Harriman, Stanley Lorn
Male
Verified Chief Warrant Officer 2 Stanley Lorn Harriman, 34, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier. He was killed in a friendly fire incident near Gardez, Afghanistan, on March 2, 2002.
Their Story
Stanley Lorn Harriman was a Chief Warrant Officer 2 assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was 34 years old and from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Harriman was killed on the night of March 2, 2002, during Operation Anaconda, a major U.S.-led offensive in eastern Afghanistan. He was in a convoy of U.S. and allied Afghan forces that came under attack near the city of Gardez. According to U.S. military investigations, an AC-130 gunship supporting the operation mistakenly engaged the convoy, believing it to be an enemy force. Harriman was one of two U.S. soldiers killed in the incident, which was officially classified as a friendly fire casualty.
Operation Anaconda, launched in early March 2002, was the largest ground battle of the initial phase of Operation Enduring Freedom. Its objective was to clear Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters from the Shah-i-Kot Valley in Paktia province. The operation involved a complex mix of U.S. conventional infantry, Special Forces, and allied Afghan troops, and marked a shift toward large-scale ground combat following the initial air campaign.
The Pentagon confirmed the friendly fire incident and the deaths of Harriman and another soldier, Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Romero, several days later. An investigation concluded that a combination of factors, including communication errors and the stress of combat, led to the mistaken identification of the convoy. The findings were reported by major news outlets at the time.
Harriman is memorialized on the Army Special Operations Command Memorial Wall at Fort Bragg and on the Global War on Terrorism Memorial. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal.
Explore Further
Stanley Lorn Harriman 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.
