The 15 Fallen U.S. Soldiers Of 2017

Here is a short profile of every serviceman we lost in 2017, as well as verified charity funds for many of their families. These are the people who matter. Let’s focus on them.


At the Brigade level, he is a social-security number that is tracked.
At Division level, he is a story board.
At the Corps level, he is a statistic.
At the Company and Platoon level, he is a gaping hole in the souls of a hundred men.
To his family, it is the end of the world.
—Jim Gourley, 2010      

We have been discussing Gold Star families for the better part of a week now. The longer this spectacle continues, the sadder it becomes. The controversy is ostensibly about how our politicians and society treat the loved ones of those who have given the last full measure of devotion, but any meaningful focus on the stories and needs of these families themselves has been conspicuously absent. This article won’t mention the actions of politicians on either side of the aisle, because the story should never have been about them in the first place.

But maybe we can bring some good out of the fact that the families of the fallen have become the subject of our media cycle. To formalize a Twitter thread I posted on Wednesday, here is a short profile of every serviceman we lost in 2017, as well as verified GoFundMe accounts or memorial funds for many of their families. These are the people who matter. Let’s focus on them.

Sr. Chief Petty Ofc. William ‘Ryan’ Owens (1/29/17 – Yemen)
Chief Owens was killed in action in a Navy SEAL raid against the ISIS leader. His wife, Carryn, was honored with a standing ovation that lasted more than two minutes at this year’s State of the Union address.

Read more at The Federalist