Keating, Benjamin David
Male
Verified Captain Benjamin David Keating, 27, of Shapleigh, Maine, was a U.S. Army cavalry officer serving with the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment. He was killed in action on November 26, 2006, near Forward Operating Base Naray in Afghanistan.
Their Story
Captain Benjamin David Keating was a 27-year-old officer from Shapleigh, Maine, assigned to Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, New York. His unit was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Task Force Spartan under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
On November 26, 2006, Keating was killed when the 5-ton truck he was driving slid off a narrow, icy mountain road and rolled down a steep embankment near FOB Naray in Nuristan Province. The vehicle was part of a convoy conducting a logistical mission to transfer the outpost to Afghan National Army control. According to military reports, he was attempting to navigate a sharp turn on the treacherous road when the accident occurred.
Keating's death came during a period of Operation Enduring Freedom marked by a resurgence of Taliban activity and a sharp increase in insurgent attacks, including improvised explosive devices. U.S. and ISAF forces were engaged in counterinsurgency operations and efforts to train Afghan security forces in remote eastern provinces like Nuristan, where terrain and infrastructure presented significant hazards independent of combat.
Following his death, Keating was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Meritorious Service Medal. He was survived by his parents and a sister. A memorial service was held in Maine, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2008, the U.S. Army dedicated a forward operating base in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, as Combat Outpost Keating in his memory. The outpost, infamously attacked in 2009, became a symbol of remote, difficult postings in the Afghan war. Keating is also memorialized on a monument in his hometown of Shapleigh.
Explore Further
Captain Keating 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.
