Gass, Girard David Jr

Staff Sergeant Girard David Gass Jr. was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, commonly known as a Green Beret. He was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. According to the Department of Defense, the 33-year-old soldier was a native of Lumber Bridge, North Carolina.

Gass died on August 3, 2014, at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. The Department of Defense stated he was killed by enemy small-arms fire. He was reportedly engaged in a partnered operation with Afghan forces at the time of the incident.

Gass was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2014, the mission had largely shifted from direct combat to training and advising Afghan National Security Forces, though troops remained engaged in frequent combat operations.

The Department of Defense formally announced Gass's death in a press release on August 4, 2014. He was posthumously promoted from Sergeant First Class to Master Sergeant. His awards included the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

Master Sergeant Gass is memorialized on the Special Forces Memorial Wall at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg. His name is also inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Museum of the Kansas National Guard.

Master Sergeant Girard Gass 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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