Alabama Woman Latest to Die in Afghanistan Since Combat Mission Ended
By Ali Meyer | June 22, 2015 | 2:29 PM EDT
Krissie K. Davis, 54, was killed June 8, 2015, during an indirect fire attack at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. (Photo courtesy Department of Defense)
(Correction: Fixes description of Krissie Davis, who was a DLA civilian, not a soldier.)
(CNSNews.com) - An Alabama woman is the latest person to die in Afghanistan since the U.S. combat mission ended there, according to the Department of Defense (DOD), bringing the total number to three.
A member of the Defense Logistics Agency, Krissie K. Davis, died in Afghanistan on June 8, representing the third person to die in Afghanistan since the combat mission officially ended, according to the DOD.
"My mom died doing what she loved, and I have found peace with that," said Davis’ daughter, Angela Mitchell. "She was enjoying every part of this adventure."
"I was blessed each minute of each hour of each day," said Davis’ husband, Michael. "We enjoyed our time together. She was my soulmate, my partner, a part of my body that was missing that made me whole. That's just how special she was."
Davis, a 54-year-old from Talladega, Ala., was deployed to DLA Disposition Services Bagram as part of the civilian expeditionary workforce and was killed during an indirect fire attack on Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Specialist John M. Dawson was the first to die in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year. Dawson was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel when he died on April 8, 2015 in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from small arms fire while he was on an escort mission.
U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Pablo A. Ruiz was the second to die in Afghanistan. He died on May 24, 2015 in Bagram, Afghanistan from a non-combat-related incident.
President Barack Obama announced the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan, known as Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), on Dec. 28, 2014. Operation Freedom’s Sentinel is the follow-on mission that continued in 2015.
“For more than 13 years, ever since nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken from us on 9/11, our nation has been at war in Afghanistan,” said Obama on Dec. 28, 2014. “Now, thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion,” he said.
“At the invitation of the Afghan government, and to preserve the gains we have made together, the United States -- along with our allies and partners -- will maintain a limited military presence in Afghanistan to train, advise and assist Afghan forces and to conduct counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al Qaeda,” Obama added.
That same day, then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that the continuing limited military presence in Afghanistan that President Obama was referring to would be called Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
“In 2015, we begin our follow-on mission, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, to help secure and build upon the hard-fought gains of the last 13 years,” said Hagel. “In Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, the United States will pursue two missions with the support of the Afghan government and the Afghan people.
“We will work with our allies and partners as part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission to continue training, advising and assisting Afghan security forces. And we will continue our counterterrorism mission against the remnants of Al-Qaeda to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used to stage attacks against our homeland,” he added.
Since the beginning of war in Afghanistan (OEF) more than 13 years ago, 2,232 U.S. service personnel have given their lives in and around Afghanistan with the aim of removing al Qaeda there. Davis’ death represents the third of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and the third death since the combat mission has ended in Afghanistan.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/alabama-woman-latest-die-afghanistan-combat-mission-ended
