Peter A McKenna Jr

Bristol, Rhode Island

August 7, 2015

Age

Military

Rank

Unit/Location

Army

MSgt

1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group

Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

Killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds when he was attacked by enemy small arms fire.

From Alabama al.com 08/09/15:

Eglin AFB special forces soldier killed in attack in Afghanistan

Debbie M. Lord
August 09, 2015 at 8:47 AM, updated August 09, 2015 at 8:55 AM

A soldier assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base was killed and another injured in attacks on a coalition facility in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday.
Master Sgt. Peter A. McKenna Jr., 35, of Bristol, Rhode Island, died Friday when his post near the airport in Kabul was attacked, the Department of Defense reported.
The attack killed McKenna and eight Afghan contractors, NATO spokesman Col. Brian Tribus said. The Afghan Interior Ministry said the assault wounded 10 local security guards, while three insurgents were killed.
McKenna had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin AFB.
The series of attacks in Kabul Friday included a massive truck bombing targeting a residential area in the capital, killed at least 44 people and wounded more than 300. Two other attacks included a suicide bomber attacking recruits outside a police academy, as well as the attack on the NATO base.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that in eastern Nangarhar province, a roadside bomb killed a traffic police officer and a civilian and wounded three near a checkpoint in Surkh Rod district.
President Ashraf Ghani promised to retaliate against the perpetrators and linked the Kabul attacks to the recent announcement by his government that Taliban figurehead Mullah Mohammad Omar had been dead for more than two years.
The identify of the injured soldier has not been released.

From the Stars and Stripes stripes.com 08/09/15:

Army Green Beret from Rhode Island killed in Afghanistan

Associated Press
Published: August 9, 2015

BRISTOL, R.I. — An Army Green Beret from Rhode Island has been killed in Afghanistan just a month after he was honored at the historic Fourth of July parade in his hometown of Bristol.

The 7th Special Forces Group to which he was assigned said Sunday that Master Sgt. Peter Andrew McKenna Jr., 35, died Friday in Kabul during an attack on a NATO facility. The Pentagon said he was struck by enemy small arms fire.

McKenna, a 17-year Army veteran, had also served in Iraq and been awarded the Bronze Star with V device for heroism in combat operations, as well as the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He was serving at the operations rank of 1st Sergeant during his deployment in Afghanistan.

Rhode Island U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, who announced McKenna's death Saturday night, had joined state Rep. Raymond Gallison at the Bristol parade, one of the nation's oldest Independence Day celebrations, to present McKenna with a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol.

Reed called McKenna "an extraordinary young man with a big heart and a dedicated, distinguished soldier."

Gallison told the Providence Journal that McKenna's death "is absolutely devastating to the family and the entire town of Bristol."

McKenna is survived by his parents, Peter and Carol McKenna of Bristol.

Gov. Gina Raimondo ordered flags flown at half-staff beginning Tuesday through his funeral services. "All Rhode Islanders are grateful for his service, and our prayers are with his family and loved ones," she said.

The Army said McKenna began his service in 1998 as an infantryman, and qualified for Special Forces in 2002. He was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group, now based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, as communications sergeant in 2003. He earned a bachelor's degree in strategic studies from Norwich University last year.

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This story has been corrected to show McKenna died on Friday, not on Saturday.