Warm Summer Sun
Warm summer sun,
Shine kindly here,
Warm southern wind,
Blow softly here.
Green sod above,
Lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear heart,
Good night, good night.
Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
Apologies for the delay in publishing this diary, which should have appeared yesterday. High winds and fires disrupted internet service. As you no doubt know, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fires in southern California. Many of them will lose their homes and treasured belongings, and sadly some will lose their lives. We can only hope that the fires are contained quickly and with as little damage as possible. Our hearts go out to all those who face these tragic losses.
Unfortunately, the families and friends who knew and loved the fallen soldiers remembered in today’s IGTNT diary have lost the irreplaceable – fathers, husbands, sons, grandchildren. Please join me below the fold as we honor two courageous souls who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Vincent Alexander Madero: "He taught us so many things"
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Vincent A. Madero, 22, of Port Hueneme, Calif. died Oct 17 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Vincent Madero had found his niche in life. After enlisting in the Army in 2003, Vincent completed basic training at Ft. Sill, Okla., in November 2003, and his family says military life made him more focused and motivated. He went on to be stationed at Fort Wainwright in Alaska with the 172nd Stryker Brigade. While there, mutual friends introduced Vincent to Ellen Housely and her baby boy, James, now age three.
From the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (where you can see a photograph of Vincent):
"He was so quiet, he seemed really mysterious," Ellen said. "I knew I wanted to get to know him."
After some time the two began dating. Vincent brought stability to the life of Ellen and Jamie, who called him "da da." Vincent talked about adopting the boy in the future.
"He taught us so many things," Ellen said. "He taught us how to do things right."
The two stayed in touch during his first 16-month tour in Iraq, exchanging emails, phone calls and writing to each other in an online journal. When Vincent returned to Alaska, he proposed to Ellen in a most romantic way, by taking her to one of their favorite places at a nearby river. They were married in a small ceremony in March, 2007. But after only a little more than six months with his new family, Vincent was redeployed to Iraq and left in August.
From the Ventura County Star:
Madero's sister, Cassey Penn, said her brother kept in touch through e-mail, but there were times when he was so busy he couldn't write.
To check to see if he was OK, she and her brother would look at the login date on his MySpace page. He last signed on to it the day he died.
His family said he didn't talk much about the war but did not seem to have any trepidation about returning to Iraq.
"He told me he wanted to go back so he could help the younger guys," his sister said.
His only regret about returning, his father said, was that he did not get a chance to spend more time with his new wife, Ellen.
Again, the couple used the internet to keep in touch, especially Vincent’s myspace page, with the sweet title "Ellensloveloveguy," and the "Breakfast at Tiffany" theme song, "Moon River" playing in the background. They talked about his plans to become a police officer or fire fighter when he returned to Alaska and like all young couples, they looked forward to buying a house someday. He wanted to renew his vows with Ellen and celebrate their commitment in a larger ceremony than the small wedding they originally had.
On October 17, Vincent, who was trained as an artillery spotter, had the day off. But he volunteered to go back out. He was manning a turret gun when the Humvee he was riding in was hit. Now his family and friends remember a young man with a big heart who touched a lot of people.
In an online obituary, a friend wrote this touching reminiscence of Vincent and the qualities that made him so special. (The final sentence is one of the sweetest things ever said.)
Vincent had many hobbies but mostly he enjoyed mechanics, camping, photography, art work, and he couldn’t survive without his music. He had every CD you could ever think of. Vincent would go out of his way to help anybody. He devoted his time to making others happy and staying on top of things. Vincent was very responsible and he loved taking care of his family. He always had a smile on his face.
Vincent was a leader; he was one of a kind. He brought so much joy in his short lifetime and he will be missed dearly. He used to say to his family: "When you feel alone, look at the spaces between your fingers, remember that in those spaces you can see my fingers."
While serving our nation, Vincent won a number of awards, including: the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Combat Action Badge. In his honor, Sacramento’s Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff. Vincent is survived by his wife and stepson, his parents, Blas and Sybil Madero of Port Hueneme, California, his older brother, Daniel Hazelton, and sister Cassey Penn, both of Arizona.
Rest in peace, Vincent. Your hard work and your sacrifices will not be forgotten.
Jarred S. Fontenot: "He died a hero to his children"
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Jarred S. Fontenot, 35, of Port Barre, La., died Oct. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered from an improvised explosive device and small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Co.
Jarred Fontenot only loved one thing more than military life and that was his family, especially his wife and four young children – three boys, ages 16, 7 and 6 and a 4-year-old daughter.
Both younger boys are autistic, and one may not yet know that his father perished in Iraq. He has trouble coping with change, so his family wants to be careful about how and when he is told. To cause him as little stress as possible under the circumstances, his grandmother, Bett Dedon, says she will talk to him when the time is right.
Jarred’s oldest son, who planned on following in his father’s footsteps, knows his father is gone and is devastated. As his grandfather told the Jackson Hole (WY) Star Tribune:
"He's hurt," he said. "Him and his daddy kept in touch all the time. He'd call him often."
Jarred’s strong attachment to his family may have been due to the fact that he was orphaned at an early age.
From the Denver Post, where you can see a picture of Jarred:
Dedicating time to his family was important to Fontenot, Dedon said, because he didn't have a family growing up. Fontenot's parents died when he was young, and he and his sister were raised by grandparents, she said.
"Jarred always took time to be with his family, but was a very dedicated officer too," said Officer Tony Duplechain, who worked with Fontenot at the Port Barre Police Department. "He'd work for free just to help us out on his days off."
Fontenot, who entered the Army on Christmas Day 1993, worked for local law enforcement between tours in Iraq. He was deployed from September 2004 to September 2005, and was slated to come home in December after being deployed in October 2006 when the Army extended his tour, Dedon said.
"I guess you get comfortable when he's over there for so long and nothing happens," Dedon said. "You think, 'Oh, he's OK. He'll be home in a month."'
Jarred’s grandfather, Charles Marks, and his wife, Dorthy, raised him and his sister after their parents’ passing. Marks is understandably overwhelmed by the news.
As he told the Colorado Springs Gazette:
"It’s just the same way I reacted when my brother was killed in Korea. I was numb. I wanted to cry," he said. "Jarred was a friendly guy. He would always want to help you out."
Marks recalls his grandson as a rough and tumble kid who grew up loving outdoor sports like fishing and hunting, and excelled on the high school football team.
"He was pretty good," Marks said. "He was rough. He played hard. Everything he did, he put everything into it."
A friend remembered Jarred and his love for the service with this moving tribute at an online memorial:
Let's all pray for Jared Fontenot and his family. I knew Jared since we were kids and I worked with him when he was a police officer. We called him "Rambo" because he always wanted to be a soldier and would wear camouflage to school.
He was a good man, friend, brother, husband, father and officer. He will truly be missed but not forgotten. "God bless him for the ultimate sacrifice he made for all of us and give his family the strength and courage to face this tragic loss."
Fontenot served with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division of Fort Carson and had won numerous service awards, including the Army Good Conduct medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the Parachute Badge.
"Jarred believed strongly in the military and planned to stay in until his retirement," his mother-in-law, Bett Dedon, told the Denver Post. "He died a hero to his children."
Rest in peace, Jarred. We will not forget your service or your sacrifice.
Many thanks to noweasels and twilight falling for much-needed research help.
The Iraq Coalition Casualty Count reports that total number of US casualties confirmed by the Department of Defense is now 3833, with 1 additional death pending notification of relatives, for a total of 3834. The DoD news releases can be found here. Other sites have stories, video, pictures and remembrances, including Honor the Fallen.
All these service people had friends and loved ones. Please visit the Iraq Veterans Memorial for a moving look at how a few of their survivors remember them. If you'd like to help our soldiers, consider sponsoring a soldier at TroopCarePackage.com or anysoldier.com. Operation Helmet and Fisher Houseare also wonderful organizations that offer additional opportunity to help out American soldiers.
Finally, if you would like to assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Animal companions can provide such love, joy and comfort.
About the IGTNT series:
IGTNT stands for "I Got the News Today." The phrase most likely refers to the Beatles’ song, and it is meant to symbolize that terrible knock on the door that any number of families got today, bringing with it the news that a loved one has died. IGTNT is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.
Click hereto see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, silvercedes, MsWings, noweasels, blue jersey mom, chacounne, twilight falling, Wee Mama, greenies, labwitchy, roses, joyful, sistwo and me, moneysmith.
If you would like to help out with IGTNT -- even once a month -- please get in touch with silvercedes, Sandy on Signal, noweasels or monkeybiz.
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.