Decorated special forces soldier dies in combat in Afghanistan
NBC News By Tim Stelloh July 14, 2019
Sgt. Maj. James Sartor "was a beloved warrior who epitomized the quiet professional," a military official said.
A Special Forces company sergeant was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan, military officials said Sunday.
Sgt. Maj. James Sartor, 40, died Saturday in the country’s northern Faryab Province, U.S. Army Special Operations spokesman Lt. Col. Loren Bymer said in a statement.
Additional details about Sartor’s death were not immediately available.
Sartor, of Teague, Texas, was assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group in Fort Carson, Colorado, Bymer said. He deployed to Iraq as an infantryman in 2002 and later as a Green Beret. Sartor had served in Afghanistan twice — once in 2017 and again this year.
Sartor, who went by "Ryan," joined the Army in June, 2001, and was given more than 20 awards and decorations during his military career. He will posthumously receive a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, Bymer said. read it here
Central Illinois veterans honor squad members who saved their lives during Vietnam War
Central Illinois Proud By: Matt Sheehan Posted: Jun 04, 2019 WASHINGTON D.C.--The Greater Peoria Honor Flight can be seen as the trip of a lifetime.
A time where veterans are able to see the memorials in Washington D.C. and reminisce on their times serving in the military.
For Kenneth Klein and Donald Lewis, the Vietnam Memorial Wall reminded them how blessed they are, to be alive today.
"Just the memory of those lost in my platoon. Like I said, Corporal Maxim won the Medal of Honor. If it weren't for Corporal Maxim, Don Lewis wouldn't be here," said Donald Lewis who served in the Vietnam War in the Marine Corps.
"I know too many names on that wall. Some from high school, but four of them that I indicated was from a squad that I was in. They had a big part of my life when I was in country," said Kenneth Klein who served in the Navy as a builder during the Vietnam War.
Klein fought in the Vietnam War a little less than two years.
"I shipped out and joined them in Vietnam in May of 1967, and they were killed in August," Klein said.
And while he only knew his squad members for a short period of time, they changed his life forever.
"Richard Wager shared Christ with me, told me I need to be saved and know The Lord. It gave me a lot of hope, because when there was incoming, I'd pray. I mean, what do you do? You'd call out to God," said Klein. read more here
Trump presents Medal of Honor to family of Iraq war hero
By Associated Press March 27, 2019
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump can recognize individuals for contributions to the arts and humanities, to science and technology and for other gifts to American society, but the Medal of Honor is one of the only awards he gives out regularly, recognizing military members living or dead for acts of bravery against an enemy.
President Donald Trump presents a posthumous Medal of Honor for U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins, to his surviving son Trevor Oliver, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 27, 2019. On June 1, 2007 while serving in Iraq, Atkins tackled a suicide bomber, shielding three of his fellow soldiers from the explosion, but resulting in his own death.Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images
Trump on Wednesday presented his eighth Medal of Honor, this time to the family of Army Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins, who gave his life in 2007 to save fellow soldiers from an Iraqi suicide bomber.
The president, who received a series of deferments to avoid military service during the Vietnam War, speaks highly of medal recipients. He recounts for White House guests the details of the heroic acts for which the recipients are being recognized and, at times speaks of them using language that suggests he could not have matched their bravery.
"America is the greatest force for peace, justice and freedom the world has ever known because of you and people like you," Trump said at the October ceremony for retired Marine Sgt. Maj. John Canley , the most recent medal recipient. "There are very few. There are very few. Brave people, but very, very few like you, John."
The 80-year-old Canley's heroism during the Vietnam War included twice scaling a hospital wall in view of the enemy to help extract wounded Marines.
At an earlier ceremony, Trump said Medal of Honor recipients are a godsend.
"Our nation is rich with blessings, but our greatest blessings of all are the patriots like John and all of you that just stood, and, frankly, many of the people in this room — I exclude myself, and a few of the politicians, who, like John, carry our freedom on their shoulders, march into the face of evil, and fight to their very last breath so that we can live in freedom, and safety, and peace," he said before presenting the medal to the widow of John A. Chapman. The Air Force sergeant was critically wounded and died in 2002 while trying to rescue a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan.
Trump asked past Medal of Honor recipients attending the August 2018 event to stand and be recognized. read more here
Sgt. 1st Class Eric Emond, Co-founder of Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, killed in Afghanistan
WCVB November 28, 2018
One of the special forces soldiers killed Tuesday in Afghanistan was a co-founder of a Massachusetts organization that provides support for veterans and gold star families.
Sgt. 1st Class Eric M. Emond, 39, succumbed to wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle during operations in Ghanzi province, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.
Also killed were Captain Andrew P. Ross, 29, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25.
