The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died June 23 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Killed were:
1st Lt. Daniel P. Riordan, 24, of St. Louis, Mo.
Sgt. Joel A. House, 22, of Lee, Maine.
Sgt. Jimy M. Malone, 23, of Wills Point, Texas.
Spc. Derek A. Calhoun, 23, of Oklahoma
First Lt. Daniel Riordan, 24, St. Louis. Mo.
"I can’t send my men into a situation where it’s dangerous if I’m not willing to lead." That’s the kind of stand up guy 1st Lt. Daniel Riordan was, and it’s what he told Patty Czajkowski, at his hometown St. John Vianney High School, when she urged him to keep his head down and "make sure somebody covers your backside. You don’t have to be the first one through the door." She described him as an "Awesome kid. We’re really going to miss him around here."
Vianney football coach, Gene Gladstone always knew Lt. Riordan was destined to lead."[T]hat’s exactly the kind of student he was ... always upbeat and charismatic. You could tell that as a young man, now he was in a position to lead men like himself." "It’s left a hole in a lot of people’s hearts."
"He was the tops," said Vianney Principal Larry Keller. "He was a young man committed to his mission and very, very concerned about the young men entrusted to him."
He asked his former teachers at St. John Vianney High School to keep praying for him. Army 1st Lt. Daniel P. Riordan told his mother to quit worrying and enjoy the good life in Sunset Hills.
In a statement his family released Tuesday, his mother wrote of telling Riordan while in college that he didn't have to go into the military. His response, she wrote, was that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, made him "more committed to serving now than ever."
Shortly before he left for Iraq, he told her, "This is what I am called to do."
Lt. Riordan, 24, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, grew up in south St. Louis County, and graduated from St. John Vianney High School and Southeast Missouri State University. He received his commission through the Air Force ROTC in college and became an Army officer in November 2005. He had been in Iraq since October. Lt. Riordan earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, according to an Army spokeswoman.
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Jeanine and Robert Rainey of Sunset Hills, Missouri; his father and stepmother, Rick and Michelle Riordan of Fort Myers, Florida; and his twin brother, Nick, and older sister, Suzanne, both of Sunset Hills, Missouri.
Two funds have been set up in Lt. Riordan’s name:
One at Vianney High School, his alma mater, St. John Vianney High School [http://www.vianney.com/ l
The other through the Wounded Warrior Project http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Missouri has lost 63 service members to the war in Iraq, and 586 have been wounded, according to http://icasualties.org/... . The totals are updated monthly.
Thank you for all of the information and quotes from:
[http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/F8E912D36A284786862573070
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[http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/A25538A1269FF28A862573080
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http://www.ksdk.com/...
http://southcountyjournal.stltoday.c...
Sgt. Joel A. House, 22, of Lee, Maine.
A mom losing her son on her birthday, a dad losing his hunting buddy, and a 14 year old dog losing his beloved companion, these are the images that burn in the heart.
"This is the politics of motherhood," said Deanna House. "My son went to war and gave his life."
"It’s like when your kids first get their driver’s license," Paul House said, describing his emotions when Joel was deployed. "You are always scared."
On Saturday — Deanna House’s birthday — the couple’s worst fears were realized, as two Army representatives pulled into the driveway around 6:30 p.m. She had just returned home from a day trip to Belfast when the soldiers arrived. She said her birthday could never be the same after Saturday, and wished she could change the date.
"He was a go-to guy," said his aunt Kathy Crise. "If anyone needed a dog watched, or someone to take care of their house while they were away, they would hand over their keys to Joel and never think twice about trusting him."
Even after he was injured in a barracks bombing in March, Joel found a way to make his family laugh at the tragic incident that claimed the life of his best friend. After the attack, Joel snapped a photo of the rubble, his sleeping bag the focus of the frame. He posted the picture on the social network Web site MySpace and gave it the caption, "My sleeping bag got dirty."
When Sgt. Joel House, 22, deployed to Iraq in November 2006, he worried he would never again see his aging 14-year-old dog, Seyda. On Monday afternoon, Seyda paced around the House family’s front lawn, sniffing a memorial the family erected to honor their fallen soldier.
House, who was deployed with the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division of Fort Hood, Texas, was killed Saturday by an improvised explosive devise in Taji, Iraq. House grew up in Lee, graduated from Lee Academy and planned to settle in the town after his time in the military. Along with his mother and father, Sgt. House is survived by his brother Luke, 27, his sister, Joy, 25, and his grandma, who made his favourite treat, peanut butter squares.
Maine has lost 19 service members to the war in Iraq, and 173 have been wounded, according to http://icasualties.org/... . Totals are updated monthly.
Thanks to for the information and quotes to:
http://www.bangordailynews.com/...
Sgt. Jimy M. Malone, 23, of Wills Point, Texas
According to his high school principal, retired Army veteran Jim Lamb, Sgt. Malone was going to be a success in the Army, because "he was always highly motivated in whatever he did."
"He had made up his mind that that’s what he wanted to do. I mean he was hard core Army" said his uncle by marriage, Mike Madden.
But to one special little girl, his five month old daughter, Regan, he was one thing, her daddy. He is survived by Regan and his wife, Leslie.
Mrs. Malone was at home with her parents when two Army officers came to the door to give her the terrible news.
"As a military wife, you know why they've come," she said.
