Fourth Service Member Dies From November IED Blast In Afghanistan

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Dec 3, 2018

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A fourth service member has died as a result of a Nov. 27 roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan, officials announced on Monday.

  • Sgt. Jason Mitchell McClary, of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, died on Sunday from wounds he received from the improvised explosive device explosion in Ghazni Province, a Defense Department news release says.
  • McClary, 24, was originally from Export, Pennsylvania. His military awards include two Purple Hearts, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal (Combat), Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Combat Infantry Badge, and Air Assault Badge.
  • “The Rock battalion expresses its deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends tragically affected by the loss of Sgt. Jason McClary,” Lt. Col. Christopher Roberts, commander of 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, said in a news release. “He epitomizes what it is to be a professional, a warrior and a soldier. Sgt. McClary served honorably as an up-armored vehicle gunner for the Attack Company. His memory and contributions will never be forgotten.”
  • Three other U.S. troops were killed on Nov. 27: Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross, 29; Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, 39; and Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25.
  • Ross and Emond were both Green Berets assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Ross was on his second deployment and Emond was on his seventh. Both men were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal.
  • Elchin was a combat controller with the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. He was the first special operations airman killed in Afghanistan since 2015, Air Force magazine reported.
  • Two other service members and an American contractor were wounded by the explosion. A total of 14 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan in 2018.

SEE ALSO: The US Dropped More Bombs On Afghanistan In 2018 Than Any Year In Over A Decade

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UPDATE: This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 3 with more information about Sgt. McClary.