In Memoriam

[Grace]

16 November 2011

US Army Specialist James Burnett Jr., age 21, was killed in action on 16th November 2011 in Kandahar when an insurgent bomb blast hit the patrol vehicle he was in.

Spc. Burnett, from Missouri, had joined the army at the age of 17 and was serving with an Alaska-based Infantry regiment. He deployed to Afghanistan in April 2011.

He had returned to the US in July for two weeks leave and became engaged to his girlfriend. On his return to Afghanistan he had spoken with his father and step-mother a few weeks ago and had told them: "I'm in a bad place. Pray for me."

Spc. Burnett leaves behind his father and stepmother, James and Cheri Burnett, his mother and stepfather, John and Rebecca Rogers, his grandparents, Neil and Sally Rogers, fiancee Amy Keeler and eight siblings.

[Grace]

16 November 2011

US Army Pfc. Matthew C. Colin, from Navarre, Florida was one of two soldiers killed in action on 16th November 2011 when an insurgent bomb detonated beside their patrol vehicle. The incident occurred in Kandahar province.

22-year-old Pfc. Colin served with the Alaska-based 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The 2007 graduate of Navarre High School joined the Army in February 2010. This was his first deployment.

He leaves his father Ken, mother Kathy and his older brother, Michael.

[Grace]

16 November 2011

US Army Specialist Sean M. Walsh was killed in Khowst province on 16th November 2011 from what the US Department of Defense describes as "injuries sustained after encountering indirect fire."

21-year-old Spc. Walsh, from San Jose, California, served with the 185th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, based at Pittsburg, California.

Local link with picture.

[Grace]

England

British Army Lance Corporal Richard Scanlon was one of two British Cavalry soldiers killed in action on 17th November 2011 when their armoured patrol vehicle hit an insurgent roadside bomb. The incident occurred in the Yakchal region of Nahr-e-Saraj, Helmand province.

31-year-old L-Cpl. Scanlon served with the elite 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. He joined the Army in November 1998 and had served in Bosnia in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 and 2005 before deciding to leave the Army in July 2006. After being dissatisfied in a number of civilian jobs he rejoined the Army and the Regiment in September 2009 and was promoted to Lance Corporal in October 2010. He deployed to Afghanistan last month.

Lieutenant Colonel Jasper de Quincey Adams, Commanding Officer, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards said: "Lance Corporal Richard Scanlon was one of life's great characters, always with an infectious smile and a tangible love of life. An experienced soldier, calm under pressure, he was hand picked as the Troop Leader's gunner on a demanding operational tour. He was a fighting soldier, cracking in the field or on operations, and in camp, his flamboyant character meant he could find fun in any situation. His appetite for the finer things in life was prodigious and had earned him one of the more memorable nicknames - nothing was ever half hearted for Lance Corporal Scanlon."

L-Cpl. Scanlon leaves behind his mother Cherry, step-father Robert, father Raymond and sisters Lisa and Emma.

The other soldier killed in the same incident was Lieutenant David Boyce

[Grace]

England

British Army Lieutenant David Alexander Grant Boyce was one of two British Cavalry soldiers killed in action on 17th November 2011 when their armoured patrol vehicle hit an insurgent roadside bomb. The incident occurred in the Yakchal region of Nahr-e-Saraj, Helmand province.

25-year-old Lt. Boyce joined the Army in September 2009 and commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards in August 2010. He deployed to Afghanistan last month.

Lieutenant Colonel Jasper de Quincey Adams, Commanding Officer, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards said: "Lieutenant David Boyce was a charming young officer who, quite simply, represented everything that is great about the Regiment and British Army. He died while commanding his soldiers on operations in a complex and demanding environment. He led from the front, setting the very highest standards, and inspired his men and peers alike. Tall, powerful and with an infectious smile he, like so many officers of his generation, was committed to his men and determined to succeed on the operations."

Lt. Boyce leaves his father Martin, mother Andrea, sister Charlotte and girlfriend Jodie.

The other soldier killed in the same incident was Lance-Corporal Richard Scanlon

[Grace]

18 November 2011

US Army Private 1st Class Adam E. Dobereiner, from Molin, Illinois, was killed in action on Friday 18th November 2011 after an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle, according to the US Army's 8th Engineer Battalion Facebook page.

The incident occurred in the Arghandab Valley, Kandahar province. 21-year-old Pfc. Dobereiner was a member of the 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, based at Fort Hood, Texas. Two other soldiers were injured by the blast.

The Battalion's Facebook page quoted: "Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines (American and foreign) gathered in Kandahar to hold a ramp ceremony in honor of PFC Adam Dobereiner. Please keep all of the Soldiers, their Families, and the 937th Clearance Company in your thoughts and prayers as they finish up the deployment and begin their journey home."