In Memoriam

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29 September 2011

Fort Polk Solder from Ga. Dies in Iraq


FORT POLK, La. - The Army has announced the death in Iraq of a Fort Polk soldier from Georgia.

A news release from the Louisiana base on Saturday said that 23-year-old Spc. Adrian G. Mills of Newnan, Ga., died Sept. 29 in Kirkuk, Iraq. He died from wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by insurgents.

Mills was assigned to the 272nd Military Police Company, 519th Military Police Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

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28 September 2011

US Marine Staff Sergeant Nicholas A. Sprovtsoff was one of two Marines who died during combat operations in Helmand province on 28th September 2011.

28-year-old Staff Sgt. Sprovtsoff, from Davison, Michigan, served with the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, based at Camp Pendleton, California.

Staff Sgt. Sprovtsoff had 10 years service with the Marine Corps. He attended the Amphibious Assault Vehicle Crewman School at Camp Pendleton in 2002 and served his first six years as an AAV crew man. In November 2008, he joined MARSOC as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician.

His awards include a Bronze Star with combat V, Army Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat V, Army Achievement Medal, two Combat Action Ribbons and two Good Conduct Medals.

[Grace]

28 September 2011

La Cueva grad dies in Afghan combat


ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque Marine has been killed in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Christopher Diaz, 27, died in combat Wednesday in Helmand province, a Taliban hotbed along the Pakistan border.

The pentagon has not yet released details.

Diaz graduated from La Cueva High School and was in ROTC there.

His instructor told news 13 Diaz comes from a long line of marines. His grandfather, father and older brother were all in the corps.

Chris Diaz well-represented his school, his ROTC unit, the Marine Corps and the Diaz family extremely well," Bill Barker of the ROTC program said. "I think we have that to be proud of."

A Marine from Michigan was killed in the same incident.

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28 September 2011

21-year-old US Army Specialist James A. Butz, from Indiana, was killed in action on 28th September 2011 when a roadside bomb exploded as he was rushing to the aid of injured colleagues in Helmand province.

The 82nd Airborne Division combat medic served with the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Bragg.

He joined the Army in 2009 and after training transferred to the 1st Battalion in 2010. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Spc. Butz leaves his mother Mary, father John, brothers Will and John plus other relatives and friends.

[Grace]

1 October 2011

US Navy Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Caleb A. Nelson, from Omaha, Nebraska, was killed on 1st October 2011 when the patrol vehicle he was in struck a road mine in Zabul province.

26-year-old PO1 Nelson, father of two boys, served with the Naval Special Warfare Unit, based in Virginia. He had graduated from SEAL training in 2006 and had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Captain Tim Szymanski, commander of Nelson's unit said: “Caleb Nelson was a cherished teammate, a gifted SEAL operator, and a loving husband and father. His tireless professionalism, inspiring passion for life and his humble and selfless service to our country made him a role model for all who knew him.”

He is survived by his wife, two sons and his parents.

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28 September 2011

US Army 10th Mountain Division First Sergeant Billy J. Siercks died in Landstuhl, Germany on 28th September 2011 from injuries he received during a contact with enemy forces in Logar, Afghanistan, the previous day.

32-year-old Sgt. Siercks, from Velda Village, Missouri, served with the 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Drum, New York.

Article and photo from local paper.

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Vietnam

Missing Vietnam War Soldiers Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

Master Sgt. Charles V. Newton of Canadian, Texas; Sgt. 1st Class Douglas E. Dahill of Lima, Ohio; and Sgt. 1st Class Charles F. Prevedel of St. Louis, Mo., all U.S. Army, will be buried as a group on Oct. 5 at Arlington National Cemetery. Newton was also individually identified and will be interred individually at Arlington on the same day as the group interment. On April 17, 1969, the men and three Vietnamese soldiers were on a long-range reconnaissance patrol operating in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, near the border of Laos. That afternoon the patrol was ambushed by enemy forces and radioed for air support but thunderstorms in the area prevented rescue attempts. Search and rescue teams reached the site the next day but over the next week found no signs of the men.

Between 1990 and 1993,joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), interviewed witnesses, investigated leads and excavated the site associated with the ambush. The teams recovered human remains, personal effects and military equipment. In 2003, some of the recovered remains were identified as those of Prevedel. In 2006 and 2007, joint U.S./S.R.V. teams returned to the site and recovered additional remains and military equipment.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used dental comparisons and mitochondrial DNA in the identification of the remains.