List of Heroes by State California SGT Aaron J. Blasjo | 2011 OEF

Transcription

List of Heroes by State
California
SGT Aaron J. Blasjo | 2011 OEF
SSG Andrew Trevor Britton-Mihalo | 2012 OEF
SFC Victor H. Cervantes | 2005 OEF
SFC Adrian M. Elizalde | 2005 OEF
MSG Emigdio Elizarraras | 2006 OEF
SFC Chad A. Gonsalves | 2006 OEF
SFC Allen C. Johnson | 2005 OEF
SFC Mitchell A. Lane | 2002 OEF
CPT Ronald G. Luce | 2009 OEF
SFC David E. Metzger | 2009 OIF
SFC Tung M. Nguyen | 2006 OIF
CPT Joseph W. Schultz | 2011 OEF
SSG Kyle R. Warren | 2003 OIF
SSG Joshua R. Whitaker | 2007 OEF
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Arizona
SFC Martin R. Apolinar | 2011 OEF
Utah
SFC Nathan L. Winder | 2007 OIF
Colorado
SSG Christopher M. Falkel | 2005 OEF
MSG Richard L. Ferguson | 2004 OIF
SFC Daniel Aaron Romero | 2002 OEF
Missouri
CW2 Stanley Lorn Harriman | 2002 OEF
SFC Obediah J. Kolath. OIF | 2005
SFC William B. Woods, Jr. | 2009 OEF
Illinois
SSG Gary R. Harper | 2005 OIF
MSG David L. Hurt | 2009 OEF
SSG Robert J. Miller | 2008 OEF
MAJ Paul R. Syverson III | 2004 OEF
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SFC Gary J. Vasquez | 2008 OEF
Indiana
SSG Travis K. Hunsberger | 2008 OEF
SSG Matthew A. Kimmell | 2005 OIF
SGT Jeremy R. Wright | 2005 OEF
Ohio
MSG Joseph J. Andres Jr. | 2005
SFC Nathan Ross Chapman | 2002 OEF
SFC Daniel B. Crabtree | 2006 OIF
CPT Benjamin Tiffner | 2007 OIF
Pennsylvania
MSG Arthur L. Lilley | 2007 OEF
MSG Thomas D. Maholic | 2006 OEF
SSG Ryan D. Maseth | 2008 OIF
SSG Marc J. Small | 2009 OEF
MAJ Jeffrey P. Toczylowski | 2005 OIF
SFC Michael J. Tully | 2007 OIF
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West Virginia
SFC Jamie S. Nicholas | 2008 OEF
SFC Duane A. Thornsbury | 2009 OEF
Maryland
MSG Benjamin F. Bitner | 2011 OEF
SFC Bradley S. Bohle | 2009 OEF
SSG Joseph F. Curreri | 2007 OEF-P
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Arizona
SFC Martin R. Apolinar | 2011 OEF
3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company B, 3rd Battalion
ODA:
18 B
Date KIA: 29 May 2011 OEF
Location: Wardak Province, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile - IED
Sgt. 1st Class Martin R. Apolinar died May 29 while on a mounted patrol when the vehicle
he and his Special Forces team were traveling in struck an IED in the Wardak Province,
Afghanistan. He was born Dec. 31, 1982 and grew up in Phoenix, Ariz. He graduated from
the Trevor Browne High School in 2001
Apolinar enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2004 and served as an infantryman with Company B,
1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. He served
as a rifleman, machine gunner and team leader. He successfully completed the Special Forces
Assessment and Selections course and entered the Special Forces Qualification Course at
Fort Bragg, N.C. Upon completion of the SFQC, he was assigned to Co., 3rd Bn., 3rd Special
Forces Group (Airborne) in 2008 where he served as the senior Special Forces weapons
sergeant for an Operational Detachment – Alpha. Apolinar deployed twice, first in support
of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, and now this deployment to Afghanistan (Operation
Enduring Freedom) with Company C.
His military education includes: Warrior Leader's Course, U.S. Army Combatives Course
Level 1 and 2, Combat Life Savers Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, Special
Forces Advanced Reconnaissance Target Analysis and Exploitation Techniques Course, Joint
Fires Observer Course, Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape Course, and Advance
Leader's Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart; Army Commendation Medal; Army
Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal;
Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal with one campaign star; Global War on
Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Overseas Service
Medal; Army Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; Combat Infantryman Badge and Parachutists
Badge. He earned the Special Forces Tab and Ranger Tab. Apolinar is survived by his wife
Elisa; his son Martin, and his parents Gene and Susan Apolinar of Prescott, Ariz.
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California
SGT Aaron J. Blasjo | 2011 OEF
Assignment: Company C, 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18
Sgt. Aaron J. Blasjo died May 29 while on a mounted patrol when the vehicle he and his
Special Forces team were traveling in struck an IED in the Wardak Province, Afghanistan.
He was born March 19, 1986, in Riverside, Calif. He volunteered for military service and
entered in the Army in July 2004 as an infantryman (11B).
After completing basic training and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., Blasjo was
assigned to 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) where he completed the Special
Forces Qualification Course in December 2006 as a Special Forces communications sergeant.
Upon completion of SFQC, he was assigned to Group Support Battalion, 3rd Special Forces
Group (Airborne), headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Blasjo has deployed to three times Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
His military education includes: Basic Infantry Course, Warrior Leader's Course, Advance
Leader's Course, Basic Airborne Course, Advanced Pistol Marksmanship, SOC AM General
Driving Course, Special Forces Qualification's Course, Special Forces Communication
Sergeant's Course, and Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart; Army Commendation Medal; Army Good
Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War
on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal; Special Forces Tab;
Combat Infantryman Badge; Parachutists Badge.
He is survived by wife Crystal, son Talon; and parents Daniel and Bobbi Blasjo of Riverside,
Ca.
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SSG Andrew Trevor Britton-Mihalo |
2012 OEF
7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company B, 2nd Battalion
ODA:
MOS: 18E
Date KIA: 25 April 2012 OEF
Location: Kandahar, Afghanistan
Action: Unknown
Staff Sgt. Andrew Trevor Britton-Mihalo, 26, of San Jose, Costa Rica, died April 25, 2012,
in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces
Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force
Base, Fla., and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Andrew Trevor
Britton-Mihalo was born on June 24, 1986, in San Jose, Costa Rica. He graduated from
Royal High Simi High School in Valley, Calif., and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2005 as an
18X.
Britton-Mihalo completed the Special Forces Qualification Course and earned the coveted
"Green Beret" in 2008 as a Special Forces communications sergeant. Britton-Mihalo’s
military education includes the Warrior Leader’s Course, the Advanced Leader’s Course,
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, the Special Forces
Qualification Course and the Intelligence course.
Britton-Mihalo's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, two Army Good
Conduct Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War
on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon
with numeral 2 device, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal,
Combat Infantryman Badge, Special Forces Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Expert
Marksmanship Badge.
Britton-Mihalo is survived by his wife Sgt. Jesse Britton.
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SFC Victor H. Cervantes | 2005 OEF
Assignment: 1st Battalion
ODA:
18 B
Date KIA: 10 June 2005
Location: Orgun-e, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Victor H. Cervantes, 27, was a Special Forces weapons sergeant assigned to
1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Fort Bragg N.C.
He was killed in action while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on June 10, 2005 in
the vicinity of Orgun-e, Afghanistan serving as a member of the Quick Reaction Force
responding to enemy contact reports from another patrol.
A native of Stockton, Calif., Cervantes was born Nov. 13, 1977. He enlisted in the Army as a
cavalry scout July 24, 1996 under the delayed entry program.
He arrived at Fort Bragg to the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) in September
1999 to begin the intense training it would take for him to become a Special Forces weapons
sergeant. Cervantes was assigned to 7th SFG in August 2000.
His military education includes the Basic Airborne Course, the Primary Leadership
Development Course, the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, the Ranger Course, the
Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course, the Special Forces Qualification Course,
the Spanish Language Course and the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course.
Awards: Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint
Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the
National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the NCO
Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman
Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab. He was
posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious
Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
His parents, Fidel and Nisla of Stockton, Calif., and sister, Elizabeth of California survive
him.
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SFC Adrian M. Elizalde | 2005 OEF
1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)
ODA:
18 C
Date KIA: 23 August 2007 OIF
Location: Al Aziziyah, Iraq
Action: IED
Sgt. 1st Class Adrian M. Elizalde, 30, a Special Forces engineer assigned to the Company C,
2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Fort Lewis, Wash., died Aug. 23 from
fatal wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device near
Al Aziziyah, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq.
He was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a member of the
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula.
Elizalde was born in Calif., in 1977. After initially entering military service in 1996, he was
assigned as an infantryman with 3 rd Bn., 325 th Airborne Infantry Regiment (AIR) at Fort
Bragg. He later served as a Long Range Surveillance Detachment team leader with Company
D, 519 th Military Intelligence Battalion, 82 nd Airborne Division.
In 2004, he was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg to
become a Special Forces engineer. He earned the coveted “Green Beret’ in 2005 and was
assigned to the 1 st SFG(A) at Fort Lewis, Wash., in Mar 2006.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device, Army
Commendation Medal Second Award, Army Achievement Medal Third Award, Good
Conduct Medal Third Award, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon,
Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge,
Parachutist Badge, Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab and the Special Forces
Tab.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service
Medal.
Elizalde is survived by his daughter, Sydney Grace of Klamath Falls, Ore., and also by his
parents, Jorge and Teresa Elizalde of Renton, Wash., and sister Rachel Elizalde of Renton,
Wash.
