In Memoriam

[Grace]

25 November 2010

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

1st Lt. William J. Donnelly IV, 27, of Picayune, Miss., died Nov. 25 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

[Grace]

27 November 2010

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

Pvt. Devon J. Harris, 24, of Mesquite, Tex., died Nov. 27 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade. He was assigned to the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, at Ft. Polk, La.

[cassiesmom]

I heard this story on the news this morning. It makes me really mad that the businessman wanted to sell the items instead of returning them to the family.

Businessman to turn over slain Marine's belongings
NORTHWEST INDIANA | 'I want them to go to the right place'

December 1, 2010

BY JON SEIDEL Post-Tribune
A Northwest Indiana businessman said he plans to return the personal items of a fallen soldier to her family.

Hobart resident Mark Perko said he wants to return the items today to the family of the late Marine Sgt. Jeannette Winter -- the first U.S. servicewoman killed in Afghanistan.

"I just want them to go to the right place," Perko said. "I will take a loss on the items."

Perko, who says he has been pressured over the belongings, had planned to cash in on the items. Perko purchased the former property of Winters from a delinquent storage unit at least four years ago. As part of an attempt to resolve the matter, Perko attempted to call her brother Matthew Winters Jr. but he was visiting the woman's grave at Calumet Park Cemetery in Merrillville.

"I don't know what the guy wants," Winters said earlier in the day.

Because of pressure over Perko's original plan to profit off of the soldier's collections, the businessman also had said he didn't feel safe returning to his furniture outlet store in Lake Station after the story broke.

At stake was a collection of Sgt. Winters' former property, including her funeral flag, dog tags, military records and medals, personal photographs and letters from dignitaries. The Winters family said they put it in a storage unit for safekeeping after someone broke into a family home during her funeral in 2002.

But her father became ill years later and missed payments. Its contents were purchased by Perko, who said he makes several purchases from storage units each year.

Sgt. Winters, of Gary, was killed in the war in Afghanistan when a tanker plane hit a mountain in Pakistan in January 2002.

A Chicago radio station even offered on the air on Tuesday to reimburse Perko for the contents of the storage unit if he could say how much he paid. He said it cost between $1,000 and $5,000.

"You can't put me on the spot like this," Perko had said. "I have no idea."

[Grace]

30 November 2010

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

1st. Lt. Scott F. Milley, 23, of Sudbury, Mass., died Nov. 30 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.

[Grace]

16 November 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lt. Col. Gwendolyn A. Locht, 46, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was medically evacuated from Kandahar, Afghanistan, on May 22 for treatment of a non-combat related illness. She died Nov. 16 in Houston, Texas. Locht was assigned to the 96th Inpatient Operations Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

I found this link with more news about her death. She died of Leukemia.

[RICHARD]

Playing on the National Geographic Channel.....

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ry?id=11014790

[Grace]

29 November 2010

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of six soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 29, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an insurgent attacked their unit with small arms fire.

Killed were:

Sgt. 1st Class Barry E. Jarvis, 36, of Tell City, Ind.

Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Oakes, 29, of Athens, Ohio.

Spc. Matthew W. Ramsey, 20, of Quartz Hill, Calif.

Pfc. Jacob A. Gassen, 21, of Beaver Dam, Wis.

Pfc. Austin G. Staggs, 19, of Senoia, Ga.

Pvt. Buddy W. McLain, 24, of Mexico, Maine.

They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.