Nov 12, 2017

Honoring the U.S. service members killed this year

Mike Allen

Sailors hold the U.S. flag during the burial service for Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

These women and men have lost their lives in three wars without end that few follow and fewer understand: Iraq, Afghanistan and the broader hunt for terrorists everywhere.

  • Since 9/11, U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan: 2,216.
  • Total U.S. military deaths in Operation Iraqi Freedom: 4,411.

Here are the Defense Department's casualty releases from 2017:

  • Army Spc. Isiah L. Booker, of Cibolo, Texas, died Jan. 7 in Jordan, in a non-combat-related incident.
  • Army Spc. John P. Rodriguez, of Hemet, Calif., died Jan. 12, in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in a non-combat-related incident.
  • Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, of Peoria, Ill., died Jan. 29 in the Arabian Peninsula of Yemen, of wounds sustained in a raid against al-Qaida.
  • Army Pfc. Brian. P. Odiorne, 21, of Ware, Mass., died Feb. 20, in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, from a non-combat-related incident.
  • Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert R. Boniface, 34, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., died March 19, in Logar Province, Afghanistan, from a non-combat-related incident.
  • Air Force Staff Sgt. Austin Bieren, 25, of Umatilla, Ore., died March 28 in northern Syria in a non-combat-related incident while deployed in support of combat operations.
  • Army Staff Sgt. Mark R. De Alencar, 37, of Edgewood, Md., died April 8 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations.
  • Army Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, of Bloomington, Ill., died April 27 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, as a result of small arms fire while engaged in dismounted operations.
  • Army Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio, died April 27 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, as a result of small arms fire while engaged in dismounted operations.
  • Army 1st Lt. Weston C. Lee, 25, of Bluffton, Ga., died April 29, in Mosul, Iraq, from injuries while conducting security as part of support to partnered forces.
  • Navy Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, of Falmouth, Maine, was killed during an operation against al-Shabaab on May 5 in a remote area approximately 40 miles west of Mogadishu.
  • Army Spc. Etienne J. Murphy, 22, of Loganville, Ga., died May 26, in Al-Hasakah, Syria, of injuries sustained during a vehicle-rollover-related incident.
  • Army Sgt. Eric M. Houck, 25, of Baltimore died June 10 in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, of gunshot wounds.
  • Army Sgt. William M. Bays, 29 of Barstow, Calif., died June 10in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, of gunshot wounds.
  • Army Corporal Dillon C. Baldridge, 22 of Youngsville, N.C., died June 10 in Peka Valley, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, of gunshot wounds.
  • Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Board, 49, of Barboursville, W.Va., died August 2 in Kuwait in a non-combat-related incident while deployed in support of combat operations.
  • Army Sgt. Roshain Euvince Brooks, 30, of Brooklyn died Aug. 13 of wounds sustained while engaged in combat operations in Iraq.
  • Army Spc. Allen Levi Stigler Jr., 22, of Arlington, Texas, died Aug. 13 of wounds sustained while engaged in combat operations in Iraq.
  • Army GS-12 Daniel Hoadley, 54, of Colorado Springs died Aug. 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from a non-combat-related incident.
  • Army Spc. Alexander W. Missildine, 20, of Tyler, Texas, died Oct. 1 in Salah ad-Din Province, Iraq, as a result of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy.
  • Army Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash., died Oct. 4in an ambush in Niger.
  • Army Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio, died Oct. 4 in an ambush in Niger.
  • Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Fla., died Oct. 4 following an ambush in Niger.
  • Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga., died Oct. 4 in an ambush in Niger.
  • Army Chief Warrant Officer Jacob M. Sims, 36, of Juneau, Alaska, died Oct. 27 in Logar Province, Afghanistan, as a result of wounds sustained when he was involved in a helicopter crash.
  • Army Sgt. First Class Stephen B. Cribben, 33, of Simi Valley, Calif., died Nov. 4 in Logar Province, Afghanistan as a result of wounds sustained while engaged in combat operations.
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