In Memoriam

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2 May 2011

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

Cpl. Kevin W. White, 22, of Westfield, N.Y., died May 2 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

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World War II

Soldier Missing in Action from WWII 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.

Pfc. Robert B. Bayne, of Dundalk, Md., will be buried on May 7 in his hometown. On March 28, 1945, while patrolling the Rhine River in an inflatable raft, Bayne, a lieutenant and two other enlisted men were attacked near Schwegenheim, Germany. Bayne and the officer were wounded, forcing all four men into the swift waters of the river. The lieutenant was rescued but the enlisted men were not found.

Between 1945 and 1946, Army Graves Registration personnel exhumed remains of three men from two different locations when German citizens reported the graves contained remains of American soldiers recovered from the river in March 1945. Among items found with the remains were military identification tags. Two of the men were identified as enlisted men from the raft -- Pvt. Edward Kulback and Pfc. William Gaffney -- but due to limited forensic science of the time, the remains of the other individual could not be identified and were interred at the U.S. Military Cemetery in St. Avold, France as “unknown.”

In 1948, the remains of the unknown soldier were exhumed to compare them to available records for Bayne. After several years of analysis the remains could not be identified and were reinterred as unknown at the Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial in Draguignan, France, in 1951.

More than 60 years later, analysts from DPMO and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) developed case leads, evaluated records and determined that modern forensic technology could offer methods to identify the remains. In 2010, the remains were exhumed once again for analysis.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC used dental comparisons and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of Bayne’s brothers -- 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 74,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.

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The last known male British combat veteran of the First World War has died in Australia aged 110.

Ministry of Defence statement.

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4 May 2011

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

Spc. Riley S. Spaulding, 21, of Sheridan, Texas, died May 4 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

[Grace]

9 May 2011

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

Sgt. Ken K. Hermogino, 30, of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., died May 9 in Herat province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related vehicle accident. He was assigned to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

[Grace]

Korean War

U.S. Soldier MIA from Korean War Identified

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

Army Cpl. Primo C. Carnabuci of Old Saybrook, Conn., will be buried May 12 in his hometown. On Nov. 1, 1950, Carnabuci’s unit, the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, occupied a defensive position along the Kuryong River, near Unsan, North Korea. Chinese units attacked the area and forced a withdrawal. Almost 600 men, including Carnabuci, were reported missing or killed in action following the battle.

In 2000, a joint U.S-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a mass grave discovered earlier in Unsan County, south of the area known as “Camel’s Head.” The team recovered remains of at least five individuals as well as military clothing.

Analysts from DPMO and JPAC developed case leads with information spanning more than 58 years. They evaluated the circumstances surrounding the soldier’s death and researched wartime documentation on the movements of U.S. and enemy forces on the battlefield.

Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC used dental comparisons and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA -- which matched that of Carnabuci’s brother -- in the identification.

With this identification, 7,997 service members still remain missing from the conflict.

[Grace]

10 May 2011

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

1st Lt. Demetrius M. Frison, 26, of Lancaster, Pa., died May 10 in Khost province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.

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Romania

Cpl. Constantin Laurentiu Lixandru
From: Romania
Age: 30
Unit: Batalionul 26 Infanterie (26th Infantry Battalion)
Died: May 4, 2011

Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a reconnaissance patrol on Highway A1 in Zabul province, Afghanistan.

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France

Pfc. Loic Roperh

From: France
Age: 24
Unit: 13e Regiment du Genie (13th Engineer Regiment)
Died: May 10, 2011

Died of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated during a reconnaissance mission in the Tagab Valley in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.

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Romania

Cpl. Catalin Ionel Marinescu

From: Romania
Age: 28
Unit: Batalionul 26 Infanterie (26th Infantry Battalion)
Died: May 10, 2011

Died of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated during a patrol mission on Highway A1 in Zabul province, Afghanistan.

[Grace]

13 May 2011

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

Sgt. Amaru Aguilar, 26, of Miami, Fla. died May 13, at Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit encountered small arms fire. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

[Grace]

12 May 2011

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

Sgt. Kevin B. Balduf, 27, of Nashville, Tenn., and Lt. Col. Benjamin J. Palmer, 43, of Modesto, Calif., died May 12 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

This incident is currently under investigation.

Sgt. Balduf was assigned to 8th Communications Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Lt. Col. Palmer was assigned to Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Cherry Point, N.C.

Lt. Col. Palmer -

[Grace]

15 May 2011

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

Spc. Brian D. Riley Jr., 24, of Longwood, Fla., died May 15, in Kunar province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

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14 May 2011

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

Sgt. Robert C. Schlote, 26, of Norfolk, Neb., died May 14, in Omaha, Neb., from a non-combat related medical illness. He was assigned to the 195th Forward Support Company, Nebraska Army National Guard, Omaha, Neb.

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16 May 2011

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

They died May 16, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit using an improvised explosive device in Zabul province, Afghanistan.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. David D. Self, 29, of Pearl, Miss. He was assigned to the Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; also,

Spc. Bradley L. Melton, 29, Rolla, Mo.;

Pvt. Lamarol J. Tucker, 26, of Gainesville, Fla.; and

Pvt. Cheizray Pressley, 21, of North Charleston, S.C. They were assigned to the Brigade Troops Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Anchorage, Alaska.

Staff Sgt. Self -