Thursday, July 05, 2007 7:45 PM - UPDATE - The Canadian Department of National Defense has now released the sixth and final identity of the six soldiers who died in a roadside bomb attack in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, July 4th: Captain Jefferson Francis of the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery out of Shilo, Manitoba.

Friday, July 06, 2007 6:13 AM - 2 INCOMING - The Associated Press is reporting that two NATO soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, July 4th, in separate engagements with militants ... this in addition to the six Canadian troops who died that day. The article cites a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force for this information. It also cites the British Ministry of Defense as confirming that one of the two soldiers was British. No formal notice has been posted yet, however, at the British MOD website.

Friday, July 06, 2007 9:37 AM - CORRECTION - In its original press release for the death of Captain Sean Dolan on June 30th, the British Ministry of Defense reported that a U.S. soldier had been injured in the same attack and medically evacuated with Dolan to Camp Bastion in Helmand Province. It then went on to say that "The US soldier also sadly died later from his wounds." That last line has now been removed from the release. Apparently the US soldier lived, albeit with a limb amputation. That 'death' has now been removed from our June database, and the July database on this page has been renumbered.

Saturday, July 07, 2007 7:48 AM - UPDATES -
Matthew Jonathan Dawe, 27, of Kingston, Ontario (with son Lucas)	(1) The Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard is carrying a lengthy article on Canadian Army Captain Matthew Jonathan Dawe, 27, of Kingston, Ontario, who died in Afghanistan in a roadside bombing on July 4th. Dawe impressed his teachers with his intelligence and his innate leadership abilities at a very early age. Born into a prominent Kingston military family ... his father is a retired lieutenant colonel now involved with alumni affairs at the Royal Military College ... he enlisted in a Kingston reserve regiment while still in high school, even playing on their hockey team. His top grades, fluency in French and English, and his athletic abilities earned him a scholarship to RMC. But first, he enlisted in the regular army and went through basic training where he met his future wife. Dawe graduated from RMC in 2004, earning the prestigious H.R.H. Prince of Wales Cup in the process. Tragically, he died on his 2-year-old son's birthday.
Colin Bason, 28, of Abbotsford, British Columbia (with daughter Vienna Bason and partner Katrina Blain)	(2) The Vancouver (British Columbia) Sun has published a piece on Canadian Reservist Master Corporal Colin Bason, 28, of Abbotsford, British Columbia, who was also one of six soldiers killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan on July 4th. Bason had wanted to be in the military from the time he was a young child, reading everything military he could find. In April 2000, he joined the Royal Westminster Regiment, a reserve unit, and "I put my name in ... every time they asked for volunteers." He had done a tour of duty in Kosovo, which he described as "a walk in the park" compared to what he would find later in Afghanistan. He deployed to Afghanistan this past February only 4 days after his daughter was born.
Cole Bartsch, 23, of Whitecourt, Alberta	(3) The Edmonton (Alberta) Sun, in an interview with family members, describes Canadian Army Corporal Cole Bartsch, 23, as "the reliable one" ... the "one you could trust anywhere, anytime." Raised on land his family owned near Whitecourt, Alberta, about 177 km northwest of Edmonton, Bartsch and his friends would take off into the bush for days at a time camping and fishing. He loved the outdoors. Bartsch enlisted in the army right out of high school, and then re-enlisted when his first hitch was up. He died on July 4th in Afghanistan, one of six Canadian soldiers hit by a roadside bomb.
Lane Watkins, 20, of Clearwater, Manitoba	(4) The Canadian Press is carrying a brief article on Canadian Army Private Lane Watkins, 20, who was one of the six Canadian soldiers killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan on July 4th. He was raised in Clearwater, Manitoba. It was his lifelong dream to serve in the military.
Jordan Anderson, 25, of Pelly Bay, Nunavut Territory & Tuktoyaktuk/Inuvik, Northwest Territories	(5) CBC News is reporting that Canadian Army Corporal Jordan Anderson, 25, was the first soldier from Canada's far north to die in Afghanistan. He was one of six soldiers killed by a roadside bomb blast on July 4th. Anderson was born in Iqaluit in the eastern part of the Northwest Territories north of Quebec (now Nunavut Territory)  ... but grew up north of the Arctic Circle in Pelly Bay, Nunavut Territory, and Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik in the far western Northwest Territories. He completed high school at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, and was currently one course shy of a bachelor degree in political science. Anderson was an avid rugby and football player ... and enjoyed parachuting so much that it was one of the main reasons he planned to re-enlist in the army when his current hitch was over. He would have celebrated his second wedding anniversary later this summer.
Jefferson Francis, 36, of Halifax, Nova Scotia	(6) The Halifax (Nova Scotia) Chronicle Herald has published a piece on the sixth Canadian soldier killed in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan on July 4th: Captain Jefferson Francis, 36. Francis was actually born in Oromocto, New Brunswick, in 1970. But he lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for three years as a boy, and then spent a year there while working on his PhD (his father was apparently in the military himself, moving around to various postings). His parents reside there now in the suburb of Eastern Passage. He was a forward observation officer and artillery coordinator with the 1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, and was described by his commanding officer as "calm, confident and always in charge". He is survived by his wife and a young son.

