Hope is in short supply these days, particularly for the families and friends who have had to say goodbye to loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet remembering the fallen is an act of hope, as it preserves the enduring memories and spirits of those who have gone. Anne Bronte referred to this in a poem as "the hope with which I cannot part."
With the hope that their memories will sustain and inspire those they leave behind, we remember today the lives of five brave soldiers who have fallen in Iraq: Pfc. Matthew M. Murchison, Spc. Charles E. Leonard Jr., Sgt. Bradley W. Marshall, Spc. Daniel F. Reyes, and Sgt. 1st Class Travis S. Bachman.
In the beautiful words of Anne Bronte:
Farewell to thee! but not farewell
To all my fondest thoughts of thee:
Within my heart they still shall dwell;
And they shall cheer and comfort me.
O, beautiful, and full of grace!
If thou hadst never met mine eye,
I had not dreamed a living face
Could fancied charms so far outvie.
If I may ne'er behold again
That form and face so dear to me,
Nor hear thy voice, still would I fain
Preserve, for aye, their memory.
That voice, the magic of whose tone
Can wake an echo in my breast,
Creating feelings that, alone,
Can make my tranced spirit blest.
That laughing eye, whose sunny beam
My memory would not cherish less; -
And oh, that smile! whose joyous gleam
Nor mortal language can express.
Adieu, but let me cherish, still,
The hope with which I cannot part.
Contempt may wound, and coldness chill,
But still it lingers in my heart.
And who can tell but Heaven, at last,
May answer all my thousand prayers,
And bid the future pay the past
With joy for anguish, smiles for tears?
~ Anne Bronte
Sadly, despite long hours of research and assistance from several IGTNT diarists, I was able to find very little information about most of the soldiers we honor today. Nonetheless, we honor these brave men and hold these soldiers and their families in our hearts and memories, as we do with all those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you have any information about these soldiers, please post a comment and I will very gladly update this diary.
Matthew Murchison
DoD reports:
Pfc. Matthew M. Murchison, 21, of Independence, Mo., died August 4 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 127th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Hanau, Germany.
You can see a picture of PFC Murchison on his MySpace page. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any other information about PFC Murchison. If additional information becomes available, I will gladly update this diary.
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Farewell to thee, but not farewell, Matthew Murchison, for we remember you. May your beautiful spirit roam free and be at peace forever.
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Charles Leonard Jr.
DoD reports:
Spc. Charles E. Leonard Jr., 29, of Monroe, La., died August 5 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when the vehicle he was in was struck by a rocket propelled grenade. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Statesman.com reports:
Leonard joined the military in March 2003 as an Infantryman and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division since August 2004.
He deployed to Iraq in October 2006.
Specialist Leonard’s military awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism (Service) Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Unfortunately, I was not able to find any other information about Spc. Leonard. If additional information becomes available, I will gladly update this diary.
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Farewell to thee, but not farewell, Charles Leonard Jr., for we remember you. May your beautiful spirit roam free and be at peace forever.
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Bradley Marshall and Daniel Reyes
DoD reports:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died July 31 in Tunis, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy indirect fire.
They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Killed were:
Sgt. Bradley W. Marshall, 37, of Little Rock, Ark.
Spc. Daniel F. Reyes, 24, of San Diego.
The Anchorage Daily News reports the following about these two brave men who died together:
Marshall, 37, first joined the Army in July 1990 and later re-enlisted in March 2002. Marshall, of Little Rock, Ark., was assigned to Fort Richardson in July 2006. Reyes, of San Diego, Calif., was 24. He joined the Army in June 2005 and was assigned to Fort Richardson in January 2006. Both soldiers were forward observer field artillerymen, assigned to the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. Reyes was part of headquarters and Headquarters Battery. Marshall was in Bravo Battery. Eleven other paratroopers were wounded in the attack, one seriously. The 10 soldiers who were not seriously injured were treated at Kalsu and returned to duty. The seriously injured paratrooper was evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq.
