Tonight we honor and stand in silent tribute to four gallant young men who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pfc. Ivan E. Merlo, 19, of San Marcos, California
Pfc. Merlo died Jan. 9 of wounds sustained during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
"I'll always remember how he was always smiling, always funny."
Army Pfc. Ivan E. Merlo of San Marcos was supposed to come home in two weeks after finishing a yearlong deployment in Iraq.
The 19-year-old was supposed to reunite with his wife, Nicole. He was supposed to serve as the best man at the wedding of his best friend and brother in combat, Pfc. Phillip J. Pannier, 20, of Washburn, Ill.
But Merlo and Pannier died Wednesday while waging an Army offensive targeting insurgents north of Baghdad.
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Merlo and Pannier "would do anything for each other. I will never forget those two boys together," Jennifer Marie Held, Pannier's fiancee, said yesterday in an e-mail from her home in Metamora, Ill. "I intend on keeping contact with Nicole for the rest of my life because we need each other."
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At the Merlo family home in San Marcos, Diego Merlo said he'll miss his older brother's magnetic personality. He also expressed admiration for the way his brother aspired to achieve greater things in life.
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"He was one those people you knew was good from the moment you met him. . . . He never got into trouble. He didn't run the streets. He got good grades," Diego Merlo said. "He was just the kind of person that other people would go to and ask for advice. The guy had a lot of friends and stayed in touch with them."
The brothers last talked to each other on Dec. 12, the day Diego Merlo turned 16. During the brief conversation, the elder brother imparted some advice.
"He said to be strong and said he soon would see me, and I told him to stay safe," Diego Merlo said. "I'll always remember how he was always smiling, always funny."
That smile is prominent in many pictures posted on the soldier's MySpace page. The site is filled with tributes from friends and fellow soldiers who mourn his passing.
Source ~ San Diego Union Tribune
Pfc. Merlo’s MySpace Page
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a written statement saying that flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in honor of Merlo.
Source ~ North County Times
His grandmother, Ana Rameriz wept when she spoke with NBC 7/39 on Friday about Merlo's death. She raised the soldier, along with his two brothers, and said she, and his wife Nicole, were looking forward to his visit in two weeks.
A small memorial, filled with flowers, cards, candles and a rosary, now surround his pictures in Rameriz's home.
Rameriz said she just spoke to Merlo a couple of weeks ago. He told her he was doing OK.
"He told me, 'On your birthday, I come and I'll stay with you,'" she said.
Source ~ NBC San Diego
Ivan Merlo graduated from San Marcos High School in 2006. He joined the Army that October and arrived at Fort Campbell four months later. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon. He also earned a weapons qualification as an M4 expert.
Pfc. Merlo is survived by his wife, Nicole.
He is also survived by his parents, Tony Merlo and Joanna Villegas, his brother, Diego, and his grandmother, Ana Rameriz. His family has not finalized funeral arrangements.
Thank you, Pfc. Merlo. Your mission is done.
Pfc. Phillip J. Pannier, 20, of Washburn, Illinois
Pfc. Pannier died Jan. 9 of wounds sustained during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
"We love him and we'll miss him. He was a hero to us."
Family and friends of Pfc. Phillip Pannier gathered Thursday night in the fallen soldier's bedroom to celebrate his life.
Rather than wiping one another's tears, the crowded room of people laughed about memories of Pannier, 20, a Roanoke-Benson High School graduate and an infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division, who was killed Tuesday while serving in Iraq.
"He was a great friend and an even better person," friend Cliff Oltman said. "He would do anything for anybody. . . . We love him and we'll miss him. He was a hero to us."
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The Panniers don't expect their son's body to be returned to Illinois for several weeks, but friends said they will continue to support his family until they can give him a proper burial.
"We plan on continuing to celebrate his life," friend Dan Ransom said. "That's what he would want."
Pannier volunteered for the Army shortly after graduating in 2006. His friends agreed he wasn't interested in college, and he shipped out for basic training in July just after graduation. He was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., before being shipped to Iraq in October for a 15-month deployment.
"He was ready to serve," friend Greg Churchill said, adding Pannier was anxious to leave. "He knew he was going to miss people at home, but nothing was going to hold him back. If you're not nervous to fight, you're a fool. But he was ready to go."
Churchill said Pannier had talked of being a police officer, but he wanted to serve in the military like his older brother Dale, who was in the Illinois Army National Guard from 1991 to 1995. He died in a car accident in September.
Phillip Pannier played football for two years in high school. He was also involved in 4-H and FFA and raised sheep that he showed for both organizations.
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The group of friends joked Thursday night about Pannier's favorite quotation: "Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now."
