Sgt. James Slape, a soldier with the North Carolina National Guard’s 430th Ordnance Company, died Oct. 4 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, from an improvised explosive device. The unit had been in Afghanistan since April.

Shortly after his death, The New York Times, citing documents it obtained, reported that Slape’s unit had repeatedly requested better equipment and training but were denied both due to a lack of funds.

The Guard has since initiated an AR 15-6 investigation “into the training and equipping of the 430th EOD Company for their mobilization and deployment to Afghanistan,” Lt. Col. Wes Parmer, a Guard spokesman, confirmed to Army Times on Dec. 7. “As the investigation is ongoing, no additional details can be provided at this time.”

Prior his death, Slape’s unit had requested tools often used when clearing buried land mines and improvised bombs, the New York Times reported, though it remains unclear whether the lack of this equipment contributed to Slape’s death.

Before deploying, the 430th had to borrow equipment like rifle sights and radios from other National Guard units and received more items upon the soldiers’ arrival in theater.

Slape, 23, of Morehead City, North Carolina, died in southern Afghanistan, a volatile region where the Taliban have remained historically strong throughout the 17-year war in the country.

As an EOD tech, he was responding to help with a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle that had hit a roadside bomb.

Slape was reportedly sweeping around the vehicle for secondary explosives when he was killed by an explosion. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.

When they arrived downrange, the soldiers of the 430th still did not have the most advanced mine detectors that could locate bomb components the Taliban use, according to two officials who spoke to the New York Times.

That detector has reportedly been issued by many active-duty bomb disposal units, including some not deployed to conflict zones. The Times reported that much of the gear and training the 430th sought for their deployment was standard for active-duty troops.

In an October statement to the media regarding the 430th Ordnance Company, the Guard said the unit was “trained and ready” for its deployment when the unit was mobilized in April 2018.

The 430th also “received all required pre-mobilization training in addition to specialized training the unit requested prior to going on Title 10 Active Duty,” the Guard statement said.

That specialized training included homemade explosives training, electronic counter-measures training, ground sign awareness training and an investigative forensics course, culminating in a two-week mission rehearsal training exercise at Camp Blanding, Florida, in March, the Guard said.

First Army, which is tasked with training mobilizing units, validated the 430th’s training proficiency on May 7, the Guard said.

The Guard’s October statement also said the 430th received all of its required equipment, including specialized detectors it received upon arriving in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Leandro Jasso, 25, was deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. He was wounded by small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Khash Rod district, in Afghanistan’s Nimruz province.

He was immediately treated and medically evacuated to the nearest medical treatment facility, in Garmsir district, in neighboring Helmand province, where he died Saturday of his wounds, according to U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

The incident is under investigation.

Jasso was a team leader assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He was on his third deployment to Afghanistan.

A native of Leavenworth, Washington, Jasso enlisted in the Army in August 2012, according to USASOC. After completing initial entry training and airborne school, he successfully completed the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.

His awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Expert Infantryman Badge.

“Sgt. Jasso was a humble professional who placed the mission first, lived the Ranger Creed and will be deeply missed,” said Lt. Col. Rob McChrystal, commander of 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, in a statement.

Jasso is the 10th U.S. service member killed this year in Afghanistan.

Taylor, 39, was a military intelligence officer with Utah’s Joint Force Headquarters. He was serving with the Special Operations Joint Task Force in Afghanistan when he was killed, the Utah Guard said in a statement.

Another soldier was wounded in the same attack in Kabul. That soldier was reported to be in stable condition after receiving medical treatment at Bagram Airfield.

Initial reports indicate the attacker was a member of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said in a statement Saturday morning.

The attacker was immediately killed by other Afghan partner forces, according to reports received by USFOR-A.

The incident is under investigation.

“We are devastated by the loss of our mayor and friend, Brent Taylor,” according to a statement on the North Ogden City Facebook page. “Our hearts and thoughts go to Jennie, their children, and other family members as they deal with this tragic loss. We love them and hope they will feel the love and support of all of us in North Ogden.”

The site went on to describe the “profound influence” Taylor had on the community, a city of more than 17,000 people about 45 miles north of Salt Lake City.

“He was the best of men with the ability to see potential and possibility in everything around him,” according to the post. “We feel blessed to have had him as our mayor.”

