Specialist Joshua Strickland

Army Sgt. Joshua J. Strickland

Died September 21, 2013 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

---

23, of Woodstock, Ga., assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died Sept. 21 at Forward Operating Base Shank of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire while conducting range training in Gardez, Paktia Province, Afghanistan. Also killed in the incident were Staff Sgt. Liam Nevins and Staff Sgt. Timothy McGill.

---

Pentagon IDs 3 Special Forces soldiers killed in Afghanistan attack
Staff report
The Pentagon on Tuesday identified three soldiers killed in an apparent insider attack Sept. 21 at a base in Paktia province, Afghanistan.

According to a Department of Defense press release, the three soldiers died at Forward Operating Base Shank when “enemy forces” attacked their unit with small arms fire while the soldiers were conducting range training in Gardez.

Earlier reports said an Afghan wearing a security forces uniform turned his weapon against U.S. troops on Sept. 21 inside a base of the Afghan army in Gardez.
Killed were:

-- Staff Sgt. Liam J. Nevins, 32, of Denver, Colo., assigned to 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, Watkins, Colo. Nevins received a Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (2nd Award) and Army Commendation Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters (3rd Award) among his numerous awards. Nevins is survived by his mother, his father, two sisters, and his fiance.

-- Staff Sgt. Timothy R. McGill, 30, of Ramsey, N.J., assigned to 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, Middletown, R.I. McGill deployed with the 3rd Marine Division in 2005 and joined the R.I. National Guard in 2008. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He is survived by his parents and two sisters.

-- Spc. Joshua J. Strickland, 23, of Woodstock, Ga., assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal. He is survived by his wife, his son and two daughters.

So-called insider attacks killed 62 personnel in 47 incidents last year compared with 35 killed in 21 attacks a year earlier, according to NATO.
So far in 2013, 11 foreign soldiers have been killed in seven such attacks, including Saturday’s, according to an Associated Press count.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specialist Joshua Strickland is only one of the thousands of soldiers who could, and should be placed among the bright spots of humanity, not for what they do, but how they do it.

In some cases, what a person has already accomplished speaks volumes about that individual. Imagine what that person could have accomplished had they not been struck down.

To all the service men and women who serve, or have served, or will serve, what you are choosing to do with your life speaks volumes about your character.  Guns are simply your keyboard, your business flow charts and your tools of the trade. You have chosen a life of service for reasons only you can adequately understand.

When you come home, remember your humanity. Until then, do your job well and with integrity and strength of character. But do come home