Oregon Marine Among Casualties From Afghanistan

Seven U.S. servicemen are killed in action in Afghanistan, while a soldier in Iraq's death was not combat-related.

Afghanistan.pigstyle.com, MilitaryCity.com, freedomremembered.com, DailyNews.com, The Associated Press

(SALEM, Ore.) - Reports of numerous casualties are being dispatched by the Department of Defense. We know based on PBS News and other reports, that three Americans were killed in an explosion in Basra, but no additional details were available.

Among those killed in Afghanistan are one Tualatin, Oregon Marine and another Marine from Glendale, California. They are among five Marine Corps casualties reported, as well as three soldiers in the U.S. Army. 28.75 is the average age of the soldiers and Marines referenced in this report.

The Marines lost two staff non-commissioned officers, a sergeant, a corporal and a lance corporal. Army losses include one warrant officer and two staff non-commissioned officers.

Sergeant 1st Class Jason J. Fabrizi, 29, of Seffner, Florida, died July 14th in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his mounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire.

This was Jason Fabrizi's fourth tour in the Middle East. His prior deployments included three tours in Iraq. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart during his time of service.

The mother of a soldier who served under Jason Fabrizi, Samantha Sturgeon, said her son, Private first class Andrew Lansing, was there when the attack happened. She told reporters, "Sgt. Fabrizi watched out for him." Her son was not injured in the fatal attack.

Sturgeon said her son felt safe when he was around Fabrizi because the sergeant had made it through three previous tours.

He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado.

Sergeant Michael W. Heede Jr., 22, of Delta, Pennsylvania, was killed during combat operations July 13th in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. He joined the Marines in 2005, shortly after his high school graduation. His stepfather, Jeff Crothers, told reporters that Michael had a passion for the military and for serving his country.

Michael was a star athlete in high school. His superintendent said was an outstanding young man, "he was a very admired and respected member of the community, as well as a star athlete."

His stepdad said, "Once the recruiters came to the high school, he just really wanted to be a Marine, he was really proud to be a Marine." Family and friends say they will remember Michael as a person who lived life to the fullest. "He was a great kid and he was very active in sports at school and a very likable person," said Patricia Pitman, family friend.

Michael Heede was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.

Staff Sergeant David S. Spicer, 33, of Zanesfield, Ohio, died July 13 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

His most recent duty station was Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The graduate of more than a dozen service schools including Marine Scout Sniper School and Marine Close Quarters Combat Instructor’s Course, Dave Spicer had been selected for promotion to the rank of gunnery sergeant.

Dave Spicer is survived by his wife who is 36, and his one-year old daughter. He was was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Chief Warrant Officer Rodney A. Jarvis, 34, of Akron, Ohio, died July 13th in Baghdad of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

The 14-year veteran was currently serving in Iraq. He was last home in March of 2009 on leave, and was scheduled to come home in September 2009. He apparently died if a heart attack, the same thing his father Robert Jarvis who was also a veteran, died from at the age of 55.

Friends described Rod Jarvis as a really funny and good natured person with a big heart. Rodney is married and the father of two daughters.

He was assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk, Louisiana. The Department of Defense says the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

Staff Sergeant Eric J. Lindstrom, 27, of Flagstaff, Arizona, died July 12th near Barge Matal, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms and indirect fire.

In addition to his role in the military, Eric Lindstrom has dedicated his life to law enforcement. He was a Flagstaff Police officer but after four years with the department, he returned to the Army in 2003.

Eric died at age 27 of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms and indirect fire. He is married and the father of seven month old twins.

Eric's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, and Air Assault Badge.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York.

Lance Corporal Pedro A. Barbozaflores, 27, of Glendale, California, died July 11th while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Marine Corps did not disclose information about the circumstances that led to the loss of this Marine's life.

A person wrote on a tribute site for Pedro Barbozaflores, "Condolences to family and friends of LCpl Barbozaflores. Stand Down LCpl youre mission on earth is complete."

Pedro Barbozaflores joined the Marine Corps in March 2008. Last December he was promoted to lance corporal. His deployment to Afghanistan began last month.

In a statement, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "Maria and I are deeply saddened to hear of Pedro's passing and we join all Californians in remembering his admirable service and noble sacrifice."

He was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Master Sergeant Jerome D. Hatfield, 36, of Axton, Virginia, also died in combat July 11th while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

A Marine named Tim Gratton issued a statement about the loss of his fellow Marines, "I am writing to you in memoriam of our two fallen comrades, MSgt Jerome Hatfield and LCpl Pedro Barbozaflores. The unit has been engaged for the past two weeks in continual combat operations in Helmand Province. The MSgt and LCpl fell to an improvised explosive device (IED) attack while moving from their company position to the battalion headquarters to transfer personnel for upcoming operations and to conduct resupply. These Marines epitomize the best we have in our ranks; there are no words to describe the sense of loss we feel."

He was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Defense Department figures indicate that at least 660 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan began in late 2001.

Corporal Matthew R. Lembke, 22, of Tualatin, Oregon, died July 10th of wounds sustained on June 24th while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff on Monday, July 20th 2009 in memory of Marine Corporal Matthew R. Lembke of Tualatin, Oregon.

“Matthew was a dedicated soldier that served his country with pride, honor and courage,” said Governor Kulongoski. “He will be forever remembered by friends and family and his sacrifice for our nation will never be forgotten.”

He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

We can not explain why the government is holding back with certain, general information about casualties. We also do not know why corporate media outlets were provided the information while the standard reporters who rely on the DoD Website were left out.

It causes us to believe that we may eventually just move to other systems of information in determining who is killed and where in the two combat theaters. We have that capability, and would not see any spreading of the government secrecy cloak as a positive development.

The military should be more transparent with information about war casualties. That does not mean they should release names before families are notified, but they should release the basic facts.

Iraq is a place where the violence is supposed to be going away, but the deaths that apparently stemmed from a mortar or rocket attack at Basra are a sad reminder, as 3,500 Oregon Guard soldiers arrive in this country this week, that the violence there toward U.S. forces is not over.

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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), the first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several other awards 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, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators.
You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com