Metzger, Jonathan Matthew
Male
Verified U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Jonathan Matthew Metzger, 32, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was killed in action on January 6, 2012, in Nilay, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Jonathan Matthew Metzger was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving with the 713th Engineer Company (Sapper), 113th Engineer Battalion, 81st Troop Command, based in Valparaiso, Indiana. He was 32 years old and from Indianapolis.
On January 6, 2012, Metzger was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a route clearance mission in the village of Nilay, located in the volatile Zhari District of Kandahar Province. He was part of a unit tasked with finding and neutralizing roadside bombs.
His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The Zhari District was a known insurgent stronghold and a focal point for coalition clearing operations at the time.
According to the Department of Defense, Metzger was one of two U.S. soldiers killed in separate IED strikes in Afghanistan that day. His body was returned to the United States for burial.
Metzger was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He is memorialized on the Indiana Fallen Heroes website and at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, where his name is inscribed on a bench honoring victims of the attack that precipitated the war.
Explore Further
Jonathan Metzger 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.
