U.S. military officials are refusing to provide the most basic information about the death of an American contractor in Iraq, for which two Marines and a sailor are reportedly under investigation.
The Daily Beast has identified the contractor as former Green Beret Rick Rodriguez, who worked for Lockheed Martin in Irbil. Rodriguez died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, on Jan. 4, reportedly from injuries that he sustained during a fight with U.S. service members.
Two members of Marine Special Operations Command received valor awards for their heroism during a gun battle last year with al Qaeda militants in Northern Africa, a spokeswoman for U.S. Africa Command confirmed on Wednesday.
“People see me at events, or hear that I was combat wounded, and they look at me, and I don’t look hurt,” says John Stanz, a 36-year-old with voluminous mutton chops and a goatee that partially covers his easy smile. “That’s why I have this.”
On Feb. 26, Tammie Ashley welcomed a new addition to her family: Sirius, a military working dog that once belonged to her son, Sgt. Joshua Ashley, who was killed in Afghanistan while serving with a U.S. Marine Special Operations Command team in 2012.
U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Scott A. Achtemeier
On April 25, 2013, Petty Officer 1st Class Kevin D. Baskin, a Navy Corpsman, with 3rd Marine Special Operations Battalion, set out with his team on a mission to the Kushe Village in Herat province, Afghanistan.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Thomas Provost
Marine Raiders, past and present, look back on their legacy in a video celebrating the 10th anniversary of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, or MARSOC. Marine Raiders operate as small teams, far behind enemy lines, with little help or support beyond the men to their left and right.
