Tag: Fort Walton Beach Florida

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Cook, Ryan J.
Army Specialist

Ryan J. Cook, age 29, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Okaloosa county.

Parents: Kathleen (Cook) Silva and Ronald Sullivan (preceded in death)
Spouse: Kari Cook
Children: Keira James Cook

Service era: Afghanistan
Military history: 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Date of death: Sunday, September 18, 2011
Death details: Died in Takhar Province, Afghanistan of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Cemetery: Beal Memorial

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times, Emerald Coast Funeral Home

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Walden, Brett Eugene
Army Sergeant 1st class

Brett Eugene Walden, age 40, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Service era: Iraq
Military history: Company C, 1St Battalion, 5Th Sfg (Soccent), Fort Campbell, Ky

Date of death: Friday, August 5, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Rubi’ Ah, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

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Mahdee, Marcus
Marines Lance corporal

Marcus Mahdee, age 20, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Service era: Iraq
Military history: L Co, 3D Bn, 8Th Mar, Rct-8, 2D Mar Div, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

Date of death: Monday, May 9, 2005
Death details: Hostile; Balad, Iraq

Source: Department of Defense, Military Times

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Blessinger, John P.
Air Force Staff sergeant

John P. Blessinger, age 33, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Okaloosa county.

Parents: Vilette Blessinger
Spouse: Married
Children: Daughters, ages 6 and 8

Service era: Gulf War

Date of death: Thursday, January 31, 1991
Death details: During the Battle of Khafji, the AC-130 he was aboard was hit by a shoulder-fired missile as the plane attacked rocket launchers threatening U.S. Marines. Air Force officials said no one could have survived the crash. Only five of the 14 men lost were positively identified after remains were recovered from the plane, which was missing for more than a month before discovered on the bottom of the Persian Gulf off Saudi Arabia.

Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, Gulf War Chronicles, Military Times, Newsday (1991)

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May, James B. II
Air Force Master sergeant

James B. II May, age 40, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Okaloosa county.

Service era: Gulf War

Date of death: Thursday, January 31, 1991
Death details: During the Battle of Khafji, the AC-130 he was aboard was hit by a shoulder-fired missile as the plane attacked rocket launchers threatening U.S. Marines. Air Force officials said no one could have survived the crash. Only five of the 14 men lost were positively identified after remains were recovered from the plane, which was missing for more than a month before discovered on the bottom of the Persian Gulf off Saudi Arabia.
Cemetery: Florida National, Bushnell

Source: White House Commission on Remembrance, Gulf War Chronicles, Department of Veterans Affairs, Associated Press (1991)

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Thomas, James Richard
Air Force Technician sergeant

James Richard Thomas, age 28, from Okaloosa County Fort Walton Beach, Florida .

Spouse: Julia A. Thomas

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Thursday, November 25, 1971
Death details: Died in Vietnam

Source: National Archives, Associated Press (1971)

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York, Joel Craig
Army Specialist 4

Joel Craig York, age 19, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Okaloosa county.

Parents: Joel C. York

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Choctawhatchee High (1969)

Date of death: Wednesday, August 26, 1970
Cemetery: Barrancas National

Source: National Archives, Pensacola News Journal (1970)

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Ripley, William L.
Air Force Sergeant

William L. Ripley, age 24, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Okaloosa county.

Parents: Leon Ripley (killed three months earlier in Vietnam when the jeep he was driving was hit by enemy fire).

Service era: Vietnam
Schools: Chicopee , Massachusetts High graduate

Date of death: Thursday, August 13, 1970
Death details: Killed in a helicopter crash in Thailand

Source: National Archives, Pensacola New Journal (1970)