To honor the men and women in our armed forces and remind our readers of their sacrifices, the Benton County Daily Record is publishing Department of Defense announcements identifying Americans killed in active military operations.
Three soldiers died Oct. 14 while conductingcombat operations between Moqur and Darreh-Ye-Bum, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. Killed were Sgt. Carlos A. Benitez, 24, of Carrollton,Texas, Spc. Rafael Martinez Jr., 36, of Spring Valley, Calif., Pfc. Tramaine J. Billingsley, 20, of Portsmouth, Va. They were assigned to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Pfc. Dylan T. Reid, 24, of Springfield, Mo., died Oct. 16 in Amarah, Iraq in a noncombat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Sgt. Ian M. Tawney, 25, of Dallas, Ore., died Oct. 16 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Cpl. Jorge Villarreal Jr., 22, of San Antonio, died Oct. 17 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Lance Cpl. Francisco R. Jackson, 24, of Elizabeth, N.J., died Oct. 19 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 10/26/2010