Fallen Soldiers

Army Pfc. Jacob H. Wykstra
Army Pfc. Jacob H. Wykstra
21
Thornton, Colo

Assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died May 2, 2014,  in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in an aircraft accident.

Army Spc. Adrian M. Perkins
Army Spc. Adrian M. Perkins
19
Pine Valley, Calif

Assigned to 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died May 17, 2014, in Amman, Jordan, from a non-combat injury.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Martin R. Barreras
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Martin R. Barreras
49
Tucson, Ariz

Died May 13, 2014, in San Antonio Military Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, from wounds suffered May 6, in Harat province, Afghanistan, caused by enemy small-arms fire. He was assigned to 2nd Batalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Army Spc. Daniela Rojas
Army Spc. Daniela Rojas
19
Los Angeles, CA

Died May 3, 2014, in Homburg, Germany, of a non-combat illness. She was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Army Spc. Terry J. Hurne
Army Spc. Terry J. Hurne
34
Merced, Calif

Died June 9, 2014, in Logar province, Afghanistan, in a noncombat-related incident. He was assigned to 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Army Pfc. Matthew H. Walker
Army Pfc. Matthew H. Walker
20
Hillsboro, Mo

Died June 5, 2014, in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds caused by enemy fire. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Capt. Jason B. Jones
Army Capt. Jason B. Jones
29
Orwigsburg, Pa

Died June 2, 2014, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of wounds caused by small-arms fire. He was assigned 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.

Army Staff Sgt. Justin C. Marquez
Army Staff Sgt. Justin C. Marquez
25
Aberdeen, N.C

Army Staff Sgt. Justin C. Marquez died October 6, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to 1st Special Forces Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Oct. 6 in Chak district, Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of wounds caused by small-arms fire. Also killed was Army Warrant Officer Joseph L. Schiro, 27, of Coral Springs, Fla.

 Army Sgt. 1st Class Aaron A. Henderson
Army Sgt. 1st Class Aaron A. Henderson
33
Houlton, Maine

Army Sgt. 1st Class Aaron A. Henderson died October 2, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Oct. 2 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered Sept. 30 from an improvised explosive device in Zombalay Village, Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Donna R. Johnson
Army Sgt. Donna R. Johnson
29
Raeford, N.C.

Army Sgt. Donna R. Johnson died October 1, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to 514th Military Police Company, 60th Troop Command, Winterville, N.C.; died Oct.1, in Khost, Afghanistan, of injuries caused by a suicide bomber. Also killed were Sgt. Jeremy Hardison and Sgt. Thomas Butler IV.

 

Army Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz
Army Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz
27
Alden, N.Y

Army Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz died November 3, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to 178th Engineer Battalion, 412th Theater Engineer Command, U.S. Army Reserve, Oswego, N.Y.; died Nov. 3 of wounds caused by an improvised explosive device in Paktia province, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Dain T. Venne and Spc. Ryan P. Jayne were also killed in the incident.

Army Spc. Ryan P. Jayne
Army Spc. Ryan P. Jayne
22
Campbell, N.Y.,

Army Spc. Ryan P. Jayne died November 3, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom. assigned to 178th Engineer Battalion, 412th Theater Engineer Command, U.S. Army Reserve, Oswego, N.Y.; died Nov. 3 of wounds caused by an improvised explosive device in Paktia province, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Dain T. Venne and Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz were also killed in the incident.
 

Army Staff Sgt. Dain T. Venne
Army Staff Sgt. Dain T. Venne
29
Port Henry, N.Y.

Army Staff Sgt. Dain T. Venne died November 3, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to 178th Engineer Battalion, 412th Theater Engineer Command, U.S. Army Reserve, Oswego, N.Y.; died Nov. 3 of wounds caused by an improvised explosive device in Paktia province, Afghanistan. Spc. Ryan P. Jayne and Spc. Brett E. Gornewicz were also killed in the incident.

Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Matthew G. Kantor
22
Gillette, N.J.,

Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Matthew G. Kantor died November 1, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom, assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va.; died Nov. 1 of a gunshot wound while supporting stability operations in Zabul, Afghanistan.

CPT Michael Y. Tarlavsky
CPT Michael Y. Tarlavsky
30
NJ

CPT. Michael Yury Tarlavsky, 30, was a Special Forces officer assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky. Tarlavsky, a native of New Jersey, was born on May 5th, 1974.

 He was fatally wounded in action on Aug. 12, 2004 in Najaf, Iraq when his unit came under small arms fire and grenade attack.

He entered the Army in July of 1996 as an infantry officer and completed the Special Forces Qualifications Course at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2001. He then moved to his first assignment as a detachment commander in Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th SFG. He has deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism to both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medals, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, National Defense Service Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Ribbon. He also earned the Air Assault and Parachutist Badges, as well as the Ranger Tab.

Tarlavsky is survived by his wife Tricia and their 10 month-old son, Joseph Michael, both of Clarksville, Tennessee.

SFC Robert J. Mogensen
SFC Robert J. Mogensen
26
Leesville, LA

Sgt. 1st Class Robert J. Mogensen was born on Feb. 17, 1978 in New York. He was a senior Special Forces weapons sergeant assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C.

