Gramith, Thomas Joseph
Male
Verified Captain Thomas Joseph Gramith, 27, of Eagan, Minnesota, was a U.S. Air Force F-15E pilot assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron. He was killed in action in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, on July 18, 2009.
Their Story
Thomas Joseph Gramith was a captain in the United States Air Force, serving as an F-15E Strike Eagle weapons systems officer with the 336th Fighter Squadron out of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. A native of Eagan, Minnesota, he was 27 years old at the time of his deployment to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On July 18, 2009, Gramith was killed when the F-15E fighter jet he was co-piloting crashed in Ghazni Province, southern Afghanistan. The aircraft was reportedly on a close air support mission when it went down. The pilot, Captain Ryan P. Hall, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was also killed in the crash. An Air Force investigation later concluded the cause was spatial disorientation experienced by the pilot during a night mission in poor weather.
Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2009, the conflict was in a phase of intense counterinsurgency operations, with a significant focus on provinces like Ghazni to disrupt Taliban networks and support ground troops. Air power, including F-15E squadrons, played a central role in these missions.
According to Air Force statements, the crash was not a result of hostile fire. The deaths of Gramith and Hall were announced by the Department of Defense. Memorial services were held at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, where both airmen were based.
Captain Gramith was posthumously awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. He is memorialized on the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base memorial and is listed on the Afghanistan War casualty rolls maintained by the Defense Department.
Explore Further
Captain Gramith 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.
