Cinco, Michael Anthony

Staff Sgt. Michael Anthony Cinco was a 28-year-old Air Force investigator from Mercedes, Texas. He was assigned to the 11th Field Investigations Squadron, part of the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), based at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. According to the Air Force, he was on his first deployment.

Cinco died on December 21, 2015, in Bajawri village, in Afghanistan's Helmand province. He was part of a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol that was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle. The explosion killed six U.S. service members: Cinco, two other airmen, and three Marines. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

His death occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. mission that succeeded the larger International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat role in Afghanistan. The operation, which began in January 2015, focused on counter-terrorism and training Afghan forces. The Helmand province remained a significant area of insurgent activity.

Cinco's body was returned to the United States in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. He was posthumously promoted from senior airman to staff sergeant. The Air Force released a statement noting he was a highly decorated investigator who had received multiple awards prior to his deployment.

He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Air Force Office of Special Investigations headquarters and on the Pentagon's memorial corridor. In 2016, the Air Force named its annual Outstanding Office of Special Investigations Unit of the Year award in his honor.

Cinco, Michael Anthony 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.

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