Good evening, dear ones. Will you please join me and the IGTNT team tonight as we honor two soldiers who lost their lives on foreign soil:
Staff Sgt. Brian F. Piercy, 27, of Clovis, California, who died July 19 in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device; and
Cpl. Paul J. Miller, 22, of Traverse City, Michigan, who died July 19 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Will you dear Kossacks kindly take a moment to send a warm thought or prayer to the hundreds of thousands of forgotten or unnoticed souls who have suffered, and continue to suffer, from the insanity of war? This is not their diary but still, we all feel and grieve the pain of a broken human spirit.
Blessings and Light to all who share our world.
Staff Sgt. Brian F. Piercy
Brian Piercy was within one month of completing his military commitment when he lost his life to an IED while out on foot patrol in Afghanistan. He had been planning to move back to California with his wife, Christina. His 35-year-old brother, David Piercy, told the Fresno Bee that, "He believed in the values of the Army and in the mission of what he was doing in Afghanistan."
A musical man, Mr. Piercy said his brother played the drums in Buchanan High School's marching band before graduating in 2001, and that he also loved to play the piano. SSgt. Piercy was a student at Fresno Pacific University for two years before he changed course and decided to enlist in the Army in 2003. Mr. Piercy said his brother met Christina while they were both students, and that they married in 2006. A month later, SSgt. Piercy began his first rotation in Afghanistan, during which time he was hit with "minor" shrapnel.
Buchanan principal Ricci Ulrich remembers Brian Piercy: "He was a brilliant kid and a very loving young man. I will remember him as being very kind and stellar in school."
Ricardo Flores said of his fellow drummer, "was reserved until you got to know him. Once he finally let loose of that shyness, he was a good, fun person to be around."
Clint Petty recalled of his fellow 2001 classmate, "[He] could have done whatever he wanted because of his academic abilities. He definitely had us all beat academically!" SSgt. Piercy tried to "bring smiles to everyone's faces."
The loss is especially hard as SSgt. Piercy's mother, Carolyn, is a teacher in that school district.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement:
"Staff Sergeant Brian Piercy was an honorable soldier among our country's bravest men and women. On behalf of all Californians, Maria and I extend our deepest gratitude and utmost respect for the dedication he displayed in the line of duty while fighting to protect the freedoms of our great nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brian's family, friends and community as they mourn this devastating loss." The flags were at half-mast in the California state capital.
SSgt. Brian Piercy was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Among his many awards and decorations are a Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart, an Army Commendation Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, an Army Achievement Medal with two Bronze Leaf Clusters, an Army Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a Campaign Star, a Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, a Global Way on Terrorism Service Medal, a NATO Medal, a Combat Infantryman Badge, and a Basic Parachutist Badge.
SSgt. Brian Piercy; photo credit: The Fresno Bee
"Brian was just an all-around great guy, friendly with everybody," David Piercy said.
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Brian Piercy. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
Cpl. Paul J. Miller
Paul Miller graduated from Benzie Central High School in 2006. Pat Lamb is the principal of the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District's Career Technical Center, where Paul studied drafting. "He was just a delight to have in class - a great young man that came to school every day, had a strong work ethic, and did well in his program. He just had a good heart. Not a kid that ever made bad choices. He just came to school every day, and did what you asked - just a nice young man."
WOOD TV reports that Paul Miller had enlisted in the Marines by that October.
Paul Miller and his lovely wife, Sarah, had been married for two years and they planned to start a family when he returned from Afghanistan, his father-in-law said.
Cpl. Paul Miller and his wife, Sarah. Photo credit: LATimes Blogs
"He was very patriotic and proud to serve his country as a Marine," Sarah's father told the 7&4 News television station.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued the following statement:
"The passing of Corporal Miller is a devastating loss to this country and serves as a grave reminder of the dangers our men and women in the military face while defending our freedoms. He was a courageous Marine whose legacy of honorable service to this country will live on forever. On behalf of all Californians, Maria and I send our condolences to Corporal Miller's family, friends and fellow Marines during this difficult time."
Cpl. Paul Miller's transfer case is gently loaded at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday, July 21, 2010. AP photo/credit: Steve Ruark
Cpl. Paul Miller was assigned to the 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California.
Our hearts are with all who knew and loved Cpl. Paul Miller. Please know that we stand beside you at this terrible time of loss.
Our lovely forget-me-nots were a gift to the IGTNT team from dear llbear.
I can't think of a better way to honor the fallen than to contribute to the well-being of their fellow soldiers still on active duty.
The following fine organizations could sure use your support and your donations:
AnySoldier.com, Books for Soldiers, Fisher House, the Military Pets Foster Project, Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pets, Operation Baghdad Pups, Operation Enduring Christmas, an organization that sends holiday presents to the children of our fallen troops, and Helping Udders, an organization that sends cooling vests to the Military Working Dogs stationed with their handlers in Iraq.
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Click here to see other IGTNT diaries, a series which was begun by i dunno and which is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, noweasels, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, and Wide Awake in Kentucky.
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. Fallen soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and National Guard whose names have been released by the Department of Defense will usually be diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each fallen service member more fully, but still in a timely manner.
PEACE AND BLESSINGS