Please join me and the IGTNT team as we honor the five soldiers who were killed in a non-combat related incident on May 11 at Camp Liberty, Iraq, as well pay tribute to the oldest American soldier to be killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Tonight we celebrate the lives of Commander Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, North Carolina; Major Dr. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas; Staff Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, New Jersey; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Missouri; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Maryland.
We are also gathered to honor Major Steven Hutchison, 60, of Scottsdale, Arizona, who died May 10 when an IED detonated near his vehicle in Al Farr, Iraq.
Will you dear Kossacks kindly take a moment to send a warm thought or prayer to the hundreds of thousands of forgotten or unnoticed souls who have suffered, and continue to suffer, from the insanity of war? This is not their diary but still, we all feel and grieve the pain of a broken human spirit.
Blessings and Light to all who share our world.
May I also ask that you spare a thought for the family of the soldier who allegedly committed such a terrible, tragic act on May 11th? His family, like the families and loved ones of the men that we honor here tonight, is also broken and grieving, and for that, I am truly sorry.
Our dear friend, llbear, gifted the IGTNT team with this beautiful logo.
Commander Charles "Keith" Springle
Commander Charles K. Springle, who went by his middle name Keith, was based out of Camp Lejeune but he had ties to the Wilmington area as well. Karen Vincent, former assistant director for income maintenance programs at DSS, said that Cmdr. Springle worked for a few years at New Hanover County Department of Social Services.
"Keith was a guy who was a lot of fun to be around," she said, remembering the man she knew back in the 1980's. Ms. Vincent said Keith Springle left the Wilmington area and DSS to join the Navy.
According to a Camp Lejeune press release, Cmdr. Springle was a licensed clinical social worker who enlisted in 1988. Cmdr. Springle’s friend, Bob Goodale, told The Associated Press that Cmdr. Keith Springle had "dedicated his life to helping service members cope with emotional problems caused by combat stress." Mr. Goodale works with the Citizen-Soldier Support Program in Chapel Hill, an organization Cmdr. Springle dealt with when he directed Camp Lejeune’s Community Counseling Center.
Commander Springle was promoted to the rank of commander in 2002. He had received numerous decorations including multiple overseas service ribbons, according to the statement from Camp Lejeune. He had recently deployed to Iraq with a medical company.
ABC News had been to the Camp Liberty stress clinic just a few days before a distressed soldier turned a weapon on his comrades. During their visit, ABC News met with Cmdr. Springle, who treated soldiers for combat stress, anger management and suicidal tendencies.
Keith Springle was married 26 years, and he had a son and a daughter.
The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have Comdr. Springle on their Watch List, where there is an on-line Guest Book where the members are leaving notes of love and support for the Springle family. And additional guest-book can he found here, where some of the fond remembrances say:
"Commander Springle always looked out for his staff and made sure clients was receiving the best services possible."
"Commander Springle was an outstanding leader while occupying the role of Director at the Counseling Services Branch aboard Camp Lejeune, NC. When I first met him, he had away of making you feel comfortable enough to talk about anything freely. He had build a family type atmosphere within the agency. I can truly say that he will be missed by all that had any type of relationship with him."
"I worked with CRR Springle while he was the Director with MCCS Counseling Serivce Center at MCB Camp Lejeune. What an awesome individual! This was a man who not only was a Social Worker in title, but truly lived the life of one as well. Always a kind word can be expected from him. Always willing to give of himself in any capacity possible."
"I served with CDR Springle in Rota Spain. He always made time for others. He was a great mentor to the junior officers. When not working, he was the drummer in a local band, his son plays guitar and his wife and daughter ran the sound board. He was a joy to be around and I will all miss him greatly."
