RELEASE NUMBER: 040121-01
DATE POSTED: JANUARY 21, 2004

PRESS RELEASE: Special Forces Soldier killed in Iraq

U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Jan. 21, 2004) — An Army Special Forces Soldier died Jan. 18 in Iraq from wounds sustained two days earlier when an improvised explosive device detonated during a combat patrol near Baghdad.

Master Sgt. Kelly L. Hornbeck, a Special Forces senior sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo., sustained the fatal wounds when the IED exploded in the vicinity of his unit during the Jan. 16 patrol.

Hornbeck, a 36-year-old native of Fort Worth, Texas, later died of his injuries after being medically evacuated to a combat support hospital near Baghdad.

Coalition officials characterized the explosion as a hostile attack by enemy forces.  The combat patrol was conducted as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After first sending its Soldiers to Iraq during the opening stages of OIF, Soldiers from the 10th Special Forces Group continue to serve there in support of the operation and the Global War on Terrorism.

Master Sgt. Hornbeck enlisted in the Army in 1987 and first trained as an Infantryman at Fort Benning, Ga., where he would later serve as a drill sergeant.  His initial assignment was with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” at Fort Myer, Va.  Following his initial enlistment, Hornbeck volunteered for duty with the U.S. Army Special Forces in 1990. 

After training as a Special Forces weapons sergeant, Hornbeck went on to serve in the 7th and 10th Special Forces Groups (Airborne).  During his career as a special operations Soldier, Hornbeck served as a combat diver, a military free fall parachutist and a jumpmaster, among many other duties.  Hornbeck was also a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger Course. 

Master Sgt. Hornbeck’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Drill Sergeant Identification Badge, the Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Combat Diver Badge, the Ranger tab and the Special Forces tab.

Master Sgt. Hornbeck is survived by his daughters, Tyler Rae Hornbeck and Jaqueline McCall and his parents Jeffrey and Camille Hornbeck.

Master Sgt. Kelly L. Hornbeck, a Special Forces senior sergeant assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colo., died Jan. 18 in Iraq from wounds sustained two days earlier when an improvised explosive device detonated during a combat patrol near Baghdad.  (Courtesy photo)