Tuesday December 4, 2018
Kabul (BNA) A fourth soldier died Sunday from wounds he received from a roadside bomb blast that occurred last week in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said in a statement Monday.
Sgt. Jason Mitchell McClary, 24, from Export, Penn., was supporting the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan, Operation Freedom's Sentinel. He was serving in the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division when he was struck by an improvised explosive device in Andar, Ghazni Province. He died in Landstuhl, Germany.
Throughout his service, McClary received two Purple Hearts, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, and the Army Commendation Medal for Combat, along with many other honors.
“He epitomizes what it is to be a professional, a warrior and a soldier," said Lt. Col. Christopher Roberts, commander of 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, in a press release regarding the soldier's death. "Sgt. McClary served honorably as an up-armored vehicle gunner for the Attack Company. His memory and contributions will never be forgotten.”
The three other service members who died on Nov. 27 from the IED explosion were Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross, Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin. Ross and Emond were Green Berets and Elchin was a combat controller with the 26th Special Tactics Squadron. Two others were wounded, and the incident is still under investigation. There are about 15,000 U.S. troops based in Afghanistan to help Afghan forces manage Taliban and ISIS threats. The Trump administration has said it wants to engage in peace talks with the Taliban, but no deal has been reached yet.
Twelve U.S. soldiers have died in Afghanistan in 2018, and 2,400 have been killed since the start of the conflict 17 years ago.
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