The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan or who died at a military hospital of their injuries:
Edgar A. Heredia, 28, of Houston; staff sergeant, Marine Corps. Heredia was killed in combat June 26 in southwestern Afghanistan's Farah province. He was assigned to the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Matthew L. Hilton, 37, of Livonia, Mich.; sergeant first class, Army National Guard. Hilton was among three guardsmen killed June 26 when their convoy vehicle struck a roadside bomb and insurgents then attacked their unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire near Forward Operating Base Shank in eastern Afghanistan's Lowgar province. He was assigned to the 425th Infantry Regiment in Selfridge, Mich.
Travis K. Hunsberger, 24, of Goshen, Ind.; staff sergeant, Army. Hunsberger was killed June 27 when a roadside bomb exploded near him while he was on a combat reconnaissance patrol in the Tarin Kowt district of southern Afghanistan's Oruzgan province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Joseph A. McKay, 51, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; sergeant first class, Army National Guard. McKay was among three guardsmen killed June 26 when their convoy vehicle struck a roadside bomb and insurgents then attacked their unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire near Forward Operating Base Shank in eastern Afghanistan's Lowgar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition) in Jamestown, N.Y.
Mark C. Palmateer, 38, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; specialist, Army National Guard. Palmateer was among three guardsmen killed June 26 when their convoy vehicle struck a roadside bomb and insurgents then attacked their unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire near Forward Operating Base Shank in eastern Afghanistan's Lowgar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition) in Jamestown, N.Y.
Jeffrey M. Radamorales, 32, of Naranjito, Puerto Rico; sergeant first class, Army. Radamorales was among three soldiers who drowned June 29 when their mine-protected vehicle rolled into a canal near Khosrow-E Sofla in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
