Sgt. Maj. James G. “Ryan” Sartor, a Special Forces company sergeant major, was killed in Afghanistan Saturday, according to the Department of Defense.
Sartor, 40, was killed in Faryab Province from injuries sustained from enemy fire during a combat operation, officials said in a statement Sunday morning.
“Ryan was a beloved warrior who epitomized the quiet professional,” Col. Brian R. Rauen, the commander of 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), said in a statement. “He led his soldiers from the front and his presence will be terribly missed.”
Sartor, from Teague, Texas, enlisted in June 2001 and deployed to Iraq a year later. He deployed six more times to both Iraq and Afghanistan between 2006 and 2019.
Among Sartor’s awards were a Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
He will posthumously be awarded the Purple Heart Medal and Bronze Star Medal, the Army said.
Late last month, two U.S. soldiers, Master Sgt. Micheal B. Riley, 32, of Heilbronn, Germany, and Sgt. James G. Johnston, 24, of Trumansburg, New York, were killed in Afghanistan.
———
© 2019 New York Daily News
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
