May, Jason Phillip

Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason Phillip May was a 37-year-old sailor from Chesterfield Township, Michigan. He served in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). According to the Department of Defense, he was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

May died on June 29, 2015, in a non-combat incident in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, which included Iraq and Syria. The Navy stated the incident was under investigation but did not release specific details regarding the location or immediate circumstances. He was the first U.S. service member to die in the operation.

Operation Inherent Resolve was the U.S.-led coalition campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group. It began with airstrikes in Iraq on August 8, 2014, and expanded to Syria in September 2014, following ISIS's seizure of territory and declaration of a caliphate. The mission involved air support, training, and advising for Iraqi and Syrian partner forces.

In a statement, the Navy expressed condolences to May's family, friends, and shipmates. He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. His death was reported by major news outlets, including The New York Times and Military Times, which noted it marked a somber milestone in the expanding campaign.

May's legacy is noted in official records as the first American service member killed during Operation Inherent Resolve. He is memorialized on the USS Essex and in the Navy's casualty lists for the conflict.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason Phillip May was killed during Operation Inherent Resolve (ongoing since 2014). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Villotcarrasco, Yeshabel, Spears, Jordan Lee, Walker, Jonathan Doyle, Neal, Sean Patrick.

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