Six civilian contractors KIA in Afghanistan posthumously awarded bravery medals

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.

Civilian contractor killed in Kapisa province

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.

17 Dyncorp employees posthumously awarded Defense of Freedom medals

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.

Civilian contractor dies in southern Afghanistan

A civilian contractor, employed by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) died in southern Afghanistan on 1st January 2013.

The cause of death has not been published but it has been confirmed that the contractor died as a result of a non-battle related injury.

More information to follow.

US Contractor Capt. Billy Ross Blankenship dies in Kabul

American contractor, Captain Billy Ross Blankenship, from Oklahoma, died in Afghanistan on 18th April 2012. 43-year-old Blankenship was working in Kabul as a contractor for Intelligence Software Solutions Inc. His cause of death is under investigation.

He joined the US Air Force Reserve while at High School and enlisted with the Army in 1989, during which time he served in Iraq. After four years of active duty, Blankenship served in the Oklahoma National Guard and was commissioned in 2001. He was mobilized for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003 and served until 2010.

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Four civilian aircrew killed in helicopter crash

Four crew members from Tajikistan were killed on 11th February 2012 when their helicopter crashed in Zabul province during a food supply flight for ISAF troops operating in the area.

The Russian-built EY-106 helicopter belonged to the global logistic company Supreme Group, which provides services for NATO and ISAF in Afghanistan.

The cause of the crash is being investigated and is thought to have been caused by a technical malfunction. There was no reported enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. "Investigations as to the cause of the crash are ongoing but no other parties appear to have been involved in the incident," the company, Supreme Group, said in a statement.