Horsley, Justin Louis
Male
Verified U.S. Army Specialist Justin Louis Horsley, 21, of Palm Bay, Florida, was killed in a hostile incident on July 22, 2012, in Pul-e Alam, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Justin Louis Horsley was a 21-year-old soldier from Palm Bay, Florida. He served as a Specialist in the U.S. Army, assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, part of Combined Joint Task Force-1 (Task Force Bayonet).
On July 22, 2012, Horsley was killed in Pul-e Alam, the capital of Logar province in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense stated his death was the result of a hostile incident. According to contemporaneous reporting, the incident involved an attack by an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform, a so-called 'insider attack' or 'green-on-blue' event.
Horsley's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2012, the conflict was in a phase focused on counterinsurgency and training Afghan security forces, with Logar province being a significant area of operations.
His body was returned to the United States, and he was buried with military honors. The Army posthumously awarded him the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. His death was reported by local Florida media, which noted his service and the circumstances of his loss.
Specialist Horsley is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists and by his unit. He was one of 2,356 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Explore Further
Justin Horsley 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.
