Katie.

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The Department of Defense has confirmed 3,356 deaths and the announcement of seven more deaths is expected, pending notification of the next of kin, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here. The DoD news releases are here.

They all had friends and loved ones. Please visit the Iraq Veterans Memorial for a moving look at how a few of their survivors remember them. It will break your heart. If you want to do something more, please visit anysoldier.com, Operation Helmet, and/or Fisher House.

I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here to see the series, which is maintained by i dunno, Sandy on Signal, silvercedes, noweasels, and myself.

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Additional notes:

The "I Got the News Today" team is looking for new diarists. If you would like to help out -- even once a month -- please get in touch with silvercedes, Sandy on Signal, or me, monkeybiz.

Free Spirit recently pointed out that rising postal rates will affect those who send packages to soldiers, sailors, and Marines. Send your package now and beat the increase.

Noweasels is slated to do Saturday's diary. Please visit, remember those who have been killed, and welcome noweasels to the series.