In Memoriam

[Grace]

16 April 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of five soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died April 16, at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an Afghan National Army soldier attacked them with multiple grenades.

Killed were:

Capt. Charles E. Ridgley Jr., 40, of Baltimore, Md. He was assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska; also,

Sgt. 1st Class Charles L. Adkins, 36, of Sandusky, Ohio;

Staff Sgt. Cynthia R. Taylor, 39, of Columbus, Ga.;

Sgt. Linda L. Pierre, 28, Immokalee, Fla.; and

Spc. Joseph B. Cemper, 21, Warrensburg, Mo.

They were assigned to the 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Pierre -

Taylor -

Cemper -

Adkins -

[Grace]

19 April 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Micah Aaron Hill, 27, of Ralston, Neb., died April 19 as a result of a non-combat related incident. Hill was assigned to the USS Enterprise as a machinist’s mate. Enterprise is currently deployed to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting operations in support of Operation New Dawn.

[Grace]

World War II

Missing WWII Airman Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

U.S. Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. James G. Maynard, of Ellenwood, Ga., will be buried on April 22 at Arlington National Cemetery. On March 12, 1945, Maynard and five crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops. Once cleared for takeoff, there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators. When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated. No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action. Their remains were determined to be non-recoverable in 1949.

In 1989, a Philippine National Police officer contacted U.S. officials regarding a possible World War II-era aircraft crash near Leyte. Human remains, aircraft parts and artifacts were turned over to the local police, then to U.S. officials at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).

From 1989 to 2009, JPAC sought permission to send teams to the crash site but unrest in the Burauen region precluded on-scene investigations or recovery operations. Meanwhile, JPAC scientists continued the forensic process, analyzing the remains and physical evidence already in hand.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA—which matched that of Maynard’s cousin—in the identification of his remains.

At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 72,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.

[Grace]

England

It is with regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Captain Lisa Head from 321 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Squadron, 11 EOD Regiment RLC, died on 19 April 2011, in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham, of wounds received in Afghanistan.

Ministry of Defence statement

Note the dates - she was there for 23 days!

[wombat2u2004]

He was in the Air Force. First with the 3rd TAC Fighter Wing at Bien Hoa. Second tour at Cam Ranh Bay, C7 Caribou. He didn't fly, he was aircraft maintenance.

Ah ok. I never got to those places. I very nearly went to up Bien Hoa to see some show there (could have been Bob Hope), but was called to go on ops at the last minute.

[Grace]

19 April 2011

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

Pfc. John F. Kihm, 19, of Philadelphia, Pa., died April 19 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

[Grace]

18 April 2011

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

Spc. Sonny J. Moses, 22, of Koror, Palau, died April 18 in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered as a result of a grenade attack at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, April 16. He was assigned to the 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

[Grace]

France

Cpl. Alexandre Riviere

From: France
Age: 23
Unit: 2e Regiment d’Infanterie de Marine (2nd Marine Infantry Regiment Infantry)
Died: April 20, 2011

Killed when his armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb near the village of Payendakhel in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.

[Grace]

World War II

Missing WWII Airman Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

U.S. Army Air Forces Pfc. Mervyn E. Sims, 23, of Petaluma, Calif., will be buried Friday in his hometown. On April 24, 1943, Sims and four crew members aboard a C-87 Liberator Express departed from Yangkai, China, in support of “the Hump” resupply mission between India and China. Prior to takeoff, a ground crew determined the aircraft had sufficient fuel for the six-hour flight to the air base on other side of the Himalayas in Chabua, India. Once cleared for takeoff, there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators. Army officials launched a search effort when the plane did not arrive at the destination. No evidence of the aircraft was found and the five men were presumed killed in action.

In 2003, an American citizen in Burma reported to U.S. officials at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) that he had found aircraft wreckage he believed to be an American C-87 in the mountains 112 miles east of Chabua. He was detained by Burmese officials when he attempted to leave the country with human remains and artifacts from the site. The remains and materials were handed over to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon. Attempts to excavate the site are being negotiated with the Indian government.

Meanwhile, JPAC scientists continued the forensic process, analyzing the remains and physical evidence already in hand.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA, which matched that of Sims’ sister, in the identification of his remains.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died. At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 72,000 are unaccounted for from the conflict.

[Grace]

22 April 2011

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

Sgt. John P. Castro, 25, of Andrews, Texas died April 22 at Paktika province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small arms fire. He was assigned to1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

[Grace]

22 April 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn.

They died of wounds suffered April 22, in Numaniyah, Iraq when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

1st Lt. Omar J. Vazquez, 25, of Hamilton, N.J.; and

Pfc. Antonio G. Stiggins, 25, of Rio Rancho, N.M.

[Grace]

23 April 2011

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


Staff Sgt. James, A. Justice, 32, of Grimes, Iowa died April 23 at Kapisa province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Le Mars, Iowa.

[Grace]

23 April 2011

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

Chief Warrant Officer, Terry L. Varnadore II, 29, of Hendersonville, N.C. died April 23 in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his helicopter went down due to an undetermined cause. This accident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

[Grace]

23 April 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

The following Marines died April 23 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:

Sgt. Sean T. Callahan, 23, of Warrenton, Va.

Lance Cpl. Dominic J. Ciaramitaro, 19, of South Lyon, Mich.

Callahan and Ciaramitaro were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

[Grace]

23 April 2011

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

Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin F. Bitner, 37, of Greencastle, Pa., died April 23 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.