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"He would do anything for anybody," he said. "Everyone is proud as hell to have had him as a friend."
The tight-knit group comforted teary-eyed Robyn Pannier, Phillip Pannier's mother, Thursday night, as she said her son was "a good boy."
Source ~ Peoria Journal-Star
It was the tone of the comments that gave the first clue that something wasn't right, but only as Wednesday progressed did it become clear that Pfc. Phillip Pannier, a Roanoke-Benson graduate, really had died while serving in Iraq.
On his online MySpace page as well as the page of his fiancee, Jennifer Held, expressions of grief poured in from all over. Most expressed shock; others offered support, but all longed for Pannier, a man who his father said was always thinking about others back home.
"He always had police work in the back of his mind," said Donald Pannier of Washburn. "He was the type who looked out for others and who wanted to protect people."
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An exhausted-sounding Donald Pannier said his family received word of his son's death Tuesday night when members of the U.S. Army came to his house.
He said he last heard from his son late last week. As always, the younger Pannier was asking about his nieces and nephews. He wanted to know about how things were going at home and how his friends were doing.
And he often professed his love for Held, his father said. On her MySpace page, Phillip Pannier would often leave playful messages to her. Several photos and videos of the two during happier times adorned the two Web sites.
(snip)
He enjoyed the Army, Donald Pannier said. It gave him a sense of belonging and an identity. "I can't say he enjoyed his basic training, but he had a smile on his face when he graduated in October 2006," he said.
Phillip Pannier returned home for a few weeks and then left for Fort Campbell, Ky. He left for Iraq in October 2007 for a 15-month deployment.
(snip)
High school friend Jillian Moritz of Bloomington called Phillip Pannier an incredibly funny person with a great deal of compassion. She remembers him as an avid Dallas Cowboys football fan.
"He was one of the sweetest, funniest and most caring people you will ever meet in your life," said the 19-year-old Moritz.
Source ~ Peoria Journal-Star
Pfc. Pannier’s MySpace Page
On the MySpace Page of his fiancee, Jennifer Held, she wrote: "I wear his dogtags around my heart." And she left this message:
Hello, As you all may know I have lost someone that was very special to me. Phillip Joseph Pannier was my whole life, my fiancee, my future, and as the plans we wanted was going to be a great father! He was only 20 years old and died on Tuesday, January 8, 2008. I will never forget that day and I will always cherish that day in his memmory. Along with him was his best friend Ivan Merlo, who he loved so much just like a brother. Those two boys were always together and I will never forget that. Ivan and his wife Nicole went to dinner with Phil and I when he proposed to me and everyone knew that he was going to do this except me.
(snip)
I just want everyone to know that I loved Phillip Joseph Pannier with my whole heart...and I really don't know what I'm going to do without him. But there is something I'm going to share with everyone that he always had said, "Don't waste time with the one that you love." I hope you all do what Phil says because if you don't you will regret it. Phil and I did not waste time and we promised our parents that we would wait to get married until he got home...and I know that will never happen now. But I'll always be apart of that family. I'm going to be those kid's aunt until the day I'm gone and back with phil. Every graduation, birthday, or any kind of celebration I'm going to be right there with them. Because I'm always going to consider myself as Jennifer Marie (soon to be) Pannier!!! I LOVE YOU BABY!
Pfc. Pannier is survived by his fiancee, Jennifer Held.
He is also survived by his parents, Donald and Robyn Pannier.
Thank you, Pfc. Pannier. Your mission is done.
Sgt. David J. Hart, 22, of Lake View Terrace, California
Sgt. Hart died Jan. 9 in Balad, Iraq of wounds sustained during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Sgt. Hart ’s "legacy of service and dedication to our country will be proudly remembered by all who knew him."
The governor's office announced that Capitol flags were flown at half-staff Friday in honor of a 22-year-old soldier from Lake View Terrace who died of injuries sustained in combat in Iraq.
Sgt. David Hart died Tuesday in Balad as a result of wounds sustained during combat operations in Samarra.
His loss "is deeply felt by the community of Lake View Terrace and all Californians," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said.
Calling Hart "a brave soldier and a true hero," the governor said the serviceman's "legacy of service and dedication to our country will be proudly remembered by all who knew him."
Source ~ CBS2
Sgt. Hart is survived by his wife and parents, all of California.
Thank you, Sgt. Hart. Your mission is done.
The Army said yesterday that it would continue to investigate the deaths of three 101st Airborne Division soldiers in northern Iraq before releasing additional details.
"This incident is currently under investigation. It would be inappropriate for us to comment." Maj. John Paul Arnold wrote in an e-mail exchange with The Associated Press.
The U.S. military does not routinely begin an investigation when any of its military personnel are killed by improvised explosive devices or small-arms fire.
Source ~ Louisville Courier-Journal
Sgt. David J. Drakulich, 22, of Reno, Nevada
Sgt. Drakulich died Jan. 9 in Chagali, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
"He was my dearest friend and my son."
"He was a Nevadan and an American," his father, Joseph, said Thursday night at the family's home in Stead. "His death and sacrifice will not go in vain. It has a purpose."
(snip)
Drakulich had been deployed twice before to Afghanistan with the 3rd Ranger Battalion from Fort Benning, Ga.
"His death was very sudden, he probably didn't know what hit him," the father said amid a gathering of at least 20 family members and friends.
(snip)
"Four years ago, he said, 'Dad, I'm going to be an airborne ranger,'" the father recalled. "I was floored by that.
"He was fearless. He knew what he was doing"
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"He loved his country, and joined in order to serve," said his mother, Tina. "We loved him very much."
Part of an extended Nevada family of lawyers, teachers and real estate agents, Drakulich died as a Specialist 4th Class and was promoted to sergeant posthumously.
"He went straight to heaven," sister, Dana, said. "I know that."
(snip)
Drakulich had planned to attend college when he returned from Afghanistan in April.
Source ~ Reno Gazette Journal
Just three months from finishing his third deployment, a Reno soldier was killed Wednesday when his truck struck a land mine in Afghanistan.
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"It's heartbreaking," Drakulich's grandfather, Duke Drakulich, said Thursday.
"I really never wanted him to join, I don't know why. But that's what he wanted. He was a very nice boy. I'm sure he's up in heaven. That's it."
Drakulich said his grandson, son of Joseph and Tina Drakulich, was born and raised in Reno, graduated from Hug High School in 2003, and attended Truckee Meadows Community College before joining the Army.
The Drakulich family has ties throughout the state. Stan Drakulich, Duke's brother, served in the state Senate in the early 1970s.
Source ~ KOLO 8
"Sergeant Drakulich was a truly loyal, dedicated hard working trooper, who always seemed to humor us in every situation," said Sgt. 1st. Class Christopher Hieb, Drakulich's noncommissioned officer in charge.
"We will always remember him for the funny situations he found himself in, never leaving us with a dull moment, but a good laugh instead."
Source ~ News & Observer
Governor Jim Gibbons issued the following statement regarding the death of Army Specialist David Joseph Drakulich:
"Dawn and I are deeply saddened by the news of Specialist Drakulich's death. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Drakulich family as they mourn the loss of one of our nation's true heroes.
"We have lost one of Nevada's finest and will remember him for his honorable service to our country and for the many sacrifices he made in the name of democracy so that we may live in a safer world.
"I extend my deepest sympathy to those mourning the loss of this exceptional young man."
Source ~ KTVN 7
Sgt. Drakulich joined the Army in January 2004 and completed basic and advanced fire support specialist training at Fort Sill, Okla. in June 2004. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in August 2006. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Army Good Conduct Medal.
Sgt. Drakulich is survived by his parents, Joseph and Antoinette Drakulich of Reno, Nev. He is also survived by a brother, Thomas, and a sister, Dana.
Thank you, Sgt. Drakulich. Your mission is done.
To date, 3922 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Iraq. Of these, 100 have been women. The death toll thus far for January is already 18. More than 30,000 men and women have been wounded, and 135 have taken their own lives while on active duty. All of the fatalities can be seen here. The Department of Defense Press Releases, from which the information at the start of each entry in this diary was drawn, can be seen here. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown, but is at least in the tens of thousands.
To date, 479 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The death toll thus far for 2008 is 4. 277 members of the military from other countries have also lost their lives.
Other sites have stories, video, pictures and remembrances, including: Honor the Fallen.
If you want to do something to assist our military and their families, please visit anysoldier.com or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, please see Fisher House’s Hero Miles program. Finally, if you would like to assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here.
Sending a care package to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan is easy. Read how in this great series by Ninepatch. Brighten the day of a soldier in 2008.
And don’t forget them when they get home! Read welcomebackveterans.org to learn what you can do.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, Wee Mama, twilight falling, labwitchy, moneysmith, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Avila and me, noweasels. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died, and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them. If you would like to volunteer, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes or me, noweasels.
As you read this diary, please consider that the families and friends of those profiled here also may read it and that many members of our community have served in Iraq or Afghanistan or have loved ones currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the very proud daughter of a Navy pilot, and the granddaughter of a Marine pilot and a submariner, I hope that the comments tonight will demonstrate our respect for the sacrifices of our fallen military and their families -- especially those grieving during the holidays -- whatever our personal feelings about the war and occupation happen to be.
