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IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 0017-08
January 07, 2008

DoD Identifies Navy Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
 
            Petty Officer Second Class Menelek M. Brown, 24, of Roswell, N.M., was declared dead Jan. 4 after apparently going overboard from USS Hopper in the Arabian Sea Jan. 3. Navy aircraft and ships conducted an extensive search but did not locate him. USS Hopper is homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
 
            For further information related to this release, contact U.S. Fifth Fleet public affairs at +973-1785-4562.