Smoke break during a lull in the Korengal Valley.

I definitely recommend the documentary Restrepo if you haven’t seen it.

July 08, 2012, 12:52pm / 38

16 June 2012: A father holds up his 5-year-old daughter to kiss her Army mother goodbye as she heads off to serve her tour in Afghanistan.

(Source: MSN)

June 17, 2012, 6:59am / 179

The “Field of Flags” was dedicated on Sunday, October 23, 2005 at the Somers Congregational Church in Somers, Connecticut. Members of the Memorial Garden Committee of the Somers Congregational Church placed 2,231 American flags, one for each American casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The flags were placed to honor those who have given their lives in the conflicts and to show that those who have died and their families and friends were remembered in prayer at our church.

The list of casualties, by state, was displayed on a name board by the Field of Flags showing the name and rank of each American casualty. A notebook was kept in the church building with the name, rank, town, state and date of death for each American casualty.

The idea for the Field of Flags came about as members of the Memorial Garden Committee considered what our church could do to show support for our troops. Each casualty reminded us of the danger and increased the empathy we felt for the families of those who have died.

The Field of Flags had more impact than the committee envisioned with the media coverage and the emotional reaction from our community and beyond. People came from towns across the state and out of state to see the flags and view the name board. Individuals and families have found the display to be emotional, yet comforting to know that their loved ones have been remembered.

The Field of Flags is a silent, patriotic and poignant reminder of the cost of war. Each flag represents not simply one casualty, but all the family members and friends who have been touched by that life now gone. They represent our respect for those who have served and are currently serving in
the military and our hope for peace in the future, for a time when no one is called upon by our country to give the greatest sacrifice. Please continue to pray for the safety of all of our troops and for the families of the fallen heroes.

In 2010, South Congregational Church of East Hartford made a request of the Somers Church to have the Field of Flags here. At that time, we were told there was a two year wait. Late in 2011, we were notified that the month of May 2012 was available. Our Memorial Garden Committee, under the leadership of Peggy Schoen, took on the responsibility of this meaningful memorial, and on Friday, May 4, 2012, members of the Somers Church, joined by ~ 55 volunteers from our church and the community of East Hartford, transformed the entire front expanse of our church, into a sea of American flags, which now number 6,437. The display will remain here through Memorial Day weekend, at which time it will be dismantled, and ultimately moved to its next destination, the United Methodist Church in Bristol, CT.

May 09, 2012, 4:02pm / 24

US soldier dies saving young girl

Sgt. Dennis Weichel, 29, of the Rhode Island National Guard died saving the life of a little girl in northeast Afghanistan, according to the Rhode Island National Guard.

According to the report, Weichel was in a convoy in Laghman Province last week when he noticed some children were in the path of the moving vehicles. Weichel and other soldiers got out to move them out of the way.

According to the press release, while most of the children scattered away, one girl went back to the road, as a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle continued moving toward her.

Weichel saw the massive truck moving toward the girl and grabbed her out of the way, the National Guard said. The girl survived, but Weichel died after the armored vehicle ran over him.

March 30, 2012, 10:51pm / 78

US soldier kills 16 Afghan civilians

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A U.S. service member killed at least 15 members of two Afghan families as well as a 16th person before turning himself in, witnesses and officials said Sunday.

The soldier, who has yet to be identified, reportedly left his base in the early hours Sunday and went to two villages just a few hundred yards away. He then opened fire on Afghan civilians sleeping in their homes, Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs Asadullah Khalid told Reuters. The service member entered three homes in the villages in Kandahar province, he said.

March 11, 2012, 2:08pm / 24