Maher, Brent Matthew

Brent Matthew Maher was a 31-year-old sergeant from Council Bluffs, Iowa, serving with the Iowa Army National Guard. He was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based in Shenandoah, Iowa. Prior to his final deployment to Afghanistan, his service reportedly included assignments in the Philippines and the Horn of Africa.

On April 11, 2011, Sergeant Maher was killed in Paktya Province, a volatile region in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border. According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, his death was the result of hostile fire. Specific details of the engagement were not widely disclosed in public reporting.

Maher's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2011, the conflict was characterized by a sustained counterinsurgency effort and frequent combat operations in Afghanistan's eastern and southern provinces.

Following his death, Maher's body was returned to Iowa. A funeral service was held in Council Bluffs, and he was buried with military honors in the Omaha National Cemetery. The Iowa National Guard and local officials publicly acknowledged his sacrifice.

Sergeant Maher is memorialized on the Iowa Veterans Memorial and is listed among the more than 2,300 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom. His unit, the 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, continued its deployment following his loss.

Sgt. Brent Maher 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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