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SGT BRANDON T. ISLIP |
Brandon T. Islip was born and
raised in the Richmond area, and graduated from
Monacan High School.
He enlisted in the Army in
January of 2006 as an indirect fire infantryman, who
supervises or is a member of a mortar squad, section
or platoon.
He attended One Station Unit Training and Basic
Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia and was
subsequently assigned to 1-508th at Fort Bragg.
He was on his second deployment to Afghanistan,
having previously served a 15-month deployment in
2007-2008.
"Sgt. Islip was a very focused individual when it
came to work," Sgt. 1st Class Joe Armenta, Islip's
platoon sergeant said in a statement. "He would be
assigned a task, and complete it to standard. He was
always focused on mission accomplishment, success of
the platoon, and more importantly, the welfare of
his soldiers."
On November 4, Sgt. Islip was on an airdrop
resupply mission in the Bala Murghab area of Badghis
province, Afghanistan. With him was Benjamin W.
Sherman of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The two
soldiers were retrieving airdropped supplies when
one of the bundles fell in the river, according to
Maj. Brian Fickel, an Army spokesman. "We believe
they were trying to retrieve that bundle, and in the
process of that, they were both swept away," Fickel
said.
Sherman’s relatives believe Sherman died after
jumping into the river to try to save Islip.
Another account says that Islip jumped in to save
Sherman. The event is still under investigation and
the truth may be impossible to know. But their
widows say that Islip and Sherman were very close
friends in life. These battle buddies who served
together as brothers in arms were carried away to
their deaths together on the same fast moving river
current.
Maj. Fickel said that British divers recovered
Sherman’s body on Nov. 10. But Islip was listed as
Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown while efforts to
recover his body continued. During the period while
Islip was listed as DUSTWUN, more than 2000 people
became members of the "Pray for Brandon Islip"
Facebook page.
It took many days of searching in icy,
fast-flowing waters, but a team of divers out of
Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story
successfully recovered Islip's body from the Murghab
River after a local Afghan citizen provided
information on his whereabouts. The divers, from
Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, Company 2-3,
spent days searching the Murghab River in water as
cold as 42 degrees and flowing as fast as 12 knots.
The entire MDSU team took the job to heart and
considered finding the lost Soldier to be their most
important mission of their Navy careers.
[Navy Diver 2nd Class Zachery Dojaquez comes to the surface of the water during a dive.]
BADGHIS PROVINCE, Afghanistan Nov. 28, 2009
Navy Diver 2nd Class Zachery Dojaquez comes to the surface of the water during a dive to search for a missing 82nd Airborne Soldier in the Bala Murgahab River in Afghanistan. Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, along with members of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne, Coalition Forces and Afghan National Security Forces, are participating in Operation Hero Recovery, attempting to recover the body of U.S. Army Sgt Brandon Islip in the Bala Murgahab River. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew Bash/Released)
091128-N-4154B-063
.
"We expected very challenging dive conditions,
but everyone was prepared mentally, and we were
determined to complete the mission successfully,"
Chief Warrant Officer James Dertilis said.
Visibility in the river was "at 6 inches or
less," said Petty Officer 1st Class William
Stetson, who added the river bottom was "rough and
uneven." "The team laid everything on the line for
mission success," said Billy Gilbert, master diver.
"The personnel applied all their expeditionary and
salvage experience performing dives in a hostile
environment."
"The recovery of Sergeant Islip and Sergeant
Sherman would not have been possible without the
untiring support and efforts of our fellow
international forces, the Afghan National Security
Forces and the local people of Bala Murghab," said
Col. Brian M. Drinkwine, commander of the 4th
Brigade Combat Team. "We owe a great debt of
gratitude to our fellow warriors of the Marines, Air
Force, Navy, the Italian and Spanish forces of
Regional Command-West, Regional Command-South, the
Afghan National Security Forces and the leaders of
Bala Murghab."
"We never leave a fallen comrade behind," Colonel
Drinkwine added. "We can only hope the families of
Sergeant Islip and Sergeant Sherman will receive
some peace knowing their loved ones have been
recovered."
After Islip's body was recovered from the river
near the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border on November
29, 2009, the Department of Defense changed his
status to having died in a non-combat related
incident, and condolences poured in to the "Pray for
Brandon Islip" Facebook page. One poster commented:
"You gave all so we could live free in the greatest
country in the world. Thank You's are not enough."
Another posted, "RIP Brandon. I am so thankful for
your hard work and dedication to our country. Thank
you for giving your all." Brandon's stepmother
wrote "Your father and I love you very much...
Please know you're our hero and will always be.
We're so proud of you" Another message reads,
"What a courageous soldier you're with the army's
angels."
Brandon is survived by his wife, Sonja Lynn
Islip; his father, George W. Islip III; his
stepmother, Rosemary Hampton; his mother, Allison
Chaney; a younger sister, Scarlett Chaney; and many
other members of an extremely large and loving
family. Memorial contributions can be made to
Snowball
Express, a charity for the children of fallen
military heroes.
During a phone conversation, Islip's family
members emphasized how much he loved the military
and loved his wife. In another interview, his widow
Sonja said "He's always been a hero to me. He was
willing to put his life on the line for this country
and that's all anybody really can ask for."
@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@ |
(courtesy of A Horan)
Grave marker for Sgt Brandon T.
Islip in Section 60 Site 8541 of the Arlington
National Cemetery Arlington (Arlington county).