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Commander Charles "Keith" Springle. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
Major Dr. Matthew P. Houseal
54-year-old Dr. Houseal was a respected psychiatrist who specialized in "mental and emotional disorders in the elderly." The AP reports that the Army Reserve Major was there in Iraq "because he felt he needed to be. [He] was under no obligation to go to Iraq, but he was already something of an adventurer." "Adventure" might have been Dr. Houseal's middle name: back in 1991, the University of Michigan graduate was a physician at the Amundsen-Scott Station near the South Pole in a climate research project!
Mike O'Neill, the project group's electronics technician, shared his memories of his colleague.
"He [Dr. Houseal] came in at the last minute not knowing anybody," O'Neill recalled. "That's one of the reasons I really respected him."
Dr. Houseal was inquisitive and caring, always checking on people at the Amundsen-Scott station, even if it meant slogging through temperatures that dropped to a low of minus-107 degrees!
Raised in St. Joseph, Michigan where his parents and many family members still reside, the Amarillo doctor had worked for a dozen years at the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation clinic in Amarillo, said executive director Bud Schertler. He left Texas for a volunteer stint in Iraq in late January and he was assigned to the 55th Medical Company in Indianapolis, Indiana, which ran the clinic where the shootings occurred.
Dr. Houseal was "completely dedicated to his patients and would do whatever he could to help him out," said Jim Womack, a co-worker at the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation clinic. "You always hear about doctors who didn't spend time with patients. He would spend as much time as it took."
Dr. Houseal was scheduled to return home to Texas early next month.
Photo caption: A carry team moves the transfer case containing the body of Army private first class Michael E. Yates near transfer cases with the bodies of Army Sergeant Christian E. Bueno-Galdos and Army Major Matthew P. Houseal at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on May 13, 2009. (Photo credit: REUTERS/Tim Shaffer)
The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have been asked to stand for Major Houseal, and escort him to his final resting place where he will be buried with full military honors. The Riders have an on-line guest book where they are leaving messages of love and support for the Houseal family. KWTX.com reports that Dr. Houseal was married, and the father of six children.
A family member, who did not wish to be identified on camera, said that, "We're deeply saddened over our loss. As we mourn the loss of our son, we ask that you keep his wife and family in your prayers."
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Major Dr. Matthew P. Houseal. Please know that we stand with you at this terrible time of loss.
Staff Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos
A collage of family photos of Staff Sgt. Christian Bueno-Galdos of Paterson, New Jersey, is displayed in the home of his parents on Wednesday, May 13, 2009. (AP photo credit: Mike Derer)
The Buenos family is grappling with the loss of their son.
"I don't respect the way he died," Mr. Bueno said in Spanish, wiping away tears. "He didn't die in combat. He died because another soldier killed him.
"We want people to know we're proud of our son's Army, but if my son had died in war we would be able to handle that," he continued. "But not to die in this manner."
Photo Caption: Carlos Bueno, right, and his wife, Eugenia Galdos, center, and their son, Carlos Jr., receive condolences at their home in Paterson, N.J., Wednesday, May 13, 2009, from a Paterson police officer. (AP photo credit: Mike Derer)
Christian Bueno-Galdos was seven when the family emigrated to the US from Mollendo, Peru. The youngest of four Bueno kids, Christian became a US citizen in high school and he joined the Army immediately after graduating from high school. Staff Sgt. Bueno-Galdos couldn't wait to serve his adopted country and he did so exceptionally, earning an Army Commendation Medal (Two Oak Leave Cluster), an Army Good Conduct medal, a National Defense Service Medal, an Iraqi Campaign Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, an Army Service Ribbon, and an Overseas Service Ribbon.
"He was a great kid, very studious," said Mr. Bueno. "Almost everything that he wanted, he achieved."
Staff Sgt. Bueno-Galdos was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade out of Grafenwoehr, Germany. This was his second tour of duty in Iraq.
"SSG Bueno-Galdos was an excellent leader," wrote Bruce Anderson, a spokesman for the U.S. Army, in an e-mail. "His dedication to duty, to his family and to his faith was an inspiration to us all. His love for country and friends were a model for all of us to follow. His presence will be missed by all the soldiers of the Task Force Black Knights."
