Tonight as we pay tribute to two soldiers who died last week in Iraq - Staff Sgt. Joseph D. Gamboa of Guam and Spc. Gregory B. Rundell of Minnesota - there is little I can add to the sentiments that come through in this song:
Boxes
There's a woman, puts things in boxes
Keepsakes mostly of her kids
There are snapshots of gap-toothed boys and girls
There are pictures and drawings they did
There are trophies and ribbons
An old newspaper clip of a young bride
And there's a stack of old valentine cards
"I love you" is written inside
Well, there's a hat, somethin' borrowed
And a veil, somethin' new
There's a Bible, somethin' old
And there's a letter--it's somethin' blue
There's a letter--it's something' blue
Came on a day turned black
A grateful nation informs you
your first lieutenant, he's not coming back
There are valentine cards
There are valentine cards
Some flowers carefully dried
There are valentine cards
There are valentine cards
"I love you" is written inside
by Sam Baker*
Continued below the fold...
Joseph D. Gamboa: "He did it for his family"
On Friday the Department of Defense announced:
Staff Sgt. Joseph D. Gamboa, 34, of Yigo, Guam, died Mar. 25 of wounds suffered when he came under indirect fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Gamboa, on his second tour in Iraq, was due to return home in just two weeks when, his parents believe, a passing car shot a missile into his vehicle as he was returning to his post.
A true family man, Gamboa frequently called his parents to see how they were doing. His oldest brother, Frank, mentioned that Joseph had been making plans to return to his wife and children in Germany, visit Guam to surprise his mother and the rest of the family, and then go to Washington State, where he wanted to settle.
Gamboa's close-knit family, including four brothers and four sisters, described him as fun-loving. His elder brother Vince recalled: "His hobby most of the time was spear fishing.... We'd go karaoke, bowling. We used to go out drinking together." His mother, Cecilia Gamboa, said:
He loves to golf, take care of his family, he likes bowling, golf and basketball and almost every kind of sport. He's a good boy. He has a lot of respect for everybody. He loves to joke.
His sister Evelyn also remembered her brother as a joker: "Since high school when we were classmates, he'd joked around. He's a clown.... But he's respectful." As his brother Frank noted, "He was an adventurous person who liked to have a lot of fun.... He left Guam to get his life going better."
Gamboa met his wife, Michelle - "the love of his life" - at a family gathering when the two were teenagers. Michelle and the couple's five children - Tia, Austin, Ashton, Avery, and Isabella - have been living at Vilseck Army Base in Germany for the last couple of years and are returning to Guam for the funeral. Vince said that when his brother became a father for the first time, "He couldn't believe it. He was so excited."
Following in his father's footsteps, Joseph enlisted in the army in 1999. His father, Francisco Gamboa, said:
I'm proud he's done what he has to do to protect the freedom of our country and our island and the people.... It made me feel proud of him for being in the service but I'm sad that he lost his life over in Iraq. He would say, "Dad, don't worry, I'll be home," so I wasn't expecting this to happen to him.
Frank observed that his brother was a helpful person who was proud of joining the military. As brother Vince put it, "The thing about him joining the military was he wanted to. He quit smoking and drinking, started training before he went to basic. He did it for his family." The family got to see Joseph last year, and at that time the soldier gave his dog tags to his father. Frank said: "At least we got to say, 'We're proud of you. You're doing a good thing.'"
Gamboa will be missed by his extended family as well. At an online forum, relatives left this tribute:
uncle joe, we love and miss you so much, we miss your jokes and your laugh, you always put a smile on our faces no matter what kind of day we were having, well rest now and I will see you soon. aunt michelle, we love you hang in there we will always be here for you!!
The loss of Joseph Gamboa was felt throughout Guam. Guam Army and Air Guard spokeswoman Officer Candidate Christine Martinez said:
On behalf of Maj. Gen. Donald J. Goldhorn and the Guam Army and Air National Guard family, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Staff Sgt. Joseph Gamboa. He gave the ultimate sacrifice defending our nation and its people. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Staff Sergeant Gamboa's family and we stand ready to help them should they need our assistance.
The governor of Guam, Felix P. Camacho, released the following statement:
The Lt. Governor and I are deeply saddened by the loss of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Joseph Gamboa. He was a brave soldier who fought for our freedom and made the ultimate sacrifice. Our heartfelt condolences are with the Gamboa family and all those who mourn this great loss. I have declared a state of mourning and ordered all flags to be flown at half staff in his honor. I ask the people of Guam to pray for the Gamboa family and all the men and women who protect our great nation.
Guam congressional delegate Madeleine Bordallo also expressed her condolences:
Staff Sgt. Joseph Gamboa was a brave soldier who loved his family, his country, and our island. I join our community in mourning his loss, and in prayer for his wife, children, and family. Staff Sgt. Gamboa gave the ultimate sacrifice for his nation and we are deeply appreciative of his commitment to preserving our freedom. He inspires us with his selfless dedication and we honor him. On behalf of our island community, I have personally expressed deep condolences to the family of Staff Sgt. Gamboa. I extend these same sympathies to all who knew and loved him. His service to our country and our island will be honored always.
And Guam Speaker Judith Won Pat stated:
Guam is saddened by the terrible loss of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Gamboa. On behalf of the members of I Mina' Bente Nuebi Na Liheslaturan Guahan, we send our sympathies to the Gamboa family. Our prayers are with them during their time of mourning.
