R.I.P. - Sgt. Michael J. Guillory

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. Michael J. Guillory, 28, of Pearl River, La., died Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

            This incident is under investigation.

            For additional information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact Marine Corps Special Operations Command public affairs office at(910) 440-0770.

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from armytimes.com:

By Andrew deGrandpré - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Dec 15, 2012 15:08:13 EST

A California-based Marine was killed in a vehicle accident Friday in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Michael J. Guillory, 28, of Slidell, La., died about 1:45 p.m. while conducting a resupply mission in Helmand province, Marine officials said in a news release issued Saturday. He was a critical skills operator assigned to Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, part of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

When the accident happened, Guillory was among a group of personnel collecting supplies that had been dropped via aircraft, Maj. Jeff Landis, a MARSOC spokesman, told Marine Corps Times. It's not immediately clear what type of vehicle Guillory was riding in or whether he was driving, Landis said. However, the accident was not caused by an improvised explosive.

After the accident, which is under investigation, Guillory was rushed to a nearby medical facility where attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

Landis declined to identify where in Helmand province Guillory's unit is deployed, though he said the location is part of a well established village stability operation in which MARSOC has been working closely with the Afghan forces they are there to train.

Guillory joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and became a combat engineer before shifting, in 2007, to the elite reconnaissance community, where he served as a scout with 1st Recon Battalion. He moved to MARSOC in 2009, joining 1st MSOB after successfully completing the special operations community's rigorous selection and training process.

Guillory had previous combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Related articles

• RIP Sgt Michael J Guillory (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Sgt. Michael J. Guillory, 28 (goodsoldiersorg.wordpress.com)

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R.I.P. - Sgt. Wade D. Wilson

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. Wade D. Wilson, 22, of Normangee, Texas, died May 11 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

            For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.

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from nctimes.com:

A Camp Pendleton sergeant on his second combat deployment in Afghanistan has been killed, the Defense Department said Monday.

The department said Sgt. Wade D. Wilson "died while conducting combat operations in the Helmand province." No further details were provided.

Wilson, 22, was listed as a native of Normangee, Texas, whose family resides in Leona, Texas.
He was killed Friday, the Pentagon said.

Wilson was an anti-tank missileman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton.

CBS television affiliate KBTX.com in Bryan-College Station, Texas, quoted his high school football coach, Kyle Hardee, saying he remembers the fallen Marine's toughness and character.

"He was just one of those kids with heart, and he would be willing to do anything to get the job done," Hardee told the station.

A friend, Corey Boudiette, was quoted on the station's website saying he spoke with Wilson last Wednesday.

"He said that it was getting really hot over there and that he had been blown up by three IEDs in a week. But he said, 'It's OK, I'm having fun and I'm with people I care about,'" Boudiette said.

Wilson enlisted in the Marine Corps in June 2007 after graduating from Centerville High School where he played football, ran track and showed livestock at the county fair, according to base officials and an obituary from his hometown.

His decorations include the Purple Heart medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze star devices, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with bronze star device, and the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

Survivors include his parents, his stepfather, three brothers, a sister and three stepsisters.
Wilson's funeral services in Centerville are pending.

About 10,000 locally based Marines and sailors are serving in Afghanistan in this, the 11th year of the war.

They are being led by Camp Pendleton's Maj. Gen. Charles "Mark" Gurganus, who will brief local reporters later this week on his view of the war's progress.

Since the war began ---- after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 ---- 1,971 American troops have died in Afghanistan, including 107 this year.

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R.I.P. - Staff Sgt. Joseph H. Fankhauser

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Staff Sgt. Joseph H. Fankhauser, 30, of Mason, Texas, died April 22 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

            For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Logistics Group public affairs office at 760-763-7795.

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A McAllen family is in mourning after their only son was killed while serving overseas in Afghanistan.
U.S. Marines Staff Sgt. Joseph Henry Fankhauser was killed over the weekend.
Department of Defense officials confirmed that 30-year-old Fankhauser died during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Fankhauser died while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
He was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Fankhauser, who went by the name "Joe," served four tours of duty in Iraq and was serving his second tour in Afghanistan at the time of his death.
Sources told Action 4 News that Fankhauser received a Purple Heart for his service overseas.

Funeral arrangements for the fallen Marine are pending.
Action 4 News has learned that Fankhauser's wife lives in California, his mother lives in Central Texas and his father lives in McAllen.

