In Memoriam

[Grace]

24 September 2011

A soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord has been killed in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced on Monday.

Sgt. Tyler N. Holtz, 22, was fatally shot by insurgents while leading an assault against an enemy position in Wardak province on Saturday.

Holtz, of Dana Point, Calif., was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.

He joined the Army in 2007 and served as a rifleman and a Ranger Team Leader for more than three years, according to the United States Army Special Operations Command.

He was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan.

"Sgt. Tyler Holtz was a courageous and incredibly talented Ranger who died while leading his men against determined insurgents," Lt. Col. David Hodne, commander of 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, said in a written statement.

"Tyler Holtz personified the Ranger Creed to the final moments of his life and his actions inspire us to do the same. We will honor his memory and mourn his loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Holtz family."

Holtz is survived by his father, mother and three brothers.

[Grace]

24 September 2011

US Marine Lance Corporal Frankie Watson, age 21, from Tennessee, was killed in action on 24th September while conducting a patrol in Afghanistan. Family members said the Marine was shot in the chest.

According to news reports, L-Cpl. Watson had worked as a deputy in the Monroe County Sheriffs Department and patrol officer for the Madisonville Police Department, after he graduated from Sequoyah High School in 2008.

Article and pictures from hometown paper.

[Grace]

25 September 2011

An Oklahoma soldier died in Afghanistan Sunday.

Spc. Francisco J. Briseno-Alvarez Jr., 27, of Oklahoma City died when insurgents attacked his unit using an Improvised Explosive Device, or IED.

Three other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Briseno-Alvarez joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard on September 11, 2010. He was serving in the 1st Battalion of the 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team out of Stillwater.

He is the 12th soldier from the Oklahoma National Guard to die in Afghanistan since July 29th.

[Grace]

26 September 2011

21-year-old US Cavalry Specialist Garrett A. Fant, from American Canyon, California, was killed in action in Helmand province on 26th September 2011 when an insurgent bomb exploded against his unit. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Spc. Fant joined the Army in March 2009 and served with 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kansas.

His awards include the Combat Infantryman's Badge, NATO Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, and the Army Service Ribbon.

[Grace]

28 September 2011

US Marine 1st Lt. Ryan K. Iannelli, age 27, from Clarksboro, New Jersey, died on 28th September 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

1Lt Iannelli served with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, Marine Air Group 29, 2nd Marine Air Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina.

[Grace]

New Zealand

33-year-old New Zealand SAS Lance Corporal Leon Smith was killed in action on 28th September 2011 in Wardak province, Afghanistan. The Special Air Service trooper was shot in the head during a contact with enemy forces. He had served with the SAS since 2008 and had spent 11 of the past 24 months on combat operations.

He was part of an operation assisting Afghan police targeting an insurgent group planning an attack on Kabul. He was shot while watching over the cordon. He was evacuated by air and taken to a nearby base, but died on the operating table.

L-Cpl. Smith was an advanced medic and was first on the scene when SAS soldier Corporal Doug Grant was killed on 19th August.

Lance Corporal Smith’s family say he died doing what he loved.

[Grace]

28 September 2011

Lance Cpl. John R. Wimpey Cagle
19, of Tucker, Ga.; was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Sept. 28 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.

Article and picture from the AJC.