Three Marines died in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on January 11th.
Those men were:
- Staff Sergeant Matthew N. Ingham
- Corporal Jamie R. Lowe
- Corporal Nicholas K. Uzenski
In October, members of the 3rd Recon Battalion, Bravo Company had been training in the California desert. The three Marines and their buddies were treated to a going-away celebration by Carson Valley residents. Later they toured Lake Tahoe and took in the sights prior to leaving for Afghanistan.
The Washington Post had reported that an offensive involving two Marine companies began in the early morning of January 11th near Bar Now Zad, a Taliban-controlled area in Helmand Province.
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Staff Sergeant Matthew N. Ingham
Matthew Ingham was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. He grew up in east Mississippi and attended Newton County High School. Ingham graduated in 2002 and he enlisted in the Marine Corps right after graduation. He married his childhood sweetheart, Yasmin, in 2006.
Ingham had been to Iraq twice. He was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant in April of 2009. He was assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan and left in May for Afghanistan.
The platoon commander said that Staff Sergeant Ingham saved some of his fellow Marines by crawling through enemy fire, while wounded, to radio for helicopter support. A story in The Altoona Mirror states:
Staff Sgt. Ingham, 25, died Monday in Afghanistan in an ambush, saving the lives of 12 fellow Marines by crawling, while wounded, to a radio to call in air support, exposing himself to additional fire, which killed him, according to reports from his platoon commander, his family and friends.
"That's the way you want to go," said Marine Sgt. Greg Wenzel, an Altoona native awaiting his sixth deployment to the Middle East war zone. "Taking the fight to the enemy."
No one wants to die, said Justin Slep, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who along with Wenzel and Ingham was one of 10 Altoona Area High School graduates from 2002 to join the Corps.
Staff Sergeant Matthew N. Ingham was killed January 11th during a mortar attack in Afghanistan. He was 25 years old. Cpl. Nicholas Uzenski and Cpl. Jamie Lowe were also killed during the fight.
Staff Sergeant Matthew N. Ingham's awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, NATO Medal ISAF, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Staff Sergeant Matthew N. Ingham is survived by his wife, his parents, Gary and Tammi Ingham, and a sister. Services for Staff Sergeant Matthew N. Ingham are still in planning. The Patriot Guard Riders will be attending.
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Corporal Jamie R. Lowe
Jamie Lowe was from Johnsonville, Illinois. He was a 2007 graduate of Cisne High School in Illinois. He entered the US Marine Corps a year after graduation. He was assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.
A story in the Courier Press talks about the Corporal Lowe's mother, Teresa:
Teresa Lowe was an infant when her father, Verdell Solomon, was killed during the Vietnam War.
"He never got to see Teresa, but heard her cry one time over the telephone. What an awful tragedy," Legg said.
The sign in front of Cisne High School now reads "Corporal Jamie Lowe — Thank you for serving our country."
Arnold said a moment of silence was scheduled for Tuesday night's boys' basketball game with Sandoval. Players were asked to wear black bands on their uniforms, with the cheerleaders wearing black ribbons.
Corporal Jamie R. Lowe died January 11th in the Helmand province of Afghanistan during a gunbattle with insurgents. He was 21 years old. Fellow Marines Corporal Nicholas Uzenski and Staff Sergeant Matthew Ingham were also killed during the fight.
Flags at his old High School and throughout his hometown were flying at half-staff Tuesday to honor the memory of the Marine Corporal.
Corporal Jamie R. Lowe's awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal ISAF, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
In a statement, Major Jordan Walzer (Lowe's officer-in-charge in Afghanistan) said, "He was driven to be the best, and it showed in everything he did."
Corporal Jamie R. Lowe is survived by his parents Kevin and Teresa and his two brothers, Cody and Hunter Lowe. All live in Johnsonville. Funeral services for Lowe are pending at Hosselton Funeral Home in Cisne, Illinois.
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Corporal Nicholas K. Uzenski
The US Department of Defense lists the hometown of Corporal Uzenski as being Tomball, Texas. He was a 2006 graduate of Franklin High School in New York. Following the lead of his father and an uncle, Uzenski enlisted with the US Marine Corps in January 2008.
Uzenski was assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. He was stationed in Okinawa, before deploying to Afghanistan this past fall. He was expected to come home to the US in June of 2010 on leave.
Corporal Nicholas K. Uzenski was killed on January 11th in the Helmand provence of Afghanistan. Two other Marines, Staff Sergeant Matthew Ingham and Corporal Jamie Lowe, were also killed during the ambush by enemy insurgents. According to the Daily Star:
Military personnel notified Uzenski's mother, Lisa Uzenski, at about midday Tuesday while she was at work at Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care in Oneonta, Archibald said.
Word spread quickly throughout Franklin and among Uzenski's friends, some of whom were mourning Tuesday night at a residence.
"Nick was just the happiest person you ever met," friend John Kemp said. "He lit up a room."
Corporal Uzenski had celebrated his 21st birthday on December 30th. Uzenski's father, Bill Uzenski, lives in Montana, but was in India on business when notified of his son's death. An article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle gives these statements:
"He was a tremendous asset to our battalion," Maj. John M. South, executive officer of 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, said in a Marine Corps statement. "He will be missed."
The public affairs office for the III Expeditionary Force/Marine Corps Bases Japan said details surrounding Uzenski’s death are unavailable because of the sensitive nature of his reconnaissance mission...
"He was a guy you naturally gravitated toward because you loved being around him," said Maj. Jordan Walzer, Uzenski’s officer in charge in Afghanistan. "We will sorely miss our brother."
Corporal Nicholas K. Uzenski's his awards include the National Defense Service Medal, NATO Medal ISAF and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Besides being survived by his parents, Uzenski has two younger sisters and three younger half-brothers who live with his dad and stepmom in Bozeman, Montana. His mother, Lisa, lives in Franklin, New York. Funeral services for Corporal Nicholas K. Uzenski are expected to be held in New York. The Patriot Guard Riders will be providing a flag line for the ceremony.
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