Senior Airman Mark Forester, 29, of Tuscaloosa, Ala. was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C. He died September 29, 2010, in Jangalak Village, Afghanistan, when he organized a special detail to save a fallen comrade who had been hit by a sniper. SrA Forester shot and killed the sniper and then led a team to rescue his comrade. SrA Forester was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry.

As a young man of 20, SrA Forester was outraged by the attack on 9/11 and knew then it was his calling to fight terrorism. After graduating from the University of Alabama, he enlisted in the Air Force in June 2007. He wanted the toughest job the military could offer, and Air Force Special Operations Combat Controller was what he was looking for.

His friend Michael Andrew stated, “He was an unusual combination of characters in that he had this desire to kill the bad guys, but he was the most compassionate, kind, mild-mannered person you’d ever meet,”

SrA Forester was survived by his parents, 1 sister and 3 brothers. His brother, Thad has since written a book about SrA Forester’s life – “My Brother in Arms”.