Spc Devin Snyder, KIA June 4 2011

The tiny upstate New York community of Cohocton is in mourning this day, as one of America’s Best, Spc. Devin Snyder, has fallen in the service of her country. Snyder was serving in Afghanistan as military police with the 164th MP Company of the 793rd Military Police Battalion out of Ft. Richardson, Alaska.

Devin Snyder was a 2008 graduate of Wayland-Cohocton Central School. A track and soccer star for the school, her lanky build earned her the nickname “Twiggy”. Her ties to Cohocton and to the military run equally deep. Her father, Edward, is a former mayor and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Her sister, Natasha, currently serves in the Navy and her brother, Damien, serves in the Army. She is also survived by an older brother, Derek and her mother, Dineen.

Snyder and three fellow soldiers were killed June 4 when their vehicle hit a mine near Mehtar Lam, in Laghman province, Afghanistan. Snyder had deployed in March, 2011, was was due home on leave in July.

Spc. Snyder’s family is in Dover, Delaware, to receive her body. Funereal arrangements are incomplete.

Cpl. Zachary D. Byron, a pashto linguist with Headquarters and Support Company, 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, stands at attention as he is awarded the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and the Purple Heart, May 20. Byron was shot twice and continued to translate enemy communication while falling in and out of consciousness allowing his squad to avert an enemy assault. Photo by Sgt. Marcy Sanchez

A Marine with I Marine Expeditionary Force, received a Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device during an awards ceremony here, May 20.

Cpl. Zachary D. Byron, a Pashto linguist currently assigned to 1st Radio Battalion, was presented the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for actions while serving with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment in November 2010.

Byron’s squad was caught in an enemy ambush in the vicinity Durzay, Afghanistan located in southern Helmand province.

“You can never simulate that kind of environment ever again,” said Byron, from Marion, N.Y. “It was a wakeup call for all of us. When the guy in front of me got hit I couldn’t see him, but I heard him yelling. I immediately got up and moved toward him.”

Byron, 23, was shot in the wrist and thigh as he tried to render aid on the injured Marine in front of him.

Cpl. Zachary D. Byron, a pashto linguist with Headquarters and Support Company, 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, was awarded the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and the Purple Heart, May 20. Photo by Sgt. Marcy Sanchez

“When I got shot in my leg everything kind of stopped,” Byron said. “I got a feeling of straight fear — fear that things were going to get a lot worse.”

As he fell in and out of consciousness from blood loss, he continued to translate enemy communications, allowing the squad to avert another assault.

“I had a sense of loyalty to my job and my troops to make sure I didn’t fail them,” Byron said.

Sgt. Maj. Albert Diaz, the sergeant major of 1st Radio Bn., complimented Byron’s humbling personality and wasn’t surprised to hear of his heroic actions.

“He is always going out of his way to help somebody,” Diaz said. “He is always sought out for advice.”

Sgt. Michael J. McCabe said the Bronze Star is well deserved and is witness to Byron’s outstanding performance.

“He’s very selfless when it comes to his job and accomplishing his tasks,” said McCabe, a team trainer with Headquarters and Support Company, 1st Radio Bn., who served as Byron’s team leader in Afghanistan. “I don’t think there’s enough you can say about his performance. He’s by far the best Marine I’ve ever worked with.”

“It’s a great honor, not just for me, but for 1st Radio Bn.,” Byron said. “There were a lot of Marines in the squad whose actions encouraged me to push on.”

The Bronze Star is awarded for the fourth highest award received for combat actions in the U.S. Armed Forces.

DVIDS
Story by Sgt. Marcy Sanchez

Captain Dale Goetz and his wife, Christina

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of five soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 30 in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. All were based at Fort Carson, Colo.

Killed were:
Capt. Dale A Goetz, 43, of White, S.D. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

Staff Sgt. Jesse Infante, 30, of Cypress, Texas. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

Staff Sgt. Kevin J. Kessler, 32, of Canton, Ohio. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

Staff Sgt. Matthew J. West, 36, of Conover, Wis. He was assigned to the 71st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group.

Pfc. Chad D. Clements, 26, of Huntington, Ind. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

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AIP

The official message from the Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army through the Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Navy:
It is with my deepest sympathy and utmost respect that I announce to our Chaplain Corps that Chaplain (CPT) Dale A. Goetz was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 30, 2010 while serving as the Battalion Chaplain for 1-66th Armor Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. Dale was one of five Soldiers killed by an Improvised Explosive Device while traveling in a convoy near Kandahar Province. Chaplain Goetz is survived by his wife, Christy, and by their three sons- Landon, Caleb and Joel.

