In Memoriam

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From the DoD -

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor and the identity of another sailor listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN). The announcement resulted from a July 23 incident in Logar province, Afghanistan, while the sailors were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley, 30, of Wheatridge, Colo., died from wounds sustained from the July 23 incident. Coalition Forces recovered his body July 25 after an extensive search. He was assigned to Assault Craft Unit One (ACU-1), San Diego.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, 25, of Renton, Wash., is listed as DUSTWUN from the July 23 incident. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, and the incident is under investigation.

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Great Britain

Sapper Mark Antony Smith killed in Afghanistan
A Military Operations news article

28 Jul 10

It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Sapper Mark Antony Smith, from 36 Engineer Regiment, serving with the Counter-IED Task Force, was killed in Afghanistan on Monday 26 July 2010.

Entire announcement from the Ministry of Defence.

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Updating posts #839 and 840 -

KABUL, Afghanistan – A second U.S. Navy sailor who went missing in a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan was found dead and his body recovered, a senior U.S. military official and Afghan officials said Thursday.

The family of Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, a 25-year-old from the Seattle area, had been notified of his death, the U.S. military official said on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to disclose the information.

Full story

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27 July 2010

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

Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard, 21, of Williamsport, Pa., died July 27 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of North Versailles, Pa.

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Canadian cowboy - cool story

The British Army has recruited a Canadian cowboy to teach soldiers how to look for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden in the ground when deployed in Afghanistan.

The cowboy is professional tracker Terry Grant, aged 52, who is famed for his hit reality television show 'Mantracker' in which he tracks contestants over vast swathes of the Canadian wilderness.

He has now been employed to pass on his unique ground sign awareness skills to the soldiers of 7th Armoured Brigade (the Desert Rats) who are set to deploy to Afghanistan next year.

The Desert Rats are currently training on Exercise Prairie Thunder 1 at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) located in the heart of the vast plains of Alberta in the west of Canada.

Entire article

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23 July 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was previously listed as duty status whereabouts unknown while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, 25, of Renton, Wash., died from wounds sustained from an incident in Logar province, Afghanistan, on July 23. Coalition forces recovered his body July 28 after an extensive search. He was assigned to commander, Navy Reserve Force Command. The July 23 incident remains under investigation.

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Italy

Cpl. Maj. Pierdavide De Cillis

From: Bisceglie, Italy
Age: 33
Unit: 21° Reggimento Genio (21st Engineer Regiment)
Died: July 28, 2010


1st Sgt. Mauro Gigli

From: Sassari, Italy
Age: 41
Unit: 32° Reggimento Genio (32nd Engineer Regiment)
Died: July 28, 2010


Two Italian soldiers killed when the roadside bomb they were defusing detonated in Herat, Afghanistan.