Emond and Ross were both members of the 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Emond was a native of Boston who had more than 21 years of military service in the Marine Corps and Army. He was on his seventh overseas tour.read more here
The unnamed veteran accompanied every beer with a photo showing one of his dead friends, and left them neatly assembled on an empty table surrounded by empty chairs. Both where and when the photo was taken is unclear
Now, they are all honored by a monument. An understated, but powerful reminder of what was lost, and what was gained, "When we lost Danny, I lost Cindy through divorce and I lost my house, I lost my dog, I had to go bankrupt. I lost everything, but I gained everything in friends and family," said Danny Dietz Sr., Danny’s father.
It was called operation Red Wings. It was a dangerous and daring counter-insurgent mission in the volatile Kunar province, Afghanistan.
Three Navy SEALs were killed during the initial operation, including Littleton native Danny Dietz. It was June 28, 2005.
Today, under cold and sunny skies, friends, family, politicians and just every day people stood in the snow at Berry Park for a very special day.
In addition to the three navy SEALs killed that day, 16 other special ops soldiers were also killed providing support and attempting a rescue. All totaled, 19 brave men were lost that day. read more here
Mayor of Utah city killed in 'insider attack' in Afghanistan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nov 4th 2018
Taylor was deployed to Afghanistan in January with the Utah National Guard for what was expected to be a 12-month tour of duty. Taylor, an officer in the National Guard, previously served two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan.
NORTH OGDEN, Utah (AP) — The mayor of a Utah city was killed during an attack in Afghanistan while he was serving with the state's National Guard, the Salt Lake Tribune and other media reported.
North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor died Saturday in an apparent "insider attack" in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the Tribune reported. Another U.S. service member is being treated for wounds sustained in the attack, American military officials said.
The Utah National Guard has identified the service member killed as a member of the Guard. The Guard member's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. read more here
Lawmaker: Family Learned of Soldier's Remains from News Reports Military.com by Richard Sisk 22 Nov 2017
A Florida congresswoman charged Tuesday that the family of Sgt. La David Johnson learned from news reports that more of his remains had been found in Niger.
U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson, who was among four special forces soldiers killed in Niger. (U.S. Army photo)
A U.S. official told ABC News that the family had been notified, but Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, said, "It is a shame for any Gold Star Family to go through the pain and agony of learning about their son's last moments on TV."
Wilson, a close Johnson family friend who was a mentor to the soldier, told reporters, "He left a Gold Star Family and to learn about his final moments on TV and in the newspaper is a shame for this nation," NBC News reported.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford told reporters last month that his "first priority" was to make sure any information on the Oct. 4 ambush in which Johnson and three other soldiers were killed would go to the families before it was made public. read more here
Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division patrol in a town near Combat Outpost Baraki Barak in Logar Province, Afghanistan, where a service member died Nov. 4 from wounds sustained during operations. (US Army photo/Julieanne Morse)
A U.S. service member was killed during operations in Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday afternoon.
A news release from NATO Resolute Support officials said the service member died as a result of wounds sustained. No other details were released.
"We offer our deepest condolences to the family of our fallen brother," Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, said in the statement. "Despite this tragic event, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the Afghan people and to support them in our mutual fight against terrorism."
The 36-year-old was assigned to 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, a unit known as the "Night Stalkers," at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
Nigerien forces have discovered the body of a fourth U.S. soldier killed in an ambush earlier this week, U.S. officials told Fox News Friday.
The unidentified soldier had initially been reported missing after Wednesday's attack. Authorities feared the soldier was being held hostage by a militant group, but officials told Fox there were no signs the soldier had been kidnapped or tortured.
Vietnam Veteran meets fallen soldier’s family Port Lavaca Wave By MELONY OVERTON Jul 5, 2017
Holmes’ fellow soldier and friend Sgt. Johnnie Mitchell Wahl was shot in the neck and died in Holmes’ arms.
It was Thanksgiving Day 1969. Weldon Holmes and his platoon were in Quang Tri Province in Vietnam not too far from the demilitarized zone.
“We were sitting around arguing over who was going to get the peaches and the pound cake out of the C-rations that went along with the turkey and dressing. The lieutenant came and said, ‘Why don’t you all load up,’” into armored personnel carriers, Holmes said.
Leading up to that fateful day, Holmes had facilitated seven days of R and R (rest and recuperation) to Sydney Australia to celebrate his 21st birthday Nov. 20.
“I really didn’t want to come back, but I couldn’t see leaving friends and brothers that…you get real close when you have to depend on somebody to protect your life 24/7. I got back to my unit on Nov. 23,” he said.
The platoon watched as jets 3,000 meters away flew their missions.
“You could still feel the ground shake. We got off (out of the carriers) to pick up bodies (of the enemy). We tried to do the right thing by leaving them for their families because the Viet Cong came from that area,” he said. “Arms were here. A leg was there next to a torso mutilated from explosions.”
“I was the only one to call them about Johnnie. They were told his whole company had been wiped out and that the ones who died were missing in action, but that made me mad because he (Johnnie) was never missing in action. We didn’t leave them behind because their bodies would have been mutilated so badly if we did,” Holmes said.read more here
Hard-Hit Marine Unit from Vietnam War Celebrates 50th Reunion Military.com by Richard Sisk 17 Jun 2017
They grappled again, mostly in silence, with the question that has no answer -- why am I here when so many aren't? Libraries can be filled with books on the subject, going back to Homer.
The 6/67 Memorial at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia commemorates The Basic School's sixth graduating class, which suffered more than 250 casualties, including 43 officers killed in Vietnam. (US Marine Corps photo)
In the fall of 1967, The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, finished training 498 twenty-something Marine second lieutenants. By the end of the year, nearly all were in Vietnam.
Before Christmas, the first of them was killed in action: 2nd Lt. Michael Ruane, of Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, on Dec. 18, 1967. The TBS class that began in June 1967 (TBS 6/67) would have a casualty rate of more than 50 percent -- the highest of any Marine officer class during the Vietnam War.
For those second lieutenants and their platoons, the pace was unrelenting. They would go past the wire -- when there was wire -- on daily patrols through terrain that ranged from paddies and dikes along the coast, through the scrub brush and elephant grass of the interior, and into the triple-canopy jungles of the high ground reaching into Laos.
The New York Times declared that "the era of big battles" had come to Vietnam in 1967. Le Duan, the real power in Hanoi, ordered North Vietnamese Army regulars into South Vietnam to support the Vietcong. The battles became bigger in 1968. read more here
Navy SEAL killed in fight against al-Shabab militants in Somalia STARS AND STRIPES By COREY DICKSTEIN Published: May 5, 2017
WASHINGTON — A Navy SEAL was killed Thursday in Somalia while accompanying Somali National Army soldiers on a raid targeting a remote al-Shabab compound just outside Mogadishu, U.S. defense officials said Friday.
The SEAL is the first American servicemember killed in action in Somalia in decades, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, likely since the notorious 1993 Battle of Mogadishu – known as the “Black Hawk Down” incident – during which 18 U.S. military members were killed.
Two other SEALs were injured Thursday in the firefight with the al-Qaida-linked militants during the operation near Barii, about 40 miles west of the Somalian capital, a defense official said. The official was not authorized to identify the service branch to which the U.S. troops belonged and spoke on condition of anonymity. read more here
2 US troops killed, 1 injured in eastern Afghanistan AP Apr 27, 2017
The U.S. forces were accompanying Afghan troops on the raid when they came under attack by the Islamic State Khorasan group
WASHINGTON —
Two American service members were killed and another received a minor injury during a ground assault against Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan Wednesday, according to the U.S. military.
The U.S. and Afghan troops had flown in by helicopter then advanced on foot. The raid was in Mohmand Valley, the same region where the U.S., two weeks ago, dropped what is called the "mother of all bombs" on an IS complex.
read more here
Remains of Phoenix-area fighter pilot killed in Iraq returned 10 years later The Republic Jerod MacDonald-Evoy October 12, 2016
A U.S. Air Force team carries the remains of Maj. Troy Gilbert at Dover Air Force Base.
(Photo: Senior Airman Aaron J. Jenne/U.S. Air Force)
The remains of an F-16 pilot from Litchfield Park who was killed in Iraq in 2006 have finally been returned, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Maj. Troy Gilbert crashed while leading two other jets in a strafing run against enemy forces that had shot down a helicopter near the town of Taji, Iraq, on Nov. 27, 2006, according to Mike Martin, secretary of Air Force Public Affairs.
Gilbert opted to use a 20-mm gun on his F-16 to help avoid civilian casualties and destroyed one of the trucks that was threatening coalition forces on the ground, according to Martin. On his second approach, he flew even lower and hit the ground, killing him instantly. read more here
Massachusetts Congressman, Veteran Lashes Out at Donald Trump Beacon Hill Patch
By Alison Bauter (Patch Staff)
August 2, 2016
"As a veteran, I can't imagine what it would be like if Donald Trump treated my mom that way." Rep. Seth Moulton
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton had harsh words for Trump in light of the GOP nominee's attacks on Gold Star Khan family.
Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton had those and other withering words for Donald Trump Tuesday, joining a bipartisan barrage of condemnation in the wake of the Republican presidential nominee's comments toward a family whose son died serving in Iraq.
Trump has been taking heavy fire since critiquing Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Gold Star parents of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed while serving in Iraq by a car bomber. Khizr Khan spoke against the GOP nominee at this year's Democratic National Convention, prompting harsh words in return from Trump.