 He was killed in Afghanistan on May 29, 2004 when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device near Kandahar.

Mogensen was a native of Leesville, La., and joined the Army in 1995. He completed basic infantry training and airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga., before being assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. After completing Special Forces training and French language training, he was assigned to 1st Bn., 3rd SFG in October 2000.

After completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course, Lane served in several assignments with the 3rd SFG.

Awards: Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.

Mogenson is survived by his wife, Tanya, and their children Joshua, 10, Vanessa, 6 and Leilani, 8 weeks. His mother, Roxanne Mogensen, and his father, William Mogensen, also survive him.

MSG Kelly L. Hornbeck
MSG Kelly L. Hornbeck
36
Ft. Worth, TX.

Master Sgt. Kelly L. Hornbeck, a Special Forces team sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo., was a 36-year-old native of Fort Worth, Texas.

 He died Jan. 18, 2004 in Iraq from wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated during a combat patrol near Baghdad.

Hornbeck enlisted in the Army in 1987 and first trained as an infantryman at Fort Benning, Ga., where he would later serve as a drill sergeant. Hornbeck’s initial assignment was with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” at Fort Myer, Va.

Following his initial enlistment, he volunteered for duty with the U.S. Army Special Forces in 1990. After training as a Special Forces weapons sergeant, Hornbeck went on to serve in the 7th and 10th Special Forces groups. During his career as a special operations Soldier, he served as a combat diver, a military free fall parachutist and a jumpmaster, among many other duties. Hornbeck was also a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger Course.

Awards: Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Drill Sergeant Identification Badge, the Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Combat Diver Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.

Hornbeck is survived by his daughters, Tyler Rae Hornbeck and Jaqueline McCall, and his parents, Jeffrey and Camille Hornbeck.

SSG Paul C. Mardis
SSG Paul C. Mardis
25

 Staff Sgt. Paul C. Mardis, 25, was a Special Forces engineer sergeant assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky. Mardis, a native of Florida, was born on March 10, 1979.

He was wounded in action on May 20, 2004 near Mosul, Iraq when his convoy struck an improvised explosive device.

SSG Mardis died July 15, 2004 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., from complications sustained from his injuries.

He entered the Army in September of 1998 and completed indirect fire infantryman training at Ft. Benning, Ga. His first assignment in the Army was with 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Mardis went on to complete the Special Forces Qualifications Course and then Arabic language training at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C. He was then assigned to the 5th SFG in December of 2002 where he participated in numerous combat operations in support of both Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

Awards: Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Special Forces Tab, the Expert Infantry Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge.

Mardis is survived by his wife, Kacey.

CPT Daniel W. Eggers
CPT Daniel W. Eggers
28
Cape Coral, FL.

 Capt. Daniel W. Eggers, 28, was a Special Forces detachment commander assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C.

 He was killed in Afghanistan on May 29, 2004 when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device near Kandahar.

Eggers was a native of Cape Coral, Fla., and was commissioned in May 1997 after graduation from The Citadel Military College of South Carolina where he majored in history. Following a deployment to Afghanistan in March 2003 with the 3rd SFG, he was assigned to Company A as a detachment commander.

Awards: Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Special Forces Tab.

Eggers is survived by his wife, Rebecca, and their children John, 6, and William, 3. His parents, William and Margaret Eggers of Cape Coral, Fla., also survive him.

SGT Roy A. Wood
SGT Roy A. Wood
47
Alva, FL.

 Sgt. Roy A. Wood, 47, a resident of Alva, Fla., was a member of 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He served as the medical sergeant on Operational Detachment-A 2092, Company C, 3rd Battalion. In civilian life, he worked as an emergency physician at Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla.

 A 24-year Army Reservist and National Guardsman, he received a commission as a second lieutenant in 1979 and was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 421st Quartermaster Company in Fort Valley, Ga.

In January 1982, Wood joined the U.S. Army Special Forces. His first SF assignment was to the Army Reserve’s 11th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Meade, Md., where he served in the 3rd Battalion’s Company A as the detachment executive officer for Operational Detachment-A 1175. In May 1983, Wood became detachment commander for ODA 1175. Over the next 12 years he served in a variety of positions at the 11th SFG (A), to include, company logistics officer, operations officer and support company commander. Date KIA: 9 January 2004 OEF.

In 1996, after 2 years on inactive Individual Ready Reserve status, he was assigned as an individual mobilization augmentee to the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., where he worked as an area analyst. In 2000, he served with the Army Reserve’s 73rd Field Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., before switching to the National Guard in December 2001 and was assigned to 3rd Bn., 20th SFG. There, he served for a year as the battalion surgeon. In December 2002, Maj. Wood resigned his commission to become a medical sergeant on ODA 2092.

Wood's key military education includes the U.S. Army Ranger Course, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Special Forces Detachment Officer qualification course, Advanced Airborne Course, and Quartermaster Officer Basic Course.

His civilian education includes a bachelor’s degree in biology from Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Fla. He also completed a medical internship at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital, a medical residency at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital and was board certified as an emergency medicine physician by the American Board of Emergency Physicians.

Awards: Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Achievement Medal with silver hourglass device, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Date Basic Parachutist Badge, the Parachute Rigger Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.

Wood is survived by his wife and two children.