Jakes, Michael Jamel Jr

Michael Jamel Jakes Jr. was a 20-year-old sailor from Brooklyn, New York. He served as an Electrician's Mate Fireman Apprentice (EMFA) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), which was deployed to the Indian Ocean in support of the post-9/11 military campaign.

According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Jakes died on December 4, 2001. The official report states he was killed in action in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, a region that at the time encompassed Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa. No further details of the specific incident were publicly released.

Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. Its initial phase, known as Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A), aimed to dismantle the al-Qaeda terrorist network and remove the Taliban regime from power in Afghanistan. By early December 2001, U.S. and allied forces had captured Kabul, but combat operations continued across the country.

Jakes's death was listed among the early casualties of the conflict. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan Campaign Memorial at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., which honors sailors who died during Operation Enduring Freedom.

He is remembered on online veterans memorials and by his shipmates from the USS Kitty Hawk. The carrier served as a floating base for special operations and air missions during the opening months of the war.

Michael Jakes 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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