BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A soldier from Boynton Beach was identified as one of the four Americans killed earlier this week in an explosion in Syria, the Department of Defense said Friday.
According to the DOD, Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach was among those killed Wednesday in Manbij, Syria, from a suicide improvised explosive device.
According to the military, Farmer is survived by his spouse, four children and his parents.
Farmer's military accomplishments included:
- Served twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October 2007 and January 2009; once in support of Operation New Dawn in August 2010; once in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from January 2012; and twice in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in January 2018 and January 2019 until his passing.
- Awards and decorations included the Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal with “C” Device, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon with one campaign star, Iraqi Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO medal, Special Forces Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
- Farmer’s military education includes One Station Unit Training, the Basic Airborne Course, Survival Evasion Resistance Escape Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, the Advanced Special Operations Technical Course, the Advanced Leader’s Course, Special Forces Warrant Officer Candidate School, the Special Forces Warrant Officer Basic Course, and the Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification Course.
Two of the other deceased military members were identified as:
* Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, of upstate New York. Kent was assigned to Cryptologic Warfare Activity 66, based at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
* DOD civilian Scott A. Wirtz of St. Louis, Missouri. Wirtz was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency as an operations support specialist. Wirtz, a former US Navy SEAL, was an intelligence expert in Syria with the troops hoping to collect information about security and adversaries in the area.
All three died "as a result of wounds sustained from a suicide improvised explosive device," according to the military.
The fourth American killed in Syria was a contractor supporting the Defense Department, according to a Pentagon spokesman. The Pentagon will not release his name since he was not military.
The bombing is still under investigation.
CNN reported Thursday that the US initial assessment is that ISIS is responsible for the bombing.
The explosion in the northern city of Manbij Wednesday killed the four Americans and at least 10 other people. Eight civilians and two fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces were killed in the blast, a senior commander from the Manbij military council told CNN.
The US-led coalition Operation Inherent Resolve said Wednesday that the service members were "conducting a routine patrol" at the time of the explosion. Three other US service members were injured in the attack.
The attack came less than a month after President Donald Trump announced that US troops would withdraw from Syria.
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Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Florida, KIA in Manbij, Syria, January 16, 2019. pic.twitter.com/cOp8V69Vju
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 18, 2019
