If tears could build a stairway,
And memories a lane,
I'd walk right up to Heaven
And bring you home again.
~Author Unknown
Cpl Kyle R. Schneider
The Department of Defense announced on Friday that:
Cpl. Kyle R. Schneider, 23, of Phoenix, N.Y., died June 30 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Kyle Schneider took the Marine motto, "Honor, courage, commitment" to heart, so as much as his family tried to get him not to enlist, with his great aunt even offering to buy him a car if he didn't enlist, he did enlist, and then when he graduated near the top of his class and was offered training for a presidential security assignment in Washington, DC, he turned it down.
This was the second IED he was injured by in a month, the first knocked him unconscious and left him with a concussion, hearing loss and headaches. In spite of that, he was back in combat within two days, remembers his grandfather, Richard Vrotny, of Van Buren.
On Christmas Eve, he proposed to his girfriend, Theresa Dodge, by showing his romantic side. Cpl Schneider had secretly placed the diamond engagement ring on the Christmas Eve tree at his parents' home. He drew Theresa's attention to it by pointing out the "beautiful ornament." The couple met while on assignment in Washington DC. Ms Dodge is an Air Force medic from West Columbia, Texas.
Cpl Schneider appreciated the rugged landscape of the Middle East, telling his great aunt Carole Ozark, "It's beautiful over here. I look to the west and I see mountains. I look to the east and I see desert." When she asked him when he was coming home, he said, "Aunt Carole, I can't tell you that.
Governor Cuomo honoured Cpl Schneider by saying, "On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to express my condolences to the family, friends, and fellow Marines of Corporal Schneider,"
"We will remember his dedication and his service to our country. This weekend, as we commemorate America's independence, we honor the soldiers like Corporal Schneider who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation", and by having the flags of New York lowered to half staff.
The Vrotnys still have a message from him on their answering machine: "Just want to say I love you guys and want to keep in touch as much as I can."
Cpl Schneider is survived by his fiancee, Theresa Dodge, his parents, Richard and Lorie Schneider, his brother, Kevin Schneider, his grandparents, his great aunt, and other family and friends. May they be given peace.
Sgt. Chad D Frokjer
The Department of Defense announced on Friday that:
Sgt. Chad D. Frokjer, 27, of Maplewood, Minn., died June 30 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
A newlywed since November and a new father, Sgt Frokjer's last facebook message, four days before he died, was to his family: ""Word up from the stan! (referring to Afghanistan) miss all of you.. love you wife, baby, and family."
A graduate of North High School, in Maplewood, Minnesota, in 2002, Sgt. Frokjer enlisted in the Marines in 2004.
Sgt Frokjer's job was not easy, he was, as detailed in an article on the Marine Corps website in May, a convoy commander for a Mobile Assault Team for the Battalion's Alpha Company, a "quick reaction and combat logistics unit." He was then stationed at Patrol Base Jamil.
" It is important for the Marines to stay alert when they hit the streets of Sangin, because responding as a QRF is only about five percent of their job, said Frokjer, 27, from Maplewood, Minn. The other big part of their job is to serve as a combat logistics unit to resupply the platoons farther out in the battlespace with amenities like water, food, ammunition and anything else they need. This allows them to support the Marines of the company without having to rely on the battalion for logistical support."
As part of the Mobile Assault Team, Sgt Frokjer worked long hours and covered huge distances. supplying things like water, food and ammunition. When speaking with the reporter, Sgt. Frokjer said, " As a (quick reaction force) you can be launched in five-to-20 minute notice to respond to any contact, incident disturbance or causality in any area within the company's battlespace. A lot of times we are responding to the company's needs and it seems like we are a combat taxi."
Sgt Frokjer is survived by his wife, Leslie, his child and many family and friends. May they be given peace.
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 was begun by i dunno and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Spam Nunn, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggie Jean, Jax Dem, Kestrel 9000, racheltracks, and ccasas. If you would like to participate in writing these tributes, please contact 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.