Cunningham, Joe Lee

Joe Lee Cunningham was a 27-year-old Second Lieutenant from Kingston, Oklahoma. He served in the U.S. Army with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in Edmond, Oklahoma. He was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Cunningham was killed in action on August 13, 2011, at Bagram Airfield in Parwan Province, Afghanistan. The official release stated he died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. Bagram was the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan at the time.

Cunningham's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The conflict involved coalition forces, the Afghan National Security Forces, and insurgent groups including the Taliban. By 2011, the war was in its tenth year, with a focus on counterinsurgency and training Afghan forces.

His death was reported by several news outlets, including The Oklahoman, which covered the return of his remains to his home state. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. A memorial service was held in Oklahoma.

Cunningham is remembered on the Oklahoma Military Memorial and the Afghanistan War Memorial at the 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City. His name is also inscribed on Panel 9W, Line 113 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum in Georgia.

Joe Lee Cunningham 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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