Patriot Guard Riders is reporting that Sgt. Marshall leaves behind a wife and two children.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Spc. Reyes, a native of San Diego. He released this statement:
"Our hearts go out to the family of Specialist Daniel Reyes as they mourn the extraordinary loss of their loved one. Serving in the armed forces is a noble calling with grave risks. Daniel bravely undertook these risks and we honor his courage and commitment to our country. Maria and I offer our prayers to his family and friends during this difficult time."
You can see pictures of Sgt. Marshall and Spc. Reyes here.
Unfortunately, I was not able to find any other information about Sgt. Marshall or Spc. Reyes. If additional information becomes available, I will gladly update this diary.
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Farewell to thee, but not farewell, Bradley Marshall and Daniel Reyes, for we remember you both. May your beautiful spirits roam free and be at peace forever.
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Travis Bachman
DoD reports:
Sgt. 1st Class Travis S. Bachman, 30, of Garden City, Kan., died Aug. 1 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Al Basrah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 714th Security Force, Kansas Army National Guard, Topeka, Kan.
The cruelest fate of all met Travis Bachman. In just three weeks, he would have finished his tour of duty in Iraq and come home to his wife, Amber, his 4-year-old son, Tyler, his 4-month-old daughter, Kaleigh, and his 10-year-old son (by a different marriage), Zachary. Instead of greeting his return joyfully at the airport, they will have to see him off for the last time at his funeral.
The Garden City Telegram provided this:
"He was so close," Amber Bachman said. "He told me he couldn't wait to come home -- to spend time with us and be a family again."
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She said, to Travis, his company was his family and he would do anything for anyone, including putting a flag-draped coffin of a soldier on a plane to send him home.
"He told me that was the hardest thing he had ever had to do in his military career," she said.
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Amber Bachman said she kept in contact with her husband as much as possible and said she remembers the last conversation she had with him on Monday and the concerns he had voiced to her.
"He told me people were getting stupid over there," she said. "He told me he was scared and worried. He was so close to coming home and things were getting tough."
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Travis Bachman grew up in Garden City and is the son of Rodney and Connie Bachman. Rodney Bachman is a Garden City police lieutenant.
Travis Bachman joined the military in 1993 and will be buried in his hometown. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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"Travis was a soldier -- a husband and a father," Amber Bachman said. "To me -- our relationship, his relationship with his children -- was perfect. No words could ever express it."
In another sad twist of fate, Sgt. Bachman was the person who found the body of Sgt. Courtney Finch, a 27-year-old Guardsman whom I diaried about two weeks ago. Sgt. Bachman’s wife remembered talking to her husband about the incident, and told The Garden City Telegram that Sgt. Bachman had closed Sgt. Finch's eyes and was having nightmares about it.
Sgt. Bachman is survived by his wife, Amber, his three children, Zachary, Tyler, and Kaleigh, and his parents, Rodney and Connie Bachman. You can see his picture here.
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Farewell to thee, but not farewell, Travis Bachman, for we remember you. May your beautiful spirit roam free and be at peace forever.
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As of this writing, Iraq Coalition Casualties reports that 3674 American soldiers have been confirmed killed in action in Iraq, with 6 additional deaths pending notification of the families. The DoD news releases can be found here.
You can help our military men and women. Please consider sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com. It doesn’t take much time or money. Just send letters or care packages to your soldier, sailor, Airman, or Marine. One of my "adopted" soldiers told me that "mail is gold" for a deployed soldier. A few minutes of your time and one airmail stamp can make a real difference in a military person's life. anysoldier.com, Operation Helmet, and Fisher House are also wonderful organizations that provide comfort and care to deployed American troops.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended 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 which is maintained by monkeybiz, Sandy on Signal, silvercedes, noweasels, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, Wee Mama, MsWings, sheddhead, labwitchy, and moneysmith.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and families of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
Many thanks to labwitchy, MsWings, and greenies for invaluable research assistance.
Thank you, llbear, for sharing the idea of using forget-me-nots in IGTNT diaries!