A Special Forces soldier has died from wounds suffered in an improvised explosive device attack in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Reymund Transfiguracion, 36, of Waikoloa, Hawaii, died Sunday, five days after he was wounded while conducting combat patrol operations, the Pentagon and U.S. Army Special Operations Command announced Monday. The incident is under investigation.
He was an engineer sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He deployed to Afghanistan in March.
Transfiguracion enlisted as a motor transport operator in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2001. He deployed with the Guard to Iraq from 2005 to 2006.
He transferred to the active Army in 2008 and deployed to Iraq again. After that deployment, Transfiguracion was stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he deployed to the Philippines for six months in 2010 and 2011.
After his assignment in Hawaii, Transfiguracion retrained and became a horizontal construction engineer and was assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana. Transfiguracion was selected for Special Forces while he was at Fort Polk, and after completing training was assigned to 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Transfiguracion’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Special Forces Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Basic Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
He was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class and awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
