thedrifter
09-10-09, 10:02 AM
MILITARY: Special Operations Marine killed in Afghanistan
Capt. Joshua Meadows leaves behind a wife expecting couple's first child
MARK WALKER - mlwalker@nctimes.com | Posted: Wednesday, September 9, 2009 11:15 pm
A Camp Pendleton Special Operations officer who was due home in Carlsbad later this month for the birth of his first child is being remembered for his professionalism and sense of humor after dying Saturday in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
Capt. Joshua Meadows, 30, was struck by bullets during a small-arms firefight in the southeastern Farah province, friends of his family told his hometown newspaper in Elgin, Texas.
Military officials refused to say precisely how and where Meadows was killed or describe the nature of the operation in which he was participating.
Meadows was nearing the end of his first Special Operations deployment and was planning to be with his wife, Angela, by month's end for the birth of the couple's first child, said his company commander, Maj. Brian Von Herbulis.
Meadows is the sixth Special Operations Battalion Marine to die in combat since the elite fighting unit was formed in 2006 and began its work in Afghanistan in 2007, according to Special Operations spokesman Maj. Michael Armistead.
Von Herbulis said Meadows' job in Afghanistan was to coordinate air support.
"I met him when he showed up in Afghanistan in late June," Von Herbulis said. "He had a very high level of energy and was really motivated to be there and couldn't wait to learn all the aspects of the job. He was just a guy who looked forward to the mission."
Meadows was regarded as a tremendously skilled helicopter pilot who was recruited to join the Special Forces and became a member of the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion on May 28.
"He immediately joined and volunteered to go (to Afghanistan) and support a company that were there," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Tuggle, the 575-troop battalion's commanding officer. "He stayed behind when that company left and provided continuity when a new company came in.
"He was just a good guy, highly motivated and he had a great sense of humor."
Last year, Meadows was at sea with Camp Pendleton's 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit when it was assigned to go after pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden.
A veteran of several other combat assignments who was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in an Iraq deployment, Meadows graduated from Elgin High School in central Texas in 1997.
He joined the Marine Corps before high school graduation and deferred going on active duty while attending Texas Tech University.
After college, he spent two years in flight school and was stationed at Camp Pendleton for more than five years as a helicopter pilot.
Last November, Meadows was assigned to a Special Operations team unrelated to flying, according to a report in the Elgin Courier.
The newspaper reported that Meadows loved baseball and followed in his father's footsteps when he decided to embark on a military career.
Elgin residents this week are displaying flags and red, white and blue ribbons in memory of Meadows, who was promoted to captain in July 2006 and had several decorations, including a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
A memorial service for Meadows will take place at Camp Pendleton later this month.
Nine U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan this month.
August was the deadliest month of the 8-year-old war for U.S. troops, with 47 killed.
Pentagon officials predicted the number of casualties would climb as a result of more direct fighting with the Taliban after President Barack Obama ordered more troops there this spring.
Call staff writer Mark Walker at 760-740-3529.
Ellie
Capt. Joshua Meadows leaves behind a wife expecting couple's first child
MARK WALKER - mlwalker@nctimes.com | Posted: Wednesday, September 9, 2009 11:15 pm
A Camp Pendleton Special Operations officer who was due home in Carlsbad later this month for the birth of his first child is being remembered for his professionalism and sense of humor after dying Saturday in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
Capt. Joshua Meadows, 30, was struck by bullets during a small-arms firefight in the southeastern Farah province, friends of his family told his hometown newspaper in Elgin, Texas.
Military officials refused to say precisely how and where Meadows was killed or describe the nature of the operation in which he was participating.
Meadows was nearing the end of his first Special Operations deployment and was planning to be with his wife, Angela, by month's end for the birth of the couple's first child, said his company commander, Maj. Brian Von Herbulis.
Meadows is the sixth Special Operations Battalion Marine to die in combat since the elite fighting unit was formed in 2006 and began its work in Afghanistan in 2007, according to Special Operations spokesman Maj. Michael Armistead.
Von Herbulis said Meadows' job in Afghanistan was to coordinate air support.
"I met him when he showed up in Afghanistan in late June," Von Herbulis said. "He had a very high level of energy and was really motivated to be there and couldn't wait to learn all the aspects of the job. He was just a guy who looked forward to the mission."
Meadows was regarded as a tremendously skilled helicopter pilot who was recruited to join the Special Forces and became a member of the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion on May 28.
"He immediately joined and volunteered to go (to Afghanistan) and support a company that were there," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Tuggle, the 575-troop battalion's commanding officer. "He stayed behind when that company left and provided continuity when a new company came in.
"He was just a good guy, highly motivated and he had a great sense of humor."
Last year, Meadows was at sea with Camp Pendleton's 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit when it was assigned to go after pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden.
A veteran of several other combat assignments who was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in an Iraq deployment, Meadows graduated from Elgin High School in central Texas in 1997.
He joined the Marine Corps before high school graduation and deferred going on active duty while attending Texas Tech University.
After college, he spent two years in flight school and was stationed at Camp Pendleton for more than five years as a helicopter pilot.
Last November, Meadows was assigned to a Special Operations team unrelated to flying, according to a report in the Elgin Courier.
The newspaper reported that Meadows loved baseball and followed in his father's footsteps when he decided to embark on a military career.
Elgin residents this week are displaying flags and red, white and blue ribbons in memory of Meadows, who was promoted to captain in July 2006 and had several decorations, including a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
A memorial service for Meadows will take place at Camp Pendleton later this month.
Nine U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan this month.
August was the deadliest month of the 8-year-old war for U.S. troops, with 47 killed.
Pentagon officials predicted the number of casualties would climb as a result of more direct fighting with the Taliban after President Barack Obama ordered more troops there this spring.
Call staff writer Mark Walker at 760-740-3529.
Ellie