The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Enrique Mondragon, 23, of The Colony, Texas, died Dec. 24, in Baraki Barak, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by small arms fire while on dismounted patrol. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany.
For further information related to this release, please contact U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs, Heidelberg, Germany at (011) 49 622-1577270. After duty hours, please call (011) 49 162-2716685.
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from WFAA: Posted on December 26, 2012 at 5:25 PM Updated yesterday at 5:29 PM A soldier from The Colony has been killed in Afghanistan. Sgt. Enrique Mondragon, 23, died after his unit was attacked by small arms fire while on patrol in Baraki Barak, about 40 miles south of the capital, Kabul, on Christmas Eve.
His body was brought back to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday morning. Funeral services are pending.
Mondragon was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Bamberg, Germany.
At least 2,040 members of the U.S. military have now died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, according to the Associated Press.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Brittany B. Gordon, 24, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died Oct. 13, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device. She was assigned to the 572 Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
For more information the media may contact the 7th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office by calling 253-477-5746 or 253-477-0174. After duty hours, call 253-477-5543, and ask for the 7th Infantry Division public affairs officer on call.
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from Tampa Bay Times: By Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer In Print: Tuesday, October 16, 2012
...
Gordon is the daughter of St. Petersburg assistant police chief Cedric Gordon and his former wife, Brenda Gordon. The 24-year-old grew up in St. Petersburg and graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 2006.
She is the first female soldier from the Tampa Bay area killed in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Her family was notified of her death Saturday. Her remains arrived early Monday morning at Dover Air Force Base.
Family members said Brittany Gordon's parents met the body in Delaware. Services have not been announced yet.
"I know that Chief Gordon was extremely proud of Brittany and all that she accomplished in her life," police Chief Chuck Harmon said in a statement. "Her life of service and especially service to her country stand as a testament to the type of person she was."
Family friend Cynthia Jolliff-Johnson said Brittany Gordon was vivacious.
"She was kind. She was compassionate. She really had a joie de vivre," Jolliff-Johnson said.
Gordon joined the military in 2010. This was her first deployment. She was assigned to the 572 Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, the military said.
Gordon worked in military communications, relatives said. She was scheduled to return home in December.
Some 20,000 of the 205,000 service members serving in Afghanistan are women, according to the Department of Defense. Pentagon statistics show that, as of Monday, 152 military women have been killed and 947 wounded in combat and noncombat incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Defense Department says there have been more than 2,000 total military deaths in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Shane W. Cantu, 20, of Corunna, Mich., died Aug. 28, in Charkh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was hit by shrapnel.
Cantu was assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy.
For more information pertaining to this release, media may contact the U.S. Army Europe public affairs office in Heidelberg, Germany at 011-49-162-271-6685.
CORUNNA — A funeral is planned at Corunna High School for a 20-year-old graduate who was killed while serving in Afghanistan.
The body of Army Pfc. Shane Cantu of Corunna arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week, with a military honor guard on hand to carry the flag-draped coffin.
Visitation is 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Nelson-House Funeral Home in Owosso. The service is 5 p.m. Monday at the school's Nick Annese Field. Details of the funeral service were reported Wednesday by the Flint Journal.
Cantu's ex-football coach has said he died Aug. 28 after insurgents threw an explosive over a base wall.
Cantu had been stationed in Germany and Italy before transferring to Afghanistan a month before he was killed.
--- from wilx.com:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died Sept. 1, in Batur Village, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Jeremie S. Border, 28, of Mesquite, Texas, assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Torii Station, Japan; and
Staff Sgt. Jonathan P. Schmidt, 28, of Petersburg, Va., assigned to 192nd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, 20th Support Command (CBRNE), Fort Bragg, N.C.
For more information regarding Border please contact the Special Forces Command public affairs office at 910-432-6005 or 910-689-6187.
For more information regarding Schmidt please contact the 20th Support Command CBRNE public affairs office at 443-910-5799 or 410-436-9533.
by TERESA WOODARD Posted on September 3, 2012 at 10:02 PM Updated yesterday at 10:15 PM
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeremie Border of Mesquite has died in combat in Afghanistan.
The Mesquite High School and McMurry University football standout is being called a hero by the people who watched him grow up.
The moment you pull up in front of Border's childhood home, you know. The flags and ribbons give it away.
This is a soldier's home.
Neighbor John Counts described Border in simple but powerful terms: "A man. A man of honor."
He and others best remember him as a boy — a football player at Mesquite High School, where they said he was a member of the 2001 state championship team which recorded a perfect 15-0 season.
Border went on to play college football for four years at McMurry University in Abilene.
Then he joined the Army, became a staff sergeant, and a Green Beret.
Border was killed Saturday in Afghanistan. His body arrived Monday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
from hamptonroads.com: By Mike Connors The Virginian-Pilot
September 4, 2012 Soldier from Petersburg killed in Afghanistan
A soldier from central Virginia was killed Saturday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced today.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan P. Schmidt, 28, of Petersburg, died in Batur Village, when enemy forces attacked his unit, a news release said. Schmidt was assigned to 192nd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, 20th Support Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Jeffrey L. Rice, 24, of Troy, Ohio, died July 19, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.
For more information, the media may contact the Fort Hood Public Affairs Office at 254-287-9993 or 254-287-0106.
By Katie Wedell Staff Writer Updated: 5:51 p.m. Sunday, July 22, 2012 | Posted: 11:47 a.m. Sunday, July 22, 2012
TROY, Ohio —
A 2007 Troy High School graduate was killed last week while serving in Afghanistan.
Army Private First Class Jeffrey L. Rice, 24, of Troy, died in Kandahar, Afghanistan Thursday, the Department of Defense announced Sunday.
Rice was part of the 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade stationed out of Fort Hood, Texas and was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom at the time of his death.
Rice also attended Piqua Joint Vocational School, now the Upper Valley Career Center, for his junior and senior year, according to Troy City Schools Superintendent Eric Herman.
Herman said Rice was in the welding program and played football while in high school.
“I remember him just being real quiet,” Herman said.
Alan Wuebker was Rice’s welding teacher for those two years and remembered him as an attentive, respectful and hardworking student.
“Jeff was an awesome student,” Wuebker said. “He always talked about serving his country. It was his lifetime goal to do that.”
Wuebker said Rice actually earned a scholarship to continue studying welding, but enlisted instead. He said Rice hoped to further his welding career while serving in the Army.
Fort Hood had not released any details on Rice’s death Sunday afternoon.
His family reportedly travelled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Sunday where Rice’s remains were transferred along with the bodies of two fellow soldiers also killed in Afghanistan last week, Army Spc. Darrion T. Hicks of Raleigh, N.C. and Marine Cpl. Joshua R. Ashley of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
The 20th Engineer Battalion, nickname “Lumberjack”, provides combat engineering support, according to the Fort Hood webpage.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Cpl. Nicholas H. Olivas, 20, of Fairfield, Ohio, died May 30 in Zharay, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
For more information the media may contact 82nd Airborne Division public affairs at 910-432-0661/0662 or 910-587-0217.
FAIRFIELD — Three months after arriving in Afghanistan for his first
deployment, Hamilton native Nicholas Olivas was killed while on a patrol
Wednesday morning.
His father, former Hamilton mayor and vice
mayor Adolfo Olivas told this newspaper that his son was killed by an
improvised explosive device in the Kharay area of Afghanistan.
Adolfo
Olivas said he and Nicholas’ mother and stepmother went to Dover Air
Force Base in Delaware on Thursday to see his remains transferred from
the plane that brought him back to the U.S. He said the family watched
the dignified transfer on the tarmac from a distance.
Adolfo
Olivas said his 20-year-old son was a corporal with the Army’s 82nd
Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. and had been deployed in
Afghanistan since February. His son enlisted in the Army after
graduating from Fairfield High School in 2010.
The Department of
Defense has not confirmed Nicholas Olivas death and no official release
has been issued as of early Thursday evening.
Olivas was the
youngest and only son of four children to Adolfo Olivas, who served as
Hamilton’s mayor and vice mayor from 1984 to 2002, and Marian Olivas, a
Butler County Sheriff’s deputy.
“He was in the last wave of
soldiers who were trained as interpreters,” Adolfo Olivas said. “He was
up for that job and he excelled at that job.”
“Deep inside he viewed himself as a protector,” Adolfo Olivas said.
Last
year, Nicholas Olivas married fellow Fairfield graduate, Faith, and the
couple welcomed baby Connor in January, his father said.
Adolfo
Olivas said his daughter in law did not make the trip to Delaware.
“She’s a trooper,” he said. “ She’s taking care of her child. She’s
holding up well and is surrounded by family and friends.”
As for
himself and the rest of the family, Adolfo Olivas said they are holding
up as well and “we’re supporting each other the best we can.”
Mr.
Olivas said funeral arrangements were still pending but that his son
indicated to him and his mother that he wanted to be buried at Arlington
National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Adolfo Olivas said his son was an avid fisherman and loved hunting.
“It was his quiet time; he liked doing it on his own and with friends,” Adolfo Olivas said.
At
Fairfield High School, Nicholas Olivas was on the wrestling team.
Ronald Masanek, the longtime wrestling coach at Fairfield, described
Olivas as an “unselfish wrestler” with better than average skill.
“He
was very responsible, dependable and accountable,” Masanek said, who
added Olivas moved between the varsity and reserve squads.
Masanek said the news of his death was a shock.
Fairfield High School Principal Billy Smith said Olivas was known to his teachers for having a positive attitude.
“He
was the type of student who would stay after class just to talk,” Smith
said. “He consistently talked about his excitement to serve the
country.”
Adolfo Olivas said his son enlisted in the military in part because of having family members who also served.
“We’re
all very proud of his dedication to his country and family,” Adolfo
Olivas said. “He was quiet about it, but he was trained to be an
interpreter and translate.”
Over the past decade, Butler County
has lost 17 service members in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In early
May, Marine Sgt. John P. “JP” Huling, 25, of West Chester Twp., was
killed in Afghanistan.
In 2011, Army Spc. Michael B. Cook, 27, of
Middletown, was killed in Iraq; Marine Cpls. Adam D. Jones, 29, of
Germantown, and Lucas T. Pyeatt, 24, of West Chester Twp., were killed
in Afghanistan.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said the death has hit the department hard.
“We are a family here,” Jones said. “Marian is a wonderful employee and a perfect mother.”
Jones
said he knew Nicholas in his youth when he attended department events
with his mother. Marian Olivas has been with the sheriff’s office from
more than 20 years and has also been a Hamilton police officer, Jones
said. She is currently the sheriff’s office training specialist.
The
sheriff and others were with Marian Olivas Wednesday just after she
received the news from soldiers at her Butler Tech office.
“It just tears you up,” Jones said. “I’m still choked up talking about it.”
Jones noted his son also served in Afghanistan and Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer’s son is currently stationed there.
“It scares you to death when it hits close to home,” Jones said. “Just a terrible tragedy.”
Former
Hamilton police Chief Neil Ferdelman has known the Olivas family for
many years and said his daughters went to school with Olivas’ sisters.
He recalls seeing Nicholas and the rest of his family at sporting and
other school events.
“He had a typical all-American upbringing and
it wasn’t surprising to me that he wanted to serve his country,”
Ferdelman said. “It’s a terrible loss to our community.”
Ferdelman said he worked with Marian Olivas during her time with Hamilton police before she joined the sheriff’s office.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Tofiga J. Tautolo, 23, of Wilmington, Calif., died May 27, in Bati Kot, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device.
Tautolo was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719-526-7525.
An Army soldier who briefly lived in Wilmington was killed when his vehicle was attacked by an enemy bomb in Afghanistan over the Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. Department of Defense said Tuesday.
Spc. Tofiga J. Tautolo, 23, died Sunday after the roadside explosive detonated in Bati Kot, located in the Nangarghar province, according to the DOD.
His remains were returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday.
Tautolo was a former Marine who joined the Army last May and earned several medals for his military service, including the Navy Unit Commendation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal, according to records supplied by his base in Fort Carson, Colo.
Tautolo and his wife, Rita, lived in Wilmington for several months in 2010 after he left the Marine Corps but before he enlisted in the Army. Funeral services were pending.
"He was a great man and I'm so sad to see him go," said Rita Tautolo, who now lives in Seattle with the couple's 18-month-old son.
"He was so adoring and friendly to everyone," she said. "He helped everybody who needed help."
Tautolo was a cavalry scout assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson.
While serving in the Marine Corps, Tautolo was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan a year later.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc.Vilmar Galarza Hernandez, 21, of Salinas, Calif., died May. 26 in Zharay, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
For more information please contact the I Corps public affairs office at 253-370-9861.
Army Spc. Vilmar Galarza Hernandez - picture: via Facebook
SALINAS, Calif. (KGO) --
Here in the Bay Area there is another somber reminder of just what
Memorial Day is all about. One of the latest fallen soldiers is from
Salinas. The US Department of Defense announced on Monday that
21-year-old Spc. Vilmar Galarza, died in Afghanistan this weekend.
He was a devoted son and soldier serving in Operation
Enduring Freedom. Earlier on Monday at a memorial in Salinas there was a
ceremony which included the reading of 78 Monterey County soldiers
killed in Vietnam and 7 killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, there is
one more.
Photos on Galarza's Facebook page show his radiant smile and as his friends will tell you, he proudly served his country.
"Vilmar was very proud of serving his country. He was doing what he loved," said Florencio Gonzalez, a friend.
Galarza graduated from Salinas's Everett Alvarez High School in 2008.
The 21-year-old soldier died on Saturday. The Department of Defense says
enemy forces attacked Galarza's unit with an IED in the Kandahar
province of Afghanistan. His remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base.
The mayor of Salinas heard about the tragedy just after he attended an
annual Memorial Day service on Monday. Galarza's death marks the eighth
service member from Monterey County to have died in Iraq or
Afghanistan.
"The purpose of the ceremony is to remind us for
it to be that living, that real, that present is a particularly painful
reminder," said Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue.
Galarza's parents
live in a Salinas apartment where the home's door and windows express
their pride with Army stickers that read "Proud parent of a soldier" and
"My son is in the U.S. Army." Inside their home, their walls are
covered with photos and the scholastic achievements of their children.
There a plaques for perfect attendance for Galarza and his sister who
also serves in the military.
On Monday the family was out of town to receive the body of their eldest child.
"His family is having a hard time believing that he's gone. He was a very loved son," said Gonzalez.
A defense spokesperson said they weren't prepared to release any
additional information about Galarza's service, such as when he entered
the military or if any of his fellow soldiers were killed or injured in
the attack.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Israel P. Nuanes, 38, of Las Cruces, N.M., died May 12, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained during an enemy attack with an improvised explosive device.
Nuanes was assigned to 741st Ordnance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas, part of the 84th Ordnance Battalion, 71st Ordnance Group.
For more information related to this release, media may contact the 1st Armored Division public affairs office at 915-744-8498 or 915-744-8406.
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5/15/2012 - A U.S. Army carry team
transfers the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Israel P. Nuanes, of Las
Cruces, N.M., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., May 15, 2012. Nuanes was
assigned to the 741st Ordnance Company, EOD, Fort Bliss, Texas. (U.S.
Air Force photo/Roland Balik)
LAS CRUCES - The U.S. Department of Devense has
confirmed the passing of U.S. Staff Sgt. Israel P. Nuanes of Las Cruces
who was serving in Afghanistan.
Nuanes, 38, of Las Cruces died May 12, in Kandahar province,
Afghanistan, of wounds sustained during an enemy attack with an
improvised explosive device, according to the DOD.
Nuanes served in the 741st Ordnance Company, 84th Explosive Ordnance
Disposal Battalion, 71st Ordnance Group, of Fort Bliss, Texas.
"I extend my deepest sympathies and prayers for the family and friends
of Staff Sergeant Nuanes," said Congressman Steve Pearce in a news
release. "My heart goes out to his family and to the families of our
fallen heroes across the nation. We will never forget the sacrifice he
made to defend our nation and preserve our freedoms. His admirable
service to our nation and his dedication to preserving liberty will long
be remembered in New Mexico and across the U.S."
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