Bertrand, Cory Joseph
Male
Verified U.S. Army Specialist Cory Joseph Bertrand, 18, of Center, Texas, was killed in action on October 14, 2008, in Qazi Bandeh, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Cory Joseph Bertrand was an 18-year-old soldier from Center, Texas. He served as a Specialist with Company D, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, based out of Fort Hood, Texas. He was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On October 14, 2008, Bertrand was killed by hostile fire in Qazi Bandeh, a village in the Wardak province of Afghanistan. He was reportedly on a dismounted patrol when his unit came under attack. The Department of Defense confirmed his death the following day.
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2008, the conflict had entered a period of intense fighting as insurgent activity increased, particularly in Afghanistan's eastern and southern provinces where U.S. forces conducted frequent counterinsurgency operations.
Bertrand's death was reported by local and national news outlets. His body was returned to Texas, where he was buried with military honors at Oaklawn Memorial Park in Center. The Shelby County Sheriff's Department reportedly escorted the procession.
Bertrand was one of the youngest American service members killed in Afghanistan that year. He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists and at the Center Veterans Memorial in his hometown.
Explore Further
SPC Cory Bertrand 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.
