Slain Marine commander’s actions called heroic
By ERNESTO LONDOÑO
The Washington Post
Published: September 23, 2012
Lt. Col. Christopher K. Raible was heading home to video chat with his wife after dinner when the first blasts rang out. The pops in the distance on Sept. 14 at Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan were harbingers of the most audacious Taliban attack on a major NATO base in the decade-long war.
Like most folks in the sprawling remote desert camp, Raible, 40, a Marine fighter pilot, faced two choices: seek cover or run toward the sound of gunfire.
“The difference between me and some people is that when they hear gunfire, they run. When I hear gunfire, I run to it,” the squadron commander had often told his Marines half in jest, recalled Maj. Greer Chambless, who was with Raible on the night of the attack.
That evening Raible did just that. Armed only with a handgun, he embarked on a course that cost him his life and probably averted even more devastating losses, witnesses and comrades said.
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Showing posts with label Afghanistan casualties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghanistan casualties. Show all posts
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Staff Sgt. Matthew Sitton wrote letter to save others before he was killed
Letter from doomed soldier helped change congressman's mind on Afghan withdrawal date
By HOWARD ALTMAN
Tampa Tribune
Published: September 20, 2012
TAMPA — Sarah Sitton knew her husband Matt, an Army staff sergeant, was upset he and his men were forced to trudge through fields laden with improvised explosive devices.
She knew he was so concerned he wrote a letter essentially predicting his own death to U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who attended the same Largo church as the Sittons.
What surprised her was how much impact the letter would have.
Young this week reversed his position on Afghanistan, a change of heart he says came in part because of Sitton's letter. In a position opposite that held by most leaders of his party, the influential Republican is now calling for U.S. troops to leave the country ahead of the 2014 deadline called for by President Barack Obama.
He also has called a hearing for 10 a.m. Thursday to ask the agency in charge of protecting troops against IEDs to explain why so many are still dying and suffering horrific injuries despite an annual budget of nearly $3 billion.
Sitton was killed Aug. 2 by an IED in the same field he had complained about in his letter. He was 26.
"I don't feel Matt's service was in vain," said Sarah Sitton, who now is raising the couple's 10-month-old son, Brodey, on her own. "Because with him leaving that letter behind to the Congressman, I hope that it saves others that may come in the future."
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By HOWARD ALTMAN
Tampa Tribune
Published: September 20, 2012
TAMPA — Sarah Sitton knew her husband Matt, an Army staff sergeant, was upset he and his men were forced to trudge through fields laden with improvised explosive devices.
She knew he was so concerned he wrote a letter essentially predicting his own death to U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who attended the same Largo church as the Sittons.
What surprised her was how much impact the letter would have.
Young this week reversed his position on Afghanistan, a change of heart he says came in part because of Sitton's letter. In a position opposite that held by most leaders of his party, the influential Republican is now calling for U.S. troops to leave the country ahead of the 2014 deadline called for by President Barack Obama.
He also has called a hearing for 10 a.m. Thursday to ask the agency in charge of protecting troops against IEDs to explain why so many are still dying and suffering horrific injuries despite an annual budget of nearly $3 billion.
Sitton was killed Aug. 2 by an IED in the same field he had complained about in his letter. He was 26.
"I don't feel Matt's service was in vain," said Sarah Sitton, who now is raising the couple's 10-month-old son, Brodey, on her own. "Because with him leaving that letter behind to the Congressman, I hope that it saves others that may come in the future."
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Slain Marine sensed insider attack was coming
Slain Marine sensed insider attack was coming, dad says
By David Ariosto
CNN
September 17, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Greg Buckley Jr. was gunned down by the forces he had been training
"He told me, if I have to stay here until November... I'm not going to come home," his dad said
The phenomenon is known as "green-on-blue" and is disturbingly more frequent in Afghanistan
Buckley warned superiors an insider attack could happen, his father says; CNN could not confirm
Oceanside, New York (CNN) -- Deployed to a volatile outpost in southern Afghanistan where U.S. Marines routinely face a mix of skirmishes and hidden explosives, Greg Buckley Jr. sensed that an attack was imminent.
And he knew that it would come from within.
The 21-year-old Marine was posted to Garmsir in Helmand Province, where he was training local security forces as part of NATO's planned withdrawal in 2014.
It was during a static-filled phone call to his father over the summer that the Long Island native mentioned a run-in he had with an Afghan trainee while on guard duty.
read more here
By David Ariosto
CNN
September 17, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Greg Buckley Jr. was gunned down by the forces he had been training
"He told me, if I have to stay here until November... I'm not going to come home," his dad said
The phenomenon is known as "green-on-blue" and is disturbingly more frequent in Afghanistan
Buckley warned superiors an insider attack could happen, his father says; CNN could not confirm
Oceanside, New York (CNN) -- Deployed to a volatile outpost in southern Afghanistan where U.S. Marines routinely face a mix of skirmishes and hidden explosives, Greg Buckley Jr. sensed that an attack was imminent.
And he knew that it would come from within.
The 21-year-old Marine was posted to Garmsir in Helmand Province, where he was training local security forces as part of NATO's planned withdrawal in 2014.
It was during a static-filled phone call to his father over the summer that the Long Island native mentioned a run-in he had with an Afghan trainee while on guard duty.
read more here
Amazing love story of Taylor Morris and Danielle Kelly
Here is a great way to start your day! Read this and then go to the link to see some really wonderful pictures of Taylor and Danielle.
'It's been so hard and she's been here the whole time': Amazing love story of bomb disposal expert who lost arms and legs in Afghanistan blast and the girlfriend who has been at his side during remarkable recovery Taylor Morris, 23, underwent quadruple amputation after being seriously injured during deployment in May Returned home to a hero's welcome in Cedar Falls, Iowa less than three months after being wounded
By LOUISE BOYLE
16 September 2012
Unwavering: Miss Kelly has helped 23-year-old Taylor come to terms with the devastating injuries he suffered in Afghanistan four months ago
Looking glamorous in evening dress, the picture of this happy young couple at a friend's wedding is remarkable - when just a few months earlier, the soldier was lying in hospital after having his arms and legs amputated following an explosion in Afghanistan which almost killed him.
The astounding progress of 23-year-old Taylor Morris, a U.S. military bomb disposal expert, is testament to the unwavering support of his family, friends and girlfriend Danielle Kelly - who has been by his side every step of the way.
New photographs, taken by a friend in August, show just how far the Navy specialist has come since he almost died after stepping on an IED on May 3 this year.
The touching images show Taylor being carried up a flight of stairs on Danielle's back and the couple working together on his rehabilitation exercises at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington D.C.
They are also pictured last month at a friend's wedding in their hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, beaming at the camera and slow-dancing alongside friends.
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also
Quadruple amputee Taylor Morris story goes viral
Fallen soldier's father mourns son's death
Fallen soldier's father mourns sons death
Published : Sunday, 16 Sep 2012
Elisabeth Rentschler
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The Department of Defense has confirmed the death of a Lafayette soldier, and former McCutcheon Maverick, Sergeant Kyle Osborn.
Osborn died Thursday in Afghanistan from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with guns and rocket propelled grenades. Osborn was 26 years old.
Kyle's father, Creigh Osborn, said he will never forget the moment when the chaplain knocked on his door Thursday morning.
"They said are you the father of Kyle Bruce Osborn?" said Creigh. "I said yes I am sir. He said the United States of America and the Army regret to inform you that your son was killed today, this day, in a small arms gun battle in Afghanistan."
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Published : Sunday, 16 Sep 2012
Elisabeth Rentschler
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The Department of Defense has confirmed the death of a Lafayette soldier, and former McCutcheon Maverick, Sergeant Kyle Osborn.
Osborn died Thursday in Afghanistan from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with guns and rocket propelled grenades. Osborn was 26 years old.
Kyle's father, Creigh Osborn, said he will never forget the moment when the chaplain knocked on his door Thursday morning.
"They said are you the father of Kyle Bruce Osborn?" said Creigh. "I said yes I am sir. He said the United States of America and the Army regret to inform you that your son was killed today, this day, in a small arms gun battle in Afghanistan."
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Sunday, September 16, 2012
Injured Marine recovering from wounds received in Sangin
Injured Marine recovering from wounds
JOSH SAMUELSON
Miles City Star
September 15, 2012
MILES CITY, Mont. (AP) — On the afternoon of July 11, Lcpl. Chris Bogner was with fellow Marines in Sangin, a city in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.
