thedrifter
07-12-09, 07:30 AM
Jul-12-2009 01:40
Costly Fighting in Afghanistan Leads to Three More Combat Deaths
Tim King Salem-News.com
A Marine from Florida, a Marine from North Carolina, and a Texas soldier, pay the ultimate price fighting the war in Afghanistan.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Two Reconnaissance Marines were killed in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan July 8th at 7:26 p.m. local time, when a homemade roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle.
Lance Corporal Roger G. Hager of Gibsonville, North Carolina was 20-years old.
A local newspaper reporter with The Times News, spoke to his mother one day after learning he had been killed in action in Afghanistan. Elaine Hager lost her youngest son that day, and she said she was still trying to make sense of the tragedy.
"He was just a kid," his mother said with tears in her eyes. "He was not old enough to drink. He was just too young."
The Times News reports that Roger Hager was riding as a back-seat passenger in the vehicle that hit the homemade bomb. He had deployed to the combat theater about three months ago.
Another Marine killed that day is someone who was not a kid, but an extremely decorated Marine staff non commissioned officer who had served the Corps for many years. Master Sergeant John E. Hayes, of Middleburg, Florida, who was 36, died July 8th while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
His awards include 2 Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals, 3 Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, 2 Combat Action Ribbons, a Joint Meritorious Unit Award, a Navy Unit Commendation, 2 Navy Meritorious Unit Citations, 5 Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, 2 National Defense Service Medals, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, a Southwest Asia Service Medal, 2 Kosovo Campaign medals, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Armed Forces Service Medal, 2 Humanitarian Service Medals, 6 Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, a Marine Security Guard Ribbon, 2 NATO Medals, and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.
John Hayes deployed to Afghanistan in April. His previous deployments included Kosovo and Albania in 1998, Kuwait in 1991 and Iraq in 2003 and 2007.
Both Marines were assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Little is written about "Recon" Marines and they were very falsely portrayed in one Clint Eastwood movie called Heartbreak ridge that is sometimes sarcastically referred to as "the only war movie that was longer than the war it depicted." Reconnaissance Marines are qualified in parachuting and skydiving like Navy SEAL's or Green Beret's, and are trained to extreme levels. They are today and always really were, the "Special Forces" of the Marine Corps.
U.S. Army Specialist Josh Farris of La Grange, Texas, died of wounds suffered from the detonation of an improvised explosive device July 9th in Afghanistan's Wardak Province. He was 22-years old. He was part of another distinguished military unit, the Army's historic 10th Mountain Division.
Photos from his MySpace show Josh with motocross bikes, rock guitars, with friends and at ball games. One person wrote, "RIP You are loved and will be missed... I looked thru all our pics last night, and thought bout the good ole days... and cried. I Love You Lil Farris."
Another friend said, "Josh, words cant explain of how much I'm going to miss you."
Josh Farris was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York.
Ellie
Costly Fighting in Afghanistan Leads to Three More Combat Deaths
Tim King Salem-News.com
A Marine from Florida, a Marine from North Carolina, and a Texas soldier, pay the ultimate price fighting the war in Afghanistan.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Two Reconnaissance Marines were killed in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan July 8th at 7:26 p.m. local time, when a homemade roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle.
Lance Corporal Roger G. Hager of Gibsonville, North Carolina was 20-years old.
A local newspaper reporter with The Times News, spoke to his mother one day after learning he had been killed in action in Afghanistan. Elaine Hager lost her youngest son that day, and she said she was still trying to make sense of the tragedy.
"He was just a kid," his mother said with tears in her eyes. "He was not old enough to drink. He was just too young."
The Times News reports that Roger Hager was riding as a back-seat passenger in the vehicle that hit the homemade bomb. He had deployed to the combat theater about three months ago.
Another Marine killed that day is someone who was not a kid, but an extremely decorated Marine staff non commissioned officer who had served the Corps for many years. Master Sergeant John E. Hayes, of Middleburg, Florida, who was 36, died July 8th while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
His awards include 2 Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals, 3 Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, 2 Combat Action Ribbons, a Joint Meritorious Unit Award, a Navy Unit Commendation, 2 Navy Meritorious Unit Citations, 5 Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, 2 National Defense Service Medals, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, a Southwest Asia Service Medal, 2 Kosovo Campaign medals, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Armed Forces Service Medal, 2 Humanitarian Service Medals, 6 Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, a Marine Security Guard Ribbon, 2 NATO Medals, and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.
John Hayes deployed to Afghanistan in April. His previous deployments included Kosovo and Albania in 1998, Kuwait in 1991 and Iraq in 2003 and 2007.
Both Marines were assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Little is written about "Recon" Marines and they were very falsely portrayed in one Clint Eastwood movie called Heartbreak ridge that is sometimes sarcastically referred to as "the only war movie that was longer than the war it depicted." Reconnaissance Marines are qualified in parachuting and skydiving like Navy SEAL's or Green Beret's, and are trained to extreme levels. They are today and always really were, the "Special Forces" of the Marine Corps.
U.S. Army Specialist Josh Farris of La Grange, Texas, died of wounds suffered from the detonation of an improvised explosive device July 9th in Afghanistan's Wardak Province. He was 22-years old. He was part of another distinguished military unit, the Army's historic 10th Mountain Division.
Photos from his MySpace show Josh with motocross bikes, rock guitars, with friends and at ball games. One person wrote, "RIP You are loved and will be missed... I looked thru all our pics last night, and thought bout the good ole days... and cried. I Love You Lil Farris."
Another friend said, "Josh, words cant explain of how much I'm going to miss you."
Josh Farris was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York.
Ellie