IGTNT: Inspired by 9/11 to Serve

(Ed. Note: This is being posted on behalf of IGTNT contributor twilight falling.)

Army Specialist George Libby was deeply moved by the tragedy of 9/11 and decided to channel his emotions into action. In 2005, he joined the Army and became a Ranger. Three days ago, he died in Afghanistan, his wife became a widow, and the ocean of grief, pain, and suffering that originated with the big bangs in Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania grew a little deeper.

Join me around the bend as we remember this young man and all those who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I Got the News Today, 8/23/2007

The DoD reports:

Spc. George V. Libby, 23, of Aberdeen, N.C., died Aug. 20 near Khowst, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

George Libby was born on May 18, 1984, in Pinehurst, N.C., and he grew up in Aberdeen. He attended Pine Crest High School and then went to Sand Hills Community College for two years. But he never forgot the feelings that 9/11 engendered in him. Finally, in 2005, the 21-year-old enlisted in the Army.

Spc. Libby truly believed he was doing the right thing by his country, and he poured himself into his Army service. He excelled, and he was rewarded by admission to the elite Ranger Regiment in August 2005, the same year that he enlisted. He was trained as an automatic rifleman. During his service, he was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge and Parachutist Badge.

Spc. Libby served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2006 and returned home safely. Then, in 2007, his unit was deployed to Afghanistan. He died on August 20 at just 23 years of age. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service medals.

George Libby’s grieving wife, Valorie, released this statement through the Army:

What you need to know about my husband is that he was a good and loving person. He died for your freedom, for all of our freedom. Freedom is not free and it comes at a high price. George paid that price with his life. We cannot pull out of the Middle East without becoming vulnerable. What happened on Sept. 11, would happen again only much, much worse. George joined the Army because of Sept. 11. He believed in this mission and I believed in him. (From the Army Special Operations Command)

On her MySpace page, Valorie Libby's friends are remembering her husband aptly, as a hero:

Hi Valorie. I know sorry is not enough. Just know that your husband is a true hero and he was doing a good job. This stuff just sort of happens to the wrong people. I will keep you in my prayers.

And profoundly, in Valorie Libby's "Who I'd Like to Meet Section" is the bio of Spc. George Libby that concludes like this:

As a Ranger, Libby distinguished himself as a member of the army's premier light infantry unit, traveled to all corners of the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism and foght to valiantly "uphold the prestige, honor, and high 'espirit de corps'" of the Ranger Regiment. Rangers Lead the Way

 
To Spc. George and Valorie Libby, and to all those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan and their loved ones: may you find comfort, may you be at peace, and may your love live on forever.

They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it.

Death cannot kill what never dies.

Nor can spirits ever be divided, that love and live in the same divine

principle, the root and record of their friendship.

If absence be not death, neither is theirs.

Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one

another still.

For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is

omnipresent.

In this divine glass they see face to face; and their converse is free,

as well as pure.

This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet

their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal.

~ William Penn

A Special Remembrance

Yesterday, we were stunned by the news that a US Black Hawk helicopter had crashed in northern Iraq, killing all 14 Task Force Lightning Soldiers aboard. A series of special IGTNT tributes to these soldiers will run in the coming days after their names are released. In the meantime, our thoughts are with the families and friends of these soldiers, whose vigil for their loved ones has ended with such terrible grief.

As of this writing, Iraq Coalition Casualties reports that 3708 American soldiers, sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardsmen have been confirmed killed in action in Iraq and 15 additional deaths are pending notification of the families. 428 have died in Afghanistan. The DoD news releases can be found here.

You can help our military men and women. Please consider sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com. It doesn’t take much time or money. Just send letters or care packages to your soldier, sailor, Airman, or Marine. One of my "adopted" soldiers told me that "mail is gold" for a deployed soldier. A few minutes of your time and one airmail stamp can make a real difference in a military person's life. anysoldier.com, Operation Helmet, and Fisher House are also wonderful organizations that provide comfort and care to deployed American troops.

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 monkeybiz, Sandy on Signal, silvercedes, noweasels, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, Wee Mama, MsWings, sheddhead, labwitchy, moneysmith, joyful, and roses and me, twilight falling.

Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and families of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.