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MSG Emigdio Elizarraras | 2006 OEF
Assignment: 3rd Battalion
ODA:
18 F
Date KIA: 28 February 2006 OEF
Location: Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan
Master Sgt. Emigdio E. Elizarraras, 37, a Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant assigned to
3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C. died Feb. 28 when an
Improvised Explosive Device detonated while he was traveling in a Ground Mobility Vehicle
north of Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan during a reconnaissance patrol.
Elizarraras, a native of Pico Rivera, Calif., enlisted as an infantryman in 1986. His first
assignment was with 1st Bn., 327th Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Ky., where he
served for four years, deploying to Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during that
time.
Elizarraras then transferred to 1st Bn., 14th Infantry Regiment at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii,
where he served almost three years before becoming an instructor at the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation at Fort Benning, Ga. After serving for three years as an
instructor, he volunteered for Special Forces training.
He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1998 and was assigned to 3rd
Bn., 7th SFG (A), as a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant. In 2003, he was assigned as an SF
Intelligence Sergeant and served in that position until his death.
His military education also includes the Ranger Course, the Special Operations Target
Interdiction Course, the Advanced Special Operations Techniques Course, the Individual
Terrorism Awareness Course, the Basic Military Mountaineer Winter Course, the Survival,
Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, the Special Forces Assessment and Selection
Course, the Basic and Advanced Airborne Courses, the Static Line Jumpmaster Course, the
Primary Leadership Development Course, the Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned
Officer Courses and the Air Assault Course.
Awards: Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Joint Service
Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with silver oak
leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia
Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas
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Service Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait Liberation Medal
(Government of Kuwait), Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge,
Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Basic Marksmanship Qualification Badge, Ranger
Tab and the Special Forces Tab.
Elizarraras is survived by his wife, Kris, daughters, Sally and Olivia, and son, Andrew, of
Fayetteville, N.C. His parents, Emigdio and Martha, of Pico Rivera, Calif., and sister Leticia
of Phoenix, Ariz., also survive him.
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SFC Chad A. Gonsalves | 2006 OEF
ODA:
18 B
Date KIA: 13 February 2006 OIF
Location: Deh Rawod, Afghanistan
Sgt. 1st Class Chad A. Gonsalves, 31, a Special Forces weapons sergeant assigned to 3rd
Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., died Feb. 13, 2006, when
an Improvised Explosive Device detonated near his Humvee north of Deh Rawod in central
Afghanistan.
A native of Turlock, Calif., Gonsalves enlisted in July 1996 as an infantryman. His first
assignment was with 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment at Conn Barracks near
Schweinfurt, Germany where he served for four years.
Gonsalves attended the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2000 and was assigned in
November 2001 to 3rd Battalion, 7th SFG (A), as a weapons sergeant, where he served until
his death.
His military education included the Special Forces Qualification Course, Ranger Course,
Combat Diver Qualification Course, Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, Survival,
Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Spanish Basic Military Language Course, Special
Forces Assessment and Selection Course, Basic and Advanced Airborne Courses,
Jumpmaster Course, Basic Combat Training, Advanced Individual Training for Infantryman,
Primary Leadership Development Course and Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course.
Awards: Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good
Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary
Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, NATO Medal, the Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned
Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat
Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Special
Operations Diver Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab. His posthumous
awards include the Bronze Star Medal for valor, the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service
Medal.
He is survived by his wife, Julie, and three sons, Cody, Blake and Dylan of Spring Lake,
N.C. His parents, Larry and Marsha Gonsalves, of Turlock, Calif, also survive him.
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SFC James F. Grissom | 2013 OEF
Assignment: Company A, 4th Battalion
ODA:
Date KIA: 21 March 2013 OEF
Location: Paktika Province, Afghanistan
Action: Small Arms Fire
Sgt. 1st Class James F. Grissom, 31, of Hayward, Calif. died March 21, 2013 at Landstuhl
Regional Medical Center, Germany, of injuries sustained from small arms fire on March 18
in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.
Grissom was assigned to Co. A, 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Joint
Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring FreedomAfghanistan. This was Grissom's fifth deployment to an Overseas Contingency Operation
Grissom graduated from Mt. Eden High School in 1999 and attended college at the Art
Institute of San Francisco, earning his Associate's Degree in Computer Animation. He
enlisted in the Army in June, 2003, under the 18X Special Forces Enlistment Program.
After graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course in October, 2005, Grissom
was assigned to 2nd Battalion., 1st SFG (A) JBLM. During his time with 2nd Battalion,
Grissom deployed on several JCETs (Joint Combined Exchange Training), and deployed to
Iraq in 2009. Grissom wasre-assigned to 4thBattalion in Nov. 2010 as an engineersergeant
and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan in
2012.
Grissom's military education includes the Special Forces Qualification Course, Warrior
Leader Course, Advanced Leader Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)
Course, the Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis, and Exploitation
Techniques Course, and the Basic Airborne Course.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good
Conduct Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq
Campaign Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon,
Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 2, Army Service
Ribbon, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze star Medal. He is survived by his wife, parents
and his sister.
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SFC Allen C. Johnson | 2005 OEF
ODA:
18 D
Location: Khanaqin, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile - Small Arms
Sgt. 1st Class Allen C. Johnson, 31, was a Special Forces medical sergeant assigned to 1st
Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Fort Bragg N. C.
Johnson died April 26, 2005, when his unit was attacked by enemy small arms fire during a
combat foot patrol in Khanaqin, Afghanistan.
A native of Los Molinos, Calif., Johnson entered the Army in October 1991 as an
infantryman. After completing infantry and airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga. in
February 1992, he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis,
Wash.
In 1994, he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk, La., and later
served with 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment there.
After changing his military occupational specialty from infantryman to corrections specialist
in 1996, Johnson was assigned as a team leader to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort
Leavenworth, Kan. After being reassigned in 1998 for two years with the 704th Military
Police Battalion at Fort Lewis as a squad leader, he was accepted into Special Forces training
at Fort Bragg.
Johnson arrived at the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) in April 2000 to begin
the more than two years of intense training it would take for him to become a Special Forces
medical sergeant. He was assigned to the 7th SFG in July 2002.
Johnson’s military education includes the Basic Airborne Course, the Primary Leadership
Development Course, the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, the Special Forces
Qualification Course and the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course.
Awards: Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good
Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism
Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Parachutist Badge,
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the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded
the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal and
the Combat Medical Badge.
Johnson is survived by his wife, Eunice, and three children, Stacy, Naomi and Joshua.
15
SFC Mitchell A. Lane | 2002 OEF
ODA:
18 C
Date KIA: 29 August 2003
Location: Deh Chopan, Zabul Province, Afghanistan
Action: Accident - Fast Rope Infiltration
Sgt. 1st Class Mitchell A. Lane, 34, was a Special Forces engineer sergeant assigned to
Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C.
He died from injuries he suffered from a fall while conducting a fast rope infiltration from a
helicopter during a night combat assault Aug. 29, 2003 near Deh Chopan in Afghanistan's
Zabul province.
A native of California, Lane enlisted in the Army National Guard in May 1987. He later
volunteered for active duty as a combat engineer in October 1991. He subsequently served in
a number of engineer units at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., until he was selected for Special
Forces training in 1995.
After completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course, Lane served in several
assignments with the 3rd SFG.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Commendation
Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct
Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the
Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the
Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist
Badge, the Scuba Diver Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Lane is survived by his wife, two children, his parents and three brothers.
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CPT Ronald G. Luce | 2009 OEF
ODA: 2236
18 A
Date KIA: 2 August 2009 OEF
Location: Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan
Capt. Ronald G. Luce died while conducting combat operations in the Qole Gerdsar,
Afghanistan, Aug. 2, 2009, while serving as the Special Forces Team Commander with
Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered in
Jackson, Miss.
Luce, 27, was killed when a command wire improvised explosive device struck his vehicle
while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Luce, born in Julian, Calif., enrolled in ROTC at Valley Forge Military Academy and
became a commissioned officer in 2002. In 2005 he attended the Special Forces Qualification
Course, graduating May 2008 as an 18A and was assigned to 2nd Bn., 7th SFG (A) as a
liaison officer. He was reassigned to Co. C, 2nd Bn., 20th SFG (A) as a detachment
commander.
Luce’s military and civilian educations include a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology
from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. He also attended the Infantry Officer’s Basic
Course, Infantry Captain’s Career Course, Ranger School, the Special Forces Qualification
Course and Airborne School.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Afghan
Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Luce also earned the Combat
Infantry and Parachutist Badges as well as Special Forces and Ranger tabs.
Luce is survived by his wife Kendahl and daughter Carrie of Fayetteville, N.C.
17
SFC David E. Metzger | 2009 OIF
ODA:
18 E
Date KIA: 26 October 2009 OEF
Location: Darreh-Ye Bum, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class David E. Metzger, 32, died on Oct. 26 when the helicopter he was aboard
crashed while conducting a combat mission in the city of Darreh-Ye Bum, Afghanistan while
serving with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom July 2009 as a member of Combined
Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. This was his third deployment to
Afghanistan in support of the War on Terror.
Metzger, born in San Diego, Calif., enlisted in September 1996 as an Ammunitions
Specialist. He later attended the SF Qualification Course, graduating in 2007, as an 18E
Special Forces Communications Sergeant and was assigned to 3rd BN, 7th SFG (A).
Metzger’s military education includes the Warrior Leader Course, Basic Non-Commissioned
Officer Course, Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance
and Escape Course, Special Forces Communications Sergeant Course, Special Forces
Advanced Urban Combat Course, Air Movement Operations Course, Basic Airborne Course
and Jumpmaster Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement
Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense
Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on
Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NonCommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas
Ribbon, NATO Medal. Metzger also earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Parachutist
Badge, and the Special Forces Tab.
