In August, the
143rd month of the conflict, 53 coalition forces based in Afghanistan were
killed -- the most in a single month since last September. Of these, five were
from New Zealand, five from Australia, three from the UK, one from France, and
the rest from the United States -- 50 men and 3 women ranging in age from 20 to
55. Collected below are images from the many ceremonies honoring the return of
these 53 fallen soldiers. While the photographs may bear some similarities, keep
in mind that each one represents a separate individual life lost in Afghanistan just
last month.
The transfer
case containing the remains of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory T. Buckley is
moved by a U.S. Marine carry team during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force
Base in Dover Delaware, on August 13, 2012. Lance Cpl. Buckley who was from
Oceanside, New York, was killed on August 10th while supporting combat
operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. (Mark Wilson/Getty
Images)
Lance Cpl. Greg Buckley
Jr.'s father Greg, center, is escorted from St. Agnes Cathedral after his
funeral Mass,on August 18, 2012 in Rockville Center, New York. Buckley Jr. was
barely 21 years old when he was killed in an attack by a policeman in
Afghanistan.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New Zealand soldiers pay their respect during a ramp ceremony for
Corporal Luke Tamatea, Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker and Private Richard Harris
at Bagram Air Base on August 21, 2012 in Bagram, Afghanistan. The three New
Zealand soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on August 19 after their vehicle was
hit by a roadside bomb. (New Zealand Defence Force via Getty
Images)
Family members of Corporal Luke Tamatea pay their respect during a
combined memorial service for fallen soldiers Corporal Luke Tamatea, Lance
Corporal Jacinda Baker and Private Richard Harris at Burnham Military Camp in
Christchurch, New Zealand, on August 25, 2012. The three fallen New Zealand
soldiers were fatally wounded in action on August 4, 2012, in the Bayman
Province in Afghanistan.(Martin Hunter/Getty Images)
Army pallbearers carry the coffin of Private Richard Harris at a
Military ramp ceremony held for Corporal Luke Tamatea, Lance Corporal Jacinda
Baker and Private Richard Harris on August 23, 2012 in Christchurch, New
Zealand. The soldiers are performing a haka, acknowledging the lives and feats
of their fallen comrades. The powerful, moving ceremony can also be seen here, in a
video from the New Zealand Defence Force. (Martin Hunter/Getty
Images)
A U.S. Navy carry team transfers the remains of Navy Petty Officer
3rd Class Clayton R. Beauchamp, of Weatherford, Texas, at Dover Air Force Base,
Delaware, on August 9, 2012. Beauchamp was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine
Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, 1st Marine Division (Forward), I Marine
Expeditionary Force (Forward), Camp Pendleton, California, (USAF/Roland
Balik)
U.S. Air Force soldiers carry the flag-draped transfer case
containing the remains of Air Force Maj. Walter D. Gray, during a dignified
transfer at Dover Air Force Base, on August 10, 2012. Gray, who was from
Conyers, Georgia, was killed alongside two other American troops in a suicide
attack in Kunar province, while serving in the Air Force in
Afghanistan. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Marines with Bravo Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, pay their final
respects to Cpl. Daniel L. Linnabary II during a memorial ceremony in the
sweltering Afghanistan sunlight, on September 1, 2012. Linnabary, 23, from
Hubert, North Carolina, was a tank gunner with 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd
Tank Battalion. He was killed August 6, while conducting combat operations in
Now Zad District. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan. During the
ceremony, commanders and friends spoke of the man and Marine Linnabary was and
what they would remember most about him. (USMC/Cpl. Mark
Garcia)
A Navy carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of
Petty Officer 1st Class Sean P. Carson on Dover Air Force Base, on August 19,
2012. According to the Department of Defense, Carson, of Renton, Washington,
died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Already in the vehicle are
transfer cases containing the remains of Army Chief Warrant Officer Brian D.
