On July 4th, our Nation’s independence day, this country lost two of its sons whom had not even reached the age to drink a beer on the holiday yet. I know the area they were killed and it was a nasty area in 2006, so I can only imagine how bad it is now.
May these warriors rest in peace, and may their families know they will be missed by many, most of which never met them. Thank you Aaron and Justin for the sacrifice you have made for all of us.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 479-09
July 06, 2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died July 4 at Combat Outpost Zerok, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked the outpost using small arms and indirect fires. They were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Press Release By U.S. Army 1st Lt. Christopher Connolly 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
KABUL, Afghanistan (JULY 05, 2009) – A 13-year-old Afghan boy was injured by insurgents outside of a International Security Assistance Force combat outpost in the Paktia province of eastern Afghanistan July 4.
The young boy, who received shrapnel wounds to his legs, was brought to the COP by his uncle and a neighbor, seeking medical attention. Soldiers of Troop A, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, immediately brought them to the aid station.
U.S. Army Sgt. Jacob McCafferty and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Gove, Apache Troop medics, worked diligently to stabilize the boy.
“I was taking it slow and explained what I was doing,” said McCafferty. “We treated him as we would one of our own and explained everything we were doing, as we were doing it,” said Apache Troop 1st Sgt. Derek Heavener.
A precautionary tourniquet was placed on the wounded leg until the child could be moved to a hospital. The 13-year-old boy remained strong throughout.
“He’s a real tough kid. He held it together and didn’t go into shock,” said Gove. The boy’s father accompanied his son to another forward operating base to be received by the Gardez City hospital where he received additional care.
International Security Assistance Force Soldiers from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, load an injured 13-year-old boy into a medical evacuation helicopter after treating him for wounds from an insurgent rocket attack in Paktia province July 4. (Photo by 1st Lt. Christopher Connolly, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office)
Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano toured Coast Guard operations at the Port of Charleston, South Carolina, and met with state and local law enforcement officials.
After 43 months at the shipyard in Newport News for its refueling and complex overhaul, the Carl Vinson is nearly ready to re-enter service. "It's like taking a '57 Chevy and doing a frame-off restoration," said Capt. Ted Carter, the ship's commanding officer.
Vice President Joe Biden signaled that the Obama administration would not stand in the way if Israel chose to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, even as the top U.S. military officer said any attack on Iran would be destabilizing.
At 16, Frank Buckles was too young to fight in World War I, but he enlisted in the Ambulance Service of the U.S. Army and set sail for France anyway, where he drove toward the shell-shattered front-line trenches to fetch the wounded and the dead. Today, the last known WWI vet is fighting to memorialize those who fought in the Great War he witnessed firsthand.
The Soldier who was photographed fighting the Taliban in his pink boxer shorts said Saturday he was glad to be back home in Texas after his yearlong deployment to Afghanistan - especially for the Fourth of July.
A scorching desert littered with bombs, little contact, an invisible enemy: the Marines who descended on Taliban bastions in southern Afghanistan will have to face guerrilla tactics proven against the Soviets, an analyst says. "Nawa is quiet, too quiet," says Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, commanding officer of the operation.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s), myself included, and not intended as a directive or recommendation. Your ability to in turn express your opinions are just one of the rights I defended as a United States Army soldier. I respect and encourage that right. I ask only this; if you disagree with any of the material presented, either by the author or by posters, take a deep breath and think before you post. Be introspective. Be concise. Form a complete, well thought, and above all polite response before posting. The inability to communicate politely and succinctly on emotionally charged issues will do nothing to promote productive sharing of viewpoints. We must speak rationally and intelligently to each other as individuals before we can ever hope to do it as a country. To do anything less is to denigrate each other, hide away the truth, and perpetuate that which we seek to overcome.
