WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) — A 42-year-old decorated Navy sailor has been identified as the first U.S. service member to be killed in combat in Syria, the Department of Defense said.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Cooper Dayton, of Woodbridge, Va., was killed by an improvised bomb blast near Ayn Issa in northern Syria on Thursday, officials said. He was working as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the joint task force against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and was assigned to a mobile bomb-disposal unit based in Virginia Beach, Va.
“We offer our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Dayton, who made the ultimate sacrifice on a day we set aside time to give thanks for our freedom and to recognize the men and women who defend that right,” Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, said.
Dayton enlisted in the Navy on Feb. 17, 1993 and received 19 awards including the Bronze Star, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
