Fallen Heroes

Operation Enduring Freedom

October 2001 - December 2014

Hover over a picture to learn more about the servicewoman.

Sergeant Jeannette L. Winters, USMC (Gary, IN, 26 years)

Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352), the "Raiders," Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, CA.
Died: 9 Jan 02, Pakistan
Sergeant Winters was the radio operator aboard a KC-130/R Hercules when the aircraft struck a mountain in Pakistan. She and her crew where on a mission related to the war on terrorism and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She was the first woman to die in this conflict. Winters had five siblings, one of whom also served in the Marine Corps. Officials in Gary, IN are working to open the SGT Winters Center for Homeless Female Veterans which will sleep 8.

Seaman Katrina R. Grady, USN (Greenville, MS, 29 years)

USS Port Royal deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: 18 Apr 02, Bethesda Naval Hospital, MD
SN Grady died from a non-combat related illness after being medically evacuated from the USS PORT ROYAL, deployed in support of OEF.

 

Specialist Julie R. Hickey, USAR (Galloway, OH, 20 years)

412th Civil Affairs Battalion, US Army Reserve, Whitehall, OH
Died 4 Jul 04, Landstuhl, Germany
SPC Hickey was evacuated from Bagram, Afghanistan, on June 30 and died in Landstuhl, Germany, of complications from a non-combat related illness.

Specialist Chrystal G. Stout, SC ARNG (Travelers Rest, SC, 23 years)

228th Signal Brigade, SC Army National Guard, Spartanburg, SC
Died: 6 Apr 05, Ghazni, Afghanistan
Specialist Stout died when the CH-47 helicopter she was on with 17 others crashed in a sandstorm south of Kabul. She graduated from Trinity Christian Academy in 1999 and was enrolled in a distance learning program through Liberty University.

 

Senior Airman Alecia S. Good, USAF (Broadview Heights, OH, 23 years)

92nd Communications Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, WA
Died: 17 Feb 06, Gulf of Aden, Djibouti
SrA Good died when two CH-53 helicopters crashed into the Gulf of Aden in the vicinity of Ras Siyyan, northern Djibouti, while flying a training mission in the Godoria Range area. She was deployed to Djibouti as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa during Operation Enduring Freedom. She was an avid snowboarder and left behind a daughter.

Sergeant Wakkuna A. Jackson, USA (Jacksonville, FL, 21 years)

710th Combat Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY Died: 19 Aug 06, Kunar, Afghanistan
SGT Jackson died when an improvised explosive device detonated near her convoy vehicle.

 

Specialist Ciara M. Durkin, MA ARNG (Quincy, MA, 30 years)

726th Finance Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard, West Newton, MA Died: 28 Sep 07, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
SPC Durkin died of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident.

Specialist Seteria L. Brown, USA (Orlando, FL, 22 years)

62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood TX
Died: 25 Jul 08, Sharana, Afghanistan
SPC Brown died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.

 

First Lieutenant Roslyn L. Schulte, USAF (Saint Louis, MO, 25 years)

Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces Command, Hickam Air Force Base, HI
Died: 20 May 09, near Kabul, Afghanistan
1st Lt. Schulte died of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. She was the first female graduate of the Air Force Academy to die in the conflict. She was an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance officer who was teaching Afghan military how to use intelligence information. Schulte was on her way to an intelligence sharing conference when she her convoy was hit by a roadside bomb. She left behind her parents and a brother

Senior Airman Ashton L. M. Goodman, USAF (Indianapolis, IN, 21 years)

43rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, NC
Died: 26 May 09, near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan
SrA Goodman died of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. She was a member of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team and supported countless engineering missions to the province's most northern and remote district of Paryan to facilitate the construction of a major roadway. Although only 21, she was often a mentor to the province’s Afghan female leaders. Goodman loved animals and wanted to be a veterinarian

 

Private First Class Barbara Vieyra, USA (Mesa, AZ, 22 years)

720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
Died: 18 Sep 10, Kunar province, Afghanistan
PFC Vieyra died from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit using an improvised explosive device and rocket propelled grenade fire.

Private First Class Jaysine P. S. Petree, USA (Yigo, Guam, 19 years)

17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, US Army, Alaska, Fort Richardson, AK
Died: 24 Sep 10, between Ghanzi and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
PFC Petree died of wounds suffered when her vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device.

