Archuleta, Tamara Lee
Female
Verified Captain Tamara Lee Archuleta, 23, of Los Lunas, New Mexico, was a U.S. Air Force Reserve officer assigned to the 41st Rescue Squadron. She was killed in action on March 23, 2003, near Ghazni, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Tamara Lee Archuleta was a 23-year-old captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve from Los Lunas, New Mexico. She was assigned to the 41st Rescue Squadron, based at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. The squadron's mission involved combat search and rescue operations.
On March 23, 2003, Archuleta was a passenger aboard an MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopter conducting a mission near Ghazni, Afghanistan. The helicopter crashed in poor weather conditions, reportedly due to a brownout?a loss of visibility caused by rotor wash kicking up dust. All six crew members on board, including Archuleta, were killed.
The crash occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. In March 2003, major combat operations were also commencing in Iraq, but the conflict in Afghanistan remained active, with coalition forces engaged in combat and stabilization missions.
Archuleta's death was reported by major news outlets, including The Washington Post and the Air Force Times. The Air Force posthumously awarded her the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. Her remains were returned to the United States for burial.
Captain Archuleta is memorialized on the Air Force Memorial and is listed among the more than 2,300 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom. The 41st Rescue Squadron was later deactivated in 2006.
Explore Further
Captain Archuleta was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