Virginia. |
SGT BRANDON TAYLOR ISLIP |
Missing soldier in Afgh.
from Richmond
Updated: Friday, 20 Nov
2009, 1:53 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 18 Nov 2009, 12:49 PM EST
WASHINGTON - The military Wednesday
identified a solider missing in
Afghanistan since early November as Sgt.
Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond.
Islip, along with Spc. Benjamin Sherman
of Plymouth, Mass, went missing Nov. 4
in the Bala Barghab area of Badghis
during a routine resupply mission. Local
police said the two were swept away by
the river as they tried to recover
airdropped supplies that had
accidentally fallen into the water.
Badghis is located on Afghanistan's
border with Turkmenistan.
Both men were members of the 1st
Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry
Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd
Airborne Division, out of Fort Bragg,
N.C.
Sherman's body was found by military
divers on Nov. 11.
Islip is listed by the military as
Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN).
Officials say search and recovery
efforts are still ongoing, and the
incident is under investigation.
November 18, 2009, 9:45pm
DoD Announces Change-In-Status of Army Soldier
The Department of Defense today announced the death of a
soldier supporting Operation Enduring Freedom who was
previously listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown.
Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond, Va., had been listed
as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown. His status was changed
Nov. 29 to having died in a non-combat related incident.
He was a member of the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne
Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. and went missing, Nov. 4, while
involved in a resupply mission in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan.
For further information these soldiers, contact the 82nd
Airborne Division public affairs office at (910) 432-0661 or
(910) 432-0662.
________________________________________________________________
Army IDs soldier swept away in Afghan
river
Staff report
Posted : Friday Nov 20, 2009 6:14:12 EST
The soldier who remains unaccounted for
after being swept away by a river in Afghanistan on Nov. 4,
was identified Wednesday by the Defense Department as Sgt.
Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond, Va.
He and a fellow soldier, Spc. Benjamin
Sherman, 21, of Plymouth, Mass., were on a resupply mission
Nov. 4, in Bala Murghab when they were swept away by the
river as they tried to recover airdropped supplies that had
accidentally fallen into the water.
Military divers found Sherman’s body a
week after the two disappeared.
The Army declared Islip as Duty Status
Whereabouts Unknown, or DUSTWUN.
Both soldiers were assigned to 1st
Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
Sherman’s relatives said they believe he
died after jumping into the river to try to save Islip.
Sherman’s wife, Patricia, said military
officials told her that the circumstances of his death
remain under investigation, but his family believes Sherman
died trying to rescue his friend.
“I know that day he jumped into the river
to try to save his comrade because he didn’t just see
another soldier in the water, he saw his brother,” his
sister Meredith said in a statement. “He didn’t jump in
because he was trained to, but because that’s what his heart
told him to do.”
Read the
JOINT SENATE RESOLUTION
regarding the loss of Sgt Islip |
Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of
Richmond, Va Nov 30, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13158
Remains of U.S. Paratrooper Found in
Afghanistan
American Forces Press
Service WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2009 - The remains of a
U.S. paratrooper reported missing since early this
month in western Afghanistan was recovered
yesterday, military officials said. The body of Army Sgt. Brandon Islip was recovered
from the Bala
Murgahab River in Badghis province after a local
Afghan resident
provided information on his whereabouts, officials
said.
Islip, a paratrooper with the Army's 82nd Airborne
Division, went
missing with another paratrooper Nov. 4 after being
swept away by a
fast-moving current while on an airdrop re-supply
mission in western
Afghanistan. The recovery comes weeks after British divers found
the body of
Islip's fellow soldier, Spc. Benjamin Sherman, who
was posthumously
promoted to the rank of sergeant. "The recovery of Sergeant Islip and Sergeant Sherman
would not have
been possible without the untiring support and
efforts of our fellow
international forces, the Afghan national security
forces and the
local people of Bala Murghab," said Col. Brian M.
Drinkwine, commander
of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, to which the two
soldiers were
assigned. A memorial service for the two paratroopers will be
held in
Afghanistan in the coming days, officials said. |
Sunday, November 29
2009 @ 12:28 AM MST
Contributed by:
James Van Thach
Views:: 95 |
Brandon T. Islip |
The
Virginian-Pilot -- It took four days
of searching in icy, fast-flowing
waters, but a team of divers out of
Joint Expeditionary Base Little
Creek-Fort Story successfully
recovered the body of a Richmond
Army sergeant from the Murghab River in northern Afghanistan last
month.
Sgt. Brandon Islip, 24, was swept
away by a fast-moving current while
on an airdrop resupply mission last
month.
The divers, from Mobile Diving
and Salvage Unit 2, Company 2-3,
spent four days searching the
Murghab River, in water as cold as
42 degrees and flowing as fast as 12
knots.
“We expected very challenging dive conditions, but everyone was
prepared mentally, and we were
determined to complete the mission
successfully,” Chief Warrant
Officer James Dertilis said.
Islip and Spc. Benjamin Sherman,
21, were swept away by the river
early last month when they tried to
recover airdropped supplies that had
fallen into the water. Sherman’s
body was recovered by British divers
on Nov. 10.
Visibility in the river was “at
6 inches or less,” said Petty
Officer 1st Class William Stetson.
He said the bottom was “rough and
uneven.”
“We worked through it and by the
second day we were able to crawl
along the bottom searching and
covering large areas,” he said.
Islip’s body was located on Nov. 29.
Islip’s body arrived at Dover
Air Force Base in Delaware on
Saturday afternoon. |
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