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Army Tells Dad His Soldier-Son Killed in War ... But He Wasn't September 15, 2009 BUFFALO, New York — An Army unit is reviewing how it delivers information to families after a call to a western New York couple led them to believe their son had been killed in combat. Ray Jasper of Niagara Falls said he, his wife, Robin, and their extended family spent four hours Sunday mourning their son, Sgt. Jesse Jasper, before learning from his girlfriend that he was alive. The 26-year-old soldier called his father from Afghanistan to prove it after hearing about the mix-up. "Dad...

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Military officials say they're investigating why an upstate New York man was told his son had been killed in Afghanistan when the soldier was alive and well. Ray Jasper of Niagara Falls says he was camping Sunday when he received a call on his cell phone from a woman who said she was a military liaison. He says the woman told him his son, Staff Sgt. Jesse Jasper, was killed in action Saturday.

What should one make of the tale of Stephen Farrell--the seemingly reckless New York Times reporter who was rescued by British soldiers on Sept. 9 after spending four days as a captive of the Taliban? A soldier died in the course of his rescue, leading sections of British public opinion to go ballistic, accusing Farrell not merely of selfishness, but of moral responsibility for the soldier's death. Is this reaction fair and justified? Stephen Farrell was a British citizen reporting from Afghanistan. He'd received very strong advice from British troops to stay out of a Taliban-controlled sector into which he...

Tributes have been paid to a soldier killed during the rescue of a journalist kidnapped in Afghanistan. Corporal John Harrison, 29, from the Parachute Regiment, was described as "a wonderful son, brother and a dedicated soldier" by his family. He died in a daring pre-dawn operation on Wednesday to rescue Stephen Farrell, a reporter with the New York Times. Mr Farrell, who holds dual British and Irish citizenship, was successfully released during the raid but his Afghan interpreter Sultan Munadi also died. Cpl Harrison's family said: "We are absolutely heartbroken. "John was a wonderful son, brother and a dedicated soldier...

Sergeant First Class William "Brian" Woods was a Team Medical Sergeant of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne). On August 14th, Brian was shot and killed by small arms fire in Ghazni, Afghanistan. At 32 years old, Brian had done multiple tours of duty in the War on Terror. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served four years before joining the Army and becoming a Special Forces Soldier. He leaves behind a wife, Elizabeth, and two daughters in Chesapeake, MD.

GANJGAL, Afghanistan — We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition. "We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to...

GANJGAL, Afghanistan — We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition...Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier assurances that air cover would be five minutes away... U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes...

KABUL — British commandos freed a New York Times reporter early Wednesday from Taliban captives who kidnapped him over the weekend in northern Afghanistan, but one of the commandos and a Times' translator were killed in the rescue, officials said. Reporter Stephen Farrell was taken hostage along with his translator in the northern province of Kunduz on Saturday. German commanders had ordered U.S. jets to drop bombs on two hijacked fuel tankers, causing a number of civilian casualties, and reporters traveled to the area to cover the story Two military officials told The Associated Press that one British commando died...

SAN DIEGO - The Pentagon released the name Wednesday of a 30-year-old Camp Pendleton-based Marine Corps officer killed in combat in Afghanistan. Capt. Joshua Meadows of Bastrop, Texas, died in Farah Province on Saturday, according to the Department of Defense. Meadows was a member of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

GANJGAL, Afghanistan — We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition. "We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to...

We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition. "We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier...

A 26-year-old commando has become the 20th Dutch soldier to die in Afghanistan since the Dutch mission began in 2006. Corporal Keven van der Rijdt was killed in a gun battle with suspected Taliban fighters. A number of them were also killed, the defence ministry said. Van der Rijdt is the first member of the elite commando corps to be killed in Afghanistan.

I feel guilty because originally I supported the decision by the Associated Press to release the photo of the young Marine that was taken as he lay dying. I lost readers over that and I do not blame them. Sarah Palin weighed in on Facebook. "Many of us join Secretary Gates in condemning the Associated Press for its heartless and selfish decision to turn its back on the wishes of a grieving family in order to exploit the tragic death of a true American hero. Lance Corporal Joshua ‘Bernie’ Bernard was a selfless young American who sacrificed everything for our...