The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have Staff Sgt. Bueno-Galdos on their Watch List, where messages of love and sympathy are being left for the Bueno-Galdos family.
Photo Caption: A carry team prepares to carry the transfer case containing the remains of Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Wednesday, May 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Staff Sgt. Christian Bueno-Galdos is survived by his wife, Greisyn Bueno; his mother, Eugenia Galdos and his father, Carlos Bueno; two brothers and a sister, and many friends and military comrades. "We will never forget him," said his mother. "He was always a very good kid, and we love him a lot."
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Staff Sgt. Christian Bueno-Galdos. Please know that we stand with you at this terrible time of loss.
Spc. Jacob D. Barton
20-year old Jacob D. Barton was mature beyond his tender years. Kansascity.com reports that Jacob's senior year of high school was an especially difficult one because his mother, Mary Coleman, became very ill after suffering both an aneurysm and several strokes. Jacob was frequently absent from school to be with her. Following the sad death of his mother last year, he turned his attention to caring for his maternal grandmother, Rose Coleman.
Bonnie Brainard, the assistant principal at Rolla High School where Jacob Barton graduated in 2008, notes that Jacob had been "gung-ho" about enlisting in the military over the summer between his junior and senior years but his mother's passing he may have caused him to re-assess his future plans.
"Although he knew he was going into the military ... with all that was going on, he wanted to make sure it was right," said Ms. Brainard. "His grandma was his priority.
"He would always come tell me he had to leave early to make sure his grandma had wood and food. He was always trying to be the man of the house, especially after his mother died."
Rolla High School guidance counselor Kimberly Maskrey agreed. She worked closely with Jacob last year after he fell behind in his school work, attributed mostly to his mother’s illness and subsequent death.
"He was really focused on graduating on time to be able to enter the military," Ms. Maskrey said. "But he also liked helping his family. He loved his grandmother, and I think he worried about her. He would get up early last winter to bring in wood for the fire before going to school.
"He was a very likable young man," Ms. Maskrey continued. "Jacob knew what needed to be done and did it. This was tough news to take. He'll be missed by many. This is a tragic loss for Rolla High School."
Jacob Barton had a history of being a peacemaker, and for standing up for the underdog. Mrs. Coleman, Spc. Barton's beloved grandmother, said the Army told the family that Jacob died trying to shield another man from the shooting.
"They said when the guy came in, Jacob stepped in front of another guy to keep him from getting killed," Mrs. Coleman said. "And he tried to talk the guy with the gun to put his gun down."
"He wouldn’t say much unless there was some injustice being done, and then he would speak up," said Rod Waldrip, an English teacher at Jacob's high school. Mr. Waldrip recalled Spc. Barton standing up for a fellow student who was being bullied. He too, noted Jacob's concern for his grandmother. "He [Jacob] sometimes wouldn't do after-school activities because he had to see if she was OK."
Jacob Barton was from the southern Missouri town of Lenox. Spc. Barton was a member of the 955th Engineer Company, a reserve unit stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, but was cross-leveled to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade out of Waco, Texas. He is warmly remembered by a friend who knew him well:
According to Jacob's friend, Johnathan Peterson, 17, the Army was a bright spot in the young soldier's life.
"He was really glad he was serving his country. He was excited, thrilled," Peterson recalled Wednesday.
While some family members and friends described Barton as a "loner," Peterson said a more apt description was 'shy.'
"He was very kind-hearted. He was the kind of person who'd take his jacket off his own back to keep you dry," said Peterson. "Jacob was an all-around good guy." Johnathan said the two friends enjoyed playing computer games, hiking and just 'hanging out.'
Johnathan, formerly of Rolla, Missouri who now resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida, said he was considering enlisting in the Army, "just like his friend Jacob Barton. He played a key role in my life. He was a great influence," said Peterson.