Although Fankhauser attended Sharyland High School, he later graduated from a high school in Central Texas.
Family and friends are leaving their condolences, pictures and memories of Fankhauser on a special Facebook memorial page.

Fankhauser is the 44th Rio Grande Valley servicemember to be killed overseas.
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - The United States Marine Corps mourns the loss of one of its own.
Staff Sgt. Joseph H. Fankhauser, 30, of McAllen, Texas, died April 22, in support of combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.  He was an explosive ordinance disposal technician assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group.

Fankhauser enlisted in the Marine Corps June 19, 2000.  This was his fifth combat deployment. He deployed to Iraq in 2004, 2006 and 2007 and to Afghanistan in 2011.

His awards include the Purple Heart (second award), Combat Action Ribbon (second award), Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (seventh award), Afghanistan Campaign Medal (second award),  Iraq Campaign Medal (third award), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (third award), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation (second award), Presidential Unit Citation-Navy, NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

The Marines and sailors of 1st Marine Logistics Group mourn the loss of Staff Sgt. Fankhauser. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family.
-USMC-

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Female Engagement Team Deploys, Says Goodbye to Family & Friends

Video by Lance Cpl. Joshua Young
From Marine Expeditionary Force

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Female Engagement Team 12-1 members say goodbye to their friends and family at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The FET is trained to engage the people of Afghanistan, primarily the females, and build a trusting relationship by providing medical aid, supplies, education and other opportunities that will benefit families.

from DODLive

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R.I.P. - Cpl. Alex Martinez

Cpl. Alex Martinez was killed in Afghanistan on April 5, 2012. (Family photo / April 6, 2012)

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Cpl. Alex Martinez, 21, of Elgin, Ill., died April 5 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

            For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.

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from chicagotribune
by Peter Nickeas

A 21-year-old Marine from Elgin died Thursday during his second deployment to Afghanistan, according to his family and the United States Department of Defense.

Cpl. Alex Martinez, assigned to the 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California, died “conducting combat operations in Helmand province” the department said.

Martinez enlisted in the Marines in January 2009 when he was 18 years old and deployed to Afghanistan not long after graduating form the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, his stepfather Jim Bethke said.

“He surprised us,” Bethke said late Friday night. “He took summer school and graduated in the middle of the year. “

Martinez’s mother was greeted by four Marines who brought news of her son’s death about 6 p.m. Thursday night, Bethke said.

“It’s been pretty hard for her,” he said. “She chokes up talking about it.”

Martinez turned 18 in December 2008, married his fiancee Juliana and shipped out to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego in January 2009.

The two wed in a courthouse ceremony. Martinez had been talking about it and came home one day with the news, Bethke said. Julianna moved to California with her husband and was living there at the time of his death, he said.

Martinez’s mother and siblings made the trip to San Diego in 2009 to see his transition from a recruit to a Marine and the family held a big picnic before his first deployment to Afghanistan, Bethke said.

Martinez deployed to Afghanistan a second time on February 28 after a brief visit at home with family, his stepfather said. His first deployment lasted 7 months.

Bethke, his wife and other family members are scheduled to leave with other Marines for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware at 5:30 a.m. Saturday to receive his remains, he said. His funeral arrangements haven't been finalized.

Bethke said he considered the prospect of his stepson’s death when he joined – “but it’s in the back of your mind, especially when you know what’s going on over there,” he said.

“I don't know what to say really. It’s tough, you know?”

Related articles

• Marine From Elgin Killed In Afghanistan (chicago.cbslocal.com)

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Marine receives Silver Star for actions in Afghanistan

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.  — The parade deck at San Mateo was filled with Marines March 29, as Sgt. Ryan T. Sotelo, a San Mateo, Calif. native, was awarded the Silver Star. He was honored for the actions he took as a squad leader with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment while deployed to Sangin District, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Ryan T. Sotelo, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, shakes hands with Lt. Col. Christeon C. Griffin, battalion commander, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, after receiving the Silver Star at San Mateo, Calif., March 30. Sotelo received the United States’ third highest award for combat valor for actions he took as a squad leader with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment while deployed to Sangin District, Afghanistan. -  photo by Lance Cpl. Timothy Childers,

Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey, commanding general, 1st Marine Division, presented the medal to Sotelo, who is now a scout sniper with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Silver Star Medal is the United States’ third highest award for combat valor and is fifth in the precedence of military awards.

