# Two 3rd Group soldiers KIA



## MilkTruckCoPilot (Feb 15, 2014)

SFC Roberto Skelt and Spc John Pelham

Blue Skies brothers...

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20...Special-Forces-soldiers-killed-insider-attack



The Defense Department has identified two soldiers killed earlier this week in an insider attack in Afghanistan as members of 3rd Special Forces Group.
Spc. John Pelham, 22, of Portland, Ore., and Sgt. First Class Roberto Skelt, 41, of York, Fla., belonged to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, N.C. Pelham was with Headquarters Company and Skelt was with Company C.
They died Wednesday, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when they were struck by enemy small arms fire, according to the Defense Department news release published today.
Defense officials said earlier in the week that two service members were killed and four were wounded in an attack Wednesday by gunmen wearing Afghan security force uniforms in eastern Afghanistan. The soldiers were not identified at the time.
A defense official confirmed for Army Times on Friday that the slain service members were Skelt and Pelham.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack, which is the latest in a string of incidents in which Afghan troops turned their weapons on their supposed allies.
The officials said four Afghans involved in the attack were killed in the ensuing battle.
The frequency of these insider attacks has declined markedly in recent months. At the height of the problem, in 2012, U.S. and coalition troops were more often fighting and training alongside their Afghan partners; the relationship evolved last year with the Afghans taking a lead combat role. That has put the Americans and other coalition troops in a less visible position as advisers.
The international coalition said in a brief written statement in Kabul that two members of the international military coalition were shot to death by two gunmen wearing Afghan uniforms, but it did not provide the nationalities of the dead.
Skelt enlisted in October 1990 as a signal support systems specialist, graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course as a Special Forces engineer sergeant in 2005 and deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Yemen with 3rd Group.
Skelt went on to serve at the Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (A), Fort Bragg. He was recently reassigned to 3rd SFG (A).
Skelt‘s awards include the Bronze Star Medal (3rd Oak Leaf Cluster), the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Commendation Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster) and others.
He is survived by his wife and two sons, his parents, a brother and two sisters.
Pelham enlisted as a signal intelligence analyst in July 2011 and was assigned to 3rd Group in February.
His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal and others.
Pelham, who was on his second tour in Afghanistan, was engaged to be married, his family told KPTV News.
His father, Wendall Pelham, said his son often told his family, “‘I’ve never been happier. I’ve never been more at peace with who I am and what I’m doing.’”


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## ZmanTX (Feb 15, 2014)

RIP.
Condolences to the family and friends of these men.


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## Polar Bear (Feb 15, 2014)

RIP not been a good couple of weeks for the 3rd, this Young man lived down the road from me. 
http://www.fayobserver.com/military/article_c4b3923c-0960-5c53-88ab-d57f844fb363.html?mode=jqm 
We need to leave this shit hole unless we are willing to give 110%


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## policemedic (Feb 15, 2014)

RIP.


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## HALO99 (Feb 15, 2014)

Rest in Peace brothers.


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## rlowery60 (Feb 16, 2014)

RIP brothers


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## Brill (Feb 16, 2014)

SPC Pelham was a SOT-B.

RIP.


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## Viper1 (Feb 16, 2014)

Rest in peace brothers.  Watch over us, until we meet again....


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## Ooh-Rah (Feb 16, 2014)

So sad to read this. God bless you and my sincere thanks for your service and sacrifice.


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## DA SWO (Feb 16, 2014)

RIP.


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## SkrewzLoose (Feb 16, 2014)

Fair winds and following seas.  Rest easy, Warriors.


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## racing_kitty (Feb 16, 2014)

Fair winds and following seas.


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## pardus (Feb 16, 2014)

RIP.


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## RackMaster (Feb 16, 2014)

RIP.


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## Gypsy (Feb 17, 2014)

Rest in Peace Warriors.


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## Red Flag 1 (Feb 17, 2014)

Rest In God's Own Peace, Warriors.


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## CDG (Feb 18, 2014)

RIP.


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## ManBearPig (Feb 18, 2014)

Rest In Peace.


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## Squidward (Mar 2, 2014)

Rest easy warriors


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## x SF med (Mar 2, 2014)

DOL men.... Blue skies, RIP.


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## johnstone66 (Mar 20, 2014)

R.I.P. Keep marching


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## JHD (Mar 20, 2014)

Rest in peace.  Prayers out to family and friends.


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## AKkeith (Mar 20, 2014)

Rest in peace warriors.


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## LogDog0402 (Mar 21, 2014)

Rest In Peace.


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