Dronet, Brandon Ryan

Brandon Ryan Dronet was a 33-year-old Marine Corps captain from Erath, Louisiana. He served as a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter pilot with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 (HMH-464), part of Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

On February 17, 2006, Dronet was piloting a CH-53E Super Stallion during a combat mission in eastern Afghanistan. The helicopter crashed in the vicinity of Ghazni province, reportedly due to a mechanical failure. All ten U.S. service members on board, including Dronet, were killed in the crash. The incident was one of the deadliest for U.S. forces in Afghanistan that year.

Dronet was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The mission's stated objectives included dismantling al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban regime from power. By 2006, the conflict had entered a phase of intensified counterinsurgency operations and reconstruction efforts.

Following the crash, the Department of Defense officially announced the casualties. Dronet's remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried with full military honors. A memorial service was held at his home station in North Carolina, and he was posthumously awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart.

Captain Dronet is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and on the 'Faces of the Fallen' online tribute. In his hometown of Erath, Louisiana, he is remembered as a local graduate who served his country.

Captain Brandon Dronet 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: Santos, Dave Michael Maliksi, Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif.

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