Wednesday, August 22, 2012

R.I.P. - Sgt. 1st Class Coater B. Debose

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. 1st Class Coater B. Debose, 55, of State Line, Miss., died Aug. 19 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

            Debose was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, 1st Army Division East, Camp Shelby, Miss.

            For more information, media may contact the 1st Army Division East Public Affairs, Fort Meade, Md., at 301-833-8457 or 240-678-6296.

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A Mississippi father and grandfather is the second Mississippian - and the 32nd of the U.S. and coalition forces - to die by "insider attack" in Afghanistan.

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Coater B. Debose, 55, of State Line was killed Sunday in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from small arms fire while conducting security force assistance operations.

The incident occurred when two Afghan policemen reportedly opened fire on a group of coalition and Afghan troops.

The gunfire also killed a police sergeant and wounded an Afghan interpreter. One of the shooters was killed in return fire and the other escaped, Afghan officials told the Los Angeles Times.

Debose's commanding officer, Col. Christopher Forbes of the 158th Infantry Brigade, declined comment on the specifics surrounding Debose's death.

"It would be very inappropriate of me to discuss anything at this time until the investigation is complete," he said.

Debose, a communications sergeant, was assigned to the 2nd of the 351st Infantry Regiment, 158th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East. He deployed in April to assist and train Afghan uniformed police in and around Kandahar.

Debose joined the Alabama Army National Guard in May 1983. He transferred to the Army Reserves in 2008. Family members say Debose served in the military for more than 27 years including his service in the Coast Guard.

Forbes said Debose often spoke of the joy military service brought him.

"He's been a soldier for a long time, and he absolutely loved soldiering," Forbes said.

A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-2005, Debose is also one of the older U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

"He was 55 years old and probably one of the most fit soldiers we had ... just a great, physically fit example for our younger soldiers," Forbes said. "They all looked up to him, and he was never afraid to go out of his way and mentor them. He was just a special guy."

Forbes said Debose had been training guard and reserve forces for mobilization at Camp Shelby for the past four years.

"Just about everybody in the brigade knew Sgt. 1st Class Coater Debose - just a great leader, great patriot."

A release from Camp Shelby said he is survived by his wife, Juanita; and children Latravis Debose of Moss Point, Caronica Jackson of Hattiesburg, Christopher Debose of Parris Island, S.C., Nekeshia Raybon of Wright Patterson Air Force Base Dayton, Ohio, and Broderick Debose of Petal.

read more: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120822/NEWS01/208220323/Miss-soldier-dies-Afghanistan
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