John Donovan’s father has died. Please join us in honoring this heroic soldier, and beloved father. Our prayers and sympathies go out to John and his family.

The Auld Soldier, Colonel Timothy Donovan, FA, Silver Star, DFC, Purple Heart w/6OLC, Combat Infantry Badge, veteran of two wars, one hell of a Rotarian and my father, signaled End of Mission, Close Station, March Order, and struck his colors at 1215 this afternoon.

Memorial service is Monday at 2:30 PM in Columbia, interment will be at Leavenworth National Cemetery at a date to be determined.

His passage was peaceful, thanks be to God, and he was surrounded by his family.

PFC Aaron Fairbairn, KIA Afghanistan, July 4, 2009

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died July 4 at Combat Outpost Zerok, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked the outpost using small arms and indirect fires. They were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Killed were:

• Pfc. Justin A. Casillas, 19, of Dunnigan, Calif.
• Pfc. Aaron E. Fairbairn, 20, of Aberdeen, Wash.

DoD

U.S Army soldiers survey a proposed site for a new observation post, Combat Outpost Zerok, in Afghanistan, July 11, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to Task Force Castle’s 420th Engineer Brigade. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Tomas Rofkahr

“At first I didn’t believe it,” said Beau Beck, Fairbairn’s oldest brother, who learned about his brother’s death while he was coaching a Little League team.

“I talked to Aaron probably 12 hours prior to that,” Beck said from Dover. “The first thing that rushed to my mind is that he’s so young and such a good kid.”

His stepfather described him as joyous, honest and dependable, the kid everyone knew first as the paperboy, then as a local lot attendant or the guy who worked at Papa Murphy’s Pizza.

Fairbairn, a graduate of Aberdeen’s Weatherwax High, was an off-road enthusiast who loved riding dirt bikes and four-wheeling in his truck. He hadn’t yet decided what he wanted to do after the service but leaned toward mechanics.

Seattle Times

Aaron Fairbairn, KIA Afghanistan July 4, 2009

UPDATE:

It is about 1 a.m. here along America’s North Shore. A few short hours ago, word began to spread on Twitter about the loss of two of our finest in Afghanistan.

David M. Masters posted the following about 6 p.m. EDT:

# I’m so sorry, Aaron… You are MY hero… I love you… #thankyouaaron 25 minutes ago from web

Shelley, Beau and Sascha are enroute to Dover to meet Aaron’s body, given in service this Independence Day. I love you, Aaron. about 2 hours ago from web

That you, @BobBurg. Please spread the word, “Thank you, Aaron,” for making the ultimate sacrifice this Independence Day. about 6 hours ago from web

I’d like to see “Thank you, Aaron,” show up on the Trending Topics for giving his life on Independence Day in Afghanistan. about 7 hours ago from web

On Independence Day, a few hours ago, they killed my son, Aaron in Afghanistan. about 7 hours ago from web

Killing my son, Aaron and the Officer. about 7 hours ago from web

When a suicide bomber, driving a truck breached the perimiter and pushed the button… about 7 hours ago from web

He was minding his own business BS-ing with an Officer on base in Afghanistan… about 7 hours ago from web

They killed my son, Aaron! about 7 hours ago from web

The hashtag #thankyouaaron is presently number 1 in Trending Topics. Hundreds, thousands of people are repeating the hashtag. Expressions of sorrow are being addressed to Mr. Masters and his family.

Here is the Masters family. It is a real “Brady Bunch”. The couple, David and Shelley, are weight loss and diet experts.

Aaron has a MySpace page. This is what he said about himself:

Hey my name is Aaron Fairbairn, I am 20 and in the army. I like to ride dirtbikes, go muddin and all of that kind of stuff. One of my favorite things to do is work on my truck when I break it. I have a yamaha yz 125 I haven’t got to ride it much because of work but i plan to go race it sometime.

The official announcement has not yet been released. It appears that Aaron was one of the two soldiers killed in a large Taliban attack on a base in Paktika. That is just a “maybe” until DoD releases the info. They hold it back a couple of days so that the families can all be notified.

Words cannot express the sorrow I feel at the loss of this young man. My thanks go to his family for his service and his sacrifice.

Andrea Jordan Golden McHan

The Arkport Alumni newsletter arrived today with the sad news that my first love had died.

