Arruda, Raphael Rodrigues
Male
Verified Corporal Raphael Rodrigues Arruda, 21, of Ogden, Utah, was a U.S. Army Reserve engineer killed in a hostile incident in Bar Kunar District, Afghanistan, on July 16, 2011.
Their Story
Raphael Rodrigues Arruda was a 21-year-old from Ogden, Utah. He served as a Corporal in the U.S. Army Reserve, assigned to the 744th Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, based in his hometown.
According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Cpl. Arruda died on July 16, 2011, in Bar Kunar District, Kunar Province, Afghanistan. The official cause was listed as hostile. The specific incident was not detailed in initial releases, but his death was part of a period of intense combat operations in the volatile eastern provinces bordering Pakistan.
Arruda was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. His unit, an engineering company, would have been responsible for construction, route clearance, and other critical infrastructure tasks, which were high-risk missions in areas with a strong insurgent presence.
His death was reported by local Utah media and the Department of Defense. He was one of at least 1,800 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan by that point in the war. Public records indicate he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Cpl. Arruda is memorialized on the Utah Fallen Warriors Memorial and other local tributes. His name is inscribed on Panel 21W, Line 102 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the University of Utah.
Explore Further
Cpl. Arruda 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.
