Tonight we honor two Soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Both graduated college then joined the Army and proudly served our country.
Since 2001, there have been 1399 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4429 American troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 9 killed in Operation New Dawn. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
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.
DoD Announces Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 22 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Sean M. Flannery, 29, of Wyomissing, Pa.; and
Spc. William K. Middleton, 26, of Norfolk, Va.
Staff Sgt. Sean Michael Flannery was due home in less than a month. He was to marry Chrissy Martin of Raleigh, North Carolina over the Christmas holidays. Now, instead of a wedding, his heartbroken family is making funeral plans after Staff Sgt. Flannery and Spc. Middleton were killed by a bomb while on a foot path.
His mother, Charlene, told the Reading Eagle:
"We don't expect to have to bury our children," Charlene Flannery said. "I expected to live to a very old age and be buried by them. I had to bury my husband seven years ago and didn't expect I'd have to do this for one of my sons."
Sean told his mother the last few months were rough in Afghanistan. She related to the paper:
"It's been especially bad the past two months when he lost both his best friend and platoon sergeant," Charlene Flannery said. "I last talked to him on the telephone on Friday and he sounded concerned about the unit and everybody's safety.
"I'm not sure if I should say this, but he told me he might not make it home."
Sean Flannery came from a well known family in Reading, Pennsylvania. His late father, Michael, who died in 2003, was an attorney with strong ties to the community. The Reading Eagle spoke with fellow attorney and family friend, John Grenko:
"Michael's sons decided to join the Army because Michael was in the Army in the early 1970s and fought in Vietnam in the 82nd Airborne," Grenko said.
Sean Flannery served with the 82nd Airborne and recently transferred into the 101st Airborne Division. He enlisted in 2003 and served four tours of duty. He graduated high school in 1999 and attended Shippensburg University with a major in business.
John Grenko spoke with the Reading Eagle about Flannery's mother, Charlene, and the upcoming wedding:
"His mother was very excited because she liked his girlfriend," Grenko said. "This is especially devastating."
His mother, Charlene, told the paper she has another son who just returned from Afghanistan. He told her things were more intense there than in other wars.
"They both said this is a different kind of war (in Afghanistan) and was more fierce and intense; more evil," Charlene Flannery said. "The enemy has evolved in their tactics."
The mother feared for the safety of both her sons while they were in combat.
"It was a daily fear," she said. "I had angst you could not escape. I lived with it every day."
Her worst fear came true on Monday, she told the paper:
"I kept saying to him, 'Please don't let me go to the front door and see two uniformed officers.' And that's what happened yesterday (Monday)," Charlene Flannery said.
Staff Sgt. Sean Flannery is survived by his mother, Charlene, two brothers and fiance, Chrissy Martin. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Rest in peace, Staff Sgt. Sean M. Flannery.
Spc. William Kyle Middleton was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He graduated from Old Dominion University in 2007 in communications. He was a 2002 graduate from L.C. Bird High School.
His brother, Zach, told the RIchmond Times Dispatch:
"He wanted to get in there and see some action," Zach Middleton said.
Middleton joined the military because he wanted to do something meaningful with his life, said Zach Middleton, who last saw his brother when he drove him to Fort Campbell in June, weeks before his brother deployed.
A spokesman for Fort Campbell's 101st AIrborne, Rick Rzepka, told the Times Dispatch,
the fact he was a college graduate "speaks volumes about his willingness to serve in a very tough job in a very tough fight."
Kyle is remembered for being always willing to serve. He was strong in both a mental and physical capacity. His mother, Marlene Blackburn, told the Virginia Pilot:
"He joined the Army because he liked being part of a team - he loved camaraderie," said Blackburn, speaking by phone Tuesday night from Richmond. "And he wanted colorful stories to tell his grandchildren."
She said her son was an accomplished soccer player. He even traveled to Holland in tournaments, and studied in England in order to play soccer.
"After soccer, I think he missed being part of a team," Blackburn said. "He decided the Army was what he wanted, and he's the kind of person who always follows through. So he did it."
His mother told the Virginia Pilot of her last conversation with her son, just one week ago:
"He said he'd just gotten the package I sent," Blackburn said. "He sounded good - happy."
Spc. Middleton's funeral arrangements are pending. Rest in Peace, Spc. William Kyle Middleton.
In Flanders Fields
by Lt. Col. John McRae, MD, (1872-1918)
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved,
and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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.
All of the U.S. fatalities can be seen here and here. They all had loved ones, families and friends. The DoD news releases are here. I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect and remind. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries.
Click the IGTNT tags to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, racheltracks, csas, and me, Sandy on Signal.
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.
Please help our Veterans find work through Veterans Green Jobs.org "VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in natural resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas."