In Memoriam

[Grace]

11 February 2012

24-year-old US Army Private 1st Class Cesar Cortez, from Oceanside, California, died on 11th February 2012 in Bahrain.

Pfc. Cortez, who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom from a base in Bahrain, served with the 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, based at Fort Bliss, Texas.

[Grace]

10 February 2012

US Marine Lance Corporal Osbrany Montes De Oca, from North Arlington, New Jersey, was killed in action on 10th February 2012 during an ambush by enemy forces in Helmand province.

20-year-old L-Cpl. Montes De Oca served with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

According to a report in the NY Daily News, L-Cpl. Montes De Oca was killed at the beginning of his patrol. "He was walking out of the base and he was immediately shot," his girlfriend Maria Samaniego said.

[Grace]

14 February 2012

A Navy hospital corpsman deployed with a Camp Pendleton Marine unit in Djibouti died in training, the Pentagon announced.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada, 21, of Maricopa, Ariz., was killed Tuesday serving with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. He died from a gunshot wound during a training exercise, according to the Naval Safety Center.

The Marine unit stopped in Africa during a sea tour, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the war in Afghanistan.

Estrada described his job as "fix broken Marines," according to his Facebook page.

He is survived by his wife, Alyssa. "My best friend and my soul mate died," she wrote on her page.

"Kyler Estrada is now and always will be the one love of my life. Thank you baby for giving me enough happiness in one year to last me the rest of forever. I will never forget you my love."

Thanking family and friends for the outpouring of condolences, she said: "Kyler was so blessed to have so many people who cared about him, and always will."

[Grace]

England

British Senior Aircraftman Ryan Tomlin, of 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment was killed in action on 13th February 2012 during a patrol in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand Province. SAC Tomlin was fatally shot when insurgents attacked his unit.

21-year-old SAC Tomlin joined the Royal Air Force in October 2008, completing his Trainee Gunners Course in April 2009 before moving on to the Phase One Field Gunners Course. He was selected to join 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment, based at Royal Air Force Honington, in June 2009.

He served in Afghanistan in 2010 as a specialist driver on a rifle flight (the RAF Regiment equivalent of a platoon), defending Kandahar Air Base. He deployed on his second tour in Afghanistan in October 2011 with No. 3 RAF Force Protection Wing at Camp Bastion.

Flight Lieutenant David Martin, Deputy Squadron Commander, 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment, No. 3 RAF Force Protection Wing, said: "Professional, experienced and extremely popular, Senior Aircraftman Tomlin was one of the best gunners in 2 Squadron. He excelled at everything he did and he epitomised the Royal Air Force Regiment spirit in every way. He was hugely respected by his peers and he frequently mentored the younger members of the Squadron. Joining the Squadron in 2009, Senior Aircraftman Tomlin soon proved to be an exceptional marksman, displaying an excellent flair for fieldcraft."

He leaves behind his mother and father, Diane and Kevin, and a sister, Michelle.

[Grace]

Navy Names Five New Ships


Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the next five Navy ships; three Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers, the USS John Finn, the USS Ralph Johnson, and the USS Rafael Peralta, and two littoral combat ships (LCS), the USS Sioux City and the USS Omaha.

Mabus named the three destroyers after Navy and Marine Corps heroes whose actions occurred during different conflicts which spanned several decades, but were united in their uncommon valor. The littoral combat ships were named after two American communities.

John Finn, who retired as a lieutenant, received the Medal of Honor from Adm. Chester Nimitz for displaying “magnificent courage in the face of almost certain death” during the Japanese attack on military installations in Hawaii during Pearl Harbor. Marine Corps Pfc. Ralph Henry Johnson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for shouting a warning to his fellow Marines and hurling himself on an explosive device, saving the life of one Marine and preventing the enemy from penetrating his sector of the patrol’s perimeter during the Vietnam War. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Rafael Peralta was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for selflessly covering a grenade with his body to save his fellow Marines from the blast during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Finn, Johnson and Peralta have all been recognized with some of our nation’s highest awards,” said Mabus. “I want to ensure their service and sacrifice will be known by today's sailors and Marines and honored for several decades to come by a new generation of Americans and people from around the world who will come in contact with these ships.”

The Arleigh Burke class destroyers will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. All three ships 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 the Navy’s ability to execute the Department of Defense’ defense strategy.

“The littoral combat ship is a major part of the future of our Navy,” Mabus said, pointing out LCS is fast, agile, and operates with a smaller crew and can perform operations in both shallow and deep waters.

“I chose the name for our two new littoral combat ships after Midwestern cities from America’s heartland, to honor the patriotic, hard-working citizens of Sioux City, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, for their support of and contributions to the military.”

Sioux City and Omaha will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly as combat needs demand. These mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.

Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis., will build the Freedom variant, the USS Sioux City, which will be 378 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 57 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and make speed in excess of 40 knots. Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., will build the Independence variant, the USS Omaha, which will be 419 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 103 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and make speed in excess of 40 knots.

[Grace]

16 February 2012

US Army Sergeant Jerry D. Reed II, age 30, from Russellville, Arkansas, died on 16th February 2012 in Paktika province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. Reed served with the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, based at Grafenwoehr, Germany.

[Grace]

17 February 2012

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- A Navy sailor from Columbus has died in Dubai.

The Department of Defense said Petty Officer First Class Paris S. Pough died Friday during a port visit to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates.

Pough was assigned to the USS Carl Vinson, which is based in San Diego. According to the ship's Facebook page, the 40-year-old hull technician died as a result of a noncombat-related incident in the port city.

Officials did not release the cause of death.

He was described as a "hard-working, trustworthy shipmate."

The Defense Department lists Pough as being from Columbus, but he has an address listed in Kingsland, S.C.

A woman who answered the phone at that number said he has four children, ages 12 to 1. She declined comment.