Please join us tonight in paying tribute to yet another American soldier who gave his last full measure of devotion for his country, Spec. Ryan A. Gartner, 23, of Dumont, N.J., who died Feb. 1 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained in a "non-combat incident". He was assigned to the 201st Military Intelligence Battalion, Ft. Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
http://www.defense.gov/...
Spec. Ryan A. Gartner
Ryan Gartner was a member of an elite corps of soldiers, the 201st Military Intelligence Battalion. That unit is a Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, which the Army uses as its eyes and ears, much like a high tech version of the old cavalry scouts of the United States Civil War era.
Today, however, instead of making mounted patrols on the wing of any army, units of this type utilize high tech, deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), signal gathering equipment, human intelligence collectors (scouts) and long range surveillance patrols. Without such eyes and ears, an army is blind. This type of work is highly classified, which is probably why Ryan Gartner was reluctant to talk about his work with his family, and why the circumstances of his death will probably never be made public.
Creed of the Military Intelligence Corps
I am a Soldier first, but an intelligence professional second to none.
With pride in my heritage, but focused on the future,
Performing the first task of an Army:
To find, know, and never lose the enemy.
With a sense of urgency and of tenacity, professional and physical fitness,
and above all, INTEGRITY, for in truth lies victory.
Always at silent war, while ready for a shooting war,
The silent warrior of the ARMY team.
Irvin Gartner grieves for his son
Ryan Anthony Gartner was eager to return next month from a second tour of duty as an Army specialist in Afghanistan so he could visit his younger siblings at his family’s home in Dumont. "He wanted to come back and spend time with his little brother and sister," Irvin Gartner said of his son’s desire to see Jacobo, 10, and Melanie, who turns 16 next week. "He actually wanted to spend time with my little son, who wanted to join the Army and be with him." [snip]
The only solace for Irvin Gartner is that his soldier-son had grown to understand the important influence he was having on his siblings. That he stood as an example — an object of admiration. "They all missed each other a lot," the grieving father said Friday. "Every time he came back they were so happy to see him. They wouldn’t leave him alone for a second. He wanted to spend time with them." While overseas, he communicated with his family often through texts and social networking, his father said. [snip]
Sitting in the family’s living room, Gartner’s relatives remembered the fallen soldier as a polite child who wasn’t crazy about school in Dumont, but excelled in languages. As a child he conversed, read and could write in Spanish. "Up until the last day of his life he was a very sensitive person," Irvin Gartner said. "He made friends in the service and had friends in Dumont." Irvin Gartner said he was more strict with his firstborn. "That is how I was raised. I never really got to enjoy Ryan’s childhood like I did with my other two kids. I felt the need to educate him and prepare him to be a good person. That’s what I knew and that was the way I was raised. My parents were old-fashioned ... and I mean old-fashioned. I was 21 years old when he was born so I was actually a kid raising a child." The Army was the route his son chose after exploring what the other services could offer him and whether he could qualify for their programs. "He learned not only what I taught him but everything else," Irvin Gartner said of the military’s influence. "I’m very proud of him."
http://www.northjersey.com/...
Mariana Soto-Mota hugs her grandson Spc. Ryan Anthony Gartner.
Gartner's grandmother, Mariana Soto-Mota of Aransas Pass, said he joined the military to raise money to go to college. "He was a precious grandson," Soto-Mota said. "I missed so much of his life, but I was there for him early on. He used to play horse on top of my husband's back."
http://www.caller.com/...
What is excellent,
as God lives, is permanent.
Hearts turn to dust,
hearts love remains.
Hearts love will meet the again.
- Emerson
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. 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. The series, which was begun by i dunno, is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, Wide Awake in Kentucky, CalNM and Maggie Jean.
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.
If that's not clear, read this: http://www.dailykos.com/...