Khan and his wife have both condemned Trump, saying he "knows nothing of sacrifice." read more here
Fallen Soldier's Belongings Found At Goodwill News Channel 5
Chris Conte
Jul 26, 2016
Sgt. Hawn was 35-years-old when he was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in 2005. He was a 1989 graduate from LaVergne High School in 1989 The items left at Goodwill were in his wallet the day he died.
Every once in a while Shane Hubanks and his employees at the Mt Juliet Goodwill find something that doesn't belong inside their store.
Such was the case in May when a shopper brought in a small bag to donate, that no price tag could ever do justice.
"I knew these bags were given to people that had passed away, I looked at my manager and said wouldn't this be tragic if that was that if this was someone's personal items that passed away
In the bag was a driver's license, family photos and a dog tag. Inscribed on the tag was Sgt. Asbury Freddie Hawn's name. read more here
46 minutes ago BREAKING NEWS US servicemember killed in attack in Helmand
Stars and Stripes
By Tara Copp and Heath Druzin
Published: January 5, 2016
KABUL, Afghanistan — One U.S. servicemember was killed and two others were injured Tuesday during operations in Afghanistan's Helmand province, a military spokesman confirmed.
The servicemembers, along with their Afghan counterparts, were involved in a firefight and a mortar attack on a U.S. medevac helicopter, according to U.S. officials.
"U.S. special forces were conducting train advise and assist with their Afghan counterparts," said Col. Michael Lawhorn, spokesman for the international military coalition in Afghanistan.
Details were still forthcoming, but a statement released by U.S. Forces-Afghanistan confirmed one U.S. servicemember died as a result of the incident and two others were injured.
A medevac helicopter responding to the attack was struck by a mortar while it was on the ground supporting the forces, U.S. defense officials said. Lawhorn said the helicopter was not shot down. read more here
Marine's children receive American flags in honor of fallen father
Fallen Marine's three youngest children presented with Stars and Stripes in honor of their dad
Sun Herald
BY JAMES SKRMETTA
June 5, 2015
"I never have to go through anything alone," she said. "For that, I am forever grateful."
Because of a mix-up at U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Robby Mathews' funeral, his children didn't receive flags honoring their dad's military service.
Four Marines made sure the children got their flags Friday morning in Biloxi.
Mathews, 28, was killed serving his country.
His wife, Aaron Mathews, said the Marine Corps has been there for them ever since.
"I didn't know what was going to happen after Robby died," she said.
"The Marines really stepped up and were there for our family in the most important of times."
Smart in their dress blues, four Marines approached the house Friday morning with three American flags folded in their arms as the children poured out of the house.
Noah, 5, Emily, 3, and Elisabeth, 2, watched as each of the Marines dropped to one knee and presented a flag in remembrance of their father.
read more here
49 years later, apology for racism from American Gold Star Mothers brings healing for Steelton family
PennLive.com
By Debbie Truong
May 09, 2015
The sadness, anger and frustration that lingered from that slight was eased only recently after a classmate of Lise learned the family's story and helped seek a written apology from the organization.
It was March of 1966. Tracie Garnett, 6, was playing house in the playroom at her home on Ridge Street when a driver from the Steelton Taxi Cab Company pulled up. Tracie answered and was handed a Western Union telegram.
Reuben Garnett was killed trying to save a fellow officer during the Vietnam War. According to his family, decorations, personal and unit awards were not reflected in his record. Also, according to his family, Garnett's mother submitted an application to join the American Gold Star Mothers shortly after her son's death but was told that other mothers in the organization were uncomfortable with her joining because she was black. India Elaine Garnett, Tracie Garnett, and Lise Garnett, 3 of Reuben's sisters, with some of his medals. Sean Simmers, PennLive.com. May08 2015. (SEAN SIMMERS)
One of her parents — Tracie, now 55, can't remember which — read the note and started crying. Her brother, Reuben Louis Garnett Jr., the only boy and the oldest in the family, had died in the Vietnam War.
He was "on a combat operation when hit by hostile small arms fire," the telegram, addressed to Reuben's parents, read. He was 23.
Tracie was too young to understand what death meant. But her three older sisters — Janine Garnett, Lise Garnett and India Elaine Garnett — did.
Janine, 9, cried to herself on the stairs. Lise, 12, doesn't remember much of that day — she's blocked it from her memory, she said. Half a block away, India, 22, began screaming and wailing after her parents came over and showed her the note.
The Garnett sisters point to their brother's death as a turning point in their family's history. Their mother, they said, was forever changed. Her loss was further compounded after she tried to join a local chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers, an organization for mothers who lost a child in the military, and was turned away because she was black. read more here
Apology letter erases years of hurt for woman
India Elaine Garnett, 71, said an apology from the American Gold Star Mothers helped erase 49 years of agony. In the video, she is opening a gift bag containing an American Gold Star Mothers flag.
