We remember these heroes who gave their lives for freedoms cause and honor the families they left behind.
January 2018 Heroes
Sgt. 1st Class Mihail Golin, 34, of Fort Lee, NJ, died Jan. 1 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, after being engaged by enemy small arms fire while on a dismounted patrol. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Carson, CO. The incident is under investigation.
Spc. Javion Shavonte Sullivan, 24, of Fort Mill, SC, died Jan. 8 in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, from a non-combat related incident. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company, 11th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade, Fort Hood, TX. The incident is under investigation.
March 2018 Heroes
They were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, died March 15 when an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in western Iraq. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Killed were:
Captain Mark K. Weber, 29, of Colorado Springs, CO. He was assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, GA.
Captain Andreas B. O’Keeffe, 37, of Center Moriches, NY.
Captain Christopher T. Zanetis, 37, of Long Island City, NY.
Master Sergeant Christopher J. Raguso, 39, of Commack, NY.
Staff Sergeant Dashan J. Briggs, 30, of Port Jefferson Station, NY.
All four were assigned to the 106th Rescue Wing at the Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, NY.
Also killed were:
Master Sergeant William R. Posch, 36, of Indialantic, FL.
Staff Sergeant Carl P. Enis, 31, of Tallahassee, FL.
Both were assigned to the 308th Rescue Squadron, Air Force Reserve, at Patrick Air Force Base, FL.
Master Sgt. Jonathan J. Dunbar, 36, of Austin, TX, died March 30 in Manbij, Syria as a result of injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his patrol. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. He was assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Ft Bragg, NC.
April 2018 Hero
Spc. Gabriel D. Conde, 22, of Loveland, CO, was killed in action April 30 as a result of enemy small arms fire in Tagab District, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
July 2018 Heroes
Cpl. Joseph Maciel of South Gate, CA, died July 7, 2018, in Tarin Kowt District, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan from wounds sustained during an apparent insider attack. The incident is under investigation. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, GA. Task Force 1-28 Infantry is currently deployed in support of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade.
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Andrew Celiz, 32, from Summerville, SC, died, July 12, in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained as a result of enemy small arms fire while conducting operations in support of a medical evacuation landing zone in Zurmat district, Paktiya province. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, GA.
Staff Sgt. James T. Grotjan, 26, of Waterford, CT, died July 12 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident July 8 at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. He was assigned to the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, NC.
August 2018 Heroes
Staff Sgt. Reymund Rarogal Transfiguracion, 36, from Waikoloa, Hawaii, died Aug. 12, 2018, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near him while he was conducting combat patrol operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Taylor J. Galvin, 34, from Spokane, WA, died Aug. 20, 2018, in Baghdad, Iraq, as a result of injuries sustained when his helicopter crashed in Sinjar, Ninevah Province, Iraq. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), Fort Campbell, KY.
October 2018 Hero
Spc. James A. Slape, 23, from Morehead City, NC, died Oct. 4, 2018, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as a result of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. He was supporting Operations Resolute Support and Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to 60th Troop Command, North Carolina Army National Guard, Washington, North Carolina.
November 2018 Heroes
Maj. Brent R. Taylor, 39, from Ogden, Utah, died Nov. 3, 2018, in Kabul Province, Afghanistan, as a result of wounds sustained from small arms fire. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to Utah Army National Guard Element, Joint Force Headquarters, Draper, Utah.
Sgt. Leandro A.S. Jasso, 25, from Leavenworth, WA, died Nov. 24, 2018, in Garmsir District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as a result of wounds sustained while engaging enemy forces in Khash Rod District, Nimruz Province, Afghanistan. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross, 29, of Lexington, VA, died Nov. 27, 2018, from injuries sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Andar, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, 39, of Brush Prairie, WA, died Nov. 27, 2018, from injuries sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Andar, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25, of Hookstown, PA, died Nov. 27, 2018, from injuries sustained when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Andar, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, NM.
December 2018 Heroes
Sgt. Jason Mitchell McClary, 24, from Export, PA, died Dec. 2, 2018, in Landstuhl, Germany, as a result of injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device on Nov. 27, 2018, in Andar District, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO.
Pfc. Joshua Mikeasky, 19, from Johnstown, PA, died Dec. 13, 2018, at Bagram Airfield, Bagram District, Parwan Province, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related incident. He was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY.