Klusacek, Erick Justin

Erick Justin Klusacek was a 22-year-old sergeant from Calcium, New York. He served with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Before his deployment to Afghanistan, his service reportedly included assignments in the Philippines and the Horn of Africa.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Sergeant Klusacek died on June 8, 2010, at Forward Operating Base Salerno's hospital in Khost Province, Afghanistan. He was reportedly wounded during a combat operation in the neighboring province of Paktika. The specific engagement was not detailed in initial casualty reports.

His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In late 2009, a significant troop surge was ordered, and Klusacek's unit was part of that increased force. The 101st Airborne Division was heavily engaged in counterinsurgency operations in eastern Afghanistan's volatile provinces along the Pakistan border.

Sergeant Klusacek was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other service medals. His body was returned to the United States, and he was buried with military honors. A local news report from his home region noted his death was mourned by family and his military community.

He is memorialized on the 101st Airborne Division memorial at Fort Campbell and on online veterans' memorials. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the New York State Veterans Home at Oxford.

Sergeant Klusacek 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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