IGTNT: "He may have been the baby brother, but he was always my hero."

Tonight we have the solemn honor of remembering three U.S. soldiers who were killed, with two Latvian soldiers in a deadly attack in Afghanistan Konar Province, Afghanistan. We’re also honoring the memories of two U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq by insurgents who had infiltrated the Iraqi Army. All five U.S. soldiers and several wounded soldiers from both attacks were from Fort Hood.

If you are new to the IGTNT diaries, thank you for coming to pay your respects.  IGTNT stands for "I Got the News Today."  The phrase is meant to symbolize that terrible knock on the door that any number of families got today, bringing with it the news that a loved one has died. IGTNT is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by family, friends and those who served with the service members honored here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.

From the DoD:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers, and one soldier as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN). The action occurred May 1 near the village of Nishagam, in Konar Province, Afghanistan, where all three were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

           Killed were:

           Sgt. James D. Pirtle, 21, of Colorado Springs, Colo. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; and

           Spec. Ryan C. King, 22, of Dallas, Ga. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

           These soldiers died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using direct fire.

           For more information on Pirtle and King, the media may contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.

           Staff Sgt. William D. Vile, 27, of Philadelphia, Pa. is now listed as DUSTWUN from this same incident. He is assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Staff Sgt. William D. Vile’s status has since been changed to killed in action. SisTwo honors this brave soldier tonight with this tribute:Staff Sergeant William D. Vile William Vile grew up in Philadelphia and enlisted in 1999. He graduated from a "warrior leader course" with the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York in 2007. Staff Sergeant William D. Vile was most recently assigned to the First Brigade, First Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. He trained for 60 days at Fort Riley to serve as an adviser to Afghan security forces. He was deployed last summer, to his fourth assignment to Afghanistan, working as a military transition team member. He trained other soldiers to mentor their Afghan counterparts as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On May 1st, insurgents opened fire on a group of soldiers near the Afghan village of Nishagam, near the Konar Province. Initial reports said that Sergeant James D. Pirtle, and Specialist Ryan C. King had been killed in the attack, while Vile was listed as "Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown," also referred to as DUSTWUN. A report about the incident at Salem-News.com, includes some good pictures and video of the area where Staff Sergeant Vile and his two buddies were killed. On May 5th, an armed forces medical examiner positively identified Staff Sergeant Vile’s remains.  He was 27 years old when he died. Staff Sergeant William D. Vile was one of 30 soldiers from Pennsylvania who have died supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, according to military data. An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer states:

Konar Province has a reputation for being one of the most dangerous places in the Afghan war zone. American soldiers call it "enemy central." A relative of Vile's, who asked not to be named, said last night that the staff sergeant's mother was notified by the Department of Defense on Friday that her son may have been killed in an explosion. The relative said it was Vile's fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan. Vile's distraught mother, Donna Vile, declined to comment last night. She was at home in her second-story rowhouse apartment in Bridesburg awaiting news about her son.

Staff Sergeant William D. Vile was awarded two Purple Heart medals, several other commendations, and the Expert Infantryman Badge. His family was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the return of the remains of Staff Sergeant Vile and his brothers-in-arms. Funeral arrangements have not been set. Sgt. James D. Pirtle, 21, of Colorado Springs, Colo. Dina Wood recalled to the Colorado Springs Gazette that when she first saw Sgt. Pirtle, known as "Jimmy" in middle school, he had green spiked hair. Not "the typical person who would grow up to join the Army, excel as a soldier and ultimately lose his life in combat." "He was a good boy who turned into a really good man," recalled Wood for the Gazette.

His mother, Patricia Pirtle, said her son was among the three American soldiers who died last week. An Army chaplain gave Patricia Pirtle the news on Friday. "The storm door was open and it only took me a couple of seconds to notice she was a chaplain," Patricia Pirtle said. "She didn't even have to tell me. I knew."

