Tonight we pay tribute to four men who died together while on a mission in Arab Jabour, Iraq, paying the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. They were brothers-in-arms and in spirit to so many who are grieving their loss and contemplating how to navigate the future with this massive void in their lives.
Intrepid Comrade
a MAN amongst fools
Brave, fearless
a MAN with pride,
you never feared this
We wait, we wait
to see you again
Long road walking
to see our dear friend
Hard to keep clear vision
with eyes run over by truth
A brother in arms,
A brother in spirit
A brother in verse
to all who would hear it
Your words ring true
Your face stays bright
Your heart screamed loud
Our hands held tight
Our voices constrained by sound
Our hearts carried by you
The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Aug. 11 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Killed were:
Sgt. Scott L. Kirkpatrick, 26, of Reston, Va
Staff Sgt. William D. Scates, 31, of Oklahoma City
Sgt. Andrew W. Lancaster, 23, of Stockton, Ill.
Spc. Justin O. Penrod, 24, of Mahomet, Ill.
"The counterculture poet in an Army uniform."
It’s probably fair to say that no one could have scripted how the life of Sgt. Scott L. Kirkpatrick, 26, of Reston, Virginia would end. As a teenager his main interests were poetry, writing and acting, according to what his uncle Roy Deppa told the Washington Post.
He was an accomplished slam poet who traveled throughout the country to perform "modern, competitive type, in-your-face, streetwise sort of poetry," Deppa said. His nephew had a way of telling stories that made his family burst into laughter -- especially when he was the punch line. He had a way of writing poetry that moved his uncle.
But a few years after September 11, something prompted him to join the Army with a goal of going to Afghanistan to do his part against terrorist threats.
"He wanted to make a difference from the inside out."
He ended up in Iraq instead. In between his first and second tours Sgt. Kirkpatrick married his longtime girlfriend, Christy Blasingame. At some point he thought a career in intelligence might be for him according to his uncle.
"I remember his father going back to the base and looking at his kid, the counterculture poet in an Army uniform in the faces of his privates, yelling at them," Deppa said. "It was just this transformation."
According to the Post article, when Kirkpatrick obtained Internet access in the Green Zone last week, he told his father, Ed Kirkpatrick, that he was starting to consider a teaching career.
"I can only conjecture that being on the ground in Iraq maybe changed his mind about wanting to do that permanently," he said. "I think he learned a lot about himself in the Army. I think he realized that he was a lot stronger and a lot more self-sufficient than he realized."
From the comments section of the Post article:
However you feel about this war, you should realize that a family has lost a son, a wife has lost her husband, a brother has lost his brother, and that I (and countless other people) have lost one of my best friends. Scott went there for his own reasons and he was an amazing person. Keep him in your thoughts when thinking about a life that's gone...not about the war.
And from the guestbook on Sgt. Kirkpatrick’s father’s website:
Scott will forever be locked in my mind as a sweet, deep, and loving soul with great enveloping and comforting hugs. I am glad I met him, and glad I got to read his poems that were on this site. I heard him again. With much love to Scott’s wife and family. Scott is a spirit who touched all he met. The world will miss that.
~Holly
The photos here and here on his father’s website depict Sgt. Kirkpatrick’s experiences during his two tours.
I encourage you to read Sgt. Kirkpatrick’s amazing poetry – especially his piece "when Taps is played." I don’t want to violate the site’s copyright language by including it here, but I wish I could.
Here(at the bottom) is perhaps the last photo of Sgt. Kirkpatrick and his wife Christy, taken right before his second deployment.
Finally at his MySpace page, Sgt. Kirkpatrick’s friends have been leaving poems written for him, like the one I included in the introduction. And then there was this message to him.
i miss you brother.
you were bigger than the world. i just wish the world was big enough to see that. you would always be bigger than what you died for, but you did it anyway. you lived and died like a warrior poet. we gathered yesterday to raise a glass to you and to raise our spirits from our sorrow. if you had seen us i know you would have been smiling. you'll always be with us. i'll see you in arlington. i love you.
Our condolences to his family, including his brother and his wife Christy, his friends, the slam poetry world, and his unit.
May Sgt. Kirkpatrick rest in eternal peace and may his amazing words live on to give his loved ones comfort and serve as the way it is supposed to be done for aspiring slam poets everywhere.
"He believed in giving back. He didn’t just say that, he lived it. For someone who was only 24, Army Spc. Justin Penrod had a long history of serving others, dating back to when he was just a little boy helping a disabled neighbor up and down the stairs.
As a teen, Spc. Penrod didn’t have much time for dating, because he was too busy taking care of his quadriplegic stepbrother. His stepmother, Diane Penrod told the News-Gazette that he treated her as his mother and his stepbrother, Rick Reavis, as a true brother.
"Rick was a quadriplegic, and Justin, as a teenager, put his whole life on hold to take care of him. Justin would put him in a wheelchair and they'd go to the mall or movies. He wanted to make sure Rick wasn't lonely," she said.
Rick Reavis died in 2002 at 26.
Spc. Penrod was a graduate of the Lincoln’s Challenge National Guard Academy – no small feat. Out of a class of 40, he was only one of two to graduate (he subsequently taught there as well). After graduating and serving a tour in Iraq he became a civilian, which is when he met his wife Christina. They have an 8-month-old son Colin, who was born 3 months premature.
