Afghanistan War Turns 18: Here Are The Fallen Americans From GA

GEORGIA — 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.

Georgia was home to 22 of these fallen Americans who died since that day.

• Specialist Holmes, Miguel L., 22, U.S. Army, from Hinesville: Non-hostile - incident
• Staff Sergeant McBride, Chester J., 30, Unknown, from Statesboro: Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber
• Airman 1st Class Ruiz, Kcey E., 21, U.S. Air Force, from McDonough: Non-Hostile - Aircraft Crash (C-130J)
• Specialist Gilbert, Kyle E., 24, U.S. Army, from Buford: Non-hostile
• Staff Sergeant McDonald, Jason A., 23, U.S. Marine, from Butler: Hostile - friendly fire
• Sergeant 1st Class Forde, Omar W., 28, U.S. Army, from Marietta: Non-hostile - helicopter crash
• Specialist Strickland, Joshua J., 23, U.S. Army, from Woodstock: Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire - Green on Blue
• Staff Sergeant Bowden, Joshua J., 28, U.S. Army, from Villa Rica: Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
• Sergeant Lawson, Eric T., 30, U.S. Army, from Stockbridge: Hostile - hostile fire - IED Attack, small arms fire
• Sergeant Smith, Stefan M., 24, U.S. Army, from Glennville: Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber
• Specialist Clayton, Hilda I., 22, U.S. Army, from Augusta: Non-hostile
• Major Gray, Walter D., 38, U.S. Army, from Conyers: Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber
• Specialist Alecksen, Erica P., 21, U.S. Army, from Eatonton: Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
• Private 1st Class Goodine, Brandon D., 20, U.S. Army, from Luthersville: Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
• Staff Sergeant Povilaitis, Alexander G., 47, U.S. Army, from Dawsonville: Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
• Lance Corporal Sutton, Steven G., 24, U.S. Marine, from Leesburg: Hostile - hostile fire
• 1st Lieutenant Walsh, Jonathan P., 28, U.S. Army, from Cobb: Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
• Lance Corporal Harper, Scott D., 21, U.S. Marine, from Winston: Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
• Lance Corporal Cagle, John R. Wimpey, 19, U.S. Marine, from Tucker: Non-hostile
• Staff Sergeant Rudd, Keith F., 36, U.S. Army, from Winder: Hostile - hostile fire
• Specialist Downer, Mark J., 23, U.S. Army, from Warner Robins: Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack
• Private 1st Class Scott, Brice M., 22, U.S. Army, from Columbus: Hostile - 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.