Recon Marine Jamie Lowe enlisted 2 years and 3 months ago. Yesterday, his high school basketball team wore black bands on their uniforms and the cheerleaders wore black ribbons.

From NATO:

2010-01-CA-38
For Immediate Release

KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 11) - Three ISAF service members from the United States were killed this afternoon in an engagement with enemy forces in southern Afghanistan.

From the DoD:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

No. 027-10 January 13, 2010

DOD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

The following Marines died Jan. 11 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:

Staff Sgt. Matthew N. Ingham, 25, of Altoona, Pa.

Cpl. Jamie R. Lowe, 21, of Johnsonville, Ill.

Cpl. Nicholas K. Uzenski, 21, of Tomball, Texas.

Ingham, Lowe and Uzenski were assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

For additional background information on these Marines, news media representatives may contact the III Marine Expeditionary Force/Marine Corps Bases Japan public affairs office at 011-81-611-745-0790 or e-mail them at okinawapao@usmc.mil .

From a foreign website:

Four Western soldiers, three of them Americans, on Monday became the latest fatalities in a steadily escalating toll in Afghanistan. The military said the three American deaths occurred in a firefight Monday afternoon, but it gave no further details in a news release from the International Security Assistance Force.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that a single militant ambushed the Americans in Shawlikot district of Kandahar.

Northeast of Kabul, a French soldier died in an attack Monday on a joint patrol of French and Afghan forces, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced in Paris. France has some 3,750 troops in Afghanistan and, according to icasualties.org, an independent organization that tracks military casualties, it had lost 36 soldiers killed before the latest fatality.

The deaths came two days after a British journalist embedded with an American unit in Helmand Province was killed along with a Marine when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb.

It was the second time in two weeks that a Western journalist had been killed on an embedded assignment, underscoring the increased risk on the roads as military operations in Afghanistan intensify. The American military has still not confirmed the incident in any detail.

Speaking before the latest fatalities were announced, Adm. Gregory Smith, an American military spokesman, said in an interview that coalition fatalities were climbing because of an increase in troop numbers and a resulting rise in contact with enemy forces. Overall coalition fatalities rose from 295 in 2008 to 520 in 2009, according to icasualties.org.

“We are making more contact with insurgents in places where they had sanctuary before, and there will be more of that kind of activity,” he said.

During 2009, coalition troop strength increased by 33,000 United States military personnel and several thousand from allied countries, he said. Coalition forces are now logging 500 violent encounters with insurgents every week, Admiral Smith said, an increase of 15 to 20 percent over the same period in 2008.

“The difference is we have more forces operating in more places, in places where insurgents for up to years have had sanctuary,” he said.

Nor has winter had much impact on slowing the pace. Insurgent activity has stayed at the same level since last September, when incidents spiked in response to new troop arrivals, the admiral said. “We don’t look at the winter as a time when our activity is less; we intend to keep the tempo up.”

Traditionally, the Afghan conflict has eased during winter as insurgents in mountainous areas refrained from launching attacks.

A Taliban spokesman, Quri Yousuf Ahmadi, reached by telephone, claimed that Monday’s ambush of American forces was carried out by a an insurgent named Sudar Mohammad, who hid along a path used by an American foot patrol in a mountainous area, and then opened fire on them with an AK-47 automatic rifle.

The spokesman claimed that Mr. Mohammad killed five soldiers before they others returned fire and killed him.

Taimoor Shah contributed reporting from Kandahar, Afghanistan and Nadim Audi from Paris.

http://www.quillee.net/english/four-allied-troops-die-in-afghanistan/

Rich May of Spencer, Ind., never had heard of Marine Cpl. Jamie Lowe of Johnsonville, Ill., until he received a text message from his son earlier this week from the battlefields of Afghanistan.

That's when he learned the fallen Southern Illinois Marine likely had saved his son's life.

May's son, Lance Cpl. Richard May, told his father that the actions of Lowe, Staff Sgt. Matthew Ingram of Altoona, Pa., and Cpl. Nicholas Uzenski of Tomball, Texas, on Monday likely saved his life and those of numerous other Marines who appeared to have been heading into an ambush.

"My son told me that Lowe and the other two Marines were conducting a reconnaissance mission when they encountered insurgents," May said.

"One of the Marines was a sniper and took out an insurgent lookout. Moments later, a white truck appeared with more insurgents, firing on the Marine sniper."

May said that Lowe and one of the other Marines were attempting to retrieve the mortally wounded Marine sharpshooter when insurgents opened fire on them. Lowe had time to radio information about the situation back to advancing members of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines.

"If it hadn't been for those three Marines, my son and his unit would have been headed right into an ambush," May said. "No telling how many would have been killed."

The Courier & Press was unable to contact the U.S. Department of Defense to verify the account.

Moved by Lowe's heroism, May has plans to attend the fallen Marine's funeral.

On Thursday, May spoke with Wayne County Sheriff Jim Hinkle, asking for assistance in finding a way to meet Lowe's parents, Kevin and Teresa Lowe.

"Myself or one of my deputies will make sure that Mr. May is able to meet Mr. and Mrs. Lowe," Hinkle said. "He wants to meet privately with them long enough to extend his gratitude for the acts of heroism that likely saved his son's life."

Lowe was 21. He leaves his parents, Kevin and Teresa Lowe, and two brothers, Cody and Hunter Lowe.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jan/15/fallen-marine-credited-with-lives/

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