IGTNT and NFTT: In Memory of Dustin

Navy Hospitalman Dustin Kelby Burnett, 19, of Fort Mojave, AZ has served his final mission. He was known as "Tex" to his friends and "Doc" to all the people he helped while serving the 2/7 Marines in Farah province in Afghanistan. He’d been in Afghanistan less than 3 months, but he and his buddies had already received care packages thanks to Military Moms, a Bullhead City, AZ community organization that sends care packages to the troops. As we mourn his loss, I ask you to consider honoring this corpsman's memory by making a contribution – however small or large – to the Netroots for the Troops’ Care Package project at Netroots Nation ‘08.

Tonight we honor the memory of Navy Hospitalman Dustin Kelby Burnett, 19, of Fort Mojave, AZ In late March, the Patriot Guard Riders escorted Hospitalman Dustin Burnett to his send-off at the American Legion Post 87 in Bullhead City, AZ. I imagine they will escort him home soon, for his final mission is complete. Bullhead City Mayor Jack Hakim and a large crowd of local residents honored HN Burnett at the March send-off:

"May Bullhead City remain in your heart as you proudly remain in ours," Hakim said, telling Burnett to take the key with him wherever he goes to remind him of the city's appreciation.

His mother, Debbie Nuchols, was so proud of her son that she told anybody who would listen that her son "could grow up and be president someday." The Mohave Daily News chronicled Bullhead City’s Memorial Day events to honor the fallen and support the troops:

Frizelle also talked about Military Moms, a community organization that sends care packages to the military, thanking Senior Circle members for the $200 check they contributed during the evening. With the cost of shipping on the rise, "this'll be just so helpful to us," she said. Debbie Nuchols has heard from her son, Dustin Burnett, just how much the packages mean to him and fellow service men and women. She passed a recent e-mail from her son around the room Wednesday evening. "I think it just makes them feel that they're supported," she said after the event. Burnett, a Mohave High School graduate who goes by the nickname "Tex," is 19 years old and has been in Afghanistan six weeks.

That was just a month ago. HN Burnett is now coming home to be laid to rest. He was killed by a roadside bomb on June 20 in the Farah province of central-western Afghanistan.

Debbie Nuchols opened the door at 10:30 last Friday night and knew. "Two guys in dress whites and a Navy chaplain," she said. "You know what they are there for. No doubt." ~Source

A message from a friend gives you a sense of the magnitude of his loss:

Dustin Burnett was a friend of mine a Great Corpsman (was stationed at 29 Palms in Calif. believe he was attached to 2/7) and an excellent young man... this loss hurts more than most I've encountered please keep this "Doc's" soul and the healing of his family in all of your prayers... he will be sorely missed.

And finally, to give you more of an idea of the character of this young corpsman and his family:

"Everybody over there called him Doc," Nuchols said. "He loved the idea that he would be taking care of people." ..snip.. His cousin remembers him as a happy and energetic young man. "He was always smiling," said Rachel Nuchols. "I can't really picture him any way except full of life." Rachel said her cousin wanted to go to college when he got home from the Navy. He leaves behind his mother and stepfather. And a little brother, 13-year-old Devin. In the past school year, Devin was given an assignment to write about his hero. He wrote about his older brother. ~Source

My heartfelt sympathies are with HN Burnett's family, friends, community and unit. May he sail among the angels now in eternal peace.IN MEMORY OF DUSTIN

Please consider honoring "Doc" Burnett’s memory by contributing to the Netroots for the Troops Care Package effort. At Netroots Nation ’08, in addition to honoring the fallen in several special ways, we’ll be packaging and shipping 101 care packages to the brave men and women who are serving their country under some really tough conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to cover the costs associated with purchasing the goods and shipping the packages.

It can be $10. It can be $20. Or $50 or $100 if you can spare it.

Thanks to bubbanomics and the generous folks who put the hurt on him big time yesterday, we raised more than $1000 in one day, so our new total is..........$7074.

Will you help us?  To donate online, go to this donation page. There you can donate either by using your credit card (under "Don't have a PayPal account?" at the bottom left of the page) or through PayPal if you have an account. Whether you can donate a little or a lot, every donation will make a difference in what we’re able to send to the troops.

The Department of Defense has confirmed 4,102 deaths, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. 531 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.