Semper Fidelis
More than a motto, a way of life that distinguishes the Marine Corps bond from any other. It goes beyond teamwork – it is a brotherhood and lasts for life.
Latin for "always faithful," Semper Fidelis became the Marine Corps motto in 1883. It guides Marines to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other, to the Corps and to country, no matter what.
Becoming a Marine is a transformation that cannot be undone, and Semper Fi reminds us of that. Once made, a Marine will forever live by the ethics and values of the Corps.
There is no such thing as an ex-Marine.
In Honor and In Memoriam:
Cpl Sean A Osterman
Cpl Eric M Torbert Jr.
I Got The News Today (IGTNT)
IGTNT is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos. Its purpose is to provide 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.
.
.
Eternal Father, Strong to Save
(Known also as the "Navy Hymn")
The Marine Corps Verse:
Eternal Father, grant, we pray
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill;
Be thou the shield forevermore
From every peril to the Corps.
--J.E. Seim, 1966
.
.
Cpl. Sean A. Osterman, 21, of Princeton, Minnesota
Cpl. Sean A. Osterman, 21, of Princeton, Minn., died Dec. 16 from wounds received Dec.14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
~ Source
Sean Osterman was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin and lived near there until age 9 when his family moved to Princeton. He graduated from Technical High School in St. Cloud in 2007. He joined the Marine Corps at age 17 on the Delayed Entry Program and went on active duty after graduation. He had completed one tour in Afghanistan before his current deployment.
On December 14th, during his second tour in Afghanistan, Cpl Osterman was mortally wounded while leading his platoon in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. He was evacuated to Kandahar and then flown to Landstuhl Medical Center at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, where he died Saturday, December 16th.
Doctors were able to harvest his organs for donation in Germany.
Sean's father, Marine Reserve Col. Anthony Osterman, was at one time responsible for training and equipping and manning the Afghan security forces, according to an earlier release from the U.S. military. He has since retired from the military.
Osterman's mother, Kelly Hugo, a guidance counselor at North Junior High School in St. Cloud, traveled to Germany to be with her son before he died and returned to Delaware with his body Monday night.
Technical High School counselor Bridget Hamak said Sean Osterman stopped back at Tech this summer to see how Hamak was doing.
He was the same kid I remember — exuberant, friendly. But he would say ‘ma’am’ and not even realize it.
He was very proud of his father and of his own service in the military, said Hamak, who was his counselor during the four years Osterman attended Tech.
He was well-liked at school and had a lot friends. I think the miliary was a good fit for him. He felt connected in the military. He was very excited, even when he talked about enlisting and going to basic.
He was just so proud of what he was doing. That’s what sticks in my head. It’s unfortunate what happened, but he knew that this is what was for him.
Sean had made the decision to leave the Marines when his enlistment ended and to then attend college. He had such compassion for his fellow Marines that often he would write his father seeking advice for his colleagues' questions and concerns.
Sean's loved ones have set up an open facebook page in his memory. There are many touching comments and photos posted there.
Cpl Sean A Osterman's awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.
The Patriot Guard Riders have Cpl Osterman on their Pending Mission Rides List.
Cpl Sean A. Osterman is survived by his mother, Kelly Hugo; his father, Col Anthony Osterman USMC Reserve Ret.; sister Katie Osterman; siter Olya Osterman; brother Elijah Pruka and sister Sarah Pruka.
Funeral services are planned at the Fort Myer Chapel with interment at Arlington Cemetery. A local memorial service will be planned in the near future.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
.
.
Cpl. Eric M. Torbert Jr., 25, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Cpl. Eric M. Torbert Jr., 25, of Lancaster, Pa., died Dec. 18 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.
~ Source
Eric Torbert graduated in 2003 from Penn Manor High School, enlisted in the Marine Corps on Sept. 5, 2007. This was his first combat deployment.
He married Marcelle Sebastian on June 12th of this year.
Eric's mother, Denise Torbert says her son enjoyed music, playing the guitar, and spending time with friends and family. She says he decided to join the military a few years after graduating from Penn Manor High School in 2003.
"He wanted to go in and we honored his wishes on that, it was tough as a mom."
His father, Eric Torbert, posted a Facebook message about spotting officials pulling up to his Pennsylvania home Saturday to inform him of his son's death.
"I pray to God those of you with love (sic) ones serving in the armed forces never see the Black GMC Cargo Van pull to the front of your home with 2 uniformed officers exiting the vehicle, knowing as they approach the front door what it is they are about to say."
Karl Bunz, a neighbor of the family, said Denise Torbert knocked on his door Sunday and asked Bunz's son, Karl Jr., if he would lower the flag to half-mast in recognition of her son's death.
We were more than happy to do that. It's protocol for this situation.
Cathy Bunz remembers Torbert playing that guitar in his garage with some friends when he still lived at home.
He had a band and they were quite good. They were loud, but they were good.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised Torbert as "an outstanding Marine and loyal patriot."
"We join all Californians in honoring his admirable service and the sacrifice he made to defend the freedoms we enjoy every day," Schwarzenegger said.
Flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in Torbert's honor.
Cpl Torbert's personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
The Patriot Guard Riders have Cpl Eric M. Torbert Jr on their Pending Missions Ride list.
Eric is survived by his wife, Marcelle, his mother, Denise; his father Eric Sr.; a brother Dennis and a sister Lynn.
~ Source ~ Source ~ Source
.
.
About the IGTNT series:
"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.
.
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.
On December 8th new photos were published of Pfc Bowe R. Bergdahl in captivity. The article and images can be seen here.
.
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:
Evan Ashcraft Foundation - This foundation was established to assist soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan to adjust to civilian life. In particular this foundation's emphasis is on PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
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.
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.
Veterans Green Jobs - Our recently returned veterans need jobs and VGJ is now hiring for positions and filling training sessions. VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in natural resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas.
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.
.
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.