Honor them by what? Posting on facebook? Nah...

Honor them by what? Posting on facebook? Nah...






We've all seen postings like this on facebook, right?


RIP Justin Allen 23, Brett Linley 29, Matthew Weikert 29, Justus Bartett 27, Dave Santos 21, Jesse Reed 26, Matthew Johnson 21, Zachary Fisher 24, Brandon King 23, Christopher Goeke 23, and Sheldon Tate 27

....Are all Marines that gave their lives this week for you. There is no media for them... not even a mention of their names. Honor THEM by posting this.


I've always had mixed feelings about these kind of posts. Yes, the premise is easy to swallow. In a fairly obvious way, the bravery and valor of a fallen United States serviceman should trump any update to a pop culture icon, right? I get that. You get that. On one hand, to bring attention to those who have died in the service of this Country seems to be a totally good aim. On the other, it seems a bit trite. Is any publicity of those who have died in action good? What if the faces of those fallen soldiers were put up on billboards in each of their hometowns and left there for one year? That sounds great, doesn't it? What if the images were put on milk cartons? Or maybe trading cards or perhaps advertised in a sports arena or stadium? Is there a point of diminishing returns on something like this? 


I say yes...


First off, let's clean up some mis-information on the above facebook post. In my research, it turns out that these soldiers did NOT die this week. They died in mid-July. Also, they weren't all Marines, in fact only three of them were. Nine of the fallen were in the Army. Another Blogger, Chuck Anastasia from CoolSpark  covered this so well that I'll point you to his words: 




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I first saw this on facebook and then found it replicated all over the web, where it has been re-posted thousands of times in the last few days. I agree with the sentiment, but found the facts less than 100% accurate.

Lindsay Lohan, 24, is all over the news because she's a celebrity drug addict. While Justin Allen, 23, Brett Linley, 29, Matthew Weikert, 29, Justus Bartett, 27, Dave Santos, 21, Chase Stanley, 21, Jesse Reed, 26, Matthew Johnson, 21, Zachary Fisher, 24, Brandon King, 23, Christopher Goeke, 23, and Sheldon Tate, 27 are all Marines that gave their lives this week, no media mention. Honor THEM by reposting.

I rarely re-post something like that, but I felt this was compelling so I checked it out in more detail. It turns out that all 12 were killed serving in Afghanistan between July 10 and 16, not this week, all were Americans except Brett Linley, of Birmingham UK, who served in the 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment,The Royal Logistic Corps. Nine of the 12 served in the US Army, not the Marines. Extensive searching found no record ofJustus Bartett, but I was able to find an obituary for 27 year old Marine Staff Sgt. Justus S. Bartelt , of Polo, Ill, and I concluded that his name was likely transcribed incorrectly at some point.

Here are more details on each individual with references. God Bless them and their families for their courageous self sacrifice.

Justin B. Allen, 23
Sgt. Justin B. Allen, 23, of Coal Grove, Ohio, died July 18, 2010 in Zhari, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot by insurgents while conducting combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

refs: Warriors' watch Riders Forums
militarytimes.com database

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Brett Linley, 29

Staff Sergeant Brett George Linley of Birmingham, from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment,The Royal Logistic Corps, serving with the Counter-IED Task Force, died in Afghanistan Saturday 17 July 2010.

Staff Sergeant Linley was 29 and from Birmingham. He and his team were working to clear Improvised Explosive Devices from a vital route in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province when he was killed by an explosion.

Sources BBC: July 22, 2010
http://www.thisisannouncements.co.uk/5913068

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JACKSONVILLE - Staff Sergeant Matthew W. Weikert, 29, of Jacksonville was mortally wounded on Saturday, July 17, 2010, while serving with the U.S. Army near Orgun, Afghanistan.

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in August of 2001 serving three tours in Iraq over four years. He later joined the U.S. Army serving with the 101st Airborne completing a tour in Iraq and was currently deployed in Afghanistan. As a military team leader, Matt was adamant that his personal mission was to properly prepare the soldiers under his command and keep them safe from harm.
refs: legacy.com/obituaries
http://militarytimes.com/valor/army-sgt-matthew-w-weikert/4716077/

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Justus Bartett, 27 >> extensive searching produced no results for Justus Barett; however, there was a Marine Staff Sgt. Justus S. Bartelt, who Died July 16, 2010 serving in Afganistan

Marine Staff Sgt. Justus S. Bartelt 27, of Polo, Ill.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

The Associated Press

Justus Bartelt was born on the Fourth of July and decided roughly a dozen years later that he would to serve the country whose independence that day celebrates.

