Marine Sgt. Travis D. Pfister

Died February 7, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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27, of Richland, Wash. assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Feb. 7 when the helicopter he was flying in crashed while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. Also killed were 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, Capt. Jennifer J. Harris, Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, Sgt. James R. Tijerina, Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Gilbert Minjares Jr. and Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Manuel A. Ruiz.

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DoD names Marines killed in CH-46 crash

By Kimberly Johnson

Staff writer

Defense officials announced Monday the names of five Marines killed when the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter they were in crashed in western Iraq.

The Feb. 7 crash, which is still under investigation, was the fifth such incident to occur in Iraq in less than a month.

Capt Jennifer J. Harris, 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, Sgts. Travis D. Pfister and James R. Tijerina, and Cpl. Thomas E. Saba died when their helicopter went down near Fallujah in Anbar province.

All of the leathernecks except Saba were assigned to Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364. Saba was assigned to Okinawa, Japan-based Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262.

Two Navy corpsmen were also killed in the crash, according to the Defense Department: Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Gilbert Minjares Jr. of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.-based Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing; and HM3 Manuel Ruiz of Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.