Chaplain Goetz is the first military chaplain killed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan. Dale was a selfless servant of God, a devoted husband and father, a strong American patriot, and a compassionate spiritual leader whose love for Soldiers was only surpassed by his firm commitment to living his calling as a United States Army Chaplain.

Please join with me in prayer for Christy, Landon, Caleb and Joel as we mourn with them in the loss of Dale, our fellow Soldier and Unit Ministry Team member. Let us also strive to honor Dale’s sacrifice with a continuing bold commitment to ensure the finest religious support and pastoral care possible for our beloved Soldiers and their Families.

May God bless the Goetz Family and the Families of all our Fallen Soldiers; and, may God bless our Army and the United States of America.

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KDVR Fox 31

Vonnie Lucas, a member who sometimes baby-sat for Goetz and his wife, says news of his death is devastating. She says the 43-year-old Goetz had “a heart for people.”

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Argus Leader

“He was definitely very passionate about his job, and the reason he became a chaplain is because he wanted to see soldiers trust in Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. Jason Parker of High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs. “Even his death put the seal on his desire that men would see that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life.”

Goetz, his wife, Christy, and their sons, Landon, 10; Caleb, 8; and Joel, who will turn 1 this month; joined the church in July and were voted into membership Sunday, the day before he died. The family moved to Colorado Springs in January from Okinawa, Japan, where he previously was stationed. He was deployed July 25 to Afghanistan, according to military records.

Until joining the Colorado church, the family had remained members of First Baptist in White while Goetz was stationed at various places, said Vonnie Lucas, a member who sometimes babysat the couple’s two oldest boys. The church kept in contact with Goetz, who served the church from November 2000 to December 2003.

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Houston Chronicle

Goetz, who was in the Chaplain Corps., entered the Army in January 2000. He was deployed to Iraq from November 2004 to September 2005 and was in Afghanistan since July 25. He received the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal.

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Oregonian

Goetz grew up in Hood River, an athlete whose first job was at an old-fashioned dairy where he processed milk and sold ice cream at a drive-up window, Ashby said.

A year before he graduated in 1986, he prayed with his principal, Oscar Stenberg III, and another student to receive Jesus Christ.

“From that point, it was like a light was on in him,” Stenberg said.

Goetz enlisted in the Air Force, then went on to Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, Wis. He graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree, according to the college website, and met his wife, Christina, there. He completed his Master of Divinity degree at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minneapolis in 2000. He was pastor of a church in White, S.D., until he joined the Army and began his work toward chaplaincy in 2000.

Spc. Faith R. Hinkley, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Aug. 7 in Baghdad, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit in Iskandariya, Iraq. She was assigned to the 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Department of Defense
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An army intelligence specialist who grew up here died Saturday after insurgents attacked her unit in central Iraq.

Spc. Faith R. Hinkley, 23, died of her wounds after being transported to Baghdad, according to an Army news release.

Described by neighbors as compassionate, thoughtful and giving, Hinkley’s memory loomed large this week in the farming community of 4,300 people.

“I can’t say enough good,” said Myrna Wartman, a neighbor whose children grew up with Hinkley. “She’s everything you would want in a person.”

Pueblo Chieftain
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via M clouse

A human intelligence specialist, Hinkley was working in an office building when it was hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired by an insurgent. She and two other soldiers were hit by shrapnel as they rushed toward a bunker.

Local reports said the young woman was wounded in the stomach area and was taken to a hospital in Baghdad, where she was pronounced dead. Her companions are expected to recover.

Monte Vista Journal

She was born July 16, 1987 in Alamosa, Colo. to David and Annavee Hinkley.

Faith enjoyed a variety of activities. She was very active in Rainbow Girls, serving as Worthy Advisor of the Monte Vista Assembly, Grand Hope of Colorado Rainbow. Faith was active in her Sunday School class, attended Vacation Bible School and was an instructor and helper. She also belonged to Girl Scouts. Faith was involved in sports and was an honor student in middle school.

During high school, Faith was a cheerleader for four years and was on the golf team for one year. She belonged to several clubs and organizations including Young Life, FBLA, Student Council, FCCLA, Peer Mediation and Key Club.

Faith also was in the color guard for the Monte Vista State Champion Marching Band, and was the 2006 Band Sweetheart and 2005 Homecoming Senior Attendant.

Monte Vista Journal

The general said Faith was instrumental in developing a relationship with Iraqi intelligence and also was instrumental in finding a weapons cache that contained materials for building IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices.”

Pasquarelli then said that, in addition to her posthumous promotion, Faith had been awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

A letter from her supervising officer said Faith was seldom seen without a smile on her face, an infectious smile that made others feel good to be around her.

