10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: 1st Battalion
ODA:
18 A
Date KIA: 3 November 2005
Location: Al Anbar, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Maj. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski, 30, a Special Forces detachment commander assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Panzer Kaserne, Germany, died Nov. 3, 2005, while in hostile enemy territory in the Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was seriously injured as a result of a fall from a helicopter during a combat infiltration. Toczylowski was airlifted to a military treatment facility, where he was pronounced dead.
A native of Upper Moreland, Pa., Toczylowski was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1995 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Valley Forge Military College in Valley Forge, Pa.
He later earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Texas A&M University, Kingsville, Texas in 1997.
Later that year, Toczylowski began his first assignment as a platoon leader with the 554th Military Police Company in Vaihingen, Germany. His two years with the company included a deployment to Bosnia in support of Task Force Eagle.
In 2000, he began a nearly three-year stint as a force protection officer at Special Operations Command Europe in Stuttgart, Germany.
Toczylowski attended the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2003 and was assigned that year to 1st Bn., 10th SFG, as an SF detachment commander, where he served until his death.
His military education includes the Basic Airborne Course, the Military Police Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and the Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Parachutist Badge and the Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge and promoted to the rank of major.
He is survived by his parents, Philip and Margret Toczylowski, of Upper Moreland. He is also survived by his sister, Pamela and niece, Mikell of McDonald, Pa.
3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: 1st Battalion
ODA:
18 B
Date KIA: 6 November 2006
Location: Panjwayi, Kandahar
Action: Hostile - IED
Sgt. 1st Class William R. Brown, 30, a Special Forces weapons sergeant assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., died Nov. 6, 2006, when an Improvised Explosive Device detonated near his Humvee in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar.
A native of White Settlement, Texas, Brown enlisted in June 1994 as an infantryman. His first assignment was with 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga., where he served for seven years. He held numerous positions there, to include squad leader and operations sergeant.
Brown then successfully completed a two-year tour in Dallas, Texas, as a recruiter. He attended the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2004 and was assigned in October 2005 to 1st Battalion, 3rd SFG (A), as a weapons sergeant, where he served until his death.
His military education included the Special Forces Qualification Course, Ranger Course, Combat Diver Qualification Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course, Basic Airborne Course, Jumpmaster Course, Pathfinder Course, Jungle Warfare School, Recruiting Management Course, Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Advance Noncommissioned Officer Course Basic Combat Training, and Advanced Individual Training for Infantryman.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal with V (valor) device, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, U.S. Army Recruiter Badge (silver), Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.
He is survived by his wife, Audra, stepson, Trenton and daughter Emily of Hope Mills, N.C. His mother, Anita Walton, of Boyd, Texas, also survives him.
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company C, 1st Battalion
ODA:
18 A
Date KIA: 7 November 2007 OIF
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Capt. Benjamin Tiffner, 31, was killed in action when his vehicle encountered an IED in the course of conducting a ground convoy in Baghdad. He was a Special Forces Operational Detachment - Alpha team leader assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula. This was his second deployment to Iraq in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Tiffner, a native of Ohio, graduated from the United States Military Academy as an infantry officer in 2000. In 2006 he earned the coveted "Green Beret."
Tiffner's military education includes; Infantry Officers Basic Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Course; Basic Airborne Course, Ranger Course, and the Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Two Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, and the Special Forces Tab.
Tiffner is survived by his parents, Timothy and Judith of Soldotna, Alaska.
10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company B, 1st Battalion
ODA: 021
18
Date KIA: 10 November 2007 OEF
Location: Tagab Valley, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Staff Sgt. Patrick F. Kutschbach, 25, was killed in action on Nov. 10, while conducting combat operations in the southern end of the Tagab Valley while serving with Operational Detachment Alpha 021 of Company B, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2007 as a member of the International Security Assistance Force - Afghanistan. He had deployed to various locations in support of the Global War on Terrorism and this was his first deployment to Afghanistan.
Kutschbach, a native of Pennsylvania, volunteered for military service and enlisted into the Army in Oct. 2003 as a Special Forces candidate. In 2004 he earned the coveted "Green Beret."
Kutschbach's military education include? the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Warrior Leaders Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, and the Basic Airborne Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbons, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, ISAF NATO Medal, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.
