A National Loss on Thanksgiving CPT (r) Tyler Merritt November 26, 2016 Veteran Inspired 203 It’s with a heavy heart that we at Nine Line News have to report the death of yet another comrade in arms. Whereas it’s never a pleasant thing to do, we all know that one of the best ways that our community – and our country on the whole – copes with loss is through spreading the story of the hero we all lost. The First KIA of the Conflict Whereas ISIS is one singular threat, it still spans two separate nations with varying relations with western powers. As such, the fighting has been a bit different, with the US taking on a more prominent role in Iraq, as CBS reports, President Obama announced only last year that American boots on the ground were there – and only 50 at that. But that doesn’t mean that the fighting has been any less intense. Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Dayton was killed when a remote controlled IED detonated as he attempted to defuse it. The US Navy’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal teams have shouldered an enormous burden in the Global War on Terror. In Iraq, Afghanistan and now Syria, IEDs have been one of the most extensive threats to US service members in harm’s way. This unfortunately proved to be true yet again on Thanksgiving. The Man Himself Chief Dayton was 42 years old. He hailed from Woodbridge, Virginia, only a few hours from the unit he was stationed with out of Virginia Beach. He joined the Navy in 1993 and had been awarded 19 different medals during the course of his service, to include the Bronze Star Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and many more. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter remarked that this incident is “a painful reminder of the dangers our men and women in uniform face around the world to keep us safe.” The loss on Thanksgiving made this situation that much more tragic. The Conflict Overall The lack of an American footprint has lead to more chaos and confusion as the US-directed coalition has been in the early stages of an assault on Raqqa in the region. Reports of the coalition losing cohesion has resulted in fewer bombing sorties and airstrikes in general even as Turkish forces advance on the city. The village near which Chief Dayton was operating was Ayn Issa, roughly 35 miles outside of Raqqa, halfway to the Turkish border. This will likely be the first of several casualties which will doubtless come from this campaign. It’s our responsibility back home to keep the memory of men like Chief Dayton alive. We tell stories of our departed to keep them around just that much longer. So make sure when you’re out with your friends or sitting around with your family this weekend, take some time to tell his story and take some time to show some support for the military service members who are in your life. All who wear the uniform stand to lose their lives in service to the nation and for this they deserve our eternal gratitude. Until Valhalla, Chief Dayton.
