Goare, Shamus Otto
Male
Verified Staff Sergeant Shamus Otto Goare, 29, of Danville, Ohio, was a U.S. Army soldier killed in a helicopter crash in Asadabad, Afghanistan, on June 28, 2005.
Their Story
Staff Sergeant Shamus Otto Goare was a 29-year-old soldier from Danville, Ohio. He served with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), based at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. The 160th SOAR, known as the "Night Stalkers," provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces.
On June 28, 2005, Goare was one of 16 U.S. service members aboard a U.S. Army MH-47D Chinook helicopter on a mission in eastern Afghanistan. The aircraft was reportedly struck by a rocket-propelled grenade while attempting to insert a team of Navy SEALs in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Kunar Province. The helicopter crashed, killing all on board. According to military reports, it was part of a mission to locate and rescue a four-man SEAL reconnaissance team that had come under fire earlier that day.
Goare's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The operation's stated objectives included dismantling al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban regime from power. In June 2005, U.S. and allied forces were engaged in counter-insurgency operations along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The incident, later known as the "Battle of Abbas Ghar" or the "Lone Survivor" incident, resulted in the single largest loss of life for U.S. forces in Afghanistan up to that date. The bodies of the service members were recovered after a multi-day operation. The Pentagon released the names of the deceased, and news of the crash was widely reported in U.S. media.
Goare is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Ohio Statehouse and on the 160th SOAR memorial at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His name is inscribed on Panel 2E, Row 11 of the Afghanistan Memorial Wall at the National Infantry Museum.
Explore Further
SSG Goare 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.
