Since 2001, 1440 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4441 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Iraq.
The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) series is a reminder that nearly every day, somebody gets the heartbreaking news that a friend, former classmate, or beloved family member will not be coming home from war.
Tonight we remember six soldiers from the same unit who died far from home while serving in wartime:
Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga, 28, of Hialeah, Florida
Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III, 26, of Moosup, Connecticut
Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog, 23, of Pleasanton, California
Pvt. Jeremy P. Faulkner, 23, of Griffin, Georgia
Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess, 29, of Cleburne, Texas
Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Arizona
Please take a moment below to remember them,
and all those who have lost their lives in these wars.
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is nearing the end of their year-long deployment to Afghanistan. The division, known as the Screaming Eagles, has suffered 117 casualties since last March.
On March 29, six more from the 101st Airborne were killed in action weeks before they were due home. The soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team were hit by small arms fire during an ongoing joint mission involving NATO forces, the Afghan National Army and border police in Kunar province. One Afghan Army soldier was also killed in the fire fight.
The six killed March 29 in Kunar, Afghnistan and honored below, are:
Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga, Staff Sgt. Frank Adamski III, Spc. Jameson Lindskog, Pvt. Jeremy Faulkner, Staff Sgt. Bryan Burgess, and Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus
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Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga, 28, of Hialeah, Florida
Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga was an Infantryman assigned to Bravo Company.
Ofren Arrechaga joined the Army in February 2001 and arrived at Fort Campbell in July 2001. Sgt. Arrechaga was trained as an Army Ranger and had previously served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sgt. Arrechaga was married and lived with his wife and son in Clarksville, Tennessee. He also had a daughter living in Kentucky.
Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga received numerous awards and decorations over his career, including the Bronze Star Medal.
Philip Grey, the military reporter for The Leaf Chronicle in Tennessee, said the unusually high number of deaths reported this week is “just hitting” the residents of Fort Campbell’s tight-knit military community.
“Once it hits, it’s going to be a big deal,” Grey said. “Normally, we get this type of news in smaller numbers. And it’s especially difficult as the brigade was in the process of redeploying.”
Among those that Sgt. 1st Class Arrechaga leaves behind are his wife and son, his daughter; and his mother and father who live in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga is missed. May He Rest in Peace.
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Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III, 26, of Moosup, Connecticut
Staff Sgt. Frank Adamski was a trained Para-trooper and an Infantryman assigned to Charlie Company.
Frank Adamski grew up in the Mossup section of Plainfield, and graduated from Plainfield High School in 2002. Frank joined the Army in March 2005 and served four years, and then re-enlisted.
Staff Sgt. Adamski served a tour in Iraq from January 2006 to February 2007. He arrived at Fort Campbell with the 101st Airborne in April 2009.
Staff Sgt. Adamski lived with his wife and one year-old daughter in Clarksville. Sadly, he died the day before both his 27th birthday and fourth wedding anniversary.
Sgt. Admski had come home to Connecticut to visit family a few weeks ago while on leave.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy ordered state and U.S. flags to fly at half staff on government building in Adamski's honor until his burial.
"It is unimaginable that Connecticut is mourning the death of yet another soldier lost in battle," Malloy said in a statement. "Staff Sergeant Adamski's family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers at this devastating time. Staff Sergeant Adamski leaves behind a young daughter who will know and understand the sacrifice her father made on behalf of all of us."
Among those Staff Sgt. Adamski leaves behind are his wife and daughter, his father who lives in Volutown, Connecticut, and his mother of Westbury, New York.
Staff Sgt. Frank Adamski is missed. May He Rest in Peace.
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Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog, 23, of Pleasanton, California
Spc. Jameson "Doc" Lindskog was a Combat Medic assigned to Headquarters and headquarters Company.
An only child, Jameson Lindskog was born in San Mateo, and moved to the Tri-Valley as a middle school student. He grew up between Pleasanton and Livermore, and attended Pleasanton Middle School and Amador Valley High for year.
His mother said Jameson loved animals, and volunteered for groups like the Valley Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity. In 2005, Jameson graduated from Orion Academy, a private school in Moraga.
After that, he enrolled in the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville where he became a licensed massage therapist. His mother said Jameson wanted to be a physical therapist. He told her that he would get training through the Army, and that it would also look good on his résumé.
"It was to further his goals toward his occupation," his mother said. She said his four-year commitment was to be finished in August 2012. "His idea was to join the Army, get his education and come back."
Jameson joined the army in 2008, where he became a medical technician assigned to the 101st Airborne unit. He was due to be discharged next year.
