Bartelt, Justus Steven Joe

Staff Sergeant Justus S.J. Bartelt was a 27-year-old Marine from Polo, Illinois. He served with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, part of Regimental Combat Team 2, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Bartelt died on July 16, 2010, while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. He was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a dismounted patrol, a common insurgent tactic in the region at the time.

Bartelt's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In the summer of 2010, U.S. and allied forces were engaged in a major offensive in Helmand, a Taliban stronghold and center of opium production, aiming to clear insurgent forces and establish government control.

His death was reported by several news outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, which noted his Illinois hometown. The Marine Corps released a statement confirming his death and his unit assignment. He was survived by his wife and other family members.

Bartelt is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists maintained by the Department of Defense and on the 'Faces of the Fallen' database by The Washington Post. His name is also inscribed on the Polo Community High School Veterans Memorial in his hometown.

Staff Sergeant Bartelt 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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