THE WAR ON TERROR - Including Afghnistan
KILLED or CAPTURED or MISSING or KIA/BNR

Sept 13, 2001- 2004       2005 - 2006         2007          2008        2009 Jan - August        2009  Sept -

See also Gulf War II

Date of Announcement

Names                               

Cause of Casualty

Spc. Aaron S. Aamot, 22, of Custer, Wash.

Spc. Gary L. Gooch Jr., 22, of Ocala, Fla.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael P. Montgomery, 36, of Savannah, Ga.

Chief Warrant Officer Niall Lyons, 40, of Spokane, Wash.

Staff Sgt. Shawn H. McNabb, 24, of Terrell, Texas.

Sgt. Josue E. Hernandez Chavez, 23, of Reno, Nev.

Sgt. Nikolas A. Mueller, 26, of Little Chute, Wisc.

Also killed were two soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.:

Sgt. 1st Class David E. Metzger, 32, of San Diego.

Staff Sgt. Keith R. Bishop, 28, of Medford, N.Y.

Staff Sgt. Luis M. Gonzalez, 27, of South Ozone Park, N.Y.

Sgt. Fernando Delarosa, 24, of Alamo, Texas.

Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, of Terre Haute, Ind.

Sgt. Issac B. Jackson, 27, of Plattsburg, Mo.

Sgt. Patrick O. Williamson, 24, of Broussard, La.

Spc. Jared D. Stanker, 22, of Evergreen Park, Ill.

Pfc. Christopher I. Walz, 25, of Vancouver, Wash.

Cpl. Gregory M.W. Fleury, 23, of Anchorage, Alaska.

Capt. Eric A. Jones, 29, of Westchester, N.Y.

Capt. David S. Mitchell, 30, of Loveland, Ohio.

Capt. Kyle R. Van De Giesen, 29, of North Attleboro, Mass.

Fleury, Jones and Van De Giesen were assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Mitchell was assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.

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Pfc. Kimble A. Han, 30, of Lehi, Utah.

Spc. Eric N. Lembke, 25, of Tampa, Fla.

Pfc. Kimble A. Han, 30, of Lehi, Utah.

October 23, 4:31 PMCharleston Military Community ExaminerSusy Raybon

Tragically, there is another air/sea disaster off the East Coast of the United States. This time, a Blackhawk has crashed into the fast-combat support ship, USNS Arctic, off of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Most of the information regarding this story will come out slowly, if at all, due to the special operations nature of the mission.

Thursday night Navy SEALS were conducting joint training exercises with the Army on “fast-roping” onto the Arctic when the Blackhawk crashed into the ship.

Since SEAL units do not have their own helicopters it has not been released where the helicopter was based out of. Speculation has the helicopter out of Ft. Bragg with the Army’s only special ops unit, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, but that has not been confirmed.

At this time local authorities report the death of one and injuries to eight other military personal. Neither service branches are identifying the names or the branches of those involved.  All of the injured and the fatality were aboard the helicopter and not the Arctic.

The military reports that those injured were able to be evacuated to a nearby hospital by a second Blackhawk also involved in the training exercise.

Investigation into the incident has begun.

Exactly one week ago, two Air Force F-16s were in a mid-air collision off the coast of Charleston, SC. Captain Nicholas Giglio lost his life in the accident. The Air Force continues search efforts to recover the remains of the pilot and the fighter jet.

Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison, Jr., 34, of Blairsville, Pa.;

Spc. Jesus O. Flores, Jr., 28, of La Mirada, Calif.;

Spc. Daniel C. Lawson, 33, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; and

Pfc. Brandon M. Styer, 19, of Lancaster, Pa.

Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats, 32, of Fredericksburg, Texas.

Spc. Anthony G. Green, 28, of Matthews, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin, 25 of Savannah, Ga.

Sgt. Justin T. Gallegos, 27, of Tucson, Ariz.

Sgt. Joshua M. Hardt, 24, of Applegate, Calif.

Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk, 30, of South Portland, Maine.

Sgt. Michael P. Scusa, 22, of Villas, N.J.

Spc. Christopher T. Griffin, 24, of Kincheloe, Mich.

Spc. Stephan L. Mace, 21, of Lovettsville, Va.

Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson, 22, of Reno, Nev.

Pfc. Brandon A. Owens, 21, of Memphis, Tenn. 

Sgt. Aaron M. Smith, 25, of Manhattan, Kan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Pfc. Brandon A. Owens, 21, of Memphis, Tenn. He was assigned to the 118th Military Police Company, 503rd Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Shaw, 37, of Markham, Ill.

Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26, of Bethany, Okla.

The incident is under investigation.

ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines  � Two US trooppers and a Filipino soldier were killed after their convoy hit a landmine yesterday in Indanan, Sulu, police said.

Sulu provincial police deputy director Superintendent Amil Banaan said two Filipino Marines were also wounded after their vehicle hit a landmine in a remote village in Barangay Kagay.

Banaan said the two still unidentified American troopers were being escorted by a contingent of Philippine Marines on a humanitarian mission when their convoy hit a landmine around 8:30 a.m. yesterday.

Police said the area of Barangay Kagay is located in Mt. Tumatangis, a known haven of Abu Sayyaf extremists.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said the initial reports indicated one of the American soldiers was instantly killed in the landmine blast while the other succumbed to injuries while being treated in hospital.

Brawner said the two Americans were part of the Seabees contingent helping the AFP in humanitarian missions in Mindanao.

“The US forces, their Seabees, were conducting humanitarian projects. They were not in combat,” Brawner said.

Lawmakers, on the other hand, questioned the presence of American troops in the area known to be infested by Abu Sayyaf extremists.

“Why are they there? American troops should stay out of conflict areas. The problem is they go to combat or conflict areas. Why were they in an area where there are landmines? We will necessarily define that area therefore as a conflict area at the very least,” Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago asked.

Santiago said the presence of US soldiers confirmed suspicions that the Americans were actively involved in the war against the Abu Sayyaf.

“War or battle is no longer defined today in armed forces manuals as actual shooting between two persons. War now includes unconventional warfare; so that is the basis of the contention that they are engaging, if not in shooting wars, at least in unconventional warfare,” Santiago said.

Santiago said US troops should not retaliate because it would be in violation of Philippine laws.

Sen. Francis Escudero, for his part, said casualties are expected from the US military if they continue to imbed with the AFP.

“In a situation where American troops are embedded in our own military, casualties are inevitable in a war of attrition. It is my hope that this incident will not lead to direct US involvement in combat operations against those who seek to impose their will on us by force of arms,” Escudero said.

‘Sympathy’

The US Embassy in Manila confirmed the death of the two American soldiers.

In a statement, the US Embassy said the deaths happened when the soldiers’ vehicle struck an improvised explosive device during a resupply mission for the school construction project.

“An investigation is underway to determine the details of the incident,” the embassy said.

The troops were not identified pending notification of next of kin.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney expressed grief and sympathy to the families of the soldiers killed in the incident.

“The US Embassy in Manila and the US members of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines express deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of the killed and wounded Philippine and US soldiers�we will always bee grateful for their contributions to improve the quality of life on Jolo,” Kenney said.

Brawner said no suspects were immediately identified, but suspicion immediately fell on the well-armed Abu Sayyaf, which is blamed for numerous bombings, beheadings and kidnappings of Filipinos and foreigners in Mindanao in recent years.

Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Benjamin Dolorfino said they have yet to confirm the reported death of the two Americans.

Dolorfino said they are still verifying the number of US troops in the convoy.

The attack was the second against the visiting American troops.

On Sept. 15, unidentified men hurled pillbox bombs at American soldiers at the wharf in Jolo, Sulu though no one was reported killed or injured.

The US troops were part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) conducting a humanitarian mission in Sulu.

