2015

December 2015 Casualties

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We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

Cpl. Andrew A. Aimesbury, of Strafford, NH was killed in a live fire exercise on Dec. 9.  He was assigned to the Hunter Army Airfield-based 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Stewart, GA.

Staff Sgt. Michael A. Cinco, 28, of Mercedes, TX. died Dec. 21 while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  He died of wounds suffered when his patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 11th Field Investigations Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, TX.

Staff Sgt. Peter W. Taub, 30, of Philadelphia, PA. died Dec. 21 while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  He died of wounds suffered when his patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 816, Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD.

Staff Sgt. Chester J. McBride, 30, of Statesboro, GA. died Dec. 21 while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  He died of wounds suffered when his patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 405, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL.

Technical Sgt. Joseph G. Lemm, 45, of Bronx, NY. died Dec. 21 while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  He died of wounds suffered when his patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 105th Security Forces Squadron at Stewart Air National Guard Base, NY.

Staff Sgt. Louis M. Bonacasa, 31, of Coram, NY. died Dec. 21 while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  He died of wounds suffered when his patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 105th Security Forces Squadron at Stewart Air National Guard Base, NY.

Maj. Adrianna M. Vorderbruggen, 36, of Plymouth, MN. died Dec. 21 while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  She died of wounds suffered when her patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.  She was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 9th Field Investigations Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, FL.

November 2015 Casualties

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We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

Pvt. Christopher J. Castaneda, of Fripp Island, South Carolina, died Nov. 19, on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident.  Castaneda was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY.

Four Army aviators were killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk crashed on Nov. 23.

Sgt. 1st Class Toby A. Childers, 40, from Hays, KS

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen B. Cooley, 40, from Cantonment, FL

Sgt.1st Class Jason M. Smith, 35, from Destrehan, LA

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael F. Tharp, 40, from Katy, TX

The helicopter crashed in the northeast portion of the Fort Hood Range. All four crew members were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment, First Army Division West. The aircraft, assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, was on a routine training.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin M. Weiss, 32, of McHenry, IL and

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Alex Caraballoleon, 35, of Patillas, Puerto Rico

were killed on Nov. 23 when their AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed in South Korea.  The accident happened about 50 miles east of Camp Humphreys.  They were assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade’s 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment and were on a routine training mission; the helicopter crashed in a mountainous area.

October 2015 casualties

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Remembering these nine fallen heroes and the families they left behind.

Capt. Jonathan J. Golden, 33, of Camarillo, California.
Capt. Jordan B. Pierson, 28, of Abilene, Texas.
Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Hammond, 26, of Moundsville, West Virginia.
Senior Airman Quinn L. Johnson-Harris, 21, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Senior Airman Nathan C. Sartain, 29, of Pensacola, Florida.
Airman 1st Class Kcey E. Ruiz, 21, of McDonough, Georgia.
Maj. Phyllis J. Pelky, 45, of Rio Rancho, NM,
Master Sgt. Gregory T. Kuhse, 38, of Kalamazoo, MI,
Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler, 39, of Roland, OK,

September 2015 Casualties

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September 2015 Heroes

We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

Staff Sergeant Jonathan Lewis, 31, of Warrenton, VA, died 2 September, 2015 of injuries resulting from a ‘hard landing’ when the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter belonging to HMH-464, MAG-29, 2nd MAW, landed ‘harder and faster than normal’. The U.S. Marine was part of a Virginia-based anti-terror and security team training on the use of ropes to access difficult terrain, aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Lewis was assigned to Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team (FAST) Company B, Marine Corps Security Force Regiment of Yorktown, VA.

SPC Kyle E. Gilbert, 24, of Buford, GA, died Sept. 21, in Bagram, Afghanistan, in a non-combat related incident. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.  The incident is under investigation.  He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY.

