Grissom, James Floyd

Sergeant First Class James Floyd Grissom was a 31-year-old Special Forces soldier assigned to Company A, 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. A native of Hayward, California, he had served in multiple deployments across the globe, including to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa, as part of his unit's mission profile.

Grissom died from wounds sustained during a hostile event in Afghanistan earlier in March 2013. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, he was medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the U.S. military's premier overseas hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on March 21.

His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2013, the conflict was in a period of transition, with U.S. and NATO forces shifting focus from large-scale combat to training and advising Afghan national security forces ahead of a planned withdrawal.

Grissom's death was announced by the Department of Defense. He was posthumously promoted from Staff Sergeant to Sergeant First Class. His awards reportedly included the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

Grissom was one of 2,356 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom. He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists and by veterans' organizations honoring Special Forces soldiers.

SFC James Grissom 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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