U.S. Army Pilot Was On His 9th Combat Deployment When He Was Killed In Iraq

Task & Purpose: Army Special Operations Pilot Killed In Iraq Was On His 9th Combat Deployment

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Taylor J. Galvin was on his ninth combat deployment when he died on Monday from injuries he received when his helicopter crashed in Sinjar, Iraq, defense officials announced.

* Galvin, 34, was an MH-60M Black Hawk helicopter pilot assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky – the same unit that reportedly flew Navy SEALs into Pakistan for the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
* Since joining the Army in 2003, Galvin had deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, three times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and four times as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, according to a news release from his unit.

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WNU Editor: 9th combat deployment?!?!?!

U.S. Military Training Is Four Times More Deadlier Than Combat

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ken Scar

OZY: U.S. Military Training Nearly Four Times Deadlier Than Combat

When an Army Black Hawk helicopter went down off Hawaii during a training mission in August 2017, five soldiers died in the crash. While enlistees know they risk death when they sign up, most troops assume if they die, it will be in combat — not during routine training. But the most recent National Defense Authorization Act found that:

This statistic, which showed 80 service members killed during training accidents versus 21 service members killed in combat, isn’t just a one-year blip. In fact, accidental deaths have exceeded combat deaths each year since 2015, according to Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairman of the Armed Services Committee. He cites 185 service members lost in fatal, noncombat accidents from 2015 to 2017, compared to 44 military personnel who died in combat during that period.

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WNU Editor: I have said this more than once. Serving in the military is not an easy or safe job.

15,851 U.S. Active-Duty Service Members Have Died Since 2006, With Most Being Non- Combat Deaths

A graphic outlining total casualties for American forces since 2006. "OCO" deaths refer to casualties taken in operational settings like Iraq and Afghanistan, while non-OCO refers to casualties from from non-operational settings, such as on a base inside the U.S. (Congressional Research Service.)

Aaron Mehta, Military Times: 15,851 US service members have died since 2006. Here’s why.

WASHINGTON – Since 2006, 15,851 active-duty personnel and mobilized reservists have died while serving in the U.S. armed forces. But only 28 percent of those deaths came from going to war, a stark reminder of the danger service members face even away from the battlefield.

The numbers come from a new report by the Congressional Research Service, disclosed to the public by the Federation of American Scientists. CRS drew on official figures from the Pentagon for its accounting.

The report breaks down the casualties by OCO and non-OCO deaths, where OCO is defined as a military operation “in which members of the armed forces are or may become involved in military actions, operations, or hostilities against an enemy of the United States or against an opposing military force.” That covers the vast number of military operations, although it does not cover individuals killed during train and equip operations.

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WNU Editor: As I have mentioned more than once on this blog .... serving in the military is an incredibly dangerous job. Even during peace-time, and these numbers reveal how deadly it can be.

Seven U.S. Service Members Killed In Iraq Helicopter Crash (Updated)

NBC: Seven U.S. service members killed in Iraq helicopter crash

All seven service members aboard an American military helicopter that crashed in western Iraq late Thursday were killed, according to two U.S. military officials.

The crash of the U.S. HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter does not appear to be a result of enemy activity and the incident is under investigation, U.S. Central Command and military officials said.

"All personnel aboard were killed in the crash," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga, the director of operations for the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition in Iraq and Syria.

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More News On Seven U.S. Service Members Killed In Iraq Helicopter Crash

US military helicopter crash in western Iraq kills all aboard -- Long War Journal
All 7 US Troops Aboard Helicopter Killed in Crash in Iraq -- New York Times
U.S. military copter crashes, killing all on board -- CBS
7 US service members killed in helicopter crash in western Iraq -- Washington Post
All 7 troops in Iraq helicopter crash killed -- The Hill
7 US service members killed in Iraq helicopter crash -- CNN
7 US airmen die in helicopter crash in Iraq after hitting power line -- ABC News
US military helicopter crashes in western Iraq, with 7 on board -- International Business Times

These Are The U.S. Soldiers Killed In Combat In 2017

Department of Defense

Buzz Feed: These US Troops Were Killed In Combat During Trump’s First Year In Office

Most died in Afghanistan, the US's longest-running war, but the first casualty of Trump's term came in Yemen.