“He was a best friend to those who knew him as a friend,” she said. “He was a true and loyal family member and he was a true and loyal marine.”

Bartelt joined the Marines after graduating from Polo Community High School in Polo, Ill., in 2001.

When he was deployed in February, he instructed his mother not to worry.

The 27-year-old died July 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province during his third tour of duty. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
ref: militarytimes.com

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Dave Santos, 21

Marine Cpl. Dave M. Santos died July 16, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

21, of Rota, Marianas Islands of the Pacific; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died July 16 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Ref Military times database

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Army Spc. Chase Stanley died July 14, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

21, of Napa, Calif.; assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 14 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his military vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Army Specialists, Stanley, Reed, Johnson, and Fisher were killed in the same IED attack on July 14.
ref: Military times database

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Army Spc. Jesse D. Reed died July 14, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

26, of Orefield, Pa.; assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 14 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his military vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
ref: military times database

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Army Spc. Matthew J. Johnson died July 14, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

21, of Maplewood, Minn.; assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 14 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his military vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
ref: military times database

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Army Sgt. Zachary M. Fisher died July 14, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

24, of Ballwin, Mo.; assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat Airborne), 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 14 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his military vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
ref: military times database

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Army Pvt. Brandon M. King died July 14, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

23, of Tallahassee, Fla.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 14 at Combat Outpost Nolen, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
ref: military times database

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Army 1st Lt. Christopher S. Goeke died July 13, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

23, of Apple Valley, Minn.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 13 in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
ref: military times database

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Army Staff Sgt. Sheldon L. Tate died July 13, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

27, of Hinesville, Ga.; assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 13 in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
ref: military times database

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updated : Sept 27, closing the loop. Further searching seems to confirm my conclusion that the name of Justus Bartelt was misspelled somewhere along the way. Here is a very similar comment posted July 26 on a TMZ website. This version has 10 of the 12 names, with the correct spelling of Bertelt's name, and no reference to which branch of service they served.

Lindsey Lohan who? I cant believe the news coverage being given to a spoiled 20-something yr old. Here are a few 20 yr-olds worth knowing about: Justin Allen 23, Brett Linley 29, Matt Weikert 29, Justus Bartelt 27, Dave Santos 21, Chase Stanley 21, Jesse Reed 26, Matthew King 23, Christopher Goeke 23, & Sheldon Tate 27. These 20-somethings gave their lives for you this week. Repost if you support the Military

Posted at 10:33 AM on Jul 26, 2010 by tara at:

http://www.tmz.com/2010/07/26/lindsay-lohan-rehab-facility-california/4/

updated : Sept 28'10: Fixed a typo in my Sept 27 update identified by an anonymous commenter. Thank you for pointing that out!

ed 2-12-2011 corrected a typo and refined formatting.

updated: Mar 21 '11: Moved the note regarding the July 14 IED attack which was incorrectly positioned under Dave Santos name. Thanks to commenter Sara who pointed this out.

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That's some pretty awesome research. 


I'd suggest that if we're going to use a social media platform such as Facebook to try and bring attention to these guys, it ought to be done in a way that is accurate and respectful. A cynic might suggest that some facebook user saw this, thought it looked like a good thing to post and tossed it up on their page, with out looking at dates or details. Which then to me, suggests that the poster isn't really trying to spread the information about these fallen soldiers, but rather appear to be concerned. Kind of a "who could object to this? I'll post it on my page and get a lot of "likes." Whoo-hoo!!!


Its not an evil thing, but I think we should stop this practice. Once the details get messed up it loses some of its luster. I don't think the way to pay respect to a fallen soldier is by cutting/pasting something on your facebook page. If you really insist, then toss up their obituary or maybe a story from their hometown newspaper. But these paragraphs that get copied thousands of times just don't feel right. 


The same process is used to prove you are a Christian, against child abuse, cancer, aids, abortion, etc. I think its a really cheesy to try and advocate for an issue. Facebook is great for a lot of things, honoring the dead who have served this Country isn't one of them...at least in the way shown above. 










Sources: 


http://icoolspark.blogspot.com/2010/09/honoring-fallen-millitary-and-keeping.html