Crose, Bradley Stephen
Male
Verified U.S. Army Sergeant Bradley Stephen Crose, 27, of Orange Park, Florida, was killed in action on March 4, 2002, during a combat operation near Gardez, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Bradley Stephen Crose was a 27-year-old sergeant from Orange Park, Florida, serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. He was a member of the U.S. Army's elite special operations force.
On March 4, 2002, Crose was part of a joint U.S. and allied Afghan force conducting Operation Anaconda in the Shah-i-Kot Valley near Gardez. According to military reports, his unit came under intense small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire while attempting to secure a landing zone on a mountain ridge known as Takur Ghar. He was killed during this initial engagement.
Operation Anaconda, which lasted from March 2 to March 18, 2002, was a major early ground offensive of Operation Enduring Freedom. Its objective was to clear Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters from the mountainous region. The operation involved intense close-quarters combat and was one of the deadliest engagements for U.S. forces in Afghanistan to that point.
Sergeant Crose's death was reported alongside six other U.S. service members killed in the opening days of the operation. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device and the Purple Heart. His name is inscribed on the Global War on Terrorism Memorial at Hunter Army Airfield.
Bradley Crose is remembered by his unit and family as a dedicated soldier. A memorial scholarship was established in his name at his former high school in Florida.
Explore Further
Bradley Crose 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.
