Posted on 08/11/2011 9:19:24 AM PDT by AnyStreetFL
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed.
The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:
Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La.,
Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif.,
Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark.,
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii,
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Conn.,
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minn.,
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass.,
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Mo.,
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas,
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va.,
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, La.,
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Mich.,
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif.
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C.,
Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah,
Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb.,
Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa.,
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa,
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Fla., and
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah.
The following sailors assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed:
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif., and
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, ofSaint Paul, Minn.
The soldiers killed were:
Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Aurora, Colo.;
Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.;
Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Neb.;
Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.; and
Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.
The airmen killed were:
Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.;
Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif.; and
Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa.
bump.
An irreplaceable loss.
Tommy Franks and his family walk around with no protection. What about the Generals always on TV? There is no special protection for them as well. Any terrorist can kill our military members if they want.
Of course, it does.
I hope you are going to put as much effort, in attending the funeral services for these warriors, if you are close to where they will be held, as you are complaining (legitimately) about the release of their names. It is what it is right now, I would rather have this thread a place where we can post, as FReepers, our thoughts and prayers and appreciation for their ultimate price they paid for all of us. There are many other threads addressing this issue, so please, let’s make this about them right now.
I have so much disrespect for our hate filled, leak prone powers in Washington .....it just breaks my heart.
They are responsible for these deaths!
yes
yes they can
But Tommy Franks didn’t kill the leader of al Qaeda and boast about it all over the world media, did he?
so adding any risk at all is acceptable to you in exchange for releasing names
If there is no risk how come Panetta didn’t routinely release the names of CIA officers killed during missions - aside from the names leaked by the despicable NY Times
Rarely is that brought up.
Iran engaged in a State sponsored act on U.S. soil to kill members of a Naval Captain’s family. That is a straight up casus belli, but nothing was ever done about it.
It is long since time to engage Iran.
Is the “logic” being used the same as the “logic” for selling guns to Mexican drug cartels. That is, “follow the guns and find out where the cartels are located” - a policy that backfired and failed miserably.
Are the names of the families listed so that we can “watch the homes and families of the SEALs” and then “intercept” the bad guys coming to kill them? If so, this plan will work just as well as the administration’s ill-fated “gun selling” policy worked.
Just as Issa is investigating the former policy, perhaps this “policy” also needs to be investigated.
Yes, I think it’s vitally important that we show respect for these men by being silent while folks try to defund their team members who were not killing in that shoot-down.
Don’t you agree...
God bless them and their families.
Only from those who feel that more revenge is needed to pay for Bin Ladin's death.
We can continue the fear mentality or we can honor the names of people sacrificing themselves for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Sparky, you can continue the “fear mentality” excuse when your family has even the slightest trace of attraction to an al Qaeda revenge attack!
Grieving people often don’t think clearly, that’s no excuse for the rest of us to cheer them on
At least one public school in Northern VA turned up on a terrorist hit list because many of the kids have military parents at the Pentagon- so don’t think the enemy, who is within us, isn’t watching
Revenge is a dish they enjoy serving...cold or hot
I owe you an apology for post 30. I was conversing on two threads and thought that comment was pertinent on this thread. It wasn’t. I’m sorry I addressed you, dragging you off topic on that point. It wasn’t reasoned. Am am sorry.
What is pertinent is these men’s families being safe. I’m not blaming you for listing their names and cities. That information should not be made public.
If for no other reason than to keep those loon Kansans away from these funerals, it would be best for the government not to release this information.
This should be the last nail.
All service members should take heed by what is happening.
You and your family’s lives are of no concern to this regime.
No need to apologize, my friend! This is very personal for me, as a vet. We’re good, again, we believe that their identities should have been protected. I agree!
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