Facing Our Losses - Afgahnistan

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Afghanistan: Operation Enduring Freedom
Began Oct. 7, 2001. In all, more than 810 troops have been killed, 42 of them with ties to Washington. (Updated Sept. 2, 2009)
(Information compiled from military and media.)

808th, 809th and 810th to die: Aug. 31, 2009 – Army Spc. Tyler R. Walshe-Vietti, 21, of Shasta, Calif., Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, of Yorba Linda, Calif., and Pfc. Jordan Brochu, 20, of Oakland, Maine, all Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade soldiers, were killed when a bomb exploded while they were on patrol in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan. They served in the fort’s 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. Walshe-Vietti was married with one child. His widow Kirsten remembered him as "the most amazing person I ever could have asked for." Their daughter’s first birthday will be Nov. 11, Kirsten said. "I’m trying really, really hard to keep it together and to stay strong for my daughter." Welch, who joined the Army in 2007, was an avid fan of the Seattle music scene, said a friend, Samantha Grillo, who called Welch "really funny and very charismatic." Brochu’s former high school guidance counselor, Nancy McClean, remembers him as a poet who was "very real" about expressing life. In a MySpace profile from earlier this year, he listed himself as his hero. "My life has been hell and no one thought or cared if I would make it and I’m still [here] and for once my head is held high. I joined to help make a difference and to grow me up. I don’t believe in violence, but in some cases it is necessary."

799th, 800th, 801th and 802nd to die: Aug. 25, 2009 - Army Pfc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, of Federal Way, along with Capt. John L. Hallett III, 30, of California, Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, of Arizona, and Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, Mo., all members of the Fort Lewis 5th Stryker Brigade, were killed when enemy forces bombed their vehicle in southern Afghanistan. All were with the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. Williams, marred with two children, graduated from Federal Way High in 2993 and joined the Army in 2007. Pat Adkins, a family friend, remembered him as a "sweet young man" with a quick sense of humor. His mother, Maria, said "He told us he didn’t think he would make it back. He felt it was unsafe. ... He just wanted to be home." Hallett was married and had three children. In a statement, his widow, Lisa, recalled him as "an amazing father, devoted and joyful husband, thoughtful son, loving brother, and inspiring friend. John possessed incredible work ethic and inspirational integrity. He would always put the needs of others before his own." Jenkins, a BYU grad, was married, with one child. As an Army physician’s assistant, Jenkins normally would have worked at a MASH unit, said his father, Stanley: "That’s why we were feeling safe. He should have been out of harm’s way." Sawyer, married with one child, was a medic who had served 17 years, said his father Ron. His son was on his first tour of Afghanistan. "I’m very proud of what he did with his life," he said.

790th and 791st to die: Aug. 17, 2009 – Army Pfc. Jonathan C. Yanney, 20, of Litchfield, Minn., and Spc. Troy O. Tom, 21, of Shiprock, N.M., both Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers, were killed near Arghandab in Kandahar province by a roadside bomb. "Extremely driven," was how former high school principal Marcella Swatosh described Yanney, saying "We knew that he wanted to go into something where he could help people. He was always very focused on wanting to help people, and it sounds like that’s what he was doing." A friend, Samantha Lynn Fedele, recalled that Yanney "just had this big, bright smile. His smile would be the very first thing you noticed." Tom’s father, David, a Navajo Nation Council Delegate, said Tom joined the Army in June 2006 after graduating from Aztec High School. He joined up because he wanted to physically and mentally challenge himself. "He was the nicest, the kindest, son. He made everybody smile. He always had a smile on his face. Never, ever did he get mad. We’re going to miss him very much," his mother Carolyn Tom said.

730th to die: July 29, 2009 - Army Chief Warrant Officer Douglas Vose, 38, a Green Beret from Concrete, Skagit County, was fatally wounded after an intense fire fight with the Taliban in Kabul Province, Afghanistan. He was with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. He was posthumously awarded his third Bronze Star for heroism and valor, credited with saving the lives of several team members. High-level Taliban leaders along with 15 Taliban fighters were killed in the engagement. Married, with four children, Vose was described as confident on the battlefield and relaxed while enjoying a glass of fine red wine. "That’s what made Doug so unique," said Dave Takaki, a retired master sergeant who served with Vose. He had a strong work ethic inherited from his late father, a Marine, according to Vicki Frank, a family friend. "He was the best citizen and had the sweetest temperament," she said.