Afghanistan

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A soldier from Springfield was injured in Afghanistan just days before her 20th birthday last Saturday. Pfc. Amanda Larimore, a 2009 graduate of Hillcrest High School, is a Military Police officer who found herself in the middle of an hours-long attack.  She suffered several injuries but is now reunited with her company, and her parents are breathing a sigh of relief. Larimore's parents in Springfield are proud of her decision to enlist. "She told me she needed my blessing, not my permission,” said Joe Larimore, Amanda’s father.

A soldier from Cabool has suffered critical injuries while serving in Afghanistan.  Sergeant Jesse McCart will be transferred back to a military hospital in the United States, after he was wounded by an IED.  McCart's wife and three children live in Cabool.  He was deployed to Afghanistan in March of this year.  McCart served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2009.  A fund to help benefit Sergeant McCart has been set up at Cabool State Bank.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A mid-Missouri soldier has died from wounds he suffered earlier this month while serving in Afghanistan.       The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that 34-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Charles M. Sadell died Sunday at National Naval Medical Center in Maryland.       Sadell was wounded Oct. 5 at Arif Kala, Afghanistan, when insurgents used an improvised explosive device to attack his unit.       KXEO-AM reports that Sadell was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y.        COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)

LOCKWOOD, Mo -- The Dade County Sheriff's Department and the Lockwood Police Department confirm they are investigating the death of Chad Clayton. Clayton was taken to the hospital on July 15 after sustaining severe injuries. He remained on life support throughout the weekend and passed away on July 17. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and would not release any other details. Meanwhile, those that were close to Clayton confirm he was in the National Guard. He served in the 203rd Engineering Battalion.

GREEN FOREST, Ark. -- Family members say U.S. Navy SEAL Tommy Ratzlaff of Green Forest was killed in action in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Saturday.  That crash killed 38 people, 30 of whom were Americans and 22 of whom were Navy SEALs. Relatives say it was Ratzlaff's childhood dream to serve his country.  Ratzlaff joined the Navy in 1995 out of high school.  A year later he was in SEAL training. Ratzlaff's sister said Ratzlaff would appreciate the well-wishes his family has received but added, "Tommy would want the focus of his sacrifice to be on the cause, not on the sacrifice itself.

ROLLA, Mo. -- The Department of Defense formally announced the death of a soldier from Rolla on Tuesday.  Pfc. Richard L. McNulty III was fighting in Bowri Tana, Afghanistan, when his vehicle was hit by a bomb on Sunday.  Sgt. Brian L. Walker , 25, of Lucerne Valley, Calif., also died in the explosion. McNulty, 22, was a 2008 graduate of Rolla High School, where he played soccer.  His family learned of his death on Sunday.  Relatives declined to do formal interviews on Monday, and also asked people at the high school not to talk to reporters about him. McNulty is survived by his wife, Hannah, as well as parents and siblings.  His wife is due to deliver a child in a couple of months.

WASHINGTON --  The Department of Defense confirmed today the death of a Soldier from the Ozarks who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  Staff Sgt. Tyler J. Smith, 24, of Licking, Mo., died April 3, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when he was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device.  Smith was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division,...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Army Sergeant Amy Newman struggles to explain precisely why she wishes she had been allowed to serve in a combat arms unit and be on the "front lines" in Afghanistan. "It's just something I always wanted to do," she says. "I always wanted to do that. " As it was, her deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 was cut short by injury.  She was flown home on a medical evacuation after nine months at war. "It's war.  Mortars, rocket attacks, no matter where you are. " While the Defense Department says it will be changing its policy banning women in combat, the change is several years from taking affect.  It comes too late for those serving in the current conflict in Afghanistan and too late for Newman.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.--  Forty men and women returned home to Fort Leonard Wood from Afghanistan on Monday afternoon, just in time to spend Christmas with their families.  The group deployed last year just before Christmas, on Dec. 8.  One year later, all of them are back -- and everyone is safe and excited about getting to see their loved ones. "Supposedly at 1600 (4 p.m.) I'll be reunited with my family and then hopefully we can go home and have a good night," said 1st Lt. Edward Guardo after the company flew into Springfield before heading to Ft. Wood.

GREEN FOREST, Ark. -- It was standing room only at First Assembly of God Church on Tuesday.  Family and Friends gathered to remember Senior Chief Tommy Ratzlaff, a Navy SEAL.  Ratzlaff was killed along with 29 other U.S. servicemen in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Aug. 6. At the Cattleman's Restaurant, people remembered Ratzlaff for his efforts on the football field, his enthusiasm, and his heart. "It is a loss, but he's touched so many people and he served this country with great honor.  We are so proud of him for that," said former football coach Jim Atkinson.