Hefner, Shawn Patrick

Shawn Patrick Hefner was born in 1987 and grew up in Hico, Texas, a small town west of Fort Worth. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was assigned as a rifleman to Delta Company, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 7, 2nd Marine Division, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

On November 13, 2009, Hefner was killed during combat operations in the Nawa District of Afghanistan's Helmand Province. According to Marine Corps statements, he died from wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. The area was a focus of a major U.S. Marine offensive, Operation Khanjar, launched earlier that summer to clear Taliban strongholds.

Hefner's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. In 2009, U.S. forces, particularly Marines, were engaged in a significant troop surge aimed at securing population centers in southern Afghanistan like Helmand.

His body was returned to Texas, and a funeral service was held at the First Baptist Church in Hico. The Department of Defense officially announced his death on November 16, 2009. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.

Lance Cpl. Hefner was survived by his parents and siblings. He is memorialized on the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Hico and is listed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Veterans Park in Stephenville, Texas.

Lance Cpl. Hefner 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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