In Memoriam

[Grace]

UNITED KINGDOM

22 December 2009

Lance Cpl. Tommy Brown.
1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

Died when a roadside bomb detonated while on a foot patrol about .62 miles (1 kilometer) south of Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

[Grace]

UNITED KINGDOM

21 December 2009

Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, 23, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.
A Company, 3rd Battalion The Rifles

Died of his wounds following a firefight in Sangin, Northern Helmand, Afghanistan.

At the time, his platoon was working out of Patrol Base Almas, providing security, reassurance and freedom of movement for the local population in support of the Government of Afghanistan.

[Grace]

Christmas Day

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

Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, of San Francisco, Ca., died Dec. 25 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

[Grace]

26 December 2009

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

Spc. Jason M. Johnston, 24, of Albion, N.Y., died Dec. 26 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

[Grace]

From the Washington Post -

US troop deaths soared in Afghanistan in 2009

By JIM HEINTZ
The Associated Press
Thursday, December 31, 2009; 10:19 AM

KABUL -- U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan doubled in 2009 compared with a year ago as 30,000 additional troops began pouring in for a stepped-up offensive and the Taliban fought back with powerful improvised bombs.

A tally by The Associated Press shows 304 American service members had died as of Dec. 30, up from 151 in 2008. The count does not include eight U.S. civilians killed by a suicide bomber on a base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Also, the annual death toll of international troops, including U.S. forces, surpassed 500 for the first time in the war. The total this year was 502 compared with 286 in 2008, according to the AP count.

Among other forces, Britain took the worst blow in 2009 with 107 deaths and Canada lost 32, including four who died Wednesday when their vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb. Other countries in the international military operation lost a total of 59 service members.

Associated Press Writers Rahim Faiez and Deb Riechmann in Kabul and Rebecca Santana in Baghdad and researcher Monika Mathur in New York contributed to this report.

[Grace]

29 December 2009

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

Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Spino, 45, of Waterbury, Conn., died Dec. 29 in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was shot while unloading supplies. He was assigned to the 274th Forward Surgical Team, 44th Medical Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

[Grace]

1 January 2010

And another year begins . . . . .

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

Spc. Brushaun X. Anderson, 20, of Columbus, Ga., died Jan. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he was attacked by an unknown assailant. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.