Tonight, we gather once again to mourn the death of one of our nation's sons, Specialist Arronn D. Fields. This young man gave his all in service of our country when he died overseas, far from his small-town Indiana home.
I Got The News Today (IGTNT) is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos. It is a way for our community to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of war.
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Specialist Arronn D. Fields
Arronn D. Fields was the youngest of three siblings, and graduated from Northview High School in Brazil, Indiana in 2003. The Brazil Times states:
According to Spc. Fields' Facebook page, he was born Nov. 27, 1984. He enjoyed fishing, working on "hot rods," spending time with family and friends and hunting.
He and his family attended church at the Brazil Church of the Nazarene.
"He was real quiet, kind of to himself type of kid who never got in trouble," church pastor Gary Bechtel told The Brazil Times. "He liked to fish. He loved to fish. When he came to church, he always talked to me about fishing. He attended church regularly as a young man."
Fields enlisted in the Indiana Army National Guard in 2006. He deployed in January to Afghanistan as a Specialist with the 381st Military Police Company, 81st Troop Command of the Indiana National Guard, which is based in Indianapolis. While in Afghanistan, he was a part of a multi-unit military police force known as Task Force Guardian. This is related to us by the
Indystar site:
At 8 a.m. Monday, Arronn David Fields grabbed a break in the war in Afghanistan to call his mom at home, in Knightsville.
He told her he'd be coming home on leave in August. He'd see her then. Normal chitchat. Then he had to go -- his unit was going out on patrol.
Hours later, the 27-year-old specialist in the Indiana National Guard was fatally wounded during a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Qal-ah-ye Mirza Jal.
About midnight, the phone rang again at the home of his mother and stepfather, Jackie and Bill Pilkin, bringing the toll of war directly into their home.
On May 21st, Specialist Fields was in Qal-ah-ye Mirza Jal, Afghanistan conducting a mounted patrol. He died from the injuries he suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades. He was 27 years old.
The
Tribune-Star site paints a picture of what has happened in all too many towns accross our nation:
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior…
Flags throughout Brazil remained at full staff Wednesday, per policy set forth by the state, which allows for a half-staff posting on the day of the funeral, according to a spokesman from the Indiana governor’s office.
But down on Depot Street, one lone American flag was lowered, as members of the Brazil Moose Lodge 780 took it upon themselves to show their respects. Inside the club, Linda Wright said the organization’s officers made the decision Tuesday evening upon learning of Fields’ death
Funeral plans for Specialist Arronn D. Fields have yet to be announced, but it is expected that he will be buried in Indiana near his hometown.
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About the IGTNT series:
”I Got the News Today” is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each casualty has family and friends who received the terrible news that their loved one has died. US service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diarized two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner. Click the IGTNT tags below to see previous diaries in the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, Monkeybiz, Noweasels, Blue Jersey Mom, Chacounne, Twilight Falling, Joyful, Roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, True Blue Majority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Maggiejean, JaxDem, TheFatLadySings & Ekaterin. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but show our community’s respect for those who have died.
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.