Andrea M. McHan, 50, of 8463 County Road 48, passed away Monday (May 18, 2009) at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
Born in Hornell, Jan. 21, 1959, the daughter of Walter and Iona Ames Jordan, she had resided in Arkport since 1962. She moved to Florida in 1997, returning to Arkport in October of 2008. She had attended Houghton College and received her master’s degrees in English and literature. She had been a substitute school teacher at the Portville Central School. She was a member of the Arkport United Methodist Church as well as the Apopka Calvery Nazarene Church in Apopka, Fla.
She was predeceased by her parents.
She is survived by her husband, Bill McHan of Arkport, whom she married April 14, 2001; one son, Walter Golden of Florida; three brothers, Dale Jordan of Arkport, Bruce (Wendy) Jordan of Arkport, and Dan Jordan of Corning; nieces and nephews.
The family will be present to receive friends from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Bender-Brown & Powers Funeral Home, 354 Canisteo St., Hornell, where funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Rev. Steve Davis officiating. Burial will be in Arkport Cemetery.
Friends may make memorial contributions to: The United Cerebral Palsy Association of Rochester, Inc. 182 North St., Auburn, N.Y. 13021, or to the Hornell Area Humane Society, P.O. Box 533, Hornell, N.Y. 14843.

Hornell Evening Tribune

Best-selling author and filmmaker Michael Crichton died unexpectedly in Los Angeles Tuesday, after a courageous and private battle against cancer, according to a statement released by his family. He was 66.

Crichton is best known as the author of “Jurassic Park” and the creator of “ER.” His most recent novel, “Next,” about genetics and law, was published in December 2006.

CBS

Via Blackfive, we learn that Don Davis, the actor who so ably played General Hammond on Stargate-SG1 has died. He was a prolific actor and a talented artist.

Gateworld obit

A native of America’s North Shore was killed by a suicide bomber while attending a meeting on June 26. Marine Captain Philip. J. Dykeman of Brockport and two other officers were killed when a suicide bomber attacked the tribal council meeting that they were attending. Nearly 20 others were also killed. Al Qaeda in Iraq has taken responsibility.

Reuters:

The self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, started by al Qaeda and fellow Sunni militant groups, said in a statement it was behind Thursday’s attack by a bomber wearing an explosive belt that killed more than 25 people and wounded many others.

Iraqi police put the death toll at 20 people and the U.S. military said three U.S. Marines and two interpreters had been killed. The bomber struck a tribal council meeting in the town of Garma, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

Department of Defense:

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of three Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The following Marines died June 26 while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq:

Lt. Col. Max A. Galeai, 42, of Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Capt. Philip J. Dykeman, 38, of Brockport, N.Y.

Cpl. Marcus W. Preudhomme, 23, of North Miami Beach, Fla.

The Marines were assigned to 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Three Multi-National Force – West Marines and two interpreters were killed in action against an enemy force in Anbar Province June 26.

The names of the deceased are being withheld pending next of kin notification and release by the Department of Defense.

George Carlin has died. Many will remember him for the bit about words you cannot say on television. I look at his career as providing another necessity.

Everyone should have a curmudgeon in their life. Someone who points out the obvious, the unusual and the idiotic. George Carlin was that curmudgeon.

The problem being a curmudgeon is that most people won’t like you but will admire you. Carlin’s public persona would not make him a valued friend nor one that you would hang around a lot. He was too abrasive. He took shots at one and all, and that’s only funny when you’re not being the one shot at.

We all need a curmudgeon to remind us that we are not perfect. The perfect curmudgeon, George Carlin, will be missed.

More than 400 Coalition Soldiers and Marines paid their respect to a fallen Marine at Basra Air Base, Iraq, May 23. Marine 1st Lt. Matthew R. Vandegrift, was honored in a memorial plaque dedication service. Lieutenant Vandegrift was killed while conducting combat operations in Basra, Iraq. He was assigned to the Military Transition Team in support of the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division.

The service was presided over by Marine Maj. Gen. George J. Flynn, the deputy commanding general of Multi-National Corps – Iraq, and Reverend Padre Mark Christian, the chaplain to the forces at Multi-National Division — South East.

Lieutenant Vandegrift was killed while conducting combat operations in Basra, Iraq. He was assigned to the Military Transition Team in support of the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division.

A plaque commemorating the selfless service of Lieutenant Vandegrift was placed on the memorial wall in front of Multi-National Division Southeast Headquarters honoring British and Coalition forces killed in Southern Iraq.

The gravity of the ceremony was all the more reflected in the eyes of the Marines as Memorial weekend approaches.

“It is heartening to know that, back in the States, there will be that moment in time where people get together and reflect on the sacrifices made by those who have gone before us,” said Marine Maj. Andrew S. Burchfield, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Liaison Officer to 1st Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team.

Lieutenant Vandegrift was laid to rest with full military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, April 28.

MNF-I

90 years old. Living in his idea of paradise. Not too shabby, I’d say.

Certainly on of the greats of the genre, and one of the few who lived to see some of his dreams come true.

BBC report

Blogger Andrew Olmsted has been killed in Iraq.

MNF-I

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Jan. 3 in As Sadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using small arms fire during combat operations. Both Soldiers were assigned to the Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Killed were:

Maj. Andrew J. Olmsted, 37, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Cpt. Thomas J. Casey, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M.

