South Florida Soldier Among 4 Americans Killed In Syria Bombing
Farmer, Kent and Wirtz all died "as a result of wounds sustained from a suicide improvised explosive device," according to the military.
The fourth American killed in Syria was a contractor supporting the Defense Department, according to a Pentagon spokesman. The Pentagon will not release his name since he was not military.
Farmer joined the U.S. Army on March 30, 2005. He attended One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Georgia in 2005 followed by the Special Forces Qualification Course. He graduated in 2007 as a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant and was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), where he remained throughout his career.
Farmer was selected to attend the Special Forces Warrant Officer Candidate School, where he earned his commission in 2016. Following graduation, he was selected to serve as an Assistant Detachment Commander.
Farmer served on six overseas combat tours. Twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October 2007 and January 2009; once in support of Operation New Dawn in August 2010; once in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from January 2012; and twice in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in January 2018 and January 2019 until his passing.
Farmer's military education includes One Station Unit Training, the Basic Airborne Course, Survival Evasion Resistance Escape Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, the Advanced Special Operations Technical Course, the Advanced Leader's Course, Special Forces Warrant Officer Candidate School, the Special Forces Warrant Officer Basic Course, and the Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification Course.
Farmer's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal with "C" Device, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon with one campaign star, Iraqi Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO medal, Special Forces Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Farmer is survived by his spouse, four children, and his parents.
Kent was a sailor assigned to Cryptologic Warfare Activity 66, based at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Wirtz, a former US Navy SEAL, was an intelligence expert in Syria with the troops hoping to collect information about security and adversaries in the area.
The bombing is still under investigation.
The US initial assessment is that ISIS is responsible for the bombing.
The explosion in the northern city of Manbij Wednesday killed the four Americans and at least 10 other people. Eight civilians and two fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces were killed in the blast, a senior commander from the Manbij military council told CNN.
The US-led coalition Operation Inherent Resolve said Wednesday that the service members were "conducting a routine patrol" at the time of the explosion. Three other US service members were injured in the attack.
The attack came less than a month after President Donald Trump announced that US troops would withdraw from Syria.
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