Metzger is survived by his sons, David and Grant, who reside in Fort Bragg, N.C. He is also
survived by his parents David Metzger and Lisandra Holstein, as well as his grandmother
Dolores of San Diego, Calif.
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SFC Tung M. Nguyen | 2006 OIF
Assignment: 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18 E
Date KIA: 14 November 2006
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Tung M. Nguyen, 38, a Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to
2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, died Nov. 14, 2006, as a result of a
gunshot wound during combat operations in Baghdad.
Nguyen was born in Cantho, Vietnam, became a U.S. citizen, and was raised in Tracy, Calif.
He enlisted as an infantryman in 1986.
His first assignment was with Company A, 4th Bn., 22d Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry
Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii where he served for three years. He then left
active duty and served with the Army Reserve in Sacramento, Calif.
In 1991, he reentered active duty, and served with 1st Bn., 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st
Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Ky., for one year before volunteering for
Special Forces training.
Nguyen began his journey to become a Special Forces Soldier in 1992 and earned the
coveted Green Beret when he graduated from the course in 1993. He was assigned to 1st
Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash., that year and served in all three combat battalions
during his tenure there, first as a communications sergeant and then as an intelligence
sergeant.
In 2003, Nguyen was chosen to become an instructor at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy
Special Warfare Center and School. He served in both instructor and operations positions,
preparing Special Forces Soldiers for the rigors of combat, until February 2006 when he was
assigned 3rd SFG where he served until his death.
Nguyen’s military education also includes the Special Operations and Target Interdiction
Course, Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis and Exploitation
Techniques Course, Warrior Leaders Course, Nuclear Hazards Training Course, Basic
Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Basic and Anti-Terrorism Instructor Courses, Basic
and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Courses and Combat Lifesaver Course.
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Awards: Two Meritorious Service Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, four Army
Achievement Medals, six Army Good Conduct Medals, two National Defense Service
Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service
Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development
Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge,
Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge, and the Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded
the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Iraq Campaign Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge.
He also was the winner of the 2006 Small Arms Championship Sniper Class competition,
and the 2006 Joint Special Operations Command Small Arms Championship Pistol Class
competition.
Nguyen is survived by his wife, Marcia of Raeford, N.C. He is also survived by his parents,
Nguyen Van Tuan and Phan Cong Duc of Alameda, Calif.
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CPT Joseph W. Schultz | 2011 OEF
Assignment: Company A, 3rd Battalion
ODA: 3333
18 A
Capt. Joseph W. Schultz died May 29 while on a mounted patrol when the vehicle he and his
Special Forces team were traveling in struck an IED in the Wardak Province, Afghanistan.
He was born March 20, 1975 and grew up in Sacramento, Calif. He graduated from the
University of Oregon in 1997 and received his commission as an intelligence officer from
Officer Candidate School in 2003.
His first assignment was to 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82nd
Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. He then served as the assistant battalion intelligence
officer and as a rifle platoon leader in Company A, 1-504 PIR. Upon completion of his tour
with the 1-504 PIR, he then went on to serve as the counterintelligence/human intelligence
operations manager for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division; and later as
the G-2 advisor, 10th Iraqi Army Division.
After completing Special Forces Selection and Assessment, he graduated from Special
Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. Upon graduation and receiving his green
beret, Schultz was assigned to Co. C, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
where he served as the Detachment Commander of Special Forces Operational Detachment –
Alpha 3333. Schultz deployed in support of various operations across the globe, including:
Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq and this deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom with Company C.
His military education includes: the Military Intelligence Officer Course, Infantry Captain
Career Course, Defense Strategic Debriefer Course, Airborne School, Ranger School, and the
Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart; Army Commendation Medal; Army
Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq
Campaign Medal with one campaign star; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal;
Overseas Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Combat Infantryman Badge and Parachutists
Badge. He also wore the Special Forces Tab and the Ranger Tab.
He is survived by wife Kelly; and his mother Betsy Reed Schultz of Port Angeles, Wash
21
SSG Joshua R. Townsend | 2005 OEF
Assignment: Company C, 3rd Battalion
ODA:
18 B
Date KIA: 16 January 2009 OEF
Location: Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan
Action: Non-Hostile
Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Townsend, 30, died Jan. 16, from a non-battle death incident at U.S.
military Fire Base Ripley, Tarin Kowt district, Uruzgan province, Afghanistan while serving
with Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2008 as a member of the
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan. This was his second
deployment in support of the Global War on Terror and second deployment to Afghanistan.
He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment- Alpha weapons sergeant.
Townsend, a native of Solvang, Calif., volunteered for military service and entered the Army
in Aug. 2003 as a Special Forces trainee. After basic and advanced individual training at Fort
Benning, Ga., he was assigned to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at
Fort Bragg, N.C. in Jan. 2004 for Special Forces training. He earned the coveted "Green
Beret" in 2005 and was assigned to 1st Bn., 7th SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a Special
Forces weapons sergeant.
Townsend's military education includes; the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape
Course, Basic Airborne Course, Warrior Leaders Course, and Special Forces Qualification
Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned
Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman
Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Special Forces Tab.
Townsend is survived by his wife, Rachel, of Pinehurst, N.C.; mother Linda Townsend, of
San Jose, Calif.; father, Daniel, and brother, Jordan, of Solvang.
22
SSG Kyle R. Warren | 2003 OIF
Assignment: Company C, 1st Battalion
ODA:
18 D
Date KIA: 29 July 2010 OEF
Location: Kabul Province, Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Kyle R. Warren, 28, died of wounds sustained from an IED blast during a combat
reconnaissance patrol. He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team medical
sergeant assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in July 2010 as a member of the
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan. This was his second
deployment.
Warren, a native of Huntington Beach, Calif., volunteered for military service and entered
the Army in October 2004 as a Special Forces trainee.
After basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to the
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., in May 2005 for
Special Forces training. His medical training was with John F. Kennedy Special Warfare
Center and School at the Joint Special Operation Medical Training Center. He earned the
coveted "Green Beret" in 2007 and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd SFG (A) at Fort Bragg,
as a Special Forces medical sergeant. Warren's military education includes the Survival,
Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course; Basic Airborne Course; Basic Noncommissioned
Officer Course; Warrior Leaders Course; Special Forces Qualification Course; Special
Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course and Military Freefall Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Army Achievement Medal; Good Conduct Medal; National
Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service
Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon,
NATO Medal, Parachutist Badge, Military Freefall Parachutist badge, Combat Infantry
Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
He was posthumously awarded a second Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, The NATO
Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal.
Warren is survived by his wife Sandra Warren of Hope Mills, N.C.; mother Lynn Warren of
Bedford, N.H. and father Del Warren of Long Beach, Calif.
23
SSG Joshua R. Whitaker | 2007 OEF
ODA:
18 C
Location: Qalat, Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Whitaker, 23, was a Special Forces engineer sergeant assigned to 1st
Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He died May 15, 2007 during a firefight near Qalat, Afghanistan. Whitaker deployed to
Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2007.
A native of Long Beach, Calif., Whitaker enlisted in the Army September 24, 2003 as a
Special Forces candidate. After completing basic combat training, advanced individual
training and airborne school at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., for
Special Forces training. In August 2006, upon completion of the Special Forces Qualification
Course, he earned the coveted Green Beret and was assigned to 7th SFG (A).
Whitaker’s military education also includes the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat
Course.
Awards: Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional
Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, and the Special Forces Tab.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor, Purple Heart, Meritorious
Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, and Combat Infantryman
Badge.
He is survived by his mother, Catherine Whitaker of Long Beach, Calif., his uncle, Robb
Whitaker of Signal Hill, Calif. and his father, Frank Dougherty of El Monte, Calif. His aunt,
Debra Whitaker and his cousins Rachel and Laura Whitaker, all from Signal Hill, Calif., also
survive him.
24
Colorado
SSG Christopher M. Falkel | 2005 OEF
Assignment: Company A, 1st Battalion
ODA: 316
18 B
Location: Deh Afghan, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Chris was born on 24 September, 1982 in Boston, MA. He lived in Athens, Ohio from 1984
– 1990, when we moved to Littleton, Colorado. Chris attended Northridge Elementary
School, Cresthill Middle School, and graduated from ThunderRidge High School in 2001.
On 25 October, 2001, Chris enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA
for his Basic Training and his Advanced Infantry Training. He graduated AIT in March,
2002. He then attended Airborne School at Ft. Benning, before being assigned to Ft. Bragg,
NC where was a member of the fourth class of the Special Operations Preparatory Course. In
June 2002, he completed Special Forces Assessment and Selection, and was assigned to the
Special Forces Qualification Course and graduated 21 May, 2003.
After finishing his Arabic Language course and SERE training, he was assigned to
Operational Detachment –Alpha 316, Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group
(Airborne) as a Weapons Sergeant (18B). He was promoted to Staff Sergeant (SSG) on 1
November, 2004. His schooling in Special Forces included Blackwater Combat
Marksmanship Course, Gryphon Group Force Protection Course, Mid-South Self Defense
Institute, SFARTAETC, and his favorite course, the one he was most proud of, Special
Operations Target Interdiction Course.
His first overseas deployment was in February, 2004 to Gereshk, Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom. His second deployment was also to Afghanistan in June, 2005
and he was killed in action during the fifth of seven contacts in the 54 hour Battle of Mari
Ghar in Afghanistan on 8 August, 2005 while saving the lives of his 10 teammates and 16
members of the Afghan National Army that were assigned to his team. He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery on 22 August, 2005.
Awards: Silver Star , Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation
Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan
Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism
25
Service Medal Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service
Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Special Forces Tab.
He is survived by his parents, Diane and Jeff Falkel, Littleton, CO, and his brother, Tim
Falkel of Littleton, CO.