Helmand, the largest of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan, is where a majority of the fighting between the U.S. and NATO forces and the Taliban is taking place.
Bogner and his fellow Marines were working with the Afghan Uniform Police, doing a foot patrol and clearing the area.
The Marines and Afghans traded spots throughout the patrol, and Bogner took over the lead, sweeping with a metal detector in search of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).
While he was in the lead, an IED exploded just a few feet in front of Bogner, and the 23-year old Miles Citian took the brunt of the explosion.
"At first, I didn't remember any of it," Bogner said. "I didn't know what was going on. But later, I read the after-action report. And then I was able to remember everything after that."
Bogner received the Purple Heart for his actions in Afghanistan. He also was promoted to corporal.
"I didn't really think about it much until they gave it to me," Bogner said. "I didn't think twice about it; I was just doing what I was supposed to be doing."
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JOSH SAMUELSON
Miles City Star
September 15, 2012
MILES CITY, Mont. (AP) — On the afternoon of July 11, Lcpl. Chris Bogner was with fellow Marines in Sangin, a city in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.
Helmand, the largest of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan, is where a majority of the fighting between the U.S. and NATO forces and the Taliban is taking place.
Bogner and his fellow Marines were working with the Afghan Uniform Police, doing a foot patrol and clearing the area.
The Marines and Afghans traded spots throughout the patrol, and Bogner took over the lead, sweeping with a metal detector in search of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).
While he was in the lead, an IED exploded just a few feet in front of Bogner, and the 23-year old Miles Citian took the brunt of the explosion.
"At first, I didn't remember any of it," Bogner said. "I didn't know what was going on. But later, I read the after-action report. And then I was able to remember everything after that."
Bogner received the Purple Heart for his actions in Afghanistan. He also was promoted to corporal.
"I didn't really think about it much until they gave it to me," Bogner said. "I didn't think twice about it; I was just doing what I was supposed to be doing."
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Soldier faces charges for death of Pfc. Neil Turner
Horseplay killed Tacoma soldier in Afghanistan, reports allege
Afghanistan: His family will attend court-martial for comrade next month
ADAM ASHTON
Staff writer
The Olympian
Published September 16, 2012
The Army is preparing to prosecute a soldier for the death of Pfc. Neil Turner, a Lincoln High School graduate, at an outpost in eastern Afghanistan early this year.
Army officials initially called Turner’s death a “training accident,” but now are bringing charges of manslaughter against Spc. Francisco Perez, who’s accused of firing a rocket at Turner inside their forward base at Combat Outpost Kherwar in Afghanistan’s Logar province.
Perez allegedly killed Turner, 21, on Jan. 11 with a light anti-tank weapon, a shoulder-fired rocket launcher designed for use against armored vehicles and other hardened targets. The weapon did not detonate, but was fired at close range and pierced Turner’s upper chest, according to Turner’s family and Army charging documents.
Perez’s assignment called on him to store weapons as soldiers returned to their base from missions. Witness reports in documents reviewed by Turner’s mother, Charlotte Cox-Turner, suggest Perez had been scolded more than once for “horseplay” with weapons in his charge.
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Afghanistan: His family will attend court-martial for comrade next month
ADAM ASHTON
Staff writer
The Olympian
Published September 16, 2012
The Army is preparing to prosecute a soldier for the death of Pfc. Neil Turner, a Lincoln High School graduate, at an outpost in eastern Afghanistan early this year.
Army officials initially called Turner’s death a “training accident,” but now are bringing charges of manslaughter against Spc. Francisco Perez, who’s accused of firing a rocket at Turner inside their forward base at Combat Outpost Kherwar in Afghanistan’s Logar province.
Perez allegedly killed Turner, 21, on Jan. 11 with a light anti-tank weapon, a shoulder-fired rocket launcher designed for use against armored vehicles and other hardened targets. The weapon did not detonate, but was fired at close range and pierced Turner’s upper chest, according to Turner’s family and Army charging documents.
Perez’s assignment called on him to store weapons as soldiers returned to their base from missions. Witness reports in documents reviewed by Turner’s mother, Charlotte Cox-Turner, suggest Perez had been scolded more than once for “horseplay” with weapons in his charge.
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4 U.S. Troops Killed In Afghan Inside Attack
Afghanistan NATO Attacks: 4 U.S. Troops Killed In Afghan Inside Attack
By HEIDI VOGT and MIRWAIS KHAN
Huffington Post
09/16/12
KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan police officer turned his gun on NATO troops at a remote checkpoint in the south of the country before dawn Sunday, killing four American troops, according to Afghan and international officials.
It was the third attack by Afghan forces or insurgents disguised in military uniforms against international forces in as many days, killing eight troops in all.
Recent months have seen a string of such insider attacks by Afghan forces against their international counterparts. The killings have imperiled the military partnership between Kabul and NATO, a working relationship that is key to the handover of security responsibilities to Afghan forces as international troops draw down.
Meanwhile, according to Afghan officials, airstrikes by NATO planes killed eight women and girls in another remote part of the country, fueling a long-standing grievance against a tactic used by international forces that Afghans say causes excessive civilian casualties.
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By HEIDI VOGT and MIRWAIS KHAN
Huffington Post
09/16/12
KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan police officer turned his gun on NATO troops at a remote checkpoint in the south of the country before dawn Sunday, killing four American troops, according to Afghan and international officials.
It was the third attack by Afghan forces or insurgents disguised in military uniforms against international forces in as many days, killing eight troops in all.
Recent months have seen a string of such insider attacks by Afghan forces against their international counterparts. The killings have imperiled the military partnership between Kabul and NATO, a working relationship that is key to the handover of security responsibilities to Afghan forces as international troops draw down.
Meanwhile, according to Afghan officials, airstrikes by NATO planes killed eight women and girls in another remote part of the country, fueling a long-standing grievance against a tactic used by international forces that Afghans say causes excessive civilian casualties.
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Friday, September 14, 2012
Afghan war often forgotten ’til death hits home
Afghan war often forgotten ’til death hits home
By Adam Geller
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 14, 2012
Staring out the window of his pickup, slowly trailing the hearse bearing his brother’s body, Will Copes’ eyes blurred with tears. In a few minutes he and his brother would be home, back to a town preoccupied with the first week of school and plans for weekend barbecues. A place far removed from an unrelenting, but all too easily forgotten war.
Until now.
“It looked like people were lined up for the Christmas parade, but they were there for my brother — and for us,” Copes says, his voice breaking as he recounts the Aug. 24 procession down Main Street in Altavista, Va. A week after Staff Sgt. Greg Copes, 36, and a Navy corpsman were killed by an Afghan police officer they’d been training, his casket was met by firefighters flying the Stars and Stripes from atop a ladder truck. Hundreds in the town of 3,500 lined the curb to pay respects. At Altavista’s high school, students and teachers filed from their classrooms, framing the parking lot in a corridor of honor.
“I saw kids waving flags. I saw kids crying,” Will Copes says. “If they had forgotten, they had been woken up by a lightning bolt. ... And I think that happens around the country, every day.”
By Adam Geller
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 14, 2012
Staring out the window of his pickup, slowly trailing the hearse bearing his brother’s body, Will Copes’ eyes blurred with tears. In a few minutes he and his brother would be home, back to a town preoccupied with the first week of school and plans for weekend barbecues. A place far removed from an unrelenting, but all too easily forgotten war.
Until now.
“It looked like people were lined up for the Christmas parade, but they were there for my brother — and for us,” Copes says, his voice breaking as he recounts the Aug. 24 procession down Main Street in Altavista, Va. A week after Staff Sgt. Greg Copes, 36, and a Navy corpsman were killed by an Afghan police officer they’d been training, his casket was met by firefighters flying the Stars and Stripes from atop a ladder truck. Hundreds in the town of 3,500 lined the curb to pay respects. At Altavista’s high school, students and teachers filed from their classrooms, framing the parking lot in a corridor of honor.
“I saw kids waving flags. I saw kids crying,” Will Copes says. “If they had forgotten, they had been woken up by a lightning bolt. ... And I think that happens around the country, every day.”
