17 Heroes Who Died August 4 and September 26 to October 13, 2012

August 4 - Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Milton W. Brown, 28, of Dallas, Texas, died Aug. 4, from a non-combat related incident in Rota, Spain.

September 26 - They died in Pul-E Alam, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an insurgent wearing a suicide vest detonated the device near their patrol. Killed were:
- Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, 29, of Tucson, Ariz., and
- Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, of Lakehurst, N.J.

September 28 - Sgt. 1st Class Riley G. Stephens, 39, of Tolar, Texas, died in Wardak, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire.

September 29 - Sgt. 1st Class Daniel T. Metcalfe, 29, of Liverpool, N.Y., died in Sayyid Abad, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when his unit was attacked with small arms fire. The incident is under investigation.

October 1 - They died in Khost, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an insurgent detonated a suicide vest while they were on dismounted patrol. Killed were:
- Sgt. Thomas J. Butler IV, 25, of Wilmington, N.C.;
- Sgt. Jeremy F. Hardison, 23, of Maysville, N.C. and
- Sgt. Donna R. Johnson, 29, of Raeford, N.C.

October 2 - Sgt. 1st Class Aaron A. Henderson, 33, of Houlton, Maine, died at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit on Sept. 30 with an improvised explosive device in Zombalay Village, Afghanistan.

October 3 - Sgt. Camella M. Steedley, 31, of San Diego, Calif., died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The cause of death is under investigation.

October 6 - They died in Chak district, Wardak Province, Afghanistan, of gunshot wounds suffered while on dismounted patrol. Killed were:
- Warrant Officer Joseph L. Schiro, 27, of Coral Springs, Fla., and
- Staff Sgt. Justin C. Marquez, 25, of Aberdeen, N.C.

October 12 - Sgt. Thomas R. Macpherson, 26, of Long Beach, Calif., died in Andar District, Afghanistan, from small arms fire while on patrol during combat operations.
- Cmdr. Joel Del Mundo Tiu, 49, of Manila, Philippines died as a result of non-combat related injuries.

October 13 - Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. Savard, 29, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., died in Khanabad District, Afghanistan, from small arms fire while on patrol during combat operations
- Spc. Brittany B. Gordon, 24, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device.
- Sgt. Robert J. Billings, 30, of Clarksville, Va., died in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.