IGTNT: "When She Cries the Whole House Shakes with Sadness"

"When she cries it shakes the house with sadness"

Too many houses this night are shaking with sadness, with the grief of unmet dreams. Too many soldiers and their families have given the last full measure of devotion. Tonight we honour three of these soldiers and their families.

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

           Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Brown, 38, of Harrah, Okla., died Sept. 25 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Brown

"He was fun to be around. He always made you laugh," said his mother, Glenda Brown. "He had the bluest eyes in the world -- bluer than the sky.

"He was never a grownup. He didn't smoke and he didn't drink. He was always a little boy at heart. He loved to have fun," she said.

"He loved his family, his wife and children . . . and he loved his country."

The Department of Defense said Staff Sgt. Kevin Ray Brown, 38, was killed when his Army vehicle struck a roadside bomb at Muqdadiyah in central Iraq.

He was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Brown was deployed to Iraq last October and had been with the unit since April 2006, Fort Hood officials said Wednesday.

Brown joined the Army in September 1988, a year after he graduated from Harrah High School.

"He was looking forward to retirement, so he could be be with his family forever," said his mother, Glenda.

"My son also wanted to go fishing with his dad again," she said.

She said her son loved the outdoors, and "that was one of the reasons he chose the Army, because it was all outdoors."

"He also thought he would like the big guns the Army had," Glenda Brown
said.

Glenda Brown said her son's birthday was coming up on Oct. 12, and the family had just sent him a birthday package the day he was killed.

She said her son was in constant communication with his family either by phone or e-mails, and that the last time they saw him was in February during a two-week leave.

"He was just glad to be home and looking forward to staying home forever," she said.

The mother said her son didn't talk much about Iraq, except to say he was doing his job. It was his second time in Iraq, having also served a tour there in 2005, the mother said.

She said her son joined the military after drawing inspiration from his father, Richard Haynes Brown, a retired senior master sergeant who retired at Tinker Air Force Base after 22 years of service.

Kevin Brown grew up all over the world as the family followed his father's military assignments.

His mother said he was a soccer standout at high school, and he honed his soccer skills for two years while the family was living at Adana, near Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

Brown was well-decorated while in the service.

He had received the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Basic Marksmanship Qualification Badge.

In addition to his parents, Brown is survived by his wife, Lena, of Killeen, Texas; the couple's daughters, Maria, 13, and Charlene, 14; a sister, Brandy Ross of Moore; and two stepchildren, Jeremy and Pamela.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Cpl. Anthony K. Bento, 23, of San Diego, died Sept. 24, in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

         

SPC. Anthony Bento

"He dedicated himself to taking care of his brothers in the platoon, and he died doing just that," 1st Lt. Timothy Ball,  Spc. Bento’s platoon leader, said "Cpl. Bento was a paratrooper who’d accepted more responsibility early in his life than most people accept before they’re 30." 1st Lt. Ball said, in a written statement, that Spc. Bento died protecting his gunner from attackers.

"He was also a great paratrooper," Ball said, "who we trusted on the ground, behind the driver’s seat or up in the turret behind the gun."

Spc. Bento, of San Diego, joined the Army in March 2005 and completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. before arriving at Fort Bragg in September of that year.

1st Lt. Ball remembered Spc. Bento as being a loving father and husband who focused his life on his family.

Spc. Bento’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

He is survived by his wife, Colleen; their son, Anthony; and his parents, Anthony and Penny, all of San Diego.

From Spc Bento’s myspace, a few messages that show the measure of the man and the love that surrounds him:

From a friend about one of the two women who knew him best:

Me and Theron stayed up with your mom until 2am last night talking about you...We all miss you so much....Your mom especially...when she cries it shakes the house with sadness...I want to hold her in my arms every time I look at her...She told me today that she likes when I joke around with her because you and me have the same sense of humor...I'm glad I can give that comfort to her...I wish I could do more...

From an Army collegue:

SPC ANTHONY BENTO, ITS ME SSG ALVAREZ, I MISS YOU ALREADY BROTHER, I THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DID FOR ME, AND AT-5, WE MISS YOUR JOKES AND YOUR HUMOR THAT YOU BROUGHT TO THE TRUCK, MY TRUCK IS NOT THE SAME WITHOUT YOU, REST IN PEACE MY BROTHER, YOU ARE DEARLY MISSED
CHRIS.................

