The cost of freedom

1st Lt. Robert F. Welch III
A Fort Knox soldier on his first combat tour in Khowst Province, Afghanistan, died April 3, 2011, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his base with indirect fire.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert F. Welch III, 26, of Denton, Texas, was an ordnance officer assigned to Company B, 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke.
He was less than three years into his military career.
Welch attended high school in Wylie, Texas, and attended the University of North Texas in Denton from 2003 to 2007.
Welch began his service in October 2008 and arrived at Fort Knox in July 2009.
Welch’s awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon and Bar, and the Army Service Ribbon.
He was posthumously awarded the NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Staff Sgt. Mecolus McDaniel
A member of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, based at Fort Knox, died March 19, 2011, from injuries suffered while serving in Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mecolus C. McDaniel, 33, of Fort Hood, Texas, was a cavalry scout assigned to Troop A, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke.
McDaniel died from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire in Khowst Province, Afghanistan.
McDaniel started his military service in July 1996 and arrived at Fort Knox in October 2009.
McDaniel had one previous deployment to Afghanistan as part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. He had also served in Korea and the Balkans.
His awards and decorations include Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Overseas Service ribbon, Combat Action Badge, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Sgt. Kristopher J. Gould
A soldier who had been stationed at Fort Knox for 16 months died Feb. 27, 2011, from injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.
U.S. Army Sgt. Kristopher James Gould, 25, of Saginaw, Mich., was an infantryman assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke.
He was the first soldier from Task Force Duke to be killed during this deployment.
Gould began military service in March 2003 and arrived at Fort Knox in October 2009.
This was Gould’s third deployment, having served a 12-month tour with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009, and a 15-month tour with the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment in Iraq from 2005 to 2006.
“He was the kind of kid who was a great kid in class, the kind of kid that people really got along well with,” said Valley Lutheran High School Principal John Brandt in a story in the Saginaw News. “He was a dedicated soldier.”
“Kris was a kid who loved life,” Brandt said. “He’s just a good guy.”
Gould was a football player and wrestler in high school, according to Brandt.
Gould also was a devout man of faith, Brandt said.
“I attended church with him (at Bethlehem Lutheran),” he said. “When he was home on leave he would always be at church.”
Brandt said news of Gould’s death hit some members of the Valley Lutheran faculty particularly hard.
“There are a number of teachers that got choked up when they heard about this,” he said. “If you ever met him, he was the kind of guy you just enjoyed being around. He’d stick his nose in there in football and wrestling and would take his lumps since he was not the biggest guy in the world and come out with a smile on his face.
“I’m sure that he’s going to be missed on many levels.”
Gould’s awards and decorations include Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal for Mobilization and the Army Service Ribbon.
He was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Spc. Joseph A. Kennedy
U.S. Army Spc. Joseph A. Kennedy of St. Paul, Minn., was killed April 15, 2011, in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, when his unit was attacked, the Department of Defense reported.
Kennedy was an infantryman assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke. He joined the Army in 2009 and was assigned to Fort Knox in September 2010. He was on his first tour of duty.
Kennedy’s family asked for privacy, but his mother, Valerie, released a statement through the military.
She said Kennedy “lived life with the volume turned up full blast” and his family was extremely proud of him and his military service.
His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service ribbon.
He was posthumously awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

1st. Lt. Demetrius M. Frison
1st. Lt. Demetrius M. Frison, 26, died May 10, 2011, in Khowst Province, Afghanistan, after his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device.
Frison listed his hometown as Lancaster, Pa.
He is survived by his wife, Mikki, and his 6-month-old son, Christopher Kenneth, according to Lancaster Online.
Frison’s wife told The Philadelphia Inquirer she spoke with her husband after the death of Osama bin Laden and said he was happy about the news but he “still had a job to do.”
Mikki Frison said she and her husband met in middle school in Philadelphia and became sweethearts before they both graduated from Millersville University with bachelor’s degrees.
He entered the military in April 2009 and had been stationed at Fort Knox since October 2010, according to Fort Knox officials.
Frison was an infantry officer assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke.
He received the Parachutist Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, according to a news release.
He was posthumously awarded the NATO Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star and Purple Heart, post officials said.

Sgt. James W. Harvey II
Sgt. James W. Harvey II, 23, of Toms River, N.J., died June 20, 2011, in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
Harvey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.
He began his military service in January 2009 and arrived at Fort Knox in July 2009.
It was his first combat tour.
His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

All other Fort Knox personnel who have died in the War on Terror:
IRAQ

• Staff Sgt. Richard P. Ramey, 27, Canton, Ohio, U.S. Army, 703rd Ordnance Company, killed Feb. 8, 2004, Mahmudiyah, Iraq.
• 1st Lt. Christopher N. Rutherford, 25,  Newport, Ohio, U.S. Army, Forward Support Group, 19th Engineer Battalion, killed July 2, 2007, near Balad, Iraq.
• Staff Sgt. Kimberly A. Voelz, 27, Carlisle, Pa., U.S. Army, 703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment, killed Dec. 14, 2003, Iskandariyah, Iraq.
• Sgt. Jerry L. DeLoach, 45, Jackson, Ga., U.S Army, Warrior Transition Unit, died July 7, 2007.

AFGHANISTAN

• Sgt. James K. Healy, 25, Hesperia, Calif., U.S. Army, 703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment, killed Jan. 7, 2008, Laghar Juy, Afghanistan.