MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. —
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — An Air Force major assigned to the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Carson, Colo. died Wednesday from injuries sustained during a suicide bomb attack in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, according to officials at Moody Air Force Base.
Maj. Walter D. Gray, 38, of Conyers, Ga., was an Air Liaison Officer and flight commander for the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron, a geographically-separated unit of the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing headquartered at Moody.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned Wednesday’s attack by two men wearing suicide vests in the eastern Kunar province.
Clinton’s statement said USAID foreign service officer Ragaei Abdelfattah, three coalition service members and an Afghan civilian were killed. A State Department diplomat was injured.
Clinton said the tragic incident “strengthens our resolve to continue working with the Afghan people to build their economy, democratic institutions, rule of law and security so that Afghanistan can stand on its own as a stable, secure, and increasingly prosperous country.”
“Maj. Gray’s ultimate sacrifice is a tragic loss for the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing family,” said Col. Samuel Milam, wing commander. “He was a tremendous officer and leader. Our most heartfelt sympathies are with the Gray family and the airmen of the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron during this difficult time.”
Gray was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and his unit was responsible for integrating combat airpower into ground operations.
Gray was commissioned in October 1997 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps after previously serving as an enlisted Airman. He became one of the Air Force’s first career Air Liaison Officers, and was the career field’s second highest ranking officer,
after serving for several years as an Airfield Operations officer.
The other two servicemen killed were identified as Army Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy, 35, of West Point, N.Y., and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin, 45, of Laramie, Wyo.
Griffin and Kennedy were assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Griffin joined the Army in 1988, Fort Carson officials said. He had deployed to Iraq three times since 2003 and also served in the Balkans and Kuwait. His deployment to Afghanistan had started March 13.
Kennedy joined the Army in 2000 and had deployed to Iraq twice. His deployment to Afghanistan had just begun July 18.
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