Asked what people remember most about Jacob, Peterson answered:
"He'll be remembered for how he treated you. No matter what, he was there for you."
News link: Waynesville Daily Guide
Mrs. Coleman said her grandson was a hard-working, caring young man who loved "all kinds" of computer games and his family. She said that Jacob e-mailed his sister, Hannah, frequently and that he enjoyed playing with her two children. "He sure loved his niece and nephew," recalled Mrs. Coleman, her voice "choked with emotion."
The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have Spc. Barton on their Watch List, where their members are leaving notes of love and sympathy for the Barton family.
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Spc. Jacob D. Barton. Please know that we stand with you at this terrible time of loss.
Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr.
Michael Yates was one of those young soldiers who join the military in hopes of being guided to a better future. Michael's mother, Shawna Machlinski, said her son joined the Army not out of a sense of duty, but because he didn't see many other options. His stepfather and two stepbrothers were military men, and that must have been an influence as well.
"Michael was a hands-on person who didn't like book work," Ms. Machlinski said. "He liked putting guns together. He just wanted to do something that he thought he would be good at, and he always liked guns and that kind of stuff."
Michael was a young parent who was "an extremely caring father," according to his baby son's mother and his former sweetheart, Alexis Mister, 18, of Seaford, Delware. They broke up when he enlisted, but Michael found out soon afterwards that he was going to be a father. Michael "stood up", according to his stepfather, Richard Van Blargan, and started paying child support before the baby was born. Mr. Van Blargan also stated, that Michael told his parents that if anything was needed by Alexis or Kamren, to "get it to them."
"He [Michael] was always was concerned with Kamren so much," Alexis Mister recalled. "He loved him."
Ms. Mister said that Michael came home on leave in April for Kamren's first birthday party, and that he doted on his son by buying him a four-wheeler. "It's absolutely devastating," Alexis said, choking up during a telephone interview while discussing Michael's death. "My son doesn't have a father anymore."
Perhaps in part because of his young age, Michael Yates was torn between his duty to his son and his duty to his military comrades. His mother remembers that the April trip left Michael "anxious". He wasn't home in Maryland long enough, but he'd still been away from "my military family" too long, she said. Once back in Iraq, though, Ms. Machlinski said that Michael began to think about things he wished he'd done while on leave in Maryland. His stepfather said that during his April visit, Michael met a young woman who was like him in many ways. Among other things, she liked to hunt and fish, and "they clicked," Mr. Van Blargan said. "She was a country girl and he was a country boy." Although they had only two weeks together, he said, "they formed a bond."
Pfc Michael Yeates' stepfather, Richard Van Blargan, speaks to the press through his tears. Photo courtesy WBOC TV 16.
When his internal conflict began surfacing, his mother said, that Michael was transferred to company headquarters "so he could stay out of combat."
"He didn't like headquarters at all," said Ms. Machlinski. "He said they're stupid pencil pushers."
Despite the stigma, Pfc. Yates bravely volunteered to go to the stress clinic.
"I need help dealing with this," he told his mom, shortly before his fatal meeting with another soldier - this one bearing a weapon.
Shawna Machlinski, PFC Michael Yates' mother
As angry as Ms. Machlinski is at the man who killed her son, she's angrier at the military.
"My heart goes out to him, too," she said of the accused. "Someone should have helped this sergeant way before he got this bad. I would rather have my son doing his job in combat, I would rather him have been blown up by a bomb ... than be shot by friendly fire."
Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr. went to Colonel Richardson High School near Federalsburg, Maryland and obtained a GED to enlist. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany. The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders have been asked to stand for Pfc. Yates, with mission details to follow. The Riders also have an on-line guest book where notes of love and sympathy can be found for Pfc. Yates' loved ones.