26
MSG Richard L. Ferguson | 2004 OIF
ODA:
18 Z
Date KIA: 30 March 2004 OIF
Location: Samarra, Iraq
Action: Accident
Master Sgt. Richard L. Ferguson, 45, was a Special Forces team sergeant assigned to
Company C, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo.
He was a resident of Woodland Park, Colo., and began his 27-year career when he enlisted in
the U.S. Army in March 1976. Ferguson served the Special Forces community for more than
25 years with the 10th SFG, both at Bad Tolz, Germany, and at Fort Carson.
Awards: Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal,
the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army
Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Armed Forces
Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the
Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the
NATO Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master
Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Ferguson is survived by his wife and four children.
27
SFC Daniel Aaron Romero | 2002 OEF
ODA:
18 E
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Aaron Romero was a Special Forces Communications Chief for B
Company, 5/19th Special Forces Group (A), Colorado Army National Guard. He provided
specialized resource management, effective communication, operations, tactics,
communication operations, psychological operations, unconventional warfare planning,
intelligence collection and processing to ensure his unit’s combat readiness.
Born in February of 1972, Sgt. 1st Class Romero began his distinguished military career with
an enlistment in the Colorado Army National Guard December 18, 1991. He was a traditional
guard member and was self-employed. He attended basic training at Ft. Jackson, South
Carolina in July of 1992, Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Gordon, Georgia in September
of 1992, and went through airborne school at Ft. Benning, Georgia in January of 1993.
He was part of approximately 100 members of the B/5-19th Special Forces Group (A) that
was called to active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Headquartered in
Pueblo, Romero’s unit was activated December 5, 2001and placed on active duty orders for
12 months, not to exceed 24 months.
Romero, 30, was killed in action April 15th, 2002 near Qandahar, Afghanistan during an
ordinance disposal operation involving 107mm rockets. The explosion killed three other U.S.
soldiers and wounded another.
Awards: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal (2nd
award), Combat Infantry Badge, Colorado Active Service Medal, Colorado Foreign
Deployment Medal, and Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, NonCommissioned Officers Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and the Colorado
Emergency Service Ribbon with device, Parachutist Badge and Special Forces tab.
Romero is buried at Ft. Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.
28
Illinois
SSG Gary R. Harper | 2005 OIF
ODA:
18 D
Date KIA: 9 October 2005
Action: Hostile
Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper, Jr., 29, a Special Forces medical sergeant, assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), died when his reconnaissance mission was
attacked by enemy forces near Baghdad, Iraq on 9 October 2005.
A native of Illinois, Harper entered the Army May 20, 1993 as an artilleryman.
Harper’s first assignment was with 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery, located at Fort Sill,
Okla. The unit worked with the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). This system
provides the Army an all-weather, indirect, area fire weapon system to strike counter fire, air
defense, armored formations and other high-payoff targets at all depths of the tactical
battlefield. He served there until January 2001.
He was then assigned to the 38th Field Artillery, located near Uijongbu, Korea, where he
served until January 2003. While serving overseas, Harper was promoted to the rank of
sergeant.
In January 2003, he began the vigorous, intensive two-year training to become a member of
the Army’s most elite unit – the Green Berets. In July 2003, during his Special Forces
training, Harper was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.
Harper successfully completed the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2004 and was
assigned to 2nd Bn., 5th SFG (A) at Fort Campbell, Ky. in February 2005. Harper deployed
in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in June 2005.
His military education included the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, the
Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training for Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS),
the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, the Basic Airborne Course, the Primary
29
Leadership Development Course, the Motor Pool Operation Management Course and the
Combat Life Savers Course.
Awards: Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal,
National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, NCO Professional
Development Service Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Multinational Force and Observers and
Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachute
Badge, the Driver and Mechanic Badges and the Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously
awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Harper is survived by his mother and father, Linda Mae and Joe C. Morrison of Virden, Ill.;
his wife, Danielle, sons, Tristen and Gabrian and daughter, Madison of Clarksville, Tenn.
30
MSG David L. Hurt | 2009 OEF
Assignment: Company B, 1st Battalion
ODA:
18 Z
Location: Afghanistan
Master Sgt. David L. Hurt, 36, died of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive
device during a mounted combat reconnaissance patrol. He was a Special Forces Operational
Detachment-Alpha operations sergeant assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special
Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in January 2009 as a member of the
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. This was his fifth deployment
in support of the Global War on Terror.
Hurt, a native of Oak Park, Ill., volunteered for military service and entered the Army in
November 1992, as a Combat Engineer trainee. After basic and advanced individual training
at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., he was assigned to Co. C, 307th Engineer Bn., 82nd Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. from the rank of private to Staff Sgt. He then was assigned to
Co. C, 37th Engineer Bn., 20th Engineer Brigade at Fort Bragg.
Hurt completed the Special Forces Assessment and Selection prior to being assigned to the
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., in August 1999 for
Special Forces training. He earned the coveted “Green Beret” in May 2000 and was assigned
to 2nd Bn., 3rd SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a Special Forces engineer sergeant.
Hurt was then assigned to the USAJFKSWCS Non-Commissioned Officer Academy. He
served as a Small Group Leader at the Basic Noncommissioned Officer and Warrior Leader
Course from March 2005 to March 2008. Hurt returned to the 3rd Special Forces Group and
was assigned to Co. B, 1st Bn., as an operations sergeant in March 2008.
Hurt’s military education includes the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course,
Sniper Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Pathfinder Course, Ranger
Course, Jumpmaster Course, Sapper Leader Course, Combat Life Savers Course, Special
Forces Advanced Recon and Target Exploitation Course, Advanced Noncommissioned
Officer Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Warrior Leaders Course, and
Special Forces Qualification Course.
31
Awards: Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with one OLC,
the Joint Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with a three OLC, Joint
Achievement Medal, and Army Achievement Medal with four OLC, the Combat Infantry
Badge, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Sapper Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Senior
Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Drivers Badge, the Valorous Unit
Award, Joint Meritorious Unit Award.
Hurt is survived by his wife Kelly, daughter Avery and son Wyatt, all of Grays Creek, N.C.;
mother Bonnie Hurt of Hope Mills, N.C. and father Joe Hurt of Memphis, Tenn.
32
SSG Robert J. Miller | 2008 OEF
ODA: 3312
18 B
Date KIA: 25 January 2008
Location: Barikowt, Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, 24, was killed in action Jan. 25, 2008 while conducting combat
operations near Barikowt, Afghanistan. He was a Special Forces weapons sergeant assigned
to Co. A, 3rd Bn., 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Staff Sgt. Miller was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by the President at the
White House on Oct. 6, 2010. The Medal of Honor is the highest award bestowed an
individual for acts of heroism. The award was presented to the family.
Miller was born on October 14, 1983 in Harrisburg, Penn. He grew up in Wheaton, IL where
he attended Wheaton North High School. He attended one year at the University of Iowa and
then volunteered for military service.
Miller enlisted as a Special Forces trainee in Iowa City, Iowa on Aug. 14, 2003. He
graduated from Infantry Basic Training and Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Ga., Jan. 6,
2004. Miller graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course Sep. 26, 2004, and the
Special Forces Weapons Sergeant Course Mar. 4, 2005. He received the Special Forces Tab
and was promoted to Sgt. after graduating from the Special Operations French Language
Training Course, Sep. 30, 2005. Miller was assigned to Co. A, 3rd Bn., 3rd Special Forces
Group (Airborne), Ft. Bragg, N.C.
In 2006, Miller deployed with 3rd SFG (A) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,
earning the Army Commendation Medal for valor for his display of courage. He was also
promoted to the rank of Staff Sgt. In October 2007, he deployed for a second tour in
Afghanistan, where he served as the Weapons Sergeant for his team.
His military training included: Warrior Leader Course; Basic Noncommissioned Officer
Course; Basic Airborne Course; the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course;
Special Forces Qualification Course; Special Forces Heavy Weapons Course; and the U.S.
Army Ranger School.
Awards: Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal,
Army Commendation Medal for Valor, Army Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign
33
Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with
numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Parachutist Badge, Special Forces tab and
Ranger tab.
Staff Sgt. Miller is survived by his parents, Philip and Maureen Miller, his brothers, Thomas,
Martin and Edward, and his sisters, Joanna, Mary, Therese and Patricia, all from Oviedo, Fla.
34
MAJ Paul R. Syverson III | 2004 OEF
Assignment: Assistant Operations Officer
ODA:
18
Location: Balad, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Maj. Paul R. Syverson III, 32, was assigned as the assistant operations officer for the 5th
Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Ky.
He was killed in Iraq on June 16, 2004, during a rocket attack on Logistical Support Area
Anaconda, Balad, Iraq. The rocket landed near a group of Soldiers outside of the Post
Exchange.
Syverson was a native of Arlington Heights, Ill., and entered the Army in 1993 following
graduation from the Virginia Military Institute, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in
international relations.
His first assignment was with the 3rd Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, Fort Stewart, Ga. In
1998, he graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course and was assigned to the 5th
SFG.
While assigned to the 5th SFG, he served in a variety of positions including: Operational
Detachment-A commander, battalion staff officer and Group assistant operations officer. He
also served as the commander of Headquarters Support Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th SFG.
Syverson’s military education and schools include the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course,
Joint Deployment Officer Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Special Forces
Qualification Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Jumpmaster Course and
Pathfinder Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army
Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Armed
Forces Expeditionary Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon,
Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge
and Special Forces Tab.
Syverson is survived by his wife, Jackie, a son, Paul, and a daughter, Amy Elizabeth.
