Spc. Alex Hernandez III
May 14th, 2012
Spc. Alex Hernandez III, 21, of Round Rock, Texas, died May 12, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. Spc. Hernandez joined the Army July 8, 2009 as a Test Equipment Operator and attended Basic Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He joined the 25th CAB in October 2010. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, and an Aviator Badge.
To be updated…
Born: August 4, 1989 in Harris County, Texas
Petty Officer Second Class Jorge Luis Velasquez, 35, of Houston, Texas died as a result of a non-combat related incident in Manama, Bahrain. Velasquez was assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 56 in Bahrain, which conducts maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
Staff Sgt. Joseph H. Fankhauser, 30, of Mason, Texas, died April 22 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Known best as Fank or Bob, he attended Sharyland High School, and later graduated from a high school in Central Texas. He served four tours of duty in Iraq and was serving his second tour in Afghanistan at the time of his death.
Sgt. Tanner S. Higgins, 23, of Yantis, Texas, died Apr. 14 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. Sgt Higgins enlisted in the Army in 2007 and trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he also graduated from the Basic Airborne Course and Ranger Assessment and Selection Program. Higgins was assigned to his company in July 2008 and had since served as a rifleman, grenadier, automatic rifleman, gun team leader and a Ranger team leader. His military education included the Basic Airborne Course, Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, U.S. Army Ranger Course, Emergency Medical Technician Basic Course, U.S. Army Sniper School, and he was a Warrior Leader Course Distinguished Leadership Awardee. Among his awards are, the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the U.S. Army Expert Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Badge, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and Purple Heart.
Spc. Philip C. S. Schiller, 21, of The Colony, Texas, died April 11 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Phil enlisted in June 2010 attending Army Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in November 2010. Schiller was serving his first deployment. Among his awards are, the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Infantryman Badge. His civilian and military education includes a high school diploma (2010), Military Occupational Specialty 11B: Infantryman (2010) and Combat Lifesavers Course (2011). Philip was active in Reserve Officer’s Training Corps at The Colony High School where he graduated. He leaves his father Erik Schiller, mother Robin Larsen and a sister Courtney Schiller.
2nd Lt. Clovis T. Ray, 34, of San Antonio, Texas died Mar. 15 at Kunar province, Afghanistan of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Clovis played football in high school and graduated with honors before attending Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., earning a degree in sociology. 2nd Lt Ray had received a number of awards and decorations since joining the Army in 2010, including the Bronze Star Medal (posthumous), Purple Heart (posthumous), two Army Commendation Medals, National Defense Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star. He also received a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal (posthumous), Combat Infantry Badge and Parachutist Badge.
Born: July 8, 1992 in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Capt. Nathan W. Anderson, 32, of Amarillo, Texas, commissioned in the Marine Corps December 20, 2002 and served as a UH-1Y Huey pilot. Nathan graduated in 1998 from Amarillo High School where he was a starting linebacker on the 1997 team that made it to the state quarterfinals. As a Marine, he had deployed to Iraq three times, in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Capt Anderson joined the Marine Corps in 2002. He was one of seven Marines killed in a helicopter crash near Yuma, Ariz. Capt. Anderson served as a UH-1Y Huey pilot. Among his Awards are, the Air Medal Individual Action, Air Medal Strike/Flight (numeral 2), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Born: July 22, 1990 in Bedford, Texas