Late last week, the Department of Defense announced the deaths of two members of the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan. They are Spc. Pedro A. Maldonado of Texas, who died when insurgents attacked his unit and Staff Sgt. Adam L. Dickmyer of North Carolina who was killed by an IED. These two men are the 9th and 10th soldiers lost from the 101st Airborne Division in the month of October. Please follow me below the fold to read their stories.
On Saturday, the Department of Defense announced that:
Staff Sgt. Adam L. Dickmyer, 26, of Winston Salem, N.C., died Oct. 28 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Staff Sgt. Dickmyer was born in York, Pennsylvania, but his family moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina when he was nine years old. He attended Mineral Springs Elementary and Middle Schools, and he graduated from Carver High School in 2002. While in high school, he was a member of the school's award-winning ROTC drill team.
Dickmyer joined the Army after high school graduation in 2002. After completing basic training, he was chosen to serve at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. This is one of the most prestigious positions in the military, and less than 15% of those who try out for this position are selected. He served at the Tomb of the Unknowns from 2003 to 2009.
“He was extremely handsome,” said his mother, Stephanie Dickmyer of Lutz, Fla., adding that thousands of tourists saw him performing his duties at the grave. “He had exceptional patience and he thrived on discipline. He was extremely dedicated to the Army.” ~source
Last year he volunteered to go to Afghanistan, and he deployed in June. Preliminary reports indicate that Dickmyer was killed when he stepped out of his vehicle, probably by a buried IED.
Dickmyer's awards and decorations include the:
Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Superior Unit Award; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon; Air Assault Badge; Expert Infantry Badge; Parachutists Badge; Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge and Marksmanship Qualification Expert Badge.~source
SS Dickmyer is survived by his wife, Melinda, his mother, Stephanie, and his father, David. He will be buried in his beloved Arlington National cemetery.
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On Saturday, the Department of Defense also announced that:
Spc. Pedro A. Maldonado, 20, of Houston, Texas, died Oct. 29 in Kandalay, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Pedro Maldonado enlisted shortly after graduating, giving all of his military earnings to his parents. He was hoping it would be enough to buy his family their first house and a new prosthetic leg for his father, a painter from Mexico injured in a farming accident as a teen.
“That was his life — his father, his mother, his sisters and his baby brother,” his aunt said. “It was his main priority.”
She described her nephew as shy and sensitive, a good kid who respected adults and never acted out. He spent hours playing his guitar, his one passion outside his family.
Maldonado was on his second tour in the Middle East and was about six months from coming home, his aunt said. ~source
h/t to Texasmom for the additional information
Spc. Maldonado joined the Army in 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell in September of 2009. His awards and decorations include the:
National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Infantry Badge. ~source
Maldonado is survived by his mother, Maria, and his father, Pedro. there is little additional information on Spc. Maldonado, but I will update the diary if more information becomes available.
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Thank you, Spc. Maldonado and Staff Sgt. Dickmyer, for your selfless service to our nation. Poppies are the universal symbols of remembrance. May we always remember and honor your sacrifices.
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The purpose of the I Got the News Today series is 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 is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in KY, maggiejean, racheltracks, and Jax Dem.
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.