Texas Servicemember Deaths Overseas
The Department of Defense confirmed that 6,437 U.S. service personnel have died in Iraq and Afghanistan as of May 17. Photo by Simrat Sharma/KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Department of Defense released the name of two Texas military personnel who died overseas this week.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jorge Luis Velasquez of Houston died in a non-combat related incident in Bahrain this week. He was 35 years old.
Petty Officer Velasquez enlisted in the Navy in 2000. He had been in Bahrain since last April. According to the Houston Chronicle, Velasquez leaves behind three younger sisters who said he was the man of the house and the life of the party.
Funeral arrangements had not been announced as of Thursday afternoon.
Twenty-two-year-old Marine Sergeant Wade Wilson died in combat in Afghanistan on May 11. Wilson was from Leona, located northeast of Bryan. He was based in at Camp Pendleton, California.
Sergeant Wilson joined the Marine Corps in 2007 after graduating from Centerville High School. This was his second deployment to Afghanistan. Sergeant Wilson leaves behind his parents and siblings, who say he was fun-loving and a real gentleman.
Funeral services are set for tomorrow.
The Department of Defense confirmed that 6,437 U.S. service personnel have died in Iraq and Afghanistan as of May 17. Of these, 573 were from Texas.
Podcast: Download (1.9MB)
