From the guv's office:

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire issued the following statement on the death of Army Specialist Samuel Stone, a member of the 81st Brigade Combat Team in southern Iraq who died early Sunday morning due to a mission-related accident:

"I am saddened by the loss of Specialist Samuel Stone. My prayers are with his parents, brothers, sister, and friends tonight. His service to our country, as well as the companionship he showed his fellow soldiers will not be forgotten.

"As an expression of the grief and gratitude felt by so many Washingtonians, I will be issuing an order for flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Specialist Stone’s memory."

Call it an unofficial minicamp.

The Seattle Seahawks will be at Fort Lewis on Thursday to train alongside the soldiers and catch a glimpse of Army life.

More than 80 players will be divided among 16 Fort Lewis units (click below for a full list) to get a first-hand look at military operations, equipment and experience. Others will visit five on-post Clover Park School District elementary schools, and about 10 or 15 will visit the post’s Family Resource Center.

The players will eat lunch at the 593rd Sustainment Brigade dining facility, and then in the afternoon they run through obstacle and confidence courses (operated by the 42nd Military Police Brigade) at North Fort Lewis.

The obstacle course includes running, climbing, jumping, crawling and balancing. The confidence course, according to a press release, “has higher, more difficult obstacles that tests a person’s confidence in their mental and physical abilities, and cultivates their spirit of daring.”

=> Read more!

Madigan Army Medical Center hosts its second-annual Military Child and Adolescent Summit later this week at a hotel in downtown Tacoma.

This year’s theme is "Frontline Responders: Coming Together for Our Military Youth" and will bring together military and civilian professionals to "learn, have dialogue and build connections." The event runs tomorrow through Friday at the Hotel Murano.

From the release: "Military and civilian health care professionals will address a variety of topics that directly relate to the unique needs of military children and adolescents, existing and emerging research on the effects of parental deployment, School Based Mental Health Models, and much more."

I’m planning on being there Thursday for a panel discussion with military dependents aged 4 to 17. Susan Dreyfus, secretary of the State Department of Social and Health Services, and Maj. Gen. Patricia Horoho, the commander of Madigan, will also deliver speeches that day.

Camp Murray has released a bit more information about Spc. Samuel Stone, the first soldier from the 81st Brigade Combat Team to be killed on this deployment to Iraq.

Stone, 20, was on a convoy security mission when his vehicle rolled over. He joined the National Guard two years ago, and he was a carpenter in civilian life.

I also heard from brigade commander Col. Ronald Kapral. This is what he e-mailed me from Iraq:

"The loss of a soldier is a commander's worst nightmare. I and the soldiers of the 81st HBCT deeply regret the loss of SPC Stone. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. SPC Stone was a fine soldier who proudly served his country and state. He upheld the finest traditions of being a soldier. I wake up every morning and thank God we have young men and women who continue to volunteer and serve. I could not imagine what our country would be like without them and SPC Stone is an outstanding example of this attitude. SPC Stone will be missed by the 1-303rd Cavalry. The 81st HBCT and the Washington Army National Guard."