Griffith, John Cripe

John Cripe Griffith was a 33-year-old sergeant from Las Vegas, Nevada, serving in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Company E, 3rd Battalion, General Support Aviation Brigade (GSAB), 10th Aviation Regiment, part of Task Force Centaur based out of Fort Drum, New York. His unit had deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On May 5, 2006, Sergeant Griffith was killed during combat operations in the Pech District of Kunar Province, eastern Afghanistan. According to U.S. military reports, his unit was engaged by enemy small-arms fire. He was one of two soldiers from the 10th Aviation Regiment killed in the same engagement; the other was Specialist David N. Timmons Jr.

Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2006, the mission involved counter-insurgency operations against Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. Kunar Province, bordering Pakistan, was a region of frequent and intense combat due to its rugged terrain and use as an insurgent infiltration route.

The Department of Defense announced the deaths of Sergeant Griffith and Specialist Timmons on May 7, 2006. Sergeant Griffith was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He was survived by his wife and children.

Sergeant Griffith is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Las Vegas Veterans Memorial and on online veterans' remembrance pages. His name is listed on the 10th Aviation Regiment memorial at Fort Drum, honoring soldiers of the unit who died in Afghanistan.

John Griffith 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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