Staff Sgt. Eric D. Christian, 39, of Warwick, N.Y., died May 4, while conducting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. They were both assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He graduated in 1992 from Ramsey High School in New Jersey where he was a standout on the football field. Eric deployed in 2003 and served five tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.
To be updated…
Tech Sgt. Herman Mackey III, 30, of Bakersfield, Calif., died May 3, near Chon-Aryk, Kyrgyzstan, in the crash of a KC-135 aircraft. The airmen were assigned to the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. The cause of the crash is under investigation. ‘Tre’ enlisted in the Air Force immediately after graduating from Bakersfield High School in 2001.
To be updated…
Capt. Victoria A. Pinckney, 27, of Palmdale, Calif., died May 3, near Chon-Aryk, Kyrgyzstan, in the crash of a KC-135 aircraft. SHe was assigned to the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. The cause of the crash is under investigation. ‘Tori’ is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. She is the mother of a seven month old son.
To be updated…
Capt. Mark T. Voss, 27, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died May 3, near Chon-Aryk, Kyrgyzstan, in the crash of a KC-135 aircraft. He was assigned to the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Known best as Tyler, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
To be updated…
Spc. Trinidad Santiago Jr., 25, of San Diego, Calif., died May 2, in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. He was assigned to 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. Santiago joined the Army on Oct. 13, 2009 and deployed to Kuwait in February. He had previously deployed to Afghanistan in December of 2010. He was also a cannoneer while deployed to Kuwait. He attended Herbert Hoover High School, Class of 2005. He also attended Coleman University. His military decorations include: the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Ribbon, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal. Miramar National Cemetery
To be updated…
Born: January 8, 1992
Died: May 2, 2013 in Kuwait
Pfc. Charles P. McClure, 21, of Stratford, Okla., died May 2, in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. He was assigned to 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. McClure joined the Army on Nov. 1, 2011 and deployed to Kuwait in February. He was serving as a cannoneer. This was his first deployment. Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Fort Leonard Wood
To be updated…
Staff Sgt. Michael H. Simpson, 30, of San Antonio, Texas, died May 1 in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit on April 27, with an improvised explosive device in Arian, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. In the service for 10 years, SSG Simpson had been stationed in Afghanistan only about two weeks when he was wounded by a bomb while riding an ATV. Simpson enlisted in the Army in April, 2003, as an Infantryman. Upon completion of basic training and Advanced Individual Training, Simpson was assigned to Company D, 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, as a Rifleman. In 2006, Simpson was assigned to Company C, 2nd Cavalry Regiment and deployed in 2007 as a fire team leader in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Simpson volunteered for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course and completed the Special Forces Qualification Course in July 2011. He was assigned to Company C, 4th BN, 1st SFG (A) as a weapons sergeant. He participated in the multilateral exercise Cobra Gold in Thailand in 2012 and recently deployed in support of OEF-A. His military education includes the Special Forces Qualification Course, Warrior Leader Course, Advanced Leader Course, Combat Life Savers Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Course, Hazmat Driver Instructor’s Course, Joint Armorers Training Course, and the Basic Airborne Course. His awards and decorations include, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Good Conduct Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral “2″ device, Army Service Ribbon, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
To be updated…
Staff Sgt. Richard A. Dickson, 24, of Rancho Cordova, Calif., died April 27, near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in the crash of an MC-12 aircraft. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. He was assigned to the 306th Intelligence Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif. At the time of his deployment, SSG had flown more than 120 combat missions and was the recipient of six air medals.
To be updated…
Born: April 9, 1983 in Rowan County, Kentucky
Died: April 27, 2013 in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Daniel N. Fannin of Morehead, Kentucky died at age 30 near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in the crash of an MC-12 aircraft. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. He was assigned to the 552nd Operations Support Squadron, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Fannin was a sensory operator assigned to the 552nd Operations Support Squadron at Tinker. He joined the Air Force in 2001 after graduating from high school in Morehead. During his 11 years of service, he has served as an E-3 air surveillance technician as well as a MC-12 sensor operator. He had three previous deployed tours as an E-3 AWACS Air Surveillance Technician and MC-12 Sensor Operator. He was qualified as an instructor air surveillance technician, and also served with distinction in the 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron at Tinker. Ft Gibson National
To be updated…
Born: September 16, 1984 in Aspen, Colorado
Died: April 27, 2013 in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Capt. Brandon L. Cyr of Shiloh, IL., died at age 28 near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in the crash of an MC-12 aircraft. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. He was assigned to the 906th Air Refueling Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Capt Cyr, an instructor pilot, was a member of the 906th Air Refueling Squadron within the 375th Air Mobility Wing, its parent unit for administrative purposes. However, he flew alongside members of the Illinois Air National Guard’s 126th Air Refueling Wing as part of the Air Force’s Total Force Integration efforts. Cyr was part of an initial team of pilots who help to stand up the 906th ARS for the TFI effort. He most recently served as an executive officer for the 126th ARW commander, Col. Peter Nezamis. At the time of his death, he had earned more than 1,700 flying hours–900 of those in combat. Arlington National Cemetery
Memorials:
Capt. Brandon L. Cyr Memorial Scholorship Fund for
AFJROTC Students 906 Air Refueling Squadron %
Cindy Self 2151 Golf Course Rd
Scott Air Force Base IL 62225
To be updated…
