Since 2003, Fort Carson has lost 339 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the past year, 12 Fort Carson troops have died in Afghanistan. The region has also lost several airmen from local bases. Other troops had strong ties to Colorado Springs.

AIRMAN 1ST CLASS MATTHEW SEIDLER, 2421ST CIVIL ENGINEERING SQUADRONOn Jan. 4, Seidler celebrated his 24th birthday. A day later, a roadside bomb detonated, killing him and two other airmen in Helmand province, Afghanistan. “Matthew was a very, very sweet guy,” said his aunt, Marcia Seidler. “He had great artistic talent and a great mind for computers.” Seidler, who joined the Air Force in 2009, was the first airman from the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base to die in Iraq or Afghanistan. He was on his first overseas deployment.

CAPT. RYAN HALL, 30319TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS SQUADRONHall followed his father’s footsteps into the Air Force. Both were accomplished pilots — his father a flight instructor at the Air Force Academy, the younger Hall a skilled U-28 aircraft pilot with more than 1,400 combat hours and 200 combat missions to his credit. “He stood for all that is right about America,” said his father, Dennis Hall. Hall, a Pine Creek High School graduate, died Feb. 18 when the U-28 he piloted crashed while returning from a mission in Djibouti, Africa. Three other airmen — one of them an Air Force Academy graduate — died in the crash.

1ST LT. JUSTIN WILKENS, 2634TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS SQUADRONA 2009 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Wilkens died Feb. 18 when the U-28 aircraft he was aboard crashed during a mission near Djibouti, Africa. He was assigned to Florida’s Hurlburt Field and had logged more than 400 combat hours. While growing up in Bend, Ore., Wilkens showed a knack for flying planes — piloting his first aircraft at the age of 14. He also had big plans upon his return from Africa: Five days before the crash, he proposed to his fiancée, Michelle Schmidt. “He gave me a promise ring and told me he’d promise to upgrade it when he got back,” said Schmidt.

SGT. ALLEN MCKENNA JR., 282ND BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMMcKenna, a husband of about 10 years, died Feb. 21 — 51/2 months into his second deployment to Afghanistan, the Defense Department said. A soldier since 2004, McKenna joined his Fort Carson unit a couple of weeks before deploying to Kandahar province. He was from Noble, Okla., and left behind three children, one of whom was only a few months old when his father died.

STAFF SGT. DANIEL BROWN, 272ND BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMBrown spoke endlessly of his twin daughters to fellow soldiers in southern Afghanistan. He never held the girls — born in January — so he held on to pictures of Mattie and Marlee until his scheduled return in late April. An explosion on March 24 kept Brown from holding those girls. “That is a gift for you,” said Chaplain Joseph Moffitt, looking at Brown’s wife during the soldier’s funeral. “You will experience him through those girls.”

STAFF SGT. CHRISTOPHER BROWN, 264TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMA Columbus, Ohio, native blessed with a “contagious” laugh, Brown walked the fine line between fun-loving comrade and hard-charging leader with grace, fellow soldiers said. That demeanor carried him through four deployments — two to Iraq, two to Afghanistan. His most recent overseas tour ended April 3 when an insurgent bomb detonated while he was on patrol. The newlywed’s family was growing; he had a daughter, a stepdaughter and another child on the way. His death marked the first death during the 4th Brigade Combat Team’s most recent deployment. “We, as men and as soldiers, should all mirror our lives in his liking,” Staff Sgt. Aaron Lamb said.

STAFF SGT. DAVID NOWACZYK, 324TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMNowaczyk, of Dyer, Ind., knew Kunar province in Afghanistan like few others in the Army. Three deployments to the hostile, rugged region made him an expert — a quality that his fellow soldiers turned to in the early weeks of the 4th Brigade’s latest deployment. Many soldiers called him “John Wayne,” a nod to his penchant for never buckling his helmet’s chin strap. Most, however, simply referred to him with a deep reverence reserved only for respected Army leaders. He died April 15 when an insurgent bomb exploded. “He accepted any challenge willingly,” Capt. Shayne Heap said. “David was — and is — the true definition of a hero.”

1ST LT. ALEJO THOMPSON, 304TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMEnlisting in the Army in 2000, Thompson earned a reputation as a mature leader who carried a quiet-yet-commanding presence with troops. His latest deployment marked his first chance to lead a platoon into battle, fellow soldiers said. Thompson, of Yuma, Ariz., died March 11 when insurgents opened fire while he was on patrol in Parwan province, Afghanistan, leaving behind a wife and two children. “Soldiers looked up to him — they wanted to be like him,” said Maj. Korey Brown.