Sunday, July 08, 2007 1:41 PM - CORRECTION, 3 INCOMING -
	(1) The listings in our database for two NATO deaths in southern Afghanistan on July 4th, are incorrect and are being deleted. The news was from an old Associated Press article and was entered in error.
	(2) The DoD has released the identities of two Americans who died in the Watapor Valley in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on July 5th from enemy small arms fire and indirect fire:
		Private 1st Class Joseph A. Miracle, 22, of Ortonville, Michigan
		Specialist Christopher S. Honaker, 23, of Cleveland, North Carolina
		These deaths were reported by ISAF on July 5th in this press release.
Thomas P. McGee, 23, of Hawthorne, California	(3) On July 5th, ISAF also reported the death of a NATO soldier in an IED blast in eastern Afghanistan. Today, the DoD has confirmed the death of an American in an IED blast in Wazi Khwa, Paktika Province, Afghanistan ... although they say the soldier died of his wounds on Friday, July 6th: Sergeant Thomas P. McGee, 23, of Hawthorne, California.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007 5:04 AM - 2 INCOMING -
	(1) Reuters is reporting the death of a soldier from the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan at an Afghan army base in the city of Herat in the far west of the country. A Taliban insurgent had apparently infiltrated the ranks of Afghan soldiers at the base and opened fire on troops on Monday, July 9th. Four Afghan soldiers died immediately, with 10 more wounded in the incident. Local government officials said that two American soldiers were wounded as well. Because Americans form the bulk of the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, we are assuming for now that the dead foreign soldier was American. He died later in the day at a medical facility from his wounds.
	(2) The DoD is reporting a new Operation Enduring Freedom death, not previously reported by CENTCOM. Sergeant 1st Class Sean K. Mitchell, 35, of Monterey, California, died of a non-hostile, unspecified cause in Kidal, Mali, on Saturday, July 7th. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, out of Stuttgart, Germany.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007 5:45 AM - UPDATE -

The DoD has identified the U.S. serviceman who died in a small arms fire attack in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan on Monday, July 9th: Air Force Master Sergeant Randy J. Gillespie, 44, of Coaldale, Colorado. The Pueblo (Colorado) Chieftain has published an article on Gillespie, stating that although born in Colorado Springs, his family had moved to the Coaldale area when he was a young teenager. He graduated from high school there. Gillespie was a veteran of 24 years in the Air Force, having been deployed 16 times in the course of his career, including to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. For his latest deployment, he had been sent first to Fort Riley, KS, to learn how to train Afghan soldiers. He and his wife have four children. Gillespie was looking forward to retirement when he could bring his family "home" to Colorado.

Thursday, July 12, 2007 6:20 AM - 1 INCOMING - ISAF is reporting the death of a NATO soldier from enemy action in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, July 12th. In addition, two NATO soldiers were wounded. As usual, the nationalities of the soldiers were not divulged at this point.

