As we honor the 34 heroes who have fallen in support of named overseas operations since the end of May 2018, it is clear Iraq and Afghanistan remain dangerous battlefields for the thousands of service members who deploy there every year. Overall, the 34 service members who died while on deployment for named operations during the past 12 months marked a slight drop compared to the 37 who were killed the year before.
As usual, the Army bore the brunt of the casualties — 26 of the 34 were soldiers. Among the others were three Marines, three airmen and two sailors.
Most of the fatalities were reported from Iraq and Afghanistan, but other locations of service members’ deaths reported from named operations included Syria, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia, Djibouti and Kosovo. The deadliest incident of the year occurred Nov. 27, when a roadside bomb killed three soldiers and an airman in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.
As we have done every year since 2003, Military Times offers a final salute to the service members who fell in defense of our country during these past 12 months.
Their sacrifice on our behalf will not be forgotten.