Other US troops have been deployed in Southern Philippines to train Filipino soldiers against the Abu Sayyaf.

Police and military authorities immediately suspected the Abu Sayyaf extremists to be behind the attack.

Authorities noted the recent pronouncement of the Abu Sayyaf, notorious for kidnapping and beheading of American hostages, to attack US troops in Sulu.

An American soldier, taking part in military exercises in Mindanao, was killed and another seriously wounded when a bomb, believed to have been planted by the Abu Sayyaf, went off in a bar in Malagutay district of this city in October 2002.

Meanwhile, another explosion rocked Jolo shortly before noon yesterday after unidentified men lobbed homemade dynamite at the police Regional Mobile Group headquarters in Barangay Kasanyangan.

Baanan said no one was reported injured from the explosion that police investigators said was an attempt to disrupt ongoing court proceedings nearby.

Police also detonated a suspected bomb package left in front of a motel in downtown Jolo yesterday.

“It turned out the suspicious baggage contained picture frames and personal belongings,” the military’s Task Force Comet chief Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero said.

As this developed, heavily armed men reportedly led by Habier Malik attacked a Marine detachment early yesterday in Bitan-ag, in Luuk, Jolo.

The Marines were able to fight back, forcing the attackers to retreat. No one was reported killed or wounded. ��With James Mananghaya, Aurea Calica, Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude, AP

Sgt. Titus R. Reynolds, 23, of Columbus, Ohio;

Sgt. Edward B. Smith, 30, of Homestead, Fla.; and

Spc. Joseph V. White, 21, of Bellevue, Wash.

Spc. Corey J. Kowall, 20, of Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Spc. Damon G. Winkleman, 23, of Lakeville, Ohio.

The incident is under investigation.

Sgt. 1st Class Bradley S. Bohle, 29, of Glen Burnie, Md.;

Sgt. 1st Class Shawn P. McCloskey, 33, of Peachtree City, Ga.; and

Staff Sgt. Joshua M. Mills, 24, of El Paso, Texas.

1st Lt. David T. Wright II, 26, of Moore, Okla.; and

Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell, 24, of Carlisle, Pa.

Staff Sgt. Nekl B. Allen, 29, of Rochester N.Y.

Spc. Daniel L. Cox, 23, of Parsons, Kan.

The Line Of Fire: Reporter's Notebook
Trapped In A Killing Zone, Nowhere To Run

An operation by U.S. Marines and Afghan troops goes horribly wrong -- and a reporter is caught in the crossfire.
By Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy Newspapers
GANJGAL, Afghanistan — We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition.
"We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation.
Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier assurances that air cover would be five minutes away.
U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and tree lines -- despite being told repeatedly that they weren't near the village.
``We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We've lost today,'' Marine Maj. Kevin Williams, 37, said through his translator to his Afghan counterpart, responding to the latter's repeated demands for helicopters.
Four U.S. Marines were killed Tuesday, the most U.S. service members assigned as trainers to the Afghan National Army to be lost in a single incident since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Eight Afghan troops and police and the Marine commander's Afghan interpreter also died in the ambush and the subsequent battle that raged from dawn until 2 p.m. around this remote hamlet in eastern Kunar province, close to the Pakistan border.
Three Americans and 19 Afghans were wounded, and U.S. forces later recovered the bodies of two insurgents, although they believe more were killed.
The Marines were cut down as they sought cover in a trench at the base of the village's first layer cake-style stone house. Much of their ammunition was gone. One Marine was bending over a second, tending his wounds, when both were killed, said Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer, 21, who retrieved their bodies.
A full moon was drenching the mountains in ghostly light as some 60 Afghan soldiers, 20 border police officers, 13 Marine and U.S. Army trainers and I set out for Ganjgal at 3 a.m. from the U.S. base in the Shakani District.
The operation called for the Afghans to search Ganjgal for weapons and hold a meeting with the elders to discuss the establishment of police patrols. The Americans were there to give advice and call for air and artillery support if required.
Dawn was breaking by the time we alighted for a mile-long walk up a wash of gravel, rock and boulders which winds up to Ganjgal, some 60 rock-walled compounds perched high up the terraced slopes at the eastern end of the valley, six miles from the Pakistani border.