35
SFC Gary J. Vasquez | 2008 OEF
ODA:
18 C
Date KIA: 29 September 2008 OEF
Location: Yakhchal, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Gary J. Vasquez, 33, was killed Sept. 29 while conducting a combat
reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of Yakhchal, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support
of combat operations while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group
(Airborne).
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. This was his third deployment
in support of the Global War on Terror and third deployment to Afghanistan. He was a
Special Forces Operational DetachmentAlpha senior engineer sergeant.
Vasquez, a native of Round Lake, Ill., volunteered for military service and entered the Army
in Jan. 2000 as a cavalry scout. After basic and advanced individual training at Fort Knox,
Ky., he was assigned to Troop. A, 1st Bn., 17th Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Bragg,
N.C. He began the Special Forces Qualification Course 2002 and he earned the coveted
“Green Beret” in 2004 and was assigned to 1st Bn., 7th SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a
Special Forces engineer sergeant.
Vasquez’s military education includes the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course,
Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Air Movement Course, Survival, Evasion,
Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Warrior Leaders Course, Ranger
Course and Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: three Bronze Star Medals, Purple Heart Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, two
Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct
Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on
Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon,
Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air
Assault Badge, Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.
Vasquez is survived by his wife, Sarah, of Raeford, N.C., mother, Margaret Du Hasek, and
brother, Barry Du Hasek, both of Highland, Ill.
36
Indiana
SSG Travis K. Hunsberger | 2008 OEF
ODA:
18
Date KIA: 27 June 2008 OEF
Location: Lamay, Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Travis K. Hunsberger, 24, was killed in action on June 27, while conducting a
combat reconnaissance patrol in Lamay, Afghanistan. At the time of his death, he was
assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. This was his second
deployment in support of the Global War on Terror and his second deployment to
Afghanistan.
Hunsberger, a native of Goshen, Ind., volunteered for military service and entered the Army
in June 2004 as a Special Forces candidate. In 2006 he earned the coveted “Green Beret” and
was assigned to 1st Bn., 7th SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., in Sept. 2006.
Hunsberger’s military education includes; the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course,
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Warrior Leaders
Course, and Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal (second award), Meritorious Service Medal, Purple Heart
Medal, Army Commendation Medal with “V” device, Army Good Conduct Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Noncommissioned Officer
Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat
Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Special Forces Tab.
Hunsberger is survived by his wife, Hannah, of Fayetteville, N.C.; parents Steven and Ronda
Hunsberger, of Goshen, Ind.; brother, Kyle Hunsberger; and sister, Kelsey Hunsberger, both
also of Goshen, Ind.
37
SSG Matthew A. Kimmell | 2005 OIF
ODA:
18 C
Date KIA: 11 October 2005
Location: Muqdadiyah, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Kimmell, 30, a Special Forces engineer sergeant, assigned to 3rd
Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) died 11 October 2005 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq,
when an Improvised Explosive Device detonated near his Humvee.
A native of Indiana, Kimmell entered the Indiana National Guard Jan. 11, 1994. He
completed Basic and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then began his
active duty Army career there as an infantryman in February 1995. Kimmell was promoted to
the rank of sergeant Jan. 1, 2003 with weapons squad, 3rd Platoon, C Company, 3rd
Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
In June 2003, he began the vigorous, intensive two-year training to become a member of the
Army’s Special Forces. Kimmell successfully completed the Special Forces Qualification
Course in November 2004 and then was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th SFG (A) at Fort
Campbell, Ky. He was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant March 1, 2005. He deployed in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in June 2005.
His military education included the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, the
the Basic Combat Training Course, the Advanced Individual Training Course for
Infantryman, the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, the Basic Airborne Course, the
Jungle Course, the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course, the Ranger Course and
the Primary Leadership Development Course.
Awards: Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service
Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Iraq
Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon,
the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Basic Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special
Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the
Meritorious Service Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Kimmell is survived by his wife, Mylissa, of Worthington, Ind.; his parents, Larry and
Jeanne, his brother, Jeremy, and sister, Susanne, all of Paxton, Ind.
38
SGT Jeremy R. Wright | 2005 OEF
ODA:
18 E
Date KIA: 3 January 2005 OIF
Location: Asadabad, Afghanistan
Sgt. Jeremy R. Wright, 31, was a Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to 2nd
Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, Wash.
He was killed in action while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on Jan. 3, 2005, when
the enemy IED exploded near his Ground Mobility Vehicle during operations in the vicinity
of Asadabad, Afghanistan. Wright deployed to Afghanistan in November 2004 in support of
the Global War on Terrorism. A native of Shelbyville, Ind., Wright enlisted in the Army in
November 2001 under the service’s then brand-new Special Forces Recruiting Initiative, a
program that enables civilian recruits to volunteer to attend the Special Forces Assessment
and Selection Course shortly after their completion of Initial Entry Training as infantrymen.
Previously, only currently serving Soldiers could volunteer to attend SFAS.
After entering the Army in April 2002, he completed infantry and airborne training at Fort
Benning, Ga., and in August 2002 was assigned to the 1st Special Warfare Training Group
(Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C. Wright attended SFAS in September 2002 and was selected to
continue his training as a communications sergeant in the Special Forces Qualification
Course. Wright began the Thai Language Course in November 2003 and completed the
SFQC in July 2004 after completing the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course at
Fort Bragg. He was assigned to the 1st SFG in August 2004.
Wright was a 1996 graduate of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., and was a two-time
All-American cross-country runner there. He was also a three-time member of the U.S.
Mountain Running Team and was the Indiana state high school champion in the 3,200-meter
run.
Awards: Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism
Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Parachutist Badge,
the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Wright is survived by his father, Dale Wright, of Flat Rock, Ind., and his mother, Jacquelyn
Nickel, of Shelbyville, Ind.
39
Maryland
MSG Benjamin F. Bitner | 2011 OEF
ODA:
18 Z
Master Sgt. Benjamin F. Bitner was born July 4, 1973, in Hagerstown, Md. and was a 1991
graduate of Greencastle Antrim High School in Greencastle, Pa. Bitner enlisted in the U.S.
Army in 1991 and attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection in 1999. Later that year
he graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course as an engineer sergeant.
He joined Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), headquartered at
Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2003.He deployed in support of various operations across the globe,
including but not limited to: Operation Flintlock, Africa, 2001; Operation Nectar Bend,
Africa, 2004; Task Force Falcon in support of operations in Kosovo, 2001 – 2002; Operation
Desert Spring, Kuwait, 2002; Operation Iraqi Freedom and four deployments to Afghanistan
(Operation Enduring Freedom) with Company C.
His military education includes: Track Vehicle Repairers Course, Single Channel Ground
Airborne Radio Systems Operator Course, Basic Infantry Course, Basic Airborne Course,
Long Range Surveillance Leader’s Course, Warriors Leader Course, Special Forces Engineer
Sergeant’s Course, Basic Non-commissioned Officer’s Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officer’s Course, Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape Course, Special
Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course, Special Forces Sniper Course, Special Forces
Advanced Reconnaissance Target Analysis and Exploitation Technique’s Course, Special
Forces Master Breacher’s Course, Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant’s Course, Military
Free-Fall Course, both Summer and Winter Basic Mountain Warfare Courses and the United
States Army Special Operations Command Mountaineering Master Trainer’s Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal (6); Purple Heart; Meritorious Service Medal (2); Army
Commendation Medal (3) with “V” device; Army Achievement Medal (3); Army Good
Conduct Medal (4); Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (3); National Defense
Service Medal (2); Kosovo Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal;
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign stars; Iraq Campaign Medal with one
campaign star; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terror
40
Service Medal; Non-commissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon (3); Army
Service Ribbon; NATO Medal (4); Special Forces Tab; Combat Infantryman’s Badge;
Parachutists Badge; Military Free-Fall Badge.
Bitner is survived by wife April, sons Gunnar and Rogue; and parents Roger and Beverly
Bitner of Greencastle, Pa.
41
SFC Bradley S. Bohle | 2009 OEF
ODA:
18 D
Location: Ghur Ghuri, Afghanistan
Sgt.1st Class Bradley S. Bohle, 29, died on Sept. 16, after his vehicle was struck by an
improvised explosive device, while conducting a mounted patrol in the Afghan city of Ghur
Ghuri, in support of combat operations while serving with Company A, 3rd Battalion, 7th
Special Forces Group (Airborne).
deployment to Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror. He also deployed twice
to the Philippines. He was a Special Forces medical sergeant.
Bohle, a native of Baltimore, Md., enlisted into the U.S. Army 1998 as an Information
Systems Operator. He was assigned to 2nd Bn., 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
(Mechanized). He later served with 112th Signal Battalion (Airborne) and 4th Psychological
Operations Group (Airborne) before deciding to pursue the goal of becoming a Special
Forces Soldier in 2006 by attending the Special Forces Selection and Assessment. He
completed the Special Forces Qualification Course March 2008 and earned the coveted
“Green Beret” as a Special Forces medical sergeant. He was assigned to Co. A, 3rd Bn., 7th
SFG (A).
Bohle’s military education includes the Warrior Leader’s Course, Basic NCO Course,
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Jumpmaster
Bohle’s military education includes the Warrior Leader’s Course, Basic NCO Course,
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Jumpmaster
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army
Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional
Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal,
42
Combat Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Driver and Mechanics Badge and the
Special Forces Tab.
Bohle is survived by his wife Elizabeth and three daughters Jocelyn and Braelyn of Sanford,
N.C., Breanna, of Clinton, Conn. and parents Donald and Linda Bohle, of Marydal, Md.
43
SSG Joseph F. Curreri | 2007 OEF-P
ODA: 18 E
Date KIA: 27 October 2007 OEF-P
Location: Panamao, Philippines
Action: Non-Hostile
Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Curreri, 27, a Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to the
2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, Wash., died in an
accidental drowning incident at Siet Lake while deployed to the Southern Philippines region
near Panamao, Republic of the Philippines.
