10 Troops Died This Week Supporting Operation Enduring Freedom

Posted May 26, 2012 by Howard Altman

Updated May 26, 2012 at 08:49 PM

Ten troops died last week supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cpl. Keaton G. Coffey, 22, of Boring, Ore., died May 24 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Law Enforcement Battalion, 1st Marine Headquarters Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Pfc. Cale C. Miller, 23, of Overland Park, Kan, died May 24, in Maiwand, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan J. Wilson, 26, of Shasta, Calif., died of complications associated with a medical condition May 20 in Manama, Bahrain. Wilson was assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command headquarters in Bahrain.

2nd Lt. Travis A. Morgado, 25, of San Jose, Calif., died May 23 in Zharay, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Spc. Arronn D. Fields, 27, of Terre Haute, Ind., died May 21 in Qal-ah-ye Mirza Jal, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with rocket propelled grenades. He was assigned to the 81st Troop Command, Indiana National Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.

Spc. Samuel T. Watts, 20, of Wheaton, Ill., died May 19, in Bethesda, Md., of wounds sustained April 25, in Zharay, Afghanistan, when he was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device. Watts was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Capt. Jesse A. Ozbat, 28, of, Prince George, Va., and 2nd Lt. Tobias C. Alexander, 30, of Lawton, Okla. died May 20, in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 168th Brigade Support Battalion, 214th Fires Brigade, Fort Sill, Okla.

Sgt. Michael J. Knapp, 28, of Overland Park, Kan., and Sgt. Jabraun S. Knox, 23, of Fort Wayne, Ind. died May 18, in Asadabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an indirect fire. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion (Air Assault), 377th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

There have now been 1,967 casualties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nation’s longest war.