A Lament in the Time of War

Sia Figiel, award-winning Samoan novelist and poet

    Bravery is not confined to battle. Tonight’s diary celebrates the life of a Marine whose extraordinary courage ranged from combat and an IED explosion in Iraq to military hospitals and Veterans Administration facilities. In spite of devastating wounds and severe PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), his determination, resilience and efforts to help others are an inspiration to us all. Please join me over the fold and stand for this brave soul who risked everything to stand for us.  

On July 13, nine soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 503d Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy, died in one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion. A few days ago, they were honored in Italy with a touching, traditional ceremony marking their absence, reported in Stars and Stripes. It is known as the Final Roll Call.
    Please join me over the fold for the rest of the ceremony, as we stand for those who stood for us—to honor, remember and say good-bye.  

Sunset and evening star
  And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
  When I put out to sea,

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
  The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
  When I have crossed the bar.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

    Tonight we celebrate the lives of four young Marines who were serving in Afghanistan’s Operation Enduring Freedom when their Humvee encountered a roadside bomb in what is being described as the worst single attack this year on U.S. or coalition forces in Afghanistan.
    The oldest Marine who died was 24, the youngest was 19. They trained together, they fought together and they died together. Tonight we remember them together. Please join me over the fold to say good-bye.

Music I Heard

Music I heard with you was more than music,
And bread I broke with you was more than bread;
Now that I am without you, all is desolate;
All that was once so beautiful is dead.

Your hands once touched this table and this silver,
And I have seen your fingers hold this glass,
These things do not remember you, beloved,
And yet your touch upon them will not pass.

For it was in my heart you moved among them,
And blessed them with your hands and with your eyes;
And in my heart they will remember always, --
They knew you once, O beautiful and wise.

Conrad Aiken

Tonight we say good-bye to a brave, devoted soldier who leaves behind a young widow, two little daughters and family and friends mourning a tremendous loss to them and to our nation. In addition, we also welcome home a soldier who finally will be laid to rest, after being listed as missing since he was lost during the Korean War. Please join me over the fold to pay our respects.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Robert Frost

Tonight, we say good-bye to a soldier who was known for his zest for life, his sense of humor and a smile that could brighten an entire room. His passing leaves behind family and friends with broken hearts and cherished memories of a man they will never forget. Please join me over the fold to remember a true American patriot ...  

Evening Waterfall

What as the name you called me? –
And why did you go so soon?

The crows lift their caw on the wind,
And the wind changed and was lonely.

The warblers cry their sleepy-songs
Across the valley gloaming,
Across the cattle-horns of early stars.

Feathers and people in the crotch of a treetop
Throw an evening waterfall of sleepy-songs.

What was the name you called me? –
And why did you go so soon?

Carl Sandburg

Tonight we honor the lives of five young men who are gone far too soon. Two lost their lives in Afghanistan, in separate incidents supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, while the other three died together in Baghdad. All were inspired to serve our nation for different reasons, even though they shared the same quiet pride and dedication. Please join me over the fold to remember these fallen heroes. [NOTE: This is the first of two IGTNT diaries being published today. The second, by SisTwo, can be found here.]

This may well be one of the easiest to read IGTNT diary that will ever appear here at dailyKos. (For those new to the series, IGTNT (I Got the News Today) remembers and honors military people who lose their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.) The best one of these diaries will be the last, the one in which the IGTNT team says ‘Thank you all so much. Our efforts are no longer needed because our troops are safely home."

    The sooner that day comes, the better. Meanwhile, on behalf of the thirteen writers involved in the series, "Thank you" to this community for embracing and supporting this effort so wholeheartedly. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to i dunno, who singlehandedly began this remarkable series, and maintained it alone several years. Please join me over the fold for our fourth anniversary remembrance.  

Fear No More

William Shakespeare

With great sorrow, tonight we honor two brave men – one a soldier, the other a Marine – who lost their lives in Iraq, leaving behind devastated families and eight young children. Please join me over the fold to say good-bye to these heroes.

Gardens of Stone

...in somber memory of my buddy, Ross McGinnis, and all of the other friends & comrades; brothers & sisters, that never made it back.  Good fight, soldier, good fight.

    Tonight, we say good-bye to two more brave men with little in common except a desire to serve their country with pride and honor. One was from Florida, while the other grew up on the opposite coast, in Oregon. They were nearly two decades apart in terms of age, and one was married, the other divorced. One died nearly instantly. The other was hospitalized for more than six months before he passed away. Yet in spite of their differences, both are heroes who will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved them. Please join me over the fold to honor and remember.

