One American soldier killed, 2 injured in Afghanistan

By Lynn R. Mitchell

U.S. military command in Kabul: 1 U.S. troop killed, 2 soldiers wounded in fighting in southern Afghanistan.

An American soldier was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The fighting Tuesday against the Taliban was near the city of Marja in Helmand province, where the Taliban has made recent gains.

Details on the battle and the number wounded or killed is sketchy and the situation is fluid.

One U.S. official says a U.S. helicopter was sent to the scene to evacuate casualties but did not immediately take off because a mortar landed nearby. It was not clear whether the mortar has damaged the helicopter.

Prayers go out to the families with gratitude for their sacrifices. Freedom is not free.

’11 Bronze Stars, 14 Tours, 1 Widow’

                                                 Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler

By Lynn R. Mitchell

The words by Michael Daly hit hard:

Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, the first American to die in Iraq against ISIS, is a reminder of those who have sacrificed in two wars that never really ended.

Fourteen combat deployments.

Eleven bronze stars, four with a V for valor.

Seventy hostages rescued in the final mission.

One flag covered coffin, to be met by one new widow.

Four sons now without a father, one a new baby.

One posthumous Purple Heart.

And 319 million Americans in perpetual debt to Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, 19 years-old at enlistment, 39 when he became the first American solider to die in Iraq since the war supposedly ended there.

Too many of us have acted as if we were not at war at all during these last 14 years. We all but forgot about those who were deployed again and again and again as we preoccupied ourselves with the likes of the Kardashians.

U.S. soldier, 22, killed by Afghan traitor

Army Specialist John M. Dawson

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Army Specialist John M. Dawson was killed in Afghanistan when an Afghan National Army soldier turned traitor and opened fire, injuring several and fatally wounding Dawson (see Mass. soldier killed in Afghanistan recalled as ‘great kid’):

Dawson, a combat medic, was assigned to First Squadron, 33d Cavalry Regiment, Third Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, according to the Department of Defense. He trained for service at Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio; and Fort Campbell, Ky., the Defense Department said.

He is the first U.S. service member killed as part of the advise-and-assist mission begun by the U.S. military on Jan. 1 as the Afghan military takes over security of the country, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Prayers to his family and friends. Freedom is not free….

Wreaths Across America … remembering America’s fallen heroes at Christmas

Staunton National Cemetery

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Wreaths Across America tractor-trailer trucks left Maine last weekend for the week-long journey to Arlington and other national cemeteries throughout America, each loaded with evergreen wreaths. If you drive by a military cemetery today and see tombstones decorated with fresh, handmade balsam Christmas wreaths accented with bright red bows, you will have witnessed the generosity of Wreaths Across America.

The tradition was started in 1992 with 4,000 wreaths donated by Merrill Worcester, a tradition that continues on the second Saturday each December. This year, thousands of volunteers across the nation and around the world will lay 219,000 wreaths on military graves as a remembrance of those who sacrificed for our freedom.