The number of US troops who died in war zones rose in 2017, the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency, for the first time in six years. As of Dec. 28, at least 33 military personnel had been killed in war zones overseas compared to 26 last year, according to an analysis of casualty statements released by the Pentagon. At least 21 of those died in combat, according to the Pentagon — some in places where the US presence was not widely known.

The total is a far cry from the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007, when more than 1,000 US troops were killed. But the variety of places where US troops died in combat may indicate what lies ahead under an administration that has granted the military greater authority than its predecessors had to act without consulting leaders in Washington, DC.

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WNU Editor:  Our prayers are with the families and their loved ones.

U.S. Soldier Ambushed In Niger Fought Until The End

Sgt. La David T. Johnson

Task & Purpose: Soldier Who Went Missing In Niger Ambush Fought Until The End, Military Officials Say

A military investigation into a deadly ambush on U.S. forces in Niger on Oct. 4 that left four troops dead has concluded that one of the soldiers killed in the firefight was not captured alive or executed at close range by the enemy as several media reports had previously suggested, according to The Associated Press.

Sgt. La David T. Johnson, 25, an Army mechanic assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group, was part of a 12-man team of U.S. Green Berets and support personnel accompanying 30 Nigerien troops on patrol when they came under attack by as many as 50 militants in a densely wooded area about 120 miles north of Niamey, the capital of Niger. Johnson’s body was recovered two days after the ambush, which also left four Nigerian troops dead.

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 More Details Emerge On The Death Of Sgt. La David T. Johnson

US soldier ambushed in Niger wasn't captured -- Military Times/AP
U.S. Soldier Shot 18 Times as He Fought to the Death Against ISIS Militants in Niger Ambush -- Newsweek
Mother of soldier killed in Niger: Pentagon told multiple stories about son's death -- ABC News
Army Sgt. La David Johnson fought to end after ambush in Niger -- NBC News
Sister of soldier killed in Niger: Pentagon still hasn’t answered questions about death -- The Hill

For The First Time In Six Years U.S. War Zone Deaths Are Up

Breaking Defense/DoD

Military Times: War zone deaths are up for the first time in six years

For the first time in six years, the number of U.S. troops killed in overseas operations has increased over the previous year.

So far this year, 31 service members have died in actions overseas, according to Defense Department data.

Last year, the total was 26, down two from 2015.

The figure does not include 17 sailors killed in two separate ship collisions this year.

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WNU Editor: It should be noted that the above number includes non-combat deaths .... which I believe is around 10.

U.S. Non-Combat Injuries And Deaths Are Increasing

Marines train on board an AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicle during an exercise last month on the Cumberland River. Fifteen Marines and one sailor were injured when their AAV-7 caught fire Sept. 13 at Camp Pendleton, Calif. (US Marine Corps/Jack Rigsby)

Orange County Register, Military.com: Military Injuries and Deaths Off the Battlefield Are Increasing

When Tamby Clawson and Chad Schmidt first saw their Marine son lying in a medically induced coma, breathing on a ventilator and covered in bandages in a burn unit hospital bed at UC San Diego Medical Center, they didn't recognize him.

"That was not our son lying there," said Schmidt, 45, of Gillette, Wyoming. "His face was burned and swollen. It was something you never want to see your kid involved in."

The shock was heightened by how and where the19-year-old was so severely injured: not in combat but during training at the Camp Pendleton base.

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WNU Editor: At least 56 service members have been killed or injured in non-combat incidents since the beginning of June. As for combat casualties .... 10 have been killed in combat operations during the same time (Honor the Fallen).

More U.S. Soldiers Have Died From Navy Navigation Errors Than Afghanistan So Far This Year

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters August 21, 2017. Ahmad Masood | Reuters

NPR: Navy Navigation Errors May Have Killed More Troops Than Afghanistan So Far in 2017

A heartsick surface Navy is vowing to find answers after a series of incidents that could make the peacetime Western Pacific deadlier for U.S. troops this year than Afghanistan.

