Third US Service Member in Nine Days Killed in Afghanistan

A memorial to a fallen service member stands in Kabul in 2014. (Haley Zimmerman, screengrab via DVIDS)

Military.com | By Matthew Cox

Published August 30, 2019

A U.S. service member died in combat Thursday in Afghanistan a little over a week after two Army Green Berets were killed by enemy small-arms fire.

A statement from Operation Resolute Support officials in Kabul did not identify the service member or branch of service. Pentagon policy mandates that names of personnel killed are not released until 24 hours after the next of kin are notified.

Resolute Support is the joint sustainment mission in Afghanistan.

On Aug. 21, Master Sgts. Luis F. Deleon-Figueroa, 31, and Jose J. Gonzalez, 35, died from small-arms fire during combat operations in Afghanistan's Faryab province.

Deleon-Figueroa and Gonzalez were assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The Army posthumously promoted them to the rank of master sergeant.

This latest casualty marks the 15th service member to die in combat in Afghanistan in 2019, which has become the deadliest year since the U.S. formally ended combat operations in 2014.

-- Military.com's Hope Hodge Seck contributed to this story.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Story Continues

Related Topics: Military Headlines Afghanistan War Afghanistan Military Casualties

Matthew Cox

Matthew Cox has been a defense reporter since 1998. During his time with Military.com he covered all the services, with a close eye on Army weapons development and procurement, body armor testing, camouflage, ammunition as well as readiness and training issues. He previously worked for 12 years for Army Times. He traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq numerous times from 2002 to 2008, covering Stryker and light infantry units in combat. He also spent four years in the U.S. Army during the second half of the 1980s, serving as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division. Read Full Bio

© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here.