Hornsby of Melbourne, Florida, case not shown, Army Chief Warrant Officer Suresh
N. A. Krause of Cathedral City, California, case not shown, Army Spc. James A.
Justice of Grover, North Carolina, second case from right, and Army Spc. Richard
A. Essex of Kelseyville, California, right case, who, according to the
Department of Defense, all died while supporting Operation Enduring
Freedom. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
21-year-old Spc. Mabry J. Anders, 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, from Baker City, Oregon. Anders died
in a "green-on-blue" attack, killed along with Sgt. Christopher J. Birdwell,
both shot by a member of the Afghan National Army who had turned his weapon on
them in Kalagush, Afghanistan, on August 27. (U.S. Army)
A Marine carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of
Sgt. Justin M. Hansen at Dover Air Force Base, on July 26, 2012. According to
the Department of Defense, Hansen, 26, of Traverse City, Michigan, died July 24,
2012 while conducting combat operations in Badghis province,
Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
U.S. Air Force Colonel Gretchen M. Wiltse, right, and U.S. Army
Major General Al Aycock, second from right, salute as an Army carry team moves a
transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army Private First Class Patricia
L. Horne, on August 26, 2012, at Dover Air Force Base. Horne, of Greenwood,
Mississippi, died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in
Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
U.S. Army soldiers carry the flag-draped transfer case containing
the remains of U.S. Army Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy, during a dignified transfer at
Dover Air Force Base, on August 10, 2012. Kennedy, who was from West Point, New
York, was killed alongside two other American troops in a suicide bombing, while
serving in the U.S. Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Kennedy was
assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th
Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado,(Patrick Smith/Getty
Images)
The remains of Army Staff Sgt. Carl Hammar arrive on a caisson for
a burial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on July
30, 2012. Hammar, 24, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, died July 14, in Khost
province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was
assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat
Team, 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP
Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Parents of of Army Staff Sgt. Carl Hammar, from left, Ulf and Judy
Hammar and his sister Tabitha Gordon, watch an Arlington Lady (left) speak to
his son Lux Hammar and daughter Valeroia Hammar during a burial ceremony for
Hammar at Arlington National Cemetery, on July 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Manuel
Balce Ceneta)
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of
Pfc. Jose Oscar Belmontes at Dover Air Force Base, on July 30, 2012. According
to the Department of Defense, Belmontes, 28, of La Verne, California, died July
28, 2012 in Wardak province, Afghanistan of wounds sustained from enemy small
arms fire. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
Transfer cases containing the remains of Army Spc. Benjamin C.
Pleitez, (left case) Army Sgt. 1st Class Bobby L. Estle, (right case) and Army
Pfc. Jose Oscar Belmontes, (not shown) sit on a loader during a prayer at Dover
Air Force Base, on July 30, 2012. According to the Department of Defense,
Pleitez, 25, of Turlock, California, died July 27, 2012 in Mazar-e-Sharif,
Afghanistan and Estle, 38, of Lebanon, Ohio, and Belmontes, 28, of La Verne,
California, both died July 28, 2012 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds
sustained from enemy small arms fire. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
U.S. Army soldiers carry a flag-draped transfer case containing the
remains of U.S. Army Spc. Richard A. Essex during a dignified transfer at Dover
Air Force Base, on August 19, 2012. Essex, who was from Kelseyville, California,
was killed while serving in the U.S. Army in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Chief Warrant
Officer Suresh N. A. Krause of Cathedral, California, at Dover Air Force Base,
on August 19, 2012. Krause was among four soldiers who died of wounds suffered
on August 16, as the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter they were manning crashed in
Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th
Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks,
Hawaii. (USAF/Adrian R. Rowan)
A U.S. Army soldier shuts the door of the transfer vehicle as five
flag-draped transfer cases lay secure containing the remains of five U.S. Army
and U.S. Navy soldiers, during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, on
August 19, 2012. Those killed while serving in the U.S. Army in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, were: U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer
3, Brian D. Hornsby, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2, Suresh N. A. Krause,
U.S. Army Spc. James A. Justice, U.S. Army Spc. Richard A. Essex, and U.S. Navy
Petty Officer 1st Class Sean P. Carson. (Patrick Smith/Getty
Images)
Senior Airman Joshua Fernandez pauses after closing the doors of a
transfer vehicle that holds a transfer case containing the remains of Sgt. 1st
Class Coater B. DeBose at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on August 22, 2012.