“People don’t understand. We’re not fighting it on our soil,” says Geraldine McClain of Rochester Hills, Mich., whose son, Army Spc. Kyle McClain, was killed Aug. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated in Kandahar province. He’d been in Afghanistan just six weeks. “They’re enjoying their life, eating out, going to soccer. They fill up their car and gripe about gas. Unless they’ve been touched by a soldier’s life, they take it for granted.”
That is, until a community must welcome a dead soldier home.
read more here
Monday, September 10, 2012
Silver Star Awarded for Fallen Airman's Gallantry
Silver Star Given for Fallen Airman's Gallantry
Sep 10, 2012
American Forces Press Service
by Karen Petitt
Dressed in a silver and black dress, 3-year-old Chloe Smith stood beside her mother, Tiffany, as they accepted a Silver Star award today in honor of Senior Airman Bradley R. Smith who was killed in action at the age of 24 in Afghanistan Jan. 3, 2010.
Maj. Gen. Lawrence Wells, 9th Air Force commander, presented the medal "on behalf of a grateful nation and even more grateful Air Force" to Smith's widow, his parents, Gary and Paula Smith, and to Tech. Sgt. Ryan Smith, Brad's brother, during a ceremony in Troy, Ill.
Upon receiving the award, Tiffany said she was thankful for the efforts of everyone who took part in seeing that Brad received the honor he had earned.
"When I first learned of what Brad did, I wasn't filled with pride like I am today," she said. "Quite frankly I was very upset at him and would just yell out 'Why didn't you keep your head down?' or 'Why couldn't you have just been a coward ... just this once?' In the midst of my tantrum, a good friend reminded me that Brad wasn't trying to be a hero, and that he wasn't trying to do anything more than what he thought was right and necessary ... and that 'coward' wasn't a word that he knew.
"Over time I could see that he was just being true to the kind of man that he was. He was my hero long before his death. His passion for life, love for his family and dedication to always bettering himself is what made Brad my hero. This Silver Star solidifies what I already knew about my husband, and it will serve as a reminder of the hero that he truly was ... both in the way he lived and died."
read more here
Sep 10, 2012
American Forces Press Service
by Karen Petitt
Dressed in a silver and black dress, 3-year-old Chloe Smith stood beside her mother, Tiffany, as they accepted a Silver Star award today in honor of Senior Airman Bradley R. Smith who was killed in action at the age of 24 in Afghanistan Jan. 3, 2010.
Maj. Gen. Lawrence Wells, 9th Air Force commander, presented the medal "on behalf of a grateful nation and even more grateful Air Force" to Smith's widow, his parents, Gary and Paula Smith, and to Tech. Sgt. Ryan Smith, Brad's brother, during a ceremony in Troy, Ill.
Upon receiving the award, Tiffany said she was thankful for the efforts of everyone who took part in seeing that Brad received the honor he had earned.
"When I first learned of what Brad did, I wasn't filled with pride like I am today," she said. "Quite frankly I was very upset at him and would just yell out 'Why didn't you keep your head down?' or 'Why couldn't you have just been a coward ... just this once?' In the midst of my tantrum, a good friend reminded me that Brad wasn't trying to be a hero, and that he wasn't trying to do anything more than what he thought was right and necessary ... and that 'coward' wasn't a word that he knew.
"Over time I could see that he was just being true to the kind of man that he was. He was my hero long before his death. His passion for life, love for his family and dedication to always bettering himself is what made Brad my hero. This Silver Star solidifies what I already knew about my husband, and it will serve as a reminder of the hero that he truly was ... both in the way he lived and died."
read more here
Sunday, September 9, 2012
American troops are still dying in Afghanistan
By Robert Burns
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 8, 2012
WASHINGTON — It was another week at war in Afghanistan, another string of American casualties, and another collective shrug by a nation weary of a faraway conflict whose hallmark is its grinding inconclusiveness.
After nearly 11 years, many by now have grown numb to the sting of losing soldiers like Pfc. Shane W. Cantu of Corunna, Mich. He died of shrapnel wounds in the remoteness of eastern Afghanistan, not far from the getaway route that Osama bin Laden took when U.S. forces invaded after Sept. 11, 2001, and began America's longest war.
Cantu was 10 back then.
Nearly every day the Pentagon posts another formulaic death notice, each one brief and unadorned, revealing the barest of facts — name, age and military unit — but no words that might capture the meaning of the loss.
