I Got The News Today (IGTNT) provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
IGTNT: “Two Soldiers and an Airman”
The Department of Defense has announced the deaths of two soldiers and an airman who were supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel:
Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross
Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin
Capt. Ross and Sgt. 1st Class Emond were assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Staff Sgt. Elchin was assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
They died on November 27, 2018 from injuries sustained when their RG-33 mine-resistant light armored vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Andar, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Three more troops and a contractor were wounded in the attack and medically evacuated for treatment.
Newsweek reports that their vehicle was part of a convoy of U.S. Army special forces soldiers traveling to the Andar district to conduct combat operations against Taliban forces. The blast the improvised explosive device was so massive that it threw the vehicle more than 150 feet.
The Department of Defense indicates that the incident is under investigation.
Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross
“A husband. A son. A brother. A nephew. A cousin. An Uncle. A grandson. An American Soldier. A HERO.”
Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross, 29, was from Lexington, Virginia. He had served more than seven years in the Army, and he was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On his second tour in Afghanistan, he was the leader of the special forces team traveling to the Andar district.
Capt. Ross’s awards and decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Action Badge, Combat Infantry Badge, and Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Combat Infantry Badge.
Newsweek reports that Ross’s Facebook showed great love for his wife and their dog, also reporting that a cousin wrote of him: “A husband. A son. A brother. A nephew. A cousin. An Uncle. A grandson. An American Soldier. A HERO. Andrew Ross was all of those. Loving, caring, kind, and just an all-around amazing man. He sacrificed his life for our freedom. I couldn’t be more proud of my cousin and everything he did. He was doing what he wanted, and what he loved to do. It’s hard to find the words when there’s so much shock and hurt going through your body.”
On Thursday, Ross' father indicated he was traveling that day to “bring Drew home tonight.”
“Andrew and Eric were invaluable members and leaders in 3rd Special Forces Group and the special operations community. Our most heartfelt condolences go out to the families of these brave men.” ~ Col. Nathan Prussian, 3rd Group commander
Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond
“Served his country bravely and honorably”
Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, 39, grew up in Boston, and he listed Brush Prairie, Washington as his home. His death was the second combat death of a soldier from Washington in less than a week - Sgt. Leandro A.S. Jasso of Leavenworth, Washington died in Afghanistan on Saturday.
Sgt. 1st Class Emond was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He had served for more than 21 years, as a U.S. Marine scout sniper and later as a Green Beret, and he had deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This was his seventh overseas tour, and he was planning to retire at the end of the tour.
The Seattle Times reports that during his fifth deployment, Emond suffered brain and spinal injuries during a five-hour battle and that he recovered after seven months in Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Sgt. 1st Class Emond’s awards and decorations include three Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, two NATO Achievement Medal, four Afghanistan Campaign Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, two Overseas Service Ribbons, National Defense Service Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantry Badge, and Combat Action Badge. In addition, he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal.
Eric Emond was a leader both in the military and at home, where he helped start the local non-profit Mass Fallen Heroes for helping Gold Star families and fellow veterans. Congressman Seth Moulton said of Emond: “Massachusetts lost a son and a hero in Afghanistan. SFC Eric Emond served his country bravely and honorably.”
Eric Emond was married and had three children.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin
“The whole family’s hero”
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25, of Hookstown, Pennsylvania was a special tactics combat controller with the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. He was on his first deployment, embedded with a U.S. Army team in Afghanistan, where he coordinated air support for ground operations with Special Forces on patrols.
Stars & Stripes reports that “As a combat controller, Dylan Elchin was among the Air Force’s most elite special operations troops, trained over the course of years in air traffic control, parachuting, diving and rappelling, so that they can hold their own while attached to Special Forces teams to direct guided munitions, strafing fires and other air-to-ground weaponry.”
Staff Sgt. Elchin had been in the Air Force for six years, and he became a certified combat controller in April 2014 following two years of training. In October 2017, he completed Airman Leadership School for enlisted Air Force personnel planning to make a career out of the military, for which he received the Distinguished Graduate Award for placing in the top 10 in academics and leadership.
His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal with Valor, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Combat Action Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award, Air Force NCO Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon, Air Force Training Ribbon, and NATO Medal. The U.S. Air Force indicated that the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Army Commendation Medal with Valor would be awarded posthumously.
Lt. Col. Gregory Walsh, commander of the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, said in a statement: “Dylan had an unusual drive to succeed and contribute to the team. He displayed maturity and stoicism beyond his years, and was always level-headed, no matter the situation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dylan’s family, fiancé, and friends. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.”
Dylan’s brother and mother told Stars and Stripes of their anguish on losing him. His brother Aaron said, “He’s the whole family’s hero. He was the strongest man I’ve ever known, not just physically, but mentally. And the part that hurts me the most is that I’ll never know what he could have become.”
His mother, Dawna Duez, told the reporter about her last conversation with her son and how she learned of his death: “On Thanksgiving Day … she Facetimed with her son for the last time. Dylan told his mom during that call he was going out on a week-long patrol. She knew better than to ask for details. I did say, ‘When you’re done, call me or message me, so I know you’re okay,’ she said. Tuesday morning, as news broke around the world of three American service members killed in a massive roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan, … “There was a knock at my door and there were two uniform people at my door. And I knew, I didn’t want to let them in. I knew right away what it was. They didn’t have to say a word, I knew what it was.”
Dylan was engaged to be married, and the couple planned to have their wedding when he returned from this deployment.
His family plans to be at Dover Air Force Base when his body arrives there, then bring him home for a funeral service before burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Sources: DoD, Stars & Stripes, Military Times, Patch, Newsweek, Boston CBS, Seattle Times, Pittsburg CBS, and WTVR
… [They leave] a white
Unbroken glory, a gathered radiance,
A width, a shining peace, under the night.
~ Rupert Brooke
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. 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.