Kennedy, Joseph Alan
Male
Verified U.S. Army Specialist Joseph Alan Kennedy, 25, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, died on April 15, 2011, in Sini, Afghanistan, while serving with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment.
Their Story
Joseph Alan Kennedy was a 25-year-old soldier from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He served as a Specialist in the U.S. Army, assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, based out of Fort Knox, Kentucky. His military service included deployments to the Philippines and the Horn of Africa before his assignment to Afghanistan.
On April 15, 2011, Kennedy was killed in Sini, a village in the Zhari District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, his death was the result of hostile enemy action. He was one of two American soldiers killed in separate incidents in southern Afghanistan that day.
Kennedy's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2011, the conflict was in its tenth year, with U.S. forces engaged in a counterinsurgency strategy focused on the southern provinces, including Kandahar, a traditional Taliban stronghold.
Kennedy's body was returned to the United States. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. His funeral was held in Minnesota, where he was remembered by family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Minnesota State Capitol and on online veterans' memorials. His unit, the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, continued its deployment in Afghanistan following his death.
Explore Further
Joseph Kennedy 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.