“It was humbling when the general pinned on the star,” said Sotelo. “When we perform out in country we don’t do it for metals, we do it for the Marine on the right and left of us.”

On Nov. 25, 2010, Sotelo’s squad was ambushed in an open field with machinegun and small arms fire, killing the platoon commander. Without hesitation, Sotelo took charge of the unit and moved them to a nearby canal. He then sprinted through heavy fire across open ground to retrieve the body of his fallen lieutenant.

With the defensive position now unreachable because of intense small arms fire, he called in supporting arms to cover the squad’s movement to a nearby compound. As insurgents began to assault the position, he fearlessly led his squad as they repelled the enemy.

When one enemy combatant began to fire on an exposed Marine, Sotelo closed in on the insurgent and killed him with a grenade.

 “As soon as we got across, we got lit up and engaged in every direction,” said Cpl. Jose Launder, Company K, 3rd Bn., 5th Marines. “Sotelo just ran over and threw a grenade.”

After a reinforcing Marine unit was pinned down by heavy fire from the insurgents, Sotelo again disregarded his own safety to engage the enemy machinegun with rifle, finally calling in an air strike that silenced the enemy fire.

“I think a lot of us are here because of his actions that day,” added Launder.
Realizing that his situation was dire, Sotelo lead a fighting withdrawal more than 600 meters through enemy fire to bring his squad back to friendly lines and safety.  

Sergeant Sotelo will continue serving his country as he prepares for the 15th MEU’s upcoming deployment scheduled for this summer.

3/31/2012  By Lance Cpl. Timothy Childers  , 15th MEU 
marines.mil 

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R.I.P. - Cpl. Conner T. Lowry

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
           
Cpl. Conner T. Lowry, 24, of Chicago, Ill., died March 1 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.


            This incident is under investigation.


            For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.


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from nbcchicago:

A United States Marine from the Chicago area was killed this week in Afghanistan amid the rising attacks on American military personnel in that country.

Cpl. Conner Lowry, a 24-year-old graduate of Brother Rice High School, was a gunner on a Humvee when he was killed. The family said Lowry was electrocuted.

"Conner was doing what he believed in, and that was fighting for us, for our country," said his friend, Owen Yanz.

Lowry was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif., the Department of Defense said Friday.

Lowry's family said the 6 feet, 5 inch tall former football player loved rock 'n roll music and had a large network of family and friends. Inside his old Beverly neighborhood bedroom, Lowry's uncle showed off his nephew's beat up guitar, huge sneakers and dress blues.

"He was just a great guy," said the uncle, Kevin Lavin. "You couldn't ask for a better person."

At St. John Fisher, Lowry's former elementary school, Sister Jean McGrath called the former student "the go-to guy." In the hallway, his 2002 high school graduation picture is adorned with a red, white and blue ribbon. Outside, students decorated trees with red, white and blue bows.

Lowry's grade school yearbook says he wanted to be an NBA coach or a sportscaster.

Lowry had been a Marine for nearly three years and had just four months to go before being discharged, the family said.

Lavin said Lowry's body will return to the United States on Saturday afternoon. St. John Fisher has offered to host the wake and funeral likely to be held Wednesday and Thursday.

The Marine is survived by his mother, two sisters and two brothers.

• http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/illinois-soldier-killed-afghanistan-141136073.html
• http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-20120302-005,0,7309938.photo
• http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/03/ap-corporal-killed-in-afghanistan-mother-030212/
• http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/conner-lowry-chicago-marine-dies-afghanistan-brother-rice-graduate-20120302 

Chicago Marine Dies in Afghanistan: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

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Marine copters crash, killing 7 (updated)

Image via Wikipedia

Two Marine helicopters collided at the Yuma Training Range Complex on Wednesday, killing seven Marines in one of the worst training accidents in recent years.

The helicopters that collided — an AH-1W “Cobra” and a UH-1Y “Huey” — were conducting routine training operations around 8 p.m. Wednesday in a remote area of the Yuma complex, the Marine Corps said in a statement Thursday. Both helicopters belonged to the the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

The complex covers airspace and lands in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California, including the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Bombing and Gunnery Range in California. The Associated Press reported that the two helicopters crashed in the Chocolate Mountains.