“She had the courage to face any challenge,” he said, noting that she had posted the highest score, 126 points, on the promotion board.

“Faith is a true American hero, a true soldier, a true warriors, never to be forgotten.” The letter also conveyed heartfelt condolences to the family from the entire U.S. military.

Monte Vista Journal

Young women who had been Faith’s friends from childhood wept openly, along with their older relatives. People carrying U.S. flags lined the roadways and stood alongside the fence at the San Luis Valley Regional Airport-Bergman Field in Alamosa.

Youthful soldiers, many with combat ribbons on their chests, stood at attention until it was time to do their assigned duty of the day, then marched to a special gurney next to the small charter jet.

As a sergeant barked orders, they stepped forward in unison and grabbed handles of the dark wooden coffin, then marched in step to a waiting hearse.

Members of the Patriot Guard stood at attention, saluting and preparing to mount their motorcycles and become part of the solemn procession from Alamosa to the Presbyterian Church in Monte Vista.

Monte Vista Journal

Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding, Special Forces sniper instructor. Photo by David Chace

John Wayne has toured Afghanistan and Iraq, hunted grizzly bears in Alaska and earned the Silver Star; and as of July 16, John Wayne is the first one-legged soldier to graduate the Special Forces Sniper Course.

Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding of Groesbeck, Texas, that is.

In April 2008, Walding and nine other Special Forces soldiers from a 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) assault team were attacked by the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin while searching for insurgents in Afghanistan’s Shok Valley.

Walding, one of several team members who were injured, took a bullet through his right leg under his knee.

“I ripped off my boot lace and literally tied my leg to my thigh to keep it from flapping around,” Walding said.

Over the six-and-a-half hour firefight, more than 150 insurgents were killed. The members of the assault team were each awarded the Silver Star in December 2008 for their courageous actions in Shok Valley.

While recuperating, Walding worked as an assistant instructor at 3rd SFG(A)’s sniper detachment at Fort Bragg. In order to become a full-time instructor, he had to complete the Special Forces Sniper Course at SWCS.

During the course, many of Walding’s classmates didn’t know about his injury and prosthetic leg. Walding said he enjoyed his fellow soldiers’ reactions upon learning about his missing leg.

“At first, [my classmates] were shocked to realize I was missing a leg,” Walding said. “Then, they realized ‘Wow, he’s doing everything I’m doing!’”

After his injury, Walding knew he wasn’t going to give up and leave the Army. He also didn’t want to spend the rest of his career behind a desk.

“You don’t become a Green Beret because you ‘kind of like it,’ you become a Green Beret because you love it, and can’t imagine being anything else,” he said.

Walding said he refused to lower his personal standards following his injury, and pushed himself to excel as an instructor because he knew teams and soldiers were relying on him. Due to his past experiences, Walding said he has a lot to offer as a member of a Special Forces team, and wouldn’t bother trying to get back to a team if he hadn’t felt he could be an asset.

The seven-week Special Forces Sniper Course teaches sniper marksmanship, semiautomatic shooting, ballistics theory and tactical movement. Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Owens, an SFSC instructor in 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne), emphasized the importance of these skills, and said it takes soldiers like Walding to push themselves to the limits.

“Snipers have become more dynamic over the past 10 years,” Owens said. “Considering current operations overseas, snipers have never been more prevalent, because of the need for distance shooting in rugged terrain.”

Walding said he loves everything about training to be a sniper, particularly the mission, the guns and the skill. He even enjoyed training during the hottest June ever recorded in North Carolina.

“The skill of a Special Forces sniper is unparalleled,” Walding said. “This is the most prestigious sniper school in the world. That means something.”

“There was never a doubt that Walding would do well in this course,” Owens said. “He is extremely motivated, and that never dropped during the course.”

“He never asked for special treatment; he did the same training as everyone else, and scored well in all the exercises.”

Walding’s no-quit attitude has taken him from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington back to Fort Bragg, N.C., where he’s become the first amputee to graduate from the Special Forces Sniper Course.

During his initial recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, Walding set up short-term goals for himself. He was a runner before the incident, averaging 50 miles per week. During recovery, he would get up and run a little more every day, always keeping his focus on that next step.

Walding is using the same process to work his way back to an operational role. As a soldier, his first step was to finish the sniper course; the next step is acting as an instructor for his fellow soldiers. He said he’s hoping to work his way back to a place on an operational Special Forces detachment.

“I’m John Wayne, born on the Fourth of July. This is what I was meant to do.” Walding said.

DVIDS
Story by Caroline Goins