Matt mourns a colleague. Glenn Reynolds also notes this loss.

Obsidian Wings has a wonderful tribute, and Andrew himself left us a last blog post here.

I had exchanged about two words with Major Olmstead over the years. Not much shared between us. He was as expert an observer as there is concerning the War on Terror. I believe this was his second tour.

We mourn his loss.

Andrew writes:

But for those who knew me and feel this pain, I think it’s a good thing to realize that this pain has been felt by thousands and thousands (probably millions, actually) of other people all over the world. That is part of the cost of war, any war, no matter how justified. If everyone who feels this pain keeps that in mind the next time we have to decide whether or not war is a good idea, perhaps it will help us to make a more informed decision. Because it is pretty clear that the average American would not have supported the Iraq War had they known the costs going in. I am far too cynical to believe that any future debate over war will be any less vitriolic or emotional, but perhaps a few more people will realize just what those costs can be the next time.

National Review Online – Michael Ledeen

NRO The Tank – Steve Schippert

Gates: Thursday, December 13, 2007. Age 91. Survived by his wife Clementine Haubner Zimmer; sons, Edward and Kathleen of Tarrytown, NY, and Stephen and Marianna; grandson, Mark and Michelle; and great-grandsons, Austin and Brandon of Reading, PA; grand-daughters, Kathryn, Paula, Carolyn and Stephanie; sisters-in-law, Gladys and Eileen Zimmer; sister and brother-in-law, Lucille and Richard Sullivan; and brother-in-law, Richard and June Shone; many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by brothers, Herbert, Arthur, Charles, Harold, Raymond; and sister, Eva May.

Robert and his father-in-law, Edward Haubner owned and operated the Haubner and Stallknecht Funeral Home for over 50 years, prior to his retirement in 1986. He was a WWII Army Veteran, member of the Keith Miller Post and a past member of the New York State and National Funeral Directors Association.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Park Ridge Living Center for the excellent care they provided Bob during the past year.

Calling hours, Sunday, December 16, 2007 from 2-5 at the Leo M. Bean and Sons Funeral Home, 2771 Chili Avenue. The Celebration of the Mass of Christian Burial is Monday, December 17, 2007, at 11 AM with Interment following at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to St. Jude the Apostle Church, 4100 Lyell Road, or Unity Health Foundation, 1555 Long Pond Road.

My sister’s father-in-law and an all-round good guy. His stories of the aftermath of the Attica uprising were astonishing.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Jessica Turner of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), pays her final respect to fallen U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Herman Jerome Murkerson Jr. of Marine Wing Headquarter Squadron-2, after his memorial service at the Memorial Chapel on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on Oct. 9. Murkerson was killed in action on Oct. 1 while on patrol in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.

A civilian contractor stationed at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, pays his final respects to fallen U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Herman Jerome Murkerson Jr. of Marine Wing Headquarter Squadron-2, after his memorial service at the Memorial Chapel on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on Oct. 9.

A U.S. Army Soldier aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, pays her final respects to fallen U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Herman Jerome Murkerson Jr. of Marine Wing Headquarter Squadron-2, after his memorial service at the Memorial Chapel on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, on Oct. 9.

Photos by Photographer: Cpl. Michael Haas, Joint Combat Camera Center

A great Cold Warrior gone to his rest!

DoD
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2007 – Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. William J. Crowe died early today at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He was 82.

Crowe served as chairman from 1985 to 1989 under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

His Navy career spanned the entirety of the Cold War, from his entry to the service following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 to his retirement as the highest-ranking officer in the military in 1989 as the Soviet Union began to crumble.

“Every man and woman of the U.S. military joins me in mourning the death of retired Admiral William Crowe, Vietnam and Cold War veteran and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” said Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We extend humbly to his family our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies in their time of grief and sorrow.

“As we mourn his passing, so too should we reflect on his contributions to our national security — of the thousands of lives he guided, the careers he mentored, the difference he made simply by virtue of his leadership,” Mullen continued. “We are a stronger, more capable military today in large part because of his efforts to make us so. We would all do well to remember that and to never forget the remarkable legacy of this truly humble, truly noble man.”

The Soviet Union and terrorism dominated Crowe’s tenure as chairman. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduced perestroika and glasnost – literally, “restructuring” and “openness” — to his nation. Gorbachev meant for the policies to strengthen the Soviet Union and make the country economically competitive with the West.

The openness that Gorbachev wanted included military relations. Crowe was at the epicenter of these changes. The admiral hosted Marshal of the Soviet Union Sergei Akhromeyev during a visit to the Pentagon in 1987. Akhromeyev, the chief of the Soviet General Staff, even attended a meeting with the Joint Chiefs in “The Tank,” the secure room the chiefs use to discuss military matters.