Taylor deployed in January as part of an advisory team to train members of an Afghan commando battalion, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. He often posted updates on Facebook of the work he was doing with the Afghan soldiers, the newspaper reported.

His last Facebook post, on Oct. 28, highlighted a successful election in Afghanistan.

Taylor, a graduate of Brigham Young University, was commissioned in July 2006. He was on his fourth deployment, according to the Utah Guard. He deployed twice to Iraq, in 2006 and again in 2007, and served in Afghanistan in 2012.

He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, according to the Utah Guard.

On this most recent deployment, he deployed to Afghanistan as a combat adviser to the Afghan border police.

“Today we mourn the loss of a remarkable American,” said Maj. Gen. Jefferson Burton, the adjutant general of the Utah Guard, in a statement. “Major Brent R. Taylor was a patriot whose personal life resonated with excellence. From his commitment to education, to his passion for politics, Brent was dedicated to making a difference.”

“Devastating news,” Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox wrote on his Facebook page. “”I hate this. I’m struggling for words. I love Mayor Taylor, his amazing wife Jennie and his seven sweet kids. Utah weeps for them today. This war has once again cost us the best blood of a generation. We must rally around his family.”

“Brent was a hero, a patriot, a wonderful father, and a dear friend,” U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said on Twitter. “News of his death in Afghanistan is devastating. My prayers and love are with Jennie and his 7 young children. His service will always be remembered.”

The speaker of the Utah House of Representatives also paid tribute to Taylor.

“This is unbelievably tragic. Brent was the only person I personally knew who was able to share his deployment on social media,” Speaker Greg Hughes wrote on Facebook. “His pictures and descriptions gave me a deeper understanding of our military’s service and sacrifice. The last post I read was about Afghanistan’s free and open elections. Today, the humbling reality that freedom isn’t free is a bitter pill to swallow. God Bless Mayor Taylor and his family. We love, cherish and support you.”

This was the latest in a series of apparent insider attacks in Afghanistan in recent months. Just last month, an insider attack where Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was present, killed a key Afghan general and wounded an American one-star general.

In September, the senior enlisted soldier of 3rd Squadron, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade was killed in an insider attack. Another soldier from the SFAB was killed in July, also in an insider attack.

Sgt. James Slape, 23, died Thursday in Helmand province from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. He was deployed in support of Operations Resolute Support and Freedom’s Sentinel.

Slape, of Morehead City, North Carolina, was assigned to the 430th Explosive Ordnance Company, 60th Troop Command, of the North Carolina Army National Guard. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.

Slape’s unit deployed to Afghanistan in April and is scheduled to return to the U.S. in the spring.

Slape joined the North Carolina Guard in 2013 and, after training, graduated as an explosive ordnance specialist in 2015.

The incident is under investigation, officials said.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of Sgt. James Slape losing his life while serving our country,’ said Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, in a statement. “We honor his courage, his selfless service and we extend our deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers as we hold them firmly in our hearts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Former Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II, who had already received a Silver Star for his actions, will be honored with the nation’s highest award for valor by President Donald Trump during an Oct. 1 ceremony at the White House.

Shurer served as a Special Forces medic with 3rd Special Forces Group.

On April 6, 2008, Shurer and his team were assigned to take out high-value targets of the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin in Shok Valley, according to the Army.

As the soldiers moved through the valley, they were attacked by enemy machine gun, sniper and rocket-propelled grenade fire, according to the White House.

The lead assault element suffered several casualties and became pinned down on the mountainside. Shurer ran through enemy fire to treat a soldier who had been hit in the neck by shrapnel from an RPG blast.

He then fought for an hour through a barrage of bullets and enemy fighters and up the mountain to the rest of the lead element, the White House said.

There, Shurer treated and stabilized four more wounded soldiers before evacuating them, carrying and lowering them down the mountainside, using his body to shield them from enemy fire and debris, according to the White House.

He simultaneously fought the enemy and treated the wounded for several hours, including a teammate who had suffered a traumatic amputation to his right leg, according to the Army.

After loading the wounded soldiers into the medevac helicopter, Shurer took control of the remaining team and rejoined the fight.

Shurer was initially awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor. The award is being upgraded after an extensive review.

In January 2016, the Pentagon ordered the services to conduct a sweeping review of valor medals awarded since the 9/11 terror attacks and directed service leaders to determine whether individual military members were shortchanged in the medals they received.

Shurer joined the Army in 2002 and was deployed with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan from November 2007 to May 2008. He was honorably discharged in May 2009.

He went on to serve with the Secret Service, working as a special agent assigned to the Phoenix Field Office before being selected for the agency’s Counter Assault Team and assigned to its Special Operations Division.

He lives in Burke, Virginia, with his wife and two sons.

Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Bolyard, 42, of Thornton, West Virginia, was deployed with 3rd Squadron, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, according to a release.

He died from wounds sustained from small arms fire in Logar province, Afghanistan. One other soldier was wounded in the same attack. Officials said that soldier was in stable condition.

The incident is under investigation, but Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Kabul, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that the senior NCO was killed by a member of the Afghan national police force, the Associated Press reported.

Bolyard, who was on his seventh deployment, according to the Army, is the second SFAB soldier to be killed during the 1st SFAB’s maiden deployment to Afghanistan.

Cpl. Joseph Maciel, a 3rd Infantry Division soldier assigned to 1st SFAB’s force protection element died in July in another apparent insider attack.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Command. Sgt. Maj. Tim Bolyard. His selflessness and dedication to his country and fellow soldiers always will be remembered,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Landes, who commands the Security Force Assistance Command, in a statement. “The Bolyard family is in our prayers as we make every effort to honor them in memory of his ultimate sacrifice.”

Bolyard, who joined the Army in June 1994, was an armor/cavalry scout senior sergeant who served as the squadron command sergeant major for Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, of Fort Benning, Georgia, according to the Army.

His awards and decorations include six Bronze Star Medals, two of them with Valor, four Meritorious Service Medals, six Army Commendation Medals, nine Army Achievement Medals, the Iraq Campaign Medal with four Campaign Stars, the Kosovo Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star and the Combat Action Badge.

The name of the fallen service member will not be released until family members are notified. The wounded service member is in stable condition, according to officials from the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

“The sacrifice of our service member, who volunteered for a mission to Afghanistan to protect his country, is a tragic loss for all who knew and all who will now never know him,” said Army Gen. Scott Miller, who just on Sunday took command of Resolute Support and U.S. Forces–Afghanistan. “Our duty now is to honor him, care for his family and continue our mission.”

The U.S. service member killed Monday is the sixth American killed in Afghanistan this year.

His death comes less than one month after Sgt. 1st Class Reymund Transfiguracion, a Special Forces soldier with 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, died from wounds suffered in an improvised explosive device attack in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

And it comes as Afghan forces are struggling to contain a resurgent Taliban and an increasingly powerful Islamic State affiliate. The Taliban control several districts across Afghanistan, and both groups have launched a relentless wave of attacks in recent months.

“The world recognizes Afghanistan cannot be a safe haven for terrorism, the world recognizes that we cannot fail. I know this has been a long fight, and it has been generations for us, for the Afghan people,” said Miller, who most recently led the Joint Special Operations Command, during the change of command ceremony Sunday in Kabul.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sgt. 1st Class Reymund Transfiguracion, 36, of Waikoloa, Hawaii, died Sunday, five days after he was wounded while conducting combat patrol operations, the Pentagon and U.S. Army Special Operations Command announced Monday. The incident is under investigation.

He was an engineer sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He deployed to Afghanistan in March.

Transfiguracion enlisted as a motor transport operator in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2001. He deployed with the Guard to Iraq from 2005 to 2006.

He transferred to the active Army in 2008 and deployed to Iraq again. After that deployment, Transfiguracion was stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he deployed to the Philippines for six months in 2010 and 2011.

After his assignment in Hawaii, Transfiguracion retrained and became a horizontal construction engineer and was assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana. Transfiguracion was selected for Special Forces while he was at Fort Polk, and after completing training was assigned to 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Transfiguracion’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Special Forces Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Basic Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

He was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class and awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

President Donald Trump will present the medal during a White House ceremony Aug. 22. Chapman’s wife, Valerie Nessel, and his family will attend the ceremony.

Chapman will be the first airman to receive a Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for actions since the Vietnam War. He will be honored for his actions on March 4, 2002, on Takur Ghar mountain in Afghanistan, according to the White House.

Chapman’s award comes just three months after retired Navy Master Chief Britt Slabinski, a former Navy SEAL, received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the same battle. The award for Slabinski stirred some controversy when it was announced, as news reports surfaced that the SEALs left the badly wounded Chapman on the mountaintop, thinking he was dead.

On March 4, 2002, during a helicopter insertion, Chapman’s aircraft came under heavy enemy fire and was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, according to the White House. One teammate was ejected from the aircraft, and the crippled helicopter crash landed in the valley below.

Chapman and the remaining joint special operations team members voluntarily returned to the snow-capped mountain, into the heart of a known enemy stronghold, in an attempt to rescue their stranded teammate, according to the White House. Chapman charged into enemy fire through harrowing conditions, seized an enemy bunker, and killed its enemy occupants.

He then moved from cover to engage a machine gun firing on his team from a second bunker. While engaging this position, he was severely wounded by enemy gunfire. Despite severe wounds, he continued to fight relentlessly, sustaining a violent engagement with multiple enemy personnel before paying the ultimate sacrifice, according to the White House.

Chapman is credited with saving the lives of his teammates, according to the White House.

“Tech. Sgt. John Chapman earned America’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor, for the actions he performed to save fellow Americans on a mountain in Afghanistan more than 16 years ago,” Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said in a statement. “He will forever be an example of what it means to be one of America’s best and bravest airmen.”

Chapman originally received an Air Force Cross, the second-highest valor award an airman can receive, for his heroism during the March 4, 2002, battle against al Qaida fighters. But newly enhanced video from a Predator drone showed more evidence that Chapman was not dead, but instead unconscious, when the team of Navy SEALs withdrew from the battle under withering fire.

Slabinski told the New York Times in 2016 that he crawled to Chapman but detected no response and thought he was dead before he retreated down the mountain’s face.

The Air Force’s video analysis suggested Chapman regained consciousness and resumed fighting al Qaida members approaching on three sides. Chapman is believed to have crawled into a bunker, shot and killed an enemy fighter charging at him, and killed another enemy fighter in hand-to-hand combat.

This new evidence prompted former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James in 2016 to recommend his Air Force Cross be upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

Retired Delta Force commander Maj. Gen. Gary Harrell was quoted by the Times saying that if anyone thought Chapman was still alive, “we would have been trying to move heaven and earth to get him out of there.”

Harrell also cautioned anyone against armchair-quarterbacking the harrowing events, or the men who endured them.

“It’s easy to say, ‘well, I’d never leave someone behind,’” Harrell was quoted as saying. “It’s a lot harder when you’re getting your ass shot off.”

Chapman joined the Air Force in September 1985 as an information systems operator, according to the White House. He later volunteered to be a combat controller and was an expert in reconnaissance operations, air traffic control, and terminal attack control operations.

“Tech. Sgt. John Chapman fought tenaciously for his nation and his teammates on that hill in Afghanistan,” Air Force Chief of Staff General Dave Goldfein said in a statement. “His inspiring story is one of selfless service, courage, perseverance, and honor as he fought side by side with his fellow soldiers and sailors against a determined and dug-in enemy. Tech. Sgt. Chapman represents all that is good, all that is right, and all that is best in our American airmen.”

The Medal of Honor for Chapman is a “huge deal” for the Air Force special tactics community, Master Sgt. Robert Gutierrez, an Air Force combat controller who himself was recognized with the Air Force Cross, recently told reporters.

“We are very fortunate to even have someone who’s already up for the Medal of Honor: John Chapman — huge deal for us,” he said.

Cpl. Joseph Maciel, 20, died Saturday in Tarin Kowt district in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province. Two other soldiers were wounded in the attack, which is under investigation.

Maciel, of South Gate, California, was an infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The soldiers from Task Force 1-28 Infantry are deployed in support of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, a specialized unit of Army advisers who are deployed to train, advise and assist Afghan forces.

The soldiers are supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

Maciel served in the Army for two years, and Fort Benning was his first assignment, according to information released by the 3rd Infantry Division.

He had been deployed to Afghanistan since February. He is survived by his parents.

Maciel’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Achievement Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

“Cpl. Maciel was an excellent soldier beloved by his teammates and dedicated to our mission,” said Lt. Col. David Conner, Maciel’s battalion commander, in a statement. “He will be greatly missed by the entire Black Lion family. Our prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”