Garza, Damian James

Damian James Garza was a 19-year-old soldier from Odessa, Texas. He served as a Private First Class with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite airborne infantry unit based at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Garza died on August 4, 2005, in Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province. According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, he was killed during a combat operation. The 75th Ranger Regiment was heavily engaged in counter-insurgency missions in eastern Afghanistan at the time.

His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2005, the mission had shifted from major combat operations to a protracted counter-insurgency against a resurgent Taliban and other militant groups, particularly in provinces bordering Pakistan.

The Pentagon announced his death on August 5, 2005. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. His body was returned to Texas for burial.

PFC Garza is memorialized on the Ranger Memorial at Fort Benning and on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum. His name is listed on the Odessa War Memorial in his hometown.

PFC Damian Garza 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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