Army Sergeant First Class David Todd Jr.

U.S. Army Sergeant First Class David J. Todd, Jr., 36, of Marrero, LA, was assigned to Company D, 101st Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, Fort Riley, KS, and served with the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command–West. He was killed August 20, 2008, near Bala Murghab in Badghis Province, Afghanistan. During a nine-hour battle, Todd organized a quick-reaction force to rescue a 12-man patrol trapped by a larger Taliban force. Serving as a gunner amid small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire, he helped extract the patrol but was fatally wounded.

Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, SFC Todd loved the outdoors and, according to his family, always wanted to be a soldier. He enlisted in 1991, became a cavalry scout and was twice deployed during Operation Desert Storm. He was assigned to the Orleans Battalion as an ROTC instructor at Tulane from 2003 until he volunteered to join a military transition team, a small unit trained to help Afghani and Iraqi troops assume control of their countries.

SFC Todd was remembered as “a natural born leader” who lived by the motto: “No man left behind.” He was a runner and strong advocate for physical fitness.

SFC Todd was survived by his wife and five children.