The family is awaiting the arrival of Joseph Gamboa's wife and children before making funeral arrangements in Guam. In addition, a combined memorial service for Gamboa and a second soldier from the same squadron - Spc. Joshua A. Molina, 20, of Houston, who died on Thursday of last week - is tentatively set for Wednesday. The regiment has sustained 19 deaths since deploying to Iraq last May.
May he rest in peace.
* * * * * * * * * *
Gregory B. Rundell: "I don't want tears of loss"
On Friday, the Department of Defense also announced:
Spc. Gregory B. Rundell, 21, of Ramsey, Minn., died March 26 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
At a tear-filled press conference last Thursday night, about two dozen relatives paid tribute to Spc. Gregory B. Rundell, who had been killed by an enemy sniper while manning a guard tower in Iraq the day before. The gathering at the St. Paul National Guard Armory included his mother, Joanne Richardson, and his two brothers and two sisters.
A talented artist who "could draw anything," Rundell graduated from North St. Paul High School in 2004. He enlisted in the army the following year and was deployed to Iraq in December as a member of a Stryker armored vehicle unit. His mother said he believed that his experience in Iraq would help him attain his ultimate goal of becoming a police officer in the Twin Cities - after attending college.
Rundell was also known for his sense of humor. One of his two older sisters, Desiree Richardson, remembered him as a trickster:
We were just joking that he is the quiet, silent one until he wants to cause trouble. And then he is sneaky, you know, and he gets you and he gets you good. He's got an awesome sense of humor, just happy, a happy kid. And too young.
His best friend in recent years, Aaron Okoneski, said he never knew a time when Rundell didn't have a smile on his face:
He was a really nice kid.... He would do anything for his friends. They were the most important thing to him.
"He had a smile and gentle spirit that drew many people to him," his mother said. Describing her son as a "unique spirit," Richardson said,
I believe Greg gave the ultimate sacrifice. He is a hero in my heart and life.... I stand tall and brave, because my son stood tall and brave.
She also read from a letter he sent her from his basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia:
Some must sacrifice their freedom for others to live free. Some must sacrifice their lives for others to live. I train now to stand ready to help those I did not get a chance to do before. I will be able to guard people from harm from others that I did not get a chance to do before. Please do not shed a tear if anything happens and don't worry, I don't want tears of loss but tears of happiness of what I was able to do.
The spirit of service to country runs deep in Rundell's family. His older brother, Kyle Richardson, is a sergeant in the Minnesota National Guard who recently returned from Iraq himself. Kyle said: "We sat down and I told him if something feels fishy, stop.... I told him to trust his gut, come back alive, and keep his head low." Rundell's younger brother, Wayne Niven, is a cadet in the U.S. Air Force JROTC program at North St. Paul High School.
The loss of Gregory Rundell has hit the family hard. About Rundell's service, his mother said:
I would like you all to know that Greg was a good kid.... When Greg decided to join the Army it broke my heart because I knew this day might come.
His brother Kyle stated: "I lost a good friend over there, and that was hard.... Now I've lost a brother, and I can't even describe it. There's sadness all around."
Congresswoman Betty McCollum of Minnesota released this statement:
The family and loved ones of Specialist Gregory B. Rundell are facing sad and difficult times, and all Minnesotans share in their grief. I extend my prayers and thoughts to his family.
Specialist Rundell will be honored and remembered for his selfless sacrifice for a grateful nation. His mother, Joanne, describes her son standing "tall and brave" for others, and his sacrifice exemplifies his family’s remarkable commitment to military service, including service by his grandfather, uncle and brothers. It comes as no surprise that Specialist Rundell’s desire to serve extended beyond the military to his plans for a career as a law enforcement officer.
Having raised my family in North St. Paul, Specialist Rundell's death hits particularly close to home. We mourn his loss as a community, and we share our deepest sympathies with all of his family and friends.
The family is planning a public funeral and wake and has requested the presence of the Patriot Guard to help in honoring their son.
Photos from the Molina family's memorial gathering are here, here, here, and here.
Gregory Rundell is the 72nd person with strong Minnesota ties to die in connection with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
May he rest in peace.
* * * * * * * * * *
As of this writing, 4,004 members of the U.S. armed services have been confirmed killed in action in Iraq; 3 additional deaths are pending confirmation; 5 others died from wounds received in Iraq but the Department of Defense has not included their deaths in its official count; and 4 others are missing or captured in Iraq. 309 coalition members from other countries have also died in Iraq. In Afghanistan, 491 U.S. forces and 295 other coalition forces have died. 2007 was the deadliest year for U.S. forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 29,000 men and women have been wounded in Iraq, and at least 145 have taken their own lives while on active duty. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown, but is at least in the tens of thousands and probably in the hundreds of thousands. At least 148 journalists have been killed in Iraq during the war. The Department of Defense news releases can be found here.
If you want to do something to assist our military and their families, please visit anysoldier.com or Fisher House. If you have frequent flyer miles you would like to donate to hospitalized veterans or their families, see Fisher House's Hero Miles program. If you would like to assist the animal companions of our deployed military, information is available here. Other ways to help can be found in this diary.
Sending a care package to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan is easy. Read how in this great series. Brighten the day of a soldier in 2008.
And don’t forget them when they get home. Read welcomebackveterans.org to learn what you can do.
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. The series, which was begun by i dunno and is currently maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, silvercedes, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, Wee Mama, twilight falling, labwitchy, moneysmith, joyful, roses, SisTwo, Avila, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, and me, roses. 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 would like to volunteer, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, or noweasels.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and families of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
*The song "Boxes" can be heard in full on Rhapsody. This is my own transcription of some of the lyrics from that recording.