From a hometown friend:
Bento Bento..

I can't even believe all this.

I remember the first time I got my shiny new civic.. I crashed it right into a parked car. I was so upset. I went over to garretts house crying.. and you took a look at it.. and started buffing it out for me.. and totally talked me down. Told me it was gonna be ok. And it was..

Or the time we all went off roading at fiesta island.. but I was worried that my car wouldn't make it to the gas station.. so you took out some of your gas.. and gave it to me.

The nights at the drag races.. man.. like clock work.. following all the cars.. the whole gang back then.. we had so much fun.

These moments are the ones that define you as a person. Caring, loyal. And although I have not seen you in years, I will always remember the times we shared, and I will always know the sacrifice you made for this country.

Rest in Peace Bento.

From his young wife, Colleen, who had so many hopes and dreams with him and in him and for him:

My love,
What will I ever do without you? You were my bestfriend, my rock, my everything and my hero. You showed me what love truely is. I never thought til death do us part would only be 2 years. Your are and forever will be the greatest love of my life. You gave the me greatest gift I could ever ask for...our son. I will never ever let him doubt the love you had for him and I know when he's sleeping your playing with him in his dreams. I could not be more proud of you. You are the bravest, funniest most amazing man I have ever met in my life. I know your up there smiling me down telling me not to cry and everything will be okay and to be strong and I promise I am doing the best I can. I hope you hear me talking to you everynight. So tonight when my bed feels alittle lonely and the tears are still wet on the pillow snuggle behind me and give me kiss. I love you now and for the rest of my life. Dont give up on me up there ill get there when I can.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. Zachary B. Tomczak, 24, of Huron, S.D., died Sept. 25, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Zachary B. Tomczack

"He was just a phenomenal person," Blaise Tomczak, father of Staff Sgt. Zachary Tomczack,  told The Argus Leader of Sioux Falls. "He didn’t talk too much about things, but you could tell he was pretty serious about it."

Tomczak, 24, of Huron, S.D., was a squad leader. He joined the Army in June 2002.

He arrived at Fort Bragg in November 2002 and was assigned as a machine gunner. He completed Ranger school at Fort Benning, Ga., this year.

This was his fourth deployment to Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Tomczack’s father says he last talked to his son on his birthday, September 11th.

Tomczack told his father he was in a dangerous spot and recently was the first to administer first aid to one of his fellow soldiers.

Blaise Tomczak says, "I knew the area he was at was really dangerous and I thought very often of that, very fearful that one day I would hear this type of news."

His father says Staff Sgt. Tomczack was in charge of searching for weapons in terrorist cells in Baghdad and that this type of atmosphere fit Zac's personality.

Blaise Tomczak says, "He was very much a person who was a risk taker. That's what got him into the infantry airborne."
Zac's high school principal Terry Nebelsick says he will be greatly missed.

Nebelsick says, "Zac was someone who demanded very little of us and gave an awful lot. He was a wonderful, wonderful young man."

Zac is the oldest of five children and was married two and half years ago.

His father said he planned to have children after he was done serving.

Staff Sgt. Tomczack was scheduled to return to the United States in April of 2008 and be out of the service in December of that year.

In addition to his father, he is survived by his wife, Beth, his stepmother, Jackie Tomczak and his mother, Mary Flowers.

Nebelsick says, "Zac is an example of a tremendous young American citizen whose commitment to serving his country needs to be honored and his memory cherished."

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Tomorrow, roses will honour the memory of Petty Officer Second Class Charles Luke Milam, 26, of Littleton, Colo. and Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer, 21, of Spalding, Neb, an MIA WWII service member whose remains are finally going home.

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The Department of Defense has confirmed 3,802 deaths and the announcement of one more death 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.

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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 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.

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.

Until recently, the IGTNT team has posted diaries about the fallen the day after the names appear on the DoD’s website. Because it is sometimes difficult to find much information about service members so soon, diaries about fallen service members will now appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows more time for us to find and tell their stories.

Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by blue jersey mom, monkeybiz, greenies, joyful, labwitchy, moneysmith, MsWings, noweasels, roses, Sandy on Signal, silvercedes, SisTwo, twilight falling, Wee Mama and me, chacounne.

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.

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