Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, 39, of Brush Prairie, Wash., Army Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross, 29, of Lexington, Va., and Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25, of Hookstown, Pa. (Photo courtesy of Department of Defense)
A Virginia man was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan when he and two others suffered fatal injuries [1] after their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED).
Army Captain Andrew “Drew” Patrick Ross, 29, of Lexington, had served more than seven years in the Army and was on his second overseas tour, according to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Captain Ross, who is survived by his wife and parents, was a member of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Bragg, N.C.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Michael Emond, 29, of Brush Prairie, Washington, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin, 25, of Hookstown, Pa, were also killed.
Lexington is a small, close-knit community in western Virginia. The historic city is home to Virginia Military Institute where Captain Ross’ father graduated.
The Taliban, a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan that has been behind numerous attacks over the years, took credit for the attack, claiming foreign invaders were being targeted.
The Lexington News-Gazette [2] wrote:
Drew Ross was a 2007 graduate of Rockbridge County High School and a 2011 graduate of West Point. In May 2011, he was invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the RCHS commencement ceremony.
“It’s very sad news, he was a great kid,” said David “Weenie” Miller, RCHS teacher and coach, on Wednesday. Ross was recently married, he said, and Miller’s son, Michael, a member of the U.S. Navy now serving in Naval Intelligence, was best man at Drew’s wedding.
Drew was the son of Stephen and Beth Ross, both now living in Richmond. Stephen Ross, a 1983 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, coached soccer at VMI. Beth Ross was a nurse in the office of Dr. Troise.
Drew Ross played soccer at RCHS coached by the late Tony Conway and went on to play soccer at West Point.
His sister, Sarah, graduated from RCHS in 2003.
Drew Ross is the second RCHS and West Point graduate to have died in Afghanistan, both victims of roadside bombs. Chase Prasnicki, a local football star who graduated from RCHS in 2006 and who played on the football team at West Point, was killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in June 2012.
Stars and Stripes [3] wrote:
While fewer Americans are dying in the war these days, members of the relatively small and tight-knit special operations community — and especially Army Rangers and Green Berets — disproportionately number among the American deaths in recent years.
More than half of the 13 Americans who died in Afghanistan this year — 12 in combat — have been special operations troops. In 2017, Rangers and Green Berets accounted for five of 11 U.S. combat fatalities and special operations soldiers constituted half of the four noncombat deaths.
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which supports the families of special-ops troops and other troops within Special Operations Command, estimates elite troops and their support personnel make up about 5 percent of the military but half of the casualties.
Captain Ross was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Combat Infantry Badge. He had previously earned a Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Action Badge, and Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge.
Before the attack on Tuesday, Army Ranger Sgt. Leandro Jasso, a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, was killed the week before while battling al-Qaida in Nimruz Province.
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