The admiral also confronted the plague of terrorism. Palestinian terrorists were active, with the most famous terrorist act being the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985. Navy fighters intercepted an Egyptian airliner flying the terrorists to safety and forced the plane to land in Sicily, where Italian authorities took the men into custody.

In addition, Crowe confronted the threat posed by Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi. The state sponsored terrorism and proclaimed a “Line of Death” in the Mediterranean’s Gulf of Sidra. On April 5, 1986, the oil-rich nation sponsored terrorists who bombed a disco in West Berlin, killing two soldiers and a Turkish woman. Ten days later, U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft attacked military targets in Tripoli and Benghazi.

The admiral was a devotee of the TV show “Cheers,” and played himself in a short appearance on the hit show.

A career submariner, Crowe was born in Kentucky and grew up in Oklahoma City. Following graduation from the Naval Academy, he served aboard the USS Carmick, USS Flying Fish and USS Clamagore. He was executive officer of the USS Wahoo and commanded the USS Trout from 1960 to 1962.

At 44, Crowe volunteered to serve in Vietnam as the senior advisor to the South Vietnamese Riverine Force from 1970 to 1971.

Crowe became a rear admiral in 1973 and held a number of staff jobs in the Pentagon before becoming the commander of the Middle East Force in Bahrain in 1976. After pinning on his fourth star, Crowe commanded Allied Forces Southern Europe from 1980 to 1983 and then served as commander in chief of U.S. Pacific Command in 1983.

Crowe was the first chairman to serve under the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Department Reorganization Act of 1986. The act made the chairman the principal military advisor to the president, defense secretary and the rest of the National Security Council.

Along the way, Crowe received a master’s degree from Stanford University and a doctorate from Princeton.

After his retirement, the admiral served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom and on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. The admiral taught political science at the Naval Academy. His book “The Line of Fire” was a memoir of his time in the military.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Shirley, his daughter, Bambi, and his sons, Brent and Blake.

Bronze Star wth V device or Silver Star [award not complete at posting time]

Jett said she’s known since Justin was a boy that he wanted to be a soldier. You can see it in his senior picture from Krum High School.

A week after graduation, he was gone to join the Army. Soon after that he was married, with a stepson and two young children of his own.

The Monschkes lived near Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His family said he never talked about life as an elite special forces soldier at war in Afghanistan and then in Iraq.

The last time Justin Monschke came home to Texas, it was to bury a fellow Green Beret.

Now it’s his family, planning a funeral and rebuilding a life from boxes of photos.

The parrot he got as a boy still squawks something that sounds like his name. “Justin, be good,” his mother interprets.

The final e-mail from Sgt. 1st Class Monschke contained a clue to his courage in a message to his grandfather:

“Tell Papa I got put in for a Bronze Star with Valor, and it was upgraded to a Silver Star,” the message said.

Denton Record Chronicle

Funeral arrangements are still in the works for Sgt. 1st Class Justin Monschke, who died Sunday in an explosion in southern Baghdad.

Meanwhile, his family and friends in the Krum area remembered him as a hero who died doing a job he loved.

His mother, Patty Jett, said he was well trained and took every opportunity he could to better himself.

“Justin died a hero. He was going after terrorism when he got killed,” she said. “He gave it his all.”

He wanted to go into the Army ever since he was a boy and he played with little Army men, Jett said.

She said he didn’t e-mail often from Iraq because he had few opportunities to do so, but last week, he did e-mail her to say he had been recommended to receive a bronze star for valor and a silver star.

“He put everything into what he did,” she said. “Whatever he did, he went over and beyond.”

Funeral arrangements are pending with Bill DeBerry Funeral Directors. A horse-drawn carriage will carry his body, Jett said.

Monschke, 28, a Special Forces Green Beret sergeant, encountered an improvised explosive device on Sunday.

Monschke was serving in the southern Baghdad region of Arab Jabour, Iraq, as a Special Forces Operational Detachment — Alpha Team weapons sergeant assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C.

He earned the legendary Green Beret in 2002.

Monschke had extensive advanced military tactics, paratroop, emergency medical, Ranger, Special Forces and non-commissioned officer training. He earned two Army Commendation medals, three Army Achievement medals, three Good Conduct medals, a National Defense Service medal, an Armed Forces Expeditionary medal, campaign medals in Afghanistan and Iraq, a Global War on Terrorism medal, and numerous badges and ribbons.

He served as an instructor at the U.S. Army Ranger Training Battalion in Georgia and as a squad leader and observer/controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.

He deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom in July as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. This was his second deployment in the military and his first in Iraq.

He is survived by his wife, Melissa, his daughter and son, Ashley and Ryan, and stepson, Dylan, of Lillington, N.C.; his father, Larry Monschke of Fort Worth; his mother, Patty Jett of Denton; and a brother, Jarrett Monschke, a Denton firefighter and paramedic.

Beltway Traffic Jam