Jankiewicz, Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas Jankiewicz was born on November 22, 1986, and grew up in Ramsey, New Jersey. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and, after completing the rigorous Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite special operations unit based at Fort Benning, Georgia.

According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Corporal Jankiewicz died on April 9, 2010, in Zabul province, southern Afghanistan. He was reportedly killed by small arms fire during a combat operation. The 75th Ranger Regiment was conducting a mission in the region, which was a known insurgent stronghold.

Jankiewicz's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In late 2009, a surge of U.S. forces was ordered, leading to intensified combat operations in Taliban-held areas like Zabul in 2010. The Taliban had regrouped and was contesting control of rural provinces.

His body was returned to the United States, and a funeral service was held at Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church in Ramsey. He was buried with full military honors at Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah, New Jersey. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal.

Corporal Jankiewicz is memorialized on the 75th Ranger Regiment's memorial wall at Fort Benning and on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Veterans Memorial Park in his hometown of Ramsey. His name is also inscribed on Panel 40W, Row 8 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum.

Corporal Jankiewicz 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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