Kutschbach is survived by his wife, Ginger, son, Bastian, of Atoka, Tenn., father, David, of Pittsburgh, Pa., mother, Debbie Huffner, and brothers David and Andrew, of McKees Rocks, Pa.
3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18 E
Date KIA: 14 November 2006
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Action: Hostile
Sgt. 1st Class Tung M. Nguyen, 38, a Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, died Nov. 14, 2006, as a result of a gunshot wound during combat operations in Baghdad.
Nguyen was born in Cantho, Vietnam, became a U.S. citizen, and was raised in Tracy, Calif. He enlisted as an infantryman in 1986.
His first assignment was with Company A, 4th Bn., 22d Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii where he served for three years. He then left active duty and served with the Army Reserve in Sacramento, Calif.
In 1991, he reentered active duty, and served with 1st Bn., 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Ky., for one year before volunteering for Special Forces training.
Nguyen began his journey to become a Special Forces Soldier in 1992 and earned the coveted Green Beret when he graduated from the course in 1993. He was assigned to 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash., that year and served in all three combat battalions during his tenure there, first as a communications sergeant and then as an intelligence sergeant.
In 2003, Nguyen was chosen to become an instructor at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. He served in both instructor and operations positions, preparing Special Forces Soldiers for the rigors of combat, until February 2006 when he was assigned 3rd SFG where he served until his death.
Nguyen's military education also includes the Special Operations and Target Interdiction Course, Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis and Exploitation Techniques Course, Warrior Leaders Course, Nuclear Hazards Training Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Basic and Anti-Terrorism Instructor Courses, Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Courses and Combat Lifesaver Course.
Awards: Two Meritorious Service Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, six Army Good Conduct Medals, two National Defense Service Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge, and the Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Iraq Campaign Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge. He also was the winner of the 2006 Small Arms Championship Sniper Class competition, and the 2006 Joint Special Operations Command Small Arms Championship Pistol Class competition.
Nguyen is survived by his wife, Marcia of Raeford, N.C. He is also survived by his parents, Nguyen Van Tuan and Phan Cong Duc of Alameda, Calif.
7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company B, 3rd Battalion
ODA:
18 B
Date KIA: 13 November 2013
Location: Panjwai Province, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile - IED
Staff Sgt. Richard Lee Vazquez, 28, of Seguin, Texas, died Nov. 13, 2013, of wounds received from an improvised explosive device blast in Panjwai province, Afghanistan.
He was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan. This was Vazquez' fifth deployment during his military career.
Vazquez joined the Army in August 2004, as an infantryman. He attended initial Infantry training at Ft. Benning, Ga., and was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Ft. Campbell, Ky., from July 2005 to Sep. 2009.
In Sept. 2009, Vazquez volunteered for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection. He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in December 2010, and was assigned to the 3rd Bn., 7th SFG (A) as a weapons sergeant.
His military education includes U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course, U.S. Army Air Assault, Combat Lifesaver Course, Warrior Leader Course, the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, the Special Forces Qualification Course, Senior Mountaineer Course, Master Mountaineer Course, and SOF Sensitive Site Exploitation - Operator Advanced Course.
Vazquez' awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal (3rd award), the Army Achievement Medal (2nd award), the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Army Good Conduct Medal (2nd award), the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 2, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd award), the NATO Medal, the Master Driver Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Special Forces Tab.
He is survived by his parents, brother and sister.
3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company A, 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18 F
Date KIA: 15 November 2005
Location: Lawara, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile - IED
Sgt. 1st Class James S. Ochsner, 36, a Special Forces intelligence sergeant assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, died Nov. 15, 2005, as a result of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device which detonated while Ochsner was riding in an Up-Armored Humvee near Lawara, Afghanistan. He was in the process of distributing supplies to local nationals at the time of the attack.
Ochsner, a resident of Hope Mills, N.C., enlisted as an artilleryman in 1987. His first assignment was with 2nd Bn., 14th Field Artillery in Bamburg, Germany where he served for three years.
Ochsner then reclassified as an infantryman and served in the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. where he participated in Operation Desert Storm and completed a tour in the Sinai Peninsula and South Korea before he volunteered as a Special Forces Soldier.
