Brabander, David Thomas
Male
Verified Staff Sergeant David Thomas Brabander, 24, of Anchorage, Alaska, was killed in action on December 11, 2017, in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, while serving with the U.S. Army.
Their Story
Staff Sergeant David Thomas Brabander was a 24-year-old soldier from Anchorage, Alaska. He served with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.
According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Brabander died on December 11, 2017, from wounds sustained during combat operations in Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan. The province was a known stronghold for Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) militants at the time.
His death occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. mission that succeeded Operation Enduring Freedom in 2015. The mission's stated objectives included counter-terrorism operations and training Afghan forces. In 2017, U.S. and Afghan forces conducted intensified campaigns against ISIS-K in Nangarhar.
The U.S. Army confirmed his death in a press release. He was posthumously promoted from Sergeant to Staff Sergeant. Media reports from Alaska noted his death was mourned by his unit and the military community at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Staff Sergeant Brabander is memorialized on the website of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. He was one of 105 American service members who died during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
Explore Further
Brabander, David Thomas was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (ongoing since January 2015). The conflict is ongoing. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Golden, Jonathan Joseph, Gonzalez, Jose Juan, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael.
