Green Beret Killed in Afghanistan - RIP SFC Mike Goble

Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Goble, 33, a senior intelligence sergeant assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group died 23 December 2019 from injuries sustained during combat operations the day prior, Army Special Operations Command said in a statement. This was his third deployment to Afghanistan, in addition to deployments to Argentina, Guatemala, Colombia and South Korea.

“Sgt. 1st Class Goble was more than just a member of the 7th Special Forces Group, he was a brother to us, and a beloved family member to the Northwest Florida community,” said Col. John W. Sannes, 7th Group commander, in a prepared statement. “We will honor our brother’s sacrifice and provide the best possible care to his family. We ask that you keep his family and teammates in your thoughts and prayers," Sannes added.

SFC Goble was on an operation seizing a Taliban weapons cache when he was killed. He was with his unit when its members discovered an undisclosed amount of Taliban weapons in Kunduz province, said Eric Pahon, a spokesman for the U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Pahon said Goble and others were clearing out the cache when an explosion happened. Pahon said the Taliban wrongly claimed that the service members were in a convoy and targeted by a roadside bomb during a raid.

There have been 17 American service members killed in combat in Afghanistan this year, of which 14 belonged to the Army, according to Defense Department figures. The number of wounded in action exceeds 180. U.S. and Taliban representatives are engaged in ongoing peace negotiations, which President Donald Trump previously ended in September following another Taliban attack that killed an Army paratrooper near Bagram Air Base. The talks were restarted earlier in December.

Goble was born on Jan. 13, 1986, and raised in Westwood, New Jersey, according to the Army. He enlisted directly into the service as a Special Forces candidate in July 2004. After completing basic training and Airborne School, Goble attended and later graduated from Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in February 2007. Goble also deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008. During those deployments, he served as a weapons sergeant. Goble then served as a sniper instructor from 2012 through 2016, before returning to 7th Group as an intelligence sergeant.

Over the course of his career, Goble attended a variety of Army schools, including Special Forces Sniper Course, basic and advanced Military Freefall Course, Military Freefall Advanced Tactical Insertion Course, Joint Armorer Course, Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant Course and Special Operations Force Surveillance Operator Course. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor device, the Valorous Unit Award, the Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Basic Airborne and Military Free Fall Jumpmaster badges.