British Army Lance Corporal Jamie Webb, of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire), died in an ISAF Hospital in Afghanistan on 26th March 2013. He had been wounded during an enemy attack on his base at Nad 'Ali the previous day.
Born in October 1988, he joined the British Army when he was 18-years-old. He joined The Cheshire Regiment in 2006 and deployed to Northern Ireland. On his return, he deployed to Iraq for three months. In 2010, he deployed to Afghanistan with The Mercian Regiment, serving with the Danish Battle Group in Helmand as a rifle section second-in-command.
He deployed on this tour to Afghanistan in October last year. During his time in the Army, he proudly served on four operational missions and was described as being "outgoing, upbeat and a popular member of C Company who will be sorely missed by his brothers-in-arms."
Lieutenant Colonel Phil Kimber MBE, Commanding Officer 1 MERCIAN, described Lance Corporal Webb as being "A real character, a totally professional soldier and a great friend to many." He went on to say that "Lance Corporal Webb was exactly the type of man you wanted around. Always with a smile on his face, always willing to engage in some witty and mischievous banter, he really did lift the morale of all around him."
Lance Corporal Jamie Webb leaves behind his much loved parents Dave and Sue, and his close family.
A British soldier from 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment has died in hospital from injuries received on 25th March.
The soldier was wounded during enemy action in the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand. The soldier was evacuated to a military hospital at Camp Bastion but died before being flown to the UK.
Ten other soldiers were injured in the attack, suspected to be a suicide bomb.
The soldier has been named as Lance Corporal Jamie Webb.
US Army Sergeant Tristan M. Wade, from Indianapolis, was killed on 22nd March when a bomb exploded during an operation in Qarah Bagh, Ghazni.
23-year-old Sgt. Wade served as a combat engineer with the 573rd Clearance Company, 2nd Engineer Battalion which is based in New Mexico.
More information to follow.
31-year-old US Army Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class James F. Grissom died on 21st March 2013 at the US Military Hospital, in Landstuhl, Germany.
Sfc. Grissom, from Hayward, California, had been transferred to the hospital after being wounded by small-arms fire during an operation in Paktika province on 18th March. This was his fifth deployment to Afghanistan.
He joined the US Army in June 2003 after attending the Art Institute of Of San Francisco, from where he earned a degree. At the time of his death, he was serving with the 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), based in Washington.
Sfc. Grissom, who leaves his wife, parents and sister, has been posthumously awarded the Bronze Star.
Polish Army Senior Private Pawel Ordynski was killed on 20th March 2013 during a mounted patrol in Ghazni.
He was part of a routine patrol north-west of the city when his vehicle struck a road mine.
29-year-old S/Pvt. Ordynski had previously deployed to the Balkans and to Afghanistan. He served with the 12th Mechanised Brigade as a driver, having joined the Army in 2004. This was his fourth mission to Afghanistan.
Another Polish soldier was seriously injured in the blast and was evacuated by helicopter to the Polish base in Ghazni.
More information to follow.
23-year-old US Army Specialist Derek McConnell, severely injured in Afghanistan in 2011, was found dead at his home on 18th March 2013.
In July 2011, while serving in Afghanistan, he was caught in the blasts from two bombs during a patrol in Kandahar province. As a result, he lost both his legs and suffered a fractured skull, among other injuries.
Spc. McConnell, from New Jersey, joined the US Army in 2009. After he was wounded in action, he spent a year in a Maryland hospital and returned home to Parsippany in late 2012.
The incident happened as he brought his unit in to support fellow soldiers who had been injured by a hidden mine. McConnell had unknowingly walked into a minefield and, subsequently, two of the devices exploded. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal With Valor Device.
Six civilian contractors, who were killed while serving in Afghanistan, were recently posthumously awarded Medals for the Defense of Freedom (see photo left).
The medal is the civilian equivalent to the Purple Heart. It is the highest honour the US Department of Defense can award civilians injured or killed in the line of duty.
The contractors were all working under the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP), which provides contingency support for the US Armed Forces.
The families of five of the contractors killed solemnly accepted the medals, presented by Brigadier John Wharton, Commanding General, U.S. Army Sustainment Command during a ceremony at Greenville. Killed were:
Jarod Cravens (32), Onaje Hilliard (33), Matthew Lemmon (45) and Julius Wright (31): all died 29th October 2011 in Kabul when a suicide car bomber attacked the armored personnel carrier they were travelling in.
Bryan Farr, 22, was shot and killed in May 2010.
In a separate ceremony in Arizona, Santa Gracia Ramirez - who worked for Pacific Architects and Engineers - was posthumously awarded the medal. She was killed by a suicide bomber in 2007 while mentoring, training and advising Afghan prison officials.
US Army helicopter pilot Chief Warrant Officer James E. Groves III was killed in a helicopter crash on 16th March 2013 at Kandahar.
37-year-old CWO Groves, from Kettering, Ohio, served with the Georgia-based 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, assigned to 3rd Squadron.
The cause of the crash is being investigated. There was no reported enemy action in the vicinity at the time of the incident.
CWO Groves was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan.
US Army Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Henderson was one of five American soldiers killed on 11th March 2013 when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar province.
