In Memoriam

[Grace]

7 November 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 7 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms fire.

Killed were:

Sgt. Aaron B. Cruttenden, 25, of Mesa, Ariz.

Spc. Dale J. Kridlo, 33, Hughestown, Pa.

They were assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

[Grace]

4 November 2010

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

Sgt. Jason J. McCluskey, 26, of McAlester, Okla., died Nov. 4 at Zarghun Shahr, Mohammad Agha district, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

[Grace]

England

It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Senior Aircraftman Scott 'Scotty' Hughes serving with Number 1 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment died in Cyprus on Sunday 7 November 2010 following injuries sustained in an accident.

Ministry of Defence statement

[Grace]

8 November 2010

Soldier With Maine Ties Killed In Afghanistan
Spc. Andrew Hutchins Was 20

POSTED: 9:26 am EST November 9, 2010
UPDATED: 5:17 pm EST November 9, 2010

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Another soldier with ties to Maine has been killed in Afghanistan.

Spc. Andrew Hutchins, 20, was killed Monday.

Hutchins was a military policeman serving with the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky.

“As Veterans Day approaches, we are painfully reminded that our country remains at war, and that our men and women in uniform are still called to duty for their country,” Gov. John Baldacci said.

Baldacci said he spoke with Hutchins' father, who said his son had been wounded previously, but that he wanted to return to Afghanistan to be with his buddies.

Hutchins’ mother lives in Waltham and his father lives in Leeds. His wife plans to stay in Maine with her mother until Hutchins’ funeral.

Hutchins is the second person this month with Maine ties killed in Afghanistan. Marine First Lt. James R. Zimmerman, 25, died Nov. 2.

source

[Grace]

8 November 2010

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

Spc. Anthony Vargas, 27, of Reading, Pa., died Nov. 8 in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

[Grace]

9 November 2010

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

2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly, 29, of Tallahassee, Fla., died Nov. 9 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

[Grace]

Navy Commissions New Guided Missile Destroyer Jason Dunham

The Navy will commission the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Jason Dunham, during a 10 a.m. EST ceremony Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The new destroyer honors Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Amos will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Debra Dunham will serve as sponsor of the ship named for her late son. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when she gives the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”

Dunham was born in Scio, N.Y., Nov. 10, 1981, sharing the same birthday as the U.S. Marine Corps. On April 14, 2004, Dunham’s squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in Karabilah, Iraq, when his battalion commander’s convoy was ambushed. When Dunham’s squad approached to provide fire support, an Iraqi insurgent leapt out of a vehicle and attacked Dunham. As Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground, he noticed that the enemy fighter had a grenade in his hand and immediately alerted his fellow Marines. When the enemy dropped the live grenade, Dunham took off his Kevlar helmet, covered the grenade, and threw himself on top to smother the blast. In an ultimate selfless act of courage, in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of two fellow Marines.

Designated DDG 109, Jason Dunham, the 59th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Jason Dunham will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and will contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare in keeping with “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower.”

Cmdr. M. Scott Sciretta, born in South Amboy, N.J., will become the first commanding officer of the ship and will lead the crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Jason Dunham was built by Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics company. The ship is 509 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

The commissioning ceremony will be webcast live at the following location: http://www.navy.mil.