Harton, Joshua Alexander

Joshua Alexander Harton was a 23-year-old from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He served as a corporal in Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Drum, New York. He was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On September 18, 2010, Harton was killed in Kaftar Khan, a village in the volatile Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, his death was the result of hostile enemy action. Specific details of the engagement were not publicly released by the military.

Harton's death occurred during a period of intense fighting in Afghanistan. 2010 was the deadliest year for U.S. forces in the conflict, with a major troop surge underway. Operations in Kunar Province, along the border with Pakistan, frequently involved combat with insurgent forces in rugged terrain.

His death was reported by local and national news outlets. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other commendations. A memorial service was held in his hometown of Bethlehem.

Corporal Harton is remembered on memorial walls at Fort Drum and in his community. His name is inscribed on Panel 2R, Line 113 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum. He was one of 499 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

Corporal Harton 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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