Morales, Orlando
Male
Verified Staff Sergeant Orlando Morales, 33, of Manatí, Puerto Rico, was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier. He was killed in Garesk, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2003.
Their Story
Staff Sergeant Orlando Morales was a member of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was 33 years old and a native of Manatí, Puerto Rico.
Morales died on March 29, 2003, in Garesk, a village in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. According to U.S. military reports, his unit was conducting a reconnaissance patrol when it came under hostile fire. He was one of two U.S. soldiers killed in the engagement.
His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In early 2003, operations were focused on rooting out remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda elements, particularly in the country's volatile southern and eastern regions.
The Pentagon announced the casualties on April 1, 2003. Morales was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He was survived by his wife and children.
Morales is memorialized on the Special Operations Memorial Wall at Fort Bragg and is listed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery. His name appears on Panel 2W, Line 123 of the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, which honors those killed in Afghanistan and related operations.
Explore Further
Morales 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.
