We Shall Keep the Faith
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
by Moina Michael
Spc. Abraham S. Wheeler III, 22, of Columbia, S.C
From the Department of Defense:
Spc. Abraham S. Wheeler III, 22, of Columbia, S.C., died Aug. 28 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
From WIS 10:
Wheeler says he called his son "Rod," and that he was his oldest. Rod had been a football star at Ridge View High School, and his dad says he was excited to go into the service.
"He said he wanted to go in the Army, come out and go to school, have a better life," said Wheeler.
Wheeler remembers when Rod told him he was going to Afghanistan last December.
...
"He says 'daddy don't worry about me I'll be alright, be home soon,'" said Wheeler. "I was dying for him to come home, but not like this."
"He went to serve his country, he wasn't scared, he wasn't afraid of nothing," continued Wheeler.
From the Department of Defense:
The Department of Defense announced the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 29 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when they were shot by enemy forces Aug. 28 while conducting combat operations. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Jason S. Dahlke, 29, of Orlando, Fla.; and
Pfc. Eric W. Hario, 19, of Monroe, Mich.
Staff Sgt. Jason S. Dahlke, 29, of Orlando, Fla
From The Orlando Sentinel:
"'Dad,' he said. 'I love my job'," Roger Dahlke recalled his son saying during a recent visit with his parents at their Jacksonville home.
...
"It was what he wanted to do," Roger said of Jason's career as an Army Ranger. "We all knew the dangers and the risks."
...
Jason was born Nov. 8, 1979 in Tampa and raised in Jacksonville with his brother and three sisters. Even as a child, he was easy to get along with. He struck up conversations with his parents' friends, and hung out with peers who were outgoing like him.
"Everybody liked him. People were just drawn to him," Roger said.
From News 4:
After graduating from Mandarin High School, he attended the University of Central Florida. He was listed by the Army as an Orlando resident, but his father said he and his wife lived in Savannah, near where he was stationed.
This is the second son the Dahlke family has lost. Jason's older brother, Joshua, was struck and killed by a drunk driver when he was 13 years old.
"Children aren't suppose to die before their parents," the distraught father said on Tuesday.
Pfc. Eric W. Hario, 19, of Monroe, Mich.
From Monroe News:
"He always strived to be the best," Mrs. Hario said. "He wanted to be a Ranger because they're the best. Rangers all the way. He was on top of the world. He was always so sure of himself."
The news came Saturday when two members of the military approached the family home where an American flag hangs near the front door. At first Mrs. Hario wasn't sure who the two dark figures were standing outside.
As soon as she saw the dress uniforms, she knew.
"They don't come to give you good news," she said. "It's not even real to us."
A Monroe High School football player and wrestler, Pfc. Hario always was going to be a soldier, his parents said. Ever since he was a youngster, it was evident that their youngest of three boys was going to dedicate himself to his country.
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What You Can Do
There are a number of wonderful organizations out there which could use your help:
* Anysoldier.com
* Operation Helmet
* Fisher House
* Books for Soldiers
* Operation Ensuring Christmas
(big thanks to timroff for the beautiful logo)
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
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. 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.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, greenies, blue jersey mom, chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, JeNoCo, mediaprof, rb137, and me, a girl in MI. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but, we believe, an important service to those Americans who have died, and to our community’s respect for and remembrance of them.
If you are interested in volunteering for the series please contact me, a girl in MI, at a_girl_in_mi_101 AT yahoo DOT com
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. We treat these diaries as a place to remember and reflect. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.