SGT. TOFIGA TAUTOLO, 234TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMA former Marine who had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Tautolo had a way of expertly walking the line between quiet leader and laid-back jokester. He was also father of a 19-month-old boy. “The first thing I noticed about him was a proud soldier who stood tall,” said Sgt. Richard Door, a fellow Fort Carson soldier. A cavalry scout with the brigade’s 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, Tautolo earned several commendations including the Navy Unit Commendation Medal. He died on May 27 — a day before Memorial Day — when a roadside bomb destroyed his vehicle.

COMMAND SGT. MAJ. KEVIN GRIFFIN, 454TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMA 24-year veteran of the Army, Griffin served as the highest-ranking enlisted soldier in the 4th Brigade — the right-hand man to the brigade’s commander, Col. James Mingus. Never before has such a high-ranking enlisted soldier been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. He left a strong legacy, fellow soldiers said. Griffin previously deployed to Kuwait and the Balkans, as well as Iraq three times, earning five Bronze Star Medals. He had two children, one of whom followed him into the Army. He died on Aug. 8 when two insurgents detonated suicide vests in an attack that also killed a Fort Carson major and an Air Force officer assigned to the post. “That’s the saddest thing,” said Griffin’s brother, Shawn Griffin, at the soldier’s funeral. “Kevin was right where he wanted to be in life.”

MAJ. THOMAS KENNEDY, 354TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMA father of two, Kennedy died Aug. 8 alongside two other Fort Carson troops when two suicide bombers detonated their vests. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was known as much for his leadership skills as his hockey prowess. Kennedy received three Bronze Star Medals and had deployed twice to Iraq. “We know you are up there in the company of the great ones looking over us now,” said Maj. Timothy Knoth, a friend. “You will be on the ice with us each time we lace up.”

MAJ. WALTER GRAY, 3813TH AIR SUPPORT SQUADRON, ATTACHED TO THE 4TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMA “PT-ninja” who spoke in a deep, Southern accent, Gray took his military career as seriously as his duties as a father of three. Enlisting in the Air Force in 1993, Gray earned his commission and served as an air liaison officer who helped coordinate air attacks for the 4th Brigade. He died Aug. 8 when two suicide bombers attacked, also killing two Fort Carson soldiers. The attack happened three days short of his 11th wedding anniversary. At Gray’s funeral, a pastor turned to Gray’s children. “Your Daddy was the bravest man I ever knew,” Michael Fernihough said.

SGT. CHRISTOPHER BIRDWELL, 254TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMA skilled snowboarder who grew up in Windsor, Birdwell garnered the nickname of “sergeant major” for demanding perfection. He enlisted in the Army in 2006 and was deployed to Afghanistan three times. Birdwell died with another Fort Carson soldier on Aug. 26 in a “green on blue” attack — the term used to describe attacks by people wearing Afghan army or police uniforms. He was posthumously given a Bronze Star Medal. “He didn’t see the point in doing something if you weren’t going to do your best,” said Spc. Trey Hammett, with the rear detachment of the brigade’s 4th Special Troops Battalion.

SPC. MABRY ANDERS, 214TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMFellow soldiers regarded Anders as a skilled mechanic, one who seemingly had an ever-present smile and enjoyed joking with fellow soldiers. At his memorial service, a fellow soldier remembered him making a 2-foot-tall snowman inside the mechanics’ garage. “He helped a rainy day,” said Spc. Kevin Leaman, with the rear detachment of the brigade’s 4th Special Troops Battalion. He died during his first deployment on Aug. 26 in an apparent “green on blue attack,” which signifies attacks by people wearing Afghan army or police uniforms. He was posthumously given a Bronze Star Medal. Another Fort Carson soldier was killed in the attack.

SPC. KYLE ROOKEY, 234TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMA native of Oswego, N.Y., Rookey died six months into his first overseas deployment. He enlisted in the Army on March 3, 2010, and went on to fly the Shadow — a drone used to direct artillery fire as well as spot insurgents and the bombs they have planted. “Kyle kept watch over our soldiers,” said Capt. Stephen Vinski, during Rookey’s memorial service. “Kyle was a battle buddy to each and every soldier.” The Defense Department said Rookey died in a “non-combat related incident,” but no other details have been released regarding his death.

PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS DARREL L. ENOS3RD MARINE SPECIAL OPERATIONS BATTALION, CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.Enos, a graduate of Mitchell High School, died Aug 17, when an Afghan policeman attacked using his newly-issued AK-47. Enos found a calling as a medic, and when not deployed, he nurtured a growing family with his wife, Andrea, in their North Carolina house. They each had two children from previous marriages and had two more together. He deployed multiple times to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with two Strike Flights, among other decorations. “He was a good doc,” said Enos’ brother, Dale Enos. “He saved a lot of lives when he was over there.”

STAFF SGT. DAVID NOWACZYK Photo by

1ST LT. ALEJO THOMPSON Photo by

AIRMAN 1ST CLASS MATTHEW SEIDLER Photo by