On Monday, a Special Forces operator was killed in action during combat operations in Afghanistan.
Sergeant First Class Jeremy Griffin, 41, succumbed to a small arms fire wound while on operations in Wardak province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), which is based at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington.
Colonel Owen Ray, the commanding officer of the 1st Special Forces Group, said in a press statement that “the loss of Sgt. 1st Class Griffin is felt across the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) Family and the entire Special Forces community. He was a warrior – an accomplished, respected and loved Special Forces Soldier that will never be forgotten. We ask that you keep his Family and teammates in your thoughts and prayers.”
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On Monday, a Special Forces operator was killed in action during combat operations in Afghanistan.
Sergeant First Class Jeremy Griffin, 41, succumbed to a small arms fire wound while on operations in Wardak province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), which is based at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington.
Colonel Owen Ray, the commanding officer of the 1st Special Forces Group, said in a press statement that “the loss of Sgt. 1st Class Griffin is felt across the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) Family and the entire Special Forces community. He was a warrior – an accomplished, respected and loved Special Forces Soldier that will never be forgotten. We ask that you keep his Family and teammates in your thoughts and prayers.”
Sgt. 1st Class Griffin enlisted into the Army in 2004. He deployed twice to Iraq (in 2006 and 2009) with the 82nd Airborne Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was attached to the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) before attending and successfully completing the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) and Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) in 2014. He was a Special Forces Communication Sergeant (18E).
According to a release by the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Sgt. 1st Class Griffin had graduated from the following military schools: Basic, Advanced, and Senior Leader Courses; U.S. Army Basic and Advanced Airborne Schools; Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Basic Korean Course; Ranger School; Basic and Advanced Military Free Fall Parachutist Course; Military Freefall Advanced Tactical Infiltration Course; Special Operations Joint Terminal Attack Controller Course; Special Forces Intelligence Sergeants Course; and Special Forces Qualification Course.
In August, three more Green Berets were killed in Afghanistan. Sergeant First Class Dustin Ard, also from the 1st SFG, was killed by small-arms fire during a joint operation with Afghan Special Operations Forces (SOF), and Master Sergeants Luis Deleon-Figueroa and Jose Gonzalez, from the 7th Special Forces Group, were killed by small-arms fire.
Sgt. Griffin had received the following awards and decorations during his 15-year career in the Army: Bronze Star Medal; Army Commendation Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster); Army Achievement Medal (3 OLC); Army Good Conduct Medal (fifth award); National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal (3 Campaign Stars); Iraq Campaign Medal (2 Campaign Stars); Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Korea Defense Service Medal; Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (Numeral 3); Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; Army Marksmanship Qualification Badge (Expert); Parachutist Badge; Master Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge; Combat Infantry Badge; Combat Action Badge; Ranger and Army Special Forces Tabs.
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