Posted on 02/27/2012 10:49:39 AM PST by TSgt
Two Fort Stewart soldiers were killed in Afghanistan.
25 year old Sgt. Joshua A. Born of Niceville, Florida and 22 year old Cpl. Timothy J. Conrad Jr. of Roanoke, Va. died Feb. 23, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their unit came under small arms fire.
They were assigned to the 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Stewart, Ga.
According to an interveiw she did with WPSD-TV in Paducah, Kentucky, Joshua Born's wife lives in Illinois, and found out about her husband's death not through military channels, but when someone sent her a text message.
"It's crazy how I found out," said Megan Born.
"She got a text from an army wife on post who had heard," said Cindy Parker, Megan's mother.
He'd been shot to death in the chest near the military police post in Afghanistan where he worked.
"We didn't quite believe that anything happened to him. We thought it was just a mix-up," said Parker.
Parker said she and her daughter started making calls.
They'd just talked to Josh hours before. He'd told them the violence was getting worse.
"Somehow it had leaked out and somebody told her on Facebook," said Parker.
Parker said another Army wife posted information about Josh's death on Facebook. That's how the news spread.
"Finally, a major called her and let her know that Josh had been shot, that he didn't make it through surgery," said Parker.
"There's been people adding me on Facebook that I don't even know just so they can tell me they're sorry," explained Megan.
The Army is investigating how information about Josh's death was leaked.
Megan and her mother are heading to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where Josh's body will arrive Sunday.
Somebody f’d up. The military takes death notifications seriously...whoever leaked that information may be in trouble.
}:-)4
Heartbreaking. Prayers for family.
Military life is hard for married people.
That being said, let me rant a minute:
This GD war SUCKS!!! If we’re not going to fight hard and unmercifully, then we have no business being there and putting our warriors in harms way.
Either blow the shit out of that place and get the hell out, or just leave it alone and get the hell out. But let’s get out of there already.
The Afghan people don’t give a rats ass about the blood we have spilled in their barren wasteland (the Iraqi’s have shown a lot more gratitude, which ain’t sayin’ much).
This is no way to fight a war.
I can’t imagine what that other Army wife was thinking, posting news like this on FB before making sure notification of NOK had been made. What happened to, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”? How would she have liked to get this kind of news in this way?
Colonel, USAFR
BUMP.
Good rant. I agree.
I've always held the belief that cell phones were an excellent means to help with morale for our combat troops overseas, but with this tragic incident, I now have second thoughts.
This could very well have negative military wide repercussions.....
Social media is turning everyone into stupid blabbermouths...even people who ought to know better.
Hate to say it, but if we know the enemy surely does too.
To receive a death notification outside of official channels and over a text message of all things is sickening beyond comprehension.
I agree, we are so much more connected today, than we were just a few years ago. Most phones have Facebook capabilities today, texting is just standard. And with the laundry-list of “Friends” on a Facebook page - it’s quite likely that every Army wife has other platoon wive’s on their Friends list.
And it all begins with a friend saying “I was at lunch, and I heard gunfire ... Tom got killed”. This starts as a text, and explodes before the proper channels even have a chance to respond.
I think the problem lies with the military. Too bad it wasn’t an Afghanistan wife - Obama could have apologized to her.
It is the age of real-time reports directly from the battlefield.
I would not be surprised at shot-by-shot tweets of the action by soldiers.
I couldn’t agree more.
Change the rules of engagement or leave. We aren’t winning hearts and minds. They don’t have hearts to win or souls for that matter.
I truly feel badly toward Mrs. Born. This was a total degradation of the system, and the U.S. military is to blame. They have allowed the system to erode so horribly that technology speeds ahead of the proper, dignified and time honored (albeit sad) tradition of notification. Where is there human compassion when this takes place? This is part of the U.S. military’s legacy under Obama. Obama has continued this total farce by apologizing to Afghanistan. Get out of that mess immediately! Obama has absolutely no business being Commander in Chief. He takes no responsibility and hasn’t an iota of leadership ability!
Agreed - there is no reason to be there any longer like this.
Not one more US life is worth it for these animals and beasts.
AGREED!!!! In SPADES!
Our boys have no ride home, however! Convenient, huh?
Betrayed by our government, particularly our military serving, these guys have no ride home.
This report doesn't match up with earlier reports. Eariler reports said they were shot by someone in an Afgan military or police uniform.
Moose, did someone screw up? yes and no. Yes in that someone who knew the soldier had died contacted someone else with the news and that was relayed; to me the fault is on whoever sent out the first tweet or whatever. No, in that with cell phones tweeting and twerting and whatever, modern communications have gotten news events inside the official military chain of command.
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