IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 003-08 January 02, 2009 Pfc. Benjamin B. Tollefson, 22, of Concord, Calif., died Dec. 31 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire in Ghazaliya. Tollefson was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 005-09 January 05, 2009 Pfc. Christopher W. Lotter, 20, of Chester Heights, Pa., died Dec. 31, 2008, in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he was shot by enemy forces in Tikrit. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 006-09 January 05, 2009 Enduring Lance Cpl. Alberto Francesconi, 21, of Bronx, N.Y., died Jan. 1 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 008-09 January 06, 2009 Iraqi Lance Cpl. Chadwick A. Gilliam, 29, of Mayking, Ky., died Jan. 3 at a U.S. military base in Kuwait. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 010-09 January 07, 2009 Staff Sgt. Anthony D. Davis, 29, of Daytona Beach, Fla., died Jan. 6 in Northern Iraq, of wounds suffered when he was shot by enemy forces. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 012-09 January 07, 2009 Enduring Lance Cpl. Jessie A. Cassada, 19, of Hendersonville, N.C., died Jan. 6 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 021-09 January 12, 2009 Soldier Missing in Action From Korean War is Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Sgt. Dougall H. Espey Jr., U.S. Army, of Mount Laurel, N.J. He will be buried April 3 in Elmira, N.Y. Representatives from the Army s Mortuary Office met with Espey s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process on behalf of the secretary of the Army. Espey was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On Nov. 1, 1950, the 8th Cavalry was occupying a defensive position near Unsan, North Korea, in an area known as the Camel s Head, when elements of two Chinese Communist Forces divisions struck the 1st Cavalry Division s lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. The 3rd Battalion was surrounded and effectively ceased to exist as a fighting unit. Espey was one of the more than 350 servicemen unaccounted-for from the battle at Unsan. Between 1991-94, North Korea turned over to the U.S. 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200-400 U.S. servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with several boxes in 1993 indicated that the remains from those boxes were exhumed near Chonsung-Ri, Unsan County. This location correlates with Espey s last known location. Among other forensic identification tools and
circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 022-09 January 12, 2009 DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring They died Jan. 9 in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Jaldak. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany. Killed were: Maj. Brian M. Mescall, 33, of Hopkinton, Mass. Spc. Joseph M. Hernandez, 24, of Hammond, Ind. Sgt. Jason R. Parsons, 24, of Lenoir, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 024-09 January 12, 2009 Staff Sgt. Justin L. Bauer, 24, of Loveland, Colo., died Jan. 10 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 025-09 January 12, 2009 DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring They died Jan. 8 in Maywand, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when their dismounted patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were: Sgt. Joshua L. Rath, 22, of Decatur, Ala. Cpl. Keith E. Essary, 20, of Dyersburg, Tenn. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 027-09 January 13, 2009
Pvt. Sean P. McCune, 20, of Euless, Texas, died Jan. 11 in Samarra, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 028-08 January 13, 2009 Enduring Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Bennett, 23, of Clifton, Va., died Jan. 11 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 037-09 January 16, 2009 Iraqi Sgt. Marquis R. Porter, 28, of Brighton, Mass., died Jan. 11 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 041-09 January 19, 2009 DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of an Airman who was supporting Operation Iraqi Senior Airman Omar J. McKnight, 22, of Marrero, La., died Jan 17 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Balad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 6th Security Forces Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 042-09 January 19, 2009
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Townsend, 30, of Solvang, Calif., died Jan. 16 in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 046-09 January 19, 2009 Staff Sgt. Roberto Andrade Jr., 26, of Chicago, Ill., died Jan. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 045-09 January 21, 2009 Pfc. Ricky L. Turner, 20, of Athens, Ala., died Jan. 16 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 047-09 January 21, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Staff Sgt. Carlo M. Robinson, 33, of Lawton, Okla., died Jan. 17 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Kabul. He was assigned to 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk, La. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 052-09 January 23, 2009
Missing WWII Soldiers are Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors. They are Pfc. Julian H. Rogers, of Bloomington, Ind Pvt. Henry E. Marquez, of Kansas City, Kan. Both men were U.S. Army. Rogers will be buried in the spring in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., and Marquez will be buried on May 30 in Kansas City, Mo. Representatives from the Army s Mortuary Office met with the next-of-kin of these men in their hometowns to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army. In November 1944, the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, was attacking east through the Hürtgen Forest in an attempt to capture the German towns of Vossenack and Schmidt. On Nov. 4, the Germans counterattacked in what would become one of the longest running battles in U.S. history. Rogers and Marquez, both members of G Company, 112th Infantry Regiment, were reported killed in action near Vossenack on Nov. 4. Their bodies were not recovered. In 2007, a German citizen searching for wartime relics in the Hürtgen Forest uncovered human remains and military identification tags for Rogers and Marquez. He notified U.S. officials and a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team excavated the site later that year. The team recovered human remains and non-biological material. Among dental records, other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of the remains. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 053-09 January 23, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Sgt. Ezra Dawson, 31, of Las Vegas, Nev., died Jan. 17 in Konar Province, Afghanistan when the Chinook helicopter he was in made a hard landing under combat conditions. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 054-09 January 23, 2009
Spc. Matthew M. Pollini, 21, of Rockland Mass., died Jan. 22 at Forward Operating Base Delta, near al-kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to the 772nd Military Police Company, Taunton, Mass. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 056-09 January 26, 2009 Sgt. Kyle J. Harrington, 24, of Swansea, Mass., died Jan. 24 in Basra, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-hostile accident in his unit motor pool. He was assigned to the 542nd Maintenance Company, 80th Ordnance Battalion, 593rd Sustainment Brigade, Fort Lewis, Wash. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 057-09 January 26, 2009 Enduring Lance Cpl. Julian T. Brennan, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Jan. 24 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 061-08 January 27, 2009 Pvt. Grant A. Cotting, 19, of Corona, Calif., died Jan. 24 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a noncombat related incident. He was assigned to the 515th Sapper Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 063-09 January 28, 2009 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring
The following Marines died Jan. 27 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan: Sgt. David W. Wallace III, 25, of Sharpsville, Pa. Sgt. Trevor J. Johnson, 23, of Forsyth, Mont. The Marines were assigned to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 066-09 January 29, 2009 DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi They died from wounds suffered when two OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters crashed Jan. 26 in Kirkuk, Iraq. They were assigned to the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Philip E. Windorski, Jr., 35, of Bovey, Minn. Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G. Kelley, 30, of Cameron, Mo. Chief Warrant Officer Joshua M. Tillery, 31, of Beaverton, Ore. Chief Warrant Officer Benjamin H. Todd, 29, of Colville, Wash.