Daily Kos: IGTNT: "The Rock of the Family"

Tonight we honor a sailor who lost his life in Afghanistan.

Since 2001, 1969 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan, and since 2003, 4486 U.S. troops have lost their lives while serving in Iraq.

The IGTNT (I Got The News Today) series is a reminder that nearly every day, somebody gets the heartbreaking news that a beloved family member, friend, or former classmate will not be coming home from war.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?~ Photo Credit Timroff

The Department of Defense has announced the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Petty Officer Second Class Jorge Luis Velasquez, 35, of Houston, died as a result of a non-combat related incident in Manama, Bahrain. ?Velasquez was assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 56 in Bahrain, which conducts maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Please join me below for a remembrance of his life.
Petty Officer Second Class Jorge Luis Velasquez

Although no details of the incident have been officially released, Velasquez's family said he accidentally fell from a balcony. This is the third time tragedy has struck this family.

According to Jorge's three sisters:

Since his father was killed and his mother lost her protracted battle with breast cancer, Jorge Velasquez has been the rock of the family, the one who cared for his three younger sisters and worked long hours at odd jobs so they could go to college.

(Family photo)

His 31-year-old sister, Maria Velasquez, said:

"I've buried my dad, my mother, and now my brother."

Jorge's parents moved to Houston from Mexico as young adults, and raised their four children in Houston. In 1994, while Jorge, the oldest, was still in high school, his father was visiting a neighborhood bar. A fight broke out, and a stranger used Jorge's father as a human shield. The gunman fired and killed Jorge's father, leaving his mother to raise her young family alone.

After graduating from Austin High School in 1996, Jorge worked a series of blue-collar jobs to help his mother save money so all his sisters could graduate from college. In 2000, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent months at sea, travelling to China, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand.

According to a news source:

Soon after he left, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. On 9/11, Velasquez was on a plane on the tarmac headed to see her after her mastectomy. He never arrived. His unit was reassigned. It would be a year before he saw her.

When his tour ended, he returned home to work the night shift at the post office and take college classes. After his mother died in 2008, he "definitely became the man of the house," according to his sisters. When he was deployed to the Middle East in 2010, his oldest sister Maria assumed the daily responsibilities for her sisters.

This past Saturday, Maria received a call on her cellphone that two Navy officers were waiting at her house.

"I already knew what they were going to say," she said.
Fifteen minutes later: "We regret to inform you that your brother Jorge Velasquez has died."

Jorge would have returned home in December. His future plans included returning to school, remodeling the house, and buying a car.

A friend on Facebook, Thomas Franco, said:

He was a good friend known him since 1993 to present. U will be missed bro we all miss u over here, rest in peace my friend

Jorge Velasquez is survived by three sisters. Funeral plans are incomplete at this time. His family plans to meet with military officials and bring his body home this week. He will be buried in Mexico at the site of his parent's graves.

~source~ ~source~

Rest in peace, Petty Officer Second Class Jorge Luis Velasquez. You have served with honor.

About the IGTNT series:

"I Got the News Today" is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, noweasels, ?monkeybiz, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, ?Kestrel9000, TheFatLadySings, JaxDem, and me, Ekaterin. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community?s respect for them.

Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories. The US Department of Defense news releases are found at defense gov/releases. Icasualties lists the names of those killed, and shows the number of wounded. Published AP photos of the returning war fatalities are found on the Dover AFB site. Click the IGTNT tags below for previous diaries in the series which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, a girl in MI, Spam Nunn, JeNoCo, Janos Nation, True Blue Majority, Proud Mom and Grandma, Sandy on Signal, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, ccasas, JaxDem, CalNM, TheFatLadySings, and me, Ekaterin. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community?s respect for our fallen brothers and sisters.

If you would like to contribute to the series, even once a month, please contact Sandy on Signal.

Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.

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