He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2001 and was assigned that year to 2nd Bn., 3rd SFG, as a Special Forces communications sergeant. In 2004, he graduated from the Special Forces Operations and Intelligence Course. He then returned to 2nd Bn., 3rd SFG and was serving on his fourth combat tour to Afghanistan as an SF intelligence sergeant upon his death.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal for valor, Army Commendation Medal for service, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Driver and Mechanic Badges, and the Special Forces Tab. His posthumous awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart.
He is survived by his wife, Ann, his son, Nicholas, and daughter, Meagan of Hope Mills. His parents, Robert and Sandra, of Beach Park, Ill, also survive Ochsner.
3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: 3rd Battalion
ODA:
18 Z
Date KIA: 19 November 2005
Location: Shkin, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile
Master Sergeant Anthony Ray Charles Yost, 39, a Special Forces Operational Detachment - Alpha Team sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., died Nov. 19, 2005, as a result of an explosion which occurred inside a building in Mosul. Yost and other Soldiers were searching a building for insurgents. During their search, an explosion occurred and the building collapsed. Yost was killed by the blast.
Yost was born in Oklahoma and reared in Flint, Mich. He enlisted in the Army in 1987.
His assignments included tours in South Korea, Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Bliss, Tex. prior his training and service as a special forces Soldier.
Yost graduated the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1993 and was assigned that year to 2nd Bn., 10th SFG at Fort Carson, Co., as an SF weapons sergeant. After serving eight years in 10th SFG, Yost was assigned in 2001 to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he served as a senior SF weapons instructor. In March 2005, Yost was assigned to 3rd Bn., 3rd SFG and served there as an Operational Detachment - Alpha team sergeant until his death.
Awards: Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medals (6), Army Achievement Medals (6), the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Senior Parachutist Badge, the Military Freefall Master Parachutist Badge, the Driver and Mechanic Badges and the Special Forces Tab. His posthumous awards include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
He is survived by his wife, Joann, and his children Donovan, Cheyenne, Anthony.
20th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company B, 2nd Battalion
ODA:
18 E
Date KIA: 23 November 2009 OEF
Location: Pashay Kala, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile - IED
Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino, 34, died on Nov. 23, 2009, after his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device while conducting a mounted patrol in the Afghan city of Pashay Kala, in support of combat operations while serving with, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in July 2009 as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan. This was his third deployment in support of the Global War on Terror. He also served on a deployment to Iraq with 5th SFG (A). He was a Special Forces intelligence sergeant.
Pucino a native of Boston, Mass., and enlisted into the U.S. Army 2002 as a Special Forces candidate. He then went on to complete the Special Forces Qualification Course and earn the coveted "Green Beret" as a Special Forces engineer sergeant. He was assigned to 5th SFG, Fort Campbell, Ky., before leaving active duty to become an Army National Guard Soldier assigned to 2nd Bn., 20th SFG, Glen Arm, Md.
Pucino's military education includes the Warrior Leader's Course, Basic NCO Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Basic Airborne Course, Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant Course and Special Forces Qualification Course.
Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, non-commissioned officer professional development ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Special Forces Tab.
Pucino is survived by his parents Katherine and Albert Pucino of Orlando, Fla., and sisters Lisa Haglof, Sagamore, Mass., and Melissa Pucino, Plymouth, Mass.
7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Assignment: Company B, 3rd Battalion
ODA:
18 C
Date KIA: 17 November 2013
Location: Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Action: Hostile - IED
Staff Sgt. Alex Anthony Viola, 29, of Keller, Texas, died Nov. 17, 2013, of wounds received from an improvised explosive device in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
He was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special ForcesGroup (Airborne), and was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan. This was Viola's first deployment during his military career.
Viola joined the Army National Guard in June 2009 as an engineer sergeant and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), from June 2009 to April 2010. He began his Special Forces training in April 2010 at Ft. Bragg, N.C. He graduated from Special Forces Qualification Course in June 2011, and was assigned to 1st Bn., 19th SFG (A), Camp Williams, Utah.
In March 2013 Viola was assigned to 3rd Bn., 7th SFG (A), Eglin Air force Base, Fla. He was deployed to Afghanistan with that unit when he was killed.
His military education includes U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course, Combat Lifesaver Course, the Warrior Leader Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, the Special Forces Qualification Course, the Advanced Leader Course and the Combat Diver Qualification Course.
Viola's awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Development Ribbon with Numeral 2, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Parachutist Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Special Operations Dive Badge, andthe Special Forces Tab.
He is survived by his parents and sister.
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