The Navy began, as it often does, with accountability: On Wednesday, it fired the three-star admiral whose command in the Western Pacific suffered at least four big accidents this year, two of which may have killed a combined 17 sailors.

An officer aboard the destroyer USS Stethem also was lost overboard near the Philippines on Aug. 1.

That compares with 11 service members killed in Afghanistan — details are available from the Military Times and icasualties.org. President Trump on Monday authorized a big new deployment of American forces to Afghanistan, according to senior U.S. officials.

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WNU Editor: Oh oh .... the U.S. Navy definitely has a problem.

Artillery 'Mishap' The Reason Why Two U.S. Soldiers Were Killed In Iraq On Sunday

Marines with Battery N, 5th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, fire an M777 A2 howitzer during a series of integrated firing exercises at the Combat Center's Quakenbush Training Area April 26, 2013. USMC photo by Cpl William J. Jackson

Reuters: U.S. soldiers in Iraq were killed by artillery 'mishap': Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Army artillery "mishap" was responsible for the deaths of two U.S. service members in northern Iraq over the weekend, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

Two U.S. service members were killed and five injured in northern Iraq on Sunday.

In a statement later on Monday the Pentagon identified those killed as Sergeant Allen Stigler Jr., 22, of Arlington, Texas, and Sergeant Roshain E. Brooks, 30, of Brooklyn, New York, both members of the 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers.

The U.S. Army is investigating the incident, it said.

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More News On Why Two U.S. Soldiers Were Killed In Iraq On Sunday

Two US soldiers killed in ‘mishap’ while firing artillery at ISIS in Iraq -- Business Insider/AP
Brooklyn sergeant among two killed in Iraq mortar accident -- New York Daily News
Artillery Mishap Killed Two US Soldiers in Iraq -- Military.com/Stars and Stripes
Pentagon IDs soldiers killed in artillery blast in Iraq -- The Hill

U.S. Navy SEAL's Widow Provides Emotional Highpoint In President Trump's Address To Congress

Washington Post: Widow of Navy SEAL takes spotlight as President Trump addresses Congress

From her seat among Washington dignitaries on Tuesday night, Carryn Owens fought back tears. Grief visible in her face, the widow of William “Ryan” Owens, a Navy SEAL killed less than a month ago in the Trump administration’s first counterterrorism operation, wore a strained smile and applauded as President Trump paid an extended tribute to her husband.

“Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing our nation,” Trump said, making reference to the Jan. 29 raid on an al-Qaeda stronghold in central Yemen that resulted in Ryan Owens’s death.

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WNU Editor: The critics are saying something else .... Donald Trump accused of exploiting widow of Navy SEAL killed in botched Yemen raid (The Independent).

More News On U.S. Navy SEAL's Widow Providing An Emotional Highpoint During President Trump's Address To Congress

Trump Honors Tearful Wife of Slain Navy SEAL -- NBC
In Emotional Moment Of Speech, Trump Addresses Navy SEAL's Widow -- NPR
Trump honors widow of fallen US Navy SEAL in emotional moment -- FOX News
Navy SEAL's widow provides emotional highpoint in Trump speech -- CNN

Slain SEAL’s Dad Wants An Investigation Into His Son's Death During Last Month's Raid Against Al Qaeda In Yemen

William Owens, clutching a photo of son Ryan, the SEAL killed in a January commando raid, says the administration is wrong to say that anyone who questions the raid does his son a disservice. Emily Michot emichot@miamiherald.com

Miami Herald: Slain SEAL’s dad wants answers: ‘Don’t hide behind my son’s death’

When they brought William “Ryan” Owens home, the Navy SEAL was carried from a C-17 military plane in a flag-draped casket, onto the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base, as President Donald Trump, his daughter, Ivanka, and Owens’ family paid their respects.

It was a private transfer, as the family had requested. No media and no bystanders, except for some military dignitaries.

Owens’ father, Bill, had learned only a short time before the ceremony that Trump was coming. Owens was sitting with his wife, Marie, and other family members in the solemn, living room-like space where the loved ones of the fallen assemble before they are taken to the flight line.

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WNU Editor: No investigation will ever satisfy a grieving father and family .... but an investigation is still warranted.

More News On Slain SEAL’s Dad Wants An Investigation Into His Son's Death During Last Month's Raid In Yemen

Father of slain Navy SEAL wants investigation -- The Hill
'My conscience wouldn't let me talk to him': How father of dead Navy SEAL SNUBBED Trump at dignified transfer ceremony for his son - and now demands investigation into his death during botched Yemen raid -- Daily Mail
Father of US Navy Seal killed in Yemen refused to see Donald Trump -- The Independent
Father of dead Navy SEAL wants investigation; refused to meet Trump at ceremony -- Stars and Stripes
Father of Navy Seal killed in Yemen calls for investigation into 'stupid mission' -- The Guardian
Father of Navy SEAL killed in Yemen demands investigation into 'stupid mission' -- International Business Times

More U.S. Troops Are Being Wounded In Iraq And Syria Than What The Pentagon Is Willing To Admit

© REUTERS/ Thaier Al-Sudani

Military Times: More U.S. troops are being wounded in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon quietly acknowledges

At least 14 American military personnel have been wounded in combat since the start of October while battling Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, according to Defense Department data reviewed by Military Times.

The sudden increase accounts for nearly half of all wounded-in-action reports that the U.S. has publicly acknowledged since the ISIS campaign began in August 2014, and coincides with two ongoing offensives targeting the terror group's strongholds in both countries: Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, the Islamic State's self-declared capital.

Although comparatively small when measured against monthly casualty reports from the height of America's full-scale conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the numbers suggest that more U.S. troops are being sent closer to the Islamic State's front lines to direct or help local forces who are in the lead. It's a sensitive topic for the Pentagon and the White House, which has made painstaking efforts to minimize any perception that American forces are actively engaged in ground combat despite steadily increasing force levels in both theaters where more than 5,500 U.S. troops are deployed.

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WNU Editor: This higher casualty rate tells me that U.S. forces are operating closer to the front-lines than what the Pentagon and the White house are willing to admit. It also explains why the Pentagon admitted this on Wednesday .... U.S. Soldiers Are Operating Inside Of Mosul (January 4, 2017).

6 Elite U.S. Green Berets Were Lost In A 72-Hour-Span Last Week

During a Fallen Soldier Ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, one of the flag draped coffins (not shown) containing the remains of one of 6 coalition soldiers, killed in Kuwait during a training exercise March 12 2001, is rendered a salute from a formation of Army Green Berets, as it is carried off a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft (not shown) for transportation to the Landstuhl Regional Medical center for identification. Wikipedia

Business Insider: The US lost 6 elite Green Berets in a 72-hour-span last week

The Special Forces community is coping with the deaths of six of its elite operators in just a 72-hour span last week.

Separate combat incidents in Afghanistan and Jordan resulted in the deaths of five Green Berets, while another died during scuba training at the Special Forces diving school in Florida.

"They are in dark corners of the world and even their training is very dangerous," Jen Paquette, the executive director of the Green Beret Foundation, wrote on Facebook.

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WNU Editor: Our prayers are with their families and loved ones.

Under President Obama 2,500 Americans Have Died in Afghanistan And Iraq

U.S. President Barack Obama places a challenge coin on a memorial as he and first lady Michelle Obama pay their respects for the dead soldiers at the conclusion of service in Fort Hood, Texas April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Rolling Stone: Some 2,500 Americans Have Died in Afghanistan and Iraq Under Obama

Under Obama, America has been at war for longer than under any other U.S. president

In Barack Obama's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention — the speech that catapulted him onto the national stage — the bright-eyed, loose-limbed senator from Illinois spoke of America's responsibility to its soldiers.

"We have a solemn obligation," Obama said, "not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war and secure the peace."

In that spirit, here are some of those numbers.

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WNU Editor: This total does not include subcontractors.

There Has Been No U.S. Combat Casualties Since December 12, 2014

Army Pfc. Jose Vazquez places an American flag in front of a gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day weekend in 2012. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Coffee/ U.S. Army)

Washington Post: This is the longest period without a U.S. military combat-zone death since 9/11

At the end of an hour-long panel discussion in Washington on Wednesday, a middle-aged man raised his hand. Fred J. Boenig, the father of a U.S. airman who died in Afghanistan, had a question for Rep. Adam D. Kinzinger, who called himself “hawkish” on using U.S. military power against the Islamic State.

