Afghanistan War Turns 18: Here Are The Fallen From Arizona

ARIZONA – On Monday, the United States combat presence in Afghanistan became old enough to vote and buy tobacco.

It was Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, when President George W. Bush announced the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and 18 years later, it remains the longest war in United States history, surpassing the Vietnam War by at least eight months.

There are approximately 14,000 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan. That number has dropped significantly from the high-point of 100,000 in 2011, but it is also up from the 8,400 troops stationed in Afghanistan when President Donald Trump first took office.

A step toward withdrawal was expected to take place in September, after the two countries reached a deal “in principal” to remove 5,000 U.S. troops. But at the last minute, President Trump canceled a secret meeting with Taliban leaders and the Afghan president that was to be held at Camp David. Trump blamed the cancellation on the death of a U.S. service member who the Taliban claimed credit for in Kabul.

The service member was identified by the Defense Department as Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy W. Griffin, of Greenbrier, Tennessee, a Green Beret on his fourth combat deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sgt. 1st Class Griffin was the 17th American service member to die during combat operations this year, the highest number of losses in a year since 2014, according to ABC News.

He was also a husband, a father and a son.

According to the Department of Defense, 2,300 U.S. service members have died since the start of the conflict in Afghanistan.

On May 2, 2011, members of the highly elite SEAL Team Six raided a compound in Pakistan, killing Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda and mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Since that day, which Americans saw as a major victory in the war, over 800 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan.

Arizona was home to 17 of these fallen Americans who died since that day:

• Specialist Wyatt J. Martin, 22, U.S. Army, Mesa, hostile fire - IED attack
• Chief Warrant Officer Joshua B. Silverman, 35, U.S. Army, Scottsdale, nonhostile helicopter crash
• 1st Lieutenant Jonam Russell, U.S. Army, Cornville, hostile fire - suicide bomber
• 2nd Lieutenant Justin L. Sisson, 23, U.S. Army, Phoenix, hostile fire - IED attack
• Staff Sergeant Jonathan D. Davis, 34, U.S. Marines, Kayenta, hostile fire - IED attack
• Sergeant 1st Class Ryan J. Savard, 29, U.S. Army, Sierra Vista, hostile fire - small arms fire
• Staff Sergeant Orion N. Sparks, 29, U.S. Army, Tucson, hostile fire - suicide bomber
• Staff Sergeant Richard L. Berry, 27, U.S. Army, Scottsdale, hostile fire - IED attack
• Staff Sergeant Carl E. Hammar, 24, U.S. Army, Lake Havasu City, hostile fire - small arms fire
• Sergeant 1st Class Barett W. McNabb, 33, U.S. Army, Chino Valley, hostile fire - IED attack
• 1st Lieutenant Alejo R. Thompson, 30, U.S. Army, Yuma, hostile fire - small arms fire - Green on Blue
• Corporal Phillip D. McGeath, 25, U.S. Marines, Glendale, hostile fire
• Sergeant 1st Class Johnathan B. McCain, 38, U.S. Army, Apache Junction, hostile fire - IED attack
• Specialist Michael D. Elm, 25, U.S. Army, Phoenix, hostile fire - IED attack
• Staff Sergeant Donald V. Stacy, 23, U.S. Army, Avondale, hostile fire - small arms fire
• Staff Sergeant Martin R. Apolinar, 28, U.S. Army, Glendale, hostile fire - IED attack
• Private 1st Class John C. Johnson, 28, U.S. Army, Phoenix, hostile fire - small arms fire

There is no part of America that has not been touched by the war. For a full list of American deaths in Afghanistan since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, visit icasualties.org.

For troops returning to the United States, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides information on a variety of health care, disability, education, and record-related subjects.

The Afghan military, which partners with the United States, has also had its own loss of life from the conflict. The New York Times recently reported more than 50,000 Afghan security forces have been killed in the past five years.

U.S. officials haven’t announced any new peace talks. However, on Friday the Taliban met with a U.S. envoy in Pakistan, the first such encounter since President Trump called off recent talks between the two countries, TIME magazine said.