Christina Penrod described her husband as a proud husband and father to the Commercial News, which is also where you can see Spc. Penrod’s photo.
"He was full of life," she said. "He made anybody he met smile."
His sister Listia described her brother to the Commercial-News as "a loving person and my best friend." She also told the reporter:
I talked to him just before he went to Iraq this last time. I started crying, and he said, ‘I’ve done this before. I can do it again.’
"I know he’s in a better place. He doesn’t have to worry now."
In addition to his wife, son, sister and stepmother, Spc. Penrod is survived by his mother Tina and brother Jimmy, as well as many other family members and dear friends.
Spc. Penrod is now reunited in eternal rest with his brother Rick, who won’t have to be alone any longer.
A Soldier for Life Staff Sgt. William Scates, 31 of Oklahoma City, was one of the very first soldier in Iraq in March 2003. And that’s where he died Saturday on his third tour. According to an interview with News OK.com, Staff Sgt. Scates’ mom, Moreana Whitson, said that from 5 or 6 years old he talked of becoming a soldier.
"He wanted to fight for his country when he was just a little boy," Whitson said. "He used to draw pictures of soldiers. It's just what he always wanted to do."
SSgt. Scates attended Western Heights High School. The Eagle Scout joined the military after graduating, serving in the Oklahoma National Guard before joining the active-duty military.
He was married to Raquel and had a 9 year old daughter, Jade, and a 7-month old daughter Kendra. Again from News OK.com:
Whitson said her son was a career military man who had already served two tours in Iraq. She spoke often and candidly with her son about the war.
"He knew how dangerous it was," Whitson said. "He was a little afraid this time. He kind of had a feeling that he might not make it back this time, but he was a brave guy and he loved his country."
Whitson said the same instinct to be protective of his two sisters when he was a boy drove Scates to protect his country as an adult.
"He always felt a sense of duty," Whitson said. "He was a hero to all of us."
SSgt. Scates we thank you for your service and offer our deepest condolences to your wife, daughters, mother, sisters and all who were lucky enough to love you and serve with you.
"A very sad day for the land of Lincoln."
The big community heart of small town Stockton, Illinois has been broken, as it absorbs the news that one of their native sons has made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. It’s the talk in the hardware store, on the baseball diamond, in the pharmacy...everyone knew Sgt. Andrew Lancaster, 23.
His stepfather Steve Vanderheyden issued this statement to the Rockford Register Star, which is where you can see a photo of Sgt. Lancaster and his wife and high school sweetheart, Tabbatha Tillis.
"This is an incredibly difficult time for the family of Andrew Lancaster. Andy's life has been a genuine blessing to many, many people. And we all look forward to an opportunity to celebrate his accomplishments as a true hero."
Sgt. Lancaster and his wife were married almost 3 years ago before he was deployed to Afghanistan with the Army’s elite squadron, the 173d Airborne Brigade.
From Stockton's mayor, Rod Brandt, according to theJournal Standard:
"My first reaction was 'this can't be true,'" Brandt said. "But then when it's there in black and white, it hits you. We are very shocked to lose any young man and doubly so one in our community."
His high school principal, Terry Sertle, recalled this about Sgt. Lancaster for WREX:
"He always had a smile on his face, always a very polite young man," says Terry Sertle. "Lot of friends, always participated in a lot of extracurricular activities."
--snip--
"Everybody knows everyone," says Sertle. "We all have different stories that we've shared with one another over the years. And to lose a student that you actually worked with personally was able to talk with on a daily basis - very difficult."
Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who goes to all the Illinois’ soldiers’ funerals to which he is invited, said Lancaster died a hero’s death, according to the Journal Standard.
"It really brings it home to you the human cost and the heroism of young men like Andrew who are volunteers and go forward in the face of danger to defend our country and protect democracy," Quinn said. "So I think it's a very sad day for the land of Lincoln, this day."
Finally, Sgt. Lancaster’s wife told the Rockford Register Star:
"I just want them to remember him as a hero."
He will always be a hero. Our deepest condolences to his wife, family, friends, the community of Stockton and his unit. May he rest in peace.
Please take a moment to honor the memories of Sgt. Scott L. Kirkpatrick, Staff Sgt. William D. Scates, Sgt. Andrew W. Lancaster and Spc. Justin O. Penrod, 24, as well as too many others who have passed through this world much too quickly in service to their country.
Regarding Iraq, the Department of Defense has confirmed 3,689 deaths and the announcement of 10 more deaths is expected, pending notification of the next of kin, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.427 American troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
they will always be young
they will always be beautiful
they will be in our hearts
they have become part of our souls
we will carry them with us always
and meet in the fullness of time.
IGTNT stands for "I Got the News Today." The phrase most likely refers to the Beatles song, and it is meant to symbolize that terrible knock on the door that any number of families got today, bringing with it the news that a loved one has died. IGTNT is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes, MsWings, blue jersey mom, chacounne, Worried Dem, twilight falling, Wee Mama, sheddhead, moneysmith, labwitchy and me, greenies.
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.
