5 Troops Died Last Week Supporting Operation Enduring Freedom

Posted Sep 9, 2012 by Howard Altman

Updated Sep 9, 2012 at 10:32 PM

The Department of Defense released the names of five troops who died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom last week.

Pfc. Shane W. Cantu, 20, of Corunna, Mich., died Aug. 28, in Charkh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was hit by shrapnel. Cantu was assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy.

Lance Cpl. Alec R. Terwiske, 21, of Dubois, Ind., died Sept. 3 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Terwiske’s parent command was Inspector/Instructor Staff, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Fort Knox, Ky.

Staff Sgt. Jeremie S. Border, 28, of Mesquite, Texas, assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), Torii Station, Japan; and Staff Sgt. Jonathan P. Schmidt, 28, of Petersburg, Va., assigned to 192nd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, 20th Support Command (CBRNE), Fort Bragg, N.C died Sept. 1, in Batur Village, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire. 

Spc. Kyle R. Rookey, 23, of Oswego, N.Y., died Sept. 2, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan from a non-combat related incident.  He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

There have now been 2,096 troops who have died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nation’s longest war.