 

Sergeant Zainah C. Creamer, USA (Texarkana, TX, 28 years)

212th Military Police Detachment, Headquarters Battalion, Fort Belvoir, VA
Died: 12 Jan 11, Kandahar province, Afghanistan
SGT Creamer died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device. She was the first female military dog handler to be killed since the army started training women as handlers in 1973. There is a bridge named after Creamer in Texarkana, Arkansas.

Petty Officer Second Class Dominique Cruz, USN (Panama City, FL, 26 years)

USS Halsey homeported in San Diego, CA
Died: 18 Jan 11, Gulf of Oman, Fifth Fleet area of operations
PO2 Cruz was reported missing from the USS HALSEY on Jan 18. After an extensive search and rescue effort by multiple helicopters, her body was found in the Gulf of Oman on later that day.

 

Sergeant Linda L. Pierre, USA (Immokalee, FL, 28 years)

101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY
Died: 16 Apr 11, at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.
SGT Pierre died of wounds suffered when an Afghan National Army soldier detonated a suicide vest at a meeting. She was a human resource specialist. Pierre was survived by her parents.

Master Sergeant Tara R. Brown, USAF (Deltona, FL, 33 years)

Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Joint Base Andrews, MD
Died: 27 Apr 11, at the Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan
MSgt Brown died of wounds suffered when a veteran Afghan pilot opened fire in a training room after an argument with a foreign colleague. She was training Afghan airman on network and computer skills. Brown grew up in Long Island with three siblings, raised by their father.

 

Private First Class Sarina N. Butcher, OK ARNG (Checotah, OK, 19 years)

700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard, Tulsa, OK
Died: 2 Nov 11 in Paktika, Afghanistan
PFC Butcher and a fellow soldier died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

Specialist Mikayla A. Bragg, USA (Longview, WA, 21 years)

201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, KY.
Died: 21 Dec 11 in Khowst province, Afghanistan
SPC Bragg died of a gunshot wound.

 

Private First Class Patricia L. Horne, USA (Greenwood, MS, 20 years)

96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, KY
Died: 24 Aug 12, Bagram, Afghanistan
PFC Horne died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Jessica M. Wing, ME ARNG (Alexandria, VA, 42 years)

1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, Bangor, ME Died: 27 Aug 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait
SSG Wing died in a non-combat related incident.

 

Sergeant Camella M. Steedley, USMC (San Diego, CA, 31 years),

Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA
Died: 3 Oct 12, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Sgt. Steedley died while supporting combat operations.

Specialist Brittany B. Gordon, USA (St. Petersburg, FL, 24 years)

572d Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
Died: 13 Oct 12, Kandahar, Afghanistan
SPC Gordon died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device.

 

Lieutenant Colonel Jaimie E. Leonard, USA (Warrick, NY, 39 years)

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY
Died: 8 Jun 2013, Sharana, Afghanistan
LTC Leonard died from injuries suffered from small arms fire received at Zarghun Shahr,
Afghanistan. She dreamed of serving in the military from a young age. In 1997, she graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and earned a graduated degree from Georgetown in 2007. Leonard was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by five siblings.

Specialist Ember M. Alt, USA (Beech Island, SC, 21 years)

10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, Fort Eustis, VA
Died: 18 Jun 2013, Bagram, Afghanistan
SPC Alt died, along with three of her fellow soldiers, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked Bagram Airfield with indirect fire. Her father was working in Afghanistan as a contractor at the time of her death. He was able to escort his daughter’s body home through Ramstein Air Base and then to Dover Air Force Base. Alt graduated from Kileen High School in 2009 where she led her 4x400 track relay team to the State Championship. She had a very artistic, creative mind and loved to write poetry.

 

Private First Class Daniela Rojas, USA (Los Angeles, Ca, 19 years)

2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO
Died: 03 May 2014, Saarland Hospital, Homburg, Germany
PFC Rojas died as a result of a non-combat related illness while serving in OEF.

First Lieutenant Jennifer M. Moreno, USA NC (San Diego, CA, 25 years)

Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
Died: 6 Oct 2013, Zhari District, Afghanistan
1LT Moreno, along with 3 other soldiers, died when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.

