IGTNT: Mourning in the Night, Part 1

Tonight, three more families – those of Sgt. Kevin A. Gilbertson, 24, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Spc. Christopher G. Patton, 21, of Lawrenceville, Ga.; and Master Sgt. Patrick D. Magnani, 38, of Martinez, Calif. -- will weep over their loved ones.

With these deaths, more parents, spouses, siblings, children, friends will wake in the night, in tears, remembering, mourning. As one airman’s mother said: "My God, I've lost my heart."

May they have the strength to bear their losses, and to remember better times, even amid the tears. Join me below the fold, and hear three more stories from the war.

"I Got the News Today" (IGTNT) 9/7/07

Ed. Note: IGTNT appears in two parts today; moneysmith will post Part 2 later.

From the Department of Defense:

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

Sgt. Kevin A. Gilbertson, 24, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died Aug. 31 in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit during combat operations Aug. 29 in Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

Sgt. Kevin A. Gilbertson, along with the rest of the 1-77 now stationed in Iraq, was due back in Germany in October. Instead, that’s where he died on the last day of August -- at the Landstuhl Regional (Medical) Center. His father, Don Gilbertson, is in Germany now, preparing for the long flight home with his son’s body, says the Cedar Rapids Gazette:

"He joined the Army right out of high school to get a college education when he got out," Don Gilbertson said ... "His dream was getting a degree and supporting his family.

"He was the greatest kid in the world."

(Snip)

Gilbertson's aunt, Amy Gilbertson of Austin, Texas, formerly of Cedar Rapids, said Kevin was born when she was in third grade.

"He was kind of like my little brother," she said. "He's always been very proud. He loved his country. He really embraced being a soldier."

Gilbertson, a 2001 graduate of Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School, joined the Army fresh out of high school. Connie Shover, a retired  guidance counselor at CRJHS, remembered Gilbertson:

"He always had a twinkle in his eyes," said Shover.

Gilbertson also would always make direct eye contact with the person he was talking to. "He kind of talked with his eyes," she said.

Shover, who spent 34 years in guidance work, said Gilbertson was independent, complex and involved in life when he perhaps should have stood back and observed others more.

Then she said, "All my kids that went over there, I hadn't lost anybody. They came home.

"This strikes home pretty hard."

The  Des Moines Register describes him as "an upbeat, rabble-rousing, ball of fire." But he had a sweet side, too; KCRG.com notes that "Gilmoe" (his family nickname) made one of his last phone calls from Iraq to his grandmother, to wish her a happy 70th birthday.

He was on his second tour of Iraq, and was on foot patrol when he was shot. Stars and Stripes notes that "(f)ighting Aug. 29 also took the life of another member of Gilbertson’s unit, Spc. Edward L. Brooks, 25, of Dayton, Ohio" and that the 1-77 has now lost five members during its present deployment.

Recently, Spc. Kevin Gilbertson was mentioned in this Washington Post article; I cannot verify that this is the same person, but it seems highly likely. Driver Gilbertson was the one who spotted something out of place: two semi-trucks on the side of the road, which turned out to be cover for 70 armed men. The article details what happened next, in graphic detail. Gilbertson was shot only 12 days after this article appeared.

Survivors include: "his wife, Nina; two sons, Timothy Joseph Gilbertson and Nickolas Austin Sullivan; his mother, Keeley Peters (stepdad Fred Peters died in September 2005) of Cedar Rapids; his father, Don Gilbertson of Palo; his stepbrother, Bradley Gilbertson of Palo; Andrew and Kevin Fandell; his grandmothers, Bessie Unash and Dorothy Gilbertson, both of Cedar Rapids; his aunts and uncles, Sandy and Phil Hanson, Amy Gilbertson, Mark Hanson, Larry and Joan Unash, Tim and Carol Unash, Tim Gilbertson, Larry and Luann Gilbertson; and many cousins" He will be buried on Tuesday, with full military honors, in the Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, according to his obituary in the Gazette.

Godspeed, Sgt. Kevin A. Gilbertson.

From the Department of Defense:

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

Spc. Christopher G. Patton, 21, of Lawrenceville, Ga., died Sept. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

The circumstances surrounding the death are under investigation.

The family of Spc. Christopher G. Patton says that he died "as a result of a bullet wound inflicted during a routine patrol near Baghdad," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He was proud to be an American solider, and he died doing what he loved."

Patton, a 2005 graduate of Central Gwinnett High School, in Lawrenceville, played football for the school’s Black Knights, and also participated in acting. A high school friend, Kevin Potlock, recalled Patton’s decision to enlist in the military after graduation:

"He was excited about it," Potlock said.
Rather than allow the ritual head-shaving of basic training to become a spectacle, Patton shaved his own head before leaving for infantry school in Columbus, he added.

It appears that a Patriot Guard escort will be present at Patton’s funeral on Saturday, Sept. 15. A PG forum contains the following note from Dave Pratt, SSG, USA (ret):

I knew Chris. He lived just four houses down, and grew up and graduated high school with one of my daughters. I know that he was truly doing what he wanted to do. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. I am immensly proud that Chris served for me, his family, his friends, his comrades in arms, and his country. It will be one of my greatest honors to stand the line for Chris. May St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Paratroopers stand by him and protect him on his final patrol.

He will be missed!

Very little information about Spc. Patton is available, other than the AJC article. If you have additional information, please post it in the comments and I will update this diary.

Godspeed, Spc. Christopher G. Patton.

From the Department of Defense:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Master Sgt. Patrick D. Magnani, 38, of Martinez, Calif., died Sept. 4 near Bagram, Afghanistan, in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 31st Medical Support Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy.

The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation.

Jeanne Magnani, the mother of Master Sgt. Patrick D. Magnani, made this heartbreaking comment to the San Francisco Chronicle: "He's an awesome guy," she said. "We're still in denial right now."

Magnani’s twin brother, Christopher, told the Chronicle that Patrick "just never had a bad attitude. He always looked forward to places he was going. He volunteered for places that most people probably wouldn't, without hesitation and without apprehension."

According to Insidebayarea.com, he enjoyed his travels and "made the most of opportunities to indulge his interest in history and other cultures. He was particularly fond of castles and, though not a big drinker, Belgian beer.

"He became a world traveler," Jeanne Magnani said. "Because he traveled so much, he had a lot of friends in a lot of places."

KCBS.com says that Magnani "surprised his family back in 1989 when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. His father, Thomas, said his son liked what he was doing in Afghanistan. "He was very happy over there," said Magnani."

In an email to Lt. Col. Troy McGilvra, his commanding officer from his days in Italy, Patrick Magnani talked a little bit about his work: "We haven't been rocketed or mortared yet (knock on wood), so life is good," he wrote. "Sometimes working with the Afghans can be incredibly frustrating; it's like going from a BMW to a tricycle. They do not have many processes in place, so we are literally reinventing the wheel."

It sounds like Magnani was always a man in a hurry. At College Park High School, from which he graduated in 1987, his track records still stand: 15.4 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 41.4 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles, notes the Chronicle. That applied to his military career as well. "He worked very hard to get where he is," his mother told the newspaper. "It's not easy to be a master sergeant. He had a goal, and he wanted to accomplish it."

Magnani, a biomedical equipment technician, had been stationed in numerous places, including Spain, England, Beale Air Force Base in Marysville (Yuba County), Germany, Italy and Washington D.C., says the Chronicle. He had been in Afghanistan for just a month when he died. According to Christopher Magnani, "family members had been told he was shot."

Despite the demands of service, he made time for his family, especially at a time of crisis, says the AP:

In 1994, Magnani was stationed at Beale Air Force Base north of Sacramento when his older brother became a quadriplegic as a result of a vehicle accident. Magnani routinely came to Martinez to help him recover.
"It was amazing," Michael Magnani said. "You need family when something like that happens."

The Chronicle notes that his survivors include his mother; brother Christopher; his father, Thomas; another brother, Michael; and a sister, Katie Parks. He also leaves behind niece Jessica Parks and nephew Colton Parks. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has asked that Capitol flags be flown at half-staff, and Magnani will be awarded the Meritorious Service Medal posthumously.

One last sad thought from his mother: "My God, I've lost my heart," she said. "Christopher lost half his soul. Michael lost his best friend."

Godspeed, Master Sgt. Patrick D. Magnani.

***

The Department of Defense has confirmed 3,747 deaths and the announcement of 13 more deaths is expected, pending notification of the next of kin, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. According to the AP, "As of Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007, at least 364 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan... The department last updated its figures Aug. 28, 2007." All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here. The DoD news releases are 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 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.

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

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.