DeBose, of Stateline, Mississippi, was killed in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, from
injuries suffered from small arms fire. Two Afghan policemen reportedly opened
fire on a group of coalition and Afghan troops, killing DeBose and an Afghan
police sergeant. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)
An Army honor guard carry the coffin of Army Staff Sgt. Richard
Berry of Scottsdale, Arizona, during a burial services at Arlington National
Cemetery, on August 14, 2012. According to the Defense Department, Berry died
July 22 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an enemy improvised
explosive device. He was assigned to the 508th Special Troops Battalion, 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North
Carolina, (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Soldiers perform a haka at the Military Commemorative Service for
LCPL Durrer and LCPL Malone at Burnam Military Camp in Christchurch, New
Zealand, on August 11, 2012. The soldiers are performing their unit haka,
acknowledging the lives and feats of their fallen comrades. The powerful, moving
ceremony can also be seen here, in a
video from the New Zealand Defence Force.(Martin Hunter/Getty
Images)
A transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Marine Cpl. Richard
Rivera, is moved by a U.S. Marine carry team during a dignified transfer at
Dover Air Force Base, on August 13, 2012. Cpl. Rivera who was from Oxnard,
California, was killed on August 10 in Garmsir, Afghanistan, after being shot by
an Afghan civilian. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin, of Laramie, Wyoming, died on
August 1, 2012, when two insurgents detonated vests laden with explosives in
Kunar province. Griffin was one of three troops killed in the suicide attack,
all assigned to units based at Fort Carson in Colorado. The Defense Department
identified them Thursday as 38-year-old Air Force Maj. Walter D. Gray, of
Conyers, Georgia; 35-year-old Army Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy, of West Point, New
York; and 45-year-old Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin.(AP Photo/U.S.
Defense Dept)
Soldiers from B Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment,
Task Force 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team bow their heads during a memorial
ceremony for U.S. Army Pfc. Andrew Keller of B. Company, at Combat Outpost
Charkh in Logar Province, Afghanistan, on August 22, 2012. Keller was killed
when insurgents attacked his unit in Charkh, in Logar province,
Afghanistan.(U.S. Army/Sgt. Michael Sword)
Transfer cases containing the remains of Army 1st Sgt. Russell R.
Bell of Tyler, Texas, Army Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Sitton of Largo, Florida, Army
Pfc. Jesus J. Lopez of San Bernardino, California, and Marine Lance Cpl. Curtis
J. Duarte of West Covina, California, sit on the loader ramp, upon arrival at
Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on August 4, 2012. The Department of Defense
announced the death of Bell, Sitton, Lopez and Duarte who were supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Jose Luis
Magana)
A U.S. Marine Corps carry team transfers the remains of Department
of State Foreign Service Officer II Mr. Ragaei Abdelfattah, of Annapolis,
Maryland, at Dover Air Force Base, on August 12, 2012. Abdelfattah, a USAID
officer, was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Konar province, on August 8,
2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Roland Balik)
A combination picture shows official photographs of Australian
soldiers Sapper James Martin (left), Private Robert Poate (right) and Lance
Corporal Stjepan Milosevic. The soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on
August 29, 2012 by an Afghan wearing a soldier's uniform as Australia suffered
its worst combat losses since the Vietnam War. Another two troops died in a
helicopter crash in the south on August 30.(Reuters/Australian Department
of Defence)
Marines with Military Working Dogs Platoon, Headquarters and Supply
Company, 1st Law Enforcement Battalion (Forward), I Marine Expeditionary Force
Headquarters Group, pay their final respects to Sgt. Joshua R. Ashley during a
memorial ceremony in the Regional Command Southwest chapel, on August 17, 2012.
Ashley, from Rancho Cucamonga, California, was killed in action on July 19,
while conducting combat operations in Helmand province. (USMC/Cpl. Mark
Garcia)
Senior Airman DarRon Harmon closes the door of a transfer vehicle
that holds a transfer case containing the remains of Staff Sgt. Christopher J.
Birdwell at Dover Air Force Base, on August 29, 2012. According to the
Department of Defense, Birdwell, of Windsor, Colorado, died while supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Ann
Heisenfelt)