Many of us join Secretary Gates in condemning the Associated Press for its heartless and selfish decision to turn its back on the wishes of a grieving family in order to exploit the tragic death of a true American hero. Lance Corporal Joshua 'Bernie' Bernard was a selfless young American who sacrificed everything for our freedom. Shame on the AP for purposely adding to the grieving family's pain. Ignoring the family's wishes by publishing a sacred image of their loved one proved a despicable and heartless act by the AP. The family said they didn't want the photo published. AP,...

On August 14 in Afghanistan, Marine LCPL Joshua Bernard was killed in action when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. As Bernard lay maimed and dying, embedded Associated Press photographer Julie Jacobsen smelled a Pulitzer, so she snapped picture after gory picture instead of helping those trying to save LCPL Bernard. After the young Marine was buried, the AP dispatched a minion to Bernard’s parents, John and Sharon, ostensibly to “get their permission” for the publication of the gruesome photograph. John Bernard emphatically denied their request,

Two Canadian soldiers killed and five injured in an explosive device strikeCEFCOM NR–09.023 - September 6, 2009OTTAWA – Two Canadian soldiers were killed and five injured when an improvised explosive device detonated near their armoured vehicle in the vicinity of Dand District, approximately 14 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City at around 12:00 p.m., Kandahar time, on 6 September 2009. Killed in action was Corporal Jean-François Drouin from 5e Régiment du génie de combat serving as a member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group based in Valcartier, Quebec. Killed in action was Major Yannick Pépin also from 5e...

NEW YORK (AP) ― The Associated Press is distributing a photo of a Marine fatally wounded in battle, choosing after a period of reflection to make public an image that conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it. Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard, 21, of New Portland, Maine, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush Aug. 14 in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. The image shows fellow Marines helping Bernard after he suffered severe leg injuries. He was evacuated to a field hospital where he died on the operating table.

...The morning he came back to the Naval Academy was a Wednesday, but it will stick in your memory as the day you heard that Ted Kennedy had died and the week when you learned that someone might have killed Michael Jackson. The politician and the entertainer of their generations, they were lionized by many and scorned by some. One pleaded guilty, the other was found innocent. But they each died with an indelible asterisk, a footnote to their legacies that time will not erase. Matt Freeman died clean....

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is objecting “in the strongest terms” to an Associated Press decision to transmit a photograph showing a mortally wounded 21-year-old Marine in his final moments of life, calling the decision “appalling” and a breach of “common decency.” The AP reported that the Marine’s father had asked – in an interview and in a follow-up phone call — that the image, taken by an embedded photographer, not be published. The AP reported in a story that it decided to make the image public anyway, because it “conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates used the strongest terms in trying to persuade the Associated Press to refrain from running a graphic picture of a Marine taken shortly after the servicemember was wounded in southern Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today. Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard later died on the operating table Aug. 14. The Marine’s family in New Portland, Maine, asked the Associated Press not to run the photo, which was taken by Julie Jacobson, who was embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The AP put...

Huffington Post exploits AP’s dying soldier photo By Michelle Malkin  •  September 4, 2009 05:06 PM What’s more shameless than the Associated Press defying the wishes of a dying soldier’s family and splashing his bloody body all over the wires?Why, the Huffington Post reprinting a massively large version of the image on its front page with an accompanying blog commentary praising the AP photographer’s work as “tasteful” — along with thousands of comments praising the decision and calling for even more bloody US troop photos to be published.***And no, I’m not done with the AP yet. Blogger Ztower points out that...

NEW YORK – Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed disappointment Friday at news outlets that used a picture taken and distributed by The Associated Press depicting a U.S. Marine mortally wounded in combat in Afghanistan. The AP distributed the picture despite personal pleas from Gates and the dead Marine's family in a case that illustrated the difficult decisions in reporting on a conflict where Americans have seen relatively few images of fallen U.S. troops over eight years.

LAKE VIEW TERRACE, Calif. (KABC) -- It was an emotional tribute for the 1,200 to 1,500 firefighters that gathered early Friday morning to say their personal goodbyes to the two firefighters killed in the Station Fire. Capt. Ted Hall and firefighters Arnie Quinones both died Sunday afternoon when their vehicle went over the side of a mountain. ..."It was just important to bring closure," said Paul Lowenthal from the Santa Rosa Fire Department. "It's not only a family within your own station. It's a family across the state, across the country, so we all look out for one another, and...

