Gross, Dustin Dean

Dustin Dean Gross was a 19-year-old soldier from Jeffersonville, a small community in Montgomery County, Kentucky. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned as a cavalry scout to Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

On May 7, 2012, Gross was killed in the village of Cisterri, located in the volatile Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, his death resulted from hostile enemy action. Specific details of the engagement were not widely released, but the area was known for insurgent activity and complex terrain.

Gross's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2012, the U.S. had begun a drawdown of the surge forces deployed in 2009-2010, but combat operations, particularly in eastern provinces like Kunar, remained intense and dangerous for troops conducting counterinsurgency missions.

His body was returned to Kentucky, where he was buried in the Machpelah Cemetery in Mount Sterling. The Department of Defense officially announced his death, and local news outlets reported on memorial services held in his hometown, noting his family's grief and his commitment to service.

Gross was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other service medals. He is remembered on memorials in Kentucky and at Fort Bragg, and his name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the University of Kentucky.

PFC Dustin Gross 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.

← Return to the full memorial | Add a memorial record