Butcher, Sarina Nicole

Sarina Nicole Butcher was born in Checotah, Oklahoma, and enlisted in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. She served with Company F, 700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in Tulsa. Her unit, part of the 45th Infantry Brigade, deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 as part of a regular rotation of National Guard forces.

On November 1, 2011, Specialist Butcher was killed in Lajahahmadkhel, a village in the volatile Paktia province of eastern Afghanistan. According to U.S. military reports, her dismounted patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device. She was 19 years old.

Her death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In late 2011, the conflict was characterized by a high tempo of counterinsurgency operations and a focus on training Afghan security forces, with IEDs being a leading cause of casualties for coalition troops.

The Oklahoma National Guard publicly confirmed her death. Her body was returned to the United States, and a memorial service was held in her hometown of Checotah. Governor Mary Fallin ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in her honor.

Specialist Butcher is memorialized on the Oklahoma Military Memorial and the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team's memorial wall. In Checotah, she is remembered as the first female soldier from the town to be killed in the post-9/11 wars.

Sarina Nicole Butcher 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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