Two More CounterTerror Navy SEALS Die In Afghanistan

With two more Navy SEALS dying on September 11th in Afghanistan, the same counterterror unit has now lost three members in just three weeks - a grave loss for America and a heartbreaker for the unit. Although very little is known about how and where these two fighters for freedom died right now, here are some of the details from Counterterrorism Blog:

Two more Navy SEALs from an extraordinarily elite and supersecret counterterrorism unit have been killed in Afghanistan, following the death two weeks ago of a SEAL from the same clandestine unit.

The two SEALs were killed September 11 somewhere “in Afghanistan,” according to military press releases, and were part of the shadowy Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the elite counterterrorism force once known as SEAL Team 6.
Killed last week were Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator John Wayne Marcum, 34, and Chief (select) Special Warfare Operator Jason Richard Freiwald, 30, the Navy said. Each man had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was a highly decorated SEAL.

Above the tragedy of these two losses is the amazing honor that these two men served with and of course, the ultimate sacrifice they have made to America. It's my feeling that these men are casualties of some operations that are simply pushing the envelope of entering areas we simply haven't sent our warriors into before. The Navy SEAL killed two weeks ago was swept away by a river while the unit was performing a treacherous river crossing and that indicates that this unit is going after targets that perhaps were deemed impenetrable.

And while we mourn these two losses, we have to marvel at the determination and the spirit with which this counterterror unit is showing in letting nothing stand in their way to penetrate the most dramatic of Taliban defenses. G_d speed to these young men and sincere prayers go out to their families. A nation could not be prouder of their sacrifice.

Two More Counterterror SEALs Die in Afghanistan

Two more Navy SEALs from an extraordinarily elite and supersecret counterterrorism unit have been killed in Afghanistan, following the death two weeks ago of a SEAL from the same clandestine unit.
Details were - not surprisingly - vague. There is no direct evidence they died fighting in the new CIA-led offensive against Al Qaeda and the Taliban along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. But their loss in Afghanistan is certainly significant and a real blow to their fellow operators in the Joint Special Operations Command, which includes the Army’s Delta Force.
The two SEALs were killed September 11 somewhere “in Afghanistan,” according to military press releases, and were part of the shadowy Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the elite counterterrorism force once known as SEAL Team 6. Typically, the military identifies which Afghan town, district, city or province where American troops perish. But for the third time since August 30, when Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Thomas Harris, a Bronze Star recipient, was reported killed after being swept away during a combat river crossing, the precise location of the latest “DEVGRU” combat casualties is unknown.
Killed last week were Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator John Wayne Marcum, 34, and Chief (select) Special Warfare Operator Jason Richard Freiwald, 30, the Navy said. Each man had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was a highly decorated SEAL. Before Harris, no DEVGRU SEAL had fallen in Afghanistan since March 2002, according to a review of Operation Enduring Freedom deaths at iCasualties.org.
Marcum earned four Bronze Star medals with the combat “V” distinguishing device, as well as the Joint Service Commendation medal, four Combat Action ribbons and a chestful of other decorations in his career. The younger Freiwald had also earned a Bronze Star and Combat Action ribbon, the Navy said.
Sadly, both SEALs leave behind a wife and daughter. The Naval Special Warfare Foundation, which accepts donations, will likely provide support for each family.