4 Troops Die This Week Supporting OEF

Posted Feb 18, 2012 by Howard Altman

Updated Feb 18, 2012 at 05:25 PM

Four troops died this week supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Jerry D. Reed II, 30, of Russellville, Ark., died Feb. 16, in Paktika province, Afghanistan.

Reed was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada, 21, of Maricopa, Ariz., died Feb. 14 as a result of a non-combat related training incident in Djibouti.  Estrada, a Navy hospital corpsman, was assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Lance Cpl. Osbrany Montes De Oca, 20, of North Arlington, N.J., died Feb. 10 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Pfc. Cesar Cortez, 24, of Oceanside, Calif., died Feb. 11, in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Cortez was assigned to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Fort Bliss, Texas.

There have now been 1,878 casualties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nation’s longest war.