Farley, Derek John
Male
Verified Staff Sgt. Derek John Farley, 24, of Nassau, New York, was killed on August 17, 2010, at Forward Operating Base Farah, Afghanistan, while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Their Story
Staff Sgt. Derek John Farley was a 24-year-old soldier from Nassau, New York. He served as an explosive ordnance disposal technician with the 702nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, based in Grafenwoehr, Germany, before deploying to Afghanistan.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Farley died on August 17, 2010, at Forward Operating Base Farah in Farah Province, Afghanistan. He was reportedly killed while attempting to disarm an improvised explosive device. The incident was classified as a hostile action.
Farley's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2010, the conflict was marked by a significant U.S. troop surge and intense counterinsurgency operations, with IEDs being a leading cause of casualties for coalition forces.
The Department of Defense announced his death in a press release on August 18, 2010. His hometown newspaper, the Times Union of Albany, New York, reported on his death and noted he was a graduate of Columbia High School.
Staff Sgt. Farley is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists maintained by the Department of Defense and on several online veterans' memorial sites. His unit, the 702nd EOD Company, specializes in the high-risk task of rendering safe explosive threats.
Explore Further
Staff Sgt. Farley 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.
