Banks, Barbaralien

Sergeant Major Barbaralien Banks was a 41-year-old soldier from Harvey, Louisiana. She served with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 25th Infantry Division (Task Force Thunder), part of Combined Joint Task Force-76, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Her service included deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On April 6, 2005, Banks was killed during a combat operation in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, her unit was conducting a patrol when it came under enemy small-arms fire. She was one of two U.S. soldiers killed in the engagement.

Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The operation's stated objectives included dismantling al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban regime from power. By 2005, the conflict had evolved into a protracted counterinsurgency effort involving coalition and Afghan forces.

The Department of Defense announced Banks's death on April 8, 2005. She was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. Her remains were returned to the United States for burial.

Sergeant Major Banks was one of the highest-ranking female non-commissioned officers to die in the conflict at that time. Her name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at Schofield Barracks and is listed on the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America memorial registry.

Barbaralien Banks 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: Santos, Dave Michael Maliksi, Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif.

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