CWO Henderson, aged 27, served with the Georgia-based 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, part of the 3rd Infantry Division.
The helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk, came down in heavy rain during a routine flight and crashed in the Daman district of Kandahar. All five crew members on board were killed. There was no reported enemy action in the area at the time of the accident.
The other crew members killed were: Captain Sara Cullen (nee Knutson); Staff Sgt. Marc A. Scialdo; Staff Sgt. Steven P. Blass and Spc. Zachary L. Shannon.
More information to follow.
31-year-old US Army Staff Sgt. Marc A. Scialdo was one of five American soldiers killed on 11th March 2013 when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar province.
SSgt Scialdo, from Naples, Florida, served with the Georgia-based 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, part of the 3rd Infantry Division.
The helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk, came down in heavy rain during a routine flight and crashed in the Daman district of Kandahar. All five crew members on board were killed. There was no reported enemy action in the area at the time of the accident.
The other crew members killed were: Captain Sara Cullen (nee Knutson); Chief Warrant Officer Bryan Henderson; Staff Sgt. Steven P. Blass and Spc. Zachary L. Shannon.
More information to follow.
27-year-old US Army Staff Sgt. Steven P. Blass was one of five American soldiers killed on 11th March 2013 when their helicopter crashed in Kandahar province.
SSgt Blass, from Iowa, served with the Georgia-based 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, part of the 3rd Infantry Division.
The helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk, came down in heavy rain during a routine flight and crashed in the Daman district of Kandahar. All five crew members on board were killed. There was no reported enemy action in the area at the time of the accident.
The other crew members killed were: Captain Sara Cullen (nee Knutson); Chief Warrant Officer Bryan Henderson; Staff Sgt. Marc Scialdo and Spc. Zachary L. Shannon.
More information to follow.
British Army Lance Corporal James Ashworth, aged 23, was killed in action during a fierce battle with Taliban fighters last year, on 13th June.
During the battle, L-Cpl Ashworth, who was leading a platoon of soldiers fighting their way through compounds in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand, was cut off from his unit. Killing three enemy fighters, L-Cpl Ashworth had put himself in the front line of fire to draw the enemy from other soldiers in his unit.
He died when a grenade was launched and exploded next to him.
His actions, and an incredible last stand that followed, persuaded senior officers to recommend him for the Victoria Cross.
The Victoria Cross - the highest military award in the UK - is given for 'most conspicuous bravery'. Only ten have been awarded since World War Two and only one other awarded during the Afghanistan War.
Read the full story at The Daily Mail
A NATO helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday 16th March killing one of the crew members.
There was no reported enemy action in the area at the time of the crash.
On Monday 11th March, a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk crashed in Kandahar province killing five American crew members.
More information to follow.
US Army Captain Sara M. Cullen was among those killed on 11th March 2013 in a helicopter crash over Kandahar.
Capt. Cullen was one of the crew of a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter flying above the Daman district of Kandahar during a heavy rainstorm when the aircraft crashed, killing all five US soldiers on board.
According to an announcement on the West Point website, Capt. Cullen (nee Knutson) had previously been based at Fort Wainwright in Alaska and had also deployed to Pakistan on a humanitarian mission. She deployed to Afghanistan in January.
She married a former Blackhawk pilot in November last year and he deployed to Afghanistan in February this year with a private contracting company.
More information to follow.
US Navy Chief Petty Officer Christian Michael Pike, died on 13th March 2013 from injuries he received during combat operations in Maiwand, Afghanistan.
CPO Pike, aged 31, was evacuated to Landstuhl in Germany after being wounded on 10th March. Sadly, he died while being treated at Landstuhl.
CPO Pike, from Arizona, served with a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit. He joined the US Navy in August 2001. After completing cryptologic training at Corry Station in April 2003, he served aboard the USS Cleveland from May 2003 to July 2007, followed by a tour at the Navy Information Operations Command San Diego from July 2007 to July 2011. He joined the Naval Special Warfare unit in July 2011.
His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3), Navy Good Conduct Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal, GWOT Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and NATO Medal.
He is survived by his mother Diana, sister Denise and fiancée Morgan. His mother paid this tribute: "Christian was so proud to be a Navy Chief with the Special Warfare community, and he was living honorably, a life he chose. "He wouldn't have it any other way, and neither would I."
26-year-old US Army Specialist David T. Proctor died at Walter Reed Medical Center, Maryland, on 13th March 2013.
Spc. Proctor, from Greensboro, North Carolina, had been evacuated from Afghanistan where he had been injured in a non-combat incident in Kandahar province on 3rd March. He served with the Georgia-based 7th Infantry Regiment and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion.
His family were with him at the hospital when he died.
21-year-old US Army helicopter technician Zack Shannon, was one of the crew members killed on 11th March 2013, when their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed in Kandahar province.
Read story at Tampa Bay Online
More information to follow.
US Army Captain Andrew M. Pedersen-Keel was one of two American soldiers killed on Monday 11th March by an Afghan policeman in Jalrez, Wardak province.