No air support
The first shot cracked out at 5:30 a.m. It quickly swelled into a furious storm of gunfire.
Sniper rounds snapped off rocks and sizzled overhead. Explosions of recoilless rifle rounds echoed through the valley, while bullets inched closer to the rock wall behind which I crouched with U.S. and Afghan officers.
Lt. Ademola Fabayo, 28, and several other soldiers later said they had seen women and children in the village shuttling ammunition to fighters positioned in windows and roofs. Across the valley and from their ridgeline outposts, the Afghans and Americans fired back.
At 5:50 a.m., Army Capt. Will Swenson, the trainer of the Afghan Border Police unit in Shakani, began calling for air support or artillery fire from a unit of the Army's 10th Mountain Division. The responses came back: No helicopters were available.
At 6:05 a.m., as our position was becoming increasingly tenuous, Swenson and Fabayo agreed that it was time to pull back and radioed for artillery to fire smoke rounds to mask our retreat.
Fifty minutes later, as a curtain of white phosphorus smoke roiled across the valley, Swenson and Fabayo unleashed an intense volley of covering fire while the rest of us sprinted back 20 yards to a series of dirt furrows, weighed down by our flak vests and water carriers.
The two officers raced back to join us. Everyone jumped up and ran for the next stone wall. Everyone but me. Afraid that too many people were jammed together as they raced, offering easy targets, I waited behind for a break in the gunfire, an Afghan border police officer crouched next to me.

Time to move
We soon noticed that the insurgent snipers were trying to outflank us again. My companion decided that it was time to go and bolted away, but the gunfire grew too intense, and again I pulled my body into the dirt and rocks.
I wasn't as terrified as I was angry: angry at the absence of air support, angry that there was no artillery fire, angry that Williams' interpreter had been killed, angry at the realization that the operation had obviously been betrayed and angry at myself for not bolting with the others.
I knew it was time to move when I saw a gaggle of Afghan soldiers pounding through the boulders past me, their commander, a bright 26-year-old lieutenant named Ruhollah, hopping between two of them, a bullet wound in his groin.
Bundling my legs beneath me, I sprang and ran, trying to weave as bullets kicked up dust around me.
I reached the next wall and plunged behind it, nearly falling on top of Swenson, Fabayo and several badly wounded U.S. soldiers.
As Fabayo cracked off rounds, Swenson lay flat on his back, clasping a pressure bandage to the shoulder of one soldier with one hand and holding the microphone of his radio in the other, calling out insurgents' positions to two U.S. helicopters that finally had arrived.
It was now 7:10 a.m., and with the helicopters prowling overhead, the incoming gunfire slackened enough for us to move again.
I stumbled down the valley to safety after I helped one of the injured soldiers into a medivac helicopter. Capt. Swenson and Lt. Fabayo headed off to find vehicles and, together with Cpl. Meyer, crashed back up the way we'd just fled to retrieve the bodies of the dead Marines.

Posted by Andrew Lubin at 7:43 AM

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The following Marines died Sept. 8 while supporting combat operations in Kunar province, Afghanistan:

Gunnery Sgt. Edwin W. Johnson Jr., 31, of Columbus, Ga.

1st Lt. Michael E. Johnson, 25, of Virginia Beach, Va.

Staff Sgt. Aaron M. Kenefick, 30, of Roswell, Ga.

Gunnery Sgt. Johnson and Staff Sgt. Kenefick were assigned to 3rd Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

1st Lt. Johnson was assigned to 7th Communications Battalion, 3rd Marine Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, of Yorba Linda, Calif.

Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu, 20, of Cumberland, Maine.