Collins, Sean Martin

Sean Martin Collins was a 25-year-old sergeant from Yelm, Washington. He served with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. According to military records, his service included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On December 12, 2010, Sergeant Collins was killed by enemy small arms fire during a dismounted patrol in the village of Howz e Madad, located in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan. The patrol was part of a larger security operation in the volatile Arghandab River Valley, a known insurgent stronghold.

Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By late 2010, the conflict was marked by a significant troop surge and intense counterinsurgency operations, particularly in southern provinces like Kandahar, where coalition forces sought to clear areas of Taliban influence.

Following his death, Sergeant Collins was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He was survived by his parents and siblings. His body was returned to the United States, and he was buried with military honors at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington.

Sergeant Collins is remembered on memorials in his hometown and by his unit. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Yelm Veterans Memorial and is listed among the more than 2,300 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sergeant Collins 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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