In Memoriam

[Grace]

11 June 2011

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

Capt. Michael W. Newton, 30, of Newport News, Va.,died June 11 at Faryab province, Afghanistan,of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 84th Field Artillery Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Baumholder, Germany.

[Grace]

12 June 2011

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

Lance Cpl. Joshua B. McDaniels, 21, of Dublin, Ohio, died June 12 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

[Grace]

Korea

Soldier Missing from Korean War Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. 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. A.V. Scott, 27, of Detroit, Mich., will be buried June 22 at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Feb. 12, 1951, Scott’s unit, the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was supplying friendly forces approximately 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea, when Chinese Communist units attacked the area and forced a withdrawal. Scott was captured by enemy forces and marched north to a prisoner-of-war camp in Suan County, North Korea. Surviving POWs within the camp reported Scott died in April 1951.

Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200 to 400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with one of the boxes indicated the remains were exhumed near Suan County, which correlates with Scott’s last known location.

Among forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental comparisons, and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA, which matched that of Scott’s cousins, in the identification.

More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this identification, 7,993 service members remain missing from the conflict.

[Grace]

France

French Army helicopter pilot Lieutenant Matthieu Gaudin, age 37, was killed on 10th June 2011 when his Gazelle helicopter crashed in bad weather about 20km from Bagram, Afghanistan.

Lt. Gaudin, serving with a Regiment of Combat Helicopters (RHC) had previously served in Croatia (2002), Kosovo (2008), Cote d'Ivoire (2005 and 2010). He deployed to Afghanistan in June 2011.

His awards include the Gold Medal of National Defence, the Vermeil Medal with overseas clasp, the Yugoslavia Medal with clasp and the NATO medal.

Lt. Gaudin joined the military in 1997 and qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1998. He was described as a willfull and passionate officer.

He leaves a wife and four children.

[Grace]

2011 Foreign Fatalities

* Australia: 6
* Canada: 2
* Czech: 1
* Denmark: 1
* Fiji: 1
* Finland: 1
* France: 9
* Georgia: 3
* Germany: 7
* Hungary: 2
* Italy: 2
* Jordan: 1
* NATO: 3
* New Zealand: 1
* Norway: 1
* Poland: 5
* Romania: 2
* Spain: 1
* UK: 24
* UN: 6
* US: 172

[Grace]

France

French Army Caporal-chef (Master Corporal) Lionel Chevalier, age 24, died in Tagab, Afghanistan on 10th June 2011.

M-Cpl Chevalier, serving with the 35th Infantry Regiment, suffered a fatal gunshot wound while holding his weapon when he was returning from a patrol mission.

M-Cpl. Chevalier, from Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, joined the French Army in 2005. He had previously served in Central Africa, Lebanon and Guyana. He deployed to Afghanistan in May 2011.

His comrades described him as an excellent athlete, cheerful and highly motivated.

[Grace]

12 June 2011

22-year-old US Marine, Lance Corporal Sean M. N. O'Connor, from Douglas, Wyoming was killed in Helmand province on 12th June 2011 whilst conducting combat operations.

L-Cpl. O'Connor served with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, California.

L-Cpl. O'Connor enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 2007. His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.