Gire, Joshua Seth
Male
Verified U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Joshua Seth Gire, 28, of Chillicothe, Ohio, died on March 22, 2011, in Bandola, Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Their Story
Joshua Seth Gire was a 28-year-old Staff Sergeant from Chillicothe, Ohio. He served with the 541st Engineer Company (Sapper), 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, based in Bamberg, Germany. The unit specialized in sapper operations, including route clearance and demolition.
On March 22, 2011, Gire was killed in Bandola, a village in the volatile Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was one of two U.S. soldiers killed in the engagement.
His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2011, the conflict was in its tenth year, with U.S. and allied forces engaged in counterinsurgency operations, particularly in the country's eastern provinces along the border with Pakistan.
The Department of Defense announced his death on March 23, 2011. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal. His remains were returned to the United States for burial.
Staff Sergeant Gire is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Ross County Veterans Memorial Park in Chillicothe, Ohio. His name is also inscribed on Panel 30W, Row 105 of the Afghanistan Memorial Wall at the National Infantry Museum in Georgia.
Explore Further
Staff Sergeant Joshua Gire 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.