Seaman Philip Frazier Manes, 21, of Fairfax, Virginia, died Sept. 27, in Manama, Bahrain, of a non-combat related incident. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.  The incident is under investigation.  He was assigned to USS Gladiator (MCM 11), forward deployed to Bahrain.

August 2015 Casualties

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We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

Master Sgt. Peter A. McKenna Jr., 35, of Bristol, RI, died Aug. 8, in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds when he was attacked by enemy small arms fire.  He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Eglin Air Force Base, FL.

Capt. Matthew D. Roland, 27, of Lexington, KY. died of wounds suffered Aug. 26 when the vehicle he was traveling in was attacked near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan.  He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  Matthew was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL.

Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley, 31, of Pensacola, FL. died of wounds suffered Aug. 26 when the vehicle he was traveling in was attacked near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan.  He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  Forrest was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, NC.

July 2015 Casualties

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We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

On July 16, 2015, Sgt. Carson Holmquist, Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith, Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells, and Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt were murdered at a recruiting facility in Chattanooga, TN.

Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist – 25 years old

Sgt. Carson Holmquist grew up in Grantsburg, Wis., a hamlet of about 1,400, best known for its proximity to a wildlife reserve.  Holmquist’s decision to join the Marine Corps in 2009, a year after he graduated from Grantsburg High School, took him out of a tight-knit rural town and exposed him to the world, eventually placing him on the battlefield, as far away as Afghanistan and as close as Tennessee.

According to the Marine Corps, Holmquist, who was trained as an automotive technician, was deployed to Afghanistan from September 2013 to May 2014. It was his only overseas assignment as a Marine. Later, he was stationed in Chattanooga, where he helped train Marine reservists at the facility.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith – 26 years old

Randall Smith, a 26-year-old petty officer, was a married father of three girls.  Smith was from Paulding, Ohio. He was a former high school baseball star who had  enlisted in the Navy in 2010 and was a logistics specialist. For three years, he was assigned to the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship which has a home port in Norfolk.  He began his assignment in Chattanooga in August.

Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan – 40 years old

Known to family and friends as “Tommy,” Sullivan was a native of the Springfield, Mass. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan had made it home safely from two tours in Iraq — receiving two Purple Hearts.

He entered the service in 1997, served in Iraq in 2004-2005 and 2007-2008, and deployed in 2014-2015 to the Asia-Pacific region.  Sullivan received two Purple Hearts during a deployment from fall 2004 to spring 2005. The first came after a seven-ton truck he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device, causing bleeding from his ear. The second came after he was hit with shrapnel during a massive attack on the Abu Ghraib prison in April 2005.

He was recently assigned to a unit in Chattanooga, where he was responsible for coordinating training for reservists.

Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells – 21 years old

Lance Cpl. Squire K. “Skip” Wells had been a student at Georgia Southern University for nearly two years when he made a judgment call: He wanted to serve in the military, and he didn’t want to wait anymore.  Wells left college and joined the service last year, graduating from boot camp at Parris Island, S.C. He became a field artillery cannoneer, a job that would have him shooting heavy artillery guns in a team of Marines.

He was in Chattanooga, Tenn., for two weeks of reserve training. His unit, Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marines, is based there.

Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt – 35 years old

Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt was a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a pillar of support to his comrades in those conflicts who came home with physical or emotional scars.

After Matt Bein was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009, he turned to Wyatt for help in wrestling through what he should do with the rest of his life — leave the Marine Corps, or find some way to continue to serve despite his injuries.

“He was a mentor and a leader to a lot of guys,” said Bein, a former joint terminal attack controller who ultimately decided to accept a medical retirement as a sergeant.

He was married with two children, and an active-duty member of Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marines, an artillery unit based there.

Wyatt was a native of Russellville, Ark., and joined the Marines in May 2004.  He deployed to Afghanistan from October 2010 to May 2011, one of the most violent periods of the U.S. military campaign there. He previously served in Iraq from October 2007 to April 2008, and also spent time overseas on Navy ships.