Cantu, who joined the Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade on Sept. 11 last year and went to Afghanistan last month, was among five U.S. deaths announced this past week, as the Democrats and Republicans wrapped up back-to-back presidential nominating conventions.
American troops are still dying in Afghanistan at a pace that doesn't often register beyond their hometowns. So far this year, it's 31 a month on average, or one per day. National attention is drawn, briefly, to grim and arbitrary milestones such as the 1,000th and 2,000th war deaths. But days, weeks and months pass with little focus by the general public or its political leaders on the individuals behind the statistics.
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Friday, August 31, 2012
Quadruple Amputee Taylor Morris hero's welcome home
Homecoming for Quadruple Amputee Sailor
Posted: Aug 30, 2012
Jessica Daley
@TheDaleyReport
An Iowa military hero is home for the first time since being severely injured in Afghanistan. To honor him, a day of celebration took over his hometown of Cedar Falls in eastern Iowa.
Friends rallied together quite the hero's welcome for 23-year-old Taylor Morris. From Patriot Guard Riders to law enforcement to complete strangers, they waited for his arrival Thursday afternoon.
Morris, a navy explosive ordinance disposal tech, lost parts of all four limbs while serving in Afghanistan in May. He's been recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center. His family and girlfriend are documenting it all from re-learning how to walk, dance, pick up a knife and flip a pancake.
"Taylor's such a hero in so many ways," said supporter Samantha Wingert. "It doesn't surprise me at all that all of us would come together to do whatever we can to support him."
read more here
Quadruple amputee Taylor Morris story goes viral
Posted: Aug 30, 2012
Jessica Daley
@TheDaleyReport
An Iowa military hero is home for the first time since being severely injured in Afghanistan. To honor him, a day of celebration took over his hometown of Cedar Falls in eastern Iowa.
Friends rallied together quite the hero's welcome for 23-year-old Taylor Morris. From Patriot Guard Riders to law enforcement to complete strangers, they waited for his arrival Thursday afternoon.
Morris, a navy explosive ordinance disposal tech, lost parts of all four limbs while serving in Afghanistan in May. He's been recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center. His family and girlfriend are documenting it all from re-learning how to walk, dance, pick up a knife and flip a pancake.
"Taylor's such a hero in so many ways," said supporter Samantha Wingert. "It doesn't surprise me at all that all of us would come together to do whatever we can to support him."
read more here
Quadruple amputee Taylor Morris story goes viral
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Flags Lowered for SEAL Killed in Afghanistan Crash
Flags Lowered for SEAL Killed in Afghanistan Crash
August 30, 2012
WLNS.com
GRANDVILLE, Mich. (AP) - Governor Rick Snyder has ordered U.S. flags lowered in honor of U.S. Navy SEAL who was among 11 people killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
The order is in effect for Thursday, the same day as a funeral for 27-year-old Petty Officer David J. Warsen of Kentwood.
The service is at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, near Grand Rapids.
Warsen died August 16 along with six other Americans and four Afghans when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed northeast of Kandahar.
read more here
August 30, 2012
WLNS.com
GRANDVILLE, Mich. (AP) - Governor Rick Snyder has ordered U.S. flags lowered in honor of U.S. Navy SEAL who was among 11 people killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
The order is in effect for Thursday, the same day as a funeral for 27-year-old Petty Officer David J. Warsen of Kentwood.
The service is at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, near Grand Rapids.
Warsen died August 16 along with six other Americans and four Afghans when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed northeast of Kandahar.
read more here
Sunday, August 26, 2012
MOD admits taking secret pictures of KIA soldiers
Ministry of Defence admits to taking secret pictures of every soldier's body killed in Afghanistan and Iraq
By ROB PREECE
26 August 2012
The Ministry of Defence has admitted secretly taking photographs of the bodies of all British servicemen killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Soldiers' families have not been informed of the practice, which involves military police photographers opening body bags and taking pictures to be stored on a database.
The remains of more than 600 servicemen are believed to have been photographed, with many pictures showing severed body parts.
Read more
By ROB PREECE
26 August 2012
The Ministry of Defence has admitted secretly taking photographs of the bodies of all British servicemen killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Soldiers' families have not been informed of the practice, which involves military police photographers opening body bags and taking pictures to be stored on a database.