“This is no disrespect, but when you said that, the only thing I can hear is a knock on my door again,” said Boenig, dressed in a red tie and blue blazer with a Gold Star pin on it. “I have one question: Do know how many days it has been since the last U.S. casualty? The last military casualty?”

Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said that he wasn’t sure, and estimated that it had been a month or so. Boenig interrupted, and said it had been 75 days — the longest since 2001.

WNU Editor: This is a trend that I hope will continue for a very long time.

U.S. Combat Fatalities In Iraq And Afghanistan (Tables)

March Was First Month Without U.S. Fatalities in Iraq or Afghanistan In 11 Years -- Time

There were no American troop casualties in Afghanistan or Iraq in March, for the first time since February 2003, ending 133 straight months when at least one U.S. service member was killed. U.S. deaths in Iraq peaked in November 2004, and in Afghanistan in August 2011

For the first month since February, 2003, no U.S. troops died in Afghanistan or Iraq last month. That’s 133 months, more than a decade.

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My Comment: There are real people behind these numbers .... we must never forget their sacrifice.

The Cost Of 11 Years Of War

Chart: Congressional Research Service

The Cost Of War Includes At Least 253,330 Brain Injuries and 1,700 Amputations -- Danger Room

Here are indications of the lingering costs of 11 years of warfare. Nearly 130,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and vastly more have experienced brain injuries. Over 1,700 have undergone life-changing limb amputations. Over 50,000 have been wounded in action. As of Wednesday, 6,656 U.S. troops and Defense Department civilians have died.

That updated data (.pdf) comes from a new Congressional Research Service report into military casualty statistics that can sometimes be difficult to find — and even more difficult for American society to fully appreciate. It almost certainly understates the extent of the costs of war.

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My Comment: These are U.S. casualties .... I imagine that for Iraq and Afghanistan the casualties are multiple times these numbers.

Will The Deaths Of 50 US Soldiers Get Their Attention?

U.S. soldiers leave Combat Outpost Giro in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, July 23, 2012. The soldiers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Baker

America To Take Haqqani Network, Pakistan Seriously -- Threat Matrix

This July 31 article in The New York Times displays the horse-has-left-the-barn mentality that is prevalent in higher echelons of the US government when it comes to terrorist threats and Pakistan. According to the report, the US government won't take the threat of the Haqqani Network and Pakistan's support of the terror group seriously unless another mass-casualty attack occurs against US forces in Afghanistan.

But a new boldness from the Haqqanis that aims at mass American casualties, combined with simmering political tension, has reduced the room for ambiguity between the two countries. Inside the administration, it is a commonly held view that the United States is "one major attack" away from unilateral action against Pakistan -- diplomatically or perhaps even militarily, one senior official said.

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My Comment: After 10 years of continuous war the US has not experienced a mass casualty event .... i.e. more than 50 killed in one attack. I call this incredible luck .... but realistically .... one cannot expect this luck to continue.

Update: Pakistan to launch another Potemkin offensive in North Waziristan -- Long War Journal

U.S. Soldiers Are Still Dying In Iraq

Under the morning sun, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief starts to remove the fly away gear from a helicopter during a preflight inspection on Camp Taji, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2009. The Black Hawk crew is assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's, 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski

In Iraq, ‘We’re Still Getting Hit’ -- At War/New York Times

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq — Soldiers were playing football in the sunset of a long day and a longer war, their shadows tilting across fields of packed dirt. It was Monday, and this base in Diyala Province had the casual air of a heavily armed college campus:

Shouts and whistles from the sidelines. Thanksgiving decorations papering the dining hall. The easy laughter of soldiers strolling through the evening. You would not have been able to tell that an American soldier from a nearby unit had been killed a day earlier.

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My Comment: Iraq's sectarian hatreds and a cultural mindset for revenge will mean there will be continuous low level warfare for the foreseeable future. The only thing that is keeping the place together is the US presence, more symbolic than actual for the moment. Unfortunately, it will also mean the loss of US soldiers even though precautions are taken to minimize U.S. - Iraqi contact.