Such training accidents are relatively rare. In July a UH-1Y “Huey” crashed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., killing one Marine and wounding five others. At the time, Marine officials said the crash was believed to be the first one involving the UH-1Y since it joined the Marine Corps inventory in 2008.

Identities of the Marines in Wednesday’s crash will be withheld until next of kin have been notified.

The incident is currently under investigation, a Marine press statement said.

FOXPhoenix had a full story here: http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/war_room/7-marines-killed-after-choppers-collide-02232012

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from ARMYTimes:

Six of the Marines were assigned to a unit at Camp Pendleton, Calif., part of 3rd Marine Air Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. One Marine was based at Yuma. Their units have not been identified.
The Yuma-based Marine was a captain, instructor and pilot, according to Col. Robert Kuckuk, commander at MCAS Yuma.

The captain had “risen to the pinnacle of Marine aviation in his field,” Kuckuk said at news conference Thursday afternoon at MCAS Yuma.
Identities of the Marines will not be released until 24 hours after the next of kin has been notified.
The Cobra and Huey were both carrying explosives and were training together, along with at least two other aircraft. The Huey and Cobra collided 65 miles northwest of MCAS Yuma, Kuckuk said.
The crash site was in the Chocolate Mountain Gunnery Range, which is used for explosives training, Kuckuk said.
Aerial views of the crash Thursday afternoon showed several trucks amid the charred remains of the helicopters.
Capt. Staci Reidinger, director of public affairs at MCAS Yuma, said that the crash area is not a populated area.
Kuckuk said that the rugged desert mountain terrain “simulates Afghanistan very, very well.”
The Marines were likely using standard night-vision goggles during the mission. Kuckuk said that the goggles limit depth perception and don’t allow for a clear horizon.
“We train to those limitations ... we understand those risks. We take steps to mitigate those risks,” he said.
Typically the Cobra aircraft carries a pilot and a co-pilot and is used by the Marine Corps. The twin-engine aircraft has been used in combat in the Vietnam War by U.S. forces, as well as in Grenada.
The helicopter is known for its capability to operate during the day and night, in land- and sea- based operations, and in adverse weather conditions. Its ability to withstand desert conditions protected the aircraft during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Cpl. Steven Posy, a MCAS Miramar spokesman, said Thursday that the weather “was pretty mild last night.”

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R.I.P. - Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada

DOD Identifies Navy Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
            Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada, 21, of Maricopa, Ariz., died Feb. 14 as a result of a non-combat related training incident in Djibouti.  Estrada, a Navy hospital corpsman, was assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
            For further information related to this release, contact Lt. Cmdr. Tommy Crosby at 011-973-1785-6955.

 

Lance Cpl. Kyle Draper kneels before a pair of boots and a rifle at a Feb. 17 memorial service aboard USS Makin Island honoring corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada, who died in a Djibouti training accident Feb. 14. Estrada, who served with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, was 21 and a native of Maricopa, Ariz. “Doc died in the company of his brothers,” said company commander Capt. Matt McGirr. The landing team is the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group to the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility.

 Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn

ARABIAN SEA (Feb. 17, 2012) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Alexandria Greterman pays respects to Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada during a memorial service aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). Estrada, who was assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (11th MEU), died while conducting night live-fire and maneuver training in Djibouti. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David McKee/Released)

Image via Wikipedia

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R.I.P. - Sgt. William C. Stacey

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. William C. Stacey, 23, of Redding, Calif., died Jan. 31 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

            For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.

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UPDATE:
releasted news/video by www.kirotv.com:
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/seattle-marine-killed-afghanistan/nHRTB/

he was from Seattle, Washingtom...meanwhile the DOD release said he was from Redding, Ca


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He was a mortarman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, according to a news release from Camp Pendleton.

Stacey began serving in the Marine Corps Jan. 3, 2007. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan.

His personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze star devices, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with silver star device, and the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan.

"The Marines and sailors of 1st Marine Division mourn the loss of Sgt. Stacey," the news release said. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family."
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a fantastic tribute article by  Lawrence Dabney:
The Tragedy and Grace of Sgt. William Stacey

Will was killed this morning by an IED blast somewhere in Now Zad district of Helmand province. He was the only casualty, though another marine was injured by a second IED. He was on a dismounted foot patrol and some halfwit insurgent managed to cram enough explosive material into the bomb that it killed him. He’ll be buried in Arlington, I hear. Today was his mother’s birthday.

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