The remains of more than 600 servicemen are believed to have been photographed, with many pictures showing severed body parts.
Read more
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Camp Pendleton Wounded Marines wait two years in limbo
WOUNDED MARINES AT CAMP PENDLETON SPEND TWO YEARS IN ADMINISTRATIVE LIMBO
By Bob Brewin
Nextgov
August 24, 2012
Marines in the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., spend an average of two years, or 730 days, waiting to transition back to active duty or to discharge, and this lengthy process impedes recovery, according to the Defense Department inspector general.
The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have set a goal of 295 days to process troops through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System. At Camp Pendleton it took medical evaluation boards more than two-thirds of that time -- 197 days -- just to complete their assessments.
Russell Beland, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for military manpower and personnel, in comments appended to the IG report, flatly declared the goal to move troops through IDES in 295 days “unrealistic,” but said the Navy will work to get as close to it as possible.
Beland said the Navy now manages all IDES case file transfers electronically and is developing technology to make it easier to share discharge information with VA. He said the branch also has streamlined medical narrative summaries, which should speed the medical review process.
Administrative and medical staff at the Camp Pendleton Wounded Warrior Battalion told the IG that the more time Marines and corpsmen spent in transition, “the more likely a warrior would abuse alcohol, or take risks that would ultimately get them into trouble.”
read more here
Wounded and Waiting
By Bob Brewin
Nextgov
August 24, 2012
Marines in the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., spend an average of two years, or 730 days, waiting to transition back to active duty or to discharge, and this lengthy process impedes recovery, according to the Defense Department inspector general.
The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have set a goal of 295 days to process troops through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System. At Camp Pendleton it took medical evaluation boards more than two-thirds of that time -- 197 days -- just to complete their assessments.
Russell Beland, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for military manpower and personnel, in comments appended to the IG report, flatly declared the goal to move troops through IDES in 295 days “unrealistic,” but said the Navy will work to get as close to it as possible.
Beland said the Navy now manages all IDES case file transfers electronically and is developing technology to make it easier to share discharge information with VA. He said the branch also has streamlined medical narrative summaries, which should speed the medical review process.
Administrative and medical staff at the Camp Pendleton Wounded Warrior Battalion told the IG that the more time Marines and corpsmen spent in transition, “the more likely a warrior would abuse alcohol, or take risks that would ultimately get them into trouble.”
read more here
Wounded and Waiting
Monday, August 20, 2012
Melbourne soldier dies in Afghanistan Black Hawk crash
Melbourne soldier dies in Afghanistan Black Hawk crash
August 20, 2012
The Associated Press
HONOLULU— U.S. Army officials say four soldiers based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii were killed last week when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.
The Taliban claimed they gunned down the Black Hawk, leading to the crash on Thursday.
Army officials said Monday that among the seven Americans and four Afghans killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Brian Hornsby, 37, of Melbourne, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer Suresh Krause, 29 of Cathedral City, California; Sgt. Luis Galbreath, 41, of San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Sgt. Richard Essex, 23, of Kelseyville, California.
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August 20, 2012
The Associated Press
HONOLULU— U.S. Army officials say four soldiers based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii were killed last week when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.
The Taliban claimed they gunned down the Black Hawk, leading to the crash on Thursday.
Army officials said Monday that among the seven Americans and four Afghans killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Brian Hornsby, 37, of Melbourne, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer Suresh Krause, 29 of Cathedral City, California; Sgt. Luis Galbreath, 41, of San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Sgt. Richard Essex, 23, of Kelseyville, California.
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'My Son Trained Somebody to Murder Him'
'My Son Trained Somebody to Murder Him'
Aug 20, 2012
Military.com
by Richard Sisk
The grief-stricken father of a slain Marine lashed out at the U.S. training policies with the Afghan National Security Forces. His son’s death became one of many recent insider attacks leading to high-level meetings between U.S. and Afghan leader to re-evaluate their training methods.
“At the end of the day, what happened is my son trained somebody to murder him,” Greg Buckley Sr. said at the funeral Saturday for Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley, 21, of Oceanside, N.Y., according to a CBS report.
