Fordyce, James Floyd

James Floyd Fordyce was a 22-year-old sergeant from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He served as a CH-53E helicopter crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 (HMH-464), Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

On February 17, 2006, Sgt. Fordyce was killed when the CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter he was aboard crashed in a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan. The crash occurred near the town of Asadabad in Kunar Province, close to the Pakistani border. All ten U.S. service members on board died in the incident. The Department of Defense stated the cause was not hostile fire, attributing it to an accident during a mission in support of combat operations.

Fordyce's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By early 2006, the conflict had entered a phase of intensified counterinsurgency operations, particularly in the volatile eastern provinces. Casualties from helicopter crashes, often due to the demanding high-altitude terrain and harsh weather, were a documented hazard of the war.

Following the crash, the bodies of the ten Marines were recovered and repatriated. Sgt. Fordyce was posthumously awarded the Air Medal with a combat 'V' device for valor. His remains were returned to Pennsylvania, where he was buried with military honors.

Sgt. Fordyce is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists and by his unit. His name is inscribed on the Wall of the Fallen at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Sgt. Fordyce was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Santos, Dave Michael Maliksi, Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif.

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