Thursday, July 12, 2007 2:08 PM - 1 INCOMING -

Tom Krist, 24, of Berkel-Enschot, in N. Brabant Province, Netherland

The Associated Press is reporting the death of a Dutch soldier, part of the NATO contingent in Afghanistan. The soldier was severely wounded along with three other Dutch soldiers in a horrific suicide bombing in the Deh Rawod District in the southern tip of Oruzgan Province on Tuesday, July 10th, a bombing that also killed 17 civilians, including 13 elementary school students. The four soldiers were medically evacuated back to the Netherlands where 1st Lieutenant Tom Krist, 24, passed away from his injuries on Thursday, July 12th. The Dutch Ministry of Defense has confirmed his death.

Friday, July 13, 2007 2:32 PM - UPDATES -
Daryl Hickey, 27, from Birmingham, England	(1) The British Ministry of Defense has identified the soldier [link not working at time of this publication] who died from enemy small arms fire near Gereshk in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Thursday, July 12th: Guardsman Daryl Hickey, 27, from Birmingham, England. Hickey enlisted in the British Army in 2001, and served tours of duty in both Northern Ireland and Iraq before deploying to Afghanistan in April of this year.
Tom Krist, 24, of Berkel-Enschot, in N. Brabant Province, Netherlands	(2) An article in the Dutch paper Brabants Dagblad is reporting that 1st Lieutenant Tom Krist, 24, who died on Thursday, July 12th, from wounds received in a suicide bombing in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan, was from the village of Berkel-Enschot, part of the municipality of Tilburg in the southern Netherlands province of North Brabant. He was assigned to the 42nd Armored Infantry Battalion "Limburgse Jagers" based out of Oirschot, Netherlands.

Sunday, July 22, 2007 11:27 AM - 1 INCOMING - NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier in a small arms fire attack in the Darrah-ye Pech District of Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on Sunday, July 22nd. As the bulk of NATO troops in that area are American, the dead soldier is likely American.

Monday, July 23, 2007 8:04 AM - 1 INCOMING - Reuters AlertNet is reporting the death of a Norwegian special forces soldier in a shootout with insurgents in Lowgar Province in central Afghanistan on Monday, July 23rd. This is the second Norwegian death since the current war in Afghanistan began.

Monday, July 23, 2007 8:04 AM - 5 INCOMING & UPDATE -
	(1) The Associated Press is reporting the deaths of six NATO troops all total on Monday, July 23rd, in Afghanistan. This includes the Norwegian soldier reported earlier. But it also includes four Americans who are said to have died in a roadside bombing in Paktika Province. A sixth NATO soldier is said to have been killed in the south of Afghanistan, although the soldier's nationality has not been released yet.
	(2) According to an article published by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the Norwegian soldier killed in Lowgar Province on Monday, July 23rd, was an officer, a lieutenant, in his 30s who was on a routine reconnaissance mission when his unit was attacked.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007 9:25 AM - UPDATE - An article published by the Norwegian media website Aftenposten is reporting that the Norwegian soldier who was killed in Afghanistan on Monday, July 23rd, was from the town of Rørvik in the county of Nord-Trøndelag in central Norway. Another article from the same source gives the soldier's unit as "Forsvarets spesialkommando/Hærens Jegerkommando", Norwegian special forces, based at Camp Rena (Rena leir), Norway.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 4:18 AM - UPDATE -
Zachary R. Endsley, 21, of Spring, Texas	(1) The DoD has announced that the sixth NATO death reported on Monday, July 23rd, one that occurred in the south of Afghanistan, was that of an American: Private 1st Class Zachary R. Endsley, 21, of Spring, Texas. Endsley died in an indirect fire attack in "Arghandab District" in Zabul Province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, a unit known to be based in Zabul Province and which had suffered a death there in neighboring Deh Chopan District on April 7th, 2007, Spc. Conor Masterson.
Michael Curry, of Dania Beach, Florida	(2) The Miami/Fort Lauderdale (Florida) station WSVN is reporting the death of 1st Sergeant Michael Curry in Afghanistan. The article implies that he was one of four American soldiers who died in a roadside bomb blast on Monday, July 23rd. Curry was a career soldier who had enlisted 20 years ago right out of high school in Hollywood, Florida. The article, however, is datelined nearby "Dania Beach", which may have been his actual hometown. Curry had served in Operation Desert Storm and was currently on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He is the father of two young boys.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 5:18 AM - 1 INCOMING & UPDATE -
	(1) The Associated Press is reporting the death of a French soldier in Afghanistan, citing French Defense Ministry officials. The soldier was a non-commissioned officer stationed in Wardak Province just west of Kabul to train Afghan soldiers. He died from injuries sustained in a rocket attack on the Afghan army quarters there. The exact date of death has not been given, so we are assuming a date of July 24th for the time being. The soldier's name has not been released yet.
Adam Davis, 19, of Jerome, Idaho	(2) The Twin Falls (Idaho) Times-News is reporting the death of a 19-year-old soldier in Afghanistan: Private 1st Class Adam Davis of Jerome, Idaho. Davis had decided to join the army while in high school, dropping out of regular school and earning his GED at the College of Southern Idaho prior to enlisting. His older brother, who is serving in the army in Texas, stated that Davis was one of four soldiers who died in a roadside bomb attack in Paktika Province on Monday, July 23rd. He was with the 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Camp Ederle at Vicenza, Italy. Davis is also survived by his parents and an older sister.