Photo Caption: Adm. Michael Mullen, right, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stands with his head bowed as a carry team prepares to carry the transfer case containing the remains of Army Pfc. Michael E. Yates, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on Wednesday, May 13, 2009.
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Pfc. Michael E. Yeats Jr. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
Major Steven Hutchison
Photo courtesy KNXV via CNN.com
According to an Associated Press news release, Major Steven Hutchison is the oldest soldier (of any branch) to be killed in Iraq. He was sixty at the time of his death on May 10.
This Scottsdale, Arizona resident first served in Vietnam, and he wanted to re-enlist immediately after the September 11th terrorist attacks but his brother, Richard Hutchison, said that his wife, Kathy, was against the idea. However, after her sad death from breast cancer in January 2006, "a part of him died" too, said Mr. Hutchison, and his brother the Major signed back up in July 2007.
"I didn't want him to go," said Richard Hutchison, through tears, adding that he loved his brother "so much." He described him as a great big brother and friend. "He was very devoted to the service and to his country."
California native Hutchison first joined the Army in 1966 and served two one-year tours in Vietnam, according to a news release from Fort Riley, Kansas, home of Hutchison's 1st Infantry Division, the famous "Big Red One." Over the next 22 years, he was a platoon leader in Germany and commander of a basic training company at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Major Steven Hutchinson then taught psychology at two state colleges, then worked at a health care corporation in Arizona before retiring and re-entering the service in 2007.
Major Hutchison served in Afghanistan for a year before deploying to Iraq in October, heading a 12-soldier team that trained the Iraqi military, his brother said. Later, he was assigned to help secure Iraq's southern border. Major Hutchison was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas.
The magnificent Patriot Guard Riders will be escorting Major Hutchison to his final resting place, with details to follow on their website, where members are leaving notes of love and support for the Hutchison family.
"He was a great guy," Mr. Hutchison said. "We hung around together; we went to the movies together, went out to dinner together. He loved to shoot pool; we used to shoot pool all the time, either at my house or at his house. He was just a great friend and a great brother."
He was also a damn fine human being: "When he was in Iraq, they found a dog and were taking care of it. He sent me an e-mail asking me to send some dog food and dog supplies," Mr. Hutchison said. The Army made Hutchison's soldier team surrender the dog, but Mr. Hutchison said that they left it in good hands.
"He had a big heart."
Major Hutchison is survived by his brother, Richard; two daughters, and two half-siblings.
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Major Steven Hutchison. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
AN UPDATE ON JUNE 1st: I was thrilled to learn that the puppy Major Hutchison loved but had to leave behind is now on her way to a new home here in the US, where she'll be loved by friends of the Hutchison family!
"Laia has brought so much joy and happiness into our lives, and we cannot express how much she has touched us all," Major Hutchison's brother, Sgt. Richard Hutchison told the SPCA. "As a final act for our brother, we want to send his dog home."
Laia's travels are being coordinated by Operation Baghdad Pups, which is run by the SPCA International, who also get the credit for this photo of her below. Welcome home, sweet Laia!
Thank you so much to Kossack FoundingFatherDAR for posting this story in an Open Thread today, which is where I learned the happy news.
The following fine organizations could sure use your support: AnySoldier.com, Books for Soldiers, Fisher House, the Military Pets Foster Project, Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets, Military Mascots, Operation Enduring Christmas, an organization that plans theme parks vacations for the children of our fallen troops, and Helping Udders, an organization that sends cooling vests to the Military Working Dogs stationed with their handlers in Iraq.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here to see other IGTNT diaries, a series which was begun by i dunno and which is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, noweasels, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, and mediaprof.
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. Fallen soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and National Guard whose names have been released by the Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each fallen service member more fully, but still in a timely manner
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. I hope that the comments tonight will demonstrate our respect for the sacrifices of our fallen military and our compassion for their families, whatever our personal feelings about the war and occupation happen to be. (Comment credit and my thanks to dear noweasels.)
PEACE AND BLESSINGS.