Married Army Ranger, 26, dies in Afghanistan, becoming first military fatality of 2019

According to Meddock’s hometown newspaper, the High Plains Observer, he leaves behind a wife, Stephanie, who is expecting the couple's first child. (Instagram)

An Army Ranger from the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, part of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), died Thursday in a military hospital from wounds received during a raid in Afghanistan, the Pentagon confirmed Friday.

Sgt. Cameron Meddock, 26, died in Landstuhl, Germany of injuries sustained from small-arms fire Jan. 13 in Badghis Province, Afghanistan. It was his second deployment.

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Meddock's death marks the first U.S. military fatality in Afghanistan in 2019. There are about 14,000 U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. (Handout)

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“Sergeant Cameron Meddock is one of America’s precious sons. The entire nation should strive to emulate the warrior, patriot and husband that Cameron was," Col. Brandon Tegtmeier, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, said in a statement. “The 75th Ranger Regiment will forever honor Sergeant Cameron Meddock, and his family will forever be a member of our Ranger family.”

Meddock's death marks the first U.S. military fatality in Afghanistan in 2019. There are about 14,000 U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. Troops are there mostly to aid the Afghan military in its fight against the Taliban and an ISIS-affiliated groups.

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According to Meddock’s hometown newspaper, the High Plains Observer, he leaves behind a wife, Stevie, who is expecting the couple's first child.

Meddock received numerous awards and decorations including the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation for Combat, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, the Ranger Tab, the Parachutist Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Army Times reported.

According to Khaama Press, the largest news agency in Afghanistan, the area Meddock was wounded has been largely stable. In recent years however, an ISIS offshoot, the Islamic State-Khurasan, has developed a foothold in some of the province’s remote districts. At least 10 ISIS-K militants were killed during an operation in Badghis, the Khaama Press reported.