The US Department of Defense has confirmed the death of Lance Corporal Noah M. Pier, 25, of Charlotte, North Carolina. Lance Corporal Pier was killed on February 16, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Clicking on the above photo will take you to a 65 photo slide show of US Marines
in the Afghan city of Marjah. Photos by Andrea Bruce-The Washington Post
According to a Tuesday statement released by NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), our Marine was killed by a hidden Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in city of Marjah Afghanistan.
Additional sources reported;"An ISAF service member was killed in an IED strike in southern Afghanistan today," a brief statement said. "This is an Operation Mushtarak-related casualty."
Noah Pier is the third Marine from Bravo Company, 1st battalion, 3rd regiment who has died from injuries incurred from a roadside bomb blast while in Marjah. The casualties of US and international forces in Afghanistan are on the rise as the US-led military operations launched against a Taliban bastion in the Marjah district of southern Helmand province continue.
Earlier on Tuesday, an ISAF press release said that two other US Marines had died on Monday, following IED strikes in the same area of southern Afghanistan.
Noah Pier was the tenth death announced by the coalition forces since the operation Mushtarak started.
Noah's death brings to 77 the number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan so far, this year.
“Most of the IEDs we’ve found were concentrated on the routes of entry into the city, though we are still finding IEDs throughout the Marjah,” said Maj. Billy Moore, Executive Officer of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment which is also operating in the area.
Major Moore, also noted that the bombs deeper in the city are still very powerful and dangerous.
According to a Marine Corps spokesman Noah had served one previous tour in Iraq and had deployed to Afghanistan in November.
Lance Corporal Noah M. Pier has been awarded the Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
And we are a grateful nation of neighbors who proudly stand with his family and honor his service.
Additional Condolences from the Patriot Guard can be found here.
