Gentz, Joel Christopher
Male
Verified U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Joel Christopher Gentz, 25, of Grass Lake, Michigan, was a pararescueman assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron. He was killed by enemy fire on June 9, 2010, during a rescue mission near Forward Operating Base Jackson,
Their Story
Joel Christopher Gentz was a 25-year-old 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, serving as a combat rescue officer and pararescueman with the 58th Rescue Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. A native of Grass Lake, Michigan, he was a 2008 graduate of Purdue University's Air Force ROTC program and had been trained for the specialized mission of recovering personnel from hostile or denied territory.
On June 9, 2010, Gentz was part of a four-man pararescue team inserted by helicopter to aid two injured soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division in the Arghandab River Valley, near FOB Jackson in Kandahar province. According to military reports, the team came under intense small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire from insurgent forces immediately upon landing. Gentz and the team's combat controller, Senior Airman Benjamin D. White, were killed in the engagement. The two soldiers they were attempting to rescue also died.
Gentz's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The incident took place during a period of intense fighting in Kandahar province, part of a major coalition offensive in the summer of 2010 aimed at clearing Taliban strongholds in their traditional heartland.
Following his death, Gentz was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart. His remains were returned to the United States, and a memorial service was held at Purdue University. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Gentz is remembered within the Air Force's rescue community for his role in one of the deadliest single incidents for Air Force personnel in the Afghanistan war. His name is inscribed on the Pararescue Memorial at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, and a scholarship fund was established in his memory at Purdue University.
Explore Further
Joel Gentz 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.
