Byers, Andrew David

Andrew David Byers was a U.S. Army Special Forces officer from Rolesville, North Carolina. He served as a Major with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Carson, Colorado. The 10th Group specializes in operations in Europe and Africa, but its soldiers were regularly deployed to Afghanistan.

On November 3, 2016, Byers was killed during a joint U.S.-Afghan operation in Kunduz province, a Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan. According to U.S. military statements, he was mortally wounded by enemy small arms fire while engaged in combat operations. The mission was part of a broader effort to support Afghan forces in the region.

His death occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. mission that succeeded the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat role in Afghanistan in 2015. The mission's stated objectives were to train, advise, and assist Afghan forces and to conduct counter-terrorism operations. Kunduz was a focal point of intense fighting, having briefly fallen to the Taliban in 2015.

Following his death, the Department of Defense officially announced his casualty. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Byers was remembered by his unit as a dedicated and professional soldier. His name is inscribed on the Memorial Wall at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and on a memorial at Fort Carson.

Byers, Andrew David 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, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael, Ruiz, Pablo Allende Iii.

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