Kerwood, William Jo

Master Sergeant William Jo Kerwood was a U.S. Air Force special operations airman assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron, based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The squadron operates the MH-53 Pave Low helicopter, a specialized aircraft used for long-range, low-level missions to insert and extract special forces troops.

Kerwood was killed on November 23, 2003, in Afghanistan. According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, he died from injuries sustained in a non-combat related vehicle accident. The Pentagon stated the accident occurred while he was on patrol near Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, and was under hostile fire at the time.

His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By late 2003, major combat operations had ended, but U.S. and coalition forces were engaged in stabilization and counter-insurgency efforts against a regrouping Taliban and Al-Qaeda network.

The Air Force posthumously awarded Kerwood the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. He was survived by his wife and children. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried with full military honors.

Kerwood is memorialized on the Air Force Special Operations Command Memorial Wall at Hurlburt Field and on the Special Operations Memorial at MacDill Air Force Base. His name is also inscribed on the Afghanistan campaign memorial at the Air Force Academy.

MSgt William Kerwood 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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