Largo Staff Sgt. Among 13 Killed This Week In Afghanistan

Posted Aug 4, 2012 by Howard Altman

Updated Aug 4, 2012 at 10:18 PM

A Largo man was among 13 troops killed this week in Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Sitton, 26, of Largo, was killed Aug. 2 while on patrol when he stepped on an improvised explosive device.

1st Lt. Todd W. Lambka, 25, of Fraser, Mich., and Pfc. Jesus J. Lopez, 22, of San Bernardino, Calif. died Aug. 1, in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when they encountered an enemy improvised explosive device.  These soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Spc. Kyle B. McClain, 25, of Rochester Hills, Mich., died Aug. 1, in Salim Aka, Afghanistan.  McClain was assigned to 1433rd Engineer Company, 507th Engineer Battalion, 177th Military Police Brigade, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Lance Cpl. Curtis J. Duarte, 22, of Covina, Calif., died Aug. 1, while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan W. Gifford, 34, of Palm Bay, Fla., and Gunnery Sgt. Daniel J. Price, 27, of Holland, Mich ., died July 29 while conducting combat operations in Badghis province, Afghanistan. Gifford was assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C. and Price was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

1st Lt. Sean R. Jacobs, 23, of Redding, Calif., and Sgt. John E. Hansen, 41, of Austin, Texas died July 26 in Khakrez, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when they encountered an enemy improvised explosive device.  These soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Spc. Benjamin C. Pleitez, 25, of Turlock, Calif., died July 27, in Mazar E Sharif, Afghanistan. Pleitez was assigned to 1072nd Transportation Company, 746th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, Van Nuys, Calif.

Sgt. 1st Class Bobby L. Estle, 38, of Lebanon, Ohio, and Pfc. Jose Oscar Belmontes, 28, of La Verne, Calif. died July 28 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from enemy, small arms fire.  These soldiers were assigned to the 630th Engineer Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Pfc. Theodore M. Glende, 23, of Rochester, N.Y., died July 27, in Kharwar, Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire. Glende was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.

There have now been 2,057 deaths in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the nation’s longest war.