Elm, Michael Davis

Michael Davis Elm was a 25-year-old soldier from Phoenix, Arizona. He served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Knox, Kentucky. His unit deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On October 14, 2011, Specialist Elm died at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost Province, Afghanistan. According to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, his death was the result of a hostile incident. Official reports from the time indicate the base was a frequent target of indirect fire, including rocket and mortar attacks, though the specific details of the event that killed Elm were not widely publicized.

Elm's death occurred during the later years of Operation Enduring Freedom, a period marked by a significant U.S. troop surge aimed at countering insurgent forces. The war, which began in October 2001, involved complex counter-insurgency operations and sustained combat in eastern provinces like Khost.

Following his death, the Department of Defense released his name and unit. He was one of at least 1,800 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan by that point in the conflict. Local news in Arizona reported on his passing, noting his hometown.

Specialist Elm is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty rolls and by veterans' organizations. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum and on online memorials dedicated to those who died in the conflict.

Michael Davis Elm 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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