Thursday, July 26, 2007 6:25 AM - 1 INCOMING - The British Ministry of Defense is announcing the death of another British serviceman in Afghanistan ... this one from the 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards. The soldier was participating in an offensive against Taliban forces in the area between Heyderabad and Mirmandab, north-east of Gereshk, when he was struck by gunfire on the morning of Thursday, July 26th, and pronounced dead at the scene.

Thursday, July 26, 2007 11:14 AM - UPDATE -
Tor Arne Lau-Henriksen, 33, of Rørvik (Nord-Trøndelag), Norway	(1) The Norwegian media source Aftenposten has published an English-language article that identifies the Norwegian soldier who was killed in a small arms fire attack in the Norwegian operating area in Lowgar Province, Afghanistan, on Monday, July 23rd: Lieutenant Tor Arne Lau-Henriksen, 33. He is the first Norwegian special forces soldier to die in Afghanistan ... and only the second Norwegian military personnel. Lau-Henriksen was raised in the northern Norway city of Rørvik, but will be buried in Elverum in eastern Norway on Tuesday, July 31st. He leaves behind a wife and child.
	(2) The French Ministry of Defense has released a slightly expanded notice on the death of the French soldier in Afghanistan on Wednesday, July 25th. The soldier was a 40-year-old warrant officer who had been a commando parachutist for 13 years. He is survived by a wife and child. One discrepancy: all earlier reports had identified the place of death as Jaghato District in Wardak Province. This latest article puts it in the Province of Ghazni. It also refers to the attack as a "mortar attack", not a "rocket attack" as earlier reports had it. More research will be needed to confirm which information is correct.
Alex Hawkins, 22, of East Dereham in Norfolk, England	(3) The British Ministry of Defense has identified the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, soldier who was killed in an explosion on the northeastern outskirts of Sangin in Helmand Province on Wednesday, July 25th: Lance Corporal Alex Hawkins, 22, of East Dereham in Norfolk, England. Hawkins had his eye on a military career from a very early age, joining the cadets in his home town as soon as he qualified. He enlisted in the regular army (his county regiment) in 2003. After serving a tour of duty in Iraq as a rifleman, Hawkins undertook the demanding training to become a sniper, earning his sniper badge in 2006. He was a fitness fanatic ... and also played rugby and enjoyed skiing. A fellow soldier said of him, "He was a good bloke, quick to smile and a friend to many."

Thursday, July 26, 2007 7:57 PM - UPDATE -
Juan S. Restrepo, 20, of Pembroke Pines, Florida	(1) The DoD has identified the American soldier who died in a small arms fire attack in the Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, in Afghanistan's far east on Sunday, July 22nd: Private 1st Class Juan S. Restrepo, 20, of Pembroke Pines, Florida. He is the 7th soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Vicenza, Italy, to die in Afghanistan this month.
	(2) Agence France-Presse is reporting the identity of the French soldier who died in a rocket attack in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, July 25th: Adjudant (Warrant Officer II) Pascal Correia. He died on the same day that another French soldier was killed in a mine clearing operation in Lebanon.

