Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard people talk about, grieve about, and even cry about celebrities who have passed away. Whitney Houston, Etta James, Don Cornelius, and now Davy Jones. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie even lowered the states flags to half-staff for Whitney Houston. An honor I believe should be reserved for military personnel. Because we are media, our hands are somewhat forced to report when a celebrity death occurs. Especially a well known celebrity. But now, I’d like to read you some names…
- Marine Lance Cpl. Edward J. Dycus
- Army Brigadier Gen. Terence J. Hildner
- Army Sgt. 1st Class Billy A. Sutton
- Marine Lance Cpl. Osbrany Montes De Oca
- Army Private first class Cesar Cortez
- Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada
- Army Sgt. Jerry D. Reed II
- Navy Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Paris S. Pough
- Air Force 1st Lt. Justin J. Wilkens
- Air Force Capt. Nicholas S. Whitlock
- Air Force Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten
- Air Force Capt. Ryan P. Hall
- Army Sgt. Allen R. McKenna Jr.
- Army Cpl. Timothy J. Conrad Jr.
- Army Sgt. Joshua A. Born
- Army Maj. Robert J. Marchanti II
- Air Force Lt. Col. John D. Loftis
- Army Staff Sgt. Ahmed Altaie
The way I see it, we can report the celebrities AND honor our fallen troops. The names I just read are the names of our soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty in the month of February. 6360 soldiers have died in Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn as confirmed by the U.S. Central Command. Let’s make sure they will never be forgotten.