June 2015 Casualties

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We remember these selfless heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

Pfc. Monterrious T. Daniel, 19, of Griffin, GA, died June 12 in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in a non-combat related incident in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. He was assigned to 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason P. May, 38, of Chesterfield, Michigan, died June 29, on board USS Essex (LHD 2), of non-combat related causes while the ship was at sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

May 2015 Casualties

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We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Devon J. Doyle, 21, of Alamosa, CO, died May 16, in Manama, Bahrain, of a non-combat related incident while on liberty. The incident is under investigation.  He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.  He was assigned to USS Farragut (DDG 99), homeported in Mayport, FL.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan D. Burris, 24, of Lisle, IL, died May 21, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, of a non-combat related incident at Zayed Military City. The incident is under investigation.  He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.  He was temporarily assigned to the Crisis Response Element of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula, Special Operations Command Central, U.S. Central Command.

Sgt. 1st Class Pablo A. Ruiz, 37, of Melbourne, FL, died May 24, in Bagram, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related incident.  He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.  He was assigned to Group Support Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, NC.

Staff Sgt. Kerry Kemp, 27, who was based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is among the dead. His sister-in-law, Lora Waraksa of Port Washington, Wis., said Marines notified her and her sister, Jenna Kemp, on Wednesday that his remains had been found. Kemp was a “proud Marine, a loving husband and most wonderful father,” with a year-old child, she said. He loved taking his nephews out to hunt for seashells, Waraksa said. Born in Memphis, Tenn., Kemp met his wife, Jenna, at Port Washington High School in Wisconsin, where he was voted “best smile” by his senior class. Kemp earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Valor, Combat Action Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal.

Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol, 26, of Warren, Mich., was to be married in October to his high-school sweetheart, according to the Macomb (Mich.) Daily. Bawol was part of a U.S. Marines special operations regiment from Camp Lejeune who had completed two tours in Afghanistan. Bawol’s sister, Brandy Peek, said that military officials identified her brother from remains recovered after the crash. On Thursday, the Warren mayor ordered flags in the city, just north of Detroit, flown at half-staff. Justin Manford, who once served with Bawol, posted on Facebook: “He was a phenomenal Marine and an even better man.”

Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif,  26, of Holland, Mich., was awarded the Silver Star, the Marine Corps third highest award for valor, on March 6. Seif, a critical skills operator with 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, was awarded the medal for his actions against the enemy in Badghis province, Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Trevor Blaylock, 29, was a husband and father of two young children who grew up in Lake Orion, Mich. In 2006, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was previously stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in Anbar province. He earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Combat Action ribbon.

Capt. Stanford H. Shaw III, 31, of Basking Ridge, N.J., was student government president and captain of the varsity lacrosse team in high school. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006 and became a commissioned Marine officer. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. He served two tours of duty in Iraq. He earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment ribbon (with two stars).

Master Sgt. Thomas A. Saunders, 33, of Williamsburg, Va.,  was team chief for 2d Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command. He earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Navy Marine Commendation Medals, five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Combat Infantry Badge and five Good Conduct Medals. He was promoted to the rank of master sergeant in September 2013.

Staff Sgt. Liam A. Flynn, 33, of Queens, New York, was born in Reading, England. He enlisted in the Marines in 2002, and was assigned to Camp Lejeune. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals with Valor, the Bronze Star with Valor and Combat Action Ribbon.

CWO4 David Strother, of Pineville, La., a National Guardsman who was one of two pilots on the helicopter, had served overseas tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Pastor Darryl Hoychick of Trinity Baptist Church in Pineville, according to USA Today.

April 2015 Casualties

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April 2015 Heroes

We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and the families they left behind.

Spc. John M. Dawson, 22, of Whitinsville, MA, died April 8, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was attacked by small arms fire while he was on an escort mission. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 33 Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY.

Tech. Sgt. Anthony E. Salazar, 40, of Hermosa Beach, CA, died April 13, at an air base in southwest Asia in a non-combat related incident. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron, 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group, U.S. Air Forces Central Command.