Near the snow, near the sun, in the highest fields
See how those names are feted by the waving grass,
And by the streamers of white cloud,
And whispers of wind in the listening sky;
The names of those who in their lives fought for life,
Who wore at their hearts the fire’s centre,
Born of the sun they traveled a short while towards the sun,
And left the vivid air signed with their honour.

From "I Think Continually of Those Who Were Truly Great" by Stephen Spender

    Tonight we remember two young soldiers whose courage and dedication inspired them to serve their country, and ultimately to give their lives in that service. Although their personalities were very different, both were admired and respected by family and friends alike. Please join me below the fold as we pay last respects to these remarkable individuals.

Never the spirit is born,
The spirit will cease to be never.
Never the time when it was not.
End and beginning are dreams;
Birthless and deathless and changeless.
Remains the spirit forever.
Death has not touched it at all,
Dead though the house of it seems.

Sioux Prayer of Passing

    Tonight we remember and honor a courageous young soldier, an American hero and member of the Great Sioux Nation. Nearly 120 years ago this month, his ancestors fought the 7th Cavalry at the infamous battle of Wounded Knee. On December 9, he lost his life fighting for our nation in Afghanistan. Please join me over the fold as we say good-bye to Corporal Tanner J. O’Leary.  

The Dark Hills
by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Dark hills at evening in the west,
Where sunset hovers like a sound
Of golden horns that sang to rest
Old bones of warriors under ground,
Far now from all the bannered ways
Where flash the legions of the sun,
You fade – as if the last of days
Were fading, and all the wars were done.

    Tonight, we have a rare opportunity say goodbye to a serviceman who has been gone for nearly sixty years. Declared MIA during the Korean War, U.S. Army Sgt. Agostino Di Rienzo will finally be laid to rest. Please join me over the fold to remember and honor this brave man, who served in both World War II and Korea, and is now home at last.    

Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today...  

Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today....

Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on...

What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye, 1971

    Nearly 40 years ago, Marvin Gaye’s brother, Frankie, returned from Viet Nam and inspired the hit anti-war song, "What’s Going On." But those lyrics are just as true today as they were then. The Department of Defense reports that the total number of American deaths this year in Iraq is 856 thus far, making 2007 the deadliest year for our  troops. The previous high was 850 in 2004.
    Please join me over the fold as we say good-bye to four brave young soldiers who died together in Iraq. Although they are part of these statistics, they were so much more than numbers and they leaving behind grieving families, loving memories and dreams of what might have been.

Why am I fighting to live if I 'm just living to fight?
Why am I trying to see when there ain't nothing in sight?
Why am I trying to give when no one gives me a try?
Why am I dying to live if I'm just living to die?

From "Dying to Live" by the Edgar Winter Group

    I don’t know if the soldier in this diary ever heard the Edgar Winter song "Dying to Live" or what he would have thought about it, but after learning about his life, it seemed like a fitting tribute. Staff Sergeant Larry Ismael Rougle was only 25 years old and yet he was serving his sixth tour of duty when he died. Since his enlistment in the Army in 1999, Larry had spent more time in the war zone than away from it.
    For someone so young and so full of life, at times it must have seemed as though he was indeed living to fight. Yet no one ever heard him complain. And even though he had fulfilled his obligation to the Army and could have returned to the safety of civilian life, Larry never turned his back on what he felt was his duty. Please join me over the fold as we celebrate the life of this inspiring, courageous young man.          

Warm Summer Sun

Warm summer sun,
   Shine kindly here,
Warm southern wind,
   Blow softly here.
Green sod above,
   Lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear heart,
   Good night, good night.

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

    Apologies for the delay in publishing this diary, which should have appeared yesterday. High winds and fires disrupted internet service. As you no doubt know, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fires in southern California. Many of them will lose their homes and treasured belongings, and sadly some will lose their lives. We can only hope that the fires are contained quickly and with as little damage as possible. Our hearts go out to all those who face these tragic losses.
    Unfortunately, the families and friends who knew and loved the fallen soldiers remembered in today’s IGTNT diary have lost the irreplaceable – fathers, husbands, sons, grandchildren. Please join me below the fold as we honor two courageous souls who made the ultimate sacrifice.  

Death is Nothing At All

Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped into the next room.
I am I, and you are you:
Whatever we were to each other, we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name;
Speak to me in the easy way you always used
Put no difference into your tone;
Wear no air of solemnity or sorrow;
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we enjoyed together;
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever
The household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect;
Without the ghost of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
What is this death but negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of  
 sight?
I am but waiting for you,
For an interval, somewhere, very near
Just around the corner.
All is well.

-- by Harry Scott-Holland

Today, we say good-bye to one courageous young man who died in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Please join me over the fold to honor and remember Corporal Gilberto A. Meza.

Today we honor two soldiers who were fathers, but through no fault of their own, are no longer dads. Please join me over the fold as we say good bye.