2 Tampa Soldiers Among 11 Killed In Afghanistan This Week

Posted Jul 14, 2012 by Howard Altman

Updated Jul 14, 2012 at 07:18 PM

Eleven troops – including three from Florida (two from the Tampa area) – were killed in Afghanistan this week.

Spc. Sterling W. Wyatt, 21, of Columbia, Mo., died July 11, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device. Wyatt was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Staff Sgt. Ricardo Seija, 31, of Tampa,  Spc. Clarence Williams III, 23, of Brooksville, Spc. Erica P. Alecksen, 21, of Eatonton, Ga., Pfc. Trevor B. Adkins, 21, of Spring Lake, N.C., Pfc. Alejandro J. Pardo, 21, of Porterville, Calif., and Pfc. Cameron J. Stambaugh, 20, of Spring Grove, Pa died July 8, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit in Maidan Shahr, Wardak province, Afghanistan, with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Cpl. Juan P. Navarro, 23, of Austin, Texas, died July 7, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when he was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device. Navarro was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Spc. Jonathan Batista, 22, of Kinnelon, N.J., died July 8, in Zharay, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Raul M. Guerra, 37, of Union City, N.J., died July 4, in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan. Guerra was assigned to the 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Capt. Bruce A. MacFarlane, 46, of Oviedo, died July 6, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. MacFarlane was assigned to the 1186th Transportation Company, 831st Transportation Battalion, Jacksonville.

There have now been 2,022 casualties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nation’s longest war.