Tonight, we honor two killed in Afghanistan and one who died in Iraq.
Since 2001, there have been 1060 American troops killed in Afghanistan. Since 2003, there have been 4397 American troops killed in Iraq. Please take a moment to honor their sacrifice.
Thanks to Timroff for our beautiful logo.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Eric M. Finniginam, 26, of Colonia, Federated States of Micronesia, died May 1 at Forward Operating Base Blessing, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Spc. Finniginam was from the Yapp region in Micronesia, it is an area where a thousand small islands make up this picturesque place. Eric's father, Robert Finniginam, spoke to the Guam Pacific Daily News. He said his son was last home in February and was due home next month. Eric was eager to return home, he expressed his desire on his Facebook page"currently thiking of going home and enjoying time with family."
The family was planning a welcome home party for him. Eric looked forward to seeing his wife, April Tilig, and their one year old daughter. His father told the Guam Pacific Daily News that he and Eric's mother were not eager to have their son enlist:
"Knowing that the death mortality rate for (Federated States of Micronesia) citizens is pretty high, we were very concerned about his safety," his father said. "We always worried about him. We were always praying for him."
Robert Finniginam said his son loved fishing and soccer.
On the field, he was an outstanding soccer player, his father said. "He made it to the national soccer team when he was 15," Robert Finniginam said. "He was one of the youngest players ever to make the Yap team."
Finniginam had many friends and was well liked for his sense of humor. On his Facebookpage he describes himself as: i am a very active person and love the outdoors. cant keep still alot of times and i find it hard to shut the **** up....lol
He was 2002 graduate of Yap High School.
Rest in Peace, Spc. Eric Finniginam.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Wade A. Slack, 21, of Waterville, Maine, died May 6 at Jaghatu, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. He was assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
"The only way for evil to exist in this world is for good men to do nothing. That was one of his favorite sayings and he lived by that. He loved his country and how proud he was to be doing what he was doing," said his mother Mary Slack to a local Waterville, Maine television reporter from WMTV
Spc. Wade Slack was part of the Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal group. This elite, highly-skilled group specializes in defusing bombs. The work he did was depicted in the Oscar winning movie The Hurt Locker.
Spc. Slack and his group had just finished disarming a bomb when they were hit with mortar fire. Slack was killed during the attack. His father, Alan Slack, told the Morning Sentinel his son was highly trained and began preparing for this type of work since he was in high school.
" (He) had been oriented for military service since 14" and that Wade Slack had enlisted while a senior in high school for specialized training that required "intelligence and a top-secret security background check."
"It's not something every person can qualify for," Alan Slack said. "He had been in Afghanistan the last 10 months.
Governor Baldacci of Maine released the following statement on May 7th:
"We can never take for granted the service of our men and women in uniform,” Governor Baldacci said. “They are the best among us and sacrifice for their country and their communities. Our prayers go out to Spc. Slack’s family and friends.”
Governor Baldacci spoke today with Spc. Slack’s mother and father, who live in Waterville.
“He loved his family and he loved his country,” Governor Baldacci said. “He was a dedicated soldier who served his country with honor. All of Maine mourns his passing.”
Governor Baldacci will order flags lowered to half-staff on the day of Spc. Slack’s funeral.
Spc. Slack received the following awards: the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge.
Rest in Peace, Spc. Wade Slack
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. Ralph Mena, 27, of Hutchinson, Kan., died May 4 in Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 7th Signal Brigade, 5th Signal Command, Mannheim, Germany.
"He was all about family and all about friends. And if you were one of Ralph's friends, essentially you were his family"
said, close friend Harvey Barker, to the local television station KAKE.
Ralph Mena joined the Army while still in high school and served for over twelve years. In February, he married Amber Mena. She told KAKE news :
"I'll love him for always, and I know that everybody that he's ever touched their lives, they're going to miss him too," said Amber Mena.
"He was loved by everybody that knew him. He was an amazing husband and father and soldier, and he died serving our country. And that's honorable," said Mena's widow, Amber Mena.
Mena left high school in 1997 in order to enlist with the Army. His father, Ralph Mena, Sr., was a Navy Veteran, who served in Vietnam, and Mena wanted to follow in his footsteps.
Both of his parents preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, two step daughters, two brothers and two sisters, plus his grandparents.
Rest in Peace, Sgt. Ralph Mena.
We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We Remember Them.
In the bowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember Them.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring.
We Remember Them.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember Them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn.
We Remember Them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember Them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember Them.
When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember Them.
When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share,
We Remember Them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us.
We Remember Them.
~From the Jewish Book Of Prayer~
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, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, 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.