I've been living in Albuquerque for a while now, an Air Force town where I am not shocked (but always, always saddened) when I see the flags lowered to half-staff -- that inevitable signal that our city has lost another soldier. Lord knows, we've given our share to the grim harvest.
I might find out tomorrow, or the next day that one of the men and women in Mexico's National Guard or from Kirtland Air Force Base is lost to us. But not today, not tonight.
My neighbors have been spared the dreaded knock on the door, at least for this moment.
And so tonight, I ask you to join me in honoring the courageous young men from Maine, Nebraska, California and two from my home state, New Jersey.
Their families, neighbors, cities and states are the poorer for their loss.
No less is the nation.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Richard K. Parker, 26, of Phillips, Maine, died June 14 in Scania, Iraq, from wounds suffered
on June 13 when improvised explosive devices detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery Regiment, Maine Army National Guard, Waterville, Maine.
"Sgt. Parker was well-loved and greatly respected by his unit and the Maine Army National Guard," Baldacci said. "We’re very lucky both as a state and as a country to have people of the quality of Sgt. Parker who are willing to serve and put themselves on the front lines."
SNIP
Flags will be ordered flown at half-staff on the day of Sgt. Parker's funeral. Gov. John Baldacci on Friday announced the death of Sgt. Richard K. Parker, of Phillips, who was killed in action on June 13.
VIDEO AND PHOTO
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Eric L. Snell, 35, of Trenton, N.J., died June 18 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with insurgents using small arms fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Eric Snell had the trifecta: talent, looks and brains. He was a star outfielder at Hamilton High School West, good enough to be drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1989. Snell was eager to jump to the pros, but his mother pushed him to consider college first. So off he went to Trenton State.
SNIP
"He enlisted for his boys so they could have a better life. He wanted to earn a living for his sons," said Lucretia Bellamy, the mother of Snell's son Shameer Horton, 17. Snell's other son is about 4 years old, she said.
NEWS STORY AND PHOTO
The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
They died June 14 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Infantry Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Killed were:
Sgt. Derek T. Roberts, 24, of Gold River, Calif.
(06-20) 18:54 PDT GOLD RIVER -- A 24-year-old sergeant from Sacramento County was one of three soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the Defense Department reported Wednesday.
...
Sgt. Derek T. Roberts, 24, of Gold River was killed June 14 when an improvised explosive device detonated near the Humvee he was traveling in Kirkuk, according to the Defense Department.
NEWS STORY
SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) -- An Army soldier from Sidney died in Iraq this week when a bomb exploded near the Humvee he was riding in, according to his family.
Larry Borm of Sidney said Friday afternoon that his son Val John Borm, 21, died in Iraq's Kirkuk province after the explosion.
SNIP
[Val John] Borm graduated from Sidney High School in 2005 and enlisted in the Army in August 2005.
Borm's father said his son enjoyed his Army service. Borm said his son liked to play computer games in his free time, and the younger Borm was also an avid paintball competitor.
Borm is survived by his father, mother Lolita and younger sister Kimberly.
Borm is the 49th service member with Nebraska connections killed in either Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001.
NEWS STORY
Spc. Farid Elazzouzi, of Paterson, N.J.
Elazzouzi was born in Morocco, the Pentagon said. He enlisted in the Army in 2005 and took basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. His unit was deployed to Iraq in July 2006 for a one-year tour.
Mohamed El Filali of The Islamic Center of Passaic County told The Record of Bergen County that Elazzouzi lived with roommates in South Paterson and that the roommates had been made aware of his death.
His mother and siblings still live in Oujda, Morocco, a city of more than half a million people near the Algerian border. A large number of immigrants from Oujda live in London, but few come to Paterson, El Filali said.
NEWS STORY
On this longest day, the summer solstice when the Earth balances between the darkness and the light, I offer this:
May the Deity, by whichever name these soldiers used in worship, receive their spirits into the Light.