R.I.P. - Staff Sgt. Eric D. Christian, Cpl. David M. Sonka, MWD Flex

DOD Identifies Marine Casualties

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            They died May 4, while conducting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. They were both assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C.  This incident is under investigation.

            Killed were:

            Staff Sgt. Eric D. Christian, 39, of Warwick, N.Y., and

            Cpl. David M. Sonka, 23, of Parker, Colo.

            For more information media may contact the Marine Special Operations Command public affairs office at 910-440-0770.

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The Department of Defense issued a statement Monday saying that Christian, 39, and Cpl. David M. Sonka, 23, of Parker, Colo. were killed “while conducting combat operations” and that the incident is still under investigation.

News accounts say that the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Christian was a Staff Sergeant assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C. and was working with a unit that was training an Afghan National Army soldier when the Afghani man allegedly turned his weapon on the Americans, killing the two Marines and a military dog, his brother said.

“We don’t have that many details because everything they do is very classified,” Phil Christian said.

The Afghani man was then shot and killed by the remaining members of his brother’s unit, he said.

from nbcnewyork.com
By Pei-Sze Cheng|Monday, May 6, 2013|Updated 4:50 PM EDT

Staff Sgt. Eric D. Christian of Warwick, N.Y. was one of two U.S. Marines killed in the Farah province of Afghanistan on Saturday, May 4, the Department of Defense said.

Christian, who grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Ramsey High School, was shot and killed in a "green on blue" attack, his brother Phillip told NBC 4 New York. It marks the second time in less than a year a soldier from the tri-state area was killed by an Afghani soldier whom he was training.

Christian was a decorated Marine with numerous medals and serving his fifth tour with the elite Marine Special Operations Command, his brother said. He left in the beginning of March and had just purchased a home in Wilmington, N.C.

His unit was based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Christian joined the Marines around 2003. He felt compelled to serve after Sept. 11 and after his younger brother Mark was called up to Iraq, Phillip Christian said.

The second oldest of four boys, Eric Christian was a star football player while at Ramsey High, according to Phillip.

Christian was not married and had no children.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered flags on state government buildings fly at half-staff on Thursday in Christian's honor.

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Cpl. David M. Sonka, 23, of Parker, Colo., died May 4, while conducting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Dave was serving his second deployment and had just arrived in Afghanistan a few weeks prior.
His dog, MWD Flex killed too.

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R.I.P. - Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan W. Gifford, Gunnery Sgt. Daniel J. Price

DOD Identifies Marine Casualties

             The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

             They died July 29 while conducting combat operations in Badghis province, Afghanistan.

             Killed were:

             Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan W. Gifford, 34, of Palm Bay, Fla.  He was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; also,

             Gunnery Sgt. Daniel J. Price, 27, of Holland, Mich.  He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

             For more information media may contact the Marine Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office at 910-440-0770.

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Gunnery Sgt. Daniel J. Price

from marinecorpstimes:

By Andrew deGrandpré - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 30, 2012 20:49:42 EDT

Two elite special operations Marines were killed in combat Sunday in northwestern Afghanistan.

Gunnery Sgt. Daniel J. Price, 27, of Holland, Mich., and Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan W. Gifford, 34, of Palm Bay, Fla., died during a morning patrol in Badghis province, a Marine official told Marine Corps Times on Monday.

Both were critical skills operators assigned to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. Price belonged to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion out Camp Pendleton, Calif. Gifford was from 2nd MSOB out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Although they came from separate commands within MARSOC, Price and Gifford were assigned to the same special operations task force in Afghanistan, the Marine official said.

A Purple Heart recipient, Price experienced ample combat over the last several years. He deployed three times each in support of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a Marine Corps news release.

On Nov. 10, the Marine Corps’ birthday, Price was awarded a Bronze Star with “V” device for his actions during a 2009, battle in Afghanistan’s Farah province. When the remote weapon on his vehicle was destroyed, he climbed on top to man its MK19 grenade launcher, according to his medal citation. As enemy rounds whipped by, Price stayed put — holding his position for four hours and killing “numerous” insurgents in the process.

Price enlisted in 2003 and attended the Marine Corps’ Basic Reconnaissance Course a year later, according to the Marine Corps’ news release. He was a member of Camp Pendleton’s 1st Recon Battalion before joining MAROC in 2008.

Gifford was just shy of 15 years in the service. A member of the Corps’ force reconnaissance community prior to joining MARSOC, he also completed multiple combat deployments and earned a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat “V,” the Marine official said.

It’s not immediately clear how Price and Gifford died. Parts of Badghis province, which borders Turkmenistan, have been marked by violence for the past several years, according to a report published late last year by the Naval Postgraduate School.

Sgt. Justin M. Hansen, also a member of 2nd MSOB, was shot and killed during a house sweep in Badghis province only one week ago. He was on his second deployment to Afghanistan.

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