Pfc. Payton A. Jones
Pfc. Payton A. Jones, 19, of Marble Falls, Texas died Mar. 1, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from small arms fire during an attack on their base. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. Pfc Jones joined the Army in July 2010, completing One Station Unit Training and the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Ga., before being assigned to Fort Bragg in 2010. This was his first deployment. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Parachutist Badge.
To be updated…
Staff Sgt. Jordan L. Bear, 25, of Denver, Colo., died Mar. 1, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from small arms fire during an attack on their base. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. Jordan is a graduate of Kennedy High School. Upon graduation, he joined the Army in 2004 intending to make it his career, and the third generation of the Bear family to serve in the military. SSgt Bear had just begun his third tour in Afghanistan. He is married with a young family. Bear is a member of the Ponca Indian tribe of Nebraska. His burial will include a traditional four-day Indian wake.
Cpl. Conner T. Lowry, 24, of Chicago, Ill., died March 1 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. He grew up in Beverly, and attended Saint John Fisher Elementary School and Brother Rice High School. And over at Christ the King Elementary, Conner’s Picture hangs in a classroom where the students have been sending him care packages and letters for months. Prior to joining the Marines, Cpl Lowry was a student at the University of Iowa when he decided to join the military. Lowry began serving in the Marine Corps Sep. 8, 2008. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan. His personal service awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two silver star devices, and the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan with bronze star device.
Maj. Robert J. Marchanti II, 48, of Baltimore, Md., died Feb. 25, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Marchanti was assigned to 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Division Security Partnering Team of the Maryland Army National Guard, Baltimore, Md. As a civilian, Maj Marchanti had worked as a special education physical education teacher in the Baltimore County Public Schools, most recently at Carney Elementary School. He joined the U.S. Army in 1984 and the Maryland National Guard in 1986 and had worked since May 2008 at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore as a construction and facilities management technician. Marchanti had been in Afghanistan for less than a year. As a devoted family man he adored his wife, his four children and had a 3 month old grandson.
Lt. Col. John D. Loftis, 44, of Murray, Ky., died Feb. 25 from wounds received during an attack at the Interior Ministry, Kabul, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 866th Air Expeditionary Squadron, Kabul, Afghanistan. He served as a space and missile officer who became a regional affairs strategist in 2008. Known to some as JD or Darin, he entered the Air Force in 1996, receiving his commission through Officer Training School. Prior to deploying in March 2011, he had been assigned to the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, Air Force Special Operations Training Center, Hurlburt Field, Fla. Loftis was deployed in support of OPERATION Enduring Freedom and working in the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of the Interior with the AfPak Hands program as the chief plans advisor. The AfPak Hands program stood up in September 2009 to develop a cadre of specially trained U.S. servicemembers skilled in Afghan and Pakistani culture and language. Lt Col Loftis was previously awarded the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal.
Born: March 6, 2024 in Newport News, Virginia
Born: December 4, 2024 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
Sgt. Justin A. Everett, 33 of Clovis, Calif, helicopter crew chief aboard UH-1Y Hueys. He joined the Marines in 2002 because of the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attacks. He felt it was his duty to go and join the military and be what he could be for this country and fell in love with the Marines. A 1996 graduate of Reedley High School in Central California, Justin served as a youth pastor in Fresno before he joined the Marines. He and his wife had just marked their 11-year wedding anniversary on Feb. 17, 2001. He was one of seven Marines killed in a helicopter crash near Yuma, Ariz. His personal awards include, the Air Medal Strike/Flight, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (second award), Good Conduct Medal (second award), National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Korean Defense Service Medal.
Lance Cpl. Corey A. Little, 25, of Fayetteville, Ga., joined the Marines in 2009 where he served as a Huey helicopter crew chief. He played baseball as a youngster and graduated from high school in 2004. Corey and his wife are expecting their first child in September. He was one of seven Marines killed in a helicopter crash near Yuma, Ariz. He served as a helicopter crew chief aboard UH-1Y Hueys. His personal awards include the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Capt. Michael M. Quin, 28, of Purcellville, Va, UH-1Y Huey pilot attended two years of high school in Pennsylvania before graduating in Virginia. Michael joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006 and chose it following Sept. 11, 2001, while still attending high school. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 2006, Quin was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He attended flight school in Pensacola, Fla. and in 2008 was “winged” as a naval aviator. He was then subsequently assigned to a Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron, HMLA 469, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Captain Quin was preparing to be deployed to Afghanistan this spring and was looking forward to the mission. He was one of seven Marines killed in a helicopter crash near Yuma, Ariz. His personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (second award), National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.