"Jameson was an outstanding adult who had a bright future ahead of him," his father Curtis said. "He was home right after the Christmas holidays and I drove him back to the Oakland Airport on Jan. 14. That's where I said my last goodbye."
His family learned Spc. Lindskog was shot trying to help the wounded during a fire fight.
"Jameson, as a medic, went to help others," she said.
Among those Spc. Lindskog leaves behind are his father and stepmother of Livermore, California, and mother and stepfather who live in Pleasanton, California, as well as his half-brother and half-sister.
Spc. Jameson "Doc" Lindskog is missed. May He Rest in Peace.
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Pvt. Jeremy P. Faulkner, 23, of Griffin, Georgia
Pvt. Jeremy Faulkner was an Infantryman assigned to Charlie Company.
Jeremy Faulkner grew up in Griffin, Georgia, and graduated from Griffin High School. He always wanted to be in the army and joined in January 2009. He arrived at Fort Campbell in June 2009.
His family said Jeremy was only a few days away from being promoted to private first class and that he had hoped to have a military career. Pvt. Faulkner was serving on his first combat deployment.
“He was a very, very polite person,” said Pastor Matt Grimes of Liberty Baptist Tabernacle in Stockbridge, which Faulkner attended. “He loved his grandmother. He loved the senior citizens of our church. We are going to miss him very much.”
Among those Pvt. Jeremy Faulkner leaves behind are his grandmother, his father who lives in Rex, Georgia, and mother of Griffin, Georgia.
Pvt. Jeremy Faulkner is missed. May He Rest in Peace.
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Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess, 29, of Cleburne, Texas
Staff Sgt. Burgess was an Infantrymen and platoon leader assigned to Charlie Company.
Friends and family of Staff Sgt. Bryan Burgess were devastated to learn the 1999 Cleburne High School graduate was killed in action on his third combat tour. He had less than a month to go in Afghanistan.
"Everyone was in shock," said Cleburne Mayor Justin Hewlett, a church member at Granbury Street Church of Christ where Bryan was a regular in the youth group. "He was a great young man, very vibrant and outgoing."
Bryan Burgess grew up in Cleburne playing soccer, football, baseball, and track for his high school teams.
Bryan Burgess joined the Army in March 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in September 2009. He had previously served two tours in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Burgess' wife, and 4 year-old daughter and 3 year-old son had just talked to him by telephone last weekend, according to family. Their father would have celebrated his 30th birthday on April 25.
Among those that Staff Sgt. Burgess leaves behind are his wife and small children, and his mother, and father and stepmother.
Staff Sgt. Bryan Burgess is missed. May He Rest in Peace.
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Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Arizona
Pfc. Feldhaus was an Infantryman and marksman assigned to Charlie Company.
Dustin Feldhaus hails from Glendale, Arizona, in north Phoenix. His former coach, teachers, and classmates at Deer Valley High School say they will never forget the 2009 graduate. They remember the star high school wrestler as a quiet, kind student who was mature beyond his years in the classroom.
"It's been hard today,” a teacher said after she learned one of her former students was killed. “Anybody who really knew Dustin, even if he was quiet, will miss him because he was a wonderful person, just a wonderful human being."
Dustin joined the Army in September 2009 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2010. The 20-year old was serving on his first deployment, and due home a few weeks.
Among those that Pfc. Feldhaus leaves behind are his mother in Glendale, and his father in Maricopa, Arizona.
Pfc. Dustin Feldhaus is missed. May He Rest in Peace.
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Thanks to Timroff for our faithfully lighted candle IGTNT logo;
Other Photos by CalNM and linked Sources
Helping our troops: If you wish to assist our military and their families, consider Operation Helmet, or sponsoring a deployed service member at TroopCarePackage.com. Fisher House provides housing for families of injured troops and veterans who are recovering in hospitals, and Guardian angels for soldierspet assists the animal companions of our deployed military.
When our veterans come back home, they can find support at Welcome Back Veterans. Our recently returned veterans need jobs, and Veterans Green Jobs is now hiring for positions and filling training sessions. VGJ corps retrains veterans as leaders in forest and resource conservation, green construction, and energy efficient upgrades of homes in rural areas. Encourage a Veteran, and see if you can help out.
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About the IGTNT series: I Got the News Today is intended to honor, respect, and remember the fallen, and to remind us that each casualty has family and friends who received the terrible news that their loved one has died at war.
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 US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. Published AP photos of the returning war fatalities are found on the Dover AFB page. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries in the series which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, Sandy on Signal, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, ccasas, JaxDem, and me, CalNM. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for our fallen brothers and sisters.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.