# 3 MARSOC Marines, dog die in Afghan blaze



## unguided (Aug 4, 2011)

From Marine Corps Times,

By Andrew deGrandpre - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Aug 3, 2011 18:09:32 EDT

Three Marine Corps special operators died Sunday along with a military dog after their living quarters caught fire in western Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Patrick R. Dolphin, 29, Sgt. Dennis E. Kancler, 26, and Sgt. Christopher M. Wrinkle, 29, were killed in Herat province, according to a Defense Department news release issued late Wednesday. All three were assigned to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command’s 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
MARSOC officials said only that the men died in a “non-combat” incident, and that the matter is being investigated by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.
But other sources with knowledge of the mishap told Marine Corps Times that the men died in a house fire.
A fourth MARSOC Marine and an Army special operator sustained unspecified injures as a result of the incident, said Maj. Jeffrey Landis, a MARSOC spokesman. It’s unclear whether they were evacuated from Afghanistan, he said.
A military dog also died in the incident, Landis said. He declined to comment on whether a fire caused the deaths.
Dolphin, of Moscow, Pa., worked as an element leader within the battalion, Landis said. He leaves behind a wife, according to media reports from his hometown.
Kancler, of Brecksville, Ohio, was a joint terminal attack controller. The son of Brecksville’s former police chief, he left the Corps a few years ago before deciding to re-enlist, local media reported.
Wrinkle, of Dallastown, Pa., was a dog handler. He leaves behind a fiancée, according to local media.
Few details have emerged about the Marines’ mission in Herat province. Security for the region, which borders Iran, transitioned from NATO to Afghan control in late July. Taliban and other groups opposed to government rule have been blamed for the abductions of well-known political and business leaders there, according to report on the province published late last year by the Naval Postgraduate School.
Corruption and rising violence between drug smugglers and Iranian operatives were cited as other security concerns.
Landis said the Marines were on a routine deployment. For MARSOC, that can mean a variety of missions, to include foreign internal defense — that is, “helping the government prosper and protect itself from insurgencies, lawlessness and subversion,” he said.
“These were some multi-dimensional operators,” Landis said. “They were carrying out the silent success we expect of Marines of this caliber.”

Rest in Peace Marines


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## DA SWO (Aug 4, 2011)

Damn.


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## Muppet (Aug 4, 2011)

R.I.P. Marines.

F.M.


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## Dame (Aug 4, 2011)

Rest in peace.
.
.
.
Personal note: Please gentlemen, please, do not overload your electrical capacity out there. I have heard of more "house" fires than I can tell you due to all the gerry-rigged extensions on electrical sockets that were built by locals and not up to US codes to begin with.


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## mike_cos (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP Marines....


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## AWP (Aug 4, 2011)

Damn....

Blue Skies


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## Teufel (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP Marines


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## policemedic (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP.


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## RackMaster (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP.


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## Gypsy (Aug 4, 2011)

Damn it.

RIP.


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## Hitman2/3 (Aug 4, 2011)

Damn, just saw these guys on my out. RIP brothers.


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## TLDR20 (Aug 4, 2011)

This is shit news. RIP warriors.


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## surgicalcric (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP Marines...Rest - In - Peace!


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## Red Flag 1 (Aug 4, 2011)

Rest In The Peace and Mercy of God, Marines; all four of you.


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## Scotth (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP Marines


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## Robal2pl (Aug 4, 2011)

Sad news....RIP.


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## JBS (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP, Marines. Semper Fi.


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## BearW (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP gunfighters


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## tova (Aug 4, 2011)

RIP, Godspeed, PBS....


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## Cochise (Aug 5, 2011)

RIP, brothers.


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## LibraryLady (Aug 5, 2011)

RIP Marines.

LL


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## SgtUSMC8541 (Aug 5, 2011)

RIP my bothers.  Semper Fi.


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## The91Bravo (Aug 5, 2011)

Rest Easy Marines.  Sad Sad story.


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## is friday (Aug 5, 2011)

RIP Marines. Semper Fi.


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## moobob (Aug 6, 2011)

RIP Marines. More bad news coming soon on the Army side of the house.


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## AWP (Aug 6, 2011)

moobob said:


> RIP Marines. More bad news coming soon on the Army side of the house.



Yeah...


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## Ranger_Smoothie (Aug 6, 2011)

Rest Easy Brothers.


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## Sicilian Lass (Aug 7, 2011)

So much loss in so short a time span. Heartbreaking.

RIP


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