Tonight we remember a marine and three soldiers who recently died in Afghanistan: Lance Cpl. John J. Malone of Yonkers, New York; Sgt. Titus R. Reynolds of Columbus, Ohio; Sgt. Edward B. Smith of Homestead, Florida; and Spc. Joseph V. White of Bellevue, Washington. Please join with the Daily Kos community below to celebrate their lives and honor their memory.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members honored here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics
JOHN J. MALONE: "He would just light up the room"
Last Friday, the Department of Defense announced the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
Lance Cpl. John J. Malone, 24, of Yonkers, N.Y., died Sept. 24 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
John J. Malone grew up in grew up in Mahopac, New York, and moved to Yonkers, where he lived with his grandmother and attended Gorton High School. He loved music, had many friends, and was known for always wearing a smile. Friends said that Malone "would always make you smile" and "would just light up the room."
Malone joined the marines in February 2007 out of a desire to help protect his country and his family, some of whom were also in the military. A friend said that Malone loved getting to see the world by being in the marines. A fellow marine described him as "an all-around good Marine" who "made everyone happy, even when we were around the field cold and miserable."
A machine gunner, Malone had done a tour in Iraq in 2008, was deployed to Afghanistan in May of this year, and was due to return home in several weeks. A week ago a friend received an email from Malone, saying that he had had a lot of close calls in Afghanistan and was anxious to come home. Two days later, Malone died of gunshot wounds while on patrol in Afghanistan.
Malone was highly decorated. He had been awarded the Purple Heart; National Defense Service, Afghanistan Campaign, Iraq Campaign, and the Global War on Terrorism Service medals; and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
The Patriot Guard has been asked to escort Lance Corporal Malone to his final resting place on October 1.
May he rest in peace.
(Sources: Department of Defense; WPIX-TV, New York City; LoHud.com, New York’s Lower Hudson Valley; Honolulu Advertiser, Patriot Guard Riders)
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Last Friday, the Department of Defense also announced the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:
They died Sept. 24 in Omar Zai, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. Killed were: Sgt. Titus R. Reynolds, 23, of Columbus, Ohio; Sgt. Edward B. Smith, 30, of Homestead, Fla.; and Spc. Joseph V. White, 21, of Bellevue, Wash.
TITUS R. REYNOLDS: "He would do anything for you"
Titus R. Reynolds was from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, as suburb of Columbus, and attended Reynoldsburg, Ohio, as well as a vocational school. A neighbor and childhood friend said that kids in the neighborhood often gathered at the Reynoldses' home to play video games. Reynolds' father described him as a talented musician who played electric guitar and bass at their church, and a neighbor said he was "a sweet kid" who "would do anything for you." Neighbors have lined the street with flags in Reynolds' memory.
Reynolds was nearing the end of a four-year enlistment when he died while riding in a Stryker vehicle that encountered a roadside bomb last Thursday.
He is survived by his wife of nearly a year, Nikki, whom had been married almost a year, and by his parents, two brothers, and a sister.
May he rest in peace.
(Sources: Department of Defense; Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch; News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington)
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EDWARD "BERNARD" SMITH: "You could never find another Bernard"
Weighing only two pounds at birth, Edward "Bernard" Smith was raised by his grandparents in southwest Miami-Dade County. He attended Miami Southridge Senior High School and graduated from South Dade Senior High in Homestead. His sister described him as calm, "down to earth" person who loved to laugh. An aunt stated that he loved his family and "was the one who always pulled the family together."
Inspired to military service by 9/11, Smith enlisted in the army in 2002. After serving 16 months in Iraq, he decided on a military career and reenlisted. He was deployed to Afghanistan in June. His grandfather said that Smith loved the military and his country.
Smith was last home in April, for the funeral of his brother Samuel, who died in a car accident. When Smith spoke to his sister on the phone from Afghanistan last Wednesday, he was worried that he might not make it home. The next day, he died when his vehicle struck an IED.
Bernard Smith leaves behind many relatives in Florida and a wife, Jamie, and two stepchildren in Kentucky.
(Sources: Department of Defense; Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch; MSNBC; CBS-4 in Homestead, Florida)
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JOSEPH V. WHITE: "He was an awesome son and brother"
The second-oldest of 10 siblings, Joseph V. White was homeschooled and also took some classes at Bellevue Community College. He loved the outdoors, and his favorite pastimes were frisbee, drawing, paintballing, and playing video games with his brothers and friends. While on leave last Christmas, he helped his little sisters build Lego structures.
White joined army in 2006, at age 18. His mother said he "loved God, his family and his country" and had "a strong sense of duty and desire to maintain freedom and safety for others." Smith, she said, felt that joining the army "was a calling." Smith had served one tour in Iraq and was deployed to Afghanistan in July. In May, a month and a half before leaving for Afghanistan, Smith and his wife, Jessica, were married.
Smith died last Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He had received the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Parachutist Badge.
(Sources: Department of Defense; News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington; Seattle Times; KOMO News of Seattle; NorthWest Cable News, Seattle)
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If you want to do something to assist our military and their families, please consider anysoldier.com, Fisher House, or Books for Soldiers. 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. Sending your own care package to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan is easy; read how at anysoldier.com. Other ways to support the troops are in this diary. And don't forget them when they get home. Visit welcomebackveterans.org and Hire Heroes USA to learn what you can do.
As of this writing, 4,346 members of the U.S. armed services have been killed in Iraq; and 852 U.S. forces supporting Afghanistan's Operation Enduring Freedom have died. In addition, 318 other coalition forces from 22 countries have died in Iraq, and 572 other coalition forces from 23 countries have died in Afghanistan. Nearly 31,500 U.S. servicemen and women have been wounded in Iraq, and the suicide rate among servicemen and women is very high. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown but exceeds 100,000 and probably is several hundreds of thousands. At least 157 journalists have been killed in Iraq during the war.
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. 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 series, which was begun by i dunno, is currently maintained by JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, Ministry of Truth, True Blue Majority, rb137, JeNoCo, roses, joyful, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, blue jersey mom, greenies, twilight falling, Chacounne, SisTwo, monkeybiz, and Sandy on Signal. If you would like to participate in writing these tributes, please contact Sandy on Signal or monkeybiz.
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.