He was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines. This was his first
deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Curreri was born and raised in the suburbs of Baltimore. He was a four year varsity letter
winner in swimming and founded his high school water polo team. Upon graduation from
high school, Curreri attended the University of Southern California. While at USC he earned
a Bachelor of Arts in History, was a fouryear varsity letter winner in swimming, and was the
captain of the Trojans swim team during his senior year. Additionally, he served as the
Executive Vice President of USC’s StudentAthlete Academic Council in 2000-2001. After
graduating from USC, Curreri worked as a history tutor, swim coach, and recruiting
coordinator for a recruiting agency in El Segundo, Calif.
Curreri’s military education include the Warrior Leader Course, Basic Noncommissioned
Officer Course, Basic Airborne Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Course;
Special Forces Qualification Course, and the Combat Diver Qualification Course.
In 2000, he began a nearly three-year stint as a force protection officer at Special Operations
Command Europe in Stuttgart, Germany.
Awards: Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on
Army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Tab, and the Special Operations
Divers Badge.
Curreri is survived by his wife, Athena, of Los Angeles, Calif.; mother, Karen, and sister,
Shannon, of Redondo Beach, Calif.; father, Frank, stepmother, Tricia, and stepsister Angelia
of Parkville, Md.
44
Missouri
CW2 Stanley Lorn Harriman | 2002 OEF
ODA: 372
180A
Date KIA: 2 March 2002
Location: Gardez, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
CW2 Stanley L. Harriman was a Special Forces Warrant Officer assigned to 3rd Battalion,
3rd Special Forces Group(Airborne). He was killed in action on 2 March 2002 while leading
his convoy through the Shahi-Kot Valley, near Gardez, Afghanistan.
He was born on November 1, 1967, in Springfield, Missouri. Following his graduation from
Strafford High School in 1986, he joined the Army, attending Basic Training and Advanced
Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Following AIT he was awarded the
MOS of 12B – Combat Engineer in the United States Army.
Harriman’s initial assignment was with the 82nd Engineer Battalion in the 82nd Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. It was here that he began his Airborne career. While serving
with the 82nd, CW2 Harriman deployed in support of operations Desert Shield and Desert
Storm in Iraq, and Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti.
Following his six-year tour with the 82nd, he was reassigned to the 8th Armored Division in
Germany where he served for a three-year tour. He departed Germany in 1991 to attend the
Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course and was then selected for the Special
Forces Qualification Course.
Following graduation, he remained at Fort Bragg to serve with ODA 366, Company C, 2nd
Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). After spending 38 months on ODA 366, he
left for Fort Rucker, Alabama to attend Warrant Officer Candidate School. In November of
1988, he pinned on the rank of Warrant Officer, attended the Warrant Officer Basic Course,
and then returned to Fort Bragg the following year.
He was next assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) where he was a
member of ODAs 375 and 372 within Company A. While serving with Company A,
Harriman deployed in support of operations Joint Forge in Bosnia, Desert Spring in Kuwait,
and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
45
Harriman’s military education includes Airborne school, Jumpmaster School, the Special
Forces Qualification Course, the Anti-Terrorism Instructors Qualification Course, French and
Spanish Language Training, the Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion Course, the
Primary Leadership Development Course, the Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course, the
Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, Warrant Officer Candidate School, and the
Warrant Officer Basic Course.
Awards: Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster,
the Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal
with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal (2nd award), the National Defense
Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal
(3rd Award), the Humanitarian Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon
(3rd Award), the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Overseas Service Ribbon, the United
Nations Medal, the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, the Saudi Arabian Defense Medal, the Joint
Service Unit Award, the Valorous Unit Award, the Army Superior Unit Award, the Combat
Infantryman Badge, the Special Forces Tab, and the Master Parachutist Badge.
Harriman is survived by his wife Sheila, and his children Darbi, Stanley, Christopher and
Jessica.
46
SFC Obediah J. Kolath. OIF | 2005
Assignment: USASOC
ODA: 18
Location: Husaybah, Iraq
Action: Non-Hostile
Assigned to Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg
died Aug. 28 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, from wounds
sustained Aug. 25 in Husaybah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near
his position.
Sgt. 1st Class Kolath served with the 4th Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd
Battalion 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces
Group (Airborne). His last assignment was as a team member assigned to the U.S. Army
Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
He is survived by his children, Vivian Schondelmeyer, Autumn and Mariah Kolath, and
mother, Mary Kolath.
Sgt. 1st Class Obediah J. Kolath, 32, died of injuries from an IED blast that resulted in the
death of three other USASOC Soldiers whose deaths were announced on Aug. 27.
Kolath entered the U.S. Army Mar. 10, 1992, as a fire support specialist. After completion of
initial entry training, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment in
Germany.
His military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, two Army
Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct Medals,
the National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, the Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War On
Terrorism Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon with numeral three,
the Army Service Ribbon, two Overseas Service Ribbons, the NATO Ribbon, the Special
Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, and the Parachutist Badge.
Kolath was posthumously recommended for the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze
Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart.
47
SFC William B. Woods, Jr. | 2009 OEF
Assignment: Company A, 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18 D
Date KIA: 16 August 2009 OEF
Location: Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class William B. Woods Jr., 31, died Aug. 16, 2009, in Landstuhl, Germany from
wounds he received Aug. 14, 2009, while conducting a mounted patrol in the Ghazni
Province, Afghanistan, in support of combat operations while serving with 2nd Battalion,
20th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. He was a Special Forces
senior medical sergeant.
Woods was a native of Hermann, Mo., and enlisted into the military in 1996 as a rifleman.
After his initial Marine Corps enlistment, he later enlisted into the U.S. Army.
He attended the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2003 and earned the coveted “Green
Beret.” He was then assigned to 2nd Bn., 20th SFG (A).
Wood’s military education includes the Basic Infantryman’s Course, Survival, Evasion,
Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Linear Infighting Neural-Override
Engagement Instructor Course, Ranger Course, and Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army
Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Army and Marine Corps Good Conduct
Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign
Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Navy Arctic Service
Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Senior
Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.
Woods is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters, Lilian and Ella, of Chesapeake, Va.;
mother Pamela, and father William, of Pacific, Mo.
48
Ohio
MSG Joseph J. Andres Jr. | 2005
Assignment: USASOC
ODA: 18
Date KIA: 24 December 2005
Location: Baquoba, Iraq / KIA
Action: Hostile
MSG Andres died in Balad, Iraq, on Dec. 24, of injuries sustained earlier that day in
Baqubah, Iraq, when his unit was attacked with enemy small arms fire during combat
operations in central Iraq.
Master Sgt. Joseph J. Andres, Jr., 34, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
U.S. Army Special Operations Command here, died of injuries he sustained during the
attack.
A native of Garfield Heights, Ohio, Andres graduated from Padua Franciscan High School in
Parma, Ohio, and enlisted in the Army Reserve as a combat medic on Feb. 18, 1992. On
April 21, 1993, he volunteered for active duty service and was assigned as a combat medic to
the 42nd Medical Company, 68th Medical Group, Wiesbaden, Germany. He later served as a
medical noncommissioned officer in A Company, William Beaumont Army Medical Center,
Fort Bliss, Texas, and as a Special Forces communications noncommissioned officer in A
Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash. Andres has been
assigned to USASOC since Dec. 2003. His military training includes the U.S. Army
Airborne Course, the U.S. Army Ranger Course, the Military Freefall Course, the Advanced
Noncommissioned Officer Course, the Static Line Jumpmaster Course and the Basic
Noncommissioned Officer Course.
Andres’ awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service
Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, three Army Good
Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, the Global
War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Noncommissioned Officer
Professional Development Ribbon with numeral three, the Army Service Ribbon, the
Overseas Service Ribbon, the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman’s
Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Expert Field Medic Badge, the Military Freefall
Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Driver/Mechanics Badge. He was posthumously
promoted to the rank of master sergeant.
Andres is survived by his parents, Joseph and Sandra Andres, of Seven Hills, Ohio.
49
SFC Nathan Ross Chapman | 2002 OEF
ODA: 194
18 E
Location: Khost, Afghanistan
Sgt. 1st Class Nathan R. Chapman was a Special Forces Communications Sergeant assigned
to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). He was killed in action during
Operation Enduring Freedom on Jan. 4, 2002, near the town of Khost in Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Chapman was born into a military family at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on
April 23, 1970. As with most military children, he called several places “home” during his
childhood.
While growing up, he balanced his time between his academic studies, the wrestling team
and an active social life. In 1988, he graduated from Centerville High School in Ohio.
Nathan entered the Army in July 1988, completing Basic and Advanced Individual Training
as an infantryman at Fort Benning, Ga. After that, he also completed his parachutist and
Ranger training there.
Following his initial training at Fort Benning, he was assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion,
75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash. In December 1989, he participated in his first
combat action when he took part in the 2nd Ranger Battalion’s airborne assault into Panama
during Operation Just Cause. In January 1991, while assigned to 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry
Regiment, he participated in his second combat action when he deployed to Saudi Arabia as
part of Operation Desert Storm.
In September 1991, Sgt. 1st Class Chapman volunteered for Special Forces training. In
December 1992, he graduated from the Special Forces Communications Sergeants Course at
Fort Bragg, N.C., and went on to complete the Basic Military Language Course for Tagalog
in June 1993.
In July 1993, he returned to Fort Lewis, Wash., where he was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st
Special Forces Group (Airborne). Here, he served on Operational Detachment A-185 and
Operational detachment A-195. In 1995 he deployed to Haiti as part of Operation Uphold
Democracy.
