IN MEMORY
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 29, 2005 – Seventeen service members were on board a CH-47 Chinook
helicopter that crashed in mountainous terrain west of Asadabad, Afghanistan, June 28, military officials
said today. Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. The status of the
servicemembers is unknown, officials said.
Coalition and Afghan National Army forces quickly moved into position around the crash to block any
enemy movement toward or away from the site, officials said. Coalition aircraft remain overhead.
The helicopter was transporting forces into the area as part of Operation Red Wing, which is part of the
enduring fight to defeat al Qaeda militants and deny them influence in Kunar province, officials said.
Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials said recent enemy activity in the area has been described
as a series of harassing attacks and intelligence-gathering activities against Afghan and U.S. forces.
"This is a tragic event for all of us, and our hearts and prayers go out to the families, loved ones
and servicemembers still fighting in the area," said Army Brig. Gen. Greg Champion, deputy commander
of Combined Joint Task Force 76. "Our courage and commitment to America's fight in the global war on
terror will not waver. This incident will only further our resolve to defeat the enemies of peace."
More information will be provided as it becomes available.
In other news from Afghanistan, a U.S. servicemember was reported missing west of Asadabad June 25
after the vehicle he was traveling in began to slide down an embankment on the Pech River.
Search and rescue efforts are under way, with coalition aircraft assisting, officials said.
The vehicle was traveling alongside the Pech River, which has swollen due to snowmelt in recent days,
when the road began to give way and the cargo Humvee began to slide toward the water, a statement from
CFCA said. All other vehicle occupants escaped before the road gave way. The missing servicemember is
believed to have fallen into the river in his effort to escape the vehicle.
Initial estimates indicate the river was running at 20 to 25 miles per hour and the water temperature was 50
degrees.
"We are doing everything we can to find our missing comrade," said Army Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, a
spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force 76. "No effort is being spared in our attempts to find this
individual. Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women conducting these rescue efforts
and for the family of the missing individual."
The name of the missing servicemember is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.)
July 05, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of eight soldiers and eight sailors who were
supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Soldiers killed were:
Staff Sgt. Shamus O. Goare, 29, of Danville, Ohio.
Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, 35, of Clarks Grove, Minn.
Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 21, of Pompano Beach, Fla.
Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 33, of Shelbyville, Ind.
Master Sgt. James W. Ponder III, 36, of Franklin, Tenn.
Maj. Stephen C. Reich, 34, of Washington Depot, Conn.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Russell, 31, of Stafford, Va.
Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach, 40, of Jacksonville, Fla.
Goare, Goodnature, Jacoby, Muralles, Reich, Russell, and Scherkenbach were assigned to the Army's
3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Air Field, Ga.
Ponder was assigned to the Army's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 160th Special
Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Sailors killed were:
Chief Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan, 36, of New Orleans, La.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel R. Healy, 36, of Exeter, N.H.
Lt. Cmdr. Erik S. Kristensen, 33, of San Diego, Calif.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery A. Lucas, 33, of Corbett, Ore.
Lt. Michael M. McGreevy, Jr., 30, of Portville, N.Y.
Petty Officer 2nd Class James Suh, 28, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric S. Patton, 22, of Boulder City, Nev.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, of Midway, W.Va.
Healy, Patton and Suh were assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Fontan, Kristensen, Lucas, McGreevy and Taylor were assigned to SEAL Team Ten, Virginia Beach, Va.
All 16 were killed while conducting combat operations when the MH-47 helicopter that they were aboard
crashed in the vicinity of Asadabad, Afghanistan in Kumar Province on June 28.
For further information related to the Army personnel listed in this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703)
692-2000.
For further information related to the Navy personnel listed in this release, contact Naval Special Warfare
Command Public Affairs at (619) 437-5133.
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Bodies of Special Ops Service Members Recovered in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 5, 2005 – Coalition forces have located the bodies of two U.S. servicemembers who
had been missing in Afghanistan's Kunar region since June 28, military officials in Kabul announced today.
The service members, part of a special operations team, had been conducting counter terrorism
operations in the region.
The military said the two servicemembers were taken to the U.S. military hospital at Bagram Air Base,
where they were pronounced dead.
Another member of the team was located July 4 and airlifted to the Bagram hospital with injuries that
officials said are not life-threatening. The whereabouts of one other team member remain unknown,
the military said.
On June 28, an MH-47 helicopter sent to support troops in the region crashed, killing all 16
servicemembers on board. The military is investigating reports the helicopter was shot down by
Afghan rebels. Coalition forces have been actively engaged in Operation Red Wing, a counterterrorism
operation to defeat terrorists and deny them sanctuary in the Kunar province.
The military also reported today that six people were detained for questioning after U.S. forces discovered a
weapons cache northwest of Asadabad in Kunar province July 4. The cache consisted of five grenades, one
rocket-propelled grenade, wires and timing devices, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and Taliban
propaganda materials.
July 13, 2005
Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, 29, of Cupertino, Calif, died while conducting counter-
terrorism operations in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Coalition forces located the service member
while conducting a combat search and rescue operation July 10 in Kunar province. Axelson was
assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team ONE, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Lance Cpl. Kevin B. Joyce, 19, of Ganado, Ariz., died June 25 after falling into the Pech River while
conducting combat operations in Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment,
3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
August 03, 2005
Sgt. Jason T. Palmerton, 25, of Auburn, Neb., died on July 23 in Qal'eh-Yegaz, Afghanistan, where he
came under enemy small arms fire while conducting a dismounted patrol. Palmerton was assigned to
1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Staff Sgt. Michael W. Schafer, 25, of Spring Hill, Fla., died July 25 in Oruzgan, Afghanistan, when he was
shot by enemy forces while on a quick reaction force mission. Staff Sgt.Schafer was assigned to the 2nd
Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, Vicenza, Italy.
August 08, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring
Freedom.
Gunnery Sgt. Theodore Clark Jr., 31, of Emporia, Va., died Aug 4 when the vehicle in which he was a
passenger was struck by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near
Gardez, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The Department of Defense announced the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring
Freedom. They died on Aug. 4, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, when their vehicle left the road and went into a
river. The soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
Killed were:
Pvt. 1st Class Damian J. Garza, 19, of Odessa, Texas.,
Pvt. John M. Henderson Jr., 21, of Columbus, Ga.,