Staff Sergeant Anissa A. Shero, USAF (Grafton, WV, 32)

16th Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL
Died: 12 Jun 02, Pakitka province of Afghanistan
SSgt Shero, a Loadmaster, died when the Air Force MC-130H Combat Talon II Aircraft in which she was riding crashed during take-off in the Pakitka province of Afghanistan.

First Lieutenant Tamara Lee Archuleta, USAF (Valdosta, GA & Belen, NM, 24 years)

41st Rescue Squadron, Moody AFB, GA
Died: 23 Mar 03, Afghanistan
1LT Archuleta was on a mission to pick up two Afghan children with life threatening head injuries when her helicopter, a HH-60G Pave Hawk, crashed in a nighttime thunderstorm, killing the entire crew. She was a hard-working and dedicated officer. Archuleta graduated Summa Cum Laude from the ROTC program at the University of New Mexico. While deployed, she was writing to a local third grade class, telling them about the good work she and her crew were doing in Afghanistan.

 

Sergeant Major Barbaralien Banks, USA (Harvey, LA, 41 years)

Division Artillery, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, HI
Died 6 Apr 05, Ghanzi, Afghanistan
SGM Banks died when the CH-47 helicopter she was on with 17 others crashed in a sandstorm south of Kabul. Banks was a food management supervisor. She was the oldest of 5 siblings and joined the army in 1988. Her sister also served in the Army and another sibling served in the Marine Corps. She was survived by two grown children and three grandchildren.

First Lieutenant Laura M. Walker, USA (Texas, 24 years)

864th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 555th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (Provisional), Fort Lewis, WA.
Died: 18 Aug 05, Kandahar, Afghanistan
1LT Walker died when an improvised explosive device detonated underneath her HMMWV during ground assault convoy operations.

 

Sergeant First Class Merideth L. Howard, USAR (Alameda, CA, 52 years)

405th Civil Affairs Battalion, Fort Bragg, NC
Died: 8 Sep 06, Kabul, Afghanistan
SFC Howard died when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near her HMMWV.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Laquita Pate James, USN (Orange Park, FL, 33 years)

USS Bataan
Died: 12 Feb 07, USS Bataan, off the Horn of Africa
PO2 James died of apparent natural causes while deployed aboard the multipurpose
amphibious assault ship USS BATAAN, which was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. She was a mother of two boys.

 

Sergeant Simone A. Robinson, IL ARNG (Dixmoor, IL, 21 years)

634th Brigade Support Battalion, Illinois Army National Guard, Crestwood, IL
Died: 1 Mar 09, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX
SGT Robinson died of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near her security post on 17 Jan 09 in Kabul, Afghanistan. She was responsible for guarding fuel trucks that supplied the generators, ensuring power for the base in Kabul. Robinson enlisted in the National Guard with her parents’ permission while still in high school. She believed the military would give her a better life. She left behind a two year old daughter.

Lieutenant Florence B. Choe, MSC USN (El Cajon, CA, 35 years)

Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan
Died: 27 Mar 09, Camp Shaheen, Mazar-E-Sharif, AfghanistanLT Choe died when an Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on personnel assigned to the camp. Choe’s father was a career Navy sailor. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from the University of San Diego in 1997 and a Master's Degree in Public Health and Health Care Administration in 2001 from San Diego State University and joined the service after 9/11. She was an avid runner and snowboarder. Her husband also served in the Navy and they had a 3 year old daughter.

 

Staff Sergeant Tara J. Smith, USA (Nashville, NC, 33 years)

50th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, NC
Died: 8 Aug 09, Bagram, Afghanistan
SSG Smith died from a non-combat related incident that occurred Aug 4 at Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan.

Sergeant Eduviges G. Wolf, USA (Hawthorne, CA, 24 years)

704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO
Died: 25 Oct 09, Kunar province, Afghanistan
SGT Wolf died from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her vehicle with a rocket. propelled grenade.

 

Staff Sergeant Aracely Gonzalez O’Malley, USA (Brawley, CA, 31 years)

307th Integrated Theater Signal Battalion, 516th Signal Brigade, 311th Signal Command, Schofield Barracks, HI
Died: 22 Oct 10, Homburg, GermanySSG O’Malley died of injuries sustained in an Oct. 12 non-combat incident at Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan.