Sgt. Pirtle is survived by his mother, father James Pirtle and sisters Jennifer Bergstrom and Jacqueline Pirtle, He will be laid to rest at Fort Logan Cemetery in Denver, so that he’s surrounded by other soldiers, according to this mother.  He had been due to come home in June. Sgt. Pirtle’s mother was apprehensive when he enlisted in the Army, but so very proud of her only son.

"Coming from a military family, I was very proud of him, but my first response was, ‘Why can't you wait until it's peace time?" Patricia Pirtle said. She said he was very patriotic and an enthusiastic soldier who quickly worked his way up to sergeant. In Afghanistan, he often volunteered for missions that he knew would be dangerous, his mother said.

"Jimmy 2.0" His friends recalled a brave young man who knew the dangers of enlisting at this time, according to the Gazette.

"He just wanted to be part of something bigger than himself," said Andrew Thurn, one of his best friends. "He was OK dying if he was serving his country." After he joined, he changed for the better, Thurn said. He was still the same Jimmy with the same goofy grin, but he had also turned into a responsible man. "It was as if the Army upgraded him. Like Jimmy 2.0," Thurn said.

Wood told the Gazette that she hopes other people understand that every soldier who dies there has a life and is an individual.

"Remember they are just not another soldier," Wood said. "They are a funny guy who used to have green hair who lived for others and his country."

You can watch Sgt. Pirtle’s mother recall her son here. In memory and in honor of Sgt. James D. Pirtle. May you rest in peace. Your mission is complete.Spec. Ryan C. King, 22, of Dallas, Ga The community of Paulding County, Georgia has come out in force to honor their fallen son, Spec. Ryan King and lend their support to his family. Many of the remembrances are from people who either knew Ryan or his family. Spec. King’s aunt left this note about her nephew:

I am Ryan's aunt and would like to say thank you on behalf of our whole family. It is a very hard time for all of us. No arrangements have been made as of yet. We are aware that it was on the news and has been released to the press, but we still ask for our private time to grieve. We would love to have the whole town to show their support for our HERO when he returns home. We love him and miss him terribly. The arrangements will be made public as soon as we have them made. Thank you for your prayers and concerns.

I’m sorry I don’t have more information to include in Spc. King’s tribute at this time. In memory and in honor of Spc. Ryan C. King. May you rest in peace. Your mission is complete.

Let us also honor the memories of two Latvian soldiers, Sgt. Voldemars Ansevics and PFC Andrejs Merkuseys, who were killed in the same attack. And our thoughts are with the wounded soldiers and their families– may they recover fully from their injuries. From the DoD:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died from wounds sustained after they were shot by enemy forces in Mosul, Iraq on May 2. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

           Killed were:

           Spc. Jeremiah P. McCleery, 24, of Portola, Calif.; and

           Spc. Jake R. Velloza, 22, of Inverness, Calif.

The LA Times is reporting that Spcs. McCleery and Velloza were killed by two insurgents disguised as Iraqi soldiers. Three other U.S. soldiers were wounded. "This took place near the northern city of Mosul, the latest in a series of incidents involving security forces firing on Americans in the troubled area." Spc. Jeremiah P. McCleery, 24, of Portola, Calif. Spc. McCleery, a 2004 Portola High School graduate was known as "Miah" to his family and friends according to the Reno Gazette Journal. He loved the outdoors and spending time with his father, who is a resident of Sparks, Nevada.

Josh Rogers, who graduated with McCleery, said he was best known as Miah. "He was a very loyal friend," Rogers said. "If you broke down in Reno or far away, he'd come pick you up. He always had your back." Rogers said McCleery liked camping, something he did frequently, and also enjoyed sport shooting, fishing and four-wheeling. He was a great fan of the sporting goods store Cabela's, Rogers said. Asked when he was his happiest, Rogers said: "Probably hanging out with his dad. Doing anything with his dad, probably."

Spc. McCleery had joined the Army in 2007 and deployed to Iraq in December, according to his friend, who told the Gazette Journal why Spc. McCleery wanted to join the military:

"He always wanted to when he was a kid," Rogers said. "He probably just wanted to out of patriotic duty and go serve. "I think he wanted to go do his part."

