Tonight we honor three soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan.
Since 2001, 2011 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan; since 2003, 4486 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Iraq.
The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) series is a remembrance of U.S. servicemembers who will not be coming home from war.
~ Photo Credit Timroff
The Department of Defense has announced the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Nicholas C. Fredsti, 30, of San Diego, Calif., died June 15, in Spedar, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC.
Two soldiers died in Panjwa`l, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 18th Engineer Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
Killed were:
Sgt. Joseph M. Lilly, 25, of Flint, MI, who died June 14
Spc. Trevor A. Pinnick, 20, of Lawrenceville, IL, who died June 12.
Please join me below for a remembrance of their lives.
Sgt. Nicholas C. Fredsti
A native of San Diego, CA, Sgt. Fredsti graduated in 2000 from West Hills High School. He joined the Army in August 2000, graduating from the U.S. Army Airborne school later that year. This was his sixth deployment; he served twice before in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and three times in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cathy Pass, Fredsti’s preschool teacher and a family friend, said:
“His family was extremely proud of him all of the time. He was one of those boys that you knew would do great things in his career. There are boys who are destined to become librarians, and there are boys who are destined to jump out of airplanes.”
The soldier’s sister, Sarah Fredsti, said in online posts that the family was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to receive his body. On Facebook, she wrote that her brother’s body was supposed to arrive at 4:20 p.m. Sunday:
... “but in true Army fashion his final flight has been delayed ... It’s almost fitting that he is late. He has never returned on time from deployment.”
Family and friends posted tributes on Fredsti’s Facebook page. A fellow soldier wrote:
“Today I lost another brother who was there for me when I got to Bco and who handed me my plaque when (I) left the military....am truly sad today because he didn’t get to enjoy his days and time with the people who loved him because he was too concerned serving his country... R.I.P Brother you will be missed but never forgotten.”
Dusty Neel wrote that he would always remember Fredsti as a “do anything for a brother” guy. “Go in peace brother,” wrote Lloyd Bedford. “You were a great squad leader. I could always count on you ... Strike Hold.”
Fredsti's awards included the Presidential Unit Citation Award, the Valorous Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Commendation with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Parachutist Badge. He was promoted posthumously to staff sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
He is survived by his parents, Carl and Sherry Fredsti of San Diego, and several siblings.
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Rest in peace, Sgt. Nicholas C. Fredsti. You have served with honor.
Sgt. Joseph M. Lilly
Sgt. Joseph Lilly was serving his second tour of duty when he died June 14 following an enemy attack in Afghanistan. Lilly died in a medical facility at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan. He had volunteered for the tour of duty in Afghanistan and had deployed in April.
He graduated from Carman - Ainsworth High School in Flint, MI and attended Collumbia College in Missouri. He enlisted in the Army in July 2005 and became a combat engineer. Since 2009 he has been stationed at Fort Lewis, WA, and was deployed to Iraq from 2009-2010.
His aunt, Martha Alexander, has played a large role in Lilly's life since the death of his mother in May 1999. She noted that several members of Sgt. Lilly's family, including both his grandfathers, had served in the military:
“He planned on the military being his career...he valued his freedom and our freedom and his love for his family." Alexander called Lilly “a very intelligent person” who could adapt to any situation, was a problem-solver who helped her with computer issues and “a great human being” who was good at his job as well as being a father.
His aunt called him a "wonderful father who adored his little boy."
Sgt. Lilly with his son
Lilly received several accolades during his service, including two Army Commendation Medal awards; Army Achievement Medal; Meritorious Unit Commendation; two Army Good Conduct Medal awards; National Defense Service medal; Global War on Terrorism Service medal; Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign star; Korean Defense Service medal; Army Service ribbon; and two Overseas Ribbon awards.
Sgt. Lilly is survived by his wife Katrina Lilly and their 3-year-old son, Alexander Lilly.
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Rest in peace, Sgt. Joseph M. Lilly. You have served with honor.
Specialist Trevor A. Pinnick
A native of Lawrenceville, IL, Spc. Pinnick graduated from Lawrenceville High School just two years ago. In high school, he met his wife, Martha, and they were married on July 9, 2010. Their daughter, Melody Renee Pinnick, was born on Sept. 15, 2010. Before he joined the Army, Trevor Pinnick worked as an assistant manager at the Lawrenceville Drive-In.
Spc. Trevor Pinnick with his wife Martha
Spc. Pinnick entered the Army in August 2010 and was trained as a Combat Engineer. He deployed to Afghanistan in April. This was his first deployment. According to one of his cousins:
"He volunteered to go to Afghanistan. He said it was what he signed up for and what he was going to do."
In Afghanistan, Spc. Pinnick searched for and defused improvised explosive devices on one side of the road while another soldier did the same on the other side.
Family members recall him as a young man with a warm and light heart. He loved to play practical jokes. Another cousin said:
"You'd never imagine that something like that would happen to Trevor. He was just so full of life. You never thought that would be over."
According to his father, Thomas Pinnick, himself a veteran of the Marines and the Navy, Spc. Pinnick planned to pursue a career in the Army. His father said:
"He was a very brave soldier. He was the greatest husband, the greatest dad, the greatest son, the greatest brother, and he was a brave soldier."
Spc. Pinnick's daughter Melody
His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. In addition to a large extended family, Spc. Pinnick is survived by his wife, his daughter, his parents, his older brother, Thomas Pinnick Jr., and his twin sisters, Kayla Lynn and Bethany Rose.
Spc. Pinnick's body arrives at Dover AFB.
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Rest in peace, Specialist Trevor A. Pinnick. You have served with honor.
About the IGTNT series:
"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, JaxDem, and me, Ekaterin. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
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 US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. Published AP photos of the returning war fatalities are found on the Dover AFB site. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries in 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, Proud Mom and Grandma, Sandy on Signal, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, ccasas, JaxDem, CalNM, TheFatLadySings, and me, Ekaterin. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for our fallen brothers and sisters.
If you would like to contribute to the series, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal.
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.