Commons, Matthew Allen
Male
Verified U.S. Army Corporal Matthew Allen Commons, 21, of Boulder City, Nevada, was killed in hostile action on March 4, 2002, during a combat operation near Gardez, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Matthew Allen Commons was a 21-year-old soldier from Boulder City, Nevada. He served as a Corporal in Company A, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. The Ranger Regiment is a specialized light infantry unit.
On March 4, 2002, Commons was part of a large U.S.-led operation, codenamed Operation Anaconda, in the Shah-i-Kot Valley near Gardez. The mission aimed to clear Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters from entrenched mountain positions. According to military reports, Commons was killed by enemy fire during an intense firefight that marked one of the operation's first major engagements.
Operation Anaconda, which lasted from March 2 to March 18, 2002, was the largest ground battle in the early phase of Operation Enduring Freedom. It followed the initial U.S.-led invasion in October 2001, which had toppled the Taliban government but failed to eliminate all militant forces in Afghanistan's mountainous regions.
In the immediate aftermath, seven other U.S. service members died in the same battle. The Department of Defense announced the casualties, and Commons was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. His body was returned to the United States for burial.
Corporal Commons is memorialized on the 75th Ranger Regiment's memorial wall and is listed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His name is included on the Global War on Terrorism memorials honoring those who died in the conflict.
Explore Further
Matthew Commons 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.
