WASHINGTON, DC. (THECOUNT) — Master Sgt. Luis F. Deleon-Figueroa, 31, and Master Sgt. Jose J. Gonzalez, 35, have been identified as the Green Berets killed Wednesday during combat operations in Afghanistan.
The soldiers died as a result of small arms fire in northern Faryab Province. Both were members of 7th Special Forces Group, which is based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, according to U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command.
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“It was an honor having them serve within the ranks,” said Col. John W. Sannes, commander of 7th Group. “They were a part of our Family, and will not be forgotten.”
Deleon-Figueroa was from Chicopee, Massachusetts, and served in the Army for more than 13 years. He became a Green Beret in 2014, and deployed twice to Afghanistan and twice to South America. Previously, he had done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an infantry soldier.
He was posthumously promoted to master sergeant, and he received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
Gonzalez, a native of La Puente, California, also joined 7th Group in 2014. He was also posthumously promoted to Master Sergeant. His family requested that no photo or additional information be released, reports 12NEWS.
Geo quick facts: Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in South-Central Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and in the far northeast, China – Wikipedia.