The Afghan recruits “come in, they say, ‘We want to be police officers,’ and we hand them a blue uniform and hand them an AK-47? That’s insane,” the father told CBS as he stood surrounded by family and friends wearing buttons with a picture of his fallen son in uniform.
“If my son died on the battlefield, I would’ve been -- maybe been -- able to accept that, but instead they killed him inside the gym,” said Buckley Sr., according to CBS.
Buckley; Staff Sgt. Scott E. Dickinson, 29, of San Diego, Calif.; and Cpl. Richard A. Rivera Jr., 20 of Ventura, Calif., were shot to death on Aug. 10 while they worked out at a base gym in the southwestern Helmand province.
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Aug 20, 2012
Military.com
by Richard Sisk
The grief-stricken father of a slain Marine lashed out at the U.S. training policies with the Afghan National Security Forces. His son’s death became one of many recent insider attacks leading to high-level meetings between U.S. and Afghan leader to re-evaluate their training methods.
“At the end of the day, what happened is my son trained somebody to murder him,” Greg Buckley Sr. said at the funeral Saturday for Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley, 21, of Oceanside, N.Y., according to a CBS report.
The Afghan recruits “come in, they say, ‘We want to be police officers,’ and we hand them a blue uniform and hand them an AK-47? That’s insane,” the father told CBS as he stood surrounded by family and friends wearing buttons with a picture of his fallen son in uniform.
“If my son died on the battlefield, I would’ve been -- maybe been -- able to accept that, but instead they killed him inside the gym,” said Buckley Sr., according to CBS.
Buckley; Staff Sgt. Scott E. Dickinson, 29, of San Diego, Calif.; and Cpl. Richard A. Rivera Jr., 20 of Ventura, Calif., were shot to death on Aug. 10 while they worked out at a base gym in the southwestern Helmand province.
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash
UPDATE August 16, 2012
Black Hawk crash kills 7 Americans, 4 Afghans
Black Hawk crash kills 7 Americans, 4 Afghans
4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash
Taliban says it shot down Black Hawk
7 U.S., 4 Afghans dead
By Heidi Vogt and Kay Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 16, 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven American troops and four Afghans died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash on Thursday in southern Afghanistan, the NATO military coalition said. The Taliban claimed their fighters shot down the aircraft. At least four U.S. soldiers were confirmed among the casualties, according to Col. Thomas Collins, Army spokesman in Afghanistan.
The crash marked another deadly day for the United States in Afghanistan, less than a week after six American service members were gunned down, apparently by two members of the Afghan security forces they were training to take over the fight against the insurgency as international combat troops prepare to exit the country by the end of 2014.
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Saturday, August 11, 2012
Fallen U.S. soldier's remains in urn stolen from car
Fallen U.S. soldier's remains in urn stolen from car, Mich. authorities say
August 10, 2012
By Crimesider Staff Topics
Daily Blotter
(CBS/WWJ) LIVONIA - Authorities in Michigan say someone stole an urn containing the remains of a U.S. soldier who died in Afghanistan.
According to CBS Detroit, the urn holding the ashes of Brian Backus was stolen on July 8 in Livonia, about 20 miles west of Detroit. The remains were were taken from a 2012 white Ford Mustang parked outside a home on Arcola street between the hours of 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.
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August 10, 2012
By Crimesider Staff Topics
Daily Blotter
(CBS/WWJ) LIVONIA - Authorities in Michigan say someone stole an urn containing the remains of a U.S. soldier who died in Afghanistan.
According to CBS Detroit, the urn holding the ashes of Brian Backus was stolen on July 8 in Livonia, about 20 miles west of Detroit. The remains were were taken from a 2012 white Ford Mustang parked outside a home on Arcola street between the hours of 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.
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Friday, August 10, 2012
Three officers killed by insurgents in Afghanistan
Wyoming News Briefs
By: Associated Press
FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) — A Wyoming soldier is among three troops killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan. The Department of Defense yesterday said
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By: Associated Press
FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) — A Wyoming soldier is among three troops killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan. The Department of Defense yesterday said
45-year-old Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin of Laramie was killed alongside
38-year-old Air Force Maj. Walter D. Gray, of Conyers, Ga. and
35-year-old Army Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy, of West Point, N.Y.when insurgents detonated suicide vests Wednesday in Kunar province.
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