Lieutenant Colonel Gwendolyn A. Locht, USAF (Fort Walton Beach, FL, 46 years)

96th Inpatient Operations Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, FL
Died: 16 Nov 10, Houston, TX
Lt. Col. Locht was medically evacuated from Kandahar, Afghanistan, on May 22 for treatment of a non-combat related illness.

 

Private First Class Amy R. Sinkler, USA (Chadbourn, NC, 23 years)

17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Richardson, AK
Died: 20 Jan 11, Baghlan province, Afghanistan
PFC Sinkler died of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked her unit with a rocket-propelled grenade. Sinkler joined the military to get out of her small hometown. She was married to her high school boyfriend, Doug Sinkler.

Staff Sergeant Cynthia R. Taylor, USA (Columbus, GA, 39 years)

101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY
Died: 16 Apr 11, at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.
SSG Taylor died of wounds suffered when an Afghan National Army soldier detonated a suicide vest at a meeting. Taylor was a vehicle mechanic and was survived by a son and daughter.

 

Specialist Devin A. Snyder, USA (Cohocton, NY, 20 years)

793rd Military Police Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson, AK
Died: 4 June 11, in Laghman province, Afghanistan.
SPC Snyder, along with three of her fellow soldiers, died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. She was born to an active duty Navy family that settled in New York. She graduated from Wayland-Cohocton High School in 2008, an all-county runner who also played soccer. Snyder was known as “Twiggy.” She joined the army after graduation and loved serving.

First Lieutenant Ashley I. White, NC ARNG (Alliance, OH, 24 years)

230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, Goldsboro, NC
Died: 22 Oct 11 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan
1LT White, along with two of her fellow soldiers, died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device.

 

Specialist Erica P. Alecksen, USA (Eatonton, GA, 21 years)

978th Military Police Company, 93rd Military Police Battalion, Fort Bliss, TX
Died: 8 Jul 12, in Maidan Shahr, Wardak province, Afghanistan
SPC Alecksen died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device. Five other soldiers from her unit were also killed in the attack.

Specialist Krystal M. Fitts, USA (Houston, TX, 26 years)

1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
Died: 17 Jul 12, Kandahar, Afghanistan
SPC Fitts died from injuries suffered from indirect fire.

 

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Thalia S. Ramirez, USA (San Antonio, TX, 28 years)

1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
Died: 5 Sep 12, Logar Province, Afghanistan
CWO2 Ramirez died from injuries suffered when the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior aircraft she was piloting crashed.

Sergeant Donna R. Johnson, NC ARNG (Raeford, NC, 29 years)

514th Military Police Company, 60th Troop Command, Winterville, N.C.
Died: 1 Oct 12, Khost, Afghanistan
SGT Johnson died from injuries suffered when an insurgent detonated a suicide vest while she and other members of her unit were on dismounted patrol.

 

Captain Sara M. Knutson Cullen, USA, (Eldersburg, MD, 27 years)

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Hunter Army Airfield, GA
Died: 11 March 13, Kandahar, Afghanistan
CPT Knutson died when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was riding in crashed during a rainstorm. Sara was a 2003 graduate of Liberty High School and attended West Point to study law. Knutson’s husband Chris was a former CW2 Black Hawk pilot who left active duty to be near her so they could start a family. They married in November and Knutson deployed in January.

Captain Victoria A. Pinckney, USAF (Palmdale, CA, 27 years)

93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, WA
Died: 3 May 2013, near Chon-Aryk, Kyrgyzstan,Capt “Tory” Pinckney died in the crash of a KC-135 aircraft along with two of her fellow airmen. She was a graduate of the Air Force Academy, where she met her husband, Richard. They had a baby boy who was just seven months old at the time of her death.

 

Specialist Hilda I. Clayton, USA (Augusta, GA, 22 years)

55th Signal Company (Combat Camera), 21st Signal Brigade, Fort George G. Meade, MD
Died: 2 Jul 2013, Jalalabad, Afghanistan
SPC Clayton died as a result of a non-combat related incident that occurred in Qaraghahi, Afghanistan.

Specialist Caryn E. Nouv, USA (Newport News, VA, 29 years)

10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
Died: 27 Jul 2013, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
SPC Nouv died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked her vehicle with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire.