Freedom Remembered

Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey C. Baker, 29, of Hesperia, Calif., assigned to 766th Ordnance Company, 63rd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, Fort Stewart, Ga. He died May 14, in Sanjaray, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. Baker joined the Army in October 2004. He was on his second deployment. His awards include the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, both posthumous.

To be updated…

Spc. William J. Gilbert, 24, of Hacienda Heights, Calif., assigned to 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. He died May 14, in Sanjaray, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Will was a student/athlete at La Serna High School where he graduated in 2007. He was a pitcher on the varsity baseball team for four years and also played football. Spc Gilbert was an Infantryman who entered the Army from Los Angeles, August 2010. He received Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He arrived at Fort Bliss, his first permanent duty station, in January 2011. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He is survived by his spouse. This was his first combat tour.

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…

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…

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…

Spc. Deflin M. Santos Jr., 24, of San Jose, Calif., died April 6 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit in Zabul, Afghanistan with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. He joined the Army in February 2007, arriving at the unit in May 2011. He was on his second deployment. Santos is the youngest of 17 children. His father was a POW in World War II and was part of the Bataan Death March. His father was buried in the Philippines. Delfin’s family said his body will be flown to the Philippines as well so that he can be buried next to his father.

To be updated…

Born: September 9, 1981 in Castro Valley, California
Died: March 21, 2013, Germany

Sgt. 1st Class James F. Grissom, 31, of Hayward, Calif., died March 21 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds suffered from small arms fire March 18 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. This was Grissom’s 5th deployment to an Overseas Contingency Operation. SFC Grissom graduated in 1999 from Mt. Eden High School and attended college at the Art Institute of San Francisco, earning his Associate’s Degree in Computer Animation. He enlisted in the Army in June of 2003, under the 18X Special Forces Enlistment Program. After graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course in October, 2005, Grissom was assigned to 2nd Battalion., 1st SFG (A) JBLM. During his time with 2nd Battalion, Grissom deployed on several JCETs (Joint Combined Exchange Training), and deployed to Iraq in 2009. Grissom wasre-assigned to 4thBattalion in Nov. 2010 as an engineersergeant and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan in 2012. Grissom’s military education includes the Special Forces Qualification Course, Warrior Leader Course, Advanced Leader Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Course, the Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis, and Exploitation Techniques Course, and the Basic Airborne Course. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze star Medal. Arlington National Cemetery

To be updated…

Born: January 23, 1980 in Los Angeles County, California
Died: November 24, 2012 in Uruzgan, Oruzgan, Afghanistan

Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin R. Ebbert of Arcata, Californiadied at age 32 while supporting stability operations in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan. Ebbert was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit in Virginia Beach, Va. Ebbert was a Special Warfare Operator assigned to a SEAL team. Kevin graduated from Arcata High School, received a bachelor’s degree in music from UC Santa Cruz and became an active duty Navy SEAL and corpsman. He hoped to build on his training as a corpsman to pursue a career as a physician.

To be updated…

Spc. Daniel L. Carlson, 21, of Running Springs, Calif., died Nov. 9, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Carlson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. Carlson joined the Army February 4, 2010 and attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, S.C. He joined the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade in September 2010. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, and an Aviator Badge.

To be updated…