Capt. Pedersen-Keel and US Army Staff Sgt. Rex Schad were attending a joint-services meeting when an Afghan policeman opened fire on the group. Three Afghans were killed and several troops injured in the attack.
28-year-old Capt. Pedersen-Keel served with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He graduated from the US Military Academy in 2006. In 2008, he served in Afghanistan and, at the end of that 12-month deployment, he completed the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course and joined the 3rd Special Forces Group in 2012. He deployed to Afghanistan on this current tour late last year.
Capt. Pedersen-Keel's awards and decorations include two Bronze Star Medals, Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, among others.
He was repatriated to Dover Air Force Base on 12th March 2013.
US Army Staff Sgt. Rex Schad was one of the US service personnel killed on Monday 11th March by an Afghan policeman in Wardak province.
His grandfather, Mr. Harold Whipple told news reporters that two Chaplains and an Army Sergeant visited the family on Monday afternoon with the bad news.
25-year-old Sgt. Schad had been in Afghanistan since November. This was his second tour of duty to the country.
More information to follow.
USAF Tech. Sgt. Larry D. Bunn, died from a heart attack on 7th March 2013 while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom from an undisclosed base in southwest Asia.
43-year-old Sgt. Bunn, from Bossier City, Louisiana, served with the 307th Maintenance Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
He was repatriated to the United States on 9th March 2013 when he was honored in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base.
Photo courtesy of USAF 917th Wing Public Affairs
Five NATO troops were killed when a helicopter crashed in southern Kandahar province on Monday 11th March 2013.
An Afghan government spokesman told press that the aircraft crashed during heavy rain in the Daman district. An ISAF spokesman said that there was no enemy action in the area at the time of the crash.
More information to follow.
Video News Update on two US Special Forces soldiers killed at Police Training facility in Wardak province
51-year-old Inez 'Renee' Baker was killed on Friday 8th March 2013 during an attack at Forward Operating Base Tagab, in Kapisa province. The attack happened early afternoon when three men, dressed as Afghan soldiers, drove a vehicle into the gate of the base, before opening fire and killing Ms. Baker.
Two Afghan soldiers also died and four coalition soldiers were injured in the attack. The three attackers were also killed.
Ms. Baker had served in the US Army for 26 years. She retired last year and began working as a private contractor.
More information to follow.
Two American service personnel were killed on Monday 11th March when an Afghan National Army soldier opened fire during a joint briefing at a Special Forces operating base in Wardak province. Several others were injured in the attack. Three Afghans were also killed.
The incident comes at a time when the US-Afghan relationship becomes more tense following allegations by Afghan President Karzai accusing US Special Forces of using torture in Wardak province; an allegation that the US strongly denies.
The victims in the latest insider attack are yet to be identified.
More information to follow.
22-year-old US Army Spc. Cody D. Suggs from West Alexandria, Ohio, died at Kandahar Airfield on Thursday 7th March 2013 as a result of a non-combat related incident which is currently being investigated.
Spc. Suggs was serving with the Ohio National Guard's 1487th Transportation Company at the time of his death.
More information to follow.
A civilian contractor was killed on Friday 8th March 2013 when three Afghan National Army soldiers opened fire at the gate of Forward Operating Base Tagab, in Kapisa province.
The attack happened early afternoon as the three men drove an Afghan Army vehicle into the gate of the base. They then opened fire, killing the contractor, two Afghan soldiers and wounding four coalition soldiers. The three Afghan attackers were killed.
The contractor killed in the attack was Ms. Inez Baker.
26-year-old French Paratroop Corporal Cédric Charenton was killed in action during operations in Mali on 2nd March 2013. Cpl. Charenton had previously served in Afghanistan. He is the third French soldier to die in Mali during the current operation.
The incident happened as French and Chadian troops assaulted enemy positions in the Ametettai Valley - about 50 miles from Tessalit. During the assault, 12 insurgents were killed, several vehicles destroyed and three large caches of weapons and explosives were discovered and seized by French Forces.
Cpl. Charenton, who served with the elite Airborne Infantry 1st Regiment, was hit by small-arms fire. He had previously served in New Caledonia and Gabon, as well as Afghanistan.
In February, DynCorp held a ceremony to honour 17 employees who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Their families received the Defense of Freedom medal, the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart, at the ceremony near Washington DC. Lt. Gen. William N. Phillips made the presentations.
The DynCorp employees were killed between 2004 and 2011, while providing police training in the two countries.
The medals were awarded to the families of the following: Roland Carroll Barvels, Brett Patrick Benton, Brian Morgan, Michael Wayne Butler, Mike Dawes, Arsenio Ducusin Domingo, Richard Thomas Hickman, Leon Vincent Kimbrell, Deborah Dawn Klecker, Rudy Guerrero Mesa, William Lawrence Juneau, Douglas Stephen Thomas, Robert McDonald Timmann, Donald Bruce Tow, Darrell Leroy Wetherbee, Gary Wayne Willard, and Ronald Austin Zimmerman.
British Army Lance Corporal Jamie Webb, of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire), died in an ISAF Hospital in Afghanistan on 26th March 2013. He had been wounded during an enemy attack on his base at Nad 'Ali the previous day.