Friday, July 27, 2007 4:12 PM - 2 INCOMING & UPDATE
	(1) AFP is reporting the deaths of two NATO soldiers due to enemy action in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, July 27th. According to a troop spokesman, an Afghan soldier was also killed ... and 13 additional NATO troops were injured. Israel News is reporting that the two NATO dead were Americans.
David Atherton, 25, of Manchester, England	(2) The British Ministry of Defense has identified the 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards, soldier who was killed in a firefight with Taliban soldiers northeast of Gereshk in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Thursday, July 26th: Guardsman David Atherton, 25, of Manchester, England. Atherton had enlisted in the British army in 2002 and had already completed deployments to Bosnia and Iraq. He was serving with the Anti-Tank section of 3 Company on Operation Chakush designed to defeat Taliban forces in the Upper Gereshk Valley.

Saturday, July 28, 2007 5:49 AM - 1 INCOMING - The British Ministry of Defense is announcing the death of a 14 Signal Regiment soldier northeast of Gereshk in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Friday, July 27th. He was apparently taking part in the same offensive, Operation Chakush, in which Guardsman David Atherton died the day before. The signals soldier was providing communications capabilities for the operation when he was fatally wounded in a rocket attack.

Saturday, July 28, 2007 4:48 PM - UPDATE -

Barry Keen, 34, of the Rolands Gill neighborhood in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, in northeast England

The British Ministry of Defense has identified the Royal Corps of Signals soldier who died when a single mortar round fell next to him near the village of Mirmandab in the Upper Gereshk Valley, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Friday, July 27th: Sergeant Barry Keen, 34, of the Rolands Gill neighborhood in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, in the northeast of England. Keen, a communications specialist, had spent nearly 18 years in the British Army, having enlisted in August of 1989. His long career had included deployments to Bosnia and Northern Ireland, as well as Afghanistan.

Monday, July 30, 2007 5:37 AM - 1 INCOMING - The British Ministry of Defense has issued a brief statement announcing the death of a British Royal Marine in combat operations in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, July 29th.

Monday, July 30, 2007 8:13 AM - UPDATE -
	(1) The Associated Press is reporting the death of Army Staff Sergeant William Ryan Fritsche, 23, of Martinsville, Indiana, in combat in Afghanistan. Fritsche's mother is a detective with the Morgan County Sheriff's Department. A department spokesman announced that the younger Fritsche had died in a fierce small arms and rocket propelled grenade attack on Friday, July 27th, likely making him one of the two Eastern Afghanistan deaths described in this ISAF release. He had enlisted in the army in 2002 shortly after graduating from high school ... and had been promoted to sergeant in April 2005. According to the article, he was a member of the Old Guard, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Army's oldest active duty infantry unit. Fritsche's unit was mobilized to Afghanistan in spring of 2007.
	(2) According to a notice published on the website of the Office of the President of France, French Army soldier Pascal Correia, who was killed in a rocket attack in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, on July 25th, has been posthumously promoted to Adjudant-Chef, Warrant Officer I.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 6:58 AM - UPDATE -
	The DoD has identified the two American soldiers who died in a small arms fire attack in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, July 27th:
		Major Thomas G. Bostick Jr., 37, of Llano, Texas
		Staff Sergeant William Ryan Fritsche, 23, of Martinsville, Indiana
	They died near the village of Kamu which is located to the southeast of Kamdesh in Nuristan Province.
	The Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram is reporting that Bostick had been in the Army for 19 years at the time of his death and had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was actually raised in Lovington, New Mexico, but finished high school in Llano, Texas. Bostwick was married and has two daughters, an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:13 AM - UPDATE -

Michael Jones, 26, of Newbald in Yorkshire, England

The British Ministry of Defense has identified the British Royal Marine who died from enemy action in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, July 29th: Lance Corporal Michael Jones, 26, of Newbald in Yorkshire, England. Jones had joined the Marines at the age of 18 in 1999 and had since served on operations in Kosovo and Iraq as well as Afghanistan. Other than stating that he was a Marine, the British MoD has declined to reveal Jones' unit at this point ... or the exact place and manner of his death.