Here is a video report on the fact that August 2009 has now become the single deadliest month in the War in Afghanistan since it started almost eight years ago. At least 45 U.S. Troops have been killed this month. As U.S. Troops continuing pushing further into Taliban strongholds, deadly "IEDs" (Improvised Explosive Devices) are taking their toll. IED attacks are up 114% in the last month. _________________________ Just as we infused Iraq with a "Surge" of troops, it is going to take a determined commitment to destroy the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it is doubtful Obama is...

I would like to pay tribute to Pfc. Brian Wolverton, a 21 year old Oak Park, CA resident who was killed in action in Afgahanistan on August 20, 2009. The 2006 Oak Park High School graduate died from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit in Kumar province. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement expressing sadness over Wolverton's death. Flags were flown at half-staff in Sacremento. A funeral service will be held at Pierce Brothers in Westlake Village, CA on Sat., Aug 29th. We all owe a debt of graditude to our nation's men and women who pay the ultimate...

Four US soldiers have been killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan, a Nato spokesman has said. Brig Gen Eric Tremblay said they were struck "while patrolling in one of the most violent areas of Afghanistan", but did not give an exact location. The deaths bring the number of foreign forces killed in Afghanistan in 2009 to 295, the deadliest year since the US-led invasion to overthrow the Taliban. The previous deadliest year was 2008, when 294 military personnel died.

KABUL (Reuters) - Four U.S. servicemen were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Tuesday, making 2009 the deadliest year for the growing contingent of foreign troops since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. The deaths highlighted the steadily worsening violence in the country, which has been in political limbo since a disputed presidential election last week. Afghan election authorities were preparing later on Tuesday to publish the first partial results from the presidential election, but the tiny sample may do little to resolve a growing war of words on the outcome. The election has also been a...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — The Army has identified four soldiers killed in a helicopter training accident in Colorado. Those killed in Wednesday's crash were 40-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Terrance Geer, 41-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Robert Johnson, 33-year-old Staff Sgt. Paul Jackson and 28-year-old Staff Sgt. Chad Tucker. The soldiers identified Friday were all members of Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell. Army Special Operations Command officials say their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed while conducting mountain and environmental training near Colorado's second-highest summit, Mount Massive -snip-

SPANAWAY, Wash. - A Spanaway grandfather is the latest casualty of war from Washington state. Fifty-nine-year-old First Sergeant Jose Crisostomo was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb Tuesday. He is believed to be the oldest U.S. soldier to die in Afghanistan. Crisostomo, who was known to friends as "Joe Sinbad," was well aware of the risks of combat. During a 24-year military career he served in Vietnam and Kuwait before retiring from the military in 1993. After 9/11, Crisostomo decided to re-enlist in the U.S. Army. "He insisted going back and serving his country," said Crisostomo’s wife of 39...

8/17/2009 By Lance Cpl. Jason Hernandez, Multi National Force - West AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — United States service members and civilians aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, ran a half marathon in memory of Maj. Megan M. McClung, Aug. 15, 2009. More than 200 participants began running the 13.1 miles just before dawn. “This is my first marathon,” said Sgt. Stevie C. Hagler, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group (Forward) Transition Team Supply office. “I figured, why wouldn’t I run for a cause as important as this?” McClung, who served as a public...

Being a member of the largest graduating class in the history of the State of Florida means that Scott Speicher's remains were received by large number of my former classmates today. His memorial procession traced through my childhood streets and high school, past the familiar bastions of Naval Bases--familiar but never taken for granted-- and to a final home of rest in his native country. Although I may have had a passing acquaintance with Scott within the walls and classes of my school, I cannot claim a long-past connection with him in the close confines of a small west-side community...

PARIS, TX -- The body of a North Texas Marine killed in Afghanistan was returned home Thursday. Thousands of people lined the streets of Paris to honor Marine Sgt. Jay Hoskins. Josh Stevenson has more. The flag-draped coffin of Marine Sgt. Jay Hoskins was met by thousands of people Thursday. Some were waiting outside the airport. Others stood and waited along the side of the road, waving American flags, wanting to pay tribute to one of their own who died fighting for their freedom. "Nobody wants to see our troops in harm’s way, but if that's where they are, then...