50
In 1998, Sgt. 1st Class Chapman was reassigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group
(Airborne), in Okinawa, Japan. He served there for three years as a member of Operational
Detachment A-125 and Operational Detachment A-135.
In June 2001, he returned to 3rd Battalion and became a member of Operational Detachment
A-194. In November 2001, Sgt. 1st Class Chapman volunteered for a special mission in
Afghanistan, where he participated in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Awards: Bronze Star with “V” device, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the
Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with
three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the United Nations Medal, the
Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, the
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with arrow head, the Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd
Award), the Armed Forces Service Medal, the Joint Meritorious Service Unit Award, the
Army Superior Unit Award, the Combat Infantryman Badge second award, the Master
Parachutist Badge, the Parachutist Combat Badge with bronze service star, the Special Forces
Combat Divers Badge, the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, and the Royal Thai Army
Parachutist Badge.
He is survived by his wife, Renae, his daughter Amanda, his son Brandon and his parents
Will and Lynn Chapman.
51
SFC Daniel B. Crabtree | 2006 OIF
Assignment: Company B, 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18 B
Location: Iraq
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel B. Crabtree, 31, was a Special Forces weapons sergeant assigned to the
Ohio Army National Guard’s Company B, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group
(Airborne) in Columbus, Ohio.
He died June 8, 2006, in Iraq after a roadside bomb exploded next to his vehicle during a
combat patrol. He was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and attached
to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula.
In civilian life, Crabtree worked as a police officer first in his native hometown of Hartville,
and then as a member of the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department Special Weapons and
Tactics, or SWAT, unit.
After initially entering military service with the Army Reserve in 1992, Crabtree joined the
Army National Guard in 1993 as an administrative specialist. He later retrained as a military
policeman and served with the 135th Military Police Company in Brook Park, Ohio. He
joined the 19th SFG in March 2002, and in 2003 he was selected to attend the Special Forces
Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. He earned the coveted green beret when he
graduated from the course in May 2004.
In Iraq, the work of Crabtree and his Special Forces operational detachment focused
primarily on training members of the Al Kut SWAT, an Iraqi police force. Crabtree himself
developed and implemented a comprehensive training curriculum for the Iraqi SWAT
volunteers, which included advanced marksmanship training, offensive and defensive driving
instruction, and urban assault training. As the police force’s lead trainer, Crabtree drew on
his own experiences as a police officer and SWAT team member to prepare his Iraqi officers
to counter both local criminal and insurgent forces. He also assisted the Al Kut SWAT in
more than 35 real-world missions as a combat advisor — including six large-scale air assault
operations — which resulted in the capture of over 100 known insurgents.
Crabtree’s military education also includes the Basic Airborne Course, the Primary
Leadership Development Course and the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course.
52
Awards: Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the
National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service
Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional
Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Parachutist Badge, and the Special
Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart,
Meritorious Service Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Crabtree is survived by his wife, Kathy, and his daughter, Mallory, of the City of Green. He
is also survived by his father, Ronald Crabtree and his mother, Judy Ann Crabtree.
53
CPT Benjamin Tiffner | 2007 OIF
ODA:
18 A
Date KIA: 7 November 2007 OIF
Action: Hostile
Capt. Benjamin Tiffner, 31, was killed in action when his vehicle encountered an IED in the
course of conducting a ground convoy in Baghdad. He was a Special Forces Operational
Detachment – Alpha team leader assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces
Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a member of the Combined Joint
Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula. This was his second deployment to Iraq
in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Tiffner, a native of Ohio, graduated from the United States Military Academy as an infantry
officer in 2000. In 2006 he earned the coveted “Green Beret.”
Tiffner’s military education includes; Infantry Officers Basic Course; Survival, Evasion,
Resistance, and Escape Course; Basic Airborne Course, Ranger Course, and the Special
Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Two Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense
Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge,
Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, and the Special Forces Tab.
Tiffner is survived by his parents, Timothy and Judith of Soldotna, Alaska.
54
Pennsylvania
MSG Arthur L. Lilley | 2007 OEF
ODA:
18 Z
Date KIA: 15 June 2007 OEF
Location: Shkin, Afghanistan
Master Sgt. Arthur L. Lilley, 35, a Special Forces team sergeant assigned to 2nd Battalion,
7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C., died June 15 of wounds sustained
from enemy small arms fire during combat operations in the Paktika Province, near Shkin,
Afghanistan.
Lilley, a native of Smithfield, Pa., enlisted as an infantryman in 1990. His first assignment
was with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) where he served in Operation Desert
Shield and Desert Storm. He then transferred to 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry
Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy in September 1992, where he served
for just over two years. In 1995, he volunteered to become a Special Forces Soldier.
Lilley graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1996 and was assigned 1st
Bn., 7th SFG, as a Special Forces engineer sergeant. In 2000, after serving four years in 7th
SFG, he was assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he
served as an engineer sergeant and then first sergeant. In August 2005, Lilley was assigned to
2nd Bn., 7th SFG and served there as an Operational Detachment – Alpha team sergeant until
his death.
His military education also includes the Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer
Courses, Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, Civil Affairs Qualification Course,
Basic and Advanced Airborne Courses, Air Assault Course, Spanish Language Course, and
the First Sergeants Course.
Awards: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service
Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service
Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service
Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) , Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait),
55
Expert Infantryman Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Air
Assault Badge, and Special Forces Tab.
Lilley is survived by his wife, Christine, daughter, Mackenzie and son, Cole of Spring Lake,
N.C.; parents Arthur and Elizabeth Lilley of Smithfield, Pa.; brother Michael Lilley and wife
Katya half-brothers Bruce Sanford and wife Mary and James Sanford and wife Beth;
halfsisters Sandra Horton and husband Rick and Jessica Barnett; grandmother Evelyn
Barrett; grandparents Arthur and Edith Lilley, Ralph and Louise Barrett, and Jerry and
Sondra Tate.
56
SSG Patrick F. Kutschbach | 2007 OEF
ODA: 021
18
Date KIA: 10 November 2007 OEF
Location: Tagab Valley, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Staff Sgt. Patrick F. Kutschbach, 25, was killed in action on Nov. 10, while conducting
combat operations in the southern end of the Tagab Valley while serving with Operational
Detachment Alpha 021 of Company B, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2007 as a member of the
International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan. He had deployed to various locations
in support of the Global War on Terrorism and this was his first deployment to Afghanistan.
Kutschbach, a native of Pennsylvania, volunteered for military service and enlisted into the
Army in Oct. 2003 as a Special Forces candidate. In 2004 he earned the coveted “Green
Beret.”
Kutschbach’s military education include? the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course,
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Warrior Leaders Course, Special Forces
Qualification Course, and the Basic Airborne Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense
Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two
Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbons, Army Service Ribbon,
Overseas Service Ribbon, ISAF NATO Medal, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman
Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.
Kutschbach is survived by his wife, Ginger, son, Bastian, of Atoka, Tenn., father, David, of
Pittsburgh, Pa., mother, Debbie Huffner, and brothers David and Andrew, of McKees Rocks,
Pa.
57
MSG Thomas D. Maholic | 2006 OEF
ODA:
18 Z
Location: Ghecko, Afghanistan
Master Sgt. Thomas D. Maholic, 38, a Special Forces team sergeant assigned to 2nd
Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), died June 24 in the Kandahar Province, near
Ghecko, Afghanistan when he was fatally struck by enemy small arms fire during a cordon
and search mission.
Maholic, a native of Bradford, Pa., enlisted as an infantryman in 1991. His first assignment
was with the Pennsylvania National Guard where he was an infantryman for five years. In
July of 1991, he transitioned to active duty and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th
Infantry Battalion at Fort Kobbe, Panama where he served for two years. In 1993, he
volunteered to become a Special Forces Soldier.
Maholic graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1995 and was assigned
1st Bn., 7th SFG, as a Special Forces medical sergeant. In 2003, after serving more than
seven years in 7th SFG, he was assigned to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare
Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he served as an Advanced Noncommissioned
Officer Course instructor. In April 2005, Maholic was assigned to 2nd Bn., 7th SFG and
served there as an Operational Detachment – Alpha team sergeant until his death.
His military education also includes the Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer
Courses, Combat Diver Qualification Course, Combat Diver Supervisor Course, Advanced
Special Operations Techniques Course, Basic Instructor Training Course, Air Assault
Course, Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course, Basic and Advanced Airborne
Courses, Spanish Language Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Course and
both the winter and summer mountain warfare schools.
Awards: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service
Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service
Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service
Ribbon, Expert Field Medical Badge, Special Operations Dive Badge, Master Parachutist
Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the
Bronze Star Medal for valor, Bronze Star Medal for service, Purple Heart, Meritorious
58
Service Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Silver
Star for conspicuous Gallantry in Action in Afghanistan on 24 June 2006, his order was
signed on 14 April 2007.
He is survived by his wife, Wendy, and son, Andrew of Ft. Bragg, N.C. He is also survived
by his mother Dorothy Maholic of Bradford, sister, Ann Davis of Bradford, brothers David
of Cleveland, Ohio, John and Michael of Bradford, and Robert of Bellefonte, Pa.
59
SSG Ryan D. Maseth | 2008 OIF
Assignment: Company D, 1st Battalion
ODA:
18
Action: Non-Hostile
Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, 24, died as a result of a nonbattle death accident on Jan. 2, in
Baghdad, Iraq, while serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Special
Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007 as a member of the Combined
Joint Special Operation Task Force Arabian Peninsula. This was his second deployment to
Iraq in support of the Global War on Terror. Maseth, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
volunteered for military service and enlisted into the Army in June 2001 as an infantryman.
