May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
Surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever young, forever young
From "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart
Tonight we remember two marines. One died in Iraq of undisclosed causes. The other died in the United States from injuries he had sustained in Iraq. Both were only 19 years old.
Lance Cpl. Kelly E. C. Watters
From the Department of Defense:
Lance Cpl. Kelly E. C. Watters, 19, of Virginia Beach, Va. died June 11, from wounds suffered while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The News and Observer reports that:
Lance Cpl. Kelly E. C. Watters, 19, of Virginia Beach, Va., was injured May 23 while deployed to the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was evacuated to Bethesda Naval Hospital, Md., for care where members of his family joined him at bedside. Watters succumbed to his wounds June 11.
The article goes on to state that Lance Cpl. Watters had joined the Marines in 2005 and was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq.
WAVY TV 10 has the following statement from Lance Cpl. Watters' family:
Kelly was a free spirit who lived life to its fullest and with no regrets. He enjoyed spending time with his family, friends, Marine buddies, and spending time at the beach.... He will be greatly missed by those he leaves behind.
WAVY TV 10 also has a video report about Lance Cpl. Watters on their website.
Hamptonroad.com tells us that:
Kelly Watters would have celebrated his 20th birthday this week in Iraq. Stuck in a dry country and too young to drink legally, he might have celebrated with buddies at the chow hall....
On Monday afternoon, several homes in the Watterses' neighborhood near Corporate Landing Office Park flew flags at half-staff. More banners adorned the mailboxes leading to the family home. Scarlet and gold ribbons, Marine Corps colors laced with black strands, hung from columns and doors.
Sandra Borror, a neighbor, said the Watterses are one of several, close-knit military families on the block. Pete Watters was retired from the Navy, she said. She said the family was "numb" from the loss.
From The Washington Post:
Ryan Benzel, 19, a George Mason University student who attended high school with Watters, recalled that his friend made everyone feel at ease. "Kelly wanted everyone to feel comfortable no matter where they were. He put his friends before himself," Benzel wrote in a Facebook message to a reporter.
Benzel also said that he had worried for Watters. "I remember asking him if he was ever scared while was he over there and he said, 'No,' " Benzel recalled.
Benzel said he told Watters once that he had set his cellphone to play Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." when Watters called. But Watters told Benzel to change it.
The song "reminded him of his fallen 'brothers,' " Benzel wrote. "It's sad because he now has joined them."
He is survived by his parents, 2 brothers, one step-brother, and one step-sister.
A funeral for Lance Cpl. Watters is being held on Thursday, June 19. The Patriot Guard will be riding at Lance Cpl. Watters' funeral.
Lance Cpl. Kelly E. C. Watters, may you rest in peace. Thank you for your service and may your loved ones find peace and comfort as well.
Lance Cpl. Javier Perales Jr.
From the Department of Defense:
Lance Cpl. Javier Perales Jr., 19, of San Elizario, Texas, died June 11, from a non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
From The El Paso Times:
"He didn't like to go out to parties," said Fernando Perales, 16, adding that his brother was "very serious" and "very responsible." Javier Perales Jr. was born and raised in San Elizario and graduated from San Elizario High School, his brother said.
Fernando Perales said his brother had a plan when he joined the Marines. "His goal was to stop my mom from working," he said, adding that the Marine wanted to help support the family.
Javier Perales earned good grades in school and was active in his church, the Marine's brother said.
From K Fox TV:
In San Elizario, the community more often hears about someone joining the service than they do someone dying while in the service.
"It's shocking. It's hitting really close to home," said San Elizario Fire Capt. Robert Lopez.
Lopez feels a sense of sadness to find out someone from the community joined the Marines and didn't come home. Like most people in this town, Lopez connects with those in the military even if he never got to know them.
.
A funeral for Lance Cpl. Perales will be held on Monday. The Patriot Guard have confirmed that they will be riding in honor of Lance Cpl. Perales.
Lance Cpl. Javier Perales Jr., may you rest in peace. Thank you for your service and may your loved ones find peace and comfort as well.
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What You Can Do
More than 30,000 service members have been wounded and soldier suicides are at a record level. Those currently serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would also be grateful for support, even if it's only a letter or a small care package.
Go visit:
* Anysoldier.com
* Operation Helmet
* Fisher House
* Netroots For The Troops: Cost-Free Way to Help(how to write letters to soldiers)
* Netroots For The Troops: care packages at Netroots Nation
(big thanks to timroff for the beautiful logo)
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, JeNoCo and me, a girl in MI. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died, and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them.
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.