Army Private From Apopka 1 of 5 Afghanistan Casualties Last Week

Posted Dec 18, 2011 by Howard Altman

Updated Dec 18, 2011 at 08:02 PM

An Army private from Apopka and a Marine major assigned to a West Palm Beach reserve unit were among five U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan last week.

Maj. Samuel M. Griffith, 36, of Virginia Beach, Va., died Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 4th Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, Marine Forces Reserve, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Pvt. Jalfred D. Vaquerano, 20, of Apopka, Fla., died Dec. 13, in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered from enemy small-arms fire while deployed in Logar province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Two soldiers died Dec. 11, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.

        Killed were:

        Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz, 24, of New Cuyama, Calif., assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and

        Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr., 30, of Blairstown, N.J., 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Lance Cpl. Christopher P. J. Levy, 21, of Ramseur, N.C., died Dec. 10 of wounds sustained Dec. 7 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

There have now been 1,838 casualties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.