Carnes, Nicholas Ray
Male
Verified Staff Sergeant Nicholas Ray Carnes, 25, of Dayton, Kentucky, was a U.S. Army soldier serving with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery. He was killed in a hostile incident in Orgun E, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2007.
Their Story
Nicholas Ray Carnes was a 25-year-old Staff Sergeant from Dayton, Kentucky. He served with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, a Kentucky Army National Guard unit based in Carrollton.
On August 26, 2007, Carnes was killed in Orgun E, a district in Afghanistan's Paktika province near the Pakistani border. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on patrol. Another soldier, Sergeant 1st Class Scott J. Brown, was killed in the same attack.
Carnes died during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. By 2007, Taliban and other insurgent forces had regrouped, making the eastern and southern provinces particularly volatile. The use of IEDs against coalition and Afghan forces had become a primary tactic, leading to a sharp increase in casualties.
His death was reported by local and national news outlets. Carnes was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. A memorial service was held in Kentucky, where he was remembered by his unit and community.
Carnes is memorialized on the Kentucky Veterans Memorial Wall in Frankfort and on online veterans' memorials. His unit, the 138th Field Artillery, continued its deployment following the attack.
Explore Further
Staff Sergeant Carnes 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.
