James, Laquita Pate

Laquita Pate James was a 33-year-old Petty Officer Second Class from Orange Park, Florida, serving in the United States Navy. She was assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), which was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The ship's mission included operations in Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.

James was killed on February 12, 2007, during a mission off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. According to Navy reports, she was a member of a Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) team conducting maritime security operations. The team's rigid-hull inflatable boat capsized in heavy seas during the operation, resulting in her death.

Her death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, a U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The operation's scope expanded beyond Afghanistan to include counter-terrorism activities in other regions, including the Horn of Africa. Maritime interdiction operations off Somalia aimed to disrupt terrorist and piracy networks.

The Navy announced her death on February 14, 2007. She was the first female U.S. service member to die in Operation Enduring Freedom's maritime component off the Somali coast. Her remains were returned to the United States, and she was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

James is memorialized on the Navy Memorial and at the Jacksonville National Cemetery. Her death is recorded among the 2,356 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Laquita Pate James 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: Santos, Dave Michael Maliksi, Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif.

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