Master Sgt Mark W. Coleman
Born: October 4, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado
Died: May 2, 2024 in Khakrez, Afghanistan
Master Sgt. Mark W. Coleman of Yelm, Washington was born the son of Alice and Neal Vermillion. He grew up on a farm near Goldendale, the son of Alice Eschelman and Jim Coleman and graduated in 1988 from Goldendale High School and knew he wanted to be a special forces soldier. He left for basic training immediately after graduation and the following February he was married to his high school sweetheart, Barbie. A week later, he left for Germany. Mark was serving his third tour in Afghanistan where he deployed to in December 2009 and was scheduled to be there until August 2010. Over time, he had been stationed in Korea, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Fort Bragg, N.C., and most recently, Fort Lewis. He joined the Army’s special forces in 1999, training at Fort Bragg, where he learned to speak Thai. He was eligible for full retirement in 2008 but re-enlisted for five more years. He had even talked about another five, retiring after a 30-year career. his Awards and Decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal. Coleman earned the Special Forces qualification tab, the Ranger qualification tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. He and his wife have two children, Jessica and Brett. He is also survived by his mother Alice Fay Eshelman, his adoptive-father James Coleman, and his father Harley Neal Vermilion. Mark died at age 40 at Khakrez, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Army
2nd Battalion
1st Special Forces Group
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
Burial is at Centerville Cemetery in Centerville, Washington
The Master Sgt Mark W. Coleman by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
