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I Got The News Today (IGTNT) , which is the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
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Tonight we honor the lives, service and sacrifice of Two Soldiers and Two Marines:
Sgt Michael F. Paranzino, 22, Middletown, Rhode Island
Spc Blake D. Whipple, 21, Wiliamsville, New York
Lance Cpl Brandon W. Pearson, 21, Arvada, Colorado
Lance Cpl Matthew J. Broehm, 22, Flagstaff, Arizona
We see but dimly through the mists and vapors;
Amid these earthly damps
What seem to us but sad, funeral tapers
May be heaven's distant lamps.
~Longfellow
Since 2001 we have suffered the loss of 1372 Americans in Afghanistan.
Since 2003 we have suffered the loss of 4427 Americans in Iraq.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
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Sgt Michael F. Paranzino
Sgt. Michael F. Paranzino, 22, of Middletown, R.I., died Nov. 5 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
~ Source
Michael graduated from Middletown High School in 2005 and joined the Army in August of 2007. He served a tour in Iraq and had been in Afghanistan since March.
Describing the late Sgt. Michael F. Paranzino as a "born soldier" and "natural leader," his Aquidneck Island family and close family friends remained in deep mourning Sunday over the loss of the 22-year-old husband, father, son and brother, just two weeks after seeing him during his most recent return trip home to Middletown.
Sunday, Michael's mother Melane Paranzino, wore a necklace consisting of Michael’s identification, along with dog-tag-size photos of her soldier.
"I wore these during his first tour [in Iraq]. He got an extra dog tag and gave it to me," she said. As for the pendant with photos on either side, "I had this made because I wanted to be able to see him and keep him close to my heart. And now, I’ll never take them off."
Michael's father Butch Paranzino said:
"I believe he’s a hero." "He fought so we can have what we enjoy here. Whatever challenges you have in your life, if you think of him and do the best you can to succeed, you’re honoring his memory."
~ Source
Melane said friends and family will remember him for his ability to connect with people.
"He just loved people. There were people in his life that he just took under his wing, people that he loved and that he supported. It's what he did. He was a leader."
~ Source
Paranzino's awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
The Patriot Guard Riders have Sgt Paranzino on their watch list.
~ Source
Michael is survived by his wife Lindsey, two children Maxton and Logan, mother Melane, father Francis "Butch" Paranzino and a brother.
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Spc Blake D. Whipple
Spc Whipple died Nov. 5 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 7th Engineering Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
~ Source
Blake Whipple graduated from Williamsville East High School in 2007. Blake had spent time as a student at St. Bonaventure University, Erie Community College and Buffalo State College before joining the Army early last year.
Considered fun-loving and with a great sense of humor, Blake enjoyed playing baseball, football, hockey and video games. He also loved rock music and especially enjoyed having his own rock show on St. Bonaventure's student-run radio station during his one semester there.
Blake's father David said:
At first, I didn't know if I wanted to talk with the media, but then I thought, I want people to know about our heroic young son, a young man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. I want people to know we are very proud of our son.
~ Source
His father tells News 4 as his parents, they lived with a constant fear of when he joined the U.S. Army knowing that one day the knock on the door could come saying their son was gone.
They got the news Friday afternoon, Blake was a combat engineer and his job was to clear roadside bombs and sadly that is what killed him.
Blake was, I'll describe him the way I always describe him, if you found 100 people that didn't know Blake and put them all together in a room with Blake, in about an hour he'd have 99 good friends. He was just that gregarious and he cared a lot for other people.
~ Source
The Patriot Guard Riders have Spc Whipple on their confirmed missions list.
~ Source
Blake is survived by his parents David and Kim; two older brothers Sean and Brian; a sister in law and two nephews.
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Lance Cpl Brandon W. Pearson
Lance Cpl Brandon W. Pearson was killed on November 4th while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. The incident is currently under investigation according to the DoD website.
~ Source
Pearson enlisted in the Marine Corps September 8, 2007 and was set to leave the Marines and re-enter civilian life in September of 2011. He was scheduled to return stateside in April of 2011 and had been offered a job with SWAT following his enlistment.
Brandon was on his second overseas tour and had left the states just five weeks earlier. His sister Ashley recalled:
He always said he would come home safe, but just in case, before he left, he hung out a lot and tried to do as much as possible.
He didn't want us to mourn but more or less celebrate his life.
The family is considering an Irish-style funeral with Pearson's favorite whiskey, either Crown Royal or Jameson Irish.
~ Source
The Patriot Guard Riders have Lance Cpl Pearson on their watch list.
~ Source
Brandon is survived by his father Mike, mother Wendy and sister Ashley.
Lance Cpl Pearson's personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
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Lance Cpl Matthew J. Broehm
(Matthew and wife Lee Bean Broehm from Matthew's Facebook page)
Lance Cpl Broehm was killed on November 4th while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. The incident is currently under investigation according to the DoD website.
~ Source
Matthew Broehm attended Williams High School and he enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 4, 2007.
He and his wife, Lee were married on March 22, 2010.
Very little information could be found relating to Matthew, but on his Facebook page he professed an extremely strong Christian faith. With that in mind and in his honor I offer the following:
The 23rd Psalm - The Lord is My Shepherd
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
The Patriot Guard Riders have Lance Cpl Broehm on their confirmed missions list.
~ Source
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About the IGTNT series:
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"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, and me, JaxDem. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diarized two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner.
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POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq
Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of December 1, 2009.
Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie 41
and
Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl 23
Never forgotten - please keep good thoughts and prayers for these two men.
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Retroactive Stop Loss Benefits submission deadline extended to December 3rd. Details available here.
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Helping Our Troops
There would be no finer way to honor the fallen than to contribute to programs that assist our active duty military. Here are a few suggestions:
Any Soldier - provides "contacts" for you to send greetings, care packages, etc. to any Soldier, Airman, Marine, Sailor or Coast Guardman.
Books for Soldiers - purchases and ships books to our troops deployed in war zones.
Fisher House - Provides a "home away from home" for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitilization for an illness, disease or injury.
Guardian Angels for Soldiers' Pets - establishing a network of foster families providing a loving and healthy home environment for the pet(s)of deployed military personnel until they can be reunited with their owner.
Netroots For The Troops - raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of care packages to American military in war zones, and to provide assistance to military families in the United States.
Welcome Back Veterans - created to inspire Americans to give back to our returning veterans and their families and assist in particular with PTSD.
Wounded Warrior Project - To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service service members, to help injured service members aid and assist each other and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.