In Memoriam

[Grace]

Great Britain

Rifleman Jonathon Allott, 19, North Shields, England.
Company B, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles

Killed when a roadside bomb exploded while conducting an operation to insert a new patrol base near Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 5, 2010

[Grace]

Great Britain

Rifleman Liam Maughan, 18, Doncaster, England
Company B, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles

Shot and killed while providing protection to his platoon as they engaged with the local population near Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 6, 2010

[Grace]

Great Britain

Cpl. Stephen Thompson, 31, Bovey Tracey, Devon, England

1st Battalion, The Rifles

Killed when a roadside bomb exploded while on patrol south of Sangin district center in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 7, 2010

[Grace]

Great Britain

Lance Cpl. Tom Keogh, 24, Paddington, London, England

Company A, 4th Battalion, The Rifles

Died of a gunshot wound sustained during a small arms engagement at Patrol Base Bariolai near Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 7, 2010

[Grace]

8 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died March 8 north of Al Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. They were assigned to the 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.

Killed were:

Sgt. Aaron M. Arthur, 25, of Lake City, S.C.

Spc. Lakeshia M. Bailey, 23, of Columbus, Ga.

[Grace]

7 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook, 19, of Hungry Horse, Mont., died March 7 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Camp Ederle, Italy.

Don't you just love the name of his home town?

[Grace]

9 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died March 9 in Khowst province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using small-arms, indirect and rocket-propelled grenade fires. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Killed were:

Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson, 24, of Bald Knob, Ark.

Pfc. Jason M. Kropat, 25, of White Lake, N.Y.

[Grace]

Army Releases February Suicide Data

The Army released suicide data today for the month of February. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 14 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 13 remain under investigation. For January, the Army reported 12 potential suicides among active duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, two have been confirmed as suicides, and ten remain under investigation.

During February, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were five potential suicides: all five remain under investigation. For January, among that same group, there were 15 potential suicides. Of those, seven were confirmed as suicides and eight are pending determination of the manner of death.

[Grace]

11 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Garrett W. Gamble, 20, of Sugarland, Texas, died March 11 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

[cassiesmom]

Saying extra prayers for all servicemen and women today.

[Grace]

14 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cpl. Jonathan D. Porto, 26, of Largo, Fla., died March 14 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

[Grace]

29 March 1972

Air Force Pilot MIA From Vietnam War is Identified

The Department of Defense announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Air Force Maj. Curtis Daniel Miller of Palacios, Texas, will be buried on March 29 in the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery. Miller was part of a 14-man aircrew, all of which are now accounted-for. Remains that could not be individually identified are included in a group that will be buried together in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

On March 29, 1972, 14 men were aboard an AC-130A Spectre gunship that took off from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance mission over southern Laos. The aircraft was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile and crashed. Search and rescue efforts were stopped after a few days due to heavy enemy activity in the area.

In 1986, joint U.S.- Lao People’s Democratic Republic teams, lead by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), surveyed and excavated the crash site in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The team recovered human remains and other evidence including two identification tags, life support items and aircraft wreckage. From 1986 to 1988, the remains were identified as those of nine men from this crew.

Between 2005 and 2006, joint teams resurveyed the crash site and excavated it twice. The teams found more human remains, personal effects and crew-related equipment. As a result, JPAC identified the other crewmen using forensic identification tools, circumstantial evidence, mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons.

[Grace]

13 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Erin L. McLyman, 26, of Federal Way, Wash., died March 13 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked her base with mortar fire. She was assigned to the 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lews-McChord, Wash.

[Grace]

12 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class Glen J. Whetten, 31, of Mesa, Ariz., died March 12 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

[Grace]

13 March 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Spc. Steven J. Bishop, 29, of Christiansburg, Va., died March 13 in Tikrit, Iraq, while supporting combat operations. He was assigned to the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, 352nd Civil Affairs Command, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.