While we pause to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks today, it's also important to reflect on the brave men and women who continue to fight the war on terror abroad.

According to the Citizen Journalist Review, 2361 American soldiers have lost their lives since Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan began in 2001. And while Afghan forces have recently taken the lead, nearly 10,000 United States troops remain on the ground as part of the Resolute Support Mission.

At least eight of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the Afghanistan conflict once called Wyoming home. Today, we honor their memories. Just as we will never forget 9/11, we will not forget these brave men and their service to our great country.

Chief Warrant Officer Andrew L. McAdams-27-Cheyenne, WY – Detachment 53, Operational Support Airlift Command, Joint Force Headquarters, Wyoming Army National Guard, Cheyenne, WY. One of two Jan. 10, 2014 at Bagram Airfield, in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when the aircraft they were aboard crashed. 

Command Sgt. Maj.Kevin J. Griffin, 45 – Laramie, WY – Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. One of two soldiers killed along with an airman when an insurgent detonated a suicide vest bomb in Sarkowi, Kunar province, Afghanistan, on August 8, 2012.

Lance Cpl. Sean M. N. O’Connor, 22, of Douglas, Wyoming -1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. Died June 12, 2011 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. 1st Class Phillip C. Tanner, 43 – Sheridan, Wyoming – 541st Transportation Company, 106th Transportation Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Tanner was processing through Kuwait after leaving Afghanistan when he collapsed in a non-combat incident at Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, on October 26, 2010.

Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Ross, 19 – Gillette, Wyoming – 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 24, 2010.

Capt. Bruce E. Hays, 42 – Cheyenne, Wyoming – Wyoming Joint Forces Headquarters, Wyoming Army National Guard, One of four soldiers killed when their vehicle encountered a roadside bomb in Gerdia Seria, Afghanistan, on September 17, 2008.

Lt. Col. Charles E. Munier, 50 – Wheatland, Wyoming – Wyoming Army National Guard. Died at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center on June 12, 2006, from a non-combat related cause which occured in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 5, 2006.

Spc. Jonn J. Edmunds, 20 – Cheyenne, Wyoming – Company B, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Killed when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter he was in crashed in Pakistan on October 19, 2001.

 

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