Honorees

2020 Honorees

2020 Honoree

Michael Simpson

RankStaff Sergeant
BornFebruary 13, 1983
Date of passingMay 1, 2013
Unit / BranchD Co, 3rd Infantry Regiment (Old Guard) / C Co, 2nd Cavalry Regiment / C Co, 4th Bn, 1st SFG(A) · U.S. Army Special Forces

Staff Sergeant Michael H. Simpson, 30, of San Antonio, Texas, died May 2, 2013, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device on April 27 in Afghanistan.

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2020 Honoree

Dustin Wright

Silver Star Recipient

RankStaff Sergeant
BornSeptember 24, 1988
Date of passingOctober 4, 2017
Unit / BranchA Co, 2nd BN, 3rd SFG(A) · U.S. Army Special Forces

Staff Sergeant Dustin M. Wright, 29, was killed in action on October 4, 2017, near Tongo Tongo, Niger.

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2020 Honoree

Jonathan Farmer

Bronze Star Medal Recipient · 3 Awards

RankChief Warrant Officer 2
BornApril 27, 1981
Date of passingJanuary 16, 2019
Unit / Branch3rd Bn, 5th SFG(A) · U.S. Army Special Forces

Assistant Detachment Commander CW2 Jonathan Farmer died January 16, 2019, when a bomber attacked a restaurant in Manbij, Syria. Navy Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent, Mr. Scott A. Wirtz, and Ms. Ghadir Taher were also killed in the blast—the deadliest incident for the U.S. military since operations began on Syrian ground in 2015.

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2020 Honoree

Gary Vasquez

Bronze Star Medal Recipient · 3 Awards

RankSergeant First Class
BornNovember 12, 1974
Date of passingSeptember 29, 2008
Unit / BranchCompany Bravo, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) / Troop A, 1st Battalion 17th Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) · U.S. Army Special Forces

SFC Gary Vasquez died September 29, 2008, in Yakhchal, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device during mounted operations. Also killed were Capt. Richard J. Cliff and Sgt. 1st Class Jamie S. Nicholas.

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2020 Honoree

Tyler Westbrook

RankSergeant First Class
BornMay 12, 1984
Date of passingAugust 28, 2015
Unit / Branch3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment / Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) · U.S. Army Special Forces

SFC Tyler Westbrook lost his battle with post-traumatic stress, a reminder that even after returning home our war is not over.

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2020 Honoree

Aaron Butler

Bronze Star Medal Recipient

RankStaff Sergeant
BornAugust 24, 1989
Date of passingAugust 16, 2017
Unit / BranchC Co, 457th Engineer BN / B Co, 1st Bn, 19th SFG(A) · U.S. Army Special Forces

SSG Aaron Butler's team was on patrol with Afghan troops battling the Islamic State in Afghanistan. The building they secured was being cleared when a booby-trap was detonated. Tragically, SSG Butler was killed with several of his teammates sustaining injuries.

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2020 Honoree

Chris Speer

Bronze Star Medal Recipient

RankSergeant First Class
BornSeptember 9, 1973
Date of passingAugust 7, 2002
Unit / Branch3rd SFG(A), USASOC · U.S. Army Special Forces Medic

On July 27, 2002, Christopher Speer and a group of four other soldiers on reconnaissance patrol were injured during a firefight upon attacking a building in Khost Province, Afghanistan. After being wounded, Speer was airlifted for treatment to Bagram Air Force Base and then to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany where he was removed…

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2020 Honoree

Ben Kopp

Bronze Star Medal with Valor Recipient

RankCorporal
BornJanuary 20, 1988
Date of passingJuly 18, 2009
Unit / BranchC Co., 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment · U.S. Army Rangers

On July 10, 2009, CPL Ben Kopp's Ranger unit attacked into a Taliban safe haven where they fought a determined enemy from multiple directions for several hours, resulting in the killing of more than 10 Taliban fighters. CPL Kopp saved 6 of his teammates when he was shot in the leg. He was flown to…

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2020 Honoree

Scott Koppenhafer

Bronze Star Medal with Valor Recipient · 2 Awards

Bronze Star Medal with Valor device (2 awards)

RankGunnery Sergeant
BornFebruary 13, 1984
Date of passingAugust 10, 2019
Unit / BranchMarine Raider, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, MARSOC · U.S. Marine Corps

Gunnery Sgt. Scott A. Koppenhafer was killed August 10, 2019, by enemy fire during combat operations against the Islamic State group near Qanoos Island in Iraq.

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2020 Honoree

Cole Condiff

RankStaff Sergeant
BornFebruary 5, 1990
Date of passingNovember 5, 2019
Unit / Branch23rd Special Tactics Squadron · U.S. Air Force Special Tactics

Staff Sgt. Cole Condiff, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida, had an unplanned parachute departure from a C-130 aircraft Nov. 5, 2019, over the Gulf of Mexico, where he tragically passed away.

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