Collette, Joseph Peter
Male
Verified U.S. Army Sergeant Joseph Peter Collette, 29, of Lancaster, Ohio, was killed during combat operations in Talawka Village, Afghanistan, on March 22, 2019.
Their Story
Joseph Peter Collette was a sergeant in the United States Army, serving with the 62nd Ordnance Company, 242nd Ordnance Battalion, 71st Ordnance Group out of Fort Carson, Colorado. He was from Lancaster, Ohio, and was 29 years old at the time of his deployment to Afghanistan.
On March 22, 2019, Collette died from wounds sustained during a combat operation in Talawka Village, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. The operation, conducted alongside Afghan forces, reportedly targeted Taliban fighters. The U.S. Department of Defense stated his death was the result of hostile fire.
Collette's death occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan that succeeded the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission in January 2015. The mission involved U.S. forces conducting counterterrorism operations and training Afghan security forces.
His death was announced by the Department of Defense. According to local reporting by the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, he was remembered by family and his community as a dedicated soldier who had also worked as a corrections officer before his service.
Sergeant Collette was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists and by veterans' groups in Ohio.
Explore Further
Joseph Collette was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (ongoing since January 2015). 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.