Navy personnel and some civilians line the runway of NAS Jacksonville as the remains of Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher returned to his northeast Florida home more than 18 years after he was shot down over Iraq.

The combat equipment that once belonged to two fallen Iraqi Special Operations Forces Soldiers is displayed during the memorial service held in Baghdad, July 28. The fallen Soldiers were fatally wounded by an assailant when they entered a house while serving a warrant issued by the Criminal Investigative Court of Karkh. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jimmy Pan, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula. BAGHDAD — The atmosphere was somber and emotions ran high among U.S. and Iraqi Special Operations Force Soldiers as they mourned the loss of two fallen comrades during a recent memorial service...

Afghan Taliban kill a Polish soldier WARSAW, Poland, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A 32-year-old NATO soldier from Poland was killed and four others were injured in a Taliban attack in eastern Afghanistan, military officials said Tuesday. Polish Capt. Daniel Ambrozinski was in command of a patrol of Polish and Afghan troops operating as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in the eastern Ajuristan district Monday when they came under small arms fire, Polish Radio said. In the Taliban attack four Poles were injured and Ambrozinski was declared missing. He was found dead Tuesday, Polish Lt. Col. Dariusz Kacperczyk...

CARTHAGE — Forming a fortress of American flags, members of the Patriot Guard encircled St. William of Vercelli Catholic Church of Carthage on Monday afternoon to pay tribute to a fallen soldier. "I never met Alex," said Army Staff Sgt. Miguel Fabbiani of his brother in arms while taking shade under a cedar tree. "But that's beside the point; he's one of us, he's our brother. We're here to pay respect for his service and to his family." Army Staff Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro "Alex" Granado III was among three people killed Aug. 2 during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan....

KABUL – Three NATO troops were killed in a Taliban attack on their patrol in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said Friday, raising the number of international forces slain in the first week of August to 18. NATO said the troops' vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb before insurgents opened fire. The NATO forces fired back, but the three were killed. Attacks killed at least 75 troops from the U.S. and other international military forces in July, the highest death toll for a single month since 2001, according to military reports. Afghan officials said ...

KABUL, Afghanistan — Five American Marines died Thursday, four of them in a single strike by a roadside bomb, making it one of the bloodiest single attacks against American service members in recent weeks. The four Marines were killed in a vehicle near Herat in the western part of the country. A fifth Marine, wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Farah Province on Wednesday, died from his wounds. Taking a page from the war in Iraq, Afghan insurgents have been rapidly making homemade bombs their preferred weapon against the soldiers of the American-led coalition. There were 465 bomb attacks...

GULFPORT — The Patriot Guard Riders are preparing to honor Army Staff. Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk as a hero when he is returned to Gulfport for burial. The Department of Defense Monday said Polk, 39, who grew up in North Gulfport, died July 25 at a German hospital from wounds he suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade on July 23 in Kirkuk, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at Fort Hood, Texas, and died supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Funeral arrangements are incomplete....

Media AdvisoryOur Fallen Comrades Return HomeLFCA MA 09-20 - August 3, 2009OTTAWA – Our fallen comrades, Sapper Matthieu Allard and Corporal Christian Bobbitt, will return to Canada on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. Both men were from the 5e Régiment du génie, a combat engineer Regiment based in Valcartier, Quebec, and were serving with the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group in Afghanistan. Where: 8 Wing, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario. When: Tuesday, Aug 4, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. What: At the wishes of the families, media will be permitted on the tarmac. Present to pay their respects will be...

Two Canadian soldiers killed and one injured in an explosive device strikeCEFCOM NR–09.021 - August 2, 2009OTTAWA – Two Canadian soldiers were killed and one injured when an improvised explosive device detonated near a patrol in the Zhari District. The incident occurred approximately 15 kilometres west of Kandahar City at around 3:20 p.m., Kandahar time, on 1 August, 2009. Killed in action was Corporal Christian Bobbitt from 5e Régiment du génie de combat serving as a member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group based in Valcartier, Quebec. The next of kin for the second soldier killed has...

BATH, Maine (AP) - In a solemn ceremony punctuated by talk of courage, service and sacrifice, the mother of a Marine corporal on Saturday christened a warship honoring her son, who died after covering an exploding grenade to protect his comrades in Iraq. After composing herself and taking a deep breath, Deb Dunham smashed a bottle of champagne over the bow of the 510-foot warship Jason Dunham, then held the bottle aloft before a cheering crowd of more than 1,500 people. She was joined by the Marines who served with her son, by her husband, Dan Dunham, and their daughter...

Western troops die in Afghanistan France has nearly 3,000 troops in Afghanistan Four Western soldiers have been killed in separate attacks by insurgents in Afghanistan, officials say. Three US troops died in roadside bomb blasts in the south of the country, while a French soldier was killed in a gun battle north of the capital, Kabul. The Americans were killed when their patrol was hit by two devices in Kandahar province, officials said. The incidents come after July saw the highest monthly death toll for foreign troops since 2001. There were 43 Americans among the 74 killed. The French soldier...

July deadliest month for troops in Afghanistan U.N. report says Afghan civilian deaths up by 24 percent A U.S. Marine takes up a fighting position after jumping off a helicopter during the start of Operation Khanjari on July 2 in Afghanistan. Forty U.S. troops were killed in July, by far the heaviest monthly toll in the 8-year-old war. July 31, 2009 GENEVA - A U.S. service member was killed as the deadliest month for foreign troops in the Afghanistan war drew to a close, the U.S. military said on Friday, with commanders vowing to continue the fight despite the toll....

KABUL (Reuters) - A U.S. service member was killed as the deadliest month for foreign troops in the Afghanistan war drew to a close, the U.S. military said on Friday, with commanders vowing to continue the fight despite the toll. The death in southern Afghanistan brought to 40 the number of U.S. troops killed in July, by far the heaviest monthly toll in the 8-year-old war. The worst previous month for U.S. forces was in September 2008, when 26 were killed.

AN Australian Army combat medic dashed 60 metres under intense insurgent fire to treat a mortally wounded Australian soldier, an inquiry has revealed. But despite the medic's efforts at resuscitation, Corporal Mathew Hopkins succumbed to a bullet wound to the head regarded as so severe that no medical help could have saved his life. Corporal Hopkins, 21, a member of the Darwin-based 7RAR, was the ninth of 11 Australian soldiers to die in Afghanistan since 2002. He was also the first member of an Australian training team to die in action since Vietnam. ..... With assistance from ANA soldiers, Corporal...

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2009 – The commander of U.S. Air Forces Central expressed condolences to the families and friends of two Air Force officers killed early July 18 in the crash of an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that was flying in support of coalition operations in eastern Afghanistan. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and loved ones … and to the airmen and the joint and coalition team members who called them friends and will miss their fellow warriors," Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary North said. Air Force Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, of Eagan, Minn.,...

Bomb kills 4 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan The roadside explosion in the dangerous eastern region bordering Pakistan pushes the American death toll in July to 30. By Laura King July 21, 2009 -- A roadside bomb killed four American soldiers in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, adding to the toll in what has already been the conflict's deadliest month for Western forces. The latest deaths push the number of coalition troops killed in July to at least 55 -- 30 of them American. U.S. military officials have forecast a bloody summer in Afghanistan, in part because thousands of newly arrived American...

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 20, 2009 – Many people have trouble viewing the deceased or coping with the emotions of witnessing the transfer of a fallen comrade. For Army Staff Sgt. John A. Rosado, it is an honor to ensure fallen heroes are returned home in a timely and dignified manner. Troops bow their heads during a chaplain’s prayer during transfer of a fallen comrade at a ramp ceremony on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ashleigh Bryant  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. It is a regular part of Rosado’s job to attend ramp ceremonies here,...

KABUL – Four Americans were killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded in eastern Afghanistan, NATO said, making July the deadliest month for U.S. troops in this war. A NATO statement did not give nationalities, but U.S. spokesman Lt. Robert Carr confirmed that all four were Americans. The deaths bring to 55 the number of international service members killed in July, also the deadliest month for NATO forces. At least 30 U.S. troops have died this month — two more than the toll for June 2008, which had been the deadliest month for the American force in Afghanistan.