Kantor, Matthew Geoffrey
Male
Verified Petty Officer Second Class Matthew Geoffrey Kantor, 22, of Gillette, New Jersey, was a U.S. Navy SEAL assigned to SEAL Team Four. He was killed in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on November 1, 2012.
Their Story
Matthew Geoffrey Kantor was raised in Gillette, New Jersey. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and, after completing the rigorous Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, was assigned to the East Coast-based SEAL Team Four.
On November 1, 2012, Kantor was killed by small arms fire during a combat operation in Ghazni province, southern Afghanistan. The operation, according to U.S. military reports, was part of a mission to clear an area of insurgent fighters.
Kantor's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By late 2012, the conflict was in its eleventh year, with U.S. and allied forces engaged in counterinsurgency operations alongside Afghan national security forces.
The Department of Defense announced his death on November 2, 2012. He was posthumously promoted from the rank of Petty Officer Third Class to Petty Officer Second Class. A memorial service was held in his hometown.
Petty Officer Second Class Kantor is memorialized on the Navy SEAL Memorial at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was one of 2,356 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Explore Further
Petty Officer Second Class Kantor 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.
