Marines Pay Heavy Price in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

(SALEM, Ore.) - Eight American servicemen killed in the fighting in Afghanistan over the past five days, have been identified by the Department of Defense.

Seven of the eight are U.S. Marines, which is probably the highest ratio of Marines to Army soldier KIA's that we have ever reported. None of these casualties are a result of accidents or non-combat related circumstances, which is also somewhat unusual.

The average age of those killed is 23. Each of the eight are from different U.S. states. All of the casualties are enlisted; one was a Staff Non Commissioned Officer and one was a Corporal.

All of the Marines were killed in operations taking place in the Helmand Province^[1]. Five were from the 2nd Marine Division, one was with the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, one was a Recon Marine from the 3rd Marine Division.

The soldier was killed in a camp in the Kandahar province, he was an MP with the 97th Military Police Battalion at Camp Nathan Smith^[2].

The Helmand Province has been a hotly contested area for a long time, in recent weeks it has been the focus of an increased military presence; more than 15,000 US, NATO and Afghan forces are engaging anti-Coalition militia forces from the Marjah and Nad Ali regions of Helmand province. It is reported that the action has caused many villagers to flee to Lashkar Gah.

We published an article by a contributing writer in Helmand some time ago, that contains very interesting local insight into this place where so many Americans continue to lose their lives, the link to that article is below^[3].

Marine Staff Sergeant Christopher W. Eckard, 30, of Hickory, North Carolina, died 20 February while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Marine Lance Corporal Adam D. Peak, 25, of Florence, Kentucky, died 21 February while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Marine Corporal Gregory S. Stultz, 22, of Brazil, Indiana, died 19 February while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

Marine Lance Corporal Kielin T. Dunn, 19, of Chesapeake, Va., died 18 February while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Marine Lance Corporal Larry M. Johnson, 19, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, died 18 February while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Marine Private first class Kyle J. Coutu, 20, of Providence, Rhode Island, died 18 February while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

U.S. Army Private first class Charles A. Williams, 29, of Fair Oaks, California, died 17 February at Camp Nathan Smith, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations. He was assigned to the 97th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, Fort Riley, Kansas.

Marine Private first class Eric D. Currier, 21, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, died 17 February while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

You can always learn more about America's fallen military servicemembers by visiting: IraqWarHeroes.org

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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D. Saavedra March 5, 2010 8:53 am (Pacific time)

My condolences to these BRAVE young men who gave there lives for our great Nation. May God Bless you and your families. SEMPER FI

Roger von Bütow February 24, 2010 6:37 am (Pacific time)

Tim: Thanks for the vigilance and naming names, my USMC brother. These are real people with real loved ones, they shouldn't be swept aside as just statistics. Old men lie while poor young men and women die. These erroneous civilians deaths shouldn't be under-valued either, they have loved ones too, and that dumb term "collateral damage" lessens their value. Helmand Province is more like HELL-Man....These Afghani people are in a tribal conflict that goes back thousands of years, and like Vietnam or Iraq, burning or bombing the place into smithereens plays into Al Queda and Taliban hands. USAID is over there and what good is trying to rebuild a nation's infrastructure if we're still busy destroying it? Imagine remodeling your home, demolishing as you rehab, that's just stupid. One of the greatest Sufi poets whom Afghanis adore is Rumi, who said "You can't wash blood with blood." It would be smarter to simply put a very high price, a sliding scale according to importance, on these Muslim terrorists heads, and then pay mercenaries to literally bring in their heads. DNA could confirm their identity, that's simple, get samples from their families. Croidy, we have Osama Bin Laden's son running around, get a sample from him. Offer people this poor a few million $$$ and you'd have a pile of these psychos heads in a few months. These people, like the ones in Pakistan, they know their own terrain, they could form clandestine spy networks and then act as contractors. If that sounds crazy, an unacceptable strategy on moral grounds, well what do you call this? Then the people would get the money, not their corrupt governments. Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America, threw the Spaniards out of his continent, but he warned the emerging countries that working together was better than building walls, that civil strife finds men killing the mothers of their friends, that internecine warfare is unacceptable. On his deathbed, poverty-stricken, stripped of everything, he warned them and they didn't listen. Violent juntas, coup d'etats, revolutions and strife still dominate South America to this day.

Jenna February 23, 2010 9:57 am (Pacific time)

My deepest condolences. Semper Fi.

jsmith February 23, 2010 4:58 am (Pacific time)

:salute: Thank you, gentlemen.

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