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Staff Sgt. Timothy Raymond McGill, a 30-year-old Ramsey native who served as a weapons specialist with the Rhode Island National Guard, was killed when an Afghan training with the security forces turned his weapon against U.S. troops in the eastern part of the country, an Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed. The attacker was then shot dead.
The incident occurred in Gardez, near the Pakistan border — a front line in the fighting with the Taliban and other militants.
McGill, a borough Rescue squad member who was graduated from Ramsey High School, joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2001 and was deployed to Iraq four years later. After returning to Ramsey, he resumed his military career with the Rhode Island National Guard in 2008 as a weapons specialist.
Hel became an elite special forces soldier in 2011 and was assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion 19th Special Forces, in support of “Operation Enduring Freedom.”
McGill was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Tab, Global War on Terrorism Expedition Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and an Iraq Campaign Medal.
“Tragically, Staff Sgt. McGill has made the supreme sacrifice,” Rhode Island National Guard Adjutant General Major General Kevin R. McBride said today. “[M]indful of the impact of that sacrifice on his family and friends, I pledge this command’s perpetual support.
“[W]e are once again reminded of the enduring sacrifice our soldiers and airmen have made, and continue to make, in service to this great country,” McBride said.
Killings of foreign soldiers and civilians by uniformed Afghans has risen dramatically — including 11 foreign soldiers this year alone — as NATO tries to give Afghans responsibility for security prior to a planned 2014 withdrawal.
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