Spc. Justin B. Shoecraft, 28, of Elkhart, Ind., died Aug. 24 at Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan

[IndianaGreen]

DOD identifies US casualties 23 Aug-25 Aug

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 770-10
August 25, 2010

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DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Justin B. Shoecraft, 28, of Elkhart, Ind., died Aug. 24 at Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device at Kakarak, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

UPDATE: August 27, 2010 – Pfc. Shoecraft was posthumously promoted to specialist.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13834

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 764-10
August 24, 2010

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DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Robert J. Newton, 21, of Creve Coeur, Ill., died Aug. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13829


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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 763-10
August 24, 2010

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DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Ronald A. Rodriguez, 26, of Falls Church, Va., died Aug. 23 while supporting 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.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13828


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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 762-10
August 24, 2010

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DOD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died Aug. 22 at Paktika, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire.

Killed were:

Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio, 25, of South Glastonbury, Conn.

Spc. Tristan H. Southworth, 21, of West Danville, Vt.

They were assigned to the 172nd Infantry, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Jericho, Vt.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13822

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 761-10
August 24, 2010

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DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche, 20, of Elizabeth, N. J., died Aug. 22 at Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13824

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 760-10
August 24, 2010

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DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Jason D. Calo, 23, of Lexington, Ky., died Aug. 22 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13825

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 759-10
August 24, 2010

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DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Brandon E. Maggart, 24, of Kirksville, Mo., died Aug. 22 at Basrah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13823

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 755-10
August 23, 2010

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DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Alexis V. Maldonado, 20, of Wichita Falls, Texas, died Aug. 21 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire in Zhari province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13821

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 754-10
August 23, 2010

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DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Nathaniel J. A. Schultz, 19, of Safety Harbor, Fla., died Aug. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13820

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 753-10
August 23, 2010

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DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Christopher S. Wright, 23, of Tollesboro, Ky., died Aug. 19 in Pech, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Air Field, Ga.

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13819

[IndianaGreen]

1. Elkhart soldier killed in action in Afghanistan

Elkhart native Pfc. Justin Shoecraft (Photo provided)

Elkhart soldier killed in action in Afghanistan

By WSBT News1

Story Created: Aug 25, 2010 at 6:20 PM EDT

(Story Updated: Aug 26, 2010 at 2:52 PM EDT )

ELKHART — Elkhart native Pfc. Justin Shoecraft, 28, died Tuesday in Afghanistan from a road-side bomb. Now, his family is trying to make sense of the tragedy.

"I'm very proud that he joined the army, and I'm proud that he wanted to serve his country. I'm just not proud that they took him," Donna Shoecraft, Justin Shoecraft's mother, said as she held back her tears. "I never thought I'd have to go through this."

Now, Justin Shoecraft's parents, Blue and Donna, are living a parents' worst nightmare.

<snip>

Pfc. Shoecraft joined the Army about two years ago. He was stationed in Germany with the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. He was in Afghanistan for only five weeks.

His father remembers him not only as a soldier but also as his hard-working son.

"If you said, 'Hey, I need help with something,' he was there to help you," Blue Shoecraft said.

Together they worked on the two things they both loved — old cars and old bicycles.

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/Elkhart-soldier-killed-in-action-in-Afghanistan.html

My condolences to the Shoecraft family and to Justin's wife Jessica.

RIP

:cry: