US Army Chief Warrant Officer James Groves III

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 CWO Bryan Henderson

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.

US Army Staff Sergeant Marc Scialdo

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.

US Army Staff Sergeant Steven Blass

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.

Second helicopter crash in a week kills one soldier

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 Marine Sergeant Michael Guillory

28-year-old US Marine Sergeant Michael J. Guillory, was killed on 14th December during operations in Helmand province. He served with the California-based 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion.

Sgt. Guillory's mother told Fox News (see video news above) that her son had been in a patrol vehicle when it overturned.

"He was doing his job and the vehicle that was carrying him rolled over and rolled on him and killed him," she says. "I think one other person got hurt, but he didn't make it."

F15 pilot, Captain Francis Imlay killed in accident

USAF F15 pilot, Captain Francis D. Imlay, from Vacaville, California, died on 28th March 2012 from injuries received in an accident involving an F-15 aircraft near a base in Southwest Asia.

31-year-old Capt. Imlay served with the 391st Fighter Squadron, from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho and was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was married with a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter.

MHAFB Commander Col. Ron Buckley issued the following statement: "Today we mourn the loss of one of our warriors, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and co-workers during this time. He was a true professional and his dedication to the Gunfighter family will not soon be forgotten."

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

US Army Specialist Dennis Weichel Jr.

29-year-old Rhode Island National Guard Specialist Dennis P. Weichel Jr., from Providence, was killed on 22nd March in a vehicle accident in Laghman province.

Spc. Weichel joined the National Guard in 2001. He served with the East Greenwich-based 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment, 56th Troop Command which deployed earlier this month. He had also served in Iraq in 2005.

A Pawtucket resident, Spc. Weichel is survived by three children and his parents.

Three Italian soldiers killed in Shindand

L-R: Francesco Messineo, Francesco Curro, Luca Valente

Three Italian soldiers were killed on 20th February 2012 when the Lynx VTLM vehicle they were in overturned while crossing a river, trapping three of the crew inside.

The incident happened about 20km south-west of Shindand during a recovery and rescue operation of another unit that was stranded by bad weather.

The three soldiers, all serving with 66 Military Aircraft Regiment were named as:

Chief Corporal Francesco Currò, 1st Corporal Luca Valente and 1st Corporal Francesco Paolo Messineo.

A fourth soldier was injured in the accident and is currently in a stable condition in hospital.

British Army tribute to L-Cpl Lee Foley

A soldier who died after a collision with a taxi on New Year's Eve will be buried later with full military honours.


Lee Foley, 26, from Merthyr Tydfil, served in Afghanistan as a lance corporal in the Royal Engineers. L/Cpl Foley died in hospital following the incident at 22:10 GMT on 31st December 2011 at the junction of the eastern by-pass and Church Street.


Read full story at BBC News


Note: we have included L-Cpl. Foley on this website because he had been serving in Afghanistan.

US Army Specialist Christopher Mendonca

US Army Specialist Christopher Luis Mendonca died in a vehicle accident near Binghampton, New York, on Sunday 4th December 2011 while he was home on leave from Afghanistan.

20-year-old Spc. Mendonca, a native of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was serving with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment based at Fort Carson, Colorado. He had graduated from Holbrook High School, in Massachusetts and had wanted to be a State Trooper after he completed his Army service.

Spc. Mendonca leaves behind his parents Domingas and Luis Mendonca, his wife Kasey, brother Joseph, maternal grandmother, Ana Gomes and his paternal grandmother, Justina Mendonca.

US Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Michael Tatham

33-year-old US Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Michael R. Tatham, died in a motorcycle accident in Bali, Indonesia whilst on leave from combat operations in Afghanistan.

CPO Tatham, from University Place, Washington, served with a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare Unit. A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, CPO Tatham was a highly decorated Special Forces member with combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with combat “V,” Joint Service Achievement Medal, four Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medals including one with “V,” two Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons and NATO Service Medal, along with the expert rifle and expert pistol ribbons.

He is survived by his parents and a younger brother.

British soldier killed while training for Afghanistan

The British Ministry of Defence has reported the death of 21-year-old Fusilier Dean Griffiths, from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, while on a live-firing range in Kent on 14th September 2011. Fusilier Griffiths was in training for deployment to Afghanistan.

