Michel, Devin Jay
Male
Verified Devin Jay Michel, a 19-year-old U.S. Army Private First Class from Stockton, Illinois, was killed in Afghanistan's Zhari District on October 24, 2009.
Their Story
Devin Jay Michel was a 19-year-old soldier from Stockton, Illinois. He served as a Private First Class with Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, part of Task Force Mountain Warrior. According to military records, his service included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.
On October 24, 2009, Michel died in the vicinity of Zhari District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense stated his death was the result of hostile action. He was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom at the time.
Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By late 2009, the conflict was in its eighth year, with intense counterinsurgency operations focused on Taliban strongholds in southern provinces like Kandahar. Zhari District was a known insurgent sanctuary.
Michel's death was reported by the Defense Casualty Analysis System on the day he died. His hometown newspaper, the Journal-Standard of Freeport, Illinois, noted his passing and that he was a 2008 graduate of Stockton High School. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other commendations.
He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Stockton Veterans Memorial and on the online 'Faces of the Fallen' project by The Washington Post. His name is inscribed on Panel 10W, Row 102 of the Afghanistan Veterans Memorial Wall in Omaha, Nebraska.
Explore Further
Devin Michel 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.