She'd spoken to Sgt. Malone only six hours before. She said the conversation was normal, and that he promised to call her the next day. When she didn't hear from him, she wasn't concerned. She said he often got called out on missions and phoned whenever he had time.
Sgt. Malone was in the middle of his second Iraq tour. He deployed on Oct. 30, 2006, and was supposed to come back to Texas in January 2008.
The last time he saw his family was February, when he came home for two weeks to see his brand new baby, Reagan.
"He loved her so much. He couldn't be more proud to be a daddy," Mrs. Malone said.
One night during his two-week leave, Mrs. Malone realized her husband hadn't come to bed. She found him wide awake in the living room, and when she asked why he was up, he said, "I knew if I went to bed, I wouldn't hear Reagan. I wanted to do it all."
Sgt. Malone did try to do it all, his wife said.
"I never knew anyone who could G.I. a diaper."
After two tours in the Middle East, he shared his experiences, and the costs of war, with the students of his alma mater; his picture will be added to the school’s wall of honour, so that his sacrifice will not be forgotten.
The community, where his family still lives, grieves, flying their flags at half staff.
Texas has lost 324 service members to the war in Iraq, and 2, 425 have been wounded, according to http://icasualties.org/... . Totals are updated monthly.
Thank you for the information and quotes to:
http://www.flickr.com/...
http://www.tylerpaper.com/...
Spc. Derek A. Calhoun, 23, of Oklahoma
Third Oklahoma soldier killed in Iraq in a week
By AP
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For the third time in a week, a soldier from Oklahoma has died in Iraq.
Armored tank driver Spc. Derek Calhoun, 23, died when the Humvee he was riding in hit an explosive device near Baghdad on Saturday, family members confirmed.
Calhoun, who had been in Iraq for about eight months on his first tour of duty, was hurt several months ago when a car bomb exploded outside a building he was inside.
"Derek had shrapnel in his wrist, abdomen and shoulder, and they had to operate on him twice," said Derek’s mother, Lou Calhoun. "I don’t know why he wasn’t sent home then."
Because of his injuries, Calhoun was unable to use his right hand, Lou Calhoun said.
"Supposedly, he wasn’t supposed to be out on a mission," Lou Calhoun said.
Calhoun was a graduate of the Wright Business School and was a certified medical assistant. He had hoped to work in the medical field after finishing his service, Lou Calhoun said.
He loved fishing, all kinds of sports — football, baseball and basketball — and spending time with his family.
"His three nieces and one nephew were all pretty special to him," Lou Calhoun said.
In honor of his life, one of Calhoun ’s friends on My Space headlined her profile with, ‘R.I.P. Derek Calhoun I will miss you!’
Lou Calhoun asked on Sunday for people to "just pray for the soldiers."
Services have not been set, but will be held at the Calhoun’s home church, the South Lindsey Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, she said.
Oklahoma has lost 56 service members to the war in Iraq, and 409 have been wounded, according to http://icasualties.org/... . Totals are updated monthly.
Thanks for the article to:
http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/...
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Dominic N. Rodriguez, 23, of Klamath Falls, Ore., died June 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. His death is under investigation.
Rodriguez was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. For more information related to this release the media may contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.
Spc. Dominic N. Rodriguez. 23, of Klamath Falls, Ore.
Army Specialist Dominic N. Rodriguez, 23, of Klamath Falls, Ore., died June 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The incident is under investigation.
He had been in Iraq since October of 2006. He enlisted in the U.S. Army believing that is was where he belonged and he wanted to defend his country.
He was born Nov. 17, 1983 in Klamath Falls, Ore, and graduated from Klamath Union High School. Rodriguez was extremely interest in sports. He was the Captain of the High School football team and then went on to play college ball at the College of the Siskiyou' in Weed, Calif. He also enjoyed wrestling, swimming and fishing.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanette McMackin, stepchildren Allusion and Austin, parents Filomeno and Patricia Rodriguez Sr and Michael and Patricia MaMackin.
It is unknown at this time when the services will be held, but the family has stated they are not able to receive any media contact at this time.
They are requesting in lieu of flowers, donations be made In Honor of Spec. Dominic Rodriquez to the Special Olympics, P.O. Box 221, Klamath Falls, OR 97601, 541-850-5257.
Thank you for the news release to:
http://flashalert.net/...
here. [http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/118291112476060.xml&coll=7
The Department of Defense has confirmed 3,568 deaths and the announcement of three more deaths is expected, pending notification of the next of kin, according to the Iraq'>http://icasualties.org/oif/">Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here'>http://www.icasualties.org/oif/BY_DOD.aspx">here. The DoD news releases are here'>http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/">here.
You can read more about each service member at Honor the Fallen and Spread the Word: Iraq-Nam, which is written by our own spread the word IRAQ-NAM. They all had friends and loved ones. Please visit the Iraq'>http://iraqmemorial.org/index.php">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'>http://anysoldier.com/About.cfm">anysoldier.com, Operation'>http://www.operation-helmet.org/">Operation Helmet, and/or Fisher'>http://fisherhouse.org/support/support.shtml">Fisher House.
I Got the News
Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here'>http://www.dailykos.com/tag/igtnt">here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, silvercedes, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, American Daughter, blue jersey mom, monkeybiz, Worried Dem, Wee Mama, and me, chacounne. We bid adieu to several of our contributors, but new volunteers will begin participating in July. We thank them all.
If you would like to help out with IGTNT --
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