According to The Guardian newspaper, Fusilier Dean was shot in the head during a "fire and move" drill.

The young soldier was due to become a father. His brother, Dewi Griffiths, paid this tribute: "Dean was fun, loving and caring, and was so excited at becoming a father. He touched the lives of so many and we will all miss our Deano."

Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Webb, described Fusilier Griffiths as "an outstanding soldier with the potential for a long and very successful career in The Royal Welsh."

The incident is being investigated by the civil police.

Note: we have included Fusilier Griffiths on this website because he was due to deploy to Afghanistan.

US Army Corporal Chester Stoda

32-year-old US Army Corporal Chester Gerhardt Stoda from Black River Falls, Wisconsin, died on 2nd September 2011 while scuba diving at Kauai, Hawaii. He was on leave from duty in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Stoda joined the Army in February 2008 as a combat engineer. He was serving with the 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade and had deployed to Afghanistan in December 2010.

His awards and decorations include the Korea Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Overseas Service Ribbons and a Combat Action Badge.

British Army Fusilier Jamie Candlish

British Fusilier Jamie Candlish, who had recently completed a six-month tour of combat in Helmand, Afghanistan with the Royal Highland Fusiliers, was killed in a car accident in Scotland on Friday 19th August 2011.

The 20-year-old soldier, from Hamilton, had been working at the Edinburgh Tattoo as part of the support team earlier that day. Having returned to his barracks, it is thought that he and a friend were on their way out again when the accident happened.

Note: we have included Fusilier Candlish on this site because he had served in Afghanistan.

Tribute to Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging

A British RAF pilot who flew combat missions in Afghanistan supporting ground troops has been killed in an accident while flying with the Red Arrows Display Team.

Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging had completed a display at a show in England on Saturday 20th August 2011 and was returning to base with the team when his aircraft, a Hawk T1, crashed. Flight Lt. Egging was killed by the impact. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

The 33-year-old pilot joined the RAF in 2000 and had flown Harrier GR9 combat aircraft in Afghanistan.

US Marine Major Jeremy James Graczyk

US Marine Major Jeremy James Graczyk, age 33, died on 12th July 2011 in a BASE jumping accident in Switzerland.

Major Graczyk, a decorated war veteran, had deployed more than seven times to Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. He attended the United States Naval Academy, and received a BSc degree in Systems Engineering in 1999. He was promoted to the rank of major in 2009.

Major Graczyk holds three Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medals, one Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, two Combat Action Ribbons, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Unit Citation, two National Defense Service Medals, two Afghanistan Campaign Medals, five Iraq Campaign Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and seven Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.

He is survived by his parents, James and Darlene Graczyk, sister Jennifer, nephews Aidan and Gabe, grandparents Richard and Leora Shoop and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Note: we have included Major Graczyk on this website as a tribute to his service in Afghanistan.

US Army Sgt. 1st Class Alvin Boatwright

US Army Sergeant 1st Class Alvin A. Boatwright, age 33, from Lodge, South Carolina, was one of four soldiers killed when their armoured patrol vehicle rolled over during an operation in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan on 18th June 2011.

Sfc. Boatwright served with 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in Baumholder, Germany.

He joined the Army in February 1998. He served in Korea (1999-2000) and deployed twice to Iraq. Following his last combat tour in Iraq, he served as a Recruiting Sergeant for the Army in Dallas, Texas.

US Army Sergeant Edward Dixon

US Army Sergeant Edward F. Dixon III, age 37, from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, was one of four soldiers killed when their armoured patrol vehicle rolled over during an operation in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan on 18th June 2011.

Sgt. Dixon served with 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in Baumholder, Germany.

Sgt. Dixon, with almost 19 years of military service, began his career in the Air Force and transferred to the Army after 9/11. This was his 5th tour of duty to the middle east region that included Iraq and Afghanistan. He was due home in July this year.

US Army Sergeant Alan Snyder

US Army Sergeant Alan L. Snyder, age 28, from Blackstone, Massachusetts, was one of four soldiers killed when their armoured patrol vehicle rolled over during an operation in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan on 18th June 2011.

Sgt. Snyder served with 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in Baumholder, Germany.

Sgt. Snyder, who had celebrated his birthday days earler on 11th June, leaves his parents Alfred and Julie and two brothers, James and Justin.