In 2007 he earned the coveted “Green Beret.”
Maseth’s military education includes the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Survival,
Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Warrior Leaders Course, Combat Life
Savers Course, Unit Armor Training Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, Ranger
Course, Air Assault Course, and the Basic Airborne Course.
Awards: Two Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, Army
Superior Unit Award, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
two Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbons, Army Service Ribbon,
Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge,
Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge
Maseth is survived by his mother Cheryl A. Harris, of Cranberry Township, father, Douglas,
and brothers', Brandon and Adam, all of Allison Park, Pa.
60
SSG Marc J. Small | 2009 OEF
ODA:
18 D
Location: Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Marc J. Small, 29, died of wounds sustained from enemy fire during a combat
reconnaissance patrol. He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha team medical
sergeant assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in January 2009 as a member of the
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. This was his first deployment
in support of the Global War on Terror.
Small, a native of Collegeville, Penn., volunteered for military service and entered the Army
in December 2004 as a Special Forces trainee. After basic and advanced individual training
at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and
School at Fort Bragg, N.C., in May 2005 for Special Forces training. His medical training
was with John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Joint Special Operation
Medical Training Center. He earned the coveted “Green Beret” in 2007 and was assigned to
1st Bn., 3rd SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a Special Forces medical sergeant.
Small’s military education includes the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course,
Sniper Course, Basic Airborne Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Warrior
Leaders Course, and Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal,
National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service
Ribbon, Overseas Service Medal, NATO Medal, Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantry Badge
and the Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple
Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.
Small is survived by his mother mother and step father Mary and Peter MacFarland of
Collegeville, Penn.; father and stepmother - Murray and Karen Small of Mechanicsburg,
Penn.; his siblings Matt Small, Megan MacFarland, Heather Wellock, Jennifer MacFarland;
Travis and Tyler Baney; and his fiancé, Amanda Charney.
61
MAJ Jeffrey P. Toczylowski | 2005 OIF
ODA:
18 A
Location: Al Anbar, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Maj. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski, 30, a Special Forces detachment commander assigned to 1st
Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Panzer Kaserne, Germany, died Nov. 3,
2005, while in hostile enemy territory in the Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was seriously
injured as a result of a fall from a helicopter during a combat infiltration. Toczylowski was
airlifted to a military treatment facility, where he was pronounced dead.
A native of Upper Moreland, Pa., Toczylowski was commissioned as a second lieutenant in
1995 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Valley Forge Military College
in Valley Forge, Pa. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Texas
A&M University, Kingsville, Texas in 1997.
Later that year, Toczylowski began his first assignment as a platoon leader with the 554th
Military Police Company in Vaihingen, Germany. His two years with the company included
a deployment to Bosnia in support of Task Force Eagle. In 2000, he began a nearly threeyear stint as a force protection officer at Special Operations Command Europe in Stuttgart,
Germany.
Toczylowski attended the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2003 and was assigned that
year to 1st Bn., 10th SFG, as an SF detachment commander, where he served until his death.
His military education includes the Basic Airborne Course, the Military Police Officer Basic
Course, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and the Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense
Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service
Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Parachutist Badge and the
Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious
Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge and promoted to the rank of major.
He is survived by his parents, Philip and Margret Toczylowski, of Upper Moreland. He is
also survived by his sister, Pamela and niece, Mikell of McDonald, Pa.
62
SFC Michael J. Tully | 2007 OIF
ODA:
18 D
Date KIA: 23 August 2007 OIF
Location: Al Aziziyah, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Tully, 33, a Special Forces medic assigned to the Company C, 2nd
Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Fort Lewis, Wash., died Aug. 23 from fatal
wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device near Al
Aziziyah, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq.
Tully was born and raised in Pa. After initially entering military service in the U.S. Marine
Corps, he transferred to the U.S. Army in 1997. Tully was assigned as an infantryman in
Company E, 313th Military Intelligence Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.
Tully then served as a Long Range Surveillance Detachment assistant team leader in the
same unit one year later.
In 2004, he was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg to
become a Special Forces medic. He earned the coveted “Green Beret” and was assigned to
the 1 st SFG(A) at Fort Lewis, Wash., in Dec 2006.
Tully’s military education also includes the Warrior Leaders Course, Basic
Noncommissioned Officer Course, Basic Airborne Course, Military Free Fall Parachutist
Course, Ranger Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape Course, Total Army Instructor
Training Course, Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course, and Special Forces Diving
Supervisors Course.
Awards: Army Commendation Medal Second Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Unit Citation ,
Good Conduct Medal Second Award, National Defense Service Medal Second Award,
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned
Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon,
U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon, Expert Infantryman Badge,
Parachutist Badge, Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge, Scuba Diver Badge, Ranger Tab
and the Special Forces Tab.
63
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal,
Iraqi Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Tully is survived by his wife, Heather of Columbus, Ga., and his son, Slade of North Port,
Fla. He is also survived by his father and stepmother, Jack and Marilyn Tully of Falls Creek,
Pa., mother Dolores Newman of Glendale, Ariz., brother John Tully of Anchorage, Alaska
(currently serving in Iraq), and his sister Heather A. Farkas of Northampton, Pa.
64
Utah
SFC Nathan L. Winder | 2007 OIF
ODA:
18 D
Date KIA: 26 June 2007 OIF
Location: Diwaniyah, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Nathan L. Winder, 32, was a Special Forces medic assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Fort Lewis, Wash.
Winder died June 26, 2007, from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations
outside of Diwaniyah, Iraq. He was killed by small arms fire while assisting another U.S.
Army element as a member of a U.S. Special Forces Quick Reaction Force.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, SFC Winder was raised in Utah. After entering military service
in 1993, Winder was assigned as an Infantryman to 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment at
Fort Riley, Kan. He later served as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle section leader with 1st Bn.,
9th Infantry Regiment at Camp Hovey, Korea, and as a dismounted squad leader with 1st
Bn., 5th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas.
In 2003, he was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg,
N.C., to become a Special Forces medic. He earned the coveted Green Beret in 2006 and was
assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis.
Winder’s military education also includes the Warrior Leader Course, the Basic
Noncommissioned Officer Course, and the Basic Airborne Course.
Awards: Army Commendation Medal, 5 Army Achievement Medals, 4 Good Conduct
Medals, 2 National Defense Service Medals, Korean Service Medal, Global War on
Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist
Badge, Driver/Mechanics Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
65
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service
Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Winder is survived by his wife, Mechelle, of South Africa, and his son, Logan, of Herkimer,
N.Y. He is also survived by his parents, Tom and Terri Winder of Blanding, Utah.
66
West Virginia
SFC Jamie S. Nicholas | 2008 OEF
ODA:
18
Location: Yakhchal, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Jamie S. Nicholas, 32, was killed Sept. 29 while conducting a combat
reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of Yakhchal, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support
of combat operations while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group
(Airborne).
deployment in support of the Global War on Terror and second deployment to Afghanistan.
He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha senior weapons sergeant.
Nicholas, a native of Maysel, W.Va., volunteered for military service and entered the Army
in Aug. 1994 as an infantryman. After basic and advanced individual training at Fort
Benning, Ga., he was assigned to Co. A, 2nd Bn., 327th Infantry Regiment (Air Assault) at
Fort Campbell, Ky. In 1997 he became a team leader when he moved to Co. C, 1st BN.,
508th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) at Camp Ederle, Italy. He volunteered for recruiting duty
in 2001 and was assigned to the Pittsburgh, Pa. Recruiting Bn. Upon successful completion
of that tour, he was assigned as a squad leader when he moved to Co. B, 2nd Bn., 1st Infantry
Regiment at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He began the Special Forces Qualification Course
2005 and he earned the coveted “Green Beret” in 2006 and was assigned to 1st Bn., 7th
SFG(A) at Fort Bragg, N.C., as a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha weapons
sergeant.
Nicholas’ military education includes the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Northern
Warfare Course, Recruiting Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course,
Combat Lifesavers Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Warrior Leaders
Awards: two Bronze Star Medals, Purple Heart Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, three
Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct
67
Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign
Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional
Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, U.S.
Army Recruiter Badge (gold), Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge,
Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Nicholas is survived by his wife, Michelle, stepson, Brenton Troup and stepdaughter, Sharise
Troup, of Hope Mills, N.C., mother Karen Nicholas, and father Burke Nicholas, both of
Wallback, W.Va.
68
SFC Duane A. Thornsbury | 2009 OEF
Assignment: Company A, 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18 B
Date KIA: 12 September 2009 OIF
Action: Non-Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Duane A. Thornsbury died from injuries as a result of a non-hostile vehicle
rollover during a combat mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 12, 2009. He was medically
evacuated to the 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad where he was pronounced dead.
Thornsbury, 30, assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group
(Airborne), Fort Carson, Colo., was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom
as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula.
Thornsbury, a native of Clinton, Md., grew up in Bridgeport, W. Va., enlisted in the U.S.
Army Reserves April 1996 as a 92Y, Supply Specialist and came onto active duty service
September 2002. He later attended the Special Forces Qualification Course, earning his
Green Beret in 2006, as a Weapons Sergeant.
Thornsbury’s military education includes the Combat Life Savers Course, Warrior Leader
Course, Air Assault Course, Basic Airborne Course, Basic Non-Commissioned Officers
Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, & Escape (High Risk), Special Forces Qualification
Course, Ranger Course, and Jumpmaster School.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal,
Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component
Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal,
Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on
Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon,
Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, NATO
Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s
Badge, Senior Parachutists Badge, Parachutists Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
Thornsbury is survived by his brother Dana of Marysville, Pa.
69

List of Heroes by State California SGT Aaron J. Blasjo | 2011 OEF

Transcription

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