This is only the third diary I've written for this series, and I've already learned how quickly the names turn up of the DoD list of casualties, and how hard it is not only for we who write the diaries but the media to uncover information about these young men; information that would change a DOD casualty list into a memorial.
Who are they, what did they look like, who did they leave behind? Did they dream of, what did they hope for?
They died too quickly and in such numbers! And even in this age of electronic communication, the news of who they were arrives so slowly.
Still, there's something they all had in common. You can find it if you look between the lines.
One young man, Sergeant Shawn E. Dressler of Santa Monica California, died at the age of 22. He reportedly married within past year. Reportedly, but there are no more details about that part of his life. We do know he served more than one tour and he was considered a hero at his high school.
Spc. Jeremiah D. Costello was 22 years old when he died. He lived in Carlinville Illinois. Spc. Keith V Nepsa was 21 when he died. He lived in Philadelphia, Ohio.
Pfc. Joshua D. Brown was 26 when he died. He lived in Tampa, Florida
Sergeant Charles R. Browning was 31 when he died. He lived in Tucson, Arizona.
Each one of these men died when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his vehicle. And so we know that each one of these men filter strong devotion to his duty duty, and the courage to go out every day and every night and face whatever he must face.
Why do they do this?
There could be several answers, most of them having to do with politics, but that's not what this diary is about. This diary is about real people made of flesh and bone, with hearts and souls, and people who love them.
And people who are morning them, beginning the long, along time of grief.
Who are these men, these young men lost to their families, their friends and their communities?
The only answer I can see as I look at this bare report from the Department of Defense and the sketchy news from the media is that these are men who took an oath, a solemn vow to go where they were sent, to face what they must in the service of their nation
In the service of our nation.
For now, perhaps there is no better memorial than to say, "They kept their vow. Right up until the moment of their deaths,they kept their vow.
I thank the Department of Defense for providing the information that I use to compose these diaries.