In addition to his father Joe, Spc. McCleery is survivedby two sisters who left loving comments about their brother on the Gazette Journal’s website:

I'm Lynette Flanagan, and I'm Jeremiah's oldest sister. Lossing my brother has been the hardest thing to go through but I'm very proud of the life he lead. He may have been the baby brother, but he was always my hero. He was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in. He never let anyone bully him. He lived with intergity and honor and I respect him for that. I admired him for so many reasons. Now he is a national hero, and he will live on in the memory of his family and friends forever. I'm Chasity Sobrero, Jeremiah's other sister. Losing my brother has been extremely hard but I'm so proud of him. Jeremiah truly loved his country and ever since he was a little boy he always wanted to join the Army. As a young man and a solider he truly loved being in the Army. I will always admire him for going after his dreams and standing up for what he believed in. We will miss you so much Miah!

You can also read personal tributes to Spc. McCleery here. In memory and in honor of Spc. Jeremiah McCleery. May you rest in peace. Your mission is complete.Spc. Jake R. Velloza, 22, of Inverness, Calif Spc. Velloza graduated Tomales High in 2004 according to the Marin Independent Journal. He was the only son of Bob and Susan Velloza. His grandfather recalled to the Journal how his parents found out about their son’s death:

The ominous knock on the door came two hours after a phone call from the girlfriend or wife of another soldier who was on the same patrol in Mosul, Richard Velloza said. That soldier and Jake Velloza had an agreement that they'd call her as soon as they returned from a patrol, but the call had not come by the expected time. Richard Velloza said people flocked to the family home in Inverness on Sunday. "There must've been 50 to 100 people who came in," he said. "They were stopping by all day long. Everybody was teary. Everybody said, 'Let me know what I can do,' but that's really impossible. At a time like that, there's really nothing anybody can do."

Spc. Velloza was a football and baseball star at Tomales High. His football coach Leon Feliciano recalled his former player for the Journal:

"I think he knew from the first day he got into high school that he was going into the military," Feliciano said. "We talked about college, but he said, 'No, Coach, I want to be a Ranger doing special ops.' He was set on his goals. He was one of those young men who knew what he wanted to do and did it. Service to his country is what appealed to him."

You can read personal remembrances for Spc. Velloza here:In memory and in honor of Spc. Jake R. Velloza. May you rest in peace. Your mission is complete. Once again our thoughts are with the wounded soldiers and their families– may they recover fully from their injuries.

REMEMBER THEM WELL Remember our troops- those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, those who are still in harm’s way and those who have returned home:

In Remembrance Please take a moment to honor the memories of our fallen service men and women who have passed through this world much too quickly. You can view the stories and remembrances of these heroes at sites such as Iraq Veterans Memorial and Honor the Fallen.

Supporting the Troops If you haven’t had a chance to put together a care package for a unit in Iraq or Afghanistan - it’s such a good feeling to know you are sending our troops things they really need. I’m not talking about the comforts of home – it’s necessities like socks and underwear and soup packets and feminine hygiene products and paper and pens...and school supplies, treats and trinkets they can pass out to the Iraqi and Afghan children. Basic things that they are so thrilled to receive. There are a few ways to do this. You can go through troopcarepackage.com or anysoldier.com. If you go to the anysolider site click on WhereToSend for a searchable database. For example if you search "By Latest Email" you’ll see the troops who most recently have submitted a request for specific items. You then request their mailing address. Operation Helmet is another great organization whose mission is to provide helmet upgrades.

Supporting Our Veterans We have a solemn duty to ensure that our veterans are properly cared for. Consider visiting sites such as  StandUp4Vets.org, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America,  Welcome Back Veterans.org and Fisher House to see where your help is needed. Other ways to help can be found in this diary.

The Department of Defense has confirmed 4,283 deaths and 1 more pending notification of his/her next of kin while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. 682 American troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001.

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.