Bailey, Michael Vincent

Michael Vincent Bailey was a 20-year-old from Waldorf, Maryland. He served as a Private (PV2) in the U.S. Army, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, based at Fort Drum, New York. His unit was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On October 27, 2006, Bailey was killed at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost Province, Afghanistan. According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, he died from wounds sustained when his unit came under enemy small-arms fire during a dismounted patrol. The base, a major hub for operations in the volatile eastern region, was frequently targeted.

Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2006, the mission involved extensive counterinsurgency operations against Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. The year marked a significant increase in violence and U.S. troop casualties as fighting intensified in provinces along the border with Pakistan.

Bailey's death was reported by the Department of Defense on October 30, 2006. His hometown newspaper, the *Maryland Independent*, noted his passing and that he was survived by his mother and other family members in Waldorf. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

Bailey is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the DAV Chapter 26 in Waldorf, Maryland. His name is also inscribed on Panel 11E, Line 126 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum in Georgia, which honors U.S. service members who died in the conflict.

Bailey 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.

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